Title: The Monsters and The Weak

Summary: Bruce Wayne and Officer Dick Grayson are tied up together in a warehouse in Bludhaven as hostages. As negotiations heat up, Bruce learns the horrifying truth of what his son does as an officer of the law.

Author's Note: I'm back! I've been re-reading Batman comics and wished they showed more of Officer Grayson and Bruce Wayne! I wanted to show more of what Dick Grayson had to do as an officer and the choices he had to make. Some of you may be surprised by what is revealed later in this chapter and will argue that it goes against Dick's character. Please, just trust me on this as the story evolves. 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman, Nightwing, or other DC characters.

"And maybe just remind the few, if ill of us they speak,

that we are all that stands between

The Monsters And The Weak."

-Michael Marks, Modern War Poem

"Alfie has been threatening to tie us together for months to reconcile." Dick scoffed, tugging at the manila rope, its edges chaffing his wrists. "You have to laugh at the irony now."

Silence.

Dick resisted the urge to twist his neck around to check if Bruce was still awake. He could sense the rise and fall of Bruce's chest against his back. Its rhythm indicated he was awake, and restraining his anger. Dick resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Would you stop brooding over there? And I swear, if you're creating a list in your head of all the reasons why this is my fault, I don't care if we're tied up together, I'm going to drop kick you."

"Did I teach you nothing?" Bruce snapped.

Dick sighed. Here it comes. Somehow, they were able to work together as Nightwing and Batman without too much of a fight. Yet when Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne came together it either ended up in a fight or a sulking silent treatment.

"To be fair, you never taught me how to tie a tie."

"Is this all a big joke to you?" Bruce said, his voice harsh. His back trembled. "Why did you allow yourself to get kidnapped with me? If you hadn't, you would've been able to save me as..." Nightwing.

"You're in Bludhaven, Bruce. Kidnappers don't act under the same rulebook as Gotham," Dick grumbled. Why didn't Bruce ever trust him? Batman trusted him as Nightwing, and yet as Bruce Wayne, Dick did everything wrong. "It's not about ransom here. It never is."

"You should've stayed back and done your job," Bruce said.

"My job?" Dick kept his voice from rising. His hands squeezed into fists. "My job tonight as Bludhaven's finest was to act as your protective detail, Bruce. My job was to ensure your safety above all else. I'm doing my job."

"You're doing a terrible job of it."

Dick winced and was glad that Bruce couldn't see his face.

Bruce always had a problem with Dick's job as a police officer. From carrying a gun to not having proper backup to lack of protection. Bruce didn't understand why Dick needed to be a police officer to weed out the corruption in the Bludhaven police force.

He never understood anything Dick did.

Dick glanced down at his disheveled police uniform. His gun, baton stick, and taser had been stripped from him. They even found his knife hidden up his sleeves. So much for cutting his way out of this one. He spent the past two minutes trying to figure out how to unpin his badge from his chest to cut through the ropes.

Now would be the good time to have telekinesis. Or heat vision.

"Why did you decide to host a party in Bludhaven anyway?" Dick said, trying to redirect the 'who's most at fault' fight.

"If you were still a vital participating member of Wayne Enterprise, you would know that Wayne Entertainment is building a new stadium for Bludhaven Bloodhounds."

Dick gritted his teeth. "I know why you hosted a party. I was wondering you and your social elite class had to mingle at the Bludhaven Natural History Museum."

"It's the only decent place where you can host high-class gathering in Bludhaven."

Dick scoffed. "Only the best for Bruce Wayne."

He remembered a few days ago when Captain Amy Rohrbach took him aside for a private meeting before his patrol shift. She was one of the few officers who knew his relationship with Bruce Wayne. Because Bruce's party was sure to draw in crowds, Dick was assigned to be part of the security detail.

He hoped that meant directing traffic outside of the museum since Bruce had his own security measures and guards.

