Lee had sensed the change in atmosphere when Ed and Jim had returned to the dining table. Kristen had asked Ed if everything was okay and he said that he had bumped into Olivia on his way to the bathroom. Kristen's eyes had narrowed when she had heard that, but Ed had insisted that he had simply wanted to check that Olivia was okay. He said that she had been nauseous and so he had sat with her for a moment and asked if she wanted anything.
Jim agreed, saying that he had found Olivia with a temperature and Ed had been concerned. Lee had looked to her boyfriend as she told the story and she knew that he was lying. There was something else going on and she could sense it. They had engaged in light conversation throughout eating the cheesecake that Lee had bought.
Olivia had left her bedroom as she heard Ed and Kristen begin to leave. Her stomach still felt tight and she loitered behind the door, not wanting to come out just yet. She listened in as they bid each other goodnight. Kristen asked Ed if she was going to stay at hers and he had agreed. Closing her eyes at hearing that, Olivia wondered what they were getting up to together. Was he going to tell her what had happened? Was he going to admit the truth? Did Olivia want him to do that? Did he event want to do that.
"You are jealous," she thought, the voice in her mind not leaving her. "You're jealous of her being with him. Do you think they've slept together yet? Do you think he is good in bed? He's probably a considerate lover…willing to think more about his partner than himself."
"What the hell was going on?" Lee's voice snapped Olivia from her thoughts as she finally dared to step into the living room. Jim looked to his sister as the door opened from the hallway and he nodded to Olivia.
"Ask my sister," he urged from Lee, reaching for his wine glass from the dining table. Lee picked up the empty plates as Jim began to down the alcohol. She furrowed a brow and looked at Olivia expectantly as she began tidying things away.
"I said I was sorry," Olivia said to her brother. "I didn't mean to make things awkward, Jim."
"Is somebody going to tell me what is going on?" Lee asked.
"When I said that Ed was with Olivia I wasn't lying," Jim said, leaning back against the worktop counter as his eyes remained on his sister and Lee placed the dishes in the dishwasher. "He was too busy with his hands all over her to eat dinner with us."
"That is not true!" Olivia snapped at her brother and Lee's mouth fell open.
"What?" she demanded, voice shrill. "Are you kidding me?"
"It was only a kiss," Olivia said, holding her hands up in defence. "We did not do anything else."
"Yeah, because I walked in."
"Do you think I would have taken things further when you're having dinner in the room next door?" Olivia demanded from Jim, glaring at him with narrow eyes. Looking back to her, he shrugged his shoulders and held his glass to his lips again.
"I didn't think you'd kiss someone else's boyfriend, but you did," Jim said and sipped on his wine.
"You're one to talk," Olivia said and Jim placed his glass down, hands on his hips as Lee stayed out of the way, knowing better than to get in between two siblings fighting.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Jim demanded from her.
"Did you wait for Barbara to give her engagement ring back before you jumped in bed with Lee?" Olivia asked.
Lee stood up straight, looking shocked at what she had just heard from Olivia. There was silence then and Olivia bowed her head, her eyes looking to the ground before she shook her head. She tucked her hair behind her ears and Jim stepped forwards.
"Are you serious?"
"Lee, I didn't mean-"
"-I know," Lee interrupted. She knew what Olivia was getting at. She was not going to hold it against her, but she only hoped that Olivia knew that Lee was not like that. She loved Jim. But she had not given consideration for Barbara, not really. Lee supposed she had been in a similar position to Olivia.
"You had no right to say that."
"I just don't think it is fair for you to talk to me like that when we both know you never really told Barbara about you and Lee. She was your fiancée, Jim…and you…I think it is hypocritical for you to stand there and chastise me for what I have done."
"Barbara and I were over and we both knew it deep down. We might not have said it explicitly, but we knew," Jim said to his sister. "That is the difference, Olivia. We had split up. Ed and Kristen were in Lee's kitchen eating dinner happily. Kristen does not think they have split up."
