Author's Note: I am still alive, this semester has just been kicking my butt so far! Sorry for the very, very late update! Thanks to Wombo Combi (Not quite. And yes, revenge will be sweet) and soccernin19 for reviewing the last chapter! I own nothing.
Talia al'Ghul left the cab outside the gate that shut off Wayne Manor from the rest of the world and paid the man, waiting until he had driven out of sight before smoothly climbing over the gate and stepping delicately on to the gravel driveway. After all her training and everything she had done to keep her son safe, it was a simple matter for her to make her way up to the manor without a single camera catch a glimpse of her. At last she stood in front of the front door. She rapped on it once and then carefully folded her hands together, waiting for the door to open. Alfred Pennyworth, to his credit, did not appear startled by her unexpected presence on the front step of Wayne Manor. Instead he ushered her in, shutting and latching the door behind her. "Please wait here Miss Talia," the butler told her, voice just stern enough to encourage even the most unruly child to stay put, and then turned and headed for another room. Talia remained perfectly still, not allowing any of her worry and anticipation to show on her face.
Several agonizing minutes later her son walked into view, Jason Todd standing protectively at his side. "Mother?" Damian's voice was soft and almost unsure, his whole body stiff with uncertainty that didn't make it to his eyes. Talia was so proud of him.
"Damian," she replied gently. Her son twitched as if he wanted to run to her but he resisted the urge.
"You are unharmed?" the boy inquired, the words empty. He and Talia were communicating mostly through body language at the moment and the slight twitches Damian made were enough to show his mother exactly how worried he had been about her.
"Naturally," Talia told him, stepping forward and reaching out a hand to place it on his shoulder. She watched her son's hands twitch as if he wanted to reach out and pull her close. He calmed himself with effort but leaned slightly into her touch. Talia allowed it for a moment, soaking in the sight of her only child standing before her. Her beautiful, strong, brave boy standing completely unharmed and staring at her with concern and worry written in every line of his posture. She was smoothing a hand through his hair, something she hadn't done since he was very small, before she could stop herself and the concern written in Damian's body language suddenly flared up in his eyes.
"Mother?" he asked, as if uncertain what he really wanted to know.
"I need to speak to you," she told him, drawing her hand away. She knew she only had a few hours before her father's ninjas caught up with her and by that time she needed to be far away from here. Damian nodded and reached over to take her hand, leading her down the hall into the dinning room without another word. Talia scanned the faces present, taking the ways each of Bruce's children had grown and the wary glances Oliver Queen and his thrown together family were giving her, before dismissing them all and turning to focus solely on Damian. She lifted a gentle hand and cupped his chin and said, "Your father is alive."
"I know," came the simple reply. There was no surprise in his green eyes and Talia felt her lips curve up in a slim smile as she turned her gaze to Timothy Drake for a moment before turning back to her child.
"Your grandfather set a trap for the Justice League and your father has fallen directly into it," Talia continued. "They have been keeping him in Bialya, attempting to break him, but that has failed. Therefore they are planning to move him."
"Are you offering to help rescue him?" Grayson questioned and Talia, turned her attention towards the oldest of Bruce's children. The young man's eyes were shrewd and distrustful, something she could respect from him. Most of the time she felt that Grayson was too trusting for his own good.
"Perhaps," Talia replied, lips curling up again.
"What would you want in return?" Damian asked and Talia turned her attention towards her precious boy, pride gleaming for a moment in her green eyes.
"I want to displace my father from the League of Shadows," she returned. "Is that too high a price to pay for your beloved father's safety?"
"We're not killing anyone for you Talia," Jason said, voice sharp and eyes flinty.
"Naturally," Talia returned without a bit of malice. "Do we have an agreement?" She waited patiently while the siblings exchanged glances, speaking without saying a word. At last Grayson turned to face her, huge blue eyes giving away nothing of his feelings.
"Tim will go with you and the pair of you will meet up with Cass in Hong Kong," he told Talia, his tone not allowing for any argument. "The rest of us have matters to attend to both in Gotham and with the Justice League."
