Chapter 73

Opal Sinclair smiled down at the flashing cameras. Hundreds of people were calling out her name, begging her to select them. She sat in the cushioned seat as though it were a throne, dressed in silvery fabric. Her honey-colored hair was done up in a bun, and a diamond necklace graced her collarbone. The only aspect that didn't scream regality was the newborn in her arms, already donning Hèrmes. Anyone sitting next to her would have looked shabby, but her cousin Justin hardly needed the comparison. Sitting close enough to rub elbows, the older man had inherited some of the Sinclair ancestral disease: half of his face looked like ice cream under an August sun. He had grown his reedy hair long enough to conceal it, but this style simply drew attention to the deformity.

Just a brief interview on a model, and her newborn. At least, that's what it was supposed to be. Opal was squeezing every last bit of publicity for all it was worth.

As the cameras at last ceased their attack, and voices, quieted down, Opal grinned. "It is an honor to have been invited to the opening of Stone Street's new fertility clinic. I know it will bring hope to aspiring parents everywhere. I mean, if I can have this little bundle of joy," she kissed her daughter's forehead, but never took her eyes away from her audience, "then anyone can!"

"But, Miss Sinclair." A particularly loud seized her attention. She turned to see a female journalist dressed in a dark pinstripe suit. She stood out from the crowd, and not only because she was the only one wearing jewelry: black pearls around her neck, and jet earrings. No. It was the scowl. "Did you not have another daughter, some twenty-seven years ago? A girl?" The journalist moved towards the stage, eyes never leaving Opal's face. "Hm? What happened to her?" Surprised murmurs rose from within the crowd, killing the mirth altogether.

Cheeks flushing, Opal tried to smile. "I lost the baby, unfortunately. She was in the wrong position."

"Oh?" The journalist crossed her arms. "That's interesting, because there are rumors. Especially considering that child's parentage."

Opal felt her pulse quicken, but she kept her face neutral. "I don't listen to filth."

"So you're not aware of it?" The journalist's voice grew bitter as wormwood. "There are those who claim that the baby, however short-lived, was not your husband's progeny at all, but a bastard born of incest. Will similar rumors rise with that little bundle in your arms? Or will she die, too?" The crowd had stopped taking photos altogether. Nobody spoke, but everybody looked. The studio was as silent as a crypt.

Opal sat there, all color drained from her face, while her cousin Justin looked ready to pass out. The baby in Opal's arms began to bawl. Its piercing howl cut through the air like a silver dagger.

"Go to commercial." Opal ordered the men behind the cameras. When they only exchanged looks, she screamed, "I said, go to commercial!" The cameras promptly went black. The model wasted no time in hurrying backstage, shrugging off her cousin's hand on her elbow. Ignoring all shouted questions, she made a beeline for her room. Locked the door, then leaned against it. The baby's crying had, at this point, been reduced to pathetic sniffles.

Opal stood there, breathing shakily, as she took in her changing room. Twice the size of any other, it hosted the dozen gowns that she had brought from home lest she grow indecisive of what to wear. Bouquets of flowers had been brought in; all gifts from her admirers. Boxes of jewelry. For the first time Opal saw these things, and realized how quickly she could lose them.

"Hello, Opal."

She yelped. Her cry kickstarted the infant's wails. A shadow materialized from behind a few coats. Stepping into the lights framing the mirror, it was revealed to be the journalist. Whose face and hair were changing before Opal's horrified eyes.

Ruby stood before her mother, hands on her hips. Whistling, she looked around. "My, my. You certainly didn't bother restraining your taste, did you? After all, I'm sure your lover left you plenty when he died." She tilted her head, fair curls bouncing. "Or do you prefer 'brother'? I know those words can seem synonymous to you, but-"

"What are you doing here, you monster?" Opal snapped, her voice as cold as nitrogen. "I believe I told you everything I had to when you killed Jasper."

"You did." Ruby nodded. "But I'm not here for you." She pointed. "I'm here for her."

Opal gasped. Clutched the bundle to her chest. "You've taken my love, and now you want to take the only daughter I have?"

"I was your daughter too, once." Ruby's nostrils flared with contained anger. "Until you decided I was too ugly, and locked me away like some rabid dog." She crossed her arms. "Tell me, who's the father? The man with the melting face?" Opal didn't answer. Her eyes did it for her. Ruby chuckled. "My, my. How the mighty have fallen."

