This came to me out of boredom because honestly, I can't imagine loving someone who is going crazy. So, that is essentially what this is about, and I hope you enjoy it. I own nothing.
Chapter 1
Sophia felt a pounding in her heart, a souring as she watched the clock anxiously. Ten months, that was how long they had been apart; longer then any time before. Ten months, her husband, Edward Nygma, the Riddler, had been locked away in Arkham, so far away from her. They had an unspoken agreement that she would never go to see him while he was in that place. He didn't want her to see him like that, to be anywhere near that place, and she had never broken that agreement as hard as it was. Especially this time, when he had been gone so long, but tonight, it was coming to an end. Tonight, he had planned his Grande escape, his face was all over the news, and she was waiting for him to walk through the door.
"I'm finally getting him back," thought Sophia watching the door her breath already hitching as she waited to see him, to feel him, to have him there with her after being parted for what felt like an eternity.
"Where would I be if I wasn't here?" Sophia often asked herself thinking in that moment of the strange circumstances in which she had met Edward Nygma the infamous Riddler; that day she had stopped being just a simple girl living in Gotham, her whole life had changed. She had worked in a jewelry store at the time, when the Riddler had robbed the place.
Edward would say he was captivated by her from the start, she was the only one that remained level headed throughout the whole ordeal. Edward had liked that and even when the robbery was over, she didn't leave his mind. And now, nearly ten years later, four of those as a married couple, they had had their ups and downs, but they were still going strong. Sophia would often say she was happily married. She couldn't bring herself to think of a life without her Riddle man as she playfully called him sometimes, he pretended to hate it, but she always saw through him. That night, laying on the bed waiting for him, Sophia was happy, happy in the way that she hadn't been in months since the night she had watched the tv as the news was announced that he had been captured. Now, the pain from that night was lifting because she was getting him back. In a bed surrounded by his signature question marks, she waited, her black negligee setting her apart from the rest of the room, and then her wait ended. A crash sounded through the house and smiling she knew it had to be him. She watched the door hungry to see him come through it with that smile that took up his whole face.
A smile stretched across her face as the door opened and Edward stumbled through acting frantic.
"I missed you," whispered Sophia her eyes glowing as he came into view. When Edward didn't respond, she was confused, sitting up a little straighter.
"The bat, I have to get the bat," Edward kept murmuring under his breath as he moved past her through the room, seeming not to notice her as he went right past her to his Riddle room as Sophia called it. Sophia swung her legs over the side of the bed and sitting there a moment, she stared after him.
This was a first, Edward had never acted this way before. In that moment, a memory flashed before her eyes; of the first time he came home from Arkham after she came into his life. She had been his queen for nearly six months when Batman captured him and like usual she had to hear about it on the news. She hadn't expected to see him again, honestly, she had thought he would either be in there forever or get out having forgot all about her. But that didn't happen. Edward had thought about her during that time and missed her and within two weeks he escaped going in search of her. Sophia hadn't even known he had escaped. He had done it so well the guards at Arkham hadn't known he was gone for days, and immediately he had gone in search of her. He found her right away where he left her.
Sophia sometimes was so tempted to break his rules, to say to hell with it, and go see that he was alive. She never did though, not then, and not now. She had see the building from afar though, it pained her to imagine him in there, but that night he had just appeared. Edward was just suddenly in her kitchen scaring her so badly when she thought him an intruder. Sophia had moved groggily out of her bed into her kitchen in the middle of the night. It was pitch black. As she searched for the lights a pair of arms had encompassed her and as she screamed a pair of hands lifted her off the ground. Suddenly, she was on the counter, fighting with someone she couldn't even see scared for her life. Suddenly though, hands grabbed her wrists keeping them together as another hand spread her legs, and fighting still she found herself defenseless. Until she realized exactly who she was fighting with.
When he was between her legs, everything stopped, and all she could hear was the sound of their breathing. Suddenly, the lights turned on, Sophia found herself blinking from the light, staring into Edward's face.
"Edward?" exclaimed Sophia slowly relaxing, the fear from before leaving her.
