Nygma

I had actually broke out the wine and I was drinking from it. The call came in that Arnold Flass had died as well, I would have to attend two funerals.

I looked up as there was a knock at my front door.

"Come in," I murmured.

The door swung open, I half expected Oswald to be there. It was not him it was her.

I put the wine glass and got to my feet. "What do you want?" I asked.

Tears had been streaming down her face as she stepped inside my apartment closing the door behind her.

"You did it," she hissed.

I blinked. "Did what? Why are you here?"

"You killed him," she spat.

Well...I mean...duh

"Kristen what are you talking about? Flass? Me? HOW?" I was about done with this woman.

I was tired of her mixed signals. First she hated me, then she wanted to attack me in a closet, now she's angry at me for Flass dying? She was driving me nuts.

She walked across my living room. "I don't know, but you had something to do to do with it!" she shrieked. "YOU AND YOUR BOYFRIEND!"

I grabbed the wine bottle slugging from just the bottle before slamming it down on the table that it fell over onto the carpet.

I was tired from the lack of sleep I had received in the last twenty-four hours and now this, oh this, I could not deal with this.

"My boyfriend?" I choked out.

"Yes! Oswald, don't think I don't know. You're going to tell me what you did or I'm going to tell Gordon everything, about you and Oswald and how you killed my boyfriend and his fiancee!"

I growled at that rounding the couch at her. "I did not kill anyone Kristen, I don't know how you could say that! Jim is my friend!"

She swallowed staring at me, her eyes wild. I really hope she wasn't going to do something she was going to regret.

"I don't understand you Kristen, you've been all over me these last few weeks. Why are you sobbing over him to me?"

"Wait.." she choked. "You thought I was into you, oh my god you are a piece of work!" she snapped.

Uh what? Kettle calling the pot black much?

I blinked at her response.

"I was after you to help Flass cover up a murder," she choked out. "He got in some real bad trouble and I know you would take one look at the crime scene and spill his guts."

"I wouldn't have helped your boyfriend lie," I growled.

"But you will help yours," she sneered.

For some reason that pissed me off beyond reason and I rounded on her. "You speak these words, but all I hear coming out of your mouth is BULLSHIT" I snarled.

I almost had to pause, I wouldn't have said that out loud. I knew I wouldn't, but he would. The Riddler was finally breaking through and taking over. I couldn't fight him anymore, I was too weak to.

She stopped and wiped her eyes staring at me. She picked up the wine bottle that I had been drinking out of.

"I'm going to tell everyone," she whispered choking on the air. "That you love Detective Gordon so much that you had to get rid of his fiancee, and you got rid of Flass for punching you the fuck out. That you and your little boyfriend was the mastermind behind all of this. I know what it was Eddie...it was the wine. I watched you, I watched your gimpy boyfriend. It was all you."

That smile crept over her face and a chuckle fell from her lips. "I'm going to tell them everything."

I couldn't hear her anymore, the fire inside of me consumed me again. Like it had the day I slammed Gordon's face into his desk.

Like that I snapped.

"How are you going to tell them everything when you're six feet under the ground?" I asked calmly stepping up onto my couch and placing my hands on the back leaning over it, my face in hers. A smile spread across my lips at the glimpse of horror in her eyes. My eyes were wide and crazy.

"You aren't going to do anything to me" she screeched slamming the wine bottle into my face.

I snarled feeling it break against my skin, I felt the shards of the glass embed themselves into my skin.

Oh, that was it!

I shouted out and grabbed her throat with my hands and pushed her back falling on top of her as she fell on her back, her arm was pinned underneath her body and I heard it snap. She screamed in pain and I placed a hand over her mouth.

"Shut the fuck up." I whispered in her ear sitting on her chest looking down to her.

I felt the blood trailing down my face, and it began to drip all over hers.

I grabbed the handkerchief from her front pocket and shoved it into her mouth before getting up. I walked over to my radio on the bookshelf and turned on the CD that was inside of it. Mozart began to drift through my apartment, I turned it all the way up and walked back to Kristen laying on the floor.

"I'm so tired of you," I seethed as I stood there.

I contemplated how I was going to take care of her, there was no going back now. I breathed in deeply and closed my eyes stretching my arms behind my back.