Olivia suspected that was clearly the main difference. She knew that it was. It had to be. She said nothing then. Instead she sniffed and did her best not to feel overwhelmed. She didn't want to feel like this. She wanted to be happy, but more than that she wanted Ed.
"I'm going to change and go," Olivia said.
"No," Lee sad, shaking her head, "stay here, Liv. It is fine. Jim is just angry. We can work this out."
"No," Olivia responded. "I don't want to do this tonight. I don't want to argue or talk about it. I just want to go home."
"Well let me drive-"
"-You've been drinking," Olivia said, interrupting Lee. "I'll call a cab."
Jim watched his sister move back towards the guest bedroom as Lee shot a glare in his direction and he shrugged his shoulders back. She groaned loudly as Jim took another drink of his wine and Lee wondered just what she could do to make this better.
…
It was eleven by the time Olivia returned to her apartment. She had changed into her own pyjamas after showering and had sat on the sofa. She had been about to reach for her glass of wine when she heard a knock on the door. She only hoped it wasn't Jim as she walked towards it and pulled it open. She had no need to worry. Standing in front of her, Ed was wearing the same outfit he had worn to dinner.
"Ed," she whispered.
"I had to come," he informed her. "Can I come in?"
"Sure," Olivia said, pulling the door open wider and stepping back to let Ed in. he looked to her as she closed the door and locked it behind him. Turning around, she barely had time to do anything before she felt Ed's hands grabbing hold of her cheeks, his mouth latching onto hers as he bent down, kissing her.
Olivia startled for a moment as her back pressed against the door and she grabbed hold of Ed by the shoulders, wondering exactly what he was doing. This wasn't Ed. Ed was never this forward. He moved his hands downwards, grabbing hold of her thighs as he hauled her up into his arms, giving her no choice but to hold onto his neck. He stumbled backwards, collapsing onto the sofa with Olivia on top of him, still kissing him. He shrugged from his coat and dropped it to the floor.
"Ed," Olivia whispered his name, pulling away from his mouth as he went to kiss the side of her neck, his teeth scraping the skin there. She groaned loudly as her hands went to his chest and she tried to push herself back. "Ed…what…what are you doing?"
"Can you feel her pressing against you? She wants this. She wants you. She's basically grinding herself against you."
"It's you," Ed finally said, feeling his confidence remain as he looked her in the eye. "Olivia, it's always been you, never Kristen."
"I know," Olivia promised him, holding onto his cheeks to stop him from leaning in to kiss her again, knowing that her self-restraint only went so far. "Ed, I feel the same, but…do you mean it? Because all of this time I knew it would always be me against Kristen."
"How many times do I need to tell you?" Ed asked from Olivia. "You are the only one I want. I promise, Olivia."
"Ed, I'm sorry," Olivia said to him and Ed felt any sense of inappropriateness leaving him as he heard her voice break. Moving his hands to her waist, he let his fingers splay, trying to hold onto as much of her as possible. He kept her perched in his lap, eyes remaining set on her. "Why did we not say all of this sooner? Why did we not just admit this earlier? I…I shouldn't have waited."
"And I should have understood that Kristen was not the one for me sooner," Ed said. "I should have admitted the truth to myself, Liv. I should have admitted sooner and made you see the truth."
"You want to do this?" Olivia asked him, looking into his eyes. "You want me?"
"I want nothing else," Ed promised her.
"From now on we have to be honest with each other, Ed," she said to him, hands running along his shoulders. "We have to tell the truth…not keep secrets…"
Edward closed his eyes then. Did she really want that? Would she really be able to handle the truth? Looking her in the eye as he moved a hand up to her cheek, he stroked it softly, keeping quiet as he watched her.
"Secrets already? You've agreed to be together for, what, a minute? And already you're considering keeping it from her. You should tell her the truth. She deserves to know all of you and if she can't handle it then we will deal with that. We will have her."
