It had been two weeks since Annabelle had last seen Carmine Falcone.
Two weeks where she had to slaughter several more of Salvatore Maroni's men.
Men that tried to harm her with bullets laced with vervain.
As for how Salvatore had gotten his hands on vervain, she wasn't sure.
The only thing she was sure of, though, was just how much she wanted to rip out Oswald's throat for being the reason that the war even started in the first place.
But she didn't.
She stayed silent, just as Carmine had told her to do.
She remained silent and stayed by Oswald's side, despite how much she wished to leave him by himself and let either Salvatore himself or some of Salvatore Maroni's men to come and kill Oswald for what he did.
However, she didn't.
Well, until she got word that a couple of Salvatore's men had blown up Carmine's car, which resulted in him having to go to the hospital.
As soon as she heard about it, she forced Butch and Oswald to leave the nightclub and go to the hospital.
She didn't care how odd it made her look.
She needed to see that Carmine wasn't in any critical condition.
After arriving at the hospital, she was peacefully walking beside them and through the hospital.
She just wanted to see Carmine for herself and determine how badly injured he was.
She only stopped walking when she heard him say from inside of the room he was in, "Hello? Hello?"
Without saying a single word to Oswald, she sped off in the direction of Carmine's voice and eventually, she got to his room.
It was only after Carmine had laid back down onto the table that he was strapped to that he quickly raised his head when he heard Annabelle ask him, "Don Falcone, are you alright?"
Carmine said to her, "Annabelle, you're here."
She nodded her head before she started to look for any signs of injuries.
Just as he was about to say something to her, he suddenly stopped when they both heard the sound of a door opening and looked over to see Oswald coming in with a bouquet of flowers and Butch walking close behind him with a machine gun in hand.
Oswald didn't even bother to glance over at Annabelle, while he entered the room and said to Carmine, "Good morning, good morning."
Carmine let out a sigh, while he said to Oswald, "Oh, Penguin. Thank God. Get me out of here. Maroni's men will be here any minute."
Before he limped over towards Carmine and put the bouquet on his chest, Oswald said with a chuckle, "Yes, I imagine so. Mustn't stay long. I knew I'd regret it if I didn't say goodbye to you in person." After he patted the bouquet, he said, "It was me, old friend. I did this to you."
Carmine glanced over at Annabelle and saw that her veins had come onto display before he looked back at Oswald, who limped over to a cabinet as he said, "I started the war. From the day I met you, I was planning your end. I'm sorry it has to be in this squalid little corner, but c'est la vie."
When Annabelle saw the scalpel in Oswald's hand, she jumped over the table and clenched her hands into fists, while she said, "If you want to harm Don Falcone, you will have to go through me, Cobblepot."
Oswald hesitated and started to wonder if he should try and go through Annabelle, while Carmine asked him, "Why?"
Oswald said to him, "Nothing personal, I assure you, sir."
It was then that Butch shot a single bullet at Annabelle, which hit the side of her neck and made her groan.
It wasn't until Annabelle had fallen onto her knees that she realized that they doubled the dose of vervain in the bullet.
Then Oswald limped over to Carmine and pushed Annabelle side with his leg, while he said, "You have been a wise mentor and a good friend. But business must come first."
While she struggled to stand back up onto her feet, Annabelle said through grit teeth, "I swear, Cobblepot, if you kill him, I will make you wish that you hadn't."
Oswald chuckled in response to her words.
He didn't believe what she was saying to him.
After all, he knew Annabelle's job was to protect him.
What he didn't know, though, was that Carmine had called her that very morning and told her that she no longer had to protect Oswald and only needed to make appearances until he said otherwise.
While remaining unbeknownst to this change, Oswald told Carmine, "I'm gonna take your place, old man. And I'm gonna be the king of Gotham."
Carmine replied, "You? Never. You're going to burn in hell."
After taking a step closer to Carmine, Oswald said, "I do worry about that. But you first, old friend. You first."
It was only when Annabelle heard the sound of the safety being turned off of a gun and hearing James say for nobody to move that Annabelle realized just how thankful she was for not killing him the day they met.
Annabelle sighed, while she said, "Oh, Gordon, thank goodness you're here."
