A/N: Happy Leap Day! I was in such a good mood today I decided to go ahead and post this a little early. Thank you so incredibly much to each and every one of you who reviewed last chapter! I was stunned by the amazing response it got and I honestly wasn't expecting it. It's so wonderful to see people are still invested in this story. So as a big thank you to all of you, I decided to give you chapter 10 now.

Secondly, thank you Florence Welch, for the approximately 1000 times I listened to 'Only If For A Night' on repeat while writing this.

Chapter 10: Overwhelmed

He flies through the air, ready to grip the edge of the fire escape and flip safely to the ground. But before he can, it melts into the bar of a trapeze, and the alley walls stretch into the canopy of the big top. He reaches his arms, grasping towards the bar, but it's too late, the bar is swinging away from him…

Below him, his parents are falling. Their arms stretch toward him, and he knows it won't save them, that this time he's falling too, but he reaches toward them anyways. His eyes lock with theirs, and he knows that the fear he sees there is reflected in his own face. When they hit, he can't stop the cry that bursts from his throat.

Because this time he's falling too, and there's nothing he can do to stop himself from joining his family where they're lying, in a pool of blood in the center ring.

Gotham City
March 15, 02:38 EST
Team Year Four

Artemis paced around the side of Dick's bed to peer behind the drawn curtains. Gotham's skyline was still pitch dark; most of the buildings could only be seen by their inky silhouettes blotting out the stars.

Stars. She'd never seen so many, even when they were stranded in the Bialyan desert, far from the glare of any city lights. The sky was a wash of silver, the Milky Way streaking down the center of it. Artemis wasn't usually sentimental about things like this, but if she were honest with herself, she'd have to admit that she'd never seen anything that was literally so breathtaking.

Okay, sure, the Blackout was terrible, but as inconvenient and disruptive and dangerous as it was, at least it had given Gotham the gift of the stars.

But she hoped it would just be for tonight. No matter how beautiful it was, they needed to get Gotham back into the light. Without power, Artemis had no doubt that things would begin to fall apart quickly, and she also knew that bad things happening in Gotham tended to be even worse than if they happened elsewhere. No doubt there'd be looting and riots if the lights didn't get turned back on soon. Hell, there probably already were looting and riots in the less savory areas of the city; she just couldn't see them right now.

Artemis tore her gaze away from the sky and down toward Gotham's streets. One consequence of the brilliant starlight was that Gotham actually seemed less dark somehow. Although everything was still dim, shadowy, and difficult to see, the softer starlight threw less dramatic shadows than Gotham's usual streetlamps. She found if she looked for long enough, her eyes began to adjust to the darkness in a way they never could amid the sodium lights and neon that usually lit Gotham's streets.

A flickering shadow caught Artemis's eye, but despite her efforts, she couldn't make it out. Was it just a harmless pedestrian? Or could it be Batgirl? Or an Owl assassin?

Artemis held very still and watched for another minute, but couldn't see anything. Frustrated, she drew the curtain shut against the window again and turned back to look at Dick, still asleep in his bed. She had taken care to cover the window early on; the hospital was one of the few buildings in Gotham that still had electricity, thanks to an emergency generator, and it was lit up like a beacon in the night. A beacon that practically shouted "Dick Grayson is inside, come and get him!" A sniper had already tried to shoot Dick once earlier today; she was going to do her best not to let that happen again. So despite the stars, despite the shadows and what may or may not be lurking in them, Artemis kept the curtain closed.

She paced around to the other side of the room and rubbed her eyes, forcing herself to stay awake and alert. God, she was tired. It was almost three in the morning. She needed coffee.

Artemis glanced at Dick as he shifted in his sleep, the sheet that had been drawn over his torso slipping down the side of the bed. Artemis moved to draw the sheet back over him, but paused when he started talking in his sleep, mumbling strained words in a language Artemis didn't recognize. Beads of sweat stood out on his forehead and he tossed his head slightly against the pillow. Artemis stared, momentarily at a loss. Should she wake him? Probably.

Gently, Artemis touched Dick's uninjured shoulder. "Nightw—Dick." She shook her head at her slip-up. "Dick, c'mon. Wake up."

