AN) Hello, welcome back! I've been having a very exciting time with our 80s themed musical starting, and am enjoying the part I received very much. I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter, and thank you for your continuing support.

Richard's eyes snapped open. He had been trying to meditate after Alfred had left, but someone just had to stick their head into his room again. What would to take to give him five minutes of peace without being drugged.

He glared at the door, his scowl deepening as he recognized the figure in the doorway. It was that man, the green one. He looked extremely nervous, a smile flying across his face.

"You!" Richard threw his head back, wanting to disappear into the covers and never resurface. "After what happened last time I would've thought you got the message."

"I've been stabbed before. It hasn't made me quit yet."

"You need help."

"Look, Dick..." The man took a cautious step forward, Richard fighting the urge to slap him. He needed them to like him, to make them think that they were friends so he could run away. "I understand that you don't want to see me. I get it. I won't bother you much, but I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

He wasn't expecting that. He figured they would be invasive and never leave him alone. Shocking him into being brainwashed or something. He didn't expect them to care about how he felt about them, or care about him at all.

"Alright..."

"I...I'm just really glad you're okay." The man patted his shoulder slowly, seeming unsure about his movements. Like he wanted to do more, but was barely holding himself back. "It's been a really long time since we've seen you. We've been a little...freaked, you could say."

Richard didn't exactly know what to say. Should he be glad that they cared about him, missed him even? Or should he be angry that they dared to make him think they cared about him? Or ashamed that his enemies had been trying to track him, and that they had been successful? Well, he had been successful in keeping tabs on them, so the feeling was probably mutual.

The man was still talking. Rambling on and on about how scared he had been—how scared they had all been—and how much they wanted to make sure he would be safe and happy. Truth be told, he was pretty sure this was the first time that anyone had ever said that to him. Too bad it was a lie, Richard told himself, he's just lying to you. Right? He had lied before...Richard could remember that this man had lied to him before.

The man had took him somewhere, it looked like a house. The man had left him there, promising that he would be back. The people Richard had been left with would take care of him, but he would visit. The man had promised he would visit...he promised. But...he didn't. He didn't come back when Richard was getting yelled at by a blonde girl, he didn't come back when Richard was trying to muffle his sobs so the shadows wouldn't hear him, and he didn't come back when Richard hit himself. Richard could feel his hands shaking, he couldn't remember his surroundings, but he could remember the hurt and fear..and that the man didn't come back.

"Stop lying to me." He could barely keep his voice from breaking. Why was he so upset about this? He didn't need that man, he had Master. But he didn't come back when he said he would, when he promised he would.

"Richard, what do you mean?"

"You're lying! You don't care!"

"I promise you, Richard, that I really do. I know you were told th-"

"No! You don't care, you left me!"

The man didn't respond. His hand slipped off Richard's shoulder.

"What are you talking about?"

Richard gasped softly, trying to remain calm and not show how scared he was. Why? Why did he feel so little? He felt alone, he felt like a child. He wasn't a child, he was older! He shouldn't be scared of anything. But he was, Richard was scared. "You promised you'd come back...you promised."

"I-I...I don't know-"

"You didn't visit! You left me! I got yelled at, and...and...I cried and you never came back!"

The man faltered, his face falling after a second of pause.

"Richard, oh-my—I'm so sorry." He tried to place his hand back on the boy's shoulder, but Richard moved back while he swatted at the hand.

"Get out, leave me alone!"

"Okay...okay." The man backed away, holding his hands up. "I don't want to upset you."

"Well it's a little to late for that, huh?!" Richard could feel the tears biting at his eyes. His throat felt raw and his voices was milliseconds away from cracking.

"Sorry, sorry...I really, truly am." The man let the door slowly close, Richard burring his head in his pillow. He prayed that the pillow would block out any gasping he would make. He heard the man's muffled voice through the door. "I'm so stupid! Holy...Kyle! Someone please kill me, or get me really, really drunk!"

He didn't want to feel this way, but at least his enemies were feeling cruddy too. If he was sad, they deserved to be heartbroken. What had he ever done to deserve this? He was a good boy, Master had said so. He had tried his best to be good, to be perfect. He was just making the bad people go away. He was doing a better job than the stupid heroes were, none of his targets ever returned to hurt more people. He didn't deserve to feel abandoned and empty. He had always been obedient to his master. Richard had trained, studied, and dedicated his life to being the best apprentice he could be, and this was the thanks he got? This was how the universe treated him? Pretty pathetic, pretty unfair.

The heroes got to let villains run amok and they were the greatest people of Earth? How many people had been killed, and the heroes wouldn't even consider lethal force to be an option! But Richard, a kid who was trying to save innocent people, killed some gang leader or kingpin he was a villain too! But...shouldn't he be proud of that? The villains weren't held to the same rules as the heroes, so they could actually get things done! The public hated him though, but he was loved by Master...maybe.