James glanced over at Annabelle and started to wonder why she was shaking, why she tried to bring herself back up onto her feet before he looked over at Oswald, who was holding the scalpel to Carmine's throat, and asked them, "What happened?"
While she shakily pointed a finger at Butch, Annabelle told him, "That bloody bastard shot me."
James raised his eyebrows at her as he said, "Really?" When she shakily nodded her head, he said, "Well, that's never stopped you before."
Annabelle replied, "That's because the type of bullet he shot me with weakens me."
In turn, James said, "Uh-huh."
Then James looked over at Oswald, who turned to him and said, "Walk away."
James replied, "Shut up. You're both under arrest for attempted murder."
A wide grin made its way onto Annabelle's face, while Oswald yelled, "What?! What about Annabelle?! She just threatened to kill me!"
James looked over at Annabelle, who was using the table Carmine was strapped to as a means of standing up, before he looked back over at Oswald with a raised eyebrow, while he said, "Really? Because to me, it looks like she couldn't hurt you, or anyone else for that matter right now."
Then he took out his handcuffs and handcuffed Butch and Oswald to a nearby radiator, while he eyed Annabelle, who was reaching into her bag for some blood bags that she carried with her, as Oswald asked him, "Didn't you hear? Falcone is out. By official decree. Everyone agreed."
While he went to remove the restraints on Carmine, James replied, "I heard."
Oswald said to him, "So release me, Jim. Get on the winning side."
Carmine retorted, "Winning side, my ass. Maroni's a fool. He can't replace me. A thousand rivals will jump up to challenge him." Then he looked over at James and said, "There'll be civil war. If I die now, Gotham falls apart."
James replied, "I agree. But can you turn things around? Can you take back control?"
While he went to remove the restraints on his legs, Carmine said, "Of course. Two days at my safe house. I need two days to make some moves. Then I'll skin Maroni and those disloyal scum like rabbits."
Annabelle told James and Carmine, "And I'll help."
Then Oswald yelled, "Wake up, Napoleon! Maroni's louts are minutes away from coming here and cutting your throat! And the thing is, Jim, they aren't very fond of me, either! So seriously, you need to uncuff me." When James started to walk out of the room with the machine gun, Oswald said, "Jim?"
Annabelle scoffed as she said, "It's not like you didn't deserve it, Cobblepot. What, with how you double-crossed Don Falcone and then had Gilzean shoot that damn bullet at me. In fact, you deserve far worse than the fate they'd give the both of you. You deserve having yourself being driven so mad by the mere torture I would descend upon you that everyone would have no choice but to send you to that damn asylum, so I could visit you down there and rip your damn head off and put it up high where everyone could see. And as for Gilzean, I'd give him back to Zsasz for him to have fun with once more."
It was then that Oswald started to yell at Annabelle and told her how she'd been beaten, which got Carmine to sigh as he listened to the two of them yell obscenities at each other.
He might have known about Oswald's betrayal, due to the talk he and Annabelle had two weeks prior, but he had no idea of just how loyal Annabelle was to him.
He knew she was loyal enough to protect him and kill anyone that tried to harm him, but he didn't think she would be so loyal to remain, even after being shot at by a vervain bullet laced with double the dosage of vervain.
While the two of them continued to argue with each other, he did nothing but rub his wrists and ankles, only to stop and look up when Annabelle suddenly stopped yelling at Oswald after she heard Tommy Bones ask, "What the hell are you doing here? I thought the fix was in with you guys."
She didn't hear a response from James, but she heard Tommy chuckle before the sound of his retreating footsteps were heard and then eventually, she heard nothing more from the hitman.
It was then that James quickly walked back into the room and asked Carmine, "Can you walk?"
Carmine replied, "If I have to."
In turn, James said as he looked between Annabelle and Carmine, "Let's get you two out of here. I'll take you to your safe house."
Oswald said to James, "Jim, my friend, you are making a terrible mistake."
Annabelle retorted, "Just like you are doing every damn time you open your bloody mouth."
Oswald's mouth fell open in shock before he was about to say something to her, only to stop when James told Carmine, "I'm doing this for the city, not you. You're the least worst option. If I didn't think you could take back control, I'd let you die. Just so we're clear."
