Batman and Catwoman: Family Mystery

38: Where Do We Go From Here?

It was supposed to be the harmless alternative. That's why Bruce had diverted him.

Bruce had essentially grounded Jason, keeping him off the field. The boy was becoming too aggressive for his own good. So Bruce decided to help him round out his skills. He began training Jay on all the behind the curtain skills; research and detection, etc.

Bruce had known his son was a smart kid. He'd tested into higher grades at school. In hindsight, he should have expected something. Ultimately, he was blinded by his own passionate need to protect his family.

Once he'd gotten over the whining, it didn't take Jason long to get a hang of the technology in the cave. He'd just helped Batman trace the identity of a criminal's secret relative. For fun, he decided to run his own genes through the machine, expecting to know the results already.

He was only half right.

Oh, hell! Where was he supposed to go from here?

---

Bats had been training him to be a detective.

He used his lunch hours to sneak out of school and go searching for his truth. Jay had no idea or interest in where Bill was, so the only resource he had was the woman who he had thought was his mother. 

Within a week, he found out from his old neighbors that Catherine wasn't dead. Batman had had her admitted at a rehab center, but given the reputation of the city they lived in, his chances were bleak.

Between looking for the mother who birthed him and the mother who had no interest in raising him, Jason spent time with the one mother who seemed to give a shit about him. Selina hated being stuck in the mansion just as much as he did, and jumped at the opportunity to leave home.

During one of their outings, after confirming that Selina didn't tell Bruce everything, he took her to the apartment he grew up in.

"What are we looking for?" Catwoman asked from the window as Robin immediately started turning things out.

"It's a little brown book. Like, one of those old school address books?"

Catwoman scoffed as she hopped inside. "Never heard of a smartphone?"

"Risky business."

"Smart guy."

"Ass human."

His crass comment put Catwoman on alert. "Why are we here? Really?"

He didn't answer and pulled out a drawer, but Cat pushed it back. "Hey, talk to me buddy." She squatted down next to him.

Jay sighed. "We're in my old house. I'm looking for my father's name book."

The struggle it took him to admit that made her not want to press further. Selina sighed this time. "Fine. We'll look for the book. But whatever plans you have with it, you're not doing it unless at least I know."

"Promise not to tell B? Not yet, at least."

"Promise," she smirked and stood up, putting her goggles down. "Now, if I were a secret diary, where would I be hiding?"