The first time Evelyn Byrd-Lennox saw Victor Zsasz, her heart stopped in her chest and her breath caught.
He'd been sitting in the waiting room with his mother, Maria.
He was incredibly scarred, but there was something in his eyes that attracted her to him.
He was by no means perfectly handsome by society's standards, but he was attractive in his own way.
When he looked up and caught her staring, she'd blushed and ducked her head, focusing on her paperwork.
"Excuse me?" At the sound of a voice her head snapped up. It was him. She blushed even harder. His voice was soft and low.
"Uh-ahem, y-yes?" She managed to stutter out.
"My name is Victor. Victor Zsasz," He murmured quietly.
"H-hi. I-I'm Evelyn. Evie," She said, folding her hands into her lap.
"Does Evie have a last name?" He asked with a smile.
He was...he was flirting with her!
"Byrd-Lennox. I'm Evie Byrd-Lennox," She muttered, a small smile making its way onto her face. She brushed her hair away from her face and looked up, making eye contact with him. His eyes were a nice warm brown, but there was something hidden in them.
"Well, Evie Byrd-Lennox," He continued on, his adorable smile still in place. "Would you like to-"
"Maria Zsasz," The nurse called out, walking into the waiting room.
"Victor, let's go," Maria said tiredly, standing and walking over to the nurse.
Victor winked at her before moving away in a manner that could only be described as a strut.
"Ooh, someone has an admirer," her supervisor teased.
"Oh, hush, Nina."
Before Victor and Maria Zsasz had finished at the office, Evie had left.
"How was your day, Evie?" Gretchen asked. Evie smiled at her therapist.
"It was good. I got a lot of work done."
Gretchen Whistler sighed.
"Evie, we've talked about this," She muttered.
"I know, I need to get out more, to do something other than work," Evie mumbled. "I just...nothing's really fun, not anymore. Ever since-"
"I know that your brother's death came as a shock to everybody, Evie, but you can't quit doing things you liked just because your brother liked to do them," Gretchen muttered.
Evie nodded and sighed before smiling. "Something interesting happened at work today."
Gretchen sighed. "Alright. What happened at work?"
"A man flirted with me."
Gretchen nodded. "Did he ask you out?"
Evie shook her head. "No, but he was gonna! I had to leave though. My shift was over and I had the appointment and-"
"Evie, you need to stop making excuses," Gretchen said. "Do you think you would have been able to begin a relationship with this man?"
"I-I don't know, but," Evie paused. "I don't know, he was really nice. Well, for how long I talked to him. Victor was-"
Gretchen furrowed her brow. "Victor?"
Evie blushed. "V-Victor Zsasz. His parents run-"
"Zsasz Corporation," Gretchen muttered. "Evie-"
"I know, it's silly. He's-he's not exactly- people would think I'm a gold digger and he-he might not have really been into me and-"
"Evie," Gretchen warned.
"Yes, Dr. Whistler?"
"You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"You're putting yourself down."
"I know, I know, I just-"
"No. Evie you came to me because you have self-esteem issues and unresolved anger towards your mother," Gretchen sighed and steeped her fingers. "I cannot help you with your self-confidence and self-esteem if you are constantly putting yourself down."
"I know, I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize to me. It's not my self-esteem."
"Aunt Gretchen," Victor said in surprise. "I wasn't expecting a call today."
He could hear his aunt's smile in her voice. "I need to have an appointment to call my favorite god-son?"
"I'm your only god-son," Victor teased.
"And you can't be my favorite?" Gretchen asked. "Now, dear, how is your mother?"
"Ah, the true reason behind your call. You do know she has her own phone, right?" Victor asked, flopping down on his couch and toeing his shoes off.
"Yes, yes. She, however, has a nasty penchant for lying. She's fine, she's taking her medicine, etc. etc. How is she?"
Victor sighed and rested his feet on the coffee table.
"She's fine. The doctor thinks she's getting better. She's planned a celebratory vacation already-"
"She's much too weak!" Gretchen protested, worried.