Dick's eyes snapped open and he looked around wildly for a second, getting his bearings. Seeing Artemis watching him, he swallowed and looked away, and raised one slightly shaky hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Artemis turned and walked to a small table on the other side of his bed and poured him a glass of water from a pitcher, giving him a moment to brush aside the tears that had slipped past the corners of his eyes, and that she was pretending not to have seen. Silently, she handed him the water, which he gratefully accepted with his good arm. He avoided Artemis's eyes and took a small sip of it.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked after a minute.

"M'fine," he said, gaze fixed on the plastic cup. "Sorry."

Artemis quirked her eyebrow and looked down at Dick. "Sorry? We all have nightmares. You shouldn't apologize for something you can't control."

"I guess," he said. He set the cup down on the table and ran a hand through his hair. It was damp with sweat, and he winced at how gross he felt. He needed a shower. "It's just, I haven't had that dream in a while. I was hoping I wouldn't again…it's not something I like reliving."

Artemis inhaled and opened her mouth, and then quickly shut it again. "I didn't know you spoke another language," she said instead. "What was that?"

Dick looked up at her, surprised. "I was talking in my sleep?" he said. Artemis nodded. "Huh. Falling off that building must've really rattled me," he said quietly.

"You don't have to talk about it, it's fine," she said, glancing away. "I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay," said Dick, slightly surprised to find he wanted to tell her. "I was probably speaking Romani. I actually don't speak it very well, it's been so long since I've had anyone who's fluent in it to talk to, but sometimes, when I think about my parents, it just pops out." He gave a small smile. "My dad and my uncle used to use it to talk to each other when they didn't want anyone else to know what they were saying. I only picked up a little before he died…" Dick swallowed, his eyes flickering over the ceiling tiles.

Artemis was looking at him steadily, barely daring to breathe. Despite the fact that she'd learned Dick's identity, she never thought he would actually tell her very much about his past. Her mom was the same way; on the rare occasions that Paula Crock brought up something from her past, Artemis would sit silently, listening intently to what her mother revealed and filing it away for later thought. If she said anything, brought any attention to the fact that her mother was speaking about the past, then her mom would clam up and move on to the present. All of Artemis's instincts were telling her that Dick would react similarly, so she stayed quiet.

"My mom used to call me her little Robin," he said after a few moments. He was leaning back on his pillows, looking at the ceiling, but it was clear he was seeing something else in his mind's eye. "Because she said I reminded her of a robin, when I was flying on the trapeze. And then they died…" he said, his voice dropping. "They fell…and after…you would think I'd be afraid of flying. But I never was. I still love it. But one thing that haunts me, that I'll always fear, is dying like them. Of falling. And you know," he said, with a small laugh, "I'd never fallen before. Either I never let it happen, or someone was there to catch me."

Artemis stood quietly for a few moments, absorbing his words. After a minute, Dick blinked and rolled his head to the side, looking at Artemis. He stared at her for a moment and narrowed his eyes, as though he were trying to decide if she were really there. "Did…did I really just say all of that?" he asked after a moment.

Artemis nodded. "Oh," he said, and then looked down at his arm where the IV drip was inserted, and traced the tubing with his eyes back to the IV bag that was hanging next to him. "Am I on pain meds?" he asked, looking back to Artemis. She nodded again. "Heh," he said, and leaned back and closed his eyes. "They always make me chatty. Alfred always says he can't get me to shut up after he patches me up. I usually don't remember too well though…hey, where's Barbara?" Dick asked suddenly, opening his eyes and looking around. "Wasn't she here?"

Artemis couldn't help but laugh at the sudden change of topic, forgetting to ask who Alfred was. "Yes, Barbara was here. But she left a little while ago."

"Why?" asked Dick. "Where'd she go?"

"Out," said Artemis, smirking. "Some of us have got better things to do than keep an eye on your sorry butt."

"Oh," said Dick, looking disappointed.

Artemis laughed, he looked so miserable. "I'm kidding! She's out hunting down any stray Owls that might be looking for you." Artemis glanced uneasily toward the drawn curtain, wondering, not for the first time that night, where exactly Barbara was and if she was okay. It had been over an hour since she'd left.

"By herself?" Dick asked, frowning. "Artemis, we could barely handle five of them together—"

"Hey, Batgirl can take care of herself," said Artemis, pushing aside her own doubts. "And you're forgetting that we successfully took out five Owls, without costumes, weapons, or gadgets, and with you not even using most of your combat skills. She'll be fine."

