Soundtrack: Flares, by The Script

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After Tim left, Alfred had brought Jason something to eat. Even though it was just a bowl of soup, Jason was already starting to feel his strength returning.

Then Dick had showed up. Needless to say, Jason had almost been hugged to death. Jason thought Dick was being a bit dramatic, but as much as he hated to admit it, their talk had cleared some things up. Jason wasn't sure if he and Dick would ever really 'get along,' but at least now the two former Robins were on better terms.

It had been several hours since Jason had awoke, and Tim, Alfred, and Bruce had been in and out several times. However, there was one person Jason hadn't seen yet.

Damian.

Jason knew he would come eventually, but it was starting to feel like Damian was avoiding him. Though at the same time, Jason was slightly relieved he hadn't showed up yet.

Jason knew full well he needed to talk to him, but he honestly didn't know what to expect when he did finally see Damian. Would he be happy to see Jason? Would he be pissed? Both? He was betting Damian would be pissed. Mainly because Jason knew he would be pissed if one of his brothers had taken a bullet for him.

After another half an hour, Damian finally turned up. He entered Jason's room quietly.

"Hey, Demon Spawn." Jason greeted, only half seriously.

"Hello Todd." He replied curtly.

To Jason's surprise, his demeanor was that of complete calm. Then he closed the door, and all hell broke loose. Damian sat in a chair in the corner, crossing his arms, and proceeding to glare at Jason.

"Woah, what'd I do this time." Jason grumbled.

"You nearly got yourself killed, that's what! You moronic...baboon." Damian ranted, stumbling at the end.

Looks like I was right for a change. Jason thought.

"Excuse me for saving your life." Jason muttered.

"I did not need you to." He shot back as he standing up.

"Damian, if he had hit you instead of me, you'd be dead right now. Again!" Jason replied, loudly. "I couldn't let that happen."

"It is my life, and my risks. I do not need you trying to sacrifice yourself for me, Todd." He shouted.

"You're just a kid! Okay Damian, you're ten. You're ten years-old, and you've already died once." Jason blurted. "Y...you're younger than I was when I bit the dust. I couldn't let you die a second time." He got quieter towards the end.

"So you thought that made it okay to get yourself killed for me. You died once too you know." Damian's angry shell was starting to crack and reveal hints of sadness beneath.

"Yeah, but there's a difference. You shouldn't have died in the first place, and I should never have come back." Jason countered.

He paused.

"Hell, I don't even know how I came back." Jason continued, his tone quieter. "I know I shouldn't be here though. I'm not the same person I was before, I changed. Something happened, I don't know what, but I know it would've been better for everyone if I had stayed in that grave." He admitted, glancing down at the end. "If I'd gone back."

"Don't you ever say that again." Damian spoke sternly.

Jason could've sworn Damian's eyes looked damp.

"Don't you dare think for a second that you coming back was a mistake. Don't you dare think that if you died again that you wouldn't be missed. Because you would, by Drake, by Grayson, by father, by Alfred." Damian argued.

"By...by me." His voice cracked, a tear track appearing on his cheek.

That's when it hit Jason, Damian wasn't angry because Jason had, in some way, stepped on his pride or encroached on his independence. He was actually genuinely upset about the whole thing.

More tears streamed down Damian's face, he took a deep breath and wiped them away. As if he was attempting to hide them, even though it was obvious that Jason had seen.

Jason opened his arms slightly in a silent gesture. Damian took the cue and immediately hugged him tightly. Jason held his little brother, neither of them moving until Damian calmed down.

"I'm glad you came back, Todd. Because if you hadn't, I would never have gotten the chance to know you." Damain said after a few minutes.

"Yeah, I guess I wouldn't have been able to know you either if I hadn't. I wouldn't have known most of you guys, actually." Jason admitted, absently ruffling Damian's hair.

"So does this mean you don't think I'm an honor-less imbecile anymore?" Jason teased.

"I suppose I don't." Damian admitted, with a slight smile.

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Jason moved through the manor, heading in direction of the bat-cave. He felt rested and almost fully recovered. The only bothersome thing at that point, was the occasional pull of his stitches.

Regardless of how he felt, it had been a fight just to get Alfred to allow him to walk around.

"Master Jason, I really must advise against you being up and about so soon." Alfred warned, as they both strode down the halls.

The butler had only let him out on the condition that he accompany him.

"Come on Alf, I've been cooped up in that room for five days." Jason practically whined.

"That is exactly the point, It has barely been a week since you suffered a nearly fatal injury. You need to be resting." Alfred stated.

"I will. I just need some air, to stretch my legs. Then I'll go back, I promise." Jason replied.

"Very well." Alfred sighed.

