Every time I see that panel of Bruce and the Three Robins watching a movie while Bruce claimed that it was good to be with his "whole family", I feel awful. Not because it's a bad scene (it's lovely), but because I think of Jason, ignored and left out. I thought what he would feel if he saw them through the window. This story is a result of that, but placed in the New 52 continuity because that's the one I read and the one where I like Jason better.

It will be a short story with only two chapters. I hope you like the first one.

Bruce

Wayne Manor was filled with noise tonight. Both the kitchen and the living room's lights were on, the huge LCD screen flickered as Dick changed the channels. Damian and Tim threw insults at each other as the third Robin unpacked his small bag in his old bedroom, their raised voices could be heard from the kitchen downstairs where Alfred Pennyworth poured strawberry milkshakes into large cups with a tiny smile on his face.

Bruce leaned against the door of the kitchen and peeked at the staircase.

"Get down here, you two. We're starting!" the raven haired man yelled, sounding more harsh than he actually felt.

Truth was Bruce felt happy.

Maybe not as happy as a normal person would feel, but at least he didn't feel the darkness looming over him, the weight of his parents deaths pulling him like an anchor into a familiar abyss of grief and rage that he got used to like a second skin.

But tonight was different. His three sons were home at the same time and Gotham wasn't in a state of emergency.

Tonight, Dick and Tim had both been in Gotham and stopped by to say 'Hi'. Alfred somehow managed to convince them to stay for dinner and then to spend the night. He even managed to convince all of them to watch a movie together.

Bruce picked his cellphone for the fifth time and clicked on Jason's contact. In end, he gave up and put the phone back in his pocket. Jason probably wouldn't even pick up the phone anyway.

After ten minutes of bickering, Bruce stood up and picked a Blu-ray case from one of the shelves. Dick's eyes widened when he saw the title.

"The Mark of Zorro?" the oldest son asked carefully.

Tim also seemed apprehensive, but Alfred smiled. Damian simply threw himself into one of the five sofas they had pushed across the living room in front of the LCD screen with his headphones on his ears.

Bruce put the CD on the Blu-ray player and sat in the middle of the five sofas before pulling off Damian's headphones.

"You're gonna torture us with some black-and-white movie, aren't you?" Damian asked, staring at his father with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Open your mind, Damian," Bruce told his sulking son. "The movie's got a lot of swordplay and no CGI. You'll love it."

Dick sat next to Bruce with his milkshake on his hand, still worried about the effect of that particular movie on his adoptive father.

"Um… Bruce, you sure you want to watch this?" Dick asked.

Bruce nodded, his eyes fixed on the screen.

"It may have been the worst night of my life, Dick, but up until Chill stepped out of the shadows, it was one of the best days of my life," Bruce explained slowly. "It wasn't often I got to spend every waking moment with both my mother and father. The whole day felt special. Looking back, this movie not only marked and ending, but a beginning… of a new road… a new path… So it kind of feels right to see it again…"

Bruce finally pressed play and relaxed against the comfortable sofa with a smile on his face.

"… with the whole family."

Jason

Gotham City would never be the kind of city that went quieter when it snowed. If anything, the cold made people angrier and louder as they tried to survive another day and the cold weather. The incoming snowstorm didn't help their belligerent attitude.

Jason Todd overtook a line of vehicles swiftly through the frozen road with his motorcycle, succeeding in not crashing. Even though he was wearing his uniform under warm clothes, he still felt cold as the icy snow landed on him. He really should have picked a car.

After crossing the bridge, Jason turned to an empty road that would lead him straight to Wayne Manor.

He wasn't planning on showing up, but Roy had received a surprising request from Green Arrow to spend the weekend on Star City and help him with a case. Even though his partner had left groaning and complaining how insufferable Oliver Queen was, Jason knew that Roy was secretly delighted to that his former mentor wanted to spend time with him for a change.

"Are you gonna be alright by yourself, Jaybird?" Roy asked as he packed his things, including a few new inventions that Jason assumed he was going to show Green Arrow.

"I'll be fine, Harper. Finally some peace and quiet for a change," Jason smirked and threw a sock at the redhead. "I have work to do anyway. Bats wants me to investigate a weapons supplier that is selling guns to Gotham's top crime lords. We met some of his cronies back in Bulgaria and Greece."

