Forgotten One Chapter 18, a batman fanfic

Chapter 18

Dick was a nervous wreck to put it mildly. He had a few hours before Zatanna was supposed to arrive, and he found himself in his room working himself into a frenzy. He loved Zatanna, he really did. She was gorgeous, kickass, and the most powerful magician that he had ever seen. He just couldn't allow himself to hope. In all likelihood, Zatanna wouldn't be able to do anything to help him, and he would have to wait at least a year before his family remembered him. It wouldn't be too bad, he supposed. Afterall, they were no longer overly suspicious of him, and his relationship with Jason had never been better. He just wanted things to go back to the way that they were.

There was a soft knock on the door, before Bruce opened the door and leant against the doorframe. "I was told that I would find you here."

"Well it is my room, so it would hardly take the world's greatest detective to conclude that I would be here."

"True. I was also told that this room memorialized all of your relationships. Friends and family. I see that that is true."

Dick shrugged, but smiled as he looked at his wall of photos. He knew that he appeared to be lost in memories. Bruce was kind enough not to comment, instead joining him in staring at the photos. Dick allowed him to study them in silence as Bruce would talk when he was good and ready. "What's the story behind that picture?"

Dick stood up and moved over to where Bruce was standing. When he saw which photo Bruce was pointing at, he couldn't help the fond look that broke out across his face. "Oh. You found one of my favorites. That was our first real outing together. It was after I found out about your night life, and Alfred told you that you actually had to spend time with children. You took me paintballing, though that is fairly obvious from the state of our clothing."

"Somehow, I doubt that Alfred had paintballing in mind when he told me to spend time with you. You were so little, what was I thinking?"

"I was your first child and you had yet to pick up any form of protective instinct. And whatever protective instinct you developed was soon desensitized by my antics. You pretty much just let me do me."

Bruce hummed, eyes shifting to look at the other photos on the wall. "Would you be willing to explain the other photos to me? I'm sure that I knew the stories behind them in the past."

"You knew the stories behind most of those photos in the past. Key word: most. You got a highly edited version of a few of them."

Bruce's lips twitched slightly in a smile before once again falling into a neutral mask. "Will I still be receiving a highly edited version?"

"Of course. And I won't be telling you which ones are the edited ones, so don't bother asking. I can't have you grounding me when you get your memories back."

"Aren't you a little old for me to ground?"

A laugh escaped Dick's mouth before he could hold it in. "One would think. But that has never stopped you in the past."

They shared a small smile before looking back at the wall of photos. Dick would point at one and explaining the significance behind it, and Bruce standing next to him silently. It felt like old times, and that was what convinced Dick that everything would eventually be okay.

###

Dick left his room feeling much more cheerful than he felt when he went into it. Bruce almost always made him feel better. Other times he made him want to punch the man in the face. An impulse that he hadn't managed to tamp down more than a few times. It wasn't exactly something that he was proud of.

Dick knew that he wasn't dealing with the whole situation in a way that's healthy, but he was managing and that was the important part. At least it was for now. He could pick apart all of his emotional problems and all of the issues he had with his family on a later date. It would hardly make much of a difference if he started counseling in a few months instead of right in this moment. A little voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Dinah whispered that that wasn't how trauma worked. If he really thought about it, he could give the exact number of times that Dinah had said that to him. To give a hint, it was more than fifty times. She really sounded like a broken record.

Padding into the kitchen, Dick waved in greeting to his younger brothers and Alfred before crouching crouching down near the coffee machine and prying a loose floorboard up, so that he could pull out the hidden box of Crocky Crunch. Putting the floorboard back into place, Dick looked up to see the shocked looks on everybody's faces. "What?"

It was Jason who spoke first. "Did you seriously hide a box of cereal like some sort of squirrel? You weren't starved here, were you? Because I only hid food for the first few months living here, and I was emaciated when Bruce all but kidnapped me. And isn't that stale by now? You haven't been here in who knows how long."

"Don't worry Jay. This box wasn't opened yet and the expiration date isn't for another three years at the very least."

Damian made a small choking noise. "Grayson. The fact that your breakfast is neon green and doesn't seem to expire should worry you. I am simply shocked that Pennyworth allowed you to have that monstacity within the sanctity of the manor."

