Chapter 2: Riddles
A five-year old Erika Nigma sat on the floor in the living room of her home, entertaining herself in ways that normal children wouldn't. Most children liked watching TV or playing with toys, but not Erika. Though she enjoyed the occasional TV program or playing with some toys, she preferred brain puzzles. Little crosswords, word searches, puzzles...anything of that sort was something she liked to do. So right now, she was piecing together a small, one hundred piece puzzle with the image of a puppy on it. The puzzle was her favorite because she loved dogs, but her dad always told her "no" when she asked for a dog. He always said that dogs were filthy and dumb and that having a pet was something he wasn't planning on doing.
Erika knew that one day she was going to get a dog, even if her daddy said no. She would convince him eventually, but for now, she just had to deal with the puppy puzzle that she had on the floor right now.
Edward walked in when she was about halfway done and she was so focused that she didn't even notice him enter. He leaned against the doorframe, watching her as she tried to figure out where every piece went and where to strategically narrow it down until she found the right one. It was cute to see the way she bit her tongue between her front teeth and puckered her brow when she was concentrating and it reminded him so much of Cassidy...
The gaze in his eyes turned slightly sad, but he pushed those thoughts away and moved closer to her.
"Didn't you already do that puzzle today, Erika?" he asked softly, sitting down next to her and pulling her hair out of her face.
"Ya daddy!" she chirped, continuing to rearrange the pieces.
He chuckled a little and scooped her up which caused her to squeal and pout.
"Stopppp," she whined, trying her best to push away from him and get back to her puzzle, but he kept her tight.
"Hey, we're going to try something else, okay?" he told her, setting her on the couch and whacking her lightly with one of the couch pillows.
"What?" Her eyes grew wide and she hugged the pillow tightly to herself.
"We're going to do some riddles."
He shifted off the couch to sit in front of her and she watched him intently, wondering exactly what this new thing was.
"I'm going to give you clues. You have to guess what it is," he explained in a way she'd be able to understand.
She grew excited at the prospect of a game where she could show off her skills and could barely sit still.
"Okay are you ready?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" she exclaimed, bouncing in excitement.
"Okay. So there's something that you use in the bathroom. And the more you use it to dry, the more it gets wet. What is it?"
Her face crinkled up and she looked incredibly confused as her little brain furiously tried to figure out what he was talking about. It was the most adorable thing Edward had ever seen.
"Ummm...a hint...?" she asked sheepishly, a blush staining her cheeks.
He smiled patiently, which was something he didn't normally do with many. "Something you use to dry yourself."
"A towel!" she said suddenly and excitedly. "You use it to dry. Aaand it gets wet cuz you're wet and it makes you dry!"
Edward's face lit up when she figured out the reasoning and he swooped forward to press a kiss to her cheek. "Good job, Erika. Want to do some more?"
She giggled and nodded. "Yes! More!"
The two of them continued to go back and forth with riddles and hints to the riddles until she seemed to be getting a little sleepy. It was around her usual naptime, so he figured it was time to put her down for a nap and save the rest of the riddles for later. He was proud of her progress and he was sure she was going to be just as intelligent as he was, if not more. He couldn't believe he had ever thought for one second that he wouldn't want her…..
As she began to doze, he picked her up into his arms and she leaned against him like a ragdoll, eyelids sliding shut as her head lolled against his shoulder. She was so incredibly adorable, especially when she was tired and groggy. He didn't know how he could have even considered giving her up after that night when Cassidy left him. Erika was now his everything and he couldn't imagine his life without her, even if that meant giving up a little bit of his pride and time to take care of a real live person.
Slowly, Edward carried her back to her room, making sure not to shift too much in case she woke and then gently placed her down in her bed when he got to it. She rolled over as soon as he put her down and reached out for her little stuffed dog in her sleepy daze, pulling it to her chest as he pulled the blankets up to her chin. After that, the only movement she made was the light up and down movement of her chest as she slept.
He could see so much of Cassidy in her face and mannerisms that it almost hurt to watch her, but he couldn't stop. She was so perfect and he wasn't going to let anyone hurt her like Cassidy had hurt him. She deserved better and he was going to make sure she got it. He would teach her himself and protect her from the stupidities that Gotham was riddled with.
Brushing a strand of hair from her face, he bent down to press a kiss to her forehead. "I love you, Erika Cassidy."
Part of him knew he wasn't just talking about his daughter...
