Kori woke up groggily, her eyes only half opened. Her wounds were healing fairly quickly, especially with the rays outside filtering through the open window.

She didn't notice much, but she did make out the figure of a familiar man. When he saw that she was awake, her pushed her orange hair out of her eyes.

Dick prayed she would remember the good times, and forgive him of the bad. Kori wanted desperately to say anything, but she was still tired, and so her eyes closed once again and she was asleep.

It had been two hours since he showed up, screaming in rage.

"Woah, woah, chill!" Roy called back at him. "She's fine, and asleep. Emphasis on the sleeping thing."

"Okay, fine. I can be calm," Dick said evenly.

Roy snorted and started laughing. "I'm sorry. It's just that when you try not to sound pissed you end up sounding like your brother."

"Well, that's probably the worst I've ever been insulted."

"Aw, Dickie, don't be like that! He's a lot better when the smog of Gotham isn't messing with his mind. Besides, you shouldn't turn your back on family, you know?"

"Yeah, well, someone should tell him that!" Dick sighed and leaned against the front door of the small house. He hadn't even been inside yet, and already he was at odds with Jason.

"You can tell him yourself if he ever wakes up," Roy said seriously.

Dick looked at his friend's face. The concern for the younger team leader was visible, and Dick was almost surprised. Jason, or at least the Jason that Dick had known, didn't make friends or lead teams. He was too angry for things like that, too focused on a mission to prove something. Then again, Dick never would have thought Red Hood would leave Gotham, or stop tormenting Batman. "If he wakes up?" Dick finally asked.

"He passed out with a concussion. He's been out for a while now. Of course he woke up before, pulled a gun on me and everything, but then he went down for the count again." "I called Batman, but I'm not sure if he'll show. I didn't know to tell him Jay was in trouble." Dick suddenly didn't want to go inside and see the unconscious vigilante.

Roy sensed the change in his friend. "You know," he said slowly, "he carried Starfire out of there. Even after getting his butt handed to him. She's alive because of him."

"And they're both hurt because Deathstroke wanted to get to me."

"Nope!" Roy called in a mock sing-song voice. "That would just be Kori. Technically, the only reason Jason got hurt is because Deathstroke needed him distracted, and decided skull-bashing was the best choice."

"Oh, yeah, thanks for that," Dick mumbled.

"Listen, man. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but you need to understand something. Your ex-girlfriend and your brother are cornered, and even Deathstroke knows you'll be more upset if he kills the ex you haven't seen in years." Roy put a hand on Dick's shoulder. "And you don't see a problem in that?"

"Jason and I are," he trailed off. How does someone explain that they never gave some stupid kid the time of day and that kid grew up to hate them so much he's tried to kill them more than once? "We aren't normal brothers. He's estranged for a reason. He doesn't want to be a part of the family."

Roy laughed almost bitterly. How many times had Oliver said almost the same exact thing, he wondered? "Jason is a jerk," Roy said. Dick wasn't sure where he was going with it, so he remained silent. "He's really controlling, and insulting, actually. He doesn't like when people touch him, or give him nicknames, or generally act like they know him. And, sometimes, it sucks, but other times, it's possible to see that that's all just an act. Sometimes you can just tell he cares."

Dick was still confused. "Why are you telling me this? I know what he's like."

"No, you don't know what he's like. That's the point. No one knows what he's like. What we're seeing is what he thinks he has to be, what he's built up around himself. Now, because I'm possibly a glutton for punishment, I'm sticking around to find out what's underneath. He deserves that much. Everyone in this little team we have going here does. And the only thing I've found out so far is that he wants his family, Dick, but he can't get them so he gets Kori and I instead."

Dick looked directly into Roy's eyes, and hovering just under the surface of fun and twinkling green was the darkness of an abandoned son, a desperate druggie. But, even beyond that, there was Roy. Indescribable, unpredictable, Roy Harper. Dick smiled. "You're a good friend," he said.

Roy grinned. "I'll have to get that in writing later. Come on, let's go inside."

Of course, as soon as Roy opened the door, Jason's gun was there to meet him yet again. "Not this again," he whined, and put his hands up. Nightwing instinctually stepped in front of the archer.

"Are you okay, Jason?" Nightwing asked in the most soothing voice possible. He took notice of the dried blood and unfocused eyes. This did not bode well for any of them.

"You two are going to drop any weapons you have on you and tell me what you did to me! And don't think I can't aim with whatever drugs you've slipped me." Jason's voice was somewhat slurred; if they didn't get him to calm down soon, a turn for the worse was imminent.

"Wait. You think we did something to you?" Roy asked.

"I know you're with Nightwing in the Titans. So one of you is going to tell me why I just shot myself and woke up in some safe house!"

"Jason, calm down. This is your safe house. Do you not remember what happened this morning?" Roy stepped out from behind Dick.

Jason's gun faltered just a bit. "I. . . Deathstroke? And. . . I don't. . . Is this a dream? Am I dead again?" His eyes were wide with fear, something Dick had never seen in Jason before.

"Dream?" Dick whispered frantically to Roy.

"Jay, you're not dead and this isn't a dream. Don't do anything stupid."

Jason's now shaking hand turned, once again, on himself. Dick stopped breathing. It was totally unreal. Even when Jason was a villain, Dick regarded him as the strong brother. He was too stubborn not to be. Even death couldn't keep him.

"I'm really sick of doing this," Jason whispered.

"Trust me, me too," Roy said. "Think about it. You are not dreaming. Please, it'll all come back to you, just sit back down and think about it."

The hand with the gun dropped to his side and Jason fell back on the couch exhausted, with just a hint of recognition on his face. "I asked you to call Nightwing."

"Yeah, you did," Roy agreed, dropping his hands to his sides. "I really should take all your toys away from you."

Jason's mouth tipped upwards in a reluctant smile. Dick was still holding his breath. "Anyone care to explain what's going on? Like, right now?" Dick managed to wheeze out.

"Like I said, concussion."

"No," a voice said from behind them, and they looked to see that Batman had arrived, the darkness of his form in stark contrast with the ocean and sand behind him in the doorway. "He's been poisoned."

Instinctually, Jason's hand tightened around the gun.