Chapter 22: For Good

Jason's POV

A/N: Warning: Major spoilers for Red Hood and The Outlaws #018

I was never much of a sleeper.

It was hard finding a right position where the bruises didn't hurt.

I'd sit in the dark, afraid this was the day mom would choke on her own vomit

-or dad would use the gun on the kitchen table to make good on his threat to get rid of his two biggest mistakes and start over.

It wasn't easy when I moved to the Manor either.

I'd either spend my nights on patrol as Robin-

-Or I'd wait up listening for any sound at all that would tell me Bruce made it home alive.

So, yeah. Not so big on sleeping.

"That's my pup, Pup." I open my eyes.

My name is Jason Todd. When I was a kid, I was known as Robin, junior partner to Batman.

Later, I was "The Robin who got beat to death with a crowbar by the homicidal maniac called the Joker."

After that, I was Red Hood-a hot-tempered vigilante determined to sweep the city streets of any trash that Batman left behind.

So, why then -in my fevered imagination- do I find myself here in this twisted nightmare version home of the All Caste?

I'm lying on a table in the middle of the palace. I know this is just a dream, or a distant memory.

I could have chosen run away from the pain of the explosions of the chemical plant and the car.

Why here?

Why now?

"HAHA HAHAHAHA!"

"You are obsessed with being alive boy!" Joker's face pops out. "But I guess I have no one else to blame but me, myself and aye aye captain!"

"JOKER!" I yell.

"You're joking, right?"

"Trust me, I know joking."

"I killed you! With my bare hands! Nearly laughed myself to death in the process!"

"How did you get in my mind!"

"I wiped your pretty pink brain matter off my crowbar onto my sleeve. When am I not in your mind!?"

Another reason why I hate sleeping.

Well technically, I'm in an induced coma. They're trying to save my skin.

In the Wayne Manor, in the med bay, connected to a few wires...

"This is madness. After everything the boy has been through, he should be in the hospital as his brother suggested." Alfred Pennyworth. "Butler" doesn't even begin to encompass everything he is to anyone who has lived here.

"He was nearly burned to death...Alfred. His best chances of surviving that are right here."

"You're giving me too much credit Master Bruce. Perhaps if we consulted with Dr. Thompkins and-"

"No. This is a family matter." Bruce Wayne. He's sitting on a seat right in front of my bed.

Batman. After what happened between us. Maybe the last guy on earth who should use the word family in a sentence.

"Very well. You know best." That's Alfred's for "you have your cowl up your butt and I'm not going to waste my breath trying to pull it out."

"I've decreased the medication. He should be coming around soon."

He kisses my forehead. "Come back to us. Home is never the same without you, it never is."

He starts to walk towards the door. "I know this falls under deaf ears, sir. But this is not your fault."

"That is a very polite lie. The Joker came at me through all of you. If not for me..."

"...Jason would have been dead years ago. Stabbed or shot in Crime Alley. You gave him a purpose. You gave him a life. Something The. Joker has not been able to take away from him. No matter how often or as hard as he has tried."

Everyone should have an Alfred.

With those words, he leaves.

Someone who can cut through the crap and tell you how the world really is. Then he leaves you alone.

But guys like us?

The life we lead?

Everyday is a fresh horror. Every memory, a nightmare.

Even if it is just the two of us...there's a pasty faced clown in the corner of the room just laughing. At us.

"You probably don't know this, Jason. But there was a day, early on, that I knew I could stop worrying about you."

"It isn't enough to be the best, Jason." Bruce's past voice echoes through the room.

"You have to always anticipate your opponent's-eh? A smack echoes.

"I'm sorry about that Jason."

"For what, Bruce? It was my fault. I totally walked into that kick. I don't know a lot about a lot. But I know you have to let me take credit for my mistakes or I'm never going to learn."

"More than fair, again?"

"I'm just waiting on you..."

The world rumbles and Joker laughs. He brings out a crowbar and I run. "No way in hell." I grab a bomb and put it in his mouth. "Not again, never again."

He blows up.

I wipe the blood off of my half naked body. "Thanks for the assist lady." I cock my head.

"There is nothing I can do to undo the damage you have already done."

I look down and there are dead bodies everywhere.

"The truth is, after you left to go back to the world, you continued to let your life be defined by the actions of that man. You became a killer. Eventually, you will hurt your family. How are you so different from The Joker?"

"DON'T YOU DARE COMPARE ME TO THAT MONSTER, DUCRA!"

