Hey guys! Thanks for sticking with this story so far. Hope you're liking it. Seriously, anything you see that you do or don't like, let me know so I can make this story better.

Also, something else I probably should have mentioned earlier. In this story, Dick is 26, Jason is 21, Tim is 16, and Damian is 12. I know Little D hasn't been in the story much yet, but he will be soon, don't worry. Also, this story is kinda a bit of a mix between the reboot and the "old 52." So, Babs is back to being Batgirl, but Kon is still dead and so are Tim's parents. (I'll post this stuff at the beginning of the first chapter so that new readers will know from the getgo.)

As always, I own nothing but Piper or any other OC characters that may be mentioned or used in this story. So please, don't sue. :)

Jason sat on the roof top with his Red Hood helmet sitting next to him. He could feel the beginning of November in his bones. It was cold, crisp, bitter, and could be seen in the cloud that appeared every time he exhaled. He didn't notice much, however, as he sat, stoic and unmoving as the stone gargoyles next to him, his domino mask catching light from the moon.

He rummaged in his pocket for the pack of cigarettes he always carried with him. Kory had made him give up the habit when she started working with him and Roy, but the events of the last week were really making him rethink agreeing to that. He turned the pack over in his hand again and again as he stared at the apartment across from the roof he was sitting on, his thoughts back to the confrontation in the cave a three days before.

Tim immediately moved toward Jason after he threw the punch, but Bruce pushed a hand out and pulled him back and then looked toward the medical bay, where Clark was glancing their way with a watchful eye.

"Tim, go check on Dick. Then, go see if Damian is still asleep." Realizing that his adoptive father needed time alone with the family's black sheep, Tim reluctantly nodded and headed that way, casting glances over his shoulder.

Bruce then turned his attention back to the seething 21-year-old in front of him. When did he get to be so old? Bruce asked himself, but quickly shook his head, clearing his mind from its trip toward memory lane.

"What do you mean 'you found her?' When? Where is she? Is she okay?" The rapid fire of question flowed out of Jason's mouth at an almost indistinguishable manner. However, having spent years caring for the boy as one would a son gave Bruce the ability to decipher what he had said.

"Jason, you need to calm down…"

"Calm down! You call me up out of the pull and say 'we found your sister' and leave it at that? How long have you known, Bruce?"

"I called you as soon as we matched her fingerprints," he explained, motioning to the hairbrush by the computer. "And she's alive." He quickly added, somewhat relieved when he saw some of the tension leave the young man's shoulders.

"Where is she?"

"On the Westside of the Narrows, where the crime rate has been steadily declining for the past few years. A group of teenagers have decided to police their neighborhood themselves, chasing off low-level drug-dealers, pimps, and the like. Apparently your sister is the leader of the group."

Jason scrubbed a hand down his face before sighing. "Oh, Piper. What are you thinking?"

"We've heard rumors about the group, but since that's not a hot spot for the "super criminals," we just tried to keep our ears and eyes open around there. We didn't realize Piper was involved. She's been going by the name Haley Oliver."

"How did you find out it was her?"

"Dick got ambushed tonight. Her and her…group came to his aid. He may not have gotten out of there in one piece if they hadn't."

"Who got the jump on him?"

When Bruce remained silent, Jason's hands balled into fist and his face turned red. He took a step toward the Dark Knight.

"WHO?"

"Joker."

Jason took in a jagged breath, after which his lungs seemed to forget how to function. The blood drained from his face as he ran both hands, which were slightly shaking, through his hair. "Oh God." Then, suddenly, he grabbed Bruce by the shoulders and shoved his against the closest wall. Bruce could have easily fought the unfocused and raging Jason off, but chose not to as the Red Hood began to shout in his face.

"This is all your fault! If you would have just killed the Joker after…after he killed me then he wouldn't still be terrorizing Gotham! He's going to put a price on my sister's head or try to collect it himself. And it's all your fault!"

"Jason, we're going to patrol the area much closer. We'll keep an eye on things. We won't let anything happen to your sister."

"Just like you didn't let anything happen to me?" He shouted, ignoring the flash of guilt and pain that pulsed across Bruce's face before he turned on his heels and stormed out of the cave.

That was three days ago, and every night (and most of every day if he was honest) he sat on this roof and watched his sister's every move and every movement around her, his Berettas loaded and ready to be fired at the sight of the slightest threat toward his sister.

