[Rachel Roth POV]

Rachel is currently in town, she had visited Gotham for a weekend with Barbara. Since Jason's death, the Bat family had been more gloomy than their archetypal morbid self. Batman still grieved the death of his son, one who showed so much potential that he would have either become a hero or would have eventually ended up as a dangerous criminal as he was already a skilled delinquent at a very young age.

He acted tough around Alfred and the others but underneath his scowl, he was deeply hurting. The love he had for him wasn't as much as he had for his first son Dick Grayson but Jason was too dear to his heart.

In an effort to lift Barbara out of her recent cycle of grief and help her heal, Rachel had scheduled a weekend with her. But Barbara insisted on calling it girls weekend, of which Rachel was in disapproval of that context but she was so persuasive and persistent on having it called that.

"Raven." She called out, noticing as she had a smile on her face while texting on her phone. Raven immediately put her phone away and tried to act normal. "Yes Barb, do you need help prepping for the sleepover?"

"No I do not." She leaned in over Raven's shoulder from behind and with a mischievous smile on her face. "Your smile earlier, you were texting with a boy right?" Barbara teased her, knowing she would try to defend it off and switch the topic, she wanted to see that cute side of Raven that anyone hardly gets to see but to her surprise that wasn't the case this time.

Raven's cheeks turned red while she tried her best to hide it as she replied Barb. "Yes I was."

"Yay!!!" Barbara exclaimed with a wide smile crossing from one of her cheeks to the other. "There's nothing to be excited about. He asked me out on a movie date and I told him I already have plans with a friend and he said you could come along."

"I'm surprised that cold Raven actually found a guy that gives her butterflies. Well I don't mind staying behind so you go on your date, at least one of us has a dating life. And for him to agree with the idea of a third wheel, he must really want to spend time with you and get to know the people you spend your time with."

"You really think so?" Raven asked as she turned her head the other way to hide her face which was slowly turning red.

"I know so." Barbara replied with a level of confidence that made her seem like a dating expert as she places an assuring hand on Ravens shoulder. "Well, he has already agreed for you to come along so just come with."

"I understand but I wouldn't want to impose on your date, although he sounds like a nice guy. What's his name anyway?"

"I don't know about that but he could be one when he wants to. His name is Tom by the way, and he's completely different from most guys around."

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"Tom?" Barbara asked with a worried smile on her face. "Yes, Tom." Raven replied.

'Nah. Of all the boys in the world, no way Raven fell for that creep. I guess I just have to go with her to confirm it for myself. If it happens to be him, then I need to warn her about the kind of guy she's dating. Bruce had his eye on him but a lot has been going on and he is mostly distracted with League business and didn't pay any mind to him since he just lived the normal everyday life of a bored teenager.' Barbara thought to herself before getting pulled out of her thoughts by Raven who could sense her worry.

"Hello oo, are you okay Barb? I felt a small wave of panic from you earlier."

"I am okay. It's just that the name Tom brought back memories of a time when Jason was severely beaten by a guy named Tom. He beat the crap out of Jason, twice. And broke his spirit in the process."

Raven thought of it and the idea of Tom having powers wasn't far fetched, the first time she met him she was drawn by his unusual presence when she tried to psychically scan the area. But she decided to just shrug off the idea and prepare for her date.

…

"So, basically the Outlaws are just bunch of criminals who work under this guy 'Ghost' and are free to the whatever the fuck they want so long as they don't harm innocent civilians?" Asked Jason Todd with a raised eyebrow and in a skeptical manner.

"Basically yeah." Leo replied to him, Tom got bored with their conversation but found Jason's and Leo's reactions to their conversations as they spoke to be quite amusing to him. There's hardly anyone in the house with him and their company gave him a feeling he hadn't felt since he got to this world, a feeling boys get when they bond with other guys as bros do.

The lingering feeling of loneliness he had found comfort in, seemed to have faded away and was nothing more than a memory now. But he knew it wouldn't be long until that feeling came back, if Jason doesn't join their cause and if Leo went back to Central City it would be just him all over again, so he tried to bask in the momentary feeling but tried not to get too comfortable with it as it might only be temporary.

Taking a glance at the clock, Tom stood to his feet and lazily addressed them both. "While you guys banter instead of going straight to the said points, I have to start preparing for my date." He said as he turned and started walking as if going towards his room. At the sound of that they both took an abrupt pause and slowly turned their heads to him.

"What? You have a date?" They said in perfect synchrony. The surprise was clearly audible in their voice and on their faces. "Who is dumb enough to date a crazy bastard like you." Jason asked, while Leo just kept laughing at the thought.

"As much as I hate people, I actually have a date and she isn't a fan of people either so that's a plus. I'll have you know that she is a superhero, a beautiful one at that."

"What? Now I gotta ask which birdbrained idiot would be crazy enough to go on a date with a lunatic." Jason asked, as extended his hand and dipped it right into the bag of chips Leo was eating and reclined onto the chair as he munched on the chips.

"Hey stop that, you might hurt my feelings." Tom remarked in a teasy tone. Well, I guess you have to stay tuned and find out some other time because I'm not going to ruin the fun reactions I keep getting from you guys." Tom said as he mockingly waved them off and proceeded off to his room.

"Nice one kid. He at least deserves to have some fun every once in a while, he's been handling a lot more responsibilities than most adults could." Leo muttered as he watched Tom walk away, while Jason nuancedly gave Leo a curious look as he realized that he actually didn't know anything about Tom, at a personal level at least.

…

Deep within the bowels of Arkham Asylum, Jonathan Crane, also known as Scarecrow, found himself consumed by a burning desire for freedom. The echoes of tormented souls reverberated through the dimly lit corridors, urging him to escape and unleash his twisted vision upon the world. Halloween night, the perfect backdrop for his malevolent masterpiece, was fast approaching.

As Scarecrow slipped through the shadows, the eerie moonlight cast elongated figures of madness along the walls. With each calculated step, he could feel the intoxicating power of his fear toxin coursing through his veins. Yet, amidst the thrill of impending chaos, a sliver of unease crept into his mind.

Ace, the lethal canine companion who had mercilessly ended the Joker's reign of madness, haunted Scarecrow's thoughts. He was faced with an unforeseen obstacle, a wild card that threatened to disrupt his grand plan. But Scarecrow refused to yield to fear; instead, he reveled in the challenge. He set out to his old hideout to prepare for the night Gotham would never forget, a requiem for his deceased acquaintance, Joker.