Carmine nodded his head as he said, "We're clear."
Oswald said to James, "You can't leave me here. Maroni's men will kill me."
With a scoff, Annabelle said, "It's not like you don't deserve it."
James glanced at Annabelle and saw just how angry she was with Butch and Oswald before he said to Oswald, "Possible."
Oswald shook his head as he said, "No. No, you-you arrested us." While Butch nodded his head in response to Oswald's words, Oswald said, "We are in your custody."
James replied, "That's true."
Oswald told him, "You owe me a favor, Jim. You owe me."
In turn, James whispered to himself, "Damn it."
It was then that they heard the voice of Commissioner Gillian Loeb say, "James Gordon?"
Annabelle sighed to herself before she muttered under her breath, "You've got to be bloody joking."
Commissioner Loeb said, "Detective Gordon?"
While James started to walk towards the doorway, Carmine pulled out his pocketknife and held it out in front of himself, only to stop when James said to him, "Don't kill them."
While Carmine nodded his head in response, Annabelle replied, "What? Why not? They deserve it. They deserve to die, Gordon! Do you hear me?! By my hand or another's, Oswald Cobblepot and Butch Gilzean deserve to die!"
James retorted, "Yeah, yeah, I hear you." After he stepped out into the hallway, he said, "Morning, fellas. What can I help you with?"
Commissioner Loeb stopped in front of James and said to him, "Yes, Gordon. As usual, wrong place, wrong time. Go. Now."
James asked him, "Why? So these men can kill Carmine Falcone?"
Commissioner Loeb replied, "I have no knowledge of that. Go. That's an order."
James said to him, "You're a disgrace, Loeb. I hope to see you behind bars very soon or dead. Whichever."
In turn, Commissioner Loeb asked him, "Hope? It's for losers, Jim." Then he started to walk away from James, while he said, "He's all yours."
Then gunfire was heard from outside of Carmine's room.
Carmine nodded his head at Annabelle, which allowed her to quickly walk towards the doorway and watch as Salvatore Maroni's men ran after James Gordon.
Then she looked back at Carmine and told him, "Gordon's leading them away from the room."
While Carmine nodded his head, Oswald said to her, "Annabelle, please. You have to convince Jim to take us with you guys. I can't die. Please."
Just as Annabelle was about to respond, she suddenly stopped when she heard Harvey say, "Jim, Jim, don't shoot. It's me. We gotta go. There's an ambulance in the basement. Where's your man?"
James replied, "Uh, about that. We gotta take Mikaelson, Penguin and Gilzean, too."
Harvey was silent for a moment before he said, "Okay, I get Annabelle, but Penguin and Gilzean?"
James told him, "I arrested them for attempted murder. They're in my custody."
Harvey groaned before he said, "I don't even wanna argue with you. Come on, let's go. Go."
Annabelle sighed to herself.
She knew now that she would have to deal with Oswald and Butch much longer than she would have liked to.
While she waited for James and Harvey to get to the room they were in, she could only hope that Victor Zsasz didn't get caught in the middle of the gang war.
* * *
After pushing open the doors to the safe house, Harvey watched as James drove the ambulance into the warehouse before he closed it behind the ambulance, while James got out of the driver's seat and the passengers in the ambulance also started to get out of the emergency vehicle.
While Carmine walked beside him, Harvey asked him, "Nobody knows about this place, right? Nobody?"
Carmine told him, "Nobody. Anybody who did is dead. We'll be safe here."
Annabelle sighed as she started to say to Carmine, "We better be, or—"
James replied, "Yeah, we're not listening to yet another one of your threats to them."
Then they all looked over to where they heard approaching footsteps before they saw Selina Kyle walking towards them in a new outfit and her hair up on her head.
While she tilted her head, Selina said to them, "Hello. What's up?"
Then they heard another door open before they saw Fish Mooney walking in front of a group of men and women, which got Annabelle to look at Carmine, while she asked him, "Oh, I'm sorry, what was that you were saying again about us being safe here?"
Carmine only sighed in response, while Fish simply chuckled to herself.
