Mama Gotham

I Honestly Miss You

To say the press was having a field day would be an understatement. As Alyssa had expected, the court case was hitting her reputation hard. It didn't matter that her father was a scumbag, it didn't matter that she'd won the case, people loved a scandal.

And what a scandal. Gotham severely lacked reputable people, so it wasn't often that someone with a big name doing something bad was a big deal. But oh, Mama Gotham was a good, strong pillar of society. And this all but knocked the pillar down.

Alyssa huffed as she shut the door in the face of what had to be every reporter in town. She hadn't been able to go anywhere this past week without getting mobbed.

"Mama, the mayor called for ya." one of the kids setting up lunch at the flea said. "Twice. Said he wants you to call back."

"Well the mayor can stick it where the sun don't shine." Alyssa rubbed at her temples. Mayor James hadn't stopped trying to get ahold of her since the news came out, but Alyssa was practicing the strategy that if she ignored him, he couldn't do anything.

Of course, she knew she was avoiding the problem. She knew something had to be done.

She just didn't know she wouldn't be the one to do it.

******

Across town, in a building that probably ought to be condemned, Kurt Connors was shooting the wall in fury. That, and leaving angry messages on Alyssa's phone had been all he had been doing for the past few days. For the first time in quite a while, he was sober and aware. There was nothing in his system but anger.

"Honey, I don't understand why you still want to fight this." his wife was trying to reason in between shots. "The judge closed the case. And you should see what Alyssa did with the money, all those kids –"

"I don't give a damn about some orphan street kids. That's what foster care's for."

"You were in foster care. We both were; you know its not a good place to be."

Kurt set down his gun with a clank. "I told you not to talk about that."

"But Kurt! She's giving those kids a home! A real one! Why is that such a bad thing?"

"Cuz she's doin' it with my money! I was gonna go to Costa Rica, live nice and lavish."

"...Don't you mean we?"

"Yeah, yeah, 'course."

Abigail sighed. "Its our daughter, Kurt. Its your daughter. I've been to her buildings, its amazing! Those kids are safe, and happy, and she's so good with them!" she picked up the newspaper from the old sofa. "Look at this! She made a good name in this city, and you're ruining it!"

"Not my problem." he waved her off, reaching into his pocket for a joint.

Red flashed in Abigail's vision and she stormed up to him, smacking the drug out of his hand. "Nothing's ever your problem! Just once Kurt, make somethingyour problem!"

******

*forty years ago*

A tiny, seven year old Kurt Connors pressed his pillow over his ears to try and block out the screams of his most recent foster family. It didn't work, he could still hear them yelling about how they were being roped into the system, about how his parents weren't actually coming back like the social worker said.

He didn't know why she said that. He could barely remember his parents, even the memories he did have were probably more imagined than real.