Jim Gordon stood outside the bar wondering if it was worth it to stay and have one last drink in Gotham. He knew with Oswald back in power his days were likely numbered especially after what happened with Fish. He took a deep breath and exhaled "Well it's my last night in Gotham I might as well get drunk."
The reason for him saying that was simple he'd been pressured by cops under Penguin's thumb to leave Gotham and he decided to take the hint so he applied for a position over in Chicago, it was actually offered to him by the city of Chicago because they were so impressed with his history of saving Gotham that they offered to make him Commissioner of their city it was a lot better than staying in Gotham and no one there was connected to anyone in Gotham so he said yes to it while he could.
Now he had his bags packed and just stopped by to toast a farewell to Gotham he do it with Harvey but they had a falling out and Bruce had left Gotham with Alfred. When he walked in he saw the place was mostly made of wood in contrast to its brick exterior. He saw a woman in a back dress with white designs on it she wore it with a big black scarf wrapped around her head with big dark sunglasses she sat at the end of the bar. He never figured this would be how his last night in Gotham would go, but he'd already said his good byes to everyone and Bruce was leaving Gotham to so a place like this was better than nothing.
Jim sat in the bar seat, sitting next to the woman "I'd like a whiskey." Jim told the bar tender.
"Shouldn't drink before you head out on the road." The woman said a closer look showed she was on her second glass.
"Your pretty talkative for a dead woman." Jim said hinting at her identity he then looked over at the bar tender who had brought him a glass and whiskey bottle "Here I'd like to have some privacy with my friend." Jim said as he handed extra cash to the bar tender.
As the bartender left the woman pulled off her scarf and glasses revealing herself as none other than Tabitha Galavan "You here to arrest me?"
"I'm not GCPD anymore so no. I heard you were dead Tabitha. How are you?"
Tabitha was quick to answer the question of how she was alive "Long story short Selina talked Barbara into using something called a Lazarus pit to revive me." She explained "This guy Ra's al Ghul wasn't happy about it and so he banished me from Gotham, now I'm leaving the city but I haven't really got a place to go and I feel…"
"Feel what?" Jim asked he wasn't going to deny something seemed different about Tabitha but he couldn't quite put his finger on it but she seemed more docile.
"I can't stop crying." She said abruptly.
"What?"
"Supposedly the Lazarus Pit it makes people crazy when they come back from the dead but I just…" Tabitha stopped to wipe a few tears from her eyes "I keep thinking about all the horrible things I've done the people I have killed. It's not right that I get to come back and they don't."
Jim's mouth almost dropped Tabitha really seemed different she was so lost and confused not too mention grief stricken. "Are you saying you regret what you've done?"
Tabitha sniffled "It started after I woke up in the Pit, Barbara kept saying I should be experiencing violent mood swings or whatever but all I feel is this-" She stopped then continued "I don't even know what it is but I feel it all the time and when I think about what I've done I start crying and wishing I could take it back."
"Look Tabitha, I think maybe your experiencing guilt you were already a unstable person I mean maybe somehow because you were already unstable the Pit made you sane?" Instead of making her feel better Tabitha started crying even more.
"What's wrong?"
"My life is a lie okay Gordon! I feel like I was born just to suffer."
"What are you talking about?"
"I was raised to be an assassin Gordon. I never had a say in anything. My life was mapped out from day one. The first time I did anything to defy my brother and my family was when I saved Silver." Tabitha took another sip of her drink as she did the song Ugly by the band The Exies started to play on the speaker. "You couldn't imagine what it was like I couldn't exactly go to my parents and say: 'Mom and Dad I don't want to be a killer.' That kind of talk was well let's just say the Dumas family isn't big on hugs and kisses but when I ended up having to raise Silver with Theo it was different."
"Silver's important to you, isn't she?"
"I've taken care of her since she was seven. Theo was always busy with work and never had time for her I was always looking out for her. That's why I couldn't- let him hurt her."
