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chapter seventeen ━ lies intertwine with guilt

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❝ i will see them again ❞

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thirty votes and thirty comments for the next chapter!

THIS WAS THE end of Gotham. Maybe not but it sure did feel like it. A gang war had struck between the two biggest crime bosses in the city: Falcone and Maroni. With Jerome stuck in Arkham and Barbara back in shut down mode, Skylar was with Selina. She hadn't seen Bruce in a bit but she had gone back to wondering if he really did care about her. Jim was too busy at the GCPD, taking care of the problem at hand to notice his daughter sneaking out of Lee's apartment. No way was she staying with her so she went to find Selina so she could stay on the streets for a while. After her moment with her brother at the asylum, Skylar caught Cat up with everything and surprisingly, she supported her and said that she hoped that the redhead would be out one day before it was too late.

Before night hit, the two females training some more. Skylar had gotten the jumping off of stairways and short building down, so now she moved onto her speed, whether it be if she was running from someone, trying to be quick in general, or fighting an opponent. Tracking she got down within a good six hours which is why she moved onto this topic next. However, the night had approached and blanketed them, forcing them to retreat back to the small fire some of the other kids set up.

Water lapped, echoing through her ears as Skylar ran her hand over the flames, her black attire rubbing against her skin and fitting around her body. Suddenly, wood creaked, drawing all of their attention's. A boat full of people rowed toward them with one person in a hood at the front. The small ship reached the shore and the people arrived. It was only that the teenage girl realized who it was. "Fish?"

The former crime boss smiled gently at her, the new electric blue eye winking at her. "Hello there Skylar. I knew you'd get out of your shell sooner or later." Selina sent the girl a confused look. "But good morning to you both."

"It ain't morning," Cat pointed out. Her eyes seemed to shine with curiosity because this woman looked powerful. And she somehow knew her friend.

Fish chuckled lightly. "Oh, it will be soon. A brand-new day." With that, she walked away to follow the rest of her people. Both girls watched and followed them until they could no longer see them. Skylar looked over at Selina who was already looking at her.

"Should I be worried?" her friend questioned.

The brunette Valeska shook her head with a small smile. "No. Fish is a friend." She turned her head back to where the citizens disappeared into a puff of smoke. "And something tells me she'll be back soon." Cat didn't ask any more questions after that because she trusted that the girl knew who trust and who not to trust.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Skylar Valeska entered the GCPD with her emotionless expression, ignoring the looks she got from everyone around her. Fish had come back with more flair than she ever had before. The crime boss invited both Skylar and Cat to join her group to take down Maroni and Falcone for good. After much persuasion, the promise Jerome made her rang in her mind so she agreed, training hard then she ever had before. It was not much, her fighting skills were still extremely rusty and in no way was she prepared for a fight. But her progress was unmistakable. She could now jump from semi-tall buildings while being quiet and quick and she could also break into places without being detected. This meant she could now sneak through Bruce's glass door in his study without him noticing.

Fish had trained her a bit of hand-to-hand combat but Skylar still was not so great at it which was understandable. She had given her a gun but the moment it touched the girl's hands, her hands became sweaty, shaking until it dropped to the ground. A knife, however, held the same effect but she felt more comfortable using it. So that's what she trained with. At first, she threw them at targets but so far she only hit the board once and that was on accident because she got frustrated and launched it towards it, only to hit the edge of the ring. Opting for holding it, dodging people who were trying to attack her, and then stabbing them, Skylar realized that that was her only means of fighting. While she was swift, her experience with fighting was practically nonexistent. But Fish still could see the warrior inside of the teenage girl, knowing that her time would come one day.

Adding on to her fighting, her wardrobe had changed slightly to match the badass vibe Fish wanted to give. She wore her usual black leather pants, boots, and jacket. But instead, her shirt was red, see-through at the top to give off an angel and the devil type feeling. Her hair was done in a perfect braid, her ears exposed to reveal earrings on the right one. There were two on her lobes, one a simple sphere while the other was a bar, and then there was another one on her anti-tragus of a snake. Then there were two helix rings near the top of her ears. Her makeup consisted of a lighter shade of red, mascara, eyebrows plucked and perfected, a light blush on her cheeks, and red and black eyeshadow. The crime boss said it suited her. For some reason, wearing all of this made her feel good. It gave her the slightest bit of confidence. What would Jerome say?

