Rebecca stared at herself in the mirror. Her midnight black hair cascading down her back in curls. Strikingly contrasting with her snow white dress. She carefully adjusted the cape that was just off her shoulders. She let a shaky breath out and looked out the window to outside. The snow was falling on the ground. She looked at the clock on the wall. She had 3 minutes left. The day was finally here and so far nothing bad had happened.

That was good, right?

Right, that was good. It means all those threats her father made were just that, threats. Harmless threats that he wasn't going through with. It gave her a small bit of happiness. A small bit of hope of that maybe, just maybe, he was done messing with her.

Of course, as always, all good things must come to an end.

The gas slowly crept into the room. By the time she realized, it was too late. The room spun and soon everything went dark; the only sounds she could hear were Damian's screams. She knew that there was no way for them to be real as they sounded the same as when they were 17. 4 years ago.

It was confusing how they even got in. Especially with the group of superheroes, vigilantes, and Alfred Pennyworth just 2 floors below. Hell, one just at the bottom of the nearby stairs. But they did it. They got past everyone. In and out without getting caught. Out with an unconscious Rebecca.

Jason, who was the one at the bottom of the steps, checked his watch. It had been 3 minutes since Bex said she would be down. He looked up at the stairs, seeing if she was coming down. No. She wasn't. He sighed and looked at his watch again. 5 minutes. He had been waiting for 10.

He tapped his foot. Suddenly feeling nervous. Scared even. That maybe, perhaps he dad did get in. Maybe he was up there right now with her. Taking her away. Jason shook his head. No. There was no way. There was no way her father, or anyone that wasn't meant to be there for that matter, could get up into her room. Any thought otherwise was completely idiotic. No. Bex was fine and that was that.

But after another 5 minutes. And then 10 minutes. Jason finally gave up on waiting. And just as he was about to head up, Harley ran over to him. "Jason! What is happening? Where's Bex?"

"I was about to check on her. She was meant to be down 15 minutes ago."

"And you just now thought to go and see if she was okay? Jason! What if she got nervous and ran off!"

Jason hadn't thought of that. He knew Bex and didn't believe she would, but he still ran up there. Harley followed after him. And thank gods she did. When he reached her door, the smoke. No fog. No gas. Was barely slipping out.

He turned his head to the blonde jester. "Harley, what is that?"

She bent down and smelt the gas. She gave a shaky breath when she rose and looked at him. "It's both fear toxin and the laughing gas. But it isn't his normal one. It's this different one that I never liked using. It causes hallucinations. Hallucinations made worse by the fear toxin."

"That's how they got her out, isn't it?"

"Bex wouldn' go out without a fight, so I suppose so."

"We need to tell everyone else."

"Yeah."

Just as they were about to press the button of the pager that some had, Ivy's voice came in. "Need to tell everyone what?"

"Bex is gone Ivy."

"Figured. The plants in there. They're dying."

Jason sighed, "I'll notify everyone."

And as he pressed the button, all the people who had a pager ran to where Jason was. Bruce, who was already walking to see what was happening, ran when he felt it go off. Dick lied to Damian and said he needed to use the restroom when he felt it go off. While Barbra and Nyssa ran up the stairs. It was funny as seeing Bruce was one of the furthest away, Dick barely barely being further than him, but yet he was the first up the stairs.

Harley and Jason explained what was happening and Bruce pulled the pager thing out from his pocket. Before he placed it over his mouth he closed the doors to the stairs and spoke, "These can work as a filter to breathe in the air."

Everyone placed it over their mouth and nose as Bruce opened the door. The dark yellow gas covering the air. Everyone's vision had a hew of this color. But they still looked around the room for a hint as to where she would be. No one found anything until Ivy's voice broke the mostly silent room. "I found this USB. Anyone think it's anything or could I just toss it out?"

Jason was quick to grab it from her hand. He looked over it and saw the small symbol. What he, and everyone else, hoped was wrong was right. Her dad had her. "Jason. Give me the USB before you break it."

He hadn't noticed, but his hand was pulled into a tight fist around the USB. He looked over at Bruce, who was the one who asked for the USB and handed it. It was as he handed it to Bruce that Jason started to wonder, how were they going to tell Damian?

And apparently he wasn't the only one asking this question as the next words to come out of Bruce's mouth was, "Who's going to tell everyone that the wedding is being postponed?"

Then followed by Dick, "Better yet, who's gonna tell Damian?"

After a few moments of discussion they came to the conclusion that Jason and Dick tell Damian while everyone else informs the guests that there has been a situation and the bride has gotten very ill. The only people to know the truth were a select few.

