Hey guys. Good news, I got my hands on enough money to buy a two-in-one tablet and immediately began writing this chapter. The last chapter was rather lame and was so short and it makes me cringe to think about it. So I buckled down and made this one much longer. over 4000 words to be exact. Hope you enjoy! Things are going to be getting interesting in the next few chapters.

As always, leave a comment or a like! 3 Enjoy!

His senses trickled back to him, like a stream being unblocked to let the water flow. It was steady at first as his mind battled back the darkness and fog that was clouding his mind. He felt the softness of a mattress beneath his body, of his fingers brushing against the fabric of a blanket. There was the feeling of something pinching his skin on his left arm within the crook of his elbow, with what felt like tap over it to keep it in place. He could only guess it was an IV needle based on where it was placed.

On his right hand he felt something clamped over his index finger, the inside of it slick with his own sweat telling him that it has been there for some time. His body wasn't in the same amount of pain as before he blacked out. It was a comfortable numbness that filled his entire body and kept him from the terrible pain from earlier.

Sounds filtered in through his muddled mind that his brain tried to sort and register through. The most prominent was the steady beep that was near his head. Heart monitor. His brain helpfully supplied him with the word. How he despised such a creation despite how it was helpful to hospitals around the world. It's insistent beeping was the equivalent of hearing a child scream while shopping in a store one aisle over.

Based on the steady rhythm of the beeps he would have to guess that his heart was at least in good condition. There would be no worry about it.

The next sounds he heard were that of low voices speaking to one another. Soft whispers of conversations he couldn't quite focus on. It sent frustration rippling through his chest that he couldn't hear what was being said or even try to guess who was speaking around him.

It didn't help that he had no recollection of what happened to him and landed him in his current position. The only way to tell where he was and what was going on around him would be to open his eyes. A feat in itself it would seem. Though this was a challenge he wasn't going to back down from if he wanted to ensure that he was safe. Jason began to muster up all the strength within his weakened body and struggled to open his eyes.

A moan slipped past his lips as he did so, head turning to one side as he fought against the murky state of his mind to just open his damn eyes. The voices within the room quieted after that, he could feel the sensation of eyes turning towards him. Footsteps walked closer to his bedside.

"Jason? Can you hear me?" A deep voice asked in a rather soft tone. In a way he never expected it to.

"Bruce?... What the hell?.." Jason grunted as he finally pushed past the last of the restraints on his mind and his eyes fluttered open. Only to close once more at the fluorescent light that shined down upon him like some holy god.

"Here." Another voice, Tim, spoke up from farther in the room before the lights were turned off and sweet darkness filled the room.

Jason tried once more to open his eyes and blink away the blur that set over his eyes. With the newfound darkness his eyes adjusted much better, the dim glow from the hallway outside and the various machines around him allowed him enough light to make out the room and the other occupants within.

"Hey Jaybird! It's good to see your eyes open." Dick was sat at his immediate right within a chair, eyes alight and smile stretched across his face. But upon closer inspection Jason saw how rugged the older man was. His hair was a disheveled mess that came down over his eyes. Speaking of his eyes, Jason saw the dark bags that were under them which indicated he had not been sleeping well, or at all, for some time. His skin was slightly pale to add on to everything.

Jason frowned and turned to see who else was within the room other that Dick. To his left was the imposing figure of Bruce squeezed into one of the small chairs. If he thought Dick looked bad, then Bruce looked even worse. The bags under his eyes were much larger and he looked several years older than he actually was. He was hunched forward and his expression screamed of guilt and regret. He couldn't stand looking at him for long and let his eyes roam.

In the far corner, tucked up against the windows ledge was none other than the spawn of the Bat. Damian was crouched in his spot, eyes narrowed and the permanent Batman scowl on his face. He wasn't looking towards Jason though as his gaze was set out through the window. Which based on how dark it was he had to assume it was late into the night. Baby bat seemed to be taking up sentry in his spot within the window. Like some devilish guardian angel.

Over by the door was Tim, leaned up against the wall where the light switch was. His eyes were trained on Jason with an unreadable expression on his face. One could only guess what the tech genius was thinking with that overly large brain of his.

He was brought back to his senses as Dick leaned forward a bit eagerly though his expression wasn't as happy as a few moments ago. "What do you remember?" He asked with a serious tone and ever searching blue eyes.

That's where Jason faltered. What did he remember? How did he land himself in the hospital? His lips turned down in a frown as he searched through his memories to the last clear one he had. When he found it, it hit him like a semi-truck.

The empty and decaying building he had woken up in. The creature that came to him and caused him all this pain to start with. A vision of his mother trying to get him to give up. His brief escape ending with bright lights and a car horn squealing at him.

