Disclaimer: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to DC Comics.

This story is for Green Gallant, who inspired me to write it.

This is the sequel to "The Disappointment". It'd probably make more sense if you read that first.

ABC- Dick's POV

ABC- Flashback

Chapter One

I lost.

It was just that simple.

Napier had the upper hand. He had all the right cards, and I know he didn't even play them all. He just played enough to get me to fold.

When I finally arrived at my house, the door was broken down. I immediately rushed in, ignoring the pain in my head and leg. It wasn't as important as my family was.

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it'd burst out of my ribcage.

"Kory?" I yelled as I rushed into the living room. "Mari? Ryan?"

I ran into the kitchen. No one was there. Nothing was broken but the door. Nothing so far.

I ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs. The first doors I saw were fine, and there was no sign of a struggle. I turned once I got to the top and looked down the other end of the hall. One door was opened.

My office.

I ran inside to find my cabinets open, papers thrown everywhere. Most were torn apart and my computer was in pieces.

Napier.

He must have sent someone up here to get rid of any evidence I might have had on him, or any leads that could have pointed to him. Some files mostly contained the latter.

So my office was trashed, but that still didn't mean my family wasn't hurt.

The garage.

I immediately ran out of the room and back down the stairs, this time to the garage. Hopefully, Kory's car wouldn't be there.

When the people you love are in danger, it's hard to keep a cool head. In this case, it's even harder.

Jack Napier, the Prince of Gotham's underworld, had just threatened my family a few hours ago. He left me stranded outside of the Gotham City limits. I had to walk back. My head was killing me from the blow it had received. Napier had his goons slam my head into the ground a few times, so that way I could lose consciousness and they could get away.

His words still echoed in my mind.

Keep your life and your family or lose them both.

I'd never met Napier before today, and I only knew he was good at covering up his footprints. He was basically untouchable.

Was would be the keyword there.

Someone had been able to dig deep. An informant of mine, named Neal Eaglesham. He had found out something about Napier, and it cost him his life.

He had called me before he was killed. That's how I got in on the case, but I ended up getting to close too. Not as close as Eaglesham, but close enough for Napier to come after me.

To win, he had to threaten my family. If I didn't give up, he'd go after the most important people in my life.

There was no way I was going to let that happen, which left me with one choice.

I had to give up.

There was too much at stake.

My kids, Ryan and Mari. My wife, Kory. Bruce, Selina, and Alfred. Jason and Tim, my two brothers. Napier would go after them all.

There were also the promises I made. Last night-or maybe it was early this morning-Kory had told me she was three months pregnant. We were going to have another baby. A baby that I didn't want to put through the same troubles as I'd already done with Ryan and Mari. So I told Kory, after this case was over, I'd retire early. Quit is more like it.

Before I got into Napier's car, I made another promise. I told my five-year-old son that I'd come home. I never promised that to anyone, not even Kory, because I could never be sure. No one could be sure of what was going to happen next. Life is full of surprises.

I promised though, and I keep my promises.

I finally reached the garage, threw open the door, and looked to find it empty.

My car had been blown up over a month ago, so Kory's was the only one that was left in the garage and it was gone.

It didn't mean she, Ryan, and Mari were safe though. I wouldn't know that until I could call her. I won't know until I have them all safely in my arms.

Then I wouldn't worry.

As much.

My legs finally gave out and I collapsed onto the floor of the doorway.

My whole body ached from the pain of my injuries from the past few months. Some of them were healed, while others weren't. Most weren't.

I'd been blown up and had the crap beat out of me while I was both conscious and unconscious.

I was lucky I wasn't dead yet.

So much can happen in three months. So much can happen in just one moment. One moment is really all you need, though.

It only takes a moment to change everything.

I finally, slowly, stood up and walked out of the house. It wasn't safe there anymore. Someone had broken inside. They trashed my office and probably bugged all the phones and computers. I'd been gone pretty much all day. That's more than enough time for them to do more than that. They could have set up cameras and even explosives if they caught me doing something I wasn't supposed to do.

It wasn't safe to walk the streets either. I'm not worried about any muggers or petty crooks. Napier's not just gonna let me off that easily. He's going to have people watching me. Just walking to any one of my friends houses could put them in more danger.

Not that he most likely doesn't know where any of them live. He probably does. He's been keeping an eye on me. He practically said so himself.

He didn't have anything to worry about, though. It was over. He and I both knew that. My last case was over and I lost.

So what now?

What am I going to do now?

I'm quitting the G.C.P.D. What am I going to do now?

