Disclaimer:Young Justice doesn't belong to me, if I did there would be alot more fluffy moments between the team, and Tarantula and Redhood/Jason would make an appearance.

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Dick jumped from rooftop to rooftop, feeling the chilly night wind in his hair. He'd protected the city as Nightwing for a month now, and things had gone rather smoothly. He stopped when he heard a beeping from his utility belt.

"Hello?" he awnsered.

"Dude, where are you? tonight's 'family night ' remember?" said Wally, in the background he could here Connor's very, very bad attempt at karaoke, he assumed Megan put him up to that.

"Sorry KF, lost track of time I'll be there in a few minutes just try not to eat the chocolates Zee said she'd save." said Dick, Zatanna had promised him some homemade chocolates, and that she'd try to save them from Wally as best as she could. He was met with a chuckle from the speedster.

"I make no such promise, just hurry." he teased , making Dick roll his eyes and hang up before chuckling to himself.

"New city, new identity, same old teammates." he said to himself. Although really he wouldn't trade his friends for anything. He was pulled out of his daze, when he heard a struggle take place nearby. He ran towards the noise and jumped down into the alleyway, only to find the thugs on the ground, their blood coating the white snow. He looked up at the woman in the orange jumpsuit and mask staring at him her lips turned up in a cruel amirk.

"Who are you?" he asked, having never seen her around before.

"Tarantula." she'd said before jumping up onto the rooftops, Nightwing immediately ran after her, only to lose her when she ducked down another alleyway.

Dick groaned and looked around, he was chained up against a wall in an abandoned warehouse, it was filled with rows of boxes. He didn't know what was in them, but if they had to do with what Tarantula was planning then it cant've been good. He looked up as Tarantula strutted over to him, swinging a tire iron in her hand.

"Hello, querido." she said calmly, still swinging the tire iron in a circular motion, he assumed she was going to beat him with it, just as the Joker had beat Jason with a crowbar. When he remembered she was going after Cassie.

"Stay away from her." he said weakly, he felt numb and his body ached, but his resolve was strong she was definetly not going to get away with this. He was going to find a way out of this somehow.

"And just what are you going to do about it if I don't?" she taunted, leaning in just a few inches from his face.

"You're in no position to be making threats at the moment, not only are you chained up, in case you haven't noticed, you're abit drugged at the moment and it'll have a pretty lasting effect. As for where we are, we're located just a few hours outside Bludhaven, you'd be crazy to go anywhere." she explained, her smirk ever present on her face.

"Guess you taught me abit too well didn't you?" she asked gently stroking his cheek, Dick pulled away from her touch in disgust.

Tarantula balled her hands into fists her former mentor...the love of her life...wanted nothing to do with her when he was the one who'd created her in the first place, she grabbed his chin and made him face her.

She stared deep into his blue eyes remembering that night.

"Stop running." threatened Nightwing having finally pinned her down flat on her back, what was strange to him was, that she seemed to had wanted to be caught, almost as if this was a game to her.

"Ok Tarantula, explain something to me why have you been following me around, and what is it you're after." he asked, meaning business, the femme fatale had been every place he was, in every mission he went, either by himself or with the team she was there. always watching

"I just wanted to get to know you better, I know who you are ex-boy wonder I guess you could say I'm a bit of a fangirl." she teased,

"How did you- nevermind, if you're a fan then you know I never kill...ever." he replied, standing up and getting off of her, she followed suit and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Then teach me." said Tarantula, her eyes looking at him hungrily, she was greatful he couldn't see them underneath the mask.

Nightwing sighed, he'd never really thought of having a sidekick of his own before, although technically she wouldn't be his sidekick, but more along the lines of his partner. and there was the added bonus of keeping her off the streets.

"Ok, I'll mentor you"

"You brought this upon yourself you know Wing." she said in a dangerously low voice. He just simply glared at her, wondering where he'd gone wrong to make his partner turn out this way. True, sometimes sidekicks/partners could get tired of being in their mentor's shadows like Red Arrow had, Retire from duty like Wally and Artemis, or heck even grow up and move on to be heros in their own cities, like he had. But none of them were as twisted as Tarantula had.

"You decided to hang around that pathetic team of yours, you decided to choose that witch over me...now I'm going to make blondie pay for what you've done, my boss called for her blood and not only will I give it to him but I will make you watch as she dies." siad Tarantula, before a flash of black and red slammed her into the ground.

"I don't think so." said Cassie glaring down at the orange clad woman.

"Get out of here." said Dick, Cassie went over and ripped out the chains freeing him, the blond gently set him down on the floor.

"Wait, you're Dick Grayson, she didn't mention you being kidnapped too." sid Cassie softly, as she ripped off the shackles, revealing red marks on his wrists.

'Oh right ,' thought Dick, remembering that she didn't know his secret identity. Cassie smiled softly, it wasn't condescending like Tarantula's was but sweet, and genuine.

"Are you ok? have you seen Nightwing?what-"she stopped when she realized she was rambling, silently cursing herself for rambling he chuckled and gently ruffled her hair.

"Well, lets just say I'm not feeling the aster." he replied, she lifted en eyebrow quizzically, Dick had used one of the wordplays Nightwing sometimes used, slowly pieces began to unravel. In her mind she put a mask over Dick's blue eyes.

"Nightwing?" she asked, he smiled up at her and gave a small nod.

she opened her mouth to say more when something slammed into her head, the blow had thrown her a few feet away. she groaned and gently placed a hant to the side of her head, where she felt something dripping.

"Blood?" she said to herself in surprise, there were very few things in this world that could make her bleed, so exactly how hard had she been hit?

She flew out of the way as Tarantula went to hit her again, ducking from the ninja stars being thrown at her. she had to get herself and Nightwing out of here. She looked to Nightwing, he wanted to get up and help her, but he seemed...different almost as if he'd been drugged.

She floated down to check on him, when Tarantula lunged and plunged a knife into her side. Cassie fell to the ground, clutching her side, trying to stem the bleeding when the tire iron hit her again...and again...and again.

"No." muttered Nightwing, as he watched Tarantula beating Cassie, in his mind he imagined the Joker doing the same to Jason. He'd warned his team repeatedly to never drop their guard around an enemy, especially one out to kill them. He groaned and struggled to stand.

Cassie coughed out blood, as she held her wrists up, hoping her gauntlets would stop the iron. She screamed as the iron hit her throat, and she was sure she'd heard some ribs cracking when Tarantula hit her side.

'Why didn't I bring someone with me?' she thought as she began to grow weaker and weaker, 'because you thought you could handle this yourself ' came a voice inside her mind. She also wondered if this was what Jason had felt before he died.

"Come on Demi-god, you're making this too easy." taunted Tarantula, true it had been too easy, but then again Nightwing had taught her that metahuman or not if you hit someone in the head hard enough, not only will you draw blood but you can also impair ,them.

Cassie met Nightwing's eyes, he looked so sad...so helpless it was strange to see him this way. she coughed up more blood as she slowly rose up, crying out in pain as Tarantula struck her down once more.

Nightwing reached into his pockets to find a few weopens to use, when he noticed the ninja stars from earlier on the wall. He looked at Tarantula, who was preoccupied enough for him to grab the stars and throw them at her.

Tarantula caught them and turned to him,

"Is that the best you can do?" she asked, he smirked as Cassie floated up and knocked her out with another swift punch, before falling to her knees.

"C'mon, she won't stay down for long." he said before helping her up, he had her lean against him as they went to go find a place to hide while they came up with a plan to hide.