Chapter 57

Dawn's light overfilled the rooms, burning through the curtains like fire in a cobweb. Birds awoke in their leafy nests and emitted soft, sleepy songs. Dew sparkled on the wild grasses like diamonds. Squirrels descended from their wooden strongholds in search of food, their beady eyes searching eagerly. It was a lovely morning, far from the hideous corruption of the city. If one ignored the distant honking horns and wailing police sirens, they could almost forget Gotham even existed.

If only.

Ruby sighed through her nostrils as she drank her milky coffee. Her plate sat next to her on the rocking bench. Placing the cup down, she claimed a brownie and took a bite. The fudgey richness quelled her hunger. As she chewed, however, she glanced back through the window. For the first time in ages, she had broken her fast on the front porch rather than the kitchen. Gotham's unending chill made a breakfast outside challenging to say the least, hence Ruby's indigo sweater and leggings. But she didn't mind the cold, no matter how red and numb her ears and nose were getting. Even a blizzard would surpass Oswald right now.

As if on cue, Oswald raised his voice. "I don't care that your hands are tied! I want him found!"

Beneath her black beanie, Ruby's hair began to twist and curl like angry snakes. She did her best to control them, to no avail.

She had woken up feeling no less glum and broken-hearted than the night before. Whoever said that everything betters in the morning obviously never got a taste of real life. Even in the most perfect of mornings, your problems were always there to glare at you the moment you woke up. So it had been with Ruby. Not even polishing her jewels and jotting down some notes could lift her spirits. Thus, she had bathed and dressed on autopilot, choosing only the clothing that suited her mood. The only item that she selected with any passion had been, of course, her gems. An opal necklace graced her collarbone: half a dozen stones, as round and shining as tiny moons, were interconnected by thin ropes of gold. From her ears hung holly blue agate. Yet even those precious stones had barely improved her mood.

Once she'd gone downstairs for breakfast, it had only worsened. Oswald, still dressed in last night's attire, had been pacing back and forth, muttering and shaking his head. He had looked like he was going through every thought in his head and hating each one. When she had half-heartedly asked him about it, he'd said that Edward hadn't come home.

Of course. Edward.

Now, as Ruby tried to eat with some semblance of peace, Oswald was calling the bloody police. Trying to get his wonderful Eddie back. Because God forbid he actually go a full twelve hours without thinking of the prick.

Her appetite officially gone, Ruby put the brownie down. Then, as an afterthought, she seized it again. Finished it in three great bites. These brownies were perfect, deserved to be eaten. She wouldn't let them go stale because of him.

A squirrel inched closer, venturous in its hunger. Ruby still, her dark blue eyes trained on it. Pretty little thing, with russet fur and big eyes. Probably a male, given the bone structure. Her stony heart growing tender, Ruby reached down. On her plate, alongside the brownies, were several walnuts. Selecting one, she slowly knelt before the creature. "Hey, lil' guy." She greeted. "You hungry?" The squirrel eyed her with scrutiny. Began to back away.

Ruby softened her voice. "Aw, you can trust ol' Ruby. I won't bite." She chuckled. "Unless you're over six feet tall, wearing outdated glasses, and talk in riddles." The squirrel must have sensed the good intention in her voice, for it moved a bit closer. Ruby stilled until there was no difference between her and the trees flanking the mansion. She watched, heart pounding, as the tiny animal crept towards her outstretched hand. Then, with lightning reflexes it grabbed the nut and stuffed it in its mouth. Ruby retracted her hand, giggling. "Glad someone's having a good breakfast." The squirrel made an odd little clucking sound in reply.

There came the sound of a car door slamming. The squirrel darted back towards its tree. Skirting up its branches as though the Devil himself were giving chase. Ruby sighed. "Well, it was nice while it lasted." She straightened. Brushed herself off just as Edward's shadow fell over her boots. Ruby got a look at him as he approached. He, on the other hand, didn't appear to see her. Or anything, for that matter. He looked worried and, beneath that...happy. Edward was still dressed in the suit that she'd seen him in the day before. Yet it was not rumpled, nor his hair untidy. So he hand't been sleeping around with any lady of the night. So that led to the question...

