Chapter 1- beginnings
Notes
So I'd just like to explain a few things in this fic. First of all, I aged Bruce up so that when his parents were murdered he was 15 years old. Next this chapter was actually almost the same dialogue from the first episode. Some chapters may be longer than others, and I mean some might be 4,000 words long and others may vary around 700, this is just depends on how much motivation or ideas I have. I'm also planning to diagnose Bruce with some sort of mental illness, that will be explained later however I have no idea what to pick. Hope you enjoy.
———
Bruce giggled and joked with his parents as they walked together through the dark alley. He could hear the people and cars in the distance, although they weren't really present. Bruce was focused on his parents, he loved his parents more that anything in this world, they barely fought and he would almost do anything for them. They were kind and loving the perfect people, they were also very very rich. That didn't matter to Bruce, even if they were on the streets he doubts his relationship with them would be much different.
"Oh, come on, Tom, it wasn't that bad." His mother protested as they rounded the corner into a dark alley although it didn't seem so scary as they're joy and bickering almost lit up the night. His father had his arm around him lovingly and his mother had her hand in her pockets although she still had a slight joyful bounce to her step.
"Oh, no? Childish drivel." His father mocked in response to his mother. Bruce laughed at his fathers mocking tone.
"Well, the acting was fine and the music was lovely." Martha, his mother, said still trying to find the best in everything, as always. "What about you Bruce?" Martha asked in a hopeful tone.
"Sorry, mom, I agree with Dad. It was kind of lame." Bruce giggled as his father, Thomas, looked down at his son proudly. Martha however just rolled her eyes and scoffed, not rudely but in a loving way. The edges of her cheeks tugged into a smile.
"Kind of lame? There's no such word as kind of. It was totally lame." His father told him tightening the hold he had on his sons shoulder. Bruce laughed and his mother gasped in mock shock.
"You two are so judgmental." Martha said barely able to keep the loving tone out of her voice. They all burst out laughing, just being in each other's company was enough to make them happy. They all truly loved each other, Bruce didn't know what he'd do if he lost them.
"What's up, folks." A man wearing a completely black get up with a mask and scarf to finish, suddenly pulled a gun on the family. The most noticeable thing about his was his shiny shoes. The three of them froze and stopped laughing. Bruce was terrified, terrified for his life, for his parents life. His mother gasped and pulled his into a tight embrace, his father however managed to stay stoic.
"Stay calm Bruce." Thomas told him as he released him from his grasp glaring at the masked man.
"Give me your money." He demanded in a deep voice. Bruce's eyes got watery as he stared up at his father.
"No problem." He told the mugger as he reached for his wallet. Bruce stared at the man wishing he would go away and they could go back to laughing and teasing each other like they were moments ago. Thomas gave the man his wallet and stepped defensively in front of Bruce and Martha.
"We're cooperating." He told the man hoping he would leave them alone so no one gets hurt, he couldn't stand the thought of Martha or Bruce being hurt.
"The necklace." The mugger said turning his gun to Bruce's mother. She scrambled to her neck with shaking hands and unhooked the pearl necklace. The man ripped it out he hands and some of the pearls fell to the ground as it snapped. He stuffed the necklace in with the wallet Thomas gave him.
"Easy." Thomas told the man as he moved the gun back to him. Bruce was shaking, wondering why the man wasn't leaving and what else he could possibly want.
And then it happened. Everything seemed to fade away as two bullets went through Thomas and Martha Wayne's chests. Bruce gasped eyes widening and tears finally spilling. The man turned the gun to him and Bruce silently begged not to be killed. The man lowered the gun and pushed past Bruce as he ran from the alley. He looked down to his parents corpses just to confirm what happened, his breath was shaking.
"Mom? Mom?" He shouted desperately as he fell to his knees. He shook her but got no answer just cold blank eyes staring back at him.
