At the age of ten, Bruce Wayne watched helplessly as his parents were shot and killed by a mugger right in front of him. As the pearls from his mother's broken necklace rolled in a puddle of blood, this will lead to Bruce dedicating his life to ridding Gotham City of evil. In his late teens, Bruce travels the world and trains himself both physically and mentally to combat crime. When he returns to Gotham, he starts his career as the dark vigilante called Batman!
After a few years as Batman passes, Bruce Wayne will take in a boy named Dick Grayson who lost his parents just like how Bruce did when he was younger. Dick will start training with Bruce as his mentor and become Robin: The Boy Wonder!
The Dynamic Duo will go on many adventures with each other and combat foes who wish to rule the city but will end up failing due to the teamwork of Batman and Robin! But eventually, Dick Grayson grew up and decided to leave the shadow of the bat to become his own hero by the codename of Nightwing and moved to Gotham's sister city called Blüdhaven. After that, Bruce Wayne was once again alone on his crusade.
One night, Batman returns to the batmobile after a mission only to see that the tires of his car has been stolen! Fortunately, the perp who did this was still at the scene. The culprit was a young pre-teen named Jason Todd.
Seeing the poor living conditions that Jason calls home, Bruce Wayne decided to take him in like he did for Dick as Jason was an orphan as well. Eventually, Jason became the second Robin and joined the fight for justice with Batman.
Though Jason was more brutal and reckless than Dick when he was the boy wonder, Batman still saw him as a valued member of the team.
That was until the day Jason Todd ran off to search for his mother that he learned was still alive. Jason did end up finding his mother only to find out that she was working for The Joker, Batman's arch enemy.
Joker proceeded to brutally beat Jason half to death with a crowbar as Jason's mother stood nearby.
After having his fun, Joker decided to kill Jason and his mother by setting a bomb to go off in the warehouse they were in.
Batman arrived too late as not only did Joker get away, but Jason and his mother died in the explosion.
The Dark Knight carried the lifeless body of Jason Todd past the rubble and fire, promising to never take in another child again.
That was until the day that a rather intelligent boy named Tim Drake came into Bruce's life. With much convincing, Bruce allowed Tim to become the third Robin.
But little did Batman know, the body of Jason Todd was taken by another old foe of his who goes by the name of Ra's Al Ghul. Ra's dumped Jason's corpse into the mystical liquids that is the Lazarus Pit which brought Jason back to life.
Wanting revenge against Joker for killing him and Batman for not avenging his death, Jason took the name of an old crime boss called Red Hood and terrorized the criminal underworld. Red Hood and Batman went head to head a few times too many with Batman wanting Jason back and Jason still angry at Bruce. But eventually, the two finally made up.
For the amount of years that Bruce Wayne has been Batman, he has encountered a multitude of strange things that he himself never considered to be real. Monsters, wizards, demons, and aliens. Once certain alien escaped a dying planet when he was just an infant and crashed on earth where he was found in Kansas by a couple who go by the names Johnathan and Martha Kent who take the child in as their own. The child is given the name Clark and grows up with strange and fantastic powers such as flight, super strength, heat vison, and others. One day, Clark Kent found out that his real name is Kal-El and he's the last son of Krypton. When he became a man, Clark decided to use his powers for the good of mankind and becomes Superman: The Man of Steel!
Superman usually protects a large city called Metropolis but he always makes sure to help the rest of the world too. Until one day, Superman visited Gotham City which is actually a neighbor city to Metropolis. That was the first time Superman met Batman.
At first, the two were at odds with Batman not fully trusting Superman and Superman believing that Batman was dangerous. But eventually, the two put their differences aside and became great friends. Batman once saved Superman from the clutches of Lex Luthor and Superman returned the favor by helping Batman with a problem regarding The Joker.
Eventually, Superman and Batman along with a few other heroes called Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Cyborg came together to fight a galactic threat called Darkseid. The heroes decided to continue working with each other as the Justice League.
This team has fought other threats that one hero can't possibly face alone along with gaining new members as the years went by.
Batman and Superman has an unbreakable respect for one another, both knowing that they can count on each other in battle.
Superman always believed that Batman would do the right thing while Batman believed that Superman would never die.
...
Batman was wrong.
A dark day came when Superman was killed in battle by a horrific monster called Doomsday.
The world was in shock that the the man of steel died. Most people lost hope while others moved on with their lives.
Batman didn't believe it at first. He didn't want to believe it!
But he soon accepted his friend's death and had the honor of carrying Superman's casket during his funeral.
