When the Past Comes Back to Haunt You

Chapter Four

"Jake, what happened?" Bruce asked, eyeing the two men with concern. Jacob started to answer but stopped short when he realized they had company.

"Ummm… maybe we should talk somewhere else," he told his father, his gaze roaming over the strangers assembled on the front steps.

"Let's go inside, then we can all talk," Chloe suggested, noticing how her son's gaze froze on Oliver.

"I'm all for that," Dick spoke up, walking past the unmoving strangers. That seemed to be all they needed to prod them into walking into the silent Manor.

Chloe led them to the large den but hesitated when she noticed the pictures that littered the far mantle. Was it wise to have this discussion here, where memories of Jake and Bruce and their happy little family were on display for the entire world to see?

"Sit down," Bruce commanded before Chloe could move the entourage into another room. She internally cringed when she saw Oliver's eyes stray across the room, taking in everything. She knew the moment they found the pictures of Jake. His jaw clenched and a look of pain washed over his face.

"Helena, why don't you show Connor and Robert to the game room upstairs?" Bruce asked his daughter in an obvious effort to get the younger children out of the room.

Chloe smiled as the young girl huffed at her father before turning to the two boys.

"Fine, this way. Sorry it's so dark, it fits Dad's personality," she told them as they left the room.

Bruce narrowed his eyes at his daughter's retreating back.

"Why do I allow that big, dumb alien around my daughter, again?" he asked Chloe quietly.

"Because you can really count on him when it matters?" she answered quietly, giving his hand a light squeeze.

Bruce smirked at her and opened his mouth to retaliate when Jake interrupted.

"Mom, Dad, come on, not now, please. Important information, remember?"

Chloe and Bruce turned to the irate blond both looking slightly sheepish.

"What happened, Jake?" Bruce asked.

Taking a deep breath, Jake started to explain the situation. He got as far as Barbara's absence when his sister came running into the room.

"Chloe! Dad! Turn on the T.V.," she yelled, skidding to a stop in front of her startled brother.

Bruce got up and made his way over to the large flat panel television that sat in the corner of the room. He switched it on and watched as a news report played on the screen.

"What the hell?" Chloe asked as the camera zoomed in on what looked like Batman being chased by two hooded figures. "Please tell me that's not what I think it is…" she mumbled, turning her eyes towards her son.

"Helena, go back to the game room," Bruce ordered. The young girl opened her mouth to argue but gave in before any words left her lips. Rolling her eyes, she stalked back the way she came.

"Okay, on to the important matter, you know, the girl dressed like you running around Gotham," Dick spoke up, drawing the room's attention to himself.

"Did you just say 'girl'?" Chloe asked in shock.

"Yeah, I pulled on her cowl, and out tumbled a long, mane of red hair. And she was short, shorter than me even. Jake got a good glimpse at her eyes, too, go on, ask him," Dick explained to the shocked group.

Chloe noticed both Oliver and Dinah were watching them curiously.

"I take it you have a pretty good guess who this masked wanna-be is?" Bruce asked his son.

"It has to be Barbara. I mean, why else wouldn't she show up at her father's rally? And she was really upset when you refused to show up and support Gordon. Her eyes were blue and her hair was red, perfect resemblance to Barbara. It had to be her," Jacob explained to his parents.

"Bruce, we've got to stop her before she gets hurt," Dick spoke up, worry evident in his voice.

"How do you know she plans on doing this again?" Chloe asked. "I mean, more than likely it was a one time thing to show support to her father and after this, the Bat suit will find its way into the nearest trash bin."

"And what if its not? What if she starts thinking she can make some kind of difference out there?" Bruce asked his son seriously.

"Maybe she can make a difference."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dick asked, narrowing his eyes at Jake.

"I mean, Gotham's getting worse. There's only so much the three, well, four if you count Mom, of us can do. We could use the extra help."

"No way," Dick bit out.

"I have to agree with Dick on this," Bruce spoke up before Jake could argue. "It's too dangerous out there. She's seventeen-"

"Eighteen," Jake corrected.

"Fine, eighteen, but still young. Too young to be doing this."

"Dick's eighteen, I'm nineteen how are we any different?"

"You're not. I still think you are too young, but you two have grown up doing this. You've been around it all of your life,"

"Jake, you and Dick have our full support in this, we can't say the same about Barbara," Chloe pointed out.

"Dad, how old were you when you started wearing your suit?" Jake asked irritably.

"Older than you."

"Fine, Mom, how old were you when you and Clark were fighting crazy meteor freaks? Fifteen? Sixteen?"

"That's different," Chloe told her son.

"How?"

"Clark and I didn't have a choice; Clark has never had a choice. Barbara does. How do you even know that she would want to be a part of this? It sounds to me like this stunt was something out of desperation. Let's just leave it at that," she explained calmly. She had always been the calm one in this family.

"I am going out tonight to talk to her, make sure she understands that this had better be a one time thing," Bruce said, turning once again towards the hall that held the secret entrance to the cave. "Dick, you're coming with me."

"Tonight's my night," Jake spoke up, accepting defeat for the moment.

"Not anymore. I called into Watchtower and had your nights switched. We have some things to talk about."

Jake fidgeted nervously.

"If Dad and Dick are going out tonight, doesn't Oracle need to be on comms?" he asked. Chloe could tell he was hoping to stall the inevitable.

