December 1st, 2007

Penelope was slowly awakened by the gentle, rhythmic sound of raindrops against a window. She stirred, then reluctantly began to open her eyes. She was in her room, lying under her covers on the left side of her bed, facing her bedroom window. It was morning, but the sky was grey and raindrops were splattered on the glass. Penelope sat up with a yawn, then looked to her dresser on the right side of her bed. The clock read 7:30 am. She'd slept in an hour later than she usually did, but her mind still hadn't quite caught up to her body. She felt a warm, heavy object hanging off of her and realized that she was still wearing her bathrobe. Had she collapsed in bed after a long night, as she sometimes did? Had it all been a dream? The Joker's escape, the attack on City Hall, Edward- In that instant, her mind fully awoke. No. Not a dream. The Joker had escaped, City Hall had been attacked, Schrader had tried to kill her and Edward had come for her, Edward had come to her and-Penelope jumped out of her bed and ran out the door, down the hall. When she reached the living room, she stopped to take in the sight before her.

Edward was lying asleep on her sofa, his hands folded across his chest, his jacket underneath his head as a makeshift pillow, and his legs hanging over the edge of the armrest. His cane was leaned up against the side of her coffee table, his gloves on top of it, his shoes on the rug. Penelope took a long moment to observe him. When he was awake, he was always moving, standing, or sitting whether he was speaking or listening to her, he had his little twitches, micro-expressions, and quirks that she'd memorized over the years. His hands always moved to the cadence of his words. Now, the only movement she could detect was the ride of his chest as he slept. It was a sight she'd never seen before, Edward Nigma at total peace. The full memory of the previous night came back to her at that moment. He had come to her, he had told her that he loved her, and he had kissed her. At that moment, her heart had never felt so full. She approached her slumbering...lover? Boyfriend? What precisely was he to her now? She would need to talk to him about that, among other things.

He must have heard her as she approached him, or somehow sensed her presence, for when she had reached the coffee table, his eyes flew open. He reflexively moved to grab his cane, when his eyes caught sight of her. He immediately relaxed and his eyes softened as they focused on her. "Well," he said, his brassy voice still thick with sleep. "Good morning, my dear doctor."

There was so much Penelope wanted to say to him, but the only words she could summon were "Good morning, Eddie." Edward smiled, then let out a long yawn, stretching his arms above his head as he did so. Penelope pulled her Ottoman chair up next to his armrest pillow and sat down, taking in Edward's appearance. His hair was mussed out of its usual gelled-back style, giving him a younger look that she didn't find unappealing. His clothing was rumpled from having been slept in, but to her, he was the most striking man in the world. He lowered his hands and looked up at her, a soft smile across his face.

"Well," he said.

"Well," she answered. Her hands were folded in her lap, though she was sorely tempted to grab onto him and not let go. "What time did I fall asleep last night?"

"About an hour or so after I got here," he answered. He gave her a lopsided grin. "You fell asleep on my shoulder while we were watching television. It was quite adorable."

Penelope shook her head. "I'm sure it wasn't." He let out a short laugh at that, and she smiled. She let her eyes roam over his form, following his legs where they hung over the armrest. She frowned slightly. As comfortable as her sofa was, it wasn't meant for a man his height to sleep on, and it couldn't be good for his back. "Were you alright out here?"

"Of course. I've slept in far less pleasant places than this."

Penelope hummed, knowing full well what places he had in mind. "Still, you didn't have to sleep on the couch. You could have joined me."

Edward looked like he hadn't expected her to say that. All the bravado and confidence he regularly exuded melted away as he cleared his throat. "Ah. Well, I didn't want to presume, this is a new situation for us, and well, it might have made things awkward if there was any morning-after regret." His face became stricken as he looked up at her. "There isn't any, is there?"

This was the most unsure of himself that Penelope had ever seen Edward. Instinctually, she leaned down and pressed her lips softly against his. He let out a small sound akin to a squeak before he enthusiastically returned the kiss. She pulled away from him and gently pushed his bangs back. "Does that answer that question?"

Edward's dreamy smile was soon replaced by that smug smirk she'd become accustomed to. He moved his hands behind his head and shook his head. "I'm not always at my sharpest in the morning, I'm sorry to say. And I am an amnesiac. I might need a little extra clarification." He waggled his eyebrows at her for extra emphasis.

