Title: Life Is Good: X
Author: DC Luder
Summary: The second addition in the Series of Three storyline. Set three months after his full recovery, the Dark Knight is back with a vengeance.
Rating: T
Infringements: All recognizable characters belong to DC Comics, not DC Luder.
Author's Note: This chapter has been modified from its original version.
^V^
"This is taking forever," Dick griped as he stared out over the crowded men's wear section, his eyes seemingly looking for the means to escape.
Rather than fight the hoards in the malls or those bombarding Fifth Ave and Madison, we had trekked just north of Bristol to the shopping outlets to wrap up our Christmas last minute shopping. Even still, the various stores were bustling with activity, but at least I didn't have to worry about navigating the streets in a wheelchair.
Laying the sweater I was looking at for my father across my lap, I glared at Dick, "We are almost done… and by we I mean me."
After breakfast at the Clocktower, we had headed out just after nine that morning. As per usual, I had completed most of my shopping over the summer and fall, leaving only a few final touches for the Family. Three diligent hours of shopping later, I had completed the supplemental shopping efforts. Dick's ritual had resorted heavily on calling stores Christmas Eve to see how late they would be open.
As I was picking out the last gift for my father, Dick had managed only to pick out a marble rolling pin for Alfred.
A rolling pin.
I began to re-fold the sweater, "Dick, you really should focus all of this energy you're putting into complaining into getting your shopping done."
"Babs, come on, why can't I hire one of those, you know," he paused then spoke softer, "Personal shoppers."
"You mean Alfred?"
"No, no," he shook his head before defending himself, "I haven't made him buy gifts for me since… last Christmas."
After suppressing a smile, I reached out and touched his arm, "Dick, you don't want to end up like Bruce when you get older, right?"
"Right," he replied with a cautious look on his face.
"So that means you need to do things on your own, not rely on others quite as much."
"But Bruce is the ideal isolationist. He doesn't depend on anybody."
I put the sweater back on the shelf and selected another of a different cut, "Au contraire. Alfred has always taken care of gift shopping for Bruce… and feeding. Cleaning. Suturing… Babysitting, housecleaning, ironing…."
Dick frowned, but then smiled briefly, "But Babs, have you seen a Pennyworth starched collar? It is in a class of its own."
Allowing him a slight victory, I held the sweater up to him, aiming it at his torso, "Think Dad would like it?"
He touched the material gently, "I somehow think that this intricate mesh of hunter, navy and sand just won't do his form justice."
"Agreed, he looks good in dark blue though. Grab me that one on the third shelf."
After a few more rounds through the men's wear, I found a nice dress shirt for Dad, and a new scarf since his ratty old one hardly qualified as a defense against any Gotham winter. While I waited in line with my bounties, Dick excused himself in order to make one last tour, also to find something to do other than fidget beside me. I watched from afar as he thumbed through a tie rack and began grinning foolishly.
When he returned, I asked, "What did you find?"
Dick slowly unfolded his selection and my face lit up as well.
A black silk tie was highlighted with several yellow Bat insignias and a tag claiming them to glow-in-the-dark. I shook my head, "Don't even think it, he will kill you."
"They have Superman one's too. Maybe he'd like that one better." As I shook my head at him, Dick held it up to his own chest, "Maybe I'll get it for myself."
"Where would you wear it, Dick?"
His grin turned mischievous, "Christmas dinner?"
Making our way to and from the cashier, we then back tracked through the store and out to the parking lot. Just after noon and there was nary a parking spot in sight. Leaving me in the warmth of the atrium, Dick gallantly took the paper shopping bags and said, "I'll bring the car around."
I took the spare minutes alone to check my phone, not surprised to see a text from Selina asking if we still planned on meeting them for lunch. She and Bruce were also out and about for the day, leaving us to make plans to meet up just before one in the afternoon. Dick had not been particularly keen on spending his day off shopping, but the fact that I had promised a tasty lunch had helped lure him out of bed.
Especially lunch at the Hudson Grille, where he always rejoiced in ordering their spinach salad just for the deep-fried goat cheese puffs that came with it.
