"There wasn't a predictable thing about her, and it was that chaos that made her interesting."

- Atticus

Lee Thompkins led Charlotte, Ed, Grundy, and Oswald towards the storage room where they could speak privately about the bank robberies and why Oswald wanted to join them. Charlotte knew for sure that Oswald had second intentions and was planning to steal the loot as soon as they were over.

"You owe us," Oswald stated as if it was obvious and that was why they should let him join.

Ed laughed as he glanced at Charlotte and Lee and then looked back at Oswald. "I... I'm sorry. We owe you how?"

"Because we made you," Oswald answered confidently as he looked between Ed and Lee. "Both of you. Without me, you would still be trapped inside Ed".

"And you would still be stitching up busted lips ringside," Grundy added while pointing at Lee.

Charlotte was glad Oswald had left her out of the equation, but she didn't like the fact he was convinced he had made The Riddler and Lee. They wouldn't be happy with that statement.

"I need money to buy back Sofia's capos. Butch is saving for future medical expenses," Oswald continued to explain and Ed let out a sardonic chuckle as he looked at Grundy. Apparently, he was planning to go back to looking like Butch. "What'd you make last night? Three, four million? Say we go halvsies".

Lee stepped closer to Oswald. "I've heard your offer. And here's my counter... bite me". Charlotte noticed how Oswald's expression went from amused to angry in a second, but he just glared at Lee with his lips pressed in a thin line. Lee didn't care and continued. "I don't like people coming into my club, telling me what to do. And I don't like threats, implicit or otherwise. And I really don't like people telling me they 'made' me".

"Well said, Lee," Ed clapped and Oswald looked at him weirdly.

"Oh, God, are you kidding me?" Oswald asked in disbelief.

"What?" Ed asked back defensively.

Lee turned her back on Oswald and placed a hand on Charlotte and Ed's shoulder. "Okay, we're done".

"I... I thought you got past all that when you became the Riddler," Oswald exclaimed.

The Riddler was confused and his tone grew more aggressive. "Past what?"

"Ed's pathetic loyalty towards her," Oswald told Ed as he pointed at Lee. "But, no, clearly he passed it along to you". Then he looked at Charlotte. "And to you too. Like a virus. She knows it, and she's using you". Oswald turned to face Lee with an amused look in his eyes. "Shame on you. Stringing along this troubled couple".

"Oswald," Charlotte called warningly as she stepped ahead of Ed and Lee. Oswald looked at her and shut up. He knew he had passed the limits with that last sentence but for him, it was the truth. Oswald thought Charlotte and Ed should be on his side and not Lee's.

The brunette woman was pissed off. "Get out".

"I don't think so," Butch refused as he stepped forward.

Oswald saw Charlotte glare at Butch and step forward ready for a fight, so he placed a hand in front of Butch while looking at Charlotte, who was having a staring contest with Butch. "We did not come here for violence. We came here hoping our friends would honor their debts. Let us hope they come to their senses". Oswald saw Lee place a hand on Charlotte's arm and the blonde took a step back, causing Oswald to shake his head at them. He approached the trio and spoke only to Charlotte and Ed. "Little advice: be sure to skim some off the top when she tosses you two aside".

Then he walked out of the club without another word. Lee sighed and left to go have a drink at the bar. Charlotte looked at Ed and saw he was already staring at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked.

"Do you think it's a good idea to have Oswald involved in our robbery?" He asked in return. "It's obvious that he's just going to rob us afterward".

"I know," Charlotte nodded and placed her hands on the Riddler's chest. "Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that's what he'll try to do".

"There's no way I'm gonna let that happen," Ed said with determination in his voice. "Oswald is not going to cause my girlfriend to get caught".

Charlotte froze. "Your what?"

"My..." A crease formed on Ed's forehead in confusion. He hadn't even realized what he had said. "What?"

"You said 'my girlfriend'," Charlotte told him and he adjusted his glasses to his face nervously.

"I... I..." Ed stuttered and then took a deep breath to calm himself. "No, I did not".

However, Charlotte was certain of what she had heard. "Yes, you did".

The Riddler sighed in defeat and looked at Charlotte in the eyes, wanting nothing more than an honest answer from her. "All right, Charlotte. What am I to you?"

Charlotte chuckled and ran her hands up his chest all the way to rest on both sides of his neck. "I thought we had gone through all of this before when we confessed we loved each other and all that".

