"Stay with me tonight."
Ophira didn't immediately acknowledge that Edward had spoken, letting silence settle between them. Several moments passed before she worked up the energy to speak.
"Is that a request or an order?" She whispered into his chest. His stiffened momentarily, seizing the calming movements of his hand across her back. He released a quiet sigh before speaking.
"I suppose that would depend on your answer." Edward moved his hand to the back of Ophira's neck, silently rubbing the sore muscles beneath the skin. Ophira exhaled softly, enjoying the gentle movements of his fingertips.
"If I said no?" Ophira opened her eyes slowly. They were swollen from crying, almost painful.
"The door would remained locked." Edward nuzzled his head into her hair, breath grazing the top of her head. Ophira tried to stifle a yawn, exhausted from the emotional turmoil she had just endured. Edward straightened up at the sight, glancing at her wearily.
"I weaken all men for hours each day. I show you strange visions while you are away. I take you by night, by day take you back, none suffer to have me, but do from my lack. What am I?" Edward stepped back, releasing her from his embrace. Ophira glanced up at him, catching his expectant expression. The last thing she wanted to do was answer a riddle but she mulled over his words carefully before coming the answer she hoped he sought.
"Sleep?" Ophira rubbed at her eyes, willing them to stay open. Edward nodded, satisfied at the answer, before catching Ophira by surprise and lifting her bridal style. She yelped, arms grasping for his neck. "What are you doing?!"
"I thought it was quite clear." Edward carried her past her desk, allowing her to see the small kitchenette tucked behind a wall. They passed two doorways before Edward pushed one open, ushering them into what appeared to be his bedroom. A queen bed stood in the middle of the room, a plain cream colored comforter strewn across the top. Edward set her down gently upon it, shifting the blanket to cover her. Ophira began to protest but stopped when he slipped into the bed beside her. He wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her into his chest. She let her eyes flutter closed and listened to the soft sound of Edward's breathing. Sleep's embrace slowly enveloped her mind, allowing her to drift away.
Ophira woke up with a start, panic filling her chest. It took several seconds before she remembered where she was. The bed was empty next to her, Edward must have slipped away while she was sleeping. The room was completely dark except for the small alarm clock that sat next to the bed. It read 3:04 a.m., meaning she had been asleep for almost seven hours.
She yawned and rubbed at her sore eyes, shifting herself out of the bed slowly. Two doors stood on opposite sides of the room, one she assumed must have been for the master bath. The events of the night had left Ophira feeling drained and although the sleep had helped, a hot shower would clear her mind even more. She padded across the room, pushing the door open and blindly searched for the light switch. Her eyes burned as she caught it with her fingertips flooding the small room with light.
The bathroom was neat and clean, albeit a bit small. Ophira pulled the shower's knob, allowing the water to rush out of the tap. She held her fingers under the small waterfall, waiting for the temperature to rise. As soon as the water became bearable she pulled the small metal knob upward, forcing the water to pour from the shower head.
For a while she didn't move and just allowed the water to wash over her body. The strain of the past hours had left her neck sore, the muscles tense with stress. The rivers of water coursed over her back, slipping off to her side or down her legs. After a minute Ophira began to feel her thoughts floating away, leaving only a hint of emotion in her chest.
The shower curtain fluttered beside her, the soft crinkle of curtain tickling her ears. Rough hands curled around her stomach, the flat plane of a chest settling against her back. Edward nuzzled his head into the crook of Ophira's neck, eyes closed in satisfaction.
"How I've missed you." Edward murmured, lolling his head to rest upon her own. "It took everything I had to keep myself from going to you. Each night was torture, knowing you were within my reach." He swept a hand upward, grasping the outline of Ophira's breast.
"You were so beautiful, laid out naked before me. The way you begged me to touch you, to fuck you." His finger grazed his nipple, forcing Ophira to inhale. "Mmm, yes."
"Don't." Ophira curled her back, forcing his grip to loosen. Edward seemed to pause for a second before questioning her quietly.
"Ophira-"
"I fucking hate you." Ophira felt Edward's hands slip from her torso as a heavy silence settled between them. She didn't have to see his face to know he was scowling.
"I understand that the events of this evening have been trying, Ophira. But I refuse to believe that is how you truly feel about me." His voice was quiet but still sharp. The water began to turn cold, echoing the atmosphere between them.
"You have manipulated me from the beginning. You killed a man, a friend, because of your twisted sense of ownership." Ophira shivered as the icy water streamed down her body. "I tried to find good in you, Edward, but there is none. You're cruel and sadistic, Edward, you find pleasure in playing with other's minds. And now, like the fool I am, I have found myself in a sick game of your own design. How could I not hate you for what you've put me through?"
She wrapped her arms around her torso, protecting her chest from the cascade of icy water. Her stomach was in knots as she felt Edward press against her, leaning forward to shut the tap. He pulled back the curtain harshly, nearly ripping the sheet from the metal rod. His control was slipping.
Ophira watched him carefully as he wrapped himself in a towel before grabbing one for her as well. His brow was furrowed, an angry line appearing on his forehead as he turned to hand the towel to her. Ophira shivered and took the soft fabric from him, covering herself quietly as she watched him stalk out of the bathroom.
Even after she was dry and dressed she couldn't shake the numbness in her chest. It took her several minutes to work up the courage to leave the bathroom, uncertain as to which Edward she would find outside. The bedroom was empty, leaving her to assume that he was in the living room. She found him sitting in his computer chair, hand wrapped around his chin, seemingly deep in thought. Edward looked up as he heard her footsteps. The regarded each other quietly before Edward broke the silence.
