Sell you a Bridge chapter 32

Powers Estate, July 9th 2010 7:00 PM EDT

Ringing  the doorbell at Annabel's place was nerve wracking. I was in my best  suit, which I'd splurged and burned ten points on when I found an email  for a discount suit sale that promised the highest quality and a fit as  good as custom tailoring. I had five of them in my closet now and they  were worth probably twenty grand a pop, I'd paid less than a thousand  for all of them. Still, even with the perfectly fitted suit I was  nervous.

I had considered finding an email to make me an expert at sex, but I  didn't want Annabel to be suspicious of why I was so good in bed so I  figured I would wait until after our first time to do it and just pass  it off as me being a natural genius who picked it up fast. First time. I  was feeling so terrified I was close to vomiting. I was about to lose  my virginity. To a beautiful girl I was crazy about. In a mansion. My  life really had taken a hard one eight when I got my powers. I closed my  eyes, seeing the number forty burning behind my lids and focusing on  that helped center me a bit.

Something  about seeing the proof of my powers and what I could do helped me  settle my stomach and just breathe. After a minute or two of deep  breathing I finally knocked on the door. It felt strange to be going  into such a huge mansion through the front door. I hadn't noticed at  Wayne Manor because I was casing the place as well as visiting, but  coming to a giant house not intending to steal anything was a bit of an  odd experience. The knock echoed through the huge empty house on the  other side and it only took a minute before Annabel herself opened the  door.

She  looked beautiful, as always, but she'd clearly gone the extra mile,  wearing a black cocktail dress and delicate but expertly applied makeup  that highlighted her cheekbones and full lips. Her eyes looked like  bottomless blue whirlpools as she stared up at me with a soft smile. My  voice shook slightly as I spoke "Y-you look beautiful Anna. I got you  this." I held out a bouquet of violets (her favorite flower, thank you  perfect memory) nervously. I felt like a moron and my throat was dry and  my tongue felt heavy but I did my best not to stumble over my words too  badly.

She  took the flowers with a wide smile "Why thank you Morgan. Please, come  in. I had Isabelle make us a full meal before she left, and it's all  laid out on the table." She led me into the dining room, taking one of  the crystal vases off a nearby china cabinet and coming back with it  full of water. She slipped the flowers into the vase and gestured for me  to sit down at the corner of the table where we could eat and still be  close to each other while sitting at such a large piece of furniture.

The  dining room was lit with candles, and the design let even the huge room  feel intimate and romantic. Dinner was rib eye steaks with mashed  potatoes and salad and Annabel had stolen one of her father's bottles of  brandy for us to drink with dinner to help us relax. As she made our  plates she smiled at me "So, Morgan, I wanted to talk to you about  something while we ate. Something...important." She poured me a glass of  brandy and poured one for herself before starting on her steak.

I  smiled warmly at her and took a long sip of the brandy, it was sweet  but strong, kind of a gut punch but I liked the flavor. I didn't have  much experience with alcohol but this was pretty good. I put my glass  down "Of course babe, whatever you want to discuss, you know I'm happy  to talk about anything with you." I'd expected the brandy to help my  nerves but it didn't seem to be working. My mouth was still just as dry.  Maybe even more so. My pulse was thundering in my ears, I was  definitely more nervous than I had expected.

Annabel  took a dainty bite of her steak, chewing thoughtfully before she  swallowed. "Well. It's about our future. I'm very fond of you Morgan.  You're sweet and interesting and a bit mysterious, and I like that. But  if we're going to get serious I'm going to need you to make some changes  for me. My family is very important to me you see, and they need  certain things from you if we're going to be together." She smiled at me  again "You look a bit pale darling, have some more brandy to settle  your nerves."

I  took another sip, because she was right, I didn't feel well. I must be  having a full on panic attack because my head was swimming and my limbs  felt a bit heavy. I forced myself to concentrate the words feeling thick  on my tongue "Of course babe, I expected your family would need some  things from me. Impressing the parents isn't something I have much  experience with but if you can tell me what you need me to do I can make  it happen, trust me." I shook my head a bit to drive off some of the  fog but it kept coming back. My head just wouldn't stay clear.

Annabel's  smile was different now, it seemed a bit...more distant. Still fond but  more like how a person would be fond of a particularly cute puppy even  though it was a little stupid. "I do trust you love. But daddy doesn't. I  tried to convince him to leave things be and let me do things my way,  but with your family, on both sides mind you, he just doesn't see you as  husband material. It breaks my heart really, after all my work making  sure you got involved in our business. But daddy has spoken, if I want  you to stay with me you'll need to be by my side in a  more...professional capacity."

