Part 2 for my series: Hopes for a Bastard!

Part 1 for Hopes for a Bastard: Give Me Back My Mind!

Also able to be found on Archive of Our Own!

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I Do Not Own DC Comics, Movies/TV, or Animation

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Breathtakingly Fucked…

With as many people as he had on his ass one could never say Jason Todd was too paranoid. It wasn't paranoia if they really were out to get you, he reminded himself and it the past six months since he had left the Tower he could not shake the feeling that he was being watched and followed. It wasn't Bats, he knew that, he was keeping tabs on the family through sunshine who was persistently texting him.

Yeah, he still had the phone, it wasn't smart, it wasn't wise, it was a pain in the ass, but Raven had enchanted the fucking thing; he knew that. And honestly, he kind of liked having it, having someone who talked back when he reached out. She texted him daily, it had started with a photo bomb of the puppy and the Titans, and the Bats, and it had proceeded from there. The thing with Raven, the thing about her which scared the hell out of him, was how fucking easy it was to talk to her. He'd spent the first month resisting her texts, and then he'd finally texted her to knock it off, she immediately replied that as his Queen it was her duty to make certain he was alive and it was all downhill from there.

Daily texts, sometimes just as simple as a hello from one of them, or a raving rant about something or a question about a book suggestion. The calls were weekly, and he had started those unintentionally after a nightmare and he'd called for reasons he still couldn't fathom. Raven had walked out of the shadows in his condo in Germany armed with books, tea, and conversation while he had slowly calmed down and crawled out of the corner he had retreated into with a gun.

They could talk, real talks, things about morals, ethics, and the law, and it didn't end with him wanting to destroy something or having her wanting to turn him into the authorities. Raven might never break the law, and she might not be as morally flexible as he was, but she was open minded and she listened. They also talked books, cars, and food. Over all, it was easy to be around her, and it was easy to talk to her, and it freaked him out how easy it was.

But that brought him to a crappy November day in his New York City apartment, his mind and senses on overdrive since he could not shake the feeling that he was being followed. Dropping his bag where he could grab it he checked over his supplies as he checked the security of his safe house; it was in Hell's Kitchen, which was coming up, but it was also… well, Hell's Kitchen.

Barely had he checked his security when his alarm blared and he turned as he saw a tactical; not swat, tactical, team coming at his door. He grabbed his bag and was diving out the window just as his door blew. He caught a fire escape, hissed as his shoulder protested and then he released it as he landed on the narrow landing of the lower landing and then he was running. He hit the street in a dead run, pulling the back pack over his shoulders. He ducked into an alley and sought the high ground where he'd have the advantage. He yanked out the phone as he dialed; suddenly there was about six guys all aiming weapons for his chest. The one damn time he traveled without wearing his Kevlar!

"Fuck!" he slid down a gap between buildings then smashed into a window, there was a yelp but he didn't slow.

"Pick up!" he pleaded.

"Hello?" was the sleepy answer as he leapt to another building and started scaling.

"Hey sunshine, getting your beauty rest?" he asked as he swung over the lip of the building and staggered in exhaustion. There were shots hitting the roof, he didn't stop to see how close they were as he ran.

"Was that gunfire?" she was fully awake now.

"Yup! Remember when you said you'd help me? HELP!" he roared as he leapt over a road, and winced at the hard landing but was on his feet again.

"Where are you?" she demanded, he heard her moving as he ran for a cache of weapons he had stowed near here, there were more shots and he slid down, landing hard in a pile of garbage.

"The Big Apple, Hell's Kitchen," he answered.

"I'm coming," she hung up and he ducked into the shadows when he saw the tactical team coming down to the alley level, he tensed the team fanned out. Jason quietly slunk through the other end of the alley and he immediately made two plan clothes guys., they spotted him and he ducked back into the alley.

"We got him," he heard one speak into his wrist, Jason bolted. Feet don't fail me now! screaming in his head as he wove through the people, he could feel the men after him and ducked into an alley. He readied for a fight as he took a steadying breath. The men came into the alley, guns drawn. Jason moved fast as he caught the first's wrist and spun to slam his elbow into the other's face. The second went down, Jason twisted the first's arm as he pulled the gun from his grasp and kicked his knees out. The man would have screamed but Jason slammed his head into the wall of the building before leaning down and grabbing the coms.

"Still need help?" a monotone from the shadows asked, he turned to see Raven standing there wearing a grey hoodie, jeans and black boots. Her black hair was swirling around her as she stood there looking like a normal human and like she belonged in the shadows.

'What's your status?' a hard woman's voice snapped into the com before he could respond to Raven. 'Team A come in, is Jason Todd in custody?'

