Note: Thanks for the comment, Rollerparty! I wanted Dick to be completely confused about their personalities and uncertain about how they are going to react to anything he says or does. He's ten and has been thrown onto an emotional rollercoaster, which is now exacerbated by their rapidly changing moods. Me - crappy place = Dick - fear and pain.
As a reminder, the next ten or so chapters of this story are very graphic. They involve an extensive amount of corporal punishment/child abuse so please don't read them if it's a trigger or becomes too much. These chapters were written when I was in kind of a crappy place in my life. I took it all out on Dick so parts of them are pretty dark.
The Batcave – ten o'clock in the morning:
Batman was in the Batcave, using the Batcomputer to search for any tiny hint of Dick's location. He was simultaneously running the Bat-camera Receiving Machine and the Bat-hacking Machine, which was flicking through images from city cameras. Descriptions of both Dick and Greg Makov had been entered into those machines, narrowing the search. But, so far, nothing.
The Manor phone rang and Alfred picked it up, answering professionally as he always did. He hummed a sound of agreement and then frowned.
"Are you certain, Mr. Makov? Don't you want to complete this as soon as possible?"
Alfred listened carefully and then, when he heard a dial tone, slammed the phone down.
"Apparently, Mr. Makov doesn't work on weekends, sir," he stated angrily. "His investigation will begin on Monday."
"WHAT?!" Batman exploded. "That's ridiculous!" he shouted.
"I agree, Master Batman," Alfred replied calmly, "but there is nothing we can do about it. So, let's continue our search, sir."
The butler was angry, almost as angry as Batman. But he was also supposed to be the calming influence to a volatile hero. Somehow, he was able to keep his voice steady even while wishing he could knock Mr. Makov into unconsciousness.
The Dunston's house – ten o'clock in the morning:
The sun was blazing hot and Dick's entire body was dripping with sweat. Jasper had been nice enough to set a glass of water on the porch but the ten-year-old had drained that a long time ago. And the fact that he hadn't eaten since yesterday's lunch and was running on about four hours of sleep wasn't helping. Dick was tired and slightly dizzy.
He had finished about half of the yard. The ten-year-old wanted to sit down and take a rest but he had no idea what time it was. Jasper wanted him to be finished with weeding and trimming before lunch. So, he denied himself the rest and moved to the next patch of weeds.
Jasper had been watching Dick for the last half hour. He had figured the kid would give up after a while. The boy had to be drained after not being allowed dinner or breakfast. But Dick just kept going and Jasper was surprised.
Matilda walked in the door, her arms full of bags and sweat trickling down her face.
"It sure is hot out there," she remarked. "Did you give him some water? We don't want him fainting on us."
"I did," Jasper replied, "but he finished it. I'll give him another. I didn't expect you to be home so soon. I guess we'll have to put away the groceries ourselves."
The woman nodded and placed the bags on the table. Then she went out the back door and picked up the empty glass. Returning to the kitchen, she filled it up and went back outside. She was impressed – the yard was almost completely free of weeds.
"He hasn't stopped working," Jasper commented from behind her. "It's a strong little guy."
"He's probably terrified of you, Jasper."
"I do tend to have that effect on children," the man said with a chuckle.
"Dick!" Matilda called. "Come here for a second, honey."
The boy immediately rushed over to where she was. Matilda gave him the glass and he quickly drank the entire contents. He opened his mouth to say thank you but thought better of it and closed his mouth.
"You look pretty hot. Did that help you?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Okay, it looks like you're doing pretty good. You know where the axe is, right?"
Dick shook his head, so she led him around a corner to the west side of the house. There was a box of tools, a rake, and an axe.
"It's almost ten-thirty and I know Jasper wants you done before you come make lunch so better hurry up."
He nodded again and raced back to the patch of weeds he had been working on. There were only two big spots after that and then he could work on the bush. Wiping the sweat off his face with the back of his glove, Dick got back to work.
"Really impressive," Matilda remarked when she joined Jasper in the kitchen. "Don't think he's going to make it by eleven, though. You should give him a break about that. He hasn't eaten for a while."
Jasper nodded and finished putting away the groceries. He had actually been thinking the same thing.
