#Last time Bruce died dick got custody somehow

[thealmostgoodartist]

How Not Help Your Favorite Hero— a Guide by Tim Drake

I just updated my fic yesterday night… but then ao3 crashed which meant not a lot of people got to see the update! So, here are the first 3 (around 3,000 words) chapters.

Rating: T (for language, blood, and themes.)

warnings for major character death (aka. This is based on that one interactive movie in which Bruce dies instead of Jason).

Relationship: Tim & Jason, and Dick & Clark

Summary: The one in which Dick tries to hold his family together, Tim hates cardio, and Jason kidnaps a “whole child”

enjoy.

—-

He could call.

It wouldn't take much.

He had memorized the phone number of the manor just a few days after he had started living there.

He could call.

Barbara would track his phone number and he would be on his way back home.

Home…

He hadn’t thought of the manor as home for months now, but if Dick had been trustful— and he seldom wasn’t— it still could be. Dick had said there would be no repercussions— that they were only looking to rehabilitate him and integrate him back into the family— but Jason knew better. 

The damned spot couldn’t be washed out.

He had a plan. He had to stick to the plan. It was already too late to go back. 

The alarm beeped bringing him out of his mental slumber and he arose from his bed. He hadn’t slept at all— he hadn’t slept since Bruce died— but he didn’t feel tired. He didn’t feel much those days, but he had to keep pushing. He was so close, even though his list of names kept getting longer. 

It would be all worth it in the end.

He had lost so much time planning for Two-Face— and he had had it! It would have been so easy to just pull the trigger if it hadn’t been for that kid— but now Harvey Dent was back in police custody. He now had to re-plan his execution for when he inevitably escaped from Arkham and maybe have to move some of the less important ones a few months—

It would cause some shifts in his overall schedule but it could be achieved.

—-

Jason had eyes on the creepy doll. 

Bruce had always said that the thing wasn’t demonic and that it was just the user projecting into the dummy. Jason wasn't too sure about that, and just in case he had brought extra ammunition for his precision rifle. 

The setup was ready and it was just a matter of time waiting for the perfect shot—

“Robin,” a voice called from somewhere behind him, and Jason almost turned around to tell B to “fuck off” and to let him work except….

B had been dead for six months now.

Jason felt the air rushing out of his lungs and a warm sting begin to form behind his eyes.

He had been over it. That's what killing Joker had been about. He had gotten his revenge. 

It should have been enough.

Why wasn’t it enough?

“Robin,” the voice called again, and it took a moment for Jason’s brain to reboot and finally notice that it wasn’t the voice wasn’t the low, rough-sounding one he had expected, but that of a kid.

“Spooky kid?” Jason said having had turned around and taken in the sight of the ten-year-old that had stopped him from killing Two Face. 

For two days, Jason had been seething over the fact, but now that he was face to face with the kid again he— well he didn’t know what he was feeling, but it wasn’t anger. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

The kid looked at him with the most determined face Jason had ever seen in someone so young and promptly pointed at the rifle.

“Robin, you have to be strong. Batman—“

“Yeah, no shit. You said the same thing in our last meeting,” Jason said, standing up from his crouched position and making his way over to the kid. “I mean what the fuck are you doing at 3 a.m. on a rooftop in the fucking Narrows?  How— why?”

“I followed you,” the kid said bluntly.

And that somehow didn’t make Jason feel any better.

“How did you follow me?” 

“I figured out what your most likely target would be.”

Jason decided to ignore the significance of what the kid said and instead turned his attention back to the scene below. If he didn’t take the shot soon, he would lose his chance and that would mean even more planning. But the kid—

Shit.

The kid.

He couldn’t just shoot someone in front of the kid— he had probably seen stuff like that before (this was Gotham after all) but still—

“Go home, kid.”

“No, Robin-“

“Go home, kid.”

“Jason!”

“What the fuck did you just call me?” Jason asked, his blood running cold.

The kid looked sheepish, but he didn’t falter under Jason’s glare.

“Jason,” he repeated, “this isn’t you.”

“Oh, fuck off.”

“You are not doing this out of any sense of Justice—“

“Are you going to tell me he isn’t deserving of this? He is the Ventriloquist—“

“Yes, he might deserve it, but it wasn’t like are not doing this because he deserves it. You are doing this because you are hurt.”

Jason felt a gut punch.

“How do you even know that?”

“I’ve been following you.”

And Jason had so many questions but the kid just continued—

“I know what happened to Bruce— gosh, I know how much he meant to you— but this isn’t the way. It isn’t what he would have wanted.”

—-

Being kidnapped was honestly a way better outcome than what Tim had expected. When he had stepped in the first time, he had just expected to get shot immediately but things had turned out pretty well. 

Now, he had successfully stopped tie assassinations attempts and it wasn’t like anyone was going to miss him if he was gone for a bit longer.

The last time he had been kidnapped it hadn’t been for more than a week and his capturers had let him go after finding out there was no way to contact his parents for a ransom. Tim didn’t expect the Bats to hold him for too long.

Tim tried to not show too much excitement from where he was sitting down next to the Batcomputer as Nightwing— dressed as Batman— and Red Robin fought in hushed tones.

“That’s a whole child, Jason.” Dick was saying.

“Yes, and now he is your problem,” Jason said as he turned around and started making his way over to his motorcycle.

“Where are you going?” Dick yelled.

“Back to my safe house.”

“You should stay. We will talk more in the morning.”

“No way,” he said putting his helmet on, “I brought you the security problem, now I get to leave.”

The loud roar of the bike filled the cave, but just as suddenly as it had started it was gone.

Nightwing turned around and stared at Tim.

Tim stared back.

chapter 2:

“I told you this was going to happen!” The little kid barked at him.

“And I told you l would solve it,” Dick said removing his cowl, already feeling the beginning of another stress headache bubbling up in his skull.

“When I found you months ago,” the kid continued, taking no notice of his predicament, “I told you that Robin was changing. I told you that he needed your help, but you said that Robin was doing ok—“

“So, then what? You just decided you were gonna follow him?”

“It wouldn’t have been the first time—“

“We can’t afford to have civilians get involved in the line of work that we do. Especially not ten-year-olds.”

“I’m almost thirteen—“

“That doesn’t make it any better, kid—“

“I don’t want to cause any trouble. As soon as you help Jason, I’m out of here,” the kid said in earnest, “I promise. Just— Gotham needs Robin.”

Dick looked at the kid incredulously and was about to continue the pointless argument when a noise on the stairwell leading to the house caught his attention.

He turned his head to see Alfred coming down the stairs.

His mind raced for a way to explain the stranger in the Batcave, but before he could conjure up an explanation, Alfred broke the silence.

“What’s your name?” He asked the kid, uncharacteristically cold.

“It’s not important—“ 

“I asked for your name.”

The kid hesitated, but his resolve was broken quickly under Alfred’s glare.

“Timothy Drake, sir.”

“Wait,” Dick said, his brain recognizing the name from years prior, “As in our neighbor?”

The kid looked away, as Dick studied his face for any recognizable features.

And yup, that was the kid he had seen at the Wayne galas.

“Just—“

—-

Go home, kid.

The words resonated in his head just as his steps bounced back to him upon the once-pristine floors of Drake Manor.

He had avoided the house as much as possible ever since his father had fallen into a coma. He had spent the days next to his father’s hospital bed and the nights following Red Robin across Gotham.

He had expected that the time away from the place would have made him more sentimental toward it, but he guessed that that would have required an initial emotional connection. He felt nothing towards the place. No good memories were hiding in the walls, only the remnants of a lonely childhood.

The only reason he was back was that Mr. Pennyworth had offered to drive him to his home and he had thought it would have been impolite to decline.

He wished he had.

This place wasn’t home.

Home was the streets of Gotham when he would follow Batman and Robin.

Home was what Robin had back at Wayne Manor.

And Robin was good and thus he deserved his home.

Tim would make sure.

He just had to push a bit harder, and everything would be alright again.

Tim was sure.

—-

“Fuck off.”

“Jason, please—“

“I don’t need your help—“

“I’m not saying you need my help… just please come back home, little wing.” Said Dick in the same tone he had always used whenever he was trying to calm someone. It was brutally honest and it had always been something that Jason had tried to imitate. Dick was good at talking to people. It made Jason want to believe him.

But no.

No.

He had a plan…

It would make things better. 

For everyone. 

There would be no more need for vigilantes once he was done. 

No more need and no more deaths and no more pain.

He turned away, unable to meet Dick’s gaze even with the cowl on. 

Dick tried to say something, but his words were stifled by the sound of Jason’s grapple gun firing.

 Jason flew away as Dick screamed after him, desperate. Yet, Jason couldn’t turn back. He had to keep going. Dick might not have seen it, but Jason knew soon he would understand. 

After all, he was doing it all for them.

He was an outsider— he had always been ever since Bruce had taken him in— but that wouldn’t stop him from trying to fix things for them— for the family that Bruce had created. He owed him that. 

After all, he was the Robin that got Batman killed.

He landed on the rooftop with a muffled thud.

The impromptu meeting with Dick had messed up his schedule slightly. He was supposed to already be down by the docks. Maybe if he hurried he could still make it before the shipment—

“Robin,”

Shit.

Not again.

He had hoped that a meeting with fucking Batman would be enough to deter the kid, but alas, Spooky kid was back— great. 

Jason turned around to continue his argument with the child—

He burst out laughing.

“Oh my god, what the fuck are you wearing?” He managed to say between wheezes and giggles.

“Robin,” the kid said in the most serious tone Jason had ever heard, looking at him with a scowl that could rival Batman’s. 

Jason was tempted to stop laughing, but one look at the kid— dressed in dark clothes, with knee and elbow pads and a Batman helmet— send him into another wave of hysterics.

He hadn’t laughed in quite a while and it felt… it felt good.

“Ok, kid,” he said, finally managing to calm down, “what are you doing?”

“I am here to help you—“

“Pardon me?”

“I’m here to help you.”

“How— why are you dressed like that?”

“To help you,”

Jason looked at him confused trying to figure out how the two things were correlated.

“I am going to be your sidekick.”

“What? No.” 

Was this kid actually insane?

“You are like ten! You can’t be a vigilante.”

“Yes I can,” the kid said, crossing his arms, “and I’m almost thirteen!”

“I don’t care you are ‘almost thirteen’!” Jason said, unable to believe he was fighting a child, “you can’t just— no.”

“Why not? You started at this age too—“

“I had training!”

“I have proven myself to be a good enough detective to figure out Bruce Wayne was Batman—“

“That’s not—“

“And I have been following you around for years and you haven’t even noticed!”

What?

“What?”

His phone buzzed, and he took it out to see a notification. The shipment had arrived. He wouldn’t make it in time.

If the kid had just—

He took a deep breath, trying to drown the rising anger. The kid couldn’t have known.

First Dick and now this! How much worse could his day get?

He took another breath.

