Chapter 11

Tim made it outside of the coffee shop, trying to keep his bag on his shoulder as he walked quickly to Dick Grayson's position. "Mr. Grayson… Mr. Grayson, I need to speak to you."

Tim was pretty sure his voice cracked and he looked like an idiot. Maybe he should have let his parents put him in that cotillon class they went on about; if not only for the social aspect. He almost leapt for joy when Dick turned around. "Hello?" Dick's face looked a bit confused as he let Tim take the last few steps towards him. "Do I know you?"

"No… not really." Tim answered a bit too fast. "But… Well… There's something I need to talk to you about. Do you have a minute."

Dick studied Tim for a moment, making the younger boy's heart bit faster in anticipation and worry. Would Dick listen to him? Would this make Batman go against him? (God, he hoped not; and his research says otherwise… But no one has heard of anyone ever learning about the Bat. So either no one has or… Well, dead men tell no tales.)

Cocking his head, Dick smiled. "Don't look so scared, kiddo. We can talk." Dick paused, and then stuck out his hand. "You obviously know my name, so can we even the field with me knowing yours?"

Tim would swear that he did not gulp/hiccup/or make any other noise of surprise. This was really Dick Grayson, the magical boy on the trapeze who took a picture with a small six year old. The one that watched his parents fall. The one who became a bright beacon in the night. A beacon that called out Tim, and led to this exact moment.

"My name is Tim Drake." Tim replied after a second to collect his thoughts.

"Nice to meet you Tim. You can call me Dick." Dick smiled, sticking out his hand.

Shaking the other's hand, Tim nodded. Why someone would willingly call themself 'Dick' was beyond him. But it seemed to fit the other man before him. "All right Dick… as I was saying. I need to tell you something. Is there somewhere you'd like to talk. This information is a bit… Sensitive."

Dick cocked an eyebrow at Tim, his facial expression seeming to change into something more serious. "Sure, kid." Looking around he sighed, "The parking lot over there is pretty empty."

"Looks good." Tim said, walking over to where Dick pointed.

The walk took exactly three minutes and forty-three seconds. Three minutes and forty-three seconds in which Tim was racking his brain for how he was going to do this. Was there a decorum for letting a hero know you unmasked them at the age of nine? Was it even socially acceptable to do this (like outing someone in the closet). Tim was pretty sure he was about to make a fool of himself, in more ways than one.

"So what did you wanna talk about Tim?" Dick asked when they were reasonably enough away from anyone else.

"You need to be Robin again." Tim said. 'So we're just going with blurting everything out today it seems.' He mentally berated himself.

"Wai… What?" Dick asked, completely blindsided by this turn of events.

"You need to be Robin again." Tim said, his conviction completely dedicated to this line of action now. "Batman is being reckless… and with the Joker back out there…" Tim paused, collecting his thoughts so they were one coherent thread. "Batman needs a Robin. It makes him better… And since Jason can't do it, you have to!"

Dick's face went from shocked to guarded in about point-three seconds as Tim finished talking. "What are you talking about kid? You think I'm Robin." There was an aloof laugh and then a grin. "Wow, kid. Who put you up to this."

"No one!" Tim said, insulted and angry. He was not some dumb kid, he had evidence. Years and years of following both sets of the Dynamic Duo. Years of studying their actions so well, that he could hide from them. "I've followed all of you for years. Ever since…"

Dick was obviously guarded, studying Tim like he was about to burst into the Joker, or maybe Clayface would be better, any second. "Since when?"

"Since I saw you do triple somersault." Tim replied, trying to figure out if he was angry or embarrassed right now.

"I've haven't done a triple somersault in years." Dick replied, visibly relaxing though still coiled for action. "At least where people could see… Unless you're stalking me, cause then that's just creepy."

"I'm not stalking you!" Tim shouted, and then covered his mouth. He then started talking in a more conversation-normal voice. "At least not like that… I was there. The night your parents fell. My parents were there for the gala event and they brought me because I liked gymnastics…" Tim paused, looking away from Dick. "We actually met, for a few minutes. I was one of the few kids that donors brought, and… Well, I don't know why, but your parents invited us to talk. You gave me a hug and took a picture with me. Said that you'd do the triple because I said I never saw one before."

Dick studied Tim with a look that was almost recognition but more scepticism than anything else. Tim continued to speak though, "And after that night, Bruce Wayne took you in. My parents went to some Wayne events… Not that they were ever around much. Talked about you. And then one night, Robin appeared, and a few weeks later there was news footage of you. And you did a perfect triple from a street light post. It bugged me for weeks, until I remembered the boy from the circus. And it all clicked.

"And now Jason is hurt… And Bruce needs you Dick. Batman has to have a Robin!"