Selecting her name on the display of my phone, I listened to it ring twice before she greeted, "Hello there."
"Hey, we're just about done over at the outlets, we're going to head over now."
"Perfect, we were just on our way, too. You will not believe the amount of adorable toddler winter hats I now have in my possession."
Her first Christmas, Mattie Elizabeth Wayne would be buried under gifts from the Family, both close and extended. My father had asked what size clothes she wore, but after I had told him that she was growing so fast, he decided to get her a giant stuffed Pegasus and a few story books. Dick and I had gone a similar route with a large basket full of books, a magnetized building block toy set along with ten pairs of socks.
At the rate that Mattie took them off and lost them, there was a need to keep the sock drawer as full as possible.
With the Range Rover approaching, I made my way out into the cold, "All right then, we will see you in a few."
She responded with, "And with the boys as DD, we are having Christmastinis."
I was snickering to myself as Dick parked at the curb, stepping out to open the door for me. As I pulled myself out of the chair and into the car, he asked, "Who was that?"
"You're future step-mother."
He visibly shuddered, "Please don't call her that… just say… future reformed criminal that married my wayward mentor-turned adopted father."
I waited silently as he shut my door, stowed the chair in the back and settled into the driver's side, then remarked, "That makes it sound as if she isn't reformed yet."
Grin returning to his face, "Well, after her little excursion the other week…" The look on mine had him adding, "What, too soon to joke about that?"
Shrugging, I replied, "No… laugh it up… but get it out of your system in the next fifteen minutes."
Not two weeks earlier, Selina had donned her neglected guise and trekked into the city for a night of prowling. In her mind, it had just been for the sake of stretching her legs and doing what she once loved if only for one night. Unfortunately, she had ended up aiding Batgirl and Robin in apprehending a parole officer-evading Victor Fries. Granted, it had been without being harmed but upon being tracked down by Bruce, it hadn't mattered in his eyes.
All that had was the fact that they were both out at night in masks while their daughter was home alone with Alfred.
The feud that had taken place that night had been quite heated. The morning after, I had instinctually driven up to make sure things were okay and to also act as a voice of reason, if needed. Expecting them to still be roaring at one another, I had been surprised to find them enjoying each other's company in the den as Mattie chased after the cat. When Bruce had taken the baby to wash up and change for the day, I had asked Selina if everything was okay or if they were just in an intermission.
She had sighed before explaining, "He wasn't mad… it seemed like it at first but… honestly, he was just scared. Scared that something would happen to me and he wouldn't be able to save me… or that something would happen to both of us and leave Mattie alone…"
I had blurted out my next question without thinking, "Are you going to do it again?"
"Not that I need his permission, but he said he wouldn't stop me."
"So that's a yes?"
Selina had shrugged, "I don't know… The look in his eyes last night… Was so… scared…. Worried. I'm not sure I want to see it ever again."
There had been no further sightings of Catwoman in the nights that followed.
Cats longed to stray, to hunt, to peruse their territory, but they always knew home was there waiting for them, safe and sound.
^V^
"They're late," I sighed as I traced the rim of my water glass for the millionth time.
Selina looked at me with a warm smile, leaned in and kissed my cheek. Simultaneously, her hand snaked under the table cloth and jabbed me in the abdomen. Rather than growl back, I offered her a smirk before taking her hand into mine.
"They're not late," she finally said, "Barbara just called… they are on the way."
I sat back in my chair and nodded slightly. After spending the morning perusing stores in and around Bristol, we had the town car's back seat and trunk full of gifts for family members and for donations. The Wayne Foundation party was on Christmas Eve. As per usual, it was being held at the ball room of the Ritz with an open bar and donations required at the door, physical or monetary.
The previous year, Bruce Wayne had not been able to attend as he had been on a beach in Fiji. In reality, I had been laying beside Selina in the den, my hand gently resting on her swollen abdomen…
In the last few months, I had managed to attend several social events unscathed. With Selina on my arm, we had braved the mayor's daughter's wedding, the annual police benefit as well as a number of Wayne Foundation dinners. Smiles and handshakes, dodging reporters and hunting down board members, it had been a routine I had mastered long ago. With her at my side, it was far easier to tolerate.