“Why? Just why?”

The kid looked at him and for the first time, Jason noticed a deep anger in his eyes.

“You are going to get yourself killed.”

Jason fought the urge to roll his eyes. What did this kid even know? How could he look so convinced saying such lies? He must have known he sounded insane. He didn’t even know Jason, so how could he judge?

“Jason listen to me!”

Against his better judgment, he did.

“The path you are on will lead to nothing but your destruction. You can’t keep doing this— you can’t. You are acting irrationally. You are taking unnecessary risks and you are hurting not only yourself but everyone else who stands in your path.

“Gotham needs Robin. We already lost Batman, we can’t lose you too. If he kept us safe, you gave us hope, Jason. You need to be strong.”

And then, he wished he hadn’t.

“I thought Dick would be able to deal with you,” Jason said.

“He wouldn’t listen,” the kid said, sounding irritated, “So, I am your problem now. I am doing this either with your help or without it.”

“Where are your parents?”

“It’s complicated,” he said, “will you train me or not?”

Chapter 3

Bruce would have been so disappointed—

“I trained you better than this,” he would have said.

“I thought you would have done better,” he would have said.

And maybe, for once, Dick would have admitted he was right without arguing back.

Because he knew that if he had just stopped and looked like that small part of his brain was screaming for him to do… he would have noticed.

He would have noticed that Jason’s smile never reached his eyes; that he hadn’t cried once; that he was not sleeping; that he was not eating; that he was spending too long in the Batcave; that he was too eager to return to patrol… and that he wasn’t healing.

But maybe he had noticed… maybe he had noticed and decided it was easier to do nothing. Maybe he had thought that the problem would go away if he just ignored it…

This was his fault. He should have been there. He should have done something! Anything!  

Jason had been in pain— it had completely overflown him just looking for a way to be released— but Dick hadn’t noticed. Or at least, he hadn’t been able to notice. There had been so much to do— so much to plan… the funeral… The Justice league… Bruce Wayne… Wayne Enterprises… the family…

Batman.

He thought he had it— he thought he was going to be able to hold onto it too— but Jason slipped right off his hand… and he hadn’t begun to try to catch him until it was too late.

Even the neighbor’s kid who lived a few miles away had noticed before him.

Why was he so bad at this?

He should have done better.

He was supposed to be better… but maybe he wasn’t.

“I thought I’d find you here,” said a familiar voice bringing him out of— what Jason had once called— his morose introspection.

He didn’t have to turn around to know the look on Clark’s face— it had been the same ever since he had returned from that mission. It wasn’t judgmental— even though Dick felt it should be— nor was it pitying; it was just kind, and so full of understanding and care and hurt and love and—

And Dick didn’t know how the man could still stand so hopeful even after the last six months.

“What are you doing here, Clark?” Dick said, hoping the alien with super-hearing wouldn’t notice the way his voice wavered. 

“There was a Justice League meeting today—“

“Shit,” he said, “I— I had it marked and everything! I don’t know how I forgot— I promise I really tried to make it this time—“

“Dick, stop.”

And he did.

“Can you take that cowl off? Please?”

Suddenly there was a warm hand on his shoulder, and any argument he had begun to think of died immediately.

He took off his cowl and finally turned to meet the man.

The look he has expected was right there painted on his face and Dick felt the world begin to tear apart.

“Kid—“ Clark began and the world completely came apart. The ground opened and Dick was falling and—

The warm hand on his shoulder pulled him towards a warm body and Dick was enveloped in one of the best hugs he could ever remember receiving.

He buried his head in Clark’s shoulder, and he couldn’t help the sob that escaped his body as Clark did his best to comfort him. 

He hadn’t cried in front of anyone since the funeral. Everyone had been hurting and they needed him and it had just felt unnecessary to plaster his emotions onto others. He had done a great job at it too… or at least he had thought he had. Jason proved to be an argument against that point.

“I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing,” he said after what felt like an eternity.

“Why didn’t you come to me?” Clark asked, “Or anyone? Dick, you have so many people that care about you and would have been here to help you. Rao, Wally won’t stop asking me to check on you since you’ve been ignoring his calls.”

“Not on purpose!” Dick responded, “I thought I had it! I thought I could handle this on my own— and I part of me still thinks I should…  this is not what Bruce would have done— it not what Batman—“

“Kid, you are not Batman.”

Dick pulled away feeling indignant.

“What do you mean?” He asked angrily.

“You are not Batman,” Clark repeated as it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Bruce would have never wanted you to be Batman. He wanted you to be better— and you are! Your biggest strength lies in accomplishing what Bruce could never do: you were able to let go. That darkness he relished on? You do not have that. And that makes you so admirable and I’m sure anyone that knows you would say the same thing. You are Nightwing. You are not Batman and I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there to help you—“

“But Gotham needs Batman!”

Clark looked thoughtful for a moment.

“Maybe it doesn’t.” He said.

“What do you mean?”

“Bruce might have been a recluse-weirdo to most people, but he did manage to garner allies.”

Clark made his way over to the Batcomputer and brought up a list of names… a very long list of names.

“These are the ones only in Gotham, but of course, most of the JL, JSA, and the Titans would be more than happy to help. You are not alone here. We will help you keep Gotham safe.”

Clark turned towards Dick.

“You just go find Jason and bring him home.”

“I’ve been trying to do that, but I can’t find him. When I did he just ran away from me. I just hope I can find him before something bad happens.”

—-

“This is most definitely not training!”

“Actually, Spooky Kid, it is training,” Jason argued for what felt like the thousandth time as he slowed his pace again to make sure the kid didn’t faceplant to the floor. Again. 

“If it is training,” the kid said, sounding extremely put together for someone with two scraped knees and who looked like he was about to throw up, “then when do I get to go out on patrol with you?”

“This is literally your first ‘training’, and you have proven yourself incapable of keeping up with me on a slow run.”

“That is only because you are taller than me.”

“It is not my problem that you are short.”

“I am not short. I am a perfectly good height for my age.”

“Yes, but you are ten.”

“I am not ten. I am almost thirteen.”

Jason studied the kid behind him for a moment.

“You see, I am convinced you are lying to me.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/44748827

(9 chapters total. Unfinished.)

Chapters 4-6:

[kittythelitter]

I've just been ping-ponging back and forth between Stranger Things and Batfam obsessions so here's a very self indulgent combination.

Au where Steve Harrington is Jack Drake's slightly older first cousin. They were close until Steve's parents disowned him and then reconnected sporadically when Jack was a young adult, but when Steve and Eddie got married, Janet severed ties claiming she thought Steve and his loser rockstar husband would be a bad influence on Tim. Jack reconciles with him when he wakes up from his coma, and asks Steve to take care of Tim if anything happens to him(Jack). When Jack is killed Steve and Eddie become Tim's guardians.

Rough Timeline.

1966 - Eddie is born

1967- Steve Harrington is born

1974- Jack Drake is born

1980- Bruce Wayne is born

1982- Clark Kent is adopted by the Kents

1983-6 -ST seasons 1-4

1987 - Upsidedown Closes for the last time + the Wayne's are killed in front of their son.

1990- Dick Grayson is Born

1995- Jason is born

1996- Cass is born

1999 - Tim is born/the Batman starts his stuff

2001 - Flying Graysons/first Superman sightings

2004 - the Justice League is formed, Boston legalizes gay marriage.

2005 - steddie marriage. Janet Drake throws a hissy fit and Jack and Steve stop speaking.

2007- Dick Quits Robin, Damian is born, andJason becomes Robin

2010- Jason Dies

2011- Tim becomes Robin

2013- Janet dies, Jack is in a coma

2014 - Jack wakes up. Wants to reconnect with his family (including Steve and Eddie), titans tower ™️

2015 - Damian arrives, Jack finds out. Steph is Robin and "dies"

2016 - Jack dies and Steve and Eddie get custody of Tim. Kon and Bart die temporarily.

Tim is going thru it and also suddenly has two VERY attentive guardians who have been dealing with weird bullshit longer than even Batman. They find out about Robin and lecture Batman and insist that if Tim's gonna pull a Dustin then Steve gets to babysit (be on comms).

Steve insists he's too old to be a vigilante but he is on comms all the time and on more than one occasion busts into a scene hitting goons with the batmobile and rescuing Bruce and Tim. He also basically forcefully adopts Jason after he finds out about titans tower. Eddie just laughs, but Jason used to be a big fan of Eddie's band so he is automatically the cool dad.

Somewhere in here Steve and Eddie kind of adopt Dick, Damian, Cass and Steph

Barbara and Max meet and it's Chaos.

Bruce tries to complain that Steve and Eddie are stealing his kids and Eddie's like. Alfred do you want some coparents? We'll adopt a full grown man. We've got kids older than Bruce that we consider to be ours. And Alfred is like. I'd love the help. He's a handful.

Anyway when Bruce "dies" and Tim's like. He's not dead! Steve is like. Yeah. I've seen weirder. Let me call supergirl- not Kara. My supergirl. Eleven. Yeah. You remember her right? She might be able to find him with her mind powers. No she's not a meta. She's had powers since before metas were a thing.

And El finds him and with her help the Justice League can get Bruce back pretty quickly. They offer her a position and she's like. I'm retired. But I'll always help a friend in need, so keep my number.

Anyways the ST crew are all adults and Tired because they thought when the justice league came around they'd be done. But Steve just keeps acquiring children who insist on getting themselves in trouble so even though he is fifty and Tired with chronic migraines and tinnitus he is still going to be the Best Damn Babysitter there is, and none of his friends/kids will let him do it alone.

Steve managed to keep it all from them before he needed to ask El for help but once the dam breaks they're all in and out of Gotham and meeting the Justice League and causing trouble left and right.

Lucas and Will both try to keep out of it and maintain their quiet lives but end up becoming emotional support/therapists/mentors to young heroes.

Dustin somehow gets to do some work on the Watchtower.

Erica, despite being in her early 40s, is trying to get the Teen Titans to unionize.

Nancy has access to guns she really really shouldn't.

Jonathan and Clark get along really well. Argyle can somehow understand the Flashes when they're talking at almost full speed.

And when Robin (Buckley not Batman-and-) meets Wonder Woman she cries.

[oifaaa]

Watch Jason write home to Mama Talia about his latest villainous deeds and she sends him back letters about how proud she is

Talia is happy to help fund Jasons little crime empire bc she knows that it will drive Bruce insane and there's no greater joy in life then talia causing chaos to her (ex??) husband

[boldlyanxious]

None the Wiser 7

Masterlist

All fic masterlist

3 prompts

-last name Wayne

-consolation

-the talk

Marinette didn't know if she could ever leave her house. She sat on her couch still in her pajamas with her knees pulled to her chest. She looked at the picture of herself in the paper, a picture that was focused on her biological father. Her smile was wide and elated having just won a coveted spot in the summer fashion program. She had read the entire article many times but she only saw the one word pop off the page as the minutes ticked by:

Wayne

She didn't know why she never thought about the last name of the man who had come into her life. She knew he seemed like he didn't struggle for money but nothing had prepared her for this. A name that had meant nothing to her in it's absence suddenly meant everything. Her phone buzzed and moved across the coffee table as the man himself called again.

