I wrote this in one day (well one day and plus an hour). I was bored, and had this idea randomly, so I wanted to put it up. Hope you like it, and I tried to make the main character, Adela deep, and likeable, and not Mary Sue. If she is, that is my bad. I love the idea of the villians henchworkers, and I thought about how often the bosses have sex with their employeers; and what if someone said no? Please tell me what you think! I apologize for the length, but the story had to be told in it's true form! I hope the characters are true to their real nature! Please review and tell me your thoughts. By the way, Adela means 'noble' in several languages, but it is super similar to another name meaning 'filth'
I do not own Gotham, Twoface, Harvey, or anything else Batman related. I own this plot, the characters, and anything that isn't owned. I do want to own everything though! Oh and if you review, and tell me that you want a follow up, I will do one, I have one in mind, I just want to know if it's worth my time to write it. I do promise that I am working on my other stories too! I love you all, and don't forget to review!
"So why do you want to be my henchworker?" Twoface asked the young woman standing in front of him. It was weird, he had interviewed so many people today, and a majority of them had been women. He studied the girl in front of him, she had to be young, maybe over eighteen, and she seemed to have been living on the streets for the majority of her life. She took a deep breath before she talked.
"Easy, I need money, and I can't get a job; neither can my boyfriend. I heard the villains here paid well, so I'm taking a chance. I figure I got a fifty-fifty chance of walking out alive with you. So here I am." She raised her arms as if to clarify her presence. She lowered her arms quickly after. She smiled softly, and stood waiting while Twoface thought.
On one hand he did need more workers, and she was a pretty girl; blond, blue eyes, and busty. A few of Twofaces' favorite things in a girl.
On the other hand, she seemed like a talker, and an individual thinker, which was always dangerous for any of the Gotham rogues. Plus she might be a spy for the GCPD. He pulled his coin out of his pocket and flipped it. Heads she's in, tails she out.
The girl watched the flip of his coin, following it with her head, with a slightly bored expression on her face as he opened his palm.
"Heads. You're in." was all he said. He pointed to a door, and waved with his right hand for her to leave. "Tomorrow, eight o'clock in the morning- be here." He said. She nodded her head, and left, and Twoface called in the next person.
Adela walked home, rather to the alley that she and her boyfriend had been sleeping and had been living in. She walked over to where her boyfriend was sleeping using today's newspaper as a blanket. She smiled, as she pulled the paper off him, and sat down next to him. She leaned down and kissed his head. He moved a bit, and sat up, wrapping his arms around her waist, he sat his head down on her shoulder.
"Did you get a job baby?" he asked. Adela frowned at the smell of alcohol in his breath. She nodded her head, decided that it was still better not to tell him who she would be working for. She felt her boyfriend smile as he kissed her jaw. "I knew you could do it baby. You were top of our class in high school." He yawned, and released his grip around her waist. She grabbed his chin, and kissed him on the cheek.
"I have to be at work at eight, ok Johnny... So while I'm at work, please look for a job…" he smiled, and promised that he would. He started to lay down, but Adela pulled his head on her lap, and ran her hands through his hair waiting for him to fall asleep. She knew it would only be a few minutes, and she was right.
Adela leaned against the dirty building behind her, and closed her eyes, trying not to think too much about the situation.
She awoke as she had for the past few weeks, to the sound of police sirens and fire alarms. She stretched her arms out, and stood up, noticing that her Johnny had already left. She shrugged her shoulders, knowing that she'd see him tonight. She stretched her arms a bit more before making her way to the soup kitchen. She grabbed her small serving of soup, and bread, and ate it as she made her way to Twoface's district. She poked her head in a few alleys to see if anything was worth snatching. She didn't see much, and started feeling a bit nervous about her new job when she found a coat. Adela walked into the alley a bit more, and picked up the coat; without a second thought, she put the coat on, and quickly walked out of the alley. When she got back out on the main street, she started digging through the pockets-nothing. She shrugged her shoulders, a coat was a coat, and it was warm, and that's what mattered. She didn't care that it was a man's coat, and reached her knees, she was grateful for everything that she had.
Adela reached Twoface's building a little before eight, but went in anyways to begin her day of work.
Adela tiredly walked home from her first day of work. She didn't do anything serious yet, mainly a little combat training, and lessons on how to act like a proper henchwoman.
The teacher was one of Twoface's higher up lackeys, and he did his job well for the most part.
He handed out everyone's red and black uniforms. Adela gasped when she saw hers- mini shorts, and a tight v-neck t-shirt. She was also expected to do something with her hair, so that it stays out of the way, or at least looks nice. Adela shook her head, trying to figure out how she would be able to manage that, let alone change when she didn't have a home. She knew that she would figure it out somehow. Everyone was told to change into their uniforms, which they all obediently did. They all stood as they were instructed, and waited for their boss to come out.
When he did, a hush fell over the crowd, and they all watched as he over looked the crowd. The man next to Adela was fidgeting nervously.
Twoface stared at Adela intently, then at the man next to her. He pulled his coin out, and everyone in the crowd flinched. He smirked as he put the coin away, and whipped his gun out. Briefly Adela wondered if anyone would notice that she was dead, and if they did, what her obituary would say. She didn't think that she would get one. The gunshot rang through the room, and Adela squeezed her eyes shut, then realized that she was still alive, and not in pain. She looked at the man next to her and saw that he was lying in a pool of blood, his body giving a few nervous twitches. Adela looked away, and waited for any more instructions but was shocked to see that Twoface was already leaving the room.
The instructor ordered them to start their drill again. Adela sighed as she saw that she didn't have a partner. The instructor came over to her, and gave her a creepy smile. She rolled her eyes.
"Ya know, not many girls can pull off the uniform as well as you do…" he said licking his lips. Adela rolled her eyes. She joined a rogue to avoid being hit on, yet here she was being hit on. She turned her body to the side, and as she was just taught to, lifted her leg and kicked him in the head, hard. He fell over, cussing and yelling at her. Adela only stood there with the faintest of smiles on her lips. The man got up and shook his arms and legs.
"Alright, I may have deserved that. Glad to see you got some fight in ya. You'll need that. The boss likes a girl with some sass too." She raised her fist at him.
"I'm not anyone's toy. Got it?" he just laughed, and nodded his head.
