Robin's Shadow (Batman OC)

Chapter 14: Terror Twins

"Ana, check out what I got for Alfred." Jason says cheekily the next morning after our gang fight as I walk back into his room after a shower. We had slept in here tonight, since we were in my room the night before. He's now brandishing a small golden bell at me, making it ring obnoxiously.

"You got him a bell? Why?" I ask him skeptically. "Wait, you found this in the music room, didn't you?" I add on, recognizing it.

"Yeah! Now he'll be able to bring me food in bed!" He says triumphantly, ringing it again.

"Good luck with that." I chuckle indulgently at him, knowing that is absolutely not going to go how he thinks. "I'm going to get breakfast, I'll bring you some later." I tell him, getting up and ruffling his hair with my good arm as I go downstairs. I have to walk slowly, my ribs ache quite a bit.

"What was that awful sound I heard a moment ago?" Alfred asks me skeptically as he's serving up two plates of food for me and Jason.

"That was Jason..." I start to answer, then realize I don't want to be on the receiving end of Alfred learning about the bell. "You know, I didn't listen to his reason why he was making that noise, you might want to find out." I finish with a grimace and a shrug as we hear the bell ringing again. I will not be the one to tell Alfred it's for him, that's Jason's own grave to dig.

"I'll go 'figure it out', then." Alfred replies sardonically. "You eat all of that, young lady, you need your strength to get better." He adds warningly to me before walking away. 

I start to eat my food when he leaves. I sometimes still don't eat a full portion of food at my meals, just out of habit, and he scolds me for it each time. He comes back looking irritated and is scowling, muttering under his breath and glaring at me. Bruce also comes into the room and sits down to a cup of coffee, eyeing the cranky butler skeptically. When I'm done with my food, we all hear the bell again and I glance at Alfred, who is glaring at me even more.

"For every time he rings that bell, it will be you, Mistress Anastasia, who must answer his call." Alfred says angrily as yet again the damn bell rings. "I will not answer to a bell, certainly not for someone who is not on their deathbed. And you knew already that's what it was for, the young master already told me." He rants at me angrily as he shoves Jason's plate of food at me. "Now hop to it, go see what the young master needs so desperately he must ring that god awful bell around the manor." 

Bruce looks like he's about to say something, but whatever it is dies in his throat when Alfred turns his still heated glare to him. I leave before having to deal with more of Alfred's anger, even though I would love to watch the lecture Bruce is about to get from the older man. Alfred Pennyworth is the secretly most feared person in this household.

I quickly pick up the plate of food and go upstairs, finding Jason reading comfortably in bed. "Oh hey, took you long enough. I'm starving up here! Why didn't Al come up?" Jason asks me, barely looking up as I set his food down on his lap and then walked over to the bell.

"Cute bell, may I?" I ask, pointing to the bell as I pick it up with my good arm.

"Yeah! It's gonna be great, I won't have to leave the bed at all!" He says happily, and I smile sweetly at him. I then spin around and slam the bell against the wall, breaking it into pieces and cracking the wall. It hurt my broken arm and shoulder, but it was damn freaking worth it. "Hey!! What was that for?!"

"Vengeance." I say innocently to him. "Alfred threatened to make me answer your every call if you used the bell. So I got rid of the problem." I grin at him evilly. "Be thankful I don't get rid of you."

"But how will you know if I need something!?" He whines to me.

"I always know when you need something, idiot." I smack him lightly on the head as he pouts. "It's not like I won't take care of you or anything, geez. Your memory sucks if you already forgot all the times I took care of you when you were injured. Just eat your food and read, I'll bring you more books and food later." I say tiredly, walking out of the door, him mumbling out an apology as I leave.