Dee had been able to sleep very well. She smiled as she slept, reliving their first date and their first kiss. The commotion that had gone up as she drifted to sleep had not disturbed her. Moonlight dappled the waterfront under the tree where the two stood. As nervous as she was, Dee also felt strangely calm. They kissed, lightly at first, and then he wrapped her in the warmth of a long, tender kiss. She wanted nothing more than to melt right then. Her eyes slid closed and she focused on the heat and scent of Eddie's body. Overhead, seagulls wheeled, screaming their shrill calls into the night. Then confusion set in as he began roughly shaking her.

"Get up!" he snarled.

Slowly her eyes opened and she found an orderly over her, preparing to smack her. With a kick of her feet, she propelled herself onto the floor, and under her bed. Angry now, the orderly got on his hands and knees, lifting the edge of the drooping blankets. A cat hissed at him from the far shadows.

"What the hell?!" he said, back peddling himself.

Not one second later, Dee poked her head above the opposite side of the bed. Seeing the man, she scowled and stood, covering herself with a sheet. The asylum issued sleepwear wasn't very comfortable and she tended to sleep in her underwear for that reason. Noticing the lack of clothing, the orderly's look of shock disappeared as he locked eyes on her breasts and he smiled.

"What do you want?" she asked, reining in the urge to shift and leap across the bed at him to tear the smile off his face.

"Doctor wants to see you. Now." He stood, straightening his uniform. "I'll be outside."

Outside meant that he stood at the glass door and watched her with a leer. Still scowling, Dee gathered her clothing and went behind the toilet partition to dress. It was one of the only places out of view from the camera and those walking by.

Stepping out she fastened the last button on her shirt. "Why so early?" she asked, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Hell. That was a good dream. You're so lucky I don't claw your eyes out for waking me, you dick!

The orderly didn't reply.

Matthiessen was already waiting for her. He looked to be in far too good of a mood as he sat there sipping his coffee. When her nose twitched at the aroma, he made a point to slurp the hot liquid and smack his lips. The only thing she cared was that she could smell the coffee. It reminded her of breakfast with Eddie. She licked her lips at the remembrance of his coffee flavored kisses. At that moment she smiled, realizing she was addicted to kissing him.

The feel of cold metal on her wrists snapped her back to the now. The orderly was having a hushed conversation with the doctor. Dee was not feeling comfortable.

"What gives?" she asked, immediately angry as the guard snapped the handcuff and shackle chain to a ring in the floor.

"I'll be outside if you need me," the guard said.

Nodding, Matthiessen dismissed the two. "Please sit, Ms. Lemma."

Her pride and stubbornness made her want to refuse the offer of a seat. The annoying tug of metal was the only reason she lowered herself onto the chair.

"How are we this morning, my dear?"

Why was he talking to her this way? It made her skin crawl. The slimy smile on his face made her visibly cringe. She was certain that she would smell the stench of betrayal and trickery on him. In her mind, the sound of steel on steel rang out as her protective barriers went up. Something was not right.

"Did you sleep well?"

Dee glowered at him, attempting to cross her arms across her chest. Handcuffs inhibiting this move, she folded her hands together and shoved them between her legs. He was creeping her out today.

"I would have thought you would be in a good mood after the romantic dinner you had with Edward last night," he mocked.

Her head snapped up at that. What was this ass alluding to? His grin grew as she cocked her head to the side and studied him. "What do you want?"

"Want? My dear, I want to see you get better! That's what every doctor wants of his or her patient."

"Except you, you sick fuck!" she shouted.

"Oh come now, Dee. You know we all care. We may have some unusual methods of going about our cures, but we all want the same result!"

"Mmhm. So let's cut to the chase, Dr. Dipshit. What sort of inappropriate things are you going to ask me today? I see my chart is open to my medical exams."

The doctor's eyebrows went up at that. "How did you...?"

"It says 'Medical DX'. When you're looking at your own reports, it says 'Psychological DX'. I'm not stupid, so don't treat me like I am." She paused and leaned forward, having thrown the man's train of thought off the tracks. "You probably just read it and noticed the forced gynecological exam, stating that I'm a virgin. You're probably wondering why I still am at my age. Believe it or not, I have morals. While I don't care if other people sleep around and have lots of sex partners, that isn't for me. I need a connection with the man first. Does this upset you? Throw your whole 'she's a fuck toy for him' theory out the window?"

