Hi guys heartbreakerninja here,

Sorry its been so long. Life got in the way. With my new'ish job, college and life in general; I just haven't had time to read let alone write. But I had some time at work so, though it took me 3 days, I wrote this up. Even got it edited on the 4th day. Though there may still be some slight grammatical mistakes but I couldn't really help that so eh.

Anyway based on popular demand; and boy do I mean popular. I've done a second installment of Terrors of the Knight. [For lack there of for a name to call it by] This kind of grew a life of its own. I originally didn't know what Dick's nightmares were about. Nor did I know what caused them. weird huh? I'm writing it but I haven't the slightest clue on how it came to be. Well the very beginning origins are still a bit sketchy but the basic whats going on question has been somewhat answered in this chapter. As well as a semi time line. I've added key elements so that you have a sort of idea exactly what time frame this is occurring in. If you've watched young justice and the justice league you might get a general idea where exactly we're at.

Anyway, Here's the next installment hope you enjoy! :D

He was five years old and he felt free and happy. His father was hanging upside down from the trapeze while holding onto his legs as he swung him way up high. He had no fear of falling as he knew that his father would never let that happen. He let out a round of giggles as they continued to swing. Soon his mother came into view; swinging on the opposite side on another set of trapeze. She also hung upside down with her arms stretched out wide. She had a warm smile as she continued to swing back and forth till they were almost close enough to touch. His father looked down at his son.

"Are you ready to fly son?" His father asked as he gave a squeal of happy consent. "OK then here comes mommy" He looked away from his father to see his mother swinging towards them with her arms stretched out to him. He reached out with all his might. They just missed each other the first time but this did not deter them. On the second try he was able to grasp her hands with his. He felt a momentary tug as he was held by both his parents, before his father quickly let him go and he was flying away while his mother grasped his wrists tightly. He let out a screech of pure joy as the tent that they were in sailed by him in a whirl of colors.

He looked up from his sightseeing to smile at his father only to not find him swinging from the trapeze bar any longer. The bar swung limply towards him but his father was nowhere to be seen. Looking down he did not see his father sitting in the net, nor was he on the ladder leading to the ground. He looked up to question his mother only to find that she was gone as well. In her place was a dark shadow with one glowing red leering dangerously down at him. The shadow had him by the hands, digging his large long claws into the skin of his wrists. He gave out a cry of terror and pain as he tried to twist out of the shadows claws; drawing blood from where the creature had his wrists.

The monster looked down at the him clutched in its claws and smiled evilly, showing off a set of gleaming sharp teeth, as he cackled in an echoic voice. He trembled as tears of terror filled his eyes. Where was his mommy? Where was his daddy?

As if to answer his thoughts, the shadow creature leaned down to whisper, in a raspy voice, in his ear.

"It's just you and me Dick; no one else. Just as it should be." The voice rasped. Dick recognized the voice but he didn't know who it belonged to. It was there, in the back of his mind but just out of reach.

Dick struggled to get out of the monsters grip but it wouldn't let go. The monster laughed at the child's struggles before lifting him up to him. This only made Dick struggle all the more. Laughing again the monster let go of Dick and laughed as the boy screamed as he fell. He hit the net with a bounce. Shaken Dick laid there stunned for a few seconds before the shadow creature's laugh snapped him out of his stupor. As fast as his five year old limps would take him, Dick scrambled for the edge of the net. He didn't know where but he had to get away from the monster still swinging above him.

Coming to the edge of the net Dick pulled himself over the edge before dropping to the floor. He stumbled a bit, still a bit wobbly, before taking off for what he hope was an exit. He had to find his parents or his siblings. He knew that if he could find them then the shadow creature couldn't touch him. He didn't know why he knew this he just knew that he had to get to them because only then would he be safe.

Breathing hard Dick continued to run through the tent. He could still hear the creature's raspy laugh behind him as he ran.

"Your mine Dick; and there's no way to escape the truth. You belong to me." The creature continued to rasp out behind him. Dick dared not to look back. He knew the monster was behind him. If he looked back he would be caught. He didn't know why the monster wanted him. He only knew that if he stopped running or didn't find his family then the monster would take him away and he'd never be able to escape. This thought alone made him run faster. The creature continued to laugh at him.

"You can't escape Dick. No matter where you go I will find you."

