First: Thank you so much, Nightwingsass (Guest), I really appreciated it! :-) In general I'm glad you all think Alfred's POV is interesting since it's why I wrote this fic in the first place. I mean, there already are hundreds of Robin origin stories so otherwise there's no reason to write another one, in my opinion.
Second: So I figured out why the website stole my paragraphs. You probably wondered about my weird sentence in the A/N at the end of last chapter. Originally there were two symbols in between the words but it stole them. Obviously the program can't deal with small arrow-like symbols. But as the lines seem to work, I won't complain^^

Around five in the afternoon Master Bruce came home. When he had said he would try to be back early, Alfred wouldn't have dared to hope for this early. It was highly unusual for the CEO to leave his office before eight, unless there was a social event to prepare for. But the butler certainly wouldn't complain, in his opinion, Master Bruce spent far too much time everywhere else but not in his own house. When he heard his employer's Lexus pull up the driveway, he went to the entrance hall to greet him. The door opened and a wet Bruce Wayne entered. At the moment, it was raining cats and dogs outside, but the sky looked as if the clouds were about to disappear soon.

„Good evening, Master Bruce. How was your day?" The butler held his hands out to take his employer's coat.

„As usual, Alfred, as usual. Nothing special happened. How about yours? Could you get through to Richard?" The butler could hear the slightly hopeful tone in the other man's voice.

„Only partially", he answered and began to recall today's events.

„So he did speak by choice, although now he seems to be scared again", Master Bruce summarized, after Alfred concluded. „Well, if he brought up the courage once, he will manage again, if only we give him enough time." He walked towards the stairs. „I will check on him before I go to my study. There are some important papers I have to have read by tomorrow." So not really at home after all. Well, Alfred could have guessed. His eyes followed the other man walking away, wondering what was to come.

About three hours later, the butler was on his way to the study, the cup of coffee in hand, his employer usually drank around eight in the evening so he could last through the night. The man most definitely didn't get enough sleep. He found Master Bruce sitting behind his desk, reading some papers. The man looked up as he got company.

„Thank you, Alfred." The butler nodded once to signalise he accepted the thanks.

„Sir, would you like me to look in on Master Richard before he goes to bed?"

His employer shook his head. „No, I think he prefers to be left alone. He didn't say a word when I went to his room earlier." The butler could see the other man frown, obviously concerned about the boys reticence.

„Very well. I'm sure, he will open up in time. May that be all for now?"

„Yes, thank you, Alfred." The butler turned and left his employer to deal with his papers.

When he had finished his every evening tour through the house to check every door and the alarm system, it had finally stopped raining outside. He considered this to be the perfect opportunity to let some fresh air into the bedrooms.

Since there was no light shining from under Master Richards door, he assumed the boy was already asleep and went for the master bedroom. Just when he was pulling back the curtains next to the huge wardrobe, he heard something. The distant sobbing from the night before. Master Richard crying in his sleep. His heart sank, a wave of compassion for the boy flooded over him.

By the time he was back in the hallway, the sound had become louder and right when he was to set foot on the staircase, he heard the first scream. Before he could decide how to react, Master Bruce hurried towards him. He aimed for the boy's door, but stopped dead before he reached the handle.

A pained expression on his face, he turned to his butler.

„Maybe I shouldn't wake him. He didn't seem to appreciate it last night." Alfred could see how badly he wanted to save the boy his agony but at the same time tried not to interfere when he didn't want it.

The men looked at each other, indecisive what to do. They could hear Master Richard call for his parents and indistinctly crying out. Neither of them seemed to be able to move. As if leaving would make it even worse. They both hoped, the boy would calm down on his own eventually.

The minutes passed and the screaming didn't lessen, even got worse. At one point, Master Bruce had started pacing up and down the floor, like a tiger trapped in a cage. He seemed unable to endure this much longer. Alfred, too, had trouble keeping to himself. It was agony, listening to this young child being tortured by his own mind.

After nearly the quarter of an hour, the butler decided, it was enough. By now, he could hardly stand still anymore and Master Bruce seemed barely able to contain himself any longer.

„Sir, with all due respect, if you will not waken the boy, I will do it myself."

His employer lifted his head and looked at him, gratitude in his eyes. Apparently, he had waited for the older man to break the ban, since he didn't want to go back on his own word.

With two long strides, he was at the boy's door, opening it without being careful about the noise. The butler could barely stand the sight. Master Richard was on the floor once again, lying beneath the window. His pillow lay an armlength away from him and the blanket was closely wrapped around his sweating figure. His hair stuck out in all directions and his eyes moved frantically behind the lids. It only took a second for Master Bruce to reach his ward. This time, he didn't even try to wake the boy by simply calling his name, they both knew, that wouldn't work. The child was too far gone for that. He grabbed his shoulders and shook him carefully.

„Richard, wake up! You need to wake up! Richard!" It was exactly as it had been the night before. The boy slowly gained consciousness and, as soon as he sensed the man kneeling before him, wrapped his arms around him, crying. This time, Master Bruce didn't hesitate, and hugged him back. It was obvious that physical contact helped the boy calm down. Alfred stood in the doorway, watching the scene and marvelling about how many sides there could be to a man. A successful CEO, an actor good enough to trick everybody, a combat fighter with ninja skills, a vigilante and, apparently, something close to a parent.