"Ah! But now you want to know why I would be with him, hm? Or is it more about Eddie and me not having sex?" The micro expression she noticed told her the latter was what he was thinking about. "Sex. What's with you people and sex? Right now you're probably wondering if there's something wrong with Eddie. Perhaps you think he doesn't like women? I can assure you he likes women. The former you would have to bring up to Eddie, though I doubt he would tell you. I'm sure he's had a few partners. While that doesn't particularly thrill me, there's nothing I can do about it, is there?"

He picked up the melancholy note at the last statement. "So him having sex with gorgeous women like this, " he held up 8 x 10 glossy pictures of some of Edward's former associates, "doesn't bother you?"

"If he slept with them, that's his business. Obviously Eddie and I haven't slept together yet, so I have no right to be jealous. Not that I would, either way."

"Feeling inadequate compared to these beauties? Look at them all. Tall, slim, wonderful figures, and beautiful faces. They were all deadly beauties as well."

"What? With guns? Anyone can kill with a gun. Even a waste of space like you. Their fighting 'skills' worry me about as much as yours do."

Perfect! She was angry once more. He liked pulling emotions from his patients. The more extreme, the better.

"Oh, Dee. You're imagining them together, aren't you? It was their reckless danger he had to like, wasn't it? He's an expert marksman. A woman who can handle a gun has to interest him." He smiled at the double entendre.

Dee's eyes narrowed as she glared at the air in front of her. "You're not clever, so quit trying to be."

"Perhaps that's the reason he hasn't bedded you yet. So you can kick and perhaps you can punch. The others do that. You had no firearms on you when you came in. A few little firecrackers, blades, and a stick."

"Explosives, a dagger, throwing stars, and a bo staff, you idiot."

"Seeing as you obviously didn't use these things for fighting, but for simple accessories, what does it matter what I call them? The fact is you can't excite him to get him interested. He may have kissed you last night, but that means nothing. Perhaps your key interest is your virginity. The delight of being the first." Dr. Matthiessen's face brightened as he added, "A child, breaking the seal on his first jigsaw puzzle. He certainly didn't break the seal on the others."

Dee attempted to lunge at the doctor only to have the chains hold her back. "You take that back, you bastard! That might be how you feel about someone like me, but why should it hold true for a man like Eddie? A man who has shown me nothing but respect from day one?!" Not caring that the cuffs were cutting into her wrists, she leaned as far forward as she could, straining at the chain. "Why don't you get Eddie in here and see what he has to say about all this? Ask him what you're asking me!"

Unused to the man, Dee didn't know that she had played his game to the finish he wanted. The twitching, smug smile would have sent Edward Nigma into a bout of catatonia for a week. As calm as if he were reaching for his coffee, Dr. Matthiessen flipped on an intercom.

"Are you ready, Jules?"

"All set down here, Dr. Matthiessen. Just let me know when to start."

Closing the connection, Matthiessen stood and turned the television on. He made a great deal of wiping the screen free of any speck of dust. "Last night your dear Edward had a psychotic episode. I had no option but to send him down to Jules for treatment."

"What are you babbling about?" Dee asked, full of suspicion.

Stepping back, he allowed her to view the screen. The girl made no sound as the event on screen became obvious. Her eyes grew wide as her breathing became rapid and shallow. A tremble started as she raised her hands, pointing shakily at the screen.

"You can't do that! You have to have signed consent! Law requires that! And anesthetics! Mild anesthetics are supposed to be given!" She turned to him, her face drained of color. "What you're doing is not only illegal, it's barbaric!"

Dr. Matthiessen said nothing, but flipped the intercom once more. "I have a clear picture, Jules. You may proceed." He toggled the intercom back off. "Funny thing about breaking the law and being committed to an asylum. You lose a lot of rights."

In horror, Dee watched as the technician gave a thumbs up and a verbal "ok" to the doctor. He toggled a switch and the hum of machinery came through the television. The last thing Dee heard before crumbling to the floor in an unconscious heap was the sound of Edward's muffled screams as he underwent electroconvulsive therapy against his will.
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