Alf swallowed his last bite and frowned at them. "That's... Not quite right."
Both Cass and Selina stared at him uncomprehendingly for a minute, before the elder of the two women asked what he meant.
"Well... Professor Zoom uses energy from the Negative Speed Force, while everyone in my mom's family draws from the Positive. The two don't mix well, which is why Mom couldn't just follow him straight to this time and have picked me up right away. And, the speedsters of this time wouldn't be able to run directly to my home, not without knowing where they were going."
Selina resisted the urge to bang her head against the table. This was officially not welcome news, even if it did explain why Alf worked to get away from the Flash family so quickly.
Cass, though, was pursing her lips thoughtfully. "But... If your family does find a way to come get you, where would they appear?"
"Probably at the same place I showed up, wherever that was." Alf said, reaching to grab a handful of napkins. Within a few seconds, he'd wiped away the mess on the tabletop around him, although to took a subtle gesture from Selina for him to set to cleaning his own face.
Sitting quietly while the other woman ordered her own meal to go, Cass waited until the wrapped sandwich arrived to set a folded twenty dollar bill on the tabletop and stand. Alf hurriedly followed as they left, Selina willing to stay a couple steps behind.
"Um... Where are we going?" The kid asked once they were outside.
"The Manor." Cass told him. "I know you will be nervous, but it is only until I tell Bruce the plan."
"What plan?" Selina frowned.
"We call the speedsters, ask where they found Alf, and watch that place for activity. Also, ask other time travellers for opinions, even if they cannot help." Alf found himself nodding slowly, half thinking about the plan, and half about how Aunt Cass really hadn't changed much at all over the next couple decades.
-LRR-
When Alfred Pennyworth opened the front door of Wayne Manor, he wasn't surprised to find Mistress Cassandra with the two guests she had mentioned bringing. Alone in the mansion, Alfred had received the woman's full explanation of all she'd heard from Catwoman's apartment, and had sworn to keep the details to himself.
"Good day, Miss Kyle, young sir." He bowed slightly, causing the lad to blink and lean back into Selina's legs.
"Hello, Alfred. This is, ah..."
"Little Alf." Cass spoke up in the older woman's trailing off. "And I've already told Alfred a bit - he's going to help."
"Oh, good." Selina relaxed a tad, though the boy in front of her seemed torn between being nervous and curious. He went with the latter upon seeing Alfred wink at him.
The three slipped inside, and the butler closed the door as he briefly outlined where the rest of the family members were. "Master Bruce is currently brooding within the Cave. Masters Richard and Timothy are meeting at Wayne Enterprises with Miss Fox, while Mistress Stephanie I believe is spending this afternoon with her mother. Master Jason is asleep upstairs, and Master Damian is spending the day with his fellow team members."
"Thanks, Alfie." Selina said in evident relief. "Cass and I need to go talk to Bruce, but can short stuff stay up here with you?"
"Indeed. Perhaps he'd be willing to assist me in the kitchen with the desserts for this afternoon's tea." Initially alarmed at the prospect of losing his benefactor, the lad's interest was nonetheless piqued at the mention of dessert.
Let it never be said a Pennyworth didn't know how to distract an anxious child.
Within minutes, Little Alf was gazing about the large kitchen, no longer concerned with his two familiar faces disappearing around the corner. To Alfred's surprise, the lad hurried over to the sink to wash his hands before anything else. Normally, members of the Wayne family entering this room snatched food first and worried about their hands' cleanliness afterward, if at all.
The two settled into a comfortable silence once Alfred explained all that they would be making: scones with jam, a selection of small cupcakes, and honeyed bread. Little Alf's eyes lit up at the mention of this last one, and he eagerly went straight to the cupboards with the correct ingredients for making the sweet. Alfred chuckled at him, which caused the lad to grin. Half an hour later, there was still no sign of the ladies, but the pastries had all been assembled and were ready for baking. Again Little Alf surprised the butler, as he set to clearing away the mess before reaching for the jams and icing that they would be using next.
They were in the process of stacking dirtied implements in the sink when a large, intimidating figure appeared in the doorway.
-LRR-
Years away...
If there was one thing the villains of Gotham understood, it was that if one of the Bats was down and hurt, the others could be expected to take out their anger and frustrations on the criminal element. Folks could generally tell how serious it was by how reckless the heroes grew, and some of the more insane villains took great delight in pushing buttons until the Bat they were fighting lost it.
On this occasion, though, it wasn't enraged Bats who tore through Gotham's crooks: it was a rotating list of heroes from other cities. And that was a very bad sign.
There had only been one other time like this in recent memory, when it was suggested by some keen observer that there must have been a death in the Bat-family. During that horrible week, practically the entire Justice League had come to town, and many people joked that it was taking almost twenty powerhouse players to do the job of half a dozen Bats, who were at least still putting in token appearances.
But now, a couple years down the road, every day there was a different group of heroes patrolling Gotham, and not a single true Bat in sight.
Almost two weeks this had been going on, and the city's criminals were really hoping that whatever was going on would be fixed soon. Grim and terrifying Birds and Bats they could stand being taken down by - even the tiny pipsqueak that was the new Robin. It only added to your reputation to have gone a round or two with any of the master fighters.
There wasn't any rep to be gained, though, when you went down under a boxing glove arrow, or a green hardlight construct, or a magic spell. Just embarrassment.
A/N: "... I might even be able to get the next update out in a few days..." Folks, I am so sorry. A month ago I last updated, and a month ago I thought things were going well in my life... Anyhow, events on this front are winding down now, and I'll try to post to this story and my others with a bit of regularity again. No promises, though. One never knows when a European History teacher might assign another take-home test, for example.
-A very tired Triscribe