Paralyzer [Gotham]

9

It was hard hearing that Falcone had died. Attending his funeral three days later was even harder. It was held at the same church Mario had been married, and his body, too, later showcased. Victor never looked away from the casket at the center of the room, and despite wanting to respect him keeping us quiet, I held a hand over his, at least until Penguin looked over. And even then, Victor hardly blinked, still just staring ahead. When he motioned me to stand he still didn't look away, I made sure to give Sofia a sympathetic smile as the man at her back pulled her wheelchair into the pews.

Despite the mood he'd been in since hearing the news, Victor let me approach the casket first, taking a deep breath as I stared in. Carmine had done much for me, most of what I was grateful for was the sense to keep me seperate from anything outside of patching up his men, unlike Penguin ever had. I kissed my fingers and rested my hand on his shoulder. He would've told me to take the good out of it, so all I could think of whispering was, "At least it wasn't your heart."

I stepped back and let Victor say goodbye, intending to watch the ground but looking up to him as his gun clicked. He caught the bullet that had jumped out of the chamber, gently placing it within the old man's pocket. Once he had turned from the casket he didn't look back, walking a step behind me as we headed for the doors. Penguin called out for him, but he put a hand on my arm, silently instructing me to keep walking forward.

I waited until we were in the car to do anything, deciding it might be best if I were behind the wheel. "Are you okay?" I hummed, pulling away from the church and running a hand over his head.

"Everyone's saying Penguin did it," he informed, voice monotone.

"And what do you think?" I took my hand back and smiled a small bit when he trailed slightly after it, at least until my touch left him. He didn't answer, and that was enough answer on it's own. Victor didn't know what to think, he was dealing with enough grief as is.

[]

Penguin seemed truly vexed, more so than most days, so I poured him a drink while he mouthed off to Victor. "How is Jim Gordon beating us?" he yelled, slamming his hand onto the bar. Raising an eyebrow, I pushed the glass forward and watched.

"Well," Victor responded in an even tone, "every cop in Gotham is behind him. I'm guessing he has great leadership skills." I stiffled my laugh as best I could, needing to pour myself a drink as well. Penguin took a deep breath as he grabbed the glass and walked torwards him.

"Victor, when all this is said and done, you and I need to have a frank discussion about the chain of command." I raised my glass to my lips, eyes drifting over the two cautiously. "But now..." The bird took a deep breath and shouted, "Go do something horrific! Show the GCPD exactly--"

"Oswald Cobblepot!" I tensed up and set down the glass, watching as Victor drew his pistol on Jim Gordon. Penguin sighed and set down the drink on the nearest surface as he turned to the small swarm of police at his doors. "You're under arrest." I breathed shallowly as several armed men stepped out behind him, mostly trained on Victor but at least one gun trained on me as well.

"Have you completely lost your mind?" Penguin indulged. Several of Victor's men had taken up arms to my left, but it didn't make me feel any safer as the ridiculous amount of guns swung around the room to take aim.

"Nobody has to die, we just want Cobblepot," Gordon announced, leaving me itching to stand nearer to Victor.

"Well, see, Jim. That's a problem as they all work for me," Penguin sighed, but something told me he didn't have the handle on this he thought he did. "But just so I know, what's the charge?"

"Murder." I could feel the shift in the room, could see it as Victor lowered his gun.

"Enough," Penguin spat. "Enough! I did not kill Don Falcone, and I dare you to prove otherwise!" Gordon moved forward on him, as Victor no longer held the closest threat, feeling immediately safer as the latter came to the bar.

"It's not for Falcone," Gordon announced as I came around the back of the bar, standing close but not enough to draw anyone's attention back to me. "I'm arresting you for the murder of the boy you blew up under the Crown Point Bridge." Penguin, in the face of something incredibly damning, could barely contain his snickers. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," he chuckled, waving him off and trying to compose himself. "Well, everything, actually, 'cause you see, he's not dead." Another laugh slipped passed his lips. "I only faked his death so Sofia Falcone couldn't use him against me. She's the one that told you I killed him, isn't she?"

"Then where is he?" Gordon demanded. Victor was the only one who knew where the kid was, he wouldn't even tell me.

"He... I don't know, Victor took him out of Gotham, tell him."

"What's to tell?" Victor mumbled as Penguin took a smug stance across from Gordon. "You blew that kid sky-high." He turned his shoulder to shield me from view as both Penguin and Gordon turned to us in surprise. "You sent that pipsqueak to kingdom come."

"No, that's not true." Penguin's eyes shot to me, but I said nothing, willing to play along with Victor's story if it meant we would get out of here.

"And I'll testify to that," Victor added in a quieter voice, putting the nails in the coffin himself. Penguin was taking blow after blow of shock, watching incredilously as Victor stowed his pistol. "Look, I ain't taking the wrap for no kid murder." He pushed me back as Penguin threw himself forward, raising his fists and bouncing on his feet as Gordon took hold of the bird.

"You are lying! You are a lying traitor!" he yelled as they got cuffs on him and started taking him away. "Victor Zsasz is a liar! No! I will kill you! Traitor!" While Victor straightened out and watched Penguin go, Gordon hung around a moment, eying me as I relaxed a bit against the bar.

He stepped closer and spoke softly as Penguin's wails died out. "This doesn't give you a free pass, you know." I glared at him as Victor looked ahead, the same mood he had at the funeral returning .

"Jim... Not now." Gordon's eyes drifted over me once more before following his men out of the building, the two leftover cronies following suit. I waited until they had cleared the doors to set a hand on his arm, noticing just how stiff he was as he turned to me. I knew he didn't lie often, he would rather say nothing than lie to me, and if this was how lying made him react, I never wanted him to again. "Let's go," he sighed, relaxing a bit as he took my hand and pulled me from the Lounge.

[]

I hung in the doorway and drifted my eyes over the women in the room; Sofia, Barbara, Selina, and Tabitha. They watched Zsasz and I carefully, though to be fair, I'm pretty sure he blew up their club with a rocket launcher. "So I'm guessing Gordon doesn't know the kid's actually alive," Victor hummed.

"Jim Gordon played his part," Sofia shrugged. "He showed the underworld that Penguin was weak."

"That he did. End of the day," Victor paused as he stopped looking at some trinket on the shelf and turned his gaze to Sofia, "he's a Cobblepot. You're a Falcone." He knelt before her and held out a hand, kissing her knuckles and effectively signing us over to the donna. She met my eyes and I gave her a slow, deep nod, her lips curling up as she turned to the other women of the room. "Smile, ladies. It's a new day."