Part 2 for my series: Hopes for a Bastard!

Part 1 for Hopes for a Bastard: Give Me Back My Mind!

Also able to be found on Archive of Our Own!

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I Do Not Own DC Comics, Movies/TV, or Animation

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To Put It Simply: It Is Complicated…

While Dick and Bruce argued over what he was doing Jason slipped out of the room as he slowly navigated the House of Mystery to find Raven. He had very little doubt that the house would get him to where he needed to go, it did that frequently. But that wasn't what was on his mind as he walked, what he was thinking about was how what little he'd omitted to Bruce and Dick would come to bite him in the ass. Jason frequently did things that they would toss him in jail for, and he kept all his works to himself and operated alone for a reason.

Yes, he was a thief, and a contractor, but there was so much more to what he did that he played it all very close to the vest so as to not have Bats coming after him. Now he was in a house of Bats. He really needed to rethink how he made life decisions, because clearly, whatever it was he was doing, it wasn't working anymore. Jason found himself in front of a door and he opened it to find Victor sitting with a book as Raven appeared to be meditating, and Constantine was reading in the room with scotch in hand. Looking between them, Jason sat and picked up the spare glass before pouring it.

"You aren't old enough to drink legally, lad," Constantine said.

"Legally, I'm dead, and I technically am as I'm officially twenty-one since August," he countered as he poured his drink and tossed it back with ease. Also, since the Pit, alcohol didn't get him drunk, just like smoking didn't ruin his lungs, and pain killers didn't work right, neither did poisons, and the madness talked back sometimes. It was also hard to believe he was only twenty-one sometimes, he felt like an old man at times, and he looked in the mirror and didn't recognize himself.

"So, little bird, what is the problem you've gotten yourself in now?" he sighed as he looked at Raven, four white eyes opened as she turned to look at him, her soul still flickering in and out and around her body.

"It appears the Gem here took a separation curse, no doubt it'd have killed the kiddies if it had hit them, but as the Gem here used her soul as teleportation here she was the only one hit," Constantine said. "Powerful magic, whatever you tangled with was almost of equal power Gem."

"Her name is Raven," Jason reminded Constantine as he stood up and walked over to Raven, inspecting her little bubble as he looked closely at the flickering soul. Whatever had done this to her was after him, but he couldn't think of a high-power magic user he'd pissed off lately other than Raven.

"So how do we fix this?" Jason asked as Raven looked at him with four glowing white eyes.

"Well, we solved a part of the problem, removing Trigon from the Gem, sorry, Raven here, now the rest is what we're trying to figure out. I'm a wee bit out of my depth though, my magic is useless and Raven here is adamant about not calling in Dr. Fate, who could surely help," Constantine sighed.

Jason watched as Raven's soul surged out of her body as a silhouette of herself and said something.

"Then there's the matter of that," Constantine gestured and Raven's soul-self looked completely frustrated as she slipped back into her body. "Any time Raven tries to communicate her soul slips her body and we don't know what she's saying."

"Oh, she was saying she didn't trust you so why would she trust Fate," Jason chuckled and Raven's body relaxed as she nodded.

"How'd you…?" Victor looked up then.

"I have a natural gift of tongues, that and it's obvious when a woman is pissed," Jason shrugged.

"Well, unless we can figure out a way to keep her soul in her body to prevent her further damage, she's not leaving the house. So, perhaps you can talk your friend here into letting Dr. Fate help her," Constantine sighed. "Because we've got nothing, and I've read over all these books looking for a solution since she got here."

"Me too," Victor sighed.

"Uh sure…?" Jason looked at Raven, she had her arms folded and was giving him a level stare which had him sighing as the men left. Sitting on her bed he did a staring contest with the four-eyed demoness as she float there.

"Raven," he said softly figuring the best approach with her was her approach with him when he was being stubborn. "Come on, you cannot live with… this," he gestured to the flickering soul which now turned to glare at him so he was staring at eight eyes instead of four.