"Why do you think I hid it underneath the floorboard, Dami? Any more comments from the peanut gallery?"

Tim looked up at his with giant bags under his eyes and just started a moment before shaking his head. "I have not had nearly enough coffee for this."

Dick felt he would be remiss in his older brother responsibilities if he didn't at the very least mention that Tim needed more sleep, not coffee. "Timbo, how much sleep did you get last night?"

Tim gave him a look that went to the very depth of his soul. "Spare me the lecture, Dick. I might not remember your usual arguments, but I guarantee that I've heard whatever bullshit is about to make its way out if your mouth."

Dick snorted slightly but did what Tim asked. He would bide his time, and Tim was least expecting it...BAM! He would be drugged and sound asleep before he knew what hit him. Dick was a ninja when it came to drugging Tim. And Tim never seemed to realize that he had been drugged, mostly because he was usually so sleep deprived before Dick drugged him, that he just assumed that his body finally gave in to the need for sleep. Dick had never felt the need to correct his assumption.

Taking that first bite of Crocky Crunch was heaven on a spoon. He let out a small moan, which had Jason burst out laughing, in a way that sounded almost painful. He didn't stop despite Dick's glare, or Alfred's reproachful look. Dick decided to ignore Jason, and instead focus on the old butler. "How did you sleep Alfred?"

"Well, thank you for asking Master Grayson."

"Please call me Dick, Alfred. I know from experience that you won't drop the 'Master' so I won't even bother asking."

Alfred raised a single, perfect eyebrow before giving Dick a wry look. "As you wish, Master Dick."

Dick let out a small cheer at the sound of his name before giving a little laugh and a large smile. His smile fell off of his face when Alfred gave him a pointed look and said, "Now that we are through with the pleasantries, perhaps we can speak about your atrocious taste in cereal."

Dick out a small groan, but the effect was ruined by the bright smile that was dancing across his face. This was the most normal he had felt in a long time and he was soaking up the entire atmosphere like a sponge. If he continued having moments like this, he would be content.

###

Jason was watching Dick carefully. They were both in the Batcave waiting for Zatanna while the rest of the family was doing whatever they were doing upstairs. Dick was on the trapeze doing a series of complicated flips and twists in a way that seemed simply effortless. It was nice to know why they had a trapeze in the Batcave though. In fact, Dick was filling in many gaps and inconsistencies in his memory which was nice. He had simply assumed that they had been due to residual brain damage from the fucking crowbar. It was nice to know that he wasn't quite as messed up as he had assumed, and only had his PTSD to contend with, with no brain damage on top.

Dick was like one of those intricate puzzle boxes. The closer he got to cracking it, the more layers and intricites he found. In truth, he didn't think he was remotely close to solving the mystery that was Dick. Dick said that they weren't close before he forgot, so he couldn't even claim that he would understand the man better if he remembered everything.

Jason shifted slightly, still watching Dick. He could tell that Dick hadn't told them everything and that something was weighing on him. But it wasn't like he could force Dick to talk to him. Dick would come to him when he was ready, Jason just had to be patient. Sadly, that wasn't a skill that he had ever mastered. Probably had something to do with being a street rat and dying at the tender age of fifteen. Those developmental years were just so important.

A voice whispered "Boo" in Jason's ear. He yelled, automatically pulling the intruder's head into a headlock. Dick must have dismounted from the trapeze when he heard Jason's yell, because he was mozying his way over to Jason's position, not at all worried that there was an intruder in the motherfucking Batcave.

If Jason hadn't known that there was something off, he would've known when he saw Dick's shit eating grin. "Jason, buddy, I know you're desperate to get laid, but holding Zatanna hostage like that is not doing you any favors."

Jason lets go of Zatanna with a low growl. Dick certainly lived up to his name. He wasn't sure if he was annoyed by that or impressed. Deciding not to think too hard about it, he settled on being a weird combination of both. "Sorry Z, I'm feeling a little out of sorts. I promise not to grab you like that again unless you force my hand or you ask me to."

"It's no problem Jason, I should've known better than to sneak up on you. On any resident of the Batcave. So I take it that this is the OG Boy Wonder that everyone won't stop talking about? You would think that at least one of them would've mentioned just how handsome he is."

