Chapter 5
"Excuse me … Have you seen-" A man in his mid-forties walked through the streets, a picture in his hand as people passed him by, ignoring him.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for my nephew have you-" he paused again as the man he was trying to show the image to shouldered past him. He sighed as he leant against the nearby brick wall. He lit a cigarette as he looked around the street. He thought Idaho was bad, the people here were just down right nasty.
Kristen walked by down the sidewalk, bags of groceries in her arms. She was in something of a hurry, since the clouds above hung heavy over Gotham, looking as if they were ready to let loose a torrent of heavy showers at any minute. She glanced over at the man leaning against the brick wall, wondering why he was just hanging around, with no apparent urgency to move toward any particular destination, but she didn't ask him about it. She wasn't in the habit of starting up conversations with strangers in the middle of downtown Gotham streets.
"Excuse me Miss …. I'm looking for my nephew." He said holding out the picture as she walked past him. "Miss please …. I heard he's here in Gotham. I have urgent information regarding …. Regarding his mother … She's ill. I have to find him if you'll only give me a moment. Perhaps you've seen him." After four weeks of this he was starting to become annoyed. But there was no way he was giving up.
Kristen stopped, looking back at the tired, worn-out looking man. He'd probably been on his feet all day asking about this nephew of his. Gotham was a big city. The poor guy's chances of finding anyone this way here were… She looked at the picture, and her eyes widened. It was Edward. He was a good deal younger, somewhere in his mid-teens, but it was definitely him.
"That…" she said quietly, cautiously. "That's your nephew?"
Edward had specifically run away from his family. Or from his father, anyway. If he'd been on good terms with his extended family when he fled, wouldn't he have gone to them? But he hadn't said anything bad about his mother, and this guy was probably from the mom's side…
"Yes. His name is Eddie. He went missing some time ago. We've all been so worried about him." Oh, the girl sure knew something … He saw a flash of recognition on her face. "I heard rumours that he was in Gotham … Please, if you know anything …"
Kristen looked down at the photograph uncertainly, adjusting her glasses. She didn't know if Ed would be too thrilled to reconnect with any of his family… But if his mother really was sick, wouldn't he want to know? Was it up to her to make that decision? If he didn't want to see her, he could always just send his uncle away… and it wasn't as if the uncle would be able to tell that Eddie had crafted a new identity and fake credentials; it wasn't as if there was any way for him to know.
"How sick is his mother?" she asked quietly.
"Very." He said. "We don't know how much longer she'll last. She wants to see him again … We've been looking for him everywhere. Do you know him?"
"Yes," Kristen said, making up her mind. "I know him. He… won't be expecting you, but if she's that sick, he should know about it."
"Oh thank god. You have no idea how long I've been looking. She'll be so relieved I've found him." He said putting a hand on her shoulder.
Kristen glanced over at him uncomfortably, not sure how she felt about this stranger putting his hand on her shoulder, even if he was Edward's uncle, but she ignored it as she led the way back to the apartment.
Edward placed two plates on the table as he waited for the water on the stove to boil. As he'd promised he was making pasta for supper. As much as he wished he had the time to make the noodles from scratch, pre-packaged would have to do for tonight.
He pulled the box of pasta out of the cupboard as he heard footsteps in the hall. Kristen must be here.
"It's open!" He said as he heard the footsteps stop at the door.
Kristen felt like she should say something before just letting the man walk in … She still wasn't entirely sure Edward wanted to see him, after all. He might even be angry with her for bringing him here. "Edward," she called out, opening the door just slightly, not enough for Edward's uncle to push by around her, but just enough for her to peer in and maybe gauge Ed's reaction. "There's… There's a man here who says he's your uncle? He says he has urgent news about your mom…"
"My unc-" Ed paused confused. "I don't have an uncle." He said confused as he turned towards her. But the slight open in the door was enough for the man to push his way in.
"What? You don't remember your dear old Uncle." He said laughing. Edward froze, the blood draining from his face as the man stood there.
Kristen turned angrily to face the stranger. She couldn't believe she'd been so stupid. "I think you should leave," she said sternly.
The man ignored her as he stared at Edward. "Oh, so I see your intelligence hasn't improved any …. Close your mouth boy you look like a fish." He said slamming the door shut and locking it so that neither of them could leave.
Ed ignored the man a moment as he looked to Kristen who was now inside the apartment on the floor. "Are you okay?"
Kristen nodded, standing up again quickly. "I'm fine," she said, though she was more than a little frightened when the stranger locked the door. And the things he'd just said to Edward… He might not be Edward's uncle, but he definitely knew him. She glared back at the man, and repeated more loudly: "I said I think you should leave! Edward doesn't want you here, so get out and leave him the hell alone!"
"Oh, I don't think so. You see I spent a looooong time in jail because of you Eddie … Ten years is a long time to sit and think. At least, for those of us who have the capability of doing so." The man said slowly advancing on Edward.
"Stay away from me," Edward said though he pulled Kristen behind him.
"Relax son, I'm not going to hurt your girl. If she wants to leave she can, I have nothing against her. You on the other hand …." He said cracking his knuckles.
"I'm not going anywhere," Kristen snapped, trying to pull away from behind Edward. As sweet as it was for him to try to protect her, Edward didn't strike her as much of a fighter. If anyone needed protecting right now, it was him. "Just leave him alone!"
"God, you really haven't changed that much have you son? Still getting the girls to fight your battles for you huh?"
"I'm no son of yours." Edward said angrily. "Get out of my apartment."
"Oh I don't think so." The man said, and before Edward could block it the man punched him in the face so hard it knocked him back into the counter.
"Stop it!" Kristen shrieked, stepping between the two of them and pushing Ed's attacker back. "You've made your point, now take your stupid testosterone rage and get out of here, before you do something that gets you put back in prison again!"
The man easily pushed Kristen aside, knocking her to the ground again before advancing on Edward. He punched Edward in the face, again and again, holding him by the front of his shirt to keep him up. Edward grasped at the counter, trying to reach up for anything that could help him. His head swam as he was hit so hard his head knocked into the counter but he managed to get a hold of something.
The pot of water he'd put on to boil. There was no way it would be boiled yet, but it might be hot, and if not at least he could try to use it as a weapon.
Edward pulled the pot down hitting his father in the face with the hot water, some of it splashing onto his leg making him hiss in pain. It wasn't boiled yet but it was hot ….
His father howled in pain but it barely slowed him as he hit Edward again, ripping the pot from his hand and throwing it across the kitchen.
