Valerie had stayed the night although it was quite obvious she would as Jason wouldn't let her go otherwise. By the time he woke up, she had already taken a shower and was brushing out her wet hair to dry them off.

"Good morning," she smiled, seeing that he had woken up.

It was the first time that she woke up before him and Jason did not notice. He had been so exhausted that he didn't realize when she left the bed or else even the slightest of movements would alert him.

"Morning," he replied, sitting up and noticing the time, "why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"You seemed tired so I thought I should let you rest for a little longer," she replied, putting down the brush as she came to sit beside him on the bed, "are you feeling better now?"

"Much better," a smile played upon his lips as his arms wrapped around her pulling her close to him.

She laughed lightly as he placed soft butterfly kisses over her neck and shoulder, making her feel so loved up and cherished that it felt almost like a dream. By the time he let go of her, she cupped his face in between her palms, gazing lovingly into those flecked blue eyes as she mumbled, "you are such a romantic, Jason."

"Don't you love it when I am though?"

She caressed his cheeks gently as she replied, "of course I do. But if you don't get up right now, I will end up making breakfast for both of us and it won't be as good as yours."

Jason got up at that remark, kissing her cheek lightly before going to the bathroom to freshen up. Her floral scent hung about the place and it tended to calm him even more as he had the constant reminder that she was with him.

Love could be so beautiful, he thought as the warm water ran down his back, soothing his frayed nerves. The comfort it gave to know that there was someone who loved him just as much as he did, that there was someone who wasn't going to leave him on his own and there was someone who could take all his problems away.

But as the feeling was beautiful, it also brought with it the fear of being snatched away.

When something becomes precious, it automatically renders a fear of losing it. It was an unspoken rule of life; the dearer something is, the harder it is to lose.

Losing love, on the other hand, was an even more terrifying aspect of life.

No one knew better than Jason what loss felt like. And Valerie had become that one special person who he couldn't bear to lose.

Yet there were so many factors around them that could make him lose her and that worried him most.

The biggest of those factors was the truth about his life as the Red Hood, something he had been concealing from her ever since they got close.

She no longer asked about his scars or the times he got badly injured but he knew she was concerned, he could see it in her eyes. And she got more worried since he gave her excuses for his injuries and not the truth.

Someday sooner or later she would find out the truth and get hurt by thinking that he perhaps didn't trust her enough to tell her himself. And initially, he wanted to delay that day for as long as possible. 

But in trying to keep things secret from her, he was realizing that it would end up distancing them and he wouldn't want that to happen either.

He had been thinking about that for quite a long time by then. He had discussed it with Richard too and came to the conclusion that keeping such a huge secret from Valerie was only going to end up tearing them apart. And so he decided to tell her the truth although he did not know how and when he was going to do that.

By the time he came out of the bathroom, Valerie had gone to the kitchen and the comforting aroma of freshly brewed coffee had spread through the house. He joined her as well, watching her pour the coffee out into two cups, one of which she handed to him.

"So what are you going to make for breakfast today?"

"The first breakfast we had together," he replied, "scrambled eggs with hot buttered toast."

"Divine," she swooned, making him chuckle in amusement, "God knows I need something super delicious right now."

"Coming right up," he whipped up the eggs in a bowl, adding the spices and putting the bread in the toaster on the side.

The coffee Valerie had made felt quite refreshing as well and in a short while, breakfast was ready and they were both seated by the breakfast counter.

Jason waited for them to finish breakfast and listened to what Valerie had done with her friends in the few days that he had gone to Gotham. She had that lovely smile on her face that he adored and just like every time she talked about her friends, her eyes lit up in delight.

She was just too pure and delicate for someone like him. But it was too late to think in that direction; neither of them could live without the other.

After they were done with breakfast and were sitting together in the living room, Jason decided to get the much-awaited conversation done. It would be difficult at first but he felt she would understand, all he hoped for was that she wouldn't panic upon finding out that he was the Red Hood.

"Valerie, I had to tell you something."

She paused but then turned to him with a soft smile, giving him her undivided attention, "sure, go on."

"I should have told you sooner but each time I thought about it, I just... I got worried how you would react," he spoke up, trying to find the right words to express exactly how he felt.

Her expression softened, and she gently took his hand in hers, encouraging him to open up. "You can tell me anything, Jason. It doesn't matter if you couldn't tell me earlier. I'm here for you."

Her gentle voice helped in making him slightly more assured than earlier. She had said she was there for him, she wasn't going anywhere and he wasn't alone.

"Valerie, I do not work in the construction industry," he thought of starting with the first lie he had told her, "my team and I take up contracts but it's never related to construction work."

She paused, "oh... Then what is it related to?"

"We are vigilantes. We work together in our own way to keep the city safe and take down criminals. I am part of the Outlaws and I go by Red Hood in my line of work."

Valerie's eyes widened in surprise, and she took a moment to process what she just heard. She knew Jason was involved in something much more dangerous than mere construction work, judging by the scars and injuries he got into often, but she had no idea he was the man behind the scarlet hood that was quite a legend in the city.

"You're... The Red Hood?" Valerie whispered, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Jason was unable to figure out what she was thinking as the only expression on her face was that of shock, "yes, I am. I've been trying to protect you, to shield you from the danger that comes with being close to me. But I can't keep lying to you, pretending that part of my life doesn't exist. I was afraid that if you knew the truth, you'd see me differently but I can't keep you in the dark any longer. I can't."

The silence between them had gotten heavy after those words. She looked as if she was connecting the dots as well, tying up all the times he had gotten injured to the news about Red Hood and the Outlaws.

She could have known it sooner but it would hardly make a difference.

Jason was sitting there in anticipation, waiting for her to say something. He knew she was very understanding and a naturally kind person but knowing that he was the Red Hood meant her knowing about all the fear and rumors attached to him.

He was worried that she would start to see him in a different light and that was something he did not want to happen.

"I... I don't know what to say," Valerie finally spoke, her voice filled with a mix of surprise and uncertainty. "That's... That's a lot to take in."

He nodded, understanding the gravity of what he had just disclosed. "I know. I put forward the condition that neither of us should dig into each other's pasts. But I would rather you heard this from me than anyone else. I don't want you to feel that I don't trust you. Because I do, I trust you a lot."

Valerie looked into Jason's eyes, seeing the pain and turmoil he carried within him. She took a deep breath, needing a moment to process her emotions. "I appreciate you telling me the truth," she said softly, "it must have been difficult for you to share this with me."

"It was," Jason replied honestly, "but I didn't want to keep any more secrets from you. You mean everything to me, Valerie, and I don't want to lose you because of my past mistakes."

Valerie's heart softened as she saw the vulnerability in Jason's eyes. She had always felt that he had endured hardships and faced unimaginable challenges, which had shaped him into the person he was by then. And right then she could see it clear in front of her, reflected in his ocean-blue eyes.

He had told her the truth and there was one greater truth that now connected both of them.

She loved him, just as much as he loved her. His identity was just as important in making him that person who she had fallen for and it was just as significant as the rest of him.

"I understand if you need time," Jason added, knowing it would be unfair to spring everything on her so suddenly and expect her to be okay with it, "I don't expect you to accept everything right away."

But Valerie reached for his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I appreciate your honesty, and I know that you're doing what you believe is right. Just promise me that you'll be careful out there, okay? I don't want to lose you."

"I promise," Jason vowed, holding her hand in his as a heavy weight had lifted off his shoulders by sharing the truth with her, "I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe and happy."

***