Dick gave a slow, flirtatious grin. "You would, wouldn't you?"

Zatanna gave a little laugh, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Jason couldn't believe what he was seeing. Were they seriously flirting at a time like this? Or had they somehow come to a silent agreement to mess with him? "Are you guys seriously flirting at this moment of time? Z, you don't even remember the guy! What if you actually hate him?"

Dick gave him a weird look, like he was starting to understand something about Jason that Jason really didn't want him to understand. Then he gave a lazy smirk. "Don't fret too much Jason. Z can't hate me that badly, we used to date. Still friends last time I checked."

Zatanna gave Dick another slow appraisal, and he gave a leisurely twirl so that Z could study his whole form. Jason wondered if Dick's default mode was flirting because he had flirted with Barbara too. Or maybe Barbara was another ex-girlfriend. Though Barbara had standards, so it was more likely that Dick was just the type to flirt with everything that moved under the sun. That wasn't fair, Dick would probably flirt with a rock too.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Jason walked over to the intercom. Pushing the button, he said, "Zatanna's here," in a monotone. A few moments later, he heard three distinct sets of footsteps rushing down the stairs into the Batcave. A fourth set of footsteps following at a much more sedate pace. Damian and Tim burst into the Batcave with Bruce following not far behind. Jason never thought that he would see the dar that Bruce looked anything but unruffled, but he looked just as frazzled and frantic as the boys who had come in before him. Alfred came in a few moments later carrying a tray of snacks and tea.

"Master Dick. Master Jason. I must insist that you both eat something before Miss Zatarra begins. Of course, I have taken the liberty of bringing some for you too, Miss Zatarra."

Zatanna grinned. "Don't mind if I do, Alfred. I love your food with the passion of a hundred stars."

"That is very kind of you Miss. I must say that it is nice to be so appreciated."

Jason's indignant squawk was echoed by every member of his family. Dick's reaction was by far the most dramatic. His eyes looked big and watery and his lower lip was quivering. "Alfred, you don't feel appreciated?" Alfed looked distinctly uncomfortable by Dick's overreaction to his quip. Dick ignored the look and went on to say, "I know that I haven't been around recently, and that you don't remember me to begin with, but I promise that I always made you feel appreciated. You never questioned it, even when you claimed you were going to quit because I wouldn't get down from the chandelier to take a bath before one of Bruce's stupid galas."

Alfred looked pale. "Chandelier?"

"Of course. The chandelier was my favorite reading spot. I never did understand why you and Bruce hated me up there so much. I mean I was hardly going to bring the thing down. I was only nine."

Jason wondered if Dick really was that clueless, or if he was just messing with them again. Then again, it really didn't matter. "Dick, stop living up to your name and eat what Alfred brought you so that Zatanna can do what she came to do. Or do you not want us, and the rest of the world, to remember who you are?"

Dick rolled his eyes but did as he was told without argument. That, in of itself, was a sign of how badly Dick wanted his old life back. But Jason wasn't about to say anything. Some things weren't meant to say out loud in the presence of others. Or said at all, for that matter. Dick didn't seem to enjoy talking about things that were deeply personal. Considering who he was raised by, it made sense.

Jason sighed, but grabbed some food and a mug of tea for himself. He could already tell that it was going to be a long day. A migraine was forming and he found himself unable to calm his racing thoughts. Jason was starting to wish that he had just stayed in bed.

###

Tim frowned. Zatanna had tried a few spells, but so far nothing had worked. Jason had volunteered him to be her test subject, so now he was sitting there while Z cast spell after spell on him to see if she could help him remember Dick. So far, the only spell that had sort of worked was, "Rebmemer ruoy derahs tsap!" (remember your shared past) and that had only helped Tim remember seeing Dick in the bank once.

Everyone was starting to get discouraged. Jason had left fairly early on with no explanation. Tim had been upset on Dick's behalf for a few moments before realizing that the man hardly acknowledged Jason's departure. In fact, Dick seemed more upset by the fact that Damian had left not long after, claiming that he should be summoned when it became less dull. So Tim was left being the subject of Zatanna's magical experimentation, while Bruce took notes and Alfred watched with his eagle eyes.

