Little Miss Gotham

Chapter Fifteen

The November chill didn't pierce through my family apartment but my parents cold stare right into my eyes as I sat on the couch did. My father stood between the glass coffee table and our TV while my mother sat in the love seat to my right. 

"Eric says he didn't see you in the medical wing, Sophia. Why did you leave?" my mother asked, her blonde hair pulled back into a sharp bun and her blue eyes filled with anger. My father was on his phone, of course. 

"I was fine. I've heard of the chemical before. I even worked with it while away at UPenn. If it doesn't touch you, you're fine. The smoke it causes doesn't pose any threat." I sighed. "I just wanted to get home. I kinda freaked out when yet another accident happened." I anxiously looked down at my knees where I played with my fingers. 
I used to have anxiety. Well, it's still here but it used to be worse and my mother treated it with different prescriptions from a private doctor for years. But she always knew this was a sign of my anxiety. Immediately, I gained her sympathy. 

"We'll invite Eric to Thanksgiving dinner this Friday night. Luke and Olivia are coming back this evening. I have to go pick them up from the airport and I need you to do some food shopping. Maybe Kayla will join you."  my mother said. I nodded and stood up, glancing at my dad as I noticed he was reading something very lengthy. 

"Dad, can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked. 
He looked up from his phone and seemed a bit caught off guard. I wanted to know the specifics of his plan for Gotham's villains but I doubt I'd get that much from him.
"Yeah, sure." 
I followed my dad into his small office off to the side of his room. 
"Is this about the Suicide Squad?" 
I looked at him and shrugged. "Yeah. I'm curious. I mean, Joker is the reason for my car accident and a lot of this cities destruction. I want to help, actually." Why would my dad believe my sudden change of opinions towards this city? I hated this filthy city and I loved tearing it to pieces with Joker. But if I needed to prove myself to the Joker, then I'd go to any lengths possible. 

"Alright then." he exhaled, sitting at his chair and sorting through the papers he had laid out on his desk. It looked like files for certain members of this group he was helping put together. "Amanda Waller and I will be meeting tomorrow. There's a board meeting for her and her colleagues more involved in that branch of government. I don't know, I don't have time for those specifics but I'm flying into D.C. tomorrow. They plan on releasing them into the city in between the holidays and have them out of here before Christmas though. But that's merely a time frame." 

"Anything I can do?" I asked, attempting to sound hopeful.

My dad stood up from seat and packed everything into a folder. Once finished, he looked up at me and said, "Nope. Just stay off the streets when it happens."

-

"So, they're sending in a bad guys to get rid of a bunch of other bad guys?" Kayla asked. We walked through the local market in the heart of Gotham. It wasn't too bad here. I loved this place because there was a different type of food store at every turn. You had your meats, organics, different cultures, and even sweets. It was a new smell every five feet. 

"Pretty much." I sighed, pushing my cart through. "I explained the chip thing they'll be implanted with but it doesn't sit right with me. I just think this is all going to backfire on them." 

"Yeah like, what if they find a way to turn off the chip? Or what if a lot of people get hurt in the process?" Kayla asked. I was worried too, but at the same time, I knew I was going to be apart of it. 
The holidays were my favorite season even if I hated this city. I loved the foods, the weather, the style and the warm feeling of it all. The big dinners in my apartment were always the best and it was the one time where no one argued. But I knew what I had to do. Princess Gotham didn't stop just because of the season. I didn't care about the other criminals of Gotham. I cared about the Joker and I was going to protect him from this plan they were coming up with. 

"Oh well. I'll move to Metropolis like I planned to anyway." I shrugged. But Kayla didn't like my humor very much. I forgot that she actually likes Gotham. I looked away and had to skid to a halt to avoid colliding in with the cart in front of me. 

"I'm sorry." I laughed, looking up to come face to face with the blonde who stood out in this crowd. "Oh, Eric..." I trailed off, knowing he probably wasn't too thrilled to see me. "Hi." 
Eric, however, smiled and didn't seem anything but normal. 
"Hey, Sophia. I assumed you went to a hospital yesterday. But how are you feeling?" he asked, smiling a bit.
"Great. I don't even remember that it happened." I chuckled softly. Eric was tall and in khakis and a gray pea coat, he sure cleaned up nice. "This is my friend Kayla, by the way. Kayla, this is Eric. He's a chemist at Arkham Asylum." They shook hands and I couldn't ignore how polite Eric was. Even his perfect smile was hard to resist. 

After catching up for a few minutes, I glanced around and realized we were causing a minor detour for other customers. Looking back at Eric, I was reminded of my mother's suggestion.
"Hey, if you're not too busy on Thanksgiving, you're always welcome to stop by." I said. I felt a little excited and hoped he would take me up on this offer. Eric was that sort of normal balance to my life and an example of the kind of life I want. I was just interested in getting to know him more. 

"Well I'll take your number and let you know by tonight if I can make it. I don't see it being a problem though." 

I was relieved and gave him my number. We said our goodbyes and I went to the checkout line.

"He's cute, Soph." Kayla grinned.
I shrugged and even smiled a bit. "Yeah. I know, right?" I replied.
But the Joker was mine. I was his. There was no way I could shake off my attraction to him in all aspects.
My phone buzzed and I pulled it out, expecting to see Eric's number on my screen.
"That was fast." Kayla chuckled, assuming the same thing. 

"Yeah..." I trailed off. It was a text from Joker. 

"Blondie just better be for your friend that's with ya. Get over here once you're done whatever you're doing. We gotta talk."  

---
SORRY
ANOTHER FILLER CHAPTER
IT'LL BE THE LAST ONE