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Hello Beloved, Good Bye Darling…
It was a very good thing she was accustomed to traveling internationally, though her patience was dying slowly as she chased the world for her son. Now it was three days after what the world was dubbing 'Hell's Rising' and she walked off her business jet in San Francisco at a private airport and she was furious, exhausted, and had a need to go yell at her beloved for letting their son hang out with a demon. Of course she'd be yelling at Bruce after she collected Damian from the Titans and took him back into her care since he was no longer safe with his father.
Talia had also since ditched Deathstroke because his company was insufferable. Besides, it wasn't like he actually understood anything she'd done. No, Slade was ignorant to all her reasons and did not seem to care about them, all he cared about was falling back into the League's favor since Damian was with his father.
She stopped when she noticed a black town car on the tarmac with the tall familiar frame of her husband standing there. His icy blue eyes still sent her heart in a flutter, but it was the way his jaw was set which told her she was about to be fighting war with him as she curved her red lips and sauntered up to him.
"Beloved," she smiled as she reached up for him, he caught her and held her away from him. "Whatever is the matter?" she hummed.
"Get in the car, Talia," he ordered and she just did as she was told, it wasn't as if her beloved was able to harm her.
"You are to leave," Bruce said.
"Very well, after I collect my son," she said primly as she straightened the pleats of her dress. She wasn't leaving Damian here, he would be coming with her. And she would try to bring Jason back into the fold again so as to remove the hit on his head.
"You do not have custody of him," Bruce said sharply as he pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket which had her frowning as she took it.
"What is this?" she asked.
"That is the custody agreement the court has settled upon, since you did not come to the proceedings and did not send a lawyer Damian is mine, and this," he pulled a second document. "Is a restraining order to keep you away from my sons, all of them Talia. However, I know you have no respect for Western papers so I will simply say this, if anything happens, to any of my children, I will come after you Talia. And there will be no measure as to how hard and how fast I will strike you down."
"There is no need for such hostility beloved," Talia stated coldly.
"You kept Jason from me, I'm betting you wound him up, manipulated him off the Pit's influence and set him loose on Gotham," Bruce said coldly which had her eyes narrowing.
Yes, she had found Jason. Yes, she had used the Pit to revive him fully against her father's wishes. Yes, she had trained him, and had educated him with the finest tutors while she manipulated him. And yes, she did set him loose on Gotham. But No, she did not set him upon her beloved! Her only intention was to have Jason remove the obstacles in the way of her son claiming his birthright. However, the moment she set Jason loose was the moment she lost him, he had gone rogue and only attacked Bruce and the Joker while taking over crime in Gotham. Since then she hadn't ever gotten near him, he had evaded her or escaped, and she had had no choice but to declare him a deserter of the League.
"Yes, I found him, after he had been living on the streets practically brain dead and living on muscle memory," she hissed. "I took him in, I healed him, I trained him, but I was trying to out wait the Pit's influence," she lied.
"You're a clever liar Talia, and it's served you well, but lying to me right now is just stupid. The League of Assassins took my son from me, and have kept him from me, you should have brought him home the moment you found him, and I don't care if it was you or if it was Ra's, but you both are to stay away from my children."
"You cannot keep me from my son, he is my blood."
"Who you dumped on me less than a year ago," Bruce spat.
"I was protecting him," Talia tried for the motherly tears. "My father was dead, Deathstroke would have killed him, and you are his father."
"And as his father I'm making a decision for his health, his safety, and his well being," Bruce snapped.
"By giving him over to the demon? Oh yes, Beloved, I've encountered the young demoness our son was running around with which is why I ask if it is wise to leave my child in your care! You are putting him in the greatest danger by giving him to the demoness!"
"Her name is Raven, and she's proven to be a good influence on my sons, and Damian needs the Titans, and Damian isn't yours anymore. Come for him and I'll destroy you Talia, go for any of my children and I will raise hell," Bruce said. "I've arranged for that plane to take you to Dubai, and if I ever see you near the States or my children I will be coming for you."
