Being grounded as a twenty-four year old woman would've been embarrassing if she wasn't agonizing over Jason's last unknown condition. They had split up after patrol to head home and when she snuck in through her bedroom window she got the call from Jason asking for help.
In a frenzy she made a group call with Dick while reassuring Jason everything would be okay. Dick would be faster to get to Jason since he had his bike. It was her panicked cries and specific wording that alerted her mom who was already waiting in her room to yank her from the window and slam it shut.
"I don't know how you mixed yourself up with a criminal like Red Hood but you're not going out there."
Her vigilante bag and phone was taken and a warning if she left her room she would be kicked out. Stephanie was left in shock.
Now she could leave. She had a steady job at the clinic with Leslie and temporarily crash at the clocktower with Barbara until she squirrelled away enough funds but... Stephanie and her dad made enough enemies for her mom to be in danger. She was not about to leave the woman with the fallout if someone like Black Mask took notice.
The Waynes could only do so much before her mom got annoyed by all their "charity" work. Stephanie did too but there was a line between coworkers and becoming family. She wasn't... Okay so maybe she was kind of family with them through Jason but it's the principal of the matter and Jason would want to be the one to protect her mom.
Jason also had a weird relationship with the other bats.
Oh Jason... He sounded hurt. Sounded panicked. He was... She hoped Dick made it. She wasn't sure what was going to happen now that her mom knew she was connected to Red Hood in some way. He wasn't exactly the most liked since he first came into town. Even when he left and came back it was unsettling to see most of her neighbors grim faces.
She got it, she didn't exactly like some of his decisions but the same could be said vice versa but they still made it work. She still helped him just like he helped her. Even if they didn't like it they supported each other. Jason outside of the mask was brilliant and beautiful and so incredible. He loved helping people in his own ways and looked out for people who didn't have the means.
A tap at her window snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Dick?" She shuffled and slowly opened the window.
"Are you okay?!"
"Huh? What do you mean? How's Jason?!"
"He told me check on you when you cut out-"
"What?! No! No no-"
The door to her room slammed open and the two tensed turning to face her mom that held fury that promised hurt.
"Out."
"Sorry Mi-"
"You too, Richard. Out!"
"..what?" Dick shifted his gaze between her and her mom.
Stephanie felt shaky and ran to grab her spare gear not bothering to ask for her phone knowing it wasn't hers anyway, her mom paid for it so it was her property technically. She grabbed a lockbox from under her bed and pushed Dick out of the way closing the window shut and climbed up to the roof. She ran ignoring Dick's calls.
Jason was out there somewhere in Crime Alley hurt and thinking she was the one who needed saving ignoring his own scare. She couldn't let him die again. She refused. Putting in an earpiece she activated it.
"O tell me you can locate Hood."
"..I'm sorry-"
No. Please no!