She didn't know what her parents had said to him when he came by. They only told her that he had been in, hoping to see her. His answer about what he was doing there was vague. Only that he had met the family on a visit to Paris. He said he was at the show to see the young talent to better gauge the interest level if he wanted to diversify his programs to offer assistance to a wider range of disadvantaged children.

She shouldn't be mad at him. She wasn't, not really. She was just processing. Maybe she should text him and tell him she needed time. Time to wrap her brain around this discovery. She wondered if he regretted going to the show. She hoped not. She realized as she was walking back towards the group last night that she was happy he was there. She wished she had told him but there hasn't been time before the reporter called out his name.

He might be the richest man in the world and she had no idea. She had heard the name before but it didn't mean anything to her. She had spent far too long last night reading about him. His parents had died when he was young leaving him very rich. He had been hounded by reporters for many things, he had made enemies that attempted to harm him and his loved ones, and he had adopted a series of children who needed an opportunity for a better life.

She could see that he was a good man. She could even understand his obscuring his identity since no one had known about her or any possible motives her or her parents might have. She knew he had been going out of his way to make her feel comfortable when it was clear he wanted to be a part of her life.

She made a decision and got up to change before she could change her mind. She slung her bag over her shoulder and sent him a message as she walked out the door.

---

Damian had never felt more useless. Somehow this girl who should be nothing was wielding a power he didn't understand to make his father weak. For a man who had it all or could have anything he wanted he was proving to be inconsolable. He was not in tears and he wouldn't admit that anything was wrong but he was tense and continuously checking his phone.

Damian didn't know why she suddenly cut Bruce out. He had been excessively nice to the girl and made no demands on her while putting himself out there. She took offense to everything and wouldn't give an inch. She didn't deserve to be related to them. But somehow she was in control. Damian could tell the moment she contacted their father. His smile returned so fast and he was up and heading out the door.

Damian was the one who would need the consolation if he were to be cast aside for her.

---

Marinette stopped Bruce when he tried to apologize.

"I don't know how to do this either," Marinette said. "I never thought about your last name. It didn't matter at all until I knew it."

"I didn't want to keep it from you but it was complicated by not knowing if you had contact with those who made the plans for you."

"I-uh. Last night before the press, I wanted to tell you something."

"I can back off, Marinette. I want a relationship but that doesn't work if you are uncomfortable with me."

"I wasn't going to say that," she paused to make eye contact. "When I looked back at the crowd, I looked for you. I was happy you were there."

Bruce couldn't form words. He took a step forward and reached out. Marinette moved into his arms. She heard a sound of a camera click and turned to Dick how was snapping pictures on his phone.

"Is it too soon to talk about introducing you to the public? I'm planning a gala soon and you could still remain somewhat anonymous if we only gave your first name. It would limit the coverage to the states."

"Am I uninvited if I say no? Announcing anything will go through my parents."

"You are invited. Your parents too if they want. I would like to have you for party of the summer if it works around your fasion course."

Dick cleared his throat and Marinette looked over at him questioningly. Bruce continued but he was changing the subject.

"Marinette I need to have a talk with you. Something my parents explained when I was very young."

Marinette turned her head and waiting for him to continue.

"There is a strong change that our connection will be discovered. Some things can't be hidden well if we are seen together and that is connected with any legal documents."

"What legal documents? I thought you weren't trying to get custody."

"Not for custody. I'm sure there will be something you're parents and I will arrange with a lawyer for any trips you take without them for liability and such, but I meant for a trust fund."

"A trust fund?" she asked.

"Yes. It's the same as I've set up for all my children whether they were legally adopted or just casually joined the family."

"Aren't legal documents secret?"

"They are supposed to be privileged but sometimes things get out. But this is about the money. You are very friendly and well liked. You may find yourself needing to be cautious about what people want when they are nice. It may become hard to tell if they are just trying to get money from you."

"I like sharing what I have with my friends."

"That is good. You should feel happy to help if you want. Friends or just those in need. But those who are only wanting to money may use underhanded techniques or try to coerce you to give them money."

"That sounds terrible. I don't want to have to worry about that all the time."

"It's not as bad as it sounds. You won't need to be paranoid constantly that everyone is using you. There are a few red flags to look out for and we can teach you that," Dick said.

Marinette still looked uncertain so they changed the subject. Marinette asked about what they liked to do in America and they were asking to get more details about her summer program. They kept the rest of the conversation light and then they went to lunch in a building without Marinette looking for the exits everywhere.

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[scaryscarecrows]

Before You Put My Body in the Cold Ground (Take Some Time to Warm It With Your Hands)

AN: ‘Roots and Leaves’ related. Title from Brand New’s ‘Sowing Season’.

* * *

Bruce does not allow himself to speculate on the nature of the Light. Gordon turns it on for anything from ‘take this piece of evidence’ to ‘we have a new serial killer’ to ‘there’s been an Arkham breakout. Again’.

It isn’t, at least, an automatic warning sign of mayhem.

Gordon, as per usual, is standing near it, soaking up the warmth, when Bruce lands silently on the rooftop behind him. Contrary to popular opinion, he doesn’t come in from the back to be dramatic. He comes in from the back to avoid taking blinding, agonizing light to the eyes.

“Commissioner.”

Gordon jumps and swears.

“Every time…Dove Marquis wants to see you. Says she’s got temporary custody of one of your-and I’m quoting, here-‘fifty thousand children’, and would like you to come and get him.”

Well. This is unexpected.

Dick and Tim are accounted for on the way, Dick covering the night shift for a friend and Tim…interviewing…some of Harley Quinn’s on-again-off-again henchmen. Which leaves Jason.

Jim had not implied it was anything imminently fatal. And Jason, the last anybody knew, hadn’t actively picked a fight with anybody overly dangerous. It’s likely that he’s got some sort of mild, but unpleasant, injury that’s preventing him from getting home. 

That sounds weak to Bruce’s own ears. With Marquis calling Gordon about this, it’s because it’s serious or because Jason asked, and if it’s the latter…

Marquis is on her balcony with a cigarette when he arrives. There’s no sign of Jason, but surely that’s not a bad thing. Surely. It’s pouring rain, it’s late…

She looks rattled, and she keeps twisting around to glance through her doors. The feeling of unease grows, and he scans the building. The only figure in the apartment is curled up on the couch, asleep. He deems it safe to land on the balcony railing.

“Jesus-!” Her cigarette lands in a puddle with a hiss! “Good God, that’s creepy…are you socially awkward, or just an asshole?”

“Why did you tell Gordon to contact me.”

Marquis rolls her eyes.

“Asshole it is...because he asked for you. So you have to take him.” As though he wouldn’t. “I don’t know what happened. I don’t wanna know. I found him wandering around a few blocks away. He was throwing up dirt a-and fucking worms, and I spent a good forty minutes pulling shards of wood out of his hands.”

Sounds like someone thought it would be a good idea to bury him alive. Bruce will disabuse them of that notion as soon as he gets Jason home and under Alfred’s care.

“Hn.”

They go in. Jason’s scrunched up on the couch with an electric blanket over him, face smushed into a pillow. His hands are wrapped from fingertip to wrist, and he’s shivering, just a little. Bruce is more concerned about the fact that he’s not waking. He’s a light sleeper, always has been, and for him to be uncaring, unknowing, that he’s not alone…

What happened to you tonight?

He whimpers and scrunches up under the blanket, hands jerking, and Marquis says softly, “Want me to try and wake him up, or do you want to risk it?”

Neither, preferably.

The whimpers stop and he goes still, sniffling softly. Bruce sighs, calls for the car-it’ll be here by the time he gets downstairs-and pulls Jason into a fireman’s carry.

“Thank you,” he manages to say. “For. For watching him.”

“Take it up with Harley,” she says shortly, fishing out her cigarettes and heading for her porch. “Tell him I hope he feels better soon, huh?”

Jason stirs, a little, when he settles him into the Batmobile, but when Bruce tries to talk to him, his face scrunches up and he closes his eyes again. He’s tempted, he really is, to go after Harley now; Jason’s clearly all right, not even a hint of a low-grade fever, but…

But. He could have inhaled something, he could have been drugged. Bruce needs to take him home and have Alfred look at him. Harley can wait.

And this way, he’ll be more likely to keep his temper when he tracks her down.

He tousles Jason’s hair, covers him with the cape-he’s shivering now that he’s away from the electric blanket-and makes sure he’s secure before hopping into the driver’s seat and calling Alfred.

“I need you to prep the med bay,” he says. Alfred does that thing where he doesn’t really sigh, but he may as well.

“What happened this time, Master Bruce.”

It isn’t always his fault. Arguing will get him nowhere, but it really isn’t always his fault.

“I’ve got Jason,” he says, narrowly avoiding a fire hydrant that really is located too close to the curb. “He’s. It appears that somebody attempted a live burial.”

Alfred is silent.

“I will be ready and waiting for you, Master Bruce,” he says at last. “Drive safely.”

He does. Mostly. He takes care, anyway, not to come screaming into the cave in a cloud of dust and burnt rubber. Jason’s still unconscious in the back, but he wakes, a little, when he’s picked up.

“B…?”

“Hn.”

“You came.” The surprise in his voice hurts. “You really came for me.”

“Yes.” He sets him on a gurney. The clothes aren’t his, and they don’t fit him well. There’s small cuts on his face and neck, and his hands are all but mummified. “Jay—”

“My fault, I should’a—”

What?

“Jason—”

“She said it was safe,” he whispers. “She said. She said.”

And then Alfred is there, shooing Bruce out of the way and humming, “Let’s see what’s happened, Master Jason…”

Jason blinks at them for a minute before his eyes roll back. Bruce has no idea what happened. He doubts Jason would have trusted Harley Quinn. Pitied, almost certainly, but trusted? No. Somebody else was involved, somebody he doesn’t know about.

Bruce doesn’t like not knowing about things.

There’s a bump on the side of the boy’s head, and when Alfred unwraps his hands...they’re not a pretty sight. There’s a few nails missing and the remaining ones are badly broken. They’re riddled with cuts and punctures and oh. Coffin. There must have been a coffin, or at least a large wooden crate.

How did this happen?

“--ce. Master Bruce.”

“Sorry, Alfred.”

“Move aside, please...thank you. It’s a miracle his fingers are still intact.”

Bruce often thinks it’s a miracle Jason’s alive at all, after...after everything. And now, under the stark light of the medical bay, that idea comes back in force. He can’t place most of these scars, even though he knows what caused them. That one’s from a crowbar; he’s got a few of those himself. They’re a cheap, easy weapon. Or that one, there, that’s from a knife. There’s more than a few gunshot wounds, far more than he ever had from his time as Robin, and…

“There we are, Master Jason,” Alfred says, forcefully cheery, even though Jason’s not awake to care anyway. “I’m sure your father will take you upstairs.”

