A/N: sit down, relax and grab some candies everyone because we will have a lot of notes today, and PLEASE, READ THEM, it´s important:
1: I´m baaaaaaaaack! Yes, this nurse is not dead, folks. It´s just that… Since last time my life has been a chaos you know? I have moved out of my apartment to a new one and I´m not totally settled out yet, not to mention the writer´s block that was stopping me from typing this story… In another words, I have always been sure of what I wanted to write but I don´t know if it´s because of the mess in my place or because of the long hiatus of the show but I couldn´t bring my fingers to do the job… And I´m TERRIBLY sorry for THIS!
I know HOW MUCH you guys and girls need this as a medicine because of the sad and bloody canon line nygmob is following in Gotham (and who knows what will happen when it comes back with 3x15, right?), and still I wronged you like this… I feel guilty like I said to my dearest proofreader and friend AB(who worked beautifully as a beta here too as always), because you all deserve better; if this story still exists is thanks to your support and kindness during all this time, it´s because with this I know that I´m reaching someone with it, just like I wished to do from the start. That´s my reward, healing hearts from the breaking feelings the series causes. With all this is mind, and thanks to reading many adorable stories from ghostgirl208 lately, making me realize how much of this is necessary right now, I gathered up all I had to try my best to compensate all of you, my anon and known readers, with Chapter 11. So I really hope all of you can forgive me for not following my normal updating schedule, I promise it won´t happen even again. From now on, I will update at least twice a month, okay? Don´t give up on me or on the story, I ask you. As always I´m grateful for the reviews and visualizations!
2: About the Chapter itself: it´s longer than the previous ones, it contains a few flashbacks, many characters and even a musical scene. Also, references from previous chapters used for continuity(like from the Cinderella one, when Alfred speaks, or in Harvey´s lines), and from pop culture (the song used here is A Bird Without Wings, by Celtic Thunder). Also I used this one to define some dynamics between the main characters, like, here in the TPAH canon timeline I work with the OsBabsFriendship! Instead of them being enemies like in the show lately or like in the AU chapter. AND nothing here was random. The song was chosen because my proofreader/friend/Commodore loves Celtic Thunder and because of the lyrics; Alfred, Selina and Bruce are in this one because I felt terrible "killing" Alfred in the AU context since he is a very dear character to me and to a lot of Gotham fans. And babybatcat is always a delight too. Every scene, character and line has a reason why.
3: I have yet another surprise for you. Go to my account on dA(yohime-angel) again, I got a little something after the Cinderella story prepared ;) die of cuteness with me, please!
4: Now enjoy the story! R&R, tell your friends! Love ya all! No needles this week, the medicine will be liquid in a spoon, so open your mouths wide and nicely!
Chapter 11: Debuting Party
The whole of Gotham city was dead silent that night, except for the inside of the mayor´s car…
"I have never been so embarrassed in my whole life! And publicly! I say that as a person who was bullied back in school!" Oswald mourned.
"Okay, Os, for now let´s not be that worried… Maybe tomorrow I can contain the damage that today´s party can do for your image!" Ed tried. "Besides, that event was your idea, if I need to remind you."
"Don´t be condescending with me, Eddie, my dear… Say the words that I know you want to." Oswald hissed.
"Say what, my dearest 'wife'? That perhaps it was too early to debut our daughter for the whole city in an official mayoral party!?"
"So, little Iris, did you have fun tonight with your family and all the Gotham people?" the very-well-known man driving asked for the girl sitting right next to him in the passenger seat, at the front part of the vehicle, unaware of the conversation her parents were having.
"Yes! Very much, uncle Gabe!" she giggled despite being tired. Oswald saw no reason to hire a driver for that occasion so one of his loyal men worked just fine. "I´m just surprised that I got to meet so many relatives today! I didn´t know papa´s family was that big! He never told me." she commented innocently. For her safety, Cobblepot made sure that all of his men and underworld families got to meet her, but still not wanting to reveal his side-job activities, he came up with a few white lies that she ate completely being so young and having such deep trust in his words. So, for all that Iris knew, that man by his side and many others that she met at the party were her uncles and cousins.
