When Bruce was very young, only eight years old, the Waynes went to Gotham central park for a picnic. It was Martha Wayne's idea. It was a lovely summer day. Bright and sunny but not too hot. And they were trying to do more fun things as a family away from the manor. Gotham central park was huge and Thomas Wayne decided to let Bruce bring his brand new remote control airplane to the park to fly it.
"Go ahead and fly it, Bruce. We don't have to eat right away. Have fun." Bruce's mother said, smiling at him.
And so Bruce happily got out his plane and the remote control and his father, Thomas, held the plane and threw it for him, while Bruce held the remote control. The airplane soared through the air and made little plane noises as Bruce delightedly chased it as he flew it. He was so wrapped up in his plane that he didn't notice that he was getting out of sight from his family.
There was a sudden gust of wind and it knocked his airplane off course into an area with several trees.
"No!" Bruce yelled, hoping his plane wouldn't hit a tree. He had lost control of the plane and didn't know where it was. He couldn't even hear it anymore. He ran into the wooded area to find it. He was so sure it got stuck in a tree and that was really upsetting him.
"Hey, kid." said a voice that sounded young. "Over here!"
Bruce turned around and saw the owner of the voice up in a tree. There was a boy, only a year or two older than him, hanging upside down from the branch of the tree and staring at him with a small smile.
"Howdy. Looking for this?" the boy said before lifting himself up and grabbing the plane that was in the tree and hanging back upside down.
"My plane!" Bruce said happily.
"It looks so fancy. I've never actually seen a real remote control airplane before. Your parents must be pretty well off." the kid said. "Go on. Take it." he reached out his arm to hand it to Bruce. Bruce was reluctant to take it. "What's the problem? It's yours isn't it?"
Bruce stared at the kid in the tree. "How did you get up there?"
"It was easy. The tree is a cinch to climb. Come on up. There's plenty of room. I'll put your plane over here so you have your hands free to climb." the boy said, smiling at him.
Bruce climbed the tree. It didn't take him all that long.
"Bruce!" Thomas Wayne had noticed Bruce wander off into the wooded area. He was getting a bit worried so he went searching for him. And then he heard the sound of laughter from one of the trees. He walked over and saw Bruce up in the tree, giggling with another small boy. He sighed in relief. "Bruce, it's time for lunch."
"Ok dad." Bruce said, smiling at him happily. "My new friend found my plane for me. It flew into this tree."
"Did he?" Thomas said smiling. "Would your new friend like to join us for lunch, then?"
Bruce lit up like it was the best idea ever. "Join us for lunch! Please? Alfred is a really good cook."
"Ok. I never turn down free food." the kid said, smiling. "I'm Jack by the way. Jack Napier."
"I'm Bruce Wayne."
Jack felt a little overwhelmed by the fact that he just randomly made friends with one of the richest kids in Gotham without even realizing it. He felt so embarrassed that he was just some poor kid from the Narrows. But Bruce and his father were being really nice to him and he craved any bit of positive attention. He didn't get that at home. He followed them to where a beautiful, classy looking lady and a well dressed butler looking dude were waiting for them.
"Bruce, I see you've made a friend." the kind looking woman said, smiling at them.
"This is Jack. He helped me find my plane." Bruce said.
"Nice to meet you, Jack." said the woman, who was likely Bruce's mother. "Are you joining us for lunch?"
"Yes, ma'am. If that's ok?" Jack said, smiling at her but a little nervous. He had never been around rich people before. He didn't know how to act.
"Of course that's ok. We have plenty. Come sit down." the woman said, sitting down on the blanket that was laid out. He sat down next to Bruce and was handed a ham sandwich and a soda bottle that looked to be some fancy, expensive all natural brand. A strawberry cream cola. Both the sandwich and the soda were the best things he had ever tasted. The ham wasn't some cheap lunch meat. It seemed to be carved directly off some huge, honey smoked ham. And the bread seemed to be freshly baked instead of store bought. And it was all so good. Jack savored each bite, not knowing if he'd ever have such a good meal again. They had other things set out too, like fruit and cheese. He tried a little bit of everything but did his best not to be greedy. He wanted to make a good impression. But he hadn't had dinner the night before and no breakfast that morning either. So it was hard to control himself. Bruce and Jack chatted about things they both liked and discovered they had a lot in common.
"You like the Gray Ghost too?" Bruce said, his eyes wide with wonder. "He's the best, isn't he?"
"He is! Wouldn't it be the coolest if he were real?" Jack said with his eyes filled with that same wonder.
Dessert was the best part of the meal. Jack had to admit he had a massive sweet tooth and there it was, one of the most gorgeous chocolate cakes he had ever seen in his life, right in front of him. He had to resist the urge to pinch himself to see if he were dreaming. When a slice was cut for him and the butler handed it to him, he stared at it, nearly drooling at the sight.
"I know, right?" Bruce said, understanding the look. "Alfred's cooking is the best. Even the desserts. Especially the desserts."
When Jack put a fork full of cake in his mouth he nearly swooned at the taste. This wasn't some cheap, stale, store bought cake his mom bought at the last minute and then ate most of herself. This was freshly made with the best ingredients. Jack didn't think he had ever tasted something so delicious in his life.
