This chapter is dedicated to @necessary_evils Thank you for the comment in the first book <3 Hehehe
Jason
"You what?" Bruce exclaimed, rubbing his eyes sleepily. I think I actually succeeded in surprising him.
It was currently five in the morning, and everyone was up and getting ready for the day. I know. My whole family were early birds. Was I the only one who saw the irony in it? Bruce was still in his sweatpants, his chest bare. I probably woke him up before his alarm could do the job.
"I want to go to work with you today," I repeated with the same bright grin. "You take Damian to work. How come I can't come along, too?"
Bruce ran his fingers through his hair in confusion, his lips pursed. "Because you've never wanted to go with me before."
I crossed my arms over my chest. Luckily, I had prepared for this. I knew my lines like an actor for a play. "Well, it seems like a better idea than staying here all day for wedding plans and baby check- ups. " I said the words like they were some rare, incurable disease. In honesty, I was curious to know what baby names they'd come up with and who they were inviting to the weddings and what-not. What? They were rubbing off on me! But Bruce didn't need to know that.
"Okay," Bruce finally agreed with a sigh. There was still curiosity hiding behind his crystal blue eyes, but as long as he allowed me to go, I had no problem.
"Thanks Bruce," I said and slapped him on the shoulder before rushing towards my own room to change.
As I was about to turn the corner down the hall, I heard him shout after me. "Make sure to wear something decent!"
Right. That was the only thing I hated about this plan.
I decided on a plain white, immaculate V-neck shirt under a black suit jacket and some dark colored jeans. My favorite pair of black boots finished the look. This was as professional as I was ever going to look, and Bruce should've been proud. Alfred gave me a smile of approval as I entered the dining room, since he had pressed my clothes for me. He ignored my protests even though I told him I could do it fine on my own. Everyone's eyes were on me as I took my seat at the dining table.
"Jeez," I grumbled at them. "Take a picture. It'll last longer."
"Please," Damian said with a snort. "Like I want to keep looking at your face."
Bruce sighed at the head of the table. "Damian," he said in warning.
We both ignored him as we glared at each other. The one and only time Damian and I didn't seem to hate each other was when we thought Asteria had died. Clearly, that was long gone. "Then why are you still looking at me?" I asked, my glare transforming into a triumphant smirk.
Frowning Damian looked back at his plate. I had a feeling he'd avoid meeting my eyes for the rest of the meal. "I think you look handsome," Asteria cut in with a beaming smile, almost looking like a proud mom. Yup, her kids were in good hands.
"Ehem," Dick commented, raising an eyebrow at his fiancée. I smiled at the obvious jealousy on his face. Even Asteria laughed.
"Not as handsome as you are honey," she reassured, giving him a peck on the cheek.
Can you spell puke? From beside me, Wally also made a sound of disgust. "We're eating here!" He complained.
Dick smirked, his ego having been restored. "Then stop talking and eat."
"Sometimes, I wonder how you two are best friends," I muttered before taking Dick's advice and helping myself to some food. I was still smart enough to avoid Alfred's waffles though. But the three pregnant women at the table- Asteria, Jade and Artemis- seemed to be enjoying them. Guess being pregnant meant they could stomach anything. Again, I'm thankful I was born a guy.
As soon as the clock struck six, Bruce was rising from the table. Looking longingly at the blueberry muffins Alfred had brought in, I decided to have it on the go. I grabbed one and followed after Bruce, who couldn't even say we were leaving. Even after all these years, he hadn't changed one bit. I remembered when I still did patrols with him as Robin. He could never once say 'Get in the car.' Nope. Batman was a man of few words.
When I saw Damian and Bart walking behind us, I groaned. "Please don't tell me you drive the brats to school," I muttered as Bruce pushed the front doors open.
Raising an amused eyebrow, he actually cracked a smile. "Of course I do. Their school is on the way to the office."
"I told him I could drive," Damian interjected, having heard our exchange.
"No," Bruce simply said while I added, "No one was talking to you."
Damian simply crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. That kid had issues. And Bart? He was talking a mile a minute on his phone, probably with his best friend, Jaime. I bet Jaime was as annoyed with him as I was with Roy. Trust me, I didn't choose him to be my best friend. He chose me. He's crazy that way.
As soon as we reached Bruce's car, Damian, Bart and I stared at each other before turning to Bruce and shouting, "I'm riding shotgun!"