"Where the hell have you been?" Ruby put her hands on her hips.

Edward stopped in his tracks, noticing her presence for the first time. "Pardon me?"

"Where. Have. You. Been?" Ruby repeated slowly. She gestured to the mansion behind her. "Oswald was up late waiting for your ungrateful rear to get home, without even eating his dinner until I showed up. Where were you, trimming your nosehairs?"

Edward snorted. "For your information, no. I actually met someone." Behind those gigantic glasses, his eyes adopted a dreamy look. "Isabella."

Ruby's eyes widened. Her arms dropped to her sides. Realization sank through her skull, into her brain, as deeply and painfully as liquid lead. Horror split open within her like a rotten egg. She turned back to the house. To the man within, waiting for the man that he'd been planning to profess his love to. Who all of a sudden was in the exact same position as she.

Ruby turned back to Edward and shook her head. "Well, don't tell him that!"

Edward quirked a brow. "Why not?" His tone hardened. "I have as much a right to fall in love as anyone else."

Ruby bit her lip, halted. She could not deny Edward's words. Glancing back, she could imagine Oswald in the house. Pining for a man who'd already given his heart to another. Oh, the irony. She had accepted, albeit with more than a tablespoon of bitterness, that she could not force Oswald to return her feelings. But to see him afflicted with her same curse...well, that was something else entirely.

Ruby sighed. "What's it like between you two?"

Edward's eyes narrowed. "What's it to you?"

"I just want to know." Ruby's voice trembled a bit. "What's it like to share a mutual feeling with someone?" She cleared her throat. "What's it like looking someone in the eyes and knowing they care about you just as much as you do them?"

Edward's hostility melted at her words. Or, at the very least, softened. There was something so achingly honest about her question that he couldn't stay quiet. He spread his hands out, as if there was too much to tell. "It's wonderful." He started. "It's like the deepest fulfillment you can imagine. You feel as though a cup that's been filled with mist until that point is suddenly dripping with wine. Something real and substaintial. It's a feeling that I don't think you can ever forget, no matter how much time passes."

Ruby nodded slowly, trying to take note of it. As well as ignore the pang in her chest. "Sounds wonderful."

"It is." Edward confirmed. Smiling to himself. Wonder mixed with his newfound love. From the moment that he'd met Ruby, he'd thought her a simpleton made special by her powers, and nothing else. The fact that she'd seemed so attached to Oswald had only worsened matters. Deep down, Edward knew that it had been bound to happen. He and Oswald hadn't seen each other in a while, and Edward hadn't exactly showered his friend with kindness during Oswald's visit. But he had hoped against hope that his status as Oswald's best friend hadn't been given away, yet it had.

But until that very moment, he had never cared enough to wonder what Oswald saw in Ruby.

Now, he was starting to see a glimpse of that. And it wasn't as awful as he'd always presumed.

Ruby stepped aside. "Go ahead." She said. "He's probably on the phone right now, trying to file a 'missing person' report." The edge of her mouth curled upward, eyes distant.

Edward gave her a little bow. "Yes. Thank you, First Deputy Mayor."

Ruby blinked. Straightened. Still at a loss for words, she only managed a nod at first. "You're welcome...Chief of Staff."

Edward ran up the porch steps, with Ruby's curious eyes pinned to his back.

True to Ruby's suspicions, Oswald a tangle of nerves. Edward knew it before he saw the man. He could smell whiffs of alcohol hanging in the air like velvet drapes. He saw a cushion and blanket on the sofa. The entire room had a tenseness to it, as if the walls were holding their breath. In the center of it all, Oswald stood with his back to Edward. "I know one has to wait 24 hours before filing a 'missing person' report, but sir, I am the mayor-"

"Oswald!" Edward called. Dropping the phone Oswald spun around. Dressed finely, yet reeking of alcohol and exhaustion, he stared at his Chief of Staff with huge eyes. Mistaking the look on the shorter man's face for anger, he was quick to speak. "I am so sorry." With a little cry Oswald broke into a short run. Spasms across his visage reflected the pain that it cost him. He unceremoniously crashed into Edward's middle, hugging him tightly. Edward stood there, stunned, when Oswald pulled back. He laughed even though there were tears in his eyes. "When you didn't come home, I assumed the worst." He grabbed the taller man's shoulders and gently shook them. "I'm so glad you're okay."