And that was pretty much it, Adela got hit on, and she punched them out. People got shot for not following orders, and at the end of the day, she was matched with someone who she was supposed to work with, her 'twin' they said. However she was killed before everyone left, for no apparent reason Adela thought.
After work Adela walked into the alley behind the building. She pulled her street clothes on over her uniform, grateful for the privacy that the alley provided. She walked down the night streets of Gotham city, enjoying the warmth of the jacket. When she got to her alley, she sat down on the floor, noticing that Johnny wasn't back yet. She leaned against the brick wall, her stomach growling loudly. She got back up, and went to the trashcans, and started digging around. She didn't find anything which greatly troubled her. How was she supposed to eat tonight? She grabbed the newspaper that Johnny had used as a blanket last night, and started reading it. It was difficult to make out the words because she had little light, but she read it anyways. She had almost finished the newspaper when she heard Johnny's voice.
"Sorry I'm late baby… I brought some food though." Adela jumped up and kissed her boyfriend on the lips, pressing her body against his, grateful for the food. The two sat down, and split the can of Spam, talking about their days.
Johnny had looked for a job for a majority of the day, and when he was done job hunting, he had tried his luck at pan handling. He was more successful in the latter, and was able to scrunch up the money for the can of food which they had finished.
Adela had lied about her day, saying that it was boring, and not much happened. Thankfully Johnny had never really been one for listening, and didn't question her to much on the details of her day. As they lay down to sleep on a pile of garbage bags, and underneath the jacket that Adela had stolen, Johnny leaned over and whispered into Adela's ear. "Ya wanna do it?" Adela shook her head no. Johnny whined a bit, and started kissing her on her neck. Adela lightly pushed his head away, and turned her body away from him knowing that it wouldn't help anything. She was right. He simply pressed his body against hers and started kissing the back of her neck.
"Johnny…" she said in a warning tone. He ignored her though, and moved his hands up her body. "Johnny." She said again. He ignored her again, and moved his hands to the front of her body, his hands on her stomach leading up to her chest. "Johnny!" she screamed and sat up. He sat up too.
"Adela, baby, what's wrong? Lay down, and relax. Next time just tell me no, you don't have to scream." He said it as if she hadn't told him no, as if she hadn't warned him. Adela felt her face get hot with anger as she lay back down on the garbage bags, not even noticing the stench of the trash.
When Adela woke up she saw that the coat and Johnny were both gone. Adela sighed as she got up with some difficulty. She ran her fingers through her hair trying to figure out what to do with it. She didn't have a brush or anything really. She grabbed the bottom of her shirt, and careful tore the hem off, taking her time so that she had the full hem. She grabbed the piece of cloth and used it to tie her hair up in a pony tail. She smoothed down the bumps, and made her way to the soup kitchen, her stomach growling loudly. By the time she reached the kitchen everyone was already leaving, the man in charge telling everyone that they were out of food. Adela blew a strand of hair out of her face in frustration. She left the kitchen and made her way to her new job.
After a few weeks Adela felt like she was living in a dream. Everyday she woke up and Johnny was gone, and she went to the soup kitchen, sometimes making it, and sometimes she starved. Then she'd go to work, and perform some silly task, sometimes driving the lackeys around, other times cleaning up the men who were injured by the Bat. Then she'd go back to the alley and Johnny would try to persuade her into having sex with him in the alley, and he'd say how ungrateful he was to have such a great girlfriend. The two would fall asleep in each others arms, and then the day would start all over again.
After a month and a half of this though, Johnny was starting to worry Adela. He frequently came home drunk, and with each day of rejecting him, he got more and more angry. Not only that, but he still hadn't found a job, and Adela was the only one bringing money home.
Adela walked to work one morning crying. She and Johnny had a fight, and he said that he may or may not come home. She went to work, and hid in the alley as she pulled her pants and shirt off. She always wore her uniform under her clothes. She stuffed her clothes into her backpack which she had bought with her first paycheck. She went over to the broken window as she tied her hair up in her normal pony tail. She smoothed her shirt down and pulled her shorts down a bit, and took a deep breath.
"Don't think about Johnny. Don't think about Johnny." She repeated to herself.
"Who's Johnny?" a voice behind her asked. Adela turned around quickly and was surprised to see her boss leaning against the door frame. Adela felt her face turn red with embarrassment and anger. She cleared her throat before she talked.
"My boyfriend. How long have you been standing there?" she asked, trying to control her temper. Twoface shrugged his shoulders.
"I came out for a smoke, and then you came and started changing. Do you always wear your uniform under your clothes?" he asked with a taunting smile on his lips. She frowned at him.
"I didn't know that you were a creep as well as a villain." She said not missing a beat. Twoface laughed at this, and pulled his coin out of his pocket. Adela felt a rush of fear flow through her; she backed up against the wall as he flipped it. Trying to figure out if she would be able to run or not. Twoface frowned a bit and straightened his poster. He turned his body a bit so that the disfigured side of his body was slightly concealed by the shadow of the door frame.
"Sorry about that. My other half doesn't know how to be civil to anyone; he never thinks before he speaks." Adela was startled at this, she had heard him talk a few times, and every time he had spoken his voice had been raspy and terrifying; but now his voice was smooth and comforting. Harvey smiled before he spoke again. "Oh right, you only know one half of me" he extended his right hand out which she took, and he shook her hand in a way that reminded her of her old teachers. "Harvey Dent, the erm- good half I suppose you could say." Adela nodded her head then realized that she should introduce herself.
"Adela, your, or his, henchworker." She said still trying to adjust to the fact that she was talking to her boss, who had watched her change. Harvey released her hand and put his hands in his pockets.
"About earlier. We didn't actually watch you get dressed, he'll lead you to believe we did, but I promise you that we didn't." he gave her a friendly smile, which Adela returned without realizing. "I don't mean to intrude, but is everything alright Adela?" Adela debated whether or not to tell him; she decided that it would be better not to. So she shrugged her shoulders.
"Oh you know, boyfriend troubles." She said as it as if it were nothing. He smiled and nodded his head.
