"It's known throughout history by many names: the Flaming Sword, or Azrael's Blade, just to state a few. But its real name is simply 'The Balance'," Jason explained the moment things settled down back in the plane.

Upon hearing that, most of the people in the plane didn't have much of a reaction besides a confused look or two. All except one: Talia, still heavily bandaged and weary after everything that had happened the last couple of hours. She flinched when she heard the name, and this being a plane filled to the brim with vigilantes, everyone noticed. Including the son that had more-or-less refused to leave her side since first reuniting with her at the compound he had been forcibly dragged to.

"Mother?" Damian asked hesitantly, drawing more of everyone's attention to them.

"Are you certain, Jason?" Talia asked in return, eyes wide in fear.

"Yes," Jason nodded.

Talia drew a long, shuddering breath. "Then you know that this information cannot leave the confines of this plane. Ever."

Bruce narrowed his eyes. "What does she mean by that, Jason?"

Jason sighed, rubbing his forehead in deep exasperation. "The Balance is an ancient and very powerful weapon, a sword said to be forged by Death itself."

"Hence the name 'Azrael's Blade'," Tim mused offhandedly. "Azrael, as in the Angel of Death."

"Yes," Jason confirmed, pointing at his brother for a moment. "As you saw with Ra's, it allows me to manipulate the energy of my soul in various ways, like making barriers, or projecting my soul onto my body. Hence why I was an adult. However, the longer I use it, the more of my soul is eaten. This is represented by how much of my hair is white upon dropping the soul projection."

"Jason, half your hair was white," Dick stated flatly.

"Yeah, so?"

"Are you telling me you're okay with half your soul being gone?"

"It'll regenerate," Jason defended himself. "And besides, this is way better than in the last timeline. In the last timeline, whenever I used the Balance for that long I barely had any black hair left."

This statement was comforting to absolutely no one. Incredulous looks and glares were thrown at him. Cass in particular punched him in the arm, causing him to release a short "Ow!" and shoot her a glare. "What was that for?" he complained.

"Why use?" she demanded instead.

"Honestly, I wasn't sure I had it anymore," Jason admitted. "And I was right — I didn't. I only regained it after Ra's stabbed me and all but killed me."

"So you let yourself be killed again to regain it?" Helena asked in disbelief.

"No," Jason answered seriously, causing everyone to blink. "If I had done that, then I would've never been worthy of it to begin with."

"Jason…what's so special about this blade?" Bruce finally asked, tired of his son talking around the subject.

Jason sighed again, then inhaled deeply. "As the legend goes, there were seven siblings born at the very beginning of the universe: Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Despair, Desire, and Delight. Each were an embodiment of natural forces, ones that would endure until the very end of existence. Death, the second sibling, is the one who forged the Balance."

"The Balance, as you can probably glean from its name, was created to maintain the balance between life and death. Death grants it to a mortal to complete a certain task, and after that the Balance stays with that mortal until the end of their lifespan. I lost the Balance when I died of cancer in the first timeline, so Death had to re-grant it to me in this timeline."

"But why?" Bruce crossed his arms. "Why did he—"

"She."

"—she want you to have it? What task did you need to perform for her?"

"Isn't it obvious, Beloved?" Talia voiced out, once again drawing everyone's attention to her. "She granted him the Balance to kill my father."

"What?" Bruce gasped out as he uncrossed his arms in shock, as everyone turned back to a cringing Jason with surprise. "Is she right, Jason?"

"She is," Jason admitted, cringing further. "What's special about the Balance is that it can kill immortals, Bruce. No, more than that — it can kill immortals, and make sure they never come back."

Everyone fell silent at that revelation. "So, Grandfather is…" Damian trailed off.

"Dead. For good this time. It's like I said: they can dump his body in the Lazarus Pit, or try to summon his soul into a new one. They can try any method they can think of, but it will never succeed. Ra's al Ghul is dead, and he is never coming back."

"How?" It was Dinah this time, her mouth set in a serious line.

Jason rubbed his arm. "When a person is dealt a mortal wound by the Balance, it kills them, no questions asked. Death then appears, and marks their soul with her brand. This brand prevents them from 'falling through the cracks', so to speak. It forever bars them from the mortal plane, the world of the living. No miraculous resurrections, or anything of the sort. They die, and they stay dead forever."

