Ch. 12 Choices

The Jason Todd Chapter

"What… what are you talking about?" Stephanie stuttered, her eyes widening.

Steph's been held captive for three days and it was definitely starting to show. She looked tired and Sasha told me that she hasn't gotten much sleep. I took a breath as I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Look, all I can tell you is that you're safer because I kidnapped you," I sighed. It was hard enough coming here and telling her this, but there was this look in her eye that made me think I was the worst human being on the planet.

She took a few minutes to gather her thoughts before her ocean blue eyes connected with mine. "So, you think this makes everything better?"

"No I don't," I said as I turned to face Steph. "I just wanted you to know that this was the only thing I could have done to keep you safe."

"Keep me safe? What about the other people who died because of the gangs? Could you have kept them safe?" Steph yelled, now leaning forward on her knees.

"Every single person who died had it coming," I explained.

"What are you talking about? The gangs killed at least a dozen people, and you're telling me they all had it coming!"

"Gotham's filled with drug dealers, gangsters, pimps and other scum that take advantage of the weak. Many times their victims don't get to speak up. Most of the time those monsters don't get caught. I used the gangs to take them out."

"What do you mean you 'used' them? I thought Spoiler led the gangs?" Steph asked. Her face paled at her realization.

I stood up, never breaking eye contact. "I had Scarlet use the Spoiler identity and rally together the smaller gangs in Gotham. After she gained their obedience, it was easy for me to manipulate them. Every heist, every murder, every drug deal was part of my plan. No innocents were hurt, and everyone who was guilty got what was coming to them."

"What the hell Jason!" Steph yelled. She moved from the bed and was standing in front of me, with her hands thrown up. "If you knew about these people, you could have told me! I could have told Batman about them and we could have taken them down!"

"Batman's not the only one who uses fear to get what he wants!" I was literally inches away from her face. I could feel her breath on my lips and I relished the blush that crept onto her skin. "Why do you think they haven't been caught? They terrorized their families daily and no one knew about it!"

Steph was speechless. It looked as if she was chewing on her cheek, trying to think of something to say to me.

"You wanna know how I found out?" I continued. "I was at the arcade playing with the kids and one of them was crying. He wasn't from the orphanage; I've never seen him at the arcade before. When I asked him why he was crying, he told me that his dad was beating his mom again."

"Oh my God," Steph whispered.

"That night, I found out where that kid lived and saw his drunk father complaining about dinner. The hand was raised, ready to slap her. The kid was right there! He was about to see his dad hit his mom over dinner. I didn't give him that chance." I paused and let what I said sink in. "I knew there were more of guys like him around Gotham and I had to do something about it."

"You killed that kid's father! Don't you feel any sort of remorse from taking a life?" Steph asked, as she balled her hands into fists.

"No, I did Gotham a favor," I said as I grabbed my helmet and placed it on my head. I turned to Steph before exiting her room. "Like I said, they got what they deserved."

That went well. Good job Jason, instead of making her understand; Steph probably hates your guts more than ever.

Sasha was waiting for me outside. "Are you sure it was a good idea to tell her all that stuff?"

"Yeah, she deserves to know at least a bit of the truth. Give her some time to cool down before you go inside again." I placed a hand on Sasha's shoulder and she nodded in response.

I was exhausted. I spent the past couple days running errands for Talia, which was crazy because I wasn't even a member of Leviathan. But, she didn't really trust the other members to get the job done. They were just lackeys, expendable manpower.

As soon as I got to my room, I began stripping off my costume. I placed my helmet, bulletproof vest and shoulder holster on the desk. Everything else was thrown on the ground. It took a minute for the shower to finally get warm, more than enough time for my mind to drift off.

I kept thinking about the first night we brought Steph back to St. Hadrian's. I couldn't believe that Fatherless acted on his own like that. Just what the hell was he? Talia hasn't explained much since we came into contact again.

In reality, I never expected Talia's call. We haven't spoken in a while, but her funds were still what helped me keep up with Bruce. She contacted me out of the blue and asked if I could return to Gotham to keep an eye on Batgirl for her. At the time I didn't even know Stephanie existed, let alone was Batgirl. How could I refuse her?

I ran into Stephanie about a week after I returned to Gotham. She got pretty banged up fighting some thugs. I killed them and decided to patch her up. I didn't know Talia's plan, so I thought it was best to keep Steph alive. Besides, I was curious.

