Jade covered her face with her lithe hands and forced back a sob, rocking back on the toilet seat she silently went over all of her options. The pink stick in the garbage can was enough to put her whole world in a tailspin. Abortion maybe? In that case she would never have to tell Roy. It would be best that way. With a brief nod she stood and moved to the counter to wash her hands. That was the only way. They both had lives to live. Being tied down wasn't an ideal for either of them.

She paused and stared at herself in the mirror, taking in her wild mane of hair and her haggard appearance. Jesus, she looked like the cat lady next door, and Roy was a recovering drug addict. Neither of them were fit to be parents. Besides, it's not like she was ever going to marry him… raise a family… It just wasn't her way, and she was sure Roy would agree.

Slipping out of the bathroom she was stunned as a pair of green eyes landed on her rather than the hazel she was used to. A young boy who more than likely hadn't reached his teens yet was gazing at her from Roy's ratty sofa. For a moment she thought she was staring at the missing Dick Grayson, but that was impossible, she knew him to be in Georgia.

"Who the hell are you?" The boy demanded, standing up quickly and reaching into his jacket.

In the blink of an eye Cheshire had the boy on the ground and the blade he had been going for had been knocked across the room. "I could ask you the same thing."

His eyes grew round as he seized her up and he began to struggle. "I've seen people like you before! You're a shadow! You're here to kill Harper!"

At that her grip loosened and the boy managed to get free, he sprang from the weapon and was astounded when Jade had not moved and inch. What shocked him even more was that the assassin was laughing.

"You- you think I'm here to kill Roy?" She managed through gasps of air. "I thought you were here to do the same!"

The boy looked less than amused. "He's my best friend."

Jade took a moment to compose herself and crossed her arms. "I do not think you are Dick Grayson, boy?"

His arms fell to his sides as he studied her, but her face gave nothing away. She was cool in demeanor, a woman who took her job very seriously. "What do you know about Dickhead?"

"Dickhead? Well that's not very nice…"

"Yeah, Ollie, look. Just tell Bruce to shut the hell- I've got to go."

Roy Harper wandered into his shared apartment in a cell phone in one hand and a pizza in the other, quite befuddled to see Jason Todd having a stand off with his girlfriend. He ended the call with his mentor and stuck the phone back in his pocket. Clearing his throat he looked between the two who had turned to him for answers.

"I, uh, should have told you we have company." He said slowly setting out the pizza on his small kitchen counter.

"Yes, you should have." Jade acknowledged him, dryly.

"This is, well this is Jason. Bruce's newest son."

Jade raised an eyebrow. "Another? He couldn't keep track of the first one."

"That's what Dickiebird said too." Jason huffed.

"You met him?"

"He broke my arm." Todd responded, holding up his cast.

Jade looked pleasantly surprised. "He is taking his training seriously then."

Roy interjected. "Anyway, since Bruce is such a neglectful parent I thought Jason could stay with us awhile."

"I don't see a problem with it, as long as we don't play house." The brunette woman shrugged.

Jason shot her a snide glance and turned on his heal to face Roy once again. More than ever he looked like a child on the brink of a temper tantrum. "None of this explains why an assassin is your girlfriend."

"Dude, because she is hot."

Roy left it at that and Jade blew Jason a kiss. Sitting on the edge of the couch she gratefully accepted a beer and a slice of pizza from Roy as she turned on the television and began channel surfing. Jason looked uncomfortable as he sat on the far end of the couch, every once and awhile shooting her a glance.

As Roy settled down with his own food, she settled on the Gotham new, reporting the brutal battery of Two-Face. Tacking a moment to let the silence set in, she looked to the two boys.

"I've found him."

"Who?" Jason asked at the same time Roy spit out his pizza in a coughing fit.

"Where?" Roy demanded. "How?"

"…Two-Face, AKA Harvey Dent was found in his cell savagely beaten…"

"Richard Grayson, Georgia, through a contact by the name of Sheila."

Both boys sat in stunned silence for a solid minute before Jason's face twisted in confusion and he spoke up.

"But he was just here the other night, he beat me up and told me to be safe."

Well that was a contradiction if she had ever heard one. Pulling a slip of paper that contained the coordinates from her bra, she handed them over to the red headed archer. "Perhaps he is going to leave Gotham with Deathstroke and the two will return to their safe house in Georgia."

Jason bowed his head. "Well what do we do? Do we tell someone? I mean, he seemed happy with the way things were…"

Roy stood, looking physically ill and quietly excused himself to the bathroom. Jason was fidgeting, his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

"Spit it out." Jade urged, growing tired of the child already.

"What if it's Stockholm Syndrome?"

Jade nodded. "It could very well be. Deathstroke is cunning."

"… Dent claims his attacker to be Robin: the Boy Wonder…"

The sound of things falling came from the bathroom, and both jumped to their feet only to see Roy stumble out. In his hand was a small pregnancy test, wrapped in a wad of toilet paper. Gathering his Barings, he looked to Jade with an accusing gleam in his eye.

"What's this?"

For once the cat had nothing to say.

"Were you even going to tell me?"

