Kel smiled, "It's nice to be out next to you, even in this astral form, but luckily, with our bond and soulmarks, we can do stuff like this in turns of astral form...I just wish I could be as real as you and the family is...Not that we are already practically real to the family as mothers to Bruce and Poppy and friends to Alfred and Leslie, and recently Caroline and Waylon, and I'm happy to have a mate in you, and yes, there's still an empty spot of Thomas, but he still feels like our mate...", with a soft sigh.
Martha looked at her, "Is being in my mind getting bad?", with a surprised look as Kel hadn't acted like a wild animal for ages since her development into an adult woman's intelligence and maturity now, though there are exceptions of her rarely appearing wild instincts in their lovemaking sessions in the caverns and occasionally in their bedroom, making good use of Thomas's gift over the years at times while other times, it's just them without it.
Kel sighed heavily, "I don't know...I mean...I heard about mental health...And sometimes I just want to be by your side, to just support you at your charities and such, but it's...I am getting a bit frustrated at how I shouldn't be scared of the judgement from bigots and such if they saw a green, big woman in love with a wealthy, petite widowed woman...Does that make sense?".
"Yeah... I get it...", Martha sighed. "Some days I wish it was so easy...", with a frown. "Not to mention, there's the other issue of... well, I'm not exactly the most incognito.", Kel admitted. "Especially with some of the stuff I've done in the past... like those bank robbers.".
Don't know if any of them are out or prison after all these years but I'm sure a few of those guys would love to try to get back at me... and the best way...", Kel then gave Martha to finish her thought. "Is through me, Bruce, Poppy, Alfred... yeah.", Martha whispered.
Kel replied, "Don't get me wrong, the test runs in the summers before we met Caroline and Waylon was great, and in the occasional times in Gotham was good...I don't really get bothered about non-threatening stuff, even if cars look dangerous sometimes. And afterwards, with caring more as a woman instead of a monster, I get this jump of relief and joy when I do good stuff...like back with that flash flood, and then Hurricane Katrina, and it's like I'm more well-known in Gotham while being a myth at times around the country when we do trips for the summers and such, and then I delight in the looks of fear and shock in the bad guys like nailing drug dealers and all, and at the end of the day, I feel content and satisfied when I see our family happy and laughing in Wayne Manor or the caverns, you know?".
Martha nodded, "I see your point...I get more prouder and prouder of you, and our children, and besides, Lucius was right about one thing...The technology is getting better...We could have better safety at Wayne Manor, with better security, and to be honest, I couldn't help thinking about that time with the bank robbers...If I was hit harder with that pistol, I couldn't have changed into you, but on the other hand, you would have rescued me all the same if we were apart into two real women...Through Leslie said she couldn't find a solution for that...", with a frown.
Kel growled softly, "I would always rescue you and our family every time, and I would track all of you to the ends of the world even if it takes the last breath of me. I...I don't know if I was created, or brought forward from somewhere else by Leslie's gamma treatment on you, and I don't want to know if it hurts you or me down the road, but I never regret every day of falling in love with you and Thomas, with our children, and yes, even loving Alfred and Leslie and Caroline as friends, and Waylon as a nephew or hopefully son-in-law, if we find him and get him home one of those days...I never would dare to tear into Waylon because that would make Poppy estranged at me if I hurt him, and I care too much for Alfred because he deserves a son to help him get past this, but it upsets me to see her hurting...She isn't going to get over this easy...".
"No... she won't.", Martha closed her eyes. Honestly, deep down, Martha couldn't help but admit that she kinda thought the idea was almost a bit heartwarming in a way, Poppy's crush and all, she could see perhaps someday before of Poppy as a beautiful young woman going on dates with Waylon.
Kel sighed deeply, "Let's just get this done for Alfred and be there for Poppy...We will bench the heavy stuff with us for another time...".
Martha nodded, "Agreed.", as they saw the shack now in their view, and indeed, Poppy and Bruce found a couple of Caroline's garden tools to be the stone carver, and it looked like Waylon indeed had taken all his hunting knives from the smokehouse in his plight.
They saw Alfred holding the purple yarn ball in Caroline's storage bowl of yarn, gazing at the half-complete violet purple baby blanket and his ring box in his lap, in the living room, looking like he had gone through the grinder without breaking down.
Poppy gently touched Alfred's arm, "Alfred? We are ready to carve Jane's stone...Do you want us to take turns to carve a name each, like Mom do 'Jane', Mama do 'Lillian', me and Bruce do 'Jones-Pennyworth', and if you're ready then, do you want to do the dates?".
