Dick’s POV

A I walked the short distance from the pavement to my safe house, I was ambushed.

With so many things on my mind, I wasn’t really concentrating properly, and didn’t notice until it was too late.

They jumped on me from behind, just as I turned to counter the attack. On a normal day, I would have beaten them easily, but that day was anything but normal. Eventually, after we both put up a good fight, I was knocked unconscious by a second person from behind.

When I awoke, it was to a splitting headache and darkness, a lot of darkness. I groaned. I already had so much on my mind, I didn't need kidnapping to be added to the list.

Eventually, I heard footsteps coming towards me, light ones that spoke of heels and femininity. I had a hunch about who it could be. I hoped I was wrong.

I wasn’t

She came striding into the room confidently, no doubt because I was bound to a metal chair by chains.
“Mr Grayson,” she sneered, “how lovely to see you again.”
“Talia,” I replied, with venom, “I wish I could say the feeling was mutual.”
“What do you mean?” she asked in surprise, “aren’t you glad to see your mother after all these years?”
I opened my eyes wider in surprise. How did she know?

She seemed to notice this as she laughed, “You look too much like him. I knew it had to be you. Strange, you end up living with him, not knowing that he’s your real father.”
I glared at her.
“What do you want from me?”
“Come now, Richard,” she said, impatiently, “I thought that would have been obvious. With your grandfather’s death…”
I cut her off.
“He is not my grandfather!” I shouted at her, “just like you are not my mother! You ceased to be so once I left the league!”
She glared at me harshly. I just glared straight back at her. If you can withstand the Batglare, you can withstand anything.
She slapped me across the face. I bore it easily, having experienced much worse. My mother glared at me once more, before continuing her ‘speech’

“As I was saying,” she shot me a filthy look, “since your grandfather’s death, the league has been without a leader. The duty, naturally, cannot fall to me, nor to Damian as he is too young and under-trained. Therefore it falls to you, my dear Richard, to become the leader of the League of Shadows.”
I glared at her in a mixture of shock and fury.
“I am never becoming one of you!” I replied, bitterly, “not again.”
“But, Richard,” she smirked, which I did not appreciate, “I’m afraid you’ll have to. You see, I happen to have the exact whereabouts of everyone you love and care about, on hand and easily accessible, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
She smiled sickly, knowing that she had got me.
“What about the holidays?” I asked, sarcastically.
She glared at me again.
“I think,” she said, lightly, “that you will find it to be best if you do not talk back to me.”

With that, she left the room, leaving me glaring venomously at her back. I had to think of a plan.

I spent the next few hours in the dark coming up with one. Eventually, I smiled to myself.

I shouted loudly to the guards who, I knew, were standing outside the door, demanding to see my mother. She soon came, bathing the room in light as the door opened, looking smug.

“Have you finally come to your senses?”
“It wasn’t as if I had much choice.”
“Is that a ‘yes’ then?”
“It is,” I replied, “but on 1 condition.”
“And that is?”
I told her.
“Alright,” she agreed, nodding, “that is a reasonable request.”

3rd person POV

Alfred was busy preparing dinner when he heard a knock on the manor’s front doors. He placed the bowl he was holding on the counter and walked to the hall, wondering who it could be.

He opened the large doors and found, to his astonishment, Dick standing there.
“Hey, Alfie,” he said, “mind if I come in?”
Alfred stood back to let the young man inside and closed the doors behind him. Dick then pulled the British man into a hug. The butler hugged him back, by now used to his affections.

“Where is everyone?” Dick asked.
“I would presume that they are out looking for you.”
Dick thought for a minute, trying to decide how to go about things.
“That’s fine,” he said, eventually, “I’ll wait for them to come back. What I have to tell everyone isn’t urgent.”
Alfred nodded silently, agreeing that it would be best for the household to return in their own time.

“Would you like something to eat in the meantime?”
Dick smiled, “that would be great, thanks Alfie.”

What Dick didn’t know was that Alfred was planning to put some sleeping medication in his food, having noticed the younger man’s tiredness.

After a few minutes, Dick yawned, excusing himself for a nap until the others returned. Alfred smiled to himself. His methods had always worked, and still no one knew that he was actually using them.

Dick trudged up the stairs to the bedroom he stayed in while at the manor, feeling more weary with every step. Eventually, he collapsed on his bed, asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

915 words