The ride back to Bludhaven was peaceful. The sun had just began to rise over the horizon, a chilly Sunday morning in the city. It wasn't spring yet but winter's cold embrace was ending. The bike drove over New Trigate Bridge towards route 91 which goes straight into Bludhaven. Dick's thoughts still miles away as Rachel clinged to his waist. She could still feel the bandages under his shirt, most of them he had taken off but still needed some to brace the bruised ribs from the explosion.

Rachel had been thinking about what Bruce said, she knew Dick needed to talk about what was bothering him to someone who would understand. But right now all she knew is that she had him in her arms, she squeezed tighter around his ribs and felt Dick wince in pain from the pressure she put on his injuries.

"Sorry, I forgot."

He smirked

"You forgot that I was caught in an explosion and fell six stories?"

Rachel didn't respond. She only raised her arms up to avoid Dick's ribs and squeezed tighter; she placed her cheek against his back and for the first time she had arrived in Bludhaven she was happy. Her emotions were dangerous but she could not resist the emotions of holding Dick. Dick just stared at the road still emotionless, contemplating what Bruce had told him and why he failed.

They soon crossed the bridge of U.S 61 and back into Bludhaven. Dick turned onto Parkthorne Avenue on Avelon Hill. where his apartment was located and pulled the bike into the garage in the alley. They walked up the stairs to his apartment without either of them saying a word. It continued like that for almost an hour, no one said a word.

"Dick, it's time you told me what in the hell is bothering you. You're not you. You have more darkness inside you than when we were Titans."

There was a long pause time almost stood still.

"I'm not who I was three years ago, I told you that."

"That's no answer Dick."

"I'm not in the mood Rachel, just drop it."

"NO! This is not going away"

A glass on the kitchen table exploded from Raven's anger releasing her dark magic. They both stared at the glass on the table for a few moments, Dick walked over to clean it up, hoping that it would change the course of the conversation. Raven put up a barrier blocking his access to the room.

Rachel sighed. Dick was clenching his fists holding back the anger. He had been holding back anger and frustration for months. Rachel dropped the barrier and walked over to dick, put a hand on his shoulder and spoke in a soft voice.

"Remember when we were Titans, you locked yourself in your room for almost a month tracking Slade's movements. The rest of us tried to pull you away but you were so damn stubborn. I ended up teleporting in and made you talk to me. I won't give up, you know that."

Dick was silent, he looked at the floor still holding in all those months of anger.

"Richard. It's okay. You can tell me anything, you know that."

Dick moved Rachel's hand and walked to the window, he stared out at the horizon he could see everyone going on with their daily routines he sighed.

"If I tell you, promise me it won't change your opinion of me."

"Dick, you know I wouldn't."

He sighed again and tensed his shoulders and kept staring out the window.

"That night, when I left Titans Tower I left without saying a word. I didn't know what to say to any of you. We were a team, friends who had stuck together through everything. Hell, we watched friends die and innocents get killed with collateral damage. I tracked you down when Slade had kidnapped you for your powers. Then we weren't needed. I wanted to say goodbye but I couldn't I was afraid I would stay with you or I'd ask you to come with me. I couldn't allow that. Anyway I went back to Gotham but I was reminded why I left; The Batman. I was in his shadow for too long I needed that part of my life to be over. I went to Superman, he told me of an old Kryptonian legend where an ancestor of his was exiled from the house of El. So he became a vigilante and was called Nightwing. I could relate, I felt like I was exiled from Batman's side so I went to Lucius Fox for help. He gave me a new suit and equipment to start. Then I heard about twenty one bodies that washed up on Gotham's shoreline. I put my ear to the ground and then heard about twenty one missing persons in Bludhaven. I came here and found out how corrupted this city is, it became my crusade as Gotham is Batman's crusade. I got a job as a bartender at a cop bar and soon joined the force and my partner was Sgt Amy Rohrbach. Then Amy and I got close… closer than I would have liked because I knew of the dangers. I investigated the murders with an associate Catalina Flores who became the new Tarantula. We found the murderer to be a brute of a name named Roland Desmond A.K.A Blockbuster, he was a mob boss in charge of all of Bludhaven. We tracked him down and he made my life a living hell. He found out my identity and killed most of my friends in this city. He killed Amy. I wasn't fast enough. Amy was one of the few clean cops in this city. She found out I was Nightwing because of a leg injury and kept the secret from the rest of the department. He would even kill random people I passed on the street. He promised he would kill everyone I knew and he would never stop and I just wanted it to end. One night I beat him within an inch of his life I was about to hand him over to the cops when Catalina told me to move. She had a .44 Magnum and all I had to do was move. I did. Catalina shot and killed Blockbuster, right there in front of me. I looked down and I had the blood of a dead man on my hands. My whole life Batman told me not to kill; it's what separated us from the psychopaths and murderers. I killed him, Rae. I tried to turn myself into Bludhaven police and they pardoned me. They thanked me for getting rid of a murderous cop killing bastard. I committed the Bat-Sin Rachel; Batman's biggest rule. I failed Bruce."

Rachel didn't know what to say. How could she? This was the former boy wonder that would lecture her for hours about not giving in to anger, never to let her dark side take over and become the demon her father wanted her to become. She stood watching Richard; he never moved or looked at her. He just stood there watching the people pass on the street. Because of the psylink she always knew what he was feeling; anger and regret. He was trembling, Rachel didn't know if she should comfort him, confront him for losing control or leave him be.

