"So you shouldn't have been dining with him, right?"
"Indeed, I shouldn't have. During my whole life playing Texas poker, it was the first time I got a Royal Flush, but he stole one of my cards."
Barbara had a thousand things to say, concerning philosophy, society, and human nature. Yet, what she ultimately asked was, "How did you punish him?"
"I handcuffed him, but I couldn't bring him to the police station. He might have ended up stealing cards from the night shift police officers. Those young officers don't have a patience like mine; they might have ended up beating him to death."
"The world is going mad!" Barbara exclaimed, seemingly in despair. She took a deep breath, trying to regain her usual rational state as Oracle.
Gordon leant forward and asked tentatively, "Is your admiration for Batman genuine?"
"Of course, all members of the Batman Family gathered around him due to their admiration for Batman," Barbara tried to explain. "I never imagined having romantic feelings for someone of an age vastly different from mine... I mean, it's not like I lack a father's love!"
Gordon immediately became alert and asked, "So it's all right if the age difference isn't that big?"
"Wait, you said that in your universe, Barbara and I never had any conflicts and got married early on. At a time when I was still with Barbara, I seriously considered getting married. If we did get married, we would probably have a child a year after our wedding."
"Let me calculate... If you were born at that time, and if I brought you with me to Gotham, met Batman, and got mixed up with the Wayne Family, then the person around your age would be... You like Dick?!"
Barbara's face turned red instantly. She glared at Gordon, teeth clenched, and said, "Should I start calling you Detective Gordon?"
Gordon leaned back and slammed the table. He heaved a long sigh, and put his beer mug on the distant table. He glanced at Bruce and then said, "Alright, even Dick is better than Wayne. How far have you two gone? Have you taken any precautions?"
"We've already broken up," Barbara gulped down two mouthfuls of beer and said. "He's adamant about returning to Brude Haven."
"My God, how old were you at that time?"
"At that time, we were not... "
Barbara pursed her lips, seemingly lost in memories. After a while, she impatiently put down the marker in her hand and said, "All the Robins of Batman have experienced some tough times. Dick and Jason were the first victims. Brude Haven is Dick's hometown. Perhaps he wanted to remember his parents there. I had no reason to stop him."
"Remember his parents?" Gordon asked surprisingly. "Are his parents dead? Was it some disease?"
This time, it was Barbara's turn to be surprised. She looked at Gordon and said, "Dick was adopted by Batman because his parents were murdered. If his parents were still alive, how would he have become an adopted son of the Wayne Family?"
"I don't know about that, but Dick's parents are definitely alive. He usually spends his weekends in Brude Haven."
Barbara's breath hitched instantly. She reached out and grasped Gordon's sleeves tightly, asking, "The Graysons are still alive? Are they now in Brude Haven?"
"Yes."
"Then why doesn't Dick live with them?"
"Because Brude Haven is a small city." Gordon spread his hands and said, "Compared to Gotham, its educational resources are far inferior. After all, Gotham is one of the most developed cities on the East Coast."
"After the tragic death of the Aerial Acrobat Grayson, the Graysons were left deeply traumatized. They feared their son might suffer a similar tragedy and had no intention of letting him inherit the Grayson heritage. They didn't want Dick to continue being an aerial acrobat; they wanted him to focus on his studies and go to university."
"But there was a practical issue: Dick was already quite old. At his age, it was hard for him to catch up with school."
"Dick was not a genius in studying, and even a genius needs a good tutor. He lagged behind in his progress. Without a good school and teachers, it would be hard for him to enter college."
"Once the Grayson Family fell, they couldn't even maintain their middle-class status. They could only manage to scrape by in Brude Haven. They didn't have the educational resources to help Dick change his fate through education."
"So despite missing their son, they had to let Dick stay in Gotham for good education. With Bruce Wayne supporting him, he could receive the most orthodox elite education. Besides getting into a prestigious school, he would also have access to resources that others wouldn't even dare to think about."
"It's cruel but practical. If Dick had returned to Brude Haven, he might have remained a small-town boy his whole life. But if he were to be Wayne's adopted son, he would end up being the most successful member of the Grayson Family."
"But is he, is he happy?" Barbara didn't even know how to phrase her question. "Doesn't he miss his parents?"
"Of course he does." Gordon sighed when he said this. He turned his head to look at Bruce.
"But to a certain extent, the fatherly love that Bruce Wayne could give him is completely different from what the Graysons could offer."
"Bruce can truly teach him, rather than merely taking care of him. They can have ideological collisions and knowledge exchanges. The love and understanding Dick can get from Bruce are more than anyone else can offer."
Barbara also turned to look at Bruce. He was pouring juice for Damian. The little demon was sitting so closely to him that he even leaned on his arm. Batman of this universe seemed to be a good father.
Perhaps a miracle could happen, thought Barbara. There must be at least one Batman in one of the universes who was a good father, right?
"You mean, my parents are still alive?!"
In Dick's room in Wayne Manor, Nightwing stared at yawning Dick, completely taken aback.
"Those were my parents." Dick said with his eyes closed. "Well, they should be much like your parents. You came to me just to ask me this?"
"Not originally, but now you have to tell me where they are!"
"Where else can they be? In Brude Haven, of course." Dick was very perfunctory. He was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open.
Nightwing pushed the door open and rushed to the hallway. He was in such a hurry that he ran into a tall, dark wall.
In his haste, his mask fell off. He looked up to see a man in a sophisticated suit, who looked like Bruce Wayne but was much older, rubbing his forehead after being bumped into.
After a two-second stare, an enraged roar echoed through Wayne Manor.
"Dick Wayne! How many times have I told you to go to bed by nine o'clock?"
Dick was stunned.
"What did you call me???"