They continued to make their way through the manor, eventually drifting into the cave. It was vacant at the moment, everyone else had left to go about their day. They'd all probably be back for dinner later.

Jason made his way through the cave and retrieved a spare helmet he had left there a few months ago. He was planning to take it back to his room and make a few adjustments. He needed something to pass the time.

Jason was about to turn around and go back, when he noticed something. Or rather, the absence of something. It was a small detail in the overall magnitude of the cave, but it practically screamed at Jason every time he saw it.

The ex-Robin realized his memorial case was missing.

Jason glanced around in confusion.

"Alfred...what happened to the case?" Jason inquired, furrowing his brow.

Bruce hadn't taken it down after he returned, why would he suddenly do it now?

"Ah yes, the memorial case. Let's just say there was an accident that resulted in the glass being broken. Master Bruce has decided against putting it back up." Alfred informed calmly.

Jason could tell by the look that crossed Alfred's face, that there was more to it than that. However, Jason didn't push, because he was too shocked by the fact that it wasn't getting put back up.

Again, the question flickered through Jason's mind unwillingly. Could things really change?

"After all this time? No way." Jason blurted, in disbelief.

"It's true, the entirety of recent events have had a great impact on Master Bruce." Alfred answered.

"It wasn't that big of a deal, Alfred." Jason replied, trying to brush it off.

"You almost died once again. By the hands of the Joker, no less." Alfred stated, his tone becoming grave. "Of course it was a 'big deal'."

"Honestly, you really must stop this. You must stop thinking that you do not matter. Stop needlessly endangering yourself, and attempting to sacrifice yourself for others." Alfred snapped.

That in itself was troubling, because Alfred was generally calm, even in the worst of situations.

"I've been over this with everyone else already. I had to save Damian and I didn't have any other options at the time. Besides, Bruce would be a complete mess right now if I hadn't." Jason argued.

"You don't think he would have been just as upset had you died." Alfred argued.

"Despite what you may think, you are so much more to all of us than merely another Robin." Alfred added in a lower, but firm tone.

Jason stayed silent. The scary thing was, he was starting to believe it.

Alfred sighed once again, and turned to go back upstairs. "Come along Master Jason, lets get you back to bed."

Jason stood still, in silence for a moment longer.

"Hey, thank you...for everything." Jason spoke genuinely.

Alfred turned back.

"Thank you for always being there, no matter what. Even when we're all being idiots. You're the best, Alfred." Jason glanced down at the floor, shifting on his feet awkwardly.

Jason was never good at these things. Suddenly, he felt like an awkward little kid again, but he also felt like it needed to be said. Alfred had always tried to be there for him, even when others weren't.

Alfred flashed Jason a warm smile.

"It's my pleasure." He stated, before walking up to Jason and putting a hand on his shoulder.

Alfred then learned forward and planted a small kiss on Jason's forehead. Jason gave a small smile, and Alfred ruffled his hair.

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The Red Hood perched on the edge of a large building, looking down over the streets of Crime Alley.

It was getting later in the year and snow had begun to blanket Gotham. Jason could feel the chilling night air, as fluffy snowflakes slowly drifted down to the city below.

Jason's stitches were now gone, and he had finally been given the all clear by Alfred. It had been about three days since he had resumed his patrol, so far things were pretty calm. Jason wasn't sure if that was because of the cold front coming in, or because of the absence of a certain Clown Prince of Crime. Come to think of it, the entire city's demeanor seemed to be less tense for a change.

It was actually kinda nice.

Of course, Jason knew that sooner or later, something would rear its ugly head. This was Gotham after all.

The city lights shone brightly, reflecting off the snow and lighting up the night that much more. For now, it was calm. Jason took a deep breath, savoring the sense of almost...peace.

Then Jason heard the faintest rustle of a cape behind him, anyone with less training wouldn't have heard it.
Jason wasn't worried, because he immediately could tell who it was. In fact, he imagined she had purposely made the distinct sound to alert him of her presence. That, and she had always had a very silent, but strong atmosphere about her.

"Hey Cassandra." Jason spoke, glancing back.

The Black Bat stepped out of the shadows. Jason took off his helmet, setting it down on the roof next to him. Given her unique ability to read body language, it always made her more comfortable when she could see someone's face, or at least most of it.

"Just got back?" Jason guessed, straightening to his full height.

Cassandra nodded.

Jason had thought it was odd that Cassandra hadn't been present at the manor when he was there. He had later found out it was because after Bruce and the others had found him, Oracle had needed her help with an urgent case.

"What brings you to this part of town?" He inquired.

"I was...worried about you." She replied, with a slight frown.

"It's okay, I'm alright. It takes a lot more than a bullet to keep me down." He assured softly.

"Besides, not staying dead is kinda my thing." He added with a chuckle.

