Hello everyone. I was going to wait to post this until after Friday the 13th, but I couldn't wait. I'm a bit superstitious so I usually don't post things on a day like this, but I'm going to put that aside. Maybe my silly fear as some say will prove just that. Please read, review, and enjoy while also remembering I own absolutely nothing.

Chapter 3

"This friendship is getting off to a great start," I thought as I drive us into the city looking at her out of the corner of my eye in silence. It felt like our first car ride all over again. Constance just sat there her eyes trained out the window.

"This is getting off to a wonderful start don't you think?" I whispered looking at her a second waiting for her to look back receiving a smile before letting my eyes return to the road.

"I don't know," said Constance though I saw right through her.

"You know, if we're going to be friends you're going to have to stop being so silent around me," I whispered looking at her. This time she looked right back at me and if I didn't have to have my eyes on the road I would have stared into her eyes forever.

"It's not you…I'm nervous. Until now it's been to my mom or dad's and back. I'm a little nervous about going into the city for the first time," whispered Constance not expecting it when I took her hand. It was a surprise even to me. Until now I had been so unsure about everything between us that I kept strictly in that professional barrier. Now though I threw all that away as I took her hand peering into her eyes remembering that everything had changed; we were friends now.

"Don't be scared or nervous. No one's going to lay a hand on you, if they even try I'll kill them," I said firmly making her look at me. Time seemed to stop in that moment as I forgot where we were and what I was doing. I simply looked at her, into her eyes, and suddenly she started to have this effect on me. My heart started pounding in a way it never had before and I didn't know how to respond to it. Never in my life had I felt anything to compare it to and it was all because of her. In that moment I just couldn't pay attention to anything else, but then I remembered. The entire time I had been paying attention to her I had still had the car in motion. We're lucky we didn't wreck because I was paying attention to her not the road we could have hit a tree or another car. But we came pretty close.

It was a car horn that brought us back to reality. Looking up I saw that we were no longer on the right side of the road and there was a car heading straight for us. Or rather I was heading straight for it. Looking on, I quickly swerved to the right side of the road just in time; if I hadn't I would have gotten us into a serious accident. When we were out of danger we just sat there with the car still moving and that dead silence had returned. I could hear someone's heart beating, I knew it wasn't my own I wasn't that shook up, but I didn't dare look at her again. I wasn't going to risk getting sidetracked again if I did I might get us killed this time. But when she broke the ungodly silence I was growing I hate I just couldn't resist. Suddenly she burst into a fit of laughter, an uncontrollable hysterical fit of laughter. It made me look at her, at first with confusion in my eyes, but that soon changed when I found myself laughing too. And I had no idea why.

"What is so funny? We could have been killed back there," I laughed while still managing to drive. She didn't answer right away only continuing to laugh and I found I liked even loved that sound. Her laugh was beautiful, like gun shots in the distance almost, and looking at her out of the corner of my eye I silently wondered if there was anything about her that wasn't beautiful. The longer I looked at her the more I was convinced that every inch of her was.

"She may be young, but she is so beautiful. No older woman compares," I thought a smile finding my face, but I hid it around my own laughter.

Constance was mature beyond her years, being her father's daughter somehow required it, and dealing with her mother even more so. She had a genuine type of beauty about her that I had never found in anybody else. The way her skin was perfectly tanned even in the cold Gotham weather, but not so tanned to be fake or tacky. The way it looked so soft, like silk or the smoothest cream; it made him want to stroke her cheek just for the hell of it. But then there were her eyes. Her green eyes that seemed to search your soul for hidden secrets, but it wasn't just her appearance. She was a damn genius, smart enough to run the crime family someday though I couldn't picture her doing that. She was meant for more and with a quick glance her way I knew I wanted to see what that more was.

" Welcome to Gotham city," I announced when we entered the city then hearing as her laughter ended as she let all her attention fall on the car window. She practically had her head out the window as we entered the city and it made me smile even as I missed her laughter. She acted as if Italy and all the places she had been didn't compare to Gotham city, like she had never seen anything like it before, and I thought maybe she hadn't. Gotham was different from anywhere else in the world, but I hadn't realized that until now. I couldn't help, but think that I wouldn't have noticed it without her.

"This is Gotham? Wow…it's not what I expected…it's different, but beautiful. I like it," smiled Constance looking over her shoulder at me. I had to keep my eyes alternated between her and the road the city traffic making it much more difficult to watch her. I couldn't help agreeing with everything she said. I suddenly knew this would not be our last trip here, she wouldn't let it be, but looking at her I decided to start her off slow. Gotham needed to be absorbed a little at a time.

The car remained silent once more until it stopped outside a restaurant. I meant what I said about starting her off slow, so I took her to the simplest place in Gotham. It was a simple little diner that I frequented and I knew when she looked at me that it wasn't what she expected. But that only made me smile as I rounded the car opening her door for her feeling my heart plummet once more when she smiled back. We were beginning our friendship, right now, we would begin to know each other right now, and there was no turning back from that now.

"Follow me, Miss. Falcone…Constance," I whispered leading her to my usual table correcting myself when she frowned at me yet feeling nervous as I used her first name for the first time. Once again we were silent and I knew this had to stop. We had to get to know each other, be comfortable around each other, but so far we weren't doing so well. But getting rid of my nerves I tried to think of things to say to get us off to a good start.

"I recommend the hamburgers, they're usually pretty good," I said making her smile at me over the top of her menu.

