The Universe's Mixer

It was to be today. James had everything in place. After having double-checked his work, he returned to Steve's apartment looking for Ariel - but found only quiet. Believing that she'd gone out to sun or to stroll, he went downstairs and circled the apartment building. Then he did it again. Dismissing the mild unease, he headed back up to wait.

But an hour passed, and she had not returned. The second hour ticked by, and he finally picked up his phone and tried to reach her on it. It wasn't unexpected that she didn't pick up. She never really seemed technologically minded. So he rang Steve instead. The conversation was stilted and harsh, at least on his end. His throat felt tight, and the back of his neck was hot.

He knew.

James knew, but was trying to deny it.

Steve was on his way back. James paced the front of the living room quickly, back and forth, and then shot a text to Dr. Quinn.

Today. That was all he needed to send to her; she'd know the rest. It didn't matter that night hadn't even fallen. And, he realized, it didn't even matter that he hadn't confirmed that Edward Nigma had kidnapped her again. He should have handled this long ago. It shouldn't even be a question.

After today, it wouldn't be.

Edward grinned as he adorned the gauntlet Jonathan had once worn. He strapped the worn buckles into the appropriate slots, pulled the leather tight and flexed his fingers. The syringes attached to the glove wiggled and the toxin within the vials swirled gently. Holding it up so that he could better view the thing, Edward sighed hard. He missed his lover dearly and it was killing him from the inside out. It was easier to cope when he had something to do besides harassing Harley. No, Eddie needed a challenge. Something to do that warranted a bit of retribution.

Those stupid goody-two shoes jerk heroes would get theirs. They would see. They would all see. Edward loathed every single one of them, Stark, Banner, Rogers and his friend with the arm....each one he hated more than the last. Nobody got away with threatening him. Oh no, that was not how the game worked.

The criminal turned to the body of the breathing and unconscious girl laying on the floor of the cell. He wouldn't keep her underground this time, no...he wanted them to find her like this.

A grin as wide as the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland and Eddie knelt down to the girl. He picked up one of her limo arms and dug the ends of the syringes from the gauntlet into her skin. He filled her with fear toxin, a dose far heavier than she needed. Let them come find her and watch Jonathan's legacy unfold. They took one of the people he loved and so he would return the favor. And who better than the stupid little mermaid girl?

Capturing her had been so easy. Like it had been the first time. And now she would never escape. Eddie knew where the antidote was for the toxin. Harley knew too, but Eddie didn't care of she knew. She was too busy gloating and working she didn't have time to betray him. Plus he would kill the meddlesome blonde this time for sure if she snitched.

Emptying the last of the toxin into Ariel's bloodstream, Edward pulled back, dropped her arm and turned. He left the cell, slamming the door closed behind himself, leaving her laying on the cold, hard and dirty floor. When she woke up she would be screaming and afraid and he would relish in the sound. He couldn't wait to hear it. Just the thought was making him shiver with delight.

And when her boy toy came for her, oh wouldn't he be surprised when she cowered from him in fear! Pushed him away! Oh that would be a treat in itself!

Giggling, Eddie removed the gauntlet and skipped away to brag the good news to Harley.

"You ain't the boss of me," Harley stated, narrowing her eyes at the tall, red-haired man. Her arms folded across her chest and she huffed, "You walk around here like you own me, Eddie, and you don't. You ain't got nothin' left besides me and this is how ya treat me?!" Harleen inquired in an amused gasp, her eyes widening. "You ain't nothin' without Jonathan. Nothin' without Effie. There was once a time when I knew ya ta stand for somethin', but that ain't now. When's tha last time ya made a riddle for tha bat? Hm? Left a bomb on tha Mayor's doorstep just waitin' for tha Bat ta figure out tha answer?"

Harleen laughed, hands sliding to her hips as she continued her rant.

"You used ta be so great...not as great as my Puddin', cause nobody is that great, but you was up there, yanno? Oneatha good ones...what happened to ya, Eddie? Ya got soft...I dunno what it is..." She sighed, rolling her eyes as she mulled it over.

Edward glared at her.

"Are you done you babbling idiot or do I have to shut you up myself?" Edward inquired harshly.

