Chapter Text
Talia rushed down the long hallway accompanied by the sound of her golden bracelets shaking and Damian’s footsteps following her.
“Mami!” – He complained in a whiny tone.
She was so lost in tought, so enraged she didn’t hear him following her at first, his voice calling her from her turbulent mind back to the thick walls of the fort.
She turned back and saw his chubby short legs struggling to catch up with her determined steps and softened her gaze. – “Dami… how did you? Fine, come…”
She reached down and picked him up, sitting him on her hip.
“Where are we going?” – He asked holding tightly onto Talia’s neck, his fingers playing with her long earrings.
“To see your grandfather.” – She said turning a sharp corner.
Maybe for the last time… – She thought staring down the carved wooden door.
She’d waited outside of it so many times in her life before, rehearsing what she’d say, her hands clasped behind her back and her feet tracing the lines of the stone floor while a long braid behind her back reminded her she was not still enough – swaying childishly from side to side. She found none of the girlish shyness in her now, possessed by a fire she’d only recently come to know – a power inside her that burned so hot she lost all fear of her father, all respect as well.
She slammed the doors to his study open and stood across from her father with a wide stance, her hair loose and wild draped around her shoulders like a shield.
“Out. All of you.” – She addressed his advisors but had eyes only for Ra’s.
The room cleared aside from a few men and women, the inner circle.
“Talia my daughter, what is it?”
“How dare you?”
Ra’s didn’t respond, returning the harsh gaze onto her.
“How dare you interfere?! Damian’s upbringing and training is mine to decide! You had no right!”
“My grandson’s training lacks, you were far more advanced at his age…”
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have been!” – Damian hid his face in Talia’s neck, the shouting about him confusing and scary.
“Are you displeased with your upbringing? Is this why you barge into my office?” – He asked with a smirk.
“You hurt Damian. You hurt my son… Your reckless training hurt him, his arm is broken because of you…”
“It will heal… How many bones have you broken?”
“Far too many…”
Ra’s leaned back on his chair, tapping the armrests.
“If that is all, I was busy Talia… we can resume the discussion on who should lead Damian’s instruction at supper-”
“No!” – Talia clutched Damian more tightly, cradling the back of his head with a warm reassuring hand.
“Enough Talia, I have no more patience for you and your boys…” – Ra’s said rolling his eyes and staring at one of his advisors. – “You drain too many resources with your foolish trainings… A pampered prince and a catatonic aberration! I expected more of you…”
“I will hear none of it! You disregard me now but you forget I am your legacy! Without me you have no heir and without my womb you have no heirs! You think me weak and soft but motherhood has made me stronger than you can accept and it threatens you! I have sired the legacy of this house and I can do it again, and again, and again…” – She took slow steps towards the center of the room, her brow furrowed. – “Your selfish pit regenerates your decrepit body at the cost of your mental faculties… you cling to life making a mockery of nature while I created life. I created Damian! I carried him in my body, created every bone in his from my own and you dare break them! I made him in my image and I can do it again! I laboured for him on hands and knees overcoming my own mortality to bring forth new life into this world – your Lazarus pit pales in comparison to my power and I will not yield to a man who thinks himself more capable of resurrection than a mother…”
Ra’s stared at Talia with fury stamped across his face, his eyes travelling from her gaze to Damian’s curled up body resting on her. He refused to speak, refused to respond to her.
Talia took one more step towards him, lifting her chin.
“You will break your silence now, father… you will break your silence to tell me one last thing – where is my other boy? Where is Jason?!”
Talia entered the room without making a sound, Damian’s footsteps however were loud and announced their arrival. The boy on the bed stirred with the sound, sitting up and looking at the door with a blank expression on his face. Damian rushed ahead of Talia and attempted to climb onto the bed, struggling to reach. He jumped from one foot to the other trying to come up while Talia gathered small scattered objects into a bag. The boy on the bed reached down for Damian, bringing him up to bed with him.
“Jay…” – Damian said hugging Jason, proceeding to hide under the covers while Jason sat motionless.
His eyes followed Talia while she scavenged through his room. He folded a knee up as Damian approached the edge of the bed, giggling and unaware he was one movement away from falling. He hit Jason’s leg and placed his hands on it, following it down to his foot.
