I own nothing but mysterious girl who will have a name by the next chapter.
CHAPTER 1
"We know what we are, but not what we may be."
The high pitched cry mingled with the already buzzing streets of Gotham and Oswald was surprised he had even heard it. He did not rush to see what was happening, sounds of terror were practically white noise in this city, but as he walked past the alley he did bother to glance down it to see what was happening. He was thankful he did for it gave him just the split second he needed to step out of the way as two thugs came barreling past him and into the streets.
With a slight gasp he jumped back, barely avoiding getting run over by them. He watched them disappear into the crowded street giving a slight chuckle. Another mugging in Gotham. Must be a Monday, he thought to himself. With curiosity he glanced behind him to see who the unfortunate victim had been, and could immediately see why they had chosen their target.
She was very pretty, but more than that, her expensive looking clothes were very pretty. Or at least they had been, he mused as he watched her struggle to lift herself from the filthy puddle she had been pushed into. Her dress was now soaked and dingy, but underneath the muddy water he could still see its shiny silver glitter. It would have reminded him of something Ms. Mooney would wear, if it hadn't been of a slightly more modest cut. Although now as she lifted herself to her feet on shaky, high heeled shoes the wet fabric clung to her figure, and took on a transparent aspect, revealing the slight outline of lacy undergarments and leaving little to the imagination. Oswald was transfixed by her as he watched her take a shaky step before hissing in pain and collapsing to lean against a metal dumpster.
He wondered if he should call out to her and he felt his mind and his emotions split. This wasn't exactly a city for heroes and he couldn't help but feel she had gotten what she deserved. For a young lady to wander around Gotham alone in the evening, especially in a dress that might as well have been made of money she had honestly been asking for it. But he couldn't help but feel his heart twinge for the girl. She looked so tragic and vulnerable there, shivering and injured in the alleyway and he could help but feel sympathy gnawing at him because he knew exactly how cold the water was and how much it hurt to be knocked down on to the hard concrete.
"Sir?"
He was jolted from his thoughts by the soft call and realized that while his eyes had been trained on her soaked figure, her wide doe-eyes had spotted him. Even from several feet away he could see the pleading in them as she stared at him expectantly through the loose hairs that had fallen from her otherwise put together updo. The look of fear and helplessness radiating off of the fresh and pretty face made up his mind for him. Although he would never consider himself to be anyone's knight in shining armor, Mother raised a gentleman and this was obviously a damsel in distress if he had ever seen one.
"Are you alright Miss?" he called back to her, walking cautiously towards her. It was always best to be cautious in this city.
"Yeah…" she said, bracing herself against the dumpster and standing on one foot trying to lean down to inspect the other. "I think my ankle is twisted though."
As he approached he realized that she was shorter than him, smaller than him in general. Even though Oswald was barely beneath the average height of most men, he was constantly surrounded by tall, beefy men that made him seem little by comparison. Now as he stood over this frail and pitiful girl, he couldn't help but feel his ego swell just a bit. It wasn't often that he felt himself to be in a position of power and now, he realized that he was in control. He could be this girl's savior. He could also easily overtake her if he so chose. Not that he wanted to but there was something thrilling in knowing that his choosing not to was the only thing that was currently protecting her. Like a baby bird that had fallen from a nest, her life was in his hands, and the thought of that caused a smile to stretch across his face.
The girl was oblivious to the thoughts running through his head and was only aware that he had made his way to her. "They took my purse. All my money, my phone…" She straightened herself back up to address him and he was surprised at the way that she showed no wariness of him. In fact, she met his smile with a small, grateful one of her own. You would think that a girl who was just mugged would have learned her lesson about not trusting strangers but she seemed relieved that he was there. The poor naïve little fool. He realized that it really was up to him that this vulnerable little thing made it back to its nest. "You don't have a phone I could use do you?"
"No miss, I'm sorry. But I can give you some change for a payphone," he offered, digging in his pockets for a couple of quarters. She smiled and tried to take a step closer to him but her ankle gave out and she fell forward with a small gasp. Oswald instinctively caught her by the shoulders as she fell against his chest. As she tilted her head up to look at him he became extremely aware of how close their faces were and just how red and soft her lips look, how big and brown her eyes were, how warm she felt against him despite her cold, dripping clothes. He felt his face flush and, in a panic, he straightened her back up so that she was leaned against the dumpster again, creating a distance between them, but his hands still lingering on her shoulders.
