Bright brown eyes snapped open but instead of a gasp from Victor's mouth came a gag! He wrenched whatever was shoved down his throat and sat up. To his surprise there was only a dull pain. The needle feeding fluids into his arm was torn out and he quickly pressed the remaining gauze down to keep from bleeding more. He was...Where was he?! The room was wide, sterile and dead silent outside of the vitals being monitored. The walls were covered in ornate drapes and Gotham's skyline stretched out beyond the thick panes of glass. Fuck. Did one of the families collect him? He heard a sharp gasp and his wild eyes snapped to the door as he blindly reached for the swinging needle. "Olivia?" She was calling down the hallway and hurrying over to his bedside. He could barely hear her as her mouth moved. She could hear him right? He slipped once more into darkness.

Victor gasped rising up without a feeding tube in his throat this time. The early morning sun he was certain he saw before was now setting. Olivia was just here! He had to find her!

"Victor?" a groggy voice came from a leather armchair near the window. Olivia uncurled herself from her napping spot and smiled across the room to him. "Hi."

"Heh...hi," he said with his voice scratchy. "How long was I out?"

"A couple of days." She covered a yawn then stepped up to the side of the bed to rest on it. "They were expecting you to be out at least a week. You had so many broken bones among other things." Victor looked at his hands. The broken fingers were in splints and when he moved he could feel something not right about that! "Try not to move too much. You're still recovering," Olivia insisted and helped him lay back down. Her voice was hushed and eyes softly glowing.

"Where am I?" he finally managed to ask.

"A private room in Gotham General. Our family's suite. It doesn't get much use honestly. We do house calls for most things."

"I can't-"

"Everything has been taken care of. Take as long as you need. Guards are watching the door and we're pretty high up. You're safe." He looked weak and defeated. If he were anyone else that might come as a greater relief. Olivia gingerly sought out his hand and he quickly grasped hers.

"So... I can get that zap now?" he asked with a raised brow ridge. She laughed and shook her head before being yanked down and held close to his chest. His 'weak' was still quite strong! His heart was a steady thud against her ear and her breathing shifted without her realizing to match his. "Please, please! Never do anything that dangerous again."

"I..." She shifted to look up at him and rest as little weight on him as possible. "I was terrified the whole time."

"Could barely tell. Like watching a marshmallow fluff up," he teased. "Did anything happen after I blacked out?"

"It was all over by then."

"So...the collars don't work on you?" he asked, being very careful not to say it out right. There could be someone listening.

Olivia gave a sheepish smile. "One of the family's many secrets."

"Where from?"

She shrugged. "My mom never told me specifics. Just not from here. Changes quite a lot doesn't it?"

"Changes nothing." She smiled, relieved. "You're still an airhead." She scrunched up her nose while he laughed. He brushed the back of an uninjured knuckle against her cheek. Soft, not a single blemish that could be seen. "I should have scared you off the first day we met. I can play the role of a creep pretty well." Olivia frowned but kept her eyes on his, though those were drifting elsewhere. "I keep digging this hole I've made for myself deeper and deeper." His thumb brushed against her bottom lip and he picked up the familiar aroma of electricity. He's going to have to say goodbye again. It won't get easier like people say repeating something will. Each time he gets a little more attached. Desires a little more of her. For now why can't things just be how he wants them?

He rose, barely flinching from the pain and moved to cup her cheek like he did the night he swore he'd never see her again. She mouthed his name before being tugged into a kiss. Deeper than before, he wasn't going to let her get away this time. Victor brought her on to his lap keeping her flush with his chest. And up her arms went over his shoulders. Static crawled across her skin, harmless right now but he may cross a line. He had no clue.

Just dig that hole deeper.

Olivia was searching for that feeling. That one thing that turned her off of so many other guys until now. Her mild fooling around at school even stopped since meeting him. She had interest in no one else but him. Her nose brushed against his own and her heart continued to race. There wasn't adrenaline to cloud her mind right now. She wanted more time with him. All of him. A rough hand brushed against her thigh up to her hip then back down again with his thumb pressed hard into her inner thigh. She softly gasped then turned their kiss more feverish.

A nurse at the door cleared her throat several times before giving up and simply calling out. "Miss Wayne!" The two broke their kiss with Victor looking to the window and Olivia to the woman. "Your father is here to pick you up."