"Hello, my little queen," whispered Edward staring at her as she stared back. After a moment, he touched her face, his tender touch something she found she missed as she leaned in close. At any moment, she expected him to tell her a riddle as was his way, but riddles seemed to be far from his mind. He seemed completely focused on her.
"I was afraid you would have disappeared or changed while I was gone…I missed you, Soph," breathed Edward his eyes seeming to trace her skin looking for alterations.
The silence was deadly, their own breathing the only sound in the room. Sophia watched him watch her realizing in that moment that she had missed him more then she had believed. He made her life exciting. He took her places no one ever had and looking at him, she didn't think anyone else ever would.
"Let me go," breathed Sophia missing his touch when he did his eyes searching hers.
"You haven't changed much either—you're still my riddle man" whispered Sophia taking his face gingerly in her hands bringing their faces all the closer to kiss him properly.
"I've missed my riddle man" said Sophia playfully smiling at him before finally kissing him realizing as he kissed her how true her words were. After a moment, her arms went around him, as he pulled her legs tight around his waist their kisses becoming hungry.
His next words caught her off guard, because until that time in their relationship she had lived separately from him.
"How long do I have you…you just going to have your fun, and go like always?" gasped Sophia running her fingers through his hair as his lips descended her neck his movements almost as desperate as hers.
"Not this time…this time I'm taking you with me—I missed you…I really missed you," said Edward his words hurried as he spoke them into her neck through open mouth kisses. His words stunned her. She had never thought she would be anything, but a plaything to her. She had always figured she was just one of many, but now he was asking her to run away with him. Asking her to be his one and only and struggling with breath, Sophia didn't know her answer.
"Wait, stop" exclaimed Sophia pushing him away just long enough to look into his eyes everything in that moment happening so fast she couldn't completely comprehend it. But then she wasn't on the counter anymore. Instead he was carrying her out of the kitchen into her bedroom the most determined look on his face.
"Now that I've escaped, I have to go away. The Bat will come looking and I need to regroup, but I want you with me. I need my riddle queen to inspire me," Edward had said as he carried me through my house. That was the first time he called her that seconds later laying her down on her bed kissing her quickly afterward.
"You inspire me. You make me happy, happier than any riddle. I never thought I'd have that until I stumbled upon you," said Edward peering down into her eyes more sincere then he had ever been with anyone before. Silence fell as he laid on the bed with her, holding her in his arms he waited for her answer. Her silence was killing him, but Sophia didn't know what to say. This was the last thing she had been expecting and now he was asking her to run away from everything she knew. She wanted desperately to say yes, but what would happen she wondered if someday he found a new riddle queen suddenly deciding it was time to replace her? That question kept her silent.
"What happens if you change your mind?" said Sophia. The look in his eyes when she said that was like nothing she'd ever seen before. There was a sadness, a mournful look that she couldn't have imagined ever seeing in a man such as him. There was regret there, and she couldn't explain it.
"I'm not going to change my mind…you should already know that. Once you solve the tricky riddle of love you don't search for alternative answers. You stick with the original" whispered Edward kissing her heatedly his lips sweeter then they'd ever been against hers. His words affected her deeply. She could feel the tears stinging her eyes and she knew he saw them as soon as their lips parted.
"I love you, Sophia McPherson, I should have told you that sooner. It took being away…not being able to see this pretty face for me to answer that riddle. I'm never letting you go," said Edward sincerely seeing the tears as they gathered in her eyes. She couldn't help just staring at him, at first, unsure of what to say.
"I love you too" whispered Sophia not having time to say anything else before he devoured her lips.
"Edward…make love to me" breathed Sophia after embellishing her words with a loud tearing sound as she ripped his striped Arkham uniform wide open.
"Stripes isn't your thing" said Sophia both breaking out into a fit of laughter. Edward peppered her skin with kisses again as he gingerly touched her skin with just his fingertips. After that night everything changed. They had become a real couple, she ran away with him, and together they were like bandits on the run. They had been madly in love. Living without any boundaries even when he surprised her after six years by asking her to marry him. Then they had done it, gotten married, far from Gotham where they wouldn't have to worry about the Bat ruining their wedding. And they had been happy. Still madly in love, until now.
