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Robin was dead.
Robin was dead.
Jason was gone.
: :: :: :: :
Plans were made and remade. The Joker did not deserve to live after what happened to Jason. He needed to be wiped from the face of the Earth, but Batman would undoubtedly intercept the attempts. So, plans were made.
: :: :: :: :
The plan required them to wait. Wait until Joker broke out again. It took a long while, but it happened. Finally, what must be done will be done, and Jason could rest in peace. Joker’s base was not hard to find with all the resources available. The plan was meticulous, nothing could go wrong.
: :: :: :: :
The Joker was dead. It didn’t go as planned, but that was ok, because Joker was finally dead.
Batman wasn’t happy, but his happiness meant little in the face of the horrors Jason must have gone through.
: :: :: :: :
It went something like this:
1. Little Tim (Robin) found Joker and laid some traps. The mark fell for them, as expected.
2. Nightwing, using his electric batons, rendered the monster unconscious, not stopping to think about the strange location.
3. Selina kept Batman busy with fake cases as she stalked into the warehouse that held her enemy.
4. Alfred stepped in, gun cocked and ready to shoot.
5. Barbara wheeled herself in, having looped all footage of nearby cameras.
6. The five stared at each other in disbelief. Company had not been expected.
7. The Joker died all the same, with each one taking their pound of flesh (metaphorically).
: :: :: :: :
They exchanged stories later. Stories that Batman was not to hear. This type of shared activity creates a bond, a strong unbreakable connection. As such, they gravitated towards each other. Tim joined the family early, at Alfred’s and Dick’s insistence. A bemused Bruce accepted the change, in addition to his first son’s return home. Barbara slowly recovered from her ordeal, spending more time with the others, feeling safer with the death of her tormentor. A certain Cat visited more often in an attempt to better parent her three new kittens. Alfred ceased his neutrality on matters where a difference could be made.
This changed nothing, but it also changes everything.
: :: :: :: :
Jason comes back. He sees the Joker dead, and heads straight back home. He does not like that another took his place, but he can live with it because he was avenged.
He leaves almost as soon as he arrives, learning that Bruce had nothing to do with the Joker’s death. The case is marked as unsolved in the Batcomputer, but Batman has suspicions. The suspicion only grows stronger as Alfred gives him a disapproving look and Dick yells at him, while Tim quietly calls Selina and Barbara.
As they leave to visit Jason and welcome him back, Bruce decides to drop it. The Joker had been a monster when he was alive, Bruce did not want him to haunt the residents of this house after his death. Batman stops searching for the killer and shifts it to the ‘Cold Cases’ folder. He moves to delete all the damning evidence he had found, including the signature knots of Robin III that tied Joker, the electric burns that could only come from special batons, the claw-like marks that looked like a cat’s, the looped footage that was definitely the work of an expert, and the powder that could only have come from a specific shotgun that Batman had not attempted to trace.
The group of surprise accomplices had not done much to cover their tracks, eased by the incompetency of the Gotham Police Force. As for Batman, they hoped he would confront them, so they could show him how they had accomplished what he could not.
They respected the Batman’s no kill rule, but they also knew that some people were irredeemable. At the top of that list was Joker, and so, they took appropriate action.
Batman hesitated, his hand over the delete key. Bruce dismissed the hesitation and resolutely pressed the button. After the first step, he moves more decisively. He ignores all of Batman’s misgivings as he removes the file from the recycle bin and scrubs it from existence. Bruce’s son was back and he would do anything to have him by his side again. He would protect his family from the Batman’s distrust.
: :: :: :: :
They never speak of it in front of Bruce (or Batman), but he knows that they tell Jason. Jason, who seems to instantly get over his apprehension of the Replacement. Jason, who is much closer to Dick and Barbara. Jason, who seeks out Alfred for any trouble instead of Bruce. Jason, who tries to get Bruce back with Selina, so she can officially be his mother.
Yes, they definitely told Jason.
: :: :: :: :
Bruce’s conclusion was right, they did admit the truth to the Jason. It had all been for him after all. Jason cries, shaken that he had so many defenders, but he doesn’t understand why. Why would they risk Batman’s wrath for him? He had not been close to Selina and Barbara, his relationship with Dick was messy, Alfred never went against Bruce, and he didn’t even know Tim.
Jason was not aware of the effect he had had on those around him and so they enlightened him.
Jason had been Tim’s hero, his Robin. Tim had seen Jason’s drive, determination and care directly. He had watched nightly, as Jason flew across Gotham helping those in need. Jason was good and Joker destroyed that. Tim decided the Joker couldn’t stay.
Selina had broken up with Bruce long before he took in Jason. Consequently, she only really saw him in galas until the new Robin flew. She had watched from afar as he brought light back into Bruce’s world and tempered the Batman. She had treasured his witty quips when they crossed paths and found herself waiting for them even after he was gone. The Joker had caused too much harm to Gotham and its residents. She had been waiting a long while to put down the monster for Harley, now she would do it for Jason too.
Barbara (He called her Barbie) had loved little Jason. He had followed her during patrol like a little duckling, before Dick had come around. He had looked at her with stars in his eyes and resolve in his face. He had wanted to learn everything, but Joker had taken that away from him. So, Barbie decided to end the violence, and if she got in her own revenge? It only helped her sleep better at night.
Dick had not been close to Jason, but he liked to think time would have made them closer. His anger at Bruce had caused him to snub the younger boy and he didn’t regret anything more. He had taken Robin train surfing and for ice cream rarely, and never at the beginning. Joker snatched away his chance to be a good brother and he could never get to know the amazing boy buried behind the manor. Joker deserved to die.
Alfred had never had the same moral line as Batman. When Master Dick had left, he maintained an air of neutrality, sure that the young man would return. He scolded his charge lightly, but let it go. His age had truly given him the illusion of wisdom and he did not speak up even as Master Bruce pushed his second son away. His neutrality, his unwillingness to defend Master Jason, led to his eventual death in Ethiopia, and Alfred could not forgive himself. He vowed to do better in the future, but for now he would get revenge.
Tim decided to kill Joker to restore his own hope, and Selina did it for Harley’s lost innocence. Barbara planned to get her own vengeance, and Dick did it to forget the regret. Alfred plotted to extinguish his guilt and end his neutrality.
They had all done it for Jason, but they had done it for themselves too.
: :: :: :: :
Batman cursed at night for not having prepared better for the Joker’s last breakout. He should have kept a better eye on Robin instead of leaving it to Alfred. He shouldn’t have become distracted by the museum break-in that Selina had no doubt orchestrated beforehand. He should have thrown out all guns in the manor when he had had the chance. He should have been less antagonistic towards Nightwing who might have decided against killing, with some persuasion. So many should haves…
Batman was angry, but Bruce? Bruce was filled with vindictive pleasure that his family did what he couldn’t.
Joker was dead.
Joker was dead, and Jason could come home.