Thanatophobia | VICTOR ZSASZ [DISCONTINUED]

forty eight | the fear reaper

Without even bothering to look over at Oswald and Barbara, Annabelle raised a hand as she said, "I can attest to that. It's been a year since Tabitha had sent those men after Victor and I'm still quite upset with her because of that."

Barbara merely eyed Annabelle, while Ivy started to say to Barbara, "I can talk to them if you want—"

Oswald turned to Ivy and yelled, "I distinctly remember saying you could come if you kept your mouth shut!" After he looked back at Barbara, he said to her, "You need an operating license, obviously. Then pay a weapon tax—"

Barbara asked him, "Weapon tax?"

While choosing to ignore Barbara, Oswald said, "And then perhaps your little store can open."

Barbara replied, "Well, you don't ask for much now, do you?"

Oswald retorted, "I am not asking for enough." After he shoved a chair in her direction, he said to her, "Let me be perfectly clear, Miss Kean. I will be keeping a very close eye on you. The first rumor I hear about you and your little partners makes moves to contest me, and Victor..."

Barbara and Oswald looked over at Victor after hearing him cock a gun and saw him wink over at them, while he clicked his tongue.

Oswald said to her, "... will end you with your own merchandise."

Barbara slowly turned her head to look back at Oswald as she said, "Understood."

As Oswald limped away from her and back over towards the open doors, he said, "Couldn't have been cheap."

Barbara said to him, "I'm sorry?"

As he turned his head to look at her, Oswald told her, "You lost your money on The Sirens club, then went missing, rumor was you were dead, and now you're back with a brand-new fancy place. Who paid for it?" When she didn't respond, he laughed as he asked her, "You really think I won't find out who it is?"

Then Oswald started to laugh once more as he limped out of the building with Ivy Pepper walking closely behind him.

While Annabelle simply left the building with a couple of machine guns without saying a word to Barbara, Victor pointed at the gun he was holding as he said, "I'm gonna take this."

Then Victor closed the doors behind himself, which made it seem as if the four of them weren't even there to begin with.

The only evidence to show that they were actually there was the fact that a couple of the guns were now missing.

* * *

Annabelle was sitting on a rooftop and watching the few people on the streets walking around and mingling with each other, only to stop and look away from the street when she heard approaching footsteps.

She turned her head to see Bruce Wayne walking across the rooftop and not paying any mind to her, only to stop when she asked him, "What are you doing up here, Bruce?"

After Bruce turned his head and saw her sitting on the ledge of the rooftop, he replied, "I should be asking you that question, Annabelle. What are you doing up here?"

She shrugged as she said to him, "I don't see why I shouldn't be up here. If I'm not out tearing into someone's throat, protecting Oswald or being with Victor, I'm up on a rooftop thinking things over."

As she started to stand from where she was sitting, he asked her, "Like what kinds of things?"

As she slowly started to walk towards him, she replied, "All kinds of things. Things like how different things would have been if I wasn't abused by my parents for ten years of my human life, if my mother didn't make my siblings and I vampires after the death of one of my younger siblings. Hell, I've even thought of how different things would be if my husband and children weren't killed because of me blacking out. Then there's also the time that a young man I turned into a vampire was killed by my father. How much longer of a life as a vampire would he have had, if he wasn't killed in 1702? Another sixty-five years and he would've been alive for three-hundred years. And what if my siblings didn't try to dagger me in 1718? Would I be with them doing whatever it is they're doing at this exact moment?" When Bruce only stared at her and said nothing to her, she said as a sad smile made its way onto her face, "See? I have loads to think about, Bruce. Coming up onto rooftops and having time to myself for once is the one time I can have some form of peace to myself. It's the only time where I'm not angry and wishing to rip out just about anyone's throat, or try to plan out my revenge against those that wrong me. I get to think over what could have been, but had never occurred."

After stopping just in front of him, she said, "For example, sometimes I think about how long I would've lived for and if I would have died with my husband, or had grandchildren of my own, if my mother hadn't made my siblings and I vampires. I mean, I know they've been dead for a thousand years, but it doesn't change anything. I loved my husband from the moment I first met him when I was thirteen and he was fifteen. Upon giving birth to my two children, I fell in love with them immediately. I wanted to give them the chance to have a life where they didn't have to worry about having their wounds healed after a practical torturing session with their parents. But alas, that didn't happen. They all died. Every single one of them. You're lucky, Bruce. Despite how I have siblings that would do anything for one another, even though we hardly ever get along with one another, you've had not one, but two fathers. Your biological one that was murdered three years ago and your butler, Alfred. Not many people get that chance. And from what I've heard, Selina has helped you in many situations. She's a good friend to you, Bruce. Not many people get the chance to have a good friend, like Selina is to you. I know I didn't. Not until I came to Gotham and met Don Falcone, Oswald Cobblepot and Victor Zsasz. You should consider yourself lucky, Bruce. Not many people have so many people to care about them, like you do."

While she turned her back on him and started to walk back towards the ledge, he asked her, "Wait, where are you going?"

As she stopped at the ledge, she replied, "I'm heading home. I've spent enough time thinking things over for the night. I'll leave you to do as you wish." After turning her head to look over at him, she said to him, "It was nice to see you again, Bruce."

Without saying another word to him, she jumped off of the roof, which got Bruce to quickly run over to where she jumped to see her walking down the street with her hands shoved into her coat pockets.

* * *

Annabelle sighed to herself and refrained from rolling her eyes, while Oswald asked once he saw James enter the precinct, "Where is he?"

James simply looked away from him.

As he limped towards James with Annabelle, his other men and the reporters walking closely behind him, Oswald said, "We had a deal, Detective Gordon. That you would apprehend Jonathan Crane."

After he turned to look at Oswald, James replied, "You made a demand in front of your cronies in an attempt to undermine me and this department. There was no deal."

Oswald told James, "I spoke for all the citizens of Gotham when I said that the GCPD can no longer keep us safe. How many of you are sick of risking your lives every day just to see criminals escape? How many times has this very building become a war zone?"

One of the cops asked James, "What do you have to say about that, Detective?"

Oswald said to him, "I say it is time to start anew. To police ourselves. I will triple the wage of any cop here who wants to work for me in ensuring the safety of this city's people. The future is now. Follow me into it."

While Oswald limped past him with Annabelle close behind him, James said, "Police yourselves. He just wants to pay you to look the other way."

After she glanced at James, Annabelle simply shook her head to herself.

She knew that Oswald was trying to maintain his position as the boss of the underworld, but she didn't see the point in him making a show of every statement he made to James Gordon.

As a matter of fact, she didn't see the point in protecting Oswald.

Nobody had made a move against him since he got sprayed with the fear toxin, so what could he possibly have to worry about?

Aside from James Gordon, nobody else would attempt to undermine him.

After all, who would be so stupid, yet also brave, to attempt to do that when he had Victor Zsasz and Annabelle Mikaelson on his side?