Abundans Cautela Non Nocet (Nina)

[Deleted]

There was one light illuminating from the floor lamp next to the couch. A thin man in green sat underneath it similar to how a narrator of a scary story would sit. The sky was too cloudy to let any of the stars shine through so all there was total darkness except for that single light and the few street lamps from the city.

Edward leaned over to the coffee table again, picking up a puzzle book. He looked at it for a moment about to grab a pen, only to shake his head in irritation and put it back down. This occurred several times until he leaned back into the couch. His hand moved to the armrest, and his finger tapped a fast paced rhythm against the cloth. He tried to calm his nerves, but he was so infuriated. Did she think he wouldn’t find out? He was the Riddler. He knew everything, and when he got home and she wasn’t here, he assumed the worst: kidnap or murder. Robby knew better then to travel with her at night. Nina knew better!

He had called right away only to get a stumbling mumbling fool on the other end. Robby wasn’t lying to him, but he definitely was avoiding the truth. Edward had gotten so frustrated he hung up on the boy and used his equipment just to track the cell phone.

South Gotham, right outside her apartment building…

She truly was trying to ruin his life. You never go back to the scene of the crime, especially when the crime was your murder! The GCPD was probably still investigating….or worst, Luthor was still tracking it. Why not just shout his weakness for the world to see?

He bit down on the lollipop he had been licking and heard a sickening crack. The thought lead him to their previous conversation. He hadn’t spoken to her since, mostly because he was busy, but also because he was trying to come to his own conclusions. Conclusions that seemed to only solidify with the current situation.

He needed to cut Nina from his life like any other solved riddle.

He heard the sound to the lock on his door. His head, however, didn’t move. He kept it facing the piano as his fingers continued to tap against the couch. When he heard the door open, he spoke coldly, “Robby leave.”

Yes, he was mad that the boy had stupidly allowed such an incident, but he knew how intelligent Nina was. If she wanted to go to her apartment there was no possible way the boy could have stopped her. Of course that didn’t mean the boy was in the clear, the Riddler planned to deal with him later…most likely later that very night.

Priorities though. He would first handle Nina.

[Nina Stenet]

Based on the time it takes for her to walk from the door and into the main room, Nina is obviously not looking forward to talking about this evening's activities. Not that she'd thought that Edward wouldn't find out. Quite the contrary: she'd planned on telling him about it herself. But instead, she'd been 'caught' as if she'd been doing something wrong, and all because she hadn't anticipated running into Batman. That threw off the timetable just a little bit: if it hadn't been for the extra time it'd taken to talk to him, she'd have been there when Edward had called at the very least. So now Edward's found out about it in the worst possible way, the last time she spoke to him hadn't ended well either, and on top of that she's going to have to tell him that Batman was in her apartment. Oh joy.

But when she hears the anger in Edward's voice when he tells Robby to leave, she frowns. He's already worked himself up to that level of anger already? Really? What horrible crime does he think that she's committed to merit that? While she's sure that Edward would find out that Batman had been there sooner or later if she didn't intend to tell him so now, which is something she could actually understand him being angry about, she's sure he couldn't possibly know yet. Which means that he must be this angry purely because she'd gone to her apartment - something that she is sure that he could have found out. And does that merit rage? Absolutely not!

But apparently there's some disagreement on that point. And Nina stops the moment she enters the room, leaning against the wall as she studies Edward and tries to figure out just why he's so angry. And, more importantly, how to fix it. Not that standing there and letting Edward have a good look at her 'disguise' isn't a start - how could anyone mistake her for the murdered microbiologist? Especially if she was actually wearing the large sunglasses that she's currently using as a headband?

"I wouldn't have gone there if it hadn't been important," she finally says when she fails to come up with anything better, "And I would have told you when we got back - I'm sorry that you had to find out about it that way." There's the slightest hint of guilt around her as she says this, and it makes her very quiet. She does not feel that she did anything wrong, exactly, but Edward is very upset and it's her fault. And even though she feels that his upset is out of proportion to the situation, it still pains her a bit to know that she caused it. "But you should already know that," she adds in a mutter that can be easily heard in the quiet apartment. Not that she feels that the apology is unnecessary, because it certainly is, but for Edward to be this angry he must not understand her intentions.