Skylar had a knife tucked into her back pocket, hidden from plain sight. Thankfully Jim wasn't around because she didn't want to have to deal with that. Barbara had finished up with Lee and before she went to help Fish, she wanted to check up on her mom. The doctor was not in the room but the blonde was. Skylar opened the door, entered the room, and shut it. Her mother saw her and instantly went wide-eyed, rushing over to her. "Oh, my goodness, honey. What..." her voice trailed off.

"Fish Mooney enlisted me and Selina to help her. So we took on a new look." The two hugged and then they pulled back. Skylar stared into Barbara's eyes, seeing the same look Jerome has. And it didn't scare her one bit because this was her mom. If she could love her brother for anything he has done or is going to do, she could do the same for her the woman who was there for her. "Mom, are you okay?" This was her validation. If she got a lie, then she knew her thoughts could be right.

"Yes, Skylar, I'm perfectly fine. I'm going to be starting some sessions with Lee."

Lie. At least her saying that she was fine was. Skylar shook her head, grabbing her mom's hands and holding them. Drawing in a sigh, she confessed, "I know you're not. I can see... you changed mom. The Ogre changed you." When Barbara went to deny it, she cut her off before she could even start. "No, don't lie to me. I'm sick of people lying and pretending to be someone they aren't. I love you, mom. And I'm going to make you the same promise I made Jerome." Looking down at their hands, she looked back up with a smile. "You are my mother, not Lila, not Lee. I don't care what you do because you will always be my mom and I will always love you. You've changed and I can see it. But guess what? I have too. Will I go back into my pit of doubts, yes, I will. Today's not that day. I don't care if you burn someone's house to the ground. Maybe I will a bit but I won't love you any less."

Barbara's eyes filled with tears as she listened to her daughter finish up her speech. Skylar smiled and reached up to wipe the tears. "Gotham changed us for the better. Because now we are becoming the people we were meant to be. So mom, know that you don't have to hide your true self from me. I accept you for who you are when no one else will. And if you want to give this city Hell, then give them Hell."

With a smile, she pecked her mom's cheek and exited the room, already running off out the back door towards the warehouse where Fish was waiting for her. Little did she now, Barbara's face had twisted into a big smile. Because she knew she could kill Lee Tompkins and her daughter wouldn't even care.

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Once she arrived, Skylar was right on time to see the ambulance carrying Carmine Falcone enter through the doors. Jim got out first, followed by Harvey, Falcone, Oswald, and Butch. Selina slid up next to her with a gun in hand. Fish was near them, looking at them so they knew when to appear from the shadows. Her knife appeared once she eased it out of her pocket, holding in her hand. She had an identical one in her other hand so she could get double strikes if needed. When Fish nodded to them, both girls appeared.

Their boots hit the cement, gaining the males' attention. All of their eyes went wide once they saw who the two were. Skylar found herself smirking, as did Selina. "Hello," the Valeska drawled, both knives shining in her palms. The two of them stopped at the same time, glancing at each other before the fallen angel finished with, "Hey dad".

All of them were in shock to see Skylar instead of Selina. The once innocent girl had flipped her switch and suddenly became what they were looking at. Fish appeared with the rest of the crew right after that. Her style matched the girls while the rest of their gang wore simple street clothes. She had cut her hair, adding earrings to her one ear, and clothes that were in the same color scheme. The men were in even more shock if that was even possible at that point.

Her eyes glowed with amusement. She put her hands up. "I know, I know. It's astonishing. Sometimes I astonish myself." Oswald was full of gaping, not bothering to hide his terror at the fact that the woman who seemed to hate him was indeed alive and breathing.