There's no way I could become a business man like Bruce had wanted me to. I hated suits. I couldn't work for the city without putting my family in the same danger they've been in. I'm too smart for a job at some simple bookstore or supermarket and I worked to damn hard to get where I am today. Well, not exactly where I am but…

I sighed as I continued down to the East End. To the home of Leslie Thompkins. She's a sweet old lady that I've known ever since Bruce adopted me. She's lived in the East End her whole life, and helps people. Not just as a doctor, but as a confidant.

It was a long walk. At her place I could call up Kory and make sure she and the kids are alright.

The only problem is, I don't know where they went. When Kory had left when I was going after Wilson, I had thought she had gone here, to Leslie Tompkins's place. She didn't. So I called Donna Troy, her best friend.

Donna said she knew where Kory was and she'd call her up for me and tell her it was safe to come back.

I had thought Kory was at Donna's. I didn't know she was with Kam, her older sister. Jim had gotten her and the kids on a plane. Kory had asked him to, because she knew Wilson might have still been able to find them in Gotham. So she went farther.

I married a very smart woman.

I bet if she knew Napier had someone following her, she might have been able to get away from them. But I still wouldn't have known if she did.

Even in that case, I couldn't have risked their lives just to take Napier down. They are much more important to me.

I just hope they'll see me as the same guy I used to be and not a disappointment.

That's what I've felt like my whole life. The family disappointment.

No matter what I do, I always end up disappointing someone. Bruce, Kory, Mari, Ryan…

Myself.

Does giving up this case make me an even bigger disappointment than I used to be?

Is there actually something I could do right? Something that I can do that will make everyone proud of me?

Like everyone's so proud of Jason and Tim.

I stopped in front of the door and rang the bell. I didn't bother to look over my shoulder, because if someone was watching me-which they most likely were-than it would only clue them in that I knew they were there.

The door opened and, instead of finding Leslie on the other side, I found my friend, Rachel Roth.

"You look like you went through hell at least ten times," She noted, in her usual monotone voice, upon seeing me. That's Rachel. She's not afraid to tell you exactly what's on her mind at that moment.

"Thanks," I replied as I stepped inside, uninvited. "What are you doing here? I thought you were still in school."

"I'm on summer break," She told me as she walked to the back room. I followed. Rachel was a premed student, but was already trained by Leslie. Even though she didn't have a medical degree, she was just as good with a scalpel as any other doctor out there. She'd patched me up a few times.

"Alright, what happened?" She asked as she put on her white medical coat.

"I went through hell at least ten times," I quipped.

"Funny," She replied with a roll of her eyes. "I don't have all night so just tell me where it hurts, pull off you shirt and pants, and let me get to work."

Straightforward as usual.

I explained everything that had happened these past two months. Eaglesham's death, my encounters with Nigma, Cobblepot, and Napier, and Kory's pregnancy. After that she gave me some anesthesia and I was out for a few hours as she started to patch me up.

When I woke up, the room was empty.

I looked to the clock on the wall in front of me.

2:52 AM.

Great.

I started to feel pain again. My chest was killing me and in the moonlight I could see the bandages wrapped around my waist. It hurt to even lift my head an inch from the pillow, and once it fell to the pillow, I let out a sharp hiss. I guess the blow to the back of my head was worse than I had thought.

Of course, I've had a lot more trouble thinking clearly since Napiers' goons slammed my head to the ground.

It's too late to call Kory up. She and the kids are most likely sleeping now, and I don't want to wake them up.

What else can I do but think. Think about how I can bounce back from this and plan ahead for tomorrow.

Kory doesn't take her cell with her when I ask her to leave the house. It's for safety reasons. If anyone got a hold of mine, they'd have her number of there and would be able to track her through her phone. Donna will most likely know where she is, so I'll call her.

After I get done calling Donna, I'll go and meet up with Jim to let him know that I'm leaving the force. That conversation won't be easy.

Another one that won't be easy is my next conversation with Bruce, whenever that is. Things are still pretty rough between us. It'll probably be a while before we can become a little more comfortable around each other. We just started speaking to each other again.

Of course, talking to Bruce again means talking to Tim and Jason again too. They're great, but once Bruce and I stopped speaking, I pretty much lost touch with them to.

I heard Jason shrugged the whole thing off and had told Tim to just let Bruce and I cool down. Vic told me Jason had said, "They'll be talking again in no time."

