Batman's perspective:

Batman and Robin were looking through the window of a short building. This certainly seemed to be the auto theft operation they were looking for, all right. Stolen cars were coming in and, in some cases, dissected. The Dynamic Duo jumped in through the window and swung on their Batgrapples into two of the gang leaders, feet-first! A little punching and kicking to take care of the other supervisers and all that was left were dozens of common thugs.

The grunts charged, tools and baseball bats in hand. The bosses must not have trusted these guys with guns. Despite being badly outnumbered, Batman and Robin's superior skills and body armor saw them through.

"Don't worry," Robin "consoled" his and Batman's beaten adversaries. "You gave us our best fight ever. Well, after The Joker. And Penguin. And Poison Ivy. And The Riddler. And the crime family from the South. But at least you're not burglars or muggers."

"Enough," said Batman. "I need to call the Commissioner. He'll need a lot of cars for this one."

Once the several cop cars were on their way, Batman and Robin were on their way out. They returned to the Batmobile parked a distance away to see someone taking away what looked like one of the tires of the Batmobile.

"I got 'im," said Robin, pursuing him.

"Wait," said Batman, feeling that this wasn't the one to play rough with. But Robin was off like a shot, decking the thief from behind with a flying kick, and causing him to grunt in pain and clutch the back of his head on the ground.

Robin laughed and said, "You take hits like a... kid?"

"Let me see," demanded, not requested, Batman. He felt the back of the head of the boy in his early teens. "You're in luck, Robin. No lasting damage."

"I still got a talk coming, don't I?" asked Robin.

"First things first." Batman faced the younger boy. "Why did you try to rob us, young man?"

"I had no choice," said the boy. "I have to steal to survive."

"What's with Gotham City and tragic criminals?" asked Robin.

"A lot of them are created by an uncaring society," Batman was sensitive enough to realize. "May we ask who you are and how you got into this position?"

"Jason Todd," said the boy. "I can't remember my mom, but I'm told she was a good woman unless you count getting hooked on drugs."

"How can people be so stu..." began Robin.

"Don't finish that," said Batman with controlled anger. "You're in enough trouble as it is. The fact is that addiction's a hard thing to beat."

"My dad struggled to hold down a job," said Jason. "He recently joined a gang started by an escaped crook named Two-Face. He tried to rob somebody but came home empty handed. Coin landed on its scarred side and..."

"Then you're an orphan," said Batman.

"I didn't wanna do this. But they're after me. Don't want any loose ends. An orphanage can't protect me. The nuns probably wouldn't even believe me. This is the only 'job' I'm old enough to get."

"Then you have a choice," suggested Batman. "You can help us get justice for your father or go to Juvenile Hall."

"They can shoot me in there just like in an orphanage."

"Then you really have no choice. You're coming with us. Help us and we'll overlook this and any other crimes you committed." Since Batman doubted anyone could effectively protect Jason from Two-Face, he had to hide in the Batcave for the time being.

Because the Batmobile had only two seats, Jason sat in Robin's lap. "Why can't I see where we're going?" asked Jason.

"I changed the polarization of the glass."

"Polar-what?"

"You'd be bored by my explanation, boy. Just know that I've made it so that it takes my nightvision lenses to see through the windshield. Robin's probably activated his. We'll get out in the Batcave."

"This is kidnapping."

"Sure is," grinned Robin.

Alfred's perspective:

Most Butlers and maids spent their hard-reached after-hours watching TV or going to the movies. All too often, Alfred spent his worrying about three young people who were the closest he had to sons and a daughter. It was for this reason that he was always doing some of the next day's work to take his mind off the possibility of his friends dying. As a result, his after-hours were in the late afternoon, not the evening.

Batman, Robin, and a boy came home. "Another member of the 'family'?" asked Alfred.

"Only a witness," said Batman. "Jason Todd, fourteen."

How long had it been since Alfred had taken care of someone two young to live on his own? He hoped he still remembered how. "Hello, young Jason. I'm Alfred Pennyworth."

"Whatever," said Jason, shaking Alfred's hand. Alfred was now remembering how lacking in social graces teenagers could be.

Two-Face's perspective:

"What do you mean you couldn't find the brat?" asked an incredulous Two-Face. "Don't you know that he knows where we are?" With that, Two-Face flipped his silver dollar. Scarred side. He drew a pistol and shot the two men tasked with finding Jason Todd.

Two-Face now didn't have any help. He would replace the two dead failures in the morning, then he had to find Todd. If he wasn't in town, that meant that either the police or The Batman had discovered him.

Bruce's perspective:

Bruce was ready to go out door of Wayne Manor when Dick confronted him. "Bruce," said Dick, "We need to talk. About Jason."

"What about him?" asked Bruce.

"What are you planning on doing after we take care of Two-Face today?"

"Probably take him to an orphana..."

