Chapter 46

I'm filing paperwork when Ed shuffles to the side of the desk, carrying a large yellow book.

"Hey Natalie, check this out," he insists, slamming the book onto the desk and flipping it open.

Still feeling uncomfortable about what happened yesterday, I silently nod, not looking up from my papers.

"My name was recently added to the phone book," he explains, "and when I searched for my name, I discovered this."

Ed flips to a specific page and points his finger somewhere on the tiny list of various names. I look over and see two names in particular: "Edward Nygma" and right above it "Edward Nigma".

"Huh...that is weird," I comment.

"My bet is that he pronounces it the same way too. I'd love to meet this gentleman with such a similar name, although I admit I'm a little jealous of the fellow. His initials literally spell E. Nigma."

I nod again, and Ed pauses, before closing the phone book, "You're upset."

I shake my head, "No, I just...have a lot on my mind."

Ed lowers his head, as a realization crosses him. He grabs a spare chair from a nearby desk and seats himself, "After much thought, I realize what's been bothering you. You still harbor romantic feelings for me."

I smirk, "You just figured it out, didn't you?"

"...timing is not of any importance. What matters is that you haven't eradicated leftover romantic feelings from our youth."

While that's certainly not the only thing that's been bothering me as of late...he's right, I haven't eradicated my feelings for him, but he speaks of it as if it were easy. Not to mention, now that I've been with Oswald, looking at Ed and feeling...how I do, feels horrible. But it's not like anything's permanent with Oswald either.

"I thought I had, but it seems they've resurfaced recently. I guess it's because I haven't seen you in a while. I'd forgotten how...compatible we can be," I admit, squeezing my pen as I fill out a form.

Ed places his hands in his lap, "Well, because, you do know...I don't reciprocate your feelings."

"You don't have to remind me," I grumble, quickly scribbling out a signature before moving on to the next form.

"And besides, you don't need me as an object of affection, you have that other gentleman you mentioned a while ago. He's...he's still your object of affection, right?"

I guess so, however much Oswald has manipulated his way to that position, yes, he is my "object of affection" as Ed puts it. Whether or not he should be in that position...is definitely up for debate.

"Hey Ed," a familiar voice calls out. I turn around and see a woman with dark hair wearing a leather jacket approaching us.

"Could you go down to the morgue and see if they have my case ready?"

Ed gets up, "Of course, Detective Montoya, I'll go right away."

He leaps out of his chair and scurries off, his long legs shifting back and forth in a sort of shuffling motion.

The woman chuckles, before sitting in Ed's seat, "Kind of a quirky guy, isn't he?"

I look up, trying to remember where I've heard her voice before, "Umm...yeah, but he's pretty nice at the core."

"It's good to see that Ed's finally made a friend," she smiles, before she jerks her head up, realizing she hasn't introduced herself. She extends her hand, "Renee Montoya, I'm with Major Crimes."

Major Crimes? Wait a minute...I remember now. She's one of the detectives who interviewed Mrs. Cobblepot after Oswald was first "killed", and on top of that, Oswald mentioned that he would snitch on Fish specifically to some officers from Major Crimes. She's probably one of them.

I shake her hand, "Natalie K., run-of-the-mill police officer."

"Last name?" she asks, "I mean, usually people refer to officers by their last name."

"That's true, but, my last name is so hard to pronounce, I usually just go with Officer K," I explain.

She crosses her arms, "Really? Well, what is your last name, I'm pretty good with pronunciation, I'll give it a shot."

I raise an eyebrow, before taking out a piece of scratch paper, "Alright, but remember, you asked for it."

I write out my full last name and then show it to Renee. Her eyes widen, "Wow...that's an...unusual name."

"Yeah, on my ID it cuts off at the end because it's so long."

"Acquainting ourselves, ladies?" Ed peers in between us, "Detective, the morgue is currently backed up, your case isn't expected to be processed for at least an hour."

She sighs, leaning back in her chair, "When I signed up for this job, I had no idea how much of it would be just waiting for stuff to get processed."

I sign off on another form as I continue the conversation, "May I ask what your case is?"

"Allen and I are investigating a missing person's case. One of our snitches was most likely killed: Oswald Cobblepot."

My eyes snap at the sound of that name, but I quickly recompose myself, "A, a missing person's case? That sounds kind of light for Major Crimes."

She glances around, before leaning in to whisper, "Well, we have suspicions that Gordon may have been the killer. We just need a witness account to prove our case."

"You don't say...but, why tell me?"

Renee leans back, "I read your file after Gordon raved that you're a spy for the mob, everyone knows how he feels about you. However, your file not only claims that you were a CIA operative, but that you specialize in undercover missions and dual identities. That true?"

I chuckle, "Well, when you can't get a job on the stage-"

"Yes, Natalie's skills are undebatable, but Gordon's accusations are well-intentioned," Ed points out, "I'm sure all of this will be sorted out. Also, concerning your own accusations, Detective, my personal analyzes suggests that Gordon is a man of valor. Perhaps you could reconsider your prejudgement?"

"...we'll see once we have all of the evidence. I'm going to go find Allen. Maybe we can hit up some possible witnesses while we wait for the results to come in," she gets out of her chair, "see you two around."

Ed smiles, waving as Renee walks off. He takes her chair, sitting down in a polite, almost robotic way, an unwavering grin plastered across his face.

"Shouldn't you be working?" I ask.

"I believe we haven't concluded our tabled conversation. Concerning your affections?" he points out, his smile fading.

"I'll get over it," I mumble, waving him away.

He twists his lips, before smiling again, "Good. As soon as possible would be most convenient. So we can resume our friendship as if none of this nonsense had ever happened."

"Yeah...sure."

Ed freezes in place, before lifting himself from the chair and placing his hands on my shoulders, leaning his body into mine in a sort of awkward hug, "Don't interpret this as anything hostile. I'd just prefer it if our partnership would be purely platonic. Romantic feelings muddle up a friendship so often and...and I couldn't bear to lose my best friend."

He clasps my shoulders playfully, changing his tone from serious to ecstatic, "And besides, you have your beau, and while I've never met him, I'm sure he's wonderful. Because if your affection for me has proven anything, it's that you have fantastic taste in men."

Ed makes eye contact with me, my reflection visible on his horn-rimmed glasses. I feign a smile, and while not completely satisfied, Ed releases me and strolls off back to the morgue. I'm left alone at my desk, in the middle of the bustling precinct.

I wait until he's out of earshot to murmur, "Honestly, I beg to differ."

Author's Note: Haha, that last update slipped past all you guys, didn't it? No worries, it was a technical thing, so I decided to update early because I'm busy tomorrow. Remember, I now update every Tuesday and Friday

gothamkitty: I know it didn't show up because I replaced an existing chapter instead of adding a new one (no one wants to read an Author's Note that no longer applies, right?)

Thanks! :)