Hey guys, sorry this is a week late. I moved across the country and just settled in. So here is the final chapter to this story. I know I said I would continue a bit after this chapter, and I will, but not just yet. I want to finish Becoming Supergirl (I left it quite a while ago), and then I'll think more about this one. It will be a separate story, and I'll add a note to this story once chapter one is up, so if you favorited or followed A Life in Shadow, then you'll know when the next is up. Thanks so much for all the views and reviews! You guys have been great! ENJOY!

Another quiet, sleepless night. Taking in a deep breath, I forcefully release it as a disgusted sigh and continue to stare at the ceiling. Usually Dick is around to keep me company when this happens. Last week Bruce found the two of us asleep on the couch in the den as a half-finished game of monopoly lay strewn around the carpet. It's always nice to have someone to wait out the insomnia with, but with him back on patrol for the past few nights, I do my best to pass the time alone. My hands drag down my face as I get up and begin to pace around the room. "What's wrong sweetheart?" My heart stops as I spin around to face a blank wall. I close my eyes and attempt to get my breathing under control. I've been hearing his voice lately. These past two weeks it's gotten worse and I don't understand why. J'onn says that it's just memory relapse due to stress, but I doubt that I would really have a memory of my father saying how proud he was of me murdering him. Either way the Martian and Canary are doing their best to convince me that I'm fine. Bruce believes them a little more than I do, especially after all the extra tests came back negative.

Splashing a few handfuls of water on my face helps calm me down. He's dead. He can't hurt you anymore. I think to myself as I bring the towel away from my eyes. It takes a moment for me to register that the man in question is standing before me. I react without a second thought. Fist colliding with was I expect to be skin quickly turns into glass as I hear the mirror shatter. I retract quickly and clutch my bloody fingers to my chest. Great, one more thing to explain. Trekking down the hall I find myself in the kitchen and pull out the first aid kit from under the sink. I know I can easily go down to the cave and ask Alfred for help, but facing someone so soon after an incident usually ends poorly. A sigh escapes my lips as water runs over the open gashes. I didn't realize how deep the glass had cut. Instances like this have been happening more frequently lately. Scrubbing my hand and picking out the tiny shards left behind I think back to how many times I've seen him sitting beside me or standing in the doorway, how his voice reaches my ears when no one's there or replaces the voice of another. I hiss in pain as I begin to scrub the wound with alcohol.

Footsteps sound down the hall and make their way toward me. Most likely Bruce coming up from the cave. He's usually the first showered and dressed out of all the bats. I snort looking back to the crimson water washing down the drain. He probably won't even be surprised. I begin bandaging the various cuts as he steps in the doorway, but I don't expect it to be him. "What happened Kate?" My eyes grow wide and mouth hangs open as I see him standing there. Pure terror clings to my features as his brow draws downward. "What's wrong?" He asks taking a few steps toward me.

I scramble away, paying no mind to the blood dripping onto the tiled floor, and wrench a large steak knife from its wooden holder. "Stay away from me!" My fingers turn white as they threaten the figure before me.

His hands raise to show he means no harm, but I don't believe it. "Kate, calm down."

"What's wrong Bruce?" Comes another voice from down the hall. Before I can blink he appears again. How can there be two? I don't have time to contemplate my question. "Kate? What's going on? What's wrong?"

My hand shakes as my grip on the knife tightens. "Just stay away from me."

The first Deathstroke begins to speak. "Kate, it's alright. We're not going to hurt you?"

"What do you call everything you did to me for the past twenty-two years?" I shout.

There's a pause as they both glance at each other. "You think we're Slade?"

"I don't know how there's two of you, but if you come any closer, I swear I'll kill you both." Quick footsteps come toward us. I leave before a third Deathstroke can come into sight. One of them calls out to me, asking me to stop, but I don't listen. I crash through the French doors, sprint across the grounds, and leap over the surrounding wall, making my way toward Gotham to hide amongst the crowds.

Settling down on a rooftop an hour later I further inspect my hand. The blood loss has caused my vision to grow unfocused and head to sway. Closing my eyes I lean back against the brick wall and inhale deeply through my nose. The motion clears my head slightly as I attempt to plan what to do next. "Kate?" My eyes snap open as I see my father standing before me. I scrunch back and press myself up against the wall. I'm too tired to fight him. I'm going to lose and he'll take me. He puts his hands up and reaches out to me slightly. "Don't run Kate. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise." I don't speak. "I'm not who you think I am. It's me, Jason, Jaybird. I'm not your father. I'm not going to hurt you." He presses a finger to his ear. "I found her. Rendezvous at my location." He takes a step forward. "Everything's okay Kate. I just need to get you home."

My hands lift and aim a gun at his head. "Stay away from me." My voice is choked and quiet. Looking at the metal in my hand, I begin to wonder. When did I get this?

"Kate, put the gun down."

I don't comply, but refrain from shooting as he takes another step toward me. I can't kill him again. I don't want to kill anyone anymore. My hands shake as I think of the only way out of this and press the barrel against my temple. "You're not taking me anywhere, daddy."

He freezes. "Kate don't do this. Please, don't do this. I'm not Deathstroke. I'm Jay. It's Jay!"

A hand grabs the gun from me before I can pull the trigger as arms wrap around my waist. "No! No, let go of me! Let go!" My struggling increases as I spy the needle approaching my skin. "No! You can't do this!" I look to my father who claimed to be Jason. "Jay, kill me. Please, just kill me!" Sad eyes are the last thing I see before losing consciousness.

My fingers twitch and eyes scrunch tightly in response to the pain. A small moan seeps out through closed lips. "Kate?" Bruce asks. Opening my eyes to a bleached room I squint slightly. "Damian, can you turn down the lights please." A moment later the pounding headache subsides with most of the brightness. "How are you feeling?" He asks, stroking a piece of hair away from my face.

"What happened?" I ask. "Is he back?"

He sighs. "No Kate, he's dead. He's not coming back."

"A body was never found." I add quickly.

"It wasn't him. Dick, Jay, and I were the ones standing in front of you."

"Then why did I see Deathstroke?"

He drags a hand down his face. "There was a second chip in your brain, initially missed by the former tests. We didn't know what to look for exactly, but we found it after the third MRI." He pauses. "It was placed as a failsafe, from what we understand. After you returned from first leaving your father, he placed a chip in your mind to create a type of hallucination. The final stage would rewrite your senses into only seeing and hearing him whenever you were around another person." He tightens his grip on my hand. "That's what happened last night."

I nod and stare up at him. "But you got the chip out, right? I'm clean."

He nods. "You're fine now." Leaning forward he looks at me intently. "You're safe, Kate. I promise."

I bite my lip before responding. "He used to tell me that whenever I was scared. That he was there for me and would keep me safe. He promised that he would never let anything hurt me, but he lied. I don't trust that anymore. I've learned that no one can keep me safe, not from him."