Good news! The story is finished, just waiting for editing, so I can now confidently say it will be fourteen chapters long!
For clarification: The Palisades is a slightly rural community at the edge of the Gotham Metropolitan Area in this universe.
Yawning, Stephanie stretched and sat up. She looked around the unfamiliar bedroom she was in to see blackout curtains, a boring farm painting, and rustic furniture. She turned to the lump in the twin bed next to hers and reached over to pull back the covers so she could see their sleeping face. "Hey, Timberly, did we crash at a safe house? I don't recognize this one."
Tim didn't so much as twitch.
She got up and went to the window with a frown on her face. She didn't remember going to a safe house last night. In fact, hadn't they been spending the night with the Titans?
She pulled open the curtains to see not Gotham or even San Fransisco, but a wall of trees.
"Speak for yourself. I -" she cut off as yellow gas filled the area.
"Shit!" She rushed back over to the bed to check on Tim. Thankfully, his breathing and heartbeat seemed fine so he must have just still been under the influence of the gas. She checked the window next, only to find it was made of reinforced bulletproof glass and had a magnetic lock on it that was connected to some sort of system. She studied it closely and cursed when she realized it was the kind that would stay locked even if she cut the power.
She checked the door next and was surprised to see it was not only unlocked (with the locking mechanism on their side), but it was also slightly ajar. She listened at the door for a second before, with a glance at Tim, opening it and stepping out.
The hall on the other side had six doors. The first led to the backyard. The second led to a bedroom similar to the one she'd woken up in, but larger with a king-sized bed and an en suite. The third door led to a bathroom/laundry room mix. The fourth opened onto a set of stairs going down into a cellar that had been converted into a home gym. The fifth led to a bedroom exactly like the one she'd woken up in, down to the sheets. The final door led to the open kitchen/living room.
She took the time to thoroughly check each room for a means of escape. Unfortunately, all the windows were reinforced the same as the first room and the exterior cellar door had been bricked up.
She found a hidden door in the cellar, but breaking into it only revealed a small room stocked with swords, daggers, throwing knives, and staffs as well as locked crates labeled things like SMOKE BOMBS, GRENADES, and AMMO as well a variety of gun names. Unfortunately, the locks on the crates would need proper equipment to break so she resigned herself to tucking a pair of sheathed daggers into her waistband and grabbing a bandolier of throwing knives. She dropped a staff and another bandolier off with the sleeping Tim before continuing her search.
The fancy double doors in the master bedroom and the backdoor in the hall opened onto the same large deck which had a hot tub alongside some sun chairs and closed patio umbrellas. The deck was enclosed by a heavy metal railing and reinforced netting that her dagger couldn't cut. The deck's gate was magnetically locked like the windows in addition to a pair of deadbolts that needed keys for both sides.
The front porch seemed to be similarly enclosed, but she couldn't check as the front door was locked up tight with a magnetic lock, a biometric lock, and three different deadbolts.
When she was convinced there was no one else in the house and no way out, she collapsed on the living room couch, muttering curses under her breath.
Seventeen minutes and quite a bit of groaning later, she heard a car pull up in front of the house. She turned off the tv and crouched behind an armchair, grabbing a throwing knife. There was a moment, then she heard gravel crunching up to the porch. The person unlocked and opened the porch door and came up to the front door. Instead of opening it, though, they just set something down and went back the way they came. They did it twice more, and after the third time, they stopped at the porch door. They fiddled with it before coming back to the front door.
It was a preventative measure, she realized with a scowl. Even if she and Tim could force their way onto the porch when the door opened, they'd be stopped there.
As soon as the front door began to open, she threw the knife.
Red Hood - Jason Todd-Wayne - caught it and frowned. He looked it over with a sigh. "You found the armory. Great. She's going to be pissed." He tossed it onto the kitchen counter, saying, "Do you want chocolate chips or blueberries in your waffles, Blondie?"
"Nice try, but I can't be bought, asshole!" she growled, grabbing another knife. "Your waffles aren't that good!"
