Chapter 12

I follow Ed about a block or so before we stop. He turns around, letting go of my hand, clearly expecting some kind of explanation.

"Alright Ed, I think you now have enough information to piece this one together yourself." I conclude.

He takes out his pen, and starts clicking it inscenently, "Well, we now know who started the fire, your so-called friend. He also has your stuff as well, but what I'm missing is a motivation. He clearly didn't want to kill you, since he started the fire while you were away...revenge perhaps?"

"I don't think so Ed, I've only known him a couple of days." I confess.

His jaw goes slack, and he stops clicking his pen, standing still for a couple of seconds, processing this information, "Oh Natalie, you're not suggesting…"

I nod slowly, but Ed quickly interrupts, "Natalie, this is wonderful!"

I lurch back in surprise, "Wha...what do you mean?"

"Natalie, all these years I've known you, you've always avoided people, even me, rendering any possibility of romantic interaction...improbable. But now, you've encountered someone who's not only interested, but whom you literally can't shake off! It's the perfect combination!"

I sigh, Ed can be very, very strange at times, and why is he giving me advice? I probably have more friends than he does, albeit not by very many.

"Listen Ed, I have to be somewhere in a couple of hours, and I need to get ready. It was really great seeing you again." I excuse myself, realizing I am indeed expected at Mooney's Nightclub in a few hours.

"Wait...you still have my address, correct?" he asks, "If you could give me yours, we could start writing letters to one another again."

That's right, we exchanged letters quite often while I was still in college, but once I joined the CIA, the letters had to stop.

"Alright." I don't feel uncomfortable giving Ed my new address, it's Ed, what's he going to do with that other than send letters?

"Farewell for now, Natalie." he waves, as I walk off in the opposite direction.

I quietly slip back into my apartment, closing the door and locking it shut. With a small bag containing my new dress for tonight, I make my way to the master bathroom to quickly wash up. On the way, I notice in the master bedroom there's a fire escape right by the window. Descending down a flight would lead straight to Oswald's apartment...and why do I care?! Okay, yes, he has my stuff, and it would be nice to have it back, but who knows if I'll even find it if I looked?

I sigh, there's no way around it, I have to check. But if there's any sign of life in that apartment, I make a run for it immediately. Opening the window, I carefully step out and into the fire escape, the cold Gotham wind whipping my hair. Descending the ladder to the floor below, I leap down and see the window to Mrs. Cobblepot's room. Nobody's in the room, but this isn't the room I want to be searching anyway. Leaning over one end of the fire escape, I see Oswald's room is also empty, and I push open the window of the room next door. Slowly, and cautiously, I scaled the brick ledge between the two rooms. I safely make it to the other side, and jump in, my heels landing silently on the hardwood floor. Now...if I had a large suitcase, where would I hide it? Maybe he didn't keep the suitcase, maybe he didn't keep anything at all. I look under the bed, and find nothing but a small collection of shiny shoes, all neatly polished and in a row. Going through his books isn't an option, even though his collection is vast, it's not big enough to hide a suitcase in. There's only one more place to look: the closet. I pull back the screen to reveal the piano and his array of dark suits, but the screen pulls back just a little bit more, just enough space for a person to squeeze through. Turning sideways, I manage to fit myself in between the space, and I barely take one step more when I trip on something, and feel myself falling. At the last moment, I grab the piano, catching myself at a diagonal angle. Pulling myself up, I realize that what I'd tripped on was indeed...my suitcase.

I lower myself to open it when two arms clasp around my lower face and neck, pulling me to the back of the closet. A cold hand presses itself against my mouth, while the other wraps itself around my waist. I kick with my legs, hoping to get a footing and throw him off, but he pulls me closer,

"Hush, my little bird, or she'll hear you."

The door to Oswald's room opens with a deafening *creak*, "Ozzy? Are you still sulking in your closet again? It's almost supper dear, and that crackpot slut isn't coming back, so you can come out now."

"Leave me alone Mother!" Oswald shrieks, his tone far different from the cooing, sensitive one he'd just used.

There's a silent pause, that must have had an effect on her, "Oh...oh, alright, but you know your Mother is here for you." there's footsteps, and the door slowly closes shut.

The moment she closes that door I leap out of Oswald's arms and scramble for the closet exit, but Oswald wrestles my ankle back and I fall the ground. Climbing on top of me, he reaches out and closes the screen shut, concealing us completely in darkness.

