"Mr. Wayne, you're just too kind to allow my little Rebecca to stay here. I do hope she won't be too much trouble."

Bruce smiled amiably at Carlotta Richards, one of the few people he cared to entertain in his home. Carlotta was the widow of Marcus Richards, a man who sat in the Executive branch of Wayne Enterprises up until last year when he passed away from a lingering cancer. Mark and Bruce had been good friends in and outside of work. He did not let this friendship with the Richards' die when Marcus had.

"No trouble at all, Carla. I'm just sorry your sitter services dissolved. And how many times have I asked you to call me 'Bruce'?"

She grinned sheepishly. "I hate to let you do this, Bruce. But if you insist on watching her-…"

"I do. Now go on; a month-long business trip to Japan is no picnic for a ten-year-old, Carla. And if your mother checks in with us, I promise to assure her that Rebecca is in good hands. And if she insists, I'll let her take Rebecca."

Carlotta nodded and thanked Bruce, and then went over to her daughter.

Rebecca Richards sat in the study, playfully amusing herself with a few books, which she was using to build a tower. When her mother came over, the girl forgot her project and turned to smile at Mrs. Richards.

"Now, you be a good girl for Mr. Wayne and Mr. Alfred, you hear? Mommy will call as often as she can. And if Grandma can, she'll watch you instead. So, give me a big hug and kiss!" Carlotta held her baby tight for a few moments, and then stood to go.

"Love you, mommy," Rebecca called.

"I love you, too, sweetie. Be good."

Alfred nodded to the rather emotional Mrs. Richards as she left. "We'll take exceptional care of her, Madame. After all, I helped raise Master Bruce from a boy, and look how wonderful he turned out!"

"Helped, Alfred?" Bruce commented with a laugh. "You did it all, except the birthing part."

The three adults had a good chuckle and Carlotta went to the door, but gave last-minute instructions. "Her things are all in the two cases, and in the envelope I gave you is a check to cover any other needs. New clothes, in case hers should be ruined or unsuitable for any occasion, food, or whatever."

Bruce waved this off. "Please, Carlotta. You think I can't cover Rebecca's needs on my own?"

Mrs. Richards raised an eyebrow. "It wasn't meant as an insult. Just an offer."

"No offense taken, and thanks for the offer. But no. When I said we could take care of her, I meant we will take care of her. Expenses and all."

"Thank you so much again, Mr. Wayne. I really do appreciate it. When Childcare Corps. Comes back into business, there will be Hell to pay."

"Just don't leave any bodies behind if you kill them."

The door closed and Alfred turned to his employer. "Well, sir, should I get the young lady settled? Perhaps one of the guest rooms?"

Bruce chuckled. "Just don't give her my old room. It was too easy to escape from and Lord knows what piece of food could've been left under the bureau to evolve."

"I shall make sure she stays away from it," the butler grinned.

"Come along, Miss Rebecca," Alfred goaded, taking her by the hand. "We'll go pick out a room for you. By the way, what do you like to eat?"

As his butler led the girl away, Bruce heard her shy answer of "Anything with seafood, I guess, Mr. Alfred."

That evening, instead of dining in the huge, cold hall, Bruce had Alfred set up dinner in the kitchen, which was far more comfortable. The mean was an old-fashioned crab boil, meaning it was fun and homey to ease little Rebecca's qualms about staying there. It had been Alfred who had suggested it.

"So, Becks, how's summer vacation feel?" Bruce asked as they tore into the Maryland Blues.

Rebecca expertly pulled out a length of leg meat and powdered it with Old Bay seasoning. "Better than school," she giggled.

Alfred set down a bowl of melted butter and sat next to her. "I suppose summer tutoring wouldn't appeal to you?"

She stuck out her tongue in a childish fashion and play-retched. Bruce and Alfred laughed at this. "Come on, Alfred," Bruce responded. "No kid wants summer school."

"Just an idea, sir. Something to keep her busy while you attend to your…duties."

"What do you do, Mr. Wayne?" Rebecca asked. "If you don't run your company all day but you don't stay here…?"

"I…test out some of the products that Wayne Enterprises builds," Bruce answered cautiously with a smirk to Alfred. "And work on other projects." He pulled out a wad of meat, dipped it in the butter and swallowed it with relish.

"Mommy said you'd rather the fun stuff instead of the boring office work," Rebecca commented knowingly while picking out another crab.

Bruce grinned at this obvious outside judgement. "Well, it's true."

They finished up and Alfred checked the clock. "Goodness me, look at the time! Nine-thirty! I think it's almost bedtime."

The girl nodded. "Actually, bedtime was half an hour ago. I'm sorry; I should have told you, but I just forgot with all the food. Mommy did tell me not to leave stuff out, 'cause it'd be like I was lying."

Bruce's eyes widened. "I guess so."

"I saw your study when we came in. Can I ask a favor, Mr. Wayne? Can I borrow a book to read? I promise I'll be very careful and I'll put it right back when I'm done."

"Help yourself," Bruce replied, stunned. "If you don't, they're just collecting dust."

She smiled and hopped down from her chair. "I'll hurry," was all she said before rushing off.

The men watched her go and Bruce let out a sigh and shook his head. "What a basket-case. How long is she here for?"

"Just one month, sir. Thirty days."

"Let's hope those books will keep her busy. I don't have the first clue how to entertain a ten-year-old girl."

"Let's just be glad she isn't a teenager."

"Praise the Lord."

"Amen."