A/N: So, this chapter is a lot longer than the previous one. It makes mentions to several issues of Nightwing, Batman, Batman Inc. and even Talon.

Disclaimer: I do not own.

Ch. 2

Damian trembled in his father's arms as they and the rest of the family waited anxiously for the verdict of the eldest Wayne child's fate. Even Todd had shown up. Nightwing, Dick Grayson, had been seriously wounded with a sword to the chest he had taken to save Damian. That was not before he had also fatally wounded Damian's attacker, Damian's own clone. Two of his brother's had practically killed each other. No, the clone hadn't been his brother. They had just been related by blood. Dick was his brother. It had taken a long time for him to finally understand that blood does not necessarily mean family but now he did. Talia and his clone had ensured that.

He buried his head in his father's large chest, not even caring for once about his image or showing weakness. He was too worried about Dick. He could tell Father was too by the way he clutched him tightly in his arms, afraid by letting him go he would disappear forever.

The sound of Dr. Thompkins' footsteps reached his ears before he could slip into slumber. He tensed, completely terrified of the news.

"He's stable," she announced. Relief filled the room at the good news. "We lost him a few times but he pulled through. He's in a coma though and there's something else. His body has an unnaturally high amount of electrum and something else, down to the cellular level that seem to have been activated."

The shock from those throughout the room who understood exactly what that meant was palpable.

"From what I can tell it's only because of this that he's alive and will be able to recover," Leslie continued.

"You mentioned there was something else in his cells?" Bruce asked.

"Yes, I couldn't identify it though," she replied. The room was silent for a moment

"Can we see him?" Damian asked, startling everyone.

"Normally, I would say no," she said, "but considering the circumstances I actually think it best that you are by his side when he wakes up. He'll be confused and terrified and will most likely lash out."

"Why?" Jason asked from where he sat.

` "The last thing he will remember is Damian in danger," Drake explained, "Which is why only he should be there. Dick is likely to lash out at anyone he sees as a threat to Damian at first because his mind will take time to process that he doesn't have to protect Damian."

"And after?" Barbara asked.

Drake sighed, solemnly, his expression grave. "I don't know."

Frowning, Damian slipped from his father's lap while the others were talking. His father did nothing to stop him. It was easy to slip away and find his way to where Dick was. Entering the medical chamber of the cave, he was shocked to see the small, fragile figure in the only occupied bed. The man lying there looked nothing like the strong willed, indomitable man he loved and respected. This wasn't the man who had been the second Batman, who had taken down villains like Deathstroke the Terminator and even the hero Superman. Struggling not to cry, Daiman found himself ignoring the chair and sitting on the edge of the bed beside Dick, careful not to disturb any of the wires or tubes.

He couldn't help but think of what Leslie had said about Dick's miraculous recovery. He knew Dick would be terrified of this news and what it meant. He knew that even a year later Dick was still reeling from the discovery that he should have been an assassin, having been born for it just like Damian and that the only reason he hadn't was because Tony Zucco had murdered his parents when he was a child causing Father to take him in. No matter what was said by Father, Damian knew that they all saw the truth. The villains were right. Despite his openness with his emotions and his nickname of Batman-Light, Dick had just as much potential to be an assassin as Damian. His stint as Renegade, despite the ploy, proved that. Even Grandfather and Deathstroke had seen his potential. He had the training and the experience. He had an ability to read movement that set him leagues above the others. The biggest obstacle was his compassion and his affinity for emotions. At the same time, it was also what brought him closest to the line. Dick knew this as well which was why he stuck stringently to the oath he had made as a child.

"You better wake up Grayson," he said. "Who else will play the Swordwalkers game with me or listen to my rants about Father? Okay, so Pennyworth does the latter but we both know I prefer to go to you. You're the one who understands Father best…and…and you understand me as well. You gave me the chance nobody else would. You're…You're my brother and I…I need you."

Dick knew he was dreaming. The unfamiliar yet at the same time familiar stone walls of the Gotham Underground was proof of that, as was the large owl statue he had seen perched above a raised pool of water. It was extremely familiar, but it wasn't the reason he was running through the Labyrinth, a place he had barely heard about from Bruce and the very place he would have been tortured and trained in as a child if the Court had been able to claim him. It was the familiar red figure he had caught sight of while he had been trying to figure out his situation.