Some father he is. This is his fault, none of this should have happened.

He wants Harley Quinn. And once Jason’s settled in bed, he’s going to find her.

* * *

Bruce decides, when he’s back in the car (he isn’t hiding from Alfred’s disapproval, he’s just…), that he’ll start his hunt for Harley after getting what he can out of Marquis. He’s hoping she’ll be more cooperative about this than she’s been about past cases, given the circumstances. Besides, Penguin’s not involved (theoretically), so she doesn’t have any reason to withhold information, not really.

She’s still outside, but no longer smoking, when he lands on the balcony.

“Why are you here.”

“What happened.”

“Get lost.”

“I need to find Harley, but I need to know what happened.”

For a minute, he thinks she’ll just go inside. But she sighs, mutters something about too many goddamn vigilantes and never thought I’d miss the weirdo with mommy issues, and gets up off the bench.

“I don’t know,” she says. “I found him wandering around a few blocks away, and he said Harley did it, and he was really, really upset about some woman named Sheila, but I don’t know who that is and at this point, I don’t care.”

Sheila, Sheila...Bruce knows of a Sheila, but...no, that’s too much of a coincidence...there’s no such thing as coincidence...and Jay’s always had near-comically bad luck. Rather like the Baudelaire Orphans.

“Where exactly did you find him.”

“Ah...over in Sunshine Plaza.”

Bruce has always wondered who, exactly, named that plaza. And why.

“Thank you.”

“Now are you gonna go?”

He can take a hint. And also there’s nothing else he needs here.

He brings up his file on Sheila Haywood on the glide over. She’s still living exactly where she was the last time she was on his radar, when he’d been desperate. He’d thought that maybe...either Jason had found out, somehow, and gone after her, or that her connections to the Joker would…

He’d been desperate.

Sheila’s apartment isn’t far from here, and Bruce’s unease only grows. The odds of there being another Sheila are...low...and Jason…

He lets himself in through the bedroom window. There’s a body lying in the front hall, but no other signs of life.

The body is Sheila Haywood. Bruce sighs-he doesn’t know why he expected otherwise, really-and sets up a virtual crime scene.

Sheila died from a bullet to the head, maybe...five hours ago, give or take. The shooter was waiting for her; she’s still wearing her raincoat, and her purse is sitting on the ground where it fell when she died.

There’s a gun near her hand. It hasn’t been fired-it’s not even loaded-but hers are the only prints on it.

Hm.

There was a struggle, at some point. The end table by the couch is tipped over and there’s blood on the carpet. The blood is both Jason’s and an unknown-likely a hired hench-and there’s a hint of Quinn’s perfume still lingering in the air.

So. Harley-or her goons-probably shot Sheila when she pulled the gun. That doesn’t entirely explain her involvement, but Bruce wonders if Harley wasn’t trying to get her to come back. She didn’t take Joker’s death well, and he knows she’s been grasping for any last connection to him. Sometimes he feels sorry for her.

But not today. Today, her insanity killed a woman and could have cost Jason his life, and Bruce is not happy about it.

He calls Gordon about Sheila before following the perfume outside. There’s not enough to track over a long distance, but it does lead him to the parking garage...and a set of tire tracks.

The first place the tracks go is a park, maybe two blocks away. Reasonable; Jason was either unconscious or restrained, but keeping him in a small car would have been risky. The car was parked, and…

Oh.

Oh, dear God.

He doesn’t need to track anything to see the tear in the earth, the thick wooden shards and the torn roots. The scanner says the disruption goes down six feet, to a cheap coffin.

Oh, Jay-lad, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.

His ear crackles and Alfred’s voice hits him, colder than Freeze’s gun.

“Master Bruce.” Oh no. “What do you think you are doing.”

“I need to find Quinn.”

“You need to be with your son, who has asked for you twice tonight.” The uncomfortable feeling in his stomach is a response to the grave in front of him, and that’s all. “Now.”

Alfred uses-really uses-the No Argument tone very rarely. That’s probably why it’s so effective.

That said, Harley’s likely gone to ground for the time being. Big to-dos aren’t her style, not anymore. Besides, he can put feelers out from home. And maybe Tim will find something.

* * *

Jason’s asleep when Bruce nudges his door open, face buried in the pillow. Looking at him now, Bruce can almost convince himself that none of the last few years has happened, that he’s just...home from college for the weekend. But then he rolls over, bringing the brand into the low light, and the illusion’s shattered.

“Has he woken up at all?”

“Once,” Alfred says, apparently happier now that Bruce is here. “He wasn’t terribly happy with the room being so dark, hence the pineapple lamp.” Bruce can only imagine. “He wondered where you were, but then decided to go back to sleep.”

“I’ll watch him, Alfred.”

He’s sure he’s imagining the it’s about bloody time aura Alfred is radiating. It’s been a long night, that’s all.

“Very good, sir. Call me if you need me.”

Jason doesn’t stir when Bruce sits down on the edge of the bed. Good. It’s...it’s better that he get some sleep.

(Bruce doesn’t want a fight tonight.)

How did this happen, Jay? What am I missing?

He’ll find out. He’ll find Harley, he’ll make this...well, there’s no making this right, but...he’ll find her.

God, he’s tired of clowns trying to take his son.

THE END

[dottie-wan-kenobi]

! let's do... stephanie brown for the maximum anguish thing!!

Ooooh okay Steph

this got SO LONG i am so sorry skdjhjkhsdfah and definitely angsty. I was kind of worried I wouldn’t be able to think of any but that was NOT the case hoo boy

1. I honestly have no idea if it’s common knowledge that her dad is Cluemaster or not but let’s say it’s not.......and then that it gets out. and Stephanie, well she’s used to being bullied for whatever reason -- fat, acne, annoyingly bubbly, whatever -- she can handle that, more or less. she knows it’s not true and they’re just insecure and who even cares about that stuff anyway? (she’s a superhero, which immediately negates all of it.) but when the bullying starts to be about her dad, it’s a different story. EVERYONE treats her differently. there are the kids and staff who are so are angry at her dad (and all other rogues, but how convenient that there’s the child of one right here in front of them) that it becomes serious, mental and physical, non-stop all day long. then there are the kids and staff so fucking scared of her that they will vacate the area, the lunch table, the desk chair. no one wants to sit with her, anywhere. no one wants to talk to her, ever. the scared teachers are scared to give her bad grades; the angry ones will give her Fs or just straight up throw out her work and say they lost it. and no matter how much she says she HATES her dad, that she’s done nothing but try and stop him, they all still hate/avoid her. no amount of anything works, not even Bruce-as-Batman somehow making it clear she has nothing to do with his crimes (and how godawful embarrassing it was, going to Bruce to ask for help and breaking down in tears because it’s all just too much now)

2. okay lets get the baby out of the way. as angsty as it already is, imagine that while she’s giving birth, some rogue takes the hospital hostage. imagine that the only one there with her is Tim, whether as friend or more, but also that her mom is somewhere else in the hospital, working. imagine Stephanie, watching Tim leave her on the table to go fight the rogue. we’re gonna pretend the stress wouldn’t kill her and the baby -- this is comics, and I’m making full use of comics magic -- and imagine that she’s laying there, going through this terrible physical pain while every gunshot reminds her that not only is Tim in danger, but so is her mom, and so is she, and so is her baby. :)

3. Stephanie dies, no tricks or lies or anything. and then Stephanie is brought back, idk how it doesn’t matter. she takes some time to heal from that, and then she’s ready to go out and keep fighting. everyone says she can, she should, take more time and that she doesn’t even have to go back to it if she doesn’t want to, but she does. she does want to, and yeah there are other options for her, but this is what she wants to do with her life and she’s not about to let anything stop her. but when she goes out to fight crime, something is irrevocably different. idk if it should be that her mind just shuts down when she tries to swing, or that her body for all the muscles it has can’t take the strain, or maybe it’s just that everyone has gotten so used to fighting without her that it doesn’t work anymore. there’s no room for her in the team, and her being there puts everyone in danger. but either way, whether this moment lasts for a little while or forever, she has to take a moment to breathe and feel devastated and so, so angry.

4. hurt Cass. maybe they get kidnapped, and the captors don’t see Steph as any kind of threat, not when Cass (either as Batgirl or as Cass Cain-Wayne) is there. Steph tries to fight them, tries to get them to leave Cass alone for any amount of time, but it doesn’t work. Cass can hold her own for a long time, but then they start breaking bones, drawing a little too much blood, and Cass goes down. she gets flung into the cell where Steph is sitting there, horrified and furious tears in her eyes, and Steph has that tropey moment of urging Cass to not try and communicate. “it’ll be okay,” Steph whispers, shaking. seeing her girl/friend so hurt and in so much pain is awful, and she can’t stop thinking about how she could’ve stopped it somehow. if she’d just been faster, smarter, more insistent....

5. so Steph isn’t like, officially a member of the Wayne family, she’s aware of that, but she totally kind of is. Damian includes her when he draws family, and Dick is her cool older brother, and Duke is her cool (little?) brother, and Cass and Tim and Jason are her friends, and man Alfred is freaking awesome. but Bruce clearly doesn’t agree. I think this Bruce is probably the same one we got in comics now, where he gives absolutely no fucks about anyone’s feelings, certainly not his kids’. so maybe she says some joke about how he’s sharing custody with her mom, and he just blows up on her about how she’s not his child, she’s not his family, she’s nothing more than an asset in the field and can she please shut the hell up and leave him alone. in front of all the other kids. that’s bad enough, but Steph wouldn’t just accept that shit, so she’d argue back until they’re both screaming at each other. I think Bruce would hit her with some low blow like you’re worthless/how do I know you aren’t spying for your father/get out or I’m calling the police because you’re trespassing, idk, and she just. has. to leave. and no one stands up for her. and it’s just this really shitty moment of feeling so low and hated and ignored.

send me a character and I’ll put them in 5 situations that’ll cause them maximum emotional anguish

[maybekatherine]

Last night I dreamed that Martha Wayne was wearing a bracelet that said Ravenclaw, so obviously, Headcanons.

The Kane Family was an Old Pureblood Family with Pedigree, so of course Martha was going to to go boarding school in Scotland instead of somewhere on the same continent.

Her brother was a squib, which was terrible, so all of their parents’ high expectations fell on Martha. She did not disappoint.

She did not disappoint up until she married a muggle.

Her parents dis-disinherited Jacob because at this point he was the least disappointing child.

It is a common misconception that Alfred Pennyworth comes with Wayne Manor. He did, in fact, come with Martha Wayne. It is so hard to find good help these days, especially help that doesn’t question strange happenings.

At one point in his childhood, Bruce was convinced that Alfred was a mutated, freakishly tall house elf.

