The Beach, Saturday Morning

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Jason had taken his mother to get muffins and coffee for breakfast, and now they were out on the beach with their bounty, watching the water roll in. Well, Catherine was watching the water. Jason was watching her, still feeling the occasional rush of disbelief that she was really here.

"The view's pretty nice here, huh?" he said, picking at the wrapper on his muffin. Never mind the fact that it was nice all over. That's what happens when you live on an island, Jason.

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[howdididie.livejournal.com]

"It's very nice," Catherine agreed, continuing to watch Jason. "From the tour you've given me, it seems like you like this place a lot."

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"Yeah, I do. A lot more than I thought I would," Jason said. "I mean, we're not exactly the boarding school type, you know?"

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I know. I never would have imagined I'd find you at a place like this," Catherine said. "That's why I'm wondering what you're doing here."

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"I told you, I'm going to school," Jason said, leaving out many, many details. "Not real school, but like a summer school."

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

"A school in a castle. On its own island," Catherine pointed out. "That sort of thing isn't free."

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"Oh. That's been taken care of," Jason said nonchalantly, before quickly trying to change the subject. "I was thinking, maybe we could see a movie later. The theater here's pretty nice."

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

"We could go see a movie, but first, you're going to tell me who's paying for you to be here," Catherine said. "You haven't told me anything about what's going on at home."

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"There's not much to tell," Jason lied, because he wasn't sure where to even start with everything that had happened to him since she'd died. "The school's been paid for, and everything's fine. All the exciting stuff is happening here."

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

"Jason, what aren't you telling me?" Catherine asked, frowning as she went through the possibilities. "Did you find your father?"

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For a second, all Jason could do was stare from how out-of-left-field that question felt. "What? No, that's not even close," he said. "I haven't seen Dad since he left. I don't know where he is, probably jail for doing god only knows what. It's not like I'm gonna look for him, I don't care where he is." He almost believed that himself, so maybe she would buy it too.

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

Catherine didn't really believe that at all, but she wasn't going to let herself get distracted from her main question again. "If you're not with your father, then who's been taking care of you?"

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"I took care of myself," Jason said proudly. "I didn't need anyone looking after me. I mean, I started taking care of myself when you were sick. I'm really good at it. I did fine."

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

Catherine couldn't stop herself from looking a little horrified at the thought of her barely-teenaged son living on his own. "Jason, you shouldn't have done that--"

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"Why not?" Jason snapped, before pressing his lips together tightly to keep from talking for a moment. He didn't want to yell at his mother, not really. "I was fine. I am fine. I got by on my own and I'm okay now." It hadn't been fun, of course, but going into foster care? Getting tossed from house to house with god only knew who taking care of him? No, that had never been an option, and if he had to go back, he'd do things exactly the same way. "And I'm not alone anymore. You don't have to worry about me."

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

"Jason, I'm your mother. Worrying about you is second nature, whether you like it or not," Catherine said, looking at him in a new kind of way. He certainly looked all right, but she knew that some trouble didn't leave visible signs. "What do you mean you're not alone? Is someone taking care of you now? Is it someone here?" If it was, and she hadn't been introduced, she was going to get pissed.

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Jason got quiet for a moment. "You're not going to believe me," he finally said.

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

"Try me anyway," Catherine replied.

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"I'm...sort of in the custody of Bruce Wayne," Jason said.

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

"Jason, really. I thought you were going to be truthful with me," Catherine said, waving her hand dismissively at what he'd said.

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Deciding that evidence might work better than anything he could say, Jason pulled out his wallet and showed his mother the credit card Bruce had given him for emergencies, the one that had Bruce's name on it.

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

"Oh my god," Catherine said as she took the card. "Jason, did you steal this?"

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"What? No!" Jason said, looking offended for...about a second. "I might have stolen one of the tires off of his car though."

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

"And then you took his wallet?" Catherine asked.

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"I didn't take his wallet!" Jason insisted. "He caught me going for his car again and...he took pity on me. Like charity. It's what billionaires do."

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

"He took you in? Just like that? After you stole from him?" Catherine asked, in complete disbelief.

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"It wasn't just like that. We got to know each other first." Through an interrogation while tied to a chair, among other things, but he wasn't going to mention that part. "He lost his parents too, you know. So he knew how I was feeling, I guess." Jason smiled. "And I am your most charming son. I guess I won him over."

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

Catherine laughed softly. "You're my only son. My favorite son. The one I want taken care of the most," she said. "Is he taking...proper care of you?" she asked.

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"Well, yeah," Jason said, motioning around them. "I mean, look where he sent me for summer camp." And there was the whole Robin thing, if he kept working hard and Bruce really meant it. He still wondered what his mother would say about that, and he decided to save that bit of information for later.

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

"Yes, and that's very nice. But I meant--he's not--he hasn't tried--"

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It took a moment for Jason to realize what she was getting at. "Mom!" he yelled, making a face. "That's gross. No!"

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

"I had to ask!" Catherine said. "Grown men do not usually take young boys off of the street out of the goodness of their hearts."

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"Well Bruce did. He's a nice guy, I swear," Jason said. "He donates more money to stuff in a day than we'd see in a lifetime. He's been nicer to me than anyone's been since...well, you."

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

Catherine would have been lying if she'd said she wasn't still concerned, but Jason seemed genuinely happy, and that was more than she could say for how he'd been before she died. "Then I guess I'm glad he found you, and you're not still alone."

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"I'm glad he found me too," Jason said, pausing for a moment. "You know, you could meet him if you stayed."

[howdididie.livejournal.com]

Catherine gave Jason a soft, sad look. "Oh honey, you know I can't do that."