Innocence || Gotham

EPILOGUE

One of the first things Evelyn Carter saw when she woke up was the large carnival tent surrounded by people dressed as clowns and lunatics.

The last thing she remembers is a city-wide blackout. She was far too busy dealing with other matters to notice the news reports of her former lover rising back from the dead.

Carnival music plays loudly throughout the carnival grounds. She looks down at her wrists, those being the only thing restrained to the rolling desk chair. Looking around, she notices innocent people unwillingly participating in carnival games. She can't help but laugh as a man falls into a pool of piranhas due to one hitting the dunk button.

Then she saw him.

Standing beside an older Bruce Wayne is the man himself: the cause of all this madness. He's just standing there, whispering something she can't hear. It isn't until he looks back at her and makes eye contact that she became sure it's him.

Jerome Valeska has seen better days. His face is clumsily stapled to his head. She's not exactly sure what to think of it. All she can look at is the ring of blood outlining his face, staples pressed firmly into his head.

He grins at her before taking show steps towards her. She can't help but notice he's dressed in a Master of Ceremonies get-up.

He bends down in front of her, showing his teeth as he grinned. "Hello, Dollface."

Dollface. She shudders at the name. She hadn't heard that nickname in nearly a year. "Impossible," Evelyn whispers. She smiles, for the world no longer seemed lonely. She wants to reach out, to touch him, to see if he's really there and it isn't just another dream. "You're alive."

"In the flesh!" He exclaims, extending his arms out in his theatrical boyish way. "Sorry about the restraints. Didn't want ya falling out of your chair, now did we?"

"I don't care," Evelyn quickly responds, tugging at the restraints. "Just cut me loose."

He grins before whipping out the very pocket knife that killed him. Quickly, he cuts off the zip ties and pulls her to her feet.

She stands there, taking in his large height. Had he always been that tall? Who cares, he's back and alive. "What am I supposed to do now?"

Jerome shrugs, placing a glove-covered hand behind her head. He traces her scar with his thumb. "Hug? Kiss? Fuck? Really, Dollface, it's up to you."

She quickly wraps her arms around his neck, pulling close before kissing him with all the force she's got. His lips are slightly chapped and cold. She isn't sure if that was from being dead or if it was from the freezer his stolen body was left in.

She pulls away, looking into those dark green eyes full of mischief. "I think I missed you."

"I think ya did too."

The very pocket knife he used earlier to cut her restraints is now gently pressed against her jawline. Being in many situations like this for the past year, the move barely bothers her like it used to. This is something Jerome and her enemies had always done: place a knife to her throat for information.

"Now I'm told," he starts, pausing to lick his lips before pulling her closer, "that Galavan is dead. That true?"

"If he wasn't, I wouldn't be here," she responds calmly. 

"Who killed him?"

"Does it matter?"

The knife digs a little deeper. Evelyn could feel a small trickle of blood flow down her chin and then her neck. "It matters to me."

"That's unfortunate. Truly, I feel for you," she remarks, smirking slightly.

"You became more talkative, I see."

"Yet you're still the same amount of crazy as before. Weird, huh?"

He lowers the pocket knife before looking back at Bruce Wayne who's currently staring at the staples in his forearm. Evelyn notices the sad clown face painted on him. The boy is obviously not here by choice. She steps towards the boy, gaining his attention within a few moments. "Poor мальчик," (boy) she fake pouts, cupping his cheek with her hand. She watches in amusement as Bruce fights the urge to step away in an upsetting manner.

"Going after Bruce Wayne again, huh? If I recall, you died last time that happened," Evelyn says, looking back at Jerome. She takes a step away from the billionaire orphan.

"Bruce-y!" Jerome greets once again, grinning like the maniac he is. "You remember Dollface, don't ya?"

"How could I forget?" He retorts, glaring at the both of them. "Her face is plastered on every newspaper."

Jerome raises an eyebrow, looking back at her with a semi-shocked expression. "Dollface made a name for herself, huh? Call me impressed. And shocked, actually, Dollface wasn't really much of a 'do it yourself' person."

A person behind Jerome laughs as if it were the funniest joke he's heard in decades. Jerome casually uses the pocket knife to stab the guy in the abdomen. His eyes never leave Evelyn's.

"What exactly have you been doing?"

"Causing chaos. You know, hostage crisis, murders, led a gang once, that was fun, and even went after old Bruce-y once. Didn't pan out that well, but oh well."

"Sounds like you've been busy."

"More than you've been, рыжеволосый человек (ginger)."

Jerome exaggerates a shiver before pulling her close. His hand rests on her lower back before he looks at the large carnival tent with slight admiration.

"Let's say you and I were to kinda 'team-up'. Ya know, for old times sake. What would you say to that, Dollface?"

She gently grabs his chin, turning his head to face her rather than the large striped tent. She leans in, kissing his lips for a few moments before pulling away maybe half an inch.

"Let's bring Gotham to its knees, baby."

And that's exactly what they did.