Here's another chapter! I would love some reviews. Thank you forevermore to Kakkorat is Cake. If it hadn't been for your kind reviews, I probably would have quit by chapter 4.

Chapter 11

The family returned home reinvigorated despite their mourning clothes. Oswald trailed after them like a lost puppy. Clutching the lily bouquet in his hands like a life preserver. He was shaking all over, unable to think straight. Every time he tried, his mind took a step back and went around in circles. That was why he sat out most of the car ride in silence, and not only because he'd learned from Ruby that servants aren't supposed to speak unless they're spoken to.

That's what he was now. A servant. Just like last year, when he'd carried Fish Mooney's umbrella and considered it an honor.

This was an even greater honor. He got to keep his home, his family, and the memory of his father. And Ruby. For what? A few household chores? Easy as pie.

Finally, the limousine parked behind the mansion.

"God, finally!" Sasha complained, slipping her high heels back on. "I seriously need a bath. Yo, Oswald." She lightly smacked the young man's shoulder. "Burn these damn clothes, will ya?"

"Of course!" Oswald nodded. As the Van Dahls climbed out, Oswald took a moment to savor the landscape. Winter was finally beginning to break its hold on the world. Patches of lime-green grass dotted the horizon like freckles. The icicles were melting, and the ponds looked less like chunks of ice. Spring was coming. Renewal.

"And don't forget to say goodbye to your friend, Oswald." Grace called over her shoulder. "I've decided to fire her."

Oswald's head snapped back towards his stepmother. "What?!" He quickly limped towards her, leaving crooked prints in the soft snow. Grace stared at him, surprised that he would even speak. "But-but why?!" Oswald asked. "She's done nothing wrong!"

"She threatened Sasha right before we left." Grace gestured to her daughter, who nodded in agreement. "And any servant who mistreats my children shall be cast out."

"I'm certain she didn't mean it!" Oswald begged, hugging the flowers tighter to his chest. "Ruby's good! She would never disrespect you!"

"She just did." Charles interjected. With a steely voice he continued, stepping towards Oswald. "Be grateful we're allowing you to stay. But if you stick up for her, we'll throw you out, too. Without thinking twice about it."

Grace elbowed Charles, annoyed at his disregard of the plan. Still, she had to admit that he had a point. They had alreasdy permitted him to remain here, and that was only because it could work to their advantage. Besides, he was too stupid to figure it out for himself. Ruby, on the other hand...she knew this mansion better than they ever could. She might find something.

Oswald swallowed hard. Looked down. Grace smiled and petted his head, much to her disgust. "Good boy." She said. "Now, get our baths ready. I'm sure we all want to rid ourselves of the stench of death."

Oswald nodded and turned away. Limping through the door, he held the flowers close. Tears beaded in the corners of his eyes.

Ruby saw them coming from her bedroom window. Grace and her two disgusting offspring walked as one, like a human wall. Oswald lagged behind, almost like...like a servant, walking three steps behind. The maid frowned, putting down the jewels that she'd been polishing. Wiping the mist from the window, she leaned closer. She saw them severely tell Oswald something, while he apparently pleaded. Ruby saw their lips move, but couldn't hear a thing. When Oswald lurched away, he looked ready to burst into tears.

Ruby bit her lip. God, what had those personified insults to decency done now?

Well, no matter. It wasn't like Oswald would give her a clear answer anyway. For some reason unknown to her, Oswald still wanted to establish a bond with these half-wits. Have the family he never could.

Ruby rubbed her temples before rising. Whatever the reason, he would need some cheering up. And she had just the remedy in mind.

Closing her eyes, Ruby focused on her body's zillions of cells. Breaking, renewing, healing, and procreating. All coming apart at the exact same time. Keeping her eyes closed she felt her body soften like heated wax. Quickly becoming formless, Ruby slid between the dusty floorboards. Bits of her dripped onto the floor below. They did the same thing, this time puddling on the kitchen's polished tiles. In a matter of seconds, they regrouped and reformed. First, her feet appeared. Then, her shins and calfs, still covered with black leggings. Her cells climbed atop each other, like bricks forming a tower. A deformed shadow fell across the floor, stretching with every second. Becoming more human. Soon, the last jigsaw piece fell into place.

