Reunion

Kaden let out an excited sound when the bell rang, signaling the end of school. The day seemed to drag on forever and he couldn't be happier to be out of there. The plus side though, was seeing the fruit of his labors first hand; that kid Matt he was giving dating advice too had finally hooked up with another guy he was interested in, and they were making out in front of his locker.

Kaden grinned at the sight as he passed by, swinging his locker open and jamming his books into it; he wouldn't be needing them this weekend, since he had no homework. That gave him the entire weekend to think about asking Lian out on a date, because frankly, he didn't think he stood a chance with his other crush. Speak of the devil...

A black haired haired teen passed by him, and Kaden's stomach started to flutter as he watched captain of the football team pass by. The teen was very attractive to say the least, bisexual, like Kaden, and desirable by just about every girl and gay guy at school. He was considered one of the hottest guys in school, and unfortunately, way out of Kaden's league. He himself was pretty high on the pecking order, but his nerdy side sort of held him back in the high school social pecking order. Or in layman's terms; High School sucked.

"Hey Kaden, what's up?" he asked, stopping in front of the team and flashing him a smile. Kaden had to fight to keep his face from lighting up like a Christmas Tree and tried to play things off cool. He flashed a grin and raked a hand through his hair.

"Oh hey, Zachary. Y'know, the usual; just eager to get out of school and do something that doesn't involve sleeping at a desk," he joked, earning a laugh from the other teen. Zachary flashed him a smile that drew a slight blush to Kaden's face, but thankfully the teen didn't notice.

"Well I'll see you around! Oh and congrats by the way. Heard you took first place at the Regional Gymnastics Competition! Catch you later!" he called, waving back to him. Kaden's face started to tint pink as he lightly banged it against his locker.

"Ugh, idiot," he muttered to himself, heaving a sigh and heading out of the building hefting his side bag over his shoulder. He thought about his two crushes, Lian and Zachary, and felt a little bad that he was asking Lian out. He felt like he was 'settling', not that he really was. He had a crush on the both of them, but of the two, Lian seemed less likely to laugh in his face. That would be a huge blow that his pride wouldn't be able to handle.

As he stepped out of the building, a strange woman he's never seen before smiled at him and waved him over. He looked around, quirking an eyebrow, because surely, she couldn't be looking for him, right? But no, there was no one else around. Shrugged his shoulders, he resigned himself to go over and see what she wanted.

She looked older, in her 40s at least, but Kaden could see traces of make up. It was possible she was older, but it was hard to tell. She had flowing brown hair, down to her waist, with vibrant green eyes. Dressed in a simple dark green blouse and a pair of dark pants, she was a stunning beauty, but to Kaden...something felt...off.

"Uh...hi, can I help you?" he asked, hefting his side bag again. The woman smiled at him, a warm smile that seemed to set him at ease. Kaden managed a weak smile back and she gave him a slight nod.

"I believe that you can, Kaden."

Jason pinned Dick on the couch beneath him, the both of them in nothing but their boxers as Jason sucked and kissed at the man's neck, Dick moaning and writing beneath him. Jason chuckled against his skin and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when the door flew open. The two of them jumped apart when Kaden entered the apartment, not having heard the lock because they were so engrossed in each other.

"Hey, uh, Kaden. How was school?" Jason asked nervously. Dick swatted his shoulder lightly and said "today was the half day!" Jason glared at him, then flashed an apologetic look.

"Well, excuse me for trying to be romantic!" he whispered. Dick snorted lightly.

"Couch sex is hardly romantic, Jaybird," he whispered back with a smirk on his face, and Jason grinned at him.

"Didn't hear you complaining." But their attention was drawn back to Kaden who looked...shocked. They were both concerned, but first thing was first; getting their pants back on. And so they went about pulling their jeans on and Jason was first, moving across the room to the kitchen table, hand raking through his hair as he dropped down into a chair across from his son. Dick came up from behind him and opted to lean against the back of his chair.

"Kade? Baby bird? Is something wrong?" Jason asked softly. Kaden looked up at his dad, the dumbstruck look still plastered on his face.

"I uh...I think I..." but he licked his lips and paused, looking out into space again, a very thoughtful look on his face. Dick and Jason exchanged glances and then Dick spoke next.

"You think you what, Kaden?" Kaden frowned then looked at both his parents.

"I think I met my mother today." Jason and Dick exchanged concerned glances, then Jason grabbed his son's forearm.

"Are you sure? How do you know? What was her name?" he asked, firing off the questions in rapid succession without giving Kaden a chance to answer. Kaden raked a hand through his hair then looked up at his dad, having regained some of his composure.

"I...didn't ask her name. But...she knew things...things that few people know, like...she knew how...how you found me when I was a baby," Kaden began, staring down at the table, his expression unreadable as he continued "she knew that...I'm claustrophobic, she knows I like computers, and that I...she knew my birthday. My...my real one, she said." He looked up at his parents with a look that was mix of emotions from hurt, angry, confused, and they felt so bad for their son, because they couldn't think of anything to say or do.

"I was...born January twenty third. And...I..." Kaden scrubbed his face with his hands and both his parents rounded the table to embrace him.

"I'm so...confused. I was happy...not knowing, I mean because, she just gave me away. I though if I ever met her, I'd be...angry, or...I wouldn't care but..I'm..I'm hurt! And Confused! I don't know what to feel!" Kaden said in a low tone, shaking his head. Jason sighed and hugged him to his chest and Dick patted his back and kissed his head.

