Chapter 67

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, catching fire, it turned the saloon into the inside of a burning coal. The hazy crimson shade added to the completed painting, still sitting on the easle as it dried. A velvet drape protected it from the fading light...and any premature peeking. Oswald stood before it, chin in hand, his critical eye sweeping over the portrait. Hoping that his gesture would prove fruitful.

The front door's creak snapped him out of his thoughts.

Spinning around, Oswald was slapped by an unexpected sight. A figure marched towards him. Taller than Ruby, but shorter than Ed. Brown hair slicked back, with fair highlights. An average, feminine figure with more masculine shoulders. Two sets of eyes. Two sets of lower arms, a duo growing from the end of each elbow.

The figure blurred, as did everything around it.

"You fused." Oswald's mouth felt as though he'd gargled bleach.

The figure stopped in their tracks. All four of their eyes - two sardonyx-brown, two indigo - widened to the size of billiard balls. Without a word they were encased in light. A moment later, Edward and Ruby were standing before him. Edward groaned, rubbing his temples, while Ruby took a few, frantic steps towards Oswald. While his first impulse was to back away, the look in his friend's eye made Oswald stop. He did, however, wipe his eyes as she spoke. "I swear," Ruby said, "it just happened. We didn't just say, 'let's merge'. It just happened, I swear." Her frantic tone killed any anger that'd formed within Oswald's heart. But the shock and hurt had yet to fade. In spite of this, he forced a smile and took Ruby's hand. "It's alright." He assured her. "It...it will be at least." Seeing her facial expression, he added, "I'm not angry, I...simply need time to digest this."

Ruby nodded. Then, recollection flashed within her eyes. "We need to tell you something."

"Yes, I'm sure." Oswald squeezed Ruby's hand. "But I have to show you something first. Ed?"

"This is important!" Edward snapped impatiently.

"So is this." Oswald gestured for both of his friends to come closer. Facing Edward, he spoke earnestly. "I was not compassionate this morning, and I regret that." Edward chewed the inside of his cheek as Oswald continued, "What you are going through is terrible. So..." Oswald halted, unsure of how to proceed, before simply tearing down the drape. When Edward did not face it right away, a nervously-grinning Oswald gestured towards it. With a sigh Edward complied. For a moment, he just stood before the portrait. Then, he frowned and leaned forward. His eyes widened. "You put me in your painting?"

Ruby was next to lean forward. She bristled at the sight of a smiling Edward in the background, all dolled up in his signature green suit. Trying to hide her pain, Ruby began to slink away. Sensing her movement, Oswald gently tightened his hold on her hand. "Wait." He whispered. "Look closer at my own figure. Does it look familiar?"

Frowning, Ruby turned to the oil-on-canvas rendering of her friend. For an instant, she did not fully see what he meant. Then, she gasped. The ends of Oswald's inky hair were curled. His face was rounder, the chin less pronounced. His eyes, still icy-blue, were rimmed indigo near the iris. Painted Oswald was also a bit taller than his flesh-and-blood counterpart. But the part that warmed Ruby the most was the jewelry painted in fantastic detail: there was the zircon sitting neatly on his tie's knot. And there, on the fist upon his chest, was a small ring with her namesake clasped between the iron bands.

Ruby slowly turned from the painting to the real thing, who was looking at her hopefully. Yet his expression wilted when he saw the tears filling her eyes. "What is it?" He asked anxiously. "Have I upset you-?" He'd barely finished when Ruby's arms wrapped around him. A nanosecond later, he found himself encased in Ruby's watery perfume of lemons and honey. The cold stones around her neck and hanging from her ears brushed against his skin. Without a moment's hesitation he returned her embrace. "Thank you." Ruby whispered in his ear, her voice a bit hoarse. They held onto each other for a few more heartbeats before finally pulling apart. Just in time for Edward to drop a bomb: "Isabella was murdered."

Oswald's eyes grew to the size of kiwi. His pleased smile slipped off his face like a veil. "What?"