The world soon embraced a world without Superman.
But more "Supermen" started popping out of nowhere.
Four beings named Superboy, Steel, Eradicator, and Cyborg Superman tried to fill in the void which caused chaos.
But a miracle happened, Superman came back from the dead!
Superman, Superboy, and Steel fought back against the evil Cyborg Superman who was finally defeated by the noble sacrifice of Eradicator.
And things went back to normal...well, as normal as you could get.
These were the times that Bruce Wayne experienced great losses in his life.
But there was one man who's been with him since the beginning.
The man who raised him like a son after his parents were killed.
The man who told Bruce that Jason's death wasn't his fault.
The man who comforted Batman after Superman fell in battle.
A man named Alfred Pennyworth.
...
Alfred has been a loyal butler to the Wayne family for years, even a few years before Bruce was born.
After the death of his friend and his wife, Alfred raised Bruce as if he were his own son. Other people would've just took the fortune that the Waynes has and run off, leaving Bruce alone. But Alfred wasn't like other people.
He raised Bruce through love and discipline.
When Bruce returned and told Alfred his plans for Gotham, the butler was unsure what to say.
At first, he didn't agree with Bruce being Batman as he thought it was too dangerous.
But as he saw all the good that Batman was doing, Alfred soon fully supported his master's mission.
Though there were times when Alfred wanted Bruce to hang up the cowl and live a normal life. Say the time that a villain named Bane broke Batman's back, paralyzing him.
Alfred would've thought that this would be a great time for Bruce to retire...even if he wished it was under better circumstances. But he believed that Jean Paul Valley would make a great replacement for Bruce...until Jean Paul went insane. So Bruce returned and defeated Jean Paul and soon retook the mantel as Batman.
The thing about Alfred is that he treated anyone who's an ally with great respect. If anyone, whether it be a member of the Justice League, one of Batman's many partners, or a random civilian, Alfred will have a plate of tea and crumpets ready for consumption.
He also has a great sense of humor, always willing to make a joke or add his own brand of sarcasm when necessary. Batman has always been the main target of Alfred's humor with the butler asking if Bruce remembers how to dodge a blade when he has to clean a wound or tease Bruce with the notion of Selina Kyle becoming Mrs. Wayne in the years to come.
Though Batman can sometimes be annoyed by some of Alfred's words, he knows that the old man just does it to brighten the mood.
But the one thing above else that Alfred is, he's a survivor.
He's been in the army as a young man, always has to stay on his toes in public so no one will kidnap and hold him for ransom, and be prepared for any villain who may know that Bruce Wayne and Batman are the same person.
Alfred has been through so much and always came out alive that most of the Bat family, even Batman himself, believed that he would never die. And this stuck throughout the years.
Eventually, Bruce Wayne continued to be Batman well into his 50's. With his age and the countless injuries he suffered from over the years, he couldn't move or fight like he used to. So Bruce made a new batsuit that's all black with a red bat symbol. The suit is the first to be without a cape and was built with the advanced technology of the future which increased Bruce's strength and agility while giving him the ability to fly and turn invisible. The "Beyond Batsuit", is what Bruce called it.
It was only a few years later that Bruce finally hung up the cape and cowl after a rescue mission caused him to have a heart attack.
Fully accepting that he could no longer be Batman, Bruce moved on with his life. He wasn't interested in getting married and was too old to produce children so Bruce decided to return to Wayne Enterprises and run it full time.
Wayne Manor was nearly empty with all the original occupants living their own lives elsewhere. So it was just Bruce and Alfred.
Bruce enjoyed spending every second with Alfred. The two went on trips, cleaned the mansion, tended the garden, and played chess with each other.
Both were happy. But Bruce noticed that Alfred was getting older and slower. It was getting to the point where Bruce had to take care of Alfred instead of the other way around.
He knew that Alfred's time was approaching but he didn't want to dwell on that thought.
So Bruce cherished every remaining day he had with his old friend.
Until one morning...
Bruce Wayne sat up in his bed, grunting as his bones pop with each moment. Oh, how he wishes to be twenty years old again.
The old man got out of bed and wrapped himself in a robe and slipped on some slippers and left his bedroom.
Bruce walked down the empty hallways. Memories of his childhood came into view where he used to run up and down the halls only for Alfred or one of his parents to tell him to stop it. More memories of his past wards in the house also came to mind which brought a small grin on his face.
Bruce reached the stairs and waked down with his hand clutching the arm rail firmly in hopes to not fall over.
