Chapter 2 - Time Waits For No One

Time: Unknown

Jason's POV

I wake up with a harsh breath in. My eyes snapping open to take in my surroundings, noting that the I'm in an enclosed room with a dangling light hanging from the middle. I see an IV bag connected with a needle line into my arm. I try to stand up, but quickly fall back down when I'm once again assaulted by pain.

A look down shows' bandages wrapped around my body. Well at least Leslie took care of me like I expected her to. But I look like some mummy with all this medical wrapping on me. I feel a little nervous from being incapable of really moving but am I really able to trust her?

'B is able to trust her, so should we'

My memories show Bruce as a very untrusting person of those around him other than immediate family. Like me, Dick, Alfred, and Barbara. So, I should feel safe enough with her, but my original memories often show that trusting in people never works out. After all trusting in Bruce to save me didn't work out. Trusting in this worlds mother didn't help when she sold me out to the Joker.

Watching and doing nothing as the crowbar came down again and again with unrelenting force. The sound of metal pounding on my flesh reverberating into my ears. His laughter filled with glee and joy. I try to focus on the good things I remember to get rid of these worsening thoughts. I think of my kind mom from my previous life and how she would tell stories to erase my bad moods. How Bruce would take care of me when I first came into his home. Funny how contradicting our mothers were when comparing them.

Not surprising that we both had criminal fathers who weren't able to help us out at all. My mood lightens with my good memories of Mom and Bruce. That peace is broken with the door to the room clicks open and light from the opened door floods through into the already lightened room. I focus my attention immediately to the disruption and get my basically broken body ready to fight in a moment's notice. Even if I'm basically defenseless I should still try.

All that mentally preparing for a confrontation is for nothing when Leslie comes walking in with a clip board and a stern face. She shuts the door behind her and pulls up a chair next to me. She sits in the chair and just examines me with a blank face. A cool facade that would work on other people, but not me. I've learned to read people with a look when spending every waking moment on the street. It helped save my life multiple times. A look into her eyes clearly showing her emotions.

Mainly shock, worry, and suspicion being the clearest to me. It's not wrong for her to be suspicious, since people like clay face are around, but he can't replicate bleeding the way I was doing it on her doorstep. She could think I am a clone too. After all there is some clones running out there. Mainly Super Boy.

"Tell me your name," She questions with a hardened voice.

'Did people already forget about me?'

No, it's not that. She's just making sure I am who she believes me to be.

"C'mon Leslie, it's me. I'm sure you've already done blood testing when I was out cold," I remark coolly with my still hoarse and dry throat. I need a glass of water badly, but I should assuage her suspicions first. Don't want her to tell people I'm not ready to meet.

"Just tell me your name," She basically demands.

"Alright alright, it's me Jason. The Boy Wonder numero 2, Batman's partner in crime fighting. Is that what you wanted to hear so badly. You know who I am," I reply with my continuing dry voice. She already knows who Bruce is and knows who I am, so there is no point in holding back.

"You can't be Jason Todd, that boy died a year ago," She responds back with a hardened voice, slightly cracking towards the end. Man, she is really disbelieving. Is it really that hard to believe when there are crazy events and beings among? The whole Justice league is filled with God like people that deal with the most bat shit crazy stuff. Resurrection really shouldn't be that hard to believe in a world like this.

'I've been dead for a whole year'

Yeah, that definitely sucks. I wonder how the world has progressed. Bruce is still being Batman because of that signal I saw. How is everybody else doing? I also feel enraged that I've missed a whole year in the grave. How did I not rot in the grave anyway? Not that I'm complaining about being brought back randomly in the first place along with the combing of memories from a separate life.

"Well, I definitely feel like me, I felt the pain of crawling out that damn grave with my name on it. I still can hear the clock ticking signaling my impending death! The pain in my body feels real to me. So, I like to fucking believe that I'm Jason Todd," I say with a steely voice. Just thinking of what the Joker did instantly makes my blood still boil. Both of my thoughts agreeing on this equally.

'I hope that clown got what he deserved'

I hope so too, because if not. He's definitely going to get what he deserves from my own hands after this recovery. A brutal method would serve best. Of course, that's if he is even alive still. If Bruce didn't do it, somebody had to for me, right?

The silence continues with Leslie just examining me after my small outburst. Can I be blamed for an outburst though; I hate thinking of my injuries from that clown and how a whole year has gone on. Her face softens, but she does look older with a closer look. Like a huge amount of stress has plagued her since the last time I saw her. The crow's feet on the face more plentiful than before. Life hasn't been easy on her. But that's what Gotham does to people.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to hear it from your own mouth. I had to be sure this was real. The blood test came back positive, but extra caution never hurts in this city," Leslie says with a softer tone of voice. Like the relief of me telling her directly has made her relax a little bit more.

"Trust me I know; Bruce would probably test everything about me just to make sure I was the real deal. Speaking of Bruce, you haven't told him, right?" I ask with a questioning tone. I don't want Bruce to know. Even if half of me feels like running back to him.

'He needs to know'

He doesn't need to know. I'm not going back to being some grown ass man's side kick. Sure, I may believe I was his partner before untimely death, but this is a guy who would dress a kid in some bright colors to take the attention away from him. I was basically a glorified target for every asshole in this city. The Joker realized that.

'I was his partner!'

I block out the thoughts and ignore the feeling of rage building. One side needs to think sensibly and not because the other feels like running back to his adoptive father.

