" 'Bye guys! See you later," Abigail said cheerily. "Oh, do you have to go? Can't you take a day off?" Nutmeg asked hopefully.
"Um, Nutmeg, you have school too. And besides. I have this pep rally today and they want all the cheer leader there so-"
The Martian gasped. "You're a cheer leader too?" She found yet another thing in common with her new found sister.
"Yeah. I-"
"Abs, let's go. You know that if we don't leave now that Bruce is gonna come here guns blazing.
Besides. Alfred has to be going through withdrawals." Richard came in with his bag slung over his shoulder. "Okay. Coming." Abigail hugged Megan, grabbed her bag then ran after her brother.
"Recognized, Robin B-01 Nightinggale B-09"
And then, the two birds were back in their nest-well, cave. Bruce was right there when they stepped out. "Bruce!" Dropping her bag, Abigail took a flying leap for her father. He caught her and spun her around, laughing. "I take it you had a good time?" he asked already knowing the answer.
He may or may not have bugged the cave to make sure the team was welcoming of his baby girl.
"The best! I totally understand why Dick ditched me all those times. Everyone is great. Oh, I cannot wait to tell you all about it." She smiled excitedly. "But first," Abigail ran away from Bruce and Richard. She made a mad dash up the stairs, threw the door opened and yelled, "Alfred!"
Bruce and Richard laughed. Their butler never approved of yelling and running through the house, being an English gentleman and all. He thought it undignified. But not even Alfred could bring himself to scold Abigail. He knew it was just her nature to be loud and vivacious. "So, how was the rest of your birthday?" Bruce asked casually, stooping to pick up his daughter's forgotten bag. Dick just laughed and rolled his eyes. "Oh, like you don't already know. Don't think I was so busy having fun that I didn't notice the bugs you placed around the cave."
They walked to the stairs. "Your sister didn't seem to notice." Bruce countered.
"That's because Abigail isn't nearly as suspicious as I am. She doesn't fully comprehend how insanely over-protective you are. Anyway, it was a great birthday. The best, actually. Not just because I was hanging out with my friends, finally as me-but that was a huge contributing factor. Seeing her there.
How well she fit in with everyone. . . . .I haven't seen Abs that happy in a long time."
Bruce smiled. "Well, I'm glad."
Abigail threw open the door when she reached the top of the stair case. "Alfred!"
"I assure, Miss Abigail, there is no need to shout." Alfred said, turning from his dusting.
"Put down the feather duster, old man, so I can give you a proper hug."
Alfred barely had time to complete her request before his youngest charge nearly tackled him in a hug.
"I say. Is it possible that you missed your 'old man'?" He asked with a smile in his voice.
"So so much." She mumbled into his suit jacket.
The elderly, grandfatherly man pulled away, leading her toward the kitchen. "Did you not have fun?"
"No, no it wasn't that. I just. . . " the young girl looked down. Alfred patiently waited for her to continue.
She looked up at him through her lashes saying quietly, "Y-you wouldn't ever leave me, would you,
Alfred? I don't mean like going to the store, or going to visit your family in England. I mean. . . . I've never done anything to make you hate me, right?" The child asked worriedly.
"Good heavens, child. What would make you ask such a thing? Of course I would never leave you alone,"
Alfred said, knowing what she had really been asking even when she hadn't really know herself. The old butler leaned over to look Abigail in the eye. "And there is nothing in this world-or any other-that you could do that would ever make me hate you, my sweet girl. Alright?" Abigail looked at him with wide eyes. She nodded her head. "Alright then."
They continued on to the kitchen. Abigail helped him with dinner. Alfred had tried years ago to explain that it wasn't proper. That he made the food, she ate. But Abigail just wouldn't have it. So, every now and then-usually when something had happened-she would help him make dinner.
While they were eating, she and Dick talked animatedly about what happened over the weekend. Abigail told Bruce proudly how she took down Superboy. Dick added how amazed and impressed the whole team had been. "They had never seen anything like it! I heard Kaldur say that he was even more impressed by you than when he first saw me fight." Dick told his sister. Bruce looked at his daughter proudly. He noticed she was looking down at her plate with a pleased smile on her face.
