Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jason had been missing, taken by the Joker, for seventeen hours when three men appeared in the middle of the Bat Cave. Tim had seen pictures of two of them on Jason’s phone, but he wasn’t certain who the third was.

“Who are you and what do you want here?” Bruce asked, full Batman persona in force.

“We’re Jay’s friends and we just heard that he’s missing,” the youngest answered. “We’re Sam, Dean, and Cas. We’re here to help.”

“I doubt that any of Todd’s riffraff associates would be useful here,” Damian sneered, to which the three simply glanced his way and then refocused on Bruce.

“I can search more rapidly than the rest of you,” Cas told Bruce. “His location seems to be heavily shielded, so I will need to search in-person. I have brought the brothers to you to assist with human methods while I fly through Gotham.”

With that, the third man simply vanished with the sound of wings flapping.

Dick, wanting to prevent a fight and secure whatever assistance these three could provide, quickly asked, “What does Cas mean that he’s flying through Gotham?”

A look shared between the brothers held as much non-verbal communication as any of the Bats could have managed, a fact Tim noted and stored for later contemplation. After a moment, Dean spoke. “Cas is an angel. He’s searching. I don’t really like flying, so I’ve never searched with him and I don’t
know how he does it, but he’ll be back in a minute. What can we do to help?”

Tim noted the look between Bruce and Dick and spoke to the brothers while Dick attempted to reign in Bruce. “We’ve searched everywhere we could think of. Joker took him yesterday and we haven’t been able to get any information from any of Joker’s goons we caught. It’s like they just
disappeared into thin air.”

Sam and Dean sank into chairs at the table. “Joker has him?”

“Yes,” Tim answered warily.

“Have you checked Jay’s safehouses?” Sam asked suddenly.

“No. Why would they be there?” Damian asked, a new expression crossing his face no one could interpret.

“Because that’s where you wouldn’t look for Joker,” Dean answered wearily.

“O,” Dick called into the resounding silence, “do you still have the surveillance in his safehouses?”

“Yes. Checking it now. The only one I don’t have is his new place and I don’t have any idea where that is.”

Cas reappeared. “I apologize. I see traces of spells throughout Gotham, but I was unable to locate Jason. We might need Gabriel, as he is far more powerful.”

Sam and Dean shared a look and then Sam closed his eyes for a moment before a short blonde man appeared. “What’s up, Samadoodle?”

“Jay’s missing, taken by the Joker, and Cas thinks the Joker has them hidden somewhere in Gotham and is using a spell to mask them. Can you?”

With more rustling, Gabriel disappeared.

Five agonizing minutes later, Gabriel reappeared, bloody and grim, bearing an unconscious Jason. He marched toward the infirmary, ignoring the protests of Jason’s family, and laid Jason on one of the beds.

The Bats were all stunned as Gabriel laid two fingers on Jason’s head and all Jason’s injuries vanished. Jason was, though, still unconscious.

Turning to the Bats, Gabriel spoke. “I want the kid to sleep through what I’m about to say because he’s had enough thrown on him for one lifetime and he doesn’t need more. I am Gabriel, Archangel of Justice. Joker destroyed more lives than any being should ever have been allowed to do. Human courts refused to provide justice when they declared Joker criminally insane and allowed him to continue. I have stepped in, as the Agent of Heaven whose job is to provide justice, and killed Joker. He will no longer harm anyone. He is now in Hell where he belongs. Any anger you have you will direct toward me, not to the boy who has repeatedly been the Joker’s victim. Is that understood?”

The Bats stood, stunned, before Bruce spoke. “Under whose authority did you do this?”

Gabriel, barely reigning in his temper, answered, “God’s authority.”

“And we should just believe you?” Damian sneered.

Gabriel, to the family’s amazement, softened when he laid eyes on the boy and answered him in Arabic. “Your Akhi suffered much, as did all of Gotham and those beyond who loved Joker’s victims. My father made me, millennia ago, to provide justice in His name. Think back on your grandfather’s books which told tales of winged beings who fought the League. They were my brothers. I have, for Jason’s sake, waited far too long to exact the justice which Joker deserved because Jason has feared losing his family upon the Joker’s death. This was one crime too many and against someone about whom I care deeply.”

Damian seemed stunned, as did Bruce. There was silence for a few long moments before Tim asked, “What now?”

Cas answered dryly, “There’s the matter of handling Joker’s body. Gabriel, where did you leave it?”

