I own nothing but Nicki.

Chapter 27

"Love comforteth like sunshine after rain."

Oswald was thoroughly tucked into bed and could hear his mother humming in the next room over. It was soothing, to hear her sing, as she banged around pots and pans loudly in the kitchen. Just like when he was a kid. He would have been enjoying it more, however, if it weren't for this awful cold, he thought bitterly. He had called off work and was sure to curse Raoul with every cough and sneeze. The worst was the fever. He knew that his forehead was damp with perspiration as much as from the wet washcloth his mother had insisted on, and despite his burning head, he couldn't seem to stay warm despite the three quilts his mother had secured him with, pinning him down by tucking him in so tight.

It was nice, like when he was a child, and he forced himself to relish it despite his foul mood and lack of good health. He had missed having his mother dote on him, well to this degree anyways, and definitely preferred lying around and being cared for to going to work. Minus one small factor of course….

Nicki with her smile, Nicki with her fierceness, Nicki with her lips, her lips on his cheek, her body on his, the warmth of her-

"Oswald," his mother's voice called from the kitchen, interrupting his fantasies.

"Ye-" he tried but his voice barely came out as a croak from a combination of sore throat and lack of use that day. He cleared his throat. "Yes!" he tried again, weakly but audible.

"You're mama has made stew! It will be done soon," she sang.

Oswald did not reply but closed his eyes and smiled contentedly. He should probably be getting up soon. Not an idea he was overly keen on at the moment though. He could stay in bed a little longer…

Knock Knock Knock

His eyes flew open. Who on earth?

His mother seemed equally confused. He could hear her muttering as she moved to answer the door. Hear her slippered feet shuffling across the floor. Hear the click of the locks and the creaking turn of the knob. And then he heard a familiar, very chipper voice.

"Hello! You must be Mrs. Cobblepot? Is Oswald home?"

Not even the tightness of the covers could hold him as he sat bolt upright in bed, the wash cloth slipping off his face. Nicki?

"Kapelput." He heard his mother snap testily. "And who are you?"

Oswald almost fell out of bed as he struggled to remove his legs from the quilts and swing them into the floor. He paused to clutch his head and groan as it throbbed from the sudden motion.

"Kapelput," he heard Nicki correct herself, not losing her cheerfulness. "And I'm a co-worker! I knew he called off sick today so I-"

Oswald dropped down to his hands and knees and peered under the bed for his slippers as he heard his mother cut her off.

"Yes. My dear Oswald is ill and will be receiving no visitors. So if you pleas-"

He snatched the shoes and slipped them on, then grabbed his house coat from the end of the bed and hurriedly shrugged it on as well.

"Oh, well that's alright then," she sounded a little disappointed. "But I brought him some soup…so if I could just leave-"

Oswald stumbled out of his room and down the hallway, through the living room, through the dining room.

"No thank you." He came into the kitchen just in time to see his mother quite literally pushing Nicki out the door. Nicki caught sight of him and her face broke into a grin.

"Oz!" She yelled, fighting to wave at him with her free hand. His mother swirled around to see him, surprise evident on her face.

"It's alright mother," he strained to say, his head and throat aching. "She's a friend."

"Oz…" His mother said, her voice dripping with distaste at the nickname. "You should be in bed, Oswald."

Nicki eyed the woman carefully and replied the same. "Of course. No offense…Oswald…but you look awful." Oswald started to protest her statement but couldn't be mad at that warm grin, or her act towards appeasing his mother. Even his mother nodded in approval at this although she continued to eye the girl warily. "So I'll just leave this with you and-"

"No!" Oswald said, a little too hastily. He coughed. "You should stay for dinner. It's the least we could do for the gesture and it would be rude to turn you way…wouldn't it mother?" He added the last part a little pointedly and his mother shot him a hard look but couldn't say no to her little Oswald.

With a sigh she relented. "Alright the girl can stay…but just for dinner. Then it's back to bed with you."

Oswald gave her a grateful look and turned his eyes to Nicki whose lips had formed a playful smile at the exchange.

"Here Mrs. Kapelput! Let me get that for you!" Nicki was already on her feet collecting bowls. They had stored her soup in the fridge and the woman's stew for dinner. It was…awful…but Nicki had still eaten it and had even asked for seconds. She had stomached worse in her time on the streets…probably. Nothing she could think of right now but surely at some point…

"Thank you!" Mrs. Cobblepot gave the girl a smile and clasped her hands before handing her the bowl. Nicki returned her smile and moved to collect Oswald's as well.

"You don't have to-" Oswald started but his mother cut him off and began ranting about manners and how kind it was of the girl to clean the table. But Nicki was barely out of earshot when Mrs. Cobblepot began a new string of dialogue altogether.

"Such a nice girl. But not for you Oswald."

Oswald's cheeks drew color that had little to do with his fever. "Mother it's not like-"

"So handsome my boy is. And so nice and smart," she reached across the table to touch his face. It began as a gesture of endearment but quickly turned into a medical examination as she checked his forehead and cheeks for a fever. "And so warm! To bed!"

He tenderly took her hand and smiled, attempting to reason with her. "Now mother, you raised me better than that. As soon as she finishes I'll tell her goodnight and see her off."

"So sweet my boy. And such manners. But I'll not have you catch your death because of that-"

"Mother."