Dick shook his head in denial as he put his hands over his ears to try and block out the horrible raspy voice. Looking around himself frantically Dick, to his relief, finally found the opening to the tent. He almost sagged with relief. Running faster Dick made a Bee line for the opening. The monster continued to cackle behind him. He could see light streaming through the opening along with the whisper of other voices. Dick was unable to discern what they were saying as they sounded muffled. As if he was hearing them through water. Dick paid it no mind. All he wanted right then was to get out of that tent and away from the cackling monster behind him.

"You don't want to go out there Dick. You won't like it." The shadow creature warned mockingly. Dick ignored him. He knew he didn't know how he knew but he knew that if he got through the tent opening that he would see his family.

Finally he was almost to the opening. The monster cackled out another warning but Dick ignored him. The light was too bright so he couldn't see out of the door way. He covered his eyes to keep from being blinded as he stepped though the opening. Blinking back the spots in front of his eyes from the strong light he found himself back inside a tent. Only this time he was looking up at his parents swinging on the trapeze. There was a huge crowd cheering them on as they went through their routine.

Dick stare back behind him in confusion. Hadn't he just left a tent? How could he be back inside; and where did all these people come from? It was then that he looked down at himself. He wasn't five anymore he was eight years old and he knew where he was; he knew what was about to happen. Dick let out a panicked cry as he started running towards the center of the ring. He had to stop them. It was their no net act. There was nothing below them to catch them. The act was rigged. They were going to fall. They were going to die and leave him behind.

Dick kept running. He had to reach them in time. He couldn't let them leave him. As he ran he saw Bruce out of the corner of his eye sitting in the stands. The momentary distraction made him stumble and fall to his knees. Getting back up he found that he was no longer on the ground looking up. He was now on the board attached to the ladder looking down. He didn't know how he had gotten there.

A snapping sound and then a scream snapped him out of his confusion. Looking up he watched with horror as his parents and older siblings fell to their deaths. The wire holding the trapeze had come unhooked and had sent his family plummeting to their deaths. He heard someone screaming. It took him a moment to realize that it was him. Dick fell to his knees. His body no longer able to keep him standing. He looked up to find that he was again back on the ground in front of a puddle of red. He shook his head in denial as he eyes met with his family's glassy, empty, terror filled ones. He couldn't turn away. It was as if he was held in place by some strange force.

Dicks breathing increased to the point of hyperventilation. He shook his head jerkily trying to deny what he was seeing. He felt something wet run over his palms that were touching the ground. Looking down he saw a stream of red running into him. Panicking Dick scrambled back till he hit the stands. Looking around he saw that the crowds were gone. The tent was empty except for him and the broken forms of his family.

Tears filled Dick's eyes as he continued to Hyperventilate. He was alone. He was all alone.

"I told you, you wouldn't like it. You just had to run in here anyways." Dick jumped up in panic turning around to see the shadow creature grinning behind him. The monster stared at Dick with his one red eye with a look of mocking sympathy. Dick trembled in fear under the monsters gaze. He was all alone. There was no one there that could protect him from the monster now. His family was gone. There was no one left to keep the monster away.

"It's time to come with me Dick. There's no one left here to protect you. I'm all you have left." The monster said with a grin filled with his sharp teeth. His one red eye boreing into him as if trying to see into his soul. Dick shakily stepped back as he shook his head. Terror filled his eyes. He kept stepping back until he slid in the blood on the ground. He almost lost his footing but managed to stay on his feet.

"No-no I'm not; I-I d-don't want to. St-stay way!" Dick yelled out as he ran from the monster. The monster reached out with its claws; just missing him by mere inches as he backpedaled away from the shadow creature. Turning he ran for the other side of the tent.

Dick looked around himself frantically. He had seen Bruce in the stands. He had to find Bruce. Bruce would protect him. He wouldn't let the monster take Dick away. Bruce wouldn't let that happen. Dick continued to look around fearfully as he tried to find his friend and adopted father. Bruce would stop anyone from taking Dick from him.

Dick could hear the monster behind him following him as he continued to search for a way out and for his guardian. Both of which seemed to be eluding him at that moment. Suddenly an opening was before him and Dick ran for it knowing he needed to find Bruce and he needed to get out of there. He could feel the monster breathing down his neck as he tried to run faster. It seemed like he would never reach the opening. He knew Bruce had to be on the other side. He could already hear Ace barking at him to hurry.

"There is no escape from me boy." The monster said right in his ear before grabbing him by the shoulder. Dick screamed as he tried to struggle out the monsters tight grip as it pulled him to him. Dick struggled as he tried to escape the Shadow monsters grip. The exit was only a few short feet away he just needed to get away. Terror and hysteria took over as he fought the monster trying to break free.