"I'm going to stop him a little early, too, so he can rinse himself off," the man stated. "I don't want a dirty ham sandwich."
It was Matilda's turn to nod. She glanced out the back door one more time and smiled. This kid was going to work out just fine.
Fifteen minutes later, Jasper stepped out onto the porch. Dick had just grabbed the axe and was on his way to the bush.
"Put it down, Dick, and come here."
Dropping the axe, the ten-year-old nearly sprinted to the porch. Jasper looked down with a smile.
"You've been doing really well this morning. I'm stopping you early so you can take a shower before you make lunch."
Dick's eyes widened with fear. He hadn't even started the bush and he was supposed to be done before lunch!
"Now, now, no need to worry. You can do the bush and painting after lunch. Here's your soap," Jasper placed the small bar on the porch railing, "and the hose is on the east side of the house. Go clean up and then we're having sandwiches for lunch. I'll let you know the specifics when you get inside. Questions?"
"Yes, sir. Um, should I get a new pair of clothes first? And what about drying off?"
"I'll put pants and a shirt out here on the porch and you just dry in the sun. We've only got two towels, can't afford to waste one on you. You have twenty minutes to clean up."
With that, Jasper went back inside. Dick took off his gloves, grabbed the soap and walked east. He turned the corner and grimaced. The hose was black and had been baking in the sun all morning. He knew the water was going to be hot and he would have to run it for a while before he could actually use it.
Turning on the tap, he swiped his finger through the water and yelped in pain. Yep, it was hot. Five minutes later it was still hot. After ten minutes it had cooled down slightly, enough for Dick to tolerate it on his skin.
He took off his shirt, socks and shoes then held the hose over himself for almost three minutes. The ground underneath him was now muddy so he held the hose in one hand and soaped himself up on the other. Dick was used to this; he had done it many a time when he was with Haly's circus.
"Five minutes!" Jasper yelled from around the corner.
Dick quickly splashed the water over himself then turned off the hose. He picked up his shirt, socks and shoes then returned to the porch. Jasper had left a pair of pants and a shirt there. Dick left the shorts on – it was too hot for pants – and put on the new shirt. The ten-year-old stood in the sun, willing it to dry him off faster than it was right now.
"Time to come in, Dick," Matilda called sweetly.
She was confusing to him. She sounded so nice most of the time but had easily talked about extra punishment last night without batting an eye. She called him 'sweetie' and 'honey' but had laughed when she had asked if he was afraid of the dark. Dick didn't know what to make of her. He was almost more afraid of her than he was of Jasper. Almost.
He was as dry as he was going to be; he wasn't going to risk punishment by not going inside when she called him.
"Dick, honey, you're still dripping!" she exclaimed when he walked in the back door. "Go out there for five more minutes. I don't want water spots all over the linoleum!"
Nodding, he turned around and went to bake in the sun for a little longer. The next time she called him in he was completely dry. He had left his dirty shoes and socks on the porch, along with the dirty shirt.
"Don't forget today is laundry day," Matilda said as soon as he came in. "Make sure you put those dirty clothes in there. I saw you left them on the porch, so I thought I would remind you. You're welcome."
Dick stood silently by the counter, not knowing if he was allowed to thank her since it wasn't a question. Both Matilda and Jasper were sitting at the table. Jasper had the paper open in front of him and was reading the comics. With a frown, he glanced up at Dick.
"Don't be disrespectful, Dick. She gave you a nice reminder. What do you say?"
"Thank you," the boy whispered.
"I want ham with mustard on one piece of bread and mayo on the other. And a pickle spear on the side," Jasper continued.
"And I'll take the same but with the pickle broken in half and on top of the ham. And a slice of cheese underneath the ham. Repeat our orders."
Dick did as he was told and she was satisfied.
"What kind of sandwich will you be having, sweetie?"
"Um, ham."
She waited expectantly but he didn't say anything else. Raising her eyebrows in surprise, she shrugged and mumbled something about having a kid who was cheap for once.
Ten minutes later two ham sandwiches were on the table, one in front of each adult.
Matilda sighed and looked pointedly at the clock. Dick glanced over and went pale.
"Is it noon, hon?"
"N…no," he stammered fearfully.