But who would have thought that I would have ended up going on a date with Stephanie Brown? Every expectation I had was blown away. She was a beautiful, smart and strong-willed girl who could hold her own in a fight. What wasn't there to like?

I could tell that she had a good time on our date and deep down, I was glad. There wasn't a moment where I didn't enjoy hearing her voice or talking to her about stupid stuff. It almost felt like I was living a normal life.

When I finally took her home, I made my move. The atmosphere was electric as our eyes met and I pulled her in for the kiss. Seconds passed like hours. I was absolutely overwhelmed and intoxicated by Stephanie. Everything about that moment felt like complete bliss. We stood there, completely disregarded by the world. The feeling of her lips moving against mine was enough to make the hurt go away. It took everything I had to pull back before I lost control. Walking away from that doorstep was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. That night wasn't enough, I was insatiable.

But any chance of feeling like that again was cut short when Steph picked Tim over me. I tried to win her over, but she was completely devoted to Tim. Every time I tried, she'd pull away. To be honest, it hurt. I guess I wasn't good enough to be her first choice, no matter how hard I tried. Well isn't that the story of my life?

I stood in the shower until the warm water ran out. A chill ran down my spine as I stepped onto the tile floor. I quickly dried myself off and wrapped the towel around my waist. When I walked into my room, she was there.

"Hello, Jason. I was hoping we could talk," Talia greeted. She was wearing a white button down shirt with black pants and was leaning against the desk where I placed most of my Red Hood gear.

"What do we need to talk about?" I answered, fastening my grip around the knot of my towel.

"Stephanie Brown. You seem to be really attached to her."

"Why would you think that?"

"Do not play me for a fool, Jason. Why else would you contact me and beg for the chance to help? You spent a great deal of time and money organizing a gang to terrorize Gotham simply to get closer to her," Talia said, crossing her arms.

"I used the gang to help rid Gotham of some scum," I explained. "Besides, it made it easier for us to capture her!"

"Jason, I did not want Stephanie Brown captured. I wanted her dead," Talia reprimanded. "But, do you know why I allowed her to live?"

"Because I'm very persuasive?" I quipped. I was rummaging through my bag to look for clothes when Talia spoke again.

"No. I spared Stephanie Brown, because I knew that you were in love with her," Talia answered.

I instantly stopped my searching and turned back to Talia. Her eyes were peering deeper than most people ever got out of me. It caused something to snap and everything just came out. "But it isn't enough. Can't you tell? She doesn't love me back."

Her face softened. She could recognize the pain that tore through me. Talia stepped towards me and placed a hand on my cheek. "You do not deserve such loneliness and heartbreak, Jason. Not when you have been through so much already."

A single tear escaped my eye. I tried to turn away in an attempt to hide the droplet, but Talia didn't let me. Her hand kept my face steady so our eye contact wasn't broken. She knew what I was feeling all too well. She was right; I was lonely. I never thought I could fall in love, not after going down this path. Not after crossing the line.

The thing about unrequited love is that it leaves you feeling empty. And right now there was only one thing I could think of that could fill the void. My heart quickened as I took in a breath. I wrapped my hands around Talia's waist and pulled her closer. And before she could say anything, I kissed her.

She was surprised at first, but then she returned my kiss. I closed my eyes as I inhaled Talia's scent. She moved her hand from my cheek and threaded her fingers in my hair. My hands made their way to the buttons of her shirt as I felt a quick tug at my towel before it came undone and pooled at my feet. Talia then pushed me so that the back of my knees hit the bed and I fell back.

Tonight, I wasn't alone.

When I woke up the next morning, Talia was gone. I stretched and made my way to the bathroom to wash up. It was almost lunchtime and I thought it would be a good idea to try talking with Steph again.

I slipped into my jeans and pulled on a long sleeved shirt. Then came my boots, gloves, bulletproof vest and shoulder holster. I put on my helmet and left for the cafeteria. Most of the guardsmen were concentrated around the school grounds, so I didn't run into many people in the halls.

When I walked into the cafeteria I realized that the entire room was filled with Talia's men. How many men did Talia bring here? Was she preparing for war? I quickly got up and got Steph's meal. To be honest, the food didn't look that appetizing.

The guards stationed at Steph's room noticed me and opened the door. Like yesterday, Steph was lying back and staring at the ceiling while Sasha was reclining in the chair. Sasha realized that I entered the room and quickly got up. I nodded my thanks as she left the room.

Steph also sat up when she noticed I was visiting. I heard her groan when I placed the tray on the table.

