AN: Honestly, although this fic doesn't get a lot of reviews, I'm just happy that people are reading it so I wanted to say thank you for that. I believe in two live-action Batmen personally: Adam West and Christian Bale, (I also have Kevin Conroy's autograph) so thank you for motivating me to continue this story.

Also, I'm not sure I'd given their son a name so forgive me if I did.

Chapter Four – Priorities

"So," Gordon said as he tried to look out the window. This wasn't what he was expecting. Thomas Wayne, the original, had been a legacy to look up to and Gordon knew how much Bruce admired his father. It was more than the average kid did. Thomas Wayne had been skilled in medicine, he had been able to do heroic acts, he had cared about a great number of people. Of course Bruce would want to use his name.

As Gordon looked out the window, Stefanie came and sat opposite him, staring at him with a heavy severity in her eyes. "I won't forgive you," she told him stubbornly.

"Making this new life, taking the bomb out onto the bay, that was his decision," Jim told her and Stefani laughed. She hadn't even been angry about that in the beginning. That was just what the Batman had done and Bruce had been able to disappear and they had started a new life together with a child and although he was ill, they were both happier than when they were crime fighting. At least, Stefanie really had to believe that was true.

"I'm not angry about that. That doesn't need to be forgiven. I mean, it was delusional of you to send the police officers underground, I mean the whole department?" Stefanie asked him and Jim had to admit that that was one of the worst decisions which he had made. "What I'm referring to is him," she gestured to 'Thomas' who was sleeping in the bed after having undergone treatment. "If you make it so that he goes back to that place when he doesn't need to then I will never forgive you."

Gordon sighed, "I didn't think he was this ill. I wouldn't ask that of him, we're covered."

"Thomas won't believe that," Stefanie told him. "Underneath everything, there is still that same scared and psychologically messed up little boy who feels that his father could have been saved if there was a hero. He does this for his parents and I can understand that. I would do anything to save my sister but…sometimes you can't save people."

"You have a sister?" Jim asked and Stefanie raised an eyebrow.

"That doesn't really concern you, does it?" she asked in a catty manner. She looked to Thomas who was waking up and staring at them. He put a hand to the sheet and attempted to push himself up.

"I need to get back," he told them and Stefanie came over to him, guiding his body back down. She watched him and raised an eyebrow. What was he talking about? Yes, he had to get back home eventually but she wasn't going to let him abandon his family to go play vigilante.

"You need to stay here," she told him before kissing his forehead and then his lips. "You need to stay here and settle down or I'll bind you to the bed. Don't think that I won't. I'm not letting you turn your back on us. Turn your back on them."

"There are parents with children," Bruce attempted to argue and Stefanie sighed.

"You are a parent with a child. I am a parent with a child," she argued and then crossed her arms. "I can't believe that you'd do that. Think of your parents," she told him though she knew that now she was acting dirty. "Think of how your parents would feel knowing that their son ran out on his own child to save people who don't give a damn about him."

"He'll be fine," Thomas argued and Stefanie shook her head.

"You mean that he'll be fine growing up without a dad?" she asked and Thomas looked away guiltily. Stefanie put a hand on her belly where she was obviously pregnant, "This little baby will be fine without knowing who their father was. I don't know. Do some remote work, something with computers, do detective work because you're too sick to go out physically. I won't allow it."

"You won't allow it?" Thomas asked and Stefanie glared at him.

"If you go out there as him, I warn you that I will never let you see your children, our children ever again. They don't need to be targets," Stefanie warned him and Thomas sighed. He leaned back.

Thomas sat up and stared at her, "Do you know how messed up that might make Kent if you keep me away from him?" he asked and Stefanie rolled her eyes. She wanted to say that she had more to worry about than this but this was the problem that she had been scared of returning. She didn't want to hear about the Batman getting hurt in crime or the stunts that he performed.

"It'd be worse, you know," Stefanie said bluntly, "for Kent if you were dead."

Alfred knew that he had stayed longer than he had planned to but he couldn't help it. He knew that mentally and psychologically that the young Bruce Wayne had gone through things that he had never been able to cure himself of. He was always determined to try new things but the loss of his parental units had left a void in his life that Alfred could never have filled despite his attempts to.

He watched with joy as Thomas held Kent on his lap and showed him some pictures of Gotham both in the present and photographs that the previous Thomas and Martha Wayne had taken. There was history there and Gotham would always run in Thomas's blood but he had his own life now. He could be separate from them. He had a family and a job and had built this on his own.

"You really do love him, don't you?" Alfred asked and Thomas turned to him.

"Of course I do," he told the man who had been more of a father to him than a butler, "He's my son."

"I think your parents would be proud seeing this moment," Alfred said and Bruce looked sadly at the photographs. Alfred could guess what was going through his head. He wanted to go back there. In the mind of Bruce Wayne, Gotham was a city that was still worth saving and still needed saving. Alfred didn't know how to change his mind when it came to that.

"I want to be a good father to him but isn't being a good father doing something that you know is right?" Thomas asked and Alfred sat opposite him, looking at the pictures for a moment before meeting Bruce's gaze.

"Being a father might include sacrifices but as hard as your parents worked, you were always their top priority. Now, I know that the world is bad and you want to make it better. You're a nice guy but sometimes things don't get better. We just need to make sure that the ones we love are here and that we're here for them," he advised and Bruce nodded.

"It's hard to agree with that," he said and Alfred opened his mouth ready to argue. Thomas raised a hand, "No, what I'm saying is that it's hard to agree with that but it's true. How are things there anyway?"

"There are some new vigilantes, inspired of course by the actions you made in your…let's say previous life," Alfred said and was relieved when Thomas smiled about that. Alfred had been a little apprehensive in saying anything in case it stirred some jealousy or competition but it didn't appear that either of those was the emotion Thomas was feeling.

"So, what do you think that I should do?" Thomas asked him. "Is it in my rights to be selfish and prioritize my family and just sit back and not doing anything whilst the world burns?" he asked and Alfred put a hand on his shoulder.

"The world will not burn," he told him, "and that is exactly what I think you should do. Lord knows that you've done enough good for a lifetime," he said and Thomas turned to Kent before going back to showing him the pictures.

Alfred took a step back and looked at his once-ward with the tiny boy in his arms. This was what he had always wanted for this man and when he had asked about Kent's name, Bruce had just told him it was because of a friend of his. Alfred knew what that meant.

End of Chapter Four

Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated

Thank you to perplexion08 for their review on Chapter Three