"The mayor is very busy and can be rather forgetful, kid." he forced a laugh. "But let me tell you that all your… Family, really liked you today too." he patted her head.
"For real?!" she grinned. The more people liking her, the merrier. "Even in this silly dress?" she had not approved of the outfit she had to wear to such a formal occasion, it was way tighter and more delicate than her normal clothes and in more "happy" colors, because it would look better in the newspapers photos according to Ed.
"Of course. Now our family is even bigger. What can be better than this? Surely your… Friends had their fair amount of fun too?" Gabe went on with the conversation, making sure that Iris wouldn´t turn her attention to Oswald and Edward.
"Well, Cory for one wasn´t allowed to attend. "she pouted. "Daddy said that fancy parties can´t have animals, or anything like that! He never let´s me have fun."
"Oh Iris, I´m sure that this is not totally true. He told me that sometimes you two spend quality time alone without Mr. Cobblepot and that you have a lot of fun."
"Well… Yeah… "Iris admitted. She enjoyed the time together with Ed indeed, despite the more… Intellectual and calm activities he usually chose for them.
"And who is Cory anyway?"
"My blue warbler and best friend, at least, best flying friend! He is with Steve now." she happily answered her 'uncle'.
"How about human friends that attended the party?"
"Of course I saw people that I already knew like Harvey and Jim..." she yawned over the smile. "And new people that were really nice like a girl called Selina with a boy called Bruce, and an old man named Alfred… "she yawned again. "Also, a friend of papa that said that I can call her auntie Babs..." her eyes closed for a second then she woke up.
"Okay, I think I get it. You should rest until we arrive at your home." Gabe smiled. It was a weird change that Oswald made, both for his personal and 'professional' life, but in a good way.
And while the little Cobblepot-Nygma was fast asleep, the mayor and the chief of staff were tired of arguing and opted for the silence for the rest of the ride.
The next day, at the breakfast table, things were anything but normal for the 'royal' family: Edward was far from ready to go to work with his hair being a mess, his shirt unbuttoned and his coat crumpled, while frenetically leafing through the newspapers; Oswald had too much gel in his hair, was without a necktie and forgot to match his suit with his shoes, but even worse, he was not feeding Iris, instead he was staring at his cup of coffee. And Iris? She was in a blue dress as usual since she saw nothing wrong at first but was eating by herself with Cory having the crumbs, as her parents were not touching the food Olga brought.
"Uh… Papa…?" she called. Something was off even to her eyes.
"Yes, bee-hummingbird?" Oswald answered trying to hide his worries.
"Is something wrong?"
"Why… Do you ask this?" he was caught by surprise, almost letting his cup fall.
"Because you and daddy are really strange since yesterday. You two look tired and you didn´t even dress normally." she pointed out.
"It´s nothing with you, hummer. It´s grown-ups stuff." he dismissed the subject.
"Why do you adults always say that?!"
"What are you talking about?!" he was taken aback by the sudden change of tone of his usually quiet-spoken daughter.
"It´s always like this! When you, or daddy, or even Jim is making a face like that and don´t want to tell me what is happening, you say that it´s a thing for adults only! That I can´t help because I´m a kid!" she was angry because she was feeling pushed aside, so much that she had to fight the urge to cry.
"I… I just..." Oswald wasn´t sure of what was the right thing to say. He wasn´t sure even of when things went wrong the night before, but he got the feeling that he was about to find out. So before that, he simply hugged the child he chose to love and cherish.
"Is mayor Crumblepot out of his mind? Is he going too far to spoil his new princess with our money?" Ed recited.
"What did you say, Ed?"
"I just read it here." Nygma showed him the political section of the newspaper. "Some shady journalist wrote this. Probably someone that is thinking ahead about the next elections and your possible adversaries." he explained.
"Why would anyone say that?!"
"As I said, even thinking about the party was a bit too much. Remember?"
Flashback 1:
A few days before, in the morning, Oswald was in the kitchen making tea when Ed arrived with a smile announcing good news.
