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A beautiful blonde woman was crying silently in the corner of a crowded bar, too many empty glasses surrounding her. Yet another relationship gone sour, the latest in a line longer than she cared to count. And as usual, her plan was to drown her sorrows in expensive alcohol followed by a string of meaningless hook-ups.
What the beautiful blonde woman didn’t know was that the man at the bar she’d been exchanging charged glances with all night wasn’t looking for a meaningless hook-up. In his mind, there were two ways the night would end: with her pledging herself to him, or with her dead in an alley.
What the man at the bar didn’t know was that one other, unseen person was watching their exchange. Well, not exactly. Tabitha wasn’t sure if the Grim Reaper counted as a person.
“Sister?”
Her gaze drifted away from the pond through which she could watch all the citizens of Gotham, falling instead on her brother. Theo was the Angel of Destruction assigned to the Gotham region, while she was the Angel of Death.
“Yes?”
“You do realize you have to reap the one who appears in the pond, right?”
Tabitha raised an eyebrow, “There are loopholes.”
“Someone has to die tonight.”
She glanced back at the scene in the bar. Barbara had gotten to her feet, swaying only slightly despite the height of her heels and the depth of her drunkenness. The man, too, stood up. Tabitha let a sadist’s smile grow on her face, “Oh, fear not brother. Someone will.”
Theo rolled his eyes, “How much longer do you think this can go on? I’ll give you, she’s pretty. Given the opportunity, I’d - “
“Don’t finish that sentence.”
Theo snorted, “You’ve already twisted the rules three times to save her. How many loopholes do you really think you can find before you have no choice? When does it become the loop of a noose or the hole of a bullet?”
“Mind your own fucking business,” Tabitha growled, “I am the Grim Reaper of Gotham. I decide who lives and who dies, not this bowl of water.”
“You are not the ultimate power in the universe.”
“As long as the correct number of souls are taken to balance those added, they won’t interfere with us. Which means I’m as good as, as far as Gotham is concerned.”
“Your funeral,” Theo shrugged, turning back to his own work.
“Every funeral is my funeral,” Tabitha replied. It was an age-old argument between them, and it always ended the same way.
Shaking his words from her mind, she stepped through the portal and into the bar, ignoring the lecherous eyes that immediately sought out her smooth, leather-clad skin. Barbara and the man were on their way out, and Tabitha silently followed. It wouldn’t do to kill him too early.
“This isn’t a hotel,” Barbara said, confused, as she surveyed the apartment building the man had brought her to.
“Of course not,” he replied, “A pretty thing like you deserves better than some cheap hotel hook-up.”
“Didn’t say anything about it being cheap.”
“And I didn’t say anything about this being a hook-up.”
Barbara pulled her arm out of his grasp, “Well, sorry, then. I’m not exactly in the mood for commitment right now.”
“Oh? Well, that’s a pity,” he said, and the creep genuinely sounded put out, “You see, when I see something pretty, I don’t like to share.”
And there was the gun. Her cue.
Barbara screamed, a terrified little sound, and dropped to the ground, sobbing. Tabitha stepped out of the shadows, whip flying through the air to snatch the gun straight from his hands. He blinked, trying to figure out where it had gone, and in that moment Tabitha struck. Her preferred style of fighting didn’t match polearms, although she could certainly handle the traditional Grim Reaper scythe. For the more personal missions, however, she chose a wicked blade held closer to her body, able to control her strikes with painful, deadly precision. She sliced this man to shreds, just as she’d done with the last two who had threatened Barbara. Tore into them before slitting their throats and releasing their souls back into the universe.
She never stopped to talk to Barbara afterwards. It was against protocol to initiate contact with humans who weren’t about to die. And sure, it wasn’t common for the Reaper to do the actual killing, but it wasn’t taboo, either. She just appeared, murdered whoever was threatening Barbara, and then vanished back into the night. That’s how it would have to be.
Well, that, and watching her whenever there weren’t any pressing matters to attend to.
She watched as Barbara dated Renee on and off throughout her college years. She watched all the collapsed relationships, all the affairs, all the hookups. She watched Barbara find James Gordon , an old-fashioned gentleman in every sense of the word. He took care of her, but he didn’t respect her. It boiled Tabitha’s blood, which said something, considering she didn’t actually have blood.
She watched them break up, watched Gordon flaunt his new relationship, uncaring of Barbara’s feelings on the matter. And then Barbara appeared in her pool once again.
Barbara was attending a gala - looking around for a partner to dance with. And then a man that Tabitha had seen many times before as she took the souls of his victims appeared at her side, offering her his hand. For the first time since the dawn of creation, Tabitha froze. Her Barbara in the arms of that monster? Unacceptable. She watched with horror as Barbara let him take her home, could only gape as Barbara accepted his literal chamber of BDSM gear with nothing but eagerness.
And then morning came.
As he always did, when it came to his victims, he wouldn’t let her leave.
Theo appeared behind her, watching over her shoulder, and sneered, “I told you.”
“What?” she snapped.
“The Ogre is still necessary in the course of Fate. You cannot interfere with Fate. You are her subordinate. There is no one else to reap. She has to die.”
“No,” Tabitha snarled, “I’ll figure something out.”
As it turned out, Fate’s course could still surprise even the Angels. Instead of killing her, instead of fleeing and being killed, the Ogre and Barbara ended up at Barbara’s parents house. And then Barbara killed them. Tabitha cannot help but stare, enchanted, as the darkness in Barbara finally snapped and broke free. She had never been more beautiful than she was in that moment.
