Necromancer | Daughter of Batman

Chapter XXV

The piercing sounds of an infant screaming raided the young man's ears. He slowly cat up and pinched his nose, wondering how the baby made it into his room. He looked beside his bed, finding the victorian style crib neatly placed, with a note he could hardly see. He scooted toward the other side of the bed and read the note carefully. It was in Alfred's handwriting. "Your turn," It read. Bruce groaned and left the room without the child, practically storming toward Alfred's quarters. He opened the door after the long trek across the manor. "Alfred." He called. "Alfred!"

Alfred lifted his head from his pillow and sat up. "Yes, Master Bruce?"

"You left the baby in my room? I've been out all night, I just fell asleep an hour ago."

"She's not my child, sir. I've cared for her all day and night. This is your responsibility as well."

Bruce cupped his hands over his mouth before speaking. "You're the one who wanted her here. I thought we agreed on hiring nannies."

"Most nannies don't work overnight, Bruce. I can try to find some come morning, but for now..." Alfred raised his eyebrow. "Tend to your child. I have her bottles prepared. Just warm them up and feed her." He smirked as Bruce walked away with a sharp huff. "Don't forget to burp her as well, Master Bruce. Don't want her spitting up now, do you?" He chuckled, his heart warming at the sight of Bruce as a father, despite his reservations about caring for her.

Bruce returned to the master bedroom in a few minutes, a warm bottle of formula in hand. His daughter was nearly 7 months old, and about to begin her introduction to baby food. Despite this, she often needed supplemental formula at night. As she grew older, this habit of waking at the dark hours was beginning to fade, however, the exhaustion both the father and butler experienced remained unmatched. Bruce carefully lifted Kimberly into his arms and rocked her gently. "Why do you do this to me, huh?" He sighed. "First it was every two hours. Now, it's still every four." He sat down on a nearby rocking recliner and held the bottle toward her mouth. Her screams silenced, thankfully. The baby grasped it with her hands as she drank happily. He scoffed and shook his head. He realized this was the easiest his child would be. Soon, she'd be a toddler, then a kindergartener, and before he'd know it, she'd be a teenager. In his mind, those years were nothing to look forward to, for what could he do with a child that talks back? As he stared at his daughter, he smiled softly. "You are cute, I'll give you that." He shook his head. Once Kimberly finished her bottle, he lifted her up to face him. "Listen. You need to work with me here. It's just you and I." He brought her over his shoulder and patted her back. "I promise to protect you, but you'll have to promise to listen." He thought to himself for a moment, then sighed. "You can't understand me at all. I don't even know why I'm telling you this." He smiled gently while Kimberly rested peacefully on his shoulder. As gingerly as possible, he set her back down in the crib, then looked over her as she slept. "Just give me until 8AM... Please."

Kim sighed softly as Alfred pulled the Rolls Royce up to the banquet hall. She pulled her sleeves over her wrists and adjusted her neckline before looking at her father. "You ready?" He asked.

"Uh, huh." She nodded. Bruce exited the car and walked around swiftly to open Kimberly's door. Camera flashes blinded the pair of Wayne's while Kim held her father's hand delicately. She smiled toward the paparazzi and gave them a gentle nod.

This was the annual Wayne Foundation Ball. It was one of many charity balls the Wayne family attended every year. Although a regular occurrence, much of the time, the Wayne's found gatherings like these to be tiresome. They greatly preferred crusading Gotham City at night over peaceful parties and galas, however, they still remained alert and ready to change at a moment's notice. Naturally, nothing ever seemed to come up that could allow the family to escape, forcing them to remain at the events, and continue socializing.