"Do you know how to tell time?" Jasper asked.
"Yes, sir."
"Then why is lunch on the table at eleven-thirty?"
"I, uh, I thought…I mean, you, um, told me what you wanted so, um…"
"Oh, sweetheart, just because we tell you what we want, doesn't mean you can give it to us whenever you want. Throw this away and you can start over in fifteen minutes. You just wasted a lot of food and disobeyed a rule. Jasper will let you know your punishment after lunch. While you're waiting, clean the bathroom."
Nodding, and trembling at the word 'punishment', Dick took their plates and slid the sandwiches into the trash can. Then he retreated to the bathroom. He found cleaning supplies under the sink and was done in ten minutes. After putting everything away and washing his hands, he returned to the kitchen and looked at the clock – 11:40.
Matilda had said fifteen minutes so he still had five minutes before he could start remaking lunch. Not knowing what else to do, Dick stood silently by the counter and waited for instructions.
"Bread and water for lunch and an extra five minutes of jumping during your workout," Jasper suddenly announced. "I'm going easy on you so what should you say?"
"Thank you, sir."
"Jasper, I think his workout should be completed after his chores. Remember," she looked at Dick, "you have your regular chores to do before you go back outside to trim the bush and paint the fence. Also, you should do laundry first. After you make our lunch, start a load of laundry and then you can have your bread."
Dick nodded, noticed the time and began remaking lunch. He carefully watched the clock as he worked and didn't set their sandwiches in front of them until it was exactly noon. They both nodded in approval and began to eat.
"Laundry," Matilda said gently. "Our clothes are in the hamper by our bathroom. Put your shirt and socks in with them. Detergent is on the shelf – use a capful and then press the button that says 'normal'."
With another nod – he knew he was going to have a very sore neck soon – Dick stepped outside and gathered his dirty clothes. Then he went to Jasper and Matilda's room and pulled the full hamper across the hall to the laundry room. He did as instructed then returned the hamper to their room. After placing it back exactly how he had found it, Dick went back to the kitchen.
"One piece," Jasper said when the boy walked in.
Dick sighed, apparently a little too loudly.
"You have a problem?" Jasper asked, a touch of anger in his tone. "We give you a roof over your head, clothes to wear, activities to do, and food to eat. Why are you sighing in what sounds like disappointment?"
"I'm sorry, sir," Dick immediately responded. "I'm just really, um, hungry."
"He's trying to say he wants more than one piece of bread, Jasper," Matilda said.
"Okay," Jasper said. "Make yourself a ham sandwich and I'll decide what to do with you later."
"One piece is fine, sir, thank you, sir, I don't mean to be any trouble."
"Then why," Matilda sighed, "are you talking?"
"I'm…I don't know," Dick whispered miserably.
"Make yourself the dang sandwich and get to work," Jasper growled.
Dick did exactly that. He made and ate the ham sandwich in less than five minutes then found the vacuum. After he completed vacuuming all the rooms, he realized that he had forgotten what else he was supposed to do. Jasper and Matilda were in the family room, reading, so Dick stood in the kitchen and racked his brain.
Vacuum…sweep and mop! Baseboards and windows…yard work, laundry…their bathroom!
He worked on the kitchen – dishes and then floor – then swept and mopped the bathrooms. Dick was disgusted by the sink in Jasper and Matilda's bathroom but cleaned it anyway. Then he carefully went through every room, thoroughly cleaning all the baseboards and windows. When the washer rang, he moved the clothes to the dryer and continued moving from room to room.
The dryer chimed just as he finished the final baseboard. He went to the laundry room and neatly folded everything. And now he had a problem: he didn't know which drawers to put their clothes in.
Dick slowly walked into the family room and timidly raised his hand.
"What do you want?" Jasper demanded.
"I, um, don't know where to put your clothes, sir."
"Oh, hon, just leave them on the bed. We don't need you going through our drawers," Matilda answered with a laugh. "That was a good question, I'm surprised we hadn't answered that yet."
She went back to her book, so Dick left. He put their laundry on the bed and put his shirt in his closet. Assuming they wouldn't want to give him instructions after having laid out his day at lunch, Dick put on his socks then went outside and put on his shoes. Time to work on that bush.