Jim could feel his head begin to ache from this never-ending struggle. No matter how many times he stared at that damned piece of paper, hoping the answer would eventually reveal itself, the three initials remained, providing no extra hints. His work phone rang, and he immediately picked it up, his eyes locked onto his desk. "This is Detective Gordon," He spoke. "Hello, old friend," Oswald's somewhat cheerful voice made Jim snap back to reality. "What do you want?" he spoke lowly.

"To offer you help, and prove that you can trust me," Oswald answered. "There's gonna be another murder, Maroni has put out the hit," "Who's the target?" Jim questioned. "Someone backing Falcone's plan. Who it is, I can't be certain," From this tiny detail alone, Jim recalled Essen's words, about how all the councilmen and the mayor were under police protection that night. How would Maroni's men be able to pull this hit when there were people nearby to stop it from happening?

"There are many ways around the police. But the hit will happen tonight... that much I can be certain of," Oswald responded with a slight chuckle. "How do you know all this?" Jim asked. "I told you, Detective... Gotham is my home," The line clicked, and the call went dead. Instantly, Jim rushed over to the main desk, asking for a list of all the officers on police protection. As one of the officers handed him the list, Jim's eyes quickly skimmed the page until his eyes landed on the exact lineup of the CLM. Campos, Lazenby, and Martins were all officers sent to Mayor James Residence. 

Jim reached for his phone and dialed for Harvey, but the call went straight to voicemail. "Bullock, I found out who Gladwell's next target is. It's the mayor," Jim said, hoping his partner would hear the message and join him as soon as possible. Rain poured over Gotham, and as Jim parked across the street from the mayor's residence, he looked through the windows of the cop cars, but nobody was in them. Jim rushed up the concrete stairs and pounded loudly on the door. Mayor James' opened the door shortly after with confusion.

"Detective Gordon. What's going on?" Mayor James inquired. "Sir, I think your life may be in danger. I need to get you out of here," "What? No, I... I'm not going anywhere... I got police protection," Mayor James explained as if Jim didn't know that already. "I just checked, and no one's out there. Sir, I think someone's coming here to kill you," Jim clarified, ushering the mayor back inside. "I got to get some things from my safe," 

Jim shut the door behind them as he entered the mayor's home, following him into his office and looking out the windows as Mayor James opened his safe and started stuffing his bag with unknown items. "Sir, we need to go... now," Jim warned. "I'm moving as fast as I can!" Mayor James insisted. "Is there someplace I can take you? Somewhere you'll be safe?" Mayor James shifted through the papers and documents inside, asking if they weren't going to the police station. "I'm not sure you'll be safe there. The police..." Jim tried to explain, but he trailed off. This only made Mayor James upset, and although he didn't say it directly, he asked himself why the cops weren't doing their jobs properly.

"What the hell is this town coming to?" Mayor James muttered. "Sir..." Jim once again warned, sensed the looming danger even though he couldn't see it. "All right, all right, My sister's house. It's across town," Mayor James finally answered Jim's previous question. Finally having everything he needed, the two men finally started to make their way out. But before they could even step a foot outside, Gladwell had arrived. His weapon at the ready.

"Go! Go! Go!" Jim shouted to the mayor as he quickly ran back up the stairs. Jim tried to force the door shut, but the assassin stuck his weapon in the door, preventing him from doing so. The assassin kicked the door open, and Jim slipped on the trail of water he left. He threw a lamp and a few nearby books as a diversion before quickly making his way upstairs, unaware that he left behind his gun. He and Mayor James locked themselves in the office. "Is there another way out?" Jim questioned. "Through here!" Mayor James gestured to the giant sliding wooden doors on the opposing wall.

As Jim began to pry the doors open, the loud bangs and finagling with the lock startled Mayor James. "He's trying to get in. Shoot him! Why don't you shoot him?" "He's got my gun, I can't! Go! Go! Go!" Jim answered, finally opening the doors enough for them to slip through just as the gunshots rang out as the assassin shot the handle. Jim picked up a nearby chair and hid behind the door just as the assassin broke in, waiting for the perfect to strike.

