#Jason could technically take off with these bodyguards around

[ladybugsimblr]

[haveihitanerve]

These Aren't Guards-

“Bruce? Your phone is ringing.” Dick Grayson called, not bothering to move from his place on the couch. Bruce sighed, but ambled downstairs, picking up the phone. “Yello?” he asked, pressing the phone to his ear. “Now?” dick frowned, setting his own phone down and glancing over. Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes. yes of course ill be there in a bit.” he sighed, hanging up. “Dad? Everything alright?” DIck asked in concern. Bruce waved him off. “Clark called. Theres a League meeting. Lantern needs some help with these-” he waved a hand, trying to find the words. “This other alien species i guess, and the other Lanterns are refusing to help because its not technically a threat. yet.” Dick frowned. “Huh. need backup?” Bruce cocked his head. “You don't have anything better to be doing?” Dick shrugged. “Not today not really no.” Bruce shrugged. “Okay. You’re welcome to join me if you wish chum. At least then the meeting wont be a complete waste of time.” Dick laughed and stood, following his father down the stairs to the Batcave. “Hey B. Dickwad.” Jason greeted, sitting on the table, cleaning his guns. “Is that my rag-?” bruce groaned. “You know what? I don't even care anymore.” Jason grinned, dropping the rag, and whispered in a staged voice. “I finally win.” Bruce rolled his eyes, moving to his suit ti get changed. “Woah whats going on here? A daytime patrol? I thought we have duke for that.” Dick laughed. “We do. B has a League meeting and i volunteered to come along.” Jason jumped off the table. “Wait- for reals? I wanna come.” Bruce arched a brow, slipping on his suit. “You do?” Jason nodded. “Hell yeah. I haven't been up there since i was robin.” Bruce shrugged. “Alright. Suit up.” Jason grinned. “For real old man?” Bruce shrugged. “The meetings probably going to go in circles for a while, useless bickering, getting nowhere and achieving nothing, if you want to provide me with some entertainment while we’re there, then by all means.” Jason laughed. “Bet.” They suited up quickly and Bruce led the way to the zeta tube. “Jason, you made a fair point. Neither one of us has been up there since we were last robin. And most of the heroes don't know us.” Jason grinned as Bruce groaned. “Oh this is gonna be fun.” 

“I called Batman, he should be here shortly.” Superman informed the other few members of the justice league that had arrived at Lanterns call. Wonder Woman nodded. “Good. then we can begin-” “they just showed up in the tube.” Flash informed them. “They?” Lantern asked, walking over. Barry frowned, but nodded. “Yeah. They.” The other JL members frowned, leaning over to see the monitor and what Barry was looking at. To their surprise, Batman was accompanied by two other men, both around his height, flanking him. “Is there a new bounty on Bats head we don't know about?” Green Arrow joked. “Whats he need bodyguards for?” The others shrugged. Before they could discuss it further the doors slid open and Batman walked in. “Is everyone here?” he asked without greeting. (although technically that was his greeting) “Yes. We can begin.” Superman nodded, and his eyes drifted behind him questioningly. Batman ignored all of their inquiring looks and took his seat, the two men taking their places behind him. “Um, we can get more chairs, for your um, guests.” Diana offered. Batman shook his head. “They'll stand. Its fine. Lets begin shall we?” The JL exchanged glances, but shrugged. 

“My legs hurt.” Jason murmured into the comm. Dick huffed a laugh. “Shut up jason.” he muttered. “Code names dickie.” Jason twittered back, his moving lips hidden by his red hood. (who'da thunk it) “Not super necessary.” Bruce murmured, without moving his lips. “I've designed all of our comms to be unhackable, and managed to make it so Clark can’t hear us through them.” Jason raised his eyebrows, though neither of his companions could actually see that. “Impressive daddio.” Bruce fought hard not to roll his eyes and settled instead on casually flicking his leg. Jason smirked. “Both of you focus.” Dick hissed at them, but they could hear the smile in his voice. He was enjoying being here. And, bruce found in spite of himself, he was enjoying himself too. It had been far too long since he had brought his kids with him on League things, for good reason, but seeing as he shared everything League related with them anyways, and meetings rarely ever had direct danger, there really wasn't any reason not to bring them more often. “What do you think Bats?” Oliver asked, his hand landing on Bruces shoulder. Bruce felt rather than saw Dick and Jasons contempt for the action, so much so that he truly didn't know how he felt about the casual touch. Jason stepped forward and in one move had wrenched Olivers hand back, pushing him away. “Back. off.” he snarled. Dick was at his side, none of the Nightwing ease in his stance, no easy smile. No, it was all Jason, Red Hoods anger seeping into his posture, making him glower rather than grin. “Okay.” Oliver lifted his hands in surrender, taking a ste back. “Geez.” he added. “I just wanted to know what you thought Bats. You didn't need to sic your dogs on me.” “birds.” Bruce muttered. He felt Jason's anger flicker slightly. He had amused his second son. Bruce fought his grin. “Its a solid plan.” he admitted. “I think if you use Superman instead it would go over better though. He has the reputation as Earths defender. That will earn him respect.” the others nodded. “Okay. So its settled? Kal will fly out with Lantern?” The league all murmured their agreement. “Good. Then i hereby declare this meeting adjourned.” Bruce stood, and Dick and Jason backed up a few steps, allowing him to move away from the table. “Is that all?” he asked. The others nodded, watching him and his birds with curious eyes. “Good. Ill see you at the next meeting.” He turned for the door, Jason and Dick falling into step behind him, when Barry spoke. “You know we’d protect you Bats. You didn't need to bring your own guards.” Bruce could feel Dick and Jason's glee. He fought his own smile, turning back. “Guards?” he frowned, looking at Jason, then Dick. “oh. These aren't my guards.” he smiled, knowing how unnerved it made the others. “These are my kids.”

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

This Game of Yours

Father of Mine – Part 1 and Part 2

Jason was beautiful.

And somehow that scar that went from the right corner of his mouth up to his temple only made him that much more beautiful to Y/N.

Those blue eyes were the same color of water on a stormy day in the Irish sea. And somehow Y/N knew they held the same tempestuousness.

The white streak weaved with his jet black hair so naturally that Y/N would’ve believed he was born with it.

His shoulders were so broad, making his 6’3 height feel even more imposing. He had a presence. People noticed every time he walked into a room. It made Y/N wonder how he was ever able to sneak up on people as Red Hood.

He was wearing a black hoodie underneath his black moto jacket.

Y/N knew Jason didn’t give a shit about fashion. Yet he was well-dressed without any effort – more so than most of the models Y/N had shot throughout her career.

Not being able to control herself any longer, Y/N raised her camera and took a photo.

Jason stopped surveying their surroundings and his gaze snapped to her.

“What do you think you’re doing?” 

But his growl didn’t scare her in the slightest.

“Anyone who’s by me when I have a camera is at risk of getting their picture taken. No one is safe. Not even you,” she answered his question unapologetically.

Y/N was working on a personal passion project for her next show. Her collection would be about the poverty and crime of Gotham. Half of the photos would show the heaviest crime areas of the city. And the other half would expose the lifestyles of the wealthiest people in Gotham.

Why did so many suffer from the same system that helped the rich get even richer?

When Bruce found out Y/N was going to Crime Alley and the Bowery by herself, he was visibly upset.

But he realized that Y/N would do as she pleased, so his plan b was to give her protective detail.

However, Y/N didn’t know that Jason had volunteered, almost immediately.

Instead, all she heard was Jason grimly telling her, “You’re lucky you haven’t been fucking murdered yet.”

She had only responded with a roll of her eyes.

“I’m not your escort so you can take my picture. I’m here so you don’t get raped or murdered.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you have a way with words?”

His only response was a glare.

Jason loved playing this game. The game of pretending to be irritated with her when actually he was absolutely infatuated with Y/F/N Y/L/N.

“The easiest way to stop getting your picture taken is to always be the one holding the camera,” Y/N added with a smirk and wink.

Jason didn’t answer, only thinking what a shame it was that no one got to photograph her.

Suddenly, the sunlight hit the top of his head perfectly, creating a halo around that thick and messy hair of his.

Y/N snapped another photo.

“Will you stop?” He warned.

It only succeeded in making her laugh.

And that just excited his heart even more.

“Jason, you were born to get your photo taken.” 

There was no joke underneath her words, only sincerity.

“Whatever,” he mumbled.

Jason had a hard time believing that. His skin was riddled with scars. And he was convinced that she’d be singing a different song if she saw his chest, with its thick autopsy scar amongst the so many others. The absolute last word he’d use to describe himself was beautiful. Strong and imposing? Yes. But never beautiful – or any other positive adjective, for that matter.

“I’m not kidding. If you ever want to stop the whole vigilante thing, you can easily become a model.”

Y/N had noticed it as soon as Jason took of his helmet that night. His domino mask had done nothing to prevent her from noting the obvious.

It didn’t take long for Y/N to realize Jason wasn’t like his “brothers.”

“Brothers.” What a strange word.

Should she consider all of them as hers?

Only Damian was actually related to her – and technically he was only her half-brother.

Y/N had watched Jason get on his motorcycle and leave the cave that night she’d almost died.

She’d agreed to stay for dinner and get to know everyone. And a part of her brain was excited to get a better read on the masked man that sat by her bedside as she’d recovered.

“He’s not staying?” Y/N had asked Bruce as he guided her to the stairs that led back up to the manor.

He only shook his head, but she noticed the disappointed expression.

Soon she found out that Jason was the black sheep of this strange family that had taken her in.

Dick was the one who told her about Jason’s dark past. All of it seemed unbelievable: murdered by Joker and brought back to life from a mysterious pit. Only to return to the family who appeared to have replaced him and never sought vengeance on Jason’s behalf. 

But it was true; Y/N had seen no lie in Dick’s eyes when he filled her in.

Suddenly there was yelling coming from around the corner.

Without hesitation, Jason shoved Y/N behind him.

He reached for one of his guns and then realized that he didn’t have any.

Y/N was rather vocal about hating them, claiming they made her extremely uncomfortable.

Her expression alone as she said it was enough for Jason to swallow his stubbornness and leave the things at home.

Bruce was rather taken aback by the gesture. Nothing he’d ever said was enough to get Jason to do that.

A gang of young men came marching around the corner like they owned the place…because they did. This was their territory.

Jason immediately recognized them as some of the Russian mob.

Despite pulling Y/N behind him, they still caught sight of her and looked her up and down without an ounce of shame.

“Hey, beautiful. How you doing?”

“Продолжай идти, придурки,” Jason growled at them.

He was outnumbered. But there must’ve been something about his body language that made the gang realize they shouldn’t pick a fight with him. Maybe it was the muscles or his height or that he looked like he wouldn’t even blink before murdering them.

So they just…walked away. Some of them mumbled threats or insults at him. But they realized they shouldn’t even so much as look at Y/N.

A split second before they were gone, Y/N took a picture of Jason.

“Really?” He asked.

She shrugged. “You look like a different person when you’re protective.”

Y/N was beautiful.

Jason watched as she passionately explained her work to a potential buyer.

He recognized the man as a local politician – luckily, one of the few that hadn’t been corrupted from this shitty city.

Y/N had the intimidating energy of her father, but the kind eyes of her mother. At least, that was what Bruce had told everyone, and they all took his word for it.

She wore a stylish white jumpsuit that made her look like a 1980s villain and black stiletto heels. 

Jason watched as men cowered in her presence, hating the fact that she proudly stood taller than them. She was just one less woman they could intimidate or manipulate – and they couldn’t stand it.

But Jason loved watching the emasculation in real time.

The bastards didn’t deserve her anyway.

Dick was one of the very few men Jason knew who didn’t blink at a woman towering over him. In fact, his older brother had a track record of preferring it.

“Surprised to see you here,” Bruce said beside him, catching Jason watching Y/N.

“Well, I was her personal bodyguard through all this. Figured I should see if it was worth me wasting my time or not.” Then he tossed back his champagne and slammed it on the tray of a waiter passing by. “Plus, free alcohol.”

Bruce just quirked an eyebrow, silently telling Jason that he knew he was lying.

“Are you buying something?” Jason asked, trying to change the subject.

“I have been strictly forbidden,” Bruce sighed.

Jason chuckled.

He knew if Bruce had his way, he’d buy every single on of Y/N’s pieces.

“I have to know,” Bruce began. “What exactly is holding you back?”

Jason finally ripped his gaze away from Y/N to give Bruce a questioning look.

“What are you talking about?”

“Y/N. You care about her.”

“All of us do,” Jason brushed off. “Even the demon spawn.”

Bruce knew there wasn’t a chance Jason would admit his feelings – especially to him.

“Not that I think you care…but you have my approval.”

Little did Bruce know, Jason did care.

Jason had convinced himself that their rocky relationship and past fights meant that Bruce would die before he let Jason be anywhere near his daughter.

And Jason could hardly blame him.

He didn’t deserve to be loved. He lost that right after he died and came back a monster. And that was the story Jason told himself over and over again.

So he would love Y/N from afar. And hope she would pick someone who was worthy of her love.

“She’s basically my sister,” Jason groaned in fake disgust.

It was quite the performance.

Bruce narrowed his eyes. “We both know that isn’t what’s stopping you. And you’ve made it clear you don’t consider us your family.”

“Whatever, Bruce.”

Jason walked away, having enough of the subject.

“What was that about?” Clark asked as he joined Bruce’s side.

“Jason refusing to let himself be happy,” Bruce sighed.

