The next day at work, Kristen was swamped with new crime scene reports that needed to be filed away, as well as officers coming in asking for files every ten minutes or so. She was sorting through the mess some impatient detective had made of one of the filing cabinets, when she heard Jim and Harvey talking outside.
"Still nothing on the Penguin?"
Kristen paused what she was doing, listening intently.
"Nothing," Jim confirmed. He sounded tense and weary, which as far as Kristen could tell, was the usual state of things.
"We have to find him before he does something stupid Jim." Bullock said, rubbing his hand over his beard. "Galavan killed the guy's mother in front of him … He wasn't exactly stable to begin with could you imagine what he's capable of now? Look at what he did the other night!"
Jim shook his head grimly. "I'm surprised he hasn't tried something else again already," he said. "He's been capable enough of biding his time in the past, but lately?" He sighed. "You saw him. That's not a man who's thinking things through."
In the next room, Kristen stared down unseeingly at the file in her hands as the words hit her. Cobblepot's … mother had been killed in front of him? No wonder. No wonder he'd been tearing Gotham apart. No wonder the city was in chaos. Pity stung at her sharply. The poor man … He had seemed so frail and helpless, unconscious in Edward's apartment. And to think, there was no one else really on his side … Who would care about getting justice for the Penguin? It was strange. She'd never really thought about Oswald Cobblepot having a mother.
"Has anyone located her body yet?" Bullock asked crossing his arms over his chest. "It's a pity … I mean I don't like the guy but … His mother was a very kind lady. I liked her. She didn't deserve that."
"No," Jim said quietly. "She didn't."
Kristen needed to get ahold of Edward as soon as possible. She wondered if he knew about this. If Cobblepot wasn't terribly coherent just yet, Edward might not even be aware that he had a grieving man on his hands. He'd need help with that. The physical wounds he could patch up without too much trouble, but this? She didn't think Edward was equipped to handle this.
Edward gathered the left over bandages. After Oswald had collapsed on the floor he'd had to drag him back to bed and change his bandages again. He yawned as he put the scraps into the garbage and pushed the tray to the side.
With Oswald once again out Edward had some time to relax, since he got there he hadn't gotten much sleep. In fact, he realized he'd been wearing the same clothes for a little too long.
Kristen arrived outside of Edward's door, having gone straight there after work. She raised her hand to knock, and then thought better of it. He'd been startled enough last time, as any sensible person harboring a fugitive would be. So she called his phone instead to let him know it was her.
Edward heard his phone vibrate and answered it to discover Kristen was at the door. Smart girl. Perhaps they should do that for what remained of Oswald's stay, however long that may be. He moved to the door and click it open, sliding the other lock out of place as well since he'd had another installed that morning.
He stepped aside to let her. "Kristen, hi." He said with a smile, relieved to no longer be alone with the current situation. Even though it wasn't really fair to her to have to deal with this, he did admit he would like the help.
"Hey," Kristen said, kissing him on the cheek as she walked into the apartment, closing the door behind her. She glanced over at the bed, where Cobblepot appeared to be in a deep sleep, though his expression looked troubled somehow, as if the pain of his waking hours hadn't really left him. As far as she could tell, he didn't look like he was in much better shape than when she'd last seen him.
"Has he been awake at all?" she asked, looking up at Edward.
"Yes, he woke up briefly." He said quietly. "He tried leaving and passed out so I had to drag him back to the bed and rebandage him. I don't think he'll try again. He should understand the severity of his injuries by now."
Kristen looked pityingly over at the unconscious man. Of course he'd tried to leave … He didn't know where he was or who he was with, and he had to know that there were people after him. "I don't know," she said. "He'd have to be pretty stubborn to be king of Gotham … He may try again." She hesitated for a moment, before she said: "I … heard Jim and Bullock talking this morning. Did … did Cobblepot say anything about what happened to his mother?"