Kristen staggered to her feet, terrified as the man just flung the pot across the room and kept hitting Edward … If he carried on like this, he'd put Edward in the hospital at the very least, and she was afraid he wouldn't stop there. She couldn't let him, it was her fault he was here, she had to do something… She grabbed a kitchen knife from where it had been sitting next to the cutting board and, not thinking beyond her fear for Edward's life, she stabbed the knife into his attacker's back. The blade sunk in all the way to the handle, right between the man's ribs.
Edwards father cried out in pain as he staggered away from Ed, turning to Kristen, fury clear on his face. "You stupid bitch …" He hissed as he advanced on her. The wound was fatal, but it wasn't so severe that he'd die quickly.
Edward pulled himself up with the counter, blood running from his nose and busted lip. He nearly fell to the floor as he watched his father walk towards Kristen.
Kristen backed away. The knife was still in his back, out of her reach, leaving her defenseless. She hadn't thought about what to do if she stabbed him and he kept walking … As she backed away, she glanced around frantically for something else to fight him off, but there was nothing in her reach. Her back hit a wall. There was no way past him.
Edward pushed himself off the counter, his head swimming so badly he could barely see as he grabbed onto the knife.
'Come on Ed.' That hallucination was back. As if the situation wasn't bad enough. 'Think of all the times he hurt you … Everything he's done to you. And he's no more than a brute … You're so above him he can't even see that!' Edward pulled the knife from his back causing the man to howl in pain. 'Let go Ed.' Edward stared at the knife for only a second before he plunged it into his back once more. Again and again, just as his father had hit him so many times before. Without mercy.
Kristen stared, shaking and stunned, as Edward drove the knife into the man's back, over and over again, after he collapsed, after he stopped moving, blood coating Edward's hands, flecks of blood splashing up onto his shirt, his glasses…
"Edward?" Kristen stammered, in barely more than a whisper. "You… you can stop now."
Edward couldn't hear her over his own sobbing as tears started running down his face, though he'd pulled the knife from his father's back and stared at it, his hands shaking as he fell back to sit on the floor, the knife falling to the floor with a loud clatter. He stared at his shaking hands, the blood warm on his skin. This was so much different than what happened with officer Daugherty. This was a total loss of control.
Kristen was motionless for a moment, staring down at the dead man in their kitchen, before slowly moving away from the wall, around the fallen attacker, and over to Edward, kneeling behind him and tentatively wrapping her arms around him.
Edward wasn't even sure why he was crying anymore, but it was as if years of emotional distress came flooding out in that moment. He was dimly aware of Kristen wrapping her arms around him, dimly aware of the pain he was in. He tried to calm his breathing as the room swam more than it had before, his vision blurry and spotted with red. He didn't know how long it was before he calmed down, by this point practically laying in Kristen's arms, uncaring that he was practically laying in a pool of blood.
Kristen just kept holding him, supporting most of his weight that wasn't already on the floor now, trembling with shock and lingering fear. "It's going to be okay," she kept whispering, not knowing what else to say. But it wasn't. Nothing about this was okay. They'd just killed a man, right here in Ed's apartment, right on the kitchen floor. They'd just killed a man and it was her fault. "I'm sorry," she whispered, before her eyes welled up with delayed tears and she was sobbing too. "God, Ed, I'm so so sorry…"
Edward sat up, leaning against the footboard as he stared at the body on the floor. What a mess. "It's not your fault …" He said. He wanted to comfort her but he needed to wash the blood from his hands. He looked down at himself, his clothing and hands were covered in splatters of blood, his hands practically coated. "It's not your fault." He said again as he forced himself to stand up, staggering a moment as he went over to the sink to wash the blood off his hands.
Kristen shook her head, staring down at the body, the tears still falling relentlessly. "I led him here… I can't believe I fell for… God, I'm so stupid." Her breathing was still fast and shallow. She looked up at Edward. "Who… Was he your…?" She couldn't bring herself to finish the question.
"As far as I'm concerned, no, he's not." He said finishing washing the majority of the blood off his hands. He helped her off the floor, grateful that she hadn't been sitting in the pool of blood that was slowly expanding over the floor. "Come downstairs." He said wrapping his arm around her and leading her towards the trap door.
Kristen nodded, standing up shakily and going with him, her mind still racing, trying to process what had just happened. "But… wait…" She looked up at Edward. "Shouldn't we call the police? It was a clear self-defense case. He was attacking you, I was sure he would have killed you ... " Her voice choked up with the threat of further sobbing, but she held it back. "We're clearly in the right here. Isn't that what we should do?"
"Do you really think they'd see this as self defence?" He asked. "We both stabbed him in the back. More times than was necessary …. There's no evidence of forced entry and no marks on you. That's not self defence, that's over kill …. With our corrupt system do you really think they'd let us go? I don't exactly have friends in the GCPD … In fact I'm sure they'd try to get rid of me. They might let you go because I'd testify for you … I'd say I did it all but really …. I'd spend the rest of life in Black Gate over a man who tried to kill me. Do you have any idea what they would do to me in there?"
Kristen went deathly pale. She knew without a doubt that Edward wouldn't do well in prison, especially in Gotham. "You're right," she said, accepting the horrible facts of how this looked. There was no way around that. "So what do we do, then?"
Edward sighed and ran his hand over his mouth. "You have blood on your clothes. Take your bag, go downstairs and change." He said picking up her bag that was by the bed and handing it to her.
Kristen took the bag, her hands still trembling, and she looked up at him with wide eyes, understanding. "You're going to try to get rid of the body," she said, in a quiet, not-quite-even voice. It made sense, in a cold, purely practical kind of way. Ed worked in forensics. He knew exactly what they looked for, what evidence to remove or destroy. "Aren't you."
"Do you have a better idea?" Edward asked. "Because I don't …" He looked down at her. "It'll be fine. I'll handle this, just go clean yourself up."
Kristen bit her lip, uncomfortable with the idea as she thought it over. She shook her head, her back straightening as she looked back at him. "No," she said, her voice suddenly more steady with stubborn resignation. "You shouldn't have to handle this alone. I helped make this mess. Let me help clean it up." It was her fault Edward's father had shown up here in the first place. It wasn't right for her to go cower uselessly in the basement while Ed did all the dirty work.
"Kristen, really. The best thing you can do right now is go and change. If you want to come up and help me that's fine," He hated so much to lie to her. "But I need you to do this first."
"Okay," Kristen sighed. She could handle this if she just focused on one step at a time. She headed down the stairs.
