Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

We have come to expect several things from stories involving heroes. The hero always lives. The hero overcomes insurmountable odds. The hero always saves the day. This is not one of those stories. In fact, this is not a happy story at all. There will be no triumphant victory, and most of the characters won't live to see its conclusion. You see, this is the story of Jason Todd. You may be familiar with his tale – the second Robin, murdered, resurrected, hell bent on revenge against the man he once saw as a father. Let's just say that this time, things didn't exactly go according to Jason's plan. It all started when a certain group of villains triggered an alien invasion that they'd hoped to control. That didn't really work out for them. It didn't really work out for Jason either, because their plans resulted in Batman leaving Earth and never returning. He couldn't exactly carry out his revenge when the man of honour was probably dead in some far off galaxy. Or so he'd thought.

It was nearing the end of summer 2016 when Jason first heard the rumours of Batman's triumphant return. With an alien invasion in full swing, he honestly thought it was just someone with ill intent spreading false hope. Despite his misgivings, he decided to take a trip to Gotham City. He had business to deal with there anyway, it wasn't as though he made the trip purely to see if Bruce was indeed alive.

It was in Gotham City where he came across a man in an all too familiar Bat suit. This man took one look at the red helmeted, gun wielding Jason and proceeded to attack first and ask questions later.

"Who are you?" a gruff voice asked – one that was definitely not Batman's. A fair impression, but not nearly good enough to fool a former protégé of the real thing.

Regardless, Jason couldn't help but feel there was something eerily familiar about that voice. Something that wasn't Batman. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on. So he did something that he would undoubtedly regret later, he took off his helmet and tossed it to the side and stared down the faux-Batman through the lenses of his domino mask.

"J-Jason?" whispered a small voice that sounded so strange coming from behind the cowl, but it was a voice Jason knew.

"So it is you Dickhead," he replied.

"I," Dick seemed to choke on his own voice for a moment; he coughed before continuing, "I don't understand."

"Well you don't need to," Jason turned to leave, he'd solved the mystery of the resurrected Batman, he didn't need or want to be in this city a moment longer than necessary, but a strong hand around his wrist stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait," Dick croaked as he pulled down the cowl.

Jason turned again to face him, but before he had a chance to even protest, he was pulled into an almighty bear hug by his older brother. Memories stirred at the back of Jason's mind of the many times this had happened before, and he couldn't lie, these hugs were something he had sorely missed. Dick balled his hands into Jason's jacket as though he was holding on for dear life, and Jason let him. It was without any conscious thought that Jason lifted his own arms and wrapped them around his brother – in a world on the verge of complete annihilation, there didn't seem to be much point in fighting Dick's older brother mode, in fact, it was a welcome relief. After all these years, Dick still managed to stop the world from falling apart with something as simple as a hug, even if it was only for a moment.

Jason was drawn out of his thoughts as he realised Dick was crying, and not the calm collected version, it was the body being wracked by uncontrolled sobs kind of crying.

"Y-you….you d-ied," Dick spluttered out between sobs, "how…are you h-here? We buried you."

Dick's last words came out as barely a whisper, and Jason decided enough was enough and pushed his older brother away. It was time to deliver some home truths.

"And then you replaced me," he managed to say in a calm voice that dripped with all the venom he felt.

"It wasn't like that!" Dick somehow bellowed despite being a sobbing mess, "We mourned you."

"For all of six months." Jason huffed.

"It wasn't like that," he muttered again, but without his former gusto.

"You know, you keep saying that, but I'm really not seeing any evidence to the contrary. You're just not willing to admit that the old man picked up the next black haired, blue eyed orphan he came across, gave him the name Robin and–"

"Tim came to us," Dick's words cut in and halted Jason's rant.

"What?"

"Bruce didn't find him, he came to us. Knew who we were. Knew that you… He convinced Bruce he needed a Robin. He wasn't even an orphan," Dick looked away, almost like he was ashamed, "until recently."

Now that, that was something Jason hadn't been expecting. Well, actually, he hadn't been expecting any of this meeting. But the new information about the replacement was an interesting development to say the least.

"I see," there were probably a thousand or so ways that Jason could have responded, but somehow those two simple words were what decided to fall out of his mouth.

For several minutes there was nothing but silence between the two suddenly reunited brothers, both afraid of what would be said next and what it would mean. It was Dick who broke the silence in the end.

"I missed you." he said simply and Jason stared at him like he was the strangest creature he ever did see, "Come home."

And yeah, no, if Dick could stop sending curve balls his way, Jason might be able to hold on to his sanity long enough to get off the roof top they were on.

"I can't do that."

"Why not?" and if the expression on Dick's face did not resemble a kicked puppy Jason would eat his helmet.

"For one thing I have a life!"

"How? Haven't you noticed that the planet has been invaded?!"

Jason had to admit that Dick had a point, not that he would say that out loud. Truth be told, Jason didn't have much of a life. After being resurrected by a Lazarus pit and finding out all that had happened since his demise (thanks Talia) he'd had grand plans of revenge and retribution. Those didn't exactly pan out.

After the fact, he travelled to the distant corners of the world to train with experts in various martial arts. The thing was though, that when an alien race was intent on conquering the whole Earth, not even the most desolate settlement was safe. That's the real reason Jason had ended up back in America. Back in Gotham. Maybe he was subconsciously looking for something. Maybe he'd found it. Jason suddenly realised he hadn't spoken in quite some time, and Dick was staring at him.

"I'll think about it," he mumbled as he threw down a smoke bomb and ran off into the night – not his finest moment, but he hadn't been in the right mind set for all of... whatever that was.

And Jason did think. He thought long and hard about what possible reason he could have for declining Dick's offer. He couldn't return to the Shadows – Talia had met a miserable fate, and Jason had done nothing to win Ra's' favour. He couldn't kick off his own gig, it would be downright impossible with the world the way it was. He could go back to travelling the world as a lone wolf, but he knew deep down that wasn't the life he wanted. He hid out for three days in Gotham, but figured that was ample time to leave Dick stewing on the knowledge that he was alive. He'd made his decision. He was returning home.