"Oh yeah. Big man. Wave ya guns at me. Like that scares me. Ya gotta do betta than that if ya wanna get ta me. Or did you forget who I'm with?" Harley inquired, a playful narrowing of her eyes followed her question.

Eddie laughed. "You mean the statue that you follow? The concrete image of a mastermind that has no power to do anything? Not even save you. He might pretend to love you, dear, but we all know he isn't capable of true love. That's why he tries so hard to kill you. Oh, you didn't know?"

Harley's bottom lip quivered but she wouldn't cry. Not here. "You take that back, ya monster! He does love me! Something happened ta him and I don't see you out there tryin' ta fix him." She sniffled and wiped at her streaming eyes with her fingers. "I hate you sometimes, Eddie. You ain't gotta be mean."

"Oh Harley....sweet, naive Harley," Eddie chuckled, "All we have now is each other so you had better start figuring out exactly where your allegiance lies. I would hate it if you ended up on the wrong side, though if by some miracle Jack did come back and asked about you, I would tell him you went quick and that all that was left of you was scattered ashes."

Harley frowned. "Monster."

And she left it at that.

The joy of seeing Tony and getting to spend time with him uninterrupted had not at all gotten old. It was just the need for food and other items for continued existence that had them leaving the safety of the apartment. Annie decided to take some time and try to find Megan, Fred, and everyone else. She also wanted to do a little shopping, maybe find Tony something small. Find herself something a little skimpy to wear while she gave him whatever small thing she found.

That thought made her smile a bit, and she tried to hide it though she was sure nobody was really looking. Annie hadn't exactly had naughty thoughts in that vein about anybody before. Her ex-boyfriend hadn't really inspired them in her. Everything about Tony did, though. It was nice to have somebody in her life that not only enjoyed her abilities, but was impressed by them.

"Jarvis? Does Tony enjoy silly little baubles?" She looked in the window of the store she was in front of. "Nevermind. That's a stupid question. I know what to get him."

He liked intriguing inventions and new tech. Annie wasn't about to get him a stupid little glass frog. Girliness had taken her over for a brief moment. She'd go to her shop and see what she might be able to put together. If she did it in her lab, he might walk in.

So first things first, skimpy outfit. She needed to go back to that boutique, they had been able to help her out. Annie wasn't quite up to par with picking out fashion yet.

"Get off of the ground you idiot," Eddie sighed, rolling his eyes in a dramatic manner at the sniveling patient whom at present was groveling on the floor at Eddie's feet. As much as Edward adored being worshipped it was a much different circumstance when the subject at present knew naught much more than a broken six year old child and was trapped in the body of a very grow up man. "Please don't make me call the Doctor, I doubt you want a visit from him any time soon."

The man whimpered and Eddie huffed, kicking at the man with a green leather shoe lightly. The man emitted a giggle-cry and rolled on to his side without a fight of any sort.

Bored, Edward sighed. "You are worthless. Completely worthless and you're in my way. Go back to your cell," Eddie ordered, pointing up the row of doors to the one standing ajar a bit down the hall from where he stood.

A frown creased Edward's brow, and the giggling, half-sobbing patient peeled himself from the floor and fled in desperation back to his cell appropriate.

"Finally," Eddie breathed. Why had he been out of his cell in the first place? Usually Jonathan had better reign on his patients.

Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, Eddie pressed the speed dial for his lover and held the phone to his ear.

"I'm sorry but the number you have dialed is no longer in service. Please hang up and try your call again." That was not the voice Edward had been expecting. Confused, he pulled the phone from his ear, checked the number and knew it was correct. Again he got the same automated tone in reply.

Weird.

Next, Eddie tried dialing Effie.

Again, the same tone.

"What the fuck? What is going on here?" He wa afraid. Instantly afraid and very upset. The only logical explanation was that the City had pulled one of its tricks and had taken them.

Breathing hard, Edward dialed the last number he knew even though he didn't want to.

"Yeah? Whaddya want, Eddie?" Came the sleepy voice from the other end.

Relief touched him. But only for a moment. He was stuck here. Alone. With Harley. Good God.

"Get in here right now. We have a problem. A serious problem." Then he hung up on her.

Stalking to the front, Eddie threw open Jonathan's office door and it was vacant of any traces of the man in question. As if he had never existed.

