The Spider With Prep-Time

Chapter 4

It had been a month since the incident at home, and in that time, everything had changed. The company I had built—Parker Enterprises—had exploded in success, turning me from a high school student into a multi-millionaire seemingly overnight. The attention was immediate and relentless, with people like Tony Stark and Norman Osborn knocking on my door, eager to get a piece of the empire I was building. But none of that compared to the surprise I received when I found Alfred again.

Or rather, when he found me.

A Tearful Reunion

It had started out as a simple meeting. I was scouting for someone trustworthy, someone who could run the day-to-day operations of Parker Enterprises. Someone who could keep things together while I balanced this new life. The search led me to a private security firm, one that seemed discreet enough to handle the level of protection and management I needed. But the moment I stepped into the office, the air changed.

I looked across the room and saw him—the man behind the desk. The sight of him knocked the breath out of me.

Alfred.

It couldn't be, but it was. The same steady presence, the same dignified posture, the same sharp eyes that had watched over me through all of Gotham's darkness. My heart skipped a beat as our eyes met, and I saw it—the flash of recognition. The world around me seemed to blur, and in that moment, nothing else mattered.

He stood slowly, just as stunned as I was. His voice, when he spoke, was soft, filled with emotion. "Master Wayne... or should I say... Master Parker?"

I froze, the flood of memories hitting me like a tidal wave. The years in Gotham, the countless battles we had fought side by side. And then, the memory of his death—Alfred's last stand, fighting like a warrior as the Parademons tore through everything. He had gone down swinging, just like the hero he always was. It was a death worthy of a soldier, but it had shattered me.

I remembered the look in his eyes as the Parademons swarmed him. The way he refused to back down, even in the face of overwhelming odds. He had sacrificed everything to protect me, to protect the world, and I had never had the chance to say goodbye. And now, here he was—alive, standing in front of me, the same man who had given his life for me in the final battle.

The tears came before I could stop them. My chest tightened, and all the walls I had built up since arriving in this world came crashing down. I had been so focused on survival, on adapting to this new life, that I hadn't let myself mourn. But now, seeing Alfred again, it all hit me at once.

"Alfred..." My voice cracked, barely more than a whisper. I took a shaky step forward, my mind struggling to process the impossible. "It's really you."

He smiled softly, though his own eyes were shining with unshed tears. "It seems we've both been given a second chance, sir."

I let out a choked laugh, wiping at my eyes. "I... I can't believe it. How...?"

Alfred stepped around the desk, closing the distance between us. His hand, still as steady as ever, rested on my shoulder, a gesture that felt like home. "I don't know how, Master Wayne. I woke up in this world much like you did, with new memories but the same old loyalties. I've been... waiting for the day I'd see you again."

My throat tightened, and for a moment, I couldn't speak. The last time I had seen him, he had been fighting, refusing to let the Parademons win. And now, here he was, alive, standing in front of me as if no time had passed. But it had. Too much time.

"I thought I'd lost you, Alfred," I whispered, the weight of all those battles we'd fought together crushing down on me. "You... you died, fighting like a... like a—"