Chapter Text

Jason's return to the superhero community was interesting in and of itself. This 'home' he returned to was so drastically different to what he remembered, not to mention that the team and the League were surprisingly doing quite well for themselves in the midst of an alien invasion. They may have been suffering from the loss of various team mates, both those who left for Rimbor, and others whom Jason chose not to ask about, but Earth's heroes had stuck together and they were fighting back. They had taken to calling themselves the rebellion, rather than the team and the Justice League, perhaps to paint a picture of a united front.

Reactions to Jason's sudden and unexpected return were varied. The question of whether he could be a clone was tossed around, and hey, the argument was well founded. But before too many heroes could give him the stink eye, Jason simply volunteered to undergo any necessary tests to find out the truth. And although he'd never admit it, the thought had crossed his mind when he'd come back – the 'pit madness shaping his thoughts' excuse was just a little too suspicious.

To varying degrees of collective relief and surprise, the tests proved that Jason was 100% Jason, and not some cheap copy. With their minds at ease, those who had known Jason before his untimely demise welcomed him back with open arms. To his frustration, the newer crowd, including the replacement, stared at him in awe as though he was a bright ray of hope in their darkest days. He didn't really have the heart to tell them he was anything but.

Jason had to wonder if word of the Red Hood's exploits simply hadn't reached this far, but he figured the more likely scenario was that the older heroes knew and were electing to ignore his penchant for guns and a more permanent solution for the criminals of the world. The Reach included. Not even once did he hear a word of complaint, and if that didn't tell you the state of the world, nothing would.

For Jason, the most confounding part of everything that happened upon his return, was the large amount of animosity being sent Dick's way. He couldn't understand why, but that was before he witnessed one of Dick and Wally's explosive arguments. He caught the tail end of it; the tail being Wally punching Dick in the face then walking away.

"What the hell was that about?" Jason's question startled Dick, who had been rubbing his cheek and watching Wally's retreating form.

"Nothing important," Dick claimed as he tried to brush past Jason, but the latter was having none of it, and quickly grabbed his older brother's arm.

"Yeah I'm not buying that. Spill."

"There's nothing to spill, okay?" Dick snapped as pulled his arm back, "We've just had some… disagreements."

"Right. Because I'm supposed to believe that you and carrot top, who have been best friends since you laid eyes on each other, have reached the point where you'd rather finish an argument with your fists than by talking it out? Over a couple of 'disagreements'?"

"Yes?"

"No. You don't get to keep things from me. Either you tell me what happened, or I'll ask around until I find out."

Jason really didn't want to dish out an ultimatum, but it worked, so he really couldn't complain. That was how he found out about the disaster of a plan that was Kaldur's infiltration of the Light. It was also how he found out that Wally and Artemis had actually quit the hero business not long after his death. And then Dick apparently just had to ask her to come back. And if Jason hadn't already thrown his arms in the air in disbelief at his brother's stupidity, he surely would have when Dick told him that Jason was now the only other person apart from Wally who knew that Kaldur hadn't actually betrayed them. It was for Artemis's sake, because after a whole lot of everything going to crap that ended with both Kaldur, M'gann, and a many others on all sides dead, the love of Wally's life had gone MIA. They kept the ruse of Kaldur's betrayal going in the unlikelihood that her cover was still intact, but the more realistic thesis was that she had been discovered and killed.

Truth be told, Jason hadn't dared to ask where all the missing Team and League members were – he wasn't sure if the answers were ones he wanted to hear. But somehow he ended up with three of those unwanted answers, and he honestly couldn't say if he was better off with or without them. At least he could understand why the two best friends were at odds, and why that particular damage could never be undone. It also gave some sort of explanation to why Dick was no longer the world's favourite person. Too many lives had been lost under his watch, but Jason knew his brother well enough to see how it ate at him. Dick doubted his capability as a leader especially standing in Bruce's impossible to fill shoes, and who could blame him?

Jason wasn't sure when it happened, but at some point he'd started caring for the kid. His replacement. The one he'd sworn to hate for all time. Maybe it was when he realised the kid was actually a fanboy, not just of Dick, but also of Jason when he was Robin. Or maybe it was when Tim had referred to him as his brother – now that had thrown Jason for a loop. Regardless of the exact point in time when he'd started to care, the important moment was when Jason realised he did. That happened almost a year after he'd joined the rebellion, on the night Tim almost died, the night Jason was willing to risk everything to save him.

If he were asked to define that night, Jason would undoubtedly refer to it as a tragedy. Jason, Tim, and several other League and Team members were on a high stakes, supposedly low risk mission. If they had succeeded, the odds in their ongoing battle against the Reach would have turned in their favour, however things turned dire quickly. Superboy had been stationed outside, and ended up in a fist fight with a Reach operative, which sent him flying through the building they were in and somehow managed to make it cave in. It was only a small, two story block, but Roy (the clone), Cheshire, Rocket and Garfield never stood a chance on the ground floor. And while Jason, Tim and Zatanna technically had a fighting chance, they weren't all the much better off. Jason was actually the luckiest, though at the time he definitely didn't see it that way. When Conner had come flying through, he slammed straight into Jason and flung the two of them out the other side of the building before it all came tumbling down. Tim and Zatanna had to deal with the combination of the floor falling out from beneath their feet, and the ceiling caving in on top of them. Zatanna, to her credit, tried desperately to save everyone, but time was not on her side. Her efforts nearly saved Tim, but she lost her life in the attempt.

Outside, Jason had screamed in anguish as he watched the building fall. Conner beside him just stared in horror before he spoke a sentence that sent a chill down Jason's spine.

"I-I can only hear one heartbeat," Conner's voice wavered in what Jason could only assume was grief.

Like a frenzied animal, Jason sprinted towards the wreckage, and vaguely heard Conner yelling at him about the Reach – probably telling him not to be reckless while their enemies were still nearby. All Jason could think about was Tim. The small boy who thought of him as a brother, and worshipped him as a hero, when Jason felt undeserving of either title. In desperation he attempted to tear through steel and concrete while trying to estimate where Tim could possibly be amongst all the debris. If Conner hadn't been there, it could have taken hours to find him, and by then it would have been far too late. Fortunately the clone ran straight past Jason, lifted up a slab of concrete like it was a pebble, and revealed a bruised, but breathing Tim. However, all Jason could see was the shard of glass stuck in Tim's abdomen and the blood that was oozing out over his already red costume.