Gabe glanced over at his brother and said, “It’s still at Jay’s latest safehouse. Apparently he realized that Jay’s presence as the Wielder of the All-Blades gradually places certain protections on his home. I have no idea how he figured that out, since Jay doesn’t even know it happens. Jay’s apparently got most of Crime Alley shielded at this point.”

Dean snorted softly. “Kid’s always thought of the Alley as home. Makes sense.”

“At any rate, I warded the safehouse. No one can get to the body until I release the wards, so the body’s safe there. We can do the formal identification and everything once Jay’s okay.”

“You healed him,” Dick said tentatively.

Sam approached the older brother and led him to a seat. “Gabe healed Jay’s body. Jay’s going to wake up still thinking he’s with Joker and then be absolutely … well, when he finds out Joker’s dead, I don’t know exactly what he’ll do.” Sam looked to his brother.

Dean spoke next. “Hopefully he wakes up to people being happy that the Joker can’t hurt Jay and Gotham anymore and realizes that everything’s going to be okay now. Otherwise, panic, defensive anger, and fleeing Gotham, probably. Then we’d have to go find him.”

“Why would he run?” Bruce asked, at which every person in the room stared at him incredulously.

After a moment, Alfred cleared his throat. “Consider what happened when you decided to teach Master Jason not to kill people after he shot Oswald Cobblepot. You knew that Cobblepot was not dead and still beat your son for breaking your rule, which, again, he had not done. Joker’s death is far more
significant.”

Bruce stared back for a moment and drew up his defenses. “I would not”

Gabriel snapped a lollipop into Bruce’s mouth and said, “I am not in a good mood, Bruce Wayne. I have seen your son’s nightmares from what happened the night with you and Joker on the roof. I know what you are capable of doing to your son. Do not test me.”

Sam sighed. “Look. Jay desperately wants to protect the Alley and the methods Bats use just don’t work there. He also needs and wants his family on a level none of you have even considered. We’ve tried to stay out of this. Jay’s asked us to stay out of this. But if he needs a safe place to go, we’ll take him in. He’s protected us more than enough times. Joker’s been the biggest reason he hasn’t felt safe in Gotham, because being essentially forced to live in his murderer’s shadow has been a nightmare. He can’t leave the Alley because Gotham has declared Jason hers and made the Alley Jason’s responsibility. But if he needs somewhere to go while this blows over, then he’s welcome to come with us.”

“You’d just take Jay away?” Tim asked softly.

Sam studied Tim for a moment and then said, “If he’s not safe here, then yes. If he doesn’t feel safe here, then yes. My hope is that all of you will be able to see that God’s Messenger came in and killed the Joker in an act of Divine Justice and just be happy for Jay.”

Cas spoke up icily. “Arresting Gabriel would be both pointless and counterproductive, Batman. Not only is Arkham incapable of holding any angel, let alone an archangel, but Gabriel is not subject to human laws. It would also sever any possibility of a future relationship with your son.”

Bruce looked ready to yell when Gabriel spoke. “Slitting your son’s throat to save your son’s murderer told Jason exactly one thing, Wayne. He matters less to you than the Joker does. Consider your next words very carefully.”

There was shocked silence from the rest of the Bats before Oracle located and played the footage of that night. As one, the family turned to Bruce.

“Master Wayne,” Alfred said with a steel in his voice rarely heard, “you will accept what has happened. You will celebrate the death of a criminal you yourself were incapable of stopping. You will welcome your son back from this nightmare with open arms. If you do not, I will take Master Jason myself and we will not return to the Manor. It is only with great difficulty that I am not calling Superman here to arrest you for the attempted murder of YOUR CHILD.”

Dean wiped a hand over his face. “Jay didn’t want any of you to know about the batarang.”

“Why?” Tim blurted.

Gabriel spoke. “There were a lot of reasons. Shame. Guilt. Jay’s inherent self-loathing. Fear that any of you would side with Batman and he’d never have a family again.”

“He just assumed we’d side with Bruce?” Dick asked, stunned.

“It’s Jay,” Sam answered helplessly. “He got murdered at fifteen when his mom sold him out to the Joker. Catherine overdosed. Willis died in jail. We’re not even going to get into Garzonas and the whole Bruce disowning Jay thing. No parent has ever actually sided with him, except Catherine, and the drugs came before Jay there, too. Then there was the trauma of coming back to life and having to dig his way out of his coffin. Instead of therapy, Talia took a page from Bruce’s book and trained him as probably the most skilled assassin of all time. She also told him none of you wanted him and that his murderer was still roaming around killing people. There’s no possible way Jason wouldn’t be dealing with ridiculous levels of PTSD and depression and there’s no reason he’d actually believe you’d want him here. Alfred’s the only hope he was clinging to, until Damian showed up.”