"Here you are!" Nygma gave him a peck on the lips.
"Yes, making some tea to have a small and traditional tea party with our bee-hummingbird." they had come to the agreement to call her that, mixing both nicknames.
"Well, speaking of her, I just checked the numbers for last month´s tour at the city hall art gallery, where, as you know, all the mayors´s portraits are exhibited..." he started.
"Go on." he arranged the tea set.
"And it had more than twice as many visits as the same period last year!" he revealed the results excitedly.
"Really?! So does this mean that they liked my portrait?"his smiled matched the one from when he won the election.
"They loved it, my little bird! They loved seeing mayor Cobblepot as a man dedicated to his family, so much that he included them in his picture! It was just like the artist said!"
"And surely they loved Iris too, right?" his way of smiling changed.
"Yes. Why do you ask?" Ed was slightly worried seeing this change.
"Then maybe they should get to know her. Like, to really know her." Oswald started to wander around the kitchen, thinking about something.
"What exactly are you suggesting, Os?"
"Don´t you see, Ed? All the year round we have to do so many pointless parties for the sake of the city´s calendar… Why not make a really fabulous debuting event to formally introduce Iris to Gotham´s citizens? She is their princess after all. Besides, being with us she can be in danger, so the right people need to see her too, like my… partners, you know. And our enemies need to know that she is ours and will be protected at any costs, in light and darkness." Cobblepot exposed his main idea.
"I can´t deny that you have a point, at least in the last part. But why do we need a huge event for this? She is eight. Not sixteen." Ed was positively baffled.
"So I can assure you that this conversation will happen again when her 16th birthday arrives. But for now, all I can answer is that I need to do what a mayor has to do! People need to see my money and power, Ed. And what I have been reading in my father´s old diary about his family´s soirees too." he revealed.
"Fine. At least tell me the details. When do you want to do it?" Ed got ready to prepare everything. He had twice the responsibilities this time.
"Next weekend. I don´t want to wait too much."
"Where will it be?"
"Let´s see… I want to impress and I need a place where everyone can go in and out, so… Find a fancy hotel with a terrace, we will use the outside space."
"List of guests?"
"For the VIPs the underworld bosses, my main hit men, the people who attended the founders´s dinner, the Wayne heir, the girl that of course he will bring along and his guardian, and if you don´t give one to Babs she will scream at me all night along. Other than that, I said I want as much of Gotham´s people there as possible, so if the person is not in Arkham, invite them."
"Certainly." he took the notes. "Should I call a party planner?"
"If you want to. But be aware that I want the theme to be elegant minimalism, the food to be half Asian and half Italian, to have eight types of desserts besides a six-layer cake, for the decoration red and blue flowers, long black bows in the curtains, ice sculptures of birds, also hire some harp players and I´m gonna need spotlights with baby blue light, a dark red carpet made of velvet, a piano and don´t forget to call the press and the media. I will leave the rest to you." Oswald smiled absorbed in his plan.
"Of course." Ed answered automatically, thinking how little time he had to make so much happen.
End of Flashback 1
"Right, maybe it was a bit exaggerated and it became too much of an event to control, especially to an eight years old. But this has nothing to do with the citizen´s money! Or with how I spend their taxes!"
"And do you think that they care? They just want to spread rumors!"
"Rats."
"I wish a rat would eat that fluffy stupid dress I had to wear!" Iris declared in sudden honesty.
"You didn´t like it, hon?" Ed asked in an almost hurt tone.
"A pink dress for me? Really? And it was too… Mermaid-like!"
"It´s my turn to say… I told you so, Eddie." Oswald mocked.
"Wait! So it was daddy´s idea?!" she turned her attention to Nygma, in shock. "I thought you knew me better than this!" she screamed.
"Don´t use this tone with me, little miss!" Edward censured her. "I´m your daddy and I know better!"
"Excuse me, Ed, but isn´t it usually the mother who knows better, or in this case, the papa? You know, another rule of marriage." the mayor corrected him, a rare thing to occur, pointing to himself.
