A/N - TW - Indirect references to Dick's rape by Tarantula and its after-effects.

If you're keeping track of the timeline - Steph died on Sunday night.

Bruce calls Tim Monday afternoon and then Tim and Conner find out they're soulmates, ending with Tim sleeping over at Conner's; Crystal's drama in Ch. 13 also happens all throughout Monday, and Cass confronts Bruce Monday night and then meets Jason.

On Tuesday Bruce calls Dick about Steph's death and then Dick calls Jason, who drags Slade into the phone call. Tim and Kon's interview took place on Tuesday morning, and this chapter takes place late Tuesday afternoon.

Chapter 14

"Shit!" Jason yelped when Cass abruptly jerked upright and flung a knife through the air from where her head had been cozily resting on his shoulder while they watched PBS together, curled up under a blanket on his couch.

Across the room, the blade stopped inches from Slade's remaining scowling eye, the handle gripped in his fist.

"Cassandra Cain," Slade said dryly. "If I'd have known you were here, I would've come in with my swords out."

"Or you could have just knocked like a normal person," Jason groused as he got up from the couch to greet his older brother, who had emerged from the stairwell just behind Deathstroke but was lurking uncomfortably in the shadows.

"Boy, knocking on the front door is for the inept and the weak, and I am neither," Slade boasted, flicking his eyes around the room to assess for further danger. "What's Cain doing here?" he demanded.

"Cass," the girl corrected with a glare.

"Or Black Bat," Jason added, reaching back to offer her a hand to tug her off the couch.

A hand which he did not let go of as he led her over to meet Dick, a fact which Jason saw Slade track with an amused eyebrow tilt.

"She's Steph's best friend," Jason said. "Hey Dickiebird," he said softly as he approached his brother, who was still hanging back behind Slade, and was it Jason's imagination, or was Slade subtly angling his body in front of Dick? Huh. That was weird.

"Hey Jason," Dick said before swallowing and shifting on his feet, eyeing Cass.

"This is Cass," Jason said. "My friend, too," he added. "This is my brother, Dick," he said, looking down at the girl who was in no way, shape, or form in the friendzone. "He only lives up to his name half of the time," Jason added with a grin.

Slade snorted.

"We talking about the same Dick?" he said, turning his head to smirk at the younger man. "'Cause I'm gonna say he lives up to his name a full one hundred and ten percent of the time," Slade teased.

"That's because you're an asshole," Dick snarked right back, relaxing the slightest bit. "You get special treatment."

Something undefined flared in Slade's eyes, but before he could say what was on his mind, Dick cleared his throat and finally met Cass's eyes.

"Hi, Cass," he said, but didn't offer a hand.

"Hi," she said back, tipping her head to the side as she regarded Dick and Slade.

And while Jason was not yet an expert on Cass's body language (a failing he was diligently applying himself to remedying), that was definitely amusement in her eyes. Although why it was there, Jason could not explain.

"Well, come on in and sit down, anyway," Jason said into the silence.

Slade narrowed his eyes and gave Cass a look as he made his way past her, and her eyes were flat-out laughing at him, now, as she turned and went back to the couch, leaving Jason alone in front of a hesitant Dick.

"Hey, Big Wing," Jason said gently, stepping forward, but only slightly. "Is a hug ok?"

Dick blinked and teared up.

"Yeah," he said thickly, moving forward to meet Jason. "A hug is good," he said, reaching out and wrapping his arms surprisingly tight around Jason's middle, and sniffing into his shoulder when his younger but much bigger brother engulfed him in a bear hug.

"I'm so sorry," Jason whispered into Dick's ear, despite the overwhelming inadequacy of the phrase.

"I love you," Dick mumbled back. "I'm sorry I left," he said. "And I'm so sorry about Steph, I should've been here, I should've -"

"Hey, no," Jason said firmly. "You stop right there, Dickiebird," he said. "This was one hundred percent Pops's fault and zero percent yours," he said. "Hell, maybe it's part mine for letting that asshole Sionis live as long as I did," Jason sighed. "He had his uses, but…" Jason felt his throat get tight.