Suddenly, they heard the sounds of running. It was Jason, running through the door that sealed off the stairs to the Batcave.

"So that's how you can afford all that cool shit," said Jason.

"My apologies, sirs," said Alfred. "I didn't hear him coming behind me."

Things had gotten a lot more complicated. "You might as well show him to the guest room, Alfred," Bruce finally decided after a long pause.

"This is awkward," noted Dick.

Having to deal with a boy who knew that Bruce Wayne and Batman were the same man wasn't going to be easy. At least Bruce had a relaxing day of work ahead of him.

A few hours into work, Bruce's company vice president, Lucius Fox, visited him in his office. "Family problems?" asked Lucius.

"How'd you guess?" asked Bruce.

"Because I have it with my children. Whatever problems Dick is giving you, bear in mind that the most important prerequisite to being a father is patience."

"I'll keep that in mind," promised Bruce, though it wasn't exactly like that.

Batman's perspective:

Before he could deal with Jason, Batman had to deal with Two-Face.

"Can I come?" asked Jason.

"No," said Bruce.

"Why?"

"Because you're untrained and emotionally involved. Don't ask any more questions. Batgirl, I think you'd better sit this one out as well. I'm not sure Alfred can keep him here by himself."

Batgirl didn't like it, but she went back into her dressing room to change back into street clothes.

Batman's perspective:

"Is this the place?" asked Robin of the spot in a building that looked to have been rented out.

"Precisely where Jason said he'd be," Batman assured Robin.

"What I mean is can we trust him? He admits that his father was a gangster."

"A reluctant gangster. Besides, we wouldn't know that if Jason hadn't been honest enough to tell us that."

"Certain logic."

"If you're jealous, don't worry. Bruce Wayne will always appreciate Dick Grayson as the son he'll probably never have now that Christie Whitlock is out of his life."

"Thanks - I mean, I know."

Batman and Robin burst through the windows. They charged at three men in the living room. Batman took two out with his fists, while Robin took care of the last one with two punches and a roundhouse kick.

Out came Two-Face with an assault rifle. He fired it. Batman ducked and pulled the top of his protective cape over his own face just before the bullets struck. Robin did the same. Soon enough, they heard a clicking sound.

"Don't attack," commanded Batman. "Knowing him, he has sense enough to have extra magazines." Sure enough, a reloaded sound was heard.

"Give it up, Two-Face," said Robin. "You'll run out of bullets sooner or later, and if you try to escape, you won't be as good a shot on the run."

"Guess again," said Two-Face. "We decided that we should study you back in Arkham. We've discovered that for all your roughness, you wouldn't let a fly get swatted. It's gonna be the death of you. Probably right now."

"Only you - I should say half of you would regard ethics and mercy as weaknesses," Batman gave his side of the story.

"Yes," said Two-Face. "Like you say, half of us is too weak to do this." He rested his assault rifle on his right shoulder so his other hand could get his silver dollar out of his pocket. "Here's the deal. Clean side, we're in an old West staredown; scarred side, it's you or our men, Caped Crusaders!"

This will take a perfect throw! Two-Face flipped his coin. Batman threw a Batarang like a baseball pitcher would throw a curveball. His aim was true, and the coin went flying.

"No," screamed Two-Face as he went running after the coin. More Batarangs from Batman and Robin disarmed him, and Batman beat him to the gun and kicked it aside.

Two-Face delivered a few punches to Batman. "Champion boxer of my high school," boasted Two-Face. But Batman retaliated with a right cross and side kick that knocked Two-Face flat.

"Boxing's a small world after all," sang Robin.

After the police had come for Two-Face and his men, Robin hit Batman with it: "What about Jason? There's a boy who knows who we are."

"That is a dilemma," admitted Batman. "I guess I'll have to take him in. Teach him right. And of course, swear him to secrecy."

"Our team grows. You, me, Batgirl, whatever we end up calling Jason, The Huntress is out there somewhere, and how can I forget that The Catwoman isn't always against us?"

"Hold your horses. Unlike you, Jason doesn't come from an athletic or disciplinarian background. He needs training. And Catwoman may have repeatedly become an enemy of our enemies, but she's a criminal. I'm unambiguous on that."

"Liar." Batman realized then that as wrong as it was for a supposed hero to be attracted to a criminal, he was that kind of wrong. But then Robin explained, "I'm not that disciplined. I may be a trash talker, but I get that."

"I knew that," said Batman. "Admitting it is the first step."

Jason's perspective:

The next evening, Bruce and Jason were sparring on a workout mat in the Batcave. "Three rules for you, Jason Todd," explained Bruce. "Number one, no killing. Number two, I make the decisions. Number three, I also demand discipline." With that, he wrestled Jason to the ground.

"Tough teacher," said Jason.

"Get used to it," laughed Dick. "It's how he is."

"Mm-hmm," concurred Barbara.