Edward hadn't been able to protect Olivia. He hadn't kept her safe when he should have been there. He was her friend and friends looked out for each other. Friends cared about each other and helped each other when they were in trouble. But he hadn't done that for Olivia. He hadn't been able to stop this man from taking her and doing, God only knows what, to her. Ed felt bile in his throat as he let his imagination take over him, sitting in the car outside of Kristen Kringle's house.

What happened following that was a serious of incidents that Ed didn't understand. He had thought back to Kristen earlier that day and had gone to confront Tom Dougherty. The conversation he had with the man had led Ed into a downward spiral. Standing in the precinct, Ed had tried to be brave, but Dougherty had taunted him. He had mocked him.

"I'd heard you were keen on Detective's Gordon little sister…the missing girl. You see, did you ever get her, riddle man? Did you ever get a piece of her? It would explain why you are so hung up over my girl if you didn't. Did she not put out for you? You see…sometimes you just need to be tough…take them in hand and show them who is in charge. They need that. Your little Olivia might have needed that."

Edward's grip on the steer wheeling had tightened, his eyes shutting tightly as he pictured all of the things he intended to do to Dougherty that night. He was going to give him a piece of his own mind. He was going to tell him exactly what he thought and protect Kristen Kringle from him. He was going to stop Dougherty from hurting her. He was tired of being a passenger. He needed to be more active.

But that didn't explain how it had escalated so suddenly. He had intended to warn Tom off. He hadn't intended to stab him. But Tom had come at him. He had come at him and had threatened him and Ed had taken the knife as a precaution. He had stabbed him once, but then once had become twice and twice had turned into a number of times. His hands were covered in blood as a manic laugh left him and he swore he had never felt so powerful in his life, listening to Tom Dougherty croaking his name and begging for help.

But Edward wasn't going to help. He was going to make sure that this didn't come back to haunt him. It couldn't come back to haunt him. He had bundled up Dougherty's body into the trunk of his car and drove off, knowing that he had to clean the crime scene and dispose of the body. He exhaled a sharp breath and nodded once. He had done the right thing. He knew that he had.

….

Olivia let out a deep breath as the door opened the following morning. She winced at the harsh light, her breathing suddenly becoming heavier as she felt exhaustion take hold of her. She had no idea what time it was or how long she had been chained up, but her limbs ached and her head felt light. Looking to the door, she kept squinting as she finally saw the figure stood there. But there wasn't just one figure.

Olivia tried to fight on her gag as she saw Barbara step into the room, Jason behind her. Barbara wore a fitted paste pink dress, her hair tied behind her head. Her makeup looked slightly smeared and Olivia noticed that her cheeks were red, tears flowing down them.

"You see why this is so hard for me, Barbara?" Jason asked from her as he sauntered into the room, hands in his trouser pockets and his head bowed. "I had intended to kill you instantly, but there is something about you that makes me think twice."

"Olivia," Barbara whispered her name and tentatively moved into the room as Olivia shook her head, pleading for her not to come in. "You took her?"

"No," Jason said, voice curt as he went to the desk at the end of the room and lifted the top of it open, revealing numerous photos. Olivia couldn't see what he was doing, unable to turn her head over her shoulder. "I did not take her. She is here because she wants to be here. She feels for me how I feel for her."

Looking into Olivia's eyes, Barbara knew that Jason was lying. The young woman looked frightened. She looked terrified beyond belief.

"All the others," Jason said, stepping between the two women, holding photographs. Olivia wanted to start crying at the sight of them, but she held her nerve. He held photos of women who were tied and gagged in the exact position she found herself in. They were terrified. Olivia saw that and she understood exactly how they felt. "None of them were like the two of you. They turned out to be disappointments to me."

"But why?" Barbara asked as he went to put the photographs away. "Why are we different?"

"I don't know," he admitted to her. "I just know that you two are truly unique."

"You…you should let her go," Barbara said, trying to sound braver than she felt as she watched Olivia. "Jim will be looking for both of us. If you give him his sister back then he won't care about me. We split up-"

"-Do you honestly believe that?" Jason interrupted her, moving forwards and taking hold of her cheeks in his hands, looking down at her while Olivia watched the scene unfold. "She is weak, Barbara. She came to me so that I could fix her…mend her…but you…you are exactly like me. You know what you are and what you can be. You know pain and anger. You know what it feels like to be seen as a monster. I understand that."

"Okay," Barbara said with a fervent nod, "yes…I see that….but Olivia…let her go."