"Perhaps it is, but… You have to agree that such an important event needed a totally different kind of dress!" he wouldn´t give up on his choice.
"But it had to be totally opposite to her tastes?" Cobblepot sighed. "Anyway, keep reading the newspaper. What else are they saying?"
"Let´s see… What was that with all the cake and sweets? Is the mayor trying to make everyone become diabetic so he can taxes us extra health care? Gosh, this one was really dumb..." Nygma growled. He was going to have a lot of work ahead. "Oh, look at this! Some pics of Iris and Barbara posing together just like movie stars!"
"Let me see!" Oswald grabbed the paper from his hands with his ice blue eyes shining pridefully. "Finally something good! Isn´t our hummingbird super lovely in it, Eddie?"
"Yeah, because Barbara Kean is exactly the kind of influence any parent would want for their child!" Nygma said covered in sarcasm.
"Come on, she is not that bad, Ed! She is like a sister to me! Who else would talk with me about girl´s stuff and pretty men?"
"What?" Ed asked in disbelief.
"You know that if it´s up to me we talk about you all the time!" he chuckled. "But like I was saying, did you like meeting your auntie, dearest?" he asked to Iris.
"Very much, papa! She is beautiful and so funny!" the girl smiled.
"But when were these pictures taken?" Oswald questioned.
"Right after you left me with her, papa. Remember?"
"You left our daughter alone with Barbara?! You do know that she was in Arkham once, right?!" Nygma freaked out. For him it was one step closer to his biggest nightmare related to Iris.
Flashback 2:
Things were going smoothly at the party. At least the introductions Oswald wanted to do as soon as possible: she had just met Gabe, Victor and the underworld families, or in the story he told her, their relatives.
"So… Why is uncle Victor smiling so much?"she asked holding his hand while they walked away from their tables.
"Oh, he is just really happy to finally meet you, bee-hummingbird!"
"Found you, Pengy!" a blonde woman interrupted the two grinning, stopping in front of them.
"I already told you to not call me that!"
"What is a little nickname between friends with a story like ours, right?"
"Are you a friend of my papa?" Iris looked at that woman with visible admiration. She was tall, had golden wavy short hair perfectly done in a fancy bun, wore an elegant maroon formal gown with very high heels matching, had diamonds in her ears and neck and her make up was totally in red shades. In Iris´s childish eyes, that woman was like a fashionable goddess.
"Did you just say of your…?" she stopped, realizing something. "Oh my goodness! Oswald! When did you and that nerd husband of yours have a kid?!" she punched his shoulder.
"Ouch! We didn´t, biologically speaking, Barbara." he explained."We adopted her a few months ago."
"Wow. If you didn´t say that I would never guess. She looks like you so much! With a bit of Edward too." she studied the girl just like everyone.
"Yeah, we get that a lot, right, Iris?"he waved his hand at her. But the girl didn´t answer. She was still impressed with the other woman.
"And when were you going to tell me that? This is big news, you know? I bet almost everyone in Gotham knows already!"
"What? Of course not!" he sneered at her. "This party is to let everyone know. Just a few people are aware of it besides our servants. And the people that saw my official portrait." he added.
"Your portrait?! She is in it? So everyone knows!" Kean said feeling left out.
"The gallery is not that popular, Babs." Oswald sighed. "Look, I wanted to tell you before today, I swear. But you were never available to meet up! In fact, it has been months since I last saw you!"
"Fine. I admit I have been busy." she gave up. "But now that you can´t hide my niece from me anymore, you can´t stop me from having some 'girl´s only' fun with her!"she winked at him. "So, your name is Iris, right? You can call me auntie Babs from now on, because I´m like a sister to your 'papa'!"her first act was to hug the little girl.
"O-Okay… I will try." Barbara was so open that it intimidated her a bit, but she got the feeling that they were going to get along well.
"Babs, don´t tell me that Tabitha and Butch are wandering somewhere here." Cobblepot warned her.