His mind kept trying to go back to his early days in a tiny, decrepit apartment with little heat and food, a drunken Dad, and a druggie Mom; memories he wanted nothing to do with.

So lost in his thoughts was he that he almost didn't hear Nightwing coming up behind him.

Almost being the key word there. He was, after all, the Red Hood and trained by Batman himself. No matter how distracted he was, catching him off guard was much harder than it looked.

Dick sat down heavily next to him. Silence surrounded the two for a few moments before Jason cleared his throat. "Aren't you supposed to be confined to bed rest for the next month?"

"No patrol for a week and some change." Dick replied with an eye roll.

"But yet here you are in your oh-so-masculine leotard. Don't you think Daddy Bats is going to be upset when he finds out you didn't listen to him."

Dick shrugged. "Won't be the first time. Besides, I'll just point out I learned my stubbornness from him. Besides," Dick said, producing two thermoses and handing them toward Jason. "I was told to bring you these. Alfred's chicken noodle soup and hot chocolate. I believe his exact words were, 'if the boy insists on staying in the cold watching his sister, at least he can try not to get hypothermia'."

"Don't want it."

"Do you really want Alf on your case about not eating?"

Jason mulled it over for a few moments, then reached for them.

"The blue one's the coco." Dick explained, as Jason unscrewed that one and took a quick swig, then another. The two's eyes looked across the roofs to where Piper was in her room, lying on a bed, drawing on her notepad. Jason sighed, as if what he were about to say were the most difficult words he would ever speak. "I…I know you're the one who put the bags of food and the money in her apartment…thank you."

Dick shrugged, "She helped me out, figured it was the least I could do in return." He chuckled a little. "Didn't seem to help her much, though. She just gave nearly all the food and money away to help her neighbors out. Guess I'll have to make another drop off later tonight."

"She should have kept some of the food for herself. Look at how skinny she is. It's not healthy." Jason ran a hand through his hair. "But that's never been her MO. Even when we were little in the orphanage together, she'd always try to give me her food and when I wouldn't take it, she'd find one of the younger kids to give it to."

"She seems pretty special."

"That's cause she is."

It remained silent again before Dick finally spoke up.

"Why won't you go see her Jase?"

"It's none of your business." Jason growled.

Dick raised an eyebrow but simply stared at the wayward son of the Batman family.

After seeing his efforts to ignore Dick were going to be futile, Jason groaned. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope."

"I could just outrun you."

"You wouldn't be able to keep an eye on Piper then."

"Then I'll just knock you out."

"And have to deal with Tim whining about you beating me up and Bruce's gaze of wrath? Not to mention Alfred scolding you."

"I hate you Grayson."

"No you don't." Dick argued with a smile, before his face turned serious again. "Seriously Jase, what's going on?"

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"I learned my stubbornness from the big guy. What do you think?"

Jason sighed and ran a hand down his face. "She thinks I'm dead."

"Yeah," Dick said slowly, confusion clear in his voice, "which is exactly why you should go try and talk to her."

"And how am I supposed to explain my sudden reappearance after seven years? What, fell in a well and just now got out? Was kidnapped by terrorist? There is not a story I can concoct that won't give away who I really am."

"I'm sure we could think of something. Come back to the cave and we'll try to plan a cover…" Dick couldn't finish his suggestion before being cut of by the Red Hood

"No. I am not crawling back to Bruce and asking him or anyone else for help. Your help" he sneered, "has painted a target on my sister's back that she might not even be aware of."

"You know I've already tried to apologize for that." The first Robin sighed, thinking of the danger he inadvertently placed the neighborhood in. "But, a positive can come out of the situation. You can have your sister back."

Jason just stared silently at the building across the hall.

"Why won't you go talk to her?"

The Red Hood scoffed, uncaring. "And paint a bigger target on her back, I don't think so. The further we stay away from her, the better."

Dick just continued to look at him, cocking an eyebrow behind the domino mask.

"What?"

"There's more to it than that." Dick argued.

"Would you stop trying to psychoanalyze me?"

"Would you stop lying to me?"

Jason glared at Dick, who rolled his eyes.