"Silver's like a daughter to you, isn't she Tabitha?"
"I never told her!" She hit the table "I sent her to an all-girl school overseas and I never even told her how I felt. I sometimes think maybe Theo was mean to her when I wasn't around. I mean it makes sense the way he got mad it was so much like how my dad use to get mad. I don't have the scars anymore because of the pit healing me but I use to have some bad ones my dad gave me."
"Your dad hurt you why?" Jim knew it wasn't surprising Tabitha had come from an abusive background but still he felt it was important to ask.
"My dad said he was toughening me up and teaching me, Theo, and my step brother to be strong." Tabitha took another drink "I must be a poor student because I just kept getting…"
"I come from a pretty messed up family to." Jim said this hoping it would comfort her.
"Really because my family was part of an insane cult or as Theo and my family called it the Order of Saint Dumas" Tabitha sneered.
"My family is connected to a secret society maybe you've heard of it the Court of Owls. In fact, my own uncle had my father killed because the Court of Owls ordered him to." Jim stopped to listen to the song playing he liked it and seemed to fit him Tabitha oddly enough there they were two lost souls having a drink. It seemed fitting for them the song playing "Are you like me?" Jim said along with the song.
"Huh?"
"Sorry just repeating the song Tabitha."
Tabitha started to laugh "It's funny here I am having a drink with the man who killed my brother and it's possible we're more alike than we'd care to admit."
"True enough we obviously have the same taste in blondes." Jim's voice grew sad and angry while he starred at his glass "The fact is we're ugly Tabitha both us just a couple of lost souls who have lost everything to this cursed city."
"So, you think Gotham's cursed to?"
"Of course it is. Lee wrote a letter to me once saying she understood Gotham but she's wrong about how I look at this city." Jim explained "When I look at this city I see a serpent that has coiled around us all and devours everything and everyone we all love and hold dear."
Tabitha nodded "I actually agree. I lost my brother, Butch is now some half mindless Zombie, and Barbara was killed by Ra's al Ghul because he wanted to set an example to those who would use the Pit without his permission and Selina stubbornly refuses to leave Gotham. I don't even know who I am anymore Gordon. I just want to start over and be free to be whoever I want to be."
"Same here. I used to believe in things now I'm no better than any other crooked cop. I killed your brother with Penguin I asked and did favors with criminals I'm a disgrace to the badge. To be honest if my father had lived and the Court deeply influenced my life I probably would have become exactly like you Tabitha. I'm leaving Gotham for a new start in a new city besides I have family there so..." Jim stopped suddenly coming up with an idea "I have an idea. It's crazy but…"
"What are you thinking?"
"We both arrived in Gotham with someone. You came with Theo and I came with Barbara. However, we don't have to leave Gotham alone I'm assuming you don't have anyone to go to, right?"
"Yeah my family disowned me for what happened with Theo I'm on my own now. What's even your point?"
"My point is we're both screwed up in the head. We both have at least some things in common. So… why don't we forgive each other for the past? The Court is gone they left everything to any surviving members and since I'm sort of the only member left I have all their resources at my disposal."
"What are you saying?"
"My family in the city I'm moving to. They don't know the engagement was broken off they haven't even met Barbara Kean. You said you were looking for a new start let me give that to you. We can start over together we don't have to be alone Tabitha. What do you say Tabitha? If you forgive me for my sins I'll forgive you for yours."
"So just like that?" Tabitha gave him a skeptical look "We act like what? Like nothing has happened that we have no reason to hate each other we just forgive each other? We go from barely knowing each other to a couple?"
"I was thinking we could be I don't know maybe partners. How does that sound?"
"I had a partner once." Tabitha smiled thinking of Butch "I should have treated him better. I should have treated a lot of people better."