Dick squeezed him a little tighter, and Jason closed his eyes and hugged back.

"Anyway," Jason said after a long second, "you got nothin' to apologize for about leaving. You did what you had to do, ok?"

"Ok," Dick mumbled back, although his face said that it was very much not ok.

Jason let it go, though, and walked Dick over to the seating area where Cass had scooted down to the far end of the couch so that Jason could sit in between her and the already seated Slade, leaving Dick the armchair at Slade's elbow - which meant that Cass was positioned as far away from Dick as possible, Jason noted, and he more than suspected that it was deliberate.

See, this is why he liked her, he thought to himself. Cass was sweet and observant. And badass. An excellent combination, Jason hummed to himself as he plopped down next to his crush and squeezed her knee, earning himself a warm smile back.

"Have you talked to Tim yet?" Dick asked Jason as he sat, curling his legs up onto the chair and into his chest before wrapping his arms around them. "He must be devastated," Dick said.

"I'm gonna go see him later tonight," Jason said. "With you, if you want," he added. "He's been up in Metropolis, y'know."

"I didn't know," Dick said in surprise, looking guilty again. "I didn't even know Bruce had made Steph Robin."

He rubbed his nose on his sleeve and looked glum until he looked over at Slade, and saw something in his eye that made him relax fractionally.

"Yeah, so, Timmy's dad found out he was Robin," Jason said. "Threatened to kill Bruce."

"Oh, shit," Dick said in horror, but Cass was snorting in laughter, and Jason grinned down at her.

"Yeah, you got another member for your Kill Bruce Club," he teased her.

Slade slid his gaze over to Cass as his lips twitched.

"Did you do it, or is he still breathing?" the mercenary asked her curiously, causing Cass's face to twist into a scowl.

"Ran," she spat derisively, making Jason laugh.

"Fucker jumped off the roof to get away from her," he giggled, wiping his eyes. "Cass is a badass," he said.

"No shit," said Slade. "I don't offer apprenticeships to just anybody," he said, sliding his good eye back over to Dick with a smirk, who rolled his eyes, but with a tiny smile that Jason might dare to call fond. Hm.

Cass made a rude noise with her mouth at Slade, though, causing the assassin to chuckle. Dick looked at Cass tentatively before giving her a small smile, which Cass returned very gently, Jason noticed.

"So, what's the plan, Hood?" Deathstroke asked as he stretched his long legs out and propped them up on Jason's coffee table.

"Rude!" Jason said, kicking them off, making Dick unexpectedly giggle. "Do I come into your house and put my feet all over your shit?" Jason snarked at Slade.

"Boy, you couldn't find my house if you wanted to, and even if you did, you sure as hell couldn't break in," Slade told him.

"Bullshit," Jason said, rattling off an address and a string of keycodes without batting an eye.

Beside him, Slade froze in place and gave him a glacial glare. Cass growled low in her throat and Jason felt her hand sneak in between the couch cushions for one of the weapons stashed there.

"Slade," Dick said warningly, suddenly looking very concerned.

"You want to tell me how the hell you found that out?" Slade said in a low, taut voice to Jason.

"Nope," Jason said calmly, leaning back unconcernedly against the back of his couch.

"Boy -" Slade started to say, drawing an arm back that Dick caught softly in both of his hands, giving the merc a pleading look. "Robin, you do not want me to stand here with my security compromised and not kick this brat's ass," Slade warned Dick, but despite his surly tone, Cass suddenly relaxed beside Jason.

"Ok," she mouthed to him.

Jason raised his eyebrows and turned back to watch Dick and Slade's negotiation.

"I'm sure Jason had a good reason for finding out your home info," Dick said appeasingly to Deathstroke. "Right, Jason?" he said.

"Damn straight I did," Jason said. "You think I'm gonna let you travel around with my brother and not have a contingency plan to fry your ass if you hurt Dick?"

Slade swiveled his head to look at Jason.

"I don't break contracts," he said, but even Jason could see that his expression had gentled, and possibly even had a modicum of respect.

Jason shrugged.

