this is based off my own experiences (of course, I have never been a world class thief before...or have I?)

also, this is super short but I just felt like it needed to end there. you'll see why. 

It had been about a month since Jason's appointment with Dr. Jameson and so far he had seen his new therapist four times and his new psychiatrist twice. He was now on an antidepressant along with a mood stabilizer to balance him out.

However, he didn't feel so 'balanced'.

If anything, his mood swings had gotten worse, more severe. And he had begun to think more...erratically.

Of course, Selina knew nothing of his delusional thinking, only being aware of his moods due to how outlandish he was acting.

"Hey, hey, hey! Mom! Mom!" 

Selina was sitting on the couch scrolling through Netflix when Jason came bounding into the room, his eyes sparkling. Selina instantly knew what was happening. She looked away from the television and to her son. "Yes, kitten?"

"How cool would it be if Harley and Ivy got married and I officiated the wedding? Ooh, we could have a ring bearing plant! And my wedding gift to them would be the Joker's head on a platter! And you could be both of their maids of honor, giving double the speeches! How cool, right? We could invite Batman to the wedding and they can take turns beating the shit out of him, right? Ooh, maybe we can rent out the city hall!" Jason was practically vibrating.

Sighing, Selina looked to the pill bottles on the counter. "Jay, have you taken your meds today?"

Jason instantly soured, glaring at his mom. "They make me feel gross."

"Jay - "

"Plus, that is how Batman tracks us down. The little tracking devices in the pills, they are connected to Batman's computer. That's how he always knows where we are heisting."

"Jason, he knew where we were before you started taking medicine." Selina explained calmly. 

Jason huffed, crossing his arms. "Yeah, well, maybe - "

"Kitten, they are just regular pills. No tracking devices in them."  Jason grunted, stomping over to the pills and uncapping them. "Remember your dosage?"

"Yeah, yeah." Jason scowled, popping the pills and swallowing them without water. He shook his head as he felt them slide down his throat. Turning back to his mom, Jason made his way over to sit next to her on the couch. "When is our next gig?"

Selina looked at the clock. "In about two hours." Nodding, Jason laid his head down on Selina's lap. Instantly, Selina was running her hands through his hair, making the teen sigh contentedly. "You sound like the cats."

"Thanks." Jason hummed, allowing Selina to lull him into a nap.

The teenage thief woke up softly to Selina shaking him, sitting up with a stretch. "Come on, kitten. Time to get ready." 

Nodding, Jason went to his room to get dressed in his Magpie gear, rejoining his mom in the living room a moment later. She nodded in approval, gesturing for him to lead the way.

Moments later the duo was running across the Gotham skyline towards their destination, an unusual silence hanging over them. Catwoman glanced at her son every now and then, checking on him to make sure he was alright. From what she could gather, he seemed to be on edge, which could spell disaster if she didn't keep him in line.

Eventually they made it to their goal and got to work, making great timing with the entry.  They were almost done with the job when things started to go sideways.

"Freeze!" Catwoman and Magpie turned to see a security guard standing there with a gun aimed at them, his hands steady. "Put your hands where I can see them."

Catwoman cursed under her breath, putting the goods down slowly. She glanced over at Magpie to notice he wasn't following her lead. "Magpie!" She hissed, not liking the way he tightened his grip on the bag. "Drop it, now."

"No, I don't think I will." Magpie smirked.

It happened in a flash.

Magpie threw the bag of gems at the guard, hitting him in the head and disorienting him. A split second after the bag left his hand, Magpie rushed the guard, tackling him to ground. He took the gun away, tossing it to the side while he straddled the guard, punching him in the face.

It took Catwoman a second to process what was happening but she came to her senses, grabbing her son off the man. "Magpie! Cut it out!" He struggled against her, thrashing a bit as she dragged him towards the exit. Somehow someway, she managed to get them both up to the roof top. "What were you thinking?! What is one of our rules?"

Magpie stayed silent, glaring at the top of the roof.  He sighed after a minute. "Only fight when engaged."

"Exactly!"

"But mom! He pulled a gun on you! How could I let that slide?"

"I was handling it!"

"Really? Didn't look that way to me." Magpie snarled, clenching his fists. "Why don't you trust me to do the job?"

Catwoman sat back in shock. "What?"

"You don't trust me!" Magpie shouted, tears lining his lash line. "How can we be partners if you don't trust me?"

She gaped at him, unsure of how to respond. "You think...you think I don't trust you?"

Snorting, the teen wiped his eyes harshly. "What reason have you given me to think you trust me?"

Feeling her blood start to boil, Catwoman tried to stay calm, knowing there wouldn't be anything good that came from her getting mad. So she took a deep breath, staring at her son. "I gave you this job, right? I took you into my home because I love and trust you."

"You just felt bad for me! You don't really care for me. And you gave me the job because you didn't want your double life to come out. This was your way of bribing me to stay quiet, wasn't it?" 

"You're the one that doesn't trust me!" Catwoman snapped. 

Magpie blinked, staring in shock at his mom. "What?"

Catwoman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I don't trust you to do the job."

"Mom - "

"Or maybe I am just trying to protect you!" Catwoman looked intently at her partner. "This all new to me too, you know? Maybe I was too rash in letting you become my partner. I mean, what kind of mother let's her son become a thief?"

"Mom, wait. What are you say - "

Catwoman inhaled deeply, steeling herself for what she was about to say and do, knowing there was no going back. "Jason, I can't allow you to be Magpie anymore. I'm sorry."