Sins of the Father [Jason]

[wayne]

Players: Jason Todd and Bruce Wayne
Location(s): Crime Alley
Plot Summary: Upon visiting the scene of his parents' murder, Bruce makes yet another solemn vow, this time to honor his parents' life instead of their death. After doing so, however, he is greeted by the lost son and former Robin, Jason Todd...

Today marked the end of one phase of Bruce wayne's life and the beginning of a new one.

Wearing a long black trench coat, he stood over the very spot in Park Row - infamously now known as Crime Alley - in which his world was forever altered. He kneeled down toward the grimy brick covered ground, gently placing a bouqet of red roses on the spot where his parents were gunned down before his very eyes. Years ago, even as recent as last year, the time honored tradition of marking his parents' death would have filled his soul with the familar sense of directed anger and controlled rage over crime and injustice. But today? Today was different.

All these years, he had been using the annivesary of his parents' death to embolden his crusade, his never ending war on crime. But recent events had changed him fundamentally. The thirst for vengeance and the desire for justice were hard to tell apart, but Bruce knew one thing for certain: he was tired of mourning his parents' death.

He loved them both with all of his heart, but upon waking up today, he decided that this cycle of reknewed anger and darkness was no longer indicative of the man he now was. Instead, Bruce wanted to remember his parents by how they lived, not by how they died. As such, tonight was the final night he would visit the scene of their untimely deaths and mark the night of their death. From now, Bruce resolved to honor his parents by the annivesary of their marriage, remembering their eternal love for one another. Even as he stood to his feet, a familiar and ages old weight seemed to lift from him.

It was still there, but carrying it no longer seemed as heavy. He didn't smile, but he felt an unfamiliar, though not unwelcome, sense of inner peace. That inner peace, as sudden as it appeared, vanished as the perceptive man knew he was no longer alone. He had known for some time he was being followed, but did not act on that knowledge until he had discovered the identity of his follower. Having deduced that, he spoke in a quiet tone in which he knew he would be heard.

"Jason," Bruce acknowledged. He had heard all about the series of events which had taken place during his absence, none of it good. He merely prayed that this confrontation of theirs wouldn't turn antagonistic unlike their previous ones.

[Red Hood]

What would he say to him? How would he react? What exactly would or could he do upon the moment of coming face to face with Bruce? It was questions like these that floated around in that red hood of Jason's. He hadn't seen Bruce since, well...since trying to kill him. Who could really blame the guy though? He had some anger issues and just had to work himself through them was all. In the end he proved unable to kill his father figure and once the man "died" Jason even tried honoring him by taking upon the Bat mantle - yes, before Dick ever thought about doing so. But so much had happened since then, so much between the Batman's offspring.

Jason went around dressed as a newage Batman killing indiscriminately, he had driven a batarang through Tim Drake's chest (though the kid really deserved it), and even tried killing Dick and Damian a few times or so when they became the new dynamic duo. That was all in the past though. Jason wasn't trying to kill any of those guys any more. He and Dick had practically buried the hatchet. All that was in the past, though there wouldn't be any kind of happy family reunion any time soon that stuff was mostly behind them. But things were still unresolved between a certain former Batman and a certain former Robin.

The moment he started following the playboy billionaire Jason immediately knew two things. 1, Bruce was going to visit the scene of his late parents' death. And 2, he already knew he was being followed. Red Hood was rather well versed at sneaking and the whole stealth thing but there wasn't a soul on Earth that could sneak up on Bruce Wayne. That didn't matter though; he remained in the shadows and Bruce kept on his path, both men waiting to make their reveal when the time was right. Jason was not far away as he watched Bruce stop in a lit up alley way. The man in the dark trench stooped for a moment and discarded the lovely bundle of flowers he'd be cradling the entire trip. Briefly Jason wondered what was going through the older man's mind. Briefly because it was hardly anything to dwell on, Bruce only ever had vengeance and justice on his mind.

His name was spoken. Softly. Like a preacher whispering the name of Satan in the house of the Lord.

Jason took a deep breath from behind his hood. "Hey." His voice said out to the air as the Red Hood dropped down from his hiding place. He stood behind Bruce, a little bit on his left, and just stayed there. "I wasn't sure if you were going to acknowledge me or not."

[wayne]

Upon his return, Bruce made it a point of learning virtually everything that had transpired in his absence. From local events to those of universal significance, Bruce did nothing for days outside of silently study the world and how drastically it changed. But it was the actions of Jason which had profoundly troubled him more so than even legions of the undead rising from their collective graves in an unholy cosmic apocalypse.

