A Gotham Trilogy: Book 3 : Requiem

Concluding instalment of the AU Gotham Trilogy.

Summary:

Set a year after the events of Book 2 : Vengeance. It seems life is finally settling down for the Cobblepot family, as Lilly keeps her bargain with Jim Gordon and plays her part in their agreement to help him rid the city of the worst of the criminals who have cheated the justice system, along with her Uncle Ed, who is only too happy to assist with her Jigsaw style killings.

Then the family suffers a devastating blow – as Oswald's twenty year old son Ozzie breaks the shattering news that he has been diagnosed with the same inherited illness his father fought and survived two decades before. Then Oswald, broken by fear of losing his only son, turns to the one person he never should have turned to – scheming Fish Mooney, who sees a way into the family and a chance to grab back some power... Unless Ed Nygma can intervene and stop her.

But Ozzie is not as tough as his father, and after struggling with difficult treatment, soon decides he can only take one way out – and jumps from the Gotham bridge. As the shattered family deal with the tragedy, and Ozzies body is not recovered from the water despite an extensive search, Rose refuses to believe her son is dead, even when the search is called off and the family decide to hold a memorial service for him.

But as events unfold, Rose begins to suspect she was right all the long as she and Ozzie's heartbroken fiancée Bridgit Pike begin to uncover facts about Ozzie, who it seems, kept secrets... Is Ozzie really dead, and when his serial killer sister Lilly learns the truth, will she choose to obey Oswald's wishes, or as a dark family secret is revealed, will she exact a terrible and bloody jigsaw-style revenge that could spark a gang war that could destroy the city of Gotham?

Author notes: TRIGGER WARNING! Please be aware this story has some dark and heavy elements including a story thread that needs a trigger warning for the subject of suicide and suicidal thoughts, intent, plans and actions.

Introduction:

Rose:

'It came as a huge relief to know Lilly's mistake had not ended in disaster. For now, the underworld was at peace and with no trouble stirred up, she had all the time in the world to carry out the occasional killing for Jim Gordon – or as Lilly called it, taking out the trash. She was always helped by Ed, who thoroughly enjoyed the bloody slaughter and helped her clean up afterwards.

By now, it was official that Lilly and Ivan were dating. I was just as surprised as my husband to see that once cold Lilly couldn't keep her hands off her new love. I could see her and Ivan lasting forever.

Oswald didn't see Fish Mooney too often, and I was glad about that. But at the same time, it was good to know they had managed to bury the pain of the past and reach a new understanding. His meetings with Fish didn't affect our marriage, he was still as close to me and Ed as he had ever been.

Ivy was a lot happier these days, too – Eddie was starting college soon, she had no problems with Ed's son, he was a good boy, he was going to turn out okay, just like our Ozzie... As for our youngest daughter, eleven year old Karina was a curious mix of tomboy with a love of borrowing her grandmother's jewellery and silk scarves. We had no worries, no problems...

And then something terrible happened. It was Ozzie, our only son. He gave us devastating news. There was no warning, no sign that anything was wrong - until he told us, and then I felt as if the world had shattered...'

Chapter 1

It was a warm spring morning. The skies of Gotham were blue and it made a welcome change from the grey that hung permanently above all through the colder months, the sun was shining and as Rose woke from sleep, she turned over and smiled at the sight of Oswald on his back, and Ed the other side of him, with his arm draped around him. They both looked so peaceful and contented. Rose leaned over her husband and gently blew on his spiked hair. Oswald shifted, then his eyes opened and she looked down at him and smiled.

"Good morning, sweetheart," she said.

Oswald pulled her closer and they shared a kiss. As Rose looked into his eyes, she thought back to the events of the night before.

"Last night..."

