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mickume

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Getting Lost Somewhere...

Cracking an eye open he immediately shut it and tried to keep himself from freaking out.

He'd taken a hit for Kori, a blast of magic or something; he didn't know, however, he did know he was not on earth anymore and this wasn't a place of his mind's design. If the... whatever that hit him, had meant to induce his hell then they got it way wrong.

His nightmares were of a drunk beating him as he defended his battered mother. His nightmares were of drugs taking his mother soaring, she soared so high she left him behind, forgot him and left him. His nightmares were of the cold, the brutality, and the cruelty he was accustomed to; but it wasn't hell, no, it was a hellish heaven. His nightmares were of a woman who had birthed him, who he so desperately wanted to have love him and she handed him over to his demons. And he could handle the nightmares, it was the his demons which could scare him. His demons wore clown make up, smiled and laughed, and cackled, they also beat him with a crowbar and then left him, alone, cold, bleeding and broken. But through the nightmares and the fighting of his demons he hadn't felt fear, at least not until he glanced at a red digital clock and fear swelled up in him with a realization he was going to die. But death didn't scare him, not even close to the scariest thing there was, fire didn't scare him either. But still, his fear was born and he feared that fire, that particular burning, raging, surging fire with a force so powerful it broke an already broken body. His fear brought him to his hell and his hell was a coffin, six feet under, when he was bleeding, broken, running out of air, and scared. His hell was swimming up through mud, feeling the bugs and rocks in his hands and sliding into his cloths. His hell was small, dark, lonely, and no one could hear him. That was his hell; at least, it was one of them.

So with that in mind, this couldn't possibly be his hell.

Which was why he was keeping his eyes closed and focusing on breathing, breathing through the pain, the fear and the panic which were threatening to overwhelm him.

Once he was certain that if he opened his eyes he wasn't going to curl up into a panicky screaming ball of fears and memories he opened his eyes and looked around.

Yup, this wasn't his hell. Slowly he winced as he sat up and rubbed his chest. Everything in him was on fire as he looked around at the eerie world he was in.

It definitely wasn't earth or a world he immediately recognized as he slowly stood. Shaking his head he looked around and noticed all the moving shadows, which had him pulling his weapon and a lighter for some light. These shadows, though dark, were not pitch black and blinding him; shockingly enough. And there was a blue tint to them as if they were alive in some way.

He left the shadows alone though as he lifted his lighter and looked around. Fuck, he was lost, and there was no clear path as to where to go. Pulling out the communicator Kori had given him when they had been a team, he looked for a signal.

There was nothing.

Sighing he dropped the communicator back into his pocket before he decided to start walking, there were low growls and vibrations that he could feel which had him thinking to move now rather than be eaten. Being eaten would be counterproductive to his living again.

For how long he walked he didn't know, he felt like he was getting even more lost as he went, but he just followed the shadows. From the screams, and the sounds of fire and pain he knew he was in a hell, which was all the more reason for him to keep moving. Wherever he was, it reminded him of Apokolips, not a place he particularly wanted to go, but this place held the same painful, hellish environment. There was a black bird perched on a rock when he finally had to stop.

Hissing through his teeth he moved his armor a bit to examine his ribs. Good news, they weren't broken by whatever had hit him, bad news, they were possibly cracked and definitely bruised. Groaning he slid to the ground as he stared up at the black bird, it kind of reminded him of a raven.

"Well, looks like I'm lost," he wryly commented to the bird. It kind of reminded him of a little bird he had known before she had...

Pulling out a cigarette he lit it and took a shaky breath of the sweet nicotine and let it sooth him as it dulled the edge on his nerves, hunger, exhaustion, and pain. Looking at the red eyed bird he chuckled; it was sad when every raven reminded him of that little bird. Border lining pathetic. Especially when he'd never really known her. His brothers had known her really well, he hadn't, and he hadn't wanted too, at least not until she was gone.

It was hours later, after resting when he snapped to alertness and leveled his gun to the shadows.

"Lost?" a monotonous voice asked him which had him turning as he looked at the shadows coming to life. It was like she was made of shadows herself as she stepped towards him.

His voice was gone as he slowly nodded and got to his feet. It'd been years since anyone had seen her. She had brought them to hell and defeated Trigon, sealing her father away but when it was time to return she had stayed behind. And here she was, standing there a little older, more tired, but the same, her slight form slimmer, and her black hair messily tangled around her face as the angry red gem rested on her ashen brow. Her tattered black cloak swirled around her as she floated there, looking him over.

"You're bigger than I remember," Raven suddenly said.

"It's been a while," he said in a tight voice.

"I see," she said sadly. "This way, I can create a portal to send you back."

