Chapter Text
Nothing changed. Everything changed.
Marinette was still stuck in a cabin far from home by an outlaw who only wanted to keep her safe.
But the outlaw in question was quiet, thoughtful, handsome Jason Todd.
With his mask gone, all the other pretenses fell away. They talked. Really talked without the barriers that her kidnapping had put in place. Jason told her why he'd fallen out with his adopted brothers. How the world wasn't always black and white, and that while they'd all been raised by Thomas Wayne, they had all taken those lessons a little differently.
"Why didn't you just ask me to come with you?" Marinette asked.
Jason sighed. "I wanted to. I wasn't sure if you'd remember me, but that was the original plan."
Marinette laughed a little hysterically. "Remember you? I never stopped thinking about you after that first day you helped Papa and Maman. You were so sweet and charming and—" She snapped her mouth shut. There was such a thing as too much honesty.
"Rakishly handsome?" Jason winked, and Marinette couldn't help but blush. His answering smile was slow and sweet and just a little bit devastating.
Ignoring his flirting, she pressed on. "So, what happened to that plan?"
"Sheriff Bruce beat me there. With that stupid badge, you'd have no reason t' listen t' me. And Bruce always lorded his age over the rest of us. He always thinks he's right. The Moroni Boys were hot on your trail. Dick said something t' someone about asking ya a few questions, and word got back t' the boys. I couldn't let you be there when they rode into town."
"Surely there was some other way—"
"Thought about killin' em." Jason said abruptly. He looked down, studying his fingernails.
"Oh, Jay," Marinette whispered. She hated the idea of him ending a life—he was too kind for that kind of thing not to eat away at him.
Jason looked up at the nickname and just stared at her for a moment. "I didn't want t' go that far. Not iffin' I had a choice. Mr. Wayne—Thomas—he tried his best to raise us all better than that. And you…"
Her breath caught at the look in his eyes. She was desperate to know what he was thinking. "What about me?"
His eyes skimmed her before meeting her gaze. "Nette—you were the dream I tried not to have… but no matter what I thought might or might not be possible, you deserve so much more than a murderer."
"Nette?" Marinette asked softly. There weren't many people who were close enough to her to shorten her name.
"You called me Jay."
She smiled softly. "It felt right."
Jason returned her smile with one of his own. "Yeah, it did."
Soft smiles and silence overtook the conversation as Marinette drifted across the room to read one of Jason's books. Somehow, they both reached for the same one, and instead of silence, Marinette offered to read aloud until supper.
Marinette lay in the bed, gazing at the darkness, unable to sleep. She could hear Jason's breathing from his bed by the door. She didn't know if he still expected her to sneak away at night, or if it was a habit now. Either way, she kept reliving the kiss in her mind and wondering what it would be like to have him sleep next to her on the bed. Warmer for sure. She'd felt hot all over when his arms were wrapped around her, and his tongue had— "Ugh." Flopping dramatically, she rolled over to shut the memory down and find the rest she needed.
"Alright, Nette?" Jason's voice was warm and caring. Not helpful at all, considering she was trying not to think about him.
"I'm fine." Marinette hissed, but then she relaxed. He was just being kind. "Thank you."
There was a moment of silence before his voice broke it once more. "Alright. But let me know if you need company up there, ya hear?"
"Jason Todd!" It was hard to deliver a decent scolding through laughter. It was incredible how her feelings about her situation had changed the moment she knew her captor was Jason—how much he had changed. He'd been quiet and gruff, very little like the young man she had talked to once upon a time. But none of those changes made her feel unsafe with him.
A smile colored his response; his words were warm and far too inviting. "Sorry, ma'am."
"Good night, Jay."
"G'Night, Little Lady."
Sleep came easily after that.
Marinette hadn't even cracked the eggs for breakfast when the sound of someone trying to pound their way through the door scared her stiff.
Jay grabbed her, shoving her gently towards the bed and hissing in her ear. "Get under, and be quiet."
While Marinette still wanted to go home, she had no desire to be shot by anyone, especially with the trial only a week away, so she headed for the bed as Jason pulled his gun from its holster and approached the door. The Maroni boys were supposed to be safely in custody, but the Maroni family wasn't small—and who else could it be? Jason had said that Thomas Wayne was the only other person who knew about his family's homestead.