Jim's heart beat like a drum as he heard the man's footsteps come closer and closer. He had to time this just right... The moment the assassin stepped halfway into the presentation room, Jim swung the chair, breaking it upon impact and making the man fall to the floor. Jim grabbed one of the legs and started beating Gladwell, dodging his attempts to stab Jim with his weapon. Mayor James watched this all unfold as he backed away slowly, his hands tightly clutching his briefcase. Jim and the assassin continued their fight all over the room, both dodging and receiving the blows. But as the assassin blocked another of Jim's attempt to knock him down, Jim was pushed into a row of chairs, some falling over while others scattered around the room.

For a moment, Mayor James and the assassin locked eyes, and in a desperate attempt to flee, he ran across the room and tried leaving the way he and Jim entered. But as the assassin was about to chase after him, Jim tackled him and started beating and kicking at him again. But it wasn't enough for the man to give up and lose consciousness. Jim found himself pressed against the wall, using every ounce of strength he had to turn the spiked weapon away from him and towards the assassin. 

"Drop it! Drop it, or I'll shoot!" Harvey's voice boomed from the doorway. Gladwell backed away from Jim, both of his hands raised while he still wielded the spiked weapon. "You know why they hire a professional?" The assassin asked the two detectives before looking Mayor James in the eyes with determination. "Cause he finishes the job!" Gladwell ran towards the cowering mayor and after quickly grabbing his gun, Jim and Harvey shot the assassin multiple times, never stopping until the man collapsed to the ground, his labored breathing short and ragged until his body went limp, and the weapon rolled out of his hand.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Dad!" Holly ran towards him as he stood on the top balcony of the GCPD building. Jim returned the little girl's hug, playfully ruffling her hair. "I'm so glad you're okay!" Holly muffled into his shoulder, hugging him like it was the end of the world. "I'm alright, got a little help from Harvey. He saved my life," Jim assured her. He and Holly pulled apart, and the girl looked to where Harvey was standing. And without warning, she also gave him a big hug. Harvey froze, not knowing what to do in this situation. But slowly, he patted Holly's shoulder as she thanked him for saving her dad.

"No problem, kid. We gotta look out for one another," Harvey looked over to Jim, cracking the tiniest of smiles. Though Harvey wouldn't admit it, he had been wrong about Holly from the beginning. Maybe she wasn't a big nuisance after all. Barbara cleared her throat, getting everyone's, more specifically Jim and Holly's attention. Harvey seemed to get the message that the family needed to talk alone and he walked back downstairs. The awkward tension from last night's argument lingered in the air, and all Holly could do was hope that her parents could work their way through this. Sure, some trust had been lost in all this, but that didn't mean they couldn't regain it.

"Jim, I should've told you about Montoya a long time ago," Barbara spoke nervously. "Then why didn't you?" Jim asked. "I don't know," She admitted. "Because she works with you. Because she's a woman," "Are you sure there isn't another reason?" Jim queried. Barbara shook her head, assuring him there wasn't anything else. Just the guilt from never having the courage to tell him who she really was." Jim, I don't want there to be any secrets between us. If we're going to remain a happy family, we have to be open and honest,"

Barbara looked over to Holly, who sat in a nearby chair and stared into nothingness. But her gaze was broken by her mother's seriousness. "That goes for you too, Holly. I don't ever want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me or your father," She spoke softly. Holly nodded understandingly before her mother and father continued. "I don't want us to hide anything either," Jim sighed. "Good, so you'll tell me who Oswald Cobblepot is?" Barbara insisted, taking his hand in hers.

"Damn it, Barbara. Why can't you drop this?" Jim asked. "It's a fairly easy question, Jim. But why can't you tell me who he is?" She started getting defensive. "Because... it's work, and there's certain things I can't tell you about it," Jim responded. Holly could understand her father's point of view with not being able to tell them. Her mother clearly showed she could not keep certain details a secret, but it also made Holly wonder. Was this Oswald Cobblepot trying to keep her father under his thumb? Or was he just the latest suspect in another of her father's investigations?

