World's Greatest Criminal Wife

Chapter 1

     "I'll be honest, Monica, I am... surprised you asked me to go out tonight," Rose admitted as she sat down, fixing her dress. "I mean, we haven't talked in so long!"
Monica chuckled awkwardly, her arms resting on the table. "Oh please, it has only been two years. Maybe three."
"Yeah, that is kind of a long time."
"I know, I know." She leaned back in her chair, admiring her friend. She was as gorgeous as the flower she was named after, and she smelled just as nice too. Her smile was nice and comforting, her eyes glittering sapphires. Monica's hear nearly leapt out of her chest just being in her presence. She had always been in love with her friend, but she had never been able to muster the courage to tell her.
Unfortunately for her, she would never be able to.
I knew I should have confessed sooner.
     "Is everything alright?" Rose asked. "You don't look like you feel so good. Are you sick?"
Monica blinked, caught off guard by her sudden question. "No, I am fine. I am just happy to see you after so long."
Rose shook her head with a smirk, but her smile faded after a moment. "You have been acting strange ever since I gave you the wedding invitation. Why have you not come to see me after so long?"
"Rose, you and I both know very well that me and Flaversham do not get along," she answered, trying to think of a satisfying reply. "Every time I saw you, he was there with you. I did not want to accidentally snap his neck in front of you. Plus, my mother has been keeping me busy with work and... other things."
Rose chuckled, seemingly content with the answer she gave her. "Parents can be like that sometimes. How is the rest of the family doing, by the way?"
Monica sighed with relief, leaning back in her chair. "They have been fine. My parents are doing well, Vitani started school a while ago, and Sean ended up getting a job."
     "Oh, how wonderful!" she exclaimed. "So, where is he working?"
     "Why, I work here, actually!"
     Monica nearly leapt out of her skin as Sean appeared beside her, laughing at his sister's terrified face. "Don't scare me like that, you asshole!" she yelled as she smacked him in the arm, making him snicker.
     "Watch your mouth, Monica," he teased. "It is not ladylike for a woman to swear, you know."
     "Does it look like I care what mom thinks?" she sneered.
     He rolled his eyes playfully. "You know I am just giving you shit, right?" He nudged her as he pulled a pen and notepad from his apron pocket. "I am guessing you want something as dark as your soul?"
     Monica gave a sigh of defeat. "Yes... please..."
     "One vanilla latte it is, then."
     "Excuse me?" Monica looked raised an eyebrow. "I would not exactly call myself a saint, thank you very much."
     "I know, but black coffee is not very tasty, if you ask me." He giggled as she sighed with annoyance. He took Rose's order as well before before racing behind the counter.
     "Well, it is good to see he has not changed a bit," Rose pointed in as she watched him work.
     Monica nodded slowly. "He is still the same annoying little brother he always has been."
     Rose laughed. "Oh, don't say that. He is just having fun with you, that is all."
     "I know, but he still get on my nerves sometimes." She slumped down in her chair, her arms crossed. "You got lucky, Rose. It must be nice to have some time to yourself... and be forced to look after your annoying siblings."
     "Sometimes," Rose agreed with a shrug. "But honestly, it got rather lonely. I feel better having Flaversham to keep me company."
Flaversham. His name left a bitter taste in her mouth. She could not stand him and Rose knew that. Luckily, she tried to keep him out of conversations as much as possible. It made her feel at least a little bit better.
"Well, speaking of him, our life has just gotten a little bit busier."
"I am not surprised." Monica shrugged with a snicker. "Flaversham can be a bit of a handful sometimes."
"Oh, come on, he is not that bad," Rose said, trying to defend her husband. Monica rolled her eyes as her friend continued. "Me and him have another mouth to feed now."
