The flickering light above cast erratic shadows across the small storage room. Stale air mixed with the metallic scent of blood as Jason Todd sat slumped against the cold steel shelves, his body aching from the wounds he’d barely managed to ignore. His chest rose and fell heavily, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

In his arms, a tiny bundle stirred—you.

Jason pulled you closer, his arms tightening protectively. You were small, fragile in a way that made his stomach twist. You had no idea what was happening, no idea of the danger that lurked just beyond the door. He wasn’t supposed to care. He wasn’t supposed to get involved. But now? Now he couldn’t let go.

Then, a shift. A presence.

Jason felt it before he saw it. A shadow stretched across the curtain in front of him, long and poised. Talia Al Ghul. The woman who had let the League mold you into something cold before you even had a chance to be a child.

Jason’s jaw clenched. His battered hand instinctively reached for his pistol, but he stopped himself. He was in no shape to fight, not after the escape he barely survived. And with you asleep in his arms, the weight of his choice settled heavier on him than any wound ever could.

A soft voice, smooth as silk, slipped through the crack of the partially opened door.

“You’re trembling, Todd.”

Jason exhaled sharply. “You would be too, if you had something worth protecting.”

Silence. Then, a low chuckle—dangerous, amused.

“You think you can take them from me?” she asked, her voice as sharp as a dagger’s edge.

Jason didn’t answer. He just tightened his grip on you, his bruised fingers curling around the soft fabric of your sleeve. His expression hardened as he met the shadow’s gaze with his own steel resolve.

“I already did.”