"Liv," Ed whispered, voice slightly shaky. "I…I wanted to tell you. I have wanted to tell you for a long time, but after the Ogre and everything else I didn't know how to. I didn't want to burden you, but I knew that you would understand. You would understand why I did it."
"What is it?" Olivia asked him. "Is this to do with why you were acting weird?"
"Yes," Ed said to her. "It is exactly to do with that."
"Then talk to me," she urged from him.
"It…Officer Dougherty," he said to her. "He had been attacking Kristen Kringle and you had gone missing, Liv. You had gone missing and I was thinking the worst. I was thinking about how I couldn't stop him from taking you and I was scared about what he might have done. I was terrified and then I saw Officer Dougherty."
Olivia remained silent, uncertain of where Ed was going with this as he adjusted his glasses.
"He taunted me about what he had been doing to Kristen. He said how I would understand if I was with you…how sometimes women needed to be taught a lesson…how I might need to take you in hand to show you that you were mine," Ed said, feeling some of his anger return. He continued watching Olivia, trying to work out what she was thinking. "And I had to put a stop to him. I had let you get hurt, Olivia. You were my friend and I couldn't protect you. I wasn't going to let Dougherty get away with it…hurt Kristen."
Olivia gulped once, wondering if her mind was running away with her. He couldn't be telling her what she thought he was telling her. This was Ed. This was sweet, caring Ed.
"Ed," she whispered his name. "What did you do?"
"I went to stop him from seeing Kristen," Ed said. "I told him to leave her alone. He…he started to punch me, Olivia…and I…I had a knife with me. I stabbed him. I had to stop him, Olivia."
Olivia felt her cheeks drain of colour. This was not possible. Ed could not have done this to Dougherty. He could not have killed someone.
"Did you…you killed him?" she asked him.
Ed nodded his head once. "Yes," he said.
He watched then, wondering what she was going to do. She didn't pull herself from him. She didn't extract herself from his lap. Her hands remained on his shoulders as he moved to grip her hips, his fingertips digging into her skin as he kept her against him. He didn't want her to leave. He didn't want her to flee. He wouldn't be able to bear it if she did.
"What did you do with the body?" she asked him, remembering how Dougherty had supposedly left a note to Kristen explaining he had left town. "And the note?"
"I disposed of the body at work," Ed said to her. "I wrote the note to get rid of him…stop people asking about him."
Olivia remained mute, looking over Ed's shoulder as she did her best to gather her thoughts. Ed moved his forehead to press against hers, bringing her gaze to his as he brushed his nose with hers.
"Talk to me," he pleaded from her. "Tell me what you are thinking."
"Ed, I don't know what to think," Olivia finally said, her mouth feeling dry. "We…we have gone from barely talking to you telling me you want us to be together to confessing a murder. I don't know how to process any of this."
"I get that it is a lot to take in," he promised her. "But you said no lies and this is the truth, Olivia. This is the truth and this is me…a man who has issues…who likes riddles too much, perhaps…but a man who just wanted to protect not only you, but another woman who was being abused…because I couldn't protect you and all I ever wanted to do was protect you."
Thinking about what he was saying, she began to understand. He hadn't wanted to do it. He had wanted to protect Kristen. He had stopped a bad man from hurting her. He had stopped someone from hurting her. Olivia should know all about that.
"If you didn't stop him then who knows what he might have done," Olivia said to Ed and she wondered if she was trying to fool herself. Was this her in denial? She was struggling to comprehend what Ed had told her. But it had been an accident. He said that he hadn't meant it. He had wanted to protect Kristen. She was being abused.
"Exactly," Ed whispered to her.
"Christ," Olivia complained and pushed herself from Ed then.
Standing on shaky feet, she moved to tuck her hair behind her ears while Ed leant forwards, hands clasped together. He watched her as she began pacing up and down the living room, hands raking through her hair and shaking.
