Yay! third chapter! here we go! hope y'all love it!

Chapter 3

The next morning-or afternoon, rather-I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. I didn't feel like I wasn't supposed to be there. Waking up in that bed seemed so normal to me…

I threw my legs over the bed and walked to the door. I was ready to see them all and figure out what happened. I couldn't believe I had died…That just wasn't possible. I walked down the hall in my bare feet, barely making a sound as I descended the stairs and made my way across the marble floor to the kitchen where I knew they would be. I heard muffled voice coming from behind the door, so I leaned in and listened.

"Ok. Fine. We'll go with your crazy theory, Dick. But if it is him, what's he doing back from the dead?" Bruce asked.

"Did you see his hands?" Dick asked dismally, "I can't even begin to imagine what he's been through…"

"He's an imposter. He has to be. Father, I demand you kick him out of this house at once." Damian said harshly.

"No. He isn't going anywhere until we get some answers." Bruce responded.

'Well…at least I know they won't kick me out anytime soon…'

"Why would someone go to such lengths to make themselves look like a zombie just to mess with us?" Tim spat.

"The Lazarus Pit? Could that do it?" Dick asked.

"No….the pit can't resurrect the dead," Damian said expertly.

"That is not Jason! Stop entertaining that idea!" Tim barked.

"Master Tim is right. Jason didn't have white hair, and Jason knew about the security system… he wouldn't have tripped it."

"It can't be Jason. Besides, anyone can do that with a little makeup. I won't believe it." Tim said. "Why the hell did we let that man sleep in our house?"

"Then why the hair?" Alfred asked.

"I bet he killed some kind of animal to get the blood, and anyone could cake themselves in mud after the storm last night. Halloween is coming up, so he could have gotten one of those zombie makeup kits or something." Bruce said mostly to himself.

"Father is right. I don't believe it is him. It can't be." Damian said.

"Guys, he looks just like him! He acts like him, hell he even has the autopsy scar! How could it not be him?" Dick asked.

"Because, Dick. Jason is dead. People don't ever come back from the dead. You know that as well as any of us." Bruce said. That must have been a low blow for Dick.

There was silence as they dissected that.

"I don't know the reason. And I don't care. There's no way that isn't him."

"Think logically, Dick. He's been dead for months! You're being stupid." Tim said.

There was a pause.

"I know…but…he looks just like him."

"Like I said, makeup." Bruce said.

I couldn't believe they were standing there debating whether or not it was me…I was their brother…I was his son. How could they not see it was me?

I choked on my own breath.

"Someone's here." Damian said quietly. There was silence. I decided not to put it off any longer and pushed the door open. Bruce and Damian were sitting at the table, Tim leaned against the counter next to Alfred, and Dick stood in the middle of the room. I looked around at each of them.

"I-I know you don't believe it's me…" I said as I looked at Tim.

"You are not Jason. Get out of our house." He spat. I sighed and looked around the kitchen.

"Tim….listen, I know it's impossible to believe, hell, even I don't…but at least give me a chance."

"No! Get OUT!" he screamed as he threw a glass at me. I caught it clumsily.

"Tim! Stop!" Dick yelled as he held a hand up to him.

"Who are you?" Tim barked.

I looked at him with a loss for words. What was I supposed to say? Why was he so torn up about this? Tim never liked me anyway…

I looked over at Bruce who was staring at me waiting for my answer. Why didn't they see it! How could I prove to them I was who I said? Of course they don't believe me, who would? But they knew me. So why didn't they know me? I looked around their angry and hopeful faces. They needed proof. I looked at the counter where Alfred kept a collection of knives. I slowly walked over to it, Dick and Alfred moved out of my way. I reached for a knife and pulled it free of the block as I set the glass down on the counter. I heard chairs scrape against the floor as Damian and Bruce stood up quickly.

"Drop the knife!" Bruce yelled as he made his way toward me fearlessly. I turned swiftly around and held up my hands in surrender. He paused as he watched me. I slowly lifted my left hand to my head and took a lock of my hair in it. I sawed through my hair with the knife, cutting it loose as I did so. I set the knife down gently in the sink and cautiously approached Tim. He looked at me in disgust and hatred as I reached out to his hand. Surprisingly, he allowed me to take it. I placed the loose hair in his open palm and closed his finger over it.

"Please." I said, "Give me a chance to prove it." I said as I looked into his angry eyes. I watched as the light in his blue eyes changed. He looked almost somewhat sympathetic, but then it changed back to anger.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with your hair?" he asked defensively.

An idea popped into my head. The secret! I knew. They had to believe me if I knew.

"Come on Tim. I'm not stupid." I said convincingly. "If anyone can prove my identity, I know Robin can." I said with what I hoped was a charming smile.

His eyes widened as he jerked back.

"You're demented. Get out of here!"

"Come on guys!" I yelled as I turned to the rest of them. "Dick…you believe me. You know who I am. Take my hair and go downstairs to the cave. Run the tests. You're such a great detective, you too, Bruce. You two are the dynamic duo! If the third Robin won't even try, I know Batman and Nightwing will! Please! Just give me a chance. I need you!" I pleaded.

"Jason never needed anybody!" Damian protested. I looked up in shock. Damian had never called me that…

Bruce grabbed me by the front of my shirt and hauled me up to his face.

"I swear to god, if you're just some idiot kid messing with us, there will be hell to pay." He growled. I smacked his hands away and kneed him in the gut. He let go, but the price I paid for that was high. I was immediately jumped by Damian who put me in a tight choke hold. I struggled in his grasp, but found I was still too weak to do anything about it.