Upon his parents’ death Bruce’s grandparents did try to get custody of him. But Martha’s will was very firm on Bruce not going to his grandparents, where he would probably hear all sorts of things about his awful muggle father.

Bruce was supposed to go to Hogwarts, but Alfred knew a thing or two about Bruce, and a thing or two about British boarding schools. So instead Bruce went to magic summer camp.

Grandma and Grandpa Kane pitched a fit. When that didn’t achieve anything, they moved somewhere tropical to try and forget they ever had kids.

Bruce takes the Statute of Secrecy very seriously. Possibly unhealthily so.

There were strangers around the Manor often enough, so before Dick moved in it didn’t take much effort to get everything magical hidden away somewhere where he Wouldn’t Find Out.

Bruce has to do about five double-takes when the street kid steals his tires, hits him with a tire iron, calls him a boob, and then does accidental magic while running away. Then he decides that he’s keeping Jason.

By this point of course Bruce and Dick are not talking to each other, so even though Bruce is now caring for a magical child Dick still doesn’t find out about the magic.

Bruce Obliviates Tim multiple times before Alfred points out that this can cause serious problems, and obviously isn’t a long-term solution anyway.

“Tim, I need to tell you something important that you can’t tell anyone.” “Do you mean the fact that you’re a wizard?” “...What.” “I found a folder of evidence that I don’t remember putting together, including notes on how I had previously found that folder but didn’t remember putting it together. I came to the conclusion that you were wiping my memory of the knowledge that you were a wizard, so I decided to just not mention it.”

Ra’s al Ghul burns seven secret bases to the ground because creepy owls keep finding them and he doesn’t know how.

Then Damian performs accidental magic and he throws up his hands and tells Talia to send him to Bruce because he’s not dealing with this anymore, do you have any idea how much secret bases cost, obviously it’s something he got from his father because he definitely didn’t get it from Talia’s side of the family, so make him deal with the creepy owl homing beacon Damian somehow turned into, he is so done.

“Beloved, your son did a weird thing and Father thinks it’s your fault, and told me to give him to you because owls keep finding him and it’s distressing Father immensely.” “...I’m sorry my what?”

At some point after Bruce dies, Dick finds Damian packing. “Where do you think you’re going?” “Summer camp.” “Since when? This is the first I’ve heard of it. Is it something you planned with Alfred?” “...Yes?”

Dick still doesn’t know about the magic.

[chronicbatfictioner]

Theater of the Soul - Chapter 6

They'd spoken in tongues around him, he'd heard. None of them knew that he understood them.

"<You crazy enough to take the boy away from him, you bastard, then you should be crazy enough to eliminate him!>"

He hadn't recognized the voice. But the language was Hispanic - a learned language, not a street- or birth-earned language. He'd suspected a white, upper-class somebody being there other than... than the horror that is the clown. He had not heard the reply, only that it was followed by a lot of loud noises. Ugly, loud noises. The last time he had heard those kind of noises, cops were later seen leaving the apartment next to his after taping the door with bright yellow ribbons.

And then he was leaving. He'd had no idea where to, or how. Just that he was leaving. Leaving all the noises behind. 

And there was a lot of blood in his line of sight. Only he wasn't sure if it was his line of sight or his own eyes. Maybe it had been him bleeding. Maybe he'd caused the bleeding, he couldn't be sure. He knew there were others - warm, soft bodies.

And then everything was cold and chilly again. There was so much pain, too. And he'd kept moving. Somehow, his brain had told him to keep moving, ignore the pain and just keep moving. That keep moving would be his best bet to survive.

Barbara's friends were... scary ladies, if anyone would ask Tim. Fortunately, no one would ask. And they looked... well, Dinah Lance and Helena Bertinelli looked like they'd just walked out of 'The Gladiator' movie set - almost complete with Roman gladiator garb. They were both tall, and even if Tim's brain said that Barbara would've been just as tall if not for her wheelchair, the two ladies still looked imposing to him.

The three of them, Tim thought, looked very colorful - with Barbara's flaming red hair and fair skin, Dinah Lance's platinum blonde hair and peachy-tan skin, and Helena Bertinelli's jet black hair and dark chocolate skin.

And yes, he did not hide his surprise well when Helena said that she was a primary school teacher. "Does that mean I'll have to call you Miss Bertinelli?" he asked, only half joking because he did feel like he was still in Primary School.

Helena was glaring at him, and Tim hoped that she would at least be amused.

"You're... what? Ninth grader?" she asked.

Tim frowned. "I've graduated high school last year." he scowled. Yes, he was small even for 15. But he still has time to get some much-needed growth spurts, surely. Like one or two - or a dozen.

She looked surprised. "Well! A genius, Barbara? Who'da thunk it." she smirked.

"I would. His grandpa was Jeremiah Galavan." Barbara said, almost smugly. "The guy who almost singlehandedly built the wastewater treatment plant in Gotham. Even when everyone was laughing at him. I'm not surprised that Tim has his brain."

"Here I am thinking that Bruce would only take people with high theatrical aptitude." Dinah Lance said.

"My parents were stage actors." Tim told her. "That's how I know Bruce. They... left me in his custody when they died."

"That's nice of them..." Helena quipped. "So close in the heels of..." then she paused.

"He didn't take me in to replace Jason!" Tim snarled. "I was officially adopted before Jason left!"

"He never take anyone to replace anybody," Dinah said, practically calming him. "Bruce takes orphaned children because of his own deep need to make sure you won't be lost in the system. Like some of his..." she paused and meet his gaze, "... earlier acquaintances." she finished. Tim suddenly got the thought that by 'acquaintances', she had meant herself.

"Matter at hand, ladies." Barbara reminded them.

"I'll go with the little genius bird." Helena stated, her voice sounded challenging.

Tim just sighed. He was not in the mood for arguing. It was already past 10.30 and he felt that they would be kind of wasting time if they were to argue on who rides with who. "Whatever." he said. "Can we go now? The addresses were arranged by location, anyway, and we've got some solid 33 thousand square miles to cover." he cringed inwardly, suddenly thinking just how small Gotham City suddenly felt.

"Relax, kiddo. We'll find him." Dinah patted his shoulder gently. "Bruce should've..." and she pressed her lips, willing herself not to say anything more.

"I don't disagree, Bruce should've asked for help back then. But that door is closed already. Now we move on." Barbara didn't snap, but her tone implied so. "We will find Jason. Even if it means knocking every damn door in the whole county of Los Angeles."

"Babs and I can start at the north side, from here onward to Antelope Valley areas." Dinah said. "You take the beaches?"

"Will do." Helena said.

"It's not like my wheelchair would be bothered with the beaches, you know." Barbara cocked her eyebrow at them. Her wheelchair was specially made - lacking the back handles because she didn't like to be pushed by anyone else; and has reinforced all-terrain wheels.

"Nothing to do with your wheelchair, hun. Southward are usually populated with family ones. While northward are veterans and otherwise." Dinah replied calmly. "They see your wheelchair and they'll be more inclined to talk than otherwise."

"Psychological query." Tim acknowledged.

"Yes, little bird, you got that right." Dinah gave him a finger-gun salute. Tim almost grinned.

Their plan for today was to prowl the homeless areas, as well as stopping by at Napier-owned buildings or whatever property he has. Tim was a little proud that Barbara did not shot down his suspicion that the reason Bruce hadn't been able to find Jason right off the bat would have been because Napier had somehow hidden Jason somewhere. He was not at any hospitals back then, and the only record of him showed that he was checked out of LA General Hospital a week after he was admitted. Bruce had even pulled all the stops by asking a load of favors from his friends to ask if any of the private rehab centers and/or hospitals would have had Jason there - to no avail.

Hence, really, Tim's suspicion that Napier was not what he appeared to be. Not 'merely' a stage critic, but was hiding something else. When the Harley Quinn club opened a mere few months after Jason went missing - based on the date of the accident and his last known whereabout as he was signed out of the hospital, Tim's suspicion was vindicated.

And his suspicion lead him to poke around the internet and unternet - the dark side of the web - to find out who the hell this Napier guy really is. Said poking around also provided him with a list of assets belonging to Napier, mostly in Los Angeles County area - much to his relief; a small number in Gotham. Dick would poke around at the Gotham ones - excluding Quinn's club - with Barbara's father, James Gordon, in the guise of finding a place for himself. James Gordon, the city's Mayor, would be a good smokescreen - no pun intended for his smoking habit, really - to hide their true purpose.

Tim has to begrudgingly admitted - albeit inwardly - that explaining the general gist of things to Helena was easier now that he has had time to mull it over and brainstorm it with Barbara. They have barely gotten a block away from the Penthouse when Tim's presentation of his theory finished.

"So how is it a brainiac kid like you get roped to the ever-glamorous world of showbiz?" Helena asked. "Yeah, I get it that your folks were in it. But you could've gotten yourself a scholarship somewhere, MIT? Ivy? I mean, why stay?"

Tim fiddled with the camera on his lap. The camera would be their cover story - building Helena's portfolio at interesting locations, or having her pretend to be a reporter if all else fails. "Why should I?" he asked.

"Why should you what?"

"Why should I go for technical stuff just because I'm a genius?" he pressed. "Why can't I be in arts, just because I can work out how a supercomputer works, or how a robot can move and walk and talk at the same time? Why can't I be a painter, or singer, or photographer?"

There was a few good seconds' worth of silence following Tim's questions, and he knew he'd stumped Helena.

"You're right. I actually never thought of it that way." she finally admitted. "Most of the kids in my school are average. There are a few with above-average intelligence, and they all tend to lean toward sciences."

"They do that because through science - things that has absolute, numerical and alphabetical quantifier - because they can prove their intellects through it. How about languages? Did you know that the English language - while the second most spoken language in the world, has significantly less amount of words? As in, it has only one word that defined art: 'work'. Bengali language has five, Russian has four, Arabic has five. That, to me, is interesting. Would you like to know how I found that out?" Tim asked, almost coyly.

"Okay, I'll bite. How did you find that out?"

"Jason Todd told me. People tend to think him stupid, just because he was a street urchin and didn't get to be schooled to show his academic skills. But he speaks five languages fluently. All of which he'd learned on his own by reading the books at the library. Is he not a genius, then?"

"Ah," she nodded. "I get it. There are many types of genius, and the more visible ones are those with science-based aptitude."

"Yes, that should answer your question on why I'm not interested with scholarships. I don't need them to do what I love. And what I love is--" Tim suddenly clamped his mouth shut, realizing his true motive in doing this. It has nothing to do with what he loved to do - taking photographs, sharing the printed evidence of things he could easily pull out from his memories with vivid details. Not because he'd wanted to 'save' Jason. Not because he didn't want to see Bruce upset and stressed.

He wanted to do this so that he could earn his place within the Wayne family. He wanted to prove that Bruce taking him was not a mistake. So that Jason would stop being mad at him. So that Jason would come home.