"Alright, fine, let's try it this way then Jaybird. You tell me the real reason you won't go see Piper, since this protection thing is a load of pull, seeing as she'd be safer in the Manor or at my place or your place than here, or I'll go down there and tell her that you're still alive mysef."

Jason turned and glared at the first boy-wonder, who matched the look in response. "Look, I'm not trying to have some deep, chick-flick moment. I'm just trying to understand why you won't go see your sister. Help me understand, because this is unhealthy, even for you." The concern in Dick's voice was palpable, causing Jason to sigh and run a hand down his face.

"I'm…I'm messed up Dick. I fell off the wagon a long time ago, h***, maybe I was never even on the wagon to begin with. But, the fact is, she still has this image of me as the 'perfect older brother'. She remembers me as that eleven-year-old boy who used to hold her when she had nightmares and sneak her my cookie at lunch. She…she doesn't deserve for me to ruin that image, just like how I came back and ruined every good memory you guys had of me. At least with Bruce it felt kinda good, vindictive you know? With her, she hasn't done anything to have yet another thing she thought was a constant crumble around her."

Dick shook his head. "You didn't ruin anything with us and you won't ruin anything with her." He sighed before placing a tentative and cautious hand on Jason's shoulder. Half expecting it to be jerked or shrugged off, he was both relieved and surprised when it wasn't. "I know coming back has been rough. It would be for anyone, but I'm glad you're back, especially now that you seem to have taken a…less lethal approach to the bad guys. And don't think that Bruce hasn't noticed, because he has. He keeps tabs on you."

"Yeah," Jason rolled his eyes, "to make sure I'm not killing anyone."

"No, to make sure no one is killing you. Bruce may have the emotional range of a teaspoon, but he still cares about you and he misses you, we all do. We just know he's too stubborn, and well, he's Batman, so he'll probably never say it out loud. But Piper, she's a scared teenage girl living on the streets. I saw a picture of the two of you when I snuck the food basket in earlier. I don't think there's a thing you could have done that would make that girl hate you or not happy to see you. Just come home with me and we'll all figure this out together."

Jason thought it over and was about to answer when he heard a tiny beep come from Nightwing's ear. The older hero put a hand up telling Jason to hold on a second, before answering.

"Yeah?...I'm just sitting on a roof…Yes I know I'm supposed to be resting but…I know you said no patrol but…it's not like I'm fighting Joker or anything, I haven't even stopped a mugging…I'm 26, not 12…Tell Little D I know there's nothing wrong with being twelve…I'll head that way, okay? Geez….Enough. Nightwing out." He tapped a button on his belt before turning to Jason, rolling his eyes.

"Daddy Bats yelling at you for being out past your bedtime?" Jason cut in with a smirk.

"Something like that. I swear, you can outgrow the pixie boots and save the universe, but you'll always be treated like a sidekick." He stood up and started walking toward the edge of the roof. "I'd better get out of her before he sends Supes after me. You coming with?" He asked, but already knew the answer.

"You know Bruce doesn't want me there, that he's given up on me. Besides, that manor was never my style."

Dick shrugged. "Suit yourself." He stood on the edge about to jump off, before he turned around. "And don't be so sure about Bruce giving up on you. When Alfred told him who he was making the soup and coco for, I'm pretty sure I heard Bruce thank him. He may not show it like Mr. Rogers, but he's worried about you." He said with a smirk before giving a small salute. "See ya around, little bird."

With that, Nightwing did a back flip off of the edge of the building.

Jason sat there in shock as the original Robin jumped of the building. Bruce was worried? About him? Jason shook his head. He didn't know what was going on with the Bat and he didn't care. He didn't have time to care. It was too little, too late. The only thing that could be on his mind was his little sister and her safety. Everything else could wait, maybe for forever, just so long as he kept her safe.

He rolled his eyes as he caught sight of Dick grappling through the air, hitting a quadruple somersault in mid-jump before shooting his line out again.

"Show-off." Jason mumbled, but couldn't stop the small smirk that formed on his face.

Well, there it was. A little angst and a little fluff (well, as close to fluff as Jason will get). I know it may seem a little OOC at points, but, let's face it, bringing back such a significant part of the past would change you a bit. (I just hope I didn't overdue it.) Anyway, please let me know what you think. I'll try to post again soon. Thanks for reading. Reviews = love. Mwah!

Casey
*2nd Corinthians 4:8-9*