Alfred POV

"Any luck?" The other detective asked.

"I found a small girl hiding behind the dumpster. She seems terrified and refuses to move." James replies.

Upon hearing this, I rushed over to where the dumpster was and sighed in relief. There curled up into a ball next to a small cardboard box was Bella. "Bella. Thank God your ok."

Upon hearing my voice Bella looked up and rushed into my arms. "Mommy and daddy go bye bye and it me fault."

"Bella I want you to look at me. None of this is your fault."

"But if me not want to go see the mobie then maybe..."

"I want you to listen to me ok? This isn't your fault. There was nothing that you did or didn't do that caused this to happen. Alright? Your mommy and daddy wouldn't want you to blame yourself."

Picking her up in my arms and talking Bruce by the hand we started walking out of the ally. "Keep your heads high. Don't let them see you cry." I told them as we walked past a group of people.

Jim POV

"Take as many officers as you might need. Just get this case solved."

"Ok captain said that if we didn't get a lead within 48hrs to go see Fish Moony."

"Mooney? As in works for Falcone?"

"The Theater district is her territory. Anything that happens she will know about it."

Soon we were outside Fish's lounge. "Tell Fish we are here." Harvey told what seemed to be either a bus boy or bar tender. As we waited I could hear the sounds of what seemed to be screams of pain coming from the ally way. "Relax Fish has some leaway." Harvey said as Fish approached.

"Is that the sound of screams I hear?" I asked as she hugged Harvey.

"My men are watching a horror movie."

"Really?" I asked skeptically.

"No. Actually one of my men was stealing from me." Fish replies I glance worriedly towards the exit.

"Junior if your so worried why don't you go back there and see if anyone wants to press charges." Harvey replies. I can tell that he's somewhat irritated with me. But I didn't care. Whatever was going on back in the alley way there was no way that it was legal. As I exited the lounge I saw a man with a bruised and bloody face being hit over and over again with a bat.

"Drop the bat."

"Hay you must be the new guy. Relax. They were just having fun. Isn't that right?"

The man who was bleeding nodded and gave me a thumbs up. "Yeah fun." He stuttered as blood pooled from his mouth.

My two newly adopted children Jayden and Sabrina frowned. "How is beating someone up with a baseball bat fun?" Jayden asks.

I sighed and walked back into the lounge to see Fish and Harvey laughing. "Everything alright out there?" I gave a half smile in reply.

A few hours later, Harvey somehow came up with an anonymous tip that some local thug named Mario Pepper had killed the Waynes. Upon reaching his apartment he chose to run. Glancing inside I saw that his wife had a black and blue eye and a cut above her face.

Even if it turned out that he wasn't guilty this guy was a low life in my book. Unfortunately, we wound up having to kill him. Upon returning to the apartment we found Martha Wayne's necklace hidden in a plastic bag. He was our guy. At least, that's what it seemed anyway.

At the funeral I saw Bruce and Bella their faces were void of emotion as they walked away from the cemetery. "You kept your promise thank you."  Bruce said extending his hand out for me to shake.

"I'm sorry there wasn't a trial." Bella shrugged as if she didn't care.

"That's okay." With that Bruce, Bella and Alfred continued to walk towards their car. However, something about how the whole thing had gone down had bothered me. When I arrived home Barbara was waiting for me and she didn't look happy.

"Did you frame Mario Pepper?"

"What? No."

"I knew it."

"Who told you that the GCPD had framed Mario?"

"Montoya."

The next day I decided to confront Montoya about what she had told Barbara. "What proof do you have that the GCPD framed Mario?"

"I shouldn't have told Barbara that."

"What proof do you have?"

"You will find out what evidence we have when we get you and your crooked friends into the courtroom. We are working on it."

Grabbing her arm I force her to face me. "If Pepper was framed I will find out."

"Hay you got a problem here Gorden?" Montoya's partner demands walking over to us.

"The two of you need to stay out of my way."
I replied irritatedly. I decided to visit the Pepper house. As soon as she opened the door she went to shut it not wanting to see me. "Go away!"

"Ma'am if your husband was innocent you need to talk to me. If your husband didn't kill the Wayne's how did he come by Martha Wayne's necklace?"

"You jerks planted it on him."

"Jerks." Her daughter repeats frowning at me.

"Alice, how would the police come to have the necklace? We didn't kill the Wayne's."

"So you say. God knows that my husband had his demons but he never killed nobody."

