| 𝐀 𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑

II.

     Finally, everyone was settled and Anna felt slightly calmer. She yawned and ran her fingers through her hair. Looking around her living room/bedroom, she saw Crane and Tetch on the pullout couch, Bridget and Oswald on the loveseat, Fries on the recliner, and Valeska on her bed. They were all talking amongst themselves. Suddenly she couldn't help but wonder why they needed to stay here. As far as she knew, Oswald had a perfectly fine place for them. Maybe something happened to it or they were being chased. Anna almost wanted to ask but she knew that the less she knew, the better.
     When she first became Oswald's "friend", she figured out quickly that asking questions was a bad idea. He told her what she needed to know and that was enough. Oswald told her that if she didn't want to do something, all she had to do was say no. And that he'd find someone else. Anna always had a hard time saying no, but if she knew it was something that she felt was genuinely, morally wrong, she told him no. And this wasn't exactly wrong, she was just letting a friend stay at her place for a night. Nothing wrong with that.
     She pulled a fuzzy blanket and an extra pillow out of her closet and tossed them on the floor. No way was she sleeping anywhere remotely near Jerome. Even if it was the only furniture with space for another person.
     "What are you doing?" Oswald asked.
     "I'm about to go to sleep, if that's okay with you, Mr. Cobblepot." She said mockingly.
     "You can't possibly be sleeping on the floor, I—" He says in disbelief.
     "Can and will. If you think I'd be stupid enough to sleep in the same bed as Valeska, you've got a rich sense of humor." Anna said, half laughing. Her smiled immediately dropped when she heard the raspy, annoying giggle of Jerome Valeska.
     "Oh come on! Why not? We're all friends here." He said.
     "Because I'd prefer not to be murdered in my sleep." She answered bluntly.
     "Suit yourself princess. If you change your mind," He patted the bed, which she wrinkled her nose at. Anna turned out all of her lamps and laid on her floor. She pulled the covers over her and shut her eyes.
     She fell blissfully asleep for about an hour and then woke up with a sore back. Damn, this really wasn't as easy as she thought. But she refused to sleep anywhere but the floor. So Anna continued to toss and turn until finally, she trudged up to her bed where Valeska was sprawled out. She warily touched his shoulder, to which he opened one eye and smirked.
     "Shut up and move over." She whispered angrily. She laid down, back facing him, and shut her eyes again.
     "So you finally gave up being stubborn, huh?" He rasped.
     "Do you ever stop talking? Let me sleep." She turned over onto her back. She refused to face him.
     "I will, promise, just let me ask you a question." She sighed and then turned onto her side so they were both facing each other.
     "What?" Anna said.
     "What's your name?" He asked genuinely. She knit her brow, confused, and then realized nobody had said her name and she never told them what it was. Probably better that way, she figured.
     "Like... my full name?" She asked.
     "Mhm." He said sleepily. She hesitated for a minute, then finally said,
     "Anna Sharpe. Why do you care?"
     "Just wondering." He said simply. She must've fallen asleep shortly after that, because she didn't remember anything else.
     When the sun lit up Anna's apartment through the blinds, she peeked through her eyelids. And then she realized she had her arms wrapped around Jerome like he was a big teddy bear. Shocked, she pushed herself back so hard she fell off the bed, taking the covers with her. Bridgit began laughing so hard she held her stomach.
     "If you don't get out within the next 5 minutes, I'm going to kill you all." Anna said, embarrassed.
     "A deal's a deal, friend." Oswald said, satisfied.