Dim The Circus Lights (Book 2 of Beneath The Circus Lights)

Chapter 35

"There isn't an ocean too deep," she sang, "a mountain so high it can keep, keep me away....."

"I love him, I love him I love him!

  And where he goes I'll follow, I'll follow, I'll follow!

  Elsie hummed as she changed Lacy's diaper. Bending down she kissed her soft cheek.

Why did babies always smell like powder?

The baby girl cooed, reaching up with grabbing fists for her mother who complied, lifting her in her arms to snuggle her close.

The sound of Jason's laughter bounced through the hall, the sound of running echoing before the dark haired toddler came barreling into the nursery, wrapping his arms around Elsie's leg. She smiled, reaching down to touch his hair, but the smile fell when she remembered how dangerous it was outside the protective walls of their home, their territory.

  He giggled excitedly as Jerome came through the door shortly after, grabbing the toddler and throwing him in the air, causing the boy to squeal happily.

  "Hey babe,"Jerome grinned at Elsie, only to have it falter at the shaken look on her face "babe?" He held Jason under his arm like a sack as he looked over his wife's face.

  "I'm....I'm okay. Just need some air." Elsie smiles shakily and placed Lacy in her crib next to River's, pressing a kiss to Jerome's cheek before quickly leaving the room.

  Jerome watched her go, a calculating look on his face.

A key part of Macy's profession was to observe.

Not only to observe her victims, but to observe her employers as well, most being the backstabbing type that had met the sharp side of her blade on a few occasions.

While under employment by Jerome Valeska, she especially took the time to observe her current employer (and never admit it aloud, friend) and his family.

Jerome she had become close to, their constant bantering having become a fond activity for the two. Macy had never had any brothers and neither had Jerome had any sisters.

It was unusual for her to become close with an employer, she made a promise never to do so, but her contact with Jerome and ended a year ago, and yet she stayed in Gotham.

   She'd never admit it to the little punk, but she genuinely cared about his wellbeing, even if it made her his glorified nanny.

Jerome was a dangerous young man. Completely reckless and chaotic, Jerome knew no meaning of the word filter, and his actions were usually spontaneous and occasionally well planned out.

Often times Jeremiah made a point to bitch that he was the smart twin and that Jerome was an imbecile, but Macy doubted that.

Jerome was just as intelligent as his brother, however, both differed on the cognitive sense of their mutual intelligence. While Jeremiah used the left side of the brain for math and sequentially, Jerome used the right for his creativity, imagination and chaotic nature.

   Despite how much both claimed to loathe the other, Macy could see when together, the faint lingering looks of platonic love, the special bond that only twins could possess, but after so many years of pain and angered resentment, neither would ever act upon it.

    Jeremiah, now he was another interesting character on the chess bored.

Agood lover, he was as romantic as a Victorian prince, yet as rough as a sun tanned, ocean sprayed Viking. An interesting combination that made her want a drink at the thought.

  While Jerome was reckless, Jeremiah was precise and careful in his actions, and much like a black leopard he was silent in his hunt. Except when it came to Elsie and Bruce Wayne.

At first Macy thought the only being Jeremiah had eyes for was the mixed race beauty, but it would be a month later upon seeing his elaborate scheme for reinventing Bruce's parents death did she see the pinning love he had for the young billionaire as well.

What a pitying creature Jeremiah was.

The woman he loved, who was mutually attracted to him, bared two of his children, but chose his face-damaged, loud mouthed chaos loving older twin, while the billionaire he destroyed Gotham for, who he also dug a literal tunnel for, hadn't the faintest idea of said obsessive love for him.

(Not to mention his henchwoman who had a daddy kink for him.)

  And then there was Elsie.

Sweet, motherly, mentally ill Elsie. Her only fault in life really, was meeting the Valeska twins at the circus. Driven insane by one, and having children for both. Macy held sympathy for the young mother.

Elsie really had been too good to have been drug into the mess that was Gotham's underworld.

Resurrected and just as loony as Jeremiah, she was now trying to adopt a sort of Stepford-wife-like lifestyle, Macy truly hoped it would last, the murder persona didn't work for the other woman at all.

A mob-like wife Elsie could become, but a normal life was never going to be in her cards again. Not when you had children for both Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska.

  At this point Macy should have truly left, found another job somewhere else; hell she turned down a job in London to stay. But she wanted to stay a little longer, maybe a few years to see how it all played out.....

  There was so much more to observe.

  So sorry for the long wait. Writer's block and life is just in the way of writing. Keep voting and commenting, I love feedback! -M♥️