"Dad? Dad!" He gasped heavily and started hyperventilating as he shook his parents dead bodies. He didn't move and again he got cold eyes staring up at him. Bruce looked at his blood soaked hand in the horrible and shocking realization that his parents were dead and he did nothing, he should have done something, anything.
He let out a loud scream which burned his throat.
He gasped for air as his entire body shook. They were dead. The people who he loved most in this world, the people who raised him were dead. Thomas and Martha Wayne were dead. It felt like hours but it had really only been a few minutes when a woman came running down the alley. He heard her gasp, he heard the beeping of a phone, maybe she was calling to cops.
"H-hey kid... it's o-ok the cops a-are coming." She stuttered. The cops were here in mere minutes. They began to corner of the area, one of them came up to him and ushered the woman away. The cop gave him a blanket and led him to a small metal stairway. He sat Bruce down and wrapped the blanket round his shoulders.
"What's your name?" The cop said in a soft voice but Bruce didn't respond. He just stared.
"Do you know who killed your parents?" The cop tried a few more attempts at asking Bruce questions, they didn't work. He just sat there shivering, still processing everything that happened.
He sat there for who knows how long staring at his parents corpses, even as they were covered by white sheets he didn't take his eyes off them. Not for a single moment.
"My names Jim Gordon." Another police officer walked up to him, although he wasn't wearing the usual uniform so he was probably a detective or something like that. "I'm a detective." Bingo. "What's your name?" Officer Gordon asked him.
"It's ok, you don't have to talk." Gordon said in a calm voice, he looked down at the boy filled with pity.
"Bruce." His voice was raspy, like he'd been crying for hours and hours, yet it had only been a few minutes. "M-my name is Bruce Wayne." He said gaining more confidence as he looks up at the detective who turned to look at him again.
"Can you tell me what happened, Bruce?" Gordon asked as he crouched down to Bruce's eyes level. Bruce just started sobbing loudly as he put his head down his shoulders shaking.Gordon moved to sit next to Bruce as he sobbed more and more.
"When I was about your age, a drunk driver hit our car. Killed my dad. I was right next to him." Gordon told Bruce, he lifted his head to look at him as his sobbing grew quieter. Gordon leaned over and whispered into Bruce's ear.
"I know how you feel right now. And I promise you, however dark and scary the world might be right now... there will be light." Gordon said as he made eye contact with Bruce, trying to comfort him. "There will be light, Bruce." He said the confidently not breaking eye contact with Bruce.
"We just got out of the movies. We were walking through the alley to catch an uptown cab... and a Man came out of the shadows. He was tall with a black mask. He had a hat and gloves... and shiny shoes. He took my dad's wallet and my mom's necklace. And then he shot them for no reason." Bruce started sobbing as he raised his voice, "I should have done something. But I was took scared." He lowered his head.
"There was nothing you could have done to stop what happened. But there is something you can do now." Gordon reassured, Bruce turned his head to look at him slightly confused and guilt ridden. "You can be strong. Be strong. I promise you, I will find the man who did this." Gordon promised the boy.
A moment later he saw the one person he wanted to see. Alfred. Bruce discarded the blanket and ran to his and his parents Butler. He wrapped him in a tight hug and sobbed lightly into his chest as Alfred rubbed his back and comforted him. Gordon walked towards Alfred and introduced himself.
"James Gordon."
"Alfred Pennyworth."
"We're gonna get the guy who did this, sir." Gordon reassured.
"New boy, are you?" Alfred asked in his British accent.
"You could say." Gordon replied with a nod of his head.
"Good luck, mate." Alfred turned away from Gordon "come" he told Bruce as he escorted him to the black car he had arrived in.
"Don't look, head up, eyes front. Don't let them see you cry." Alfred instructed the boy as they left the crime scene.
———
Oswald Cobblepot watched in amusement as his boss Fish Mooney beat down one of her associates. Oswald was a smart man and didn't want to work for Fish but currently he didn't have another choice. He looked up to her, she was a woman with power, money and respected in Gotham's underground. But that didn't make Oswald anyone special, no, he was just an umbrella boy. Nothing more, nothing less. He was currently holding an umbrella over his bosses head.