“What do you mean him mom sold him out?” Dick asked, voice lowering dangerously.

“I mean that Sheila was being blackmailed by the Joker and when he, in a last ditch effort to protect her, told her he was Robin and that he and Batman could keep her safe, she decided to turn him over to the Joker as repayment. She stood there smoking and watching the whole thing and was perfectly okay with it until the end when Joker shot her and she couldn’t get out, either.” Dean’s voice was venomous.

“That … is a far different story than what we heard,” Tim said faintly.

Dean just raised an eyebrow and then glared at Bruce.

“I had no idea,” Bruce said weakly.

“No, you didn’t. You just assumed, for the second time, without evidence, that your son was responsible for the death of someone else and blamed him for his own murder,” Gabriel answered. “Why would investigating what actually happened matter when it was just your son’s death we’re
discussing?”

“Not that what Bruce has done in any of this was okay,” Dick said cautiously, “but how would he have investigated?”

“He settled Sheila’s affairs,” Cas answered. “Where did that much money come from in the account of a woman working for a non-profit in Ethiopia? And the Joker was more than happy to tell me the story in great detail when I visited him to get his statement.”

“To get his statement?” Alfred asked.

“Jay dies periodically. So far as we can tell, when he dies in Gotham, the city herself brings Jay back. Outside, it appears to be my father doing so,” Cas answered. “Jason is protected in ways which the forces of Heaven did not understand and we needed to determine whether there was any risk to Jason in those protections.”

“And then Jay yelled at Cas for half an hour and challenged him to a duel because Cas went in alone to see the Joker,” Dean snorted. “Cas could have smited Joker on the spot, but Jay wasn’t thinking about the fact that Cas is an angel and just thought about the normal risk. He just panicked like he would have if he’d heard Tim had tried that.”

“A duel?” Damian asked.

“Your brother is a remarkable swordsman and swords are the primary weapons angels use,” Cas answered with a smile. “I proved to him that I am capable of defending myself, which calmed him.”

“So, Gotham has chosen Jason for special protection and put him in charge of Crime Alley and God periodically brings Jason back to life,” Tim summarized, a bit bemused. “But he’s afraid, with all his protections, of what we could do to him?”

Sam and Dean looked at each other and Sam took a seat opposite Tim. “I’m going to tell you a story. When I was six months old, and Dean was four, a demon killed my mom. Dad put me in Dean’s arms and told him to run. Ever since then, Dean’s protected me. I’m basically his kid. We were dealing
with an apocalypse and I made a really stupid choice. I did something I thought would stop the apocalypse and it turned out to be what let Lucifer out of his cage in Hell. I was acting on faulty intel, but at the end of the day, it was my choice. Dean and I weren’t okay for a long time. Eventually, Dean
realized my side of things and we started to work on being brothers again. There have been a few moments like that, from each of us. We do something that hurts the other one. And it feels like the world might as well have ended because the only family we have left is rejecting us. Jay doesn’t
believe he’s wanted here. He thinks he’s just another expendable soldier. Right now, he’s allowed in the Manor. I don’t know whether he still has what it takes to come back from being told to go away again. So, yes, he’s afraid.”

“And he’s going to be so beyond pissed if he ever finds the video of what’s been said here,” Dean added.
“I can make sure it goes away,” Barbara promised.

“Thanks. He’s …. he made Red Hood because he needed to protect Gotham. He needed the women and children to finally be safe. He took his murderer’s name partly to get under Bruce’s skin and partly as some form of self-flagellation, I think,” Sam said. “The one part of Gotham that was truly home wasn’t safe, wasn’t going to be kept safe, and Jason literally couldn’t not help. He was living proof that even after his death Crime Alley was left undefended. I’m pretty certain that’s true, and so is Jay, but he’s also more than a little afraid that it wasn’t undefended. That maybe someone knew Jay was wandering Crime Alley before Talia found him and just decided to leave him there. At the end of the day, all it would have taken is one prayer which Cas or Gabriel overheard and Gabe would have come and reversed the brain damage without Jason having to go into the Pit. You’d never have seen either angel, but there would have been a miraculous healing. And that was before we met Jay, just because Jay is a hero in his own right and Gotham needs him. There are really bad nights when he wonders if he was just left there to die again.”

“You’re saying,” Dick said, attempting to stay calm, “that if we’d patrolled Crime Alley, we could have found Jason and he wouldn’t have had to go through any of this?”

