Dick met Jason at Allison's estate six hours later. The vague intel was enough to convince the oldest son to investigate, but do not by any means call them partner. Bruce would have waited and kept that information to himself, but Jason was a man of action and was not a patient man. It was his demise in that warehouse, not like he learned from that.

Dick was surprised when he showed up at the manor. "I thought it would be bigger."

Jason nodded his head to follow to the front door, "She falls in to the think-small-to-make-it-big school of thought."

Dick chuckled, "Sure she does."

Jason caught that insult. Dick was never soft with the innuendo when the family wasn't around. "You prefer to be called Dick."

He knocked on the doors and was greeted by a stoically exasperated Gloria. They barely knew each other in the face-to-face sense, but he could see that she would never trust him. Not like she should after all. She was proper to Dick for his sake. "Mr. Todd and Mr. Grayson, if you would like to stop wasting your time, it would be wise to make an appointment before coming to the estate, especially unannounced and in the status you are." No doubt this was a dig at their origins.

"I think you can make an exception," Jason replied.

"If the exception you are thinking of using against us is going to let you in this house I believe you are sadly mistaken."

Before Jason could say something vulgar, Dick interrupted. "I think what Jason means is that this is something very important and it would be rude to solve with a phone call. Even then, with all our own provisions, it would not be safe for both sides."

Gloria reluctantly let them but only into the front hall and stopped them from going any further, "I am afraid you have missed her. She is on her way to London for work."

"And you didn't go with her? What kind of assistant does that make you?" Jason asked. Not so much asked, but more condescended.

She crossed her arms. "I still fail to see what she sees in you."

Dick smiled, "You and me both. But before we go any further into each other's merits, we did come to ask both of you questions."

"If you are looking for her secret lair, I'm afraid that it will have to be another day, if there is ever will be one."

"Nothing like that, but actually you would be better to ask since you have known her since she was very young."

"Yes, I was her nanny for many years and I was a manager of the estate staff. I know everything there is about her, this family, and most of both businesses."

Jason asked, "Then lets start with Deathstroke." Dick could have made that smoother, but leave it to Jason to cut to the chase. "What is her connected to him?"

Gloria ushered them further into the home, and they followed her to the spacious kitchen. "Have a seat at the island." They took their seats. Gloria in turn opened the cabinet under the sink and pulled a bottle of gin and a small glass. "You want that story?"

The both nodded. She turned around again and provided them their own glasses. Alfred maybe did this once in a blue moon, now that the former Robins were much older and considered each other more friends than masters and servants. Gloria looked however that she needed assistance to think about what she was about to divulge. "In order to understand that story, you have to understand the novel. I will however only provide you the cliffnotes."

Any and all mistakes are mine. I actually thought I could wrap this thing up several chapters, but damn, this is taking some different turns as I let this linger.