A Light in the Dark

A/N: A shout out to my beta Alex Skywalker and to lambs-before-lions for the best review/Pm I've ever gotten thank you so much. Thank you everyone who continues to read I would really like reviews so that I know what exactly I am doing correctly that you guys like or if there are things to improve upon. Thanks!

Chapter 6

After a multitude of games passed between Damian and Jason, all of which Jason unsuccessfully tried to get Alfred to partake in, Jason decided, since a couple hours had passed since his last attempt, to try and get Tim out of his room. As Jason stood and put down the controller Damian wasted no time in antagonizing his video game counterpart.

"I see you have had your fill of losing."

"I go easy on small children, it's only fair."

"Amusing, I always go easy on psychopaths. It is only fair."

Jason flashed a sarcastic smile at the younger boy before looking forlornly upstairs.

"You will not get him to come out," Damian stated. " Drake has decided to handle this….situation…..in an unacceptable manner."

"To each his own, Damian." Jason started up the stairs. "To each his own."

Jason raised his fist to knock on Tim's door when he saw the door next to Tim's. His door, his room. Tim's door forgotten, Jason lowered his fist and walked to his own door. He stood at his door, forehead pressed to the dark wood, and had an internal argument with himself. He knew he had to eventually make this journey but wasn't sure what exactly lay behind this door. The place seemed so foreign to him that he almost felt the need to knock first and ask permission to enter the foreign domain. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, steadied himself, and opened the door. The sight took that deep breath right out of him.

The room was exactly how he'd left it sans some dirty clothes picked up off the floor. Posters from his favorite childhood bands adorned the wall. His bed had been made; the same sheets and comforter lay atop it. His desk was still as messy as he'd left it; a gathering of papers, pens, pictures and knick-knacks splayed around an older style computer. Someone, namely Alfred, probably came in once in a while as Jason noticed there was no dust. A pain hit Jason's chest as he noticed the pictures of the family he used to know displayed on his nightstand alongside the box of personal belongings that had been brought to him the night he'd left to find his biological mother. The night he'd died.

Memories, good and bad, raced through the astonishment as Jason remembered his first night in the room. He had never felt a bed so soft in his life- most of it having been spent on the street. He remembered sleeping on the floor the first few nights as he felt awkward sleeping in such a big, luxurious bed. He remembered the window he'd always snuck out of, and always got caught sneaking out of. The tree outside the window that Jason would sneak into to smoke or just look at the horizon from. He lifted his hand to his face to wipe away something wet and realized he was crying. Funny thing was he had no idea why he was crying. He didn't' know if it was the memories of happier, safer, more innocent times or the fact that his room had been kept the same, as if Bruce had always expected him to come home someday. Even after all the grief Jason had given the man after his resurrection, Bruce still kept the room the same. Bruce truly never gave up on Jason, the scared, yet tough little boy he once took in because he, and only him, saw something more in the boy than just the street urchin almost everybody else saw.

Out of curiosity Jason went over and pulled open one of his dresser drawers. Sure enough, his clothes were still in there. Knowing the clothes would no longer fit him Jason knew he would have to go to his apartment and get some clothes. Probably take a shower as well.

The emotions didn't stop as Jason sat on the bed and bent over, his elbows on his knees and his face hidden in his hands as he drank in whatever else the room had to offer. He wasn't sure how long he sat like that until the sound of feet made its way to the doorway.

"Jason?" Jason's head shot up and met the face of Tim as the younger boy slowly made his way into the bedroom. "I was just coming out of my room for something and noticed the door open," Tim said as he sat next to Jason on the bed. Tim could see Jason's bloodshot eyes, an indication he had been crying- or still was- but the man's massive hands, holding his face, caught the tears, saving Jason from losing as much pride as he could allow.

"Are you okay?' Tim asked.

"Yeah. I just didn't know what to expect. I had no idea he kept everything the same."

Tim nodded at this. "Every once in a while Alfred comes in here to dust and air out the room and right before he does he always asks Bruce if he wants anything done to the room. Bruce always said no."

"Does he just want a reminder of his greatest failure?"

"You weren't just his greatest failure, you know. You were more than that. He was proud of what you accomplished when you were by his side. He told me himself. You don't know what it took for him to finally agree to take me on as Robin." Jason snorted at this. "He keeps the room the same because he always knew eventually you would come home. Even if it was just for one night, he kept that faith in you."