"We have to get him out of here," Jason rasped.

Conner's response was to lift another slab of concrete and throw it at a Reach soldier Jason hadn't even realised was there.

"MOVE!" Conner yelled and Jason was all too happy to oblige as he gingerly scooped Tim into his arms.

Jason didn't stop to think about how lucky they were that the bioship was nearby, or that they were only a 10 minute flight from the nearest safe house where Tim could get medical help. All he could think as he laid Tim down in the bioship, and tried to stop the wound from bleeding, was that he couldn't lose his little brother.

After the deaths of Roy, Cheshire, Garfield, Rocket and Zatanna, all the heroes suddenly caught the paranoia of the Bats. Jason would've found that amusing if it wasn't so sad. Everyone always seemed to be on edge, waiting for the next tragedy to strike. Dick rarely let Tim out of his sight and tried to do the same to Jason, but that hadn't worked in the past and Jason wasn't going to let it work now.

While Tim was recovering, Jason tried to subtly get to know his 'little brother' better – emphasis on tried. He could tell Dick knew from the dopey look he got on his face whenever he saw Jason talking with Tim. At the end of the day, Jason was glad he had finally accepted that Tim was family, and he became proud to call Tim his brother. The kid was ridiculously smart; a detective on par with Bruce, and his fighting wasn't too shabby at all. As time wore on, Jason realised he had somehow managed to become as close to Tim as he was with Dick, even possibly closer. Whenever there was a mission, the pair stuck together and were a formidable force that worked like a well-oiled machine. Jason had Tim's back and Tim had his. But like all good things that had ever happened in Jason's life, it didn't last.

The downfall of Earth's heroes started with the death of Wally West who went down fighting in a blaze of glory. Jason hadn't been there, but what he could gather from a grief struck Dick was that they had finally discovered what had happened to Artemis. It was unexpectedly Ra's Al Ghul who was to blame. Wally and Dick had been infiltrating one of his known headquarters and found a lot more than they'd bargained for. For starters, the place had not been abandoned as they had originally thought, it was actually Ra's's main headquarters.

When the ancient man discovered the intruding heroes, he had been quick to show them her corpse, or well, her bones. They were still in her Tigress costume, but her head was missing. Wally must have seen Red and attacked Ra's head on, but the assassin gave as good as he got. While the battle was brutal and drawn out, neither could be said to have come out on top. They took their last breaths in a pool of mixed blood. It was all Dick could do to escape to tell the tale.

With the death of their leader, the League of Assassins quickly split into factions. They had been a powerhouse against the Reach, stopping them from gaining complete control of the globe simply due to their size and ability to coordinate attacks. Within days, it was clear that the door had been opened for the Reach to attain world domination.

When Batman returned and delivered the sombre news to his comrades, the fear could almost be felt as it began to bubble through their ranks. The collective hope of the rebellion was beginning to flicker, like a candle on a stormy night – it was now simply a matter of time.

Chapter Text

Jason's feet tried to fall out from under him as he all but pushed Tim up a slope that was thick with mud. The younger man looked as though each breath he drew physically pained him.

Shock.

That's what Jason guessed it was, and it really didn't surprise him. He couldn't quite grasp the fact that everything – everyone – was gone. The rebellion was over. Dick Grayson, the eternal ray of sunshine, was dead.

The final day of the rebellion began with a shudder that was felt through every level of the underground fortress as the first bombs were dropped – the Reach had found them. If the vibrations hadn't woken Jason, then the shouts of panic out in the hallways surely would have. He was up and out in a matter of minutes, rushing to be of help, but what he found was a command centre in chaos. Despite being four floors below ground, one of the impacts overhead had caused part of the ceiling and wall to cave in. Lying unmoving beneath the rubble was Billy Batson – a powerhouse knocked out of the fight before it had even begun.

When Jason entered the room, Dinah was closing Billy's eyes and declaring him gone. The heroes barely had a second to mourn this new loss before an alarm began blaring, declaring that the Reach had begun climbing into the lower levels. Batman – Dick – stepped up into that role he'd somehow fallen into, and took charge of the situation. He chose retreat. Maybe it was because of the loss of Billy, or some other reason Jason would never find out, Dick chose to not make a stand and fight back. Wonder Girl, Bumblebee, Red Tornado, and Batgirl were sent to hold the Reach off while everyone else made their escape. It was a picture perfect line of defence, but somehow Jason knew it wasn't going to be enough. He went to follow after them, except Dick grabbed his arm and held him back.

"I need you here Jay," his brother whispered, "If anything happens… I need you to promise me you'll look after Tim. Keep him safe."

"I promise," Jason responded after a momentary pause.

"Thank you," and with those words, Dick walked briskly back to his post by the young man in question.

Tim was helping to coordinate their defence, while Dick began to organise the retreat of everyone else. A tunnel built long ago would lead them to an abandoned hut on the other side of the Reach's fleet. Superboy led the way, while Green Arrow and Black Canary were in charge of ushering out everyone who had sought refuge with the heroes of Earth in the last few years.

"That's everyone, Batman we're good to go," the words had barely left Green Arrow's mouth when the walls begun to rumble again.

Jason watched on in horror as their exit was blocked by another cave in; Black Canary and Green Arrow diving backwards on the opposite side. He turned back to his brothers who shared similar expressions of shock. Dick suddenly grabbed Tim's arm and pulled him towards the broken down elevator.

"We'll have to climb out," he said as he pulled the old rusted doors open and directed Tim inside.

As Jason approached the elevator, Dick turned back to face him with a dangerously sombre look on his face.

"I'm glad we got a second chance," Dick whispered as he lashed out and all but threw Jason in with Tim before slamming the door down.

"Dick!" the pair cried out in unison as they tried to pry the door open to no avail – the sort of fault expected of disused and ancient technology.

"I love you both," they heard Dick call from the other side, "I'm sorry".

