Chapter 39

The Trickster and I roll up to a pristine mansion on the outskirts of Central City in a white news van he'd stolen a couple of blocks away. We're both dressed in sharp business suits, and the Trickster already has his facial disguise as well as a black toupee on.

"Alright, so first, we have to kidnap the real mayor. To make sure he doesn't get in the way," the Trickster explains, "say babe, how do I look?"

I smile, leaning over to his side. I touch his face, feeling for the slight curve in his skin. With it, I slowly peel off the mask, revealing his real face.

"Now? I think you look rather dashing."

His breathing quickens, before he leans in and starts to sloppily kiss me on the lips. This is beyond disgusting, but I know if I let go too soon, he'll realize something's amiss.

I let go after a couple of seconds, not knowing how much longer he would've kept on going if I'd let him. I hand him back his mask.

"Oh, my dear. When we finish pulling off my latest plot, you and I are going to enjoy a passionate, eager honeymoon," he growls, pulling the keys out of van and yanking off his seatbelt.

I continue to smile, but I'm also sick to my stomach. At least now I know my exit cue.

We climb to the back of the van, where the Trickster arms himself with various weapons and tools. While he isn't looking, I pull a small black duffel bag out from under a pile of toys. Inside the duffel bag are my daggers, marbles, and utility belt. Strapping my utility belt to my pants, and securing my knives and marbles onto my legs, I follow the Trickster out of the van. He's holding a professional TV camera, the large piece of equipment obscuring his face. He hands me a dummy microphone, the large fake speaker and handle made of styrofoam.

We walk up the paved path to the white mansion. I ring the doorbell, and a man with black hair and a mustache answers the door in his bathrobe.

"You're, you're here already? I thought the interviewers weren't suppose to show up for a couple of hours-"

"Say cheese, Hill!" the Trickster cries, before aiming the camera directly at him.

A bright flash hits Mayor Hill, and I receive some of the light too, blinding me in an instant. There's a thud, as the mayor presumably hits the floor. I lean against the doorway as the Trickster passes me, his legs brushing by me.

"Did I get you too, sweetheart? Sorry, but these things happen," the Trickster apologizes as he hoists up he Trickster apologizes as he begins to drag the mayor's body along the hardwood floor.

I rub my eyes, only just beginning to recover from the stun when the sound of footsteps echo across the room. By the time I finally regain my vision and look up, the Trickster has Mayor Hill tied up.

"He will wake soon. We must have committed the deed by then. Till then, no one must see him. Help me carry him," the Trickster commands, keeping his tone hushed.

We carry the mayor down a flight of stairs to the basement, and afterwards quickly escape out the backdoor.

"I can't believe Mayor Hill doesn't have any security," I comment as we get back into the van.

The Trickster chuckles, "People in Central City are trusting, my dear, this isn't Gotham, you know," he laughs to himself as he starts up the van, "although, I've always wanted to visit that place. Scalawags, thieves, mobsters, crooks, vandals, cutpurses! My kind of people, you know?"

I smile sarcastically, "You'd fit right in, James."

We roll up next to the Central City Museum. The Trickster adjusts his mask before stepping out of the van, "Remember, you're my lovely assistant. Just smile and I'll do all the talking."

I nod, pretending to follow his lead. He strides confidently through the front doors, where the man at the front desk greets him as "Mr. Mayor". If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he looks like mayor material.

It's not long before we approach the exhibit containing the diamond. The diamond is massive in size, and sits on a pillow sealing in a glass case.

"Now, we mustn't make it too obvious," the Trickster, in his Mayor Hill disguise, whispers to me, "we must get our old friend caught in the act, but it must also be dramatic and artful. Now go to the security room and disable the alarms."

"Yes sir," I say aloud, bowing my head before racing off.

My high heels pound against the marble floor. I locate the security booth as a small, tucked away room by the elevators. Opening the door, I find a singular security guard watching over the security controls. He turns around, "Hey lady, you're not suppose to-"

One of my marbles smacks into him, sending electrical shocks through his body. He collapses to the floor, and I quickly close the room door, locking it behind me.

I look over the controls, and see the camera showing the diamond exhibit, where the Trickster is patiently waiting for his cue.

I disable the alarms, and with a few extra button pushes, I open the case containing the diamond. The Trickster slowly walks up to the diamond, takes it, then turns to the security camera and gives me a thumbs up. I smile, but just then, there's a banging at the door. I throw off my disguise, revealing my Trickstress outfit underneath. I tie my mask on just as two more security guards burst through the door.

