Monsters are real, and ghosts are real to. They live inside us and sometimes they win. -Steven King.
Tabitha stood in a white strapless dress she began walking down the aisle her face covered by her veil she was so happy seeing butch it took all she had to not run to him. She could hear beautiful music playing. The wedding was held in a garden those present were Barbara and Selina and some of Butch's family.
She finally reached Butch they both smiled at each other "I can't believe this is real." Tabitha smiled.
"Neither can I." Butch took her hands "I love you babe."
Tabitha's heart began to pound "I love you. I love you Butch I'm sorry I never said it enough."
"Hey it's okay Tabby. We have our whole lives ahead of us."
Tabitha suddenly felt dizzy and she saw Butch was bleeding from both the head and his chest "Butch I don't understand why are you bleeding?"
"Tabitha what do you mean? I'm dead remember?" Butch asked confused.
"Your what?" Tabitha stumbled and Butch was no longer Butch he was Grundy "Butch how did?"
"What was so wrong with me looking like this Tabby?" Butch asked now wearing a ruined suit and looking like a corpse.
"What do you mean? Butch I loved I mean I love you." Tabitha started crying not understanding what was happening.
"Wasn't it enough to just have me back? What did it matter how I looked or smelled?"
"I… I tried Butch you were the one that wanted to be cured."
Butch's tone became angry "But you could have reassured me. You could have told me you didn't care what I looked like, but you were shallow and because of that I'm dead."
"No." Tabitha shook her head "Penguin killed you Butch. Not me."
"Penguin only got the chance because I wanted a cure because you cared more about how I looked on the outside than the inside! That wasn't the only time either you caused my death I Barbara shot me because you couldn't just stick to one of us you had to have us both! I am dead because of you Tabitha! Now I'm returning the favor." Grundy grabbed Tabitha by the throat strangling her.
"Butch-" Tabitha struggled to speak "Please stop I love you." Her eyes slowly closed and before everything went dark she said with tears flowing from her eyes "I'm sorry." Then everything went dark.
Tabitha slowly opened her eyes she felt weak so very weak "Hey come on Tabitha wake up we can't stay here!"
Tabitha looked around and struggled to remember what happened everything was blurred and glowing her vision slowly came into focus she saw she was wearing black halter dress "Where am I?"
"Take it easy Jean Paul and I are here to save you." The Blurred Figure said helping her sit up "You have lost a lot of blood."
"Blood? I'm not bleeding. Who are-" She looked at him closely the blurred figure came into focus and she felt like her dream came true "Butch how are you here?"
Butch just gave her a weird look "Butch? Tabitha it's me Jim Gordon."
Tabitha then heard someone running down the steps in the underground tomb she turned it was Theo but he was different somehow he was dressed as a priest "We have to go Jim the Niccolai Tepes knows we are here."
Gotham One Day Earlier…
Jim Gordon was tired it was had been long and hard fighting trying to restore order in Gotham. He couldn't remember the last time he got a solid night sleep "Have we made any progress Harvey?" He asked as they approached a border.
"Well we control more of Gotham then when we started. That's got to count for something am I right? So what's the story with this Jean Paul Valley guy?"
"Well supposedly this Jean Paul Valley was a priest who arrived in Gotham a couple weeks before everything went to hell." Jim explained then Harvey grew quiet and pointed up ahead at someone lying in the middle of the street it was a woman, but they couldn't make out her face just her black hair.
"Think it's a trap partner?" Harvey asked getting his gun ready. Since the city went to hell the City had become war zone. Harvey and Jim naturally expected traps at this point.
"You tell me partner. Jean Paul is known for his kindness but also his brutality when it comes to killing threats to his territory. The guy supposedly has caused both the sirens and Penguin significant losses." Jim added.
"Who would have thought a priest would be so dam scary." Harvey muttered.
"Well there's another reason I want to meet him Harvey." Jim added "Supposedly he goes by another name Azrael. I think he's tied to the Galavan Family and I want to make sure he's not a threat to me or Bruce."
"I gottcha. So, let's find out who this woman is." The two slowly approached the unconscious woman the quickly recognized her Leia she was part of the sirens but something was off "She's dead a while now Jim. What's this?" Harvey quickly noticed bite marks around her neck "Think this is that Manbat guy's doing?"
"No Harvey. He's locked up at the GCDP has been for two weeks. She's been dead I'm guessing since last night. Judging by her condition I'd say something chased her likely toyed with her. Her clothing suggests she's been on the run."
"Isn't she supposed to be a, bad-ass assassin or something?" Harvey asked perplexed.