"That was the best tasting meal I've ever had." Jack said, when they were finished. "You really are the best cook."
"Why thank you, sir. Always good to be appreciated." the butler said as he cleared up the plates and put things away.
"I for one, agree with him." said Thomas Wayne. "You really outdid yourself this time, Alfred."
Jack felt a little sad. They looked to be getting ready to go. Jack would have to go back to his real life. Where he was just some poor kid that no one cared about. What were the chances that he would run into Bruce ever again?
"Hey, mom. Could I come back here again to hang out with Jack?" Bruce asked. Then he looked over at Jack. "That is, if you want to hang out more often. I really liked hanging out with you."
"Really? You want to hang out with me again?" Jack asked, with hope in his eyes.
"I think that is definitely something you could do. Alfred could bring you here sometimes after school. You need more people around your own age in your life." Martha said, smiling.
Both boys seemed excited at the idea.
And so Bruce Wayne and Jack Napier met up after school at the park, quite often. They became very good friends over time.
"Stop, Mad Bomber! You are no match for the Gray Ghost!" Bruce yelled as he chased Jack around the park. He was wearing a cape and a hat like his favorite character.
"You'll never catch me! I'm just too clever for you!" Jack yelled back as he darted through the trees and tried to shake him off. He managed to find a big tree to hide behind and just waited with a big mischievous grin on his face. When Bruce ran by, he playfully tackled Bruce to the ground. "Prepare to die, hero!" They collapsed on the ground together giggling. They rolled over onto their backs and stared up at the sky to catch their breaths. They made a few comments on what they thought each cloud in the sky looked like.
"Hey, Bruce?"
"Hey, Jack."
"Why do you like me so much? I'm not rich like you." Jack asked, a little worried.
"Because you treat me like me and not a Wayne. None of the kids at school do that. All they see is the heir to the Wayne fortune. They don't care about Bruce, just rich little Mr. Wayne. It's so annoying. I never know if any of their friendships are real or just sucking up. Your friendship is real and that means a lot to me. And with you I can just be myself."
"You don't care that I'm not rich like you?" Jack asked.
"Absolutely not. How much your parents make is none of my business." Bruce said, smiling at his friend.
Jack smiled back at him. "Your friendship means a lot to me too. You have no idea. Most of the kids at my school just think I'm weird. They make fun of me. Laugh at me. I mean, if they are laughing at a joke I made, that's great, but mostly they just laugh at me. I hate that. You're the first real friend I've ever had."
"Boys, I have a snack prepared if you would like it." Alfred, the butler walked up, taking in their disheveled appearances.
"That sounds like a great idea. Come on. I'll race you there." Bruce said grinning, and got up and immediately started running. Jack leapt up and rushed to catch up, laughing happily.
Bruce's life was wonderful and Jack got to be a part of his wonderful life for a little while, every few days after school. Bruce was so interesting. He was so smart. Jack was too so that worked out. But Bruce had access to so much more information than Jack did. He had the best education that money could buy. All Jack had was a poorly funded public school and a public library that was in very poor condition. He wanted more. To pull himself out of the gutter. He didn't want Bruce to ever know he came from the gutter. He refused to use Bruce for his money or status. He was his friend. He would never take advantage of Bruce that way.
Bruce's life didn't stay wonderful. When Bruce was ten, something awful happened. Jack would remember the day for the rest of his life. It didn't start out bad at all. It was a rather happy day for most of it. Thomas and Martha had taken a day off of their busy schedules and took Bruce out for some fun activities. And invited his good friend along. Jack was so excited to go out with them. He thought he would feel underdressed but they didn't do things that only rich people would do. They went to an amusement park. Jack had been to the amusement park a few times before, but he had snuck in at the time. It was fun but he had never had money to buy the tasty, very bad for you, amusement park food or play the games. He loved the amusement park. It was bright, cheerful, and loud. No one could feel sad at an amusement park. Bruce and Jack ran through the park bragging about the scary rides they would go on first. But they couldn't decide. The big roller coaster that had that scary drop? The haunted mansion? The ride that spun really fast before the floor dropped out and they were stuck to the wall? That one was always fun. That feeling of weightlessness, as nothing was beneath one's feet. Jack had a bit of a fear of heights. And yet he loved thrilling rides like that. He loved feeling that feeling. Bruce loved those kinds of rides too. They went on so many rides that day and had a blast. Thomas and Martha let them have their fun and did their own things. Thomas played a few of the games and won Martha a teddy bear.
By the end of the day, everyone was very happy but very tired. So they decided to go see a movie. It was a movie that Bruce loved and Jack soon realized he loved it too. It was about Zorro, a masked vigilante. After the movie was over it was already dark. Jack and Bruce were enthusiastically talking about what parts they loved about the movie. Martha and Thomas smiled at each other. They were happy that Bruce found such a good friend that he could really connect with.
"Come on. Alfred is waiting. Let's cut through this alley. It will be quicker." Thomas said. Jack thought the alley looked a bit sketchy but didn't say anything.
"My feet are tired, Thomas. It's been a long day." Martha said. "Why don't we wait for Alfred here?"