"Yeah … She was killed. He said he lost her but didn't specify how. I'd assume with everything going on it was Galavan who killed her. He's given up." He said quietly as he moved to the counter to put a pot of water on to boil. "He's given up. He told me if I was planning on killing him to get it over with. Said it would be more than welcomed." He said as he turned the stove on and sat back down at the table. "I told him about the people I killed … He seemed to find it funny … But I doubt he really cared. It didn't even seem to phase him. Then again he did grow up in Gotham so … Perhaps it's not so shocking. He doesn't know me."
"You told him …?" Kristen started, shocked, before she decided to drop it. Who was the Penguin going to tell, anyway? She sighed, going over to the table to sit with Edward. She'd been on her feet all day. "That … doesn't sound surprising. That he's given up, I mean. Apparently, Galavan had her killed in front of him. I get the impression they were close."
"Yes, he's extremely distressed by this." He said leaning back in his chair and tapping his finger against the table. "It makes me wonder what's going to happen to him after this. We saved him, for what? He'll either go to jail, or be killed by Galavan … He has no one to help him."
"This is Gotham," she said drily. "I doubt going to jail would save him from Galavan." She thought over the situation. What had been the point of killing the man's mother? What purpose could that possibly have served, other than sheer cruelty? If someone was actually lucky enough to have a decent relationship with their parents, everyone else should at least have the decency to leave them alone. She couldn't even imagine that kind of loss, or how a person could manage to come back from it. "Maybe…" she said. "We could help him get back on his feet again, somehow? Even if nothing else motivates him, surely he'll want revenge?"
Edward looked up at her. Was she implying what he thought she was implying? "Revenge?" He asked. "He doesn't even seem motivated enough for that. He seems pretty prepared to lie down and take whatever comes to him … But perhaps if he was provided with the opportunity …" He said as he heard the water start to boil. He got up and threw the package of soup into the water, adding in some leftover cut up chicken and some vegetables that were in a container from last night's dinner. Once he was done he came back to the table but didn't sit down. "I think I may have an idea." He said moving over to the bed where Oswald lay sleeping. Edward prepared a syringe and jabbed it into Oswald's neck, despite his request not to sedate him again. "Would you mind watching him for a few hours? He won't wake up, but in case something happens, you can call me."
"Alright," Kristen said, a little perplexed at Edward's abrupt decision to go out. "Where are you going, though?" she asked.
"No idea." Edward said as he grabbed his coat. "GCPD first …" He said. "The soup will be done in about ten minutes. If you could take if off. If you haven't had supper yet by all means have some, but if you could put the rest in the fridge that would be great. Thanks." He said kissing her on the cheek before leaving the apartment.
"Um… alright," she said, more confused than ever. She was a little worried that he wouldn't say why he had to leave. And she felt a little weird about hanging around here alone with Oswald Cobblepot, even if he was unconscious … But it wasn't as if Edward was asking her to do anything really difficult. She could keep an eye on a sleeping mob boss and a pot of soup for a couple of hours, and she had a book in her purse to pass the time. She just hoped that Ed would explain where he'd been when he got back.
It was indeed a few hours before Edward got back, nearly midnight to be precise. But when he returned he was not alone. A man walked in behind him, willingly.
"Kristen. This is Leonard." He said indicating the man who was staring at Oswald in disbelief. "He works for Galavan. He's here to collect Mr. Cobblepot." He said as the man looked at Oswald in the bed, Edward standing behind him.
"Is he dead?" Leonard asked, looking annoyed. Edward looked at Oswald as he approached Kristen behind Leonard's back. Oswald was so pale and still he could look dead but no.
"He's just sedated. He'll wake up in an hour … Maybe two." Edward said before leaning closer to Kristen's ear. "You mentioned helping Mr. Penguin get revenge … What do you suggest we do with him?" He whispered to her while Leonard was too busy checking Oswald's pulse. His boss did want him alive after all.
