I meant to get this up yesterday, but it's done now.

3rd POV

Bruce didn't want to put on a large funeral. He only invited people that truly knew and loved Jason. He had told Dick Grayson about it and he said he'd come from Bludhaven. Other than him and Alfred, Lucy's family had come as well. There were some teachers from school and other people Jason had met at some point in his life.

Nice and simple, how Bruce hopes Jason would have wanted it. And the burial site was where he figured he'd want to be as well; right next to his mother.

Lucy stood with her parents and caretaker most of the time. She had put on her black dress she ordered, her hair up in a coiled braid and black headband.

People start to walk away after the final prayer. That's when her father looks at his watch and says he has to go. Her mother goes with him, trusting that Lucy can get home on her own. Lucy dismisses her caretaker as well, not wanting someone around who didn't really know Jason.

Once she is alone, she walks over to the stone. It isn't fancy, but there is an engraving on the bottom, after his name and years.

-In memory of a son, brother, and boyfriend who left the world too soon-

Lucy places her hand on the top of the stone, feeling the smooth gray material. She chokes back sobs, but her eyes are dry. She spent it all earlier in the funeral. She slides to the dirt, one hand sliding with so it rests at the base of the stone, the other crushing a clump of grass in her fist.

A hand comes down to her shoulder. She looks up and sees Bruce. "I'd like you to meet someone."

Lucy nods and stands up. She turns to face a young man with black hair, blue eyes, and where a suit much like Bruce's, only a little more casual. Like he couldn't afford much else.

"Richard Grayson," he introduces himself, offering a hand.

Lucy takes it, but her shake isn't as firm as she'd like. "Lucy Blake."

"You knew Jason?" He asks, trying not to look at the fresh grave.

"..Yeah," Lucy states.

"...Oh yeah!" Grayson remembers, "now I remember you. He mentioned you a few times while.." he fades out, looking at Bruce.

Bruce sighs, "She knows, Dick," he says, using the nickname.

Grayson looks at Lucy. She shrugs, "Batman and.. Robin," she says so only they can hear.

Grayson sighs, "Nightwing," he decides to tell her, "Jason talked a lot on patrols whenever I'd visit, or if I needed them in Bludhaven."

"Ah."

"Did you two ever..?" Grayson asks.

Lucy looks down at Jason's stone, and the saying below. Grayson follows her gaze.

He sees 'boyfriend' and his mouth becomes and 'o.' "I see.."

"Richard will be staying at the manor for a little bit," Bruce informs. Lucy nods.

"I'm welcome, right?" Lucy asks.

"You're always welcome, Lucy," Bruce assures. Lucy smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

She excuses herself from the group when another person in black comes to offer condolences to the Wayne family. Of course, there is at least one reporter here. Nothing the Waynes do will ever escape the media. Not even their secret lives.

Lucy wanders to the other side of the fresh grave, finding the simple one they visited before. "Look after him, won't you?" She asks his mother, "He needs you now, where I can't be near him."

She stands up, after brushing off the fading letter she left there. Dirt had accumulated in the creases, and she wants it to be clean for Ms. Todd to read. She turns back to Grayson and Bruce, who are back to being alone.

She speaks up when she won't be interrupted. "My ride left, so.." Bruce nods, understanding. He motions to where the car is parked and the younger pair start toward it. Grayson sees Lucy looking down at the grass as she walks. He nudges her arm and she looks up. He offers his elbow to her.

Lucy sees him smile, trying to lift her spirits. She smiles back again and slips her arm through his crooked one. She leans on him as they finish the walk to the car.

She stares out the window on the way to the manor. Lucy would have found it appropriate for it to be raining, but the sky was a bright blue, with little puffy clouds drifting lazily. It was even a little warm, almost too warm to wear black.

'Doesn't the world know what happened?' Lucy asks, 'What I've lost? What we'll never get back?'

Lucy waits for clouds to roll in and pour out its sorrows, but nothing happens.

'Don't you know where he is!?' She wants to scream.

Water enters his lungs, forcing him to choke as he squeezes through the narrow opening. Cold wet stone greets him, smooth from years of pulsing tides. It it replaced by rough pebbles and shards of chipped stone that pierces his skin.

The cave isn't deep. There's only five feet -maybe six- of space after the water level ends. The back had collapsed long ago, so aged rocks block the path behind. Salt water continuously laps at the smoothened stone, at a lower tide than it could be.

His eyes are still wide from fear, shock. But he doesn't move to get farther away. The jump, the swim, pulling himself up through the narrow crevice; Everything has made him tired.

He looks down at his body. His skin is pale, and he silently tells himself it shouldn't be that way. 'The cold water,' he deduces. The white wrappings he woke up in have mostly fallen off in the swim, leaving the ones around his waist. Some still hang loosely by the velcro of water. His hair is plastered to his head.

He hears unnatural waves outside his safe haven. The ceiling bends low to the entrance, making it hard to see anything outside; He can't see the intruder. He backs up to the rock wall, giving his position away as he does so.

Pebbles roll into the waves and make small splashes. He tenses when everything stops outside. All except the gentle tide is silent. Then, the unnatural splashes become louder, closer. A boot comes into view in the waves, shiny and black.

'Bruce?' He wonders, unsure what to take from the name in his fear.

A head ducks down under a higher part of the ceiling that was overlooked. It reveals a head of neatly clipped black and white hair.

"Hello," the man in elegant green says. The first occupant tenses, backing away more, green eyes wide. Yet, he's ready to spring, like he did on those guards. "No need for that, I mean you no harm."

It takes him several long moments to believe him. The man moves slowly to a drier part of the cave, opposite from the younger of the two. His cape and trousers are soaked, but he pays no mind.

He sits cross legged, regarding the still tense occupant. After a break of silence, he clearly asks, "Do you know who I am?"

The younger nods. "Ra's Al Ghul," he answers.

Then, he is asked, "Do you know who you are?"

The young man looks at his hands, dirty and scraped from the frantic crawling on the shards of stone. He asks himself the question. Then he looks at Ra's.

"My name is Jason Todd."

He's alive! He's alive!

Now we are all caught up to the present (movie). The next will be after the 3 year time skip (Which I intend to get rolling off the presses today.)

I know some people are asking, "but Ra's didn't know Jason survived the fall!" And this is my answer:

Does Ra's seriously tell Batman everything? It's possible he left out that he helped Jason. How would Jason have survived on his own after that? By pure rage and thirst for revenge like Maul? (Star Wars Clone Wars reference.)

And for those that do not know who Nightwing/Grayson is (if so, why are you reading this?) Yes, that is his name.

And finally, I love the movie, but I'm going to try to put in a little of the movie as possible. Important parts, yes. But parts we all know, not so much. Plus, there's Lucy.

So she's bound to change a few things. *wink wink*

Until next chapter!

~CtW