They went the next day as planned, while they were still motivated. Before the world could end and throw a distraction or an excuse to put it off until never. They arrive in Gotham mid-morning; both were subtly armed.As expected, Tim, Damian, and Bruce, were all gone. Alfred greeted them at the front door with a little suspicion but a warm welcome. He pulled Jason in for a hug and gave Roy a polite nod.
Jason did the talking, explaining they were working a case and needed to check some information in the cave. The man huffed and grumbled in all the right places about having to use the cave resources, earning himself an exasperated but fond look from Alfred.
"The key," Dick had explained to both men years ago, though on two different occasions. "In lying to Alfred, is to not. Half lies or careful word choices." He imparted on the Teen Titans like words of wisdom from the profit. "He'll let me hang out with you guys." He nodded to his friends. "And just maybe it'll be at a party," He laughed, throwing his glass up for a cheer. The alcohol was flushing high on his cheeks. The room around them was filled with other underage buzzed teens mingling.
Alfred waved them further into the house, sending them on their way. They were calm and cool, but Roy could feel his heart in his throat. Down the hall, into the office, through the clock. They opted for the stairs, both men too restless to stand confined in the small metal box of the elevator.
The cave was much more daunting than Roy remembered. The occasional screech of a bat echoed off the walls, breaking up the hum of the various machines. It was as he always remembered, but somehow starel and washed out. He was here less than a month ago and didn't notice, when did it change? The dinosaur - the same one he's helped Dick dress up what feels like hundreds of times to prank Bruce - was faded and lost to the background. No longer standing as the statement piece he remembered. The penny lost its copper shine, leaning heavy in the back like scrap metal.
Jason caught Roy on the shoulder, raising an eyebrow in question.
The red head waved him off, not sure how he could explain why an un-shiny penny was throwing him off so much. He turned to the computer, stalking over to lean against the side table. He left the chair open for the other man to work.
Jason followed at a much more sedate pace. He took the open chair, running his hands along the keyboard with a long breath.
"Ready?" Roy asked in a soft whisper.
Jason squared his shoulders. "No," he admitted, "but we're going anyways." He pulled up the computer logging in and opened a handful of case files for cover. He turned to the cave security, re-checking the general cams. Neither man was surprised to find no changes. Jason pulled up the same before and after comparison of the sparing mats. Leaving it open on an adjacent screen, he used the images as time stamps. Roy stayed silent, at his shoulder, a constant and reassuring presence.
They checked through everything: Bat-mobile, the various cycles, any costumes with recording devices. They call came up the same.
Jason slammed his hands down on the arm rests of his chair, sending a shooting pain up his arm. It was grounding. "Nothing," he spat at the screen.
Roy buried his face in his hands, "We're going to have to ask someone to hack it. And hope there's something hidden to work with." He said, voice muffled.
"Fuck," Jason muttered. Shoving out of his chair, it crashed to the floor. "Fuck," he said again. He started pacing, feet landing hard on the floor and turning sharp.
"Tim or Barbara?" Roy continued, "Maybe Vic? If we want to keep it away from Fa-Gotham."
Even with the correction, Jason heard it. Family, to keep this from more of the family finding out. "Fuck, Fuck, Fuck."
"What would be worse, someone here finding out or someone explicitly not here finding out?" Roy asked the room.
"Fu-"
Jason was cut off by the sound of shattering glass and falling metal. Alfred stood near the elevator, silver tray at his feet with the remains of drinks and snacks at his feet. The man's face was ashen, eyes fixed on the computer screen behind them, specifically the comparison of the training mats from before and after Dick's death, the dates clear on both.
"Alf-" Jason started, but stopped when Roy put a hand on his shoulder.
"Alfred, what do you know?" Roy asked, voice hard and careful.
Jason didn't like the accusatory nature of his friend's voice. He opened his mouth to argue, because Alfred would never –
"Less than you assume, Mr. Harper." Alfred's voice was tired, the man looked old. Gone was the air of timelessness.
"Alfred?" Jason called, frowning with a mix of confusion and concern.
"You boys always assumed I knew more than I actually do. That I have some magical way of knowing all. " He started, "Really, It's a combination of observation and listening. I normally don't resort to using technology, but the cave is the exception. I have…" he paused, swallowing past the lump in his throat. "I have audio." He admitted, he couldn't meet their eyes, gaze stuck on the image behind them.
"Where?" Roy demanded, his voice was harsh. Jason wanted to scold his friend, elbow him, do something because this was Alfred.
This was Alfred.
Alfred nodded, "I will retrieve it." He disappeared to the elevator; hands clasped tight in front of him.
Jason's mind was racing. He didn't know what Alfred had, but if it was proof of what they thought. If Alfred had known and not done anything.
Roy brought him back with a clasp on the arm as he moved past. The older man crouched over the fallen tray, turning it right side up. He collected the larger shards of glass, placing them on the tray to dispose of later. Jason followed his lead, retrieving a trashcan and some paper towels for the drinks. Lemonade, he assumed based on the stray pieces of lemon mixed with the cubes of ice. They made quick work of the mess. It drew just enough of Jason's attention to keep his mind from wandering dangerously.
Alfred returned as Jason was tying the trash back closed. The tray was waiting, cleaned, on the table. He stopped, something in hand. A look of surprise flashed across his face before smoothing out to an appreciative smile. The man sat, placing a flash drive in the center of the table. "Everything I have from that time. Some of it is hard to understand, but most of it is auditable."
"Do you know?" Roy asked, jaw set.
