Hey Brother

Chapter Thirty Two

I swear, Jason is my favorite character. I promise, this book has a happy ending. It really does.

Also, trigger warning for this chapter for suicidal ideation. If you need to skip this chapter for your mental health, I will post a summary of it at the beginning of the next chapter.

"The boy has made contact."

"Excellent. Proceed as planned."

"Sir, if I may ask, what do you plan on doing about the other one?"

"One is a traitor, trying to lure me into an obvious trap. The other...he can be salvaged, once he learns of his brothers machinations. I shall harness his rage and betrayal, leave it to me."

- - -

Damian was sitting in the library trying to get some studying done when he heard the door open and close softly, almost as if someone didn't want anyone to know they were there. Curious, he got up from his position and made his way over to the door, only to find the area unoccupied. He shrugged before going back to his work.

It was then that he smelt the fire.

He got up once more and went to the fire place. He looked inside and saw a burning piece of paper, one that looked important.

Now, Damian wasn't one to snoop...usually. But this paper was sitting on the edge of the fire place and looked like it had blown in there by mistake, so who could blame him if he rescued it and investigated it to try and find the rightful owner?

So he did just that, putting the flames out and grabbing the paper. He picked it up, luckily only the top edge was burnt. He squinted at the small handwriting, recognizing it immediately as Jason's. He was going to go bring it back to his brother when a sentence caught his eye.

'Now that I'm gone, maybe you'll be unburdened and can actually live your life.'

Damian felt his heart stutter. Jason wasn't planning on running away again, was he?

To make sure, Damian read the rest of the paper.

And it was so much worse than he expected.

Dear Damian,

I know you will be sad at first and a bit confused, but this has been a long time in the making. I am no good for this world. I had to do this, to rid the world of the al Ghul blood line. The bad ones, at least. You were the only good one out of us, anyways. I have always been rotten to the core. I enjoyed playing a part in mother and grandfathers' demises. I am sick. I am twisted. I don't deserve to call myself your brother. I don't deserve to live.

I am just like them.

Now that I'm gone, maybe you'll be unburdened and can actually live your life. I know you have been worried about me the past few weeks, I'm not dull. I can see it in your body language and in the way you watch me. But I assure you, this is what I want. What I have wanted since I first entertained the idea of murdering mother. I have blood on my hands, Damian. I must pay for that.

A life for a life, my debt is paid.

I just hope one day you will understand that I did this to protect you. Everything I have done is for your wellbeing.

I love you, Damian. Even if you can't stomach the thought of what I had to do.

Forever and always your brother,

Jason al Ghul Wayne

Damian felt his hands tremble as he read and reread the letter. He had to find Jason and he had to find him now.

He raced out of the library, letter in hand. He stumbled into Jason's room, only to find it empty with no sign of his brother. He felt his stomach knot up.

"Jay, where are you?!" He muttered to himself as he skittered around the corner and down the hall again, jumping down the stairs. "Father! Father, where are you?"

"In here, Damian."

Damian burst into one of the living rooms to find Bruce, Selina, Jason, and an unknown man sitting on the couches, all of them giving him confused expressions. Jason saw his panicked expression and looked down at his hands to see the paper in his grasp. He quirked a brow. "I see you went rooting around in the fireplace. Didn't I teach you better than to snoop?"

"That's all you have to say?! Jason, this is a freaking suicide note!" Damian choked out, waving the paper in his brother's face.

"No, that is a therapeutic exercise. My new therapist, Franco, wanted me to express my feelings to someone, y'know, to purge them from my body. Get rid of the negativity. Then burn it. Kind of like a cleansing." Jason shrugged. "I guess it didn't burn all that well. No one was supposed to be able to read it."

Damian felt his heart rate slow somewhat. He turned to his parents. "Do you two believe him?"

"Of course, Franco was just explaining the exercise to us." Selina spoke up. "Now, Damian, we are trying to wrap up Jason's session. If you don't mind...?" She held out her hand. Damian blushed. He handed the letter over to Selina and she ripped it up. "There. Not as effective as burning but the same point."

The therapist, Franco, nodded. "I would like a moment alone with Jason, please."

"Of course." Everyone but the two of them stood up and left, leaving Jason alone with his new therapist.

Jason turned to Franco with a blank expression. "Did grandfather get my message?"

"He did. He was the one to arrange this meeting, switching out your new therapist with me. Your lucky Damian never met me." Franco growled.

"Watch it. I am still the heir to the al Ghul name." Jason snapped. "One word from me and you will no longer exist."

Franco glared for a second before lowering his gaze. "You're right. My apologies." He reached into his brief case and pulled out a burner phone, handing it to Jason. "Here, a present from your grandfather. It has his personal number and my number programmed in. Be in touch, big things are coming."

Jason accepted the phone, pocketing it. "I look forward to it."

"I shall be going now. I will see myself out."

Jason just nodded, waving his wrist to dismiss his grandfather's flunky.

Franco exited the mansion and got to his car, dialing Ra's. He picked up on the second ring. "Well?"

"He does not suspect a thing, sir."

"Good, let's keep it that way."