Ruby opened her eyes and stretched. Sighing with relief. Then, she looked around for her prize. "Where did Cookie put it?" She wondered aloud, opening and closing cupboards. Ruby even peered into the fridge, to no avail. Grimacing at the raw porkchops, she quickly shut the door. "A harmless, intelligent animal," she muttered to herself, "killed for no good reason. And some say I'm the monster." As she scoured the broom closet and - why not - above the fridge, Ruby decided to have a sip of the sherry herself. She needed it to combat the nausea.

Finally, just as she was on the verge of giving up, Ruby's hand found something beneath the silverware. Something smooth and glassy. She grinned. "Bingo." Carefully, she pulled out the bottle and held it up for inspection. It was about half-full. Strange. Oswald had said that Master had only drunk a shot glass's worth, and before then, it had been nearly full. Ruby brought the bottle close to her eyes, inspecting it closely. Something was off about the color as well. It was normally a pale gold, like certain brands of champagne. Now, it was tinted green. Ruby remembered reading something about exposure to air could cause this chemical reaction. But why now, and not other times?

Ruby's mind grinded to a halt. Her mind flashed back on that terrible night. Hard not to, she thought of little else these days. But now, she was examining it from a whole new angle. She thought back on the exact moment that the Master started...well. It was moments after he drank the sherry. Until now, Ruby had thought that his heart had simply given out. In that moment, she hadn't cared to discover the cause. She'd just wanted it to end. Now, though...

Ruby closed her eyes. Tried to stay calm. She couldn't allow herself to panic. What she needed was evidence. And she refused to kill a household plant to do it, or the dog for that matter. That left only one thing.

Taking a deep breath. She yanked the cork out with her bare fingers. Steeling herself, she brought the nuzzle to her nostrils. Immediately she sneezed. A horrid smell climbed it way down her throat. Pulling the bottle away, Ruby set the bottle down. Then, without much hesitation, grabbed a kitchen knife and brought it down on her pinkie. The bleeding digit dropped onto the counter, leaving a crimson trail behind it. Ruby watched, undeterred, as a new one grew in its stead. Wiggling her new digit experimentally, Ruby stared at the old one. It had lost the shape of a pinkie. Now, it was...constantly change. One minute, it was a cube. Then, a mace. Next, a ball.

Ruby took the bottle and gently tipped it over the bit of morphing flesh. Once the liquid made contact with it, a disgusting odor filled the room. The stench of meat being boiled. Steam rose into the air, momentarily blinding Ruby. Coughing, she set the bottle down and stepped back. The wall hit her spine. She stood there, coughing and sneezing, as the smell began to fade. As it did, her mind began to race.

Even though it'd been disconnected, that bit had still been part of her. A fragment of a human body. And now, it was a puddle of white foam.

That was when all of the mosaic pieces fell into place, forming the ugliest picture in the world. As well as the clearest. Ruby squeezed her eyes shut. But the tears came all the same. She leaned her head back, silently crying, as she cursed herself.

Why? Why couldn't she have foreseen this? Why didn't she try harder to convince the Master that that woman would be the end of him? Why hadn't she suspected Charles when she'd seen him right here, hovering over the bottle, less than an hour before the Master would drink from it?

Simple: because she'd never thought it possible. Ruby had detested the Van Dahls since their first moment here, true, but she never would have thought...this.

Well, no more.

Ruby sneered. Willingly channeled her sorrow into anger. Her left hand tightened into a fist. The right stretched out, grabbed the cork, slammed it back into the bottle, and took the whole thing away. Keeping the bottle as far away from her person as possible, Ruby marched. Following the sound of laughter. Laughter of triumph. Ruby's blood boiled in her veins.

It didn't take her long to find the three lounging in the tea room, splayed across the priceless velvet couches. Refreshments, varying from expensive wine to cheese, covered the coffee table. Ruby seethed at the sight. This tea room had been one of the Master's favorite places to recieve close friends. Everything, from the walls to the furniture, was painted some form of purple. On Ruby's first night here, he'd personally served her tea in this very room. She'd been seated right where the widow was now. "Ah," Grace looked pleased to see her, "if it isn't Red-Hot Ruby. You can apologize to my daughter now."

"We'll see." Ruby tossed the bottle. Charles caught it instinctively. Once he got a good look at it, however, his face went three shades paler. Ruby crossed her arms. "Recognize it?" Charles didn't answer; his expression did it for him. "Then," Ruby raked some hair out of her hot, teary eyes, "are you going to tell us what it is?"

"It's..." Charles turned to his nervous-looking sister and Mother. "The sherry."

"Tell them." Ruby ordered tersely. "Tell them what you did."

