Sorry for the long wait. Life has been hectic and complicated, but here is a short gooey chapter all the same. I own nothing.

Chapter 9

Mary's POV…

"This is how it's going to be someday…for the rest of our lives," I thought as I woke up the morning after, for the first time safe in the arms of my Oswald.

"Ummm…beautiful," I breathed against the skin of his neck as I kept my body next to his, draped like a human scarf where I belonged until smiling I traced those sacred words, I love you, into his skin wanting those words to be imbedded into him.

"He's asleep…he won't notice," I thought continue to let my fingers play over his skin those words written invisible on his skin until he stirred making me look at him discovering he was awake after all.

"You found an interesting way to wake me up…that tickles," breathed Oswald smiling in that sleepy way I had pictured him doing for years. Now, I was finally getting to see it, and running my hands over his chest again I smiled. This was how our lives was supposed to be. Together, waking up like this, happy, and completely in love. Like we were right now; like we had always been. Our eyes met as we laid in our comfortable silence and I didn't have to ask. Like me, Oswald wanted it to stay like this, for us to not just have these fleeting moments, but have them every day instead. We shared a smile and reaching up I brought my lips to his.

"You weren't awake yet, so I was practicing telling you I love you," I breathed feeling as his fingers dug into my skin grabbing me, bringing me to kiss him. I twirled my arms around his neck kissing him with such ferocity until finally we had to breath.

"Oswald…I love you…so much," I exclaimed our noses brushing carelessly together as we peered into each other's eyes. After a moment, I let our foreheads touch, my fingers lightly scratching at the back of his neck. With him, in that moment, for the first time I woke up feeling safe, loved, and clean. I was the one he loved, Oswald loved me, and being with him again it was like everything about me was cleansed. Because I was with him, finally, after all this time. I wanted to lay like that with him forever, but the life we were living meant that wasn't possible. Oswald had a job to do. He had to continue to be a double agent, to cross lines, and hopefully it would lead to our future. Where he was king of Gotham and I was his queen. A future where we were together, and Maroni was dead. Until then, I would continue to wait for him to take his rightful place as king. I only hoped it wouldn't be years before this happened. Because I wanted to have days like this with him every day—for the rest of my life.

"I don't want to go back to him," I whispered feeling as he nodded understanding yet not at the same time, for I wanted him to hurry up, for him to rescue me, but it wasn't time for that now. I had to keep waiting and when the time came we would be together. Then I could be his queen. That time seemed so far away now though. That thought made me hold him tighter his arms holding me just as tight as I buried my head in his chest. Sometime being patient was the hardest thing to do. As that went through my mind, I felt his lips touch the top of my head, and looking at him I didn't have to ask. With my head still on his chest, I saw in Oswald's eyes that he felt the same. He didn't want to have to send me back to that man, if he could be called one, Oswald wanted me to stay with him. To be his, I could see in his eyes the longing to finally be together, but I saw hope there too along with determination. Soon, he would be king, and our wait would be over.

"I don't want to let you go, but it won't be long now, my love. Soon I'll be king, you'll be my queen, and our future can begin. We'll be waking up like this for the rest of our lives," said Oswald his hands moving soothingly along my back silently assuring me of the truth in his words and looking at him still, I did. With a final kiss, we rose from the bed, Oswald kissed mu hand as he walked with me, naked, to the bathroom where we shared a bath.

Only then did I realize that we must be the only ones awake in Gotham. The sun wasn't up, and his clock read 5 am. But I was glad because it meant our time wasn't up yet. I could spend this morning with him basking in the love we shared, and no one was awake to interrupt. It was in that moment that I started to realize that Oswald and I truly were one of a kind. Soulmates.

"I love you…I promise you, someday, every morning, every day, every night, it will be just you and I," said Oswald tenderly running his fingers through my wet hair and as our eyes met I smiled leaning back into his arms. Looking at him, I touched his cheek my fear for him rising to the surface. His secret was out, now, his life would be in danger.

"I know that…I want that, but Oswald—I'm scared for you. What if this gets you killed?" I gasped holding in the tears that thought brought as he instinctively hugged me closer.

"Don't think about it. Nothing's going to happen to me…I'm going to be king, then I'm going to come get you, and make you my queen. We'll kill Maroni together and live happily ever after. Everything's going to be fine, I'm going to be fine…Don't worry," whispered Oswald kissing my face all over before continuing on to my lips. Lifting my hands from the water, I cradled his face as we kissed the room silent except for the sound of our breathing. But then it broke. I peered into his eyes and with my hands still cradling his face I simply stared at him until I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"We kill Maroni together—we're a team, partners…we may not have said the vows yet, but we're husband and wife, Oswald. We do this together; I'm going to hold you to that," I whispered gently pecking him on the lips before turning I straddled him not caring as the water splashed out onto the floor feeling as he held my hips as he kissed the hollow of my throat nodding; he knew exactly what I was alluding to. And then our eyes met again.

