Stitched Up

7. Birdie

For a few months now, Jason had been acting strange again. Bruce couldn't figure out why, maybe it was puberty, or darker thoughts, or surely learning about Roy having a "girlfriend" made him upset but it couldn't be the reason. He felt like Jason was about to go unsteady again. not like his life was balanced in the first place but it had gotten a bit better.

The reason why Jason Todd was acting odd was because he had an existential crisis. He felt like he belonged nowhere, he didn't know who he was anymore and, most of all, he wanted to reconnect with his past to learn a bit more about himself and his family. He wanted to see to what extent his children eyes apinted his life pink back in the day.

One afternoon, he decided to go on a walk after another agrument with Bruce and he went to what used to be his home. Arriving there, a middle-aged woman that he remembered a bit stopped him to hand him a cardboard box filled with stuff that aparently belonged to his family.

Jason went home a little happier, feeling like his identity quest was taking a great turn. He rushed to his room and opened it, finding a suspicious looking paper.

Jason felt like the ground was crumbling under his feet.

He felt like throwing up, like crying, like getting angry, like throwing his entire room on the walls, like he could even throw himself against it.

He was sitting on his bed when he discovered the truth : the woman he thought to be his mother his whole life appeared to be an adoptive one. Jason didn't know how to cope with this information, so he just sat there for hours until Bruce called him for diner. 

The next day, he sneaked in the batcave to get more information on his real mom. His life had been anything but steady, he at least deserved to know who gave birth to him. The name on the paper was erased by water, but the first letter was a S. He sat on the chair and typed on the giant computer. He found three names : Sharmin Rosen, Shiva Woosen and Sheila Jaywood. The first woman was a spy in Israel, the second one a mercenary and the last a doctor for humanitary cause in Ethiopia.

Whithout any second thought, Jason felt like he had to meet those women. He had to know.

He booked the first fly to Israel he could find with Bruce's card and left a note for him and Alfred.

Arriving there, he used his Robin mantra to try and find hints about Sharmin Rosen's location. 

In the meantime, Bruce had discovered the note and also found out about the three potential mothers of Jason. He had a terrible feeling about this, so he decided to use one of his cases as an excuse to go find Jason. He had no trouble finding him as he spoke arabic, and soon enough the dynamic duo was reunited. Bruce wanted to help Jason find his mother at least, because even if he had trouble showing it, Jason was his son and though he would let him go because he loved him, he wanted to say proper goodbyes. 

They were so lucky that there two cases actually had a link and they found Sharmin Rosen going out of a hotel behind them. 

After they helped her out of a terrosist organisation, they asked her if she ever had a baby but sadly she didn't. 

The second woman was lady Shiva, needless to say that she did not cooperate and that ended in a fight with Bruce. In the end, they somehow manage to immobilize her and asked her the question but she laughed and said that she had lots of children but she threw them to the dogs all around the world. Jason wasn't all that dissapointed, Bruce was right he wouldn't want her as a mother anyway. 

After the two first women were confirmed to not be Jason's mother, they took a fly to Ethiopia to find the last one : Sheila Jaywood. Jason couldn't countain his enthusiasm, and well, who was Bruce to tell him to ? The Batman was a bit heartbroken but he knew that Jason would be much happier in this life.

When they arrived, they used their civies identities and they found Sheila Jaywood quickly.

When Bruce introduced Jason, both were very touched, especially Jason that fell into his mother's arms. With a pinch in the heart but a smile, Bruce decided to let them reunite in peace for a while.

The only thing that the vigilantes didn't know was the Bat's nemesis, the Joker, also knew about Jason's mother. And this ile creature couldn't of course miss this oportunity.

Sheila used to work for the Joker, though she was now clean, but not out of danger.

After some time with her son, Sheila told Jason that she had work to do, but when Jason went to see his mother again, he was shocked to see her threatened by the Joker himself !

Helpless, he told Bruce and this one told him to not act reckless at all cost, and above all to wait for him and go for the Joker alone under no circumstancies because he was no match to him, no matter how strong he was.

But you know kids, kids don't listen. Jason was too emotionally involved in the case to listen to Bruce. So he went to his mother and told her everything about how he was actually Robin and he heard the Joker's threats and that he could save the both of them if she trusted him. She seemed both extremely sad and relieved, she seemed to trust Jason.

Bruce had a really bad feeling about all this and when he didn't see Jason back at their tent, he knew in his gut that something was about to happen. Something terrible.

After his revelations, Sheila called Jason in a warehouse but it was a trap set up by the Joker. He beat Jason up with a crowbar and then betrayed Sheila too by attaching her to a wooden pole next to Jason and he then set up a bomb before leaving the room, laughing like a maniac as always.

A few seconds after the Joker left, Sheila heard Jason cough, she thought he was dead !

He mustered his last breaths to untie his mother but he wasn't in shape to desarm the bomb. He helped her get to the door, but it was locked.

Bruce was speeding up like crazy, his heart beating a thousand miles per minute. He had told Jason not to do anything ! Why hadn't he listened to him !? Why... He saw the warehouse, he was close and yet, he was too late and he knew it.

Jason was hurting everywhere, hell he didn't even know how he was still alive. When they reached the door, it was locked. And he knew. He knew that his life would end here. But deep down he prayed for Bruce to come save him, he had yet so much things to do ! He was just...stupid. He was stupid from the start. He was stupid for believing that Catherine was his mother, for getting attached to Bruce and Alfred, for not listening to warnings, for being so goddamn emotional, for loving Roy, and most of all for throwing himself on top of Sheila when the bomb exploded.

Bruce arrived and he was moving by instinct. It couldn't be possible, the warehouse exploded but surely Jason got out of it, he was Robin after all ! God, if only he hadn't been Robin...

He moved in the warehouse's leftovers, and he found Sheila that told him everything, how she betrayed Jason and yet he still tried to save her until his last breath. She died shortly after saying that she wasn't worthy of him. Of course she wasn't worthy of being his mother...

He found Jason shortly after that, and his world shattered while he held his limp body in his arms. He died. His..his son had died.

***

Roy was in his hotel room like he had been for a few days. He couldn't tell why but he felt...bad. Really bad.

Suddenly, he heard his phone ringing and when Dick's name showed up on the phone, he for once had a knot in his stomach that he tried to dismiss.

" Hey Dick what's u-"

" He died ! He-" Dick was crying like Roy had never heard before

" Wh-what ? Who, who died ? Is Kori with you ? " asked Roy, concerned overflowing his voice

" It's Jason...he..he's dead..."

This chapter was such a pain :D Basically just " A Death in the family " but yeah, Jason did have to die at some point ! Anyways don't worry things will get better eventually ! Take care y'all and see ya next week ! ( also hope you enjoyed this chapter but i really doubt it lmao )