Jerome POV

By the time I returned to the bedroom, Jarvis had left and Quinn was already in her red and black diamond designed nightgown sitting up reading a book. She groaned when she saw me enter the room. "I had hoped last night was a one time thing. I guess I was wrong."

"I need to be near you Quinn. Every moment we spend apart is torture." Quinn rolled her eyes at me and I sighed. "I mean it Quinn. I've loved.... No that's not right...."

"Not loved as in past tense. I'm in love with you. I have been ever since before I can remember. I know that you don't feel the same...." I replied remaining on the edge of the bed.

It was then that I got the shock of a lifetime Quinn sighed her eyes filled with sadness. "Your wrong Jerome. I do care about you."

"Caring about someone isn't the same as loving someone." I replied.

"I mean, I really care about you." Quinn replied emphasizing the word really. "Just like I know that you really care about me. Why else would you keep kidnapping me?" Quinn replied.

"Oh I don't know, maybe to irritate Jimbo, Brucie and Xander." I spat my brother's name out then returned to smiling.

"You and I both know that's not the real reason. You said yourself that you love me." Quinn replied her voice filed with amusement.

"True, but unfortunately you don't reciprocate those feeling do you Quinn?" I replied with a sigh.

Quinn frowned "your wrong Jerome. When Galavan killed you, I was devastated. It was heartbreaking to watch you die like that. I felt as if I had lost everything. I was depressed for months."

"I withdrew from everything and everyone. I hadn't felt this alone since my mother died. I was so angry with Galavan and Gorden that it scared me."

"For the first time in my life, I wanted to kill someone. I really wanted to kill him. I swore that I'd make Galavan pay for what he did to you. I kept that promise. I helped kill him Jerome."

"I helped murder Galavan in cold blood not once but twice and even to this day, I still don't feel remorseful about it. Do you think I'd have done that if I didn't care deeply about you?"

"Quinn there's caring for someone or even really caring for someone and then there's loving someone. When someone smiles because of the thought of you that's care. When someone feels their very reason for living and is because of you and enjoys every second of life, that's love."

"When you don't let someone cry that's caring for them. When you cry with them and feel their pain that's love. When you reduce someone's pain that's caring for them. When you feel that pain as if it's your own that's love."

"When you give your arm to hug someone to comfort them that's showing that you care. When you give your whole heart to feel someone's else's pain now that's love. Someone once said, when you like a flower you pluck it. When you love a flower, you water it everyday. Love isn't so much about emotions, but rather thoughts. If you spend the day thinking about someone."

"About wishing them the very best, about doing your best to make them happy despite what you might want or need, that's love. If you put them above your wants and needs and only care about their wellbeing and happiness that's love."

"Caring for someone and loving someone are interchangeable. However, love can only be felt towards a special someone in your life. Where as you can care about someone and not even know them. Caring about me, and loving me are not the same."

"There's a difference between being in love with someone and loving someone to Jerome.
You said yourself, that if I did something to really really anger you that you'd hurt me."

"That means that you don't truly love me, you're just in love with me. You could easily fall out of love with me if you wanted too. Where as if you love me, nothing I could say or do would ever make you stop loving me."

"Quinn, Don't you understand? That's exactly how I feel about you. I'm not in love with you, I love you. Nothing you do could ever make me stop loving you."

"I know that that's not how you feel about me. You claim that you care about me, but what if I were to succeed in killing Bruce Wayne, Xander Wilde and Jim Gorden? You'd stop caring about me wouldn't you?"

"Let me ask you this, if I were to hurt or kill Bella would you still love me?"

"First of all, I know that You'd never hurt Bella, so there's no reason to answer that. Secondly, as I've said multiple times nothing you could ever do would make me stop loving you. Third the question would I still love you if I hurt someone I care about isn't valid."

"The only people who mean anything to me are Bella and you. Now heaven forbid, if I were ever to hurt a member of your family, I know you'd never forgive me."

