Author's Note: This is beginning to wind down now. I'm going to publish two additional chapters following this and then quit the storyline altogether. It's time I ended this. Enjoy. I'm not sure if this works, but I'll publish it anyway, hopefully it's good enough. Alfred's POV. He and Jason reach an understanding.

Loyalties

Alfred

I rise before six-thirty, as I do most mornings. I shower, shave and dress in my hardiest blue shirt and grey slacks prior to going downstairs and into the kitchen. Although I would normally begin to prepare the first batch of scrambled egg whites and whey-protein infused porridge for the family's unique take on breakfast, first priority must be medication. I am in the process of organising and sorting the various pills and tablets into individual containers when I become aware of a presence behind me. I do not recognise the footfalls, as the person is barefoot, as belonging to Master Bruce, the only other early riser in this household. I do not turn yet, waiting until I am certain they are attempting to creep up on me before inexplicably whipping my head round to surprise them. When I see it is Jason, our resident executioner, I too am surprised.

"Heard me, huh, Al?" He says dropping his arms from shoulder-height where he no doubt he was going to grab me for a cheap thrill. The boy's footfalls are far lighter than they were last week and, as he is still averse to wearing sensible clothing, he is noticeably slimmer in the shoulders and waist. He must be dieting furiously to bring about such a change: he appears almost thirty pounds lighter than when he first arrived.

"You are not the first family member to attempt to frighten the living daylights out of me, Master Jason. Why are you up so early? I was led to understand you and Master Bruce only returned from patrol duties some four hours ago." I inquire, noting discoloration on his left side that points to severely bruised ribs and a deep laceration on his right forearm that is still weeping blood at the edges. Jason shrugs.

"I slept a little, but my side's kind of throbbing so I thought I might be able to score some premier painkillers off my favourite dealer." The boy tells me with a sheepish grin that still find endearing, despite all that has come to pass. I offer him a smile in return.

"Well then, please sit down so I can actually treat you instead of just dope you up, young man." I say gesturing for him to sit on the nearby breakfast stool. He rolls his eyes.

"Al, you don't have to bother with the whole doctor bit. You've got enough bad-tempered patients to deal with already. The meds will be fine."

"Sit. Now."

Jason wisely sits down. When I ask him to extend his arms, he winces with the effort. I press a hand against the discoloration and hear a sharp intake of breath. None of them are broken. I press again. None of them are fractured either. I bandage both his abdomen and his lacerated arm after applying ice and antiseptic respectively. He barely makes any noise during treatment. Due to his silence, I make conversation about the previous evening's activities.

"How was patrol with Master Bruce last night? " I ask handing him a couple of powerful anti-inflammatories and a single painkiller to wash down with his water. The boy swallows them in one gulp before nodding.

"Yeah, it was okay. I got a little roughed up, but it felt good to be back on his side of the fence again. I couldn't use my usual quota of bullets, but I can wait." The boy answers, hinting at bigger things. I am certain he is preparing to leave us. Still, I press forward with normal conversation.

"Did you make any further headway with Lars Nielsen or is Master Bruce still adamant about handling that in a more corporate setting?" I inquire returning to my previous task of sorting medication.

"He can handle one scumbag crime lord himself. Last night was just routine business. How long till my darling brothers are ready to go back on the job? They must be almost all healed up by now." He says, again eluding to the idea he is ready to move on.

"Indeed they are. However, since this family admonishes caution in any format, I must be the voice of reason and insist they all remain indoors for the next few days, just to make certain." I say as I drop the last pill into the final container meant for Tim.

"Well, I think Sasha can sweet talk Timmy in doing that, but you're going to have to tackle Golden Boy. Bruce can deal with the Ninja Brat and then we're all good." The boy suggests cheerily, likely a by-product of his lack of sleep and the painkiller beginning to take effect. It is nice to see him happy regardless. I incline my head.

"A brilliant stratagem, Sir, one I note you do not play any part in. Bravo."

"I am part of this family, Al. I just happen to be the part everyone pretends doesn't exist. So I'm really just playing to type." He offers getting to his feet and preparing to walk off, perhaps to pack his things. He cannot be allowed to leave on such a sour note, not in my presence.

"Really? I was under the impression you were making headway with both Master Tim and Damien as well as reconciling with Master Bruce." I reply to make him pause in place. He turns to me and laughs.

"But I'm still a murderer, Al, something we both know is always going to stigmatise me to everyone else. I hold no illusions that I can find forgiveness for my crimes here. I've iced too many chumps and scumbags to ever do that now. Just because they're warming to my presence here, doesn't mean they don't wish I hadn't come back to Gotham. I mean, we all know Bruce can set aside his feelings for the good of the mission and the others too, but you've never had to do that. And I know you wish I hadn't come back. After the body count I've racked up over the last few years, I know we can never have the kind of friendship we enjoyed before. Because you still have yours principles and I threw mine clean away." I respond to this self-depreciating and somewhat insulting rhetoric by closing the gap between us and staring him straight in the eye.

