Jaime just stared at Nightwing's hand, mulling it all over. He knew they both had a point. He knew that the world Superman would create would be a horrible one for his family to live in. As it was, he had to wheel alongside Paco to and from work at the shop because he'd been messed with multiple times by Stormtroopers and the presence of a teenager in a wheelchair made them far more hesitant, due to their inability to justify it.
The entire world was becoming a police state.
But the risks...the risks were something he just couldn't live with.
He didn't take Dick's hand. He turned his head away, closing his eyes, making his decision clear.
"I'm not risking my family."
Except the door had been opened, by Dick and Danny pointing out that it was the right thing to do, by promising that his family could be protected while he did it. The door had been opened by them actually showing empathy for his situation instead of turning their backs on him and then expecting help anyway.
Batman had never even said he was sorry.
The door had been opened by pointing out that a future where Superman ruled everything was a future that would be horrible for everyone - his family included.
The door had been opened and he just needed a little nudge to be pushed through. As chance would have it, something nudged.
Alina, curious over the arguing, curious over the picture that had been thrown to Nightwing, put her Barbie down on the couch, and walked over. She picked up the picture from where it'd been left on the table.
"Mami," she said in a low and mournful voice. "Papi."
Jaime opened his eyes and turned to look at her. She walked over, waving the picture at him, then climbed into his lap, as she so often did. She pointed at them again, as if showing them off to Jaime.
"Mami. Papi."
Jaime's face contorted into one of grief and misery and he covered his eyes with his hand. For a moment, all he could do was sit there in silence, hand over his eyes, tears trickling down his cheeks, as Alina looked at the picture thoughtfully.
Then he managed to calm himself down and wiped at his face.
"Yes, that's your mami and papi," he said shakily, pressing a kiss to her temple. "And they loved you very, very much. Just like Mama Bianca and Papa 'Berto, and Paco and Brenda, and me and Milagro. They loved you so very much."
Enough to beg for him to make sure she'd be taken care of as they died. They hadn't wanted her to get spirited off by social services, just to fall through the cracks. So he had promised. He had promised to make sure she'd be taken care of but how could he do that if he let the world go to hell? How could he protect his family if he stood back and let evil happen? That was how evil won, when good people saw it and did nothing.
That's all it took: an opportunity to do something being handed to him and one quiet moment of being reminded of who and what needed to be saved.
"Do you guys even have a plan?" he asked. "And is it a super-good plan or is it one of those plans that depends on a ridiculous number of things happening at exactly the right time?"
no subject
The entire world was becoming a police state.
But the risks...the risks were something he just couldn't live with.
He didn't take Dick's hand. He turned his head away, closing his eyes, making his decision clear.
"I'm not risking my family."
Except the door had been opened, by Dick and Danny pointing out that it was the right thing to do, by promising that his family could be protected while he did it. The door had been opened by them actually showing empathy for his situation instead of turning their backs on him and then expecting help anyway.
Batman had never even said he was sorry.
The door had been opened by pointing out that a future where Superman ruled everything was a future that would be horrible for everyone - his family included.
The door had been opened and he just needed a little nudge to be pushed through. As chance would have it, something nudged.
Alina, curious over the arguing, curious over the picture that had been thrown to Nightwing, put her Barbie down on the couch, and walked over. She picked up the picture from where it'd been left on the table.
"Mami," she said in a low and mournful voice. "Papi."
Jaime opened his eyes and turned to look at her. She walked over, waving the picture at him, then climbed into his lap, as she so often did. She pointed at them again, as if showing them off to Jaime.
"Mami. Papi."
Jaime's face contorted into one of grief and misery and he covered his eyes with his hand. For a moment, all he could do was sit there in silence, hand over his eyes, tears trickling down his cheeks, as Alina looked at the picture thoughtfully.
Then he managed to calm himself down and wiped at his face.
"Yes, that's your mami and papi," he said shakily, pressing a kiss to her temple. "And they loved you very, very much. Just like Mama Bianca and Papa 'Berto, and Paco and Brenda, and me and Milagro. They loved you so very much."
Enough to beg for him to make sure she'd be taken care of as they died. They hadn't wanted her to get spirited off by social services, just to fall through the cracks. So he had promised. He had promised to make sure she'd be taken care of but how could he do that if he let the world go to hell? How could he protect his family if he stood back and let evil happen? That was how evil won, when good people saw it and did nothing.
That's all it took: an opportunity to do something being handed to him and one quiet moment of being reminded of who and what needed to be saved.
"Do you guys even have a plan?" he asked. "And is it a super-good plan or is it one of those plans that depends on a ridiculous number of things happening at exactly the right time?"