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chapter twenty-four ━ broken promises

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❝ you said you would help her! ❞

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HER BLOOD WAS pumping quickly in her veins as she raced back to the rundown apartment, not even bothering to complain about the cramp that began in her side. Skylar just kept going, not stopping until she barged into the room, Selina jumping up from the bed with wide eyes. The brunette's mind was fuzzy, beyond furious, wanting to punch something badly, needing some sort of release. And the only thing that came to mind was punching the Pike brothers repeatedly.

"What happened?" her best friend asked in a concerned tone, watching as she went over to the vent, prying off the bars to reveal their stash of weapons. "Sky, what the hell happened? Is Bridget okay?" When she still got no answer, she stepped forward, grabbing her arm and pulled her to face her, her eyes softening.

"They took her," Skylar began, her right hand shaking as she couldn't even think properly. Only she could imagine the things that those guys would do to her. It made her sick, wishing Jerome was there to calm her down because he was the only person who really could. "Those assholes who have the nerve to call themselves her family. Her brothers."

Selina clenched her jaw, grabbing her own gun and also grabbed a knife, giving it to her to which she put it in her back pocket. "Then let's go save her from those goons." As she was loading their guns, she noticed Skylar freeze, hand snapping to the direction of where the door was, then she heard it too: the low sound of breathing. And the atmosphere changed, both of them sensing the uninvited presence.

They held their guns, aiming at the door as they waited. Suddenly Jim came busting through the doors with his own gun, pointing it at them. He saw them but his stance didn't change. "Hands in the air! Drop the gun."

"Like hell we will," Selina spoke firmly, scoffing as they didn't budge an inch.

"Where's your girlfriend?"

"Where's yours?" Skylar retorted, sneering with a nasty glare, making his gaze soften a bit. "You know, the one you left mom for. Granted Barbara hasn't been around very much but who cares, I seem to have a track record for shitty parents anyways." She didn't have a bullet in the chamber but the threat was enough.

Jim forced himself not to flinch, still seeing that same girl he adopted years ago. He told himself that that girl he knew was gone, replaced by whoever was standing before him. She changed so rapidly and there wasn't anything he did to stop it. "We got the three of you on tape."

"Don't know what you're talking about, Gordon," Selina replied, her expression poised, giving nothing away compared to her best friend who was seething beside her, the temptation to get a bullet, and pull the trigger too strong.

"She's burnt down half a dozen buildings," he pointed out. "Killed a cop. You're running with a bad partner, girls."

Skylar scoffed with disbelief, wanting to shoot him because they were wasting time. "People have done a lot worse in this city. Like Penguin, for example, even you. Besides, she was forced to do all of those things, she isn't a bad person." She knew that he wouldn't listen to them that easy, he was set on finding Bridget and bringing justice. But he wouldn't kill her, right?

He absorbed her words, taking a steady breath before he held his hands up in surrender, the gun no longer aimed at them. "Okay." He put his gun in his pocket, putting his hands back up as he made his way towards them slowly. "Let me help her. Who is she? Who's forcing her to do this? Look, there's a lot of angry cops out there. She's gonna get shot on sight unless I get to her first."

As much as she hated to admit to it, he did have a point. Selina glanced over at her, lowering her gun and then held a hand out, pushing Skylar's down so it faced the ground. Then she nodded to the female Valeska. In reply, she sighed. "Her name is Bridgit Pike. Her brothers took her back. Joe and Cale Pike. They. . .kidnapped her. They're the ones who made her start burning stuff in the first place. It's their fault the cop died, not her's."

Jim had a confused expression on his face, lowering his hands down. "The Pike brothers? Why'd they burn down Wayne Enterprises' buildings? Who paid them?"

"Who cares? Does it look like we know why those lunatics do anything? They're sick. They treated Bridgit like a slave, chained her to the wall, abused her." As she spoke, he seemed to understand why she felt so strongly about this girl and why she was willing to go out there and do whatever she could to get her back.

"And you're angry about it. Is that why you're armed? You're gonna go after the Pikes? Rescue your friend?" No answer from either of them, just blank stares. "Look, you're gonna get your friend and yourself killed. Let me handle the Pikes."

Skylar shook her head, shifting onto her other foot. "No thanks, we can take care of ourselves, we can save her without your help."

He didn't say anything for a moment, looking only at her and not at Selina, seeing as this conversation was being led by her anyways. And from the looks of it, the guns were Skylar's idea. That look in her eyes too, it was different than what he had been seeing which was usually glares, emotionless expressions. She went to go leave the room, going around him but he reached out and touched her shoulder, making her stop, glancing over at him. "Why get involved? Why risk your neck? Who is this girl to you?"

