Chapter 59
"No way, so this guy created a drug that sent people into dream-comas where they were physically saying whatever anyone in their dream is saying, and you can communicate with the person in their dream by speaking while touching them? That sounds like something from a comic book," Batwoman chuckles as we sit on a rooftop ledge after a night of crime-fighting. The sun is just starting to rise, and we're waiting for Barbara's car to come around from whatever corner it'd hid in.
"Actually, I think I remember reading a villain doing something similar in a Gray Ghost novel," I mention, dangling my legs over the edge.
She gasps, "The Gray Ghost?! Oh my gosh, I loved him growing up! I got a transistor radio for my fourth birthday, and I'd listen to the serial radio dramas after school. I listened to the Gray Ghost, and also that other guy...oh yeah, the Talon. What about you?"
I shake my head, "No, my family could never afford a radio, I just had those action novellas you'd find at the back of the library. It's mostly the same storylines as the radio dramas though, since most of the serials are adapted from action novels and comic books."
"I know," she gives a knowing smirk, "I have the entire Gray Ghost novel collection in my library."
I gasp, "You're joking! You have to show me, there were dozens of those things back in the day. It'd be amazing to see them all in their entirety."
She pulls off her mask, and Barbara sighs, "I...I can't exactly, show you. They're at my parents house and...we aren't exactly on the best of terms."
"I see," taking a wild guess, I ask, "old money, old values?"
She chuckles, "You don't even know the half of it."
A brief silence passes by as a few cars drive by below us.
"Are you going to be doing anything for Halloween?" Barbara inquires.
I shake my head, "No, I asked my old friend if he wanted to do anything. Apparently he's trying to get a woman from work to go trick-or-treating with him."
Barbara raises an eyebrow, "...trick-or-treating?"
"Yep. You can see why she hasn't accepted so far. ...it...it use to be our thing," I confess.
She looks down at the street below, but suddenly her head jerks up, "Hold on...trick-or-treating...Jim told me a story about one of his coworkers, Ed, who asked Kristen, the precinct's annex records keeper to go trick-or-treating with him. And...and Ed has an old friend from high school, who also works at the precinct. Natalie. ...Natalie?"
I chuckle, removing my mask, "I was wondering when you'd figure it out."
"Oh my gosh, why didn't you tell me?!" Barbara laughs before pulling me into a hug.
I shrug, "Same reason you didn't tell me, I guess."
"I should totally bring you over and show you my base of operations one day-" she's suddenly cut off by sirens blaring a few blocks away. Letting go of me, Barbara puts her crimson red mask back on and adjusts her wig, "ready for one last round, partner?"
I nod in approval before securing on my own mask. We simultaneously take out our grappling guns, firing them at a nearby roof, before holding on with both hands, swinging off of the roof, flying into the night.
Oswald stumbles down the streets of downtown Gotham. So...his plans of rescuing and then murdering Trixie didn't exactly go as planned. He had the perfect opportunity to end her...and he let her live. In the heat of the moment, when she said those three words he'd been longing to hear, emotions took over. She loves him, she loves him, the thought played endlessly in his head. She's so close to his grasp, and yet so far.
At least she's alright, but she won't be...no, he'll find a way to get her. Perhaps murder isn't the way to go, she's too powerful right now, too sure of herself. Confidence is a powerful thing, and he intends to tear it down, bit by bit. But he can't do this alone, he must enlist in the assistance of an ally, one that will help him in his quest. Someone she wouldn't suspect…
His opportunity to enlist in a friend comes at the perfect moment. He slowly hobbles his way up the flight of stairs of the GCPD. Trixie's shift just ended, she should be well on her way home now, however, a certain detective enjoys working the late hours.
He opens the door and crosses to the main hall, where a commotion is already commencing. Trixie was right, Jim needs his help, and Oswald needs a platform on which to announce himself to the world. Not only will he have an ally to assist in bringing down his greatest weakness, he will take the next step in conquering the city that once shunned him.