Dick was dumbfounded, it was evident from his face and mannerisms as he searched for what to say. Of course Tim was not surprised. Learning that someone cracked the Batman code. Something people have been trying to do for more years than Tim remembers. And being done by a child? Unheard of.

"Kid, I'm going to ask again." Dick's voice was suddenly full of authority and something dark that did not seem to belong to him, "Who put you up to this?"

Tim stood his ground, though he was shaking. "No one did. No one knows this information but me."

"Why are you coming out with this now? You could do alot with this information somewhere else." Dick countered, obviously baiting.

"I don't wanna go somewhere else." Tim replied, looking at his feet. "I didn't set out to figure this out. I'm too smart for my own good… but someone needs to be Robin, and if Jason can't it has to be you."

"I'm sorry kid." Dick smiled sadly. "I'm not Robin anymore. Maybe I never really was. There is no more Robin. Bruce won't let what happen to Jay happen to anyone else."

"But…" Tim said, defeated. He had come to Dick because he thought he could help. He thought if anyone would know what the Boy Wonder meant to Batman, it would be the first.

Dick inhaled sharply, "But I think you should come with me." Dick grabbed Tim's shoulder, steering him back towards the car he had driven here.

"Bruce. We have a problem." Dick said into his cell phone as he sped down the narrow roads towards Wayne Manor. He still could not believe his day, or at least the fact that was effectively unmasked by a child who looked like he still should be monitored outside of the home.

Said kid was currently in the seat next to him, sitting as far into the leather passenger seat of the small sports car. To be honest, the kid was nothing special. Years of training told Dick he was an athlete, and if what he was saying was true… No Dick could not think of that.

The shared past that the kid had said they shared; Dick could somewhat remember. That night was marred by the death of his family, but a small child with a smile that shone like the moon. That was there too. Maybe this kid was genuine. Dick hoped he was; cause the alternative spelled doom for his recovering family.

Jason sat in front of his computer, debating on if he should just close it and walk away. He had already done the four sessions he had promised Barbara he would complete. It was just, he kind of liked talking to Dr. Lance, A.K.A The Black Canary.

It was second session they had shared, via Skype, that Jason learned that she was also a hero; not just some adjacent person to a League member. Lance had given her secret in, what Jason saw as, a proverbial olive branch for Jason to open up.

Which, even to his amazement, he kind of did. That session and the next, they spoke about his mother. How he had watched his mother leave him long before she had died. How when he learned about Sheila he just wanted some way to start over. About how he missed the woman who raised him.

They never talked about the elephant in the room though. They never talked about how Jason had almost died, or that he was now missing a limb. Jason did not want to talk about things he was not incontrol.

Jason was pulled out of his musings by the ringing from his computer. Not even thinking about how he was debating on ignoring her today, Jason accepted the call from Dr. Dinah Lance.

"Hello, Jason. How are you today?" The young(ish) blonde asked with a smile, slightly adjusting her camera.

Jason was always amazed at seeing the other woman, even before he knew she was another avian-named crimefighter. She was beautiful: blonde hair, soft blue eyes, and a smile that just made you wanna trust her. It almost made Jason forget that Sheila had similar features. "I'm fine."

Dinah nodded, "How's physical therapy going?"

"It's going well." Jason said quickly. He would rather not go into small talk, even if the alternative was spending an hour staring at a screen with a person staring back at you.

Dinah nodded, moving something on her desk. "I hear that you think you might return to school in the spring."

Jason nodded. This was true. Even with all the drama with the media, Jason wanted to be able to do something, almost anything was better than being cooped up in the Manor 24/7. "Yeah. Just figure I need to get used to the outside world at some point."

"That would be a good idea." Dinah nodded.

"Yep." Jason said, the conversation dying again. Maybe he could remotely turn off the Wi-Fi and cry technological failure if Dr. Lance became upset. Then again, she could call Bruce… And well, though Jason was sure that Bruce knew he was talking to Lance, he wondered how he would react.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about this, but how are things with Bruce?" Though Jason knew that Canary knew who Batman was (dating Green Arrow, A.K.A Oliver Queen, put people into some interesting circles).

"The same. He isn't around much." Jason shrugged. So what if Bruce was distant now, if not more as of late. He was busy with W.E. and the Joker break out (which Jason was still not 'told' about).

"And Dick is going back and forth from Bludhaven every other week, am I correct?"

"Yeah, he's coming for the long weekend." Jason replied, leaning back in his chair. Things were really quiet when Dick was gone.

There was more silence, this time lasting a few minutes, before Jason spoke. Probably surprised them both. "I lost almost an entire year of my life. Did you know that, ten months of my life because I thought I needed to find something I never had. Two months searching for someone that didn't even exist except in my head. A month and a half, asleep because some Psychotic Ass Clown thought it was funny. Four months in a hospital bed after waking up. And now two months back here… And I can't even figure out if I should have died. Cause I sure as hell ain't living now."