"Dick, I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything. This is my mistake, my burden, my failure. I'll bury it deep like everything else."

Dick turned around and looked at Rachel. She had never seen him like this. Sure he made mistakes before like when he was first started leading the Titans and the HIVE first attacked. But this was different.

"You don't have to face this alone Dick, I'm here."

Rachel walked over and did the only thing she could think of; something she needed to do a long time ago. She hugged him. Not some hug you give a friend that you haven't seen in a few years, this was a hug you give someone when you want them to forget all their troubles and about the rest of the world. Her face was buried against his left shoulder she had only hugged like this once before and it was when Dick found her after Slade had kidnapped her. Rachel didn't let go and Dick never resisted, instead he returned the hug something he thought he would never do. Dick's computer beeped and a green light flashed on the side, he grabbed Rachel by the shoulders and pushed her away.

Rachel was upset that Dick pushed her away but considering what he's been through she knows why he did it. Dick checked the computer on the counter and began to read the message out loud.

"It's a message to all BPD officers, Homicide. To all units near Stark Avenue; a Homicide has been reported on the corner of Stark Avenue and the corner of Melville Section. Officer Henry Hogan is on scene. One body reported; Male, blonde no identity is yet known. Detective Richard Grayson is requested to investigate site by Officer Hogan. Forensics have reported on scene cause of death has not been determined."

"Detective Richard Grayson?"

Rachel didn't know he was a detective she just thought he was a regular officer.

"Yeah. I took the test to become a detective and got a perfect score because of my training as Robin. I got promoted on recommendation from Henry and…"

Dick closed his eyes and lowered his head pressing his chin against his chest. He swallowed hard, opened his eyes and looked at Rachel.

"Henry and Amy recommended that I be promoted to detective after I linked a mob doctor to a string of murders on Avalon Hill."

He looked back at the computer and sent a quick message back to BPD.

"I'm sorry Rachel, looks like I'll have to report for this. You know where everything is if you get hungry. I don't know what time I'll be back these things can take hours."

Dick stood up and walked to his room. Rachel crossed the room to his computer to look at the message for herself. She heard Dick's door close and turned around to see him strapping his badge to his belt.

"Dick do you need help? I'm sure you could find a way to let me in with you."

"No thanks Rachel I got it."

Rachel didn't want to leave him alone, especially not after what he had just confessed to her. She felt she needed to be with him, he still had doubts and anger within him but Rachel knew it was best for him to be alone at certain times and this was one of them.

"Actually, you can help me with something."

He dug in his pocket and pulled out an earpiece and placed it in the palm of her hand.

"What's this for?"

She looked in her hand at the earpiece trying to figure out Richard's plan.

"It's so I can talk to you and relay information back to you. I'll send you case updates and files on anything related while I'm out in the field. I usually have to come back here and do it but hopefully with you here it will speed things up a bit."

Dick left to go the location of the murder and Rachel sat in front of the T.V. with the computer waiting for an update from Dick.

Half hour later Rachel heard a voice in her head.

"Rachel change of plans, we need to talk telekinetically too many cops around for me to talk into an earpiece, they might think I'm giving away case information. Can you set up the link?"

"It's always set up Grayson. You just need to focus on my thoughts. You don't have any powers but because of the psylink you can talk to me as I talk to you. Just focus like when we were Titans."

"Got it. Sorry, I keep forgetting about that it's been awhile."

"Yeah I got it."

"So what's going on, how bad is th-"

"Son of a bitch!"

Rachel felt his anger flare again and his thoughts went back to being dark. Rachel heard nothing since Dick cried out in anger.

"Dick what is it? What's wrong?"

Richard was gritting his teeth, clenching his jaw and making a fist again.

"Talk to me Dick."

"The victim… His name is Thaddeus Ryerstad. His street name is… was Scorch. He was a kid that lived off the streets, an orphan. He would pass along Intel to the police and to me while I wasn't exactly on duty if you get my meaning."

"You used a kid to spy on criminals?!"

"Yes but I had him moved into a boarding house. He had food, a family. I did everything right, or so I thought I did. Raven I'm sorry but I'm going to go dark for awhile I need time to sort this together if I need anything you'll be the first."

"Dick let's ta-"

"Goodbye Raven."

The link went dark, she could sense his thoughts but his presence was masked from her.

Dick was thinking to himself.

"He was walking back to the boarding house from school, no signs of a struggle so his killer never confronted him. No signs of gang activity, no calling cards. This wasn't a gang hit so the motivation wasn't a warning or a turf war. Trying to get under someone's skin maybe. The police? But this close to the station it had to be done by a professional. Deadshot? No. wrong caliber bullets, not one of his untraceable rounds. A shell casing next to the body. But the killer didn't take the shot from here the casing was dropped on purpose. Why? Did they want me to find them? But why me specifically? Wait a second, this shell casing is familiar I haven't seen it since… No it can't be. He's gone, has been for years it's a coincidence it has to be."

Dick returned home after dark, Rachel had made dinner for the two of them but he was still on guard.

"Hey, how did the case go?"

Rachel was happy or trying to be. Anything to take his mind off the murder of Tad.

"Fine. I found something though, something I thought would have gone away by now but y past has a way of creeping back."

"What do you mean Dick? What happened?"

He reached down into his pocket and felt around as he pulled out the casing he stared down at the ground never making eye contact with Rachel he sat it down on the table, he then walked to the table and sat down to eat the dinner Rachel had made. Rachel picked up the shell to examine it.

"This shell it looks like… Dick is this HIM?