The monster laughed at his struggles as he reached a hand down at Dick's terror stricken face. Dick let out a scream as the clawed hand fell over his vision.

Bruce was up like a rocket as soon as Dick's screams reached his ears. He stumbled a moment before he was able to make it to the door. He could here Ace's frantic barking from Dick's room as he closed his hand around the door handle. He wrenched the door open causing it to bounce off the wall. He paid it no heed though as he continued into the hall. Jason was already out in the hall heading towards Dick's room.

"I got this; go get Tim and Damian back into bed; then bring up a bottle of water from the kitchen." Bruce said as he continued across to Dick's slightly opened door. Jason nodded turning away with slight hesitation before jogging up the hall towards the younger to boy's rooms. Both boys had already stuck their heads out trying to see what was wrong. Even Stephanie, who was usually a deep sleeper, had stepped out of her room. Bruce couldn't worry about that now. Pushing the door open he could see Ace barking a little ways away from the bed where Dick was screaming and thrashing around wildly. Bruce could see where he had already knocked over half his bedside table's contents. This was probably why Ace had backed up a little ways.

Moving quickly, Bruce got on to the bed carefully while trying not to get slugged by the thrashing teen. Bruce first tried to grab Dick's hands to try and stop his movements but couldn't get a good hold with the thrashing the teen continued to do. Giving up on that idea, Bruce switched to scooping the teen up against him before securing his arms in a bear hug. Unfortunately this caused Dick to panic in his sleep. His thrashing and screaming became more frantic as he tried to escape the hold Bruce had on him.

"Dick! Dick come on you got to wake up. Wake up Dick! It's only a dream; you have to wake up!" Bruce said still struggling to hold down the thrashing teen. Jason arrived with the bottle of water which he placed on the night stand before helping Bruce secure Dick's legs. Jason sat on the teen's legs before gently smacking the unconscious boy on the side of the cheek in an effort to wake him.

"Come on Dickey-Bird you got to wake up. Grayson can you hear me? It's ok, everything's ok you just have to wake up." Jason said as he continued to smack the smaller teen's cheek.

Dick continued to struggle against them but stopped screaming only to suck in a gasping breath and hold it. This scared both Bruce and Jason who both began to panic themselves.

"Dick!"

"Dick! Dick wake up! Dick you need to breathe! Dick! Dick! Dick you do not want me to perform mouth to mouth! DICK!" Jason said franticly as he slapped the teen's cheek harder than he meant. It had the desired effect either way.

Dick's eyes shot open, looking around wildly, as he became ridged before letting out the breath he had been holding only to harshly suck in more air before he slumped back into Bruce's hold. The teen was shaking uncontrollably as he began to sob. Bruce pulled the distraught teen to him as Jason got off his legs.

"Shhh, its ok I've got you. It's ok, it was just a dream. It's over." Bruce said as he held and rocked the teen trying to calm him down. Jason reached out to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder only for the teen to stiffen before he realized who it was. This only seemed to cause him to cry harder.

"Don't let him get me, don't let him get me please." Dick sobbed out as he curled tighter into Bruce's hold. Jason and Bruce shared a startled and confused look. Dick usually never remembered or said anything about his nightmares. Jason tired to help sooth his adopted brother by rubbing his back but Dick only flinched from the contact. This worried both Jason and Bruce since usually any kind of soothing contact would help him calm down.

"Dick, who was trying to get you?" Jason asked carefully. Dick shook his head before continuing to sob out for them to not let whoever it was from getting him. Jason sat back still confused but didn't try to touch the teen again. Ace whined before jumping up on the bed and crawling up to put his head on Dicks lap. At first the teen stiffened like before then he looked down to see that it was Ace. Hesitantly he reached his hand out to lay it on Ace's head. Ace in turned nuzzled into it before licking Dicks exposed arm. This got Ace a choked giggle admits Dicks now calming sobs. Dick continued to pet the faithful dog until his sobs became nothing more than hiccups and sniffles as his eyes began to droop with exhaustion. Bruce didn't want to but he hoped he could get some answers before Dick fell back to sleep.

"Dick? Can you tell me who was after you?" Bruce asked carefully; shaking Dicks shoulders slightly in attempts to keep the teen awake long enough to gather some information. Hopefully they could figure out what was causing the nightmares. Dick shook his head.