Clark already knew what Bruce was talking about. He’d seen Y/N and Jason dancing around each other for months now. He’d never really seen Y/N take an interest in anyone before, so it was all new for Clark.

“Don’t worry. Y/N won’t let him get away with it for much longer,” Clark said through a smirk. “She gets what she wants.”

And Bruce believed him.

“It doesn’t bother you – the two of them together?” Clark asked with genuine curiosity.

“Jason reminds me every day that I’m not his father. And I’m hardly Y/N’s.” A soft smile formed on Bruce’s lips. “He’ll look after her. And she…I think she’d be good for him. I just want them to be happy. Both of them.”

——

Jason headed home rather early.

He’d never actually went to say congratulations or even hello to Y/N.

Every time he was about to go over, someone else stole her attention. He didn’t want to get in the way of her talking to potential buyers or even just friends.

Jason was just about to make himself something to eat when there was a knock at his door.

He froze.

Very few people knew where his apartment was.

Jason grabbed a gun and tiptoed to his front door.

With a peak through the peephole, he let out a irritated sigh.

Jason whipped the door open, “You’re lucky I didn’t shoot your head off.”

“Maybe don’t own guns and you wouldn’t have to worry about shit like that,” Y/N snapped back.

“What are you doing here?”

“You come to my gallery opening and don’t even say hi?” Y/N accused as she stepped around him and into the apartment, not waiting for an invitation.

Jason eyed the paper bag that was in one of her hands.

“By all means, come on in,” he called sarcastically as he slammed the door behind her.

Y/N started searching through his cabinets. “Where are your glasses?”

“The one to your right. What are you doing here?”

Y/N had the brightest and almost mischievous smile as she pulled a bottle of champagne from the paper bag.

“I brought this as my thanks for you making sure I don’t – and I quote – ‘get raped and murdered.’”

Jason glared at her.

Here was the game again.

Y/N being charming and hilariously provoking..and Jason pretending like he hadn’t fallen for her.

She poured them both a glass. They weren’t flutes or coupes, but she couldn’t care less.

“We’re chugging these, by the way,” Y/N informed Jason as she handed him a glass.

He sighed, but obediently clinked his glass with hers and tossed it back.

Barely giving them a second, Y/N immediately refilled them.

“So, why didn’t you come over and say hi?” She repeated.

“Didn’t want to bother you,” Jason mumbled with a shrug.

She narrowed her eyes at his answer. “You’ve never bothered me before, Jason.”

Now he felt guilty.

Jason bowed his head. “I should’ve come and talked to you,” he agreed. “Your work…it looked – it’s amazing, Y/N. Congratulations.”

Apparently Y/N hadn’t expected such a sincere compliment from him, and she was stunned to silence.

“Thank you,” she managed to whisper once she’d recovered.

She cleared her throat, trying to maintain her edge. “And really…thank you for being my own little security detail.”

If Jason was healthy about expressing is thoughts and feelings, he would’ve told her that it was the highlight of his weeks. That he looked forward to her calls or texts, telling him that she was going to photograph another shady area. “Be there or don’t. I’m going no matter what,” she’d text him with her usual snark.

But Jason didn’t express his thoughts and feelings.

He kept them bottled up – with the same energy he used to keep Y/N at a distance.

So instead, Jason said, “If it wasn’t me, one of the others would’ve done it.”

Y/N winced slightly at that.

‘You’re such a fucking asshole,’ Jason told himself.

“You know…we can see each other even you’re not my bodyguard.”

Jason was impressed by her boldness. But she didn’t know what she was doing. She didn’t understand that he wasn’t good. He couldn’t play the loving boyfriend role. She belonged with someone like Dick or Clark – or literally anyone but him. And Jason was willing to be an asshole to make sure she understood that.

Y/N took a step closer to him, invading his personal space.

Without breaking eye contact, she threw back her second glass of champagne and then placed it on the nearest counter space.

She stepped even closer.

This was simultaneously Jason’s worst nightmare and most desired dream.

Her eyes moved from his eyes to his lips.

But before she could make her final push, Jason took a step back and cleared his throat.

He looked down at the ground as he said, “You should go.”

When he looked up, he expected to find Y/N heartbroken or embarrassed.

But she was neither.

No. She looked irritated.

Not because she wasn’t getting what she wanted, but because she was sick of his games.

Y/N sighed and stepped back. “Fine.”

Jason rubbed his face in frustration as she grabbed her purse and started for the door she had walked through only minutes ago.

She opened it and paused.

“You know what? No. Fuck that,” Y/N snapped before slamming the door closed.

She whipped around and strutted back to him with purpose.

Jason was suspended with both fervor and awe.

Y/N grabbed his face and pulled him down to her lips.

All self control went out the window. Jason couldn’t continue his game. It was all over for him.

He kissed her back almost immediately. How could he not?

Y/N bit his lip slightly, making him hiss in surprise. It was his punishment for making her wait all this time.

Eventually they needed a moment to breathe.

But Y/N didn’t let go of his face when their lips finally parted.

“Choose your next words very carefully,” she breathed.

He swallowed nervously. “You’re kind of fucking terrifying. You know that?”

Her smile was pure evil.

Apparently this was the right response.

“Are you done being an idiot?” She asked.

He nodded quickly.

Her hands moved down and then lingered on his neck, tracing the bottom lines of his jaw.

She smiled again and then looked him up and down.

“What?” He questioned.

“Nothing,” she laughed. “I’m just…I’m not used to being shorter than men.”

“Is that the only reason you like me? Huh? My height?” Jason goaded.

“Of course not,” Y/N scoffed. “It was the whole ‘I look like I could murder everyone and I can, but deep down I’m a big softie’ that did it for me.”

Jason’s grip tightened on her waist. “Oh, yeah? You’re one to talk…”

“Me?!” She yelped. “I couldn’t kill anyone, even if my life depended on it.”

“Maybe. But your terrifying in basically every other way.”

Y/N laughed at that.

Jason couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the sound

“So…still want me to leave?” She asked.

And this time, she would if that’s really what he wanted.

“Fuck no,” Jason answered, almost threateningly.

Then, for good measure, he picked her up by the back of her thighs and carried her to the couch, before he started to kiss her once again.

Y/N knew things weren’t always going to be this simple.

Jason had his demons. 

And honestly, so did she. They were nothing like his. And maybe they were silly in comparison. But she wouldn’t be the perfect partner. Just like he wouldn’t be. 

They’d drive each other crazy. But it would be the good kind of crazy.

------------------------------

+ Childhood

[ragingbookdragon]

Hell In A Cell

Batsis x Batfamily One-Shot

Word Count: 2K Warnings: Explicit Language and Violence

Author's Note: I can't believe I haven't put this one back up yet. Nothing's more fun than WWE references when you're kicking ass, ya feel? -Thorne

They could feel her eyes on them as they stared at their hands, too afraid to meet her gaze. Dick suddenly found the beds of his nails interesting, Jason and Tim kept looking at the steel seats they were sitting on, and Damian just turned towards the front. She sat opposite of them, on the bench against the other wall, leaning forward, her elbows on her knees. The last time any of them had looked, she had her fingers intertwined and pressed against her lips, her eyes cold and infuriated. After a few moments, Dick gathered the courage to look up from his nails and glanced at her.

He gave a fearful smile and asked, “Uh…sis? Are you still…mad?” Her eyes drifted to his and he visibly flinched from her gaze.

She tipped her mouth away from her fingers and seethed, “Mad is the smallest word for what I am right now.” The others flinched at her fury and looked up, taking in the image of their angered sister.

“It wasn’t that bad (Y/N). We’re just…detained…” Jason’s words died as (Y/N) turned her eyes to him.

“I told you four chuckleheads that the property we were on was protected, but nooooo, ‘we’ll just be in there for five minutes. No one is going to find out’.” She growled as she stood, flinging her arms out to gesture around them.

“Well guess what?! Someone found out! And now we’re stuck in a goddamn jail cell at GCPD, waiting for dad to come bail us out!” Each of their necks disappeared into their shoulders.

Tim spoke quietly. “At least none of us got hurt.”

“It doesn’t matter if none of us got hurt! This is going to be all over the news tomorrow! ‘Billionaire Bruce Wayne’s kids found trespassing on personal property’.” She looked at them as she snapped, “Do you have any idea what this is going to do to our reputations?!”

She turned to Tim. “What this can and will do to the company and future deals?!” (Y/N) sat back down and dropped her head into her hands. “We’ll be lucky to come out of this unscathed.” She groaned loudly and rubbed her face with her hands, sighing tiredly, “Dad’s going to be so pissed when he gets here.”

“Father will not be angry at us sister. He will understand what we were doing.”

(Y/N) let out another heavy sigh and from behind her hands, she muttered, “Oh, he’s going to be angry. He’s going to blow a gasket he’s going to be so angry. I highly doubt—”

A shout from the back of the room cut her off. “Will you five shut the hell up? God, you’ve been complaining ever since you got in here.” The comments made the four boys turn their heads to a group sitting in the back.

(Y/N) pulled her head up and turned, her voice dark as she retorted, “Buddy, I’m in a less than stellar mood right now and unless you don’t want me to show you what your insides look like—I’d advise you to shut the fuck up.”

Her threat made him stand up and he started walking towards her, his group of thugs following in tow. “What did you just say to me rich-bitch? Wanna repeat that?”

When he finally stopped walking, he was right in front of her, and she could see her brothers beginning to rise from their seats for a quick defense. She raised a few fingers in their direction, telling them to wait.

(Y/N) looked up at him as she rose from her seat, coming nose to nose with him. She pulled the most intimidating face she could muster and repeated, “I said, unless you want me to show you what your insides look like…shut the fuck up.”

The man turned to his friends and started laughing, causing them to follow in suit, then he turned back to her. “I don’t think you understand the position you’re in sweetheart.” He motioned to his friends. “We’re in Two-Face’s gang.” He motioned to a group in the corner. “And those clowns work for Joker.”

He turned back to her and reached out, shoving her shoulder. “You’re locked in here with us. Imagine what we’ll do to five rich kids that don’t have any bodyguards to protect ‘em.” The others laughed, and (Y/N) shot a quick glance to her brothers along with a nod before looking back at the man and letting out a dark chuckle. A feeling of apprehension came over them as they stopped laughing.

She flashed him an unsettling grin and leaned forward, whispering, “No pal, I don’t think you understand. We aren’t locked in here with you.” Her brothers rose, moving to her sides and she leaned back. “You’re locked in here with us.”

The man’s eyes widened, and she jerked forward to grab the back of his neck and slammed his head into the seat she’d previously been sitting on. He dropped and the cell went dead silent.

The gang members in the back had stood up, and (Y/N) looked at the ones in front of her. “Who’s next?” No one moved an inch, and she tipped her head side-to-side. “C’mon jackasses, we’re gonna be here all night. We might as well get this over with.”

The gang members looked at each other before nodding and they turned to her and her brothers. “You’re so going to regret that.”

(Y/N) tipped her head and gave a quick glance to her brothers, grinning evilly. “Whoever knocks out the most thugs gets to come with me to Tokyo next week.” They matched her grins and they got into fighting stances.

She turned back to the group and taunted, “Let’s dance.”

***

They all collapsed onto the metal benches, sweating and bleeding; (Y/N) glanced at Dick who was holding the collar of his shirt to his busted lip. “You good Dickie?”

He looked at her and tossed her a thumbs up, and she turned to Jason. “How’s the nose?” He grunted and held his nose before sucking in a breath and shoving it back into place with a sickening crunch. The others winced at the sound, and Jason let go of his nose, slamming his head back into the wall a few times.

“I’ll take it that you’re better now?” He raised a few fingers and she reached down, tearing a piece of one of the unconscious gang-member’s shirts and tossing it to Tim. “Put that on your eyebrow Timmy.” He caught it and raised it to his left eyebrow that had been spilt open.

He nodded at her and she finally looked at Damian who was continually spitting blood on the floor. “You alright Dami?”

He spat once more and looked at her. “I got a tooth knocked out.”

The others turned to him and leaned forward, trying to see. “Lemme see!”

He opened his mouth, pointing to a tooth in the bottom left of his mouth. “It was a baby tooth, so there’s no problem.”

Jason snorted, but immediately regretted it as he reached up to hold his nose; he turned to Damian. “You’re thirteen and you still have baby-teeth?” Damian’s retort was cut off by a tennis shoe whacking Jason in the head, and they turned to see (Y/N) reclining against the wall.

“Jason don’t be a douchebag.” He grumbled at her and rubbed the side of his head, but conceded, and silence filled the cell once again.

After a few moments, the sound of footsteps came from down the hall and they all turned their heads to see their father, Alfred, and Gordon staring at them in shock. They flashed sheepish smiles, and (Y/N) waved a hand. “Hey dad, hey Alfie…hey Commissioner Gordon.”

“What in God’s name happened here?!”

(Y/N) looked around at the ground littered with unconscious gangmembers and turned back, grinning. “Uh…they got their asses kicked six ways from Sunday.”

“Why?!”

“Well, first they insulted us, and secondly, they put their hands on us. So technically, we were well within our rights to whoop ass.”

Her father glared at her and rebuked angrily. “(Y/N) Wayne, not another word.” She gave him a mock salute and shut her mouth; Bruce turned to Gordon and began discussing something, and a few minutes later, her and her family were walking out to the waiting car.

They all climbed in and waited for Bruce to start yelling at them; no words came from him, but they could tell he was seething with rage. A few moments went by and they pulled into an abandoned parking lot.