"Well we should get inside, it's almost time for work anyways." He offered her his arm, as if it were the eighteenth century. "Shall we?" he asked with a smile. She slowly nodded her head and took his arm as he led her into the building. When they reached the door to the women's locker room he smiled at her. "Well I'll let you get ready. Hope you have a good day Adela." He said with a slight smile, and he walked off. He stopped after a few paces and pulled his coin out, and flipped it. She saw him sigh, and his shoulders slouch a bit. He turned around and she heard the raspy voice again. "Glad to see that you're able to pull the uniform off so nicely too." He said as he licked his lips. Adela pushed open the door to the lockers without saying anything. She threw her backpack in her cubby, and walked out to where she was to receive her instructions.
That day everyone was supposed to give out their addresses, or where they could be found in case there was an emergency. Adela wrote down the name of the alley she had been staying in, hoping to God, if there was a God, that her address would never be needed.
As everyone was leaving, Adela grabbed her bag and walked out into the alley. She looked around to make sure that no one was watching this time. Thankfully there was no one, so she pulled her clothes on over her uniform; noticing the chill of the night air. She started to make her way back to the alley, feeling the cold bite of early winter. When she got to the alley she was disappointed that Johnny wasn't there yet. She sat down, leaning against the wall thinking of all she had given up for Johnny. She ran away from her home and family and gave up any chance she had for a future to be with him. The lost of her future greatly affected her, especially lately. She had straight A's all her life, and any collage would have easily accepted her; a few already had by her sophomore year. Yet she had fallen in love with Johnny, his smooth words, charming looks, and his rebel attitude.
Adela closed her eyes, trying to ignore the growling of her stomach. She started going through math equations in her head, calculating the height of the building, compared to the height of trash.
Right in the middle of her equations she heard a few police cars go by. Adela quickly dove under the bags of trash, not wanting to be caught in the middle of a police chase, or be caught by the police.
She stayed hidden for awhile until she felt it was safe. As she started to get up from her hiding spot she heard Johnny coming. Well she smelled him first; he reeked of alcohol.
"Alright bitch, where's dinner?" Adela felt herself get angry.
"Johnny don't talk to me like that, you're drunk, again! You've been taking the money I earn, and spending it on booze, haven't you?" she asked. Johnny walked over, and smacked her across the face, knocking her to the ground.
"Shut up bitch!" he started advancing on her, a drunken craze look in his eyes. Adela did the only thing she could think of, she stood up, grabbing a bottle off the ground and knocked it over his head. He fell to the ground, landing on a pile of trash. She kneeled down next to him, and pushed the hair out of his face.
"Johnny, why won't you stop drinking?" she kissed his forehead, and carefully pulling the jacket off of him, and laid it over him. She stood up, knowing that she needed something to eat. When she didn't eat, she slept in, which meant that she missed breakfast, and would have to wait even longer to eat. Adela walked around a bit, stretching her legs, trying to think of a plan when she heard someone walking. Rather someone stumble in.
"Adela…?" someone asked, she saw the man stumble again, and she raced over and caught him before he hit the ground. She looked at his face, and was surprised to see it was her boss. Without hesitation she pulled him into the alley, and sat him down on the ground, away from the trash cans.
"Boss, what's going on?" she asked in panic. Twoface leaned back, and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
"Someone ratted me out, that's what happened." He said. Adela used her sleeve to wipe the rest of the blood off his face.
"God that's awful… Here, let me get some water." She stood up, and walked over to Johnny, who was laying down next to the broken bottle. She picked up the bottom, which was still intact, and walked over to the small puddle of water. She filled the small glass up, and walked back over, kneeling next to him. She pulled the ribbon out of her hair, and dipped it in the water, then used it to wipe the blood off his face.
"Please tell me that was sanitized." He said, his voice was smooth, which meant Harvey. She chuckled softly.
"If you want sanitization, you shouldn't have picked the girl living in an alley." He laughed lightly too, and nodded his head. She continued cleaning the blood of the right side of his face, debating whether or not to try the left side.
"Don't bother with the other half, you'll just get more than you bargained for." Harvey said. She nodded her head, and she saw his face change suddenly. "Where's your uniform?" raspy voice- Twoface. She reminded her self.
"I'm not at work, and so I'm not wearing it. Plus I didn't think it'd be safe to wear it on the streets when I'm surrounded by drunken men." Twoface nodded his head and used his head to motion to Johnny.
"Like him?" Adela felt her face feel flushed.
"No. Not like him, that'd be my boyfriend. He won't bother us, he's out cold." She said in case he was worried about him. Twoface nodded his head, and then looked around.
"You live here?" he asked. Adela only nodded her head. Twoface gave a slight grimace, and then noticed that Johnny had a bottle in his hand. "Is it empty?" he asked her. Adela got up and carefully pulled the bottle out of his hand, and gave it a slight shake. As suspected, it was empty. She nodded her head to Twoface, who sighed.
"Can I get you anything? I mean, I don't have much, but I can try." She said. Her boss shook her head.
"No, I just need a place to stay for the night, out of the police's eyes." She nodded her head in understandment. He shifted his body slightly trying to get comfortable. "Do you always sleep on the floor?" he asked with a smile on his face. Adela shrugged her shoulders.
"No, I mean we used to, but then the trash bags came." She laughed. "At first we thought it was the worst thing that could have happened, but once we got used to it, we realized that the bags were comfortable. So we sleep on them usually." He nodded his head. She bit her lip. "I'm sorry I don't have much to offer you." She said embarrassed. Harvey smiled.
"No, its ok; I understand. It reminds me of when I first left civility, only I stayed down in the sewers." He said with a smile. She nodded her head. "You're probably wondering why I came to you." He said reading her face. She nodded her head. "Well, I only had a few seconds, and I saw your name on the list, so I flipped my coin, and here I am." He said with a smile. Adela nodded her head. "I was hoping it'd be you anyways, I mean, you were the only one henchworker that I ever had a long conversation with and didn't die." Adela nodded her head, her eyes wide; she cleared her throat before speaking.
"Well why don't you get some sleep, I'll wake you up if anyone is coming." She said. He nodded his head, and Twoface pulled a gun out of his pocket.
"Know how to use one of these?" he asked, his voice raspy again. She shook her head no, she'd never even held a gun before, and the idea of using one terrified her.
"Left or right handed?" he asked. She replied right. He stood up with some difficulty, and motioned for her to follow. He put the gun in her right hand, and stood behind her. He moved her fingers to their proper position. He used his other hand, and moved her left hand up to help hold the gun, explaining this was to help steady herself. Adela was shaking slightly. He put both hands over hers, and told her to look through this piece to aim.
