Edward sat on the closed lid of the toilet and groaned quietly. "What the hell was that?" He asked. He didn't remember coming home, he just remembered standing there and seeing both Deidre and Kristen looking at him like …. "What did you do?" He asked quietly.
Ed's reflection grinned back at him. "I only did what you wanted to," he said. "Why don't you ask the girls? They can tell you all about it."
Kristen tapped softly on the door. "Edward?" she said gently. "Are you okay?"
"Go away please." He said, his hands threaded through his hair, his elbows on his knees.
"Alright," Kristen said, concern in her voice. "But … we're here whenever you're ready to come out."
The hallucination sighed and shook his head. "You know, all I've been doing is trying to solve all your problems, and have a little fun for once. You could stand to loosen up."
"Shut up!" Edward said a little louder than he had intended to.
"Careful, there," the mirror smirked. "You'll scare the ladies again … They're so skittish today, for some reason. I'd expect that from Kristen," he said, rolling his eyes. "But Deidre? I thought she had a little more spirit …"
Edward stood up and moved over to the mirror. He pulled it off the wall where it was hanging and placed it on the floor facing the tub so that he couldn't see the reflection.
"Leave me alone." He said through clenched teeth.
"Since when has it ever been that easy?" a voice asked from behind him.
Edward sat on the floor against the wall, his knees up to his chest, his hands over his ears as he hummed, tuning the voice out. It'll go away. It'll go away. It won't last forever.
An hour and a half later, when Edward's one-sided conversations had long since subsided, Kristen tapped lightly at the door. "Edward?" she asked quietly. "Can I come in?"
There was no answer from the other side of the door and Deidre looked up at her from the couch. "Should I try?" She asked quietly.
Kristen hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. "Be careful," she said. "Try to avoid startling him, or he might lash out."
Deidre nodded as she approached the door. "Ed?" She asked giving the door a light knock. When he didn't respond, she turned the doorknob, surprised to find it unlocked, and pushed it open. "I'm coming in, okay?" she said.
"Only approach him if he's looking up and can see you," Kristen cautioned her, standing in the doorway as Deidre stepped in.
"Hey, Ed," Deidre said, crossing her arms and looking down at him. "Is the worst over for now?"
Edward sat against the tub, his head against the wall, his arms wrapped around himself, his knees loosely drawn to himself as he stared at the floor. He didn't seem to be any danger at the moment he just looked … Lost.
"That bad, huh?" Deidre said quietly, before sitting down on the bathroom floor nearby. "You want to sit here awhile longer, we'll sit, and when you feel like talking about it, let me know, okay?"
"Did I hurt either of you?" He asked quietly, not looking up at her.
"No," Kristen reassured him quickly. "You didn't hurt either of us." Mr. Walker was another matter, but she doubted Edward would be quite as concerned about him.
"I slapped you, though," Deidre added. "So if your face is stinging … that would be why."
That was the least of Ed's problems. "What did I do?" He asked.
"Well …" Kristen said uncomfortably. "You came in and informed us that you'd just rigged your former boss' car to explode … and you were really … casual about it. And then you, um …"
"You shoved Kristen against the wall and tried to initiate a rough makeout session," Deidre told him matter-of-factly. "You weren't too willing to back off either."
Edward flinched and looked back at the floor again. "I'm sorry." He said quietly.
"Edward," Kristen said quietly. "Do you … remember any of that? At all?"
"I remember putting the bomb in his car … I don't remember anything after that until we were in the kitchen. It was like … I don't know … It was like waking up I guess."
Deidre nodded. "You were acting like somebody else."
"Not exactly," Kristen said, frowning. "It was more like … the parts of you that I recognize most seem to have just gone to sleep, and a part of you that I'd only seen hints of before was suddenly amplified."
Edward sighed and banged his head against the wall beside him. "Why do I keep having these blackouts?" He asked, sounding more frustrated than anything. "What if I had hurt one of you. This is why I wanted you both to leave …"
"I don't think you would really hurt us," Kristen insisted.
"More accurately, we wouldn't let you," Deidre said bluntly. "It's easier for everyone that you snapped out of it when you did, but … we would still be fine. Trust me."
"And I suppose you have magic powers to stop me from walking in here with a gun?" He asked. "There's no guarantee you could stop me … I can't even stop myself!"
"You're not going to walk in here with a gun," Kristen insisted.
"No …" Deidre agreed thoughtfully. "I don't think this other side of you would be interested in doing that."
"And did you think this 'other side of me' would do what I did today?" He asked. "I saw how both of you were looking at me, you were scared."
"Not as scared as you are right now," Kristen said. However terrifying all of this might be, it had to be just as bad for Edward. This wasn't his fault, anymore than the incident when he'd abducted himself and nearly died. She wasn't about to abandon him because of something beyond his control.
"And we're one step closer to identifying all of the signs to expect," Deidre added. "This isn't like what I've seen before or what Kristen's described … If you're experiencing a memory blackout, then this may well be the same state you were in when you kidnapped yourself. So now we have some idea what that looks like too."
"Yeah, after it happens." He said shaking his head. "I still think you should both leave …" He said staring at his hands which were now loose in his lap.
"And I think we're staying right here," Kristen said firmly.
"Face it," Deidre said, reaching out and putting a hand on his shoulder. "You're stuck with us."
"You're both crazier than I am." He said shaking his head and moving up to sit on the tub. "I am sorry for … Whatever it was I did."
"You weren't in control," Kristen said, looking at him in concern. "It's not your fault."
"And that makes it okay?" He asked.
"No, not exactly," Kristen sighed. "It's just … You're blaming yourself for something that keeps happening to you, and … that's not really fair either."
"I'm scared I'm going to do something to either of you …" He said. "Or worse …"
"Edward," Kristen said quietly. "There is absolutely no part of you that would ever hurt Rubix."
Deidre shook her head. "This other side of you doesn't even seem interested in him," she agreed. "I can't see a motive for it."
"And what if he suddenly does? What if he gains motivation?" He asked.
"Just like that?" Deidre said. "I don't think so."
"All the more reason you need us both here to keep an eye on you," Kristen said.
"Have I ever told you, that you're both more stubborn than Bullock." He said though a faint smile tugged at his mouth, though it seemed like he was trying really hard to put on a brave face in all of this. Really though, he didn't feel like the victim here … He felt like … He didn't know what he felt like. He couldn't explain it.
"Maybe," Kristen said, making her way over to him through the cramped bathroom. It really wasn't meant to have this many occupants at once. She gave him a hand to help him up, Deidre doing the same and taking his other hand. "But we give significantly better hugs than Bullock does."
"Also, we're definitely prettier than Bullock," Deidre added. "I want that on the record as well."
"Do you even know who Bullock is?" He asked looking down at Deidre once he was standing.
"Don't need to," Deidre said confidently. "I already know we're prettier."
Deidre and Kristen both pulled Edward into a tight hug, one on either side of him, and just stood there holding him. Kristen kissed him on the cheek. "It's going to be okay," she said quietly. "We'll find a way to make all of this work out."