The ride back to the mansion was short, but to Ed it felt like hours. Oswald and Elijah talked the entire time about hobbies and so on, and Ed quickly shut it out as he stared out the window. He felt selfish for reacting in such a way, but since Oswald was sent to Arkham -since Oswald came back- he wasn't really in the mood for such detours. Not only did he have a job to do, his mental health had severely declined over the past few weeks, and was not getting any better the more time he spent around this imposter of his soulmate. He still felt responsible for it, but he was also so angry at Oswald for putting himself in this situation in the first place. Oswald was the one who was selfish. He should've given Jim up, and thought about Ed over a police officer who doesn't give a shit about what happens to him. Now they were both suffering, and for what? A corrupt police officer who wanted to act like he was Mr. Perfect? 

The car pulled up, and all three climbed out. The mansion was old and large, with flowers and hedges decorated around it, and vines snaking their way up the bricks. A few trees stood lonely around the green, a large field stretched out around the building, only fading into the tree line of the woods. It was gorgeous, and yet Ed's own negativity prevented him from admitting it. Oswald gently took his hand, gazing at the exterior in disbelief and awe. The expression made Ed soften ever so slightly. He still loved his soulmate. Still loved Oswald more than anything. He should be happy for him. 

They headed up the stone staircase towards the doors, and Elijah let them in with a wide smile on his face. "Welcome home, my son" He said warmly as they walked in, and Oswald gasped as he looked at the fancy décor of the mansion. The Falcone manor he had taken residence in was beautiful, but not like this. 
"It's beautiful" He whispered.

"Yes. We kept it as it was when I was a boy. Do you like it?"

Oswald nodded in response with a grin, then turned to Ed expecting a similar response to it. Instead, he saw a blank and bored expression. Before he could say anything, Elijah took a step forward, "Perhaps a warm bath and fresh clothes are in order, it is dreadfully cold out there"

"That sounds lovely, thank you" Oswald smiled.

"I'll be fine, thank you" Ed responded, with he same boredness, and his boyfriend shot him a concerned look, unsure why he was acting in such a way. Oswald had noticed how distant Ed had been since he had came back from Arkham, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was is fault. Hugo Strange said things would be better once he was reformed, and yes it had been, but his relationship had now become strained. 

"I'll get the maid to prepare it for you" His father smiled before walking off to find her. Once out of earshot, Oswald sighed and looked at Ed.

"What's wrong, Eddie? Was this a bad idea?" 

"No...no you found your long lost father who you thought was dead. I'm happy for you"

"Then why do you look so upset? Is it me?" 

Ed frowned and sighed gently. Although he was angry at Oswald for what he did, he wasn't going to fight with him. Not now. He turned to him and leant down to kiss him, "It's not you. Don't worry, I'm alright. Let's just enjoy the time with your father, ok?"

 
After Oswald had a bath and changed, the three of them sat down to talk. Elijah dished up some soup and a fresh bread roll as they spoke about more personal matters. 
"How did you two meet?"
"Well..." He glanced over at Oswald, but his boyfriend just stared back with a smile as if he was waiting for him to tell the story. It was strange. This was probably the closest thing to what younger Ed imagined Oswald would be like. But now that was a reality, he wished he was still a criminal. "I was at work one day and Oswald came in to talk to a...friend. I saw him and immediately introduced myself, and we connected from there" 
 
"How did you know it was him? Did you feel it? When I met Gertrud for the first time, I knew it was her before she even said anything" 

"He showed up at work before and announced himself to the entire building but I never got to speak with him that day. Several people thought he was dead so imagine their shock when he walked through those doors" He heard a small laugh from beside him. 

Elijah smiled and looked between them. Undoubtedly, Oswald's father had nothing but fondness for them. Ed could see the sad glint underneath, the look of a man who had missed out on 31 years of his own child's life. He truly loved them, despite it only being an hour since they met. It was sweet, yet still strange for Ed to process. He grew up in a family that didn't love him, and one that made no attempt to even hide their disdain towards him. Because having a smart and mentally ill child was somehow a disgrace. 

"Gertrud came to work as a cook for my parents. She was so young and beautiful. So full of life. So beautiful. I was young then, too. A boy, really. A foolish, romantic boy. When my parents found out, they forbade us from being together. I was the heir to a great fortune, they said. And she was just a cook. I threatened to run away with her. Turn my back on my family name and my inheritance. It was the first and only time I ever stood up to them. They must've known my words were just that. A spoiled child making idle threats. The next day, Gertrud was gone. My parents told me only that they had come to an arrangement. She would be taken care of. And I must never make an attempt to find her. And to my shame, I didn't. I let them separate us. I had no idea. She never told me she was pregnant. She didn't tell me about you. If she did..."