"And we used to be so good together," she sighed. "Very well, beloved, for now you win, but I will also be watching and if anything should happen to Damian I will be taking him with me again, and you will not be able to stop me."
"Try," Bruce challenged as she got out of the car and walked calmly to the plane again and sat on her seat. She would get Damian back, for now though it was best to just let her beloved think he had won and she was leaving. She'd be back later when he wasn't expecting it to collect their child.
Bruce watched as that plane taxied off, and then took off before he checked the tracker; he'd dusted the papers with tracking dust and it coated Talia, the only reason it wasn't coating him was the material of his jacket repulsed it. He sighed when she was in the air as his head fell back and he felt exhausted. Jason had cooked this morning, and Bruce had enjoyed just seeing his son alive and not trying to kill everyone around him.
Dick and Tim were ecstatic to have Jason back and Damian seemed to think Jason wasn't going anywhere. Which was both comforting and saddening.
Of all his children Jason was the most difficult to reach, even before his death but especially now. It had taken a solid year for Bruce to stop stumbling upon caches of food, backpacks packed with essentials, and cash. And even after Jason's death Bruce had found a few odd caches of Jason's, not as many as when he'd first come to the Manor but enough to have Bruce breaking. Jason was ready to bolt on a moment's notice, and something in Bruce felt that hadn't changed.
Behind all the attitude, all the smirks, the glares, the sneers, the laughter, the harsh tongue, humor, cocky confidence, and the ease, there was that street kid ready to bolt, and when he left he'd be gone.
Because of this Bruce was exceedingly tempted to put a tracker on his son, but he knew if he did that Jason would be furious and then once he figured out how to get it off, Jason would disappear permanently. Of all his children Jason was the most cautious and suspicious, at least where relationships and people were concerned, and Bruce knew that Jason's minimal trust had been shattered when Bruce had picked the Joker.
No doubt Jason was really only hanging around as long as he had for Raven, it was clear that Jason and Raven were close. Which was surprising since before about eight days ago they had never met or interacted according to them.
"Well, she's gone now, Master Bruce," Alfred sighed.
"Yes, she is," Bruce sighed as he rubbed his brow. "Alfred, do you… do you think it's for the best? Keeping Talia away from Damian."
"I have never been particularly fond of that woman, Master Bruce, but yes, it is for the best that your sons have nothing to do with her. Some people just are not meant to be parents," Alfred remarked dryly.
Bruce sighed, he didn't think he was meant to be a parent, he had no idea what he was doing! However, Dick had turned out so seemingly normal he didn't know, and Bruce was actually surprised that his eldest was as well-adjusted as he was. Tim was developing insomnia, and didn't eat enough. Damian was so angry all the time and Bruce could never seem to say the right thing or do the right thing for Damian. And then there was Jason, who was his most volatile, hostile, and surly son who he couldn't seem to reach at all.
"Perhaps I shouldn't be a parent," he muttered softly.
"You are a good father, Master Bruce, and parenting is the hardest job in the world. Even more difficult than being the Bat," Alfred said evenly.
"Thank you Alfred," he said.
"Any time Master Bruce, and it is nice to have Master Jason here again," Alfred smiled slightly. Bruce softened as they drove.
"He's going to bolt," Bruce murmured sadly.
"Yes, he is, Master Jason is not a man to stay where he does not feel wanted."
"But he is wanted, Alfred, how do we get that through to him?" Bruce asked desperately. He'd been devastated when his parents had died, however, he supposed that it was natural for parents to pass before their children. However, he'd been completely destroyed when Jason had died, losing his son was something which just shattered him. And Jason had been his son, Bruce even had the adoption papers in his study. Those cruel papers were tucked beside an old photo of Jason in his first leather jacket, grinning and sitting on one of the cars, a photo taken a week before everything went to hell.