"Why would Death create something like this?" Dick asked, slightly aghast.

"She created it when she was young," Jason explained. "Death is…different from what she is now. More compassionate. But back then, she was a lot colder. A lot more about the job. And immortality — well, immortality is decidedly a crimp on that front."

"How so?"

Jason pursed his lips. "Immortality is unnatural. Everything dies. That is a fundamental law of the universe. Everything dies in the end, and they stay dead. They can come back a few times, as with me, but eventually they will die and they will never come back. Nothing can change that."

"But immortality…immortality is basically flouting that law. These days, Death is a lot more forgiving of it, especially if it was unintentional, but back then? Back then she hated immortals. They just made her already difficult job even more difficult. She wanted them gone. So she forged the sword, granted it to a warrior who was about to die from a great battle and tasked him with killing every immortal in existence at the time."

"It backfired, didn't it?" Tim said knowingly, closely watching the changing expressions on Jason's face.

"Yes," Jason confirmed. "The warrior fell in love with her and started slaughtering regular mortals just to keep seeing her. When he finally died, she marked him with her brand so she would never have to see him again. She wanted to destroy the Balance after that, but her brother, Destiny, told her it would be needed in the future, and instructed her to grant it to someone else. She chose a protector this time, a mother who died protecting their child. While this one didn't kill all immortals, she never killed an innocent, and that was enough for Death in the end."

"So when you threw yourself in front of Tim and Damian to protect them…" Dick spoke slowly in realization.

"…I proved myself worthy of wielding it again, yes. That's actually how I earned it the first time — in the previous timeline, I threw myself in front of Damian just as Ra's was about to cut him down. Death gave me the sword to revive myself and kill Ra's."

Another period of silence fell over the entire cabin as everyone thought those words over.

"Jason," Bruce said with trepidation, "how many people will come after you if they find out you're the current wielder of this 'Balance'?"

Jason flinched. That was all anyone needed to see.

"Right," Bruce glanced at everyone with a deeply serious look. "It's as Talia said. This is never leaving this plane. Ever."

"What about the people at the compound?" Tim noted worriedly. "I mean, Jason's threat can't keep them quiet forever."

"It's unlikely any of them will be able to connect the dots. I doubt a single person in that chamber besides myself, Talia, and Ra's had ever even heard about the Balance. To say nothing of how I don't like using the damn thing. It's more trouble than it's worth," Jason muttered out the last two sentences like they were a curse.

"Even so, it's still a risk," Bruce stated firmly. "You should probably keep a low profile for a while. Let the world forget about you and what you did."

"And the fact that you're ordering this after effectively watching me die is completely coincidental, right?" Jason pointed out, amused.

Bruce glared at him. Jason wisely shut up.

Their arrival back to the Bat-Cave was punctuated with the golden trifecta waiting for them: Barbara, who had traveled all the way from her clock tower to meet with them, Stephanie, and Alfred. Blankets, medical kits, and warm food were all present as well, in case of any emergency. Thankfully, nobody had been seriously injured (relatively speaking); only Talia's lingering torture wounds were of any concern, and Jason had no doubt Bruce was already planning to call in Doctor Leslie Thompkins in for a consultation and possible treatment.

Stephanie hugged both Damian and him, but it was Tim she lingered with. Judging by the small, intimate smiles they were shooting each other and the even greater ease they had with their closeness, it wasn't hard to figure out why. It seemed Tim and Stephanie were gonna give it a shot after all. Jason sincerely hoped it worked out for them.

"So, time travel, huh?" Stephanie said in amusement as she unexpectedly turned to him.

Oh, right. That.

"Alfred?" Jason asked knowingly, giving the old butler a look that he studiously ignored.

Stephanie shrugged. "He figured there was no point in keeping it a secret much longer. He also explained how I got involved with you guys last time."

"And?" Jason knew that wasn't all there was to it.

The girl placed a hand on her hip. "Did you bring me in to eventually train me as a vigilante again?"