"I can´t deny nor confirm this, Pengy. But if I remember what Edward said, your rule was 'if the person is not in Arkham, they can come'." she shrugged her shoulders.
"Okay. Fine. Whatever. I won´t let them bother me. Not today. I still have a lot to do before the end of this night." he decided.
"Mayor Cobblepot?" a personal assistant from the party planner called him.
"What now?"
"It seems like the people are complaining about the salty caramel in the three layer fudge."
"Salty…? Bloody. Salty. Caramel?! Who said it was going to be salty?!" he barked. "That wasn´t what I asked for! I told this to Ed last week!" then he turned to the girls. "Sorry, but I have a little problem to take care of. Babs, can you do me a favor and keep an eye on my hummingbird for a while? Just to avoid her going around on her own." he asked.
"Of course! Go cut as many throats as you need, my friend!" she laughed. "We will have a lot of fun here!"
Still unsure of what Nygma would think of it, but having no other option, Cobblepot left.
"Who are the people papa was talking about?" Iris broke her silence.
"Oh, they are also two old friends, as you can say. But… You must be really proud of your father being the mayor, right?"
"I don´t know, this was his job before I met him, just like daddy already had his work in the city hall too."
"I suppose that you are talking about Edward Nygma here, right? And if Oswald decided to take you in, you must be really special, let me tell you." seeing that for Iris things were like they were and she was alright with this, she decided to brighten the topic. "Enough small talk, are you seeing the photographers right there?"
"Yes."
"It would be a shame to not have everyone for the next weeks seeing such beautiful dresses like ours, so let´s go over there and take some real pics! Not like the staged ones they make."Barbara suggested.
"I don´t know..." she still had reservations about pictures even after the portrait.
"You are a shy type, I see. This will be cute in the future, but for now, come with me and I will show you how it´s done! Just imitate me and you will be fine!"
And with this advice, the news next day ended up with some really glamorous, award-winning, pics of the two, much to Ed´s dismay.
End of Flashback 2
"So you really allowed Barbara Kean to look after her." Ed repeated slowly. As if trying to calm down his anger.
"Just for a few minutes, Eddie. And it was all because of your stupid salty caramel!" he screamed.
"Auntie Babs is really nice! When can we see her again?" Iris commented ignoring their mood.
"When papa and daddy schedule a date night, hummer." Oswald answered, going back to his normal tone.
"What does this mean, Os? That she will be her sitter?! You must be kidding me!"
"Just read the news, Ed. That´s your task as my chief of staff right now." he ignored his pleas.
"Let´s see... In the gossips section: 'What the hell was the first man wearing? How many trees did he kill to make that fugly leaf green suit?' HOW CAN THEY SAY THAT?! 'We accept our mayor married to a man, but he could do better, at least finding someone whose taste is not forest-grandpa like 'Nerdward'!" Ed hissed every word he read.
"Hey, Eddie, don´t let that get to you, come on! That fashion police is the worst!" Oswald tried to comfort him.
"That´s the most ridiculous thing I have read!"
"I know, green is so your color! Of course, the leaf green shade is not that wise to choose to a night event but… It fits you so well anyway!"
"Be aware that someone will pay for it!" it was as if Dark Ed had said that.
"Now you are scaring me, Eddie." then wanting to avoid Iris seeing it, he caught her attention. "So, bee-hummingbird, before my speech I couldn´t find you anywhere, and Barbara was with me, so was Ed. Where did you go?"
"Sorry papa, but I was kinda bored so I went to walk for a while. And I found some new people too."
"New people you say? Like… Who?" Cobblepot asked despite having some suspicious.
"Well..."
Flashback 3:
Her feet were in too bright pink shoes and her body was restrained in a frilly and equally pink pageant-like dress made for little girls like her, even her normally free brown curly hair was tied in a side ponytail with waves in the ends. So she couldn´t be feeling any less like herself; she was a dark and wild princess, not a cotton-candy one. Iris had spent the last hours walking side by side with the mayor being introduced to more people than she could remember. Some relatives, some complete strangers, some people she saw a few times in the city while strolling with her parents on the weekends or in her alone times going out to play with Cory, but in any circumstance, she needed a break. Despite liking meeting more family and the time with Barbara, she wanted to do anything she would normally do right there and as soon as possible. Iris caught a glimpse of her 'fun-meter' changing when she spotted two very well-known faces: her two adults cop friends, one of them being her ideal of a hero and a prince at the same time.
