Once the sun has set,

No candle can replace it.

- George R.R. Martin

Sofia Falcone had come to Gotham with hope in her heart. Now, the only thing there was medicine and tubes. Anchoring her to this world while her mind floated in the next.

She had come here with the intention of restoring the family name, replacing Penguin as the ruler of the underworld. For a while, she had. But winning Gotham's crown was no great accomplishment. Keeping it was something else entirely.

Sofia learned that when she tried - and failed - to have Penguin killed, putting a generous bounty on his head. She learned that again when Jim Gordon, the man that she'd thought was hers to control, had finally told her to go to Hell. The lesson was hammered in when her sister-in-law, Lee Thompkins, put a couple of bullets in her.

Against all odds, Sofia survived.

But you know what they say: certain stains can be very challenging to wash out.

A figure stood over the hospital bed, where beeping machines crowded. Looked over the sleeping woman, who was hooked up to an I.V. as well as an oxygen mask. Despite all that, she was beautiful. Her skin was fair and creamy, with a constellation of beauty marks across her arms and chest. Her hair was dark brown and wavy, combed and washed every three days by nurses. Her face was square and fine, with high cheekbones and full lips. Her eyes were closed, but the person knew that they were brown, big, and very good at looking innocent.

"You thought you could get rid of Oswald, eh?" The voice emerging was a couple of pitches higher than normal. "You believed you could seduce him, gain his trust...only to kill him. Was that your brilliant scheme? Get close enough to him, so you'd have a crack at his heart?" Shaking their head, the person stepped into the light.

Oswald Cobblepot. Or, the Penguin. And yet, it wasn't. No one ever understood the sudden physical changes that had come upon the Penguin the year before. His flippers. His rounder face, curlier hair. The dark blue rimming his iris. He'd never offered a word of explanation to anyone, and when he'd reemerged stronger than ever, it had been like witnessing the rebirth of a mighty phoenix.

But this would have brought to mind even more questions, had anyone been present. Those who knew the Penguin, worked under him, killed for him, served him, would be confused by his body language and tone of voice. It was more...casual, lax. Feminine. And when he peered down at his enemy, the one who'd tried to steal his empire, they would have noticed that his eyes were completely dark blue. And borderline feral. "I've been waiting ages for this moment." Not-Oswald continued. "I had to watch you play with his feelings like toys, manipulating him to think you cared about him...all to please Daddy. Pathetic. You make me sick." Viciously, Not-Oswald spat in Sofia's face. Watched with sinister contentment as the foamy glob slithered down her cheek.

Not-Oswald continued. "Oswald never loved you. Make no mistake. He was beginning to feel infatuation towards you...but only because you gave him attention and care. Like I once did, when I had a body of my own. But you know what the difference between us is? I truly love Oswald. I loved him for a long time, even when he had no idea. I put my happiness before his countless times, even when it killed me inside. And eventually, I gave up my body so that Oswald could live. I allowed his dying body to absorb mine, healing from a bullet wound and making him nearly impervious to all threats. How else do you think he survived being frozen?"

Ruby Sinclair, speaking in Oswald's voice, leaned down and grabbed Sofia by the hair. "You, on the other hand, have never loved anything or anyone...except yourself. You used your pretty body to get Jim to do what you wanted. Then, at the same time, you used your smile and phony sweetness to worm your way into Oswald's heart. You were ready to kill both when they refused to play your games anymore. You killed your own father." Ruby tangled her hand around Sofia's hair, pulling their faces close. "Guess what, princess: you're dead. You've been a dead woman walking ever since you first lied to Oswald. You were just too fucking dim to see it." Reaching into Oswald's jacket pocket, Ruby extracted a dagger. "I can't say it's been a pleasure."

The dagger bit soft skin. Warm blood flowed. The beeping machines flat-lined.

Ruby wiped the blade clean on Sofia's scrub, folded it, and made her way out of the hospital.

No one witnessed her justice. That was both a relief and a shame.

To both Oswald Cobblepot and the ghost living in his heart.