Honestly, Dick did not know how he got into this situation.

This situation meant being held hostage in a bank along with his partner and twenty or so other civilians.

The only thing he knew was that he wanted to go eat since he had not yet gone on his lunch break, but alas he had to wait.

Let's rewind the tape to a few hours earlier.

Dick had just arrived at work when Will appeared before him.

"Good news man!"

"Yeah, good morning to you too Will," he murmured sleepily. He had woken up later that morning. He had also been lucky to arrive on time and was grateful for that since the commissioner was quite strict about punctuality. He was probably going to have him filling out paperwork all day and he just didn't feel like it.

"Ah yes, good morning Dick," he chuckled embarrassedly. Yes, he looked just like Wally.

"So" Dick began as he sat down on his desk and turned on his computer. "What's this good news?" he asked curiously.

Will's face lit up with excitement at the question. Richard was almost afraid of it. Key word: almost. "We're on patrol!"

The other's right eyebrow rose (a habit probably picked up by Alfred). "You mean now?"

Will nodded several times.

"How come we're on patrol now? We usually go after the lunch break or from eleven o'clock, never this early. Has something serious happened in city that I'm not aware of?" asked Dick already going into detective (or Nightwing, depending on the situation) mode studying the possible circumstances they had to undertake, for example preventing a bank robbery, going to a crime scene, stopping a drug deal, and many others.

His partner chuckled amused at his friend's personality change, although he clearly expected it since it has happened before. "Whoa, calm down man; nothing happened." when he saw that she gave him a puzzled look, he continued. "Simply John is home sick and his partner, Grace, took a day off to visit his grandmother out of town. The commissioner has instructed us to go out on patrol, that's all."

"Oh." Dick relaxed slightly, feeling a little silly for almost drawing hasty conclusions. And for going into detective mode so preemptively. This he blamed on Bruce, or Batman to be precise, for his paranoia. "So we'll be on patrol all day?"

"Yes!"

"And you're so excited because...?" asked Bruce's oldest son slowly. It wasn't that Will didn't like patrols, in fact it was the opposite but this happiness from his friend was new to him. Not even Dick was so happy to go out and arrest some criminals.

"Because we don't have to deal with any paperwork today!" this explained the question. Then again, what sane person, especially a policeman, liked to fill out boring paperwork?

This news, added to Will's infectious happiness, quickly brought an excited smile to Dick's lips. "Really?" when the other nodded fiercely, it took all his self-control not to bounce on his tiptoes or jump around the room, traits he has been wearing since childhood to express his excitement.

Not least because he did not want to run the risk of getting caught by the commissioner and being fired. In the event, who was going to explain this to Bruce?

"This is great man!" almost shouted Dick and the two of them high-fived each other, wearing smiles that almost split their faces.

"And to celebrate this fantastic news, my friend, I got two donuts from the break room. Here you go!" Richard was so distracted by his friend's enthusiasm that he didn't notice that he actually brought two donuts. And this came at just the right time since he skipped breakfast.

"Thank you Will! No paperwork, donuts for breakfast, patrol all day-what could go wrong?" he said as he took a first bite of his food.

"Indeed!"

"I don't know how they lost the game yesterday," complained Dick as he sat in the passenger seat of the police cruiser.

"You mean New York City FC that you like to cheer so much?" Will smirked as he drove the car.

"Yes, that's them." he grumbled.

"Well, the answer is because they're scarce."

"But just cheer your scarce team instead and shut up!"

"Meanwhile we won the game this round!"

"Yes but we are first in the standings while you are fourth!" Dick smiled when Will did not respond and tapped him on the shoulder.

Will gave him a short glare before resting his eyes on the road. "Don't hit the driver, you might risk an accident!"

His partner looked up, or rather, at the roof of the car. "As if that tap could distract you. You're just mad because you lost the argument." Officer Jones muttered something under his breath but said nothing more. There was silence for a couple of minutes before the driver spoke.

"Dick would you be okay to stop by the bank to-"

"see your girlfriend Emily? Only if we go to eat right afterwards. I'm hungry."

"You know me too well man. And it's a deal anyway."

It took about five minutes before they arrived and parked in front of the bank.

"Well we have arrived. Are you coming or will you wait here?"

"Coming. I haven't seen Emily in a while." the two got out of the squad car and entered the building. Will quickly spotted her in front of a gas station and they approached her.

