When Alfred got the call from Bruce, he was over the moon. Not only was Master Jason alive and well, but, as if the universe owed Alfred a favor, he was coming home with no fight, at least for lunch. Alfred got to work right away with Master Cassandra, preparing a small meal for the whole family. He didn't have time to fully cook one, so reheated spaghetti would have to do. The others were all going through various emotions. Tim seemed ecstatic to finally talk with his predecessor, Steph looked happy that her boyfriend was, while Barbara and Cass seemed worried, although Alfred couldn't guess for sure as to why. Selina and Helena just looked shocked, and Dick...Dick was staring at the grave outside. The two may not have been as close as they wanted to be, what with Dick and Bruce going through a very rough patch, but he had loved his little brother. He did love him. Roy and his parents were all on the couch. While the two of them looked shocked, Roy looked vaguely happy, as if that had gone better than he'd thought it would. Honestly, Alfred couldn't blame him. Master Bruce could be much scarier than Batman when his sons were involved.

Soon, not even 30 minutes later, they all heard the car pull up, and ran to huddle around the window beside the door, some of them barely being able to see Master Bruce step out of the car. As did the young man from Leslie's clinic, So THAT'S who that was, only he was now dressed in what would've been a nice, black and red tuxedo, if not for the missing jacket, tie, or the fingerless gloves the young man was wearing. And what is that mop on his head? Were there no barbers wherever he'd been?

Then, as Master Bruce paused and watched him, Master Jason went to the back of the car, and opened the door before taking the hand of a woman Alfred had met when she'd been at the manor the previous day, Rose Wilson. She was dressed in a black leather jacket, jeans, boots, a royal blue t-shirt, and an eye patch Alfred didn't know she actually needed. Even from the window, Alfred and a few others also noticed the small but impressive green stone on her ring finger, or the adorable way that Master Jason fixed his posture when walking beside her towards the door.

Barbara couldn't wait, she opened the door before even Bruce could, and he had to stop her from trying to roll straight down the front steps. Jason rushed forward to help, and she latched onto him, giving him a hug so tight he looked like she'd broken something. Rose was laughing at his helplessness, as were a few others, but those who'd known Jason took it as the one and only chance they had, so they swarmed the poor boy, hugging him from all directions. Alfred, Selina, Dick, Ollie, Dinah, Barbara, Leslie, even Bruce for the second time, all while everyone else took a laugh at his expense.

"C-Can't breathe", Jason chocked out as the crowd realized they were practically suffocating the young man but still held on, as if them hugging him was what was keeping him alive. A few more good seconds, though, and they dispersed, Dick grabbing Barbara and putting her back in her chair at the top of the stairs. This let the still chuckling Rose come to her gasping fiance's aid.

"Thank...you...for the...help, love."

"Pshh. As if I could've done shit."

"You really...could have."

"Maybe. Call this payback for biting me earlier."

At this, Jason sputtered, but Rose just ushered him inside, the rest following behind them. Once they were inside and he'd regained his breath, the first thing Jason did was start shaking the hands of the newcomers, starting with Tim.

"Hey, I'm Jason...I hear you're the new Robin?"

"Yeah, I-I mean I didn-"

"You wear the colors better than I ever did, kid. Even if my colors were a bit brighter. And these two must be the infamous Spoiler and Huntress?"

"Yep, but please just call me Steph. Your name might be dumb too, but at least it's kind of cool in context."

Before Jason could comment that his stupid name was much better than hers, Huntress interrupted, "If context was all a name took to be cool, I wouldn't almost laugh everytime I said "Nightwing" out loud."

"Hey!"

"That's true."

"Hey!"

"And you...Black Bat, I presume?"

"Yes."

"...", he turned to Bruce, "She's my favorite.", much to Cass's amusement.

"Mine too."

A corus of "Hey"s erupted from around the room.

"What? She's all you guy's favorite too!"

Before anyone could be fake offended or pretend otherwise, Jason's stomach audibly growled. The cacophony then morphed from fake hurt into laughter at his expense, as Jason just looked down accusingly at his own belly, his face turning as bright red as the crimson of his outfit. After they had quieted down to a couple giggles here and there, Jason put his hand out to Rose, who walked over to him. "And I know most of you have already met Rose, my fiancee?"

Tim and Steph looked as though they'd guessed that's what the ring meant. Cass, Selina and Helena looked like they weren't upset, but they were surprised. Dick, Roy, Babs, Oliver, Dinah, Alfred and Bruce all just looked happy at the news, although, judging by Bruce's lack of a reaction, Jason had already told him.

"I'm starting to think shocking your family is why you proposed."

"Not at all, but I do love the feeling."

"Wait...when did you propose, Jay?"

"What time is it?"

"About...12 o'clock."