"Very well," Talia told him, feeling a strange burst of pride in her chest for someone who was not her own child. "He would be proud of you," she added before turning towards the door. "Timothy, I will wait for you at the Gotham Airport for exactly one hour. If you have not arrive by then I will leave. Do you understand?"
"I understand," Tim called after her. "And I'll be there." Talia was not one of those people who felt the need to have the last word in a conversation. She ignored Timothy challenging her to leave him behind. She would keep her word, remaining in the airport for an hour hiding among the common people and then she would leave. For her son's safety, she could not remain in this city longer than that.
When Tim went upstairs to pack, Damian turned his attention towards his brothers, arms folded over his chest. "I am going out tonight."
"No," Jason growled, green eyes narrowed, but Damian was not going to back down this time. As much as he did not want to see Deathstroke the Terminator again, especially knowing what he did, this mess needed to be fixed so they could finish rescuing their father.
"As much as I don't like it, we don't have any other options," Dick cut in, eyes tired but determined. "Wilson won't expect us to let Dami out alone so we won't. We'll be with him when Wilson shows his head. It's the most we can do."
"I still don't like it," Jason grumbled. "I mean, we're using our own little brother as bait."
"I'm volunteering," Damian reminded the older boy pointedly.
"That doesn't make it better little bird," Jason retorted, obviously still testing out nicknames.
"You are not calling me the same thing Grayson calls Tim," Damian informed Jason, ignoring everything else. Dick cackled at that and Jason huffed.
"Not funny Demon Bird," Jason called after the small boy who was already heading towards the cave to train.
"I believe I like that one," Damian called back and Stephanie snickered.
"You would," the blonde said, sliding by the boys to join him and linking her arm through his as if they were school children in pigtails. Damian retaliated by elbowing her in the side and pulling his arm free but he didn't protest the comment. He was, to a certain extent, a little demon. "Want to spar?"The boy gave her a shark like smile and Steph smiled back before they vanished down the hall.
Slade Wilson crouched on the roof of one of the towering but derelict buildings of the Narrows, waiting. Hacking Batman's mainframe had been a challenge but worth the time spent on it and from there the mercenary had learned that the original Bat was still alive. Bruce Wayne's kids would be eager to rescue him which meant they would want to "deal with Slade" as soon as possible. It would make them sloppier than they ordinarily would be. Just another advantage for the mercenary. A sleek shadow crossed the night sky, Batgirl launching herself into the night, and Slade allowed a smile to cross his face beneath his mask. The first bird had flown the nest and soon the others would follow. Soon enough he would have his precious project back in his hands.
True to his predictions, the rest of the family emerged moments later, the clone lingering at the new Batman's side. Slade had to admit that as far as looking similar to the first Batman, Jason Todd had easily been the best choice. His height and bulk made it look like the same person still inhabited the cowl as had before. The criminals of Gotham wouldn't hang around long enough to discover that there was a different person inside the suit. The clone had a hood pulled up over his head, a nod towards the League of Shadows, and even from several rooftops away Slade could see the thick soled boots, so different from what the other Robins had worn. The uniform was new, not what the boy had been wearing before, but it suited him. Slade approved of it. He might even allow the child to keep it when he was finished retraining him.
It didn't take long for the bat and birds to notice him but Slade wasn't trying to hide. He was finished with sulking in shadows waiting for a chance to snatch his project. He was going to take the boy and leave before he had to face down Bruce Wayne and a Jason Todd once again allowed to pick up his guns. Robin landed silently despite his boots, covered eyes focused on Slade's. "I want you out of here," the boy snarled.
"Not without you," he mercenary replied, sparing a glance in Todd's direction before dismissing him. Nightwing was a bit more problematic but nothing he couldn't handle. "I've put too much work into you to allow it to go to waste."
"A lot of people have put a lot of work into me," the clone replied coolly. "And they all know well enough not to treat me as if I am a tool." The boy huffed a little and then added, "I am finished with you whether or not you believe you are finished with me." Calmly he turned his back and added to the new Batman, "I am going to catch up to Brown. Let me know when things are finished here?"
"Of course demon bird," was the easy reply and the clone jumped smoothly off the roof as if it were nothing. Slade was not worried. He would finish up here and then track down Batgirl and the boy.