That was the last straw. Eddie sank down in the doorway, pressed a shoulder hard against the jamb and put his face into his hands. Wracking, body-shaking sobs consumed him and he knew they wouldn't stop until they were good and ready. His family was gone. His family. Everything he has ever worked for didn't matter anymore to him, he wouldn't see his husband, his baby girl anymore and it broke him. It broke him.

Edward beamed proudly at the sign he held between both of his hands. Long fingers stroked tenderly at the verbage, the sign was complete and it declared his running for mayor. There was little Eddie had to be proud of beyond the small empire he was steadily building on the foundations of Arkham with his family. This...this was an addition to that legacy. This was the flag on top of that mountain that would fly free and full. He was still running unopposed and while that elated him, Eddie felt it was too easy. Nothing that was good in his life had come on an easy path and this was no different. But it still felt god seeing the lettering declaring upward at him.

Effie had assisted him in creating some of the signs so there was glitter in places that it probably shouldn't have been in and he could swear that one of the pockets of his suit was glitter glued shut. How that had come to pass, he wasn't exactly sure. But some where along the way someone had gone a bit overboard with the glitter and the adhesive. No matter. It would wash itself out. Maybe.

The bold, glittered signs littered the table in a pile before him, waiting to be hung.

The one in his hand he liked much more because it was simple and easy.

Nashton for Mayor!

An accomplishment worthy of Edward. He sighed in relief and nodded, setting the sign down on to the top of the stack. He needed a drink and some rest. But the first opportunity in the light of the morning after this one would be the first steps toward Mayordom. He would hang his signs all over the City, everywhere the people went in hopes they would vote for him despite the lack of challenge. If he saw vacant spaces where he knew his signs had been then two more would sprout and populate the empty spaces. He would not rest from his task until the final votes were counted. He deserved this chance, this step in his life. And Effie deserved to be proud of her father for once.

And who didn't love a little bit of power?

"Now, as you all are aware we have no definitive leader of this City and the absence of guidance has been an issue here as of late," Edward stated, standing tall and proud before the series of microphones. He was set up on the steps of the Mayor's office, a building that still sits vacant and waiting for someone to claim it. And why not him? He was as capable as anyone else that might rise up to take the spot, and certainly if anyone else was interested then the position already would have been filled.

"Recently we have had a wave of crime hit this City. It has come and gone, and like the tide it shall come again. What will we do when the streets are full of vigilantes and rogue criminals? Who will we turn to for guidance when nobody is there to assist us? Of course we have heros, those with special powers or abilities but will they stand up and fight against the criminal element here all the time, while trying to maintain the standards of the law? Nobody can be that perfect. No. We need someone in office to guide this City through dark times, allow everyone the chance to have the things they want and offer opportunity for growth and development. I can give you these things." Eddie smiled at all of the flashing cameras, the staring eyes and the hands outstretched with microphones, cellphones and recordin devices.

"I, Edward Nashton am now declaring myself in the running for Mayor. This City deserves someone who has all of your best interests at heart. Who will fight for you when times get rough, who will stand beside you when tragedy strikes and who will uphold the law when times turn violent. You have your heros helping the streets, yes, but I will help the citizens beyond the line where the pavement meets the sidewalk. You need more than men and women in capes and tights to aid you. Vote for me, and you will see a brighter future for this City. That, I can promise you, and Edward Nashton is always a man of his word. Quote me on that."

The cameras and voices erupted into a roar, and Eddie beamed. He shook his hands at the onslaught of questions and shaking of recording devices.

"Mr. Nashton!" One reported piped up, "Weren't you recently in court for a charge of kidnapping and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon?" Eddie nodded and frowned sadly at the woman whom had asked, addressing the crowd, "Yes, Sally. I was. But I was found not-guilty on those charges. How could I be when there was no evidence to prove that I was even there? I do have a link to Arkham, it's where my family lives. We serve our patients there with the utmost care and respect. Arkham is a place of healing. Perhaps if the girl in question had been there to offer her side of the story we would have caught the man responsible."

Sally chirped a reply, "Why did she name you as her attacker? And why did Steve Rogers throw you in jail if the charges were false?"