Edward waited until she was at the bottom of the stairs before he muttered an apology. He closed the trapdoor and slid the barrel bolt lock into place.
Kristen heard the lock click in the doorway, and spun around on her heel, looking up at the trapdoor. "Edward?" Did he really just… She ran up the stairs and pushed at the unmoving trapdoor. Yes. Yes, he really had just locked her down here. She pounded at the door. "Edward!" she yelled, angry and a little scared. "Unlock this door! If you don't want me up there right now, that's fine, but just… Just unlock the door!"
Edward ignored her as he moved to a drawer to pull out his hatchet. It was crude but it would have to do. As much as he hated locking the door on Kristen, he knew she would try to come up if he unlocked it. And seeing a dead body was one thing … Seeing one being chopped up was entirely another.
Kristen pounded on the door harder. "Edward!" she shouted. "Ed, I'm serious! Unlock the damn door!"
It seriously creeped her out that Edward hadn't even said anything in response.
"I'm sorry. I'll let you out when I'm done Kristen." He said as he went to work on his father's body. He had to say out of all the scenarios he had in his head for getting revenge on his father, this wasn't one that had played out. It was rather …. Disappointing in a way. "Go get changed. And stop yelling unless you'd like to alert the neighbors, thinking I kidnapped you."
"What else do you call locking someone in a basement?" Kristen muttered under her breath. She stared up at the door in helpless fury. She'd never thought Edward would make her feel this way. But there was nothing else to say. She turned around and stalked back down the stairs, trying to calm herself down. She was angry, and that wasn't about to change, but there was objectively no reason to be scared, just because the door was locked… Was there? No. She wasn't going to start thinking like that.
She went ahead and changed clothes… Since she needed to do that anyway. Then she noticed for the first time that there was a phone sitting on the table by the sofa. She stared at it for a moment, then shook her head. No. That wasn't necessary. There was no one she could call without getting Ed arrested for murder, and there was no need to. She was perfectly safe here. Probably. She sighed and went over to the video game shelves, and set about finding a nice, violent game to take her anger out on.
It was a couple of hours before Ed finished cleaning everything up. He put a pot on to boil and put the noodles in, putting a pot of pre made sauce on the stove before moving the large travel case to the side of the room and putting away the cleaning products and opening up a few more windows. It smelled heavily like cleaning products, and while it wasn't dangerous it bothered his nose. Once the noodles were done he washed his hands, changed his clothes and prepared the food on a plate.
He had no doubt that Miss. Kringle would be angry with him. And it was nearing midnight. He had no doubt she was starving as much as he was.
He put the plate on the floor and unlatched the door. He propped it open before walking downstairs with both plates in hand.
Kristen stubbornly didn't look up from the screen as her character delivered a critical hit, knocking out the other fighter. "It might have gone a little faster if you'd had some assistance," she said flatly. "But if you insisted on doing it alone, you could have at least let me go home."
"I'm sorry." He said placing the plate on the table in front of her as he sat down. "I didn't want you to see that. A dead body is one thing but …" He didn't elaborate on what he did. She didn't need to know the details. "I-" he paused and stared at his plate. "I wasn't thinking clearly. I didn't even think of that …" He said. Even now he could feel his thoughts being jumbled. He had no doubts he had a concussion but he was long since used to working through them.
"You didn't think of that," Kristen repeated, her voice shaking slightly, staring down at the controller in her tight grip, still refusing to look at him. "You didn't think to listen to me and let me out. You didn't think to let me decide for myself what I could handle, or whether I was comfortable with being kept down here while you got to actually do something. You didn't think about whether maybe, since I'm the one who caused this problem in the first place, I might want you to at least trust me to help fix it."
She threw down the controller and stood up. "And you didn't think that maybe I just personally hate being locked in rooms with no way out."
Edward flinched as she stood up and got off the couch himself backing away from her a bit. "Yes, I didn't think of that, considering I just killed my father who previously smashed my head into a counter! I don't care if you are able to handle it! I don't want you handling something like that! You said it yourself …. You don't understand how I can work around dead people all day … I am used to it. You are not! That is not a sight that needs to stick with you for the rest of your life!" He said. "I'm sorry for locking you down here but if I had told you to go home, if I had thought of that, would you have?!" He asked, his head starting to swim again.
"That's not the point!" Kristen yelled. "You didn't give me the option! I was already involved! And you just… just decided what was best for me! And …" She took a deep breath. "Yes, actually. Once you locked that door on me, I wanted nothing better than to go home."
She moved to walk past him, fully prepared to leave, when she got a good look at the cuts and bruises on Edward's face, that he apparently hadn't bothered to tend to. There was a nasty gash on his forehead that looked like it was going to need stitches.
Kristen sighed. "You're injured," she said, her voice still more irritated than anything else. "You should sit down."
Edward saw that she had every intention of leaving when she noticed the fresh blood that was no doubt running down his face again. He did what he did to protect her, he knew she wouldn't have left …. She would have insisted on staying to help him. "No …" Edward said simply. "Don't bother wasting your energy, I'm sure you'd rather be home right now as you've made rather obvious." He said sounding just as annoyed as she did.
Kristen winced at his words, and crossed her arms. "You know damn well I've wanted to help this whole time! I didn't want to leave until you locked me down here and reminded me of …" The words caught in her throat, and she changed the subject. The last man she'd trusted with those memories had used them against her. And she didn't want to break down thinking about that in front of Ed, when he was still dealing with his own traumatic encounter with the past. "Look," she said, upset, forcing firmness into her voice. "Will you please just sit down and tell me where your first aid kit is?"
"I don't have a first aid kit." Edward said holding onto the bookshelf beside him. "Besides I'm going to need stitches, and I'm pretty sure my nose is broken. Just go home, I'll handle this."
Kristen regarded Edward for a moment, pushing back her anger and doubts for now. Really, that a careful guy like Ed didn't have a first aid kit … She would have to remedy that later. But he was right about one thing; he needed more medical attention than she could give him. "You'll handle this how?" she demanded. "Do you think you're going to set your broken nose? Give yourself stitches on your face? While you're barely steady enough to stand?" She shook her head. "Look, how well-hidden is the body? If I call Lee over to come take a look at you, is there anything lying around for her to notice?"
"Not unless she goes snooping around in my suitcases." He said holding his hand up to his head as the room began to spin. He really should sit down. He felt like he was going to be sick. "But it's after midnight …. Almost one in the morning. Don't call her." He said taking two steps towards the couch before he hit the floor with a loud thud.
