"Who is that?" Ra's paused the video feed, indicating a small shadow caught darting after the detective into the Gotham night.

The operative stopped his report to stare at the screen. "The Drake boy, I think."

"Who?" Ra's asked. He fixed the man with a heavy stare.

"Timothy Drake, master. A Gotham native. He seems to stalk the bat as a hobby." The operative swallowed. "Nobody of any importance."

"He successfully follows the detective," Ra's said flatly. "I should have been notified of this immediately."

The operative swallowed again. "Of course, Master. My mistake. I'll have a portfolio done as soon as possible."

True to his word, the operative had a dossier in Ra's hands by the next day. It was through enough that Ra's was considering his failure pass without punishment.

Ra's examined the dossier with care. It contained Timothy's school records, his medical records, the tax returns of his parents, their travel plans, the payroll of the household staff.

The picture it painted was interesting. The elder Drakes were out of the country thirty-seven weeks out of every fifty-two. Meanwhile, their son was achieving a blemish-less school record, and a medical record marked by persistent concerns over failure to thrive. Nothing that explained how an untrained nine year old could possibly shadow the detective so persistently. More information would be needed.

If the pattern present in the payroll records continued, the housekeeper would be fired some time in the next six months. Once that occurred, it would be simple enough to insert on of the league's agents. From there, the question of Timothy Drake would be answered easily enough.

()()()

"Hello, Master." The Drake's new housekeeper greeted quietly. She bit her lip. "Timothy's in the kitchen. Please be gentle with him. He's…fragile, Sir."

"I will keep that in mind," Ra's promised. It was a harmless concession. He made his way into the brightly lit, anti-septic room. Timothy was seated at a small table hidden away in the far corner, a few sheets of paper spread out in front of him, and an untouched sandwich on at plate at his elbow. Ra's sat down in the chair opposite him.

"Hello, Timothy," He greeted. The boy looked up at him, face blank for several moments before he summoned up a careful imitation of a polite smile.

"Hello, Sir," Timothy greeted back. "Are you Mr. Al Ghul? Mrs. Margaret said he'd be visiting today."

"I am." Ra's smiled at the boy, oddly charmed by the pleased blush that produced. "I came to talk about Bruce Wayne."

A split second of panic crossed the boy's face before he smothered it. So he did know. Clever boy.

"Any particular reason for the topic, Sir?" Ra's chuckled, and tilted the boy's chin so he could look Ra's in the eyes.

"I'm an associate of Batman's," he reassured. Not entirely a lie.

Timothy relaxed, tension dropping out of his thin shoulders. "Oh. Where did I mess up?"

"You are young yet. Your performance is exemplary for somebody your age."

"Thank you." Timothy blushed bright red, and looked down at the table. "Is there a reason you came?"

Ra's nodded. "I need to know how you discovered the detective's identity. Could you tell me that, Timothy?"

"I, um." Timothy blushed even harder. "I'm a fan of Robin's civilian identity. I recognized his technique in a newscast." Ra's raised an eyebrow. Unexpected. And intelligent. Few of those under his command would have thought of it.

"Very clever, Timothy." That coaxed a small smile out of the boy. For the next half-hour, they talked, covering a range of topics from advanced mathematics to world events. Presented with a little attention, Timothy was positively eager to please. Such a charming boy.

Ra's excused himself, promising to return again soon for a follow-up visit. Timothy couldn't hide his pleasure at the news. That was the last bit evidence Ra's needed that his decision was correct.

"Mix this into his evening meal," Ra's instructed the housekeeper, handing her a container of powdered sedative. "It should take effect within an hour. When he is asleep, contact me for pick-up."