Chapter Note: This is it. The final chapter of Where Loyalties Lie! Thank you to everyone that read this story and for all the support. I hope you all enjoy the ending!

Please note: this chapter contains bad language, reunions, and comfort.

Chapter 12: Home

The front end of Hank's car was smashed in, and dozens of bullet holes scattered along the entire vehicle. With a glare and a grumble Hank broke the window of a large black truck on the property and hot-wired it with surprising ease. Outside of the grand theft auto, the ride back to the tower was thankfully uneventful. After an initial line of questioning from Donna and Dawn if he was okay and an assessing gaze from Bruce as he searched for every injury, his son had suffered; Jason was left alone. He fell asleep within ten minutes.

In what felt like an instant, Jason was startled awake violently by Bruce's gentle urging. In his groggy state, he swung a fist at what he perceived was a threat. Bruce caught the fist with ease and waited patiently for Jason to fully come to his senses.

When that happened Jason mumbled, "Sorry." The young man pulled his hand back before sitting up in the car, careful not to irritate his broken ribs too much.

"Why? For having quick reflexes?" Bruce replied lightly, trying to keep Jason from retreating into himself, like when he first met the boy.

It didn't seem to work as Jason just absently nodded his curly-haired head, and clutched Bruce's borrowed jacket tighter around himself. Without a word the young vigilante turned away from his mentor and exited the truck after quickly realizing the wake-up was because they had arrived at the tower.

The young man stumbled with injuries and exhaustion as he jumped down from the tall truck. He gasped in pain as his various injuries flared from the jarring move but waved off his adopted father's helping hand that suddenly appeared. "I'm fine…just give me a second."

Bruce stepped back slightly with a ridged spine trying to fulfill Jason's request but couldn't help but stay close enough to be ready to catch his son if he collapsed. After a few steadying breaths, and the disheartening realization that there was no way he could make it on his own; Jason reluctantly accepted Bruce's help.

Slowly the two walked through the tower, and despite Jason's fierce protests that he was fine, made their way towards the infirmary. As they neared their destination a loud commotion reached their ears, causing Bruce to pull Jason behind him protectively. However, it became apparent almost immediately that there was nothing to worry about as a disheveled looking Dick Grayson crashed through the infirmary doors.

The young hero was shirtless with his new Nightwing suit hanging from his hips and hair sticking out in every-which-way. Blood leaked slowly down his defined muscles from a bullet wound in his left shoulder. The crimson color travelled the length of his body passing a mostly stitched wound in his left side.

"What the hell happened Dick?!" Bruce demanded the moment he took in his oldest son's appearance.

Dick didn't seem to hear his father's inquiry as he breathed out Jason's name and limped towards the two with a relieved smile building on his handsome face. The injured vigilante threw his arms around a shellshocked Jason the moment he was close enough and held onto his newly adopted brother like he'd disappeared if he let go. "Thank God you're safe Jaybird! Are you okay? Do you need medical attention?"

Not really wanting any physical contact after his ordeal, Jason had every intention of pushing Dick away from him. However, after hearing that damn nickname and the utter relief in Dick's voice, he couldn't bring himself to push him away. Instead, he found himself clinging just as tightly to his older brother as he him. A fact that Jason would vehemently deny if anyone ever said anything about it.

A thought suddenly struck the traumatized young man. "What happened to Deathstroke?" Despite himself Jason's voice quivered over his captor's name.

Being a seasoned vigilante and son of Batman, Dick easily picked up on the quiver and held his brother tighter as if he could erase all the pain he had suffered for the last few months. "We're not sure…Rose stabbed him, but he disappeared before we could finish the job." Jason tried to pull away with the omission, but Dick held him tighter. "I-I don't see how he could have survived, but I swear to you with everything I have Slade will never touch you again. He'll never hurt you again."

An overwhelming sense of dread washed over Jason with the knowledge that his tormentor was still out there. He knew Deathstroke wouldn't stop until he had him in his clutches again. He wanted to destroy everything that Jason was and build him into something different. Slade wanted to erase Jason until all that was left was a weapon that he could use against the people he cared about, like a shard of broken glass. Shattered but danger and nothing at all like it was before.

Despite knowing all that Deathstroke was capable of, all that he wanted from the young vigilante, Jason couldn't help but believe Dick's offered words of protection. He could feel it in Dick's arms tightly encasing him, shielding him from danger. He could hear it in his brother's earnest declaration.

Jason believed that Dick would protect him because he was family. His knees almost buckled under the weight of that realization, but somehow the young man held himself steady. Jason's mind raced with thoughts and emotions, none of them easy to decipher. But there would be time for that later. Right now, he was safe with his family, and he could finally let himself relax.

"Uh Dick?" Jason finally said after a few seconds.

"Yeah Jay?" Dick asked with worry evident in his voice.

"You're bleeding on me." The curly-haired young man stated lightheartedly in an exhausted voice.

His words caused a laugh to startle out of Dick, having not expected that kind of response at all. Dick's laughter and relief caught on like a wildfire and soon it was both Dick and Jason laughing, clinging to one another in the middle of the hallway. The two were completely oblivious to Bruce watching them with a slight gathering of tears making his vision blurry. Nor did they see Donna and Hank who watched them from the infirmary entrance with matching smirks.