"Well, apparently it did nothing to clarify this matter," Ed said annoyedly.

"We are..." Charlotte started as she wondered what they were. "Partners with benefits".

"Yeah, no," Ed replied not happy with her answer at all.

"No?" Charlotte asked with a raised eyebrow at the same time she played with Ed's black tie. "I thought the Riddler would prefer that to the whole boyfriend and girlfriend thing".

Ed gulped as he placed his hands on Charlotte's waist and brought her closer to him. "What if I don't?" Charlotte just stared back at him as if waiting for him to continue and he gulped one more time before asking. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

The blonde smiled happily before answering. "Of course". She wrapped her arms around his neck and he hugged her too with relief and pure joy filling him. When they pulled away, Charlotte rested her hands on Ed's cheeks and caressed his cheekbones with her thumb. "Now don't worry about me. We both know Oswald will try to steal the loot, so we just need to be ready when he does, that's all. Trust me, it's all gonna be all right".

The Riddler nodded as he stared back at Charlotte in awe. "I trust you".

"Good," she chuckled and walked away to go upstairs and prepare for the next heist, which would take place that night.

The crowd on the stairs was watching a contest go down between a woman and a man to see who could eat more cockroaches without throwing up or drinking. The woman won because the man couldn't take it anymore and threw up. Just as Charlotte managed to walk up the staircase, she heard a familiar voice downstairs.

"I'm looking for Charlotte Bateman and Ed Nygma," Jim Gordon told Lee. "Five banks were robbed last night. Has all the hallmarks of a Bateman and Nygma special".

Lee told him she hadn't seen them in weeks and Charlotte quickly walked to her room so Jim wouldn't see her.

The Riddler went to his room as well while thinking about what Oswald said. "And she's using you. Shame on you. Stringing along this troubled couple".

"'This troubled couple'..." Ed repeated as he walked up to the bathroom and then turned his back to return to his room.

"Oh, can't argue with that," A voice suddenly said.

The Riddler recognized that voice and turned around to see Ed in the mirror. "Oh, no".

"Sorry, just because you're in charge doesn't mean I disappear," Ed told him with a smile on his lips.

"That's because you're too stupid to know when you've lost," the Riddler replied and turned his back on Ed hoping he would disappear. However, he didn't.

"Have I?" Ed asked and proceeded to imitate the Riddler just to mock him even further. "'Charlotte, what am I to you?' Does that sound like you to you? Because to me, that sounds like me".

The Riddler faced the mirror again and pretended he wasn't affected by Ed's mocking attempts. "I'm not proud of that phrasing. And you're just here because Charlotte is with me and she's happier than she ever was with you".

Ed ignored him and smirked. "I'm inside you, buddy, like a virus, infecting your thoughts".

"Oh, please," the Riddler huffed. "You couldn't even begin to comprehend my thoughts, much less influence them".

"What about your feelings?" Ed asked. "How else would you explain those desperate attempts to gain her approval? You can't even get out of bed if she isn't with you" Ed laughed amusedly and the Riddler glared at him. "And what about Lee? You wanted to kill her and now-"

"No, no," the Riddler interrupted, but Ed didn't let him finish.

"You gave money away to the poor," Ed continued laughing mockingly at the Riddler.

"That was part of a larger plan," the Riddler defended himself.

"Yeah, her plan," Ed said. "What did you ever care about the Narrows?"

"I don't," the Riddler informed honestly. "Every person here could drown in a stew of their own filth and I wouldn't lose a wink of sleep".

Ed nodded. "Oh, I know because all you care about is Charlotte. Just like I did".

"You're right for once in your miserable life," the Riddler said bitterly. "No, actually I care more about Charlotte than you".

"So keep that up, buddy, 'cause soon there will no telling where you end and I begin," Ed continued to mock.

The Riddler was going to say something but was interrupted when a door opened and shut. He faced away from the mirror and when he looked back at it, Ed was gone. He was glad for that but annoyed that Ed was now appearing to him. He pointed at the mirror with a determined expression. "That's not gonna happen".

Hours later it was finally time to go to the bank. All forty-five branches of 'Gotham savings & loan' had been moved to that one. It was heavily guarded, but it still wasn't hard for the trio to get in. The plan was all made by Charlotte and Ed, but Lee had made them use dart guns just like on the other robberies. That annoyed the couple, but they did as she said and used darts to leave the guards unconscious.