Dick went out first to grab Damian, he also told Alfred, Tim, Stephanie, Cassie, Helena, Kate, and Selina to wait where they were. As he was walking Damian to Bruce's study, the younger man slowly began to realize what was happening. But he didn't say anything. He wanted to have hope. Hope that maybe she was just sick like he began to hear his father and others tell the guests.

When the door to Bex's study opened and he saw Jason, without her. All hope faded away. Damian slowly walked into the study more. His eyes trained on Jason the whole time, "Jason-"

Jason didn't even let him finish the sentence, "I'm sorry. I-I didn't even notice."

"You promised her that you would protect her."

"I know."

"She trusted you and you let this happen! She believed in you! She believed that her dad wasn't going to get her! That you had stopped that! She trusted you to protect her! You made her a promise that you would do anything to protect her! But you did nothing! You just let him take her!"

Jason just nodded as Damian yelled at him. He didn't say a word because he agreed with him. Jason knew full well that he promised Bex that he would protect her. That she would be safe from her father. He made her a promise that he did keep. He knew that if, no, when they end up getting her back, she would try to kill him. That she would yell and scream at him for betraying her. That he lost her trust. Something you never want to do.

When Damian finally calmed down all Jason said was, "You're right. Everything you just said. It's right. I made a promise and I broke it. It's my fault that she is now in the hands of her father and who knows else."

Well, they knew a few. Bane. Joker. Scarecrow. Deathstroke. Ra's. Just to name a few. Each person had a personal connection with either Bex or someone Bex cares about. Well, all besides two.

Bane; he broke her back. Joker; Bruce's arch-nemesis and the person who killed Jason and is Harley's ex. Ra's; is Damain's grandfather and is really the only reason she is still alive. But as for Scarecrow and Deathstroke? They really didn't know her personal connection to the two of them.

Jason looked at Damian, it was the first time that he looked into the emerald green eyes and suddenly Damian no longer looked like the 21 year old he was. He looked like both the pissed off 12 year old that he met and the 17 year old, crying because the person he loved the most was in a medically-induced coma. His face was hard, trying to hide any and all emotions while his eyes gave away what he was feeling.

Jason had no clue why he did it, but he wrapped his arms around Damian. He felt his shirt dampen as he hugged the younger boy. No matter how much he acted like it, Damian wasn't mad at Jason. Jason knew this. No. Damian wasn't mad at Jason, but he was mad at himself. Mad because he had no clue how he let this happen. He had made a promise to himself that he wasn't going to let this happen again. Let her slip away again. Dick had left while Damain was yelling or else he would be hugging him too.

Neither of the two spoke. The only sounds coming from the study being Damian's sobs that were muffled by Jason's shoulder. Neither actually knew what to do. Neither was used to this. Both just bottled up their emotions until they blew up in their faces. Whether it be that they just have a complete breakdown, they shutdown, or they hurt the people they care about the most. Sometimes Bex could get Damian to talk, but even she struggled to get him to do that.

Bex. The girl who threw a book at his head and yelled at him because of a stupid nickname he gave her. The girl who, once he got to know her, he fell for. The one who wasn't surprised about him being Robin and finding everything out. The one who he hurt by breaking up with her after she got hurt. When she needed him most. The girl who, even when she had to deal with so much crap with her family and school and everything, was still there when he needed her. It really wasn't until he was standing here without her that he realized how little he made sure she was okay. She always checked up on him. Made sure he was okay. Things weren't too bad. He never did it to her. He could only imagine how everything was for her. Especially after her mother died their Senior year.

Their Senior year. The year that everything seemed to collapse on top of her. Her mother died. She found out her dad was set to be released from prison in a few years. Was named Valedictorian. Prom Queen. She was the main editor of the paper. If there was something that she could be, she probably was. If something could have happened to her, it did. He wondered how she didn't go insane from all of the pressure that she had to have felt.

He pulled away from Jason and looked at him. He let in a shaky breath, "A-any clue where she may be?"

Jason shook his head, "All we have is a USB, they're probably going to see what's on it."

"Shouldn't we?"

Jason shrugged, "It's up to you Damian."

He nodded, "Let's go find everyone and hope that anyone that would spread that I've been crying is gone."

"Wait, I can see the headline, 'Damian Wayne Has A Heart? Real Tears Seen After His Wedding Got Postponed...Again!' Seriously, they need to be more original."

Damian laughed a little, but it quickly faded because of how real it sounded. He didn't want to actually laugh. Not while Bex's life was in danger. Jason noticed this, but he didn't comment on it. The two walked down the halls. Looking for everyone.