Bruce shook his head and simply got into the driver's seat. While the two boys argued beside me, I made a run for it and got in the passenger's seat. I made sure to lock the door and securely click the seatbelt in place. Grinning, I rolled down the window to see the two idiots finally noticed what I did and stared at me with mouths agape. "Suckers!" I shouted before sticking out my tongue. Satisfied that I'd rubbed my victory in their faces, I closed the window and happily ate my muffin.
"Real mature, Jason," Bruce commented from beside me.
"You're the one who wouldn't choose between the three of us," I retorted glumly. "Then again, I should be used to it by now."
I felt Bruce tense. He knew that I was talking about the time he wouldn't choose between me and the Joker. The stoic mask disappeared from his face, and in its place was an expression of pain. "Jason-"
"I'm going to get you back for this, Todd," Damian threatened as he got in the backseat with a sober looking Bart. "Why are you even coming along?"
"Because I want to squirt," I replied easily as Bruce remained quiet and started the car. I ignored him and focused on my delicious muffin instead. "And your threat sounds about as scary as a three- year old baby."
Of course, this is the time Bart decided to open his mouth again. "But a three- year old baby isn't scary," he argued. I could practically hear the wheels turning in his head as he tried to figure it out. Maybe time travel caused some damage to his brain.
I snorted while Damian groaned. "Yes, well, thank you for that nice piece of information Bart," I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster
"Jason," Bruce began again.
"Hold that thought," I interrupted him a second time. I pulled out my phone from my jacket pocket, the earphones dangling from it. With a grin at Bruce I plugged it into my ears and turned the music up really loud. Yup. Listening to AC/DC was way better than dealing with my family, when I hadn't even had any sleep.
The rest of the drive was pretty peaceful, considering I couldn't hear what the three other guys in the car were saying. Even when I knew they were talking to me, I ignored them. Unfortunately, my muffin couldn't last the whole drive. I made a mental note to ask Alfred for some more when I got home instead. Finally, we reached Wayne Towers. I followed Bruce out after he parked in the basement.
"I hate basements," I muttered as I recalled my encounter with Croc. My earphones were gone, and I had stopped my music.
"Oh so you're talking to me now?" Bruce asked sarcastically as we got onto a private elevator.
I smirked. I didn't really plan on irking my family all the time, it just happened. It didn't mean I didn't find it amusing though. "Real mature, Bruce," I echoed his earlier words at me back at him.
Bruce sighed. "I thought we were over the whole Joker thing?" he asked quietly.
"We are," I replied with a roll of my eyes. "So shouldn't I be able to joke about it?"
"Joking about the Joker is no joke," Bruce retorted with a serious face, then he turned to me and after sharing a look, we were bursting out in laughter.
I had to clutch my stomach, because I felt like it was getting too jostled by my laughter. "What the hell, Bruce," I managed to say between chuckles. "That was such a corny thing to say."
Bruce also wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. "Then why are you laughing so much?"
"Because it was so corny, it was pathetic," I explained as the elevators opened and we stepped onto the top floor of Wayne Enterprises, where Bruce's office was located.
"Thanks for the support," Bruce grumbled with a frown.
I patted him on the shoulder with a grin. "Don't worry. Nobody expects you to be a comedian."
Bruce simply shook his head, still amused at our exchange in the elevator. It felt weird seeing Bruce happy. Maybe it was the thought of being a granddad that made him this way. Weird. We stopped in front of a desk with a blonde girl seated behind it. She seemed far too pretty to be a secretary, and I hoped Bruce didn't leave me with her. But the universe was immensely against me. I figured as much when I died and came back from the dead.
"Jason, this is Amy my secretary," Bruce introduced her. She looked up at me with wide blue eyes and smiled playfully. "Amy, this is my other son, Jason. Please show him around the place. I have lots of work to do."
"Uh, Bruce," I whispered, dragging him away from Amy with a polite smile. "Maybe I could just stay with you?"
This time it was Bruce who was giving me a teasing grin. "You're not afraid of Amy are you?"
Was I that transparent to him? Frowning, I tried to deny it. Technically, I wasn't afraid of her. I was afraid for her. Who knew what my enemies would do if they thought she was somehow connected to me? "No," I replied, sounding incredulous. "But you know I'm not a people person."
"Lucky for you, she is," Bruce said in what I assumed he thought was a reassuring way. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. Before I could say anything else, he was walking to his office.
"So, where would you like to go first?" Amy asked. She smiled seductively at me. Yeah, I'm sure she'd be disappointed when she found out I wasn't saying the janitor's closet.
Plastering a super fake, but convincingly polite smile on my face, I answered her question. "I'd really like to go down to our resources department. They're responsible for hiring the employees, correct?"
