Goodnight Gotham.

Chapter Twenty-Four.

Things can change ungodly fast. One moment, you have a picture perfect romance and are at the very peak of happiness and the next both the person that you were with along with your happiness, is gone. It is going to take some time for your mind to heal, you knew that perfectly well. So you figured that you should start the healing process. As quick as it was, you wanted to start picking up the pieces, especially if you were to carry out your plan with a clear head.

Where to start? Well, you made the conscious decision to take the kind gestures that Jervis did for you such as the ring and letter and put your own connotations behind them. You walked over to your nightstand and took out the  folded letter from your drawer. Grabbing a black pen, you made some...let's just say...editorial changes. The letter now read like this.

(Quick Authors note! If you would like to refer back to the original letter, it's in chapter 18!)

To Future (Y/N,)

If you are reading this right now that means that you are in a difficult state of mind and are in need of reassurance. I want you to take notice of the ring that you are wearing right now. Not only are roses beautiful to look at but they are deeply symbolic. Love, longing, desire, respect, admiration, and devotion are words associated with this ravishing flower. They are also words that I associate with you! Your relationship with yourself is growing stronger and stronger everyday. Whenever you feel the slightest amount of doubt I want you to look at that ring and know that everything is going to be okay. I hope that this letter has helped you. Hold onto it, treasure it, and keep it somewhere safe so you can read it again when you need to. Now, dry your tears, take a deep breath, and keep your chin up. You're a bad bitch! Do not let your anxieties define you.

Love always,
-(Y/N.)

When you looked at this letter now, you saw a loving letter to yourself. It wasn't a person on the outside looking in who was telling you this, it was you! You have struggled with self acceptance for the longest time. This letter was the first step to learning how to appreciate yourself.

The next step was to talk to Jervis and have closure. You didn't forgive him by any means. What he did was despicable. But you felt the need to express how you felt now that you've cooled off some. You picked up your phone and called him. You figured that a text would be inappropriate. The line rang for awhile. No answer. You would wait awhile to call back.

There was one more thing for you to do before you could start executing your plan. You wanted to visit Alice's grave. It was the least that you could do, especially after the horrible things that you said about her out of anger. Jesus, you felt terrible. Luckily there's only one cemetery in Gotham so it wouldn't be too difficult to find her.

Before you headed out you grabbed the vase of roses that Jervis had given you. You wanted to put them at Alice's grave sight.

Time Skip.
—————
You were now at the cemetery. Anxiety was growing in the pit of your stomach. You walked up and down the rows trying to find Alice's grave. "Tetch, Tetch, Tetch." You whispered under your breath, scanning the headstones passing you by. There it was, Alice Tetch. As soon as you read the name you knelt down and placed the vase of flowers on the left side of her headstone.

Tears began to fall from your eyes as you started speaking. You felt a little silly talking out loud but you did it anyway. "Hi Alice. We've never met but my name is (Y/N)." You let out a small, embarrassed laugh. "Your brother and I dated for awhile. He was awfully kind in the beginning. He'd shower me with complements, give me sweet sentimental gifts, write me letters, and make me feel like I was on top of the world. When he told me about you, he made it seem like he loved you unconditionally, that you wanted nothing to do with him for no apparent reason, and that your death was an accidental one. When he told me these lies I despised you. I hated you because of the supposed pain that you caused him. I told myself that I was happy that you were dead. God I was so blinded." A bout of emotion poured out of you. You started to sob uncontrollably. "I came here to tell you that I am so sorry for believing the lies that he fed me. You were an innocent soul manipulated by the hands of a monster." You took a shallow sigh as you finished up what you wanted to say. "I brought you some roses. They are my personal favorite. I'd thought you enjoy them. You know, my mother used to tell me that a cardinal is a sign that a  person who has passed is with you. I know that sounds silly but I just hope you can somehow hear me right now. Thank you for allowing me to say my peace Alice. I hope you are resting easy. He can't hurt you anymore."

You began to brush the dirt off of your knees and stand up. You glanced back at Alice's headstone and what did you see? A cardinal, perched on the headstone. Happy tears rolled down your cheek.

As you were making your way out of the cemetery you saw a man with a thin frame, black hair, and a noticeable limp walking towards a grave. You didn't want to be rude and intrude upon his time to pray or whatever he may do, but something told you to stay. You kept a respectable distance but it was close enough that you could hear him speak.

"Hello mother. What a lovely spot. I am so sorry that I couldn't be here for the funeral. But I think you would be proud of me. I'm a changed man, at least I'm trying to be. To be honest, I don't know if I'm going to make it without you." He took a breath and stopped for a few seconds. You have no idea what prompted you to do this but you walked over to him and gently tapped his shoulder. "Pardon me." You said in a hushed tone. "I'm sorry to intrude but I couldn't help but overhear what you were saying to your mother and I have to say, that was a beautiful sentiment. I know it's doesn't mean much since I don't know you personally but I think that she would be very proud of you. You seem very kindhearted. I promise you that with time it will get better. It will always be painful but time heals all wounds." He sniffled and wiped his tears with the back of his hand. "Thank you very much. That's awfully kind of you." He extended his hand towards you. "I'm Oswald." You reciprocated the gesture "It's nice to meet you Oswald, I'm (Y/N). Keep your chin up. I have a feeling that your going to do great things. Take care okay?" He nodded his head. You gave him a kind smile and took off. You needed to start putting your plan into action.