Bruce turned around and let them all have it. “You’re all off patrol for two months. Reason number one, the trespassing. Reason number two, the Hell in a Cell you five had.” He paused and threw his hands in the air. “What the hell were you five thinking?”

They all looked at (Y/N) who rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Yeah sure, look at the oldest and expect her to explain.” They giggled at her and she turned to her dad. “First and foremost, I can’t believe you just used a WWE term. Secondly, they were thugs, and we were attacked. So, by default, we just responded naturally.”

“And breaking skulls and bones is natural?”

“Is that a legit question?”

“Don’t make me ground you, young lady.”

(Y/N) grunted at him. “I’m twenty-six. You can’t ground me. I don’t even live at home.”

The others watched them bicker until Bruce raised a hand. “Enough. We’ll discuss this at home.”

“Again, I don’t live with you. I live on my own.”

“(Y/N) Wayne.”

“Alright…whatever.” He turned back around and nodded to Alfred, and the car began moving once more.

After a few minutes of silence, Jason cleared his throat and nonchalantly mumbled, “Not that it’s super important right now…but I get to go to Tokyo with you next week.”

“The hell you do! I knocked out the most thugs!”

“No, you didn’t replacement. I did.”

“Neither of you Robin failures completed the challenge correctly. I won it.”

“Not to be rude little D, but you would be incorrect. I won the challenge.”

“Ain’t nobody asked you Dickhead.” This spurred an even bigger fight as the four of them began to bicker in the backseat, and (Y/N) groaned, leaning forward and rested her chin on Bruce’s shoulder.

His head tipped downwards, and he eyed her. “What’s wrong with you?”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and mumbled, “I gotta them all to Tokyo next week because we aren’t going to be able to figure out who knocked out the most.”

Bruce sighed, but a small grin crossed his lips, and after a few seconds he murmured, “You won the most knocked out, didn’t you?”

“Oh totally.”

“That’s my badass daughter.”

“Hell yeah.”

“Master Bruce! Ms. (Y/N)! Your language!”

They both glanced at Alfred and said, “Sorry Alfred.” They looked back at each other before sharing a smile, then the sound of flying fists reached their ears and they both sighed. Then,

“OW THAT WAS MY NOSE!”

“AND THAT WAS MY LIP!”

“OW YOU LITTLE SPAWN! THAT’S MY ARM YOU’RE BITING!”

(Y/N) glanced over her shoulder and looked at her fighting brothers: Jason had Dick in a headlock while giving him a noogie, and Tim was trying to remove Damian’s teeth from his forearm. She turned back around and looked at Alfred and her dad.

“Do you guys wanna come with me instead of them?”

Bruce eyed her with an eyebrow raised. “Do you really think leaving the city to the four of them is a good idea?”

(Y/N) thought for a moment before muttering, “I mean it’s not a great idea, but it’s an idea nonetheless.”

“One that’s bound to end up in a city on fire.”

“…Yeah you got me there.” She paused a slight second before affirming, “But the offer still stands.”

“No (Y/N).”

“But I don’t want to take them with me.”

“Too bad.”

“Fuck my life.”

“MS. (Y/N)! LANGUAGE!”

[peterxwade24]

Safety Found in Red Sleeves

Chapter 8 (for real this time)

Okay. So, Bicho is Spanish for male bug while Principito is Spanish for Little Prince.

Enjoy!

With Lila’s blood-curdling scream, however, came Signal, or as Gotham had taken to calling the yellow clad boy, the Daytime Bat. Signal appeared a few minutes after Lila pretended to faint, tucking his grappling hook and batarang back into his utility belt upon seeing both Dick and Jason before he looked at where everyone else was looking, and seeing who he could only assume was the girl most of the Rouge gallery called “Hatter’s Girl”. He frowned, although no one could see it, as he suddenly realized how young the girl looked. He had always assumed (read: Bruce had lead him to believe) that “Hatter’s Girl” was what the Rogue gallery called Hatter’s squeeze, but from the way Scarecrow and The Riddler were allowing the girl to cling to them he could only assume it was more a note of paternal obligation than damnation of the girl.

Duke made eye contact with Jason, or as close to eye contact as he could make while wearing his helmet. Jason’s face was soft, his disbelief evident for everyone to see.

Duke was confused, he had never seen Jason look like this before and Dick seemed to be just as lost as he was. He glanced at the oldest Wayne child and saw his confusion was plain to see. “Is everything alright here?”

Alya turned to look at the yellow clad meta vigilante with a scandalized expression. “That girl is conspiring with villains!”

Duke frowned. “Ma’am, I mean no disrespect but what evidence do you have?”

-*-*-*

Stompp, Sass, Trixx, Wayzz, Tikki, and Plagg were all hiding in Chloé’s purse, knowing they couldn’t be with their chosen had most of them upset.

Plagg, who has nearly always been separated from his holders in the past, seemed to be dealing with it the best while Tikki, whose holders have always been permitted to keep her close, however, wasn’t faring very well. Stompp, whose holders were almost never permanent, was simply lounging against Plagg while Trixx relaxed into the side of the purse closest to Chloé. Sass and Wayzz were attempting to placate Tikki while sharing looks filled with disbelief.

“Tikki. Your kid is a Guardian. You’re not being renounced. He just can’t keep you on him right now.” Sass began. “Trixx’s kit would never take you away from your bug, Plagg’s kitten wouldn’t take you away from your bug.”

“Tikki, take deep breaths. Remember why we’re all in Trixx’s kit’s purse?”

“...to keep warm?”

“Why do we need to keep warm?” Wayzz prodded.

“...because Gotham is unusually cold.” Tikki continued.

“Do you want to be alone in your bug’s fanny pack right now?”

Tikki looked down. “No.”

“Okay. Now go cuddle with Plagg or Trixx to keep warm.” Wayzz sighed as the older being slunk away to curl into her other half’s side. They turned to look at Sass and the two beings shrugged at the way their friend was reacting. “She’s going to be a handful, isn’t she?”

“I’m afraid so my friend, I’m afraid so.”

-*-*-*

Thana turned her head to look at the meta vigilante, recognizing the vigilante as Signal. She looked him over, realizing that the hero in front of her had to be one of Batman’s newest additions, she knew he wasn’t Damian or Jason because Jason was still in the group behind her and Signal appeared to be much too old to be Damian. She decided, based on how his eyes kept flicking from her to the duo hugging her and back before his eyes sought out their tour guide and bodyguard. Nodding to herself, deciding the civilian identity for Signal had to be Duke Thomas, she turned in her uncles’ grasp to face the vigilante and waited for his attention to return to her.

She offered the hero a smile when his attention was back on her. “Excuse me Mr. Signal?” She glanced at her Uncle Ed to confirm that was the hero’s name, before looking at the vigilante clad in bright yellow. “I didn’t realize hugging your uncles you hadn’t seen in person in years was illegal.” She dropped the Parisian accent while talking to the vigilante, letting her Crime Alley accent wrap around the words. “I was stolen off the streets by the GCPD when I was nine and this is the first time I’ve seen them in person since then.”

Signal seemed to nod understandingly while Alya seethed on his other side.

“Yeah right. Those two are probably your suga-” Alya was suddenly cut off by Nino’s glare. Nino could only take so much of his one-time crush’s whining before he got tired of hearing her voice.

“This is my Uncle Ed and my Uncle Jon, Césaire. They have been huge parts of my life since I was forced from my home after my mother died.” Thana’s voice grew hard and her Parisian friends knew that she hated having to speak about her past.

Alya’s face paled slightly, not having known the girl had been left without a mother.

Thana focused only on the vigilante, knowing if she looked to her friends she would lose her nerve. “I am sorry to interrupt your patrol, I know how you Bats love your city.”

Signal nodded and turned back to the French group. “There’s nothing wrong here. Continue on with your tour.” He nodded and pulled out his grappling hook. He shot the hook in the other direction and was essentially just a yellow blur on the horizon.

Thana returned to her uncles’ embrace.

---

Ed and Jon decided that they were going to tag along with the tour, one on each side of Thana because her dad was still out there and they didn’t currently have eyes on him.

Their tour guide seemed to just roll with it, allowing the two to join them as they continued to walk around Gotham proper.

Alya was stuck carrying Lila around for a while, grumbling under her breath about how “it wasn’t fair that Marinette got to stay attached to her dumb sugar daddies”.

A majority of the class walked closer to their tour guide, noticing the worried looks the Gothamites kept shooting their group as they walked with Ed and Jon, because those are the names they were introduced with and they just didn’t know if they would trust these men. On the other hand, Thana’s friends, who had all at least talked to the duo before, seemed to orbit around Thana and her two uncles. Jason, who continued to stick to the back of the group, couldn’t help but overhear the conversation that was going on between the group right in front of him.

“So, you’re the hooligans who’ve been keeping our niece out of trouble.” Ed began, glancing at Jon over Thana’s head to shoot his lover a smile.

“How have you been keeping our niece out of trouble?” Jon continued, his voice seeming to soothe Thana in ways Thana’s friends had never been able to.

“Mèo con? It’s just a matter of us not giving her any time to get in trouble.” Kim smiled and reached over to ruffle Thana’s hair.

Nino smiled, watching as two of his three childhood friends interacted. “Chloé and I keep those two out of trouble.” He shrugged and linked his arm with Chloé’s. “It’s nice to properly meet two of Alqamar’s uncles.”

“Do you think we could slip use our free time for a real tour? An in depth tour?” Thana glanced at her friends, a worried smile on her face. “I mean, only if you all want to.”

Thana’s friends shared a look, Chloé shooting Alix a subtle glare when it looked like the pinkette was going to be unkind, before all five of them turned back to Thana. “Sure. As long as your uncles accompany us.”

Thana brightened, her blue grey eyes seeming to come alive with every moment. “Okay.” She nodded and threw her arms around her friends before pulling away and rejoining her uncles.

---

Mlle. Bustier sighed, the class all seemed to be impatiently waiting for her to release them to go about their free time. She nodded and waved towards the door. “Just go.”

Thana grabbed Kim’s hand, not looking as he grabbed Nino’s, Nino grabbed Chloé’s, Chloé grabbed Adrien’s and Adrien grabbed Alix’s, before pulling her friends out of the hotel, glancing up at the side of the hotel before freezing. She finally took in the bullets on the side of the building, her eyes landing on the pair of bullets, a little J hidden in the corner of one with the other having a little T hidden in its corner. She reached her hand up to them before shaking her head and focusing back on her mission.

She led her friends down alleyways and across streets, steering clear of anywhere she knew her father was ought to frequent, before she pulled them to a stop in front of the Iceberg Lounge.

“Okay. So, technically, none of us are old enough to go in but Uncle Ozzy won’t care as long as we’re wearing red sleeves.” She turned to her friends, who all seemed skeptical.

“Are you sure this is a good idea Chatte?” Adrien asked, his tone gentle as though he was afraid she’d react badly.

“I promise Bicho.” Thana smiled reassuringly at her friends before she turned and pushed open the door. “Uncle Ozzy! I’m home!”

-*-*-*

Jason looked at the newest bat, knowing he hadn’t been at the press conference because he’d be patrolling so he didn’t know about Bruce’s proclamation. Jason glanced at his older brother, who shrugged at him when blue met blue-green, before turning back to the scene in front of him. He watched as his little sister when did she stop being so little handled the situation with a grace that he’d remembered from their time together on the streets.

He’d have to clue the newest bat into Bruce’s proclamation. He’d get his number from Dick after they dropped the class off back at the hotel.

---

Jason watched the class out of the corner of his eye (and the window into the lobby) as he and Dick walked back to his apartment. “Hey Dickiebird? Do you have Duke’s phone number?”

Dick pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts before landing on the right one. “Yeah. You want it or do you want me to arrange a meeting?”

“I doubt he’ll come if a strange number requests it. Could you?”

“He gets done patrolling in an hour or two. I’ll send him your address and tell him to drop by after patrol.” Dick shot Duke a text and smiled before bumping shoulders with Jason. “She was like a mini female you. A spit fire with a heart of gold.”

Jason shrugged. “Let’s just hurry. Kutlat Saghira gets irritable when we’re apart for too long.”

---

Jason sat on the couch in his living room, Damian firmly seated on his lap and refusing to move, waiting for Duke to knock on his door. Tim, Steph and Cass were standing in his kitchen recreating a Vine on Tim’s Tik Tok account. Dick and Wally sat on the loveseat, Mar’i, Iris and Jai sat on the floor colouring in a colouring book on the coffee table.

A knock sounded on the door, causing Dick to stand to get it because Damian refused to let Jason up.

Dick opened the door, a gentle smile on his face. “Hey Duke.”

“Hey, uh, Dick. What’s up?” Duke nervously rubbed the back of his neck, his smile seeming just a little forced until he looked into the kitchen and saw the three recreating a Vine. “So this is where you all have been hiding.”

“Not, not exactly.” Dick responded, moving out of the way to allow the younger man entry. “So, do you remember Bruce saying he was putting together a press conference?”

“Vaguely.” Duke walked into the apartment, noticing the collection of shoes to the left of the door and toeing off his shoes without much thought to it, before noticing all of the people in the living room. “Hello?”

“Hi.” Jason called, his voice even tempo’d so as to continue to soothe the boy in his lap. “I’m Jason, I was the second Robin.”

Duke startled at seeing the man, looking at the other man in the room as he casually referred to himself as “the second Robin”. With wide eyes he looked at Jason and mouthed “does he know”.

