Chapter Text
Edward Nygma stalked through the dark woods, leaving Kristen's grave, along with the burial sight of the random hunter he had just killed, behind and tried to find his way out.
About half an hour later, he stopped, panting, and wiped the sweat off of his glasses. When he put them back on and looked up, he noticed a light from up ahead. He picked his flashlight back up and headed toward it.
As he neared the light, he noticed it was a small house, more of a shed really, and he could see a small distance through the trees that he had reached the end of the woods. Suddenly, a man lurched out of the shed and stumbled towards him, his clothes bloodstained, and he looked crazed.
"Mr. Penguin?" Edward questioned, the short man that he now recognized as Oswald Cobblepot, looked up at him.
"Help me." He wheezed before falling to the side.
***
Oswald woke with a start, standing over him, his face inches from his own, was the guy who found him in the woods.
"Hello sleepy head" the man smiled, he backed away, grabbed a glass from the table beside the bed Oswald was in, and tried to hand it to him.
"I know you." was all Oswald could say.
"Ed Nygma, we met once at the gcpd." He replied, something about this interaction seemed to excite him.
"You're not a cop?" Oswald asked.
"Oh," Ed chuckled, "no. I'm in forensics."
Oswald looked down, the clothes he was wearing were not the same as what he was wearing last... he sat for a moment, remembering that night. What had happened? Right, he took an army to kill... Galavan. Just thinking the name made him clench his fists in fury, Ed looked at him with concern.
"Where are my clothes?" Oswald asked.
Ed set the glass back down and turned around, "I threw them away, they smelled."
Oswald's face flushed as Ed looked out the window of the apartment and looked back over at Oswald. He went back over and tried to hand him the glass. "You really should drink, you're most likely dehydrated you've been out for hours and lost a lot of blood." Oswald looked at the glass suspiciously. "Come on, it's just water."
Reluctantly he took it, and drank, watching Ed.
"Mr. Penguin, I was wondering if you could help me with something." Oswald raised an eyebrow.
"Well recently, I've... I've been killing people." He did a little jump and made an odd squealing noise, "boy that's thrilling to say out loud." Oswald smirked, "how many people?"
Ed looked at his feet, "Three." He admitted sheepishly.
Only 3? Oswald couldn't help but think.
"My point." Ed took a deep breath, "you're one of the city's most notorious killers, I brought you here, in part, because I was hoping you could... guide me on this new path."
Oswald set the drink back on the bedside table and laughed. "I'm sorry friend-"
"Ed" he corrected.
"Ed, but this 'path' you want to take," he tried to stand up, wobbling a little, he noticed Ed move towards him slightly, he walked over to him. "It's not fun, it will change you. It's not something you want. My mother died because of this path."
He limped over to the window and looked out at the view. "Then that makes two of us." Ed said softly from behind him. "I killed the love of my life, Ms. Kringle, because of this. I have no one else that I care about. I don't have anyone else to lose."
Oswald shook his head. "No, I'm not helping you. How do I get out of here."
It was Ed's turn to raise an eyebrow, "with your condition?" He said skeptically, "I doubt you'd last very long in the streets." Oswald turned and began to limp quickly towards him before stumbling and the world going out dark around him.
***
When Oswald woke up again, he was back in Ed's bed and he looked around. "Oh- oh, you woke up earlier than I thought you would." Ed stammered, he was standing beside a chair with a man tied to it, he had a bag over his head and Ed looked over with a smile on his face, he looked very proud of himself.
"What the- who is that?" Oswald demanded.
"This, mr. Penguin, is Mr. Leonard." Ed explained, "he worked for Galavan. I thought you might want to talk to him."
Oswald rolled his eyes. "You're a moron." He muttered, Ed glared at him, "well I suppose you won't care that Theo Galavan was arrested by Jim Gordon. You could kill Leonard as retribution, an eye for an eye?"
"That won't mean anything. He murdered my mother. You think that killing one of his employees will make up for that?"
Ed looked down, "yes I see how that's not really equal."
Oswald yawned and slipped back under the covers of Ed's bed.
"What should I do with you then?" Ed asked Leonard. There was some muffled screaming and Ed rolled his eyes, and put him in his bathroom.
***
Oswald opened his eyes, and looked around bleary eyed for the sound of music that he heard, there, at the piano, was Ed, singing the song that Oswald's mother used to sing to him. "How did you find that song?" He demanded
Ed smiled nervously, "I can bring tears to your eyes and resurrect the dead, I form in an instant and last a lifetime, what am I?." He played the familiar tune while waiting for Oswald's answer.
"A memory, so what?" Oswald scoffed.
"You were humming this in your sleep, I assumed it had meaning to you." Ed responded carefully.
"What it meant to me is none of your business. This visit is over." Oswald tried to stand up and limp towards the door but he was stopped by Ed.
"For some men, love is a source of strength, but for you and me, it will always be our greatest weakness."
"Move aside Ed." Oswald sneered.
"We are better off unencumbered. You said it yourself. Your mother died because of your weakness," he trailed off thinking for a second. "What you need to realize is that your weakness was her."
Oswald felt a sudden wave of anger and panic pass over him, without really noticing, he grabbed a knife off of the table and pushed it towards Ed's throat. "My mother was a saint! She and my empire were all I had left! I don't want to help you now leave me alone!"
"A man with nothing that he loves, is a man who can not be bargained with, betrayed. He answers to nobody but himself. And that is the man I see before me."
An odd feeling passed through Oswald, and, hands shaking, he lowered the knife, and let go of Ed. "I- I'm sorry, I'll help you."
Ed gave him a sad smile and nodded.
"So where is Leonard, by any chance?" Oswald asked, he had a weird constricted feeling in his heart and wasn't sure what it was, but it felt... good? He felt happy because of it.
"Right here," Ed said proudly, opening the bathroom door. Oswald smiled and limped over next to Ed.