Edward grinned. "I'm better than 'okay'."

Oswald quirked a brow, his relieved smile still in place.

"I met someone." Edward explained. Those mere three words caused his heart to burst. Unable to stop himself, he blurted out, "I think I'm in love!" He broke into joyous laughter, too immersed in his rose-tinted world to see anything beyond Isabella. Oswald, for example. Whose expression was slowly resembling that of a drowning man.

Ruby watched the scene from the window, her arms folded and her face blank.

The rest of the morning marched on like an army in swampwater: slowly and messily.

Ruby tried to bury her mind in paperwork, but emotion kept muddying her thoughts. She worked her way through the documents at a third of her normal pace, between glances at Edward. He was as busy as an ant storing crumbs, never breaking away or looking tired. Even when one of the servants brought them both coffee and sugar cubes, he barely touched his. Ruby, on the other hand, kept chewing down sugar cubes in order to expel her inner bitterness. Oswald locked himself in his office - originally his grandfather's. Claiming that he had much to do, he forbade anyone from coming in. As the clock's hands moved, many men went into that office. But very few came out again.

The golden light of morning soon blackened as clouds from the north came knocking. Before long, the wind began to howl just outside the windows. When a servant came back inside with the dried laundry, the doors slammed behind him. The dry noises of dead leaves on stone were constantly in the background, no matter how often Ruby tried to ignore them. They reminded her of an afternoon she'd spent at the zoo with Oswald. All had been going well until they'd visited the reptile exhibit. A snake's dinner, three live frogs, had been tossed in just as the two friends had walked past the cage. Eyes trained on its prey, the serpent had slithered across the dry stones. The noise produced by scales rubbing against rock had been all too similar to this.

Trying to ignore the way the frogs' blood had squirted, Ruby rose. Combed a hand through her curly hair. "I'm going to the kitchen." She informed Edward. "Need anything?"

Edward gave her the quick shadow of a smile. "No, thank you."

Still not used to such courtesy, Ruby nodded and collected her mug. Rinsing it out in the sink, she hung it to dry on the rack. Then, she selected a nice, juicy-looking red apple from the fruit bowl. "If only you could put me to sleep." She muttered against the supple skin. Took a savage bite. As she walked back into the shared office, her eye caught the phone's blinking light. "Someone left a message." Ruby informed Edward.

Edward glanced up. Frowned at the machine as though he didn't recognize it. "Hm. Odd. Most of our patrons and supporters communicate with us via mail and messangers."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, I know." After a moment, she shrugged. "Ah, probably just some salesman. Don't want it taking up space." Her index finger smashed into a button. A robotic female voice informed them that they had one new message, received last night at midnight.

"MURDERER!"

Edward and Ruby both jumped. Shared a stupefied look as the venomous female voice continued. This time in a quieter tone. "They buried him today. My beloved brother, my lover...he's in the ground, rotting, while you still breathe air!"

Ruby's eyes slowly widened. The red apple slipped from her trembling fingers. Rolled on the marble floor.

The recorded message of Opal Sinclair went on.

"Everything was going so well. We were both at the height of our careers. We'd been in the business longer than any other model. And now that my stupid husband finally ran off with his harlot, we had the apartment all to ourselves. Then, you just had to come back and ruin it, didn't you? You, filthy little bitch who made me fat and ugly and couldn't even have the decency to come out right. You were disgusting, like a maggot, from the moment you were born from the day we left you at Arkham. That was the happiest day we'd had in eighteen years.