The weight of the memories weighed heavily on his mind and his breathing faltered as he expelled a shaky breath. "Last thing I remember is the car that hit me." He grunted and for the first time since opening his eyes looked down at his body. Bandages were wrapped around his middle, making him look more mummy than human with it. Thin bandages crossed over his left arm from wrist to elbow, while his right had thicker bandages, and a cast was placed around his right foot. It was superficial damage done to his body from the car, it must not have been going fast enough to do real damage. He knew what the most damage was from, that ugly creature that had been holding him captive and downright torturing him to try and get him to bend to its will. To give in to whatever it wanted from him.

He must have been staring at his leg for longer than he thought because a voice pipped up. "The doctor said that the impact with the car broke your tibia bone in two places. They had to reset the bone and put in steel rods to prevent the breaks from shifting." Tim explained to Jason as he moved closer. "You suffered minor bruising along the radius of your left arm and a crack along the ulna of your right. That damage was all from the car." His expression darkened as he regarded the dark veins still making their way along Jason's body of the exposed skin. A sight that had sent doctors and nurses into a panic to try and figure out what it was. "The prior injury you had sustained was worse than we initially realized, three of your ribs had been nicked from the cut and two more severely bruised."

That's why it hurts so much. Jason thought to himself before he refocused on Tim as he continued his explanation.

"The unknown substance flowing through your blood has begun to effect different aspects of your brain. While you were under, you were having rather vivid nightmares and the few times you were in and out of consciousness were filled with hallucinations." He met Jason's eyes and he saw a fire burning within them. "Whatever Ororott injected into you is doing severe damage that the doctors cannot explain."

Jason stiffened at the name, the memory of the vision he had as he slept filtering into his mind. Was that just a hallucination or was that a true vision?

"Jason." He turned to look back at Dick who looked so worn and ragged as he gently took Jason's hand in his own. "Why did you run away like you did?" His voice trembled with emotion and his eyes held betrayal and pain.

His eyebrows knit together in confusion. He did what? "What are you talking about?" He croaked out, hating how small and weak his voice sounded.

"You fled from the manor Jason." Bruce spoke up as he caught the second eldest's attention. His blue eyes searching that of his wayward son and only saw confusion and annoyance clouding his gaze. "Don't you remember?" He pressed to try and get his son to remember anything.

"No." He answered in a flat tone as his eyes tore away from Bruce's and traveled around to his entire family. All of them had varying looks of disbelief in their own blue eyes as they each met his shaky gaze. "One minute I was in the manor and the next I wake up to that creature standing over me in an abandoned building in Crime Alley." He explained, waving his least injured arm in the arm and scowling. He conveniently left out the part where that thing played mind games with him and tried to get him to give up on living.

"You mean to tell us you have a six hour gap in memory." Tim questioned with his eyebrows drawn together as he tried to figure out what this could me.

Before Jason could confirm it there was a low growl from Bruce. "And that you were being held by that monster?" His voice was dripping with malice and it sent a shiver down Jason's spine. He tended to forget at times just how frightening Bruce could be.

He steeled his emotions and nodded. "It didn't outright kill me, which is surprising because I know a good portion of people who would jump at the chance to put a bullet through my head." He did his best not to notice how Dick flinched at that beside him. "When I woke up the second time and saw it wasn't in the room I took that as my chance to run. After I got out onto the street that's when the car hit me." He explained to the best of his memory. Yet there was a look in Tim's eyes that showed he had some inkling that Jason was keeping information from them. Thankfully the younger bird didn't call him out on it and instead pulled out his phone.

"That creature is a servant from death itself. As Damian so helpfully supplied when we were looking for you." Tim seemed to pull something up and showed a picture to Jason. He recoiled at the sight.

"That's it!" He growled at the messy cave drawing of the very creature that had been holding him captive all those hours.

Tim nodded and pulled the phone back. "It's name is Ororott. It serves as a minion for death. It is known to drive its victim's to the brink of insanity and then sways their decisions to take their own lives." He explained to Jason as he swiped through the information they had gathered on the creature. "Death himself cannot outright claim a soul without going against fate so he uses this creature to collect the souls he believes rightfully belong to him."

Knowing what that creature was didn't serve to make Jason feel any better about everything. "So what you are saying is that Death is using cheap tricks to try and get my soul back?" He scowled at the idea and tightened his hands into fists. "I think I earned my right to have a second chance." He spat as his anger began to rise up. Some deity thought they had any claim to him? Well they were delusional if they thought getting to him would be that easy.