"I can't do that," Jason said with a shake of his head, turning back to Olivia as he moved a finger down her cheek, tracing her cheekbone before sweeping her hair behind her ear. "There is something between us, Barbara. I can't explain it."

Barbara said nothing as he leant forwards and kissed Olivia's forehead, turning around to look at her as he shrugged. "I need time," he said with a sigh. "I need time to understand what it is I have to do."

Olivia chewed down on the inside of her cheek as he took hold of Barbara's hand and led her from the room. The Gotham socialite turned around to look to Olivia, her eyes wide as the two women seemed to come to the realisation that they had to do something before it was too late.

…

Disposing of Dougherty's body hadn't been as difficult as Ed had perceived. Apart from being interrupted by Kristen, all of the evidence had been destroyed. He had gone back to the crime scene and cleaned. His car was immaculate and his clothes had been dry-cleaned. He had done it. He had been successful. He had walked through the precinct towards the end of the day when he saw Jim and Harvey grabbing their coats. Looking to the scientist, Jim lifted his chin up, indicating for him to come to them.

"We have an address for The Ogre," Jim said to Ed. "Apparently he frequented this back street bar and one of the girls escaped him. Get this, it's the same address as a man who I interviewed when Olivia first went missing."

"How?" Ed wondered from Jim.

"I don't know," Jim said with a shake of his head. "All I know is that he now has Barbara and my sister so we need to go."

"Yeah, we don't have much time to waste," Harvey said, swinging his car keys in his fingers as Ed nodded and coughed into his fist.

"I am coming," he said and began walking beside Jim and Harvey, not caring that his coat and bag were in the lab and he still wore his lab coat.

"No, Ed-"

"-With all due respect, Detective," Ed said to Jim. "She…I need to help her."

Jim merely nodded once, not bothering to argue with Ed. It wouldn't get him far. The three of them rushed to Harvey's car, climbing in as Jim called for potential backup. Driving through Gotham, Ed tapped his foot nervously, his mind now moving to Olivia and how he would find her. He had no time to think of Tom Dougherty. It seemed like an age before they pulled up outside of the apartment building, Harvey and Jim pulling their guns out and moving into the building.

Ed kept a few steps behind, his gaze wide and his eyes flitting around as he stepped into the elevator besides them and Jim pressed the button for the machine to start moving. Once it had stopped, the door opens and revealed a large penthouse, Harvey and Jim walking in with their guns in front of them.

"GCPD!" Jim yelled out loudly as Ed followed, looking around for any sign of life.

He entered behind the two of them as they moved through the penthouse. Gulping, he heard no sign of noise except for the two detectives shouting for anyone to show themselves. Frowning, Ed looked around before noticing something that didn't look right. On the wall there appeared to be a crack. Jim walked back into the room and Ed pointed to it, Jim's gaze following.

Slowly, Jim stepped forwards, his hand moving to the wall and pushing on it, revealing some kind of hidden door. Keeping his gun raised, lights automatically went on and Jim's eyes widened as he looked to the centre of the room.

"Olivia," he whispered her name.

Rushing into the space, Jim saw his sister's face up close, tears forming in her eyes as he reached for her, seeing her struggling to stand up. His arm went around her waist as Ed followed him into the room, horror going through him. She wore a short, white nightgown, her arms covered in bruises and her hair matted. Her eyes were hooded and her mouth gagged.

"Ed, get in here," Jim demanded from the scientist who stopped his staring and did as he had been told.

"Hold her for me," Jim demanded and Edward took hold of her waist as Jim moved to unlock the gag from the back of her head, tossing it to the floor. She gasped for breath loudly, coughing and spluttering as Jim looked for something to cut through the handcuffs with.

"Olivia," Jim said to her, moving to stand in front of her as she looked to him. "Are you okay? Did her hurt you?"

"I'm fine," Olivia said as Edward kept supporting her weight, her body pressed against his. "Jim, he has Barbara. I don't know where he has taken her, but they left not long ago."

"I'll get onto it," Jim promised her as Harvey entered the room. "I need to get you down first."

"Jesus Christ," Harvey whispered, looking around the space, eyes widening and mouth gaping at the equipment on the walls. "What is this?"

"He is into BDSM, remember?" Jim sniped. "See if there are any keys to get her down, would you?"

"In the drawer," Olivia said to him. "He keeps a spare pair there."

Harvey went to the drawers, fishing around for a few seconds before grabbing a set of keys, tossing them to Jim. Standing on his toes, Jim fiddled with the lock before finally the key turned and released his sister. He grabbed hold of her before she could fall, taking her weight from Ed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and Jim finally closed his eyes, hearing her sob as he picked her up.