Gabriel nodded solemnly. “That’s a large part of why he doesn’t trust any of you with the Alley. Some of it is that it’s not safe for Bats, but there’s also the fact that if you didn’t care before, if you only started caring after Jason claimed it as his, what’s to prevent you from abandoning it again?”

Sam spoke up next. “What we need to do now, though, is figure out what happens when Jay wakes up.”

“What do you mean?” Tim asked.

“He’s going to know you’re upset,” Dean answered. “He’s going to assume it’s something he did wrong. When he finds out the Joker’s dead, he’s going to assume he’s either about to be arrested or kicked out of the family. Or both. We need to figure out how to short-circuit that.”

“I can’t condone murder in my city,” Bruce answered carefully.

“This wasn’t murder,” Gabriel answered, eyes glowing gold. “This was justice, delivered by God’s Messenger, the archangel Gabriel, the Archangel of Justice. I serve my father, Bruce Wayne. God outranks you.”

“Master Bruce,” Alfred said coldly, “if you cannot see that Heaven itself has stepped in to rid us of that infernal monster, then what could you possibly say to Master Jason? Does the clown truly matter more to you than your son does?”

“No, of course not!” Bruce answered instantly.

“Then celebrate with us a degree of safety for the city you protect which has not been possible these many years,” Alfred snapped.

“What is this going to do to Jay?” Bruce asked helplessly.

“Excuse me?”

“Having the Joker dead won’t fix things. It won’t change what he’s struggling with.”

“No, it won’t,” Sam agreed. “But I can tell you, from personal experience, that knowing the people who murdered me can’t do it again has helped more than I can say.”

The Bats just stared and Sam sighed. “I’ve been murdered twice. Dean’s been murdered once. I’ve been killed while being tortured, too, but I haven’t been able to decide if I should count that as a murder. I mean, yeah, they eventually shot me intentionally, but.” Sam trailed off for a moment and then, shaking his head as if to clear it, continued. “Anyway, the lives Dean and I lead aren’t safe. The work we do is important, but it leaves us a lot of enemies. Knowing those particular enemies aren’t going to keep coming after me has been huge. I can’t imagine having to live just miles away from someone who did that to me, particularly someone who’s made it clear he wants to do it again.”

“You think he’ll feel safer with the Joker dead,” Alfred said into the silence.

“Yes,” Sam answered instantly. “But, he’s going to be really worried about the family’s reaction.”

Gabriel sighed. “If you can’t get past the fact that Heaven decided the clown needed to die, I’ll just take Jay somewhere far away until your family straightens you out, Wayne. He’s tied to Gotham in layers of magic far deeper even than you are, so I’ll eventually have to bring him back. But you’d better have worked out your issues in the meantime.”

“Why would Jay assume Bruce will blame him for this?” Tim asked. “I mean, I know the answer, but I need it spelled out.”

“Because Gabriel killed the Joker to save Jason,” Sam answered simply.

“But Gabriel and Jason are different people,” Tim pointed out.

“True. But Jay gets blamed, often, for things he didn’t do. Why wouldn’t this also be his responsibility? If he hadn’t been out patrolling, he wouldn’t have been captured, and then Gabe wouldn’t have had to step in, and the clown would still be alive, but at least he’d still be allowed here.”

“Sam,” Dick said with a sigh, “you’re saying that Jay’s going to blame himself for Gabriel’s actions whether or not Bruce does, on the assumption that Bruce will.”

“Yes.”

“How do we begin to fix this?” Tim asked.

“Therapy. Not with Black Canary, because she has to work with all of you and while Jay says she’s good at compartmentalizing, this is too much to put on a coworker. I can give you my therapist’s number. Jay likes her and she’d work with all of you. She’s the widow of a hunter who got killed by a chupacabra, so there’s not much you can tell her which would phase her. Because she’s the widow of a hunter she also understands, on a very deep level, the need to keep secrets. She doesn’t want the whole world to know monsters exist, either.”

“You have a therapist,” Alfred said approvingly.

“It took way too long, but eventually, I listened to my friends, yeah,” Sam answered with a crooked grin.

Bruce looked thoughtful and Sam turned to him. “I ended the apocalypse by letting Lucifer possess me and jumping through a magical hole and trapping Lucifer and, unfortunately, Michael in Lucifer’s Cage with me. Two angry archangels locked in a box with me for a couple centuries left more PTSD than I know how to describe. I’m walking and talking and hunting and, most days, I don’t hallucinate Lucifer anymore. A big part of that was actually working with someone who knew how to help. She couldn’t undo what Lucifer did to me, but she could help me move past it. Doesn’t the whole family deserve that same chance?”