"Open up! I recognize that horse! I want my daughter back!"
The door shook with the force of the massive fist on the other side of it. But Marinette knew that voice. Abandoning the very notion of hiding, she turned.
"Papa!" Marinette pushed past Jay to yank on the door handle, but the bolt held firm. "Jason! Please, let me see him."
Wordlessly, Jason reached up and unlatched the door, stepping back and sweeping Marinette behind him. Tom would never hurt his daughter, but he was a big guy, and they were in a small space.
Tom burst in, wielding a rolling pin that put most baseball bats to shame. Jason kept his gun lowered but ready. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt the kindly baker. But they were certainly at odds, and for good reason. Jason had stolen the baker's (beautiful, talented, clever) daughter and run away with her. Any father would be incensed.
"How dare y— Jason Todd?"
Tom stopped, massive rolling pin still hovering in the air, ready to attack. He looked, blinking in surprise, between Jason and Marinette behind him. "What's the meaning of this, and does your father know what you've been up to?"
“It's for her protection!” Jason said quickly.
The rolling pin dropped to waist level as Tom took in the space. "Explain."
So Jason did. Leaving nothing, except the stagecoach heist and their kiss, out of it. Marinette—despite the little interjections and additions to the story didn't bring it up either.
Tom was scowling even harder by the time the story was done. "Those Maronis want to kill my girl?"
Jason clenched his jaw. "Yes, sir."
Papa turned to Marinette, worry evident in his eyes. "Is all that true?"
She nodded. "Far as I can tell. But I didn't even see much. My witness won't amount to much. I want to go home. Now that we know about the danger, we can take precautions. And the Maroni boys are in custody."
Tom sighed, sinking into a chair, thinking quietly for a moment before retaking his feet. "Seems to me, precautions are being taken already." He pulled Marinette into a hug. "Your Maman and I love you more than life itself." He turned to Jason. "Keep her safe, and bring her back when the trial's done."
"Yes, sir." Jason looked shocked and relieved all at once.
“Papa! You can’t leave me here!” Marinette begged. Surely he wouldn't.
Tom's brow furrowed for a second as he eyed the single bed. “Has he laid a finger on you?”
The memory of their kiss seared through her mind, but that wasn’t really what Papa was asking. Jason hadn’t touched her in any unwanted way. “—No.”
The big baker paused, as if reading all the words she hadn't said. "Where's he been sleeping?"
Marinette pointed at the floor in front of the door where Jason's bedroll was neatly rolled and stored against the wall. "Making sure I can't escape at night."
Tom's lips twitched once as he nodded. “Then you’re safer with him than anywhere else until the trial is over and done with. If you do decide to testify, then he’ll get you to and from the courthouse better than Sheriff Wayne and his posse.”
Marinette sputtered. "I thought you liked Bruce! You were happy he became sheriff."
Tom shrugged. "He's a good Sheriff, even if his deputy leaves a little to be desired—but that's nothing a little experience won't take care of. But he was never my favorite of Thomas' boys." He shifted his attention to Jason. "And as for you, if her story changes and I hear you've been disrespectful in any way…"
He let the threat linger in the air. Some words were better felt than said.
Jason swallowed, nodding, "Understood, Mr. Dupain, sir." He cleared his throat a little nervously before continuing. "I care for her too much to be as foolish as that."
"Hmph." Tom glared at Jason for another couple of seconds before turning to give another long hug to Marinette, then he left as quickly as he'd come. Marinette stood, staring at the door as the silence grew ever louder.
"He left me here." She knew why. It wasn't as if she hadn't come to understand the level of peril she was in, and that Jason was doing everything he could to keep her safe was obvious. But she knew that he had gone about it the wrong way. Knew that he had only done it because he felt like his hand had been forced. She even appreciated all the trouble he'd gone through to protect her. But seeing Papa walk away? Even knowing he felt the same way Jason did—this was her best bet—she felt a strange sort of hollowness well up and drown the brief flicker of hope she had held of going home.
Ever since she'd found out Jason's identity, she had been more willing to go along with the scheme. She trusted Jason Todd, despite his apparent outlaw tendencies—maybe in part because of them. But a part of her craved the life she had built for herself. And to have it close enough to touch? Letting it just walk away without her hurt.
