Chips Are Down (Ed/Open)

[Cassie Sanford]

Cassie ran her finger round the rim of her martini glass, the liquid inside it an obnoxiously bright pink in colour with a cocktail cherry floating in the top. She took a quick peak at the two cards in front of her again then set them face down on the green felt of the table. A jack and a ten, was that good? She couldn’t remember, Ed had tried time and again to teach her the basic rules of Texas Hold ‘Em, but there were far more interesting things she could be doing when they were in the same room.

”I’m in,” She said with a grin, ignoring the way the old gent next to her snorted with derision at her lack of technical language. What did he know about playing poker anyway, sure he had the biggest pile of chips on the table, but her luck would change, next round was her round, Cassie just knew it. Never mind that every time she played she lost all the money she put in, which was the only reason the guys let her play at all any more. A guaranteed quick buck for them.

The only reason he was beating her was because he seemed to have absolutely no interest in her boobs, which she’d been using as a distraction to hide the fact that she had absolutely no poker face what so ever. It was amazing how much cleavage one could flash when reach to push poker chips into the middle of the table. He was probably a wolf. Luckily there were three other men at the table who weren’t quite so able to resist her wiles.

The dealer gave a nod and slipped three cards onto the table face up, the river. Cassie eyed them and pouted. ”Oh applesauce.” She huffed, nose wrinkling in disappointment. Those cards were no good for her at all. She leaned back in her chair, eyeing the door to Doyle’s, distracted now that she was no longer involved in the game. Where was Ed? Cassie hadn’t seen him since that morning, which was far too long for her liking. He’d probably been off doing something incredibly dangerous for Silas again, she didn’t like it when he did that, especially because he never would tell her what.

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[Edward Heatley]

Lazily Edward flopped himself onto his bed still fully dressed, his shirt covered in what could only be blood. He hoped he wasn’t getting any of it on his quilt, otherwise that meant even more laundry would have to be done. The man groaned at the thought of more laundry and pulled himself off the bed, swearing in French as he trudged to the house’s small bathroom. He was so tired but he’d promised to meet Cassie at Doyle’s Speakeasy so he had to get ready to go out again. At least this time he left the house he wouldn’t be killing anyone. He’d be seeing his girlfriend, laughing and enjoying himself even if he did have a headache.

Ed stripped off his clothes, shivering at the cool air hitting his bare skin, and dumped them in a bucket of water to soak off the blood. Once that was done he showered and scrubbed furiously at the blood that had stained his skin. Even after much hard scrubbing there were still signs of blood on his hands, probably because they were covered in it so often. At last he deemed himself clean enough, got out of the shower and dressed himself after drip-drying for awhile. Waiting patiently outside Edward’s bedroom door sat a black Labrador puppy, his tail thumping rhythmically against it as he whined.

Rolling his eyes, Ed scooped up Rowdy as he exited the room and shoved him into the front seat of the car. Doyle surely wouldn’t mind another of Rowdy’s visits, even if the dog caused more trouble for the speakeasy owner than he was worth. Ed chuckled at the memory of Rowdy’s last visit as he neared the funeral home. “Merde*,” he swore suddenly, he’d forgotten that bloody black band for his arm and was in no mood to drive home again to fetch it. He was dressed in black anyway so hopefully it wouldn’t matter.

Rowdy tucked barking happily under one arm, the other fiddling with the black Fedora on his head; Edward strode straight to the secret door. He didn’t have to knock thanks to Rowdy and already the person behind the door was peering out curiously through a small slit. He recognised Ed but still had the audacity to enquire after the band and password. Ed glared in answer and the door was soon swung open for him. Who was going to mess with one of the coldest killers in St. Louis?

The glare and steely exterior dissipated immediately when he spotted Cassie. Removing his hat and coat he placed it on one of the many hooks next to the main door then went to Cassie, chuckling at the fact she was attempting to play poker. He placed a hand and soft kiss on the side of her head in greeting. Mmm her hair smelt good. “How is your day been Mon Belle?” he drawled cheerily, pulling up a chair next to her and signalling one of the waitresses for a drink.

On the man’s lap Rowdy squirmed profusely, trying to get at Cassie. Eventually he got free and attempted to jump onto the girl’s lap, failing miserably and falling to the floor with a dull thud. Forgetting all about Cassie the dog took off, investigating all of the other patrons before settling back with Ed happily chewing on one of his shoelaces.