She goes silent for another half of a moment, but a little nagging voice reminds her that she also has to tell him about Batman and the more quickly she confesses to that detail the better. "But before you start telling me how stupid I am, there's something you should know..." she adds with some hesitation before forcing herself to add in a rush, "Batman was in my apartment when I got there - but I know he didn't follow us back." And at the very least she can say that last part with complete confidence.

[Deleted]

Edward continued to stare, or better put glare, at the piano. He heard light footsteps heading into the living room. They moved slowly. Either she realized how wrong she was or she recognized how furious he was. His fingers finally stopped tapping on the armrest when he heard her footsteps stop. He didn’t turn to look at her. He didn’t want to look at her because if he did that small part of him would protest against what needed to happen. Instead, he tried to find the words to describe his frustration.

If he was honest with himself the amount of anger he felt did not match her little night trip to her apartment, yet he didn’t feel like he was over reacting. He had all right to be angry with her. It wasn’t just about the apartment. It was about how Nina had completely changed his life, about her hypocritical nature, her judging looks, her ability to make him feel horrible, her inability to keep safe, and the weakness she had created. Every flaw that Edward had been mulling over that he managed to cage within his thoughts had finally boiled to this point. The apartment only pushed the pot off the stove causing all the burning water to spill everywhere. Before he could begin to point out how ridiculously stupid her actions were, she started speaking.

He scoffed at her first comment, folding his arms over his chest. Important? It couldn’t be more important then avoiding Luthor’s prying eyes. No, definitely not. After his affair with Luthor and almost getting accused as a terrorist, he couldn’t see anything being that important. Did she even understand that? Of course not because when had she ever taken the time to determine the length he went to fix the mistake she had caused for him. He didn’t comment though. He listened to the rest of her words.

He still didn’t look at her. Was he acting like a toddler mad at his mother? A little bit.

He did appreciate the slight guilt he heard in her tone. The apology also would have been taken into consideration if she had actually apologized for what he was mad about. She danced around the appropriate apology by commenting on the way she was caught. “You should have told me before you went not after because unlike you I would have actually used my brain and told you no,” he remarked offhandedly, biting down on his lollipop even harder.

The silence for a moment felt uncomfortable, almost like the calm before the storm.

But before you start telling how stupid I am, there’s something you should know…Batman was in my apartment when I got there-but I know he didn’t follow us back.

…..

His eyes widened in horror as the thought settled deeper in his mind. For the first time since she walked in, he turned his head to face her. Distracted for only a moment by the causal appearance…wait is she wearing green? Focus. He grabbed his cane and pushed himself off the couch.

She ran into Batman, and she seriously believed he wouldn’t follow them. The only way Batman wouldn’t follow them would be if she had incapacitated him…doubtful. He walked over to her and grabbed her shoulders. His eyes traveled over her clothes in search of that pesky bat tracking device he had found on his own clothes a few times. He twisted her to look at her back. He used his hand to rub against the leather in case his sense of touch found it before his sense of sight. He moved his hand up to her neck as he used his other hand, which was gripping a bit too hard into her arm with his cane, to twist her back to face him. His hand dipped into her jacket lifting it away from her shirt. Yes, he was standing very close to her. Yes, to an outsider it would look like he was about to strip her clothes in foreplay, but this was a serious manner. He would not have the Batman busting into his home or recording conversations. It was cheating. A small part of him hoped, he wouldn’t find anything though. If he found something it would raise another riddle. Did Batman plant that on her with her knowledge…or did she know? He hoped he wouldn’t have to face that riddle as well as all the other issues. He pushed the thought to the side as his hand traveled down her waist over her stomach and then back up her side. He used his arm to lift the jacket up to see if he was missing something. When he didn’t find anything, his face scrunched together in a confused look. Had she really managed to get away from him without being tracked?

No. Batman was no fool.

Unless…

His eyes narrowed, not wanting to think such a horrible thought, but that’s where the signs were pointing.

Why would Batman need to track her…if she just told him the locations?

His grip tightened into her arm with the cane. It probably hurt her, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He wanted to threaten her. He wanted to handle this particular situation the way he would handle all of his others. A riddle and a bullet. He couldn’t. He couldn’t find the words to tackle this problem…because if he did start digging for the truth...

It would lead to the same answer.

Betrayal.

His grip tightened even more as he closed his eyes and took a breath.

Could she?

All the moments her face furrowed together in that disappointed look traveled replayed in his mind. Nina hated what he did. Why wouldn't she try to stop him? Maybe, this had all been a ploy.

What do you expect, Nigma? You don't have friends for a reason, he thought with an inward sigh.