"I gotta go back to my apartment," Jason sighed. Tim looked distressed at this. It did not go unnoticed by the older man, and he felt the need to explain in order to put the younger one at ease. "I have to shower and grab some clothes. I doubt the ones in that dresser will fit this buff bod," Jason joked as he mockingly flexed his muscles, making Tim smile. They exited the room and headed down the stairs.

"I'm sure Alfred will let you borrow one of the cars." Tim led the way down the steps, keeping close to the railing as he went.

"Cool. I left my bike a bit a ways from the entrance."

"Actually, Alfred brought it back and put it in the garage, but I imagine it would be hard to transport bags of clothes on a motorcycle."

"True. So, you said you were coming down here for something? Good that you're out of the room."

"Yeah, I was hungry."

"Even better." Jason smiled, hoping Tim was turning a corner and making some progress.

When they arrived in the main room, Alfred and Damian awaited them, Alfred still cleaning and Damian still playing his video game.

"Alfred, can I borrow one of the cars? I need to go back to my place, shower, and grab some clothes and stuff." Jason leaned against the doorway to the kitchen where Alfred was cleaning.

"Sure, Master Jason, although I would be more than happy to drive you."

"Nah, that's ok." Jason noticed Dick wasn't in the room and assumed he was probably still in the cave. "Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on the video game champion here."

Damian snorted and stood up, facing the trio. "I am not Drake. I do not require coddling nor supervision because, unlike Drake, I can handle someone dying."

"Damian," Jason warned.

"At least I have emotions, mutant," Tim snapped back, borrowing one of Jason's taunts.

"Oh yes, Drake. While I compliment you on finally smelling somewhat descent, perhaps you can now try not to waste away into nothing, like your friends and everyone else that get too close to you." Damian stared back at Tim with a smug look on his face.

Jason should have anticipated that Tim was going to react. Anyone would with a comment like that. But Jason was too late as Tim jumped and vaulted over the back of the couch and tackled Damian to the ground, pinning him there underneath him and hitting him twice in the face before Jason could get to him.

"My word!" Alfred exclaimed trying to help break up the fight.

Jason came up from behind Tim, who was growling, and tried to pull his arms back only to realize he had to first pry his hands off of Damian's throat. While doing do he tried to talk Tim down.

"Come on Tim, let go, he's just doing this to get a reaction out of you." Jason could feel Tim's tears hitting his hands as he got them off of Damian's throat. He pulled Tim backwards with all his strength and landed on his butt with Tim in his lap, still very upset. Jason immediately wrapped his arms around Tim's arms, preventing him from lashing out physically as Tim launched a verbal assault and profanity at the younger boy who was sputtering on the ground, attended by Alfred.

"Tim, sssshhh shhhh, Tim, it's alright. Relax Tim, it's over, it's done." Tim finally relaxed at the sound of Jason's voice but continued to breath heavily. Both boys stood up and Jason passed Tim off to Alfred to look after. Tim immediately turned away from the younger boy on the ground, leaning his forehead against Alfred's shoulders as Alfred patted his head and soothed him.

"There's a good lad. It's all over with now."

Jason bent down and picked up Damian by the front of his sweater and hauled him around the corner. Jason didn't intend for Tim and Alfred to hear what he had to say to Damian but he couldn't help the way his voice carried when he was angry. Jason got close to Damian's face, making sure he had his full attention.

"OK, listen short shit. Don't ever mention his friends again, got it? Did you ever stop to think that the reason Tim has lost so many friends is because he actually had some to begin with? Who do you both have now that Bruce is gone, huh? Who? Each other. The people who live in this house. So get used to it. I know you are just lashing out to keep up some sort of sick sense of normalcy, but things aren't normal right now, are they Damian? Are they? All you both have is each other right now so let's get this clear: you will never, EVER, do that again. Are we clear?"

Damian did not respond. Jason really didn't expect him to because what could he say but admit defeat and that wasn't in his nature. Jason knew he got through to the younger boy as his eye contact with Jason never faltered. Damian slowly extracted himself from between the wall and the larger man, rounded the corner and headed up the stairs, never once looking at the room's occupants. Damian's exit was finalized by the slamming of his bedroom door.

