Bruce races through the lobby of the movie theatre with a joyful smile that always makes Martha laugh. As he makes his way through the door, Thomas notices a few reporters scurry to gather their equipment to snap a shot of his family. With a hurried step, he makes his way outside to gather Bruce and shield him from the onslaught of cameras that he has wearily grown accustom to.
"Come Bruce, stay close to me. Martha!" Thomas holds onto his son, and scans around for Martha, who is expertly following him, looking away from the cameras and ignoring the words being thrown at her. Her eyes meet Thomas' as her mind tries to shut out all that she hears. 'Scandal!' 'Corruption!' "Jailtime!' Thomas draws her close and quickly ushers his family away from the crowd towards the alleyway across the street.
Other theatre patrons start to exit, capturing the attention of the reporters outside. Knowing that the Wayne's won't say a word, they stay put and hope for the best from those who seem poised to have their pictures taken.
Martha nudges Thomas' arm off her as they get deeper into the alley, the chattering of the reporters growing faint. Bruce, feeling the growing tension between his parents, starts to walk slower so as to not get in their way.
"I'm tired of this Thomas. Tired of these accusations. I thought you were going to handle this!" Martha shoots a look at Thomas that stops him in his tracks. His eyes meet hers for a moment before drifting away in shame. Seeing her this way, with disappointment in her eyes, became overbearing.
"Martha, I am trying. I've been talking things over with Dent and -." A crashing glass bottle startles Thomas as a dark figure looms in the distance. A man in a hood emerges from the shadows, his grey steel firearm making its appearance known before him. Instinctively, Thomas shields Martha from the assailant as she pulls Bruce near.
"Hey Mr. Wayne, can you spare a buck for a fallen Gothamite?" The gun is raised higher, towards Thomas' face as the man stands back out of reach.
"Please, listen. I can give you whatever you want, just put that thing away from my family. This does not have to go down like this!" Thomas pleads as the figure shifts in place.
"You're right, it doesn't. Just give me what I want and I will run away." Thomas reaches into his coat pocket and the man tenses up. "Easy there richie, no sudden moves!"
Thomas takes out his wallet and hands it to the man. In anger, he snatches it away. With a whimper, he tosses the wallet down the alley.
"You think money is always the answer isn't it. A gun to your face and you think your money will make this all go away." The hooded man's voice grows louder, his tone becoming strngled with anger.
"When you bought the company I work for and then laid off a bunch of people, your money could have probably been useful to me then!"
Thomas clutches onto Bruce and Martha tightly. In the distance, the mob of reporters continue to drown out the action playing out within the alley.
"When I could no longer feed MY family, that wallet couldve probably kept my wife and daughter in our home. Instead they had to be in that diner as she worked, and they had to die when that crazed man shot up the place. So Mr. Wayne you can give me whatever I want? Easy, I want your life."
The initial shot rang out so loud that Bruce jumped in place. His father's grip lessened as he collapsed to the floor holding his chest. Martha screamed at the sight of Thomas falling and the hooded man stood in disbelief. As Bruce looked up at the man, he saw a smirk on his face as his eyes grew red before another shot rang out. As the echo fell silent, so too did Martha who fell to the ground.
Bruce looks at this parents on the ground and his eyes become filled with tears as he watches them laying in blood. The man walks closer to Bruce, his gun pointed right at him and he pulls the trigger. Bruce jumps, but opens his eye to notice he is still alive. A loud blare of sirens ring out in the background and the man stands pulling on the trigger of the now jammed pistol.
"You're lucky, kid." the man says as he pushes Bruce to the side to grab Martha's pearl chain before running away.
"Mommy."
"Daddy."
"Mommy?" Bruce drops to his knees as Martha stretches out her arm towards him. She pulls him near and under a strained voice she calls out to him.
"Bruce… My baby boy… So filled with life… Smile for mommy… please… Let me see you smile… before I go…" Bruce leans close to his mother and stares into her eyes and forces a smile through his pain. She lets out a laugh before coughing up blood. Bruce screams for her not to go as he rests his face against hers.
The patter of footsteps entering the alley is soon replaced with the click and flash of cameras as they capture images of the boy huddled over his slain mother. As he raises his head and turns to the crowd of flashing lights, his pale face from his mothers make-up is contrasted by the blood across his mouth.
Bruce turns his head up to the sky at the pearly white cresent moon smiling down on him. Hearing his mother's final words to him, all Bruce could do to the crowd is let out a pained, chilling laugh.