A Little Sane

Chapter 9

You can do this. You are the person who taught me I could do anything.

Mercedes set straight up in bed. Jerome groaned and set up next to her. He gently rubbed her back.

"Mercedes.. you okay baby..?"

Mercedes sighed and leaned her head on Jerome's shoulder. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She set up and faced him.

"I think I just had a bad dream I don't know. I was hearing things.. A voice. A voice I know I haven't heard in real life, but it sounds so familiar and close to me.."

Jerome scratched his head. 

"I don't know doll face.."

Jerome leaned forward and gently kissed her. 

"Maybe you're just stressed about what happened. It's only been a couple of weeks."

Mercedes looked at the two cribs in their room.

"I get scared to go to sleep... You know I can be a heavy sleeper..."

Jerome gently cupped her cheek.

"You know for the most part I'm not a heavy sleeper. So if anyone was to try anything again, I'd wake right up."

Mercedes leaned into his hand and closed her eyes. 

"I mean... I want them to have a normal life.."

She opened her eyes.

"TaTyana and Ed have seen pictures of them.... But no one else in Gotham except Jeremiah and I assume possibly Ecco has even seen the babies and that was only in pictures. After Bailey... I'm not sure I want other under ground villians and gang leaders knowing what the kids look like..."

Jerome nodded.

"Yeah... word is already getting around that I've gotten softer."

Jerome's chuckled quietly to not wake the babies. 

"I may have a wife and kids that I love very much, but I'll still fucking kill someone."

Mercedes smiled. Jerome looked at her confused. Mercedes supressed a loud laugh and continued smiling.

"Nothing.. It's just.. you're still you.. and.. I love you."

Mercedes set up on her knees and gently kissed his forehead. Jerome grabbed her hips, pulling her closer to him. He looked up and gently pulled her face down by her chin. He held his face inches from hers. He grinned and slightly shook his head.

"Stop being so beautiful...."

He watched Mercedes smile. Even in the darker light of the room he could tell her cheeks were red. Even after marrying him and having kids, he could still make her nervous and blush. He loved it. He leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers. Jerome gently ran his hand under her shirt. He felt Mercedes tense slightly. He gently ran his fingers across her stomach. He slowly ran his fingers across her stretch marks. Mercedes pulled away slightly feeling self-conscious. Jerome pulled her back. He ran his hand down her slightly bigger thighs. He watched her look down. He gently lifted her face. 

"I know that you think because you gained a little weight from the babies and it's taking longer to shed that you are ugly. I know you worry I think you are ugly."

Jerome gently pulled the t-shirt she was wearing over her head and threw it to the floor. Mercedes looked at him shocked. Jerome smiled. The moonlight shining in from their smaller window gave her a beautiful glow. Jerome gently cupped her face in both of his hands. 

"You, Mercedes-Ann Helleman Valeska.... are the most incredibly beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on. You had children. Your body changed and that's natural."

Jerome gently ran his hands up and down her thighs. He never broke eyecontact. 

"I love these. You honestly look so sexy."

He rached his fingers out and traced her stretch marks.

"Your little tiger stripes here, show how strong you are for carrying two babies and then being able to get right back to life. Being a mother is the absolute most stunning thing on you. You were meant to be a mother. This stomach, is not as big as you think it is. All your new baby birth curves and marks drive me crazy. You so gorgeous. You are still just as incredible as the day I met you."

Mercedes had the biggest blushed and embarrassed face. He pulled her sitting sideways into his lap.

"It's so sexy and adorable how nervous you still get and how butterfly inducing I am to you."

Jerome gently ran his thumb across her lips.

"I love you Mercedes."

Mercedes smiled and pressed her lips into his. 

"And you wonder where your humanity is my love..."

Mercedes wrapped her arms tightly around him. Jerome hugged her back with the same grip. Mercedes let go and laid down next to him. Jerome carefully laid down facing the ceiling. A few moments later he felt Mercedes wrap her arm around him and lay her head on his chest. He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. Jerome stared at the ceiling for a while. He remembered all the memories before Mercedes was his girlfriend. He remembered wanting so badly to just kiss her, but not scare anymore than she might have been back then. His favorite memory of her played in his head. Mercedes dancing around his music room to Lean On Me. The moment he knew his life had changed forever. He remembered finding TaTyana. He didn't want to admit it, but he missed her a lot. Her nagging and threats. He knew Mercedes missed her too. Mercedes had been on video chat with TaTyana several times. He was there for the one where she told TaTyana and Ed about Bailey. Mercedes had to convience them not to come back to Gotham. TaTyana wanted to keep updated with the babies. Jerome didn't like the idea, but Mercedes insisted that they at least send Jeremiah pictures. He hated it, but Jeremiah was their uncle and Jerome guessed maybe he should know about his neice and nephew. He didn't want Jeremiah around the kids though. He knew for a fact Mercedes was going to try and convience him to let them know Jeremiah at some point. Mercedes was very much a family person and she wanted family for her kids. Sadly, Aislinn and Jessie would never really have grandparents for either parent. Even though Mercedes's parents were still alive, Mercedes definitely never wanted her kids to go visit her parents. She didn't think they deserved to know their grandchildren. Her parents knew they had grandchildren. Mercedes had been doing something Jerome had no idea about. On the days Mercedes would run to the store, she would also visit Arkham Asylum. She only went to see one person. Her mother. She wanted more answers. She wanted to understand. Mercedes would never admit it, but she missed her mother terribly. She didn't trust her with much, but she wanted her to explain why she never really cared about her. It was eating her up inside. She knew she could talk to Jerome, because he would understand how it felt to unwanted and unloved, but she felt embarrassed. Mercedes had been visiting her mother for three weeks. Her mother was kept in a glass room with small holes for talking. Her mother knew about the kids, but not that she was married to Jerome. She knew she needed to tell Jerome. Jerome still laid with his eyes wide open. He gently rubbed Mercedes's back. He closed his eyes and fell back asleep ten minutes later.