Gotham was in a constant state of downpour for the most of the year. Many of the poorer citizens, who spent most of their lives on its streets, had a hard time becoming dry. Rain bombarding the city, with the odd thunderstorm throughout the year, was a near constant. So, it wasn't such an uncommon occurrence for Gotham to be currently hosting one of those thunderstorms. A thick layer of fog hung over the city, blurring shapes and making the already dangerous city harder to navigate. To a normal residence of the city, nothing seemed odd or out of place in this particular storm, it may have come on a bit fast and without much warning, but the cities inhabitants had far more dire things to worry about then the speed the storm had forged itself, seemingly from nowhere.
Gotham was known as a city of madness, with a darkness that crept into every nook and cranny of the city, infecting everyone who lived there and creating a sense of normalcy that seemed warped and wrong to the rest of the world. This idea of madness was what sent normal people over the edge, creating personals that gravitated towards a singular obsession.
On this particular night, Batman, the caped crusader of Gotham, was focused on the Riddler and the foiling of one of his schemes, which would have left hundreds wounded or dead.
On the opposite side of the city, in a dark alley that most knew not to approach under any circumstance, no matter what they heard or saw, a baby cried. Its wails lost to the noise of the city, both from the organic storm and the man made streets.
Unlike many new born babies that were abandoned in the city, the infant didn't even receive a blanket to be wrapped in, and had no dipper on either. The baby simple laid on a soggy cardboard box that had been abandoned, much like itself, crying, naked to the world.
If it had been any other night, then perhaps the baby might have died. No-one would have come for it and the little one would become just another statistic. The alley way was never entered, at least not by anyone who might help the infant, but the storm had forced those who were on the streets when it hit to take shelter. And the closest place to Eva Lovett was crime alley, birth place to the greatest tragedies of Gotham.
Eva Lovett wasn't rich, in fact she barely made enough money to afford a single bedroom apartment in the worst parts of Gotham, and had been heading home from her second shift of the day, hoping to catch a few hours of sleep before heading off to her second job. And even though Eva had spent most of her life working for everything she had, and being treated as sub-human by those she served at her diner, Eva had a kind heart. So when she ducked into crime alley in a vain attempt to avoid the storm and was greeted with the wailing of a baby, Eva had taken off running in her best guess of the baby's direction, as the wind was carrying and distorting all sound.
Abandoned babies weren't a new thing to Gotham, and Eva had passed many children huddling in their best attempt to keep warm around Gotham. She'd even been pick pocketed by some. But Eva's heart bled at the sight of the small baby, crying, sitting amongst the trash, as if it was nothing. Leaning down, Eva scooped the baby up into her arm, shushing her as best she could.
"Hi little one," Eva muttered, drawing the crying baby closer to her chest. "Where are your parents?" Of course the baby just kept crying, letting the question hand in the air.
Glancing up and down the alleyway, Eva frowned. Not a single other person was in sight, and there was no sign of life besides Eva and the baby now in her arms.
Sighing, Eva manoeuvred the baby in her arms, cradling it only in one arm, as she loosened her back pack off of one shoulder, having it hanging limply off of one arm. Reaching in, Eva found her used apron from her shift from the diner. Frowning Eva sighed.
"This is all I've got baby. Sorry," Eva smiled apologetically, wrapping the baby as best she could in the apron.
Readjusting her pack on her back, Eva pulled the baby now wrapped in her apron away from the rain, pressing her back against the worn brick wall.
Humming softly, Eva rocked the baby in her arms, glancing at the dark clouds hanging over head. Just as the baby was beginning to calm down, a clap of thunder, almost right above the duo's heads, startled the baby into another round of crying.
"Oh baby, please stop crying," Eva begged, still rocking the baby in her arms and humming softly to it.
As the baby kept on screaming at the top of its tiny little lungs, Eva sighed, racking her brain for the song her mother use to sing to her to get her to calm down when she was small.
Frowning, Eva bit into her lip, before finally giving up and singing softly.
"Wandering child of the earth
Do you know just how much you're worth?
You have walked, this path since your birth
You were destined for more."
The baby's crying had finally started to subside, its eye's open for the first time, showing a grey the same colour of the storm clouds above.
"There are those who'll tell you you're wrong
They will try to silence your song
But right here is where you belong
So don't search anymore."
"You are the dawn of a new day that's waking
A masterpiece still in the making
The blue in an ocean of grey."
Eva grinned down at the baby, taking in a gulp of air. Its crying had subsided and now it just smiled and giggled, staring up at Eva with its big eyes.