“That’s Wally West. Formally Kid Flash, part time Flash.” Jason smiled, a slow lazy smile that only being surrounded by his family brought out in him. Tim, followed by Steph and Cass, vaulted over the back of the couch and settled around Jason, with Cass ending up sprawled across Tim and Steph’s laps. “He knows.”

Duke nodded, drifting to the chair sat across from the couch. “Of course.” He paused a moment, taking in how everyone was sitting. Dick, at some point, had reclaimed his spot beside Wally. Mar’i settled on the arm of the loveseat beside her father, her hands clinging to both her father and her Aunt Cass (who had held her hand out to her niece upon noticing her intended location), while Iris sat between Dick and Wally and Jai sat on Wally’s lap. “So, what’s up?”

Steph looked at her little brother, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Bruce said some things after the press conference. About how ‘no child of his would associate with a child of a rogue’ because Jace’s little sister is the daughter of the Mad Hatter-”

Duke lit up, his warm brown eyes locked on Jason’s face. “That was your sister?” He let out a silent laugh. “Oh my Amazon. She was so cool.”

Jason nodded, taking in the way Duke seemed to be admiring his sister. “She was always diplomatic when we ran into anyone on the streets. It’s part of the reason why any kid wearing red sleeves is allowed into the Iceberg Lounge and inside Robinson Park’s limits.”

“Oh. Okay. I think I remember seeing her on the streets a couple times when we were younger.”

Jason just shrugged. “Probably.” He looked down after Damian poked him, only to find a pair of green eyes locked on his face with a barely there “hm” the only indication that Damian wants introduced. “This rascal here is Damian al Ghul-Todd. Around here he gets called Kutlat Saghira, Little Nuget or Principito.”

“Hello Damian. I’m Duke, I’m,” Duke looked at the gathered Waynes, looking for visual cues, before looking back at Damian, “your uncle.”

---

Jason was startled awake by a loud knock on his living room window. He glanced down at the bed, seeing all of his younger siblings as well as his son were in the bed, before slowly and gently moving Damian into Cass’s grasp. He slowly slid out of the bed, shoving his feet into a pair of newly acquired slippers, before padding into the living room and moving the curtain to reveal that Batman was knocking on his window. He propped open the window with a curt call of “what do you want Bruce?”

“It wasn’t enough to steal all of my other children, you had to steal Duke too?”

“It is not my fault he was operating under the assumption that you would be there for him through anything. We simply told him the truth.” Jason crossed his arms over his chest, his blue-green eyes looking more and more green as the older man continued to piss him off. “Duke deserved the truth. Besides, I’m pretty much sure I told you to forget my address after you passed it on to Alfred.”

“That is beside the point.” Bruce looked as though he was going to continue before the tip of a Wakizachi was pointed at his jugular notch.

“You are angering my Baba. Leave.” Damian, who even in his half asleep state was protective of those he called his, stared up at the man who fathered him.

Bruce fled with his figurative tail between his legs, deciding he would have to reclaim his children in another manner.

Taglist:

@southamericangothamite @maribat-is-lifeblood @mystery-5-5 @our-preciousss @mochegato @chocolatecatstheron @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @2confused-2doanything @wannajointhecrabcult @dreamykitty25 @tomanyfandomsonmymind @moonlightstar64 @justafanwarrior @mialuvscats @pheony1882 @pepelachanel @moongoddesskiana @abrx2002 @ladybug-182 @greatcatblaze @thatonecroc @vixen-uchiha @superbwhispersconnoisseur @sauseyyy @susiej1118  @bluesimani @thatonecroc

[hellsbellssinclub]

Can You See Me Now? Chapter 1

This is my newest Batman fic.

Summary:

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

After some nudging from Spoiler and Batgirl, Tim seeks out the Red Hood to ask the older teen for permission into his territory to follow up a lead. It was a small, innocent action but it was the starting point for both Tim and Jason to get to know each other.

But things are never as they seem and things always get better before they get worst.

Read it here on AO3

(Sorry to mobile users, the read more I put on the post does not seem to be working on the app)

“Look, I’m just saying that there is probably more to everything than what Batman told you. Maybe the now not dead Robin isn’t as bad as you think.” The young woman in the eggplant purple suit said for the seventh time in the last fifteen minutes.

“And I am telling you he broke into Titan Tower and beat me with my own bow staff, Spoiler.” Tim sighed, looking over at his Ex, feeling the dull burn of his broken ribs as he breathed in deep. “I know that Batman isn’t telling me everything about what happened. Neither is Nightwing or Agent A. I am in the dark as much as you. But really, I think there might just be a chance that he holds a teeny tiny little grudge against me.”

Steph shook her head at him. “I know he beat you and I know something went down with the Joker but!” She held up her hand to stop him from saying anything over her. “I have looked into every kill and action he has made. From start to finish. While he has been incredibly violent, and well, bloody and stuff, he has not killed an innocent person. Everyone he killed were violent drug dealers and pimps who were hurting the working girls. Crime has gone down in his territory in the last month.”

Tim gave her a pained look. He knew that Jason Todd as the Red Hood was technically doing a lot of good for Crime Alley, a place that has not had a stable crime lord or hand controlling it since Bruce was still a kid. And with Bruce’s own personal dislike of the area because of what happened to his parents and the GCPD’s unwillingness to investigate anything that happens there, Crime Alley often went unchecked and unnoticed by everyone. The Red Hood had strict rules he was willing to enforce and from what Tim had managed to overhear so far, the people who lived in Crime Alley felt a lot safer with the Red Hood around.

But that still does not change the fact that Jason was completely unstable and willing to murder nearly everyone who got in his way. The former Robin was willing to take that extra step to make his point. There had already been at least fifteen cases of torture reported to the GCPD that they know about.

(Though most of those cases were of convicted paedophiles and child molesters and honestly, Tim could not really fault the former Robin for what he did there; he too occasionally got the urge to do horrible things to predators as well, though he himself never acted on it.)

Red Hood’s official death toll was almost at sixty with the possibility of the GCPD finding more bodies every day. Crime Alley might be safer for the people who live there, but that safety was brought with blood and death caused by Jason’s hands. It was not the kind of safety that would last long. Not in Gotham anyway.

At least Jason’s vendetta against the Bat’s had died down though after whatever happened with the Joker that night nearly a month and a half ago. Bruce was not willing to share what had happened and the older man deleted the Cowl Cam footage before anyone else had a chance to see it. The Joker still lived, which was unfortunate in his own personal opinion. Yes, Tim fully believed in Bruce’s ‘save everyone you can’ view of the world but if he was to be honest, Tim would not grieve if the Joker was to be violently murdered by someone. Because really, that cockroach needed to die and just be stopped permanently.

“While I do agree that the whole, you know, serial killer-antihero thing is working in Crime Alley, it still doesn’t change the fact that he beat me up and tried to kill B and N. I really don’t think he wants me to come into his territory and act like we are friends or something.” Tim kicked a stone off the ledge they were standing on. Yes, he was still holding a grudge. But who could blame him really? He got beaten up by his predecessor while said predecessor wore an absolutely horrid copy of the original, green panties, Robin suit.

“I’m not saying go out and act like his friend, Robin!” Steph waved her hands again. “I am saying maybe you could extend the olive branch to him? Because from what you have told me, the guy was murdered in a pretty traumatic way, woke up in his own grave, dug his way out and then was more or less prisoner of those crazy assassin dudes who are obsessed with immortality? Maybe if you and the other Bat’s give him a chance to talk and stuff without the Joker and explosives involved you could actually get through to him. Everything that he has done to you guys, have you considered perhaps it was a cry for help?”

Tim sighed. “When you put it like that you make us sound like a bunch of dicks you know.” He shook his head and slumped his shoulders. She was right. But only to a point. Jason’s actions at the Tower and his anger at the Bats could be seen as a cry for help, especially given what they did know about the trauma that Jason went through. “But it still doesn’t take away the point that he attacked me and the others and while he hasn’t made another attempt against me, he has fought B and Nightwing recently.”

“He probably fought them because they were the ones who entered his territory.” Steph pointed out. That was also true, if Jason had come into his territory he probably would have attacked the older teen without a second thought. He could see the former Robin doing the same if Bruce and Dick tried to enter Crime Alley. “I get it Tim, I really do. He hurt you and that sucks ass. I am not saying that you have to forgive him or anything. I am just saying maybe extend the olive branch to him. You were saying before that one the leads in one of your cases, the one with the underground alien tech, was in Crime Alley, right? Let him know that you are following up on a lead and that you will not cause any trouble for him.”

He gave a low hum of thought at that. Tim’s original plan for that case was to go out in the day, skipping his afternoon study hall at school and going to look for the tech without his gear. It would have been risky but there would have been a better chance that he would not run into the Red Hood. There also would have been a greater chance that he would have been mugged because he looks like a rich white boy with money (which you know, he is), but Tim was confident he could have taken on anyone who attacked him.

But going and asking for permission? Tim had not even considered that an option at all. And honestly, why would he? Jason Todd had made it clear that he hated his ‘Replacement’ and that he wanted nothing to do with the Bats and Birds of Gotham. How would the older teen react? He wondered. Would he attack Tim? Or would he let him pass?

“Hey, if you don’t feel that you can be near him with without him attacking you then you should just bring Batgirl with you.” Steph grinned at him behind her Spoiler mask. Smiling always looked so strange behind her mask but one can definitely see the outline of it. Tim could not help but roll his eyes at her words though.

“I am not bringing Batgirl with me like some kind of bodyguard. I am a grown ass vigilante, I don’t need a bodyguard.” He wasn’t pouting. He wasn’t. He was nearly fifteen, he could take care of himself without Batgirl babysitting him.

“Oh, come on! Batgirl wouldn’t mind! Would you, Batgirl?” Steph looked over his shoulder, causing him to spin around and glare at Cassandra, who was standing a few feet away. He had not noticed at all that she was there and there was a small shock of panic and fear that went through him at that thought. He hates it when people manage to get the drop on him. Cass was the second best in the Bat family at sneaking up on people, right after Bruce.

“We need to put a bell on you before you give me a heart attack.” Tim groaned out, covering his face for a moment. At least Cass never went out of her way to purposely scare him, unlike Nightwing had when Tim was first starting out as Robin. His situational awareness has improved since he was twelve, thank god, and Nightwing was now not able to jump out of the celling and scare him anymore.

Cass gave him a small snort. “Am not Catwoman. Don’t need a bell.” The smirk looked as strange behind Batgirl’s mask as it did Spoiler’s. “I would be happy to bodyguard for you.”

Tim rolled his eyes behind his domino mask. Steph and Cass becoming friends was a horrible idea. He never should have encouraged it. They were both terrible together. Steph always had something to say or do and Cass was always happy to follow her new friend around, enjoying being a teenager like she should. Steph encouraged Cass to step outside her comfort zone and explore being a teen and Cass was willing to do most of the things that Steph suggested.

They were good for each other. But not good for his sanity, seeing as they roped him into following whatever crazy stunt they had planned.

“I don’t need a bodyguard.” He whined at them both. He didn’t need Cass to hold his hand. He could talk to Jason. And if he gets his ass kicked then he could just blame Steph for the idea and spend a week with the Titans licking his wounds.

Not literally. That would be gross. Why is that phrase even a thing?

“Am bodyguard now. No take backs.” Cass nodded, sounding pleased with herself and he groaned in annoyance. He doesn’t need Cass babying him. He is Robin! Terror of the Night and Batman’s partner. He hated being babied by Cass and Dick. They always pulled the ‘I am the older sibling and you are the baby of the family’ card on him. He can’t wait until he could be the big brother. One day he will give the Robin suit up and then he can be the one babying someone else. “Why is a bodyguard needed?” Cass asked, moving to stand next to Steph.

Before Tim had a chance to say anything, his purple menace of an Ex-Girlfriend spoke. “Tim is going to go and ask the Red Hood if he could go into Crime Alley. We need you to bodyguard him because we don’t know if the Red Hood is going to beat Tim up again or not.”

Tim shook his head. “Names, Spoiler. No names on the field.” He reminded her, closing his eyes in annoyance. Steph was bad when it came to remembering the ‘no names on the field’ rule now that she knows his name. If he didn’t know better he would say that she is doing it out of spite because he didn’t tell her it himself.

And Cass was either going to be all for being Tim’s bodyguard or she is going to be against it and honestly, he wasn’t sure which one he preferred.

On one hand, there are a lot of advantages to having Cass actually guard him while he spoke to Jason. Mostly all of them were that she could kick Jason’s ass. It wouldn’t matter how skilled Jason now is, Cass would win.

On the other hand, if she is against it she could go and tell Bruce which would end up with him benched and on the receiving end of a cold shoulder and disappointed glare for the next month or so. And he would probably have several new trackers placed on his person without his consent. Because B can occasionally forget to use his words and just say ‘I am worried about you, please be safe’ out loud.

Mind you, Bruce is still a lot better at emotions than Jack Drake. Tim’s father only really did emotions in small, but over whelming bursts. Which means Tim usually gets a weekend or two of father-son like interactions and then it is several weeks of ‘we exist in the same house but are mostly strangers to each other’. Which is always fun.

Cass said nothing for a few moments, her head tilting to the side slightly as she no doubt read Tim’s body language and seeing his hesitance and his inner monologue. “What’s in Crime Alley?” She asked finally.

“A lead to one of my cases. The alien tech one that I have been working solo on.” Tim explained. Cass had not yet said yes or no and he was still very much undecided on which way he wanted her to choose.