"Why? Because you have people in your life who care for you?"

"That's one reason, yes!" I look down.

I shoot my head up and see my little sister hanging on a tree. "Autumn?"

"It is as I've said, those closest to you will suffer the most. How long do you think she can live and thrive in the inferno of the rage that burns in your heart?" She points to Autumn's dead body. "She loves you, with her heart wide open, she looks up to you, yet all you allow in return is the hollow actions of a man going through the motions. You aren't a good brother."

"That...that's not true."

"I do love my sister..."

Suddenly, a hand grabs my wrist. "That is not possible Pup. You cannot live in the past and the present at once. Not without destroying one of them." A hand grabs my wrist.

My red helmet and my two guns suddenly appear. My family starts heading towards me and I shoot them.

That's the problem with Ducra. Dead or alive? A body doesn't matter to her. Her lessons last longer until she does.

This is how I'm trying to distance myself from the past. By destroying it.

Soon they all start to overwhelm me, and they start to bury me under.

But no matter what I do...I can never do it alone.

"Jason..." Batman appears and takes my hand and helps me out. "...It's time…"

He pulls me out. "...Time to come back home...for good." Then the world changes. I'm in a garden, this place is probably the most beautiful place in my mind. Batman stands in front of me. I'm now wearing my usual Red Hood outfit.

"There's no place for me there, Bruce." I take off my helmet as a tear rolls down my eyes. "I've tried to be the good soldier. But even as a part of your family...I failed you...again!" I clench my teeth and look at the ground as I hold my helmet.

He puts his hand on my shoulder as I look away from him. "There is too much talk about blame between us, Jason. There always has been. We have to let it go. We have both done things we regret. But the one thing I never apologized for…is taking a chance on you."

I clench my teeth and let the tears roll down my eyes as I look down.

I open my eyes.

Bruce is holding my hand. He sees me opening my eyes, and he looks at me. I can feel my eyes getting moist. "I'm so…"

"Shsh." He puts my hand down, sits me up and hugs me.

A/N: We got that part from Red Hood and The Outlaws #018, but we changed a few lines to make it fit with the story. Yes, we repeated what we said earlier at the beginning of the chapter, just to put emphasis that we do not own DC comics...sadly...

****Break****

I sit here on my old bed, staring at the ground in my old room. The room that I used to sleep in when I was a kid.

I turn my head to look at the head of the bed, and I remember not being able to sleep the first time I came here. "I wouldn't blame you." I turn my head back towards the door when I hear light footsteps.

I was expecting Alfred. But instead the girl that was hanging on a rope in my dream is right at the door. Closing the door and smiling slyly as if she has never gone through what she just did last night. I don't think that one entire day of rest is enough after being buried alive and almost beaten to death. But here she is, leaning on the door.

"Hey Jay Bird." Her voice is soft.

"I told you not to call me that." I say, looking at her.

"How did you get sneak passed your 'guards'?" I ask, talking about The Replacement and The Demon. She smirks.

Then her smirk quickly disappears and she leaves the subject. "When are we leaving?" She asks.

"Now." I start to stand up, but a wave of dizziness brings me back down.

She sighs. "We need to talk." I stand back up, and this time there's no nausea. "We can talk later, we need to go, now." She doesn't move out of the way as I stand here in front of my old bed.

"You're in my way." I state, still standing.

"Listen, Jase…" She says.

"Move, Autumn." I say, but she just leans on the door.

"Sit down." She maybe my little sister, but she doesn't get to tell me what to do.

"I said get out of my way." I say seriously. She tenses as if living in an old memory, but she doesn't get out of the way. I start to walk slowly towards the door, putting my foot forward.

"I said 'sit down'." She says so forcefully, that somehow, gravity pulls me down and glues my ass to the bed.

"Fine...but make it quick." I say.

She sighs. "Jase...why don't you just...stay here?" I look away from her and out the large window.

"Why do I get the feeling that I knew you were gonna say that?" I mumble. "You know that won't happen." I say louder. "I don't belong here." I say through clenched teeth, trying to fight back tears.

"Why not? You and your dad just fixed things between the two of you. He just asked you to come home. The doors are wide open for you Jason. They want you to go home, for good." I just look away from her and look at the shadows and the bright light of the full moon.