Eddie smiled, "Great questions, my dear!" He cleared his throat, "Sometimes tragedy had a way of blurring the details. Stress, fear, trauma...all of these things and more can cloud judgement, blur mental images and often the imagination itself runs rampant with details that aren't always exact and correct. It wouldn't suit me to call the girl a liar, something perhaps had happened to her. Whatever it was, I hope she recovers from it quickly and I keep her in my thoughts always. But it had nothing to do with me. The extraction from Arkham and my short encarceration proves that our Hero's are doing their jobs protecting the citizens, but I was falsely accused. As Mr. Murdock stated in court. All of their evidence and testimony was circumstantial at best and none of it proved that I had any ties. Perhaps she had me confused with someone else, I can't quite be sure. I have not had the chance to get close enough to ask her myself."

Sally nodded, and a few other questions came, but Eddie shook his head and held up his hands. "No more questions. Not today. We have campaigning to do. Vote Nashton for Mayor!" He shouted, before turning and leaving the pulpit, a wide grin on his face. He slung an arm around Effie and together they wandered back to Arkham to start work on the signs.

Matt sat back against the hard wood of the chair, swiveling slightly on the mechanism to face his client some. Eddie whispered something in to his ear, a quip of some sort that Matt found distasteful and wrong. But Matt smiled anyway, albeit small and tight-lipped, offering a bit of encouragement to his client.

It seemed the entire courtroom was holding their breath as they waited for the verdict. All of the facts had been given for and against Eddie, the witnesses had been summoned and examined and the scenarios offered.

Matt had made the closing arguments to the jury and then the panel left to deliberate.

Some where behind him, Matt knew Rose sat. Her presence gave him confidence. He would need her support more than ever after the jury deliberated and came to a conclusion.

It took only an hour before the jury was back. The foreman stood, lifting the folded paper at which their decision lay.

Eddie leaned forward in his seat, primed with anticipation. Matt continued to sit settled against his chair.

"We the jury..." the woman breathed. She licked over her lips and her fingers trembled as she held up the paper "...find the defendant Edward Nashton not guilty of kidnapping and aggravated assault."

Matt emitted a breath.

Edward flashed a wicked smile and clapped Matt on the shoulder. The gavel hit the desk and the Judge dismissed the case and everyone in the courtroom.

Feeling like he was floating, Matt found himself standing on the steps of the courthouse. Somewhere in the distance Matt felt a pair of lips on his cheek; he knew the Nashton girl had kissed him. He felt outside of his own body and that brought him back a little.

The lawyer offered the girl a small, patient smile and a nod before he turned to look for Rose.

Edward beamed for a moment, proud, before narrowing his eyes in pain at the smack upside the head he had received from his husband. "Ow!" Eddie grunted, rubbing the side of his skull where Jonathan had hit him. But he was teeming with love and his long arms went around the thin frame of the man he loved.

It was over. Eddie was free and no charges were brought. Matt was far too good at his job, and Edward would make sure to compensate the man accordingly for it.

Family parties were always quite the event when they happened. It was almost expected to be loud, to have someone go to jail or get maimed, for there to be alcohol flowing like water and for a fight to break out. The dramatics were always quite the spectacle to behold and a birthday was as good of an excuse as any to get the antics ready. But t wasn't just any birthday party, it was a belated celebration for Effie and the chance to meet whatever sucker his daughter had picked up for the occassion. His daughter had mentioned something alluding to the fact that she had found someone to keep her occupied and Eddie was curious to see what Effie had dredged up and from where. Anything had to be better than Bruce.

Honestly, Eddie was glad Bruce was out of the picture. He wasn't their type nor had he been good enough for Effie. And it was with that glee that Eddie finished decorating for the party.

The warehouse had been the venue of obvious choice since it was large enough to hold them, and also any of their crazy theatrics. It was also appropriately boobytrapped in case the Police did happen to drop by unexpectedly.

Though the four of the invited guests would not likely make enough noise to warrant a visit from The City's finest. Or the Bat. There was one person that was not attending on account of being locked up and currently unconscious from a good torturing. A certain Clown Princess. Eddie squealed with glee when he thought of Harley down in the basement of Arkham, passed out from the pain, chained to the floor with a broken hand...amongst other things.

He sighed with contentment and hung up the last of the streamers.

