okay thinking about that crack Alfred Pennyworth/Jim Gordan au and i have worked out a timeline based on gordons status at the gcpd. hear me out.
they properly meet after the wayne's death. theyre both young, gordon is only an officer and recently married, alfred is grieving and now raising a child on his own — they just keep running into each other (the investigation, police escorts, check ins etc). they become tentative friends.
now gordon is corporal. it's been about a year since the wayne's died, so they dont see each other as often. maybe alfred is attracted to gordon when they do run into each other, but he's got bruce to worry about first, so who cares. gordon is too busy being a deadbeat husband and trying to get a good grade at not being a corrupted cop to notice.
gordon gets promoted to sergeant. he gets a divorce. they run into each other after a long few months of not seeing one another, and friendship rekindles. at this point, barbara senior is pregnant, but they've already got divorced, so it's a co-parenting thing.
lieutenant gordon. they want each other SO BAD. but gordon is in denial and raising a baby barbara and alfred's main priority is always bruce. bruce is twelve and really, he's too old to have playdates with a two year old, alfred.
a bit before gordon becomes captain, bruce leaves gotham to train around the world. alfred pulls away. gordon stops reaching out after a while. they do not talk to each other.
chief gordon. they haven't spoken to each other in years.
many years later, commissioner gordon is now frequently terrorised by the new gotham vigilante, batman. unrelated, bruce returns to gotham after his time studying abroad, so gordon pays a visit.
from which point OLD MAN YAOI ENSUES. friends to strangers to friends to yearning, pining, not-actually unreciprocated love, bruce and babs being totally embarassed by it all. and the whole lot. okay that's it that's all i got