After realizing that Annabelle still had quite the attitude with people, no matter who they were, Fish could do nothing but chuckle to herself, while she said, "I know, I know. It's astonishing. Sometimes I astonish myself."
While the others looked shocked upon seeing Fish, Annabelle was confused.
She didn't understand what it was about Fish that seemed to be different this time around.
Well, aside from the piercings on her head and her hairstyle.
Then she saw it.
While she tilted her head, she asked Fish, "What the bloody hell happened to your eye?"
Fish forced a chuckle before she waved her hand, which made Annabelle tilt her head some more.
It was then that Selina shoved a makeshift stake through Annabelle's back and into her heart.
While Oswald, Butch and Carmine only sighed to themselves, Harvey and James's eyes had widened.
Despite him knowing Annabelle for eleven years at that point, Harvey had never seen something like this happen to her, so he couldn't help but wonder if Annabelle had gotten killed by a mere piece of broken wood.
James, on the other hand, just didn't understand what the hell he had just seen.
* * *
After waking up, Annabelle only sighed when she saw Oswald repeatedly trying to break free from the chains that were holding him up.
After listening to him do that for several minutes, Annabelle yelled, "Damn it, Cobblepot! Stop moving! The more you move, the more I feel like reaching over towards you and ripping your bloody throat out!"
Then Oswald leaned away from Annabelle and went back to trying to break free of the chains, only to stop and flinch when Selina went up to him and shoved him backwards.
Carmine looked over at James and quietly told him, "They didn't find my knife."
James quickly looked over at Carmine before he replied, "Ah. So we're saved, then."
Carmine told him, "It's in my sock. If you get the chance, take some of them with us."
James nodded his head as he said, "I'll try."
After looking at James, Selina said once she stopped in front of him, "Hey, you."
James asked her, "Selina, what are you doing here?"
Selina shrugged as she said, "Chilling. How about you?"
Annabelle rolled her eyes with a sigh, which got Selina to glance over at her, while James replied, "Kind of jammed up."
Selina nodded her head as she said, "Yeah. That's too bad."
James widened his eyes as he looked to his right, which got Selina's eyebrows to furrow.
Then James raised his eyebrows, which got Selina to say to him, "Oh. That's mime for 'help us out here' and totally blow the coolest gig ever. Just because we kind of sort of know each other? Right?"
James only sighed before Fish walked over towards them and said, "Hello, fellas." Then she looked over at Annabelle and said, "Annabelle."
Annabelle only narrowed her eyes at Fish in response to hearing her name.
While she stopped in front of Carmine, Fish said, "Carmine."
Then she stopped in front of Annabelle and said her name once more.
Annabelle plastered a smile on her face, while she said, "Fish."
Fish asked her, "Do you have nothing to say to me?"
Annabelle replied, "Well, aside from wishing to break free and kill the lot of you, which includes Cobblepot and Gilzean, I don't have much to say."
Fish tilted her head and started to wonder what Oswald could have done to piss off Annabelle while she was gone before she nodded to herself.
Then she stepped in front of Oswald and asked him, "Penguin? Nothing to share?" Then she started to walk away from Oswald, while she said, "Well, I have a little something. I just made a sweet deal with Maroni. 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."
Annabelle scoffed as she said, "Over my dead body."
While she pointed at Annabelle, Fish replied, "You see, now that's difficult. There's no way of knowing if I can actually kill you, so I don't know what I could possibly do to ensure you don't get in the way of my plan."
Annabelle opened her mouth to respond, only to stop when Butch told Fish, "Uh, Fish, I need to go lie down."
While he walked away, Fish asked Oswald through grit teeth, "What did you do to that poor soul, you sadist?"
Annabelle slowly turned her head to look over at Oswald and allowed her veins to come onto display, while she hoped that he wouldn't try and tell Fish that it was Victor Zsasz who changed Butch, only to let out a frustrated yell when Oswald started to say to Fish, "I assure you—"
While she pointed one of her fingers at Oswald, Fish said, "You will die a slow, painful death on account of Butch." Then she pointed at Carmine, while she said, "You too, Carmine."