After several seconds, the boy pulled back, just as the night before, but less fierce. He tried to hide his tears by wiping them away and didn't look at either of them. So Master Bruce got up without a word and left with his butler right behind him.

Back in the hallway, Alfred spoke first. „I suggest, we immediately wake Master Richard the next time this happens, rather than wait and let him live through his nightmares."

Master Bruce looked at him, exhausted and slightly shaken. „I agree with you there."

The next few days passed without any changes. In the morning, they would find Master Richard sitting on his neatly made bed, have a silent breakfast and Master Bruce would ask if he should stay home. The boy would shake his head and the man would leave. Alfred then spent the days working around the manor, occasionally seeing Richard standing somewhere watching him or hearing the boy silently open a door or another, peaking at what was behind it. Then they had lunch together, the butler always feeling slightly uncomfortable about eating at the table with a member of the family. Richard rarely spoke, asking a short question or answering one with yes or no at the most. Sometimes, Alfred told him about the Wayne family or the house, and the boy listened, seeming a bit more interested every day. In the late afternoon, Master Bruce would come home and he and the boy would share a rather silent meal. Nearly every attempt of starting a conversation failing, it always ended with the boy leaving for his room and not being seen again that evening. At least not until he started crying. Master Bruce always waited before he went on patrol and spent the hours between dinner and leaving in his bedroom, so he would hear Richard immediately. At some point, the boy stopped pulling back and trying to hide his tears, just lay back down and fell asleep again in a matter of seconds.

Approximately a week and a half after Master Bruce had taken the boy in, Alfred couldn't ignore it any longer. When the two of them had another lunch together, he decided the answer to his question was more important than his education, so a little curiosity was acceptable.

„Master Richard, may I ask you something?" The boy looked at him, nodding cautiously.

„Why don't you talk to Master Bruce?" Alfred had noticed, the boy barely said a word to his guardian, although he seemed fine to say short sentences to the butler by now. Master Richard blushed and looked down at the table, avoiding the man's eyes. Silence spread between them. It took several minutes and some coaxing from Alfred, before the boy finally answered.

„I'm… I don't…", he muttered. „It's just… He's so big and so dark." Ashamed, he lowered his eyes. Alfred felt a smile on his face. He could very well understand what the boy meant. Master Bruce could indeed be quite intimidating, even to a grown man. Considering his tall, broad figure, him always being clad in black suits and his deep voice which rarely laughed, he was bound to feel menacing to a young boy who had just been traumatised.

Alfred spoke as soft as he could. „Master Richard, although I understand why you feel that way, I can assure you, there is absolutely no need to be afraid of Master Bruce. He is a friendly person who knows what you are going through and he tries very hard to make you feel at home here. You already know, his parents died when he was about the same age you are now. And he was very sad for very long so he can understand you." The boy didn't lift his eyes. He didn't seem convinced, so Alfred tried differently.

„Why exactly are you afraid of him? Did he ever gave you a reason? Did he say or do something you didn't like?" That made the boy think.

„No", came the shy and slightly embarrassed answer. The butler smiled again.

„Then I suggest, you give Master Bruce a chance. Maybe you'll learn you actually like him." The boy nodded slowly, his gaze still fixed on his plate. Alfred had another idea. „Would it help if I told you about him? You could ask things you would like to know and I could answer as best as I can, if you like." Another slow nod.

After several minutes, the boy had decided on what to ask. „What is his work?"

„Oh, that is a difficult question. You see, his family is very old and many years ago, one of his grand-grand-grand-grandparents founded a company. This company is named ‚Wayne Tech' and it is passed on from one generation to the next, so Master Bruce is now the head of it. He has to do all kinds of things. Make sure, his employees work correctly and sign contracts with other companies and a lot more." Master Richard considered this.

„That sounds boring." The butler couldn't help but smile.

„Does it indeed."

Alfred felt a bit of hope. Maybe this was the turning point, the conversation necessary, to finally make the boy more comfortable in his new home.

That evening, the butler was looking forward to dinner. He wanted to see if their talk a few hours ago had done any good. When he called for the boy to come down, a light smile lay on his face.

As usually, the first minutes were silent, until Master Bruce tried to break the silence, as he had every evening before.

„Did you have a nice day, Richard?" he addressed the boy friendly but the butler could see, his employer didn't really hope for a real reaction any longer. The boy nodded in response, his usual answer. Then, after a second, he looked up at Alfred who smiled encouragingly. He could see the boy swallow and open his mouth.

„Yes." It was nearly visible how Master Richard fought with himself. Master Bruce could see it too, so he kept silent, waiting. Finally, the boy had found enough courage. „Did you?"

Master Bruce smiled. „Yes, I did, too. Although yours surely was more fun. I spent the whole day behind a desk reading boring papers." The man obviously tried to keep the conversation going. When the boy didn't answer, he made another attempt. „What did you do?"