"Ah! It's all coming back screaming to me," Arsenal answered. "Are you going to Gotham, then?"

"Nah, I'll just email him the data."

Roy frowned at his friend. "You should go and deliver the data in person, Jason. It could be nice to go back home."

Jason leaned against the door and crossed his arms over his chest.

"There's a reason I left, Roy."

"Yet we keep showing up there."

"It's not my fault Gotham is sitting on a Hellmouth," Jason shrugged. "Besides, every time we went there was to fight someone or something. I don't do social calls."

Roy stood up and faced his best friend. It was harder to think that he was actually two years older than Jason was. Then again, all Bat Kids had to age mentally very quickly to work with someone like Batman.

"You should go, Jason. Just stop by and say hello to Batman, the data is a good excuse. Who knows? The Bat might be less grumpy this time."

Thus, at the last minute, Jason bought a plane ticket and flew to Gotham holding a USB drive, which contained the shady arms dealer's data, picked up a motorcycle from one of his hideouts and ventured into the snowstorm to give it to Bruce personally.

Roy had been right about one thing. He was going to give Batman the data, so it still wasn't a social call.

Jason finally stopped this motorcycle in front of the Manor's huge iron gates and walked slowly towards the buzzer. As usual, he hacked the system and opened the gate by himself. Bruce still hadn't updated his security to let Jason enter freely, which meant Jason always made sure that his former mentor knew he had forced his way into the Manor.

Interestingly, he was allowed to walk freely into the Batcave, a place with more security than the Pentagon. Yet, Bruce never changed the security protocols to let Jason into Wayne Manor after his death, even after the Red Hood stopped his war against the Batman.

About a year ago, Jason would never have thought about going into the Manor to deliver data. He had been blind with thoughts of revenge, making plan after plan to bring Batman and his allies down. However, if he wanted to be honest with himself, he would never be able to kill the Bat.

No matter how angry he was and how much he hated him, it was Bruce. He couldn't kill Bruce.

Leaving Gotham was the best decision he had ever made. The rage fueled by the Pit was turning him into someone he couldn't recognize and Gotham was filled with bad memories of laughing clowns, grief and rejection.

Jason remembered coming back to Gotham after spending two months on Bludhaven's Hospital with severe sepsis. He returned to an empty apartment, still weak and emaciated, barely able to take a bath by himself or cook. He had turned eighteen on the hospital, but his birthday was spend alone on an ICU bed. He could easily cut his wrists and die, knowing that his corpse wouldn't be found until days or even weeks.

He knew then that his presence in Gotham made no difference, that his war against the Bat would only bring him more sorrow. Therefore, he gave up on his hopeless war, picked up his belongings and left.

Things were better now. It had taken a while, but now he was fighting alongside Batman and the rest of the Family instead of against them. The other Robins trusted him, especially his replacement, which had been very surprising to say the least. He was one of the Robins again, one of the family. Dick had called him a brother.

Jason pulled his red hoodie over his head and tucked his motorcycle helmet under his arm, the cold air almost freezing his nose and cheeks. As his boots crushed the perfect white snow, the young man saw lights from living room's windows. He checked his phone, it was nine thirty. Fortunately, he had arrived before Bruce went on patrol.

Jason prepared himself mentally for what he was gonna do and say once he got into the Manor. Surely, both Bruce and Alfred were going to be surprised by his late visit and he guessed Damian would not be particularly welcoming. Either way, he was just going to ring the doorbell and go along with what came next.

Alfred, always present and warm, would welcome him back to the manor and most likely offer him some homemade dinner. Jason would agree, he'd have to be insane to refuse Alfred's cooking.

He pictured Bruce's stoic face, asking him why he had come. That was what the USB drive was for. They could look at it later, after Jason ate whatever delicious meal Alfred had cooked. Everything seemed better after eating Alfred's meal, even the little demon that was currently Robin. When Batman and Robin finally went on patrol, the Red Hood would reluctantly offer his services, though not very pleased for not being allowed to shot some scumbags.

They all knew the drill.

Jason was about to press the doorbell when he heard laughter. Not just any laughter, Dick Grayson's loud and happy laughter.