"Ok, now I want you to aim at that bottle." She did so. "Now pull this lever, it's the safety lever. Now pull this, and it'll fire." She did so, and the force of the gun knocked her back a bit. Harvey caught her, and chuckled. "Well, obviously you've never used a gun before, but now you know how to. So after you fire, all you have to do is move this before you fire again. You have five shots, don't waste them." She got off him and blushed.
"Thanks sir." She said. He nodded his head, and went back to the floor, and laid down. Adela walked over to the pile of trash. "Are you cold?" he shook his head no, and pulled his jacket off, and used it as a pillow, laying down on it. Adela sat down, facing the entry to the alley. She set the gun in her lap, and waited.
Nothing happened for a few hours, and a few times, she thought of going to sleep, but she knew that would be disobeying orders, which was the last thing she wanted to do. After a few hours, when the night was at its darkest, and crime was at its height Adela was feeling sick. She hadn't eaten in at least a day, and she only had a few hours of sleep. Add all that to the worry and nervousness she was feeling, and the constant fire truck, police, and ambulance alarms, she was ready to throw up. A bum walked by, a friendly man that she had talked to a few times at the soup kitchen. He nodded his head at her, and walked in. Adela buried the gun underneath her long shirt.
"Hey Addy" he never called her by her real name. "I'd be careful if I were you. Heard that Joker escaped Arkham; already killed a couple of people." Adela gave her thanks, and watched as he left. She fidgeted slightly.
"Did that man say Joker's on the loose?" She jumped up, and turned around, to see that Harvey was awake. She nodded his head. He sighed, and patted the floor next to him. She got up, and sat next to him. He leaned against the wall, and cussed.
"Are you tired?" he asked. Adela shook her head. "Liar. Look, why don't you go ahead and catch some sleep. It's the peak of crime right now; no one will be looking for me now." Adela nodded her head, and as she got up she heard someone walking.
Without thinking she grabbed the gun from her boss, and aimed it at the alley, trying to keep herself from shaking too much. As the person walked, the floor crunched under his or her feet. Suddenly she heard a laughing, and then, she couldn't feel anything. She stood dumbfounded for a couple of seconds, then fell over, and hit the floor. The last thing she heard was Harvey cussing, and the creepiest laughter she had ever heard.
Adela didn't know how much time had passed, but suddenly her whole body gave a shake, and she inhaled sharply. She tried to sit up, pushing her body up with her arms, but her arms gave way and she fell.
"Glad to see that you're ok." She heard Harvey say, he sounded like he was in pain. Adela struggled to get up, and leaned against the wall opposite of him. She nodded her head, and looked at him. He looked awful, he was bleeding from a large cut on his head, and his clothes were stained in blood. She looked over to the trash bags, and was shocked to see that Johnny wasn't there. She looked back at Harvey in fear.
"Joker shot you with a serum that numbs your whole body, and knocks you out. We had a fight, nothing serious. Until your boy here woke up, and started yelling at us. He gave me this." he pointed to the gash in his head "Before he kicked you in the stomach. Joker left without saying anything. You've only been out for an hour and a half. Don't worry." He said with some difficulty. Adela nodded her head, and pulled herself over to him. "What are you doing?" he asked. She grabbed the bottle which was still next to him, and filled with water and the cloth. She pulled the cloth out and squeezed some of the water out. She dabbed the cut on his forehead, and wiped some of the blood off.
"Shoot. I don't think I have enough cloth to do this." Before Harvey could protest, Adela ripped yet another piece of cloth off of her. She ripped a large portion of her pants and dipped it in the water, letting it soak it all up. She carefully wringed the water, and wiped his face off, this time a majority of the blood came off.
"If you keep ripping your clothes off, there's not going to be much more left ya know. Not that I'm complaining or anything." Twoface winked at her and Adela rolled her eyes at Twoface's advances. "Come on, you can't tell me that you don't find me at least a little attractive? Or do I repulse you?" he asked. Adela rolled her eyes. "You know, I've had a lot of girls before, I'm probably a lot better than you're loser boyfriend too." Adela took the rag, and pressed the cloth roughly against the cut on his head. "Ow!" he said his hands moving up to hers. Harvey's hand caught hers. "What was that for?" he asked.
"Oh please." She started. "You think that just because I work for you, that I'm going to throw myself at you, and have sex with you? I have a boyfriend, who is not a loser for your information." She said in defense. "Besides, you talk big talk for a man who got this badly hurt, and is hiding in an alley with a street rat." Harvey laughed, and let go of her hand.
"You have a quite a mouth on you, you know that. Don't worry, I won't let him kill you." Harvey said as he winced in pain as she continued to clean the cut, his hands closed in a tight fist. "Do you know anyways to make the pain a little less?" he asked his eyes tightly closed. Adela thought as she continued to clean the cuts, feeling a bit more confident with him not watching her. She leaned up over him, hoping that his eyes would stay close while her chest was practically eye level to him. Why does he have to be so tall? She wondered.
"It helps if you don't think about it. Think of a distraction." She said repeating what she learned in all her pre-med classes.
"Then give me a distraction; besides your huge chest in my face." Twoface said. Adela lightly smacked his head. Her face was redder than the time when her dress flew up with the wind at her high school graduation, and she flashed her entire school. She leaned back in embarrassment, and bit her lip while thinking. Before she could fully lean back, her boss wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I'm sorry, please just ignore him. He's just mad because he hates pain. Do what you need to do." Adela pulled his hands off her hips. Harvey nodded his head in understandment. "Why don't you tell me why you're with that los- your boyfriend Johnny?" he said. Adela nodded her head.
"Ok, but close your eyes." She put her hands over his eyes to make sure that they were closed. She smiled slightly. "I'll try to make this as painless as possible." She reached into her pocket and pulled a box out, it was a small sewing kit. "I'll have to give you some temporary stitches. Unless you think you can wait until we get back to the lair?" he pulled his coin out, and flipped it. Then shook his head no.
"No, there's no time, and the hideout caught on fire, and the other one is across the city. We'll have to wait for full daylight to leave, and that won't be for awhile." She shook her head, and started talking as she threaded the needle.