"I still care for you deeply." Fish said in a way a mother would speak to a child who had broken a plate. He bent down and stared at the bloody man called, Raul.
"But I don't believe that you care for me anymore." She sounded more disappointed than angry although he actions showed the latter. Oswald had his eyes fixed on the beaten and broken man. A small malicious smile tugging at his lips.
"I care for you." He stuttered, his voice was broken and he spluttered when he spoke. He tired to raise his head, he was pitiful and nobody in the vicinity could care less.
"Then we're my money." Fish said a little more hatred to her tone, the way she spoke was almost seductive and could entrance man or woman.
"I'll get it, I'll get it." The man stuttered hopefully. Assuming she'd let him off that easily. Oswald smirk didn't fade and he still watched in fascination, the umbrella held high in his grasp. Fish hit the man with the bat she held, harshly and he fell to the ground with a loud grunt. Oswald eyes and body moved as the mans did.
"Boy." Oswald suddenly jumped as he turned to look at his boss. He realized that she was no longer under the umbrella. He quickly moved to cover her.
"Sorry." He apologized, his voice resembled that of a man and a boy who was new and growing to fit this life of crime he had chosen.
"If you let this hair go frizzy, you will be." She threatened pointing her long nail at his with a cold stare. He nodded and looked down not daring to talk back.
"Ma'am, Detective Bullock is here." One of the workers are Fish's club told her. She turned back to the four other men as well as the sniveling heap on the floor.
"Keep him warm." She drawled as he followed the worker inside as he took the jacket she was wearing loosely on her shoulders.
"Yes ma'am." they replied.
A man called Butch Gilzean who was now holding the bat looked over to Oswald and smirked.
"Hey, Oswald, you want a turn?" He asked holding out the bat to him. Oswald eyes lit up and he grinned sheepishly.
"May I?" He asked.
"Knock yourself out kid." Butch told him as Oswald took the bat. The looks down at it for a moment, a wide grin plastered on his face.
"Thank you, Mr. Gilzean." Oswald replies smiling gratefully at the man. The sniveling heap shook his head with widened eyes as if begging for mercy. Oswald hit him lightly and chuckled looking up at the other men in the alley way behind Fish Mooneys club. And then he hit him again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
The four men and Oswald were laughing at the pitiful man. I only took a few moments before a man came though the back door of the club.
"Oswald, woah." Butch told him once Oswald had almost beat the living shit out of the man.
"Yeah, take it easy, Penguin." One of the men mocked. Everyone who worked for Fish knew Oswald hated that name.
"You know I don't like to be called that." Oswald complained glaring at the man.
"Ooh. Scary." The man mocked hatefully at Oswald making him more angry.
"How's everybody doing?" A man said as he walked into the clearing.
"Who are you?" Butch asked.
"James Gordon, G.C.P.D." He replied in a cold voice. Well wasn't he a cool glass off milk.
"Oh, you came with Harvey, huh?" Butch wondered a small smile not planted on his face. "Glad to know you, James. I'm Butch Gilzean"
"Drop the bat." Gordon said ignoring Butch and turning to Oswald. Oswald threw down the bat without much care.
"Oh, come on, now." Butch retorted. "Oswald and Raul here were just having a little fun, weren't you, boys?" He finished putting a hand on Rauls shoulder, but not comfortingly. More like a threat.
"All in fun." Oswald agreed smiling maliciously at Gordon.
"No problem. Fun." Raul held up a shaky thumbs up to match his raspy voice and bloodied face. Butch mirrored his thumbs up. Gordon eyed them suspiciously.
"You're a new guy, huh?" Butch questioned. "How do you like Gotham so far?" He asked still holding his friendly yet threatening smile.
"Well enough." Gordon said with a stoic expression. He glanced back at the other men before turning and walking away leaving them to their business.
"See you around."
