Chapter 4: Repairing Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Sorry for such a late update. There's been several technical difficulties involving my last computer.

Dick Grayson never admitted to understanding Jason Todd. He couldn't admit that he could see that darkness. Dick had almost fallen into the path of the desperate vigilante willing to do anything to bring justice.

Dick had almost become the very element he fought against. He had almost become a killer. But Dick Grayson wasn't a killer and he would never be a killer. The instinct to kill and the rejection of Bruce's flawed morality had never consumed Dick. No, Dick Grayson was not Jason Todd.

Raven listened to Dick as he recounted Jason's actions. Jason had killed and he had done it with a smirk on his face. Jason had given Dick information and had protected his brother. Back and forth it went with the image of Jason alternating from corrupt vigilante to loyal brother/ally.

And no matter what Dick said Raven found her mind disturbingly made up. It was as if her choice had been long before this night. As if she had made it the minute he had wandered back into her life.

-

It took a grand total of three weeks for Jason to approach the tower. It wasn't that he was afraid. Jason Todd was never afraid. Fear was for people like Timmy.

It was just that he was busy. The last group of rogue assassins had almost got away. He had done it as a favor to Cass. The girl reminded him a lot himself and he didn't know why she had crawled back to the family after her little incident with Slade.

She should've just recognized their rejection and left. It wasn't worth it trying to prove to Bruce that you were on the "good side." With Bruce it was always once a sinner always a sinner.

Jason wasn't going to come crawling back. He would help Bruce if necessary. His father, however, had better get a grip. Jason wasn't going to be the good little boy. That was Dick's job. He wasn't going to be the future Batman. That was Timothy's fate. Jason was the black sheep and he didn't give a damn if Bruce wanted him to play Saint Jason or prodigal son. If someone ever tried to put him in the grave again he was going to do them the favor of showing up at their funeral.

For family Jason would stick out his neck and as far as Jason was concerned Cassie was family even if she was a bat and dating the imposter.

Jason had the blessing of helping out the Imposter and Cassie nail the last two assassins. Tim wanted to take the guys into the police. Jason wanted to kill them. Cassie prevented the bloodshed by knocking out the two brothers and dragging the assassins to the meetinghouse of a gang they had betrayed.

Jason had to agree little Cassie was his type of woman. At least she wasn't as delusional as Timmy, Dickie and dear old Dad. She knew the score.

Jason smirked. Knowing the score was everything.

-

He hadn't expected her to be waiting for him. In fact he had expected Raven to slug him in the face for the kiss. Not he would've minded fighting with Raven. She was hot when she had a pissed off expression on her face.

Raven didn't say anything when she saw him on the rooftop. She just grabbed his hand and dragged him through the tower. The others were frozen still as Raven pulled Red Hood through the building towards her bedroom.

"She must need him for something," Kory said attempting to rationalize the scene before them.

Raven who was about five foot two was dragging a six foot tall Jason through the building. He obviously didn't know what the hell was going on and wasn't resisting partially because the entire thing entertained him. Raven didn't even notice the Titans staring but remained focused on her goal: get Jason to her room.

"Or he's the guy she cheated with," Gar said darkly as Raven slammed her bedroom door.

The others turned to look at him.

You two are too different to work out. Them, however….Jericho signed, they understand each other.

"I understood her, Joey. I loved her and she left me and decides to take up with a lunatic. What the hell does she want from him?" Gar demanded.

"Maybe it's because they both know what it's like," Ravager said plainly.

"What, what, is like?" demanded Robin.

"To have their souls in crisis."

-

Raven didn't care what the others thought. She had made up her mind about this meeting. The last meeting was on Jason's terms this one would be on hers.

She removed the dark blue hood easily letting her whole face be visible. She was expressionless as she gazed over him. His emotions were in turmoil but that was typical Jason. He was like arsenic, fast acting and extremely deadly. She could feel so many conflicting things in him.

There was supision. Had she trapped him? There was anger. The anger was more directed at Bruce than at her. There was loneliness. He hated that his former friends were staring at him like he was some type of criminal. She had expected these because with Jason they were always present. However, the waves of love and desire he was projecting were unnerving.

He wanted her. His mind screamed like a teenager boy's that he was in her bedroom alone with her. He could picture doing several things that—Raven didn't know she could have that effect on a person. Then there was love.

It was twisted but Jason did love her. It wasn't pure or innocent. Instead it was a heady mixture of lust, desire, friendship and love that was intoxicating. It was something that she had only felt from Jason and so unique that she would remember its emotional imprint long after this encounter.

She could see his soul with its bloody wounds and long jagged scars. There was darkness and light in him and the entities battle constantly. Both wanted possession of this soul but neither had it. He wasn't a pure being but he wasn't a fallen one either.

For once Raven let her emotions do the work. She didn't try to control herself as her hands reached up at their own accord to grasp the red hood. She had always hated the helmet. It was good at hiding everything but she wanted to see his face. How had his face changed since he was the boy in the green shorts?

That boy had had laugher on his face. It wasn't that she hadn't seen his face before. She had but she had never examined it. She had never imprinted him into her memory because Jason was like fire to her. She could remember his destructive power and light but she didn't remember the flames. To look at the flames for too long is to be hypnotized by them. Now she wanted to see the face and the features especially the eyes. Eyes that she had never seen.

Of course under his helmet he wore that thin red mask. Even then she wanted to see more. Never once in all the years they had spent meeting had she dared to touch him. Never once had she ever dared to rip off a person's mask.

Her hands dipped underneath the domino mask and stoked the soft skin around his eyes. Her other hand caressed his face feeling the stubble on his chin and the smooth skin of a boy on his checks. She pulled softly as the fabric came undone and she could see what was Jason Todd.

He hadn't stopped her and he didn't know why. When he had felt her fingers touch the skin around his eyes he had immediately wanted to gab her hand but he hadn't. He didn't even move a muscle to stop her from doing it.

He trusted her. He had never trusted anyone since his death. Trust had allowed his mother the opportunity to betray him. His trust for Bruce had made him Robin. Trust had died with him as he was getting beaten with a crowbar. Trust had died in that explosion along with his bitch of a mother.

Yet here he was allowing his Raven to see his naked face.

She watched him closing analyzing what was in front of her. She had made her decision and his eyes only enforced. Those blue eyes, a mixture of rage and passion, were enough to let her know that she had made the right choice.

She moved closer until she was right in his line of view.

"I love you, Jason."

It was barely whisper but it was enough.

-

There was darkness in them both. Raven battled hers daily not letting it consume her. Jason allowed its taint but guarded sections of his soul from it.

No one understood how they could love each other and be on such different sides. Jason still killed when he thought it necessary. Raven still fought with non-lethal means. Neither tried to convert the other to their method for fear of causing irreversible damage.

Shattered souls began to be pieced back together. It was a slow process but together they did it.

-

Raven stretched lazily. Her body was stiff from last night. The Titans battle with the new Brother Blood was enough to make her ache for days. She was getting really tired of all these Brother Bloods and their sons. Honestly, when would people in that family learn?

She glanced over her shoulder to see the still sleeping male. She smiled softly before kissing the nape of Jason's neck. She would keep him for as long as she could. In sleep he pulled her towards him and let her lay on his chest. Slowly she closed her eyes.

As long as he was here her soul was repaired, its missing pieces well in place.

The End