'I am just two and two. I am hot. I am cold. I am the parent of numbers that cannot be told. I am a gift beyond measure, a matter of course. I am given with pleasure when taken by force.'
Susan took the wine glass from Edward, he fingers slipping over his whilst she did, there was no other way she could have taken it without touching him, was it his intention for this she wasn't sure but his hand was smooth against hers, the sign of a career away from the brutality that matched his colleagues at work, the smooth skin of a scholar not a rough and ready officer. Susan looked up to Edward as she held the glass and the silence between them lasted a few moments before she gave a quick smile of gratitude and he walked off leaving her stood there wondering what the night would hold for them.
"So how was your venture out into Gotham?" Edward asked politely as he watched Susan in the reflection of the window as he feigned preparation of dinner, of course the food was just waiting to be served now but Susan didnt have to know that; she was looking around the apartment in hope of learning more about the riddle man of Gotham GCPD but all these things here were remnants of a former Edward that no longer existed, she wouldnt find much information on his darker self, he'd hidden that away carefully from view in case of visitors.
"An eye opener to say the least." Susan said walking over a wall and noting Edward's certificates and diploma's from different instituations including his degree from Gotham City University, Susan smiled and let out a small laugh which made Edward turn to look at her properly with an intrigued impression, "You graduated the same year as me." Susan said inspecting the degree further, the highest distinction available and a masters hung next to it, "I'm surprised we never ran into each other before."
"Gotham CU was a big place." Edward said forgetting his tasks in the kitchen and grabbing a glass of wine for himself and joining her, "I'm the sort of person that can be easily missed. I wouldn't find it surprising, I wasn't the sociable type."
"Still," Susan said glancing at the tall man next to her, "Computer sciences and forensics were in the same building." She watched as he closed his eyes and chuckled to himself.
"I am pronounced as one letter, written with three. I come in blue, black, brown, or grey. Reverse me and I read the same either way." Edward said slowly and cocked his head watching the woman look up at him with a grin.
"Another riddle Edward?" Susan said sipping some wine, surprisingly it was delicious and so crisp and fresh, he had good taste, either that or he'd done some research, "Hmmm, I've heard this one before, the answer is eye."
"Yes," Edward said straightening up, "Perhaps you weren't looking for me back then." Edward held up his glass and Susan followed chinking it against it, "To finally opening your eyes." They both drank, Edward taking the lead to drink more deeply than a toast usually warranted and Susan followed his lead in doing so, "Top up?" Edward asked heading for the bottle on the table.
"You have so many achievemants." Susan complimented him waiting for his to return with the bottle, "Awards and published articles, its impressive for someone to have done so much at an early age, surely you're wasted in the GCPD?" Susan thought she might be gushing too much but she figured that Edward didnt get much appreciation for his efforts and she was genuinely impressed by his incredible mind, Susan had had to push for a distinction at Gotham CU and then on the good graces of her father gained a secure job with Wayne Enterprises.
"I had plenty of offers when I graduated, actually I was approached by your company by a gentleman for one of the divisions but I wanted to be somewhere that would make a difference, sometimes I wonder what the GCPD would do without me." Edward said filling her glass and gesturing to the table where they both sat facing each other divided by soft candlelight and a small bunch of fresh flowers sat in an upcycled can.
"Things seem to be such a mess here." Susan sighed running her finger around the top of her glass, "I wonder how there can be so much crime in one city, its frightening, the thought that there could be a psychopath around every corner."
Edward's smiled faltered for a moment and his anxiety got the better of him, there was no way she could know about what he'd done, she'd been back in the city just under two weeks, she hadn't made any other acquaintances apart from himself, he's seen to that but could there have been something he'd left behind in the filing annex, some small clue to his deeds. No it was impossible, her words were purely coincidental, he had nothing to worry about. Edward's smile returned.
"It's not a nice thought is it? Do you find it hard to sleep at night?" Edward asked watching the woman in front of him pick up her glass and press her lips against the glass, lips untainted without lipstick, lips that unknowingly invited him to press his against hers and take her in his arms.
"I did, sometimes." Susan admitted her eyes flickering onto his face and finding his gaze heavy on her, the candlelight reflected in his glasses so this his eyes were obscured every now and then but whenever they came into view she couldn't tare hers away from his, Edward was not what he seemed, underneath his inept exterior she saw confidence and surety that made her feel strange, protected and frightened at the same time, it would be hard to keep herself away from him. "But now you're only a door away, I feel better knowing that you're close." she watched him smile and raise from his seat placing his hands in his pockets.
"I sure am." Edward said and left her to dwell on her thoughts as he went to prepare the first course.
