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chapter sixteen ━ her revelation

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❝ do you understand now? ❞

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thirty votes and twenty comments for the next chapter!

FROM THE TIME that Skylar found out about Barbara to present time, she had stayed right with Jim. She never strayed from his side. The only time she did was to excuse herself to go to the bathroom. Her worry and fear were clouding her every thought and it was overwhelming. She nearly had a panic attack in the bathroom stall. Cat had offered to come with her to the GCPD but the brunette denied it, telling her to help Bruce with Bunderslaw. Surprisingly she hadn't argued as much as the teen expected. Word was traveling fast that Barbara had been taken by the Ogre. It was only a matter of time before a body showed up.

Walking out from the restroom, Skylar saw Edward rolling two suitcases from the corner of her eye. He was heading in her direction so the moment he looked up through his glasses, he saw her standing there. Rather awkwardly, he cleared his throat, letting go of the suitcases, fixed his glasses, and tried to remain calm. "Good afternoon, Ms. Gordon. It's wonderful to see you again."

She nodded, not being able to smile due to her current state. "It's nice to see you too, Ed. Look I would love to chat but I'm kinda helping my dad find the Ogre so..."

He waved it off with his usual odd grin. "It's alright. Have a nice day." He rolled the suitcases away quickly and disappeared into his office. Skylar had ignored his use of her last name. If one thought about it, she technically had three. Valeska, Gordon, and Kean. Laughing slightly, the thought of Jace from The Mortal Instruments broke through the worry and concern for her mother. He had plenty of last names as well. However, she had noticed that his behavior was off from how it normally was. But that would have to wait until another time.

Jim was waiting for her next to his desk when she walked up the stairs. He gave her a worried look. "Sky, I understand you want to help-"

"I'm not going sit back and let mom die or get hurt. I'm helping and there's you can do to stop me," she snapped, her eyes beginning to become glossy. Barbara was out there somewhere, probably wondering if anyone would ever find her or if anyone would save her in time. The Ogre was convinced that she was the one. He wasn't like Jerome. Because at least her brother had some love in his heart. This man had nothing.

Her father nodded. "Okay. But things will get intense and we don't know what to expect. Things could get bloody." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You can turn back, honey. You can always change your mind."

Skylar shook her head firmly. "No, I need to do this, dad. For mom. And for me." Jim smiled sadly and gave her a hug, placing a kiss on her head before letting go. Together they walked to the interrogation room. Memories flashed across her vision and she blinked them away with effort. This was not the time to think back on that. Even if Jim had kept her from seeing the redhead, he was her father in the end and always would be. He was the only father figure she had.

Instead of waiting on the other side of the glass to watch, Skylar was allowed to stand inside to see the man in question. He supposedly knew who the Ogre was. That was most likely a lie but it was all they got so far. Jim sat in the chair while Harvey stood next to Skylar. At first, the guy looked at her funny. Then realizing who she was, he looked away with fear. Jerome Valeska was vicious when it came to her. He remembered hearing stories about how the brother beat up several inmates in Arkham who were saying dirty things about the only thirteen-year-old female.

"Nope. Never seen him before," the man replied once Jim showed him the awful sketch.

Patience was always key in these kinds of situations. But it was safe to say that it wasn't the case in this one. Patience was not what any of them had. Barbara's life was at stake and it was not hard to see the toll it was taking on Jim. For some reason, he felt as if he was at fault. Skylar wouldn't say it, but it was partially to blame. Then at the same time, he wasn't. He fell out of love, it happens. It was just the fact that he let his job take over his own relationship with his former fiancee and his daughter.

"We think this is a serial killer called the Ogre. He's kidnapped a woman, and he's gonna kill her unless we find him first," Jim informed.

The guy's expression didn't change. "Bummer." His posture was relaxed which only pissed the three off. He didn't care though. He didn't realize how important this was.

