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"Will this suffice, Miss Helena?"
Selina snorted, knowing it would be many years before her four-year-old daughter would have any reason to know the word 'suffice.' But Helena didn't particularly care, as she was already dipping the baby carrots that Alfred had placed in front of her into the bowl of hummus and then munching.
"I'll take that as a yes, Miss Helena, although I'll thank you to not chew with your mouth open."
Selina rolled her eyes, running her fingers through Helena's dark, wild hair. "Thanks," she quietly told the butler, whom she had known for over a decade now.
"It's no trouble, Miss Kyle."
"I don't know why she can't simply like PB&J like any other four-year-old." Selina certainly couldn't fault her daughter for preferring healthy foods like fresh vegetables, but healthy foods were expensive.
"I'm afraid that the Waynes have a long history of being picky eaters."
"Well, they could certainly afford to be picky," Selina replied with no small amount of bitterness. Alfred was mostly careful not to mention Bruce or his family, but there were inevitable occasional slipups like this.
The moment Alfred found out about Helena, he begged to have a role in the child's life, and Selina yielded because it was obvious just how hurt he was. She was not the only one with a Bruce Wayne-shaped scar on her heart, not the only one who was abandoned the night that plane flew off while she watched from below with a scribbled note in her hand. Helping to care for Helena brought Alfred back to life, restored to him the purpose that Bruce had ripped away with his departure, and the old butler was extremely helpful for a young, single mother living in a crippled city with barely a cent to her name.
Selina had always been determinedly independent, but that was never an option from the moment she found out she was pregnant, just days after Bruce left. Barbara and Lee provided crucial help during her pregnancy, and even little Babs, who was eight months older than Helena, was helpful as she became Helena's instant best friend. Now, Alfred was playing the role he cherished, and Selina had accumulated enough free time and energy to be able to build a proper life and career for herself.
It was over five years now since Bruce left. If he ever returned, he would find a Selina Kyle who was far stronger and wiser than the one he had once known, who had managed to put behind her all the suffering that he caused, who would stay independent and aloof from him and would never allow him to be a part of her daughter's life, regardless of whatever DNA they shared. He would know, of course, because of Alfred's role, and she didn't care to deny him the knowledge. It would hurt him that much more to watch her continue to raise her child just beyond his reach, knowing that he had forfeited his own part in Helena's life when he decided to abandon those who loved him.
"And might I get anything for you, Miss Kyle?"
"No, thank you, Alfred." She contented herself with watching her daughter eat. It was one thing to feed her picky daughter with food purchased using the Wayne fortune, but she wouldn't avail herself of such handouts, not when she had food back at home that she had purchased herself. Perhaps it wasn't of the same quality as the food here and perhaps she still couldn't go out and buy anything that she might be in the mood for, but once Helena's needs were seen to, Selina would maintain her independent streak as much as she could when caring for herself.
So, for now, she sat down beside Helena and placed a kiss atop her dark mess of curls, and Alfred sat on Helena's other side, fondly watching as another child thrived beneath his vigilant, caring gaze.