"All suffering originates from craving, from attachment, from desire."

- Edgar Allan Poe

Charlotte didn't sleep well that night and the time she did sleep was filled with nightmares of Ed finding the truth of what happened to Kristen or Ed being kidnapped and tortured. The lack of sleep was getting to her and she wished she could stay in bed all day, but Charlotte knew she couldn't. Not after what happened on live television on the previous day or with Ed's abrupt disappearance.

Oswald had fallen asleep on the sofa and Charlotte didn't have the courage to wake him up. She had placed a blanket over him, hoping his sleep wasn't being filled with nightmares like hers were.

As soon as Charlotte read the headline of the Gotham Gazette, placed on top of the dining room by Gabe, she threw it into the fire. They were calling Oswald 'Mayor Crumblepot'. Charlotte didn't find it amusing at all.

She was making her way to the kitchen when she almost bumped into Barbara in the hallway. "What are you doing here?"

Barbara ignored her question. "You read the Gazette?"

"Yes, but that doesn't answer my question. What are you doing here, Barbara?" Charlotte repeated as she followed Barbara down the hallway back to the dining room.

"My dear Charlie, if you read the newspaper then you know why I'm here," she remarked and looked around the room. "Now where's Ozzie?"

Charlotte narrowed her eyes at the other blonde but ended up pointing at the sofa where Oswald layed still asleep. She didn't want to wake him up but she knew she wouldn't get rid of Barbara unless he talked to her. Better get it over with.

Barbara sat on the couch opposite to Oswald and started reading the newspaper she had in her hand. "'Unsurprisingly, there have already been calls for the Mayor's resignation". Oswald started waking up with a groan, but Barbara didn't stop. "The clearly disturbed Mayor Cobblepot capped the interview by announcing, 'To hell with the people of Gotham'".

"Actually he only said: 'To hell with the people'," Charlotte corrected matter of factly.

"Same thing," Barbara replied, waving her hand dismissively. It caused Charlotte to narrow her eyes again.

"What are you doing?" Oswald asked Barbara.

"I'm reading," she told him while turning the front cover so he could read the headline. "'Mayor Crumblepot'. Clever, huh?"

"Neither the man, his chief of staff, Edward Nygma,..." Barbara continued reading, while Oswald asked about Ed. Charlotte decided to ignore the other woman.

"Is Ed here? Did he come back? Did he call?" Oswald asked and Charlotte shook her head sadly.

Charlotte just looked back at Barbara when she finished reading. "Begging the question, who is running Gotham?"

"I need to find Ed," Oswald spoke more to himself than to Barbara and Charlotte. He sighed and ran his hands down his face tiredly.

"You need to fix this situation," Barbara contradicted.

"Who cares what people think of the Mayor? The city runs itself," he told her.

"I'm talking about your other job. The real one," Barbara insisted, referring to the underground. "You meltdown in public, hide out here, people start to smell blood in the water".

Oswald seemed more interested now. "Who?"

"Tommy Bones. The Duke," Barbara named. Charlotte knew those two. They had belonged to Maroni's crime family and after Fish Mooney killed him, they joined Oswald's side. "The East Side gangs are holding, but south of the Narrows, the docks, there's chatter. The king is dead. Or soon will be. That kind of chatter".

Charlotte grabbed her gun from the waistband of her jeans, a purple shirt hid it from view. She checked the clip to see if it was loaded and fastened the clip back on. "I'll take care of them and I'll find Ed".

Meanwhile, Oswald was talking about Ed too. "I need Ed, he's the only one-"

Barbara was growing impatient with both Charlotte and Oswald, causing her to hit Oswald in the head with the newspaper. "Listen to me!"

"Ow!" He complained, taking his hand to his head where Barbara had hit him.

She ignored him and continued. "Ed's not here. I am. You, Charlotte don't need to go kill anyone. That will only incite a war. So, Oswald, get up, take a shower, do that disco vampire thing with your hair. I will call a meeting of the heads of the family, you will come, you will be your old self and the rumors will stop".

Oswald eyed her confusingly. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because people think you like me, Ozzie," Barbara explained and Charlotte narrowed her eyes once more. She was suspicious of Barbara and wondered which were her real intentions. "And as long as they're scared of you, I get to keep breathing. One o'clock, my place". Then she got up and walked away.

"I don't trust her," Charlotte stated firmly as soon as she heard the front door slam shut.

"Why?" Oswald asked, throwing the newspaper away carelessly.

"What she said about everyone thinking you like her and as long as they're afraid of you, she gets to keep breathing," Charlotte said, going over those words again and again in her head. "What if she's working against you behind your back? Making you start a war. I mean she's Tabitha Galavan's partner and Tabitha isn't a big fan of you, or me for that matter".

Oswald considered this for a few seconds. "I'll ask you the same question I asked Barbara. Why are you helping me? And why shouldn't I trust her but should trust you?"

"Oswald, you can't trust anyone, but you must know that already," she told him honestly, sitting down on the couch Barbara had been sitting on moments ago. "Now, I am loyal to you, but I understand if you feel wary of me. You love Ed too and I know that, but I still chose to stay your friend despite all of that. I valorize our friendship. Barbara seems like someone thirsty for power and you're the most powerful person in this city. Doesn't that put you in her way?"

"You may be right," Oswald sighed. "I'll make sure whether she's speaking the truth or not when we get to 'The Sirens'.

Both Charlotte and Oswald got ready for the day ahead. They ate their breakfast and Charlotte sharpened a knife while Oswald got dressed. Then she put on a long black coat and her gloves.