"I know you wanna stay here, this place, it's your home. They, your family, all want you to stay here. But, it's your choice whether you choose to stay here or not." I'm not gonna look at her. she has those annoying sad puppy dog eyes that she uses to get anyone to do what she wants. She used it on me once, and it worked miserably.

"But Jason...let me ask you a question…" Her voice turns into a whisper. "What if...what if one day, you wake up...and find out that your family left?" I squeeze the edge of the bed and clench my teeth. "What if they leave...and never come back? You wake up one morning and find out that they're gone? All of them."

"...Nothing lasts forever, Jason...one day they'll all just disappear, and you'll never see them again...they'll leave and never come back...and you won't be able to do anything about it."

I shut my eyes as warmth roll down my cheeks and to my black jacket.

"What will you do then, huh?" She asks. "You'll probably just sit there...and...and regret…regret not being able to even get to say goodbye one last time...or not being able to tell them what you really wanted to say...or not spending the last moments with them. You will wish, for one last day to spend with them, even if it's a short day." She sighs. "I know...I've been through it…"

"But whether you're the one who will die or one of them, you will regret not coming home, once you get separated from them, forever, you will wonder why in this goddamned world... did you not get to say "goodbye" or "I'm sorry" or "I love you" to your family. Haven't you learned, Jason?"

"When you died the first time...I know that it hurt, and I know that you don't remember much. But when you came back, did you just once thrive for one last word to say to them or one last moment with your family?"

"I did…"

"Did you? Or were you too blind with your rage to wish for that one happy last moment to spend with them...just before you died...weren't you sorry? Didn't you strive for one last minute with them?" A short silence and I can almost hear a pin hit the ground.

"Yes…" I answer.

"Then why did you suddenly forget that? Just because you came back once, doesn't mean you can't die again. And your family...they're not invincible. One day your family could lose you forever, or you could lose them...either way, you'll lose something. Dead or alive."

She sighs harder. "I'm not forcing you to stay here Jay Bird. No one is. It's your choice. But I'll be at your side as your friend at all times big bro, at least until the day I have to leave for good." I dart my head up, but she's already gone. The door is wide open with artificial life seeping in.

I sigh, letting out all the tension. Since when did my sister get all wise?

****Break****

Autumn's POV

I start walking away from the mansion's large brown front door. Hopefully, no one has learned that I'm awake now, and I'm walking away as they sleep or watch movies.

I'm still injured from the events of last night. But it's not that critical. It's nothing.

But with every step that I take, it hurts, physically...and mentally...but I'll just shake it off.

I hear the main door open. I stop and I turn around. Jason is heading my way, looking down with Dick and Bruce standing by the door staring sadly...looking like the hope has just drained from their faces. Poor guys, hoping to finally bring Jason home.

"You always have a home here."

"Why won't you just stay Little WIng? This is home after all." A sigh.

"It's your decision."

Soon Jason comes to my side. He doesn't stop like I do, he just keeps walking towards the main golden gates. I hold his sleeve and stop him from walking. He turns to me.

"The doors are wide open, Jase...it's not too late to go through them." I can feel Bruce Wayne's and Dick Grayson's eyes on us. But I know they can't hear what we're talking about.

"I...I can't stay, there's nothing for me there." I shake my head.

"There's nothing for you out there. But here, you have a home, a family that's willing to take you back home. He's your dad, Jase. You miss this place. He's giving you a chance to change things right here, right now. All you have to do is walk back to your dad…but it's up to you if you're going to take that chance and change things and get back to your family...and make it a complete family."

"What about-"

"Forget about all the other things for now. You can walk through those gates and out into the cold dark streets of Gotham and just keep running away from your past, or...you can come back to a warm and cozy manor and face it."

He turns his head, looking at his big brother and father. I know Dick is waving at him and smiling without even having to turn around and check for myself.

"When you said that you'll always be by my side…" He says not looking at me, I nod.

"I won't lead, I won't follow, but I will walk beside you."

"You really m-"

I nod. "Every word."

He doesn't look at me when he bows his head. "You mean that now…"

I shake my head. "I mean that always bro." I smile.

He looks at me and stares for a while, then he smiles, a true genuine smile. "Then, you're coming with me." He takes my hand and pulls me back to the main door, towards his dad and brother.

"Where?" I ask, trying to hide my tiny smile.

"We're going home, sis. For good."

A/N: We are thinking of doing an interview chapter later in the story, so if you have any questions that you would like any of the characters to answer, please let us know in the reviews. Thanks! Also, expect a poll relating to the story to come up soon!