When Arthur arrive at Alfred's house, he first noticed that the house was dark; second, he noticed that the car was in the yard. Arthur smiled and shook his head, taking out his keys to let himself in.

"Alfred?" he called, flipping on the living room light. Alfred's keys were laying on the table, but there was no reply. He glanced into the kitchen and the game room before heading upstairs to Alfred's who-floor bedroom. "Well, where the hell is he?" he asked to the empty room.

Arthur reached into his pocket for his phone right as it started ringing, making him jump. It was Alfred.

"Alfred, I'm at your house," he answered the phone with. "Where are y-"

"Uh, sir... are you Arthur Kirkland?" The voice was American, but it was deep and authoritative, definitely not Alfred. Arthur felt his stomach drop.

"Yes, I am... where's Alfred?"

"Sir, Alfred Jones was found, dead, in an alley an hour and ten minutes ago. His body was moved to the morgue and is w-"

Arthur blocked out the rest of the man's words and hung up. The man's voice still echoed in his ears. His mind went reeling, and he moved towards the door in a dreamlike state. He only remembered feeling this numb once in his life, when he found out that Alfred had been shot down during World War II.

Arthur never could recall the walk to the local morgue. It all went in slow motion up to the moment when he walked into the back room of the small, grey building to see Alfred laying as still as stone on a gurney.

Arthur couldn't accept it. He just knew that Alfred would jump up at any moment, laughing his annoying laugh. In fact, Arthur could hear his voice now saying 'I got you good, Arthur! Heroes don't die!'

But Alfred didn't move, even though Arthur called his name, letting the American know that he was here.

"Okay, Alfred, stop it. Wake up," Arthur said. His voice echoed around the otherwise empty room. He felt warm tears spill down his cheeks. "Wake up, now..." Arthur seized Alfred's cold shoulders and shook him. He would force Alfred to wake, to laugh, to apologize. "Wake UP, YOU BASTARD! Wake up RIGHT NOW!" Arthur's voice was a frantic scream.

"Mr. Kirkland!" It was the voice of the officer that had called form Alfred's phone.

Arthur wrenched away from the officer when the American tried to pull him away.

"How dare you leave me now, Alfred F. Jones?!" Arthur screamed at Alfred's unmoving body. "I loved you, dammit! I WAITED for you! Please, wake up!"

"Mr. Kirkland, please... he c-can't hear you."

"Shut UP! He can hear me, he knows exactly what I'm saying!" Arthur couldn't breathe, and black dots priced at his vision. "Oh, God, Alfred... please wake up..." Arthur sunk to the floor, shivering with the sudden cold that Alfred's departure left him with. He was whispering the same chant. "Alfred... please, please wake up..."

The officer ducked his head and left Arthur in the room to have his space.

'You couldn't protect me from everything.'

Arthur looked up at Alfred's still unmoving body, hearing his voice fill the air around him.

"I tried... I tried... I'm so sorry, Alfred..."