Seeming to sense his discomfort, her lip twitched up at the corner. "Sorry for falling for you like that…" she muttered with a small wink. He was caught off guard by her sudden flirtatiousness and only gaped at her a moment before letting out a strangled laugh, feeling his cheeks heat up. Suddenly he didn't feel so in control anymore and felt himself growing increasingly nervous under her playful gaze. She let out a small, breathy laugh. Her eyes appeared softer and he realized that she was trying to alleviate his anxious demeanor. He returned her look with a shy smile and glanced down at his feet. That's when he noticed her ankle. As he knelt down to inspect it he could clearly see that she was right. It was obviously twisted and already bruising as it swelled against the straps of her heels. He gently took it in his hand and heard her hiss in pain above him.
"It's definitely twisted." He confirmed, tilting his head to look up at her. "Do you live close? I can help you get a cab."
"That would be wonderful if those crooks had left me the money to pay for one," she muttered, the wounded look returning.
"I can pay for it." Oswald offered quickly. As soon as the words left his mouth he internally groaned. Like he could afford it himself. Why had he said that? But as those wide eyes met his in shock he knew exactly why.
"You don't have to do that."
"But I want to." At that her expression became one of surprised gratefulness and he could feel the former feelings of control coming back to him filling him with an unfamiliar confidence. He offered her a smile and surprised himself by taking her hand and helping her to lean against him to walk. "Besides, what kind of a man would I be if I left you to find a way home in this state?"
As he said the words, he became once again aware of the transparency of her dress and the way her body shivered against him. He quickly shrugged off his jacket and draped it around her before beginning to help her down the alley.
She willingly leaned into him, and once they reached the street, she looked up at him with a grateful smile. "Sir I really can't thank you enough-"
"It's no problem," he cut her off, holding up his hand and shaking his head and smiling but she continued nonetheless as he tried to call a cab.
"No really, in this city I was lucky enough that someone bothered to even check on me, let alone do all this. Honestly most men probably would have even tried to.." she let her voice trail off. He glanced back at her and he couldn't break his gaze from her eyes. She was looking at him like he was some kind of savior. Some kind of protector. He had never had anyone look at him like this and now here was this girl, beautiful and kind, and looking at him like…
The cab pulled up, snapping him back to reality. "It…it's n-no p-p-problem." He stammered, his face getting warm again. He quickly avoided her eyes and rummaged through his pocket for his wallet, pulling out the cab fare and handing it to her.
She took it from him, without looking away from his face, letting her fingertips slide over his hand as she did so. Did she do that on purpose? "What did you say your name was again?"
He blinked and willed himself not to stutter. "I didn't, Oswald Cobblepot." Good, he thought, giving himself a mental pat on the back.
She smiled. "Oswald," she repeated, as if testing the name out. She suddenly lifted herself onto her toes with her good foot and, leaning against his chest for support, kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you Oswald." She said it softly and he felt his heart speed up. With one last smile at him she slid into the cab. "I'll be sure to get this back to you," she assured him, indicating the coat.
Oswald didn't respond, still taken aback. She shut the door and a realization hit him. "Wait!" he shouted. " I didn't catch your name!"
She looked a little surprised, but then her eyes twinkled with amusement as the corner of her lip lifted. "You have no idea who I am," she mused. Oswald face contorted in confusion but before another word could pass between them, the cab pulled away. He watched it go, dumbfounded. Who was she? Still feeling the lingering touch of her kiss, he pressed his palm to his cheek where her lips had been and felt a dopey grin cross his face. It didn't last long, however as heard the Gotham clock tower chime. Six 'o' clock, he realized in horror. He was late for work. He began rushing down the street towards Fish Mooney's club suddenly aware of the fact that he was only in his white button-up. He immediately cursed himself for giving the girl his coat. It was bad enough that he would be late, but late and under dressed? Miss Mooney would not be happy about this.
Hey guys! First off, thank you so much for reading! I'd love to hear some feedback, good or bad, so if you have the time I'd really appreciate it! This is my first shot at fanfiction but I've had these ideas in my head for a while and I couldn't not write them. I'm a huge fan of the show, especially of the brilliant actor Robin Lord Taylor, and I just really love what he's done with Penguin. He and the other actors just really breathed life into these larger-than-life characters and made them so real. But anyways, enough rambling! I've got the next chapter up already and I'll be updating them quickly as I go. Thanks again!
