Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Chapter Four

I scratched my jaw as I read down André LeBlanc's file. I'd been up for eighteen hours looking through all the files, each one bringing back a memory of my fights with them.

André was a burglar. He would sneak into people houses, tie them up, and took whatever he wanted. He was one of my first cases.

He'd already stolen from six houses since his escape.

I have to figure out his next move.

I have to find out who paid him to break them out.

There was a knock on the door.

"Dad," Ryan called through the door.

"Come in, buddy," I told him. The knob slowly turned and Ryan stepped into the room.

"You said we could go to the park today," He reminded me.

I've been at this for three days and had to keep pushing the trip back.

There I go, disappointing people again.

I sighed and looked down at LeBlanc's file once more. There was nothing on there that I didn't know. I hadn't even made a dent in trying to find out where he would be attacking next.

I rubbed my jaw again before standing up and grabbing my gun, holster, and badge. I put my gun on my belt and stuffed my badge in my back pocket.

"Alright, buddy, let's go." I smiled down at him and he grinned.

I picked him up and we walked out of the house and down the driveway.

"How come we're not taking the car?" Ryan asked as he climbed up onto my shoulders. I held his legs to keep him balanced as he held a foam football in his hands.

"It's better to walk. More exercise," I told him.

"Why weren't you working for a while?"

I looked up at him and said, "I was taking a break to be with you and the others. Didn't you like it?"

"Yeah."

"Good, because after this next case I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot more time with you, your sister, and your mother."

"Why?"

"I'm not going to be a detective anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because I want to spend more time with you guys, and I can't do that with my job right now." He leaned down so his chin rested on top of my head.

He was quiet the rest of the way to the park.

Once we got there, we saw people barbequing, families having quiet picnics and playing around.

It must be great to do that daily. To not have to worry about someone calling you and telling you to get to the office and start working on the next case. To have a vacation week where your boss won't call you because you're the only one that can handle the case.

Why do I do it?

Was it because of Ryan?

Not Ryan, my son, but Ryan, Kory's younger brother. He had died the same year I had met Kory. His killer had never been caught. The cops that tried to make the effort were killed off by other cops, causing the few other good cops to stay off the case. It put them in fear.

It…it left Kory to wonder, just as I had, just as Bruce had, and Jason, and Tim, if there was really such a thing as a good cop.

Kory leaned her head against the wall as she looked up into the night sky. She watched as the stars twinkled and shined against the deep black sky. Nothing else could be seen from this place in the Manor. There were no lights from the city to block these beautiful stars, which could so rarely be seen, from somewhere else in Gotham.

A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back against a solid chest.

Dick rested his chin onto her shoulder and watched the stars with her.

"There are so many," She finally spoke, her voice hushed so only he could hear her. They were the only ones in the room, and everything was so quiet. "It really shows how small we are compared to the large universe we live in."

Dick just stared up at the sky. They stood there in silence for what seemed like hours before he broke it.

"My mom used to tell me that for every little star that shines in that sky, there's a little miracle," He told her, holding her a bit tighter.

"Does everyone get one?" She asked as she continued to gaze up at the stars, her eyes focusing on the smaller ones.

"I don't know. But I know you will." He gave her a small kiss on her neck and she finally turned her gaze away from the stars and locked eyes with him.

He picked his head up off her shoulder and she turned to hug him tightly.

We named Ryan after his uncle. I know Kory was about to name him after me, but I beat her to it. I told the nurse to name him Ryan, and ended up catching Kory by surprise. It was a good one, though. I could tell she was very happy.

In some ways, Ryan does remind me of his namesake. He's so carefree sometimes, and when he gets this little mischievous look in his eyes, it reminds of the same way Ryan used to look when he was thinking of pulling a little prank.

The whole reason I know it takes Vic ten minutes to hack into the Manor's security system is because of Ryan. He had thought it would have been a good joke to play, and I have to say, it was definitely fun to see the look on Bruce's face when the sensors went off.

Ryan leaped off of my shoulders and landed perfectly on the ground. Kory and I have been teaching him karate and gymnastics since he was three years old. Mari just started learning recently.

We stood there and played catch for a few minutes to warm up our arms. After that I taught him a few plays that we practiced for a bit, before actually working on.

Seeing as he is just five years old, I had to throw my passes much lighter than I usually would, but the look on his face when he caught it was well worth it.

We played for about an hour and a half before we finally decided to call it a day.

He grabbed the football in one hand and took my hand in his other. His fingers were so small compared to mine. It used to be his whole fist fit in my palm, but now it was slowly getting bigger.

Pretty soon, he's probably going to be begging to hang out with his friends instead of me.

We started walking down the sidewalk, heading toward the ice cream shop. At least that's where we were heading when a large explosion rocked the ground. It was coming from our left and caused me to loosen my grips on Ryan's hand for one second.

One second to long.

I felt his hand pulled out of mine as he was picked up from behind by a skinny man in a white shirt, jeans, and black boots.

I didn't even hesitate to start chasing after him. The moment I saw him, I pulled out my gun and got ready to fire once I saw my opening.

