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Here is ANOTHER chapter!

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Love you all!

And Ps-Sorry for forgetting a Shakespeare quote in that last one. Whoops! Won't happen again!

Chapter 35

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."

Oswald tapped his pen on the countertop, bored out of his mind. Fish Mooney and Butch had been in her office for hours talking about…something too important for him to hear about apparently…and Nicki was off gallivanting around with her brother doing…something else that was apparently too important for him to be concerned with. He sighed and put his head down on the cool marble. One day…One day he was going to be the ringleader of all this, and not just the one who sat backstage and tried to grab glimpses of the main action.

The phone rang loudly, and he reached lazily to lift it from the receiver, not bothering to lift his head. "Hello," he sang cheerily, not bothering to even open his eyes. "You've reached-"

"Oz?" came the voice from the other end of the line.

Oswald's head popped up. "Nicki! How was-"

"We figured out who's been stealing Fish's money! And you're gonna love this. Guess who?!"

Oswald rolled his eyes. He despised guessing games. "I don't-"

"Raoul! Isn't that interesting?"

Oswald felt a smile tug at his lips. "Very interesting indeed…" he muttered.

"Go tell Mooney! I'll see you tonight!"

There was a click and the line went dead. Oswald could feel his stomach twist with anxious excitement. Finally that jerk would get what he deserved.

He excitedly leaped from the bar, knocking the ledger off the counter in the process and spilling random bits of paper out of it in the process. He began to leave it and rush off to Mooney's office, but thought better of it. Good news was no excuse for sloppiness.

Dropping to his knees, he began picking them up hurriedly and shoving them back into the book. Phone numbers, business cards, random notes…

One caught his eye, a phone number with the current commissioner's name scrawled on it. Not a business card. Not a even a piece of paper, but a torn napkin with this precious information. Oswald felt a tug in his stomach and an itch in his fingertips tempting him to take it, but he resisted and slipped it back into the book as well. There were more pressing matters to attend to then his snooping.

Replacing the book on the counter, he stumbled with excitement back to Fish Mooney's office. He almost skidded into the door when he reached it. Pause. Knock. Don't be so-

"You did good Butch…you…did…gooooood."

He heard Mooney's drawling praise through the door and his hand froze just before knocking. What could she be talking about? Should he interrupt? Curiosity filled him and removed all hesitation as he knocked sharply on the door. Surely she would include him in whatever was going on as well? Or at least the worst she could do was not fill him in.

"Who is it?" Her sharp call interrupted his thoughts and immediately made him second guess himself.

"Ummm…i-it's Osw-wald, M-m-miss Mooney," he stammered. Normally he would hate himself for showing such inferiority, but on this occasion, he felt that playing it up might be to his benefit. The last thing he would want is to be thought of as eavesdropping.

"Oswald…" he heard her purr. Suddenly, the door was yanked open revealing a smirking Miss Mooney and confused Butch. "Come in." She bared her teeth into a grin and reached out to grab him by the tie, slowly leading him into the room. Oswald gulped, suddenly feeling hot under the collar. There was something so seductive, yet so dangerous about her when she did things like this. Like a lioness playing with her food before she eats it.

"Uh, Boss?" Butch started, putting something behind his back and eyeing Oswald uneasily. A look that Oswald could definitely get used to. If he had been curious before, he was about to burst now.

"Now Butch, we trust our little Oswald don't we?"Fish released her hold on his tie and touched his face with her fingertips, tracing his cheekbone with delicate fingers and sharp gold nails. "After all, he delivered seduced our newest family member into joining us didn't he?"

Oswald winced at the accusation but said nothing. He didn't like the idea of using Nicki, or tricking her. She was one of the few people he considered a friend and not a means to an end. Actually, she was probably the only one, save Mother.

"What does she call you?" Fish continued, her fingers moving up to brush his bangs out of his eyes. She met his gaze pointedly before continuing. "Oz?"

He tried to remain neutral, but felt himself blush. She smirked. "Sometimes I'm not entirely sure which of you is the cat and which is the mouse. You seem awful taken with her…"

You're the cat, Oswald thought bitterly. You're always the cat. And we're just caged mice you get to play with.

"I was almost worried for a while that-"

He caught her hand and smiled at her, trying his best to look sincere. "She's a nice girl, but you know that no one will ever match you Miss Mooney. My loyalties are with you."

She smiled back, a smug grin. "Good. That's what I like to hear. And that's why I trust you with this."

She waved her hand at Butch, who hesitated, but reluctantly brought what he was hiding out from behind his back. A pearl necklace in a Ziploc bag full of a white powdery substance that Oswald could guess the nature of. It was beautiful.

"Look at what Butch got for me," Fish praised, taking the bag gingerly and gazing at it with a loving look.

"It will look lovely on you," Oswald offered, unsure of reason for Butch's secrecy.

Fish chuckled. "Oh I'm not going to wear it…it's a gift…for a friend." She gave Oswald a wink. He gave a weak laugh, unsure of what she meant. He only knew that it sounded sinister. Before he could inquire more, she held the bag out for Butch to take and furrowed her eyebrows at Oswald. "What was it you wanted again?"