Alfred didn't like cleaning. Despite all the long hours of bending down to dust every nook and cranny, scrubbing the dirty pots and pans in the kitchen 'till they shined, and mopping the long corridors of the Wayne manor until there was not a speck of mud on the ground, he still despised cleaning. The only reason that Alfred decided to indulge in the mindless chore, was because it kept him busy, and useful. He needed the distraction. All of his 'masters' kept him up until morning, their alter identities forcing him to accept that every night, one of his boys might not come home. Perhaps this was the reason why Alfred could feel the fine lines of age starting to wear him down.
Right now, Alfred busied himself to dusting the huge penny that Bruce had gotten from one of his many adventures as Batman. The feather duster stroked the copper with a new, stronger gusto every time he thought of all the endless possibilities of what was happening to Dick. After he had practically pushed Bruce out of the cave, Alfred had set upon himself to clean every little thing, until his hands were worn and calloused finely by the wooden handles of the various mops and brooms that he owned. The constant distractions proved to be very helpful, and he mused with a suspicion that this was why he owned so many cleaning supplies.
He had thrown away the blueberry mousse that he had made that morning. Blueberry mousse was Dick's favorite, and Alfred didn't want painful memories to resurface. Instead, he switched to a bland apple pie. He planned on serving it for dessert. As he took the vacuum that was resting on the Bat-table, the holographic screen popped up, and there was a gentle buzzing sound, signaling that someone was calling the Cave, presumably looking for Batman. Alfred set down the vacuum, and begrudgingly hovered his fingers over the 'accept the call' button on the screen. A slightly cheerful voice that Alfred had grown to respect immediately started talking on the other end of the line.
"Hello, Bru- uh, I mean Batman, this is Flash. The Justice League has a new mission, I'm pretty sure you already know about it, we're gonna go to space to fight Darkseid, and you know how much Superman hates him, so I was figuring on calling you, you know, just in case Superman needs someone to keep him on the right path, oh, and also, bring Dic- I mean Nightwing, he could keep an eye on the fancy-smancy technology that Darkseid owns, I swear to god, where does he even get all those gadgets? I would love to keep them! Hey, Batman, do you think that I could take them after the fight is over? Batman? You there?" Flash, or Wally West, talked a mile a minute, not even taking a breath in his sentences.
Wally was Dick's best friend. They had been close ever since Batman had introduced Robin to the world, and Barry had introduced Kid Flash. There had been a certain attraction to both of them, and they both had gotten through pretty traumatizing situations together. After Barry had died, the two got even closer together.
It took Alfred a while to process what Flash had said. Despite Bruce's pride, he wanted to tell Wally about Dick's missing presence, in hopes of having faster help. So, Alfred decided that he was going to enlist the speedster to the search party. He hoped that Bruce would not be mad.
"Actually, this is Alfred." He knew that he shouldn't have said his name, but Flash had long since earned the title of being one of the Bats.
"Oh. Is Batman there? 'Cause Darkseid is on the loose again and-" Wally started to explain everything over again, but was interrupted by Alfred.
"Batman is currently out of the Cave."
"Where is he? 'Cause, you know, we really need him to-" Once again, Alfred interrupted Wally.
He did not need to hear the whole 'Darkseid' thing again.
"He's investigating the disappearance of Nightwing."
"Wait. Slow down, Agent A, 'The disappearance of Nightwing'? Did he go and get himself kidnapped again? Is that why he wasn't returning any of his calls? Why didn't you tell me? When? Where? How? Why? Can I help? Will Bruc- Batman be mad? Hold on, I'll be right over!" Wally was talking even faster, anxious to find out what happened to his best friend. He didn't even give Alfred enough time to answer any of his questions, before shutting off his communicator.
Alfred was back to the silence of the Batcave, listening to the occasional squeaks from the bats that were nestled on the top of the cave, all handing upside down and blending in to the dark atmosphere.
Sighing, he reluctantly climbed the rocky stairs that led up to the grandfather clock that was the entrance of the cave. Wally would be there any minute, and Alfred needed to open the door, before he crashed right through it. Navigating his way throughout the huge Wayne Manor, Alfred found himself unconsciously stopping right outside of Dick's room. He stopped, and peeked his head in, only to find the rumpled sheets and the missing piles of dirty clothes that usually littered the floor. Alfred hurriedly closed the door and walked to the front entrance.
The whole estate harbored a dark feeling that was caused by Dick's kidnapping. Alfred hadn't noticed it, until he had swung open the front door, and a tiny patch of light found its way onto the spotless, but dark, floors. A few second later, there was a 'Whoosh' and suddenly Wally was in a disgruntled, flustered heap on the ground (in his civilian clothes). Alfred raised an eyebrow. The infamous Flash had tripped over a door trim.
"Sorry I'm late! I had to convince Superman and the rest of the league to let me off the mission! Superman was especially suspicious, 'cause he had heard some of our conversation on the communicator, and I had to make an excuse, 'cause I figured that Bruce wouldn't like other superheroes other than me, knowing that Dick is gone!" Wally got up from the now rumpled carpet, and apologetically sped around to clean the room. The whole process took only a few seconds, and by the time Alfred blinked, the room looked as spotless as it had been before.
"So does Bruce know about me being here? 'Cause I got a feeling that he doesn't! Are you sure that Dick's not just in hiding from Bruce? I remember he did that once…" Wally rambled on, and Alfred resisted the urge slap the boy and teach him proper grammar, so he wasn't slandering the English language. He felt a headache start throbbing, and Alfred interrupted the speedster yet again.
"No, Bruce does not know that you're here. Now, please make yourself useful and help with the search. I fear that Master Richard has little time left." Alfred pushed Wally to the Batcave, and showed him the video.
While Wally was watching Dick flipping sloppily off the roof, he took out his phone and dialed Bruce. After a few seconds, he answered.
"Agent A. I've got a blood sample; I want you to see if the DNA matches with Dick's." Bruce spoke first. "I'm sending it to you right now."
"Master Bruce, first I would like to tell you that-" Alfred was interrupted by a 'ding', that sounded in the Cave.
"Did you get the swab?" Bruce asked on the other line.
"Yes sir, it's there." Alfred put some gloves on, and walked over to the little zeta tube that Bruce had specifically installed for evidence and objects, that was near the Bat-computer. He cautiously picked up the red swab, and placed it onto the DNA tray that was attached to the large monitor.
"Is that Dick's blood?!" Wally's voice sounded right behind him, and Alfred almost face-palmed. On the other end of the communicator that was still on, Batman growled.
"Was that the Flash?" Wally gulped and looked at the communicator, shrinking back a little. Even after all these years, he was still afraid of the great Batman.
"Yes sir, it was." Alfred answered, taking off the gloves and scanning the swab. He waited for the results.
"What?!" Batman growled, a mix of annoyance and surprise in his low voice.
"Oh my, Sir, I'd advise you to worry about other things." Alfred continued, looking at the screen. Wally, who was in the corner, gave him a look that said 'You talk back to the Batman?'
"It seems like the blood sample you sent me belongs to Master Richard."