Opal snarled. "You want her? You'll have to pry her out of my dead fingers."

"See, that's funny." Ruby scratched her cheek thoughtfully. "That sounds like something a mother would say, not some materialistic, incestuous narcissist who wrings the use out of people like a dish rag."

"Of course I'm a mother; her mother." Opal stroked the child's fuzzy head absent-mindedly. "I'm the mother of a perfect little angel. I'd say the heavens owed me, after sending me demon spawn like you."

Ruby laughed humorlessly. "You're so sure the child will be beautiful? Even though her father looks like Jabba the Hutt?" She shook her head, all humor leaving her face. "No. You're delusional if you think otherwise. I know what's going to happen. The second the child shows a symptom, you'll lock her away, too. And even if she doesn't inherit the Sinclair disease, you'll mould her into your own image, stripping away any sense of identity she may have had." Ruby stepped forward, her expression fierce. "I will burn this city to the ground before I let that happen!"

Opal scowled. "And what makes you think I'll say yes? Because you asked so nicely?"

Ruby grinned darkly. "No. But because of this." She reached into her pocket, pulling out a plastic bag. Within it was an empty paper cup, its insides stained with dried coffee. Around the cup's rim were smudges of rose-colored lipstick. The same that donned Opal's lips now. Sensing victory, Ruby wiggled the bag. "This was yours, no doubt. You drank from it. That means there's enough DNA sampling in here to prove it."

"Prove what?" Opal tried to sound angry but simply seemed scared.

"That your life is a big, fat lie." Ruby grinned. "I know a really good scientist. Totally off the books, so good luck bribing him not to take my case. All it will take is this cup, and a quick swab in my own mouth to prove we're related."

"So what?" Opal laughed. "It may prove we're related, but it won't prove that you're-"

"No," Ruby smirked, "but the confidential files that Strange kept of my case will. They're at home, under my bed, right now. And you'll find they're quite intimately written."

Opal stood there, feeling lost. Like she'd just dug herself a hole and now couldn't climb out. She sat down, shivering in spite of herself. Ruby towered over her. "I'm giving you a choice, Opal. Perhaps the first decent choice you've made all your life. The first is that you give me the child and sign away your paternal rights. You agree never to contact me, or her, for as long as you live. You can tell your cousin-lover whatever you want; that you didn't want her, that you took pity on a sterile woman, whatever you wish. And I'll disappear from your life forever."

Ruby leaned in close, so that her words burned Opal's ear. "Or, you refuse. By this time tomorrow, all of America will know that you fucked your own brother since you two were tweens. Everyone will know that you cheated on your husband and feigned an abortion when you saw the child's deformities. I'll tell them of how I spent the first eighteen years of my life locked in an attic, receiving food from blindfolded servants and only being allowed out at night, sometimes, with a hood over my head. And I'll tell how you and your brother-lover abandoned me in Arkham, and shut me out of your lives once I was released. Everything will be laid out, Opal, and there will be nothing you can do about it. You'll lose your credibility and your career, obviously, and then you'll go to prison. Knowingly committing incest lands you sixteen years in prison. But you did it twice, and produced children twice." Ruby sniggered. "Man, I can see the headlines now."

"Okay, fine!" Opal dumped the child into Ruby's arms, looking down at her Prada shoes. "Take the runt! Do what you like with her. Drown her, for all I care." It felt almost good to be honest, even if it was in the presence of her most hated foe. "Just...don't." She looked up with watery, defiant eyes. "I'll mail you proof that I gave up custody of the child, so you'll believe me. Will we be even then?"

"Sure." Ruby admitted. "But I'll keep that cup, just to be safe."

Opal sputtered. "But, but you said-"

"That I'd disappear from your life, and I will. But if you ever start giving me doubts, I'll be happy to have this little piece of leverage." Ruby gave a little bow, holding the baby close. "Good day, Opal. And good luck on the interview."

Opal growled. "You are a monster."

Ruby stopped at the doorway. Turned back to her. Then, deftly, morphed her face to resemble Jasper's. Opal gasped. Ruby, wearing her father's face, smirked. "Takes one to know one."

She slammed the door behind her, leaving Opal to burst into tears.

Far from the city's limits, but never from its corruption, the Van Dahl mansion stood solemnly. Its bricks were damp from the recent rainfall, the rosebushes hunched over. Aside from a few curious squirrels digging up the nuts that Ruby had buried before leaving, the front lawn was still as a painting. Inside, the fireplace crackled comfortingly as it case shadows on the walls. The smell of burning wood, mixed with lemony polisher, gave the air a familiar tang.

