Hey guys, thanks to those who reviewed last chapter and please do so again. I'm sure you guys loved that cliffhanger, so here's your update. I do not own DC Comics or any of their characters. Please excuse any mistakes I may have made. Italics is personal thought and bold italics is comlink communication.
Richard's eyes widened as he realized Joker had a knife. I won't be able to block him! Richard dodged the blade but just barely. The blade nicked him and cut through his jacket and part of the black shirt Jason gave him. Joker lunged passed him, turned around, and went to attack Richard. Joker's way faster than I expected! Richard immediately brought his escrima stick up to clash with Joker's knife. Joker brought up a fist, but Richard caught it and twisted it down. A small crack was heard, but Joker just laughed. A thug came up behind Richard. I'm still locked with Joker, damn it! Richard kicked his legs up and used the thug to push himself up and over Joker, still having his escrima stick fighting Joker's knife.
"Oh, Detective, very nice reflexes, and that body's capabilities are wonderful!" Joker said and laughed.
"But you aren't paying attention to your surroundings." Harley's voice giggled in his ear.
A sharp pain stabbed his side. Richard's eyes widened, and he yelped in pain. Fuck, when did she get there?! He looked down to see the hilt of a blade flush against his skin. Richard then saw his gun on the floor, along with a puddle of blood. Richard felt Harley drag the blade out of his side. He groaned.
"And you...are underestimating me!" Richard growled.
In a flash, Richard doved to the floor, grabbed his gun, and raised it to Joker, who had his knife above his head, ready to plunge it down into Richard's chest.
"Which do you think is faster, my finger on this trigger or your whole body and that knife?" Richard growled.
He was aware of the puddle of blood slowly forming underneath his right side. A bullet ripped through the air and shot through Harley's upper arm. Richard pulled his trigger and shot Joker in the leg. Both criminals made a sound of pain and fell.
"You missed." Red Hood said.
"I never miss." Richard huffed.
Red Hood came into the room, Batman standing behind him.
"How long... have you two been there?" Richard huffed.
The two vigilantes knelt down beside Richard and Batman applied pressure to the wound. Richard hissed at pressure.
"From the moment you and Joker started fighting. The shock from the stab wound." Red Hood said.
"Or blood loss, the knife went all the way in to the hilt." Batman replied.
"Robin called me, sir- Oh my, Detective!" Alfred's british voice exclaimed.
The butler rushed over to the fallen detective and shooed Batman's hands away.
"Make sure he stays awake." Alfred ordered.
Red Hood came into view and looked at him.
"How you doing, Detective?" Red Hood asked.
"Where are... Bruce Wayne and Jason Todd? Are they okay?" Richard asked.
Damn, it's getting harder and harder to stay awake.
"Not going to ask about the youngest of the Waynes? Harsh detective." Red Hood replied.
"Tim Drake... is…" Richard trailed off as his eyes began to close.
"Hey...Hey! No! Grayson, you need to stay awake! Bruce, call 911, now!" Red Hood yelled.
Joker was laughing and Harley was giggling. Batman had put them in cuffs. As soon as Batman heard Joker and Harley laughing, he stormed over there and knocked them unconscious. Richard was almost unconscious by the time Red Hood said Bruce, but all he heard was Joker's laugh. Richard felt like laughing. He had survived his parents deaths, Gotham's Juvenile Center, New Hope Orphanage, and Bludhaven, but a few days in Gotham and he's already on the floor dying. Richard finally lost consciousness.
Batman heard Red Hood start to panic as Richard lost consciousness.
"Hey...Hey! No! Grayson, you need to stay awake! Bruce, call 911, now!" Jason yelled.
"Fuck that, we're taking him to the Watchtower." Batman said as he put one arm under Richard's knees and the other under Richard's upper torso then picked him up.
"What?! He's a detective! Putting him in the Watchtower risks everyone's identities! Get him regular help!" Jason protested.
"I know." Bruce growled in response.
Getting down to the batcave, Batman rushed over to the zeta tube and went up to the Watchtower. As he sprinted to the medical ward, he rushed passed some of the Leaguers.