Slowly, Jason walked away from the main door and towards the sound of the laughter and other happy voices. He stood a few feet away from the widow and stared at the happy family inside watching an old black-and-white movie that he recognized as The Mark of Zorro, the movie Bruce had seen in theater with his parents before they were gunned down.

All the Robins were there, talking to each other, laughing, pointing at the screen and drinking what seemed to be milkshakes. Alfred placed a hand on Tim's shoulder and smiled at something that Dick said, while Damian threw his hands in the air and nudged his father. Bruce turned his head to Damian and said something before smiling warmly.

The snow had damped Jason's hoodie at this point. Snowflakes landing and melting on his face as he stood motionless in front of the window.

He was so stupid.

Slowly, the young man turned around and walked towards the gates and his motorcycle. He knew the motion sensors and the CCTV footage on the Manor had already captured his presence. If Bruce didn't check it tonight, he would know that Jason had been in his garden in morning. By that time, the outsider would be long gone.

He could still knock on the door and let himself in, force his presence. He could almost see how their smiles would vanish the moment he entered the room and ruined their happy night. Any words that would follow would be motivated by guilt and pity for not including him, but mostly for being caught by the Black Sheep in their happy family moment.

Oh, Todd. When will you ever learn?

Jason should have known his place by now. He was the soldier that Batman called when he needed him to fight, that was why he was only allowed in the Batcave while the Manor remained closed to him.

The Batcave was for missions, the Manor was for family, and Jason would never be family, not in the way the other Robins were.

He wasn't the Robin that was invited for dinner, movie nights or holidays. He wasn't the Robin that Bruce wished to immortalize in a family portrait.

No. He was the Robin who was volatile, dangerous, and broken. He was the Robin who remained immortalized in a costume in a case and an empty grave. He was the one who was always defined by his failures, the one who should be kept away unless Batman needed him to fight and would be forgotten as soon as he was out of sight.

That was what he was worth to Bruce and he had been an idiot for thinking that he could ever be anything else.

Jason glanced one last time at the window before putting on his helmet and got on his motorcycle.

He was done, too many doors had closed on his face and he should have known better to expect otherwise. He wasn't one of them, and Bruce was not his father, and he was a grown man who didn't need one now.

With a twinge on his chest, Jason sped away. There were no tears.

Bruce

When the movie ended and the screen faded to black, Damian was practically asleep on his chair. Dick stood up, ready to pick him up, but Bruce motioned to his eldest and took the little boy in his arms and tucked him into bed.

After closing the door, Bruce saw Dick and Tim walking towards their old bedrooms, both with red cheeks and sleepy eyes.

"Are you on patrol tonight, Boss?" Dick asked. "Because, we don't mind to help. Just like old times."

Bruce had considered it, but shook his head. "Not tonight. It's okay to take a night off once in a while."

Tim grinned. "Batman is taking a night off? Is that even possible?"

"Who are you and what have you done with our Bruce?" Dick joined in.

"Go to sleep," the older man said, walking towards the stairs. "Use this chance to get some rest."

He heard the boys laughing and talking as they went to their bedrooms. He would have done the same if Alfred hadn't shown up on the corridor, as vigilant as ever.

"Excuse me, sir. It seems the motion sensors caught something on the gardens tonight," the old butler said. "Do you wish to take a look?"

"Just the motion sensors?" Bruce was already walking to the computer and pulling the security feed. "There was no break in."

"Apparently, someone hacked the security and opened the gate. Around…" Alfred checked another computer monitor. "… nine thirty two, pm."

Bruce remained silent and watched the CCTV footage. Sure enough, around nine thirty, a motorcycle stopped in front of the Manor and a familiar figure moved swiftly towards the electronic lock and opened the gate. Bruce held his breath as Jason Todd took off his helmet and walked towards the main entrance.

Bruce and Alfred watched as Jason noticed the light and commotion coming from the living room's widow. Bruce's stomach fell when the boy stood in front of window in the middle of the snow, his face blank as he watched the family having a good time. Seventy four seconds later, Jason turned around and left the Manor, speeding down the road until he disappeared into the dark and cold night.

"Oh dear…" Alfred whispered sadly.

