Chapter Thirty-Six: Somewhere Only We Know
Two more months passed.
In that time, Sylvia and Ed had become something of a team in keeping Oswald ahead of the mayor.
As previously noted, Sylvia wasn't into the politicking part of the world. Instead, she preferred to deal with the lesser characters that revolved around in the Underworld. While Oswald was still performing as the King of Gotham, his role in the Underworld, had to go underground…but it was very much alive. She would go to her club, schedule to have the Families meet when Oswald could be pulled from his mayoral campaign, and they'd conduct business until Ed called and mentioned that the press and the other media were wanting a random-ass conference, and so he'd be pulled to the political world where, then, Ed would control the aspects of the schedule.
In some ways, Oswald was tossed around from one advisor to another, Ed and Sylvia serving in different roles but typically in the same aspect in each world. And if not for either of them, Oswald was certain he might have lost his mind with meetings and gatherings, parties, obligations being thrown at him from all sides of the court.
During that time, Sylvia's belly grew.
Her clothes no longer fit, having gained an extra twenty-seven pounds! Her back was achier, and one day she'd have no energy but in the next she'd be bouncing off the walls. People from across the room who hadn't even known her could tell that she was pregnant, and steadily, it wasn't only Oswald who had grown more protective of her.
Gabe, Demetri, Dagger, Chilly, and even Butch, kept a close eye on her whenever she was out in public; either in her club, at a meeting with the lesser characters of the Families, or even at a press conference where Oswald would go head-to-head with Aubrey James, outmatching and outsmarting one another in their future promises for Gotham City.
The campaign had been a grueling match, overall. With the baby so close to coming out, Sylvia wanted it all to be done.
After yet another press conference, Oswald had come back to the mansion, entering the master bedroom to see Sylvia gathering two diaper bags together, full of the diapers, clothes, wet napkins, and many other items that had been generously given to her by the population, as well as from the Five Families' families.
Her soft grunts as she straightened and small sighs of exhaustion as she squatted in an effort to put everything 'just so' before the departure to the hospital in preparing for the baby's arrival made Oswald walk towards her, taking her arm and gently moving her to the bed.
"What? I'm fine, I can do it," Sylvia insisted. It wasn't the first time he mistook her sounds of effort for ones of pain. "I'm fine, Oswald. I'm fine."
"If you move anymore…"
"The baby might fall out of me—you've said that plenty of times," Sylvia reminded, grinning despite the situation. She lied back on the bed, hands on her belly. "I'm just ready for this whole thing to be over, honestly. I can't wait to move around and do what I've normally done. It's been nine months since I've done anything."
Oswald sat beside her, placing his cane against the wardrobe, and undoing his jacket so he could be more comfortable doing so. His hand gently squeezed the sides of her knee, and it made her giggle.
"Stop, you know I'm ticklish!" Sylvia said, smacking his hand away.
"How are you feeling otherwise?"
"My back aches, but heh, what's new."
Oswald stood and crawled into the middle of the bed; as she watched him curiously, Sylvia joined him. He gestured for her to turn and she sat in front of him, legs crossed awkwardly but comfortably in front of her. She'd long ago forgone the use of wearing dresses, preferring sweatpants or elastic capris in favor of the formal wear.
Silently, Oswald massaged her shoulders and ran his hands over her lower back, digging in deep enough to find her aching muscle, pressing down and hearing her soft, quiet sighs of content and relief.
"One thing I look forward to," He said lightly, "is the freedom of doing more than just this."
"We still can have sex…It's never off the table."
"I don't mind this show of intimacy."
"I'd rather fuck you in terms of intimacy."
"We tried that, remember? Yesterday, actually."
"I'm just saying," She mumbled. "I can never say 'no' to you. It's just uncomfortable for the time being. Besides…I found other ways of making you happy." She craned her head back, winking at him: "You've not complained once."
"You make me happy in every aspect of our relationship."
"Such a gentleman's answer."
"And yet, true."
He leaned forward; she reclined back, and he wrapped his arms around her front, his hands on the topmost section of her belly; her hands lightly caressed his knuckles. They were quiet for a moment, and in that moment, Csilla wiggled a little. Oswald let out a small laugh, always captivated when Csilla recognized his touch, differentiating between him and her mother.
"Do we have enough clothes?" Sylvia asked, suddenly concerned. "I only counted…fifty in each bag."
"We have enough, and more." He reassured, kissing her ear. "Even if we didn't, I'm certain Demetri has become well-versed in shopping for infants, he'd be more than capable of finding more."
"Not just him."
"Of course…"
"Barbara has helped too, mind you," Sylvia said, smiling. "She's actually been very supportive, you know."
"I do know. It wouldn't be because she harbors some adolescent-like crush on you, do you think? Or that she has you to thank for the prosperity of her club to begin with," Oswald responded, unable to hide his own passive disdain. "I still don't understand what possessed you to give her such a substantial amount—"
"She's just grateful, Ozzie," Sylvia pacified. "She's been supportive of Csilla, and gave her all the baby clothes she and Jim had at her apartment. That accounts for nearly twenty or thirty of those newborn outfits. Not to mention the crib, the car seat…"
"I get your point, Pigeon."