"I think that's a good idea...", Alfred took a deep breath as it was clear he had done some more crying. "We better get a move on; it'll still be a time before it's night...", he said as Poppy nodded. "Okay.", she said before she quickly took him into a hug.
Alfred gave a small smile as he hugged his pseudo-niece back, and he swore to be there for her as they both care about Waylon a lot more than the others, not that the others do love Waylon because they do, but still.
Alfred then took a deep breath and got up, his hands tenderly flying over his ring box, the yarn ball and the half-complete baby blanket, and then went with Kel, to show her the right spot under his and Caroline's tree, while Martha started to carve 'Jane' into the stone with careful focus.
Indeed, Kel swiftly and accurately dug a proper burial hole partly in the shade, partly in the sunshine, and with a satisfied nod of the depth and such, Kel patted Alfred's shoulder, "Good?".
Alfred smiled a bit at her, "It's perfect...", and Kel nodded, and went to grab Caroline's gravestone carefully and gently, heading back to the tree, and putting it in front of the tree, on the left side of the border of the burial hole, setting in firmly yet not too deeply as her name and dates need to be seen, and Kel stepped back with Alfred, "Is that perfect? Not too far to the left or too centered, as Jane's stone needs to be next to hers?".
"No, that's exactly where it should be...", Alfred said as he wiped his eyes; at least this time he didn't feel any tears so maybe he gave himself a bit of a break from it, but he knew more would still be coming.
Kel nodded before hearing Martha's voice call out, "Kel, your turn to carve!", and Kel called back, "Coming!", before looking at Alfred who gave her a small smile, "I'll see if the canned food is good to eat...Caroline always dated them to be sure...You and the others work on the stone.".
"For once, I or Martha don't have our large appetite...", Kel sighed softly, and Alfred nodded, "I know...but all of you, me...we need to eat something...And besides, Caroline would flay me if I don't make use of her canned food.", with a small wry chuckle, needing to do something with his hands as he can't wait around like a man helpless to do anything...
Kel nodded, and they went back to the shack, with Alfred heading back to the cold pantry again to get a couple of canned food in their jars, to cook while Kel took her turn, with the kids waiting for their turns.
Perhaps 40 minutes later, after some half-heartened bites yet small smiles at Caroline's cooking from the jars with Alfred's flair, Bruce replied, "There, the name's all done! Jane Lillian Jones-Pennyworth. You need a moment first before doing the dates, Alfred?", looking at Alfred gently.
Alfred took a deep breath, "No...I'm ready to do this...Kel...after I finish, I and Martha and the kids carry this stone while you bear-carry Caroline's coffin...it took all of me to carry the coffin from the funeral car together with Martha and the kids before you appeared, I...it's hard to do it a second time...Can you do that for me?", as he took a seat on one of the pillows next to the stone, picking up the makeshift carving tools, with the words 'Conceived: March, Spring Break, 2008 and Died: July 24th, 2008.' burned in his mind, even if he knew he and Caroline quite made love a few times during Spring Break, it was no true definition of when exactly Jane got conceived, but it's the best next thing to know that it happened in Spring Break either way.
"Of course.", Kel said. "Will be easy for me... though that's physically, not really emotionally.", she admitted as Alfred nodded, "I know, she was your friend too... thank you again, Kel..."
Kel gave him a small smile, and waited patiently while Alfred took another deep breath, composing himself before etching the dates into Jane's gravestone with upmost respect and care.
It took 20 minutes before Alfred then sighed, leaning back to take a look, and gave a stronger if still small smile, "It's all perfect...Let's do this...", taking another deep breath, and so, Kel went out into the porch, as the others carried together of the gravestone, watching their steps as they grunted, heading down the stairs and then to the tree, while Kel gently and respectfully took Caroline's coffin on her shoulder, in her hands, following the others, unknowing of two amber brown eyes watching the affair through binoculars from a faraway spot.
After a few more moments, everyone was in place as Kel was waiting for the signal to start lowering Caroline's casket. "Alfred... would you like to say a few words for us?", Martha asked.
Alfred took a deep breath, gazing at the gravestones, perfectly side by side as it should be like how Caroline is holding her daughter, their daughter in the coffin like a mother-daughter duo.
He tried to fight back the tears, finally coming back again as he searched for the words, "On this day, August the 19th, we lay a wonderful woman to rest, together with a life that has been cut short before a new life would have begun. Caroline Jones, there has never been a day without her ability to take no nonsense from anybody, even her son or the rest of us who is standing here today to pay respects...She and her daughter's lives has been through joy, love, tragedy, comfort, and loss, yet they are now into the next adventure beyond death, and I-I pray that right now, she and our daughter, Jane Lillian Jones-Pennyworth, is at peace, making friends with the angels, and our other loved ones...We would never forget you, Caroline and Jane...".
