Chapter 14: The Moment of Truth

Scarlett's eyes fluttered as her mind pushed her body to awaken. She felt it happen several times, but when she tried to open her eyes, she saw the world of the living for half a blurry second before it disappeared again. Opening her eyes fully, she found herself in a spacious room lit only by thin streams of sunlight peeking through tall maroon curtains. Instead of the hard stone tablet from before, she was lying on a king-size bed draped with luxurious cotton sheets. As she moved to better view her surroundings, she felt something tugging on her left arm. Her eyes settled on an IV stand that was dripping clear fluid down a tube into her arm. Looking down, she saw a few neatly wrapped bandages on her arms and legs.She was certainly not in the dungeon anymore, but she still had no idea where she was. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw the outline of leather sofas situated in front of a fireplace at the front of the room. A gold chandelier hung from a coffered wood ceiling. Sprawled on the polished wood floor were various pristine Persian rugs that looked extraordinarily expensive. The room was remarkable. If she didn't know any better, Scarlett would've thought she was in a palace.To her right, Scarlett heard the door to the bedroom creak open. An older gentleman dressed in a finely pressed tuxedo walked in pushing a serving cart. His face appeared kind yet tired, as if he had lived ten lifetimes."Good morning, Miss Vesper," he greeted with a warm smile, his hands clasped elegantly behind his back.Scarlett observed him carefully, her nerves still raw after her encounter with Talia. "G-Good morning," she stuttered, putting aside her fear to muster a little politeness. "I'm sorry...but I don't think we've met...?""Alfred Pennyworth—butler for the Wayne family and caretaker of Wayne Manor...at your service," he readily replied."...Wayne Manor?" she gasped. "The Wayne Manor?!"Scarlett heard many whisperings about the stately mansion overlooking Gotham Bay. It was hard to miss, especially at night, when its many lights glittered like gems against the solid black mass of the tree line. Ever since Jason told her that his adopted father was the former playboy billionaire, she had been longing to see the house. The thought seemed a little shallow even to her, but one couldn't ignore the house's mystery, nor the family's.Shaking herself out of her daze, she looked down at her neatly-wrapped bandages. "Did you do this?" she asked, to which he smiled."Indeed I did. You were quite dehydrated and had a few minor cuts that needed mending. Not to worry, though. I have extensive medical training."She gave him a weary smile. "Thank you.""Merely doing my duty, Miss.""How long have I been asleep?""You've been in and out of consciousness for the last three days, but you appear to look a bit better now. Well enough to eat a proper meal, I hope."Again, she swept her eyes over the magnificent bedroom. "If you don't mind me asking...what am I doing in Wayne Manor? How did I get here?"Alfred's brow creased with uncertainty. Scarlett was still unaware of Jason's secret and he knew better than to share it without his permission."Master Todd brought you here after you were rescued."Alfred's reply only begged more questions for Scarlett. How did Jason know she was kidnapped? Did he call the police? How did he know where to find her? Why did he bring her back to his father's house instead of a hospital? Scarlett looked imploringly at Alfred, hoping he would see her confusion and fill in the blanks. His continued silence said otherwise. Instead, he pushed over the serving cart and removed the metal lid from the breakfast tray, revealing a steaming plate of poached eggs, maple-glazed bacon, and French toast."You must be famished after that terrible ordeal. When you've finished your breakfast, Master Todd has requested that you meet him in the great hall. I informed him you might not be well enough to stand, but..."Scarlett removed the IV from her arm and pulled back the covers. She placed her feet on the cold floor and wiggled her toes, relishing the tingling sensation in her muscles. She was already feeling much stronger than before. "It's okay, I should be fine.""Very well then. When you're ready, the great hall is on the ground floor. Go through this door and continue straight until you see the elevator on the left. It will take you to the bottom floor and the great hall is just ahead. I'll be making up the bed in the next room, so if there is anything you need, don't hesitate to tell me."She gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you." Alfred left the room and quietly closed the door behind him.Scarlett shook her head, both flattered and confused. For the time being, she put her questions aside and focused on the irresistible plate of breakfast in front of her....After devouring her meal like a rabid animal, Scarlett opened the bedroom door and prepared to find the elevator but she stopped dead when she saw the room around her. She was standing on an upper-floor balcony overlooking