"Rae, I don't know much about magic but I'm pretty sure that your soul is supposed to stay in your body so you can live. And I'm sure Dr. Fate isn't out to annihilate you," he lied. He didn't know Fate all that well so he couldn't say one way or another if she was safe or not. However, Constantine would intentionally endanger a friend of his; so, Jason was going to assume Fate was useful and good.

She slumped then in defeat.

"Good, now I'm going to go tell Constantine you've agreed, do you want anything from your room to help with this, cause you're not leaving here until this is resolved." Jason was kind of worried her soul was going to slip out of her and disappear. She tried to use her powers, and sighed when nothing happened, he got up and got the paper and pen with a pad as she jotted it down and handed it to him.

"Kay," he nodded and stood up as he walked out of the room to find Victor and Constantine there. "Get whoever you need, she'll accept the help."

"How'd you get her to agree to that?" Victor gave him a look and Jason shrugged.

"She has a list of things she wants from her room," Jason said as he walked down the hall.

"I'll help, and make sure you get the right things," Victor decided.

They were walking out of the house and on the roof of the Titans tower when Victor spoke.

"So, I did a lot of digging before that thing attacked," Victor said quietly.

"And?"

"The kids, they're leverage, they go to a private school classified location and are prisoners," Victor murmured.

"I'm assuming you've got the location?" Jason said.

"Yeah, you're not getting it though," cyborg smirked.

"What?" Jason grounded out as he turned to look at Victor.

"Raven has a soul issue that's your fault, you're staying until it's resolved, and I'm talking to Bats about this."

"Oh, you've got to be fucking me," he groaned.

"You're not my type," Victor deadpanned.

"I'm everyone's type."

"This just got awkward."

"You started it." He pointed out as they walked in silence.

"Why would you drag the Bats into my business?" he asked as they entered Raven's room.

"Because Jason, whether you like it or not, you're Raven's friend, and she took a massive hit for you, and since you're her friend she doesn't want to see you dead. And whatever you've gotten yourself dragged into, Raven's following you, and I refuse for her to get in danger without adequate back up," Victor said. "Also, they attacked Titans, it's no longer just your problem."

"Great," he rolled his eyes.

"If you had known you were in trouble you shouldn't have brought it to us," Victor chuckled.

"I didn't know I was in this kind of trouble when I called Raven, and she brought me here," he said.

"Why did you call her?"

"Because at the time I hadn't slept, for real in about three months, and I was exhausted and I was about to get attacked by a squad of unknown goons who wanted to capture me, calling her seemed like the thing to do," he shrugged. He looked over her shelves for the book she had written down and found the old leather-bound thing as he looked at the list.

"So, you do follow logic."

"Shocking, I know, but yes, I follow logic," he mused. Finding the second book he stood up and saw Victor holding a bag of the other things.

"Good…" Victor said and then there was a loud alarm, Jason pulled his gun as he and Victor ran out of Raven's room. "Front entrance, I'm booming us there," Victor said and Jason leapt up as he dove through the wormhole.

He saw the brunette and catsuit and skidded to a halt.

"What the fuck!?" he roared.

"Hello Jason," a smooth voice purred and he grabbed the smaller woman by the shirt front as he jammed the gun in her chest.

"Alright Talia, I've been hunting you for six fucking months, no fucking doubt you've noticed it, so what the fuck are you doing here?" he growled.

"You know her!?" Victor shouted.

Dick was furious when he turned around to find Jason was gone and he felt like throttling his brother then. How the fuck did he do that!? Bruce had trained them all but Jason seemed to have a knack for escaping without being noticed.

"Where'd he go?" Dick demanded.

Bruce opened his mouth when his phone rang and Dick looked at the Titan's line calling, red, and Babs.

"What Oracle?" he snapped as he answered.

"Talia al Ghul is here at the front entrance and she and Jason are fighting," Barbara said. Dick shoved the phone in his pocket as he ran.

"What is it?" Bruce shouted.

"Talia al Ghul and Jason are apparently fighting in the front entrance!" Dick shouted, Bruce was hot on his heels then, and Dick saw a little blur of Damian out of the corner of his eye as they ran down the stairs and took the express elevator. Victor was out. Talia and Jason seemed to be in the middle of a hand to hand fight, Jason armed with a knife, and Talia kicked the knife from his hand and Jason rolled. Damian ran for his mother, but Dick caught him as Bruce caught Talia's wrist.