I disappeared into my spare room and brought out my medical bag. I took out a scalpel and held it out so she could see it. Her eyes widened with fear and she began to fight and tried to roll over but I kicked her back over and she tried to cry out from landing back on her broken arm.

"Stay down." I ordered and she just became still.

"What's loud and feisty, but in danger of reaping what she sows?"

Ms. Kringle remained silent.

"No answer, hmmm...It's YOU!"

I placed a foot on her chest to make sure she stayed that way. I knelt down beside her and ran the edge of the knife down the side of her face with a soft smile. I liked that look in her eyes, she knew my life was in her hands, and she knew she was going to die.

"Hmm, what should I do to you?" I asked her smiling widely to her. I removed the handkerchief from her mouth, "What do you think?"

"Please let me go," she choked out. "Please, I promise I won't tell anyone anything."

"Now I know that's a lie," I responded. "You were just bragging about how you were going to out me to Gordon, see we have gone too far for me to let you go."

She started to scream out but I hit her in the face and shoved the handkerchief back in her open mouth.

"SHUT UP" I screamed at her.

I got real close to her face and dug the scalpel into her face dragging it down her cheek. Her high pitched wails were barely audible because of the gag in her mouth.

I chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Shush child, this won't take long."

I then shoved the scalpel into her jugular and forced it across the width of her neck to the other side and I stepped back as the blood began to spit out of the wound at me. I casually stepped back using the handkerchief I pulled from her mouth as I cut her to wipe the blood off my face.

She died pretty quickly from the blood loss. I just wiped my scalpel clean and stood there looking at my work of art.

I began to laugh maniacally as I stood there.

Oswald

I whistled in the elevator ride up to Nygma's apartment, hoping to celebrate in our usual fashion. I puffed out my chest a bit at the thought.

Upon stepping out of the elevator, something in my gut told me that something was a bit off. I looked out a window and saw that the moon was completely eclipsing the moon. A strong wind was blowing to the east, many power lines swung back and forth due to the sheer force of the wind.

I shook off that foreboding feeling and continued to walk towards Nygma's apartment.

I knocked at his door, but he did not answer. I did hear loud classical music coming from his apartment, so perhaps he couldn't hear my knock. I tried the door knob and it was unlocked. I turned the knob and opened the door slowly.

I saw Nygma sitting in his armchair, his back to me sipping at a glass of wine.

"Celebrating without me, Neg?" I approached him slowly with a smile on my face.

As I came around the the chair, I noticed the floor was covered in blood and Kristen Kringle's body lying at Nygma's feet. She was already long dead, I could tell by the long gash from her cheek to her jugular and then a long gash across her neck.

I just stood there, mouth agape and eyes wide.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED HERE?! The Nygma I knew would never do anything like this or be so calm and collected seeing a dead body on the floor. He was so neat and tidy and he would never leave blood on his floor...

I came to my senses and got control of my speech.

"Nygma, I know I told you that we needed to take care of her if she became a problem, but Jesus, Neg, I didn't mean this!"

Nygma still sat there sipping his wine ignoring me.

"NYGMA, ARE YOU EVEN HEARING ME?! THIS IS A SERIOUS SITUATION WE HAVE ON OUR HANDS HERE! OR DO YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO ARKHAM?!" I pleaded with him.

Nygma

I was zoned out just staring at the wall, I didn't hear Oswald enter or hear him talking to me.

When his voice finally did enter my thoughts I just looked sideways to him for a moment, before flicking my eyes forward.

"Eddie has stepped out momentarily, he will be back soon...maybe...actually I don't even really know. By the way, what used to be a thorn but now is pretty dull?" I chuckled.

I took another swig from my wine.

Oswald threw up his hands, "Again with the riddles, Neg? This is not a good time? Help me take care of this crime scene."

I looked back at him at that and then to the body on the floor. "It's Kringle," I responded. "She used to be a problem, and she isn't one anymore. Honestly you should be thanking me, Penguin. I mean she was going to out the entire plan to Detective Gordon under the pretenses that Eddie was so in love with him." I then chuckled at that getting to my feet.

"Don't you have people that handle this sort of thing anyways? Aren't you all big and bad now in Gotham? I mean, cut me some fucking slack I helped you."