"Was wonderful!" Oswald said with a sparkle in his eyes, "You and me and Ed... I do enjoy Penguin sandwich time! I don't think there's a part of me that didn't get kissed -"

"No," Rose replied, keeping her voice low as Ed slept on, "I'm talking about our son. It's the second night he's missed dinner, he's so quiet, he even told Bridgit not to come over last night – again! I heard him on the phone in the middle of the night, I think he had a quarrel -"

"All couples quarrel sometime, Rose!"

Oswald ran his fingers through her long red hair, by the look in his eyes his mind was on a repeat performance of the night before, but Rose couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong.

"I'm worried about him. Lately he's been out a lot and he's not been with Bridgit, she's called the house and asked where he is! Those two practically live together, Oswald! She's always here and now she's not and our son is acting really weird."

"Ozzie's a good boy, he always has been. Don't worry about him."

"But I do," she replied, and then she kissed him again and got out of bed.

"I'm going to get dressed and go downstairs, if he's up early I'll try and talk to him."

Oswald smiled.

"You're worrying for nothing, my dear... come back to bed."

"You stay in bed. I need to speak to our son, I won't be happy until I know what's wrong," she replied.

Oswald gave a sigh.

"There's nothing wrong. I'm his father, I'd know if there was a problem."

"And I'm his mother, and I think there is a problem," Rose stated, then she left the room and went into the bathroom.

The softly spoken voices had woken Ed, who blinked away sleep and smiled as he looked at Oswald.

"No Rose this morning?"

"She's worried about Ozzie, she said he's been too quiet lately."

Ed's thoughts were far from Oswald's son and what might be wrong in his life as he ran his hand down his body.

"Ozzie? He's fine. He never has problems. Oh, it looks like I've got my little Penguin all too myself this morning..." he pulled him close, rolled on top and covered his mouth with a passionate kiss.

As Ed's attentions got him instantly aroused, his concerns for his son slipped away as Oswald ran his fingers through his hair, then he shifted position, catching his breath as Ed's hips pressed against his parted thighs.

"I do love having you all to myself," Ed whispered, then he kissed him again and his hand moved lower, as Oswald closed his eyes, giving a soft gasp as Ed stroked his solid erection.

Further down the upper hall of the mansion, twenty year old Ozzie Cobblepot was up and dressed and sitting on his bed. He wore dark jeans and a white shirt and his black leather shoes were polished to a high shine. He glanced into the bedroom mirror and noticed shadows under his eyes from lack of sleep. Unlike his father, his dark hair hung flat, he didn't spike it, but his eyes were the same shade of icy blue and as he looked at his reflection, he thought about his life and how he had once had it all – his parents were wealthy, his father was the most powerful businessman in Gotham, and also highly respected within underworld circles. He had always assumed his life would be easy, he had never known hardship or trouble – until now...

As he looked into the mirror he noticed his eyes were slightly red from crying and he wiped them with the back of his hand, then he reached for his phone and opened up a message:

'Why did I wait all this time to tell you? Because you dumped me for that ugly, scarred bitch! You won't be happy together. I didn't stay quiet, it's not a secret any more. You are in the shit, Ozzie! This is going to cause so much trouble and it's all your fault!'

The message was several weeks old. There had been more, before and since, and last night, he had called Melanie, an ex he regretted ever dating in the first place, and told her he didn't care what she did, because it was too late to care now...

Ozzie glanced to his closed bedroom door, then he reached under the bed and took out a letter. He unfolded it, laid it on the bed and took a picture of it and paused to write a message:

'Do what ever the hell you like. It's too late for me. You want proof? Here it is! Now fuck off, I don't care what you do any more, my life is over!'

He thought about the night he had run into her and a gang of her friends at the local casino and she had hurled verbal abuse at him. Melanie had never got over him dumping her for Firefly. Melanie had not even been a serious relationship, not to Ozzie – but she had her heart set on marrying Penguin's son. She was an ex from hell.

Months later, it had all come to a head with that night and what he had yelled out in front of so many people... It was only a matter of time before it got back to his parents and he knew he had to tell them before they heard the news from someone else...