"Edward!" Kristen cried out in alarm, running over and kneeling beside him, putting her hands on his shoulders, trying to help him sit up. "Ed, I need you to try to stay conscious right now, okay?"
Her voice sounded muffled as his vision blurred. He could barely understand what she was saying before he passed out.
Kristen ran to the phone and dialed Lee's number, praying that she would pick up. She didn't think Ed would forgive her if she ended up having to call an ambulance and have a bunch of strangers trek through here right after they'd murdered someone …
"Hi, Lee?" Kristen said, her voice shaking. "I'm so sorry to bother you in the middle of the night like this, but … but Edward was mugged on the way home," she lied. "He made it back to the apartment, but he's in really bad shape and now he's unconscious, and…"
Lee sat up in bed as Jim turned to look at her, confusion in his face. "Woe, Kristen … Slow down. Calm down … What's going on?" She asked unable to understand her, she was talking too fast.
"He's… He's…" Kristen took a deep breath, trying to calm herself enough to slow down and speak clearly. Her hands were shaking so badly that she was afraid she would drop the phone. "It's Ed," she said. "He's been mugged. He's hurt really bad, and he just passed out."
"Did you call an ambulance?" Lee asked turning to sit on the side of the bed as Jim sat up.
"I… I did," Kristen lied, thinking on her feet, but hating that she had to deceive Lee like this. "But he refused it. Then, after they left, he passed out. Please, Lee, I… I didn't know who else to call."
"Yeah, sure. I'll be right there." She said hanging up the phone.
"Thank you." Kristen hung up the phone shakily, before dragging him by the shoulders to get him onto the couch, before rushing upstairs and then returning to clean his cuts, waiting anxiously for Lee to arrive.
Lee knocked on the door nearly twenty minutes later, waiting for Kristen to open the door. Once it was open she looked at Kristen who seemed rather shaken up. "Has he woken up?" She asked as she stepped into the apartment, Jim stepping in after her.
"Barely," said Kristen, as she opened the door for them, visibly relieved to see them there. "He's started to wake up, but … he's really out of it, and he's not at all coherent … He's this way, in the room below …" She showed them to the stairs. "Thank you so much for coming out here in the middle of the night like this … I wouldn't have known what to do if you hadn't …"
Lee and Jim followed Kristen downstairs, Lee moving over to Ed once she spotted him. "Ed?" She asked as Ed looked at her …. Or more accurately, through her.
"Edward," Kristen said, in the most calm voice she could muster, as she went over to him and took his hand. She looked him in the eyes, trying to get him to focus on her. "Lee's going to take a look at your injuries, okay?"
Lee went over to Ed, opening her bag and shining a light in his eyes, finding one pupil clearly more dilated than the other. "Definite signs of concussion…" she confirmed. "Though I can't say I'm surprised…"
From the cuts and bruises on his face, she thought it likely that he'd hit his head multiple times. Some of it had probably happened during the mugging, but if he'd passed out unexpectedly, there was a good chance that he'd banged his head pretty hard when he fell. He was going to need to be monitored after she left … And if he didn't show any signs of improvement by then, she was going to recommend taking him to a hospital.
"Kristen, could you go get some ice, please? We'll need to reduce the swelling."
Kristen nodded, and quickly headed up the stairs. Lee set about disinfecting the many cuts and scrapes on Edward's face and head, before preparing to stitch up the deep gash on his forehead. "Jim, I may need you to help keep him still …"
Kristen returned with a couple of ice packs, applying them where Lee said the swelling was worst. "He said he thought his nose was broken," she informed her.
Lee nodded. "It is," she confirmed. "Not bleeding too badly anymore, and not too far out of place; it won't be hard to set it … but you're going to get some ice on that afterward as well, or the swelling's going to be pretty bad."
Edward could hear them talking, more clearly this time at least. He felt more confused than anything as Lee talked to Kristen. He watched as Lee brought a needle out, bringing it towards his forehead to freeze the area.
"No …" He mumbled, lifting his hand to her arm. "Don't."
Lee paused, looking down at him. This was the most lucid he'd been since she arrived. "Ed," she explained gently. "You're going to need stitches or you won't heal properly. I'm trying to freeze the area so you won't feel it. Will you let me?"
"No …" He said not letting go of her arm. "Just do it … It … I don't need it." He said, even to him he sounded confused.
Lee frowned. "You… want me give you stitches without numbing you?" It seemed like a strange request; if he had an issue with needles, he wouldn't be too thrilled about the stitches either. Though he might be so out of it that he hadn't thought that far ahead. She glanced questioningly up at Kristen, but she didn't seem to know the reason for his objection either.
Ed pushed her arm farther away, mumbling another no as Jim came up behind him. "I'll hold him still." He said though as soon as Jim touched him Ed batted his hands away from him clumsily.
"Stop …"
"Edward," Kristen said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "What is it? Why don't you want Lee to freeze the area?"
"Just do it!" Edward said starting to sound annoyed. The faster Lee finished the faster they'd leave and the faster he could go to sleep. He felt so tired all of a sudden. As if the adrenaline of the night had worn off just before he passed out.
"Alright," Lee said, but you'll need to keep still. Kristen kept her hand on Edward's shoulder as Lee started to carefully stitch up the cut.
Edward didn't even react as she pushed the needle through his skin. Not even a flinch. Jim looked at Ed and over to Lee. Did he pass out? Or did he just have an unexpectedly high pain tolerance? Which, if he did, brought up quite a few questions.
Lee looked surprised as well, but she didn't let that mar her concentration. After all the fuss Ed had made about the syringe, she'd expected him to keep fighting her. But the total lack of reaction, when he was still clearly conscious … She wondered if Kristen knew why he might have such a high pain tolerance. But that was a question for later. Lee could take a few guesses though. Ed was … an eccentric man to say the least.
Unfortunately, it wasn't that hard to imagine him being bullied when he was younger. Once she had finished expertly stitching up the wound, she looked down at him, and sighed. "Okay," she said, wondering how this would go. "I'm going to have to reset your broken nose. I'll need you to continue holding still." She glanced up at Jim and Kristen, indicating that she might need some assistance keeping him still this time, depending on how he reacted.
"It's not even that bad, just get it over with." Edward said. Even if he hadn't been concussed it was nearing one thirty in the morning, he was tired and wished they would all just leave him alone.
Lee nodded. She put her hands over Edward's nose and quickly, expertly, snapped the bone back into place. Kristen winced at the sound, but it was over in an instant.