Oswald

I shrugged off all of the comments that were slung at me especially, calling me 'Penguin'. I knew that who I was staring at was not Nygma. He would never call me by that name. He was way too formal for that.

"Who the fuck are you? I know that though you appear to be Nygma, you are not him."

"Who am I?" he laughed out loud at that and walked away from the chair pouring himself another glass of wine.

"Now that's the million dollar question. I am the Riddler, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

"The Riddler?" I asked with a quizzical look on my face.

Who is this man and where did he manifest from? Could this man have been living inside Nygma this whole time? Was I egging the man on by having him join the Gotham underground with me, doing my dirty deeds...

"Where did you come from?"

"And how do we get the real Edward Nygma back? I need his expertise to help me clean up this crime scene."

"I told you, I don't know if he's ever coming back," he chuckled leaning in closer to me.

Without thinking I reached out for Nygma, pulled him into a close embrace and kissed him.

At first he struggled in my grasp, but then he began kissing me back. I believed that Nygma was back, but I would soon find out.

Nygma

I felt the voice and fire retreat inside of me, I had no idea what had happened while I seemed to be away. Had I possible passed out? That's what it felt like. I felt warm lips on mine and I returned the familiar kiss of Oswald.

But then came the pain, it was practically unbearable like I was hit with shards of glass. Actually I was. I pulled back quickly holding the side of my face crying out in agony.

I stepped back and managed to look around.

WHAT THE HELL?

There was blood everywhere, and then there was Kringle on the floor dead. I stumbled backwards falling into the wall and sinking down to a sitting position.

I had a feeling in my gut that I had done this. Why would I do this? Why did I black out? I couldn't take it.

I grabbed handfuls of my hair and began to rock back and forth.

Oswald

Yes, Edward Nygma was back the real one, the one I fell in love with. Right now seeing what his other persona had done, he retreated within himself.

I came up to him and gently embraced him from behind.

"Nygma, it's going to be okay. I'm right here and I'll always be here when you need me." I finally looked at his face and saw the shards of glass in his face.

"Nygma, can you tell me all that you can remember of what happened tonight? Also can I help you clean yourself up? Then I'll need your help cleaning up all of /this/." Gesturing to the carnage in the living room.

I held him the stroking his head careful to stay clear of any of his wounds. He was still in a daze. I then helped him up off if the floor and lead him to spare bedroom and had him sit on the examination table.

I gloved up, grabbed some gauze, rubbing alcohol, a pair tweezers, and a small metal bowl placing them on a wheeled tray. I began slowly taking each piece of glass and dropping them in the metal bowl.

PLINK, each piece made as they made contact with the bowl.

When all of the shards were removed, I began dabbing the wound with the rubbing alcohol. I could tel that it stung as I touched his wound, because he moved his head away with eat dab I made.

"Neg I don't think that this wound is going to need stitches but I'm no expert." For now I covered it with a few layers of gauze taped to the side of his head.

"Neg, I met someone who called himself 'The Riddler.' He was a crazy mother fucker." I shook my head at the memory. "He shared with me that he did us a favor by killing Kringle here." I pointed my thumb over my shoulder in the direction of the body.

"Can you remember anything that happened before Riddler took over? You can trust me. We promised that we'd tackle each other's demons together." I placed my hands on his shoulders staring directly into his eyes gently.

Nygma

I looked to him as he was staring at me digesting the information he just told me. The Riddler? Who was that? Was that the voice inside of me? He gave himself a name?

"All I remember was Kristen came into my apartment," I breathed. "She was asking me what I did to Flass and telling me she wanted me to help her help him cover up a murder...that was the reason she kept trying to come onto me. Then...I blacked out, I don't remember anything up until you kissing me."

My face stung from the shards of glass as I sat there and thought about everything that had happened. I really didn't remember any of the murder.

"I'm fucking crazy,"I whispered after inhaling sharply. "I belong in Arkham...I'm a crazy serial killer."

He pulled my head to his chest, rubbing my back.

"No, not Nygma you are not crazy. You are a special brilliant man, a man whom I care for and love dearly." he just held me for a while until I stopped shaking.

"What if this starts happening more often, what if I hurt you?" I whispered as he held me.