“Mami, Jay foot is purple…”
“Yes, Dami… he hurt it at training, remember?”
“We match.” – He said pulling down the covers and smiling at Jason.
Jason looked at Damian but didn’t show any response to his words other than touching his arm that was on a cast.
Talia took clothes from a wardrobe last and came into Jason’s view. – “What are you reading, Jason?” – She asked with wide eyes, jittery movements.
Jason reached under his pillow and handed her a small book of folk tales from Afghanistan he’d found in her room.
“Good choice…” – She said smiling and stuffing it into the bag, remembering how she’d been a similar age when she’d first read it.
She grabbed Damian away from Jason and sat him on her lap, taking Jason’s hand in hers.
“Listen to me, Jason. I know you are in there… I know it… I wish we’d had more time, I… I had more I wanted to try but I’m afraid this is the last chance we’ll ever have to do this… I am sorry, Jason but it is my last hope…”
She could’ve sworn she saw his brow furrow slightly, unsure at this point whether changes in his expression were wishful thinking or whether she was managing to break through.
“Talia, it is time now…” – A voice spoke from the other side of the door, one of the few men and women loyal to Talia who were embarking on this journey with her.
“Let’s go, Jason… let’s take you home.”
It was pain like he’d never experienced before, not even his death had hurt as much as the Lazarus Pit did. Jason had opened his eyes to a rush of adrenaline making him gasp, the pit’s green water flooding his lungs as he screamed in agony. He’d reached up, his head pounding and had been met by a familiar face: Talia’s gaze harsh but had betrayed her, fear flooded her eyes as she’d watched Jason emerge from the pit screaming.
“AAaarghh! Talia!” – He’d called reaching out of the water.
He had held his breath too long, tortured by nightmares of the Lazarus Pit, Jason woke up gasping and calling for Talia, his clothes sweaty and twisted around his body. He was grateful they slept on mats on the tatami, were he on a regular bed he would’ve made a habit of falling off of it.
“Talia! Argh!” – He slumped forwards and held his head in his hands, the headache he’d felt in his dreams spilling over to reality, or was it the other way around?
It didn’t take long for him to hear the door to his room unlocking, Talia rushing inside to meet him.
“Jason?” – She asked kneeling on the tatami beside him, a hand reaching for his face. – ”Look at me…”
Jason obeyed, lifting his glossy eyes to meet her face. She held her hand over his forehead, his messy curls and white streak sticking to his skin.
“Sorry… sorry I-”
“You had nightmares again…”
Jason nodded, still catching his breath. He frowned and squeezed his eyes shut.
“How much longer?” – He asked hiding his face from her.
“That depends on you.”
Jason nodded. – “I… it’s been two weeks… I feel fine… I- I’m not going mad…”
“No, I don’t think you are… we will move tomorrow, we have stayed here too long – our safety is compromised the longer we stay in one place.”
Jason nodded, clutching the fabric of his t-shirt.
“But what about… what about when we get to Gotham?”
“You will be safe there…”
“How can you say that?!” – Jason cried finally meeting her eyes.
“Because Bruce will protect you while I make sure we are never followed again… While I make sure Ra’s Al Ghul can never hurt my son again…”
“And that one?!” – Damian pointed losing his balance, Jason reached for his back and stabilised him.
“I can’t see where you’re pointing, Dami.” – Jason said feeling Damian’s cast heavy on top of his head.
“The bird!”
“There’s a lot of birds…”
“The big one! The Roc…”
Jason grabbed Damian off his shoulders and brought him down to the ground with him. He crouched and kept Damian between his legs, pulling down his shirt that insisted on riding up his toddler belly.
“Shhh… careful…” – Jason whispered. – “Let’s see… a Roc you say… I’m not so sure…”
“It is! I know it!”
“Hmm… does it look like it can carry an elephant?”
“Yes!” – Damian shrieked.
Jason turned to face him, widening his eyes. – “Are you sure?”
“It’s the Roc!”
“If that’s the Roc… are you not afraid it could carry you away?”
Damian considered Jason’s words, wonder turning to fear. He clutched Jason’s shirt, taking a step back into him.
“No… I think you’re too heavy for him to carry…” – Jason joked poking his sides.
“But you carry me! Can you carry elephant?”