"She told me that my father had died when I was still a baby" Oswald replied with a frown.

"Easier than the truth, I suppose. That your father was a coward who wouldn't stand up to his parents. She must've figured that the two of you would be better off making your own way. Which, in fact, was probably the truth. Look at you. A strong young man. She did a good job, didn't she?"

"She tried" Oswald offered a sad smile. His mother did everything she could, but was unable to give him the life she wished for him. Elijah stood up and walked around the table, and Oswald got up to meet him.

"We both miss her terribly. My poor boy. You've been all alone in the world" He frowned and gently pulled him into a hug, which his son returned. 

"Yes...yes I have" 

"No longer. You have a home. And a father. And a family" 

"A family?" 

"A big, happy family. They're going to be so thrilled to meet you!"

"S-Sir, please? Tell me truthfully. Is this a dream?"

"It's not a dream, my boy" 

Oswald burst into happy sobs, holding his father close. Ed smiled sadly watching them, happy for his soulmate. Then, Elijah caught his eye and extended his arm out as an invitation. He considered, before getting up to join the embrace. The three held each other, a warm mood falling between them. Ed was briefly reminded of the day Oswald invited him over for dinner at his home. It was strange how within an hour, it was like they had known each other forever. 
The moment abruptly ended when they heard a woman's voice in the hallway. "Come along" 

A woman walked through the door and stopped when she saw them. "Elijah, you didn't tell me we had guests!"

She reminded him of his mother, all smiles and warmth around guests but cold behind closed doors. He could see through her smile. Especially the look in her eyes she looked at them as if they were dirt. Two lower class men in a house as nice as this? Typical rich people. 
"Grace, this is my son, Oswald. And his boyfriend, Edward"
Grace's expression faltered for a millisecond, but Ed caught it. She was not going to take this news well. 
"Son? Elijah, I thought-"
"I thought so too, my dear. But, as it turns out, my soulmate had a son. My son, Oswald. She never told me, nor did my mother as I suspect she knew about him too. I do hope you all can accept him into our family" Elijah smiled at her softly, walking over to take her hands. Ed noticed how her face twitched at the mention of a soulmate. It was like she was insecure about marrying a man who was not bonded to her. Who could blame her. She forced a smile and looked over at the pair. 

"You two are...together?" She asked in that overly sweet voice, glancing between them. Oh, she's one of those. 

"Of course. We're soulmates" Ed replied nonchalantly, staring right into her eyes even though it usually made him uncomfortable, and taking Oswald's hand. Homophobes took up a small percentage of society, as soulmate bonds were so rare to be incorrect. If a man was bonded to a man or vice versa, then it was fate. But these people still had the idea that it was wrong or disgusting. 

"Oh. Lovely" Neither Oswald or Elijah seemed to pick up on the sarcasm. 
Her children lingered in the doorway with uncertainty, and Elijah moved to them. "Oswald, Ed, this is Charles and Sasha"
"Nice to meet you" The two greeted with a smile. Sasha was like her mother. Able to put on a facade, but not able to entirely fool Ed. Charles, however, seemed more genuine. He even walked over to them with a grin and shook their hands, earning a happy chuckle from Oswald. 
 
The family sat down and talked among each other, Grace's children asking most of the questions as she just stared at them with a fake smile. Ed just sat beside Oswald quietly, holding his hand, watching the in-laws. His inner voice started talking to him again, but he didn't respond. He just sat quietly, slowly spacing out until Elijah tapped a spoon against a glass to catch their attention. Oswald handed him a glass of champagne with a smile, as Ed blinked a few times to knock himself back into reality.

"A toast. I want to thank you all for your generosity. You have welcomed Oswald into our family with open arms and open hearts. And for that, I am truly blessed" Elijah smiled at his son, and Oswald smiled back, "To family"

"Uh, you guys have made me the happiest man on the planet. I am so grateful. I love you all. Family!" 
 

"To family"

Sasha smiled and kissed Oswald's cheek, then Charles offered his hand to Oswald's to shake it. "Brothers!"

"Oh yes! Brothers!"

They ignored Ed, but he was used to that by now. He felt numb as he watched them, unsure how he felt anymore. Anger, betrayal...loneliness. It felt like he was loosing him all over again, this time to the wolves. Grace didn't like them being here, she didn't like the fact that her husband had a son. He was fairly certain that nothing bad would happen, but his inner self argued otherwise. Pushing the thoughts away, Ed put an arm around Oswald, who, in return, placed his head on his shoulder.

Soon, the maid came in to announce dinner was ready, and they all headed to the dining room where they continued the conversation. Ed zoned out once again as they talked, eating his food with boredom. Maybe it wasn't so much that they appeared to be ignoring Ed in favour of Oswald, despite the fact that he hated being ignored. No, he was jealous. He could feel it burning inside him as he watched Elijah look at his son with such adoration. He never had that. Why did he never have that? Why did his dad hate him so much?

