Final chapter! One last time: I hope you'll like it!
I know, approximately 24k aren't much but to me, this story was really long, so I'm kinda sad it's over, actually. But: I have some new ideas, surprisingly even for Batman and Robin. I just hope, I'll have time to write them out and, even more important, that I'll be able to. In sakes of language they are definitely more challenging than this one... Well, fingers crossed! I really miss writing even after only a week without it...
Alfred thought he had misheard his employer, when the man announced during the next day's breakfast, he would stay home today. This hadn't happened in the last six years, the only exception being the day when they had taken Master Dick in.
"Why?", the boy asked, sounding as surprised as the butler felt.
"Because I want to have time to plan this evening. Alfred, do you think you will be able to finish Dick's costume today?"
The butler nodded. "Certainly, sir. It should only take an hour from where I stopped yesterday." He was afraid he knew where this was heading. The costume was finished and the villain located. Tonight, Batman would take the boy with him to get justice. The butler knew, he wouldn't have a single second of peace of mind from now on until they both arrived safe home again.
"Alright then. Dick", the younger man addressed his ward, "do you think you're ready to get out tonight?"
The boy nearly burst with pride. "I'm ready? You think I'm ready? Really?"
"Only if you think so, too", the man answered, smiling slightly.
"I do!"
"Then I suggest we go down to the cave after breakfast and I will explain what I thought of for tonight." He earned an excited nod.
Alfred was most certainly not in favour of Master Bruce's actions but by now, he had given up on trying to persuade the younger man of stopping. He knew he wouldn't succeed and he knew, the boy would never forgive either one of them if his guardian broke his promise. So he just stayed silent and worriedly looked after the man and his ward when they left the kitchen.
The evening came faster than Alfred had hoped. During the whole day, he debated on whether he should stay away from the cave or watch them go. In the end, he took the costume and brought it down there, at the same time balancing a tray of food on his other arm. He had decided the occasion was special enough to once break the rules and mix up the two lives of his employer by serving dinner in the batcave.
When he came down the stairs, he saw the boy sitting on top of one of the computers while the man worked on a table next to it. They both looked up, surprised expressions on their faces.
"I thought you might like something to eat before you leave", the butler said before any of the two could make a comment on his arrival. "And I brought Master Dick's costume with me. Maybe you should try it one, young sir, so I can alter it if needed."
Instantly the boy jumped down and came running towards the butler. "Thank you, Alfred! You're the best!" Suddenly, the old man found himself encased in a hug, he barely managed to put the tray down before it clattered to the ground.
"You're welcome, Master Dick", he said, patting the boy's head. "But don't you want to try it on?"
Instantly, the boy let go and took the costume. "Of course!" And with that, he ran into the room where the Batman uniform was stored. The men could hear him mutter in joy.
Alfred walked over to where his employer was still leaning on a table.
"Master Bruce." The younger man looked up, frowning at the unusual dark tone of the butler.
"Alfred?"
"I expect you to do everything to ensure the boy's safety out there. And I mean everything. It is madness to take him with you, so at least bring him home safe again." It wasn't like him to make commands but for this once, he didn't care.
Master Bruce looked at him in surprise but nodded. "I promise, Alfred."
When he turned away again, Alfred suddenly heard him say "Dick, get down there!". But the sharp order was softened by the amused tone it was made in. The butler followed his employers gaze and saw the boy sitting on top of the huge dinosaur which stood in front of the back wall.
The two of them had been so engaged in their conversation, they hadn't heard Master Dick coming back into the cave and climbing onto the ancient reptile.
"But I like it up here", the boy retorted before doing a backflip and landing on the ground again. His new cape flapped behind him. Master Bruce shook his head in amusement while the butler tried to hide his smile. They would have a lot of fun with the boy's antics, he was sure of that.
"Well, Master Dick, does the costume meet your expectations?"
"Yes, it's great. Thanks, Alfred!"