Just for a second, Oswald remembered the first winter he'd spent here. Mere weeks after he and Ruby had done away with Grace and her wicked offspring, burning their credit cards and tossing away the utensils used to carve them, they had spent a rainy afternoon here. Oswald had been consumed by an Edgar Allen Poe novel, shivering despite the fire's warmth, while Ruby had added to her geology notes. Then, all of a sudden, Ruby had said, "I feel like having some s'mores, want some?" Oswald, who had only heard of the camp snacks from television, could only stare at her blankly. Minutes later had seen Ruby deftly preparing half a dozen of the mashmellow-chocolate sandwiches, half of which had been for Oswald. Delighted by the surprisingly delicious treat, he'd ended up eating hers as well and getting sick. Ruby had been there the whole time, patting his back as he'd vomited and then cooking him some clear broth.

But those times had come and gone. Just like Ruby. The recollection only drove the daggers deeper into Oswald's heart.

Clearing his throat, he returned his attention to Edward. "Have we made any progress on the Waterfront Association?"

"Yes. I've spoken with the Union leader. He agreed to our offer. So those photos can go back in the vault." The man in green, standing over Oswald, smiled wistfully. He placed a document in front of his friend. He got it back, signed, a second later.

Oswald gave a weak chuckle at the memory of the photos. "They were quite saucy, weren't they?" He asked, "And how about the-?"

"Your approval for the new casino should come through tomorrow. Demolition can begin right away." Edward reported. Oswald smiled, feeling his wounded heart fill to the brim with love. Just seeing this man, and all that he was and represented, was better than all the roses in the world. Perhaps the sweet scent would conceal his pain. "Ed, I cannot tell you how good it is to see you back to your old self."

Edward smiled sadly. Then, he placed a final document within Oswald's easy reach. "Just one last signature."

Oswald, pen at hand, bent down to skin through the contents. They curdled within his mind like sour milk. He looked up at Edward, incredulous. "This is your resignation." He silently dared his friend to deny it.

Edward closed his eyes. Inhaled. "Isabella's death has altered things, and Ruby's departure didn't help. I can't continue-"

"NO!" Oswald shot up despite the lightning bolt of agony it shot through his leg. Desperation sizzled in his head like oil in a pan. All he could think about was Ed, wonderful, intelligent, splendid Ed, leaving him as Ruby had. Leaving him alone with so many good memories and what may have been. It would kill Oswald faster and more painfully than any sword, poison, or bullet could. "Ed, I cannot let you leave!" Suddenly realizing how much emotion had bled onto the surface, he tried to regain composure - if only a bit - and lowered his voice. "It's not in your best interest. You have to stay busy."

Edward stared at him. Barbara's words whispered in his ear, enticing as they were venomous. He knew that what he was about to do was objectively wrong, not to mention risky, but he had to be certain. Lest he go mad. Clearing his throat he looked down, trying to appear bashful. "How shall I put this?" He eyed the mayor. "We're friends. Aren't we, Oswald?"

Oswald's terrified expression melted into one of happiness - or at least joyful relief. "Of course!"

Edward swallowed. "Since the accident...and I, I never thought that this could happen..."

Oswald looked at him with large, watery eyes.

Edward continued. "I've had the desire to become more than 'employer' and 'employee'."

Oswald's eyes became almost cartoonishly huge. His cheeks were flushed in seconds.

Edward added, "More than friends." The last piece of bait.

Oswald could hardly believe it. Was this a dream? The sweetest, most delicious kind of dream that there was? Had he died in his sleep and gone to heaven? If so, he never wanted his feet to touch the ground again. He grasped the front of Edward's suit like a drowning man. "I have been feeling the same!"

Edward said nothing. He watched.

"I didn't want to mention it because off all the awfulness about Isabelle-"

"Isabell-a." Edward corrected robotically.

Oswald shuddered in short-lived embarressment before looking up at his friend - his love - the way he'd been wanting to for ages. "But one cannot deny love."

Edward gasped, his entire body freezing.

Oswald kept grinning up at him...until he realized that his smile wasn't being reciprocated. Letting go of Edward with a mixture of nervousness and concern, he asked, "W-what is it? What's wrong?"