Then she pointed at Annabelle, while she said, "I don't quite know what to do with you yet, but I assure you, it won't be pretty."
Annabelle forced a chuckle before she replied, "Do your worst. I assure you, nothing you could do to me could be any worse than anything I've already dealt with in the past."
Fish said to her, "We'll see about that." Then she stopped in front of James and told him, "You. We'll keep it simple."
While she stopped in front of Harvey, she said, "And you? We're cool. Any questions?"
It was then that Selina asked her, "How you gonna kill them?"
While she wrapped an arm around Selina, Fish said, "I love this girl."
The two of them walked off, while Fish laughed.
While they walked away, Oswald asked, "So, Annabelle, you got any plans to get us out of here?"
Without taking her eyes off of Fish, Annabelle replied, "If I did, I wouldn't share it with you."
Oswald sighed before he muttered incoherent words under his breath that Annabelle didn't care about to even listen to.
* * *
Annabelle was annoyed with how things had turned out ever since Oswald Cobblepot had betrayed Fish Mooney by snitching to the MCU detectives, Renee Montoya and Crispus Allen.
If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't be held up high with ropes and chains that were doused in vervain and she wouldn't still have that same piece of wood inside of her heart.
While she watched Salvatore Maroni walk up towards them as Fish said 'there he is', Annabelle couldn't help but imagine all of the ways in which she could murder Oswald the moment they were out of there.
While he walked towards them, Salvatore said, "Fish, you mysterious, crazy, gorgeous killer, you. I love you."
Annabelle rolled her eyes, while she watched Salvatore bring Fish into a hug before he pulled away and walked towards Carmine as he said, "This-This is delicious. Finally."
Annabelle replied, "Do you know what else would be delicious, Maroni? If I broke free and ripped out the throats of every single one of your men and then displayed their heads throughout the whole city."
Salvatore looked over at Annabelle and glared at her before he looked back at Carmine, while he said, "You're hard to kill, old man."
Carmine retorted, "No. Your people are second-rate."
Salvatore scoffed before Oswald said to Fish, "Ms. Mooney, if I may, a brief word."
Annabelle sighed, while she said, "You know, Cobblepot, the more you talk, the more I wish I could break free of these chains and tear your tongue out of your head."
After seeing the difference between how Annabelle was with Oswald at that moment, compared to how she was the last time they saw each other in Oswald's nightclub, Salvatore couldn't help but laugh and start to wonder how Oswald had managed to make Annabelle hate him.
And while Salvatore continued to laugh to himself, Oswald said to Fish, "I know my life is forfeit. I speak not for my sake but yours. Because after all, I still love and respect you. Kill me if you must, but keep Falcone alone. As soon as he's dead, Maroni has no use for you. You are simply a threat. He will kill you."
With a shake of his head, Salvatore said, "Oh!"
Fish asked Oswald, "You think?"
In turn, Oswald asked her, "Why would he need another boss in town? Another rival?"
Salvatore told him, "That's where you're wrong, smart guy. A, she's not a rival, because she's not a boss. She's an underboss."
Fish retorted, "An underboss takes orders. I don't take orders."
Salvatore replied, "I know that. We're cool. Relax."
Fish said to him, "I'm relaxed."
Salvatore replied, "I don't think you are, babes."
As soon as Annabelle saw the familiar sight of the look Fish had on her face whenever she was pissed off by something, she started to laugh, while Fish said, "Please don't call me 'babes'."
Salvatore said to her, "See? Not relaxed. Babes? Really? It's a term of endearment. It means I like you." When Fish continued to stare at him in the same exact manner, he said, "Fine, I misspoke. You're not an underboss and you're not a babe. You tell me what you are."
While she took a couple steps towards him, Fish told him, "What we are, Sal, are partners."
Salvatore replied, "Whatever you want. Partners. I'm Partner Number One, and you're Partner Number Two."
After seeing just how much more pissed off Fish was becoming, Annabelle sighed as she said, "You're just digging yourself into a much bigger hole, Maroni."
Fish glanced over at Annabelle and saw just how amused she was before she looked back at Salvatore, while he asked her, "That's the deal, right? I'm number one, and you are?"
Fish was silent for a couple of moments before she replied, "Number two."
