The whole family was shocked. Damian was crying while Dick whispered comforting words to him. Bruce was staring at the room that the Joker took Tim into, wondering about his son. Jason was plotting his revenge. He was going to kill the Joker after this. He would make sure of it. Suddenly, shrieks from the next room echoed around them. They stared at the door. It was Tim. The shrieks got louder and louder, then, a bang. A gunshot. Tim. Red Robin. All of the family's memories with him rushed through their heads. He was gone. He had to be. The Joker emerged from the room, smiling. Blood splatter stained his clothes, "Well that was fun!" He said cheerfully. He threw his crowbar to the ground and looked at the family.
"Why? Why him? He did nothing to you!" Bruce screamed. Tears were threatening to stream down his face. The others were screaming too, but the Joker ignored them, he only wanted to hear what the great, big, Batman had to say.
"Aww, Batsy, you're gonna make me cry," The Joker teased. He looked over at Jason, who couldn't even face him, "How does it feel to know that you failed to protect your brother? To protect what mattered most? To protect your family?" Jason lunged for the Joker, but the restraints and the chair stopped him. He cursed loudly and tried to fight off the ropes that bound him.
"You know nothing about me or my family Joker!" Jason yelled, "How dare you do this to them! To me! To my brother! You will die for this and I'll make sure it's slow and painful! One that will be remembered!" Jason seemed to grin mischievously.
"I love slow and painful deaths! Reminds me a lot of yours!" The Joker laughed. Jason, once again, tried to free himself, but, once again, failed. The Joker then turned to Dick, "How about you? You've lost two of your brothers. I bet you'll feel even worse when you lose a third," The Joker glanced at Damian who was now having a small panic attack.
"No! If you touch him, I swear…" Dick threatened.
"Ha! You'd never break dearest Batsy's number one rule! You won't kill me. None of you will. You all care too much about your dear Uncle J," The Joker smiled, then turned to Jason, frowning, "Except you. You never really cared much for rules. That's why you were always my favorite. An easy target," Jason was struggling against the ropes so hard now that his wrists were bleeding, "Easy Hood. We don't need you to bleed out right before his big plan," The Joker said.
"I don't care," Jason said, still struggling.
"Whatever," The Joker said, turning to Bruce, "You lost another one Batsy. I thought you were supposed to protect them," The Joker taunted, "Guess I was wrong," He shrugged and turned away from the heroes, "Now I have a dead bird I have to get rid off," The Joker went into the next room. The one he brought Tim into. The one he killed Tim in.
Tim had escaped. The bullet wound in his leg still hurt and he could barely move it, but Tim had still managed to escape. There were boxes in the room. He crawled to one and managed to hide inside of it. The Joker would never find him. There would be no blood trail. No trace. He had stopped the bleeding long ago. He flinched when the door opened. He heard footsteps. They were quiet at first, but then they became more frantic. It was the Joker.
"Where are you Bird!" He yelled. He started to hit boxes with his crowbar. The Joker was getting closer. Tim's heart was pounding. Finally, the Joker got to Tim's box. He hit it hard. Tim tried to stay as still as possible. He couldn't get caught. The Joker listened, then moved on. As the Joker moved farther away, Tim breathed once more, letting the air flood into his aching lungs. The Joker's footsteps became quieter, until Tim could barely hear them. Then, the door to the room slammed shut. The Joker was gone.
The family sat in silence. Tim. One of them. A part of their family. He was gone. Dead. They would never see him again. Then, the Joker opened the door and marched through. He stomped towards Bruce, fury in his eyes. He grabbed Bruce's costume and pulled him closer to his face. "Where is he Bat! Where is your little Bird!" The Joker yelled.
"What do you mean?" Bruce responded. The Joker's eyes opened wide.
"You kno- You really don't know Batsy?" He asked.
"No. All I know is that you killed one of my son's in cold blood," Bruce said through gritted teeth. The Joker stared at him for a moment.
"Then how do you explain his so-called 'dead body' just getting up and leaving!" The Joker exclaimed.
"He- He must be alive! He must have escaped!" Bruce said cheerfully. The Joker was fuming. He slapped Bruce, leaving a large red handprint on his cheek.
"You'll pay for this!" The Joker yelled. He left the room once again, leaving the heroes alone. Bruce lowered his head, his cheek stung from where the Joker's hand connected with his face.
"Bruce, are you okay?" Dick asked gently. Bruce looked at him, smiling.
"Tim! Tim is alive!" He laughed. Dick had never really seen Bruce laugh, even after all the years that he knew him. Honestly, it scared him a little, but Tim was alive. The mission had been a partial success. Dick smiled and whispered to where no one could hear him, "Get out safe Little Wing,"