Luvit: Okay, I might as well tell you that yes, Tim will be showing up :)

BookJunkie: More intrigue and drama coming up! :)

The next morning dawned bright and much too early for Dick. The sound of the curtains being pulled aside registered just a half-second before the sunlight did, grabbing him out of the cocoon of sleep.

"Alfie..." he groaned, shoving a pillow over his face to block the sun, "...wut time ish it..."

"Half past nine, sir."

Dick grumbled, pressing tighter on his pillow, "Wake me at noon..."

"I'm afraid not, sir. You have a visitor. Someone by the name of Detective Radley."

Yesterday came to him in a rush; seeing Cheyenne, arguing with Babs, Damian's jealousy, and meeting Dusty.

"Dusty!" he was awake and out of bed in an instant, barely hearing Alfred's amused chuckle. "Alfie?"

"Master Dustin is already awake and fed. Your visitor however, is patiently waiting for you in the living room. Please do remember to dress first before you leave the room."

Dressed, showered, brushed, and as ready to face the day as he'll ever be, Dick found the Detective examining the family pictures on the mantel.

"Detective Radley?"

The detective jumped back, startled. Apparently, he hadn't heard the younger man enter. "Oh, erm. Sorry, Mr. Wayne."

"It's Grayson." Dick inwardly winced at the name and went over to shake the detective's hand. "How can I help you?"

"Have you watched the news recently? Involving the...car accident?"

"Oh, yes of course." Dick knew what the detective was talking about. He, as Batman, had practically sent the cop to himself. But he pretended to be clueless about the 'accident's' circumstances. "I take it this is about Cheyenne?"

"So you are familiar with her?" The detective had brought out a notepad and a pen and was scribbling a couple of brief notes. Dick also knew the notes were most likely observations about his answers and his reactions to the questions - he had gone through the police academy in Bludhaven after all and note-taking was a valuable lesson in the fight against crime.

But Dick also knew that he can't let the detective know about his other life. "Yes, I knew Cheyenne. I was one of her models for a time."

"I see," the detective nodded, scribbling on his notepad, "how did you meet Ms. Freemont?"

"I met her at a bar one night. And when I found out who she was, I went to her office to...uh, talk."

"Just talk?"

Dick nodded. "Just talk."

"And what happened?"

"Her assistant saw me and dragged me into fitting. She didn't even give me time to explain that I wasn't looking to be a model."

"Stroke of luck," Det. Radley commented with a smirk, jotting down more notes. "Is there anything you can tell me about Ms. Freemont's associates in Manhattan? Any enemies you could think of?"

Dick rubbed his chin, pretending to consider the question. "Well, other than the entire fashion industry? It's like a school of piranhas there with all the cutthroat rivalries."

"So I've heard. Go on, Mr. Grayson."

"Cheyenne did have an...unwanted suitor back then."

"Oh?"

"Guy named Barry Pierce. She went on a couple of dates with him but that's it. And I think he's been looking to get back at her for rejecting him."

"I see." The detective made more notes and Dick could see him underline something twice. He suppressed the smirk that was threatening to quirk his lips - he had just pointed the police in the right direction to solve this case. Det. Radley looked up from his notepad. "Anything else?"

"No, can't think of anything."

"Alright." The detective nodded, pausing to look over his notes again. "When was the last time you saw Ms. Freemont?"

"Err," he hesitated, debating with himself how much information he was going to offer the cops. His being Batman, or even Nightwing for that matter, was far from in danger of being exposed in this case but he didn't want to risk Dusty's life. In the end, he decided to tell the truth. "Yesterday, at a coffee shop in town. She'd called and asked for a meet."

"Meet about what?"

Dick took a deep, calming breath. "Cheyenne and I were intimate before she left for California, and she...she got pregnant. Yesterday she arranged for me to meet my son."

"And she never told you about him until now?"

Dick nodded, his throat tight with grief, with hurt. He understood Cheyenne's need to keep Dusty a secret; but that didn't mean he wouldn't be hurt by it. As things stood now, the first five months of his child was lost to him. But he won't let the next how many years of his son's life get away from him.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Grayson." Det. Radley looked sympathetic, and maybe he was. The detective might have suffered some kind of loss in his life but Dick hadn't been able to research far into the cop's personal files. In between being Batman and taking care of Dusty and explaining to his family, yesterday just seemed like one emotional upheaval after another. With the cop's visit, Dick doubted today would be any better. He still had to tell Tim.

Det. Radley cleared his throat, his hand shaking his pen in nervousness. "Uh, mind if I ask, where is your son now?"

"In his room. Sleeping."

"Ah," the detective smiled in relief. Dick guessed he feared whoever murdered Cheyenne might have an infant held hostage. "And how's that coming along?"

Chaotic. Dick thought. But he aimed a smile at the detective, "It's...coming. I'm not exactly prepared to be a father now but...I think we're getting the idea."

"I'm glad to hear that, Mr. Grayson." Det. Radley's grin was nostalgic and sincere, almost as if he knew what Dick was talking about. Was there something in his personal files that spoke of a death and a sudden fatherhood? "Going back to my question, so Ms. Freemont arranged to introduce you to your son?"

Dick nodded, "She was staying at the Red Crescent. I had to...enter the hotel in secret as she was scared someone might connect me to her."

Det. Radley frowned. "So even before you met at the cafe she was afraid for her life?"

"Yes. She was afraid someone was after her. So she came to Gotham to..." he trailed off, shaking his head. "She wanted me to take care of Dusty. It was the last thing she did before she headed back to California."

"I see. Do you know who else was with her?"

"She had an assistant with her at the hotel..."

Det. Radley flipped to an earlier note. "That would be Trish Edgwood, her assistant for going on seven years?"

"Trish?" Dick shook his head again, frowning. There was an alarm bell tinkling in his head and he realized Batman would be doing a lot of research soon. "No, Chey told me Trish had the flu and was staying behind. I don't know the name of the woman she was with at the hotel."

Det. Radley glanced up sharply. "Are you sure? The woman we talked to after the accident introduced herself as Trish Edgwood. She was pale, had black hair, and a butterfly tattoo on her collarbone?"

"That's not Trish. Trish doesn't have a tattoo; she never had time to get one."

The detective flipped his notepad shut with a slap. "I see." There was an intrigued gleam in the detective's eyes as he rose to his feet and held a hand out for Dick to shake. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Grayson."

Dick shook the cop's hand and watched as he turned to leave. There was something he forgot to tell him...something about Dusty and Pierce not knowing about the baby...

"Wait!"

Halfway to the foyer, Radley looked back at him.

"If it's not a bother," Dick rubbed the back of his neck, "please don't mention Dusty to the media. Cheyenne was afraid for his safety and she probably had a good reason to be."

The detective tapped his forehead in a mock-salute, "We'll do what we can, Mr. Grayson."