Butch pushed the man back to the ground. Jim Gordon huh?
———
Oswald scanned the magazine he had just picked up. 'Hero cops slay Wayne killer.' It read. Oswald grinned, looks like Jim Gordon was turning out to be more interesting than he initially thought. He killed the murderer of the most rich and well know people in Gotham, all in his first week.
He heard a police siren pull him out of his thoughts as he turned to see the people he was waiting for. He put down the newspaper with a Small grin. He pulled off his sunglasses just to get a better look before putting them back in their original position. He limped over to the police car. Not a G.C.P.D, no. A M.C.U car. He slipped into the back, in the front were two detectives by the name of Renee Montoya and Crisups Allen.
"Mario Pepper was framed by Fish Mooney and the cops." He got straight to it. The two turned to him in disbelief.
"I saw Ms. Mooney with Martha Wayne's necklace. She was discussing how to get it into Pepper's home, inside a bag of drugs. This was shortly after she met with Detectives Bullock and Gordon from the homicide squad." He continued with a small smirk watching as the two detectives stared at each other in disbelief.
"Mooney works with Carmine Falcone's mob." Allen spoke first. "you saying Falcons had the Wayne's killed?"
"I'm just telling you what I saw." Oswald confirmed.
"Why snitch on your own boss." Montoya asked still not trusting Fish Mooneys umbrella boy.
"I confess, that poor orphan boy pricked my conscience." Oswald lied in an exasperated manor.
"No. You wanna push Fish out, huh?" Allen smirked, knowing exactly what Oswald meant. Oswald looked away ready to deny his claims. But he decided to not confirm nor deny anything.
"That's besides the point. I've done my civic duty." He told them. "Good day, to you both." He said looking between the two before leaving the car pleased with himself.
———
Bruce stared down at his parents coffin as a few cold tears streamed down his face. It was a cold day in both temperature and mood. It was the funeral of Thomas and Martha Wayne. People began to leave and Bruce felt Alfreds hand grasp his shoulder. Bruce looked back slightly and they left, following the crowd of Gotham's richest. He noticed officer Gordon approach him.
"You kept your promise. Thank you." Bruce was great full that the cops had found his parents killers and rightfully punished him. The only regret he had was that he couldn't kill the man himself.
"I'm sorry you didn't see a trial." Gordon apologized.
"That's okay." Bruce said barely holding back a flood of tears. He was trying to stay strong like Gordon said. He briefly shook the mans had. He was ready to leave the graveyard and go home to preferably cry his eyes out on his kind sized bed.
Alfred and Bruce left by the same black car Bruce had drove away in on the night his parents died.
———
Oswald was sat at the bar of the extravagant location that was his bosses club, when Jim Gordon walked through the front door.
"Detective Gordon." He said standing to meet the man who caught the 'Wayne killer'.
"Tell Mooney I'm here." He said in his usual stern voice.
"May I ask why?" He inquired.
"No" Gordon replied not giving him a second glance.
"No yes heh." Oswald joked a little annoyed as Gordon left so very rudely. He could hear grunts and punches in the next room so he assumed Gordon had royalty fucked up and made Fish angry.
———
Oswald sat in the background as Fish laughed obnoxiously at a young comedian she was thinking of hiring. He just sat there and smiled as if everything was Lolly do and everyone was happy. He was Fish pick up the phone and get into an argument with Harvey Bullock.
Oswald poured his boss a new refill of wine once the call was over. "Bless your heart" was all she said in thanks.
"Would you be a sweet boy and rub my feet?" She requested with her motherly tone. Oswald smiled and nodded as he sunk to his knees and slipped her shoes off.
"Give me a moment darling, I haven't forgotten about you. I like you. You're funny." She told the young comedian cheerfully. Oswald began to rub Fish's feet.
"Now, this armature nonsense is a good sign. There used to be some discipline. Falcone is getting old and soft. It's time. Somebody has to take over, it might as well be me." Fish told Oswald. Fish had a tendacie to tell Oswald things as he was usually around when no one else was. He knew all about her plans for Falcone.