Penelope looked at him incredulously before shaking her head. "You're impossible."

Edward laughed again. "You love me."

She did. This man was impossible, and she adored him. She leaned over again and he sat up, getting into a better position for her to kiss him. Their lips met again, and Penelope shut her eyes, losing herself in this man, even if just for a few moments. She felt his hands reach up to gently grab her shoulders, then travel up to her neck and back of her head. She responded in kind, finally running her hands through his hair as she wanted to the minute she saw him on her couch...and a second later she pulled away, much to Edward's dismay. Penelope looked down at her hands and frowned at the grease they'd picked up. Edward's hair gel, no doubt. She looked back to Edward to see that he had a sheepish look on his face.

"Sorry," he said. "Usually, I wash it out, but well...I've had a rather busy last fifteen hours." He looked down at himself and frowned at the state of his clothes. "Oh Lord, I slept in this dress shirt, didn't I?"

Penelope got up out of her Ottoman chair. "Go take a shower," she all but ordered. "I'll make us some coffee." She watched as he rolled himself off the couch and popped his back. "The bathroom's just down the hall on the left. There are clean towels in the cabinet." Edward nodded. "When you come out," she said, hesitating for a moment. "We need to talk."

Edward arched an eyebrow. "Penny, I've only been awake for fifteen minutes! What did I do?"

"Not like that," Penelope reassured him. "We need to talk about..." she gestured to him, and back to herself. "This."

"Ah," Edward said, mirroring her movements. "That talk. Well, as cryptic as I can be at times, I'd like to think I've made my feelings very clear."

"You have," she said with a small smile. "And you know I feel the same way, but we need to talk about the logistics of this. For starters, who are we going to tell? Other than Ellen, of course."

"Of course, Ellen's a given." Edward smiled genuinely. "She was the one who told me to come here last night. I'd like to tell Selina, though frankly, I'd be shocked if she didn't suspect. I'd also like to tell Nina and Deirdre, Oswald too..." he stopped, then walked over to where she stood by the dining room table. "I want to climb on the roof of Wayne Tower and shout to the whole world that I'm in love with you," he said, taking her hands in his. "Before you say anything though, I know that's not a good idea."

This was the sort of romantic display that made her scoff as a teenager. The only reason she wasn't now was that she knew just how much he meant it. "No," she said, gently squeezing his hands. "We should keep this as private as we can, though I don't have a problem with you telling your friends. I want to tell Joan, my mother, and Aaron." Edward frowned a bit at Aaron's name, but he shook it off. "We can talk more about this after your shower though."

Edward let out a dramatic sigh. "Very well, though I do this under protest."

Penelope shook her head. "What, being in someone else's bathroom?"

"No," he answered, lifting one of her hands. He gently kissed her knuckles, never breaking eye contact with her. "That I'm away from you for even a minute."

Penelope felt her face flush to the roots of her hair. "You'll live," she said at last. She broke away from him reluctantly and turned towards her kitchen. "I'll start making the coffee. You like cream, no sugar, right?"

She heard Edward chuckle again. "You know me so well. I think actually, I will take one sugar." Penelope turned towards him only for him to steal a small kiss from her. He pulled away as soon as he leaned in and smirked. "There. My one sugar."

Penelope lightly pushed him towards the direction of her bathroom not bothering to hide her flush or her smile. "Shower, Edward!"

He just laughed. "Alright, I'm going, I'm going." He walked down the hall, then turned back towards her when he was halfway down. He blew her a kiss, then disappeared down the hall.

Penelope shook her head, then entered her kitchen at last. She realized as she washed her hands and prepared the coffee, that she was smiling. She couldn't recall the last time she'd been so happy, she felt almost giddy. She'd gotten what she'd wanted. Edward was here, in her apartment, and he was hers-"That's enough, Penelope," she scolded herself. "You're a grown woman, not a schoolgirl. There's still a lot you need to talk about." Her smile remained though. She was sure that she and Edward could easily agree. As the coffee began to brew, it occurred to her that Edward probably hadn't eaten anything last night. She opened her pantry and pulled out a package of English muffins, then got out some butter and jam from her refrigerator. A minute later, she had a small spread set up on the dining room table, complete with two plates. She was about to check on the coffee when she heard a loud vibration coming from the couch. Her cell phone was still on the kitchen counter where she'd left it the night before after talking with her mother. It must be Edward's hidden away in his coat pocket. No doubt his friends wanted to talk to him after...after...