"Hello beloved," she smiled and all traces of the fight were gone, Jason was on his feet though and looked ready to commit murder.

"We had a deal Talia," Bruce snarled.

"Mother!" Damian shouted.

"Hello dear, and no beloved, we did not have a deal," Talia said. "You had dictations, and I have complied thus far. But now it appears that my son is in trouble, again."

"Damian is fine," Bruce said.

"As I can see," Talia said. "But I speak of the other son, Jason."

"I am not your kid! And I'm handling it! Now let her go Bruce so I can finish kicking her ass!" Jason seethed.

"Is that anyway to greet the woman who trained you?" she asked.

"You tried to kill me! You double crossed me, you set up Zatanna, Raven found me because of you, and now I have to deal with Bats! Yes! This is the appropriate response to seeing you again! You manipulative bitch!" he growled.

"Wait… you know my mother?" Damian said and both Talia and Jason looked at Damian then.

"Yes, dear, Jason was an apprentice of the League," she smiled.

"Slave, and yeah kid, I know your mother, I know Talia very well, you could even say we were close, once," Jason said slowly. Dick didn't get what Jason was saying but clearly Talia did because her eyes narrowed on him. Damian stopped struggling now and Dick released him. Dick had never liked Talia, but he didn't know what she was doing here, yet. No doubt Talia would tell them, all the al Ghuls loved the sound of their own voice.

"What do you want Talia?" Bruce asked.

"I am here because Jason is my charge, and as my charge he is my responsibility, nine hours ago I received a report from my people that an organization which would love to utilize Jason's particular skill set is after him," Talia said.

"Yeah, A.R.G.U.S., tell me something I don't know," Jason snapped.

Dick just sighed. Jason and that mouth of his was going to get him trouble one day.

"Amanda Waller personally ordered your capture," Talia said.

"Unsurprising," Jason shrugged. Well, Dick was surprised. Bruce and Waller had been going toe to toe about many things since he was a kid, just before the Justice League was formed. The way Waller operated irked Bruce, and the way things were handled by A.R.G.U.S. was unknown. However, Dick knew enough to know that A.R.G.U.S. after Jason was going to piss of Bruce, and Dick had been arguing with Bruce about how to handle it.

"Well, would it surprise you she wishes to use you as a patsy in that little Suicide Squad of hers?" Talia asked sweetly and now Jason paled.

"The what?" Bruce asked.

"The Suicide Squad of A.R.G.U.S., they have been covertly using the very villains you arrest and put in prison to operate around the world, so when things go wrong, it was just villains going crazy," Talia filled in.

"And why would they want Jason?" Dick asked. Damian hadn't moved and stood there glaring at his mother.

"Why wouldn't they? Jason is the perfect patsy with how the Red Hood operates. No doubt you still maintain your connections in the criminal underworld, Jason," Talia said sweetly.

Jason didn't answer and Dick just blinked.

Red Hood, they wanted his brother as a criminal to be used as a patsy. The rage that boiled up in Dick was uncontrollable. No one messed with his little brothers, even Jason, and even if Jason didn't think it or believe it he was family and he was Dick's baby brother. And Waller was after him. Waller would regret this! She would rue the day she had come after his brother.

"Jason," Dick said carefully seeing Jason being silent and still.

"A.R.G.U.S. has been after a trained assassin, and they seek to use him," Talia said. "The contacts, the abilities, his particular skill set, it is all what Waller seeks for her little operation."

"Shut up!" Jason venomously hissed which had them looking at them.

"Jason is my son, Waller will not get to have him," Bruce said.

"Shut up! All of you! I'm not a tool, I'm not your kid, and I'm sure as hell not your son. This is now my fucking problem and it's getting out of hand. Now we've got a real problem to handle right now, and then there's this mess to sort out." Jason snapped.

"What are you going to do?" Damian asked calmly.

