A L L E Y S | Gotham

thirty | PURPLE, BLACK, BUT GREEN ALL OVER

AFTER MAKING SURE ISABELLA WAS SAFE WITH SOME OF HIS 'FRIENDS', Oswald limped towards where the rest of his men were gathered, collecting guns, which mainly consisted of shotguns.

"No one is to kill Galavan but me. Understand?" He told them with a stiff but saddened tone.

"Boss, I know what you're feeling. We all want to gut that prick for hurting the girl, and a mother's love, it's the most beautiful, most simple-"

"Gabe!" Penguin blurted, struggling to keep his voice steady.

"Cops aren't gonna let you within one hundred feet of Galavan. Let us whack him for you. Please?"

"No," Oswald insisted, his mind going back to his mother's sweet voice, and the past hour he had just spent with the girl, who was obviously terrified of Theo. "He's mine... Now, let's get dressed. We've got a party to attend."

〰〰〰〰

Jim pushed Theo Galavan out of the door, just as more 'Oswalds' shot at them.

"Get him out of here!" He yelled, at the man at the limo quickly swung the door open... only to get a bullet to collide against his back.

"No!"

Jim spun around, his gun raised, to see two people he definitely didn't expect. Oswald stood before him, a shotgun in his arms... and Isabella at his side, in a small black and purple dress. She clung onto his clothes like her life depended on it. Galavan sent her a look of shock and anger from behind Jim, whereas Tabitha was gaping at the sight of her, from her spot on the rooftop.

"Hello, Jim. Please step aside."

"You know I can't do that, Oswald. Isabella, come here."

Isabella, however, didn't move. Her hands tightened around Penguin's waistcoat, too scared to go near Galavan, especially after all the things she had been told he had done. Some of them, she didn't understand, but others were fairly obvious to how disgusting his actions were.

"You see, Jim? You would if you knew what kind of man you were protecting. Even your daughter is too scared to go near him."

"Shoot him, Detective," Theo spoke in Jim's ear with a hiss.

"Oswald, listen to me. You have to put the gun down!"

"... He killed my mother, Jim."

"I know," Gordon responded, earning a look from Galavan.

"Detective Gordon, I am ordering you to put the man down now!"

"He had her murdered in front of me. I held her, watched her die. Do you know what that's like? It changes a person. Do you wonder why Bella isn't running into your arms now? He killed Jerome Valeska, someone she loved, right in front of her. Do you want to know what else he did? He-"

"I'm sorry about your mother, Penguin," said a voice from behind, "but I'm gonna need you to put the shotgun down on the ground slowly. Now."

Harvey pointed a gun at the back of Oswald's head, trying to ignore the pleading look Isabella was giving him.

"One of us is going to die tonight, and I won't let it be Isabella. I have made my peace with that. I suggest the new mayor does as well."

"Don't make us shoot you."

"No!" Isabella cried, standing in between her father and Oswald without hesitation.

"Shoot me, and you have no idea what his endgame is, Jim! And you should, because it concerns someone you know, someone you care about."

"Shoot him," Galavan whispered, but this time to the microphone tucked away in his suit.

Tabitha hesitated, but breathed in a deep sigh before pulling the trigger.

Oswald groaned as the bullet hit his shoulder, his hand dropping the gun, and wrapping around the girl to keep her protected.

"Duck!"

Both Jim and Harvey took cover, firing rounds while trying to edge closer to Isabella, who was still in shock. They couldn't do much, however, when Oswald placed her in the limo, quickly pulling away.

He heard Jim shout after him, shooting at the wheels of the car, but in the end giving up, when it went too far away. Isabella shook from the sudden fear and loud noises.

Even though he was wincing in pain, Oswald forced a smile towards her, "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe. I won't let him get you, too."

〰〰〰〰

Ed was extremely glad that he had finally got rid of Miss Kringle's body... and a few other nuisances along the way.

He kept his flashlight ready, as he travelled inside the woods. He caught sight of a small trailer, muttering, "Finally."

He crept towards it, trying to catch a glimpse of who was inside, as the lights were on.

All of a sudden, as he placed his ear by the door, it swung open, knocking him off guard and pushing him to the floor with a yelp.

He stumbled to find his glasses, as the figure approached.

Oswald raised the bat above his head, but groaned, collapsing because of his massive blood loss.

"Oh, my," Ed stuttered, looking at him in shock. "Mr Penguin?"

Isabella suddenly came to the doorway, "Don't hurt him! Please- ... Eddie?"

Edward stared awestruck at her, before realisation hit him. Had Penguin abducted her?

"Help us. Please," Oswald breathed out, causing Ed, for once, to lack any words he thought he could say.

➰➰➰➰

hey, it's the author. Back at it again I guess.

So, if you're wondering why Oswald is so nice to little Isabella, did you notice when he said much earlier in the book that she reminded him of his  very innocent mother? That's what he sees in her, sorta. Like a younger sibling or someone he needs to protect from Galavan. He's pretty much going a tad insane. It's as if he thinks that protecting Isabella is the way to atone for the death of his mother, if you get my drift.

haha, I really wanted Isabella to be there for when Ed and Os first meet. So like when Oswald realises he loves Ed, he'll want her to be apart of their happy little family. aw. jEROME WILL RUIN THE MOMENT FOR SURE FAM.

how do you think Tabitha and Barbara are going to react to Isabella being taken by Os? Not happy, but hey ho I skipped that annoying wedding scene so you could get more Oswald and Ed.