Penelope's happiness faded away as the full memory of what had happened the night before returned to her. "Oh God," she whispered. She walked to her coffee table and picked up the remote where it was sitting next to Edward's gloves. Reluctantly, she turned the television on and the newscast picked up where it had left off the night before.

"The death toll has, as of right now, been confirmed at 200, though over 300 people remain hospitalized, some in critical condition. Commissioner James Gordon has confirmed that all of the gunmen involved in last night's attacks are among the dead, though he will neither confirm nor deny how they died or their identities. He has promised a full investigation. Mayor Quincy Sharp, whose City Hall dedication ceremony was a focal point of the attacks, announced this morning that he will be holding a press conference at noon today to address these attacks. This is Summer Gleeson, with GCNN."

Penelope sank onto the sofa as two emotions waged war inside of her. Grief for the dead, the dying, and the wounded, and white-hot anger. 'A press conference'. Sharp had known all along what Strange and Schrader intended to do. He'd probably signed off on it, and he had the nerve, the absolute gall to go in front of the media and give a press conference!? "One day, you will understand why I have done the things I've done." She looked down at her hands as they clenched. Murderer. Perhaps he was Strange's puppet, but he was guilty just the same. She would bring him down, she and Edward together would bring Sharp, Strange, Ward, and every single person responsible for this down, no matter what it took. Edward had told her that Schrader at least had been on the receiving end of a beating from him. She felt some vindictive joy at that. She hoped he was suffering in lockup.

"During a night of tragedy, one new hero emerged. At City Hall, dozens of people were saved from certain death by none other than former supercriminal, Edward Nigma." Penelope looked up sharply at the screen to see Vicki Vale. The screen cut away from the blonde newscaster to the front entrance of City Hall, the night before. Penelope watched intently. She hadn't seen much of the footage from last night, between talking with her mother, showering, and Edward. For the first time, she watched as Ryder's cameraman she heard Vale said caught one of the gunmen with his weapon raised at who she recognized as Joan, Joe, and Dr. Thompkins. She saw a flash of green come charging down the stage's stairs towards the gunman. She watched as Edward, her Edward, attacked the gunman with his cane, first knocking the weapon out of his hands, then bringing him down. One hand went to her mouth reflexively. So many things could have gone wrong. The gunman could have seen him coming and fired on him. Edward could have missed. The second gunman could have been there, a police officer could have been there and assumed the worst...the sound of running water reached her ears and Penelope willed herself to relax. Edward was alive. Edward was safe. Edward was here. She continued to watch the clip as Batman appeared, spoke with Edward, and as the two reached some agreement before Batman ran off and Edward got the doors open. She was proud of Edward for what he'd done, fiercely proud, but they would be speaking about this.

"GCNN has repeatedly reached out to Mr. Nigma since last night, but as of now has received no comment about his actions at City Hall. Regardless of whatever motivations he may have had, this reporter is certain that there are many people alive today who are grateful that he was there. This is Vicki Vale, back to you, Summer."

It seemed Gordon was holding back the bomb. She'd told him after finding him what Edward had done, how he'd saved not just her life, but the lives of everyone near City Hall. The man had looked like she'd told him that he'd grown a second head. Penelope heard a beeping noise from her kitchen and nearly jumped, only to realize that it was the coffee maker. She got up from the couch and walked towards the kitchen, only to hear another noise as soon as she stepped inside. Her cell phone was vibrating on the counter. For a moment, she thought it might be Joan, or her mother again until she looked down and recognized the number. She wet her lip, then answered the call. "Good morning, Commissioner Gordon."

