Edward walked into his extravagantly decorated apartment with stolen rare artworks all over the wall without even a glance. In all honesty, he rarely came back to his apartment. He usually passed out on his desk in front of the ten computer screens or over his drawing board. He never managed to step in to his apartment, make dinner, put on pajamas, and get a decent night sleep. He wondered quietly to himself why he even owned such an expensive place, but answered it immediately. He loved the high-class society. His taste had always been expensive, probably one of the many reason he enjoyed his work, but as he walked in the apartment he took little notice to the appearance of his apartment. He dropped his hat on the bar counter as he walked into the living room.
He fell face first into the couch. His hand let go of his cane and it made a clunk against his wooden floors. He didn't move. He stayed with his face and body buried into the cushion for a long time, maybe he drifted to sleep at some point, but he doubted it. He felt so heavy like gravity had taken particular interest in him and was pushing down on every muscle he had. He couldn't bring himself to move, to face the knowledge he had learned today. His hand turned into a fist on the couch. Unfair. It was completely unfair. He had always been healthy. He was smart enough to know the importance of good diet and exercise (though after the accident he didn't exercise as much). He didn't smoke. He might have a drink or two, but he didn't drink excessively. He was healthy because he knew it was important to be healthy.
No, it can't be true. The doctor had to have been wrong. He was a shady paid under the table doctor. His equipment could have flaws. He could have easily misread the scan, but he knew it wasn't the case. He saw the scan. He saw what was there. Hopefully this Elliot was as good as he proclaimed, but Edward had little faith. Doctors had a talent of constantly disappointing him. An overwhelming amount of sadness overcame him. He had studied medical books before. He knew the aspects of the disease. He knew the treatments. He knew they would probably never work.
His heart pounded at the horrible truth staring him in the face. He had been in a dangerous business for a good period of his life, but he never once expected to die. He was far too intelligent to actually get hit by a bullet or stabbed. He always found a way. He was the Riddler….he was the Riddler, he thought somberly.
"Riddle me this, how do you cheat death?" he mumbled against the cushion. He groaned at the question. He had been pondering it since he was first given the news. He couldn't come up with a solution…why couldn't he come up with a solution? He was the damn Riddler. He took riddles and he solved them. He wanted to solve this one. He slammed his fist into the armrest as he pushed himself up on the couch. Edward was never very physically violent. He rarely ever threw a punch, but he had an undying itch just to beat something to a puddle of gob on the ground.
He sighed at the thought. "When did you become such a brute?" he insulted himself as he leaned back into the cushion, his eyes traveling to the ceiling. His life was in shambles. His soon to be very short life.
"You have a brain tumor," he replayed the doctors words in his head. It caused him to visibly wince. He felt his heart plummet with the impact of that statement.
His response at first had been to give an arrogant smirk, "I'm sorry Doctor, if I can even call you Doctor, but I have little faith in your skills. A certificate is merely made from paper, which is made from trees. It holds the same value to me as post it note from my father. I believe you are wrong."
The doctor only sighed. He had been dealing with Edward as a patient for three years. He handed over the scan, and Edward took it. He studied it over with little interest. He was too certain there would be nothing wrong, but then he saw it. "You have a brain tumor," the doctor had repeated.
Edward felt a tear sliding down his cheek as he stared up at the ceiling with the memory. It was finally hitting him. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He was going to die. No, the doctor was wrong! Why couldn't the doctor be wrong…
He would get on the plane in the morning and meet Elliot. He was supposedly the best doctor in the nation. He could fix it. He had too.
Selina felt the rain against her skin as she stared through the wall size window into a bedroom. Her whip was wrapped around her waist while the top was attached to the stone figurine on the building. She balanced herself easily at the eleventh floor window. Her feet were gracefully in place and keeping herself in control even with the light wind and rain that had started. She looked through the window and saw, of course, a room decorated with a green theme: dark green bed spread, light greenish walls. Predictably Eddie, she thought to herself as she pressed her palm against the glass then used her other hand to draw a perfect circle. She then slowly pulled her palm away taking the glass circle with her. Using the force from the rope she moved her boots up the window and slowly stepped into the bedroom. Her back arched perfectly so her body touched nothing. Her feet touched the ground and she held the glass still out in the rain. She used her free hand to undo the whip around her waist and with a quick jerk and whip of the wrist she undid the wrap around the figurine. She pulled the whip back in then carefully placed the glass back in its proper spot. The whole acrobatic stunt took no more then two minutes for her before she was standing in Eddie's bedroom. She wrapped the whip around her waist creating a tail that swayed with her body as she stalked through the room.
Batman was given far too much credit for his detective skills. Selina could easily hide in the shadows and do a far classier job then that man. She could deduce why Edward was so upset. A sly smile crept on her face. Curiosity did always manage to get the better of her. Like a cat exploring her new home, she inspected every piece within the room. She opened the cabinets, looked under the bed, and opened the closet. Blinked. There were so many green suits, green ties, question marks, purple ties. She blinked again then immediately slide the closet door shut. She pressed her back against the door as if she had just saved herself from a ravage dog. She doubted she would find anything useful in there, and even if she did, it wasn't worth going blind from the color green. She shook her head with a small smile. Eddie, you need to look into a different fashion style, but she froze and her eyes grew as they locked onto the portrait across the way.
