Hey guys. Please excuse any mistakes I may have made. Italics is personal thought and bold italics is electronic communication. I do not own DC Comics of any of their characters. Thanks to those who reviewed last chapter, please do so again. Thank you for reading and enjoy!

Last Time:

"Where I was? Where were you?! You people are supposed to be heroes, but two dozen people died!" Richard argued.

They didn't answer.

"Well?!" Richard asked.

Still no response.

"Tch, I bet you were off playing playboy billionaire." Richard growled before turning and walking away.

"We were protecting the population and investigating a criminal organization known as the Light. We had reason to believe they were trying to bring an alien race known as the Reach to come here and take over. We've only gotten whispers of their existence, much like the Court of Owls. They may be involved in this, but it also might be the League of Shadows. We had to put the loss of thousands before the loss of a few. That doesn't mean we don't care, that means we're willing to make sacrifices for the greater good. If any of the organizations I mentioned carried out the Reach plan, millions will die or wars will break out."

"Did you find anything?" Richard said over his shoulder.

Batman didn't respond.

"Then it wasn't worth it." Richard growled and walked away.

As he walked, he reached into his ear and pulled out the communicator. He looked at it before crushing it and throwing it away.

Bruce sighed heavily as he tried to call Dick for the thousandth time. He had been calling the detectives cell phone and the communicator, which Bruce deducted that he threw out of his ear. Damn it, it's not our fault we were dealing with other things that were more important than a handful of people. We had to put the lives of many before the live of few. He's a detective, he should know that we can't save everyone. As Bruce Wayne, he went to the bomb site and saw that people had built a shrine to those who died. Pictures, names, items, and posters littered the ruined building. Beside him, Alfred looked at him then down at the ground.

"Something you want to say?" Bruce asked his butler.

"Have you heard Master Richard's side of the story?" Alfred said softly.

"No, why?" Bruce responded.

"Then you'd understand his anger at the League and this whole situation." Alfred said wisely.

Bruce glared at him.

"Alfred, the lives of many are more important than the lives of few. The detective should know that." Bruce growled.

"He does. He just wanted someone to try. He was the only one who had hope that those people could be saved. The bomb squad drove away, the League was all he had left to help him. Yet, you didn't even try to compromise a way for any of you to come." Alfred advised.

Bruce felt that Alfred wasn't done.

"What do you want me to do, Alfred?" He asked.

"Go to the precinct and have Batman talk to him, not Bruce Wayne." Alfred answered.

"Is there really a difference?" Bruce grumbled as he went back to the car.

"Yes, Master Wayne is beginning to care for the detective while Batman only allows him to work with him because he's trustworthy and can hold his own." Alfred answered, earning another glare from Bruce.

Bruce sighed, knowing Alfred was right. They began walking to the car.

"What about the boys?" He asked.

"I will tell them what you are doing." Alfred assured getting in the luxury car, "They probably want you to do this anyway."

It clicked then that Alfred had talked to the boys and they had all come to the conclusion that Bruce should talk to Dick. Sneaky brats. Alfred started the car and drove to the precinct.

"We're here, Sir." Alfred informed respectfully.

Bruce sighed and got out of the car. He stood for a moment, observing the precinct before entering. He passed through the doors and immediately went to find the commissioner. Gordon was talking with the mayor rather animatedly. Bruce got into Gordon's sight and stood. Gordon saw him and excused himself to walk over.

"Mr. Wayne, didn't expect to see you. Something wrong?" Gordon asked.

"No, I was just looking for that Bludhaven detective, Grayson?" Bruce said.

"He's over in the square asking some store owner about his encounter with Robin. While Detective Grayson is capable, that kid has a lot on his shoulders." Gordon sighed.

"What makes you say that, Commissioner?" Bruce asked.

Gordon looked hesitant to tell him, glancing around to see if anyone was close enough to hear.

"I like you and I think you could do some good for that kid, so I'll tell you something. The kid got way too close to that Lexcorp ordeal, way too close. He's been working himself to the bone ever since then, says he wants to expose Batman so he could basically yell at him for not being in his own damn city to protect his own citizens, his words." Gordon said quietly.

"So the kid's angry?" Bruce asked.

"Not angry, more like productively vengeful." Gordon replied.

Great.

"When will the detective be back?" Bruce questioned.

Gordon shrugged.

"I could send him over to the Manor when I see him." Gordon suggested.

Bruce nodded.

"That'll be fine. Thank you, Jim." Bruce said and turned to leave.

"Bruce." Gordon says.

Bruce turns to look at him.

"This might be more personal then you and I realize, so don't act like a business man. And while you may act as a father to the kid, don't adopt this one." Gordon says with a smirk.

"I have to expand my Lost Boys gang." Bruce jokes and turns back.

The thought never crossed my mind, and besides the kid is in his twenties, perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Bruce walks outside to the car and a waiting Alfred. He opens the door and climbs in. Alfred looks at him through the mirror with a raised eyebrow.

"He wasn't there." Bruce answers.

"Was he not there or did you ignore that he was there?" Alfred asks.

"He's in the Square asking around about Robin." Alfred starts the car and started driving to the Manor. "You know, he already knows our identities, why keep the act up?"

"You know why, Sir." Alfred answers.

"Yeah, well after the recent bombing, I don't think he's still firm in that he won't tell." Bruce growls.

"Have faith in the detective, he's a good man. Will he be joining us later on?" Alfred asked.

"Yes, the Commissioner is supposed to send him our way when he returns to the precinct." Bruce answers.

The two fall into a comfortable silence as they drove home.