Jim and his partner Harvey Bullock are both handcuffed by the two Major Crime Unit officers he snitched to: Renee Montoya and Crispus Allen. The four of them are bickering and bantering, including a woman Oswald does not recognize. They must still think he's dead, and James Gordon is getting the blame.
Oswald stands in the front doorway, waiting for his cue to speak. Suddenly, Bullock stops, and slowly turns toward him, "...holy crap."
The arguments stop as all turn toward him.
"Hello," Oswald can't help but smile as he delivers his performance, "I…" he gives a bow, "am Oswald Cobblepot. I live, I breathe."
Ed, ever persistent, will not give up on the idea of trick-or-treating with Kristen. He even bought her a costume, but apparently she didn't find the idea of dressing up as a taxidermist to be very appealing. Poor Ed, well, at least he'll get all the candy to himself.
I walk up the stairs after work. Fish's having some band play at her club tonight...the Dark Mistresses? Whatever their name is, she gave the dancers the night off. Meanwhile, Barbara's going to a posh Halloween party that, while she invited me, I have no interest in. After what happened at the art gallery, I'm in no hurry to be rubbing elbows with the social elite anytime soon.
I'm halfway up the stairs to my apartment when a crashing sound comes from downstairs. Peering over the railing, I discover the source of the noise: Oswald fumbling up the stairs with a large, sixteen-inch television set. He tries picking it up, but the television's weight brings him careening back to the ground.
"Need some help there?" I speak up, walking down the hallway to the stairs.
He looks to the side of the set, and gasps. Scrambling in front of it, he tries to hide it with his body, "No Trixie! Don't look!"
I cross my arms, "Oswald, I've already seen it."
Oswald sighs, before stepping aside, his head lowered, "It...it was suppose to be a surprise. I...had hoped you would already be in your apartment."
I take the television set, easily lifting it up with one hand and securing it under my arm, "And what are you planning on doing with this TV?"
"I was browsing through the television guide, and I saw that Channel 2 was having a Halloween movie marathon tonight. So, I went out and rented a television set, so that maybe...you and I...could…reconcile?"
I raise an eyebrow, what is he up to?
"I don't know Oswald-"
"No foul play, I promise!" he interrupts.
Well, it's not like I have anything else to do tonight. Just one small thing…
I hold out my free hand, "Give me your knife."
"Oh! Of course," Oswald reaches into his back pocket and hands it to me, his hand trailing off of mine.
We reach my apartment, where Oswald holds open the door for me. I shimmy the TV through the door as he ducks under me. Setting it in front of the living room couch, I turn the knob on the front of the set before getting up and playing with the wiry rabbit ears on top. A horror movie marathon, Ed would've liked something like that...but no, Ed's out pursuing his woman of interest tonight, no time for a friend like me.
All that appears on the screen is snow and static until I get the rabbit ears at just the right angle. The image on the screen crackles until it shapes into a fuzzy black-and-white picture. A news reporter is on the screen, giving the final bits of the six o'clock news.
"And finally tonight, the masked menace scouring Gotham City's streets has a new partner in crime. Images from the police have just been released to the press, of not one, but two vigilantes. It's rumored that this new partner is the Trickstress, from Central City. Another rumor among sources say that the unnamed vigilante of Gotham is also a woman. Not much more is known at this time, if you have any information please report it to the authorities."
The news ends, and program cuts to commercials. I sit down next to Oswald on the couch, and he instinctively wraps his arm around me. I push his arm away, scooting to the other side of the couch. He shirks away, realizing his mistake.
The TV switches to the opening credits of the movie, accompanied by screeching strings and an eerie melody. The movie opens with a woman and her boyfriend talking about their debts, hardly something you'd think would show up from a horror movie, not that I've seen many.
Oswald looks over from the other side of the couch, a longingness in his eyes, "...it's rather cold sitting here all by my lonesome."
"Yeah, I really need to have a radiator installed or something," I reply, diverting the subject.
The movie moves to the woman stealing money from her workplace and driving off with it to deliver it to her boyfriend. This is more of a drama than a horror, where's the monster?
Oswald begins inching across the couch toward me, did he not pick up my previous cues? Or is he willingly choosing to ignore them? No sounds escaping from his lips, Oswald continues to stare me down with a discontent pout. Is he going to drag this out all night?
