TanithSeh1011 - You *know* I did! Haha! It's just a shame that I couldn't work my favourite line into that chapter. 'Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb'. LOL! Nothing but respect for Bat!West!
eatingsupernoodles - Ooh, the sixty-four thousand dollar question...which Eddie is this Eddie? Well, I think his looks are mostly Eddie from Joker's Asylum II, mixed with the boyish vivaciousness of Hush Eddie. For some reason Eddie in Hush was drawn so well, that I really got the feel for his energetic, almost child-like charm. But really, any Eddie you want to picture is fine by me too. TAS is a good one...oh, but if anyone's envisioning the Riddler from The Batman while reading this fanfic, I hate to burst your dirty bubble, but that isn't the Riddler. It's a horrible mistake.
Violeta27 - Yeah, I'm feeling the Crane love. He's so damaged and in need of serious love.
Robot521 - It's hard. I'm not sure even Crane knows what he wants at this point in time.
NURSE J0Y - You...*sly face*...you pick up on my hidden clues so well!
Renny777 - Finally someone joins my shrubbery party! It's about damned time! What's my fascination with Sweden? Well, I'll tell you, through the power of song...*tunes guitar* *clears throat* The legend lives on from - *string on the guitar snaps* Welp, that's the song. Thank you and goodnight!
AceMate - Hey, thanks AceMate! The pledge you made to this story will be used to school a gerbil in a small county in England.
*checks Sweden trap*
HEY! SWEDEN! FINALLY I CAUGHT...Oh...wait...it's Finland.
*sets Finland free*
Get out of here you scamp! You had your turn!
Chapter Ten: Oz & Pancakes
Day Eighteen
**Selina**
All morning he sat quietly in her corner arm chair by the window in her living room, fingers templed, resting against his chin. Miss Kitty was curled up on his lap, purring away contentedly.
The coffee she set down for him went untouched, the waffles too.
She perched on her sofa, flipping through her magazine and watched him over the top of it. Still feeling a little sick from the day before, she decided to remain close to home, which meant co-habituating with a silent, contemplative Riddler. She didn't mind, Eddie had two extreme emotional ranges, light hearted and playful Eddie and quiet, brooding Riddler.
Finally, by noon, as she set a tuna sandwich in the spot where his cold waffles sat, he spoke. Softly, but with an air of importance that gave his hushed words authority.
"How will all end?"
She smirked. "Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice."
"That's not exactly what I meant, but I appreciate the reference."
"What do you mean, Eddie?"
His brow twitched a mere flutter of a furrow. "How will it end? When the day comes, how it will end?"
"Doesn't matter how it'll end, Ed. Inevitably we all die." She sat on the ottoman at his feet. "But I don't think it's about the end. Because, like I said, we all die. It's boring, old, done to death. But the things we do during the time between birth and death are what makes our lives unique. I think you should be asking 'how will it be two seconds from now?'. Now eat your sandwich." She ordered, pushing to her feet to take his waffles to the kitchen.
"You're not eating." He pointed out as she walked away.
"I'm not feeling up to it today." She replied.
When she returned from the kitchen, she found him back in his zen-like position, eyes locked on her.
They were shining, electric, but it wasn't the look he got from lust or passion, it was his studious, scrupulous gaze. The one she always wanted to see looking her way.
By now, he had unlinked his fingers and they pushed up to join the two index digits that steepled at his chin so that all of his fingers touched their mate from his opposite hand.
She faltered under the strength of the look. It was something haunting now that she was the object of the gaze and even her solidly built resolve weakened.
Carefully, she moved back to the sofa and sat down, still under his watch.
For a few, uncomfortable minutes, he continued to stare at her while she fought to find something to take her mind off the fact that she was being analyzed by very critical, very perceptive eyes.
And then, after a few minutes, Eddie picked Miss Kitty up off his lap and gingerly set her on the floor so that he could stand.
She forced her nose deeper into the magazine as he moved across the room to ease down quietly beside her on the sofa.
He was so close she could smell him. That scent of his. That old man's cologne matched to perfection with his own scent of old books and lemons, surrounded her, comforted her with it's familiarity.
She put the magazine down and angled herself to face him.
His eyes were still sharp and they were still focused on her and her alone as he angled himself as well, touching her knees with his.
Selina smiled softly. Those long legs of his, they were the silliest things for her to love about him, but at the moment they were suddenly very endearing.
So many men had come into her life. Some of them good, most of them bad, but none of them had Eddie's ability, that sixth sense that only he possessed, that let him know her deepest sins and secrets.