Bruce had received the adoption papers the very day Jason had run off to Ethiopia, it was in coming up to that room to tell Jason he was his son that Bruce had discovered his son was gone. He'd been frantic, and then Jason was dead, and Bruce knew now that Jason felt he'd meant nothing to Bruce or the family and Jason couldn't be more wrong.
"Patience and persistence," Alfred said calmly. "Patience and persistence, Master Bruce, and consistency."
"You've thought a lot about this," Bruce smirked a bit.
"Not at all, Master Bruce, I just recall the boy he was, those three things spoke the most to him. He does not believe words, he does not trust easy, but he watches and if you show him you're there for him, perhaps slowly we can bring him home," Alfred said softly and Bruce nodded.
Actions, actions were what Jason trusted. When Bruce thought about it, he supposed it was only logical. Jason's parents had not been the best parents and then he'd been on the street doing God only knew what for years before he was taken into the Manor, and Bruce couldn't help but wonder now if he hadn't shown Jason enough how much he was loved.
Sighing Bruce stared at the roof of the car, this was not going to be easy, not one bit. Alfred turned onto one of the secret entrances of the Tower and drove under the bay to the tower as Bruce pondered how he could convince Jason that he was family. They pulled up and Bruce got out of the car to be greeted by a familiar sound of fighting between Damian and Tim.
Dick slid his arms around her waist as he kissed her shoulder, Raven and Terra were sparring from Kori's window, and Jason was perched out of the way reading, and watching no doubt.
"He is very different than who you described to me," she commented.
"He's different from who he was, but he's still Jason," Dick commented as he looked the training field over, noticing Raven's team was perched around the practice area as Terra attacked, and Raven simply stood there calm. Even amid the chaos Raven was stillness, she was calm, she was steady.
"Damian seems to listen to him," Starfire commented.
"That's because Jason died a midget and came back a giant," Dick snorted; yeah, he'd seen Jason holding the kid arms width away and eye level without missing a beat. Even with Damian struggling, and trying very hard to get out of Jason's grasp it was clear that Jason used his sheer size to get through to the kid.
"I am taller," she pointed out and he chuckled as he pulled her down for a light kiss.
"You are, but Jason was always the small, now he's a giant," Dick observed as he looked at where the sparring was going as Terra went at Raven with everything she had, and Raven hardly moved.
"I am pleased for you Dick, families are precious," she said calmly which had him looking over at her.
"Now we just need to get him to stay," Dick grumbled. Jason had a foot out the door and was probably only here because Raven or Alfred had asked him or guilted him. Dick was inclined to think Alfred had done the guilting but seeing Raven and Jason together had him thinking it was possible Raven had gotten Jason to stay. Those two were clearly close despite only knowing each other for a short time.
"He will stay, he seems to like being here," Kori said.
"Yeah, but he's got a foot out the door and he's already on his way to leave," Dick muttered. Troublesome Jason was nothing if not predictable.
"We'll see," Kori chuckled.
"Yeah," he smiled as he pulled her down for another kiss. Kori was enthusiastic about the kiss as her arms wrapped around him and they crashed onto the floor.
"I've missed you, I've almost forgotten what you feel like," Kori purred.
"Oh, don't worry babe, I'll remind you," he smiled and she giggled as he pulled her down for another kiss. Jason wasn't going anywhere just yet, so he had time to fix things with his brother later. And now was the perfect time to fix the case of blue balls he'd been developing since this mess started. There was a buzz on the room intercom which had him and Kori groaning.
"Superman is here to see you," Barbara's voice said primly before it was gone.
"NOW! he couldn't come when Jason and Raven were in the coma or when I'm not about to have sex!" Dick groaned.
"Go, it is important, when you get back I have the thing to wear," she giggled.
"The purple or green one?" he asked with interest as she floated off him.
"You'll have to come and see!" she winked and flew into her closet, he was up and out of the room before he had the Man of Steel pounding on his door. Dick made his way to his workspace, took a steadying breath seeing the giant Kryptonian there, and walked in slowly. He'd seen Clark briefly at the Trigon fight but that was so not the place to spring this news on Clark.