"No," Jason bluntly stated, causing Stephanie to raise an eyebrow. "Steph, if you never became a vigilante and remained a normal civilian for the rest of your — hopefully long — life, I would be over the moon. I brought you in because you were my friend and I wanted to keep an eye on you. And because I knew you would be good for my younger siblings too."

"You know, I can't argue with that," Stephanie said in reply, exchanging another smile with Tim.

Jason crossed his arms. "All this being said, are you considering being a vigilante again?"

Stephanie looked down. "Honestly, I don't know. Maybe? It's dangerous and all, but being your friend is dangerous in its own right and I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. So I'm going to need training no matter what way you look at it."

"Well," and here Tim clasped his hand on her shoulder, "whatever you decide, we'll support you all the way. I'm sure Jason will relish having another student."

"It is getting boring just torturing your boyfriend," Jason candidly admitted.

At that statement, the entire cave fell silent. "Boyfriend?" Bruce asked, though he sounded more amused than angry. Cass giggled, as Dick adopted a grin that just spelled trouble.

Both Tim and Stephanie went red and started stuttering out excuses to the amused crowd of vigilantes. Jason, knowing his work was done, watched the show as more and more of the family began to needle the newly-formed couple for details. The only one not enjoying the spectacle was a pouting Damian, whose unconscious mother had been shuttled off on a stretcher to the infirmary.

"Sorry, little brother," Jason told him, patting him on the head. "But you're not getting this one. Maybe you should choose a girl a little closer to your age next time."

The boy sputtered.

It was only hours later, when everyone had finally crashed into their beds after the day's harrowing ordeal, that Jason met with Bruce in the infirmary. The man was keeping a close eye on the healing Talia, who was promptly dead to the world. Damian, who had initially refused to leave her side, had eventually succumbed to exhaustion and it was only a promise from his father to keep vigilant at her bedside did he relent to going asleep in his own bed upstairs.

"The exception, huh?" Bruce noted dryly as Jason saddled into a chair next to him, brushing some idle hair away from Talia's sleeping face.

"The exception," Jason confirmed, looking — well, not completely unrepentant, but not as bothered as one would expect him to be.

"I'm not happy, Jason," Bruce admitted honestly, "but I can't really say I'm angry. You gave a rather compelling argument, both before and after, and considering that he just killed you—" the vigilante shuddered at that.

Jason nodded, leaning back into his chair. "You know, I didn't tell a single lie in that chamber. Not one. But I didn't tell the whole truth."

"Oh?"

"Bruce, there are a hundred reasons I could give for killing Ra's al Ghul, and all of them would be true, and none of them would be excuses. But the one that really sealed it for me is his immortality." Jason sighed. "I didn't kill him for that just because Death ordered me to. I killed him because that was the only way we were ever going to be rid of him."

Bruce raised an eyebrow, silently prompting his son to continue.

"All of our enemies died in the end. Yours, mine, Dick's — they all died. Even the Jokers died. Sure, they leave a successor who is worse than they ever were, but they still die in the end, whether it's by the whims of fate or by someone else's hand. But not Ra's. Never Ra's." Jason exhaled deeply, a dark look on his face. "He would've kept coming back and coming back, no matter what the cost. He tried to used Damian's body to keep living, and I'm sure he would've resorted to using Talia's if he was desperate enough. And he would've never stopped, not until he had wiped out most of the billions that live on this planet."

"When it comes down to it, the man he used to be — the good man he claimed to be — was dead. Has been dead, long before anyone in this house was born. He was never going to be that man again, and you and I both know it. In a way, what I did was just a formality. So that's why I can't find it in myself to regret what I did. I'd do it again, if I had to."

Bruce thought his words for a long moment, then sighed himself. "I'm not sure I agree with it, Jason. But I can understand, and for that, I think I can let it go. I'm not exactly sorry to see him go, after all. Not after this." He gestured to the sleeping Talia and to Jason himself.

"That's fine," Jason shrugged, nudging his father lightly. "I just don't want this to be an issue between us. I'm the one who's going to have live with it, after all. And it's not like I plan on killing anyone else any time soon, or ever for that matter."

"Good," Bruce stated firmly.

And that, was that.

