Next Day- Jason

I tried to the whole sleeping by myself thing, it didn't work much. I hadn't realized how much sleeping next to Raven had helped my nightmares. It's like she radiates her empathy through her sleep. Which I wouldn't put passed her. About three in the morning I gave up and went into her room finding my space next to her. It didn't take her long to figure out I was there wrapping an arm around my waist. She looks so peaceful when she sleeps, doesn't have that scowl on her face. I got a lot of it last night. I don't blame her for not wanting to be back here, though I would have thought she would have been slightly more okay with it knowing it was more for Tim needing healing than to see Dick again. I should have known better though seeing how she glares at him every time he talks to her. Even at Breakfast right now she seems angry at everything he does. I remember the feeling.

"How's your wrist?" Dick asks Tim starting the conversation for the morning, no one else had said much other than their normal grumbles and good mornings. It's like we never left.

"It's better...how is Kori? I haven't seen her since Christmas" Tim says rubbing the cuff of his wrist with his other hand.

"She is okay, her powers are working again, her flight and strength. She was really shaken they wouldn't work" Dick replies, I arch an eyebrow at him poking at my food in my bowl. I am used to Aruba time, usually I would be heading to bed around this time.

"What happened to her powers?" I ask

"Oh well her powers are connected to her emotions, so when she feels happy, confidence, safe, and calm her powers work the best. However when that situation was going down she didn't feel happy, safe, or calm so her powers went all wonky and she couldn't fly and her strength was down. Which is why she stayed back and just gave us the light" Dick answers, I didn't even realize any of that. A couple times I forgot she was even down there to be honest.

"I see, makes sense. It seems emotional connection is a big part of a lot of people with powers" I reply he nods shoveling in another couple bites of food. They must be starving. I doubt Witch dude gave them any food in their personal hells.

"So where was this secret get away you two ran off to?" Dick asks smirking Raven sighs

"It wouldn't be a secret if we told you would it?" She snaps, he nods pressing his lips together. I look over to her making sure she doesn't look ready to blow but she avoids my gaze. She leans over to me "I'll be in the library"

I don't stop her, just watch as she leaves her plate and heads out the dining room. I almost want to apologize for her snapping but I know she has her reasons and it wasn't so long ago that I would have done the same. I also don't want Dickhead to know where we were staying. It isn't something he needs to know, she did have a point what is the point of having a safe house if it won't be safe from the damn Bat Family. I finish my food shortly after, wanting to get out of the new awkward silence as soon as I can. I know Raven could be possibly napping, trying to get used to being in Gotham again. I find her right where she said she would be, sitting on the couch her knees up as a book rests on them. She doesn't look up when I enter the room, although she probably already knows it's me.

"He doesn't need to know where we live. It'll make it impossible to go back if they can just pop in whenever they please" She says, I don't argue

"I know" I say she looks up from her book her eyes meeting mine. Sometimes when I look at her eyes I can see some specks of magenta or even a dark purple to combat the light streaks of violet. It's what makes her eyes look so dark most of the time. I never see them unless I am close so right now they just look...purple.

"Witch Boy is dangerous. I don't know we are going to stop him even with me on your side. I think this is a problem for Dr. Fate" She says, I rub circles into her knees through her sweats.

"For now you are all they have. I think they just want to make sure Tim doesn't get hurt again. Even Dami. They are the babies of the family" He says she scoffs but it turns to a smile

"I don't want anything to happen to those two either. I can't help but think it's pointless to fight him though." She replies, she hasn't needed to fight anyone for a while. Even with her powers back she spent so long not having to fight anyone, just herself. Now that she has to get back into the action she wants to avoid it. I don't think I blame her.

"Maybe to make this easier we should do that talking thing with Dick, maybe he has something he has to say to you." I suggest she rolls her eyes

"I don't think so. Nothing he has to say is of any interest to me" She replies.

We go back to the comfortable silence we both have become accustom to. In Aruba she didn't talk much, the stoic personality I knew as Red X had shown. It gave me some questions of my own but never something I gave any thought to. I don't pick up a book I don't think I can read right now, I feel tired like I am pulling an all nighter even though I woke up only three hours ago. It's going to take me a bit to get used to the time here. For now I watch her read, watch as her eyebrows and eyes show her emotions about the book. They are subtle but I can read them well enough. My mind drifts back to Dick and Tim in the other room, something doesn't seem right about what happened. Something clicks and I grab Raven's knee.

