The Assasins Struggle

Damian closed his eyes as he felt the wind whipping around him. He calmed his racing heart and breathed deeply, trying to concentrate. His eyes snapped open. Just before he hit the ground, he teleported behind the Joker who had just noticed Bruce.
"Hey!" Damian shouted. Joker turned around, extremely surprised to see Damian.
"You died! I pushed you out! The sword is still in you!"
"First of all, it's a katana, second of all, it's very hard to remove it myself." Joker just stood there for a moment, hsi mouth hanging open. Alnamir managed to get Batman to continue with the hostages.
Did you find his weakness?
Yes!
Damian listened just as Joker decided to charge. He dodged it just in time, removing the dagger. It fell with a loud clang that echoed around the room. Joker glared at him (a rare look for him) before he went to grab the hilt of the katana, which was still sticking out of Damian! He tried to remove it, but removing something that deeply punctuated into a body isn't easy to remove. Especially when said person is still moving. Damian took this as his chance to wound Joker. He grabbed his arm and threw the psycho over his shoulder. Joker landed with a thud. He groaned as he rolled over.
"You're much stronger than I remember," Joker said, ignoring the blood pooling in the corner of his mouth. Damian rolled his eyes.
"You know, my father said you have no weaknesses."
Joker laughed. "And he's correct!"
Damian shook his head. "No, he isn't."
"Oh, really?! Then what is it?"
"You're afraid people will no longer give you attention." Joker was silent for a moment but then began his horrid laugh.
"What? Of course not! Fear of acid, maybe, but that?! That's just crazy! And I know crazy!"
"No, it isn't. That's why you always find ways to escape. To terrorize this city. So no one will ever forget you. It's why you tortured and killed my brother. And why you hurt Harley so much. But I'll tell you this," Damian said, leaning down toward him. "No one actually cares about you." He said each word slowly.
Joker froze, the grin on his face no longer looking so real.
"Your father-"
"Cares about the people of this city. He cared about you when you killed my brother, but now he doesn't truly care. Not when you're not a hazard. The only time he truly cares about you is when you are killing and harming people, and that's only because it brings back horrible memories and you're hruting innonncent people."
"Harley-"
"Cared about you once. But you were horrible to her! You abused her, raped her, and made her someone she never wanted to be! All because she loved you, something you couldn't truly return. So don't hate Poison Ivy for stealing her when you didn't truly care about her in the first place."
"Your siblings-"
"Have a vendetta against you, that's different. The point is,  no one really cares about you." Joker went pale with realization.
"No," He whispered. Damian almost felt bad for him, but after everything he had done, it was impossible.
Damian. I can hear the cops coming.
Damian nodded and teleported to the Batcave. He got there only to see his family looking worried and his girlfriend pacing in circles. She looked up the minute he arrived. At first she looked relieved, but then pure anger took over.
"I tell you to be careful and instead you get stabbed?! What the hell, Damian!" She shouted, coming toward him. Jon beat her and before saying anything, grabbed the handle of the katana and pulled it out.
"FUCK!" Damian shouted, his hand flying to his chest. "A little warning next time?!"
"Sorry," Jon said, not at all sounding sorry.
"TT. No, you're not." Jon grinned.
"No, I'm not."
"You!" Raven shouted, getting their attention back on her. "Are. Such. An. Idiot!" She jabbed her finger against his chest with each word. Damian calmly grabbed both of her hands. She glared at him, but seemed to relax slightly at his touch.
"I'm sorry," He said softly. "I had to let him do that. I needed Anubis to have quick access to his mind and that was the only way I could think of."
Raven's gaze softened but tears sprang to her eyes. "I understand that, but if that was your plan all along, you should've told me! You're not invincible, Damian! You can survive a lot, but not everything." He sighed and pulled her into a hug.
"I know. I'm sorry, Beloved." He pressed a kiss to her forehead before releasing her as the rest of his family ran over. To his surprise, Jason was the first to pull him into a hug.
"I thought he killed you," Jason said. "We all did."
"Uh, no. I'm fine." Damian said.
"What happened?!" Bruce demanded. "I saw him stab you! And watched you fall!"
"I teleported back before I hit the ground."
"Still doesn't explain what happened," Tim said.
"Are you immortal?" Steph asked, her eyes wide.
"No. Just more...invincible than most mortals. I can't die from a stabbing, gunshot wounds, bleeding out, or most internal injuries."
"He can die if he got like cancer or some other terminal illness," Alaina said.
"Or just old age," Donna said with a shrug.
"So, no, I am not immortal. Just more likely to live to 100."
"Not if you keep pissing Raven off," Jon muttered. Damian snorted in agreement.
"So if I were to stab you right now-?" Jason asked, holding up a dagger. All thoughts of worry or concern for his brother seemed long gone now.
"-I would kill you," Damian said with zero emotion.
"Nevermind then," Jason said as Tim lowered his arm before taking the dagger.
"You're really okay though?" Bruce asked. Damian nodded.
"So how did you take care of Joker?" Barbara asked, wheeling over.
"I just told him his greatest fear."
"Which is?"