Skylar stepped closer to the table and looked him dead in the eye. "This woman is my mother. So unless you are interested in getting beaten up, I suggest you tell us if you knew him." Jim glanced back at Harvey who shrugged as if to say he didn't know how to react to her threat. But it was proven worthy of getting an answer."

"Supposing, for the sake of argument, I did see him before. What's she worth?"

Both Jim and Skylar scoffed at the same time, looking at this man incredulously. They couldn't believe their ears. Had he really just asked that type of question? From the look on his face, Jake knew he screwed up. What he said was clearly not the right thing. Just looking at the brunette girl he could see anger rising to the surface. At that moment, she looked like her brother.

Jim clenched his jaw. "Harvey, I'm about to violate departmental policy on interrogation techniques." He began to roll up his sleeves and the fellow detective got the message.

He nodded. "Think I saw some donuts outside with my name all over them. Come on Skylar, I'll share with you." The teen did want to leave but said she would. Before she went, she leaned close to Jake.

"You're lucky I'm worried about my mother. Because otherwise I would punch you across the face and break your jaw." She flashed a sarcastic smile and gave him the finger. "Have a nice day."

Neither of the other men in the room bothered to comment on it. Jim looked proud rather than upset, as did Harvey. The two exited the room just as they heard Jake plead. And then a cracking sound echoed before the door shut completely. The two of them stood near the door, waiting for Jim to reappear with the news. Skylar looked at her nails, trying to ignoring the screams.

Only about ten minutes had passed before it stopped. The two had stayed silent, not talking at all until Jim opened the door, holding his jacket in his one hand. "Jake worked as a barman at a brothel called the Foxglove. Said the Ogre was a regular. Can't give us a location."

Skylar's nose scrunched up in disgust. Remembering some very awkward conversations between her and Barbara not long after they arrived in Gotham, the teen blushed madly, avoiding their eyes. They didn't notice. Jim got on his jacket and Harvey replied, "Yeah, 'cause they never use the same place twice." When her dad questioned if he knew it, he added, "Not personally. The Foxglove is very high-class, very extreme. You got to know someone who knows someone."

"Uh, I might know someone," Jim responded.

His daughter made a face. "Penguin? You do know that if you keep asking favors, it'll catch up to you." Being friends with Selina Kyle definitely gained her some points when it came to what was going on the crime area of the city. She was aware of Oswald's build up from an umbrella man to switching between Falcone and Maroni. It was impressive. But at this rate, everything was collapsing. Everything the crime bosses built was crumbling.

"I don't have a choice Skylar; the Ogre has Barbara." He pointed at her. "Stay here and don't leave."

She put her hands up. "Believe me. I'm not going to that place or anywhere near it." She sighed. "Be careful. Oh and uh, when you ask Oswald for that favor, make sure to mention me." Jim nodded. Walking up, Harvey argued with Jim a bit but she didn't bother listening to it. This was the right time to talk to Edward. Something was up with him. And maybe focusing on that would help ease her panic until they found out where the Ogre was staying.

Kristen Kringle was leaving and so she moved out of the way for her to pass. She grinned and knocked on the door. There was a groan of annoyance from inside and Skylar frowned. Edward swung the door open, looking pissed. "What do-Skylar!" He smiled. "Hello. Is there something you need?"

"Yeah, actually there is. Can I talk to you?" He looked hesitant but then opened the door. She saw the bloody body parts in the sink that he had been trying to hide. Of course, she didn't know what really happened but he told her that is was a worker in a factory. The saw sliced him up. It was a lie, she could tell, and yet she didn't question him further. "Are you okay, Ed?"

The forensic scientist rubbed the back of his neck, the gloves on his hands suddenly becoming sweaty. He couldn't help but think about what she would say if Skylar were to find out the truth behind the mutilated body. After all, she was the only friend he had made. Would she understand? "I'm totally fine. You know, I'm feeling great." He laughed nervously. "I'm fantastic. How are you besides the whole Ogre thing?"