"Okay, well, you know, just saying in case you think she has some ulterior motive for helping us."
"I think she does have an ulterior motive."
"What is it, then?"
"I have no idea." Oswald said suspiciously. "But she has one. Trust me."
"I trust you, sweetie."
Sylvia sighed, leaning further back into him so her head lied on the front of his shoulder. He looked down, seeing the contentment on her face, the way she relaxed her eyebrows and her eyes.
"How's Ed doing?" asked Sylvia, opening them so she could peer up at him. "He seems to be taking the reigns as your personal mayoral assistant rather easily."
"I think he has fun with it, to be honest."
"Well, you know what they say. You don't work a day in your life if you love what you do," said Sylvia, shrugging modestly. "I think he doesn't mind Demetri trying to help him either. Demetri looks up to him so much, what with him being intelligent and insanely organized, I think he might have a crush to be honest."
"Demetri likes Ed?" Oswald asked incredulously.
"One could see why. I mean, I can."
Sylvia bit her bottom lip the moment she said it. She felt Oswald tense behind her. She slowly looked up at him, knowing she'd see a hard look waiting for her to peer up at, and sure enough…well, while he didn't appear as jealous or betrayed, he did seem put off by her casual comment.
"I'm just being transparent," Sylvia said tactfully. "He's handsome enough, smart enough, fashionable enough. A young man like Demetri or anyone his age would revere Ed."
Oswald sighed, hinting for Sylvia to get off him. Reluctantly, Sylvia did and she looked at him reproachfully. He stood, looking at the diaper bags as though pondering their own existence before he returned his eyes to her.
"You said you don't have any feelings towards him." Oswald stated factually. "Long ago…"
"I still don't," Sylvia insisted, sitting on her knees. "He's a friend to me. Just that. Nothing else."
"Are you certain?"
"Are we to have the same discussion any time I remark on a person's attractiveness?" Sylvia asked tiredly, frowning slightly when Oswald appeared more tense. "It was an innocent remark, you know."
"We won't have to have this discussion about everyone you comment on, of course not," Oswald replied coolly, but that frigid tone still ebbed in and out. "But, as you may or may not recall, you once held a certain reverence to Edward yourself."
"'As I may or may not recall'?" Sylvia repeated defensively. She moved off the bed, grunting slightly when all of her weight pulled on her belly as gravity took its turn. "You make it sound as though I just randomly forgot about it. Oswald, yes, at one point or another, I fancied Ed. I was attracted to him, yes, but that was before he framed my brother. And yes, he did kiss me, and no, I didn't exactly stop it, but I renounced my feelings for him soon after, if you may or may not recall."
"You feel nothing for him?" Oswald asked firmly.
"I have only platonic feelings for him, Ozzie. Please, why must we have this argument? We've been together long enough, surely you wouldn't feel so paranoid?" Sylvia asked tiredly, stepping towards him. "He's worked with you and me for at least two months. I mean, for heaven's sake, we've lived under the same roof. Not once have I ever tried to get in bed with him, or anything more or less sordid. So why is this an issue, still?"
"I don't know," He responded, surprising himself.
"You don't know?"
"I don't."
Sylvia moved towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck, smiling encouragingly up at him in hopes that her spirit would somehow hush the suspicious voices in his head.
"Do you think yourself inferior to him?" asked Sylvia gently. "That I would love someone else, anyone else, besides you?"
Oswald said nothing, but looked at her with the answer in his eyes.
"Tetch tried to hypnotize me, you know." Sylvia said quietly. "Tried to hypnotize me into believing that I was somehow in love with him: a powerful illusionist."
"I know how much he enjoy illusions and magic." Oswald returned, disgruntled.
"But you know what happened?"
"What…"
"He couldn't," She whispered ardently. "He tried to, but I broke out of the trance almost immediately. Do you know why, darling?"
"Can't say I do."
"Because I could love no other man, but you." Sylvia told him, lightly brushing her fingers under his chin and caressing his face between her palms. "You are the only man for me, Sweetheart. You, and no one else. Not even a renowned hypnotist could convince me otherwise."
Oswald watched her for a long minute. The minute seemed to stretch on for hours in Sylvia's world, but then he smiled, feeling more like an idiot that he had questioned her love for him.
"I'm sorry, Pigeon," He uttered quietly. "Sometimes, a man gets insecure."
"For good reason, but there's a place in your heart that only I can fill. And when you feel uncertain, or afraid, you know you can always go there and find me. And you can feel me there, can't you?"
She touched his chest with her hand.
"Of course I can," Oswald reassured, covering her hand with his. "Can you feel it in yours?"
"I can feel you everywhere, darling. And it's a special place."
"Is it?"
"It's a place, alright. It's home. And it's a place somewhere only we know."
A/N: Don't worry, peeps. Sequel is posted: It's called "Enter The Villain". Be forewarned: It's pretty angsty, man.