He arrived at the end of the block and jumped into a white van, closing the door behind him.

I could have shot at the door, but it could have ended up injuring, even killing Ryan, if I didn't know where to shoot. So I took my next shot.

The passenger window.

Someone was definitely sitting there because I saw the body drop onto the driver's lap as he started to take off. Less than a second later, he slammed the breaks, most likely out of shock from the dead passenger.

I ran straight for the side door and opened it up just in time to see Ryan kick André LeBlanc in the shin, and then in the face right after he doubled over.

"Freeze, Police!" I shouted at the driver, aiming my gun at him.

Ryan jumped out of the van and moved behind my legs. He grabbed my left leg and held onto it. I could feel him shaking.

I didn't mean to shoot somebody in front of him, that was something I never wanted to do, but I had to if I was going to make sure he was safe and that LeBlanc wouldn't get away with him.

"Hand's off the wheel," I ordered the driver who immediately did as I said.

"André LeBlanc, you are under arrest for attempted kidnapping. And you," I turned my gaze to the driver, "are under arrest for being an accomplice in the criminal act. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you do or say can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you do not have an attorney, one will be provided for you at interrogation and in court."

I heard police sirens coming behind me as I pulled a pair of handcuffs out of my belt. I motioned with my head for Ryan to move closer to the van and off of my leg so I could cuff LeBlanc. After I did I took Ryans' hand and walked around the hood of the car, keeping my gun pointed at the drivers head. Ryan ducked his head against my leg as we slowly moved around the front of the car.

The windshield was splattered with blood from the person that had been in the passenger seat, and the bullet looked to have gone straight through his head, blasting into the drivers' side of the windshield.

No wonder the driver had immediately hit the breaks.

"Slowly open the door and come out with your hands behind your head," I told him as I stepped to the other side of the door, so when he opened it he couldn't use it to hit me in the face and make a quick getaway.

He slowly came out, hands on the back of his head, and I pulled out another pair of cuffs, put his hands behind his back, and made sure the cuffs were clamped tight. From there we all walked back to the other side to see Commissioner Gordon making sure the officers with him did not let LeBlanc loose.

This would be the point where I threaten to shoot anyone who thought about taking LeBlanc's cuffs off, but after what happened today, all I did was glare at the officers around, letting them know what would happen silently.

We had to go to the station to give our statements. Ryan kept his gaze to the ground the whole time.

I traumatized my kid.

I should have quit before.

I shouldn't have agreed to this case.

"People were looking at you," Ryan told me halfway home from the station.

"People always stop to look at things like that, Ryan. They're curious," I told him. I couldn't look at him, though. I hadn't been able to since I shot that other man in the passenger seat.

Geoff Palmetto.

"Not all of them were looking at you like that," Ryan told me as he shuffled his feet.

"Then what were some of them looking at me like?"

"Some were scared. Some were angry. Those were most of the people you work with. But the people on the street…most of them were looking at you like…like you were a hero!" There was pride in his voice.

"Killing someone doesn't make you a hero, Ryan," I told him. I had to make sure he knew that.

"I know. But saving someone does." I looked at him for the first time since he broke LeBlanc's nose with that kick of his. He was smiling up at me with pride and love in his eyes, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"You're my hero, dad."

I grinned and hoisted him up onto my shoulders.

I knew when we got home, we'd both be in big trouble-me especially. I could just hear Kory now.

Richard John Grayson! What were you thinking shooting through a window when our son was in that van? Who knows what could have happened if you missed! You've probably traumatized our son for life!

For once though, I was glad Kory was pregnant while this happened.

Instead of yelling at me, she took both Ryan and I in one of her strong bear hugs and didn't let go until we both started turning blue.

"Oh, I'm so happy you're both safe!" She cried out as she started placing little kisses on Ryans face.

"Mom!" Ryan complained as he started wiping at the kisses. She just gave him a watery smile before giving him another hug.

We both made sure to put him and Mari to bed that night, before heading to our own room.

There, Kory held onto me in her vice like grip, and I did the same.

"Do you know yet?" She asked me as we cuddled under the covers, her voice becoming heavy with sleep.

"No. I still don't know."

She sighed and held me tighter before drifting off to sleep.

A/N: Okay, so last chapter, a dozen villains were broken out of prison. Some of the names you may have recognized while others you may have not. To clear them up, here are the villains and their names in the comic/cartoon.

Dr. Arthur Light-Dr. Light

Selinda Flinders-Shimmer

Baran Flinders-Mammoth

Dr. Simon Jones-Psimon

Laura DeMille-Madame Rouge

Emil LaSalle-Warp

Mikron O'Jeneus-Gizmo

Sebastian Blood-Brother Blood

Jade Nguyen-Chesire

André LeBlanc-Himself

Johnny Rancid-Himself

Slade Wilson-Deathstroke (Slade in the show)

So, there are all the villains. You'll see or hear Dick speak about them throughout the story. As of now, there's one down and eleven to go. Who will be scratched off the list next?

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading, please review!!!