Before Helena could finish her questioning, thankfully, they were approaching their first target location,

[bluboothalassophile]

hello, how are you? i'd like to say that i've read all your fanfics, they are so amaziing, i love your writing, my favs are the ones w/ raex, they are so much fun! well, and i hope that it's ok if i could request you a fic w/ raex & the batfam, it would be possible, if not to trouble, for one where the batfam are going split their time with Raven (in each in different ways, even Bruce & Alfred) and Jason is, kind of, the last one, but the important one! Thank you so much!!

Hello, 

I’m holding up, how are you? I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the stories so thoroughly, they are fun to write. I hope you enjoy the following. =)

Sacrifices…

The team-up had been unlikely, and whatever the pair had reallygone through before this moment was an unknown.

Dick had known Raven since she was twelve, and he’d knownJason since he was twelve, they hadn’t ever really been close but Dick knewJason had liked Raven. Raven was easy to like, except her bitchy phase when shewas seventeen, but Jason had been going through his revenge phase at the timeso…

It could be overlooked.

Anyways, the mission which had landed him sitting at hisbaby brother’s side in the glass of the League’s ICU was a team up betweenJason and Raven. An alien force had attacked the Titans and the Outlaws; they’dbeen after Kori, Raven and Jason had somehow managed to slip their attackersand ended up teaming up to come save them.

Now Dick was sitting with Jason staring at his littlebrother, who’s condition was critical but nowhere near as bad as Raven’s.

Raven had taken on a full assault of Kryptonian lazar eyes,which had nearly severed her in half, and since she’d shielded Jason, Jason hadgotten a good brunt of the attack too. Not to mention the power punches they’dtaken from the teams while the teams were under the mind control of theirenemies. Thankfully Raven’s empathy, and her reflection of hers’ and Jason’sjoint pain had shattered whatever hold the enemy had had on them.

However, the damage was done by that point, and it had comeat the cost of Raven and Jason, and now he was just sitting here, waiting, fornews on Raven’s condition, her magic was not making the surgery easy.

“You know, you and Raven could have called the League, noshame in needing help,” he informed Jason’s unconscious form. Two fractured vertebrae,a shattered femur, broken humerus, a collar bone which looked like gravel, sixbroken ribs, a cranial bleed, fractured cheek, fractured jaw, third degreeburns, blood loss, burns, and bruises, all this made his younger brother looklike a pale, yet colorful version of himself.

“The whole family will be here soon,” Dick promised, notwilling to touch his little brother in fear of break him at this moment. “WhenBruce gets here I’ll go sit with Rae, you, just… you focus on not dying.Raven’s only family is Cy, and he’s off world, so don’t think I’m ditching you,just she’ll need someone too.”

No response aside from the rhythmic sounds of the machineskeeping his brother alive.

Dick sighed and wondered how Raven and Jason had survivedthis long, and if he should thank them for saving his and the teams asses, orif he should yell at them for nearly dying. If they woke up he’d decide then,no, not if, when, when they woke up. Both Raven and Jason were too stubborn fortheir own goods, and right now that would be their blessing. Dick stood whenDinah appeared trembling.

“The Bats are here, and Raven’s stable, but she’s lost toomuch blood and we don’t have a compatible blood type for her,” Dinah saidsoftly. It was like a punch to the gut.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Tim hadn’t been involved with the Titans, and Outlaw’sattack, he’d been off with Bruce on a case at the time. Which was why when heskidded to a halt and looked at Jason’s prone form.

“Where’s Nightwing?” Tim asked in a gasped out noticing thattheir eldest brother wasn’t there then and Dick wouldn’t leave Jason alone unless…

“He’s with Raven, she’s on different deck, two up, and fourdoors from the right,” a passing League nurse answered and Tim looked at Jasonwith Bruce, Cass, Alfred, Kate, Barbara, Damian, Stephanie, and Duke before hebit his lip.

Raven’s only family was Victor, and Vic was… Tim had no ideawhere Victor was, but he wasn’t here.

“Go sit with her, RR, we’ll watch Red for a bit, Robin willbe up to relieve you and Nightwing,” Barbara supplied. Tim nodded and bolted ashe ran through the space station for the deck where most magic users were putwhen they were injured. Skidding into the room he saw Raven hooked up to azillion different machines, covered almost head to two in bandages, her shortpixie cut hair was matted and her face looked horribly disfigured.

“Did you… you know, call Cy?” Tim asked hesitantly walkinginto Raven’s room slow with how he saw her black energy cackling around her, onguard, on attack.

“I called, no answer, but I left him a message,” Dickanswered in a strained tone.

“Hey Rae, it’s me,” Tim greeted her as he pulled up a chair.“Um… I don’t…I’m sorry this happened to you, but the League’s got greatdoctors, they’ll have you fixed up in no time!”

His sickly pale, gray friend did not respond as her chestwas forced to rise and fall with the aid of a machine to breath.

“There’s no blood matches for her RR,” Dick muttered, Tim’shead snapped up.

“What!?”

“Yeah, aside from Etrigan there’s no demons here really, andRaven’s never been…” Dick gestured helplessly to Raven’s broken body. “She’snot good. Not good at all.”

“How’d this happen?” Tim asked tiredly. Oh, Tim knew how,but he mean how had it gotten this bad that Raven and Jason had teamed uprather than call the League and they’d both nearly died in the process. Andthey still might.

“We should get her to earth, keep her close, her and Red,B’s with Red right now,” Tim supplied for Dick and his elder brother nodded.

“I know, I wouldn’t have left him if B wasn’t with him,”Dick said softly.

“Arrow and Supes still want to arrest him?”

“Yup.”

Tim scowled but didn’t argue this point, Jason had known hismethods were frowned upon, but he stood by them.

“If you want to go be with him, I’ll sit with her, for a bit,”Tim offered.

“We’re going to take rotations, Zatanna thinks she’s toolethal to be left alive,” Dick said.

Tim nodded as Dick stood and tiredly walked out.

“You and Red are the two dumbest people I know, next timecall for help, Rae, I’d have come,” Tim stated to the unconscious woman.

No response.

Not that he was expecting one.

~~~*~*~*~~~

It’d been two weeks since the ‘incident’, honestly, no onewas calling it a battle, because that would imply that both chances had stoodan equal chance. Raven and Jason had stood no chance, but they’d still comecharging after them.

There’d been no word from Victor or that team as of yet, notthat it would have done any good at this moment.

No, it would not matter because Bruce was taking his sonhome, and Dick had already dictated that Raven was coming with. Richard, Timothy,and Damian had all agreed on the matter and presented a united front in thematter. Bruce hadn’t cared though because he was taking the young demon withthem either way. Constantine had even come and prepped a room with the properseals for her. Alfred had gone about collecting all the proper equipment even.Bruce was currently sitting with the young demon as he awaited the aid ofConstantine and Dr. Fate.

Bruce was reading AnnaKarenina to the comatose girl because that was the book Dick had found onthe top of her nightstand.

Honestly, Bruce had never actually bothered to meet thisyoung woman, he had never really wanted to, and Raven had never come to Gotham.She was a friend of his sons and outside of the collected reports he had on herhe could honestly say he knew nothing about her. It was saddening since she washeld in such high esteem with Dick, Tim, and Damian; the youngest being themost difficult to impress.

There was a broken whimper from the bed which had his eyessnapping to her from behind the cowl.

“Wh’r… red?” she rasped, her eyes were barely slits andBruce was up as he leaned over her.

“Safe, you’re both safe,” he answered softly, in a tone hereserved more for his girls than his sons. The young woman’s swollen lips weremoving slightly but what she was whispering was a mystery for he didn’t thinkit was a language they’d ever catalogued.

“You saved your team, you’re safe, you’re coming home withus,” Bruce said softly, he hesitated a moment before he touched her shouldergently. The young empath sighed.

“Safe,” she whispered.

“Yes,” he assured her and her eyes fluttered shut as shebreathed. She’d been breathing on her own for about a day now, but the youngdemon seemed so terribly weak.

“B, we’re ready,” a voice had him looking up at Dick and Timboth standing there solemn. “Black Canary, BG, and Robin have Red, we’re herefor Rae now.”

Bruce nodded as he stood to hurry after his son. The onlyreason he hadn’t been with Jason was because Raven had no one and Tim hadinsisted they take shifts, keep Jason out of custody, and Raven out of harm.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Duke was new to the Wayne family, he was still technicallyin training, and he had never met a Titan before. Hell, he hadn’t really metthe ‘super’ community outside the Bats. And yeah, he knew of Jason, but hedidn’t know him. Which was why he’d volunteered faster than any of them to lookafter Raven.

Bruce would want to see to Jason’s care personally, andRaven didn’t really have anyone outside of Dick, Tim, and Damian, and thatdidn’t seem right. Her brother would be here as soon as he could be, but untilthen Raven had no one. And Duke knew what that felt like which had him sittingwith her.

“So… um… yeah,” he muttered to the unconscious woman. Shelooked to be about Jason’s or Tim’s age, or there abouts. “I know we’ve never…”

“I’m Duke,” he decided. She didn’t reply, she was still, andsilent. “Yeah, I guess you could say I’m new to the whole vigilant thing… I’veheard awesome things about you, and I’ve seen you on the news occasionally.It’s cool.”

“She likes books, Duke,” a voice interrupted him and Duke’shead snapped over to Dick who swaggered in, stuffing his hands in his pantspockets.

“Books?” Duke asked.

“Yeah, aside from maybe Little Wing, I don’t think there’s abigger bookworm on the planet,” Dick grinned a bit.

“You mean she likes Shakespeare and stuff?” he balked; hecould suddenly see how Raven and Jason might get along. Duke was not overlyfond of Jason’s tastes in books.

“Yeah, but she reads modern stuff too, do not read her Twilight, that’ll have her magicblasting you out of the country faster than you can blink, just read to her,”Dick suggested.

“Huh,” Duke managed as he looked over at the gray woman.

“I gotta go, take care of her, and Rae, don’t blast my newbrother, he’s still learning,” Dick said as he jogged out.

Duke looked over at the woman, her black energy swirled and dissipatedas the room cooled. He pursed his lips for a moment then smiled a bit. “How doyou feel about music Raven?”

No response, not that he expected one.

In less than an hour he had a system set up, and some of thebest tracks he’d brought with him playing.

“I’m not much of a book guy, but music, I got you covered,”he grinned smugly, as the music filled the room. He figured she liked it ordidn’t mind it, she hadn’t zapped him into the Atlantic yet. He hummed along,and noticed the occasional shadow bobbing with him. He was betting Raven waspretty cool when she was awake. For now, though, he just watched the shadowsoccasionally dance as Gotham’s rain fell outside the window.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Barbara was working in Raven’s room, there was a peaceemanating from the demon which had cleared her mind, Duke’s music was a must,he insisted Raven liked piano, classical, symphony, or jazz; she apparently alsoliked John Legend. Not that there was much of a way of gaging Raven’s tastes inmusic with her unconscious state.

Not that Barbara was complaining, the music was soothing.However, she was mostly here because of the peace Raven was radiating. Neithershe nor Jason had awoken from the attack in four weeks, neither showed signs ofstirring other than their brain activities.

“You know, when Dick first met you he would not shut upabout how cool you were, an antisocial jerk from time to time but he said you werethe coolest,” Barbara blurted out.

Actually, Dick thought Kori was the coolest ever, but thathad been a sore spot for Barbara.

“He likes you, a lot, so does Tim, and Damian, and do youknow how hard it is to get those two to even like the same things let alone thesame person!? It’s a miracle, and I think if you wake up you and Jason wouldget along,” Barbara admitted. There was a slight stir in the air, but Barbaraignored it as she sipped her coffee.

“I wonder if you have girl friends other than Kori, Dick’snever said anything, and aside from Donna the Titans are either younger thanyou or guys. When you wake up I suggest you come and hang with Steph, Dinah,Cass and I, it won’t be a mushy girl’s slumber party either. We’ll get pizza,beer; Dinah insists on that, pop in a movie, and grill you up for some juicygossip on the Titan’s latests,” Barbara grinned.

The unconscious woman said nothing, but she hadn’t woken upaside from once with Bruce and asked about Jason.

“You know, I’m curious, do you have a crush on Dick, or Jay,or Tim? Dick I’d get, he’s charming, hot, honest, and amazing; don’t tell him Isaid that. I think you and Jay might hit it off, not sure though, he’s surly,and you strike me as surly too, so maybe… and Tim, Tim’s just the sweetest guyever. Then again, I’m told you dated Garfield, but that was years ago, I didn’tkeep up with Titan’s gossip.”

There was a flash of shadows, which had Barbara smiling. Oh,she was in there, Barbara saw it now, she could see what Duke had seen.

“Okay, so maybe we could chalk that mistake up to teenageidiocies? I mean you’re what? Nineteen, eighteen? Yeah, that’d be a stupidmove, a teenage flameout. They happen, I dated this guy once, and let me tellyou, for as great as he looked he had the personality of a rock, stupid teenagehormones though…” Barbara sighed and continued her typing.

The shadows dissipated and Barbara was a bit disappointedwhen they stopped moving. Raven was in there, somewhere.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Stephanie was not the best visitor, and she’d admit it. Shecouldn’t stand seeing Jason hooked up to so many machines, or listening toAlfred and Leslie talk about the rehab on if he survived. They’d all had ascare the other day when Jason flatlined, then Raven had, it was weird.

After getting both Jason and Raven; who were flatlining, tothe cave there was a power surge, and then all the glass shattered pitchingthem into the blackness. Then Jason’s monitor had beeped, Raven’s hadn’t. Brucehad scrambled to fixing Jason, who had stabilized, Leslie and Dick had beenfrantically working Raven over to bring her back. When Raven’s heart hadfinally started again, after six minutes of just flatlining, all the power wasrestored.

Something had happened between Jason and Raven, somethingweird. And now the two were in rooms right across from one another. J’onn hadbeen called in to consult, but he wasn’t here yet.

Tim had asked her to sit with raven, because after the otherday none of the Batbros wanted to leave Jason, but at the same time they didn’twant Raven left alone. Not that Steph blamed them, the witch could probably dosome serious damage if yesterday was a display of anything. Cautiously sheapproached the unconscious bandaged form of Raven.

“So… I don’t think we’ve ever properly met,” Stephanieblurted out, she honestly had no idea what she was supposed to say right now.“I’m Stephanie, Stephanie Brown, but you probably know that already…”

“Okay, completely serious here now, can you tell me aboutTitan Tim? I mean he’s so… Tim, so what’s it like with him as the leader? Is hecool or something? Oh, Dick said you like books, I like thrillers myself,things with horror and scares in them. And have you ever tried a shwarma, Imean what is that? Is it a drink or a dance or a food? I can’t decide, if Iever figure it out, and you’re… you know, alive, we’ll go try it.

“Oh, you’re supposed to be like super smart, I need a tutorin my statistics class, don’t tell Tim because he won’t let me hear the end ofit. Maybe you could help me out with that, I mean you’ve got to be smart tohave kept up with Dick, and Tim, now you deal with the bat brat… you deserve amedal. I mean aside from Jason you’ve dealt with all the Bat insanity dramasince you got to earth… Then again they could have suckered you into think allthis was normal, they’ve brainwashed and corrupted you! I will have to speak toyour ‘big brother’ about this,” she giggled and she just let herself babble.

It was kind of fun, she’d have sworn the lights brightened abit, and the shadows danced, however, it was seven weeks since the fight andneither Raven nor Jason were waking.

Yet.

“Don’t go, yet,” she whispered. “I’d like to meet you, andget blackmail material on Tim and the demon brat.”