"Come here, let me have a look at you", Master Bruce said and the boy instantly came over to him. The man ran his fingers over the fabric and tugged at the cape. "Kevlar?", he asked the butler, indicating the vest.
"Yes, sir. I assumed maybe it could come in useful."
The younger man nodded, then turned to his ward. "So, Dick, you think we should eat a little and then prepare to leave?"
One and a half hour later left Alfred worried and alone in the cave. He had stood by while Master Bruce had let his ward recite the plan for tonight and watched as the two of them left in the Batmobile. There was no way he would be leaving this exact spot until they returned.
Hours passed and the butler got more and more impatient by the minute. He tried to calm himself down, concentrating on the thoroughness Batman always showed when something concerned his second identity. He would do everything to keep the boy out of harm's way and Alfred theoretically knew that. But doing everything to prevent something from happening didn't necessarily mean that one succeeded.
Around half past eleven, the old man started walking up and down in the batcave, half an hour later he decided to return the tray with the remains of the meal to the kitchen. The second he had left the cave, he wished he hadn't. Now, he wouldn't know when they were back and if they needed help. He hurried to clean everything up and walked as fast back down again as his dignity allowed.
As soon as he entered through the grandfather clock in the study, he knew the haste had been unnecessary, there was nobody there. He returned to his old waiting spot and forced himself to keep still.
It was nearly two in the morning, when finally the hidden entrance opened again and the batmobile entered. Trying not to rush over there, Alfred slowly walked to where two figures emerged from the car. He focused on the smaller one.
The boy stood upright and showed no sign of any injury. Relief flooded over the old butler. He wasn't sure if he would ever be able to stand worry like that again.
"Did you succeed in your mission, sirs?" His voice sounded completely steady although he still felt a bit shaky.
"Yes, we did", Master Bruce answered while removing his cowl and looking over to the boy who seemed eager to tell the story himself.
Master Dick sent a questioning glance over to his guardian who nodded slightly. As soon as he had the permission, he started to talk.
"It was so cool! Using a grappling gun feels even more like flying than swinging from a trapeze does, did you know that?"
The butler shook his head and smiled. "No, I did not, Master Dick. I never tried either activity myself."
"You should, it's awesome!" At that, Alfred saw his employer looking at him, an amused expression on his face. The man knew, the butler would never do as suggested. Alfred shuddered inwardly, the thought alone!
"I'm afraid, flying is not really my area of expertise, Master Dick. I'll leave it to Master Bruce and you and keep my feet on the ground, if you don't mind."
Now he could see the younger man smile while the boy looked a bit disappointed.
"Oh well. But you do miss a lot if you don't try it!"
"If you say so, Master Dick", Alfred replied non-committal. He changed the subject before the boy could mouth more outrageous ideas. "I assume you brought Mister Zucco in?" he asked.
The boy instantly got more serious. "Yes, we did", he said with a dark tone to his voice. "He tried to run when he saw the Batman coming at him, but we were faster. I would have liked to show him who I am, just so he knew what he did and that he brought it onto himself, but I knew I couldn't do that. But I certainly would have liked", he repeated in a lower voice. After a second during which the boy stared at the floor, obviously lost in thought, he pulled himself together again.
"Batman overpowered him and I handcuffed the man", the boy continued. Alfred stared at the other man in shock. He had let his ward touch a criminal who hadn't been secured?
Master Bruce saw the gaze and made a calming gesture. "It was completely safe. If not so, I wouldn't have let him near that thug." Alfred nonetheless didn't like it. Whatever the vigilante said, no one ever knew for sure what could go wrong. The butler's only consolation was that it was over now, that Master Dick wouldn't be endangered like that again.
"Then we called the police and left when we heard them entering the building", the boy concluded. If it had been so easy, why had it taken so long? Alfred glanced at his watch to make sure his sense of time was correct. Yes, they had been gone for nearly five hours.