"I'll never give up on you, Oswald, and I won't stop worrying either. I love you, just like you love me, and if it were you, you know you say the same thing. The fact that we worry about each other shows just how much we loved each other. Think about it, if I told you not to worry…what would you say?" I exclaimed our foreheads touching as he looked right back at me his fingers tracing the curves of my spine. His face was still in my hands as I ran my thumbs over his cheeks. I felt as he leaned closer to me our minds connected as much as our bodies in that moment.

"I'd say I'm going to worry anyway," whispered Oswald our lips just barely touching.

"I'm going to worry anyway," I breathed finding myself barely able to get a gulp of air before he was on me. Oswald captured my lips with his devouring my mouth as he used his hands to guide my hips until they met his.

I didn't even realize it when Oswald entered me. I was too lost in his kiss, but as he settled there I broke away for air looking down at him. Taking another gasp of air, I kissed him once more as we started to make love the moment more about love and the connection we shared than anything else. In these moments with him, I always felt like I was coming home, and maybe that's because I was. He was my home. It was as we made love that I realized half the water had left the tub. A giant puddle was on the floor and laughing I gripped Oswald's shoulders laughing again as I peered not caring at our surroundings. It was careless and beautiful and sexy and wonderful. It could only be this way with him; the man I loved.

"We're spilling the water from the tub—your bathroom is a mess now," I gasped releasing a laugh that turned into a moan as he hit that special spot inside me my body his completely. To do what he pleased. And in that moment, he did, the man I loved, my Oswald, I was his as he was mine; in that moment that was clear to us both. Oswald laughed at my words a growl of satisfaction leaving him to vibrate across my skin and that sound made my skin hot as I got a grip on his hair.

"Do you care…I don't? I'd destroy it all for you," growled Oswald receiving only a loud moan that could have been his name in response holding him to me as he did the same one hand cradling my breast as the other palmed the small of my back.

"All I care about is being with you," I finally exclaimed tugging my fingers through his hair down his neck until reaching his back I just held onto him. We kissed in that moment, our eyes wide open, looking at each other, and as my hands found his face our eyes closed in the same moment. Suddenly, it was just us, we shared an out of body experience as we connected in that moment falling like ghosts into the abyss of our release. We came one after the other, seconds apart, and as Oswald came he held me to him. We were already sticking together, skin to skin, but still that must not have been close enough. He held me to him like somehow, I was going to leave if he didn't. It showed more than anything else he had ever done that he loved me. He really loved me, and he was here with me, to stay.

In the silence that held us afterward all that could be heard was our breathing. It was heavy and connected as we always have been. What water was left helped us cling to each other though we really didn't need the help. We were holding each other tight despite that. After a moment, our eyes met one second before our lips did too. We kissed as if it might be the last time we ever did my hands finding his chest as his stroked the skin connecting my neck to my shoulders. Our foreheads touched and after a moment we shared a laugh leaving the water on shaky legs.

"Time to make myself look beautiful," I whispered leaning heavily against him as we left the bathroom both of us needing to dress for the day. That was one the things Maroni had did to me. He had made me hate how I looked. He always wanted me to look a certain way, I always had to look beautiful, but Maroni's idea of what that was changed all the time. He wasn't like my Oswald, who told me without even saying a word that I was always beautiful. As we dressed, I noticed that Oswald and I were both very precise about the way we looked. It had become habit for the both of us and as I observed him I could feel him observing me. I couldn't help thinking that someday, we would stand side by side, man and wife, and we would look perfect together.

It was as I applied my lipstick that he came up behind me.

"You are the most beautiful woman in this city," said Oswald tenderly moving my curls out of the way so he could kiss my long slender neck his eyes on me reflected in the mirror along with my smile. With a flourish, I turned to face him winding my arms around his neck as we shared that smile. Our lips met for just a peck at first until slowly it became more passionate and laying my forehead against his I sighed. I didn't want to go, I wanted to stay with him, like this, but it wasn't time for that yet. And then he went to move away. I didn't let him instead I chose that moment to use his tie as my anchor. I pulled him back to me and with an urgency that even I couldn't explain I held him there. I needed him in that moment and that kiss made it clear.

"We are in this together. We are Gotham's future power couple. We make a beautiful pair, you and I, we're meant to be," I whispered feeling as he nodded. We just looked at each other then, we were lost in our own little world; a world that was only shattered with a knock at his door. It was Charlie; it was time for me to go.

"I love you," I breathed before I was forced to leave him standing there.