Brothers Until Time Shatters

12

Jason was breathing hard. He and Bruce had been switching out doing CPR for the past five minutes while Damian and Jon searched for a defibrillator. Tim was on lookout duty. But it wasn't just the fact that he had been working hard to restart Dick's heart. It was also the fact that Bruce was here, and there was something different about his guardian. Something that made him remember why he and Bruce had had good times. It was pretty obvious that this was not the man who had refused to acknowledge Damian as his son.

"Why are you here, Bruce?" Jason asked quietly when it was Bruce's turn again.

Bruce sighed. "Jason, I don't know if you would believe me if I told you."

"Try me." Jason and Bruce swapped places, and Jason began pumping deeply on Dick's chest.

Bruce sighed again and pulled back his cowl so he could see Jason better. "A few years back, right after I found out about Damian, I found Talia and confronted her about the truth of the matter. She must've known that I would come after her once I found out, and so she was ready for me. She tranquilized me and implanted a device in the back of my skull so that she could control me. That's why I tried to forget. I was worried that if she took control of me, she would use me to hurt you boys. Recently, however, Talia has taken control of my body more frequently. That's why I didn't call Damian about Dick. She prevented me from being in contact with you boys." Bruce rubbed a hand tiredly over his face. "I only recently was able to break free from her control long enough to get the chip in my skull removed. That's why I was here. I got the signal that you and your brothers had come to one of the League bases, and I was hoping to show you I had changed. Unfortunately," he motioned to Dick, "I got here too late."

Jason let out a deep breath and rocked back on his heels, letting Bruce take over the CPR. "I don't know what to believe, B. I would love to think that everything you said is true, but I just don't know."

Bruce nodded. "I know. Take your time. I want to be a part of your lives now, if you'll let me."

Jason sighed. "I'll think about it."

"We found one!" Jon shot through the door, flying at Mach speed and carrying a defibrillator in his arms. Damian limped through the door at a considerably slower speed. Somewhere, Damian had found a roll of bandages and had wrapped himself up to slow the bleeding.

Jason immediately began setting it up as Bruce continued doing CPR. "Hey, Jon, where's Lois?"

Jon grinned. "She's out saving the Titans butts."

"Typical," Damian muttered. "They are an utterly useless team. You should really think about replacing them, Father."

Bruce chuckled tiredly. "If we all get out of this alive, you're more than welcome to whip them into shape. Shoot, if we all get out of this alive, you can decide what to do with them period."

Damian beamed. "All is forgiven."

Jason gave him a side glance as he prepared to shock Dick. "Were you listening in on our conversation?"

"No. Jon was." Damian motioned to his friend. "Blasted super-hearing finally came in handy."

Jon grinned. "You bet your sweet nanny goat it came in handy!"

"Why would I want to bet Clara?"

Bruce's head snapped up. "Who is Clara?"

"My nanny goat." Damian gave Bruce an odd look. "Are you feeling quite all right?"

"Clear!" Jason hollered before Bruce could respond. Dick's body jumped slightly as yet more electricity was dumped into his body. Jason waited impatiently for a few moments before the defibrillator announced "Pulse reestablished."