A Light in the Dark
A/N: As always a shout-out to my wonderful beta Alex Skywalker. Don't take your betas for granted. Mine is wonderful! I find that though I know where I ultimately want my story to go the chapters are getting harder to write. In other words how to get to my next major part of the storyline. Does anyone have advice for that?
I need more reviews! I greatly appreciate the followers and favorites but I need to know if what I am doing is good and why it is good.
Chapter 8
The remainder of the night, after everyone had seen the message Bruce left for them, was quiet and uneventful. Each person escaped to their own retreat, whether it be to the sanctuary of their own room, the peacefulness of the library, or the familiarity of the kitchen. They stayed that way for a few days, keeping their distance, yet staying close to each other in the manor. It would be the last time the manor was uneventful for some time.
A few days later found everyone at the breakfast table – all of them, thankfully, eating. Everyone seemed to want to say something but no one knew how to start. After a long sigh, Dick spoke up.
"We need to start patrolling."
"As who?" Damian asked with a mouthful of food.
"As ourselves, as we always have for now. Gotham can't handle the disappearance of all of us. We'll figure out the rest later. Damian, you have training, go get ready."
Damian did as he was told with Tim excusing himself as well to his own room at the mention of Damian training with Dick. Jason was left at the table with his older brother.
"I notice you're training with Damian a lot these past few days," Jason spoke up. He kept his eyes downcast, sitting back in his chair.
"He needs it. Especially after what you told me happened between him and Tim that day. For discipline, if nothing else."
"Who will he be patrolling as?"
"As…himself…as he always has before. Why? What are you getting at?"
Jason finally met Dick's eyes. "Just curious what your future plans are for him. Especially since I don't doubt Tim is also noticing how much you are training with him."
"I don't know yet. I don't know a lot of things lately."
"You mean about taking up the cowl? What did Bruce have to say to you? Did he mention anything about it?"
Dick nodded. "He gave me his blessing, but didn't pressure me. He left the decision up to me. I kind of wish he hadn't. It would have been a lot easier if he would have said don't do it or please do it."
Jason nodded at that; Dick had never been good with indecision - the pressure of having to make a big decision on his own. Probably from years of trying to please Bruce. After a few moments of silence, Dick continued.
"What did Bruce say to you?" Dick tested.
Jason sat forward in his chair, keeping his emotions in check. "What I expected. Stop what you're doing, blah, blah blah, bullshit, bullshit, bullshit."
"About that. I want you out on patrol with us. But, I need it to be by our rules. No killing."
"Trying to change me already? Maybe I just shouldn't go if you are just going to play Daddy Bats with me."
Dick put his hands up in mock surrender.
"I'm not playing Daddy Bats with you, but I've always believed the same things he has. All I'm saying is IF you come patrolling with us…no killing. So, is that all Bruce said?" Going back to testing Jason.
"Yes…nosy shit. If you have something you want to say, Dick, just say it."
"Alright, you've been…..distant from us. A bit abrasive and accusing when you do talk to us. Just wondering if something was said that pissed you off. You've changed since hearing Bruce's message."
The same memories raced through Jason's mind as when Bruce mentioned 'the secret' hands touching him, a child's voice screaming to make it stop - and Jason was determined that the secret remain just that, so he decided to play into Dick's accusatory and abrasive accusation.
"Jason?" Dick called, bringing Jason out of his thoughts.
"No, and as a matter of fact, I've done more these past couple of weeks than you or most others here! I got a lot further with Tim than-"
"Jason! Stop! Geesh, I was just asking," Dick tried to soothe, not wanting to test Jason any further.
"I'm going out for a smoke," Jason said as he stood up and headed towards the door.
"That's the other thing: the bad habits you're starting up again and going back to."
Unable to say anything else Jason said the only thing he could. "Fuck off, Dick."
"Nice, real nice. This is exactly what I'm talking about!" Dick called after Jason as the back door from the kitchen slammed.
About a week went by and not much changed in the manor. Tim still hid in his room, no one knowing what he spent so much time doing up there. Alfred puttered around the house. Jason was abrasive and grew more distant. Damian actually acted somewhat normal, leaving everyone alone and throwing himself into school and training. Dick was busy now, being the one to try and keep the family together, and was actually making strides with Damian in his training. Dick hoped that if shit hit the fan, Damian would stay this way and not go back to the cocky shit he was capable of being.
Tonight all four were going out on patrol together - the first time they'd all gone out together. All the major crime villains were behind bars, but there had been word about "shipments" and someone needing more for a shipment or trade. Only problem was, they didn't know who the players were. Since no big names were mentioned they figured it was lower time thugs trying to up their name in the drug trade and shipment business while big names like the Black Mask were imprisoned.
The word was they were looking for more of the shipment tonight, in the crime alley section of Gotham. It was a familiar area as most drug deals went done down there, and they figured they needed more drugs for a shipment and were looking for more drugs from lower time drug dealers in order to complete the shipment.
After spending some time listening, and investigating they found the alleyways they would probably be dealing in. They were a couple of alleyways that connected together, a couple of the tell- tale windowless vans parked in the alleyway so they could do the deals without being seen. Thugs lined the walls and hid in places in the alleyways and the birds could tell they were all packing. Only problem was, there wasn't any talk or sign of drugs. Just the 'shipment' and 'only needing one' One what? Drugs weren't dealt in ones.
