Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

“What Edith? What do you think this is?” He squinted at her, his arms crossed as he tried to square off in front of her. She needed to hate him. She didn’t want him around. She didn’t need him. She was too good for that sort of thing… and any life Luis could ever give her. She needed to stop calling him Nemo.

“I have bills to pay, a family that needs me. I’m important to them and I don’t need to be havin’ all this baggage… all this pressure. I told you from the get go, I ain’t no good at this.”

“Looking at you through the window is much safer than actually saying words.” Luis stuttered, finding himself nervous as he slicked down the hair at the nape of his neck. “It’s been awhile Fitz. An’ I’m sorry. Duty calls an’ all and it’s hard to get by here before you leave with the late hours I keep.”

“You sound like you’re expecting me to bite, Mr. Romano.” She mused airily. “I wonder what might have given you that impression.” Watching him squirm, she could feel herself begin to simmer, aggravation and indignance in response to his gall and indifference. Looking away, she chewed on her lip for a long moment, her eyes scanning the sidewalk and the regular hustle and bustle about town, no one the wiser that the gangster was breaking this young woman’s heart. As if in response to her moment of weakness, the desire to call him on his horseshit overwhelmed her and she turned her dark gaze back to his.

He always stalled when it came to her these days. Even when more than anything he wanted to hold her in his arms. Even when more than anything he knew that he would be the reason for the smile on her face.

Even when he knew that she was the only one capable of keeping him calm.. and grounded… and warm.

He still stalled.

As he watched her through the corner of the window, Luis could tell that Edith was preoccupied and not in the ‘nose stuck in a book’ sort of way. Her brow was furrowed, as if she were shuffling through scenarios. Attempting to re-configure algorithms, or solve the hardest puzzle in the world.

If he walked in there, his pact would be over, and the potential of putting Edie in harm’s way would manifest itself tenfold. It was how the mafia worked. How enemies worked, and it was a trade he’d found himself bound to for life. Which meant she could no longer take part. Her safety meant far more to Luis than happiness ever could.

“Mister!!” He heard the young boy caw, his stubby hands flailing the Montford Gazette like a flag in the wind. “Mister!! Would you care to buy a paper?!” He was screeching, his shrill voice loud enough to hear two blocks down the street, let alone through the thin glass window that separated Luis from Edie.

Slowing once she caught sight of the boy outside the window and to whom he was speaking, she paused in the open door, the newly come spring air cool and welcome in the building. Leaning her shoulder against the doorway, her lips twitched into the ghost of a smile as Luis rounded to peer into the window and froze as he caught sight of her. 

Sweetly, he wrapped his arms around the young woman, his need to hold her, to keep her safe was almost unbearable. Luis was aware that sweet moments were just that… moments, and moments were history. Still, that hadn’t stopped him from attempting to promise Edith the world. 

“You think you could do me a favor Fitz?” Luis asked as he exhaled a plume of smoke. He couldn’t look at her yet as he flicked his cigarette, not when he knew that she would be defiant, as she always was.

“You think you can keep that pretty little head a yours out of trouble for me?  I know you wouldn’t go for  no body guard, but Edie…”

His words trailed off, his jaw clenching as he finally forced himself to face her. Gently, he pulled the hem of her skirt over her knees again, not bothering to move his hands once he was finished.

“Perhaps.” She sighed. Chewing on her lip as he made his request, she let him struggle through it without interruption.

“Luis, I’m hardly a magnet for trouble.” She argued softly. “That was just poor luck and carelessness.” Recognizing the look on his face she quickly tacked on, “Even so, I will do my best to avoid trouble.” She raised her right hand. “Promise.” Her leg hooked around his him and she pulled him close so she could rest her cheek on his shoulder. 

“Hows about a game of show and tell?” He questioned, plopping the young woman on the trunk of his Studebaker. “An not the pervy kind either, Fitz. I’m talkin’ good clean fun.” 

Romano plucked a cigarette from the front pocket of his linen shirt. It seemed Edie was having an effect on his dressing habits these days. So long were the nights filled with ebony jackets and wide brimmed bowlers. These days he looked forward to the crispness of light cotton shirts and a pair of worn in docs. All the easier to twirl Fitz around in. 

“Oh for the love of God!” Luis bellowed, his knees vibrating as he attempted to keep his balance. “One of us is gonna end up hurt if you…” He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to keep the laughter from his tone. “I’m not responsible for my limbs!” The words ran out of his mouth, no breaths between their syllables as he twitched in her grasp. He was hardly capable of breathing, but even through all of this heinous torture, he didn’t want to flee. He couldn’t leave Edie. Even if that condemned him to a life of tickle fights and vulnerability.

Then he thought of it, the only way to stop this diabolical menace in her tracks. Luis had always considered himself quick, and even under her curse he found he could move. Swiftly he swept his arm behind her knee caps, knocking the slender woman straight into his grasp. She was compromised now, her fate in his hands should she try to wage war on his sides once more.

All too suddenly the ground was rushing towards her and she gave a gasp when he caught her. Quickly she wrapped her arms around his neck, all too familiar with her cousin dropping her when they were children.

The shocked look melted away and she gave him a small smirk as her fingers threaded into the soft hair at the back of his neck. “What are you going to do about it Romano?” She murmured. 

