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Knox has a much larger pile of newspapers than usual. Newspapers with headlines that mention, in no particular order, Harvey "Two-Face" Dent, Batman, the "Riddler" aka Edward Nygma (really), Tony "Boss" Zucco, Bruce Wayne, the Flying Graysons, and someone called Robin. It's been a busy few months in Gotham, and Knox is trying to make sense of it all.

Because he has a theory.

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Does he ever get the feeling that someone's reading over his shoulder?

Or, you know, maybe, from the rafters. Thoughtfully.

"Someone up there?" When you drink at this bar, you better know to look up every so often.

"Hmm," Steph says, and grins. "Nope. Nobody here."

"Well, well. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Robin. Because look what we have!" He holds up a newspaper with two figures in silhouette, one with pointed eyes and a flowing cape, the other with no cowl, a shorter cape, and no resemblance whatsoever to any costume people from certain timelines might have seen in a bad movie.

Steph blinks.

"Is that what I think it is? Hold it one second --"

At the end of that second, the stool beside him is occupied, and Steph's looking at the papers in fascination.

"Wow."

"Yup. No good photos yet, and if Robin is like the Bat, there never will be. But we have a Robin.

"Which has everyone really confused, aside from the reports of a costume more or less like yours in colors. Why Robin?" He finds two articles with fairly good eyewitness reports, including one from the big throw-down between Batman and Two-Face mob at a society party.

"I can't answer that," Steph says solemnly, "it's a trade secret."

But she's grinning a second later, bright, poring over the photos as if they hold the secrets of the universe. "I think it's -- I mean, I think I know who he is, it's just hard to tell with the blurry photos. But oh, wow. That's kind of cool. There's a Robin again."

"Well, here's the crazy thing. I think I have a clue who he is, too." He switches to the newspaper with the "CIRCUS TRAGEDY" headline and a photo of a 16 year old boy with the saddest face ever. "I just don't know what to do with it."

Steph is not smiling, now.

"If you do anything with it," she says, softly, "he'll be a target, and his family will be a target, and everyone he's ever known. And there will be people shooting at that target."

One of the first things she did as Robin was fight that woman who was out to kill Tim.

"And I undermine him. And Batman. And Bruce Wayne. And if I'm wrong...or even if I'm right...there will be denials. And lawsuits. I have no real proof. Just a lot of facts.

"But...if I figured it out, someone else can. And that's why this is kind of big." Not as big as accidentally learning Superman is Clark Kent. But big.

"Yeah," Steph agrees, frowning, eyes on that small red and yellow blur. "It's big. Are you - you're a reporter, right? Pretty well respected? Is there - can you obscure it? I mean, this is a kid's life you're talking about."

"Yeah, but I won't lie if someone else comes forward, either. I tell the truth, always." Rachel Grey, wherever she is now, would want it that way. So would Alex Knox. "But for now, I don't tell anyone out there.

"But I can trust some people here. Maybe."

"That's ... good, I guess," Steph says, warily.

She really, really wants to steal all the evidence, hide everything, and protect everyone she knows as long as she possibly can. Except ... that would be interfering with someone else's world. Maybe it's meant to go this way. She can't save everyone. She had to learn that.

It's troubling, though.

"If I tell you what I worked out, can you tell me how close I got? Or does your Bat-Oath stop even that?" She would be useless as a source. But a sounding board is really what he needs.

Steph drums her fingers on the table, uncertain.

"... I don't know. Tell me anyway, and I'll let you know?"

"Well...let's start with this kid. Dick Grayson. His family was killed in an accident at the circus. Trapeze artists, and the trapeze gave way.

"Only, in classic Gotham style, it wasn't an accident. Everyone was pretty sure of that right away."

Steph tucks her hair behind her ear, keeping her face calm and serene.

"Mm."

He already knows a lot more than she'd like.

"This was part of an effort by Boss Zucco to be in the good graces of Two-Face, aka Harvey Lee Dent, ex-DA and current mob boss. And that was bound to get Batman's attention.

"But at the same time, Grayson ended up staying at Bruce Wayne's stately manor, I think because it has really good security and a surviving family member could hide.

"And also because Wayne is an orphan and crime victim, too. This part is important." As noted by the big circle around this news item.

Steph leans over to examine the article, mostly to avoid looking at Knox.

"Seems significant, I guess."

She really shouldn't be so involved. It's someone else's world. She's not allowed to interfere. Right?

"Here's where the pieces start to come together. Three weeks after the Grayson tragedy, Batman has the pieces together and goes after Zucco and his gang. But a couple of witnesses say they saw a teenaged boy in a hood helping out. A teen who was pretty acrobatic.

"That never made it into the papers. Eyewitness accounts don't always have enough going for them. But it kind would make sense that Grayson would want in.

"Assuming he had a way to get in."

Knox has been rehearsing this in his mind for days.

"Go on."

Steph is neither frowning nor looking at Knox. It's the Big Secret. He's a reporter.

This is ... this is really not good.

Knox isn't sure if Steph is going to give him any help.

"Here's where it gets complicated. Bruce Wayne introduced Batman to Grayson. Or maybe Batman asked to meet Grayson. Or maybe Grayson came up with the same thing I did.

"Wayne funds Batman. It's his way to fix the world and make up for his own parents' death. And Grayson is the perfect person to be part of that mission with the Bat.

"Whoever he is."

Steph's fingers go still on the paper for a moment, and then she goes back to circling.

"I can't tell you who it is," she says, apologetic. "I ... can't really tell you anything."

But man, is that a relief.

"I don't think who he is under the mask matters. He's probably just some ex-athlete who Wayne hired for the task. For all I know, the plan is for Grayson to move up into the job when the Bat is too battered to move.

"Right now, though, we have a Robin and I'd bet my fortune it's Dick Grayson. If there were a way to prove it. And a reason."

Steph rubs at the back of her neck.

"I don't think you should prove it."

Dick is so young. He won't even be trained yet.

"I hate to leave something like this alone. But you're right. For now.

"I guess it's a card to play in case things go wrong. Not that I think they will." But suppose the new hero goes wrong?

Steph fidgets a little more, frowning. It's really hard to think of things to say that won't help, but she also kinda doesn't want to lie to Knox. He's good people.

"If it's the same as in my world, he's really, really good at his job," she says, tapping her fingers. "I mean, he taught me a lot. You wouldn't - I don't know what would go wrong."

"He could be a really bad Batman someday. But so far, everything about the Bat has been fine. No reason to think this will be any different.

"And in the meantime, two heroes to cover. And maybe sooner or later, another you." Which would be weird.

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