In the Shadows

Chapter Six

I am personally offended that out of all the BatFam as vines videos I've watched, not one other person seems to have thought of doing the "Jared, 19" vine for Cass. Someone make that happen pls

//////////////////////

"Mother?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Who's my father?"

Thalia nearly spit out her drink. This was not where she expected the breakfast table conversation to go. "What- did Jason put you up to this?"

"Why would I care who your baby daddy is?" Jason asked with a mouthful of eggs.

"Don't speak with food in your mouth! Or phrase things in such a manner. But, to answer your question, just to mess with me."

"It was my own question! I'm seven now! I'm old enough to know!" Damian said.

"Your father is a wonderful man. That is all that you need to know."

"If he's so wonderful, then why isn't he around?"

"Because we split apart before I had you. I decided that I wanted to raise you alone. Though, you look a lot like him."

"I do?"

"Yes. You have my eyes and complexion, but otherwise you are his spitting image."

"Oh." Damian was both annoyed and pleased with this information. "Did you love him?"

"Very much, darling."

"Then why did you split up?"

"Because I... upset him. Greatly. I take responsibility for that, but that doesn't mean that I did not love him, and him me. He would've been a great father to you."

"Oh. Can I meet him?"

"Maybe when you're a bit older, love." She gently tugged his ear.

"What was his name?"

Thalia's eyes flickered over to Jason. Just as quickly, she had turned back to her son. "Bruce Wayne. He lives in Gotham City."

"Oh! Isn't that where Jason is from?"

"Yes."

"Jason, did you know my father?" Damian looked at him hopefully.

The name had triggered a memory of a man. Tall, with black hair and blue eyes. Flipping through a newspaper, giving Jason a new red bike. "I think so. Yes, I did. I'm not really sure how, though."

"Let me know when you remember! I want to hear all about him!"

"Ok."

"Damian, leave Jason be and finish your breakfast. Cassandra will be waiting for you in the west wing training hall soon ." Thalia seemed nervous, but Damian chalked it up to his inquiry.

"I am finished already, Mother."

"Then, off to training with Cassandra. I've asked her to show you how to wield dual weapons for the next two weeks."

"Yes ma'am. How do you ask her to do things?"

"Pictures. She is more intelligent than you give her credit for." Seeing Damian about to object, she added, "Her strengths lay in a different place than yours. For example, she is very clever at controlling her emotions, which is a trait that you would find great benefit from, my love."

Damian huffed and left the table, heading down the hallways until he reached the room he'd been told to go. There, he found Cass leaning against a stack of mats and her father standing near her. They were shooting all kinds of expressions at each other. Damian knew they must be "talking", and he couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about.

"Good morning, Damian." Cain acknowledged the boy's entrance.

"Good morning. I am here for my lesson?"

"I'll leave you to it." Cain turned around, taking a swig from a bottle of beer Damian hadn't even noticed he had. Cass' eyes were locked on her father, her disapproval obvious.

Damian wanted to say something about the dangers of alcohol in this environment, but he kept his mouth shut. Something told him that he didn't want to sass the man as much as normal when he was drunk. Which he clearly was.

Once he was gone, Cass waved Damian over to a stand of weaponry, pulling off twin swords. She handed them to Damian before getting a pair for herself. She then hesitated, and set them on the floor, choosing to work off Damian's stance first.

"Cain, I know stance is important, but I'm sick of you insisting I start with it. I learned how to climb by being put on a mountain and how to swim by being thrown in the water. I learn by doing."

She, of course, wasn't effected by his words, adjusting his arms and legs. She picked her swords back up, taking her stance. She demonstrated how to move them in tandem, shaking her head when Damian scoffed. His arrogance didn't equal knowledge, and one day he was going to learn that the hard way.

Wielding two swords was more difficult than he expected, but not terribly so. It only took him about fifteen minutes to get used to it. Cass pointed him towards the dummies to start the next leg of training. He grinned, and ran towards his styrofoam opponents.

-•-

Jason was trying to remember why he knew Damian's alleged father. Was he a neighbor? Was he well known? Were they related? Jason wasn't sure.

His hands went to the duffel bag sitting on his bed. It held his suit and a change of clothes, as it always did before an assignment. Jason had planned to have packed it more by now. He had planned to have packed Damian a bag by now, too. Tonight, he had planned to- well, it didn't matter.

He shook the idea out of his head. His original plan for the night was not going to happen. He had an assignment, and a new obstacle with Cass. She wouldn't just let them go. He hadn't made his plan detailed enough yet, anyway. He didn't know how they would get off the island. He didn't know where they would go once they did. He didn't even know if Damian would agree.

He needed more time. This was a blessing in disguise. But if he could figure out his connection to Damian's father- maybe, just maybe, his insane excuse for a plan could work.

He quickly put a first aid kit in his bag. Then took his guns out of their safe and added them in. A pair of walkie talkies for backup. Did he need anything else? No. This was a lot as it was. He didn't need more than this, especially if he was going to have a partner.

He was barely able to focus on the task at hand, his mind trying to focus in on something else. He took a deep breath, accepting what he needed to do. He lit himself a nice tea scented candle and turned out his light, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

He slowed his breathing, not letting any thoughts stay in his mind. Once he had cleared his head, he let his brain focus on what his subconscious was trying to send back. He was reluctant, afraid of what might come up. He forced the fear down, focusing on the memory.

He was maybe 12, in a doorway of the biggest house he had ever been allowed into. "Would you like to see your room, Master Jason?" A balding man with a mustache asked him. A shock went through him at this addressel. He nodded, excited to see what that could look like in such a place.

They walked up a grand staircase, and down a hallway, turning onto another. They passed a room that emo music was blasting from the seams of.

The butler shook his head. "Master Dick is experiencing a phase."

Jason couldn't help but laugh. "With a name like that, who wouldn't?" The memory faded out of Jason's reach before he could hear the reply. Jason tried desperately to get it back, but failed.

Coming out of his daze, he was frustrated. He had learned nothing from that memory, other than he had apparently become rich at some point. Had the house belonged to Damian's father? Was that how he knew the man? The memory hadn't answered the one thing he wanted it to.

Giving up, he stood back up. He turned on the light and blew out the candle. He zipped his bag closed. He would take it to the drop off point and then go find Damian and Cass. They were probably up to something interesting. Jason would even take one of Damian's calculus classes. Anything to distract him from the frustration of not knowing his own mind.