I can see, the worst you'll be,
I'm haunting you, evermore.
Poisoned to the core.
I can't leave, lest pull the need,
I'll out the men we abhor.
Evermore, Benn

I opened my eyes, looking around to find Dick getting dressed. Sitting up, I pulled the quilt around me to stay warm.

"What's going on?" I asked, yawning.

"A bomb went off in the city council building in Blüdhaven. I have to go back."

I felt more than a little twinge of hurt in my heart, but I kept it off my face. "Stay safe."

"Bruce will keep an eye on you, and make sure nothing happens." He pulled on his shoes. "I'm sorry, Faith. I call later, and I'll come back as soon as I can."

"It's alright, I promise. I'll miss you."

He kissed me, and I could feel his hesitation when he let me go. He really wasn't sure about leaving me with everything that was happening.

"Go, Dick. You're needed there." I gently pushed him away.

He picked up his suitcase and ran out the door, leaving me alone in the bed. I sighed, getting up and heading to the shower. So this is what living with a vigilante is really like. It kinda sucked, but I wasn't going to complain, because I really did like him.

I had my doubts that Bruce gave a damn about me, since I'd been nothing but trouble for him from the start. If something happened to me, I was going to have to deal with it myself. And it's not like I had nothing to distract myself with. Lucius was coming back that day, so I needed to actually be in the office again.

Taking a breath, I calmed myself down and got out of the shower, getting dressed. I saw the time on my way out, and realised I was nearly running late. I threw on my shoes, grabbed my phone and bag, and headed out.

I managed to get to work just before Lucius, which just enough time to pick up both our coffees on the way. I was just walking out of his office when he stepped out of the lift.

"Welcome back." I gave him a broad smile. "How was your trip?"

"Very successful." He handed me his coat. "Remind me, has class started again for you?"

I hesitated. "Technically yes, but I decided to defer it for a semester, just with everything going on."

"A sensible choice."

I nodded, hanging his coat up. "You have lunch with Bruce Wayne today, he's expecting you at the usual place at midday."

"I'll have my mail for you by then." He headed into his office, gently closing the door.

As I sat down to work, I found that I was having trouble concentrating. It felt like I spent every day just waiting for Falcone to make his next move, and now with Dick gone, I could tell it would be all I thought about.

At 11:30, Lucius came out from his office, handing me stack of mail to address and send.

"I'll be back by two. If the mayor calls, tell him I'll call him tomorrow." He told me, turning to leave.

Before he could get very far, there was a strange sort of noise. At almost the exact same time, blood sprayed from his side.

As he went down, I reached for the emergency button. There was a bang, and I whipped my hand back as shards of wood from desk exploded outwards. Looking around, I watched as a figure dressed in strange black and orange armour walked over, pointing a gun at me.

"If you misbehave, I'll shoot one of your kneecaps. Understand?" He said, grabbing my arm.

I nodded, shakily. I noticed that his accent was obviously Australian, which seemed like a weird detail for my brain to pick up right then, but it was better than panicking.

He pulled me around the desk, marching me across the foyer. I hesitated when I saw Lucius lying on the floor, the white marble slowly turning red with his blood. He looked dead, but I mentally prayed that he was just unconscious.

"Please, you have to let me help him. He could die." I tried to pull back, but I was yanked forward by my attacker.

"Final warning." He spoke quietly, but his voice shook me to my core.

I looked away, trying not to think about it. I just wanted to focus on surviving, whatever it took.

He pulled me to the staircase, making me walk up in front of him. Every nerve in my body was telling me to run, to try and escape, but I knew that would probably get me killed. So I did as I was told, stumbling up the stairs to the rooftop.

There was a helicopter already waiting, and he nearly threw me into it. I was surrounded by men wearing all black, and shoved into a corner, where they placed a headset on me.

The man climbed in, sliding the door shut. As we took off, he grabbed hold of my hands and zip-tied my wrists together. I watched him, shaking as I tried to work out where we were going.

"Relax, you're not gonna die." His voice slightly distorted by his mask as he took hold of my face. "At least, not by my hand anyway."

That was not comforting at all, but I held back the tears. There was no way I was going to give this asshole the satisfaction.

"Did Falcone send you?" I asked, trying to figure out what the hell is going on. I was quickly realising that the bomb at Blüdhaven was probably put there to get Nightwing out of the way, after he'd rescued me. I didn't think that meant that they knew it was Dick, but I wasn't sure, and I wasn't going to confirm it for them.

"You're a smart girl, I'm sure you already know the answer to that." He replied, looking out the window. "We'll be there soon, just be patient."

I fell silent, wishing I had any way of contacting anyone who could help me and hoping that Lucius was alright. I just wanted this all to go away, to just be able to go about my life.

By the time the helicopter landed, I was feeling calmer, at least externally. Inside I was still a little terrified.

The door slid open, and I was hauled out by a different man. Thrown to the ground, I nearly lost my cool as my hands scraped the concrete. I tried to pick myself up, but a boot pressed into my back, pushing me down.

I managed to look up, watching as the door to the roof opened and Falcone walked out, accompanied by a few of his men.

"The money is already in your account." He said, looking down at me, then up at the man who grabbed me.

"Good. She's all yours."

The foot was removed from my back, and I was hauled up and shoved towards Falcone. He passed me over to one of his men, who pushed me inside the building. One of my heels snapped, and I nearly fell down the stairs, but the man caught me by my collar.

He pushed me down onto the stairs, pulling my shoes off, then continuing to march me down the stairs. I stayed silent, even as I was shoved into a room in the basement and the door locked behind me.

Alone and scared, I looked around, trying to work out what to do. There were no windows, and the door was solid. I wasn't escaping, that was certain. I couldn't get the ziptie off my wrists, so I didn't have a lot of choices anyway.

There was a bed, and another door that was ajar, revealing a bathroom. Exhausted, I climbed up onto the hard, uncomfortable bed and tried to fall asleep.

I opened my eyes, hoping I would wake in my own bed, but sadly I wasn't so lucky. The room was cold, and I sat up, wrapping the thin sheet around me. It didn't help much, but it was comforting. With no window, I had no idea how long I'd been asleep. I looked around, not sure what I was expecting to see.

Suddenly the door swung open, and Mario rushed in. He knelt down in front of me, grabbing my wrists and cutting the ties off.

"Are you alright?" He asked, throwing the ziptie out of the room.

"I just watched my boss get shot, and then I was kidnapped. In what fucking universe would I ever be okay?" I flinched away from him, trying to put as much distance between as possible. "I never asked for any of this, why can't you just leave me alone?"

Anger crossed his face, and I realised that I'd fucked up. He suddenly lurched forward, grabbing me by the shirt. The buttons tore off as he yanked me closer, and I whimpered, trying not to cry.

"I gave you everything you ever wanted, and you broke my heart." He snapped.

This time I did cry. I could barely see him through the tears. "Did you plan all this? What did you think would happen after your father attacked me? Did you think I would just decide this was all a misunderstanding, dump Dick and fall right back into your arms? After your father beat me up and threatened to kill me?"

He sighed, letting me go and standing up. "I didn't plan any of this. I only heard what happened fifteen minutes ago."

"Fuck off." I wiped the tears from my eyes. "I regret every second I ever spent with you."

He stormed out, slamming the door shut behind him. I was shaking again, more scared than I'd ever been in my life.