Kristen had stared in speechless shock since the moment Leonard walked in, her mind racing to try to comprehend why Edward would bring one of Galavan's men here, what kind of game he thought he was playing, whether he had lost his mind completely … Until Edward whispered his question in her ear. Then it all became clear.
This was still a terrible idea. They couldn't just go around killing criminal masterminds' underlings. The possible consequences were unthinkable. This was crazy … But now that Edward had made up his mind to let Leonard in here, what else could they do? And watching Leonard leaning over the unconscious, helpless man, preparing to take him back to his boss … Kristen didn't have to think about who she sympathized with more.
"I think," she said very quietly, feeling an unexpected thrill once she'd made up her mind. They were past turning back now. "We should let the Penguin decide that, shouldn't we?"
Edward waited her answer, his hands pressed together in front of his mouth as if he were in prayer. As soon as she gave him her answer his grin spread ear to ear, and he clapped his hands lightly.
He moved to a silver tray on the table and picked up a syringe, quickly filling it with fluid. "Do you need help getting him out?" Edward asked, coming up behind him, the syringe prepared in his fingers.
"No that shouldn't be a problem." Leonard said standing back up from where he was leaning over Oswald.
"Good." Edward said grabbing onto him and pulling him back against his chest as he jabbed the needle into his neck, the man groaning in pain as the needle broke flesh. Edward let go of him as Leonard staggered.
"What the … What did …." Edward watched as he fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes with a loud thud.
Kristen shook her head, her arms crossed as she looked down at Leonard sprawled haphazardly on the floor. "You could have given me a head's up before bringing him here, you know," she said, though she didn't sound angry. This was quickly getting out of hand … And yet she was reacting to it less and less. She didn't know what to do about that.
"I'll be honest I wasn't planning on it when I left … But the opportunity arose …" He said bending over and hauling Leonard into a sitting position. "Can you pull out that chair?" He asked pointing to one of the chairs at the table.
"But you're sure you weren't followed?" Kristen asked, pulling over the chair Edward had indicated. "No one else knows where Leonard is?"
"Noooope." He said with a grin as he hauled Leonard into the chair. "He wanted to keep this as secret as I did … He didn't want to get into trouble for calling in false information. No one knows he's here." He said as he started to ruffle through a drawer and locating a roll of black duct tape and a burlap sac he'd used to store potatoes in previously. He put the sac over Leonard's head, pulling the string a bit tighter before holding the tape out to Kristen.
"Would you like to do the honours?" He asked.
"Are you sure you weren't planning this?" Kristen said skeptically, taking the tape and, after hesitating for a moment, starting to bind Leonard to the chair. She was already involved in this anyway, and she didn't want him getting loose and hurting Edward. "You seem a little too prepared for a spontaneous kidnapping."
Kidnapping. That's what this technically was, she realized. She was an accomplice to kidnapping one of Galavan's men. When had everything gotten this complicated? And why wouldn't that irrational thrill go away? She should be far more concerned about how insane this was.
"Well, I generally don't throw things away. So the bag was from some potatoes I bought, the duct tape is a very useful tool and comes in handy quite often, I do have to maintain an entire apartment block after all … And the sedatives were used on Oswald. I got them from work a while ago in case of an emergency." He said watching her tie up Galavan's lackey. To be honest he was a little turned on watching her do that.
"I see," Kristen said, raising an eyebrow. "So you're always prepared to give medical attention to mob bosses and kidnap lackies?" she finished taping him up and looked up at Edward. "What?" she asked, a little self-conscious about the way he was looking at her.
"Nothing." He said with a slight smile, ignoring her comment about mob bosses and lackeys. "Have I told you recently how attractive you are?" He asked leaning against the metal footboard of the bed, his hands on either side of him holding the footboard.
Kristen laughed, blushing slightly, as she straightened and walked over to him. "You have. I'm going to get quite the ego if you're not careful … Though your timing right now's a little strange." She kissed him lightly on the cheek.