"Pistol would've been more fun," Ed told Lee.

"Agreed," Charlotte nodded.

Lee looked between Charlotte and Ed with a half smile. "You indulge me".

"Breaking open the vault is the last detail," Ed informed and stopped in his tracks. The two women stopped two and he spoke to Charlotte only. "Charlotte, could you go make our signature?"

Charlotte smiled and planted a kiss on his lips. "Of course. See you in the vault". Ed smiled at her as she left to go write their signature on a wall of the bank.

However, when Charlotte reached the spot where she planned to paint their signatures, she remembered when she saw Jim Gordon at Cherry's. He was on to them, so there was the possibility of him arriving faster than the trio expected. So, instead of painting Ed's big question mark on the wall, Charlotte just wrote 'CAN YOU FEEL THE EUPHORIA?' in green capital letters. If the cops got to them, she would be the only one to blame.

Charlotte sighed and left to join Ed and Lee in the vault. Ed had told her he had managed to find an easy way to open the vault. She was almost sure that his plan involved Butch's strength and when she arrived inside, she found she was right. But she also saw Ed pointing a gun at Lee, which confused her. Butch was inside placing the money in bags.

"What are you doing?" Charlotte asked as she looked between them.

"I was right when I said Lee was trying to trick us," the Riddler told as he glared at Lee. "I won't let you use me and my girlfriend as a pawn in your game to save the hole of filth that is the Narrows".

Charlotte placed her hands on his arms to make him lower the gun. "There's no need for this, love. We'll just leave with the money".

That's when Charlotte heard footsteps and looked over to see Oswald stop beside her with a happy look on his face. "The truck is almost full, we should go".

"Tell the ogre," the Riddler said nodding towards Butch. "Have him leave the property deeds. They all belong to the Narrows. Worthless".

Oswald chuckled as he looked at Lee. "And so ends the tale of the Queen of the Narrows. Goodbye, Lee". He winked at Ed and stepped into the vault while laughing loudly.

Ed made sure both Butch and Oswald were inside before he put his gun back on his waistband and took a molotov cocktail from the inside of his suit. Charlotte was even more confused now. That was not going how they had planned.

"What are you doing?" Lee asked.

The Riddler showed them the bottle with a cloth dipped inside. "How did that go, again? 'I am the revealer of masks. When I appear, friend becomes foe'".

Lee finally understood what was going on and was relieved to see Ed hadn't turned against her. "Betrayal".

"Exactly," Ed smiled.

Charlotte tried to stop him from throwing the molotov cocktail inside the vault, but she was too late. "No!"

The lighter dropped on top of the Narrows' property deeds on top of a table and it quickly spread, making the alarm go off and a barred door close the vault. Butch and Oswald were now trapped inside.

"What the hell you doing?" Butch shouted.

"Just burning the Narrows property deeds," the Riddler simply answered.

"Not that!" Butch exclaimed furiously.

"He's proving his loyalty by betraying us," Oswald explained in frustration and Lee smiled. Charlotte was trying to think if her plan would still work in case the cops came. The alarm was blaring and if Jim was on to them, he would be there soon. Oswald trapped inside the vault would complicate things. However, he had Grundy. Charlotte only needed to buy a little time for them to break out of the vault.

Butch grunted angrily at the trio on the other side. "These bars can't hold me. When I get out-"

"We'll be gone," Ed told and then spoke to Oswald, who had his eyes wide open. "I just wanted you to hear something. Oswald, we have been through thick and thin. And I hold no grudge on you. But you come against Lee, and you come against me and Charlotte too".

Butch extended his hand between the bars and tried to reach for Ed. "I'm gonna dismember you, you twerp!"

"Yeah, not even gonna try with you," the Riddler said and turned around. "Let's go, Charlotte, Lee".

Lee waved at Butch and Oswald before leaving after Ed. Charlotte stood there looking at the two men inside the vault and looking after Ed and Lee.

"It won't make any difference. She's still using you," Oswald shouted at the Riddler, but he continued walking without looking back. "You are not the Riddler! You are a fool! God!"

Charlotte approached the bars with a sad expression. "I will make it right, I promise, Oswald". Then she walked away too.

"Charlotte! Charlotte, come back here right now!" Oswald shouted, but she never turned around.

