Chapter 60

I wake up on the living room couch, Oswald cuddled up beside me. Sometime during the night, the television had been turned off, and the sun is just beginning to peek out from between the skyscrapers. A morning bird chirps in the distance, only slightly muffled by the sounds of the city. My eyes widening in horror, I gaze downward. A sigh of relief escapes me when I find that my clothes are still completely on. Sensing my movement beneath him, Oswald stirs, his arms shifting to maintain their hold on me.

"Mmm...Trixie…" he mutters, still half-asleep.

I chuckle, grabbing ahold of a couch arm and trying to pull myself out of his grasp. He immediately reacts, clamping down on my body with his own weight, his only way of physically overpowering me.

"Oswald, it's morning, I have to go to work," I reason, although I can't help but smile at him.

He kisses me on the cheek, "It is not yet near day: it was the nightingale, and not the lark, that pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear."

I raise an eyebrow, "Oh really?"

He starts kissing and licking my neck, "...stay, just a few minutes more."

"Oswald, I know you. A few minutes is going to turn into a few hours, the next thing I know you'll be asking to stay again. I already gave you the night, and I'm not inclined to give you any more."

Drawing back his lips, he runs a hand through my hair, while brushing his thumb on my cheek with the other, "I...I don't want this moment to ever end."

"What, me trying to crawl out from under your stomach?" I ask sarcastically.

He tightens his grip, squeezing me against him, "You, in my arms, with me in complete control. All the power in the world is nothing compared to total dominance over a single person, a desirable person, a loved one…"

"I wouldn't say you have complete control," I counter.

He grunts, his playful smile darkening into a determined scowl, "Perhaps, but let's face it, in spirit, you are mine. And when you're in possession of someone's spirit well...body and soul aren't long to follow."

And how exactly does he own my "spirit"? I can't tell if he's truly delusional or he's just desperate to convince me he is.

At that moment, an idea comes to me, "Say Oswald, how long did you rent the television for?"

"...only for one night. It's due to be returned at eight this morning," he stops to kiss me, "and please, call me Ozzy."

I glance up at the clock on the wall, and smile, "It's seven-thirty."

Oswald leaps up, scrambling to find his footing. He grabs his pocketknife sitting on the kitchen counter, and whips around. Trixie's disappeared, leaving him in the cold and empty living room. The cruel woman, teasing him with a night of love and comfort, and then rushing out come morning. True, they both have things to do this morning but, the way in which she left him to abandon. Carelessly tossed aside, used and forgotten.

Shouldn't he be her hero? He saved her from her dream world, she'd still be stuck in that artificial fantasy…

True, he'd experienced his own personal dream world himself, and she had to pull him out of it. That was...embarrassing, but it's her fault that such a wonderful fantasy could enrapture him so easily. If she could just make his dream a reality, it would be so easy...if only…

Trixie's head pops out from behind her door, now changed into her police uniform. Oswald conceals the knife behind his back, but Trixie raises an eyebrow, "Don't think I'm going anywhere near you with that thing in your hand."

He takes the knife out and places it back on the table, waiting patiently. Will he be rewarded for his obedience? Or will she shun him again, confirming his undesirability as a mate.

Trixie approaches him, her expression emotionless, deliberately keeping them concealed. Why should she conceal her emotions around him, when he wants nothing more than for her to express her love?

"Thank you for last night," she begins, smoothing out his suit, "I...I've been having a rough week."

He wraps his arms around her, "I understand, and of course I'm always here for you."

She raises an eyebrow, playfully suspicious, "Really?"

He cups her chin in his hand, coddling her with his other arm, "Yes," he kisses her on the lips, and she responds by reaching up and placing her hands on his shoulders.

This is exactly what he wants, what he needs. Every time she pulls him into her embrace, he hopes that maybe, just maybe, this time she won't leave. The push and pull of their relationship tugs at his heart strings in a way he's never experienced previously. It's not completely love...but it's not entirely hate either. It's something in between, and he isn't quite sure whether he likes the feeling.

Trixie lets go, wiggling her way out of his arms, "Alright, I don't want to be late, and you need to return the television."

"Yes...of course," Oswald mutters, slightly dazed.

She turns around to open the door, but then, she turns around, "Oswald...when you were contacting me in my dream...did you lick me?"

Blushing with guilt, he shirks back, trying to avoid having to produce a reply.

Her expression is conflicted, but, just as he thinks she's about to flee the scene, Trixie walks back up and kisses him on the cheek, "You know what? It's not the weirdest thing you've done."

Is that a compliment? He can't tell, but her soft, gentle smile suggests so as she opens the door to her apartment and leaves, keeping the door open for him. Perhaps he should save her from comatose dreams more often, but just as his mind flutters around the idea, he remembers something.

