Little Bird's Vengeance Chapter 47 Talk Or Die

Red Hood body-slammed the mugger into the wall while the victim ran. It always seemed so strange that everyone was willing to accept the death of their enemies, except for someone who really deserved it. And who deserved it more than Joker? They should have put the fiend down after what he did to Barbara, and yet B spared him, even after Kenya…

Even after Joker killed a Robin.

Red Hood started slightly when a pebble rattled against the wall, and looked around, and up. Crouched up the roof was Red Robin, the little brat who'd replaced him. The Replacement beckoned him, and sat down, legs dangling free over the edge.

He pulled out a grapple he'd "liberated" from B's gold-bird after a skirmish some months ago, and shot up to put Replacement in his place. The younger didn't flinch at the heavy landing. "What?" Red Hood demanded.

Red Robin sighed, and gently peeled his mask off. "Please, Jay. I'm tired of the fighting and bickering. Tell me what you want."

Red Hood blinked. What did he actually want? Most of his actions were purely expressing the frustration at his situation, or trying to work out where he stood within the family. There was the vengeance, obviously, but it wasn't as if he couldn't sneak into Arkham for a quick bit of murder if he was really that obsessed by it.

He huffed a sigh and dropped down next to Tim, pulling off his helmet and setting it down next to him. "Why?" he asked. "I just…don't get it, and no-one will ever tell me anything! Why?"

"Why what?" Tim asked, non-plussed.

"Why did Bruce turn around and replace me, even after he saw it got me killed? Why didn't he try to save me? He already knew about the Lazarus Pits; why didn't he use one himself? And what the fuck was he thinking when he decided to spare Joker?"

"Please don't blame Bruce for making me Robin; it wasn't his idea," Tim started. "It actually came down to the fact that he was slightly less stubborn than me or Dick." Jason snorted, dropping his mask into his helmet. "Yeah, I know. You see, he wasn't taking it at all well."

"Bruce, not taking death well? What a surprise," Jason couldn't resist adding.

"Well, yes," Tim agreed. "But the way he was going, he was set to follow you six feet under." He tucked one leg under his chin, and kicked his other heel against the wall below him. "I'd been following him around at night, taking pictures. And before that, him and you, and before that, him and Dick. I'd worked out B's identity before Dick quit being Robin, so…I always knew what had happened to you. You were my idol; you showed me that anyone could save lives and bring justice. But after you died, Bruce became careless. It looked like he didn't really care how hurt he got as long as he won. Alfred once told me that he used to be careless like that before he started having a Robin to look after. He needed you or Dick to balance him out. So I tracked down Dick and tried to persuade him to be Robin again."

"You're kidding," Jason asked. Aside from the fact he knew Tim had been pretty young at the time, having the audacity to tell Nightwing he had to go back to his kiddie-name…well, it rivalled boosting tyres from the Batmobile. "How did he take it?"

"Absolutely furiously. It probably didn't help that I'd turned up at his apartment in New York and terrified Starfire by asking where Nightwing was. But he did start working with Bruce again, just in time to get a building dropped on the pair of them. I borrowed a costume and went after them. Long story short, I managed to convince Dick and Alfred that Batman needed a Robin, Dick wasn't going to do it, so it would have to be me. Eventually Bruce gave in." He shrugged. "It wasn't what I was going for, but it kept him alive."

Jason closed his eyes. It was strangely gratifying to hear that Bruce had actually been affected and hadn't just got a new model and carried on. "I see," he said heavily. "I guess…I guess I can't really blame him for moving on when I wasn't around. Why didn't he resurrect me himself?"

"Because we had no idea what effect the Pit would have on you," Tim shrugged. "Better to let you rest in peace than turn you into the next Ra's al Ghul. Would the old you have preferred that?"

"I suppose not," Jason allowed. That quite honestly hadn't occurred to him, but it was true. The little, slightly violent boy would have been horrified if he'd found out he would turn into an insane mass-murderer. He hadn't gone that far, but it was actually a legitimate concern.

"As for why Bruce decided not to kill Joker, at first, he was absolutely determined to kill him," Tim continued. "Nearly did, but Superman stopped him for diplomatic reasons; it would have started a war with Iran. By the time Joker resurfaced, Bruce had calmed down. It's quite ironic, really. He decided that he didn't want your only legacy to be death." Tim half-chuckled. "And now you're the one who kills. I think that probably irritated Bruce a little bit."

Jason smiled. "But I'm sure I've saved lives by taking them."

"Quite likely," Tim agreed. "But it's not our place to decide who lives and who dies. Bruce certainly understands the desire to kill, so why don't you just tell him what you want from him?"

"I'm so tired," Jason murmured. "Not physically, not really, but…just trying to hold myself together."

"We'll be for you there, if you'll let us," Tim said softly.

Jason closed his eyes and leaned back. "Alright," he decided. "I can't say I like you now, but…"

"I understand," Tim nodded. "Shall we go let everyone know that we haven't killed each other?"

AN: A lot of my personal take on the whys and wherefores there. I'm referencing a bunch of different stories there.

Also this week, the last chapter of Family Ties. And the second chapter of Rise of Harry Potter.

Next week, more Black and Red, more Time, Space, Magic, and the epilogue of Family Ties.

Please review.

Until next time,

Katara