"Then about an hour and a half ago. Now, I was promised lunch?"

"Oh! Right, through here, you two.", Alfred said, leading the way for the whole lot to the dining room, and the enormous table there.

Soon Bruce was at the head of said table, Selina and Leslie were sat closest to him, with Dick and Barbara being next, followed by Jason and Rose, Tim and Steph, Cass and Helena, and, closest to Oliver at the end of the table, Dinah and Roy, with Alfred walking around, butlering. The table was the one they used to only use when a bunch of guests came by, and there was a visible second floor, with what was basically a balcony going all the way around. That was where Lawton was hiding. The Sentinels had many hiding spots, what with the fact that this dining room conected to every wing in the manor through several hallways and doors.

Though Jason would've started filling them in, Alfred's spaghetti was to die for and Alfred's strict rule against talking while eating was still in play, if the looks he sent Bruce when he tried to do so were anything to go by. It was good, though, to just have a meal with family, to act like what was about to happen wasn't. It was still gonna happen, but, the pretending felt good.

It was always going to happen. Even if not today or the next, Bruce was going to get it in his head that Jason needed to be taken down. Jason didn't like it, but letting Batman and all his soldiers run around in their backyard for one reason or another had ended many a criminal's career. It wouldn't end his. Not when so many people stood to gain so much. Sure, he could've started his criminal empire somewhere else, and come back later, but Gotham was perfect for every single thing he needed.

It was unfortunate the arrows were there, though. Roy seemed to have reunited and reconnected with his family, and that meant that Jason would either have to send some paladins over to Star City and keep them here, or he'd have to let them leave and leverage them to keep quiet some way. Whether Roy went with them or not.

After the two of them were finished, being the first two done, Bruce asked Jason, "So, Jason. How are you back?"

"No idea. All I know is Thalia took me in after I had clawed my way outta the dirt, and had Ra's toss me in a Lazarus Pit after she realized that however I'd come back, I was still...damaged."

"Hmm...So you spent some time with the League of Assassins. I'm gonna have to talk with Ra's about that."

"Don't bother. He'd dead."

"What?"

"Remember the whole, "steal your contingency plans, wipe out human civilization" thing a while back? After that, I killed him, and used magic to make sure he'd never get back up, Lazarus Pit or not."

"...That leads me to another thing, the killing. Now, nobody here would blame you for killing Joker, son, but...from what I've heard this goes beyond that. I just...I want to understand. Is the killing the pit, or you?"

"Me."

"...I'm listening. We all are. Explain."

"What is there to explain, Bruce?"

By this point, no one, not even Rose was eating. They were all looking back and forth, watching the confrontation.

"This isn't a joke, Jason. I trained you to fight and stop crime I di-"

"You can't fight or stop crime! That's what you never understood, Bruce. You slow it down until it kills you, or you control it like I do. You used to try and control it, using fear. Problem is, a whole hell of a lot of criminals aren't afraid of jack shit, much less a beating. So, I'm doing it my way. I control them by the only fear damn near every criminal shares: the fear of a bullet. And unlike you, I'm not just gonna let the ones who aren't afraid of me walk all over regular people, nor am I just letting the ones who like what I do and wanna help me starve on the fuckin' streets."

"You're ruling over them through intmidation and murder."

"Yes I am, most of 'em. And even if that's how I ruled over all of 'em, at least when I say I own a town, I really do own it, I don't just run around getting good people killed. On that alone, my way's better."

"Son, there has to be a line. A line we can't cross."

"I don't kill innocents, and I try my damndest to make sure they don't get killed. That's my line."

"So if they break the law, they deserve to die."

"If they knowingly break my law they do."

"And what law is that?"

Jason held up his hand and counted on his fingers:

"No hurting children, in any way, shape or form. You hurt an innocent man or woman only if you have a damned good reason to do so, that you can prove to me beyond a shadow of a doubt, and you never take it farther then necessary. You wanna hurt a man or woman guilty of breaking one of the first two rules, you come join up with us, or you let us do it, you don't do it alone. You wanna do a job in territory we control, we have oversight, we get a cut of the profits. And show respect to the good guys, like the JLA or the cops, unless they earn your disrespect."

"And who made you their judge? Who made you the king of criminals Jason?"

"Not nobody. I've made myself their damned king and judge, just like you made yourself the Dark Knight. Nobody gave you the right to do what you do, you reached out and took it, just like I am."

"I was just trying to save my city!"

"And I'm just tryin to save the whole damned world! You're not an idiot Bruce. You know, just like I do! The world as it is now, is not gonna last, even with JLA help! Ra's was right the whole time, just had the wrong solution in mind. You don't eliminate all people just eliminating the ones who can't be controlled, and controlling the rest is more than enough. And I can do that."

