Jim had been right. Harvey was terrible at keeping secrets.

"So then Jim tells me he pulled Ed over his knee and-"

"Harvey," Lee raised a hand up to stop the detective. "Are you seriously asking me to believe that Jim Gordon, the Jim Gordon, took our former colleague, former Arkham inmate, now Chief of Staff to the Mayor, over his knee and spanked him?"

"Yeah! That's exactly what I was saying before you interrupted me." Harvey insisted.

The M.E. raised an eyebrow, clearly not entirely convinced by the detective's tall tale. Although, she had to admit that the mental image the story conjured up made it difficult to keep a straight face.

"I didn't know Jim had such a strange sense of humour." She said, trying not to let herself sound too amused.

"He doesn't. It's the flat out truth. Proved it myself."

"How?"

"I just bumped into him upstairs, he was waiting to get some documents on the Red Hoods. I slapped him on the ass and the geek practically jumped twenty feet in the air. Either Jim's telling the truth or my hands've been swapped for super strong robot ones or something." Harvey explained.

Unlike Lee, he made no effort to hide that he found the scenario pretty entertaining. He also had no qualms with spreading it around a bit. As far as he was concerned, embarrassing rumours were the least that Ed deserved.

"Harvey…" Lee knew that she shouldn't, but she found herself laughing a little even though she tried not to. "You really shouldn't have done that."

"Aw come on, doc. You know you'd have done the same. You were the one who punched him on the jaw, Barnes mentioned that to me by the way."

"Oh God," Lee shook her head in somewhat amused resignation, "Can't anyone in the GCPD keep a secret?"

Later that afternoon, Jim returned after a long day. He had earned a black eye from an overenthusiastic bounty that he'd turned in, and while the money made it worth it, he knew he'd be feeling the knocks he'd gotten tomorrow morning.

With a groan of discomfort, he put on some instant coffee and then sat down on one of his old, beaten up armchairs that he'd gotten from a flea market. If he'd been asthmatic, the former detective would have never been able to sit in it. As it was, it coughed up dust whenever he used it, but the way it sunk slightly underneath his weight and moulded to his shape made up for it. His relaxation was interrupted by a familiar rap of knuckles on his front door.

Jim answered the door to see Ed standing there, looking far more annoyed and tense than he had when he'd first come to visit the day before.

"I told you not to come back here," Jim reminded him. However, he already had an inkling as to what had brought Ed back.

"Why does Detective Bullock know about what occurred yesterday? You gave me your word that you wouldn't." Ed snapped back. It was obvious that he would have liked to add to the black eye that Jim had acquired.

"I wasn't intending to tell Harvey, but he noticed the redness on my hand and asked about it." Jim shrugged, not feeling particularly apologetic about breaking his promise. Besides, he was telling the truth, he had planned to keep his word to Ed. However, he'd be lying if he claimed that he hadn't gotten some enjoyment out of spilling the beans.

He turned his back on the other man and went over to pick up his mug of instant coffee. His dismissal only served to infuriate Ed further.

"Couldn't you have thought of a suitable excuse?" The taller man asked, practically growling the question. He followed Jim into the room, he wasn't planning on leaving until he got the answers he wanted.

"I wasn't going to lie to my old partner for your sake." Jim replied frankly. He sighed gruffly and finished his last dregs of instant coffee. "But you don't need to worry about that happening again. This time I'm not using my hand."

"Wait, what do you mean 'this time'?" Ed asked, the scowl on his face being replaced by a more worried look. He started to back towards the door but he only managed a step before Jim put down his empty mug and grabbed his wrist.

"Jim! T-This is- I haven't even done anything this time!"

Jim ignored the other man's protests and dragged him over to the same chair that they'd used previously. It was only a matter of seconds before he had Ed over his lap again in an all too familiar position.

"This isn't fair! Let me go! I didn't do anything!" His former colleague continued to complain loudly, Jim tried not to let his amusement show.

He knew that it probably didn't say anything all that nice about him that part of him had kind of been wanting Ed to show his face around here again. Part of him had kind of been wanting an excuse to repeat yesterday's punishment. However, Jim didn't claim to be a saint. He could live with himself if he took some pleasure it dishing out a little bit of justice to the arrogant son of a bitch.