"Freeze!" they cry, but I throw two more marbles that dispel a thick fog. The security guards start coughing, allowing me to slide past them. Making my way out of the fog, I press the elevator button. Waiting for the elevator, one of the security guards makes it out, aiming his gun at me. I duck as bullets hit the walls of the museum. I slide toward the security guard, kicking him from underneath and tripping him to the floor. Lifting one leg, I slam it down onto his stomach just as the elevator arrives. I run in, pushing past several distraught visitors. I find the emergency exit and lift it up, escaping through it to the elevator shaft.

Once there, I take out the grappling gun from my utility belt and fire, the line carrying me straight up to the top floor. With one of my daggers, I pry the elevator door open, and run out into the hallway. The top floor is deserted, being only reserved for parties and special events, and I easily make it up to the skylight. It's early nighttime, with a clear, starry sky and a bright, luminous moon.

I look down and a large crowd has surrounded the Trickster as "Mayor Hill" at the front entrance of the museum. From my utility belt, I take out a hearing aid to help me hear what the people down there are saying.

"Haha! I've stolen the fabled Martha's Diamond! Those crummy old museum hands had no right to keep it in the first place!" he declares, holding out the diamond for all to see.

My utility belt practically being a Mary Poppins bag at this point, I take out a long cord and secure one end to the building, and the other to my foot.

"Mr. Hill, have you gone insane?" a news reporter asks, holding out a microphone for him to speak to.

I smirk, as I back up slightly, and jump off of the building, making sure to get as far away from the building itself as possible.

"Well young lady, you see-" but the Trickster stops as he and the rest of the crowd looks up as I descend from the roof, a helicopter spotlight shining down on me. At about the halfway point, I pull out my grappling gun, aiming and firing back at the top of the building. The leverage of the two wires securing me slows down my decent, giving me the illusion of flying. I reach the ground, ending up upside down right next to the Trickster.

"Not quite," I quip before I grab the Trickster's mask, tearing it off, taking off his toupee with it, revealing his orange clown hair.

"That's not the mayor! That's the Trickster!" a young boy calls out.

I chuckle, before pressing the trigger on the grappling gun, sending me zipping back up to the roof. As I reach the roof, I watch as two cops arrest the Trickster.

"Someone tricked the Trickster? That's irony," one of the cops jokes to the other as they handcuff her.

The Trickster looks up to the roof, "Oh Trickstress, baby! You've won my heart! You're cruel, manipulative, conniving, insensitive...everything I want in a woman! Do you hear me Trixie?! I love you! I love you!"

I shudder, man that guy is creepy. I look down at the mask, now having turned back into a thin, clear shape. Guess this would come in handy for a lot of things...like escaping right now.

I return to the Trickster's warehouse for the cube, but by the time I get there, it's gone.

"I guess this is where we part ways," Harrison greets.

I turn around and see that he's right behind me, tossing the cube in one hand, the early morning sunrise just behind him.

I cross my arms, "Yeah, and thanks for not telling me about your little ploy."

"I have no idea what you're-"

"You know what I'm talking about," I interrupt, "you had me wear that teddy bear t-shirt because you knew he'd like it, didn't you? And you also knew that the Trickster had his tech back here, at the warehouse, and not with him at the bank robbery. You wanted me to get kidnapped."

He rolls his head, "To be fair, you weren't kidnapped, you willing went with him to earn his favor, which was the smart thing to do. I used the t-shirt as a precaution, and it just happened to be the first thing he noticed. And I had you meet him at the bank robbery because to be fair, nobody knew where his hideout was until he lead you to it. So, sorry if I had to work with what I knew."

I scrunch my eyebrows. He had some good points, and I can understand working with limited information. It's just...something still doesn't seem right.

"Oh yeah, I need the utility belt back," he reaches his hand out.

I roll my eyes, before unbuckling it and handing it to him, "Fine, but I'm keeping this costume, and of course, my new mask."

"The Trickstress costume? Why keep it?" he asks.

"It's grown on me, and who knows? I kind of like this masked heroism thing. I could be like the Gray Ghost, citizen by day, hero by night," I joke.

He arches an eyebrow, "What's the Gray Ghost?"

I scoff in disbelief, "You don't know the Gray Ghost? It's only the most popular television series out right now. I watch it with my friend Ed all the time."

"I'll have to catch it sometime," he laughs, "say, one more thing. How're you and Oswald?"

