Martha closed her eyes, holding Alfred close as she comforted him for a while before the wind picked up a bit, and she replied, "Let's head back, Alfred...", and Alfred nodded, "Okay...Waylon was kneeling at Caroline and Jane's gravestones...I have to see if...if he left anything behind...".
"Alright...", Martha said, helping Alfred up as they turned around, heading back to the shack, but first, they went around the corner to the girls' tree, as the moon and stars gleamed in the night sky.
It was enough light for Alfred and Martha to see that on the dirt on the left side of each gravestone is two good-sized, flat pebbles, carved by what looks like claws, having a heart and 'M' on the pebble upon Caroline's gravestone, and a flower and 'J' on the pebble upon Jane's gravestone.
"What do you think?", Martha asked. "Mother... and Jane... I think; I can't be sure, but... that's what makes the most sense to me... out of all of this...", Alfred started to cry again as Martha gave him a tight hug.
"He'll come back, Alfred... I know it... just right now, I think he wants to be alone in mourning...", Martha gently replied. Alfred nodded numbly, and after crying some more for a bit, he eventually became better to go back to sleep, and so, the duo went back into the shack.
The following day, the property paperwork was settled properly in Alfred and the Wayne family as primary and secondary owners, for they wouldn't dare to let anyone demolish or even live in the place since they knew the shack would need to be used by Waylon in emergency, having used up the perishable food, yet leaving the canned food for Waylon, not knowing if he would build a single-person shack wherever he is, but it made them feel better to know that Caroline and Jane's resting place wouldn't be disturbed by strangers and that Waylon would have a spot to rest up between hunting trips or something...
Sadly, home called them back, with weeks passing, and so, since Halloween was a Friday, it wasn't fair to the kids, having school, as it was both Poppy's birthday, and hopefully, a spirit reunion for Alfred as they couldn't forget about Thomas's appearance on Halloween last time which was on Poppy's birth...The staff has seen Alfred grieving at random times when he wasn't looking, holding an engagement ring on a necklace around his neck, or trying to finish a purple baby blanket which he had brought home.
Not wanting rumors to fly around the city about Alfred, Martha had ordered the staff to work weekly instead of every day, as she and Kel had been comforting Alfred every chance they could while the kids was at school.
The weekend before Halloween, Alfred had went to visit the shack, thinking if the family wasn't there, maybe it would be easier to talk with Waylon...But unfortunately, the only few signs that Waylon was there at the shack was that he had occasionally kipped in for some canned food or using the smokehouse, and that the gravestones had two new pebbles, both with 'A', yet one with a heart, and another with a flower.
Alfred realized that Waylon is spelling out 'Mama' and 'Jane', to show that he visits on the scheduled times as close as he could of the Wayne family without getting caught yet showing that he hasn't forgotten his mother and baby sister and is paying respects like Alfred.
Alfred was relieved at least because it showed that Waylon is alive and able to take care of himself, but sad that he couldn't talk or even find him as Waylon is really staying away, and after paying respects, work called him back.
Then finally, Halloween Night came upon Wayne Manor, with the family having cake and presents for Poppy, in which she made a wish for two separate spirit visits for Wayne Manor, and wherever Waylon is, but unfortunately, it was a tough choice as Caroline couldn't let go of Jane, even if she trusts Waylon, it's even harder to keep two separate spirit visits as it is, so, just two in one is a compromise.
Poppy smiled appreciatively, opening Leslie's present of a science book, "Golly, it's perfect! Thank you, Aunt Leslie!", laughing into the speakerphone of Martha's cell phone as Leslie is working at her clinic as Friday is a weekend night, and the clinic gets busy of the unfortunate people, especially with Halloween causing trouble sometimes by egging too hard on someone's head or something.
"I thought you'd like it, since you are so smart...Of course, you still have a lot of years to decide what you want to do as a late teenager/adult. I'll visit when you want to do the practical stuff after studying the theorical stuff, is that clear?", Leslie replied, and Poppy said, "Crystal clear. Good luck on your shift!".
Leslie's voice called out, "Love you, guys!", and the family echoed, "Love you too! Be safe!", before the call ended, and Bruce grinned, "Well, that's all our presents, sis! You happy?".
"The presents were fabulous, and I'm happy, excited to check them out.", Poppy grinned as Martha replied, "But...?", and Poppy sighed, looking at her mom and mama who is sitting on the couch side by side, snuggled together, "It feels weird without Caroline and Waylon...I can't exactly tell my wish, rules, you know...".
"Well, I could try to guess...", Bruce said as Poppy waved her arms. "Don't! You'll ruin it that way too!", she argued as Bruce smiled and held up his hands.
"Okay, okay, I promise I'll stop thinking about it then... wouldn't be a good older brother by ruining things for you; especially on your birthday.", Bruce chuckled before Poppy got up from where she was sitting and moved towards Bruce and ruffled up his hair.