The rest of their gang cornered the men, grabbing them, discarding their weapons, and chained them to a contraption in the middle of the warehouse. All except for Butch because he was Fish's loyal partner. Skylar and Selina stayed in front of the males, watching as they were tied up. The plan was to lure Maroni to their location. Violence was inevitable and the female Valeska knew that she'd have to contain her anxiety, calm herself. Because she still had nightmares about Reggie and his dead body at the bottom of the building he was thrown out of, the cold, wet earth greeting him like an old friend. She'd have to be strong. Deep down she knew that violence was Gotham's middle name and Reggie was certainly not the only body she would see. Would she react with horror if she saw another person get killed in front of her? Most likely. Would she think about Barbara or Jerome to calm her down? Yes, always.

Oswald kept squirming and Skylar stepped forward, pushing him back. "Quit moving it's not like you're getting out of that until Fish says so."

He glared at her, though a hint of respect with present. "I didn't take you as someone who took orders. What a loyal follower and sidekick you are."

She got pissed, whipping out her knife and pressing it against his throat. Jim and Falcone watched, her dad's face contorting to sheer concern for her. He had never seen her lash out like this. "I don't take orders. Fish asked for my help and I agreed. I'm not a follower, I'm my own person. So don't ever say that I'm a sidekick. Because I'm not and never will be." She scoffed, a small smirk overtaking her face. "Says the person who used to be an umbrella boy."

The Valeska retreated backward, looking over at her dad. Jim frowned at her. "Skylar, what are you doing? What happened?"

"I'm here because I'm sick of people ruining my life. You don't think I know how this ends. The little girl who was adopted gets left behind by her father because he cares too much for his own job, rather than his own fiancee and daughter. He took away the one person she truly loved. He thought he could move on with someone else and forget about his old life. Do you even know how much Jerome meant to me?" Fish came over and began to listen as the girl poured her heart out. "Do you know how much losing him hurt me? Do you think I wanted to do this? Do you think I wanted to hurt this bad?" She took a step toward him. "You will never understand me. But mom does."

She backed up again, turning away from him so she could blink the tears away. The knife suddenly felt heavy in her hand but she ignored it with passion. She had to do this. She had to. Fish felt for her and knew that she'd give these men a piece of her mind. "Hello, fellas. Hmm. Carmine. Penguin. Nothing to share? Well, I have a little something. I just made a sweet deal with Maroni." She made a gesture with her hands like she was displaying something. "He just told me I could have all my territories back, and all I have to do in return... is give him Carmine's head."

Oswald kept eyeing Butch who kept trying to ignore him. So he quickly came over and whispered to Fish. "Uh, Fish, I-I need to go lie down." He ran off without another word, earning a sharp look from the crime boss towards Penguin.

"What did you do to that poor soul, you sadist?" Oswald began to speak but she cut him off. "You will die a slow, painful death on account of Butch." She strutted over to the fellow crime boss. "You, too, Carmine." She went back over to Jim. "You... we'll make yours painful as well." She went over to Harvey. "And you? We're cool." She then went back to Selina and Skylar. "Any questions?"

Despite her guilt for going through with this, Skylar couldn't help but feel a bit empowered. Carmine hadn't down anything to her, neither had Harvey or Oswald. But this was going to be done whether she liked it or not. She felt stronger standing there because these men had hurt the three females, well, two of them at least. Looking at them, knowing that they'd be dead soon sent shivers down her spine and yet she couldn't bring herself to stop them. Jim hadn't done much in someone else's eyes. To her, he did. He focused on his job more than his own family, he tried moving on with someone else even after he knew the type of effect it would have on both Barbara and Skylar, he took away her brother, he broke her heart.

The question rolled off her tongue before she could even stop to think about it. Now that she realized it, nowadays she spoke her mind freely and wasn't afraid to say what she was thinking. Most of the time. "How are you going to kill them?"

Selina smirked while Fish grinned from ear to ear. Jim was shocked. The crime boss wrapped her arms around both of her newfound companions. "I love these girls." Fish cackled in glee, grabbing their hands and leading them away. Once they were out of earshot, the woman turned to Skylar. "You alright, honey?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Lie. Fish immediately sensed it. Selina stood nearby, giving the two of them some space. "You know that you can always talk to me. You're like a daughter to me already." She lifted the girl's chin up gently. "I can see a fighter in your eyes, Skylar. Don't let any man bring you down or tell you what to do. I would hate to see you or Selina be taken down by a man. Do you understand me?"

