"Of course I loved him," she says, "you don't give people you don't love the power to destroy you."

- S.Z. || Excerpt from a book I'll never write #122

Charlotte was standing in a greenhouse with lots of different plants around her. If she wasn't stuck in a makeshift wheelchair, she would have already explored the whole place. She could walk around already, but if she did it for a long period of time, the pain would come back. Thankfully, Ivy had some sort of drink made of plants that helped with the pain. Actually, she had medicine made of plants for almost everything. Charlotte and Oswald's bullet wound had healed quickly thanks to her.

Ivy walked into the greenhouse, pushing Oswald in another makeshift wheelchair. He looked around the room and didn't seem impressed in the slightest. Ivy pushed the wheelchair with an excited look on her face until Oswald was beside Charlotte.

"Ta-da!" Oswald made a face at her excitement. "Pretty cool, huh? I told you the whole estate was abandoned can you believe it?"

"As a matter of fact, I can," Oswald remarked moodily.

"I think it's lovely," Charlotte told her and Ivy beamed with the compliment causing Oswald to huff and roll his eyes at both of them.

"You know, the fresh air will do you good," Ivy told.

"It smells like rotting death in here," Oswald retorted.

To Charlotte, it didn't smell that bad and she excused Oswald's bad humor on account of the things that happened to them. It was understandable, but of course, Ivy didn't have to pay for it.

The redhead, however, didn't seem to be bothered by his insults and continued smiling. "Oh, I think someone's hungry". She proceeded to grab Oswald and he jumped in his chair, trying to get her as far away from him as possible.

"Stop it!" Oswald commanded. He pushed her away and stood up from the wheelchair, almost losing his balance as he did so. "I told you I am fine! I am a grown man, for crying out loud!"

Ivy was serious for a moment but then smiled again and booped Oswald's nose. "And you're hungry," she spoke in a sing-song voice, walking out of the room happily.

Charlotte let out an amused laugh, which caused Oswald to glare in her direction. "What are you laughing at?"

The blonde stood up from her wheelchair and booped Oswald's nose just to piss him off. It obviously worked and he swatted her hand away from his face. "Stop that!"

Charlotte laughed again. "Oh, Oswald. Only you to make me laugh".

Oswald shook his head at the blonde and crossed his arms with a pout. He turned away from Charlotte and eyed all the plants suspiciously. "What's with you and all the plants?" He asked Ivy.

"Oh, they're my friends," she answered from the kitchen.

Oswald raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Your friends?" When Ivy blurted out a positive reply, Oswald sighed. "Wonderful".

"Be nice, Oswald," Charlotte whispered to him.

He turned back towards her. "Nice? She's crazy".

"She saved our lives," Charlotte tried reasoning with him.

At that moment, Ivy walked back into the greenhouse holding two mugs. "You know, plants make better friends than most people. And some of them helped save your life". Ivy gave us the mugs, but Oswald just stared at it warily. "It's broth. I even put in some white willow for your fever".

In the last few days, Charlotte and Oswald had become slightly feverish. Ivy told them it was an after effect of the healing process and they would feel better soon.

Charlotte smiled at the redhead and took her mug in her hands. It was hot and smelled delicious. "Thanks, Ivy".

On the other hand, Oswald only grabbed the mug and threw it to the floor frustratedly. The broth was spilled all over the floor and bits of it landed on Charlotte's slippers.

"What is wrong with you?" Ivy shouted with a shocked expression.

"For the millionth time, I need to get back to Gotham!" Oswald yelled at her

"What's the rush?" She shouted back at him.

Oswald limped towards her and pointed a finger at her face. "I was betrayed and shot. I should be plotting my revenge, building an army, not drinking pinecone juice with the crazy plant lady".

"So build an army. No one's stopping you," Ivy told him, not understanding why he was so pissed at her. It wasn't like she was holding him hostage or anything. "And I could even help if you weren't being such a jerk. Jerk".

Oswald finally understood he needed all the help he could get because he was still injured. "Fine. I need you to deliver a message to Gabe".

"Who's Gabe?" Ivy asked.

"He's a moron," Oswald and Charlotte answered at the same time. Oswald looked at Charlotte sideways before continuing. "But he is a loyal moron. And every army starts with one single loyal soldier".

A moment of silence followed and Oswald got really confused when Ivy started making gestures with her hands as if she expected him to say something else.

"Please," she spoke after a while and Oswald closed his eyes tiredly.

"Please," he said with a forced smiled once he opened his eyes again.

"Okay. Fine," Ivy finally agreed.

Not long after that, Ivy left to go get Gabe. It took her until sunset time for her to return home. Gabe came with her and beamed when he saw Oswald. The bulky man walked fastly to hug his boss, almost shoving Charlotte to the floor of the greenhouse as he went. It took everything in Charlotte not to stab him in the back with a garden utensil.

"Okay. Okay, that's enough," Oswald complained as Gabe hugged him tightly.