He finally let go of her arm and walked away. “Nina, get your stuff and leave,” he said quietly, controlling his temper. He would solve this whole conundrum now. He couldn’t hurt her, but he could at least get her out of his life. Then he would grab Allen and Robby and they’d go to his back up hide out for the night. He could fix this. He could. Nina just had to leave.

[Nina Stenet]

Nina doesn't comment on his first statement. As the saying goes, it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission and she knew that Edward would have said no. He doesn't appreciate her research, after all, so he wouldn't see any reason to risk anything for it. Then again, her reasons for going to her apartment are now water under the bridge at this point. What happened, happened and she can only move forward.

She watches him react to her final statement passively, but on the inside she's full of trepidation. She hasn't the slightest idea how he'll react to that information, let alone what he'll do about it. Though when he walks over and starts inspecting her clothes she allows it without complaint. If he feels the need to give her a thorough look-over to ease his mind, then she'll certainly allow that. She doesn't even complain about the tightness of his grip.

If the situation wasn't so serious she might have laughed at his confused look - had he really expected to find something? However, the look that follows the confusion causes her to frown, especially when his grip tightens. It hurts and a grimace is added to her frown, but she makes no further complaint than that and it's largely involuntary anyway. And her attention is actually more focused on trying to read his expressions - whatever is going on in his head, it's taken a turn for the worse.

But then it hits her: he's assuming the absolute worst. How could he possibly think that she'd betray him? The thought stings a bit, but then again she reminds herself that Edward is still trying to figure this out. Or, rather, he's figured it out but has come up with the wrong answer based on what he says next.

Leave... He asked her to leave... What that means is simply too awful for her to think about. So she doesn't - instead she focuses her attention on why he would say such a thing. And that makes her angry. "You're just going to assume... What exactly do you think that I've done?" she says levelly, just a hint of her anger leaking out though she's keeping herself under control, "I refused to help him with you, Edward. I couldn't. And if you really want me to leave, I deserve a chance to talk to you first." Goodness knows she's earned that much, if only in her mind.

[Deleted]

Her words hit his back like bricks. He heard the anger behind them and it only made him mad. He paused in his walking and tightened his hand on his cane to prevent him from doing something he would regret. Was she really going to stand there and act like he was wrong? Did she always have to play the innocent victim? Nina never did anything wrong! She was always right! She had morals no one could tare down! He scoffed at the thought.

“I’m giving you a chance to walk away with your life, something no other person would ever get in this situation, and you are just going to spit in my face?” he stated in an even tone that only proved how angry he had become. He was beyond the point of yelling. “Don’t take me for a fool, Nina. I know Batman like the very glove on my hand,” he said finally turning around shooting her a cold glare. Batman would never walk away from a lead like Nina. He never would. If he were Batman, he would never let such an opportunity just walk out the door.

“Now. Please. Leave,” he emphasized each word. “I’m sure you want to get back to your life as much as I do,” he commented. He tried to remember the time before he walked into that museum. Life had been simple and full of no mistakes. He never questioned himself. He never felt guilt. He created riddles and watched as Gotham struggled to solve them. He cleaned the streets of the unintelligent. He did everyone a service, and he liked what he did. He enjoyed it. He wanted it back.

So what if Nina was beautiful and smart and witty, it wasn’t worth this. It wasn’t worth bringing someone into his life only for them to tear it down. He would not let someone else have control over his life. Never again, he had promised himself before he put on the green suit, Never again.

[Nina Stenet]

While Edward tries and fails to literally turn his back on her, Nina remains in place. The anger welling up inside of her is expressed on the surface only as an unhappy frown, her arms folded in front of her, and that edge to her tone. And though a good portion of her wants to express the amount of anger she actually feels, a larger portion of her knows that would be a terrible idea.

"You know Batman, and you know me. How could he possibly get anything from me if I refused to help him?" she asks, which ought to be a real puzzle if Edward is thinking at all clearly. Batman has limits on what he's willing to do to people, especially to a woman who doesn't fight or get in his way. Nina's only real crime is that she's unwilling to help him against the man that she loves, something that she thinks that Batman understands to a certain degree.

But even beyond that, Edward knows exactly how strong-willed Nina is - he's tried breaking through that wall himself. In fact, he's bumping into that right now as Nina meets his gaze and states, "He tried, and he failed. Do you have any idea how hard that was for me?" That question that Batman had asked... Did he have to ask her that question? "Is it spitting in your face for me to not be willing to let you simply assume that I didn't after I did that for you? Or to ask for such a simple thing as a conversation?" she has to ask as she valiantly keeps her anger to a manageable level.