"First there's Raven to attend to, then I'll go from there, I don't need your help Talia," Jason shoved his way through them all and stalked to the elevator. Dick just watched his brother go and sighed when Jason disappeared in the elevator.

Damian looked between his father, and his mother, and then where Jason had disappeared to before he looked at Grayson.

"Alright Talia, what did you do to Jason!" Grayson growled.

"I found him, healed him, trained him and have been looking out for him ever since my beloved tossed him aside," his mother haughtily stated. Damian frowned, since leaving his mother and coming to live with his father and brothers, he'd come to understand one thing about his mother he'd never noticed before:

She never did anything without a personal gain in it.

And Damian had no doubts that whatever had happened between her and Jason had somehow been in his mother's favor. But knowing Jason, the little Damian was coming to know about his elder brother, there was no way Jason had let his mother get away with it. However, he also felt like there was a piece of this he was missing and wouldn't understand as he looked back up at Grayson; whose face was twisted in a furious snarl. Grayson was a mother hen like Reyes and Jon said.

"Grayson, perhaps mother is here to help us," he admitted reluctantly.

"It is good to see one of my children is intelligent," his mother praised, and Damian frowned. He didn't know what was going on, but help might be needed.

"No Damian," both his father and Grayson growled.

"Ow, what hit me?" was a muffled voice.

"Hey Cy, Damian, help Cy to the infirmary."

Reluctantly Damian complied with the order because he knew that tone of Grayson's and honestly, he wanted to go away from where the fighting was. His mother and father always seemed to fight and it was exhausting.

Damian got Stone to the infirmary with minimal fuss when he decided to go back to the House of Mystery. He managed to make it to the room where Jon, Zatara, Kaldur, and Sandsmark were and Troy was standing over them.

"It came out of nowhere, it was like this eruption of flames!" Jon explained.

"That was a meta, dude and you should have seen the witch that showed up for us and Raven," Zatara muttered.

"Where's Reyes?" Damian asked, observing he was the only one not present in this room.

"His armor was acting finicky," Zed said as she was looking over Jon's head. "Chas is looking over him three rooms over with the fast kid helping."

"What is this house?" Troy asked.

"The House of Mystery! We stayed here a whole week last time!" Jon grinned, and Damian rolled his eyes. It was five days, and five days that didn't really count because Constantine had moved them to a dimension where time was irrelevant.

"Last time?" Troy asked.

"Raven and Jason got in a fight with Klarion, knocked Raven out with a direct magical hit, they were here for five days in a suspended time dimension while Raven and Jason recuperated from their stupidity," Zed filled in.

"Do they do that often?"

"They only did the one mission together," Sandsmark said.

"Yes," Damian countered. Raven and Jason together was like boundless trouble, they were two that couldn't seem to stay out of trouble when together. The first time around they had just walked into trouble without asking for help, and this time around didn't seem all that different.

"One mission, what was it?"

"To retrieve what Jason stole from Raven, it turned into stopping Trigon," Zatara said.

"Interesting," Troy said and Damian rolled his eyes as he left the room and started looking around the house. He found a room of paintings, they were odd paintings and as he looked through them he paused at the map. It was a world map, but the odd thing was the rand red blobs on it, the drops of red seemed to move or were wet. He reached out to touch it but paused when there was a voice behind him.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you," was the cocky, tired tone. He turned to look at the blond exorcist. "That there's a scry map, it tells me where in this world the Darkness is seeping in."

"And the dots?"

"Blood, a friend's daughter made this for me, after everything we went through and the first one being burned…" Constantine smirked. "It's a tricky thing to make. However, she has her father's natural gift for the mystic arts. Doesn't have the stomach to pursue it though."

"What do those wet drops mean?" he asked pointing to a point in the Himalayas.

"That's where trouble's brewing, and after we get the Gem sorted out that's more than likely where I'll be heading," he sighed wearily.

"So, you do have jobs," Damian mused.

"Frequently, there's always people being played a fool because of the Darkness, and sometimes it just seeps out with something nasty," Constantine smirked as he fell into a seat. "Now what seems to be troubling you kid? You've got the same look Red gets when there's something on his mind."