"That's not what you said yesterday." He dodged the knife this time. He glared at where it was stuck into the cabinet, before shrugging. "You know what, this is all her fault anyways. She can deal with it."
"What are you talking about?"
"Nothing. So chocolate or berries?"
"Fuck you."
"Chocolate it is." He set the bags he was carrying onto the counter, then went back to the door. "I'm guessing Timmy's still sleeping."
"Carey's going to kick your ass when she finds out about this."
He rolled his eyes as he came back in with a pair of duffle bags. "Considering Carey barely put up a fight last night, I doubt it."
"Shit." So he did know Tim and Carey were the same person.
"Yeah, shit." He tossed one of the bags onto the chair she was hiding behind, putting the other on the couch. "Why don't you get washed up while I make breakfast?"
Eyeing him, she grabbed the bag and unzipped it. Her eyes widened as she spotted a familiar t-shirt near the top. "Did you break into my house and steal my clothes?"
"Hell no. I'm not digging through some teenage girl's drawers." He grabbed another load of groceries from the porch and kicked the door closed behind him. "Your mom packed it for you. And before you say anything, I made Carey pack a go-bag when she moved. I didn't touch her stuff."
"My m-What did you do to my mom?"
He rolled his eyes and set the grocery bags down. He started putting the food away as he said, "Nothing. I just went and told her who I was and asked if she knew you were Spoiler."
"What the hell? You're lucky the bat furry already snitched!" she snapped, tossing another knife.
He caught that one too. "Bruce told her? Did he tell Timmy's parents too?"
"No. Unlike me, Timmy had blackmail since he already knew who the Bats were under their masks. I didn't find out until way later. Besides, the Drakes can't even be trusted with taking care of Tim. Do you really think we can trust them with Batman's identity?"
Jason paused, a bag of tomatoes in hand. "So they really did kick him out then?"
Before she could answer, the door to the hall opened. They watched as Tim shuffled across the room to the open fridge. He reached inside, then pulled his hand back with a frown. He looked inside.
Jason chuckled and grabbed an iced coffee out of one of the bags and handed it to Tim.
"Thanks." He took a few sips and looked around. "Where are we?"
"A murder cabin in the woods," she said.
"A safe house in the Palisades," Jason corrected. "Those woods are an apple orchard. Have you never been out of the city?"
She flipped him off.
"Oh right, you kidnapped us," Tim said, sounding entirely too unbothered for Stephanie's taste.
For Jason's too, judging by the scowl he was wearing.
Tim's nose scrunched up. "Hold on, the Palisades? Why? You have plenty of safe houses back in civilization."
"Yeah, and you know most of them. You won't even tell me how many of them you know. I'm not going to bring you somewhere I know Batman probably knows about."
Stephanie's eyes narrowed. "Wait, you told us that the only safehouses you knew Hood had were the Jacob Street one, the Horton Avenue one, and the expressway one."
"So why'd you bring us here?" Tim asked, peeking into one of the bags.
"TIM!"
"You didn't tell them about my shit?" Jason asked, unconvinced.
Tim threw his free hand in the air. "If I told them, Bruce would set up surveillance. If you noticed even one, you'd get paranoid and check the others. All your safe houses suddenly being watched would point to me since I'm the only one that knows about them and then you'd be mad at me because, yeah, we both know I've been giving my boss - who you've probably realized was Bruce - any information I've gotten during the meetings I go to with you, but selling out your safe houses would have been a step too far. You wouldn't have wanted to see me again. I mean, Dick probably would have made sure you noticed just to ensure I'd stay away from you."
"For good reason," Stephanie snapped, gesturing around them.
Tim rolled his eyes and took another sip of his coffee.
"HE KIDNAPPED US!"
"He's not going to hurt us."
Jason flicked his ear. "I attacked you!"
"I gave as good as I got," Tim said, giving Jason's swollen nose a pointed look. "Besides, are you going to tell me it wasn't a test?"
Jason gave him a murderous look but didn't argue.
Tim smiled at Stephanie. "See! He'd never actually try to hurt us. This," he pointed at Jason's face, "just proves my point. He was Robin."