"Jim! Harvey! You are here too!" she quickly went to them.
"Look, it´s our little sunshine! So pink today! That´s not your color, sweetie." Bullock mocked her.
"Yeah, I don´t know who chose this for me. But I can say the same thing, Harv. Black does not suit you."she wasn´t joking. Because of the occasion, all the men were required to dress accordingly and the detectives were no exception. And despite black not being the first choice Harvey would make, it was a safe choice to dress smartly.
"Aren´t you as sassy as ever? Nygma is not punishing you enough because of your little smarty-pants answers?"
"Harv, are you really starting an argument with a little girl?" Jim asked as if he couldn´t believe it. "You know she wasn´t trying to offend anyone. You two are friends too, right?"
"Of course we are!" Iris answered. "And I wasn´t making a joke, Harv!" she explained.
"See? I told you. She is a nice girl and likes you."
"Oh yeah, Jimmy? Okay, I agree. We are friends. But I assure you that she doesn´t like me as much as she likes you!" he teased. It was too much fun to see Iris´s innocent blushing face."Say, sunshine, do you think that the color black suits him?"
"Y-Yes! I-I mean..." she hated how he could do that."Why would´t it? Anything suits him." she said what was in her young, and pounding, heart.
"Thanks I guess..." Jim wasn´t sure about that whole conversation.
"See? It will always be like this. But like I told you before, Jimmy… Just wait ten years." he laughed.
"Gosh, Harvey, that was really…"he was about to reprehend his partner´s behavior when three other people walked in their direction. "Hey, it´s Bruce!"
"Detective Gordon. Captain Bullock." the young boy approached them with quick greetings. "Surely you remember Selina Kyle, right?"by his side an equally young girl with a wild cat appearance, dressed sharply, stood.
"How could we not? And I see that Mr. Alfred Pennyworth is here too." Jim referred to an elegant, older looking man with them.
"Yes, for some reason mayor Cobblepot included us in the 'important' list." the young girl said in an uninterested tone.
"Perhaps he wanted you three to know Miss Iris personally, did you think about that possibility?" Harvey exposed his opinion. "Maybe you not so much, but Bruce and Alfred, sure."
"Luckily for you, here´s your chance!" the detective took Iris by the hand and put her in front of them."Guys, meet Iris Juliet Cobblepot-Nygma. The most prized treasure of the mayor and the chief of staff. And a dear little friend for me and Harvey."
"Hi, Miss Iris! I´m Bruce Wayne, from the Wayne enterprises! If you ever need me, you can call anytime, I mean it. And this is Selina Kyle, my girlfr-"
"I´m not your girlfriend! How many times do we need to have this conversation?!"
"Do you two need to steal the scene in another person´s party every time?" the man named Alfred stopped them. "I´m terribly sorry for this, little Miss Iris. But..."he looked at her for a few moments. Iris felt it to be in a different way than most people did it, normally when people studied her, it was to say how much she looked like Oswald and Ed. "Allow me to say how befitting your name is to your soul. I can see that you will grow up to be beautiful in the inside and the outside, just like the Iris flower. Did you know that its meaning is associated with royalty? Just perfect for the mayor´s daughter." he smiled sincerely at her.
"Amazing as always, Alfred." James complimented him. "Did you hear, Iris? You will be like a flower among birds." he joked.
"According to daddy I´m a honeybee already!" she laughed.
"I have something to say for you too, detective Gordon." Alfred got his attention back.
"Yeah?"
"Open your eyes wide and follow your heart, with your eyes to the sunshine. The future will be really interesting."with that, he left followed by the teenagers. At least a part of that advice was familiar to Jim.
A bit after it, Iris had to go to her parents again.