Slowly, Bruce nodded and Sam beamed at him, dimples on full display.

“I know Jay’s done virtual sessions with her,” Dean said, “but she’s probably going to have to come here to meet with you all at the beginning.”

“Jay’s met with her?” Dick asked.

The hunters and the angels shared a look. Finally, Dean spoke. “It’s not easy being Jason. At one point, yeah, we literally forced him to meet with her. Since then, he’s been seeing her willingly.”

“How did you force Jason to do anything?” Tim asked, half impressed and half bemused.

“Archangel power preventing him from leaving,” Gabe snickered. “Eventually, after the tantrum of the century, he talked with her enough that I felt safe putting the door back.”

“You didn’t feel safe before he talked?” Alfred asked cautiously.

The friends shared another look, sobering, and Gabriel finally just said, “No.”

“Was this on your behalf or his that you felt unsafe?” Alfred probed.

“We should really figure out next steps,” Sam answered after another shared look.
__

“We’ll have to collect the Joker’s body and take it to the morgue,” Dick stated. “Then we can do the official identification and come up with a cover story.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow and asked, “Cover story?”

“Do you,” Tim began cautiously, “want us to tell Gotham as a whole that you killed the Joker? We can, but it seems like you prefer people not see what you do.”

The friends shared a look and Sam sighed. “A meta. Gabe is so beyond a meta that it’s not funny, but that’s the best word we have which doesn’t identify him as an angel. A meta came in and killed the Joker. Then he left and you located the body.”

“Do we look for the meta?” Dick asked.

“No. I’ll leave a note, next to the body, explaining that this was justice because the Joker needed to be stopped and I’ve left the area,” Gabe answered.

“Does anyone have any idea what the fallout in Gotham will be?” Tim wondered. “There are going to be parties in the streets, but after that, what happens?”

“I could add something to the note that says I’m watching the rogues and the crime bosses from a distance,” Gabe mused. “If they go as far as Joker did, I’ll come back for them. That should at least give them some reason to lay low for awhile.”

“Would you come back?” Dick asked bluntly.

“No. The reality is, some of your rogues aren’t going to change. But the Joker was a mass murderer, multiple times over. He was a brand of evil which flowed from the curses on Gotham herself. None of your other rogues are anywhere near what Joker was.”

“There have been suggestions,” Tim said into the silence, “that Joker was a curse on Gotham. They also say that the Joker can’t be killed permanently and that a new Joker rises anytime one dies.”

Gabriel snorted. “The stories are only half right. Joker was a curse. But he was also mortal. Bury him in Gotham and she’ll make sure he stays dead. There won’t be another Joker.”

“In a sense, Jason began the reclamation process when he returned to Gotham,” Cas mused. “He carries the Joker’s name but he uses his powers to heal instead of to harm. It’s Jason’s love which has always motivated him and it’s his love for the people of Gotham specifically which caused Gotham to bring him back the first time. He is her champion for the forgotten and for those who cannot defend themselves. It is a literal war, in Crime Alley, because he has not yet succeeded in rooting out all of the evil. But he is winning. When Crime Alley rises again, through the work of the Red Hood, then Joker’s curse will have been turned into a blessing.”

“Will he win?” Dick asked softly.

“Yes. Of that, I am certain,” Cas answered confidently.

“I’ve spoken with Gotham,” Gabe added nonchalantly. “She’s very pleased with Jason. She feels the evil slowly draining away and she’s grateful. For centuries she’s been wrapped in curses and Jason’s healing her.”

“Why hasn’t Jay told any of us this?” Tim asked.

“Because magic isn’t always welcomed here,” Sam answered bluntly. “Jay’s powerful. He’s very powerful. But it could also be one more reason to reject him.”

Turning to his younger brother, Gabriel said, “Cassie, can you take whichever Bats need to go and collect the Joker’s body and start that process, please? Let me know when you arrive and I’ll remove the wards. I’d like a word alone with Bruce.”

Cas took Dick and Tim and they began the process of notifying Gotham of the Joker’s death. In the meantime, Gabriel snapped both Bruce and himself into Bruce’s study.

“We need to talk, as one parent to another,” Gabriel said, settling into a chair.

“You’re a parent?” Bruce asked.

“I spent a long time in Witness Protection. You also know me as Loki,” Gabe grinned. “I have several children.”

“Loki,” Bruce said flatly.