"I met Johnny when I was sixteen." She looked at Harvey, who still had his eyes tightly closed. She sighed and leaned back over him, and started to stitch his face up. "Back then I was what everyone called a nerd. I was the brightest student in my class, number one out of the school. I was friends with almost every clique in the school. I'd even stood up for myself a few times, and hit a few students for calling me names. The teachers loved me, and I was every parents dream child. Then I met Johnny, and my life spun around. I didn't pay much attention to him for a whole year. He sent me flowers, and wrote me love songs and I didn't care. I was an honor roll student, already accepted into a few collages, and he was a junior with credits to rival me when I was in my freshman year. Then one day I took the time to talk to him, and we kept talking, and then the next thing I knew, I was in love with him. My parents didn't approve obviously, but I didn't care. I was a rule following student, and he was a rebel. My opposite soul mate, my yang to my yin. Then shortly after I graduated, he was still trying to earn his credits, he got in trouble with the police." She started tying the knot. "He had to leave, and I left with him. So we wandered around. And eventually we came here, been here since." She took the rag and dabbed the freshly stitched cut. "Now that wasn't too painful, was it?" she said with a smile as she leaned back down.
"Yes, and no. The stitching wasn't so bad, it was your story. How could you love him? He abuses you!" Adela shook her head no.
"Only when he's drunk, he doesn't mean it. And we love each other." Harvey rolled his eyes. Twoface scoffed at her.
"Please girl, do you know how many girls think they're abusive boyfriend loves them, when he's really cheating on her, or just using her for a good nights sleep?" Adela considered smacking him, but restrained herself.
"You don't know anything about us." She said.
"You could do better. A lot better." Alice rolled her eyes.
"Oh sure, and who should I go for; you?" she asked with a slight chuckle.
"Maybe, I bet I'm a lot better in every way imaginable." Twoface said, his eyebrows were raised in a suggestive fashion. Adela considered smacking him, but again restrained.
"Look, I'm madly in love with Johnny, and I would never leave him. Deal with it." She said. Twoface pulled his coin out, and flipped it, a smile playing across his lips.
"Look, I'm sorry for what Twoface said. We'll drop the subject. So there's something that I've wanted to know for awhile. How old are you?" Harvey asked. Adela shrugged her shoulders.
"You first; I remember that you were the youngest District Attorney ever, but I never heard your age." Adela asked, and Harvey smiled.
"Fair enough, although I do support the idea of ladies first. I was twenty-three when elected, I'm twenty-five now. Two year anniversary." He smiled. Adela's eyes grew wide.
"That's, that's really young." She said in amazement. Harvey only smiled in pride. "Alright, I'm twenty-two." She smirked "Double two's." she looked around, then noticed that the sun was out, and it was early in the morning. "Look, I'm going to get some breakfast, I'll bring some back for you. I'll be right back." She said as she stood up. He nodded his head, and she start walked out of the alley. She got to the soup kitchen, and managed to trick the workers into giving her two portions, saying that her son was sick and needed food. She walked back to the alley, and saw that her boss was right where she left him. She passed him the food, and he promptly passed one of the portions back without saying anything. She smiled and ate the food slowly, thankful for the little amount of food. Adela looked at her watch.
"Shoot, I'm supposed to be at work." She said then realized that her boss was sitting next to her. She started giggling, but attempted to cover it up by coughing.
"Don't worry, I don't think you'll get in trouble." He said smiling. She only laughed at that.
Not much happened for the rest of the day. Adela sat next to her boss, reading a tattered copy of Jane Eyre. Twoface sat on the floor next to her, calmly flipping his coin. After a few hours, Twoface hit her arm lightly.
"I said- it's late enough in the day that we can sneak over to the other hideout." Adela nodded her head, and lifted the trash can next to her and placed the book under it. She got up, and helped him up. "I'm fine, I'm fine." He said protesting against her help. She didn't care though, and pulled him up. He tried to take a step forward, but was obviously still weak from the loss of blood and all the injuries because he fell forward. Adela caught him luckily enough.
"There we go." She leaned him against the wall, and started looking around for something to use as a disguise for her boss.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Well you certainly can't go walking around as a wanted and well known criminal. We need to find something to use as a disguise." She said as she continued to dig around in the trash. "Well I found a long skirt, and I bet I could find a bonnet..." Twoface stared at her.
"I am not dressing up as a girl." Was all he said. Adela shrugged her shoulders.
"You have a better plan; you could just wear a bonnet I suppose." Twoface wanted to strangle her.
"Keep looking." He commanded. Adela nodded her head, and continued looking, thinking that the look on his face was well worth the risk of death. Revenge was sweet. After ten minutes, Adela suggested a cloak, and Twoface nearly lost it. She held her hands up in front of her face.
"Look, you're a wanted criminal, and all we have to work with are a bunch of trash bags, and you're entirely too picky! You're clothes are your signature! Everyone recognizes your half and half suite! We need something that'll cover your clothes and your face!" she said; remembering all the comics, and movies she used to watch where the person needed a disguise.
"Well what about you!" Adela rolled her eyes.
"I'm not a well known criminal, and my uniform is hidden underneath my clothes!" Adela was getting angry now, wondering if the money was worth all the trouble he was giving her.
"That's not what I meant! What about your clothes! You wear the skirt, and cloak, and I'll wear your clothes! You have hood, it should cover my face fine!" Adela stopped in the middle of her fight, and stared at him.
"Wh-what?" she asked startled.
"You heard me! Trade me. We'll put my clothes in your bag then we'll walk over to my hideout with no trouble at all!" Adela bit her bottom lip, he was right; it was the logical thing to do. However, she didn't want to change clothes in front of him, again. Twoface pulled his coin out, and flipped it. She couldn't see the outcome, but she had a feeling what it was. "That's right Harv, I win. No defending her now; I'm right and we all know it." Twoface said. Adela sighed.
"Ok, but face the wall. I'll hand you the clothes. And no peeking!" she said. Twoface rolled his eyes.
"Please, all I'd see is you in your uniform, big deal." He turned, so he was facing the wall. Then he turned his head, and winked at her. "Feel free to watch me change all you want." He said. Adela's face turned a pink color as she turned facing the wall, and pulled her clothes off, slipping on the skirt, and wrapping the cloak around her like a toga, and over her head. She walked over, and passed her pants and shirt to him.
