A three day three shot. Let's see how that goes. I'm beginning to think that Nightwing is going to have very mixed feelings about his two friends Kaldur and Roy. This may have OOCness and is probably Canon. *Shrug* Whatever. Hope you enjoy this.

Superboy barely heard the scream through the deafening water. He heard the thrashing more than the actual act. Lagoon Boy was yelping that he'd found Nightwing again, Kaldur pulling him under the water as he panicked of all things. He could even feel the panic through the telepathic link with Miss Martian.

Nightwing plus panic equals what exactly? He'd never really seen Nightwing panic in all these years. Batman was calm. Nightwing was calm if just a bit more enthusiastic.

Yet, he'd never actually seen him panicked before.

The harbor water was cold for the time of year, the temperature biting through even his tough skin. He could hold his breath longer than most people but he still slipped a breather between his lips in case this got uglier than it already had. Their missions always did this. They always turned a damned bend that made things harder for them. Was it just something about them or was there some sort of deity that didn't like letting them have an easy time.

Someone say it, he thought darkly as he swam towards Lagoon Boy's position. He spotted a rush of bubbles rising to the surface of the water, followed it down to where Lagoon Boy had whisked Kaldur away from Nightwing. The latter looked like he was struggling to get up but he couldn't breathe anymore; his lungs almost empty of air from his scream. He was sinking slowly, his flailing limbs doing him no good what so ever.

Superboy shot himself through the water as fast he could manage, his arms wrapping around Nightwing's torso leaving the elder boy's arms free. Probably not the best idea but the water slowed him a bit either way. It wasn't as if he would do very much damage to him though. Being half Man of Steel made it a bit difficult for people to land meaningful hits on him. He kicked off the sandy floor as hard as he could to make sure he'd break the surface.

The water was thicker than he'd expected. He ended up kicking with as much force as he dared, the surface not breaking soon enough. Nightwing was hacking and gasping, Superboy holding him as gently as he dared so he could try to catch his breath again. Superboy happened to look up to the ship to find himself staring up at Black Manta worthy guns.

Someone say it, he thought with irritation.

So much for stealth huh, Beast Boy managed to chuckle. It was nervous but it was a chuckle. I got them Superboy. He swung a giant, green gorilla arm and the gunmen went flying into the railing at the bow. Another swing and the others went to the stern.

Get him out of the water Superboy, Batgirl called. He glanced around to find her and Robin standing at the pier, faces stricken with worry. There was something in her hand that Superboy couldn't quite get a handle on but he didn't care. He could see her point even without her saying it; with Kaldur in the water, it was too dangerous for a panicking teammate to be stuck in.

The three of them barely managed to get Nightwing out of the water; his writhing and shaky kicks and punches making it more difficult than it had to be. There was a moment when Superboy noticed it was worse than panic; it was fear. That was worse.

Lagoon Boy, get out of there now!

I'm a bit busy Superboy.

Get out of the water or so help me I'll send Beast Boy after you!

Like that's a threat?

L'Gann, Miss Martian commanded. Get out of there. The mission's compromised; it's time to leave. We must get out of here and we must get out of here now; Nightwing will need attention anyway.

Whatever you say Angelfish, he sighed before leaping out of the water. He landed near the Superboy and his struggling companions.

"Looks like you need help there," he said with a smirk. Superboy wanted to glare at him but he already reached for Nightwing's arm.

"I would not do that if I were you, Lagoon Boy," Kaldur nearly cooed from where he was floating in the water.

Lagoon Boy glared at him and bent to get a better hold on the panting hero. He made eye contact with Nightwing for barely a second but it was enough; Nightwing's eyes bugged and he pushed away from him in absolute horror. Superboy barely managed to catch him again as they both fell back into the water. The clone pulled him back up as Lagoon Boy yelped that he didn't do anything to Robin and Batgirl.

Kaldur was laughing cruelly as Superboy struggled to keep his friend near to his body.

"All this fuss over a little bit of gas," Kaldur chuckled. "I'd heard it was strong but I never expected this."

"Neptune's Beard," Lagoon Boy snarled. "What did that sludge do to him?"

"He's hallucinating," Batgirl growled, tired of repeating herself. "Scarecrow makes a weaponized gas that makes you see whatever scares you the most. Sometimes, he makes variations of it to see what they do for the hell of it. We have to get him to a medical bay! Superboy, hold onto him!"