As Jason came around the corner he could tell his words to Damian had been heard by the looks on Alfred and Tim's faces, both of whom were staring back at Jason.

"Tim, why don't you come with me back to my place. I could use the company," Jason lied. After seeing his room and the emotions that came with it he preferred to be alone, plus he really didn't want the others to know where he was living, but things were different now and the first thing on his mind was making sure Damian and Tim didn't get into it again while he was gone. Jason already feared that Damian set back the small progress he had made with Tim.

Tim just nodded at Jason mostly in shock from the offer. With that they grabbed their coats and were out the door.

While driving, Jason remembered Tim saying at the house that he was hungry.

"Wanna go get something to eat? I know this place that has the best chilidogs; they are by far my favorite."

"I'm not allowed to eat chilidogs," Tim said meekly, sparing a glance at Jason.

Shocked, Jason looked to Tim. "What? Chilidogs are the best! Who said you can't have a chilidog….." Jason's voice faded out towards the end of the sentence realizing who it was that forbid chilidogs in his house. "Well damn him and his health conscious ways," Jason laughed. Jason didn't know if chilidogs were forbidden because of health reasons or because they were Jason's favorite. Jason fully intended to show Tim what he was missing.

After a few minutes of silence Jason decided to test if his progress with Tim was for naught thanks to Damian or if he could push just a little further.

"Tim….you like taking pictures right? You have a camera and like photography?"

"Yah." Tim kept his answer short and simple, not knowing where Jason was going with this.

"Well, I know you've probably taken a lot of pictures."

"Yah, you saw most of them in the photo album."

"You didn't take all those- you were in most of them. But also, those were posed, rehearsed almost. As stealthy as us birds can be, I know you probably have a bunch more pictures, more candid ones where no one knows you're watching them."

Tim just nodded, keeping his gaze straight ahead.

"Well, where are they? I didn't see them in plain sight in that disaster area you call your room."

"They are put away, locked away, where I can't see them right now."

"Why?"

Tim took a deep breath. So this is where Jason was going with this.

"Candid photos are…..different. You see the person differently, how they genuinely are. When they are really sad, when they are really deep in concentration over something or when they are genuinely happy. Not like smile for the camera and you slap some fake shit-eating grin on your face. Candid photos are when they are just….them. And when they aren't here anymore it hurts to look at that photo and know that's the only way you will see how they really are….were anymore."

Jason remained silent after Tim's answer. He hadn't expected something so profound from the younger boy. He knew he was smart, but not psychologically smart like that. It almost made Jason scared for what Tim thought of him.

After Jason showered and grabbed some clothes and things, and Tim and him had at least one chilidog, they ended up back at the manor. They walked into a rather tense mood in the living room. Alfred and Damian were just standing there looking distressed.

"Alfred?" Jason asked. "Did you guys eat? We had something while we were out."

"Master Jason." Was the only response given.

Tim and Jason noticed that Alfred and Damian's gazes were fixed on the grandfather clock, the entrance to the bat-cave. Tim, not wanting to beat around the bush spoke up.

"What's going on? Is Dick still down there?"

"I'm afraid so, Master Timothy. After we ate I attempted to take a plate down to the cave, only to find the door locked and Master Richard not answering any of my calls or hails."

"ok, ok uhm, maybe he's just brooding," Jason stammered trying to think of what Dick was up to. "I mean, Dick wouldn't do anything stupid, I mean-" Jason's rambling was interrupted by the grandfather clock entrance opening and Dick walking out looking worse for wear.

"Jesus Dick!" Jason exclaimed as he walked up to him.

Dick was pale, very pale, and had a bit of a sheen of sweat look to his face. His gate was shuffling, not at all the confident stride he normally used, and he appeared to be at a loss for words as his eyes fixed on the nothingness in front of him. Something shocked him. Something scared him, and scared him good.

"Dick….Dick are you alright?" Jason said, snapping his fingers in front of Dick's face to get his attention. Dick's gaze fluttered over the various occupants in the room.

"Oh….oh God he….he..left….he….. oh God." And with that Dick's eyes rolled back in his head and before Jason could catch him, Dick passed out cold on the floor.