Edward groaned as the bone was pushed back into place but barely responded beyond that. He felt Lee cleaning the wounds again as Jim sat down on the edge of the couch by his legs.
"Did you get a good look at the guys that did this?" Jim asked looking down at Ed. Edward looked up at him confused.
"Guys?" He asked.
"The guys that mugged you on your way home," Kristen said quickly, hoping Edward was alert enough to play along, and that his initial confusion would just be taken as a symptom of his head injuries.
"That mu- I was …" He paused. "Um …. No." He said lifting his hand to his head. "There weren't any guys … It was one guy …. Um … I didn't get a good look. He was almost as tall as me, white, some facial hair …" He said giving a very basic description of his father who really could be anyone.
"What was he wearing?" Jim asked.
"I don't know." Edward said, as much as he wished he was pretending, he really couldn't think straight. Come to think of it, did he hide that body as well as he thought he had? Did he get all the blood? Did he miss anything? He was starting to worry. He couldn't even remember getting rid of the body. Did he get rid of it? Did Jim see it?
Kristen managed to avoid looking visibly relieved when Edward started playing along. She'd been holding her breath, ready to jump in at any minute with some lame excuse about how disoriented he was and how they should probably come back and ask again later.
"I'm not surprised you have trouble remembering," Lee sighed, packing up her bag. "He clearly did a number on you. Must have hit your head several times … It's lucky that you got back here, and that Kristen called us when she did."
"Will he be okay for the night?" Jim asked, wondering if they should maybe stay.
Lee frowned. "He's made enough improvement that I don't think he'll need to go to a hospital … But someone should definitely stay with him."
"I'll stay," Kristen said quickly. Having Jim and Lee come by briefly was one thing; she trusted Ed had been thorough enough at least for that. But if they hung around? If they continued asking questions, especially with Edward in his current confused state? They couldn't afford to tempt fate that much.
Lee nodded. "Just make sure you wake him up every few hours, make sure he's okay.
"Take the day off tomorrow. I'll have Sampson cover for you, I'll make excuses." Jim said, patting Edward's knee.
Kristen nodded. "Thank you so much for coming over at this hour," she said sincerely. "Really, I can't thank you both enough."
"Don't think anything of it," said Lee reassuringly as she packed up her medical supplies. "Come on, we both have to work tomorrow, we should get a few more hours of sleep." She said to Jim who followed her upstairs.
Kristen thanked them again as she accompanied them to the door. Once they had left, and she had closed it behind them, she let out a long sigh, leaning heavily against the door, rubbing tiredly at her temples. Her head ached, and she felt weak and shaky again, physically and emotionally exhausted.
After a moment, she straightened and went back down to the game room, to keep an eye on Edward.
By the time she came back down Ed was sitting up on the couch, staring blankly at the table.
"I'm sorry." He said quietly.
Kristen shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it right now, Ed," she said tiredly. She looked back at him, so worn out that her anger didn't have much energy left. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
Edward ignored her question. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but I really am sorry." He said. "If I had been able to defend myself …. None of this would have happened."
Kristen stared at him. "That's what you're sorry for?" She shook her head, and sat down next to him on the couch. "That's not your fault. And he wouldn't have even been here in the first place if I hadn't been so gullible … God, Edward, I led him right to you …" She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I … It's my fault you got hurt."
"No it's not your fault … It's mine … And if not mine then his. And it's not all I'm sorry for, but it's what started it all." He said resting his head back on the couch. His head felt like it was going to explode. "If he hadn't shown up I wouldn't have killed him, if I hadn't killed him I wouldn't have been stupid and locked you down here so you wouldn't have to see-" he paused once again not wanting her to know the details … Then again he couldn't remember the details himself, but he had a good idea. "I'm sorry. I'm stupid …"
"You're not stupid," Kristen said firmly, reaching over and taking his hand in hers. "Don't ever say that about yourself. And what happened wasn't your fault. Your … your father is the one who decided to come after you … That was his fault, not yours." She was quiet for a moment, hesitant, not wanting to fight with him right now, or worse, break down in front of him … But it still upset her too much to just let it go. "But … locking the door on me is a separate issue," she said quietly. She didn't let go of his hand, but her eyes became fixated on the floor. "By the way, your downstairs window is rusted over at the frame. You should probably get that fixed."
Edward looked at her confused. "My what?" He asked at the sudden turn of conversation.
Kristen pointed over at the window barely almost entirely hidden by the arcade games. "It's rusted over. It doesn't open."
Realization hit him. "You … Tried to go out the fire escape?" He asked. "Why would you do that? You know I would never hurt you!" He said sounding hurt, both by the fact that he clearly scared her enough to try the fire escape and because she would think he'd do something to harm her. He was only trying to protect her.
"I… I know," she said quietly. If she'd really thought he would hurt her, she would have just broken the window, or used the phone. But she hadn't. "But you locked me down here for five hours, Edward. Can you really blame me? I just… I have an issue with being locked in a room like that … It … it bothers me."
"Being upstairs would have bothered you more … Believe me. I …. I don't remember what I did but …. I have an idea." He said, wondering if she would think it was because of his head injury. He knew that wasn't the case. "I know you won't forgive me but … I am sorry. I'll stay down here tonight, I'm sure I earned that one. I'm not as bad as I let on when Lee and Jim were here. You should get some sleep."
"No, Ed," Kristen said, exasperated. "You're injured, remember? You should sleep in your own bed." And Lee had told her to check on him every couple of hours, so she wasn't going to get that much sleep anyway. "And that's not going to fix it anyway … I don't think you even really understand why …" She shook her head. "Do you think you can get up the stairs?"
"You sleep in the bed. I'll sleep down here. I know you're mad at me, and I'm sure I don't know the full extent as to why, but there's no point in fighting over it now. We both need sleep. Tomorrow I'll get rid of my - rid of the body, and then we can talk about it after."
Kristen hesitated for a moment. She was going to have to explain. If she didn't, they were never going to get past this … But the idea of talking about it still made her nervous, and she didn't want to fight with Edward right now either. "Okay," she said, standing up. "Lee said to wake you up every couple of hours to make sure you're okay, so … I apologize for that in advance. We'll … We'll talk in the morning." She headed for the stairs.
"Good night Kristen." He said laying down on the couch, with only the couch cushion. But he didn't have the energy to go get his blanket and pillow.
Kristen glanced over at Edward, before heading up the stairs without a word. She returned a moment later and walked over, setting down the pillow on the couch near his head, and dropping the blanket down over him. "Goodnight, Edward," she sighed, and then headed back upstairs.
