Chapter 40

"So, you're the Trickstress? Natalie, explain!" Amanda commands into the cell phone as I sit at the foot of the bed in a hotel room somewhere in Central City.

"Your agent Harrison got the tech by the Trickster. He then used me into getting the Trickster to like me and lead him back to his hideout where the tech was hidden. He gave me the costume and monologued about his plan to use the mask to frame the mayor for stealing a rare diamond and taking control of Central City's politics. I went along...until I didn't, and I foiled his plot. End of story, now, can you please arrange for some kind of way back to Gotham?" I ask, flopping my back onto the bed.

"Why? Can't you get out on your own?"

I sigh, looking out the window, "Nope. They've locked down the entire city searching for me. I've been stuck in the city for four days now, I've tried everything. Even though I helped reveal the Trickster's evil scheme, I'm still a 'armed and dangerous individual'...and while that may be true, so is any police officer! This sort of thing would never happen in Gotham!"

"Alright, I can pull a few strings. What was this agent's name again? Harrison?" she responds flatly.

"Yeah. Harrison Wells, like H.G. Wells, the guy who wrote 'The Time Machine'. Eccentric guy, but then again, what agent isn't?"

There's typing on Amanda's end, and then a period of silence, "Oh no…"

"What's wrong Amanda?" I jump up from lying down.

"...nothing. It wasn't your fault. I'll have you escorted out of the city at the North Side exit in an hour."

I get off of the bed, grabbing my black duffel bag of belongings, "What's not my fault Amanda? Don't tell me that tech is in the wrong hands?"

She sighs, "No, what's wrong is that the tech is in the hands of its original owner. But I'll have other agents deal with it. You need to get back to Gotham to scout for Suicide Squad candidates, speaking of which, how is that going?"

"Victor Zsasz is suppose to drop by Fish Mooney's in a day or two, hence, why I need to get back to Gotham ASAP. As for other candidates, there's this guy who works for Fish Mooney named Butch Gilzean, and he seems pretty capable."

"I'm looking them up on our database right now," Amanda confirms, "hmm...they both show, but Zsasz is probably your best bet. Anyone else?"

I close the hotel room door and begin descending the stairs. Outside of many doors are empty room service plates, guess all these guys are stuck in the city as well.

"I was going to suggest the Trickster, but considering that you don't like unstable types-"

"You do have to consider at least a little instability when looking for these kinds of soldiers, but yes, the Trickster would be too much trouble to be worth it," there's more typing on her end, "although, he does sport an impressive resume. Real name James Jesse...wanted for murder in twelve states under different names...master of disguise...renowned escape artist. Hmph, I don't know what the CCPD are thinking, they should be thanking you," Amanda concludes jokingly.

I chuckle, "Thanks Amanda, but I don't think a thanks is in order. I am 'armed and dangerous' after all."

I'm back in Gotham within a few hours, the sun just beginning to set on the horizon of the Gotham Bay. I disposed of the cell phone back in Central City, just like I'd promised to Amanda. Besides, she's right, those things are far too easy to track.

I climb the stairs of the apartment, hoping that Oswald hasn't completely trashed the place, or worse, redecorated. I unlock the door, letting it slide open slowly, the old wood creaking along its hinges. I lean in and see Oswald in the kitchen, heating up some of the food I cooked for him. He looks up, his green eyes wide and expressive. He smiles, "You're home."

I smile, walking in and closing the door, "Yeah."

"I heard about the Central City lockdown. How did you get out of the city?" he asks, following me to my room.

I shrug, "I pulled some strings. The lockdown was an overreaction in my opinion, Gotham gets criminals like that all the time."

"Hehe, speaking of criminals, have you heard what's been on the radio lately?" he asks.

I throw my duffel bag into the back of my closet, I'll sort all that stuff out later, right now I'm just so tired, "No, I haven't. There wasn't a radio in my hotel room."

Oswald leads me back into the living room, he turns on my radio, where a female reporter is speaking.

"I'm talking to you live from the Gotham City streets, where another sighting of the masked vigilante has been spotted. Here he's reportedly stopped an mob related robbery. We're talking with the victim right now, sir, what exactly did you see?"

"He, he came out of no where," the man stutters, "he was wearing all black, with a red cape. I, I don't know, I only saw for a second!"

"We'll get back to you after further information has been revealed, as well as an official statement from the police-"

Oswald turns the radio off, "This guy has been disrupting mob transactions. Whoever he is, he's bad for business."

Wow, I'm not getting a break, am I?

"No more crazy super-villains right now, I'm tired," I tell Oswald, pacing over to the couch.

He sits down with me, and I lean my head over to the kitchen, "Your food's burning," I state matter-of-factly.

Oswald jumps up and runs to the kitchen, where the soup he'd been reheating is now boiling over. As he frantically stirs the pot, I realize he has no idea what he's doing. Getting up, I stumble over toward him, "Let me do it."

Shoving Oswald out of the way, I grab the mittens to take the pot off of the heat and turn it off. Holding the pot over the sink, the boiling soup soon settles and I pour what's left of it into a bowl. After cleaning up the mess, I throw myself back onto the couch as Oswald feverishly eats his soup.