A hand rested over top his on his left side and he looked up to meet the steady gaze of Bruce. "We aren't going to let it get you Jason." His voice was as soft as Bruce could get and that surprised Jason. He only had a few memories of Bruce taking on the role of nurturing father so it still sent him through a loop whenever he did. Especially after the last couple of years, many of them spent in a hate filled rage.

"How? This thing has proven to be cunning and crafty. It's venom alone has done enough damage." Jason hated to think of the visions he has already had because of it. The memory of his hallucination of Ducra sent a throb of heartache through his chest at the thought of his All Caste mentor. His guilt still hung with him even after all this time. Maybe that's part of how the venom worked. It dug up awful memories of the past and those that you have hurt or let down and forced to you envision them. If that was the case then it was working. First seeing Ducra and then his mother. This venom was a bitch to deal with.

"Jason." His name being called snapped him out of his train of thought and he focused on who said his name. Dick was looking at him with concern and leaning closer over the bed. "You spaced out there. Are you okay?" A look must have crossed his face because Dick smiled sheepishly. "Other than the obvious injuries you have." He corrected himself as he shifted in his seat.

"Are you having any visions or hallucinations?" Tim asked as he came closer to the bed, his eyes calculating and observant as ever. He seemed to be studying Jason's reactions and expressions to come to the best conclusion of what he saw as the truth.

"Haven't since I was with that rat on steroids." Jason muttered as he tore his eyes away from Tim's to gaze down at his hand's that were laying across his lap. He didn't realize his slip up, too caught up in the throes of his own mind. It was only when nobody spoke up did he notice how silent everyone had gone. He tilted his head up to meet four sets of blue eyes all intently staring at him with varying degrees of emotion over them. "What?" He frowned in confusion as to why everyone was staring him down like they were.

"You had hallucinations when you were with Ororott?" Tim's voice was strained in a way that Jason could tell he wasn't going to accept any lies.

He didn't want to tell them what he had seen, the vision of his mother would be taken to his grave. That was personal to him and the life he had before Batman. While Bruce had information about his mother, and Tim no doubt read up on his file once he went under Bruce's wing, they didn't know everything. They only knew about her when she started falling on harder times and lost her battle against addiction. They didn't know about the times she would take him to the park early in the evening and pushed him on the swings as he childishly claimed he was Superman.

How she would tuck him in at nights and whisper reassurances whenever his father was taken back to jail or he was terrified of how his family would survive. The times she held him close as he cried out his heart and ran her fingers softly through his hair. He remembered the few times he was sick, how she would sit beside his bed and offer any comfort she could think of to ease her sickly sons suffering.

Those were memories precious to him, of a time when things were simpler and he wasn't as burdened as he was today. There was no way he would let them be tainted by speaking about a vision of his mother trying to persuade him into dying.

He met all their gazes with a hardened look of his own. "I did. One at least." He informed them and noticed Tim opening his mouth to speak. "I am not going to diverge into it and explain what it was." He started and that had the younger man closing his mouth once more. "Let's just say it was… a ghost of my past." He had taken a moment to find the right words, grimacing as they left his mouth. "One I would rather not think of in such a light." His voice was soft as he said this, hands curling into the sheets as best as they could in his brief lapse of anger.

"It's okay Jaybird, we won't pry." Dick assured him with that gentle smile of his that would set any civilian at ease at the sight. Jason had seen first hand how comfortable people could get around Dick inside and outside of costume.

"We need to be coming up with a plan anyhow." Bruce intervened as he caught both of their attention. "Ororott won't stop until he has what he wants. Our main priority is dealing with the venom that is coursing through Jason's blood right now. We have already spoken with several members of the league to see if any of them can dig up some information on how to handle Ororott." He explained as he stood up from his seat with a hardened expression settling over his face, similar to stone. "Alfred is running tests back at the manor to try and find a way to rid your system of the venom." By the way he said it Jason could tell Alfred wasn't having much luck just yet.

"That's all well and good, but what am I supposed to do? Sit here in the hospital and wait for that bastard to come back for me?" It was a reasonable question on his part, seeing as he wouldn't be up and moving any time soon. Yet he noticed a shared look between his family and narrowed his eyes. "What?"

It was Dick who spoke up after a tense moment of silence. "We were planning on bringing you back to the manor once you woke up." He saw the look in his little brother's eyes and came to rest his hand on Jason's. "We have taken precautions to at least keep Ororott out. It isn't a permanent solution but it will by us some time. Zatanna gave us a book that holds ancient hex's to keep out unwanted and malicious spirits." Jason raised an eyebrow at that information yet he wasn't as surprised that she was the one to have such information. She did deal with plenty of magical nonsense after all. "You just need to stay within the grounds of the manor and he cannot get to you."