End of Flashback 3
"Yeah, just like I thought." Oswald sighed. "Of course you had to go after Gordon." he groaned. Just like anyone he thought 'first loves' were the most adorable thing, but how long could a 'little girl crush' last?
"Found IT!" Edward shouted.
"You found what, Ed?" the mayor asked tired of all that.
"What we were really looking for, right in the middle of the newspaper. It says… 'The mayor presented us with a princess or a walking hurricane?' "he read disgusted with the media.
"Oh no. They are talking about the… Ending, right?" he laid his head in the table.
"Let´s see… Miss Cobblepot-Nygma, after the eloquent and passionate speech given by our mayor, proved two things: she is lovely to our eyes, but is also a force of nature and perhaps should be feared in the future. She has the power to bring everything down, whether we are talking literally..."
"Nooooo! Let´s not remember the part when we died of embarrassment because of the destroyed terrace!"
"It was all a lot of accidents, papa and daddy! One after the other! I swear!" Iris apologized. "I was just trying to rescue a baby bird that fell inside the punch bowl, then Selina saw me and we ended up spilling all of it on the floor, so someone fell and pulled the bow on the curtain! But then the whole thing loosened and crashed upon some ice birds! So I don´t know how but the ice shards dropped on the food and it dirtied a lot of people´s clothes! So they started screaming and making a mess, so more things ended up broken! As I said, nothing on purpose! But I saved the bird!"
"I know, hon." Cobblepot said dejected. His planned debut party was a huge disaster in the end, even if it was a bunch of accidents. He was ruined if Ed couldn´t do anything. People wouldn´t forget it.
"...Or figuratively when we witnessed a breathtaking, heartbreaking performance made by father and daughter when mayor Cobblepot and Miss Iris took all the attentions on stage in that terrace right after his fierce words and before the 'destruction', when he blessed us with his talent on the piano and she took our hearts with a young, but beautiful and soft voice matching his notes. Something tells me that the song they chose speaks a lot about the bond they share."
"What? Our performance? Did they like it?" Oswald asked surprised.
"Yes! It says it right here like I just read! You two were lofty! I was so proud while watching you!" Ed stated.
Flashback 4:
"People of Gotham, may I have your full attention?" confident wearing the suit Elijah had tailored to him, having walked down the dark red velvet carpet, the mayor decided it was time for his speech, to formally talk about the real reason why they were all gathered there. With all the cameras and the citizens facing them, making sure that literally everyone would listen to him, he felt it was time to start, so with Ed and Barbara right behind him on stage, he took Iris´s right hand. "Last autumn I made a decision that changed not only my life, but the life of the person I love the most in the world too." he glanced at Ed, receiving a nod from him in response. "I, at this same time last year would say with all the words that I hated children because of my hard childhood, but then I went to a charity event and bonded with a little girl. I saw a lot of myself in her at first, but aside from some physical resemblance, she is only herself! She is not a mirror! And I adopted her, I chose to love and raise her as my own together with my now husband, Mr. Edward Nygma. Since then everyday is full of learning experiences and new challenges, and it makes me want to fulfill my promises to you all, that I will make this city safe and clean! That´s why I invited every one of you here, Gotham citizens. I wanted you to see the heart that is outside my body, my daughter, the reason why I will be the best mayor you will ever have! I want to take care of every child, to make the lives of their parents better! I want everyone to go out in the morning and feel like they will come back to their families at the end of the day. And I also want to make something clear..."in the middle of the bright lights of the flashes and the murmurs of people commenting, he took a deep breath before staring at the camera in the center. "There´s nothing in the world that Ed or I would´t do in the name of her safety! Messing with her is messing with this city, it´s finding a nemesis!" that was his last message, the warning to his enemies. The ulterior motive to introducing her to the criminal families.
Those were his last words. A few silent seconds passed, then one by one, people applauded his speech, they cheered for him, without a doubt they loved their ruler. And were starting to love his daughter too.
"Thank you, everyone." he said, with Barbara and Ed smiling and touching his shoulders showing support, right before leaving the stage they had prepared. "Now I have something else prepared for tonight. Actually, we have, right, Iris?"
