Stephanie Brown isn't someone I am intimately familiar with in the comics, but after reading tons of fanfiction both on AO3 and FF, and doing enough research on her, I finally grew some balls (figuratively speaking). XD

Long story short, Stephanie and Cass watch the events of RHATO #25 unfold, and inspired by others' works, I chose to have the girls take action, take their sweet time and also get help from others. While Jason is off recuperating, Stephanie takes the fight and becomes a face against Batman, and seeks to also save Park Row herself, leading them to rise against the fake-ass hero. More to come; just read on. ;D

Whole story is told in Stephanie's POV, so yeah.

Nothing belongs to me. DC owns all characters, and chapters named after Harlequin romance novels, this one being "Dark Tyrant" by Helen Bianchin.

Chapter One

Dark Dictator

She collapsed with Cass when they both saw everything on the television. They held onto each other, both not knowing who that monster in black was.

That wasn't a hero. It was a tyrant.

Someone who fell off his original path, and he'd committed so many sins it was hard to keep track of anything anymore. She didn't know the full depths, just had an inkling.

Batman whaled in on the Red Hood, who didn't fight back except for what looked like a feeble kick. This was all recorded by passersby, and it instantly went viral and reached every channel. It was like opening Pandora's box or releasing the genie from the bottle. The broken helmet showed copious amounts of blood and a half-torn domino mask, joined with a fractured cheekbone or both, a retina...ribs...bones anywhere...

The intent to KILL.

Even Cass could see that, tears streaming down her cheeks, mouth covered by both hands.

What symbolized said killing was the red bat torn from Jason's chest, effectively cutting him out of the Batfamily - no, they weren't a family. She had her mother in rehab, she lived in an all-too-familiar environment and knew exactly how family never should be treated. There was so much she didn't know about thanks to what Black Mask did to her, forced to hide away until she returned, her relationship with Tim not what it used to be, but then again, when was the last time they were anything remotely close to best friends before death and lies tore them apart?

The parts Stephanie Brown would never forget were this: "I was a fool for EVER believing in you" - from Bruce - "You've never hit the Joker that hard, and you HATE him" - from Jason.

Red Hood was banished from Gotham; it didn't take that much to guess when she felt it in her soul that their people would be left unprotected, and she prophesized they would rage and rise against Batman for throwing out their real savior like garbage when there was limited intel on why he shot Oswald Cobblepot live.

I may not be the World's Greatest Detective, but it won't hurt to try.

She and Jason Todd had something in common, both from Crime Alley, but they hadn't been close thanks to Bruce and everyone else. And now she had nowhere to find him, which fractured her heart to the point where it completely broke in half. It was like something was over before it could begin.

"Cass...we have work to do. It starts tonight, and ends tonight."

~o~

"I'm so glad Dick isn't here to see your sin committed, Batman."

Stephanie stood proud and tall, not in her Spoiler costume, but she did carry the bat symbol she personally ripped off herself, and Cassandra joined her. They were side by side in the Batcave, both of them throwing their removed bat symbols onto the keyboard of the computer, getting the man's attention.

Shocker: the file was on Red Hood, and he was adding the death of the Penguin. He'd been pronounced dead on the ICU table that same night. Not that anyone would really weep for him, and Steph didn't give a damn it made her a sinner.

"He made the decision to leave Gotham," was all Batman could say, glaring at the ripped emblems and looking at Black Bat instead of Spoiler, and only his adopted daughter could make him stiffen in his seat. "Cassandra -"

Her punch lodged right into his jaw and silenced him effectively, getting the attention of Damian who was on the training mat - the one that used to be Dick's. Which he left, right after he returned from around the world, and not long before he got shot in the head. Steph hated herself for not being there for Dick after that; she let everyone else's words get to her, but she swore she was going to do better from now on, starting tonight. If Barbara and Alfred would keep abetting Bruce in his abusive shit...

Batman was out of his chair and on his back. "Cain, what are you doing?!" Damian shouted, rushing to his father's side. "You're defending that traitor after what he did?!" Cass spat at him while signing harshly along with some words of her own.

"Penguin...monster. Jason - little brother - destroyed. You." She narrowed her eyes at Bruce. "...abuser. No reason." Penguin was a monster, and whatever it was, it left Jason devastated, having to do with his father - the one who made him.

Contrary to anyone's beliefs, Stephanie knew a thing or two about computers, and she had this thingie on hand if something went out of hand. "Keep him busy, Cass." Smirking, she pulled out the drive carrying a virus that would suck out all of the Batcomputer's files on the Robins from the past to the present, for many reasons.

Find out what really happened to Dick.

Whether or not Tim was abused, too.

And finally, Jason.

The boys were gonna get justice even if it took time and patience. "Jason had a damned good reason, Demon Spawn," Stephanie said coolly, glaring down at him from the corner of her eye while the files worked their magic. "If I were you, I would leave that monster and come with me and Cass." And even though things weren't the same between her and Tim anymore, he would know how to help them with his genius. "Because I've been there, too, your days as Robin might end sooner than you think if your father is capable of what he did tonight. To him, you're just a weapon as the League saw you." Except that was on his grandfather, and his mother wanted to get him away when she did.

That got the boy to freeze, and many seconds passed before his stubbornness melted away, and not long after, he chose her and Cass. There was a lot to talk about with him as soon as they were safely away from here.

By this time, the flash drive was blinking green while the screens of the Batcomputer blared red with danger.

Batman stood up and murderously glared at all three of them, no trace of tenderness towards the daughter he was always good with out of all of them. Cass, in turn, tilted her chin at him with the hand sign for "betrayer". Damian reached for his katana, unsheathing it partially but not drawing for an attack. And Steph wasn't finished.

"Jason didn't leave on his own - you made that choice for him, you self-righteous shit. And I intend to protect my home without your help. If you, Oracle, and A the Enabler come near MY territory, you won't know what hit you. Everyone at home knows you're a fake."

He didn't even try to stop the three of them as they turned and stalked up the stairs to grab what they could of Damian and Cassandra's things, refusing Alfred's excuses disguised as condolences, and stormed out of this stage in their lives.

Stories from AO3 which brought this tale to life: "A Memory Cast in Bronze" by HouseofKings, "Relight my fire" by BunnyJase, "Then and now (and you and me)" by Firepanda99, the "exit music (for a film)" series by lifetimeoflaughter, "Enough" by iloveyourwords, and the "The Good Soldier Who Left" series by SoberFrost.

I used to love Barbara Gordon back in the day, but now...well, especially when it comes to her taking Bruce's side and being terrible to Dick many times, you get the picture. He'd be better off with Starfire these days. Blame that on the tainting of DC these days. Everything's gone to her head as Oracle now.

Review in loving detail. :3