"Yes."

She smiled, letting her chin go. "Good. Now, wait here until I come back for you two. Maroni is on his way." Fish left her there with Selina and so she sat down on one of the boxes, admiring the knife in her hand. Cat followed, sitting next to her. Neither of them said anything. Of course, not until Fish whistled to them. They both got up and followed her out back to the main storage unit where Maroni and his men stood. The two stood behind their leader, both of their weapons ready to fight if needed. Harvey had been let go so the only people who remained chained up were Falcone, Jim, and Penguin.

Maroni grinned. "Fish, you mysterious, crazy, gorgeous killer, you." She looked at him through her devilish eyes. "I love ya." He hugged her tightly, earning a look of disgust from Skylar. The woman did not reciprocate the hug and if she was, it was too late because he pulled back He walked on over to Carmine who had cuts all over his face, a butterfly bandage on his forehead. "This... this is delicious. Finally. You're hard to kill, old man."

Falcone stayed serious. "No. Your people are second-rate."

Skylar smirked a tad, knowing fairly well that the older man was not going down today. She just knew. Taking Fish's personality into hand, her and Maroni would not last long because the crime boss seemed a bit sexist. And Fish would not have that one bit. When Maroni scoffed, Oswald finally spoke up. "Miss Mooney, if I may, a brief word. I know my life is forfeit. I speak not for my sake, but yours." She looked intrigued, stepping forward. "Because... after all, I still love and respect you. Kill me if you must, but keep Falcone alive." Even Skylar and Selina were now interested, making their way to the front beside Fish to listen. "As soon as he's dead, Maroni has no use for you. You are simply a threat. He will kill you."

"You think?" Fish inquired, sending Maroni a glance to which he shook his head, disagreeing with the accusation.

"Why would he need another boss in town? Another rival?" Oswald added, attempting to persuade her. He had a valid point though. Even Skylar knew that and crime was not her area of skill.

Maroni pointed at him. "That's where you're wrong, smart guy." He looked over at Fish. "She's not a rival, because she's not a boss. She's an underboss."

The Valeska scoffed, making him scowl at her. Fish silently agreed with the girl but kept a calm demeanor. "An underboss takes orders. I don't take orders."

"I know that. We're cool. Relax." Selina began to slink away, making Skylar raise an eyebrow at her. Once her friend motioned with her head, she slowly followed after, her curiosity getting the best of her. Fish took offense to his statements, cocking her head to the side. When she told him that she was relaxed, he tsked. "I don't think you are, babes."

Skylar stopped along with Selina, looking over at Maroni as the two crime bosses started to get into a heated argument, though neither of them was yelling. They were in the front now, away from the two but still a good distance near. Her knife burned in her hand, screaming to be used on someone. Fish shut her eyes for a second, shaking her head before she opened them back up. "Please don't call me babes."

Oswald gave a look of relief, knowing well that this was not going to go down without a fight now. He settled for a small smirk. Maroni suddenly got nasty. "You see? Not relaxed." He stepped forward. "Babes? Really? It's a term of endearment." He touched her arm and she flinched it back. "It means I like you." Her expression didn't change so he sighed. "Fine. I misspoke. You're not an underboss and you're not a babe." He stepped backed to his original spot. "You tell me what you are."

She took the steps back to him, staring him straight in the eye. Skylar felt as if she were watching a movie, it was terrifying yet interesting. "What we are, Sal... are partners."

"Whatever you want. Partners. I'm partner number one, and you're partner number two." The air grew thick, her teeth gritted. In her mind, she was chanting for him to just get killed already. She wanted him dead. She wanted his body on the floor. Her body jolted slightly at the dark thoughts entering her head. Was she going insane? "That's the deal, right? I'm number one... and you are...?"

Fish breathed in. "Number two."

Maroni chuckled. "There you go. Simple math. One, two, babes. Oops. Sorry. That's the last time. I swear." As he made his way to announce to everyone there, Skylar went back over to Fish, Selina on her tail. The teen leaned towards the crime boss.

Her voice came out in a whisper to her so no one else heard. "I don't like him. Like you told me, we don't let men trample over us. This isn't an order but, I want him dead." Skylar stayed beside Fish, seeing the sharp nod she gave her. No words came out of her mouth and yet she knew that Maroni would be the one to die today.