"Yes, it might as well." He said chucking slightly.
"And you? You're like a son to me. You know that, Oswald?" Fish said staring lovingly down at Oswald. He was scared that she figured him out, he was bloody terrified.
"I feel that way also." He was agreeing with everything she said like always. He was just an umbrella boy after all.
"Which is what I don't understand. After all I've done for you... and right when I'm on the verge of great things, you betray me? Why would you betray your mother?" Oswald hand began shaking, so she had figured him out, this wasn't good.
"I don't know what you mean." He stuttered slightly trying to keep up his smile which wasn't easy.
"It was you. You snitched to the MCU. You wanna know how I know? Because only you saw me with the pearls, no one else." Fish stayed surprisingly composed and her voice was as soothing as always.
Oswald stood up quickly eyes widening, he was terrified. "It was Gilzean. He's the snitch." Oswald tried to defend himself but failed miserably. Fish chucked and tutted. She reached for her shoes and placed them back on.
"No, Gilzean is loyal." She told him truthfully.
"So am I. I would open a vein right here and now if you asked me to." Oswald tried another attempt to defend himself. It backfired horribly. Fish swiped a knife off the table and gave it to Oswald.
"Go on, then. Open one." Her tone was cold and merciless yet loving and supportive. Oswald eyes opened wide in shock, thats not what he meant.
"I uh- I was speaking poetically." His smile faltered.
"Prove it. Prove your loyalty, my little Penguin." Oswalds smile dropped completely, he hated that name, he absolutely loathed it.
"Please, miss Mooney. Please, don't." Oswald lunges at her as he attempted to shove a knife in her back. That obviously didn't work and resulted I him being hit over the head with a chair.
"You broke my heart!" She screamed hitting him repeatedly with a broken piece of wood. He cried in pain.
———
Oswald could only see black. Where the hell was he? What did fish do with him?
He heard the sound of a car stopping and it's doors being opened. He was in the back of a car. The boot of the car was opened and he saw Bullock and Gordon standing over him. He begged for help or mercy.
Everything was just white noise, was he going to die? Before he could comprehend anything he was pulled out the car and pushed and nugged to the edge of the pier, he cried and begged for mercy and got none. He limped to his death it was a horrible thought.
He would do anything, he didn't want to die. Please don't kill me please don't kill me don't kill me don't kill me don't kill me, please. He begged in his mind.
He felt a gun be pushed into the back of his head as he looks over the edge. Just water, just certain death.
"Don't ever come back to Gotham." He heard Gordon whisper. The gun shot went of and he was pushed into the cold murky water. He was alive. Gordon didn't shoot him.
He is alive.
He is alive.
———
Bruce felt the cold breeze flow through his finger tips. He smiled slightly. He was on the edge of death. One wrong move and he'd be meeting his parents all too soon. But that's what he loved about it. There was a thrill to being on the edge of death, knowing any step you take could be your last. He told Alfred this was for training but that wasn't the only reason, he loved it, he loved the thrill and adrenaline.
"Hey! Master Bruce! Get your bloody ass down off there!" He heard Alfred shout. He looked down to see Alfred and detective Gordon staring up at him. He sighed and got down of the ledge.
He was now sat in his fathers study speaking with Detective Gordon about his training. He wasn't paying much attention till he heard him say.
"Mario Pepper didn't kill your parents." He said in a cold and calculating tone.
"What?" He didn't listen to anything else he said, just that. He was still out there, still living, breathing. He could hurt him. He could kill him.
Bruce was angry.
He was happy.
He was sad
He was excited.
The adrenaline was practically attacking him.
"I'm glad he's still alive." Was all Bruce said. He was going to kill him, he was going to rip him apart.
"I won't speak with anyone about this." He assured Gordon before he could speak. He placed the police badge back in Gordon's hand.
He left without another word.
He is alive.
He is alive.