A/N:Two words on the portrait drawn by Martha Wayne are most puzzling. What do they mean? Sammie is in her sixth month of pregnancy and she suddenly comes down with a mysterious illness. Tim is with the Titans talking to new recruits, and one of them is from a far different place. Does he hold the key to Samantha's mysterious illness?

Neptune's Daughter

By

Part 5: Reliving a Painful Past

"What?" Tim's eyes went wide. "How!?"

"That's what Damian and I have been trying to find out." Dick said. "We haven't had much luck."

"But wasn't Jason's mother Sheila . . . "

"Sheila Haywood. She's buried in the Wayne family cemetery. I guess when Bruce buried Jason, he gave her a proper burial next to him. And we know what happened to Jason. It makes no sense."

"Jason's alive and she's still dead. Did Bruce know her?"

"Good question, he must have because they're father and son, but we can't get anything out of him about her. And Jason isn't talking either."

Tim gave out a yawn. "I just think like Bruce sometimes, or in this instance, Sherlock Holmes. Look, Jason's only two years older than me. You might look at the society pages from that time. Maybe from the year before. There might be something in there, since Bruce did know her briefly."

"Tim, you're a genius."

Jason stood looking down at his mother's grave. Why did Bruce bury her here? She was working with the Joker. She betrayed him, sold him out. He should not have revealed to her that he was Robin at that time. Learning that the Joker was involved, he should have gotten them out of there, found a way to escape before the Joker locked them into that warehouse. He should have gone to Bruce right after that, but there was no escape. Strong images came to Jason as he relived those moments. Telling his mother that the Joker was dangerous, then revealing who he was.

Jason watched from a distance, seeing the Joker leave with his convoy. Bruce had changed into his Batman uniform. He helped Batman remove the mini bat-copter from the back of the land rover.

"You stay here and keep an eye on that warehouse," Batman stated. "Take no action until I get back! I repeat, NO ACTION! Just for once, please listen to me, Jason. Don't tangle with the Joker alone! Wait for me to get back, please. That madman's just too dangerous for you to handle. Do you read me?"

"Loud and clear! Just hurry back!" Jason said. He watched as Batman took off in the mini copter. 'Sorry Bruce, but that's MY MOTHER in there with that lunatic.'

Jason approached Sheila. "Mom"

"Jason?!"

"You've got big trouble, Mom. I know all about it. The Joker, everything."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sheila denied.

"Come on, Mom! Play straight with me. I can help you."

"Sure, tell me about it."

"Mom, there's a lot about me, you don't know."

A look of surprise came over Sheila Haywood's face as Jason opened his jacket to reveal the uniform underneath. She suddenly became calm then moved toward the entrance of the warehouse.

"Wait! The Joker . . ."

" . . . Is long gone. There's nothing to worry about. But I've something you should see."

"What? What's going on here?" Robin asked.

"Just step over here, you'll understand everything . . . Robin."

Jason did as his newly discovered mother requested and his face suddenly became ashen as the Joker stepped out from behind the boxes. "What?! But you said . . . "

"I lied." Sheila said, as she pointed a gun at Jason.

She had been working with the Joker all that time. She did nothing to stop the Joker from beating him with that crowbar, leaving him bloody and broken on the warehouse floor.

The Joker in the end had betrayed her, too. Even so, that did not make it even.

"I want to have her body removed, buried elsewhere."

"She was your mother," Bruce said as he walked up behind Jason.

"She was no mother of mine. Catherine Todd was my mother. I should not have searched for her."

"If you hadn't, I would not have learned about the Joker's plans."

"She betrayed everything she stood for," Jason growled. "She is as much to blame as the Joker for killing me. Only she paid for her crimes."

"Her last words were of you," Bruce said gently.

"Well, that doesn't mean a thing. She wasted too much time and then it was too late. She could have freed me sooner, and I could have picked the lock. Should have just tried to save myself instead of trying to save her as well."

"You don't mean that. She said you were a good boy," Bruce said. "She said you must have loved your mother very much. She said you tried to shield her from the blast. And I'm proud of you for doing that." She said something else that kept puzzling Bruce. 'All his problems, and he still turned out good.' Had she been watching Jason during those times, reading about him in the paper. Did she know about his adoption? "You're sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. She's a piece of my past I would rather forget," Jason answered.

"Very well, we'll make arrangements in the morning."

"Thanks, Dad," Jason turned and allowed Bruce to swallow him in his embrace. He had not allowed himself to feel the pain of this loss. Before, Jason had been elated to learn that Sheila Haywood was his mother, but now all he felt was anger toward her, anger confusion, and pain. How could she had done that, betrayed him like that. And now, he could never confront her with that betrayal. 'Catherine Todd should be buried here. She was my mother as far back as he could remember. Sheila Haywood was just a blot on my past, a past I don't want to ever drag up, again.'

Continues with Part 6

A/N: Jason's thoughts come from A Death in the Family.