I found this untouched in my notes, so why not post? It didn't end up the way I was expecting; I could only hope this would be enough. Maybe I'll not keep it a one-shot...depends with what you guys think. ;)
This should probably be in the Batman-verse of the but it is set on Earth-16. Also, in this fic, it's been a few months (years?) since Damian's arrival to the Wayne family and by now, he'd at least warmed up to big bro Dick.
A wild rumor had spread that a lot of employees were fired sharing false information to the media about Bruce Wayne's latest admission. Internal security was a priority. Saying that I was surprised to get a job at Wayne Enterprises would be an understatement.
It was the Friday of my first week as Bruce Wayne's executive assistant. Things were going smoothly after I've quickly figured out the ropes.
10 am - Mr. Wayne arrives at the office
The elevator doors opened and instead of the usual polished Italian leather shoes, (most likely) equally as expensive rubber shoes came running out. Wearing them was a little boy, seemingly too small for his own age, with big blue eyes and matching black hair. Now I see what all the media fuss was about.
The glass walls let every bit of sunlight in and he looked around the bright private floor, entranced. Then I see a sad gleam in his eyes and wonder at the lost innocence of this young boy. His name and his story filled more than enough of the media for everyone to know. Quietly, he stood by the window overlooking a great portion of Gotham's own Wall Street.
Mr. Wayne, holding a small backpack, sported a similar interest at his miniature. "Dick," he calls the young boy's attention. "This is Alice. She'll take care of you while Alfred's on vacation and when I'm doing work stuff, okay?"
Honestly, I was taken aback at the sudden assignment. Babysitting was never in the job description. Still, I smiled.
Dick bounded over to me and offered a hand. "Hello," he said with a slight lilt to his voice. "It's nice to meet you."
I shook his small hand, already calloused at a young age. "My pleasure."
1 pm - Mr. Wayne eats his lunch; order prior
I looked inside the two giant paper bags in my arms and wondered for at least the second time at the colorful array of sorts that has been ordered. Even my friends at the front office stared at me in confusion while I waited 30 minutes - which is longer than usual - for three different deliveries.
Before I could knock, the door to Mr. Wayne's office opened, revealing a young boy filled with excitement. "Lemme help you," he said, taking a paper bag from my arm.
This boy is rowdy - evidence: all the stray and moved furniture - and energetic. I would mistake him for Dick if I didn't see the teenager suddenly appear on the flat screen behind the Mr. Wayne's desk. "Okay, Jason, I just found the perfect place to - oh, hi Alice!" In the background, was the epitome of a suburban living room.
"Hey boys," I greeted both, putting down the 2 other bags atop the coffee table. Jason was bringing out his lunch order - nails, hammer, spray paint, invisible string, bottles of whipped cream and maple syrup, and two packs of gummy worms. I stared at the items, curious. "Are you planning to...steal from a bank?"
"If that were the case," the younger replied, "I would add -"
"Nothing," a voice cut off from the doorway. Mr. Wayne entered, phone in hand. He took one look at the office. "Jason?"
The boy in question ripped open one of the packets and stuffed a gummy worm to his mouth. "Dick's idea."
Mr. Wayne turned to the older boy on the screen but he was too distracted to even notice. "Look who's finally done," he screamed in sarcasm at someone far off screen.
"Sorry Mr. Impatient!" the other person replied.
"You're the one who didn't wake up in time, Wally!" Dick looked back at on screen audience. "Gotta go guys. See you at dinner." He turned off the video chat but not before sharing a secret look with Jason.
4pm - Board Meeting at Conference Room
I expertly carried a tray of black coffee through a wide set of glass doors.
A young man was seated at the very end of the long table, focused solely on his laptop screen.
"Hey, Tim," I greeted, heading towards him with the tray, "Doing homework?" The third Wayne child had come in earlier with his laptop already in hand and distractedly asked if he could borrow a conference room for a while. "A while" in their vocabulary meant hours.
He looked up at me, smiling. "Something like that." There were already dark circles under his eyes and a tired lilt to his shoulders. Schoolwork shouldn't be that bad these days, right?
I put the coffee tray down then noticed the two other laptops, one small phone-like device, and a bunch of blueprints dominating the table. For a moment, I wondered if Tim is shifting to Architecture instead of Management.
The moment the mug filled with black coffee, Tim's hand shot out, grabbing it and putting it to his lips. In a matter of seconds, it was already half empty.
I've seen this too many times from Mr. Wayne to Dick and even, Jason. They somehow all manage to finish an entire pot of fresh coffee within a half hour. Still, I commented, "Slow down there, tiger. You do know too much coffee is bad for your system, especially a teenager like you."
Tim chuckled. "Oh yeah. A lecture of caffeine addiction is part of our regularly scheduled programming at home."
Suddenly, the doors burst open, revealing a fiery redhead. "Hey, Alice!" Barbara greeted, "I smell fresh coffee."
Tim basically offered his now empty mug for his brother's best friend to refill.
When Barbara put the mug down seconds later, it was empty until the very last grain. Her focus shifted to Tim and all his...homework? "How long has he been here?"
"About an hour and a half," I replied, gathering the coffee tray.
Barbara peered at the laptops, reading whatever's showing. "Dick did warn me you can get obsessive."
Tim playfully rolled his eyes. "You and I both know that I have to finish this by tomorrow."
"Yes, exactly," she smiled, "tomorrow. So come on, let's go out. Today."
I was out the door by then, chuckling at Barbara's antics. I bet Dick put her up to it.
I've only just returned to my table, after putting the mug and pitcher back, when Barbara burst out the conference room, pulling Tim with her.
8pm - Mr. Wayne leaves the office
"Here's last weeks' costing summary you asked for," I said, handing over a thick envelope, "and this is the construction and liquidation permits that needs signing," and a thick folder.
"Thank you, Alice," Dick said, giving the documents a quick once-over, "I honestly would not have survived this day of proxying for Bruce without you." All day, he had been restless, itching to get off the suit and tie.
"No problem," I replied, remembering the first day I met him in the hallway, "You handled today pretty well."
Sleeping soundly on the couch to my right was the youngest, biological Wayne. He'd been at Dick's tail all day, spouting and scowling, and seeing him now – still and at peace – made me wonder for a moment if it was the same boy. Then I noticed a real looking sword in a decorated sheath resting under his grip. I furrowed my brows.
"It's...um a toy sword," Dick supplied.
"I didn't think he'd ever go out with the amount of spiteful energy he had for a kid," I commented.
"Don't worry, he went down fighting," Dick laughed, stuffing the papers into a briefcase. "Remind you of someone?"
"Jason? He had energy, that's for sure."
"Do you mind carrying this for me to the parking?" He asked, offering the briefcase. "I don't want to wake him." He nodded at Damian.
"Sure, no problem."
Even though his attitude shows otherwise, Damian is still a child and quite a small one at that. Judging by his father, that is going to change sometime soon.
Dick also handed the sword which is definitely heavier than the plastic ones in the toy store. Cautiously, he transferred his youngest brother to his arms. Having interacted with the young boy's fighting spirit, I'm surprised he didn't wake. What does a kid like him do to be that exhausted?
"Did Josh like my gift?" Dick asked as go down the elevator to the parking.
I instantly remembered the moment I handed my son the silver wrapped box. "He squealed out of pure happiness when he opened it."
The doors pinged opened to the dim lit parking lot. Only a number of cars were left.
Dick's own Lexus was parked in the private section. He carefully buckled Damian to the passenger seat, inclining it.
He took the files across the roof after turning on the engine. "Thanks again, Alice. For everything."
I smiled. "Just doing my job."
Here's to a plot bunny conquered!
