Chapter 99
I return home, my head bowed, a weary expression on my face. I've just been on a bad streak lately, and it's wearing me down.
As I approach the door, I begin to hear the melody of a piano being played from the other side. Oh no...today just keeps getting worse, doesn't it?
My hand shakes on the doorknob as I open the door. No need for a key, it's already unlocked. The piano music stops, as Oswald turns around on the piano stool.
"Good. You're home," he smiles, getting up.
"I don't have time to deal with you now," I snap, "get out."
Oswald swoops in like a hawk, slamming his hand into the wall next to my head. He leans in, his nose practically touching mine.
"Awe, Trixie...I'm disappointed. Is that how you say hello?"
Oswald pins me to the wall and starts repeatedly slamming my head into the wall. After the third slam, I get ahold of the lapels of his suit and throw my weight onto him. We tumble to the floor, Oswald immediately getting the upper hand by climbing on top of me, knocking my head into the hard wooden floor. My head's spinning, as multiple Oswalds swirl across my vision and patches start to go black.
"I loved you...I trusted you, and you betrayed me," he growls, holding me by the neck but not choking.
I grab the hand clutching to my neck, but he secures both of his hands there, "Honestly...are you really surprised?"
His legs rest on my stomach, his hands still wrapped around my neck.
I sigh, "Oswald, considering you know who I am, and the fact that this isn't even the first time I've betrayed you...why are you so surprised?"
"I thought...I thought you'd changed...because...you love me," Oswald's face starts to flush red, as his
grip loosens slightly.
I take this opportunity to wrap my leg around him, throwing him up and over, so that I land on top. I have to steady myself once I'm on top, after those slams into the wall my orientation is completely off. As long as I can avoid any more blows to the head, I should be fine.
"Oh, Oswald...I do love you. It's just...this business requires some tough calls. It was between ratting out you or Liza and-"
"And you chose Liza?" he finishes, rolling his eyes, "Well, that shows how much you care."
"Hey, I figured you'd have a better chance at defending yourself," I argue.
He doesn't smile, but his expression calms a bit. Good, appealing to his ego always works.
"...well...as far as excuses go...that's not too bad..." Oswald admits, scowling, "still...that doesn't mean you don't deserve a little punishment."
He grabs my hair and yanks down. My head hits the ground and I'm out like a light.
I awake, and find myself in my own bedroom. My back's against the wall, my hands secured up on the air.
I look up and find that my hands are tied to a rope hanging from the ceiling. Looking down reveals that my feet have been bound in a similar fashion.
Oswald lies on my bed, looking upwards, "Why can't love be simple?"
I chuckle, "It never is."
Watching out for his bum foot, Oswald helps himself out of my bed. On the floor, he reaches for a woven basket with a white cloth wrapped around it, "I brought you some goodies. The rope is just the start."
Setting the basket on the bed, he unveils the cloth. In the basket is a large black leather belt, along with a blindfold.
Oh no...what with Oswald's personality, and how he is in bed...I should have seen the kinky stuff coming.
He draws the belt out of the basket, allowing to drag down to the floor, and then some, "For someone bound by their hands and legs...you're handling things pretty well."
"This isn't the first time I've been tied up for interrogation purposes," I explain with a shrug and a smile.
Oswald slams the belt in his hand, and I jump a little, "Who said this was for interrogation purposes?"
He approaches me, ripping my blue police shirt open, revealing the thin undershirt underneath. Without hesitation, he throws the belt back and whips me across the chest. It takes only a few seconds before the belt comes right back, hitting me again.
"I'm doing this because I love you-"
"Bullshit," I laugh.
Oswald frowns, as he wraps the belt around his hand, "You don't believe me?"
He wraps the belt around my neck, securing the large buckle, before yanking back. The belt seizes my neck, the tough leather choking me for all it's worth. I hold as still as I can, saving what breath I have, if I struggle, that's only going to make things more difficult.
"I...I thought you were different," he gripes, gives the belt an extra tug.
I react, a wheezing sound coming from my throat. My stomach starts to churn, I'm running out of air.
"I just...I wanted…" his speech starts to slow up, a rarity for him.
"I want you to love me in the most...irrational way. Everything has a reason, and yet, what I want is...love...without reason. It sounds pathetic, I know but...I was hoping you'd understand."
He releases his grip on the belt, and I gasp for air. Should I try convincing him with words? Or, at this point, would words not be enough to sway him?
He turns around, his head bowed, and his back to me, "But no...you're just like every other slut, aren't you? You want something from me, I'm just...your little puppet. You only hold me when you want to pull some strings."
Whipping back around, he grabs ahold of the binds of my hands, just enough so that our hands touch, "Well who's the puppet now?"
"But...I can't just kill you now, can I? No...no, we could still be 'mutually beneficial' to one another, like you said, when we first met? We were so innocent back then, or at least...one of us was."
One hand still on the binds, his other hand glides down, slowly wrapping his arm around my waist, resting his head on my bare shoulder. His slow, highly controlled speech from before turns into a heated whisper.
"Look what you've turned me into. A sobbing...snivelling excuse of a man. ...I need you. And 'need' is the very definition of weakness. Now, the only solace I can find from my newfound weakness...is to satiate my hunger."