Bruce pressed rewind and paused on Jason's unnatural impassive face, the dim lights from the movie as the only source of light. His eyes, however, were too bright.

"I assume you did not know he was coming over, Master Bruce," Alfred asked cautiously, also staring at Jason's face in the screen with a saddened expression.

"No, I didn't."

Bruce thought about the five times he had almost called Jason, but decided against it, telling himself that the Red Hood could be anywhere around the world and he wouldn't go to Gotham on purpose just to watch a movie, convinced that Jason wouldn't pick up the phone or that he would have just said no to the invitation.

He had no idea Jason was in Gotham, let alone that he was coming to the Manor. Once again, he pressed play and watched as the second Robin turned around and left.

'Why didn't you come inside?' Bruce asked the silent recording. 'Why did you leave?'

"Is that Jason?"

Both men turned around and saw Tim by door, already dressed in his pajamas. The sixteen-year-old peeked at the computer screen and moved closer to get a better look. Seconds later, Dick also showed up.

"What's going on?" the oldest Robin asked.

"Jason was here," Bruce said, Tim pressed the rewind button and watched the footage with Dick. "Tonight."

Dick sighed loudly, while Tim pressed his lips.

"You didn't ask him to come to the Manor?" Dick asked his former mentor.

"No. I didn't know he was in Gotham," Bruce explained.

Dick frowned. "Did you call him?"

"No."

Dick took a deep breath and stared once more at the screen. Tim, on the other hand, moved towards the door.

"It's only been two hours. He could still be in the city," Tim said. "I'll go talk to him."

"Wait! Tim! I'll go with you," Dick offered, but the younger boy shook his head.

"No. I'll go. If you show up, it's gonna end up in a fist fight."

Dick frowned. "Tim, you shouldn't go alone. If Jason is angry…"

"What? You think he's going to beat me up as an outlet?" Tim asked, moving closer to the older boy, eyes hard and almost offended. "He won't. I know him. I probably know him best out of all of us. You do know that he changed, don't you?"

Bruce remained silent as he watched Tim and Dick, not sure where he stood in the matter.

While he was stuck in the past after his battle against Darkseid, many things happened in his absence. Dick had taken over the role of Batman with Damian as Robin, thus replacing Tim. Moreover, Jason's madness had reached its peak, forcing Dick to send him to Arkham Asylum, something they all knew Jason would never truly forgive him for.

By the time Bruce was Batman again, the Red Hood had managed to break out of the Asylum and fought them in a few occasions. Jason's rage and hatred still burned strongly, but his methods became less brutal, as if he was losing his conviction. After missing for months, Jason sent a letter to Alfred, telling him that he had left Gotham for good and he did not intend to come back.

'Tell Batman that he won' he wrote as the final sentence in the small letter.

Bruce had wanted to grab that letter, find Jason and shake him until he understood that it wasn't about winning or losing, there was nothing to win. He had wanted to tell Jason that he didn't have to leave at all. Instead, Bruce kept the letter and remained silent, secretly trying to find Jason across the globe. However, the Red Hood was well trained and knew how to cover his tracks, even after joining forces with Starfire and Roy Harper. The League wanted to stop them, capture them, but Batman intervened and vouched for them, for Jason. Back then, it was the only thing he could do to protect him.

He had no idea how Tim had managed to make amends with Jason after he also left Gotham. When they finally saw the Red Hood back in Gotham, Batman was surprised to see him fight alongside Red Robin, the replacement that Jason had begrudged and even tried to murder a few times.

Dick placed his finger over the bridge of his nose. "I know, Tim. We've been on missions with Jason many times. I know that he's changed. I trust him. We all do."

"Tt. Speak for yourself, Grayson."

They all stared at the door. Damian was leaning against the doorframe, glaring at both Dick and Tim.

"Master Damian, you should be asleep."

"The racket awoke me, Pennyworth," Damian answered coldly. "Leave it to Todd to disrupt everyone's night."

"Damian," Bruce said sternly, but it only seemed to anger his youngest son even more.

"It's the truth, Father. We were having a perfect… an acceptable night, until Todd showed up and dragged us all into one of his dramas once more."

Bruce saw Tim close his hands into fists.

