Mama Gotham

I'll Look After You

Upon meeting her, Edward thought Alyssa had the perfect life. She was confident, she was popular, and she didn't seem to have a care in the world.

Getting to know her however – despite such a thing being a nearly impossible task – he found that that wasn't quite true.

He'd made a deal with her to exchange information about himself for information about her. As such, he discovered that her parents were still married and she had a sister three years younger than her.

"What's her name?"

"Jamie." Alyssa said, not looking up from her notebook.

"I might be reading this wrong, but you don't seem very fond of her." Edward said, choosing his words carefully. He'd learned not to assume anything about her; he'd gotten yelled at enough times for that.

But instead of yelling, Alyssa sighed. "She hates me. She blames me for ruining her life."

"Did you?" Edward asked bluntly.

Alyssa looked down. "....Yeah."

******

In a late hour when anyone else would have been sleeping, Edward Nygma was wide awake, studying by lamp-light.

And it was very lucky for Alyssa Connors he was.

Plink.

Frowning, Edward looked up from his textbook.

Plink.

He whirled around to face his bedroom window. Stepping up to it, he frowned when he saw Alyssa standing in the street below.

'Come down!' she mouthed, waving. 'Please?' she held her hands in front of her in a pleading motion.

Knowing full well Alyssa Connors was never one to ask for something so nicely, Edward was quick to sneak past his mother's room, grab his coat and run for the building's elevator.

Up close, Alyssa was an absolute mess. Her clothes were rumbled, one of the straps on the backpack she was carrying was torn, and there were several bruises on the parts of her skin that he could see; including one that looked suspiciously like a hand print.

"Alyssa, what happened?"

"Can I stay with you tonight, poindexter?"

"Who did this to you?"

"Please?"

If he hadn't been there to see it, Edward never would have believed it; Alyssa Connors looked scared. Desperate even. Her eyes were glossed over, and she looked like she was about to collapse.

"...Of course." he nodded. "Come on, I'll take you upstairs." he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, letter her lean on him when he noticed she was limping.

He got her his apartment and sat her down on his bed.

"I'll go wake my mom."

"Don't." she caught his arm. "I-I'm really tired, poindexter. Please don't go anywhere."

Slowly, Edward sat next to her on the twin bed. "Alyssa, who did this to you?"

"Doesn't matter. I'm fine."

"I'm not. Someone hurt my best friend."

"Poindexter-"

"Alyssa, I want to help you." Edward took her hand. "But I can't, not if you shut me out."

Alyssa's hand shook in his grip and he heard her gulp.

"...You remember when I told you my sister hated me?"

He nodded.

"She's only nine, she thinks our parents are perfect. T-they aren't though...." her voice cracked. "They drink a lot, and sometimes people come to buy special powder from dad..."

Edward wanted to speak, to jump up and shout that the powered was cocaine and they had to go to the police immediately. But he bit his tongue. His best friend needed him to be here.

"When they're drunk...they get really mad..." Alyssa rubbed at her arm with her free hand. "I don't let Jamie get near them."

"...Alyssa, did your parents hurt you?"

The tears finally started to flow down her cheeks. She nodded.

"Y-you're smart poindexter...H-how do I handle this, I don't know how to handle this!"

"Not alone." he squeezed her hand. "Alyssa, I'm here for you..."

She laid her head on his shoulder. "Thanks Eddie..."