Three weeks had passed since Jason had seen the last of you. No message, no ransom, not even a clue or a piece of your equipment left behind. It's like you'd been wiped off the face of the Earth, never to be found again. He even went as far as begging Bruce for his help—that's right, begging, because when Jason gets a hunch that something awful's happened he's usually correct. And he didn't want to be, not about this. Not about you.

And in the end? They found you, but not because of any clues or signals from you; no, it was way worse. Two-Face was done playing with you, and so he returned your scorched and mangled body back to your lover. You'd always been full of life, your presence enough to light up a room and bring a smile to his face just by existing near him, but now you're... empty, somewhat. On the surface, Jason could see that you were trying your best to avoid worrying others, though when the two of you were alone you always seemed to lose any sort of vitality. It killed him.

Jason knows that recovery is a slow process, that you need to heal and not just physically, but he truly wishes he could just wipe out any of the horrors you faced from your memory just to see your beautiful, bright smile once more. Half the time he feels completely useless, though you're seemingly content to keep him in your vicinity even when you don't need anything, and that soothes his guilt somewhat. The most useful thing he feels like he's done since this nightmare started is helping you bathe after your injuries got better—as well as ensuring that you always sleep on your stomach to avoid injuring your back any further, no matter how little sleep that leaves him with. That third-degree burn on your back is a constant pain for you, and the last thing he wants is for the injury to get any worse and to see you suffer.

He just wants you back. He wants that blinding light that seemed to accompany your smile to shine upon him again. He wants to see the sparkle in your eyes while you blabber about whatever interest caught your eye that day. He wants to play the grumpy, annoyed bastard and pretend to push you off of him while you shower him with kisses. Jason wants his ray of sunshine back, even if it means dealing with the evernight that's become of you.

An offer to cuddle here, a kiss there, reading you books—despite trying to tease you by pretending to be a hardass half the time, Jason's determined to be the flint that will set your hearth alight again. "The dawn will come, sunshine. I'll keep you warm and toasty in the meantime, so don't blow out the candle yet, hm?"

For as long as you'll need, no matter if you laugh or weep, Jason won't let you give up. No matter if you grow numb from going through the motions, he'll keep you awake for the day you’ll feel ready to embrace the world with your warmth again.