She sighed dramatically and patted his hand. "Alright. Goodnight my son."

And with one last pointed look at the kitchen where Nicki could be heard washing dishes. She exited the room.

Now alone, Oswald laid his aching head on the table. Dinner had gone very smoothly, despite his mother's complaints and critiques. Nicki had been an absolute delight. He had even caught his mother smiling at her a couple of times, although she was always quick to hide it.

It was nice, watching the two kind of get along. He loved his mother, and he was quite fond of Nicki as well. Perhaps a little too much. They had become good friends and it was easy to blur that line. He was constantly reminding himself that a mafia princess wouldn't want a lover who was so far below her.

He propped his head up on his hands. But maybe, maybe he wouldn't be for long. Not after they put their plan into action. He had always wanted the power, the respect, but now those things seemed so much sweeter with her by his side.

"Oh," he looked up to see her walking in, drying her hands on a dish towel. "You're still up."

He gave her a small smile. "It would be rude of me not to see you out."

She smiled back and sat in the chair next to him. She began pressing the back of her hand to his cheeks and forehead and clicking her tongue. It reminded him of his mother, a though which he quickly pushed aside. Her hand felt so cool against his feverish skin. "It was very nice of you to come."

"You're burning up," she responded.

"I'm sorry about mother. She can be a bit…abrasive."

Now Nicki smiled. "No need to apologize," she said. "My dad was always the same way if any boys came around." She got up and walked into the kitchen, leaving the door open. Oswald could hear the sound of running water. He felt himself wondering how often she brought boys home and how her father would react to him.

"He's very protective?"

"Hah! You have no idea! No one could ever be good enough for his little Bella," she answered from the kitchen. She reappeared in the doorway with the dish towel now wet. "But you know what that's like. Who could be good enough for handsome little Oswald?" She did her best imitation of his mother and it was admittedly pretty spot on. He blushed. "It's sweet," she added.

He thought that maybe he should have been irritated but he felt nothing but bliss as she pressed the dish towel to his face and he felt the cool water against his skin. For a moment they sat in silence as she patted his face gently with the heavenly make-shift compress.

After a few minutes, Oswald spoke, partially to break the silence and partially out of genuine curiosity. "Do you miss them? The Maroni family?"

He felt her pause and opened his eyes. She had gone blank, a hard wall, but he could see a suppressed sadness in her eyes.

"Yes," she said simply. "I do."

"Have you talked to them at all since…?"

"No. I've been forbidden by Don Falcone to contact any of the Maroni family." She sounded robotic. As if this was a mantra she had to repeat. Brainwashed.

Oswald pulled away from her touch slightly, trying to meet her eyes. "But I mean, surely you could sneak in or something, right?"

She didn't reply for a long time and he resigned himself to go answer less wishing that he hadn't brought it up, especially since he gained nothing in doing so. Then finally she sighed and the wall fell from her face. "I could. Probably anyways. But the minute Don Maroni finds out what they did he is going to lose it and he's too…hot blooded Italian…to think logically about it. He really can't afford to pick a fight with Falcone but that won't stop him." She looked like a homesick child and he felt his heart twitch. "I miss them so much though."

Oswald had a million comforting words floating around in his head, but none of them seemed sincere enough to be appropriate. Clever was his specialty, his silver tongue was his greatest asset, but true sincerity was something he didn't normally kept in his arsenal. Nicki seemed to realize his loss for words and give him an obviously forced smile. "It'll be fine though."

Oswald eyed her skeptically. "I can't imagine how. I can't imagine what it would like to be in your shoes."

A steely determination crossed her features and her brown eyes were suddenly dark and ominous. "It'll be fine," she said again. "I'll be home soon enough. After we take out Fish Mooney."

"Soon, soon, soon," Oswald mused.

She went back to holding the towel against his face and he held his hand over top of hers. "Thank you,
he said. "Truly."

He smiled again and he reveled in the fact that he could change her emotions so easily. Even in this weak and sickly state it made him feel powerful. And there was something about her reliance on him to get rid of Fish, to go back home, that he absolutely relished. He was her hero, and more than that, he was doing her the favor or all favors. And favors had to be reciprocated didn't they.

He felt a little ashamed of himself to think in such a manner. Friends don't do favors because they have to; they do favors for each other because they want to. And this was becoming a beautiful partnership.

"Make sure you eat the soup. It has cayenne pepper in it." Oswald made a face before he could stop himself. She laughed. "I know, but trust me, if there's one thing I know, it's how to get rid of colds. It'll warm you up and help you sweat the fever out and give your immune system a boost. Three bowls of it and you'll be back on your feet."

Oswald sighed dramatically. "Alright," he said. "I trust you." And then his stomach constricted in a very uncomfortable way because he knew he telling the truth.

So Nicki finally got to meet Mama Penguin! Thank you all for reading and just so you know, I'm going to start moving into the series here soon. I have a couple more things in mind before Oswald puts his plan into action.

Leti: You're reply absolutely warmed my heart! I am so glad that you like reading these AND THAT YOU'RE WRITING TOO! Please please please let me know when I can read some of your work! I know how long it took me to start doing this (you're really putting yourself out there when you just open up your ideas and work to people like this) and I think it is so great that you want to start creating your own things! Thank you so much for being so supportive of my story and I wish you all the best!