Even still, I preferred a night on the den carpet with Mattie as opposed to the ballroom's dance floor.
"Bruce?"
"Hmm?" I responded, my eyes focusing on Selina once more.
She nodded in the opposite direction, drawing my gaze to our waiter, a slender man in his thirties who acted as if his occupation was a punishment. He had visited us twice to refill our water glasses and I quire about drink orders or hors d'oeurves. I shook my head, but Selina finally obliged him, "I guess we'll have the lemon-lime gravlax while we're waiting."
"An excellent choice, and to drink?" he gently persisted "Might I suggest the pear and cranberry bellini?"
"Sure," she replied.
When he asked if I desired anything other than ice water, I wanted to reply no, longing only for three glasses of water to hydrate myself. Knowing that no wasn't the answer the waiter wanted, I appeased him with, "Something local that's on tap."
"We have a hearty winter lager crafted just outside of-."
"Perfect," I gave him look and he nodded before leaving us.
"Easy there, Scrooge, we haven't made our food orders yet… hate for you have spit on your halibut." Before I could say that I wasn't getting the halibut, she pointed out, "Ah, look who's here."
Dick and Barbara were making their way through the restaurant, a task given the number of patrons who had decided to take a break from their last minute holiday shopping. He offered a curt wave and Selina smiled back, encouraging me to do the same by gripping my knee cap under the table with her nails. When she had proposed a day out together, I had done my best to get out of it by claiming I had work to catch up on in the Cave. When that had failed, I pretended that a stab wound from the week before was bothering my lower back.
Lastly, I had tried to bribe Alfred into needing the day off so that we would have to stay home with Mattie.
Selina had seen through all of my excuses with a Cheshire grin.
The last two weeks had been difficult, to say the least. Her one night out as Catwoman had started a troubling ripple that impacted much further than I would ever let on. She had not made a second attempt to date, but that had not stopped me from looking for her over my shoulder. The stab wound I had suffered was a momentary lapse in judgment, a result of mistaking Batgirl for Catwoman. Fourteen internal and eleven external stitches had been nearly as painful as imagining her in the midst of a brawl with the Blu Flu gang.
That night, she had pointed out to me that if she ever put her mask on again, it would be to lure me into a chase, not onto a gurney.
Dick moved a chair out of the way, allowing Barbara to sit beside Selina. Their sudden proximity to one another had spurned an immediate conversation about their shopping conquests. Completely ignoring myself and Dick, they only paused when the waiter arrived so that the new arrivals could place drink orders. When he departed, Dick finally looked to me and smirked.
I sighed, "Are you staying in the city tonight?"
He shrugged, "From the looks of it. Supposed to get a few inches later, not entirely too keen on driving back home through it… Besides, I think I am on wrapping duty once we get back to the Clocktower."
"And dinner," Barbara reminded him.
"And dinner duty," he shadowed softly. The drinks arrived, Barbara having opted to follow in her female ally's footsteps where Dick had settled with coffee. The plate of gravlax also was placed on the table, along with a basket of freshly baked white, rye and pumpernickel rolls. The gentleman standing at our table seemed disappointed that we had only been a party of four instead of a larger group, thus cheating him out of an automatic twenty percent gratuity.
He was further disheartened when we ordered light meals. Selina took the initiative and asked for the butternut squash ravioli, followed by Barbara ordering the smoked turkey and asiago pannini. Dick was the only one with an appetite, going for the spinach salad with fried goat cheese along with bistro ham and brie sandwich. When the man's gaze fell to me, I caught Selina smirking when I ordered, "I'll have the halibut, with the sautéed spinach."
Once we were alone again, I was surprised when Barbara asked, "So, how are things for the Christmas party?"
"So far everything seems to be in order," I replied before tasting the beer. I then continued, "They invited your father, along with two dozen randomly selected officers."
