Bruce had learned a lot since he'd been gone. He had always pushed to learn new skills, but he had long neglected the social, familial sector. Now he looked back and couldn't help realizing what an idiot he'd been. It amazed him, sometimes. "I hope you're right, Alfred."
Listening carefully for ninja-quiet footsteps in the outside hallway so they wouldn't be surprised by the return of Dick, Bruce confided in Alfred something he wasn't sure he would be able to say again for a long time. "Carrie," he said quietly, his voice nearly a whisper. "She was my wife."
He'd seen her angry with him on more than one occasion, and he'd been yelled at several times, before and after they took their vows. But if she never spoke to him again, it would break him.