"I was just thinking that you could track the magic user that did that to Raven down and we'd know where the enemy is and could strike them down," he said.

"Lovely thought lad, however it isn't that simple. Whatever attacked the Gem is very clever. It was powerful, yes, but it appears able to conceal itself in a manner that no locator spell can track it," Constantine said.

"It? I thought it was a witch."

"Ha, I know of very few witches who could create soul problems for a creature like the Gem," Constantine mused. "Most of them are dead, and are now merely history, and the few with that sort of power aren't interested in tangling with a full powered Gem of Scath with her father's power at her disposal.

"Then what attacked her?"

"Dunno, but when the Gem can talk again I'll consider it," he shrugged.

Raven looked up when Jason walked in with a bag, she stubbornly focused on her center and tried to keep her soul in her body as she meditated on the bed in the pentagram she'd barely managed to make, the fire was swirling beneath her. Jason was sporting a fat lip and cut on his brow, his knuckles were raw, and she saw a bruise forming on his cheek.

"Here you are, Queen, everything you ordered," he sighed as he dropped the bag in her lap. Raven tapped to her face, he blinked.

"Oh, demon spawn's double-crossing assassin mother is here," he sighed and fell into a chair with a groan as he rubbed his face over. Raven just silently sorted through her things and slowly set them up as she focused on her soul.

What little Raven knew of Jason's relationship with Talia was complicated, however she did know was what she'd seen in his memories earlier this year, and from what little he told her. Jason was staring at nothing when she struggled to light a candle hissing as her body's arm dropped and her soul arm slid through the candle.

"Here, I've got it, all five?" he asked.

She nodded slowly as she levitated again and forced her soul back into her body as she focused on her center. Jason suddenly crouched in front of her and dropped her hood which had her blinking at him as he left her be.

"This is getting out of hand!" he groaned as he dragged his hands through his hair and pulled out a cigarette. "Mind?"

She slowly shook her head, furious when her soul almost slipped away and she again focused on her center.

"Sorry little bird, I didn't mean for… that," he gestured to her. "To happen."

Raven sighed. It wasn't that big of a deal, the spell was wearing down, it just was irritating having her soul and body disjointed. It was one thing to completely leave her body, it was another to not be able to be in, or leave. It was like being stuck in a door way with all other doors shut, and Raven was slowly breaking her way through the doors with her focus. She didn't like it, but patience was key in her not losing her soul.

The spell which had struck her was meant to sever her, she could feel that, but the spell was cast in such haste and Rave had been half way gone that the spell hadn't had the desired effect. Well, it did and it didn't. It did because her body and spirit were separated, and it didn't because Raven was still alive. Which was a bit infuriating at this moment as she focused on her center and breathing and the scent of nicotine as it wafted through the air.

The blinding blur of light had her soul head snapping up as an ankh and then a sorcerer walked in wearing a blue uniform, gold accents, and a gold cloak but Raven's eyes were on the helmet. Which was staring down at her.

Raven's inner emotions all had various reactions to having a Lord of Order this close to her but she was still stubbornly grasping her center as she looked at Dr. Fate. Jason looked at the great sorcerer and merely frowned.

"Dr. Fate?" Jason asked, standing, his hand had his gun and the host of Nabu looked over to Jason then.

"Yes," he said in a calm voice which was a bit harsh and had Raven scowling.

"Great, we called you here to help Raven," Jason said and looked down at Raven. She wanted to hide behind Jason because her inner demon was trembling in fear with her current state of vulnerability.

"The Gem of Scath," Fate corrected as he looked at her and she could feel his mistrust and disgust rolling off him. It wasn't personal, she knew that, no doubt because of her father and her heritage and not because of herself. She had actually tried to never piss Fate off. Fate held his hand up and Raven felt a pulse of his magic as he assessed her, his power shoved her soul from her body and Raven stubbornly held on and tried to wriggle back in.

Jason sniggered, she glared at him, and he turned solemn again.

"I have not felt that magic in a long time," Fate said.