"You must come here a lot to know that," smiled Constance making me want to smile back hell she made it hard to maintain a neutral face at all. I wanted to let her see me, the person behind the assassin, but I wasn't ready yet. In that moment I only enjoyed her company finding what I wanted before looking at her. We set our menus aside at the same time and when our eyes met I felt my heart doing that funny thing again.

"It's either come here or risk the maid's cooking killing me," I said in answer to her question. She laughed again in response and I loved it immediately. I loved her laugh and I loved that I was the one to make her laugh. In that moment I felt like a kid again who had a crush on a girl he had no chance with.

"Yes, I don't know why my father tolerates her," said Constance. In that moment I wanted to tell her exactly why that was, I felt like she had a right to know, but I decided against it. I had it on good authority that Don Falcone was fucking that same maid. However, I wasn't going to tell her that, and I didn't really think she wanted to know. It would be her father's fault when that same maid killed him and I knew her cooking would someday. Now though I had decided it wouldn't kill me or his beautiful daughter.

"So…where do we go from here? If we're friends now should we get to know each other, you know, you tell me about you, and I do the same?" whispered Constance making me feel better knowing she had no idea how to do this anymore than I did.

"I don't know honestly. There isn't much I could tell you," I whispered trying to laugh it off. But she wouldn't let me. Her hand instantly moved across the table to where mine was and placing hers over mine she smiled at me. We stared at each other in that moment, I could feel my heart genuinely pounding in that moment, but the moment ended before I could stop it. Suddenly she pulled her hand away looking at me as if she had made some huge mistake and I quickly realized she thought she had. I didn't usually react well to people touching me and she knew that from the way people were scared to do so. But still despite that she still tried to keep the conversation going.

"I'm sure that's not true. I'm sure beneath the guns and silence you're full of excitement. We could spend this time getting to know each other…we could begin with the basics, and go from there," whispered Constance fiddling with her fingers at first before lacing them together. The way she smiled at me then made my heart worse than it already was and it was hard to maintain my hard façade as I sat there with her. Her every movement was so graceful while being so carefree at the same time. I couldn't help thinking that as I watched her bring her hand to rest on her intertwined fingers a bigger smile growing on her lips that she directed right at me. In that moment she wasn't just graceful or beautiful or even cute; she was riveting and enticing and so many other things I couldn't quite place in that moment. But thinking all of this I remained neutral to her eyes. I wasn't sure if I was ready to just let her in just like that; I had never let anyone else in before.

"How exactly do we get to know each other?" I smiled watching her intently.

"Well we talk to each other…get to know things about each other, you know, what's your favorite song, movie, color; stuff like that," said Constance her eyes lighting up in her enthusiasm.

"And I have to tell you these things?" I whispered smiling even as I tried to think about the answer to some of those questions.

"Only if you want to…you can tell me anything you feel comfortable telling me. If you want we'll just ask each other questions and go from there," whispered Constance trying to reassure him. And the second she smiled at me I felt better. It was like she knew without really knowing what to do to make me calm. Or my version of calm.

"So you'll tell me things too?" I smiled liking the idea of knowing more about her.

" Absolutely…friends usually share everything, so you don't have to be afraid to ask me anything," exclaimed Constance making me smile at her enthusiasm, but I quickly hid that smile when the waitress approached not wanting her to suddenly think she could treat me like just anybody.

"Hello, folks, what can I get you?" whispered the woman making sure to avoid eye contact with me.

"I'll have a diablo hamburger with onion rings and mustard on the side," I said making it clear that any mistake in my order would not be tolerated.

"Yes, sir, I'll make sure everything is as it should be," said the waitress her voice shaking. I knew from the look on her face that she remembered what happened last time she got my order wrong. They had found a new chef rather quickly and with the thought of that I smiled at her seeing from the look on Constance face that she knew I was enjoying this. The waitress nodded her whole body shaking as she turned to Constance taking her order next.

"I'll have the bacon jalapeno cheeseburger with extra jalapenos and fries. Thank you," whispered Constance giving me a smile as she watched the waitress take their menus with shaking hands nearly dropping them on the floor. The waitress quickly walked away clearly wanting to get as far from me as possible.

"Well…clearly I just learned you like scaring people," laughed Constance making me look at her almost instantly. I wanted to answer her, but decided not to only giving her a grin. She returned it immediately.

"So Constance Falcone, shall we start asking each other the basics?" I whispered part of me feeling nervous at the prospect of opening up to another person.

"You can start, if that would make you more comfortable?" whispered Constance as if able to feel my nerves. I only nodded in response as I wracked my mind for something to say.

"Well...since we are sharing a meal…what's your favorite food?" I said asking the first thing to enter my mind. I did truly want to know everything there was to know about her. She was a mystery to me and while I usually liked mysteries with her that proved not to be true. I wanted to know her backwards and forwards; I didn't want there to be a single mystery between us.

I loved when she smiled at such a simple question. I loved when I could make her smile or laugh especially when it was directed my way. I especially loved the way she leaned closer to me as if preparing to tell me her deepest darkest secret and I found myself leaning closer too.

"Good question," whispered Constance as she thought up an answer.

"For you, I'm sure it's a hard one. I've seen how much you eat, it's obvious you love food, and it's not surprising considering you lived in Italy the land of food," I whispered joking around with her making her smile as I felt our new friendship growing. But the second she knew her answer I knew for she smiled in the tenderest way. It made my heart clench in my chest. And then I was suddenly excited for the lunch we would share. I couldn't wait to get to know this girl more.