"Don't want him to get me." Dick said a little slurred with fatigue.

"Don't worry we won't let that happen. Can you tell me who it is so we can keep that from happening?" Bruce asked trying to coax the answer from the tired teen. Again Dick shook his head this time trembling fearfully. Dick mumbled something out but neither of them heard what he said.

"What was that?" Bruce asked. Dick took a deep breath before he spoke.

"The shadow man." Dick whispered out as a tear ran down his already wet face. He looked so much younger than he actually was curled up in Bruce's lap. All Jason wanted to do was comfort him. He hated to see his pseudo brother in so much pain.

He wished there was some way that he could take away what was ever causing these nightmares. Even for a little while; just so his brother could get a decent night sleep. Dick had been having these nightmares for forever but in the last month they had escalated to almost a nightly thing. They were getting worse and worse as the month continued on. The loss of sleep was also taking its toll on the teen. He was tired most of the day, deep purple bruises could be seen under his eyes, and he sometimes walked like a zombie. He was also not eating as much as he should. His teachers were also complaining of him nodding off in class. Jason was also worried about what this was doing to his brother mentally.

Lately Dick had been jumpy as well as stand-offish. He would not talk unless spoken to and even then it was just short answers. Jason also knew this was also hard on Dick because Bruce would no longer let him go on patrol. And that may have been the biggest heartache of all for Dick and Bruce alike. Dick loved flying above the city skyline. He loved stopping the bad guys from hurting the innocent people of Gotham. He loved working with Bruce and his family as they helped to keep Gotham safe. It was almost pure torture when he had to be left behind in the Bat cave instead of out there with the rest of his family. Jason just didn't know what to do to help.

Bruce was in a similar situation. He had tried everything over the years to try and ease Dick's nightmares but nothing had worked. He also couldn't figure out what was causing them to get worse so suddenly. Never had they been so bad that they happened every night. Before, they would have days if not weeks in between them; now they were lucky to have a day in between. The lack of sleep was also affecting Jason and Bruce as well as they were the ones that stayed up with him during the nights that he refused to go back to sleep or the ones where he had more than one.

Bruce was really worried. He had always been worried about Dick's nightmares but the kid had been through some traumatic experiences in his life so it was only natural that there would be some kind of repercussions. They had been bad but not bad enough that they would affect his life so badly. Only now were they bad enough to affect him completely. Bruce just wished he knew what was causing them. Now he had a clue as to why; but what did it mean? Who or what was the shadow man? What did this shadow man represent that was causing Dick so much pain that he was sent screaming into the night?

Bruce sighed as he looked down at the teen wrapped securely in his arms. Dick had fallen back to sleep during his and Jason's musings. He looked anything but peaceful if the troubled expression on his face was anything to go by. They may be in for another long night. Jason sighed causing Bruce to look up. Jason looked up at his guardian and pseudo father with a troubled and pained look on his face.

"Isn't there anything we can do or someone we can call to help him?" Jason asked quietly so not to wake Dick back up. Bruce shook his head with a sigh. That was the question of the year; was there any way possible to help ease the nightmares that seemed to torture the small teen now asleep in his lap.

"I don't know. We've gone to every specialist and child physiologist this side of the universe and have yet to find someone who has a feasible way of helping him without drugging him. And at this point I don't even think that would help." Bruce answered just as quietly.

"Why do you say that?"

"Remember that night Dick fell asleep in the middle of dinner?"

"Yeah, scared us all half to death."

"Alfred slipped 2 crushed sleeping pills into his mashed potatoes. We were hoping that it would knock him out slowly and help him sleep longer. We hadn't realized he was so tired that it would knock him out after only a few bites."

"Isn't that the night that we barely got him to wake up?" Jason asked. Bruce nodded grimly. It hadn't been one of their best plans of action but they had to do something.

Dick was to the point of dead on his feet. Bruce was, at that point, willing to try anything. Alfred had suggested the sleeping pills that he used when he had a hard time sleeping. They were supposed to be slow acting. They had expected them to not kick in till after dinner was done but instead Dick had only gotten through half the meal before he clonked out. He would have fallen out of his chair if Tim and Alfred hadn't caught him in time. That was the last time Bruce would ever use sleeping pills on Dick. It had taken them almost an hour to wake him up he was under so deep. The entire time he had screamed and cried out for it to all stop as he thrashed. No one had gotten any sleep that night.