She smiled warmly, "He was telling me the other night… wanted to know if I would be his date… Unfortunately, someone else already asked me…"
"Snooze, you lose," Dick remarked before making a garb for the sole, brown roll.
"At any rate," Barbara continued, "He was very thankful for the invite… to that and to the house."
"He's Family now," I commented, "Really always has been."
There was a brief pause before Selina turned the conversation to the things we had picked out for Mattie that morning. It had been the only part of the holiday shopping process over the last few months that I had actually showed interest instead of feigning it. Earlier in the day, Selina had to literally drag me from the toy store after I had spent far too much on stuffed animals, clothes and books.
It was her first Christmas and it was going to set the standard.
To continue with our recently made tradition, Christmas was being held at the Manor. Brunch in the morning, gifts midday and Alfred's culinary feats for dinner. Unlike the previous year, Tim would also be in attendance as Jack and Dana were spending the holiday in Ohio visiting relatives. He had been invited along but opted to be with his other Family.
"Bruce?"
I turned to see Barbara smiling at me, "Yes?"
"What time did you want us to come up after the party?"
"After the party… on Thursday night?" I asked.
Dick nodded, "Yeah, we figured it would make more sense to do it like last year, come up the night before and then we'll all be there in the morning, no problem." He finished his roll, grabbed for one of the thinly sliced pieces of ornamented salmon and proceeded to pop into his mouth.
Barbara hesitated before asking, "Is that not okay? We can come up in the morning…"
Selina reached for my hand and squeezed it, speaking on my behalf, "No that's a great idea. We can watch Christmas movies, decorate the tree some more. It will be fun."
Dick grinned at me, the way he used to as Robin after he had brought down a thug on his own even though I had told him no to.
Instead of scowling, I nodded, "I'll have Alfred prepare the guest rooms."
Selina let go of my hand, the imprints of her fingers and nails lingering for a second more on my flesh. Before she tasted the kravlax, I felt her feet move to rest on top of mine. At that small token of affection, I decided that Ebeneezer Scrooge could remain at bay, at least for the remainder of lunch.
^V^
Just after two, we bid Dick and Barbara good bye in order to head home. Using his boundless charm, Alfred should have just put her down for her nap, allowing us to unload the car and prepare presents in peace. No doubt Bruce would willingly help in carrying in bags and boxes, but wrapping and tying bows would most likely be left to myself and Alfred…
Before stepping out of the restaurant, Bruce helped me into my wool coat before donning his leather jacket. I tied my scarf while watching him zip up, waiting until he was searching his pockets for a pair of gloves before leaning in to kiss his cheek. Three glasses of the Prosecco based drink had my skin feeling warm long before I had put my coat on. It also had me teasing Bruce under the table, tracing my toe over his feet and up and down his shins.
"How dare you, madam?" he whispered as I stepped away. He opened the door for me and guided me through with his hand on the small of my back. Once outside in the brisk cold, I leaned into him, smiling when his had finally decided to slip an arm around my waist.
"Good thing we picked the Beemer…" I shivered slightly, "Thank you for car starters…"
He took the driver's seat, waiting for me to get in before re-starting the car. Bruce had activated the remote control ten minutes earlier, giving ample time for the heat build up and for the windows to defrost. As I buckled up, I caught Bruce checking his PDA, a frown forming on his lips.
"Anything good?"
"Coroner reports… double homicide from last night," he answered mechanically.
"Ah," I said quietly.
He took five minutes to skim the documents on the small digital screen before pocketing the device. At that, he put a smile on and asked, "Ready?"
"Yep."
The last snow fall had been a week earlier, not more than three inches in most of the city, maybe four in the suburbs. Bristol had missed most of the precipitation, leaving bits of earth breaking through the white covering. I was by no means an avid fan of wintry weather, but there had yet to be a significant amount for Mattie to play in. More specifically, for Mattie to put her tiny purple snow suit to use in.
Looking skyward for most of the ride home, it seemed as if there was one giant white cloud that was lingering above us. The weather advisory was already in effect, with the first flakes due later in the afternoon. Thankfully, Bristol was calling for up to six inches at the least.