The birds kept high on the corner rooftops. Damian stayed with Dick on one while the rooftop to the right held Tim, now dressed as Robin. Jason, in his complete Red Hood gear, was across from them. Dick could tell Jason was packing, despite his promise to Dick right before they left to play by the rules. Jason insisted the guns were just for intimidation, yet refused to hand over the ammunition, stating "What good would an unloaded gun be for intimidation? These guys can tell when it's loaded and when it's not."
"I don't like this- it isn't right. Since when are drugs dealt in ones? Could this be weapons we're talking about here?" Tim asked, ever the detective.
"I don't know, but we aren't going to leave not knowing what we're dealing with. Jason? What do you think?" Dick's voice came across the communicator.
"Not sure either. How about I go take a closer look?"
"How about not," Dick shot back.
"If you two are done bickering like mother hens there appears to be a new player in the alleyway," Damian scolded.
"Shit, it's a kid! What's a kid doing here? Could he be the dealer?" Jason asked.
"You think a kid could be the dealer?" Tim asked.
"Trust me, it's possible," Jason replied.
"I don't have a good look at him; Dick? Damian?" Tim worried.
"He isn't part of this," Dick spoke up. "He is way too unsure of himself, hands in his pockets, looking around….. I don't like it."
"Could be just a first timer?" Damian asked.
The small boy, around Damian's age, walked slowly, yet with a purpose of getting across the alleyway. One of the hiding thugs came from a back doorway and approached the kid, resulting in the latter taking a few steps back. The large thug showed his hands and beckoned the small child over. Out of fear, stupidity, or both the kid approached him and the thug leaned down and whispered something in the boy's ear. The kid went wide eyed and backed up a couple steps, to which the thug grabbed the boy's arm. The thick, large fingers dug into the small arm, giving the kid no chance to break free and run away.
The back doors of the van opened from the inside, but no one could get a view of how many or what exactly was inside the back of the van.
Jason's anxious voice came over the communicator. "No, this kid's in trouble, I'm going in!"
"No! Jason, wait! We don't know what's in the van!" Dick cried softly so as not to be heard.
"Do we follow him?" Damian asked.
"No, hold tight. Jason can take care of himself, he can get the kid out of there. Hold until we see how they react and what is in the van. If we move now, we won't find out what this is all about," Dick ordered.
Tim seemed to question this though. "You do realize they have weapons- like, the type that fire bullets?"
"So does Jason," Dick replied.
"You allowed Todd, unstable as he is, to accompany us on patrol with loaded weapons? I must question your call and your sanity in this matter," Damian said, looking at Dick with both shock and scorn.
Jason got down to the street level and came up behind the thug holding the boy. He lunged forward out of the darkness, from behind the thug, and wrapped an arm tight around the thug's neck, pulling him back. The other hand held a loaded gun, pointed straight at the thug's head. The thug dropped his gun in surprise, but did not release his grip on the boy. Unfortunately, up top the others could not hear what was being said between Red Hood and the thug.
On the ground, Red Hood and the thug went back and forth, Red Hood trying to get the thug to release the boy. Red Hood pressed the thug forward, questioning his purpose with the kid. They finally pushed forward enough to see inside the back of the van. The two occupants on the van were in the front seat and paid no attention to what was going on behind them. But when Jason saw what was in the back on the van he couldn't help himself. The pain, the rage, the horror that he felt as a child, the 'secret' filled him once again. He closed his eyes to the images that assaulted him and made his decision.
Jason took a step back and shot the thug in the head, killing him instantly. This caused a multitude of reactions to occur at once.
The dead thug fell to the ground, the now released boy running away, the occupants of the van realizing they'd been had floored it out of the alleyway, while the Red hood unloaded his weapon at the van. The occupants up top on the roof were shocked and powerless to stop what had just occurred.
"Jesus Christ," Dick whispered.
"What the hell made him do that? The guy was unarmed!" Tim spoke up from his new position next to Damian and Dick.
"Do we go in now?" Damian asked.
Dick merely nodded as the three went to street level to find a pissed off, out of breath Red Hood. Dick went over to him and grabbed Jason's shoulder to turn him around to face them. Jason angrily knocked Dick's arm away from him. "Don't. Touch. Me"
"What the hell, Jason? What was that about?" Dick asked.
"Don't. Don't do that. You're blaming yourself. This wasn't you. I did it and I sure as hell don't regret it. You don't know what he said. You don't know what I saw, what was in the back of the van, what they planned to do to that kid. I saved his life and many others you can thank me later," Jason growled at Dick, no more than three inches from his face.
"Well then enlighten us! You're lucky none of us were seen; I wouldn't even know how to explain that to Commissioner Gordon!"
"Yah, Yah, you're in the clear, good for you," Jason said.
Tim stepped forward, careful not to touch Jason in this state.
"Jason, seriously, what happened?"
Jason ignored Tim's question and walked out of the alley.
"Jason!" Tim called again.
"Shouldn't you all go somewhere? As Dick said you wouldn't want Commissioner Gordon to catch you here." And with that, Jason walked out of the alleyway.
Dick couldn't stop staring at the dead body.
"Let's go," Dick croaked out. The three men left the alleyway, the only victim, left alone on the alley floor.
"Oh Jason, what have you done…and why?" Tim thought to himself.