"I- I thought you wouldn't care."

"Of course I care!" He stalked across the small living room and swiped the beer bottle from her hands. "Gimme that!"

Her eyes narrowed as she snatched the alcohol back. "No! It doesn't matter what I do, we are not keeping it!"

"Like hell we're not! I'm the father, I have a say in this!"

Jason took a few steps back, shocked by the sudden turn of events. He looked between the two, helpless to intervene. A vibrating in his pocket grabbed his attention as the two adults raged on. Fishing out his phone and felt an electric shiver of fear course through him as Bruce's name popped up on his screen.

More unkind words were shared between Roy and Jade until she finally left the apartment in a storm. Roy coming off of his rage had barely noticed the young boy crying in the corner as he dumped the coffee table on its side. Jason had crocodile tears running down his face, and his body trembled as he hung up a call, turning, he wiped his eyes and ran into Roy's arms only to find the elder crying as well.

"B-Bruce wants me home. He-he sounds really mad. I don't know what I've done this time."

Roy squeezed him hard. "I'll give you a lift… I'm sure we can work it out."

He didn't know if he was talking about Jason's situation or his own.

Jason had never felt more scared in his life as Bruce sat him down in the Batcave to watch a news report on Harvey Dent's near fatal beating. What made it worse was that Bruce believed he did it, even if he swore up and down that it had not been him. Jason had never seen his father figure so angry, so angry at him. If not for Roy being there, Jason would have probably split the second that he saw Bruce's face.

The footage ended with Bruce slamming his fist on the console, and both boys jumped at least a foot in the air.

"I didn't do it!" Jason cried, realizing as soon as it was out of his mouth it made him sound all the more guilty.

"He said in his statement that it was you!" Bruce growled.

Roy held up his hands. "Now Batman, why would it be him?"

Roy knew he had said something wrong when he saw Jason's head drop to his chest. Bruce gestured for the boy to explain. Taking a shuttering breath, he began to play with his hands and turned to face the red head.

"Harvey Dent killed my father."

There it was.

"But did you do it?" Roy asked slowly, his eyes turning to Bruce.

"No! I swear!" Jason burst.

"Then who is he referring to?" His mentor demanded.

Realization dawned on both Jason and Roy at the same time. Their eyes met, and in that moment Roy knew he would do anything to protect the boy. His lips were sealed. He wouldn't squeal on Dick if Roy didn't think it was right. Licking his lips, Roy nodded and Jason slowly turned to Bruce, his voice trembling as he spoke in a softer tone than either of the men had heard from him before.

"It was Grayson."

Roy watched a fury ripped through Bruce Wayne's body, and for a moment he feared for the younger boy's safety, before the man ground out a response.

"And why would you say that?"

"Because Dick has been in Gotham at least a week." Roy answered for him.

The archer was on the ground before he even knew what hit him. Bruce was kneeling over him, his nostrils bared, and Roy knew he had seen the face of the devil. Closing his eyes, he thought back on all the mistakes he made and sent a prayer up to heaven praying that Saint Peter would allow him into the Promised Land whenever Bruce sent him there.

"Why was I not informed." Bruce snarled in a deadly low term.

"Because he is happy with Deathstroke!" Jason cried, trying to pry his mentor off his only friend.

Bruce batted the boy away with one arm and hauled Roy to his feet. The pregnancy test and the slip of paper clattered to the ground. Kneeling, Bruce scooped them both up and inspected them for turning his fiery gaze back to the archer.

"Do I need to have a talk with Green Arrow?"

Roy felt his blood run cold. "N-No sir."

"Then I suggest you leave me to retrieve my son."

Roy watched as the Dark Knight punched the coordinates into the massive computer and suddenly they were left in the dark. A moment later the emergency generator kicked on and the cave was washed in blood red light. The screen flickered to life and they were greeted with Dick's smiling face.

The boy was standing in the Batcave, not far from where they were gathered. He wore a black suit, and his hair jutted out at awkward angles, in front of his a small fire roared. His crystal eyes turned toward the camera, and Roy almost began to cry again. Those weren't the eyes of the friend he once knew. Those were the eyes of a dead man.

"Hello Bruce, I'm sorry I can't stay to chat in person. I just thought I'd leave you a message." The video recorded. "That message is that I don't want to be found. You've failed me Bruce, as a mentor and a father. You couldn't give me happiness, so I found my own. Or rather, it found me."

Clutched in Dick's hand was a domino mask, and Roy felt his heart clench. Even his tone was dead. This wasn't right… Dick had always been so full of life.

"You failed my parents by neglecting me, and your own by not sharing the love they showed you. I don't deny that what you have taught me has led me to where I am today, and I must thank you for that. My days as your helpless sidekick are over now. I'm making my own way in the world where I belong; at Slade's side."

The mask fell from his hand and into the fire.

"Robin is dead, and I am free. I renounce you Bruce, as my father and mentor. You won't control me anymore."

The feed cut out and the light flickered back on. An alert signal blared red on the screen in place of the video. Turning to Bruce with tears in his eyes, Roy was ready to spill his guts, only to find the Dark Knight already gone.