"Yeah but that doesn't mean anything if your being hunted like a wild animal." Jim replied "From what I understand these Sisters of the League this one especially are arrogant and when arrogant people encounter a superior threat they typically don't know how to respond. She likely encountered a monster of some kind and it attacked her group even if they had the numbers it's likely they were easily over powered she likely ran in blind terror at the sight of her allies being slaughtered."
"How do you know this?" Harvey asked a little concerned by the look on Jim's face.
"I've seen it in war. I've seen cocky bastards turn to cowards really quick in the face of death and true carnage." Jim explained.
In seconds Jim and Harvey found themselves surrounded by the enemy "Hands in the air!" The Squad Leader yelled and Jim and Harvey complied their attackers didn't look like Penguin or Barbara's flunkies "Identify yourselves!" The Squad leader shouted.
"My name is Jim Gordon this Harvey Bullock we're here to meet with Jean Paul Valley otherwise known as Azrael." Jim shouted.
"James Gordon? Father Jean said to expect you. He also said to be cautious that's why we're doing an extra patrol of the area." The Squad Leader looked over at the dead Leia "She have bite marks around the neck?"
"Yeah. Is it fine to ask what you know?" Jim knew he'd likely not get an answer but he figured it was worth a shot.
The Squad leader signaled his men and they started doing something odd "You two are going to want to stay back." The soldiers turned the woman on her back and took out an axe, hammer, and wooden stake first the first thing they did was hammer the stake into Leia's chest and then they took out some alcohol and doused the remains next they lit a match and set the body on fire "We should scatter her ashes at a crossroads but we don't have time this will have to do."
"You guys mind telling us what's going?" Harvey's voice teemed anger.
"It's better to let Father Jean tell you both himself."
Jim and Harvey were then escorted by the militia squad to a church it was surprising to say the least it seemed like refugee camp in a third world country Jim and Harvey's territory was similar, but Jean Paul Valley's territory seemed to be significantly thriving and soldiers looked less like militia and more like trained soldiers the more Jim observed them.
Jim could only assume Jean Paul Valley had rounded army trained civilians and or was able to smuggle U.S. soldiers into the city. Which made sense given Jean Paul's territory included the docks. They were taken to a church and stripped of their weapons they were then allowed inside alone together where a man who faced a statue of Jesus was in prayer. The two didn't know what to think as they watched him they heard his voice and it surprised Jim more than Harvey as he said "Hello Jim Gordon." His face shocked them both it the priest Jean Paul Valley was a dead ringer for Theo Galavan.
"Holy moly." Harvey couldn't believe his eyes "There's two Theos? Like with Jerome and that bastard Jeremiah?"
"Not exactly Mr. Bullock. I was born Theo Galavan and was groomed my whole life to follow a path of…" Jean Paul stopped himself not exactly sure how to continue "I was set on a path of revenge over a matter that made little to no real sense. I was sent to train under the monks of the Order of Saint Dumas their training was shall we say horrific. I was never truly a believer of my family's views. Though I was always more drawn to more traditional Christian values. Something I kept to myself I can assure you. I grew desperate and I managed to escape I was hiding in a foreign country when I found another boy who looked a great deal like me. His name was Niccolai Tepes. Tepes was an orphan the son of a gypsy woman and an unknown father. I knew the Order would find me in time so I…"
"You taught Tepes to, be you." Jim deduced "That explains why you look like him. Not why he tried to fulfill the prophesy and was so obsessed with it."
"Yes well." Jean Paul spoke hesitantly "After teaching him to be me I reinvented myself as Jean Paul Valley a priest and a servant of God. However I didn't realize until it was too late how unstable the man was. In my desperation to escape an abusive situation I… I let a monster near the people I love most. I let him corrupt the one person I love most, and I'd give anything to fix it. My sister used to be so different so full of life and love and that monster corrupted her soul." Jean said as he fought back tears "I've done my research James I know you know what it's like to commit a horrid act out of desperation and fear. I have something to say to you Gordon."
"What?" Jim was defense he didn't know what to expect from Jean Paul.
"Thank you. I know as a man of God what I say is wrong as it condones murder but because of you my niece is safe from the influence of a monster. Unbeknownst to Tabitha I was even able to take steps in making sure Silver was properly cared for after her ordeal. Also because of you my sister is well I thought she was safe from him. Recent events have… you know what it's better if I show you." Jean Paul looked over to the end of the church and yelled "Bring him out!" Two men came in dragging a third man in the third man was muzzled Jim grew concerned but Jean Paul stopped him "I know what your thinking James but just watch." The third man was thrown into the light of the evening sun and Jim along with Harvey watched in horror as he burned and turned to ash.
Jim was speechless Harvey though was able to muster up enough courage to say "Was that a vampire?"
