Fools ||Edward Nygma|| [1]

Chapter Twelve || Don't lie to me

"Villainy was nothing new to him, and even murder was understandable and clear-cut. But love was a mystery."

- 'The Shadow in the North: A Sally Lockhart Mystery' by Philip Pullman.

Ed arrived home with two coffees in hand for him and for Charlotte. She had stayed with him to help take care of Mr. Oswald Cobblepot. He was surprised the man hadn't died in his bed the previous night since he had lost so much blood. He had been shot in the shoulder and hadn't been treated right away, so an infection had already started to develop by the time they found him. Fortunately, both Ed and Charlotte were able to stabilize him.

The male forensic scientist was actually happy they had found the crime boss. Ed thought that maybe he could give him some guidance in the new life he had started on. It appeared like fate had brought them all together.

Charlotte was still a mystery to him. He hadn't figured out why something in him actually thought she liked him romantically. He hadn't intercepted any sign of those feelings coming from her. Those thoughts were leaving him confused. He had loved Kristen for a long time, but this was something new. He had made attempts to make Kristen fall in love with him and that hadn't turned out very well. If Charlotte had fallen in love with him, it was different. Ed had never attempted to capture her love.

"Is he awake yet?" Ed asked once he walked into his apartment.

Charlotte looked away from the Gotham Gazette's newspaper and placed a hand on Oswald's forehead. "No, but at least his fever has gone down. He must be waking up soon".

"I brought you coffee" Ed gave her the cup and she thanked him. Then he proceeded to drink his own hot drink. The feeling of the beverage going down his throat and warming his insides felt so good. It was starting to get cold outside again. That warm weather hadn't lasted for long. It never did in Gotham.

Charlotte was drinking from her cup when she felt movement in the sheets beside her. She looked at Cobblepot and saw him waking up. Ed noticed it too and walked to his side of the bed just as Cobblepot finally opened his light green eyes.

"Hello, sleepyhead," Ed greeted getting closer to his face.

Cobblepot looked at him confused and then his breaths started to quicken. He looked between the two forensic scientists and tried to crawl away from them, but he was too weak.

"Where am I?" He asked with panic in his voice.

Ed turned to Charlotte and spoke as quickly as he could. "Rapid movement and elevated heart rate are counterproductive to the healing process".

Charlotte turned around to grab the sedative and Oswald panicked even more when he saw the medical equipment on the nightstand and the syringe in her hand.

"No, no! Don't kill me!" Oswald started shouting.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt," Charlotte reassured as she brought the syringe closer to Oswald's neck. He trashed and yelled for her to get away from him. "Hold him down, Ed".

The needle pierced the skin and the sedative was introduced into Oswald's bloodstream. It took effect quickly and the crime boss immediately slipped into unconsciousness again.

"Rest up, my feathered friend. We have a big night ahead of us," Ed said and walked away from the bed.

Charlotte straightened Oswald's body for him to rest comfortably and put the covers over him to keep him warm.

There was nothing much to do for the rest of the day. Ed and Charlotte stayed home waiting for Oswald to wake up again. They watched the quiz shows Ed liked so much and he always answered right to all the questions. However, Ed noticed Charlotte was really quiet and didn't answer any of the questions. He found it odd because she always tried to answer faster than him when they watched those shows or heard it on the radio back in their lab. Ed was worried, so he asked her if she was all right.

Charlotte turned to him and sent him a smile. However, Ed noticed how her smile seemed forced. "I'm fine".

"Don't lie to me," Ed replied seriously and she stopped smiling, a surprised look took over. She thought the smile would be enough to reassure Ed she was okay, even though she wasn't.

Kringle could be gone, but that wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to make Ed love her. Now she also had to worry about an unconscious mob boss. So many things were happening and she couldn't quite keep up with all of it. Not to mention her mood swings. She would feel almost well sometimes and then anger or sadness would hit her like a freaking train out of control.

"I'm not lying, Ed," she tried to reassure him with another smile, a more convincing smile this time. "Seriously".

"Yes, you are. I know you better than you think," Ed stated while putting the TV on mute.

"Are you sure about that?" Charlotte muttered to herself.

Those bitter words were not meant for Ed to hear, but he did and was left confused. "What is that suppose to mean?"

Charlotte was starting to feel angry. Her mood was changing really quickly and she couldn't control it no matter how hard she tried.

"It's not like you care anyway," Charlotte remarked before she could stop herself.

Ed raised one eyebrow in surprise. Charlotte was never this bitter with him. Yes, sometimes they would bicker about random topics, but never anything serious. Ed even noticed her fists clenching like she was trying to stop herself from punching him. However, it was completely the opposite. She was clenching her fist to stop herself from dumping all her anger on him.

"Of course, I care," Ed told her and she looked at him with an emotionless expression and a raised eyebrow.

"Don't lie to me," she sneered at him, repeating the same words he had moments ago.

Ed was starting to get angry too. How could she tell him he didn't care about her after everything they had gone through? They were best friends and he had told her about his secrets. He would never tell her if he didn't trust and cared for her.

"And why do you care? Why have you stayed here all this time and helped me with officer Dougherty and Miss Kringle?" Ed didn't want to ask her those question so bluntly, but the anger was taking the better of him. He needed to calm down. The last time he had lost control Kristen had died and he didn't want to hurt his best friend too. He probably would never be able to hurt her since she was better at fighting, but he didn't want to risk it.

"Because I love you, you jerk!" Charlotte spat furiously. She stood up from the couch and went to sit on the bed next to Cobblepot.

When she looked at Ed, Charlotte noticed the shocked expression plastered on his face. She finally realized the words she had uttered and immediately regretted them. Charlotte almost kicked herself for letting her feelings slip up like that, so she started to come up with excuses. She didn't want her friendship with Ed to end because of her stupidity.

"Sorry, I... I didn't mean to-," she stuttered while averting her eyes to the unconscious man on the bed. She couldn't look Ed in the eyes at the moment. "Best friends love each other. They care. That's what I meant".

"Then you know I care for you too," Ed told her once the shock had worn off. He thought she was confessing her feelings for him, but then she said she loved him as a friend. He was left even more confused than before. His inner self was screaming for him not to believe her, but he decided to ignore his thoughts for the moment. "You are my best friend and you always been here for me. I want to be there for you as well".

Charlotte nodded but she couldn't find her voice to say anything else. She could already feel herself slipping back into a depressive state. She just wanted Oswald to wake up so she could go home.

***

A/N: Ohh, she finally said it! Things were intense in this chapter hehe... Let's see how things will go on the next. Love you all <3