"Batman, what's-" Superman began.
"I need the doctors!" Batman yelled as he burst into the medical ward.
In an instant, doctors stormed the room and began working on Richard.
"Stab wound." Batman told the room then left.
Outside the room, a group of the Leaguers stood with Red Hood.
"Was that the detective from the party?" Superman asked.
"Yeah." Red Hood replied.
"What the hell happened?" Green Arrow questioned.
"Joker and Harley stormed Wayne Manor and Detective Grayson got caught in the crossfire. Joker was after him, so Grayson went to confront him. They got into a fight. Grayson was holding his ground, but Harley came up behind him and stabbed him. Grayson then dove for his gun and shot Joker in the leg. I shot Harley in the arm, then we went to give medical attention." Red Hood briefed.
"So why is he here?" Flash asked.
"I don't fucking know." Red Hood said. "I said to call 911, but B said they wouldn't get there in time. I have to get back. Robin's probably wondering where me and B are." Red Hood said, turning to leave.
"Do you want us to update you?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Sure, I don't care." Jason growled.
The teen stormed out of the room and used the zeta tubes to go back to the Batcave. Entering the cave, Red Hood changed into Jason Todd and went upstairs. Tim and Alfred were talking about what happened while cleaning up the blood puddle on the floor. Tim was still in his Robin uniform, but Alfred had taken his jacket off and rolled up his button up sleeves. Richard's blood still stained the white sleeves of Alfred's shirt. Jason sighed and grabbed a towel, dipping it into the hot water and getting on his knees to help clean the blood up. Jason scrubbed furiously. Tim and Alfred exchanged a look before Timm looked at Jason.
"How's Richard?" Tim asked.
"I don't know. He's in the medical ward up in the Watchtower." Jason answered.
"And why does that make you angry, Master Jason?" Alfred asked as he scrubbed.
"Bruce's getting, I don't know, attached, careless with this guy. He brought a DETECTIVE up to the Watchtower! Doesn't he realize he's just helping Grayson with his case? Or does he even care that there's a genius detective trying to figure us out?" Jason vented.
"Just trust in Master Bruce's decisions. I'm sure he's thought about the aftereffects." Alfred sighed. "But I do agree that the Master of the House is getting a bit careless with the detective."
"I think it's because they're one in the same." Tim muttered as he scrubbed.
"The fuck? One in the same? What's that supposed to mean?!" Jason growled.
"I did a little digging when I heard what the detective was trying to do. Richard John Grayson witnessed his parents death at 10 years old, was thrown into Gotham's Juvenile Center for a year, taken in by New Hope for 2 years, but then he disappeared one night. He reappeared in Bludhaven at 15 years old. That's 2 years unaccounted for, and there's nothing that gives any hints of where he was, so where was he for those 2 years?" Tim explained.
"I don't know, but you didn't explain how that means he's the same as Bruce." Jason said.
Tim sighed.
"Isn't it obvious?" Tim said, looking at Jason out of the corner of his eye.
"No, it's not." Jason growled.
"Bruce saw his parents murdered, but he had Alfred. Bruce thinks of Richard as what he could've been. Besides, Bruce has gone missing for a year or two, even though we know what happened in those periods of time." Tim explained.
"So, you're saying Bruce likes this guys because he's him without Alfred." Jason dumbed down.
Tim sighed.
"Basically, yes." He said.
Silence settled as the trio scrubbed the blood off the floor. Most of it was gone, but they wanted to get it all off, even the pink tint. Once the floor was scrubbed to its original color, Alfred announced that he was retiring and went to his room. Tim and Jason went into the living room and sat on the couch to watch a movie. They would have to go on patrol soon, without Batman if they had to.
"...So where do you think Goodie Two Shoes was for those two years?" Jason asked.
"I don't know, but his reflexes are not a cop's reflexes, and I don't know any cops who use escrima sticks other than Grayson." Tim replied.
"Did you see that move? The one he did to flip over Joker. Grayson didn't even lose contact with Joker's knife." Jason said in awe.
"Definitely not in a detective training. More like a vigilantes training." Tim responded.