His gloved hand moved across her body, landing lightly against her ribs.
"Selina," he began quietly, seriously.
Suddenly she was scared, she was terrified and Selina Kyle wasn't the sort of woman who scared easily. But his tone, it was unlike any she had ever heard come out of his mouth. Crane had said that once the mystery was gone, Eddie had lost all interest in that other woman, hadn't he? Did something happen? Was her mystery gone for him?
But no, Eddie was pulling her in close to him, her hip slid in tight against his and his arm slipped around her, touching her back lightly.
"Selina, I don't really care about what'll happen two seconds from now." He said, brow furrowed delicately. "All I really want is for you to be here at my side for those two seconds and the infinite number of seconds that could follow. Do you see? When I asked about the end, I left it up to you. My end is forged by your decision."
"My decision?"
"Will you be here beside me in two seconds and the all the rest that may follow?"
A chill raised bumps on her arms. "Jesus, Ed, most men just propose."
"I'm not most men and you're not like most women. We aren't those people, kitten. Now, how will it end? Will you be here by my side until the last?"
She opened her mouth, but didn't get anything out, because someone knocked on her door.
Selina glanced in the direction of her door.
Eddie never took his eyes off her.
Turning back to the Riddler, she smirked darkly. "I'm very interested in what you'll look like when you're older, Ed." She said softly, ignoring the knocking.
His eyes softened to their robin's egg blue and he smiled. She could almost see the tension slipping off his shoulders.
Leaning in she gave him a rushed peck on the lips. "Now scram."
Taking hold of her, Eddie gave her a proper kiss, before pushing to his feet and with one last grin in her direction, he pressed a button on his device and disappeared from her sight.
Selina smiled to herself. "Well, what do you know, Lina. The elf can be romantic…" Wandering to her door, she opened it.
Not even Bruce Wayne could ruin her mild high, as she leaned against the doorframe casually, arms crossed. "Well, what brings you back for round two, Bruce?" She purred.
He beamed at her and held out a flat jewellery box. "Hello, Selina. I just wanted to thank you for accompanying me to the opera the other night."
She eyed the box. "Jewellery?"
He opened it for her proudly.
Selina reached in and pulled out the pearl necklace, letting it drape elegantly from her fingers. "You know diamonds are a girl's best friend, Bruce."
"But you like pearls." He pointed out.
"Hn, thanks for the pearls." She pocketed the necklace in her jeans and closed the door on Bruce Wayne.
Smiling smugly to herself, she locked the door and moved back into her living room. She hated to be such a bitch, but Bruce needed tactless rejection sometimes. After all, she liked the man, but he had an ego that could rival Eddie's at times.
Her rear was hovering over her sofa cushion, about to sit when the ear piercing wail of a car alarm shrieked up at her window from the street.
Curious, she wandered over to the window to peer down.
Bruce raced out onto the sidewalk below to stand beside his Jaguar and the cinderblock that had gone through the window of it.
Selina leapt back from the window as another cinderblock fell past.
Below her window Bruce narrowly leapt out of it's path and looked up.
"Eddie." She mumbled to herself. Who else would it be?
"Act of God." He explained quickly from where he appeared in the corner of her apartment. "But he's a vengeful God." He muttered darkly.
As she watched Bruce try and make sense of his attack, Selina leaned against the wall by the window, close to Eddie's corner, her back to him.
"Eddie?"
"Hm?"
"Do you remember asking me what I wanted? Something you could give me?"
"Of course."
She hesitated. Unsure if it was too big of a demand, that maybe he'd think it was too much.
A hand settled on her hip and circled around to draw her away from the window far enough that he could hold her against him without anyone below seeing. "What can I give you, my queen?"
"It might be asking too much." She confessed.
"If you want it, Lina, then it's yours."
She turned around to face him, inhaling deeply. "How about a home?"
"A home?"
"Not a lair, not an apartment, but an actual house."
Eddie wrapped his arms around her waist and smiled. "It's yours."
"Are you sure it's not too much to ask?"
Leaning down he pressed a kiss to her temple. "Selina, most men may find such a request too difficult to fulfill, but I'm not like most men. I know how fortunate I am and I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy."
"Well, in that case-"
At her wicked look, Eddie pulled away. "A house it is!" He exclaimed, cutting her off before she could make another demand.
**Doctor Fries**
The thermostat needed a fine tuning before his device could be ready, but it may have just been his fussy nature. He didn't want it operating at less than ninety percent, even though it was still fully functional at eighty. He didn't want risk anything when it came to the Joker.