Master Bruce interpreted his gesture right and explained. "We spent quite a while running around Gotham. Dick enjoyed it and so I could show him some parts of the city. We kept mostly to the eastern side of Gotham." The butler knew what that meant. His employer told him he had kept the boy out of the Narrows and similar dark parts of the city. At least something.
"Yeah, it was so cool! And we came across a mugging", Master Dick blurted out. The butler raised his head in shock again. He could see in the younger man's face that he would have preferred the boy not saying anything about that particular event. "Batman stopped it, but I had to stay on the rooftop next to the alley. Someday, I will be the one helping people!" The boy's eyes glistened at the thought while Alfred was highly alarmed. Apparently exactly that had occurred what he had hoped to avoid most. He looked accusingly at his employer. What had he thought taking the boy with him in the first place? Now it would be quite difficult to get him off the idea again of becoming a vigilante himself.
The butler got even more shocked, when Master Bruce looked at him, a nearly pitying expression in his eyes and then dropped his gaze again in what seemed to be shame. Alfred had barely a second to wonder what this meant, before his employer squatted down and addressed the boy still standing in front of him.
"You know, Dick, I thought, maybe you would want to become my partner." Alfred could do nothing but stare at the scene before him in utter horror. This couldn't be happening. His employer couldn't really do this. But apparently... He did anyways.
"You would need more training and obviously you couldn't come when there's school the next day but otherwise..." The younger man never got to finish his sentence because his ward suddenly jumped forwards and hugged him. When he let go again, he beamed.
"Really? You would train me to become your partner? Really?" The boy was jumping up and down, obviously unable to calm down on his own anymore. The man put his hands on the boy's shoulders to make him focus again while the butler stood there, debating to step in and put an end to this.
"Dick, easy. Yes, I will if you want to. But there will be rules and if you disobey them, I will instantly stop training you, understood?" The boy nodded, still grinning from ear to ear. Then he seemed to think of something.
"Do I get to pick a name?" His guardian smiled at the question.
"If you have an idea."
"Robin." The boy didn't even hesitate.
"Robin?" The man raised an eyebrow.
"That's what my mum used to call me." There was a determined but slightly sad undertone to his voice.
"Alright, so Robin it is." The man glanced at his butler who was practically fuming, something really unusual for the normally so well-adjusted person.
"Dick, it's really late. Please go upstairs and prepare for bed. I'll look in on you and bring the costume back down here, okay?"
The boy nodded, obviously a bit disappointed but at the same time still thrilled at the evening's revelations. He left the cave, not without doing a somersault before he reached the stairs. Master Bruce chuckled lightly.
When the boy was gone, Alfred turned towards his employer, speechless. Before he could think of something to say, the younger man lifted a hand to signal he would talk.
"I'm sorry, Alfred. I really am", he added when the butler looked highly incredulous. "I know how you must feel about this. And I would have talked to you about it, but I knew nothing I could say would make you approve." Finally the old man got his voice back.
"So why did you do it? The danger your putting the boy in... I don't dare to even think about it!"
"It's hard to explain. I know this is no job for a child but you should have seen him. He thrived out there, he was at peace with himself and he was good at what he was doing. You can't imagine what it was like. If you had seen him, you would understand. Believe me, I wouldn't do this if I wasn't sure it was for the best."
Alfred nearly snorted. How could making a boy a vigilante being for the best? Obviously his employer could imagine what his butler was thinking and tried to calm him in order to that.
"Please, wait and see, Alfred. I'm sure the boy will be happier than ever and I guarantee you, I'll train him thoroughly and I'll do everything to keep him safe out there. Plus I will only take him with me one night a week at the most and never involve him in the cases against the true psychopaths like Joker. Nothing bad will happen."
Alfred shook his head in disbelief. "With all due respect, sir, do you really believe that? And I may not be able to prevent this madness from happening, but I sure will not support it either." With that, he turned and left, for once to upset to remember his manners.