Sophia had had moments when worrying about Edward had become her job, but this time seemed to be worse. Edward seemed unhinged. She had never seen him this way and it scared her. Maybe being gone so long had finally made him go truly crazy? Maybe this was the affect of that? As she walked calmly up the stairs, Sophia wrapped her arms around herself, and the closer she got to where he worked the more crashing she could hear coming from the inside. Edward was going ballistic on the inside. He was searching for something and looking at him she knew better then to ask what. There were papers everywhere and she found herself afraid for him, of the state he was in as she inched closer. He looked a mess, he was paler then usual, his hair was standing on end, and the look in his eyes was actually crazed.
"Edward?" said Sophia staying in the doorway knowing when he needed his space scared of the state he was in.
"Edward? Are you alright?" whispered Sophia hating to see him in such a state; she had never seen him so frantic not even when his best plans failed.
"Edward?" said Sophia, but he didn't respond. He was too caught up in whatever it was he was doing.
"Edward Nygma!" called Sophia finally wanting to scream, but knowing if she did she would cry. It pained her to see him this way. She stood there awhile longer before shaking her head she sighed. It was no use, he was gone right now, and giving up she went back to bed. Sophia crawled into bed and for awhile she laid awake waiting for him, but eventually sleep fell upon her.
When she woke up, she rolled onto her side to find Edward with his back to her.
"Edward?" whispered Sophia watching as he rolled onto his back at the sound of his name his eyes wide open.
"I missed you" whispered Sophia receiving no response as she gently stroked his face until without any warning he jolted upward his breathing heavy as he flinched away from her until he fell off the bed.
"Edward?" exclaimed Sophia. She watched as he sat there in silence until looking at her it felt like he was staring past her.
This went on for a long time until coming to sit at the edge of the bed, Sophia sat silently waiting.
"I'm going to kill the bat…he tried to take my mind…I'm going to kill him. I have to kill him," whispered Edward his voice detached and shaky. It broke her heart to hear him this way as much as it hurt to see him. This time they had broken him, he was trying to repair, she could see that, and it broke her heart. Suddenly, Sophia had a great longing to help him kill the Batman. She had heard him say this many times before, but never like this. She could tell he wanted revenge. That he wanted to take back what had been taken from him and Sophia vowed to help him any way she could. As she was thinking this, Edward surprised her laying his head gently against her knees. He seemed to relax in that moment and sighing she watched as he fell asleep. Eyeing the dark circles under his eyes, she wondered when the last time was that he got to do that? Sophia didn't move, she sat absolutely still happy just to have him there with her again.
Edward liked sitting like that with her. She made him feel calm, something he hadn't felt since being away from her.
"I love you" Edward heard her whisper making him sigh in contentment as her fingers ran through his hair putting him at ease as she always seemed to.
"I love you so much" Edward felt more content the more she repeated it flinching away as she accidentally touched one of the burns at his temples. He pressed his face against the soft skin of her knees then needing comfort in that moment. Those wounds deeply pained her as images of what had been done to her husband flashed before her eyes. They had shocked him. And what he said suddenly made sense. Batman had ensured they tried to take his mind and looking holding back her tears, she watched her sleeping husband fall asleep. Again, she silently vowed to help him get his revenge. They had hurt him. They could have killed him and taken him away from her permanently. She would get that Bat if it was the last thing she did. No one would hurt him and get away with it. As he fell asleep, she began to cry over him moving to gently kiss his head.
Sophia sat there in silence watching him get the first good nights sleep he had gotten in ten months. Edward always looked so peaceful when he slept. As she watched him, her mind was always working, thinking of what was going to come next for them. Wondering if maybe this act of revenge would be something that tore them apart or if it would make them stronger? Wondering if this would be an up for them or a down? But most of all she was scared for him. Edward had always had this particular kind of crazy in his veins. Something that no other man had, and it had always excited her because he always had a handle on that craze. Now, it seemed like he was losing his handle on it. Part of her wondered, if he did go completely crazy, could she still stand by him? She wasn't sure if she could as she stared down at him, so very scared of what was coming next on this journey with him.
What if she lost him; what if this changed everything? What if her Edward didn't come home to her this time and this was someone she needed to fear? Sophia didn't want to believe that, her Edward would never hurt her. It was that hope that kept her there with him.