"And no, I don't want to 'get back to my life'. I can't. My life is different after meeting you - how could it not be? I love you," she adds, and there's something about the way that she's able to say those last three words while she's obviously working so hard to keep her temper in check that make them seem that much more sincere - she can't even forget that fact when she's angry.

[Deleted]

Edward couldn’t understand why Nina had to make every possible interaction more difficult then it had to be. He was letting her leave, and she wouldn’t. She was dragging out something that would have the same outcome no matter her words, and she was making him even angrier as it continued. If Edward had high blood pressure, he would sue her for health risk.

His eyes only narrowed as she argued against his point. Did she not realize she was only proving it? He knew that statement was true. When Nina didn’t want to do something or she saw it as wrong, not even an avalanche could push her in a different direction. But the key phrase in her entire question was ‘if I refused.’

If.

He highly doubted she refused. She thought what he did was horrible and wrong, why would she ever allow him to continue with it if she had a way to stop him? Helping Batman with a few pieces of information allowed her to not feel guilty and still prevent him from succeeding. She was selfish. She was looking for the best option to fit her values. He let her rant on only hearing lie after lie because it didn’t fit. Edward wasn’t a fool. He read personality traits as easily as a kindergartener book. It was why his riddles were always so amazing. Every person was predictable, and he used that predictability to plan the outcome in his favor. He knew Nina. He knew what she wanted, and what she wanted did not fit with what was leaving her mouth. She was lying.

It wasn’t until those last three words uttered out of her mouth that he finally lost the little self-control he had over his anger. “Love me?” he said rolling his eyes as a fake laugh left his mouth, “You don’t even know who I am, Nina. You know what you’ve read in the papers, but you don’t know anything about my life or the type of person I am. Do even know my last name?” he snapped out, even though he didn’t consider Nashton his real last name anymore, but it was beside the point. “Do you even have a clue where I was born? Do you know how I got this?” he lifted his cane for emphasis and he went silent for a moment. His eyes fell to the floor. She could never understand. “Answer: no, you don’t,” he said in a softer voice before snapping his eyes back to her and stating coldly, “You’re not in love with me. If anything you’re in love with some vision of me you’ve created in your mind similar to how a teenager obsesses over a poster of her favorite singer. That’s not love, and if you think is, then you’re not as smart as I thought you were.”

[Nina Stenet]

Edward's words prompt an immediate, sharp sigh of frustration from Nina. How many weeks has she patiently waited for him to figure all of this out, only to hear him say this now? Is there any end to his ability to run away from her feelings? If it wasn't for the tantalizingly few but very precious clues he let off that her feelings were returned then she'd probably have given up long ago. It's so hard for her to feel this way about a person who would rather pretend that it isn't real. "I don't need to know any of that to love you, Edward," she snaps back, "Or do you think that I need to be aware of and approve of every aspect of your life before I can? No, it doesn't work that way."

Quickly collecting her thoughts, which difficult because the amount of anger and frustration that wants to be expressed instead, she explains, "I can see what's in front of me. And I don't just mean what you look like, I mean your every thought and action that you've let me see. Which has been a lot, Edward. I am no so naive about you that I don't know who you are, or do you think that I've spent all this time around you with blinders on?" She hasn't actually read that much about him in the papers - she generally prefers to remain ignorant of the news in general - but she watched him rob a museum, was kidnapped by him, was put through a riddle, had her life put in danger by him, helped him fake her own murder, got a tour of his warehouse, and spent weeks living in his apartment. How can he possibly claim that she doesn't know him by now?

"Do I like everything I've seen? No," she has to admit, "But that does not diminish how much I love the rest - and I don't think that you can begin to understand just how much of you that is and just how deeply that feeling goes. And I can only assume that what I don't know about you fits in with what I do. Or do you assume that you're so unlovable that what I'm saying is impossible?" Which isn't a question that she'd ask if she thought that he'd be unsure about the answer. She's well aware of his opinion of himself. It's something that she agrees with to a large extent, actually.

[Deleted]

“Of course I’m lovable,” he stated admittedly, not that the fact had to be voiced.