"No one," she lied.

"I give you my word," he told her gently, knowing that she wasn't being truthful. "I will do everything I can to keep her safe. But you have to stay out of it. Tell me where she is."

---

As much as she was ready to go save Bridget on her own, Skylar had a gut feeling that going wouldn't be a good idea. She turned out to be right when the Pike Brothers were announced to be dead, burnt to a crisp. The irony of it would have been humorous if the situation were in better circumstances but then, it didn't seem possible for there to be better circumstances. Police gathered outside their place, so they figured they would probably have to move. Regardless, she brought it upon herself to go looking for Bridgit.

She made her way up the ladder and onto the rooftop, the pigeons cooing. From around the home for the birds, brown hair peeked out from the other side. She rounded it, seeing the girl she was looking for, fixing her flamethrowing from the looks of it. "Hey, cops surrounded our place, you really need to get out of town."

"I'm not scared of them."

Instantly she detected the change with that sentence alone, her breath hitching and her heart beginning to race with nervousness. "Bridgit. . ." she trailed off before sitting next to her, looking at her, noticing how the girl wouldn't look her in the eye. "I know what you did to your brothers. Not that they didn't deserve it, because they totally did. But. . .the cops don't care what they did to you, you have three dead bodies on your shoulders."

Finally, she looked over at her, smiling to herself, completely disregarding her words. "I was surprised. Cale flamed up good, but it was Joe who burned the brightest." Skylar's heart dropped and she cleared her throat. But she told herself that she wouldn't hurt her because the arsonist had nothing against her. "I'm not myself anymore. I'm free. I found my spark. Just like you told me." She caressed the younger girl's cheek, eyes softening. "I did this for you too. We can stay in this city together, I will protect you."

"Protect me from what?" Skylar questioned, eyes wide as she shook her head, grabbing Bridget's hand that was on her cheek still, holding it in her lap.

"The pervs and the bullies. The ones who hurt people like us, people like Jim Gordon." Bridget's eyes were full of a different emotion, not insanity, but devotion. The brunette couldn't believe any of this was happening. First Jerome was devoted to her, killed their mother for her. Now here was the girl she had her first kiss with, willing to kill anyone for her. Just like her brother vowed to do.

"Don't be crazy, you're going to get yourself killed," Skylar whispered, a tear going down her cheek. "Please, I lost my brother, don't make me lose you too."

Bridget sighed, taking her hand back, looking at her, not a trace of guilt on her features. "Don't worry about me, Sky. This is what I was meant to do. And I want to do this for you, you won't lose me." Her hair was styled differently, she hadn't even realized that until now, another sign of her changed self. "It's nice to have someone who cares about me. Thank you."

Skylar felt another tear fall and she knew there wasn't a chance that Bridget was going to change her mind about this. So she was going to make the most of it, soak up every second she had with her, remember it for the rest of her life. Braving up, she wrapped her arms around the older girl, sniffling but didn't let herself cry, embracing her. The hug was returned and they sat there for a long moment. She knew that she couldn't let Bridget ruin her life or get herself killed.

And so she would do what she knew deep down she had to do.

---

"This is Gordon."

Skylar's hands were shaking but she managed to keep herself steady enough by gripping onto the phone. "Do you remember your promise?" He went silent on the other line, no doubt surprised that she was calling. Yet, he didn't mention anything about it or saying anything else but confirming that he did indeed remember. "I know where she's going."

And that is exactly what landed her back at the place they robbed many many hours ago. Girls ran out of the building, screaming, grabbing onto each other as they helped each other to safety. The sight was sweet to see them helping one another, however, the circumstances again were terrible. She saw the police arrive, staying hidden in the shadows behind a car.

Bridget walked out in her fireproof suit, aiming towards the cops. One of the new recruits pointed his gun at her, demanding her to hold her hands up and to freeze. Naturally, the arsonist didn't listen to a word he said. Jim was quick to react, holding his hands out to the rest of them, yelling for them to hold fire.

Skylar was wide-eyed, watching the scene. She wanted to run in front of Bridget, save her, help her. Yet her feet were firmly planted on the ground, watching with her heart beating quickly that she felt as if she were going to be hit by an attack at that very moment.

"Bridgit Pike!" Jim called out, pocketing his gun as he moved towards her with his hands in the air, showing that he didn't mean any harm towards her. Stay away! My name's Jim Gordon. I know what your brothers did to you. I know you didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"You don't know anything! You're just some pathetic cop who left his daughter alone when she needed him. You are going to suffer for that, Skylar did nothing to deserve your abandonment!"