They found them down in the Batcave. Everyone went quiet when they saw the two walk in. The two took their normal seats at the large table. It took a lot for Damian to not break down when he became aware of the empty seat next to him. He clenched his hands into fists and spoke, "What were you all talking about before we came in?"

Dick cleared his throat, "We had the USB drive plugged into the computer and saw this video was sent to it."

"What video? Are we allowed to see it?"

"Damian, it's Bex. Are you sure?"

Damian rolled his eyes, "Yes. Play the damn video."

Dick nodded and pressed the 'play' button on the table. Soon she appeared on the screen. She looked like hell. There was a cut above her eyebrow and there was no doubt that her nose had been bleeding. But all of that didn't matter as Damian saw the faint yellow green glow in her eyes. A voice was heard from the back, he could barely hear it, but it was there and soon the dark yellow gas came into view. He looked down as he heard her scream

He didn't look back up until the video was finished. He couldn't. So he just listened. Which in hindsight, was probably idiotic and his imagination was worse, but he didn't care. He didn't want to see what they were doing to her. So, when the sound faded and he finally looked back up, he noticed everyone staring at him. But he ignored that and looked at the screen. It was frozen on her face that screamed fear.

He ignored everyone's voices as he got up and ran out of the room. He couldn't see that anymore. It hurt him too bad. He ran out to the gardens and collapsed in front of a rose bush. He looked at them and when he noticed the color and finally broke down again.

Black beauty roses.

They were her favorite. She had even planted that bush 3 years ago for her 18th birthday.

Damian didn't know how long he was outside crying. But eventually he heard Alfred's voice calling for him. "Master Damian, I would suggest that you come inside so you don't get a cold." But he refused to move. And, although he didn't hear it, the old butler sighed and walked over to him. He kneeled down next to Damian in the snow, "Master Damian. Please come inside." He slowly stood, "I'll make you some tea and wait Master Damian."

The older man walked inside and left Damian sitting out in the snow. It actually wasn't until then that he realized it was snowing again. And it seemed when he realized that, he instantly got colder. He slowly stood up and wrapped the snow soaked jacket closer to his body. As he opened the door to the Manor, specifically the one to the kitchen, he smiled when the familiar smell of Alfred's tea caught his senses.

Alfred turned around and smiled at him. "Welcome back Master Damian. Tea is almost ready."

"Thank you Alfred."

"Of course." The elder man turned back and began to put the rest of what Damian liked in the tea. When he turned back around he handed Damian the tea. "Master Damian, may I have your jacket so I can dry it? I would rather you not get sick." Damian did as the butler asked. "Thank you. I believe everyone is still gathered downstairs."

Damian nodded, "Thank you Alfred."

"Of course."

As the butler walked out of the room, Damian looked at his tea. He wasn't sure what he needed to do. Somehow track them down and bring her back? Wait for them to send something else. He knew if they did that there would be a higher risk of her dying before they made it to her.

When he finished the tea, he pleased the small cup in the sink and walked upstairs to his and Bex's room. He just wished to curl up in a ball and sleep. It sounded the best at that moment. So he changed into a pair of pajamas and slipped into the bed. But it was as he laid down and turned the side light off that he realized just how large the beds were. Just how large and cold they were. He wondered how anyone was able to sleep alone in them. He tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable but he couldn't. He turned and pulled the string to turn the light back on. He pulled his knees into him and hugged them. Chin placed on the top.

It rarely happened. Damian getting lonely and scared. It hadn't happened in years. Not since he had became Robin all those years ago. No. That was wrong. He hadn't been this scared and lonely since he broke up with her when they were in High School. That was the last time. 3 years ago.

He turned his head to the side. One of his hands fell to softly move over the indented spot next to him. Usually he found it funny how if you lay on a bed long enough, your body molds to it. But now he was happy. The indent was of her. He leaned and clicked the light off before laying back down, next to the indent. It still had a soft smell of her. A soft smell of mocha and coffee. He curled his body into a ball and closed his eyes. Hoping for something nice to come to him, but unfortunately, only bad.

Bex ran as fast as she could. Everyone she cared about was chasing her. Why? Why were they doing this? She couldn't help but wonder. She gasped as she felt a sharp pain on the side of her face and soon saw a batarang. While still running, she lifted a hand to her face and felt them get wet with blood. She was distracted by looking at the blood on her hand that she tripped and fell on her face.

She tried to stand. But no matter how hard she tried, she kept failing. She coughed, she barely noticed the blood-splatters as she passed out quickly.