It was like the world stopped from moving. Like if the time in this room froze. And then just like that Jason remembered how to breathe. He made himself focus. He had to. Then he realized that the kid was still talking to him. None of this can be true. The kid is lying. Was all that kept on repeating in his head. Jason's whole body felt numb. He couldn't even think. He repeatedly opened and closed his mouth – his mind not forming any meaningful words.

From what he made out of the kid's words the child was Sheila's other son. He was eleven and had two other siblings. His mother went missing five years ago. Exactly five years ago was the day of the explosion. Jason's mind slowly started to once again function normally. The boy went on to explain how he then had to learn how to survive on his own and so on. Why am I listening to this shit?

"Shut up!'' he found himself growing. ''Shut up or I will empty my pistol in you!"

Apparently 'Tristan' didn't know when to keep his mouth shut and just chose to provoke Jason ''Come on. I dare you. You wouldn't kill your own brother."

"Really?" With that Jason aimed the gun right at Tristan's head. "Say one more word kid and I swear to you, I'm gonna make sure it's your last."

''I'm not buying it, Jason.'' But instead getting a reply he heard the pressing of the gun's safety switch. The kid looked puzzled. Then scared. Finally it said with a steady voice:

"I didn't imagine you that way, Todd."

''I don't have time for this shit. I don't care how you know of my… this woman but I swear to you – if you – if you say one more word about her or about us being related – I'll end you-''

''Go on then. It's not as if someone will miss me. Believe it or not I'm not lying. As I searched for you I never thought you would be the best brother ever but I never thought that-''

Tristan didn't hear anything. Neither did he see anything. He just felt the pain.

"You shot me!" he cried out before he lost balance and stumbled on the floor with both his hands pressing the wound above his knee.

"Told you to shut up." Jason stated firmly with no emotion in his voice.

"I hope you die painfully someday!" Tristan screamed, barely keeping his voice from breaking.

Jason waited. As much as he wanted to go now and forget about the existence of the night, he couldn't just leave the boy alone here to bleed to death. He didn't know why. Just couldn't.

"Why aren't you dead anyway?" The boy stopped to take a deep breath and then went on: "I was told that you died along our mother on the day of the explosion. Why are you still alive then?"

Images of Sheila, of the betrayal and the Joker, the cold crowbar and the feeling of chocking in his own blood, the grave and then the Lazarus pit and the unstopping pain… everything flashed in seconds before his eyes.

"You're not stopping the blood loss by simply touching the wound you must put a little pressure on it."

The boy scrutinized Jason with a murderous look and simply growled trough his clenched teeth:

"It fuckin' hurts!"

"If you had kept your mouth shut…"

"I don't like being told what to do!"

Jason raised his eyebrow. Truthfully he was impressed by the boy. For his age he was managing this situation pretty good. Not every ten-year-olds would keep their cool if they were shot in the leg.

''Listen to me what is going to happen now if you don't want another hole in your midget body. I am going to temporally stop the bleeding. Don't worry – you'll eventually walk again. Anyway, I don't care what kind of a game you are playing and I don't even want to know how you were able to find my number. I will drop you off in the nearest hospital, which is by the way in Gotham around half an hour away. Then we both are going to pretend this night never happened. I know kids like you. '' I was once like you ''I know you'll tell me anything just so I'll believe you. I don't know what is that you want but you won't get it from me. But I'm impressed. You almost got me believing the whole 'I'm your long lost brother' thing. But now it's over –get it? I don't want to hear another word of it.''

''But I'm not-''

Just like that Jason knocked the kid out with the gun he still held.