Chapter 8: A grim meeting

Jason had just gotten into the clearing when he saw Raven kick the stool from underneath her. Under pure reaction, he had jumped onto the branch holding Raven's body, the adding of weight had brought the branch down. Taking Raven's body with it. He was lucky that the branch didn't land on top of her rather right next to her.

Jason picked Raven's small body up in his arms. She was still alive, her chest was rising slowly, her mouth was slightly open and he could hear the light grasps of air. Her eyes was closed.

Jason removed the loop from around her neck. Guilt had been building up since she ran away, but this. This was horrible. And all he did was insult her mother. He looked around the dark clearing, hoping anything would come to help him. It was almost dawn and all he would be able to do was take her back to his house. His eyes landed on the grave across from them. Rain was still pouring down around them, Raven's limp body was soaked and began to freeze up. He needed to get her warm or it wouldn't be anything to do.

"I'm so so sorry…" He whispered to the grave, before turning back to the woman in his arms. She looked so peaceful and calm, it was sad. It was horrible. Jason hadn't really known she would go this far to defend her mother, but she did. "I'm sorry, Raven." His eyes began to tear. "I'm so sorry!"

He gasped a little. "I should never had made the deal with you, I ruined your life." A part of him told him he shouldn't care, that he had just rid the world of another hunter of his kind. But the other part was crying. Wanting to do anything to bring her back.

He looked up as he thought he heard something, he looked at the ground in front of him. Something began to write in the dirt. Letter by letter. "The court of blood…" He read out loud. "No, they'll just kill her or turn her." He mumbled. The head of the court of blood was not a kind man. He was known to have killed armies of hunters with the blink of an eye, bringing Raven there would kill her.

No choice.

Jason looked at the dirt as it formed into different words and sentences.

Girl will live.

Jason picked Raven's body up in his arms. It was almost dawn but if he was fast enough he could make it back to the castle. Before he leapt into the trees he heard Raven whisper something just high enough so he could hear it.

"... Forgive me… Mother…"

xXx

Raven woke in warmth she hadn't really felt before. Her body was aching and she felt limp, her arms didn't work, nor did her legs. She tried to open her eyes, which only worked half way as they gave out just enough for her to make out where she was. Raven looked straight at the dark wall in front of her and she knew where she was.

A tear escaped her eyes in sorrow as she remember what she saw in the darkness of death. Her mother.

Her mother's form had stood in a spotlight in the dark. She stood there with her arms outstretched as Raven ran up to her and hugged her. "I'm sorry mother, I'm so sorry!" She had cried.

"Raven, You need not apologize for your actions. You did what was good for Gotham. And whatever you would have chose, I could not be more proud of you. Remember that, Raven… My Raven, I love you…"

Her mother stood in a white dress with her long hair flying in an invisible breeze. Arella wrapped her arms around her daughter and hugged her tight. Softly she began to sing into Raven's ear, it was a lullaby that Raven had almost forgotten.

"Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,

Go to sleep my little baby.

When you wake you shall have

All the pretty little horses.

Black and bays, dapples, grays,

All the pretty little horses.

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,

Go to sleep my little baby.

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,

Go to sleep my little baby.

When you wake you shall have

All the pretty little horses."

Raven whimpered into her mother's chest as the lullaby took her mind. "I miss you…" She whispered.

"And we will meet again, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next week, but one day I will be right by your side again."

Arella paused as the sound of bells was heard in the distance.

"It's time, Raven. You have to go back."

"What?" Raven asked as she looked up at her mother. "What do you mean?"

"Your soul is not ready to be claimed, you have unfinished business in the world of the living. All you have to do is wish for me, and I will be there for you, maybe not for you to see or touch, but I will be there… I promise."

The bells became stronger and Arella began to fade as she let go of Raven's body.

"I love you, Raven."

"Mom?" Raven began. "Don't go, please! Don't leave me alone again!" She cried, she tried to hold onto her mother's fading form, but it was too late, all her hand did was pass through. "Don't leave me alone again…" She cried as her mother faded away and all she was left with was the darkness...

"You shouldn't move around, Little Bird."

Raven somehow found strength to turn her her head to the speaker. Jason stood in the doorway with a tray in his hands. His face was grim and showed of sadness. On the tray was a small bowl of something that smelled wonderful, an ice pack, and a cup of something steaming. Jason walked up to the edge of the bed. It wasn't until now that she realized that she wasn't in her own room, she was in Jason's. He settled down next to her on the bed, placing the tray on a small table.

Raven didn't want to speak with him right now, she was angry. Angry at him for saving her, angry at herself for not succeeding and for simply hanging herself instead of shooting or stabbing herself. She turned away from him as he began to speak.

"Raven, I'm sorry for what I said. I… I don't have an excuse since I know you won't like that, but I am sorry. And seeing how far you would go to defend your mother, it… It was crushing. Seeing you hanging from a tree by your neck…" He trailed off for a minute. "Don't do it again." He said with closed eyes as he didn't want to look at her for a second.

"You don't control my life…" Raven muttered, her voice was sour and broken as she spoke. For a second she wondered why he saved her, why would he insist on saving her when he could have gone killing in Gotham and there would only be new hunters that had not meet the supernatural force yet.

"Maybe not, but I can be a part of it, you're already a part of mine. I cannot deny it, no matter how hard I try." Jason turned her body to his, he needed to tell her face to face, eye to eye. "Raven, I regret making the blood bond because I realized that I took away your life. I took you away from your friends and family, from your morals, your faith, your mother. I took your life by making that bond. I was alone and you was the only one that had ever survived as long as you did, I came to question myself: What would I do if I lost you now? I'm not the last vampire that exist, your would go out of your way to get them and what if they killed your?" He paused.

Raven opened her mouth to speak, but her voice was gone. Had he really felt something for her? Had he always had this protective feeling for her? Or was it more?

Jason continued, "Raven, I'm the worst person to live in this world, and I don't want to hurt you. It's not like I can, but you know what I mean." He laughed lightly. "I need you to recover before you move. Right now, your body is paralyzed with shock from the attempt. You'll make a recovery in a week or two, but until then I'm going to have to take care of you, whenever you like it or not." He smirked at her frowning face.

Jason took the bowl in his hand and brought it over to Raven, she glared at him as he lifted a spoon of soup to her mouth. She didn't want to argue again so she let her pride fall an inch and allowed herself to be fed by him.

Jason ended up having to sit her up since it was difficult having her eat soup laying down. Jason wrapped her body up with the blankets he had in his bed, making sure she was warm. Raven frowned at him while he fed her, but he didn't mind. He found it cute, and he was just happy that she wasn't fighting him or moving around.

xXx

It's short, but I felt like I was being cruel by leaving it on a cliffhanger like that…