"In fact, you'd hate me and most likely want me dead, but the question is does same apply to Bruce, Xander and Jim? After all, you've said multiple times that you don't love them. I just want a simple yes or no answer: do you love me?"

"I want to hear you say it. Not I care about you, not I like you, not you mean a lot to me. I want to hear you say the three words that everyone one wants to hear someone say to them. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes I do."

"You still haven't actually said it Quinn. I want to hear you say it. Do you love me?"

"Yes."

"Why can't you say it? You've said that you like me. You've said that you care about me and that you care for me but you haven said the three words that I need so desperately to hear."

"I LOVE YOU JEROME! Have I made myself clear now?"

"I'm sorry Dollface. Please forgive me, I shouldn't have force you to say something that you clearly weren't comfortable saying. I just needed to hear you say it. I'll leave you alone now." I reply with a sigh.

Just as I turn to leave, Quinn grabs my shoulders and dips me and starts kissing me passionately refusing to let go. As we both gasp for breath I look at her in shock.

"Jerome you're the first person I've ever had romantic feelings for. You've always been the one I truly love. Not Bruce, not Jeremiah, you. I may not like or even agree with what your doing, but I'll never stop loving you."

"I love you Quinn. It kills me to know that I'm hurting you by my actions.  You are no longer my prisoner. I'll have Jarvis remove his hypnosis from Bella. The two of you are free to leave."

"Take Bella, leave Gotham. Forget about me. I give you my word that I won't kidnap you again. Goodbye Quinn. Know that I'll always love you."

"Jerome please, you don't have to do this."

"Yes I do."

"What's going on? Why's is Winn cwying?"

"What are you doing up? You where supposed to be asleep hours ago."

"Me heawd Winn cwying Me wanted to know why."

"It's nothing Bella. Go back to sleep."

"Jarvis I want you to undo the hypnosis on Bella."

"I'd love to do as you command Jerome but sadly I've tied my own hands. What's done is done it can not be undone. For if we try, she will surly die." Jarvis replied.

"I'll deal with the consequences now reverse what you have done."

"As you wish my dear Jerome, but don't be surprised when she runs away from home." With that Jarvis turned to Bella holding up his pocket watch.

"Your eyes grow heavy my dear sweet Bella. When I snap my fingers on the count of three your normal age you shall be. 1,2,3." With that Jarvis snapped his fingers and and Bella groaned.

"Where am I?"

"What's the last thing that you remember my dear?" Jarvis asked and Bella looked at him and frowned.

"I was at the diner with my Uncle. I had been attacked at school because the students learned that I was related to Jerome Valeska. They wanted revenge for his dousing their siblings with gasoline."

"Uncle Zach insisted from that day forward that I was no longer allowed to attend school. That despite my being 16 everyone saw me as a toddler. So I might as well act like one. He learned that women would be more receptive of his advances towards them if they thought that he was a single father."

"So he insisted that I call him daddy. One night Jerome showed up demanded that daddy, I mean Uncle Zachary tell him what happened to our brother and to me. Who are you? Were am I? Where's my Uncle?"

"Your Uncle is dead child. Your staying at the Falcone establishment with your brother and his closest friend Quinn."

"Why can't I remember anything?"

"That would be a result of the hypnosis." Jarvis replied.

"Jerome had me hypnotized? Why?"

"It was breaking your heart to be treated childishly by everyone you met. So much so that you went into a deep depression."

"You wouldn't eat, you barely slept and You refused to socialize with anyone. I did what I needed to do in order to ensure your wellbeing."

"Then why reverse the hypnosis?"

"Because it was wrong to force you to become a toddler. That is a choice that you should have been allowed to make on your own." Jerome replied.

"I don't expect you to forgive me for what I've done.  I want you to know I only did it because I thought that was what was best for you. I need you to go with Quinn and don't look back."

WC 1704