Chapter Text
Danny Fenton
Danny lounged on the couch with one of the books Sam had bought yesterday. At least it was a used book place and the books weren't expensive. He wasn't really sure how they'd manage without jobs or steady income. They'd emptied Sam's allowance account, but that would only get them so far.
Jazz's proto-core signature distracted him from the book, moving through the block and into the building. Not long after, the door opened. His sister slipped inside like she was trying to hide from angry parents after a late night. For all her old confidence – and while she still had quite a bit for some things – the last three years had taken a toll on her as well. And now he'd left her to deal with a fiasco between two strange halfas because, as High King, he couldn't get involved.
Her dread swamped the room.
Danny closed the book and looked up as he said, "Hey." /how'd it go?/
Jazz winced. Damn it. She thought she'd fucked up. That was obvious. "Um... well, I think?" /please don't be angry-did my best/
Sam rolled her eyes as she flipped through a different book from the haul. /Of course, you did your best./
/Sam, take it easy./ Danny raised an eyebrow at Jazz. "Wanna talk about it?" He kept his tone neutral and inviting.
With a heavy sigh, Jazz nodded and pulled up a kitchen chair. /not really/ "Probably should. You should know about," her hands waved to encompass the world, "Everything."
Danny sat up and set his book aside.
"So... um... So, like Dick told us, he and Red Hood know each other because Hood was the second Robin, and he died as Robin." Jazz took a breath. /don't call him Robin-ever/ "When he came back… there was another Robin."
"That is so fucked," said Sam.
/noted/ "So...wait...fuck, okay..." How complicated did this get, Danny wondered. "I think I'm following?"
Tucker wandered in and dropped onto the couch beside Danny. He had a half-dismantled thermos in one hand, a screwdriver in the other. /just gonna listen for now/
Sam shook her head. "He died and came back to find someone else using his name? And he thinks he wasn't avenged? Okay, the kid stalking still isn't cool, but damn, I get why he's so pissy all the time." /where the fuck does he know me from though?-I never met Robin/
/currently, that's beside the point/ Danny rubbed his eyes with his fingertips. "So what's the shortest version you can make, Jazz?"
"Um... Current-Robin has been lying to Batman and Dick – Nightwing – about his living situation, Red Hood... um... escorted... Robin and Dick to Crime Alley where Robin recognized Hood as the former Robin and completely fanboyed." Jazz took a shaky breath. /I could make it shorter but it might not make sense?/
Tucker stared. /doesn't make sense anyway/ "So, wait, Robin lied to Batman, and a crime lord who puts heads in a duffel bag had a problem with...what? Context, please."
"Current-Robin...fanboyed?" The halfa buried his face in his hands. /what is my life-what is even going on-what is Gotham City/
"Um... so... current-Robin said he became Robin because of Hood. Apparently, he had a major hero-worship thing going when Hood was Robin? And... fuck, okay, let me back up."
Tucker, Sam, and Danny all nodded. /please do/
"Okay, um... you all heard the conversation with Dick yesterday – Hood figured out that Robin was in a really inappropriate living situation and was angry that Batman was 'going to get another Robin killed', so he decided to kidnap Robin to save him. When Dick learned about it, he basically challenged Hood to kidnap both of them. And Hood um... did? Can you call it kidnapping when Dick not only went along with it but incited it?"
Danny facepalmed. /okay, so what was the resolution of this "not kidnapping-kidnapping"/ This was either going to end really well or the twisted tangle in his gut was going to be right.
"Wait. WAIT." The screwdriver hung from Tucker's now limp hand, repairs on the Thermos forgotten. "So, like, dude, what?"
Jazz threw up her hands, nodding at Tucker, "I know! I spent the whole night wondering what the fuck.
"Anyway," she continued, "um, a lot of stuff happened, but the resolution was that Dick and Jason convinced Robin he couldn't stay where he was and he's going to be living with Batman for now where at least he'll have adult supervision and heat and food and all."
"But while they were talking, someone named Oracle called my phone and asked to speak with Nightwing. And she apparently knows all of them and has blackmail material on them that she threatened to use if Dick and Robin kept her from tracking them again."
