alive || jerome valeska

liar

Jim was sitting on a small and uncomfortable chair next to the unconscious body of his partner. Lili's skin was pale, she looked almost dead as she laid on the hospital bed with a bandage on her stomach.

For the past two hours all Jim's been doing was stare at the girl and think. He solved many cases throughout his career, but Lili Grimes was something he could never figure out, and in that moment, he felt like he's never been further from it.

He couldn't understand why would someone so smart go after the city's most dangerous criminal so stupidly: she didn't tell anyone where she suspected him to be, she left behind everything in her apartment, including her phone, that they could've used to track her, she went alone, even though she knew Jerome most likely had company. It almost seemed as if she wanted it to be a suicide mission.

Both his and Harvey's first thought was that she's been kidnapped, but her neighbour confirmed that she saw her leave willingly and alone, so there was that theory.

The truth was, even now that she was right in front of him, Jim felt like she was still missing, he wanted to believe it was because she was still unconscious, but deep down he knew Lili was taken by Jerome Valeska after she got shot all those years ago, and she hasn't been back since.

"You're over thinking again, aren't you?" Harvey entered the depressing hospital room with two cups of coffee in his hand.

Jim let out a sigh "I just wish she'd wake up and tell us what the hell happened."

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll tell us a story." Harvey took a seat next to his partner.

"Come on, Harv, you can't seriously believe-"

"I have to consider it, Jim. And you should too." he took a long sip from his coffee, from the smell of it, he probably boozed it with some whiskey.

"I have, and I don't believe it." he raised his voice "And I can't believe you do."

"I didn't say I believe she meant to run off with Valeska into the sunset but Jerome has a way of getting into people's heads."

"She's stronger than that-"

"Is she? Because ever since she arrested him she's been having nightmares about him. That maniac has been haunting her for years, who knows, maybe this is her coping mechanism!"

"She never told me about the nightmares."

"That's not the point, Jim." Harvey let out a long sigh, and took another long sip "I think we should put her away until Jerome's gone for good."

Jim's eyes widened "No way. I'm not locking her up."

"Jim-"

"I love her, okay?" Jim stood up, too overwhelmed to be able to sit. Harvey's eyes softened, he didn't say anything, but the look on his face said too much "If I lock her up, I lose her completely, and even after we got Jerome, he still wins, because I lost her." Harvey only nodded, than his gaze fall to the floor, taking another sip of his drink. Silence fall on the room.

Both of them were too busy with their thoughts to notice that the girl they've been arguing about has been awake for long enough to hear enough of the conversations to know what cards she had to pull if she wanted thing to go her way.

She always suspected Jim's feelings towards her, but she couldn't be sure until now. Lili already wasn't proud of the way she was going to use his emotions to manipulate him, but there was really no other way. She needed to be with Jerome as soon possible.

After waiting a few minutes, just to make sure they wouldn't think she heard anything they just said, she let out a small groan, getting both men's attention.