Olivia had felt anger course through her when she had read the letter Ed had left her. She had been laid in the bath, hiding under the water and closing her eyes as she continued to try and hold her breath for as long as possible each time. She didn't know how long she had been in the bath for before she climbed out. Wrapping herself into a towel, she scrunched her hair up, water droplets falling back into the tub as she stood next to it, the water emptying slowly.

Leaving the bathroom, she padded across the tiled floor and looked for any sign of Ed. She frowned when she saw that he wasn't there. Moving through the apartment, she slipped for a moment on the wooden floor with her wet feet.

"Ed?" she called his name, hoping that he would answer her sooner rather than later. But there was no response. She let her brows furrow together before she spotted the paper on the bed.

Picking it up, she noted Ed's scrawl instantly as she read the letter quickly and took in the key message. Scrunching it up, she tossed it off to the side and sank down onto the end of the bed, unable to believe that Ed had left her. She had done everything for him and he had just ran away. His letter was filled with excuses as Olivia knew that she had one of two choices. She could either go after him or she could get on the first flight out of the States as Ed had told her to do.

And for the first time in a long time, she didn't know what to do.

…

Jim had done everything he could to find Bruce Wayne. He had every cop in the city on alert and had been longing to find out what him and Alfred had been up to. Bruce had been at a charity auction and had caused quite the stir, bidding on an ancient knife that Ra's al Ghul wanted. Ra's al Ghul had come up on Gordon's radar in the past few days, but the man was quite the mystery. There was nothing obvious about him being a criminal, despite suspicion that he had killed an antiques expert who had been examining the knife. That was until that night.

And then Jim's problems were just added to when he found his sister waiting for him outside of his apartment. She had a bag next to her on the floor and her hair was tucked behind her ears. She was crouched down on the step to his door, legs pulled up to her chin and arms folded over her kneecaps.

"Liv," Jim spoke as soon as he saw his sister.

She looked up and over to him.

"What're you doing here? You must be freezing," he said, noting that she was wearing only a light mac over her jeans and shirt.

"Ed's gone," Olivia said to her brother. "He's come back here and I don't know what he's planning."

Jim nodded once, wondering if Ed had told her what had happened. He remained silent, however, not wanting to cause trouble and drive his sister away. Instantly, he felt like a hypocrite. He had berated her for everything that she had done, all of the secrets she had kept from him. He had done that. He had told her that there were no secrets.

Olivia then noted the dishevelled appearance of her brother and she stood up, her limbs aching after having been sat for quite a long time.

"What's happened?" she asked from her brother.

"A man named Ra's Al Ghul killed a young boy tonight. He had been after this knife that Bruce Wayne had…and he was claiming that he brought Alfred back from the dead…that the knife was cursed," Jim said and he saw Olivia look at him with a gaze of disbelief. Nodding his head at her, he sighed. "I know it sounds crazy, but after everything I've seen, I don't know if it is that crazy. Anyway, Ra's is a psychopath and he's on his way to Blackgate where he'll be locked up for his life."

"You're right, it does sound crazy," she agreed with her brother.

"And it's been a long night, but I'm glad you're here, Liv. I've been so worried about you," Jim said and he pulled his keys out of his jacket pocket. "Come on in, we can talk about everything there."

"Alright."

Jim had expected her to put up a fight and tell him that she was going nowhere with him, but she stood up and Jim picked up her bag. He opened the door and stepped inside, Olivia following in after him. Closing the door, he locked it behind them and placed her bag down onto the floor. She shrugged out of her mac and draped it over the back of his sofa.

"I need you to tell me everything that's happened," Jim said to his sister. "Because you left without a word, Liv. You just abandoned me."

"I'm sure you have an incline," she responded and settled down on the sofa. "I freed Ed. It took me a while to plan it, but I did it. We were going to run away together and start afresh somewhere, but he came back here…to this city…he left me a letter and claimed that Penguin would never let us be together."