"No, not for sure." The man stared down at these hands. It took Jason a moment to realize it was in shame. "But for blind ignorance or honest unknown, I cannot say."
"Either they fought, or they didn't. It's not that hard to tell." Roy spat. Alfred didn't look up; Jason was slack jawed. The red head was on a rampage, "It wasn't the first time Bruce has done something like this."
Alfred looked up, eyes sharp. "Master Bruce would never-"
"It was the day Dick found out Jason died," Roy continued, as if Alfred never spoke.
Jason flinched. He didn't want to think about it. He wasn't sure he could handle the story again so soon.
"He left the tower in significantly better condition than when he returned. Because he was so distraught, he didn't even try to lie about who hit him." Roy was heaving in deep breaths, hands shaking slightly.
"Alfred," Jason asked, voice barely above a whisper. "Are there any moments? Any feelings or hunches – anything that would make you suspect Bruce was ab-"Jason made a choking sound. He couldn't say it.
"No," The other man shook his head, mournful. "But it is clear there are moments I have missed at the peril of Master Dick."
"What about the others?" Roy said. He was still standing, but the shaking had lessened signifyingly. "Jason, Tim, Damian, the girls?"
"No, nothing."
Roy dropped back into his chair with a grunt.
"You will call me." Jason growled, a protective urge serging through him. "The moment you suspect anything. You will call me right away and then get them out of here." Distantly he knew the distraught look on his grandfather-figure's face would cause him pain. But now, in this moment, the look coupled with the nod left him with a little bit of reassurance.
Roy snatched the USB off the table, pocketing it in one move. "We'll listen to this somewhere else." He announced, standing all while refusing to look at Alfred. "I can't stay here," he added, speaking directly to Jason.
He could feel the faying edges around Roy, barely holding himself together. Jason nodded, signaling him ahead. Roy took the steps two at a time, leaving Jason and Alfred alone.
"We'll figure this out," he announced. If it was for his sake or Alfreds, he wasn't sure.
Alfred cleared his throat, "Master Jason," he said, hesitating in a way that made Jason's chest hurt. "If I may offer a bit of advice, even if it might be above my place, at the moment."
Jason nodded, because he take any kind of direction, especially from Alfred.
"Talk to Master Dick. He might not want to discuss what happened, but he deserves the opportunity to explain on his own terms, don't you think?"
Jason nodded, unsure how to respond.
Alfred smiled careful and reassuring. "Please take care of him, for me – for us."
Jason's mouth was dry. He wanted to disagree mostly out of habit, but it caught in his throat.
"Let me know if I can be of assistance." Alfred continued.
Jason nodded, finding his voice again, "Alfie, do you really think we can fix this?" he asked, feeling raw and exposed. "We've – I've burned so many bridges."
"For better or worse, Master Dick has always been forgiving to his family." Alfred said. "I believe it is time we prove to him we deserve said forgiveness. Our biggest failure would be to not even try."
A sharp "Jason" came from the cave entrance, cutting off Jason's response. It sent a handful of bats scattering from above.
The man in question snorted, sending Alfred a soft smile. "Thanks Alfred, for everything." He gave a quick wave, jogging after his friend.
Alfred was left alone again. He let out a shaky breath and stumbled back to a chair letting the slow tears fall.
Roy was waiting outside, helmet on and cycle running.
"My place?" Jason offered in greeting.
The other man shook his head, lifting up the face plate to speak. "I need to ride for a while, get my head on straight." He said through gritted teeth.
Jason paused, taking in Roy's shaking hands and tight shoulders. "Are you sure-"
"Yes. No." Roy snapped, " What I need is to find the closest fucking dealer, but I can't so I'm going to settle for driving really fast back to my apartment."
Jason swallowed and just nodded. Roy's drug problem was mostly from before his time. He knew about it. Recognizing that Roy made choices to stay away from gateway drugs and habits. On most occasions, Jason even limited his drinking to match Roy, the last few days notwithstanding. But he has never seen Roy admit to anything – let alone something this outright.
"Okay," he said, "you're place."
Roy's soft, "Thank you," was almost lost under the clip of his helmet screen locking back into place. The man wrapped shaking hands around the handles to his bike. Jason followed, pulling on his helmet and swinging a leg over the bike. They sped away, making a quick exit from Gotham.
A/N:Thought process notes (feel free to skip):
Alfred: Here's the thing, Alfred isn't perfect. And the audio in hindsight is obvious. But at the time he was mourning Dick, they all (at least theoretically were). It probably wasn't a stretch to assume that Bruce was probably trashing the cave in grief, maybe watching old footage of his son. Alfred having never truly known Bruce to hit any of his kids. Would his first response have been, Dick must be alive and being abused by Bruce? No, probably not, that's a handful impossible things. He expects Bruce to lock himself away and rage, they've dont this enough times to have a system - as grim as it seems.
And who would want to accept the man they raised beats his kids. They turned into one of the same monsters said man and kids dress up to arrest on a nightly basis.
Is this an excuse for Alfred, no and I don't believe he would look for one either. This is a mistake, one he knows now that he made.
Jason: He holds loyalty to Alfred. Like above he can see and understand, pit rage aside. Hence why Jason is the more level headed one.
Roy: Roy's loyalty is to Dick. He might have respected Alfred but from the beginning Alfred was always a safe pillar for Dick (and Jason). Alfred sitting on this audio has destroyed any faith Roy has had for the man and his ability to take care of his friends. Roy's one expectation from Alfred is to take care of his friend, and he failed to do it.
Please review! How were my characters? (Alfred in this situation was way new for me)