Jason just stared at the metal wall blocking him from one of the few people left alive that he would die for. Beside him, Tim continued to scream, shout, and bang his fists on the door.

Another violent rumble knocked Jason out of his stupor as the metal walls surrounding them shook viciously. It was fortunate that they were on the last floor, so they weren't about to hear a snap before plummeting to their deaths. Jason boosted Tim up through the panel in the roof before dragging himself up. Surprisingly, the ladder leading to the surface was by far the least decrepit object in the shaft – including the elevator itself. Their ascent was easy enough, they made it to the highest level, but the door they had hoped to use was unmovable. Whether that was because of the Reach's current attack or some other reason, Jason did not know. It forced them to take a more creative route to the outside, but one familiar to both Robins: a ventilation shaft. While crawling through the maze in the walls and roof, several areas that would have made for a quick exit were blocked for various reasons but mostly from cave ins. Jason was certain he had finally gotten them on a route out when the shaft they were in began to groan and strain. He turned to face Tim right before the section they had just crawled through buckled and collapsed. Jason threw an arm in front of his eyes to shield them, but he should not have feared for himself.

At Tim's cry of pain and distress, his eyes flew open. His younger brother was attempting to grip his leg in the confined space, which had a large gash on it that was already bleeding profusely.

"We need to get out of here," Jason growled in fear as he gripped Tim's upper arm, urging him to keep moving.

Tim simply nodded, his face pale, and the two continued on until they reached what Jason had hoped would have been an exit from the metal death trap in the walls of the compound - it wasn't. Through the debris at the end of the shaft they could see freedom, but chunks of metal and timber barred them from the outside.

"Damn it," Jason grunted in frustration.

"What do we do?" Tim whispered weakly.

In the mere minutes since the cave in, his pace had slowed tremendously, and he was leaving a steady trail of blood behind. Jason's growing anxiety was fuelled by this fact. As fast as his brain could muster, he thought through their options. They could go back, but there was a strong chance they'd land themselves in something even worse. They couldn't stay where they were either. They couldn't do anything! If it wasn't for Tim, Jason would have given up and gone down in a blazing glory of bullets, but he had to get him out of there. It was Dick's final... He had to!

Jason gave a shout of frustration that melted into more of a squeal of shear panic as the debris that had blocked their exit began to shake and move out of the way. A disgruntled Superboy appeared before them looking as though he had just come from fighting a one man battle against the Reach. Quickly, Jason pulled himself and Tim out into the open air and surveyed the war zone they had entered. There were no enemies in their immediate vicinity, but no full walls were left standing of the building that once stood proudly above their headquarters. Their home.

"You have to get out of here," Conner all but demanded once the pair were steady on their feet.

"No, we need to rendezvous with the others," Tim shot back instantly.

"It's too late for that," Conner said in dismay as he gestured with his head to indicate that Tim and Jason should turn around.

Jason had thought it strange that there had been no Reach nearby, now he saw why – they'd found the others. Far off in the distance, the Reach were undertaking a ruthless attack, right where the evacuation tunnel would have lead. All they could see from their distance was the multitude of explosions that were undoubtedly slaughtering their comrades.

"You have to run while you still can," Conner suddenly said, and then he was gone, jumping back into the fray.

To be perfectly honest, Jason wasn't sure what to do. He was frozen in place, torn between logic and heroics. That was until Tim strode past him on his left, as much as the young man could with the wound on his leg. With tremendous speed, Jason latched onto his little brother's arm to hold him back. Jason may at times be a self-sacrificing fool, but he'd made a promise. Tim was getting out of this place alive.

"Jason we have to help," Tim protested as the elder began dragging him further away from the fight.

"It's like Conner said," Jason replied without even looking at Tim, "It's too late."

Tim continued to shout and yell profanities, all the while trying to slip out of Jason's grip, but his supporting hold was too strong. Jason simply tuned out the chaos around him. Tim's complaints, the explosions and shouting from the battle. He only had one mission – to keep Tim safe. He knew in that moment that he would die before he failed Dick.

A greater explosion than any he had seen or heard that day rattled Jason's concentration. It was bright and tinged with purple, an ever growing purple light. Struck by its devastating size, Jason threw himself and Tim behind a crumbling wall, and prayed it was enough. The sound hit him first, as he tried to shield Tim even further. A deafening crackle filled with thunder.

He thought of Conner and those who had tried to escape.

He thought of Dick and the others below, and whether his older brother and Barbara had died in each other's arms.

He thought of a crowbar, a warehouse, and a countdown.

"Jason," a weak voice creaked.

Tim.

He looked down at his brother's pale face. The explosion had ceased, and in its wake was an eerie silence. Slowly Jason rose to his feet, helping Tim up with him. Across the desolated landscape Jason saw no one. Where the battle had raged, he only saw Reach. It was over. Without a word he began to guide Tim towards a muddy ascent that would mark their escape; the forest beyond somehow untouched by the fighting…

Jason knew then, without a doubt, that they would never truly know what had happened to everyone else. Were they captured? Killed? Did any of them, against all odds, escape as they had? Those were questions Jason didn't need nor particularly want answered. He had a more pressing question: what were he and Tim going to do next?

Chapter Text

Ironically, it began to rain as Jason and Tim trudged away from their desecrated home – a thought Jason surprisingly did not entertain for long. He didn't believe he was allowed the luxury of letting his mind wander; pondering pointless things. He was supporting Tim as they walked to who knows where – both physically and metaphorically. Tim's leg injury needed to be treated sooner rather than later, but after that, Jason did not know what they would do. What they could do. Where they could go. They were likely the very last of the super hero community on Earth, who in their right mind would willingly take them in? By the time they reached a place where they could get help, the Reach would surely have proclaimed their triumph across the globe. It pained Jason greatly to not let his fear show on his face when he realised they had well and truly lost. Nowhere would ever be safe for them again. There was nothing they could do. Nothing but run. Flee for their lives to somewhere far, far away, where no one would recognise them.

"We have to go back," Tim announced one day, about month after their defeat.