The next couple of days were spent recuperating. Dick returned to Bludhaven, having taken far too many days off lately. Jason had been forcibly interrogated by Dinah and Helena on their futures before they were evicted from the Manor again. Stephanie sticked around for New Year's, as planned. Cass started on her dance and skating lessons. Damian spent time with his still-recuperating mother.

The chaos didn't really start again until Tim appeared one day at breakfast with a couple of signed documents. Documents that Jason found very familiar. The second Robin took one look at them, and then dragged Tim into a bone-crushing hug.

Bruce, who had been sitting at the dining table with them, raised an eyebrow and glanced at the documents himself. A wide and genuine smile crossed his face when he saw what they were, especially when he spotted the curve of Tim's signature on the bottom. The moment Jason let his brother go, Bruce pulled Tim into another embrace.

"Welcome to the family, son," he rumbled warmly.

Tim shrugged, though his cheeks burned bright with his smile. "What can I say? Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne did have a nice ring to it."

Bruce and Jason laughed.

The rest of the day was similarly celebratory. Jason had immediately called Dick with the news, who then spent the next half hour squealing over the phone about how he had another sibling. Damian, in deep contrast, had simply snorted and muttered an "About time." The news was then spread to the rest of their network, and before anyone knew it, and impromptu party had started at a nearby restaurant after they picked up Cass from her lessons. Food and laughter flowed freely as everyone present celebrated another addition to the Wayne family.

In the midst of it all, Stephanie, brought from her home to join the festivities, found her boyfriend taking a moment for himself in the corner. She smiled as she went to him, nudging him to catch his attention. Tim stopped watching his new family to glance at her, and smiled back.

"Ready to be the at the top of the rumor mill again?" she asked cheekily.

Tim actually chuckled at that. "Look who's talking. You're the one who's now dating a Wayne."

"Ah, right!" Stephanie giggled. "I'm going have to get used to being accused of being a gold digger, aren't I?"

"Yeah," Tim leaned back, reaching and lacing their hands together. "But you know what? I don't care. Let them say whatever they want. You and I know the truth, and so do all the people we really care about. That's all that really matters, in the end."

Stephanie nodded, leaning back herself. "I wasn't originally going to come to Gotham Academy. When the acceptance letter came, I didn't know what to think, considering I never applied to, well, anything that would allow me to go. But, mom pushed me and I thought 'why not?'. It was the opportunity of a lifetime." She snorted. "If only I knew."

"And now?" Tim prompted her.

"I'm glad I went. I got to meet your family," Stephanie leaned her head against his shoulder. "I got to meet you. No matter what happens from here on out…I'm never going to regret that."

Tim smiled, and leaned his own head against hers. "Neither am I."

About a week after Tim's official induction into the Wayne family, Bruce, Jason, and Damian arrived at the family's private airfield to see Talia off. Having mostly healed of her injuries, she had decided it was time for her to leave Gotham. She had never been much of one to stay in the same place, after all.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Bruce asked right before she was about to set off. The plane was already fueled and warmed up. All that was missing was its chosen passenger.

Talia nodded slowly, smiling softly, if sorrowfully, at him. "I'll be fine, Beloved. Just because my father's organization is collapsing doesn't mean I don't have access to my own resources. I've got more than a few nest eggs stashed away for situations like this."

"Right," Bruce breathed in deeply. "Right."

The two former lovers stared at each other, and before either of them knew it, their lips were pressed together in a gradually deepening kiss. They stayed in that intimate embrace for a minute or two, before reluctantly separating. Talia placed a hand on Bruce's chest and closed her eyes as his own gently pulled a stray lock of hair from her face and behind her ear.

"I love you, Bruce. I always will," Talia finally said after a moment of silence.

"And I will always love you, Talia," Bruce declared back with an air of solemnity. "But…"

"…we aren't meant to be," Talia finished for him. "We never really were, were we?"

"No," Bruce reluctantly agreed, sighing. "Friends?"

"Friends," Talia affirmed.

"Stay safe, Talia."

Talia gave him one last tearful nod, before walking to the next person in line. Jason had a resigned but accepting expression on his face. "Do you hate me for killing him?" he immediately asked her.

She hesitated for a moment, before firmly shaking her head. "No. I…you were right about him. He caged me as much as he caged all his other prisoners. Mine was just more gilded than the others."