"I'm sorry." Jason's voice was soft, low—raw and earnest. "I never meant—I only ever wanted t' save your life. I didn't want t' hurt you."
"I know." She did. It was clear he cared. His actions had demonstrated he cared a great deal.
Jason ran a hand through his hair, messing it up with a sigh. "I'm not sure ya do. I've watched ya for so long. Loved ya from afar. Just waiting t' man up enough to put my feelings into words or actions. I was so afraid, Marinette. Afraid they would kill ya before I had the chance to say my piece. That's what it took to make me act—and I couldn't even do it without a mask."
He loved her? Marinette stared at Jason, at the depth of feeling swirling in his eyes. She had hoped for so long… and that admission with the kiss had been enough to send her thoughts and dreams soaring. But love? She hadn't expected those words so soon. Even if she had found herself examining her own heart after all their time together.
She wasn't ready for this. Not with her life all but on hold. "We barely know each other."
"That might have been true six weeks ago, Nette. But it's not anymore. If anything, its only strengthened my feelings."
"Jay—" Her heart hammered in her chest. He was right. They had been living in the same twenty square feet of space for going on two months. And sure, she had hated the man who kidnapped her for a while, but then they had become friends, and then he was Jason.
"It's okay iffin' you don't feel the same way. As long as yer happy and alive in this world, I'll be content."
She let the thought of being apart from Jason sit for one second before she realized exactly what she wanted, and she was in a position to demand it. There really was only one way to save her reputation after all this time. "Well, I won't be," Marinette announced suddenly, stepping towards him until they were toe-to-toe. "I expect you to do right by me, and you can't do that if you don't keep on loving me until the end of time."
He looked even bigger when she was this close. He'd always been larger than life to her, ever since that first meeting. Had always made her heart beat faster, had always taken up too much space in her mind and heart, even when he was on the other side of the square sweeping the library porch for old Mrs. Smith.
Marinette's declaration fell through the cracks in Jason's tattered armor, and whatever it was that separated the want from the shouldn't, and the gentleman from the scoundrel in Jason's psyche, snapped. He had told her the truth—if she didn't want him, he'd give her all the space in the world (once the trial was over and she was safe), but if she wanted him? That was a different story entirely.
He snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her up and close until she was flush against him, then lifted her even closer, until her feet were suspended in air. She didn't stiffen. Didn't pull away or argue. She simply grabbed hold of his shoulders and let her hands glide closer and closer until they were wrapped around his neck.
He gazed searchingly into her eyes. "Ya mean it?"
She nodded. He didn't waste another word. Their first kiss had been born from pining, surprise, and tension all wrapped up in gentle if intense exploration. This one was different. It was filled with a deeper understanding of who they were as people and who they were together. It was filled with the honest admission of their heart's desires. It held an answer and a promise inside the building heat of tangled lips and tongue. He pressed her against the wall, sliding one hand up until he gripped her ribcage just beneath the softest part of her.
Marinette whimpered into his mouth and he all but lost his head, trailing a row of hot kisses down her jaw and neck until he met the neckline of her dress. Perfectly modest. Because Marinette was a lady who deserved the best. And this wasn't his best—couldn't be until he married her and destroyed the guilt welling up with every touch, not to mention her father's wrath. He pulled back, stepping backwards until he hit the bed with the back of his knees and fell, Marinette landing on top of him.
He had not meant to do that. He was supposed to be letting go of her. Protecting her. Respecting her. Marinette let out a shaky breath in his arms, and in that moment, all he wanted to do was see how deeply he could make her tremble. Instead, he rolled, leaving Marinette on the bed and jumping up, off the bed, and back, away.
She stared up at him, eyes wide and hair disheveled. "Did I do it wrong?"
He shook his head. "No. I did. I want you in every way a man can want a woman. But Nette—I love you too much to do it like this. With you locked up and me stealing your innocence like the worst sort of villain."
Marinette nodded, pressing her hands to her flaming cheeks while her bosom heaved and Jason tried not to stare.
"So, after the trial…?" She could barely look at him.
Jason leaned forward and gently grasped her chin. "After the trial, when you're home and free, I'll do it right."