Edward looked down at the blanket that was still folded up and now laying on top of him. He hadn't expected her to bring it down for him. "Thank you." He said as she was already halfway upstairs. He fixed the pillow, putting the cushion down on the floor before struggling to pull the blanket open. He managed to get it half open, not having the energy and just giving up. It was good enough.
Kristen set an alarm for a couple of hours, so that she would wake up to come check on him. She barely managed to doze off into a restless sleep full of troubling, jumbled dreams before the alarm went off, and she shuffled blearily back down the stairs to go check on Edward, gently yet irritably nudging his shoulder to make sure he could wake up.
She frowned. "Weren't you wearing a shirt earlier?"
"Mhmm." Edward mumbled, still clearly sleeping. He shifted and forced himself to look up at her. "What?"
Kristen shook her head. Edward was able to wake up. He was fine. And a glance down at the floor quickly solved the mystery of where his shirt had gone. "Nevermind," she said. "Go back to sleep," before she trudged up the stairs to repeat the whole process again.
Two hours later Edward turned over onto his back, half asleep, but the turning in his stomach woke him up. He laid there contemplating whether he was going to throw up or not, before he got up and slowly walked towards the bathroom. He stopped half way across the room, his hand over his stomach, trying to decide if he was okay or not. He took two steps back towards the couch before his stomach made up its mind. He ran for the bathroom, barely making it to the bowl in time.
Kristen stumbled groggily toward the trapdoor, summoned again by the alarm, when she thought she heard Ed throwing up downstairs. She ran the rest of the way down the stairs, nearly tripping and falling toward the bottom. She sighed when she saw the downstairs bathroom door standing open . At least he'd managed to make it in there before he started throwing up violently … She hung around, waiting to make sure he was alright.
Once Edward finished, or at least he thought he finished, he sat back against the wall covered in a cold sweat, most likely from the strain his body had gone through from throwing up. He sat there, tiredly raising his hand to the flusher and cleaning up any mess he'd made, trying to catch his breath.
Kristen tentatively stepping inside, putting a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked, though it occurred to her that this was an absurdly unhelpful question.
Edward nodded, "Yeah I'm just … Tired." He said rubbing his face. "Would you mind getting me a glass of water, please?" He asked, as much as he'd rather not ask her to do things for him, he didn't think he had the energy to make it back to the couch let alone upstairs.
"Sure," Kristen said. "Do you want me to help you to the couch first, or do you need a minute to catch your breath?" He just looked so miserable … It was a good thing Jim was calling in for Ed tomorrow … There was no way Edward would be in any condition to work tomorrow.
"I'm fine … I'm just going to sit here for a minute." He said staring down at the floor.
"Okay," Kristen said quietly, lightly touching his shoulder for a moment, before going back upstairs, getting a glass of water, and returning downstairs. She bent down next to Edward and handed it to him.
"Thank you." He said quietly, taking the glass from her and sipping on the water. After a few sips he put the glass down, oddly feeling a bit better. Perhaps his stomach was just upset, there was very little in his stomach to begin with.
He looked to Kristen a moment before he leaned forward, and wrapped his arms awkwardly around her waist. "I'm sorry." He said for what seemed like the thousandth time. "Please stop being mad at me." He said quietly, so quietly it sounded rather pathetic really.
Kristen froze for a moment, surprised, before she sighed and wrapped an arm around him, running her hand comfortingly over his back. He was just too miserable. All she wanted to do was take care of him. "Oh Ed," she sighed. "I'm too tired to be mad right now." And by this point, she was more upset than angry, really. "We'll talk this out in the morning, okay? But right now I'm not going anywhere."
Edward stiffened when she said that and slowly pulled away from her. She specified 'right now' … So … She was leaving him. Just not while he was sick and injured … He leaned against the wall again, and picked up his glass. "I see." He said so quietly he barely even heard it as tears pricked his eyes, his chest hurting and his head feeling like it was spinning again as anxiety started to pull at him.
Kristen looked over at Edward as he pulled away, confused. What had she said that had made it worse? Was it that she hadn't promised to stop being mad? It wasn't as if she could do that on command. "Edward?" she said uncertainly.
"Yes?" He asked, shakily taking another sip of his water, feeling like he was going to throw up again, though for an entirely different reason.
"Do you …" She hesitated. Was she really comfortable with what she was about to suggest? But her anger was too numbed by exhaustion to object. Anyway, it would be easier for her to check on him if he were close to her, and she wouldn't have to keep going up and down the stairs. "Do you want to come up to bed?" Assuming he was able to … She'd have to give him a hand up, at the very least.
Edward was silent for a moment. "No." He said quietly taking another sip of his water, not looking up at her. "I'll be fine. You can go back to bed if you want."
"Oh." Kristen said, finding herself somehow disappointed. But … it made sense, in a weird way. Being close to Edward was comforting … Even if, in this instance, he was part of what was upsetting her in the first place. "Okay … Just … Just let me know if you need anything." She didn't know what she'd said to make it worse, but she seemed to do that a lot lately.
"Okay." He said simply, taking another sip of his water, the liquid feeling heavy in his stomach. He wouldn't call her tonight … He didn't understand why she even bothered to volunteer to stay. She could have easily said she couldn't … Made him go to the hospital instead. Asked Jim and Lee to drive him there … Maybe she just hadn't wanted to inconvenience them … But then, that's always what Ed had been wasn't it? An inconvenience?
Kristen trudged up the stairs uneasily, not at all comfortable with leaving him by himself like this for now, even if there was nothing she could really do. She found herself wondering if they could ever really come back from this, and be happy the way they'd been before. Everything that had happened tonight had shaken her to her core, and she could no longer find the sense of safety that she'd felt with him just yesterday.
She glanced over at the suitcase propped against the wall in an out-of-the-way corner. She remembered what Edward had said about prying through suitcases … She shuddered. She wasn't going to look. That part wasn't his fault. They'd both done the only thing they could, however horrible.
She told herself that the locked door had probably been a panic move. The circumstances were so unreal, so hideous, that anyone would have acted out of character; that didn't mean it was going to happen again. It wasn't like Ed had ever done anything like that before... But then, there was a first time for everything. Hadn't she been here before, making excuses for someone who was supposed to care about her, telling herself that this time was definitely the last time, that it would never happen again. Could she really have ended up in the same place all over again, just because she'd been so damned desperate to finally get it right.
"No," she muttered under her breath. "Not Edward." Ed was gentle to a fault … under ordinary circumstances, anyway. She shot a baleful glare at the dreaded suitcase. "You're the one I blame for this," she told it.
