Enigma ~The Riddler's Daughter (i_riddle) wrote in we_coexist, @ 2012-12-27 07:33:00 |
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Entry tags: | bruce banner, edward nigma, enigma |
Aftermath of a Joke (Enigma/Edward, Enigma/Bruce Log)
Enigma lay in the large bed she and Bruce usually shared, pale and weak, almost drowning in the pillows and blankets. She had sent Marcus for her father almost as soon as she returned to the land of the conscious, desperate to see him.
She shifted, biting back a scream of pain as the sheets brushed over the thousands of cuts across her body, a tear sliding down her cheek. She beat her pillow into a new shape, before resting back against it, wishing Bruce would come back. She needed someone to hold onto, someone to wrap their arms around her and tell her it was going to be alright...she needed a fucking sip of water and the glass was too far away.
--
Edward had been pent up in Arkham, basically going mad with his slow recovery, needing to get out into the world and break into something or cause some kind of mayhem. It wasn’t fair that Jonathan got to go have fun in the real world and he was stuck there resting from being shot. Fucking shot. He still couldn’t believe that Banner had shot him. He had thought about just leaving to go outside when one of Enigma’s men, Marcus, rushed into the room he was staying in, surprised that man had gotten far enough into Arkham to find him, though glad he had. What Marcus told him, however, caused Eddie’s eyes to narrow with hate and disgust.
“Mr. Nigma, Enigma needs you sir, she might be dying.” Eddie’s hate stemmed from the fact that he loathed his daughter, in the deepest part of his heart he hated her very existence, and the disgust was there because he hadn’t been the one to put her in that very situation. He would find the person that had, however, and deal with them accordingly.
“What happened to her, exactly?” Eddie asked Marcus, willing to assess the situation, and to see how dire she was before he attempted to get out of the bed that Jonathan had forbidden him to move from. Of course, Marcus explained that she was bleeding and had been unconscious for most of the time she’d been back at Stark Tower, and of course a thought came to Eddie. How was he even supposed to get into that place? It was like Fort Knox, and he knew that the scientist would be lurking around there.
At least he could see the look on Banner’s face at the brutality of his twit of a girlfriend. That would teach her to go playing around with fire, when she knew she was liable to get burned. The look on Marcus’s face suggested urgency for his boss, but Eddie, being the way he was, moved slowly, utilizing a pair of crutches to get up, as demeaning as he found them to be. He hated being incapable of moving. He sighed, lucky to be fully dressed already, willing to go with Marcus. This seemed serious, and at the very least he could watch Enigma die. That would make his day. Of course, when she was dead, he would have to avenge her and he was okay with that, it was suitable.
He allowed Marcus to lead him out of the Asylum, hoping Spooky wouldn’t miss him too much, telling the lady at reception to let Jonathan know that he had gone to Stark Tower, and to look for him there if he needed him so desperately. Little did he know just then how much Spooky already knew about the circumstances.
Eddie walked out to the car with Marcus, sliding into the large black vehicle with assistance, settling into the seat. He set his crutches into the floorboard behind the seat that was empty next to him, didn’t bother to buckle himself in, and sighed when he felt the car pull from the curb. At least he was outside.
--
“Daddy,” Enigma called weakly as the man entered the room, smiling up at him. She went to reach out to him, before stopping short, drawing back into herself, remembering he didn’t like her touching him. “Thank you for coming,” she said softly, curious as to why he was limping.
--
When the car approached the curb in front of the Tower, Eddie grumbled, and Marcus got out to run around the car to open the door for the man. Eddie grabbed his crutches, and got out of the car eventually, refusing to let Marcus help him. Enigma could wait a little longer. Finally, when Eddie was out and on his feet, he hobbled alongside Marcus, who let him into the tower, both of the men moving into the lobby. Eddie took a moment to look around, impressed by the surroundings, making a mental note to remember to break into this place one day and peruse the findings.
With the distractions out of the way, Marcus lead Eddie to the elevator, and Marcus asked Jarvis to take them up to the Green floor, the one that Enigma and Bruce were staying on, Eddie only listening to the AI speaking to them. That was certainly impressive. Daddy was starting to like this place more and more. When the elevator came to a halt, Marcus moved out of the elevator first, holding the door for Eddie, who hobbled in on crutches, looking around at the floor, seeing the tree and whatever else was in the room, before glancing over at the bed. He moved forwards, across the room to where his daughter lay, looking her over once he’d reached the bedside and paused.
“What the fuck happened to you?” He asked, making a face at her condition, looking down at her. She was right, he hated it when she touched him, but that hadn’t ever stopped her from hugging him and stuff before. “You’re welcome?” He replied to her statement thanking him for being here, not really sure why he was here. He knew she was messed up, but not really why, and until he knew he couldn’t rate the situation to his scale of importance accordingly.
