Ch 11

Maybe he's a vigilante?

….

Thursday, October 18th, 9:27am

Waking up next to Jack was one of the simple pleasures I'd grown accustomed to over the past few weeks.

Unfortunately for me, that didn't include this morning.

I glanced disgruntledly around my empty room, ignoring the small pang of disappointment at his unspoken departure. I already knew the excuse, "had to go to work early today, cupcake". Although it wasn't uncommon, it was an unwelcome reminder that I really didn't know the full-extent of the man I'd been sleeping next to.

What exactly was work for Jack? Something told me I didn't want to find out, but I brushed the illogical side of my brain away. It's not like I had any reason to think that way.

I shrugged off grogginess and went to the bathroom to get ready.

Thankfully due to the kind people who manage the ethics behind hospital working hours residents were granted one day a week off work.

It was a rainy day, but being my only day off, I decided it was time to indulge in some self-explore time. Gotham was ever-evolving when it came to consumerism, and a cute coffee shop sounded amazing right now.

Putting on my camel wool coat and brown boots, I headed out of my apartment.

…..

9:42am

The streets of Gotham were a hub of bustling crowds and angry taxi-drivers. One of which almost ran me over when I was crossing the street.

Apparently 'pedestrians have right of way' meant null to the cabby who yelled obscenities at me.

Asshole was lucky he was in his car. I didn't have my morning fix of coffee yet, and I wasn't exactly in the most optimistic of moods.

The rain was gentle, and if it wasn't for the wind I wouldn't have really noticed it. One of the perks of being out of Chicago. We aren't called the windy city for nothing!

I shivered at the memories of Chicago's merciless cold seasons-which was basically everything except summer.

The coffee shop was only a couple blocks away, located in the small corners between the executive buildings, owned by the Italian community of Gotham. Usually I avoided this area all-together, as it was well-known the mobs frequented the backrooms of the restaurants and shops. But it was a Thursday morning, and most mob-activity was usually at night.

Like that vigilante guy. Passing a newspaper stand, I saw another headline: "Gotham's hero or foe? Masked man saves the day again!"

This was the second week news of Gotham's masked avenger, and the press was having a field day. It was spreading all over the hospital too, how some mystery man popped out during the night to save the city's casualties. The thought brought a smile to my face. Still, a man who wore a ski-mask and cape did seem questionably sane.

Glancing across the road, I avoided the intrusive stares of the grimy men standing in front of the worn-down backstreet. Suddenly a familiar tall figure walking from the shadows of the alley caught my attention.

Jack.

He was wearing a long, gray coat and a pattern scarf laid around his neck, covering the bottom half of his face. Despite the scarf, he stuck out like a sore-thumb amongst the busy street, his shoulder hunched up as he continued his walk.

He looks like a kicked puppy.

I called out his name, but he didn't hear me. Instead he shrugged himself closer into his oversized jacket, the scarf pulling down slightly from the strong breeze. Jack seemed so engrossed in his thoughts he hadn't thought to pull his scarf up.

I began to cross the street towards him, having to jog in order to keep up with his long strides.

Damn my shitty genetic lottery in height! My dad was over 6 ft, and of course I ended up with my mom's tiny genes.

I was probably 10 ft behind him when I saw the stares. A woman walking with her daughter, who was probably a 4 or 5-year-old girl, did little to hide their disgust and both gasped as they looked at him. The mother grabbed the child and averted Jack's presence as though he had the plague. I watched in remorse as Jack's shoulders stiffened briefly, his hands pulled the scarf over his mouth once again.

My blood boiled. The little girl I understood, she was just a child-everything scared kids. But the woman's blatant lack of empathy disgusted me. I shot the lady a glare and her eyes like saucers as she regarded me.

Scars aren't contagious, lady.

I jogged up to Jack and made a point to grab his hand. The lady looked like I grew two heads. HA!

