AN: Thank you guys for the follows/favorites/reviews and thank you to my guest reviewers as well. Enjoy and please review!

Playlist:

Sounds Under Radio-All You Wanted

Chapter 30

The next morning Jim showed up at Wayne Manor to talk to Bruce about Selina. Alfred gave Jim the letter Isabelle left. After reading the letter Jim looked up at Alfred, eyes filled with worry. "She hasn't called yet," he remarked.

"What?" Bruce said, having also read the letter. "Are you sure?" He rose from where he'd been sitting on the couch, his brow knitted together.

"Yes Bruce," Jim answered.

"Perhaps she just hasn't found a place, or maybe there's no signal, or her phone died," Bruce supplied quickly. He was trying to think of any reason why she hadn't called yet.

"I'll call her now and find out," Jim said as he pulled out his phone.

Alfred and Bruce watched and tried to hide their anxiety as Jim waited for Isabelle to pick up. "Isabelle, look, I'm at Wayne Manor. I just read your letter. Honestly I'm glad you decided to leave, I think it'll be safer for you, but I really wish you would have come to see me first. You haven't called yet and I'm starting to worry so call me back as soon as you get this. I love you. Be safe." He hung up the phone and turned to face the other two.

"Just give 'er a bit of time Mr. Gordon. I'm sure she's fine," Alfred said, not voicing that he, too, had started to worry the minute he'd read the letter but had decided not to meddle. Now, though, he was starting to regret that decision.

When Jim got back to the precinct he sought out Edward Nygma since Isabelle had left the Charity Ball with him before returning to the mansion.

Edward listened intently at what Jim told him. Isabelle had given absolutely no inclination that she was even thinking about leaving and he told Jim this. He hadn't heard from her either and after talking to him Edward decided to call her himself, leaving a message for her as well.

Jim tried to get in touch with Oswald as well but he was told he'd left the city with Maroni. He decided he'd give Isabelle until tonight, wait for her to call, before he put out a missing person alert. For now he would try and focus on the case with the murder of Adam Jodowsky.

That evening he still hadn't heard from Isabelle so by the time he met Lee for dinner he was on edge. He wanted to see Lee but his jumbled thoughts were more focused on the current case and Isabelle. He'd talked with Harvey about Isabelle leaving earlier that morning and his partner tried to reassure him that everything was fine, that she probably just forgot to call. Now all those reassurances were starting to seem very empty and, Jim feared, unlikely. He hoped he hadn't failed her again. He even went so far as to call Barbara and when she didn't pick up he left her a voicemail asking if she had heard from Isabelle. He knew they weren't on good terms but he was willing to look past that to make sure his niece was okay, he was hoping she would be too.

~O.o~

Oswald was going over ways to apologize to Isabelle. He could send dozens upon dozens of her favorite flowers to Wayne Manor or invite her to his club where they could be all alone to talk, thinking of someone he could hire to play her favorite songs on piano in the background. He knew she couldn't be bought though, especially not after the way he had acted. He would wait to call her until he knew what he was going to do. Of course any of his plans were sidetracked when Maroni invited him upstate on some "business". Oswald decided that soon would come the time to make his move against Maroni and put down the vile man for good. Or at least that had been his plan before where he found himself now, knees pressing into the ground of a junk yard trying to get Maroni to spare him.

"Hey," Maroni said after shoving Oswald into a car, ready to be crushed, and locking him in. "Say hi to Frankie for me. Oh, and uh, I might have to visit Isabelle Gordon, explain to her this unfortunate incident. Do you think she'd like flowers?"

Oswald's face was contorting in fear and anger as Maroni laughed. "You had a fine young woman there Oswald and you had to go and mess it up. Who knows? Maybe she'll need a shoulder to cry on?" Maroni winked before turning and walking away.

Oswald's sweaty hands jerked at the door handle but nothing happened. His hands started shaking even more as he heard the machine start up and his heart felt like it was hammering against his chest, trying to escape his body. As the car began to be crushed he panicked further. He couldn't die like this, not now, not when he had successfully got Fish out of the picture and still hadn't made things right with Isabelle. Oswald Cobblepot did not give up so easily.

~O.o~

Jim and Harvey had just finished talking to Edward about the case they were working on Crane and as they were about to leave Edward spoke, "Have, have you heard anything from Isabelle?"

Jim didn't miss the worry in Edward's voice, although he kept it off his face well. "No, I haven't. I tried to reach Oswald as well but it seems he was busy."

"Well, what if he did something?" Edward implied.

"Why? What do you know? Have you heard anything?" Jim rushed up to him suddenly, almost putting his hands on the younger man in his desperation for the tiniest amount of information.

"No, I, it's just after the other night, at the ball. He rather lost it, didn't he? A character like Oswald Cobblepot wouldn't be above…hurting someone, even if he claimed to actually care about them."

Jim took a step back and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply.

Harvey spoke up, looking worriedly at his partner. "Jim told me about that. I think Cobblepot would come after you first, honestly. It's what I would do."