"Do not speak for me, young man. Do not put words in my mouth. Do not say you know I wished you had not returned, not to the man who washed your body and dressed it for burial, not to the person who still suffers nightmares about your senseless death and certainly not to the only human being on this earth who still loves you just as much as he ever did. It is not fair for you to accuse me of abandoning you to the wolves simply because I have been preoccupied with other tasks these past few weeks. That is a childish and petulant attitude not befitting a man of your age and cynicism. I am ordering you to cease this self-flagellation immediately or so help me I may be forced to slap you. Are we clear, Mr. Todd?" I tell him sternly and without any kind of hesitation. I have known what I have wanted to say to him for years now. Ever since we discovered his return from the grave, I have always known what I needed to say to him. Now is the perfect time to lay all the cards on the table. His expression is one of wide-eyed shock. For once, he cannot find the words to retort. He merely nods.

I put a hand on the back of his neck and rub it gently. "I already know you can never settle here, now that you've been to the world outside the city limits, but I will hope you can find the time to visit a sentimental old fool once in a while and brighten his day." I add with a smile I hope communicates how much I still care for him. He smirks in reply.

"I don't understand how you, the saintly Alfred Pennyworth who is rumoured to possibly be God himself, could say that about a monster like me." Jason says despondently, prompting me to slide my hand from his neck to his shoulder. My other hand mirrors the action on his opposite shoulder so that I am in a position to shake him if necessary. I shake him anyway to begin my other primed speech, one I have also prepped in advance. This one is of the greatest importance and, hopefully, of the greatest impact on him too.

"You are not a monster, Jason, you never were. You are what the world and circumstance has made you, nothing more and nothing less. You did not choose a path, a path was chosen for you. You walked down it because there were no alternatives, despite Master Bruce's insistence otherwise. For him perhaps there were alternatives to the actions you have taken, but not for you. Everything you have done is because your mind has been moulded to the idea of what you are doing is just and right. It has taken me a long time to understand that about you, but I want you to know I know it now. That does not absolve you of guilt for the lives you have taken, but it does show me that you can atone in your own way as you are doing now. Considering the positions we were in only a year ago, I can live with this particular variety of penance if you can." I say. His face speaks volumes for the effect of my words. It seems they were well chosen if the threat of tears in his eyes is anything to go by. I can't remember the last time I saw such raw sentiment on his face. He nods.

"I can, Al, don't worry. You won't have to bury me again."

"I'm very glad to hear that…Jay-Jay. Very glad indeed."

We embrace very naturally, despite his very presence being the most unnatural thing I have ever witnessed. The boy is not cold or grey this time as I hold him in my arms. I can feel the warmth of his body and the vitality of his skin that tells me unequivocally he is alive, and so am I. I have had dreams like this moment, instances when anything can seem possible for one brief snapshot of time. But until now, that is all those moments have been, mere dreams.

As I ruffle Jason's hair and dare to kiss his forehead, the reality of this scenario is enforced. The boy smells palpably of anti-septic and his breath is slightly acrid. I can hear his empty stomach groan and see the smudges on the kitchen window. They tell me of reality's inherent flaws, even when a moment as beautiful as this is unfolding. I am glad the world spoils the shine of this hug for me. Without it, I would fear waking to a world without the boy in it. It is a world I would tolerate but never fully enjoy. I know this from experience, one I never wish to repeat. We let go of one another. Jason smiles at me. He is no longer on the precipice of weeping.

"You should've been a politician with pretty speeches like those, Al. That or at least a spin doctor. Just so you know, I still love you as much as I ever have too. I just had more to lose by admitting it." He says to tell me everything is as it should be between us. I incline my head.

"Well, you have admitted it now. That is more than enough for me."

"How do you know I'm fixing to blow this place?"

"Because as much as I and he would enjoy your continued company in this house, you don't like tethers and you will always resent living under his thumb, his rules. That much at least has not changed since you were a teenager. Where will you go?" I ask. He grins at me in that peculiar way of his, a gesture that speaks of mischief and trouble in equal measure.

"Into the wild, Al. Somewhere bad men with good intentions can make a difference. Whether Bruce knows it or not, you can only win a gun fight if you bring one in the first place."

"And Sasha?"

"She'll want to follow me into the unknown, I know that. But she's got a future here with you guys I'll never have. She can be one of the good guys if you let her carry on. I want her to stay that way." The boy says sincerely. I am glad he loves that girl enough to part with her. It is the right thing to do and something he can be proud of.

"And when do you plan on informing Master Bruce of your intentions?"

"Once he's done with Nielsen and all things Consortium. So maybe three days at the most?"

"But you'll promise to come back home from time to time?"

"I may not like tethers, but if I don't keep in touch with the ground every now and again, I'll just drift back into wanton terrorism. Even though that's pretty fun, I do want to be a better man. So, yeah, I'll drop by and eat all your cookies, Al. Count on it. In the meantime, I can trust you to keep my escape plans a secret from everyone else?"

"Of course, lad."

"Right, I'm going to get my head down for a while now I'm all numbed up. I'll see you in the afternoon."

"Sleep well, Master Jason."