Hey Brother

Chapter Twenty Eight

Mmm whatcha say...

Everything moved in slow motion, at least to Jason, as the bullet exited the gun and went soaring through the air towards its intended target. The bullet entered their chest and they let out a cry of pain, toppling to the ground with a look between amused and betrayed on their face. Once the bullet was buried deep within their chest everything started moving at normal speeds.

Jason heard a ringing in his ears as his heart pounded in his chest. He got off of Damian's body, looking at the bloody mess he created. He knelt down next to Damian and offered him a hand. "Are you okay, Dami? I didn't scare you too bad, did I?"

Damian stared hesitantly at Jason before accepting his hand. "A little warning next time that you are going to be playing the part of mother's psychotic minion would be helpful."

Jason shrugged. "It was plan B. I wasn't sure I would need plan B."

The two brothers were taken abruptly out of their conversation by Helena's scream. "Oh, my god! Jason! You just shot your mother!"

"No, correction. I just shot Talia al Ghul. My mother is Selina Kyle." Jason smiled at Selina. "That is, if she'll have me."

Selina stared teary eyed at Jason. "Oh, Jason of course-"

A wet cough interrupted Selina and everyone turned to see Talia slowly sitting up, blood pouring out of her chest wound. Jason instinctively pushed Damian behind him before approaching Talia, standing tall over her with the gun still trained on her. He glared down at Talia and she just smirked up at him. "My boy-"

"I am not your boy anymore, Talia, and I never will be again. Isn't the bullet in your chest proof enough?" Jason sneered.

Talia chuckled slightly before breaking down into another coughing fit, blood splattering into her hands. "You will always be my boy, especially to the media. And especially after the stunt you are about to pull. I mean, blowing up Wayne manor with a suicide bomb after killing your mother and brother? That will put you in the hall of fame."

"What are you ta-" Jason looked down at the outfit he was wearing and smirked. "Well played, Talia, well played."

"The suit is lined with explosives, not armor. They will be triggered to explode with my death and only I know how to disarm them. So, I will see you in the after life, my son." Talia moved her mouth a little bit before spitting out what looked like a tooth on the floor. "Goodbye, and thank you, for keeping the al Ghul name relevant."

"Oh, shit." Jason took off running just before Talia bit down on something in her mouth. Instantly, her face became red and her mouth began to foam.

"Jason!" Damian yelled, going to make a move after his brother only to be stopped by Helena and Cass. "Let me go!"

"No! There is no point in the rest of us dying too!" Cass yelled back.

"I'm not going to let my brother die!" Damian was in hysterics, thrashing against his sisters. "Let me go, let me go, let me go!"

"Damian, listen to me. All we can do is hope that Jason gets the suit off and as far away from here as possible before it goes o-"

An explosion rocked the house, blowing the windows out and knocking everyone to the ground.

"Jason!"

A loud ringing filled everyone's ears as they stumbled to their feet, grabbing hold of each other to make sure that they were okay. Damian pushed everyone away from him as they went to check on him, running in the same direction Jason took off in. He burst outside to see the lawn on fire in the distance and ran forward, stopping when he reached the edge of the flames only because someone grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Are you nuts?! I did not just murder our mother so you could live only for you to go and kill you-oof!"

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Damian scolded Jason, tackling him to the ground.

"Ah!"

"What? What is i- oh, crap!" Damian got off of Jason and pulled him to his feet, tugging him away from the flames and back towards the manor. "You should've told me you were covered in burns!"

"Sorry, didn't have the chance before you were attacking me with hugs!" Jason winced. "Besides, I was just caught in the outskirts of an exploding suit, wouldn't it be common sense that I'd have some injury?"

"If only the blast knocked the sass out of you." Damian muttered, pulling Jason into the manor and back to the dining room. "Guys, fear not! Jason is alive!"

"And half naked! Where are your clothes?!" Barbara shielded her eyes.

"Gee, I don't know, maybe the source of the explosion?"

"We need to get you to a hospital, you are covered in burns and your wounds reopened. What even happened there, anyways?" Bruce asked, careful not to touch Jason.

"Do you even need to ask? I mean, the reason was broadcasted on local television." Jason drawled. "And the source is currently sitting dead five feet away."

"Ah, good to have you back Jason." Dick snickered.

"Its good to be back. And, er, sorry about everything I did and said while I was with Talia...I hope you all know I didn't mean any of it. I had to play a part in order to earn her trust so I could take her down." Jason rubbed the back of his neck, wincing when it hurt.

"Was killing her always the end game?"

Jason shrugged. "I mean, not at first. But when she told me I had to kill Damian...it became the end game. I realized that she would never stop coming for us, that she would always break out of jail to make our lives miserable. And if she did kill us, she would do as she said and start anew, birth a new heir...I couldn't let that happen."

"Jason, you do realize that you just killed someone, right?"

Jason's eyes hardened. "No, I shot someone. Talia killed herself when she bit down on that cyanide pill. Besides, it was a me or her situation. I chose me for once and I doubt the courts would sentence me harshly for it. And besides, I-" Jason stumbled, his hands going to his head. "-am losing blood and am in an excruciating amount of pain. Can we please put a pin in this conversation until I have some morphine in my veins?"

Roy and Damian helped Jason out to the first responders that had arrived due to the explosion and he was loaded up into the ambulance, Damian and Bruce going along with him. Selina stayed behind to explain Talia and the whole situation while the rest of the siblings and Roy loaded up in the car with Alfred to go to the hospital with Jason, everyone glad that this horrific chapter of their lives was behind them.

Little did the know that it was far from over.