Her eyes roved his face, searching until she smiled. "Okay. You better not disappoint me, Jason Todd."
"Never." He pulled back, nearly tripping over his own feet to grab his hat. "I'll be back. I need some air." He dashed out of the door, leaving it swinging on its hinges.
Marinette stared at the open door. She could leave. There was plenty of daylight left. With a sigh, she walked out the door and dropped onto the little porch bench to watch the trees sway in the breeze and listen to the bird calls and chittering squirrels. What was the point of running home when Jason had her heart?
The next week was punctuated by lingering glances and soft touches that made it hard to breathe. Gone was the veneer of casual flirting, and in its place was a longing so wild and electric that it felt like a storm was moving right into the cabin.
The hair on the back of Marinette's neck stood up when Jason walked behind her. Jason caught himself pivoting to follow her movements like his heart had been tethered to her very being. It was as if they could sense every move the other made.
When Jason went to town one last time for supplies and a newspaper to confirm the trial details, he left the cabin unbolted from the outside. "Don't let anyone in. Stay safe." Brushing his lips across hers in farewell had been as unintentional as it was unavoidable. With a tip of his hat, Jason strode out of the cabin and only looked back once he was mounted on Rhodium. The door was shut, and Marinette was watching him from the window. He nodded and trotted away from all he held dear.
Marinette spent the whole time Jason was gone, wishing he was back. She gazed into the flames and ran through all the details from that fateful afternoon, hoping she could come up with something to help seal the case, but couldn't remember any more than she had before. Maybe that alone would keep anyone from coming after her after the trial—they would know she had never been a threat.
The next few nights were filled with dreams of the brief encounter; nothing new came to her, but they did solidify the memory in her mind.
Unfortunately, she wasn't sure how many of her memories were real and how much was her mind making things up out of fear for the trial.
"Talk to me about it," Jason said two days before the trial. "Sometimes speakin' aloud makes it easier to tell the difference."
So, she did. Jason took notes, and in the end she was pretty sure she could tell truth from fiction and had a decent written account of the afternoon she'd seen the bank robbers fleeing town and solid reason to believe they really were the Maroni boys.
"It's hardly ironclad. Half the town had to have seen the same thing." Marinette mused as she skimmed the report they'd put together.
"Yeah, but your testimony combined with the others will hold weight. Corroboration is a big part of a trial. Their word against yours is one thing, but their word against yours, and the grocer's, and the barkeep's, and the baker's… well, that all adds up to truth. "
Marinette nodded. "Sure. But why did they come after me to begin with?"
Jason scowled. "It was stupid. Deputy Dick was excited to help with a big case. Bruce has been sheriff for a while now, but Dick is new and over-excited to prove himself to Bruce, Thomas and the town. He shoulda known better than t'say names. He was so excited that someone in Gotham was a witness, which made him and Bruce an official part of the investigation. He spoke up in the wrong company."
Marinette sighed. "So, it was an accident?"
"An accident that could have gotten you killed."
She ignored the growl in his voice. "And someone who overheard him had no idea what I did or didn't know, and they just fixated on that?"
"Yeah. That's the long n' short of it."
Marinette leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I guess it's good someone was looking out for me then."
The trial was being held at the county seat nearly a full day's ride from Jason's cabin. Marinette was looking forward to being done with it all and moving on with her life. Back to Gotham, back to sewing, back to her family… and hopefully all of that would come with Jason hot on her heels and ready to court her.
Jason felt very differently about going to the city where the Maroni boys were being held and tried. After the long ride, he found a hotel as far from the courthouse and holding jail as possible.
"Stay close. Within my sight at all times."
Marinette had slipped her hand into his and squeezed. "Everything is going to be okay. You've kept me safe this long—it's just one more night."
The stories of the notorious Moroni Boys had brought all sorts of folks in to see the trial. The crowded hotel made Jason nervous while they were checking in.
"You folks are lucky. We have one room left." The proprietor said as he made a note in his ledger.
"What's got the town so full?" Jason asked calmly while he signed them in. Marinette looked at his scrawl and raised her eyebrows.
Mr. and Mrs. Todd
Of course he couldn't put her name out there. He was nothing if not protective. Jay winked at her while the proprietor answered. "Oh! Big trial tomorrow. You folks aren't here to watch? They caught them Maronis."