“You winnin’ or non? How much argent** have I lossed dis time?” Ed laughed, eyeing the game suspiciously. No matter how many times he tried to explain how to play Cassie never seemed to quite grasp it, a fact that was detrimental to his wallet whenever she attempted to play at Doyle’s. He doubted this time would be any different but she could always surprise him and suddenly become a brilliant player.

Translations:
*Shit
**Money

[Cassie Sanford]

Cassie sighed and turned her attention back to the poker game, growing increasingly impatient with the lack of her boyfriend. There was only so long this other guys could keep her distracted. Think of the devil and he shalt come, though, and she stiffened in surprise then relaxed bonelessly as she felt the kiss on the side of her head. ”Eddie!” She beamed with delight, twisting in her chair to look at him and remaining oblivious to the fact that the move had caused her skirt to ride up and flash an ample amount of thigh at him.

”Better now you’re here.” Cassie gushed, giggling as Rowdy leapt from Ed’s lap and bounded around the room. She leaned forwards, one hand going to his knee, the other to his neck to pull him in so she could plant a kiss on his cheek, the red lipstick outline of her lips remaining on his skin even as she pulled back. Cassie could feel the hairs at the nape of his neck were still damp from a recent shower and she pouted as she realised she’s missed it.

Ed always showered before he came to see her, like he needed to wash away whatever horribly dangerous job Silas had him doing. Of course she had no idea it was more literal than that, a necessity to scrub the blood off his hands. Her mother always taught Cassie that she was onto a winner with a man who showered a lot. Which has always made her wonder why her mother had ever married her father, who came home from the factory covered in dirt and grime and wouldn’t shower at all.

Cassie wrinkled her nose, banishing those memories and concentrating on Ed instead. It didn’t matter to her that the poker game was still ongoing and they were now waiting for her bid. ”My new friends aren’t being very nice to me,” She explained with a little huff, gesturing at the other men at the table and then her pathetically meagre pile of poker chips. ”I’ve lost nearly everything.” Cassie paused biting her lip. ”You’re not mad at me are you?” One of her biggest concerns was that Ed would grow tired of her frittering his money away and leave.

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[Edward Heatley]

Edward’s skin tingled at Cassie’s touch, a hand on the knee was a favour he repaid almost instantly but the lipstick on the cheek was something he’d struggle at. His eyes widened more and more the further her skirt went up his thigh. He stared, biting his lip, for a moment before shaking his head a looking away. His head moved against her hand on his neck and closed his eyes. The man was obviously happy with having it there. If Ed were a cat he would have been purring, especially with the vision in his mind.

He opened and eyes and looked back at the poker game, eyeing the men around the table. Cassie hadn’t answered his question but the amount of chips on the table did. By the looks of things he’d lost a reasonable amount of money tonight. Her wrinkling her nose before she spoke made Edward beam. “I guess they is not very nice people,” he comforted Cassie with a kiss, raising an eyebrow at the other men when he faced them again. He didn’t know any of them and chances were none of them knew who he was so his influence wouldn’t work on them, not that Edward minded. People not being afraid of him made him feel like he was like them, like the only illegal thing he was doing was drinking.

“Mon cher, how could I ever be mad at you? I couldn’ be mad at you if I tried,” he replied, startled. He’d watched Cassie do this many times before; it wasn’t like all of a sudden he’d decide he didn’t want to see her waist an amount of money that didn’t really matter. Silas paid him handsomely for his services, a good part of which he stashed away. Edward was one of those ‘just in case’ kind of guys. “How does dis soun? We’ll work exra hard on your poker playin’ when we gets home eh?” he laughed, revelling in being in Cassie’s company. He leaned in and kissed her again, this time on the forehead. She’d get better at poker if it was the last thing Ed did but for now she was stuck with her losing hand.

The man watched the game content to hold loosely onto one of Cassie’s thighs while not-so-subtly moving his chair closer to her. He tried his best to keep his face impassive as Cassie tried to bluff her way through hands but it was hard. Watching her and her face was just so damn cute. Every time he wanted to say something he bit his lip and in attempt to help out her bluffs he raised his eyebrows at her hand as if impressed by it.

[Cassie Sanford]

The way Edward reacted to her touch made Cassie want to give up on poker and drag him home. What was the point being stuck playing a game she didn’t even understand with men she didn’t like all that much when she could be alone with a man she did like and play all sorts of games that were far more fun. She pouted a little, gave a soft sigh, then reluctantly let her attention shift back to poker just a little. The warm feel of Ed’s hand on her knee and the kiss he gave her were enough to keep her satisfied. For now.