"Guys!" Sal called out. "Can you feel the buzz in the air? That's victory. Redemption. Power! When this old man dies, a new day begins. We will rule Gotham. We are building a dynasty. We will whip this town like a rented mule." He looked back at Fish. "Right, babes?" She did a double-take, her eyes narrowing. Maroni didn't care and chuckled, his guys laughing along with. "Oh-ho, just... all right, relax. I'm kidding you." He looked back at his men. "Guys, no, seriously. Don't call her babes. Or toots or what have you." Fish drew out her gun. "It's a woman's lib thing."

With one movement he looked back at Fish and she shot him in the head, his body falling to the floor with a thump. Everyone gasped, even Skylar recoiled. The first death she witnessed head-on. When Reggie died, she only saw the cause and the aftermath. She never saw him falling. Maroni was killed right in front of her and while she flinched, deep down she knew that he deserved it. He killed so many innocent people. This was justice served.

"I am relaxed," Fish drawled. Butch and Harvey gaped in shock, Jim looking over at his daughter who looked to be having the beginning of a panic attack. But she was standing strongly still. Oswald's mouth hung open, staring at the body. A major crime boss was dead. The realization kicked in and all of Sal's men drew their guns. Selina launched forward and grabbed Skylar who was frozen in her spot.

"Sky come on!" Jim got free of the rope and looked over to see his daughter running off. He was about to go after her when Falcone stopped him.

"Your daughter's strong Jim. Let her go." And despite his clenched jaw and concerned expression, he did. He let her go and followed Harvey and Carmine as the fight broke out.

Meanwhile, a few of Fish's guys joined up with Skylar ad Selina. Cat still held the girl's hand, tugging her along with her gun in the other palm. The Valeska's breathing was coming out in quick spurts, sweat clinging to her body. Her knife was back in her pocket now. "Sky, I hate to say it but now's not a good time okay?" When her friend gave her a look she cleaned up the mess. "Think about Jerome or Barbara. You wanna live to see them again, then calm down and let's bring those idiots back to Fish. Got it?"

Skylar knew she had a valid point and nodded, removing her hand, grabbing back her knife, took deep breaths, thought about the two people she cared about deeply, and followed their small group. It was a step by step progress that she reminded herself to remember for the future if things like this ever happened again. Most likely they would.

They came across a storage unit and two men opened it up to reveal Jim, Harvey, and Carmine. By this time, Skylar's heart began to slow down and so she breathed normally, her knife ready to go. Cat smirked. "Hello again. Cat got your tongue?"

While the other men grabbed Harvey and Falcone, Skylar grabbed Jim, Selina flanking them to make sure they weren't jumped. Her dad tried talking to her, convincing her that this was not a path he wanted for her. He apologized three times in the time it took them to get back to the warehouse. The brunette ignored each one, not finding any use in trying to listen. Because she knew what he was thinking. Please don't let her be like Jerome. And she was right, that's what Jim was thinking. Soon enough, he'd be thinking, please don't let her be like Barbara. Maroni's men were dead when they entered.

Fish was looking around and then caught sight of them. Skylar's breathing got to a normal rate again, her heart reaching a relaxed point because now the fight was over. Even though there were dead bodies all over the place, all she did was turn her head away and didn't look. "Yes!" the crime boss whispered, walking over to greet them. She smiled. "Skylar, Selena. Boys." She looked back at the girls. "Bless you both."

"Got to hand it to you, Fish. You really know how to stop a show," Harvey complimented.

She shrugged. "I couldn't help myself, Harvey, the man vexed me. Crazy move. Possibly a good move, too. We'll see. The battlefield is in flux." Fish made a gesture with her hands as if she were on display. "You could be looking at the new Queen of Gotham."

The title echoed through Skylar's head and she thought back to Jerome. Mentally, she cursed herself. If Jerome and his sister were going to rule over Gotham, they'd have to take down Fish if she successfully became the Queen. And no doubt her brother would make a show of it, putting his little warrior on a throne with a grin. He did seem to like dramatics.