She looked down at the ground and shrugged. "To be honest, I don't know." Looking back up, she looked at the body that wasn't really even a body anymore. "That was what her body looked like." He followed her gaze. "Jerome took an ax he used to chop down trees with. He found her drinking in the kitchen and then he... he cut her into pieces." Edward frowned and moved to cover the sink with a sheet. "He killed the same women who tortured us day after day and doesn't regret it."

Her gaze went back to him. "I get that he did it for him and for me, so we could be free of her.. I just don't understand how people can just kill without having so much as a second thought about it. They come up with some excuse to make themselves feel better. But then I think about what I would've done in his place. And I realize that I would've done the same thing." She sniffled. "Does that make me crazy? Does that make me insane?"

Edward went over to her and shook his head. "No, no, of course not. Lila deserved her fate. You shouldn't for a second think that you're crazy for thinking that." He cringed a bit. "I'm not the best at hugs so..."

She laughed and wiped the tear that fell. "You're fine. But thank you for the offer. How are you so calm about this? Anyone else would've judged me for it." He cleared his throat again, making the situation awkward.

"Well, I'm simply just acting calm and giving you my honest opinion. I didn't offend you, did I? I can assure you that I didn't mean to."

"No, you didn't. Thank you for being honest." Once she relaxed, she managed a small smile. "Do you need help with anything?"

Edward nodded, pointing over towards the file cabinet. "Yes. I have to work on this so if you wouldn't find filing those papers on top of the counter into the cabinet that would be very much appreciated."

Skylar went over to it. "Of course. I'd love to help."

---

Jim had called Skylar the moment they got the address for the apartment the Ogre stayed in. She was finished with the files and left Edward to continue getting rid of the body. He wished her good luck with a smile and watched her leave. Her dad and Harvey were waiting outside in the cop car, and then the three of them drove to the apartment.

Skylar was afraid of what could happen. Throughout the entire ride, Jim kept telling her that she could back down and go stay with Bruce until Barbara was safe and sound. And then he kept saying how the Ogre could try to attack them and that she could get injured. No matter what he said, she told him that she was coming along with. No way would she leave her mother with a psychopath.

When they entered, she was handed a gun which only strengthed how scared she was. Jim told her that it was just in case the Ogre came after her and to use it for emergencies only. Because her dad was a cop, she knew how to work a gun she kept the safety on but still made sure it was within her reach for flicking it back to off mode. Another thing she was given was a flashlight so she could see. There were no lights on so she needed it.

Jim made sure she was next to him the entire time. Skylar followed with her quiet steps. Harvey suddenly yelled to them when it became obvious that no one was home. "Jim?" They turned around. "Place is empty. But there's something you should see."

They entered a bright room full of weapons. Skylar's stomach churned when she saw what the detective had found: pictures of women blindfolded. Most likely they were the women before Barbara. "Oh my god." Her nerves began to build up and so she breathed in and out, thinking of Jerome soothing her like he had back in Arkham.

"You see anything that connects to Barbara?" Harvey asked. "Maybe she was never here."

Skylar shook her head. "No. She was here. I can smell her perfume." Rubbing her hands up and down her arms, she swallowed thickly, thinking of what her mom must have gone through. Little did she know, her mother was about to turn into Jerome. And the Ogre was telling Barbara that she could be free, that she could make her daughter free. Free from all of her pain. The blonde listened because of Skylar.

"Hey, we're gonna find this guy, but you two need to prepare yourself... that we might not be in time to save her," Harvey told them. Jim refused to believe it, saying that it wasn't an option. "It's the most likely option."

All of a sudden, the phone on the table where the pictures were began to ring. Jim started to walk over to it but Skylar beat him there. "Where is she!" she yelled. "Where's my mom!" There was a sigh on the other line.

"Skylar, your mother is safe." The teen turned on the speakerphone when Jim told her to. "She's doing this so you can be safe too, so you can be free just like her. And soon we will all be a family. I'll be seeing you soon."