“I ran from Heaven because I couldn’t handle the fighting. I needed a way to hide from Heaven, so I made Loki. I lived as Loki for a long time, administering justice in Loki’s name. What I can tell you is, I was at Sodom and Gomorrah. I led the slaughter of the firstborn in Egypt. I’ve been and done things for which humans don’t have words. And being a parent ranks high on my lists of both the most difficult and frustrating things I’ve ever had to do and the most rewarding and amazing things. I’m not your biggest fan, because I’ve seen the pain Jay’s lived with. I’m also here to tell you, privately, that I’ve talked through so much of this with Jason. He sees, in a way he didn’t when he was fifteen, that you’re human. You’re fallible. You say things you don’t actually mean. When you told him you weren’t his father, Jason took that as a literal statement and went in search of a parent who did want him. He
sees, now, that you were tired and frustrated and not thinking through what you were saying. It still hurts, and there are consequences you both have to live with, but he understands that you weren’t disowning him. He’s still not sure you do want him, but he understands that you didn’t mean what you
said. Jason knows and owns his part in all of your fights. He still wants his father in his life. Will you be able to give that to him?”

“I’ve always been his father,” Bruce said.

“No. Since his return, you’ve been his commanding officer. He believes what the plaque downstairs says. He doesn’t need Batman. He needs Bruce.”

“I’m not sure Bruce still exists,” Bruce admitted softly.

“Yes, he does,” Gabriel answered instantly. “Jay sees it in the number of animals you’ve let Damian adopt. He sees it in the way you praise the others after a difficult patrol. He sees it when you look at Alfred and see your father. Bruce is still here. He just needs to be let out more often.”

“I haven’t been Bruce around Jay in a long time, have I?”

Gabriel studied Bruce and then said, “There’s still time. You can fix this. See your son for the amazing man he’s become, and take pride in the part of that which you helped shape. You’ve been misguided and mission-driven long enough. You can be who he needs. Let’s go downstairs and I’ll wake him up and you can begin healing this rift.”

Bruce took a deep breath and nodded. Moments later, he was standing alone by Jason’s bed and his son was beginning to stir.

“Jaylad?”

Jason, still mostly unaware, calmed at Bruce’s hand in his hair. “Come on, Jaylad. I’ve got good news for you,” Bruce encouraged.

Jason’s eyes fluttered open and he was clearly very confused. “B?”

“You’re safe. Sam, Dean, Cas, and Gabriel came and saved the day. Gabriel found you and rescued you and he killed the Joker. You’re safe now.”

Jason instinctively began to panic and Bruce rubbed a hand down his back. “It’s okay. I’m glad he’s gone. I’m sorry I couldn’t be the one to do it, because I know that was important to you, but I’m glad he’s not going to hurt you or anyone ever again.”

Jason wasn’t sure what to feel. On the one hand, there was blinding relief. On the other, he wasn’t sure what Bruce’s behavior meant. “B?”

Bruce took a seat and studied his son. “I’m sorry, Jay. I’ve been letting the mission come before being your father for far too long and I want to start over. I want to rebuild a relationship with you. Is that something you’d like?”

Jason studied Bruce, then reached out and hugged his father.
__

Upstairs, Gabriel was having tea with Alfred. “Master Gabriel, may I ask a question?”

Gabriel studied the butler for a moment and then said, “You’re wondering about our reactions to Damian?”

Alfred could only nod.

Gabriel considered, then answered, “It is true that he is often impolite and he has not always been kind to Jason since Jason’s return. At the same time, we have heard many stories of Damian as a baby and a toddler and have come to see him as Jason does. Jason will always forgive Damian because he still sees that child who asked for stories and wanted nothing more than time with his Akhi. Damian’s presence in the League was what gave Jason strength to survive life with the League. He will grow and, with time, heal from what his mother and grandfather inflicted on him. We can handle a certain degree of rudeness when we remember what he means to Jason.”

Alfred considered. “Will Master Jason ever be able to build such relationships with his other brothers?”

Gabriel smiled. “In a sense. He has begun that with Tim already. They regularly meet for coffee and Jason cooks for Tim whenever Tim visits Jason’s safehouse. The rift with Dick is harder, but Jason wants Dick to be his big brother. I don’t think either of the two know how to make that happen, for a
variety of reasons, but it will come with time.”

“How do I rebuild my relationship with Master Jason?” Alfred finally asked.

“There’s no need to rebuild, from Jason’s perspective, because you have always been his grandfather and you have never turned him away. You’ve supported him in so many ways. He would like more time with you, time for just the two of you, but he has never believed that you actually gave up on him.”

