-Park Row Residents

A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. -King Solomon

A foundation of quality, one capable of withstanding the test of time always seems to be steeped in blood. The bond of a parent to their child is one of blood. If not biologically, at least in the sense that either would spill their own if it meant protecting the other. In all of his years Roy had seen plenty of blood, his own and that of his loved ones. But he'd never felt the substance so strongly embodied then when he trudged through Park Row, his hat turned down against the slight drizzle that by way of the darkening sky promised to turn into a torrent.

Water that ran across the pavement, sweeping through cracks and crevasses seemed to take on a rusty glimmer, a salty ting wafting above the long ago rooted scent of garbage and filth. Roy wasn't fond of Jason's realty selection, but the man had been so damn adamant that he'd had no other choice but to comply. Arguing with him was just as futile as trying to argue with Dick, or any of the 'bats.'

Dick—

Flashes of the others dreadfully pale skin, hollow voice, and grief stricken eyes hit Roy hard. The last time he'd seen Dick, Roy had been the one walking the thin line of the abyss. His longtime friend had tried to do right by him, had tried to help him, and he'd left him behind without so much as a goodbye. Roy had been angry and broken, that's how he had ended up with Jason, latched on to the only man who seemed capable of understanding the pain of abandonment and had a tolerance for murder.

In every sense he had left Dick as alone as he had felt. During that moment in the diner, when Roy felt utterly compelled to reach out to Dick, the other had every right to punch him and take his leave. Honestly the archer wouldn't deny him the chance either. Yet those emotion thick orbs of royal blue still managed to gaze at him with civility and compassion.

Seeing Dick so dead looking, it spun thoughts beneath his cropped red hair. None of them were pleasant either. Realizing he was thoroughly soaked, his thoughts having stolen him from the task at hand Roy hurried toward the abandoned building that looked over the decrepit alley like a weathered guardian. His sneakers sloshing through the crimson stained puddles as he went.

With little difficulty he swung himself up the rusted fire escape, squeezing his form through an upstairs window that he'd purposely left open. It was the only way in or out of the boarded up apartment complex and judging by the dark stain beside it he would venture to say that the only reason it too wasn't boarded up was because whoever had tried to attempt it was killed before they got the chance.

Park Row…he was beginning to understand just why Jason chose it.

Edging across the battered floor Roy nudged the sleeping lump curled tight on the thread bare mattress. The pathetic excuse for bedding and a tattered loveseat were the only items of furniture that could be scraped together from the entire complex. It was a good thing they didn't actually spend a lot of time there. Only on nights that left them too exhausted to crawl home did they bunk down here, for that Roy was immensely grateful.

"Ay, Jason." He snapped his soaked cap in the direction of the sleeping figure, showering him in a flurry of droplets. The man in question barely stirred, simply drawing a thin blanket above his midnight locks.

"Seriously, I didn't go get breakfast for you to just let it rot. Get. Up."

Rustling the damp paper bag obnoxiously, Roy settled himself on the plaid patterned loveseat. One of the six blueberry muffins disappeared into his gaping mouth. Through a face full of crumbs he let slip a long understood taboo.

"I saw Dick this morning, while I was downtown…"

Even from the distance Roy kept he could see the tension ripple through Jason just as easily as he could feel it.

"I saw Dick this morning, while I was downtown…"

There was no denying that Jason was now completely awake. He tried to swallow the tension that the one name had sent rippling through his body, but to no avail.

Dick 'Goldie' Grayson was roaming about Gotham,and despite how he would have liked to say otherwise Jason had no clue why or when his so called brother had shown up. As far as he'd known the elder's fall out with the big man had kept him well within Gotham's sister city. No crisis that required the golden boy's presence came to mind either…

Rolling off the lumpy brick of material Jason glowered at the still speaking archer, having tuned out anything past the word 'downtown.' Throwing on a pair of ripped jeans and his trusty leather jacket he swatted Roy's hands away from the muffin bag and much to the redhead's chagrin took the remaining four.

Collapsing back onto the mattress with an ominous squeak of the floorboards, Jason amended the breakfast thievery with a mumbled 'thank you' somewhere in between bites. They weren't the same as Alfred's, nor were they as tasty but he would make do.

"Jason…Jason will you listen to me for a damn minute?"

Ice cold blue eyes swept upward, clashing against green depths that proved to be equally unwavering.

"I think you should…try, to reach the clan. Something doesn't feel right."

Aiming a mastered batglare toward his idiotic acquaintance Jason growled out a very firm reply.

"If they need me, they'll come to me."

Somewhere in the back of his mind he liked to think that he was still linked into to his estranged family, that some sixth bat-sense would alert him to any major catastrophe, if only so he could watch it unfold. But what was left of his rationality screamed that any connection that he held to any of them had long been severed. The pop of gunfire saved him from the objection he could see poised on Roy's tongue.

"Time to go to work."

Sniffling and bloodied an attempted murder cowered before Red Hood, his bloodshot eyes staring down the dark barrel of a loaded handgun. Jason in a rare moment of hesitation half expected a batarang to slice through the muggy air and disarm him, he half hoped a swirl of yellow and green would blur through his vision and knock him aside.

Neither occurred—

Lowering the readied weapon, part of him began to agree with Roy.

Something didn't feel right

Authors Note: So, this was my first time writing Jason. Even if his involvement was minuscule, I hope I didn't butcher his character. Thanks again for all of the reviews, I appreciate them greatly.