(no subject)
"Jamie...!" Jason sucked in some breath, his shoulders relaxing.
"I'm so sorry," the woman said, smoothing out some of the little girl's sandy blonde hair, which was coming out of its ponytail. She spun her around so they could be face to face.
"What were you thinking?" She demanded. "I told you to wait for me in the cafe next door-"
"Jamie," Jason said again, louder this time.
She seemed to notice him-actually him-for the first time.
"Jason?" She squinted slightly, tucking some hair behind her ear.
She was no longer the too-skinny teenager with boobs bigger than her brains. The same teenager with cropped hair and multiple piercings and dark red lipstick. Now she was in a pressed pantsuit, light makeup, and her hair fell jus below her shoulders. The little girl hardly glanced between them.
"She's yours," came out of his mouth, but he wasn't sure if he was asking or stating.
Jamie nodded, still looking like she was waking from a dream. Her mouth opened, and then shut again, and Jason knew what was she wanting to ask. Like everyone else, Jason Todd was dead and buried.
"The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated," he chuckled, deadpanned.
"Mom, I'm sorry," the girl said.
Jamie looked at her, but her focus was immediately back on Jason. For several seconds, they just stared at each other, and Jason knew memories were playing in her head like a montage the same way they were in his. He remembered the two of them on the roof of Wayne Manor, stolen liquor, bare feet entertwined as they'd stared up at the sky that would be starry had Gotham not had such a light pollution problem. He remembered the days of stealing kisses from her while skipping that ridiculous prep school which was never made for him. He remembered the first time-in her bedroom, sweating together, touching, telling her that he'd been with many, but she was the best-when in reality, she was his first too.
"You look...different," he finally said stupidly.
"I went to your funeral," Jamie said, her voice cracking.
She held her daughter's hand.
"I took her with me...I told her..." She couldn't continue, and told her little girl, "Go get it in the car. I'll be there in a minute."
"Mom-"
"Now, Alexandria."
After the girl reluctantly jogged down the sidewalk to the poorly parked car on the curb, Jamie shrugged her shoulders and let them fall to her side.
"I never expected in a million years to see you again," she said, shaking her head.
"Me neither." Jason lit a cigarette. "You're the one that disappeared first."
"That's not fair," Jamie said quietly. "Don't say that."
Jason did not apologize. Instead, he blew a cloud of smoke up into the air.
"You did," he finally said.
"Because of HER!" Jamie gestured dramatically behind her, towards the car. "I couldn't skip school and get high anymore, Jason! I had a child to take care of!"
"So what?" Jason ground his cigarette under his boot. "You banged some other guy and couldn't stand to tell me?"
Jamie scoffed, crossing her arms.
"You're still an ass," she said. "I left because she's OUR daughter."
Jason's heart caught in his throat. "Huh?"
"Her name is Alexandria Todd," Jamie explained. "At your funeral, I told her that I would always see you in her eyes..."
Her voice caught in her throat again, and she put a hand to her mouth for a moment. Jason stared down at his feet, then at the car, then back at Jamie.
"Why didn't you tell me before you left?" He asked quietly.
Jamie removed her hand and began pacing around in short, loud steps.
"What were you going to do?" She scoffed. "Whisk me away on your skateboard? You were in no shape to be a father."
"Oh, and like you a mother?" Jason spat. "Were you nursing and going at the needle at the same time?"
"I changed." Jamie smacked her hand into her chest. "And I did come to you-I came back to Wayne Manor, but when I did...they told me you had been killed days before."
Jason's heart broke. Jamie, the first love of his life, had gone back for him, only to find out he...and the baby. She'd brought a baby with her. Their baby. It scared Jason. Was this all really happening?
"We shouldn't fight about this," Jamie said. "I'm sorry she was trying to steal your bike-"
"No!" He snapped. "No, this isn't just something we walk away from. This isn't some 'oops. funny running into you' scenario', You just told me the little shit who was trying to carjack me is my..."
Jamie let her eyes roll back in their sockets.
"You can't even say it," she said. "You can't say 'daughter'."
"Mom!" Speaking of which, the little girl was back out of the car, jogging over. "Are we leaving yet?"
Jason let his gaze fall to her, and really 'look' for the first time. She was beautiful, like her mother, but her eyes...it was like staring into a mirror.
"What were you doing out here anyway?" He asked, trying to play it cool once more.
"Apartment hunting," Jamie said. "I finally braved up enough to come back to Gotham."
Jason didn't know what to say. He stared at Alexandria, and finally said, "Hey, Kid."
"Go get in the car," her mother told her again. "We'll go in just a minute."
To Jason she said, "It is that kind of scenario because it took me years to look at Alex without wanting to cry. It took me years to get over you."
"I want to see her," Jason said, afraid to say 'you'. "I have my rights."
He expected Jamie to slap him for that last remark, but to his surprise, her shoulders slumped slightly.
"Meet me at Java Jabs tomorrow at eleven," she said. "Let me talk to Alex tonight first."
"Kid's got a good set of fingers," Jason told her, trying to lighten the mood. "I'll give her that."
"No promises," Jamie said, but there was the smallest tug at the corner of her mouth. An almost smile.
As she turned to walk away, Jason called, "Hey".
Jamie turned around.
"We made a pretty good looking kid."