Bruce drove right into the garage, braked softly and cut the engine without effort. When he remained motionless, I asked what was wrong. With a sigh, he looked to me and said, "I'm debating whether or not to get the backhoe out of the utility garage… to move all of the shopping bags."
"Oh, don't worry, hon," I reached into the back seat and grabbed a small white paper bag, "I'll help."
Somehow, we found a way to take everything inside with just one trip. I took the bags while Bruce stacked up the wrapped boxes and heavier items. Leading the way, I guided him into the house verbally, doing my best not to force him to falter. Disregarding the stairs, we made our way to the elevator, of which forced me to press the up button with the heel of my right shoe.
Arriving at the second floor, Bruce had to set his bounty down in order to unlock a spare bedroom door. It was a secure room he had designed to offer secure shelter for his colleagues or even possible suspects that needed to be kept hidden from the world. When I had first come upon it the year before, Dick had said that they had never used it and most likely never would.
At least not for its intended purpose.
Thankfully, most of the gifts were already wrapped and ready. Setting everything on the bare mattress, I quickly grouped the boxes and bags based on who they were for. The donation gifts would have to go back downstairs for the Wayne Foundation party at some point, but the remaining presents needed a safe place to stay until Friday morning. I turned to ask him if he was ready to go downstairs to find Alfred and Mattie only to find the room empty.
"Bruce?"
"In here," he called out from the attached bathroom. I crossed the room and paused at the open doorway, finding Bruce holding his shirt up in order to examine dark, yellow and brown bruising on his side. It had been a while since he had found himself on the gurney in the Cave, or at least to Alfred's medical mercy. Ufortunatley, the locatio of the stab wound had forced him to call for aide and when he had woken Alfred, Alfred had roused me.
We had found him that night partially dressed on the gurney with a split lip, handful of contusions and a three inch deep wound to his lower back.
"Hate to see the other guy," I had joked.
Spotting me, he dropped the shirt and tucked it back into his slacks. Bruce turned to look at me, offering a small smirk before he said, "Sorry."
I waited until he moved to stand beside me before responding, "It's okay.. Ready to go find the munchkin?"
"Actually, I am going to-," he stopped mid-sentence as I jammed my fingernails directly into the tender flesh on his side. He tried to glare down at me, but eventually surrendered with, "Lead the way."
Taking the stairwell back to the ground floor, we followed the sound of fait Christmas music to its source in the kitchen. Mattie was seated in her high chair while Alfred helmed a vast cookie and dessert orchestra. Cooling trays on the counters yielded gingerbread snaps, sugar cookies in a variety of festive shapes, cream puffs with powdered sugar and even miniature canolis just begging to be devoured.
"weren't we busy…" I said while stepping through the open archway.
Mattie looked up at me, slapping her hands down on the tray before her, accidentally beheading a sugar cookie Santa Claus, "Mah-mie!"
"Hi sweetie," I crossed the room, kissed the crown of her black curls, "Have you been helping or hindering?"
Alfred was quick to report, "She has been the very definition of a good helper… taste testing diligently to see to it that the old Pennyworth recipes are up to par."
Before I could respond, Mattie spotted her father and called out, "Dah-ie!"
"I see you, kitten," he replied before joining me, opting to take her out of the high chair when she started to ask Uppie. He held her high above and asked her, "Did you fall into the batter?"
She reached down to him and replied, "Dah-ie, umber dere!"
I smiled as I observed the flour that covered her face and arms and the smears of frosting on her lips and on her shirt. It would be quite the chore cleaning her up. A chore for Bruce while I wrapped presents…
Mattie giggled and I looked to see that Bruce had lowered her so she could rest against his chest. Closer to her father, she had showed no hesitation in putting a smidgen of flour on Bruce's ace. He smiled lightly and proceeded to wipe it on her shirtsleeve, causing her to fidget and laugh even louder.
"Why don't you go get her washed up, Bruce? I'll tackles presents."
