Chapter 8
The next day Sophie awoke close to noon with Victor's hand still over her breast and over her heart. She broke out into goosebumps, and her eyes traveled from his hand up the lithe musculature of his forearm and bicep. The dips and angles of his collarbone and traps made Sophie feel warm all over and she ended her study looking at the back of his head. Sighing, she removed herself from the bed and out from under his hand.
She stepped into some panties and found a bra, then made her way to his side of the bed. His breathing had changed, so she knew his eyes would be open once she had a view of his face. She sat on the edge of the bed and ran her hand over his forehead, feeling for a fever, but found no warmth. This man was blessed with his ability to heal quickly, and she thanked the Lord, knowing it could have all gone so terribly wrong.
"Please stay in bed and rest, I need to go buy some more bandages and gauze. I'll get breakfast too," she supplied, then flicked his right ear for good measure and left the bed to pull on some jeans and a turtleneck. Sophie shoved her blonde hair into a knitted cap and pulled on some comfy boots before leaving.
When she returned he was sitting on the couch watching the television with a sheet wrapped around his waist. The bandages on his chest weren't quite saturated, but stained, and the crimson caught Sophie's eyes right away.
Sophie placed her grocery bags on the counter, then brought over a large black coffee for him, a large white mocha for her, and bagels with strawberry cream cheese.
His eyes were on her as she sat and spread out her food purchases. Sophie kicked off her boots before throwing her feet up on the couch and onto his lap.
"Eat," she commanded, before shoving a cream cheese slathered bagel into her mouth. Victor eyed her feet on his lap, and then back at her face. He reached towards her and pushed a sleep tousled strand of hair back behind her left ear, then wiped off a chunk of cream cheese from the corner of her mouth and took a very stern and manly try before helping himself to a bagel with said cream cheese. They sat and ate, took swigs of their coffees and overall enjoyed the silence of domestic bliss before they would inevitably begin bickering again.
When they were finished eating he indicated his desire to shower, so Sophie followed him into the bathroom and peeled off the old dressings. She helped him in the shower and scolded him when he didn't follow her directions that would cause as little damage to the wounds as possible. Once the shower was done, she had him sit with a towel around his waist as she placed fresh bandages and ointments across his chest. When he was about to rise as she turned away, she snapped at him, "You, sit. I'm not done with you," and she turned away from the sink with his razor and shaving cream in her hands.
Victor paused mid-rise and then sat back down. He sat pleasantly still as she lathered his head in the stuff, and then mimicking what she'd watched him do on occasion in the wee hours of the morning, she shaved his face entirely clean of hair.
When she was done, Sophie stepped back and smiled, then threw a wet towel at his face before leaving to get him fresh clothes.
Victor wiped his face and then stood to look at his visage in the mirror. He turned his jaw this way and that and was running a long fingered hand over his jaw when she returned.
"Are you pleased?" she teased, and a low chest rumble was her answer.
Sophie herself was pleasantly surprised to find he owned a nice pair of black flannel pajama bottoms and found that he looked damn good in them.
"When will I have you again?" his voice rumbled next to her ear as she gathered up clothes to do the laundry. Sophie looked back at him to see him standing behind her, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned in the bathroom doorway.
She blinked when she noticed the sudden appearance of new tallies on his left side, fresh and glistening with blood that had not yet begun to clot completely. Sophie frowned a bit, but then her mind thought of him on her floor, pale as death with brown eyes that had looked at her so softly…
"Soon," she murmured, and he hmphed before turning to exit the bedroom.
Their next few days together revealed alot to Sophie, some of which she had already gathered in their sporadic time together. Victor wasn't one to be idle, and he to liked to keep himself and his surroundings in order. He cleaned his guns, sharpened some wicked looking knives, he seemed to prefer classical music with piano, cellos and violins as compared to the other music she had in her collection. Victor didn't appreciate dirty dishes at all, and preferred to fold his laundry himself.
She also was reminded once again that he seemed to be blest with a near inhuman healing factor, as his wounds healed quickly with no issues. He was a runner too, and he often ran multiple times a day when the confines of the apartment seemed to drive him insane. He liked Chicago style pizza and chinese food (he preferred to eat with chopsticks as well), but hated Mexican food.
Sophie also found that her being on top in regards to the bedroom also seemed to drive him insane and she really liked making him writhe.
Her first day back to work they left at the same time, he on a run in the opposite direction and as she walked to work, enjoying the chill, she realized that this was probably the happiest she'd ever been. It wasn't going to stay this way, she knew, but for now, it was more than she'd ever dreamed, and she'd take it.
When she came home her third night, a big surprise awaited her.
"I'm ho- hey! My floor!" she exclaimed, and immediately dropped to her knees to run her hand over the unblemished wood. Victor inclined his head over to the side to look at her from the couch, and said nothing as she gaped at the seamless work.
"Did you do this?" Sophie gasped.
