DICK POV

I'll run away. Yea.. That's what I'll do! I'll run away and Kill Tony Zucco! I thought as I packed my belongings into a small black duffel bag. Dick... you're 6. How are going to pull of murdering one of the biggest crime bosses in Gotham? I argue with myself. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I tie together my sheets and secure one end to my bed, throwing the other end out the window. I look down out the window. It was a long way down, even with the sheets. I swing the duffel bag over my shoulder and grab onto the sheet securely. As a swing my leg over the window sill, I hesitate.

I need to tell Bruce... I sigh to myself. Bruce and Alfred had been too kind to me for me to just leave. I bring my leg back inside and snag a pen from my desk. I spend a minute searching for a sheet of paper before finding a notepad on the floor. I quickly scribble out a poorly written note.

Dear Bruce and Alfred,
The past few months have been great. Thank you for your kindness. I appreciate it, but I can't sit by while the man who killed my parents is out there. Thank you again, I will miss the both of you. Please don't try to find me.
~Dick Grayson

I look down at my note as I finish the final "n" in my name. There, I think, now I can leave in peace. I throw my stuff out the window, (it's not like there's anything fragile in there). Looking down, it looks a lot farther than I know it is. I gulp before I gracefully leap out the window and grab onto the sheet to keep myself from falling to my death. I climb down to the end of my sheet rope with a solid six feet in between me and the ground. I take a deep breath and let go, I free fall for a second before I hit the ground. By sheer instinct, I roll. Which probably saved my knees. I stand up and brush myself off, no cuts, no bruises. Just a few grass stains.

My bag lays not 2 feet from me. I pick it up and take in my surroundings. It's a fairly clear night. The few clouds in the sky just drift past and mind their own business. Gotham's light pollution makes the sky seem a pinkish purple color and blocks out the majority of stars, but I know they're there. My mom and I used to sit outside at night and she'd point out all the constellations we could see. A tear drips down my cheek, All the more reason to avenge her.

I take a deep breath as my sadness is replaced with determination. I walk until I meet the 7 foot gates of Wayne Manor, better known as the edge of the property. I scoff inwardly, is this puny thing supposed to keep me from leaving?

I easily scale the fence and don't even have to dust myself off when I land. I take another deep breath to calm my nerves as I look down the seemingly endless sidewalk. One foot in front of the other, I repeat to myself over and over. One foot in front of the other.

Batman POV

Patrol is slow tonight, I've only stopped 3 crimes. No heavy hitters either. Quiet nights like these are usually the sign of a heavy hitter planning something big, but it's 3 am and nothing has happened yet. Joker always strikes before 2 am, Bane is still in Arkham, Two Face is still in the hospital from our last tangle, Poison Ivy? Arkham. The only people I can think of that might try something tonight are Catwoman and maybe Penguin, but Penguin doesn't usually like to strike this late. So really just Catwoman.

I look over the city of Gotham from my perch on Wayne Enterprises. It's 3 am, but the city is still lit up like a Christmas tree. There's a certain sense of beauty to the city at night, It's quite calming.

My thoughts are interrupted when my cellphone rings. I look down, Alfred. Weird. I answer the phone, if Alfred was calling, it must've been important.

"Agent A?" I ask in my Batman voice, using his codename.

"Master Bru- Batman... It seems our guest, shall I say.. 'flew the coop'" Alfred said seemingly calm. But I know Alfred all to well. I can always see right through him, I can hear the slight panic in his calm, collected voice.

I swallow. Hard. Over the past few weeks Alfred and I had really begun to care for the boy. I took a deep breath, pushing down the panic that rose in my chest.

"Master Bruce?" Alfred said, ignoring the whole "secret identity" rule. I shook my head slightly, not realizing how long I had been thinking.

"I'll look for him it's been a generally quiet night, but we can't keep any chances with him out by himself in Gotham." I jump off the building and shoot my grappling hook gun towards the next building over.

NO POV

Catwoman sat on the roof of a building in East Side Gotham city looking at the darkened apartments and empty roads. She didn't have any heists planned, she just really enjoyed Gotham City at night. Well, maybe earlier she was checking out the jewelry store across the street's security.. but the lights lit up the empty streets just the right way making nighttime Gotham beautiful. As she enjoyed the unusually quiet Gotham, her cat Isis rubbed her head against the thief's hand, catching her attention.

Catwoman looked down at her cat, "Isis?" The cat looked down below at a little boy wandering the streets alone. He had a small duffel bag and was looking around nervously. Selina's eyebrows knit together in worry. She may be a criminal, but she wasn't a monster.