"Probably wasn't one of our best idea but what else was there to do? He hadn't slept a full night in a week and was about close to collapsing. If we didn't try something we were worried he would get hurt or sick with how exhausted he's been." Bruce concluded. Jason nodded in full understanding. They needed to do something or find someone that could help.

It occurred to Jason that maybe they were asking the wrong people. He also wondered if Bruce had ever asked anyone from the Justice League for advice on the matter. Some of the smartest people alive were superheros in the JLA. It couldn't hurt to ask.

"Hey Bruce, have you ever asked anyone from the JLA for advice on this? I mean some of the smartest people around are in the League." Jason asked. Bruce actually looked surprised by the idea and in fact he was. The idea never crossed his mind. Bruce shook his head.

"No actually; the thought never crossed my mind to ask any of them. Really I wouldn't even know who to start with. Superman wouldn't work since he's just a reporter. The flash maybe, he's a lab tech for the police. He's a regular goofball so you wouldn't know it but his IQ is close to 160. Green Lantern wouldn't be able to help much either since he is a retired sniper for the Marines and an architect. He might be able to give more information of PTSD but that's about it. Wonder Woman is an Amazonian Princess so she probably wouldn't have any answers. Aqua man is in the same boat as Wonder Woman. Green Arrow is no good either." Bruce listed off at the top of his head.

"What about John?" Jason asked.

"Umm Jason he's a Martian man hunter. I don't think he would have any depth in this situation." Bruce said.

"Yeah but doesn't he have the ability to get into other people's heads and see what's going on up there?" Jason countered. Bruce hadn't thought of that. The idea was intriguing but he didn't think Dick would like the idea of having someone in his head. John probably wouldn't care much as long as he was asked first. The only problem would be that there were things that his family knew that he didn't like the other members of the league, or anyone for that matter, knowing. But if it would help Dick then he would do it. If only to find an answer to all this and help find a way to stop them.

"It's my turn to take up watch at watch tower so I'll bring it up then if there's a chance. John usually pops in and out on a regular basis along with a few of the other's that you may not be familiar with yet. One of which has a genius stuck in his head that he's constantly jabbering to." Bruce said. Jason nodded.

Usually when Bruce went up to watch Tower he took either Jason or Dick with him as they were already considered junior member of the league. Tim and a few of the other younger sidekicks and partners wouldn't be up for junior membership for another year or two; much to Tim and Stephanie's excitement. But with Dicks Nightmares going on so badly they both would probably be staying home this time. Barbara was also considered a junior member so maybe he would take her up with him this time. She hadn't been able to go up for a while.

"When do you leave?" Jason asked with a yawn.

"In about 3 days. I'll be gone for about a week. So I'm counting on you to keep an eye on the others. Alfred can't be everywhere at once so you need to make sure Damian and Tim behave. Don't let Damian get under your skin because of one of his pranks and make sure Stephanie gets her homework done before she heads out on patrol." Jason nodded his understanding. He also understood that he was also to keep an eye on Dick as well. Dick was old enough to take care of himself but at the moment he was in no condition to be left alone for too long. It was one of the reasons he was taken off patrol for a while. He almost got himself killed when he fell asleep at the wheel of his motorcycle. If it wasn't for the fact that Stephanie had been partnered with him that night he probably wouldn't be here with them.

Stephanie had had just enough time to radio Batman to override the main controls on Dick's motorcycle before he had hit a fastly approaching semi truck. That was the night that it was decided that Dick would not be going on patrol for a while and would man the bat cave computer system. Dick had not been happy but had understood that he was in no condition to be roaming the streets at the moment. The nightmares had only escalated since then. They had had some very long nights.

He wasn't sure but Jason felt that all the late nights were making him paranoid. He could have sworn that when he had come in a few days ago, when Bruce had been on patrol with the two younger boys, that there had been someone near the window. But it had been storming that night and when the lighting had flashed there had been no one there. He really hadn't had time to really investigate with Dick's nightmare going on and having to get him calmed down. By the end of the night he just chalked it up to not enough sleep and a thunderstorm going on. He never really did like thunderstorms so it wouldn't surprise him if he had seen something that hadn't been there. He hadn't mentioned it to Bruce either as he didn't want the man to worry about nothing as he usually would. They had bigger problems to deal with at that moment than him seeing things during a storm.

Jason looked up to ask Bruce something only to find that the man had leaned back against the head board and had fallen asleep with Dick leaned up against him and Ace lying beside him. Jason chuckled before crawling over and curling up beside them. He might as well get a few more hours of sleep.