Hold Me Forever

Awake

Rhiannon opened her eyes, her body stiff, head aching. She couldn't remember anything. Only a sharp pain and then darkness.

She looked around, taking in her surroundings. I.V, white walls, computers, beds. She concluded that she was in the infirmary.

Her throat was so dry, and there was a slight stinging by the back of her neck.

She tried to lift her hand to soothe the pain, but couldn't. Rhiannon looked down, seeing the restraints on her wrists.

The black cuffs dug into her wrists, standing out against her pale skin. She didn't understand, what had happened?

She sighed, placing her head back down on the pillow, her fingers curling and uncurling as she began to think.

Why would they put me in restraints?

"Because you almost killed Harley."

Rhiannon jumped, her heart racing as the voice answered her. She looked around the room, noticing something dark in the corner to her right.

Arez stepped out of the shadows, wearing his bandana. He had a band-aid above his eyebrow, and a bruise next to his left eye.

He leaned against the wall next to her, staring down at her.

"What do you mean?"

She questioned, feeling her head ache further. She wanted to pinch the bridge of her nose, but couldn't.

Arez  was told she would probably forget, and had no issue telling her about Harley. But if she remembered what she did to him, he knew she would never forgive herself.

He wanted to tell her, she needed to know so she could stop herself in the future. He decided to speak, hoping she wouldn't remember injuring him.

"Rhiannon, you went after Harley. You attacked her, tried to choke her to death."

Rhiannon searched her memory, her blood turning cold and her face going paler than usual as the memories came back to her. Her eyes widened and her emotions flooded her being, yesterday's events slowly coming into focus.

She had almost murdered that woman. And she had attacked Arez. She remembered. All of it. Harley, Arez, her father. She sighed, needing the use of her hands.

She undid the restraints with her powers effortlessly, feeling a slight shock as she did so. They had obviously used the weakening ones, but not the ones that would completely cut off her powers.

She put her hands to her face, shaking her head and sitting up as she did so.

"No, no no no."

He pursed his lips under the bandana, knowing she remembered.

"Rhiannon, it was an acci-"

"I almost killed her. I hurt my dad! And I hurt you!"

He flinched as she raised her voice. She was unstable, and he didn't want to accidentally push her.

"I'm fine."

She threw her hand towards him, staring at him as her dark energy  pulled down his bandana.

"Look at you, Arez! You're jaw is bruised, your lip is bleeding, your wrist is what? Sprained?!"

He sighed, looking down to his right wrist, which was wrapped in an Ace bandage.

"Listen Rhi, I'm okay. You were just worried, angry. You're allowed to make mistakes in life."

She felt her eyes begin to water as she answered quietly.

"Most people would be put in jail if they made a 'mistake' like mine, Arez."

He sighed, setting himself on the bed next to her. She sniffled, wiping her eyes and nose with the back of her sleeve.

Somehow she had ended up in her pajamas, probably her mother's doing. She set her head on Arez's shoulder as she spoke.

"I told myself I would never do horrible things, and here I am, a monster..."

Arez wrapped his good arm around her, feeling her pain.

"You're not a monster, you're a hero."

"Real heroes don't try to kill people."

She looked down at the floor, her emotions coming after her, aching to let loose.

"I didn't know I was capable of such destruction...."

Arez hugged her tighter, her words clinging onto his brain. She really thought she was a monster, something horrible.

The infirmary door whizzed open, and Arez pulled away from Rhiannon quickly, landing on the floor.

Rhiannon wasn't looking up. She couldn't. She stopped her tears, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Rhiannon?"

Raven placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder, raising a brow at Arez on the floor.

He got up, exiting the room, allowing the two space. Raven sat next to her child, waves of pain and shame flooding her.

"You lost control yesterday."

"I did."

Rhiannon's voice was muffled but Raven still understood her. She knew what her daughter was going through. It had happened to her as well.

Raven's head ached, but not from her injuries. No, this was a different ache. She ignored the pain, taking Rhiannon's head in her pale hands.

"Rhiannon, it's okay. You're part demon. This was bound to happen."

Rhiannon looked at her mother, her own empathy reaching out. Her mother understood.

"I never wanted this to happen, mom. All my life I told myself I would never lose control. I thought I was strong. But I guess I'm not."

She sighed, reaching over to grab her mom into a much needed hug. She inhaled her scent, lilac and vanilla. The scent if Raven. Her mom.

Raven smiled, speaking into her ear, kissing her head after.

"You're so strong. If you weren't, you wouldn't have admitted anything. You would have given up on life."

Rhiannon smiled, her mom' swords calming her. She sensed someone at the door, someone who was worried, concerned.

The person of question cleared their throat, interrupting the moment. Rhiannon let go of her mom, looking over her shoulder into the eyes of the person she dreaded talking to.

Rhiannon stared at the floor, speaking into the air quietly.

"Dad..."

Raven looked up at her husband, exchanging a look with him. She didn't want him scaring their daughter. She was already unstable.

Nightwing nodded, his unmasked eyes staring at his daughter. He kneeled down in front of her, taking her shoulders in his hands.

"Rhi, everything is fine."

Rhiannon didn't look at him, she couldn't. She had hurt him, when he wanted to help. Her voice was broken, ashamed.

"I'm sorry..."

Nightwing sighed, pulling her off the bed and into his arms. She was kneeling down with him, small tears rolling down her cheeks. She was shaking slightly, her hands gripping his back tightly.

"It's okay, honey."

He soothed her, Raven kneeling down and placing a hand on Rhiannon's back. It reminded her of the time Nightwing had found her and hugged her in the alleyway.

Rhiannon's crying ceased as she leaned into her dad. She needed this, needed the love, the concern. She knew later on there would be questioning, but she was only focusing on the moment, with her mom and dad.