Chapter Text
Jason was thoroughly hidden in the branches of a tree. Their supply of meat in the deep freeze was running low. He wanted to replenish it before winter hit and drove animals underground to hibernate. He was about to shoot an arrow—thankfully Artemis had expounded on the previous archery lessons he’d gotten from Roy while the Outlaws were traipsing across the globe. That’s when he saw something that wasn’t deer colored. It was bright pink and shivering in the chilled mountain air.
What the hell? Jason swung down from his perch to investigate. He stashed the arrow in the quiver on his back. He lowered his hand to the gun holstered on his thigh as he crept forward. While he doubted the zombies would dress in bright colors just to trap someone, he wasn’t taking any chances.
He inched forward.
It was a kid.
There was a kid in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains with a Descendants backpack, a bubblegum pink raincoat, purple leggings, and flower print rainboots.
Jason flinched when a twig snapped under his weight.
The kid looked up with terror in her big blue eyes. She let out a squeak and tried to move away, but she didn’t do anything more than scoot a couple of inches. Her whole body shook.
“It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” He held his hands out, palms facing her.
“Y-you’re not a—one of them?” Even her voice shook.
“Nah.” He crouched down. “Brain’s fully functional. How’d you get up here?” More importantly, where was her family?
“I ran.”
“From where?”
She flopped an arm in the direction of the closest town, which admittedly was a ways away.
“Is there someone else with you?” That was the last thing they needed, zombies trailing after a clueless family.
The girl dropped her head to her chest and shook it.
Jason stared wondering what had garnered that reaction. Then he heard the hiccup. She was crying. “I’m going to sit down next to you, okay?”
The girl didn’t say anything, just hiccupped again.
He scooted closer. “Can you tell me what happened?”
The girl looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. “Mama told me to run…I ran as far as I could. She didn’t follow me though.”
“Were they there?” He crossed his legs under him.
She nodded again.
“It’s okay. Were you two on your way somewhere?” Is there someone who will come searching for you?
“We were just trying to get away. I had an aunt in Star City, but we haven’t heard anything from her. Her phone just kept going to voicemail. She didn’t answer any texts either.”
“They got my dad and one of my brothers, too. But we’re pretty secluded up here, so they don’t come too close. Whaddaya say to a warm house until we can find out something about your aunt?” He held out a hand to her.
She looked from it to his face and back.
“What would you say if I told you I know the Red Hood?”
She shrank in on herself. “I’d say you were crazy cause everyone thinks he’s dead.”
“He’s not dead.” He’s just been living in a secluded cabin with his partner, his brothers, and his brother’s partner.
“Then why’d he abandon us?” Tears pooled in her eyes again.
That broke his heart in half. “It’s hard to explain. But why don’t we get you someplace warm and dry.”
“Okay, just cause you know Red Hood.” She sniffed.
“I’ll let you in on a secret. I know Nightwing and Robin, too.” Jason stood and held his hand out to her.
The girl looked hopeless. “I can’t move.”
“Ran so long and hard, your legs gave out huh?” Jason knelt in front of her. “If I carry you, do you think you could hang on?”
“I-I think so.”
He helped her stand and held on to her arms while he turned his back so she could climb on. “Okay little spider monkey, hang on.”
The cabin wasn’t too far away. But it was an uphill climb with an extra 60 pounds he hadn’t had before. He was strong, he could make it.
“Thank you, for helping.” The girl told him. Her breath tickled his ear.
“I would have given my left arm for someone to help me out like this when I was your age.” He squeezed her knee that was pressed into his side.
“Why’s that?” She laid her head on his shoulder.
“I grew up in Crime Alley, on the streets.” That was explanation enough.
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
Jason opened his mouth to tell her she didn’t need to be when something shifted under his foot.
Shit.
*~*
Dick held his cards in his hand. “I think it was Colonel Mustard in the library with the lead pipe.”
Damian rolled his eyes and slid a card across the table.
“Well, there went that theory.” Dick used his pencil to poke a block free of the Jenga tower set up next to the clue board. The Professor Plum piece was balanced precariously on top. The point was to solve the game before he fell.
“This is useless Grayson, we’re master detectives! No one would solve a murder this way.” Damian folded his arms over his chest.