The events at City Hall were the last thing on Edward's mind as he showered. "I'm singin' in the rain," he sang as he lathered his hair. "Just singing, in the rain! What a glorious feeling, I'm happy again!" He must have been the biggest idiot on Earth to have denied himself this happiness for so long. "Just singing, singing in the rain!" He rinsed out the shampoo and picked up a bottle of body wash. Vanilla scented. A bit sweet for his taste, but it would do until he could get back to his apartment and get his cologne. Once he was done washing, he turned off the faucet and stepped out of the shower, grabbing the towel he'd pulled out of the cabinet and drying himself off. He pulled his boxer shorts and pants on first, then paused as he was about to pull his shirt on. It was wrinkled and smelled of sweat. He sighed. This had been one of his nicer dress shirts and now the thought of putting it back on made him want to cringe. He peeked out of the corner of his eye at the bathroom mirror and gave himself a quick inspection. He wasn't as impressive a physical specimen as Bruce Wayne maybe, but he'd kept himself in good physical shape over the years, and he was certainly glad about it now. Maybe he should go out shirtless and give his darling doctor a preview of what he had to offer. "Down Edward," he scolded, reluctantly putting the soiled shirt on. "The talk first, then a trip home to spruce yourself up a bit. After that..." After that indeed. He smoothed back his hair as best he could, given the lack of hair gel, and walked back into the hallway.

"Penny," he called out as he headed back towards her living room. "I had a thought. After we have our coffee, and our talk, I need to go home to change and run a few errands. After that though, I can come back here, and we can spend the rest of the day together. We can read, talk some more, whatever you like. What do you say-" he was cut off when he caught sight of her, standing by her dining room table. She had just put a thermos down and she looked up at him with a downcast expression on her face. He crossed the floor in record time to get to her. "What?"

Penny let out a sigh. "Commissioner Gordon called me," she said. "He wants me to come down to police headquarters and give my official statement about what happened last night."

Edward frowned. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. Nothing in his life had ever been that easy. "Now? Didn't you tell him everything last night? Why does he want to drag you out now?"

"It's standard procedure," she said. "Remember, I'm not just a witness."

The memory of Schrader taunting him about what he intended to do to her, finding her tied up in that basement next to the bomb...Edward took a breath to calm himself down, lest she thought she was angry at her. "I remember," he said. That alone didn't explain the serious look on her face though. "There's more, isn't there?"

Penny nodded. "Gordon told me that he tried to call you earlier this morning. He wants you to come in too."

Edward folded his arms across his chest. He really should have expected that he supposed. He was the new 'hero' of Gotham after all. Gordon must have a ten-page list of questions for him. "Just myself, or should I bring in legal counsel too?"

"You're not a suspect," Penny reassured him, stepping closer to him. "Gordon said he just wants to get your side of the story. He needs to know everything Schrader might have told you before you found me."

Edward considered this and nodded. Schrader was probably in a holding cell if he wasn't in a hospital. Time to nail him to the wall. "Well. Who am I to deny Commissioner Gordon?" He sighed. "I take it this means our talk will have to wait."

"I'm sorry," Penny said, looking down at her feet.

Edward reached a hand out to gently tilt up her face. "Don't be. Gordon was going to come calling sooner or later. We'll have time for ourselves."

Penny gave him a brief smile before her face grew serious again. "There's one more thing to consider, Edward. We need to tell Gordon everything we've uncovered in our investigation." He opened his mouth only for her to raise her hand. "I know it's not ideal, and I know how you feel about this getting to Batman, but people are dying, Eddie. Gordon needs to know everything."

Edward considered her and that pleading look in her ice-blue eyes. Something about this whole situation nagged at him, but it could wait until he was face to face with Gordon. He sighed, then cupped her face. "This is completely unfair. How can I refuse you anything when you look at me like that?"

Penny smiled again, then reached up to quickly kiss him. "Thank you." Edward leaned down and they kissed again, longer, but not nearly long enough for him. He wanted more, more time to savor her, to memorize every little movement, noise, and taste. More time was something he couldn't have, however, as she pulled away. "I made you some coffee to go," she said, gesturing to the thermos on the table. "I also toasted you an English muffin and put it in a bag."