Bruce yelped, "No, not my hair! I'm gonna get you back!", his glimpse of horror becoming into a mischievous smirk as he went to tickle her, as she shrieked out in laughter, "Ah, no, not fair!", as she tried to wrestle her big brother back.
"Mom, Mama!", Poppy pleaded while laughing and shrieking, as Kel smirked, "Sorry, can't help you. You have to say the word, you know.", while kissing Martha on the temple who giggled, smiling contently at the scene of their children acting like siblings.
Poppy replied, "Uncle, Uncle Alfred, help me!", and Alfred chuckled warmly, "Alright, Bruce, you heard her. Anymore, and you might get a prank in the back.", as Bruce's mischievous look turned into dismay, stopping his tickle fight at once, as Poppy's pranks are infamous, "Oh, please, please don't give me a prank!".
Poppy took deep breaths as she recovered from the tickle fight, tapping her chin, "Well, since you said please, and today's my birthday, you're off from my pranks.", and Bruce looked relieved before Poppy then smirked, mentioning, "That is, until Thanksgiving.".
Bruce groaned, "Oh, come on, that's not even a full month!", and Poppy raised an eyebrow, "Do you want to get pranked tonight?", and Bruce held up his hands in surrender, "No! Okay, I surrender to your conditions!", with a huff, but glad that Poppy is back to her old self a bit, even if she has been sad for Waylon, wondering about him every night and praying that he is wanting to be less lonely a bit at a time every day.
Kel and Martha and Alfred laughed gently, enjoying the atmosphere for a moment before a warm voice replied behind Alfred's chair, "So, this is Wayne Manor...No wonder why you love to work here, Alfred...It's beautiful, but not crazy expensive...Our daughter would have enjoyed the room to run around...right, sweetpea?", as a clapping sound and a giggle sounded out.
Alfred practically was frozen on the spot by hearing that voice as he didn't want to turn around; because part of him was just so afraid that his mind was probably playing tricks on him at that moment. "Caroline...?", he whispered under his breath.
Alfred glanced to see that the family is looking at a corner over his chair, behind him, and Caroline's voice replied, "Waylon is safe and warm in the shack, Alfred...Hopefully, he saw my poppy flowers at the tree; to remind him that Poppy is thinking of him. I don't want to get apart from Jane as the angels heard Poppy's wish, so we made a compromise with the angels by being two in one visit...Only a few hours until midnight, just like how Thomas did...", as the clapping sound came again with a newborn coo.
Alfred slowly turned his head to see Caroline looking right back at him before the dam burst instantly as he started to cry right then and there, "Caroline!", as he moved around his chair in a flash, wrapping his arms around her as best as he could with her.
Caroline nuzzled into Alfred's neck with a soft sob as best as she could with the sling, her arms holding into Alfred's neck loosely, "Alfred...I missed you so much...I'm so sorry...I was so used to my habits of being stubborn and independent, I should have listened to you...", tears falling too, before a disgruntled, slightly whiny cry between them was heard.
Alfred pulled back slightly to look, and his eyes widened as his daughter, their daughter is full-term, healthy, and even more beautiful, and seeming to see him, Jane reached out to him with her hands, with a gummy smile.
Her skin tone is warm tan with hints of caramel freckles, and her eyes was confusing as her eyes are flashing between cloudy baby blue and warm brown. Caroline gave a sad, wide smile, "She wants her daddy...Go on, Alfred...".
Alfred smiled tearfully as it's the first and last time he could actually pick up his daughter, and so he did, gently taking her out of the sling, cradling her like a natural as he had done this a lot with Poppy and Bruce, "Oh, Caroline...She's even more perfect...She got your smile, and my skin tone, though I didn't expect the freckles...Are her eyes okay? They keep changing...", with a soft frown.
Caroline sighed deeply, "The virus...She still remembers it a bit somehow, and the virus had...it took part of her voice and sight away, but now, with being a soul, she's fully healthy, but she couldn't help it if she's emotional at times...I...Even with the chance if I had listened to you...I wouldn't know if she would end up just the same with the treatment and such to the virus from the best medicine... I'm afraid the gamma treatment would have been too much on her if I chose that path...It's one thing with Martha and Kel as they are adults, but a baby...".
Alfred wanted to argue; but he couldn't find it in his heart to say anything. That things should've been different, that none of this would've happened if she had just come to live with them sooner or something. He sighed, "I know... and it might have been too much for you too, I fear. Martha was a miracle...".
Caroline caressed his cheek, "Oh, Alfred...I would have fought to be with you if I wasn't pregnant then with Jane, and I could have welcomed a possible alter-ego, but with Jane in the mix if I was pregnant still, I...I would have been honestly mixed between fighting to protect Jane from the gamma rays and accepting the gamma rays if it gave me a chance to be with you and Waylon...".
