.21

By the time Jason and Carlisle actually decide on a new apartment. Carlisle was so done with Jason's eccentric family and their ability to show up at random in there current home. First it had been Timothy, who'd she made take a nap and eat some soup before kicking him out. Then Damian who dropped by in tow with a blonde girl who she thought was the current batgirl? still wasn't sure on that one and Jason hadn't clarified. Their appearance was odd as they had appeared when Damian drug the girl there to get a bone set at two-ish one morning only hours into their patrol and the last time the girl had seen Carlisle she'd been scolding all of them. So she still wasn't sure of the younger girl.

A dark haired girl showed up a few days after that, Jason had been around for that one and just grinned at the girl. Carlisle set a fractured wrist for the girl and then she went on her way. If she or Jason noticed the girl snag one of the cookies Carlisle had just cooked neither of them comment on it. He told her later that the girl was called Black Bat and she didn't talk much. Apparently she was a former batgirl or something and at this point Carlisle knew she wasn't going to be able to keep all of it straight. She didn't try.

So you can see why she might be slightly fed up with the bats at this point. But it came with the territory. With Jason. She would learn to tolerate it. Besides sometimes their reactions to her were pretty comical.

Carlisle doesn't even know how they convinced Jason to let them assist in their move. Nosy detectives. At least with all the extra hands around packing up their apartment had been relatively painless. Now they just had to figure out where all of their stuff ended up. No one had labeled any boxes.

She'd sent Jason to the grocery store, which had somehow ended up with Dick and Tim going with him. How? Hadn't figured that one out yet. Damian was somewhere in the what was really a penthouse but she kept referring to it at an apartment because she didn't want to be that person. He'd help bring in boxes and then disappeared. Carlisle didn't want to know. So she was for the most part alone to work on her sorting.

Bruce and Alfred had decided to stay away from the moving fiasco. Carlisle was thankful since she wasn't a hundred percent on how she felt about the former. Their visit to the Wayne manor last month while purposeful had been tough on Jason. She could see it in his eyes that he felt conflicted over the entire thing. He wanted to move forward, but everyone made it hard for him to.

At this point all she could do was stay out of it. Jason and Bruce had to repair their relationship on their own terms and no amount of pushing from her or anyone else was going to change that. Bruce might have seriously messed up with Jason, and she wasn't going to justify anything the man had done since discovering his son had lived. But he was still Jason's father, regardless if they weren't blood related, and she didn't want for Jason to have any regrets. Carlisle didn't actually give a damn about Bruce. Just Jason.

"Tt. If I were an assassin you would be dead." Carlisle jumps, turning around to see Damian had resurfaced in the room. His arms folded over his chest, expression clearly unimpressed with her. He's lucky she hasn't thrown something at him.

"Pft. Well it's a good thing you aren't an assassin little robin. Does the apartment mesure up to your standards?" She questions pushing herself off the floor deciding to leave the sorting for now. Damian raised a brow at her and gave a small nod.

"It is satisfactory. I assume Todd will be installing his own security." And while Jason hadn't specifically stated that, it had been implied so she just nods. She wasn't naive.

"You weren't around but, Jay, Tim and Dick went to the grocery. I needed a few extra ingredients for dinner. Do you by chance know what box my cutting board ended up in?" Damian raises his brow again but does nod, pointing to a box that had ended up on the table. A new one, apparently the last one had been used to many times as an operating table and it was not sanitary, she wouldn't disagree and it had been a gift from Bruce. The billionaire had gifted them an entire dining set as a measure of good faith, or something.

"Wonderful! Would you like to help me prep some of the vegetables?" She asks while walking over to the table. Carlisle was determined to get the kid to at least be able to stand her presence. It was a work in progress.

"Are you so dimwitted that you can't prepare vegetables on your own." She's pretty sure it's rhetorical, and meant to hurt her feelings. But Carlisle was the youngest, and she's not fooled. Slightly offended, if only for the woman who taught her how to cook, but she does her best to ignore him.

"I'm planning on making spicy ratatouille, and baked chicken. Which is what sent your brothers to get. I wonder how long they'll take." She just continued in her thought. Damian just stares at her confused. That was not the reaction he'd wanted.

"Tt, knowing those imbeciles it could be a while." Carlisle pulls the cutting board out of the box, it was about halfway down, so there was other stuff on the table. Some kitchen items. Some not. Damian watches as she furrows her brow at the contents.

"Which one of your brothers packed this box?" She had to ask. Why were their bathroom towels in a box with her cutting board and a small first aid kit. Damian walks over to her to examine the box.

"That absolute moron Drake." Carlisle looked over at the boy.

"I see. How many cups of coffee did he have?" It could explain why the box had been packed like that. The poor teen needed more sleep and less coffee, but it didn't seem like he was heeding her advice on the subject.

"Why are you asking me?" The child questions through narrowed suspicious eyes. Carlisle just smiles.

"Because you notice everything and everyone." Damian seemed to preen by the comment. Carlisle smiled at him.

"So do you mind assisting me in the kitchen."

He didn't

Jason kicked Damian out of the kitchen when they got home. He was going to cook the chicken and he didn't want to have to work around both Carlisle and the brat. Carlisle and him were accustomed to cooking in a smaller kitchen so usually only one of them did at a time. But when they had things that needed to be prepared simultaneously they made it work.

Usually it involved a lot of dancing around each other. It could be fun.

Carlisle doesn't even blink at the sudden change. Instead she just glides around Jason like second nature.

Dick never thought he'd see his little brother. So.. so domesticated. It was surreal. "You were gone longer than I thought." She states looking at him curiously. Jason shakes his head at her.

"Don't ask." He says which only makes her want to know more. So she turns a sheepish grin to Dick. Caught.

"Why were y'all so long at the store?" He shrugs. Carlisle huffs looking annoyed.

"So Jay won't tell it, neither will you. Timothy sweetie why were y'all gone so long." Tim looked up from where he and Damian has been arguing about what console to set up.

"Dick and Jason got into an argument about cereal. Do you really not like fruit loops?." Carlisle turns back to look over at Jason who has become real focused on seasoning the chicken, her eyes screaming seriously. He just shrugs feeling her gaze on him.

"I do not like fruit loops." She confirms and then goes back to arranging the veggies.

Carlisle misses the look Dick throws the third Robin. But she does hear him say this, rather defensively mind you. "Dude, last time someone didn't answer her question she threatened to call Batman." She smirks into the dish.

"She didn't even know our identity then. Imagine the danger now."

Yeah because now if they were acting out she'd just call Alfred.

XOXOX

No author's note, this time.

Also pronounciation of Carlisle is Car-lyle. Car is the nickname Jason calls her and Carly is a nickname her family gave her.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely, La'Rae