"Mmm...clam chowder," he comments, dabbing his mouth with a linen napkin.

I smile, he may have terrible table manners, but at least he doesn't use his sleeve.

I stop and notice that he's wearing a new suit, with an all black jacket, red handkerchief, and a turquoise vest to match his eyes. It looks good on him...it looks very good...

"I see you got a new suit," I comment as he finishes his meal.

He looks up, "Do you like it?"

I tilt my head, trying to not give myself away, "...a little."

"I'm glad," he smiles, getting up and bringing the bowl to the sink. He plops it in along with the considerable pile of unwashed dishes collecting in the basin. I'll have to wash those later.

Oswald reseats himself next to me, reaching over to stroke my hair.

"In a few short days, our bet will reach its end," he starts chuckling maniacally.

I roll my eyes, "I can see you're looking forward to it."

"Has it ever occurred to you that you want to lose this bet?" he asks, leaning in towards me.

"Nope."

His hand wanders over to my thigh, placing it as high up as he dare go, "Well, I think you want to lose this bet."

I push his hand away, "Why would I want to lose my own bet?"

"Because you want me. You want to explore me, both emotionally, and physically," he leaps up onto me, his legs spread out over mine, his arms pinning down my shoulders, "I can give that to you, I can give it to you right now."

A grin comes across my face as I reach up with my hand and brush his cheek, "You've really missed me, haven't you?"

And with that, he dives in, kissing my lips. His legs collapse onto my lap, and his arms wrap around my waist. I begin to push off his jacket, and he throws it off, sending it flying onto a nearby dining room chair. We roll around on the couch, playfully kissing until I end up on top of him. I let go, and rest my head against his chest. He wraps his arms around my shoulders, chuckling incessantly, "I thought you said you were tired."

"You're the one who wanted to make-out," I point out.

He twists his lips, "Perhaps, but you let me."

I tilt my head down, laughing before I push myself forward, leaning down toward him, combing my hand through his hair, "You're so cute."

His face now flushed red, I smile, kissing him on the cheek. We both lie on the couch through the night, entangled in each other's embrace. It's good to be home.

Harrison sits down in a secluded apartment in the downtown area of Central City. Having given up on the hunt for the Trickstress, the police force have lifted the lockdown on the city. It didn't matter to him anyway, he's right where he needs to be. He sets down the black cube on a nearby table, "Don't worry buddy, we'll find you a home," he pats the cube, looking out the window of his apartment at the S.T.A.R. Labs building. Silly Amanda Waller thinks she can harness its power, but she has no idea what...or who she's dealing with. He presses a few key spots on the cube, and it opens up, revealing a blank holographic screen. Before he checks up on his old friend, he decides to do some digging.

"Show me any future references to Natalie Ka...Kaw-" after a few more tries he gives up and manually types it in. Even he can't pronounce her last name.

The hologram changes to reveal a picture of her and Oswald Cobblepot at the grand opening of the Iceberg Lounge...another one several years later about her becoming a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum...and that's it. Perhaps he's looking at the wrong name.

"Show me future references to the Trickstress," he commands.

The hologram changes again, this time revealing hundreds of articles. She eventually acquires a trench coat to wear over her costume...she's now a founding member of the Birds of Prey apparently...even joins the Justice League at one point. Harrison smiles, with his little interference in time, he's inadvertently created a new superhero. Ops. He knows he should probably be worried about what kind of effect his new creation will have on the future, but right now he's too fascinated by what he's created. He swipes through the articles, and one in particular catches his eye. "Trickster Escapes Federal Prison, Spotted in Gotham", that article is dated several months from now. He flexes his fingers, and chuckles to himself. Good luck with that Natalie.

Author's Note: Concerning the mature AO3 content I'd promised to post there...I can't do it. I tried, multiple times, but I always ended up scrapping every draft. Smut really isn't my forte, and there are plenty of people out there who are much better at it than me. I'm sorry.

UndercoverSkeleton: You bet it's foreshadowing! I currently have a arc called "Revenge of the Trickster" queued at the very back of my list of arcs, so it'll be a while before we see the Trickster again (we're right between arcs 4 and 5, and I already have stuff slated up to arc 9, so we'll be at least 90 chapters in if/when we see the Trickster again, since arcs tend to be about 10 chapters each). And she'll be wearing the costume right away, as Harrison showed, it becomes a bit of a hobby for her. And right now, Oswald has everyone fooled but himself...and maybe Natalie...and of course you guys, the readers!

jasper-jordan: Thanks, and yay, I'm glad you like it. I thought that Gotham and the Flash would have more of a crossover in terms of fans, hence why I bet so heavily on the crossover in the story. And I've already kind of spoiled what's wrong with him (both in this chapter and in a hint in Chapter 36)

Fuchsia Grasshopper: Yeah, funny how that works, right? And I'm glad the Trickster is being received rather well, as I am taking liberties with the character as to fit the context of the story. And while he won't be back for a while, this next arc is going to be just as big of a risk, if not more so. Can you say: superheros?

Thanks! :)