For the first and would probably be the only time in my life, I managed to startle him. Or well….the closest thing to startling him I was sure anyone was capable of.

He tensed, regarding me with widened eyes before the recognition clicked in.

"Stalking me now, doc?" he said, humor gleaming in his gaze.

"Something like that," I joked. "Are you on a break?"

Jack licked his scars dismissively, "Something like that," he echoed, something in his tone implied it was funny.

I wrinkled my nose in confusion, the punch-line lost on me. "Oh."

He glanced down then at our joined hands, and I paled, suddenly worried he would jerk his hand away.

He didn't. I felt his large fingers lace through mine.

"What are you doing out, doc? Got no lives to save today?" he asked. The comment coming from anyone else would have sounded insulting, but somehow he always made it sound affectionate.

I rolled my eyes. "It's my day off this week and I wanted to explore downtown."

I was hoping with you, but I refused to verbalize the pathetic thoughts. Last thing I want to do is seem overly clingy.

Well I am...but I'd rather hide that for as long as I can.

This is why I've been single so long.

"Earth to do-c?" Jack's vibrato broke me out of my inner turmoil.

"Er," I said. "Yeah?" Smooth.

He narrowed his eyes in mock investigation, "I wonder...where does your mind go?"

"Well when you're around, in the gutter," I mumbled, before reddening.

Jack peered down at me in amusement, tongue grazed the corner of his mouth. "Mmm….is that so, cupcake?"

I would have tripped if he wasn't holding my hand.

Suddenly the intimacy of our conversation was interrupted by two men blocking our path. Both were probably in their 30s, balding and riddled with gold chains. It was hard to distinguish between them, but I decided bald-head and gold-tooth were fitting aliases. If I hadn't known any better, I'd say they were part of Falcon's goons or something. I didn't recognize them, but they seemed to know Jack.

"Hmm...would you look at that?" he sneered, eyeing our joined hands like he found a Christmas present. "Didn't know you had such a beautiful lady, Jack-o-boy."

"Didn't know Jack has such...interesting friends," I said, not liking the way bald-head was looking at me.

"They're not friends," Jack replied. I shivered from the threat laced behind his words, but I knew it wasn't directed towards me.

"More like business partners," the gold-toothed one replied. I resisted the urge to kick him when he practically undressed me with his eyes.

Bald-head grinned gleefully, "Oh I'm sorry, we're be'n rude ain't we?" he shook his head in feigned embarrassment. "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Tom and this is Robert," he said, jabbing fat thumb towards Gold-tooth.

My nicknames are more fitting, but alright.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" Gold-tooth asked, the eagerness in his tone making me squirm.

"Not any of your business," Jack growled in a borderline nasty tone.

His body trembled slightly in a rage, and there was a flicker of something disturbing in his expression. An unfiltered rage was bubbling to the surface, and I became concerned over Jack as a threat than the two men.

The sneers were completely wiped off the goon's faces. Both men considerably paled before straightening their shoulders in what seemed a pathetic attempt at intimidation.

"Now, now Jack, we're just trying to be friendly," Bald-head said, but the shake in his voice was evident.

Jack didn't say anything, instead his stare became increasingly more homicidal. Both men took a small step back, and I let out a sigh of relief at their soon-to-be departure.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, sweetheart," Gold-tooth chimed in, flashing the grossly yellow gold smile in my direction. "Hopefully we can meet again real soon."

I resisted the urge to snort. Hopefully never.

The two men faded into the busy street, leaving us and the tension hanging in the air as we stood on the sidewalk.

There was a heavy silence before Jack uttered, "Change of plans, doc. We'll go out in the town some other time."

He turned then, pulled me along with him as we crossed the street back.

Jack was characteristically silent as we headed back towards the apartments. I followed his lead, still feeling completely confused over what the hell just happened.

"So, you gonna explain what the hell that was about?" I asked after a few moments of silence.