"I...I can't believe what I'm hearing! You sound like a supervillain."

"No, not a supervillain. They're evil. I'm just a pragmatist, same as you. Only, unlike you, I'm using that pragmatism to build a better world. Not dress up in some stupid fucking costume so people call me a hero. Rose, we're leaving."

"No, you're not."

"Oh, really? 'Cause they say we are. BOYS!", he shouted, as Deadshot came forward, armed with an m32 rotary grenade launcher, and two dozen Sentinals rushed into the room, all armored for action, and armed with Todd Industries Thunderbolt tazer rifles, surrounding the table.

"Master Jason!", shouted Alfred, only half a foot from him

"Sorry Alfie. But he'd a done the same in my place. Now, Rose, come on.", he said, the two getting up from opposite sides of the table. They both were conflicted, but Jason was hiding it with anger, and Rose wasn't so conflicted that she felt the need.

"Now, Roy, it's up to you, stay or go. There'll be no hard feelings from us either way."

"I...I would Jason, but-"

"No, no. I get it. I'd do the same. It was nice catching up with you all!", he said, he and Rose now side by side, his arm around her as they were almost through the door when Bruce spoke up.

"This isn't going hold us Jason!"

"You know what? You're right. Lawton!"

He and Rose watched as Lawton fired a grenade at the table below. Dinah was up in a second, screaching it away. This was just a dud grenade, though, only there to distract everyone while the Sentinels turned off their safeties and fired their weapons, dropping both families of crimefighters.

All except for Alfred, who dropped his platter to run and grab Dinah before she hit the floor as the Sentinels did for everyone else, and Leslie, who did the same for Bruce.

"Look, you two. I'm sorry, but, they can't stay here. Come willingly, and you'll-"

"Master Jason, wh...why?"

"Because I had to. Because as much as I hate this, Alfred. It just saved lives."

"What about the lives I would save at my clinic?"

"By morning, we'll have opened two new clinics in the area with better equipment and more doctors. Like I said. Saved lives. Now come on, both of you."

Alfred just looked horrified of Jason, sitting on his knees holding the unconscious Black Canary. But Leslie, ever the practical one, set down Bruce's head and rushed to him. She whispered something in his ear, ushering him ghrough the door past the two of them, followed by one of the Sentinels whom Jason motioned to do so.

"Alright, boys, load 'em up. The duplicants are downstairs, right?"

George Kingston, the head of the sentinels, spoke up, "Yes sir, the techies have had them programmed just like you wanted. We just need to put them in their beds and activate them."

"Good, good. Matt knows what his part of the plan, right?"

"Yes sir. He'll be over for his message to the JLA around sunset."

"Alright. Well, load them up and get that done. Lawton, Rose and I have somewhere to be right now."

"Yes sir. We'll get it done."

"I'm sure. As far as the old couple that just walked out, take them with this lot to the jet, but I want them treated well. Got it?

"Yes sir."

"Good. Es Securus, my friend."

The two walked out to find Jason's car, driven by Slipknot, and the 2 small cargo trucks that two Sentinels had just shown up in that were going to be used for taking the captures to the private airfield Bruce owned a few miles north, where his private jet and a League of Shadows pilot were waiting to take them off to Thalia, whom was getting ready for their arrival back at her palace.

Chris got into the back on the driver's side so that Jason could drive his car again, thank god. Rose got in the back with him, and Floyd could got in beside him. They had meetings with the leaders of the last two groups in Gotham who could possibly threaten their position as top of the criminal leaderboard: the GCPD and the Uptown Club.

The cops could wait until dusk, Gordon was still struggling to get his department in order, but the Uptown Club needed addressing yesterday. Jason had put it off to stop the court, but dealing with them was just as important as killing Sionis had been. They were all the old faces of Gotham, the Italians, the Russians. They were the gangs that used to control the entire city, united to control what was left of their territories.

Sionis had bent the knee to them. Jason bent the knee to no one. Not in his own damn city. Besides, nobody had broken any of his rules as much as those old assholes all had in their day, and their soon to be successors were just as bad. Today was the end of them all, the Falconies and all their prick allies. Thankfully, joining forces alienated their friends overseas years ago, most of whom owed Jason favors during his time galavanting across the planet, so dealing with them his way wasn't going to just start another war.

So, trying not to think about the fact that he'd just had to do what he'd been dreading for years, leashing his family, Jason drove his car through the city traffic for hours until they eventually reached the place Alexi had set up for the meet, an out of the way fancy diner the Club didn't know belonged to a man who owed Jason some favors, a club they didn't know, was packed full of Paladins that they thought were just people eating their overpriced meals.

