"That picture doesn't do you justice," said Edward the next morning as he watched her eat a stack of waffles covered in butter and whipped cream. They sat watching the afternoon news as they ate food that actually tasted like what it should, as well as having more texture than gloppy, tough, or squishy.

When she woke and found herself in Eddie's room, Dee almost panicked. She had no idea how she had gotten there, or how she had gotten dressed in one of his shirts. Laying on her side, back to him, she repeatedly went over what she could remember. They hadn't done more than sleep; that was for certain. Knowing that he hadn't taken advantage of her kept her calm. The sudden feel of his hand on her hip, gliding onto her belly, and pulling her to him surprised her. He held her possessively and spooned her. Eddie had made no other moves after that. Finding herself perfectly comfortable, Dee had gone back to sleep.

"I take horrible pictures. Yours is good though." She stuffed another bite of waffle into her mouth.

"It amuses me sometimes, Q, to know how little you think of yourself," he said with a chuckle. "Even if you have a split lip and a black eye, you look pretty."

She frowned at this and pushed her food around on her plate.

"Hey, there's a lot you can do. Just because we got caught doesn't mean anything. And the cuts and bruises will go away." He paused, setting his plate aside and facing her. He needed to say what was on his mind, now, before he lost his nerve. "Listen, Dee, I've seen the way other men look at you when they think I'm not looking. I'm not saying they can't look, but I'm going to say they can't touch. You're not a possession. I don't own you. But I do... I do..." Say it! "Care about you," he mumbled. Chicken.

Dee hid her face in her hands, barely hearing his words after "the way other men look at you." That he had actually admitted he cared only just registered. Her mind remembered all too well the leers she got from the orderlies and guards in Arkham, as well as some of the staff. Then there were the guys in the Triad, like Chun...

"What's the matter?" he asked, pulling her hands from her face.

"I'm... I know why men look at me the way they do. I see where their eyes are. All they see is a pair of breasts they want to grab and fuck," she spat bitterly. The venom in her words reflected in her hard eyes.

Obviously a touchy subject. But you brought it up and now you have to fix it. "That isn't what I see. Well, I do see them. They're hard to miss. You're more than that to me, though. You're different. You're confident enough to know what you want and not to settle for just anyone. I wish I had been that smart. And that's what I like about you. You are smart enough to make your own decisions, and damn what anyone else thinks! I like talking to you. I like laughing with you. I like just being around you. It makes me feel better about everything. It makes me feel... Normal."

Her features were furrowed as she looked up at him. "Are you being sincere, or just saying this to make me feel better?"

The suspicion in her voice hurt him, but he could understand some of it. He knew Matthiessen had probably been filling her head with the same doubt he had tried on Eddie. Eddie shook his head and looked at her as he stood and collected his dishes.

"I was being sincere. If you want to believe the crap Matthiessen told you, do that. But remember the things I've done for you, starting with taking you out of Arkham with me."

Dee watched as he left the room, irritated and annoyed she would dare ask him something like that. Dejectedly, she ate the last piece of waffle on her plate, barely tasting it. She was so confused!

Trust him. You have no proof that he doesn't mean what he says. You have plenty of proof that he has real feelings for you. Don't screw this up! He's smart, funny, sweet, and good-looking. Look, the guy gave up parts of his meals for you! Got himself thrown into solitary trying to bring you food in the middle of the night. He got you your damn knickel! Go apologize to him for your stupidity in believing that psychotic doctor!

"Eddie?" He wasn't in the kitchen any longer. Rinsing her dish and putting it in the dishwasher, she went to find him. Knocking on the open door of his study, she once more softly spoke his name.

"Yes?" he replied curtly.

Standing in front of his desk, she folded her hands in front of her, eyes downcast. He sat in his chair with his legs crossed, elbows resting on the armrests, and fingers steepled. Quiet settled over the room as Dee fidgeted, waiting for permission to speak. It was an old habit she had been taught in the Triad. Edward picked up on this after a minute. Getting up, he moved to the front of his desk, leaning against it and crossing his arms.

"You're not a Jade Tiger, Dee. If you have something to say, tell me. If not, I have work to do."

Moist eyes looked up at him and Dee took two timid steps, closing the gap between them. Placing her hands lightly on his arms, she took a breath and stood on her toes. Kissing both of his cheeks, she then put her trembling lips to his. Dee was certain he would push her away or something worse. But he let her kiss him without any reaction.