He sent the message and then blinked away tears. He looked to his empty bed and his heart ached for Bridgit. She didn't deserve this, neither did his family. But he had to tell them now...

He got up, folded the letter and put it in his pocket. Then he blocked her number. He would have enough to handle without unwanted phone calls making his stress levels shoot through the roof...

As Ozzie made his way down the stairs, he felt sick with tension. He wanted to cry. But his life was at stake, and his family needed to know sooner rather than later. He went through to the kitchen, then looked at the table, picturing their faces: His parents, his Uncle Ed, his Grandma, his little sister Karina. Then he thought of the house at the back of the estate and he thought of Lilly and Eddie, then his Auntie Ivy. She was so easy to talk to. Suddenly it seemed better to tell her first. Ivy would be understanding, telling her would make this easier to break it to the rest of the family before the gossip got back and they heard it all in the worst possible way...

He was tearful as he left the house and walked along the path. He thought back to his childhood and growing up here on the estate, he passed Karina's elaborate playhouse and remembered when the barn had been standing and Lilly had been in the fire. He loved his family so much, but this had to be done. There was no other way, not now... it was too late.

He saw Ivy in the greenhouse and walked in through the open door.

"Ozzie!" she said with a smile as she turned from tending a large leafy plant, then her smile faded. Ozzie looked tearful and pale and…scared?

"What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked and Ozzie walked over to his aunt and took the letter from his pocket and handed it to her.

"I've had some terrible news!" he said, and then he burst into tears.

Ivy put her arm around him, led him through to a seating area where she pulled out a chair and he sat at the table, then she sat down too, still with the folded letter in her hand.

"It's okay," she said softly, "What can be so bad that you can't tell your parents about it?"

Then she unfolded the letter. She read it in silence, her face paled and she shook her head.

"No, this can't be right... You were screened for inherited disease as a baby and it came back clear..."

"That was twenty years ago," Ozzie reminded her as he looked at her with wet, tearful eyes, "Obviously technology has improved since then. I've been feeling unwell for a couple of months. I saw a doctor and I got the diagnosis. You can see it all there in the letter, Ivy – there's no mistake. I've got my father's condition."

More tears filled his eyes as Ivy shifted closer and put an arm around his shoulders.

"Why did you keep quiet about this?"

"Because I wanted to handle it myself, I'm a grown man and I can deal with this!"

"No, you can't handle something like this on your own!"

He had been looking down at the table. Now he raised his head and met her gaze.

"Before I started seeing Bridgit I'd been dating this girl called Melanie... it wasn't anything serious, not to me. But I dumped her for Bridgit. I saw Mel at the casino a few weeks back and she started yelling abuse at me, making threats... big threats.. so I lost it, I shouted back at her, I told her I was sick, I told her I was dying! The whole of Gotham will know and I haven't even told my family yet!"

There was a look of panic in his eyes.

"What am I going to do?" Ozzie said, then he started to sob, and Ivy held him tighter.

"It's going to be okay," she promised, "Your father beat this thing and so will you."

"I'm not as strong as him!"

"We will all be here for you," she vowed.

He looked into her eyes.

"I'm so sorry! It's all my fault!"

"No, you can't help getting sick," Ivy assured him, then she kept her arm around him as he wept and she tried to reassure her frightened nephew that everything would be okay.

An hour later, Ivy told her son Eddie, who was barely awake when she looked in on him, that she had to take Ozzie back to the house. Sixteen year old Eddie had stuck his head up from under the covers, blinked away sleep and put on his glasses.

"What?" he said, still not quite fully awake.

"Ozzie has had some bad news. I'll explain later. Lilly and Ivan are still asleep, they went out a club last night and didn't get back until late so I'm not disturbing them yet. I may be over at the house for a few hours."

"Wait – what's going on?" Eddie said, now fully awake, and as Ozzie waited in the hallway, she spoke quietly to her son, briefly explained and reminded him not to disturb his sister until she was up.