The blonde quickly caught up to Ed and Lee but remained quiet as Lee questioned the Riddler about why he had brought Butch and Oswald along if he was just going to betray them. Charlotte knew the Riddler all too well and was already expecting his answer. "I needed Grundy to open the vault. And Oswald was gonna rob us, anyway, so I just kept an eye on him. He'll get over it, or he won't".

"So you don't think I'm using you?" Lee stopped and both Charlotte and Ed stopped too.

Ed took off his hat and turned around to face Lee. "No, I know you are".

"My best friend is locked up in a vault, because my boyfriend wanted to prove his loyalty to you," Charlotte spoke. "So yes, of course, I know you are using us".

"Then why would you betray your friends for me?" Lee asked in confusion and then looked at the Riddler. "Is this... Are you Ed?"

"No, I'm me," the Riddler answered and turned around to leave the bank, but Lee ran to stand in front of him and stop him.

"How can you be sure?" Lee asked.

"Because Ed didn't understand you. He didn't see how deeply you had changed. I do," he told the Doc. "I know that that virus woke up something deep inside you, and you let that something loose when you shot Sofia. And you love it". Lee smiled at the memory of shooting Sofia in the head.

Meanwhile, Charlotte was listening for any noise of sirens getting close, but heard nothing. "Come on, we should go". Ed smiled at her and took her hand in his. The trio started walking towards the back entrance of the bank to escape before the GCPD arrived.

Then they finally heard it. The sirens blared loudly as the cop cars got closer.

"That's Jim," Lee stated.

"This alarm just went off," Ed said as he thought about how to get out without the cops seeing them.

"He was onto us," Lee told them.

"We can just go out the back," Ed suggested.

"No, they'll see the truck," Lee reminded him.

Charlotte immediately started to put her own plan into action. "One of us needs to go outside and distract them".

The Riddler took out his gun and prepared to go outside while Charlotte and Lee escaped through the back. "Done".

"No," Charlotte contradicted as she held on to Ed's hand, which was holding the gun. "I'll do it".

A crease formed on Ed's forehead as he stared in Charlotte's blue eyes. "No. I can't let you go to jail".

"I'll go," Lee said with a nod. "I can handle Jim Gordon".

"No, Lee," Charlotte contradicted again. "I'm gonna do this. You take the money to the Narrows. Go". Lee hesitated for a second, but then did as Charlotte told her too and quickly made her way to the back entrance. Charlotte sighed and turned to Ed. He looked torn and didn't know what to do. "You can break me out of jail later. You're the only one who can. I love you".

Charlotte caressed his face and the Riddler closed his eyes for a split second. When he opened them, he could already see the blue and red lights illuminating the bank. He took his free hand to Charlotte's cheeks and leaned in to kiss her. "I love you too. You trust me?"

"Of course, Riddler," Charlotte smiled brightly at him and he smiled too. "Go".

The Riddler put on his hat and left the bank as Charlotte ordered him too. He didn't want to leave, but he also knew it would be easy to break her out. The blonde woman took a deep breath and walked up to the front entrance.

"GCPD," Jim Gordon said from the outside. "Charlotte, Nygma, we know you're in there. Come out with your hands up".

Charlotte nodded to herself as if ordering herself to do it and opened the door. She did as Jim commanded and walked out with her hands up. She was doing that to save Ed, Lee, and Oswald from prison. Hopefully, Oswald would see that.

Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock had their guns pointed at her as well as all the other cops had. They expected Ed to walk out behind her, but that didn't happen. Jim stepped forwards to stand in front of Charlotte. "Where's Nygma?"

"He has nothing to do with this," Charlotte told expressionlessly while looking Jim in the eyes. "It was all me, Jim".

Jim sighed and took out the handcuffs after placing his gun back on its holster. "You know your rights". The Captain of the GCPD put Charlotte's hands behind her back and cuffed her. Then he took her into the police car.

Harvey finally nodded for the other cops to walk into the bank, but Charlotte knew Ed and Lee were long gone. Butch and Oswald would most likely already be out too, so she leaned back on the seat with a slight smile on her lips.

***

A/N: Charlotte has been arrested! Oh, God, no! Not my baby. Charlotte and Jerome's followers all in the same spot. Charlotte is gonna kick some ass on the next chapter. Love you all <3