Richard moped as he interviewed the store owners. The answers they gave him re-enforced what he already knew. Tim Drake is Robin, but he already knew that. At this point, he was just running in circles, keeping his word to not tell anyone as long as the Bats helped him, which they hadn't. The thought to leak their identities had crossed his mind, but he was too good a person to act on it. We'll help you figure out what happened in those two years if you don't leak our identities. That's what he said, and what has he done? Nothing. He still hasn't gotten back to me about Wilson. Then an idea popped into his head. Who knows Wilson better than Batman and me? He smirked as he walked to the precinct. A competitor. Deadshot. Richard knew it would be dangerous and he might get killed, but he needed the information and Batman wasn't cutting it. Richard walked into the precinct and straight to Gordon's office. He sat at the computer and accessed all the data they had on Deadshot. Name: Floyd Lawton. Alive. Mercenary who has a rep for never missing. Blah Blah Blah, where's the stuff I need? Ah here, known locations: Gotham...That's it? Gotham? He sighed. You've got to be kidding me. Richard took the communicator out of his pocket. It had rung a bunch of times during the day. No doubt Batman...Maybe I should ask for help. He sighed and put it back into his pocket. Damn it, in the end I went back for this stupid thing and put it back together. Gordon walked in as Richard banged his head on the desk.

"Rough day?" Gordon asked.

"I need to find Floyd Lawton, and we have literally nothing on his locations other than Gotham." Richard mumbled with his head on the desk.

"Oh, good luck finding him. Anyway, your day's about to get worse, Wayne wants to talk to you. Go up to the Manor and see what he wants." Gordon commanded.

Richard groaned.

"Yeah, I know." Gordon said as he shooed Richard away.

"I'm taking the long way." Richard said.

He got his motorcycle and left the precinct. He drove around for a while before heading to Wayne Manor. As he pulled up, he thought about the communicator. I'll give it back to them. He got off and went up to the door, hand resting over the communicator. He knocked. Alfred answered and allowed him in, exchanging the polite greeting.

"So does Bruce Wayne want to see me or Batman?" Richard asked.

"I'm unsure of that myself Master Richard." Alfred said.

"Just Richard is fine Alfred." He said.

"Of course, Master Just Richard." Alfred smiled a little.

Richard gave a soft smile and a huff of a laugh.

"Smart ass." He muttered.

"Master Bruce is up in his office." Alfred informed.

"Where are the brats?" Richard asked, noticing the quietness of the Manor.

"Out." Alfred said.

Richard looked at him before sighing and moving upstairs to the office. He knocked and opened the door. Bruce sat at his desk with a laptop open in front of him.

"So who am I talking to? Playboy or Dark and Broody?" He asked.

"Tell me what happened before the bombs went off." Batman ordered.

"Ah, so Dark and Broody." Richard said and glared at him. "Why such an interest now?"

"I was told I should ask."

"So it's Alfred's idea." Richard said blantly.

Batman didn't respond.

Richard gave a heavy sigh for the twentieth time that day and told Batman what he did with the people and how he handled the situation. When he finished, Bruce sat there with his hands locked together at his mouth.

"So that's why you're angry with the League, because no one else helped and we were supposed to, which you think because you got too personal with the victims." Batman deduced.

"There's more to it than that." Richard growled.

"Do tell." Bruce replied.

"I understand your reasoning-"

"Then why are you mad?" Bruce cut him off.

Richard glared at him.

"Because as the League, you are supposed to be there. Always. You signed yourself up for that expectation when you became a group of heros and not some psychos dressed in costumes who went around beating people up. When you started banning together and helping in impossible situations. When you became dependable." Richard snarled.

"We couldn't spare someone." Bruce responded.

"Yes, you could've. You have meta-humans, Atlanteans, aliens, and magicians. That's enough firepower to win all wars, losing one member wouldn't have made everything go to shit." Richard growled.

"I'm obviously missing something. I don't understand why you think we are able to save everyone." Bruce said monotone.

Richard dug his fingers into his palms.

"That's not what I'm saying! I know you can't save everyone, but you can try. That's my issue. I told you the situation and you didn't even TRY to get someone down here! You simply said no and that was it. Those people watched as the bomb squad drove away, they felt abandoned! Do you know what one of them said to me?! She said, 'thank you, you tried, which is way more than what some people would've done.' and she was right!" Richard vented.

Bruce had a thought.

"Is this because no one helped you when you were younger or comforted the mourning son, because no one tried to prove that New Hope was a terrible place and it wasn't what it seemed?" Bruce said.

Richard gritted his teeth and stayed silent as him and Bruce stared at each other.

"So it is." Bruce answered.

"So what?" Richard growled.

Bruce sat back into his chair.

"So this is personal."

"I hoped that one of you would come to that place and save us, you never did. I learned to fight for myself, never depend on anyone, never trust anyone to do the right thing. Then you, Tim, Jason, and all the others came along and I thought that maybe I was wrong, that I could trust you and depend on you. And it got thrown in my face." Richard said softly. "So now you know why I was pissed."

Richard's hand gripped the communicator in his pocket. Bruce stood and walked over to him. He looked at him for a second before clicking at his ear. The communicator in Richard's pocket buzzed and it was audible in the silent room.

"And yet you still have that communicator. The one you broke but fixed." Bruce said.

Richard knew Bruce thought he won this little scuffle and Richard had to admit he kind of did.

"I was going to give it back to you." Richard said.

"But you haven't. You've been pawing at it this whole time, but you never took it out of your pocket." Bruce said.

Richard stared at him.

"You want to be a hero, you're just not sure what that would entail." Bruce concluded.

Richard stayed silent.

"Would you like me to show you?" Bruce asked.

Richard hesitated for a moment.

"...Yes."