"Great, can you fix her?" Jason asked.

"Yes, but this will require an older ritual," Fate said.

Raven sighed, she was not going to like this, and this was going to hurt, she knew it. Funny, all the years of projecting her soul, having it take the hits instead of her body, and she knew this was going to hurt.

"What do you need?" Jason sighed.

"You to leave, it is best to only have the performer of the ritual, the caster of the curse, and the victim here, and as I do not have the caster it will be a bit more challenging to contain this power and the Gem's," the severe voice decided. Jason looked at her, and she nodded slowly. Once she and Fate were alone Fate's power surged into the room, drowning her, and while her inner demon screamed to fight, she did not as she levitated there and stared at Fate. A circle erupted beneath her bringing forth ancient runes, and the lights illuminated the room. Fate stood there looking down on her.

"You encountered the Enchantress," he said as his hands moved and magic flowed. "She is an ancient being, of immense power."

Raven felt the wind knocked out of her as there was another surge of power and then the walls were dancing with symbols.

"And it appears she knew exactly what she was doing when she cast this spell upon your body," he said. Hands touched her brow and shoulder, Raven tensed as an ancient language; the witch's language, rolled off Fate's tongue. Raven screamed as she felt the flood of overwhelming magic pour through her veins flushing out her own powers. She couldn't fight it, and her emotions shattered as she released a shockwave of her own powers which knocked Fate back before she collapsed on the ground gasping for air as she lay on the floor feeling one again.

"You have considerable power, Gem of Scath," the man groaned.

"Thanks," she panted, as she felt her upper eyes again recede, the door was thrown open and she saw Jason, Constantine, and Damian there.

"Well that didn't take as long as I was expecting," Constantine said as he walked over to help Fate up. Jason had her up.

"Put me down! I'm fine!" she struggled in his arms and found herself unceremoniously released, her knees gave and she found an arm wrapped around her waist.

"You were saying, Queen?" Jason cheekily hummed.

"I hate you," she hissed.

He laughed. "You adore me and know it."

"No, I really hate you right now."

"You two can get back to the honeymoon later!" Constantine snapped and Raven found Damian sliding an arm around her hip as he helped her remain on her feet as she struggled to catch her breath.

"It would appear an old foe is alive, and well again," Fate sighed as he rubbed his head.

"Who?"

"The Enchantress," Fate said.

"And who or what is the Enchantress?" Constantine demanded.

"AAAAHHHH!"

BOOM!

"Ow," Bart muttered as he lay in the rubble of what had once been a wall. Weakly Raven shoved off of Damian and Jason, though she felt Jason hovering behind her as she staggered to the room where Jaime was sitting with a talkative, angry bug.

"Jaime?" Raven asked.

"Sorry Raven!" Jaime sighed. "It won't settle down!"

The boy was currently struggling with a cannon the bug had armed him with and the man she had heard be called Chas was laying on the floor, bloody. Raven reached for Jaime's wrist, Jason caught her waist before she tripped and she stumbled as she stood in front of Jaime.

"Clear your mind, focus on your breathing," she said softly, the boy trembled. "Jaime, I don't have empathy right now so you're going to calm yourself down. Just breath. In…two…three…four. Out…two…three…four."

The boy nodded as he slowly started the breathing rhythm, and she followed.

"Clear your mind, we're safe, just breath," Raven encouraged and slowly the talking, agitated bug settled. Chas groaned and Raven blinked at the man she had thought critically injured slowly standing. But she kept her focus on Jaime. The bug finally retracted completely and she staggered back as she rubbed her head. Fate's wash out of her powers was maddening, but the silence was peaceful.

"Dios mío, gracias," Jaime sighed.

"Anytime Jaime," she smiled a bit and felt herself swaying when she found herself tucked into Jason's side.

"Now, who's the Enchantress?" Raven breathed as she tried not to have a love affair with the floor. Was the room supposed to be spinning?

She didn't think so.

"Little bird?" she sagged feeling the world cease to be. "FUCK!" was the last sound she heard.

That's all for now folks.

Enjoy Rock Meet Bottom.