"Can you stop being an ass for a change, Damian?" Tim asked. "Jason didn't do anything. He showed up, saw us all together and left. It's the Portrait Sitting all over again. How would you feel if you were always left out?"

"I would not throw a temper tantrum like Todd probably is right now," Damian answered in derision, walking towards Tim. "Stop fooling yourself, Drake. The only reason you sought Todd's company was because Grayson turned his back on you!"

"Damian that is a lie!" Dick growled, turning immediately to Tim. "That's not true, Tim. You know that, right?"

But Tim remained silent, his fists closed until they turned white.

"Besides, does Todd actually believe that he can come into this house as an equal ever again? He might be an ally in battle, but he'll always be a traitor and a murderer who tainted the Robin name."

"Damian, enough!" Bruce finally stood up and loomed over the young, angry boy. "Don't ever say that again!"

Damian tried his hardest, but he still pouted as he stared at his father in anger. "I speak the truth. I'm just the only one who has the courage to say it. Todd is not part of my family!"

"Damian!" Dick exclaimed.

"Master Jason belongs to this family as much as you do, Master Damian," Alfred said calmly, even though Damian scoffed. "It is true that his past actions after his resurrection were regrettable, but he was suffering. He was hurt, scared and angry. You of all people should be able to understand."

Damian had the decency to look down. Just as Bruce thought that would be the end of it, the ten-year-old spoke again.

"I was killed too," the boy muttered. "Yet I never committed Todd's crimes. I did not blame anyone for my death."

"Your death was terrible, Damian, but it wasn't the same," Tim said, his voice firm but his eyes softened a bit. "When you came back, you still had your place. You're still Robin and Bruce..." Tim stared at Bruce, sad but determined. "Bruce tried everything to bring you back."

Both Damian and Dick stared at Bruce with wide eyes, while Alfred lowered his head. Bruce remained stoned face, his blue eyes never leaving Tim's. He wasn't angry at the teen for finally revealing the truth, but he would be lying if he said that was ready to face what he had done.

Then there was the implication of Tim's words. Bruce had tried everything to bring Damian back from the dead, but he didn't with Jason.

"Master Timothy… Master Bruce was blinded by grief," Alfred intervened. "He never meant to hurt you… or Master Jason."

"No, Alfred. Don't try to excuse me, I know what I did," Bruce looked Tim in the eyes. The young teen remained expressionless, but Bruce could still feel the hurt. "I am sorry, Tim. For everything that I said that day."

Tim lowered his eyes. "I know, Bruce. It's fine. I understand."

Bruce knew Tim wasn't being completely honest. There were things that could never be unsaid and actions that you couldn't take back no matter how much he wanted it.

"What happened?" Dick asked, facing his mentor. "Bruce, what did you do?"

The raven-haired man took a deep breath before facing Dick and Damian.

"After Damian was killed, I… I fell apart," he told them. "I couldn't deal with my grief. I was consumed by it. All I could think of was of all the people who had died and managed to come back, while my ten-year-old son was dead," Bruce stared at Damian's eyes, wide and blue. "I had to try and bring you back."

Dick moved closer, his usual bright blue eyes hard as stone. "What did you do, Bruce?"

"I captured Frankenstein. I was trying to figure out how he stayed alive," Bruce forced himself not to look away from Damian's horrified eyes or the shock on Dick's face.

"You were trying to play mad scientist?" Dick snapped. "With Damian?"

"I was willing to do whatever it took to bring him back, even if it was madness," Bruce answered. "But Tim stopped me. He blew up the entire lab before I could do anything. I said terrible things to him…" once more, Bruce turned to Tim, who remained still and expressionless. "I'm sorry, Tim. I wish I could take it all back. I know it's no excuse, but those words were spoken out of grief. I did not mean them."

The boy nodded, his face still blank. Bruce would have to talk to him later, just the two of them. He had been a fool to think he would just forget what had happened.

"And Jason?" Dick asked slowly. "Did you tell him terrible things too?"

Bruce looked away this time. He had been so confident back then, so certain that what he was doing was the right thing. If he could have Damian back, he would sacrifice Tim and Jason's feelings in a heartbeat. He figured it would be a small price to pay, that if they really loved him, they would understand and support his decision. Especially Jason, who had been dead once.

