Elsie Valeska nee Daniels had learned a lot about people and life since she first met Jerome Valeska at Hayley's circus when she was 15.
Being 'reborn' and in touch with with the world in the way that modern people had forgotten, with the voices...
Elsie eyed him, her own posture relaxed, though internally she was worried her dramatic entrance was too much and his poor brain had finally cracked.
He always told her to be more theatric......
Jerome's mind was a Wonderland of mayhem. That much was true.
It was was always abuzz with constant thoughts, always, but at this moment, they were all directed at Elsie.
He wanted to gather her in his arms, take her home, make sweet love to her and never let her out of his sight again.
Everyone had given up in believing she was still alive by this point. They didn't see a reason to search anymore.
Everyone, (Except for his dumbass brother, but he didn't count.)
But never Jerome. Oh no, never.
He'd search until his dying breath...
Well his second dying breath, he was still pretty pissed at this Dumbo eared Theo for doing him in.
"Oh Jerome, you've gotten so thin..." The redhead was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of his angel's concerned voice "you have haven't been taking care of yourself..." the sadness and disappointment in her voice filled him with guilt.
He never wants to be the reason for that kind of tone. That was reserved for his spineless twin.
"Elsie...How're you alive?" Jeremiah voiced Jerome's exact thoughts and the woman frowned, thinking for a moment before shrugging, smiling sheepishly.
"Honestly, I don't really know...Maybe the same way you survived and that Jerome was was brought back to life. Something in Hugo's chemicals." She shrugged, an uncomfortable look flashing over her face.
"Where have you been living? How are you surviving out here?" Jeremiah continued with his questions.
Jerome tore his gaze from the goddess that was his wife, to glare at his twin, wondering for the billionth time why Lila had to have had twins.
"Who gives a shit how she's lived out here, the point is she's alive and she's coming home with me." He snapped and Jeremiah glared at him distastefully, the two having a glaring match until Elsie spoke up.
"We can't leave yet." Both men's heads snapped back to the beauty before them.
"Why not?" For once Jerome didn't attempt to shut Jeremiah up. Elsie stared at the sky, as though listening to some invisible voice, or most likely observing the weather, Jerome hoped it was the former.
"There's a storm going to pass through tonight," it was at that moment that Jerome noticed how much the wind had picked up and that the birds were flying around, "We'll never make it to the edge of the forest before it comes. You two will have to come to stay with me."
Without waiting for an answer, Elsie turned on her heel and began walking back into the thicket, the wolves turning and following her immediately.
The two Valeska men scrambled to their feet to catch up with the group, Jerome pushing Jeremiah aside so he could walk next to his wife.
"Don't your feet hurt?" Jerome watched as Elsie stepped over moss covered rocks, twigs and a few snail shells, all the while she was bare foot.
He grimaced as she stepped on a jagged rock, slicing her foot that began to bleed profusely, however she ignored it.
"No, I've adapted. And so has my healing. Yesterday I cut my hand while carving some squirrels for dinner (Jerome refrained from gagging) and when I woke up today, my hand was healed." She pushed aside a low hanging branch.
"I never gave up that you were alive... But why didn't you come home?" Jerome asked and Elsie slowed her steps, look of pain and regret in her eyes.
"I couldn't. Not right away... but I wanted to. But the earth is alive Jerome. It spoke to me. It brought me back for a reason, and I needed to open my eyes and listen." she stopped completely, turning to Jerome to cup his face with her dirty hands, not that he minded, he actually had a fantasy where she would be covered in blood of their victim, so a little dirt wasn't anything.
"Never doubt that I didn't want to return to you freckles. I did, I missed you and I missed our babies...." Elsie held his face for a moment before letting go and continuing forward.
They continued walking in silence, the occasional growl or grunt from the wolves the only sound besides the silence.
"Where'd you get your huge furry bodyguards?" Jeremiah who had moved to stand by one of the wolves.
He much preferred the predictors to his brother, even if he was at risk of being torn to shreds.
However, one of the females seemed to take a liking to him if her licking his hand was any indication. (Jerome secretly begged the wolf to bite his hand off.)
"I didn't. The pack found me. My soul reached out for theirs. They're direwolves, supposed to be extinct, but this pack has managed to survive.....They don't belong to me, but they have allied themselves beside me and my purpose for the city." Elsie smiled as the alpha couple moved to rub against her legs.
Jerome was about to ask what she meant, but the sight before him paused any conversation.
Settled in the middle of the woods, was the ruins of what resembled a train. Moss, leaves, and plants had grown over the outdated transportation, but the obvious clearing of the door showed occupancy.
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"This train was supposed to cut through the woods right into the heart of the city. The people who lived out here supporters of nature at the time knew it would destroy the paradise of the flora and fauna of these woods so they removed the men who tried to expand the railway." Elsie's face darkened and she went to open the door and the wolves began walking away.
"And by removed, you mean killed?" Jeremiah asked knowingly.
Elsie turned to face him, the dark look seemingly disappeared from her brown orbs. "Yes."