But there you were again, at the party. You attacked us, fought us, threw us out the window! Because of you, my brother died of a heart attack. Because of you, now I'm all alone.

Ruby, I curse the day you were conceived. You were supposed to be the fruit of our love, perfect as we were. Instead, you are a perversion that took away my greatest treasure. You're no daughter of mine. You never were. And if you ever come near me again, I'll do what I should have done twenty-seven years ago."

The message ended with a 'beep'. Ruby wasn't there to hear it. Edward's hand covered his mouth. Behind his glasses, his eyes were wide and tearful.

Ruby pushed past the maids and manservants, keeping her gaze lowered. Barely swerving past the vegetable garden and the rose bushes, she made her way to the crypt. Once she slipped inside, she slammed the door shut and locked it twice. Only then did she let her emotions go. Broken sobs rushed out of her like shards of blue glass, cutting the air to ribbons. She dropped to her knees, her back against the door, as the tears ran down her face. Tears of shock. Tears of pain. Tears of guilt. She covered her wet face with her hands, but her howls only seemed to grow louder. Yet only the dead could hear.

Lunch.

Oswald and Edward each had a roasted trout drenched in lemon and stuffed with herbs. Ruby's spot was empty. Icy-blue eyes kept gravitating towards it.

"Her...her mother contacted her."

The mayor looked up in surprise, glass of wine in hand, as Edward spoke. He looked hesitant, shy almost. As if revealing a secret. Oswald's throat tightened. "What did that shameless, incestuous dullard have to say?"

Edward repeated the message, word per word. For the first time since the night Miss Kringle died, he wished that he didn't have such an accurate memory. With every word that he recited Oswald's sharp visage grew paler. All he could think about was that news report on television, on his silence on the matter. He had only meant to protect Ruby from the people whom had hurt her so much. He had never expected the woman to actually call her. Then again, Oswald realized that he'd been foolish to think that Ruby would never discover the truth. He blamed himself almost as much as Opal. If only he had sat Ruby down, taken her hands and told her what had happened...perhaps things would have been different. Better. Or maybe not.

When at last Edward finished his report with Ruby's hurried departure, Oswald had had enough. He downed his wine in one sour gulp. Trying to do the same with his culpability. As he set the glass down, two faint spots of color appeared in his cheekbones. Then, he reached forward and seized a small bell. Set in the center so that either diner could reach it, the bell was soon rung. Two maids stepped into the dining room, giving their master a deep curtsey before doing the same for their guest.

"Call Professor Barker." Oswald ordered them. "Tell him we need an urgent meeting. Cobblair has been benched for far too long."

The maids nodded simultaneously before disappearing behind the door. As it swung shut, Edward spoke. "Are you sure training is a good idea?"

Oswald nodded. "Yes, I am. When we form Cobblair, Ruby and I share a mind as well as a body. Through merging, I will have the capability of calming her down and sorting out these misplaced feelings of guilt."

"But what if things go the other way around?" Edward challenged. "What if her guilt brings up yours?" He hesitated, then softened his tone. "I remember how horrible you felt after your mother died. I don't want to see it again."

Oswald, touched, gave him a gentle smile. "Worry not, my friend. I've become stronger since that night in your green-lit apartment. If Ruby's guilt threatens me, I will shake it off. Besides," his voice dropped, "Ruby has been behaving...oddly, lately. Distant. Perhaps some training will help drive out the wedge between us."

Edward dipped his chin in agreement. "Mayhaps. I know little of fusion, only based on what I've seen." He paused and added, "I...never truly apologized for that day I came along."

Oswald blinked.

"I distracted you both, and resulted in your getting hurt. I may as well have stabbed you myself." Edward pushed his glasses up. "I'm sorry. I honestly don't know what came over me."

Oswald nodded. "I understand. But this is partly what we are here for now: to stop looking back, and begin looking forward." Refilling his glass with wine, he raised it. "To new beginnings."

Edward gave a small smile. He raised his own glass of water and repeated his toast, "To new beginnings."

They drank.