He did hate his daughter, but she was his only child and part of him did love her wether he admitted it or not. He would fight for her, considering he should’ve been the one to mess her up this bad and not someone else. However, they would get there when the time was right. For now, he was going to let her have a chance to explain what happened.
--
Enigma sniffed, resting one of her heavily bandaged and stitched hands on the bedspread, staring down at it. “Jonathan and Joker decided I needed to be...reminded that good wasn’t the right path,” she said softly, not looking at her father.
She wasn’t ashamed to rat out the mad scientists’, after all, the more they hurt, the happier she was after what she endured, but she didn’t want to see the look in her father’s eye that told her she was an idiot for getting caught. She hadn’t been thinking that anyone would attack her as she went about her daily life...and yet she had a bodyguard for just that reason.
“He thinks I’ve ‘betrayed’ them, by living here with Bruce and working at the opera.”
--
Edward listened to her story, after settling himself down on the side of her massive bed, his leg aching from the shooting. His eyes widened when she mentioned Jonathan and Joker in the same sentence, which was never a good combination. Instantly, Eddie began to feel betrayed, by both Joker (who he hated anyway) AND Jonathan (whom he loved more than anything). “What do you mean, Jonathan and Joker?” Edward asked, staying calm for the moment, allowing his daughter to explain. The fact that Jonathan had a part in this brutal attack hurt Eddie’s heart, he knew they hated each other but she was like a daughter to him, and he hadn’t even mentioned it to Eddie. This was the first he’d heard of such a thing, and he knew his daughter had a tendency to stray now and then, Eddie hated Bruce too, but she still was doing the things she did, killing people and burglarizing places.
If Jonathan had done this to her, which Eddie doubted, there was going to be hell to pay for both of them, Spooky and Joker, if it was only the Joker, Eddie would deal with him in good time. He was done playing games, this was his blood and his alone to take and do with what he wanted. There would be blood.
--
“He and Joker are working together, according to Jack, Crane asked Joker to...guide me back to the ‘right’ side,” she said, giving a weak and painful shrug. “They’re the best of friends right now, working on some giant plan to destroy the City...or something. I wasn’t allowed to play with them.” She was pouting at that, toying with the top of her comforter. She hated being dismissed and overlooked because she was young and not ‘cool’ enough.
--
Eddie listened, his eyes narrowing more with each word she spoke, unable to believe that Jonathan had sicced one of his worst enemies on his own daughter. Eddie knew that Jonathan worked with the Joker, but he never thought it would spill over into their relationship, and why hadn’t Jonathan mentioned anything about a master plan to Eddie? That was right up his alley! He loved master plans. Oh this was not going to fare well for Jonathan, but Eddie had a feeling that the other man wouldn’t care either way, which Eddie couldn’t stand.
He lifted one of the crutches, and pulled his arm back, throwing the device across the room in a rage, before moving to stand up slowly using the other one. “Someone is about to start giving me answers to my questions, or there is going to be a bloodbath in Arkham.” Eddie said with a growl, hobbling across the room as best he could get his other crutch.
“Enigma, I’ll deal with Jonathan, you stay here and get better. Have your doctor keep an eye on you and patch you up. Whatever you need. Daddy has business to attend to, starting with Spooky, and ending with the death of a clown.” He said, furious that both of them had seemed to plot against his daughter without him even being aware of it. Jonathan had some nerve doing something like that without his consent.
“I’ll be back later to check on you.” He said, picking up his crutch, settling it beneath his shoulder.
--
Enigma smiled softly at Edward’s anger, knowing her revenge was going to be had. She bit her lip as he mentioned ‘her doctor’, toying with her engagement ring. “Daddy...I...we’re getting married,” she said softly, not looking at him. “I know you don’t like him...and I know he doesn’t like you...but...please be there?” she asked softly, finally looking up at him. “Please, daddy...I...need you there.”
She knew he wouldn’t like this, in fact, he would hate it...and her, but he deserved to know, and she was speaking the truth. She needed her father there for her, even if for one hour, playing her father...a true father who cared about her even in the slightest, no matter how much he had to fake it.
“You can go back to hating him with all of your little black heart after.”
--
He looked over his shoulder at her, eyes wide at the thing she had said about getting married to Bruce, before turning around to face her. “I hate him. He fucking shot me, Enigma. Do you still want to marry him now?” He growled, hating the idea that his daughter was marrying that stupid doctor who thought he was better than everyone else. “Bruce came to the warehouse looking for you, and we got into a gun fight. I’m limping because he shot me in the leg and I lost a lot of blood. I’ve been hiding in Arkham for the last few days, recovering, per Jonathan, but I’m about to relocate myself after I’m done here.” He said, unwilling to follow Jonathan’s rules now that this was on the table.