He looked down at Mattie, who had begun to pick flour off of her shirt and put even more on Bruce's face and dark sweater. "Looks like we both need to… would you like a bath, kitten?"
"Baf! Duppie!" she jumped a bit in his arms, growing louder and more excited as he carried her away.
Just shy of year into the role of father and he was already the best.
No, that wasn't entirely true… he had been a father for years. And he always was the best at whatever he did.
^V^
Thankfully, I had only been required to wear my tuxedo at the Wayne Foundation party for just shy of an hour.
A structure fire in an apartment building just out of Midtown had fire fighters at a loss as to how to safely evacuate those trapped too high for their ladders to reach. Barbara had quietly lured me out of hearing range of the social brigade before informing me of what was going on. I had grinned at the opportunity to change out of Armani and into Kevlar, not even waiting for her to notify Tim, Cass and Bruce before dashing.
Regrettably, Bruce had been unable to leave the clutch of the board, a fact that had no doubt completely ruined his Christmas Eve.
Between the three of us, we had been able to grapple up and use zip lines to efficiently and safely remove fourteen tenants from the upper floors of the burning residence. After leaving those that were in good shape on the roof of the adjacent building and taking those in need of medical attention directly to the ground, we retreated as quickly as we had arrived. Since we all stank of smoke and had ash embedded into any exposed skin, we were unable to return the party.
Ah, shucks.
Resting on the St. Michael's cathedral, I had called Barbara to let her know all was well and that we were just going to go ahead with patrols. I asked how Bruce had been and she replied, "He's literally pouting, Dick… It's actually pretty funny."
He had suffered through another hour an a half of playing the gracious board president before joining us on the rooftops. I had been curious as to how fatherhood would affect his patrol work on the night before Christmas, but as expected, it hadn't. He still had worked mostly alone, working through the tougher parts of the city and showing no hesitation in letting those who had decided to be naughty to get an early lump on the head.
I had crossed paths with him shortly after three in the morning, finding him in the Bowery taking on a small army of hooligans armed with pipes, switchblades and brass knuckles. I dove in without hesitation, taking out two men with a glide kick before having to block and counterstrike my way into the thick of the fight. We had worked in unison, covering each others' backs, using the most blunt and powerful of blows on the heavy hitters and using quicker, more painful assaults for the more sinister of the thugs.
It had only taken three minutes to bring fourteen men to the frozen pavement.
I had looked over my shoulder at Batman and smirked, "Can't beat that kind of team work."
He had inhaled deeply, then grunted.
Returning to the Manor, I had opted to ride back with him in the Mobile. As a pre-emptive measure to abandoning the function early, he had brought it down on auto-pilot after dusk. I had a cycle hidden in a faux dumpster in Bryanttown but it was just a bit too chilly to be riding the bike all of the way back to Bristol. On the ride, he had me replay the events with the fire, seemingly pleased to hear we all had managed to emerge unscathed.
At that, I had remarked, "Pretty sad that we all would rather be running into as burning building than to sit through a fundraiser… really need to get that party popping next year. Hire the Rockettes or something."
He had ignored me and driven off of the main drag and onto the dirt service road that wrapped around the property of Wayne Manor. Following fresh tracks of snow through the secret entrance and onto the granite path, we had just been beat by Cass and Tim, both of which had opted to ride back on cycles. I waited until the Mobile was parked before saying, "Do you think Santa will mind if I eat his cookies?"
Glaring at me, Batman's eyes narrowed before he responded, "Yes, he will."
Jus as we approached the main tier on foot, Tim and Cass had been stepping out of the costume vault in fresh clothes. Tim had opted for dark sweat pants and a hooded Syracuse sweatshirt while Cass had donned black leggings and a dark gray long sleeved tee. Peeling off my mask, I had inquired as to how their evening had gone.
Tim had shrugged, "Not bad… you?"
"Can't complain… even managed to hitch hike home," I replied as Bruce bypassed us and headed straight for the computer bay.
We had watched as he took his seat, gloved fingertips immediately attacking the keyboard. Tim had joked softly, "Santa only comes when everyone is in bed."
