-several hours prior-

As the Invisible Jet hovered low in the sky, Batwoman jumped out and descended towards the ground, slowly thanks to her cape, landing, the cowl landed around her body, hiding the rest of her body from view. She looked up at the large, gray house. The one she had grown up in and the one she had vowed not to return to until she had made amends for ridding the world of one of its greatest guardians, but it seemed as though that ultimately futile action of self-loathing was going to have to be put on the backburner. Walking towards the house, she walked up the steps and rand the doorbell. The door was answered by a [url=http://talk2sv.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Jeremy-Irons-5.jpg]tall gentleman in a butlers outfit.[/url] "Alfred?" she asked. "I thought you'd retired..." she said, slowly.

"Indeed, Alfred Pennyworth is retired. I am his replacement." he said, opening the door wide enough for her to enter. She looked around and saw him disappear from view.

"A Hologram?" she asked.

"Correcty, madam. I am the Advanced Life Form Reading Educated Device." At that point, the hologram appeared in front of her, once again. "I have been programmed with a number of appearances to make guests more comfortable." it said, [url=http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140616193012/batman/images/2/24/Alfred_Pennyworth.png]changing[/url] [url=https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSQkaqDYe_G1ecrzbo3_jCqnnJrHKBlHYuUQg5_z9D6n71WeRrW]between[/url] [url=http://heromux.com/mw/images/thumb/3/32/Alfred1.jpg/250px-Alfred1.jpg]several[/url] [url=http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120908024242/batmantheanimatedseries/images/6/65/Alfred_Design.jpg]different[/url] [url=http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/comicsalliance.com/files/2011/03/alfred02michaelgough.jpg]appearances[/url] [url=http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/scale_small/3/34651/2007243-alfredatyourservice.png]before[/url] [url=http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090728180802/batman/images/a/aa/Alfred1960s.jpg]settling[/url] [url=http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110425081010/marvel_dc/images/8/8d/Alfred_Pennyworth_018.jpg]back[/url] [url=http://media.comicbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/alfred-gotham-sean-pertwee-e1395684285863.jpg]on[/url] his first form.

"Wow, somebody really wanted your acronym to spell A.L.F.R.E.D."

"Indeed. And I have been alerted to your coming. I am afraid that Master Damien is not here at the moment." it said, before the hologram disappeared. "Your room is just as you left it, albeit, a lot more tidy.

"Sorry..." she said, whilst walking through the giant mansion and into the parlour. She sat in a large wingback chair by the fire-place and took her mask off, putting it down on a small table, next to her. As she did so, the fire exploded into life and she nearly flinched. At that point, an Alfred Hologram walked towards her with a cup of tea in his hands. He then handed it to her. She took it and sipped from it, before the hologram sat down in another chair across the small table from her. Hera looked down at the cup and a second later, came to the realization that Holograms can't carry anything, as they are made entirely of light. "Alfred?" she asked.

"It may have been 4 years since I retired, but I still remember how you take your tea. Earl Grey, a tea-spoon of cream and a squeezed slice of lemon... Your mother used to drink it that way too... Except when she was pregnant... Then she took hers with brown sauce..." he shook his head in disgust. He smiled on her with his old eyes.

"So, what brings you back from Malta?" she asked.

"House sitting. With this family's penchant for dressing up in spandex, this place sees less and less usage. If it weren't for me and that infernal contraption, it would have fallen to pieces years ago." he laughed, before coughing a little. "I assume you are back for-"

"Mother is missing, i heard... Where is father?" she asked. He looked into the fire and sighed.

"Mas-... Bruce is not here... Damien has kept me abreast of the situation, but I have sworn an oath to secrecy. One of the many things one gets used to within these walls. Mark my words, Master Hera, were my pension plan not in the 6 figures, I would have written a tell-all book by now. and gotten it into the 8 figures" he smiled.

"Father wouldn't have had it any other way." She said, before finishing her tea. Alfred looked her up and down.

"No need to inhale it." he chuckled. He then picked up her mask and looked it over. "Still using it, I see?"

"No need to trade up." she replied. "Works as well as the day I first wore it. Even with all of the boot-marks in it, sorry." He looked it over several times before slipping it over his own eyes, holding it up.

"I suppose it's too late for me to jump on the bat bandwagon then?" he asked.

"I don't know." she smiled back "Bat-Butler has a nice ring to it." She quickly killed her smile and returned to looking at the fire place.

"She does love you, you know, even if you are not willing to see or admit it..." he said. At that point, she got up and snatched her mask from the old mans hands before walking away. He managed to hobble after her the best he could, as she reached the front door, a hologram appeared and the door opened, the A.L.F.R.E.D. mimicing its actions to the automatic door opening system, she looked into the friendly A.I.'s face and stopped, before she turned around.

"I'm... I'm sorry." she said.

"I know... Another thing I have learned about this family is that, when it comes to parents... There is no shortage of issues." She threw her arms around the old man and hugged him.

"Thanks for being here."

"We will always be here." said the hologram.

"And I will too... If not in body, then in spirit." he said. He reached to her hands and grabbed the mask, slipping it over her face. "Be the Bat you were always meant to be. And give the rapscallions responsible for Damiens secrecy a good kicking for me." he said. As she turned around, she saw the hologram stood in front of the door.

"I hope you do not mind, but I took the liberty of uploading a few files to the computer of your jet. You should be able to link to the house at will, now." he said, then stepped aside to allow her to walk off. Walking out, she approached a zipline to the Invisible Jet before being rappelled into it and it shot away.