Dick looked at her skeptically. "Do I need to point out that you're not mentioning that I'm sitting in the hospital with a gunshot wound—"

"No," interrupted Artemis, glaring at him. "So don't."

Just then, the door to the room burst open and Artemis instinctively jumped and spun around into a ready position. She relaxed when she saw it was only the nurse from earlier, who thankfully was staring down at a chart and didn't notice Artemis's reaction. Artemis had always hated that about doctors, the way they would barge into a room and start talking all at once without barely knocking. The nurse propped the door open and strode over to Dick's bed, still consulting the chart.

"Good, you're awake!" said the nurse, who was a petite African American woman. "We were going to have to wake you up in a few minutes anyway, considering your concussion. Let's take a look." She went through the same tests that Dr. Lawrence had done earlier, checking his pupils and asking him basic questions. Artemis rolled her eyes as Dick chatted away with the nurse, even flirting with her a little. She wasn't sure if this was the way Dick Grayson always acted, or if he was still reacting to his medication, but either way, it was a bit gag-inducing. Okay, so he wasn't nearly as bad as Wally had used to be, but it was still a bit tedious to listen to. At least the nurse wasn't falling for it; she laughed good-naturedly along with Dick, but kept things professional.

"Alright, Mr. Grayson, let's take a look at those sutures," she said and drew the hospital curtain around the bed for some privacy. Artemis sighed and walked through the doorway to wait just outside the room. There were two police officers standing on either side of the door keeping watch, and Artemis had to admit that they looked a lot more alert than she felt right now. She supposed the fight earlier and the adrenaline-fueled flight through Gotham while carrying 180 pounds of Dick Grayson had taken more out of her than she'd thought at first. She rubbed her eyes and suppressed a yawn.

"Miss Crock," said a voice down the hall. Artemis turned and saw Detective Buckley striding toward her, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his overcoat billowing out behind him. Artemis groaned inwardly. She could bet, whatever it was that he wanted, she was not in the mood to deal with right now. "Can I have a word with you?" he asked, motioning with his head toward the other end of the hall. Artemis glanced back toward Dick's room. She didn't like the idea of leaving him alone at all, even if there were two police officers outside the door.

"We can talk here," she said firmly, stepping just to the side of the door.

Buckley glanced at the officers and back to her, a frown firmly in place on his forehead. "I have some more questions for you about tonight. Are you sure you wouldn't like to discuss this someplace more private?"

"Positive," growled Artemis. Whatever Buckley was after, he already had his hackles up. Damned if Artemis was going to give him any ground.

"Suit yourself," he said shrugging. "I'll cut to the chase. I know you're lying. You and Grayson were not at a coffee shop reminiscing about old times. I took the liberty of canvasing the area the incident took place at. We found the alleyway where the shooting happened, just like you and Grayson described, complete with bloodstains. But you know what we didn't find? Coffee shops. There aren't any within a two-mile radius of that alleyway. So I would like to know, what exactly were you doing together today?"

Artemis had to admit, despite her annoyance, that this guy was good. She hadn't actually expected any of the Gotham PD to follow up on her story so closely, and certainly not so quickly. She guessed she'd underestimated the level of importance the GCPD would place on a case involving the infamous Court of Owls and a member of Gotham's elite. Though to be fair, she hadn't actually known she was dealing with the Court of Owls when she'd come up with that cover story. Come to think of it, she hadn't even heard of the Court of Owls until tonight; she'd totally lost track of Gotham news since moving to California. She should have realized her lack of knowledge would come around to bite her in the ass.

All these thoughts passed through Artemis's brain in a second and she didn't miss a beat with her reply. "I told you, detective, we got lost after the power went out. We wandered around for a while before those Owl freaks attacked us."

"Right," said Buckley, clearly not believing her. "You wandered for two miles directly into a deserted alleyway where the Court of Owls was waiting to ambush you."

Artemis felt her face grow hot with anger and realized belatedly that she was, for all intents and purposes, being interrogated. "They were not waiting for us!" she said hotly. "They had to have followed us. There's no way they would have known we would end up there." This part was the truth. There was no way the Owls could have been waiting for Dick in that alley. Even Dick had said they must have tailed him without him noticing.