Cassandra seemed to relax a little. Then swiftly but gently, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his torso. Her smaller frame melted into his much larger one, and he brought his arms down around her shoulders as she continued to hold him.

"Happy you survived." She said, her voice muffled by his chest.

"Yeah, me too, Cassie." He whispered, with a small, content smile.

After several moments they pulled away.

Jason hadn't really known Cassandra for that long, but in a short time they had become close friends. They had hung out a few times since that night with everyone on the rooftops.

Despite their contrasting personalities, they got along pretty well. Jason had found that it was easy to be around her. She was calm and wasn't as quick to judge him as he felt the others did at times.

That, and Jason's main problem with people in general, was that he wasn't always good at communicating. With Cassandra, she usually already knew what he was thinking or feeling.

Needless to say, they had come a long way since their first meeting. In which he had pointed a gun at her, and she had promptly snap-kicked him into an arcade machine.

Jason sat down on the edge of the building, taking in the view of a very frozen Gotham. Cassandra joined him. The pair sat in silence for a long while, simply enjoying the view and each other's company.

"Hey, do you have a patrol partner tonight?" Jason spoke up.

"No." Cassandra shook her head.

"Want one?" He offered.

Cassandra nodded, giving him a smile.

She stood, preparing to resume her patrol. Jason followed suit and got up, grabbing his hood.

He double checked to make sure he had rubber bullets on him. Again, he knew the drill when patrolling with the Bats. Besides even if he didn't, he still wouldn't kill anyone around Cassandra.

Jason had heard about all the gruesome murders her father had exposed her to as a child. He also knew that sometimes she still got flashbacks. He knew all too well that flashbacks are a bitch, especially the violent ones.

Jason was about to put on his helmet when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and found that he had a text massage. As soon as he read it, he was slightly confused.

Cassandra looked back at him. She didn't speak, but she gave him a look that translated to "What's wrong?"

"It's from Bruce," he replied to her silent question. "He wants me to drop by the manor tomorrow, says he wants to ask me something."

"I got a similar message...this morning." Cassandra informed.

"Any idea what it's about?"

Cassandra shook her head in a gesture of 'no.' Jason shrugged and put his phone back in his pocket.

"You ready?" Jason cracked a smile, putting on his helmet.

"Always." She answered.

Then together, the Black Bat and the Red Hood leapt off the edge of the building, and into the cold Gotham night.

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Jason Todd again found himself walking through the halls of Wayne Manor, and once again he was in his full Red Hood persona.

Except this time he was walking to battle, rather than from it. A new threat to Gotham had surfaced, one that required all hands on deck.

He made his way through the halls and turned the corner that led to the Cave. He glanced at a large framed picture on the wall. This time it wasn't the same family portrait. It wasn't a painting either.

It was a professional grade photo. It had Bruce, surrounded by Alfred, Tim, Damian, Dick, Barbara, Stephanie, Cassandra, and Jason. The dog was there too, it had been a fight to keep Damian from including the cow.

Jason remembers that day, it had been several months ago now. Turns out when Bruce had texted him and asked him to come over, it was because he wanted to ask him to be in a family picture. He had said that he wanted a picture with everyone.

Jason had been reluctant, still wondering how long that whole charade was gonna last. If it had been a month prior, Jason would've flat-out refused. However, after everything that had happened...he found himself agreeing to do it. Much to Jason's surprise, he hadn't regretted it like he initially thought he would.

After they had taken the pictures, Dick had made everybody watch a movie, since they were all already there. Then later that night, they all went on patrol together. Jason wouldn't admit it, but he had actually had a good time.

He remembers how Bruce was that day. Bruce wasn't generally a happy person, in fact, he was downright broody most of the time. But Jason could've sworn that he looked happy several times that day.

Now it was months later, and they were still on good terms. Yeah, there had been a few bumps and misunderstanding along the way, but they got through all of that.

Jason couldn't help but wonder if this was what a normal family was like. Of course, they would never truly be a normal family. Not when they nightly fought criminals that dressed up like penguins and scarecrows, and crap like that. Hell, most of them dressed up like various flying animals.

The point was, they might never be a normal family, but maybe they could be a less dysfunctional one.

It wasn't easy, and it took work, but family is family. Maybe almost none of them were actually related, but at the end of the day, that doesn't really matter.

Family isn't always blood.

Jason was pulled from his thoughts when Tim popped around the corner, sporting his Red Robin suit.

"You coming?" Tim asked.

Though no one could see, Jason cracked a smile beneath his helmet.

"Let's do this." He stated, rolling his shoulders.

Jason started down the hall once again, ready to face whatever Gotham had to throw at them. Because for the first time in a very long time, he felt like he didn't have to face it alone.

The End