It was only when Oswald put his hand on Ed's that he was brought back to the conversation. 

"It's true. I swear it. Clear as day... a ghost. She was this pale old woman in a long black dress. She was this close" Charles recounted, partially leant across the table with a wide grin as he gestured between them. 

"What did you do?"

"Oh, I ran away screaming, of course!" 

They laughed, but Ed didn't see why. Ghosts didn't exist. The story was highly illogical, just as the belief in ghosts was. 

"Oh, do you believe in ghosts, Oswald?" Grace smiled at him. Another face. One to hide her envy.

"Yes, I do. I've seen them"

Ed made a sound, almost like a snort, but didn't voice his opinion. As expected, no one even noticed. Or if they did, they ignored him. 

"This house has several of them. But don't worry, they're all quite friendly" Elijah said with a smile. 

"Don't listen to him. There are no ghosts here"

"Oh, there's ghosts, all right. This house was built by my grandfather. He died here. His wife and two sisters also passed away upstairs. And my poor dear parents" There was a distant look on his face for a few seconds, before he mumbled, "Yes, many ghosts"

Silence fell through the room for several seconds, the air growing heavy with some sort of tension before Oswald broke it with a question. 

"How did you meet?"

"Oh. That's a boring story, really-"

"No, let me tell it, dear. After my mother died, I sat alone in this house for months. Barely got out of bed, in fact. Finally, I found a diner, not too far from here. I'd go there every day at the same time, order the same thing"

"Chicken soup and a seltzer"

"Grace was my waitress, and I grew very fond of her. She told me of her two poor children, Sasha and Charles, and how they suffered at the hands of their abusive father. I had to help. I offered her refuge, and she accepted. And this house heard laughter once again. Then one thing led to another. Love blossomed. And here we are" 

The smile faded from their faces as Elijah spoke about their past, and they all glanced at each other with a look Ed couldn't quite figure out. Them also having an abusive past was no excuse for their fake smiles and pretending to be welcoming. Ed was certain they would turn as soon as they were able to. Elijah continued, no noticing their change in attitude. 

"But you are my only true blood relative, Oswald-" 

The glass in Sasha's hand smashed, making everyone jump in surprise, and for the in-laws to snap back into their pretend personalities. She brushed the glass off herself and smiled apologetically.

"Oh, my poor dear. Are you hurt at all?"

"No, no. I'm-I'm fine"

"Clumsy girl"
 
The rest of dinner didn't last long, and as soon as it ended Elijah proposed they all retire to bed. As Oswald stood to get up, Ed noticed the smallest wince and his hand instinctively moved to his leg. He moved towards him to offer help, but Oswald frowned and shook his head, "I'm fine Ed. Thank you" 

It was nice to know that even now, he was still stubborn. Ed nodded, but stayed close beside him as he made his way upstairs to the room, incase he needed his help. His Father smiled and showed him to their rooms, which were separate, and Oswald nervously asked a question, hoping he wasn't pushing any boundaries. "Could Ed sleep with me? I have dreadful nightmares, even more since...since mother died. I feel safer with him by me" 
Instead of ridicule or refusal, Elijah just gave him a knowing look, "Of course, my son. Good night"

"Goodnight, Father" Oswald smiled, before walking into the bedroom with Ed. He sighed as he limped over to the bed and collapsed onto it with a weary smile, before slowly taking his shoes off and shifting himself into a sitting position. Ed walked over and sat in front of him, tugging Oswald's right sock off and gently rubbed his thumbs on the dip in his foot, being careful with the muscle as to not hurt him. Oswald watched him almost confused, but after a few seconds he relaxed and realised what was happening.

He leant back against the headboard and sighed happily, "I like it here. I'm sure my mother loved working here,  she had an eye for fancy décor. You probably saw that when you visited our apartment. She always loved it"
"You both have an exquisite taste" Ed smiled at him, moving his thumbs professionally and feeling the tension unravel. The absolute adoration in Oswald's eyes when he looked at him made his heart skip, but also made him feel guilty. Oswald never would've hurt him on purpose. Ed was just being cruel with his anger towards him.
"I can't believe this has happened! My Father's alive, and everyone's so nice! I finally have a famil- ouch!" 

Ed mumbled an apology as he softened the pressure. He didn't mean to hurt him, but he was slightly offended that Oswald didn't consider the two of them family. They had gone through so much together. They were family too! 

"Ed?"