"It won't take long. It's a shortcut." Thomas said. And they went down that alley. Years later Jack would regret not saying anything. He was much more street smart than them and knew you didn't walk down dark alleys like that if you didn't want to get mugged. But he hadn't said anything. And what happened next wouldn't just haunt Bruce, it would haunt Jack as well.
"Give me all your money." said the man who just walked up to them, holding a gun.
Thomas tried to keep the man calm. "Ok. That's fine. You can take it. Just don't do something you'll regret later. Please." he handed the man his wallet.
"The pearls too. Let me have them!" the man went to grab the pearls and Thomas tried to move in front of his wife to protect her. And the mugger got startled enough by the sudden movement that he shot him.
"Thomas!" Martha screamed. She was shot too and the mugger pulled off her pearl necklace, breaking it as he did and making the pearls scatter all over. He paused to look at the two boys who were staring at him in terror and then ran off.
"Mom! Dad!" Bruce rushed over to his dad, who still seemed to be hanging onto life just a little. "Dad..."
"Bruce…" Thomas said quietly as he looked up at him with his last dying breaths. He slipped away as Bruce stared down at him with tears streaming down his face. Jack just stood there, not knowing what to do. He watched as Bruce screamed with grief and rage. He felt so many things as he knelt down next to Bruce and put an arm around him. Guilt, sadness, grief at losing the people that had treated him better than he had ever been treated by his own parents. But the emotion that perplexed him the most was a deep awe at the depths of Bruce's emotions at the time. Jack would never lose it this much if his parents were killed. To be fair though, his parents weren't really worth that much grief over. But Bruce…he had loved his parents so much. So much that it was devastating to lose them. It was beautiful. Jack didn't know why he felt this way about it all. It didn't seem quite healthy and wasn't the emotion appropriate for the situation so he tried not to dwell on it.
When the cops arrived, Jack was clutching a sobbing Bruce. The cops asked Bruce questions but he didn't talk. He let Jack do the talking. Jack was fine with that. He told them what had happened and what the mugger had looked like. He wanted to make sure they had enough information…so they'd catch the bastard that did it. He had moved from shock and now he was just pissed off. How dare someone make Bruce cry?!
Alfred arrived and Bruce ran to his arms sobbing and hugging him tight. Jack stayed where he was. He supposed he wouldn't be seeing Bruce much anymore. He just lost his family. He wouldn't want to socialize. He'll let Bruce have space…
"Are you coming, Mr. Napier?" Alfred broke him out of his thoughts.
Jack looked up at them in surprise. Back to the manor with them? He had never been to the manor. He always felt nervous at the thought. He felt like he'd feel out of place. But then he looked at the state Bruce was in and realized he would have to swallow that fear for his friend's sake. Bruce needed him. "Sure. My parents won't mind if I stay over a few days probably. I'll give them a call." He lied to them. His parents really would mind. If he said where he was, they wouldn't believe him, and if they did they'd try and take advantage of his friendship with Bruce. He couldn't have that. He'd just lie to them and tell them he got some shady job for one of the local criminals and would be away for a few days. That was believable since many of them did use kids as ways of carrying messages to others or to just pick up groceries and such. It was like an entry level job in a criminal career. A criminal intern if you will. And in the Narrows, that was usually the way it went for people like Jack. The only way up in the Narrows was crime nowadays. And Jack's family was fine with that. They wouldn't even care. They might even encourage it.
Wayne manor was huge. It was outside of town and had a massive amount of land around it. The neighbors were not close. It was so quiet there at night without the sounds of the city around them. When they got out of the car, it was very late and all Jack could hear was the sound of crickets. He looked up and saw that he could see so many more stars out there without the harsh city lights. It made him feel a bit small to see that many stars. He shook himself out of his distractions and went with Bruce into the manor. Alfred prepared a small meal for them but neither of them were very hungry. Bruce barely touched his food and then said he was tired and wanted to go to bed.
"Alright then, Master Bruce. I suppose I should go make up a guest room for Mr. Napier then." Alfred said.
"You can do it tomorrow, Alfred." Bruce said. Then he looked at Jack with a hopeful look. "Can you sleep in my room tonight? I don't want to be alone."
"Sure. Whatever you need, Bruce." Jack said, giving him a small smile.
"Thanks." Bruce said, sniffling a little.
Jack followed Bruce to his room, which looked as big as his parent's apartment, almost. It was impressive. Jack's question about where he was going to sleep died on his lips when he realized that Bruce's bed was also quite big.
"I have enough room on my bed for both of us. If that's ok?" Bruce asked, getting out some pajamas that Jack could wear. They were both about the same size at the moment so that helped.
"You have enough room on your bed for about four or five of us actually." Jack joked a little.
Bruce's sniffles turned into a snort briefly and he smiled a little. "Yeah. It's an antique. A family heirloom. I wouldn't really pick out a bed this size myself. But I did pick the sheets."
"Clearly. They are Gray Ghost sheets after all." Jack said, lightheartedly. They got ready for bed and then climbed into Bruce's bed. "How did you find Gray Ghost sheets for a bed this size?"
"My mom can find anything." Bruce said, smiling until he realized he spoke in the wrong tense. "I mean, she could find anything…" Bruce's smile fell off his face rather quickly after that.