"How about that? Well, we're just passing through. Good they caught 'em though."
"Sure is! Well, have a good night then."
The proprietor slid them a key, and Jason tipped his hat before taking it. "Thank ya, kindly."
The upstairs room was smaller than the cabin. Just enough room to move between the bed, the washstand, and the door.
"Cozy," Jason said with a frown, eyeing the narrow strip of floor between the bed and the wall. "Leastways it's only for one night. Gotham is closer than the cabin; I can get you home as soon as the judge is satisfied with your testimony."
Marinette fidgeted nervously. "Alright."
They'd already had dinner, and Jason wasn't about to risk letting her roam about the city the night before the trial, not even with his protection. Even with the boys locked up—they had family and sympathizers—the situation posed a threat to Marinette's safety.
They stood silently in the room for a long, stretched-out moment before Marinette took off the ridiculous bonnet Jason had insisted she wear to hide her identity. "Well, guess there's nothing to do but sleep."
"Right. I'll give you a minute." Jason stepped into the hall so Marinette could get ready for bed, then, so it wouldn't look like he was guarding her and raise suspicion, he jogged out to visit the privy to explain letting his wife have the room to herself.
The floor was hard. And Marinette's fretting could be heard in every squeak of the mattress as she tossed and turned, keeping Jason even further from sleep.
Pitch black pressed in against the thin curtains as the hours ticked by. Jason heard Marinette suck in a breath before her whispered voice crawled through the darkness. "I'm scared. I've never even been in a courtroom before."
"I won't let anything happen to you," Jason promised quickly. He'd done alright so far—right?
There was a long silence before Marinette's voice whispered, soft and unsure, through the dark. "Hold me? Just for tonight?"
With a groan (of ecstasy or fear, Jason wasn't sure), he peeled himself off the floor. It went against his better judgment, but fulfilled his deepest longing to crawl into the bed next to her and wrap his arms around her until sleep claimed her. Once she was asleep, limp and trusting in his arms, he pressed a kiss against her head and let himself relax into rest as well. It was almost over. She was safe and alive and warm, and soon, there would be no more reason to fear.
The courthouse was crowded, nearly impossible to get to, and too full to enter by the time Jason and Marinette arrived half an hour before the trial was to begin.
"How do we get in?" Marinette asked at a loss.
Jason tipped his hat low over his eyes and walked her past the crowd and behind the courthouse to the schoolhouse that sat across the road. "They usually separate the witnesses and the like. The Maroni Boys will be held at the jail until Judge Gordon is ready to begin. Once we get inside, there should be a handful of lawmen along with the other witnesses. Don't speak to anyone. The sheriff has to maintain order and ensure each witness is telling the truth instead of corroborating falsified stories." Jason nudged her toward the door with a grunt. "Bruce is there. He won't let anything happen to you. I'll see you after and take you home."
Marinette stopped stock-still. "You're not staying with me?"
"Bruce and Dick are still looking for your kidnapper. I'd stay, but they might arrest me. I thought maybe…" Jason stopped, looking down into her fear-filled eyes. He tightened his resolve. "I can stay. I deserve whatever punishment that's coming to me."
"No!" Her hand gripped his arm as he made to move forward. "Can't I just tell them I don't want to press charges or something? Tell them I need you to escort me safely home. That you promised Papa? There has to be a way."
Jason glanced through the schoolhouse window where he could see both of his brothers before he nodded. Maybe everything would be alright. "It's too late for me to get a seat inside. Is it okay if I play the part of your escort? It means I'll have to wait out here, but we'll only be apart while you're inside."
With a short nod, Marinette's spine straightened, and she took a deep breath before leading the way. Jason couldn't help but think her tenacity was attractive. He couldn't wait until all his outlaw business was over so he could court her properly, the way she deserved. Once Marinette was home safely, he could help Roy Harper and Kori Anders with their Brentford problem; then he should be free to go back to cattle ranching and courtin'. Thomas had told him he'd be welcome back anytime the night before he left, and he knew his adoptive father was a man of his word, even if Jason had made poor choices while he was gone. Not that he regretted his actions. He'd helped people who needed it, and he'd stick by his personal code no matter what happened.