"You are free to leave." His voice was emotionless, a flat monotone as he gestured to the door. Ophira felt the smallest hint of sadness spread through her chest but did not hesitate, taking her exit without a second look.
"Been awful quiet around here lately." Bullock threw an apple core into the small waste basket with a perfect arch. A satisfied smile spread across his lips as he leaned back in his chair. "Joker must be...uh...distracted by his new lady friend."
Ophira rolled her eyes as she copied her latest session notes. Bullock happened to have the desk next to the copy machine, forcing Ophira to interact with him every time she need to use it. Three weeks had passed since her last encounter Edward, and it seemed that neither he nor any of the other rogues were active. Ophira hadn't heard anything from him since the moment she left his apartment, leaving her anxious to predict his next move.
"Maybe it's the calm before the storm, Bullock. Joker has never been known to be quiet for long." Ophira stapled the first set of notes before leaning against the wall to observe him quietly. He nodded in agreement.
"Could be right. Hopefully that bat freak takes care of him before we have to." Bullock grabbed a toothpick out of his drawer and began to poke bits of apple out of his teeth. Ophira snorted derisively, earning a raised eyebrow from the detective.
"I thought you hated Batman, now you want him to do your dirty work?" Ophira stapled another set of notes.
"Why not? Let the crazies take care of each other for once." Ophira shook her head while she gathered her materials.
"Honestly, that sounds like a mess." She strode past his desk and towards her office, effectively ending their conversation. Ophira ran a finger through the pages, finding one that did not belong to her.
"Where do you belong?" She whispered quietly, plucking the sheet from the rest. GCPD CYBER CRIMES was emblazoned across the top, a clear indicator to its home. The unit sounded so familiar but she had never actually made her way down to where they operated. She shrugged her shoulders and set off towards the basement to return the wayward report to where it belonged.
"Hello?" Ophira pushed the wooden door open uncertainly. Cyber Crimes turned out to be a lot harder to find than she originally thought.
"Oh, hey!" A slightly heavy set man sprung up from a cubicle, a wide smile on his face. He made his way over to greet her, sticking out a hand. Ophira shook it firmly, a polite smile upon her face as she introduced herself.
"Wow, we never get visitors down here. Nice to know someone up there knows about us. Name's Evan by the way."
"Nice to meet you, Evan. I found a report of yours mixed in my notes. I figured I would return it." Ophira held the page out to Evan who took it and threw it onto a pile without a second glance. "Is it just you down here?"
Ophira glanced around, taking in the amazing organizational structure lining the walls of the room. Hundreds of stuffed binders were color coded across the shelves, however it seems that they hadn't been touched in years as a stubborn layer of dust had settled across them.
"No, Clark works down here as well, he should be back any second from his break." Ophira nodded quietly but not before noting a third desk.
"Do you guys not use the binders anymore?" Ophira pointed to the color coded stacks before moving towards them, Evan following closely behind.
"Uh-"
"No. We don't. Too hard to keep up with, easier just to use a computer." A gravely voice joined the conversation, Ophira turned to see an older man entering the room.
"Clark, this is Ophira. She works upstairs. Ophira this is Clark, he's the head of Cyber Crimes." Ophira nodded at Clark politely. He gave her a wry smile in greeting.
"Who set this up? It's very impressive." Ophira pulled a green folder from the shelf, brushing the dust off. She opened it quietly, flipping through the closed cases. The pages were full of hastily scribbled notes.
"The last department head. Man was a real genius. Haven't solved half as many cases since he left."
Ophira furrowed her brows curiously, placing the binder back into it's proper place.
"What happened to him?" Clark and Evan shared a look before either of them spoke.
"He, uh, kinda went nuts. Before that we knew 'em as Edward Nashton but you may know him as the Riddler. Too bad really." Clark shrugged. Ophira's mouth fell open, how could she forget that Edward had worked there? They had never gotten to it in their sessions but it had been a topic of interest she had been keen to explore.
"What was he like?" Ophira turned to face them. Evan shook his head but Clark answered.
"Brilliant. Arrogant. Dedicated. He was very serious about his work, once he had a case he wouldn't let it go until he solved it. Good trait in a detective. Worked us all to the bone but made sure we were paid well for it." Clark wiped a bit of the dust of the shelf with a rag. "Under him we were able to put hundreds of creeps behind bars. Dealt with some real nasty cases too, human trafficking, kiddie porn, you name it. The man did some real good before he went bad."
"What happened?" Ophira asked quietly, folding her arms across her chest. Clark released a heavy sigh and regarded Ophira with tired eyes.
"Cyber Crimes wasn't enough for him anymore. One day he came in with all of these files, basically extortion files, on the highest people Gotham's government. He couldn't focus on anything but bringing them down. He really took a turn, becoming more and more hostile and violent. Calling us all idiots for not seeing the big picture. I was the only one left by the time he was arrested." Clark shook his head quietly. Ophira let silence settle between them for a moment before stepping away from the shelves. She gave them a quick goodbye but not before promising Evan she would visit again.
Clark's words weighed on her for the rest of the day, forcing Ophira to consider the fact that there was still a lot she didn't know about Edward. And the thought did not comfort her.
A/N: Wow, chapter twenty! Edward has his own mysteries for Ophira to figure out. Please leave a review and follow/fave if you are enjoying the story and haven't already. I love hearing from readers.