Kel replied, "She got a point, Alfred...And even if Leslie had lowered the power levels, would it have erased the virus all the same or at least minimized down the virus to a point it would be easily treated with the best medicine? Yet we don't know if Jane is allergic or not to the best medicine or such...So many what ifs from that point...".
"Exactly.", Caroline nodded as Alfred wanted to sob. He wanted to say other what ifs, but at a point, it would just sound more like he would be blaming her, getting upset at her, and with little time she had to be with them; he would never dream of wasting that precious time being angry at her.
A coo came from his arms, and Alfred smiled softly, "It's okay, I love your mother, and I love you, my little brave one.", looking down at his daughter, raising her up to kiss her on the forehead as her little hands hugged his face with a gurgle.
He laughed softly as he replied, "Yes, yes, you're so cute, Jane...", as Caroline watched them with a gentle smile, knowing that she would never forget this scene at all, and then noticed his ring necklace, and she sighed softly, wishing that she would have gotten married to this wonderful man of her dreams, the father of her children for she's so proud that Alfred cares and loves Waylon, as much as he does with Jane...
She faintly heard Thomas in her ear that nobody else heard, "Perhaps you can't be married since needing a priest and all, but who says that you can't be engaged?", and she took a deep breath as she realized that she has a chance all the same, even if she wished Waylon would be here...yet Poppy is the closest to Waylon next to Caroline and Jane and Alfred..
"Caroline?", Alfred asked, and she blinked, smiling reassuringly, "I'm alright, Alfred, just lost in thought...Come on, I missed sitting with you..", taking his arm gently, turning him around into the huddle of the family, stepping to the other snug side of the couch, and sitting down, with her smiling as she snuggled into Alfred's lap as he minded Jane fatherly-like, "Jane really wants to stay with you...".
Poppy replied with a pout, "Aww, and I wanted to play games together with Bruce, to entertain her!", as Martha replied, "Perhaps she will change her mind in the next hour, Poppy...After all, they're here for a few hours until midnight like your father did...Just be patient...It isn't every day that Alfred gets to be an actual father, even if he is a brilliant father figure/second father to you guys and Waylon.".
Alfred felt his heart skip a second there when Waylon was mentioned, "Caroline... I... um... I'm sorry... about Waylon; I just don't know what I did wrong with him that he stays away...".
Caroline kissed him on the lips tenderly, "Shh, it's okay...Like I said, he's safe and warm in the shack for the time being...I have been watching over him...he has been managing to make a place for himself in the deep bayou...which I can't unfortunately help with as it's not even on the best maps...", with a soft sigh before looking at him, "I think personally is that he's afraid about you...".
"Me? But I would never dare to hurt him, he's your son, my responsibility, I literally called him son when I was chasing him!", Alfred replied in shock and Jane cried softly, and he calmed her down, "Shh, I'm sorry, Jane...I am just worried about your big brother...".
Caroline nodded, "As you rightfully deserve to be, Alfred...it makes you a good father, you aren't failing me, my beau...As for Waylon, I think he is terrified of getting his heart hurt again if he sees you getting sick like I did, and he doesn't want to be entirely attached which is majorly nonsense in my opinion for gosh sake.", with a huff.
"Makes a bit of sense though...", Alfred sighed. "I know, I know.", Caroline said. "Don't think I haven't heard the things you've said alone... I know you blame yourself for a number of things; but you should know I should be the one to take the blame.".
Alfred widened his eyes, and replied, "Caroline, don't! Don't think like that, please.", trying not to be loud again for Jane's sake, and Caroline replied, "Alfred, it's my fault for teaching Waylon to be independent, and to take care of himself as I was and has been a single mother. Trust me, I have heard stuff in the grocer's market and such. Even before the condition came, I was still protecting him because I didn't want social services on my property...I was determined to show idiots that I can take care of myself and a child just fine...I accepted food assistance at times, yes, but I never accepted really much of help. The only thing that kept me going was that question...How can I be a good mother if I am not strong? Really stupid, huh?", with a deep sigh.
"Please, you're not stupid...", Alfred told her as he squeezed her hands. "Please never think yourself as that, Caroline. It breaks my heart hearing you say that sort of thing.".
Jane gurgled heartily as to agree with her daddy, and Alfred smiles, "See, Jane believes that you're not stupid...You're smart, compassionate, and amazing...", kissing Caroline on the lips warmly.
Kel replied, "I agree too! Show of hands?", raising her hand, and Bruce, Poppy, and Martha did the same, smiling, and Caroline blushed, amazed at the support of her friends, and tears prickled at her eyes, "You really are there for me...just like I'm there by watching over all of you...".