"Oh shit... no...not Ozzie," Eddie said, and Ozzie heard him and took a step away from the door as he blinked away more tears.

Then Ivy led Ozzie from the house and back down the path, and her presence felt reassuring. When they reached the back door of the mansion, they went inside and as Ozzie stood there in the kitchen, he saw his Grandma making some tea. She turned and looked at him, and saw the tearful expression on his face.

"Ozzie, what is wrong?" Gertrude asked.

He couldn't speak. Ivy put her arm around his shoulder again.

"Ozzie's had some bad news. He's sick and he's very scared. He's also ready to tell the rest of the family."

Gertrude's face paled. She knew that look, she had seen it in her own son's eyes many years before.

"No... I thought the curse was ended?"

Ozzie gave a quiet sob.

"And it's going to be okay," Ivy said, as she glanced at Gertrude, silently reminding her to stay positive for her grandson, then she spoke to Ozzie again, "Let's go and tell everyone, the sooner we do this, the sooner we can work together to help you cope," she reminded him, then she glanced at Gertrude again.

"Where is everyone?"

"We had breakfast in the dining room this morning, Oswald is having tea with Ed... Rose is with him, Karina is also there."

"Perfect," Ivy said, maintain a calm tone as she kept a protective arm around her devastated nephew, "Let's go and see your family, we'll do it together, Ozzie."

Ten minutes later, as Ozzie sat tearfully at the table, Rose was standing beside him with her arm around her son as he pressed his face against her and sobbed hard. Ed had fallen into a shocked silence and Karina had piped up, "Is my brother going to die?", to which Rose had firmly replied, "Of course not, Karrie!"

Oswald had sat in shocked silence for a brief moment, as his face paled and the utter devastation he felt reflected in his eyes as he recalled the hardest fight of his life, the weakness and the pain... Ozzie wasn't as strong as him. He wasn't a fighter in any sense of the word. How the hell would he get through this? Then as he realised there was a very real risk that Ozzie would not survive, and he got up and grabbed his cane and stood beside him.

"My beautiful, strong son," he said as his voice shook with emotion and he gently placed a hand on his cheek and brushed away his tears, "Don't worry. Us Cobblepots are tough. You can handle this, I will help you!"

Ozzie scraped the chair back loudly as he stood up, then he turned to his father.

"I'm scared, Dad!" he sobbed, and Oswald held his son as Ozzie wept with his face pressed against his shoulder, as he looked to Rose with fear in his gaze : Ozzie was sick. They could lose their only son. The shock of the news was still sinking in...He was just twenty years old, he was too young to die...

That initial shock the family had felt had soon begun to fade into determination to get through this, as Ivy went back home to make some calls to find out exactly what was happening these days with the cure she had given Oswald so long ago. She had registered it twenty years before so the formula could be available to anyone who needed it, but she could only hope that in the years that had passed, it had been improved by the research department and would now be less painful to administer. Twenty years ago, Oswald had been lucky to survive taking it in its raw, badly administered form. But it had worked for him, and for Lilly, and she hoped it would work for Ozzie, too.

By now Lilly knew everything, and she had grabbed her parasol, yelled to Ivan to hurry up, and then she had left the house. As Ivan dashed out to catch up with her, Ed had walked in with tears in his eyes as he looked to his son, then to Ivy.

"Oh no, poor Ozzie," he said, and as Ivy hugged him tightly, Ed finally shed the tears he had held back in front of Oswald.

Back at the house, as she hurried towards the front room, Lilly's cane tapped hard on the floor as she followed the sound of her family's voices as they spoke in lowered tones.

"My baby brother!" Lilly exclaimed, hugging him tightly, "Love you, love you so much, nothing will ever hurt you, Lilly's here..."

Ozzie had a bewildered expression on his face as Lilly squeezed him tightly. He had only got up to open a window and Lilly had collided with him, holding him so tight he could barely draw breath.

"Not so tight, Lilly!"

She let go of him.

