"I'll get the door, Al." Carly told the Butler when she bumped into him in the hallway.
"Are you expecting someone at this hour, Miss Carly?" Alfred asked, pulling his housecoat around himself.
"No." She told him, but dropped her voice to a whisper. "But Commissioner Gordon seemed to think Dick's parent's accident might have been more than an accident. Bruce agrees with him and I think I do too."
"And you are assuming whomever is at the door might have something to do with the young man's parents?" Alfred asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm not sure. But who shows up on someone's doorstep in the middle of the night?" Carly was nervous. If the person at the door was there with the intent to harm or worse Kidnap Dick, there was no way she could fend off an attacker. Even if she could, it wouldn't be for long enough that Alfred and Dick could both get away safely.
"Why don't you allow me to answer the door. It is my duty as Butler after all." Alfred smiled.
"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" She bit her lip. "What if you get hurt?"
"I will be perfectly fine. This house was well defended long before the Batman moved in downstairs. I suggest you retrieve your cellphone if you don't already have it. Should you need to make a quick getaway, it would be useful to relocate you later." Carly nodded. She watched the Butler disappear down the main staircase before doing as he advised. Dick was standing in the hallway holding Leo when she stepped back out into the hall again.
"Who was at the door." He yawned.
"Alfred went to go see. I thought I told you to stay in your room." Carly scooped Leo, who was sound asleep, out of Dick's arms. She stroked the cats head a few times and waited for a response.
"Leo heard you talking to someone. He wanted to know who it was." Dick replied.
"Did he now? Is that true Leo?" She questioned the cat who, of course, did not respond. "You really should get back to…"
"Miss Carly, Mr. Kent has arrived, he would like to speak with you." Alfred's voice could be heard through the intercom system a few feet down the hall. Carly walked to the intercom box, Dick followed her closely. She handed her cat off to the little boy and pressed a button on the box.
"Thanks Alfie. Tell Clark I'll be right down." She looked at Dick and Leo. "Now, back to bed, the pair of you. Alfred will be coming by on his way back to his room. He won't like it if you're up here running around."
"Okay." Dick turned and headed towards his room with the cat, now awake, in his arms.
"Clark!" Carly called once the reporter came into view. He waited patiently for her at the base of the staircase, his lips resting in a smile. "I still can't believe I'm on a first name basis with Clark Kent." She laughed and rolled her eyes. "I really never thought that would happen."
"Good evening Carly, I didn't think we'd be seeing each other again so soon." Clark bowed his head politely.
"Me either. What's dragged you all the way up here? It can't be the accident at the circus already. The Planet's good, but I didn't think they were that good. No offense." Carly laughed again.
"The circus?" Clark's eyebrows knit together. "The circus Bruce was supposed to take you to tonight? Something happened?"
"My parents..." A little voice called from the top of the stairs. Alfred, Carly, and Clark's eyes all shot up to the landing where the ten-year-old boy was standing, in his elephant pajamas, with Leo the cat brushing up against his leg. The three adults hadn't even heard him come down the stairs. They would have to be more careful about what they said in open rooms in the future.
"Master Dick, I thought you were asleep." Alfred walked away from the front door and over to the base of the stairs next to Carly and Clark.
"Elinore and I can't sleep." Dick frowned. He held out his stuffed elephant for the butler to see. "And Leo wanted to know where Mr. Wayne is."
"I'm afraid Master Wayne had to step out for the night. There was a security problem at one of the company's subsidiaries, and he was needed on the premises." Alfred lied with a practiced air. Carly saw the butler in a new light. He crafted the lie in such a way that it was believable, natural. She wondered how many times he'd lied to her, even if it was for her own safety. She decided not to dwell on it in the present moment, there was a ten-year-old who needed taken care of.
"Dick, Mr. Wayne is going to be out pretty late tonight. Why don't you let Alfred put you back in bed?" Carly suggested, putting one foot on the first step.
"Can't you come with me?" He questioned. He sat down on the landing and Leo jumped in his lap.
"I'm sorry, but since Mr. Wayne isn't here, I have to talk with Mr. Kent. He's a friend of ours. He's a reporter from Metropolis. Do you know where that is?"
"Kansas." He answered after thinking about it. "I've been there before. It's far away."
"It is very far." Clark agreed. "It's a very long flight, my arms are so tired." He flapped his arms dramatically, pretending he were a giant bird. Dick giggled.
"You're funny Mr. Kent." The boy smiled.
"Well, at least someone thinks so." Clark shrugged. "Dick, was it?" The boy nodded. "I really do have to talk to Carly but I'll try not to keep her too long. Okay?" Dick nodded again.
"Alfred," Carly looked over at the butler. "I'm afraid Dick's not going to get much sleep tonight. Why don't you get him set up in the TV room? Maybe one of the kid's channels is still playing cartoons. You can take Elinore and Leo with you, and I'll check in after I've finished with Mr. Kent, alright?"
"Okay." Dick looked down at the cat who was now purring in his lap.
"C'mon Clark, I'll make you a coffee. It'll be good for those tired arms of yours." Carly rolled her eyes again as she dragged the superman into the kitchen. "What brings you all the way up here anyway?"
"The meeting." Clark said, adjusting his glasses with his free hand. "When we saw you guys this morning, Bruce promised he'd still be able to make it, but when he didn't show, John was worried."
"I can't believe that all happened this morning." Carly released Clark from her grasp and rested her elbows on the kitchen counter. "This had been the longest day of my life." She ran her fingers through her hair and tried to gather her thoughts. Where should she even start? He knew about the tour of the Hall of Justice already. He didn't need to know about their visit to the bakery.
"So, after Bruce let me meet the Justice League in my pajamas…" She chuckled dryly and push herself off the counter. Carly turned her attention to the coffee maker and began telling Clark how her evening with Bruce at the circus had turned out.
"And that was the boy I just met?" Clark asked, sipping from his coffee mug. "Dick? Bruce just decided he was going to take him home with you guys? What was he thinking?"
"I don't know if he was at the time to be honest." Carly set her now empty coffee mug down on the counter. "You haven't known him as long as I have, Clark. Sometimes, he's fine. King of the world. The most powerful man in Gotham. But if we walk by the theater where it happened, take a wrong turn on to an empty street…He's eight years old again. I hate to admit it, but it's brought up some heavy shit for me too. I don't know what he's thinking. I don't know if he has a plan for this kid."
"Lois and I will help in any way we can." Clark promised. He placed a comforting hand on Carly's. "I'm sure if there's anything the League can do…"
"Don't tell any of them just yet." Carly insisted. "Lois is fine. He'll expect you'll have mentioned something to her once I tell him you've been by, but Bruce likes his privacy. I don't think he even likes them knowing about me. This situation with Dick is delicate enough."
"Of course, you should try and get some sleep if you can, Carly." He advised. "I have a feeling whatever happens next, it isn't going to be easy for any of you. Good night."
A/N: Maple Sparks, sorry to disappoint since you were hoping for the worst, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter just the same! :D
wolfmus prime I've ended up loving Leo a lot more than I thought I would. I thought at first he was going to be a side character I mentioned occasionally, but now he and Dick really seem to be getting on well.
Thank you so much to both of you for your reviews of Chapter 15! I know I've been getting these Chapters out sort of quickly, but there will eventually come a point where I'll go on hiatus and wont post for awhile. Until then I will just keep posting I guess! lol.