“I’ve been known to carry heavy weights you know? You, an elephant… same thing…”
Jason’s joke flew over Damian’s head. He carried on watching the beautiful though not even that large bird of prey on top of a gazebo.
“It’s not a Roc you silly… that’s not a real animal, it’s just a story.”
“How do you know?!”
“Cause I’ve read it! And also, I am older than you, I know these things…”
“I like that you talk now.” – Damian giggled.
Jason squinted at the bird as it took flight, squeezing Damian and resting his chin on his head.
“I like it as well… I like it a lot…” – He gripped Damian tighter before letting go.
Jason and Damian were under the watchful eye of a real predator, one who was moving heaven and earth like a great Roc carrying elephants across the globe under their wings.
“He was there the whole time…” – She spoke to Kaido quietly, her most loyal security.
“What was that?”
“Jason… the books I gave him… I thought he flipped through the images but- he read them, he remembers them… this will be a problem…”
“Why?”
“Because if he can remember the books then he can remember crawling out of his grave, living on the streets, the year with the League… two years of his life suffering… two years Bruce had to kill his killer and didn’t…”
“The boy was his son, his little Robin… surely he wouldn’t expect the bat to completely forsake his beliefs for him?”
Talia squinted again seeing Jason walk back towards the house holding Damian’s hand, taking small steps and listening attentively to whatever Damian was blabbing about.
“I think that’s exactly what anyone in his situation would expect, Robin or not, for someone to grieve you so much they do the impossible.”
Try as he might, Jason couldn’t fall asleep. Plagued by nightmares and horrible headaches he spent his days distracted by Damian and his nights hopelessly alone. He was looking out his window at the starry sky when he noticed some movement in the distance, the vegetation more agitated in a specific spot not too far from the house. They were closer to Gotham than ever now, having spent weeks moving from safe house to safe house across the globe while Talia led Ra’s on a hopeless search after them – and made sure Jason was not a danger.
He squinted at the movement while clutching the windowsill, the throbbing in his head making him feel like he might be seeing things.
“Breathe… just breathe…” – He repeated to himself, one hand moving up and pressing against his forehead. – “MMnnhnmm…”
His eyes noticed the shaking in the vegetation was moving, coming closer to the house and he felt a chill run down his spine. He walked away from the window slowly.
Talia locked his door every night to make sure Damian wouldn’t sneak inside, Jason could thrash violently in his sleep. He didn’t mind it, he’d been fearful of himself too when the initial schock after coming out of the pit had washed off and he’d realised what had happened to him. He’d been terrified of what the pit could do to him, having felt stronger but also more on edge since. It had come to nothing of course, with each passing day Jason felt more like himself than he had in years though he could barely remember the time.
He unlocked the door and moved down the meandering hallways of the old house like a barn cat, at ease but watchful and in control of his environment. He opened the door to her room to find Talia was in bed facing the door, her eyes wide open and Damian asleep in her arms, shielded by her body. Jason kept his eyes on her knowing there was a man in the room with them, on the other side of the bed. Talia moved slowly and revealed a dagger, squinting at Jason. She threw it at him and Jason caught the dagger by the blade, immediately launching it at the figure hiding in the shadows. They’d started moving, rushing towards them with a sword but Jason launched the blade with force and precision, hitting them on the shoulder joint and making them drop their sword. The sound woke Damian who cried out, setting off the beginning of their escape.
Jason wasn’t sure what was guiding him at first, instinct, fear, or the years of training and being Robin. One moment he’d grabbed the blade and returned it on the intruder, the next he’d jumped over Talia and Damian and was imobilising the man on the ground, constricting his airways while Talia armed herself.
They rushed to leave the house on a jet while the few men and women loyal to Talia fought to defend them. She’d carried Damian with her at first but he’d proven too wriggly and uncooperative – he was terrified of the chaos of assassins swarming their house. She passed Damian to Jason while they ran down to the cellar of the house. He grabbed Damian tightly and found himself being followed by Kaido. Talia opened their passage to the tunnels underneath the estate and guided them through the torch lit neverending twisting earthy smelling corridors.
Jason followed, struggling to hear anything other than his own breathing. Damian was shrieking and crying and behind him Kaido fought off men. Guns were being fired upstairs but all he could hear was his own desperate breathing and the stench of humid dirt. He could barely stand it.
