Life hadn't been better for Alfred Pennyworth. It had been only a short time since he spotted Master Bruce and Ms. Kyle and he had never been more relieved. Bruce had finally retired as a crime-fighter and moved on to the finer things in life such as women and fine wine. Alfred remembers going to bed that night after seeing them in the restaurant and he had never slept so well in decades. This feeling of bliss lasted for a few months, until one night when he was in a pub having a pint while watching a game on the tube. On another television next to the one showing the football game was a new report of news out of Gotham City: the Batman was back.
Alfred was confused and for a moment he was hoping this was some kind of prank. But the evidence was there on the television for him to see: the tumbler roaring through the streets of Gotham, capturing jewel thieves and the police using the light to speak with the Dark Knight again. Alfred couldn't believe what he was seeing; it was his worst nightmare all over again. It was apparent to the former butler that Bruce was incapable of staying away and had returned to Gotham to be the Batman once again.
It was more than the old man could handle. He returned home and packed a bag before taking a cab to the airport. Once at the airline counter, he booked the next available seat to Gotham City. The flight back to the United States and to Gotham was a long flight, and it gave Alfred all the time he needed to lecture Master Bruce on why he was risking too much to come back a third time. His last stint as the Batman nearly cost him his life and he didn't need to prove anything more to the people of Gotham. His time was up and he was supposed to retire, live the good life and let the young take over from here. He didn't listen to him, at least not for long. Alfred was intent on dragging Master Bruce back into retirement, kicking and screaming if necessary.
Once on the ground in Gotham, Alfred went to baggage to claim his luggage and then walked out to the first cab waiting. "Wayne Manor." He called as he tossed a hundred dollar bill on the front seat.
"No problem, mister." The cabbie said as he pulled out in a hurry. A few minutes after they were on the road the cabbie called back to Alfred. "You are aware that the Wayne family don't live there anymore. It's an orphanage now."
"I am very aware of that." Alfred answered, not willing to relive his last days in the city.
"You here to adopt a kid?" the cabbie asked.
"Not exactly." The butler answered. "But I do have some old business to take care of."
"Good luck with that." The cabbie called back and that was the last thing the two of them exchanged until they reached the Manor.
Once at the Manor, Alfred walked up to the door and knocked a few times before someone finally answered. "I'm not sure if you know me but…"
"Of course I know who you are." The person said as he extended a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Pennyworth."
The person not only knew who Alfred was but everyone did as he was given a small tour of the Manor as it was today. There were a lot of kids running around, and Alfred has a feeling that the Wayne family would have been proud of all the good work their home was doing for the Gotham's young runaways. Much to Alfred's surprise a few rooms in the manor were kept the same to honour the Wayne family, especially one room that still had the family piano.
Alfred stared at the old piano and hen turned to the worker who had been showing him around. "This is all so emotional for me. Would you mind giving a moment of privacy?"
"Of course Mr. Pennyworth." The worker answered. "If you need anything…"
"I'll be all right, thank you." Alfred answered as he watched the worker stroll down the hallway and disappear. A few moments later, Alfred stepped over the velvet line that was blocking off the room and strolled in. He walked up to the baby grand piano and tapped the same three keys he always hit and waited.
Moments later the door began to open and Alfred took a deep breathe before strolling into the darkness and watched as the door closed behind him. Alfred took his luggage with him so if the worker returned then he would just assume Alfred had left and think nothing more of it. As the elevator travelled into the subsection of the manor and towards the lair of the Batman, he again rehearsed in his head for a final time what he wanted to say to Master Bruce to point out how insane it was for him to walk back into the action in his condition.
He set his luggage down just after he got off the life and strolled into the cave without any regard for what could be ahead of him. The butler was fully confident that he would be all right and marched right in and thankfully the Batman was home and he was able to give the young man a piece of his mind. Batman was actually walking towards the tumbler when the old man finally spoke. "You're not going anywhere!"
The man in the armoured suit stopped where he was and turned around to face Alfred. "Excuse me?" He said his character growl.
"Don't you give me that voice," Alfred started as he stormed onto the platform to look the Dark Knight in the eyes. "I've been here since the very beginning and I have every right to know whenever you planned to come back her and play savoir to the people of Gotham."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Batman then asked.
"What am I talking about?" Alfred said as he became more incensed with every awkward answer. "I'm talking about seeing you in that café with your lady friend a few months ago. I was sure that you have finally given up this entire charade. You know how much that meant to me, and I thought for your sake and for mine that you were no longer going to put your life on the line!"
Batman paused for a moment, and then he finally realized what was going on. "Is Bruce alive?"
The moment the Batman asked this question Alfred finally realized what was going on: the man in the suit was not Master Bruce. It was someone else who had taken up the mantle of the Batman and carried on its legacy without its creator. Alfred took a step back. "Who the bloody hell are you?"
"Alfred, stop!" a voice called out from behind. Alfred turned around and it was Lucius Fox. He had been doing some minor repairs on one of the machines in the cave when Alfred has stormed in.
"Lucius, you're behind what's going on here?" Alfred snapped as he couldn't believe that Fox would just let someone else take over Bruce's role as the city's defender.
"Not exactly." Fox said with a sly grin. "This man was hand picked by Bruce himself."
"Who was?" When Alfred turned around to face the Batman, he had already removed his helmet to reveal himself to the former butler of the manor. The old man recognized the young detective quickly and it all made sense. He remembered Bruce telling him so long ago that the symbol has to be more than just about a man, and it was Master Bruce's way of telling him that when it was his turn to step down someone else was going to have to step in and take over. It turns out Detective John Blake was that man, Gotham's new Dark Knight.
"I'm very sorry." John said as he put the helmet down on the desk beside him. "It had been a while since I last saw you. I didn't recognize you."
"That's all right." Alfred said as he let out a sigh. His worst fears had been dispelled: Master Bruce was very much retired and no longer fighting crime with his bare hands. "The suit looks good on you Detective Blake."
"It's just John now." The young man replied as he didn't want to change the subject. "How long have you known that Bruce is still alive?"
"For a few months now." Alfred answered. "You didn't know?" the old man said as he made a gesture towards Lucius.
"I had my suspicions." Fox replied with a grin. "But it's nice to have them confirmed."
"How did he look when you saw him at the café?" John asked.
"He looked well and very happy with his retirement." Alfred said as he was not able to accept that his wishes had been respected.
John let out a deep sigh. "Good to hear. If anyone ever deserved to ride off into the sunset, it was Bruce."
"I hate to interrupt." Fox said as he clearly was. "But the Bat signal has been up in the sky for over fifteen minutes now. I'm sure Gordon has something important that requires someone's attention."
"Right." John said as he walked back to the desk and picked up his helmet. He strolled over to the tumbler and hopped right in. After putting his helmet back, he looked back at both of the older men looking at him. "Thanks for the repairs."
"Anytime, John." Fox replied.
As both men watched the Tumbler roar out of the cave and make its way towards Gotham, Alfred let out a sigh of his own. "I had really thought Bruce had come back to put his life on the line again."
"He no longer has to." Fox retorted with a grin. "We got him covered."
"Gotham will always have its Batman." Alfred said with a smile of his own and a tear in his eye. "I'm just glad the Wayne family is finished making sacrifices for the city."
"They've done their bit." Fox concurred. "Now it's someone else's turn."