Chapter 3

A/N Hello everyone, here's a new chapter. It's all in Dick's perspective and takes place the day after the last chapter. Just a head's up but these chapters will jump from perspectives. I want to get into everyone's head and wanted to try something other than the third person omniscient. Some chapters will mix perspectives like the first two but some will not. So read and enjoy.

Dick's POV

I'm lost the words keep repeating themselves in my head. Jason, my little brother, can't remember a thing about his life. Bruce and Alfred came to the conclusion that it's because the bullet went straight through his head and really it had to leave some damage. Hopefully it's just not permanent. Right now he's in his room. Yesterday we managed to calm him down a little bit and explain some of things that happened. Basically, Damian came straight out and told him he had amnesia and that the imbeciles surrounding him, excluding him, were his family.

He tried to escape…I mean leave…this is not a prison…again. At least we know his amnesia didn't affect his fighting skills. He can still protect himself, I think to myself as I rub the purple bruise appearing on my jaw. Damn that hurt, but it was all worth it since we got Jason back. And this time I'm going to be the brother he never had.

Right now Bruce and Damian have gone off to patrol. Tim is God knows where…probably his room or the study. And Alfred, I think, is in the kitchen making dinner. It'll be our first as a complete family. I'm happy but I can't say the same for everyone else…especially Tim. He is the one who Jason is always constantly trying to kill for being his replacement…he claims. But in all reality Jason was a replacement too, he was my replacement. I still remember holding it against him too at first…I guess that's where he got that habit from. Damn I'm a bad brother. Still, though, that can be rectified.

Applying a small amount of makeup to my jaw, I decide it won't hurt if I go see Jason. Anxiously, I make my way to his room. I stop at the door and knock almost too hard. I hear a grunt and a shuffle. I conclude that he was in bed.

"What!" I hear from behind the door.

"Uh…Jason it's me, Dick," I find myself to be more nervous than I thought I would be. "Can I come in?"

"NO," he replies locking the door.

I roll my eyes. Surely he must know I can pick the lock. Oh that's right, I mentally slap myself, he can't remember. I leave for just a few seconds and come back to the door with a paperclip. I straighten it out and place it in the keyhole. Slowly I hear the gears shift and then the lock come open. Before Jason can react, I jump in the room. But he's not in front of me like I suspected he would be. I look around and see the blankets on his bed bundled around his body. His black hair is barely visible from the top. And then I hear a grunt of pain escape the sheets.

"Jay!" I'm at his side immediately. "What's wrong?" He grunts in response and pulls the covers tighter around him. I rip them off his face and then almost fall back. Jason's eyes are watery and bloodshot. He's sweating and heat is radiating off of him. I put the back of hand to his forehead and withdraw it immediately from the intensity of the heat. He's burning up. "Jay," I say worriedly, "you have a fever."

"You figure that all out by yourself," he says sarcastically and then sniffs.

Instead of answering, I run to the bathroom and open the medicine cabinet. I grab some fever reducers and then run to the kitchen.

"Master Dick," Alfred says, looking at me from where he's standing in front of the stove.

"Jason's sick!" I yell, my emotions leaking through my voice.

Alfred keeps a straight face and looks at my hand to see the medicine. I know he's already deduced the problem and fills a cup of refreshing water. "Shall we?" he gestures to the stairs.

I nod my head and run ahead of him bursting into the room once again. Jason is trying to get out of bed and I hastily push him back in. "No stay," it comes out as a command.

Alfred walks in the room with the cup of water and I hurriedly take it from him. Without thinking about it I shove two pills into Jason's mouth and force the water down his throat. He almost chokes but knowing Jason…memories or no memories he does not like medicine. He struggles in my grip and I find myself on top of him. We both freeze for a moment our eyes locked with one another. His, an emerald green. They're filled with something I've never seen in them before, fear. Fear of rejection, fear of being lost. He might not remember any memories but he still remembers his feelings.

I'm about to say something when Alfred clears his throat and says, "Master Dick would it not be most wise to get off the sick boy." It's not a question.

"Uh…yah," are the only words I can form. Jason's eyes, although sick, are so hypnotic. He's the only member of the family without blue eyes.

"I will make a soup," Alfred says and then leaves the room.

I sit down next to Jason and while staring I notice something different about him. I can't place my finger on it though. He crosses his arms and turns his head away but I know he can feel my eyes on him and it's only a matter of time before he breaks from the frustration.

"What?!" he yells, throwing his arms up in the air. I don't answer and that just makes him even madder. "What the fuck do you want?" he hisses.

I don't know why but for some reason I can't formulate words. For the first time in my life I'm speechless. I only stare and I think I'm making him self-conscious. He looks away downcast. He sighs and then throws the blankets off of himself.

"Fine," he speaks, "I'm leaving."