"We went to the intersection where she died." Edward explained. "And it is four blocks from her apartment." He held up the correct amount of digits. "Who falls asleep four blocks away from their home? No one! Also, a very fragrant homeless man said he heard screaming before the crash. So, definitely not asleep."

Oswald could only stare in horror as everything he'd built crumbled away like a house of soggy cards. He listened, increasingly desperate, as Edward asked why Isabella didn't hit the brakes, and why were there no skin-marks. Each question was a feathered dart flying into the balloon that was his world. The perfect world that he had killed to preserve. "Ed, you are exhausted, and emotional-"

Edward held up two severed wires. "The brake-lines were cut! Which leaves one conclusion: murder."

Oswald shook his head, trying to seem amused by the notion. "No!"

"Yes!" Edward replied. His hands dropped. "And I know who did it!"

All of the color (what little there was) drained from Oswald's face in one fell swoop. Ruby, fearing that he may faint, Swallowing hard, he asked, "Who?"

Edward's face rippled. Twitched. His eyes burned with a hatred that turned Oswald's insides to tar. Finally, he spat out the name as though it were poison: "Butch."

Oswald closed his eyes, struggling to breathe, before echoing his love's words. "Butch?"

"As retaliation for exposing him as the leader of the Red Hood gang." Edward swallowed hard. Sweat shone on his forehead and upper lip. His eyes shone feverishly behind those large glasses. He was like a bull being held back by chains, but not for long.

Oswald did not want that rage directed at him. He would have rather died. Nodding quickly, he said, "That makes perfect sense! I swear to you, Ed: he will pay for what he's done."

Edward stared at Oswald. Those feverish eyes were now overrun with tears. "Thank you." He choked out. "I knew I could count on you."

Not long after that, Edward retired for the night. He needed to be fully-rested for what was to come soon. Ruby hated the sound of that, especially when knowing what he was planning to do. She had sat there, barely speaking, while Oswald and Edward plotted their revenge. Ruby had tried bringing out some gems to distract herself, but even her most precious jewels could not tear her attention away. Perhaps this was due to her utterly helpless situation.

On one hand, Ruby had not forgotten the kindness that Butch had briefly shown her. He had been one of the few people under Oswald's employ to treat her with amicability rather than simply fear. But on the other hand, Ruby knew what Isabella had meant to Edward. His words, as well as the emotions she had inherited from their fusion, had made it all too clear that Edward had lost his true love twice. She already knew that if someone took Oswald away from her, she would not rest until that person died screaming. What right had she to deny Edward his vengeance?

Sighing, Ruby put away her sapphires. Leaned back in her pillows, wishing that they could swallow her. She closed her eyes, willing it despite its futility.

That was when a knock resounded in her attic bedroom. Followed by a soft voice through the wood. "Ruby?"

Ruby straightened, blushing. "Just a minute!" She quickly fastened her bathrobe as tightly as she could, having loosened it earlier on the bed. Beneath, she wore a nightgown that she buttoned closed. Then, she ran an impatient hand through her hair in a poor attempt to make it neater. Deciding that this was as good as she was going to get, Ruby stretched her arm out. It cut across three feet and reached the door handle. With a squeak and a creak, the door opened. Oswald was there, also dressed for bed. Ruby tried to control her blush. The last time that they had been in a bedroom together, the situation had escalated. Ruby wanted to think that it was all behind them now. "Hey." She greeted him in a low voice.

Oswald gave a feeble smile. "Hello." He stood there for a moment, cane in hand, before gesturing to the bed. "May I?"

Ruby hesitated for a second before nodding. "Sure thing." She scooted to make room for her friend. He sat down, wincing at the applied pressure to his knee. They sat in silence for a minute. Oswald seemed to stare off into the void. Ruby knew better than to interrupt his ponderings. Who knew what thoughts dwelt behind those icy eyes? She had just contemplated grabbing a book when Oswald spoke, "Do you...think I'm a good person?"

Ruby stopped. Frowned. "Where did that come from?"

Oswald looked at her. Terror flickered across his pale, angular visage. "Is that a 'no'?"