"Let's get to sleep. We'll deal with all of this tomorrow when we aren't exhausted." Jack said.
"But how can I sleep?" Bruce asked. "I can't get the images out of my head. I can't stop thinking about it."
"We can talk to each other until we get to sleep, if you want. It doesn't have to be about anything. Let's just get ourselves distracted and thinking about other things. Pretend it didn't happen. Just for now. Tomorrow we'll think about it." Jack said. That's how he dealt with everything bad in his life. He knew it wasn't healthy to pretend he didn't care and not think about it. Bottling the negative was probably bad for him, and he'd probably regret it later in his life. But it's gotten him through some bad stuff in his life so far so why stop now?
"Ok. Let's do that. I feel too numb to really process any of it anyway."
Jack and Bruce spent an hour talking about random stuff, stuff that wouldn't remind them of what they were trying not to think about. They fell asleep eventually but the sleep was fitful for both of them.
The next morning, both boys felt awful. They didn't feel like they got any sleep the night before even though they did. Bruce had it the worst though. Bruce still felt numb mentally but a whole bunch of physical symptoms were happening. He felt like he had a cold. He felt tired and weak and his head hurt. But he knew it wasn't a cold. It was just his body reacting to all of what just happened. One part of his brain might be numb but the other parts didn't seem to be. So he didn't really feel like doing much that day or the next. But the funeral, and all the people wishing their condolences and invading his house just to do that and feel special, was happening soon. So he took advantage of what peace he had for the moment. Jack stayed by his side the whole time.
"Please stay for the funeral. I can find you something to wear. We're the same size. Please?" Bruce asked him hopefully.
"Why would I leave you alone during that? I'll be right here with you, wherever you need me to be, Bruce. Your parents were important to me too. They treated me with so much kindness. I never thought people could be that kind, until I met you and your parents. So I'm going to this funeral for them too. Even if you hadn't asked, I would've found a way. Nothing would stop me." Jack said, smiling at him supportively.
"Thank you for being you, Jack." Bruce said with a grateful look. "I don't know how I could get through this without you."
The wake was an uncomfortable affair for Jack. Even though he was wearing one of Bruce's black suits and looked like he fit in, he felt very out of place. He had no idea how to act. There were so many rich people. He just stuck by Bruce and didn't say much. Most of the rich people didn't wonder much about him though. They accepted him as if he were one of them. Obviously they had no idea he wasn't rich like them. Why would the Wayne heir have a poor friend, after all? Jack met some of Bruce's school friends too. But according to Bruce, friends was stretching it. Acquaintances was more like it. They didn't really Know him like Jack knew him. They were pleasant enough people though. Well, that Tommy Elliot kid kind of rubbed Jack the wrong way a bit but other than him, they seemed alright. About halfway through the wake, Bruce got rather agitated and left the room. Jack followed him to what used to be Thomas Wayne's study, where Bruce was raging at the world.
"All they talk about is poor Bruce! Poor Bruce has lost everything! Poor Bruce, this will be hard on him! I haven't heard any of them talk about my parents at all! They're dead and all they want to do is talk about me! To make sure I remember how much they said they felt sorry for me! Even now, they only care about my last name and what it can do for them! My parents just died and that's all they care about!" Bruce ranted and paced the room with a look of rage.
Jack stood there and let Bruce rant. Nothing he could say would help right then he thought. Just being there would have to do.
Bruce eventually lost his steam and collapsed into one of the couches in the room, with a devastated look. "I'm not numb anymore. I can feel it all and it hurts so much. It's this crushing ache. I can't stand it. Why did this happen? I should have done something! I should have stopped the guy from killing them!"
"It's not at all your fault, Bruce. So you can just stop that right now." Jack said. "What could a ten year old do to a mugger with a gun? He would've just shot you too."
"I can't help feeling that way though! I just…" Bruce broke off and shook his head, with a very sad look. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't think like that, should I?"
"It's ok. It's normal I think. I feel it a bit too actually. Probably more justifyingly. I should've said something about going down that dark alley. That's not something you do in a part of town like that. Not when you aren't armed yourself. But I didn't say anything. I just let them go and get shot. I'm the one that's sorry." Jack said with guilt on his face.
"It's not your fault either." Bruce said like he thought the very idea was absurd.
"No. It's not. It's the one that did the killing. The mugger. He's the one to blame. No one else." Jack said. "So we should stop blaming ourselves, right?"
"Yeah. We should." Bruce said. "Thanks for talking me through that. You always know what to say. I miss them so much already. What am I going to do without them?"
"Well, I've never lost someone so I'm not sure I'm the best person to go to for advice about that. You will miss them forever I'm pretty sure. But you still have people around that care about you, as in they care about Bruce and not just young Mr. Wayne. You have Alfred and he seems to adore you. You're like the son he never had. And you have me. I'm going to be a part of your life as long as you want me to be. I'm here for you, Bruce. I care about you."
Bruce got up and went over to hug Jack as tightly as he could. "Thank you. That means a lot. I care about you too."