"How is everyone?" she asked as she walked beside him, guiding the way.

"The Titans disbanded," he informed her. "I died, Kori's Queen of Tamaran, Dick's her fiancé, Garfield works for the League last I heard, and Cyborg is off the grid."

"I miss them," she murmured.

He nodded, he might not have been on the original team, but he knew that the original five Titans had been close, at least until Raven stayed in Hell to guard her father and keep him sealed away so he couldn't destroy the earth or the multiverse.

"You're alive," she said suddenly.

"Complicated, but yeah, I died shortly after Trigon," he shrugged.

"I am sorry, you did not deserve to die," she murmured monotonously. He chuckled.

"Shit happens, and you can't tell me I didn't drive all of you batshit crazy when I stole Dick's suit," he chuckled. She softened.

"You did," she mused. "Why are you here?"

"Uh... I may have intercepted a spell or something and I was put here," he shrugged. There was no need to go into his heroics about shoving Kori; who was in the beginning of her first pregnancy, and he only knew about her pregnancy because he'd been the one to find her panicking. She was going to tell Dick about the pregnancy the day he got blasted; but it was why he had shoved out of the way, and taking the hit as the Bats scrambled. Jason didn't mind taking the hit, Kori and Dick deserved happiness, and he happened to like Kori for a sister-in-law-to-be.

"Kori's pregnant, first kid, she and Dick are engaged, it doesn't seem right for all their happiness and future to die because of a pissed off magician," he shrugged.

"I'm happy for them, and I'm sorry you came here," Raven smiled that ghost smile of hers.

"'S'not the first time I've gone to hell, and likely won't be the last," he shrugged, and regretted the action because of the pain his ribs were in. Raven stopped, her hands were glowing white and she pressed them on his chest he gasped, she said nothing and he felt his ribs start to heal. It could have been seconds, it could have been hours, but she finally with drew her hands and he stared down at bright, but dark, ornate orbs.

"Thank you," he murmured.

"It's been a long time since I've felt anything besides pain," she smiled softly and he frowned not understanding what she was saying. "Thank you for this."

"For something other than pain, it feels nice," she murmured. Then it clicked, what he had forgotten about Raven, she was an empath. Jason didn't know what to say to that, even he could feel the pain and misery of this place and it was hell. He could only imagine what it was to an empath.

"We're here," she said finally as she stopped above a fiery pit. Jason looked around at nothing special and Raven held up her hand, he watched as the purple portal opened.

"Thanks angel," he smiled, then he stopped as he turned on her. She folded her arms and stepped away from him, hunching in on herself.

"You could come," he pointed out.

"Someone has to be here, watching him, of every second of every day, it's my responsibility," she said softly.

"I could stay," he offered.

"Go Jason, this is not a place to stay," she murmured with a smile. "Thank you though, for the kindness."

"Raven..." he reached to pull her after him.

"Go, and please, don't tell them about me, take care of Kori and Dick, and help with their baby, please look after Gar, and when you have a chance, could you track Victor down and tell him I'm sorry and that I love him and I miss him," she said softly.

"It's for the best they don't know I'm alive," she whispered. "And since they can't know, don't tell Victor any of that, just... can you be there for him, he's like a brother to me, I don't want him alone."

"Sure," he sighed.

"Good," she smiled. There was a snarl and a rumble behind her. "Now go!"

She shoved him back with her magic, her tattered cloak flying out as she flew up and he fell through the portal seeing Raven fighting demons. Jason screamed for her, but the portal was gone as he hit the grass and fell back on his back with a thud.

Sitting up he stared at where the portal should have been, it was gone. Groaning he fell back and rubbed his face.

Getting lost somewhere had never sucked so much

Standing he noticed that he was at the Manor, stumbling to his feet he walked to the door, and knocked. It was opened by Alfrid who gaped at him.

"Master Jason!" the man gasped.

"Hey Alfie, the other's back yet?" he asked.

"Jason!" a voice shouted, he looked over and stared at a heavily pregnant Tamaranian flying at him.

"Ack!" he grunted when Kori slammed into him.

"Where Have You Been! You Vanished Four Months Ago!" she shouted at him as she grabbed his ear.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!" he gasped.

"Kori! Let him... Jason!" Dick shouted and Jason found himself being tackled by an octopus then. "You're back! You're back! You're back! You're back! I Told You He Wasn't Dead!" Dick shouted.

"Great, will you get off me!" Jason shouted as he shoved Dick off him.

"Where were you!?" Tim demanded stalking to him.

"Wouldn't believe me even if I told you," he stated firmly; and he didn't want to think about how he'd been gone a day and it'd been four months here.

