"See the worst of me, and try to love me despite all the dark you find".

- Tyler Knott Gregson

It was a busy day for Oswald Cobblepot. He had decided to run for Mayor of Gotham City against Aubrey James and the mansion his father left him was flooding with people running and making the last preparatives for the big day. The house was decorated with American flags and posters with Oswald's face and his slogan: 'Make Gotham safe again'.

Charlotte Bateman and Edward Nygma were staying at the mansion with Oswald and were supporting their friend on this new path he had started on. Oswald had even bought them suits to look more professional during the elections.

"Who are those people Butch is talking to?" Ed asked Charlotte as he eyed Oswald's henchman suspiciously.

Charlotte followed Ed's gaze and saw Butch Gilzean speaking with a man and a woman she didn't know. He gave them both an envelope and thanked them before they walked away.

"I have no idea," Charlotte told him, eying the large man between narrowed eyes. They would definitely have to investigate it further.

Then a voice interrupted their thoughts and made them smile. "I must say, you two are looking quite fancy in those suits". They both turned around to face their friend Oswald, who was wearing a royal purple suit and his hair was neatly brushed. He stood before them supporting himself with the help of his cane, the handle shaped like a Penguin's head. "I had to guess on the jacket size. I hope they fit".

"Perfectly," Ed reassured him and both him and Charlotte sent a thankful smile in Oswald's way. "We cannot thank you enough".

Oswald shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing. "It's just a suit".

"No. No, if it weren't for you, we would still be falling asleep to the screams of the insane," Ed closed his eyes for a few seconds remembering the restless nights he spent at Arkham Asylum. Charlotte shuddered just by thinking about that. Then Ed intertwined his fingers with Charlotte. "And Charlotte and I would still be apart".

"Yes, thank you, Oswald," Charlotte said with a happy smile and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Oswald chuckled and nodded at her. "The screaming becomes almost a white noise after a while, doesn't it?"

"It does," Ed agreed. "I  do believe, Oswald, Arkham has made us all stronger".

Oswald took a step forward with his light green eyes shining brightly. He took a velvet rug off the table behind Charlotte and Ed and the couple turned around to see their certificates from Arkham framed. "I couldn't agree more. Which is why I had our release certificates framed. A reminder of past struggles and new beginnings".

Charlotte and Ed looked at the certificates with their jaw open in surprise. They were touched by Oswald's kind gesture.

Ed turned around to look at his friend with a smirk on the corner of his lips. "If I didn't know better, I'd accuse you of being a sentimentalist".

Oswald shrugged his shoulders with a wide smile on his lips. "Guilty". Charlotte swore she had never seen him so happy before and seeing him like this made her happy too.

"You all set, boss?" The voice of Butch came from behind them. "Busy day today".

"Who were those people you were speaking with?" Ed suddenly asked before Oswald could say anything.

"We're asking because it seemed to be important and then you gave them that envelope," Charlotte added just as Butch's expression hardened. "We were just wondering what was inside".

"Don't worry about it," Butch warned with a tone that said it was better for them to drop it. However, his defensive tone only made Charlotte and Ed more curious.

"Come now, Butch. Play nice," Oswald ordered. "We're all on the same team here. Right?" He smiled again at the three of them. "My team".

Then he walked away, leaving Butch, Charlotte, and Ed sharing intense glares in the middle of the room.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever you say," Butch mumbled even though Oswald could no longer hear him. He leaned over the table and spoke with a lower tone. "You keep your nose out of my business".

Butch was going to walk away but he stopped when Ed spoke. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever you say".

The henchman glared at them one last time and then walked away, having no patience whatsoever to deal with the couple.

"He was pretty defensive," Charlotte stated and Ed nodded as they stared after Butch. "Whatever it is, it can't be good".

Charlotte thought about the matter for a while. What could have Butch been negotiating right in front of Oswald? It had to be something Oswald knew about. Could it be about the election? Oh, of course.

"He's buying the election," Charlotte guessed and shook her head. "To make sure Oswald wins".

Ed had reached that conclusion as well and wondered what to do. He decided to keep an eye on Butch for the rest of the day to see if he would pay someone else again. They would start their investigations from there.

Later that day, Oswald would give a speech. Charlotte and Ed never left his side much to Butch's annoyance.

"My beloved mother always believed in me," Oswald started to the room full of people. Charlotte and Ed stood not too far behind on the makeshift stage. "Even when I doubted myself, she held firm. Seeing all of your bright faces reminds me that there is nothing you cannot do if you put your mind to it. And when I am Mayor, I believe- No, I know that together, we will make Gotham safe again!"

Ed searched for Butch in the middle of the crowd and found him at the end of the room with another man, probably a member of the election board. Butch gave him a yellow envelope and the man looked down at the contents before starting to walk away. Ed looked down at Charlotte seeing she had seen that too. The couple descended from the stage and walked towards the man, who was almost reaching the door.