“Uh, hey, Dick…Jason’s alert is flashing on the computer.” Artemis interrupted them before Dick could argue about having fun and keeping their minds sharp.
“What?” He stood and moved to the desk where Artemis was sitting. Sure enough, the red light of Jason’s distress beacon blinked. He was so close to the house, what had happened?
He grabbed his escrima sticks and fitted a comm in his ear while Artemis grabbed her bow and activated her own comm. “Babs, Jay activated his distress beacon, be ready in case something went south.” He called across the safe house.
Barbara wheeled out into the living area and gave him a nod before taking up Artemis’ space at the computer.
“Let’s go, Tigress.”
“You know, you’re the only one who still calls me that.” Artemis stepped outside and nocked an arrow to her bowstring.
“I need something normal. Just let me have that, okay?” Dick all but ran down the stairs at her all clear.
There wasn’t anything amiss that he could see. No zombies lurking around the premises. No rogue threatening anyone’s life. Why had Jason activated it?
“To your left boy wonder.” Babs’ voice said over the intercom in his ear.
“There’s nothing over there but a big open space.” Dick stole a glance at Artemis who just shrugged.
“I may have set a trap over there last week.” Damian’s voice cut in.
“What kind of trap?” Had Artemis not been holding her bow, Dick was sure she’d be pinching the bridge of her nose by now.
“The kind that will keep the undead from killing us in our sleep.”
Dick waved his hand at her signaling her to drop it. He’d have a talk with Damian later about appropriateness. Besides, in front of them sat a yawning hole. It was also where Jason’s beacon was transmitting from.
Damn it.
“Jay?” Dick called, loud enough to be heard, but soft enough to not alert the county to his presence.
“No birdbrain, it’s just us field mice.”
Dick shot a look at his partner who rolled her eyes. They stopped at the edge of the pit. He hadn’t expected to see two people down there.
The pit was deep enough to keep a tall person from climbing out. How Damian had managed to dig it without any of them noticing was a mystery.
“Are you hurt little wing?” Dick crouched at the edge of the pit. Jason wasn’t exactly small, and he hoped it was just a matter of needing a line out.
Jason’s arms tightened around the child in his arms. “She’s exhausted and can barely hold her head up.”
“Hang on, we’ll get you both out.” Artemis reassured them. She moved carefully to the nearest big tree and wrapped a grapple line around it.
“Babs, will you ask Damian if he has any more zombie traps set?”
“He’s pouting and shaking his head no.”
“Well at least no one else will fall into a pit.” Dick stood and took the line from Artemis.
“How’s he doing?” Babs’ voice was hushed on the other end.
Dick turned so he faced away from his brother. “He’s on the verge of hyperventilating…not that it’s all that surprising.”
“I’ll stand by.”
“Thanks, Oracle. Looking out for us as always.” Dick lowered himself into the pit.
Jason was sitting on the ground, holding a little girl like she was the only thing keeping him from falling apart. Which given his history of pits and digging himself out of his own grave, she might have been the only thing keeping together.
“Hi there,” he crouched next to them, making sure to stay within the girl’s eye line.
She looked up from where she’d had her head buried in the crook of Jason’s neck. “Hi.”
“You want to get out of this hole?”
She nodded, not letting go of Jason.
“It’s okay, he’s good people.” Jason reassured her.
“He knows Red Hood and Nightwing, too?” She leaned back slightly.
“Better than most.” Dick shot his brother a look. “But if you’ll hang on to me, I’ll take you up there and make sure you get to meet them. How does that sound?”
The girl glanced between him and Jason, like she wasn’t sure she wanted to leave him.
“I’m gonna take you up there and then come right back for him, only because I can’t carry both of you.” Dick held his hand out to her.
The girl took it and he maneuvered her onto his back. “Okay. Hang on tight.”
Dick pulled the comm from his ear and passed it to Jason. “So you have someone to talk to in the five minutes I’ll be gone.”
The way Jason’s chest heaved without the girl clinging to him said it was the right move.
“Up we go.” Dick hauled himself up out of the pit.
*~*
Jason groaned as he held the comm up to his ear.
“Hey babe.” Babs’ calm voice said over the device.
“Hey hot stuff.”
She paused a moment. “How are you holding up?”
He let out a cheerless laugh. “Oh you know, just kinda reliving my worst nightmare. At least I have someone to talk to this time.”