"Is it?" Edward asked looking down at her. "I wasn't aware there were certain times I wasn't allowed to tell my girlfriend how pretty she is. And to be honest, I'm fine with giving you an ego." He said putting his arms around her and kissing her just below the ear.
Kristen shivered slightly as Edward kissed near her ear. "I don't know," she said, running her fingers through Edward's hair. "It just seems a little awkward given present company."
"Present company?" Edward asked. "They're both out. Neither of them can hear me tell you how sexy you are." He said his hands going to her hips. "And even if they did, I doubt either would disagree."
"That's … hardly the point," she said, looking up at him. She was blushing profusely now. "It's still a little awkward."
"Why?" Edward asked, not taking his hands off of her, though he didn't hold her there. She could move away at any time, and yet she stayed.
"I don't know," she said, thinking it over. "I guess … Even though they're out cold, I can't quite forget that they're there."
"But why does it matter if they're there?" Edward asked. "Why should that matter? Unless … Are you …" Edward paused. "Are you ashamed of me?" He asked leaning away from her.
"What?" Kristen's eyes widened, alarmed that she had made him think that. "No, Edward, never." She stepped forward, closing the distance that he had created, and put her arms around him. "I just … want to have some things that are just for us, that's all."
"Well … If that's the case it won't stop me from telling you anyway. Because you are. And if I could tell every single person in the world I would." He said kissing her lightly.
"You're so sweet," she whispered after returning his kiss. It still struck her as a strange conversation to have right next to a mob boss they were harboring and a man they'd just kidnapped, but apparently, this was their life now. She wondered if things would ever go completely back to normal.
Pressing closer against him, she felt his unexpected erection pushing against her through the fabric of his pants. Her blush deepened as she looked up at him in surprise. Really? He was turned on now? "So … um …" she said a little awkwardly. There was that strange little thrill of adrenaline again. What was wrong with her? "Committing felonies together does it for you?"
"I think it's more the power trip, perhaps." He said wondering if he should be embarrassed by it. Then again, she didn't seem to mind.
"I see," she said, smiling slightly. Admittedly, it was nice to see Edward acting assertively … even if it was in a bizarre context. "Do you want to go downstairs, then?"
"No." He said before leaning down to kiss her, his tongue sliding along her lip. "I'm sick of being restricted in my own home." He said before kissing her again, his hand threading into her hair.
"Oh," Kristen said, surprised as Edward started kissing her. Nervously, she wondered how far Edward wanted to take this. Rationally, it seemed unlikely that Leonard would wake up anytime soon, and it wasn't as if he'd see anything. But it had been hours since he'd sedated Cobblepot, and the dose had to wear off eventually … Strangely, the risk of being caught was a little exciting, though she knew she'd be mortified if it actually happened. And Edward's assertiveness right now was just irresistible.
She leaned into the kiss, her hands running over his back as her body pressed against his. Her eyes closed, and she tried not to think about their unconscious guests.
Ed pushed his hips against her as he kissed her harder, his hands moving back to grab her ass and pull her closer to him.
He broke the kiss and moved his mouth to the lobe of her ear, nipping at the soft skin. "I want your mouth on me, Kristen." He whispered, his face turning red up to his ears as the words came out of his mouth.
Kristen shivered at Edward's words, still nervous at the idea of doing that here, but excited by how badly he seemed to want her. Looking up at him, she saw that he was now blushing as profusely as she was. She smiled slightly. How could she say no to that face?
"I … think I can do that," she said shyly, kissing him again before going to her knees. She hesitated, listening intently for any movement from the bed, but Cobblepot didn't so much as stir. After a moment, she reached up and started undoing the front of Edward's pants.
Edward held his breath as he watched her move down onto her knees, her head now just below level with his shaft. He sat back against the headboard again, bringing himself closer to her mouth, giving her easier access to him as she opened his pants.
