First, relax and live his life

"That's a cool watch!"

"Want to buy it?"

"I'm okay!...Ooh, ooh, that backpack has Supergirl on it!"

"Do you want it?"

"Nah. It's cool to look at though!"

Chloe was strangely hesitant about buying things. Courtesy of Tanya's funds, Aaron was open to spending money, whereas before he was picky about it. Eight million dollars was eight million dollars. He could spend his money lavishly.

Yesterday, he had bought Chloe clothes and children's toys. She loved them largely because she didn't have a strong sense of fashion and her capacity for expectations was at sea floor. Hopefully that would change as the days went by. Today, they were at the mall. He wanted to expose her to the wider world. Bring her an experience that was contrary to the decrepit streets of Gotham. So far, she was having the time of her life.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing at the array of tables closeby.

"That's the food court," Aaron answered. "We're going there for food."

Her mouth opened into a circular shape and she nodded. "Okay. Food is good."

Chloe was curious and obedient. When he asked to hold hands so that they wouldn't get lost, she obliged enthusiastically. She didn't mind listening to him when he said she was straying too far or staring too much. She was a girl who seemed to talk, walk, and act like his daughter.

Aaron blinked. 'Daughter…?' He glanced down at her. 'That sounds…intense. Oh jeez, but I bet from an outside perspective I look like her father.'

Everybody he knew said he looked like he was in his thirties. Given Chloe was nine years old…yeah, the timeline made sense.

"Um, can we get a Big Belly Burger? I always wanted to try it," Chloe said, pointing a small finger at the fast food restaurant. Aaron nodded and squeezed her hand.

"Sure."

Eating, shopping, laughing, and pointing. That was the crux of their time at the mall. And honestly? Aaron enjoyed it. It was nice getting to go outside for a change. Talk and walk with someone instead of being cooped up in his living room watching anime and movies.

He arrived at his apartment complex carrying what must have been a dozen bags. In the halls, he encountered a familiar face.

"Claire," Aaron greeted with a thin smile. The blonde college student who had told him of the disruptive noises he had made. "Hi. How's it going?"

Claire stopped and blushed. "H-hey. Aaron, right?"

"Right." On the sleeves of his right arm were the bags and on his left was Chloe. "This is Chloe, by the way."

"Oh." Claire blinked. The two were blue-eyed blondes, a rarity in Gotham. The smile that spread across Claire's face was contagious and she kneeled down to talk to the little girl. "Hi there! Wow, you're cute!"

"Hi!" Chloe said, waving politely with her free hand. "I know you!"

Claire formed a puzzled smile. "Um, I don't think we've met."

"We have! At the dumpster!"

"Dumpster…?" Then it dawned on her. "You're the dumpster girl!"

Chloe giggled. "I am!"

Claire seemed to look at Aaron in a new light. A bad light. Her brows furrowed as she asked passionately, "She's your daughter? You let your daughter live in the dumpster!?"

Aaron tilted his head. "Um, no."

"I told you about her, remember? I said to look out for the person in the dumpster. Remember!?"

She was close to yelling. For a college student, Claire had an astonishingly strong sense of justice. It was bewildering seeing the once shy girl turn into a heroine.

"I do remember. I met her not too long ago," Aaron explained calmly, "and decided to take her in."

"He saved me," Chloe chipped in. "Mr. Aaron is awesome!"

The college girl glanced between Aaron and Chloe, confused, before faltering as their words set in. "O-oh. Makes sense. My bad…"

She looked just about ready to fight. Seeing her fists unclench gave Aaron relief.

"I found her and thought I might as well take her in. Maybe get her officially adopted too."

Aaron's casual suggestion made Chloe leap in excitement. She held his hand with both of her own and although they were small he could feel the affection and admiration. "R-really?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Really!?"

"Really," Aaron confirmed with a smile. He looked back at Claire and said, "As amazing as this conversation has been, we have to go and unpack. Until next time, Claire."

"Y-yeah." Like last time, Claire's face was on fire. Red beyond belief. Embarrassed as if she was standing naked in a crowd. "S-sorry…"

"It's fine." He tapped Claire on the shoulder as he walked past her. "Don't kill yourself over it."

As they headed into the elevator, he could hear her groan and smack herself. Aaron and Chloe exchanged glances, before laughing.

"She's funny," Chloe said, giggling incessantly.

"She is."

"Do you think she wants to be your girlfriend?"

Aaron paused. The elevator doors opened with a deafening ding. He craned his neck down at the little girl, puzzled. "Where did you learn romance from?"

She stuck her tongue out cheekily. "It's a secret! But does that mean she really DOES want to be your girlfriend?"

Aaron sent her a flat expression. "No."

"Aaron and Claire, sitting in a tree~! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage! Then comes Claire with a baby carriage~!"

He knew reacting would only feed into her delusions, so he just continued to act oblivious. Silent. The girl swung his arm to and fro, giggling enthusiastically.

Opening the door and setting the bags inside was physically and mentally relieving. He was able to sit Chloe down and continue their prior discussion.

"So what do you want to do?" Aaron asked. Chloe tilted her head and he clarified, "Do you want me to officially adopt you? Or should we hold it off?"

"It…um, I like the idea but it is a little fast," Chloe admitted. Her legs danged on the sofa as she thought deeply about it. "But…you're a lot of fun, sir. Plus, it's better than sleeping out there in the snow."

Aaron grimaced. "Yeah, it is."

A thud came from his room. The walls were thick enough to muffle it from Chloe's ears but for him the distinct noises could not be missed. The dull heavy sound was accompanied by the evening winds and a heaving grunt. Cassandra, he thought immediately, and he told Chloe, "Be right back," before sprinting to his room. "And don't move!"

He didn't know whether he was lucky or not, because he was absolutely correct. It was Cassandra Cain, the Batgirl, casually and coolly sitting on his room window.