"Being abandoned, forgotten, or just ignored. He wants people to care about him, but what he didn't realize was that no one truly cares about him. Not anymore."
"That's why you let him stab you," Raven said. She wrapped her arms around his and leaned against him. It didn't matter that she knew he would be fine. It had still really scared her. Damian nodded.
"Yes. I need Anubis to have a way to find his fear but I knew he wouldn't let me just touch him. That was the only other way I could think of."
"Wait, how does that work?" Jaime asked.
"Fear and death are not very different things. If Anubis can get access to someones mind, he can find their greatest fears. Meaning he can find their greatest weakness."
"...That's not at all worrying," Stephanie said. Damian rolled his eyes.
    "Relax. I wouldn't use it on you anyway, not unless I had too."
"Still not very reassuring."
"Baby," Raven whispered loud enough for only Damian, Jon, and Alaina too hear. Damian immediately turned his attention to her. "I'm not feeling very good. I'm gonna go lay down, okay?" Damian frowned but nodded as she walked away.
"I thought the medicine was helping?" Jon whispered.
"So did I."
Damian frowned before walking away, his suit quickly replaced by his ordinary clothes.
"Where are you going?" Bruce asked as he started to follow him.
"Library. I need to look for something."
Bruce nodded. "I'll come." Damian just nodded.
When they reached the library Damian immediately went to the back.
"What are we looking for?"
"TT. I remember seeing books that, at the time, I didn't understand. But I know realize were in Ancient Egyptian and other old languages."
"And you can read them?" Bruce asked as he pulled a book off a shelf.
"Egyptian, yes, the others I'm not so sure. Not that one, it's just about specific embalment." Bruce put it back.
They spent about 30 minutes looking through the shelves until Bruce found one that seemed to have a specific glow to it.
"Damian," He said. Damian looked up from where he was scanning through a book about old medicines. He walked over and his eyes widened as he took the book. "I couldn't open it," Bruce said, frowning as he looked over his sons shoulder.
"That's because there's a securing spell on this."
"What's it say?"
"It's old Egyptian spells!" Damian muttered some words in Egyptian as he held his right hand over the cover. His hand glowed gold, and then suddenly so did the book and then the cover popped open. His eyes moved quickly as he sank in the words.
"Do you recognize any of these spells?"
"What?"
"Not you."
No. I recognize almost none of them! These are very powerful and old spells and curses! But there will certainly be one in here to help with Hecate!
"Good," Damian muttered as he flicked through it.
"Did you find something that could help?" Bruce asked.
"Not yet, but I definitely will. This book is huge!"
Bruce nodded and looked around. "Damian, Constantine called you a god the other day-"
"I'm not," Damian interrupted, looking up. "I have close connections with many and there may be one in my head, but I'm not a god. It's just easier to say than embodiment of death."
"You're positive?"
"TT. Yes, Father! I may not tell you everything but I'd certainly tell you that."
"Just wondering."
"Uh huh. Keep looking around. There might be a book with better spells."
An hour later, Bruce gave up his search and left to look through some cases. About 10 minutes later Raven came in with Titus trailing behind her only to see her boyfriend looking through the same spell book. She smiled and walked over, moving his leg so she could sit with him in the surprisingly big armchair.
"Find anything?" She asked, leaning her head on his shoulder. He smiled at her and kissed her forward. Titus rested his head on Damian's knee, not wanting to be left out. He was rewarded with head scratches.
"A lot. Hopefully something will help us with Hecate."
"It's so cool you can read this language that no one else can."
"Beloved, you speak a language only demonic beings know. I think that counts as cool. At least to Garfield and Jaime." Raven giggled. Damian looked up, giving her a confused look. "What?"
"You called the by their first names!" Damian rolled his eyes.
"I do quite often."
"I know! It means you respect them!" Damian rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile. He really loved her, despite the incessant teasing. "Did you really talk to your dad?"
"What?" Damian asked, not really listening as he examined a certain spell. Raven rolled her eyes and hit him on the arm.
"Your father! Have you spoken to him?"
"Yes, believe it or not! We both speak English and both use it to communicate almost daily considering we're in the same building. It's a fascinating idea, I know."
"Damian! You know what I mean!"
"If you mean truly speak to him...then no. I have not done that." She sighed.
"You have to at some point," She said softly. He nodded.
"I know. I will. But I have to keep looking through this." She yawned and nodded, closing her eyes.
About 2 hours later, Damian had finished and looked down to see that his girlfriend had fallen asleep on his shoulder seeing as it was about 1:00. He smiled and stood up before lifting her up bridal style. Titus opened one eye and quickly stood up. She didn't even stir, her powers reassuring her that it was just Damian. She snuggled closer as he started making his way to his room, Titus following. He placed her on his bed as he went to get ready for bed. She had luckily already gotten dressed for bed so he just tucked her in. When he came out, he saw his dog taking up his side of the bed. He rolled his eyes.
"Titus, down."
Titus gave him sorrowful eyes, but went to the floor regardless. Damian pulled the covers back and got comfortable before wrapping his arms around Raven. She snuggled closer, her face facing his chest.
Goodnight, Anubis.
Goodnight, Damian.