"I know," Jim said to his sister, loosening his tie even further and settling down next to his sister on the sofa. He leant forwards and let his hands dangle in between his legs as he prepared to tell her the truth. "Penguin came to me, Liv. He told me what you had done…he told me everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything," Jim echoed. "Olivia, why didn't you call me? Why didn't you tell me what had happened? I could have helped you. I could have sorted it with the police and we would have handled it together."

Olivia scoffed, shaking her head. "You know as well as I that Penguin gives out that stupid licenses," she said to her brother. "He is practically running this city and the GCPD are doing nothing about it. Besides, I just did what I had to do."

"Do you know how sick I felt when Penguin told me?" Jim asked from his sister. "The thought of him sending an assassin after you…of you being hurt…or even worse…and then you having to kill someone. You're my little sister, Liv. I'm supposed to protect you and I couldn't even do that because you decided to go after Ed. He's done nothing but bring you trouble."

Olivia shook her head firmly. "Don't start bringing Ed into this. I chose to go after him. I made that decision on my own."

"He's almost gotten you killed," Jim said. "For once he's done the right thing in coming back here and giving you up."

"And you? What did you mean when you said you knew he had left me a letter?"

Jim sighed. "I didn't know that he had left you a letter, but I had hoped that he would leave," he confessed to his sister. "I called your phone and he answered. I told him that Penguin had threatened to track you both down unless Ed came back…if that happened then Penguin said he would leave you alone."

Olivia scoffed and shook her head firmly. "And you believed him?"

"Yes, because it is Ed who has the issue with, not you," Jim said to his sister. "Just listen to me, Olivia, I know that you're going to be angry with me but Ed made his choice and for the first time, it was the right decision."

Olivia ground her teeth together and looked straight ahead, her glare increasing as she watched the wall in front of her and Jim wondered what she was thinking. He remained silent, not wanting to make the first move, but in the end, he cracked.

"Say something, Liv."

"I want to be angry with you," Olivia said. "I want to be angry with you because I know that you would have done a good job in persuading Ed to come back, but…I know that you're only looking out for me."

"Doing what I should've done before," Jim responded.

"And Ed…if he's back here in the city then I'll be able to find him. He'll be somewhere in the city."

"You can't be serious, Liv."

"Of course I am," she said and looked her brother in the eye. "But we're not arguing about this tonight. Just tell me what's been going on here so that I can take my turn to worry about you instead."

And so Jim indulged her, knowing that they would have to have a conversation about Nygma sooner or later.

…

Ed had found himself in a downward spiral every since he had returned to Gotham. He had been living in the shadows and doing everything to get his revenge on Penguin, but he hadn't been able to make the perfect riddle. Penguin hadn't solved any of them that he had sent to him and the worse part was that he had spared Ed's life for more humiliation when he realised that he wasn't as smart as he thought he was. Ed had tried everything, seeking to gain pills to make him smart enough to outwit Penguin, but there had been nothing.

And then he had found her. He had found Lee Thompkins working in the Narrows while he had been making money out of Butch fighting in Cherry's Place in the Narrows. Grundy was his new name now and Ed knew that he didn't hate him.

"Well, look who it is," Ed drawled lowly as he approached Lee at the bar.

She looked different, her hair was longer and she had a fringe. But there was something else. She looked edgier, nothing like the clean-cut doctor he had known at the GCPD. She finished downing the shot she had ordered and turned to look to Ed, brow arching and head nodding thoughtfully.

"Nygma," she drawled out. "I didn't expect to see you round these parts."

She took in his appearance, seeing his dishevelled hair and how his green suit was askew on his body, top button of his white shirt undone with his tie hanging low.

"I'm kind of in a bit of a predicament," Ed confessed, leaning against the bar.

Lee chuckled and shook her head. "What? Still trying to get back with Olivia?"

"You see, that's the issue," Ed said to Lee. "I was with Olivia. I don't know if you heard, but I was kind of frozen in a massive ice cube in Penguin's bar. She managed to free me, but the ice has had an impact on my brain."