After another hour, where Zatanna had tried casting, "Rebmemer Keid Nosyarg," (Remember Dick Grayson) which did absolutely nothing; "Eno dluohs reven tegrof ylimaf," (One should never forget family) which only made him remember forgotten moments shared with Bruce, Jason, and Damian; and "Llacer ruoy nettogrof rehtorb," (Recall your forgotten brother), which Tim had high hopes for, but in the end did nothing.

Zatanna scratched at her chin a moment before shaking her head. "Sorry guys, I can't think of any more. And frankly, if those didn't work, I doubt that any spell I might later think of would work either."

Bruce frowned and crossed his arms across his chest. "So you're saying that magic is not an option."

"I didn't say that, Bruce. I just said that I couldn't do it."

Dick who had been quietly listening up until that point, leaned forward a little. Tim couldn't imagine what it would be like for everybody to forget about you and every time you have hope that they might remember you, that hope it brutally taken away from you. It must be painful. He just hoped that Dick was dealing with that pain in a way that was uncharacteristic for the Batfamily: healthily.

Dick was the one who broke the silence when it became obvious that Zatanna wasn't going to continue until one of them asked her to. "Okay, I'll bite. Who could possibly be better at magic than you are?"

"I didn't say he was better. He just has a different expertise than I do."

Bruce actually let out a low growl. To be fair, Tim was also getting frustrated with Zatanna's evasive answers, and a vein in Dick's forehead was pronounced and pulsating. If it was memories of Tim on the line, he would be shaking Zatanna by now. Gently, of course, because Zatanna was his friend and a powerful magician.

Alfred cleared his throat pointedly. "Miss Zatarra. If you would kindly tell the Masters who to call, it would be greatly appreciated."

"Oh, of course! You guys should call John Constantine. If anyone can pull off this miracle, it's him."

Zatanna proceeds to mutter a few explicits about Constantine which made Tim blush. She seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in and gave the occupants of the Batcave a big smile. "Say goodbye to Jason and Damian for me. I hope everything goes well. If Constantine manages to pull this off, I'd love to know exactly how he did it. Toodles."

They didn't get to say anything in reply before there was a poof and Zatanna was covered in a cloud in purple smoke. A second later it was clear that she was gone. Bruce went to place the call from the Batcomputer, so Tim walked up the stairs with Dick and Alfred. It was far to quiet for Tim. He was used to Jason and Damian who were loud and rambunctious. He would bet that Dick was that way normally too. The point was, he didn't like the quiet, not unless he was studying, and not for extended periods of time. His dislike of silence was the reason that he said, "So, do you know Constantine? Cause some people don't like him, but I think that he's sort of funny. I mean he's crass and he has a shit personality and he smokes like that's his life calling, but if you ignore all of that, he's funny."

Dick gave him a side eye. "Tim. I've not only met Constantine, I've worked with him. I do agree with your assessment of him. Though I'd go as far as to say that I like him."

Tim nodded his head, only realizing after a few seconds that he was still nodding his head like some lunatic. Dick had a small smile on his face, but he was kind enough not to say anything about Tim's weirdness. Or about the tomato red blush that surely danced across his cheeks. Tim once again felt the need to speak. "What do you think was up with Jason?"

"Hard to say. We weren't close before this whole thing, so I really couldn't say what his triggers are."

"You're close now, though."

"Yes, but we didn't share anything super deep with each other. We didn't really speak about fears, or family, or nightmares, or anything along those lines. I usually save that for pillowtalk." He took a look at Tim's scandalized expression and grinned. "I'm just messing with you, Tim. Talking about PTSD is not exactly sexy."

"Do you date solely in the hero community?"

Dick looked slightly startled by the question which made Tim feel proud of himself. He felt like because Dick remembered him, he seemed to have the advantage in every interaction that they had. So it was nice surprising the man, even if he didn't need to gain a trump card of any kind.

Dick took a minute before finally answering. "No, I don't. Why do you ask?"

Tim shrugged. He didn't have any real reason for asking per say. He was just curious. "I don't know. I just wanted to know. What do you tell civilians about the nightmares?"