A week after Jason's rescue the young vigilante was deemed healed enough to travel. Thankfully, he and Bruce were heading back home to Gotham…at least for a while. It's not like Jason didn't like the other titans. He honestly did, but the young man just needed to get away from anything related to Deathstroke for a bit.

Methodically, Jason packed what little he had unpacked into his duffle bag which was mostly clothes and books. He was careful not to jar his injuries too much with his movements because with every twinge of pain the young man felt like he was right back with Slade. He felt the bo-staff slamming into him, the knife's sharp pain, the jolts of electricity ripping through his body, and the terror of suffocating under Slade's controlling hand.

As Jason reached for a book on his desk, the sleeve on his red hoodie pulled up from where it had been repeatedly and stubbornly yanked back down over his knuckles. The electrical burns that now framed his wrist stood out starkly against his still extremely pale skin. The young man's breath hitched at the sight as a tingling sensation started in his fingertips and the unwanted memory of the cuff's pain assaulted his senses.

Jason couldn't catch his breath. The ghost of a tight hand was around his throat. The young man was drowning in the memory of pain, control, and betrayal. A muffled voice joined the whooshing overpowering his hearing, but it was the sudden hold that snapped the young man from his mind's torture.

Troubled green eyes snapped away from the exposed burn mark and connected with a very unexpected sight. Jason stumbled back, yanking his arm free as he did, and continued to move away until his back hit the unrelenting wall.

Rose let Jason go immediately and held her hands out in front of her to show that she didn't mean him any harm. "Sorry! You were hyperventilating and I wasn't sure what else to do. You didn't respond when I called your name."

Jason shook his head and focused on evening out his breathing before addressing Rose. "It's fine. You just startled me. I…I didn't expect to see you again. Not after you…since it's been a week since…ya know."

Rose nodded her head and took a step back to give Jason more space while making it look like she was just leaning against his desk. "Well, I wasn't entirely sure if you'd want to see me. Plus, I had a few things to work out in my head before talking to anyone."

Jason tilted his head slightly in confusion and pushed himself off the wall. He took a couple of steps closer to Rose, trying to appear nonchalant. "I did…I do want to see you. I needed to thank you for helping rescue me. I'm sure it wasn't easy going against your father."

Rose's steely gaze zeroed in on Jason. "In the end, it really wasn't all that difficult. My father is a monster that killed my brother and tried to destroy the one thing in my life that was ever good. I'm just sorry that I couldn't kill him for you."

Before Jason had a chance to respond Rose clutched the sides of her head as if in pain and cried out. "Just shut up for a minute!"

The young man jumped at the sudden outburst and took a cautious step back before shaking his head and pushing himself forward instead of retreating. "Rose? What's wrong?"

The distraught woman halted Jason progress with an outstretched hand. "Just give me a second."

Jason's fingers twitched with the desire to reach for his ex-girlfriend, but too much bad had happened between them. So, he waited.

He didn't have to wait long. "You know how I told you the titans were the reason my brother was killed?"

Jason clenched his teeth and nodded. Of course, he remembered the reason Slade took him as a bargaining chip in the first place.

"Right…dumb question." Rose said softly to herself before continuing. "It turns out my father was the one who killed my brother, but Jericho had an…ability. His consciousness or soul or whatever could jump into someone else. So, to save himself he jumped into my dad and when I stabbed him Jericho jumped into me."

"Wow. I'm not sure what to say."

Rose smirked. "Nothing to say. I gotta figure out a way to help him, and I royally fucked up everything between us. If the day should ever come where you think you could honestly forgive me that's great, but I wouldn't blame you if you never could."

A sad smile pulled at Jason's lips. "I'll let you know."

Rose seemed satisfied with Jason's response and turned to leave, placing a worn and well-loved book on the desk next to her before she left.

The curly-haired vigilante watched her go and when he was sure she was gone moved to the desk and picked up the book. It was The Count of Monte Cristo. The book that Bruce gave him as a gift when he first came to live at Wayne Manor, his favorite. Jason thought he would never see the book again. The young man quickly realized that Rose must have gone back to the house and his cell to get it.

While staring at the book a knock sounded against the side of his open door, causing Jason to look up. Dick stepped through the threshold still sporting a slight limp from his fight with Deathstroke. "Ready to go?" he asked cheerfully.

Jason gently placed the book in his bag, took a quick look around the room, before zipping his duffle closed. "Yeah." As he turned around to fully face his older brother Jason noticed Dick also holding a bag. "What's with the bag?"

"Oh well, I figured since I'm sidelined for a few weeks with this knee maybe I should take that time to go home and get to know my new little brother better. That and maybe work on my relationship with Bruce." Richard said smoothly, like this was always the plan.

To say that Jason was surprised wouldn't come close to what he was feeling. "You don't have to do that, Dick. Shouldn't you be happy that I'm almost out of your hair?"

Dick's face contorted into a mixture of sadness and confusion with the young hero's words. "We're definitely going to have to work on your self-deprecating attitude."
Jason snorted and looked away from his brother. Dick immediately moved towards Jason and place a hand on his shoulder to regain his attention. "Seriously, I want to come home and get to know you better. I want to stop fighting with Bruce all the time. And like it or not you're stuck with me from now on. We're brothers."

With a genuine smile Jason threw his bag over his shoulder. "After you." He said softly and followed his brother out of his room at Titan Tower.

The End