"So Jason is alive," Clark said.
"Yeah, and you're not arresting him if Bruce isn't so don't even think it Supes," Dick warned.
"I'm not arresting him, I just see Jason Todd alive, I know nothing about the identity of the Red hood, his mask was lined with a thin layer of lead dipped in titanium," Clark shrugged.
"Okay, so the family is a bit paranoid," Dick sighed as he sat.
"What is wrong with my children?" Clark asked worriedly as he sat.
"Um… No, nothing, Kara and Jon are fine, better than fine all things considering. They're adjusting, I've split them up, Kara's on Starfire's team, and Jon's been placed on Raven's team. The kids on Raven's team are closer to him in age and Raven's a good influence on younger children," Dick defended.
"I did witness her fight with Trigon, Dick, I am not comfortable about her heritage or her powers but agree she is good for the kids," Clark said.
"Good, I'm glad you agree about that," Dick nodded. "Now, I meant to bring this up with you earlier this week, but with everything that happened, and find out about Jason and fighting Trigon I was unable to. It's about Cadmus."
"What about Cadmus?" Clark asked.
"Wally and I did investigating there earlier this week," Dick started. Had it really only been a week? It felt like it'd been a year or a month at the very least with everything that had happened over the last few days, minus the time they were suspended in time in the House of Mystery. "There was a project there, Project Kr."
Dick handed him the file and slowly Clark started reading it over.
"Your kids have named him Connor," Dick said when Clark seemed to tremble.
"This isn't…" Clark growled.
"I'm sorry, but it is, and Connor's the first we know of but there are probably others, possibly even of Jon and Kara," Dick said calmly. "Do you want to meet him?"
"No."
"Clark!" but it was too late the Man of Steel was gone and Dick groaned as his head fell back. This wasn't going to be easy, at least Kara and Jon were growing to like Connor.
Tim found where Jason was perched as rocks flew at Raven, raven vanished in a shadow and appeared behind Terra as her magic threateningly wrapped around the blonde's throat.
"Wat'cha reading?" Tim asked which had Jason lifting his brows as he looked up from his book.
"Narnia," Jason replied.
"Huh," Tim had not expecting that, but more than likely it was in Raven's collection and Jason had raided her room for books yesterday. And Raven was the only one to know what she had in her book collection.
"What is it red bird?" Jason asked.
"Nothing, I'm just really happy you're alive," Tim admitted with a large grin as he swung his legs, there was an explosion below then and Tim saw Jason look down with disinterest but sharp eyes. "You really like her."
"What the fuck!" Jason groaned. "No! Sunshine is a friend and interesting company! What the fuck is wrong with Dickhead, demon spawn and now you!?"
Tim laughed and smiled as he stared at the gathering peanut gallery for the fight, the Supers were floating overhead with most the other flying kids, but the others were littering the surrounding area, cautiously.
"It's not a bad thing if you like her," Time pointed out.
"Listen short stack, when you're married, and I'm dead, again, then you can bother me about my love life; until then, all of you butt out. Also, it is possible for guys and girls to just be friends. Granted Bats and big bird haven't set that example, but it is possible," Jason growled out.
"Uh-huh," Tim hummed skeptically and they watched as Raven sent Terra flying and screaming.
"That was a good move," Jason observed not looking up from his book.
"You weren't even watching!" Tim pointed out.
"I'm always watching," he dismissed. Tim snorted.
The fight was called by Cyborg then when Terra landed. Tim didn't dislike or like Terra, but he did not understand her soul deep hatred of Raven. Even now as the crowd started dispersing and Terra pulled up a rock up then threw it at Raven, Tim was about to shout warning when Jason appeared at Raven's back and the rock was dust from a gunshot.
"The match was called," Jason snapped. "And I don't see a fucking street fight anywhere or a real fight."