"Excuse me," Ed called and the man turned back to face them. "Are you on the election board?"

"Yeah," the man answered hesitantly, looking between Charlotte and Ed.

"We work for Mr. Cobblepot. He just wanted us to confirm what Butch gave you. May I?" Ed asked and extended his hand so the man would hand him the envelope. He hesitated, so Ed himself took the envelope from the inside of the man's suit. "Thank you".

Ed opened the envelope and inside there was the money. He passed a finger through the bills and then handed the envelope back to the man.

"It's all there. Thank you," Ed smiled and the man took the envelope full of cash from him

"Thank you, sir," Charlotte smiled sweetly and the man walked away.

Ed's smile dropped and he turned to look at Charlotte. "We should take the money back. I'm sure Oswald can win without having to pay those morons".

"I agree," the blonde nodded taking a quick glance at Butch, who was now glaring at both of them. "But I'm sure by now Butch has already put someone after us. If we're going to take that money back we have to make sure no one follows us".

A few hours went by and Oswald was obligated to greet many district officials and others. He didn't care about any of them but he did want to be the Mayor so he had to be there. He just needed to be there for another hour before he could go back to his father's mansion and watch the results from his TV.

Charlotte and Ed kept to themselves and kept an eye on both Oswald and Butch.

"We have to make him see that if he buys the elections, he'll never know if people actually want him as their Mayor," Ed said to Charlotte as they watch Oswald talk with a group of people in the middle of the hall.

Charlotte nodded "And how do you pretend to do that?"

Ed looked around and his eyes landed on a little girl. She must have been around nine or ten years old. "I have an idea," he smirked while nodding in the girl's direction. Charlotte followed his gaze and understood what Ed wanted to do. "Hey, little girl. Hey, you. Come here". The girl walked towards us and waited for Ed to say something. "We need you to go up to Mr. Penguin and thank him for getting rid of all the monsters".

"And what do I get in return?" The girl was quick to ask, causing Ed to roll his eyes.

"I'll buy you an ice cream," he offered, but she didn't look impressed. "Okay, I'll give you five dollars". She raised her eyebrows at him, making him roll his eyes again. "Ten?"

"Twenty," Charlotte intervened and the girl looked at her and nodded. "When I look at you, you come, deal?"

The girl smiled and nodded again. "Deal". Then she walked back to where she was before.

"Twenty dollars? Seriously?" Ed complained as he glared at the little girl.

"Doesn't matter, Ed," Charlotte calmed him and led the way towards Oswald, who was now alone as he observed everyone around him with a smile on his lips. "Oswald. How are you feeling?"

Oswald looked at her and smiled widely. "I couldn't be better. I'm going to be someone in this town".

"I assume you know Butch is paying campaign officials to buy the election?" Ed asked him and Oswald raised his eyebrows and let out a small chuckle.

"You don't approve?" He asked with an amused look. "My dear Ed, this is Gotham. This is how things are done".

"And in theory, I support that. But, Oswald, do you see how these people are cheering for you?" Ed asked while motioning to everyone around them. They were all there for Oswald and looked excited for him to be elected as their new Mayor.

"Yes," Oswald answered as he looked at everyone with happy smiles on their faces. "They do seem very excited".

"You can win this on your own," Ed told him and Oswald turned back at him.

"We believe in you, Oswald," Charlotte added honestly.

"Why risk it? There is no upside," Oswald argued. "I want this. I want this like I've never wanted anything".

Ed nodded in understanding. "I know. Which is why you need to call off Butch".

Charlotte took advantage of the moment Oswald was looking at Ed to nod in the little girl's direction. The young girl walked up behind Oswald and pulled on his suit. "Mr. Penguin?"

Oswald looked back at her and smiled. "Hello, there".

"I wanted to thank you for getting rid of all the monsters," she said sweetly.

Oswald was touched by the young girl's words and turned back to Ed and Charlotte "Do you see? People look at me differently now. For the first time in my life, I feel wanted".

Then the little girl extended her hand towards Charlotte and Ed, waiting to get paid the twenty dollars they promised her. "Nice doing business with you".

Charlotte took out the money and gave it to the girl. She looked at the bill in her hand and smiled before skipping away from them.

"And how do you feel now?" Ed asked Oswald.

"I feel like I've misjudged some people who were supposed to be my friends," Oswald said as he looked between Charlotte and Ed with a hurt expression on his face.

"We are your friends," Ed told him. "I can't be bought, but I can be stolen with a glance. I'm worthless to one, but priceless to two. What am I?" Ed asked while making a heart with his fingers in the air.

Oswald wasn't impressed. "I don't care. I do not need a stupid riddle right now. I know what I want. I want to be Mayor. You two stay out of it. I'm warning you". Then he walked away without another word.

"We really need to get that money back," Charlotte sighed.