"Excuse me? What do you mean by that?" Monica sat up again, leaning over the table. She wasn't concerned for a moment, but the more she though about Rose's words, something in the back of her mind made her worry. She couldn't possibly mean that, could she? Relax, everything is fine. Maybe it is not what you think it is. Perhaps they got some sort of pet or they adopted a kid. Do not start jumping to worst case scenario right now.
"I think you know what I mean," she replied, patting her stomach gently. "Luckily the swelling has gone down. It has been three months, after all."
Monica froze, trying not to physically gag. Her stomach was doing flips. It was just as she feared. That... bastard! First, he steals my spotlight, then he steals my girl, and now, he has ruined her! And she seems so happy about it! She stared down at her feet, fighting back a wave of angry tears.
"Congratulations, Rose!" Sean said as he reappeared, setting their drinks on the table. "If I may ask, what name did you choose?"
Rose chuckled at his curiosity. "Her name is Olivia. She is the most perfect baby I could have asked for. Flaversham absolutely adores her."
"Well, I am glad to hear everything went alright. Just make sure he does not spoil her to death." He noticed Monica's pained look and rested a hand on her back. "I am sorry, Monica. I hope the coffee cheers you up. I can pay for it if you want me to."
Monica sighed, prying his hand off gently. "Do not worry about it. I will pay before we go." Sean nodded, patting her shoulder one more time before heading off to serve other customers.
Rose watched him leave before turning her attention back to her friend. "What did he mean by "sorry"?" she asked, her voiced laced with concern. "Is something wrong? Was it something I did?"
"Nothing," Monica lied. She was too angry and paranoid to tell her the truth. She didn't want to lose her best friend over this. "Everything is fine. Forget about it, ok?" She never looked up, continuing to stare at the floor.
     "Monica, if something is wrong, you can tell me. I will understand you."
     "No, I am just fine."
     "Clearly, you are not. Just tell me so I can help you!"
     "I SAID I AM FINE!"
     Monica's violent outburst got the attention of the rest of the cafe, including the employees, staring at her in shock. Rose sat back in her chair, terrified hearing her friend's sudden outburst. Monica glanced around at the horrified faces before realizing she was standing, sitting back down. The people turned around after a moment, continuing with their conversations as if nothing happened. Even still, she could still hear them talking about her behind her back. "Look, I-I am sorry for screaming. Let's just drink out stuff before it gets cold."
     Rose nodded as she reached for her drink, her hand trembling as she grabbed the cup. Her expression showed she was still shaken up, even after her apology. Monica kept her mouth shut for a while as she sipped at her latte. She was never the biggest fan of vanilla, but it seemed to make her feel better.
     After a moment, she put her cup down, letting out a shaky breath as she broke the silence with some more friendly conversation. "So, I heard you two opened a shop not too long ago. How is that working out for you?"
     Rose looked up from her hot chocolate, the fear in her gaze slowly fading away. "Well, it has been alright," she replied. "It has not been making the most money, but it does help pay the bills." She giggled a bit, making Monica smile.
     The longer the friends talked, the quicker the tension between them died down. It felt good to be talking to her best friend again after so many years apart. Monica let Rose ramble as she gently felt the knife in her pocket. She had brought it for this very meeting, but now she dreaded using it. However, it was the right thing to do, right? She had to get revenge tonight. This was just why she asked her friend to join her. She needed to do it before it was too late.
     "Hey, are you even listening?"
     Monica shook her thoughts away with an awkward laugh. "Yeah, yeah, I was. But, it is starting to get late. Whenever you are done, I can pay and get you home."
     "Too late for that!" She leapt out her seat as Sean startled her again. "I already paid for it!"
     "I thought I told you not to, moron," she scolded him, slapping him in the chest. He giggled as if it barely tickled.
     "I know, but I am getting paid soon. It is not as if it is hurting me at all."
     She sighed with frustration, rubbing her head. Her brother was so stubborn; it pissed her off. "Wh-Whatever. Let's go."
     Rose nodded as she stood up, pushing in her chair. "Yeah, I should be heading home. Flaversham might worry if I am gone for too long. Thank you again, Sean." She wrapped her arms around him, standing on her toes to give him a hug.