I would never forgive myself if I somehow became the Riddler and hurt him, or forced him to hurt me.

"If that time comes, we'll face it together. From what I could tell of the Riddler that I met he didn't want to hurt me but he wasn't necessarily wanting to be affectionate with me either. I think I am in the clear." he smiled warmly at me.

I nodded looking up to him quietly. I was still terrified, and what makes it worse? I was terrified of myself. Though I now knew the voice I had been listening to was it's own entity.

"We need to clean my apartment up," I breathed getting to my feet.

I went to the closet and pulled out a few jugs of hydrogen peroxide to get the blood up. I handed one to Oswald before grabbing gloves for the both of us and every cleaner possible.

"I'm going to have to move," I stated silently. "This place is a crime scene."

So we worked on getting the entire area cleaned up. I wrapped up Kringle's body in a large tarp securing it tightly.

"We will have to drop her in the river or drive her out to the middle of nowhere and bury her." I murmured quietly. "Unless we can get her to the chemical factory, dump her in a vat and let the chemicals eat the body."

"I was hoping you'd say that, Neg. Upon waking into this scene, I was lost as to what to do about cleaning it up...and Riddler just laughed at my pleas. What do you think would be the best way to dispose of her body, Neg? Out of those options, I mean.." Oswald responded.

"Chemicals," I responded. "The chemicals would destroy the clothing, skin, and bones. There would be nothing left of her. Next we need to make sure we get any tapes around my building and get rid of them."

Oswald

"I'll follow your lead, Neg. I'll take the body it will be okay if I have the body on me. The reason I stopped by tonight was to tell you that Plague had taken Don Maroni and I am now the head boss of the Maroni family. I'll call Gabe to help us."

Gabe arrived in a flash and he carried out the body tasked with depositing it at the chemical factory. I told him to call if there were any concerns and I would meet him there.

I returned back to Nygma. "What else is there left to do?"

Nygma

I smiled softly to him when he told me his news. "Things are looking up for you," I nodded. I was happy for him I was, it was just that there were other things to worry about at that point.

Couldn't say the same thing about myself. I knew I would have a lot to deal with coming in the next few weeks. Funerals, and now the disappearance of Kringle plus dealing with Gordon at work because of Barbara's death. I refrained from telling Oswald about me staying at Jim's place the night before as his fiancee passed.

"I killed Barbara too," I told him quietly. "I don't know, well I do. I gave her some of our wine at the dinner. It just sort of appeared in my hands when she asked for it."

"It's alright Nygma. I was so mad at Flass for beating you senseless that I gave him some of our wine as well. So I guess I was the cause of tonight's incident...I'm so sorry, Neg. I feel like you are going to have a rough few weeks coming...Feel free to call or visit if you need to. I can't promise how free I'll be now that I'm running the second largest crime family in Gotham. But I will always make time for you, Neg. So you don't have to be afraid."

Oswald paused.

"It is better to walk in the dark with a friend, than alone in the dark, Neg."

"Of course," I nodded at that. "I understand you'll be quite the busy guy." I smiled gently.

I had seen him grab a bottle of wine on the night in question when Barbara was tending to my wounds. I figured Flass had fallen victim to Plague.

"I was able to see her die though," I added figuring I might as well let him know. "Gordon had called me over to his place, he wanted me to save her life. I couldn't, but it was a gorgeous sight really. Watching Plague take it's hold in her. It was great observation, it really works." I grinned. I was happy that I had created something that actually worked.

"It was great, Neg. I admire your work. I was able to see it take Maroni as well." Oswald grinned back at me.

I smirked gently at that, I was truly happy for Oswald. He was able to start climbing the ladder and I was the one helping him do just that.

Suddenly I felt extremely tired, realizing I hadn't slept in a long time at that point I kissed Oswald's cheek gently.

"I need sleep," I told him softly. "Tomorrow is going to be a field day at work I can imagine with the fallout."

"Would it help you sleep if I stayed the night?" Oswald asked looking up at me.

"Very much so," I whispered with a soft smile at that. Besides it would be the last time he would see that apartment. I sure as hell would no longer be living in this one, after I murdered someone there? Yeah hell no.

"Alright then." He replied following me to my bedroom and I fell asleep wrapped snugly in his arms.