She turned around as she waited for him to change. She felt a soft tapping on her shoulder, and she turned around to see him wearing her clothes. She struggled not to laugh. The hood did cover his face as he predicted, but the pants, which were so long on Adela, fit him like high waters, and the right leg looked even funnier because it was cut up.
"Laugh, and I'll kill you." He said simply. Adela only nodded her head, knowing that he meant it. She frowned at his left arm, the sleeve didn't quiet cover the scars on his arm. Without saying anything, she went over and unrolled the sleeve. It helped a little. She ripped a good foot or so off the bottom of the cloak off. She grabbed his left hand and carefully wrapped his arm, and hand up in the cloak, tying it up on both ends. She looked up to see him smiling at her.
"Thanks for everything Adela." Harvey said. "Not many of my henchmen or women have helped me out this much, so. Thanks." He said not sure how to finish. Adela nodded her head in response.
"Come on, lets get out of here." She said, and grabbed his arm. When they left the alley, Adela tried to stay calm as the two of them walked out, Harvey leaning against her. Adela heard the faint sounds of police cars coming there way. "Come on." She said as she casually pulled him into an alley. She stood in front of him, looking out of the alley, counting the police cars as they raced by.
"Um, Adela."
"Shh, not now."
"Adela…" he tapped her on the shoulder, but she swatted his hand away. "Adela!" he grabbed her and turned her around to show her what he was talking about. There was a couple making out, a man and a woman. The woman was obviously a hooker, as the man was continually shoving money down her shirt, and in her skirt. Harvey cleared his throat; the girl looked at them and winked.
"Long time no see Big Bad Harv." She had a thick New York accent, which annoyed Adela. "Now if you don't mind, I'm with a client. But you can come by later if ya want." She said as the man started kissing her neck. He separated himself from her.
"Hey I'm not paying you to talk whore." He said, and turned his head to look at them. "Who the hell-" he cut off, and Adela felt like she was going to be sick. It was Johnny. Without saying anything more, or waiting to hear his pathetic excuse, Adela grabbed Harvey, and pulled him out of the alley. Not talking as she dragged him along.
"Adela is everything alright?" she heard Harvey asked.
"Some boy you got yourself. He really does love you, doesn't he?" Twoface asked. Adela didn't say anything; she just pulled harder as she dragged him along.
When they finally reached the hideout, Adela pulled him into an empty room and sat him down on the bed. She pulled his clothes out of bag, and shook them to get the wrinkles out. She folded his pants and set them next to him; then his shirt, and finally his jacket.
"I'll make you something to eat." She said softly and left the room, taking the backpack with her.
"I-uh" Harvey started, but didn't get to finish before Adela closed the door softly.
Adela went into the room next to Harvey's and pulled the cloak off, then the long skirt, and threw them into her bag. She ripped a piece of the cloak off, and used it to tie her hair up. She hadn't cried yet, but she could feel the tears coming. Stay distracted. She told herself. Stay distracted and you won't cry.
She went to the kitchen, and started pulling out different foods. She started cooking some ground beef, roughly stirring it. She grabbed a pot, and started cooking some noodles. She opened the cupboard and tried to reach for the jar of sauce that was up high. Her fingers brushed against it lightly. She jumped up, and hit it a bit harder. She saw it wobble, and it fall. Luckily she caught it. She opened the jar with some difficulty and dumped the contents into the pan with the ground beef. When the noodles were finished cooking, she mixed the two pans together. She grabbed a plate and pulled some food out, dumping it onto the plate. Finished, Adela turned around, and saw Harvey standing there, in his own clothes.
"Adela I'm- I'm so-" she cut him off.
"It's fine. Really. I'm going to the bathroom to fix my hair, I'm sorry for dragging you into this crap. There's some food on the counter, and more on the stove." She stood in front of him, trying to get past him, but he wouldn't budge. "Please move." She said. Harvey shook his head no. Adela bit her lip. "Boss, please move."
"You're not fine. You're a wreck; the man who you love, and abandoned everything you know for, was just caught with a common hooker." Harvey said quietly.
"Please, just let me be. I'll handle this on my own. Please…" she felt the tears starting to slip. "I just need to be alone for a few seconds then I'll fix your stitches and anything else you need me for." Adela felt the tears starting to slip. Harvey pulled his coin out and flipped it, looked at it, and flipped it again. He then reached out, and pulled her into a hug, as she started crying softly. He petted her hair, and told her everything would be ok. Adela wasn't listening though. She was busy crying, and trying as hard as she could to stop. After a couple of minutes, Harvey led her to the living room, and sat her down. He left, and came back with two plates. He set one down in front of her.
"Adela. You need to eat." He said in a pleading tone. She continued crying though, and pulled her legs up to her chest. When he spoke again, it was Twoface who spoke. "Look, I'm trying to do something nice. Eat damn it. I'm your boss, and I'm ordering you to eat." He said. Adela sighed, and grabbed the plate, taking small bites, and trying to wipe the tears away. Harvey ate in silence with her, he knew that it was important that she eat, she hadn't eaten much, and she needed food in her. After they both finished, he grabbed her, and pulled her close to his chest, letting her cry. After a couple of minutes, she pulled herself off of him.
"Thanks, but I'm fine really." She wiped the rest of her tears away. "I'll figure this all out, and it'll be good." She stood up, and pulled him up too. "Come on, let me make sure that that cut won't get infected." She pulled him into the bathroom, and sat him on the toilet. She pulled the large first aid kit out, pulling out everything she would need.
"How do you know what to do?" he asked. Adela smiled.
"Before I left, I wanted to be a doctor, I was going to travel to third world countries and help people." She said as she threaded a new needle. Harvey winced. Adela checked the box then frowned. She looked through the cupboards, frowning more. "You're out of anything that'll numb you; even canker sore medicine." Harvey frowned.
"Of. Course." He said rolling his eyes then he realized what that really meant. "Oh God, does this mean you have to re-stitch me up?" he asked his eyes wide with fear. Adela nodded her head softly.
"I'm afraid so, only it'll be worse this time." She said softly, holding up the scissors. Twoface exploded.
"No way. Nu-huh! No way, no how! Not in a million years!" he yelled. Adela hit him on the shoulder.