"Okay," said Buckley coolly, "so they followed the two of you. How did they know where you and Mr. Grayson were meeting in order to follow you from there?"

Artemis glared knives at Buckley. The truth was, she didn't have a good answer for him because really, her story was so flimsy that it quickly fell apart under any close scrutiny. But she had to admit, he was thorough. Wasn't that just her luck? She had to end up with a Gotham detective who was actually good at his job.

"I don't know," she ground out. "Maybe they followed him from home."

"And waited so long to go for the kill?" asked Buckley. "Possible, but why wait all day? Here's another idea. Maybe there was no coffee get-together, and you led the Owls straight to Mr. Grayson. Or maybe there was, and led Grayson straight to them."

"That is not what happened," said Artemis, unable to contain herself.

"Then what did happen?" demanded Buckley, his voice rising. He took a step towards her, but Artemis held her ground and glared right back at him. "How did the Court of Owls know where to find Richard Grayson tonight?" he demanded.

"Hey! Buckley! Calm down," said Detective Hernandez, coming around the corner, two steaming cups of coffee in her hands. "What is going on?"

"Her story doesn't add up," said Buckley. "I'm getting some answers."

"Really, Buckley, at three in the morning?" said Hernandez. "She's clearly exhausted. You're not going to get a straight answer out of her now no matter what." Buckley looked like he was going to argue, but Hernandez cut him off. "Go take a walk and calm down," she said. He glared at Hernandez but complied, striding down the corridor and around the corner.

Artemis breathed in and out slowly, forcing herself to calm down. This was exactly the sort of complication that she didn't need tonight. She already had to worry about Dick's injuries, Barbara's absence, the Owl assassins that were probably out there somewhere, not to mention the freaking blackout affecting all of Gotham. She didn't have time to worry about nosy police officers on top of all that.

"Here," said Hernandez, handing her one of the cups of coffee. "I was bringing this for Buckley, but you look like you need it more. It's just some crappy instant stuff from the staff breakroom, but it's better than nothing."

"Thanks," said Artemis, accepting the coffee and taking a sip. She closed her eyes and sighed. It might be shitty coffee, but right now, it was exactly what she needed.

"You know, you don't have to stay here," said Hernandez reasonably. "It's late. Why don't you go home and get some rest? We've got things covered here. And you probably want to see your family, make sure they're okay."

Artemis shook her head and took another sip of coffee. "Thanks, but no thanks," she said. "I'll stay here for now."

"Artemis…are you and Richard a couple?" asked Hernandez. "I'd understand why you didn't tell us before, the tabloids can be vicious in this town."

Artemis stared at her, her mind actually completely blank for a second.

Then she burst out laughing. "Me…and Dick? Together?" she laughed. "That's hilarious. No," she said, her giggles subsiding. "No, no and no."

Hernandez was momentarily taken aback by Artemis's laughter, but recovered quickly enough. "I apologize for the wrong assumption," she remarked, taking a sip of her own coffee, "but you'll have to forgive me. Most people don't hold vigils at people's bedsides if they're not family or partners."

"I wasn't keeping vigil," said Artemis, scoffing. "I was—" Artemis cut herself off. She couldn't really say she was protecting him, either, even if it was the truth. "…keeping him company," she continued, realizing that if she didn't supply an answer it would be suspicious. "His family isn't here, and they probably don't even know he's hurt. I thought he could use a friend."

"Right," said Hernandez, fiddling with her Styrofoam cup. "So, you're good friends then?"

Artemis paused, coffee cup halfway toward her mouth. Was she still being interrogated? It was beginning to feel that way. Mentally, she kicked herself for not seeing it sooner.

"I only ask because I couldn't help but notice Barbara Gordon visiting earlier. We all know Barbara down at the precinct. He father is a good man, and an excellent officer. He also talks about his daughter a lot, about her activities and her friends. So I know it's the truth when I say that Barbara Gordon and Richard Grayson are best friends. Practically attached at the hip. And if she left after only a half hour, surely you can leave too? I just find it unusual that someone Barbara's never mentioned is apparently closer with Richard than she is."