Kristen looked up at Edward as she gently pulled his already hardened cock from his pants, lightly stroking its length with her hand before taking the tip into her mouth, her tongue playing teasingly across the tip.
Edward suddenly let go of the breath he'd been holding, the breath coming out a moan as she took the tip into her mouth. He closed his eyes a moment as he gripped the foot board, before looking down at her, watching her lips around his cock, her tongue playing over the head of his shaft.
"You're so good at that." He said quietly.
Thrilled at the sound of Edward's moan, Kristen took his cock further into her mouth, her tongue still moving over him as her lips moved further down the shaft.
Edward moaned again as she took him further in, his eyes staying on her, wanting to watch every moment of her sucking on his cock. He moved his hand forward and brushed her hair out of her face, holding it out of the way.
Kristen quickened her pace, continuing to take him further and further inside as her mouth moved up and down his shaft, loving the way that he reacted.
"Oh God …" Edward moaned as he felt his orgasm already starting to build. He knew he wouldn't last long, and attributed it to the adrenalin that was still coursing through him from what they had done.
Kristen kept going as Edward's cock hit the back of her throat, as far in now as she could take it without risk of gagging, and her hand went to the base of his shaft, stroking in time as she sucked, her tongue moving over him. She knew he had to be close, and his moans thrilled her so much that she forgot to care about Cobblepot waking up, forgot to be embarrassed by the two unconscious strangers in the room.
"Kristen I … I'm going to come." He said unable to stop himself from closing his eyes as her hand came up to his shaft.
Kristen looked up at him, watching the look on his face as she kept sucking at his cock, showing no sign of stopping, the shaft disappearing into her mouth over and over again.
Edward groaned, his hands clutching the footboard he was leaning against, his knuckles turning white with the force of his grip. He tensed with pleasure as he released himself inside her mouth. "Kristen." He moaned as he thrust his hips forward without even thinking, it wasn't hard, but it was enough that he pulled away from the bed.
Gagging slightly as Edward thrust forward, Kristen drew back just a little to compensate for how far forward he'd just pushed, but she didn't pull away. She kept sucking as he spilled out into her, wincing slightly at the taste, but loving the way that he moaned her name.
Once Edward calmed slightly, he let go of her hair, pulling back from her, his shaft slipping from her mouth.
"I'm sorry." He said quietly looking back down at her.
Kristen shook her head as she swallowed with a little shudder, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. "It's alright," she said, smiling slightly as she looked up at him. "I … kind of liked your enthusiasm."
He held his hand down to her and helped her off the ground before kissing her. His hands fixing his pants and tucking himself away. "Would you like to take this downstairs?" He asked quietly before nuzzling her neck.
Kristen put her arms around him once she'd been pulled to her feet, leaning into his kiss. It still astounded her that he didn't mind kissing her after she'd gone down on him. She nodded, a thrill running through her as he nuzzled at her neck. She smiled. "I'd love to," she said eagerly.
"I'll hide Leonard, just in case, and I'll meet you downstairs." He dragging Leonard into a nearby closet. He couldn't believe this was happening. But before he could even make it out of the closet and Kristen could make it to the stairs there was a groan from Edward's bed and he could see Oswald raising his hand to his head as he tried to wake up.
"You sedated me again you ass hole!" Oswald grumbled though his words were hard to make out.
Well … So much for going downstairs … "No. You passed out from overexertion." He said coming up to his bed and handing Oswald the glass of water which he actually took this time.
Kristen turned around when she heard Cobblepot groan. Downstairs would just have to wait. She was blushing as she headed over toward the bed with Edward. If Oswald had started to wake up just half a minute sooner …
Glancing over at Edward, Kristen didn't contradict the lie. No doubt the Penguin had a hard enough time trusting him already.
"How are you feeling?" she asked tentatively. Everything about this situation was still so bizarre.