Salvatore grinned as he said, "There you go. Simple math. One, two, babes. Oops. Sorry. That's the last time, I swear." Then he walked from her a bit before he asked his men, "Guys, 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're building a dynasty. We will whip this town like a rented mule."
Then he turned to Fish and asked her, "Right, babes?"
Annabelle burst into laughter once more, which got everyone but Fish and Salvatore to look at her.
They didn't know what she was finding so funny at that exact moment, but chose to ignore her, while Salvatore said with a chuckle, "Alright, relax. I'm kidding you." Then he turned to his men and said to them, "Guys, no, seriously. Don't call her 'babes'. Or 'toots' or what have you. It's a women's-lib thing."
Annabelle raised an eyebrow at Salvatore before her laughter became even louder when Fish shot him in the head.
Once his dead body had fallen onto the floor, Fish said, "I am relaxed."
Aside from the sound of Annabelle's laughter, it was silent between all three groups.
No one, aside from Annabelle, had moved whatsoever for a couple of moments.
After those couple of moments, Selina quickly ran out of the building, Butch ran for cover and Harvey ran to untie and release the others that came to the building with him, while both Fish and Salvatore's men started to shoot at each other.
It took both Harvey and James to get Annabelle, seeing as how she kept moving while she laughed.
And while James had to carry an incessantly laughing Annabelle, he yelled, "Let's go!"
* * *
After looking around for any sign of any of Fish's men being nearby as soon as she was put down by James Gordon, Annabelle ducked down behind a car that was in front of a truck, while James said to them, "If we can get to Seventh Avenue without being spotted by Fish's people, we're home free."
Harvey asked him, "Then what?"
James told him, "We find a safe place, regroup." Then he said to Carmine, "Maroni's death is a lucky break for you."
In turn, Carmine said to James, "Spoken like a true mafioso."
James told him, "You're the least worst option. Like you said, without you, the city falls apart."
Carmine replied, "Yes, I said that. And it might be true. But this has been a long day and I've had a long time to look at this world I've created. I'm done with this business. I'm out. I've got a place down south I can go to. I'm sorry."
Annabelle's eyebrows furrowed, while James said, "You're sorry?"
Carmine sighed as he said, "I know, I'm letting you down. I'm letting the city down. I know."
Annabelle asked him, "But what are Zsasz and I supposed to do? We've been working for you all this time. What are we supposed to do now?"
Carmine opened his mouth to respond, only to stop and duck down when they heard a door opening nearby and a group of men talking amongst themselves.
One of the men said, "I think I heard something."
Another man said, "Yeah, flash it this way."
A third man said, "Down here, down here."
Then Harvey said in a whisper, "Okay, plan B."
It was only after the group of men were gone that they stepped out from behind the car and ran towards the shipping containers and tried to open each one until one eventually opened and the four of them quickly ran into it.
After it was closed, Harvey asked Carmine, "So you got a place down south, huh? Nice? On the water?"
Carmine nodded his head, while he said, "Yes."
Harvey asked him, "Any work for beat-up old cops?"
Carmine nodded his head again as he said, "Sure."
Harvey asked James, "How's that sound, Jim? Beaches, sunshine, fishing."
James replied, "Yeah. Tempting."
Then the doors to the shipping container were opened and revealed Selina Kyle and four of Fish's men.
At that moment, Annabelle looked more annoyed than anything and wanted to bash James and Harvey's heads in for their choice of talking when they should've been quiet.
After looking between the four of them, Selina said to them, "Hello again." When none of them responded, she asked them, "Cat got your tongue?"
With a scoff, Annabelle said, "Piss off."
* * *
While watching her men and Selina Kyle lead the four of them back to her, Fish whispered 'yes' as she walked towards them.
After reaching them, Fish said, "Selina. Boys. Annabelle." Then she nodded her head at Selina and said to the teenager, "Bless you."
Harvey said to her, "Gotta hand it to you, Fish. You really know how to stop a show."
Fish replied, "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. You could be looking at the new queen of Gotham."
Carmine said to her, "Congratulations, my dear. I'm quitting, Fish. I'm out."
