"Domestics later you two!" Becky grabbed my arm, still attached to Eddie and physically dragged us out of there. The fear toxin was extremly strong but fast acting. Jonathan reluctantly followed suit, glancing behind him to throw one last pellet into the crowd.

"There's enough fear toxin in them to silence a pachyderm!" Jonathan hissed, ripping his mask off when everyone was finally in the car.

"Well that's not stopping them.." Edward pointed out the back window to a bunch of officers loading into thier cars, still coughing and wheezing like they were twice thier age.

"Step on it!" Becky screeched, and like a whirlwind we were out of there.

"You know I was dead pissed at you right?" Edward smirked and me, his arm snaking around my shoulders.

"I was acting!" I blurted. "Don't ever make that face aga-!"

RATATATATATAT

"Get down!" Jonathan yelled, yanking Becky down in the front seat. Edward grabbed my forarms and forced me down to the floor almost lying down on top of my stomach as the barrage of bullets shattered the rear window.

"I don't suppose you have any special gadgets in here do you?" Edward called up cheerfully.

"Theres a handgun in the back." Jonathan called distractedly, having enough trouble driving while bending down. I undid the seats and crawled into the trunk, feeling around in the darkness. Eventually my hand brushed smooth metal and I tossed it up at Eddie.

I wriggled out of the trunk and glanced out warily. He was apparently aiming for the tires, but the gun only had six shots, we didn't stand a chance. Well, at least we would go down fighting.

I peeked over the top of the seat and saw a real fat on with a toothpick sticking out of his teeth reload and aim straight at Edward. When he was looking at the tires, he didn't see the shot!

"Eddie!" I bounced on top of him in a panic, the hell he was getting shot on my watch! I heard the gunshot, the crack and then the pain. Gasping in agony, I sagged onto the floor, blood seeping though my shirt. Oh yeah, that really smarted.

Everything was quiet for a moment, the only noises heard were engines running, then the chopper arrived and everything went to hell.

"Pull over!" Edward snapped. I tried to take a breath but felt so weak.

The bullet had broken a rib and punctured a lung in the process, I could tell due to the fact that whenever I tried to inhale it felt like a red hot poker was being shoved up my chest. I couldn't breathe right; everything seemed so hazy as my eyes started tearing up.

"JONATHAN, PULL OVER!" Edward yelled, gathering me up "its okay, you're going to a hospital." He murmured softly in my ear. All the commotion going on so close sounded frighteningly distant, like echoes amongst the agony searing through my body. I tried to respond but only a choked whimper came out, a spurt of blood seeping through my lips.

"Jon!" Becky snapped.

"We'll go to Elliot!" He hissed.

"Absolutely not!" Edward snapped. "You know how he feels about me! He'd probably kill her himself!"

"He doesn't have to kn-" Jonathan was cut off by a large BLAM coming from under the car.

Eddie braced my head and shielded my limp body as the van wrapped itself a around a tree on the side of the road. My head spun as I struggled to draw in oxygen, but only getting blood and pain. I forced my hand down to the open wound in my side and lurched forward hopelessly as dark black spots invaded my eyesight. My eyes fluttered shut just as sirens were approaching the vehicle.

Beep…beep….beep…beep

Everything hurt.

Beep…beep…..beep…beep

I tried to turn my head in vain, my senses surfaced slowly with my conscience and I took a deep breath…breath…I couldn't breathe last time I remembered being awake.

"She's awake, go tell Leland." Nothing registered right. Where was Eddie? Jonathan? Becky?

Beep…..beep….beep….beep

Most of all I needed that noise to stop, my head hurt enough. My mouth felt like a large mass of cotton balls had been shoved in for a week straight. Sticking my tongue out, I tried to moisten my mouth, but in its dry state it only made a soft scratching noise.

I was so stupid. Getting shot on my first day on the criminal's side; it just figured. A small slender hand was laid on my forehead gently, then it disappeared and replaced by a straw at my lips. Why hadn't I opened my eyes yet?

'Because your face hurts genius!' Emma snapped in the back of my mind. No…it didn't really hurt. It was just stiff, the kind you feel after sleeping for more than twelve hours. I twitched my nose, sucking from the straw greedily. I never though plain old water could ever taste so good. Letting my eyes flutter open, I looked around the dimly lit hospital room. The doctor, Leland apparently, was a pretty petite woman with a pixie cut, her skin the color of a creamed mocha.

"Beth, how do you feel?" She said kindly.

"Like I've been hit by a truck" I croaked. Yup, I sounded like a bullfrog. "Wh-where's Eddie?"

"Mr. Nigma is safe in his cell. He and the other two got out with only a few cuts."

"But…what happened?" I hadn't the least idea of what made the car do a one eighty like that. "Did we crash into a brick wall?"

"A tire on your vehicle was shot and you rammed into a tree. We had to put you under for a few hours to remove the bullet." She sounded so calm for such a disquieting statement. Leland set the cup on the table beside me and sank into a chair, taking out a clipboard. Soft brown eyes roved around it, checking up on the information. "It broke two ribs and punctured the top of your left lung." Now that she mentioned it, I could feel the bandages.