If Jason was to hazard a guess, he'd say they were in South Dakota, with the plan being to cross over into Canada through Montana. Not that states and borders particularly mattered in a world controlled by the Reach. In terms of fitness, Jason was more than fine trekking across America, which he guessed was a result of the pit water that lingered in his blood. However, it was slow going with Tim's leg, which Jason knew needed rest more than what they were doing, but they had little choice. It was a miracle at all that they'd been able to find supplies to patch him up. Every time Jason watched Tim limp along, the stone that had settled in the pit of his stomach would sink lower, and a small, nagging voice in the back of his head would whisper 'you're not going to make it'.

"Not an option," Jason replied after a brief pause, expecting to leave it at that, because what was Tim thinking?

"No, here me out Jason," in one sudden movement, Tim clung to Jason's sleeve, and tried to use the determination in his eyes to change the latter's mind, "if there's anyone else left, they're going to be back at the old headquarters. What if they were captured? What if they're waiting on us to rescue them?"

Jason stared right back into Tim's sunken eyes.

"Nobody is left," he grit out as he shrugged out of Tim's grip. Jason started to walk faster, and quickly outpaced his injured brother; as an afterthought he said of his shoulder, "We're not heroes anymore Tim. Those are an extinct breed."

Tim halted in his already slow pace, looking at the ground and allowing his now long hair to hide his face. As Jason looked closer, he saw the tell-tale signs of someone trying their hardest not to cry. Jason berated himself for not noticing it earlier – Tim was in denial. He turned back and quickly bundled the younger man into his arms. The dams broke and Tim began to cry. A month was a long time to not deal with his grief. Jason sunk the pair of them to the ground, whispering half-hearted reassurances, as tears continued to slide down Tim's face.

It took a while, but eventually Tim's breathing evened out into that of sleep and Jason lay him down to rest. They'd walked so far, but that was nothing compared to what was to come.

They travelled up through Canada, over to Alaska, and somehow ended up on a boat on their way to Russia. It had been a half-baked plan a best, built on the idea of 'who would look for a pair of American superheroes there', (and also a friend who Jason knew lived somewhere in Eastern Russia), but as Jason sat on an old rickety boat that had cost them an arm and a leg from some old man with one eye, every cell in his body was on edge. Anxiety was all but consuming him in his disbelief that they were going to make it. He was willing to swear up and down that some greater power was keeping them safe. Alive… It turned out that greater power cared only for Jason.

Ten days into their escapades in North East Russia, everything that had happened through the past three months hit Tim like a truck. His old leg injury, traipsing through cold, northern countries when the months were turning to winter, a thoughtless trip across the sea in a boat barely seaworthy; Jason could only feel selfish. Maybe they should have turned back when Tim had asked.

Jason tried desperately for five more days to reach any sign of help, be it his friend or someone else – he refused to give up on Tim. He had made a promise to his idiot brother who thought he could be Batman and Tim was not allowed to die while Jason still lived and breathed.

A storm began to brew as the sun sunk on the horizon, so the pair took shelter in a small cave hollowed into the side of a mountain. It wasn't much, but it cut out the wind. Jason lay awake, considering where they were going to go, trying to estimate where they were, and knowing deep down inside that they were hopelessly lost and in desperate need of a miracle. He thought Tim had drifted to sleep long ago, but was startled when a croaky voice spoke up.

"Jay…" Tim began with a gasping breath, "I think this is it."

It took Jason a moment to realise what Tim meant, and a moment more to slip on the mask of the overbearing older brother. Something he probably modelled after Dick

"Hey, no, you're going be ok. You're going to pull through this," he bristled in what he hoped was a decent impression of the real deal.

"I don't think I am Jay and… and that's ok," Tim replied despite the difficulty he had to simply breathe, wheezing every time.

"No. it's not! You listen to me you idiot, you can't give up."

"I'm sorry Jason."

"Don't. Just… Don't"

"Listen to me Jay... I need you to… I need you to know that… I'm glad you came back to us. I'm glad I got the chance to meet you and fight beside you... You were my idol you know that? Even when you… were gone I looked up to you… And what I'm trying to say is you're my brother Jay… and I love you. Never forget that… And never forget that this isn't your fault... It's no one's… fault…" with another wheezy breath, and a half-hearted attempt at a reassuring smile, Tim let his eyes close to try and sleep.

"I'm your damn big brother and I'll think it's my fault if I want to think it's my fault," Jason mumbled to himself incoherently as he curled up next to Tim and tried to share some of his body warmth. He brushed some of the hair off his little brother's face and watched as his chest rose and fell harshly with each haggard breath, "please don't give up. I know it's selfish for me to ask it of you, but please don't leave me alone… Hang on just a little longer. I'm sure we'll find help… I love you too baby bird."

Jason continued to mutter senseless reassurances, which were probably more for him than Tim until they both drifted to sleep. At some point in the night, Tim passed away.

Jason was numb when he woke to Tim's still and silent form. He didn't want it to be true. He stumbled to his feet staring at the body as his emotions threatened to crash through the walls he tried so desperately to surround himself with. He all but threw himself out of the hideout to try and escape the reality. A scream clawed its way up his throat as he fell to his knees outside and he embraced it. It was a harsh, inhuman sound that escaped his lips filled with sorrow and anguish. With his fists, he pounded the snow covered ground in front of him as tears flowed freely from his eyes. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. And there was no one to blame but Mother Nature herself. No one for Jason to put a bullet through.

Rather than attempting to dig into the frozen dirt, Jason left Tim's body in the cave and covered it with large stones. The entrance to the cave was small and easily filled with anything Jason could find. He only wished there was some way he could mark the burial site of his brother. His little brother. Who didn't get the chance to grow old; who didn't get the chance to achieve the great things his mind would have lead him to.

Jason had to wonder what the point of it all was. The Rebellion. His escape with Tim. Their reckless quest to reach another continent. Why did he come back just for everyone else to die? Why him over all the other heroes that had died since? For what possible purpose did he get to live? The questions burned Jason inside; festered in his chest until it felt empty and raw.