Fish asked him, "Does this mean I don't have to kill you?" Carmine nodded his head before she asked him, "You're going to retire someplace warm, lay back, read your little funny papers?"
When he nodded once more, she asked him, "And what about Annabelle? What will she be doing?"
Carmine replied, "Whatever she wishes, I suppose. I'm fairly certain that before I met her, she was trying to determine where her father could be so she could kill him for his attempt to kill her almost three-hundred years ago. I'm sure she'd like to get back to doing that, now that she won't have to do as I ask."
In turn, Fish said, "Hmm."
Then he told her, "That was the thought."
Fish nodded to herself, while she said, "Yeah, nice thought."
It was then that gunfire was heard, which got Annabelle to grab Carmine before she sped towards a hiding place and watched as Oswald fired his machine gun at Fish and her men.
Despite the way that Annabelle now hated Oswald, she had to admit that he did have a tendency for theatrics, which made her wonder if he ended up meeting her half-brother, Klaus, at any point during his life.
After all, only those that met Klaus would be as theatrical as Oswald was in that exact moment.
After the gunfire stopped, Carmine slowly raised his head to see Oswald limp towards a handgun and picked it up and pointed at a man that said 'please, no' before he cut the man off with a gunshot to the head.
Then Oswald yelled, "Fish! Where are you?"
Annabelle looked over at a staircase that led to the roof and saw that Fish was quickly trying to escape before Oswald started to limp after her.
Before the four of them quickly moved from their hiding spots, James said, "Go."
Before the four of them got into Salvatore Maroni's vehicle, Annabelle mockingly saluted in Oswald's direction, while she said, "Good luck to you, Oswald, and whatever is left of your life. You're going to need it."
Then they got into the vehicle and James reversed the vehicle before he drove out of the building, just as quickly as he threw it in reverse.
* * *
Annabelle was following James and Harvey to Barbara Kean's penthouse, only to stop and tilt her head when she saw Barbara lying on the floor with Leslie Thompkins's hands on both sides of her head before she asked, "What the bloody hell is going on here?"
Leslie quickly looked up at the four of them after she heard Annabelle's voice before her eyes widened when she heard James say, "Lee?"
While she quickly walked towards James, Leslie told him, "Sh-She just-- She just went crazy."
While Annabelle looked between the two women with narrowed eyes and started to wonder what had even occurred to make Barbara apparently go crazy, Harvey turned to Carmine and said to him, "I told him that woman was trouble."
Annabelle chuckled to herself, which got Carmine to glance over at her, while Harvey walked into the other room and Leslie continued to sob.
If she knew that something like this would happen, she would have insisted on getting to the penthouse much earlier than they did.
In Annabelle's opinion, they missed quite the fight.
* * *
Annabelle and Carmine were taking one final walk around the city, while they listened to the sound of men talking to each other about things that they didn't particularly care about.
After spending so many years controlling the city as Don Carmine Falcone, Annabelle felt it was best to walk with him one more time before he left for the south.
After spending several long minutes walking quietly, Carmine asked her, "Now that I'm retiring, what are you going to do with yourself, Annabelle? Are you going to remain in the city and find something to do?"
Annabelle shook her head, while she said, "No, I think you were right. I should go find my cursed father and make him pay for what he did to me for seven-hundred and fifteen years from the moment he first struck me when I was six to when he murdered my love, William. I need to make him pay for all the things he did to me."
Carmine sighed as he said to her, "I know better than to try and make you change your mind. I know that when you come to a conclusion, you don't change it, no matter who asks you to."
Annabelle nodded her head as she said, "You're right. I won't change my mind about this."
Carmine asked her, "And what about Victor? Will you at least say your goodbye to him before you leave?"
Annabelle asked him, "Why should I? He's never cared for me. I'm nothing more than someone he worked with."
In turn, Carmine muttered under his breath, "Oh."
This alone got Annabelle to look at him with furrowed eyebrows, while she asked him, "What? Has he said otherwise?"
Carmine smiled as he said, "Never mind that. You'll be leaving, anyways."