The jewel thief took off her mask so she was just Selina Kyle, climbed down the building and ran to catch up with the child, leaving her whip on top of the building so as not to scare him. She looked down at his face and fell in love. His face shone with blissful innocence and his beautiful blue eyes sparkled in the street light. He looked nervous and frightened.

"What are you doing out here all alone?" she asked with a motherly tone she didn't know she had.

The little boy looked up at her. "Im not supposed to talk to strangers.." he said nervously looking down, twiddling his thumbs.

Selina smiled to herself, this kid was smart. "Then your parents taught you well, I'm Selina Kyle," She held her hand out. "And this is my cat Isis." Isis walked up and rubbed against the boy's leg affectionately.

Dick nervously shook the womans hand, "Dick Grayson."

"There, now we're not strangers anymore, are we?" Selina smiled sweetly. "Now why don't you come with me? East Gotham is dangerous at night, especially for a little guy like you."

"I'm on a mission," he piped up.

"Oh?" Selina questioned. "And what would that be?"

"To kill my parent's murderers." he said quietly, looking up at the jewel thief with a determined expression.

Selina's eyes widened in light shock. Everything clicked in her brain, "You're the boy from Haley's Circus." she realized. "The one whose parents were killed? The one who Bruce Wayne took in?"

Dick looked down at his feet sadly, "that's me."

"Isn't Bruce going to be worried about you?" She questioned softly.

"I-I.. I guess," he stuttered, "how would you know?"

"I happen to know Bruce Wayne." she said casually, leaving out their nighttime escapades. "I don't think he'd want you wandering the streets all alone."

"but no one else is going to put my parent's killer to justice... so, so I have to." he said hesitantly.

Selina put her hand on the boy's shoulder, knowing Bruce. Knowing Batman. The man was probably already searching restlessly for their killer. "I'm sure people are trying very hard to bring down who ever killed you're parents. But right now it's not safe for you to be outside all alone."

Dick looked like her was about to protest but Selina interrupted. "Why don't I fix you something to eat? What's your favorite food?"

Well I am hungry... Dick thought to himself. Selina could tell that he was considering her offer. "Chocolate chip cookies." he decided.

"Okay, why don't you come with me? I'm going to change, but then I'll make you some chocolate chip cookies." She held out her hand. Dick took her hand cautiously and pet Isis on her head as the cat pressed herself against the boy's leg comfortingly.

:)

Dick didn't realize how cold he was until he stepped into Selina's apartment. He looked around. It wasn't massive, but also not small. It was nice and felt... homey. It had a balcony and it looked like a very nice apartment for a single woman living alone. Selina sat dick down on a small couch with the softest blanket Dick had ever laid his hands on. The woman went into the kitchen and Dick watched as she threw various ingredients into a bowl before topping it all off with chocolate chips and throwing the mixture into the oven.

Dick sat patiently as Selina cooked, content to simply sit and pet her cat.

Batman POV

I look at my watch. 4 am. Dick's been missing for an hour, at least. I take a deep breath, okay. He has to be in Gotham somewhere. The busses out of the city don't leave until 6 am. 2 hours to find him. I take a deep breath. How hard could he be to find?

As I leap to another rooftop in East Gotham a small detail catches my eye. Small claw marks mark the tar on this rooftop. By the lack of wear on the marks, they're fresh. My gloved finger brushes the surface, I examine the tips of my fingers. Cat hair. Black cat hair. Sure there's tons of black cats in Gotham, but how many own large whips?

Catwoman, I sigh to myself. She probably stole some jewels without tripping the alarm. I pick up her whip.. something must have been pretty important for her to leave her whip. There wasn't any blood, so no one attacked her.. it seemed as though she just abandoned her whip. Catwoman's a very organized person.. she wouldn't leaver her whip unless it was on purpose.

I held it up as if raising it in the air would help me come to a conclusion. What were the possible reasons for her to willingly leave her precious weapon. She had to leave quickly and the whip would slow her down? Or maybe... I chose to let myself get my own hopes up. Maybe she saw Dick and forgot about her whip! remembering Selina's motherly side, it's just the kind of thing she would do.

Time to pay Selina Kyle a visit.

NO POV

Selina sat in a chair across from a sleeping Dick on the couch. There was a half eaten plate of cookies on the end table and an empty glass of milk beside it. The blanket was pulled to his chest and his arm was draped over a balled up Isis. Selina couldn't help but smile at the pair. She looked at the clock, 4:30 am. I'll let the little boy sleep.. she decided. Bring him back to Bruce in the morning.