Jamie had to bite her lip to keep from smiling a real smile.
"I'm so sorry," the woman said, smoothing out some of the little girl's sandy blonde hair, which was coming out of its ponytail. She spun her around so they could be face to face.
"What were you thinking?" She demanded. "I told you to wait for me in the cafe next door-"
"Jamie," Jason said again, louder this time.
She seemed to notice him-actually him-for the first time.
"Jason?" She squinted slightly, tucking some hair behind her ear.
She was no longer the too-skinny teenager with boobs bigger than her brains. The same teenager with cropped hair and multiple piercings and dark red lipstick. Now she was in a pressed pantsuit, light makeup, and her hair fell jus below her shoulders. The little girl hardly glanced between them.
"She's yours," came out of his mouth, but he wasn't sure if he was asking or stating.
Jamie nodded, still looking like she was waking from a dream. Her mouth opened, and then shut again, and Jason knew what was she wanting to ask. Like everyone else, Jason Todd was dead and buried.
"The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated," he chuckled, deadpanned.
"Mom, I'm sorry," the girl said.
Jamie looked at her, but her focus was immediately back on Jason. For several seconds, they just stared at each other, and Jason knew memories were playing in her head like a montage the same way they were in his. He remembered the two of them on the roof of Wayne Manor, stolen liquor, bare feet entertwined as they'd stared up at the sky that would be starry had Gotham not had such a light pollution problem. He remembered the days of stealing kisses from her while skipping that ridiculous prep school which was never made for him. He remembered the first time-in her bedroom, sweating together, touching, telling her that he'd been with many, but she was the best-when in reality, she was his first too.
"You look...different," he finally said stupidly.
"I went to your funeral," Jamie said, her voice cracking.
She held her daughter's hand.
"I took her with me...I told her..." She couldn't continue, and told her little girl, "Go get it in the car. I'll be there in a minute."
"Mom-"
"Now, Alexandria."
After the girl reluctantly jogged down the sidewalk to the poorly parked car on the curb, Jamie shrugged her shoulders and let them fall to her side.
"I never expected in a million years to see you again," she said, shaking her head.
"Me neither." Jason lit a cigarette. "You're the one that disappeared first."
"That's not fair," Jamie said quietly. "Don't say that."
Jason did not apologize. Instead, he blew a cloud of smoke up into the air.
"You did," he finally said.
"Because of HER!" Jamie gestured dramatically behind her, towards the car. "I couldn't skip school and get high anymore, Jason! I had a child to take care of!"
"So what?" Jason ground his cigarette under his boot. "You banged some other guy and couldn't stand to tell me?"
Jamie scoffed, crossing her arms.
"You're still an ass," she said. "I left because she's OUR daughter."
Jason's heart caught in his throat. "Huh?"
"Her name is Alexandria Todd," Jamie explained. "At your funeral, I told her that I would always see you in her eyes..."
Her voice caught in her throat again, and she put a hand to her mouth for a moment. Jason stared down at his feet, then at the car, then back at Jamie.
"Why didn't you tell me before you left?" He asked quietly.
Jamie removed her hand and began pacing around in short, loud steps.
"What were you going to do?" She scoffed. "Whisk me away on your skateboard? You were in no shape to be a father."
"Oh, and like you a mother?" Jason spat. "Were you nursing and going at the needle at the same time?"
"I changed." Jamie smacked her hand into her chest. "And I did come to you-I came back to Wayne Manor, but when I did...they told me you had been killed days before."
Jason's heart broke. Jamie, the first love of his life, had gone back for him, only to find out he...and the baby. She'd brought a baby with her. Their baby. It scared Jason. Was this all really happening?
"We shouldn't fight about this," Jamie said. "I'm sorry she was trying to steal your bike-"
"No!" He snapped. "No, this isn't just something we walk away from. This isn't some 'oops. funny running into you' scenario', You just told me the little shit who was trying to carjack me is my..."
Jamie let her eyes roll back in their sockets.
"You can't even say it," she said. "You can't say 'daughter'."
"Mom!" Speaking of which, the little girl was back out of the car, jogging over. "Are we leaving yet?"
Jason let his gaze fall to her, and really 'look' for the first time. She was beautiful, like her mother, but her eyes...it was like staring into a mirror.
"What were you doing out here anyway?" He asked, trying to play it cool once more.
"Apartment hunting," Jamie said. "I finally braved up enough to come back to Gotham."
Jason didn't know what to say. He stared at Alexandria, and finally said, "Hey, Kid."
"Go get in the car," her mother told her again. "We'll go in just a minute."
To Jason she said, "It is that kind of scenario because it took me years to look at Alex without wanting to cry. It took me years to get over you."
"I want to see her," Jason said, afraid to say 'you'. "I have my rights."
He expected Jamie to slap him for that last remark, but to his surprise, her shoulders slumped slightly.
"Meet me at Java Jabs tomorrow at eleven," she said. "Let me talk to Alex tonight first."
"Kid's got a good set of fingers," Jason told her, trying to lighten the mood. "I'll give her that."
"No promises," Jamie said, but there was the smallest tug at the corner of her mouth. An almost smile.
As she turned to walk away, Jason called, "Hey".
Jamie turned around.
"We made a pretty good looking kid."
Jamie had to bite her lip to keep from smiling a real smile.