Chapter 1

Entering the GCPD, Olivia Gordon didn't entirely know what to expect. A part of her wondered if Jim was going to fit in as part of the police. He had spent a lot of years in the army and he seemed to have a romanticized notion of what he would do when he returned to Gotham. She doubted he knew how corrupt the city had become since he had left. But this was Jim. He was determined and hot headed. She didn't bother to argue with him. A part of her wondered if he would have been safer in the army than as part of the GCPD.

His first case had been the Wayne murders. Olivia had called ahead, making sure that he was going to be able to get dinner with her that evening considering he was always working late according to Barbara when she called the apartment to talk to him. Olivia didn't know much about Barbara, only that she had infatuated her brother enough to ask her to marry him. Despite her being her future sister-in-law, Olivia had never felt a close connection to the woman.

Lurking in the foyer of the GCPD, Olivia paced up and down, pushing her dark hair behind her ear. She walked on the same spot for about five minutes, wondering if Jim was going to stand her up. She had looked into the communal area from the doorway, seeing if she could see any sign of her brother, but there was nothing. He was nowhere to be seen. She didn't want to walk in, instead she remained stood where Jim had told her to meet him.

"The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?"

Olivia's brow furrowed as she flung her head over her shoulder, wondering if the man was talking to her. She stopped her pacing and turned around to face him. He was tall and lanky, dark black hair flopping on his head and some against his forehead. Looking to her, he kept silent, rocking back and forth on his heels. Dressed in grey pants with a white shirt poking out of a grey suit jacket, his large rimmed glasses framed his pale face.

"Excuse me?" Olivia responded, uncertain of what was happening.

"It's a riddle," he spoke to her, his hand waving around animatedly. "The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?"

Olivia wondered what the hell was going on, but she didn't say that. Instead she shrugged her shoulders, tugging her satchel further onto her shoulder and folding her arms over her chest. "I don't know."

"Footsteps," the man answered.

Olivia pursed her lips. "That would make sense," she spoke.

"Sorry," the man blabbered. "I was at the desk near the door and I saw you pacing up and down. Plus, I can't help but notice that you have a very familiar look to Jim Gordon and a photo that he has on his desk."

"I never knew Jim could be so sentimental," Olivia scoffed, but held her hand out regardless. "Olivia Gordon. I am Jim's sister."

He held his own hand back, shaking hers slowly. His touch was cold and his handshake quite limp. "Edward Nygma," he responded. "I am a forensic scientist here."

"So you work with my brother?"

"On occasion," Edward nodded. "He seems to be a very pleasant man. He can also answer my riddles which is quite impressive in itself."

"He's always had a quick mind," Olivia said. "You wouldn't happen to know where he is? He said that he would meet me here at half past five and…well…" Olivia checked her watch on her wrist. "He is running ten minutes late already."

"He is in with the captain," Edward told her. "I doubt he should be too long, Miss Gordon."

Olivia held a hand up. "Just call me Olivia," she urged from him. "I don't do well with formalities. Anyway, I will just wait here. I would hate to keep you away from work."

"I was on my way out," he responded. "I'm happy to keep you company until Jim turns up. Besides, it might keep Officer Rhodes from looking at you. He's been staring ever since you turned up."

Olivia followed his gaze to see a man sat at a desk who instantly looked away once her and Ed's gaze moved onto him. Olivia's lips arched upwards and she went to tug on the strap to her bag and turned her gaze away, looking to Edward once more.

"He probably thinks the same as you, that I look like Jim."

"His gaze happened to be on something other than your face."

"Right," Olivia said, looking to Ed and wondering exactly what was going on with the man stood across from her. "Anyway…this is just got awkward."

"Sorry," Edward said quickly. "I have a tendency to do that when I am around people. I make them nervous or say the wrong thing. I think it is just one of the reasons why-"

"-Whoa, slow down there," Olivia said, her hands help up and palms flat in an attempt to get him to stop. "It's fine. I mean; I don't do that well around people either if that's any consolation?"

"I doubt you could be as bad as I am," he responded.

Olivia wanted to humour him and tell him she doubted it, but from what she had seen the man in front of her was particularly awkward around people. She chose to remain mute for a second, doing her best to think about what she should say to him. Finally, she decided on what to say.

"Well, maybe we're both as bad as each other?" Olivia suggested.

"Liv!"

Turning her head over her shoulder, she looked to see her brother moving through the precinct and towards her, his arms outstretched in front of him. Olivia spun on the spot and moved forwards, seeing Jim break into a rare smile. She lifted her own arms up, embracing her brother as he held her in his arms. Closing her eyes, she let her head rest on his shoulder for a second before pulling back.

"So much for being on time," Olivia joked with him, stepping back and nudging him in the arm.

"Sorry, I got held up," Jim said and then saw Edward, his hands behind his back as he looked away, his eyes darting around the room. "I take it you met Ed?"

"I did," Olivia said and Edward finally looked to the siblings, a smile back on his face. "He was telling me that you have a picture of me on your desk. I never had you down for being sentimental, Jim."

"Yeah, well, it isn't every day that your sister graduates with a Masters in Education," Jim responded, knowing exactly what photo she was talking about.

Edward moved to push his glasses further up his nose. "You have a Masters?"

"Graduated last year," Olivia nodded. "I've been working at a middle school in downtown Gotham for the past year teaching mathematics."