"For someone without powers, he's pretty strong," Superboy growled as he tried to hold his friend close without doing more damage.

"Superboy!" Robin yelped before a wall of water slammed them under the surface. In an instant, Superboy had the breather back between his lips, taking a large gulp before transferring it to his struggling friend. He took solace in the fact that Nightwing took the air greedily. He was still panicking but he was breathing.

Silver lining. Find the silver lining and go with it.

There was a muffled splash above, Lagoon Boy diving in at Kaldur. Superboy glanced up to find Batgirl swimming down to him as well, her cheeks puffed up from holding air. She signaled for him to hurry back to the surface as a green shark slashed through the water at Kaldur as well. He kicked off the floor again, Batgirl following quickly after, her cheeks turning red. He took a gasp of air once he broke the surface again, gently pulling the breather from Nightwing's mouth.

"So what now?" he yelled over the roars and yells a few feet away from them. Batgirl gave him a weak smile before plunging a needle into Nightwing's neck. He cried out from the pain and tried to get away again.

"Tranquilizer dart," she huffed. "Dead weight's a lot easier to move than writhing, trained muscle."

"Get up here," Robin warned as he let a hand down for Batgirl's. Miss Martian and Wonder Girl had finally shown up to help pull Superboy and his load out of the murky water. They set him down carefully on the pier, glancing at a fading Nightwing with worry in their eyes.

"He looks pale," Wonder Girl commented.

"The gas can do that sometimes," Batgirl explained quickly. "Superboy, please, use the Super-cycle to get him to the Cave. There aren't any Zeta tubes nearby enough to get him to help."

"I got it," Superboy muttered as he hefted the limp body in his arms bridal style. He whistled and Sphere shot out of her hiding spot, Wolf trailing after her and leaping into his seat at speed. "I'll get him to the League."

"Thanks," Robin said softly. He nodded and leapt into the cycle. "Miss Martian, you're on point! Get everyone out; now!"

"Right away!"

Atom and Red Tornado had not been very pleased when Connor had shown up with an unconscious Nightwing strapped into the back seat of the cycle. Of course, to find that they also had to try to find a cure for a fear inducing gas with hardly any warning beforehand made them understandably irritable, crabby, and a bit panicked.

Batgirl and Robin arriving with a canister of something almost made them explode – until they explained it was the fear gas from Scarecrow himself and that it could probably help with the making of an antidote. Usually, it would have meant almost nothing to Connor but Nightwing had woken up then, his terrified screams filling the Cave.

They'd been forced to put him in four-point limb restraints.

Wally wasn't happy when he called to tell him what was going on – the news already had him and Artemis in a frenzy of questions, both of them shouting over their speaker phone. To know it was Blank Manta's men along with a Gotham criminal had been hard enough to hear and watch for them. The fact that Artemis' sister – of all people – had called her to ask if she knew anything had been a shock to say the very least.

"She even gave us a number to call her back on," Artemis had said. "Do you know anything? Was anyone…hurt?"

He'd heard Wally slam a fist into a wall when he said Nightwing had been hit with Scarecrow gas. Artemis had stifled a gasp or two but he'd heard it none the less, even through the phone speakers. There was hardly anything he couldn't hear anymore but sometimes, he wished he didn't hear so well. They asked him to keep them in the loop. He didn't make an all-out promise though; he knew where those got people.

He'd only called Wally and Artemis to make sure they at least knew that a friend was…'sick' wasn't a strong enough word but he wasn't sure how harmful the gas could be so 'sick' would have to do…He hadn't expected to hang up the phone to find that Canary had shown up and had ordered Nightwing be moved to the Watch Tower.

"Why are you moving him?" Robin had cried. "Isn't the med-bay here good enough?"

"It's perfectly fine…" Canary murmured her eyes sad.

"It is…adequate," Red Tornado stated as Atom moved to gently press the two Bat Family Members back. "However…there are others who live here who are…not accustomed to this gas'…affects."

Connor had pulled them back and whispered in their ears, "Do you want everyone else to hear those screams or do you want the more discreet adults to be the ones with the nightmares?" They'd quieted then, their faces worried for their teammate. He made sure they were turned away so they wouldn't see Canary and Tornado move him to the Zeta tube unconscious on a gurney, his wrists and ankles wrapped in leather restraints that were wrapped under the gurney.

