Once in the Commissioner's office, I was immediately given the best seat there. They were trying to help me feel comfortable, but I felt nothing but a dreadful emptiness. I couldn't think straight, guilt was clouding my mind. Was it all worth it?
'Of course it was!' I snapped to myself harshly. 'you did this for him!' I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed the emotion as far back as I could when Gordon swung the door open. Pulling up a chair, he sat next to me with a pitying expression. I suppose I did look pretty...helpless curled up in a blanket with my eyes overflowing.
"Bethany...this is going to be a stupid question but, do you want to press charges?"
I clenched my teeth together, causing some more tears to but pushed over the edge.
"Everything possible, I was forced down on his head." My voice broke at the end, but I'm pretty sure he thought it was a different reason.
"Okay." He patted my tight fists lying in my lap and sighed. "You realize, he won't get incarcerated for this...he'll be sent back to Arkham. Now...I realize you might be a little wary of the place now, so I'm offering you a place on my squad."
I tilted my head down and nodded, shaking as more "shock" trembled through me. He saw I was losing it and handed me a cup of hot chocolate, closing the door after him. My face composed itself again and I looked stonily into a the beverage, sneering. Thanks a lot, hot chocolate made everything better, sure. Even though I was tempted to hurl the cup across the room, my attention was diverted to commotion outside. I snuck over to the door and cracked the shades in time to see a mass of burly guards dragging Eddie into the interrogation room.
"Get a tranquilizer! The guys insane!" one shouted.
"No!" Edward screamed, struggling against the half dozen officers. "That would imply either mental illness or derangement! I suffer from neither!" At that point he was stuffed through the door, arms flailing, trying to get free. A lump forced it's way into my throat. If it wasn't for me he wouldn't be in here. He wouldn't be getting sedated like some kind of wild animal. I sank down the rest of the way and furled my legs up to my chin.
"He doesn't care about you." I winced in surprise at the dark voice. Of course he was here.
"Y-you don't know a thing about us." I growled, sitting up in a facade to look stronger.
"I know enough about him to say that he's not to be trusted."
"Yeah well...that's your opinion."
"...You're choice. But just remember who you're dealing with. Edward Nigma and not some romantic lovesick schoolboy, he's dangerous. So before you go pledging yourself, think first about his certain method of getting you to himself...he did take you against your will."
"I don't-" I started, my head jolting up to confront him. But he was gone with the billowing of the curtains. Of course.
Two more unhelpful cups of hot chocolate later, Gordon drive me to my old apartment with the promise of a trial in the morning and to be ready to consult the assigned lawyer. I really didn't care, but that would have given me away. You had to bide your time in these situations.
When I shuffled into my apartment it was the same as I had left it. Messy, boring, average pretty much described it. There wasn't any good food, the wallpaper was peeling and my clothes had spider webs on them. I sunk onto the bed and felt rock hardness in the mattress. It was like he had spoiled me or something. My lip quivered as I realized I missed his constant snarky comments. I missed his mood swings, his bed, his funny little chuckle when anyone said something stupid. I curled up in the crappy blankets and wrapped my arms around myself in sudden loneliness. I missed him.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Everything was hazy...I couldn't put anything together. My hands were bound to a chair, I couldn't move in the least. Of course I was dreaming, I had no recollection of ever being dragged here. A dark fog clogged my vision, and if it was in real life, it would have made me choke.
But now there was a figure coming towards me, stalking forward in the mist. He should have been visible by now, but somehow he wasn't. Everything about him screamed Edward, but his face was in shadow. The smell, his clothes, how he carried himself and what his voice sounded like. God I missed it. Even if his face somehow remained in shadow as he knelt forward, our faces now at the same height, there was something different. A darkness I wasn't annoyed with but more...scared of. A soft instrumental piece I recognized by Glenn Miller played in the background, accented by his dress. Almost like in the thirties kind of style. His suit a dark beryl, set off by the soft golden glow of his cane by his side. Eyes that should have been his emerald were a frightening dark ocean blue, burning like a lit beach scene at midnight. The color drew one in, making me think it was safe and then he stands up, going to lurk behind the chair. I wasn't even aware that he was right next to my ear until he whispered to me.
"You stole from me you know..." He growled slowly, his voice laced with the same darkness that was luring me in. I opened my mouth to protest, to say that I never stole anything but before a single word left my mouth he spun the chair around and gave me a bruising kiss, much unlike the forcefully teasing ones from earlier days. This left me wincing but in need of more when he broke away."You took it right from my chest!" My eyes grew larger as I realized what he was talking about. Once again, I prepared to speak but was interrupted with a single finger on my lips.
"Riddle me this! If you break me I do not stop working, if you touch me I may be snared, if you lose me nothing will matter." Here he paused letting me work it out. Water pooled up in my eyes as I quickly figured the riddle out. But I couldn't speak. I was stunned.
"Get it yet?" He snapped, I couldn't see his face still, but I knew it was twisted up in rage. At me! "My heart!" In one quick motion he unsheathed a sword from his cane and buried it into my chest, piercing my heart.
I jolted up in bed, feeling a massive shock wave of panic roll through me. It was stuffy in my bedroom, the windows shut and the resulting beads of sweat grasping my forehead made everything in the dream seem twice as frightening. I let out a half sob of terror, the other half dedicated to annoyance. God I would be so glad the day of the trial. This damn guilt would hopefully stop pestering me then.