~~~*~*~*~~~

Cass had been an ever vigiliant sister at Jason’s side,however, her brother had gone in for another surgery he needed, Raven had justreturned from hers’, so Cass was perched in Raven’s room watching the grey herointently. If anything went amiss she was to get Bruce or Alfred immediately.

However, the demon did not wake, or stir, she just breathed.

Slowly Cass crept forward, peeking over the end of the bedat Raven. The woman didn’t react. Carefully Cass climbed onto the bed andgently traced the young woman’s bandages. This was the woman who had saved herbrothers, who had nearly died shielding Jason as best she could. She was fullyaware of Raven being found atop Jason, shielding him, and Cass could onlyimagine the pain she must be in with these burns, and with these injuries.

Slowly Cass looked up at Raven’s indifferent face.

Raven was one of those people who was indifferent, Cass hadsought out the minute signs, the slight tells, the little indications ofRaven’s intents, however Raven was stillness. Cass could remember the firsttime she’d seen Raven, and how still the young woman had been. Of course Ravenwas stillness in chaos, the Tower was chaos, and Cass remembered how calm andstill Raven was. It was baffling, and a challenge to read.

Gingerly Cass moved Raven’s hair off her brow, the othernever stirred.

She was pretty, Cass decided. Not traditionally orexotically pretty, but there was something beautiful about Raven, a stillnessCass couldn’t describe. Perhaps that was why Tim had chattered on and on aboutRaven, perhaps that was why Damian blushed, perhaps it was what had stabilizedDick. The peace, the calm Raven radiated.

“Thank you,” Cass whispered. She could quite explaineverything she was thanking Raven for, but there was much to thank the Titanfor. Cass had seen the photos, heard the stories, even studied the footage, sheknew Raven was an important member of the Titans.

“Your brother’s coming, hang on,” Cass whispered. Eightweeks since the fight, and Cass had heard the frantic shouts over the phonefrom Victor Stone to Dick, or Tim, that he was coming he’d be there, but theLatern Corps were not making it simple.

There was no emotions or stirrings of shadows then, just awarmth which filled the room and had Cass smiling a bit. She reached over andgingerly tucked an errant strand of hair behind Raven’s ear before slipping offthe bed and back to her post as she sat sentry duty over Raven until one of theothers came to relieve her.

Not that she minded.

This woman had saved her brothers, she would watch overRaven for as long as needed. For now though she just watched her carefully,hoping nothing went wrong with the demon’s healing body. She had to live, shewas important, she was serenity.

~~~*~*~*~~~

The day Damian visited Raven was the first time since sheand Jason had simultaneously flatlined, and he glared at her. Raven was neverlike this, J’onn had something about Raven and Jason being on a differentplane; Raven’s doing, and that they were linked until one woke up. Stalking upto her bed, Alfred the cat and Titus on his heels he glared at his teammate.

“You cannot die! That is reckless and irresponsible!” hesnapped.

She didn’t reply.

He scowled. “I’d expect this recklessness from Todd, you aresupposed to be levelheaded and responsible. You are not supposed to justblindly follow Todd into a fight you could never win! I do not understand howyou could be so careless!”

He felt a dampness in his eyes which had him biting hischeek hard as he kept the emotions he was having at bay then. Raven was hisfriend, she was of the few he could claim as a friend who did not belong in hisfamily. She was a good friend too, solid council, and she had been sure ofherself. Damian had always admired that about her. But right now… now hedidn’t. He wanted to scream at her, to demand answers, to demand that she andTodd live; because as J’onn had described it, if one died, so did the other. Atleast, until they were awake.

“Why did you do it? I cannot figure out why you would dothis! You and Todd stood no chance, so why did you come? Why did you let ushurt you? You should have gotten the League, you should have stopped Todd, youshould have…” he trailed off.

Raven wasn’t going to answer his demands, he knew that, buthe didn’t like this as he sat on her bed then. She wouldn’t mind. Damianscowled as he remembered his last words to Todd before the attack had happened;it’d been months prior to the attack since Todd was not around that much. He’dcalled his elder brother ‘a good for nothing stray unable to be tamed’, Jasonhad sort of left after that altercation. And he remembered his final words toRaven before the attack; ‘an untrustworthy, genocidal demon’, and how hurtshe’d appeared; indifferent Raven had actually looked like he’d stabbed her.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered after a long time. “I did not meanwhat I said, I was just… I was so angry, and I did not mean to lash out at you,and I did not mean what I had said to Todd either. So you can’t die, I will notallow it!”

There was something soothing in the room as he curled upwith Titus at the foot of Raven’s bed. Nine weeks since the attack, and neithershe nor Todd appeared to be waking anytime soon. Whatever was going on hewished it would stop so they would wake and come back. He could not stand thethought of losing people anymore.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Kate wasn’t really here for any other reason than the Batswere spread thin with how Jason was injured. Seriously, the fool could havedied! But she wasn’t going to stand there and bitch about it to a comatose boy.

Also, she wasn’t with Jason at the moment, no, she’d beenasked to stand in over Raven while Dick slept, and Alfred handled Jason’sbandages, and the family was on patrol.

Now, Kate hadn’t ever met Raven, hadn’t ever encountered thedemon, and had never really cared about Dick’s, or Tim’s, or Damian’s storiesregarding the Titans or this demon. No, it wasn’t personal, just Kate had herown problems and quite frankly she wasn’t interested in the stories of a groupof teenagers. But now, she was standing in a room, with Duke’s music playing,drawings from Damian scattered about, a pile of books Tim and Dick had broughtin, Stephanie’s homework, and Babs’ computer set up. There were other odditiesin the room, signs of Bruce, and of Alfred being here, a lot. Sighing shewalked in and flopped into the seat.

The young gray woman didn’t respond to her presence at all,Kate had heard a lot about the expressiveness of the shadows, but tonight,there was nothing.

“I’m only here because Alfred said he wanted privacychanging Jason’s bandages,” Kate informed the girl. “It’s not like Jason hassomething I haven’s seen before, but I guess the guy likes his privacy. I getthat, I mean he’s got a zillion safe houses.

“And then there’s you, and I’m informed Alfred alreadychanged out your bandages. Is your skin always grey? Not to be rude oranything, but you’re the first demon I’ve ever met. I bet that would havereally messed with segregation big time. Are you white? Or are you black? Iguess that’d be a grey area, no pun intended.”

Kate sighed as she looked the young woman over, she lookedso tired, serine, but exhausted. It was like there was a whole other battlegoing on, and it was one they couldn’t see or know about.

“You know, I don’t know anything about magic or stuff, butyou look like hell right now, and I don’t think that’s normal. Perhaps when youwake up you should take time off, go see a movie or something. Sorry, Dick saidyou were a book girl, so maybe go to the beach or something,” she shrugged.Kate honestly had no idea what the demon would find fun. “Do demons even likethe beach?”

No response.

“Well, if not, go try it, it’s cool. And you don’t look likea demon, I’d expect you to have red skin, glowing eyes, and horns or somethingon your head. Grey skin and a human look, it’s not very demon like,” Kateshrugged.

She hated dealing with the injured and strangers. She pickedup a book at random, the Iliad,opening it up she started reading it aloud.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Alfred had diligently tended to Miss Roth and Master Jasonas best as he could, and he was starting to feel the exhaustion of it. Elevenweeks since the incident and neither had woken up. Jason’s body was healingfaster than a normal human’s; Alfred had thought that to be remnants of the Pitthough. There was a slightly pained noise from the young woman as he examinedher wounds then, and he looked up to her face and his breath caught.

Staring back at him, for the first time in twelve weeks werethe alert, dark, open eyes of Miss Roth staring back at him. He was so startledhe dropped the gauze in his grasp.

“Where am I?” her voice rasped in the monotone she was knownfor speaking in.

“Wayne Manor, the boys… they insisted we bring you and Jasonhome,” Alfred answered as he walked up to be better in her line of sight.

She winced as she nodded.

“Alfred! Jason’s awake!” came a shout, which had Alfred’sheart stopping, he’d have run for the lad had the young woman not bitten herlip as she hissed out in pain.

“Miss Roth…” Alfred started.

“Go, your grandson is a pain,” she smiled weakly, Alfredlooked at her unfinished bandages but he needed to see Jason himself.

“I will be back swiftly, Miss Roth,” he assured her as hestrode with purpose out of the room. Jason was sitting up, dazed and a bitconfused, and Alfred’s heart stopped at the sight.

“Shit! Where is she!?” Jason shouted, there was no way thelad should even be up, but Jason was furiously trying to detangle himself fromthe lines.

“Master Jason, calm down,” Alfred intercepted his chargethen as Dick and Bruce frantically tried to calm Jason.

“No! She’s being stupid and going to die if you don’t stopher!” Jason shouted.

“Whatever do you mean Master Jason?” Alfred started.

“Someone knock us out! Now! Raven’s stupid empathy!” Jasonsnapped, but it was too late, there was a surge of blackness through the house,as everything shattered, and Jason; who should not have been able to move atall, was up and out of the bed.

There was a lot of blood on Raven’s body, and Alfred’sbreath hitched seeing it.

“What happened?” Bruce demanded.

“The damn thing we were fight about,” Jason snapped. “Sheused all her empathy on fixing me up.”

The young woman’s heart monitor showed her heart was weakeningas they pulled her down to the cave to fix this.

Alfred could only thank her for saving Master Jason, but hewas now frantically trying to help Bruce stabilize the demon as the boysgathered round and someone called for Leslie. There was a lot of blood comingfrom the young woman’s recently healed wounds. However, his eyes flicked up tosee Jason standing there perfectly alright, and he could not be disappointedwith Raven. He just didn’t want her to die from saving Jason.