They hadn't brought any guys, of course, to show a respect they had for him that, unfortunately for them, Jason didn't have for them in return. If they had, the security guards whom were actually Sentinels would've sent them away, just as they were doing to every civilian, claiming the tables were all reserved for the day.

The four walked into the diner with a nodd to their two men, and into the dining area. The staff had been sent home for the day, and were all home, replaced by Knights.

So, men and women almost everywhere they could be without the 9 leaders of the Club even knowing it, Jason and the others walked into the room, getting within a foot from the large table the group was at before they drew and unloaded their 4 silenced pistols, killing all 9 of them, including Roman "Ceasar" Falcone himself, in the blink of an eye.

After it was done Alexi walked out of the back dressed as a chief, and began openly talking as Knights already got to work cleaning up the small amounts of viscera, and, of course, the bodies.

"Great timing, Krasnyy. Fries just got in touch, all the 9 Paladins and their teams have reported in. Except for the odd gunman here and there that're being rounded up as we speak, all 9 houses are secure. The small operations here and there are still being dealt with, but Fries thinks that it's pretty much over with."

"What about the families? And did we lose any men?"

"We lost a couple militia here and there, a few knights. No paladins or sentinels so far, though. The families are all okay, being taken as specified. No casualties."

"Terrific. Stay here, along with all of them until you hear back from Fries that everything really is over, and if anybody shows up to tell their bosses the bad news, you know what to do."

"Yes, we do."

"Good, We've got somewhere else to be anyways. And...good work, my friend."

"Thanks, Krasnyy."

The four walked out, nonchalantly getting back in their car, heading towards the next meeting, their meeting with James Gordon.

Along the way, Jason noticed how unlike Rose she looked beside him, all thoughtful and conflicted. He took her hand as they stopped for a red light.

"It had to be done."

"I know, Jason. I'm the one who convinced you of that."

"I know, but now you look conflicted. Don't be. It had to happen. It was always going to."

"I know, Jay. I just...it felt bad, you know?"

"Yeah, I do. But it did."

"I know, Jason."

"Good.", he said, focusing back on driving.

It took until dusk before they got to the hospital, an empty part of which had been given to the GCPD as a temporary base of operations. The small roof had room for a helipad only, but Gordon had already installed a replacement Bat-Signal, and put in two armed cops to guard the rooftop access door from the outside. On duty right now were Xavier and another undercover Paladin, Francisco. Getting up there was no problem, they just walked to the top and hoped the Watchmen had been able to pixalate their forms like they had for Jason during his little stint in Arkham a few days ago. Once they were at the top, the four walked out and waited for Jim to come out. When he eventually did, he immediately noticed he was not alone, turning around to the two "transfers" both of which he'd already seen through. He realized this was the new Red Hood whom he'd seen the previous night with all those heavily armed and armored men, that his friend was most likely the famous Ravager, and he recognized the other two from their mugshots and the many times he'd had to deal with them. So, turning around to face the man whose face he didn't recognize, he spoke.

"What?"

Jason chuckled, then spoke back, "We need to talk, specifically about the guys this little doohickey is supposed to summon."

"Okay...talk."

"The bats are gonna be outta commission for a while. Now, you get a choice. You get to keep quiet, or you go with them. Your choice. What's it gonna be, Jim?"

"I want to see my daughter."

"I know. I'm sorry. But you of all people should know how good your kid is at ruining bad guys. I couldn't just ignore her."

"Okay, then. Send me with her."

"Hm. Didn't wanna do this. But, if it's what you want."

"Why didn't you wanna do it?"

"Because, Jimbo, think about it. Half the force is already out of action, they lose their leader now, well..."

"...What do you want from me?"

"I didn't take your kid because of you, Jim, she's a much bigger threat than you are. But she is safe. Nothing's gonna ever change that if I can help it. But, for me to be able to get what I what, a better, safer, Gotham, I need a good police commissioner at the head of the GCPD. That's you."

"If you wanted a better Gotham, you shouldn't have kidnapped the Bats. They-"

"Jim, I already had to give them the talk, I'm not in the mood to give it to you. All you need to know for now is that your daughter's fine, that if you keep doing your job, keeping law and order on the streets during the day time and ignoring most of what happens at night, you'll get to talk to her."

"...You know he's gonna win in the end, don't you?", Jim let slip out, as the four began walking away.

"Maybe so, Jimbo. But, between you and me, I wouldn't bet on it. Oh, I almost forgot, Barbara has been replaced by someone who thinks she is her. Only, she has no idea who Oracle is. Try and tell her who she really is, she'll think you're goin' senile. See you around, Commish."

With that Jason walked out, leaving Jim to think about what he'd said, as he and the others went home to the Tower, finally having finished taking over the city that life owed him. Finally, he was the king of Gotham City, and it felt so damn good.