Chapter 58
Oswald and Trixie roll around in their luxurious double bed, wrestling with each other while he begins removing her dress. Slipping it past her legs, he throws it on the ground and jumps on top of her.
"Daddy!" two childish voices cry.
Oswald whips around to see two children, a boy and a girl, whose skin is a combination of Oswald's beyond pale complexion, and Trixie's darker hue.
Trixie scuttles under the bed, "Children, Daddy's a bit busy right now," she tells them, the sheets covering her semi-naked body.
Bounding out of bed, Oswald approaches the two young children, "...Ophelia...Tonio…"
"Daddy!" they repeat, scampering into his arms.
"Not one, but two little youngsters! Oh, my love aren't they wonderful?" Oswald asks, turning to Trixie.
She chuckles, slipping back into her dress, "Yes dear, they're absolutely wonderful. Now, run along children, your piano lessons start soon."
Reluctantly leaving his arms, Oswald watches as his two children scurry out the door. He'd never thought he could ever have children. They're too much of a liability, too easily manipulated. But in this land of possibilities, he could have anything his heart desired. Even to be a father, a better father than his ever was.
"So...we're married and we have kids?" Trixie asks, her voice darker and sharper than the loving tone she'd just been using. She also sounds out of breath, wheezing in between words, "You're more messed up than I thought."
Oswald turns around to find two Trixies standing before him, one still sitting on the bed, and the other standing across from her, in her police uniform, hands on her hips.
"How'd you even know your kids names? They're not real," the second Trixie questions.
Oswald chuckles, "The idea of children has always had a strange allure to me. But, with my...career choice, I realize that they're more impractical than anything. Still, if I ever had children, those would be the names I'd pick."
She glances around, "...you do realize you're in a dream, right?"
"I'm aware. And I can see why you found it so appealing."
The first Trixie rolls around in the bed, "Ozzy, are you coming back here? Or are you going to make me play all by myself?"
"You're disgusting," the second Trixie spits.
Oswald freezes in place, his shoulders stiff and his cheeks flushed red, "...I'm saying this all aloud...aren't I?"
"Yes, and I'm hearing every painful word, so I suggest that you wake up as soon as possible, preferably now," she commands.
Oswald turns to the first Trixie, dream Trixie, as she waits for him on the bed. Perfection in every way, and yet, there isn't very much that differentiates her from the real Trixie. Just a slight change of clothing, and a change in her personality, both of which could be achieved in the real world. In contrast, her dream interpretation of him is worlds away from what he is in real life, almost as if he were a different person. And he wasn't even her love interest, she imagined him as being with that hack comedian, while she flounced around with this mysterious "Ed".
"If you want me to leave, you have to promise me something." Oswald begins, "Make this dream a reality, with me. Together, we could become the most powerful couple in Gotham! I know this, I've seen it...I can see it now."
Trixie pauses, placing her index finger on her lips. She needs to get him out of his dream, the police will be here any moment, and if James Gordon gets proof that she's in cahoots with Oswald, there would be a lot of consequences for her. Even though it's very clear she doesn't want to make this promise, Oswald's made it so that she doesn't have a choice.
"Fine," she mumbles, "now let's go."
"Thank you, thank you!" he cries, almost tripping on the icy floor.
He scrambles over to dream Trixie, sitting down on the bed. He cups her head in his hands, "Goodbye my love."
She giggles, rubbing his cheek with her thumb, before leaning over and kissing him on the cheek, "Don't be sad, Ozzy. We'll meet again, that I promise."
She turns to the real Trixie with a knowing smile. The real Trixie rolls her eyes, "Whatever you say."
Oswald walks over and takes the real Trixie's hand. He takes one last look at his own private Wonderland, the castle of ice with the posters for his mayoral campaign. Mother's probably downstairs with the children, and there's Trixie, waiting for him in his bed, patiently waiting for his return. It's not a future that is entirely possible, no, rather, it is something to strive for, to make as real as possible, rather than entirely possible.
Oswald presses his forehead against Trixie's, his nose nuzzling into her. Tilting his head to the side, he wraps his arms around her waist and presses with a long, drawn-out kiss. A real kiss.
"You can stop now, Oswald," my muffled voice just comes through in between his tongue inflections.
He lets go, flickering open his light green eyes. I'm standing above him, blood dripping down from my mouth. That old man might not have been much of a fighter, but the broken beer bottle he threw at me did all of the fighting for him. It was a tough decision, deciding between capturing him and making sure Oswald's okay. I should've gone after him, Oswald was probably having a great time in his dream world from the sound of it, but I didn't know that at the time. For all I knew he could've been dying, or worse…
Sirens blare from outside, who alerted the police anyway? I glance around for possible escape routes, I already tried the door down which the man escaped, it's locked. Looking above, I can faintly make out the catwalk I fell down when I was pursuing the man. It's a long way up, did I really fall that far down?
Remembering the grappling gun given to me by Batwoman, I reach behind me to retrieve it. Thank goodness I forgot to leave it at home last night. Grabbing Oswald's shoulder, I fire up, making sure the hook attaches to the railing of the catwalk.
"Hold on!"
Before Oswald can respond, I press the button on the grappling gun, and the line retracts, sending the both of us zipping up to the catwalk. Oswald sounds off a high-pitched scream that I never thought possible of him, but I am also not surprised by it.