On the TV, the woman takes a wrong turn and stops at a tall, gothic-looking lodge where she's greeted by a friendly, if slightly off-putting man. Due to Oswald's continuous advances, I'm now only half-paying attention to the movie, all the while glancing back at Oswald.
A warm touch comes over my hand, and I yank my head down to find Oswald staking a claim on my left hand with his own. I look up and find his expressive eyes wide with an imitation of innocence. I can't help but smirk, he thinks he can fool me again with that?
"We don't have to do anything," he speaks up, his hand reaching up and grabbing my wrist, "I just need someone tonight."
He strokes my wrist, and I sigh. Covering the final couple of feet separating us, my body presses up against his, that side of myself instantly flooded with a familiar warmth. Lifting up my legs, I hoist myself onto his lap, balancing myself on top of one of his legs. Leaning against him, I push his back into the couch, watching his smile of satisfaction grow as he wraps his arms around me.
We return to watching the movie, where the woman is now disposing of the evidence of a purchase with her stolen money. She then begins taking a shower, and I can't help but admire her long back and neck as she enters the shower, she's a very attractive actress.
Gazing up at Oswald, I lean forward and peck him on the lips. I run my hand through his hair as he begins chuckling, shaking his head, "Oh...oh, Trixie, don't do this to me."
"What am I doing, Ozzy?" I ask playfully.
His eyes light up at the sound of his nickname, but he continues to shake his head, "...don't break my heart again."
My eyes wander to the side, do I really have that much power over him? Would a single kiss set him back on the path toward obsession? I was just feigning interest to get him off of my back but...now I kind of want to take it a little further. After all, if the night's going to be going in this direction anyways, why should he be the one holding the reins?
"No foul play, remember? That goes for me too, and besides, you did rescue me from that strange dream. I would say that you deserve at least a little 'thank you'. And...and...I need you, Oswald."
Why am I doing this? After only having just told him that he should start over with someone new, here I am displaying feelings for him again. But...even after he did all of those things to me, after I told him that our relationship was over...it's not like those feelings ever went away. And around Ed, I constantly have to conceal my feelings for him, feelings that are far stronger than anything I've ever felt for Oswald. Maybe I just don't love Oswald enough to will the strength to hide my attraction, or maybe...maybe it's not Oswald who's the problem. Maybe I'm the problem, the weak one, the one who can't let go.
His grip on me instantly tightens, locking me against his chest. He lowers his head so that his long nose rubs against my forehead, "You...you, need me?"
His voice is shaky, as well as his clutch. I giggle, if only to hide my own nervousness. The line between lies and truth begin to blur as I bury my face into his chest, "Yes Oswald...just for tonight, I need you."
Behind me, the music of the movie ramps up and the screeching violins return. A woman screams, but I don't turn around. My attention totally dedicated to Oswald, I snake my upper body up to meet him before kissing him once more.
Author's Note:
Fuchsia Grasshopper: The children's names were fun, although I kept them personality-less for simplicity's sake. I don't think they could ever be a reality, and Oswald agrees. That's what dreams are for, right? Maybe Oswald and Trixie could get back together when things settle down, but when will things ever settle down? The latest episode is going to be a nightmare to write for, I literally have four different storylines planned out for the episode, and of course I'll be posting through the hiatus, that's why fanfiction is so integral to an intellectual property, it keeps fans dedicated through a hiatus
Narutoske: I would think Oswald would have a dirtier subconscious than most, considering how repressed he is on the outside.
Natalie is suggesting that Oswald learn from his mistakes and move on because, at least in my perspective, that's what a normal person would try to do. But as we all know, Oswald is anything but "normal", but how he plans to truly react to her rejection remains to be unseen.
In their dreams they were allowed to be greedy because it's their personal fantasy, which is unattainable in real life. I actually wanted to draw subtle parallels between their dreams and fanfiction in general, how it's often meant to be fantasy fulfillment and should be left in the minds of dreams instead of actually fulfilled in real life
Thanks! :)