"I see you are back Todd," Damian sneered.

"Not getting rid of me that easily shorty," he growled. The prince glared at him.

"Jason!" Bruce appeared and Jason was startled when the older man moved and yanked him into a hug.

"What the hell! I haven't been gone that long! Let me go!" he shouted as he tried to escape his crowding family.

"Four months, Jason!" Kori rebuked.

"Four. Months.?" He repeated slowly as it sunk in.

"Yes, where were you?" Dick asked.

"Getting lost somewhere," he muttered as he looked at Alfred.

"Alfie, I'm starved, want help in the kitchen?" he asked.

"Certainly Master Jason," Alfred smiled and Jason walked past them all to the kitchen.

"I was really gone four months?" he asked.

"Dead for a year and I don't that welcome, gone for a day and they can't leave me alone," he muttered to himself.

Purple orbs flew to the forefront of his mind and he remembered a good thing that came from getting lost in hell. Occasionally you got to meet an angel.

She didn't do pet names, or nicknames, she never understood the appeal or the need to be called something else. And though she let her teammates and friends get away with calling her Rae, she did not tolerate anything else really. The one time Adonis had called her babe, she'd put him in the hospital; in the intensive care unit to be precise.

Pet names, cat calls, and nicknames were something which peeved her greatly.

Then there was Jason Todd, and he seemed to never call her by her name. It used to drive her nuts! But now, well, Jason had explained every nickname and pet name he'd ever given her and it was hard to be offended by them now. She still wanted to blast him into another dimension, but she learned to live with the pet names.

He first called her Sunshine when he'd been Red X, apparently, he hadn't said it as an insult to her "gloomy" demeanor or appearance. He'd called her Sunshine because she had given him hope, and light; apparently. Raven didn't know if this were true, but she had felt sincerity in his explanation of the pet name, so she let him get away with calling her Sunshine.

When the Red Hood had come about he'd started calling her Little Bird, which was baffling and slightly insulting to her. At least it was until he pointed out she was the smallest one on the team and she was named after a bird. She let him get away with that one, especially after he saw her tat, in exchange he was sworn to secrecy on the tat. She did not need the team knowing about her tattoo.

Their first encounter as Jason Todd and Rachel Roth was at a Wayne Enterprises charity ball, he'd called her Princess. Raven had been furious with him, especially after the Princess of Hell joke she'd heard earlier that day from Adonis. If she hadn't been Rachel Roth at the time, she'd have annihilated him. Then he said she held and conducted herself like royalty, she was a princess. She ended up letting him get away with that one too.

The first time he ever called her Gorgeous she was trying to ditch Adonis who had cornered her on the street (whatever chemicals had brought out Garfield's inner beast, and made Adonis that monster still affected Adonis greatly and she was usually his target). Jason had jogged up, and said "Hey Gorgeous, been waiting, ready for the date?" and he had kissed her. Raven hated to admit it but she rather liked being called Gorgeous and getting that kiss as Jason herded her off before she could kill Adonis.

He called her Angel the first time ever after he'd taken six bullets and was in the I.C.U. at Gotham General, she wanted to strangle him. They were semi-dating, testing the waters after he had saved her from Adonis, and he went and got himself shot six times saving Dick. If she wasn't so mad at him for getting shot and making her worry, she'd have been proud that he had saved his brother who he still denied being his brother. After he got out of the hospital he only called her Angel when he did something which landed him in the hospital, and on her shit list.

He called her Love when he had introduced her to Alfred; who was the only Wayne family member who's opinion truly mattered to Jason. She'd been so shocked at him calling her Love she'd been muted as she smiled politely at Alfred and shook the butler's hand. That afternoon she let him get away with the pet name because she liked it, later she asked about it and he said it was something he'd picked up from Alfred, she sensed there was something he wasn't telling her about the pet name but let it slide because she liked it.

The first time he called her Dear was when she cooked in his apartment; he had left her to fend for herself for a week and she was tired of microwave dinners. Needless to say, he only called her Dear when he was crossed with her; or she destroyed his kitchen or garage, his two sacred domains wherever he was living. If she heard him call her Dear she took the warning for a fight, so she let the pet name slide again.

Honey was the best warning system she could ever possess, and she only let him call her Honey as a warning to her. The first time he'd ever said it they'd been at a bank in Gotham, she'd had her nose buried in a book, and waiting in line to deposit her pay check. He'd said Honey and she'd looked up in time to see Assassins coming through the ceiling windows, he grabbed her as she threw up a shield around the civilians and dove under the table. Honey became a warning system really fast between them.

