This chapter will have a few tweaks that I'll go into detail a little more at the end of the chapter.

Bruce wasn't going to wait any longer. With his discovery, he didn't want to risk Dick getting hurt any more than he already had. He knew that Bruce Wayne may not be able to persuade everyone, Batman could provide better results. He may have been given time, but there was no way he was going to bow to their demands.

Lurking around Gotham, Batman made his way towards the Grayson household. With the lights out on the second floor, he figured that Dick was probably sleeping. While that could make the confrontation a little easier, it also meant that he had to be a little more cautious not to disturb him. The only light shining came from the kitchen and living room, giving him a location for George and Clara.

Quietly lock picking the back door, he would worm his way inside of the house. As he made his way into the house, he could gear their banter. Proud declarations and thoughtful planning filled the kitchen. All of which fuel his distaste for the couple.

"Selling your brother's dumb brat sure has its benefits." Clara admitted. "How did we not think of this before?"

"The opportunity has never presented itself so well until now." George noted. "If there's one thing my good for nothing brother is known for, it's bringing in money."

"I am so glad we never invested in having one. He's so annoying. He would be even more of a nuisance had you not choose to lock him up every night."

"He is such a burden. I don't even know what Bruce Wayne sees in him."

"Much more than you." Batman's voice boomed.

Clara and George bounced from their chairs, their attentions immediately setting on Batman. They were startled, petrified by the fact that Batman not only snuck up on them, but overheard their conversation.

"You took a child from a loving environment for profit, and I'm not going to stand around and let that happen."

"So what?" George nervously asked. "You expect us to hand him over?"

"I don't expect you to do anything. You will let him go. Not only that, but you're going to turn yourself in."

An odd sense of confidence took over as George's stance straightened. A cocky chuckle escaped him, leaving a curious displeasure in its wake.

"I don't think so." George denied. "I want my money, and I planned for this."

The heavy stomping of boots could be heard descending behind them. Planted at the bottom of the stairwell, Deathstroke glared the kitchen's occupants down. Batman's gaze immediately darted up the stairs.

"The boy is safe." Deathstroke confirmed. "I just had to see what all the fuss was about. Personally, I don't see what the big deal is. Then again, I could just be missing it since he's sleeping."

Deathstroke kept his focus on Batman. While he was relieved that Dick wasn't harmed, the fact that the assassin had gotten anywhere near the kid unnerved Batman.

"Now, we can settle this outside either take this outside, leaving the boy in peace, or we could fight it out here, risking not only waking the boy, but hurting him as well."

Batman processed the situation. With Deathstroke now in the picture, he had to figure out how to take him down. Then there was George and Clara, who he would have to force a confession out of and the safe return of Dick. Not to mention Batman's concern for Dick's safety while he handled Deathstroke.

"The child will remain unharmed." George confirmed. "For now. Besides, you're not our intended monetary deposit."

With that out in the open, Batman gave the assassin a glare, confirming that they would handle it outside. The dimly lit environment of Gotham covered them as they got enough distance between them and the house.

"So what is Deathstroke doing in this neck of the woods?" Batman interrogated.

"About twenty five to fifty thousand grand to get rid of you." Deathstroke admitted. "Not exactly my usual price, but considering I've been contracted to kill you, I'll take it."

Leaving it at that, Deathstroke began the battle.

The phone at Wayne Manor began to ring. While Alfred was used to the occasional call this late at night, it was a little surprising.

"Wayne residence." Alfred greeted.

"Hello, this is George Grayson." George replied. "Is Bruce available?"

Alfred was puzzled by the call. With Bruce at their house as Batman, he had to think about how he should approach it. As much as he would have wanted to tell Dick's uncle that he was unavailable, if there was a concern in regards to Dick, no matter how transparent his uncle's guise was, he knew had to investigate.

"One moment please."

Pressing a few buttons on the phone, Alfred activated a voice modulator. It had been installed in case of emergency. If Bruce he didn't want to answer a particularly bothersome call, had gone missing, or had been temporarily compromised, he wanted to have his bases covered.

"This is Bruce." Alfred acted.

"Evening." George greeted. "I thought I'd tell you that our neighborhood Batman is currently being dealt with. Hired a friend to take him out."

Alfred was shocked by the statement, but didn't utter a thing.

"With that being said, you had better get the money by the time this night is over, or else."

The line would go dead as George ended the call. Hanging the phone up, Alfred took a few steps back. Taking the demands in, he assessed how to continue on.

Dick was peacefully enjoying his sleep, unconsciously readjusting his sleeping position. The humming sound of the phone vibrating instantly knocked him to his senses. Reaching beneath his pillow, he pulled out the phone as it continued to vibrate. When he saw the caller I.D. noting that it was Wayne Manor, he sat up and accepted it.

"Hello?" Dick groggily greeted.

"Oh, good." Alfred sighed with relief.

"Alfred?"

"There's not much time. Master Bruce had brought his late night venture to your current residency."

What little exhaustion that was present was instantaneously replaced with alarm.

"He may not be there now, but I fear he may be in need of an assist."

"I'm on it."

"Thank you Master Richard. Good luck."

The battle had stayed at a solid standstill, both combatants getting in their fair share of hits. While both still had plenty of fight left, Batman was starting to feel a little fatigued. Deathstroke was able to knock him back a bit. Batman attempted to regain his breathe as Deathstroke approached him.

"Leave him alone." A voice demanded.

Looking around, it wouldn't be long before someone would hit Deathstroke. Feet collided with Deathstroke chest, causing him to stumble slightly. The frame would backflip off of the assassin and land between the two of them.

Deathstroke was curious while Batman was surprised. Robin was in position, ready to defend his mentor.

Tweak number 1) Alfred not being as (actively) involved. In the original comic, ALfred was present and came along to help Robin handle the men hired to deal with Batman, who was in a bit of a jam, having been trapped in a room that was compressing air on him. It's not that I don't think that I didn't want him there or thought that he couldn't be there, I just thought I'd just have him relay the message. Plus I wanted to have this focus on Batman and Robin working together.

Tweak number 2) Deathstroke instead of Fatso. As I mentioned in the first chapter, I was debating whether I was going to have Fatso be the one to deal with Batman. I decided that for at least one main reason (I may have had a second, But I don't remember). That being that this being is a modernization. With this being a modern take on the issue, I thought that, Batman would have enough of a reputation at this point for people not to take him "too lightly".