Entanglement: A Jeremiah Valeska Story

Chapter 21: The Infamous

I was wearing heels when I was engulfed by the chemicals, and they had fallen off and melted in the liquid, much like Jeremiah's glasses. Jeremiah helped me out of the cylinder of chemicals, his hands guiding me and keeping me close. My bare feet met the cold ground of Ace Chemicals, my eyes on him. Only him. He had a satisfied smile on his face as we walked back to the car outside, soaked head to toe with the cream-colored fluid. His bodyguard and chauffeur must have been very confused as to why their boss and his wife had just taken a chemical bath, our clothes partially burned from our bodies and our skin bleached by the toxins. But I couldn't bring myself to care. I looked to my husband as he instructed the men to drive, my hand in his. I didn't feel that it was right to call him the Joker anymore, as we had both peeled back the facades we were putting up to block ourselves from one another. He was my Jeremiah, and I felt a sense of pride knowing that I was the only one who could call him that, or even knew him before his career in crime as The Joker. It felt refreshing that I didn't have to pretend with him, I was just Lilly Valeska. I didn't have to pretend that I was sane anymore, Jeremiah's involvement in my life had ensured that I wasn't. But he accepted me for who I was and what I was becoming. My mind was full of revelations and new ideals that I knew had come from the chemicals, and I felt glorious. We drove through Gotham, and suddenly the car pulled into an ally, facing a brick wall. The chauffeur pressed a button in the car and the brick wall suddenly opened, revealing a garage. We drove in and parked the car and I was very curious about my surroundings. Jeremiah's employees got out of the car and then proceeded to open our doors for us. I stepped out into the garage, eyeing the room. It looked like it used to be an office of a company, equipped with a desk and various shelves and filing cabinets. Jeremiah gave instructions to his men before he went around the car and approached me from behind, placing his hand on the small of my back and ushering me forward, and we both entered what appeared to be a destroyed building. I heard the hum of a conveyer belt behind me and I turned to see that his car was being lowered to another level in the building, the room appearing like a simple office once the car was gone. This place must have been an amusement park of some sort, various play structures surrounding us. Nets, slides, bridges, and funhouses all stained with dust and grime, some structures missing pieces. There was a slide that seemed to abruptly stop right after it began, and if anyone attempted to ride it now they would fall right off and plunge to their death. I found myself giggling at the thought. Jeremiah pulled me closer to him as he guided me to a large clown head, it's mouth wide open and supposedly leading to a funhouse. But as soon as we entered he moved me to stand on a platform in the middle of the entrance to the fun house. Jeremiah then placed his hand on the side of the mouth of the clown, and a scanning noise followed. "Welcome Joker." A computerized voice said and he stepped onto the platform with me as it hissed and then began to lower us. I knew I was being led into the devil's lair but I was thrilled. My entire body felt electrified, every sense heightened as we reached the secret basement of the building. I looked around myself in amazement at the establishment he made for himself. The first room had various tables with blueprints and prototypes being build near them. There were TVs on the walls, much like how they had been in his old home in Gotham, but half were turned to the news and the other were surveillance footage of outside the building. Some things never change. The walls were painted a dark green, the carpet a dark purple. He had various employees on computers near the TVs, reviewing the surveillance footage and news coverage. "Hello boys! Say hello to my wife." Jeremiah announced into the room, all of his workers turning their heads to look at me. I did a little curtsy for them. I found J staring at me for a second as if he was thinking something over. "Call her Harley. Harley Quinn." He declared and I received various greetings from the men in the room. Harley Quinn. The shortened version of my fake name had a ring to it. A harlequin was similar to a jester, the perfect match for the Joker. I beamed at my christening into my new life and I grabbed Jeremiah by what was left of his green tie and I pulled him towards me, crashing my lips to his. He wrapped his arms around my waist in response, taking over the kiss aggressively as his lips abused my own. He tasted like the poison we had been submerged in and I loved every second. He then abruptly pulled away, leaving me wanting more. "Enjoy the show?" He rhetorically asked his men before picking up a book weight and throwing it in their direction. The men scattered as the object crashed into the computers, knocking one off the table as Jeremiah laughed to himself briefly before becoming serious again. "Clean this up. And no one bother me today, unless it's urgent." He ordered before grabbing my arm and leading me to elevators on the side of the room. Jeremiah pulled out a key from his pocket, turning it in the only green button out of the white ones representing the different floors. The second the elevator doors closed, his body was on mine. He pinned me to the wall, biting and kissing my flesh. I moaned in response, pain and pleasure blurring together. "Don't do that in front of my men. I can't be looking weak, understood?" I couldn't do anything but comply with him, my body completely wrecked. I nodded as the elevator dinged and the door opened. Jeremiah gestured with his hand for me to walk in first, and I entered what appeared to be a bedroom. The entire room followed the same theme as the business room above, dark green walls and purple carpet. The bed itself was all various shades of purple, large pillows accompanying the luxurious fabric. "What do you think?" Jeremiah asked me, and I knew he was talking about more than just the bedroom. "This place is perfect." I said honestly, as I surveyed the room I was currently in. "So this is where you've been hiding this whole time." I said softly but I knew he heard me. The pain of our separation still lingered, even in our reunion. I turned to him, giving him a sly smile as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Don't ever leave me again or I'll kill you." I told him even though we both knew I could never hurt him. He placed his hands on my hips and chuckled lightly before meeting my eyes. "I promise I won't leave you again." He professed to me and I felt a wave of relief wash over me at his words. Jeremiah then leaned in and kissed me for a moment before he ripped what was left of my clothes from my skin, their burned condition aiding in their destruction. He wasn't wasting any time... I clawed at his clothes in response, and piece by piece they peeled from his body. Once we were both completely bare to each other once again, I gazed at the body I had been robbed of for so many years. God I had missed this.