I looked her up and down warily. "Where am I?"

"Arkham Asylum, now there's no need to worry. I just want to talk."

"I'm not crazy." I snapped, jerking my body up. I instantly regretted this as a sharp shooting pain gripped my upper torso, forcing my body back down with a yelp of pain.

"We're all a bit insane; we need to be in this world." She comforted smoothly. "Tell me, when did your mania with Edward Nigma begin?"

A snarl curled on my lips, words swelling on my tongue like bile. "Mania?" I growled. Leland seemed to sense (either from the evil eye I was giving her or my body language) that she had hit a nerve and backed up quickly.

"You don't need to answer; you'll have plenty of time the next few years." Like that was supposed to make me feel better!

"I don't need to answer because I don't have a mania!" I spat.

"Hush now, how else would you describe your little act yesterday then?" Well it looked like I had been out for more than twelve hours all right.

"I was trying to help the guy out!"

"Then you think his feelings are the same as yours?" She raised an eyebrow skeptically.

I leaned back and smirked. She didn't have to know all the details.

"Positive."

"Miss Zayne…when you worked here you saw his record yourself. An obsession for riddles, narcissism. I find it hard to believe that he could actually love…anyone but himself. Has he told you this in return?" My face flushed lightly at the insinuation.

"I think he would have…some time. We didn't really have a chance to talk- have you asked him about this?" She hesitated then shook her head, a wry expression on her face.

I settled back in my pillows and looked towards the door.

"I want to see him."

"I'm afraid that quite impossib-."

"Is he busy?" Once again she paused for a few moments before continuing on hesitantly.

"No-"

"Then why can't I see him?" She pursed her lips nervously. I had the same feeling she did; that somewhere this was against the rules. But neither of us really wanted to go to doctor Arkham. After giving me a once over she stood up and opened the door.

"I'll get him." And she strode out, twisting the lock behind her. After the sound of her heels dies away I closed my eyes and tried to relax. The beeping turned into white noise and I rubbed my stomach gently. I had gotten a funny feeling a few moments ago, like a pleasant warmth had been flourishing from the inside. Grimacing, I chalked it up to hunger and pushed it out of my mind. I had just started to drift back to sleep when the door opened again.

"-let them have a few moments-" was all I caught from the outside before Edward stepped in, glancing outside and then bolting to my bedside.

"Eddie!" I squeaked. I couldn't help it, he was squeezing my ribs! Loosening his grip, he muzzled into my hair causing the elf to start stirring again. I grimaced in little humor and chided myself on thinking of a little elf in my stomach at a time like this.

"God I was scared." He murmured into my hair. My heart throbbed a little at the tenderness in his voice I had never heard.

"Edward?" I really didn't have any experience comforting people at all, so I just stroked his hair since it was all I could reach due to the IV. Kissing his forehead, I felt the warmth feather up in my stomach again, right next to the elf.

"They didn't give me any news about you…you could have been dead for all I knew." He tilted his head back and I was taken aback to find tears brimming in his eyes. Of course he would want to hold them back, play the tough guy. That just wouldn't do.

"Come on, up here." I shifted my weight to make room on the bed next to me. It wasn't very small, but I didn't want too much space separating us as a small amount of tears leaked onto my neck.

Once he was securely huddled up into my side, I resumed letting my fingers run through his strands. It was unnerving to see a man like him behave like this, curled up and scared like he was an abused five year old again. Unnerving, but understandable given what he had gone though.

"I won't die without letting you know, okay?" I whispered softly. "I'll make sure you're right there."

"Not helping!" He hissed weakly into my collar.

"How about I don't die at all?"

"That's much better." He sobbed out. I couldn't tell if he was hysterical or crying at this point, all I know is that his body was spasming with something and I was determined to make it stop.

Now don't get me wrong. I had always been the type to help people in need, but not like this. I had never needed to console someone, not having a little sibling to take care of, and whenever I saw a kid crying I helped it to its parents but hurried off faster than they could say thank you. So motherly instincts, I had none of. It couldn't be too hard though.

Letting my arms slip around his waist and rock him back and forth gently, I hummed a lullaby quietly in his ear. Eventually I felt his body relax and lean into my shoulder.

Once I was sure he had calmed down a bit, I slanted his chin up and stroked his cheek, kissing him tenderly. It worked. He brought himself up a little and slipped an arm around my waist receiving me with open lips.

"Beth?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you too."

(I must apologize for the time it took for me to upload this, all our computers simultaneously crashed of course and I had to use my phone for internet access. It was quite a lot like hell :P Anyway, there's going to be one more chapter of this and I want to know what YOU want to see in the last chapter :) should Beth be pregnant, how far along in the future should it be, is it them and the other Rogues just messing around in the rec room? I'm giving you a freebie to make up for lost time, GIMMIE IDEAS! :D)