"Jonathan, are you ready? Is everything all set?" Working with one hand was a feat in itself but Eddie managed. He climbed down from the ladder he had been standing on, tucked it away behind a door, and made sure the cake was fresh. The warehouse was decorated in a sea of green, gold and purple. The symbols appropriate to their lineage also decorated the walls and floors, the question mark.

"Oh this will be perfect!" There was alcohol to be had, and fun times ahead. Eddie did love a good party.

His little girl was growing up so quickly. So very quickly. And while she needed the age and experience, Edward couldnt help but feel ancient. Effie had been born on April 1st. April Fool's Day. The ultimate jest but also the best gift Eddie had ever received. And though Effie would never truly know who her mother was, the girl had grown into a spitting image of her. Eddie could see that image blossom more and more with each passing year. He hoped she lived a full life, one better than he had lived. She was worth it.

Eddie snuck into the Warehouse to leave a few things for his daughter while she was out. He wanted the gifts to be a surprise, something she would discover when she came back from...well, wherever it was that she went. Being her father, he knew her quite well and he had not ignored her wants when she expressed them to him. He hoped she liked everything he had chosen for her. Including the smallest of the gifts, though this request was a strange one. He had gotten it for her anyway at her request.

The first package was long and flat, tucked into a green box with a bow to match.

Atop that one, sat another smaller, flat box. It, too, was wrapped to match the other.

Edward hadn't bothered to wrap the next one, leaving it only with a large green bow tied around it.

The last gift was the smallest, and it sat on its own next to the pile. The box it was in was green velvet and was wrapped in a bow to match the rest.

When Eddie was done, he left with a giggle and hoped Effie was happy with her birthday surprises. She had earned all of them.

(*Warning! Adult content. Please be advised!***)


Harley patted the flowers that Steve had brought for her, having found a pretty vessel to store them in. It was an old vase, an ugly blue with a crack down one side, but it served a purpose and thus she accepted it. Honestly if you turned the vase just so...well, you couldn't even notice the crack in the paint at all.

On her desk were her playing cards. All of the deck sat intact, and there was a Joker card face up on the top. She had been reminiscing, missing Jack and wishing those flowers had been from him. She sighed, twirling one of the daisies she'd plucked from the vase between her finger and thumb, watching the petals spin.

It had been too long since anyone had gotten her flowers. Jack didn't ever anymore, and Jonathan sure hadn't. So she enjoyed these while she could. Even though they had water, the stems already were beginning to wilt. The roses were sensitive and now they looked comically sad and droopy. It amused her and she hated it at the same time.

"Why can't ya last foreva?" Harley asked the daisy, as if she expected an answer. She spun slowly in her desk chair, barefoot. It was after hours, no patients, so she had discarded her heels and let her toes breathe.

"And how come tha only man that wants to buy me flowas is one of those Hero types? He is kinda cute, yanno what I mean? All big an strong...he ain't to bright though. Ain't too bright at all." She shook her head as if it were some kind of shame. Harley had tried to warn Steve about the Scarecrow. Even if the entity was gone, it always came back sooner or later. And it didn't like to play nice if you pissed it off. Likely Steve could handle it, but that was if Scarecrow played fair. Playing fair wasn't always the case in those circumstances. No. No. It was better for the blonde hero to stay away. She could go to him and in the meantime she would sit here and play with his flowers. Her flowers.

Tim leaned against the wall leading to the cellblocks, his arms crossed over his chest, one foot resting against the wall. He lifted his jacket sleeve, glancing at his rolex before rolling his eyes and turning his attention back to the doorway, waiting for Edward to be released and see just who had paid his bond.

He wasn't an idiot, and he had looked very carefully into this City and it's secrets, discovering the Library with little trouble. He had no doubts that Edward had looked up his...family's identities the moment he could, and thus, knew exactly who was waiting for him. He started tapping he foot absently against the wall, wishing the whole processes would hurry up already so he could return to his case files.

Cleaning up the apartment didn't take as long as Steve had worried it might. Of course, there was plaster to reapply and furniture that needed replacing, but within two hours, the glass and blood had been cleared away, the damaged walls tidied, the bed made up with fresh linens. The door was the final task, and once it was refitted and able to shut again (albeit with some resistance), Steve figured that was the best he would be able to do without a trip out to a hardware store.

He headed back to his apartment, hoping to clean himself up a bit before checking in on Ariel and Bucky.