The evening played out casually and easily after that, Edward wanted to know everything there was about Susan and she willingly obliged regaling stories from her previous job and as little about her life as she wanted to give away. Gotham CU and the GCPD would be the main topics that they kept returning to and Edward found the night to be taking an expected turn as he enjoyed her more than he'd thought he would have. Susan was witty, modest and undeniably intelligent, she could keep up with Edward and understand everything he was saying unlike others that would knit their eyebrows together and narrow their eyes at his words before dismissing him; she was like a breath of fresh air and their dinner that evening had been more enjoyable than all the evenings he'd had with Ms. Kringle put together.
"Thank you Edward," Susan said wiping her eyes after laughing at Edward's dry witty analysis of the members of the GCPD she'd met whilst working there, "I've had a lot of fun tonight."
They were both sat on the couch together and had come to the end of the second bottle of wine, Susan looked at the cuckoo clock on the wall, it was a little before twelve, she couldnt believe where the time had gone, this was the first time she'd looked at the clock to check the time, a sign that she really had enjoyed the evening, "It's late, I'm going to have to go." she said placing her empty glass on the table in front and smoothing out her skirt and shuffling round to face him. Edward was leant back against the couch a grin still on his flushed face with his arm leant on the arm of the couch, glass still in hand. Whether it was the wine or just Edward, he looked more attractive to her than before, so relaxed and happy, she wanted to kiss him.
"Edward," Susan said quietly, her head was slightly hazy from the expensive wine he'd procured, she sat waiting for him to get the hint that she wanted him to make a move but he just sat quietly watching her, she placed her hand on his knee, "Thank you, I really mean it..."
Edward felt Susan's hand rest gently on his knee as she looked into his eyes trying to pass a hidden message to him that he already knew, the problem was he couldn't move, something wasn't letting him move forward, it was fear. Over the course of the night, Susan's personality had chipped away at the darkness in him and somehow broken the walls that kept bumbling Ed locked safely away inside, he'd not felt so fragile since before he's killed officer Dougherty.
'What's going on Ed? Why am I back out here?' his dark pysche shouted from the mirror on the wall, 'What are you doing? She's just going to leave you like Kristen would have if we hadn't fixed that. Let me back, now. We need to pull ourselves together.' Edward looked away from the mirror to Susan who was giving him a concerned expression.
"Edward are you alright?" Susan asked as she noted his stricken expression.
"I'm fine." Edward said reassuringly but glancing back over to the mirror where his psyche no longer appeared, then he heard a hiss in his ear, 'We're going to have a repeat of last time if you're not careful, I thought we were over this, come on Ed, you need me, I got her here in the first place, I'm the one she wanted, confident strong Edward, not you.' Edward watched as his dark psyche loomed behind the couch staring down at Susan with darkness in its eyes, 'She's so beautiful, you haven't got a chance like this.'
"Okay..." Susan said trailing off, perhaps she'd been wrong the entire time, perhaps Edward really was just trying to be friendly, all the times she caught his prolonged gaze linger on her had not been because he wanted her but because he hadn't learned that this was an awkward social thing to do. Susan stifled a gasp of shock, she'd been so wrong all this time and now she found herself attracted to a man that didn't even want her. Susan removed her hand from his knee and got to her feet giving him the weakest smile that she could muster, "See you Monday Edward." she said turning and heading for the door as she felt her emotions her the better of her.
'Look what you've done now Ed,' Edward's dark psyche said following Susan slowly across the apartment as Edward watched in horror, 'She's even got tears, bravo.' he clapped sarcastically.
"Susan wait a second." Edward said scrambling to his feet.
Susan stopped at the door with her hand on the handle and quickly wiped the freshly sprung tears from her eyes as he approached her, she turned around and looking at the man before her, confidence evading him as he stood there fighting for words, "You're great, I mean tonight was wonderful, you were wonderful and tonight was great, that's what I meant." Edward said pressing his palms together in front of him, he didn't know what to do next, he felt so awkward and glanced behind to see the other part of him stood grinning just behind him. 'You need me Ed.' Within a split second Edward had pulled himself back together, he was too weak to do this alone.
Susan watched as Edward's face changed, he calmed, his body eased and he opened his eyes looking down at her, that look that she'd come to learn and realise there was no escape, she felt her body tense with anticipation as she felt one of his hands land on top of hers holding the door handle; her heart was pounding and she could feel his hot breath on her neck as he drew in closer his glasses reflecting the green light pouring into the room so that it obscured his brown eyes.
"I had a wonderful time ." Edward grinned twisting his hand so that the door opened and then he stood back watching her stood in the doorway with disappointment in her eyes at his actions, she had clearly been expecting that to lead into a kiss or some sort of advancement but he wanted her to want him more, for her every waking thought to revolve around him, he could smell her want for him from between her clenched thighs but it wasn't enough, he wanted to gain full control and to do that it meant he had to hold off right now even though his thoughts were going over the most sordid things imaginable. "Goodnight Susan."
"Goodnight Edward." Susan said waiting a moment longer hoping he'd move it but he didn't, he merely held her gaze and she could see in those eyes a darkness that would eventually consume her, in mind and in body.