"Can I see your husband's shoes?" Mrs Mario looked at me confused but showed me their closet. "Is this all of his shoes?" I asked and she nodded. "Dam"

"Framed? How you figure? You were there. Did We framed him?" Harvey demands somewhat irritatedly. When I confront him with what I've learned.

"Someone could have planted the necklace on Pepper for us to find. Fish Moony could have set the whole thing up."

"Why?"

"To cover up for the real killer. Moony works for Falcone. Maybe Falcone wanted the Waynes killed."

"Wait, wait, wait. Why would such a nutty crazy idea even enter your head?" Harvey replies.

"Montoya from MCU."

"That pill headed  Loonybird? What's her proof?"

"She wouldn't tell me. Didn't trust me." I reply.

"That's cause she doesn't have any. If they did, they'd have used it already." Harvey replies going back to his paperwork.

"Pepper didn't have any shiny shoes. He didn't own any."

"Shiny shoes. Mother of God, shiny shoes. Just suppose for a moment that Pepper was innocent. I killed him."

"We killed him." I corrected Harvey.

"Ok. We killed him. We loose our jobs at the very least. The case is closed forget about it." Harvey whispers to me irritation lacing his voice.

"Even if the real killer is still out there?"

"Yes!" Harvey hisses at me. "This is very perilous stuff your messing with. Listen to me for once Jim. Forget about it."

After taking to Harvey I decided to pay a visit to Fish alone. If he wouldn't tell me the truth then perhaps she would. "Tell Fish I'm here."

"Can I ask why?" The scrawny young man with a pointed nose asked.

"No." The young man laughed nervously.

"Why Detective Gorden what brings you here?" 

"The other day when I was outback with your boys. What did you and Harvey talk about?"

"Shouldn't you ask your partner that?" Fish asked taking a sip of her alcoholic drink.

"I'm afraid he'd lie to me."

"You think I'll tell you the truth?" Fish nodded and her men began advancing towards me. "You just did." I replied.

"James wait. You've got a bit of danger in your eyes. I wonder what you plan to do with that." Fish says sounding curious.

"You'll have to wait and see." I reply turning to leave.

"I hate surprises." Moony replies. Suddenly, I find myself fighting her men. I was winning but I was hit in the back of the head. as her men surrounded me. A little while later, I found myself being dragged into a freezer and strung upside down next to a pig.

Luckily Harvey knew where I'd be and came to rescue me. After taking to Fish it seemed like he thought he had settle things. Unfortunately, a few seconds later, he was strung up right next to me. "Thanks for coming to save me."

"I wish I hadn't." Harvey groans. "Hay Butch."

"Save your breath. Look, if it we're up to me you'd get a bullet to the head and a decent funeral but Fish has her ways." Butch says to us. "Yo Frankie it's show time."

A few seconds later, a man wearing an executioner outfit comes walking out from around the corner. He goes over to a table and glances at the objects on it and then grabs a meat cleaver.

Upon seeing this, Harvey start squirming like a worm on a hook. Luckily the doors nearby raise and a group of men come in and start shooting everyone leaving only Butch and the two of us alive.

"Don Falcone." Butch says raising his hands in surrender looking down at the ground momentarily.

"I'm sorry young man, I forgot your name. Or maybe I never knew it." Falcone replies.

"It's Gilzine sir."

"Gilzine. Tell Miss Moony she's too impetuous. If she wants to kill policemen, she has to ask permission."

"Yes sir." Gilzine replies still keeping his hands in the air as he watches Falcone walk over and looks at us.

"There are rules." He says before turning and walking the other way. "Cut them down."

"Yes there are rules." Harvey replies completely agreeing with this known criminal. In fact, Falcone wasn't just any criminal. He was the head of one of the biggest mafia families in Gotham.

After we were cut down Falcone wanted to talk to me alone. "It's good to finally meet you James. I knew your father very well. The best DA this city has ever had. He and I understood each other. There was respect, friendship even."

"Friendship?" I reply in surprise.

Falcone stops walking and turns to me. "Trust me that's the only reason that your alive right now. Blood doesn't lie. I know that when you leave here you'll do the right thing."

"I will. I'll tell what I know." I reply.

"Which is what?" Falcone replies.

"I know that you own the police department probably the mayor too. I was pretty sure that you had the Wayne's killed. But if you did you wouldn't risk letting me live would you? Then again how did Fish Moony come to have
Martha Wayne's necklace? A replica?"

"Yes."

"But if you didn't have them killed why frame Mario Pepper? Or are you covering up for someone else?"