"Shut up you big baby. If I can wear this ridiculous outfit, you can suffer a little pain."
"No way! Last time you had a story to tell me, what're you going to do this time?" he asked. Adela thought for a second.
"I know other stories." She offered.
"The last one barely worked!" he yelled. Adela sighed.
"Just hold on to the toilet seat, and when it hurts, squeeze it. It might help. I'll be back."
"Where are you going?" he yelled.
"I ain't doing surgery on you wearing this clown costume!" she yelled. "I'm getting some real clothes on!" Twoface sighed, and waited for her to come back. When she did, she was wearing her normal clothes, the sleeves pushed back, and her hair tied up in a secure pony tail. She washed her hands and put some gloves on. "I don't want this getting infected." She said explaining. He only nodded his head. "Ok, here we go." She said nervous. She stood in front of him. "Close your eyes, and think about something happy. It'll help" she said. When in reality she had no clue if it would help or not, she was making it up now. He pulled his coin out, and flipped it, then flipped it again. Twoface frowned for the first, and smiled for the second. Harvey did the opposite. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Then nodded his head.
Adela grabbed the scissors, and carefully cut the stitches out, and threw them into the trash as she did so. Noticing that he didn't seem to be in too much pain right now.
"Are you ok?" she asked softly. He only nodded his head. She grabbed the alcohol, and tipped his head back. "Brace yourself." Was all she said. She knew this would hurt- hurt like hell, and he'd probably scream. He nodded his head softly. Adela took the bottle, and carefully poured some onto the gash, noticing that it was already turning a funny color. She was right, he did scream, and loudly; every cuss words that she had ever heard and a few that Adela had never heard of. She stopped pouring the bottle for a second, and he looked at her.
"You didn't tell me it would hurt that bad!" he yelled. Adela smiling apologetically at him.
"I didn't know it would be that bad. I'm not done yet though, that was just to get the majority of the germs killed." Twoface growled at her.
"This whole, 'grab the toilet seat thing' ain't working!" She shrugged her shoulders.
"With all due respect; deal with it." She said. He frowned at her. She grabbed some cotton balls, and soaked them with the alcohol. "Ready?" she asked.
"Do I have a choice?"
"Good point." She moved in front of him, and he closed his eyes. She grabbed his jaw with one hand, and she used the other to dab the cut. He inhaled sharply as soon as she touched his face. He moved his hands up to her waist and pushed his hands against her waist. He heard her inhale sharply too. When she finished with that cotton ball, she threw it in the trash.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked fully angered. Twoface smirked.
"Like I said, toilet seat was helping, you on the other hand, you're working fine." Twoface said.
"Sorry Adela, coin's fault." Harvey said. She frowned, as she grabbed another cotton ball, and started dabbing at the cut again, she repeated this until she was satisfied that the cut was clean enough. She grabbed the needle, and made sure that his eyes were still closed- they were.
"Breathe" she ordered. She felt him breathe in deeply, then release his breath. He squeezed her waist a bit. "Try to relax, ok." She took one hand and tried to smooth his brow.
She sighed, and took the needle, and started to stitch his face up once again. She concentrated as hard as she could on the job at hand, but occasionally she'd think of how his hands felt on her waist, and how good looking he was. Then she'd remember Johnny, and the prostitute, and how she had looked at her boss. Her boss, that's what would snap Adela out of her little dream, and she'd go back to concentrating. Finally she finished, and she cleaned up the cut once again, and she felt his hands on her waist tighten a little bit. Then she smiled.
"All done, you can let go of me, and open your eyes."
"How about I just open my eyes, and not let go?" he asked. He was looking at her carefully, studying her face. Adela pulled the gloves off, and threw them in the trash. She tried to pry his hands off of her waist, but he held tight. One hand let go, Harvey's hand, and he flipped the coin. Twoface smirked again. Harvey's arm wrapped itself back around her waist, and tried to pull her in close. She wouldn't let him though, and she tried to hold her ground. Harvey stood up.
"How can I ever thank you for everything?" he asked. Adela frowned.
"You can let go of me." She said simply. He shook his head no, and pulled her close to him, his arms wrapped around her waist tightly. "You're thinking of going home aren't you?" he asked, a sad expression on his face. She nodded her head, still frowning at him. She saw him bite his lip while he thought. "But, I was hoping that…" he trailed off. Adela just shook her head.
"Harvey, you're a sweet guy, you really are, and even Twoface isn't so bad when he wants to be, but I have to go home. I have a family, and they don't even know if I'm alive. I have to go back to them. But, I want to thank you. Thanks for showing me what a jerk Johnny was, and I think I'm over him now. Really." She said, still trying to pry his hands off of her. He bowed his head slightly.
"I'll let you go home to your family, but I'm not letting you go right now." He pulled her in, and before he could kiss her on the lips, she turned her head, so he kissed her on the cheek. Twoface talked next. "Adela, please, we're trying to be romantic, and you're really killing the mood here." Adela laughed lightly.
"I'm sorry, I really am; but it could never work between us. Thank you for reminding me who I really am." She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek, but it was Harvey's turn to turn his head, so she kissed him on the lips, he pulled her in closer, and kissed her softly. He was glad that she let him kiss her. When he pulled away she smiled at him.
"Will you let me leave today?" she asked. He shook his head no.
"Too early, just give me one more day with you please." She sighed and nodded her head yes. Twoface spoke to her next.
"Ya know, I am an amazing man in all aspects of life, especially in bed." He said smirking. Adela rolled her eyes.
"Do you always brag this much?"
"It's not bragging if you can back it up." He said with a smirk.
"You know what they say about a man's ego. The bigger the ego, the smaller the-" she trailed off.
"I repeat, it's not bragging if you can back it up, and I can definaltly back it up. If anything I'm downplaying myself." Twoface said. Harvey cut him off before he could say anything more.
"Adela, I'm sorry. I really am. I'll try to drop it if you want me to." He looked incredibly hurt when he said it, but one hand let go of her waist, and he pulled the coin out of his pocket. Adela rolled her eyes.
"Do you make every decision with that coin?" was all she said. He shrugged his shoulders.
"Not every…" he flipped it anyways. Scarred side. He sighed. "Sorry, I tried." Twoface looked happy though.
