Haunted Robin

Cross

Terry watched as Alfred walked in with a silver cross while he sat in one of the living room's chairs. Terry, who had just came back from one of his teaching sessions, ran a hand through newly dried hair. Keeping up with hygiene was important, but also good for getting any hair gel out.

'Why does Alfred have a cross?' Dick asked from their shared mindspace or whatever it's called. (They really need to find a name for these things.)

'Let's find out.' He replied.

"Uh, Alfred?" He sort of hesitantly called out.

"Yes young master Richard?" Alfred turned to him, bringing the cross with him.

"What's up with the cross?" He just had to know. So did Dick.

Alfred gave a tiny smile. One that Terry came to know as a mischievous smile. (Living with Alfred, and having Dick to help translate, gave Terry all the little cues that was the wonderful personality of Alfred Pennyworth. And he has come to love the mischief smile. Bruce tended to be on the short end of the stick whenever Alfred had that smile. Not to say that Dick, or even Terry who was pretending to be Dick, didn't get the short end of the stick. But still. More often than not it was Bruce.)

"Well, as I was shopping I bumped into a priest. As it turned out we had met before, back when he wasn't a priest at all. I had helped him get out of a 'jam' as you'd say all those years ago, and he told me he wished to repay me. Truly it was quite a coincidence that we should meet at the grocery store all these years later." Alfred had explained.

"So the priest gave you a silver cross?" Terry asked, a bit baffled. Okay, sure it makes sense, a priest giving away a silver cross. But it was kinda large and it didn't look like it's the kind someone would hang around their neck.

Terry belonged to an atheist family so he doesn't know a lot of stuff when it came to Christianity or other religions. He only had a vague idea of a good chunk of religions from the media and school. Although that didn't mean he remembered everything.

The mischief smile grew a little. "Yes, well, he guaranteed me that this cross had been blessed and would 'release' any spirit inhabiting a body that it does not belong to."

.

.

.

Terry almost did a spit take, turned 'his' ear closer to the older man and said, "excuse me?"

A well hidden chuckle was released from the man. "Yes, well, we shared a good chuckle after that. He told me he doubts that I would need to use such a thing, yet it's quite the nice object to look at. I tried to refuse to take it, but well, he refused my refusal. If this is what he wished to repay me with, then I would respect his wishes."

That... made sense.

"Oh okay. Do you need help with the groceries?" Terry asked.

"No need, they're already put away. Thank you for the offer, however."

The teen nodded. He paused for a moment.

'Wanna take a look at the cross?' He asked Dick.

'Okay sure. Just don't touch it.'

'Why not?'

'Because what if it's actually blessed or something!'

'Dick. I think my mind is in here, not my soul. I'm not dead.' He deadpanned.

'Yeah but you never know! Just be careful 'kay?'

'I will.'

"Can I look at it?" Terry finally asked, looking up from the cross to Alfred's face. The smile had dimmed down to a regular smile.