The Team arrived shortly after to find Batgirl and Robin holding back tears, their shoulders shaking like the earth in devastating quakes with Connor holding them together and Wolf whining and nudging for attention and comfort.

He damn near killed L'Gann when he asked how Nightwing was. Really? How the hell could he possibly be considering the closest people to him were near crying? What a stupid question! Wolf had snarled at him while Connor simply glared and ushered the two to a private room where they could vent their feelings to each other.

As the steel door closed, he thought back to what he'd said to Nightwing weeks – had it really been that long already – ago about how he'd always remind him that he was a leader of a team. It was a bit disturbing to know that Kaldur, their last leader, had become what he was. He'd begun to fear for Nightwing and his actions far before the thing with Bane. He'd never voiced it though.

And now look where they were. Nightwing was hallucinating and was going to be down for a few weeks (he suspected that was only if they were lucky), six of the League's number were off world in a court martial, and there were more plots happening worldwide than there probably had been in the last ten years all because of the Light. They'd lost many to them and had no real clue about them either – a losing position in his eyes.

However, he saw losing friends as far worse than not knowing his enemy. Friends were more important than knowing what an enemy could do or was capable of – even if not knowing those particular details could be a real hindrance in any respect. He learned the hard way that his family consisted of the Team, the League, and Superman. Even now though, the Team found that precedence. It'd been the Team that had taken him in, treated him like he was normal, taught him how to act like he was, and even encouraged him.

He'd had to prove himself to Superman more than anyone else but he'd managed it in the end partly because of the Team's stubbornness issues.

Now…Wally had quit, Artemis seemed to only be seen around him, Roy hated himself because of Cadmus using him like a sleeper agent, Kaldur had gone bad when Aquagirl was killed on a mission, M'Gann was with someone else who irritated the hell out of him, and Nightwing was unavailable thanks to a fear inducing gas.

He waited for the soft sobs to soften to quiet tears and then to grieving silence, not full understanding why they were crying so hard. Sure, Nightwing had made a point of telling idiots who thought they were his worst nightmares that they had no idea what his nightmares were like but surely they couldn't be that bad…could they? Wolf was lying against the opposite wall, eyes fixed on the door, ears twitching as the two fell silent.

Connor didn't need his thermal vision to know they were holding each other.

He stepped away from the door when he heard them wipe their eyes and adjust their masks and capes, sniffing a bit and making sure they looked less grief stricken – "Your cheeks are red…here this'll make 'em look normal again." "You're the one with puffy eyes…here." – to at least make it to the Zeta tube to head home. Wolf followed him silently, his paws barely making any sound on the tiled floors. He managed to get around a corner before he heard the door open, the two leaving together, hands clasped together as they used each other for support.

They were still sniffing.

"Connor…can you come to the Watch Tower for a bit?"

Life changing words. It wasn't like Superman's saying they'd figure something out or Batman saying they'd be a team, or Canary's explaining his short comings in fighting skills. It wasn't Robin or Batgirl they called either; it was him.

Canary had sounded saddened.

"Hey," Connor said after the Zeta Tube ended its tirade of recognizing him, Canary and Green Arrow there to greet him. Both looked sad but Arrow somehow managed to look absolutely livid about whatever was making him sad.

"Hello Connor," Canary sighed. She waved him to follow and he did so, hands in his jean pockets. He was still amazed at the wildlife preserve up there, birds flying around like they were back on Earth rather than in space.

"So…why am I up here?" he asked as gently as he could manage.

It was harder than he expected; Nightwing's week off getting to him more than he'd thought possible. Robin and Batgirl hadn't been back to the Cave save for scheduled practices. They hadn't talked to anyone in the team other than snappish retorts and gave everyone mean looks if someone – usually L'Gann – said the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Or right time depending on how one looked at the situation.

Wally and Artemis had been calling more often than they usually would, asking for the same thing every time they got through. If someone besides him picked up they'd ask for him then ask if he'd heard anything about Nightwing. If they got him automatically, they cut to the chase. He never had anything to say other than he was on the Watch Tower in the care of Atom and Red Tornado. It was never really enough but they seemed to understand that he was getting about as much information as he was giving.