“Come on! Big bad Batgirl can definitely take on the Red Hood if he tries to hurt our Baby Bird!” Steph wrapped an arm around Cass’s shoulders. “And you guys can extend an olive branch to the guy by being nice and you know, asking to be let into his territory.”

Cass hummed, which once again was not a yes or a no. She gently shook off Steph’s arm and looked at both Tim and Steph. “Why extend the olive branch?” She asked. “He is a murderer. He kills people and makes Batman sad, here.” She pointed to her chest, right above her heart.

Whelp, that’s an understatement. Anything to do with Jason Todd hurt Bruce. When Tim was first starting out as Robin he could barely mention Jason’s name without Bruce completely shutting down. It had gotten better over the years. Sometimes Bruce would mention Jason in passing or would say something about how the young boy used to be. But now that it was known that the Red Hood is Jason Todd, things have gone back to the way they were at the start and Tim did not know what to do other than avoid mentioning Jason or the Red Hood all together.

“Spoiler believes that there is more to the story than what B has said and that there we should hear Hood out and let him tell his side of the story.” Tim explained with another sigh. He wondered how many times he was going to end up sighing in this conversation and thought to himself that perhaps he should stop doing so already because ow, his ribs do not like it when he sighs at all. “She also believes there is a chance that his behaviour and actions could have been a cry for help and that we should perhaps try and talk to him instead of you know, fighting at any given chance.”

“Yep! That is some good summary skills there, Ex-Boyfriend of mine.” Steph nodded and looked at Cass expectedly. The mask made it impossible to tell what Cass was thinking. Not that it was easy for him to read Cassandra without the mask but it was slightly easier without the frankly unsettling mask staring at you in the eyes.

There is a good reason as to why he would never go for a full-face mask when he finally is ready to let go of being Robin. And that reason is that is that he is more than likely going to see his mask in the reflection of a window or something and then forget that it is his mask and then scream in fear. Which you know, would ruin the whole serious vigilante look he would be hoping for.

Thus, he will probably only stick to a domino. Or a cowl. But a cowl is slightly too Batman like and Tim did not want to be Batman. He would have to think on this more in-depth later.

“Cry for help?” Cass tilted her head again. “You believe that the killing is his way of crying for help?” If anyone else had said that, Tim would believe that they were being dismissive or sarcastic. But Cass just sounded curious.

“Well, yeah.” Steph waved her hands carelessly as she began to explain. “I met him a few times back when he was Robin. He was a great guy. He was kind. Sure, he was a little bit rougher than Nightwing was when dealing with scumbags and stuff but he always stuck around to make sure that the victims were okay. All of his interactions with you Bats so far look like lashing out and cries for help if you ask me. I mean, he dressed up in a frankly fucked up Robin costume and beat up Tim. He was apparently angry that there wasn’t a statue of him in the Tower like there was for all the other dead heroes and whatever the hell happened with the Joker and Batman was well…” She trailed off.

Tim shrugged. “No one knows what the hell happened with those three.” And it wasn’t from lack of trying to find out either. Bruce was tight lipped about the whole thing and the Joker apparently only laughed when he was asked what happened. Tim suspected that Alfred knew what went down because the older man had been very stiff and cold towards Bruce for several weeks and has only just started to warm back up to him again.

“You think that we should reach out to him?” Cass asked. “Show him we can offer help?”

Steph nodded enthusiastically at Cass’s attempt to clarify what they were telling her.

“I do think that! And I think that Wonder Boy here is the best person to do it.” She gently punched Tim’s shoulder as she said this, making him rock back a little close to the edge. Steph may not be a meta but her punches, gentle or not, were stronger than she realised.

“Why can’t you do it? He hates me.” Tim pointed out. He really did not understand why she wanted him to do this. Yes, getting permission from the Red Hood could open up a professional relationship between them where they could actively avoid each other unless they needed to do something in the other’s territory. And yes, he could definitely see Steph’s point about how Jason’s actions did seem like a huge cry for help.

But Tim has already been beaten once by Jason and he honestly did not want to have another round with the older teen. The fight between them showed Tim just how much he was lacking in his training and he could not help but feel a deep, festering bitterness that he would never be as good as Jason was. As good as Dick was. It was a bitterness he was trying to push away and forget about but it never seemed to go away.

Tim didn’t want to offer the older teen help and then accidentally drive him away because he could not get a hold of his own mental health issues. Issues that he needed to actually address sometime soon, least he turn into Bruce. Or a supervillain. Either one would be bad for his health in the long run.

Steph punched his shoulder again, this time harder; causing him to wince because ow, why, that hurts. “Because Boy Blunder, you don’t have any history at all with him. Except for, you know, him beating you. And you are more than likely a trigger for him because you are now Robin. But still, you at least don’t have a history like Batman and Nightwing do. And he knows nothing about you as a person! He probably only knows what he has read about you from the assassins he was with!”

“All the more reason why you should talk to him and not me! You are a stranger to him, not me! Spoiler is new and not actually connected to Batman and Robin. And if you haven’t noticed I am Robin and something tells me he does not like that I am Robin.” Tim waved his hands in what he could best describe as ‘I am emphasizing my point and you are not listening to me’. He learnt this gesture from Steph when they first became friends and has used it a lot over the years.

“Look Tim; think about it like this. You are brutally tortured and murdered. You wake up in your own grave, dig your way out and are taken in by evil assassins. You spend who knows how long with said assassins and find out you have been replaced by a younger, better model who comes from the complete opposite background as you do. Your attempt to kill your murderer doesn’t work and your father figure is a dick. How do you feel?” Steph put her head in her hands and sighed before continuing.

“You need to be the one who talks to him because you are a Bat and someone who probably makes him feel like he was replaced by a better, richer model and that you are everything that he isn’t. If you talk to him, show him you are an actual person and not some cardboard cut-out of someone who he wasn’t, then maybe you could actually get him to talk about what happened to him and help him! Yes, I am a stranger to him and while we could get along and stuff he is going to need someone who is a Bat to speak to him at some point and…” She groaned. “I messed up my point. Tim, you are someone who is actually a part of all of this mess. I am not. Just, go and ask him for permission to enter his territory. If he says no then he says no. I will go and follow up that lead for you if that is the case. But please, try at least.”

Tim groaned again and looked over at Cass to see what she had to say about all of this.

“You,” Cass pointed at Steph. “You want Robin to talk to Red Hood. Because Red Hood is hurting. And needs help. Robin means a lot to Red Hood. It was his name, who he was before the Joker killed him. If Robin shows that he is not…” She waved her hand in a very vague but Steph like manner. “If Robin shows that he is not who Red Hood thought he was then the Red Hood will feel less like he is replaced or… unworthy? Red Hood was a good Robin. Now he is not good as the Red Hood. Bad things happened to the Red Hood, made him hard and angry. Extending olive branch might help.”

“Yes! Thank you!” Steph let out a low breath. “Why are you guys so good at summarising everything?”

“Nightwing.” Both Tim and Cass said together. Dick had a habit of not only rambling but also talking fast and without breaks. A habit of both his ADHD and from being best friends with a Speedster. Anyone who works or is with Dick for long periods of time learns how to summarise what he says.

It is a handy trick for Tim to know, seeing as he is also best friends with a Speedster and Steph has a habit of rambling herself at times.

“So…?” Steph trailed off and Tim, though he said to himself that he wasn’t going to do it because ow, sighed and completely ignored the pain in his chest.

“If Batgirl is willing to bodyguard than I will go and ask Red Hood for permission into his territory.” Tim felt slightly defeated.  He wanted to keep arguing that he really wasn’t sure that this was a good idea for either Jason or himself but at the same time he knows he would feel crap if he said no because Steph’s points were more than likely all true and-

And he did not want to be a person who ignores someone else who could be in need of help because he was selfish.

Tim has been lucky. Since becoming Robin he has had a wonderful support network that he has used a lot over the years and would never trade for anything in the world. Jason does not have that. Or at least Tim was pretty sure that Jason does not have that.

“I will bodyguard. Will only interfere if you are attacked. I will stay in the shadows and away from sight.” Cass said. “We do this tonight, on next patrol. It is late now. Time for bed soon.”

Cass was right, it was getting close to four am and Tim was due back into the Cave in less than half an hour. He was thankful that he did not have any classes until nine am because he wanted to have more than an hour sleep when he finally got back to his home.

“Oh wow. Today went quicker than expected.” Steph rocked back on her heels. “I am stuck in class tomorrow night but I expect to have at least three texts telling me how it all went from you both. Got it?”

Tim rolled his eyes but nodded. “Yes, yes. Three texts. If I get beat up you are so making me waffles.” He pulled her into a quick hug.

“Whatever, Ex-Boyfriend.” Steph pulled Cass into a hug of her own and then was grappling away with a careless wave.

“Do you think this is a good idea?” He asked Cassandra quietly now that they were alone on the ledge. Cass looked at him, the eyes on her mask stared directly into his own white out lenses.

“I think… that there is a possibility that the Red Hood is falling without a net. And that his lines may have been cut by accident. By Batman. By Robin.” She paused and looked up at the dark sky. “We can offer him a new line. And a net. Falling without a net or line… It is not good. That mindset. You feel like you are flying, until you hit the ground.”

Tim flinched at that imagery. Jason had been hurt by the Joker and whatever the hell happened with his resurrection and the League of Assassins. The trauma alone from that would be enough to make enough the sanest man go a little wonky. But whatever happened with B that night with the Joker…

Whatever happened might have taken away his line, like Cass said. But Tim was not overly convinced that this is a good idea. Cass must have read his hesitance because she spoke once more.

“He needs to see you as a person, like Spoiler said. Not just as a costume. He needs to see not Robin but you.” She gestured to his body. “When he attacked you, he was looking for reason as to why you were supposed to be better than him. He wanted to see, prove himself and you, that he was the better one. Because if he was not the better one, than him being replaced would have been a good thing.”

Tim frowned at that. He had not thought of it that way. While he could see the attack against him in the Tower as being a cry for help like Steph kept saying, he did not think to look as to the reasons why it was a cry for help. Steph and Cass both were good at getting him to take a step back and look at the full details of the bigger picture. He would certainly be lost (and probably more emotionally stunted) without them.

Tim knows that he should not use them as a crutch for explaining emotions and details that he may have missed about basic human reactions, but Tim was not ashamed to say that he did not connect with other people well and often missed simple emotional matters that should have been obvious to him. According to the internet, this was probably because he missed out on many key interactions with his parents due to them constantly traveling around the world and leaving him home with a nanny who discouraged most emotional reactions he had. Because his nanny believed that ‘boys don’t do emotions like girls and he should man up already’.

Tim really, really needed to get his mental health checked out sooner rather than later.

“Okay. Yeah, I see your point.” Tim conceded. “What about you? Are you going to try as well?”

Cass hummed and nodded after a moment. “Yes. Will try with Spoiler and Oracle. Give some space between us and you. Keep him from feeling trapped.”

He hummed in agreement and gestured to the edge that they were standing on. “I am heading back to the Cave. I take it you are going back to the Clock Tower?” He asked, feeling drained. This whole conversation and everything about it made him feel like he had fought off an energy sucking monster. He wanted to go back to the Cave, get into his own clothes and head back to his own home. Or maybe just crash at the Manor. He will see what kind of mood B was in when he got to the Cave.

“Back to Clock Tower.” Cass nodded again. “Will Comm you tonight. Find where you and Hood are. Go to bed.” She reached up and ruffled his hair fondly and then flung herself of the ledge with grace that only Nightwing could copy. He watched her grapple her way towards the Clock Tower until she was gone from his sights.

His bike was down in the alleyway below him and it would take him only a short time to get to the Cave from his location. Tomorrow, well tonight really, was going to be interesting to say the least. He would like to say that the growing pit inside his stomach was just anticipation and not the low level of fear at the thought of speaking to Jason face to face.

The Red Hood was volatile, dangerous and had a grudge against the Bats. Tim had no idea how this was going to go and it frightened him. Jason Todd could simply say yes or no. Or he could just shoot Tim in the head and Batgirl or no Batgirl there would be no stopping him if he does.

Normally, being in that kind of situation was sort of exciting. Like a free fall off the top of the Wayne Enterprises tower. It was a rush that left a bubbling feeling in his chest that just screamed ‘I am alive!’ but he did not feel that right now. He just felt a low level of fear bubbling away in his stomach, making him feel nauseous.

Jason made it clear that he did not like Tim. Did not want to be near him or see him. The beating he had taken was not the worst one he had suffered through. But it had hurt him. Hurt him badly because this was Jason Todd. Robin. The boy who Tim used to follow around with a camera around his neck hoping to see in action.

What do you say to a person that had once been one of your heroes after they beat the living shit out of you?

Tim did not want to think about it at all right now. He needed to get back to the Cave and back home before B and his dad start to worry. He would think about it before he goes onto patrol. Not now while his head was clouded. But later when he was rested and ready for the night.

[scotwresnet]

It’s time to get spooky guys! Seeing as it’s Halloween season, the one time a year where it’s alright to run around the streets dressed in all manner of costumes, WrestleZone are heading back to Aberdeen’s Kincorth Community Centre on Saturday evening as they present Halloween Hijinx. Judging by what’s been announced for the show, we’re in for a cracking night that will culminate with either a brand new Undisputed WrestleZone Champion or the end of one man’s 1,000 day undefeated streak. It’s all on the line at Halloween Hijinx.