Bruce struggled with how to move forward in his life. It became almost an obsession to find his parents' killer and… well he wasn't actually sure what he wanted to do. Ask him why? Kill him? He didn't know. He also felt this burning urge to train himself in combat and endurance. He didn't want to ever feel as helpless as he felt that night ever again. He wasn't entirely sure why he wanted to train, other than that. He knew it was for something. He wanted to do...something. But he still wasn't sure what. Jack taught him some moves he had learned in the Narrows and taught him to be a bit more street smart. But Alfred was the one most helpful in combat training. He had been in the British military. He never went into details as to what he did while in the military but Jack got the feeling it was something rather hush hush and dangerous. It made him have a lot more respect for the old guy.
When the Waynes' killer was caught by police, a man named Joe Chill, it was very anticlimactic. He was sent to prison and shortly after, he was killed in a prison riot. Bruce never got to ask why he killed his parents. But he didn't stop training. Because it hadn't really been about catching the killer. He just never wanted to feel helpless ever again.
Jack had never wanted Bruce to ever find out the details of his very bad living situation. But he did eventually find out. One day, Bruce decided to see where Jack lived and followed him. And he saw that he was in the Narrows. The poorest part of Gotham city. When he got to Jack's apartment, which looked very run down, he felt so much guilt that he never knew.
Jack's mother was berating him for something. She looked tired and beat down and looked as if she was using drugs. "Where is the money, Jack?! You said you were working! So where is it?! You lied to me! You've probably just been out having fun each time you go out for a few days. Such a useless brat!"
"Mom, just because I make money, doesn't mean I'm giving it to you. You'd just spend it on drugs or booze. So you will never see that money because I don't want it wasted!" Jack yelled back at her.
"Wait until your father gets home! He'll beat the shit out of you for talking to me like that!" Jack's mother said.
"Yeah yeah. What else is new?" Jack said, not acting like he really cared. He walked away even as she was still yelling at him and as he was walking away, he noticed Bruce. He got a complicated look on his face when he saw Bruce.
"I didn't want you to see where I lived." Jack said, looking very embarrassed.
"You should've told me. I can help you. Let me help you." Bruce said.
"That's the reason I didn't want you to find out. I don't want to take advantage of you, Bruce. I don't need your money. I'll find my way out of this place on my own. I can get scholarships. I'm really smart and colleges will notice that someday."
"But the school system in the Narrows is the worst. Let me enroll you in the school I go to." Bruce said. "Then you'll be able to succeed. Here it will be really hard."
"Hard but not impossible. Nothing is impossible. I don't want to go to your school. You might be there and that's a bonus. And it might be the best education money could buy. But it also has students that would judge me for where I came from and I get bullied enough at my own school as it is. I can make it on my own. Please just let me do that."
"You wouldn't be taking advantage of me. I just want you happy. Please let me help."
"I'm sorry. But I'm going to say no. I'm going to be stubborn about this, Bruce." Jack said.
Bruce let the matter go but a few days later, Jack's public school got a massive, anonymous donation. They received computers and new books and all the things they hadn't had in their tiny budget. The small public library in the Narrows also received a donation. Jack knew who did it. Jack might be stubborn but Bruce was too. Jack wasn't really that upset about it. Because it didn't just help him. It would help everyone in the Narrows to have a better education. So Bruce was helping all of them. That was more acceptable.
Jack and Bruce were now teens and they were still as close as brothers. Jack was amazed with Bruce's determination to make a difference in Gotham city. He never stopped training. He still didn't know what for. But he wanted...no, needed to do something to help the city. Jack managed to drag him away from that when he felt Bruce was getting too wrapped up in it and encouraged him to have fun. They went to nightclubs often, not even having to lie about their age, since Bruce's face and checkbook opened doors. He was the richest kid in Gotham after all. Jack made sure that he would unwind ever so often and didn't take life so seriously. Bruce appreciated it a lot.
Jack graduated with honors from his high school. He was pleased to see that he received several letters from colleges that wanted him. He knew that Bruce might have talked with a few of them. He tried to be mad at that but wasn't. It was very helpful. The scholarship to Gotham University was the best. They really wanted him. It could pay his whole way through school. So he decided to accept it and enrolled at Gotham University to get a degree in a science of some kind. He wasn't quite sure which one yet that he wanted to focus on.
Bruce had left his school a few years before to do his own schooling his own way. And he had done very well with it. And people noticed. A whole lot of colleges wanted him and not just because he was a Wayne. But he decided not to go to college.
"Why not, Bruce?" Jack asked one day when he was at the manor. "I know that you don't really need to go out and get a job since you own a major company and all, but still why not go to college?"
"I'll be too busy with other things. I'm going away for awhile. I need to think about a few things about my life. I need to do this."
"You're going away? Where?" Jack asked.
"I'm going to travel the world a little. See if I can find the answers I want. See if anyone can help me with it. I would like to train in some dojos while I'm in Japan. That's one thing that I plan on doing." Bruce said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this until now."
"This has to do with why you've been training relentlessly for most of your life, right?" Jack asked with a knowing look.
"It's part of it. I just need to find out who I am. You could come with me. But you probably want to finish your degree." Bruce said.