Then Gordon of all people, and his incompetent partner, showed up. This was it. This was her moment. She stepped through the portal, watching as Bullock got knocked down, Barbara held at knifepoint. Tabitha thought quickly, considering and discarding options as they came to her. Finally, she found a course of action that could work. She reached out to Bullock’s soul, shocking him back into consciousness, allowing him to distract the man long enough for Gordon to shoot him. It irked her, letting Gordon get the glory, watching Barbara nearly die from the knife to her throat. But she had found her loophole and done her duty, so there was no reason left for her to remain in the mortal realm.
~ ~ ~
Life moved on. Barbara’s life moved on, darker, crazier, and prettier than ever before. Tabitha was fascinated.
“It’s called a crush,” Theo told her.
“Shut your fucking mouth or I’ll sew it shut for you,” she shot back.
He just laughed.
And then. And then . And then Barbara got back together with James Gordon. That bastard.
Just like she knew from the moment she discovered they were back together, Gordon’s only thoughts were how to return her to the shy, scared, obedient little mouse she used to be. Disgusting.
But her Barbara would have none of it. Their final fight was catastrophic.
And Barbara appeared in the pool once again.
Just like before, she was sobbing in the corner of a crowded bar, looking for a one night stand. A man approaches her, ready to proposition her, but Barbara shoots him down before he can even finish. He looks too much like Jim. Tabitha knows it won’t hurt to appear a few minutes early, so she steps through the portal to survey the crowd.
From her spot, opposite the bar from Barbara, she can pick out a variety of replacement victims. She glanced back at Barbara, noting with only a slight concern how much alcohol she must have already consumed. Barbara got shakily to her feet, stumbling towards the dancefloor, when she was intercepted by the same man from before.
Tabitha slunk through the crowd, arriving at the point of confrontation with ease. She was meant to be there, after all.
“I - I uh…” Barbara was saying, stumbling over her words as much as she had over her feet.
“C’mon, gorgeous,” he leered, “Just gimme a chance.”
“Uh, n - no - no thanks,” she mumbled, unable to fight back as he tugged her closer.
“Good thing I don’t really care what you want,” he shrugged, pulling her towards the door. Barbara began to struggle, managing to knee him right where it hurt.
“You little bitch,” he hissed, grabbing a fistful of her hair and dragging her into the alley behind the bar. Tabitha was close on his heels as he pulled a knife, drawing her own out of another dimension and plunging it straight into his body. She sliced him open from the inside, then shoved him off her knife. She turned on her heel, ready to disappear like usual, when she felt an iron grip around her arm. With a frown, she turned to meet the very clear, very sober blue eyes of the woman she had been watching for years.
For the second time in her extensive existence, she froze.
“Who are you?” Barbara asked, and her voice was strong and steady.
“How did you recover so quickly?” Tabitha countered.
“I asked first.”
“Tabitha,” she conceded.
“I was faking.”
“Why?”
“Because I saw you,” Barbara answered.
“What?” Tabitha asked.
“You’ve saved me from death time and time again. I only ever see you when you save my life, but you’re always there. I wanted to meet you.”
“I don’t follow.”
“I saw you, which meant you were here to save me. And I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t vanish immediately, so I needed you to think you didn’t have to pay attention to me. I faked getting drunk to provoke him so you would move and I could corner you. And I have.”
“Why?” Tabitha asked again.
“Please,” Barbara scoffed, “A beautiful woman with a whip and a knife mysteriously appears to save me my entire life like some kind of guardian angel? A girl gets curious,” she lowered her lashes, voice dipping into a suggestive range, “and more .”
“I - That could never happen,” Tabitha said on reflex.
“Why not?” Barbara pouted.
“I - I’m not human. I can’t - “
“No? What are you, then? Oh my god, are you actually my guardian angel?”
“Not exactly,” Tabitha replied with something of a smirk, “Try the Angel of Death.”
“Sexy,” Barbara replied, the hand that wasn’t holding her down as if she would vanish coming up to trace her collarbone.
“I can’t just appear whenever, gorgeous. It would never work.”
“Hmm,” Barbara mused, “Well, what about this, babe? What if you just visited me when you’re free? Even if it isn’t as often as I’d like?”
“How would I explain myself? Visiting Gotham but not to work? It’s against the rules.”
Barbara rolled her eyes, “Fuck the rules.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“No? Fine,” she pouted, “Then how’s this: whenever I want to see you, I’ll just get myself into a life-threatening situation. Then you’ll have to show up to be my angel-in-leather-armor. And maybe stick around for a little fun afterwards,” she wiggled her eyebrows.
“You’d really risk death just to see me?” Tabitha asked.
“Hell yeah, babe! Oh, what if I got people to kill, and then you would show up for them? Loopholes, darling. Find them.”
Tabitha snorted, falling in what could almost be called love. They really were the perfect match.
Tabitha went home with Barbara that night, not returning to the immortal plane until much later than usual. She ignored Theo’s knowing look, returning to work immediately. What Fate and Fortune didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.
~ ~ ~
A few weeks later, Tabitha found herself watching a familiar face in the pool. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched Barbara’s piercing gaze, searching for something - some one . Without hesitating, she stepped through the portal.
A beautiful blonde woman was smiling in the corner of a crowded bar, eyes locked on the Angel of Death as she parted the crowd with ease, eager to meet her once more. When the Angel of Death reached her, she pulled her down into a bruising kiss. She couldn’t wait to take out her chosen victim with this woman, couldn’t wait for what would happen afterwards.
She really,
really
loved loopholes.