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All the pet names were codes, were extra; and from anyone not her family, they were loathed.

Jason only got away with it because when he said her name it was special and it reminded her how real this thing between her and Jason was.

Patching Each Other Up...

Collecting holes and other assortment of wounds was a normal occurrence for him, he'd taken everything from a cut to death, how much worse could it possible get!? It wasn't like it was new to him, far from it. The only new thing was that Raven was with him, and she looked way worse than he felt.

How'd they get here?

Well, he'd tell you. He'd managed to talk his girlfriend of six months into taking a break with him, a vacation of sorts; no he wasn't calling it a vacation! He wasn't going to turn into a couple sap of a guy, it was not happening, and also, he and Raven had the biggest commitment issues which was why they worked together. Also, they'd been going about this thing between them slowly, he wasn't willing to get betrayed again, and she wasn't willing to put her heart on the line. However, they worked, and they were good together, she made him laugh and feel safe, and the sex was fucking amazing.

So, how'd he get here, applying pressure to his demon semi-girlfriend's side?

Simple, even on a fucking break he couldn't seem to escape the League of Assassins and they'd blown up the hotel; and he knew it was them because he had seen Talia fucking al Guhl sauntering down the hall as he made his way to his room where Raven was. He'd come running into their room, shouted for Raven who stepped out of the shower looking thoroughly confused. Then... BOOM!

"Raven, Rae, come on sunshine, look at me!" he pleaded with his Raven, she hummed as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Ow," she mumbled.

"You're going to be alright, you're going to be okay," he chanted to himself as he looked about the cavern of rubble he was surrounded by and felt his heart sinking; the thought of not again floated through his mind. Her blood was soaking his hands, and he desperately looked around for a clotting agent or a one of his guns for bullets, nothing. He needed to leave her to look, but he couldn't release the wound unless he wanted her bleeding out.

"Kay, this is going to hurt, a lot, but I need you to trust me," he said as the ideas flooded him.

"Trust you, cold," she slurred. He took that as consent as he gingerly leaned over her and pressed his lips to her brow. He hoped to God that this worked, he moved fast the moment he yanked his hands away from the gaping hole in her side. dark blood poured from it as he ripped off his jacket, yanked his shirt off, grabbed her towel and tried to make a compress bandage as he yanked off his belt and secured his patch job on her side. she was so tiny, it scared him as he gingerly lifted and maneuvered her into his jacket.

"I'm not leaving, but I have to look for something to help close up that wound," he said as he moved her black hair away from her brow.

"'S'fine," she mumbled. "Stay."

"No baby, I need to get help, and supplies to help you," he whispered.

"Kay, don le've," she muttered and then her eyes rolled back in her head as her eyes fluttered shut. Shit! He pressed his fingers to her pulse, relieved to feel it there, faint and steady. Scrambling to his feet he ignored the pain in his thigh and calf as he started looking through the debris of what had once been a nice hotel n London.

Jason looked around for what he wanted and he found a gun, now he needed a lighter, which was missing off his person for some reason, however he didn't slow as he searched. It was going to hurt, but he figured her being a demon would up her odds of surviving this. Finding what he sought he checked it before he ran back to Raven, he felt his own blood sliding down his leg, he looked down at Raven's paler form and winced.

This was going to hurt, it was probably a good thing she was passed out.

He worked as fast as he could without causing more harm than good, though this was painful either way. When he was don't the bleeding had significantly reduced, and Raven didn't even moan in pain. Panicked at that realization he pressed his fingers to her throat and felt her steady, but faint pulse, still stubbornly beating away. The relief of feeling that was monumental as he sat back, wincing at his own bruises and cuts.

"Bombing fucking suck, if you're not doing them," he muttered as he picked up a piece of metal and started making noise for the rescuers.

The panic he felt welling up in him at being buried alive again was coming in full raging force now that he didn't have a task to focus on. He felt himself trembling and the fear welling up as he tried not to scream and start clawing his way through the rubble. Everything was too small, everything too tight, there wasn't enough air to breath, there wasn't enough room to think it was too dark and his mind was deteriorating as he continued to rhythmically bang away to alert someone; anyone to his and Raven's presence.

"Please, please, please," he chanted, he wanted to get out of her.

"Jason," Raven's tired voice had him whirling around on her.

"Rae!" he dropped the pipe as he scrambled back over to her, his leg giving out as he pulled himself the rest of the way. He wasn't alone, he was not stuck in this alone.

"What happened?" she murmured as he took her hand and his bloody fingers moved her hair aside again.

"There was a bombing, my fault, sorry," he murmured.

"You're scared," she breathily whispered.

