A/N- Like my one-shot, A Thing of Beauty, this chapter was originally supposed to be released in late August but I was very busy at the time and therefore unable to have it ready by then. Anyway, here's the latest chapter of this story. Expect several DCAMU references throughout this Chapter.

Recap- Samgon returned to Outer Heaven and brutally killed a government led by peace movement usurpers. Before that though, Samgon, along with Harry, wanted to see the combat, tactical and strategic skills of his new allies.

Chapter 9- Bad Blood

"Never thought I'd be back here. It's where it all began for me." Damian said to Raven as they emerged from a purple portal conjured by her.

"Nanda Parlet?" Raven asked him softly. Damian merely nodded in response. "What happened when you were last here?" She then asked him.

"Well, Deathstroke attacked and my Grandfather was killed which meant that me and Mother were forced to come to Gotham." Damian said as he gazed at the old city. He then turned to Raven and looked her deeply in the eyes. "I know we spoke about this before, but before we met, Grandfather, Mother and I had a dream to make the world better. When Deathstroke attacked, Mother took me to Father and he began showing me a different way."

"I'm glad he did because we might never have met otherwise." Raven replied with a gentle smile. Raven then turned to the fortress mountain city and asked Damian, "How welcome do you think we are here?"

"I don't know. I'm inclined to believe Harry and Samgon's thoughts on the matter though." Damian replied as he too turned back towards Nanda Parlet. "Are you ready, beloved?"

"Yes." Raven responded confidently before playfully questioning Damian's choice of words, "Beloved? Really? I didn't take you to be the romantic sap, Damian. Especially considering that we've only just found out that we're married in the last day or two." She gave Damian a sly smirk as he characteristically frowned in response.

"Come on. For all we know, there could be a civil war going on down there." Damian said, ignoring Raven's teasing as he wondered what was happening with the League of Assassins now that Ra's Al-Ghul had returned. They descended down the snow-covered plateau and wondered what would await them.

They entered the ancient city and were immediately greeted by a tense scene. Members of the League of Assassins who'd survived Deathstroke's onslaught years earlier and newer recruits under the leadership of Lady Shiva were poised to strike against the newly resurrected members who followed the also newly resurrected Ra's Al-Ghul. The two factions were confused as to what was going on but they believed that some unnatural being was responsible for the current state of affairs. The faction led by Lady Shiva especially thought this as none of the resurrected assassins had been anywhere near a Lazarus Pit and Ra's Al-Ghul had been burnt to a crisp and died of his injuries. Eventually, tensions boiled over and the two factions of the League charged at each other. Before they could strike each other down, they bounced off a giant purple shield until they stopped fighting.

"ENOUGH! THERE WILL BE NO FIGHTING TODAY!" Damian bellowed with authority. Upon seeing the Grandson of the 'Demon', all the assassins ceased fighting and knelt towards the heir apparent. Lady Shiva likewise bowed to Damian as he and Raven walked forward.

"Master Damian, you have returned to lead us. We must know what is going on though! How come we are faced with an undead... nightmare? Is this happening across the world?" Lady Shiva said reverently before bombarding Damian with questions in confusion.

"We are not undead. It seems you are attempting to steal the throne from our masters, Shiva." One of Ra's' followers barked at her before Damian could respond.

"Quiet! Let Damian speak... please." Raven said to the warring groups of assassins.

"You're both wrong about what is happening. It's complicated but... Lady Shiva, these are not undead monsters, they have returned from the dead although it seems some have their memories missing." He said to the loyal female assassin before turning to the outspoken, newly resurrected assassin, "You're wrong about what is going on. Lady Shiva is protecting this sanctuary and believed you to be the threat."

"This is... confusing. We may need more of an explanation." Lady Shiva said with a frown on her face. The other assassins were also sporting various frowns and other confused looks. "Also, who is this... witch?"

"Lady Shiva, may I introduce Raven. Member of the Teen Titans, my best friend and as it so happens, my wife thanks to a type of soul magic. I'd be careful with your choice of words regarding her as she is the daughter of an actual demon." Damian said formally before finishing his introduction with a firm warning.

Lady Shiva turned to Raven and bowed to her apologetically, "Please accept my humble apologies, Lady Raven."

Raven accepted the apology with a light hearted tone and a smile, "I accept your apology, Lady Shiva. I suppose you could call me a witch in some ways as I do use magic." She then gave an off the cuff comment to the caretaker leader of the League of assassins, "I'd probably be more worried about my father. He currently lives in the gem on my forehead." Lady Shiva shivered slightly on hearing that.

"Where is my Grandfather?" Damian forcefully asked Lady Shiva who shifted her attention back to him upon hearing him speak.

"He is currently in the tomb where the Lazarus Pit is located, Master Damian." Lady Shiva replied quietly. Damian had forgotten that next to the Lazarus pit chamber was a tomb where many generations of the Al-Ghul family were laid to rest. It had been Shiva who placed Ra's Al-Ghul in the tomb when Damian and Talia were forced to seek Batman in the aftermath of Deathstroke's attack.