Tim took that moment to offer his own piece of information. "She also gave us an elixir that would curve the worst of the venom. Sadly not curing it completely." The third Robin looked rather upset with that information even though he knew it prior. "You can only take it once every forty-eight hours though."

"What happens if I take it before the forty-eight hours?" He wondered what awful side effects the elixir could wreck on him. He was already going through enough shit and wanted to know as a precaution.

"You could die."

Silence stretched between them for a beat.

"Good to know."

Again the silence filled the room except for the steady beat of the heart monitor. Not enjoying that being the only sound, Jason spoke up once more. "When can I leave?"

"Ready to escape our care so soon Mr. Wayne?" An unfamiliar voice spoke up from the doorway, causing Jason to jerk his head around to stare at the man.

It was a doctor, middle aged with short brown hair with a few streaks of grey along the sides. He fixed the pair of glasses that rested upon his nose, brown eyes shimmering with slight amusement and apology as he stepped further into the room and closed the door. "I am sorry. I had come to check up on you earlier but had seen you were speaking with your family and hadn't wished to interrupt." Bruce moved aside to let the doctor come forward. "As for your question, I was just finishing the discharge papers. When you had shown signs of consciousness your family was quite eager to start it to get you home as soon as possible." The doctor smiled at him.

Jason blinked at that and sent a sideways glance at Dick who just grinned at his brother. "Oh." That was all his brilliant mind could come up with to say in that moment.

"You are one lucky man. The car didn't do nearly as much damage as it could have. Your right leg should be healed up within three to four months, though we would need you to come back in to remove the steel rods within two." He looked down at the charts he had as he began to list off important information that the family would need to know. "Your left arm will be good in three weeks. Though your right arm will take a month to heal." The doctor raised his eyes to shoot Jason a rather serious look. "Because of your ribs you need to take things easy. Not getting up and wandering around straining yourself. He needs plenty of rest and nutrients." He turned his gaze towards Bruce as he said this. "Also fluids to flush out the fear toxin in his blood." Jason's head whipped around to face his family with a look of confusion. Tim sent him a sharp look that warned him not to say anything just as the doctor faced him once more. "You are lucky to have been found when you were. Scarecrow's new concoction of fear toxin is nasty. Never seen anything like it." He wrote out something on his papers and began to head for the door. "A nurse will be by shortly with a wheelchair to escort you to the front." Then he was gone.

Jason frowned and looked back at his family once more. "Fear toxin?" He raised an eyebrow towards each of them trying to find an answer to his confusion.

"We had to tell them something to explain the black veins and the symptoms you were suffering from. Scarecrow's fear toxin was the only viable solution that would be believable." Tim stated to explain to Jason just what they had told the doctors. "It kept them from asking too many questions and from keeping you in quarantine for a new disease they couldn't explain."

"Fair enough." Jason conceded as he leaned his head back against the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. All that was left was to wait for the nurse to come and whisk him away. It was only when Bruce made his way to the door did he move his eyes away from the ceiling.

"I will go and pull the car around. Tim, Damian, come with me. Dick stay here with your brother." He watched as both boys obeyed his words, like the soldiers they were trained to be, and all three exited the room leaving the two eldest alone.

The sound of the heart monitor is the only thing to break the silence between the brothers. Jason had returned his gaze to the ceiling, yet he could see the way Dick shifted in his seat beside him. He seemed to be contemplating on what to say to his brother or how to say it. Since he had to be careful of what words he said to his younger brother.

Just when he thought Dick had given up on trying to attempt to break the silence between them, his brother spoke up. "Jason. No matter what happens, I just want you to know that we will do what ever it takes to keep you safe." Their gazes met as Jason shifted his head to look towards Dick. His blue eyes were steeled with his emotions, a sense of determination and the promise that his words would hold true. "We won't let you die…. I doubt any of us could handle losing you." His voice trembled on his last sentence as he tore his own gaze away and looked down at the bed sheets. "We won't let you down this time." Emotion thickened his voice as he raised his head and Jason saw the glimmer of tears in his elder brothers eyes.

His own emotions tightened his throat at that. The way Dick said it, somewhere in his heart he knew. He knew his family would go to the ends of the earth to protect him and prevent him from dying, a second time. He swallowed back the lump that had been trying to choke him and nodded. "I know." He did, for the first time since he came back he knew he would be safe. There is nowhere else, no one else, who could keep him safe in the way his adoptive family could.

Dick's smile was shaky as a single tear slipped down his cheek. He sniffled and straightened in his chair. "Good." He whispered and tentatively took Jason's hand in his own. He gave it a light squeeze which was returned to the best of Jason's ability.

That's how the pair remained until the nurse arrived.