Jerome Valeska Imagines

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"I would like to thank you all for coming," announced the ringmaster. The whole circus stood in the big tent, with the ringmaster standing on a podium so everybody could see him. "As I'm sure you've heard, Jerome was broken out of the asylum a couple days ago." You felt a wave of fear wash over everyone. Nobody has spoken about Jerome since he was arrested in Gotham for killing Lila.

You understood why everyone was mad and upset, you were, too. But this was partially everybody else's fault, too. None of you did anything to help him for all of those years that Lila was hurting him. Not even you did, and you were his best friend. "It is with much sadness that I announce that Jerome was killed last night." You felt your heart stop. You could feel the stares of everybody on you, but you ignored them. "He was killed by Theo Galavan while Jerome was attempting to murder Bruce Wayne."

The air in your lungs completely washed out of you as you imagined your best friend, dead on the floor. All you could wonder was, 'how? Was he shot? Stabbed? Thrown off of a roof?' The tears were so desperately trying to exit, but you wouldn't let them. Not in front of everybody. They already were suspicious of you because of how close you were with him. Who knew if you helped him murder Lila? Well, you knew that you didn't, but your words didn't seem to help your case at all with the others.

Before you knew it, everybody was walking out of the tent. You decided to run to your trailer before the others tried to harass you. They always picked on you for being friends with Jerome, but you didn't regret it. Not one bit. You locked your trailer door and ran to your bed. You hugged your pillow to you and let the tears fall. Not only had you lost your best friend, but you lost a piece of you. You drifted asleep, dreaming about the times you and Jerome shared.

...

1 Year Later

Your mood has been down for days now. Not only had it been a year since Jerome's death, but the circus was also in Gotham. You decided not to walk around, not wanting to see anything that would remind you of your sweet ginger. If only he had always stayed that sweet, then maybe you wouldn't be in this mess.

You put on your outfit for your act that you were being forced to perform tonight. You weren't a Grayson, but you were an amazing acrobat, so you were forced to perform with them. Especially now that John had run away with Mary after Jerome was arrested.

You walked towards the tent, hoping something would stop you from having to perform. Your wishes were granted, but probably not in the best way. You jumped as you heard gunshots and screaming. You turned towards the main part of the circus and saw people running around, being chased by people dressed as clowns.

You ran towards the big tent, not knowing where else to go. You peaked through the opening and saw it was empty. You ran in and hid behind the bleachers. You listened to the screams of your fellow circus members, but you were too scared to find out what was happening. Ironic that you were probably going to die in Gotham just like Jerome. Maybe they would dump your body with his.

You jumped back to reality as people began to walk into the tent. You could barely see them, but you heard them. You covered your mouth with your hand so they wouldn't hear your sobs or your breathing. "The boss said this is where he wants to kill Wayne," one of the intruders said. It didn't take you long to realize that they weren't part of the circus.

"Why would he want to do it at this dump? Didn't he say he hated it here?" The other one asked. "I think dying can change the way ya think. Plus, he said he was lookin' for some girl," the first one said. You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. Suddenly, another person ran in. "The boss is comin'!" You could tell by their voice that it was a girl.

The sound of the flaps of the tent being pushed aside hit your ears. Somebody took a deep breath before releasing it. "Ahhhh! So nice to be back to this hell hole." You froze at the voice. It sounded just like Jerome, but it couldn't be. "I heard that there was a straggler in here, that just so happened to be exactly the person I'm looking for. Search everywhere," the person ordered.

You looked around for a way out, but couldn't see a thing. As the intruders neared you, you finally saw a hole in the side of the tent you know you could fit in. You crawled over to it and began to squeeze through. You were halfway out when your hips got stuck. You squealed in surprise. You froze, hoping no one had heard you.

"Did you hear that?" Somebody asked. "Check behind the bleachers," the person that sounded like Jerome ordered. All choices of being quiet were destroyed as you began to try and drag yourself out. You heard their footsteps nearing you, making you swear.

Finally, you got your hips to pop out, and you could finally crawl through. You sighed in relief as you were out, but that was quickly ruined. Somebody grabbed your ankle, dragging you back in. You shouted and tried to fight back, kicking and grabbing anything you could.

You were dragged back through the hole, which was now big enough for you to fit through. You were thrown over the person's shoulder, giving you the perfect opportunity to hit them in the back. Of course, your baby punches did nothing to help.

You kicked and screamed as they handed you over to another person. Your eyes were clenched shut, so you didn't see who it was. "Open your eyes for daddy, babygirl." Your eyes shot open in shock at the words. You stared at the face of your dead best friend. Now, staples decorated the sides of his face, making his face stretch out in different places.

     You grew angry as you realized what happened. You pushed him away, causing him to drop you. You heard the other clowns aim their guns at you, but Jerome held his hand up, stopping them. "Who the fuck are you?" You spat.

     He raised an amused eyebrow. "Don't recognize me, babygirl? Come on!" He cheered. You glared at him. "Jerome died last year. You think I'm stupid enough to believe that you are him?" You asked. He chuckled. "Dollface, it's me!" He shouted.

     You shook your head. "Jerome died a year ago. He was killed by some Theo Galavan guy. The whole circus knows about it," you said. The man only laughed. "Who else could I be!?" He asked. Your glare deepened. "For all I know, you could be fucking Jeremiah. Is it you, Jeremiah? Because if it is, that's fucked up. Like, really fucked up," you said.

     The man's smiled dropped and looked at the clowns around us. You looked at them, too, and saw that they all looked confused. "Who's Jeremiah?" One of them asked. You turned back to the man with a raised eyebrow. "They think you're actually Jerome?" You asked.

     You turned to them. "Jerome Valeska died a year ago. If you guys were actual followers of Jerome, you'd know that," you announced. They all snickered. "We brought 'im back to life," another one said. You froze. "What?" You asked in shock. You felt the man walk next to you, but you ignored him. He couldn't be Jerome.

     "We got his body, and brought him back to life," they confessed. You slowly turned to the man and looked at him. "Prove it," you ordered. He smirked and leaned down so he was eye level with you. "Your favorite color is Y/F/C," he said. You looked down at your Y/F/C uniform and then back to him with raised eyebrows. "Lucky guess."

     He chuckled. "Fine. When we were nine, your dad tried to hit me, but before he could, you grabbed a frying pan and hit him in the head with it, knocking him out. You were so scared of what would happen, that you burned your trailer down, with him still in it, and made it look like an accident," he said.

     Your eyes widened as he told you a memory only Jerome would have known. "How?" You asked breathlessly. He smiled wide and wiped his finger across your cheek. "Like I said, gorgeous. I'm back."

     You stared up at him in shock. It was Jerome. He was actually back. "But how?" You asked. "You died." Tears began running down your cheeks. He sighed and stood up straight. "Yeah, but I'm back now, and I'm here for you!" He announced. You continued to stare at him. "Why?" You asked. He smirked and pulled you towards him, into an embrace. "Because, gorgeous, what are best friends for? Even though, I don't plan on being just friends for much longer."