"She started it!" Terra shouted. Tim landed by Jason and Raven then.
"It's fine Red, I was never in any danger. Terra, I am your superior, and for your actions I'm assigning you to kitchen duty," Raven said as she walked away and Terra growled a bit. Tim was just trying to comprehend how Jason had moved that fast as he trotted after Raven.
"She really does not like you," Tim observed.
"The feeling is mutual," Raven replied monotonously. There was nothing else said and Tim decided having Jason around wasn't bad.
Jason handled Damian, he was fast, he was loyal, and he cooked (no one in this Tower cooked beside Victor, but Jason cooked like a chef at a pristine restaurant and it was delicious). Also, Bruce was happier to have Jason around, or in the vicinity, as did Dick and Alfred; even Selina liked him.
"You know we should spar," Tim said.
"Hm?" Jason looked over at him.
"You haven't sparred yet, and I wonder if you're as difficult as you say."
"You doubt me?" Jason asked.
"No, just curious," Tim answered. He was very curious about Jason. Jason had been his childhood hero! Dick was a cool Robin, but Tim still felt the best one was Jason, and with all the mystery around Jason's last six years he was curious just how good Jason really was.
"Fine," Jason shrugged.
"Don't kill him," Raven said uninterestingly.
"You think I would agree if I could?" Jason asked.
"Knowing you," she retorted.
"Have a little faith, sunshine, and if you doubt I'm good you can sit in; and we still need to have our match," Jason said. Tim just looked between them and there seemed to be an entire silent conversation. Raven was good at that, she could do it with just about everyone and she wasn't even telepathic.
"If I sense something," her tone was warning.
"Deal, now our match?"
"I'm free tomorrow," she shrugged.
"Perfect," Jason grinned. "Oh, full arsenal."
"Very well, but I will erect a barrier," Rave said as she walked off and Jason chuckled before looking down at him.
"Come on puppy eyes," Jason said as they walked into the elevator.
"Please stop calling me that," Tim pleaded.
"Would you prefer Replacement?" he asked dryly.
"Beat's puppy eyes," he muttered. Seriously, Jason rarely seemed to call anyone their name or code name, Damian had the longest list and responded to all of them. Also Jason seemed to have more than just one language in his arsenal, so far Tim had heard Jason speak Arabic to Damian, swear in Russian, and talk to Alfred in French.
"Very well red bird, replacement it is," he said.
"Are you going to use your arsenal?" Tim asked.
"No, that wouldn't be wise, but you can use yours, you might need it," Jason commented.
"I'm just going to use my bow staff," he answered. Before Ra's death, Tim had been complimented as the best fighter of the Bat family by the evil bastard. And though that wasn't something to be proud of, Tim kind of was because he was only fifteen and complimented as being the best rather than Dick or Bruce.
"Whatever you want," he shrugged.
"You're seriously not going to use anything?" Tim asked.
"Nah, you'll either kick my ass or we're evenly matched, but it's for the best that I don't get a weapon," Jason said as he reappeared dressed for a spar, Tim was dressed too and Tim picked up the familiar weight of the bow staff.
"It's going to hurt," Tim warned again.
"Anymore than a crowbar?"
Damian found Raven sitting in the sparring room meditating as Jason and Drake sparred. He was impressed that she could meditate in all the obvious chaos going on in the sparring room.
"I saw your match with Terra, you pulled your punches," he observed as he stood by her and her eyes slid open as she looked at him.
"And what do you propose I do, unleash all my power in a spar?" Raven asked.
"Would that not be the wiser course of action to show Terra she is inferior to you," he replied.
Raven sighed.
"Damian, she is neither inferior nor superior to me, she is different," Raven said patiently.
"The fact you could defeat your father and seal him away after having been seriously depleted of your powers, shows that you are her superior, why not show her?" he asked.
"Damian, annihilating Terra is not the goal. It would be rather counterproductive to the goal actually." She said.