"And I don't take chances with my brother," he said. "Even if you two are BFF's or frenemies or whatever the fuck you are."

"Boyfriends," Dick said softly, but distractedly, because his eyes were big and he was staring at Jason almost like he didn't know him. "You care about me that much, Little Wing?" he said, looking a little teary-eyed.

"You're boyfriends?" Jason shrieked, ignoring Dick's question as his jaw dropped wide open before he snapped it shut in an angry stare that was directed solely at Slade, who didn't even notice Jason because his own face had gone soft and was focused on Dick.

Dick, however, looked distraught.

"Little Wing, please don't be upset," Dick begged him. "I know I always said I wanted my soulmate, but -"

"I'm not upset about you dating Slade!" Jason huffed. "I'm mad because this fucker's been taking my money for a whole damn YEAR to keep you safe, and the whole time Dickie was your boyfriend?" he screamed at the assassin. "You scamming sonofabitch!" Jason yelled, tugging on his hair.

Beside him, Cass started to quietly giggle. Slade smirked at Jason and shrugged.

"Could've done better homework," he said. "Because apparently you're more than capable of finding out shit you're not supposed to know."

"You BITCH!" Jason yelled, picking up a pillow and throwing it right into Slade's face, who didn't even bother to block it. "You little cheating, lying -"

"Little Wing!" Dick interjected. "Please! Can we not?" he said, looking a little pained.

Jason abruptly caught his breath and shut up.

"Ok, fine," he grumbled. "Only for you, Dickie," he said. "But you damn well better have been spending that money I've been paying you on Dick," he snapped at Slade.

"Of course I was," Slade said easily. "Five star hotels, first class flights, Michelin star restaurants, designer clothes…"

"Oh," Dick said, looking surprised. "But don't you normally live like that?"

Slade shrugged.

"I do," he said. "But I normally take more jobs than I did this past year."

And yeah, Jason had to look away for a minute, because Dick's eyes were getting wet and he was whispering up to Slade about how he didn't have to do that for him and Slade was murmuring something back that sounded soothing, and, well, geez.

It was sweet, ok? And Dickie seemed happy. But his soulmate - he'd been so dead set on waiting for them for so long, and -

"He didn't take advantage of you, did he?" Jason suddenly growled to Dick. "Because of what happened?"

"No!" Dick said. "No, Jason -" he hesitated. "I always wanted Slade to be my soulmate. I was sure he would be," Dick said, and then he was blinking hard. "I was heartbroken when he wasn't," Dick admitted, and then Slade's hand was reaching out to grip Dick's, and Dick was wiping his eyes with his free hand and smiling bashfully at Jason.

"I was still planning to be with my soulmate," he said, "but my feelings for Slade wouldn't go away, and then - well -" he paused and looked at Cass.

"I didn't tell her," Jason said.

"Oh," Dick said uncomfortably. "Um. You can. I just -"

"I know," Cass said gently. "See," she said, motioning from her eyes to Dick, waving her hand in an airy circle to encompass him.

"Cain here -"

"Cass," Jason interrupted Slade, slugging him hard in the arm. "Don't be an asshole."

Slade rolled his eyes, but he said, "Cass then, she reads body language better than anyone I've ever met, little bird," and Dick blinked and relaxed.

"Oh, ok," Dick said. "That makes it easier, then. Well. Yeah. After Catalina…" he trailed off for a long minute before taking a deep breath. "Slade ended up running into me -"

"Wait, before I hired you?" Jason said, his voice getting high-pitched and angry again as Slade smirked and Dick nodded.

Jason groaned in frustration and took the pillow that Cass handed him, beating Slade viciously with it while the older man half-heartedly blocked with one hand, chuckling with glee.

"Could've done your research, boy," Slade snickered before finally yanking the pillow out of Jason's hand and tossing it onto the floor. "Let your brother finish talking," he said, giving Jason a look that said to knock his shit off.

Dick's cheeks got a little pink, but he said, "Anyway, Slade was there for me, and I wanted him to be, and... I still feel kind of selfish," he said miserably, "about what I'm doing to my soulmate. But I want to be happy," he said brokenly, wiping the corner of his eye. "And I'm happy with Slade," he finished.