Dick was the first person to spot them as they entered. "Miss Du—"
Bruce slapped a hand over his deputy's mouth in short order. "Silence in the holding area, Deputy Grayson."
Dick winced once, apologising in a loud whisper before his usual wide grin overtook him. Jason rolled his eyes and addressed Bruce, his hand resting safely between Marinette's shoulder blades in a way that was hopefully supportive.
"Witness reporting in. She's willing to testify if necessary." Jason announced quietly.
Both his brothers stared at him before choosing to ignore him completely, their eyes cutting to Marinette. Jason would probably have to deal with that later.
The sheriff tipped his hat. "Ma'am. Just write your name for me here, along with where you think you might have witnessed the men being tried today." He handed Marinette a writing slate and a bit of chalk.
With a nervous nod, Marinette signed her name in a scrawling script before printing IRVING GROVE in careful block letters.
"Irving Grove?" Jason watched as three other people glanced up when Bruce named the city where Marinette had seen the cutthroat thieves. "Wait here. When the judge gets to Irving Grove, you will all be called individually. Please refrain from speaking to one another until the trial is over. It's going to be a long day."
"Of course, Sheriff," Marinette said softly.
Jason noticed the different groupings of witnesses, most with a lawman of some kind to help maintain the peace and protect the witnesses.
Bruce turned to him, eyebrow arched in disbelief and annoyance. "You a witness too?"
Jason just grinned at him. "Nah. Protection detail. Personal escort."
"Ja—"
"Shhh, no names, Sheriff. Wouldn't want any trouble, would we?" With a pointed glance at Dick, Jason moved to stand close to Marinette and the rest of the Irving Grove witnesses. He wouldn't going to leave her side until he had to.
When the witnesses from Irving Grove were finally called one by one to say their piece, Jason found himself resting a reassuring hand on Marinette's shoulder and was loath to let go when it was her turn. He knew she'd be alright, so when she glanced back at him on her way out, he smiled as easily as he could manage. "Don't worry. Sheriff Wayne will take care of you. See you in a moment, Little Lady."
She bit back a smile at the endearment and shook her head before following Bruce from the schoolhouse and across the way to the crowded courthouse, where they entered from the back.
Marinette tried to keep her voice steady as the judge swore her in and asked her questions. She'd taken one look at the men in the defendant's box and recognised them as the horsemen who'd fled during the bank fire/robbery.
It was over before she knew it, and Bruce was walking her back to the schoolhouse. "You alright?"
She glanced down at her shaking hands, but nodded. It was just nerves. She'd be fine in a few minutes.
"Did my brother do anything untoward while you were with him? Because I can—"
"No! He did nothing but ensure my safety." Marinette exclaimed indignantly. "Did you think he would—?"
Bruce shook his head. "No! No. Of course not. He's always been a good kid… err, young man. He's just been unpredictable the last year or so, and we haven't seen him around enough to be sure…" He trailed off with a shrug of his shoulders. "I just wanted to be sure you were alright. Your folks were awful worried."
Marinette could appreciate the sentiment. She smiled at the Sheriff. "Your family has always been good to us, and I appreciate that. Thank you. But Jason took good care of me. You don't have to worry about him."
Bruce nodded toward the schoolhouse where Jason was leaning in the doorframe, waiting for her. "You're free to go. Thank you for testifying. If, for some reason, the Maroni Boys go free, we will let you know before they are actually released. The same is true for the rest of the witnesses, but considering what we've heard so far, I can't imagine that being the outcome."
"Thank you, Sheriff."
He nodded, leaving her as Jason took his place by her side. She shook the nerves from her hands as Jason searched her with a frown. "You alright?"
"Yeah, just leftover jitters from speaking in front of all those people."
He nodded sympathetically. "Alright. Ready to go home?"
"Yes."
Jason had just taken her hand when suddenly Maman and Papa were there too.
"You did an excellent job in the stand!" Papa exclaimed, wrapping her in a hug.
Maman slipped between them and held her tight long enough for Marinette to nearly start crying. She had missed her mother desperately.
"We'll get you home now, darling. You did well, and the world will be safer." Marinette nodded against her shoulder as her jitters turned into relief and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. She was free.