He paused for a moment thinking over the rest of her words. Ridiculous. Just ridiculous. Edward rolled his eyes as he moved his cane in front of him. Both of his hands went to the top, and put the same amount of pressure he felt on his shoulders onto the wooden stick. His head fell to the ground in a shaking motion. “Trust me, I know you don’t wear blinders,” he said with disbelieving smile pointed at the ground. He couldn’t believe she was arguing this. He remembered every expression that had crossed her face. He remembered disappointment and disgust. You can’t feel those emotions for someone you love. He might not believe that the Hallmark created ‘love’ existed, but if it did, he knew that such negative feelings could not be present.

“Your feelings on everything you see is always clearly written on your face,” he continued with a sigh as he raised his head again. “And Nina, I don’t think you have to approve of every aspect of my life to ‘love’ me, as so bluntly put it, but you definitely have to accept it. I told you a while ago that I will not change. I won’t. Yet instead of trying to understand me or even take the initiative to determine the meaning of what I do, you have sat here pointing your nose to the air as if you were handling trash. You can’t get rid of it because garbage day has yet to come, so you put up with it.” His voice had started to rise. “No. No that’s not love, and if it is, I don’t want to be part of it.”

His breathing had gotten bit harsher, and a frown had deepened on his face. He could not handle her. He didn’t want to handle her. She was living in some fantasy world where she thought she could close her eyes, and he would become the man she wanted. He wouldn’t. Instead of searching for that perfect man, she clung to him as a last resort hoping that she could change him. His grip tightened on the cane as he visibly winced. Change him? She wanted him to get caught to ‘help’ him. How could she ever call that love?

“I have a simple question for you, Nina,” he stated in a cold even tone, “It’s yes or no, so please do not elaborate. It would only prove to me you can’t listen.” He paused, debating for a moment if he really wanted to know the answer…

“Do you think I need psychological help?” Do you think I'm crazy? was the true question he was asking, but he would never voice such a horrible accusation aloud.

[Nina Stenet]

Fighting back the urge to do otherwise, Nina forces herself to listen to what Edward is saying. And what he says abruptly makes the tension on her face melt into simple surprise. "That's how you see it?" she says, dumbfounded. It's so... different from what she actually feels that it takes her a few moments to wrap her mind around the idea that Edward could be seeing it that way.

But when she does, she has to mentally kick herself - of course he sees it that way: the evidence has been right in front of her the whole time. The only reason she'd missed it was because every time he'd done something to bother her to that degree, she'd been so focused on making sure that she'd be okay that she missed the way he reacted to her. And whereas she'd been able to wave off her own upset, he obviously hadn't. Instead he'd taken it the worst possible way: that she was hoping to change him. It would be a lie if she ever said that she didn't want him to change, but that's merely because she doesn't think that he's perfect. But she doesn't expect him to be.

The question he asks throws her off just a little, though she can be heard muttering a sarcastic, "Because they've done such a good job helping you already." Honestly, the only positive she'd see in Edward getting caught is that they would prevent him from hurting anyone... for awhile. If she thought that they could actually help him or even hang on to him she'd have probably given Batman a very different answer. Not that she doesn't hope that she's wrong about that, but she doesn't see how her interference could change the status quo much.

But Edward hadn't asked if she thought that they could help, but if she thinks that he needs it. She frowns slightly as she tries to make sense of her own feelings on the subject so that she can give him the simple yes or no that he wants, but after several moments she shakes her head. "I don't know," she answers honestly, the anger that was previously in her voice now muted to nearly nothing, "Because you're right: I don't understand."

Suddenly unable to meet his gaze, Nina's eyes fall to the floor as she continues, "The only reason I never asked about it is because I don't want you to tell me anything that you don't want to, and I don't need to understand - not for me, anyway. But it's never been because I don't want to understand. It would probably make... everything easier for me if I did." Such a simple cause for such a big misunderstanding: for a number of reasons, she hadn't wanted to pry.

And she blames herself for letting that continue for so long. It didn't help that Edward waited until now to say anything about it, but she should have at the very least realized that their mutual silence on such an important subject would lead this way. It's a problem that she should have noticed and been bold enough to fix a long time ago, but she'd been too busy burying her head in the sand. Not that she's the only one to make a huge mistake lately, and it was probably for a very similar reason.

It isn't until she's through blaming herself that she's able to look up again and say, "Please, help me understand?" In hindsight, it's something she should have asked a very long time ago, but the best she can do to fix that mistake is to ask it now.