Nothing.

"Nightwing was given a hopeful antidote a couple of days ago," Canary explained, a slight smile hitting her face finally. Arrow was suddenly grumbling about her word choice. Connor could relate; what'd she mean by hopeful antidote?

"How'd it take?" he asked, interested in what she had to say. Actually, he was sort of hoping that she had something good to say like the hopeful antidote worked. Maybe Nightwing was better than he'd ever been?

"It…took…"

Why was he sensing a 'but'?

"Yeah, it took," Arrow growled. "He's just refusing to talk to anyone but you."

Why did he sound so condescending? It wasn't like Connor hadn't gone to Nightwing before as something of a confidant or an advisor. Given, usually he would have gone to M'Gann but she had her own confidant now and he'd had to find another person who'd listen and give – hopefully – useful advice.

Nightwing had sort of taken that role as team leader but he was always a brother to Connor.

"Alright…so I'm going to-?" He let the sentence hang in the air to poke at them. He wanted to know what they wanted, what they expected of him.

"Talk him into getting out of the tower and going home to reassure Robin and Batgirl that he's alright," Canary suggested.

"Talk him into a smile if you can," Arrow jabbed in. "He's been extremely depressing the past two days."

A smile? Connor tried to not frown too much at that expectation. Nightwing didn't smile very often lately. He'd been blaming it on a lack of sleep, an amount of unbelievable stress, and even slight irritation with the current situation.

Connor knew better though.

He'd gotten worse after Kaldur nearly killed him, showing up a couple days later with a darker cloud hanging over him. The cloud got darker every time someone mentioned Roy, every time someone mentioned Kaldur. He'd seen it get a bit darker when it was obvious that Nightwing had seen his reminding looks. He'd tried to not vocally say "you're the leader now so pull yourself together" even though he'd promised he would since the looks seemed to only irritate his friend further.

"I'll…try," he murmured. They gave him encouraging smiles before leaving him in a room with his friend.

Sterile white. Sterile gray. Sterile everything.

And despite it all, Nightwing still looked ill, his shirt, gloves, pads, belt, and boots lying on a nearby chair, his legs covered by a white blanket, and his back propped against the wall with a pillow between it and his skin. His mask was still on his face. A bandage was taped onto his chest. He looked like he hadn't been sleeping. His wrists were bruised, turning a yellow green.

"You look like hell," Connor blurted out.

"Nice to see you too," Nightwing shot back, his voice cracking a bit. He raised a hand to touch it gingerly with a wince before he glared at the clone. "Don't make me yell…I've been doing enough of that lately."

"I'd bet." Another well-earned glare. "What?"

"You're an ass…don't even know why I wanted you to come here anymore."

"That makes two of us then," Connor muttered. He didn't want to look at his friend's scarred body but his blue eyes kept falling to a star shaped scar on his right side. It looked older than some scars but new than others.

He had to learn how to age scars better.

Nightwing was watching the mostly black sky outside the window, his lips twitching a bit every so often as if he were remembering something funny or comforting. Connor stepped closer to him, quietly pulling up a chair. He had a feeling he'd be there for a while so he may as well get comfortable. What the hell was he supposed to talk about anyway?

As he sat, he began to notice some things he hadn't from his previous post at the door. There were tear streaks radiating about Nightwing's mask for one. Some fell down his cheeks naturally while others fell towards his ears and hairline like he'd been lying down while he'd been crying. There were also signs that he'd been given a gag, barely visible bruises at the corners of his mouth speaking volumes. He'd been put in restraints, had to be gagged, and whatever it was that he'd been seeing had been bad enough to make him cry.

Blue eyes fell back to the star shaped scar, finding a matching line or two spreading out from Nightwing's back.

He frowned. That couldn't be right? Not unless…Shit…A through and through? No…it wasn't a bullet wound; it was too jagged. How had he gotten it though? A torso wound like that would have put him out of action for weeks. Where'd he gotten from? What kind of weapon? When'd he get it?

As fun as it was to wonder over a scar, Connor remembered he still had to at least try to talk to his friend, his teammate, his brother.

"What'd the gas make you see?"