Richard drew in a shaky breath, blinking slowly to get rid of his tears. He couldn't show weakness now. He needed to be strong, to fight through all of this. If he just stayed strong for a little bit longer Master would find him. Richard knew Master would destroy the heroes. He would crush them beneath his heel, and free Richard from their control and shadow for forever. Master would free him. Master would make everything right, he would take Richard back after this...right? He surely wouldn't leave him to the heroes because of his mistakes, wouldn't he? He had failed Master, and he deserved to be punished, but Master would want him back, right? Of course...of course he would. Master would take Richard back and correct him. Master would fix this whole mess. He may be a little upset with Richard, but he would punish him and allow Richard to be his apprentice again.

The boy righted himself and slowly ran his hands over his face. His cheeks were probably red and puffy, and his forehead was most definitely splotchy. He wasn't a pretty crier, Scott had teased him about that before. Even if he was fake crying. He and Scott had been climbing trees, and Richard slipped and scrapped his knee against the rough bark. It hadn't been the worst pain Richard had felt, but he had been bleeding a lot so tears seemed appropriate. He'd felt so embarrassed when Mrs. Daniels had given him a bandage and walked him back home. Master had looked so disappointed with him, and Richard couldn't stop crying. Boys weren't supposed to cry, Will had said. Master said that apprentices weren't supposed to cry either, which made what Richard was doing even worse.

Unlike that day, his tears stopped. He didn't know why he couldn't stop crying that spring day, but once he started producing fake tears over his injury he began crying over every injury he had ever gotten.

Richard took even more deep breaths, tracing a small triangle in the palm of his hand. Everything was okay. There was no blonde girl yelling at him. He wasn't scared of the shadows. He wasn't going to hit himself. It didn't matter that than man hadn't kept his promise. Richard didn't need him, he didn't need anyone. Richard had his master, that was all he needed.

Master was all that mattered. He had learned that. He had learned that that was his truth. Master was the only thing that mattered, Master was the only person he needed.

Breakline

Terry couldn't help but stare at the footage. It was like a train-wreck, horrifying yet hypnotizing. Dick looked horrible. He was screaming his head off, thrashing around as Barry and Roy tried to get him back onto the cot. Every time he mentioned Jason's name, something inside Terry ached. He had tried so hard to get over everything, to move on like Jason would've wanted him too. But it was his fault, if Terry hadn't been fighting with Damian and refused to answer his comm he would've been there to talk to Jason about his mom, to warn him. Maybe even go with him...save him. He couldn't blame Damian, Bruce or Tim—they had been there to try to find him. Terry hadn't even been in Gotham.

Speaking of Damian, he looked just as cool as an ice cube. He didn't seem to be bothered by their brother's pain. He probably was deep inside, but he certainty wasn't sharing his concerns with his family. Like always.

Terry knew he needed to do something. He knew the this whole situation was terrible. Richard didn't know that his favorite brother was dead, Roy was being called by the name of a dead friend, and Terry was helpless in the whole situation. He didn't have a connection with Richard the way Jason or Wally did. If Terry tried to stir up memories with Richard, all he would get was watching Finding Nemo and dancing to cheesy music for an hour or so. They didn't share any of the emotional connections that Richard had with Jason, and those would only now bring about sadness.

But Terry couldn't let Jason's mission fail. Jason had wanted so badly to make Dick feel at peace and happy. Jason wanted to give Dick the same support he had gotten from Bruce, Alfred, and his brothers. Terry had to at least help Dick get his unaltered memory back. From there, Dick would know that he was loved and had support. He would continue done the same path he had started on.

Maybe...just maybe, they should wipe his memory of his second kidnapping. Maybe they could make it seem like no time had passed at all, that Dick had been taken away from them and became a thief and assassin. He would be just as happy as he was when he was little, and he would fall in place in their little, happy family. Or he would go live with Hal, Carol, and Christie...whatever. All that mattered would be that Richard wouldn't remember anything horrible, and he would be happy again.

That was a terrible idea. Terry was ashamed of himself for thinking about it. It would completely take away Richard's free will, and was exactly what Slade had done to him. But in a good way? No, any time someone was forced to make decisions in a drugged state was bad, even if they were choosing to eat healthy and stop smoking. It wouldn't be fair for them to take away memories...even if they were hurtful. They would have to help Dick in a natural, caring way.

They would have to win him back.

AN) Well, I hope you all enjoyed! I am extremely excited to see where this story takes me, and I hope you are as well. Have a great week, and know that you are valid and loved! Stay safe guys, be happy!