"Eddie, Eddie, Eddie," she hummed with a clever smile as she walked towards the artwork hanging on his wall. "You have an original piece by Leonardo da Vinci. Lady With an Empire. It's been hidden within your walls." Her hands went up to the frame. How did Edward manage to steal this away from Cracow? She could pluck this piece from him and no one would be the wiser. Her claws barely touched the edge of the frame.
"Damn it!" she heard a shout and a clash.
Her hands froze in position as she tilted her head to the bedroom door. She listened carefully to determine whether Edward was heading to his room. When the silence returned she knew she was safe. She looked back at the painting with a clever grin, but just as she lifted the frame from the wall, she stopped herself. Could she steal this from Edward?
She snorted. Of course she could. She undid the back of the frame and carefully freed the trapped portrait. Being careful not to cut it with her claws she rolled up the artwork. Now for a quick escape. She glanced towards the window to be welcome with a heavier rain.
She had not come prepared to steal a rare piece art. She couldn't run with it in the rain. She looked down at the artwork in her hand. Hmm, it was like choosing between a fresh glass of milk or taking a long nap in the sun.
"There has to be an earlier flight. I want to get there now," she heard and turned just as the bedroom door opened with a man in a green suit and purple tie.
"Hello Eddie," she responded with a wink. Silence only made you guilty. She did casually shift her body to the side so it hid what was in her hand.
Edward looked at her with a blank face. He appeared even more of a mess then how he had been in the car. His hair was disheveled, and his suit was unkept. If Selina were truly paying attention to his appearance she would have noted the slight redness of his eyes.
"I will call you back," Edward stated before pulling the blackberry from his ear and clicking end. "I'm not even going to ask why you are here, just take the painting and go," he said coldly, not even looking at her.
Selina gave him a confused look. She would have been thrilled with obtaining such a rare piece, but once again the curiosity that had drove her to break in to Edward's home had come back at full force. "Edward, I came to see you and I was distracted by your wonderful décor," she responded as she walked toward him using her free hand to present the room.
Edward folded his arms across his suit with an irritable expression. "Oh please dear, don't insult my intelligence," he stated, "I have little concern for you right now, Selina. Just stay out of my home."
"So cruel to a friend," she purred, walking right up to him and his stiff form. Eddie was obviously upset about something. She usually could assume it had something to do with the Batman, but in most cases when Edward was upset with the Batman, he ranted to anyone within a ten-foot radius about his irritation. He truly had difficulties keeping his mouth shut. It had to be something else.
He looked down at her with a cold glare. "I don't have time for friends," he muttered as her free hand went to his chest causally. Selina's eyes surveyed his face for the first time in years: the sharp chin, the intelligent observing brown eyes, his light brown hair that was always nicely brushed back. It truly was unfortunate that Edward was so attractive. His mouth ruined him. It took a second, but her eyes focused on his. They were stand offish and irritated, but she saw the puffiness. Had he been crying?
"What's going on?" she found herself asking with a strange concern. Her actions reminded her of her cat's actions when she came home upset. She would collapse on the bed, and they would all cruel up against her in quiet support.
Edward's brow rose at the question and the strange action. Not the hand on his chest. Selina always was a bit too physical with every male. No, it was the concern that confused him. All rogues had simple indifference towards each other. The only time he had visually saw caring from a rogue was Harley's ridiculous love for the Joker and Pam's ridiculous love for Harley. Strangest love triangle he had ever encountered. He finally let out a tired sigh. "To those who view the voyage of life from the port of departure the bark that has accomplished any considerable distance appears already in close approach to the farther shore," he quoted Bierce.
Her lips turned into the barest of frowns. He could never be straightforward could he? She pondered the statement for a moment, before her eyes widened. Her long claw tapped Edward's chest as she thought. Her body froze, and her eyes widened. "No, you're not…" she paused feeling lost for words, another unusual thing to occur for Selina.
"I was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer today. I only have a few months left," he said without emotions. His eyes looked down at Selina's surprised features.
Selina dropped the artwork in her hand on the floor as she felt her own heart cringe. The news shouldn't have affected her this much. Death happened everyday to good people. Edward wasn't even a good man. He was a good man, just slightly disturbed. In their business, death happened even more. "Edward…" she said his name not knowing what to say. Selina had never been good at comforting others. She was far too independent to care, but admittedly, Edward was her friend. They had ups and downs in their relationship, but overall, the man helped her and she helped him.
"Don't," he stated, calmly as he brought his hand to her shoulder. "It's merely a riddle I have to solve. I am going to solve it," he said with the barest of smiles. It seemed his words were more to himself then to her.