He hung up the phone and Skylar was staring at it, horrified. Jim made a face. "He was driving. There was a noise, right? A thumping, like he was going over a bridge." Slowly but surely the pieces were being fit together. What had he meant by that Barbara was doing this for her? Doing what?

Skylar nodded. "There was a train horn too."

"Okay, so, which bridge has a train?"

Harvey snapped his fingers, trying to think. "Um... Damn. Um..." He finally got one. "Whitecross, but that's the upstate train."

It almost felt like a ton of bricks fell on top of Jim and Skylar. She had met the two before but only twice. The parents didn't really keep contact all that much. They were rich as could be which was how Barbara had such a nice loft, beautiful clothes, and enough money to get her daughter whatever she wanted.

"Upstate," Jim repeated. "It's where her parents live."

---

The guard at the door was dead, his head bleeding and so there was a puddle on the floor. Skylar resisted the urge to vomit, looking away immediately. This was it. This was the moment where she would lose her mother. Or maybe she wouldn't. Jim had given the gun back to her but this time, she kept the safety off.

Music played through the house and they followed the source to the living room. Harvey went in another direction so he was no longer following them. Skylar entered first and saw her grandparents sitting on the couch. Recoiling back, she felt her stomach churn again. Jim lowered his gun down slightly. They were both bleeding from their neck, laying against one another. Her grandmother held a cup of tea, her hands perfectly placed. Her grandfather's arm was around her as if they were both enjoying a moment of silence between them. They were dead.

Skylar couldn't tear her eyes from the scene. If they were like this, what had become of Barbara? They moved closer. Just then, footsteps sounded through the room and they looked up to see the familiar blonde. Skylar gasped. "Mom?" Blood was on her dress, her hair neatly done.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was awfully monotone. The look in her eyes matched the ones of Jerome's. Skylar backed away from her mother, not recognizing this woman at all. This couldn't be her. "You're not supposed to be here."

More footsteps and Jason appeared, tackling Jim. Skylar moved away and aimed the gun. Glass broke as the two fell onto the ground. Jim and Jason ensued in a fight, punching, and kicking. Neither of the females knew what to do. Skylar couldn't shot because then she could hit her dad. Grabbing Jim by the shoulders, flipping him over and hitting him on the table which made it break.

Jason was then beneath Jim as the detective rolled over. Barbara simply watched with what only could be described as a sheer curiosity. Skylar looked at her with tears. "Mom?" She didn't look back at her. Skylar kept her gun aimed at Jason. Then Jim received a cut on the hand from the man, making him yell in pain. The tables switched and Jim stabbed the knife into Jason's shoulder blade. He got up fast, taking it out and running to Barbara.

He pressed the knife to her throat, making her gasp. Jim got his gun and it clicked as he aimed. Skylar did the same though her hands were trembling with fear. Jim moved to the side to be closer to his daughter. "Drop it. Drop the knife, or I'll shoot."

"Just an ounce of pressure, and she'll split right open. I don't want that. Do you want that?" Jason taunted, not moving in the slightest.

Barbara was panting, her head tilted upward, her hand on Jason's which held the knife. Skylar felt a tear fall. "Mom. Please don't hurt her, please." The overwhelming sensation of losing someone else she loved was too much to handle. And yet there she was, fighting against her nerves, fighting her panic attack that hadn't appeared. She may not have realized it, but that was a true act of bravery and courage. Because she was finally forming into a stronger person by standing in that room and not running away or freezing up. She was fighting.

"If you cared about this woman, you never would have come after me. I love her more than you ever did." Jim told him to drop it again. Jason didn't listen. "Won't be me that slits her throat. Detective, that's gonna be you."

The blonde finally looked at them. "Jim, please. Just leave us alone. Let me have Skylar." Both of them furrowed their eyebrows in confusion. What they mistook as fear was clearly not fear. Jim took it as her mind shifting because of her being kidnap. He took it as she would just need some help recovering from this experience. Skylar knew better. She saw the look.