"Raven how well do you know Witch dude?" I ask she closes the book

"Witch boy, and I don't know as well as any villain we have to deal with why?" She asks

"If he had people in his possession that were stopping him from completing a goal do you think he would kill them?" I ask she looks to the right, thinking

"I don't know. I mean he could. He would thrive off the Chaos of doing so but he gets more out of it if they are tortured. Why?" She asks, something still doesn't feel right about what they told us. I put a finger up to her telling her to wait as I get off the couch and head to find them. It doesn't take me too long as I know their old schedule and it doesn't seem to have changed much.

"Dick, what do you remember about what happened when you got to the warehouse?" I ask he looks taken aback from the question but he only takes a second to recover from his shock.

"I don't know, umm we got some weird readings off of a scan and then we showed up." Dick answers I shake my head

"Do you remember what he was doing? Like was he just sitting around waiting for you?" I ask Dick shrugs

"I don't know man. I don't remember much it all seems foggy. I will ask everyone else and see if they have any memory of it" He answers, I nod unsatisfied with the information.

Present day- Dick

Jason leaves looking as if he is really deep in thought, which isn't a look I like on him. It means he is connecting something the rest of us aren't yet. I don't let it bug me as I head to my room to get dressed for training. I always train right after breakfast and right after lunch, twice a day to keep me on my toes. My laptop rings on my bed, I click the mouse to wake it, Kori is calling. I answer it and let her face fill up my computer screen she's in her room back at the tower a towel wrapped around her top half and hair.

"Dick, good morning. I haven't been able to reach you and was getting the worried" She says I nod rubbing my shoulder, it's sore and I can't tell which part of the last weekends events had done this.

"Yeah I know, me and the Team got ourselves in a sticky situation" I answer she cocks her head but doesn't ask. She still wants me to tell her though. " Well we came across someone who uses dark magic and they kind of held us in a warehouse for a couple days and made us see things. Tim got it worse than any of us. I think gave up running before the rest of us"

"What? Are you the okay?" She asks I nod rubbing my shoulder some more.

"Yeah just sore, but's good to see your face. I think I missed it more than I should have" I say she blushes her orange cheeks turning a fiery red. She takes the towel off her head and begins running her brush through her hair. It slides easily through most parts but even though the computer I can hear the tears every once in a while.

"Is Tim the okay?" she asks I nod chewing on the inside of my cheek as I throw on my training shirt.

"He's okay now, we had to call Jason and Raven though, so she can heal him. I don't think she's too happy to be here" I tell her, I noticed from the first couple minutes she didn't want to be here, she was irritated we called for help but she still came and that tells me more than her reluctance to be happy here. I thought the months she was away and the months I had to be with Kori again would help me forget once again those feelings I thought I had lost but I was wrong. Even seeing her last night while my mind was reeling I felt better after seeing her. She looks good now too, more like her old self. No more skin and bones and sunken eyes.

"She's there now?" Kori asks pausing in her hair brushing

"Yeah, she's gonna help us with Witch boy until in back on world. She isn't okay with it either" I say Kori nods putting the brush down.

"Should I come too? Help? Spend some time with you?" She asks, I shrug

"You can if you want. I gotta train so I'll call you later today okay?" I reply, she nods and waves goodbye to me before hanging up.

I feel almost relief to have the call ended. Not because I don't love her and love talking to her but, I have too much on my mind right now to handle a normal conversation. I feel like if I don't figure out what's going on with this new threat that something even worse will happen and I can't have that. Besides if she chooses to come here and help out we will be able to have more conversations and I won't feel so lost right now. I would be lying if I said this situation didn't bug me to my core. Both situations actually. I finally finish getting ready to train after stopping multiple times to allow my thoughts to halt me. Exiting my room and making my way to the training room I can hear Tim on the phone with someone, telling them he's fine he was healed now but his wrist still hurts. I don't bother listening anymore and continue on my way to the training room. The smell of the training room has become comforting to me, lysol wipes and rubber. It has become a smell that makes me feel more at home than the rest of the house.