Jim opened his eyes and looked at Harvey.

"What? I'm just being honest. You told me yourself Cobblepot said he was jealous. Why wouldn't he go for the guy at the root of that big green monster, eh?"

"Well," Edward started. "I haven't noticed any thing out of the ordinary."

"You could be right Harvey, but Ed, he wouldn't do that to Isabelle. He knows what I'd do to him if he did something like that and he knows you mean something to her."

"A guy like Cobblepot values his life more than anyone else's," Harvey added.

~O.o~

Oswald made his way into the precinct, seeking out Jim Gordon, an invitation to his club's grand opening in hand. He hoped it would smooth things over a bit after what happened the other night. He wanted to get back on Jim's good side and for more than just Isabelle's sake.

Edward spotted him immediately and when Oswald noticed him and turned his back to him Edward descended the stairs. As Oswald sought out Jim Edward kept pace with him down the next set of steps, agitating Oswald immensely. Edward kept a cheeky grin on his face the whole time, enjoying the little game. When Oswald came to a stop Edward sidled up beside him.

Oswald turned. "Can I help you?"

In a light, playful voice Edward answered, "I don't think so. Can you?"

Oswald grinned, holding in a quiet laugh. "What do you want?"

"What I want, the poor have, the rich need, and if you eat it you'll die."

"Is this…are you asking me a riddle?" Oswald asked incredulously.

"Do you like riddles?"

"No," Oswald answered, shaking his head.

"So do you give up?"

Oswald had another quiet laugh. "Friend," and he used that term immensely loosely, "look it…"

"Nothing," Edward eagerly interrupted. "The answer is nothing. The poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it…"

Oswald held up his hand, interrupting him now. "That's quite enough."

"Did you know that emperor penguins keep their eggs warm by balancing them on their feet."

Oswald had been turning away, but he now had the urge to do much worse than just scratch Nygma's face right now.

"Isn't that neat?"

"Nice face," Oswald remarked, seeing the marks he'd left on Edward's face were still prominent.

Edward was not deterred in the slightest. "Yes, well, what was really nice was when Isabelle cleaned the abrasions for me. In my apartment." He tilted his head slightly, still smiling, and his eyes never strayed from Oswald's face. "Are you aware that her lips have the taste of oranges?"

"Yes," Oswald spoke through gritted teeth now, "I'm well aware, actually."

"Then you must also be aware that Isabelle left the city the night of the ball? Well more like early the next morning." He could clearly see that Oswald did not know that. "She left a note. Told her uncle she would call. But that was a few days ago. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that? Would you?"

Edward could easily tell that Oswald knew nothing but decided to goad him further. What a fun game this was indeed, he thought. The smile left his face as he stepped closer to Oswald. "If you happen to know anything, and you are withholding it from me, from Jim Gordon, you'll regret it."

"Is that so?"

"You've hurt her enough, don't you think?"

"And you're trying to take her from me."

Edward chuckled. "Well," he pushed his glasses up his nose. "At the rate you're going, I don't have to try at all."

"You listen well Nygma-"

Edward brought his hand up quickly and Oswald flinched back. When Edward just smiled at him, quickly dropping his arm after making no contact with Oswald whatsoever, Oswald finally turned and left.

Oswald waited for Jim, annoyance radiating off him as he went over in his mind what Nygma had said about Isabelle leaving. He was almost in disbelief that she had left. Again. But at the same time he couldn't refrain from blaming himself. He hoped she was all right.

When Jim saw Oswald smiling at him, he was less than pleased. "Uh, give me a minute," he said to Harvey.

"Take your time," Harvey said at seeing Cobblepot.

"It's good to see you," Oswald started.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to invite you to a party I'm hosting."

Jim looked over the invitation in his hand. "No thanks."

"I hear you, too busy I suppose. Are you on a tricky case? Anything I can help you with? It worked so well the last time."

"I don't want your help. It was a mistake to ask. I don't want you coming here. As a matter of fact the only thing I want from you is to know whether or not you've talked to Isabelle since the night of the ball. I tried to get in touch with you, but your guy said you were gone with Maroni."

"I was, but I've only just learned that she's left the city and you haven't heard from her in days. I haven't spoken to her since that night either. I've been trying to decide the best way to apologize."

"How about you just apologize? Isabelle won't go for any frills."

"I want to help find out what's happening with Isabelle. I'll put the word out with my men and if anyone has harmed her they will pay dearly, I assure you. The things Fish has done will look like mere child's play compared to what I will do."

Jim stared at him for a moment before speaking. "She didn't call you before she left? Tell you or even hint to where she was going?"

"Not a word."

Jim considered Oswald's words for another moment. "You can leave now."

Oswald grew brave, despite the detective's warning from before. "You shouldn't treat me this way, Jim. You need my help. You'll come to me. Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." Oswald placed the invitation back in Jim's hand. "Please…reconsider my invitation. It won't be the same without you. And don't worry; I'm sure one of us will get in touch with Isabelle soon."