---- Dick ----

Dick stood under the endless stream of water. The shower, just small enough for two people and big enough that it felt empty alone, was turned up as hot as it would go, yet the water had faded to a bone-chilling cold.

He stood stiffly under the falling beads of water, each one hit his back in steady clashes. The skin had turned aggressive red and his hands clenched at his sides. Black bangs dripped as they hung over his eyes. His fist flexed as he remembered the feel of Jason's skin under his hands, scars and all.

His time-consuming dull shower was interrupted by the ring of his cellphone, rushing him out of the water and hurrying until he managed to catch the call on the last ring. Trouble.

He changed, mask over his eyes in more ways than one, trying so hard to push Jason from his mind as he left through the window just so he wouldn't pass Bruce in the halls.

Nightwing stood in front of his team, all eyes watched his movements as his hands flew of a holographic keyboard, explaining that a hit had been put on a rich businessman and rumours of an attempt on the man's life had been drifting through the streets. Nightwing gazed at his team, they gave him proud looks and he caught Wally's eye. The redhead gave him a playful wink and Artemis elbowed him in the stomach and told him to pay more attention to the mission and less attention to Dick's ass, but even their whispered argument washed away the fog. Nightwing nodded at his team, watching as they moved out, each ready for the mission and in no more than a few minutes they were in the bioship.

The building was tall and they landed on the roof, breaking into flexible teams to ensure that whoever their enemy was, they could handle it. He was sending his team in without knowing what was going on and it was stupid, but he had to do it because he had to forget, it was going to get someone hurt and he hoped it was himself.

He went with Wally and the older of the group, sending Tim with the younger members as a training exercise, and as they moved down the halls, Wally on his right and Megan to his left well Artemis followed them with an arrow notched in her bow.

The halls were filled with a silence, not a peaceful silence, but the kind of quiet where you can't even hear your own heartbeat, where the metal hall light that flickered and died in front of them was like a soul crying out. It was the silence you would find as you drowned at the bottom of the ocean, and it was deafening.

A figure moved, they followed shadows to the main office, a shot went off, and Dick chased a leather jacket out a window and into the dark starless night.