"Who knows who killed the Waynes. Some low life. We needed a culprit before the funeral. Pepper was sacrificed so that the people of Gotham would see swift justice done. So they can feel safe and secure."

"And that matters so much to you?"

"Of course. I'm a businessman. You can't have organized crime without law and order. I love this city and I see it going to hell. But I won't let it fall without a fight."

"You make a life of crime sound very noble."

At this Falcone shakes his head in disappointment. "You have a hard head James just like your father. Don't be self righteous. Don't be arrogant."

"You want me to keep quiet about all of this."

"Gotham is on a knife edge. What do you suppose bringing down city hall and the police department will do? Even if you could? Would it make things better?" With that he says something in probably Italian and pats my cheek before walking away.

A little while later Harvey and I drove down to the docks. "Jim."

"I'm listening."

"I wasn't being honest with you but you weren't ready for the truth." Harvey tells me.

"You didn't tell me because you were ashamed." At this Harvey gets out and slams his door I follow. "Why are we stopping here?" I asks as Harvey unlocks the car trunk to reveal a trembling young man.

"Please. Please I'm begging you." The young man pleads.

"Shut up!" Harvey yells at him then he turns to me. "This is the fool who snitched to Montoya and Allen. Falcone wants you to walk him to the end of that pier and put a bullet in his head. Then everybody knows that your with the program."

"And if I don't?" I demand getting in Harvey's face.

"Then I'm supposed to take you out and then him too. Here's the thing Jim. I like you. I might not have the stomach to do it but I'll try. Because if I don't, someone will get you quick enough. Then they are going to get to me and then probably to Barbara as well who knows what you told her."

"I told her nothing."

"You think Falcone cares? Come on you've killed people before."

"That was War!" I replied angrily.

"This is a war! We are at war with scumbags like him." Harvey fires back just as angrily. Sometimes in war you've got to do a bad thing to do a good thing right? So do you do this bad thing or do you die and maybe your girl dies as well huh? I might be lackadaisical humm but that's not a tough call." Harvey replies looking at me pleadingly as he holds out at gun covered in a red cloth. Growling I grab the young man from out of the car trunk and then the gun with an angry look on my face.

"Walk." I demand as I shove the young man named Oswald Cobblepot forward.

"Please Mr. Gorden let me live. I'll do whatever you say. I'll be your slave for life. Listen to me there's a war coming a terrible war. Falcone is loosing his grip and his rivals are hungry. There will be chaos. Rivers of blood in the streets I know it. I can see it coming. I'm clever that way and I can help you. I can be a spy."

"Shut up!" I demand angrily "turn around."

"For God's sake have mercy." Oswald pleads as I hold the gun to his head.

"Don't ever come back to Gotham." I reply moving the gun slightly so it goes off but doesn't hurt Oswald. He falls into the river as if dead. I turn and face Harvey.

Alfred POV

Things haven't been getting any better after the funeral. Bella now wants her bottle and binky all the time and when she can't find or doesn't have her binky she's constantly sucking her thumb. If I'm not within sight she starts to panic. Master Bruce has seemed withdrawn as well. He hasn't spoken much since that night and hasn't had much of an appetite at all.
He seems dead set on testing his limits and is constantly hurting himself. Bella looking up to him the way she does, has been copying his behavior.

I'm starting to get concerned that he might start self harming himself in other ways besides burning his hand such as cutting. I'm going to have to monitor him more carefully. This is proving to be difficult as I'm having to monitor Bella as well. I caught her trying to drink bleach the other day. Perhaps it was time to seek some help. Not a therapist mind you, but maybe someone that Master Bruce and Bella look up to besides myself.

"Hello Detective Gorden? I was wondering if you might be able to stop by the mansion this afternoon? No nothings wrong per say, it's just that I'm concerned about Master Bruce and Miss Bella. I thought that maybe you could speak with them? They seem to admire you. I thought that maybe if you were to speak with them. You can. That's great. I'll see you say around tea time then?"

As Detective Gorden drove up the driveway and I got out of his car I smiled. Detective Gorden seemed to have a worried expression on his face as does two small children with him, a young boy and a girl a little older then Bella. He pointed upward and there on the ledge of the rooftop stood both Bella and Bruce. "Hay! What are you bloody doing? Get away from there? How many times have I told stay away from the edge?" I yelled up to Bruce who looked startled for a moment and then nodded.

Bruce POV

I stood on the edge of the mansion rooftop looking down below me. Unbeknownst to me Bella had followed me and soon she was standing beside me. "Whatcha doing?"

