Festered Lulluby: A Jerome Valeska Fanfic

#12- Reborn

I followed the smell of food to the dining room as my stomach let out a loud growl. I hadn't eaten in over a day and I needed to eat. I slammed open the door to find a buffet of food littering the dining table.

Barbara and Tabitha snapped their heads up at me from the couch and slowly rose from their seats as I marched over and started throwing food on my plate.

"My, my, didn't you have a party?" Barbara smiled, walking over to me and observing my blood covered hands. "You uh, not gonna wash your hands first?"

I swallowed my mouth full of food, shrugging in reply to her last question. "I feel so alive. Is that how you felt when you killed your parents?" I looked at her in awe. I was seeing her for the first time in a brand new light.

She brushed my chin as she spoke. "Doesn't it feel amazing? If only we could share this with the rest of Gotham, wouldn't you agree?"

"Absolutely." I breathed in her face. Tabitha shot me daggers from over Barbara's shoulder as I gave Barbara a hug. She stiffened and I pulled away, smiling at her while biting down on some kind of meat.

"Try hugging me after you've washed up." She looked herself over and tried rubbing off some blood I had gotten on her dress.

"That probably won't come out." I smirked, catching a glimpse of my bloodied self in a mirror across the room. I felt a tinge of embarrassment when I realised that I had trailed bloody footprints down the hall and all the way here.

Suddenly I caught movement in the mirror behind me. Jerome had been leaning against the door frame the whole time while watching me with wide, wild eyes. He had a smug grin on his face as he made his way towards me. Before he could do or say anything I threw my plate down on the table and slammed my lips into his, a feeling of gratitude and lust washing over me.

"Whoa, get a room!" Tabitha and Barbara yelped as they backed away to the couch.

Jerome lightly pushed me back and cupped one side of my face with his palm and the other gripping my waist. "That's my girl." He beamed.

***

After eating two heaping plates of veggies, chicken, and potatoes I had my fill. I pushed the plate away and folded my legs in the chair.

I had to try and eat my food in a presentable way that didn't make me look like I learned my table manners from a caveman because Jerome wouldn't take his eyes off me. I was both flattered and creeped out at the same time.

Maybe the kiss had taken it too far? Did I get him riled up? Good. I wanted him to feel the way I felt.

Despite feeling like a whole new person, there were still some unanswered questions. Theo had mentioned me being the organiser, but there was still the problem of possibly being killed after all this was over.

I folded my fingers together and stared straight ahead, pondering my options, which weren't many. I knew who would have to go: Greenwood, Dobkins, and Helzinger. They were too stupid to live through this.

I knew I would have to ride this whole thing out. Galavan had too much money and power even when he wasn't the mayor. If I were to somehow escape, which the chances were next to none, he would find me.
None the less, I needed to keep the loyalty card going. I had to convince Theo Galavan that I was able to keep up with the Maniax and perform how he wanted. It was my only chance I could see this through. The others... well, I had to come up with a way to dispose of them. Hopefully it just happened naturally.

An elbow in my ribs jolted me from my very deep thoughts and I turned to the culprit, Jerome. His head motioned up and I realised Galavan had been speaking to me. "Oh- I- sorry, yah." I fumbled and sat up straight in my seat, motioning that I was now paying attention.

"I said, can we rely on you to be here for the next Maniax meeting? I think these boys could use a woman's touch."

I slowly shot him a sideways smile and tapped my fingers on the table. "I would be honoured." My eyes lit up with excitement.

The next mission better come soon or I'd quickly loose my mind being cooped up in here, if I haven't lost it already, which I knew I had.

Distant laughter resonated throughout my brain; a laugh which wasn't my own.

"Well, that's enough excitement for one day, come on, Aryion." Jerome shot up from his seat and leapt to the floor. I copied and saluted everyone as we excited the room.

"That went much better than expected." I heard Theo's voice joyfully announce to the group we left behind.

"Hey, wait!" Tabitha followed us out to the hallway and handed me a box. "Per your request." As I went to take the box from her she snapped her body closer to me and hissed, "If you try anything funny, I'll personally enjoy beating you to a pulp and I won't go easy on you." She peeled her hands off the package as I smiled gleefully at her threat.

"What was that about?" Jerome asked curiously as he eyed the box.

"You'll see."

***

We made it to the room and I swiftly slipped inside as Jerome closed the door behind us. His back pressed up to the door as he looked at me with an awful grin.

I grinned back. "What?" I asked him, already knowing what he was going to say as I peeled open the box.

"Why did you ask for a speaker and phone?" Jerome asked curiously as he peered inside. "How did you convince Galavan to let you have a phone?"

"He trusts me now and with good reason." I shrugged. "Besides, music feeds me. It brings me to a different place, it's like my high." I explained this while I plugged in the phone and fished through the music selection. "I played nights at pubs and bars around Gotham to make some money while I was in college."

"Music makes you smile." Jerome recollected from our chat at the restaurant. I guess he really was listening.

"Yes. You wanna know how else it can make me feel?" I shuffled music by Lana Del Rey and turned to face him, placing a hand on his cheek.

"You performed beautifully my dear." He spoke in between kisses.

I dropped his lips suddenly and folded my arms over my chest. "Did I?"

He squinted at me in slight confusion at my sudden change of mood.
"You were the only person who knew of the hatred I had for my parents." I took a few steps away from him, his hands leaving my waist. "Which leads me to believe that you-" I pointed at him. "-devised the plan to lock me up in that room with my parents in hopes that I would bite the bate. And if I didn't, then Galavan would kill me, hence the bet he referred to earlier today. After all, you heard what he said, only those who played a part in his plan would make it out alive."

At this point we were inches apart and he was looking at me, astonished. "Well, you have me all figured out." He opened his arms wide and stepped forward, closing the gap between us once more. "Brainy, beautiful, and blood thirsty. Don't get much of that these days. Alright. You caught me! I used your misplaced trust in me to find out your weakness and didn't you fall... hard." He leaned his head in closer with each word.

"How does it feel?" I whispered in his ear as I took hold of his arm and placed it around my waist again.

My trick was up. He thought I would be mad at him, but I was grateful and impressed by his manipulation. I obviously meant a lot to him if he thought up all that to prove a point to me.

"Uh, how does what feel?" He asked, lust in his eyes.

"How does it feel knowing that you, Jerome Valeska, have woken me from my sleep."

His eyes lit up like fire as he crashed into my lips.