Lee held a hand up to the barkeeper and he slid her another shot. She held it in her fingers and leant against the bar so that she could face Ed. "If Olivia freed you then what stopped you from running off into the sunset if she wanted you?"

"That's the thing," he said. "I was going with her, but Penguin kind of threatened us so I need to take care of him."

"She's better off away from you," Lee said. "Then again, she's always been naïve and weak when it comes to you. You know, when Jim asked me to help her fake her own death, I thought that would be the end of it. We should have known better, I guess."

"You can't stop true love," Ed said.

"Sweet," Lee said, tone dripping with sarcasm as she picked the shot up to her lips and downed it once more, placing the empty glass on the bar. "That still doesn't explain what any of this has to do with me."

"You're a doctor," Ed said. "And I know we have a lot of history-"

"-You mean like you breaking me and Jim up by framing him and sending him to jail before I lost our baby?" Lee questioned from him. "Or are you talking about how I had to console Olivia numerous nights because of you? Have you ever been there to pick her up when she's been at her lowest? Because I have been, Ed. I've been there and each time I've had to do it has usually been because of you."

"And I regret that," Ed said to her. "But I'm a different man now. I'm Ed…not the Riddler…not him. This is who I am and I want nothing but Olivia Gordon, but in order to have her, I need to become the man I was."

Lee weighed him up and then shook her head, folding her arms over her chest. "I don't think so," Lee said to him. "I'm not doing anything for you so stay away from me, Nygma."

Ed watched her leave, his gaze settled on her back as she walked away from him and he knew that he had to do something. He had to try and persuade her to help him. Without her then he didn't know if he could this on his own. He didn't know if he had the ability and that terrified him more than he cared to admit.

…

"You're going to get yourself in trouble, Jim."

Olivia had been cooking them dinner when her brother had walked into the apartment and told her everything about Sofia Falcone. He was working on a new case concerning a murdered officer who had been on Penguin's payroll and had been found with a pig's head on him.

"Do you think this could be related to Falcone?" Olivia asked her brother, stirring the pasta sauce as Jim drank from the bottle of beer he had picked out of the fridge. He was leant against the worktop, watching his sister as she cooked.

He had told her that she could move in with him until she found something more permanent, the two siblings seeming to get along well enough for the first time in a long time. Jim had to admit that it was nice having his sister back with him, but he was still worried about her. He would have preferred her to get out of Gotham, but she had insisted on staying until her business with Penguin and Ed was sorted.

"What would make you say that?" Jim wondered.

Olivia looked to her brother with an arched brow. "Are you a police officer or not?"

"Detective," he corrected, taking another swig of his beer. "And I've thought about it."

"But?"

"But she claims that she is here innocently."

"So…four of Penguin's police officers are murdered at the same time a Falcone comes back into town and you're just going to take her word that she is here 'innocently'?" Olivia questioned, turning the heat down and letting the sauce simmer as she stirred the boiling pasta.

"I know you've got a point," Jim promised his sister. "And I have thought about that."

"But I guess you've got no evidence?" Olivia asked from her brother. "Either that or there's something else?"

Looking to her brother, she saw him look away from her and she knew that face. It was Jim's hiding something from her face. She rolled her eyes and took the pasta pot off the stove before it threatened to boil over. Placing it down onto the worktop, she dropped her hands to her hips and looked over him.

"You didn't," she said, voice almost pleading.

"You're in love with a psychopathic maniac, Olivia, don't lecture me on who I sleep with."

"Your track record isn't exactly great, Jim," Olivia snapped back at her brother. "Barbara…even Lee…she locked us in a box in the ground! Now you're getting into bed with the daughter of one of Gotham's most famous crime lords? Do you have a death wish?"

"We're not having this discussion."

"Like hell we're not," Olivia sniped at him. "Can you just be careful? You know how dangerous this could be, especially if Penguin is going to get involved with her. If she is involved in killing Penguin's officers then she's sending him a message…a message that she's here to take over her father's business."

"You can't lecture me, Liv," Jim said to his sister. "You're involved with Ed who has done nothing but put you in danger."