"Congratulations, my dear," Carmine spoke up. "I'm quitting, Fish. I'm out."

She looked over at him. "Does this mean I don't have to kill you? You're gonna retire someplace warm, lay back, read your little funny papers?" He agreed with her, explaining that that was his thoughts. "Yeah. Nice thought."

Before she could make another move, Penguin appeared with a gun, spraying them with bullets. They all ducked, running for safety. Some of their men died but thankfully the two musketeers survived, hiding behind some crates and peering over to watch Penguin grabbed another gun since his other one ran out of ammo. He shot a man who still stood, yelling out to Fish who was booking it up a flight of stairs.

Cat held her gun, both of them watching as Oswald ran up the stairs after Fish. They both knew that only one of them was going to make it back down those steps. Who it was neither knew but it didn't matter. They hoped it was the female because they both had grown to like her. Penguin proved to be resourceful though so it really could be either of them. Skylar took a deep breath, leaning back.

Jim got into a car with Harvey and Falcone, leaving his daughter behind without a second thought. She gripped the wooden crate, feeling a bit of blood soak out of a small cut. Angry tears filled her eyes. He actually left her. He actually left. Fish was right. No man could ever bring her down. She couldn't let Jim break up everything she was working towards.

"You go back to our place," the brunette told Selina. "I'll meet up with you."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "What about Fish?"

"If she survives, she'll come and find us." Cat gave her a worried look. "I'll be fine, just go ahead without me." With one last look and a quick hug, Selina was running off into the night. Skylar looked down at her bloody hand, sighing and walking off to go and get it covered before it got infected or turned worse.

She got out her phone, calling Barbara but received no answer. Letting out another sigh, the brunette made her way towards the road. Walking all the way to Arkham to see Jerome wasn't a good idea considering how the city was in shambles, more than it already was. So she stood by the road, observing her surrounds. A bicycle was against a brick wall in an alleyway across from her so she just went over and casually stole it. The second her injured hand it the handle, she hissed in pain, now realizing how deep the cut was. Little woods pieces stuck out of her skin. "Damn it!"

Pressing the tears away and gritting her teeth, Skylar put both her hand on the handle and began to bike towards the Asylum. The first thing she heard when she entered was "Visiting hours are over". She rolled her eyes, explaining that she needed medical attention and that she didn't care about the so-called visiting hours.

A doctor immediately came to help her, leading her to a room and plucking out the splinters of wood, wrapping her hand with a band-aid before sending her on her way, free of charge. The sun began to fade, the inmates standing so they could be checked for any possible weapons. Jerome rolled his eyes that time, looking through the bars of the "dining room" as the crazies liked to call it. He saw his sister in an argument with Jim Gordon who had been notified of her arrival and came to tell her the news of Barbara's outburst. Apparently, she nearly killed Lee.

"I don't care what she did," Skylar yelled, all of the inmates turned to watch, hearing the conversation from where they stood. "You can't take her away from me too. You wouldn't."

"It's for your own safety. Barbara is sick, she can get treatment here."

The female Valeska let out an unamused laugh. "Treatment?" Jerome then noticed her attire and most importantly the wound on her right hand. His teeth gritted at the sight. Someone had hurt her. That never went well with him nowadays. "She's my mom. You took my brother away from me too. You're taking away everyone I care about. Whose next? Selina?" She stepped forward. "This prison will not hold for long. I will see them again. Because they care about me a lot more than you do. So enjoy your new life, Jim. I hope Lee can make you happy."

She looked over at her audience, stopping on Jerome's face before turning on her heel and leaving. Jim watched her leave with a frown. He broke her heart even more than it was already broken. Barbara was promised by her daughter that no matter what she did, Skylar would love her all the same. And the girl intended to keep that promise. She would fight for her mom and her brother. She'd train until her muscles ached.

One day, she'd make everyone pay.

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Part one is finished! Get ready for some Jylar bonding and much more character development for Skylar! But you guys got to see a darker Skylar this chapter! What did you think about dark Skylar? What did you think about Jim and Skylar's fallout? I hope you guys have a great day/night and don't forget to vote on this chapter, comment your thoughts, and follow me for updates!