"All right. Well... I'm not gonna live like this, I can't live like this. You're gonna have to make a choice, Jim. You either let me in or you let me go," Holly's eyes widened at what her mother was implying. She can't mean that... can she? Holly wondered. "B-but what'll happen after that?" Holly spoke up, making Barbara turn towards her. "I guess we'll have to deal with a custody battle," Her voice grew quiet again as she walked away, leaving Jim and Holly behind. "Dad, I don't want to leave you!" Holly worried, fearing this was the direction their family was going.

Seeing the fear in his daughter's eyes, Jim bent down and embraced her. "Hols, it's going to be okay. No one is going to split us up," He vowed. "You promise?" Holly asked. Her father nodded and held his daughter tighter. Even if Barbara followed through with her threat of leaving him, Jim would fight for Holly. He had been since the moment she entered his life, and he wasn't going to stop now, even if it meant fighting for her through half custody. 

"I promise,"

~~~~~~~~

"The Arkham development vote has been a topic of controversy for weeks. Today, we have the results. We go live now to Mayor James's press conference," Jim and Holly later watched the coverage from Captain Essen's office. While Holly had calmed down from her mother's ultimatum, she grew nervous as she hoped Mayor James chose Falcone's plan over Maroni's. "Do you guys mind turning that down a little? My head's killing me," Harvey complained. " Aw shut up, this is what we worked for. We did this," Jim smiled, sipping his coffee.

"How is today's outcome not simply a failure of the Wayne plan?" The female reporter pointed her microphone at Mayor James. "This is not a case of either plan failing. This is a case of compromise for what's best for the people of Gotham," The Mayor answered. "The Arkham district will be developed into both low-cost housing as well as a much-needed site for waste disposal. This is the best of both plans... together in one,"

Harvey, Jim, and Holly's face fell at that. This wasn't the plan for Arkham, and it sure wasn't what Bruce had hoped for. "Mayor James, what about the asylum? What's going to happen to it?" Another reporter questioned. "Arkham Asylum will be retrofitted to meet today's standards and reopened. Gotham needs... No, Gotham deserves a world-class treatment facility for the mentally ill. And I know that the Wayne's, were they still alive, would be proud of what we've been able to accomplish today," Mayor James smirked into the camera.

Holly slowly looked up to her dad, who returned the same look of anger, frustration, and betrayal. After everything Jim and Harvey had done to save his life from Maroni and his people, Mayor James still gave the mafia boss what he wanted, leaving Falcone with little to nothing.

~~~~~~~~~

"The mayor's making this new plan sound like its good for Gotham. But it's not, is it?" Bruce stammered when he was informed of the news by Holly and her father at Wayne Manor. "No, it's not," Holly shook her head. "Then why is he doing it?" Jim and Holly sat next to Bruce on the couch, explaining to him how the mayor was caught between two very powerful opposing forces. "Maroni threatened the mayor's life. Out of fear, I'm guessing the mayor made a compromise and gave Maroni a huge piece of Arkham," Jim responded.

"What piece?" Bruce asked. "Maroni gets to build a waste disposal site, and he gets the contract to refurbish Arkham. Falcone gets to build a low-income housing project," Holly clarified. Bruce sighed, resting his face in his hands, trying to hide the evident disappointment. "Bruce, I know it's not the outcome you had hoped for, but this compromise may have prevented a lot of bloodshed. It may have even stopped a war," Jim reasoned. "My parents believed a new asylum would bring hope to Gotham. Now that's gone. Everything they worked for is now falling into the hands of criminals," the young boy dreaded.

"Not everything, Bruce. You're alive, its not too late," Jim placed a hand on his shoulder. It took a moment for the words to sink in for both Holly and Bruce, and they both looked at him with renewed hope for Gotham. It may have been cloudy at that moment, but beyond the fog of uncertainty was a bright light and great change. "Do you believe Gotham can be saved, Dad?" Holly asked, hoping to confirm her father's words.

Jim nodded his head, a look of confidence in his eyes. "I believe it's worth trying,"