Annabelle sighed as she looked around herself before she said, "I have to say, Don Falcone, I'm going to miss this city, now that I have no more reason for residing in this place. Now that I think about it, it is quite odd, given how much I loathed this city when I first arrived here eleven years ago. Then there were moments in my first two years here that I loathed you as well, but I have to say that you and this place had grown on me during my time here. A few others had, as well."
Carmine nodded his head.
He knew very well just who she was talking about but chose not to mention the name aloud.
It was only when they returned to Salvatore Maroni's car that Carmine turned to her with a smile on his face and said as he grabbed her hands, "Thank you, my friend, for taking me on a walk in this city for one last time."
She smiled at him as she replied, "Of course, Don Falcone. I'd do anything for you."
He nodded his head at her and turned to climb into the vehicle, only to stop when she said, "Just know that no matter where I am and how long it takes, I will drop whatever it is I'm doing and do as you ask. No matter what it is. I owe everything to you, Don Falcone. I give you my word."
Carmine sighed as he said, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Annabelle. Goodbye now."
She nodded her head with a smile on her face, while she said, "Goodbye, sir."
Then she watched as he climbed into his vehicle and drove out of the city with his things.
It was only when she no longer saw the vehicle that she sped towards the house she was temporarily using as hers, so she could gather her things and hunt down her father in order to make him pay for the things he did to her.
* * *
It was one month later and Annabelle did as she said.
She had left Gotham and was hunting down her father.
She wanted to make him pay for what he did to her.
Despite the fact that it had been two-hundred and ninety-seven years since she last saw him, she still wanted to make him pay.
Especially when he attempted to kill her after informing her that he killed her love, William, whilst she and her siblings were inside of Spain back in 1702.
She needed to make him pay.
Not only for what he did to her, but also for what he did to Klaus and how he killed William.
So naturally, she was following a lead that led her to a small town in Virginia called Mystic Falls.
One town that she was unaware that in just twelve years, she would have to witness one doppelganger and her hunter brother murder her twin brother, while he was inside of their home.
The only reason she was in said town was because she heard that it was where her father, Mikael, was last seen.
So naturally she had to go there and find out just what it was that had drawn him there, because surely her siblings would have no reason to be heading there whatsoever.
After walking through the town square and starting to wonder how she could find out her father's location, she suddenly stopped walking when she heard footsteps coming from behind her.
Because of her assumption that no one would try anything against her, given how she believed nobody in the town would know of the existence of vampires, she didn't bother to turn around until she heard the safety being turned off on a gun.
She quickly turned around tilted her head when she saw four men and one woman in a black mask with her hair in a high and tight ponytail standing there with their weapons pointed at her.
When the four men started to walk closer to her, her veins came onto display, which got the woman's eyes to widen for a fraction of a second before she cleared her throat.
The four men stopped moving, which got Annabelle to eye them.
She never heard of vampire hunters being so hesitant to attempt to kill her, so she couldn't help but wonder what they wanted with her.
It wasn't until she heard the woman say 'go ahead' that the men started to shoot several rounds at Annabelle.
Annabelle thought she could take it, only to let out a groan when she realized that the bullets were laced with vervain.
As she let out another groan, she said, "Damn it."
The men didn't stop shooting at her until they ran out of bullets and it was only then that the woman revealed her crossbow.
The difference with these arrows was that they were completely wooden, which could temporarily put down Annabelle.
The woman pulled back one arrow and stared at Annabelle without blinking, while she watched Annabelle start to heavily shake from anger.
It was only when Annabelle started to run towards her that she released the first arrow, which only brushed against her heart.
The second arrow that was released merely grazed her face.
The third, however, entered her chest and went through her heart, which got Annabelle to fall onto her knees, while she said to the woman, "You bitch."
The woman only tilted her head, while she watched Annabelle fall face-first onto the face and took notice of the veins that were starting to make their way up Annabelle's arms, neck and up towards the top of her head.
It was only when Annabelle was covered in the veins that the woman said, "Take her."
And that they did.
They grabbed her and shoved her into the trunk of their car before they quickly drove out of Mystic Falls and headed straight back to Gotham City for a plan that the woman's brother needed Annabelle Mikaelson for.
And it was a known fact to all those that knew the woman's brother that he wouldn't take no for an answer.