He first whispered Beautiful in her ear her first time. Jason had whispered the name against her skin as she let him have her innocence, and he called her Beautiful frequently whenever they were together. She also liked that pet name for no one had ever called her Beautiful before, and he whispered it like a prayer.

He called her Demon, and Witch when she went about seducing him. Horrible insults said as if they were the highest of praises, she loved that. She loved that, for only he could make what she really was sound like a wonderful blessing and she grateful to him for it. No, she was not fond of the pet names, but she was fond of when and how he used them, they made her feel cared for and special.

He only ever called her Ma'am when they were on missions together and the coms were open, Raven didn't like it for it was far too serious for Jason Todd, the devil-may-care, reckless, devious, dangerous Robin. He only called her Ma'am though so the team or whoever was around did not think less of her, and she understood it. He made it a challenge to the Titans and the League, as if daring them to think less of her, so she accepted being called Ma'am when they worked together. She was the only one he called Ma'am too, not even the Oracle got the name from him.

The first time he called her Dame was when they had run into one another at a bar. If she hadn't happened to know Jason was just being Jason she'd have slugged him for that one, especially the low whistle he gave her. However, when he swept her up into a dance in a dive bar to a cheap jukebox playing something old and slow, she let him get away with it. Especially when an old guy at the bar said Jason was a fine young gentleman.

The first time he ever called her Lady it was when he was half asleep and they had run into one another at the grocery store. She ended up breaking a wine bottle on him and his white shirt, he was annoyed, and she was in a fit of giggles at his expression. He now only called her Lady when she screwed up the laundry or managed to spill something on him; so he rarely called her Lady.

He called her Rae the one day Bruce, Dick and Damian caught her and Jason at a café on a date. Jason and she'd been together quietly at this point for a few years, and though she often worked with the Bat family, and she was good friends with Dick and Damian, her personal life had stayed personal. Of course Victor knew about her and Jason, Jason had gone to Victor to get official approval to date her, so he knew her family. However, despite her friendship with his brothers, her work relationship with the Bats, and having introduced her to Alfred as his girlfriend, he hadn't bothered to introduce her to his father or family as his girlfriend. Needless to say, Bruce had been shocked and she'd been embarrassed as Dick and Damian interrogated Jason about their relationship; Tim's interrogation came that night after Bruce had all but ordered Jason and her to the Manor for family dinner. Raven knew things were awkward for him when he called her Rae, so she let this pet name be as well.

The day called her Baby was a day she'd been attacked by her brothers and was half dead, he'd been crying over her, after just about killing everything in his wake. She remembered how he held her and called her Baby, how he had cried and pleaded with her not to die, she hadn't possessed the energy to tell him she didn't die in the traditional sense before the world turned black and vanished on her. She woke six weeks later, in Gotham to find Jason asleep at her side, and Victor in the corner, the Titans and Bat family visited her sporadically, though she suspected the Bat clan only came to make sure Jason was alright. He called her Baby the entire time in the hospital, she let it go because the pain meds made her loopy.

The first time he called her His Girl, was when he was yelling at Sebastian Blood as she was about to be wed against her will; stupid trance she'd been in she hadn't been able to fight Blood. No one had been able to stop him, and everyone in the League and Titans now knew then she was Jason's girlfriend. His attacks were relentless as he systematically ripped apart the Church of Blood to recover her. Raven had never been more relieved to see him than when he came into the church guns ablaze and his Red Hood on. After the spell on her was finally broken, and she could breathe and move on her own she had clung to Jason as she fought her turbulent emotions back into place to keep from destroying the Batcave. The entire time he kept whispering how she was His Girl, and she wasn't leaving him. Never had she been happy to hear him calling her something other than her name than then, she hated thinking of how close she'd come to losing him because of her stupidity and a binding spell robbing her of herself. She'd never been happier to be his.

Yes, Jason loved calling her pet names, and nicknames, and Raven let him get away with it because when he called her by her name it was all the more precious.

She managed to collect a few pet names for him as well.

She called him Red when they were on missions, it was easier for her since he was both Red X from her youth, and Red Hood now. He rather liked it and she could call him Red in public without sounding odd. She also called him Jay, he seemed to like that one, and she found it a fun change. His family called him Jaybird, the one time she did he'd been so startled he'd walked into a lamp post, he let her call him that from then on and she just smiled. She was also the only one to call him Handsome, she'd picked that one after he started teasing her and then it just came naturally, he also really liked that one. Mostly though she called him Jason.

Raven liked Jason's name, she liked how it fit him and how it sounded. He told her once he loved it when she said his name, his real name was sacred to him after all the aliases and names he went through. Raven made it a point to call him Jason often and to savor his name. Just as he would say her name like it were the most valued thing in the world.