"What?" I say panic rising. "Where?" He's putting on some clothes and before he can, I grab his shoes…boots. He glares but it's not the same as it used to be. It's void and not filled with the hatred from before.

"I don't know," he admits, "And I don't fucking care. Anywhere is better than here."

He starts walking to the best of his ability away and I say, "Wait." It comes out filled with desperation.

"What?" He repeats not turning around.

I take a few steps closer to him and say, "You asked me what I wanted."

"Yah so?" his eyes roll.

"So," I hesitate and pause. Looking up and down I add, "I want you to stay Jay. Come home."

He sighs and says, "I can't. I don't know any of you and from what I've heard one of your brothers say this was never my home." He's been listening, my heart drops. Damn Tim and Damian for not being able to keep their mouths shut. I swear to God, I will sew them shut if I have to if it means Jason will have some peace. But I'll think about that later.

"This has always been your home!" I blurt out. I aim to hug him but he backs away. That's when I notice. He's shorter than me but that's not possible. Jason has been taller than me for years now.

"Home?" he says thinking the word over. And I want to cry, I don't think he has truly ever felt at home anywhere. He looks like he's about to exit and I know that if I really want to I can stop him. He might still be able to fight, but he has three disadvantages: one he's sick, two he can't remember anything, and three I still consider myself to be a better than him.

"Please Jaybird," I decide to use his nickname. Maybe it'll spark some memories and for a second, just a second, I think it does. A rare twinkle of sincerity passes his eyes and he agrees.

"Ok," he says. He walks back to the bed and throws himself onto it…literally throws himself on it…legs and arms spread to all corners. In less than a minute he's asleep.

I decide to take advantage of this moment and go to Tim's room. Instead of knocking I just open the door and walk in. He's on his computer like always.

"You really should knock," he lectures me. Oh will he be receiving one too but before I can say anything he says, "I didn't say that."

"What?"

"I didn't say what you came in here to reproach me about." He stops his typing and turns around in his chair to face me.

"Then who said it?" I ask trying to remain calm. If it wasn't Tim, then it had to be Damian but I just need conformation before doing anything rash.

"Who do you think said it?"

"Damian, I knew it!"

"No," he says when I'm two steps away from the door.

"What?" I ask.

"It wasn't Damian either," Tim says, "it wasn't even any of us 'brothers'. It was Bruce." My heart stops but before I can say anything Tim adds, "Jason heard wrong. He must have still been on the side effects of the pits, which includes fever by the way, when he heard it. Bruce said and I quote, 'I never made a home for Jason here.' He said it as regret, not a statement." And now I understand.

"So why didn't you go on patrol?" I change the subject.

"No reason," he shrugs and turns back to his computer. I look at the time on his monitor and see that Bruce and Damian should be home any minute now.

"Get ready," I say, "tonight's our first family dinner." I say the second part gleefully.

It takes me thirty minutes to get Jason out of bed again. The first time he let me but I turned around for two seconds to let him get dressed and then when I turned back he was sleeping again in his pajamas. The nerve. So I did what anybody would do and woke him up again. He kicked and punched that time but I wasn't messing around. We are going to have a family dinner whether he likes it or not!

The real challenge came when it came to getting him dressed. Jason, the asshole, wanted to go down wearing that. So I had to force him into nice clothes that fit him too big. I have to remember to tell Bruce about his shrinking problem. But anyways, I did learn one thing; Jason does not like to be manhandled. Now I have the marks to prove it. Hopefully they go away soon; my body already has too many scars to just keep adding more.

"You ready Jaybird," I say. He's in the restroom doing God knows what.

He opens the door and dries his wet hands on my shirt. Asshole. "No," he says…or yells.

"Well too bad," I say, grabbing his arm and practically dragging him downstairs. I can't help but smile. It's going to be a dinner to remember.

"Drake," we come into Damian calling Tim's name. "Pass the freaking mash potatoes."

"They're right there!" Tim yells pointing to the spot next to Damian.

Damian looks over and sees that Tim is right. "I know," he scoffs. "I was just testing your visual skills, Drake."

Tim rolls his eyes but keeps quiet, Bruce is eyeing them down.

"Jason, Dick," Bruce says smiling. I can tell he's glad to see Jay here.

Jason glares and I pull him to sit next to me and Bruce near the front of the table. Tim and Damian sit next to each other on the other side and I wonder just how Bruce got them to sit next to each other in the first place. I doubt he's one to use blackmail…or maybe he is. After all he knows everything and is bound to use it to his advantage.

I see Bruce staring at Jason and I know he can see something is different about him other than the obvious memory loss thing.

"So," Damian starts talking to Jason with an evil smirk on his face. And oh shit this is about to go straight to hell, back, and then to hell all over again. "Todd…"

A/N Well there it is. Tell me what you guys think. In other words, review.