"I would love to come with you, but you're right. I need to finish college. I have to. Thank you for offering. I appreciate that. I really do. Because I know you would probably prefer to do this on your own. I'll miss you. Send me a few souvenirs and try to keep in touch as much as you can. I want to know about all your adventures. And come back after you're done. I'll be waiting." Jack said supportively.
"You're ok with me just going away for awhile?" Bruce asked.
"Of course. It's important to you. I'll be ok here for awhile. It'll be boring but I'll survive. You go find yourself." Jack smiled at him.
And so Bruce left and Jack was left in Gotham on his own.
Jack enjoyed college. The subject matter was interesting and the parties were fun. He made a lot of acquaintances but didn't really make many real friends. Nothing like what he had with Bruce. But he had a few other students he would hang out with often. Jack's favorite lab partner in chemistry classes was a lanky dark haired young man named Jonathon Crane. He was pre-med and he said he wanted to become a psychiatrist. He was fascinated by the human mind. He was the ideal lab partner because he was an absolute genius with chemistry. Jonathon put up with Jack because he was also rather good at chemistry. They wouldn't really call themselves friends, but they didn't hate each other and found things to talk about when they needed to pass the time. Honestly, Jack wouldn't have minded calling Jonathon a friend but perhaps it was just as well. Jonathan was even broodier than Bruce at times and it just reminded him of who he was missing. Another person he spent time with on occasion was a redheaded teenage prodigy in several of his classes. Edward Nygma's massive ego was a little hard to stomach at times but Jack found him entertaining. Eddie loved riddles and was surprised when Jack was consistently able to solve whatever riddle he gave him. So he didn't mind Jack being around. They'd get into scientific debates rather often.
Bruce kept in touch when he could but it wasn't often. Jack would sometimes get a postcard in the mail or a small package with a souvenir from whatever country Bruce happened to be in at the time. It was always a pleasant surprise when he would open his mailbox and see something in there from Bruce. He looked forward to those times and treasured each and every letter he got. Bruce was going all over the world. He never went into detail about what he did on his trip but he let Jack know he was alright. Jack appreciated that he went to the trouble.
Jack graduated with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering in record time. He was so damn proud that he did. He was the first person in his family in several generations that got a college degree. He wasn't at all surprised that shortly after, Wayne Enterprises contacted him about offering him a job. He knew it was Bruce's doing. But he wasn't just going to say no. He went to Wayne Enterprises to learn more about what they were offering.
"I'm just concerned that I'm not being hired because of my skill and rather because I know Bruce Wayne." Jack told the CEO of Wayne Enterprises.
"I admit that is one of the reasons I offered, but not the only reason, Mr. Napier." the CEO, Mr. Lucius Fox said.
"Then what's the other reason?" Jack asked.
"I was impressed with what I heard about you from your professors. You seem to be a very intelligent and creative man. And that may be just what we need. That creativity. Creativity is vital in innovation. I'd like to offer you a position in our Research and Development branch." Mr. Fox said.
"Really? Wow. It's tempting. But I'm still not sure that you aren't just doing this because Bruce told you to." Jack said.
"The only thing Bruce told me was to make sure I found a possible job opening for you when you graduated. He left it up to me to decide what that job would be and if you would be a good fit in the company. I didn't offer you this position just because of Bruce."
"Ok. Then I guess I'll accept the offer. When do I start?" Jack said with a smile.
Jack was now working at Wayne Enterprises. He did his best not to let Bruce down. It was a very enjoyable job. He loved it. He could afford a much better apartment then he had thought he was going to be able to afford. He could afford all sorts of stuff. He had never been able to afford stuff before. It was a weird feeling to not have to worry as much about money. The only thing that he had an issue with was the head of R&D. The older man that ran the department that Jack worked in was not fond of Jack. He felt that Jack hadn't deserved to be there, despite Jack having proved many times since he started there that he did deserve to be there. The man was constantly trying to find something wrong with what Jack was doing at the time. Jack was at his wits end trying to prove himself to someone that just couldn't see it.
But then it happened. An absolute lucky break for Jack. The head of R&D was found to be selling patents owned by the company to their competitors. He was fired. And Jack was once again in the CEO's office really surprised at what he was being offered.
"Really? I've only been working here for a few years. Why would you offer me head of R&D?" Jack asked Mr. Fox.
"As I said before, I value your creativity. You've consistently been able to solve issues by looking at things in a way other people might not. That is a good quality to have. And Bruce trusts you. As Bruce's friend, you are less likely to engage in the unethical behavior that your predecessor engaged in, I feel." Mr. Fox said.
"But it's too much. I don't know if I really deserve it. At least not yet." Jack said. He really did want to accept the offer. It was a big promotion. But again he felt that his friendship with Bruce was what helped him get it and that didn't really seem fair.
"Look, I know that you feel that your friendship with Bruce has affected my decision. I understand that. But that is only a very small part of it, Mr. Napier. And it's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm not sure I trust someone else in this position right now. At least with you, I know you are loyal to the company. To Bruce Wayne."
"Then I guess I have to accept." Jack said, trying not to freak out at how much of a pay raise he was getting. He had finally made it. More than he had ever thought he would. He was officially successful. It was the best feeling in the world.
