#gothamreturnsthread

@mylipsarevenom

Harry didn’t know exactly what got into him that morning, but he’d woken in a somber mood and couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed to go to the cemetery. He’d showered and dressed, going through the motions not unlike a zombie on autopilot. He felt numb. Empty. 

Part of him had wanted to shake the mood and call up Pete, forget about the ache he felt and have some fun like they used to, but he couldn’t break the pull he felt. In the car, rain just lightly coming down, he spotted a small flower shop that he’d never quite noticed before. He supposed he never really looked or had the need for such a thing.

Allie never really liked interviews. Oh, he liked giving them, sure, but he had never been a fan of going to them himself. He could still remember when he got that job at the Gotham Globe himself. He’d been so nervous that he’d knocked over the boss’ coffee. Somehow, though, he’d been given a chance. Despite the fact that his asshole coworkers aside from Vale seemed to think he’d fail, he had very much intended to prove them wrong. And he had. His coverage on the Batman and Joker had gained him the recognition he had craved and deserved as an investigative reporter. 

His boss had given him more stories, a bigger office, and decided that he and Vale could use a little help. He had read the resume earlier, sipping his coffee. It seemed great, but he knew damn well that not everything on paper was as good as it seemed. 

@amazongoddcss

Approaching the familiar building, Vicki’s stomach was churning and she could feel a lump rising in her throat. With every step she took towards it, her heart began thumping faster. Despite the morning’s cool breeze, she could feel herself beginning to sweat.

When she’d agreed to take the job to take photos of the new renovation inside the Flugelheim museum, she hadn’t expected it to be this hard. The truth, though, was that she hadn’t been back to the building since it had been nearly destroyed. That had been almost four years ago. 

Walking up the steps, Vicki felt a shiver run through her body. It was a struggle for her to smile at a man that walked past her and wished her a good morning. On instinct, as she walked through those doors, she tensed and held her breath. Standing there where she’d last been on that horrible night, she froze in place. A million different memories raced through her mind and most of them were the stuff she most often saw in her nightmares.

It wasn’t until the large doors closed behind her and a museum staff member greeted her that she snapped back to reality. She gave the staff her name and as she was being lead to meet with the curator, she still felt an immense unease. She’d done her best to forget that night - to forget him - but walking these halls and up the stairs, she felt him everywhere. 

Entering a room, Vicki almost gasped when she could have sworn she heard that awful laugh echoing. Snapping back, she thanked the staff and spotted the curator to her right. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her nerves. Get it together. He’s dead. He’s gone.

@mylipsarevenom

“What about a compromise? I’ll kill them first, and if it turns out they were friendly, I’ll apologize.”

Diana stood between the man and the group of young adults on the deserted sidewalk. While she’d assumed Gotham was used to nighttime visitors dressed in uniforms and costumes, but the looks on the faces of the people behind her said otherwise. She hoped that they’d be smart enough to seize the opportunity that her arrival gave them and run from potential danger.

“Sorry, that doesn’t work for me.”

She advanced on the man in front of her, slowly, waiting to see exactly what he was going to do. Diana wasn’t going to fight anyone if she didn’t need to and she wasn’t here to provoke anyone. The sound of shoes slapping the wet pavement as they ran in the opposite direction was a welcome one. Now she could focus on figuring out who this man was.

“Do you make a habit of killing first and asking questions later? I’m familiar with ‘It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission’ but I thought that was a strategy used by children.” 

He might not have been as smart as Pete or his dad, something Harry was reminded of a lot when his father was still alive, but he knew Tony Stark and Stark Industries were brilliant and giving even Wayne Enterprise a run for their money in Gotham. He was hedging his bets here, hoping that maybe the billionaire could help keep his father’s legacy alive and keep Oscorp afloat. 

Harry offered his best, most sincere smile and extended his hand to the older man. “Mr. Stark. It’s great to meet you.”

@amazongoddcss

The fair was one of Allie’s favorite things. He loved it all. The sights, the scents, the food and the fun. There was just something about it that evoked the kid in him and he reveled in that. Here he could be goofy and have fun without worrying about others judging him like they typically did. 

He’d just purchased a delicious corndog and was about to head down the midway of the fair eating it. He figured he could check out all the games while he stuffed his face with fried goodness on a stick. Of course, plans didn’t always have a way of working out quite the way you wanted them to.

Just as he was about to take a big bite, his attention on the games down the line, he felt himself collide with someone else. In an instant, the scrumptious abomination on a stick hit him in the nose before it broke off and fell to the ground. He blinked, glancing quickly down at the lost food that he would mourn later before he noticed the beautiful woman that he just bumped into. 

“Wow, I’m sorry.” He shook his head, a small chuckle escaping his lips before he continued. “What a way to meet, though, huh?”

@amazongoddcss

Dressed in his best business professional, Harry approached the secretary within the museum with a smile. He’d arranged the meeting in the Flugelheim with the museum’s new curator weeks ago. Once directed, he found his way to where he was supposed to meet with the new curator. 

It had been a long night for her. Vicki had been out on a tip near some old warehouses by the river. She’d been there for hours trying to capture what was supposed to be a thief who had been stealing from the warehouse for sometime. Of course, she couldn’t imagine what anyone would want with a bunch of scrap metal. Still, she knew better than most that things in Gotham were not always what they appeared to be.

She’d been just about to give up, hidden near an entrance to the old warehouse, when she spotted a shadow of a man approaching. Her fingers clutched around her camera tightly, she moved to watch through the lens. Instinctively, she was clicking off shots as he approached, watching his every move. When he effortlessly got inside, she left her spot and walked as quietly as she could behind him. 

Once out of sight again, she kept watch through the lens. She kept a perfect distance, finger clicking the shutter repeatedly. Everything was going smooth until the camera slipped just a little out of her grip. She scrambled to catch it before it hit the ground of made a noise.

Vicki uttered a silent sigh of relief, re-positioning her view through lens. Finding her mystery man, her finger moved instantly to the shutter. Click. FLASH. Oh no...