Hey Brother

Chapter Twenty One

Y'all ready for this?

"Ho- wha- Mother, when did you get out of prison?" Damian was the first of the two to snap out of his stupor, fixing his expression to make it neutral.

Talia tsked. "Today, no thanks to my ungrateful brats I have the displeasure of calling my sons."

Jason tried his best to hide his flinch. "Mother, did you...did you break out of prison?"

Talia threw her head back and laughed. "Of course I did! What, you think after everything I have done they would just let me waltz out of there? You are even stupider than I thought."

"What are you doing here, mother?" Damian asked, eyeing his family from the corners of his eyes for any further injury, finding none.

"Why, I am here to take you home." Talia smiled sweetly before she raised the hand holding the gun, bringing it down on the back of Bruce's head, making him collapse to the floor. "And to teach you a lesson for ignoring me. I told you if you ignored me again there would be consequences."

"But mother, I didn't ignore you!" Jason cried out, watching as Talia took the safety off the gun and aimed it at Bruce's head. "Please, mother! I did not hear the phone go off. It was on silent, Damian and I were in an animal shelter and I did not want to disturb the animals."

Talia stared at Jason with hard, cold eyes before pulling the trigger.

The bullet entered the ground two inches away from Bruce's head.

Talia's face softened and she smiled at Jason. She walked over to him and hugged him. "I believe you, my son. Of course I do. You know I only do what I do to protect you."

Jason eyed Damian with anxious eyes over their mother's shoulder before hugging Talia back. "Of course I do, mother. You only have our best interests at heart."

"Your best interests?! She just tried to kill your father in front of you!" Stephanie screeched, all eyes immediately snapping to her.

"Mother always has her reasons for doing what she does." Jason urged Stephanie to stay quiet with his eyes and luckily she got the message. Jason turned to Talia. "So, mother, when do we leave?"

Damian barely bit back his shocked gasp in time as he eyed Jason with betrayal. Jason gave Damian a look that meant he would explain later. Talia grinned, stroking Jason's face with the barrel of the gun. "I knew I could count on you, my son. We leave now. I'll let you say goodbye."

Jason and Damian turned to their family who were looking at them with a mixture of shock, betrayal, and sadness. Damian's face held the same emotions for a moment before he slipped his neutral mask back on. He went around and hugged each member before going to stand with Talia.

Jason, however, stood where he was. He sneered at his family. "We told you from the beginning, as soon as mother was out of prison we would return to her. Its your fault for getting attached."

With that, he turned and led the charge out of the library, Talia blowing a kiss at the Waynes over her shoulder as she steered Damian out of the library, leaving behind a devastated family.

Cassandra glowered at her siblings. "What the hell just happened? Was Jason really playing us all this time?"

Tim hummed. "I believe there is more going on than we know."

"There better be or I'm going to kick his ass next time I see him."

En Route to a Remote Location

Talia turned to her children once they were well outside Gotham City limits, a stern look on her face. "Ditch the cell phone. Both of you. Now." Jason kept his face blank as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone and tossed it out the window. Talia looked in the mirror at Damian. "Jason, take care of your brother's phone."

"Of course, mother."

Jason took Damian's phone and tossed it out the window, much to the annoyance of Damian. Jason grabbed Damian's hand where Talia couldn't see and squeezed once, letting him know he was sorry.

"Mother, what is the plan? I mean, we are now on the run-"

"Please, we were on the run your entire lives. And I have plenty of contingency plans set up. We will set up in one of my uncompromised safe houses and continue with your training. I will be around more as I have to lay low for awhile until the fire around my escape dies down a little."

"And then what?" Damian asked, trying his hardest to put on an innocent face.

Talia chuckled. "I know better than that. Never reveal your entire hand, even to your allies. Its a good way to be stabbed in the back."

"I see."

The rest of the two hour car ride was silent as everyone was absorbed in their own thoughts. Nobody said a word as they pulled up outside a nondescript house in the middle of nowhere. Talia opened the door for her children, ushering them inside and locking the door behind her.

"Mother, this place is very co-" Jason was cut off by a slap to the face. He looked to his mother in slight shock to see rage on Talia's face.

"You should know better than to have anything other than a burner phone on you! The FBI and CIA can and will track us using your cell phones. Do you want me to go back to prison? Hmm? Is that what you want? For your mother to rot away in a prison cell, ignored by her two children?"

"N-no! Of course not, mother." Jason stammered out, bowing his head to Talia.

Damian was fuming in the corner. How dare their mother turn Jason back into the scared boy he was when they lived with her? Who does she think she is?

"Mother, it was my fault. I forced him to keep his cell phone with him."

Talia glared at Damian for a moment before slapping Jason once more. "You can't think for yourself now? What happened to the strong, independent heir I raised, hmm? Pathetic, letting your kid brother boss you around."

"Mother, it wasn't like th-"

Another slap. "And now you talk back to your mother? Add disrespectful and disobedient to the list of defects."

"Yes, mother."

Talia lifted Jason's chin, a twisted smile on her face as she stroked his cheeks. "Don't worry, my child. Mother will fix you right up, bring you back to shape."

Jason nodded weakly. "Thank you, mother."

Damian could do nothing but watch in horror as his worst nightmare unfolded before him. Talia was manipulating Jason's emotions and he couldn't do a thing about it.

Damian would rather be dead than live through this again.