"Good," Jason said wholeheartedly, and Cass nodded beside him.

"Good…?" Dick said in surprise.

"I love you, Dickie," Jason said, "and I wanted to listen to you about soulmates. I really did. And I tried. But, honestly? I don't trust Fate to not screw me over," Jason said. "She hasn't done me any favors so far, and I'd way rather be with someone who I know makes me happy and fits into my life, whether they're my soulmate or not," he said.

And yeah, maybe his eyes slid over to Cass very deliberately as he was talking, and maybe she was smiling.

"Same," she said, meeting Jason's eyes, and maybe he had kind of already guessed that she felt the same, based on the amount of snuggles he'd been getting from her in the last twenty-four hours, but damn, did it feel good to hear her say it.

"Those are the first sensible words I've ever heard come out of your mouth, Hood," Slade commented to Jason.

"Bitch, I'm still mad at you," Jason snarked right back.

"And yet we still have an open contract between us that needs discussion of the details, do we not?" Slade said with a lazy grin. "You keep hiring me a lot for someone who can't stand me."

"I hired you before I knew you were a con artist," Jason grumbled.

"What contract?" Dick said, looking puzzled.

Slade opened his mouth to start explaining, but Jason shot him a panicked look.

"Not here," he hissed.

Slade rolled his eye.

"Yes, here," he said. "You're paying me to make sure Dick doesn't stop you from playing Jesus. That doesn't involve keeping it a secret from him."

"I sure as hell believe it does!" Jason yelped. "Shut up, man!"

"Jason…" Dick said slowly. "Babe…" he said to Slade.

"Your brother here is gonna take the dead chick to the League of Assassins and raise her up in a Lazarus Pit," Slade said calmly to Dick.

"Aaggh!" Jason yelled at him. "What the fuck, asshole?"

"Jason!" Dick yelled back at him. "There's no way in hell you're doing that! That is beyond dangerous! I can't lose you again, Little Wing -"

"Relax, little bird," Slade said soothingly, reaching out to grasp Dick's hand in his again. "I'm gonna go with him to keep him safe."

"What?" Jason and Dick said at the same time, jaws dropping.

Jason scowled at Slade.

"Cass is coming," he said. "We don't need you."

Beside him, Cass nodded sharply. Slade gave them both a snarky eyebrow.

"Beg to differ," he said. "One of you carries the body, leaving only one to fight off ninjas -"

Cass snorted.

"Fight, carry, same," she boasted.

Slade ignored her and went on.

"And from what I hear," he said, looking more significantly at Jason, "your baby Lazarus is going to be full of Pit Rage when she comes up, and you think that all two of you can get her back to your plane unseen and unheard by the League? You need a third," he said decisively. "And that's me."

"But, Slade," Dick said in a lower voice, worry creasing his forehead. "I don't want you to -"

"I'll be fine," Slade said reassuringly. "Your brother might be a dipshit, but he actually knows how to fight," Slade said.

"Uh, thanks?" Jason said sarcastically.

"And Cass is the best there is," Slade said.

"Well, that's true, anyway," Jason mumbled, smiling over at Cass as she crossed her arms and smiled.

"I'll bring them all back home safe," Slade said to Dick. "I promise. And me," he added when Dick started to open his mouth.

Dick chewed on his lip.

"Are you sure you should, though?" he said to Jason. "Bring Steph back, I mean? That's big, Little Wing."

Jason frowned.

"No more dead Robins," he said sharply.

"I get it," Dick said slowly. "I know what losing Steph has got to be doing to you, Jase, but -" Dick swallowed. "The Pit Rage? The lifelong Lazarus effects? Would Steph want that?" Dick said. "That's a lot, to make that decision for her."

"Steph want," Cass said firmly.

"She said so?" Dick asked and Cass shook her head no.

"Strong. Fighter. Love. She want."