Proving my suspicions right, a look of disappointment flashed across Amy's face. Her smile morphed into a look of pure business. "Yes, Mr. Wayne. Please, follow me."
Instead of correcting her, I simply walked behind her as she made her way to the elevators. No point in telling her I wasn't a Wayne, because Bruce never got to legally adopt me. Besides, my I.D. said Jason Wayne, so I might as well stick with it. It would be easier to get access to what I needed if they thought I was really a Wayne.
After finding nothing on Jared from Bruce's computer, I decided that maybe the old- fashioned way of going through his printed paperwork would yield some results. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out to see Asteria had sent me a text. Try not to get into any trouble this time. And don't give Bruce a heart attack before the wedding. Xoxo
I shook my head at her text. Who the heck taught her to use xoxo? Still grinning, I began typing a reply. Xoxo? What are you, twelve? And I can't make any promises. To either of your requests. I included an emoji with its tongue sticking out before hitting send.
Looking up from my phone, I saw Amy watching me curiously. She blushed when I caught her reading the text. Trying not to seem awkward, she asked me a question I'm sure she was dying to know the answer to. "Your girlfriend, sir?"
Smirking, I nodded. "Yup. I've known her for almost nine years." Again, technically, it was true. Asteria was a girl, who was my friend. That made her a girlfriend. And I found out about her when she was eleven, after Talia brought me in. Since she was turning twenty in October, that was almost nine years.
Amy was speechless, but she seemed to pale at the number of years I'd known Asteria. Oh if she only knew how it really was. The elevator doors finally opened onto the seventh floor, and I wanted to kiss the ground. As soon as I got the files, I could ditch Amy. Thank you God!
I was pretty sure Bruce needed her more than I did anyway. Amy was quiet as she led me towards the department I wanted to go to. She swung a glass door open and gestured for me to enter first. Offering a polite smile, I stepped into the office and headed for the reception. Fortunately, the lady here was in her late forties, and she simply gave me a motherly smile when I approached. So maybe God is on my side today.
"Good morning, sir. What can I do for you?" she asked politely. Yup. I definitely liked this woman.
"Sharon, this is Jason, Mr. Wayne's other son," Amy explained, making Sharon widen her eyes. Wait 'til they find out there's actually four of us. "He wanted to come over here."
"I wanted to look at a few files of some employees," I supplied. "Would that be okay?"
"Of course, Mr. Wayne. Right this way," Sharon enthusiastically replied. See. No one can say 'no' to the Wayne. It was like a freaking VIP pass.
Before following after Sharon, I turned back to Amy. As gently as possible, I tried to find the words to tell her to get lost. I wasn't completely evil, alright? "It's okay, Amy," I told her. "Sharon can take it from here. I'm sure my father will also be needing you." One, it was hard being polite. And two, it was freaking weird calling Bruce my father. Dear Lord, I sounded like Damian!
Amy reluctantly nodded, a frown of uncertainty making its way to her face. "If you say so, sir."
After she scurried off to get back to Bruce, I turned to Amy to see her looking at me with amusement. "Couldn't wait to get rid of her, huh?" she asked with a laugh.
I breathed a sigh of relief. "You have no idea. So, about those files..."
And Sharon went back to leading me off to wherever they stored the files of the people they hired.
Razel
Dr. Chamberlin was still ill, so I took her shift at the OB- gyne department again. At around nine, Asteria came in for her usual check- up. I was surprised, and slightly disappointed, to see it was her fiancée with her. If I recalled correctly, his name was Dick. To be completely honest, I had been hoping to see Jason. I wanted to see if he was in a better disposition compared to yesterday.
Still, I smiled at the happy couple before me. "Asteria! Dick! It's good to see you guys," I greeted as they took a seat in front of me. "What can I do for you today?"
Dick smiled back at me, his blue eyes lighting up. If I didn't know they were adopted, I would've believed they were all Bruce's sons. They shared the same coal- black hair and dashing good looks. It was nerve wracking. "We wanted to know if it was possible to figure out how far along Asteria is."
"Of course," I answered enthusiastically. We can do an ultrasound, too, if you'd like. Asteria wasn't able to undergo one yesterday."
"Great!" Dick replied before Asteria could even speak. The girl simply smiled at her fiancée and shook her head at his excitement. "Can I come along?"
I laughed and nodded. It wasn't every day I saw men looking as happy as Dick did when they were faced with the prospect of becoming fathers. It was really refreshing. "I'll just let the nurses know to prepare the ultrasound. Could you fill this up while waiting?"