Her sharpened hearing picked up the lightest swish of a cape. Her eyes darted to her balcony. Batman. Speak of the devil. she rolled her eyes. The thief took her time opening the balcony door.

Batman looked down at the woman. "I have something of yours," he held up her whip, "and I believe you have something of mine." he gestured to a sleeping acrobat with a gloved hand.

"Oh come on, Bruce. He's sleeping." Selina stood in the doorway, preventing Batman from entering.

Batman glared at the thief, but Selina Kyle just glared right back. "I'll bring him back in the morning. Let him have some rest." As much as the two disagreed, both agreed to let Dick have a bit of rest.

Bruce looked at Dick's sleeping form. That's the most peaceful sleep he's ever had... Batman thought. Growling quietly Batman mumbled an agreement to let Dick sleep. "On one condition." he added, "I'm staying until morning."

Selina looked the big bat bat up and down. "Not in that costume you're not." her arms were crossed and she stood defiantly in the doorway.

Batman scowled, "got a suit?" he asked.

"Actually I might have a suit of yours from your last visit," she smirked. Batman's eyes narrowed, but his cowl hid a light blush. She moved out of the way and let the vigilante in. "Shoes off," she ordered as she left the room to fetch a suit for Bruce Wayne.

The vigilante took off his heavy boots and looked in the full body mirror. Batman was a lot less intimidating his his socks. He sighed, I looked ridiculous, he thought to himself. Giving up on looking intimidating, Batman sat down in the chair across from the couch and looked at the sleeping form of his... screw it. His son. The boy was on his side, cuddling Selina's cat, Isis, his face partially buried in the cat's undeniably soft fur. The vigilante took off his glove and was about to reach out and pet the sleeping cat when Selina emerged from the other room, holding one of his suits.

Batman begrudgingly snatched the suit out of the smirking thief's grip and went to change.

:)

When Dick's bright blue eyes fluttered open the next morning the first thing he noticed was that there was someone besides Selina in the apartment. The second thing he noticed was that the other person was Bruce Wayne. And the third thing the acrobat noticed was that Bruce Wayne, billionaire, drools when he sleeps.

Selina seemed to already be awake and had put out some cereal for him. She was on her computer, working but noticed when he sat up. "Morning sunshine!" she smiled warmly. The acrobat went to stand up, but stopped when the forgotten fuzz known as Isis mewed in protest when he moved.

Dick rubbed his eyes, careful to not disturb Isis. "When did Bruce get here?" He mumbled sleepily, looking at his drooling caretaker.

"I called him after you fell asleep," Selina said calmly. "I know you want to avenge your parents, but getting killed in the streets of Gotham is not the way to go." She stood up and refilled her cup of coffee, "You need to back with Bruce."

Dick pouted, "can I live here?" he asked.

Selina's eyes widened in shock, "I-I, no.. I don't think Bruce would like that." she stammered, caught off guard by the question. He wants to live with me? It wasn't possible, but the thought brought a warm feeling to the thief's chest.

"Bruce is never home, he works at night!" Dick huffed, "It's lonely..." Dick looked down at Isis and pet her head gently.

"How about this," Selina sighed, "you can come visit whenever you'd like." She put her hand on Dick's shoulder. A grin spread across the young acrobat's face as he nodded furiously. "Alright, now you should get on home. Why don't you wake Bruce?"

The circus performer flipped over the billionaire and landed on the chair's left arm. "PSSSTT BRUCE WAKE UP!" The child whisper-screamed into Bruce's face.

The billionaire's eyes shot open. If he weren't Batman he would've let out a very undignified yelp. Dick and Bruce made eye contact for a second before hopping off the chair, "You drool while you sleep." he stated while hopping around on Selina's furniture. The dark knight self consciously wiped the side of his mouth, realizing that he had indeed, been drooling. "Can we go home now?" Dick cocked his head like a puppy.

"Uh yeah," Bruce said, still groggy from his slumber. The billionaire looked to Selina expectantly. Immediately catching on, Selina quickly hopped into another room and came back with a briefcase containing the Batsuit. "Thanks Selina." He grumbled, taking Dicks hand in his own.

The little acrobat spun around as they exited Selina's apartment, "Bye Auntie!" he grinned waving to his new mother figure. Selina felt her heart melt. She waved back gently, smiling to herself as she watched Bruce and Dick walk away.

They were greeted by Alfred when the strolled through the front door. His worried face turned to relief and joy when he saw who bruce was accompanied by. The butler quick examined Dick, checking him for any cuts or scrapes. It was like an interrogation mixed with threats. "Are you hurt?" "where did you go?" "You had me worried sick!" "why did you leave?" "I swear if you ever do anything like this again..." "are you alright?"