"I know, and I've tried to explain but she won't listen."
"Of course," Gretchen muttered. "Other than that, how was your day?"
"I met a girl."
"Oh?"
"She works at the doc's office that mom goes to. Name's Evie. Evie Byrd-Lennox."
"Of course. Look, Victor, I have to go. Tell your mother I say hello, okay?"
"Okay. Bye, Aunt Gretchen."
"Goodbye, Victor."
He fell to his knees and wept, his face in his hands.
His sobs echoed in the empty apartment.
They were gone.
They were gone.
They'd left him.
He fell completely to the floor and cried.
The only people who'd ever truly loved him and accepted him, and they were gone.
Evie sighed, walking along the sidewalk. It was slightly chilly, but not enough to warrant a sweater. She'd just gotten out of work and she was tired. All she wanted to do was go home and take a bath and- who was that at the edge of the bridge?
What were they doing?
They were...they were going to jump!
Evie took off in a run, going as fast as she could.
Just before the man jumped, she wrapped her hands around his jacket and pulled him backwards.
"What are you doing?!" He demanded angrily, his voice thick from emotions unknown.
"Saving your life!" She muttered, her breath coming in pants. She was vaguely aware she landed on top of the man, but all she was worried about was whether or not he's alive and whether or not she would ever be able to catch her breath again. "Are you-" She paused, the hood coming back from his head. She gasped. The tear stained face of the man – Victor Zsasz – stared back at her, glaring at her accusingly. "Oh. Oh my," She whispered.
"Why?" He demanded, pushing her off of him. She relented and climbed off of him, standing. He rises to his feet shakily. "Why did you-"
"Because you're living. Because you're supposed to be alive."
"I don't want to be!"
"You can't mean that, Victor," She muttered. He shook his head and started to walk away, but she caught him, reaching out with her hand and grabbing one of his. He was forced to stop. He turned to look at her, his eyes searching for something in hers. "Why did you- why were you going to-"
"To jump?" He muttered coldly. "They're dead."
Evie froze. The only 'they' that Victor would refer to would be his parents. They were the only people he was close with, according to the gossip rags. He didn't even have a girlfriend or a wife or anyone to go home to. No one to console him. No one to tell him that he'll be better, it just took a lot of time. No one that could understand his pain.
"Oh," She muttered, surprise coming over her, and sadness. "Oh, Victor," She pulled him to her in a hug. He went still in her arms and before too long she could feel his tears soaking into her shirt.
He was shaking and cold, even though he'd been wearing a jacket. It was as if his sadness had chilled him straight to the bone.
"I don't think you should be alone right now," Evie mumbled, pulling back from him for a moment. "Do you-do you have anyone to go home to?" She asked quietly, dreading the answer that she was sure of.
"No," He muttered. She nodded and took his hand in hers before leading him away from the bridge.
"You'll come with me then."
He followed her.
A/N: Aw, Gawd, I can't believe I'm doing this. Alright. I've posted it. I posted the first chapter of Normality. Can't believe I did it. Anyway, welcome to Normality, and yes, yes I did have to start off with a rather depressing chapter. And of course the first chapter is Evie/Zsasz, because duh. Anyway, thanks for reading and be prepared to see a very *very* different Evelyn Byrd-Lennox in upcoming Gotham fanfics. One will most likely be called Dysfunction and will be centered around her and a certain favored umbrella carrying rogue we all know and love.
Next chapter will also be Evie/Zsasz.
Anyway, to keep me writing, I've decided that the first reviewer for each chapter gets to either submit a prompt or a couple for this story or request that I write and post a chapter for one of my other incomplete stories in order to get me to finish them because I'm lazy and I need incentives like reviews to keep me going.
DO NOT - I REPEAT - DO NOT EXPECT THIS TO BE UPDATED REGULARLY. I am in what is commonly known as college, or university, and schoolwork has picked up as well as my roommates forcing me into having a social life.