"I've got you," Jim promised her, leaving the room and holding her tightly, cradling her to him. "Olivia, I've got you."

"I know," she responded in a whisper once he was out of that room, sitting on the floor by the elevator as he let her rest. "Jim, you need to go and find Barbara."

"But you-"

"-No," Olivia interrupted him. "Go and find Barbara now."

"I'll send for an ambulance," Harvey said. "Backup should be here by now. We can leave some cops to guard Olivia."

"And I will be here," Ed said, pushing his glasses further onto his nose. "I am not going anywhere."

"Go," Olivia pushed her brother and he reluctantly cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Olivia," Jim said to her. "I'm so sorry."

"You found me, Jim," she responded in a hushed tone. "You have nothing to apologise for, so go and save Barbara."

Jim moved then, leaving Olivia sat in the hallway as Edward took his place, kneeling besides her and looking over to her. Her eyes found his as he struggled to think of what to say, the sight of her enough to scare him into wondering what had happened.

"You came with them," she observed and Ed nodded his head, gulping once.

"Of course," he spoke, peeling his grey lab coat from his body and moving around her, helping her pull her arms into it, hearing her grunt in pain under her breath as he pulled it across her body. "You're my friend, Olivia."

"After that night…when I left…"

"We don't need to talk about that," Ed said to her, remembering how she had told him that she didn't know what she wanted from him. "I'm here now, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

"Thank you," she said, relief coursing through her as she made a move to hug him tightly.

Edward remained with her through everything. He sat by her side as the paramedics checked her over and asked her where she wanted to go. She told them that she wanted to go home and Ed had asked if she had her keys. She told him that Jason had kept her bag in the kitchen cupboard and they should be in there. He had found them, letting the officers and forensic team incoming keep the bag, minus her house key.

An officer had taken them back to hers and Ed had opened the door, helping Olivia into the house, an arm around her waist as she still wore his forensic coat. He had left her to shower, asking her to place the clothes she wore in a bag in case they needed them for evidence. She had nodded, tossing the bag onto the kitchen table once she had finished her shower and changed into pyjamas.

"Have you heard from Jim?" she asked him and Ed finished making her a cup of herbal tea as she sat on her sofa, pulling her knees up to her chin.

"Not yet," Ed responded, placing the mug down on the table in front of her. "I am sure he will be fine."

"I…I don't know what Jason was going to do," Olivia said in a whisper. "He said that Barbara was just like him. It was weird, Ed. She…she looked scared and I couldn't help her. I couldn't stop him."

"It is not your fault," Ed responded to her and she snorted.

"I should have done more."

"Olivia, you were chained up in his torture room. There was nothing that you could have done," he reasoned with her. "He…I wish that I could get my hands on him, Olivia. I want to kill him for what he has done to you."

"Join the line," Olivia whispered.

Looking to her, Ed didn't know how to approach the topic and ask her exactly what had happened. He was scared. He was scared to know the truth. Instead he let out a deep breath and leant forwards, hands clasped together as he looked at the steaming mug of tea.

"Olivia," Ed whispered her name, biting the bullet, "did he…did he do anything…to…to hurt you?"

Olivia closed her eyes for a couple of seconds, tears falling down her cheeks as she sensed Ed looking at her.

"He kissed me," she admitted. "He…there were times when he tried to take it further, but I dissuaded him. I told him that I wasn't ready and I played along with his game. I acted how he wanted me to act…I said things to him that made me feel sick and I kept thinking that he was going to see through me. I kept thinking that he would find out the truth, but all I wanted was to stay alive because I knew Jim would be looking for me. I just…I was just scared, Ed. I was just so scared."

Edward instinctively went to wrap his arms around her, holding her to him as she buried her face into the crook of his neck, her own arms snaking around his waist as he let her nestle against him, inhaling the scent of her strawberry shampoo. Resting his chin on top of her head, Ed did his best to focus on the weight of her in his grip.

"You're safe," Ed whispered to her. "Olivia, you're safe now."

"Stay with me," Olivia pleaded with him. "Ed, don't go…please…I don't want to be alone."

"I have no intention of going anywhere," Ed told her. "I promise."

She nodded against him then and adjusted her body, leaning against his side as Ed wrapped his arm over her shoulders, letting her rest. The two of them lapsed into silence, Ed's mind working overtime as he kept thinking about how close he had come to losing Olivia. He never wanted to feel that pain again.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!