Jason smiled weakly at her. "I wish there had been another way."

"So do I. But… perhaps this is for the best. We're all free of him now." Talia leaned forward, and gave Jason a kiss on the forehead. "Thank you, Jason. For everything."

With that, she walked away from him, and to the final person she wished to see. The one person she, more than anything else, never wanted to leave. Not ever again.

But she had to. For both their sakes.

"Mother…" Damian was trying to stay strong, they both knew. He had been taught to be nothing less than that.

Talia knew better now. She crouched down so she could wrap her arms around her son. "It's okay to cry, Damian," she whispered.

That was all Damian needed to hear. He began to sniffle, and then sob into his mother's shoulder, allowing her to comfort him for the last time it what would no doubt be a long time. "Do you really have to go?" he asked through his tears.

"I do," Talia responded sadly. "I've been under your grandfather's thumb for all my life, Damian. And now that he's gone for good, I need to figure out who I am without him. That's something I can't do here, and it's something I need to do alone."

"But you'll visit, won't you?" Damian sniffed again, his sobs finally beginning to subside.

"I will," Talia confirmed, quirking her lips. "I promise." With that said, she gave him a kiss on the forehead, much like the one she gave to Jason. "I love you, Damian. Always and forever, and more than anything and anyone else in the world."

"I love you too, Mother," Damian said in kind, watching glumly as she stood back up.

It was the final goodbye. Talia looked back at them all, giving them one final wave, before walking towards the plane and up the stairs. The three Waynes watched together as the airstair was taken away and the hatch closed, as the plane began rolling away, as it took off into the sky, beyond the horizon.

Damian hardly moved as he felt the familiar weight of his brother's arm snake around his shoulders, pressing their sides together. "Does it ever get any easier?" he asked instead, voice barely steady.

"Saying goodbye? No," Jason admitted fully with a sigh. "It never gets easier."

"And the waiting?"

Jason smirked tiredly. "That? That, you handle one day at a time. You just keep living your life, and whenever you think about them, you remind yourself that no matter what happens, you'll find them again. Whether in this life…or the next."

"That sounds ominous," Damian noted, a small smile stretching across his face. "But oddly comforting."

"Story of my life," Jason proclaimed, lightly slapping his brother on his shoulder. "C'mon. It's time we head on home. Bruce, you coming?"

"In a minute, Jay!" Bruce called back, still watching where the plane had disappeared in the distance.

Jason smiled. "Got it! Don't stare for too long though!"

Bruce shot him a look. Jason smirked back and gave him a wave. He made it too easy.

As the Waynes quietly departed from the airfield, Death, using a rare moment freedom, silently watched them go from afar. While her gaze flickered upon all of them, it lingered on Jason. She laced her fingers in front of her, and sighed.

"I know you're strong enough to weather what's to come ahead," she whispered the shrinking visage of the man she loved. "I just hope you'll forgive me for not telling you the truth."

Her words voiced, she faded away. There was work to be done.

THE END

TO BE CONTINUED

IN THE SEQUEL:

the superhero game

And with that, the first story is over.

God, what a ride this was! I really had no plan beyond "fluff and angst" at first and this was just to help me move past my writer's block for To Hell and Back. Now it's spawned into something that's arguably better and grander in scope than that story. And maybe even more popular too! I'd like to thank everyone who joined me on this wonderful journey. Please, tell me all your thoughts in comments and reviews. I love those.

The second (and final) story won't be out for some time. I need to finish pre-writing it. But before even that, I need to finish Arc IV of To Hell and Back. That's been on the back burner for way too long, so that's first priority for the time being. If you want more of my writing (and are a fan of the Arrowverse), just read that for the time being. Otherwise, just be patient.

Or update the TV Tropes page. The main page, the character page, the heartwarming page, or make new pages. God knows that thing needs some more updates. There should be a link on the AO3 version, either at the beginning or the end of the story. Click that and it will take you there.

As a small preview of what's to come, I'll tell you a bit about the sequel. While the Bat-Family will still play a major part in the story, the only member that will remain a main character is, obviously, Jason. As for the rest of the new main cast…well, you'll just have to wait and see.

Until next time, everyone!