"Y'know, I'm starting to think they're trying to kill me slowly with that food," Steph joked, throwing a disgusted look at the tray.

I smirked as I took off my helmet. Steph was definitely in better spirits today. "Well if that's the case, we're both done for."

Steph laughed, "So what brings you here?"

"Well, I seem to have a knack for leaving my clothes with you," I answered. "I've been getting kinda cold without my jacket."

"About that…" Steph started. "Did you know there was a box in your pocket?"

Crap, she found it. Oh well.

"Yeah, well that's actually why I came by," I said as I walked over to my jacket. I grabbed the box and opened it. "I was going to give this to you, y'know before I kidnapped you."

"Jason, what are you…"

Once the lid was off, I sat down on the bed and presented her the box's contents. It was the glass robin that she was staring at a while back. "I got this for you, I thought you'd like it."

Steph was definitely surprised. Her eyes widened as her lips parted ever so slightly. She accepted the robin and raised it towards the window. She held the ornament so that the light hit it perfectly and smaller rays broke off from the glass. She just sat there, enthralled by the robin's simple elegance.

This was the most at ease I've seen Steph the past couple of days. She was suddenly full of energy. Her eyes seemed to shine in the light and they radiated warmth comparable to the sun. She looked absolutely stunning. I couldn't resist sliding a bit closer to her. Feeling her breath on my face caused goose bumps to ripple across my skin.

Finally, a smile spread across her lips as she placed the robin in her lap and turned back to me. "Jason, you didn't have to get this for me."

"C'mon Steph, I saw the way you were eyeing it. Besides, it felt right," I answered as I closed another inch between us.

"Honestly, thank you. It means a lot," Steph said as she combed a stray strand of her blond hair behind her ear.

Well, it's now or never. I took in a breath and gathered my thoughts.

"Steph," I coughed. "I know that you're happy with Tim; and that you're only in this mess because of me. But, I just wanted you to know… I needed you to know that I really do care about you."

I covered her free hand in mine. We locked eyes and I noticed the pained look on her face. I didn't come here to make her feel bad, but it was exactly what ended up happening.

Before I could say anything else, I heard someone pounding from outside. Then, one of the guardsmen opened the door and addressed me. "Red Hood, Lady Talia wishes to see you."

"Damn," I cursed. Of course she needs me now.

I grunted in response as I went to grab my helmet. The next thing I knew, I felt Steph's hand on my wrist. I could see tears begin to form behind those beautiful blue eyes. I raised my hand to cup her cheek as I used my thumb to wipe away the first teardrop. Her mouth opened, as if to say something, but nothing came.

I pressed my forehead against hers before getting up from the bed. I put on my helmet as I walked towards the door. But before I could leave the room, Steph called out to me.

"Jason," Steph whispered. "I'm sorry…"

She was sorry? I kidnapped her and she was sorry? Guilt ate away at me as I nodded and turned to leave the room.

I made my way to the designated meeting room where Talia was sitting behind the desk. She was business as usual and nodded as I approached. Judging by the furniture, this room was probably the headmistress's office.

"Hello, Jason," Talia greeted.

"Talia," I answered. "Look, about last night..."

Talia raised her hand to cut me off. She looked serious and I knew that she didn't want to compare notes.

"We will have to discuss our sleeping arrangements later, Jason. We have more pressing matters at hand," Talia said. "I'm sure you've noticed the increase of men around the school. We are currently preparing for battle. Since you are not part of Leviathan, you may not wish to be here when we are inevitably attacked."

I was surprised; I didn't expect anyone to know where we were. "Who are you expecting to attack you?" I asked.

"These men are to greet Batman when he finally comes to rescue Stephanie," Talia smirked.

A chill ran down my spine. "How would they know that she was here?"

"Because I just leaked the information," Talia answered. "It must have reached them by now."

"But why?" I asked as I raised my arms. "What was the point of kidnapping her if you were going to tell them where she was?"

"Remember, the kidnapping was for your benefit," Talia answered. "But now I need to further my agenda and I will use Stephanie as bait."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Then what's going to happen to Steph?"

"Once the battle begins, there is no way to be completely sure." Talia replied.

"If that's the case, I'm not leaving," I declared. There was no way I was leaving Steph. I kidnapped her to protect her, and now she's being used as bait. This has to stop.

"Suit yourself, Jason," Talia dismissed. "Just be ready for the consequences of your decisions."

I think I can live with my choice.