     "Do not even worry about it," he told her with a hearty chuckle. "But, you owe me for this." He poked his sister's nose. She batted it away with an annoyed snarl.
     "Whatever, I will pay you when I get home." He smirked and left to sign out for the night, nearly knocking over his coworker on his way out.
     Rose led the way outside, Monica following close behind. The streets were nearly pitch black, the flame-lit street lamps providing little help in the pouring rain. Rose groaned, looking up at the cloudy night sky. Apparently, she hadn't thought to bring a coat or an umbrella either. Monica slipped out of her shit coat, placing it on her friend's head before leading her down the street.
     She looked up at Big Ben, the clock tower looming over the London buildings. The clock face's golden glow illuminated the hands as they slowly ticked. Nearly 10 p.m. Once the bells chimed, she could enact her revenge. Hopefully, the loud rolling would be enough to silence any screams. If nothing else, she was a brilliant planner.
     She tapped the knife in her pocket with one claw. Guilt had already began to settle in just by touching the blade. She would never wish harm on her friend, so why was she doing this now? It wasn't too late to change her mind. Shut up, you stubborn bitch. Calm down. You can't let her think something is wrong. You two are close to her house now, anyway. Just wait a few more minutes. She shook off the feeling before continuing on, walking beside Rose.
     However, even if the guilt didn't make her paranoid, the feeling of someone watching them certainly did. She could sense somebody following close behind, but she couldn't see anybody from any direction. The rainy puddles splashing with each raindrop didn't help her nerves. It made her shiver, but she tried her best to ignore it.
     In the distance, she spotted a faint glow coming from a nearby shop window. The sign above the door read "Flaversham's Toy Shop" in bold wooden letters. Inside, Flaversham say at a workbench, holding a small baby girl in his arms. She reached up and touched his nose, making him smile. His happy face made her sick, but he wouldn't be smiling in a minute.
Rose sighed at her new family as she handed Monica her suit. "Thank you so much for taking me out tonight. It was really nice talking to you again. Maybe we can do it again sometime!"
"Ye-Yeah!" Monica stuttered. Just hearing the glee in her voice made her feel bad. "It might be a lot of fun."
She smiled brightly. "Well, I should probably head inside before the storm hits, huh! Thank you again for everything." Rose turned around and reached for the door.
"Wait..." She placed a hand on her shoulder, slipping her other hand in her pocket. "Can I... can I at least get a hug... before you go?"
Rose looked taken aback by the sudden request, but she happily fulfilled it, giving her a soft hug. Monica tightly squeezed her, soaking up her lovely warmth until she began to grow cold. It was quite unfortunate that she would be feeling a lot colder in a few moments.
     As the clock finally struck ten, Monica whispered an apology, swiftly raised her blade, and stabbed poor Rose in the back.
     Rose's screams were drowned out by the loud bells that chimed above, echoing thorough the city streets. Monica's heart ached, but she knew this is what she needed to do. She had finally gotten her revenge on the man that has made her life a living hell, taking away the one thing he loved the most, just as he did.
"I am terribly sorry," she whispered again as her friend stared in horror. "But if I cannot have you, than neither can he..." She pulled Rose in, giving her a kiss. Her lips were as soft as she had imagined, but they growing colder by the second. As she pulled away, the young mouse spat blood in her face, the liquid dripping down her cheek.
"Y-You," she croaked, breathing heavily. "Yo-You... you... little..." Before she could finish her sentence, she fell limp, her head rolling back until she was staring at the ground. Her blood dripped between Monica's fingers, forming a small puddle beneath her. She carefully touched Rose's neck, stroking her until her hand rested on the girl's chest. Her heartbeat continued to slow until it finally stopped. Monica lowered her head with a sorrowful sigh.
Rose Flaversham, the girl she had loved for years, was now dead.