"It's okay Kaden. We'll figure this out," Dick promised, giving Jason a knowing look. Jason didn't reply, just nodded and decided on a course of action; she did this to his son, so she was going to fix it.

Talia was in the manor, talking with Damian and Bruce. Alfred had served them drinks and it was not quite clear just yet why she was here, though both Bruce and Damian suspected it was more than just a friendly visit with her son.

"You talked to Kaden I take it?" Damian asked, sipping his drink. Talia looked into the red liquid, expression unreadable, then she looked back up at Damian.

"I did."

"And?"

"And what? You know he was a mistake-" Damian growled, interrupting her and snatching the glass out of her hand.

"Kaden was not a mistake, mother. He is your son, whether you like it or not, and he deserves to know the truth," Damian snapped at her. Talia stared at him in surprise, but raise a hand in a defensive manner.

"You're right. Poor choice of words. Kaden was not meant to be born, but he was and I have no attachment to-"

"You lie, mother. Remember who trained me. Is this why you came? To see the child you abandoned?" Damian snapped.

"Speaking of which, I hope you're fucking proud of yourself," came Jason's voice from behind them, and he looked livid. Damian stepped up beside her in case things got ugly, which it seemed they would, judging from how angry Jason was.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Kaden is at home, confused, angry, upset, pretty much every emotion you can possibly imagine!" Jason shouted at her. She remained passive, and spoke not a word, which only made Jason angrier.

"Who the hell do you think you are?! Waltzing back into his life after sixteen years? Do you have any idea how upset he is right now?! He doesn't even know what to feel, Talia!" Jason shouted again, throwing his arms through the air.

"I'm his mother. I have a right-"

"No, you don't. You gave up that right when you walked out on him sixteen years ago!" Jason growled, interrupting Talia and taking a threatening step toward her. Jason and Talia locked eyes, exchanging glares. Then Jason pointed to the door and said "you did this, so you get your ass over to the apartment and fix it!"

"She doesn't have to," came Kaden's voice from behind them. Everyone turned toward him and saw Kaden and Dick coming through the door. Kaden looked at his mother with a neutral expression, then at his father and said "I wanted to come. I wanted to see her, so...papa brought me here."

A silence settled over the room as Kaden stopped a few short feet from his mother. He stared at her for several moments, as if trying to uncover the identity of a complete stranger, and indeed, she was a stranger for all intents and purposes.

"Why? Where were you?" Kaden asked in an even tone. Talia sighed deeply and tossed her head back, locking eyes with the son she hadn't seen in sixteen years. Well, that wasn't quite accurate.

"I...was focusing on other...things. Things you don't need to know about," Talia began slowly. Kaden went to speak, but she continued "I gave you up to your father, because at the time...I didn't want you." Kaden flinched a bit as if struck, and Jason shot Talia the nastiest glare he could muster.

"You were a mistake. You were never meant to be born-" Kaden took a step back, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"That's enough," Jason shouted, stepping between them. He grabbed his son by his shoulders and made him look at him.

"Is it true? Am I...am I a mistake?" he asked softly, and Jason felt his heart sink at how broken his son looked.

"Absolutely not, Kaden! You're the best thing that ever happened to me! Look at me!" Jason said to him, making Kaden's eyes meet his own.

"I wont lie, at first, I wasn't sure I wanted you, but only because I didn't think I was good enough," Jason said smoothly, hugging his son tightly.

"But after only a few short days, I knew I was making the right choice. You are not a mistake." Kaden sighed a bit and hugged his father, then glared up at his mother, whose expression was still neutral. Jason turned to Talia and pointed to the door.

"Leave. You've done enough."

"I wasn't finished," she snapped. Jason opened his mouth to speak, but this time, Damian interrupted.

"Let her finish, Todd." Jason glared at Damian, who merely glared back, but Kaden and Talia were focused on each other.

"Times changed. Just because I wasn't there, doesn't mean I wasn't watching," Talia said softly, cupping her son's cheek. Kaden flinched at the contact, he previous words still stinging him.

"You've grown into a fine young man and time has made me see that...what I did, what I haven't done, in sixteen years, was a mistake," she explained. Json was honestly surprised to see this side of Talia. A side she only showed to Damian and Bruce.

"But I am here now. You deserved to know, to meet me. You deserved closure." She looked back at Damian who shot her a glare; they just nodded to each other.

"And I wanted to see you."

Kaden was silent the whole time she spoke, his expression completely blank. Jason and Dick exchanged glances, the two of them worried for Kaden; the poor teen didn't look like he knew how to handle it.

"Well...you saw me," Kaden said softly, eyes averted to the floor. After a few moments of silence, he looked back up at her and shrugged his shoulders.

"I should be pissed. I kind of am. But I'm not, because you're my mother. I don't know you, but I'd kind of like to." Kaden looked back at both Dick and Jason, then back to Talia.

"But just so we're clear, Dick his my parent. He's my dad. Jason and Dick are both my parents, my dad, and my pa." Kaden said that with a level of confidence and pride that made both Dick and Jason smile. He seemed adamant about that, and Talia smiled a half smile and nodded.

"I understand. What happens next is up to you," Talia said carefully. Kaden gave a nod. He shrugged a bit, not sure what to say now, what to do now.

"I...I don't know. M-maybe...family dinner, or something? I dunno," he suggested nervously. Dick snickered and buried his face in Jason's neck.

"Like father, like son."

"Bite me."

"Maybe later."

Talia smiled and bit and looked around the room at Damian, Bruce, Jason and Dick.

"I think I could manage that much."