"Yes." she said quietly. She was nervous but would do her best. If not to cause a good impression, because Jim was watching her.
"We want you to get to know Iris a little better, and the best way to do so is if she entertains you a little bit before the end of the night. So we will share the stage today for a duet." Cobblepot took his seat at the piano. It was a shiny black one with real ivory keys, simply perfect for this presentation.
Iris took some deep breaths, trying to remember all the advice Ed had given her and how much they had rehearsed, also she kept in mind that she had to focus. She walked to the marked place on the stage where she knew the spotlights with the baby blue lights would illuminate her lissome figure and when Oswald gave her the first note on the piano she opened her mouth and started:
Like a bird without wings
That longs to be flying,
Like a motherless child
Left lonely and crying.
Like a song without words,
Like a world without music,
I wouldn't know what to do
I'd be lost without you
Watchin' over me..
Oswald wasn´t sure if that was an appropriate choice of song, not because of the content, but because it made him think too much about the day when he first met Iris, a girl all alone and lost in that orphanage, so he was afraid of becoming too emotional.
I get so lonely,
when you're away
I count every moment,
I wait every day,
Until you're home again
And hug me so tight
That's when I know
Everything is alright.
For Iris, in a way it talked about how much she missed Edward and Oswald when they were away since they were essentially all she had in the world.
Like a bird without wings
That longs to be flying,
Like a motherless child
Left lonely and crying.
Like a song without words
Like a world without music,
I wouldn't know what to do
I'd be lost without you
Watchin' over me.
You're my guardian angel
My light and my guide
Your hand on my shoulder
And you by my side.
You make everything beautiful,
You make me complete.
Everything in my world
I lay at your feet..
Meanwhile all Ed could think about was all the times he had sung Iris to sleep and how it made him feel warm and normal compared to all the hardships he had to endure until his life with Oswald. He had a job that he was proud of, a loving husband and a wonderful daughter. That´s what kept his dark side buried.
Like a church with no steeple,
Where a bell never rings.
In a town without people,
Where no voice in the choir
ever sings.
If a boat on the ocean
Would be lost with no sail,
Then without your devotion
Surely all that I dreamed
of would fail.
That part caught Barbara because a church almost changed her life but in the hard way she learned some things are not meant to be and that she was better that way, she had her own fulfilling life.
During that same part, all that Jim could think about was what Alfred had said to him.
Like a song without words
Like a world without music,
I wouldn't know what to do
I'd be lost without you
Watchin' over me
I wouldn't know what to do
I'd be lost without you
Watchin' over me
The only common meaning everyone found was that their mayor meant every one of his words and was watching over the city, and because of that and Iris´s singing, their performance was an emotional success. The citizens cheered even more than before, greeting both of them and even Ed for having them as a family. If the night had ended there, it would have been a golden star.
End of Flashback 4
"But what is the conclusion then, Eddie?" Oswald asked anxiously.
"I will read it to you: 'Whatever your opinion on this subject is, the fact is that this event was a memorable one, so is the Cobblepot-Nygma family. And we all should await big news from this girl in the next years.' "
"It´s not bad. It´s almost good." he felt the weight being lifted from his shoulders.
"Well, of course you will have to pay for the terrace disaster, but other than that, it was fine. And people were impressed with her." Ed gave his point of view. "I only have a few things to fix with the media." he added, clearly talking about the fashion part.
"I see..." he said unsure.
"Should we head to work?"
"At this hour? We have lost the whole morning, Eddie." Cobblepot wondered after peering at Iris´s saddened face. It was clear that she missed the family time they had before. "Just call in sick. ´Let´s stay here, only for today." he smiled at their hummingbird. Her thrilled face was worth it.
"Alright. You are the boss. And the wife." Ed sighed.
That debut event hadn´t been a disaster after all, it had many positives outcomes… Only one of them was that Iris came to understand what she felt performing in public and so with this she discovered that singing and acting would make a good dream to achieve in her future.