I stop, all expression draining from my face, "How...how do you know about him?"

"I'm just curious. How are you two right now?"

"You didn't answer my question," I clarify.

He chuckles, lowering his head to the ground, "No worries," he looks up with a knowing expression, "I'm sure you two will work it out. Farewell for now, Natalie."

With his cube in hand, there's a strong current of wind, and just like that, Harrison's gone. I shake my head, man, I need to get back to Gotham. They might have crazy criminal psychopaths, but this place is just weird!

Oswald lies down on Trixie's couch, having just returned from confronting James Gordon. Even though he refused his offer to help him, the two of them have a silent agreement to not rat each other out. Gordon is, after all, the man who was suppose to kill him. But he didn't, allowing Oswald to return to Gotham. He jeopardized his own well-being to spare his life. It's strangely...kind of him. He can still count the number of people who've ever done kind things for him on one hand. Mom, Natalie, and Gordon. Three people. For Oswald, this isn't a bad number. For the longest time, it was just his mother, and while he loves her, one person alone could not satisfy his need for...for what exactly? Friendship? Compassion? Companionship? Respect? Love? Perhaps it's all of these things, or maybe it's something entirely different. Whatever quality he searches for, it could only be found through other humans.

Oswald gets up, not wanting to crinkle his suit. He should really get some casual clothes for simply wearing around the house, but something about fashionable suits empowered him. They make him feel important, and respectable. Hopefully there's enough closet space in her closet to fit both of their clothes.

Although, he should seriously consider rekindling relations with his mother. Trixie clearly doesn't like the idea of supporting him when a family member lives right downstairs. And why should she provide him living quarters to begin with? He's not blackmailing her, well, he did threaten her with death that one time, but he hasn't had to do it since. Some part of him doesn't want to leave though, and not for the reason he gives. He knows his mother will welcome him back with open arms, even if she'll be a bit irritated with him at first. No, it's not that. He, he likes the idea of him and Trixie living together. Perhaps he simply likes the idea of living with someone who will do all the housework, but, it couldn't be just that. Does...does he love her? He shakes his head at the notion. No, no, those are just words, things he says to, to manipulate her feelings, to ingratiate her to him. He couldn't mean it.

Oswald leans against the door, shaking his head, his breath racing and his heart pounding for no apparent reason. He couldn't mean it...he couldn't…

Author's Note:

UndercoverSkeleton: No worries, I've been super busy too, and I'm going to be rearranging my release schedule now that I've booked a show. And haha, the Joker/Harley thing is intentional, I almost straight up said "Harley Quinn" but I changed it to "Harlequin" at the last minute. As for your suggestion, while I understand your frustration, if I were to change it to a crossover, I'd have a number of problems. In this story, I consider the entire DC universe at my disposal (hence my introduction with the Suicide Squad and my five thousand view drop from Chapter 1 to Chapter 2), this is just the first time I've featured characters outside the normal Batman mythos so prominently. Would I make it a crossover with Batman comics because Jack, Otis, Aaron, and Nora are all established Batman characters? Or should I make it a crossover with Superman the Animated Series due to the brief cameo of Winslow Schott? I've also mentioned Bludhaven and Star City, would that make it a crossover with Nightwing and Green Arrow? There's also the visibility problem. If I change it to a crossover, it would no longer appear on the normal page, and I've already taken a hit in terms of viewers due to the combined mid-season break and holiday season. In conclusion, to quote Bob Chipman "COMICS ARE WEIRD!", and don't worry, these crossover things are not going to be frequent, and you don't need to understand the character's backstory to understand the story. Just treat them as original characters, because, I may keep it contained to Gotham for awhile, but that doesn't mean the DC easter eggs are going to stop

Emily: Thanks, this incarnation of the Trickster works very much as a exaggeration/parody of what would happen if I wrote Oswald badly. And hope you enjoyed Oswald's POV in this chapter!

Fuchsia Grasshopper: Thanks! With Ed and Kristen, I plan on just following the show, as they're not really the focus. I plan on ending the bet a little after she comes back, so it'll be soon! Hope you have a wonderful holiday as well, and I loved your one-shot, but you already knew that :3

jasper-jordan: Yeah...the Trickster thinks he's suave and charming but...he's really creepy, and kind of gross.

Thanks, I love writing for Ed, he's so easy to write for, probably because I spend a lot of time with people with similar traits.

And I'm excited too for Ed to have some time in the spotlight, although I'm not sure that fans unaware of his comic book origins like him very much

Thanks! :)