Probably unwisely, Jason shot a single bullet into the side of the mountain. It was a small token, invisible to anyone who might pass by, but it made Jason feel better to know something marked Tim's grave, regardless of his belief that he would never return to its location. When he walked away from Tim's grave, he didn't even contemplate where he would go next. Against the gnawing grief, he went where his feet dragged him. He expected only to find death, but he would not meet that embrace again for many years to come.

Chapter Text

Russia, 2021-2022

The world was a wasteland. There were days where Jason felt like the last man left alive on the planet. Step by step, week by week, the hills, the valleys, and the snow-covered mountains all blurred to nothing as he travelled to nowhere. Jason was unaware of himself for months, wandering a wilderness that was foreign to him, surviving on instinct alone. He awoke to himself the day he saw a Reach infested town. From the writing on the signs around, he knew he was still in Russia, and the town undoubtedly had been a large one in its prime. Jason dared not get too close, but from what he could see it was barely habitable. For several minutes he sat frozen, his mind almost encouraging him to run in and attempt a suicide mission, until a hand touched his shoulder. Internally he jumped out of his skin, but externally he simply turned slowly. It was an old man with a kind face who beckoned for Jason to follow.

Tucked away in the side of a hill stood an old wooden hut that look as though it had been abandoned many years before. Inside the old man gave Jason warm soup and blankets, and spoke to him harshly in what Jason believed to be Russian, but the accent was too thick and Jason was too out of practice in the language. They sat in each other's company until night, and slept comfortably in the old shack. In the morning the old man watched with a smile as Jason continued on his way, being sure to give the Reach infested town a wide berth. He travelled west, and only hoped he didn't become even more lost - both in himself and the harsh Russian landscape.

Around the Black Sea, 2022-2024

By his best calculation, Jason believed that he had spent a good part of a year wandering Russia, putting every survival skill he'd learnt on the streets of Gotham and from Batman to the ultimate test. A short while after he passed over what was once the border into the Ukraine, he by chance found a map of Europe buried beneath the rubble of what had been a convenience store. It took a fair amount of time, and a little bit of guessing, but he was able to figure out where exactly in the world he had ended up. After nearly a whole year spent wandering aimlessly with almost no sense of direction thanks to the forever grey skies, Jason didn't want to be without a map ever again.

Continuing on his way west, Jason began to trek around the Black Sea, thinking about possibly heading down into Turkey. When he was about half way through Bulgaria, he ran into a group travelling the same way, a family of five. They'd come all the way from Finland, and were simply seeking warmer weather. To Jason's surprise, they didn't seem too phased by the possibility of being found by the Reach; their priority was to stay together no matter where that may be. In Turkey Jason went his separate way; the group continuing east, and he heading south away from the Black Sea, thinking that maybe his travels would eventually lead him to Africa. He spent a long time camping in the Middle East travelling from place to place. Perhaps he was hoping he'd meet other people like the family, but he didn't see another soul for years.

Egypt, 2024-2025

Once Jason grew tired of camping in Middle Eastern countries, the idea of seeing the Nile River drew him over into Egypt. Used to eternally walking and living off the land, he found the trip enjoyable, and well worth it once he reached his destination. The scenery took his breath away to say the least, but the lack of people did not. Ruins dotted his path – from ancient to those built within the last two decades. Not once did he meet another human being the good year he spent in Egypt. He returned the way he had come, and in the back of his mind he wondered why he'd bothered walking into the desert. Perhaps he thought he'd find another group to travel with, but he knew the chances of finding anyone at all were growing slimmer by the day. Jason had no doubt that the Reach were completely taking over the globe.

Greece, 2025-2028

Jason's next bright idea was to head to the beaches of Greece. While they weren't exactly as he had imagined them, what with no sunlight peeking through the grey clouds, they were still surprisingly warm, and the shores were as beautiful as ever. He ended up setting himself up in a quaint, deserted town that was just like a post card; the local beach all to himself. Day after day, listening to the waves of the ocean, Jason found some semblance of peace – more than he'd felt in a very long time. Perhaps that's why he managed to spend over 3 years there without a care in the world. Not one other person came to the town in those years, and at times Jason thought he'd stay there until he died.

However, it wasn't to last.

On a peaceful day just like the one before, and the one before that, for some unfounded reason the Reach attacked the town. Jason couldn't fathom what possibly could have tipped them off, because he would swear up and down he was the only one there and he hadn't even used any technology. He would ponder later whether the rest of the world was completely controlled by the Reach now that they were able to spare resources to track down little old him. He survived the blasts relatively unharmed, just a few scrapes and bruises, but he knew he couldn't stay. He was packed up and on his way within an hour of the dust settling, wishing beyond anything for just one more day in his lonely paradise.

France, 2028-2030

Jason arrived in the French countryside in 2028. He'd passed through Paris on the way and was stunned by the brutal scene. The city was dead. Not even the Reach cared to keep an eye on it anymore. The Eiffel Tower looked as though a giant had come along, picked it up, snapped it in half, and stabbed the top half into the river. It looked like something out of a cartoon.*

For weeks Jason roamed across France in his 'eternal quest for purpose' as he'd taken to calling it – a joke at first, but also his harsh reality. He found something quite unexpected. Hidden away in a dense forest, there was a community. A city of tents in and around the trees that somehow was thriving. The sight left Jason dumb struck at first – the idea that there was a place left untouched by the aliens had never occurred to him. Jason lived amongst them for nearly 2 years.

The best thing about those years was the Woman. Her eyes were crystal pools of water that spoke of calmness; her hair was a roaring fire. Their love was as doomed as it was strong. A thing of beauty when Jason thought all beautiful things dead. But if life had tried to teach him anything, it was that all good things must come to a terrible end.

The worst thing about those years was how welcoming the people were. Jason had never put much thought into how easily he had assimilated in the community. From the moment he arrived he was trusted. Every poor soul who stumbled in the village, despite being few and far between, were offered the same kindness – even the depraved man that destroyed it all. Jason never knew where he came from, what his life was like before, but that wouldn't change what he did. The man was not satisfied with the simple life. He tried to stir up the people into leaving their sanctuary and attacking the Reach. Jason was certain he had a few screws loose, but he didn't see the threat the man could be until it was all too late. No less than an hour from when his preposterous proposal was refused, the tents were ablaze, and the forest not far behind.