"Oracle??" The squealing wheeze of Tucker's tech-fan voice was barely comprehensible. "You spoke...to ORACLE??"
"That's what Dick called her," Jazz said. "That or just 'O' ." /why?/
/focus Tucker/ Sam's thorny ghost speak cut through the room. "You can have your turn fanboying later."
/THE hacker. the MASTER HACKER/ "But, but...but..."
Jazz shrugs. "Oh, and Danny, Robin let drop about you being Ghost King, which Hood hadn't known about, but he took fairly well. After Dick and Robin left, I told him about Lady Gotham, and what you said about Batman and Nightwing both avenging him." /it was a lot/
Danny stood up, walked over, and pulled Jazz into a bear hug. /you did good/
/really?-thought I'd fucked up-you all.../ "Wait, I'm not done."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "There's MORE?"
More? There couldn't be more. There was already so much. Still, Danny nodded for Jazz to keep going.
"Yeah, um... After I told Red Hood about the avenging, he went out for a while. And, well, I thought it was a dream, but apparently, Dick really did call me in the middle of the night and said that Hood wasn't trying to kill Batman anymore; they were actually seen hugging on the Clock Tower."
"Batman hugs people?" Tucker asked, clearly confused.
Jazz hugged Danny back weakly. "NOW I'm done."
Sam is staring at her wide-eyed. /welcome to Gotham?/
Danny smiled, holding Jazz tighter. /didn't expect this to work out so well/ and /proud of you/
/thank you-didn't do much-mostly kept Red Hood calm/ Jazz's warm voice flickered like a guttering candle.
/you probably short-circuited a turf war between Lady Gotham's knights, which I couldn't do./
"Oh…" And she burst into tears.
"Jazz! Jazz, it's okay!" Danny kept his hold tight and let her cry into his shirt.
----
Dick Grayson
Batman had called Dick to the Batcave that afternoon with no explanation. Since Dick figured even B would be a bit off his game after… everything last night, Dick decided to give it to him without a fight. When he got there, he found Batman in the cave running a DNA test on some hair he'd stolen off Jason during their hug that morning.
It was, Dick thought, such a /Batman/ thing to do. Dick would bet Jason expected it -- if he had been thinking clearly enough.
B pretended to get work done while they waited for the results. Dick didn't bother. He just stood behind Bruce's chair watching the screen and waiting. Soon enough it would… An alert popped up on the screen. They both tensed, and Dick put a hand on B's shoulder as B pulled the results up.
The DNA from Red Hood was a perfect match to the saved DNA record of Jason Todd when he'd been Robin.
"It's a match," B growled, redundantly. "Alfred is at... his grave now with GPR to see if it really is empty."
Dick nodded, barely able to breathe, and not just because of his ribs.
Oracle's voice came from the computer. "You think it's really him. We all do."
B shook his head, and said, "What I think is not fact."
"It's right there!" Dick gestured at the screen. "Isn't that fact enough for you?"
Batman scowled. "We've seen clones before." He sighed. "But... maybe. We'll see what Alfred reports."
Dick took a seat nearby. "How long until he reports back?"
"Tracker shows he's on his way back now." Oracle said, "I'd expect him in about 15 minutes."
"Thanks, O."
B said nothing further, instead studying the data on a case while they waited.
Dick kept himself busy too, checking up on how the Titans were doing during his injury. He wished Raven was around to ask about the Ghost King. Unfortunately, she was in another dimension for something, and unreachable.
Eventually, Alfred arrived at the Batcave. Tears were running down his face.
Dick stood immediately and went over to him. "Alfred?" His voice shook.
"Master Bruce, Master Dick... " Alfred stopped and swallowed. "Master Jason's grave... is indeed empty."
Dick froze. He wasn't hallucinating these past days. The kidnapping...everything...Jason really had been there.
B's hands dropped and his head bowed. When he looked up, his face was blank, but his eyes were shimmering.
Oracle whispered over the comm, "Oh god. It really is him."