”No, perhaps not.” She agreed with him, still smarting about the fact that they were beating her. It didn’t matter to her that they could hear every word of the conversation and probably wouldn’t appreciate being insulted, the only person she cared about now was Ed. Which is why she perked up considerably when he reassured her he wasn’t angry, slipping her hand in his to give it a quick squeeze and grinning coyly. Of course she knew Eddie never stayed mad at her for long, even when she did something really stupid, like the time she almost told that cop about Doyle’s, though she hadn’t known he was police at the time. That didn’t mean she didn’t want to hear it from Ed once in a while.

”That sounds just swell.” Cassie beamed. She liked it when Ed taught her things, he was always patient, even when she didn’t get it. ”You boys don’t mind if Eddie here joins us for a while, do you?” She asked the other man. A formality really and she barely spared them a glance to see if they agreed. It was hard to concentrate on anything else with Ed shifting closer and she snuggled into his side with no intention of letting him get away from her for the rest of the evening.

She picked up her cards again, the quick glance only serving as a reminder that her hand really was terrible. However Cassie was determined not to let her disappointment show on her face, wanting to play better now Ed was here. She looked to Ed for reassurance and was confused to see him looking impressed by the cards. Perhaps it was a good hand after all. Now the few rules she had been certain about were thrown into doubt. She pouted, wishing Ed could play for her, and settled for playing it safe by throwing a couple of chips onto the table to match the bet of the man before her.

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[Edward Heatley]

For the moment Edward was happy. He was sitting in a cheery establishment next to the girl he loved while watching her enjoy herself. He’d forgotten Rowdy was even there but an indignant little growl somewhere amongst what used to be his shoelaces reminded the man. He leant down and picked the dog up, placing him unceremoniously into his lap where the black bundle of fur began to paw playfully at and then softly chew one of Ed’s hands. Ed ignored the puppy’s needle like teeth in favour of the hand that was unfolding before him for Cassie.

It seemed his help in her bluff had worked; she was one of the last people yet to fold. The other one was the guy next to her who hadn’t been stupid enough to take the bait. In the end he won the hand and reduced Cassie to her last few chips. That was when Edward began to grow tired of watching poker especially with Cassie looking so tantalizingly beautiful in her sequined dress. He let his head fall onto one of her shoulders and sighed, a sure sign he was bored. Nuzzling her neck seemed like much more interesting business than a card game he wasn’t actually very good at.

“Mais, when dis game is over, wanna grab sometin’ to eat before de Jazz starts? I hasn’t eaten since lunch,” Ed asked, only just having realised how hungry he was. When he’d gotten home he’d meant to pick up something but he hadn’t been particularly hungry after being covered in blood. Silas had made him incorporate a sock and watching someone gag on one wasn’t particularly appetite helping either.

But the time for food came and passed no thanks to the poker game. Cassie actually won a couple of hands and Ed had had to tide his hunger with food from the various platters that were carried past the table every now and then. By the time Cassie had lost all her chips and some of Ed’s money, the musicians were already warming up. “Mais, I guess food has to be waiting. We should get a good spot on de dance floor,” with a smile Ed took Cassie’s hand and led her to the floor in front of the makeshift stage, letting Rowdy slide to the floor.

[Cassie Sanford]

Holy baloney it actually worked! Cassie tried and failed miserably to hide her delight when the other players folded. She giggled happily, fishing the cocktail cherry from her glass and popping it in her mouth to chew on, a treat for a job well done. The celebration was short-lived however as when it came down to it her cards just didn’t cut muster and the other guy still in the game trounced her, leaving her with all but a few chips.

The result, a loss, had better consequences than she could have hoped for. Ed leaned in, his head on her shoulder, his breath ghosting across her skin in a way that made a tingle run down her spine. She hummed her appreciation. With this as her reward for losing no wonder she did it so often. It took her a moment to realise the way his lips where tickling deliciously against her neck was him talking to her and not some new tantalising way to drive her wild.

Cassie pulled away from him a little so she could look at him. ”Oh Eddie,” She scolded, doing her best to look stern. ”Has Si been working you too hard again? That man is such a pill.” Her dislike of Silas Moran was something they’d been over many a time, mainly because when Ed was working she couldn’t spend time with him. ”You gotta make time to eat.” Cassie smiled and patted his hand affectionately. ”We’ll get Slick to fix you up with something spiffy soon as, promise.”