"Well, I haven't had to use an excuse since this debacle started. Man, Roy and Wally used to tease me for being being promiscuous, but they would definitely tease me more for being so celibate recently. Anyway, before, I used to say that it was about the multitude of kidnappings that I had gone through. Or about something that I had seen as a cop."

"Did you get kidnapped a lot?"

"Oh yeah. Even got myself the moniker of Boy Hostage. Sad to say that the kidnappings didn't stop the second I moved out either. That was one thing that was kind of nice, I haven't had to deal with any kidnappings since the world forgot who I was. As far as everyone in Bludhaven is concerned, I am an orphan."

"So you were both the Boy Wonder and the Boy Hostage?"

Dick must have heard the laughter in his voice because his tone became slightly defensive. "Bruce is both the White Knight and the Dark Knight."

"Good point." Tim was suddenly nervous again. "I should probably check on Jason and update him. He likes Constantine so the news might cheer him up." Dick looks doubtful, so he hastily adds, "I'll make sure to get in and out. As long as he doesn't revert back to attempting to murder me, I can handle whatever mood he throws at me."

"If you say so."

Tim left Dick behind and quickly scaled the stairs. Stopping outside of Jason's room, he took a breath to steal himself before knocking on the door. He didn't wait for Jason to tell him that he could come in, instead entering to room as soon as he finished knocking.

"Why knock if you aren't going to wait for me to tell you to go the fuck away?"

Jason was lying on his bed, an arm covering his eyes. He was lying on top of his covers, which was the only reason that Tim knew that he had changed out of his sweatpants and into his pajama bottoms. "I knew you wouldn't let me come in, and I wanted to tell you that Z left."

Jason sat up at that news and looked at him expectantly. Tim didn't know what Jason was expecting him to say. Shouldn't he already know that he didn't remember Dick any more than he had before Zatanna arrived? Or maybe he wanted some sort of report, which would make more sense. "She said that there was nothing she could do. Before you start angsting too much, you should know that she said that if there was anybody who could help it would be Constantine. Bruce is calling him now. Have no clue when he's gonna show up though."

Jason flopped back down onto his bed. "Your a little shit Tim. You should have lead with, "Jason, Zatanna said to call Constantine.' You got me all freaked out for no reason."

"You were freaked out? Why? Are you invested in this friendship? Or is it something more?"

Jason glared at him and pointed at the door. "Get out before I decide to go back to trying to murder you."

Tim left as quickly as he could without actually running. When he was halfway down the hall, Jason yelled, "Text me when you find out what time Constantine is supposed to arrive!" Tim had the grace and self-preservation to wait until he was at the bottom of the stairs to start guffawing. Dick must of heard him, because he wandered out of the den with Damian and Titus. Tim was surprised that Damian had allowed Dick to meet his precious dog.

"What's so funny Timbo?"

Tim doubted that Jason would appreciate any sort of mention of what had just transpired so he just shrugged and said, "Nothing."

Dick nodded like that was a perfectly acceptable answer. "Well, I was just hanging out with Dami and Titus. Oh, and Bruce said Constantine would be here tonight. Didn't give a time, but that's pretty standard for Constantine."

Tim nodded and sent off a quick text to Jason letting him know about the newest development. He might like to tease his older brother, but he wouldn't want to keep him out of the loop. Jason would be angry, which Tim would understand. He would be angry too, if people didn't deem him important enough to give him vital information.

He supposed that wasn't all that important at the moment. John Constantine was coming by later which meant that he might remember Dick as early as tonight. Which was as scary as it was thrilling. What if he had secretly hated Dick? Granted, Dick had been raised by Batman too, so he probably would have picked up on Tim's secret disdain. Of course, none of that would help if he was lying about something that Martian Manhunter had deemed unimportant or irrelevant. Then again, Dick had been honest about the state of his and Jason's relationship, so he probably wasn't lying about anything else.

Tim shook his head. He would drive himself crazy with the "what-if" scenarios. It would be for the best just to let the cards fall and figure it all out once he actually remembered Dick. It would all work out eventually. He just had to be patient.