He couldn’t answer her wether he could be there or not, because right now things were still up in the air. He hated Bruce with everything in him, but if that made Enigma happy he couldn’t complain, and the scientist kept her occupied and out of his way. However, things were about to change in his own life, and he was going to need Enigma more as of a few hours from that moment. He would be on his own. He was mad enough to be willing to sever his ties with Jonathan for good for even having the faintest idea that this was okay to do without his consent.
Oh he was pissed.
--
Enigma blinked, staring at him. “He...shot...you?” she questioned, shocked that Bruce would do such a thing to her father, knowing how much the man meant to her. But under her shock and distress, she felt a touch of pride and love. Bruce...shot her father. He stood up for himself and took on The Riddler. She was intensely proud of her fiance, almost wishing she could see the tapes of it, almost a porn movie before she praised every inch of him for being a decent man.
She would not show that to her father, however, and buried it down, worrying at her lip. “Daddy, I didn’t know,” she whispered. “I...he never said anything. I don’t know why he would do that, he knows it would destroy me to lose you, I can’t imagine why he thought that was something smart.”
She lowered her gaze. “I don’t know what to do...”
--
This should’ve been an obvious choice, picking her daddy over her stupid scientist fiancee, but that wasn’t the answer she really gave him, which just added to his level of irritation with her. He would’ve been proud if someone had shot Enigma, if he had known about it beforehand, but that was neither here nor there. “Why would he tell you? What would be the point in that?” Eddie snapped, obviously throwing a fit. He was so upset right now about so many things, he didn’t want to hear anything else she had to say. He had things to deal with.
“Why don’t you ask him why he did it, and let him tell you all about it next time you see him.” He growled, turning away from her. “I’m leaving. I have things to do....people to find and kill.” He grumbled, hobbling towards the elevator, motioning to Marcus that he was ready to leave. “Back to Arkham.” He breathed, stepping into the elevator.
Of course, upon Eddie slipping into the elevator with Marcus, after the door slid closed, Bruce pushed through the door of the stairwell, coming to check on Enigma. He didn’t have the heart to go find the Joker just then, he was going to wait until Enigma was feeling better to worry about that. She was his main concern, he couldn’t stand seeing her that way.
--
Enigma was sitting where her father left her, the only change a sad look on her face, and her engagement ring sitting prominently on Bruce’s nightstand. She had her eyes closed, trying to rest a bit, weak still from all the blood loss. Bruce had replaced what he could, but it still made her tired so easily.
She heard footsteps and opened her eyes, struggling to sit up. “Bruce?” she called weakly, coughing violently, still thirsty and suffering the cold she had gotten off Marcus.
--
Bruce nodded at her, “I’m here.” He breathed, moving over to the bed, before offering her a small cup of water for her throat, sitting down next to her on the bed. Of course, that was when he noticed she wasn’t wearing the ring he’d given her, which was odd to him because he knew she loved it so much. He reached out and took her hand, looking down at her fingers, before looking up at her with a small frown, “Why’d you take the ring off?” He inquired softly, wondering what was wrong. He wondered if it had something to do with her father, and of course Bruce knew that Eddie hated him, but why did Edward continue to try to keep hurting them. Hadn’t he done enough?
He didn’t want Enigma moving around too much, “Just relax. You’ll start feeling better soon.” He said to her, releasing her hand, checking her vitals, and then the fluids he had her hooked up to that were keeping her alive and her body stable.
--
She accepted the water gratefully, sipping up most of it through her straw before laying back, her strength gone. When he mentioned the ring she looked down, toying with her hands. “I spoke with my father,” she said softly, not looking at him. “He came here on crutches. He told me an...interesting story,” She had paused, running her tongue over her teeth, looking up at him at the last two words. “Of you shooting him.
Her eyes pleaded with him, to tell her it hadn’t happened, that her father was making it all u[p. As proud as she was of him...it hurt to know Bruce didn’t care enough, respect her enough not to hurt the man she loved as her father.
--
Bruce had an idea that the gun fight of sorts was what she was talking about, and it was confirmed when she mentioned crutches. He sighed, and nodded at her, “I’m not going to lie to you, Enigma, but whatever version your father is telling you is probably an exaggeration. I have the tapes if you want to watch them.” He said, and he did, he had gone back later and taken them so Eddie couldn’t use them against him or erase the footage.
“It was an accident. He was threatening me, telling me how much he hated you, and he pulled a gun on me. I was lucky enough to find that he had left one of his guns laying around on my table so I picked it up with no intent to shoot him, just trying to get him to back down.” He explained, looking her in the eye, serious as he spoke, “He was taunting me, and I got nervous and did shoot the gun, but I have never shot a gun before and the barrel dipped, causing the bullet to hit the floor. That was when I heard your father shout because apparently the bullet had hit the floor and projected its way into his leg. I tried to help him, but he pushed me away, so I called Marcus to come get him and take him to see Dr. Crane.” Bruce explained, hoping she believed him.