“Talia, how much longer?” – He asked feeling desperate, clutching Damian so tight his clothes were twisting on his body and he’d lost a shoe.
Talia looked back and saw the panic in Jason’s eyes, the color drained from his face, his eyes a wild green like hers. She looked past him for a second, hearing Kaido grunt. He struggled to fight three men off but one escaped him, rushing towards Jason. She shoved him behind her and took out a short sword and a dagger, fighting with both as though she were dancing. She sliced and dodged and kicked the assassin away from herself, defending the two boys with all she had. The man tried to avoid her, they were not here for her it seemed and the realisation terrified her, she wondered how similar she and Jason must’ve looked at that moment.
He attempted to dodge her and she thrusted herself at the man, slicing at his throat at the cost of getting a dagger jammed into her lower abdomen. It tore at her and she screamed in pain, snapping Jason out of his stupor. He’d fallen to the ground during the struggle, now hopping to his feet and jumping over Talia. He fought a second man who snuck past Kaido, using his legs to deliver powerful kicks while holding Damian against his side. Kaido joined Jason and executed the man for him.
“Listen boy! Take her! Take them!” – Kaido screamed holding Jason by the collar of his shirt and pointing at Talia.
“But- you…” – Jason mumbled.
“We’re here to defend you! Go to your destination, follow Talia’s commands – you owe her your life, do you understand?!”
Jason’s eyes darkened and he knew what he had to do, the smell of dirt no longer reminding him of waking up underground, but rather grounding him to the smell of the gardens where he’d played with Damian – where he’d come back to life.
“I understand.”
Bruce rushed down the corridors of Gotham City Hospital with a tightness in his chest and stomach that made him feel weak. Bruce hated feeling weak. He’d been on a board meeting when Alfred had rung him with news.
“The jet crashed 9 miles away from the Manor Sir, closer to the city than to the property as it came from the east. Doctor Leslie’s message was cryptic, she said Bruce Wayne had better come to the hospital immediately and to seek her and her alone upon arrival.”
Bruce had listened to it from the car, having rushed in blind. He’d reached out to Dick on his way there and Alfred had called Tim’s school and asked for a confirmation that he was there and well. It seemed everyone was accounted for, the mystery of Leslies’ summon still hanging over him.
He’d been pointed to a far away corner of the hospital, rushing down corridors that grew more quiet and empty the further he travelled. The sterile smell made him nauseous and even more nervous. He turned a corner, following the room numbers and heard a child’s cry following by shouting. With every step he could hear more of the confusion of cries and a voice stuck somewhere between boyhood and manhood, deep and hoarse until it would break and sound pained and childish. They were coming from the room he’d been pointed to. He hesitated in front of the door, the smell of formaldehyde and dynamite flooding his senses as his hand hovered over the doorknob, his mind twisting the voice he heard, making it swing between familiar and foreign.
“...- I need to know!” – The boy demanded while shushing the crying child.
Bruce didn’t hear Leslie’s running towards him, nor her calling him out, he heard his own breathing and his heart ticking like a bomb and he opened the door.
Bruce looked inside to find a ghost turn his neck back at him, a small child on his lap that couldn’t be older than two years old. Jason’s face was covered in blood, a nurse attempting to clean him and stitch a wound on his forehead while he’d been screaming about needing to know something. He froze with wide eyes staring back at Bruce, the child quieting as well analysing Bruce with wide eager eyes.
The boy looked like Jason and yet he didn’t. His blue eyes now had a hint of green to them, his hair featured a white streak and his body… he was bigger now, his frame fuller than he’d been when he’d carried him out of the rubble.
“Bruce?” – Jason asked dropping one of his hands that had been wrapped around Damian trying to steady him.
“J- Jay? Jason?” – Bruce said with such pain in his voice it brought tears to his eyes immediately, clouding his vision.
Jason attempted to stand up, getting so dizzy he started falling back, Damian grabbed his bloody shirt with his small fingers. Bruce rushed inside and both he and the nurse helped steady Jason down to the chair again. His face was pale and his eyes welling up.
“Mister Wayne!” – Leslie said finally having caught up to him.
Bruce knelt by Jason and cupped his cheek, his eyes examining him.