The discarded basket caught his eye as he reached for the knob to his apartment door. Hadn't the redhead had something like that? He walked to it and picked it up, eyeing the business card within.

His eyes narrowed a bit. What was Harleen's card doing here? And where was Ariel?

A cold sensation nestled itself in between Steve's shoulders. He burst into his apartment, grabbed his shield, and then went to number seven, hoping he would find the pair resting together or talking quietly. He knocked twice and let himself in, the shield at the ready - just in case his instincts were superior to his desires.

"Here Kitty Kitty," Eddie purred, releasing a soft giggle after he spoke.

Selina wrinkled her nose at the tall ginger-haired man. "Gross. Keep walking, Eddie," she replied, shaking her head.

Edward pouted at her, opening his arms as if he planned to embrace her. "How long have we known each other, kitten, and that's how it's going to be?"

"Keep your hands off of the merchandise, Edward . Nothing I have is yours to touch for any circumstance." The irritation in her voice was growing larger by the minute. And with each fragment of emotion she gained, Edward's smile seemed only to grow.

"Come now, kitten. No need to play so rough! I simply need a favor, that's all," Eddie replied as he lowered his arms to his sides.

"And why would I even want to help you? Besides the fact that we know each other outside of this place? Hm?" Selina asked, folding her arms over her chest expectantly.

"Because, sweetie, if you don't do as I ask I won't play nice anymore. I might have to kill you."

Selina laughed finally. "You? Kill me? You've got to be kidding. I'd love to see you try."

Eddie shrugged his shoulders and then offered Selina a smirk as he withdrew one of his revolvers from beneath a flap of his jacket. "Not kidding this time, doll. Either help me or bleed to death, your choice."

Selina blinked. Then she frowned and glared at Eddie. "What do you want then?"

"Oh just for you to find my baby girl and be best friends. That's all."

"You have a daughter?" Selina blinked again. That was....well, it was scary to think there were two Nashtons frolicking about in this city. She was going to have to remember to see what Bruce thought about that.

"Certainly! My pride and joy! Jonathan is here too, you know," Eddie said, proudly.

Selina's eyes widened. Jonathan? Jonathan Crane? She could have run screaming just then but she wasn't one to show her weaknesses.

Swallowing hard, Selina nodded but she didn't make any sudden movements. "Fine. You and Jonathan had better keep your distance though. I'm not very nice when I get all worked up."

Eddie just laughed, nodding. He put away his gun, slipped his hands into his pockets and grinned, "Atta girl! I knew you'd come around. Ta-ta Miss Kitty."

And with that Eddie wandered away merrily, leaving Selina standing there confused and frazzled. She regretted leaving the bed that morning. Really regretted it.

The morning was fresh.

Edward hummed lightly to himself, standing easily in front of the stove at the warehouse. The table behind him was filled to the brim with home made breakfast items, his China tea set and even fresh squeezed juice.

Long fingers curled around the end of the spatula, pancakes sizzling in a seasoned pan.

A newspaper, The City Voice, lay with the crossword face up and half penned in. Forgotten. Breakfast for Effie was more important.

After the last of the pancakes were stacked high on a plate Eddie started on scrambled eggs. He cracked the eggs into the pan, pushing the yolk with the spatulas until it broke.

Coffee was dripping into the pot beneath the machine.

He hoped that Effie would wake up when she smelled the breakfast cooking. He couldn't remember the last time he had made her breakfast.

Eddie wore a green apron over his green dress shirt and slacks to protect them from bacon grease and flour from the pancakes.

--

He had found himself in his above-garage room in Charlie's house, and it had been very clear to him that the situation had been that. His stuff was there, and Charlie's bullet-riddled car had been outside. Which was not the place he'd been. He'd been with Jo. In her little house. There had been a little girl in the next room, sleeping soundly. He'd been content. More than that, he'd been happy.

Ted's heart had sunk to find he was back in California, but he'd gone back to his life the best that he could. There was a Charlie here, of course, just not... Charlie. This Charlie knew nothing about the City or what they'd done. This Charlie didn't have a Jennifer at his side, he was still wrapped up in his ex wife. This Charlie commented occasionally about how Ted didn't seem very Ted-like recently, but Ted just shook it off as flu symptoms.