Dick grabbed Alfred in as much of a bear hug as he could manage and buried his face in the man's shoulder. He'd known it was Jason, he'd known! But some niggling bit of him had wondered, had feared. But it was true! All of it! Alfred held Dick like he had when Dick was a child, but Dick knew that Alfred's tears were dripping into his hair.
Batman managed a choked, "No names in costume," before the tears started spilling down his cheeks.
Damn it, why did B always need to do this, to deny his emotions? Dick let go of Alfred and turned to B-- to /Bruce/ pulling him into a hug tight enough that Dick's ribs protested, but he didn't care. Bruce let him – pulled back the cowl and returned the hug even.
"I need to go... to see him..." Bruce said.
Dick winced. Fuck, he should have expected that. But… "Not yet. Please. He came to you last night, but I don't think he'll handle it well if you go into the Alley."
"But…"
Oracle sighed, "B, he repeatedly stated his willingness to /shoot/ you. I don't know what's going on with him, it's clearly Jason, but he's not the boy we remember. Pushing him will not help right now."
Alfred pulled himself together and gave a crisp nod. "Sadly, I must agree. If he wished to be known and return to us, he would not have come back as /the Red Hood/. We will need to give him time.
"Now, the matter of Master Tim."
Dick nodded. "I was gonna spend the evening with him."
"I think that would be wise. You both need a quiet night after your activity." Alfred gave a sniff. Dick smiled a bit, not surprised that Alfred disapproved of their 'activity,' even if it had brought Jason back to them a bit.
Bruce growled, but the sound was still a bit watery. "He's benched. I can't have him patrolling with me if I can't trust him." He wiped his eyes and pulled the cowl back on.
Oracle gasped. Dick just rolled his eyes "You sure you wanna do that, B? It's not like benching a Robin ever ends well."
"He's right B," Oracle put in before Batman could argue. "And Robin is never going to open up if he gets punished every time you learn something you don't like."
B clenched his jaw, and Dick could tell he wanted to argue, but he glanced toward Jason's memorial in the corner of the cave and closed his eyes. "For two weeks."
Dick sighed. Thank fuck Batman was willing to listen to sense today. "Fine. I'll go with you to break the news to him." And try to smooth any waves B created.
Whatever Batman would have said was interrupted by an alert from the BatComputer. "Anti-Ecto Acts identified."
----
Jazz Fenton
Jazz's phone rang – it was Dick. She picked up immediately. Had he changed his mind about asking her out? "Hey, how are you?"
"Jazz, I'm afraid this is an official phone call. I'm acting as a representative of the Justice League and the Titans." Fuck. She knew the rest of the Fraid could feel the flare in her proto-core.
"Oh... In that case... um... how can I help you?" Stay calm. Keep your voice steady, Jazz. Much as she told herself that, it didn't work very well, and the pale flame of terror kept it shaky. /what the hell-representative of the Justice League and Titans-fuck-not good/ She had to keep the Fraid updated on this call in real-time.
"Is there a good time for me to meet with all of you? Just to talk, I promise." That smooth, low tenor could calm anyone down. "I know all of you have good reason to not want official attention." That might be a good sign. Maybe. Or it was a ploy. "And I owe you a lot for your help last night. I asked for this assignment so you'd be dealing with someone you know, but it's a bit much to get into over the phone." Okay, maybe not a ploy.
"Just to talk?" Jazz couldn't keep up with what Dick-Nightwing was getting at. /hope it's not a trap/ underlaid with /Dick wouldn't do that, would he?/
Danny dropped onto the couch, heels of his hands pressed to his eyes. /Dick? Representing the Justice League?/ and /why do they want to talk now?/
Sam and Tucker got to work immediately gathering the few weapons they managed to grab from Fentonworks.
"Just to talk." Dick's voice cut through a bit of her confusion. "You pick the place and time."
"Give me a few minutes to talk to everyone?" /says he knows we don't want official attention/
/he can say whatever he wants/ and /said we shouldn't trust him/ Sam's voice wrapped the room in thorns and tight vines.