Artemis stared at Hernandez for a moment. They were dragging Barbara into this now? But it was true, Artemis and Barbara hadn't been close friends in high school. In fact they'd barely come into contact with one another at first. Batgirl hadn't joined the Team until after she'd turned eighteen and Artemis had already graduated from Gotham Academy (the Justice League's rule of requiring parental approval for all the Team members who were minors was a bit of a hurdle for her, since she still hadn't told her dad about her extracurricular activities). So Artemis didn't know that Barbara Gordon and Batgirl were one and the same until Barbara joined the Team, and by that time she was already living in California.

"Are you…are you two good-cop-bad-copping me?" Artemis said to Hernandez. "Because I am so not in the mood for that right now." Artemis tossed her empty Styrofoam cup in a nearby trash can and turned away from Hernandez.

"Artemis, wait!" said Hernandez, and despite her annoyance, Artemis paused. They might be barking up the wrong tree, but they were good cops and were actually trying to help Dick. She should at least try not to get on their bad sides. "Look, I'm sorry if Buckley came on a bit strong—he's like that. But what he said is right. Your story doesn't add up and we're just trying to figure out why."

"Do you think I led the Owls to Dick?" asked Artemis stiffly.

"My opinion doesn't matter," said Hernandez. "But that being said, I don't think someone who tried to have him killed would work so hard to get him to a hospital and keep watch by his bedside all night."

Artemis crossed her arms and shifted her stance. "Look, I don't know what you and your partner are trying to get me to say, but it won't work. I'm not here to hurt Dick or to betray him, and I never will."

"Artemis, we're not trying to get you to say anything other than the truth," said Hernandez. "And I think you haven't told us that yet."

"No, I did already tellyou," said Artemis firmly. "You can ask Dick, everything he says matches my story."

Hernandez stared hard at her. "I don't know why he's protecting you. And I don't know what you two are hiding. But I'd like to remind you that you're interfering with an attempted murder investigation involving one of the most dangerous criminal groups in Gotham. And as much as I'd like to think that you had nothing to do with it, you're currently one of our prime suspects, whether you like it or not. The consequences won't be as severe if you cooperate with us now—"

"Look, am I under arrest or anything? No? Then you can leave me alone," said Artemis, turning away toward Dick's room. She could see Buckley coming back down along the hall, and she really didn't want to deal with him again too. "And quit wasting your time with me," she added to Hernandez, "There are actual killers out there—"

Artemis was interrupted by the sound of glass shattering and a female's surprised shriek from Dick's room. Without hesitation, Artemis sprinted into the room, Hernandez and Buckley hot on her heels, their guns drawn. The two officers stationed outside the door had already run inside. Hurtling around the threshold, Artemis paused for the briefest of moments to absorb what she saw: one of the officers was lying on the floor bleeding, a blade protruding from his chest. Artemis couldn't tell if he was dead or alive. The second officer fired off two rounds before she too went down, a knife in her shoulder. Batgirl was lying below the window, which was now no more than a jagged hole. It seemed as though she had been thrown bodily through it.

A female Owl assassin was perched on the sill of the window, framed by the torn and billowing window curtain and jagged shards of glass, two throwing knives ready in her hand.

Artemis flew forward. She had no weapon, no armor, and no plan, but she knew she had to stop this from happening. Time seemed to slow and each lunging step she took toward the Owl felt like an eternity, despite the adrenaline pumping through her veins, despite the speed she knew she was actually moving at. She was hyper aware of every detail of the room: Buckley and Hernandez's shouts from the threshold, the sound of the safeties on their guns being released. Batgirl struggling to her feet, pieces of glass showering off of her cape as she reached for a batarang at her belt. And even as Artemis drew closer to the Owl she could see that she would be too slow, they all would be too slow. In one swift motion, the Owl threw the knives and they sliced through the privacy curtain still draped around Dick's hospital bed, and Artemis heard them sink into something soft and yielding, a pair of deadly twins.

A/N: …I'm evil, I know. *Cackles*

Also, do yourselves a favor and google "stars without light pollution." Do it. You won't regret it.

RE: Dick and painkillers—some side effects of opioid painkillers include (but are not limited to) sleepiness, strange or vivid dreams, confusion, and influencing mood and behavior, all of which play into Dick's behavior in this chapter.

I'm going to try and get another chapter up within 1-2 weeks.

Please review!