"You are right where you need to be
Poised to inspire and to succeed
You'll look back and you'll realize one day."
Finally the clouds seemed to subside, the rain halting almost as quickly as it had come on. Sighing, Eva stepped out hesitantly, eyeing the clouds, which were still hanging above the city, now showing signs of breaking, with glimpses of sunlight shining through.
Relived, Eva smiled down at the baby in her arms.
"Okay little one, let's get you somewhere warm. Then I'll think of something to do with you."
Crime alley wasn't that far from Eva's own apartment, it was in a rather terrible area after all. So, with quick, hurried steps, Eva arrived at the front door to her apartment building, all the while making silly faces at the baby in her arms and humming softly. Using her elbow to open the door, Eva backed into her apartment building. By now the baby in her arms had begun to fall asleep, tis stormy eyes drooping. Taking each step carefully to her apartment, Eva climbed the four flights of stairs to her landing. Loosening her backpack form her back again, Eva felt around for her loose keys, mindful to not wake the baby in her arms.
Grinning as her hand clasped around her apartment key, Eva unlocked her door and backed into apartment. Even though Eva tried her best to close the door softly, it was still loud in the otherwise silent apartment. Blinking awake, the baby looked up at Eva for a moment, frowning its tiny brows up at Eva, who was smiling nervously hoping the baby wouldn't start crying. After a moment, the baby just smiled up at Eva, making grabby hands towards her glasses.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Eva dropped her bag off at her door, and walked further into her apartment, making cooing noises at the baby in her arms.
Putting the baby down on her old worn couch, Eva unwrapped the apron from the baby, lifting its legs up a little.
"Alright. Baby girl then," Eva muttered, lowering the baby's legs. Frowning, Eva wrapped the baby up again, scooping her into her own arms.
Eva's next door neighbour, Jessica Raddly, had two kids. A boy who was in his late teens and in a certain kind of trouble that you could only find in Gotham, and a little girl, only eight years old, who had dimpled cheeks and a smile that lit up a room. Jessica worked a lot. But it was all night shifts, and so for the moment she was home, her two kids at school.
Baby resting her head on Eva's chest, Eva left her apartment, leaving it unlocked. Her apartment was in a terrible place, but the other residents weren't that bad. The worst they had were a few addicts on the bottom floor. Everyone was going through a terrible time and knew not to make it worst for the other residents.
"Jessica. Open up, I need to talk to you!" Eva called, knocking on Jessica's door.
A few grumbles came from within, and the after a moment, a middle aged woman, hair a bit prematurely grey but still showing the dark brown of her youth, appeared at the door. Her glare softened when she saw it was Eva, only to turn into confusion when she saw the baby in Eva's arms.
"So we many not see each other much Eva, but I don't think you've been pregnant recently," Jessica said, leaning towards the baby in Eva's arms.
"Not mine Jess. I found her in an alleyway and I might need some help."
Snorting, Jess moved away from the door beaconing the duo into her apartment. "No kidding hon."
Walking towards the kitchen counter, Jess switched on the coffee brewer, reheating an old pot she had brewed last night and had just been too tried to change it. She leaned against the counter, raking her eyes up and down Eva, who shifted the baby in her arms nervously.
"So, what the hell is this about?"
"Abandoned baby in crime alley."
Silence hung over the room as Jess just glared at Eva. Finally she sighed, poring herself a cup of coffee before offering one to Eva. "Bloody hell Eva. What have you dragged to my door this time?"
"I haven't dragged anything to your door and I resent that! I only wanted to know if I could borrow some baby clothes, from when Allie and Arden were young."
Gnawing at her lip, Jess set her coffee cup down. "Wait one moment," holding a finger up to Eva, Jess wandered into another room. Eva spent a moment just rocking the baby in her arms and humming under her breath.
A few bangs could be heard from the room Jess was in, but Eva just kept her eyes on the baby in her arms, who had woken up and was giggling up at Eva.
Finally, Jess rendered the room, pushing a stroller that held a plastic bag on it.
"This is all I have on hand," Jess muttered. "You could just drop the kid off at an orphanage you know? You don't need to take the kid you know? Not your responsibility."
"Yeah I know, but Gotham orphanages aren't a good place. I don't want to pick her up from the literal garbage only for her to die of hunger."
Shrugging, Jess pushed the stroller out of her apartment and towards Eva's. She stopped, hesitating at the door.
"You'll need a name for her. And a birth certificate. I'll ask Arden if one of his friends can whip something up."
Looking down, Eva smiled at the grey eyes looking back at her. "Aria. After my mother."
"It's pretty."