"Hm?" He moved up to his ankle, pushing gently against the swollen muscle, careful to not hurt him. Even when it would eventually heal entirely, Oswald would never walk properly again. It wasn't given the chance to heal properly, so the ankle was messed up and almost constantly stuck pointing at an angle, which made him seem like he was waddling. But Oswald didn't seem to mind the limp so much anymore, apart from when his muscle and joints began to hurt. It made the cold weather slightly more dreadful than before, which was ironic since most penguins lived in cold conditions. It was also less desirable when he was trapped in Arkham, a building that appeared to have no central heating whatsoever, so once his leg locked up it was hard to undo. And the guards never took him seriously enough when he tried to explain why he was unable to walk. 

"Would...would you consider getting married? Starting a family together?" He paused and looked up at his boyfriend, who looked back at him with a shy blush on his face, "We never discussed stuff like this before"

Ed didn't answer. Sure, he wanted to get married that wasn't a problem. But he wasn't sure about the idea of kids. It's not that he hated them, it was that normal Oswald would've crinkled his nose in disgust when he saw a baby. And he wasn't so sure if this new him was permanent.

"It doesn't have to be children, we could get a cat together. Or a dog. Or birds. Do you like pets?" Oswald's voice had raised in pitch and increased in speed, and Ed frowned realising that his silence was making his partner worry. 

"I'd love to marry you Oswald. We can discuss the rest later" was all he said before continued working his hands around the injured area. 

"Oh" came the breathless reply, and Ed could hear the smile through the tone. That itself made Ed smile to himself. 
Once Ed had finished and Oswald's leg felt much better, the two cuddled up to each other in bed, enjoying each other's warmth and company. Oswald yawned in Ed's arms and shut his eyes smiling. "Goodnight. I love you"
"I love you too" 

It didn't take long for Oswald to fall asleep, but Ed himself found it difficult. He listened to his partner's breathing, staring up at the ceiling with a frown. Too much was going on for him to cope. Guilt, jealousy, anger, but also sadness and anxiety. Oswald was home here,  but yet something felt wrong. Elijah was genuine, but Grace hated them. 

After what felt like an our, he carefully moved away from his boyfriend, and moved to sit on the windowsill of the bedroom, looking out the window as he sighed. His reflection stared back at him, then looked over his shoulder at Oswald and rolled his eyes. "These people are bad news, Ed. You have to get Oswald out of here" 

"His dad is nice" Ed mumbled back, and other Ed rolled his eyes. 

"Yes, Elijah is very nice and he loves Oswald almost as much as we do. But Grace and her brats are up to something. They don't like him at all. I know you can see through their charade" 

"I don't trust Grace either, but Oswald is happy. Love is about sacrifice and if Oswald wants to stay here with his father then I'll have to deal with it. His mum died, he needs his father"

"He needs us ! Look at all we did for him! We were all he had before they came along and ruined it. Can you not see? Grace and her brats are jealous, Ed. She might try to hurt him!" 

"You're being crazy! Yes she's hiding something, but she's not going to resort to that. Why would she?" 

"You have me through life, and pass me on through death. Your family takes me as you're laid to rest. What am I?" 

"...inheritance? What's that..." The puzzle pieces started to come together, and Ed's heart dropped, "You think she'd..."

"If you thought you and your children were going to inherit a property like this from your husband, just to find out he had a biological child who it would go to instead. Wouldn't you do the same?" 

"No...you're overthinking things. You just want him to yourself, so you would risk taking him away from his only family to do so" 

Other Ed narrowed his eyes, before smirking "what has two eyes but can't see what's right in front of him?" 

Before he could reply, Oswald's panicked whimpers came from under the covers. Ed rushed over to try and wake him, but Oswald squirmed and cried in panic, hyperventilating as he struggled with the covers as if fending someone off. 

"Oswald. Oswald! 

Waking with a scream, Oswald sat up and looked around wildly. The dream appeared to be worse than the one he had last night. Oswald looked at him with teary eyes and pulled him into a hug crying, not saying anything else. Suddenly, Elijah burst into the room and looked at them, as Ed rocked his partner in his arms and kissed his forehead gently. "It's ok...it's ok, it was just a dream. I've got you" 

Elijah walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. He leant over and gently rubbed Oswald's back sighing as Oswald just cried into Ed's shoulder. Ed kisses the side of his head, before gently beginning to sing his lullaby like he always did, until Oswald slowly calmed down. Him and Elijah made eye contact, and he saw sadness and recognition in his eyes. He knew the lullaby too. 

Once Oswald stopped crying, he moved away and wiped his tears away before looking at his father. Without any question, Elijah shifted forwards and hugged his son, stroking his hair gently. "You're safe here. We won't let anything happen to you, we promise. You are loved"

Ed's anxiety grew at those words. If his alter self was right, then Oswald was not safe here. And he wasn't sure Elijah could protect him if he didn't truly believe that anyone here would hurt his son.