"Impressive," Edward said.

"Yeah, she's the brains of the family and I'm the brawn," Jim said. "Anyway, Ed, I think Harvey wanted to finish up some paperwork with you. I should get going. Our reservations are for six so we need to get a move on."

"Got it," Olivia said and looked to Ed, her smile back on her face as the scientist looked down to her. "It was nice to meet you, Mr Nygma."

"Edward, please," he said. "And likewise, Olivia. Perhaps I shall see you around from time to time."

"I doubt it," Olivia scoffed. "If Jim insists on being late then I will take to meeting him at the restaurant and eating before he arrives."

Olivia knew she was joking, but there almost seemed to be a look of disappointment on his face. Perhaps he really didn't meet many people. Perhaps he really didn't deal well with people and had no friends? It was in that moment when she felt something. Was it pity? Was it recognition? She had gone through a time when she had struggled to make friends in high school. She remember that feeling.

"In that case, I shall-"

"-On second thoughts," Olivia said, moving into her satchel and rummaging around as Jim's brows rose on his forehead from confusion over what was happening at that moment in time. Finally, his sister pulled out a business card and he snorted.

"You have business cards?" he questioned her. "You're a teacher."

"A teacher who hands them out at parent/teacher conferences and at conferences she goes to," Olivia said, throwing her brother a scowl. She handed one out to Edward and he took hold of it, seeing that she taught at High Park Middle School. "Anyway, Edward, perhaps we could hang out as friends? I might even get some of those riddles of yours next time."

Edward nodded, holding the card up in his fingers. "I would like that," he said, wondering what had just happened. Ed didn't do friends. He didn't do well around people. He had thought that he had scared her away with his earlier comments, but she didn't seem scared. She seemed to understand him.

"Awesome," Olivia said. "I'll see you around then."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ed," Jim nodded, clapping the man on the shoulder before leaving the precinct with his sister in tow, a smirking Nygma watching after them.

It was only when they arrived at Olivia's car did Jim speak. "So are you driving us there and then dropping me off on your way home?"

"Where's your car?" she wondered from him, flinging her satchel onto the back seat before slipping into the driver's seat.

"Harvey gave me a lift in," Jim said. "So is that a yes?"

"That is a yes," Olivia said. "I'm not going to leave you to fend for yourself."

Starting the car engine, Olivia backed out of the parking spot and began to drive away from the precinct. Jim buckled up as the car moved and he bit down on his cheek for a second before his lips arched upwards. Looking to his sister, he saw her bite down on her bottom lip as she focused on turning right out of the entrance.

"So you come to the precinct for five minutes and I catch you flirting with Nygma?"

"You think that was flirting?" Olivia asked, a scoff leaving her as she slipped into a gap in traffic. "How did you get Barbara if you think that was flirting? You must have used some pretty lame chat up lines."

"My game is smooth enough," Jim said. "Anyway, you didn't answer the question."

"Because it was a ridiculous question," Olivia said to him. "Do you think that I am ready to jump into another relationship after the last one went so badly? All I want is just to move on…go to work…come home…meet up with friends."

"So you're not seeing anyone?"

"Not since the last time you asked me two weeks ago," Olivia said. "I'm happy on my own."

Jim nodded, not certain if he believed what she was saying entirely, but he knew better than to push her on certain things. All he could was cough into his fist and look at her. "Well, Jack was an asshole anyway. I never knew what you saw in him."

Olivia's face went firm, her jaw clenching as she indicated to turn right at another set of lights. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Of course," Jim responded. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Olivia shrugged it off. "Anyway, Edward seemed really pleasant and he said that he didn't have any friends. I don't know why I did what I did, but he just seemed…I don't know…lonely and awkward. I know how that feels. Remember when I was in high school and mom died. I didn't have any friends…no one…I just sat by myself in the canteen. Edward reminds me of…well…me."

"So you pitied him?"

"Not pity entirely, but I understand him," Olivia said. "And he seems a nice enough guy. It might make a change to have a friend who isn't always telling me I need to date or get out more or get a better fashion sense."

Jim chuckled. "Your friends always did seem shallow whenever I met them."

"Funnily enough they all fancied you," Olivia said.

"Really?" Jim asked and Olivia rolled her eyes, throwing him a sideways glance to see his smug face.

"You don't need to seem so cheery about that," Olivia said to him. "They would probably change their minds when they realised that you were even more boring than me now that you're a straight laced cop."

"Charming," Jim said. "You'll have to tell them I'm off the market. Barbara is the only one for me now. She said hi, by the way. She's working late at the gallery tonight or she would have loved to join us."

"Will I see her when I drop you off? I meant to thank her for the artwork she sent to my apartment," Olivia said.

"She sent artwork?"

"Yeah, the other day," Olivia said. "My neighbour signed for it. It was lovely, really, nothing garish like in your apartment. It was a landscape portrait of a field of flowers. I have it stood in the living room, but I don't know where to hang it."

Jim nodded. "That was nice of Barbara," he said. "I didn't know she was going to do that and she didn't say last night."

"Well, it was still lovely of her," Olivia said, turning into the parking lot across from the Italian restaurant they had reservations at. She parked her car and climbed out of it, grabbing her satchel from the backseat before looking to Jim. "Ready?"

"Oh, I've never been more ready. I'm starving."

Olivia laughed at him before walking by his side to the main road. "I can agree with that."

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!