"Thank you for taking care of her, young man, but her Papa and I will take it from here."
For a second, Marinette thought Jason would argue—or at least offer to escort them all home—but he simply tipped his hat with a wry smile. "Of course, ma'am. I have things to take care of before I visit Gotham again. A friend in Brentwood is expecting me." He glanced briefly at Marinette, offering her a half-hearted smile. "Little Lady."
Marinette watched with a sinking heart as he turned and walked away. She didn't have time to puzzle out his easy relinquishment of her as Papa and Maman bustled her to their wagon for the ride home.
But surely, that wasn't the end of everything, right?
She missed him on the ride home, feeling like something was missing underneath her parents' chatter as they caught her up with the goings-on from town, in between exclamations about how happy they were to have her back.
Her shop was just as clean as she'd left it—a testament to her parents' hard work after the attack by the Maronis—and she slipped back into the flow of work to recover and repair what had been lost.
With the trial behind her, and her shop suddenly popular after word of Marinette's testimony got out via the newspaper, she found herself very busy with work.
Not so busy she didn't miss Jason, though. She wasn't surprised when he didn't show up the first week. He'd had the old homestead to take care of—the chickens needed daily care or a new home at the very least—before he could return to Gotham Gulch. And she knew he intended to see the Brenford thing through.
By the third week she'd begun to wonder if she'd misunderstood his intentions.
Then Maman had slid the newspaper over to her during breakfast. "It seems that your young man has been very busy."
"He's not my young ma—" Marinette snapped her mouth shut abruptly as she read the headline.
Brentford Ousted, Miner's Claim Mining Operation
- A group calling themselves the Outlaws have discovered a terrible secret and put an end to corruption. Lawlessness has been put to good use in the takedown of Bradley Brentford, while his company has been divided between his employees who suffered the brunt of his deviousness under the care of Roy Harper and Miss Kori Anders, who share the following statements…
"He did it. They stopped him," She breathed, reading the article.
Papa peered over her shoulder. "I bet he has a little more free time now."
"Shush, Tom." Sabine said with a smile, patting Marinette on the shoulder. "I'm sure he'll find his way now. Such a considerate young man… for the most part."
Marinette glanced over. "Are you ever going to forgive him for kidnapping me, Maman?"
"I guess that depends on what he does next."
Two days after the news from Brentwood reached Gotham Gulch, the sun shone bright and warm through the plate-glass windows where Marinette was bent over her sewing behind the counter of her shop.
The familiar boot steps striding across a wooden floor froze her needle in place as she snapped her head up to find Jason with a fistful of wildflowers.
"Jay!"
He pulled his hat off with a grin that sent her heart racing. "Ma'am. I've been meaning t' ask you a question for a while now."
She set her sewing aside and smoothed her dress, keeping her eyes in her lap. "That so?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Finally, she looked up at him... meeting his eyes with a gaze that rivaled the bluest summer sky. It did nothing to help his heart rate. If anything, the hopefulness in her eyes made it pound harder.
A teasing glint made him smile as she spoke. "Alright, then. Shoot."
He held out the bouquet he'd picked. "I'd like to court ya. Would you allow me to call on you?"
Her smile was wide, but there was mischief in her eyes. She turned her head to the back of her shop and yelled, "Papa!"
Tom burst in from the back room where she kept all her fabric. He'd come over in the morning to help put up more shelves. "What's up, sugar-pie?"
She gestured to the flower-laden suitor. "Jason Todd wants to court me."
"Court you?! He'd best marry you after all that nonsense in the woods. I aim to have that outlaw for an in-law, you hear me, young lady?"
Marinette laughed as a blush crept up her neck. "Yes, Papa."
Tom turned to Jason, his wide smile belying any anger in his words. "You hear me, young man? My daughter is a lady, and you'll treat her as such."
Jason nodded quickly. "Of course, sir."
"Well, give her those flowers and get on with it!. I'll watch the shop while you take her on a walk or something. No horses!"
With a grin, Jason handed the wild little posies to the little lady who had captured his heart. "What do ya say, Nette? Walk with me?"
Her hands lingered on his as she accepted the flowers, a blush staining her cheeks a perfect sunset pink. "Why, Mr. Todd, I thought you'd never ask."