Right as we reach the top, the door down below bursts open, and yellow flashlights waver around the room.
"GCPD!" Alvarez, one of the detectives shouts into the room.
Meanwhile, Oswald and I scurry down the catwalk, trying to make as little noise as possible. Does this mean we're on good terms now? I'm sure that's what he would like, and he did help me escape the dream world...but, he wouldn't have if there wasn't something in it for him. No, even though he did save me, it was for ulterior motives, but even so, shouldn't he still be rewarded?
We reach the entrance of the warehouse, and I realize that the outdoor surroundings are different than from what I remember. He must have had us in a different warehouse, no wonder it took the police so long to find us. Speaking of that…
"Oswald, how did you find me before the police did?" I ask him, as he holds onto me for support.
He stops in place, standing straight and holding his arm around his waist, "I...I heard on the radio that you were one of the officers who'd gone missing during the raid on the warehouse on Snyder and Morrison. I asked around, and one of my...associates had heard something about a man who'd recently bought that warehouse, a...a Jervis Teech. I followed the paper trail based on his name, and found that he had also recently purchased that warehouse as well. I went to that warehouse and...found you. Peacefully lying asleep, awaiting my ki-"
"Okay, I get it Prince Charming," I interrupt. Turning around to find Oswald hunched over, twiddling his thumbs, shot down by my words.
Folding my hands together, I approach him, "Oswald...I'm grateful for you helping me, really, I am."
"You say that…" he trails off in both suspicion and doubt, his head lowered to the ground.
Drawing closer, I take his hand, causing his head to snap up, "Despite what you think...I, I have reasons for what I do, how I feel. I do...I do love you, Oswald."
"Then why?! Why did you abandon me?! Just when I thought I'd found someone who understands, who cares-"
"I never said I didn't!" I'm abrupt, startling him. I start over, softer this time, "I...I do care, in a strange sort of way. And I did want you to stay...for the most part. It's just, you did things too...to hurt me, things that, as a person, I shouldn't have to stand for. And you need to learn from those mistakes, a normal person would've left you, left anyone at the first offense. But I didn't...because I love you. But at some point, I can't keep forgiving things that should otherwise be inexcusable. You need to learn from your mistakes, and then…"
"And then we'll get back together!" he concludes, squeezing my hand.
I begin shaking my head, "No Oswald. You'll learn your lesson of course, but you'll start anew...with someone else."
He clasps his other hand onto my wrist, his eyes bulging out accusingly, "You're just trying to get rid of me, aren't you?!"
Am I? He certainly is right to believe so, after all, it would be in my interest to stay away from him at this point. Even if he is supposedly moving up in the crime world, what has he done for me? Not much, especially compared to what I've done for him. But that's just something Oswald doesn't understand, it's not about what we have and haven't provided each other, rather, it's what we're willing to give.
"No, Oswald, no...love isn't constantly being at someone's side. It's wanting, and doing what's best for them. And right now, the best thing for you is to meet other people, focus on other things. You've become too...involved with our relationship, and it really shows. It's not healthy Oswald and, I'm worried for you," I confess.
His grip on me loosens, and I take a step back. He slowly begins nodding his head, a faint hint of a smile spreading across his lips, "Oh...okay."
I smile back, "Thank you, for understanding Oswald. And, while we're no longer in a relationship, that doesn't mean we still can't be friends...if that's what you'd like."
"Friends…" he mutters, before looking up, "I'd like that very much."
I turn around, beginning to walk away from the warehouse. I'll probably have to sneak into the police fiasco that's going on at the front of the warehouse, blend in with a group of victims and say that I came out with them.
"...Trixie?"
I turn back to face Oswald, meekly standing at the foot of the warehouse, one hand reaching for his back pocket. No, he's not going to try to-
At that moment, his hand collapses, swinging away from his back pocket and returns to lying limp at his side, "...I love you."
"I love you too," I reply, before turning away and running off.
Author's Note:
Guest: Thank you for the suggestion, but it's a tough one to answer. Even if I were to confirm the story as an AU, in my personal opinion, I would consider putting even a small message in the description as unattractive. And it also asks what defines an AU. What happens in the show is acknowledged, and lines and even entire scenes from the show are used in sequence of order (it's just that the events of the story are currently in the show's sixth episode and no one seems to remember that far back). It's just when I imagine an AU, I can't help but envision a totally different universe from what the show is currently presenting. I don't want to duplicate the exact events of the show because there's only so much material there and I want to use this story to further explore characters in different situations, or in Barbara's case, to explain motivations that the show doesn't adequately explain or justify. In conclusion, it's totally fine if you see this story as an AU, but as of right now if I were to start advertising that, not only would it not completely apply to the story, it would also deter even more readers from an already diminishing audience
Rubi Yuki: Ha, yeah, I suspected people would like Oswald's less...wholesome dream world compared to Natalie's more innocent dream world based on Barbara Gordon's own dream in the "Gothtopia" event in the comics
Fuchsia Grasshopper: I think everyone would be at least a little greedy in their dream world, just look at Natalie: she's the Commissioner, the Trickstress, and engaged to Ed; it's just that Oswald's dream is more flamboyant. I literally just watched the latest episode as I'm writing this, and Oswald is more at the forefront this time around, although there won't be any new episodes until next month (probably due to March Madness), but it gives me a chance to write more and plan out future storylines
Thanks! :)