Counterparts - A DC Animated Fanfic

- 15 -

 Pain. That's all Damian felt at the moment, he felt nothing else, and nothing else mattered. The shouts and cries of his teammates fell on deaf ears, for all he could feel was the unfathomable pain running through him. 

Damian had been shot before, he'd actually been shot multiple times. Yes it was painful, but not the reason he had collapsed in agony, the bullet only amplified the pain he was already in... he managed to distract himself earlier, mind-over-matter, focusing all of his efforts on the criminals he was dealing with; but when he got shot, the pain he was suppressing hit back in full force.

His blurred vision was quickly ensnared in darkness, with the last thing him seeing was Raven's panicked face.

Raven watched in horror as Damian, her closest friend and most trusted confidant, took a gunshot to the abdomen, before collapsing in a puddle of his own blood. She was so stunned, her body had to react on it's own, as her mind was too busy processing what had just happened.

She was the first to reach him. Ripping of his chest-piece, she used the skills the Titan's had taught her, to stop the blood flow, putting pressure on the gaping wound.The rest of the Titan's surrounded around the pair, excluding Dick that is, he was busy dealing with the guy who shot Damian.

Her mind finally kicking in, Raven knew she had to heal him, before he bled out.

She turned to face Kori. - "Take over." - She commanded, moving her hands away from the wound and letting Kori's take their place. Raven's hands moved from his chest to his head.

Taking a deep breath, Raven began chanting. - "Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos." - Using her healing spell, that she used many times before.

Opening her eyes, Raven expected to see Damian healed, staring up at her in thanks. Instead, she saw his barely conscious form, bleeding out.

"No. No. No. No. No." - Raven mumbled, not believing what was happening in front of her eyes. Shutting her eyes she tried again. - "Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

Again, she opened her eyes, seeing Damian on the ground, her powers barely helping him.

"Raven," - Kori looked at her with concern. - "Why isn't it working?" 

"I don't know... I don't know!" - She spoke, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. - "It's not working.

Dick ran over to the group and took one look at Damian,  - "He needs help." - He said with a distressed expression.

"What do we do?" - Garfield began freaking out.

The team sat around Damian, with Raven sitting, holding his hand. Kori took charge, quickly formulating a plan. - "Raven, can you still teleport?"

"I don't know... I don't know." - She muttered, tears now actively flowing down her face.

"Raven... Raven..." - Kori whispered, calming the teenager down. - "Damian will be fine. So take a deep breath, and calm down." - Following her instructions, the half-demon took a staggered breath.

"Where do you want to be teleported?" - She asked Kori.

"Wayne Manor."

---------------

 Damian woke up to bright white lights, for a second he thought he died and had transcended into the after life, but he knew that was a fate too good for him. Rather than death, he was in the Bat-Cave, lying on a bed in the Med-bay.

"Good to see you're still with us, Master Damian."

Knowing he recognised that voice, Damian awkwardly turned his neck, his eyes meeting those of Wayne manor's elderly British butler.

"Pennyworth," - Damian said groggily, sitting up on the table. - "Good to see you."

"Well the next time I thought I'd see you would be Christmas. Not when you need emergency surgery and get blood all over my freshly cleaned floor." - Alfred retorted, passing Damian a cup of water and some pills. - "You're lucky we still had enough blood to transfuse into you."

Damian taken the pills and swallowing them dry, before following it up with the water.

"Excuse my language Master Damian, but it seems you've 'pissed' a lot of people off, with your actions tonight. people including your Father."

"People are angry that I got shot?" - Damian asked, genuinely confused.

"People are angry, that you didn't accept help when you obviously needed it." - Alfred's tone shifted from sarcastic to frustrated.

Damian looked away from the man he considered as his Grandfather, in shame.

"I had to watch your father go through the same thing as you did, thinking he was immortal, that no matter how much damage he sustained, that he would be fine, and I am not going to watch you go through the same thing." - Alfred stared the teen down. - "Now you have to accept your human, and that you sometime have to rely on others."

"I'm... sorry." - The words feeling foreign on his tongue.

"I'm not the one who you should be apologising to." - He picked up his serving tray. - "You should be apologising to your friends, especially Miss Raven, she seemed to be extremely distraught."

"I understand." - Damian stated, trying to get out of the bed.

"I suggest you get back into bed, Master Damian." - As fast his tone shifted from sarcastic to frustrated, Alfred again shifted from frustrated to concerned. - "You still need rest."

"Understood. Goodnight Pennyworth." 

"And goodnight to you, Master Damian." - He said switching off the lights to the Med-bay and heading to the elevator.

---------------

 Stepping out from the hidden bookcase elevator, Alfred was met with 8 pairs of eyes, each projecting an emotion ranging from concern to anger.

"Master Damian will be fine, he just needs some time to rest." - A collective exhale rung through the group.

"Thank god, the kids going to be alright." - Selina Kyle remarked, nervously fiddling with her wedding ring.

"I expect you will all be staying the night, so I will go make up the guest bedrooms." - Alfred commented, leaving the room. Soon followed by Bruce and Selina, who were exhausted from chasing the Riddler all through the night.

"Well get some shuteye Titans, we've earned it." - Dick said, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes.

"Not so fast." - Kori called all the Titans, much to their mutual chagrin. - "We need to talk."

"About what?" - Donna asked.

"Yeah, even I'm lost here." - Duck chimed in.

"About this." - Kori slammed a handful of crumpled notebook pages on the coffee table.

"What are these?" - Dick asked, plucking one of the pages from the stack.

"These are pages I found hidden away in Damian's suit."

Taking a closer look at the page, Dick's eyes almost burst from his skull. At the top of the page in big bold lettering sat two words. Red-X

OH SHIT

Thanks for reading Ch.15 of 'Counterparts', yes Bruce and Selina are married in this timeline and Riddler isn't hush (Because that was a stupid twist) + Cliffhanger. Anyway, hope you comment, vote, follow and read Ch.16 - MM