With barely a poker chip left to her name Cassie wasn’t expecting the game to last that much longer. Just her luck that when she wanted to lose she ended up on a winning streak. By the time she pushed the last of her chips into the centre of the table a couple of the boys from the band were already up on the stage tuning up. ”Well gentlemen its been the berries, but I’m all outta rubes. I’ll see you around.” She said, letting Ed lead her onto the dance floor.

Cassie looped her arms around his neck, standing close although the music hadn’t started yet and the slow songs wouldn’t be played until a lot later in the evening. She didn’t need an excuse to be close to Ed, a fact she exploited at every available opportunity. ”You feel tense.” She murmured. ”What did work bring for you today?” It was a sure-fire way to get Ed to shut down and go all surly, she knew he hated it when she asked about his work, but it seemed Cassie was a slow learner in every aspect of her life.

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[Edward Heatley]

For awhile Edward was quiet, happy to mull things over with Cassie in the middle of a growing crowd of people. He let his hands roam up and down her spine softly, letting his fingers every now and then get caught on one of the dress’ sequins. Silas didn’t work him very hard, compared to a lot of other people his workload was relatively light and it paid about twenty-times better than an ordinary job.

Of course the inevitable amounts of blood he ended up being covered in was rather annoying, especially when he used his meathook, luckily that only came out on very special occasions. All that blood meant that the man had to spend about four hours twice a week cleaning his clothes, not something he enjoyed doing but it had to be done.

Ignoring the faint notions of music that were starting to come from the band on stage, Edward began to hum a Cajun song in Cassie’s ear as the two of them swayed together. Cassie’s concern for him as heart warming and it caused Ed to beam at her. “I’m glad you is so concerned for my wellbein’,” he chuckled softly, holding Cassie a little closer.

If he wasn’t tense before, he sure was now after the mention of his work.

“Mon cher, you know I can’t talk about work, I would ‘cept I don want you caught up in it all,” Ed distanced himself slightly from her and looked at her sternly. There was no way he wanted her to really know what he did, to find out the man she was dating was a killer. He didn’t trust himself enough to allow any hope of telling her to creep in. He was too afraid she’d leave or, even worse, stay out of fear.

The man who killed and the man who he was were two different people, neither one governed the other. As for the matter of not wanting Cassie caught up in his other life, the fact that he worked for Silas Moran was enough information for her to know. If keeping her in the dark meant keeping her safe then that was what Ed would do.

“Mais, I don really do nuttin’ important, jus’ deliver a few messages here and dere and get money for you to spend,” Ed shrugged and relaxed again, even chuckling a little. For a moment he looked away, contemplating things. He really didn’t like hiding things –except maybe money- from Cassie, he felt guilty for it. In a meagre effort to distract her, Ed placed a soft kiss on her forehead and pulled her in for tight hug. “Cher, you know you mean de world to me, huh?” he whispered softly.

[Cassie Sanford]

Cassie leaned in, the soft hum of Edward’s song sending a shiver of pleasure tingling down her spine. She was quite content to let him lead them through their own private dance. Cassie let her head rest on his chest, turning her head into his neck and drinking in his scent; the scrubbed clean smell of soap. Safe and warm in his arms the world seemed to melt away. The moment couldn’t last though and she almost sighed when he spoke again, breaking the spell.

The pout quickly melted away when he chuckled, she liked that she could make him laugh, although she wasn’t entirely sure what the joke was. ”Of course I’m concerned. I don‘t know what I’d do without you.” After the last guy she’d promised herself she’d never depend on a man again, but that had all gone out the window (much like her arm had) when she met Edward. He was her white knight. The tension she could feel bunching the muscles of his neck and shoulders was enough to make her feel she was quite justified in her concern.

”I know you can’t,” The pout was back in full force and she unlinked her hands so she could let his fingers trace idly through the hair at the nape of his neck. ”But I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself.” Cassie argued, knowing the argument was circular and wouldn’t get her anywhere didn’t stop her from pushing her luck. She leaned back a little, her lower lip trembling at the stern look her was giving her. ”Don’t you trust me?”

”Baloney!” A small frown creased her brow. ”No mailman I ever knew brought in the dough like what you do.” Cassie spent enough of Ed’s money to know he wasn’t exactly struggling to make ends meet. Every time she came close to pressing for answers he somehow managed to distract her though, and this occasion was no different. Any defiance melted away at the kiss and the embrace, again Cassie found herself wishing they weren’t in such a public space.

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