Edward smiled himself. "You're too good to me." He walked over towards the couch and picked up his coat, putting it on in one fluid motion. He pulled his glasses out of the front pocket and put them on, then put on his shoes and gloves. He checked his pockets to make sure he had his phone, keys, and wallet, then picked up his cane before walking back over to Penny, who had the thermos and bag in her hands. He hooked his cane into the fold of his elbow and took the thermos and bag from her. "Does your dashing private investigator get a kiss before he goes?"

Penny rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Edward?"

"You love me," he sassed. Winding her up was going to be even more delightful now.

Penny's expression instantly turned from unimpressed to soft. "I do," she said, and the way she said it made his heart skip a beat. She leaned up on her tiptoes and he leaned down, the pair sharing one last, soft kiss before he left. Edward was sorely tempted to forget Gordon, but even on the small chance Penny would go along with that, the Commissioner certainly wouldn't. Better to in person rather than be escorted by one of Gotham's 'Finest'. She pulled away, and her face resumed its usual serious expression. "I'll see you at GCPD."

"Until then, my dear doctor," Edward said, with as much of a bow as he could manage. He walked away from her, reluctantly, and walked towards her front door. When he reached it, he turned around to see that she had followed him. "I love you too," he said.

"I know," she answered, reaching around him to open the door. "Goodbye, Eddie."

The rain had slowed to a drizzle by the time Edward made it out of the Brownstone, but he barely felt it as he walked to his car. Well, half-walked. Despite the irritation he felt at being pulled away from Penny so soon, there was a distinct spring in his step. "She loves me!" he half spoke, half sang. "She loves me, she loves me, I love her, she loves me!" Once he was in the car, he placed the thermos in his cup holder and the bag o his passenger seat. "Well," he said to himself. "Time to call good Commissioner Gordon back." He pulled his cell phone out of his coat pocket, only for his eyes to nearly bug out of his skull when he looked at the screen. "Jesus Christ! Fifty-five missed calls!?" The most recent number was one he didn't recognize, which probably meant it was Gordon's. He saw Oswald's number several times, Selina's, Nina's, Deirdre's, Jack Ryder's, the damn parasite, Vicki Vale's, an unlisted number, dozens of numbers he vaguely remembered as belonging to his past clients and an unlisted number. "Good Lord," he groaned, running a hand through his hair. "It's going to take me the better part of the morning to sort through all this!" He was about to put his cell phone away when it began to ring. This number was very familiar to Edward and he answered it immediately. "Ellen?"

"Hi, Dad!" his daughter's voice rang. "How'd it go last night?"

Edward double-checked the time on his phone. "Did you get up at 8:15 on a Saturday morning just to ask me that?"

Ellen responded with a yawn. "I didn't get that much sleep last night. I was too wound up from everything. But come on, how'd it go? Did you talk to Doc?"

Any thoughts of scolding his daughter for her poor sleeping habits faded away. "I did."

"Yeah? And?"

He had to laugh at the enthusiasm in her voice. "She loves me too."

Ellen let out a loud laugh. "I knew it! So she's your girlfriend now, right?"

"Well, we didn't get the chance to have that conversation just yet, but essentially, yes."

"Didn't get the chance? Why?" Ellen's voice became worried. "Did something else happen?"

"Nothing's happened," Edward soothed her. "Commissioner Gordon wants me to come to GCPD and tell him what I did last night."

There was a pause before Ellen spoke again. "He doesn't think you did it, does he?"

"No sweetheart, nothing like that. If he did, he'd be sending the whole might of GCPD after me."

"I guess so." Ellen yawned again. "Still. I'm really happy for you and Doc. At least something good came out of all this."

"I suppose so, yes," Edward agreed. "I'll call you later today once I've sorted a few things out. Try not to worry too much. And go back to sleep, you sound half dead."

"Fine," Ellen huffed. "I know you're gonna be busy today, but can I see you tomorrow?"

"Of course," Edward said. "We'll talk more about that later today. Now go back to bed."

"Okay. Bye Dad," Ellen said, letting out one last yawn before she hung up.

Edward smile and shook his dead. "My little hellion," he said affectionately. Then he sighed. "Time to get this over with," he muttered as he scrolled up and hit redial. The phone rang once before a familiar voice picked up.

"Nigma? That you?"

Showtime. Edward leaned back in his seat and said in the brassiest tone he could muster, "Good morning, Commissioner Gordon!"