Jason never called after the fight. He was so sure I'd come back to the "good life" after I had thought about it for a while. During his first year as a pro soccer player, he had been receiving threats for dating some Middle-eastern super model. He's had so many girlfriends, even I can't remember all of their names. One day, someone actually made good on their threat and shot at him. He lived, of course, and Jim had come running up to me as soon as he hear about it.

I wanted to rush over to the hospital. I wanted to check and make sure he was okay right at that moment. I didn't.

I knew Bruce would be on his way at that time too, and I didn't want to see him. I went a few days later. It was the day before he was leaving the hospital, and I walked through the door and saw him lying there, staring at the ceiling.

Once he heard my footsteps come closer to his bed, he looked over at me.

"Dick?" Jason said, his eyes widening in shock as he looked over at his older brother. "You came."

"Course I came," Dick answered with a small shrug. "How you doing?"

"The doctor said I can leave tomorrow, but won't be able to play for the rest of the season," Jason confessed, his voice full of sorrow. "It sucks. My first year in the pros and I can't even finish the season."

"Getting better for next season is what matters," Dick told him as he took the empty seat next to the hospital bed. "By the way, the shooter's been caught."

"Already? I know Gotham cops, and none of them can catch a crook that fast. Besides, even if he's caught now, it won't be long until some stupid cop gets paid off to let him out." His tone was full of bitterness when he spoke that last sentence. "There's no such thing as a good cop in Gotham."

Jason didn't know I was a cop back then. Bruce hadn't told him or Tim about it until after the incident. He didn't know I was the cop that caught his shooter. He, like Bruce, never liked cops. That case was how I got pushed up to detective, but I didn't do it for that. I did it for Jason.

Maybe I couldn't prove to Bruce that there could be good cops in Gotham, but I had hoped I could prove it to Jason.

Even though the shooter was convicted and sentenced to life, because he not only tried to kill Jason but was also a hired gunman and had killed multiple people, I don't think I proved my point to Jason.

He still doesn't know I was the cop that caught his shooter. He still doesn't know I was the one that stopped any of the ones that were paid off, from breaking his shooter out of jail. I'd like to keep it that way.

That was the first and last time I had spoken to him since my fight with Bruce.

Tim on the other hand was different. He was thirteen when I had my fight with Bruce, and even after that he still kept in touch with me through college. He'd let me know what was going on with Bruce and Jason and Selina. He told me when Bruce and Selina were engaged and when they were planning the wedding for. They even sent Kory and I an invite. We went and sat in the back of the chapel for the wedding, and Kory went to the reception while I went back home.

At least, I went home after talking to Tim.

"Dick! Dick, wait up!" Tim called out as he ran over to Dick, causing the older man to stop just short of his car.

Dick turned to see Tim running up to him, a large grin on his face.

"Where are you-you going?" Tim asked as he stopped in front of his older brother, a little out of breath. "Bruce and Selina will be really happy to see you."

"I just came for the wedding, Tim," Dick informed him. "I don't really feel up to staying for the reception."

"Oh," Tim said, disappointment evident in his eyes. "I thought…Never mind."

Dick sighed and glanced around uncomfortably for a moment. Finally he spoke.

"Kory and I are still gonna be in the city tomorrow," He told Tim. "If you want we can meet up and have lunch or something."

Tim's grin returned.

"That'd be great! It's been a long time since we've talked face-to-face."

Tim's the youngest in the family and, for some reason, he always looked up to me. That's why he'd call whenever he had a problem or just wanted to talk. He and Selina were the only ones from my side of the family that came to my wedding. I didn't invite Bruce, and Jason couldn't come because he was in California with Bruce.

Selina was the one that took Tim to the wedding, and she and Kory had always gotten along really well. I wasn't surprised to find out that they still met up and had lunch regularly. I didn't try to stop it either. If Kory wanted to hang out with Selina, that's fine. Selina's one of her friends, and I'm not gonna let my fight with Bruce keep her from one of her friends.

Once and a while, I've seen Selina too. She's a world famous gymnast and now is a gymnastics instructor. When I was hurt and stayed at Wayne Manor, she was out of the state. She had called up, though, and told Kory and Bruce that she was on her way over, but Kory told her not to worry and that she'd call when I woke up.

I had talked to her shortly after I had woken up, and told her everything was fine.

By now, she should be back in Gotham.

As I looked through the window and into the dark night sky, I watched as the stars twinkled. There were so many.

It reminded me of a story my mom had told me once, before she died.

For every little star that twinkled in the sky, a little miracle occurred.

Where's my little miracle?

A/N: So here it is, the sequel to 'The Disappointment'.

I hope you all liked this first chapter! Please review!!