###

Dick spent the day playing with Damian's dog outside on the extensive manor grounds, and in general trying to keep his mind off of Constantine's impending arrival. Jason had eventually decided to come out of his self-imposed exile. He took one look at Dick, who was covered in dog drool, and walked away reappearing with a book. He settled under the shade of one of the beautifully manicured trees, opened his book, though he seemed to be paying more attention to Dick than to actually reading. Dick made a show of showing off. Flitting around, doing flips, allowing Titus to chase him, and so on. He was a regular show pony.

Eventually it started getting dark outside and Dick and Jason went inside to see John Constantine sitting in the kitchen drinking tea. "There you are Dickie-boy. I was beginning to think that I was gonna have to drag you inside myself."

"You know my name? Wait, how long have you been here?!"

The sound of Dick's loud shout, the rest of the batfam came running into the kitchen. Bruce eyed Constantine with more than just mild distaste. "Constantine. I see that you have invited yourself into my home and helped yourself to my kitchen."

Dick had to give Bruce credit. He was the king of passive aggressiveness. Constantine didn't seem fazed which was pretty impressive. "You invited me here, Batsy. About damn time too. Dick I would have thought you would have called me, your favorite warlock, to help you solve the world's memory problem."

Dick gaped. And then he the infamous Nightwing temper begin to rise. If Constantine couldn't fix this whole messed up situation, he was going to clober him for not seeking Dick out. He might clober Constantine even if he could fix it. Trying to calm himself, he managed to plaster on fake smile and say in a strained voice, "If you remembered who I was, why didn't you seek me out? And how exactly do you, of all people, remember me?"

Constantine made a flippant hand gesture. "I was in Hell at the time of this little mishap. I don't know what you know about Hell, but it is an alternate dimension of sorts, so the satellite's effects weren't able to reach me. I figured you would eventually turn to me, though I didn't think that it would take so long."

Dick's eye twitched and the vein in his forehead throbbed painfully. "If I wasn't extremely traumatized, maybe I would have been thinking clear enough to think that calling you might be a good idea."

Constantine suddenly looked sheepish. "Yeah. Heard about what happened with the Death Machine. Tough break, mate."

Dick gritted his teeth. Tim was murmuring the words, "Death Machine?" to Damian and Jason who both shrugged, but made a noise of interest. Dick almost positively hated Constantine in this moment for bringing that machine in front of his obsessively curious family.

"How do you know about that?"

"Well I was on Earth for the death of Nightwing, but even if I hadn't been, demons are terrible gossips. I was subjected to your whole life story while I was stuck in Hell."

Dick grimaced and did something with his face that must have told Constantine that he should shut the hell up. The whole room was silent for a few moments, a few moments for Dick to get his head on straight. Then Dick took a centering breath and put a more pleasant expression on his face. "So Constantine, what exactly is your plan to fix this?"

Constantine paused for dramatic effect, making sure that all eyes were on him. "We are going to take a trip to see my contact in the City of Angels."

Jason wrinkled his nose. "Why are you saying it like that? Are we going to see an angel?"

"Sure. I guess you could call him that, but if you want to be technical he's a fallen angel. More importantly, we have to discuss who gets to come on this little field trip."

"Fallen angel?"

"Yeah. Lucifer Morningstar. He's been living in Los Angeles for over five years now. Doesn't cause any trouble." Constantine paused for a second before correcting himself, "Well, not too much trouble anyways."

Bruce growled. Literally growled. The man was an animal. Dick wished that he could laugh about it, but it would probably make him seem more insane than his family already thought he was. And to be fair, he probably had more psychosis than the average Gothamite. But so did the rest of his crazy ass family, so they had no right to judge him.

Bruce finally ended whatever staring contest he was having with Constantine because he said, "We all go. That isn't up for debate."

Constantine gripped his chin between his forefinger and his thumb, giving the entire Batfamily a critical look. Finally, he pointed at Tim, "Too young," at Bruce, "Too old," and finally at Damian, "Way too young." He gave Jason a long and appraising look. "You, you can come, if you make yourself look older."

"Cool. Where exactly are we going, and why do I have to look older?"

Constantine looked almost sheepish. "Hottest nightclub in LA."

Dick shook his head, while Jason let out a soft, "Awesome." Only John Constantine would have them meet up with the devil in the hottest nightclub in Los Angeles.

"It's also an upscale nightclub, so make sure you guys look presentable. We leave in an hour."