“And Master Bruce?”

Gabriel sighed. “I have some degree of foresight, as an archangel. I do know that they have the ability to heal their relationship. It will not be easy. They are both headstrong, stubborn men deeply committed to their causes. What they cannot see is that they share the same cause. If anyone is prepared to manage two such men, though, it is you.”

Alfred set down his tea and looked at Gabriel. “Sir, I’m afraid you overestimate me.”

Dean and Sam came in and Sam spoke. “No, he doesn’t. You raised Batman. You’ve raised a flock of Robins. You’re the one everyone turns to when they need wisdom and comfort. You have the strength to stand up to them when they need to hear the truth and the love to know when cocoa will do more good than words could. Jay trusts you. So does Bruce. What they need is their grandfather and father. You can do this and we know that because you’ve been doing it for decades already.”

“It’s going to be a long process and it will be painful for everyone,” Gabriel warned. “Jason is an adult and more than capable of caring for himself. He is also the teenager who felt incredibly alone. Bruce is terrified of letting Jason in because he’s already lost Jason once. The amount of fear which translates into anger is the biggest problem. It will, with work, happen. They will heal.”

“Jay’s in therapy,” Dean added. “He’s taking his meds. He’s talking to people rather than just bottling up the feelings. But he’s a work in progress, just like the rest of us.”

“Speaking of healing, Gabe,” Sam interjected, “Jay’s asleep again. Is that because he needs the sleep that much or did you not heal that part?”

Gabriel set his tea down and considered them. “He doesn’t sleep well, but in this case, I left the exhaustion and some degree of residual weakness. I did that because Bruce can’t prove to Jason that he wants to be there and care for Jason if he’s not given the chance to. Bruce can either sit with his son or
not. I think he will make the right choice here.”

Alfred nodded his approval and Gabriel reminisced. “There were centuries at a time when my children refused to speak to me for one reason or another. Pagan deities are teenagers far longer than humans are, and a millennium with a teenager wasn’t particularly easy. They always knew, though, that I’d be there when they got over being mad at me for whatever it was. I grounded Jor, once, and let me tell you, when the World Serpent decided, in his early years, that he was mad at his dad, there were some really bad storms out on the ocean. And more than a few earthquakes. I went and fixed the
damage and, once he was calmer, we talked it through. Jason’s probably capable of causing earthquakes, but he wouldn’t have, even as a teenager. Bruce needs to ride out Jason’s anger and be there when Jason calms. He can do that. I think he will. My children still lash out sometimes. It’s the nature of parent and child relationships. I make as many mistakes as they do, too.”

Cas and Tim joined them at the table and Tim spoke. “Jay told me a story the other day. I was angry with Damian for something and he told me about the time when Damian decided to fight a lion, alone, at two years old. Jason was horrified and went in and killed the lion just as it was about to snap
Damian’s neck. Damian was furious with Jason for killing the lion, both because it was a lion and because he’d interpreted it as Jason not believing in Damian. Jason took Damian back to his rooms and made tea for them and waited while Damian threw an epic tantrum. Then, they sat down and over tea
and cookies Jason explained that Damian would, when he had grown some, be more than capable of facing lions alone. Jason knew that for certain. It was Jason’s responsibility to make sure that Damian had the chance to grow large enough to face lions and sometimes that meant protecting Damian from
dangers Damian hadn’t been taught yet were dangers. I think what he was trying to tell me was that Damian’s automatic response to being questioned is anger, but that it will get better if you talk it through. I went and talked with Damian and we figured out how to work together on that case.”

“Exactly,” Gabe beamed.

–

“How did all of you meet?” Dick asked.

Sam and Dean grinned and Sam said, “Jay had been tracking a group of Untitled and killed the last of them when he saw the flare from the flare gun we used to kill the monster in the forest nearby. He assumed it was a call for help, so he came to rescue whoever needed saving. His soul was pretty low, so he passed out when we all made it back to the hotel where Dean and I were staying. Three days later, he woke up and we’ve been friends ever since.”

“I think it’s the first time since I was a teenager that anyone assumed I was a damsel in distress,” Dean laughed. “He took one look at us, next to the burning corpse of a monster, and went into calm the panicking civilian mode. His goal was to get us away safely and then he’d go back and deal with whatever was left.”

“We explained what hunters are, which made perfect sense to him, given that he’s a vigilante who hunts supernatural monsters too, and he helped us get the victims to the hospital,” Sam continued. “He was barely moving by the end, and we almost carried him to the bed, but he was going to make
sure the civilians were taken care of first.”