"Yes." Jean Paul nodded "I apologize for the theatrics but seeing is believing and I did want you to believe me. Especially for what I am about to ask of you."
"What do you want from us?" Jim asked clearly unnerved by what he had seen.
"I was sincere when I invited the two of you to negotiate a peace treaty and an alliance. However, my spies caught sight of something last night. My sister was attempting to sneak into Cobblepot's territory to pull off an assassination she even took some those assassin women with her but they were ambushed by Tepes's nest."
"Wait hold on the guy got his by a bazooka!" Harvey yelled "How is he behind this?"
"Simple Mr. Bullock the Order performed a ritual meant for someone of Dumas blood. However, Tepes is not of Dumas blood so he came back wrong. I was as surprised as anyone. He blamed me for his two deaths and came after me fortunately I'm superstitious. I came to Gotham in hopes of both protecting my sister and to perhaps save what's left of her soul. Before I could reach out to her well everything went to hell. I hold myself responsible because not only did I send Tepes on this path I am responsible for his third death."
"Third death?" Jim looked confused.
Jean Paul took a deep breath and exhaled "Before the city was cut off from the outside world Tepes was little more than a rabid animal with semi intelligence I stole the sword of Azrael from the GCPD evidence lock up in hopes it might slay him. It did but by killing him I as he put it afterwards fulfilled his destiny. He appeared to me after I killed him and told me he had a vision before you killed him James. He said some nonsense about the blood of his first two killers. Took me a while to understand his words but after I learned he had my sister I finally understood that he needs not only my sister but you as well for some reason. It seems that because Tabitha abandoned him to die and you pulled the trigger you are both technically his first two killers." Jean Paul explained.
Jean Paul then continued "I want the two of you to help me save Tabitha not just for her or my sake but yours as well Jim. Tepes's army grows each night with each victim he takes a new vampire is born and added to his ranks. Soon Tepes and his horde will be able to overrun the territories like a swarm of locusts. After that his legions will flood the Earth. Our only saving grace is that the light of the sun keeps them at bay. For now, he's been smart turning only a few. Soon he'll start turning as many as he pleases, and he's already moved up his quality of minions. I don't expect help Jim, but he will in time come after you better to take the fight to him first."
Jim was reluctant at first, however after what he had just witnessed he couldn't look away from this potential threat, so he gave in "Alright fine we'll help you, but we don't trust you. When do we hit him?"
"My scouts found his lair it's deep underground and his latest recruit his first general is guarding it like the hound Cerberus guards the underworld except instead of a dog he's a strange type of lizard man named Waylon Jones. We'll have to get through him first. After that it's a matter of making it back to camp."
Deep Beneath Gotham…
He dressed in blood red robes. Tepes felt more alive now that he was dead. He more than saw the irony of that. Perhaps it was due to him no longer having to play Theo Galavan. He hated that he truly did and often at times as he reflected on his mortal life he found he hated the Dumas Family and their hypocritical morality towards the end his true self started to show that's what caused Tabitha to betray him now though he could be himself.
He set up shop in a buried part of old Gotham lost catacombs once belonging to the Court of Owls. Where they buried their prized Talons, a place called the Labyrinth by the Court it was also where they buried those called the "unworthy" in time Tepes learned he could turn not only with his bite but raise the dead with his blood and the latter method resulted in better soldiers than the mindless beasts his bite produced.
He looked down on Tabitha as she laid on top of the crypt. He placed her in a dream like state he had a made to slowly turn into her worse nightmare. Tepes moved silently like a ghost she looked beautiful in the dress he picked out for her "I missed you Tabitha I'm sorry for the whole trying to kill you, thing. You have to admit we were an unbeatable team it was only when we fell apart that we lost."
Tepes said as he sat next to her moving closer and closer practically getting on top of her "This brings back memories. I remember when I saw you, back then Tabitha you were so young and beautiful I couldn't keep my eyes of you. I remember the first time I got on top of you. Sure you didn't like me touching you at first but in time I think you felt the same way. I loved you Sister more than that coward ever did. He's really to blame he didn't have the spine to do what your family required. I remember you locking your door to your bedroom or where ever you could run to when we were alone I remember saying Sister please speak to me. I am sorry for hurting you Tabitha, but you just make me so angry sometimes but when you wake you will never want to be away from me again." Tepes said with a depraved smile as he looked up and down her body.
Tepes was so tempted to remove his cloak and take her now but he wanted her to give in willingly besides she and his other killer had to be made to suffer first and he still had to make sense of his prophesy. Still he had no problem kissing his sleeping beauty and the warmth of her lips was intoxicating "All I need is my other killer Jim Gordon now."