So when he opened his eyes this time and saw the morning sun streaming through the silly lacy curtains that had been hung in Jo's slightly ridiculous little perfect house, his heart rose.

Of course, it sank again when he found no sign of Jo at all. And no Jo in the contacts of his phone. No little girl with special powers, either. Ted realized that the City had brought him back, but it had taken everything from him that he had loved. He was where he wanted to be, but not who he wanted to be with.

He knew that he couldn't stay in the little house forever. It would be too painful. But he would stay for a while at least, until he found somewhere else. Which... well, he wasn't going to do that right away, he didn't think. For now, well. Ted was going to check up on things around town.

Coffee first, he thought. Yes. Ted went looking for his favorite shop, finding it almost immediately. His face did not show that pleasure, though. It showed only his loss.

Click.

Edward sighed as he lifted one of his golden revolvers up to level, an eye aiming carefully down the sight. It was a task that came second nature, he had been firing weapons for as long as he could remember. Even before Effie had been born.

"Hold still..." Eddie grumbled.

A stifled giggle came from the other end of the gun. There, stood a tall, stocky man with pale skin cracked from age and worn from the trials of life. His lips were pulled tightly into his own mouth, teeth pressed hard into the skin. The man tasted blood, the sweet, coppery tang of essence as he tried desperately to bite back another giggle.

"Damned patients..." Eddie breathed.

Atop the man's head was a beer stein made of glass, a green question mark painted on the front in bright green.

A flex of the man's fingers and he shivered, causing the glass to teeter from side to side with the motion.

"I said...hold....still..." Eddie barked.

The sharpness, like a poke in the back, caused the man in the jumpsuit finally to giggle out loudly.

Then the air fell silent mid laugh as the crack came from the revolver. The sound of shattering glass resonated through the grounds and a loud smacking thud followed.

Eddie lowered his gun, looked down at the mess and shrugged. "I told you to hold still, stupid."

Then Eddie grinned and looked around, "Who wants to play next?"

Nobody paid any attention to the large black bird that soared overhead. It wasn't an uncommon sight, nobody thought it odd or out of place. Just a normal bird.

Even if this place was far from normal.

"Garbage..." Edward breathed, shifting some against the cushioned back of the chair he was sitting in.

For what it was worth, Edward was settled as if he had been there for a good while. His body was slouched just so, allowing his shoulders and the back of his head and neck to press tirelessly into the cushion of the office chair. And his long legs were tilted upward, crossed at the ankle as the heels of his shiny green dress shoes propped themselves like a display on the desk.

Not far from his heel sat a silver tray, upon which sat a China tea pot with a blue willow design, and a couple of matching cups stacked in a tower of disarray. His own cup rested empty next to the tray near the end of the desk, simply forgotten.

Held in a green gloved hand was the latest edition of the City newspaper, and he turned the pages with the barrel of his golden revolver when he found nothing good on the page previous.

"More garbage...." Eddie mumbled.

His attire was as it always was, green. His slacks were nearly ironed and the creases down the leg proved it. These were held up by a pair of green suspenders, which crawled over the shoulders of his skinny frame, holding the green long-sleeved shirt in place. Said sleeves were rolled casually to the elbows, as if they were in the way. His jacket was thrown haphazardly over the back of the chair and propped on his cane near the desk was his signature bowler hat.

"....garbage..." He breathed, flipping the newspaper to the next page.

And then a wide grin. "Oh, the crossword!"

That was his absolute favorite.

Eddie set down his gun, listening to the clatter it made on the already too-crowded desktop, and he fumbled through Jonathan's things for an ink pen. A green one.

(Last post from us for a good while. I swears!)


( Regretful consequences... )

Effie was visibly enraged by the time her father appeared, her face almost as ready as her hair and she kept glaring at people like she wanted to paint the Tower with their intestines. She stalked over to the car, climbing in and huffing. "I need you to take me to Logan's," she stated, not looking at her father.

She instead stared out the window, tears still rolling silently down her cheek, even despite her pain. She was so...broken inside that she could barely breathed.

How could Bruce hurt her like this?! They were supposed to have a nice night and he...he...

She burst into tears, clinging her her knees, sobbing against the flesh, her tiny body trembling with her pain.