"Not a fan of enclosed, dark, underground space," he admitted with a humorless laugh.

"I'll... I'll get us out," she whispered.

"No, you're too weak," he said stubbornly.

"Be fine," she mumbled as she grabbed his hand.

"Raven, you're not dying because of Magic loss, or blood loss, you cannot leave me like this!" he snapped.

"Not leaving," she muttered. "Just moving, and don't die, just... cease to be."

"That makes no sense," he warned her. She smiled humorlessly, there was blood staining her teeth and he felt his heart sink as his mind started pointed out everything wrong with her. She was dying, they needed to get the hell out of here.

"Trust me," she panted.

"No dying on me, Raven," he warned seriously.

"'Salright," she slurred as she held his hand tight, her other hand weakly spread beside her and they fell, he didn't yelp, he grabbed her and wrapped his larger form around her just before they hit the grass just outside of their hotel.

"Ow," he muttered.

"I got you," she murmured, Jason didn't remove his arms from around her as he was frozen in place, the pain he felt was slipping through his body, moving to the points her hands were resting on his chest, the moment the pain was gone there was a flood of calm and he let out a shuddering breath as she gave a moan of pain before she was a limp noodle again. Slowly sitting up he noticed that the myriad of bruises he was supposed to be supporting were gone, and that the mangled gash on his leg was healed. Raven on the other hand seemed to be seeping more blood. getting to his feet he ran to where the first responders had set up triage as he shouted for help.

"I need some help here!" he shouted as he came skidding to a halt, a paramedic meeting him half way.

"This is Raven of the Titans, she's got a nasty wound on her side, she's half demon, half human," Jason filled in as she was set down to be looked at.

"And your name, sir," they asked.

"Dick," he blurted out. both medics gave him a blank look. "Richard Grayson, I go by Dick," he lied.

"We'll take care of her, go get yourself," they ordered as other medics surrounded him. Jason just slipped away, knowing now they'd have to track Dick down and call him to the hospital because Jason knew either Dick or Victor was her emergency contact. He didn't know which. Walking out of the scene he stole a sweatshirt and picked up some shoes as he walked the street and he let out a low shuddering breath as he stopped in the alley and felt the tears welling up. This was all his fault.

He couldn't have stayed at the triage, he couldn't even go to the fucking hospital, the League of Assassins was after him again and hanging around all those people would attract trouble. And even if he wasn't a fucking hero, he wasn't enough of a selfish asshole to want innocent people killed in whatever crossfire was coming.

Looking down at his hands he winced seeing all of Raven's blood on them before he stuffed them in the pockets of the hoodie he had and he made his way to the nearest public restroom. Locking himself in he scrubbed his hands raw as he tried to rid them of all the blood.

The fury finally rose in him as he watched Raven's blood slide down the sink before he snarled and glared in the mirror using every ounce of restraint he had. Stalking out of the store he moved to his nearest safe house. He'd just had to helpless watch Raven dying, and he had been trying to patch her; if they wanted to piss him off and make it personal, they won. He was going to burn their game to the ground now.

Hospital Visits...

He was the second son, the screw up. And he was very used to and very accustomed to being seen that way. It was hard not to feel that way when you stacked him up against all his siblings.

There was Richard "Dick" Grayson-Wayne, the acrobat who Bruce Wayne had adopted after witnessing Dick's parent's horrible demise. Dick was an instant favorite, with Thomas and Martha, and with Bruce, and Bruce's first wife Talia al Ghul. Also, Dick was perfect, not that Jason resented that, no, Jason just accepted that some people had all the luck in life. Dick was one of those people.

He was the second son, he'd been taken in by the family butler; suiting he supposed, after trying to steal the Rolls Royce's hubcaps when Alfred had parked in Crime Alley outside of Leslie Thompkins" clinic. In his defense no one should park a car that fancy in Crime Alley and expect it to leave in one piece. Yeah, the street rat had been dragged into the life of luxury and though he tried his damnedest to make Bruce proud of him. But a part of Jason knew the only one really wanted him in that house was Alfred. Thomas and Martha Wayne hadn't had much to do with him, Dick had been going through a teen phase, and Talia and Bruce were planning the nursery. It wasn't until a few years later that he obtained Bruce's attentions, and then Bruce and he clashed, a lot, when Jason had become a teen and started dabbling in street races, fights, and trouble, but it wasn't until he started getting in trouble that he had mattered. Before then Jason was just sort of there.