"Hey, jerk-o!" Harvey yelled.

Jason turned to look at him, giving Jim a perfect shot. He got him in the side of the head. The man fell to the ground, dead, putting a bit of pressure on Barbara's neck so it bled a little. Skylar's mom fell to the ground and her daughter rushed over, along with Jim. Skylar gave her dad her gun and he pocketed the two of them in his pockets.

"He's dead?" Barbara questioned, looking at his body.

Jim grabbed a napkin and pressed it against the wound on her neck. "Yeah. He's dead. It's gonna be okay. Look at me." She did. "Barbara? It's gonna be okay." Skylar stared right into her mother's eyes. There was nothing there. At first, she would've assumed she was just in shock of everything that happened. But she knew better. Barbara was gone.

---

Skylar stared at the glass screen, watching as the guards brought Jerome to the seat across from her. Barbara was at the GCPD along with Lee as the doctor made sure she was in good condition, also patching up some of her wounds. Jim had taken her to Arkham Asylum because his daughter told him how her mother promised to take her to see her brother. So there she was, sitting across from the redhead. Jim stayed outside, wanting to give her some privacy and requesting that his daughter get more time with Jerome.

He smiled at her both genuinely and in his insane way. She supposed that was just the way he was now. The guards had stood at the doors but that didn't stop her from saying what she wanted to say. Leaning closer, she confessed to her brother what had been on her mind since she saw Barbara and her mental state. "I love you. And I'll always love you." He looked confused as to where this was going. He also looked a bit afraid that she was telling him that she didn't want to see him ever again. "I don't care what you do."

Taking a deep breath, she continued. "I don't care if you burn Gotham down to the ground and so the only thing left if you and me. I don't care if you damn the world. I'll love you no matter what because I know that no matter what I do, you'll love me. When everyone that cares about me suddenly leaves, I know that you won't. I know that I can always count on you." The tears appeared and she sniffled. "I'm not mad at you for anything you've done. Killing Lila won't make me love you any less. Because if I were in your place, I would've done the same thing."

Jerome looked surprised as she went on with her speech. Skylar took a shaky breath. "You hurt those men because they said stuff about me. That's what I was told by the guards at least. You were willing to give yourself a life sentence in this prison for me. You have done everything for me and for yourself. Because you love me and you know that the only person who you'll love is me. Because everyone else will see you as a monster, a lunatic, a psychopath. But you're my brother and I'll never think of you that way."

She wiped her tears. "No matter what happens between us. I will always love you and I will always look up to you. And one day, I'll be able to hold you. Just don't forget that I love you, no matter how long you're in here for."

He had tears in his eyes as well. "Oh, Sky... I'm sorry that I can't be next to you. And you know that I'll always love you too. No matter what."

"Don't be sorry." Skylar smiled at him through the screen. "One day, we'll make everyone pay for hurting us. One day, we'll be able to say that we made it. One day we'll show them that we won't go down without a fight. They'll kneel to us. And I promise you, I will try my hardest to become strong so I can fight. I promise that I'll never stop fighting and that I won't back down. I promise that if I feel sad or if I feel like I don't matter, I'll think about you."

Putting her hand on the screen, Jerome put his right on hers. He smiled back at her. "We will, sister. I promise. One day, we'll rule Gotham together."

---

As you guys can see in the very start of the chapter, I'm starting to do this thing where I put how many votes and comments I need for the chapter in order for the next chapter to be published. This way I don't have to worry about updating that much + I can get the support I need to get motivated.

My bby Skylar is slowly growing up! I'm crying because her development is golden and I'm honestly so proud. I was going to end the chapter at the part with Barbara and about how she was gone but then I decided to add a Jylar moment. And yes, that is their ship name. No worries though! It is a brother-sister ship, nothing romantic! And no, Jerome didn't mean them ruling together in a romantic way.

Anyway! What did you think about Skylar realizing Barbara's change? What did you think about Skylar's speech? 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!