It has never changed, not since I was a kid. Alfred has always used the same things to clean it and the rubber is from the giant mat in the middle of the floor and the numerous work out equipment. Not even the training room at the tower feels as home as this one done. Grabbing my practice staff from the wall I walk through to the simulation part, it's really the whole gym but the access panel is in a small area tucked between a wall and a bench press. I click in everything I need the same one I have been struggling to beat for the last two weeks.

"You still doing that?" Tim asks walking into the training room himself, I turn to him after clicking on the last button I need, start.

The simulation starts, pretty basic at first a couple of Slade bots and foot soldiers. I take my stance making sure I am sturdy. The first Slade bot comes at me the second one closely following, I jump up slamming my bo staff down on the head of it, I land on my feet with a thump but still turn into shoving the end of my bo staff through the face of the second. They both disappear as a food soldier approaches it's sword outstretched towards me. It jabs the sword near me barely missing my side as I dodge to the side sliding low and taking it's feet out from under it. It also disappears. It feels like I do this round after round forever, however I know it's been only a couple minutes. Ten at most.

"You know this is meant for a team right?" Tim says leaning against the wall watching, I grunt as a foot soldiers kicks the back of my knee sending me to the floor. I kneel putting my bo staff up to keep from the blow that will end the simulation. I push my bo staff up as I get to my feet causing the soldier to stumble back, I use this to jump and send a double footed kick to it's chest. It falls disappearing with the rest.

"I know but, if I can't pull more weight than what use am I?" I ask Tim furrows his brow trying to think of a way that makes sense to him.

"You pull enough weight I think, you don't need to be a one man army" He says, I scoff as the next round fires up sweat dripping down my back.

"Are you actually planning on training or are you just going to question my methods?" I ask as I throw a punch at foot soldier. It doesn't take it down but I use the time to shove the end of my bo staff into it's chest.

"I am kind of wanting to see how this ends first" He muses, I roll my eyes as I flip over to soldiers coming at me at once, I separate my bow staff into two and thrust my arms backwards taking out both at the same time.

Another Bot comes at me I don't hesitate sending a hard kick to it's chest and then a blow to the head with one of my staff ends. With how many of these guys coming at me I know I am nearing the end of it. I don't let it distract me thought, having to dodge a sword blow by leaning to the right. I kick up the sword flying out the hand of the foot soldier and disappearing in the room. I elbow it's shoulder and then slam the bo staff into it's other shoulder Like others it vanishes. I flip through the two more coming at me turning swiftly as they do to kick both of them, I land on the ground hard and use that to take their feet out from under them. I can feel Tim's eyes still on me and it's distracting but I try to push it away. A couple more bots and footies come at me all at once, how I know I am in the final stage before the final stage. I take them down but with ease twisting my two separate bo staffs to be able to hit them in the blows that in real life knock them down. We have learned their processors are in their chest, the foot soldiers are no different. The soreness in my shoulder has moved to a slight louder pain. I exhale sharply as I hear the two thudding footsteps behind me, I turn to face the last part. Sim Slade. Tim moves uncomfortably as he always does when he sees this part. We had taken every thing we know about Slade and his fighting style and put it into this sim to make it as realistic as possible.

Putting my Bo staff back in one piece I take my stance looking over the sim. He looks so real as if Slade was really standing right in front of me. I charge at him with my bo staff at the ready, as soon as I get close he sticks a foot out landing into my diaphragm and pushing me back. It hurts and takes the air right out of my lungs. I keep taking steps back to regain my breath. He closes the distance between us before I can fully recover but I don't falter dodging his first blow and sending a weak on to his abdomen. He takes a couple steps back pulling out his sword from behind him. I finally feel like I am able to take a breath and inhale greedily. Sim Slade swings again, I dodge it but he swings again soon after I move just barely but closer to him, he kicks out hitting my shoulder, I grimace and curse under my breath. He swings again this time his sword hitting the middle of my bo staff, he kicks my abdomen sending me back and he closes the space before I can recover grabbing my shoulder and plunging his sword through me. It doesn't go through...he disappears but the shame and pain is all the same. Sending back memories of the night be broke in and stabbed me.

The pain in my shoulder is searing and makes me think my arm should be falling off right about now. Tim's eyes meet mine and he seems more concerned than anything.