I try to lift him off of me, but he pins my arms down to the floor, knocking my head against the wooden panels. He brings his head up close to my ear, and whispers,

"I knew you'd come back, Natalie." he chuckles, brushing his hand through my hair, "But you know, you don't look like a Natalie. I prefer Trixie so much more."

So he knows who I am, great. He probably saw my driver's license or passport in the suitcase. I want to call him insane, maybe kick him a couple of times for good measure, but, with my arms pinned down, and his entire weight pressed against my stomach and legs, that really doesn't seem like a possibility right now. Even with his body semi-crushing mine, I have to admit, I like the warmth he gives off, and my heart's still pounding from him catching my by surprise. But...it shouldn't, no, I need to steady myself, take a couple of hits to let his guard down, and find an opportunity to escape.

"Oh, don't get the wrong idea, I'm not mad at you. In fact, I want to help you." he explains, his lips scraping against my neck.

I'd reply but his meaty hand is still clasped against the lower half of my face. While I can hardly see a thing in the darkness, the gleeful, giddy chuckles coming from Oswald make his intentions clear as day as he continues to comb his hand through my hair, while keeping the other one secure against my lips.

"So Trixie, I'm going to let you up now, and you're not going to run, because I will catch you...or maybe I could call that little phone number you've been so kind to leave in your suitcase, hm? I'm sure Ms. Waller would be very disappointed to know that you've been discovered so soon."

I grimace as Oswald lifts up the upper part of his body to turn on a light. The dull glow of a single gas lamp flickers on, revealing not only the array of suits visible from the entrance, but also a whole side area hidden from view by the piano and the screen. This area, similar to his room, is covered in papers with detailed pencil sketches. But instead of birds, these drawings are much more graphic. Pictures of shadowy men beating a small boy, boiling a man alive, and many other horrendous scenes decorate the walls. The people are all male, and are all drawn in a Renaissance style.

Oswald carefully lifts his hand off of my mouth, but still continues to press his entire weight against me, "Are you going to get off of me?"

He pauses, releasing one of my arms to brush his thumb against my cheek, "I should, shouldn't I? But...think of the possibilities, we could have so much fun…"

With my free arm, I grab my knife and swing it out, holding it to his throat, "I don't think so."

He gets up, holding both arms in the air, but his expression remains cocky and suggestive, "You wouldn't dare, you like me, don't you?"

I rush him, pinning him against the closet wall, sticking the blade at the base of his chin, "Who says I won't?"

"Mother is in the other room, and you know you'll be the first to blame should anything happen to me, so unless you want the police on your hands…" he leans his head forward and arches his head up, closing his eyes and sniffing the small space between us, "Mmm…"

What's happened to the shy, timid Oswald I'd met not days before? I glance around at the macabre artwork hidden away in his closet. Clearly he doesn't want anyone to see this stuff, and I start to wonder if even his mother is aware of it. Is this who Oswald really is?

He pulls his head away, reopening his sharp green eyes, speaking in a whispery, gentle tone, "Now, I have a plan, to get the both of us what we want, okay?"

"Go on." I reply, carefully lifting my arms off of him and putting away my knife.

"No, no, no, keeps your arms there." he insists.

I place my hands where they'd just been, one on each shoulder. Leaning against the wall, Oswald bends at the knees, lowering both him and myself down to the floor, never once breaking eye contact. We end in a sitting position, with my arms still on him. He reaches over and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me in slowly. I comply against my best judgement, if he really is going to be of help, I should probably start playing nice. He rests my head in his lap, and he looks down at me, grinning ear to ear and cradling me with both arms. I smile back, both interested in hearing his proposal, and ruefully enjoying his hands cupping my head and knees.

"Good, now that we're comfortable, here's what we will do."

Author's Note:

weirdandoutrageous: Thanks, my prime concern is always staying true to the characters, and hopefully I've accomplished that.

Dreamweaver74: Sorry, but Oswald's been a bad boy :(

Guest: Lol, I don't think I can update once everyday for four days straight, but I will update more regularly if the story continues to get the level of attention it is right now.

MugglebornPrincesa: Yeah...well, at least Natalie/Trixie doesn't have to buy new stuff :P

Fuchsia Grasshopper: Yes, that's exactly what I was going for with Ed, I actually find him more attractive than Oswald personally, it's just that Oswald makes for a more interesting character study.

Guest: Thanks, hope you like this newest chapter.

Thanks! :)