a vast hall with a grand, split-level wooden staircase. Everywhere she looked there was some mesmerizing feature that caught her attention—the intricate wood detailing on the walls, the soft rays of light shining through the panes of the glass ceiling window, the sparkling diamonds hanging from the chandeliers, and the priceless paintings held in gilded frames. Truly, she could stare at the room for hours. She had never seen anything so luxurious in her life. Yet, there was also something eerie about the house. The dark wood paneling and crimson carpets made the space around her feel cold, dim, and solemn. As splendid as it was, Scarlett didn't know if she could stand to live in a house with such a somber atmosphere.She could see a portion of the great hall below, but she decided to take a few minutes to gather her thoughts...and steel her nerves. She felt uneasy at the thought of seeing Jason again. The harrowing days spent at Talia's mercy had Scarlett convinced she was missing something. It was beyond strange that Talia used her as bait for Red Hood, whom she hardly knew at all. Red Hood...Once she remembered his name, she thought back to what Talia told her about Robin. The thought of a poor teenage boy being beaten and tortured to death at the hands of a psychotic killer clown made her heart shatter. Suddenly, his rage and barbaric view of vigilante justice made sense. She could understand why killing criminals achieved more permanent results. People like Talia, Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, and other notorious criminals shouldn't be allowed to roam free and terrorize innocent people. She could never take a life herself, but she was glad that Red Hood, Batman, Nightwing, Robin, and the other vigilantes were there to protect the innocent. Scarlett buried her head in her hands. "Why did they need to protect me, though?" she asked herself. "Why me at all...?"As she thought about it more and more, she recalled something that Talia said to her after she had been abducted."I see! He still hasn't told you yet! Oh, you poor sweet girl! He's using you like a rag! Playing with you like a child with a doll! He doesn't want you to know what he is. He doesn't want you to get that close."Scarlett paused a moment and gazed out one of the windows to look at the circular gravel driveway and manicured hedges below.What did Talia mean when she said, "He doesn't want you to know what he is." Did she mean Jason? Was Jason Todd actually...Red Hood?!"No...that's...that's ridiculous," Scarlett convinced herself. "Jason wouldn't kill someone! I mean sure, he's had a difficult life...but he wouldn't actually go around dressed in a red mask killing criminals...would he?"Scarlett shook her head and stepped into the elevator. Hopefully, she would have her questions answered soon. The most painful truth was that Jason was clearly keeping secrets from her. She tried to be optimistic and full of understanding in most situations. If Jason was hiding a dark secret from her, there was still a chance she could forgive him. A small one perhaps, but a chance nonetheless. Once the elevator arrived on the bottom floor, Scarlett cautiously entered the great hall. The room was so large and the ceilings so cavernous that even the soft taps of her bare feet on the tile floors caused an echo. The hall was divided in half by a series of stone archways, through which she could see the lip of the grand staircase. Knowing she was about to come face-to-face with Jason, she took a deep breath and then walked through the archway. "Glad to see you're awake," a deep voice spoke suddenly. Scarlett looked up to see an audience of four seated on the base of the stairs, undoubtedly Jason's family. She immediately recognized the tall handsome man standing to the left edge of the stairs as Bruce Wayne. The photos in the Gotham Gazette did not do him justice. His strong jaw, piercing blue eyes, and hulking figure made Scarlett feel incredibly small. Scarlett cleared her throat and adjusted her silk dress, trying to look less disheveled. "Yeah...Look, I...I'm not quite sure how I got here, but I just wanted to say...thank you so much for helping me. Not many people would do that for someone they've never met.""Well, we're not like most people," the raven-haired woman standing beside Bruce purred with amusement, which made the others seated nearby chuckle.Scarlett laughed along nervously for a moment, then caught herself. She had never met any member of Jason's family before, but they seemed unusually familiar. She had a strange feeling she had heard their voices somewhere before, though it would certainly be impossible. She remembered seeing glimpses of them at the Children's Hospital Fundraiser, but they mostly spoke with the other members of Gotham's elite. There was also something unusual about their entire family dynamic that Scarlett was beginning to notice. The playful glint in their eyes as they looked at one another made her feel as though she was missing out on the greatest inside joke only they could understand. Every family has its