[Deleted]

He knew he couldn’t expect a simple yes or no response from Nina. Nothing was ever that simple with her. But he was genuinely surprised when he saw the anger change to…regret or…guilt?

Did she feel guilty?

Well it was about time someone other then him felt that ridiculous emotion. While he enjoyed that she finally realized she was wrong, he didn’t particularly like the direction she was going. She was attempting to justify it.

The true reason she never asked was because she never cared to know. Why would she? She wouldn’t like what she heard. She would only disagree and probably dislike him even more. She said she wanted to understand, but he knew she never would. They were too different like water and oil. This riddle wasn’t very complex, but she kept trying to force the answer to be her answer.

His eyebrow rose on his forehead as he watched her head look to the ground like a puppy in the rain. She looked sad. Not at him, but at herself. A small part of him wanted to reach out and comfort her, but he stood like a statue in his place. “Stop blaming yourself,” he remarked in an uncaring voice, “You can’t change who you are.” And because neither of them could change, they could never accomplish what she wanted. Edward had accepted this. He didn’t need Nina. Actually, he would be ten times better without her.

His thought was halted when she looked up with those sad pleading eyes.

Please, help me understand?

Those eyes…they looked exactly like his mother’s so long ago: personal blame and hope of change. How many times had his mother given him that look? 415 plus or minus 46 because he hadn’t started counting until he was eight.

“I’m sorry Eddie. Please, just come here. I’ll stop him next time. I will,” she would promise as she tried to fit into the closet with him. She would always promise to change, and she never would. She would make him want to comfort her as tear would form in her eyes. He would always fall into it. Lies. All Lies. And now Nina stood before him with those same eyes, asking him to help her change because for her to understand she would have change. She wanted him to fall into all the pain again, and she seriously expected him to believe her.

“It’s too late, Nina,” he stated tiredly. “Please, leave,” he barely whispered. His eyes turned away from her, finding something unimportant and mundane in his apartment to focus on. He couldn’t see his mother’s eyes again. He couldn’t face the lies.

[Nina Stenet]

There's an abrupt thud on the wall behind Nina as her arm is thrust backward purely out of the need to hit something. "Don't tell me what I can't do!" Nina suddenly snaps as some of the anger returns. "Of course I can change who I am. Do you have any idea how many people would be dead right now if I hadn't?" Even now, though she is angry, it's a carefully controlled anger: not too much, and focused in the right direction. Right now she's angry at herself, the situation, the wall... anything but Edward. Because she doesn't know what she'd do if she actually let herself be angry at Edward when he's right over there within easy reach of her power. She can wait to actually be angry at him when he's not around. And she was by no means born with the ability to think about it that way.

"And I should blame myself - I've been too cautious, and you're worth it to me to take a few risks. That's something I need to change, and I will," she adds, having no idea how closely her words mirror his mother's. But she's a very different woman from that one, and it shows in her tone that practically dares anyone to say that she can't or try to stop her. She's too strong of a person to even let herself get in her way; now that she realizes that she'd been too careful about not upsetting Edward, that's what caused this problem, and she intends to fix that immediately.

"But I don't need to change anything in order to understand you, Edward," she continues, and her voice softens again, "If I wasn't already a very understanding person I wouldn't be here right now. And it's only too late if you want it to be - I can't do anything about this without your help. I need you to give me that chance." She's willing to give all that she can to make things right again, but it's simply not enough if Edward is unwilling to let her try. And knowing that is enough to put a hint of fear in her voice; he's being so quick to disbelieve her and if he refuses this request she's not sure what she can do.

[Deleted]

When the noise sounded loudly in the apartment, Edward actually flinched back as if a gun had been fired. He hadn’t expected that amount of anger ever coming from Nina. It wasn’t just the noise that caught him off guard, but her words as well. Edward found himself blinking with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Did she say people would be dead? She would have killed someone? The absurd idea conflicted with his moral image of her. He tried to imagine her standing over a dead body with a cold look in her eyes…No. He shook his head. It wasn’t logical.

He felt too stunned to even comment as she continued, yet still managed to listen. It was as strange as her first comment. Why would you ever blame yourself? As he thought the riddle over, he realized he had blamed himself with Nina. Luckily, he realized how flawed it was. But his logical focus disappeared when she told him he was worth it. He felt a yank in his heart like something was grabbing it. The pull….that was what was happening…she was pulling him back. Those words, they were too similar to those painful memories.

He frowned.