Edward, you can't solve this. She wanted to tell him, but why destroy the tiniest hope he had. Edward was going to… She couldn't even wrap her mind around it. There would be no more riddles randomly placed about Gotham. There would be no more witty bickering at the Iceberg Lounge. There would be no more discussions of heist. There would be no more Edward to seek out help when Batman was being especially cold. She had no words for support. She couldn't give them, so instead, she did what her cats did.
She grabbed his tie and pulled his lips down to hers.
She would give him silent support.
Edward's eyes widened in surprise as Selina's lips pressed against his. He felt his body going stiff. Selina had kissed him before, but that was in Italy when he had her dosed in fear toxin. It also ended with him getting literally thrown off the boat. Was Selina on drugs now? He felt her other hand thread into his hair and pull him into a deeper kiss. He felt Selina's soft body press against his chest. She was every man's fantasy and having her all over him made him push his questions aside. His cane fell from his hand and he moved into to the small of her back. His hand at her shoulder moved to her soft cheek and dipped under her headgear and goggles. He slowly pushed it off her head as his lips opened to her parted lips. The sound of the goggles against his floor barely even invaded his mind.
Selina's hand moved to loosen his tie. Surprisingly, Edward was quite the kisser. Maybe, his ramblings about being a player in his youth weren't lies. She quickly pulled off the tie and tossed it to the ground. Her hand went to his shirt as Edward started to slowly push her back. She easily followed his movements as she felt his tongue against her own. His movements seemed far too impressive to annoying Edward. She fiddled with a button on his shirt for a moment before finding it tedious. She dug her claws into the fabric and quickly ripped through the entire length of the shirt. Edward pulled back at the sound of it.
"That was Armani," he said in shock as his bare chest was exposed. Selina's eyes dipped. For a man who had been forced to cane, he was quite in shape.
Selina gave him a mischievous smile. "Opps," she said softly. Her eyes were half lidded as she looked at Edward's own smirk. He quickly pulled off his jacket and ruined shirt before grabbing Selina by the back of her neck and bringing her into another deep kiss. It was fierce and aggressive. She wasn't sure if the emotion was from lust or pure frustration over the situation, but she basked in it nonetheless.
Edward's lips left hers and moved in a trail to her neck, where she felt his tongue circle along her skin. Her body arched towards him, and she felt her breast rub against his chest. His lips traveled up to her earlobe until she felt his hot breath. "You are going to have to pay me for that," he said in a whisper.
She smirked. "I think I can find some form of payment," she said in her own lust filled voice as her claws traced down his skin. She desperately wanted to touch him. Her outfit was merely becoming an obstacle.
He heard Edward chuckle against her skin as he pushed her back against his bed. Her knees hit the back of the bed and she quickly fell against it. She wanted to drag Edward down with him, but he stood standing in his green slacks and purple gloves. His eyes looked over her body with a need as he brought his hand to his mouth. He bit on the top of the finger and pulled it off his hand. He then tossed it to the ground.
She smiled at the action. "I am quite surprised. It appears you can do sexy as well," she purred to his form. His hand went to his other glove to pull it off.
"Unfortunately, no one is as talented as you in that aspect," he said dropping the other glove on the ground. He then moved to the bed and slowly crawled on top of her. "But you do walk around in tight leather, so you automatically have the upper hand," he continued with a smirk as his hand moved to the zipper on her costume.
"Oh? I thought my costume was only useful in a tactical sense," she said as he slowly undid the zipper releasing her from the confinement.
"Yes, I am certain you did," he said with a teasing smile before leaning down and kissing her again. She felt his finger traced down her throat and passed her collarbone. Her heart picked up as it dipped further. Was she really going to do this with Edward Nigma? The most arrogant, loud, obnoxious man in the city, possibly the planet. Skin touched skin and she felt electricity.
Yes.
He was a friend, after all.
The sun played across her face and caused her to shift in the silk sheets. It was already morning? With a yawn, she stretched her arms above her head as her legs stretched out under the sheets. She slowly brought her arms back down before finally lifting her eyelids. Green décor invaded her sight as the images from last nights activities came to mind. Strangely enough, a blush crossed her features. She hadn't expected it to be good. She turned her head to the side to catch a glimpse at the man who had kept her attention last night. To her surprise, all she saw was empty space. She frowned. Men did not leave her alone in bed. She sat up, the sheets falling to her waist and revealing her bare form. Her eyes gazed around the room in search of any movement. He had actually left. Her frown deepened until her eyes caught a something white on the nightstand. It was a letter with her name scrawled across it. She blinked before carefully leaning over and plucking the letter. She opened it up.
Dear Selina,
Thank you. You truly are a friend. I hope I will see you again. On another note, you may take Lady with an Empire. I hardly have use for such a trivial thing.
Sincerely,
Edward
She read and reread the note a few times. She had forgotten that he had mentioned an early flight. She put the note down on her lap. He probably would not be coming back to Gotham until he found himself a cure. She shook her head with a smile. He was one of the most intelligent men she had ever met. Maybe he would find a cure.
"I hope I see again too, Edward," she said quietly to herself before pushing herself off the bed to grab the artwork.
What?
He said she could have it.