eccentricities, but there was something peculiar about a family composed of troubled orphans living in a glamorous mansion on the outskirts of the city away from civilization. It could make for an interesting sitcom, Scarlett thought to herself. "Are you alright?" asked the young man in the blue Gotham City University sweatshirt. It was at that moment that Scarlett realized she had been staring at all of them for a good time. Scarlett rubbed her elbow bashfully. "Yes...sorry. I'm fine...I'm just...still trying to understand what happened. I keep going over everything again and again...but nothing makes sense to me.""What do you remember leading up to the attack?" Bruce asked gently.Scarlett bit her lip as she probed her thoughts. "I remember Jason and I went out to dinner the night before...""Did you see anything out of the ordinary? Someone following you? A strange car parked in front of your building? Anything disturbed in your apartment? "Scarlett shook her head. "No...nothing. That's what I don't understand. It was completely random! I don't know the woman who kidnapped me at all!""What about the morning you were abducted?""Jason left my apartment around ten a.m. A few minutes later, I heard a noise outside my bedroom door. I thought he came back...that maybe he had forgotten something. I went out into the living room when a hand grabbed me from behind. The next thing I knew, several women in masks just appeared out of nowhere and pointed swords at me! One of them said something about taking me to see their mistress and destroying my apartment—"Scarlett suddenly stopped. "Oh no...what happened to my apartment?"Bruce bit the inside of his cheek."Sorry...it was trashed," Tim stated with a sigh. "Floors and windows smashed, furniture destroyed, things scattered everywhere. Nothing was stolen, though. We still don't know why they did it..."Scarlett's lip quivered as she imagined the quaint home she had built for herself lying in ruins. It was the first home she had to herself, a safe place where she could decompress and leave her self-doubts at the doorstep. It held a precious place in her heart and Talia destroyed it for no reason other than to be cruel. No reason except..."...it was to make him come," Scarlett muttered. "Who?" Bruce asked. "Red Hood. That new vigilante with the red mask. Talia said she was using me to bait him. She told me that he used to be Robin, Batman's sidekick. The Joker kidnapped and tortured him to death but she was able to bring him back to life using this strange green liquid called Lazarus. She trained him to become an assassin, kill Batman, and take over her organization. He couldn't do it, so she planned to kill him in retaliation. I know I must sound like an absolute lunatic, but I swear that's exactly what she said..."She looked at them, expecting them to be shocked or even disturbed. Anyone in their right mind would question such an outlandish story, but they seemed completely unfazed. In fact, they were giving each other knowing, almost guilty looks. "None of it makes any sense..." Scarlett continued with tears pooling in her eyes. "I don't know him! I mean, he saved me from that man in the alley...but that's it! I don't know who he is and I haven't seen him since. If she was already after him, maybe she thought we knew each other. Maybe she knew he wouldn't let an innocent person be killed—""—Wait...he saved you?" Bruce asked. "When? What happened?""A few months ago. I was...assaulted on my way home from work. This man started following me, and..." she stopped, barely able to choke out the words. " Red Hood...he...he killed the man."She caught a brief look of exasperation on Bruce's face. No one else seemed to have noticed, but the expression struck her as odd. In fact, so did the entire situation. Jason was still missing, and now she was stuck trying to explain everything that happened to his family whom she had never met and whose house she didn't understand why she was in. Her head was beginning to ache under the weight of her confusion."Look, I really do appreciate everything you've done for me...but I need you to be honest. I've been in a few rough situations in my life, but nothing like this. I don't know who Talia Al Ghūl is and I've never been involved with the League of Assassins. Yet, they seemed to know all about me! They knew my name, where I lived, and when I was alone. None of this started happening until I met Jason. I'm not saying any of this is his fault, but this is well past being a strange coincidence. I know you probably want to protect him, but please. I deserve to know why this happened to me and if I should stay away from Jason."The four people in front of her looked at each other conflicted, which only helped to confirm her suspicions. After a few seconds, Bruce sighed and took a step toward her. "I'm not sure how much Jason's told you, but he came into our home from a bad situation.""He said his mother was missing, his father went to prison, and his stepmother died. Is that true?""Yes, but there's a little more to the story. After Jason's father served his sentence, he