Wearing the Red Hood

Chapter 4: BONUS

She said all of this really fast, sounding like Wally or Bart when they were nervous. As soon as the last words left her mouth, it seemed like the entire dining hall had stopped breathing. Including me. Not only was I going to be a father- in- law soon, I was also now going to be a grandfather? These past year was turning out to be full of more surprises than the year I found out I had a son.

Finally snapping back to the present, I turned to look at Dick's reaction. He looked like he was going to have a heart attack, and Asteria was waiting for him to say something, her gray eyes betraying her nervousness again. Dick finally stood up, and a huge grin broke over his face. "I'm... going to be a dad," he said with a bit of uncertainty, and Asteria nodded to reassure him. "I'm going to be a dad!" He cheered, turning to Wally and slapping his best friend on the shoulder.

Dick's words seemed to snap everyone out of their daze. The dining hall now erupted in chaos, with everyone rising from their seats and rushing to give hugs to Asteria and Dick. They spoke over each other, firing questions at the couple and congratulating them. Only Razel and I remained in our seats. Dick finally reached Asteria's side and pulled her in for a sweet, but chaste, kiss, making everyone cheer loudly. When Dick pulled away, everyone was talking again.

"Does this mean I'm going to be an Uncle?" Damian asked from beside Asteria.

"Can I be a godparent?" Bart asked excitedly.

"Bro, you're having a kid?!" That was Tim, seeming to lose his composure a little.

"Dog! We're going to be dads soon?"

"Asteria how far along are you?"

"Does this mean you guys are moving out of Dick's apartment in Bludhaven?"

"Any ideas for names? Because I think-"

The doors to the dining hall opened, and we all stopped and turned to see who it was. Alfred and Jason stood by the doorway, pushing along the carts of food. Alfred raised a curious eyebrow, while Jason groaned. "You told them, didn't you?" he muttered, but it was heard in the silent hall.

Once again everyone burst into questions.

"You knew?"

"Dud, how could you keep that a secret?"

"Did Asteria threaten to castrate you if you told Dick?"

"Damian! Language!"

"Ever since Jade became a mom, she turned into a kill joy!"

"Ow! Why'd you hit me?"

"Being a mom isn't a joke, Gar!"

And that was how the rest of the evening went. Even when everyone finally got hungry enough to sit down, they never really lost their excitement. The conversation kept flowing, mostly about baby names and when Asteria was going to give birth to the little bird. Razel didn't seem to get the inside joke, but she seemed happy as she quietly sat and listened to everyone's comments. She would even occasionally laugh or put in her own comment when some medical questions came up. Jason, on the other hand, remained quiet throughout dinner.

It was well past nine in the evening, when everyone stood to say good their good byes. Jason disappeared up to his room, almost invisible to everyone else. But when I turned to Razel, I could see she was watching him intently, a puzzled look on her face. "I'll walk you out," I told her, dragging her attention away from Jason.

"Thanks Bruce. And the dinner was delicious. Alfred sure is something," she replied as we made our way out of the dining hall. The others who didn't have school the next day were staying over, and they headed into the movie room to enjoy the rest of the night.