Edward could feel tears filling his eyes. He tried not to blink, lest they escape. Yet even as his vision blurred, he felt everything else go black. His life. His mind. His heart. "There's..." He managed to spit it out. "There's been a misunderstanding. I was...going to propose that we become partners." Oswald stared at him. Edward clarified: "Business partners."

Oswald stood there, feeling more humiliated than he had ever been in his life. All the wedgies in elementary school, all the scorned crushes, extended shins, mockery and cat-calls...none of it could compare to this. More than anything, Oswald wished that Ruby were here. She could have fixed this in an instant. Or at least offered him the comfort he desperately needed. She was his leverage, and he was falling. Oswald swallowed. His mouth felt as though it'd been filled with sand. "Business partners." He echoed. "But..."

"Excuse me." Edward fled, not looking back.

Oswald watched him go, his vision growing blurry.

Ruby hummed softly as she cradled the baby, who she had bathed and fed since returning home. Now wrapped up in a cashmere shawl, the child was the very picture of healthy. Or at least she would be. Now that she'd had the chance to get a closer look, Ruby had been horrified to see that the child was skeletal. The shape of her skull was very visible, as were her delicate little ribs. Seeing this had infuriated Ruby. Opal must have only fed the child when it was absolutely necessary. Only a couple of months old, from the looks of it, and Opal had already been trying to beautify her.

Just for a second, Ruby wondered if Opal had tried that method on her, too. Starving a newborn to ensure that, as an adult, her daughter would be fashionably thin. Then, Ruby decided that it didn't matter. She placed the child back on the bed. Until she had the time to buy a crib, the baby would sleep with her. To be honest, the thought reassured Ruby. That, in her sleep, Fate wouldn't try to rob her of this rescued infant.

A faint crash from below caught Ruby's attention. Then, a familiar voice yelled faintly, "'Scuse me, pardon me! Comin' through here! Sorry, lady!"

A second later Mercury burst through Ruby's front door, her spare key in his hand. In the other was a massive bouquet filled with roses, daisies, lillies, and irises. Grinning from ear to ear, he held them out to her. Ruby's round, chinless face broke out into a smile. "Merc," she cooed, collecting the blossoms, "you didn't have to!" She held them close to her face, sniffing with delight. Mercury chuckled. "Yeah, well, it ain't every day I meet a new momma, now ain't that right?" He inched closer and tilted his head at the infant. "Is this the little ankle biter? Aw." Ruby moved over to make room for him, collecting the infant once more. As she held the child with one hand, she took the bouquet in the other. Her arm stretched across the apartment, towards the sink. Carefully, she filled a pitcher with water and placed the flowers there.

Mercury chuckled, tickling the infant's exposed tummy. The baby, in turn, gurgled happily. "Man, she's cute! Where'd ya get her?"

Ruby's joy momentarily fled, replaced by anger. She shook it off. Now was not the time. She forced a smile at her friend. "A...relative. She couldn't keep her." She looked down at the child, taking in her features. She had a heart-shaped face not unlike Opal's, with tiny ears and fair skin. If the few wisps of hair were any indication, the child would have hair the color of fire. Divine.

"Whatcha gonna call 'er?" Mercury asked, resting his chin on his knuckles.

"Hm." Ruby mused. "I always wanted to name a girl 'Garnet', if I had one. But she just doesn't seem like a 'Garnet', you know?"

"Just don't name her after a metal." Mercury pointed at himself in a not-so-subtle fashion. "The kids'll tear her apart."

"Yeah, I know." Ruby pondered, staring down at the child. "My...relative, she hadn't even named her yet, if the documents are any indication. So I can call her whatever I want."

"Well, why don't you call her after your boyfriend's mom?" Mercury asked. "What was it again? Gertrude, or something?"

Ruby's face became the color of a pomegranate. "The mayor wasn't - and isn't - my boyfriend."

"Really?" Mercury wiggled his eyebrows at her. "'Cause from what you said, the two o' yous spent more time together than my parents!"

Ruby groaned. "Change of subject. Now. Please."

It turns out there was no need. As the baby made another string of wordless noises, she began to open her eyes. Mercury and Ruby watched, so stunned that they did not realize that they were holding hands. The child opened her eyes and looked up at them with wonder. Her eyes were large and almond-shaped. And a brilliant shade of green.

Ruby smiled. Stroked the baby's velvety cheek. "Beryl." She stated. "It's a Greek name that refers to all green gems." Her smile widened, her heart swelling with a new kind of love. "This child is Beryl. And she is mine."