“This monster had been attacking people when you killed it?” Tim clarified. “That’s where the victims come in?”

Gabriel spoke. “Wendigos hunt their prey and then they hibernate for twenty years. In order to do that, they catch humans and string them up in their caves and feed on them periodically over the years. Sam, Dean, and Jay got the humans out of the cave.”

Sam nodded. “We don’t always get there in time to save the people the wendigo caught, but we try. This time, we did.”

“And this is your job?” Dick asked. “I mean, I’d fight a wendigo if I had to, but I can’t imagine having to do that every day. How do you handle that?”

Dean huffed. “You don’t really choose to become a hunter. Hunting chooses you. After mom died, we grew up searching for the demon that killed her. It’s just who we are, now. Protecting people from monsters and making sure they never have to know what’s really in the dark is all we know. Jay prefers being a vigilante, but he’ll hunt with us once in awhile if we need him or if we’re both working in the same area. He says it’s kind of a vacation.”

Tim laughed softly and shook his head. “Only Jay.”

“If it helps, the rogues you have here are the stuff of nightmares for us,” Sam offered. “Monsters make sense. People choosing to hurt people? That’s horrifying. So, we can’t really imagine doing what you do, either.”

“I’ve been watching humans since the day I took Cassie to see the first fish which crawled out of the ocean,” Gabe said. “I’ve been Gabriel and I’ve been Loki. I’ve watched all the evil humanity is capable of. And Gotham is something else. She’s full of humans who are so driven to survive and to make life work, all while forces are working to drive people to go insane and become costumed criminals. I see why Jay loves Gotham so much. There’s a passion and a determination which you just don’t see other places. There’s nowhere else someone like Jay could have come from.”

After a moment, he continued, “I hadn’t really believed what Sam told me about Jay’s alcohol tolerance. I mean, Jay’s got to eventually be able to get drunk, right? I remember the first and last time I challenged him to a drinking contest. I was starting to get tipsy before Jay really got drunk, which
shouldn’t be possible. Angels metabolize alcohol far faster than humans do. And it was the last time challenging him because then he started sharing stories. He reminisced, fondly, about being kidnapped repeatedly by one of your rogues. He talked about taking down a ring of child traffickers when he was just a kid himself. These were the good memories. He’s immensely strong.”

“I mean, I get it,” Sam said. “My best memories of growing up were mostly when I’d help with hunts. There’s just a sense of purpose.”

“And this, Samsquatch, is why you and Jay are the only two humans to have an archangel as a guardian angel,” Gabe laughed. “You two run headlong into danger so often the cherubim assume it’s one of you two when I disappear from the Throne Room.”

Sam blushed and looked away.

“Well,” Gabriel said, turning to Alfred, “it’s been wonderful finally meeting all of you, but I do have a meeting in Heaven I’m about to be late for. If any of you need me, just pray and I’ll come.”

With that, Gabe disappeared.

Sam, Dean, and Cas shared a look and Cas said, “I really should get to the meeting, as well. Would you like me to take you back to the Bunker first?”

With that, they said their goodbyes and left.

After a moment, Tim asked, “Does anyone know where Damian is? I haven’t seen him.”

Damian appeared in the doorway and answered, “I have been sitting with Todd.”

A letter appeared on the table, addressed to Damian, and he took it back to his room. Hours later, Dick found him sitting on his bed, drawing, and asked what the letter had been about.

“It was from Gabriel. He shared with me some of the stories Todd told him of our time together in the League, ones from when I was too young to remember. It was,” and here Damian seemed to struggle for the right words. “I have been reevaluating some of my behaviors. Gabriel knew I’d want to know these stories, but it also reminded me of who Akhi and I used to be to one another.”

Dick pulled Damian into a hug. “Jay loves you and he knows you love him. He’s just been waiting for you to be ready.”

Damian nodded and handed the letter to Dick. It was filled with Jason rocking Damian to sleep, comforting him after a nightmare, teaching Damian in the kitchen, and guarding Damian. At the end, Gabriel had written one final note.

‘Your Akhi loves you. He tells us that you were the bright spot in his world when everything else was crumbling. You gave him a reason when he couldn’t find one. He knows you’ve got a lot to work through and he’s willing to wait as long as it takes. When you’re ready, he’s there.’

“You know, I’m sorry it took Jason being captured to get them here, but I’m glad we got to meet all of them,” Dick finally said. “I think it’s going to be better for all of us, now.”

With that, they found Tim and the three vigilantes went to watch a city celebrate.