Danny's obsession of /PROTECT-PROTECT-PROTECT/ swirled through the room like a chill breeze on a summer day. /won't let them turn us in/ Jazz barely heard the icy undercurrent of /cautious hope-maybe help/
"Of course. And Jazz?"
"Yeah?"
"If after we talk, you decide to run again, I will do whatever I can to help you."
"I... Um... I'm gonna talk to everyone, then. I'll call you back?" /said he'll help us run again if we need to/ Finally, she had control of her voice and her ghost-speak pulsed a steady low heat.
Pacing, Danny shook his head. Sam draped herself on the couch as Tucker grabbed a chair.
"I'll be waiting."
Jazz hung up and met Danny's eyes. The glowing green rims told her everything she needed to know about his mood. Sam got up from the couch and grabbed an empty box they hadn't had a chance to get rid of yet. "If we leave now, we can get a head start."
Tucker sighed and slumped against his chair. His staticky, sparking ghost speak came through loud and clear. /bad idea/
Danny nodded. /agreed/ "A head start isn't worth much when you've crossed the event horizon."
Jazz shook her head. "He said he just wants to talk." /I think he's telling the truth/ The warmth of her cautious hope would be evident to all of them.
"No way to tell if we don't talk to him." Danny shrugged and ran a hand over his face.
/fuck-fuck-fuck/ Sam scowled but offered no counter-argument.
Danny crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
"Fine," Sam said, "But we need a plan, something to give us an edge if this is a trap."
"Like what?" Jazz huffed. The goth had a point, but... /what kind of plan would work against the Justice League if it is a trap?/
"Sam, it's the Justice League." Tucker shook his head. "If they wanted to capture us, they wouldn't bother setting up a meeting. They just bust through the windows."
Danny scowled. "I'm not so sure, Tucker. More flies with honey and all." /haven't responded in three years/ and /why talking now?/ Icicles crept up Jazz's spine with her brother's ghost-speak.
Tucker snorted. "Come on, Danny. We're in Gotham, and Batman has our address."
"Okay, fair. Honestly, so does Nightwing." He ran a hand through his hair, leaving faint trails of frost
"I can't believe I'm about to suggest this," Sam continued slowly. "But... We should call the Red Hood." /knows Nightwing-knows if we can trust him/
Danny nodded. Even Jazz had to admit it wasn't a bad idea. "Jazz, you've had more contact with him than the rest of us. Can you do that?" /sooner over later/
"Yeah." She pulled out her phone and called.
Several thuds and glass shattering came through when he picked up, but Hood sounded unbothered. "What's up, darling?" Also a gunshot.
"A lot. Call me when you've...finished up or whatever?"
Another gunshot. "I can talk now, just finished."
"How trustworthy is… Nightwing?" Damn it, she couldn't keep her voice steady, and her nerves would no doubt come through to Hood even without ghost speak.
"Golden Boy?" He snorted. At least, she was pretty sure that's what the modulated crackle was. "He's done undercover a few times and he's good at it. But if he's coming to you as himself, he's nearly as squeaky clean as the Big Blue Boy Scout. Why?"
"He wants a meet-up with the Fraid. I'm not sure why exactly, but he said he was acting as a JL representative..." She trailed off, unsure what else to say. /says he's as "squeaky clean" as Superman/
"If he's being official, then it's up-n-up, but if you want some backup, meet him here."
"We'd appreciate it. Got anywhere specific in mind?" /Hood's offering back up, Sam/
/If we need it.../ Danny frowned.
"Rooftop of the deli. Good sightlines, easy escape routes, and we all know how to get there."
Sam's scowl only deepened.
Tucker shook his head. /we won't need it/
"Alright. We'll meet there, then." Jazz said, "Two hours from now?"
"I'll be here."
"Thanks. Bye." She hung up. "He's okay with us meeting on the rooftop of the deli." /says it's up-n-up if Nightwing is being official/
"We've got two hours?" Danny cracked his knuckles and ran his hands through his hair again.
"Yeah." Jazz nodded. "I'll call Nightwing back and let him know."