It took a few seconds and another smile from Alfred but eventually the boy responded. „I looked at all the pictures in the big room." The butler was surprised. He hadn't heard the boy entering the Gallery, although the floor boards there were especially creaking.

„Oh, so you found my ancestors. Most of them don't look very nice, do they?" Master Richard seemed unsure what to say to that and only looked at the man in front of him for a second, before he dropped his gaze again. „Maybe one day, we can look at the portraits together and I can tell you what I know about them. There are some quite funny stories I remember."

The boy nodded, but obviously his courage was exhausted for now, so Master Bruce didn't try to make him talk any further. But he looked at his butler quizzically, who nodded slightly and smiled, signing he would explain later what had happened to change the boy's behaviour.

A few hours after dinner, the butler met his employer in front of Master Richard's bedroom door. The man was walking up and down the hallway, every now and then stopping at the window, looking a the pouring rain outside.

„Master Bruce, how come you haven't left for patrol?" The younger man paused and looked at Alfred.

„I didn't want to go before Richard needed to be woken up. But it has been silent in his room until now. I wonder if he can finally sleep peacefully." A trace of hope lined Master Bruce's voice.

„I suggest we take a look in on him to make sure", the butler responded.

His employer nodded and carefully opened the door. Alfred followed him in and once again suppressed a smile. The boy lay on the floor, just as he had every night before, but this time, the window stood open. The sound of the rain and the wind in the trees filled the room. Apparently, this calmed young Richard down enough to let him stay asleep. He was slightly restless, but apart from his eyes moving behind the lids and a twitch every now and then, he seemed almost peaceful. Just a boy of eight years, sleeping.

After a minute, the two men silently left the room, leaving the door ajar. Master Bruce turned towards the butler and whispered.

„Alfred, I need to leave now, would you mind listening tonight whether Richards gets nightmares again?"

„Of course not. I shall stay near his room so I'll hear him in case he needs me."

„Thank you!" With that, Master Bruce left for the Batcave.

It was only half past twelve, when Alfred heard the old grandfather clock in the study move again. It was a barely audible noise, but he had heard it so often, sometimes even anxiously waited for it, he would notice it a mile against the wind. Only seconds later, footsteps were coming towards him. They, of course, were unmistakably Master Bruce's, but their usual rhythm was slightly off. When his employer rounded the last corner, it only took Alfred one look to see he was injured. Not badly, only enough to make him limp the tiniest bit. He stood up from the chair he had been sitting in in his watch on Master Richard and moved towards the other man.

„May I ask what happened, sir?"

His employer made a dismissive gesture. „Ah, just some thug. I was descending from a rooftop using the grappling hook and he shot at me. Obviously he missed but instead cut the rope so I fell about five meters. I sprained my ankle at impact since the rain had made the pavement slippery. I would have patrolled on but the risk of compounding the injury was too big. It would be quite difficult to explain to Richard if I couldn't hide it any longer."

Alfred nodded. „Yes, this could prove to be a problem in general. You tend to get yourself injured, if I may say so. What are you planning on telling the boy once you get seriously hurt?"

„I'll cross that bridge when it comes to it." That wasn't a very wise course of action, or rather inaction, in the butler's opinion, but he kept silent. Arguing now wouldn't do any good.

Master Bruce changed the subject. „Did he scream again?" he asked, gesturing towards Richard's door. The butler shook his head.

„No, apparently the sound of wind and rain does the trick to calm the young sir."

The younger man nodded thoughtfully. „Yes, apparently it does. Although I still hope, it does get better as time passes, too. After all, he did talk voluntarily today, maybe that means he feels a bit more comfortable here and by that can sleep better." He looked at the butler. „Speaking of, I meant to ask you. What happened today that made him ease up?"

The question earned a smile from Alfred. „We just had a little talk."

Master Bruce raised an eyebrow. „A talk? About what?"

„About you, sir." The eyebrow travelled even higher. „Master Richard told me why he was so shy and I did my best to make him see it was unfounded."

„So why exactly was it?"

„He was intimidated and probably embarrassed. And I can't blame him for that. He's an eight year old boy who just lost his parents and everything he knew. Now he lives with two strangers in an old, huge Manor and is supposed to fully trust them. In addition, he has nightmares and is woken every time by someone he doesn't really know. When he is most vulnerable, you are there so he feels like there is nothing that can protect him from you."

Master Bruce looked stunned. „But… I do it to help him. I won't hurt him."

„I do know that, sir. But he can't, not by now. I suggested he could talk to you so he'll get to know you and doesn't have to be afraid anymore."

The younger man thought about that for a moment. „Thank you, Alfred."

I know, I wrote it myself but you know, it really does happen that the characters start to act on their own while you write them. So did Bruce, when he didn't want to wake Richard. I really liked how it rattled him, it makes him somehow look extremly human (not that he is very Batmanish in this story anyways). I really don't want to praise myself with this comment, far from it. Just wanted to express my opinion.
Maybe you could tell me what you thought about it?

By the way, speaking in chapters, we're halfway through the story now.