---
[THE BATMAN 2022]
---
'Your need for revenge will ultimately be your downfall, Valeska'
'You call it revenge. I like to call it... returning the favour, Batman'
---
[Cover by @mayatelford]
[Edward Nashton x OFC]
Published; 21/03.2022
Completed;...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
——
[2008]
——
The courtroom was fairly empty, all things considered. Only having a select few witnesses sat in the back along with the jury all seated in their stands.
Many would think that a horrific crime committed by such a young offender would draw a bigger crowd as, even in Gotham, this type of thing didn't happen very often. It was rare for a sixteen-year-old to brutally murder their mother out of the blue, but given the amount of hush money brought towards the trial and case itself by the Wild family, it wasn't surprising.
Jerome had only been incarcerated for a month before her trial, the money that her brother's new foster parents pumped into it, making the process speed along exponentially, not wanting their new son to be in the limelight surrounding his sister's murder charges but that didn't mean that they gave a shit about her sticky situation, no they wanted her out of the picture making sure that nothing would hurt their perfect image.
They were pumping enough money into it and buying off the judge and defence attorney to make sure that the trial went the way they wanted. For Jerome to go away for a very long time, away from them and Jerimiah.
Jerome wasn't stupid, as soon as she heard the Wilds were interested in adopting her brother she knew how it was going to go, that she was either going to rot in Black Gate prison, be tried as an adult or be sent to Arkham. She didn't know which she preferred, to be treated as a murderer because she was a terrible person or a murderer who was mentally ill.
As she sat in that courtroom in a hideous bright orange jumpsuit and shackled by chains she was unfazed having accepted that she wasn't going to get out of this situation a free woman, but, as she turned to meet the pine green eyes of her only friend she felt guilty. Not for killing her mother and protecting her brother, no she was proud of that but that she was going to leave Edward for a long time. Something she had promised to never do.
He wore a frown waiting for the trial to begin, eyes trained to Jerome. He was angry at first, why would she do this? Why would she do it knowing she would be taken from him? But when he found out what had happened that night he couldn't help be feel a swell of pride for her actions. She was always fiercely protective of her brother just like she is with him, so it was no surprise for her actions, if anything he wished she could have made her mother pay more, he wanted her to burn in hell not only for what she did to Jerimiah but for leaving Jerome in that hell hole of an orphanage. She was a disgustingly cruel woman and deserved to be put through more pain and torture than she did and as much as he was angry that Jerome would potentially be taken away he know that she wouldn't be who she was if she hadn't had stepped in.