"Sorry!"

"I'm okay. I mean, I will be okay," Ozzie said to her, as he saw intense love and concern reflected in her ice blue eyes.

"Yes, you will," Lilly agreed with a smile, "I was born sick and I was cured and there's nothing wrong with me now!"

No, you just turned out a complete psycho, the serial killer of the family, what could possibly be wrong with you? Ozzie thought to himself as he forced a smile and nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, Sis," he said to her.

"And I'm here for you too," Ivan reminded him as he briefly placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks, Ivan," Ozzie added quietly. All the unity around him was making him feel tearful again. Then Oswald got up.

"Come with me, son," he said, "Let's have a talk in private. I think you need some time to come to terms with this. I can help you with that."

Ozzie followed him out of the room, pausing to glance back at his mother. Rose caught an expression in his eyes that she could only liken to an apology, and it made her heart ache to think he felt like apologising over this situation, which he could not control. As she sat down on the sofa, Gertrude joined her.

"It will be okay," she assured her as she patted her hand, "Ozzie is young and strong. He will get through this."

Her words had no impact on Lilly, whose expression suddenly crumbled as she turned to Ivan and spoke in a voice broken by tears.

"I don't want my little brother to die!" she said in panic, and Ivan hugged her as she quietly wept.

Oswald led his son through to the study, and then he closed the door. They sat down together on a sofa by the window and Oswald looked into his eyes.

"Ozzie, we can get through this, we really can! I've been through it, I know what it's like – I can help you fight this."

Ozzie looked away, avoiding his father's gaze.

"I know this is difficult," Oswald added, "But you can't keep this secret, you can't avoid it. You're sick and you have to deal with it."

Ozzie remained silent, blinking away tears as he looked to the window.

"When did it start?" his father asked.

"A couple of months back," Ozzie replied quietly, still avoiding his gaze.

"Did it start with pain?"

Ozzie nodded.

"Was it like an ache all over your body that hurt your bones?"

"Yes," he replied in a hushed voice as he focused on the window.

"That's how its starts," Oswald replied, and he patted the back of his hand.

Ozzie turned his head and finally met his father's gaze as a tear ran down his face.

"Dry your eyes," Oswald added, taking a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping away his son's tears, "Now, we need to have a different attitude towards this misfortune – there's treatment, I can support you through that. You will recover!"

Oswald smiled as optimism shone in his eyes, but Ozzie just looked back at him with a hopeless expression.

"I'm not brave like you."

"I wasn't brave," Oswald admitted, "I was terrified. But I had Rose and Ed and your Grandma – and I had you to think of too. My baby son... I was determined to be around to see you grow up."

Ozzie looked down at the floor and shook his head.

"I don't have your courage, Dad. You don't know how desperate I am...how scared...and I'm so sorry, I've upset everyone. Bridgit doesn't know yet. This will break her heart."

"No, she will be upset, but she will be strong and help you!" Oswald reminded him.

His son met his gaze once more. There was so much he wanted to say, but the whole situation was too overwhelming.

"I can't deal with this," he said quietly, "I'm sorry, Dad. I can't cope."

Oswald's eyes burned with determination as he placed his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Yes, you can, and you will! You're a Cobblepot and you are strong enough to deal with it! I fought so hard to survive twenty years ago, I was determined to be here for my children! I'm damned sure I didn't go through that pain and that struggle just to bury my only son!"

As he saw shock register in Ozzie's eyes, he instantly regretted his words.

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to say that... no one is burying you, Ozzie, you're going to live! You must live..." Oswald's voice became tearful, "You're my son, I could never leave you, I couldn't say goodbye to you!"

He grabbed him and held him as tears filled his eyes, he knew his son was crying again but Oswald was too afraid to let go. Ozzie was his precious only son, the boy born to him during his own time of darkness and struggle. To think of a life without him was impossible... As he let go of him, he drew back and then placed his hands firmly on his shoulders as he held him in his gaze.