Undisputed WrestleZone Championship Damien (c) vs Austin Osiris

It’s a match 18 months in the making as Damien and Austin Osiris once again, this time with the Undisputed WrestleZone Championship up for grabs. Since their first encounter as part of the 2018 Drew Galloway Invitational Tournament (which Damien won by technical knockout), these two have been unable to see eye to eye. Big Money has gone unpinned and unsubmitted for 997 days at the time of writing (he’s suffered losses here and there, but he’s yet to be pinned or forced to submit so it still stands). Halloween Hijinx will mark day 1,000 of his streak, a streak that Damien has vowed to bring to an end in order to remain the Undisputed Champion. The Revolutionary regained the title from RUDO Lightning at Aberdeen Anarchy, a match that Austin Osiris refereed – I use that term loosely, seeing as the undefeated lad used every trick in the book to put the match in RUDO’s favour, earning a spear from actual referee Mikey Innes for his troubles. The challenge was by made by Osiris at Battle of the Nations, and it was quickly accepted. Damien vs Austin Osiris with both the Undisputed WrestleZone Championship and the latter’s 1,000 day undefeated streak on the line. It’s all or nothing for Austin Osiris come Saturday evening.

WrestleZone Tag Team Championships – Halloween Brawl Scotty Swift & Johnny Lions (c) vs Blue Thunder & William Sterling

Another match that stems from Battle of the Nations is the Tag Team Championships match for the evening, pitting defending champions Scotty Swift and Johnny Lions against the challenging team of Blue Thunder and William Sterling. Swift and Lions were successful in their title defence that night against The Outfit, whereas Thunder and Sterling’s scheduled match with The Granite City Shotshots never really began, resulting in them inserting themselves into the #1 contenders match between The Rejected and The Foundation of the Future’s Bradley Evans and Ryan Riley. They would of course win that match, earning them the right to face The Red Haired Warrior and The Tenacious One at a later date, but William Sterling only wanted the match if it was fought under the rules of a Halloween Brawl. He’s still out for revenge following the dissolution of Sterling Oil at Aberdeen Anarchy X a little over a year ago, so what better way to gain that revenge than by not only taking the tag titles from two men that ended the group, but also end the WrestleZone career of Johnny Lions in the process? Keep in mind that whenever Swift and Lions lose the titles, that’s Johnny done with WrestleZone. He said it himself back in May. This could very well be the last we see of him up north if William Sterling has his way.

UEWA European Heavyweight Championship – Triple Threat Match Andy Wild (c) vs Jason Reed vs Alan Sterling

A rematch from Battle of the Nations will see Andy Wild, Jason Reed, and Alan Sterling collide in a Triple Threat Match, but this one won’t be for Jason’s Tri-Counties Championship. Instead, it will be Andy putting his UEWA European Heavyweight Championship on the line, a title he’s held proudly since July when he won the vacant title by defeating both BT Gunn and Alexander Dean. The UEWA title has been held by a true who’s who of independent wrestlers, including Drew Galloway, Rampage Brown, and the late Lionheart. So far, The Dad Bod God has had successful defences against both Davey Blaze and Liam Thomson at shows for British Championship Wrestling and Wrestling Experience Scotland respectively. However, if Jason’s able to use his sneaky tactics once again, he could be leaving as a double champion. At both Aberdeen Anarchy and Battle of the Nations, Reed stole the pin from Wild in multi-man contests. Will it be third time lucky for Andy Wild?

Crusher Craib vs Connor Inglis

The saga continues as Crusher Craib and Connor Inglis once again come face to face at Halloween Hijinx, marking the third singles encounter between the pair with the score currently tied at one win apiece. Tensions between the duo have been brewing ever since the first show of the year, with The Creator of Carnage demanding the WrestleZone Training Academy trainee (who was handling security duties on the night) answer his open challenge at Summerhill Showdown. Little did he know though what sort of fighting spirit Connor had inside of him, with his unpinned streak very nearly coming to a crashing halt at the hands of the upstart. Ever since, Connor has been there to cost Crusher opportunities at both the Tri-Counties Championship and his fourth Regal Rumble Match victory, and also his unpinned streak as he distracted him at Aberdeen Anarchy to allow Bingo Ballance to pin the beast of WrestleZone. Crusher has branded Connor’s upset win at Battle of the Nations nothing more than a fluke, and now wants to teach him a lesson at WrestleZone’s annual spooktacular. This may be a different Connor than what we saw back in January, but it’s still the same Creator of Carnage he has to deal with.

The Foundation of the Future (Zach Dynamite, Bradley Evans & Ryan Riley) vs Kaden Garrick & The Rejected (Chris Archer & Mikkey Vago)

On March 16th, a new force was born in WrestleZone as Zach Dynamite, Bradley Evans, and Ryan Riley joined forces to form The Foundation of the Future. Together, Dynamite, Evans, and Riley have dominated everyone who stands in their way, but there have been three men in particular who have a problem with the trio – Kaden Garrick, Chris Archer, and Mikkey Vago. After Garrick lost a bout to Evans all the way back in May, he vowed to take care of The Foundation of the Future, and was later joined in his crusade by the former multi-time Tag Team Champions. Even though this trio may not exactly be on the same page, they’ve got a common enemy in sight. If they can put all their differences aside just for this match, then maybe, just maybe they can overcome The Foundation of the Future.

Robbie Solar vs Caleb Valhalla

Robbie Solar makes his WrestleZone return as he battles the monstrous Caleb Valhalla in quite a unique match pitting speed against power. Solar’s had three matches in a WrestleZone ring thus far, firstly losing to Johnny Lions in May 2015, followed by a victory in six man tag action at the 2016 Regal Rumble as he, Scotty Swift, and Crusher Craib defeated Lou King Sharp, Lord Mr Malice, and Sir Andrew Wilde, before he was then eliminated in the evening’s Regal Rumble Match. I don’t think he’s ever quite come up against a man like Caleb Valhalla though. Halloween Hijinx will actually mark one year since Valhalla was introduced to WrestleZone fans as Alan Sterling’s bodyguard, and has since become a force to be reckoned with in WrestleZone. Good luck Solar – you’ll need it.

After an eleven month absence from WrestleZone, Bryan Tucker made his return at August’s Battle of the Nations event, teaming with Shawn Johnson to reunite The Granite City Hotshots as they prepared to battle old rivals Blue Thunder and William Sterling. Before the match could even get underway however, Tucker blindsided Johnson and unleashed a vicious attack, still not over what Shawn did to him at Christmas Chaos 2015. Since that attack, Bryan Tucker has remained silent, refusing any sort of interview from WrestleZone’s media team. But finally, at Halloween Hijinx, Bryan has agreed to explain his actions from Battle of the Nations. In the words of good ol’ Jim Ross, this one could get bowling shoe ugly if Shawn Johnson decides to make his presence felt.

VIP Ticket Holders Bonus Match Mr P vs Ted O’Keefe w/Dino Del Monte

The VIP ticket holders for Halloween Hijinx will see Mr P going up against Ted O’Keefe of The Outfit in singles action, with Ted being flanked by his partner in crime Dino Del Monte. A win for either man would go pretty far here, with Mr P not really being able to get back on track since losing the Tri-Counties Championship to Jason Reed at Aberdeen Anarchy. Sure, he’s had victories since, but he’s not exactly been able to relive the same level of glory. Meanwhile, Ted and Dino are still reeling off their unsuccessful attempt at the Tag Team Championships at Battle of the Nations as they were defeated by defending champions Scotty Swift and Johnny Lions. Although it’s only Ted in singles competition here, don’t be too surprised to see Dino get involved. Perhaps we’ll be lucky enough to see a Dino rolling elbow and a Ted spinebuster in the same night. Glorious scenes.

  In addition to all of that greatness, fans are encouraged to dress up in their finest Halloween costumes with prizes on offer for the best outfits PLUS, tickets will go on sale for the first time for Aberdeen Anarchy 2020 (tickets will then go on sale the following Monday (October 28th) at 9am via Ringside World). The first wave of tickets available will be priced at £35, and these will be VIP weekend tickets, which gain you access to both nights with early entry, priority seating, meet and greets, and bonus matches. Of course, Aberdeen Anarchy takes place on Friday, May 15th and Saturday, May 16th at Aberdeen’s Northern Hotel.

Tickets for Halloween Hijinx are still available from Ringside World, priced at £15 for VIP, £12 for adults, and £10 for under 14s. Fans can also pay at the door on the night. Doors open at 6pm for VIP ticket holders and 6:30pm for general admission ticket holders, with the main card kicking off at 7pm!

Announced Matches Undisputed WrestleZone Championship – Damien (c) vs Austin Osiris WrestleZone Tag Team Championships – Halloween Brawl – Scotty Swift & Johnny Lions (c) vs Blue Thunder & William Sterling UEWA European Heavyweight Championship – Triple Threat Match: Andy Wild (c) vs Jason Reed vs Alan Sterling Crusher Craib vs Connor Inglis The Foundation of the Future (Zach Dynamite, Bradley Evans & Ryan Riley) vs Kaden Garrick & The Rejected (Chris Archer & Mikkey Vago) Robbie Solar vs Caleb Valhalla VIP Ticket Holders Bonus Match – Mr P vs Ted O’Keefe w/Dino Del Monte

Preview: WrestleZone ‘Halloween Hijinx’ (26/10/19)

Preview: WrestleZone ‘Halloween Hijinx’ (26/10/19)

Preview: WrestleZone ‘Halloween Hijinx’ (26/10/19)

[scottish-wrestling-network]

It’s time to get spooky guys! Seeing as it’s Halloween season, the one time a year where it’s alright to run around the streets dressed in all manner of costumes, WrestleZone are heading back to Aberdeen’s Kincorth Community Centre on Saturday evening as they present Halloween Hijinx. Judging by what’s been announced for the show, we’re in for a cracking night that will culminate with either a brand new Undisputed WrestleZone Champion or the end of one man’s 1,000 day undefeated streak. It’s all on the line at Halloween Hijinx.

Undisputed WrestleZone Championship Damien (c) vs Austin Osiris

It’s a match 18 months in the making as Damien and Austin Osiris once again, this time with the Undisputed WrestleZone Championship up for grabs. Since their first encounter as part of the 2018 Drew Galloway Invitational Tournament (which Damien won by technical knockout), these two have been unable to see eye to eye. Big Money has gone unpinned and unsubmitted for 997 days at the time of writing (he’s suffered losses here and there, but he’s yet to be pinned or forced to submit so it still stands). Halloween Hijinx will mark day 1,000 of his streak, a streak that Damien has vowed to bring to an end in order to remain the Undisputed Champion. The Revolutionary regained the title from RUDO Lightning at Aberdeen Anarchy, a match that Austin Osiris refereed – I use that term loosely, seeing as the undefeated lad used every trick in the book to put the match in RUDO’s favour, earning a spear from actual referee Mikey Innes for his troubles. The challenge was by made by Osiris at Battle of the Nations, and it was quickly accepted. Damien vs Austin Osiris with both the Undisputed WrestleZone Championship and the latter’s 1,000 day undefeated streak on the line. It’s all or nothing for Austin Osiris come Saturday evening.

WrestleZone Tag Team Championships – Halloween Brawl Scotty Swift & Johnny Lions (c) vs Blue Thunder & William Sterling

Another match that stems from Battle of the Nations is the Tag Team Championships match for the evening, pitting defending champions Scotty Swift and Johnny Lions against the challenging team of Blue Thunder and William Sterling. Swift and Lions were successful in their title defence that night against The Outfit, whereas Thunder and Sterling’s scheduled match with The Granite City Shotshots never really began, resulting in them inserting themselves into the #1 contenders match between The Rejected and The Foundation of the Future’s Bradley Evans and Ryan Riley. They would of course win that match, earning them the right to face The Red Haired Warrior and The Tenacious One at a later date, but William Sterling only wanted the match if it was fought under the rules of a Halloween Brawl. He’s still out for revenge following the dissolution of Sterling Oil at Aberdeen Anarchy X a little over a year ago, so what better way to gain that revenge than by not only taking the tag titles from two men that ended the group, but also end the WrestleZone career of Johnny Lions in the process? Keep in mind that whenever Swift and Lions lose the titles, that’s Johnny done with WrestleZone. He said it himself back in May. This could very well be the last we see of him up north if William Sterling has his way.

UEWA European Heavyweight Championship – Triple Threat Match Andy Wild (c) vs Jason Reed vs Alan Sterling

A rematch from Battle of the Nations will see Andy Wild, Jason Reed, and Alan Sterling collide in a Triple Threat Match, but this one won’t be for Jason’s Tri-Counties Championship. Instead, it will be Andy putting his UEWA European Heavyweight Championship on the line, a title he’s held proudly since July when he won the vacant title by defeating both BT Gunn and Alexander Dean. The UEWA title has been held by a true who’s who of independent wrestlers, including Drew Galloway, Rampage Brown, and the late Lionheart. So far, The Dad Bod God has had successful defences against both Davey Blaze and Liam Thomson at shows for British Championship Wrestling and Wrestling Experience Scotland respectively. However, if Jason’s able to use his sneaky tactics once again, he could be leaving as a double champion. At both Aberdeen Anarchy and Battle of the Nations, Reed stole the pin from Wild in multi-man contests. Will it be third time lucky for Andy Wild?