No, it wouldn't happen again, she thought darkly. They could only kill Ed's father once, after all … And that was quite enough of that train of thought. If she was talking to suitcases … or possibly worse … it was definitely time to get some sleep.
That was a vain attempt, however. She only managed to toss and turn fitfully for a couple of hours, until the alarm startled her out of bed, and it was time to go check on Edward again. She frowned when she saw that the bathroom light was still on … and that the couch was empty. She ran to the bathroom, stomach tight with worry, but found Edward exactly where she'd left him, slumped against the wall. He seemed fine … except that there was a distinctive redness around his eyes. Edward had been crying.
She winced, stung with guilt. Why had she left? He might have told her to, but she still shouldn't have … She crouched down and gently nudged his shoulder. "Edward?"
Edward groaned as she nudged and him slowly opened his eyes, his eyes red from crying. He rubbed his eyes and looked away from her. "I'm fine … I'm awake." He grumbled.
"Edward…" she said quietly, her hand remaining on his shoulder. "This is no place to sleep. Please… will you come to bed?"
"I'm fine on the couch." He said forcing himself to stand up against the wall.
"Edward," Kristen said, putting an arm around him and looking up at him. "Please."
"Why?" Edward asked, flinching from her touch. He wished she would stop touching him … Why was she making this harder than it needed to be?
Kristen looked confused. "I'm not so mad at you that I wouldn't let you sleep in your own bed," she said. "And … I don't think you should be alone right now."
'Right now.' She kept specifying 'Right now.' "But tomorrow that would be okay right?" He asked. "Once I'm 'better' …" He said bitterly, moving into the game room.
"What?" Kristen said, staring at Edward as he moved away from her. "Ed, what are you talking about?"
"You can stop pretending Miss. Kringle …" He said sitting down on the couch and running his hands through his hair, his elbows resting on his knees. "I'm not stupid …. Just leave me alone." He said quietly. "It would probably be easier for both of us."
"Pretending?" Kristen repeated, her eyes threatening to tear up on her. "Is that … really what you think of me? I'm trying to help. Why do you keep pushing me away?"
"Pushing you away?" Edward asked. "You've made it rather clear you're leaving tomorrow … If not then, then soon …" Edward said, not bothering to look up at her as he started tearing up again.
Kristen's eyes widened with sudden understanding. "Edward, no, I never … I didn't mean …" She found herself blinking back tears. Yes, there had been a few moments tonight when she'd thought about it, but … but … She didn't want it to come to that. She went over and sat down next to him on the couch. "Yes, I'm still upset, but … I want to work through this. I … I don't want to leave."
Edward paused, glancing at her before wiping away the few tears that fell down his cheeks. "But … You said-" Edward paused. She wasn't leaving? She wanted to work through this? Edward felt more confused than he had in a long time. Hadn't she said she was leaving him just a few hours ago?
Kristen shook her head. "What did I say that made you think I was leaving?" she asked, bewildered.
"You said 'Right now I'm not going anywhere.' … That's a very odd specification, don't you think? And then you said it again just now in the bathroom." He said. "You said 'You shouldn't be alone right now.' Not 'you shouldn't be alone' …. It's just …. A very odd specification."
Kristen looked back at him. "Really? That's what …" She sighed. "Edward, not everything has a hidden meaning for you to figure out. I kind of thought the second one at least was self-explanatory … I left you alone for a couple of hours to try to get some rest, and come back to find you on the bathroom floor. I meant that right now, I literally can't seem to leave you alone for a few moments without you ending up in a worse state than before. And … And the first time, I… guess I meant to communicate uncertainty," she admitted, looking down at the floor. "Just that … I don't honestly know if I'll have a reason to change my mind later, but … as of right now, I have no intention of leaving."
"Really?" Edward asked looking up at her, hope clear on his face and he hated how vulnerable he felt. It was always when he was the most vulnerable that he got hurt the most.
"Yes, really," Kristen smiled slightly, before leaning in and kissing him on the cheek. "Now will you please just come to bed?"
Edward looked like he was going to start crying again, though for an entirely different reason. "I promise I'll try not to give you any reason to leave." He said pulling her into a hug, his long arms wrapped around her.
"Although ….." Ed paused letting go of her and looking down. He couldn't give her a reason to leave now …. He had to put all the cards on the table now. If she found out later …. "I um …. I think I may need to tell you something. I …. I should have told you sooner but …. I didn't want to scare you. And you have a right to know."
Kristen returned his hug tightly, feeling a deep sense of relief at feeling his arms around her. They still had a lot to work through … she still had to explain why she was so upset, in order to ensure that it wouldn't happen again … but holding him now reassured her that things could be alright again. She looked up at him as he let go of her, confused.
"Ed …" she said, a hint of apprehension hiding behind a tight smile. "What could possibly be scarier than what happened to us tonight?"
Edward took a deep breath and took her hand in his. "Do you remember the day … When I saw the bruise Officer Daugherty left on your arm?" He asked.
Kristen tensed, upset at the memory of how she'd felt that day. Though she also remembered being surprised by Edward's concern. "Yes," she said quietly. "I remember."
"Well … I was really worried … About you." He said quietly. "I wanted to make sure you were okay … So I came to your apartment. I just wanted to check on you, make sure you were alright. Officer Daugherty saw me, so I confronted him about how he was treating you. I told him you deserved to be treated better …."
Kristen's eyes widened. "Edward…" she said, stunned. "You didn't have to… You shouldn't have done that. You could have been seriously hurt. How… how did you even know where I lived?"
"I um …. I looked at your file at work. I'm really sorry, I am …. I shouldn't have done that but …" He looked down at the floor unable to look at her. "I couldn't just let it keep happening. I had to do something."
"It's … It's okay," Kristen said uneasily, but understanding. Under other circumstances, knowing he'd looked up her address in the files would have led her to some nasty conclusions … and she still wasn't entirely comfortable with it, but it seemed like he'd just been really scared for her safety. He probably hadn't known what else to do. "But … it still wasn't a good idea to confront him like that. He's …" Kristen shook her head. "I'm just glad you're okay."
"Well that's … Not all I wanted to tell you." He said nervously. "When I confronted him … He laughed at me of course. But then he …. He assaulted me."
"He what!?" Kristen said, her hand tightening around Edward's. She wasn't shocked that Dougherty had attacked him, but that Edward had apparently come out of it more or less unscathed, and that he was just now telling her this.