Instead, Amy assigned her and Dick to be Bruce's watchdogs because they knew what to keep an eye out for in Bludhaven.

Dick wondered if Amy and Alfred were in on it. To his knowledge they've never met, but Alfred was stealthier of all in the Bat family.

"Do you recognized the group who took us?" Bruce whispered.

Ah, Bruce was in Batman-mode now.

Dick thought back to the men dressed in military-black and combat boots who stormed the party from their blind spot, a hallway behind the dinosaur exhibit. Dick had steered Bruce toward the entrance when the guns fired.

Dick winced at the memory.

He'd drawn his own weapon in front of Bruce, trying to find a way to reason with the group before he ended up bargaining his and Bruce's wellbeing for the safety of the other guests.

He shared a quick look with Amy as he was dragged out.

She had been fuming.

"Hired mercenaries," Dick said. "Their loyalty changes depending on who's funding them. Last I saw them, they were guarding Bailey's Church."

"A church?" Bruce asked, aghast.

"Their priest is a member of the Divine Seraphim, an upcoming gang in the Little Drawbridge district." Dick pursed his lips. "Aren't you building the new stadium around that area?"

Bruce ignored that question. "Little Drawbridge. Isn't that one of the districts you frequently patrol?"

Dick's brows creased. "How do you know where I patrol?"

Bruce hissed. "How many run-ins did you have with them in your uniform, Dick?"

He opened his mouth to retort a withy response, but the double doors banged open, drawing in more light into the warehouse room.

Dick knew they were on Wharf Seven in the Narrows, because most of their warehouse windows had bars, much like the small one in the upper left corner of the room he and Bruce were being held in. They were tied with their arms to the side of the chair, their feet tied to the chair legs. The chair's back only had a rest at the top, most of its back were an open space. His and Bruce's lower backs touched one another.

Dick squinted trying to make out the faces of the three entering the room. The light behind them shadowed their features.

The gait from the one in the middle seemed...familiar.

As the figure drew closer, the features became more prominent. Sharp nose, oval face embedded with heavy lines. The man's body wasn't intimidating, but the hatred in his eyes made up for it.

Dick forced a grin. "Ah, Priest Andrews. There's no need for drastic measures, if you wanted me to come down for confessions, all you had to do was ask."

Andrews smiled, and if Dick hadn't grown up being exposed to the Joker's smile, he would have shivered at Andrews'. "Michael?" he asked.

The thick-neck and bald one on his left stepped forward and...

Dick doubled over, wheezing as air escaped his lungs. Dots danced in front of his vision, mocking him. The binds cut into his wrist and he felt blood pooling between his skin and the rope.

As he blinked his vision to normal, he noticed Andrews had approached Bruce. "I hadn't realized you were acquaintance with our esteemed guest, Officer Grayson."

"The...play...boy?" Dick asked between breaths. "Just met him...tonight." He turned his head and caught a glimpse of Andrews standing in front of Bruce. How were they going to play their way out of this one?

They were both civilians right now.

Well, technically, Bruce was and Dick was still operating under police duty. Heh. Who would've thought? Bruce Wayne and Officer Grayson held hostage together.

"Hmmm." Andrews trialed a finger along Bruce's jaw. "Mr. Wayne. I should be thanking you. Your new stadium will bring much needed business in my line of work!"

"I hope you get a lot of offerings during your Sunday church sessions, Priest...Andrews, was it?" Bruce said.

Dick resisted the urge to smile. There were times when Dick greatly enjoyed Bruce's playboy billionaire charm.

Andrew chuckled as if laughing at his own joke. "Ah, yes. Much donations indeed." He folded his arms across his chest. "I'm curious. What is your initial impression of Officer Grayson?"

Dick wanted to breathe a sigh of relief that he had been out of Bruce's spotlight for the past three years. Sure, it helped that Bludhaven didn't pay much attention to Gotham's gossip and news of the upper class, but no one had yet to connect Officer Richard Grayson to Bruce Wayne yet.