Scratching out a record of his work, he didn't notice the two figures who stepped into his basement lab until one of them cleared their throat.
He looked up.
Both the Riddler and the Scarecrow stood by the door, watching him work.
"Come in, gentlemen." He greeted, motioning them close.
The two men approached.
"How are the initial tests, Doctor Fries?" Edward inquired.
"Good, I'm improving them, but they're good." He held up the little device. "Now, you'll only get one shot at each of your targets with this, make sure they get the full dose. It has to hit the artery into the brain, if the solution hit's the heart first it won't work. At best the subject will get a mild numbing discomfort. You need to shut down the brain function first. Understand?"
The two men nodded.
"Once the solution takes effect it'll slow down their bodies to the point of being cryogenically frozen without a tube, at which point you'll have forty minutes to either decide to put them down or let them live."
Taking the device, Crane turned it over in his hands. "What are the long term effects if the solution is administered correctly, but the subject's time runs out and they recover?"
The Riddler furrowed a brow at Crane's question, but said nothing.
Fries smiled ever so. "Ironically enough, they get a sensation likened to a brain freeze, but no long term effects."
"Now, when they're under this they'll be fully aware of their surroundings, correct?" Edward asked.
"Yes. The solution is merely to keep them still, from fighting back, but you said you wanted them to be aware."
"Just the Joker. Harley Quinn is merely a loose end that needs tying." Edward said, eyeing Crane as he spoke.
The Scarecrow handed the device back to Fries. "I'll go check on Ivy's progress…save Edward the trouble."
As the Scarecrow wandered out, Fries wavered his hand at the Riddler questioningly.
"I think he's still undecided. But he won't let me down. He never does." Edward said.
"Do you want Harley Quinn dead?"
The Riddler sighed heavily, resting his hands on his cane. "I want to be able to fly under the radar for a while. If she's going to be a cloudy vein in my diamond then she'll have to be cut from the finished product."
"Just like that?"
"You know how things work around here," he said. "It's dog eat dog. If the Joker has to go, then anyone who'll defend his death will have to go too. Otherwise I'll never get any peace."
"If you want peace, why not leave Gotham behind?"
Chucking, Edward tucked his cane on his forearm and pocketed his hands. "Call me obsessive compulsive - hell all my shrinks have - but I don't like to leave loose ends. I'll be back later tonight for the device. I left the chemicals you wanted as payment in your study."
"Thank you, Edward."
"No, thank you, Doctor Fries. It's always a pleasure working with you."
As the Riddler moved towards the door, Fries called out. "Edward? Don't force Crane to kill her if he doesn't want."
The Riddler smiled. "Everyone assumes I'm a monster of a man." He said. "But no one ever wondered why I asked for you to prepare only one cryogenic tube."
Fries frowned. "I assumed it was a trophy case for the Joker."
"It isn't. It's something that will allow Jonathan more time if he needs it."
**Ivy**
When Crane traipsed in, his face was drawn, eyes dark.
Ivy watched him march all the way up the aisle in her greenhouse, before speaking to him.
"You look terrible." She greeted.
"I always look like this." He replied dourly.
She smirked.
At her hip Victor garbled happily and stretched a little arm out to the newcomer. She was seriously going to have to train her son to be less eager to meet and greet new people.
"You know they have cages for babies now, Pam." Crane pointed out. "You don't have to tote him everywhere on your hip like a pioneer woman."
Ivy smiled at her boy. "We were learning the Latin names for all the species of mistletoe, weren't we?" She cooed to her son.
Victor pat a hand on her breast.
"You should teach him the hard way just how poisonous the parasite can be." He said.
Quirking a brow, Ivy chose to ignore his remark. "What do you want, Jon?"
"Edward wants to know if you're ready for tomorrow night."
"Yes. Tell him not to worry about me, it's you that has the shaky trigger finger." She replied.
He scowled darkly. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know what I mean."
"Never let your son watch The Wizard of Oz." Crane stated suddenly.
Ivy, thrown by his tangent, was almost tempted to follow it out of curiosity over the randomness of the comment. She weighed whether to allow him to change the subject or not. "Why?" She asked, finally giving in.
"You know how many Freudian interpretations of sex experts have found in The Wizard of Oz? Too many. It's a smut film and the book is even worse."