"Bella get down! This is dangerous!" I hiss at her at first Bella looked a little hurt then she frowned.

"Why can you do it and not me?" Bella asked looking at me in confusion a slight pout on her face.

I sigh "because I'm older and I know what I'm doing. Now please get down."

"No. Me wanna know why you is on the woof." Bella replied stubbornly.

I sigh in frustration before replying "I'm trying to conquer my fear."

"Why? What's fea?"

"It's when your afraid of something. When your scared."

"You mean like how me was feeling when mommy and daddy go bye bye? Me not like dat feeling."

"Me either that's why I'm trying to focus on conquering everything that scares me." I reply.

"Oh. Me wanna do that too." Bella replies. "Look Bwuce, a vwoom vwoom." Bella says pointing towards a car that was pulling into the driveway.

I watch as man and two children get out and when they spot Bella and I, they look extremely worried. Alfred comes out of the door and the man points up at us. "Hay, get your bloody behinds down from there! How many times must I tell you!?" Alfred calls to us as if this was a normal thing. I blink a few times before realizing just how close to the edge Bella and I were.

When we were both inside Detective Gorden smiled and shook our hands. "May I ask why you were on the roof?"

I shrug. "I was trying to Conquer my fear."

"Me want to do what Bwuce is doing. Me want to make me fea go bye bye and no come back." Bella replied to which I rolled my eyes.

"So if Bruce jumped off a bridge would you do it too?"

Bella looked at them in confusion. "Why would Bwuce jump off a bwidge?"

"I wouldn't." I replied with a slight frown. Alfred and the detective chuckled at Bella's look of complete confusion.

"It' just a saying us adult ask kids. What it means is if someone else was doing something you know is stupid, would you do it too just because they are doing it?"

"No." Bella replied still obviously confused.

"Fear doesn't need conquering. Fear tells you where the edge is. Fear is a good thing." Detective Gorden informs us and I can tell that now Bella is even more confused.

"You think I haven't told them that, do you?" Alfred replies.

"You came here for a reason, I imagine." I reply ignoring their comments.

Jim looks at the two children at his side worriedly. Alfred understands and he takes both the boy and girl to the kitchen for milk and cookies. Upon his return the doorbell rings and it's revealed to be a heavy set man in a dirty apron. "Is this the Wayne residence?"

"It is."

"When I heard what happened I came here as soon as I could. I am Zachary Trumble I am Desdemona's biological Uncle and I am here to take her home."

"In all honesty Master Bruce to be quite frank, these stunts your pulling are not only unhealthy for you but they are putting Bella in danger. Bella is an extremely impressionable young lady and she looks up to you."

"And I should care why?"

"Because mate, she's your little sister. You should always look out for her."

"But that's just it, she isn't my sister. Not my biological sister anyway." Unknown to us, Bella could hear the conversation.

"Now you listen here mate, just because Bella is adopted doesn't make her any less a Wayne. Your parent's loved her as if she were their biological daughter."

"Yes well, she wasn't and it's because of her that I no longer have a family."

"Now Master Bruce, you can't possibly mean that..."

"Yes I do. If she hadn't gotten scared during the movie we wouldn't have left early. We wouldn't have been in that ally and Mario Pepper wouldn't have killed my parents."

"Speaking of Mario Pepper, he didn't kill your parents. He was framed by the police department and the mob working together. We killed and innocent man."

"Right. So who did it then?" Alfred demanded.

"I don't know." Gorden replies.

"I see. Stellar work then there mate." Alfred replied semi sarcastically.

"Yes. I'm sorry." Gorden replies placing his badge on the table.

"Don't be. I'm glad that he's still alive. I want to see him again." I reply.

"I'm asking you to give me a second chance. I'm going to find out who killed your parents and why. And I'm going to clean up the d*mn police department of I can. But I can only do that from the inside. So I'm asking you to stay silent about what I've told you. Your call."

"You want us to not talk to nobody bout what you told us?" I ask ask and He nods.

"Right, well, that's sort of convenient, isn't it?" Alfred replies sarcastically.

"Alfred." I reply warningly. Then I take the Detective's badge in my hand and look it over.

"Thank you." I hear him say quietly as I leave the room. As I exit the room, I spot Bella standing at the entrance with tears in her eyes.

"Bella what's wrong?"

"You hate me." She replies before I have a chance to respond, she turns and rushes down the corridor.

"Bella. Bella wait....Bella come back." I call after her but it's too late. The damage has already been done.