"Did Gordon say what's going to happen to him?" Carly asked Bruce as she watched the detectives talking to Richard.
"I hadn't thought to ask." Bruce admitted regretfully.
"I suppose we should call Alfred. He's probably heard what's happened by now. Must be worried out of his mind. I think we've done all we can here anyhow." She sighed, digging around her handbag for her cellphone.
"Maybe not." Bruce mumbled wandering away from her. Carly called Wayne Manor while her best friend talked with the Commissioner. Alfred answered on the first ring, entirely relived that they were not harmed in anyway. There was a very brief conversation, during which Alfred said he would be right down to the fair grounds to pick them up, and the call ended. With the fatherly butler on his way, Carly was free to rejoin the conversation with the commissioner.
"Child Protective Services have been called." Gordon was explaining to Bruce. He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "From there I suppose they'll move him to a group home or one of the orphanages in the city. Assuming any of them have space available." The commissioner grumbled. He didn't like the sound of the boy's prospects any more than Bruce or Carly did. Richard had just lost his parents and his entire way of life, only to be tossed into one of the city's overcrowded orphanages. It wasn't exactly a preferred position.
"What if I took him?" Bruce suggested. "I could…foster him. He could stay at the mansion with Alfred and I until a permanent home could be found. I certainly have the means, the resources."
"That is a very generous offer." Gordon removed his eyeglasses and cleaned them with a corner of his t-shirt before replacing them on the bridge of his nose. "But do you think it's a wise idea? Given your own history with a tragedy such as this?" Bruce knew what the commissioner was implying. Jim Gordon knew better than anyone about the Wayne murders as he'd been the lead detective on the case. A case that almost nineteen years later still haunted him.
"He's going to need special care." Bruce insisted firmly. "He'll be lost in an orphanage. Alfred raised me. He's had plenty of experience in this sort of thing. We can make sure Richard receives the special attention he needs."
"It's not my call to make." Jim shook his head. "But I don't think the department will look too well on a billionaire and his butler raising a child. They'll say you're too busy, Alfred too old. Maybe if you were married or had a steady girlfriend, you might have a leg to stand on." This was around the time Carly had finished her phone call with Alfred.
"But if it's only temporary, that shouldn't matter much. They should be grateful someone else is willing to give him a good bed and decent food with no cost to them." She said, her hands resting on her hips.
"As I said, Miss Rogers, that's not my call to make." Gordon sighed. "You're both more than welcome to argue your case with CPS, but for now I have a murder to investigate and I don't need to remind either of you how crucial these first hours are." The Commissioner walked off to collaborate with his team who'd been interviewing some of the circus performers.
"I suppose you think Jim has a point?" Bruce said quietly once he and Carly were alone.
"He might. But I know you. I know what you're thinking and what you're seeing in him." Carly looped her arm through his. "And I hope you know Alfred and I will stand by you if you decide to peruse this."
"I don't have a choice, Car." He told her.
"Then neither do I. C'mon, I'll introduce you." With a gentle tug on his elbow, she led the way to the bleachers where Richard Greyson were sitting alone.
Alfred and the Social Worker must have arrived to the fair grounds at the same time as the entered the big top together with the former holding the oversized tent flap open for the later. Bruce felt instinctually better just from the sight of Alfred. The older man had always carried himself in such a way that he brought a calming presence to whatever tasks were at hand. Carly too felt much more confident having Alfred there in the ring with them. At twenty-five, it almost felt like she and Bruce were just playing grown-ups and Alfred were the only real adult between them; the only one capable of making a sound decision. Once inside, the Social Worker hailed a nearby detective for information, while the butler went right to his family.
"Ah, you've made a new friend in my absence?" He smiled. Carly was sitting on a bench next to Richard with one arm wrapped around him. The pair of them were so small they could both fit inside Bruce's windbreaker. A jacket which the billionaire had in fact draped around the two of them to protect them from the chilly night air. Richard was hardly protected from the element's in his acrobat's costume but Alfred suspected that neither the boy nor his female companion were shivering from the nearly fifty-degree breeze blowing through the tent.
"Alfred, this is Richard Greyson. Richard this is my Butler, Alfred." Bruce introduced the pair, who shook hands politely. The butler studied Bruce in his peripheral vision. Unlike Carly, who seemed to be putting in a great deal of effort to give off the appearance of being put together, Bruce was in complete control of himself. Most of his arms were visible as he was now only wearing a t-shirt, there wasn't even a slight hint of goosebumps. His hands were not balled into fists, his eyes not betraying even a hint of discomfort with the situation. His very short career as the Batman was already begging to affect him. For better or worse Bruce Wayne was changing.
"Hello Richard. My name is Mrs. Clarke." The social worker came over and introduced herself at last. "I am from Child Protective Services. Do you know what that means?" Richard didn't speak, but he did shake his head side to side; no. "That means it's my job to find you a new home."
"But why can't I stay here?" He asked quietly.
"I'm sorry," She frowned, which to Carly and Alfred it seemed to be a genuine apology. "But that isn't possible. I've been told that no one in the circus has the ability to care for you long term Mr. Greyson."
"That's something I'd like to talk to you about Mrs. Clarke." Bruce stepped in with a polite smile.
"And you are?" She raised an eyebrow at him.
A/n: Just want to take a minute to thank j-bird0127 for your review of Chapter 12! I absolutely love reviews because they let me know that my work is being enjoyed. I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