He knew this wasn't real but every part of him screamed out in horror at the situation. His mind was foggy but he knew there was a reason he was here, something…no, someone, he had to protect. His grip on his escrima sticks tightened and he gritted his teeth. He….had to…protect…

He froze as he saw the room he had entered. There he was; standing there like the phantom from Dick's nightmare he was. He held his activated escrima sticks in his hands, the tips illuminating the room and the hundreds of red coffins that filled it. He was paying no attention to Dick. His focus was on the two young boys cowering in front of him, trapped. They both had dark hair and blue eyes in different shades and were about ten. Worst of all, they were familiar. Nightwing growled under his breath, his eyes widening as memories flickered through his mind.

"Aagh!" he cried out, barreling into the man, his own escrima sticks now activated. He found himself pinning the familiar enemy to the ground.

The man stared at him, startled for a moment before becoming amused. "Well, look who we have here," he said. "It's been a while, Did you miss me?"

Nightwing snorted. "As much as I miss the Joker," he retorted.

The man raised an eyebrow behind his mask. "Considering your desire to get revenge on him that isn't saying something. Plus, I see you've changed you're going for red now. A tribute to me perhaps?"

Nightwing rolled his eyes. "Don't be so conceited, Renegade."

The man smirked. "Shouldn't you be focused on the boys?"

Nightwing tensed and looked up in horror as a familiar black figure landed where Renegade had been, a knife in his hand. This was a mistake as he found himself suddenly the one pinned. He struggled against Renegade's hold, glaring at the red costumed man who was grinning the same grin his former master had. The terrified cries from the two boys struck him to the core. Nightwing watched as Renegade pulled off his mask, revealing a face almost identical to Dick's but with shorter hair, a dark, evil expression and glowing yellow eyes instead of Dick's blue ones.

At the sight of those eyes Nightwing gasped. He knew that color somehow. He watched as Renegade's outfit darkened to black and changed, becoming more modern. The red symbol changed to a gold one and no longer resembled the symbol of the Flying Graysons. Now it resembled an Athenian owl in flight. His features became more bird-like, his skin paler and his nails longer like claws. This was no longer simply Renegade about to kill him…This was a Talon.

"You never should have let me go," Talon said. "Without me, you're just a pathetic little bird without his talons, pretending to be a bat. But we both know that's not who you're supposed to be. You aren't a robin or a bat….and definitely not…this. You're an owl. It's about time you remember that and start acting like one. It's time to decide who you really are."

Nightwing grinned suddenly as memories echoed through his mind.

-"I know how badly you want Tony Zucco, Dick. And I know you're willing to stop at nothingto find him. I have only one question. When you do find Zucco…then what?"

"You mean will I kill him…Mr. Wayne? Sorry…you hide it well, but…I've known since the moment I first saw you as Batman. Since the moment I realized were the same. Which is why you already know the answer. We want the same things, Mr. Wayne. And if you'll let me, I want to help you fight for them."

-"You know, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that this freak show is so important to you, Nightwing. Seeing as you showed up in every city they traveled to the past year. When you think about it, you and Haly's makes perfect sense. The circus has always been the place where bad kids run to when they're running away from home. Which is what you are. Even after Batman gave you everything…you abandoned him. It was almost too cute. Which is why I don't understand what you're doing now. Coming back to Gotham? Trying to build a nest? That's not you, Little Bird. You should be flying free. Not shacking up…with a bunch of deadbeats."

"You see, Nightwing, more than any of the others you put your faith in relationships. You insist on surrounding yourself with people. But people will always let you down."

-"'You put your faith in people and people will always let you down'. It's what the Joker said about me. About what made me weak."

-"I'm supposed to be the one who doesn't dwell. I'm supposed to be the rock."

"So?"

"So, if I'm not…then what the Joker said about me was right."

"You got burned by people you leaned on. Guess what? It's going to happen again. That doesn't mean you should stop. You trust people. It's what makes you who you are."

-"Dick, listen. I know it must have been hard finding out that you were meant to be a Talon. To be one of the Owls."

"Well thank you, B-"

"I'm not done. I know it might seem like I saved you from that destiny. But you could never have been one of them. Never. They might have seen something back then but so did I. And the truth is, I didn't save you from some dark fate, those years ago. You saved me from one. And you still are saving me, every day."