The next kid to come into the family was Cassandra Cain-Wayne, she was a sweet kid, but a mute for the most part. Bruce had picked her up one day, seen her father hit her and just scopped her up and brought her home after getting Cain arrested. His grandmother absolutely adored Cass, as did his grandfather. Talia even liked having a daughter, and Dick clearly preferred a sister to him. And while he liked Cass, he was a bit jealous of her and how easily the family had taken to her.

Talia gave birth to Damian Wayne, a baby who everyone instantly adored and the world held bright promises for. Even Jason would admit the kid was cute; then he'd gotten teeth and an entitled rich brat attitude after the divorce Bruce and Talia dragged him through when he was five. Poor kid was miserable; but Damian could do no wrong, not in the eyes of the al Ghuls or the Waynes.

Bruce took in a friend's son; Timothy Drake, a year after Damian was born. Tim's parents had been friends of the Waynes and died in a car accident. Naturally everyone doted on Tim and took him in, not coddling him, but adoring him. He was intelligent, savvy, and pretty cool; but a total rich kid with the act to go with it. Jason hung out in the garage and had started tinkering with the family cars and learning to cook from Alfred.

Jason was used to family drama from the Waynes, however never had there been a bigger fight in the Wayne house than the adoption of Stephanie Brown. Honestly, Jason felt bad for the kid, it wasn't her choice to come from a bad home, and it wasn't like she'd asked be here. Tim had brought her home, and she was staying. She picked up life in the Manor pretty quickly though, and even she became a proper Wayne in the eyes of Gotham.

Bruce's second wife was alright, Jason liked Selina but he honestly was more interested in the drag races than what was going on with Bruce's love life or family drama.

However, when Selina had Helena Wayne a year into her marriage to Bruce, Jason knew he was never going to have a proper place in the family. His father, or the man who had taken him in, ordered him to put Helena down one night, but it ws the look of fear in Bruce's eyes which told Jason he wasn't familya. Jason come home early from a race, Stephanie and Tim were out with friends, Damian at a sleep over with the Kents, Dick was probably banging Barbra Gordon somewhere, and Cass had had a ballet performance, Alfred had been out of town dealing with his family, Thomas and Martha were out of country for a vacation, Bruce was God knew where, and Selina was sound asleep and sick. NO ONE had been home to take care of a crying, screaming, hungry, soiled Helena; then he'd come home and found her. Naturally he'd cleaned her up, given her a bathe, a fresh diaper, and a bottle before reading the Count of Monte Cristo to her as he paced her around her nursery until she was sound asleep and drooling on his shoulder.

The look on Bruce's face just sort of proved to Jason he didn't belong here as Bruce took his daughter and Jason had stepped back. That weekend he looked up colleges in Europe to escape, he hadn't ever been able to fit the mold of a Wayne and he was likely never going to. Especially when Christmas came around and Selina announced she was pregnant again. Talia had shown up in a raging fit, and Dick had announced that he was going to film school, while Tim spoke of MIT, Stephanie had been accepted into her private school, Cass was going to Juilliard, and Damian had been enrolled in the finest school there was. Jason didn't make a big fuss as he went about applying to the schools which would get him away from the Waynes.

He really didn't belong.

Alfred helped him get accepted to a university in England, and even arranged for Jason to meet his family. Jason just accepted that Alfred was more family than the Waynes and left Gotham for good.

Perhaps it was because he never fit that drew attention to him, or perhaps it was the fact he was the black sheep in the Wayne family, or perhaps it was simply because of the natural white streak in his hair, but everyone looked at him funny. He settled on Mechanical Engineering as his major and English Literature as his minor; odd picks but he liked his books.

He received a letter with a picture of the entire Wayne family in a hospital room that fall with Selina holding the newest Wayne; Terry. Jason felt a pang at not being in the photo; especially when he saw it was a formal birth announcement and not just a family portrait.

It was in deciding this which had him meeting the oddest, American, girl; she wasn't quiet goth but she wasn't casual either. They shared three classes together and frequented the same library. They also shared a table at the library but hadn't spoken a single word to the other; it was a kind of mutual truce. Silence.

Their mutual companionship in the library slowly extended to the quad sophomore year. That was the year he introduced himself, and she introduced herself.

Rachel "Raven" Roth, she was from San Francisco, not a goth, majoring in English Literature and World History with minors in Philosophy and Theology. They became fast friends, he got a job as a mechanic at a local garage and he saw her working at a café in the city. They didn't talk all that often, just spent time around one another, Raven wasn't much of a talker, and while he could talk he never seemed to have much to say to her. However, they got along pretty well, and he liked her company. At least, their thing was undisrupted until Jason met Donna Troy, a princess of Themyscira. Raven disappeared for a bit after Donna started coming around, at first he didn't think anything of it. At least, not until he had returned from Christmas break and he Raven was nowhere to be found.