"Right...I should get some rest, not in a chair. And...I..." His hand found hers to squeeze. He turned back with a pained smile.

"I'll see you around, Sunshine. Promise." He meant it. How quickly he swayed back to pursuing Olivia. Her hand was raised to his lips and he kissed the back of it then her knuckles. She smiled, nodded and went about gathering her things. Brown eyes followed her out as he sat with one leg raised to prop an arm up. A figure stepped into the doorway and leaned over to kiss Olivia on the top of her head.

"Be nice!" Olivia hissed then kept on down the hall.

Bruce Wayne strikes an imposing figure at a staggering height over six feet. "Good to see the man of the hour is doing well," Bruce said without once facing Victor as he came to the end of the bed. He simply watched him from their reflection in the window.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne. I've heard...many things."

"Victor, I'm going to keep this short. You put my daughter in harm's way the other day and she means the world to me."

"Clearly not enough to keep her from running off with a bunch of money," he muttered.

If only he knew. Maybe one day he will. "You're welcome to continue recovering here at no expense to you."

"How generous," Victor said and laid back down to stare at the ceiling. Even the lighting was nice in this room. What the fuck? "Let's hear your terms."

Bruce raised his head to look towards the stars. "She'll keep coming back while you remain a resident here. Once that is over, you're to stay away from her."

Victor chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, I'm in too deep now. Might as well keep digging. I made a promise I'd see her again. And I will. Until she's sick of me." He wasn't sure he was doing this out of love or infatuation but declaring himself like this was certainly out of spite.

The dignified Wayne turned to properly face him with his hands behind his back. "Is that so? She's never held a boyfriend for more than a few days."

"Golly, wonder why!" he asked with a sneer. "Guess my days are numbered then huh? Let's see if I can break a record." He stretched and put his arms behind his head.

There was the slightest pulse along Bruce's temple. Olivia was truly a weak spot for him. "To your speedy recovery, Victor," he said as he began to leave. "Oh and do keep in mind, she may think I can't but I am very very capable of keeping her from you. Goodnight." And off he went.

Victor closed his eyes and sighed. So much for the nicest man in the city. Can't blame him too much. If it was his kid he'd probably feel the same way. Still he couldn't play it up for even a second? After a bit of thought a smile crept onto his face. He was set to abandon the hospital tonight. Olivia changed his mind whether she realized it or not. A few more days recovering then he can see what's become of his apartment and the families after Ibanescu's failure. He was going to get an ear full from Oswald for sure. Prick wouldn't go to bat for him. As expected.


There was so much to process over the next few days. Olivia was an alien? Wild. Definitely fooled him but he can't fault them for hiding it. It was probably easier to live being as few minorities as possible. He wouldn't touch a single thing in this room trying to research any of that. Between Olivia's short lived visits Victor worked out much to the nurses' dismay, read, and tried to find out what's happened on the east end since the incident. The better he felt the more bold he became. The painkillers were finally working out of his system and he felt confident in wandering the hospital.

When Olivia was here with him he was absorbed in her like a love sick puppy. She talked about how she's still trying to get her dad to let her go to Gotham Academy. She didn't need the safety of being around others like her to feel comfortable in school anymore. He also learned why she bought that bolt of fabric on their date. She's a designer and seamstress. There were a few finished pieces she showed on her phone. One he'd seen in person. A dress auctioned off that floated until it was stolen. One crazy woman was ready to brag in the future that she had an original from Olivia Wayne's early years. She got a kick out of learning about that. Her brother is still furious at him for the mess she got mixed up in but impressed Victor held out as long as he did.

"I saw you at that meta-human club," she said while peeling an orange with short but sharp nails. They sat with Olivia in his lap and Victor resting his head on her shoulder, arms wrapped around her midsection.

"I saw you too," he admitted. "You were dancing with some guy." Olivia stopped in her peeling for a moment then carried on. "Wanted to jump two stories and deck him. Man's never heard no in his life, huh?"

"My brother's girlfriend had to stop me before I actually zapped him.."

"Ugh, anyone but me?!" Olivia giggled as he squeezed and nuzzled into her neck. "Come on. Just one little zap. Already in a hospital."

