Red And Blue (Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska X OC)

BOOM!

Butch stares at Harley in utter disbelief. They knew each other from the very beginning, back when Harley's job was with Fish as a nightclub singer. He was there when Liza was murdered in front of her. He was the one who sent her a letter to inform her about Fish's death. He's always been lurking around Harley's story.

"What're you doing here Butch? Did you hear 'bout my visit to town and want to say hello? I appreciate the thought." She sarcastically jokes, while also still remaining curious on why Butch Gilzean is here for Tabitha Galavan. Theo Galavan's sister who, let's face it, probably had a hand in both Harley and Jerome's deaths.

"Harley...." He mutters and blinks rapidly. He slowly takes a few steps closer to her. "You're alive. How? How is that even possible? I saw you die, I was watching the t.v. screen that whole night." He recalls the evening that took place a year ago now. Harley uncrosses her legs and straightens out her dress. She stands up and places a hand on the desk next to the bed, leaning her weight on it.

"A doctor at Arkham Asylum decided to do a little science experiment and bring a few people back. Including Galavan. Which I'm sure you're already aware of, but that's why I'm here. I'm going to fucking obliterate that piece of shit for what he did to me." Her tone snaps to a much sharper passive aggressive sound in the last sentence. She sounds furious yet keeps a smile.

"Harley....I don't think I can let you do that." Butch calmly tells her, trying to get her to match his energy so she doesn't have a freak out. He remembers what she was like working with back at Fish's Nightclub. She could snap at any moment if she wasn't on a drug that calmed her. And if she was on cocaine, then walking eggshells would be an understatement to what it was like to be around her.

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(1 year ago) (2 months before Jerome's mother is killed)

Harley exhaled heavily and put her arms down at her sides. She looked out onto the small crowd of the club and smiled. There was a beat of silence, then the place applauded. She had just finished a four hour set and the next singer is up. The band members put their instruments down and walked off the platform, new band players taking their positions. Harley did the same and let the other girl fill her role.

She walked down the side staircase off the elevated stage and went down into the pit with the rest of the people. Some more music started, getting everyone's attention off of her exit and back to the new band. She made her way over to the booth that Fish sat in, the woman counting stacks of cash and sorting them into piles of one thousand each. Harley placed one hand on the table and one hand on her hip.

"So how'd I do?" She asked with a smile. Fish kept counting and responded without looking up at her. She must have been busy that night.

"I thought it was wonderful, seems your boy toy agrees." Fish glanced up for just a half second and pointed to the bar on the other side of the building. Standing by one of the bar stools was none other than Jerome and his brightly saturated ginger hair. Harley's face turned confused. "What's he doing here? I thought you said he wanted nothing to do with you since his new girlfriend." Fish questioned.

"That's what he told me." Harley became even more angry now, thinking back on her and Jerome's last conversation. Fish slid over half a stack of cash.

"Here's your pay for the last few days. Now take it, and go work your shit out with him." Fish ordered her. She wrapped rubber bands around the green paper piles, finishing her organization session.

"But Mama—" Harley tried to refute that idea, knowing there's no way in hell she'll be able to fix this. At least not with a single conversation. And at least not here. Fish set her hand on top of Harley's.