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cobblepot-comfort · 5 years ago

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Ok, here is a chapter from my Gobblepot WIP, Oswald Takes the Bullet and Jim Bites It. Summary: Oswald, now Jim's fiance, has been kidnapped by a rival kingpin and Jim is seeking help from various quarters.

Dark Angel in Disguise

Alvarez put down the phone. He took a deep breath and walked over to Jim and Harvey, who were in the process of talking to Ed. Ed? Yes, you read right, Ed.

It would be a gross understatement to say that Jim had been dismayed to see Edward Nygma - The Riddler - both Oswald’s sworn enemy and, on the flipside, his own potential love rival - entering the bullpen.

“What’s he doing here?” he’d growled, bristling and squaring up ready for battle.

Harvey had caught hold of his arm, stopping him in his tracks. “Hey soldier boy, stand down now. Stop right there. It’s not what you think - he’s actually here to help us.”

“Help us? Ed? The Riddler? Ed, who tried to kill Oswald?!”

“Yeah I know, Jim, but that’s all changed now, believe me, it's the truth….he’s a friend….he’s our ally now.”

“How come?” frowned Jim incredulously, standing back and putting his hands on his hips.

And so Harvey was forced to explain. All about Ed, Lee, and the Narrows - and what had developed between them and Oswald. Meanwhile Ed and Lee stood together in the doorway, looking a tad cautious, at the very least.

“Oswald is funding Lee’s medical centre?” Jim interrupted, scratching his head and scrunching up his blond brows with bewilderment.

“Yep, but he didn’t want anyone to know. He didn’t want other mob bosses - well, hrm, one in particular - finding out and thinking he’d gone soft. But I think your influence is showing, Jim. He really wants to be kinder and fairer to the poorer people of Gotham. For instance, he decided that only those businesses that can truly afford to pay should be subject to any kind of ‘protection’. He has a list - of ‘do’s and don’ts, haves and havenots’, that he got his secretary to draw up! No - seriously! Zsasz told me all about it (I’m not sure how impressed he was though, you know how he likes administering the, ahem, rougher stuff….)”

“But….Harv, if he’s been doing this....it was all done behind my back! Why didn’t he tell me?”

“He was going to - apparently, so Lee tells me, it was going to be a surprise, for a wedding gift to you….but I thought I should tell you all this now, before you get up to killing Ed. He and Lee are here to help - honest!”

Jim hung his head and smiled sadly, fighting off the burning tears pricking at the back of his eyes. It was going to be a wedding gift! His little devil was really a dark angel in disguise….

“Anyway, Lee and Ed are on Oswald’s side, Jim, and therefore on yours. They just want to help get him back - they have a lot to gain by rescuing him. And - well, I don’t know if you heard about it, but the two of them are an item now. I know you’ve been harbouring fears about Ed coming back for Oswald, although as you know I had no idea why you’d think like that - but there’s nothing to worry about there either. And Lee is happy too, so there’s no need to worry about her anymore either.”

Jim was somewhat shell shocked. He clearly had a lot of catching up to do. But he couldn’t afford to get too bogged down in the details - time was ticking on.

This was all news to him, but he was genuinely pleased for Lee, who he had once thought himself in love with - he still cared about her, and was glad that she wasn’t alone now, and had found a soulmate - even though it happened to be Ed Nygma, or even The Riddler.

He was also highly relieved that there was no immediate danger of Ed taking terrible revenge on Oswald - or somehow deciding that he was in love with him after all and making a desperate play for him. He knew the latter was highly improbable, and he also knew it was irrational and paranoid of him even to entertain worrying about it - but his deep-seated guilt about the way he’d treated Oswald in the past still made him feel that he didn’t deserve his little gangster’s love, and so losing him to someone else didn’t feel impossible.

He just couldn’t help his stupid insecurity, even after many reassurances from his pretty fiance on the subject. These words could be sweet and soft or petulant and impatient, depending on little Ozzy’s mood at the time, but they always carried the same message: “It’s you I’m marrying and you I love, Detective, I keep telling you that…..you really need to believe me!”

But for now, all that really mattered was getting his future husband back again safe and sound - to be protected by his loving arms, never to leave them again - whatever that took.

Jim had, of course, not lost any time in roughing up Gasparo Carrara to try to beat out of him any information that could lead to finding the whereabouts of Oswald’s prison.

“You think you know me? You think I’m playing? Think again! You don’t know what I’m capable of,” Jim had growled, as he’d grabbed stubborn, smug-smiling Carrara by the throat and rammed him up against the wall. He’d squeezed hard on his windpipe - very hard - choking him, then loosened his grip again, but continued to keep a very firm hold on the scumbag’s neck.

That had sure wiped the smile off his face!

Carrara had pleaded, spluttering, with Harvey to intervene, “Can’t ya *cough* do something about this?!” he’d begged, throwing up his trembling hands in terror.

Harvey had just stood there, folded his arms and shrugged.

“Well - I would,” he’d said, “I mean - speaking for myself, I couldn’t care less if you talk or not - but Jim here, well, he has a personal stake in all this, so I really can’t be held accountable for what he might do. Besides, how do you think I could stop him anyway? I mean, he’s clearly in much better shape than I am….I’d be no match for him!” He patted his belly. “Right?” he laughed and threw up his hands.

This was the ‘bad cop disinterested cop’ scenario they liked to practise from time to time, and it tended to be pretty successful.

However, sadly Carrara could tell them very little, despite Jim’s skilled mastery of fisticuffs and fierce menace. It appeared that Enzo didn’t even trust his ‘right hand man’ with all of his important intel.

Carrara had not been told the whereabouts of the hideout - he was genuinely clueless.