"So…I take it-Batman's training a…a new Robin. What happened, Tim, did the- Joker get you too?" I gasped out. Damian tightened his hold on my throat. I couldn't breathe…just like before. I could see the darkness on the edge of my vision.

"Master Damian! This is a guest in our house! Release him at once!" Alfred barked.

Damian's grip loosened slightly before he let me go.

"He is no guest." He said angrily.

I held a hand to my throat and rubbed it gently.

"It's me. Damian. Why can't you guys open your eyes and see that?"

"You don't even sound like Todd." He said.

'No shit, Sherlock. You just strangled me half to death.'

I looked at him from my spot on the floor as he, along with everyone else, stood over me looking down. After a solid 5 minutes of silence and hard breathing, Tim broke the silence.

"Fine. I'll run it." He said as he disappeared. Damian followed him out, leaving me with the three oldest men of the house. I never really noticed I was a middle child…

I stood up and faced my adopted father.

"You believe me, don't you, Bruce?" I asked hopefully. He had to believe, even if it was just a little bit.

He looked at me skeptically before he turned to sit back down.

"I'll believe it when the results come back. Even then, I'm not sure I will." He answered as he took a sip from his mug. I let my head fall in despair. Why did I want his approval all of a sudden?

"How long?" I asked.

"What?"

"How long have I been dead?"

There was no response.

"Answer the God damned question!" I yelled.

"Jason Todd has been dead for nine months." Came the soft reply of Dick. I stared at him, mouth agape. Nine months!? What the hell?

"Sit down, sir." Alfred said. I noticed he still didn't call me by my name. "I'll prepare you something to eat." I obeyed without a word and sat in my usual place across the table from Dick. The three eyed me skeptically as I took my seat and lay my hands on the table so my shredded fingers wouldn't touch anything. They hurt like hell and there was still bloody fluids seeping through the torn flesh. Why hadn't those healed like the rest of my cuts? Was it because they had been hurt after I woke up?

Dick sighed and walked out of the room, only to return later with a first aid kit. He took a seat in the chair next to me and gently pulled my left hand in front of him. I winced as he began pulling splinters out of my torn flesh and cleaning the exposed tissue with alcohol. I tried to bite back the small cries of pain as he did so, but I wasn't doing a very good job. I could feel the heat of embarrassment in my face when I felt a tear roll down my face. It wasn't even from pain. Actually, yes it was. But not physical pain. My heart was dying inside because my family didn't know who I was….they didn't believe me and they hated me. Not that I ever wanted their approval anyway…

"Alfred, cancel all of my appointments for today and tomorrow and tell my secretary I won't be in today due to family affairs." Bruce said as he looked me in the eye. I tried to avoid his gaze, but I could literally feel the weight of it boring down on me.

"Will do, Master Bruce." Alfred said as he set a plate of eggs, bacon, oatmeal and toast in front of me, along with a tall glass of milk. I gently used my right hand to eat the food and tried to ignore Dick as he cleaned my left hand. It took him over an hour to finish pulling the splinters out, cleaning the cuts and wrapping up each individual finger in gauze and tape. I was so relieved when he was done. That shit hurt. But when he let me have my hand back, he moved to the other side and took my other hand in his possession and started working on that. I cringed at the unwelcome pain. I knew he was trying to be gentle, but he was failing miserably. Alfred left the room after he finished cleaning. No doubt to go round up any molecule of dust he could find. I had a sneaking suspicion he wouldn't be able to find any. I buried my head on the table and grit my teeth to ward of any unwanted noises, once again failing.

"I'm sorry, I'm trying not to-"

"Don't worry about it." I said through clenched teeth, "Just hurry up and get it over with!"

An hour later, he had finally finished wrapping my fingers up.

"I can't tell if your nails will grow back…" he said.

"Can it, bird boy. I don't care about my nails, I'm not gonna be some whiny ass bitch because I broke a nail." I said. Dick gave a small smile. "I'm not like you." I added.

"Don't hate on my nails. They are beautiful." He said as he looked at his nails in mock admiration.

"Shut up." I said as I pulled my own hands close to me.

"Aw. You're jealous."

"Did I not just tell you to shut up?" I spat. Dick smiled and began gathering his first aid supplies and putting them back in the box.

Tim and Damian both walked back into the kitchen wearing looks of hope on their faces.

I stood up from the table and looked back at them with the same expression, hoping beyond hope that they would believe me and convince Bruce and Dick it really was me. I walked around the table slowly, waiting for one of them to speak.

I wasn't disappointed.

"Alright, Todd. I demand you explain why-"

"Just shut up, Dami." Tim said as he rushed up to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I was shocked. Was I missing something here? Did this kid not hate my guts? What gives?

"I can't believe it. You're back…You're really back…" he whispered into my chest.

"Took you long enough." I said as I returned his hug. We stood there for a long moment. I felt the front of my shirt get wet, and I knew it was time to pull back. I released my grip and pulled him away by his shoulders. He looked at me with tears in his eyes. Dick, who was standing off to the side with tears in his eyes as well, walked up to us and embraced us both in a hug. I rolled my eyes and stood there, accepting it. It wasn't long before I felt two strong arms wrap around us. I looked up to see Bruce had joined us. I would never admit it…but I didn't want that moment to end…

It got better when the little devil wiggled his way in between Dick and I and wrapped his arms around my torso.

"Well. I guess the tests came back positive?" Alfred said as he walked in. Everyone pulled back and looked at the old man. He made his way over to me and stood directly in front of me. He placed his hand on my face gently.

"Welcome home, Master Jason." He greeted kindly as he embraced me in a hug. He pulled back with tears in his eyes. Everyone was crying…including me.

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