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Layla held Lee’s arm as they walked up the stairs, the young woman looking at the walls with mild disgust. “You’re making the face again.” Lee murmured.
“Well,” Layla huffed lightly, “Excuse me for not liking old blood and… Some form of mold in living places. I don’t mean to be unreasonable.”
Lee rolled her eyes, and continued walking. Upon reaching the apartment she was told, she raised a hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, knocked on the door. The metal door slid open, revealing the face of an older gentleman, a blank expression on his face upon seeing the two women, before he stepped aside to let them in.
Layla’s eyes widened a bit, seeing all the men with guns, Oswald Cobblepot with a gun, and felt a little grin come to her lips. “What’s–”
“Hey, you two.” Jim came to their field of vision, and pulled them off to the side.
“What the hell are you doing?!” Came Lee’s incredulous voice.
“Yeah, what’s happening? Can I come? I wanna come! I’ll shoot someone!”
Jim sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Layla, now really isn’t the time for your joking around.”
“Who’s joking around?” She arched an eyebrow at him. “I’ll come along, who are we going after? Do I get a gun?”
“No, you two are going to get out of the city. It isn’t safe here. Penguin has a reliable man who can take you two upstate. Things…” He sighed. “Things are going to be a little unsettled here for a while.”
“... How unsettled are we talking?”
“Layla –”
“What?! I’m the last to know everything, come on, what’s going on?!”
“We’re going to take down Galavan.” Penguin helpfully piped up.
Jim sighed, Lee’s expression dropped, and Layla’s eyes went wide. “... Galavan? The mayor, Galavan?!”
“I know it’s–”
“Holy shit, uncle, you can not expect me to stay away now.” Layla spun around on her uncle. “Hell no, give me a gun.” She twirled back to Penguin, who looked shocked at her eagerness. “You got a spare one of those?”
Lee grabbed her by the back of the shirt, and pulled her back towards her. “You. Are not going. Anywhere.” She hissed in the younger woman’s ear. “Do you hear me?”
Layla shrugged her way out of Lee’s grip, “Oh, come on! I’m not a baby, I can handle myself, and I can handle a weapon! What have I always said, uncle?” She looked at Jim.
“... Jim, your niece is very outspoken.” Penguin commented.
“Yeah, I know.” Jim sighed, feeling a migraine coming on.
“What have I been saying since puberty, uncle?” She reiterated. When she was given another sigh, she enunciated clearly, her hand making an impact on her other palm for emphasis. “Fuck. The. Patriarchy.” She then raised her hands over her head. “And what better way to fuck the patriarchy, than by killing the mayor?!”
“Jim, I like her.”
“No, you fucking don’t.” Jim growled to Oswald, before looking at his niece again. “If I give you a gun, will you go with Lee?”
“What?!”
Ignoring Lee, Layla frowned. “Why would I need a gun if I’m leaving?”
“So you’ll stop talking.”
“... Okay.”
Jim removed the gun from the back of his belt, and handed it to her, handle first. “Here. Take it and be. Quiet. For five minutes.”
She grimaced, and took the corner of the gun with two fingers. “Oh, wonderful, you gave me your pants gun…” She put her hand under her shirt, and placed the gun on it, using the other hand to wipe off the gun with her shirt. “Thanks, ‘preciate it.” Jim went to go whisper with Lee, and Layla popped open the magazine of the gun. With a roll of her eyes, she grumbled, “Not even a full clip? Honestly, Jim.” She looked over at Penguin, who seemed to straighten when her eyes were on him. “You have bullets for this?”
“Ah, yes. Yes we do.” He gestured for one of his men to bring her a fresh clip. “Here, take these.”
“Much obliged.” She took the clip of bullets, and fed them into the magazine.
“I like a woman who knows her guns.” The henchman smirked.
She paused, and slowly her head tilted to look up at the strange man, her eyes narrowed.
“You, uh… Wanna check out my gun sometime?”
Oswald rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to scold him, but she beat him to it, “No thanks. I can see your gun now, and uh…” She grimaced at him. “Not impressed.” She waved her hand, “Shoo.”
The man glared at her, before walking away.
She rolled her eyes, and cocked her gun. “Men.”
“Galavan has to be stopped, Lee.” Came Jim’s voice, suddenly raised.
“By you?” Lee responded, aghast. “And these people? And your poor niece?!”
Layla frowned, “Hey, I resent that, I’m not poor! I’m working class!”
She was subsequently ignored. “He has to be stopped.”
“You keep trying to kill yourself! Have I got you all wrong, are you crazy?”
Layla looked at Oswald, a frown on her face. “A bit of suicidality isn’t considered crazy, is it?” She murmured to him.
His voice responded with Jim’s, “Of course not.”
“Oh good.”
“You’re on the run from the law,” Lee ticked off one finger, “and you want to take down the mayor with the help of a deranged sociopath, that’s not crazy?!”
“I can hear you.” Oswald deadpanned.
“Shh, don’t speak.” Lee commanded, then turned to Jim. “Jim, let’s leave town together. The three of us! I don’t care what you have done already, or what you have to leave undone, let’s just go.”
“I’m not going!” Came Layla’s squawk of indignance. “I wanna raise hell!”
“Shhh.” The couple hissed at her.
She pouted and huffed, looking away. “Hmph.”
“I can’t.” Jim was firm.
“Please.”
“I can’t, I can’t let Galavan win this way.”
Lee went quiet, staring at Jim, knowing she was losing him. “... I’m pregnant.”
The room went quiet. The air shifted.
Jim let out a breath, clearly unprepared.
Oswald sighed, his head falling back in exasperation.
“Wait, what happened?” Layla moved to stand beside Oswald, a frown on her face. “The mood switched, what happened?!”
“Miss Thompkins is pregnant.” Penguin gave her an empty grin.
“.... WHAT?!” She shrieked, and looked at Lee. “What the fuck, you guys, why am I always the last one to know shit?!”
“Layla–”
“No, no, y’know what? Fuck it.” She threw the gun back to Jim. “Fuck it. Fuck all that. Fuck all this.” She gestured to the room. “And fuck you .” She pointed to Jim. “Keep me out of your life for 20 fuckin’ years, get in to contact with me just to keep shit from me? Fuck that. I’m out. I’m going back home. Fuck this.”
“Layla, that’s not– ”
“Nope! Nope! Done. Done.” She strode over to the door. The big man from before opened it, careful to not let himself be too close to her. “Bye Jim. See you in another 20 years.” She waved over her shoulder.
Jim rubbed a hand over his face, his migraine throbbing on the right side of his skull.