Title: Alfred's Charges
Fandom: Batman
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Alfred, Dick, Bruce/Selina
Rating: G/K
Summary: At least two of Alfred's charges are happy, and a third may just be coming home.
Word Count: 624
Written For: Fan FlashWorks 382: Healing
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.







"How's he healing?" Alfred smiled at the concern he heard in young Master Dick's voice.

"You should come home," he couldn't help but to try, "and see for yourself. He would welcome your company."

There was a long pause on the line, and for a moment, the old butler hoped he might be getting somewhere. It would be so nice to see Master Bruce and Master Dick finally make up. "He's still as ornery as ever, isn't he?"

"Why, I wonder you picked up that particular vocabulary word, Master Dick," Alfred remarked, his mustache twitching.

"You know where, Al. From you."

The butler sighed audibly over the phone. "Yes, well, you do know the Master."

"Yeah, Master of his whole domain, no matter what. If he needs me, I'll be there, Alfred. You know that. But right now... I'm busy." Dick's head shot up as he heard sirens blazing through the night sky.

"So I hear, but your colleagues could handle it for one night away, Master Dick."

"If I had colleagues like you guys do in Gotham, yeah, sure, but I don't. Bludhaven only has me."

"Yes, well, very well." Alfred sighed again.

"But is he -- "

"He'll be fine, Master Dick." Alfred peered back into the bedroom where Selina was currently insisting on feeding Bruce the meal Alfred had prepared and carried to them. Her cats were curled all around them, but she seemed to have finally managed to have taught them to behave around food, even as they curled around the lovers in the bed. "He will be quite fine," Alfred commented, almost purring himself as he watched the lovebirds. It had been so long since his charge had been genuinely happy. He was almost pleased that he'd been wounded beyond duty, not that he would admit when the Batsignal again lit the night sky. "Mistress Kyle is seeing to his recovery quite well."

There was another long pause on the line before Dick finally spoke again. "Is he happy, Alfred? Finally?"

"I think so, Master Dick. I do truly believe so." He suddenly burst out laughing as a cat whizzed pass him out of the master bedroom. The look on the fat tom's face was simply too incredulous for him not to lose himself for a moment.

He could hear Master Dick smiling on the other end of the line as his younger charge commented, "I'm glad, Al. I really am. They deserve to be happy. So do you."

"I, Master Dick -- "

"I've gotta go."

" -- would be much happier to see you come home, if only for a visit," Alfred finished even though he knew he was talking to a dead phone. He sighed, slipped the intrusive machine into his pocket, closed the door behind himself and the other cats who had ended up following the first tom, straightened his suit, and went about his duties. Two of the children were happy. Now if only the other -- He paused for a moment, a look of horror overtaking his face. Exactly how many charges had he gathered over the years? Oh, dear Lord, he'd become almost as bad as Mistress Kyle herself!

The phone Master Dick had insisted on giving him, to the point he'd slipped into his room one night and left it on his nightstand, rang again. "Good day," Alfred announced cheerily into the machine, though he wasn't feeling quite as cheery as he made himself sound, "and how can I help you?"

"Don't let him work tonight. I'll be there." For a moment, he thought it was Master Dick but then realized the voice was far too feminine.

"Thank you, Mistress Barbara," he spoke with a smile. At least one of the errant children was coming home after all.




The End