Gabe was so much taller than Oswald that he raised Oswald in the air. "Oh, Boss, I can't believe it. You know that everyone thinks you're dead?"

"Yes," Oswald answered once Gabe put him back down on the floor.

"And that Barbara's running things?" Gabe continued.

Charlotte wasn't surprised. After all, it was Barbara's ambition to be the queen of Gotham. She better enjoy it while she could because soon Oswald would be back to reclaim his throne and Charlotte would be there by her best friend's side if that's what he wanted.

"Gabe, this might go faster if you just listen," Oswald interrupted the henchman who kept on asking questions. "I need to build an army to exact my revenge, and to take back my throne. Will you help me?"

"Of course I will," Gabe was quick to accept. "When the guys hear that you're still alive, they'll come running. I'll make sure of it. What do you want me to do?" Charlotte almost facepalmed herself at the dumb question.

"That," Oswald told him impatiently. "I want you to do that, Gabe".

Gabe nodded with a smile. "Right. I got it. No problem". Then he went off to call the rest of Oswald's henchmen. Charlotte rolled her eyes as soon as Gabe turned his back.

"Hey, uh, there's something off about him," Ivy said, almost in a whisper at the same time she glanced at Gabe between narrowed eyes. Charlotte agreed with her comment.

"No argument there," Oswald also agreed while massaging his forehead.

Ivy shook her head. "I don't trust him".

"That makes two of us," Charlotte told her with a nod of her head.

"Gabe? He's a human Labrador," Oswald replied. "You whistle, he comes running. Trust me, he's loyal". Then he looked from Ivy to Charlotte. "What hints did he give you for you not to trust him?"

Charlotte observed Gabe for a second. "The way he speaks. It's like he's constantly trying really hard to please you".

A crease formed in Oswald's forehead. "Of course, I'm his boss".

"It's not just that. Look at the way he reacted when he saw you," Charlotte reminded him of that strange and awkward moment. "He even swept you off your feet. Did you not find that a bit of an exaggeration?"

"Exactly!" Ivy exclaimed and grabbed the vial she wore on her necklace. "I have this perfume. One whiff and a man will do anything I ask. Including telling the truth". She touched her wrist with the vial of perfume and then rubbed her wrist against her neck.

Oswald shook his head, not believing that a perfume made of plants could make men do whatever a person wanted. He ignored Ivy and turned to Charlotte. "To be honest you suspect everyone". Then he turned back to face Ivy. "Look, now that Gabe is here, I'm afraid this is where we part ways. I have an army to build, a war to plan, and we really do not know each other that well. You understand?"

"No," Ivy answered confused.

"Maybe you can ask one of your plants," Oswald remarked rudely. "I do not trust you".

While Oswald and Ivy bickered back and forth, Charlotte observed Gabe. He seemed all too happy as he spoke to Oswald's henchmen over the phone. He ended the call and approached them again. He noticed Charlotte staring at him and smiled at her causing Charlotte to narrow her eyes. Now that Ivy had also told about her suspicions on Gabe, Charlotte was more certain something wrong was going on.

A snort coming from Oswald broke her stare contest with Gabe. She looked at him and saw him snickering at Ivy. "Friends? Friends".

Charlotte noticed the sad look on Ivy's face and elbowed Oswald's arm.

He looked between Charlotte and Ivy. "Oh. You're being serious. Look, don't take this the wrong way, but you are a bit of a freak".

Ivy was furious and left the house with large strides. Charlotte sighed and turned to her best friend. "You're right. I am suspicious of everyone now. You know why?" Oswald seemed surprised with her tone but stayed quiet. "Because someone I trusted shot me and dumped me in the river. You're not the only person who's been betrayed here, Oswald. And remember not to call Ivy the same name you always hated when people called it to you". Without waiting for a reply from him, Charlotte left the house in search of Ivy.

It had snowed all morning, but it had stopped sometime after lunch. However, it was still very cold outside and Charlotte pulled her robe tightly around her body. She found Ivy leaning against a tree and staring off into the distance. When she heard Charlotte's footsteps, Ivy glanced over at her and then back into the woods of naked trees.

"You don't have to apologize for that jerk," the redhead told her bitterly. Charlotte could see the word 'freak' had really gotten to her, which was understandable.

"I'm not going to," Charlotte said. She stood beside Ivy and looked in the same direction as her. For a moment they just stood there quietly, but after a while, Charlotte decided to say something to lift Ivy's spirits. "Your greenhouse is really beautiful. It reminds me of Robinson Park".

Ivy was surprised by that and looked at Charlotte in awe. "Me too. I love Robinson Park. I used to go there all the time because I didn't want to go home and deal with my father. I looked at all those different plants for hours. But I hated to see how people mistreated them. They would break and step on them. There was no respect for the plants".

Charlotte nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah. That's the human race for you".

