Dick smiled and waved to another group of giggling girls as he walked back to his car. He was on BPD patrol in the older and more crime-ridden part of Bludhaven. His partner, Amy, had disappeared the moment he parked the car claiming that there had been a domestic disturbance call across town. He suspected that she had gone to play hooky, not that there was much to do today. The city seemed almost still today, no robberies, no drug dealers- nothing at all. It was sort of freaking Dick out. Day or night Bludhaven always had a crime in progress, it was considered one of the worst cities in the country, only second to Gotham. But while Gotham had Batman to take care of her crimes during the night, Bludhaven had its hero Nightwing.
A smile appeared on Dick's face as he thought of his night job. Going out on patrol as Nightwing brought a sense of satisfaction to Dick that he couldn't get from being a cop. Flying through the air from rooftop to rooftop. The wind blowing in his hair as he punched a thug.
Ahhhhh… the satisfaction.
Dick was brought out of his revelry as he felt a small body slam into his legs. He looked down in surprise at the boy who had ran into him.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. Are you ok?" Dick offered his hand to the boy on the floor. The boy looked up and angrily pushed Dick's hand away before getting up himself.
"I'm just dandy." The boy muttered while dusting his clothes off.
Dick took that moment to scrutinize the boy. He had jet black hair and a pale complexion. The boy probably only reached Dick's waist and had a muscular physique for being so young. His cheeks were slightly hallowed in and Dick found he could almost see all his ribs through the thin, dirty, cotton shirt he was wearing.
An orphan most probably Dick concluded with an air of pity. Such sights were not uncommon in this city. Orphans were usually put in an orphanage for a couple of months before they were either adopted or they ran away. The first option was unlikely, being as most people in Bludhaven had barely any money to feed themselves, the children were usually left to fend for themselves.
Dick understood that situation very well. After his parent's death, he had been put in an orphanage for a few weeks before the matron, a racist, transferred Dick to Gotham Juvie. He stayed there for a total of three days before he ran away to Jump City. There, he had lived on the streets for a month until he joined a ragtag group of heroes that had been impressed by his acrobatic moves on a lamp post. They called themselves the Teen Titans and Nightwing was born. Somehow Dick found himself as a leader and helped the once unknown group of heroes grow globally. Eventually when Dick turned eighteen he decided it was time for him to start out on his own. So he said goodbye to his team and girlfriend, Kori, and moved to Bludhaven.
He tried out for the police academy and well… here he was now. Dick still kept up with the Teen Titans, video chatting Kori every day and visited once or twice a month. Looking at the boy he had knocked into brought back memories of living on the street.
Finished dusting himself off the boy looked up at Dick with green eyes glittering in anger and frustration. "You're supposed to tackle the bad guys not little boys!" The boy snarled. "Watch where you're going." Crossing his arms the green-eyed boy marched past him before turning a corner and disappearing.
As soon as the boy was out of sight Dick remembered how the boy had brushed past him and recalled a similar pickpocketing maneuver. Dick started patting down his pockets checking for anything missing. Patting his back pocket Dick felt it empty. That boy just pickpocketed my wallet! Dick's shock quickly turned into anger. He turned around and ran around the corner into an empty alley.
Dick stood there gazing at the garbage cans. That boy had to be here, there's no other place to go. After a few more minutes of silence Dick retreated. Maybe he went the other way? Dick turned ready to leave the alley. Before he could take his first step a cry went out.
"No, Cass, don't!"
Dick turned around to see a young girl in midair about to kick him. Thinking fast Dick jumped out of the way, landing on his feet and adding in a couple of flips as well. As soon as the girl landed Dick pounced on her and grabbed her by the waist holding her to his chest. Ignoring the girl squirming in his arms, he looked over the alley again.
"Who's there? Come out with your hands above your head!" A shuffling sound began and two boys came out behind the garbage can. One of them was the green-eyed boy Dick had been chasing while the other looked to be four years old. He had black hair as well a tan complexion and high cheekbones that spoke of good breeding, his eyes were a shade of blue that almost matched Dick's just a shade darker.
"Please don't put us in jail, Mistew Officew! We pwomise we wewen't twying to huwt you." The younger boy pleaded. Dick sighed.