###

Constantine managed to portal them a few blocks away from the club. When they arrived, the line into the club was insanely long. Constantine made some sort of grumbling noise and actually buttoned his shirt up and tightened his tie. Dick thought that the older man actually looked presentable for once in his life, though he still required a good shave. Jason, meanwhile, was wearing a black leather jacket over a red v-neck. Dick himself, had opted instead for a black sports coat over a blue button down that was unbuttoned one button too far.

Straightening slightly, Constantine gave his clothes one last good straightening. "Come on lads, let's skip the line. I'll get the bouncer to let us in."

They walked ahead of the line and settled in front of the bouncer. The guy was huge. He almost seemed as large as Blockbuster, which was in of itself a feat. He stared down at the trio, looking very unimpressed. Dick just thanked whatever deity there was that Jason wasn't smirking or saying some smartass comment. He really should have known that it would be Constantine that he would have to worry about.

"Well hello there Butch. Why don't you let us in so that I can have a quick word with Luci."

Constantine made a move to walk around the bouncer and he immediately stopped. "I don't think so John Constan-tyne. Mr. Morningstar has made it very clear that he does not like you and I value my job. He no longer owes you, which means that you no longer get to demand entrance."

"First off, it's Constantine, second I have somebody here, that he will find interesting. He'll want to see me."

Butch, or at least Dick was assuming that his name was Butch, rolled his eyes. "Fine. They can enter. If Mr. Morningstar decides that he wants you can come in, he can let you in himself."

Constantine let out a groan and rubbed a hand down his face. "Listen up boys, go inside to the bar and find a female bartender named Maze. Tell her that I'm outside and I need to meet with Lucifer. And for the love of God, don't flirt with her. She's a demon and can kick your ass seven ways to Sunday. And if she takes you to meet Lucifer, don't make a deal without me. Deals always favor the devil and you don't want to owe your soul, trust me."

Dick walked past Constantine and into the club with a smile. "Then she's just my type." Jason followed after him shooting him a quizzical look. Dick gave him a shrug, trying to navigate his way through the insanely busy club. "My type. I lied about it being redheads. Though there does seem to be an abnormal amount of redheads in my dating history."

"What's your type then?"

"People who can kick my ass seven ways to Sunday."

"So I'm your type then?"

Dick gave him a puzzled smile. "Why would you be my type? You can't kick my ass even if you wanted to. Babs. Now she's my type."

Jason squawked indignantly. Dick just smiled and made his way towards the bar. He liked the ambiance of this place. He especially liked that there was a man in a suit singing old music which seemed at odds with the skimpily dressed women that surrounded him. The whole club just had this vibe. He really wished that they had this place back in Gotham. On second thought, it was probably for the best that they didn't have this place in Gotham because he would be there far too often.

They reached the bar, and Dick slid into a seat, putting on his best smile. A dark haired woman moved to stand in front of him. "What do you want?"

"You Maze?"

"Yeah. What of it. Don't tell me you're one of Decker's cop buddies."

Dick's smile grew. If she wasn't a demon, Dick would totally be flirting with her by now. "I am a cop, but I'm afraid I don't know a Decker. John Constantine sent me. He needs a meet with Lucifer."

Maze gave him an appraising look before licking her lips. She turned to look straight at Jason for a moment giving him a thoroughly checking him out before scoffing. "Too bad I have a rule about having sex with zombies." She looked back at Dick for a moment before sighing. "You're that guy everybody forgot about. Constantine likes you enough to make another deal with the devil? Did you sleep with him?"

Dick gave her a lazy smirk that he knew reeked of sex. "No. If I had done that, he would have solved this problem months ago."

"Come with me."

They followed Maze to an upstairs apartment and were told to sit tight. The second that she was out of sight Jason turned to him and said, "It probably wasn't a good idea to follow her up here without insisting that we get Constantine first."

Dick nodded slowly. "Probably not. But it isn't on my top ten list of stupid things that I've done this year alone."

Jason didn't look surprised by that at all, which was almost offensive. Then again, if it had been Jason who had said it, Dick wouldn't have been surprised either. He might have even said, "Probably not even in your top fifty," which wouldn't have been the kindest thing to say but would've been at least somewhat truthful.