No response. Jack continued pulling me along with him, acting as though he hadn't heard me.

"Why don't you ever talk about work?" I knew I was pushing, but I couldn't stop myself.

I was scared I didn't want him to answer.

"Are you a doctor or a cop?" he asked suddenly, a nastiness in his voice.

Looks like I hit a nerve.

"Didn't know trying to figure out why the man I've been sharing my bed with seems to be business partners with two goons that look like the side-characters from The Godfather movies," I retorted.

More like the antagonists from Home Alone films, but I kept that reference to myself, seemingly unsure if Jack would know that one. He didn't seem like he would.

He let go of my hand then, stopped to stare down at me with a mysterious look. There was no anger in his gaze, instead I was faced with something that looked like...regret. No, not regret. Guilt.

"Like I said, free-lance business. And as you can tell by some of my clientele, it's best I don't talk about my commissions."

I bit my lip. "Should I be worried?"

A dark expression passed his features, "Nothing will happen to you, sugarplum."

I smacked his arm gently, out of annoyance. "I meant worried over you, Jack-ass."

Again no response. The mirth faded from his eyes, he shook his head and resumed the walk.

"Come on, short-stack," he said, already walking ahead of me, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

I had an annoying feeling Jack wasn't going to stop with this whole 'I'm mysterious' thing.

We passed the newspaper stand and I glanced again at the headline, a lightbulb sparking in my brain.

Turning to face Jack, I gave a coy look. "Is that what you do when you sneak off before I wake up, hmm...Mr. Vigilante?" I joked, half-serious.

Jack froze suddenly, stopping again in the middle of the street. His sullen gaze met mine, and I saw his eyes widen as he absorbed my accusation. I watched as his expression shifted, a glimmer of something I could not place in his eyes flickered as he stared back at me. His tight-lipped frown twisted, quirking up the corners of his jagged mouth as he scoffed glancing at the newspapers.

"Mr. Vigilante….huh?" he echoed, seemingly in disbelief.

There was an abrupt change in his face, and I stared immobile as his shock replaced with a wide, unsettling smile. Then something terrifying happened.

He laughed.

But this wasn't like a sound I'd ever heard before. The high-pitched laughter wasn't the same as the one I'd heard in the bar a month ago. No, this was much more dark...sinister. It made my skin crawl as it rang across my eardrums. From my peripheral vision, I noticed a few passersby's flinch and stare at Jack in blatant fear. My head spun from the sound and for the first time, I almost sympathized with them.

His hand brushed across my cheek, cradling it as he peered down at me with a lazy grin, laughter still dancing in his piercing eyes, "Not even close, gumdrop."

It took me a moment before I realigned my breathing, my brain was a mix between concern, fear, and arousal (...I….don't judge).

"You know you're really confusing, right?" I said as we resumed our walk.

Jack's eyes practically burned holes into my form, the sound of him tugging at his scars filled the temporary silence. Without warning, he pulled his arm around my shoulders and tugged me into his side. His masculine scent filled my nose, and I found myself inhaling too eagerly as I pressed against his warmth.

"I know," he said, breath tickling my ears.

His lips brushed across my cheek, kissing the cold skin as we continued our trek back to the apartments, and I forgot about the freezing weather all-together.

…

10:20am

We walked into the apartment building; the scent of the cafe greeting us as soon as we arrived.

"You need your caffeine fix, Pop-Tart?" Ever since my dessert debacle, Jack made it a habit to emphasize the nickname in ways I wasn't sure a person should legally be allowed to.

"Sure," I said, cheeks flushing from his sensual stare.

We walked up to the counter, and immediately Peter recognized me with a wave and sweet smile.

I waved back, returning the grin and began to look at the menu like I did every time.

"What's up, guys?" he asked cheerily, even sparing a glance at Jack as he did.

When it became apparent Jack wasn't going to respond, I shrugged and replied, "Not much, just enjoying the day off. How's your morning going?"