Jason was Bruce's biggest failure and it seemed that no matter how or when they crossed paths, that failure would sting and hurt Bruce more than before. At this point, in spite of everything the young man had done, not even Bruce could cast blame at his feet. Jason wasn't without fault - he knew right from wrong - but the severe lapses in sanity and judgment were not due to any failing on Jason's part, but rather, Bruce's own.

"It would be a disservice to ignore you," Bruce replied as he watched the former Robin (and Batman) descended from his perch from above. He couldn't say he approved with Jason's fixation on the Red Hood identity, especially considering the connection to the man responsible for killing him. Of course, he didn't approve of many of the actions Jason had taken as of late, especially the rampant murdering. "And I think I've done enough disservices to you to last us both a lifetime." He paused as he let out a sigh. "Or two in either of our cases."

Conflict arose within the former Dark Knight. Jason was clearly a danger to himself and others, and while he seemed in control of his emotions and stable psychologically at the moment, that could all change at the drop of a hat. He needed help and Bruce wasn't sure he could give it to him. Arkham would do more harm than good, to say nothing of putting him within arm's reach of various inmates whom Jason would likely slay without a moment's hesitation. Conversely, Bruce had an obligation to Gotham as a whole to see that Jason's brand of "justice" never again say the light of day, or as it happened to be, the dark of night.

For now, conflicted as he was, Bruce was content to just talk for once. "What do you want?"

[Red Hood]

Bruce spoke sooner than Jason thought he would. For as long as he'd known the man the Dark Knight had been the strong silent type. The silence was just one of the many things that really disturbed Jason about his once partner. Bruce analyzed and thought and prepped and then re-prepped before even engaging fully in conversation, but it appeared that he had practiced what he would say to Jason on the day that they would come to stand face to face. Bruce's words held feeling, close to regret and care - but they were also complete bullshit. "Don't try to pull that on me. Don't insult me, Bruce."

Jason reached for his head and pulled off the hood and zipped up his jacket. No one needed to happen by and catch Bruce Wayne having a conversation with the Red Hood, that wouldn't be good for either of them. "We both know you don't give a rat's ass about me, that's cool I've accepted it." Jason shrugged his shoulders but his face showed slight signs of feeling otherwise. "I take it by now someone's told you what happened while you were gone. Either number one, or your real son...if he is that." No doubt Dick or Damian would just love to tell Bruce about bad old Jason misbehaving in daddy's absence. Jason could feel his free hand curl into a fist, but he laxed and let his hand uncurl almost instantly.

"I just want to know what it is you think you're doing. I mean I know what you're doing, but why? You're not needed anymore. You died and the world got on just fine without you - we all did. You should retire some place. Take Alfred, find a woman, and just move on. Dick doesn't need you. Gotham doesn't need you." Jason paused for just a moment, allowing his breath to level as his blue eyes narrowed and pierced right into Bruce's own and bore right to his very core. "I don't need you." Not any more.

[wayne]

Jason's anger had generally always been misplaced and Bruce had tried his best to focus that anger into something positive. But standing before his former partner, ally, and lost son, he saw how much he had failed him. The training he had given Jason has since become perverted and the anger he had hoped to channel was instead forged into a weapon. Bruce's involvement in Jason Todd's life had only been detrimental to the child who was now a man.

Bruce visibly winced as he locked eyes with Jason, revealing his face to the older man. It was always difficult to look upon him and see the broken young man whom he had failed to save. But Jason's words, born of anger, prompted Bruce's own raw emotions to surface. The former Dark Knight took a step forward. "You know that's not true," he said, voice even and controlled, but raised nonetheless. "Jason, I loved you as a brother, as a son. If giving my life would spare you all the rage and pain you endured, I would do so. Gladly." His eyes narrowed as he forced himself to stare into Jason's own. "I know what happened and what you did. And that changes nothing. I told you then I wanted to help you, and damn it, I still do."

If he could get through to Jason, even just a little bit, he could make good on his promise to save him. "I'm not doing what I'm doing because I think anyone needs me to. I'm doing it because I want to do it." The obsession in Bruce's life had died, replaced with steely resolve and the acceptance of his own mortality and failings thereof. But in that acceptance, Bruce found a strength he never knew existed, not truly: the strength of his family and his network of friends and allies. On his own, Bruce was a formidable man - that was fact and not bravado talking - but with the others who had supported and cared about him through the years? He was unstoppable.

"You're not in a position to decide what you need, Jason," Bruce said with a sigh, knowing the statement would only further fuel his anger. Eyes darkened as a gust of wind blew past the two men. "Taking the law into your own hands with a rag-tag team looking to you for leadership definitely isn't it."