There was a brief pause as Alfred started to tear up again. "I'm so sorry... you two... I could've done something... I know I could have...", he sobbed as Martha quickly went to comfort him and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
Kel spoke nothing, as Alfred collapsed into his knees, with Martha slightly moving to be on his side as the casket is at their level now, and Alfred sobbed, "I will never forget you, my dear, and my little brave one...I love you two, and you will never leave my heart, that's a promise.", reaching out to caress the casket, and kissed the closed lid two times, and then gave a rough, shaky nod at Kel through his tears as the signal to go lower it into the burial hole, and then the family will throw dirt over the casket once settled.
Alfred watched as the casket was covered as he tried to control himself as little by little it was buried under the dirt. After a few moments, he turned away and didn't want to see anymore.
Poppy looked at Bruce and her mothers helplessly, and Bruce exhaled before coming to Alfred, helping him, "Come on, let's get going back to town and rent a couple of rooms in our usual hotel...", and Alfred shook his head, "I can't...I need...I'm wringed out...I don't want all those hotel staff to see...".
Bruce nodded, "Okay...Okay, let's get you to sleep on the hideaway bed...", realizing that Alfred is so raw right now, and he would break down if he slept in his usual spot in Caroline's bed and realize that she's not there to snuggle with him.
Alfred nodded numbly as he felt so wringed out, so tired, and was helped back to the shack, with the family sort of feeling the same too as it has been a hard day, and so with the hideaway-bed out of the couch, Alfred fell uneasily asleep again, with the others taking their usual sleeping bags from one of the other closets as they did sleepovers a lot with Waylon and Caroline.
Kel vanished away into Martha, and Martha stayed in the living room while Poppy and Bruce slept in Waylon's room, and it was several hours, even more than Alfred had usually, but yesterday and today was extreme on him...
It was perhaps around 2 when Alfred woke up, blinking around at the moonlight through the windows and such, and then remembered everything with angst, especially when he saw his ring box and the half-completed baby blanket, and he noticed Martha deep asleep, and feeling like he wanted to wake up for five minutes to see Caroline in bed, he made his way quietly and made it to Caroline's room.
He felt like he was shot again as he realized the cool sheets on Caroline's side is empty, and she would never be there again, and he choked back tears, realizing that Martha was right. He looked through Caroline's favorite window view of their tree, now containing Caroline and Jane's final resting spots, and...a dark person kneeling before the gravestones?
The clouds moved slightly, with the moonlight revealing the dark person, and Alfred's eyes widened as he recognized his runaway son, her Waylon!
Alfred practically was racing to quickly get his shoes; to hell with whatever he was wearing, he was planning on rushing out the door and getting to Waylon. Part of him wondered if he should wake up Martha and get Kel ready to try and go after him if he fled.
Alfred was more urgent to see Waylon than asking Martha and Kel, and he ran, racing out of the front door, across the porch, and down the stairs, but unfortunately, when he did, the stairs creaked loudly.
Alfred saw a flash of scared, red-rimmed, and grieving amber brown eyes, and before he knew it, Waylon was running away to the river, to swim and lose his scent, and he shouted, "Waylon, no!", as he ran around the corner, to reach to him, "Please stop running! Come back here! Waylon, son!", regretting the split-second choice not to wake up Martha and ask Kel to grab Waylon.
Alfred continued to chase but the boy was so much faster than him before Alfred slipped and fell face first into the dirt. "WAYLON!", Alfred cried out as he started to cry as Waylon faded into the night.
Alfred shakily got up on his hands, crying as he faintly heard Martha's voice, "Oh, Alfred!", as the moonlight shone from above.
Alfred turned his head as he saw Martha coming towards him before she dropped onto her knees and leaned against him. "He was here, Martha... Waylon... he was right here... and he ran away...", Alfred started to sob as Martha was practically fighting with herself to either turn right at that moment and chase after him or to just stay with Alfred.
The issue was... Waylon was smart and knew what Kel could do; and if he didn't want to be found, he would certainly make sure to cover his trail: he had already done it once before.
Martha exhaled, "He will be okay, Alfred...After all, he had to make a living out of hunting and foraging since the condition got started...He may be almost 16, with his birthday next weekend, but he's as practically tall as an adult...".
"I know...but it doesn't mean that it hurts...he deserves to be surrounded by us who loves him, as we all know him far better than anyone else...He doesn't need to be a man...yet he feels like he has to...He's...he's still my boy...", Alfred sobbed softly.