"And what is the goal then?"
"For her to grow, to learn, to be happy."
"Is that why she hates you?"
"No, Terra and I never got along, not even before she betrayed us to Slade. However, she makes Garfield happy, and that means more to me than how she feels about me," Raven said softly.
"Do you… love Logan?" he asked.
"Not in the way you're asking, perhaps once I did, but I do not make him happy. And he's become like a little brother to me," she answered. "But I will do many things for the ones I love to make them happy. Terra makes Gar happy, and even if she hates me, I can live with her for the happiness of my friend."
"That seems self-sacrificing, she gets happiness while you gave it up. You deserve better," Damian stated. And he watched as Drake leapt up and Jason rolled. Raven deserved better than an idiot like Logan anyway, so at least on that front he did not have to worry.
"Perhaps, perhaps not, and why would it matter to you Damian? I do not think my love life or personal life, or the lack thereof, have much anything to do with you," she dryly remarked.
"No reason, I just feel that you should put Terra in her place."
"Mmm, I do not think it would be wise to do that," Raven answered as her eyes shut again and she resumed her meditation. Damian watched the spar for a bit longer before losing interest and walking out of the gym and prowling the tower, he found his father and Kyle together in a living area, Kyle was reading and his father was working but before he could escape they both saw him.
"Damian!" Kyle was up and he tried to back away from her only for her to drop down in front of him. "Here," she handed him something.
Hesitantly he took the paper and found himself looking at a grainy, grey, horrible photo but there was a little white blip.
"Tt," he clicked his tongue. "What is this?"
"That, is your baby brother or sister," Selina said.
"But they are inside you," Damian said as he looked at the photo again and tried to figure out what he was really seeing.
"Yes," she nodded and stood. "But I thought it was best to show you. You're not being replaced Damian."
"Selina's right," his father said as he stood up and reached in his jacket pocket. Damian scowled at his father, of course he was being replaced! He wasn't good enough! Again. And his father was seeking to have a better heir than him! One with no ties to the people he hated so much, father wanted no ties to the League of Assassins.
"Here," his father handed him some papers.
"What are these?" Damian asked.
"Those are your adoption papers, you are officially all mine," his father said as he knelt before him. "I have been working on getting those for you since Talia dropped you off. You are my son Damian, and you are not going anywhere."
"But…" Damian started, he felt tears stinging his eyes though.
"I'm not ashamed of you Damian, but I couldn't claim you without papers, or send you to school, or a lot of other things. But you are my son," his father said.
"You needed papers for that," Damian said with disdain.
"Legally speaking, yes, as your father, no," his father said calmly and Damian stared at the papers as he trembled. He was officially a part of his father's family. Not in just blood, but in the eyes of this country.
"Thank you, father," he said softly and he found himself awkwardly walking forward as he wrapped his arms around him. His father's arm wrapped around him softly as a heavy hand patted his back uncertainly. Damian didn't care though, he was officially a Wayne.
"We're going to finish sorting the rest of it out, but you're officially mine and staying here, you're mother will never take you," his father murmured and Damian felt slim fingers gingerly moving through his hair. He looked up at Kyle then and she smiled.
"You're not mine, legally, but all the Robins are mine in a way, kid," she said with a broad grin. "And being his makes you mine too."
"That logic does not make sense," Damian muttered as he slowly pulled away from his father.
"You're family kid," Selina said.
"I am not a child," Damian hissed.
"Of course you're not," she agreed solemnly. Damian stared at the papers again and he smiled a bit, he was now his father's son, he could stay, he wasn't leaving.
"Will you adopt Jason as well?" Damian asked.
"I already did six years ago," his father said.
"Does he know?"
"Not yet, but I'm going to tell him," his father answered and Damian nodded before walking out with the papers.
Damian Wayne was the name on the papers, and Damian felt a swell of pride at seeing his name on these papers.
That's all for now folks!
Enjoy Give Me Back My Mind! =)