He finally made it to the kitchen only to see it empty.
Usually, Alfred was already in here with tea on the stove. Bruce checked the time to see that this is the hour that the butler would already be awake. Alfred was always an early bird.
Thinking that he may just be in the bathroom, Bruce decided to get the tea ready.
Ten minuets later, Bruce pours hot tea in his and Alfred's cup and waits.
Bruce gently sips his drink as he stares at the door, expecting Alfred to enter at any second.
The retired butler has been reduced to using a walker since his legs aren't as strong as they once were so he was much slower but Alfred never let that stopped him.
Placing his cup on the counter, Bruce peaked out of the kitchen to see if Alfred is approaching only to find no one.
Bruce decided to check on Alfred, deducing that he must still be in his bedroom.
The old billionaire makes his way to the door of Alfred's bedroom and lightly knocks.
"Alfred?" Bruce calls.
But he heard no answer.
Bruce knocked one more time just in case and still heard nothing.
He then slowly turned the knob and carefully opened the door.
Alfred's bedroom was dark with tiny shreds of light peeking through the curtains of his window.
Bruce reached for the nearby light switch and flipped it up, illuminating the room.
Bruce immediately spotted Alfred's bed with the old man still under his blankets, laying on his back and face pointing to the ceiling.
"Alfred?" Bruce called quietly.
But Alfred didn't stir.
Upon closer inspection, Bruce noticed that Alfred's chest wasn't rising or falling.
Knowing what had happened but still not wanting to accept it, Bruce walked over to the right side of Alfred's bed and sat next to him.
Bruce's right hand hovered over Alfred's mouth and felt no airflow. He then pressed his right hand against Alfred's neck and felt no heartbeat.
Alfred passed away in his sleep.
Bruce was expecting that this day would come, he just didn't want it to.
He sighed while staring down as his dead comrade.
As hot tears started to brim in Bruce's eyelids, he scooped Alfred's body with both of his arms and held him close.
"Thank you, old friend. For everything." Bruce cried softly.
As he remembered all of the good times with his loyal friend, Bruce remembered the final words Alfred told him the night before as he went to bed.
"I love you, son."
Alfred's funeral was later that week.
The visitors was mostly old friends that he met through Batman. All of the boys Batman took in, Damian, Barbara, and a few members of the Justice League who held great respect for Alfred such as Superman and Wonder Woman who were all wearing their civilian clothing.
Outside of the Waynes, Alfred didn't have any family left.
Only a few friends from his MI6 days came by to pay their respects but that was it.
Alfred also got the Three-Volley Salute as his coffin was lowered into the ground and buried under dirt.
Soon, the graveyard was slowly cleared out until two people remained.
Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson.
Dick had his hand on Bruce's shoulder as both stared at Alfred's headstone.
Eventually, Dick bid Bruce farewell and left, leaving his former mentor.
It was hours later until Bruce left.
The manor was now more quiet than ever.
It was just Bruce who lived in a castle all alone.
Everyone from Dick, Jason, Tim, Barbara, and Damian offered to stay or possibly even move in with Bruce but the billionaire didn't want them to be distracted from living their life.
Bruce quickly got over Alfred's death and continued living.
His old bedroom has been untouched ever since his dead body was rolled out on a gurney but every morning, Bruce opens the door and looks into the room and smiles at all the memories with his friend, his father.
"Goodbye, old friend."
A decade has passed since Alfred died.
But his grave is constantly visited by Bruce who always makes sure to come to his grave on the anniversary of his death like how he does for his parents.
Bruce, now far older, stands in front of the patch of grass with a headstone sticking out.
A young man walks up to Bruce's side.
"Hello, Terry." Bruce greeted.
Terry McGinnis, Bruce's apprentice and Gotham's new Batman, nods to the old man.
"I heard so many tales about Alfred. Wish I could've met him." said Terry.
Bruce smiles.
"He would've liked you. But he wouldn't stand to hear today's slang you keep spewing." Bruce replied.
"He was that old school, huh?" Terry asked.
Bruce nodded.
"He sounds quite the character. Now come on, you have a meeting in twenty minutes and I gotta get you there." Terry explained as he walked away.
Before leaving himself, Bruce looked down at Alfred's final resting place one last time.
"You were there at the beginning and you saw how it ended. You supplied me strength when I had none. Gotham may see Batman as it's hero, but the true hero was Batman's butler. Thanks for everything...father."
With that, Bruce Wayne walked away, leaving the grave of Alfred Pennyworth to be visited another day.
The End.