"Emphasis on was, kid," Jason huffed and went back to his unpacking.
"Timmy, I love you, but you're an absolute moron. He still kidnapped us."
"This is probably a test too," Tim shrugged and his eyes started analyzing the room. "I bet we're supposed to figure out how to escape and make it back into the city."
"Uh, no. Not happening," Jason said, not looking at them. "This isn't a test and you're not allowed to escape or go back to the city."
"Well it wouldn't be escaping if we were allowed to leave," Tim scoffed.
"The kidnapper doesn't get a choice in whether we try to escape or not," Stephanie said, flipping him off.
"I'm serious. You need to stay here," he said to Tim. Then to Stephanie, he said, "Considering I'm the one who's been taking care of this idiot for the past few months and your mom gave me permission, this barely counts as a kidnapping so I do get a choice."
"My mom gave you permission?" she said, incredulous. "Why would she do that?"
"Apparently someone," he shot a glare at Tim, "has been telling her stories."
Tim just drank his coffee.
"So when I told her something was going down and I was getting you out of the city until it was over, she agreed not to say anything to Bruce as long as you called her and she could come visit on her days off. Speaking of which…" Jason dug a burner out of his pocket.
Tim perked up. "So this is about keeping us safe then! Ha, I knew you had a good reason."
"Just drink your coffee!" Jason muttered, tapping at the phone.
"Does this mean your big plan is going down? Are you finally going to tell me what it is?"
"Coffee!" Jason growled as he marched up to Stephanie and held out the phone.
She stared at it blankly before realizing it was ringing and taking it. She put it to her ear just as her mom answered.
"Hello?"
"Mom?"
"Oh, Steffi! How are you doing?"
Stephanie blinked, then scowled. "How am I doing!? How do you think I'm doing!?"
"Do not take that tone with me, Stephanie Brown," her mother warned and she deflated.
"Sorry, but did you seriously tell Hood he could kidnap me?"
"I wouldn't go that far," her mother sighed. "But I did agree not to involve the others after Mr. Todd came by to ensure I knew what you were up to at night and let me know things were about to go down with Black Mask so he was getting you and Tim out of the city until everything blows over."
"You need to go tell Bruce -"
"No."
"Mom!"
"Stephanie. Everyone on the Northside can tell something's about to happen. We can feel it in the air. I know you know that. I don't want you anywhere near this. If Mr. Todd wants to help keep you safe and far from it, then I'm going to support him."
"He's not Mr. Todd, a friendly neighbor! He's the Red Hood! He's a murderous crime lord! You can't trust him!"
"And yet you went over to his house for dinner most days last week."
She flinched. "I was keeping an eye on Tim."
"And did he ever do anything to make you feel like Tim wasn't safe?"
"Not until yesterday, but -"
"And did he ever do anything to make you feel like you weren't safe?"
"Not until yesterday, but -"
"And has he hurt either of you? Has he looked at you or touched you inappropriately?"
"He attacked Tim!"
Tim's nose scrunched up and he leaned over to say, "I'm fine, Mrs. Brown. Just a couple of scratches and bruises."
"That boy doesn't understand the meaning of fine," her mom sighed as she pushed Tim away.
"See, Tim's hurt."
"I agree, but you two are always getting hurt. Is it any worse than that time you two tried to share a skateboard?"
She flushed, remembering the incident. And the look on Dick's face when he found them tangled up at the bottom of the stairs. It had honestly been fine until Tim wanted to try doing a rail grind on the banister.
Alfred had banned skateboards from the manor after that.
"That-We-I-No, I guess not, but -"
"Has he threatened you since? Yes or no only."
"No."
"Do you feel unsafe?"
She bit her lip. She wanted to say yes, but could she honestly? The kidnapping was messed up and she would be kicking his ass for it later, but knocking them out to get them somewhere safe wasn't entirely different than when she snuck Tim's meds into his tea or when they had to give someone a sedative because they got dosed with something. Despite her arguments, his fight with Tim really hadn't been much more than a spar that went a bit too hard, at least from what she'd seen of it. He'd never tried to go for his guns, even when they'd started to annoy him.