Discounting Amy and a handful of his fellow police officers.

"A respectable officer of the law," Bruce said.

Dick's brows rose. He wished he got that recorded.

Andrews barked a raucous laughter. "Ah, such naivety," he said, wiping a fake tear. "There's no respectable officer in Bludhaven, Mr. Wayne." He gripped a bundle of Dick's hair and pulled tightly causing tears to spring to Dick's eyes. "Officer Grayson most of all."

Dick's heart pattered hard, blood whooshed in his ears.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Bruce said, the low-baritone of Batman slipping into his voice. Dick could sense the wheels turning in Bruce's head as he tried to make sense of what Andrews told him.

Priest Andrews only chuckled. He tipped Dick's head back, exposing his Adam's apple. Andrews ran a thumb over it as it bobbed. "Should you tell him, Officer? Or shall I?"

Dick glared at Andrews. He had to have known that Dick was Bruce's ward. Why play this game? Like playboy Bruce would care whether or not a cop was corrupt.

"Sir!" a man's voice boomed from the doors. "We got the police on the line."

"I wonder, Grayson, how much you're worth to your little precinct."

"Bludhaven Police does not negotiate with scumbags," Dick said.

"Hmmm." Andrews threw Dick's head against the back of the chair and Dick gasped at the explosion of pain that shivered throughout his head and down his neck.

By the time he regathered his bearings, the trio had left the room, the doors slamming shut with an echo of finality.

"Dick, stop provoking him!" Bruce hissed.

Dick licked his lips and smacked them. "Oh, I'm going to have a killer of a headache in a minute."

"If you stopped provoking him and started asking him questions, we would've gotten answers to why we're here! Did you remember anything I taught you?"

"He wouldn't have told us anything, Bruce. This is all just a game to him. Provoking him proved just one thing."

"What's that?"

Dick sighed. He didn't want to admit that Bruce was right. "It's me they want. You're an added bonus."

Silence.

Damn it. It was his fault.

"You two have history," Bruce pointed out.

Keen observation. "Bound to be, I've patrolled his district frequently the past year."

"What did he mean by..." Bruce's voice trailed off.

What's the matter, Bruce? Scared to ask the question? Scared to find out how much more of a disappointment I am? How much I keep failing you?

"By me not being a respectable officer of the law?" Dick finished for him. He blew up a lock of hair that fell in front of his left eye. He thought for a moment, trying to construct an answer that didn't give the whole truth. "He has no love for Bludhaven's police, Bruce. They took away two of his sons."

"Why did he ask how much you were worth?" Bruce pressed. "I thought you said Bludhaven's criminals didn't do ransom."
They didn't. And he wasn't about to tell Bruce exactly what Andrews was trying to negotiate with his force. The priest was probably talking to Amy right now. "We need to focus on getting you out of here, Bruce."

"You mean getting us out of here," Bruce whispered.

I won't be getting out of this one. "Yeah," Dick said. "Sorry, still in Officer Grayson mode, Mr. Wayne."

"If you two had history, how come Bludhaven's police don't have any record of him?" Bruce said.

"You mean records you can hack into? Ah, we're mostly old school. Still do things by paper. We don't exactly have the fine technology that Gotham has..." He then added in a low whisper, "Or Batman."

"Damn it, Dick. This is why I didn't want you to become a cop. For this reason specifically! You're putting your civilian life at risk."

Dick released a bitter laugh. "Bruce, being your ward put my civilian life at risk! How's this any different?"

"Because you don't have Batman to watch your back!" Bruce snarled.

Dick's mouth clamped shut. Was that what this whole thing was about? Because Bruce couldn't protect him?

Bruce panted. "And being an officer goes against everything I taught you. Against your oath."

Dick swallowed. "Is this about wielding a gun?"

"It's more than that, Dick," Bruce said.