"That's where you're wrong," Nightwing said, wresting control of the situation from Talon. Hewas now the one on top again. "I knew who I am, and it definitely isn't you."

Talon laughed again, the laughter eerily reminding Nightwing of the Joker. "Now who's wrong?" He had a sly grin on his face. "You still don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?" he asked.

Talon continued to grin. "You'll know soon enough."

Something was wrong. Nighwing tensed and turned in time to see that the other Talon was now holding the slightly older of the two boys who was struggling to escape his grasp. The other boy was attacking the Talon but failing. The scene was so familiar it startled Nightwing into releasing Talon who quickly joined the other Talon's side and took the boy from him, allowing the other Talon to unsheathe a large sword.

"Damian Wayne," the Talon said. "The Court of Owls has sentenced you to die."

Seeing the boy backed into a corner, Nightwing's eyes widened and for a second the Talon became a familiar cream-robed figure.

"Nooo!" Dick screamed, diving at the Talon. Everything was a blur. He was suddenly struggling against somebody's hold, desperate to save his baby brother. "Nooo!"

"Grayson, stop it," the familiar voice of his captor said. "Tt. You're only hurting yourself. Though admittedly your nails are sharp."

Dick gasped and his eyes flew open. His surroundings changed to what he recognized as the Medical Wing of the BatCave. Straddling him to hold down his arms was a familiar small figure, Damian. Behind him, holding down's Dick's legs was Bruce. Dick's focus was on his youngest brother though. The details of his dream were sent to the back of his mind as his attention was centered on his former partner. "You're alive," he said, sighing in relief, having stopped struggling when he realized who was holding him down. He watched as Bruce let his legs go and Damian hopped off him but remained on the edge of the bed.

"Tt, of course I am Grayson," Damian said in his familiar brattish tone. "I'm not the one who took a sword to the heart."

"…To the heart," Dick said in disbelief. His eyes went to his bandaged chest then to the familiar equipment that seemed to have been recently used on him. There was an empty I.V. bag and line. A heart monitor was still attached to him, showing a steady, oddly soothing rhythm. He listened to the familiar beats for a moment, listening for any problem but finding none. This was extremely odd, especially considering he had been stabbed in the heart. He should be dead, yet here he was. His chest hurt and felt like somebody had stabbed him, but not to the intent he expected. The minor injuries he had received were strangely gone, no sign of them left.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew about the electrum of course. He could never forget Bruce's explanation for the fast healing he seemed to have. This was just ridiculous though. It seemed the electrum had somehow been activated. It wasn't just the electrum though. Something else seemed to have caused even more changes in him. He wondered if his eyes were still blule. At least he seemed to be himself and not a puppet of the Court. They would no doubt come looking for him now. His hands clenched as he took in the new length of his nails. It didn't matter. He'd be ready.

"I'll tell the others you're awake," Bruce said. Dick didn't think to ask him the fate of the Heretic, He somehow already knew, just as he knew it wouldn't be the last they saw of Damian's clone. Somehow that only made the heavy guilt he felt for killing somebody who should have been his brother greater.

"Thanks," Dick sent silently. Bruce nodded and Dick was left alone with Damian. A second later Dick found his arms wrapped around his youngest brother who had his head buried against Dick's chest. "I'm here Dami," he soothed the trembling boy. "I'm right here. I'm not going to leave you." He caught sight of his reflection from the corner of his eye. For a second he saw the owl-like monster of Talon/Renegade before he was replaced by his usual blue-eyed reflection, albeit slightly distorted.

The message was clear. There was no escaping from what had occurred, the past that had been hidden from him until now. Just like Damian, he had been born to kill. Yet just like Damian, it was his choice not to. The lost boy trained as an assassin had grown to become a hero, and he would die again before he went back to being that boy.

A/N: Yeah, this story actually wasn't supposed to be like this but I got this idea from a review asking if the Court would be in it. I was planning to add them in some way. This came about and I really like it. It gives a semi-logical explanation for how Dick could actually survive and gives me a chance to tie this in with the Talon series. The ending gives a great twist for the story but there's a lot more that has yet to be uncovered. Next chapter we get the others' reactions to everything. Luckily it will be a few chapters before we get to Nightwing #18 and the big reveal in it. This is going to become more than just a story about the partnership and bond between Dick and Damian.