You have control of your life, Nigma, no one else just you, he reminded himself. He would not be manipulated by her. He would not let her false words coax him into a content façade. He was smarter then a pitiable technique like that.

When her voice softened and she finished her argument, he stood silent, staring at her. Her words sounded determined and true. He wanted to believe her. He wanted to trust that she could understand him, but how could he? It didn’t fit. He imagined a bunch of puzzle pieces, and a child trying to force two obviously unconnected pieces together. His eyes met hers. Was she lying? He used to be able to tell if someone was lying with a quick glance…but…

She couldn’t be telling the truth, and if she was telling the truth then she didn’t realize she was wrong. Just like his mother, his mother always hoped to change but never could. She lied to herself to feel better. If Nina honestly thought she could change or understand, she was deeply wrong. Edward would just have to force the correct solution he wanted.

He kept his eyes locked with her, a thin straight line on his lips. “I don’t love you, Nina. Why would I want to give you a chance?” he stated, and to him it was true because love didn’t exist in his mind.

…Yet, deep down, something felt wrong with the statement.

[Nina Stenet]

There's actually something vaguely satisfying to Nina about the expression of surprise on Edward's face as he reacts to her anger and words. He's so smart, has had so much time to observe her, and she's been completely open and honest whenever he's asked her a question about herself. And yet she still has the ability to surprise him - not that she really enjoys being so angry and saying these things. Still, it's nice to see a crack in his overwhelming belief that he has everything under his control every once in awhile.

When she's finished, she waits patiently through the silence, wondering what thoughts were going through his head and wishing he would voice them. There's been too much silence between them, and she sees that so clearly now. If only she'd seen that sooner! But she's not one to dwell too long on 'if only's - she can't alter the past, and spending too much time wondering about it only distracts from things that she can actually do something about.

Keeping his gaze, her initial response to his statement and question is only a small, questioning frown. Why is he saying this to her? Was he trying to drive her away a different way because asking her to leave has failed three times now? Or is it for another reason? Whatever the reason, if he hoped to upset her with that statement, it doesn't seem to have worked. Instead there's only a momentary pause before she responds to it with, "You don't know how you feel about me. Or are you going to pretend that you've ever been consistent in how you treat me?" She hasn't been blind to that either.

Quite the contrary: she's been watching and waiting for him to make up his mind about her already - the few times his words seemed to indicate that he did, his actions did not match them, or vice versa, or it didn't last for very long. The last time she saw him he made her dinner, kissed her, but then not that long after that he left without ever telling her why. How is she supposed to take any declarations from him about his feelings seriously at this point? It's blatantly obvious to her that he hasn't a clue what they are. She's not completely sure herself either, actually, though she has a very strong suspicion. But she's not going to tell him what it is because he wouldn't believe it coming from her - it's something he has to figure out himself. She just wishes that he'd figure it out faster.

"And I don't know whether you want to give me a chance or not - that's completely up to you," she adds, and her voice suddenly gets very quiet, "I just know that if you don't give me that chance I'll not only lose you, but I'll never stop wondering what would have happened if you had."

[Deleted]

“Do you even posses the ability to listen?” he snapped loudly, pushing aside the previous emotions of sadness and guilt. He felt like he had been patient enough (for Edward’s standards at least), and the last of it was finally wearing thin. He couldn’t put up with Nina’s arguments anymore. They were ridiculous! He had complete understanding of his emotions. He had complete understanding of everything. It was one of the benefits to being a genius.

He moved from his stiff position and walked over to her leaving very little space between them. “I,” he stated, pointing at himself, “do not love,” he mouthed each word for emphasis, “you.”

“And even though I made the question rhetorical for a reason, I’ll answer it for you. I do not want to give you a chance. I do not want you in my life. Why would I? You’re like all women,” his anger still bleeding through his tone, but he smirked. He brought his hand out and brushed back a piece of her hair. He can’t recall ever seeing her hair down. “Pretty to look at, but worthless once you understand the puzzle.” His gloved finger went into her hair knocking her sunglasses back off her head. It almost seemed caring, if the evil glint wasn’t dancing in his eyes.

“Riddle me this dear, what happens to girls who fall in love with criminals?” he asked, gripping her hair painfully in his hand. He used his grip to pull her even closer to him, feeling her against his suit. Control. This was what he was lacking from her. He didn’t have control over her, which lead to his lack of trust. He knew he would never have control over her. He needed her to leave his life, and if she wouldn’t go willingly, he would force her to.