"That's different," Olivia responded and moved the wooden spoon into the pan of pasta, picking up a piece and holding it out to her brother. "Try this and make sure it's cooked."

Jim rolled his eyes at his sister's change of subject but did as she had asked, picking up the pasta from the spoon and popping it into his mouth. He chewed down on it for a few moments before swallowing it whole, nodding his head. "It's cooked," he told her and she went to drain the pan. "And I can look into Sofia. I'm hardly in love with her. I just…it was just sex."

"Ah!" Olivia snapped loudly, water pouring into the sink as she glowered at Jim. "I do not want to hear you say that!"

"I just want you to be sure that there's nothing else there," Jim responded. "It's completely different to you and Ed, which is wrong and toxic."

"You're being very judgmental tonight."

"You're being foolish."

"Can we not do this tonight? We've done well not to argue for a while," Olivia said.

"We're going to discuss it sooner or later," Jim told her. "Because at the end of the day, I'm going to do everything I can to stop you from going off with Ed."

Olivia scoffed and began dishing up their meals. "You faked my death and even that didn't work," she informed her brother and thrust the bowl of pasta towards him as she took her own. "I wouldn't say you've got a good track record of keeping me from doing what I want."

…

Jim had left early the next morning to go to work, leaving Olivia in his apartment. It had gone six in the evening when he called and told her that another cop had gone missing and him and Harvey were going to try and find him. She had told him that she would save him dinner after spending the day wandering around Gotham and looking for food to fill his cupboards. She had ventured close to the Narrows, wondering if Ed would be hiding out there. She had gone to every haunt she could think of, but there had been nothing. There was no sign of him anywhere.

Olivia was about to sit and eat, taking the lasagne out of the oven, when she heard a knock on the door. Moving over to the wood, she pulled it open, half-expecting to find Jim there having lost his keys. But it wasn't Jim. She had no time to say anything as his lips descended upon hers and he pushed her back into the apartment, arms wrapping around her firmly. He kicked the door shut and Olivia forgot how startled she had been before wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs going around his waist as he carried her back into the sitting room.

"Ed," Olivia gasped his name when she pulled back after a moment. "What…where…how…" she didn't entirely know what to ask him as she moved her hands to his cheeks, holding them in his grip as he kept her thighs in his, supporting her against him.

"I've been following you for a few days," Ed admitted. "I knew you'd come back and go to Jim. I just needed to make sure you were safe."

"I'm fine," Olivia said to him, running her hands down his neck, looking onto him and taking in his appearance.

He looked even more dishevelled than usual. His hair was a mess around the top of his head, hanging into his forehead. His green suit had some scuffmarks while his white shirt had its top few buttons undone and his tie was hanging loosely against his chest.

"I can see that now," Ed said to her. "And I know that I shouldn't have come here. I know it's dangerous, but when it comes to you…I can't stay away…you know that."

"I know," Olivia said and he saw her smile softly to him and he wondered if he would ever tire of seeing her look at him like that. His kind, gentle Olivia. She had eyes only for him and he knew that. "Why did you leave without me?"

"Because Penguin is a danger," Ed said to her. "You know that, Olivia. I did it to keep you safe because I know that while Penguin is still alive we're never out of danger. I need to settle our score and then we can move on…but I can only do that when I have my brain back."

Olivia frowned as Ed settled down onto the couch with her, letting her straddle his lap. She moved her hands to his shoulders, running her fingers along them and squeezing him firmly. "What is going on with your brain?"

"In that apartment…you noticed how I couldn't finish…"

"Sentences?"

"Exactly," Ed said, hands gripping her waist. "I thought that it would go away, but it hasn't. I tried to take care of Penguin, but I couldn't. I wasn't smart enough…so now I am working on how to get my brain back."

Olivia continued frowning, still stroking his shoulders as he dipped his head down, running his nose along her neck, kissing her skin softly as he felt her shudder against him. Tilting her head to the side, she groaned softly at the feeling of his teeth scraping along her neck.

"How?" she managed to ask him and Ed sank further back into the cushions, bringing Olivia with him.