The butler didn't even try to go to bed that night, he was too rattled from what Master Bruce had done to find the peace of mind necessary to sleep. Instead, he climbed the stairs to the attic and kept himself busy with filing through old photographs. He hadn't done that in a while and couldn't suppress a smile at one or two of the old pictures. Although he was mad at his employer, it was impossible not to be touched by the evidence of how much his parents had loved him. There were photos from his fifth birthday, when the three of them and the butler had gone to one of the parks in Gotham. The boy had tried to chase the ducks around the pond and nearly fallen in. His father had needed to run after him to prevent the boy from ending the day with soaking wet clothes. Another set of pictures documented Master Bruce's first day of school. On one of them, he stood in front of his parents beaming up at them while they smiled proudly. Alfred could remember taking the picture. It had been a wonderful day, one of the happiest he had had in this house.
Only little over a year afterwards, everything had been destroyed by some man randomly trying to mug people. In his dreams, the butler still relived that evening again. He had been in the manor while the Waynes had gone to the theatre. "Don Giovanni" by Mozart was playing and since one of the most popular opera singers of the time had had the lead, every important person in this city was expected to attend at least once. Barely two hours after the performance had started, the phone in the Manor rang. It had been Detective Gordon, telling the butler his employers had been shot and asking him to come, since their son was still with the police.
It took quite a lot to get the man worked up, but this had certainly been enough. If it hadn't been for his responsibility for Master Bruce, he would have somehow broken down. Instead, he had driven to the police department and from then on taken care of a small, traumatised boy who had been barely able to function over the next months. It hadn't been easy, but he never had so much as thought about giving the child to someone else, although it had cost him more than one fight with the youth welfare service to keep custody.
Back then, Alfred never would have imagined the boy he cared for so much would do the same thing one day. Taking in an orphaned child didn't seem like something most people would do just like that. But Master Bruce had, and it was obvious he had cared for the boy from the very first day. Even before, to be precise, considering how anxious he had been during the weeks after the incident at the circus.
The butler just couldn't understand how caring so much for Master Dick let the younger man allow for the boy to become his partner. To allow him enter a world that was more dangerous than any other line of work you could possibly occupy yourself with.
And he had seemed so sure. So completely convinced it was the right thing to do. Usually Master Bruce made the right choices, even taking the boy in had been for the best in the end, although Alfred had more than strongly doubted it in the beginning. How could he be so wrong now?
Or was he? Was there, maybe, the slight chance of this, too, being the best thing to do? No, it couldn't possibly be. The boy was barely nine, for crying out loud. But on the other hand he was a highly trained acrobat who longed to use his skills and who obviously enjoyed being with the Batman a lot. But it was dangerous. Irresponsible and insane.
Frustrated, the butler closed the box with photographs he was still holding. This whole affair was enough to drive him mad!
Checking the clock, he saw it was already half past four in the morning. Not knowing what to do until it was time to prepare breakfast, he left the attic and started wandering through the house. Eventually, he came past the bedroom corridor. He stopped and looked at the closed door leading to Master Dick's room. After a few seconds of debating with himself, the butler silently walked over there and opened it. He stepped into the darkened room and was surprised to see the boy actually lying in his bed rather than on the floor. His features were relaxed, something Alfred hadn't seen on him yet, even in the deepest sleep. This evening really had changed a lot. It seemed to have given the boy an amount of peace he probably wouldn't have acquired otherwise, not even by time passing by.
Alfred stood there, watching the sleeping child and wondered, if maybe, just maybe, it really could be for the boy's benefit to become Batman's partner. Robin.
So that's the end of it. Thanks so much for staying with the story until now! Every single reader and especially everyone who took the time to review means a lot to me! Maybe, hopefully, I'll upload something again, sometime in the future and maybe, just maybe, some of you will be there, too. I certainly hope so. Until then... Have a great time!