Emily had long blond hair, blue eyes, and a model body. Will was damn lucky, Dick granted him.

"Ehy honey!" the woman turned and smiled beamingly as soon as she saw her boyfriend. She walked over to him and kissed him softly.

"Get a room you two!" said the moor pretending to be disgusted. The two broke away suddenly when they heard his voice and both blushed before Will sent him a playful smile.

"It's not my fault you're single and jealous, man!"

Dick sent him a dirty look before he smiled slightly when Emily hit the back of her boyfriend's head.

"Be respectful of your partner Will!" she ignored his complaints and turned to the other boyfriend and smiled warmly at him. "Long time no see Dick. I hope you're taking good care of my boy."

The 19-year-old chuckled. "Sure, just like you told me."

"Good, because I doubt he can take care of himself."

"Will you stop talking as if I'm not present here? And as for you," he turned to his fiancée, "I can take care of myself!" Emily and Dick exchanged an uncertain look, and he raised his arms, annoyed. "I give up! I don't know why you ally yourselves against me every time! It's a conspiracy!" the two laughed before Will himself joined in the laughter.

"What are you guys doing here anyway?"

Dick preceded Will. "Your boyfriend wanted to stop by and see you before we went on our lunch break."

Before anyone could comment they heard a lot of shouting and a scream that echoed throughout the bank.

"HANDS UP THIS IS A ROBBERY!"

The three turned toward the source of the chaos and saw a single man, muscular but not overly so, in his 30s, wearing a ski mask and equipped with a gun and a sack. Now Dick had only one question on his mind: why the heck did he go in to rob the bank when there was a police car outside?

I don't know whether to call him fearless or an idiot. Probably the latter.

Dick looked around. There were about 20 civilians of all ages: children clinging fearfully to their parents, adults looking nervously at the robber, elderly people who didn't know what to do.

He caught out of the corner of his eye Will protectively placing his girlfriend behind him. The two partners looked at each other and nodded simultaneously.

"POLICE LOWER THE GUN AND NO ONE WILL BE HURT!" yelled Officer Jones, drawing his weapon and pointing it at the criminal.

Evidently the robber had not noticed the policemen as he jerked slightly but quickly recovered and looked at them coldly.

"You'd better lower your guns or else," he pointed his gun at a little girl who could not have been more than six years old who was clinging tightly to her father's legs, crying silently. The robber approached the little girl, always pointing the gun at her but never leaving his gaze from the policemen. It was a painful scene for the policemen to see but they could not intervene, not without endangering the little girl.

Once he was close to the child, the father stood in front of her trying to protect her.

"Don't you dare touch my daught-"

He was interrupted by the kick of the gun connecting painfully with his nose and fell to the ground stunned.

"DAD!" the child was now more than terrified as the robber pointed the gun at her head.

"Or else I'll kill her." he coldly ended the threat.

Dick clenched his jaw, helpless at what was happening. He hated feeling so useless but there was nothing he could do. Will was the first to slowly lower his weapon followed then by his partner after a few tension filled seconds.

"Good, now remove the magazine from the gun and throw it toward me." the two obeyed and the criminal threw away the guns without ammunition in the corner of the bank. "Now everyone slowly lie down on the ground. Don't do anything rash otherwise I will blow the child's brains out without a second thought."

Bastard!

Snarled Dick silently as he lay down on the ground. Once everyone was lying down, the robber walked over to the counter where there was a frightened clerk to say the least.

"Put all the money inside this bag! And hurry up!" as he gave orders, his eyes still fixed on the policemen. After tension filled minutes, where only soft cries from the children could be heard, the bag was filled. At first glance Officer Grayson could see that it contained approximately five hundred thousand dollars.

The criminal came within a few feet of the exit, holding the gun firmly on the hostage. His eyes momentarily caught an elderly man who coughed, and Dick took advantage of the moment of distraction to meet his partner's eyes by silently relaying a message to him.

Distract him.

Will nodded slightly, informing him that he had received the message, and Dick moved away from him a few feet quietly to avoid drawing him or Will's girlfriend into a potential line of fire.

"Now you can leave the child so no one will get hurt." Will spoke and the criminal's cold eyes reached his own, causing him to shiver slightly.

