Chapter 26: Funeral
*Talia's room*
I opened my eyes and saw that I was in the room.
"What happened?" I asked myself and closed my eyes again, but then I remembered about the monsters and-
"ALFRED!" I screamed when I remembered.
Thankfully, when I screamed his name, Alfred came rushing in and said, "Is something wrong, Miss Talia!?"
"Thank goodness, you're not hurt. I-I-" I stopped talking and tears began to escape from my eyes.
Alfred got closer to me and told me in a calm voice, "I'm alright, Miss Talia. There's no need to cry."
When I managed to stop crying and cleaned my tears, I asked, "R-really?"
He smiled and said, "Yes."
I realized that he was wearing a black tuxedo and that his face reflected that of a man who last something or someone important.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"A… A friend very dear to Master Bruce and I has passed away. I was going to go for the funeral." He told me with sad and defeated tone.
"I… I see. If it isn't any trouble, c-can I come with you?" I asked.
"Sure, I'll give you something to wear, Miss Talia." He told me.
After a short time, he came back with a simple black dress. I changed in the bathroom, and, when I closed the door, I thought of Alfred's face and just how… Defeated he looked. I felt sad for him because, in a way, he reminded me of a father. Then, I thought about how my father was like that but there was a feeling inside of happiness, sadness, and frightfulness when I wanted to think about my father.
I quickly decided to stop thinking about it and decided to change.
When I finished, I went out of the bathroom and told Alfred that I was ready.
*Inside a limousine*
When Miss Talia and I got inside the limousine, I began to drive.
While I was driving, Miss Talia asked me, "Alfred, if you don't mind, would you please tell me about your and Bruce's friend."
"I don't mind, Miss Talia." I told her, then sighed and continued, "Adam West was a friend very dear to Master Bruce and I. When we met, let's just say that Wayne Industries was almost bankrupt, but with West's help Wayne Industries managed to remain afloat and became the powerhouse it is known as today."
I stopped talking when I remembered the sacrifices that West had to do in order to help us. And, Miss Talia also noticed it.
"Did something bad happened between you?" She asked me with a barely audible voice.
"Due to his help, West couldn't see his family very often. Sometimes, I would urge him to take a break once in a while in order to see his family. Also, despite being well liked by all of the members in Wayne Industries and having a good reputation, West couldn't find any work outside of Gotham because everyone would label him 'Gotham material' and, despite Master Bruce constantly offering him jobs in Wayne Industries, he never returned to Gotham until things got desperate in his life and he accepted it." I told him.
"Alfred, I don't mean to sound rude or anything like that, but I- I'm jealous of him." She told me.
"Jealous in what sense, Miss Talia?" I asked her.
"I mean, by the way you speak of him, he had a lot of people who cared for him. Unlike me-" She said, but I interrupted her.
"Miss Talia, I want to tell you that Master Bruce, Master Damian, the friends that you made in the party, and I truly care about you." I said.
"Thank you, Alfred. But, I meant to say if my family, my blood family, cares about me." She said.
"I'm sure they're searching for you as we speak." I told her.
"Yeah. Thank you, Alfred." She told me.
"You're welcome, Miss Talia." I told her.
"And, Alfred, I… Um… I don't know how to say it." She told me.
"What's wrong, Miss Talia?" I asked her.
"I just want you to know that, even if you manage to find my parents, you, Alfred, are like a father to me." She said which honestly surprise me.
"I- I- It's an honor, Miss Talia." I told her which made us both smile.
"If she was never raised by Ra's Al Ghul, I think she would have grown up to resemble the personality of the woman who is besides me." I thought as we finally raised where the funeral was being held.
*Gotham Chapel*
Alfred and I arrived at the where the funeral was being held which was, as Alfred told me, Gotham Chapel.
When we arrived inside, I saw that it was filled with people although there were some faces which for some reason looked familiar, but I couldn't remember why.
I didn't think too much about it because Bruce and Damian got closer to Alfred and me.
"B- Bruce, I'm sorry for your loss." I sincerely told him. And, I could almost swear that, for a brief, he was surprised and perplexed when I said that.
"Thank you, Talia." He told me and, for some reason, it made me smile.
A tall, bald, muscular, dark skinned man came closer and said, "Bruce, it's about to begin."
"Thank you, John." Bruce said.
"You're welcome, Bruce." John said.
"Let's take a seat." Bruce said.
Soon, we found a seat in the front line and the funeral.
John was the first one who spoke, then West's widow spoke along with his children. And, surprisingly, the last person to speak was Bruce.
"I had the honor, in life, to meet with Adam West. In times of need, he was there for me and helped me even though it cost him dearly. And, he was and will forever be part of my family. I will miss him greatly." Bruce said with a melancholic tone and one could easily see that he was on the verge of tears.
*Gotham Cemetery*
Slowly, we went to the Gotham Cemetery were part of West's was laid to rest next to the graves of my parents. While the rest of the ashes would go to West's family.
During the whole process, I was reminded of my own parents' funeral and sometimes I felt like I was in the past seeing and feeling it all over again. But, I felt two hands touching my shoulders.
"Bruce." Two voices said in unison.
I turned around and looked at Clark and Diana.
"Hi, thanks for coming." I said.
"Bruce, we're here for you." Diana said. Which got immediately followed by Clark, who said, "Bruce, if you need someone to talk, remember that we will listen."
At those word, I told them, "I know, thank you for worrying about me."
I saw their tiny smiles. Then, I thought about all those who attended the funeral which not only consisted of Adam's West, but also of the entire Justice League, the people that West told me to say goodbye to, and the entire Bat family.
And, I had this feeling of happiness that helped lift my sadness… A little bit.
"Clark, Diana… I'm glad you're my friends." I told them.
*Outside of Gotham Cemetery*
The Gotham Cemetery was being watched by four figures.
"Alright, Joker. I'll do it." Penguin said.
"Thank you, Pengy." The Joker with the faint hint of mustache said.
"By the way, Joker do you feel something different? Like something is empty? Riddler and I think Catwoman feel the same." Penguin said.
"Something like that, Pengy." The Joker with the faint hint of mustache said as he ended the call and looked at the two other Jokers and at Harley Quinn.
"The same goes for you three. For today, no crime." The Joker with the faint hint of mustache said.
"Fine by me." The Joker with the Mark Hamill voice and Harley Quinn said in unison.
"Oh, come on, I-" The Joker who cut his face momentarily stopped when he looked at the death glare that both Jokers gave him, then continued saying, "I will also comply."
Author's Note
I'm sorry I took this long… I really have nothing in my defense that will fully justify why I took this long. But, thank you to those who have been re-reading my fanfic because I really appreciate it and, from now on, I'll concentrate in finishing all my fanfics related to DC. By the way, my fanfic titled 'Brothers' is canon to this fanfic.