Soon enough it was almost one o'clock and it was time for them to make their way to 'The Sirens Club'. The club was closed at that time and only Barbara stood behind the counter.

"My, my. You scrub up nice," she said after eyeing the two up and down.

"Am I early?" Oswald asked as he looked around the bar, wondering where were the crime families Barbara said they would have a meeting with.

"About that. I sent out the word. Said you wanted to see everyone, express summons, etcetera, etcetera. And..." Barbara pointed at a door, "... see for yourself".

"This is a rebellion," Oswald announced.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," Barbara lean over the counter to whisper to Oswald. "But I did warn ya".

Oswald sent her a thankful smile. "You have been such a friend, Barbara". She placed her hand on her chest as if she was touched by his words. "Tell me. What should I do now?"

"Well. If it were me, I would pick one of them, the Duke, maybe, or Tommy Bones, and teach them a lesson," Barbara suggested. Charlotte smiled slightly. There was Barbara inciting Oswald on a war, just like she had predicted. "They don't respect you, Oswald. In fact, you probably want to kill Tommy Bones and the Duke. Just clean the house".

Oswald chuckled at her words, causing Barbara to send him a confused look. "I'm sorry. Just-" He couldn't finish his sentence because he couldn't stop himself from laughing.

"Well. I'm glad you can find the humor in it," Barbara said sarcastically.

Oswald finally got a hold of himself. "Did you really think I would be so easy to manipulate?" He grabbed the Penguin head of his cane and detached it, revealing a knife. Charlotte pulled out her gun with one hand and her hunting knife with the other.

Barbara jumped when Oswald hit with the knife on the counter, but she just looked between the two with a raised eyebrow just as Oswald continued with his accusations.

"What was your plan? Take advantage of me while I was in a weakened state? Trick me into attacking my subordinates so they truly did rebel? Inciting war, so that you could pick up the pieces?" He asked with a laugh. "Thankfully, Charlotte warned me of your intentions. My dear, you are tragically out of your depth".

"Oswald. I am your friend," Barbara said. Charlotte had to give her points for such a perfect act. "Maybe some others are just turning you against everyone else because they want you to end up alone, just so they don't have to share their boyfriend". Barbara looked at Charlotte and both blondes narrowed their eyes at each other. "She got rid of the other one, didn't she? What makes you think she's not going to do the same with you? I'm just worried about you, Ozzie".

"You're trying to turn us against each other," Charlotte stated, knowing the game Barbara was trying to pull. Then Charlotte cocked her gun and pointed it at Barbara's head. The other blonde didn't react but quieted down.

"Perhaps I should call Tommy Bones. Or the Duke. Or any of the families, and ask them if you really invited them to this meeting," Oswald threatened with an angry expression. "What would they say?"

As if on cue, the phone on top of the counter started ringing, causing both Charlotte and Oswald to share an alarmed expression. Could it possibly be that Barbara was telling the truth?

Barbara picked up the phone. "Yes? He's right here". She passed the phone to Oswald. "Tommy Bones".

He grabbed the phone from her hands and hesitated before leaning it against his ear. "Yes?"

A moment passed where the Tommy spoke on the other side of the line and Charlotte saw Oswald's eyes widen with rage. "How dare you? I will gut you! I will hang your entrails from every lamppost in Gotham!" Suddenly, his furious expression turned to one of panic. "What?"

"What did he say?" Charlotte asked as soon as Oswald put the phone away. She felt herself gripping her weapons tightly in anticipation.

"They have Ed," Oswald blurted out and Charlotte gasped in shock. The nightmares of Ed being tortured filled her mind. "They're holding him hostage". He picked up his knife from the counter with rage back in his green eyes. "I will kill them. Every one of them!"

He tried to control himself but he was too stressed. After placing the knife back on the cane, Oswald turned to Charlotte. "We have to go. I have to gather my men".

Charlotte and Oswald got back to his mansion to put Gabe and two other of his henchmen out searching for Ed on Bones and the Duke's hideouts. However, they came out without any clue to Ed's whereabouts.

"Sorry, boss," Gabe apologized. Charlotte detected a slight attitude in his tone, but Oswald was oblivious to it. "Mr. Nygma wasn't at any of Tommy Bones' or the Duke's hideouts".

"Santino!" Oswald suddenly exclaimed. "Hit Santino. He was close with Tommy Bones. I... I bet they are in this together".

"I'll go with those three bozos," Charlotte told Oswald, ignoring the glare the three men sent her way. She was worried that Ed could be hurt and wasn't going to put his fate in the hands of those three ding dongs.

"Boss, got to tell you, I'm hearing some weird things," Gabe said to Oswald.

Oswald could care less about the weird things Gabe had been hearing. "Ed is in danger. I will tear this city apart brick by brick!" The phone started ringing and Oswald picked it up. "What?" Suddenly a wave of relief seemed to wash over Oswald's face. "Ed, is that really you? Are... Are you okay?"

Charlotte's eyes widened and she hurried to Oswald's side as he continued asking questions.

"Ed, who has you? Where are you?" A moment passed and then Oswald's eyes seemed to be full of worry again. "Ed? Ed? Ed?" The phone call ended and Oswald put down the phone.

"Is Ed okay? Where is he?" Charlotte asked concernedly.

"C... Come on. Now," Oswald commanded, pointing at Charlotte and his henchmen. "No, Gabe. Not you. You stay by the phone in case he calls back. Kane Chemicals, let's go. Move!"

It was time to go save Ed. Charlotte promised herself she would make things right between her and Ed. She loved him too much to lose him.

***

A/N: Have you seen the first look at Gotham season 5? I can't wait until January 3rd!

https://youtu.be/3jZy85qOWLc