He ran a hand through his hair, forcing the ink black strands away from his face as he attempted to explain himself further. The old Luis wasn’t concerned with relationships. In fact, he figured the farther he was from them, the better off he and his counterpart would be. The mafia was a dangerous religion. A profession that wasn’t for the weak of heart or those that were committed to another. The mob was your wife. It was your life.

“”But then you happened. You strange bird. You just show up outta nowhere and knock me on my ass. Leaving me bewildered by your charm and that smirk that makes my whole body warm. I chased all that tail because there was always something missing, Edie. Something just beyond my reach until now.”

His grin broke into laughter as he pulled the woman closer, his hand reaching out to tuck a tuft of hair behind Edith’s ear.

At his teasing, she looked up at him shyly, fingering the buttons on his shirt as she slowly brushed her hands up his chest. “Is that so?” She asked. For someone who prided herself on being an articulate speaker and always having an answer ready, she was at a loss of what to say to him after his gentle chiding. How ineloquent would a ‘likewise’ sound after that?

So, she grasped at the straw that she knew he would approve of. The straw that wouldn’t leave them stumbling over words, or to an awkward and silent drive back home. 

“I never knew you went warm like that.” She admitted, the shyness turning to slyness. Her face hovered close to his and when she spoke again, she tilted her head up so that her lips brushed his jaw. “See, I don’t go warm when I see you. I just get this tingle, that starts here-” Her hands hand wrapped around his waist, her fingers slipping deftly under his shirt so that her nail was in place at the small of his back, “And ends here.” With a quick jerk, she ran her nail up his back, barely hard enough to hurt. His shirt had rucked up when she’d done that, but if the look on his face was any sign, it had done the trick. 

“And then it sort of feels like this...” She whispered against his lips as her nail trailed leisurely over his shoulder. He was undoubtedly expecting some of the same. 

“You’re damn right I like pretty girls.” He huffed, letting go of Edith a together to stand, like towering over her was going to do something to help get his point across.

“But that’s not all a woman needs in order to be attractive. I like a woman who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. A broad that’s bright, who knows about the word and finds pleasure in the pursuit of knowledge. One that’s not afraid of a dash of danger I her tea. A woman who’s main focus in life isn’t if her makeup is perfect but that she has made a difference in the world. No matter how big or small.”

But what good was money to a Capo?

And then, he had her blushing like some vapid school girl smitten with the quarterback. She stared down the buttons of his shirt, of how his chest rose and fell quickly as if he was trying to reign in that terrifying temper of his. 

“I guess you had pretty loose standards then, huh?” She said, almost instantaneously regretting her words before she shook her head, her hair falling in front of her face and she looked away for a long moment, towards the city’s skyline. 

“Hey… did I say somethin’, do somethin’ wrong? I thought we were swapping war stories. I- did I upset you?”

Luis’ words were filled with worry as he turned to face Edie, his frown apparent as he watched her face for change. He wasn’t sure what needed to be done to get her back to good, but something inside Luis had him fretting more than he ever had over any other woman he’d ever met. 

Deep breath, Fitz. She thought carefully to herself. It was so easy for her to get caught up in her emotions, to be a tidal wave when she needed to be calm waters. Normally she wouldn’t care who she rained her words down upon, but this was different. He was different and, for him, she would need to be as well.

“It’s nothing, darling, I’m just being silly is all.” She assured him, kissing his absurdly cute nose - or at least attempting to before hers bumped into his and she drew back again, turning her face away. Georgia Reed didn’t have a humongous beak. Georgia Reed had curves and a saunter that made men break their necks for a second peek. Her chest felt tight as she chewed on her lip and looked down at the wreck of a typewriter and ink on her hands. 

Georgia Reed probably played with kittens and baked cookies in her spare time. Even if she was a - as Luis put it - dead fish in the sack, how could she compare. 

“So he never came back around after that?” He questioned as he handed her the tiny wrench.

“I guess it’s my turn for storytime.” With a grin, Luis pondered, a sly grin on his face as he remembered his tryst with Georgia, one of the lead ragdolls from a few years ago.

“You know I was never much for settling down. Just a few years back, I had a thing with Georgia Reed, ya know, the dancer from the Peabody? It was supposed to be a secret, and it was for a while. I had no qualms being with the girl, be she was so damn scared that Dickey would have my hide and hers if he found out about us between the sheets.”

He cleared his throat, blushing a bit as the memories drifted up from the depths of his mind. For some reason sharing them with Edie seemed more intimate than anything he actually did with Georgia. Everything with Edie did.

“But I couldn’t help myself. She was the bees knees. The gal every man dreamed of, and for some reason she let me in. I tell ya, I know it wasn’t for the conversation, but she left me puff my chest out.”

He took a sip of his water, his head down as he continued his story.

At first, a little smile played around her lips, noting his past tense comment about settling down. Then, the smile became plastered. She knew of Georgia Reed, knew what she looked like, what she sang like and her reputation. Carefully, Edie made sure to focus on the typewriter, though she was no longer making any progress. 

His senses were vibrant, the light brighter, her skin softer, the smell of burnt food wafting through his nose just as Luis turned to kiss Edie gently.

“Whoops.” She exclaimed, reaching over the sink while holding the sheet around her with one hand as she opened the window. The brunette picked up a towel and began waving it towards the window, snorting with laughter as Luis dumped the pan into the kitchen sink. The look on his face did nothing to stifle her giggles and she could barely find it in her to care as the banging began on the door.