After that everyone quickly left to go about their business as usual. Nightwing followed Jessie back to her room and waited until they were alone before demanding,

"Are you crazy? You just spent several years in a coma because of him! Now you want to go after him by yourself?" Jessie was putting a leather bound journal in a bag trying very hard not to look at his furious expression.

"You can't exactly go chasing him. The team needs you." She finally turned and looked him in the eyes. Her feet were slightly apart and her shoulders were straight back. Nightwing recognized the look in her eyes, she was going to do this and nothing he would say could stop her. "Have you ever just known you were meant to do something?" Nightwing felt a chill go down his spine. He couldn't help but remember to vision of him and Alexandra standing in front of a grave.

"You could die." Jessie shrugged.

"We all die at some point. That is one path that everything living must tread. Some may take longer to go that way than others, but we all will go that way eventually." She smiled reassuringly at him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I do not think I will die so soon. There are things that I'm supposed to do yet." Nightwing sighed he couldn't really stop her.

"Keep in touch." She smiled and nodded.

"I will not die this month or the next." Out of the corner of Nightwing's eye he saw a light flash on his right hand. Jessie's crest.

"You can't possibly make that promise." she chuckled darkly.

"The interesting thing about rules and laws, under the right circumstances, they can be rewritten." Jessie threw her bag over her shoulder and strode past him. Nightwing felt something in him clench. He should stop her. Yet he stood rooted to the spot his mouth refused to work, his voice failed him. "No worries, I'll be back." His hand flashed again. He wasn't worried about getting her back, he was worried about what condition she'd come back to him in.

"What happens if you break your word?" He turned to watch her back as she continued to walk away. She shrugged carelessly.

"That's up to the person who I broke faith with." She turned back to him a sly grin on her face. "It's never happened before so I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you." Nightwing snorted and then she was gone. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I think you're avoiding me again." He said to where she had been standing.

You might be right. Laughter filled his mind

"No more dream visits. That could be misconstrued." He felt her amusement.

You wouldn't happen to have lewd thoughts about your friend, now would you? He nearly choked.

"As you are taking the cowards way out, I don't think I'll answer that." Already his fear and anger were forgotten in the easy banter that had once been between them.

The days went by much slower. Nightwing threw himself into his work and stopped only when he was too tired to move. The rest of the team was starting to get nervous about it. Some suggested calling in Bard from the field when he seemed truly agitated. None of them said this where he could hear. Finally it was Megan who grabbed Nightwing out from behind his desk and dragged him to the training mat. Much to the surprise of everyone; including Nightwing.

"Hey Megan! I need to finish this." he protested. He had been staring at the screen for several hours trying to find a lead on Gabriel.

"No, you need a change." she snapped. Most of the other team members took that as their cue and everyone seemed to find things to do on the other side of the mountain. Only Connor stayed. She released his shirt and he staggered onto the mat. "Computer, combat training. Nightwing isn't to leave until he beats me."

"Computer override." The computer blared angrily at Nightwing.

"Match begin." said the computerized voice. Nightwing growled and launched himself at Megan who floated out of harm's way almost lazily. He tried various methods for holding Megan. He even had to resort to using a controlled flame. Nothing. The alarm blared and Connor looked to Megan. There was an emergency.

"Have Aqua lad take over for this mission."

"You can't do that Megan!" Nightwing snapped.

"If you can beat me you can go." She said it simply and Connor left before Nightwing could demand something of him.

"I'm the leader." he panted, then he tried to walk off the mat. Electricity buzzed threateningly around the edge.

"Not like this you aren't." she floated in front of him sitting with her legs crossed. "You have worked yourself to exhaustion. You're no good to anyone like this. You haven't even eaten since yesterday. So it's no wonder why you can't function right." She paused and watched as he caught his breath. "I called in Bard." Nightwing looked up at her. It was a week away from the day on the tombstone in Bard's vision. Megan had picked that out of her friend's mind while he worked himself to bone and was about dead on his feet. "I can't find her."

Nightwing blinked.

"It's like she no longer exists." she continued. "Not even her sister can feel her anymore. It's almost like-." Nightwing snarled.

"She's not dead!" Megan smiled.

"No, she's not." The girl knew playing on his fears was cruel, but this had to stop one way or another. "Now stop acting like she is and start acting like our leader!" The words were a lash across his pride. He realized he was too tired to properly fight. He failed his team. Slumping down to his knees he sat there dejected until Megan came to hover beside him.

"I'm sorry." he whispered. In a last ditch effort Nightwing whipped his staff out and stopped it just short of Megan's throat. If he had actually struck her, it might have broken her neck. His friend smiled at him and the computer whirled.

"Match Nightwing." Megan nodded at the door that the rest of the team was heading out. He snorted.

"Don't ever do that again." Megan smiled at him.

"As long as you do forget to be our leader, I won't. We need you, Dick."

"Deal." He walked out with his shoulders back and his head held high.

"How long are you going hide?" Megan asked when Nightwing was out of hearing range. A weak laugh came from the shadows. Bard stepped out clutching a wound in her side.

"Long enough to be sure."

"Why didn't you do something! Say something!" Bard slipped to the floor panting.

"About him working too hard, my wound, or that I was here?"

"All of the above."

"You had it under control, I'll mend in time without him fussing, and it'll be better if he finds someone else." She was getting pale and sweat dotted her brow, while her breath came out in shallow pants. Megan glared at her.

"That is for him to decide." Bard chuckled softly.

"Probably." Megan floated over to her and helped her to the medic bay. There she was treated. Megan was about to leave when Bard caught her arm. "Don't tell him." Megan looked the other girl over. They were friends and she could see it was killing her to make that request, but she nodded. It was on the tip of her tongue to try and persuade Bard to talk to Nightwing, but she supposed she really had no room to talk. When Megan came back a few hours later to check on Bard; the girl was gone. Megan sighed,

"One of these days." Connor came into the room laughing. "What's so funny?"

"The alien woman that was terrorizing the city?" he smothered his laughter. "We caught her, first thing she did was grab Nightwing and kiss him. Now she speaks English." Megan couldn't help but wonder about Bard.

"What are you thinking?" She whispered not realizing she spoke out loud.

"Hmm?" Connor inquired. Megan blushed.

"Nothing, I was talking to myself."