*I'm guessing she didn't know anything about what they said.* Bruce deduced from the way her face turned red at her brother's words.
"I'm telling you, Bruce. She was incredible. I don't know if I could even have taken Supey down that quickly,"
Richard continued. That just made Abigail blush more. "Dick," she said quietly. "Stop it. It wasn't that impressive." Abigail was never one who enjoyed being praised. It made her uncomfortable. "Whatever, sis. I am just saying the truth. With my big brotherly, totally biased opinion thrown in there. That doesn't make it any less true. Bruce, ask anyone on the team. They'll tell you the same thing."
They all ate the rest of dinner talking about school, Bruce's work, some cases they would be working on that week.
As they all got up to go to bed, Bruce called out, "Abigail." She stopped and turned around. "Yeah Bruce?'
"Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked.
*Crap. Dick.* Abigail thought in annoyance. She would get her brother back for this. "Talk about what?" Abigail tried to play dumb. Unfortunately, she was too smart to pull it off. And even if she wasn't, her dad was Batman.
"You know what. Your brother told me about the nightmare. Do you-"
"Look, I'm fine. It's nothing." Abigail cut him off. She did not want to relive that dream. Bruce knelt down so he could look her in the eye. "It would never happen," he said. "I would never leave you."
Abigail glared back. "Yeah, well that's what Mary and John said, but it didn't really work out now did it?"
Bruce was shocked. He had never heard Abigail talk about her parents with so much. . . .anger. Sadness at not really remembering them, yes. Fear of forgetting what little memories she had of them, absolutely. But he had never heard heard her talk about them in anger. "Abigail-"
"And, I mean, really. If it was dumb for them to tell me that when they were trapeze artists who never used a net, it's even more idiotic for you to be telling me that when you are a super hero!" the young girl ranted on vehemently.
"Hold on now-" Bruce attempted to get a word in edge wise. Then stopped when he saw the tears. "Sweet heart?" Bruce asked. She looked up, big indigo eyes only looking bigger because of the tears.
"It wasn't even that you left," his daughter whispered. "You glared at me. Batglared at me. You didn't yell. You used that same voice you use with criminals. Low with hate and disgust. You told me I wasn't worth anything. I was just a copy of Robin with a twist. And you were right. I am just a cheap knock-off. What's the point of even-" Bruce couldn't take it anymore. He wrapped his big arms around the small child. She just cried harder. "Shhh. Shh. Hey. It's not true. Don't ever think like that," Bruce told her soothingly.
"It is true."
The rich bachelor pulled back and cupped the adorable face in his hands. "No. You are your own person. Are there similarities between you two? Yes. But your brother and you are not the same. You are not a copy of him. that would be a nightmare. I can barely handle one of Dick, but two? Never."
That earned him a smile. "Wally said that Richard's like a ninja and I am a killer ballerina." Abigail laughed quietly.
"Though one could argue that Dick is the ballerina. I mean, he certainly had the body for it," Bruce teased.
"You know, if Master Richard were to find out you said such a thing, Master Bruce, it would surely end badly," Alfred said.
Now where did he come from, you might ask? The simple answer is that he is a bat. An elderly one, yes, but still a bat.
"Well then. I guess you had better not tell him." Bruce said.
Alfred took a step closer. "I suppose I could keep my silence. . .For a price, Master Bruce." Bruce gaped, Abigail laughed.
Alfred Pennyworth, stand up English gentleman, was blackmailing the Dark Knight.
"Awesome," Abigail said.
"And that price would be?" Bruce asked.
"Well, sir. I do suppose if you and the young master and miss could stop sneaking in the kitchen in the middle of the night and eating all of the ice cream, I could see to my forgetting this matter.
Bruce and Abigail looked at each other. "You know about that?" She asked.
Alfred turned and walked away saying, "My dear Miss Abigail. There is little that goes on in this house that I do not know about."