As the two talked, Dick quietly drew a stun gun from the right pocket of his uniform, hiding it from the criminal.

Emily, shivering slightly from behind her boyfriend, saw what the moor pulled out.

What the hell does he want to do with a teaser?

As the robber backed away slowly, still holding the hostage, Dick took a small breath.

It was now or never.

He threw the teaser toward the criminal and stood up to join him.

Everyone in the room could watch in anxious amazement and admiration as the teaser went perfectly into the gun sending it a few feet away.

The 30-year-old man widened his eyes, surprised, but then squeezed them fiercely shut and threw the child roughly away to the ground.

Officer Grayson ran toward him and threw a kick to his chest that was narrowly dodged and easily blocked the punch that was aimed at his face and retaliated with an uppercut that painfully struck his opponent's jaw and felt with enough satisfaction the breaking of a few teeth.

The robber staggered backward dazed and could taste the blood inside his mouth. He growled and charged his enemy making a feint to which the other took the bait and threw a punch straight at the policeman's face and soon after another.

Dick felt the punches connect to his face and could already foresee the bruises. He could easily dodge or block those punches but he did not want to let them reveal who he really was, after all he was just a cop even though he could easily take down the criminal in two seconds if he only wanted to (and how he wanted to!).

He clenched his jaw annoyed, ducked to avoid another punch and rose into the air to throw a roundhouse kick to the side of his face followed immediately by a right hook.

The criminal fell violently to the ground. He got up slowly after a handful of seconds and stared stunned at the police officer who was patiently waiting for him in a defensive position.

Dick knew he would attack again, and in fact he was not disappointed. He easily blocked his fist and twisted the other man's wrist painfully making him scream in pain and threw a violent punch in his face that sent him crashing not-so-gently into the bank wall, rendering him unconscious.

There were a few seconds of silence where no one breathed a word and then resounding applause and smiles erupted from people. By now the child had fled to her father, who was holding his bloody nose with one hand and protectively holding his daughter's back with the other.

Officer Grayson gave the people a shy smile and turned around when he heard two pairs of feet walking behind him that turned out to be those of Will and Emily.

"That was impressive man!"

"Impressive is putting it mildly, Dick."

The 19-year-old smiled at them. "We'll talk about it when we take care of this." he gestured toward the room and the two nodded.

After a half hour where more fellow police officers came to take the robber away and after checking every civilian to make sure everyone was safe and after lengthy testimonies, the three of them found themselves in a diner to have a small lunch.

"Finally, I was starving!" exclaimed Dick after ordering the food.

"Man, what you did inside the bank was great!" spoke Will with a big smile on his face.

"Especially the part where you threw the teaser at the gun! You have perfect aim!" complimented Emily.

"Not to mention all those combat moves!" added the colleague.

Dick in response simply shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "That's what happens when you take self-defense classes starting at age ten." he lied easily. When he saw the surprised and stunned looks of the two, he continued. "As Bruce Wayne's son, I have often been the victim of kidnapping or attempted kidnapping, only to get a ransom from my father."

This, however, was true.

Will let out an impressed whistle. "Remind me never to piss you off, dude!"

Dick laughed. His laughter died down as the radio attached to Will's uniform turned on.

"Officer Jones, is Officer Grayson-Wayne there with you?" was the commissioner's voice.

"Yes, sir. We're taking a lunch break. Do we have to go back to the station?"

"No, I just wanted to call you to announce that you have the rest of the day free. Officer Grayson-Wayne, I commend you on how you handled the situation."

"Thank you sir, and thank you also for giving us the day off."

"You've earned it." and with that, the transmission was closed.

The two officers smiled at each other and gave each other a brotherly fist bump.

Nightwing was perched atop a building when the communicator resounded in his ear.

"Oracle to Nightwing."

It was Barbara Gordon, former Batgirl and now Oracle since she has been in a wheelchair because of the Joker. Since becoming his former girlfriend, the two now had only a strictly professional relationship, although he sincerely missed her as a friend.

"Nightwing in."

"The burglar alarm was detected at the jewelry store but was immediately silenced. Shall I send someone there to Bludhaven for support?"

"No, I'm on it. Nightwing outside."

The vigilante sighed.

Apparently today is the day for robberies.

He grabbed his grappling hook and fired toward the buildings in the direction of the jewelry store.