They waited tensely for a few minutes before the elevator doors opened and a man in a prada suit walked in with so much swagger that he could only be Lucifer Morningstar. "Dick Grayson. I hear that you've come to make a deal."

"Constantine told me not to make a deal without him present."

Lucifer let out a little laugh. "Good old Johnny. Ruining my fun before it begins." He turned to face Jason with an almost puzzled look. "Jason Todd. Alive and well again."

Jason looked momentarily devastated before his face slipped back into a neutral mask. "So I went downstairs after all. Guess all that heroing didn't pay off."

"Oh no. You are absolutely covered in heavenly stench. Don't fool yourself for a second in thinking that you went to my domain, Jason Todd. That said, I've never met a human that died and came back before. Do you have any issues?"

Jason looked weirded out. Dick couldn't blame him, he probably had the same look on his face. "You mean with bodily functions?"

"No, like psychosis. I can smell the daddy issues from here. Do tell. Or better yet, meet my therapist Dr. Linda. I'm sure she would be happy to help."

"I'm from Gotham, if you don't have multiple psychosis, you haven't lived there long enough."

Lucifer looked thoughtful for a second before turning around with a flourish. "Maze. How would you like to kidnap some of LA's finest therapists and deliver them to Gotham. It seems that Gotham is in desperate need for something that is plentiful in this city."

Maze gave a feral grin and Dick quickly jumped in before things got out of hand. "That's very kind of you to offer, but us Gothamites don't take well to outsiders. Or doctors. Or therapists. Or clowns. Actually there are a lot of things that we don't take well too."

Both Maze and Lucifer looked disappointed by that, but Lucifer bounced back quickly. "Too bad. I find therapy soothing even when I'm being told that sex won't solve my daddy issues or my feelings of abandonment."

Dick nodded. "Very enlightening. Can I ask you something? Why are you here running a nightclub in Los Angeles of all places?"

"I needed a little vacation. And the irony of the devil living in the City of Angels was too good to pass up. I do admire your bravery though. Most people would never dare to ask."

"That's me, brave to the point of stupidity."

"Oh I do like you. If I weren't trying the whole celibacy thing I would definitely sleep with you."

"Thanks. I'd probably at the very least consider sleeping with you if everybody's memories of me weren't non-existent."

Lucifer grinned wide. "I appreciate your honesty. I think I shall reward you. I can't help you with the missing memories. Tell Constan-tyne that if he wants to get the memories of you back, he will have to ask upstairs and not downstairs."

"You mean God?"

Lucifer grimaced and did a full body shudder. "In a manner of speaking. Johnny-boy will know what I'm speaking of. Now as much as I would like to stay and chat, I do have a highly successful club to run. Tell that meddlesome 'Expert of the Occults' that I never want to see him near my club again unless he's willing to make the kind of deal that he doesn't walk away from."

With that Lucifer did a dramatic turn and sauntered towards the elevator with Maze in tow. Jason and Dick shared a look, before following. They ended up outside the club much faster than they entered. Constantine was pacing and muttering furiously to himself. When he spotted them, he started yelling. "I told you to get me! Did you make a deal? I swear Bats is going to murder me! I took his precious sons on a field trip and one or both of them made a literal deal with the devil! No wonder he is such a helicopter parent, his kids are incapable of making good decisions! What should I do? Batman will hunt me down to the ends of the Earth! I should've never—"

Dick interrupted his rant before it could get longer. "Nobody made any deals. Lucifer seemed to like us though. He told us that he couldn't help, and that you needed to ask upstairs. He also said that you would know what he means."

"Bollocks. Let's head back to Gotham. We can set up everything there."

"Set up what, exactly."

"We need to perform a summoning."

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A/N: Sorry for the delay guys. I hope that this chapter was well worth the wait. Many of you guys have been begging for an update and a few have been asking whether or not I'm okay. I was pretty sick for a while, and I could barely think let alone write. I have about a hundred different versions of this chapter in my head, but I think that this one turned out pretty okay all things considered. Rest assured dear readers that I am feeling better and that I will continue to write this story, even though it is taking much longer than planned, and every chapter seems to grow in length.

Happy Holidays!