Here is the second chapter! I'm really sorry that it took so long but I've just been really busy with school and work.

Disclaimer: I still own nothing. It's still very tragic.

A/N: Dick is older and they've got Jason, Tim, and Damian now. This takes place after Bruce's little adventure time-hopping.

At Mount Justice

It had been three days since Bruce had reappeared and Dick still hadn't talked to him. Every time they were in the same room together, Dick would rush out with some excuse that he knew sounded pretty lame but was an excuse nonetheless.

Now he was sitting in his room at Mount Justice, thinking about all that had happened during Bruce's absence and he wasn't quite sure what he thought about all of it. He was glad that Bruce was back but it frustrated him that he didn't know how or why Bruce disappeared. Part of him was ecstatic that Bruce had returned but the other part of him was confused as to how the man could have returned.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Who is it?" Dick asked even though he already knew that it was most likely Bruce.

"Dick, it's Bruce. Can we talk?"

Dick sighed. He knew that Bruce would corner him sooner or later and he had been avoiding his adoptive father for the last three days, something that he felt pretty guilty about now that he thought about it. It hadn't been Bruce's fault that he had disappeared. "Come in." he said. The door opened and Bruce walked, sitting on the edge of Dick's bed. Dick drew his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs.

"You haven't talked to me for three days. What's going on?" Bruce asked. Dick didn't say anything and Bruce tried again, saying, "Come on, Dick. I'd like to know what's going on. Tim already told me that you were pretty distraught while I was gone."

"It looks like I just couldn't stay traught, huh?" Dick tried to joke quietly. He laughed weakly and Bruce sighed quietly.

"Dickie, what's going on?" Bruce tried again.

Dick lowered his gaze to the twisted blankets on the bed. "I-I didn't . . . I wasn't . . ." he struggled to get the words out. He wanted to tell Bruce about how much he'd missed him and how it was really kind of hard to keep going as Batman during his absence. He wanted to tell Bruce about how it was kind of hard constantly being around Damian when the boy was pretty much the spitting image of his father. He wanted to tell Bruce about how being Batman was really difficult at times, especially when Damian was in danger and he couldn't do anything about it except hope that he got to the boy in time. He wanted to tell Bruce about how he'd almost given up a couple of times but he hadn't for the sake of his brothers. He wanted to tell him that it was hard trying to be strong for everyone else when he could barely stay strong for himself.

But what he didn't want to tell Bruce was how he had been so upset when Bruce had disappeared and that he had nearly broken when he found out his adoptive father was gone. He didn't want to tell Bruce how he'd cried himself to sleep some nights just because he knew Bruce would never be alive again. He didn't want to tell Bruce that he had known that Bruce would never go on patrol again or tell him to stop fighting with his brothers or tell him that he cared. He didn't want to tell Bruce about how he hadn't thought he was fit to take the role of Batman and to take the role of Damian's guardian. He didn't want to tell Bruce about how he had so badly wanted to believe Tim that their dad was still alive but he just couldn't do it because he just couldn't fill himself with false hope in case Bruce wasn't still alive.

Finally, the inward struggle seemed to cease and Dick spoke. "I-I didn't think . . . I didn't think that you were coming back." Dick finally said quietly. "I didn't think that you were alive." He looked up at Bruce. "Tim tried to tell me that you were still alive and I didn't want to give false hope to Damian."

"There's something more than that, Dick." Bruce said.

"I didn't want to hope that you were still alive and then be wrong, okay?" Dick said, tears threatening to spill down his face. "I didn't want to hope that you would come back and then you never show up. Tim kept trying to convince me that he knew he was right and I didn't want to get my hopes up just to be let down again. I couldn't do that to Damian." He grew quiet. "I couldn't do that to myself."

"I'm sorry," Bruce said quietly as he ran a hand through his eldest sons hair. Dick leaned ever so slightly into the touch and realized for the first that maybe he had missed Bruce even more than he had originally thought. "I know that there's nothing I can say or do to rewind the clock and bring back the time that I was gone but I am so sorry that you had to go through that. You shouldn't have had to do that."

"It's fine, Bruce." Dick said weakly.

"No, it's not, Dick, and we both know that. I left and it broke everything and you were left to pick up the pieces on your own. I know that Damian can be difficult and Tim tends to let his emotions get the best of him once in a while. I know that Jason can be very difficult and he doesn't think before he does something."

"That's an understatement."

"But I'm proud of you for trying to keep everything from falling apart. You did a way better job with Damian than I did. You also did a hell of a job as Batman. I know that I don't say it often enough, but I'm proud of you, Dick."

"I know, Dad." Dick said quietly.

Bruce wrapped his arms around his eldest son. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that. I'm just glad that everyone is alright."

"The important thing is that you're home, Dad." Dick said softly. He wasn't sure that Bruce had heard him until Bruce tightened his hold on the younger man and placed a feather-light kiss on the top of his head.

"I'm glad that I'm home."

Once again, I'm very sorry for the update being so late. I've been really busy with school and work and I'm getting ready to move in a couple of weeks. When I started these stories, I didn't plan on not updating for almost two years and I feel really bad about it.

I hope you enjoyed chapter 2! Please R&R, I would really appreciate it!

I'm trying to figure out if I should continue this, but I'm not quite sure. Please let me know what you guys think!