"She went too soon, Dick," Jason said. "Way too soon. And it was fucked up how it happened. I'm not leaving her dead. And Cass is right. I only met her once, but Steph was so full of spirit and she cared about everyone she was leaving behind so much, and she had a baby she gave up, who won't ever get the chance to meet her one day, and Tim needs her and Cass needs her and - fuck it, Pops needs her back, too. He's not gonna survive losing her, Dickiebird."

"Cass make sure," the girl muttered under her breath with a vicious smile, making Jason grin.

"Since when do you care so much about Bruce?" Dick asked Jason.

"I care," Jason muttered. "I care that he stops getting kids killed. And you and I both know he's not gonna stop being Batman, and whether it's Tim again or someone else, he's gonna end up with another Robin no matter what you and me and Leslie say, and if Pops is broken and sloppy -"

Jason cut himself off, looking troubled. Dick looked at Jason thoughtfully, but finally met Slade's gaze and sighed.

"I guess I can't talk you out of it," he said.

"Nope," Jason said.

"I want you on ground support for us from the BatCave," Slade said. "You'll stay with your dad while I'm out of town?" he asked, but Jason got the sense it was more of an order than a suggestion.

Dick groaned and leaned forward on his elbows, tugging at his hair.

"You didn't tell him what happened to me, did you, Jase?" he said, sounding an odd combination of fearful and hopeful.

"No," Jason said in surprise. "I didn't tell anybody except Slade. I wouldn't share that, Dickie."

Dick sighed.

"Unless you want me to…?" Jason asked him, taking in how Dick looked sick to his stomach. "If it would be easier for you to talk to him if I tell him first what happened, I will," he said.

Dick hesitated, and glanced to Slade. And aw fuck, that was awfully cute and despite the fact that Slade was a scammy sonofabitch, maybe it made Jason's heart feel a little more settled where Dick was concerned, to see how much Dick trusted the old asshole. Because for whatever reason, Jason trusted him, too, at least as far as not hurting Dick.

Oh, sure, he'd scoped out his real house and his safehouses and made plans to wreck the mercenary's life if anything went wrong while Dick was under his care, but Jason wouldn't have called him in the first place if he hadn't known deep in his bones that Slade cared about protecting his brother. And, well, apparently the old geezer had taken way fewer jobs this year so he could stick closer to Dick, and if scamming Jason made that possible, then maybe, fine, it was sort of ok.

"Why don't we sleep on it?" Slade said gently to Dick. "And let Jason know tomorrow."

"Ok," Dick said, looking relieved. "Yeah. That's a good idea," he said.

"Ok," Jason said. "The viewing's tonight for Steph," he said, "so I figured we'd head over to Tim's house in the middle of the night. I'm sure he's coming down from Metropolis for the viewing," he said, "and I'm damn sure his dad ain't gonna let him stay with Bruce."

"Ok," Dick said, looking drained from their conversation.

"Why don't you take a nap, Dickie?" Jason said kindly. "I'm gonna make us some dinner."

He glanced at Cass.

"Help," she smiled at him, and Jason smiled back.

"You guys can sleep in my bed if you want," Jason offered to Dick and Slade. "Or you can sleep on the couch, Dickie."

Dick looked at Slade.

"Couch is good," he said.

"I'll be right here," Slade said quietly, and damn if that didn't make Jason's throat get a little tight, so he turned away towards Cass and let her pull him up towards the kitchen.

"Lemme go pee and I'll be right back," Slade said to Dick, who nodded and came to take his place on the couch as he got up.

Jason and Cass moved into the kitchen, still holding hands and bumping hips with each other accidentally-on-purpose as they went, and Dick was just pulling one of the pillows off the floor and fluffing it under his head when they all heard a loud, "What the FUCK?"

A door banged loudly and then Slade was standing in the middle of the room again, glaring at Jason and Cass.

"You couldn't have warned me there was a dead girl in the bathtub?" he grouched.

Dick turned his head sideways to stare first at Slade, then at Jason and Cass.

"Ooh, is the big bad Deathstroke scared of a dead girl?" Jason laughed at him. "I didn't know you were such a little baby."