Nightwing stiffened, mask more white than black when he stared at Connor. The young Kryptonian could understand the expression. He'd come in with the question out of the blue, his own thoughts not even sure where it'd come from. He just had a feeling that it was a necessary question; it had to be asked. Nightwing had to talk about it.

Now was the best time to ask right?

"I…I don't want to talk about that right now Connor," Nightwing mumbled, his hands fisting in the sheets, his body tensing as if he expected a fight.

"Nightwing…" Connor growled, catching himself barely. "Fine…what'd you want to talk about then huh?"

"Nothing Team oriented. I need a break physically and mentally."

"Kind of hard considering you were on a mission that got you put into restraints. I can see the tear streaks on your cheeks too by the way so don't even try to act like this didn't strike a few nerves. You've got Batgirl, Robin, Canary, Wally, Artemis, the Team, and Roy and Cheshire worried over you too by the way!"

"Roy and Cheshire…." he mumbled, his expression distant.

"You're not paying attention anymore are you?"

"You sure those two are worried about me?"

"They called Artemis," Connor muttered with an annoyed look on his face. "Well, to be correct, Cheshire called Artemis who's with Wally hence why they almost called me. I'm the one keeping them in the loop – which is harder than it looks since the League' being about as helpful with this as anything else they help with."

"Not keeping the kids in the loop as usual," was the mumbled comment.

"Pretty much," Connor muttered softly. "As far as they understand, you're ill from a fear inducing gas but you're in the best of care." He had to try to not share an agreeing snort, Nightwing shaking his head a bit weakly. "Any way…I'm sure that's all Roy and Jade know since I think it's Wally and Artemis – mostly Artemis – who are keeping them updated with whatever I could give them."

"Which was naturally not much?"

"Exactly. I still want to know what you saw while you in the water though. It's still bugging me how you reacted when Lagoon Boy tried to help you onto the pier…like you'd seen a monster."

"So much for not making me talk about the Team," Nightwing muttered.

"It's not really the team I have you talking about though is it? It's about your hallucinations."

"Hallucinations I had on a Team mission you mean?"

"I'd like to know what L'Gann turned into. I want to rub it in if I can."

"Let's just say I thought I saw a sea monster that'd make him look like an exotic pet fish."

Connor had to blink for a moment. "Really?"

"Do you have to sound so excited?" Nightwing croaked.

"Something that makes him look like an exotic pet fish? That's hilarious!"

"Not really."

Connor relented. "Though…that couldn't be the only thing you saw. I mean Kaldur pulled you underwater after you took a shot at L'Gann the first time; that was when all hell really broke loose."

"I tried to hit L'Gann?"

"Yeah. Right after you dove into the water. Guess the gas was fast acting?"

"Guess so…What's this about…Kaldur pulling me underwater?"

"You suggesting it was someone else? L'Gann swore it was Kaldur."

Nightwing swallowed thickly, that tenseness returning to his shoulders. His hands fisted the blankets again and he turned his eyes back to the window, his heartbeat quickening.

"Nightwing?"

"It was…Kaldur? You're sure?"

"Positive – Beast Boy was an extra witness. We had to pull him off you." His blue eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Because I didn't see Kaldur. I saw…something…someone else."

"Who?" Another thick gulp. "Come on…tell me."

Nightwing's hand fell to the scar on his side, knuckles and skin turning white as he gripped it. His blunt nails started to leave red lines as his hand tried to turn into a fist. One started to draw blood.

"Nightwing stop." Connor's hand gripped Nightwing's in a gentle, firm hold, lifting it away from his side. Blue eyes flooded with worry as he looked at the scar, the small trail of blood, the trembling hand. "Nightwing…" He glanced up to see Nightwing gritting his teeth, shoulders quaking. "Talk to me…please."

"…You…remember the mission that…Tula died on…right?"

Connor didn't answer aloud, his head bobbing once, eyes sad. Yeah, he remembered. He also remembered Nightwing being out of commission for a few weeks around that time too. He mentally shook himself and listened to Nightwing's hiccupping, panicky, breathy explanation.

"…She…There was…an explosion…" There'd been a few actually. Connor knew that already. "I…she…the place was…unstable…old…we found something…had to…take care of it…"

His right hand lifted to his temple, his eyes squeezed shut. Connor held onto his right hand. He'd read the reports but no one really knew who'd been on the mission any more. It was just a bit too taboo to speak of it.