The hand on the binding ropes drags down to run itself through my hair, as Oswald kisses me on the neck. The other hand grasps at my side, stroking up and down.
He suddenly stops, and pulls away, walking back to the basket. Picking up the blindfold, he holds it out in front of me. The last thing I need is to not be aware of my surroundings.
Wrapping the blindfold around my eyes, his takes hold of the belt still hanging around my neck. He starts repeatedly tugging and loosening it, sending my neck into a constant whiplash.
"But now...I have to earn you, like I earn everything else, through blood and violence. If your love can't come from nothing, then it'll come from the next best thing: fear."
This is insane. I don't know if Oswald's simply misdirected, that nothing I've ever told him has gotten through…or is this truly his nature, a sadistic control-freak who hurts people whenever he doesn't get his way?
But at the same time, I know that this is partially my fault. There were times where I led him on to serve my own best interests. But...is this really a proper form of punishment?
Removing the belt from my neck, Oswald turns me around. After snapping the belt in the air once, he starts whipping me in the back. The lashes of pain increase as he continues striking the same area. I bite my lip, calling for help would be a waste of breath, in the eyes of the average Gotham citizen this is just another case of domestic abuse, if a bit extreme. As the hits become more frantic, and Oswald's grunts become audible, my own breathing becomes rapid. How much longer is this going to last? Am I bleeding? Aside from the pain, my back is completely numb now. The whips from the belt occasionally bring small droplets that soak into my shirt. Is it blood? Or just sweat?
The whipping stops, the buckle clanks onto the wooden floor as the belt falls to the ground. My feet are heavier than before, as my head spins with pain.
At this point, my self-control has all but evaporated. I could be bleeding internally, and on the verge of death. If not, I'm certainly going to pass out from the pain. Either way, I'm getting the last word.
"Hit me all you want asshole!" I shout through my panting.
Oswald remains silent, but I don't wait for him, "Because now, I see you as you really are: a sad, desperate child."
He chuckles, and his laugh turns into a cackle, "...really? That's the best you could come up with?"
"But I'm not wrong, am I? What kind of logic compels you to believe that tying someone up and torturing them will create emotions of affection? Because you know what? You're right, the only way you can convince someone to your side is with violence and intimidation. Because you have no redeeming qualities, you use violence to scare people into following you. Well go ahead, hit me with your best shot, because I can take whatever you throw at me!"
Oswald turns me forward again, as he grabs the hilt of my pants. My stomach sinks as I begin to panic, but I swallow, and steady my breath, preparing for what's coming.
His hand pauses, with only a fingertip reaching down, "You can take physical pain...I know that. It's something I...admire about you."
His hand glides down into my pants, and I try to control my reaction. His palm is hot, and sweaty. I now realize that the blindfold was a courtesy.
"But no one…" he whispers, "can handle a humiliation…"
Oswald rams his finger upward, and I tense, gritting my teeth.
"...as great as this."
Author's Note: Alright, this is another big one. I'll leave it up to your feedback about what I should do with this chapter (i.e. put a trigger warning at the beginning, edit out sensitive parts, change the whole story's rating, etc.)
Also, I'm releasing this early because I go back to school tomorrow
Narutoske: Thanks so much :)
Yes, Natalie has feelings for Ed, and yes, she's already told him. But he's rejected her every time, he's just not interested in a relationship with her
And yeah, as we saw in this chapter, Oswald has huge plans for Natalie, and I don't blame Natalie for betraying him either. Natalie does not make the most loyal henchwoman
Guest: It's fine, I get it. Over the course of BOAF's (nearly) one year span, I've had a couple of breaks myself. Life gets in the way, and often we have to prioritize life over our hobbies
Thank you so much, I actually originally intended Ed to go farther, but considering what happens in this chapter, I realized I didn't want two shock moments in a row
BOAF isn't strictly a Pixie story, there may actually be another love interest for Natalie in the works (no promises ;). Although I can say, once again, that Ed isn't interested in a relationship with Natalie right now. He has Kristen, and as long as the show stays on that route, so will I. Although it's a very interesting point you bring up, with the Trixie persona being Natalie's façade. I've considered this several times myself, although the question that comes up: is the Trixie persona her façade, or her true self?
HungerGamesHarryPotter7887: Was this what you were hoping for? ;P
Writing Ed is always fun, if challenging at times, but I'm glad you enjoy it
PresidentOfTheBadGuyFanClub: It's cool hearing from people who've been reading from the beginning or are just coming out to review/comment now. Thank you so much, and thank goodness someone notices that I still use scenes from the show. As I progress into the mid-season, people tend to not remember these scenes. And that's so cool that the girl wrote her Senior Capstone on Fanfiction, and that you mentioned BOAF. I wish I was allowed to put in links, because I would share a TEDx Talk given at my school on Fanfiction. But thanks for your support!
Langley21: I know script format isn't technically allowed on , but I felt it was the best format for the bloopers, just based on how they're written and their reliance on physical comedy. I was originally going to release a backstory on Natalie and Ed's relationship if a certain chapter reached nine reviews. The chapter never reached its goal, and even though half of it's already written, I never got to release it. And as we saw in this chapter, the basket meant very bad news for Natalie
Thanks! :)