“Jason, is that really you?” – He asked reaching both hands at his face.
“Sir, we need to stitch his wound…” – The nurse said behind him.
“Yeah… yeah it’s me…” – Jason said beginning to cry.
Jason looked down at Damian who was staring back at Bruce with curiosity despite hiding against his chest and then at Leslie.
“Leslie, where is she?! Is she alive?!” – He asked and Bruce heard it, that same voice he’d heard from the hallways.
“She is in surgery, Jason… now please, this is- please let us take care of you, you are injured as well, my boy… Bruce I am sorry I tried to reach you before you could find them I-”
Damian reached his hand on a cast towards Bruce, the little bit of finger he had poking out from it reaching for his face and touching his beard.
“Dada…” – He said looking back up at Jason.
Bruce finally looked away from Jason and stared at Damian for a moment, his eyes darting between the two in confusion.
“Not me… he… uhm…” – Jason began speaking but struggled to find the words, blinking long and hard.
“Bruce, Jason crashed a jet carrying Talia Al Ghul and her son Damian while trying to reach Wayne Manor.” – Leslie said not sure if Jason was ready to be the bearer of news.
“Talia is here?” – Bruce asked with a hand steady on Jason’s knee and eyes focused on Damian.
“She arrived in critical condition but is in good hands… Jason, why don’t you pass Damian to Bruce?” – Leslie nudged Jason.
He looked down at Damian with hesitation, his hands shaky. He looked at Bruce and Bruce nodded at him, stretching his arms so he could take him. Jason took a deep breath and passed Damian onto Bruce, his arms slumping on his lap. A sob escaped his mouth as Bruce leaned in and hugged him while holding Damian at his side. He eveloped an arm around Jason and cried into his neck, Jason’s own arms trapped between them, unable to hold Bruce back.
“It’s me Bruce…” – He said with shaky voice. – “Sorry I took so long…”
“I missed you son… you have no idea how much…” – Bruce said thankful he’d gone on his knees, he would’ve collapsed were he standing. – “Jason, this is Talia’s son?”
“That’s… that’s your son, Bruce…” – Jason said as Bruce pulled away, his eyes darting back and forth between Jason’s and Damian’s. – “That’s Damian Wayne.”
Jason’s shaky hands clutched a box of apple juice close to his mouth, the straw never leaving his mouth as he drank the juice in small sips and chewed it. The nurse was kind and stitched a cut on his brow with delicate hands while smiling at him despite his gaze being hard to read, blank and focused on Bruce and Damian. Bruce sat across from him, Damian’s blabbing about the events that had led them there not enough to draw Bruce’s eyes from Jason.
“Quite a story the little one is telling!” – The nurse said finally wiping the stitches clean. – “You better keep an eye on whatever he’s watching, might be a bit too advanced for his age…”
“He likes to sneak in when I play videogames…” – Jason said with the straw still stuck in his mouth.
“Oh of course, what little brother wouldn’t!” – She said giggling. – “You’re all done sweetie… do you feel a little better now with the juice?”
She caressed his idle hand, inspecting some welling and Jason nodded softly, frowning at the headache he couldn’t shake.
“Yeah… can I get something for the headache?”
“I can get you some paracetamol for now, I think Leslie wants to observe you to make sure you didn’t get a concussion before we give you anything stronger…”
“That’s fine, just anything, please…” – He said closing his eyes and leaning his head back.
“I’ll get you an ice pack as well for your wrist, doesn’t seem broken but it is swelling a bit…”
“Thank you…” – Jason said with a kind smile as the nurse left the room.
She closed the door behind her and Jason looked down at Bruce across from him.
“Sorry.” – He said quietly.
“Why are you sorry?”
“This… must be a lot to take in…” – He said taking the straw away from his mouth.
“Jason… how? I… saw you… I carried you out of there I-” – Bruce choked up and looked down.
He looked at Damian who had settled next to him on a stretcher, both legs hanging over Bruce’s thigh. He was dozing off.
“I don’t know, Talia doesn’t either…” – Jason sighed. – “I woke up underground… I dug my way out…”
Jason looked away from Bruce, the expression on his face so heartbroken he couldn’t bare see it.
“Then… why- why Talia? How?”