Charles swallowed. He looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Allow me to fill you in, then." Ruby took a step closer. Her skin rippled across her muscles like caged snakes. "You poisoned the sherry."

Oswald searched the mansion relentlessly, like a hound searching for a fox. He kept an eye out for Ruby's black apron, for her curly hair or gentle eyes. All in vain. In desperation he set the lillies in a water-filled vase outside of the attic bedroom. Imagining her face when she saw them and cringing when he considered what would happen soon after.

Ruby would be fired. She would be forced to leave. And Oswald would lose the closest friend he'd had in...his life, really.

It was only then that Oswald heard shouting. Feminine. A chill ran through him. Was it Grace? Or Sasha? Screaming at him to come down and satisfy some request? Not wanting to disappoint he ran towards the voices, going as fast as his hobble allowed. Soon enough, he found himself outside the tea room. He stopped at the entrance when he realized that it was slightly ajar. Against his better judgement he peered inside.

Ruby was standing before his family, looking flustered yet unbelievably angry. She was standing with her back to him, but he could feel it. She was radiating rage as an oven does with heat. Her hands kept clenching and unclenching at her sides. "What I'd like to know is...why?" She asked, sounding strangely calm.

Charles turned to Grace, who shrugged. He reverted his gaze to the maid. "Ruby, you're grieving. You're confused."

Oswald turned just in time for Ruby's explosion: "YOU POISONED THE MASTER'S FAMILY SHERRY!"

Oswald gasped.

"I only do what my mother tells me to!" Charles protested, not knowing why he'd bothered. He'd barely got the words out when Ruby snapped. "If she told you to murder the man who's been sheltering you for years, then your mother is evil."

A deathly silence fell over the room like a shawl. Charles and Sasha glared at Ruby like they wanted nothing more than to flay her alive. She returned the feeling, times a hundred. Only Grace seemed calm. She knew how this would all turn out. "'Evil' is a rather strong word, Ruby." She stated calmly. "I'm just trying to be a good mother, not queen of the world."

But Ruby wasn't listening. Couldn't.

"I loved that man," she said through tears, "more than I did my own parents! He was good, he was kind, and YOU KILLED HIM!"

Oswald covered his hand with his mouth. Confusion and grief battled behind his eyes, pressing against his skull like rain-bloated worms. Tears streamed down his hollow cheeks.

Back in the tea room, silence still dominated. Sasha and Charles seemed to sense that something was wrong, like rabbits hearing a faint noise right before the fox swept them up. They instinctively inched closer to their mother, who instead looked incredibly calm. She chuckled at Ruby's flushed face, at her fists and tears. "That's quite the story, girl," Grace said, "but I doubt anyone would believe it. Especially because it's not true."

Ruby crossed her arms. Tried to keep her form under control. "Oh, yes? Then who slipped that venom in the sherry? One of the other servants, just for a laugh? Hell, did I do it myself?"

"Nobody poisoned the wine." Grace said calmly, rising to her feet. "Calm down. You're just confused." She took a step towards Ruby. The maid, in turn, stepped back. Her body screamed at her to unlock the gate. To let it thrive, take on new forms and kill with them. But Ruby only tightened her hold. If she let loose now, she would only cause damage. Grace, seeing the rage dwindle in those dark blue eyes, smirked. "This brings me to the next matter at hand."

Ruby glared at her.

"You're fired."

Ruby froze. She felt as though her insides had been ladled out with a giant wooden spoon. The maid stood there, unable to move, before finally remembering to breathe. "W..." She swallowed. "What did you say?"

"Did I stutter?" Grace asked. "Go up to your room, pack your bags, and get out. I don't want you in my house a second longer."

"It's not your house." Ruby growled. "It rightfully belongs to Oswald. Any half-decent lawyer in the city would agree with me."

Oswald placed a hand on his chest, moved beyond words.

"And who do you think they're going to listen to?" Grace asked. "Me, the woman who just won billions, or you? The plain Jane with no name or family? What would you pay him with? Those jewels you love so much?"

Ruby opened her mouth, then closed it. Grace nodded sweetly. Stepped forward until their faces were inches apart. "You see, Ruby, your voice has absolutely no importance here...or anywhere, really. You could disappear forever, and nobody would give a damn."

I would, Oswald wanted to say but didn't. Still hiding behind the doors.