~~~*~*~*~~~

It’d been a week since Jason had woken up, and the way heexplained it was that the final blast had had Raven tearing their souls fromtheir bodies before they could be killed as she unleashed her empathy attack.Since then, she and Jason had been stuck together in a state where they werealert to everyone and everything around them; meaning they’d both been aroundthe entire twelve weeks they’d been unconscious; and watching. Raven had keptJason from ‘walking into the light’. The week they’d both simultaneously flatlinedwas apparently the day a fight had erupted between them and Jason had walkedinto the light, Raven had dragged him out only to be stuck in it herself untilthey had shocked her heart.

Now Bruce sat with the demon and stared at her, wonderingjust how much she and Jason had gone through these past months that no one hadbeen aware of or privy to because they had been souls and Jason wasn’t talkingabout it.

Now, the young woman was comatose, her body more damagedfrom the stress of her healing all of Jason’s injuries, and she wasunconscious. Again.

“Victor is coming,” Bruce said to the young woman. Dick hadbeen talking to Victor since the start of this, and it was apparent the twowere close. Victor had nearly started an intergalactic war trying to get here,but the Lantern Corps were detaining Victor so he didn’t do somethingrecklessly stupid.

“How is she?” a small voice had Bruce snapping around to seeJason’s eyes glued to Raven.

“She is suffering, the stress of her powers has reopenedsome of her internal wounds, but she is healing. More rapidly than before, butstill, slow,” Bruce said. He had half a mind to call Constantine for help now,but he refrained. Until this was too much, he would try to handle it.

“Is she going to live?” Jason asked.

“I don’t know,” Bruce answered. Jason nodded and remainedsilent for a long time.

“You know… when I met her, before I died, she was… she wasgood to me. Tried to help me with my anger, not that it worked,” Jasonshrugged. “And I don’t know, I guess, I guess it always stuck out to me,because when I attacked Tim at the Tower, I couldn’t hurt her. Funny isn’t it,could damn near kill my brother, and beat the shit out of his friends, but Icouldn’t hurt her. And now, I might have killed her.”

“This is not your fault Jason,” Bruce started.

“Yeah it is, I was so mad when those things hurt my friends,and when I ran into her… I fast talked her into getting them back Bruce. We’dhave never gone after them if it was Raven’s plan we’d follow. And after allthe months of arguing with her about life and death, she did that…” Jason shookhis head. “It’s my fault, I took her there, I got her hurt, I nearly got uskilled, and she’s been fixing the problem since then.”

There was a flicker of shadows then and Bruce blinked, Jasonwas gone, and he just didn’t know what to say to what Jason to make him seethis wasn’t his fault.

~~~*~*~*~~~

The day she really woke up, her eyes fluttered opened as shefelt the last her broken bones finally heal which had her staring at anunfamiliar ceiling. She blinked, then opened her mouth, nearly gagging at thecottony feeling in her mouth before she tried to shift and move.

“Miss Roth, I am pleased to see you’re awake, again,” avoice had her looking over wearily to the man. Alfred Pennyworth; a man sheknew to be an imposing force and she’d only met a few times because of Dick andTim.

“Jason?” she rasped, there was a cup brought to her lips asshe was slowly helped up.

“He’s quite alright, Miss Roth,” Alfred’s voice was sure andsoothing.

“Good,” Raven winced when the cup was finally taken awayfrom her lips. She was propped up in the bed, and noticed the obscene amount ofmachines she was hooked up to for the first time since waking and then shesoftened remembering the past months, and how she’d seemingly acquired a fewnew friends from the looks of things around her.

“I wanted to thank you, Miss Roth,” Alfred said suddenly.

“What?” she blinked up at the old man who sat suddenly, shewas trying to blink away the sleep and grody feeling in her eyes then.

“You have been a very loyal friend to Master Richard, MasterTimothy, and Master Damian, and you nearly died saving Master Jason. And Iwanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for the lads over the years,”Alfred said.

“That’s nothing,” Raven started monotonously.

“On the contrary, it has meant a great deal, and I dobelieve it is time to thank you for your kindness to them,” Alfred said.

“They saved me first,” she dismissed. Raven didn’t know whyhe was thanking her for common kindness, and she believed that one should bewilling to go to Hell and back for friends, and she would continue to believethat. Raven was never going to let them down; even at the expense of her life.

“Thank you, Miss Roth, and you are welcomed her always,”Alfred said. Suddenly there was a crash outside the room and Alfred frowned.

“Excuse me Miss Roth, it appears that the young Masters arehaving another disagreement, I will be back, think you could stomach some tea?”

Raven nodded unable to really say yes or no because she wasa bit baffled at the warmth she was receiving from the older man. Once aloneRaven sighed as her head fell back, she grimaced a bit feeling sticky, butshe’d shower and be on her way in a bit. Suddenly there was a cracking of thedoor which had her head snapping up as she stared at the intruder.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Jason saw Alfred leave and slipped silently into the room;he’d been visiting Raven when he was sure no one else would be there. Heblinked in shock when she stared back at him for the first time since he’dwoken up.

“You’re awake,” he whispered more to himself than her as heslowly approached.

“Yeah, and you’re alright,” she smiled slightly then.

“You’re a moron,” he snapped.

“You’re alive, and no rehab,” Raven countered. And he sat onthe bed to glare at her.

“I didn’t need you to do…” he started.

“Shut up now Jason, because I chose to save you, you didn’tmake me, you didn’t do anything wrong, I chose to save you,” she said firmly.He looked down at his clasped hands then.

“Why?” he whispered, not that he wasn’t grateful to her ornothing, but no one ever saved him without something being attached to hisrescue. Talia, Bruce, Dick, everyone, no one ever saved him because he was him.

“Because… you’re Jason Todd, you deserve a chance to live,you beat death once, and you’ve fought it every step of the way. Also, I kindof like you, and would be sadden to lose you when I’ve come to consider you afriend,” Raven answered. He blinked twice before he looked up at her.

“What?” He blinked, aside from Roy, Kori, Artemis, andBizarro he’d never had many friends.

“Yes,” she answered. “We were stuck together for Azar knowshow long, so I think of you as a friend.”

“I nearly got you killed, twice, and you think… you thinkwe’re friends?” he asked in bafflement.

“I chose to follow you, I knew what I was doing, and as toeverything else… shit happens,” she shrugged.

“Really? The angelic demon is saying that?” he smiledslowly.

“Yes, now, help me get off these machines!” she pleaded. “Iwant a shower!”

“Okay, okay, no magic attacks please, I still am stiff afterthe past months,” he warned her as he helped her get off the machines.

“Why would I blast you? I need you to get me to the shower,I don’t have the energy to blast you,” she sighed. Jason had pulled off mostthe wires when Alfred appeared.

“Master Jason!” Alfred’s voice had him twisting around tolook at him.

“Uh…”

“I want a shower, I’m sticky,” Raven stated.

“And you have a catheter in, so unless Master Jason wishesto aid you in removing it, wait a moment for assistance,” Alfred chided.

“He’s got a point,” Jason informed the demon.

“I hate being injured, next time we do my plan,” shemuttered.

“You’re implying that there’ll be a next time.”

“With you, I put the chance of having another mission orteam up together very likely,” Raven said with such authority he didn’t havethe heart to argue with her.

“You’re not bad demon.”

“I just want a shower,” she muttered indignantly.