Chapter 109

Holding a cup of coffee in my hand, I follow Renee and Crispus down the street toward my apartment building.

"Alright, so you, Renee, and Barbara will meet up tonight. I'll stay behind in case you guys need backup," Crispus goes over with me and Renee.

"You sure you're feeling up for this now, Natalie? We can still wait a couple of days," Renee suggests.

I shake my head, "No...no, I'm ready. I don't want to be the one holding back our investigation."

Renee nods as I open the door to my apartment building, "See you tonight. Get some rest till then."

"Thanks, Renee," I smile, before heading inside.

I start climbing the many stairs to reach my apartment, but just as my head crests over the railing on my floor, I spot Oswald waiting outside. Godammit, I just wanted to rest for a measly second-

"Trixie...there you are," he turns to me, smiling.

He starts hobbling toward me, and I scale of last of the stairs. Oswald reaches out to put his hands on my shoulders, but I pull away. Insistent, he grabs my hand.

"One of my henchmen has gone missing, Eel. You've met him, correct?" he asks, pulling me toward him.

We become close enough so that our noses touch. Oswald closes his eyes and tightens his grip on my hand.

"...yeah, I think I remember him," I reply, not daring to allow him any closer.

"And...do you know anything about his...mysterious disappearance? Hmm?"

Shoot, he's onto me. I've gotta distract him for the situation, somehow. I sigh...I guess either way, he gets what he wants.

His breathing becomes loud and heavy, as I wrap my arms around him, "Now why would I know anything about that?"

Oswald's cheeks become flushed red, as I run my hand down his back, grazing over the fabric of his suit. Is he buying it? Maybe I need to sweeten the deal, just a little bit more.

"Oh Ozzy, you worry too much," I shake my head, before kissing him on the cheek.

It's been a little while since I've done that. I'd never admit it aloud, but I kind of liked it. I felt...a little pang in my chest, like...a small flutter.

Oswald stares at me, dumbfounded, his mouth slightly open. I try my absolute best to keep a smile, but his eyes start to shake in his sockets. His grip tightens even more, so much so that my hand turns red and puffy.

He pulls me into a tight embrace, "No...no, you're right. I'm worrying too much. I'm just happy you're back."

I'm...back? Does he mean, that I'm back in his arms?

"It's a wonderful day outside. How about we go to the park?" he suggests.

I don't know what else to do but quietly nod. Oswald smiles, "Great. I'll get my coat."

I hold his hand, helping him down the stairs. Even while navigating the stairs, Oswald is fixed on me with a wide, cheshire grin. It makes me uncertain as to whether he's actually glad to see me, or is plotting my bloody end.

He grabs his long black overcoat, as well as a bright red scarf, "It's getting cold out, almost time for the holidays."

"Yeah...I guess you're right," I realize. I've never been much of a holiday person, with the exception of exchanging Christmas gifts with Ed, I've never really celebrated them.

Opening the front door of the apartment, we're greeted by a strong chill in the still air. Snow collects in small pockets along the sidewalk, and the ground is ice cold. Oswald buttons up his coat as I cover myself up with mine.

He grabs my hand as we start walking towards the park. I don't know what to think of this. On one hand Oswald has no right to be forgiven for what he's done. On the other hand...I do miss moments like these. I turn to Oswald as we stroll along the icy street. He seems happy enough, but if he's luring me into the park to kill me, I'll be ready.

"You have a lot on your mind right now, don't you?" he inquires, pulling me just a little closer.

"I always have a lot on my mind," I reply, squeezing his hand.

He takes my other hand and swings me forward, so that the two of us create a circle, "Well...I propose we forget the world for a while. Just for a little while, just you and me."

I can't help but raise an eyebrow. What is Oswald playing?

"Al-...alright, let's just...take our minds off of things for a little. I'm sure you have a lot going on as well," I agree.

The entrance to the park is already littered with trees, appearing to be a gateway to a forest. Oswald and I walk along a concrete path dotted with lamps and benches. The trip is silent between us, with only the sounds of the park to listen to.

About halfway through, we sit down on one of the benches. I brush off the thin layer of snow covering the seats. Oswald wraps his arm around me before sniffing the air.

"Now is the winter of our discontent," he murmurs, before chuckling.

I turn toward him, "I thought you said we were going to forget the world for a while."

He nods, "Yes, but I find myself so entrenched in the world I can't separate myself from it."

I put my hand on his knee, "I know, you are...very ambitious. ...I admire that."

Before I can stop him Oswald dives in and kisses me on the lips. He wraps both arms around me and pins me down onto the bench.

"I love you…" he murmurs between kisses.

I lie still, unsure how to respond. Oswald notices my lack-of-response, and he starts squeezing both of my shoulders, "Don't ruin this moment for me."