He did have it on tape, however, so she could see for herself if she wanted to that he was telling the truth.
--
“But baby, why did you get into a fight in the first place?” she asked, sniffling. “He’s my father, and I know you both hate each other...but he means a great deal to me and you know that! How can...how can I marry you if you’re going to fight with him?!”
She started to cry fully, everything getting to her, Joker and Crane and her father and Bruce...she just wanted to be happy and everything kept trying to take that from her!
She clung to him as she cried, her small, frail body curled around him, trembling.
--
“I didn’t go there to fight him, or with the intent to hurt him, Enigma. He started it. I went there to see if you were there, to ask you to come home and talk to me.” He explained, holding her close. He hated seeing her so upset but he didn’t blame her, though it did hurt that she was unsure of her devotion to him because of the fight with her father. “It just seems like he likes starting fights. Why would I go looking to fight him? I hate fighting, remember? I hate confrontation.”
It just didn’t make sense for Bruce to go looking for a battle with her dad for no reason, and he was defending her honor against her father when the fight was going on. Edward had said so many bad things about Enigma, that had been the point in that fight that Bruce knew something had to be done, but it just so happened in his favor that it worked out the way it had. If he had been pushed hard enough, there wouldn’t be a warehouse still standing for Eddie to crawl back to once he was finished with his business.
“You have to understand that Edward didn’t give me much of a choice. I was sort of like a dog back into a corner, and I didn’t see any other way out of that mess. He wanted me to shoot him, he dared me to do it.” He explained softly, “Is he always like that?”
--
“Yes,” she said, sniffling, shifting to lay her head in his lap, toying with the thigh of his pant leg. “I just...I wish you both wouldn’t fight so much,” she said softly. “I love you both so much and to think I could lose one of you...it’s terrifying, Bruce. I thought I would die and lose you with Joker and now you two are fighting and shooting at each other and I’m fucking scared that one day I’m going to realize you’re both dead.”
She shifted, painfully, to look up at him. “Please baby, don’t die on me,” she begged, looking at him with tear stained eyes.
--
“I never wanted to fight with your dad, Enigma. Ever. He started it and as long as he can keep himself from trying to fight me, I won’t have a reason to fight back.” He explained, “I’m not going to let him threaten you, me or anyone else without saying something on your behalf. I never wanted to shoot him, but it was him or me, and if he shot me, the Hulk would’ve ripped him apart. I did him a favor by accidently shooting him. Otherwise he wouldn’t be alive right now.” He explained, and it was hard to say that but it was the truth. Eddie had no idea what he had started when the fight began, and Bruce had to end it in the most peaceful way he could, by choosing the lesser of the two evils.
“I can’t die, remember? I wouldn’t anyway. I don’t imagine putting myself in another situation like that any time soon, and it won’t be me that ends up killing your father. He’s on the path to either doing that himself or having someone get irritated enough with him to do it for him.” He said, partially joking, but mostly serious. “If he means that much to you, that’s fine, I’ll be peaceful with him, but I can’t say the same for him.” He just wanted Enigma to be happy, and he was willing to do what it took to see that she was. Even settling his differences with her father.
“I worry about losing you, more than you could ever know.”
--
She sniffled, hugging him tightly, burying her face in his stomach as she clung to him with all of her weakened strength. “You won’t lose me,” she said, a blatant lie considering how close he had just came...how close she still was.
It was yet another reason she wished she could ask Damon to turn her, so she didn’t have to endure something like this again, but she didn’t dare broach the subject with either Damon or Bruce, too afraid of their reactions.
She just wanted to be safe...
Holding up her left hand, she pouted cutely up at him. “Put my ring back on?” she asked softly.
--
He had almost lost her, and it was still going to be a difficult road for her to recover from what the Joker had done to her, but Bruce was willing to be there for her every step of the way until she was back to her old self. He wouldn’t let her die, and he sure wasn’t going to let her suffer on her own.
When it came to her being a vampire, if that issue ever arose, Bruce would be completely against it, no matter the risks or consequences of living a normal life. He wasn’t sure how he would feel about his new wife being a creature of the night, it wasn’t something he would find appealing, however discussion about it would come at the appropriate time.
When she held up her hand, Bruce smiled at her, and reached over to get her ring off of his nightstand, sliding it back onto her finger where it belonged, glad she was willing to wear it again.
--
She held him tightly, resting her head back against his thigh, her strength exhausted already and her eyes drifting shut. She was clinging to him in a way that he couldn’t leave without waking her, using him as both a pillow and a teddy bear. She loved this strange, silly, brilliant man more then anything and she was never going to let him go.