I  blinked at her stupidly, confused. I tried to speak again, but I  couldn't form the words. I managed to croak out "What?" But my throat  barely scraped the word out. My limbs wouldn't move at all there, and  that word seemed to have used the last of my strength all I could manage  was to sit there staring blankly trapped in my own body with my head  swimming and my eyes wide with fear. I glanced down at the brandy,  because I noticed Annabel hadn't touched hers and I began to have a very  bad feeling.

Annabel  looked sad "It's your own fault really honey. I went through all that  trouble to arrange for you to get brought into that heist. It was all so  simple. I send the Talon to bully poor Reggie and drop a few hints  about not being able to trust the wealthy and how we own this side of  town and he calls you, then you fail to pull it off and get stuck in  jail, where the Court can approach you and save you in exchange for your  loyalty. But you had to go and ruin everything by getting Gentleman  Ghost involved." She continued eating as she spoke, taking small bites  and swallowing before talking, like this was just another Saturday  night.

She  pouted at me in annoyance "Between Craddock and your father daddy  decided you were too much trouble and told me I had to let you go. But I  just couldn't do it. An O'malley and the nephew of Alberto Falcone?  Imagine the pedigree. My personal Talon, with the bloodline of both the  most feared assassins in Gotham and one of it's most ruthless killers.  So I had to do things my own way. Get close to you, wait until daddy  left town and then lure you over here. Not that it was hard, boys are so  stupid, show a little skin and you all turn into morons."

That  poisonous pout melted a bit, and she looked genuinely upset for a  moment "I admit I like you Morgan. I almost couldn't do it. But daddy  would never let us be together. The Falcone's are rabid dogs, they're  dangerous animals but one does not invite them into one's home. And the  O'malleys are powerful and skilled killers but they're only servants.  I'm afraid you're just...unsuitable. So all I can is make you into a  weapon I can keep by my side. I'll still have to get married of course,  but what we have will always be special. We can be together forever."

She  snapped her fingers and a form appeared, another Talon, or the same  one, I couldn't really tell. She gestured to him "Ah I did have a gift  for you. This is Nathaniel O'Malley. He's your uncle. I thought you  might want to meet him and see how strong he is. Becoming a Talon isn't  the end of the world love, you'll get used to it. I'm sure after a while  you'll even be happy to be by my side all the time, I know it's a scary  thing to think about but look at Nathaniel. He's been serving us for as  long as he can remember, just like his father and grandfather,"

She  leaned forward to cup my face gently, a patronizing parody of the way  she used to touch me when I thought we were together. When I thought she  was someone I might eventually fall in love with. "Choices and free  will aren't the magic potion people think they are Morgan. Choice is a  curse. People are idiots who ruin their own lives. They can't be  trusted. That's why the Court exists. We guide Gotham down a  more...enlightened path. We keep things civilized despite the best  efforts of the animals that live here to ruin them."

Her  eyes actually teared up a little "I care so much about you. I want to  free you from that burden. You don't need free will or choice, all you  need to do is be with me, and be happy. You're such a special person, so  funny and smart and sweet. You deserve better than the mediocrity you  would have been doomed to. The best you could hope for was what? Being a  second rate thief following Craddock around like a dog? I'll make you  more. Make you stronger. I love you Morgan." She giggled to herself  "There, I said it. I feel so much better."

Her  voice got excited "I love you. You're the first boy I ever loved, and  you're going to be with me always. I'll take such good care of you  honey, don't you worry. I'll even make sure your mother is brought into  the family, I do so adore her. I can have her made into a Talon with you  so we can all be togeth-" She stopped talking, seeming confused, and  looked down to see a sword sticking out of her chest. She looked up at  the blank mask of Nathaniel, apparently my uncle, she didn't seem angry,  just confused.

Almost  in slow motion she fell out of her chair, her eyes glued to mine, full  of hurt and confusion. I watched the girl who had betrayed me and told  me she loved me in the same breath bleed out on the floor while I sat  there completely unable to move. I couldn't look away, and as she died  she crawled over to me, her eyes never leaving mine and pulled herself  up to lean against her leg, resting her head on my knee. She smiled up  at me, blood between her lips "Together forever, right?" Then she closed  her eyes and rested her head against me and she never woke up again.