He hadn't thought of Jason at all that day on the desert, all he could think of was that Jason could know a way to bring Damian back and that he had to explore that. Jason's feelings were collateral damage and that seemed so easy to ignore at the time.

"After the Joker sabotaged his helmet with poisonous gas, Jason and I… we made peace, or at least we tried to," the Dark Knight finally said. "He stayed in the Manor until he recuperated from the attack and I asked him to come with me after some bounty hunters that had targeted Damian once."

Dick's eyes narrowed, Damian remained silent and expectant.

"In reality, it was just an excuse to take him back to Ethiopia," Dick's eyes widened while Damian gaped. "The Magdala Valley."

They didn't need to hear anything else. They all knew what Batman had meant to do by taking Jason back to the place where he had died.

"No… Goddamnit, Bruce. No," Dick shook his head and closed his fists. "You wanted him to relieve his own death. How could you do that? You know how much pain that would cause him. You know how much he wants to forget that day and move on."

"Because I wanted to bring Damian back, Dick!" Bruce snapped, facing his eldest. "That's all what I could think of and Jason could have the answer. I wanted to watch Damian grow up! I wanted my son back!"

Bruce's words seemed to shock Dick. The older Robin glared at him, no sympathy in his eyes.

"So you threw Jason under the bus, just when he thought he could be part of this family again," Dick's voice was cold as the snow outside. "You basically told him that he wasn't your son, that he didn't matter."

Bruce backed down as if he had been slapped. "That's not true! I never said that!"

"You didn't have to and that's the worst part, Bruce. You used him," Dick pointed angrily at the computer screen. "No wonder he feels like an outsider."

"He knows he's part of the family! He knows that!" Bruce growled, even though he knew he was partly trying to convince himself. "He knows that he can come home."

"If he knew that, he wouldn't have left," Dick answered slowly. "When was the last time you ever called him just to talk or to come over to the Manor? Every time you call him, it's for a mission. You keep treating him like a soldier."

"That is not true!"

"Father…"

Their arguing was silenced by Damian's soft voice. Bruce stared at his son, whose young eyes were fixed on Jason's blank face on the screen.

"Father… you betrayed Todd."

Bruce opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He could deny Dick's accusations, but Damian's soft words left him speechless.

He could still see Jason's face when he realized that Bruce that brought him back to the place where he had been beaten and killed, the way the light in his eyes died and his face fell as he stared at the old wreckage.

"You lied to me. This wasn't about taking down those mercenaries. You wanted to bring me here… to the worst place in the world… And here I was starting to believe all your crap about trust and faith…"

Bruce looked yet again the screen and the boy standing alone in the middle of the snow, knowing that he had failed Jason again. Every move he made was the wrong one. Every word he said only seemed to push Jason further away instead of showing him how much he meant to him.

He wanted Jason to come home. I'd always wanted it, ever since he realized it was him under the red helmet. The problem was that Bruce had no idea how to make him see that and when he tried, they ended up fighting, resentment, guilt and Joker's laughter still looming over them like a dark cloud.

So it became easier to not say anything and just hope that somehow Jason would come home on his own. He thought that if he showed Jason that he trusted him to fight by his side it would be enough.

But it wasn't.

"I'll go find him," Bruce finally said.

"We'll come with you," Dick said, but Bruce stopped him.

"No. This is between Jason and me. It's about time we have serious talk," Bruce looked at his sons, they weren't convinced. "Please."

Dick placed a hand on both Tim and Damian's shoulders. "Tell Jay we'll be waiting."

Bruce nodded and walked towards the Batcave's entrance. Within minutes, the Batmobile sped into Gotham's white streets.

So this is the first chapter. I hope you liked it. In the next and final chapter, Bruce and Jason have their talk.

The scenes of Tim and Jason are from the comics. Bruce tried to dissect Frankenstein on Batman and Red Robin #19. Bruce and Jason made up on Red Hood and the Outlaws #17 and #18. Then Bruce had the bright idea to bring Jason to Ethiopia on Batman and Red Hood #20.

Feel free to tell me what you thought of it so far.

Thanks for reading!