"Lead me to him." Damian demanded and Lady Shiva bowed slightly before leading Damian and Raven to the Lazarus Pit chamber. Damian softened his tone slightly and spoke to Shiva once more as they walked to the Lazarus Pit chamber, "I will give a more thorough explanation of current events when we get my Grandfather and everyone has calmed down a bit." Lady Shiva nodded at Damian's words as the three continued walking.

Lady Shiva led Damian and Raven to the courtyard where the entrance to the Lazarus Pit was located. Ever since the Hush incident, Shiva had placed a heavy, reinforced door at the entrance to the Lazarus Pit chamber and made sure the entrance was guarded at all times by a small squad of four assassins. The four assassins saw Damian and Lady Shiva and bowed to them; they also bowed to Raven although that was more out of courtesy rather than anything that they had heard regarding current events or relationships for they had not heard Damian speak in the other courtyard as they were too far away.

"Open the door at once! Master Damian wishes to enter the Lazarus Pit chamber." Lady Shiva ordered the four assassin-guards. They nodded and did as she instructed, opening the heavy door with all their might. They allowed Damian and Lady Shiva to pass but as they were unfamiliar with Raven, they drew their swords and blocked her path.

"She's my wife. She is allowed to enter." Damian said to the four assassins and they non-verbally apologised to Raven. "Wait here in case any of us need assistance." Damian then ordered them and they acknowledged his order by nodding. Raven followed her husband down the spiralling staircase to the Lazarus Pit chamber. As Damian, Raven and Lady Shiva descended down the staircase, they could hear confused, angry, unintelligible yells could be heard from near the Lazarus Pit.

"He is very confused. He last remembers being burnt alive, Deathstroke preparing to execute him and crawling towards the Lazarus Pit." Raven said, gasping at the raw pain of the emotions she was sensing from the recently resurrected long-lived man.

"It's probably because he never reached the Lazarus Pit before he died. Mother... Mother did not let me carry him into the Lazarus Pit when he died. He's probably trying to figure out how he's still alive when he never reached that accursed pit." Damian theorised. There was a tone of regret in his voice as he spoke, remembering the events that eventually lead him to eventually live with his father.

"He probably also thinks that he's been usurped as well. After all, you did say that Deathstroke attempted to gain control of the League of Assassins, and then your mother took actual control until she was presumed killed over the ocean, and now, Lady Shiva commands the League in your absence." Raven pointed out to Damian whilst Lady Shiva listened to Damian and Raven's conversation intently. "If I were him, I would think that it'd be very hard not to see what's going on and connect those three points."

"I do not agree with your assessment of the situation, Lady Raven. Your knowledge of Ra's Al-Ghul, I presume, is based off what others have told you and what you're sensing. I believe that once we have calmed him down, we can explain the situation to him and he'll be more rational." Lady Shiva replied insistently, having been in a leadership position since before Deathstroke's coup attempt.

Damian listened to the various points raised by Raven and Lady Shiva and thought them all valid. However, he couldn't agree with Raven's reasoning as he believed his grandfather to be more rational than Raven was suggesting. "I agree with Lady Shiva on this one Raven; I don't think that he would think that he's been overthrown. He'll be much more calmer once we give him an overview of the situation."

"Let's hope you two are right." Raven replied, conceding to Damian and Lady Shiva on the topic of Ra's Al-Ghul.

The trio marched down the staircase and the confused, angry yelling became louder and clearer. "What's going on?! Did Deathstroke succeed?! How am I alive? I do not remember getting to the Lazarus Pit. It must be a trick! I died and I am now in hell! I must be!" Damian, Raven and Lady Shiva eventually reached the Lazarus Pit and saw an erratic Ra's Al-Ghul slamming his fists on the walls of the chamber. "What kind of power brought me back to life?! This power wants me to suffer!"

"Well I thought I saw you in hell but I don't know if it was you. As for your resurrection, I don't think that it wants you to suffer but it sounded very complicated and convoluted." Damian remarked sardonically.

"Damian?" Ra's asked, looking almost in disbelief.

"Hello Grandfather." Damian replied, his tone of voice sounding torn between love for his Grandfather and bitterness at his Grandfather's ideology.

"I recognise Lady Shiva but who's the devil spawn girl?" Ra's questioned his grandson.

Raven decided to reply to his question before Damian could reply. "Hi. My name is Raven. My father is called Trigon, you may know him as the devil. He also currently resides in the gem on my forehead." She said in a sarcastic tone of voice, pointing to her father's ruby red gem prison on her forehead.

Ra's looked utterly confused. The girl calling herself Raven looked like a devil child but her tone sounded like she was mocking him and that she was just playing a prank on him. "You're joking, right girl? This is just some corrupt fashion statement, isn't it?"