"No, I haven't told him. You need to recover first Jason before thinking about any of that," She explains sternly, leaving no room for argument. Not like I want to argue in the first place. I don't want to be Robin again. Some part of me still may want to, but that part is easily overcome by the rest that is actually thinking rationally.

"I didn't ask about it to go back. I asked because I don't want him to know I'm back in the first place," I reason to her. She has widened eyes at that. Guess she didn't expect me not wanting to go back. Not with the way I always ranted about loving being Robin in the past before my death.

"You don't want to go back?" She says with disbelief in her voice.

'We should go back, it's the smart choice'

No, it isn't. I'm not going over this again with myself.

"No, why would I go back? To put on some tights and jump back out there? Don't get me wrong I'm thankful for Bruce for giving me years of a nice home, but I'm not disillusioned enough anymore to back to being Robin. To fighting sick fucks who deserves worse than some time in an asylum the rest of my days. Please, I deserve better than that for the shit I've been put through," I state to her with snarky tone.

Maybe if I was still the same Jason without the other life's memories and way of thinking, I would come crawling back from the grave to be Robin. But with the addition of the other life and blending of our thoughts and memories. I refuse to live that life. If only I could convince the other part of me.

"When you put it that way, I guess you're right. I never approved of Bruce putting children through his own personal war with this city that will never end. I won't tell him or anybody. You can trust me, Jason," Leslie says with understanding. Well, I'll trust her for now, but I'll still be cautious. Both lives have taught me to always expect the worst from people.

I can feel my other thoughts raging against me in my own mind at my decision, but this is for the best. Sounds confusing when I think about it like that.

"How is Bruce? How did he react to my death?" I ask with genuine curiosity. Plus, my other thoughts thinking is really just screaming at me emotionally to find out. Leslie started to get an uncomfortable face. Well, that isn't a good sign.

"He took your death hard, started to really let himself go. Stop caring for injuries and holding back on even the small-time crimes. Alfred had to call me many times to assist him when Bruce came back from a night of fighting carelessly. I honestly believed Bruce just wanted to die fighting after he lost you. Of course, he got better when he met someone," Leslie answers, but stops for a minute to breath and let me process her words. She also seemed hesitant at the last part.

Its honesty made a part of me feel sad to hear how Bruce reacted, but another part also kind of felt good. Because it showed he really cared for me. The last part didn't really care and just wanted to get on with this already.

'Who did he meet'

"Who did he meet?" I say with both thoughts focusing on that part. One out of curiosity and the other feeling a little dread for some reason.

"He met a boy. I'm warning you now though, that this next part might make you mad. The boy became his next Robin. I'm not sure how it all happened because I refused to listen about it when I found out myself. I didn't want to hear about some child risking their life again for some lifelong mission of Bruce, not after you," Leslie continues with a cautionary yet frustrated tone.

'He replaced me'

I'm not sure what I was expecting. But this really topped the cake with a 'Fuck you Jason' written across the top. Half of my thoughts are talking about convoluting a big plan to make him pay for this, but a bigger part honestly feels this is the best outcome. Some other naive idiot can take the mantle of Boy Wonder. What did I really believe was going to happen after my death. He replaced Dick a son who he always praised to me.

The golden boy who never did anything wrong. Someone who led their own team of teen heroes. That could keep up with Bruce every step of the way. Someone I could never live up to, even in death. If he can replace his golden child, then why couldn't he replace me after enough time.

The street rat that he picked up because he could take tires off a car. Someone who constantly got into arguments with him about holding back on the scum filling these streets. That's who I am. The problem child for him, who never really was going to be enough.

The thoughts that wanted revenge slowly quieted down. Like a curtain has been pulled away from my eyes. I get to think with another perspective. My emotions and thoughts finally just settle down into a calm silence. Finally both my thoughts feel calm again after some thinking.

"Are you okay Jason? I should let you rest and get you some water. It was stupid of me to tell you all of this at once," Leslie states with regret and worry. Yeah it was a bit much to info dump me, but I did ask. I only wanted to know one more thing. My entire being buzzing with a cold calm.

"Is that clown dead," I state in an icy tone. Leslie seemed hesitant, almost unsure whether to continue. Like she was fighting herself, until she finally sighed in defeat and looked me clearly in the eyes.

'He has to be. Bruce may have replaced me, but he must have gotten vengeance. It's the least I deserve. What this city and its residents deserves'

"I'm sorry Jason," Leslie tells me with a defeated voice. Her face looking down and away from me. I feel my expression freeze. All my thoughts go quiet. I turn away from her and just stare at the ceiling with a blank face and blank eyes.

"I'll go get you some water," She says before leaving the room in hurried manner. Everything is calm as she shuts the door behind her.

'He couldn't even do the one thing that mattered'

My hands clench and unclench themselves over and over again. The pain from my injured hands not even bothering me. My teeth clench down in a hardened manner. Eyes shutting tightly. I open my eyes and relax all of my motions. My thoughts finally done with their inner turmoil, and everything is now calm like a lake with no ripples.

'He failed me...again'

Author's Notes: Another chapter done. Hope people are liking this so far. I'll try to keep updating every day or at least every other day to build up the chapters. Leave a comment for what your thoughts are. And if you have any ideas, I can implement in the story then comment those too. Also remember that Jason is basically like firestorm in a certain matter. But mentally his are more connected and fused compared to firestorm.

Thank you for reading and see you next chapter.