"Yes, but first we need to get rid of one of Butch's man," Ed reminded. He had seen the blond middle-aged man following them around since they had spoken to that man from the election board. "He's been following us for an hour now".

Charlotte smirked. "Agree. It will be easy".

And just like she said, it was easy to get rid of the man. Once they did, Charlotte and Ed went to all the people Butch paid and asked for their money back.  They told them, Oswald wanted to run a clean election.

When they returned, it was almost time to know the results. Charlotte knew Oswald would win. There was no way people would want Aubrey James there again. The man was a moron and all he did was sit at his desk and eat danishes all day. He wasn't fit to be the Mayor.

"This is it," Oswald said to Charlotte and Ed once they were back at his mansion. His eyes shined brightly in anticipation. "The moment I've been waiting for".

Ed smiled at his friend. "Indeed".

"You two!" Someone suddenly shouted. Everyone looked at the other side of the room to see Butch walk at a fast pace towards Charlotte and Ed. "You, you ruined everything!" The large man grabbed them by their necks and roughly shoved them against the wall.

"Butch, release 'em this instant!" Oswald exclaimed in surprise. "What is going on?"

"I'll tell you what's going on. They just cost you the election," Butch explained between clenched teeth. "They went to every district official and took the money back. Said you wanted to run a clean election".

Oswald's eyes opened wide with shock when he heard Butch's accusations and he looked at his friends. "Tell me this is not true".

"I'm afraid Butch is right,..." Ed confirmed, "...for once".

"Let us go," Charlotte ordered Butch, but his hold on her neck only became tighter. He didn't appreciate the tone in her voice and he was already tired of both her and Nygma.

"Why?" Oswald asked, hurt to know two people he considered his friends had betrayed him. "After everything I've done for you. Everything we could've done together. You betrayed me. Butch!"

Butch finally let go of the two only to point a gun in their direction. One word from Oswald and he would shoot them both in the head. His trigger finger was itchy and there was nothing he wanted more than to blow their heads off.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't let Butch kill you where you stand?" Oswald asked, his face growing red with anger.

"Well, there are about 30 witnesses-" Ed started, but Oswald was quick to interrupt.

"I don't care!" He shouted.

Then that's when Charlotte and Ed saw the news on the TV. 'COBBLEPOT WINS!' was written in capital letters and a lot of people were cheering for him.

"And there's that," Ed nodded towards the TV.

"In what can only be viewed as a seismic shift even by Gotham standards, former underworld kingpin Oswald Cobblepot has won the mayor's office by a landslide," the journalist announced.

Everyone in the room cheered for Oswald but he shushed them so he could hear what the journalist was saying. "I still won. They really want me as Mayor". When Oswald turned to Charlotte and Ed, there were tears of happiness in his eyes.

"Yes," Ed confirmed.

Charlotte looked at Butch and saw he had turned his head to look at the TV. She smiled and took advantage of his distraction to grab the hand which was holding the gun and taking it from him. Everyone in the room yelped after her sudden movement and Charlotte smirked before taking the bullets out. Butch looked at her and arched his eyebrows in surprise. She had been so quick, that when he finally realized what was happening, it was too late.

"Here," she said, giving Butch the now empty gun. He looked at it and slowly grabbed it from her hand.

Oswald shook his head at Butch and then looked at Ed, remembering the riddle he had asked him that day. "I can't be bought, but I can be stolen with one glance. I'm worthless to one, but priceless to two. Love". The Penguin looked back at the TV to see dozens of people cheer for him and chant his name over and over. "They love me".

"Do you understand now why we took the money back?" Charlotte asked with a slight smile on her lips.

"If you would've bought the election, you would've never known," Ed explained. "But now you do. Feels good, doesn't it?"

Oswald looked between his two friends. "How did you know I would win?"

"Like Charlotte said: 'We believe in you, Oswald'," Ed quoted. "Even when you don't believe in yourself".

Oswald didn't know what to say. He smiled at Ed and turned to Butch. "You. You never believed I could win this election on my own. I think maybe you're not cut out for this after all".

Charlotte and Ed found the expression on Butch's face quite hilarious. A crease formed in his forehead and he shook his head in indignation. "What? You got to be kidding me. Those two-"

"Don't worry. I still need someone to crack skulls," Oswald interrupted him, but he was reminded of how Charlotte had taken the gun from Butch so easily. "Or maybe I should have Charlotte do that instead".

"What?" Butch asked again in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had been caught off guard by that woman and now Penguin was ready to substitute him. "You can't be serious, boss!"

Oswald ignored him and looked at Charlotte and Ed once again. "Come, Ed, Charlotte. We have plans to make". He turned around and started walking out of the room. Charlotte and Ed chuckled at the look in Butch's face and Charlotte slid her hand across his cheek just to piss him off even more. Then the couple walked out, following after Oswald.

***

A/N: Poor, Butch hahaha XD

Thank you for reading! Love you all <3