"I guess not," she eventually muttered.
"Then, I… Okay, I'm coming!" her mom called, her voice growing quieter like she moved the phone away from her. When she spoke again, her voice was back to a normal level. "I need to get back to my shift, Steffi. Look, tomorrow's my day off. Mr. Todd said he'd pick me up in the morning so I could see you. If he doesn't show up, then I'll call Bruce. If he does, then we can talk about it more when I get there. Okay?"
"Fine. Tim and I are still going to try to escape though."
"I'm sure you will. Love you."
"Love you too."
"Satisfied," Jason asked once she hung up, holding his hand out for the phone.
She smacked it as hard as she could onto his palm. "Fuck you."
Tim and Stephanie retreated to the couch while Jason made breakfast. They bickered over what to watch before settling on The Incredibles. When breakfast was ready, they grabbed their plates and went back to the movie, ignoring Jason's arguments.
"I almost forgot! I was watching the new episode of Sirens earlier and they totally did BG dirty," she said out of nowhere as she was finishing her waffles and Tim turned to her, nodding.
"Right! I swear the writer's got something against the Bats. First, they turned Oracle into an AI, then they turned Batgirl into some meek, anxious woman. Why? Just because she doesn't talk much? And the way they talk about her family, I bet anything they're going to portray us all as alpha male dude-bros who walk all over her. As if she wouldn't kick all our butts to Sunday if we ever tried that."
Stephanie smirked. "Is that how it happened in the original story?"
He knocked their shoulders together. "Shut up."
"What are you two talking about?" Jason asked, leaning over the couch and holding out his hand for Tim's empty plate.
He handed it over with a smile. "Sirens. It's a crime thriller show about a group of female detectives. The new season started Wednesday. It's pretty good, but I'm pretty sure it's RPF fanfiction based on the Birds of Prey. Cass's character was just introduced."
Stephanie glared at Jason and held out her plate, but he took one look at her glare and left. She contemplated throwing the plate at him, then turned her glare on the snickering Tim. "Well, I'm pretty sure he only thinks that because he read the story that got turned into the show on one of his fanfiction sites."
"I did not," Tim huffed, feeling his cheeks heat up as Jason turned to look at him.
"You read fanfiction about the Birds?"
"No!"
"Yeah! And about the Titans and Bats too!" Stephanie said, and Tim kicked her off the couch. She just laughed and stayed on the ground as Jason hissed about syrup and came over to snatch her plate off the floor. "He's a giant fanboy! It's the only reason he even got the job! You and Dickard were his favorite!"
"You're the worst," Tim said.
She blew a kiss at him, then turned her head back to the tv.
He started to do the same before he spotted her sitting up to give him a Cheshire grin. "What?"
"Timmy!"
"No."
Her grin grew. "You know, it's probably a good thing Bruce let you be Robin."
"No, it wasn't," Jason piped in over his dishwashing.
"Why?" Tim asked slowly, ignoring the older boy.
"Because otherwise you probably would have gone Syndrome on us!"
Tim put his face in his hands.
"Except your plan would have worked, which is worse."
"No, Steph, I would not have gone Syndrome if Batman wouldn't have let me be Robin."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes."
"Are you willing to bet on it? I'm sure we could get someone to show us the alternate universe where Bruce actually managed to put his foot down."
"Yes, I'm sure, and stay out of the multiverse."
"I mean, it wouldn't be the first supervillain version of you we've come across. Or the -"
"J.J. doesn't count. I was tortured and brainwashed."
"Fine, it wouldn't be the first. I bet there are other ones out there," she said, climbing back onto the couch.
"Wait, you two weren't kidding about the Batman with guns thing?" Jason asked.
"It's a long story, and it's been taken care of," Tim sighed.
"That still isn't as reassuring as you think it is. If anything, that's even more ominous than it was the first time because now I know you're Robin."
"It's fine. It wouldn't even matter if Steph stopped bringing it up."
"Never."
Sorry to those of you expecting Tim and Jason to actually talk about the big reveal in this chapter. That's going to have to wait until they can get some privacy.