abandoned the family and Jason was left alone to take care of his drug-addicted stepmother. He started ripping off car parts for money. When his stepmother died from an overdose, he lived on the streets and fended for himself by stealing. One night, Jason came across my car parked in an alley..."Bruce smiled slightly in spite of himself."I just had new tires put on, but I was still waiting on a set of customized hubcaps. I came back to see the front two tires missing and Jason returning with a lug wrench to take the others."Scarlett shook her head and rolled her eyes. "So that's what he meant when he said he did some work on your car."Bruce withheld a chuckle. "Interesting way of putting it, but yes. I could tell he was very smart, ambitious, and strong...but he needed someone to help him channel those qualities in the right way. I took in my eldest son Dick because I knew he needed someone who could understand the trauma he had been through." Dick gave Bruce a small, grateful smile. Bruce then peered at Tim, who had the same look of appreciation."I guess you could say it's become a habit. I thought that putting Jason in a safe, structured home would give him time and a good support system to work through his anger...but it didn't. He lashed out, started physical fights, and ran off more times than I can count. I tried enrolling him in a boarding school for troubled boys, but that ended up being poor judgment on my part. In the end, we couldn't manage to find common ground. He didn't want to abide by my rules and I wasn't diplomatic enough to handle it at the time."Scarlett shook her head. The more she learned about Jason, the less he began to resemble the man she knew. Granted, Jason was brash, sharp-tongued, and hot-headed...but he could also be gentle, sensitive, and protective. Time has a way of changing people, but could Jason have changed that much? Or is it just another piece in his complex puzzle of lies?"Is that why he doesn't like you?" she asked timidly. "When we met at the hospital fundraiser, he said you were trying to work things out."Bruce shut his eyes and turned his head away, his face twisted with profound pain and regret. Selina placed a hand on his shoulder. After a moment, he straightened up and swallowed hard. "That's...a small part of it. Jason and I were once fairly close. It was only after something else...happened...that things changed."Scarlett gave him a searching look. "What happened...?"Bruce sighed. "It's not my place to say. Jason's planning to talk to you and I believe that's a large part of what he wants to discuss. All I can say is that he...left us...for quite some time...and a lot happened to him during those years. He became a very different person, with more anger and resentment than he had before, especially toward me. I deserved every bit of it and more. Even now, I still blame myself for what happened. A series of family incidents took a toll on my patience and I was not as supportive as I should have been. I...didn't believe I would ever see him again, so I wanted to fix things between us. But part of that process is allowing Jason to be his own man and make his own choices, even if I don't agree with them. Beneath his faults and traumas, I know that Jason is a good person. He would lay down his life for the greater good and do anything to protect the people who matter most to him...including you."Scarlett's eyes widened. Every word hit her like a bullet to the chest. Finally, the full picture began to fade into view.Jason has anger issues, Red Hood has anger issues. Bruce mentored Jason and Batman mentored Robin. Jason left his family for years, Robin was kidnapped and killed by the Joker. Jason resented Bruce for abandoning him, Red Hood resented Batman for abandoning him. Jason returned and made peace with his family, Robin returned as Red Hood and eventually made peace with Batman. Jason would die for the people he loves, Red Hood walked knowingly into a death trap to save her life. Talia kidnapped her to provoke Red Hood...Because Red Hood is Jason Todd. "Oh my god!" Scarlett cried as she clapped a hand to her mouth. Tears began to flow freely down her cheeks and her knees began to shake. The long days of fear and agony had finally caught up to her, shattering her into pieces. The answer was right in front of her the entire time. She had seen the similarities before, from his demeanor to the nickname he gave her on the night she was assaulted, but she refused to believe it. It was impossible, she thought...yet it all fit so perfectly.  Any anger she held for Jason vanished in a flash. Of course, he couldn't tell her about his past and his identity! It was the most dangerous secret of all. Even if he could trust her, such a secret in the wrong hands would be catastrophic...and she learned just how much. But he came for her. He searched her apartment. He found where she had been taken. He rescued her. The sound of heavy footsteps came from behind her, followed by the familiar robotic voice that sent a chill down her spine and a thrill through her heart. "Hey there, doll."