Persephone – Part XVII

"Azar! You found your way," relief spread through Raven's young face.

Jason turned slowly as Batman walked out of the shadows in their direction.

"Thank you, Raven," said the Batman, alleviated to have voice again. Although his voyage had been long, he had finally found the right path through the Erebus. It had been, without any doubt, the hardest journey of his life, his ten years of lost wandering couldn't even compare, but it wasn't over yet.

The boy remained silent, his face lowered.

"What is it Jason?" and to Jason's surprize, he didn't have to look up to face the callousness of the white senses of the Batman's cowl. When Jason raised his gaze from the ground, he found Bruce in front of him, bent in on knee to the ground.

He looked tired, and older than Jason reminded of him, and yet, Jason could see now, Bruce was in so many ways, very young, a child just like himself. His blue eyes were filled with a mix of sadness and love so strong that Jason had to suck the air in to hold the tears in. All he ever wanted was to accept the offer Bruce implicitly tried to make him take, and that he had been so afraid to accept all this time.

For the first moment in a very long time, Jason didn't want to be punished anymore, he didn't want to cross the river to be with the person who betrayed him from his first to final moment, he wanted to go home. But after everything that have happened, how could him? Surely, he didn't get to go with Bruce. Not him. Not Jason.

"I failed you," he said, finally. "I was ungrateful to you and Selina, and I couldn't even be a decent Robin."

As much as those words broke Bruce's heart, he also felt his chest expand with pride for the child before him. Jason couldn't be more mistaken in his assumptions of self-worth and responsibility, yet there was so much courage needed to carry a crippling burden like that. Bruce reached out to Jason, and pushed the blood matted curls falling on his eyes. Jason blinked releasing a couple of fat tears that made paths on his cheeks covered in desert dust.

"I… I could hear you, sometimes…" he continued in a tiny voice. "And I remember that day… B… Tell Sel… Tell her I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He choked, his little face crumpled in distress. "She was crying so much, and I've heard you fighting after... I ruined everything. I should be with my mother. I'm bad like her, we belong together."

"Look at me," said Bruce in a kind yet firm tone "you did nothing wrong. I am the one who failed you, and your mother, I shouldn't let you go alone. She's waiting for you."

Jason gave him a look so broken, that made Bruce's heart constrict with despair, he wasn't believing. What life had that child led that made him so distrustful? Overtaken by fear, Bruce pulled Jason to a bear hug, his small body crashing against his armour.

"Jay, son, I love you so much, you have no idea…"

He hears Jason sigh, and when the boy returns the contact throwing his small arms around his neck, grabbing bits of the fabric of Bruce's cape with urgency, Bruce feels, after a very long time, true hope that things will be alright.

"I should have payed more attention," he continues, still holding Jason strongly, "and I should have never let you feel like you didn't belong with us. But I make mistakes too, we all do. And I'm here to apologise. Do you think you can forgive me, Jason?"

It takes a moment for the boy to control himself enough to whisper his affirmative in Bruce's ear. The relive is cathartic, and he tightens his grip around Jason's body, thanking him.

"We've been here for too long," says Raven, and Bruce stand up alarmed. He had forgotten she was even there. He feels Jason grab his hand, and he adjust the grip.

"How do we leave?" Bruce asks.

"We need to pay the ferryman to take Jason. Do you have the obol?"

Bruce frowns and then the taste of the fruit feels his mouth again. He reaches into his pocket and take the two copper coins. They feel heavy against his palm.

"But I thought…" says Jason hesitant "I thought he would take me to…"

"The river has many harbours," explain Raven approaching them, she curls the red thread linking her to Bruce around her wrist. "Give me your hand," she says to Jason.

Jason exchanges a nervous look with Bruce who nods to him. Raven, ravels the thread around Jason's wrist three times whispering something.

"For safety," she explains. Then she turns her gaze to Bruce. "You ate from the fruit. I hope you understand what it means."

"Yes."

"No!" protested Jason horrified, and letting go of Bruce's hand to cling to his side desperately.

"I promised to bring you back," she continues "and I'll try my best, but my powers might not be enough."

"As long as you take him," says Bruce, his jaw tense.

"No! Bruce! What are you guys talking about?! You can't leave him here!"

"Jason," said Bruce crouching again to his line of vision. "Come what may, remember what I told you."

"But-"

Bruce held his face, brushing his thumb against Jason's cheek.

"I'm just glad I got to talk with you again," Bruce stood up turning to the river, he knew exactly what to do. "I summon Charon, the ferryman. I have his due."

"This is bullshit!" Jason continued to protest.

The dark waters once impossibly still, waved, and from the mists first an oil lamp, then the bow of a small wooden boat. Before the boat crossed the mists completely, Bruce pushes one of the coins inside his own mouth the other one he gives to Jason.

Jason pays his due and father and son board into the boat, and sail into the darkness.

oOo

"Something is happening! Dick! Dick!" Donna cries out and the whole Wayne clan fumbles to enter the room.