Shortly after he had started as head of R&D, Jack realized that his mental issues were getting worse. He had always had some mental issues but they hadn't been all that bad. They were manageable. They had gotten a bit worse during college but he had barely noticed with all of the stress of studying and such. But now it was hard to ignore. He was going to have to do something. Because the mental issues weren't going away. They were getting bad. He felt terrified when he realized he did have a family history of serious mental illness. His father had not been a stable man. Or his grandfather either. His grandfather had been committed to Arkham and stayed there the rest of his life in a padded cell. Jack didn't want that to be him. He went to several doctors and psychiatrists. He took any medications that they would give him. Nothing worked for long. But he didn't let that stop him. He couldn't lose it. Bruce was counting on him. He had an important job. So he researched any experimental psychiatric medications he could find. He used his position at Wayne Enterprises to find a solution to his problem. And then he found it. An experimental medication that actually worked for him. His mental issues were finally kept in check. He wondered what he'd be like if he didn't have the resources he had currently. If he was just another nameless Joe living in the Narrows, he probably wouldn't be in a very good state of mind at that point. It probably wouldn't have taken much to make him lose it completely. Just like grandpa. It was his worst fear. To just lose it like that. He was so thankful for Bruce. Because of Bruce he wouldn't have to worry about that now.
One day, quite unexpectedly, Bruce returned. So there Jack was, standing with Alfred at the airport waiting for the private jet to land. When the plane landed and he saw the man that was his best friend leave the plane, Jack had the biggest smile on his face. Bruce was back! Jack walked over to the man that he had missed so much and hugged him, with that big happy smile still on his face. Bruce hugged him back with a small smile of his own.
"It's about damn time, Bruce." Jack said lightheartedly after he pulled away from the hug. He looked at his friend. He looked so different. Harder. Tougher. Bruce had truly grown up. "You look good."
"You look good too. Nice tie." Bruce said.
"Thanks." Jack said, adjusting his favorite tie that was his favorite shade of purple. He liked to dress well now that he could afford it. He'd always wear at least a dress shirt, a vest, and a tie. He did like to look good.
"So you did well for yourself?" Bruce asked as they sat in Bruce's car as Alfred drove them back to the manor.
"Of course I did. I did say that I would. And you did help with that." Jack said. "I got a Masters degree in mechanical engineering. And then got a job at your company. The CEO seemed eager to have me."
"That's great, Jack. I'm so glad." Bruce said looking very happy with that news.
Alfred cooked a special welcome home dinner for Bruce and Jack stayed to enjoy it with them. He listened to Bruce talk about all the things he did on his trip. He hadn't just been sightseeing. He had continued his training with anyone that would teach him. Bruce didn't have that uncertain look in his eyes anymore. He looked like he knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life.
"So did you find what you were looking for out there? Is that why you came back?" Jack asked after dinner when Alfred was clearing dishes.
"Yeah. I think I did. I know who I want to be now." Bruce said cryptically.
"Good. I'm happy for you Bruce. And I'm thrilled that you're back." Jack said.
"It's good to be back." Bruce said, smiling.
One day as Jack was in the middle of working on one of his designs while at work in his office/workshop, he heard Lucius Fox enter with Bruce. They were speaking with each other as they entered.
"I just want to keep this under wraps, Lucius. I don't want people to know about this." Bruce said.
"Trust me, Bruce. I'm sure you can trust our head of R&D with this." Mr. Fox said with an amused voice.
"How can you be so certain?" Bruce asked.
Jack smirked and came out from where he was so he was in view. "I imagine the head of R&D is pretty trustworthy. Since he's me."
Bruce looked very surprised. "You're head of R&D? And you didn't tell me?"
"Well I was kinda hoping for a surprising reveal like this. And now here you are." Jack said amused. "Welcome to my lair. What do you need?"
Bruce did his best to collect himself and then continued. "I wasn't sure I wanted to say anything about this to you. It's not that I don't trust you. I just don't want to put you at risk. But I suppose it would be helpful to have you know about it."
"Know about what? Why would it put me at risk?" Jack asked, rather intrigued.
Bruce sighed. "I have some designs that I might need help with assembling. As well as other things I'll need help with." He placed the designs down on a table and Jack had a look at them. The designs suggested something rather intriguing. There were several diagrams of interesting gadgets. And the last diagram excited Jack with the possibilities. It was a suit of armor. A very distinctive looking suit of armor that would definitely turn some heads.
"This isn't for some government project, is it? What are you planning, Bruce?" Jack asked, not able to hide all of his excitement at it all.
"Gotham has been overrun by criminals for long enough. Someone needs to protect Gotham, and make sure that nothing like what happened to my family happens again." Bruce said with a serious look on his face.
"You're going to become a vigilante, aren't you?" Jack asked. "This is what all the training has been about."
"Yes. Someone has to do something." Bruce said.
"And who better to do it than a person with the most resources, skill, and cleverness in the city?" Jack said with a smile.
"Can you help me? I'm going to need to do a lot before I can even attempt this." Bruce asked.
"Why do you even need to ask? Of course I'll help!" Jack said, grinning in excitement. "You're going to be like a real life Gray Ghost! This is so cool. What's your vigilante name going to be anyway?"
