Fallen Angel

Chapter 6- Safe at Last

Jason POV-
I stared at the Wayne's, Roy, Wally, and Pixie Pop's friends, holding my sister in my lap and arms as she tried not to fall asleep, doing my best to keep her warm from her shivering, though it didn't do much because I was shivering from the cold as well.

Bruce just told me everything that happened after I had drove off from the manor, all of my second family putting in their parts of the story, and I was silent as I stared at them in guarded shock and disbelief. Mars jumped when I let out a dark laugh. "Nice try, y'all. Now what really happened, because there is no way that Tom is dead. I'm the best fighter out of all of you, and even I wasn't able to kill him. If I couldn't kill him, then what makes you think that any of you can kill him? He's too strong and powerful to kill. Shit, Mari and I would know. We've lived with him, and he's our adoptive father. Seriously, where is he?" I asked, glancing at the door of the hospital room every few seconds, expecting the man to barge in and kill all of us with his gun.

However, everyone was silent, until MJ spoke. "JayJay, I believe them. I can tell they aren't lying. Besides, the bruises on Roy are similar to the ones that you and I have from Father, Akhi." She said in a whisper. I paled and stared at the floor, not believing what I was being told. There was no way that Tom was just... gone. It was impossible, not logical.

A weird feeling settled over me, and I felt sick and nauseated. The gun in my hand shook, and I dropped it as my stomach convulsed painfully. Marinette's eyes widened, and she lunged out of my lap for the trashcan that was next to her and shoved it into my lap, just as I threw up. I moaned in pain as I felt my back get rubbed, my entire torso on fire and  body shaking.

After several long minutes, I laid my head on the brim of the trashcan, panting and holding my stomach tightly, my eyes squeezed shut. I remained like that for a second, trying not to pass out, but a moment later I fell on my back and hit the floor, and I saw everything go black.

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I woke up with a scream of fear, my body jack-knifing upwards painfully.

I was drenched in sweat and was trembling, my breathing coming hard and fast. I heard someone calling me, and I yelped and flinched away from the voice, which ended up in me falling off my bed and hitting the floor. "Jay! Hey, calm down, it's me, Dick. You're okay, I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe, okay? Breathe, Jase," the voice of Dick said. I backed away from him until my back hit the wall. All I saw was Tom, an evil grin on his face. Behind him lay the Wayne's, Roy, and my sister, all bleeding out and dying, some already dead.

The blood drained out of my face, terror and horror gleaming in my eyes as I watched Tom morph into Joker with his crowbar, his crazy laugh ringing in my ears. "No... no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!! Stay away from me, you mangy clown! STAY AWAY FROM ME!! I'm not going back. You can't make me go back to Arkham! My Dad will kill you. My brothers will shred you if you touch me. My grandpas shotgun will be the last thing you look at. Just stay away from me, leave me alone, leave me alone, LEAVE ME ALONE! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!! Please, just leave me be. I don't want to go back. I can't go back, I can't go back, I c-can't go b-back... p-please, don't take me back there... please... I'll do anything-thing... just leave me alone... leave me alone...." I begged, crying and curling into myself, shaking violently and curling into a ball, having a panic attack and shutting everything out, screwing my eyes shut.

I heard a soft, gentle voice say something, but I didn't understand what they were saying. I was trying to calm down, but I couldn't do it by myself. I needed Bruce, but if I opened my eyes, Joker and Tom were going to be there.

"-son? Jason, look at me, son. I need you to look at me, okay? Im not Tom, and I'm not the Joker. Im Bruce, your Dad. Can you look at me?" The voice said. I snapped my eyes open and peek up through my arms, and I saw my second adoptive father knelt in front of me, a worried look on his face. I saw my siblings behind him, all of them looking like they wanted to help but not knowing how. Roy and Dick shared a murderous look, though I knew it wasn't directed at me.

I didn't move from my curled up position, instead kept trembling and staring at Bruce in fear. "He-he said he was going to come back... Bruce, he's c-coming back for me... he's going to take me back to Arkham. I don't want to go b-back... please, don't make me go back... I won't fight with Damian or Tim anymore, and I won't kill anymore. I'll be good, and I'll never cuss again. Please, I'll do anything... just don't make me go back. Don't make me go back with him. I don't want to go back to him again." I pleaded, pulling myself in tighter.

Bruce sat in front of me and carefully pulled me into his lap. "Jason, listen to me: I am never letting anyone take you away from me again. Ever. I'm always going to protect you, alright, because you're my son and I love you. I'm not letting anyone hurt you anymore, and you're brothers and sisters and I will never let anything happen to you. You're part of our family, and we Wayne's don't let people hurt our family. I will die before I let anything bad happen to you, or your sisters and brothers, Jason. I promise." He said, looking me in the eye.

I could tell that he meant what he said, but not everyone can keep their promises, no matter how hard they fight to keep them. Not even Batman.

I shuddered violently against him, letting all of my walls down that I had so tightly built and guarded with even more walls, and I let my family see the weak, emotional, sensitive, and vulnerable side of me that I swore to myself I would die again before letting anyone see that I had, and I curled in on myself under their worried gazes. Marinette came and sat next to me and she laid against me the best she could, and one by one all of my siblings and family followed suit, and little Mar'i was in my lap.

"Don't worry, Uncle Jay! We'll protect you and Auntie Nettie from the evil clown. I promise!" The little flower said determinedly. I cracked a weak smile through my tears. "I know, Flower. I know you will. You're my family, and I trust you, even if I don't show it." I quietly said, kissing her forehead and sniffling. My niece hugged me tightly, and I wrapped an arm around her in a hug back.

I hoped that my family was going to be able to keep their promise to protect me and my little sister.