"I have to do this, Bruce. It's the only way I can clean out the corruption in Bludhaven's police force. And..." A pounding started to form throughout Dick's skull. Ah, great. "I needed to grow out of your shadows. Out of Batman's. Out of Bruce's. I needed to..." Become my own man. He couldn't voice that aloud.

"You could've done that without becoming an officer, Dick. There were other ways. You chose the path I hated the most."

Was that why Dick chose to be an officer? No. It was more than that reason. Choosing this path was not one that Dick chose lightly.

Dick twisted his feet a bit, trying to find a looseness in the ropes tied around his ankles. The guys who tied the ropes were professionals at this. He bit back a groan. Nightwing and Batman could've already gotten out of this. Why not Bruce Wayne and Officer Grayson?

"I didn't choose to be a police officer to spite you, Bruce. I chose it because I wanted to make a difference in this godforsaken town. I mean, Hell is a paradise compared to this place. I did it because I wanted the challenge. I did it because..." He wondered if he should continue with that sentence. He held onto his courage and finished it. "...because I knew I couldn't accomplish it as Nightwing."

He didn't know why he was telling Bruce this. Why now? Because it may be the last time...a lump formed in his throat.

"Nightwing could've accomplished it with Batman," Bruce whispered and Dick could hear the tight sadness in his voice, the betrayal that he still carried.

"What am I capable of outside of Batman? Outside of Bruce Wayne?" Dick whispered back, lowering his head in shame.

"Oh, chum..." Bruce said softly.

Warmth spread within Dick's chest at the familiar nickname. He hadn't been called that in quite a while.

"You are..."

The doors boomed open once more and heavy footfalls drew their way. Each step pounded in collision with Dick's pulsing headache.

Dick kept his gaze to the ground, trying to work up the courage, to work up who he was as Dick Grayson, who he was in his heart.

Andrews chuckled darkly.

"You're worth nothing, Officer Grayson."

"How much do you want?" Bruce said. "I can pay, whatever you wish!"

Andrews laughed. "Oh! How noble. Have you bonded so much in your short time together?"

"Name your price," Bruce pleaded.

Dick winced to hear it. Batman would never plead. Bruce would...and part of him wondered how much Bruce truly meant it.

"I'm so touched by this. Mr. Wayne. I'm not negotiating for money, and you can't give me what I want."

"What do you want?"

Andrews' tongue clicked in his mouth. "Oh, Richard. How long are you two going to continue this little ruse? Go on, tell your precious foster daddy what I want."

Damn it. He did know! Dick controlled his breathing, steadied it and raised his eyes to meet Andrews' gaze. He glared in defiance and seized the courage in his heart. "A clear pathway to Heaven."

Smack!

Dick's cheek stun, he could feel the burning pain of a cut that Andrews' ring created upon the impact. He hissed between his teeth and chuckled.

Andrews' dark glare bored into him. A cruel smirk formed. "Mr. Wayne. How did your parents die? Gunned down like nothing, am I correct?"

"Don't you dare speak of them," Bruce snarled, sounding more like Batman.

"Gunned down right in front of you. It must've been a terrifying sight. Witnessing a cruel man take away everything you love with two mere tugs of his finger."

Dick knew that Bruce was giving Andrews his Batman-death glare.

"You have a precious relationship with your ward, don't you? You were so eager to give up all your money for him, perhaps more if I pressed."

"Andrews, leave him alone," Dick snarled.

"You hated the man who gunned down your parents, don't you? You want revenge on him? You wish to kill him with every fiber of your being. Am I right?"

Bruce's breathing grew heavy yet he didn't respond.

Andrews' smirk grew and he leaned in toward Bruce's ears, yet Dick caught the whisper that would tear Bruce further away from him. The words that would shatter Bruce's heart. "Your precious boy here gunned down my own son in cold blood."

Bruce jerked violently as if he been smacked. "You...you're a cruel liar," Bruce snarled.

"Oh..." Andrews patted Bruce's cheek. "I can show you proof."

And the tension rises! Dun dun dun!