Oh, I wouldn't do that remembering is dangerous. I find the past such an anxious, worrying place. Yes, memory is so treacherous. One moment you're lost in a carnival of delight, childhood aromas, the flashing neon of puberty, all that sentimental candyfloss. The next, it takes you somewhere you don't want to be. Somewhere dark and cold, filled with damp, ambiguous-shaped things you'd rather forget. Memories can be vile, repulsive little brutes. Like children, no? But can we live without them memory is what our reason is based on! If we deny them we deny reason itself. Although what wrong with that really? It's not like we're contractually tied down to rationality. There I no sanity clause. So when you find yourself locked on a unpleasant train of thought heading for places in your past where the screaming is unavoidable remember this. There is always madness you can just step outside and close the door on all those dreadful things that happened you can lock them away forever. -The Joker, The Killing Joke
Gotham Cemetery…
Gordon stood in front of the grave his heart was pounding his breathing was getting deeper. Harvey stood behind him not sure what to say "Jim it's about to rain we should be going."
"I don't care." Gordon said not flinching he just looked at the headstone.
"We have to find Strange and lock his crazy ass up." Harvey countered trying to rouse his friend out of his depression.
"I'm going to find him Harvey-" Gordon replied giving his friend some hope then he finished "and I'm going to kill him." Just like that Harvey didn't know what to think. James Gordon never even felt like this not even when he killed Theo Galavan. He was desperate when he killed Theo he felt like he had no other options. This was not like that he knew he had other options he just didn't care. His only really driving force at this point was revenge "I want that son of a bitch dead."
Arkham, Two Year Earlier
Tabitha sat in Doctor Strange's office. She didn't understand why he was interested in seeing her she wasn't like Penguin she kept to herself and didn't cause trouble. She was surprised that he got his position back in Arkham so easily. "Ah Miss Galavan so lovely to meet you. I am Professor Hugo Strange perhaps you have heard of me?" Strange smiled after walking in extending his hand.
"Penguin mentioned you said you fried his brain." She replied bluntly.
Strange chuckled as he walked toward his desk "An exaggeration I can assure you. Tell me how is your adjustment to our facility going? I understand you had an altercation with Mr. Tetch can you explain why you assaulted him."
Tabitha didn't know why but there was something about how he talked to her that made her feel uneasy "I-" She hesitated "I was talking with him about how he ended up in Arkham and he talked about his encounter with Gordon I already heard about how he lost his sister because of Gordon but while he talked to me about her he started to seem weird like he didn't just love his sister I realized he wasn't telling me everything and then it dawned on me." She explained her voice slowly filling with dread she quickly pulled up her long sleeves over her hands avoiding eye contact as though her own skin was crawling.
"Interesting reaction. Given your-" Strange paused "history I'm surprised you'd react so violently. To Tetch's shall we say indiscretions."
"It's disgusting." She hissed clearly outraged and disturbed.
"I see tell me, I understand you care deeply for a former patient of mine a Miss Barbara Kean during our sessions she described the two of you as rather intimate. She mentioned activities you shall we say, coerced our former Mayor James into participating in. Tell me why were you so comfortable in performing these activities in front of your own brother it seems rather bizarre."
Tabitha oddly enough just shrugged "I don't know Theo and I never really were apart that much. Until he left to train under the Order of Saint Dumas."
"I read the police report you allegedly said to him before being stabbed that you two were and I quote happy once. Tell me how old were you when he left?" Strange asked clearly getting somewhere though not making his purpose clear.
"I was four and he was twenty-one. He didn't come back until I was fourteen but he was different. A lot angrier and more violent than I remember he-"
"He what?" Strange asked despite already suspecting.
"It doesn't matter." She straightened herself clearly a defensive tactic.
"You interest me Tabitha. You are seemingly a cold sadist yet my sources tell me you've displayed behavior that contradicts your outward demeanor. You hired multiple hitmen to kill Gordon because you felt he harmed Barbara, you defied your own brother even betraying him to save Silver Saintcloud, you risked your life to save a man known as Butch from Oswald's wrath, and finally you allegedly risked your hand to save this Butch a second time."
She bit her lip trying not to show her anger she forced herself to smile "What's your point? Penguin would argue differently."
"Yes, yes he would after what you did to his poor mother. Tell me why did you harm his mother? What made it so appealing?"
"Theo knew it would be the best way to control Oswald. So he had the old bird kidnapped and put me in charge of watching her." She answered showing little remorse though Strange noticed her crossing her arms a defensive tactic.
"Did you psychically harm her?" Strange asked for some reason treating it like a critical question.
Tabitha looked away for a moment then looked back at Strange "I told Penguin I did or implied it but I mainly just watched from a TV monitor and dropped off food for her. I only hurt her when I killed her."
"Why?"
"Theo told me to. I always did what Theo said."
"Why?"
Tabitha's posture stiffened like she didn't want to answer "I just always did what Theo told me to."
"Let's review why you betrayed Theo what was it that sparked your-" Strange stopped searching for the right phrase "change of heart?"
"I don't know." She shrugged clearly an effort to avoid the question.
"I think I know enough now Miss Galavan I'd like to schedule you for a few more sessions. If all goes well, you'll be on your way to a far more productive life very soon." Strange smiled ominously a storm began outside and a flash of lightning went off behind him. Tabitha didn't trust him but didn't have many options Penguin was running the city again and she didn't know what happened to Butch or Barbara she was stuck in Arkham where Penguin couldn't get to her "Oh one more question Tabitha were you and Theo half siblings or step siblings?"
"I-" Tabitha stopped not sure why it bothered her the question, Theo and her never really talked about it she never really thought it mattered but for some reason it tore her up inside to say the words "I was adopted. Is there anything else?"
"Yes actually your brother as I'm sure you are aware spent time here I recorded a lot his progress after coming back from the dead. One of the things he said that stuck out was rather odd. Perhaps you can shed some light on his words."
"What are you doing?" Tabitha grew agitated Strange could tell she'd been pushed too far. Still he had to confirm his suspicions regarding Tabitha's true nature if he was to use her in his plan. He placed a tape recorder on his desk and pressed play.
It played and she heard Theo Galavan's voice "Sister please speak to me."
To Strange's surprise Tabitha started hyperventilating she jumped out of chair. Those words, that sentence, Strange for the sake of getting a full affect set it on repeat. Each time the words repeated Strange saw a sense of dread intensify with Tabitha almost complete terror as if she was remembering something.
"Stop it! Stop it!" Strange did not instead he watched her surprising reaction to those words he expected violence and rage given her reputation eventually she fell to her knees and began sobbing "Please stop it." Surprisingly her pleads were genuine having had enough believing his suspicions were confirmed Strange did as she asked.
"It's alright Tabitha. You may not understand this but this will help you become a better version of yourself." Strange said faking compassion "That believe it or not is something we both want. To make you a better person."