"Boy -" Slade started to say to him, but Cass shook her finger in his face.

"Pee upstairs," she said. "Rude."

"She's dead," Slade pointed out, but something in the way Cass shifted her body weight had Deathstroke suddenly backing up, hands in the air. "All right, all right," he muttered. "Touchy."

"You have Steph in the bathtub?" Dick said in a tight, overly calm voice as Slade went slinking up the stairs.

"On dry ice," Jason said.

"Not smell," Cass added.

"Fantastic," Dick groaned, sinking back into his pillow and pulling a blanket over himself. "My brother the body-snatcher."

"And necromancer," Jason said cheerfully.

"Ok, Dr. Frankenstein," Dick muttered. "I hope you don't regret this."

"Relax, Dickie," Jason said. "Speaking as a formerly dead Robin, I can certify that my plan is brilliant. And better than the alternative," he added darkly.

"So better," Cass said as her spark suddenly deflated, leaving her looking sad and adrift again, like she had last night.

Jason wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her tight, before daring to plant a kiss on top of her head.

"We'll get her back," he promised.

"Of course you will," Slade announced as he came back down the stairs, "because you hired me," he smirked.

Jason blew a raspberry at him before tugging Cass with him into the kitchen and Slade came over to the couch and lifted up Dick's feet to place them in his lap as he sat.

"You ok, little bird?" he asked softly under the clatter of pots and pans being pulled out and the refrigerator opened.

"You'll be really careful, right?" Dick said nervously. "I don't want to lose you."

"Baby, I got this," Slade said confidently. "You got nothin' to worry about."

"I wish I could come," Dick said, swallowing hard, but Slade just shook his head.

"It's fine, sweetheart. Me and Hood and Cain, we'll get it done and be back to you in no time. It'll give you time to spend with your dad," Slade said.

"Yeah," Dick mumbled miserably. "I want Jason to tell him for me, I think," Dick said, wiping his eyes. "Is that cowardly?"

"Little bird, coward is not in your vocabulary," Slade said, squeezing Dick's feet. "It's a good idea for Hood to tell him, if you want. Give Bats a chance to cry and get over himself first instead of dumping all that on you, if you shock him with it."

"I don't think Bruce cries," Dick said dryly. "But… yeah. I see your point."

"Get some sleep," Slade said comfortingly. "I'll be right here."

"I love you," Dick smiled at him.

"I love you, too, baby," Slade said.

He glanced towards the kitchen, saw Jason and Cass's backs turned, and stretched himself out over Dick to plant a kiss on his lips that turned into several when Dick wrapped his arms around his neck and trapped him there.

"Boyfriends, huh?" Slade said with a grin after a long minute of kissing.

"Is it ok I told them?" Dick said.

"Fuck yes, it's ok," Slade smiled. "You gonna tell your dad?"

"... when you get back?" Dick asked him, and Slade nodded.

"Good plan," the mercenary said. "Bats'll be so distracted by the undead girl that he won't give you half as much shit about us as he normally would," he said.

Dick giggled and tugged Slade down closer on top of him.

"Stay right here?" he begged him.

"Fine," Slade said, pretending to be put out, but he tugged the blanket off of Dick and wrapped it over both of them as he curled protectively over his Robin, threading a hand through his hair with a soft expression on his face.

"Cass ain't gonna hurt you, you know," Slade said quietly.

Dick jumped and looked up at Slade nervously.

"That obvious?" he sighed.

"It's PTSD," Slade said. "Ain't your fault."

"I wish I could get over it already," Dick muttered.

"Maybe we should stick around Gotham for a while when I get back," Slade said thoughtfully. "Hanging around Cass might be good exposure therapy, help you start feeling safe around women again."

"Ok," Dick said, snuggling a little tighter into Slade's chest. "Well, you know I'm gonna hang around anywhere you are, so."

He smiled up at his boyfriend.

"Same for me, little bird," Slade said. "Same for me."

A/N - Thanks so much for reading! Comments are love and encouragement and much appreciated! This story updates randomly but actively.

You can follow me on Tumblr as River9Noble. Come say hi!