"I'm sorry, Eddie. I really am. What that jerk said shouldn't cloud my judgment of you. I don't want to be hurt though, can you understand that?" She sighed and looked up at him. "The day he made me watch you go through shock therapy, I wanted to kill him. He had me chained to the floor and I couldn't get at him. I tried to change, but for some reason I couldn't, and then everything went black! I felt so helpless and scared. What he was doing to you... I've never felt pain like that before in my life.

"But when I was out of it, I had the most wonderful dream." She paused. "You can tell me to shut up and go away if you want."

"No. Go on," he said, not moving otherwise.

Nodding, she continued, smoothing her hands over the sleeves of his shirt. "You asked me out. Not a couple months ago, but the first day we met. At the carnival. It changed everything, Eddie. Neither of us ended up doing what we do now. But it didn't matter! We were happy anyway!"

"Had I asked you out that day, would you have said yes? Knowing only that I worked at the carnival and that I was a liar and a cheat?"

"You didn't lie to me. I would've been as nervous then as I still am now, but I would've gone out with you. Manchu would have seen to it that we went out. He was upset that I didn't say anything to you, and vice versa." Now she smiled sheepishly at him. "I always talked about you. When I was down and Manchu couldn't comfort me, I always imagined you there." Cringing, she stepped away from him, hugging herself. "I'm sorry. That was probably more than you wanted or needed to know."

Edward was smiling now and shaking with silent laughter. He pulled Dee back to him and hugged her. "If I had the backbone to do something like ask you out back then, I would have. Really, I'm surprised I asked you out when I did." He tilted her face up and smiled down at her. There was one test he wanted to give her. "The boys managed to put what was taken the night we were caught into the safe here. I went through it before you got up. Those people certainly carry a lot of cash on them."

Walking over to the safe, he opened it and pulled out a rubber band secured stack of cash.

"One thousand dollars. Your share of the cash. Once I sell all the little bits of jewelry, as well as fence the things we took the previous nights, you'll get your share of that money as well."

Cash. He was offering her one thousand dollars as only part of her payment for one night! She made anywhere from fifteen hundred to fifteen thousand depending on the job when she was in the Triad. Most jobs averaged around two or three thousand. Tentatively she took the money from him. She didn't need it, and she knew it was at least twice what she should be paid for her contribution that night.

"One thousand dollars?" she sighed.

Eddie was starting to feel disappointed. He waited for her next words, knowing she would say, "That's it? I should get at least..."

"That's really sweet of you, and I know it's how you operate, but I don't want it."

"I figured that. I'll give you two then, ok? An extra one from my own..." Wait. Did she say...?

"Eddie." She covered his mouth and pressed the stack of bills to his chest. "I don't want the money! You have it. Split it between Benny and Trigger. I don't care!"

"But you earned it."

"I didn't earn that much. And besides, what do I need money for when you provide everything? The raw materials for my explosives, weapons, my clothing, food, shelter. How about I ask you for money when I need it? The only things I would be buying are books and puzzles."

"Why would you work for me and not want the money?" he asked, genuinely baffled.

She tugged at his shirtfront, fingering the buttons. "I've never had so much fun on a job. Manchu and I would sometimes play around once we were on our way back, but this... The whole thing was like a high-speed game of tag! The riddles, the running, explosions... It was beautiful! Eddie, the thrill of the game you play is worth more to me than the cash. I can't ever pay you back for what you've given me."

In her excitement, she pulled herself up and kissed him. She didn't hold back and the eager comfort of her kiss pulled him in easily. Carelessly he tossed the stack of money over his shoulder and put his arms around her. Her fingers curled at the nape of his neck, her other hand pressing firm on his back. At the moment he wasn't feeling nervous or shy. He placed a hand on her bottom, the other around her waist, holding her tight.

~ ~ ~

Not money. She didn't care about money!

They had made out for a while in the comfort of his favorite chair. Dee had sat in his lap and had kissed his face while he stroked her body. There was no protest from her at his touches. When he lightly touched the side of her breast, he was amused to feel the hardness of the nickel.

"Why did you need that nickel?" he asked.

Dee simply shook her head and kissed his chin. "Not yet. Soon."

"But..."

She easily changed the subject by licking his earlobe before lightly tugging on it with her teeth. It was one of the most pleasant ways he had ever lost control of his speech.

Now she had skipped off to make dinner for them. On impulse, he picked the phone up and called a dinner club he liked to go to. He made reservations to take her there two nights from now. Once the plans were made, he leaned back in his desk chair, quietly singing, "Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her!"
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