"Who is this?" Oswald asked. Edward jumped as if he'd been startled. That's right, Kristen hadn't been here the few times he'd woken up.
"This is Kristen. She's my girlfriend." He said with a slight smile.
"Uh-huh … So you're just telling everyone I'm here?" Oswald asked.
"Oh, no … No no." He said with a slight chuckle. "She was with me when I found you. She helped me get you into the car. So … She always knew you were here. She won't tell anyone." He said as Oswald looked at her with a scrutinizing glare.
"I don't plan on going around telling people that I'm helping to harbour a fugitive, Mr. Cobblepot," she said dryly. "If that's what you're worrying about."
Oswald sat up, turning on the side of the bed. "I doubt that would matter." He said. "Call the police, I don't care." He said making Ed look at Kristen with concern.
"No," Kristen said quietly. "We're not going to do that. I know you feel like giving up now … But after what Galavan's done, he deserves to pay. And no one else is likely to make that happen."
"And you think I can?" He asked. "Whatever I had … it's gone now. I have nothing left, and nothing to fight him with." Oswald said.
"Galavan seems to think otherwise," Kristen said. "Or everyone wouldn't be so bent on finding you. And from the police reports I've read, I got the impression that you've built an empire from nothing before. Seems a little hard to believe that you'd just give up and let him get away with it now."
"What do you know?! There is no 'empire' to take anymore! Everything I had was taken by the police! The mob I could go against, the police wouldn't do anything about that, so long as I don't cause them too much trouble … But this is the police and Galavan coming after me …. The police has my empire …. How do you expect me to take that back? I don't exactly have anyone working for me anymore."
Kristen's eyes narrowed slightly at the words 'what do you know,' but she didn't react to it otherwise. He was hurting. She understood that. "So you're done doing the impossible?" She shook her head. "Edward brought you something."
"Is it a gun? A gun would be great." Oswald said as Edward walked toward the closet.
"I didn't spend the last twenty four hours saving your life just so you could kill yourself. But perhaps this would cheer you up?" He said opening the closet and was surprised to see that Leonard was awake. Perhaps he hadn't used a large enough dose. He should have been out at least for another hour.
Well, this would just make it more fun. He pulled Leonard out and pushed him towards the end of the bed.
"Tada." Edward said as Oswald looked at him, a bored expression on his face.
"What is this?" He asked.
"This is Leonard." Edward said. "He's a gift … For you."
Oswald's expression didn't change. "And what exactly am I supposed to do with a Leonard?"
Kristen snorted at his wording. "The Leonard," she said. "Works for Galavan. He was after you. We thought maybe a little revenge might be in order."
"Oh." Edward said pausing. "I thought you would be pleased." He said pulling out a knife. "We brought him to you so you could kill him." He said handing Oswald the knife. Oswald looked at it a moment as Leonard looked around confused despite not being able to see, with a loud 'hmmm?!' ….
Oswald took the knife from Edward and walked up to the man, staring down at him. This man was nothing … He worked for Galavan sure but …. He hadn't killed his mother.
Oswald held up the knife between two fingers and let it drop to the floor before walking back to the bed. "I don't know what notion you have in your head … But stop. I told you the last time I woke up this is not a road you want to go down."
Kristen glanced over at Edward, confused by Oswald's words, but she didn't say anything about it. She sighed, watching Oswald sadly. She didn't know how to help him. Maybe right now he just needed to be left alone for a little while.
Edward watched Oswald climb back into bed and he shook his head, pulling Leonard back into the closet again. When he came back out he hears Oswald humming to himself. He took Kristen's hand. "Come on … Let's leave him alone." He said leading her downstairs.
Glancing back over her shoulder at Oswald, Kristen hesitated for a moment before following Edward downstairs. She'd never in her life seen a man look so completely broken. "He's in even worse shape than I expected," she whispered, so that only Edward could hear.