"No, I'm not joking. It just sounded like I was because of the tone of my voice that I used. Trust me when I say that your Grandson has accompanied me to my father's domain once." Raven replied, her tone of voice growing gradually more serious the more she spoke to the almost ancient man.

"It's true Grandfather. We saw Trigon emerge from a massive hole in the ground. We went to his realm, we fought lots of demonic creatures, I fought something that may or may not have been you. It was a hell of a day." Damian told him.

Raven groaned and Damian looked at her in confusion. Raven then explained the reason behind her groaning, "You do know that the way you worded that sentence made it sound totally cliché right?"

"It was not my intent." Damian replied somewhat pointedly.

"Can we please get back to the matter at hand and someone tell me what is going on?" Ra's Al-Ghul asked impatiently. Raven and Damian looked at him as though they had realised that they had almost gotten distracted from what they were there to do. "Now what happened when Deathstroke attacked?"

Damian and Raven told Ra's Al-Ghul about events in the world including the attack that had resulted in Ra's Al-Ghul's death. Ra's learnt about another organisation known as 'The Court of Owls', which, according to Damian, had been destroyed. He heard about the apparent madness that his daughter suffered from in the aftermath of his death and the invasion of an underwater race of warriors. Damian and Raven explained to him about the Trigon incident in more detail. "Wait, what is a soul bond?" Ra's asked.

"It's form of magical bond that links those in them by the mind and soul. At least that's how I understand it." Raven explained to the older man.

"How is it formed?" Ra's asked, his curiosity continuing to grow.

"From what we've been told, it can occur in a variety of ways. During the Trigon incident, a while after meeting the Teen Titans, I got into a fight with another member and got badly injured as a result. Raven healed me and we became soul bonded as a result." Damian informed him.

"About a year after the Trigon incident, Deathstroke re-emerged and formed some sort of business relationship with this insane cult leader." Raven informed Ra's.

"That was the worst few days ever. I suspected that something was wrong but my suspicions were brushed aside. I was ambushed and captured by Deathstroke when I tried to help who I thought was a friend." Damian admitted bitterly.

"That's why people should never be trusted, Grandson. You never know when you might get stabbed in the back." Ra's replied with the tone of a man who had accumulated much knowledge and wisdom over the centuries. "Now I'm sure that you two would like to tell me more about the various events that have occurred since the day I died but I would like to know more about the circumstances behind my resurrection and the reason why you two are here."

Raven and Damian shared a look with each other, both trying to figure out what to say. Eventually Damian spoke first, "What do you know about the multiverse?"

"The multiverse? Sounds like fictional gibberish to me." Ra's replied dismissively.

"It's real." Raven said dryly. "Our universe merged into the one we're currently in and a side effect of that is your resurrection and the resurrection of many others."

"There are people who are interested in meeting you. They seem to appreciate your skills and experience and they want your help." Damian told him.

"What do they need my help with?" Ra's asked with intense curiosity.

"Helping defend the world against an alien invasion." replied Damian without hesitation.

Ra's looked hesitant but eventually acquiesced, "Okay, I'll meet these people. What are their names?"

"Harry Potter, Samgon Gobsger, Ron Weasley and a girl called Newt are our primary contacts at this point although Harry is with Father searching for others who can help. Ron and Newt are coordinating the various searches and other preparations."

"And what about this... Samgon? Where is he?" Ra's asked in confusion.

"He's searching for mother. That is... after dealing with some business back in his own nation. Seemed to be very eager actually." Damian replied.

"Very well, shall we depart? I do not wish to waste more time than necessary." Ra's said after a moment of silence. He then departed the chamber and climbed the staircase, followed by Damian, Raven and Lady Shiva.

Ra's got to the top of the staircase and attempted to pass through the open doorway but he was halted by the assassins standing guard by the doorway. "Halt! Turn around and remain in that chamber!" the lead assassin said to Ra's, half alarmed and half angered by the man's seeming inability to listen to instructions.

"You will let him pass! He is coming with us!" Damian ordered the assassins. Frightened, they allowed the small group to pass as they had been impeded by their halting of Ra's.

As they passed the assassins, Lady Shiva scolded them for their attitude towards Ra's, "He may have been dead and his resurrection may have seemed unnatural but he was once our leader and deserves our respect." Lady Shiva made sure they were sufficiently cowed before hurriedly rejoining Damian, Raven and Ra's. As they re-entered the main courtyard, Lady Shiva spoke to the now somewhat calmed assassins, "We will be leaving for a short while. If there is fighting during our absence and I find out who started it, I shall be dealing with the instigators personally." Raven opened a portal and Raven, Damian, Ra's Al-Ghul and Lady Shiva passed through the portal, returning to the Justice League headquarters, which was a hive of activity. They left behind dozens of bewildered assassins, stunned by Raven's magical abilities.

In Gotham city meanwhile, a well-endowed, slim woman walked into a high stakes casino, unsure of what had happened to her and invited to a meeting with someone she hadn't ever met or heard of before.

A/N- Please review and I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. More will come soon... hopefully.