"You really think you 'didn't do anything'?" Jim scoffed, undoing Ed's belt buckle and pulling it from his wriggling hips. It was a bit thin, but Jim figured that it would work just fine as an implement. He yanked down the struggling man's pants and underwear, seeing that his handiwork from yesterday was still very visible, although the colour had faded a bit. "Even discounting the fact you're a cop killer who framed me for murder, you also broke your word."

He doubled up the belt in his hand so that he could use it as a strap.

"I told you not to cross me again and yet here you are, Ed." Jim had to admit, he hadn't thought he'd be doing this again so soon after the first time. He supposed that he'd underestimated Ed's arrogance. The man was smart, but it was a fool's move to come back here when it had only been one day since he'd gotten his ass smacked for doing the same thing. Jim guessed that Ed's bruised ego and the need for answers had overrode his critical faculties. Either that, or he had been under the misapprehension that Jim wouldn't take him over his lap again so soon.

Ed struggled for all that he was worth, trying his upmost to twist off of Jim's thighs. He caught sight of his belt being doubled up in Jim's hand, the action only increasing his apprehension. "No, no, no! Jim! Jim wait, I'll go! I'll go! You don't need to- Ahh!"

The belt cracked down on Ed's upturned ass, thanks to yesterday's marks, the leather stung even more that it would have normally. The belt swung down again and again, Jim not showing any lenience despite Ed still aching from the day before.

It only took a few strokes for the pain to seem unbearable to Ed and it was useless for him to try to hold back his cries of pain and frustration. He couldn't believe that he'd gotten himself into this same position twice in two days!

"J-Jim! Oww! Jim, y-you're making a mistake! I-I can have you kille- Ow! Ow! Stop it!"

"You're really trying to threaten me? Even now? I guess that I went too easy on you last time." Jim remarked, much to Ed's horror.

"No, no! No, I didn't mean- Aah! I'm sorry! Please stop!" Ed could feel part of his mind rebuking him for being so quick to bawl out apologies and begs, but he had no choice. He couldn't take any more of this, and yet Jim acted as if he was only getting started.

"You're not sorry. I know you're not, Ed. You probably regret being stupid enough to make the same mistake twice, but you're not sorry. Not really." Jim replied, his voice stern and matter-of-fact. His words were met with tearful whimpers and more desperate pleas. If Ed hadn't done so much to him in the past, Jim might have felt pity for him.

As it was, he felt conflicted. He had enjoyed taking out some of his anger on Ed, and he had no doubt that he deserved it. However, as much as he hated the man that Ed was now, he had once been a colleague. Perhaps not quite a friend, as he had once tried to claim, but he had been someone Jim had never thought would harm anyone. He had been odd, awkward, and if Jim was honest, annoying. But he hadn't been cruel. He hadn't been so bitter and arrogant and manipulative.

The thoughts of the man he had once known persuaded Jim to stop, the belt landing a last time, half heartedly, on Ed's ass, now bruised and red. His back was heaving with sobs. He hadn't taken the last spanking well, but he had taken this one far worse.

Jim's jaw tightened and he let out an aggravated sigh. Partly at himself. He probably shouldn't have gone as far as he did. Even if Ed's crimes were far worse than anything that he could do to him.

"Get up." He ordered. pulling the other man's underwear and pants back up for him.

Ed swallowed, moving himself off of Jim's lap, his hands going up to his eyes to rub away some of his tears. He looked a mess. Jim wasn't sure he'd ever seen the lanky man look so dishevelled before, even when he'd seen him in Arkham.

He held out the belt for him to put on again and Ed took it wordlessly, his breath heavy and his hands shaking as he did. His hands were shaking so much that he struggled to fasten the buckle. Jim stood up and ran a hand through his hair with a groan.

"You want a glass of water of something?"

He didn't know what compelled him to offer it. Last time he had been happy to let Ed scurry off but seeing him, seeing anyone, in such a state made his decency demand that he at least offer him that.

Ed looked taken aback by the offer, but he refused it. He didn't trust it.

"No… No, I'm going." He replied, his voice somewhat hoarse.

Jim leaned against the kitchen countertop. He supposed that he should have expected that reaction. "Fine. Don't come back, if you know what's good for you."

Ed didn't need to be told that. He left promptly, not looking behind him and hoping that the people he passed on the street didn't pay too much attention to his bloodshot eyes or his somewhat crumpled suit or his out of place hair.

Yes, he didn't need to be told by Jim not to come back. The next time he would see Jim Gordon would be after he had found a way to kill him.