Dick pushes Helena out of his way to get to the monitors. The scene is picturesque, almost comical although no one is laughing, and the panic in the air is so thick that is disorienting.

Everyone starts talking at the same time, and Dick is about to shout to everybody shut up so he can understand what is going on, and if he should be calling the paramedics when Raven open her eyes and moans. She almost falls on the ground, but Donna reaches to pick her up, carrying her like a bride.

"Rach? Are you okay? Rachel, talk to me!"

"Donna…" Raven sighs, pressing her face against Donna's chest. "I'm so tired…"

"Oh my god!" everybody turns to look at Selina's loud exclamation, as she runs to Jason's bed as he blinks awake for the first time in a very long while. "Oh baby, my baby," she mumbles, her shaky hands reaching for the boy's face, but not quite touching him, too afraid.

Jason coughs and try to say something. Selina finally resolves to take his hand.

"Hush, honey, don't try to talk now," she presses his hand against her forehead. "Thank you, thank you."

Dick falls on his knees, heavy breathing, they've done it… He can't believe. He watches he rest of the family joining around Jason's bed. Helena picking Mary from the floor to help her see her older brother's green eyes blink confused to his family.

"What about Master Bruce?" Alfred is the first to ask.

Bliss fades, turning into sour dread.

Selina let go of her son's hand and walk past her other children to reach Bruce's bed.

"What is wrong? Why doesn't he wake up?" she asks panicked.

"Rae?!" Dick calls standing up.

Raven climbs down from Donna's arms, but still holds against her for support.

"I don't know… I thought…" she breathes. "He's lost."

"You've lost him?!" Accuses Selina angrily.

"No. Not me. But he knew the danger of eating the fruit… Still…" she limps in the direction of Bruce's bed. His body immobile, only the cadence of his breathing denouncing that he's still alive. Raven raises a hand over him. "I can feel him, it's like, he's right in front of me, but he guards himself so… Maybe if I…" her eyes glow. "I can't…" she falls again against Donna. "Oh…"

"Dick, she's too tired," warns Donna "we have to stop!"

"But dad!" argues Helena.

"If we don't stop right now we might lose the both of them!" Donna replies angrily.

Raven, pulls herself straight again, her four eyes shining red. The shadows around the room begin to shift, Mary starts to cry bloody murder.

"Raven, snap out of it!" Donna shouts.

"No… Donna… I have to try" Raven's voice don't sound nothing like the usual now.

"You will die. Stop it now!" And seeing that her words make no effect, Donna punches Raven's on the back of the head making her black out instantly. She grabs her friend's body before she hit the floor. What a mess. But there was no way she would let Raven go full demon in a room full of non-metas. Once again she regrets not bringing Starfire.

oOo

They wheel Bruce back to the cave's medbay to give Jason space. The boy manages a few words asking for water and complaining about numbness in his lower half. Selina tends to him with help of Alfred, and they call Leslie. It's weird meeting her after the last time they saw each other, and Selina delegates to Alfred and the others to explain to her the whole situation. Selina herself, tries to keep busy, she feels like if she stops, if she thinks too much, she will snap, and she can't, she just can't.

She feels like when she just learned she was pregnant with Helena and Bruce was gone. The whole world seems tilted sideways. Reality is wonky, and absurd. Suddenly there is no difference between up and down, everything feels so fundamentally wrong, and yet, she can't stop, she has no right to just, for a moment, fall apart, because everybody needs her.

She has a baby depending on her, a sick child, Helena… Oh her beautiful daughter. She doesn't deserve to have her father for such a little time for just have him taken away from her like that. And Dick, her brave boy, she knows how guilty he must feel, after trying so hard. And Mary… No. Bruce promised she'd not have to do all that again without him. She put that ridiculous diamond in her finger and said forever, he… And there was Alfred, he'll not survive losing Bruce again, she just knows it.

Selina marches around the house like a robot, and put each of her kids in bed, even Holly and Dick. She acknowledges the soothing comforting words slipping from her lips, and the hugs she gives, the tears she dries. But her own feelings, her own despair, that Selina locks up, holding the burning key close to her chest and ignoring the smoke getting to her eyes as her own turmoil consumes her.

"How are Donna and Raven?" She asks Alfred as he works around Bruce's body.

For a moment she thinks he might not answer, that he'll still ignore her like he had been doing since she left. For once, truly, Selina wouldn't blame him. As much as she likes to tease him for it, Jeeves' loyalty to Bruce and their family is the thing that makes her admire him so much. That and the crustless quiche, those are exceptional.

"Miss Roth is asleep," he finally says, straitening his back, done with whatever he was doing to Bruce. "Dr Thompkins found nothing wrong with the young lady other than exhaustion. Miss Troy helped us to settle Master Bruce and is now taking care of her."

"Good. I've…" she sucked the air in, leaning against the doorframe. "The children settled too. Even Mary was exhausted. What about Bruce? What did she said?"

Alfred hesitated and Selina's breath hitched when she turned her gaze to him. His cane fell, he was shaking. Selina ran to his side, trying to offer her body as support.