Reaching up, I brush Oswald's cheek. He takes one of his hands off of my shoulder presses his hand against mine.

"...I love you too."

I wish I was lying.

Oswald smiles, his disgusting yellowed teeth right in my face, "I'm so glad you can finally be honest with me."

We kiss, and Oswald brings up the two of us. I rest my head on his chest, and he repeatedly runs his hand through my hair.

After a few minutes of cuddling, I point to a nearby open field where a thicker layer of snow has accumulated, "Do you think there's enough snow to make a snowman?"

"...we could try," Oswald gets up, pulling me along by my hand.

Trudging over to the meadow, I start collecting up the snow into one large pile. Oswald collects snow on the other end, and forms it into a smaller clump.

My pile starts becoming circular, and I start rolling it toward the middle. After deciding on a spot for our snowman, I carefully pat down the snow into the ground to secure it. Oswald brings over his clump to plop on top of mine, and I smooth out the edges as he gets a final ball of snow to place on the top.

"What shall we name our little friend?" Oswald asks, peering at me from behind the snowman.

I sift my hand around the snow until I find some small stones to place on the head, "Well, Oswald Jr. seems a little on-the-nose."

He chuckles as I place the stones to form eyes, a nose, and a mouth, "I think...Oswald Jr. sounds wonderful. Charming, even."

Oswald finds two sticks to pry into the middle circle to become hands, and unwraps his red scarf from around his neck to bestow upon the snowman. When we're finally finished we lie down on the leftover blanket of snow, side-by-side.

"Trixie, where's Eel?" he asks, as we stare up at the sky.

I shake my head, "You won't find him."

"Did you kill him?"

I turn my head over to him, my hair ruffling in the snow, "Now why would I do a silly thing like that?"

Oswald shrugs, "You would."

I turn back to looking up at the sky, "Only if I had to."

His hand reaches over, before landing on my shoulder, "I will handle Eel. just...come home to me. Get away from that...Casanova of yours."

I get up, "Who, you mean Ed? No, no, Oswald, you've got it all wrong. Ed's just an old friend of mine-"

"He certainly seems like a little bit more," he counters, getting up and grasping his other hand on my leg.

I push both of his hands off of me, "No, you know what? I'm done, there's just no convincing you," I turn away from him and curl up into a ball, "...if you want me to keep my distance from him, fine. But you have to promise me you won't kill him."

Oswald tilts his head, before lowering it down, and then looking back up at me, "...that seems fair. And you will return to me, right?"

I swallow. I can't...I shouldn't...but I finally have him in a good mood. One wrong move and he could kill Ed tomorrow. He's come so close before...I shouldn't have angered him in the first place. This is just all so-...

My silence prompts Oswald's face to become red, as he grips a clump of snow in his hand, "You will not refuse me."

I close my eyes, and lean over to kiss Oswald on the lips. I fall into him, wrapping my arms around his neck and shoulders. Please fall for it, because I honestly can't give anything more.

He reaches behind me and runs his hand through my hair, "...good girl."

I bury my head in his chest, nuzzling past his jacket and bumping my forehead against his suit. Good, he's convinced. But as I keep my arms wrapped around him, and we lie together in the snow, I have this creeping, nudging feeling. That...as close as I am to him, I've never felt so alone.

Author's Note: A close uncle of mine passed away suddenly from cancer, about six hours ago from when I post this. I don't know how this will affect my posting schedule, but I do know my posts have already become delayed due to various time constraints and general fatigue. I will try my best to keep up my current schedule, at least up to the one year anniversary. Thank you in advance for understanding

davinaxo: Yeah, thankfully, BOAF is still in the middle of Season 1, so no spoilers here. And yeah, I'd hope Natalie isn't comparable to Bella from Twilight, because heaven knows we already have enough characters like her

Narutoske: Thanks :)

I definitely feel that Ed is in Natalie's inner circle, it's just that she doesn't want to involve him in this other part of her life (life threatening situations, abusive boyfriends, etc.). It's hard to say how Oswald would react to having romantic feelings for someone, so I have to construct something based mainly on his relationship with his mother, and to a lesser extent, James Gordon. The rest I sort of guesstimate based on other source material or on my knowledge of psychology. While I'm sure no one wants to see Natalie die, she could infuriate Oswald to the point where he does end up killing her. It's not outside the realm of possibility

Langley21: Very true, Oswald never gives up. And yes, he's also quite the attractive trainwreck ;). My biggest concern right now is that since Gotham has confirmed that it will use the Court of Owls this season, it will contradict how I've used the Court of Owls storyline thus far. Either that or I will have to weave some absurd plot twist that explains the differences. But I'm glad you enjoy the direction I've gone with BOAF, and that you find the story so well-written :)

Thanks