"I don't know why you keep doing this to yourself" He speaks up

"I am not doing anything to myself I just need the practice" I say my other arm trying to find the location of the pain in my shoulder. "I lasted a lot longer than the last time"

"It took all of us to take him down last time and he still almost got away because he doesn't have morals Dick. Only reason it takes us so much. If we didn't have morals we could have taken him down but then we wouldn't be any better" Tim explains I nod letting him know I understand him but I don't need a lecture right now.

"I need to go find someone that can heal this shoulder before I am useless" I say exiting the training room. I know who to look for but I don't know where she will be or if she will even agree to heal me. Heading to the library first I feel the cool air conditioning off the sweat on my neck and back. It feels nice but it's not doing anything for my shoulder which now feels hot to the touch. They aren't in the library. I decide to check their rooms but to listen first if I hear something sounding...well R rated I am going to just wait. I knock on Jason's door first I hadn't heard anything coming from inside. No answer. Moving on to Raven's room I don't hear anything either and I hesitate before knocking. I do so and hear shuffling towards the door. Raven opens the door her face dropping into her normal stoic manner.

"I need healing. I can't fight without it" I say she tongues her cheek and gestures for me to come in, leaving the door open. I close it behind me and she points to the bed.

"Sit" She commands I do so sitting on the edge of the bed.

"It was sore from the run in with Witch boy but I think I tore something just now in training" I say she nods as I take off my shirt to expose my shoulder. She looks at it with focus and puts her hands over it the cool blue light enveloping her hands and sending a cooling feeling into my shoulder.

"You might have stretched the Rotator Cuff with Witch Boy, whatever happened in training tore it" She monotones. I nod letting the cooling feeling take over.

"Can I say something?" I ask

"No" she monotones I bite the inside of my cheek and decide I am going to say it anyway.

"I never said I was sorry to you" I say she falters from looking at my shoulder to meet my eyes for a second the first time she has done it in...a long time. I feel a surge of emotions I shouldn't feel just from that. "I am sorry. I was in an impossible situation with an impossible choice and I should have made another way"

"You seemed to make that choice pretty easily" She says stoically.

"I didn't. I had to make a quick choice and choose between two people I..." I trail off sighing.

"If you are going to talk when I asked you not to please finish your sentences" She monotones, I smile even though she wasn't trying to be funny

"I had to choose between two people I loved in the same way and I chose wrong...I should have found another way. I thought you would have found a way out of it. He had a gun pointed at Star's head I didn't know what to do"

"Kori's body temp could have melted the bullets before they touched her" She replies

"Only if she was absorbing the ultraviolet around her. I couldn't take the chance and I thought you were going to find a way out because you always have." I explain she nods, I can feel the relief in my shoulder now, it's no longer screaming at me. "I just told you I was in love with you and You didn't even flinch"

"I knew already Dick, I am an empath you can't hide your emotions from me. I knew how to felt about me. It's why it hurt" She explains, I almost don't know what to say to it. She knew the whole time I had feelings for her?

"You didn't say anything" Is all I can think to say

"You were with Kori. It would have been wrong for me to say anything. It's still wrong. Why are you saying all of this to me now?" She asks, It's a fair question I had three years and then some to say this and I never really did. I mostly just argued with her about how she should have reacted and lived her life.

"The second time you took the bond back it hurt...a lot. I realized I never gave you the apology you deserved to feel like we maybe had a chance to fix things." I explain she nods slightly as she finishes up the healing. The pain is gone and I no longer feel any soreness. She does magic.

"Dick at some point you have to realize that just because you want someone back in your life doesn't mean they have to be there. If I don't want to be close to you guys again I don't have to explain why" she says, I nod rubbing my shoulder mostly for the enjoyment of it no longer hurting. The door opens and Jason walks in looking at the both of us his eyes bouncing between the two of us. She grabs my shirt and hands it to me.

"Thanks for the healing. I uhhh...yeah" I say turning around with my shirt in my hand, Jason watches me as I leave the room and I hear the door close behind me. I hope I didn't pass any kind of boundary but at the end of the day I don't really care. It's still weird to me that they are dating.

Having them here as a couple is going to get weird, maybe Kori should come stay with us. We could use the extra hands.