"Alfred? Alfred are you okay?"

"Yes," he assured her in a weak voice and patting her hand. Selina tried to lead him to a chair, but he refused. "I am tired, Madam. I am so tired… Dr Thompkins said there's nothing she can do."

"He is not-"

"No, he's alive," he assured her, trying to sooth her despair. "But, as Miss Roth said, he seems to be lost to us."

"That's not true" she argued feeling like a pathetic child answering back to an adult. "He promised, Alfred!"

"Oh my poor girl," he raised his nebulous blue eyes to her, touching her face with incredibly fondness, like never before. "I have been unfair to you so many times. I was foolish, and selfish. Master Bruce would never be lead astray because of you," he cleaned the tears falling down her cheeks with the handkerchief from his pocket. "And you have never been the cause of his recklessness. I can see that now. And… If he comes back to us one more time… Well, I believe it will be because he can't resist chasing you" that earned a teary chuckle from her. "But if he doesn't… I can only be grateful for the time we had, and what remain. You, my dear, the children."

Unable to say anything for the first moment, Selina hugged the old man, crushing him hard against her body as he awkwardly patted her head. Then, she pushed him away delicately, shoving him weakly against his chest.

"Jeeves you are being so dramatic and sentimental," she teased him sniffling and urging her tears to stop falling "are you having a stroke or something? Should I call Lee back?"

He accepted his cane back as she picked up from the floor for him, and schooled his face back to the aloofness of a British gentleman.

"I am perfectly fine, and will now retire to my quarters. Goodnight, Mrs. Wayne."

She snorted.

"Goodnight, Alfred."

She watched as he left, paying attention to if he needed additional aid, but other than a little stiffness of movement from tiredness, Alfred looked like always. Maybe Selina was wrong, maybe Alfred had other reasons to persevere other than Bruce. And from all the things he said, some that she didn't even realised she had been craving to hear for so long, there was one that stuck. He thought Bruce came back to chase her.

As much as Selina was well aware of the hold she had on Bruce's heart for a very long time she didn't believe that was true. How could she? He had left before. And after all they said to each other, in that same room hours ago, although it felt years, Bruce was okay with the thought of leaving her again. He was not fine with losing her, but her losing him? That was okay in his book.

But she was not having that crap again.

"You are such a coward, Bruce," she said to his sleeping body "and I hate you so much."

She sat on the bed beside him.

"I just don't hate you right now more than I hate myself for letting you do this to me over and over again" she looked away from his unchanging face to her hands. She had taken off her gloves ages ago, and just now she realised how weird was to be in full Catwoman suit minus them and the cowl. "I never wanted to need anybody, and I never wanted to belong to you."

Selina turned back to him again, her face contorted in anger.

"But you never hear, do you? It's always your way… You knew from the start that this wasn't work, I told you so many times, but you didn't care. You are so arrogant that you convinced yourself and me, that this would be good for us. You pursued me, and begged me to marry you and have more of your babies," her voice wavered here, getting croaky as emotions took over again. "But you lied to me, you jerk!" She hit his chest weakly with one closed hand, the other one caressing him. "You promised me you were never leave again… So now you'll just give up? You tell me that bunch load of crap about this family not surviving without me and then you just leave? No way José!"

Sucking her breath, Selina climbed on the bed and over Bruce's body, shaking him.

"Wake up, Bruce! Wake up! Wake up!" she ordered completely out of control, slapping and punching him, trying to get a reaction, anything, but nothing seemed to work. "You are not leaving me again, I won't let you do it to me twice!"

Tired, she finally stopped, sobbing, her forehead against his chest.

"I said it once and I do it again. I want you. No matter how I struggle with it, how I reject it, this whole time I tried to stay away from you, oh god, I tried so hard. But not for a moment…"

She raised her head, praying for blue eyes, but they remained closed.

"I want you, do you hear me? I'll always want you. Come," she slapped his chest again "back! Come back you asshole you are not turning me into a single parent of how many children he have now, I've lost the damn count. Come back, please, I love you so much, come back to me!"

She hears a deep sigh. Selina chokes, hope spreading through her veins like poison.

"How come all princesses get kisses and I am being abused like that?" Her face snaps up, eyes huge with surprise, mouth agape. Bruce raises a hand to her face. "Hi Cat, I heard you call."

She makes a throaty, desperate sound, but doesn't even try to say anything. Selina leans in and Bruce has his true love's kiss


There you have it, the end.

Just kidding hahaha. Well, kinda. The plot is over, I'll write an epilogue to settle things and no more of this particular story. Boy, this one did a number in me, but I'm very proud of myself and couldn't be more grateful for all the amazing people that I met and continued to interact with because of this story. I know it is cliché, but guys, it really means the word for me, each comment, each tweet, each kudo/like/reblog. It really makes me SO HAPPY. Thank you.

And now, I'm very tired of writing emotional scenes. I want to work on something very slice-of-lifey next haha.