"Contractors for Don Falcone," he murmured, and went back to his sudoku. Sophie picked herself up off the floor, closed the open door behind her, kicked off her shoes and bounded over the couch to plant a big kiss on his unenthused face.
"Thank you! That was gonna cost me a fortune and my security deposit!" she rejoiced.
Sophie could watch Victor forever, she mused. He went shirtless in the apartment, most likely as she'd repeatedly voiced her appreciation for the view and she could watch him prowl around the apartment doing all of his menial things and it would still be thrilling, watching the muscles in his chest, his back and sides elongate and compress, a well oiled machine. Sophie also remembered what a vastly intelligent person Victor was, not that he had ever seemed to be anything less, but it was still slightly shocking to watch him pour through her personal library. He was excellent with numbers and a fast read.
She remembered that he'd nearly qualified for the honor roll except for his attendance in grade school. In high school Victor had qualified for all the AP classes, and Sophie had been determined to join him in AP Biology despite their grade difference when things had finally come to a head and he had to run.
One morning Sophie was dressed and heading out the door to grocery shop and grab coffee while Victor was headed to the shower, having just returned from his run. A knock came from the door and Sophie paused, her hand hovering above the door handle.
"Gotham PD," came a voice on the other side, and Sophie felt her insides turn to ice.
Quickly she looked over her shoulder, scanned the apartment and then leaned forward and looked through the peephole.
Two detectives stood outside her door, one on the younger side, clean shaven and blonde. His partner looked rough with a fedora on his head, a white and red beard and what looked to be yesterday's suit rumpled over his form.
"Gotham PD, open up!" the red headed cop barked, and slammed his fist on her door. Sophie prayed Victor wouldn't start up the shower, before swinging the door open.
The two men blinked upon coming face to face with Sophie.
She wore her favorite red beret, her thick black winter coat and black gloves. Her jeans were tucked into knee high black boots and her blonde hair was falling around her shoulders.
"S-Sophie Summers?" the blonde detective with a troubled face, stuttered.
"That's me," Sophie introduced herself and blinked at them, "I was just leaving, can I help you?"
"Miss Summers, my name is Detective Gordon and this is my partner Detective Bullock," the one named Gordon stated.
"Miss Summers we received a tip that a gentleman matching this description might have been seen entering and leaving your residence," Bullock said with an oily smile as he slid up to Sophie, a picture of Victor in his hand.
Sophie shot a glare at the closed door of her neighbor Ms. Norris, before looking down at the picture of Victor, tilting her head and demanding her heart calm down.
"Hmmm….it's just me here," Sophie stated frowning, "And I don't know him, but...isn't this guy's face on the news every night? " she asked, looking back up at the detectives curiously.
"May we come in?" asked Bullock as he stepped forward, making Sophie step back as he not so subtly pushed his way into her apartment.
"You could have just asked," Sophie grumbled at him, and then stepped aside to let Gordon inside, who had the grace to look at least a little sheepish.
"You see Miss Summers, this man, Victor Zsasz, he's a very dangerous man. He works for the mob, and he's a cop killer," Bullock stated, prowling around her apartment. Sophie thanked God for Victor's cleanliness, not that she had ever lived like a pig, but seriously…
"Well that's terrible," Sophie stated, truthfully.
Sophie kept the front door open and stepped further into the apartment, pushing her purse strap up her shoulder. She knew her own apartment, and could feel Victor's presence, still and silent on the other side of her closed bedroom door. Her knees felt weak.
"We're hoping to catch him before he causes any more death," Gordon supplied.
"He's really a psychopath," Bullock added.
"He's not the only one in Gotham," Sophie added, looking at the red headed detective with distaste. She watched as he thumbed through her music, her books.
To her front left Gordon was also examining the room, but from afar.
"You know detectives, if you really want to search my apartment, I'm pretty certain you need a warrant, and some kind of proof or evidence that this character has been in my apartment, or least reasonable doubt."
"You seem defensive Miss Summers, trying to hide something?" Bullock asked, suddenly coming very close into her personal space.
"You can back yourself up, Detective Bullock. I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but you are making me very uncomfortable," Sophie said, backing up.
"Harvey," Gordon snapped, and Bullock's eyes flickered to her closed bedroom door, but then huffed and whirled out her door where he dug into his coat for a toothpick.
"I apologize for my partner, he can be a little rough around the edges," Gordon apologized and Sophie nodded, but noticed Gordon's eyes were also on her bedroom door.
"Is that all Detective Gordon? I really need to run," Sophie asked, tugging on her purse strap.
"Sophie, if I may call you that, we really need to find Zsasz, he's dangerous. He's like a rabid dog that's barely being restrained, if at all. We gotta put him down to save more lives, Gotham's cops and people," Gordon stated, looking Sophie straight in the eyes.