"No, Victor," she laughed. "I told you I don't like hurting people. Even if they deserve the pain they receive," she echoed. His hands held onto hers, brushing calloused thumbs over supple skin then slipping an orange segment from her fingers to offer to her.

"I know...Thank you." Olivia bit the piece of fruit in half then pushed his hand towards himself. "I know you did it for more than just me. Didn't know marshmallows could be scary." She giggled and he took the fruit. "I'm gonna make sure you don't have to do that ever again."

"You can't promise that, Victor."

"But I can try and I mean it. I don't...want to smother you like your family probably does. I just can't help wanting nothing to happen to you. And..." He scrunched his nose up at a realization as something dawned on him. "I think I want to prove to your dad that I can? Oh, I must be sick. What's in this orange?"

"Don't feel so compelled to live up to his standards. None of us do. Sometimes it feels like he wants to control as much as he can to keep us safe but it won't make us happy. We don't disappoint him. My oldest brother said that when things go wrong he's disappointed in himself. I don't quite get it but he's been a great dad-number-two for me. I'd like it if you two could get along."

"He told me to fuck off when I'm done healing and leave you alone."

Olivia sighed and shook her head. "Not surprised by that!"

"You don't have to stand between us. If he comes swinging at me I'm pretty sure I can take him in a fight. And...I can't promise I won't accidentally...on purpose provoke him. I was down for being respectful but he started it." He was only mildly defensive. This was all uncharted territory and he wasn't fond of being on uneven footing.

"I'm not going to let my dad bully my friends or my..." Her cheeks were hot and skin crawled in static. She was moving too fast! Maybe she was still running on adrenaline. Not likely with how long it's been.

"Hm? Your what?" he teased while gently bouncing her. "You said it so easily when those guys were hassling you. Unless I'm reading too far into...this."

"You...you're not." She shrank a bit but he squeezed her tight.

"You don't have to say it then. Shit still doesn't feel real to me." He breathed deep, making note of the soft scent of her moisturizer and her shampoo. "I don't want to leave this room."

Olivia smiled while reaching for the tablet. Victor used his greater reach and proximity to bring it to her having forgotten what he was using it for last. "From what the nurses tell me, you've been having a hard time sitting still. You nearly kneed one in the face doing curls from the door frame."

"Mm, she's a liar. Unless there's camera footage then I was asleep?" She shook her head and looked at the tablet. "Whatcha lookin' for?"

"A movie to watch with you...Victor why were you looking up stuff about electricity?" She turned to look him in the eye and he tried to maintain a straight face. "Victor!"

"Promise not to think I'm a creep?" That stare sharpened. "Yeah, didn't think that would help. Curiosity and possible future prep." Was he thinking too far? Moving too fast?

"Prep for?" He stares and she stares back but the gears start turning faster and the sparks begin.

"You get so easily worked up. And I can't help but notice how charged you get when I'm holding you down," he said in a low voice. It was only a tease to prove a point. Her hair crackled and eyes lit up but he was still settling her back in his lap and shifting until she lay on the bed with him looming over her. What if what Melissa told Olivia was right? What if she was still in her infatuation phase? Doing more could break that spell but she didn't want this to end. Not when it felt like it was just getting started.

Victor was learning during their maybe too heated moments together how to temper that little storm. Plenty of time between shocks to her senses and she calmed enough for him to continue. He would not. "Relax, Sunshine," he said in a warm voice then kissed her forehead. He sat back down and tugged her up by her hips. "As much as I would love to destroy this bed and scare the nurses with you, I want to get back on my feet first. I also get the feeling we're being watched." Olivia settled into his lap, embarrassed she forgot the obvious. The chances they were being watched were high. As much as she wants to believe her dad could let go of the reins even a little, he was still himself. Maybe seeing her happy would help him change his mind about many things. "I'll put on a show but not like that."

He needed to be patient in some regards. Several things were still new for her. He had to stay mindful of that. Something he rarely cared to do before. "Hey." Olivia looked up, she'd gotten a little distracted by him, all of him below his chin. "Once I get out of here I might disappear for a bit." She bowed her head but raised it as he stroked his fingers along her spine. "I've got to see if my place is safe enough to clear out. Find a new place and see where I sit with...the people I do work with. There's an unspoken rule about your family and that rule is simply don't! Ibane crossed a line."

