Chapter 12

Present Day

Yeah...we didn't do it last night. Yes, Ozzy got me into bed with him, we fooled around a bit for sure, and I saw the box of condoms peeking out from just under the bed, but I also know how to make him blow his load before anything actually goes into anything. I didn't even have to take off my dress, and that's exactly how I like it. Sex would only complicate things further.

But as we lay in bed together, among the now slightly disheveled sheets, I feel his arms wrapped around me lovingly. Our breathing in sync, eyes locked, I see a glimpse of the man I'd fallen in love with, still in there somewhere. I snuggle in closer to him as we fall asleep together, certain of my feelings for him. And I didn't want to complicate things.

I wake to an empty bed. I look over and on the chair by the vanity dresser is my Trickstress outfit set out for me. I change out of my dress and into it, but as I feel the pockets I see that my weapons have still not been returned to me. How long before he trusts me with them? But then again, he probably also realizes that the moment he trusts me is also the moment I double-cross him. In his bedroom, there's a high-rising set of glass doors leading out to a small balcony that I decide to investigate. It's one of Gotham's rare clear, sunny days, if it weren't for the black and gray scorched buildings, you'd think this was Metropolis. I lean over the railing and look down. Below is an alleyway, one I'm familiar with, at the bottom should be the kitchen door of the Iceberg Lounge, as long as Ozzy hasn't changed it, and I have a feeling he hasn't.

I look to the side and see a drain pipe, one I could easily scale down, and with any luck, make it down in one piece.

"Morning love." Ozzy comes up from behind me before I can think on my escape any further, hugging me from behind and looking out at the view.

I lean into him, feeling his dark hair rustling against my cheek, "I've never seen Gotham this...cheery before."

"I know, right? It's almost like...like a sign of something." he murmurs, almost to himself, "You know, in Shakespeare, the weather often reacts to the events happening in the story."

"I know, you're the one who told me." I remind him, kissing him on the cheek.

He responds to this, pulling my lips into his, as we're hit by a fresh morning breeze.

We're interrupted by a knock at the door, and Ozzy hobbles over to respond to it. His walk never really bothered me, especially since I know how he came by it, I always thought it was kind of cute,

"Who's calling me at this bloody hour?!" he shouts, reverting into his fake British accent.

"Boss, it's an emergency, it's-"

"Out with it already boy!" Ozzy demands, pointing his umbrella toward him, the grunt jumping back.

"Okay, okay! It's some guys from the government. They say they want your hostages, all three of them. They're outside, they said they'll pay you, a, a lot of money-"

"Tell them to piss off." he demands.

"They're threatening to take them back by force, they're not the usual government guys, I think they wanna keep this off of the books. You just have to name a price-"

"Are you deaf boy?! I said no! If they want this off of the books, then it shouldn't be too hard to get rid of them, now would it?"

"Ye...yes boss." he responds before shutting the door.

Just outside, there's gunfire, as well as the shattering of glass. Ozzy waddles into his office room, and peeks out into the next room, "They better not have broken any of my ice sculptures."

Someone yells, "Coast is clear, boss!" and Ozzy continues out into the restaurant. I follow him, and entering the room, reveals in the middle of the room right below us, two bodies lie on the floor, blood seeping from them and pooling around.

Ozzy approaches them and turns one of them over with the tip of his umbrella. It's an younger man, about the same age as me when I'd started that same line of work, "Well lookie here Trixie, Waller's sent you a present. How thoughtful."

"You didn't have to kill them." I argue, "You could've added to your hostage list."

"They interrupted my morning. That's reason enough for me to kill them, and besides, government agents are too much of a hassle to keep for long. Look at you."

I can't help but gasp, "You...you know?"

He chuckles, clutching my wrist and leaning in close, his breath smelling of his freshly lit cigar, "You underestimate me my dear. I've known from the beginning. So don't think I don't know your tricks."

I pull away from him, "But...I'm the enemy, aren't I? Why don't you want me gone?"

He grabs my hand and kisses it, "Love is blind, my dear."

Several years ago

Finally reaching the payphone Oswald's mother mentioned, I call up Amanda,

"Natalie, finally! What happened, did something go wrong?"

"Yes, something definitely went wrong. The apartment I was residing in was bombed, all I have left are the weapons you gave me." I explain. I then begin telling her everything, including meeting Oswald and how I was staying at his place.

"Hmm...having an associate would be helpful, especially considering your situation. But still, trust no one."

"Of course but...couldn't you at least send me some money, clothes...anything?"

"No can do Natalie." she responds, "Falcone's keeping a close eye on everything going in-and-out of the city, my hands are tied. Sending anything with our stamp on it would alert the crime bosses. You're resourceful, figure something out. Waller ou-"

I hang up the phone before she can finish. Of course she can't send anything over, it's not that she can't, there is such a thing as anonymous mailing, it's just that she can't be asked. And on top of that, who knows how much money the government actually gives Task Force X, and I hear those detonatable tracking devices are expensive.

"Hands up lady." a gruff voice behind me demands.

I turn around to see a common thug, completely clad in black sweater and ski-mask, holding a gun to my head. I hold my hands up, with both of my fists closed. Slowly, I unclench my fists and from my right hand falls a single metal marble. I jump back just as he fires his gun, and at the same time, the marble hits the ground, releasing a gray smoke.

The thug coughs as it clears, and he looks around to see that the small street is now deserted.

I grab him from behind, kicking him in the knee and wrapping my arms around his neck, one of my knives at his throat, "Are you the one who bombed that apartment building in Amusement Mile?" I ask him slowly, drawing the knife closer to his neck.

"I...I have no idea what you're talking ab-"

"That's not the answer I wanted to hear." I clarify, cutting ever-so-slightly into his skin, drawing a droplet of blood.

"Fine, fine! Someone's put a hit on you, they know you're with the government."

"And who is this person?"

"N...no idea. That's all I know, I swear!"

I let him go, kicking him to the ground, "It better be."

Just as he's about to run off, a closed umbrella slams down on his head. It's Oswald.

"How...how dare you hurt her." he spits angrily, clumsily hitting him on the head one more time for good measure.

I look up at Oswald as he finishes, "Wow...I had no idea you had that in you."

"Yeah, well, nobody hurts my friend." he assures her, smiling giddily as he shakes the blood off of his umbrella.

I glare down at the man, who's now knocked out cold, and I see a newspaper clipping sticking out of his jacket pocket. I reach down and pick it up, folding it out to read the main headline:

Valuable Diamond to be Displayed At Gotham Gallery

I raise an eyebrow, this man must've had some interest in this diamond to have this on his person.

"What's that?" Oswald asks, looking over the article.

"The guy had it on him, not sure why though." I tell him, handing it to him.

Holding it in his hands, his lips twist into a devious smile, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

I smile, at least I don't have to spell it out, "Let's get ourselves a diamond."

Author's Note: I'll be taking a weekend vacation to attend the Ashland Oregon Shakespeare Festival where I won't have access to a computer, so, maybe I'll make a chapter in advance and post it via my phone, but time constraints and the fact that I'm simultaneously consistently writing another fan-fic and articles for the school newspaper that nobody reads it seems unlikely.