"Batman."
"Huh. I suppose this has to do with your little fear of bats?" Jack asked.
"Yes. I wanted to strike fear into criminals. If I do this right, some of them might even wonder if I'm even human. I need to become more than a man to them. That's the only way this is going to work."
And so Jack got to work helping Bruce build everything he needed to build. The extensive cave underneath Wayne manor was where they started building his base of operations. Jack had most of it built elsewhere and then brought in piece by piece. They couldn't exactly hire a construction crew so they had to get creative and do most of it themselves. Soon the cave was a fully functioning vigilante lair. The Batcave. During that time, Jack and Bruce also worked on the batsuit. It went through several design alterations before they actually built it.
"Are you serious? You do realize that if we build it like this, you won't be able to turn your head? If we make a few alterations and you make sure not to get stabbed in the neck just in case, you can still turn your head. That's important. Otherwise you're turning your whole body just to look around. That'll get annoying very fast." Jack said while looking at the diagram with Bruce.
"I suppose you're right. That would get annoying fast." Bruce agreed with him and made a few changes to the diagram. "Where are we at with the batmobile?"
"I shipped in the parts we need and they should be arriving soon. The prototype vehicle that Wayne Enterprises built for the military that we decided was too expensive to mass produce should be a good base for it. We'll have to modify it quite a bit to make sure it doesn't look like that vehicle. We don't want this stuff tracing back to Wayne Enterprises just in case." Jack said.
"Thank you, Jack. You've been working so hard on all of this and still doing your regular job at Wayne Enterprises. You've been so helpful." Bruce said.
"I'm more than glad to do it. You know how exciting it is that I get to be the friend of a real life superhero? If you pull this off, it will be amazing. Why wouldn't I want to be a part of it?" Jack said enthusiastically. "Now, do you have any more concerns about the suit design before we get started on it?"
"The cape. Is it too much?" Bruce asked, not quite certain.
"Not at all." Jack said, smiling. "You are a bat. A bat needs wings. A cape will be good to simulate that. And while I can't make you a way to fly and have you still be as agile as you want to be, I can find some way to make the cape with a material and such that will help you glide through the air. It will make soaring across rooftops a little easier."
Jack stood on a rooftop and watched as Bruce, in full batsuit, tested out the glider cape. Jack used a prototype fabric that stiffened when given a certain signal. He made it so Bruce could press a button and the cape would help him glide. Jack really hoped it worked. He watched Bruce run and then jump off the roof. Jack ran to the edge of the roof and looked down. And there was Batman soaring through the air like he really could fly.
"It worked!" Jack exclaimed excitedly. He jumped up and down in pure happiness that it had worked. It's not like Bruce was in much danger. He had his grapple gun after all. But it was nice to know that his design worked as it was supposed to. Batman shot his grapple gun to get back to the roof that Jack was on. "Congrats, Bats. You can fly now."
"Thank you for this. The design worked really well." Bruce said.
"I'm so glad it did. You look great by the way. Criminals will be running for cover when they see you. I'm sure of it. But I think we need one more thing." Jack said, with a thoughtful look.
"What else do we need?" Bruce asked.
"Your voice is distinctive enough that some people are going to know it's you. We need to mask your voice in some way. It shouldn't be that hard. We can just put a voice changer in your helmet."
"That's a good idea." Bruce said. "We don't want people to find out who I am."
"Yeah. That would be bad. I'm not sure the cops will be entirely on board with all of this. So you need to make sure you aren't going to get arrested. Plus any criminals knowing who you really are could use that information against you. We definitely don't want that."
The criminals of Gotham started hearing rumors of a dark figure that was stalking the shadows and beating up criminals. Soon they all started to fear what was hiding in the dark. The cops didn't know what to think of it. They mostly dismissed it as rumors and drug addled criminals seeing things. But then some of them saw the dark figure too. So they could no longer say it was just rumors. They became split in what they thought of what was clearly a vigilante stalking the city. Many believed he was helping the city. They saw all he had done so far and praised him for making their jobs easier. But some of them saw a vigilante and all they wanted to do was arrest him. Captain James Gordon wasn't sure yet which category he fit in but did admit that the vigilante known as Batman had helped a lot so far. Carmine Falcone's reign over the underworld of Gotham came to an end when Batman found the evidence the city needed to convict Falcone. That was impressive given that Batman had only been active in the city for less than a year.
After a year or two, the cops seemed to trust Batman more. They stepped aside as he took care of the more colorful criminals that started appearing in the city. He would never kill them. He had vowed not to kill. He would always make sure to turn them over to the police. Because of that, James Gordon finally trusted him, even though he had no idea who Batman really was.
Jack Napier helped Batman in whatever way he could and made sure he always had the equipment he needed for whatever situation he happened to be in. He felt he owed everything to his best friend. So he would do all he could for him. But he always wondered what his life would be like if things had gone a different way. He knew it was likely he would've been a criminal if he had stayed in the Narrows. And likely not a very stable one at that. So he always saw a bit of himself in each mentally ill criminal that Batman faced. It was an uncomfortable feeling. But he had succeeded in his life. So instead, he was Batman's greatest ally.