The scraping of furniture across my living room floor startled me from an already restless sleep. Quickly and silently I stood from my warm bed, hiding behind a wall of my room, carefully peering around the door frame.

A human-like figure stood alone in the darkness, the silhouette only somewhat illuminated by the city life just outside my windows. Silently I approached, ready to attack the unknown.

Whoever they were must have sensed my approach and blocked off the first kick, grabbing my leg and threatening to throw me off balance.

In retaliation, I fell backward into a controlled roll, managing to kick the intruder in the face and send him stumbling into my counter, earning a groan from him.

"Maddie!" The one desperate word uttered from the stranger's mouth brought my next attack to a grinding halt.

"Dick?" I whispered into the darkness. When I got a grunt in reply, I flipped the lights on to see my friend injured, one hand was wrapped around his nose and the other arm was protectively held across his ribs. "What happened?" I questioned as I went to the sink, grabbing the first aid kit under it.

"Nothing to worry about" he assured "just ran into some trouble on patrol." The man winced as he hoisted himself onto the counter, obviously this was more than he led on.

"No, what happened?" I opened the kit as I stood in front of him. He allowed me to tend to his broken nose, his torso we'd have to wrap later.

"It's Slade" he sighed, grabbing the hand that'd been dabbing at the blood. "He wanted to make a point."

"How'd you get away?" I whispered, cold fear rushing down my spine. He would've never let Dick get away with bruised ribs.

"I didn't, after his 'lesson' he let me go. Said we wouldn't be able to hide any longer" Dick Grayson, the last remaining of the flying acrobatic family, looked tired and defeated.

Guilt started to worm its way into my thoughts and I couldn't help but look away from him. I was the reason he was in the mess in the first place. He'd done so much for me and all I did was attract the most monstrous man either of us had ever met.

Dick gently brought my chin up, gaining my attention once again. "Hey, he's not gonna get to you, not if I can help it"

"I'm so afraid" I admitted, fighting the urge to cry. "I can't go back"

"You won't" He swore. "Worse thing that can happen is we go to the Batcave."

I grabbed his wrist, cradling his hand in mine. "I can't ask you to do that, not after-"

"Hey" Dick tucked some hair behind my ear. "What did I promise when we got out of that hell hole?"

"That you'd keep me safe" I replied easily.

He nodded. "And as scary as Slade is, we've beaten him before."

"Does he know where I am?"

"Safe to assume he does" Dick winced as I wiped blood away. "Why don't you come to the mountain with me? You can finally meet the team"

"He'll kill them" I stepped back as Dick shrugged the top half of his Nightwing costume off.

Newly forming bruises mingled with the old scars across his chest. Several of the bruises looked like Dick had been hit with Slade's favorite staff.

Dick's X shaped scar was the only thing he couldn't cover with clothes, A reminder not to cross the man when Dick had been his apprentice.

Easily moving back to my original spot, I prodded at his ribs, feeling for fractures. I picked through the first aid kit, grabbing at a bandage before I began to wrap it around his torso.

As soon as I was finished, Dick hopped off the counter, making his way toward my medicine cabinet. "They can take care of themselves" he assured, making a triumphant noise when he found the pain killers. "But if you don't want to do that, we can always just do the first option and go underground"

Appealing as it sounded, I walked to the sink, turning on the tap to wash away the blood on my fingers. "Only if you're sure" Anxiety began to gnaw at me.

The last time I'd seen my father, I betrayed him.

No doubt he'd punish me severely when he did catch up to me. There was nothing more important to him than loyalty and the fact that I helped his apprentice escape, he would have taken it as a personal slight.

Dick's hand on my shoulder brought me out of my thoughts, his face was full of concern. The infamous X twitching at the corner of his mouth. He wanted to say something, but every reassurance had already been said over the years.

"I need to go pack" I brushed him off, making my way toward my bedroom. Before I could reach the door however, the flooring inside my room creaked and I froze.

Someone was in there.

Quickly and quietly backpedaling, I reached Dick who had slipped into the top half of his uniform, a grappling hook already clutched in his fist. He silently gestured toward my balcony, grabbing my hand as he moved.

The second the glass doors opened, Dick shot the device, wrapping an arm around my waist before he jumped off the balcony. I hid my face in his neck, desperately refusing to look down.

As soon as we hit a rooftop several buildings away, I managed to spot my apartment building, dread pooling in my gut when I saw the unmistakable shadow of my father standing in my bedroom.

How much had he heard?! Had he heard me call Dick by his real name?

"Maddie, we need to go," Dick tugged on my wrist. "We're not safe here"

I nodded, sending my home one last look. It'd been a haven for the last two weeks, but now it was ruined by the one man Dick and I both feared.

Deathstroke the terminator.

My father.