“It’ll be okay, Dick will be back any second. You’re not alone, we won’t leave you there.” Her voice was firm. “I’ll come pull you out myself if need be.”
“You might have your work cut out for you. I can’t stand on my own two feet right now.” He glanced down at his ankle that definitely shouldn’t be twisted that way.
“Jay.”
Great, he’d made her cry. Way to go, genius. “I’ve made it through worse. At least my bones aren’t all broken this time.”
Dick landed in front of him holding a grappling gun. “Ready to go little wing?”
Jason focused on the comm for a moment. “Looks like my ride is here. Talk to you in a minute.”
Dick took the device back. “I’m gonna mute the mic so you don’t have to hear how ridiculously out of shape I am, O.”
“Be careful, Dick. I’d like Jay to stay as close to one piece as possible.” Babs fired back.
“Will do.” He flicked a switch before putting it in his ear. “This won’t be easy.”
Jason pulled his good leg up so he could get some leverage. “No shit sherlock.”
His leg felt there was fire embedded in the bone when Dick pulled him up. He tried to keep the pained grunts to a minimum, not that he could help it much.
“Let it all out, Jay.” Dick wedged himself under Jason’s arm. “Arty took the girl inside.”
Jason nodded, a pained grunt tearing free from this throat. He was upright, but the world swayed around him. He reached out a hand to steady himself against the wall of the hole.
Jason nodded silently.
“Let’s get you out of here, Little Wing.” Dick fired the gun and yanked back on the line to secure it. “Hang on tight.”
“You know you could have just let me fire it.” Jason grumbled while still wrapping his arms around his brother.
“You can’t even stand on your own two feet. Babs asked me to get you back in one piece so, yeah not happening.” His brother flicked the switch in the ascension device embedded into each of their grapple guns, allowing them to zoom toward freedom.
Once they were above ground again, Jason collapsed on the cold, dead grass. “That sucked.”
“I know. Sorry Little Wing. We need to get that leg looked at soon, though.” Dick shook the grapple line free of its mooring.
“Make sure the kid can’t hear when you do.” Jason turned his head toward his older brother. “She’s been traumatized enough.”
Dick offered his hand to pull Jason to his feet. “How so?”
“Remember when the Zombies got B and Timmers?”
“Yeah, but what does that—”
“Her mom told her to run when a horde of those things attacked.” Jason cut him off. “She didn’t say she heard anything, but you know she did.”
“All right. Let’s get you inside and we’ll figure that out.” Dick ducked under Jason’s arm and helped him hobble into the house.
Relief flooded over Jason at the sight of his sister-in-law holding the girl.
“See, he’s all right.” Artemis turned so the girl could see.
She’d been worried about him?
“It takes a lot more to keep me down.” He smiled, though it may have come out a little strained when he tried to balance against the back of the couch.
“Yeah like medical grade restraints and an army of doctors.” Babs rolled her eyes as she wheeled up. “What’s your name sweetie?”
The girl looked around at all of them before burying her head in the crook of Artemis’ neck.
“It’s okay, none of us will use it to hurt you.” Dick offered.
“It’s embarrassing,” came the muffled reply.
“Trust me, none of us have any room to judge.” Artemis rubbed the girl’s back. “We won’t make fun.”
The girl leaned back and sighed. “Hazelelponi. Mama said it’s from the Bible.”
“Who has a little pony?” Damian walked up with his hands stuffed in his hoodie pocket.
“No one, you animal hoarder.” Jason shook his head. He needed to sit. “How about we call you Hazel?”
When that met with no protest, Jason shoved Damian toward her. “Why don’t you show our new guest to a room?”
“Have you lost your mind, Todd?”
“Come on, Dames. Give me a hand, will you?” Artemis glared at him, despite the kindness in her voice.
As soon as they were out of sight, Jason collapsed on the couch.
Dick planted himself on the edge of the coffee table and untied the laces of Jason’s boot. “Babs, can you get an ice pack?”
She nodded and wheeled toward the kitchen.
“She’s conked out with some noise-cancelling headphones.” Artemis rejoined them.
“Next time you dig a pit, demon brat, alert the rest of us, yeah?” Jason growled through teeth gritted against the pain spreading up his leg.
Damian paled and nodded his agreement.
At least he wasn’t arguing.