Grace continued, loving the way Ruby's expression broke. Oh, yes. She'd found the girl's weak spot, and she was going to exploit the hell out of it. "And the man you claim you 'loved'...cared nothing for you. The only reason he kept you around was because he pitied you." She put on a mocking tone. "Oh, poor, sad little Ruby! Abandoned at Arkham at eighteen and raped just a year later! Such a poor, unfortunate soul."

"He told you about that?" Ruby's voice cracked.

"He told everyone." Grace lied. "From his best friend to his barber. So, yes, I was slightly wrong earlier: he kept you around because he pitied you...and found you too entertaining to send away. And I can guarentee that if it were Oswald running this place, he'd adopt the same idea. If he hasn't already."

That's not true! Oswald would have shouted had he not been so frightened.

A single tear slid down Ruby's cheek. She knew that it had to be a lie...surely...but the idea of it being even remotely true was like drinking arsenic to her.

"I, however, prefer more...sophisticated humor." Grace smiled. "Now, why don't you be a good madwoman and go put your belongings together?"

Ruby turned around and bolted towards the door. She rushed past Oswald, not even seeing him, and flew up the steps. She didn't intend to pack. She didn't intend to do anything other than lock herself in her room. Her only haven. Her sole ally. She didn't stop until she reached her door...where the lillies awaited. Ruby froze, tears streaming down her face.

"I hope you like them."

Ruby twisted around to find Oswald there. His expression told her the truth. She tried to stay strong for about three seconds. Then, her knees gave way from under her. Oswald caught her just in time. They sat on the floor together as Ruby wailed, muffling her sobs in Oswald's coat. Oswald held her close, rocking her from side to side and whispering nothings in her ear. Ruby held onto him tightly, as if to convince herself that he was really there. Eventually, her tears subsided and she looked up at Oswald. "Do...do you...?"

"Of course not." Oswald wiped her eyes dry with his sleeve. "You're my friend, Ruby. Nothing will change that."

Ruby knew that he wouldn't be saying that if he knew. But to him, those words were true. Sighing, exhausted, she leaned her head back on his chest. Oswald kept holding her, feeling strangely at peace. Just for a moment, he remembered holding his mother in a similar way when Maroni revealed the truth about Oswald's 'job'. Not for the first time, he felt a pang of sorrow for his mother. His only prayer was that she'd reunited with Father now.

But until he found out, there were other matters to discuss.

"Ruby..." Oswald gently detached the maid from his body. "What you said was very serious."

Ruby, still blotchy-eyed and red in the face, stared at her friend as if he'd lost his reason. "But it's true!"

"How do you know?" Oswald asked calmly, hoping not to turn the waterworks on again.

"Because the sherry was a different color." Ruby replied, wiping her nose. "And it smelled awful. And I saw Charles in the kitchen the night Master..." She stopped. Unable to say it. Oswald swallowed. He gently gripped her shoulders. "Ruby, maybe Grace is right. You're hurt and confused, and you want to blame someone."

"No." Ruby shook her head. Reached out and cupped Oswald' cheeks. Her hands were cool and moist. "Oswald, I swear. I swear on everything that I hold dear. They killed him." Seeing the unwavering doubt in his eyes, Ruby tried a different strategy. "Try the sherry yourself. Or have someone else try it."

Oswald frowned. "What?"

"If whoever drinks it turns out fine, then woe is me. I'll grovel at their feet, beg for forgiveness, whatever. But I won't do that until you-"

"No, Ruby-"

"Please!" Ruby brought her face close to Oswald's, tearing up again. All objectives died in the latter's throat. He saw the desperation, the utter conviction, in those bloodshot eyes. They were too pained to be ignored or denied. "Please, Oswald." She gently stroked Oswald's cheeks. "I'm asking you to trust me."

Oswald swallowed hard. His heart pounded at a thousand per hour. Finally, he began to nod. "Okay. I'll try it." Ruby closed her eyes, relieved, and rested her forehead against his. Oswald blushed and leaned into the contact. Drinking it in. Eventually, though, he had to pull away. "You...you don't have to leave."

Ruby's brow crinkled.

"Go in my room." Oswald gently lifted Ruby to her feet. "Tranfer all your things there, for the time being. I won't let you go out there and starve."

Ruby's eyes got huge and teary again. This time, she held them back and nodded. With one last hug the two friends went separate ways. Ruby made regular trips to the attic, bringing as many of her belongings as she could.

Oswald, in the meantime, headed downstairs. He still had lunch to prepare, after all. And the afternoon drinks. Maybe he would try the...sherry, himself.