"Trixie! Wait!" Oswald cries out, stumbling to get to the door.

Halfway down the stairs, Trixie looks up as he enters the hallway and grips onto the railway. Somewhat out of breath, he tries to convey his question between pants, "In your dream...you continually mentioned a man...Ed?"

She nods, "Yeah, he's the man I exchange letters with."

Oswald's expression becomes blank as he processes this information. So he is real. When he'd first heard her murmur his name in her dream-state, he'd imagined the man was a projection of himself, or at least her idealized version of him. Oswald isn't exactly a common name after all, he'd figured that she'd given him a more common one. But now he remembers her mentioning him before. Ed...most likely a shortening of Edward...he's her true object of affection. In her perfect world, she chose this...this Edward, not him, lowly, little, Oswald.

"Oswald...are you okay?" Trixie asks, her face contorted in worry.

Oswald shakes off his expression as he realizes it'd betrayed him, "Nothing Trixie, just lost in thought. Have a lovely day at work."

Still concerned, she hesitates, before continuing to walk down the stairs. Oswald frowns as soon as she disappears from view. All of her affection has been smoke and mirrors after all. She truly loves this other man, not him. What made this man so special? What did she see in him? Oswald questions this further as he enters the apartment. He remembers seeing his shadow through the curtains of her apartment. He's very tall, perhaps that's it, she prefers tall men. Height is a common display of power after all, and if Oswald can't tout his power through height, he'll have to compensate in other ways. He'll have to outdo the man of whom this power he has been naturally gifted with power through artificial gain. And he knows just how.

Oswald slinks back into Trixie's apartment, sure of his mission. He makes his way to a polished wooden desk, where, after rifling through several of its drawers, finds a stack of letters. All of them have the same return address, written in a chicken scratch handwriting that Oswald can barely discern. He can't make out the address at all, in any of the letters. Was this man half asleep when he wrote these?

If not his address, he can at least get his full name, right? Oswald opens the most recent letter and quickly scrolls to the bottom. As he skims through the letter, his eyes catch a name being continuously mentioned in the letter. Is it...Kirsten? Christian? Kristen? Crispy? Whatever the name is, it becomes increasingly apparent that this person is all Trixie's dear Edward seems to be talking about. A wide grin spreads across Oswald's face in revelation. The man of her affection loves someone else, and while he can't help but feel a pang of sympathy for her, he also revels in this new advantage he's discovered.

His eyes finally reach the bottom of the page, where a full name is scratched out as if it was done by a chicken's talon dipped in ink. Ed...Edward...Nim...Mgh...Ngy...Nigma? Edward Nigma. Strange name for a presumably impressive man. He's held Trixie's affection undeservedly for far too long. He probably doesn't even realize she adores him. Well, Oswald will make sure he never finds out.

Oswald's blood begins to boil. The love he pines for chases after someone who will never return her affection. While he could easily give her all the love she's been searching for...it's just not fair, is it?

In a fit of rage, Oswald tears up the letter, letting the scraps of paper fall to the ground. Stepping on the slivers, he hobbles to pick up the television, realizing that his task has been set. This man has been the obstacle blocking him from his goal the entire time, now all he needs to do is destroy him.

Author's Note:

Erik-is-my-angel1234: Thank you so much, hope you enjoy this next chapter! :)

Lola93091: Thank you, I'm sure Oswald's happy he gets what he wants for once. I've purposely planned out every storyline as to have a slightly different feel, just to keep it fresh. It's almost like a comic book, where the character will go through various storylines with varying tones and themes

Fuchsia Grasshopper: Thanks, I don't want to make Oswald too cutesy, but these occasional moments are always fun, and a nice calm before the storm. Oswald can be quite dramatic in comparison to Natalie, so she would assume that he's exaggerating his feelings. Personally, I do feel that he's usually brutally honest about how he feels, it's just that he was never taught how to deal with these emotions in a healthy way. As for Natalie, I agree, it will be difficult for her to walk away from him. My personal reasoning (and of course character motivation is often up for interpretation) is because her parents died at such a young age, she's constantly searching for a sort of surrogate parent figure, and while she wants that in Ed, Ed has his own lady problems, so instead she's drawn toward Oswald

Narutoske: Thank you :)

In this storyline, Natalie is going to be carrying some heavy actions beats, so I felt a more vulnerable moment for her was necessary. Can't have her wandering into Sue territory anymore than she already has. And in this chapter, it is absolutely confirmed that Oswald's not going to be letting her go, it's just that he's going to exercise his desire in...other ways

Thanks! :)