He stopped in his tracks, continuing with his words and ignored what she said. "You put your weapon down and come with me, I can help you. There are places you can go to. You're a juvenile. We can work something out."

Instead of listening, Bridget pulled the trigger, aiming fire towards Jim which caused him to recoil backward away from the heat. The new recruit took a shot, hitting a part of her flamethrower. Skylar gasped, moving forward as she saw gasoline squirting out onto the older girl's body, her eyes widening in horror.

"Wait, wait!" Jim yelled, holding his hand out and the shooting ceased. "I said hold your fire!" Bridget kept trying to get the fire to come back, pulling the trigger but nothing happened. Jim knew what was going to happen, trying to stop her. "Bridgit! Stop!" Skylar screamed, racing forward as everyone ducked to take cover, a police car setting on fire. But she got much too close to that car. Jim saw. "Bridgit! Wait!"

Skylar screamed louder, feeling an officer yanking her back just as the car exploded, catching Bridget on fire. The flames roared, illuminating the sky and then danced around the arsonist. She yelled, tears streaming down her face as her expression contorted into one of horror, listening to Bridget's cries of agony before the lasting living Pike siblings finally collapsed. And she fell with her, sobbing as she watched the fire completely engulf her.

Just like that, she lost another person she cared about.

---

While Jim was too busy cleaning up what happened, Skylar took the opportunity to pay a visit to Lee while she waited for him to come back. She kept a gun firmly aimed at her, her tears long gone, replaced with nothing but rage. At first, she blamed herself for what had happened since she told Jim where Bridget was but quickly she came to the conclusion that it was he who didn't keep his promise. Again.

"You don't have to point the gun at me," Lee had the nerve to say, not at all frightened. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Damn right you're not." She was sitting on the table, legs hanging off the edge, not so elegantly. "But I will hurt you. Though I have to admit if it weren't for you, I would have never been reunited with my brother, who's dead now."

The door opened and she turned the gun to face whoever entered, seeing Jim walk in to see the scene. He looked at her and then at Lee before sighing quietly. "Hi, Skylar." His voice was soft, kind, it made her want to slap him hard across the face. "Sorry about this, Lee."

"Oh, please," the Valeska scoffed, standing up, setting the gun on the table. "Did I get an apology when you failed to keep your promise to help Bridget? Or an apology when you were hardly home?" Her tone was much different, venomous, cold, and bitter.

He genuinely looked sorry for the outcome, moving towards her slowly while Lee stayed in place in her seat. "I tried Skylar. I tried. But she didn't want to go quietly." He paused. "I think she wanted it to end this way." She looked away as tears filled her eyes, clenching her fists. When he tried to reach out to her, give her a hug, she flinched away.

"Don't touch me!" she snapped, moving away from him, looking down at the ground as her eyes filled with tears again, making her hate how sensitive she was when it came to this. The brunette turned her back on him, facing the wall as she took a shaky breath.

"I know you were telling the truth about Bridgit," Jim started, his voice still the same, being patient with her because he had raised her for a few years, through the anxiety, the nightmares, everything. "That her brothers put her up to this. I need to know who hired them. And don't tell me you don't know because I know that's a lie."

She turned back to him after wiping her eyes though it didn't make a difference because it was still obvious that she was on the verge of tears. "Penguin hired them, I don't know why, so don't ask me, ask him yourself. I'm done talking to you, I'm done with you, with her, with all of you. I should have never trusted you after what you did. Because of you, mom. . .mom isn't mom anymore. And Jerome's dead, now Bridget is too."

"I tried to help her, it just went a different way," he whispered.

"Is that what you call it when someone dies? Is that what you tell yourself to help yourself sleep better at night?" His answer didn't come until seconds later before he finally spoke, "I'm sorry", causing her to shake her head. "That doesn't do anything now does it?"

Skylar left the gun on the table, walking out the front door, slamming the door behind her. Her tears didn't stop, couldn't stop. Not even when she came back to Selina's place, falling to the ground as her best friend held onto her and let her sob. At least at the end of the day, she did have Selina to keep her going so she wasn't entirely alone, she had a constant person by her side. That's all she could ask for.

If only she knew who also lost a person they cared for that night. And if only she knew that someone else was going through a change, just as Bridget did.

---

A shorter chapter today since I did break the episode into two chapters. This one was a bit messy but I feel like it was necessary to make Skylar close to Bridget because now she has discovered another piece of herself: that she is bisexual. And not to mention that this was also the episode where Ed kills Kristen accidentally so it's a nice transition to Sky and him bonding over people they lost on the same night.

Watching this episode made me realize just how much I hate Silver, can't wait to write Skylar insulting her ((((:

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