"Lee Thompkins."

"Lee?" Olivia shrieked, sitting up straight and moving her hands to his chest to steady herself. "What does Lee have to do with any of this? She left a letter saying that she had left Gotham."

"Well, she is very much still in Gotham," Ed said. "She's working in the Narrows as a…"

"Doctor?"

"Yes," Ed confirmed. "She feels guilty about releasing the Tetch virus and she's working there to try and make it up to people."

"And what are you doing there? Why is she even helping you? No offence, Ed, but she's hardly your number one fan."

Ed chuckled, nodding his head and pressing his knuckles against her cheek, brushing her hair behind her ear softly. "True," he said. "But it's all a bit weird, Liv. I found Butch down this alleyway, but he wasn't Butch. He's become this mutant…unable to die…I've got no idea what's happened to him, but he's making me tonnes of money in this fighting ring."

Olivia's eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. Ed suspected she hardly believed what he was telling her. It did sound unbelievable when he said it like that, but it was true.

"Yes, I know you're questioning if I really have lost my mind, but it's true," Ed confirmed for her. "Lee's agreed to help me get my brain working again if I give her the money Butch wins. She needs it for her clinic."

"Are you out of your mind, Ed?" Olivia asked from him. "You're living in the Narrows and involved in a criminal fighting ring."

"The irony is that the Narrows is probably the safest place for me. It's not as if I can walk straight into a hospital and ask for a…"

"Neurologist? Doctor?" Olivia asked him and he nodded.

"Precisely," he said and she sighed.

She suspected that he had a point on that. Saying nothing for a few seconds, she observed Ed and he watched her back, trying to work out what it was she was thinking. She remained silent, her fingers toying with his tie before nodding.

"I'll come with you."

"Absolutely not."

"It's not up for discussion."

"You're right, it's not," Ed said. "Because you're staying here. You're staying where I know you're safe until this mess is sorted. Besides, your brother might hate me, but he loves you and would do anything for you. I know that you're okay here."

"But I don't know that you're okay in the Narrows," Olivia retorted. "Anything could happen while you're there and not yourself. Let me come with you and I can help. I can help you try and work this out."

He shook his head slowly and moved his forehead to brush against hers. "I don't think so," he said, moving in to kiss her. He kept his lips pressed to hers, his hands moving to her back to press her tightly against him. She pushed him away after a moment, hands holding his cheeks firmly once more.

"You're not distracting me again," Olivia said to him.

"I disagree," Ed said. "I think I can do a good job at distracting you."

"Absolutely not."

Olivia remained silent as Ed kissed her once again and she gave in, knowing that they would have the discussion sooner or later.

…

Lee didn't want to work with Ed. She could think of so many things she would rather be doing than trying to fix him. But he was there, in her office, and she was doing her best not to let her hatred of him cloud her judgment. She took some of his blood and as she leaned in closer to him, she sniffed a few times and then wrinkled her nose.

"You couldn't stay away from her, could you?"

"What?" Ed asked.

"You reek of her perfume and there's a purple mark forming on your neck. She's back in the city, isn't she?"

"I don't see how that's any of your…"

"Business?" Lee questioned from him, wondering if that was the right word. "Listen to me, Ed, just stay away from her because in the end you'll do nothing but hurt her."

"I'm paying you to fix me, not give me lectures on my relationship. Stop projecting what happened with you and Jim onto me and Olivia."

"You think that's what I'm doing?"

"I think that Olivia is waiting for me," Ed retorted. "I think that I need you to mend me quickly so that I can get back to her and we can get out of this place. You don't need to worry about that."

"Fine," Lee snapped at him. "But you know I'm right and when you get your mind back, you'll see that."

"Don't count on it," Ed hissed and Lee finished taking his bloods from him before turning to the side and looking out the window.

…

A/N: Would love to know if anyone is still interested in this story! Again, not sure whether to do the Ed/Lee relationship arc, so would love your thoughts on that one. Please do let me know what you think - would love your ideas!