A/n: Dick is saved from Deathstroke, but how long will his freedom really last?
*contains self harm*

Dick glanced over Slade's shoulder as he saw a figure appear behind him but his vision went dark as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, his body letting go.

He would have fallen if it wasn't for Slade who now gripped tightly onto him.
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Lost.
Trapped within the darkness.
Not knowing what was going on or where he was.

At this moment, Dick felt at peace.
He wasn't being tortured and he couldn't feel all the pain radiating throughout his body.

He was still. Everything was still. He felt safe within this darkness he was surrounded in all of a sudden.

He allowed himself to relax, allowed himself to let go and to be swept away from everything. From Slade, from torture and pain. From the team, from Bruce, from the world and from...the loss.
The loss of Wally, his best friend.

But soon, everything changed. The peace was shattered by thoughts that were some how darker than the darkness he was stuck in.

He tried his best to shove these thoughts away but they pushed back.
These thoughts and feelings were demons he had thought he had buried a long time ago, when he was younger. But here they were, ready to attack at the first sign of weakness, the first sign of loss and sadness, emptiness and grief.

Feelings, thoughts and memories surfaced within Dick's mind.

He could remember holding a blade to his wrist, dragging it slowly across his pale skin and watching small beads of blood come to the surface.
The sharp pain from the cut, then the wave of calmness washing over him.

Pain built inside his chest.
For all he has been through. For all the hurt and loss he has suffered.

The deaths of  his parents shattered him, completely overwhelmed him, causing him to become lost within the darkness for the first time.

Over the years it got better, their absence still caused him great pain. His heart and soul still ached for their love, their warmth.
Their love.

Now, the ground work he built over the years has become shaky, unsteady, about to crumble underneath him at any given moment. The death of his best friend...the death of Wally, felt like it was going to destroy everything that he built after losing his mom and dad. It was overwhelming, consuming, he felt trapped and lost within everything. Nothing made sense anymore. Why? Why was this happening to him again, why did he lose someone so important to him once again.
Why, was there's no hope left? Why was he left alone once more again, why did he feel like the world was closing in on him.

A piece of himself wanted to disappear, to be forgotten and lost like the rest of them. To be gone, to have a chance at seeing them again, the ones he lost...the ones he loved so much.
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Dick's heavy eyes began to flutter open, being met with a dark room.
Feeling the pain from his body now, he closed his eyes, wishing himself back into that darkness he just came out of, the unconscious state he was just so happily within.

But no, the world wasn't so kind to him.
Dick sighed and opened his eyes again and tried to figure out where the hell he was. He slowly moved his arms, his hands felt the bed sheets underneath him. He was confused, Deathstroke wasn't that kind towards him to allow him to be resting upon a bed.

So where was he? And better question, who had him?

Not really in the caring mood to find out most likely the hard way. Dick slowly pushed himself up in a sitting position. As soon as he was sitting up he gripped his head.
A sharp pain ran through his head. He quickly tried to push the pain aside, even though it felt like at any moment it was going to explode.

Hr glanced over the room, it was pitch black, he couldn't see anything but a wave of familiarity washed over him but Dick didn't know why that was.

He quickly swan his legs over the side of the bed. He then realized he was once again out of Nightwing suit. But this time, he was in familiar clothing which seemed odd and perplexed Dick. The clothing that he wore now belong to him. Confusion was written over his face as he quickly glanced around the room, squinting his eyes trying to get a better look at the scenery. The familiar feel he felt, the clothing he wore, it's slowly began to come to him as to where he was. He was at the medbay, in Mount Justice with the team.
But why...how, Dick did not know.

Dick shut his eyes trying to remember the last few seconds before he fell unconscious.

He could remember the cool, cold night's air. Deathstroke approaching him. The heaviness of his body, Slade's grip upon him then...a shadow.
A figure.

"Bruce?" thought Dick but he quickly shook his head 'no'. If it was Bruce, his dad, the batman, then he most likely would have taken him home, to the batcave, not the med bay at the mountain.

Everything after that seemed to slow down and turn into a blur as the darkness crept closer towards him.

He sat there, still trying to remember.
"Come on, come on. Remember... Come on, focus" Dick thought but he wasn't getting anything.

After a minute, something came to mind. He remember a bright, warm glow of light showering down upon his face.
He remembered seeing the shadowy figure behind Slade, now leaning over him.
He then saw a small glimpse of black and orange on their suit, causing a wave of panic before the figure grew closer towards him.

He could now see blonde hair falling from the figure's shoulders as they leaned forward towards him.
Dick could remember how difficult it was to stay awake but he had needed to see who it was that rescued him.

He could see the figure's lips moving, but couldn't make out what was being said to him.

The figure must have noticed the state he was in, seeing that he was still a bit fearful of them. They straighten up and slowly took off their mask, revealing who they were to him.

As soon as his eyes landed on that face, a wave of calmness washed over him and he finally relaxed and let the darkness swallow him up and take him away for the moment, cause now he felt safe in that person's presence.

Dick opened his eyes as he heard the medbay's doors open up. He whipped his head around to see who was coming in the room.

The light from the hallway spilled into the pitch black medical room, illuminating self and the figure standing in the doorway leaning up against the wall.

A small smile came across his face as he stared at the figure before him, the same figure how saved him a little bit ago.

Artemis.