Dick looked at the Butler sheepishly. His gazed flickered down, "I wanted to avenge my parents..." he mumbled to Alfred, barely audible. Alfred didn't say anything. His face made it look as if he was having a mental discussion with himself. The butler looked up at Bruce, who looked unsure.

"I'm sure they're searching for you're parents killer," Bruce put his hand on Dick's shoulder. The orphan looked down at his feet and bitterly shrugged the billionaire's hand off his shoulder.

"Whatever," he huffed, trudging up the stairs.

A click signified Dick had shut himself in his room again.

"Master Bruce, no 7 year old should carry so much baggage.." Alfred looked up at the closed bedroom door worriedly.

"What am I supposed to do?" Bruce whispered quietly to the butler.

"Teach him that killing his parents killer is not good revenge, teach him justice."

"You don't mean.."

"I think it's worth a try.."

"But he's so young."

"It's necessary,"

"So that he'll grow up like me?" Bruce raised his voice from a whisper.

"So he won't.." Alfred replied keeping his voice quiet and low.

Bruce looked down defeatedly, his hands ran themselves through his matted hair. "I'll talk to him..." he huffed.

Dick cleared his throat from the top of the stairs, "Talk to me about what?"

Bruce and Alfred's heads whipped around to look at the young boy.

"I know you're talking about me," he stated peering over the edge, leaning his arms against trail. "I may be only 7, but I'm not an idiot." He looked down with a light smirk on his face, "Also, you guys aren't as subtle as you think."

Alfred and Bruce looked at each other, then to Dick. Bruce sighed, "Why don't you come with me?" he suggested, walking up the stairs "I'd like to show you something." Dick looked down, hesitant. Bruce waved his hand, using the universal "let's go" signal.

Sighing, Dick followed the millionaire almost reluctantly. They walked down the seemingly endless hallway. Finally, Bruce stopped in front of a large mahogany door. He slowly opened it. Dick noticed that the room was mostly empty, there was a chair, a fireplace and a large portrait on the wall just above the mantle. Bruce sat down in the chair and faced the portrait with his head in his hands.

"Alright Dick," he sighed. "Time for us to have a talk."

The acrobat looked at the billionaire, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"Do you know who they are?" Bruce gestured at the portrait above the fireplace.

Dick shook his head, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Those are my parents, it's sort of like a memorial to them," Bruce leaned forward, "See Dick, you and me? We're not that different. I also lost my parents at a young age."

Dick looked up, slightly interested. His arms uncrossed.

Bruce looked down sadly, "They were shot down in front of me by a mugger. I was only 8." He looked up at Dick, whose eyes were filled with empathy. "I wanted revenge, just like you..." he continued, "But Alfred taught me that revenge is not always the best path. Instead I turned to justice."

"What's the difference?" Dick mumbled looking at his feet.

The billionaire looked knowingly at the acrobat, "That's what I thought too, but there is a difference. A big difference. Revenge does not help anyone, but justice makes the streets of Gotham safer, so that no other child would have to suffer the loss of their parents."

Dick looked up at Bruce's parents, Making sure other kids won't have to feel this pain? he thought. He turned his head back to Bruce, "So what did you do?"

"I became the protector of Gotham. I decided to make Gotham a little safer each night, for the sake of all the kids in this city."

"You mean..." Dick's eyes widened in awe as puzzle pieces clicked into place. All the nights Bruce was gone, all the dinners he missed. It made so much sense.

Bruce nodded, "I'm Batman.." he confirmed. "And I think you'd be a perfect protegé for me. Dick, do you want to help me protect Gotham City? You can help me make sure no child has to suffer seeing their parents killed."

Dick wore a blank expression, he couldn't comprehend what was going on. Did Batman just ask me to be his sidekick? he thought in awe.

"I understand if you don't want to take part in this," Bruce sighed, "It's a lot of pressure and hard work."

Dick's expression suddenly turned into an ear to ear splitting grin, "I'd love to help keep Gotham Safe." The acrobat couldn't get the image out of his head. Dick jumping rooftop to rooftop with Batman. Dick fighting crime, putting his acrobatics to good use.

I'm going to work with THE BATMAN. Dick couldn't stop smiling, THE BATMAN...

Dick looked up at Bruce, who smiled warmly at him. Wow, Dick thought, I'm going to be saving lives. He looked up at the sky through the window, Mami? Papi? Are you proud of me? He asked the heavens.

Dick didn't need a reply, he knew their answer was yes.