Jason shoved his bag at her, and stripped his hoodie before leaving it behind and taking his bag. Raven also found herself tucked into his side as he grabbed one of the men's hats and slid it on.

"What's going on Jason?" she asked quietly as they started walking down the street.

"I have no clue, I just came back from Ireland, like, thirty minutes ago back," he said calmly.

"I see," she held up her hand and let the shadows wrap around them and they stumbled into her room before she turned on him, he looked exhausted. She walked back to her closet to change while she let him regroup and get his bearings. When she walked out she was dressed in her traditional nightwear of a too large man's t-shirt, and running shorts.

"Tell me what happened," she demanded.

"I was in my safe house when the alarms were triggered, I was out of there just as a tactical team breached, I ran. They know who I am too, they have since been trying to capture me. And they sure as hell aren't cops, too trained," he muttered as they walked.

"Alright," she nodded as she gingerly took the radio he had snatched from him and looked at it. It looked League or military, high grade, she immediately shut it off and pulled out the battery.

"Tell me from the top who they are, what they want, and how much trouble you're in and we'll go from there," Raven said firmly.

"Dunno, but they're after Jason Todd, not the Red Hood. Think Bats told someone that I was alive?" Jason sighed tiredly.

"Bruce can be an ass, but even he's not that much of an ass. If he was going to arrest you, after finding you, he'd come for you himself, besides, he wants you home and not in jail or Arkham." Raven pointed out.

"Good point. Then I have no idea who it was, yet," he muttered as he glared at the radio and earwig.

"I'll take it to Victor and he'll check it out, perhaps he can identify them using their frequency or the radio itself," Raven said calmly.

"Thanks sunshine," he smiled.

"Don't call me that," she reflexively stated. "Stay here."

"You're going to willingly let me into your room?" he mused.

"Provided you don't steal anything, again, I don't have a problem with you being in my room, I can even bring Damian up for company if you'd like," Raven mused. Jason pulled a face and she chuckled as she moved for her door.

"Thank you, you know… for coming…" he said uncomfortably.

"Of course, Jason, I pick you," she assured him in her monotone and she felt the shock rolling off him in waves.

"I don't know why," he muttered.

"Because you're worth it, also, you make the best waffles ever," she stated.

"See I knew it! It couldn't possibly be for my devilishly handsome looks," he said. He was comfortable teasing, joking, and taking nothing seriously. Raven smiled softly as she opened her door. Being with Jason just felt… natural. Whereas with anyone else physical or emotional contact felt foreign with Jason it just felt natural. It was like it was one of those things one simply did, and she kind of liked it. Walking up to Victor's room she knocked lightly on his door before entering.

"Victor," Raven knocked.

"Huh?"

She walked in and looked at her bleary, recharging friend.

"I need you to look into who's radio this belongs to in the morning, and Jason's in the Tower, he'll be staying in my room," she murmured.

"Yeah, yeah, good, wait what!?"

"We'll talk about it in the morning," she promised as she left her friend. Returning to her room she found Jason had changed and was currently sprawled over her California King mattress, and he seemed to swallow that all up.

"Oh God! This is a bed, I missed it" he groaned.

"Glad you like it," she said dryly as she walked over to her bed then pulled the blankets aside again and crawled in on her stomach. A yawn escaped her as she burrowed into her pillow.

"Thanks for letting me stay here again," he muttered.

"Mmhmm," she hummed tiredly as his arm fell over her back and sleep took them both. Only Jason made her life this topsy-turvy, and for some reason she couldn't despise it as sleep dragged her under.

"What do you mean he got away?" she grounded out. Six months of planning when to capture him at his weakest… it couldn't have fallen apart that easily! Red Hood was isolated, he was not an active member of the Bat family, and he was exhausted, without ammunition, and without resources! On top of that he was legally dead! He was cut off from all Wayne ties.

She seethed at this because she'd been planning it perfectly for six months.

"Very well," she muttered.

She had an ace up her sleeve yet, if she could not trust a tactical team to collect him then she would use her other arsenal. It'd be more messy but it wouldn't be all that surprising if someone had a hit out on the Red Hood. She snatched up a secure line as she thought about who she would require for this mission carefully.

"Get me Belle Reves Prison, I want a flight down to Louisiana immediately," she snapped.

"Of course ma'am," was the response before the line was dead and the details of her flight were being arranged.

If she could not get him quietly then she would get him with brutal force. The kid was too valuable of an asset to be left to his own devices, also, him running around the world was a waste of his skills. Jason Todd was ideal for her work, and he was a good scape goat for is missions went wrong.

She would add the Red Hood to her collection.

And Batman would be none the wiser to what his dead bird was doing, of this she was certain.

Yeah, I'm Posting It Early.

For the Fluffinator.

That's all for now folks.

Enjoy Rock Meet Bottom.