"Not tonight. Watchtower is perfectly capable of handling this little outing. Besides, she could probably use an easy night," Chloe told her son, motioning for Bruce and Dick to go on.

Jake reluctantly turned to face the man who could only be his biological father. He recognized the face, it would have been hard not to seeing how he looked at the same face every time he looked into a mirror.

Of course, he had seen pictures of Oliver Queen before, but he always skimmed over them in papers or magazines, he found it much easier to just ignore the obvious rather than dwell on things that would never be.

He had a father, one who loved him, would do anything for him, and while he knew that Bruce Wayne was not biologically related to him, he had learned a long time ago that blood wasn't what mattered; love could be just as strong whether or not there was a physical tie there or not.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke to the man who had given him half of his DNA for the first time.

"Mr. Queen, I presume?" he asked, locking his green eyes directly onto the other man's brown ones.

"Yes, and I'm guessing you're Jacob?"

"Gee, what gave you that idea?"

"Jacob!" his mother scolded.

"Sorry," he told the older man, without an ounce of sorrow in his voice. He moved his eyes over to the woman who was sitting next to his… Oliver and noticed a pinched, pained expression on her face. It hit him then that Oliver must not have told his wife about his progeny. He smirked at that.

"So, Dad, long time no see," he said, taking a seat next to his mother. Oliver flinched at the title, or at least at the way Jacob said it.

"Jacob Gabriel Sullivan! What has gotten into you! I brought him here to meet you because you wanted it! I did not bring him here so you could attack him! You're acting like a petulant child! You are an adult, act like one!"

Jake swallowed hard. It was true; he had asked his mother to find the man who had fathered him. He really thought it was the end, that he'd finally found a wound he couldn't heal from, and he really truly had regretted the fact that he had never personally laid eyes on the man who had helped create him.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Queen. I just… I don't know what you are supposed to say with something like this," he admitted, the fight draining out of him.

"I don't either," Oliver admitted.

"Would you like something to drink?" Jake asked, figuring that was as good a place as any to start.

"Sure, that would be great."

Every word that Jake had spoken tore into Ollie's heart. It wasn't his fault! This kid was acting like he had purposefully walked out of his life! He hadn't known!

"Here, Mr. Queen," the boy said, offering him a large glass filled with water.

"You can call me Oliver," he offered, not really knowing what else to say. He glanced over at Dinah and met her eyes with wariness. He should have told her before, he knew he should have, but he was so emotionally torn that he really didn't know what to say, or how to deal with the tantrum she was sure to have thrown.

Dinah had never been comfortable with his past relationship with Chloe and knowing that they had a child together would surely push her over the edge.

He gave what he hoped was an apologetic smile and turned back to his son. There was time to deal with a jealous wife later.

"I really don't know what to say, Jacob, but I want to make something very clear. I had no idea about you, so you can drop the scorned child routine. It's not like I walked out on you, I had NO IDEA you even existed," Oliver told the young man, his emotions bubbling out before he could get control over them.

"But you knew Mom was pregnant, right? You thought she'd lost the baby," Jake retorted.

"You never thought to tell me this?" Dinah finally snapped, drawing the attention of the room.

Jacob looked surprised, as if he had forgotten the other woman was in the room.

"I didn't see how it was anyone's business but mine and Chloe's, considering I thought the baby had died. I'm sorry," he told his wife dismissively. He really didn't want to talk about this right now. He turned his attention back to his son.

"Yes, I knew she had been pregnant. I also know what she and Emil told me, and that was that she had lost the baby. Not surprising considering what she went through, yet here you are."

"Yeah, that's sorta my talent, coming back from the dead," Jake muttered.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Oliver told the young man.

"Yeah."

The four adults sat there in silence, no one knowing what else to say. Oliver knew there was so much more to say, but the things he wanted to say he didn't have the words for nor did he really want to say them with an audience.

He opened his mouth to suggest that they retire for the evening when a high pitched beeping interrupted him. He saw Jake jump up and run over to a large bookcase. Chloe followed quickly with a worried look on her face.

He watched her pick up a headset and a laptop, opening it while she put the comm. on her ear.

"Oracle to Batman, what's your status?" she asked. He wondered what the hell was up with her call sign and what had happened to Watchtower? He knew he had heard her mention Watchtower earlier, but she obviously wasn't referring to herself.

"What?" she exclaimed, turning a worried look on her son. "Fine, I'm sending him out now," she said turning back to the younger man. "Suit up."

Jake nodded before taking off down the long hall. Oliver realized he was obviously heading out to help Bruce and Dick. His son really had followed in his footsteps… then it hit him, no, Jacob wasn't following in his foot steps, he was following in Bruce's foot steps.

A/N: Sorry it's been a bit, but I've had a lot of projects that I've been working on. I've got a few chapters written so hopefully not so much of a wait next time around, but… I do have to say this… I NEED HELP! I don't have a call sign for Jake and I really can't think of one. Dick will call him Batboy as a joke, but I need a serious name for him and I have sat on these chapters for weeks because I couldn't come up with one, so… PLEASE OFFER YOUR SUGGESTIONS! A small panel of co-conspirators will go over all the suggestions with me and we will use our favorite and will credit the reviewer who came up with it, so, please, help!