2 months later, Ed held the baby's hand as they waited for his new plan to go into effect. They were in an art museum, and he had rigged a bomb to go off in that area. He was going to start a riddle. His plan was to frame Jim Gordon for a few deaths and get him away from ms. Kringle's case, but it would take a few steps. He looked down at his watch.
"3... 2... 1" he whispered, watching as smoke began pouring out of the bomb that was on display a few yards away from where he and the baby sat. He quickly put the mask over her face, and pulled his own up over his nose, waiting for the exhibit to evacuate.
"Ok I need you to stay here, don't move." He said, setting his kid down beside him. She stood, watching in curiosity as he painted some question marks onto the paintings. His eyes crinkled the way one's would when they were smiling, and he picked her up, taking the mask's off, and running.
***
"Where- where are you taking me?" Oswald asked as professor Strange stood in his cell doorway.
"I'm giving you a chance to fix what happened with Aaron Helzinger earlier today." He replied calmly, beckoning for Oswald to follow.
He went down a hall to a room, he stepped beside the door and extended his arm, inviting Oswald inside. Timidly, he stepped into the room and heard the door slam behind him. He jumped, and turned around. Before him was Aaron Helzinger, tied to a chair with a gag in his mouth. On the table beside him lay a large array of knives, Oswald looked over at Helzinger, and back at the knives, carefully examining them. He picked one up and walked over to the man tied in the chair with the knife and began cutting at the rope that tied him down, then carefully got the gag out of his mouth.
"There, are you ok?" Oswald asked. Aaron rubbed his wrists and nodded, bewildered. Suddenly, a bunch of guards burst into the room, taking Aaron away. Oswald stood still in shock, and turned around to see Hugo Strange standing in the doorway.
"Congratulations." He said to Oswald, nodding in approval.
***
Ed was in the kitchen, doing the dishes while the baby sat a short ways away from him, listening to him humming as he did so, when she heard a knock at the door.
"Door." She squeaked to get Ed's attention. He turned off the sink, dried his hands, and went over to the door. There was another knock and he opened the door with caution.
"Mr. Penguin!" He laughed when he saw who was standing there. "Hi! I didn't expect to see you."
Oswald stepped into his apartment and looked around. "Not a lot has changed." He remarked.
The girl slipped out of her chair and walked, a little wobbly, towards Oswald who smiled even bigger when he saw her. "Hi! Oh I'm so happy to see you. Wow you've gotten taller." He hugged her and lifted her up with a small struggle.
"Ed, I'm here to tell you, as a friend now, that I don't want to help you with your quest." Oswald confessed. "I've learned during my time at Arkham that violence is never the best answer. I hope you will take my advice with consideration."
Ed raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry. What happened to you?" He asked. Oswald laughed.
"I got better." He replied. "I no longer feel the need to solve every problem with violence. You could be the same, you could save yourself from the same fate as me."
Ed shook his head. "I'm sorry." He apologized, "but I'm a bit busy. So if you'll excuse me. By the way," he took a piece of paper, wrote an address, and handed it to Oswald. "This is where your mother is buried. We left flowers for her yesterday."
Oswald looked at the paper and, without warning, hugged Ed. "Thank you." He whispered, though he wasn't sure why, there wasn't a need too. "I brought Lillies just like you asked." Ed replied. Oswald held him tighter, he found himself wanting to savor the moment, his heart got that constricted feeling in it again, and he let go, his heart pounding.
"You're- you're welcome." Ed stammered. His face turning red, Oswald was sure his was too but he wished more than anything he could hide it.
"I'll see you soon again, I'm sure." He told her. She smiled and waved, "bye bye... Oswald."
Oswald looked surprised and turned to Ed. "Yeah she develops astoundingly fast. She said your name first, while we were visiting your mother in fact."
As he limped out the door, Ed watched him, and turned back to the baby. "Never mind." He sighed, "we'll have to do this on our own, and by we I mean I, obviously you can't do much."
The baby cooed in obvious objection. He rolled his eyes.
"Right well I have work to do, time to set my plan into action."
***
"I'm sorry mother. It's me, I wish I could've come sooner. I'm a better man now, or at least I'm trying to be." Oswald sniffled. "I wish you were still here, I would've given anything to save you that night, and I tried. I'm sorry, I failed and I'm sorry-"
Oswald was cut off when he noticed a man waking towards him with a bouquet of flowers. When the man got close, he rested them on her grave and looked over at Oswald.
"Lillies" Oswald noticed. The man nodded.
"Her favorites, if memory serves right."
"How did you know her?" Oswald asked.
"Oh, she was an old... friend." The man replied. Oswald nodded. "She was my mother." He informed the man.
The man stopped short. "Really? How- how old are you?" He asked.
"31... why?"
"Why did she never tell me?" He asked, seemingly to himself. "Tell you what?" Oswald asked.
"That I had a son." The man replied.
YOU ARE READING
New Age of Villains - A Gotham Fanfiction
Fanfiction"Ed?" He asked. "Yes?" Ed stood up and rested his hand on the table. "What's in the bag?" Oswald inquired suspiciously. Ed took a breath, "don't yell, and I know what I did was stupid, just let me explain my thought process." He carefully picked the...