"Is that a big enough problem to overlook the reason they're mad at you?" she asked. Her hands were starting to wander along the many scars, old burns, and bullet wounds.

Victor hoped as much. He needed more money to secure a safe place to live and working for them was all he had until he could make permanent changes. "They were probably mad at me because I was kinda moonlighting for myself." She looked to be asking a question and he shook his head. "Best you don't know the details. Not being more methodical created additional problems. I guess you could consider it my version of acting out until mom and dad had enough of my shit."

"How? How much damage could you possibly do on your own?" Her siblings talk about how their dad in his prime and present Jason were one man wrecking crews. She's never seen it and could not believe it with how they doted on her. Jason is practically a teddy bear. Bruce learned how to do her hair! Bruce Wayne took lessons in a black hair salon, sleeves rolled up and a comb in his teeth. Even so, here she was sitting in the arms of a man she has been told took lives while he cuddled like a puppy.

"I am very good at what I do. Back on track. I'm gonna be scarce. I'll try to keep in touch anyway I can, even if it's just to let you know I'm okay. Can't promise I won't try to sneak into your house to see you too."

"Good luck. If you manage that without setting off an alarm my dad may hire you to do security."

Victor rolled the thought around. An expert on security systems and protocols in general could be something he can branch into and ease himself out of this life. But it does seem terribly boring. "I'm not asking you to hold out for me."

"I will."

"Mm, if we're not even sure what we are, don't."

"Then don't keep me waiting long so we can figure it out. There is something you can do with your particular set of skills. You'll find it. Can I make a demand though?"

"I'm trying to better myself and you're making demands? So spoiled," he teased. "Let's hear it."

"I'm guessing you didn't finish school so get your GED. I'm graduating next year and-"

"I already have it." Olivia looks pleasantly surprised. "Wasn't hard. Studied up and aced that shit. Not having a paper trail on me was a good thing but if certain people were looking for me I wanted them to at least know I made it that far."

Olivia was confused. "Who would be looking for you?"

He began but stopped. Beyond the surveillance in the room her father was here. "Story for another time." He looked to the door and Bruce was patiently waiting in the hall chatting up the nurses. All of them seemed enchanted by him. That was where the nice guy reputation came from. If you didn't invoke his ire, he was warm and easy going.

Olivia climbed out of Victor's lap and he couldn't help looking hurt to see her go. He had to just this one last time. She adjusted her clothes and leaned over to kiss his lips. "I'll have to think of another demand to make. You have my number and I'll be out of town starting tomorrow. Going to the beach with the bestie," she explained.

"How conveniently well timed."

"He is not concerned with being subtle. See you around, Victor."

He leaned back on his bed and smiled back at her. "See you, Sunshine." Off she went. His eyes followed until she was gone. He gave a two finger salute to Bruce. The nod he received was surprising. Their past acknowledgements were far from cordial. Oh he was up to something! He had to be.


Upon Victor's discharge from the hospital he was given new clothes that were plain looking enough but the knit of the black shirt alone spoke loudly of its quality. Every piece fits perfectly. This had to be Olivia's doing. A car service was arranged to take him anywhere within the city he wished to go. Home, or as close to it as he was comfortable letting this driver, that no doubt reported back to Wayne, know where he lived.

Two blocks away was in a comfortable radius of his apartment at the southern edge of China Town and it was now time to ease back into his routine. Victor had several paths to take and most went straight through businesses' front doors and out the back and vice versa. Endearing himself in his own violent way to the hodge podge of owners kept stalkers guessing. Hopefully those bonds still held up.

The neighborhood Victor settled into was nice for being an eastern part of Gotham. It was no fluent, yuppie borough but it got plenty of foot traffic from restaurants seeking international ingredients if not cuisine for a more varied pallet. The faces he passed would either acknowledge him by name or offer a simple nod. The last stop on his winding path was a Korean grocery store and he was immediately smacked on the chest by a little Korean woman he towered over.

Victor groaned at the surprise attack, he spoke in Hanguk-eo.

The little woman shuffled him towards the back while she began to fuss. Her auburn hair with streaks of white bobbed around the back storeroom they now stood in. She returned with a lockbox and held it up to him.

Victor smiled upon receiving the box. he asked while placing the box under his arm.