"I have dealt with it, Olivia," Ed promised her. "There will be no repercussions."
"Are you sure?" she asked him. "Because you have told me, Ed. I'm complicit in covering this up…I know this secret…and my brother…Jim is a detective…he…if he knew…"
"He doesn't need to know," Ed said quickly, leaping up with a confident stride to take hold of her by her lower arms, stopping her from pacing. "Olivia, he does not need to know about any of this."
"He was looking for him," Olivia reminded Ed.
"And now he isn't because I threw him off the scent with that note," Ed promised her, voice attempting to be soothing. He wanted her to realise that there was nothing to worry about. Ed had all of this sorted. He would keep them safe.
Olivia moved from Ed's grip, stepping back from him as she buried her head into her hands and shook her head, turning away from him. Why did he have to do this? Why did he have to tell her? She would have been happier living in ignorance. She would have been ignorant. She wanted to be ignorant.
"Olivia, please," Ed pleaded with her, moving to stand behind her, the heat of his body radiating against her back. "Please believe me that none of this will go anywhere. We can be together. We can be happy. Please…just let this go."
"Lying to Jim…I…I don't know if I can," Olivia said to him, finally looking back to him as Ed cupped her cheeks in his hands.
"It isn't lying," Ed promised her. "The chances of him asking you anything and you having to lie is slim."
"He would understand, Ed. You did what you did-"
"-I murdered him," Ed said, interrupting her and she winced. "He attacked me, but I stabbed him. I killed him…murdered him…they would send me to jail, Olivia. I would not be able to get out of it. Please…I only told you because I knew you would understand and you want no secrets between us."
"If…if I agree to this, Ed, I need you to promise me that there are no loose strings," she urged from him. "Officer Dougherty is gone and nothing can come back and be reflected on you. Promise me that."
"I promise," Ed said to her. "Olivia, I promise."
"And Kristen?" Olivia asked him.
"She is not suspicious," he promised her. "She thinks he has skipped town and she is okay with that after what he did to her. She…I left her and she was fine this evening."
Olivia's brows furrowed. "She was fine after you broke up with her?"
"Well, I…technically I have not broken up with her yet," Ed said and Olivia stepped back from him, moving his hands from her. "Olivia, I am going to do it tomorrow night, I promise you. I did not come here because I thought that I could have both of you…or that I even want both of you. You are it, Olivia. You have been for months."
"You should go, Ed," Olivia said to him, voice shaking. "You cannot stay here tonight if she does not know and I need time to process."
Ed remained a distance from her as she bent down and picked his coat up.
"Promise me you're not going to talk to Jim," Ed urged her.
"I won't," she said to him. "He's not really talking to me anyway, Ed. He's…we said some hurtful things to each other after dinner…he's…well…I think he's disappointed in me."
"Jim will come around," Ed promised her. "He is your brother, Olivia. He loves you."
"I know," was all Olivia offered him. "You should go, Ed."
"Can we talk tomorrow?"
"After you have spoken with Kristen. I don't want to feel any shitter than I do right now."
"Listen to me," Ed urged from her, shrugging into his coat as she handed it to him. He took hold of one of her hands inside of his. He squeezed her fingers and stepped closer to her, his other hand going to the side of her cheek and he tucked her hair over her shoulder. "This is as bad as it will get. I will end things with Kristen. I will come back to you and you won't have to worry about anything…Dougherty…he will be forgotten. Kristen will move on and we will be together. Your brother will accept that."
Olivia wanted to believe him. She wanted him to be telling her the truth as he leant down and kissed her on the forehead, feeling her leaning into his touch as he let his lips remain on her forehead.
"I will be back," Ed finally whispered, his warm breath tickling her skin.
"Okay," was all Olivia could say to him and he turned on his heel and left her apartment, one quick glance back to her before he closed the door. He would make all of this right.
….
A/N: Do let me know what you think!