"First, you give me back my wallet." Dick said pointing at the green-eyed boy. The boy put one hand in his pocket and pulled out the leather wallet and dropped it on the floor in between Dick and him. Dick walked over and pocketed the wallet. He turned to the little girl in his arms.
"I want you going to put you down, okay? I want you to go over there and stand next to the boys with your arms above your head." The girl stopped moving and cocked her head as if considering his words before nodding. Dick placed the girl on the floor and watched as she walked over to stand next to the boys.
"Okay, kids. What are your names?"
The three children looked at each other before turning to look at the green-eyed boy. He sighed.
"My name is Jason Todd. The lil' guy next to me is Tim Drake and the gal is Cassandra." Dick raised his eyebrows.
"No last name?"
"We don't know. Cass doesn't speak English good. She uses hand gast- guess-gestuwes." Tim piped up. Dick held back a smile at Tim's struggle to pronounce the word gestures.
"How old are you guys?"
"I'm fouw! Jason's nine and Cass is si-seven?" Tim looked to Cassandra for confirmation and she shook her head and held up five fingers.
"Oh! She's five!" Tim chirped. Time to pop the big question.
"What are you guys doing living on the streets?"
Suddenly the playful nature dropped from Tim and Jason looked down.
"My dad left me and my mom a couple of years ago and last year I came home from school to find my mom dead on the kitchen floor. The police said she overdosed on painkillers. I was put in an orphanage and I broke out a week later. I found Tim and Cass huddled underneath a cardboard box. Tim's parents died at a shooting and he ran away from the scene and became lost. Cass… well, Cass we don't know much about. She knows a lot of cool martial moves though so we think she was being trained to be a ninja or something."
Dick stared at the children. These poor kids had been through so much. Even Cass, Dick knew living on the street was tough. He couldn't just let these kids fend for themselves! Dick pulled out his wallet, watching the kids out of the corner of his eyes fidget in guilt, he rifled through the pockets. Making sure all his credit cards, money, badges and driver's license was there. Satisfied, Dick tucked the wallet in his breast pocket where it would be harder to steal.
"How would you kids like to have dinner with me?" All the shuffling stopped.
"No strings attached?" Jason asked raising an eyebrow.
"No strings attached." Dick nodded. Tim squealed and began hugging Cassandra while she shot a grin at Dick then hugged back. Jason grinned and leaned back against a wall crossing his arms and watching the younger children.
"I'll take that as a yes!" Dick laughed. The squealing went on for a while before Tim suddenly stopped and toddled over to Jason to whisper something in the older boy's ear. Jason leapt off the wall and scurried into a dark corner of the alley. He delicately picked up a sniffling something and walked back to Dick.
"We forgot a member. This is Damian we found him yesterday crying his lungs out in a Gotham alley."
"Yesterday?" Dick asked carefully picking up the baby. "Was there anything with him?" Dick peeled open the clothes and looked down at the slowly quieting baby. The poor thing was covered in bruises.
"Hey, you made him stop cwying!" Tim said inching closer and closer to Dick.
Jason looked on curiously. "Yeah, he's been crying since we found him. All he's been doing is hittin' and screamin' at us."
Dick quickly wrapped up the baby again and placed him against his chest, feeling the baby clutch at his shirt. "Listen kids, we need to get Damian to a hospital he's badly injured. We can make a stop at Subways or Wendy's, is that okay?"
Jason furrowed his eyebrows before nodding he held out his hand for Tim and the boy latched on. Dick did the same for Cassandra and watched as she stared at it distrustfully before also latching on.
"C'mon kids my car is at the corner of this block."
The children followed Dick to the car and watched as he turned it on and drove out of the city. As he was entering the highway Tim piped up from the back.
"Ummm… Mistew Officew, you nevew told us youw name." Dick startled. Tim was right he had never introduced himself to the children.
"My name is Richard Grayson but you guys can call me Dick." He heard a snort from the back and caught eyes with Jason on the rearview mirror.
"Sorry…Dick."
"Can I call you Mistew Gwayson? My mommy told me to nevew say that wowd." Tim asked innocently.
Dick couldn't help but smie. "Sure you can, Timmy,"