Peter nodded, still smiling. "It's good! Got an exam tomorrow, not looking forward to it. Thank god my mom had me signup for these online classes."

I nodded. Peter knew his grandma needed help around the apartments, and luckily he was able to work out a system for online schooling in order to afford time to do so.

"Lucky you, huh, kidd-o?" Jack drawled suddenly, sounding exasperated and mocking all at once.

Peter's eyes widened, both taken aback at the fact that Jack was even acknowledging him.

"Uhhh, yeah I am," he answered politely, sneaking a few concerned glances my way.

"Ignore grumpy pants, he hasn't had his caffeine yet," I muttered, looking at the rigidness in Jack's jawline.

Despite the obvious tension, I found myself getting lost in tracing the sharp contours of his face. A coil of warmth sparked below my navel, and I involuntarily gripped the counter to steady myself. My gaze traveled to his mangled mouth--the same one that made me scream his name throughout the apartment building.

I considered for a moment what it would be like if I took his bottom lip in between my teeth and bit into it.

Not that I hadn't done that by now. But still. The thought was tempting to relive again.

An uncomfortable cough forced me from being engrossed in said thought. Reddening, I quickly met Jack's gaze, who had his eyebrows raised before shooting me a knowing look. Apparently, he decided to torture me and ran his tongue across his bottom lip.

Is he trying to get me to jump him in public?

Because I will if he doesn't stop.

"...uhh….earth to Diana?" a bewildered Peter asked in what mimicked concern and second-hand embarrassment.

I forced my gaze away from Jack-not before seeing that bastard smirk with that damn twinkle in his eyes (he knows what he's doing!)-and looked sheepishly to Peter.

"Er," I said, becoming painfully aware of the fact I was drooling. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I asked if you were ready to order?" He patiently explained.

Oh right. Line, people behind me, more witnesses to my obvious ogling of my questionably employed boyfriend (...or whatever, I still don't know what we are okay!).

Mortified, I nodded. "Yeah I'll get two strawberry danishes and a vanilla bean latte," I said, knowing Jack wasn't going to order himself a bakery item.

"You got it, D! Oh and uh, if you have time later, do you mind helping me with some chemistry problems? I can't figure out this stoichiometry stuff," he asked, sheepishly.

"Of course, you can stop by my apartment later today when you have time," I answered, thankful for the change of subject.

"Awesome!", Peter beamed, and turned to Jack. "And what'll it be for the gentlemen-"

"Espresso," Jack interrupted, the nastiness in his tone still evident.

Peter nodded, clearly choosing to ignore Jack's grouchiness entirely.

"And don't worry, you're gonna do great on your exam. You're really smart," I said, giving Peter a reassuring grin.

Peter scoffed and shook his head. "Not nearly as smart as you, D."

I blushed at the compliment, never sure of how to respond to praise. Especially when I wasn't sure I deserved it.

"Alright guys, that'll be $9.50," Peter said as he rang-up the register and handed us our items.

I reached for my wallet when Jack grabbed his coffee and slammed a 10 dollar bill on the counter. "Bye," he growled venomously.

What the hell?

Peter appeared momentarily caught-off guard before recovering and glancing back at me, "Uhh bye D, enjoy the rest of your day! Thanks a bunch for offering to help, I'll see you later!"

"See you. Bye, kiddo!" I said throwing him an apologetic look. Once again I followed Jack's hunched shoulders as I ran after him.

"Hey! Jack, slow down or I'll eat both of our breakfasts!" I panted after his brisk form.

Jack stopped and waited for me to catch up. Slowly, he turned to face me, a look of apprehension and annoyance graced his features.

"Do you want your strawberry danish or not?" I asked, holding out the pastry.

The corners of his lips were pulled down so tightly I wondered if he'd somehow twist his scars into a permanent frown. He glanced down at the bakery item and reached out to grab it.