"We are going to fight this together," Oswald vowed, "You are not going to die, Ozzie. I won't let that happen!"

Ozzie nodded, saying nothing in reply as he silently felt as if his whole life had just slipped through his fingers and out of his control. It was too late, that was all he could think now, it was just too late...his family knew, and now he had to deal with what ever would come next...

The rest of the day was spent in a strange kind of numbed silence, the whole family had been shattered by Ozzie's bad news, Bridgit had come over to the house as soon as she had received a call from Rose, telling her everything. Rose had been dreading the moment she broke the news, but Firefly had listened, sounded tearful, and then she had sounded stronger, thank god she was strong enough, that was the thought that went through her mind as Rose heard her say she would help Ozzie to fight this thing all the way. In that moment Bridgit had reminded her of herself twenty years ago when she had been there for Oswald, willing him to fight against what had seemed at the time to be a losing battle. She was so glad Ozzie had Bridgit, who was emotionally so much stronger than he could ever be. She arrived at the house later that afternoon, went straight through to the front room, sat down beside Ozzie and wrapped her arms around him.

"It's okay, I've got you," she said softly, and he wept again as she held him.

Meanwhile, Ed spent most of the day over at Ivy's, in the company of her and his son. He had cried over Ozzie, it was the thought of all Oswald had gone through two decades before that had broken his heart – Ozzie wasn't tough like his Dad. He doubted he would be able to cope with the level of pain involved, no matter how much the family supported him. Oswald's son was dying... it was so unfair. If he thought about it too long, it filled him with rage. His husband's heart would be broken when his son faded away, the boy they had raised together with Rose... Ed was glad Ivy was there to be his shoulder to cry on, at least he could spend time at her place, with his son, where they could share their sorrow away from the rest of the family. He did not want Oswald to see him cry, he was determined that as times got tougher, he would always be his little Penguin's tower of strength.

As the night drew in and the skies turned dark, Ozzie went to bed early, thankful that he was no longer alone. While Bridgit sat on his bed, he stood by the window, looking out at the deepening pitch of the night sky as worry reflected in his eyes.

"I want you to know I'm truly sorry," he said in a hushed voice.

"What for?" Bridgit asked, "Getting sick? You can't control something like that! Ozzie, come here, sit with me, talk to me..."

She patted the bed.

He looked at her reflected through the glass where beyond it, the night sky was starting to show the pale glow of starlight.

"There's so much I want to say to you..." he turned from the window and finally managed a brief smile, "I love you so much. I'm just sorry it's too late now."

Bridget got off the bed and joined him at the window, standing in front of the glass, forcing him to look at her.

"Shut up!" she said firmly, "You're not going to die, Ozzie!"

"But I am," he said quietly.

There was something so final and sure about his statement that it sent a chill down her spine.

"No, you're not!" she repeated as she placed her hands on his shoulders and gave him a gentle shake, "Think about this, Ozzie – you've only just found out. You're not weak, you're not debilitated, you're strong enough to fight this!"

"But it won't happen that way," he said as he looked into her eyes, and there it was again, this odd, detached look as if they were speaking on different subjects... Bridgit felt confused.

"No, you need to pull yourself together! Okay, this thing that runs in your family is harsh and deadly and fucking insidious and it just crept up on you – but you can get through this. You will get through it!"

Ozzie shook his head.

"No, you don't understand, it won't happen that way... I know I'm going to die."

He had stated that quietly, but sounded so sure, too.

"That's bullshit!" she exclaimed, "You are much stronger than Penguin was when he had treatment. Your dad was literally given hours to live before Ivy shot that stuff into his veins! You have months, maybe longer before you start to get weak. Of course you can do this!"

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

"I love you, Bridgit. I'll love you forever."

She pulled back from his embrace, feeling uneasy as she looked into his eyes. She understood he had been given bad news, a shock, and it had scared him – but there was something else in his eyes, something she couldn't define.

