FREAKS || Jerome Valeska¹

27 || Bitter Sweet

"Jim." I blurted out before I began overthinking too much. They looked over at me. "Maybe you should just go with Lee." I could feel Oswald's glare, but what mattered most was that she felt relieved when I said that.

The detective smiled somewhat appreciatively and then placed a hand over his girlfriend's shoulder. "I can't. I can't let Galavan win this way."

"I'm pregnant."

Our eyes widened at the sudden reveal. It all made sense, the desperate attempt to keep Jim. I felt a smile grow and glanced toward Oswald, but he did not feel the same. He rolled his eyes and threw his head back with a disappointed sigh. It seemed Gordon would reconsider his answer and maybe leave. I somewhat hoped that he'd listen. If he didn't, he had no idea what he was going to lose.

-- ° --

The second I spotted him, fire burned my veins. I didn't feel the burn in my legs after climbing a million stairs or the pain in my arms from fighting a group of cult members. My hands curled into fists, and I felt when they collided against Theo's face. I punched repeatedly, drowning him with my hatred — I wanted him dead.

The more I thought about it, the more I angered. He had all of us looking like fools; we were pawns of this sick and twisted game. Oswald and I had lost the people we loved for a stupid cult and a trickle of power. I was livid and lonely.

"Re... get... of h...!" Jim's words entered my brain in bits and pieces, canceled out by the sound of blood rushing through my ears. Instead of calming down, my hands wrapped around the man's throat and squeezed. My heart beat heavy, the ribcage was on the verge of snapping in half. Theo gagged and heaved, about ready to faint - I didn't have plans to stop there. "Reese!"

Gordon's clear voice made me pause.

I heaved angrily, watching my enemy regain their breath. Theo then smirked, taunting, and chuckled. This reminded me of my lover, how I could end a life, but he'd never get his back. Spare or kill - I'd still lost. There would always be a hollow space lying deep inside of me that would ache and yearn to be healed. It never could be. The worst thing is that it's mainly my fault. Instead of giving it pillars, I let my mind collapse and made a temple of revenge. Love was a plant never meant to prosper on these infertile lands. It was doomed the second I let myself feel something.

Holes burned into Theo's flesh; I glared. My hands were still wrapped around his neck, shaking with anger. A painful yell scrapped up my throat; hot tears streamed down my face. Another set of hands untangled my fingers from the evil man's neck and pulled me away. James sat me on the floor, placing a comforting hand against my back. I didn't have a choice but to clean the tears off my wounded face and pull myself together. It was hard but necessary. I couldn't just sit and sob my entire life.

"Theo Galavan -" Jim called out sternly to the weak man who had stood up, making him look in the detective's direction. His legs were a bit unsteady from the momentary lack of oxygen. Suddenly, Gordon pointed a gun with a cold expression. The villain blanched and raised his hands, feet stumbling back in fear - Good. He truly seemed to believe he'd die tonight. To my disappointment, Jim wasn't going to let that happen, "you are under arrest."

Theo exhaled with relief and began chuckling. I narrowed my eyes. "Oh, God. Uh, you scared me, man. I thought you were gonna shoot me." He hobbled toward a couch and plopped down with grunts, breathing easy now that he knew death was not his impending punishment... I hated it.

Jim tossed a pair of cuffs at Galavan, which he caught mid-air. "Cuff yourself." He ordered while scowling, and the order was followed.

The imbecile groaned, aching, "Well, thank goodness for... simple men of principle who believe in the system."