"Well, there will be a two hour-window when he's asleep and the rest of us wake up," I had replied, "Santa better make his move then."
There had been no point in asking if he wanted or needed our help, so we had decided to trudge up the stairs and into the Manor. Before heading to bed, we had stopped in the den to check out the tree in all of its white lit glory. Selina and Mattie had helped Alfred decorate it two weeks earlier, Bruce stepping in to help put the star on. A few presents were already settled beneath the lowest branches, mainly items we had brought up earlier in the day.
I had already started feeling the anticipation for how different the tree would look in the morning.
Alfred had already set up guest rooms on the second floor, complete with plates of cookies on the night stands. Seeing how I had been sharing a room with Barbara, I had used extra caution in entering the room, eating the last of the treats and sneaking into the bed. Settling deep into the pillows, I had sighed quietly, the long day and even longer night finally catching up with me.
Come on visions of sugar plums…
Whether it was the excitement of the holiday or simply the desire to sneak downstairs and see if there were any canolis left over, I found myself waking at seven-thirty in the morning. Barbara was sound asleep beside me, her head barely visible from under the down comforter. I tried to will myself back into a state of unconsciousness but found it to be fruitless. As slowly as possible, I pushed back the covers and glided out of bed.
"Richard."
I looked back over to Barbara, uncertain as to whether or not she had said my name or if my conscience had said it for her.
When I proceeded to pull on a dark blue Henley shirt, I heard it again, in addition to, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Babs?"
The figure in bed rolled over, only her bright green eyes visible from the veil of blankets, "You heard me."
"I can't sleep… going to run down and get something to eat… I'll be right back."
"Right," she replied, eyes still focused on mine.
Although Barbara had every right to be suspicious, I honestly wanted nothing more than to sneak a few baked goods out of the kitchen without being caught by Alfred. And possibly to take a quick look in the den. And maybe to steal a candy cane or two.
The first leg of my trip downstairs was a bust.
Alfred was already well under way with his efforts in preparing breakfast. I barely set one foot onto the tiled floor of the kitchen before he greeted me, "Merry Christmas, Master Dick."
"You, too, Al… didn't think you would be at it already," I admitted defeat and took to sitting at the island counter.
"Ah, yes… well, in all honesty, I had a late start this morning."
"What, you didn't get up until five-thirty?" I joked.
"Ten after six, in fact… just in time to bid Master Bruce good night." There was a twinge of guilt that Bruce had worked alone in the Cave that long after we had gone to bed. Alfred continued before I could say anything, "Thankfully, it was just after I had roused and changed Miss Mattie… allowing him to take her with him."
After a few seconds of watching him dice potatoes into perfect, tiny cubes, I asked, "Guess he's not getting up for a while then."
He looked up and shook his head, "He is already up, sir. In the den, I believe."
At that, I decided to move onto my second intended stop. Sure enough, Bruce was sitting with Mattie at the base of the tree, of which was no longer visible from behind the stacks of gifts and wrapped boxes. I smirked from the doorway to see Mattie was carefully holding onto the stuffed black leopard Tim had picked out for her.
Just as Alfred had moments earlier, Bruce greeted me without looking up, "Morning, Dick."
"Do I get to open a gift, too?" I joked as I joined them on the carpet.
"I gave you a ride you a ride this morning despite the fact that you reeked of smoke… that was your gift."
We watched on as Mattie diligently tried to bring the cat to life, making him walk around on his padded feet and jumping in the air at invisible prey. At one point, she lifted the leopard up and made it kiss Bruce's face. He smirked as he reached a hand up to pet the pretend animal as if it were the actual black feline that live under his roof.
Since his return to the cowl, so much of his personality and mannerisms had reverted back to the way the once had been. There were times when it seemed as if nothing had changed at all, as if the previous year had just been a long, painful nightmare. The more he wore the cowl, the more of him it seemed to claim.
Yet, there were still moments, however brief, that I saw the man we had all come to know so well.
And sharing one of those moments with him once more was a Christmas miracle as far as I was concerned.
^V^