I woke up to Jack's delirium.
"Elizabeth? Could you get me something to drink?" He said tapping my head and I sat up, rubbing my eyes.
"I'm not Elizabeth," I mumbled but I got up anyway. After checking on Nil (who was still sleeping, lucky), I fixed a glass of water and brought it to him.
"You remembered the ice!" He exclaimed happily and I blinked. He hadn't asked for ice.
"Um...I guess," I replied surrendering and he grinned at me taking the water. Draining the glass, he threw it in the air and twirled it around with his powers.
"Elizabeth, remember that day when we were able to snick off into the woods for a picnic? That was a good day. Although Shelia was being a complete...well...she wasn't being very nice," he told me mildly and I climbed on the bed to get the glass from the air. It dropped a little ways into my hand and I looked over at him. He was fast asleep and I put the glass on the table.
After taking the best shower of my life, I looked in on Nil and found that he was awake.
"Hey," I greeted him and he raised a hand half heartedly. He looked terrible. His hair was messed up and he looked like he had been crying earlier. Sitting next to him, I put an arm around him.
"Your mom or just the whole thing?" I suggested and he shook of my arm. I put it securely in my lap and he avoided my gaze. His face was screwing up in an effort not to cry and I felt my own eyes start to tear up. He was too young for this. Not only that but he looked like he needed Jack and not me to help him out with this. Jack understood this better than me. The whole hopelessness of the situation and I started crying. I didn't cry with great gasping sobs but quietly as Nil did. Pulling him towards me, I hugged him and tried not to kill the Joker. He pushed me away gently after awhile and I saw that he had started crying again too.
"We're hopeless, aren't we?" I said wiping my eyes with my hands and he smiled weakly at me.
"Not so hopeless. You seem to do a great job of handling Jack and me. I'm the one who's hopeless. I can't even save my mom," He scowled at the carpet and I mussed his hair.
"A great job? I can't even get Jack to not get mad at me. I'm not exactly the most amazing person here. If anything, I think that Jack and you are. I don't think I'd be able to go through what you two did before I just ahead and killed myself. I don't have the sort of strength that you two do for this," I answered and he stared at me wide eyed.
"But...all we're doing is living," he blinked rapidly trying to get my conclusion past his thought process. It didn't work too well because he was still staring at me when I shook my head a few moments later.
"Sometimes living is the hardest part of life," I told him and he shook his head.
"No, killing yourself is the hardest part. It just goes against every instinct so people have to be both brave and depressed enough to take their own life," he disagreed and I frowned.
"That's the coward's way out of it," I stated and he glared at me and I glared right back. Finally seeing the humor in the disagreement, I burst out laughing with him joining in after realizing what I had. The sounds of our laughter disturbed Jack, who stumbled into the room during our amusement.
"Elizabeth! What's going on in here?" He roared and we both abruptly stopped. A mixture of hurt, unhappiness, and straight up suspicion was playing across his face before I stood up and walked over to him and let him lean against me.
"This is Nil, remember? He's a new Royal and he needs your help. Will you help him?" I told him and he glanced at him after staring at me for a long second and then sighed. Bring me back to my room. I can't believe that Shelia changed the castle again. She really ought to learn that changing it won't change much. I'll see what I can do Elizabeth but I'm going to have to bring it past Shelia first. She is my dove after all," he said consolably and I bit my lip. Maybe drugs would help him. He was still burning up and he looked so out of it.