Jason grabbed the woman he'd come to love and tried to run. There was a lake all too far from the camp.

Jason made it in time.

The Woman did not.

China, 2031

A year passed, and then another, which saw Jason vaguely retrace his steps back through Russia. Every day when he woke, he swore to himself that he would not let the weight of grief set in and affect his life. He'd lost too much, seen too much, and had far too little left. Somewhat spontaneously, his feet lead him downwards into Asia, simply wondering if anything different might be there. There were no groups travelling, big or small; no individuals like himself endlessly walking nowhere, and no other communities living in secret as far as he could tell. There was however, a very flimsily guarded Reach camp in northern China. Knowing he might live to regret it, Jason snuck into the compound, looking for information or maybe some poor souls to save. However, there was no important information and only hopeless faces that barely even acknowledge his odd presence. It was almost like the higher Reach authorities had forgotten the place, and life had stopped for the people there. The worst part was that it didn't tear Jason up inside. After all the deserted cities and towns he'd seen over the last several years, a lifeless Reach camp wasn't that much different. Jason left the camp behind without so much as a second thought or glance, heading back north into Russia.

Eastern Russia, 2031-2032

The one thing in all the world that made Jason open the floodgates, and allow himself to sob out all the tears he'd accumulated for years, was the day he by chance rediscovered Tim's tomb. It happened much the same as the first time he'd discovered the cave – the sun was setting and he'd been looking for a good camp spot. When he approached the blocked-up cave he froze – it couldn't be. But as his eyes tracked to the side he saw the small hole his bullet had made, marking the grave. In a trance, he approached the mountain side and traced the edges of the hole. He allowed himself to sink to his knees and let out everything he'd tried to stuff down inside in a loud, howling cry. Jason cried and cried through his sorrow until he was completely without energy. He slept that night curled up outside his brother's tomb, and dreamt of a happier world, one where his family was still alive protecting Gotham from itself every night. One where Bruce had been there to welcome him home. One where Dick was his overbearing and protective brotherly self. One where Tim grew up to accomplish grand feats with his genius mind. One where he had a place to call home.

Canada, 2032-2033

It was less than a year later that Jason tried to settle down in an old, abandoned cottage by a lake in Canada. After a few months, he honestly thought he could spend the rest of his days there in relative happiness. But before long, strange things started happening. Noises that didn't seem to belong to humans or animals rang in the evenings, and during the day a sense of being watched would often over take Jason. His relative peace and happiness quickly evaporated and he moved on south.

North America, 2033

Jason was approaching the ripe old age of 34 when he crossed the border back into America. 12 years he'd spent wandering the Earth, only to come back 'home'. Regardless, his plan was to merely pass through. He tracked a course straight south, wanting to head down into South America to see if there was anything worth living for there.

He never even made it to Mexico.

The Reach picked him up in a quaint farm house in Texas. Jason blames the fact he'd finally found a comfortable bed in the world for why he managed to sleep through the Reach agents sneaking up on him. How they even knew he was there he couldn't guess. The only positive was that they didn't seem to realise he was one of Earth's long lost heroes.

For sixteen long, gruelling years, Jason worked tirelessly in the Reach's camps, wondering when his last day would come. That was until he reached his fifth and final camp, where he found something completely unexpected.

Chapter Text

Sixteen Years.

Jason wasn't sure how, but he'd managed to survive sixteen years in the Reach camps. They were years filled with hard, sometimes pointless labour, multiple transfers between ambiguous locations, and witnessing far too much death. They were also sixteen lonely years, where Jason refused to let anyone in.

He was over 50 years old when he was moved for what would be the last time; an age he truly never thought he would reach. With his long worn, stone cold face, Jason scanned the many other slaves of his new 'home'. Dull, blank stares met his own, until he looked at her face. The only face that still looked bright beneath the grey skies. Through shear exhaustion, Jason's outward appearance did not react, but he could not deny that his heart skipped a beat. Standing amongst a small group of people, some sporting familiar red hair, stood an old woman with a tired, but kind smile. Jason had not seen her since before his death, and he didn't even know if she was aware of his resurrection, but it was undoubtedly Iris West who stood before him.

Alongside the grey and red haired woman were three adults, and one young boy who couldn't be more than 8 years old. From the inhibitor collars around their necks, Jason could easily tell which two were the twins he'd heard of, but never met. Apparently super speed was genetic, who would have guessed? Apparently the Reach had. A small flare of anger welled up inside Jason when he noticed there was also a collar on the boy, but he didn't let it take hold. Instead, he simply walked off and went about his business, ignoring the niggling feeling in his gut that told him to go talk with them. A flicker that was clinging to his long forgotten life as a vigilante. But he couldn't, wouldn't get attached to another living being again. He'd promised himself as much.

And he lasted almost a whole month. He followed his usual patterns for dealing with arriving at a new camp. Presented a frightening and cold exterior to ward off anyone and everyone, the good and the bad. But despite his best efforts, he unexpectedly found himself interacting with the youngest member of the one family he'd desperately tried to avoid.

Bart Allen was a surprisingly energetic boy for someone who had only ever known the Reach Apocalypse. Jason thought the kid's family were undoubtedly to thank for that. He saw it as he watched from afar – even the smallest of interactions showed how much the family cared and looked after each other.

On a surprisingly quiet evening, Jason sat by himself in the slum-like living quarters of the camp, and quietly pondered nothing, all the while glaring at the air around him. It's what he often did on days like that, but for some reason it did not ward off Bart from approaching the grouchy stranger.

"You seem awfully lonely mister," spoke the kid's quiet yet oddly upbeat voice, however he was betrayed by his wide scared eyes and shaking hands. They painted a picture of a kid who had been dared to do something that inexplicably scared them, although there was no one who could have dared him, besides himself.

Jason simply scowled at the kid who was waiting for some kind of response, hoping it would make him scurry along and never bother him again. It didn't work.

"It's just, I see you sitting by yourself all the time," the kid mumbled while fiddling with the hem of his jacket, "and I don't know how you do that. I know I wouldn't handle it well if I didn't have my family with me here."

