'I beam, I shine, I sparkle white. I'll brighten the day with a single light. I'll charm and enchant all. I'll bring the best in you all.'


Susan watched carefully as Edward pulled away the bath panel and started to have a look at all the pipes underneath snaking in and out of the floorboards, she assumed he knew what he was doing as she saw him testing each of connectors with his wrench, Susan had never been very good at DIY, she'd never had to be, everything had either always worked or been fixed by the maintenance man at her old place.

"Ah," Edward said after a few moments, "Here's the problem." He angled himself on his side so that he was blocking Susan's view of what he was doing and turned the stop tap on he'd turned off the previous day and water immediately starting to flow into the bath and the sink.

Susan felt relieved as she watched the water run through steadily and become clear, at least that was something, she could go and get a bath and head out shopping now. "Thank you," Susan said as Edward got to his feet, "I would offer you a drink but I'm afraid I don't have anything yet." Susan sat on the edge of the bath after he'd replaced the panel and plugged the drain so that the bath started to fill up.

"Don't worry. How about you take your bath and come over to my place after, I'll make you something instead." Edward grinned crossing his arms and looking down at the brunette sat on the side of the bath swishing the water round with her hand. No bubble bath to add, she'd be de-robed and in it within the next fifteen minutes, Edward was starting to wish he could be there to witness that.

"I should be the one treating you for helping me out." Susan smiled gratefully as she pulled her hair from its tie setting it free.

"There's always next time." Edward said watching her remove her coat as she walked him to the door, he could feel his fitted pants tightening, it had been sometime since he'd last felt the warm body of another pressed up against his, he began to realise that other than the delicious idea of toying with her mind he now wanted Susan altogether but he could wait, he could already see her change in attitude and her warming up to him. It wouldn't be long, and the chase was always much more satisfying the longer it lasted.

"I won't be long." Susan gave him one last smile before shutting the door and then headed for the bathroom tugging her clothes off as she went. 'Thank god for Edward.' Susan thought to herself as she stood in the bath and lowered herself down, once she was fully submerged up to her neck she let out a huge groan of enjoyment which echoed around the tiled bathroom.

Edward was now in his own apartment leaning against the wall in his bathroom with his eyes closed as he listened through the paper thin wall and heard her faint groans every now and then, 'Fuck.' Edward whispered under his breath as he clenched the edge of the sink with his a spare hand. Edward chided himself and left the bathroom to get as far from the wall as possible, things like this were off putting, he wanted to know her mind first more than anything, to break down those walls and see what it was she was hiding behind them; but those sweet noises coming from next door were so tempting and she was completely naive to his thoughts next door.
When Susan had finished her bath she found a new set of clothes and doubled up on her socks before pulling on her coat and heading round to the next apartment. Just a quick drink and then she would head out to find a grocery store, even if that meant she would have to travel on the tube a little further.

Susan knocked on Edward's door wondering in what sort of state she would find it once she entered, neat? Messy? Who knew, all that mattered right now was the offer of that warm drink so desperately needed, she rubbed her cold hands together and waited until the door opened and Edward appeared welcoming her in with a wave of his arm.

"Welcome to casa de Nygma," Edward said jokingly, "Feel free to sit down if you want."

Susan looked around the apartment, exactly the same size as her own but the layout was reversed here, the mirror image of her own sparse abode. The place was neat, clean and minimalistic, she'd thought as much, Edward apart from being a forensic scientist was also very precise and particular in his work she'd noticed, so why shouldn't his home be any different? Susan sat down at the table where he'd pulled out a chair for her and watched as he boiled the kettle and started to make tea in a quick and orderly way, she didn't know why but she couldn't stop watching him, he turned and smiled making sure she was alright she assumed and she smiled back then looked down at her hands clasped together on the table surface. Susan was finding it hard to keep eyes met with his more and more recently, she hated to admit that she was warming to the odd man.

"Here you go." Edward said sitting opposite Susan and sliding over a glass cup in her direction, "I'm sorry if you don't like it, it's all I drink I'm afraid. I don't have many visitors these days."

Susan looked at the see through cup at the orange looking liquid inside, she recognised it immediately as herbal tea, most probably green tea but that didn't bother her, there was no herbal tea at the GCPD, just cheap instant coffee, this was much more enjoyable.

"Actually I prefer green tea, I only drink coffee because it's all the department ever seems to have." Susan said sipping the tea and feeling the warmth flow down her throat and into her body, it felt wonderful and the tea was actually quite delicious. "Mmmm, that's wonderful." She smiled opening her eyes and looking at Edward who was staring directly at her with a smug smile and had no intention of looking away anytime soon. Susan broke his gaze and felt her cheeks flush, maybe she could pass it off as something to do with the tea. No, it was as obvious as daylight now, Susan knew there was something more to that flush in her cheeks and the epiphany hit her like a bus.