There was another moment of silence between the two, but it was comfortable. Ivy was the one who broke it this time.

"Charlotte, you're not getting back to him, are you?" She asked worried about her new friend. "To that Nygma guy, I mean. You deserve better. Men are so stupid. Plants are way better".

"You're so wise, Ivy," Charlotte smiled thankfully. Then she let out a chuckle as memories flowed through her mind. Ivy looked at her questioningly. "You remind me of someone".

"Who?" Ivy asked.

"My mother," Charlotte told her. "She also loved plants. She used to tell me how they were better than most people too. We used to live in a small apartment when I was a kid, so there was no garden. But she would fill our kitchen and our living room with many types of plants and flowers. You walked into the kitchen and the living room and there they were lined up by the window and on the windowsill. There was no garden, so she made one of her own".

Ivy smiled, but she noticed how Charlotte had used the past sentence when referring to her mother. "What happened to her?" She saw a sad look flash across Charlotte's face and immediately felt bad for asking. "I'm sorry. You don't need to answer that".

"No, it's okay," Charlotte quickly said, not wanting her friend to feel bad even though it hurt to think about her parents. "She passed away not too long after my father. He died of stomach cancer. I think the pain of knowing she would never see him again was what killed her. What about your parents?"

Ivy sighed thinking about the last time she saw them. "Long story short, my father was accused of killing the Waynes and then was killed while trying to run. Then the cops found out he had been framed. My mother died too after she cut her wrists". Ivy paused and looked down at the snow sadly. "The thing is... if my parents saw me today, they wouldn't even recognize me".

Now Charlotte was confused. It had only been three years since the Waynes were killed. How would her own parents not recognize her after only three years? Ivy couldn't have changed that much. "Why?"

"Well, I really cha-" Ivy was interrupted mid-sentence by a car stopping in front of her house. The two women were hidden by the trunk of a tree, so the men who got out of the car didn't saw them. "They're here".

"Something's wrong," Charlotte stated and the apprehensive expression on her face left Ivy apprehensive as well. "I don't know those men. I never saw them before. They definitely don't work for Oswald".

The two waited until the men walked inside so they could go peek through a window. What they saw inside made Charlotte gasp and Ivy roll her eyes. They had warned Oswald and now there he stood tied to his makeshift wheelchair and the men who arrived were hugging Gabe like he was their hero.

"If he had just listened to me, but no. Nobody listens to Ivy," the redhead complained. But then the cold feeling of metal in the back of her head caused her to hold her breath.

Charlotte heard a gun being cocked and looked back to see a man pointing a revolver at Ivy's head. Instinctively, Charlotte took a step forward, ready to fight the man on a deadly match. However, he forced his gun more against Ivy's head, making the redhead wince.

"You better point that thing somewhere else or I swear I'll-" Charlotte's threat was interrupted once the man pointed the gun at her own head.

"I heard a lot about you," he laughed at her. "Heard your little boy toy Nygma ran away and then shot you? Why? Did he figure out you were doing the dirty dancing with little Penguin?" That one only made him laugh more. "Or was Penguin too much of a bitch to even show you what you deserve?"

Charlotte had enough and before the idiotic man could even realize what was happening, she grabbed his hand which was holding the gun and violently hit him in the nose with the weapon. She heard a satisfying crack, telling her she had indeed broken his nose. He lost his balance and fell back on the cold snow.

"Ah!" He exclaimed in pain as he clutched his hands around his nose. Blood was pouring out and it stained the white snow in red. "Bitch! I'm gonna kill you!"

Charlotte leaned closer to his face with a dark and sinister look in those blue eyes of hers. "Not if I kill you first".

The man took his hands off his nose to fight her, but she was quicker. Ignoring the pain in her abdomen, which sent flashes of pain through her whole body every time she made a sudden movement, Charlotte placed her hands around his neck and held it tightly. It was like the world had stopped around her and she even forgot about Ivy, who was witnessing the whole thing. He struggled against her and tried reaching for her own neck, but she never let go. Charlotte had hated the way he spoke about her. She hated the way he spoke about Oswald, and she hated the way he spoke about Ed.

It wasn't until she heard Ivy yelp that she let go of the man's throat. He had stopped struggling and layed unmoving under her. Charlotte slowly turned to Ivy and saw a man holding her by her hair and pointing a gun at her head. Another man was pointing his gun at Charlotte.

"Get up," he ordered but she didn't move. "I said get up! Or my friend back there will put a bullet in that redheaded friend of yours. The highest bidder who buys Oswald will have his head on a plate by the end of the day, but we can make sure they torture him nice and slow before that".

Charlotte glared at the man who had just threaten to kill her friends and slowly stood up. She wanted to kill him along with the man holding Ivy. The problem was if she tried something against the man closer to her, the one holding Ivy would kill her. She couldn't risk it, so she had to do as they said for the time being.

***

A/N: Soon Charlotte and Ed will reunite again. I wonder how that will go <3