"No," Ruby answered, "it's a 'where did that come from?' You've never asked me anything like that before."

"Because I was, well, certain that I did not care. I knew who I was, and that was enough." Oswald drummed his fingers against his cane. "But now...I just want...need to know, Ruby." He looked at her with such earnest fear that it stung her heart. "What do you think of me, Ruby? And please be honest."

Ruby gave him a skeptical look. "If I tell you, say, ten positive things and one negative," she began, "do you promise not to focus on the single negative thing?"

Oswald nodded.

Ruby sucked in air through her teeth. Sat up. Oswald mimicked her, steeling himself. Ruby smiled. "Number one: you have a natural charisma."

Oswald's cheeks reddened. "Ah, come off it."

"You do!" Ruby assured him. "I mean, the campaign? That was ten percent intimidation, ten percent charity work, and eighty percent speech. You blew everyone away with your discussions, the voters and the officials. You could've gone against Michael Jackson and won."

Oswald contemplated her words for a moment before cracking a crooked smile. "I was quite the wordsmith, was I not?"

And so it went on. Ruby slathered Oswald in compliments, going over each one meticulously. He, in turn, either tried to initially deny them or flat-out agreed. While he would never know, he had done her a favor. Ruby had long-since given up writing down her secret emotions in diaries. Her thoughts simply went too quickly for her pen to follow. As a result, she simply had to carry her feelings for Oswald like a heavy backpack, constantly causing aches to her back and shoulders. But now, it was like he was asking her to lighten the load, if only a little. To share. That was, she decided, even better than loving someone: being able to share it with them.

At last, the list was concluded. Oswald leaned back as though he'd eaten a bountiful meal. "Let me see if I understand, then," he began to count off each positive trait with his fingers, "according to you, I am dominated by my emotions. However, I am also charismatic, intelligent, elegant, surgical, confident, ambitious, funny at times, accurate, and...er..." He trailed off, "what was that, when you compared me to chocolate?"

Ruby sniggered. "You're like a chocolate candy: hard and crunchy on the outside, but really sweet and tender on the inside."

Oswald reddened. "No, I'm not!"

"You are with those who are loyal to you." Ruby pointed out. "You're unbelievably generous and kind with Edward and I. You treat us like prized jewels, and I know how those are treated." She smiled gently. "And your mother...from what you've told me, and from what I've felt when we're Cobblair...you loved her more than words can describe. It killed you when she died, and for a while you considered joining her." Ruby shook her head. "Oz...you've got a heart the size of France. You just don't show it to everyone, and I can't say I blame you."

Oswald looked ready to cry now. He nodded numbly. "Thank you." The words were little more than whispers.

Ruby reached out and squeezed his bony shoulder. "You still haven't told me why you asked." When Oswald didn't answer, Ruby leaned forward. Peering into his face. "Is it because Ed and I-?"

"No!" Oswald looked shocked. "I can't tell you how happy I am that you two have reached that point. Considering that you wanted to strangle each other during the first couple of weeks, I'd say this is amazing progress. But..." He broke off, looked away. His voice grew smaller. More childlike. "I...sort of miss being the only one you had ever fused with." It got even tinier. "I felt special."

Ruby was quiet for a moment. Then, she leaned forward and took Oswald's face in her hands. Icy-blue met indigo. "You are, and always will be, special to me." She said firmly. "No one in my life even compares to you. The only one who comes close is Master, but I saw him more as some kind of god: someone to be grateful towards, someone you owe everything to, someone untouchable and yet loving. But you...you're so much more than that. You're my best friend. And yes, there are days when I want to throw you out the window-"

"Same." Oswald chuckled.

"-But that doesn't change how I feel about you overall. Just because I fused with Ed doesn't mean he's taken your place." Ruby's eyes shone. "No one could ever take your place."

Oswald stared into her eyes. Once again wishing that he could control his emotions to that extent. Sighing, he wrapped his arms around her. She returned the embrace, not fully understanding what it was for.

She was his anchor in this drowning sea of lies.