"Let's try an experiment we flip the coin twice. The first time we'll go heads you don't have to come with me, tails you do come with me. The second time, heads you come with me, and tails you don't. It's a double edged sword. No matter what you do, you'll be obeying the coin. Adela rolled her eyes.
"Or I walk out right now, and the last you see of me is me smacking your face, and calling you some incredibly rude things." He looked both pleased and hurt at the same time.
"Please don't leave Adela." Harvey pleaded. She sighed, and nodded her head.
The two went into the living room to sit on the couch, and she allowed him to put an arm around her. She even leaned against him a little. Finally when it got late out, Twoface sighed.
"I'm guessing you want to go to bed now, right?" he asked. Adela nodded her head. "And I'm guessing you'll want to leave in the morning?" she nodded her head again. He sighed once more. "I'll have someone take you wherever you need to go. Please just wait until tomorrow." He pleaded. She only nodded her head again, and leaned against him a little more.
"Thanks for understanding." She whispered. He sighed, and stood up, and she followed him. Harvey smiled at her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her into a hug. Behind her back Twoface pulled his coin out. Harvey breathed a sigh of relief.
"Adela" he whispered.
"Hm" she said, her arms wrapped around him.
"You're fired." He chuckled. Adela laughed with him to, thankful that she wasn't fired the same way the others were- with a bullet in their back. "I'll show you to your room." He said as he pulled away. Adela nodded her head, trying to get over the fact that this would be one of the last times she saw Harvey. Also trying to get over the fact that she had fallen for him so fast. He opened the door to a room, and showed her the small room. He grabbed her by her waist, and lightly held her against the door frame. His hands lightly holding her by the waist. She looked at him questioningly.
"Humor me." Harvey said. She nodded her head softly, and Harvey smiled at her. He lifted his right hand up to her face, and lightly touched her cheek. He leaned in, and lightly kissed her on the lips. He kept his face close to hers, even after he finished kissing her. "Promise me that you won't forget me." He whispered. She nodded her head, and she moved her hands to his chest.
"I promise." He smiled as he leaned in again, and kissed her on the lips lightly again. "Goodnight Adela." He said, and she felt him release her and he walked off, and towards the room across from hers.
"Goodnight Harvey, goodnight Twoface." She said, as she slipped into her room.
In the middle of the night, Adela had made up her mind. She quietly got out of her bed, and opened the door to her room. She quietly walked across the hall, and carefully opened the door to Harvey's room. She treaded the floor carefully, and saw him sleeping in the bed. She smiled softly, and carefully got on his bed. He woke up, and before he could say anything, she pressed her finger against his lips.
"Shh." She whispered. "It's just me, Adela." She felt him smile, and he sat up. She noticed that he didn't sleep with a shirt on, and only had pants on. She tried not to think about how strong he looked, or the scars that ran across the left side of his body. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist, and pull her closer.
"What are you doing here Adela?" Harvey whispered. She recognized the confusion in his voice.
"I'm scared to leave, and I wanted to spend my last night in Gotham with you." She leaned over, and kissed him on the lips.
"Are-are you sure? I mean, you don't have to. I don't want to force you." Harvey spoke, but Twoface finished. "But we want you to." Adela nodded her head, and leaned into him as she kissed him. She felt his hands holding her carefully, as he kissed her back.
When Adela woke up, she couldn't tell if she was happy, or sad. She stretched her legs and arms, when she felt an arm wrap around her waist.
"Are you sure you want to leave?" Harvey whispered. Adela nodded her head.
"I have to. Wouldn't you leave if you could?" she asked. Harvey sighed, and shrugged his shoulders.
The two got up, and dressed without saying much, with the exception of Twoface commenting that Adela had a great body, and it was nice to be with someone that wasn't a hooker for a change. Adela blushed heavily at that, but didn't reply. They ate breakfast in silence, and Harvey offered to drive her to the rendezvous point. She nodded her head, and they got in the car, Adela was writing a note on a pad of paper as they drove.
When they got there, Harvey got out, and opened the door for her. She got out, and ripped the piece of paper out of the notebook, and folded if carefully. She put it in his jacket pocket. He wrapped his arms around her, and pressed his forehead against hers.
"We'll miss you." He said. She kissed his lips.
"I'll miss you too. Both of you." She didn't tell him that she loved him; she didn't feel like it was necessary, maybe not even true. He let go of her waist, and as she walked to the car next to them, she turned around.
"Promise me that you won't forget me." She said. He smiled.
"I could never forget you Adela." Both of them spoke, their voices mixing, and creating an odd new voice. She smiled, as she got in the car, and waved to him, he waved back, and leaned against his car, watching her leave. When he couldn't see the car anymore, he pulled the note out of his pocket, unfolded it, and read it.
"Dear Harvey, and Twoface.
I don't really know what to say. Not too long ago I was madly in love with Johnny, I gave up everything for him, and lost it all. I was desperate for money, so I talked to the slums of Gotham to figure out how to make money. I could be a lackey or be a prostitute. I took the former, and discovered that the greatest chance of me living with my dignity in tact was with you. It was pure luck that this all happened the way it did. I don't regret anything.
You never ceased to amaze me, when I first heard you, Harvey talk; I remember how amazed I was; the rumors were true- there was/is two of you in one body. I wasn't alone. I should probably explain this. For apart of my life I was living two lives. I've always lived up to my name, Adela. It means noble, and so forth. Then I meant Johnny, and I lived the second meaning to my name; dirt, filth, and so on. I moved to Gotham, and the nobility in me felt gone. Then I was able to help you, and even though I was living in the slums of the worst city ever, I was helping people [you]; you made me remember how much I loved helping people. Thank you.
We'll probably never see each other again. If we do, I'll probably be married, and with a family. But there will always be a place in my heart for you. When I said it would never work between us, I meant it. You're always torn in two; and I finally found a way to mix the meanings of my name. You can live in the filth and still have some level of nobility. If I'm ever in Gotham, I'll try to look you up. In the mean time; I hope you live a good life, both of you. And I hope you get everything you deserve.
I wanted to tell you before I left, but it was too hard, so I'll write it on paper. I don't know if it's true; I don't know if I'll feel this way forever. But for now, Harvey, I love you.
I love you, and everything about you.
Yours truly,
Adela Roads."
-
Harvey reread the note once more, than smiled and folded the note up, and put it back in breast pocket.
The end.