"An explosion…it…it went off near me…"

You-? You were there?

"…I was thrown backwards…onto a rebar…it was sharp from…prior damage…Tula had to…cut it so I could be moved…we couldn't…take it out of me or…or I would have…bled out…"

So…this scar, Connor found himself thinking as his eyes fell to the matching star shaped scars that sat nestled near Nightwing's abdominals and in his lower back.

"…I told her to…to leave it…"

Connor's head had already put two and two together but hearing it none the less made his head shoot back up to watch as Nightwing began to crumple into a ball. His knees were rising to his chest, his back bending as his shoulders seemed to collapse towards his sternum, his head bending down.

"She…she didn't…wouldn't…listen to me….She…"

Connor lifted himself out of the chair to sit on the bed before his friend, his right hand still gripping Nightwing's as his left reached to pull down Nightwing's free hand. Nightwing's body was trembling worse than Robin and Batgirl's had combined. His bangs shadowed his face as his tried to not cry, soft grunts and moans escaping through his clenched teeth. His breathing grew more erratic and Connor was suddenly thankful that he wasn't hooked up to monitors – Canary would skin him alive.

"She went back in," he finished for Nightwing. "She knew the risks. We all do."

"…You sound like me; trying to justify a death," Nightwing scoffed. "Not easy is it?"

"It's not supposed to be…" His hands slipped Nightwing's into one, the other lifting to cup the side of Nightwing's head in a brotherly manner. He lifted it a bit so he could see what may be going through his friend's head. "If it's easy to justify then you're worse off than most of the criminals we know."

"…She promised…"

Connor lifted a brow in confusion. "What'd she promise?"

"…That she'd be alright…"

Connor felt his insides twist a bit at the confession. He was tearing himself apart because she gave a promise she couldn't keep, he thought bitterly. It's like when I thought Superman would never look at me with any sort of care; all because others gave empty promises that it'd only take time. It didn't help that Luthor said he'd never like me since I was made at Cadmus.

"She couldn't have known it'd go that far south Nightwing," he soothed, his thumb brushing away a tear. "You and I both know our missions never really go as planned."

"Quit trying to make me feel better…it won't work…not after…" He trailed off to silence.

"Not after what?"

A moment of nervous silence.

"You're sure it was Kaldur who pulled me under the water?"

"Yes." He was getting exasperated. How many times would he have to say this?

"I…I saw…Tula holding my ankle…not Kaldur."

"Tula?"

Nightwing nodded. "I know it was the gas but…I saw her…I heard her voice Connor!"

He was gripping Connor's shirt with a scary desperation that Connor had never seen in him before. Connor stared at him, at a loss for words.

"I heard her Kon! She asked me…she asked me why I let her die! The gas has never done that before! How am I supposed to react to this damn it? What am I supposed to do?"

His grip tightened but it was shaking as much as his croaking voice. His expression was stricken in fear, desperate for help, for advice, for a parent, for comfort. Connor could barely believe what he was seeing, what he was hearing.

Yet he was seeing and hearing a panicked, petrified, desperate Nightwing.

It made his blood freeze and boil. How dare someone scare one of his stable teammates? How dare this happen to one of his friends? How dare this happen to one of his family?

Instead of saying anything, he sat up on his knees and pulled Nightwing to him, nestling his head in the crook of his shoulder. His arm wrapped around Nightwing's back to keep him close as the hand he'd had on the human's cheek weaved into his raven hair.

"You talk to someone who'll listen," he whispered into Nightwing's ear. "Then…you let your emotions run you until they calm down enough that you can be in charge again." Nightwing shook his head weakly, his shoulders shaking again. Connor simply waited like he had with Nightwing's adopted siblings.

It didn't take long for the tears to race down his cheeks again, his voice cracking with each lung wrenching sob. He let his friend, his brother, let himself release whatever feelings he had been holding in for god only knew how long in silence. It was the only thing he could do for him now. All he could do was let him purge his emotions onto someone who wouldn't think less of him, who wouldn't judge.

My real brother is off planet, my genomorph brothers aren't talking to me now, and now my adoptive brother is suffering from something I couldn't stop…the least I can do is be here for him when he needs me.

"Time to let go," he whispered. "It's alright to let go."

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