Hey Brother

Chapter Twenty Six

Are y'all ready to hate Talia even more??? Let's go let's go let's gooooo!

Jason was frozen, watching the news with Talia next to him on the couch in their safe house. She had insisted on watching it, for proof that the deed was done. 

Now she had proof that Jason had betrayed her trust.

"Mother, I can ex-" Jason was expecting the slap but not one quite this hard. He tasted blood in his mouth as his head snapped to the side from the force. 

"One job. I gave you one job to prove your loyalty to me and you can't even pull it off. I guess we both know where your loyalty lies now, huh?" Talia's voice was cold and emotionless as she glared daggers at her oldest. 

"Mother, please, let me expla-" The second slap sent Jason to the floor. He hit his head off the corner of the coffee table and the world began to spin. 

"You knew it was either just him or you and him. I guess you have a death wish, Jason." Talia snarled, rolling Jason onto his back. a small pool of blood was gathered around his head from the cut on his head. Talia paid it no mind as she put one knee on his chest to keep him in place. She reached for the dagger she always had strapped to her thigh, unsheathing it. "Pity that I wasted sixteen years on you for you to turn out to be such a disappointment. Oh well, I shall start anew. Birth a new heir to my legacy." Talia lifted the dagger and held it under Jason's chin, applying a small amount of pressure, just enough to make him bleed a little. "Any last words, failure?"

"I double crossed Damian!" Jason hissed. "He believes that I sent him to the Waynes to escape you but I really sent him there so I could hunt him and kill him in front of his beloved family!" 

Talia paused, mulling over Jason's words. She pushed down harder on the blade. "What makes you think I am going to believe that?"

"I have the schematics set up!" Jason blurted out, glad he listened to his mother's advice and set up a contingency plan. "I can show you what I plan to do and when."

"Do it." Talia got off Jason and dragged him to his feet. "And so help me if you are lying to me, Jason..."

"I am not, mother, I know better than to lie to you." Jason scrambled towards his room, looking over his shoulder at Talia. "Are you coming?"

Talia followed her oldest into his bedroom and watched as he pulled out a sketchbook, flipping through the pages before he landed on one that was full of writing and word bubbles. She looked it over with a sly grin. "Well, my son, I must say, I am pleasantly surprised. It looks like you get to keep your life...for now. Only if you can pull this off."

"Don't worry mother, everything is going to go according to plan." Jason smiled at Talia. "When would you like me to strike?"

Talia paused a moment, thinking it over. "Well, security around the manor is going to be tight since the whole funeral incident...I say we give it a few days to calm down, let's go with three days. We shall strike in three days time."

Jason feigned shock. "You're coming mother?"

"Why of course. I need to make sure the deed gets done, and if not, I execute my back up plan. Will that be a problem?" Talia challenged, lifting her dagger slightly.

Jason shook his head. "No, of course not. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Talia grinned. "Good. Well, it seems we have some preparations to make. Let's get to it, shall we?"

"Yes, let's."

The mother-son duo, each with their own agenda the other knew nothing about, got to work preparing for a false plan of attack on their kin. Neither was aware of their others machinations as they talked about what needed to be done before they struck and they wouldn't have it any other way.

The only certain outcome of this whole mess was that in three days time it would be a blood bath at Wayne manor.

The night before they were to strike Talia walked into Jason's room and sat next to him as he read over his plan. She stared at him curiously for a moment before voicing her thoughts. "Why let them have a funeral for a living boy if you were just going to kill him anyways?"

Jason smirked. "So that they would have the pain of digging up his grave and unceremoniously placing his body in there to cover their tracks. And, of course, so that they would know the pain of witnessing the death of their beloved Damian."

Talia snickered. "My Jason, you are growing into such a lovely young heir. I am pleasantly surprised. I got you something for the occasion. Stay here." Jason watched as Talia left the room only to return a moment later with a box in hand. She handed it to him and gestured for him to open it. "It was your grandfather's when he was your age. I thought it would be fitting for you to wear it on your first outing as a true al Ghul."

Jason opened the box after giving Talia a smile. Inside was a black and green body suit, heavily armored, with thigh holsters. Jason felt a twinge in his stomach as he remembered how the plan was going to play out. He looked up at his mother with a thankful smile. "Thank you, mother. For this and for everything you have done for me, for turning me into the man I am today. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for your generosity and mercy. Thank you."

"Oh, my boy." Talia kissed Jason's forehead. "Get some rest, Jason. We strike tomorrow at  breakfast time, so we must leave before dawn."

"Of course mother, good night."

"Good night Jason, I love you."

Jason swallowed thickly. "I love you too."