"Why do I feel like something else is wrong?"

"I think you know everything you need to know," he replied, "There's probably more at the back of my mind but I can't even begin to go into all my thoughts. I don't want to do that, either. It's too dark in there."

Maybe it was despair, or fear – it was a look she had never seen in his eyes until this day, and she wanted it to vanish, she wanted him to be the man she fell in love with and not this emotional wreck who had something in his eyes that she couldn't quite understand.

"Just come to bed, let me hold you," she said, taking his hand.

He said nothing as she led him over to the bed, then she sat down and he sat beside her.

"You need to get some sleep," she added, and as she laid back on top of the covers, he laid beside her with his head on her shoulder.

"Nothing bad will happen," she whispered as she turned out the light and stroked his hair, "Not tomorrow or the next day or the day after that. At some point in the future things might get tough, but I'll help you through it and so will your family. Are you listening to me, Ozzie?"

"Yes," he replied in a hushed voice, and then as she held him close and closed her eyes, he stayed awake, looking into the darkness as he thought of all the reasons why sleep would not come. There was so much he still wanted to say to her and to everyone else he loved – but some words would have to go unsaid, forever, and he had his own reasons for that...

Next morning, the early dawn brought with it grey skies and sunlight barely escaped through, casting a dull grey shade to the waters of the Gotham river. The sky reflected her mood as Lilly stood there leaning on her cane, as she heard him approach, she didn't bother to look around at the man who was meeting with her.

"I have a job for you, a brutal guy... he was arrested for a series of home invasions, he tied up his victims, tortured them, in some cases they were raped. Once he got the valuables, the safe combination and anything else he wanted, he shot them execution style in the back of the head. He's killed at least nine people that we know of and DNA proved his guilt but he was found not guilty thanks to bribes and intimidating witnesses. Be careful, he's dangerous."

"I'll get Ivan to shoot him with a tranquillizer when we pick him up. Thanks for this one, Jim. I need to hand out some payback, life has been awful lately."

Lilly sounded heartbroken.

"Is something wrong?"

She turned around and looked into the eyes of Jim Gordon.

"It seems the Cobblepot curse is not entirely dead. My brother Ozzie is very sick."

"I'm sorry," Jim replied, "He's a nice guy, and he's too young to..." he paused, trying to find the right words. As an experienced cop he had done his fair share of breaking bad news to strangers. But when it came to someone he knew, it was never easy to find the right way to express genuine sympathy. For the first time, he saw real raw emotion in Lilly's usually cold eyes. Pain reflected there, and it ran deep.

"I love my little brother," she added, "I've known him since I was four years old. He's twenty now. You're right, he is too young to die."

Jim handed her a brown envelope containing the information on the target.

"I realise there's little point in saying this, but if there's anything I can do to help -"

"Thank you, but we both know there's nothing you can do," she replied politely, "And thanks for the job. Give me a few weeks to set this one up. I'm having a hard time, so you can be sure I'll gut this one like a fish. If only I could do the same to Ozzie's future killer. But I can't rip the threat from his genes."

"But you and your father went through the same and survived," Jim reminded her, "So there has to be hope."

"I was a baby at the time," Lilly told him, "The condition was barely affecting me when I was treated, I didn't really suffer. But my father went through hell. I remember how sick he was. I can't bear to see Ozzie suffer like that. He's not a tough guy. I always used to tease him when we were kids, because he was such a good boy... my sweet and sensitive brother. He doesn't have the strength to fight like my Dad did. I'm afraid for him."

"Maybe he's tougher than he realises," Jim replied, "I hope he makes a good recovery. I should go now. I'll be in touch, Lilly."

Jim walked away and for a moment Lilly stood there, just watching as the water flowed, then she turned around and began the long, lonely walk back to the spot where Ivan's car was parked as her thoughts remained with her brother.

Back at the Cobblepot mansion, after a sleepless night, Ozzie was standing by the window, looking out as he watched as his father got into his car.

