Labyrinth: A Jeremiah Valeska Story *COMPLETED*

Chapter 41: The Gift

Once we were home we celebrated our new freedom with champagne. The relief that flooded through me was refreshing and I constantly had to remind myself that tonight was real as I had never expected it to come. Jeremiah gave Ecco the night off as we weren't in dire need of her services anymore. After hours of drinking and talking I decided to turn in early, and I suggested that Jeremiah do the same but he insisted that he look over his blueprints for his generators again. He had made a deal with Bruce Wayne, Jerome's other target, who was going to fund the generators so that Meyers & Hayes could make them a reality for use in Gotham. Jeremiah was a perfectionist and he wanted to make sure his designs were full proof before presenting them to Bruce when he came over in a few days. I got ready for bed, throwing on one of his t-shirts which fit me like a dress and then I snuggled into our bed. I knew that Jeremiah would come to bed eventually when he felt satisfied with his work, but I was too sleepy to stay awake for him and I quickly fell asleep. Later that night I woke to loud crashing and uncontrollable laughter. It was the kind of laughter that was hysterical, it sounded almost painful and distorted. I shot up out of bed, my entire body thrumming to my heart beat and fully alert. My skin felt prickly with fear as I cautiously eased out of bed and towards the source of the sound. It led me to Jeremiah's study and I gathered the courage to knock on the door softly. "Jeremiah?" I asked and the room grew quiet. I heard the door lock and then the laughter rumbled on. I was immensely confused, fearing the worst. "Jerome let him go!" I yelled, jiggling the door handle, believing that he had once again risen from the grave. The laughter then got louder, drowning me out as I pounded and screamed for Jeremiah. I was terrified, unsure of what was going on. After about an hour, my back was against the door and my energy drained from attempting to get inside. I brought my knees to my chest, sobbing softly. I felt the overwhelming urge to help my husband, but I didn't know how. The room had been completely silent for about thirty minutes and I was beginning to believe that Jerome had killed the love of my life. Suddenly Ecco came in through the front door hurriedly, a bag in her hands. The door behind me then opened for a second, a hand grabbing the bag from her. "Jeremiah?" I sniffled but there was no response as the door shut again and I turned to Ecco. "What did you just give him? Do you know what's going on?" I questioned her and she shook her head. "He instructed that I wasn't to tell you." She said simply before walking away despite my protesting. After another fifteen minutes of waiting, Jeremiah finally emerged. He looked just like I had left him before I went to sleep. I scrambled to my feet from my position on the ground, so relieved to see him that I just threw my arms around him. I was shaking from emotion and he hesitated for a second before wrapping his arms around me. "What the hell just happened?" I sobbed into his shirt before I peered to look around him at the ruin he left his study in. "Did you do all this?" I asked, looking up at him. "Don't worry about that, I'm okay... See?" He suggested while motioning to himself. I was incredibly puzzled and annoyed that he seemed to be dancing around the subject and I pushed past him and enter his study. "Was Jerome in here with you? Why did you lock the door?" I inquired, my eyes scanning the trashed room and landed on what looked like a jack in the box. "What's tha-" I began but then Jeremiah sprung in front of me, blocking the object from my view. "I said don't worry about it." He narrowed his eyes on me, his voice firm. "Drop it, Lilly." He ordered and I scoffed. "I was out there crying for you for hours! I was scared shitless Jeremiah! So excuse me for trying to figure out what was going on in here!" I spat at him and I saw something change in his eyes. A dark, sadistic look overtook him and it made me take a step back from him. "Drop. It." He said his voice low as he approached me. "F-fine." I stuttered out, my body shrinking into itself. He eyed my reaction before his entire demeanor changed back to being calm, as if it were that easy to switch emotions. "Good. You should go back upstairs and wait for me. I'll come to bed after I clean all this up." He said and I didn't need to be told twice, wanting to get away from the situation. I slid back into bed, feeling unsatisfied and upset. In another thirty minutes he entered our bedroom, looking at me for a second before he went to his dresser and changed into his pajamas. He then removed his glasses and switched the lights off before laying down on the bed facing me. It took a second for my eyes to adjust but I was able to make out his face in the dark. He was looking at me with a strange look on his face, it was as if he was trying to figure something out in his head. I wished so badly that I could see into that mind of his. I couldn't stay mad at him for very long when I was just so thankful that he was okay. I then felt his hand lightly brush mine under the sheets, slowly intertwining with my own. I sighed at the touch, thankful that he seemed to have calmed down from wherever overtook him in his study. We fell asleep like that, holding hands to bridge the gap in the bed between us. A gap that was forged from whatever had occurred in that room. I dreamt of the jack in the box, imagining myself turning the nob over and over again but nothing ever popped out. It was as if it were broken, as if the clown inside had escaped.