I pulled back, sticking my tongue out and shook my head. "First tell me why you always bully Peter."

His frown deepened, narrowing his eyes. "Why are you so overprotective over that child?" he practically grit-out.

"Because he's a child," I answered, biting into the soft pastry. "So, why do you like to bully children?"

For a moment, Jack's lips quirked up as he glanced at my mouth, still avoiding my question.

"What?" I said, "You're gonna pass up a delicious dessert?"

"I had one last night, Pop-Tart." he answered without missing a beat. His amber eyes shone with a flirtatious glint as he licked his scarred lips.

My face burned at the memory, but I wasn't going to let his rude behavior slide so easily.

"Nuh-uh, Mister "I'm not a vigilante or whatever'. You're not going to seduce your way out of this one. Answer my question or I'm not sharing," I teased, taking a sip of my coffee.

Jack huffed, a scowl forming on his face. "I don't share," he growled out.

I blinked. "Are you saying you don't want some….because we share food all the time…?"

He stepped forward then, cornering me into the elevator-which was thankfully empty. Blackened eyes practically claiming my form, as he pressed himself against me, and I felt dizzy from the proximity.

"I'm not sharing you," his deep voice rumbled in clarification.

My mouth suddenly felt parched, and it took me a moment to regain my ability to breathe. His warmth was seeping into my clothes and I had to restrain myself from pushing the emergency break in the elevator.

Now is not the time! Focus!

"He's a kid, he's hardly your competition," I snorted in a pathetic attempt to shrug off his sudden jealousy. Jack didn't answer, his grimace didn't budge and I realized then he wanted to hear the reassurance.

"And you don't have to," I whispered, feeling exposed beneath his stare. "But I'm not sharing you either," I added, more fiercely than I intended to.

Jack's labored breathing brushed across my skin, and he leaned forward then, pressing his forehead against mine. A small smirk graced his lips, and for a moment I couldn't tell what emotions were lurking in his eyes.

"Well aren't you possessive?" he leered, smiling.

I opened my mouth to speak, feeling slightly unsure by his response. Before I could say anything, Jack grabbed my face and pressed his lips against mine. I moaned when his tongue entered my mouth, the taste of coffee and sweets clogging my senses. He groaned into me, large hands unbuttoning my coat and reaching underneath to wrap around my waist. Once the prospect of oxygen became a necessity, we pulled back. The temperature in the tiny elevator raised considerably, and I found myself grateful Jack had removed my jacket.

"I like that," he said, peering at me with half-lidded eyes that danced with excitement. "I like it a lot, Pop-Tart."

Without warning, he reached a long arm over to the emergency brake, mimicking my earlier thoughts, and showed me just how much he liked it.

…..

7:37pm

"You're a lifesaver, D," Peter said appreciatively.

I shrugged, "That's part of my job description."

He caught on pretty quick, and it only took an hour to teach Peter the rules of solving chemical reaction calculations.

Kid doesn't give himself enough credit.

Jack had left before Peter came over, seemingly okay with it since he had spent the better half of the morning marking his territory on me for a good portion of the morning.

In the elevator. Later in my apartment. On the very table I was teaching sweet, innocent Peter the rules of stoichiometry.

The thought made my body flush. I miss him and I saw him this morning.

He left for another work thing, but it didn't sit well with me. I knew Jack wasn't lying, but he wasn't telling me the entire truth either. I was also becoming restless with the thought of 'who else does he work with'?

I had a feeling I didn't want to know.

"So...how are things going?" Peter asked suddenly. "You seem really happy."

It took me a moment to realize he was referring to me and Jack.

"Yeah," I said, a small smile forming on my lips. "I am."

Peter nodded, giving a genuine smile back. "I'm glad, D. Grandma and I were starting to think you'd become a hermit."

I snorted. Residency will do that to a person.

There was a flash of apprehensiveness when Peter bit his lip, almost debating his next choice of words.