"He said he never missed." Jason said, his eyes on the TV.
"What?" Tim asked.
"I assumed he missed Joker's artery, so I said you missed, but Grayson said 'I never miss'." Jason explained.
"I've checked his stats. He hasn't missed a shot." Tim responded.
"Not one?" Jason responded.
"He has a 94% accuracy. He's missed some, but not as much as the average officer." Tim answered. "And from what I've seen, he practices his shooting everyday. It's probably around a 98% accuracy now."
Silence fell between them. They exchanged a glance.
"...You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Jason asked.
"If you're thinking of sneaking into the Watchtower and interrogating Grayson, then yes." Tim answered.
Jason grinned at him.
"You know me well." Jason said.
Tim grinned and they both sprinted down to the batcave. Jason quickly changed, Tim was already in his uniform, and then he and Tim went up to the Watchtower. The two bats snuck passed the mission room where Martian Manhunter and a couple other regulars of the Watchtower were. The walked quietly into the medical ward and went into Grayson's room. The heart monitor beeped rhythmically and Grayson had an IV hooked to him. All the lights were off except for the light above Richard's bed. They had changed him into a medical gown and put his, technically Jason's, bloodied clothes in a bag on the table. Tim stepped forward and placed a hand on Richard's mouth. His hand went to Richard's nose, Jason grabbed it.
"What are you doing?!" Red Hood whisper yelled.
"Suffocating him until he wakes up." Robin said with a 'duh' tone.
"He'll freak out." Red Hood whispered.
"That's why you're here." Robin said with the same tone.
Suddenly, they both got the feeling of being watched. They both looked at Richard, whose eyes were closed. Red Hood looked at Robin.
"Fuck." He whispered.
Both of them looked to the window of the room and saw the intimidating silhouette of Batman.
"What are you two doing?" Batman growled.
"Well…" Jason started.
"We wanted to ask Grayson something…" Tim filled in.
"Ask him about?" Batman growled.
Red Hood and Robin exchanged a glance. Jason knew it was his turn to answer.
"...About the two years he went missing…" Red Hood responded.
Batman sighed.
"Alright." He said.
Jason and Tim were stunned.
"...what?" Tim said.
"Go ahead. I planned to ask him when he woke up, but seeing as you two are here and ready to ask, you can do it." Batman replied.
"Really?" Jason asked.
"Yeah, but just so you know, both of you are off patrol for tonight." Batman smirked as he left.
The two bats sighed.
"Ooooh, of patrol, huh. Guess suffocating me wasn't the best option." Richard's tired voice came from the bed.
"Y-You're awake!" Red Hood said.
"Just for the last part." Richard said.
Tim cleared his throat.
"We'd like to ask you a few questions." He said.
Richard pushed himself into a sitting position.
"Sure." He said.
"You were missing for two years. Where were you in that time period?" Tim asking with a professional tone.
Richard look at him. How the hell…?
"And, just how do you know about that, Drake?" Richard asked with calculating eyes.
Robin stiffened.
"Ah, so you are Tim Drake. Interesting. That makes Red Hood Jason Todd and Batman Bruce Wayne." Richard deduced.
The two bats looked at each other and sighed before taking their masks off. Indeed, I was right.
"You still don't have any physical evidence. Anyway, those two years, where were you?" Jason growled.
"With Deathstroke the Terminator and William Cobb." Richard answered.
Jason scoffed.
"No bullshit. Where were you?" Jason growled again.
"I just told you." Richard smirked.
"What were you doing with Deathstroke?" Tim asked.
"The mercenary was a much better option than anything I had."
"Who's William Cobb?" Tim asked.
"Uncle." Richard said curtly.
"Why the hell did you go to the Juvenile Center then?" Jason asked.
"I didn't know I had anymore family." Richard answered.
"Does that mean Cobb is a bad guy?" Tim asked.
"Of sorts." Richard answered.
"What does he do?" Tim asked.
"That I can't tell you." Richard grinned.
"I'll call Martian Manhunter in here to dig around in your head if you don't tell us." Jason warned.
Richard laughed.
"Try me."