She snorted at the idea, but when she really pondered what Jonathan Crane had just said and too whom he said it and just how random the comment was, she turned her snort into a full on laugh. Ivy laughed so hard she had to hand Victor off to the sullen Scarecrow in order to laugh properly without dropping her boy.
Crane sullenly held the boy, scowling at Ivy's reaction. "That wasn't a joke."
Sighing, she gathered her senses and calmed. "Oh, Jon honey, why don't we spend more time together? You make me laugh."
"I wasn't trying to," he said.
"I know. That's half the reason why it packed such a powerful punch." She replied. Taking her son back from the tall man, she smiled. "Thanks, though. I needed that."
He thrust his hands into his pockets. "I'm going home now."
"Say 'goodnight', Gracie!" She called after him.
"I wasn't being comical!" He shouted back.
Chuckling softly, Ivy turned back to her table with Victor. "Smut film…" She muttered to herself.
**Edward**
"Pancakes aren't really a supper dish." He said.
She inhaled the plate of fluffy blueberry pancakes and smiled serenely. "So what? If I want to serve them with a large side of bacon I will."
Across the dinner table from her, the Riddler smiled almost proudly. "It was nice of you to cook. Thank you."
"I know. I expect you to do the dishes in gratitude."
"You have a dishwasher." He pointed out.
She gave him a devilish look. "I didn't mean 'doing the dishes', Ed. I meant, doing the dishes."
"Ah, sex. Well…how lovely." Picking up his fork, he gestured at her politely. "You have your appetite back."
"Mm-hm, sort of. I was craving pancakes." She said, popping a forkful of pancake into her mouth.
He watched her as she chewed blissfully, a small twinkle in his eye.
"You're not eating." She growled, as she finally came back from her moment of pancake-zen.
Edward smiled winningly at her. "I'm enjoying you enjoying your meal, my dear."
Selina gave him a smoky look from under lowered lashes.
It amazed Edward that a simple look from her would go unappreciated by any other man, but that he seemed to know just what she was thinking with a mere glance. It was almost like he had been given a manual that gave him the key to her facial patterns.
For instance the one she had just given him was a slightly scolding, mild warning that she wasn't in the mood for his tormenting.
He chose to ignore it, in favour of pushing her buttons in the hopes of getting her perturbed, mock anger look.
"Maybe it's the romantic overhead pendant lighting bouncing off the golden flapjacks, but you've never looked lovelier, kitten." He said.
There it was, that look of hers, the one he was aiming for.
Edward chuckled softly. "Of course, nothing turns me on more than that ugly sweater of yours."
The corner of her mouth where that 'hidden kiss' lived, quirked ever so and she glanced down at her plate almost shyly. "It's comfy, Ed."
"I wasn't teasing you, love." He said. "I adore that sweater. You were wearing it that day in the park, do you remember?"
"Of course. I don't remember what I was wearing, but…I remember the day." She took another bite of pancake. "We were eating pancakes as well that day."
Edward still hadn't touched his meal, he was too busy watching the drama play that danced across Selina's beautiful features. She was living art, the smallest twitches and finest movements of her facial muscles gave her spirit that he had never seen in another human being before.
Reaching out he lightly brushed her hand with his. "After dinner, kitten, will you sit and read to me?"
She smiled. "Why?"
"I'm not sure. Why don't you read to me and we'll find out why."
That softness her face had disappeared and those muscles tightened as she tensed up. Edward could see her mind working. That well oiled machine that he admired calculating and thinking, and then she spoke again.
"You're going after the Joker soon, aren't you? That's why you've been tying up loose ends here. This morning and…the way you're talking now."
"Kitten," he began, "let's not discuss business at the dinner table."
"Are you thinking you'll die?" She asked.
"No." He stated firmly. "I'm just…I just want to enjoy tonight with you."
"In case you die?" She snarled.
Sighing, Edward poked at his pancakes. "Selina, I might die, but I've taken every precaution to ensure I won't. Since when do you worry so much about me?" He teased.
Once more that poetic face of hers shifted, the smallest shift. Her brow furrowed gently between her perfectly shaped, midnight kohl brows, her mouth pulled straight at the corners.
Edward smiled. Of course he knew what she was saying without her ever uttering a word.
"Okay, kitten, you're going to try and tail me anyways, I may as well let you tag along."
"Gee, thanks." She replied, her features even again.
"But you'll watch from afar, understand?"
She nodded.
"And you'll only step in if it looks like I need your help. Okay?"
"I'm your back-up." She said.
Reaching out, he brushed his knuckles just under her chin lightly. "You're my partner, kitten."