In his office at Wayne Enterprises, Bruce dropped his head into his hands and felt like crying. He'd run through a hundred ideas of jobs he could line up for Dick, but none of them fit. None of them felt like the kind of thing that would be active enough for him while still challenging him mentally.
"What can I say to make you realize how much I need you here?" he whispered, reaching out to run a finger down the picture he kept on his desk at all times. It was Dick's Bludhaven PD academy graduation photo, the most recent shot that Bruce had of him. Alfred had gotten his hands on it somehow, just a few months after their last argument, and presented it to him. He'd never inquired as to how the butler had obtained it, instead simply giving it pride of place in a spot that was never far from his eyes. It was the one thing in his office that not even the cleaning crew was allowed to move; he dusted under it himself occasionally, but wouldn't let anyone else touch it for fear of something happening.
"Mister Wayne?" his secretary's voice came through his intercom. "Commissioner Gordon is here to see you."
"…Is it urgent?" Gordon was the last person he felt like talking to at the moment, especially since it was likely to just be some trivial detail regarding the upcoming annual Gotham Police Charity Ball that the man wanted to hash out for the twelfth time. Bruce had far more important things to attend to this morning than whether or not he was going to present the Wayne Enterprises donation on stage personally and who he'd settled on as an escort for the evening.
"He came by to offer his congratulations. Something about Dick, he said."
That wasn't what Bruce had been expecting to hear, but it was certainly enough to pique his interest. "…I'll see him," he said after a moment's pause. There was just enough time to wipe a nearly invisible smudge from the photo's glass before the door opened and he had to leave off. "Commissioner," he greeted, rising to shake the other man's hand. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Oh, the pleasure is all mine. Yes, indeed." Taking a seat, the head of Gotham's police department beamed at him. It wasn't a look that either Bruce Wayne or Batman was used to seeing on his face, and as such it caused the billionaire to shift uneasily in his chair. "I received an interesting phone call from the Police Commissioner for Bludhaven this morning," his visitor pushed on, his voice strangely merry.
"…Oh?" What the hell is he talking about? What does the Bludhaven Commissioner have to do with Dick? I can't imagine that they would call that high up the chain about an officer's simple resignation, let alone pass the info along to the Gotham PD. Even if they did, why would Gordon be congratulating me about it?
"…No need to be so humble, you should be proud! Damn, I'm proud, and he isn't even my kid!"
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," Bruce apologized, now genuinely puzzled.
"Well, I'm talking about Dick's promotion, of course!"
The world froze as the words hit him. "…His what?!"
Gordon's face grew cautious. "…Don't tell me he hasn't called yet," he said in disbelief. "I know you two have had your disagreements, but surely this is the kind of news that transcends any argument standing between you right now. I mean, to jump from being a beat cop to a full Lieutenant in the short time he's been on the force…that's unprecedented even in Gotham's police history. I understand he's been put in for two rather important citations, as well, and is expected to receive them both. I swear that the Bludhaven Commissioner only called to rub it in my face – I never did understand why Dick joined up with the Bludhaven PD, he would have been more than welcome here, you know – but it's such great news that I'm having trouble being upset about it. I've always known that boy would go far."
"…Full Lieutenant? Citations?" Bruce was flabbergasted. No wonder he was so out of himself yesterday. That must have been what was in the envelope Alfred wouldn't let me have. If they made him that offer when he tried to quit, on top of what Alfred said has been bothering him about coming back home…Oh, Christ, Dick, my poor, confused boy, why didn't you tell me?!
"Yes. They're already talking about giving him his own investigative unit, can you believe that? Apparently he has a ridiculously large amount of talent for predicting criminals." The Commissioner gave the man across from him a covert look. "No idea where he might have developed that," he tacked on, pausing to examine his nails.
"Me, either," Bruce said distractedly, having no desire to play cat and mouse with Gordon today. "I wish I'd known sooner," he shook his head. "Thank you for letting me in on the news."
"I'll tell you something, I wish I had a man like him on my force. From what I've heard, Dick's superiors are already taking bets on how long it will be before he catches all of Bludhaven's criminals for the department and puts Nightwing – you know, their version of Batman? – out of business. What a thought, eh? A cop so good you don't need vigilantes!"
Bruce Wayne had had many brilliant ideas in his day, but never before had he experienced the exact feeling of a light going on inside of his head. His eyes fell to Dick's graduation photo. He looks so good in a police uniform, he thought fondly. Why didn't I think of this before? "Commissioner Gordon," he said, excitement making his voice shake a little, "With your help, I may be able to arrange something that will make us both very happy men."