"Me and Barbara had a saying back when we were happy." Jim stopped surprised at how hard it was to talk about it he thought his feelings for Barbara were gone "We used to say half of what you carry. Here's the thing I've kept it under wraps but when I found out I had unwittingly come into possession of the Court's money I suddenly had more money than I know what to do with. Now you say you want a new start I can do that for you. I know we're pretty much strangers Tabitha but… maybe if we took our chance at a new start and actually did some good with it maybe it'll prove we're not so ugly after all. Haven't you always wanted to do something else besides kill?"
"Well…" Tabitha hesitated to continue "I've always wanted to prove Theo is not the only one in the family with a head for business. I actually have more degrees than he did but that never mattered to anyone. I used to dream of being an inventor when I was little."
"Really?" Jim chuckled.
"Oh, it's true." Tabitha smiled "I actually have an idea for a security system. I know this doesn't sound like something I'd come up with, but imagine a computer system that can predict when and where crime is most likely to occur by analyzing the history and psychological profiles of criminals."
"Wow you are not what I expected Tabitha."
"I know, nobody ever thinks I'm anything more than a side kick or the muscle but I'll let you in on a secret." Tabitha took another drink "I was the brains of Barbara's organization. I ran the club I actually did just about everything. Now that I think about it…"
"Let me guess you did everything and she did squat." Jim pored Tabitha a drink "When I was with her she mainly just lounged around drinking."
"My god…" Tabitha stopped for a second finally realizing something "we're a couple of saps. I still miss her though I killed her the first I can't imagine why she'd bring me back and risk her own life for me."
"People are complicated Tabitha. That much I know to be true. Now that I think about it that's something else we have in common. We both killed someone and they came back from the dead."
Tabitha couldn't help but nod in agreement "Listen that offer you made about leaving with you are you serious?"
"Yeah, I'm thinking of starting a side project in Chicago with the resources I have now. There's this vigilante running around Gotham or at least there was he got me thinking of something. More and more people like Tetch, and Hugo Strange even Solomon Grundy keep popping up. However, I got to figure if there are monsters with unusual talents and abilities why can't there be heroes?"
"So, you want to what start a secret society of super heroes?" Tabitha was admittedly intrigued by the idea but it sounded ridiculous to say outload.
"I was thinking more of a Justice Society we're both monsters Tabitha. I killed Fish who was like a mother to Penguin, and you killed Penguin's mother. We both are just like the song playing now says, ugly. Harvey rolled over for Penguin he and I as much as it pains me to say it are no longer partners and you've lost your partner. So, come on let's try and take the pain this city has caused us and do something good with it."
"You honestly think if we started doing something good we could one day not be monsters?"
"Yes. All we have to do is forgive each other. So, come on Tabitha what do you say? Do you forgive me? Can we be partners?"
"Gordon, you killed my brother but…" Tabitha paused for a moment "I tried to kill your friend Bruce I even killed your fellow cops. I could blame the fact that I was raised to hate the Wayne Family and was raised to be a killer. The truth is I couldn't see that my problems were my own fault. I never had the chance to be anything but a killer but that's no excuse I could have walked away when Theo died but I didn't. Now you of all people are offering me a chance to have a new start when I need it most thank you and yes I'll join you. So, I forgive you."
"Tabitha I'm not saying this will absolve you or me I'm not even sure if we can ever really atone for our sins but it means a lot that you can forgive me and I hope my forgiveness means something to you."
Tabitha watched him poor whiskey into both their glasses they toasted each other "It does matter to me Gordon, I mean it matters a lot to me Jim. To being ugly."
"To being ugly." After this night Tabitha assumed the identity of Barbara Kean later had two kids with Jim Gordon a man who began as partner and became more to her. She would go on to name her daughter after the real Barbara who despite all the bad blood still meant something to Tabitha.
Jim would eventually return to Gotham to take the job of Commissioner when it was safe for his future wife and mother of his children to return to her life as Tabitha Galavan. That's not to say it was an easy revelation for his old friend Bruce Wayne to accept but that is a story for another time.