Sophie stared straight back, "If I had any idea who you were talking about I would tell you, Detective. I don't have a social life, I work, I come home, that's about it. Even Ms. Norris could tell you that," Sophie supplied and Gordon's face remained unchanged, but his eyes squinted just slightly.
"Can you tell me why Ms. Norris would think Victor Zsasz would be coming to your apartment?" Gordon asked nonchalantly.
"Well I did sleep with a bald guy once or twice, " mused Sophie, tapping a gloved finger to her lip. "Can I see that picture again?" she asked and studied Victor's visage carefully.
"I don't remember his name, it was just a little fling, but….I'm pretty sure the guy I slept with at least had some dark eyebrows, and blue eyes. I'm a sucker for blue eyes," she admitted with a mischievous smile. "Also the no eyebrow thing? Weird. Really weird," Sophie ended, handing the picture back to Gordon."So...is that all, Detective Gordon, Bullock?" Sophie repeated politely, and stepped towards the door.
"Do you mind if we have a look around, just to close this up?" Gordon asked, immediately moving towards her bedroom.
Sophie put her right hand on her hip and in doing so put her elbow right into the detective's side. "I believe, Detective Gordon, I would require a warrant to let you look through my lingerie."
His hazel eyes glared at her and she smiled prettily at him.
"Fine, Miss Summers. We'll be leaving. Here's my card if you see the individual in question, or anything suspicious," Gordon ended with a snap and handing her his GCPD card, he and Bullock left, unvoiced suspicions heavy on their coated shoulders.
Sophie closed the door behind them, and then leaned her head against the door, breathing slowly. A scorching heat was at her back, plucking the card from between her fingers and letting out an angry growl.
When she turned to look at him over her shoulder, Victor's brown eyes were filled with hate as he stood there in jogging pants and a long sleeved spandex running shirt.
"I owe Gordon a death," he snarled, then exhaled loudly through his nose, "They'll be waiting for you in a car downstairs to validate your story, leave now."
Sophie was a whirlwind out the door, locking it behind her and running to the elevator. When the doors opened on the ground floor she breezily exited the elevator, humming her favorite song she made her way out of the building and made for the direction of the local grocer. She spotted Bullock puffing on a cigar against a car across the street and she wiggled her fingers at him as she passed by.
He nodded at her with a snarl and she made sure to catch Gordon's eye from inside the car as she kept on walking, seemingly without a care in the world.
When Sophie came home, groceries in hand, she half expected there to be cops and a medical examiner outside of Ms. Norris' door. She breathed a sigh of relief when no such sight greeted her and unlocked the door, but sent a nasty look at said neighbor's door before closing it behind her.
Victor was fresh from the shower and cleanly shaven once again, standing with his back to her as he looked out the sliding glass door and mumbling into his cellphone.
Sophie quietly put away the groceries, and took off her gloves, boots and hat before grabbing a newly bought bottle of wine and opening it.
She sat on the couch and held her wineglass in both hands, looking down at her bare feet on the coffee table. She'd gotten them done a few days ago, French pedicure, and mused that Victor seemed to like the style since her feet had gotten a few bites the other night. Sophie caught bits and pieces of his conversation, gathering that their time together was slowly but surely coming to an end.
His phone call ended, but not the way he had wanted, she could almost hear the phone groaning as it suffered a crushing grip. He inhaled and exhaled through his nose a few times before he moved away from the window and stood behind her. He bent over the back of the couch and his fingers were crushing the cushions of the couch as his mouth lowered to her ear.
"Gordon won't be bothering you again, Sophie," he promised her vehemently, and then pressing his face to the side of her head, inhaled her scent.
She nodded and leaned her head against his, feeling tired and hollowed out.
"There is going to be an event soon, bringing a guest is expected,"
Sophie blinked and looked back at him, "An event? You?"
"I am providing security," Victor supplied, "Proving that I am and always have been able to do whatever he needs."
Sophie nodded and watched him move towards the bedroom.
"When is it?" she asked.
"The twenty-fourth," he replied.
Sophie frowned, "That's Christmas Eve,"
When she received no answer she sighed, and then moved to retrieve her phone from her purse. By some kind of miracle she wasn't working, so that was covered at least.
"What do I wear?"
"It's a black and white event," his voice came from the closet.
"Informative," she sighed, and looked up as he entered the room, once again in an impeccable suit and tie, black skull ring once again on his finger.
"I didn't know we went to holiday events together," Sophie commented as she stood, and straightened his tie, slid her hands over the lapels of his jacket.
He said nothing, only tilted his jaw to allow her hands to do their straightening.
"I'm not complaining, I'm flattered. Come back to me?" she ended, taking a step back and smiling softly.
His thumb and forefinger gripped her chin and pulled her in for a kiss. His lips were demanding, and he ended with a bite to her bruised lips. Then he was out the door, going to do God knows what, but her heart went with him nonetheless, and she knew there would never be a happy ending in store for her.