Even after Ed had stepped in, with Barnes’ begrudging blessing, to use his own ‘unique brand of persuasion’ he had emerged an hour later proclaiming, “Nope! He doesn’t know anything I’m afraid! By the way, I think he might actually need a change of shorts….just thought I’d mention that….and...someone needed with a mop here, people, ewwwww….”

However, Ed’s skills weren’t going to waste. He got to use his creative interrogation methods on any potential ‘leads’ Harvey and Jim happened to unearth in Gotham’s dark underbelly - in addition to his forensic skills, which had come in handy in checking out the tyre tracks by the old armoury. Now at least they knew what make and model of car Enzo had used to get there before making that tormenting phone call to Jim. Yep, a Mercedes S-Class, what were the chances with a mobster….

“Anyway, I’d better skedaddle - I have forensic work - and other, erm, stuff that won't wait,” Ed said with a wink, lifting his glasses meaningfully as he spoke. “Anyway, gents - now we’re here - how about this one? What’s red and….”

“Erm, thanks Ed. Off you go then, you have urgent work to do - right?” Harvey cut in sharply, jerking his head pointedly towards the door.

“Oh - um - ok!” Ed shrugged, smiled toothily, and dutifully skedaddled off, Lee intercepting him just as he reached the doorway. She slipped her hand through his arm, stopping him in his tracks, turned to him and kissed his cheek. He smiled round at her and said “Awww. Neat!” They hurried out of the building hand in hand.

“Erm - Jim…..”

Jim turned round and saw Alvarez looking at him with the kind of expression that a messenger had just before he was due to be shot full of arrows.

“Alvarez?”

Jim swallowed hard. His heart began banging so hard and fast it could almost burst out of his chest.

“Jim...I just got off the phone with Gotham General…um….” Alvarez’ brows tensed and he paused, glancing at the ground for a moment. He licked his lips, cleared his throat and shuffled his feet awkwardly.

Jim just stood and stared. His powers of speech failed him.

It was the look on Alvarez’ face - it sent a chill through him.

“What is it Alvarez? Come on, spill.” Harvey instinctively spoke up and moved forward, ready to support Jim in case it was the ‘worst case scenario’....God forbid….

“They - erm, they admitted someone answering Oswald’s description..and...he has Oswald’s wallet and ID on him….so it looks pretty positive that…..”

“They found him!?” Jim’s heart leapt for a moment, he found his voice again, and his eyes opened wide with hope - then he saw Alvarez’s expression hadn’t changed, and his heart sank again.

“Alvarez, for God’s sake tell me. Is he…..?” Jim stopped and swallowed hard. His world just seemed to stop turning for a moment. He just couldn’t complete that sentence.

“No Jim, he isn’t dead.”

Jim breathed again, his head became light, his heart started beating again. “Not dead, not dead..” he thought, “Thank God….not dead!”

“But.. Jim....Jim, Oswald’s been shot - I mean, badly - and they say his condition is critical. You need to get there asap.”

The whole bullpen was alive with speculation after the phone call and Jim’s response, and his and Harvey’s hasty retreat, had been witnessed.

When they found out what had happened every one of them was rooting for Jim and praying that Oswald would pull through.

“Oh Sandy, I feel for him so much! I hope Oswald’s going to be ok!” Walters confided in her close female colleague and friend, Sandy Smith. “I just want to give the two of them a huge hug, y’know?”

“Me too!” Sandy agreed. “I hate that Enzo with a passion. He’s a monster!”

“Same here. Let’s hope we nail this bastard, and get justice for our boys.”

The journey to the hospital was the kind Harvey had hoped he would never again have to make.

Jim sat silently, staring straight ahead at the moving road with haunted eyes. His face was white as chalk. He kept playing distractedly with his seat belt.

His pain and anguish was tangible and there wasn’t a damn thing Harvey could say that would help. All he could do was be here for Jim. It was the very least, and only thing he could ever do.

That other time, that time he hoped would be the last, when Oswald’s life had been in the balance, the little gangster had rallied. Of course he had. Oswald Cobblepot led a charmed life. Everyone knew that!

Back then, Harvey had been in the first throes of dismay at the revelation that Jim was actually involved with the last person on this earth Harvey would have expected - or wanted - him paired off with.

But now, it was different. Harvey hoped fervently that Oswald’s customary resilience - and good luck - would prevail. This time, it might be a bridge too far - he hoped Oswald’s luck hadn’t finally run out. He hoped for that more than anything.

He felt a pang in his heart that was genuine, and very deep - for both of them - that hadn’t been there before.

He hoped to God Oswald was going to pull through. It would break Jim’s heart if he didn’t, and a broken-hearted Jim was the last thing in the world Harvey would want.

Besides, he’d written a frickin awesome best man’s speech that really shouldn’t go to waste….

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cobblepot-comfort · 6 years ago

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Oswald Takes the Bullet and Jim Bites It Chapter 43 - Dark Angel in Disguise

Oswald has been kidnapped by a homophobic gangster. In seeking alliances from some unexpected quarters, Jim finds out something surprising about his kidnapped fiance.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14157339/chapters/45422188

Dark Angel in Disguise

Alvarez put down the phone. He took a deep breath and walked over to Jim and Harvey, who were in the process of talking to Ed. Ed? Yes, you read right, Ed.

“What’s he doing here?” he’d growled, bristling and squaring up ready for battle.

Harvey had caught hold of his arm, stopping him in his tracks. “Hey soldier boy, stand down now. Stop right there. It’s not what you think - he’s actually here to help us.”

“Help us? Ed? The Riddler ? Ed, who tried to kill Oswald?!”