Crusher Craib vs Connor Inglis

The saga continues as Crusher Craib and Connor Inglis once again come face to face at Halloween Hijinx, marking the third singles encounter between the pair with the score currently tied at one win apiece. Tensions between the duo have been brewing ever since the first show of the year, with The Creator of Carnage demanding the WrestleZone Training Academy trainee (who was handling security duties on the night) answer his open challenge at Summerhill Showdown. Little did he know though what sort of fighting spirit Connor had inside of him, with his unpinned streak very nearly coming to a crashing halt at the hands of the upstart. Ever since, Connor has been there to cost Crusher opportunities at both the Tri-Counties Championship and his fourth Regal Rumble Match victory, and also his unpinned streak as he distracted him at Aberdeen Anarchy to allow Bingo Ballance to pin the beast of WrestleZone. Crusher has branded Connor’s upset win at Battle of the Nations nothing more than a fluke, and now wants to teach him a lesson at WrestleZone’s annual spooktacular. This may be a different Connor than what we saw back in January, but it’s still the same Creator of Carnage he has to deal with.

The Foundation of the Future (Zach Dynamite, Bradley Evans & Ryan Riley) vs Kaden Garrick & The Rejected (Chris Archer & Mikkey Vago)

On March 16th, a new force was born in WrestleZone as Zach Dynamite, Bradley Evans, and Ryan Riley joined forces to form The Foundation of the Future. Together, Dynamite, Evans, and Riley have dominated everyone who stands in their way, but there have been three men in particular who have a problem with the trio – Kaden Garrick, Chris Archer, and Mikkey Vago. After Garrick lost a bout to Evans all the way back in May, he vowed to take care of The Foundation of the Future, and was later joined in his crusade by the former multi-time Tag Team Champions. Even though this trio may not exactly be on the same page, they’ve got a common enemy in sight. If they can put all their differences aside just for this match, then maybe, just maybe they can overcome The Foundation of the Future.

Robbie Solar vs Caleb Valhalla

Robbie Solar makes his WrestleZone return as he battles the monstrous Caleb Valhalla in quite a unique match pitting speed against power. Solar’s had three matches in a WrestleZone ring thus far, firstly losing to Johnny Lions in May 2015, followed by a victory in six man tag action at the 2016 Regal Rumble as he, Scotty Swift, and Crusher Craib defeated Lou King Sharp, Lord Mr Malice, and Sir Andrew Wilde, before he was then eliminated in the evening’s Regal Rumble Match. I don’t think he’s ever quite come up against a man like Caleb Valhalla though. Halloween Hijinx will actually mark one year since Valhalla was introduced to WrestleZone fans as Alan Sterling’s bodyguard, and has since become a force to be reckoned with in WrestleZone. Good luck Solar – you’ll need it.

After an eleven month absence from WrestleZone, Bryan Tucker made his return at August’s Battle of the Nations event, teaming with Shawn Johnson to reunite The Granite City Hotshots as they prepared to battle old rivals Blue Thunder and William Sterling. Before the match could even get underway however, Tucker blindsided Johnson and unleashed a vicious attack, still not over what Shawn did to him at Christmas Chaos 2015. Since that attack, Bryan Tucker has remained silent, refusing any sort of interview from WrestleZone’s media team. But finally, at Halloween Hijinx, Bryan has agreed to explain his actions from Battle of the Nations. In the words of good ol’ Jim Ross, this one could get bowling shoe ugly if Shawn Johnson decides to make his presence felt.

VIP Ticket Holders Bonus Match Mr P vs Ted O’Keefe w/Dino Del Monte

The VIP ticket holders for Halloween Hijinx will see Mr P going up against Ted O’Keefe of The Outfit in singles action, with Ted being flanked by his partner in crime Dino Del Monte. A win for either man would go pretty far here, with Mr P not really being able to get back on track since losing the Tri-Counties Championship to Jason Reed at Aberdeen Anarchy. Sure, he’s had victories since, but he’s not exactly been able to relive the same level of glory. Meanwhile, Ted and Dino are still reeling off their unsuccessful attempt at the Tag Team Championships at Battle of the Nations as they were defeated by defending champions Scotty Swift and Johnny Lions. Although it’s only Ted in singles competition here, don’t be too surprised to see Dino get involved. Perhaps we’ll be lucky enough to see a Dino rolling elbow and a Ted spinebuster in the same night. Glorious scenes.

  In addition to all of that greatness, fans are encouraged to dress up in their finest Halloween costumes with prizes on offer for the best outfits PLUS, tickets will go on sale for the first time for Aberdeen Anarchy 2020 (tickets will then go on sale the following Monday (October 28th) at 9am via Ringside World). The first wave of tickets available will be priced at £35, and these will be VIP weekend tickets, which gain you access to both nights with early entry, priority seating, meet and greets, and bonus matches. Of course, Aberdeen Anarchy takes place on Friday, May 15th and Saturday, May 16th at Aberdeen’s Northern Hotel.

Tickets for Halloween Hijinx are still available from Ringside World, priced at £15 for VIP, £12 for adults, and £10 for under 14s. Fans can also pay at the door on the night. Doors open at 6pm for VIP ticket holders and 6:30pm for general admission ticket holders, with the main card kicking off at 7pm!

Announced Matches Undisputed WrestleZone Championship – Damien (c) vs Austin Osiris WrestleZone Tag Team Championships – Halloween Brawl – Scotty Swift & Johnny Lions (c) vs Blue Thunder & William Sterling UEWA European Heavyweight Championship – Triple Threat Match: Andy Wild (c) vs Jason Reed vs Alan Sterling Crusher Craib vs Connor Inglis The Foundation of the Future (Zach Dynamite, Bradley Evans & Ryan Riley) vs Kaden Garrick & The Rejected (Chris Archer & Mikkey Vago) Robbie Solar vs Caleb Valhalla VIP Ticket Holders Bonus Match – Mr P vs Ted O’Keefe w/Dino Del Monte

Preview: WrestleZone ‘Halloween Hijinx’ (26/10/19)

Preview: WrestleZone ‘Halloween Hijinx’ (26/10/19)

[the-wicked-beasts-that-roam-blog]

Chapter 1

Bitter whiskey and old piss ripped the breath from Aidyn’s lungs. Loud music vibrated the walls and wooden floor of the bar called Pig’s as he pushed past bigger men than him—some measuring well past his 6’3. Glancing into the dark crooks and crannies of the small biker bar, he rubbed his chin with his forefinger and thumb.

Where the hell was he?

Usually, he could spot his brother from a mile away. You couldn’t miss the huge son of a bitch.

He paused, leaning against a wooden pillar, turquoise eyes shooting toward the men around the pool table. That was where he had expected his brother to be—drinking a pint and putting money on the table against the old bikers decked in leather. But … he wasn’t there.

After another long second, he pushed off the pillar and headed towards the back door, the night breeze hitting him as the screen door slammed shut. Another intake of breath had his chest rising with a giant sigh.

Yet again, no sign of him. His boot tapped the rotted planks of the porch as his eyes scanned the wheat field.

Bad things happened when his brother disappeared. Death. Havoc. Things of the like, usually ending with a body to burn and evidence to bury.

A strange popping noise from behind the dumpster had him stepping off the makeshift porch. It was a squishy, wet sound. And the closer he got, the louder it became. At first, he thought it was a couple getting freaky. He almost turned around—even twisting on his heel—but as he did, a tangy, coppery, distinct smell hit his nose. He pulled a one-eighty and shuffled around the corner. On the clay ground, his brother’s huge fists continued to bash in a blond body builder’s face.

The man was dead. Aidyn was sure of it. If he wasn’t, then he wouldn’t live much longer with his brains smeared across the gravel. Blood dripped from his brother’s face, soaked his hands as his fists continued to strike the crushed skull.

“Goddammit,” he muttered, reaching for his enraged brother, and gripping him by the arms. “Enough, Dom. Enough.”

Reluctant as hell, Dom let off and pushed up from the ground, stumbling a bit. Still drunken with rage, drops of blood stained Dom’s carved face, and his ebony eyes glowed with hellfire.

“Jesus Christ, his brains are everywhere.” Aidyn stared down at the sludge smeared in the dirt and gravel.

“Good.” His brother spit on the body, and then he peeled the t-shirt off his back and wiped his face.

“The hell did he do—cheat you out of money?”

Dom shook his head. “Don’t worry about what he did.”

“We gotta get out of here before his buddies come looking for him.” Aidyn grabbed the man’s limp arms and winced as more pink sludge oozed from his skull. “Get his legs.”

“Leave him. I want these humans to find him.”

“You’re kidding me, right?”

In response, Dom put a cigarette in his mouth and bent down, picking up a full bottle of Jim Beam that leaned against the dumpster. He poured the contents over the man, and lit a pack of matches, lighting his cigarette, and then tossed the fire onto the body.

And then Dom walked away as if it never happened.

Aidyn glanced once more at the burning body before following his brother down the dirt path and around the building. About halfway, Dom paused and Aidyn nearly collided with his back. His brother tilted his head, peering toward an opening between two shacks, and with the little bit of streetlight that shined through the crevice, a small shadow moved. Aidyn’s breath hitched, his heart dropping into the pit of his stomach. A blonde girl, who didn’t look any older than seven, kneeled in the dirt, staring up at his brother, with her cheeks covered in dirt and tears, her nose and mouth a bloody mess.

His brother stared back at her, and for the first time in a while, a speck of sadness crept into their abyss. And just as fast as the emotion slipped in, Dom was on the move again, stalking toward the black ’70 dodge challenger that set in the corner of the parking lot.

His brother’s blood-stained hands yanked open the driver door, and he chucked the shirt into the floorboard as he dropped into the seat. A woman’s cry rang out and with one last look over his shoulder, Aidyn hopped in the passenger side. Their other brother sat in the back, his half-empty whiskey bottle sitting between his legs.

“You look like you had fun,” Zeke muttered, green eyes red and swollen.

Dom didn’t look back as he shoved the key in the ignition, his patience seeming to have built up over the trip.

“Shut up, Zeke.” Aidyn watched Dom from the side, a frown on his lips.

“Go ahead. Take up for him like always.”

“She told me about you.” The middle-aged man nodded as he cleaned the knife, the ten-inch shine of the steel reflecting the broken sunlight that gleamed through the trees. “She told me.”

The chirping birds settled in the trees above her head, their whistling a comforting sound. Jade glanced up, her top lip folded under her bottom lip as she watched the cardinal perched on the branch. Her grandmother had told her cardinals meant someone was visiting from heaven.

“I never believed before, but I do—I do now. I know. She showed me.” He smiled, tears glistening his brown eyes.

His fingers itched at the salt and pepper scruff on his cheeks. He sharpened the knife a few more times, the clash of steel gritting together like the teeth of a lion.

At the edge of the brush, Jade stood, afraid to step past the tree line in fear that it would swallow her up. Her honey colored eyes stared past the trees and into the darkness.

“I wouldn’t stand that close if I were you. These woods are alive in more ways than one,” a raspy older woman’s voice spoke from behind her.

With a deep breath, Jade glanced over her shoulder. Passing between the magnolia trees, Len hobbled her way toward her, using a wooden cane for support. Her gray, brittle hair hung loosely in a low ponytail, and her flowery gown fluttered in the breeze.

“Don’t tell me you have werewolves living in your backyard?” Jade smirked at her.

The old woman stopped and looked at the trees. “They’d be the least of my worries.”

“You forget I ran through those before.”

“Just because you got out once, doesn’t mean you’ll get out again.”

“Twice.”

Len looked over to her. “Two is a lucky number.”

“My lucky number is three.”

The old woman broke a smile. “Smartass.” She turned to look at the small cottage nestled meters away. “Still traveling with the circus?”

“Yeah, and in about,” Jade pulled her phone out her pocket and clicked on the screen, “forty minutes you’ll see the main attraction: a twenty-four year old pissing her daisy dukes.”

“Hm. Already drunk at four in the afternoon?”

“Oh no, she’s been drunk since 10 a.m.”

Len shook her head and sighed. “She doesn’t waste time.”

“Well, she’s mad. She had some dude in Ohio she was crazy over.”

“Why didn’t she stay?”

“His wife wasn’t too keen on her living with them.”

The old woman’s eyes widened. “That’s a good reason.”

Jade stuffed her hands in her pockets and nodded toward the ’06 red charger sitting in the driveway. “She’s in the grief stage until another man sweeps her off her feet.”

“She’ll have a nice list of men to choose from in a few days.”

“Just what we need—her getting a new boy toy.”

“At least she’ll find a new vice.” As if on cue, the right back door to the charger swung open and a pale foot slid out followed behind a long slender leg.

After a severe case of struggling and slinking in a less than graceful manner out of the car, Erica finally tumbled out of the back seat and onto the ground in nothing but a pair of daisy dukes and a pink bikini top. The entire five-hour ride from Cincinnati she’d sipped on a bottle of cheap peach schnapps stolen from her ex’s house, and in a less than a second she managed to puke all of it up on the back tire of Jason’s car.

“So, these guys … are they bodyguards or something?” Jade asked, cutting her eyes away from her sister and turning her attention back to Len. “Jason hasn’t said much about where we’re going or who we’re staying with.”

“Figures.” Len began walking toward a wooden bench, motioning with a finger for her to follow. “They’re cousins of his—technically. He doesn’t like asking them for help, but he’s out of options if you ask me.”

Maintaining the slow pace of the woman, Jade’s gaze shot to where Len pointed past the car and toward the range of large dark green mountains looming in the east.

“The house is secluded, and that’s what you need right now. Not to mention, Jason—as much as he loves you—can’t protect you on his own. He doesn’t have the strength.” She plopped down on the bench. “Just be careful around the oldest brother. He’s got attitude problems a mile long.“

“I’m surprised I haven’t met them before.” Jason usually introduced her to everyone in his family.