"Oswald, where are you going?" yelled Ed, hurrying out to the driveway.

"I need some space, I need to clear my head," he replied, "I won't be gone long."

Then he drove away. Ed went back inside the house and closed the door.

Ozzie stepped back from the window, giving a sigh. He felt responsible. He could see the worry was getting to his father already... He glanced down at his phone.

"What are you doing?" Bridgit said in a sleepy voice as she raised her head from the pillow, looking at him in confusion as she saw Ozzie was up far earlier than usual – and checking his phone.

"Nothing," he replied, and put the phone on the dressing table and then sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I couldn't sleep last night."

"Why were you checking your phone?" she asked.

"No reason."

"Ozzie, you're acting weird today."

That look was back in his eyes, the one she couldn't define.

"My world just caved in. Of course I'm not my usual self," he leaned over her and looked into her eyes, "Please, no more questions. Just kiss me."

Bridgit pulled him closer, sliding her arms around him as their lips touched. He kissed her deeply, as his gaze burned with intensity. Then he climbed on to the bed and joined her, wanting every moment to last as he took his time, sliding back the sheet and covering her body with kisses.

He wanted everything to last, each breath, each kiss, each touch, and when he stripped off his clothing and then pinned her wrists at her sides as he entered her with a single firm thrust, as she caught her breath and he saw desire in her eyes, he whispered again that he loved her, and said it over and over until climax stole his voice as he gasped at the moment of release.

As they lay together afterwards, he cast a glance at his lover's body, not seeing the scars, only seeing her, the woman he loved, then he looked into her eyes and made a promise that came from his soul:

"Nothing will take me from you except that which I can't control," Ozzie vowed, "If I ever have to leave this world, it's because I no longer have a choice in the matter...as far as my heart is concerned, I want to survive and be with you for the rest of my days. That's what I want to do, but we can't always have what we want in life."

Bridgit held him close and as she looked at him, taking in the sight of his toned body, it was hard to believe he was so dangerously ill. The signs were not visible, at least not yet.

"I'm going to help you get through this," she reminded him, "Don't you dare give up. I won't allow you to think that way any more."

To her surprise, Ozzie's expression changed. He managed to smile even though pain reflected in his eyes.

"Okay, just for you Bridgit, I will try and fight this. Remember I said I'd try. I didn't say I'd succeed."

She hugged him as at last, she felt a spark of hope.

"And that's good enough," she promised him as love shone in her eyes, "Just try, that's all I'm asking."

Oswald was driving when his phone rang. He hit a button and Ed's voice came through on loudspeaker and filled the car.

"I demand to know where you're going! You can't just walk away from your family – from your spouses – and say nothing! This concerns me greatly, Oswald!"

"I just need a few hours alone, I need to get my head back together. I'm devastated about my son. Just give me some time, I need space away from the house, away from Gotham, I need to get this into perspective."

Ed sounded tense as he gave his reply.

"And when will you be home?"

"Midday, no later. Please Ed, just give me some space. And tell Rose not to worry, too. I won't leave my son for long, he needs me."

"I love you," Ed reminded him.

"I love you too," Oswald replied, "And I'm driving, so get off the phone."

"See you soon," Ed told him, and the call ended.

Oswald was still clutching the wheel, his tearful eyes set on the road ahead as he made his way down the highway that would eventually lead to the coast. He wasn't planning time alone, and to leave at a time like this seemed crazy, yet something inside him was saying it was the best thing to do:

A few hours of escape. A few hours relief from the pain and uncertainty back at what used to be a happy home. He didn't want to think about the present, or the future:

Today, all he wanted was to cast off everything he had built up as the wealthy and powerful and assertive man whose perfect life had fallen into despair. Today, he wanted to go back to a time in his life before he had a son who was breaking his heart. Just for a few brief hours, he wanted to be nothing more than what he used to be - he wanted to be an umbrella boy again, he needed to see Fish Mooney...