The more the kid talked, the more neutral Jason's face turned, and if anyone nearby had known him at all, they would've understood it meant that the kid was surprising him. He honestly didn't know what was driving the kid to attempt a conversation with him despite all the walls he very visibly built up around himself.

"Anyway my name's Bart, what's yours?"

"Well Bart," Jason began as his blank expression slowly morphed into a dangerous smirk, "many years ago, people used to call me the Red Hood"

"Oooh were you like some kind of superhero?" the kid asked with an expression of awe, and for a moment Jason honestly contemplated smashing his head into a brick wall to avoid this conversation that was veering all over the place, "My grandpa was a superhero! He could run really, really fast. Mum reckons I might be able to too, but the Reach put this collar on me as soon as I could walk just in case. You don't have a collar do you mister Red Hood?"

"Uh… no," Jason blinked several times trying to absorb all the information the kid had fired at him.

"Oh, ok… The Reach knew who my grandpa was," his voice turned solemn, far too solemn for a child of his age, "So that's why we have the collars. Me, my dad, and my Aunt Dawn you see. We're the only blood relations of the Flash…"

Jason tried desperately to think of something appropriate to say, but came up blank. Luckily the kid was like a spring and bounced right back into his cheery demeanour.

"So were you? A superhero I mean."

"Well, that is, technically, you could say... I was, sort of," Jason awkwardly muttered.

"I knew it! That is so cool. Did you know my grandpa? The Flash? Did you know all the other cool superheroes? Wait until dad hears about this!"

Before Jason could stop him, Bart was running off back to his family with a small grin on his face. Jason sighed, but picked himself up and slowly followed after the kid. It was an interesting introduction, or part re-introduction to the Allen/West-Allen family, full of Bart blabbering excitably about his new hero 'friend', Jason attempting to smile but more likely grimacing, and the rest of the family watching him with mild astonishment. Iris however looked upon him with a kind but knowing smile. He didn't ask, and she didn't say, but some kind of understanding passed between them. After several probing questions, Jason begrudgingly told them parts of his history, skipping everything from before his death, and really only skimming over his role in the rebellion. Before Jason had a chance to run off back to his solitary lifestyle, they were welcoming him into their fold. Unintentionally, he had once more become part of an unconventional family.

From then on, Jason spent a fair amount of his spare time with Bart. He'd tell the kid stories of his heroic activities, about the bats – his family. He told him tales of his misadventures with his brothers, even slipping in several from his time as Robin, but never revealing too much. He skimmed over the worst parts of his story, only vaguely alluding to his countless tragedies and losses, as much for his sake as Bart's. The wounds caused by his brother's deaths would never truly heal, no matter how many years went by.

It was those wounds that caused him to doubt whether he should be letting anyone else in, as much as Bart continued to slip through his walls like they weren't even there. He watched out for the kid and his family, and in a way, they watched out for him too. As much as Jason worried that he was only going to end up losing this family like he'd lost the one before, they made him feel like he could care about another living being again, despite the world literally falling apart around them daily. And he need not have worried so much, because while every member of Bart's family would one by one pass on before the young boy was even thirteen, Jason would be the first to go.

It happened around the middle of the day, when all the people from the camp were working on completing their set tasks. Jason had been trying to manoeuver an over loaded trailer when he lost control of it. Unfortunately, it nearly ran over some important Reach official who was none too happy about it. Jason mouthed off at him, letting his temper get the best of him as per usual, and was electrocuted by a guard for his troubles. Usually that wouldn't have been a problem, but for some reason that day, his heart decided it couldn't take it anymore. As the Reach walked off, Jason stayed where he was, crumpled in the dust, clutching his chest.

Bart, having seen the whole altercation, quickly ran over to try and help, but there was nothing he could have done. Jason always knew that his was not a happy story, but as he looked into Bart's face, knowing that the kid was going to watch him die, he forced himself to smile. It wasn't much, but one last time, he wanted to make someone feel like everything was going to be ok, even when it almost certainly wasn't. This time, he was more than content to take his final breath smiling.

Jason never found answers to the questions he asked himself after Tim died. Why did he come back to life just to watch everyone else die? What was so special about Jason Todd that he got a second chance ahead of every other man, woman, and child that gave their lives in battle? He didn't realise the answer was right in front of him. Who else could inspire a child who would go on to lose everything? To inspire them to hope when the world would tear him down. If Jason had never come back to life, where would Bart Allen be now? Would he have ever made it out of the Reach's camp? To a time machine that would let him fix everything? Without the man who called himself Red Hood, Bart Allen never would have saved the world. This was not a happy story, because this was the story of Jason Todd. Bart Allen's story, well, that's another matter.

Epilogue

There was a war raging in Bart's mind.

He could not reconcile the images of the ruthless, gun-toting villain on the screen before him, with the man who had looked out for him when he was a young child. And this man was supposed to be a Bat? Assuming they were one and the same person of course.

Bart was beginning to wonder whether his stopping of the Reach Apocalypse had caused this dramatic, and quite possibly disastrous shift in the path of this one man. Deep inside, he was beginning to blame himself for the terror the Red Hood was causing around the world. 'The Light's newest partner' – it just didn't make sense with what he knew of the man.

And the secrets weren't helping. Bart was so very tired of them, and had been since long before Wally had come back. Yet they were still there, contributing to his racing, confused thoughts. Wally seemed to think the best course of action was to keep quiet about what they knew, but Bart wasn't sure. Just because he might not be the same man. Just because he wouldn't share the memories Bart had from his timeline. The information they were withholding could turn the tide in their mission to defeat The Light. But for at least a little while, Bart was willing to trust Wally's judgement on the matter, because Bart believed that one day soon he would surely come face to face with this man who was calling himself the Red Hood. And when that time arrived, he would be able to confirm for himself whether this was the man who had told him countless stories of the Earth's mighty heroes. But more importantly, it would give him a chance to write his wrong. He would be able to see if he could save this man from the damage he'd done to the timeline. He'd put him back on the path of a hero. But until that day, he could only hope that his actions had not created just another doomed timeline.

THE END