Hye-ja nodded and got even more irate.

A hefty bag with homemade soup, rice and drinks was held out to him. A key was slipped into the paper bag as well and she reached up to pat his cheek.

Victor then bowed his head before leaving out the back. A narrow alley separated one brownstone building from another. Into that building and up three flights of stairs is where he lived. The soup key opened a thankfully not broken door to a narrow apartment. A kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom were all he needed. The soup was left on the counter and he assessed how to deal with the person waiting in his bathroom because that door was rarely if ever closed.

A kitchen knife was retrieved and used to quickly pop open the box. He lost the key weeks after stashing the box at Hye-ja's. In any case it was not about it being secure but simply being nearby. Inside was a knife brought to rest on his hip and a heavy revolver. He checked that it was loaded, held it at the ready and approached the bedroom door.

"Since when did they start offering housekeeping here?" he called out to the invader. "Gonna have to tell the landlord to cancel mine." The bedroom was simple, one might say cozy with its walls lined with books. He was just past the foot of his bed then quickly turned to aim at a corner behind him. "God damnit!" he groaned then put his gun in the band of his jeans.

Red Hood leaned against one of the few clear spots in the room thumbing through an old college chemistry book. "Welcome home, Zsasz. Heard you had quite the outing."

"Two little birds tell you that?" he jeered, then carried on as if the man wasn't there. "I've been meaning to make the rounds and see who missed me. You wouldn't happen to know if anyone is still worried sick?"

"Olivia Wayne, huh?" Victor paused as he was reaching into an armoire. "When you said out of your league, you weren't kidding. Isn't there an unspoken rule about not messing with the Waynes?"

Victor turned to smile at that blank face mask with only slightly emotive eyes, "Well I'm not part of the families so the rules don't apply."

"We both know that's not how they see it." The book in his hand was closed and set back on a shelf. "Dragos has a bounty on his head."

"Serves him right for fucking with her like that," he voiced then reached passed his suits to open a hidden door that he would step through. There was no point in being secretive after Red found this place. If he wanted him dead he would be. Inside was an armory of his most proficient weapons within the space of a small closet. "It'll be sweet, poetic justice when I come to collect," he called out. Lockbox gun was unloaded and put away to replace it with one more reliable and a smaller caliber. Lockbox gun was for emergencies and intended to leave craters in anyone's chest. He wanted to leave a different kind of impression when he saw Ibanescu again.

"Do you want help?" came Red's voice from right behind him. Victor paused in making himself even more of a walking army and really considered the offer. It could be another trap and what kind of rat gets caught twice? "A chunk of his men may be locked up but the rest are armed to the teeth waiting for an attack."

"...teaming up with the Red Hood could be bad for my reputation."

"Yours is already in the shitter. What have you got to lose?" Red waited as Victor weighed his options. With a second like Red Hood he could clear the entire organization in one night. If anyone was left they would make it known he had distasteful help. The door to his world here will well and truly be shut.

"I have to do this on my own. Prove they don't fuck with the man that can do their jobs for them."

Red Hood couldn't let this opportunity slip away. He's not fond of feeling like he didn't do everything he could. "I can be discreet."

Victor finished readying himself for a night of tense conversations and walked past that door of a man. "No offense but that seems like a stretch for you."

"I got in here, didn't I?"

"If I open that bathroom door, is there going to be a you-sized hole in the wall?" Red Hood threw his hands up and shrugged. "Right. Something tells me regardless of my answer you're coming anyway."

"Ibanescu is weak and needs to go." He also crossed a major line. While they let Olivia walk into that trap, were she from any other family she still would have gone for the sake of someone else. That's what he wants to believe.

"Stay out of my way and leave Dragos to me. I'll make my move when I'm ready and I'm sure you'll know when that is. Wouldn't be the first time you've followed me, right?" he asked with a wink then stepped into the kitchen. It was time to dig into that soup. Stealing one lunch from Mrs. Hye-ja was the best bit of thievery he ever pulled off. She always had a spare jar for him. He'll miss this. There was no need to see Red Hood out. He'll make himself scarce in his own way. A thump did grab his attention and the big man was gone when he went to inspect. On his bed was a black bag and inside were all of his things Ibanescu's men took from him and something more.