"He punched me in the ribs so hard I couldn't breath. I collapsed on the ground, saw stars from the pain. He grabbed me by my jacket and hauled me up and I panicked …." He said letting go of her hand and running it through his hair nervously. "As you say I'm not a fighter, and I live in a bad area, even by Gotham standards … So I keep a knife on me for protection." He said quietly. "I stabbed him. I think we were both surprised about it at first … And I wasn't thinking clearly. I never stabbed someone before and I just stabbed a cop. The wound wouldn't have killed him but …." He paused and shook his head. "He grabbed me again and I got scared …" He stared down at the floor. "I killed him."
"You…" Krisen stared at him, wide-eyed, her voice quiet and unsteady. "You … killed him?" She shook her head. "Oh my God," she whispered, burying her face in her hands. She was trembling violently, and she felt sick. "Oh my God…" He'd been there trying to make sure she was safe. Dougherty had attacked him. She understood that. But it was still terrible. And it would have been so easy for things to have turned out differently, for Ed to be the one who … She shuddered.
Edward could tell she was scared. He had expected her to be half way up the stairs by now, but she was staying …. She was shaking, and clearly distressed but … She was still here. Edward raised his hand to her, wanting to comfort her but paused, lowering his hand again. Perhaps that wasn't the best idea.
"The letter." Kristen looked up abruptly as the idea hit her. "You did write it, didn't you? I wasn't just being paranoid, you actually … That's … that's incredibly messed up … God, Ed, why did you do that?"
"If he just disappeared you would have been more hurt, or tried looking for him. I thought it would be easier if …. If you at least knew he was gone." He said still staring down at the floor. "I was scared you'd somehow find out what I did …. You'd tell someone else … I mean …. You still could I guess but … I figured if I was going to tell you it might as well be tonight. All cards on the table so to speak." He was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "I didn't write it to hurt you … If … If that's what you're thinking."
Kristen sighed. "I guess…. I guess it was easier that way, than if… if…" She couldn't finish that thought. Edward got the idea.
And it had worked, hadn't it? She'd been so mad that Dougherty had just up and left without even saying goodbye to her face, that after everything he'd put her through it had all been for nothing. But a part of her had felt relieved that it was over, that she didn't have to live that way anymore. But now, knowing he was dead, she felt guilty for feeling that way. He'd been an abusive creep, and he'd attacked Edward, but … she had cared about him once. It was hard to wrap her head around. Everything was so messed up. Nothing made sense.
She realized that she was crying, tears running unchecked down her face. "Sorry," she muttered, trying to wipe them away, but they kept falling. She couldn't stop. "It's just… Everything is so…" She took a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts into something coherent. She latched back onto the letter. "It spelled out 'Nygma,'" she remembered, finally looking back up at him. "What was that about?"
"I uh …. I don't know really. I had an urge to leave a clue … I don't know why. Maybe I wanted you to figure it out." He said with a shrug. "But when you confronted me about it …. I'll be honest, I got a little giddy when you figured it out. Absolutely terrified but …. You're smart …. I like that." He said.
Kristen buried her face in her hands again, cradling her aching head. "Really not the time for compliments right now, Ed," she said. How was she supposed to react to this? She cared about Edward. He didn't make her miserable like everyone else had ended up doing. And she was glad he was alright. The thought still terrified her that, if things had gone differently, Edward might have been the one who disappeared, or at the very least was seriously hurt … It was self defense. And Edward had been trying to protect her … But he'd still killed Dougherty … But what could she even say about that? Hadn't she just stabbed Edward's father earlier for the same reason? All things considered, Edward had taken that relatively well.
Kristen stubbornly wiped the tears away until they were gone, before looking up at him again. "Thank you for … for telling me, at least," she said shakily. Part of her wanted to run away from him, and the other part wanted to hold him. "I … I have a lot to think about."
"Yes, I … I figured you would." He said glancing out the window where the sun was just starting to rise. "Maybe we should get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep … If you can anyway … And then I'll take care of … Um …" He paused.
"Um?" Kristen repeated, before shivering slightly. "Oh. Yes. That." The suitcase couldn't just sit there in the apartment … And there was that to take into account too. They'd just killed a man together. She still didn't know how to process that. An image popped into her head of Edward being caught hauling around a corpse in a suitcase. She shook her head. "We'll both go take care of it," she said, more decisively than she felt about anything else. "We're both involved in this now. There's no getting around that."
"You don't have too." Edward said looking at her. He couldn't understand it … She now knew he was a murderer …. She could easily walk away right now and turn him in but … Instead she wanted to help him hide the body?
"You can try to talk me out of it in the morning," Kristen sighed. It occurred to her that she might be losing her mind. She stood up, her hand unintentionally lingering on his shoulder for a moment, before she withdrew it awkwardly. "You should try to get some more sleep too."
"I will." Edward said quietly and almost as an afterthought he grabbed onto her hand gently, to stop her from walking away. "Kristen …" He gently pulled her back to the couch until she was sitting beside him again. He looked worried a moment, opening his mouth to say something before he paused. He ran his thumb over her hand before he finally spoke. "You … You know I would never hurt you … Right?" Edward asked, scared of what she might say. After last night she had every reason to be scared of him, but he would never harm her. He hoped that she would know that …
Kristen looked back at Edward, her hand resting in his. "I… don't think you would. I still don't… but…" She glanced away, her eyes tearing up again slightly, her voice diminishing to just above a whisper. "But … I've been wrong before."
Edward moved his hand to her chin, getting her to look up at him, his thumb or his other hand wiping the tears from under her eye. "You're not wrong now … I never … I promise, never … Will I hurt you. And I don't make promises lightly. Nor promises I can't keep. I can't guarantee you we'll agree all the time, or we won't argue or fight but …. I will never lay a hand on you."
Kristen hesitated for a moment, then said quietly: "I believe you." She hoped it didn't make her a gullible idiot. The way he said it, though, he seemed so sincere, so sure, and she needed that reassurance. It didn't address all of her fears, all of her misgivings… but it was a start. "There's…" She hesitated. Could she really explain herself coherently right now? "There's other things…" she shook her head. "We'll talk more tomorrow. But…" she looked up into his eyes. "Thank you… I needed to hear you say that."
Edward smiled and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. "I'll see you in the morning then." He paused and glanced outside again. "Well, I suppose it is morning, but you know what I mean."
Kristen smiled back tiredly. "Yeah, I know what you mean," she said. She hesitated for a moment, before she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek too. "See you." She got up to head back upstairs.