"Do you...trust him?" he asked carefully.

I was taken aback. Where did this come from?

"What do you mean?"

Peter sighed, shaking his head. "Look, I'm happy for you. We all are, really. I'm sure he's a great guy, and honestly it only matters if he treats you right. But…do you know him?"

A sinking feeling in my gut told me, I didn't. At least, not the way anyone in my situation should. His family, upbringing, friends (if he had any, which I doubted), work...it was all unknown to me. Like none of it existed for Jack to begin with.

My silence must have been an answer, because Peter appeared apologetic.

"D, I promise I'm not saying this to upset you. Grandma and I were talking, we're just looking out for you! Besides, we might have it all wrong," he added reassuringly.

I wanted to be upset, especially because my relationship shouldn't have been concerned with anyone else aside from Jack and I. But I didn't have a right to be upset. Peter and Mrs. Larde were coming from a good place, and unfortunately for me, their assumptions weren't exactly wrong.

I shook my head, trying to clear the dizziness I felt.

"No, I understand. I do trust him," I said, meaning it. "But he's very private...and I think it's just because he hasn't really gotten a chance to be open with anyone before."

The memory of the blatant stares at his disfigurement made my stomach churn. Jack's reclusiveness was a mask, similar to the one on his face. A cracked and broken reminder of the beautiful man that never got to live outside the tragedy that happened to him.

"Yeah, he's lucky to have you for that. I'm sure you're giving him an opportunity to be himself in ways he didn't think he could," Peter said, and for a brief moment I forgot he was a 16 year old teenager.

Peter packed up his stuff, getting ready to leave and stopping to give me a hug. "Thanks a million, D! I owe you. Next coffee fix, it's on me!"

I rolled my eyes and ruffled his unruly hair. "Thanks but I don't need your charity, you're the one in school, kiddo."

"It's not charity, it's respect," he answered honestly.

How the hell did Jack find this puppy-personified human a threat?

"Alright fine, but don't be afraid to ask me for more help if you need it!" I said.

Peter nodded, sending his greetings from his grandmother and mom, before leaving me alone in my thoughts.

Who was Jack Napier?

…..

10:45pm

Getting ready for bed was more fun when I got to listen to Olivia ranting about her daily inconveniences. As bad as I felt, it was pretty entertaining.

She was on speaker, currently finishing her tale of how she got rear-ended while making eye-contact with "the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen!"

"He had those blue eyes, same as Jonathan's," she said in a dream voice.

I wrinkled my nose in disgust, opting to say nothing.

"So, how did lover boy take it when you told him Crane accused you of whoring yourself out?"

I snorted, "I didn't tell him, I already stood up for myself, there's no point involving Jack."

There was a pause, before Olivia made a humming noise in thought. "You didn't mention how he invaded your personal space either? Or that he has a thing for you?"

I shrugged despite the fact Olivia couldn't see it. "We don't know for sure has a thing for me, that's your weird theory with no actual proof," I grumbled in defense. "Besides, what would Jack do to help? It's my problem, and I don't need to drag him into anything. No point," I said with an emphasis on the "t".

"Yeah," Liv said after a thought. " Grumpy pants seems like the type of not to say anything at the time, and next thing we know Crane's gone missing," she chuckled.

A shiver ran down my spine as the unexplainable irony of her words. Liv was joking. I knew she was. That didn't stop a nagging voice in my head from telling me what she said wasn't completely far-fetched.

"Very funny," I said, my voice sounding far away.

"Shit, it's almost 11! I gotta go pickup my laundry from the dryer before that Nazi-janitor locks it again," she muttered. "I'll see you at work tomorrow, D!"

As the call ended, I heard the loud slam of a door being shut in the hallway.

That was odd. Mr. Walters never slammed his door, and the sound seemed to close to be on the other side of the hallway.

I ignored the sinking feeling that somehow, Jack heard every word.