I handed them an information sheet, which I had to file away with whatever notes I made for Asteria's condition. While they both worked on answering the questions and filling out the basic information I'd need, I grabbed my phone and dialed the nurses' station of the ultrasound department. After informing them that I had a patient who would be needing their services, they told me they'd be ready for Dick and Asteria in fifteen minutes. Thanking them, I turned back to the couple.
"They'll be ready for you in fifteen minutes," I relayed. Grabbing a slip, I wrote my name on it and signed it. "Just hand this over at the front desk, so they'll know I recommended you guys."
"Thank you," Asteria was finally able to speak, while Dick was busy. She took the slip from me and smiled brightly at me. Being a mom seemed to make her shine.
I returned her smile, only slightly worried that my cheeks would burst if I smiled any wider. "You're very welcome. Let me know how the ultrasound goes."
Dick, who was now finished with the sheet, also turned to give me a smile. "No worries, doc. We'll definitely be back," he informed me as he handed me the completed form.
"You better be," I joked as they stood to leave. "It was good seeing the two of you."
"You too, doc!" Dick replied, already halfway out the door. He reminded me of a kid with a sugar rush.
Asteria was a lot calmer and level- headed than her fiancée. "See you around, Razel."
I nodded and gave her a small wave. "See you, Asteria. Please say hi to Bruce for me."
"Will do," she replied with a smile before shutting the door.
It was only a few minutes later when my next patient came in. Her blonde hair and bright blue eyes were shining as she rubbed her growing belly. Unfortunately, she was alone again. And she wouldn't tell me who the father of her child was. "Harleen, how are you today?"
She beamed at me like a little girl would do. "I'm good doc! How 'bout you?"
Oh, Harleen. If you only knew what I went through last night. Instead of saying that out loud, I plastered another smile on my face. Unlike Asteria, she was farther along. But, that also meant her check-ups weren't as frequent.
It wasn't long before I was done for the day. Glancing at my watch, I saw it was way past six. Jared must've started his shift already. I hadn't been able to talk to him the whole day, because of all my patients. Deciding to give him a surprise visit so we could talk about last night, I shrugged off my lab coat and grabbed my purse.
The drive to Wayne Towers didn't take too long. I arrived in record time, since rush hour hadn't fully kicked in yet. With a nod at the guard who already knew me from my frequent visits, I was let into the building with no trouble. I was waiting for the elevators to arrive, wondering if we should just order in dinner to avoid last night's incident, when the most surprising thing happened. The elevators opened, and I came face to face with Jason.
His sea green eyes widened when they landed on me. He looked better than he did last night, dressed in an immaculate white shirt and a dark suit jacket. I didn't think it was possible for him to look more handsome, but he did. Bruce was beside him in the lift, but he was busily talking on the phone as they stepped out. He still gave me a smile though.
"Jason," I greeted him with a smile as he, too, finally stepped out. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"Same here," he replied. And surprisingly, he smiled at me. I think I stopped breathing. Yup. He could look more handsome. He also seemed to be in a better mood. Gone was the sulky, brooding boy yesterday. "Aren't you supposed to be at the hospital?"
I nodded slowly, still reeling from the bright smile he'd given me. "Yeah, but I finished my shift, and I thought I'd surprise my boyfriend."
Was it my imagination, or did Jason look slightly disappointed? Nope. Probably just my imagination. "You have a boyfriend?" he asked, though I already told him so.
"Yeah. He works in the Tech department," I explained. "And since it runs twenty-four/seven, he works the night shift."
"Oh," Jason replied. "Well, I hope he's not busy then." The smile returned to his face, and I had to wonder if maybe he had a twin. He looked and acted so different from the Jason I'd met a couple of times before. But I liked the smiling Jason a whole lot better.
I was about to ask Jason what he was doing at the office, because he was clutching a thin folder in his hand. Before I could speak, the windows of the front lobby shattered inside and a hundred men dressed fully in black were storming the building.
Just great. Now what?
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And here is the third upload!!!
I hope it's enough to keep you guys okay until I can post more tomorrow :)
I didn't mean for this to end in a cliffhanger. Really I didn't. I just haven't gotten around to writing the next chapter yet. So peace!
ALSO, what do you guys think of Douglas Booth as Jason? Yes? No? Love it? Hate it? His picture is right there above in case you guys don't know. He was in Romeo and Juliet!!! *swoon* And Emma Watson as Dr. Anders??? Hmmmm???
Okay, that's it for now!
Love always,
Angel
P.S. It's good to be back!!!