“I wasn’t… I was confused… I was alive but I couldn’t remember things… it was weird… I was there but I also wasn’t… for a long time, I don’t know how long… felt like forever… she found me at some point, she was still pregnant then…”
“And she took you with her?”
“You’ll have to ask her about it… like I said it’s a bit of a blur… she… yeah she took me in and she tried to help but nothing seemed to work…”
“What did it?” – Bruce asked looking at Damian, the passage of time suddenly feeling so palpable he couldn’t believe it had been so long since Jason had died.
“The pit…” – Jason whispered.
Bruce swallowed hard, bringing his hands to his face and pressing them against his eyes, dragging them over his skin.
“I did everything I could, Bruce.” – Damian said widening his eyes. – “She was stabbed and we were being followed… I did everything I could to get them to you… it’s what she wanted… we ran out of fuel and crashed but Talia was hurt bad… I wasn’t sure she’d make it…”
“Talia’s a fighter.”
“She sacrificed herself to protect us… she… she only used the pit because she went against her father… we were running away from him… I’m sorry I… I did everything I knew to save her, to save them…” – Jason began crying again, bringing a hand to his eyes to wipe the tears away.
Bruce stood up slowly, placing Damian’s legs down gently and rushed to Jason, hugging him against his body. Jason’s tears made Bruce’s shirt wet and he dropped to his knees.
“Look at me.” – He ordered. – “You did it, you did get them to safety. Damian doesn’t have a single scratch on his body and Talia will be alright, do you hear me?”
Jason nodded, leaning forwards anyways, making himself smaller. – ”Bruce… can we go home? When… when Talia’s safe… can we go home?”
“Yes, Jason… it’s time for you to come home.” – Bruce said running his fingers through Jason’s curls with shaky hands.
Bruce opened the door slowly, the hospital room was dark and he wasn’t sure if anyone would be awake. He scanned the room as saw Jason and Damian asleep on a couch together. Jason was on his back, his foot hanging off the couch and Damian was his blanket, curled up against his chest and stomach, Jason’s hands wrapped tightly around him. He looked over at Talia and saw her watching him with a soft smile on her face.
“You’re awake…” – He whispered closing the door and walking up to her. – “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here when you came out of surgery…”
“I thought you would’ve taken them with you…”
Bruce sat down as close to her as he could, his hands hesitating to touch her even though he really wanted to. He settled for brushing a strand of hair from her face, pushing it behind her ear. His hand lingered by her face, caressing her cheek and neck with the back of his fingers.
“Jason wouldn’t leave your side… I doubt he’s even gone to the toilet since the crash.” – He chuckled and Talia smiled.
“Don’t make me laugh, Bruce…” – She complained grimacing.
“Are you alright?”
“I’ll be fine, I’ve been through worse…” – She said tilting her head to meet his caress.
“Talia… why… why didn’t you tell me?” – Bruce said with a deep breath, looking over at Damian.
“We didn’t exactly end things on friendly terms, Bruce… It wasn’t long after I realised there was something different but I wouldn’t debase myself like that… use a surprise pregnancy to win over your affections…” – She shook her head and frowned. – “Damian is your son too, but he is mine first Bruce… I chose to keep him and I would’ve done it again… he is my son…”
“And Jason?”
“I kept an eye on you Bruce, I always have… that eye caught something else in the shadows of Gotham… a boy in a catatonic state who couldn’t speak, could barely move… He was all reflex and instinct… something still alive in him somehow… I couldn’t bring him to you like that Bruce… I needed to be sure it was him, and I was desperate to help him…”
Bruce nodded, looking over at Jason and Damian, his hand finding Talia’s and holding it captive in his.
“Jason said you were running from Ra’s.”
“Yes, I defied him and used the pit as a last desperate attempt to bring Jason back…”
“What happens now, Talia? What’s the plan?” – He asked with his eyes still stuck on Jason, the way he blew air bubbles from his lips making them look pouty like they did when he’d first met him, his cheeks flushed and arms twitching around Damian.
“Today we recover, we’ve all gone through a lot to get here. Tomorrow, I kill my father and take over the League.”
Bruce looked back at Talia and widened his eyes, a smirk on his lips.
“Tomorrow?”
Talia smiled in return. – “Figuratively, my beloved, figuratively."