Raven returned after New Years, she looked a bit paler, darker bruises beneath her eyes, and a bit more fragile, but she smiled that ghost smile of hers" at him and said he should ask Donna out. He was a Wayne; even if only by adoption, and Donna was a princess, they would be a royal couple. Jason didn't agree or comply with Raven's suggestion.

As it turned out a week before Valentine's Day sort of shot all of his peace to hell when a huffy princess stalked into the library where he was reading, and Raven was sitting opposite of him, slammed her books down and demanded to know why he hadn't asked her out yet. Raven covered for him saying he'd planned on doing it tomorrow, and then she was gone and he had a date with Donna Troy.

A date turned into a relationship, and as he was labeled as the official "Prince" for Donna he noticed a lot of odd things about his only American friend. Raven was vanishing more and more frequently, she was paler than usual and when she did show up she had a case of racoon eyes if he ever saw it; even with her wearing cover up, also she seemed... weak.

It was towards the end of the semester when he'd been putting the books back after a cram session with Raven that she collapsed. He'd panicked and called for an ambulance.

Donna had met him at the hospital, and as he waited for news on if Raven was even alright, he found himself wanting to call Bruce. For the first time in over a year he wanted to hear his foster father's voice calm him down from the panic he felt clawing at his chest. Donna left him when she noticed that she'd attract publicity, he stubbornly waited where he was.

It was when the doctor came out into the waiting room that he stood and demanded to know how his friend was. He got nothing from the man, but Jason wasn't leaving until he was certain Raven was alright.

He ended up camping out in the waiting room for about four days, the staff shooed him off occasionally, he'd usually end up across the street for a hot meal but he haunted their hospital. Donna sending her butler with clean clothes for him. It was on the fourth day when the doors had been thrown open and a giant of a man stormed in that Jason actually froze. It was Victor Stone, the number one coming draft pick for pro football, and he looked scared.

"I'm here about Rachel! Rachel Roth! I got a call saying she was here!" Victor said at the front desk and Jason walked up to the man as he was put on hold.

"You know Raven?" Jason asked.

"Dude! That's my sister! Not really my sister, but she's like my sister!" Victor filled in quickly.

"I'm Jason Todd, I found her when she collapsed, they haven't let me see her," Jason rushed.

"You're that Jason! Thank you!" Jason gasped as he was pulled into a bone crushing hug then and he gasped as the larger man seemed to crush the air out of his lungs.

"I just... Thank you man! You have no idea what... God, thank you!" Victor sobbed.

"Mr. Stone, I'm Dr. Avery, I've been treating Miss Roth," a doctor announced. Jason stood by Victor and Victor had a massive hand firmly clasped on his shoulder.

"How is she!?" Victor demanded.

"She's awake, she's asked to see you, and said if Mr. Todd was still here he could come as well," the doctor said.

Jason trembled a bit in relief as he walked with Victor through the hospital until they came to a patient room. Raven's small form was propped up in the masses of pillows, she was shivering, had a purple beaning on her head, and her paler than normal self looked like a single touch would have her shattering. Honestly she looked like a fragile little bird when she turned her huge dark eyes on them and weakly smiled.

"Hey Vic," she chattered. Victor was beside her in a second as he pulled the blanket up and Raven looked at him. "Hey Jason."

"You scared the hell out of me, explain," he stated as he pulled up a chair beside the bed where Victor was sitting. God she was so fucking small.

"Leukemia," she answered weakly.

"Rae... you said it was in remission," Victor sighed. Raven trembled more, Jason tugged his jacket off as he draped it over her.

"I'm sorry," she chattered, looking so small and vulnerable.

"Why didn't you call?" Victor demanded.

"I didn't want to screw up your draft chances," she looked down at her lap and Jason noticed then her dark hair was completely gone.

"Rae," Victor sighed. "This is more important."

"It wasn't that important, the wig was warm, and I paid for most the treatments with my savings," Raven chattered.

"Not the point," Victor snapped.

"How long?" Jason demanded sharply cutting off Victor's arguments.

"October," she shivered. "I thought it was fatigue from work and studying, then the bruises started again, I checked myself in again. It's back."

"Rae," Victor sighed again.

"Why didn't you tell him, or me?" Jason demanded.

"I didn't want to trouble you," Raven shivered. Victor was now dropping a jacket on her.

"Well that stops now, I've got my degree, I'll get a job, move here," Victor started. Raven weakly shook her head and Jason sighed.

"There's no point, it's too aggressive this time," she whispered.