A ghost of a smile settled on Len’s face. “You probably crossed paths once or twice.”

The door of the house slammed, and Jason stepped off the porch, blonde hair wet and black circles beneath his annoyed amber eyes. If he were taller than 5’8, he’d look menacing.

“No more hiding bottles in your damn bag.”

“It was an accident. Do you think I would’ve wasted perfectly good liquor on you?” Erica asked, resting her head against the car door as she sat on the grass with her legs stretched out and her hands palming her flushed cheeks. Sweat matted red locks of hair to her pale face, and she looked the definition of a hot mess.

Jason ducked his head in the driver window. “My seat’s still soaking wet.”

“Towels are hanging up on the clothesline and cleaner under the sink,” Len called to him.

With a frown, Jade sat on the bench and eyed the poor guy. His patience had to be running thin—if he had any left at all.

“He looks worn out.”

Jade nodded. “The driving around is wearing him down.”

“The worry is eating him up too.” Len looked over to her, pale blue eyes staring straight through her. “And what about you—how are you holding up?”

“I’m here.” And she guessed that counted for something.

“Why’s the car running so rough? Sounds like it’s about to die.” Aidyn chucked his cigarette-butt out the window.

“I think someone might be fucking with it.” And that someone had a talent for witchcraft fuckery.

Dom watched the smoke rise from the exhaust, silently counting all the ways to kill a witch.

The cheap florescent lights of the gas station flickered as Aidyn jumped out the car and walked inside, his entire body twitching from withdrawals. Dom shook his head, feeling a headache coming on at the base of his temple. T would be getting his ass fed to him tomorrow. He was supposed to be weaning his brother off, not feeding him more. Aidyn had snorted less cocaine before they left Tennessee.

He glanced up at the clouds hanging low and stuck his hand out the window. A few cool drops of rain hit his palm, and then the few drops turned into a downpour. He rolled up the window and leaned his head back against his seat, fighting to keep his eyes open. For just a moment, he gave in and let them close.

He saw Zeke in the woods like he had three years before, covered in blood as he sat naked on the ground, cradling the girl who lay deathly still in his arms. Except this time, his fingers twisted in long dark curls instead of blonde tresses.

Dom blinked, realizing it wasn’t Zeke sitting there holding that girl … but himself.

The car door opened, and his head snapped up.

“I got two packs this time, so if the alcoholic decides he wants to drink us under the table again, he won’t leave us empty-handed.” Aidyn threw the cases on the floor and paused outside the door. “I gotta piss before we get back on the road though.”

Slamming the door, he jogged across the street to the woods and disappeared into the brush.

“Had the dream again, didn’t you?” Zeke’s rough voice broke the silence. “Guilty conscious starting to eat away at you, huh?”

Dom rubbed his eyes, trying hard to erase a pair of honey eyes from his memory. But three years later, here he was, still reeling from the effects of that one shit week.

“I hope that memory stays with you forever.” He accepted his brother’s hate like a burden to bear.

With a glance in the rearview mirror, he caught his brother’s disheveled appearance—glassy red eyes, two weeks’ worth of beard growth, and greasy hair. The depressed bastard was one step from being a hobo. God forbid a woman ever make him sink that low.

The door opened yet again and Aidyn jumped inside, soaking wet and smelling like a dog.

“Never felt so good to piss.” He laughed as he got comfortable. “You know when you wait to pee and your gut starts to hurt from holding it for so long? Yeah, totally just had that experience.” Aidyn then looked over, and his face changed as he realized Dom wasn’t laughing. “What’s a matter with you?”

Dom frowned, wishing he had the power to fade into thin air. He lived with these people. These idiots. They invaded his space like Martians, and stayed and thrived and threw up everywhere as if it were a common territorial marking.

He turned the key in the ignition and the car gave a pitiful knocking sound. He closed his eyes, swearing that if anyone ever touched his car again, he’d remove their bowels through their throat. He turned the key once again and the car came to life. He revved it, drowning out his brothers’ voices with the roar of the engine and backed out. Staring at the long road ahead, he couldn’t wait to be home and imagined himself barricaded in his room with nothing but liquor, a pack of Oreos, and a carton of cigarettes for company.

“So, you like it?” Jason asked.

Jade blinked, pulling her headphones out of her ears. “Huh?”

“The house?”

She looked over at it, barely taking it in before looking back to him. His amber eyes pleaded with her to say yes, but damn if she didn’t have the biggest urge to say no, just to see if it would matter.

In the last three years, she had lived in twenty different places. Twenty different towns. With twenty different people. She didn’t care if she liked it or not—she’d be leaving it soon anyway.

But for Jason’s sake, she nodded.

He smiled, raking his fingers through his dirty blond hair and nodding as if he’d done right by some degree. She glanced at the house and guessed he’d done better than the others. A finger-eating unicorn wasn’t trotting across the lawn, nor was a komodo dragon being used as a guard dog.

There was a catch though. There was always a catch.

A four-car garage connected to the side of the gothic-styled house made of gray stone. Gargoyles guarded the giant front porch and the lonely balcony on the top floor. Maybe Dracula was their landlord? The high king of bloodsuckers probably waited inside for a fresh, juicy throat to chomp on.

It could be no worse than Lola’s place. The bearded lady used to make her walk her talking pet gorilla to the beach daily. His name was Ralph. He smoked cigars, painted watercolors, slept in a hammock, and wrote sensuous poetry about butterflies.

A true artist at heart indeed, aside from the fact that he liked taking craps on sandcastles.

“Any dead bodies in there I should know about?” She picked her backpack off the floorboard.

Jason grinned. “Not this time.”

“You sure?”

At his aunt’s house, they had walked in and interrupted a séance one evening. The poor woman had been hell-bent on bringing her dead boyfriend back to life. Problem was: he’d been dead for a week and his body was starting to rot.

“That was one time. It won’t happen again, I promise.”

She shrugged. “If you say so.”

She stepped out the car, slinging her bag over her shoulder. When her sister didn’t move, she poked her head inside the vehicle. Erica lay spread-eagle with a night mask covering her eyes. There was no way she’d be waking up that woman. It wasn’t worth the risk of having her face mauled by a hyena. Jade shut the door and received a dead look from Jason.

“You wake her up. It’s not my job to wrestle a bear.” She tapped the roof of the car. “Pop the trunk.”

She headed to the rear of the Charger and the trunk sprung open. A suitcase fell out, and another one threatened to topple over. Jade shook her head as she threw her sisters suitcases to the ground, not caring if she broke the cheap crap inside them, and rummaged through the trunk until she came across her black suitcase and two green duffel bags that lay crushed at the bottom of the pile. Jason came to her side, holding a hand out to help.

“I’m good. Cinderella’s gonna need you to carry hers, though.”

He grimaced. “One of these days I’m going to drop her off on the side of the highway.”

“I’ll help you push her out.” She maneuvered her bags in one hand and dragged the suitcase in the other.

She wasn’t as adventurous as her sister. In fact, she could live a whole lifetime without any adrenaline rushes. She’d had plenty in her twenty-three years, and she was done with them.

And she swore if she had one more ankle sprain from a failed attempt on her life, she’d beat the living hell out of that conniving old witch with her bare hands.

Jason held open the oak door of the house, and she wobbled into the main hall, surveying the cherry-wood walls and the white marble floors. A barroom was to the left, along with a wide staircase, and a living room was to the right. Not bad, not bad. Had character, she supposed. Her almond gaze traveled back to the stairs, and she took a deep breath and shuffled her way toward them.

“What room?” she asked.

“Just pick one,” Jason said with a shrug as he disappeared into the barroom.

He’d been drinking more lately. She wondered if she needed to start drinking too since she was the only one left sober amid all the chaos.

Jade climbed the stairs, praying for someone to shoot her as she conquered them one step at a time, determined to get to the third floor. She veered to the right and paused in her tracks. Black iron lamps hung on the mahogany walls of the corridor. Shrugging, she walked the hall, eyeing each of the four doors, until she zeroed in on the last two.

A pie slice of light streamed from the last door on the right, and she nudged it with her elbow. With a slow creak, it opened, exposing a room void of color and personality. She dropped her things carelessly on the floor of the hall and stepped inside.

Two French doors led out to the balcony. And honestly, she would have picked the room for the balcony alone.

She was ready to get her things and drop them on the bed. Until her eyes landed on the closet. A lone jacket and a pair of black boots set on the floor. And that’s when she also noticed the bed had been laid in—the gray duvet crinkled and nearly falling off the mattress.

“You would go in the one room you can’t have.”

She looked over her shoulder. Jason leaned on the frame of the door, his gaze scanning over the empty, cold room.

Disappointment set in as she sighed. “Sorry, I couldn’t tell anyone was living in here.”

He gave a nod. “The one across the hall’s open. Promise it’s a lot better than this one.”

Jason picked up her bags, and she followed as he went into the other room. Sunlight spewed in from a large wall-sized window adorned in red drapes. Her eyes slid to the dark walls of wood, and then to the fireplace across from the bed. The room spoke to the inner part of her that leveled with Wednesday Adams, and called to all those little dark spots in her heart.

She put her things on the trunk at the foot of the black four-poster bed and glanced around, noticing the cobwebs that hung low in the corners and the spiders dangling from the ceiling. Her eyes swept over the claw tub by the window and the broken black iron chandelier swaying in the middle of the room.

“It needs a little work, but I think it fits you,” Jason said, wiping a finger along a dusty white writer’s desk in the corner.

“Where is he? He was supposed to be here three hours ago,” a woman’s shrill voice called from inside the room.

Leaning his shoulder on the wall outside the office, Lu glanced around the living room, noting Marcy had an expensive taste. A red chaise lounge set in front of the marble fireplace, along with a bear rug. Paintings covered the white walls, and a black grand piano stood in the corner next to the patio leading out to the inground pool.

He heard a young man mumble something incoherent.

“Give it here, you incompetent oaf.”

With a deep breath, Lu stepped from behind the wall and stood just outside the doorway.

“Always gotta do everything around here,” Marcy muttered under her breath as she signed her signature.

A deep chuckle left Lu’s chest. In an instant, Marcy’s gaze flicked from the paper to him.

An evil grin curled her chapped lips. “Well, you sure took your time.” She turned to the frazzled brown-haired boy and handed him the papers. “Leave.”

As the young man scurried from the room, Lu stepped in. “I’m not one to rush.”

For a second, he paused, realizing the tip of her usually pointy nose was missing. Along with her two pinky fingers. And it looked as if she’d caught a case of leprosy—bumps lining her chin and dead skin hanging from her forehead. Not to mention, the balding taking place on her scalp. Her blonde hair hung in thin clumps, and he had the urge to name her “Patches.”

Blinking off the shock, he strutted into her office, looking around with a holier-than-thou disposition. He was certain his arrogance pissed her off more than anything. Marcy glared but kept her smile.

“So, why’d you call?”

“I need your help with someone.”

Lu fiddled with the gnome ornaments on her desk. “Who?”

“A girl I can’t seem to catch.”

His eyes flicked to hers. “Gone soft, have you?” Her smile faded into gritting teeth. “What’s in it for me?”

“Did you seriously just ask that?” She cut her blue eyes and rubbed her forehead. “What do you think’s in it for you? A soul to add to your list.”

And he never said no to a free soul.

As her words sank in, he scowled, his eyes cold and calculating. “What do you have in mind?”

“You just do whatever you feel is necessary at the time. Knock her out, or do your little voodoo wonders on her. Hell, it doesn’t even have to be that creative, just as long as she gets back to me alive.”

“Body’s rotting that bad, huh?”

“What do you think?”

He paced in front of her desk. “So, who’s the girl?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, but she’s got the ingredient I need to finish my spell.”

He cocked a brow. “You don’t even know her name?”

“Do I look like a fucking detective, Lu? I know the elf’s name, and for me, that’s enough. I just wanna have her heart on a silver platter in front of me. I’m hungry, and literally falling apart.”

“And how do you expect me to find her?”

“You’re Satan, Prince of Darkness, King of the Underworld, do your voodoo and figure out where she is.”

“Exactly. I’m Satan, not God. Unless she’s made a deal with one of my minions, then I don’t know her off the top of my head, sweetness.” He played with his unruly black hair in the mirror on her wall. “I need something of hers to get an idea of where she is.”

Marcy sucked her teeth, her fingernails tapping the arms of her chair. “Really?”

The witch sighed loudly, leaned forward, and opened the bottom drawer of her desk. She dug around for a minute before sitting up straight and slamming down a single piece of paper in front him.

Lucifer lifted the vanilla paper, eyeing the sketch as an uncontrollable hatred stirred within him, his hands trembling with rage. Heat crawled up the collar of his white button-down shirt, along his neck and to his face.

“That good enough, Prince?”

His eyes turned into slits as he switched his fiery gaze to Marcy. “Where did you get this?”

In an instant, the witch’s face paled as if he’d stabbed her with his words.

“One of my men found it in a hotel room she stayed in.”

He breathed deep, closed his eyes, and a thousand memories flooded him, ones that weren’t his own. A tiny cottage, the dark woods, and a coarse river running between mountains—it all flashed to him in a matter of seconds.

But that’s not what piqued his interest or told him exactly where the girl was. It was the hazy outline of a man shrouded in darkness. He couldn’t see his face, but the power pouring off him in the memory alone told Lu exactly who he was.

“Well, hello,” Lu muttered as a wolfish grin spread across his face.

Marcy perked up like a girl scout. “You found her?”

He glared down at the sketch. “I found a lot more than just her.”