Hello! I really doubt I'm going to make my goal at the rate I'm going. I'm still going to try though, I can do anything if I put my mind to it! Positivity!!!! Let's get onto the chapter.

Dick's POV

I sit up in bed and rub my eyes. I can't sleep, I've been trying for the past few hours, but it's just not going to happen. After what happened, I don't think I'll be able to sleep for a while. Artemis's funeral is tomorrow. Or today, it's already 3 am. I turn and stand up from my bed. I blink a couple of times as tears start to build up in my eyes. My head hurts from crying so much. To think, this all could've been avoided. If I had just used my stupid head. I think back to what Wally said to me. He said I was too trusting. He said that I shouldn't have trusted Kaldur. I sigh and shake my head. There's more to this then even Wally knows. I didn't completely trust Kaldur. Can you blame me? I may not be Bruce, but I'm still a Bat. I don't just trust people unless I know for sure I can. Normally, I would have faith in Kaldur. The thing is, he went through a lot. His head wasn't in the right place. I suspected that he may turn. He 'betrayed' us after losing someone that meant so much to him and finding out that his father is a super villain. The cherry on top is the fact that he would be surrounded by evil people for who knows how long. An actual betrayal had a high probability of happening. I took another precaution that no one knows about. I'd rather keep it that way. I grab my phone from the counter and dial a number. I hold the phone to my ear and wait for a reply. Soon enough, the person I called picks up. "Hey. Yes, I'm calling you. Yes, I know it's risky. Do you know what happened?" I say, "Artemis...she died. What do you mean you had no idea? I told you to get close to Kaldur and report back to me. How come you never told me this? Artemis could still be alive. Fine, but you better get closer to him. You're not Kaldur. I trust you. You're different after the incident, but you're still you. I know somewhere, deep down, you still care about us. I won't contact you again, unless it's urgent. Thanks again for this, bye. And stay safe..." I sigh and pull the phone from my ear. I put it down on the bed and rub my temples. All of this, it was starting to get to me. Between hiding this mission from almost everyone. To hiding this other mission from everyone. Maybe it's because he feels bad for lying. I'm not lying though. I'm just withholding the truth in order to ensure everyone is safe. Yeah, right, that sure did Artemis some good. I groan and fall back down onto my bed.

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We all stand gathered around Artemis's memorial. My eyes don't leave the digital image of my friend. Even as Wally starts to speak about her. I listen to what he says, but I don't even glance at him. The guilt continues to eat at me. Artemis's death is still my fault. It wasn't supposed to happen. No one was supposed to get hurt. "Artemis was a hero. She was my hero. She showed me and everyone else that you didn't have to be your parents. She showed us that anyone could be a hero, powers or not. There isn't a second that goes by that I don't wonder what could've happened if I was by her side during that mission. Artemis was amazing. She ran into to danger and fought like the complete badass she was. I can't believe I'm referring to everything she did in the past tense. She is still a badass. She is still as amazing as the day I met her. She would've been so happy to see all of her friends gathered around today. All of you were such a major part of Artemis's life. Thank you all for coming to honor her," Wally says in a shaky voice. When he stops speaking a bunch of people surround him, offering their condolences. I sigh and bite the inside of my cheek. I have to say something. I need to tell them all. I cough and everyone looks at me with confused looks. "I'm really sorry, but I need to tell you all something really important," I state.

Wally glares at me, "Finally facing your fears and telling them all the truth."

"What's going on?" M'gann asks, "Nightwing, what is Wally talking about?"

I take a deep breath, "Artemis's death is all my fault."

"It wasn't your fault," Conner says, "You had no way of knowing that Kaldur would go that far."

I shake my head, "Let me explain. I formulated a plan to infiltrate the Light and discover more about the organization. I sent Kaldur in to act as a double agent. We created a plan for Artemis to join him. We were going to fake her death and have her act as his second in command. Things didn't work out that way though. Kaldur actually did betray us. Artemis was actually killed. And, it's my fault this all happened. I sent Kaldur to join the bad guys. I asked Artemis to come back to help us with this plan. I'm the reason that Kaldur was able to kill her. I'm so sorry. For lying. For all of the secrets. I thought I was doing what was best. I know I was wrong, please, forgive me." After I explain everything, all of the people in the room look at me with shocked expressions. Wally scoffs, "You're an idiot. Do you actually think anyone is going to forgive you? You sent one of their friends to their death. All because you decided it was a good idea to hide this from everyone."

"I know. You all have no reason to forgive me. I'm so sorry..." I exclaim, "I never wanted anyone to get hurt. I didn't know that Artemis was going to be in any mortal danger. I hid this from you because I thought that the less people involved the better." Everyone else looks at me with disappointed faces. "Nightwing....I....why would you hide something like this?" M'gann asks, "We're your friends. You should've known to trust us."

"You hid this from the League as well. Missions this risky should've been mentioned once to the League. You should've asked for permission to authorize this mission before putting a colleague's life at risk," Captain Atom says in a stern tone. I nod my head and look at Wally. Wally doesn't look at me and turns away, "I'm done with this conversation. It's all absolute crap. No matter what you say, Artemis is still dead. And it's still your fault." He walks away from the group gathered for the funeral. Other members of the Team and the League follow him. I sigh and shake my head as they slowly all file out of the room. The last one in the room is Conner. I look at him and see him with crossed arms. "Conner..." I start to say.

He holds up his hand, "I understand why you did it, but you should've trusted us enough to tell us. We don't keep secrets from one another. I don't know what went through your head, but we can't afford to keep missions such as these hidden. Especially, if they end up with an outcome such as this."

"I....I don't know. I thought I was making the right decision. I didn't think it would have this consequence," I explain.

Conner nods, "I know. It's still all a big mess because of your plan."

"They don't trust me, do they?" I say.

Conner shakes his head, "No. If they did, they would still be in this room. I don't know if I should trust you either. You're out leader, Dick. I know you did what you did because you thought it was for the best. I trust your judgement, but doesn't mean that all of this can just be brushed away."

"Will they forgive me?" I question.

Conner shrugs, "Maybe. You just need to give it time. Something like this doesn't just heal in a day. Artemis isn't coming back...that's why everyone is so upset." I nod my head slowly and Conner walks over. He gently pats me on the shoulder, "Any more secrets?" I bite my lip, considering whether or not I should tell them about my precaution. Conner sighs, "I'm not going to force you to tell me anything. You need to make that decision yourself." He moves his hand and walks out of the room. I shake my head and look up at the ceiling. Where did I go wrong? I yell out in anguish and swipe at nothing. I punch the air, trying to get out all of my pent up feelings. I do this for a few more minutes before slowly lowering my arms to my sides and looking at the digital image of Artemis. "I'm so sorry, Artie," I whisper, "I'm so sorry...."

Thank you so much for reading. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Comment down below who you think Dick was speaking to. Please follow me, add this story to your library, and vote. I hope you all have a great rest of your day.