Quinn POV

"Jeremiah we've got a problem."

Jeremiah looked over at me in a questioning manor his eyebrow raised. "Oh?"

"I was watching the news. Jerome killed your uncle and your baby sister is no where to be found. Police believe that he might have taken her hostage."

"That is unfortunate. However, there is nothing that we can do. If we leave the safety of this place, Jerome will kill me the first chance he gets. I'm sure the police can handle finding and rescuing My sister." Jeremiah replied and I sighed in frustration.

"Like they succeeded in keeping him locked up in Arkham?"

"To be fair, it's the guards job to keep criminals locked up. It's the police's job to recapture them."

"Jeremiah, it was Jerome I talked to on the phone earlier. He said he'd let me see your sister if I met him at the pier where we used to meet."

"You know that I can't let you go."

"I can handle Jerome. Please let me go see your sister. Let me ensure that she's safe... Let me try and talk to him about releasing her..."

"I'm sorry Quinn, but I can't allow you to leave the safety of the bunker. I'm sure Desdemona will be safe."

I decided that it was best to return to my bedroom and try to get some rest. To take my mind off the events of today. Unfortunately, as soon as I drifted off to sleep my dreams were filled with memories of times spent with Jerome. Specifically, the night Galevan murdered Jerome.

Flashback

I was tied to a chair while Dr. Lee was tied to a spinning wheel. Jerome had just killed the deputy mayor and now threatened everyone in the room. I was tied to a chair struggling to get free. Jerome walked over and knelt down in front of me. "Aww why so serious Quinn ? You should turn that frown upside down."

"Please let me go Jerome."

"You know I can't do that. You only have a few minutes before Barbs here kills Lee, so why don't you get a few things off your chest. I know your dying to ask me some questions."

"Please stop this. I know you can. Stop this before something bad happens. I know you won't give yourself up but untie me. We can go on the run together. I promise I will go with you wherever you want and I'll never try to escape. I know you want to find your baby sister. We can find her together and the three of us can leave Gotham together forever and start all over again."

Jerome sighed and a look of sadness crossed his face. "I'm sorry Quinn. I really wish I could do as you request but sadly, I'm not the one in charge. Now, I know you get a little squeamish around the sight of blood but you'll get use to it. From now on, you will be right by my side with ever crime I commit. And so will my precious baby sister. Eventually someday, you'll understand why I do what I do."

"No I won't. I will never understand how you could go from being the Jerome that I knew to being this heartless monster. I won't let you keep your baby sister or I as a pet. I promise you, we will never stop trying to get away from you. I'll never see things your way. So you might as well let me go."

"Is that what you want me to do? Let you go? Forget about you and find someone else? I'm sorry to burst your bubble Quinn, but you are mine. You've always been mine and you'll always be mine. It doesn't matter if you change your name or try and hide from me. I will always come for you. I will always find you and bring you back. So you might as well accept your fate."

"Enough!" We both turned to face Galavan. "You need to pack up your pathetic little side show and leave."

"Is that so?" Jerome replied with a smile.

"It may be presumptuous to speak for all the citizens of Gotham, but we are sick of you. Your just a sad little pathetic man with a need for attention." As the man is speaking Jerome bows mockingly. "Enough. For God's sake enough."

"I'm curious what your leverage is here Mr???"

"Theo. Theo Galavan."

"Well Mr. Galavan, if you don't return to your seat, I'm going to shoot you in the face."

"I know there is still some human decency left in you. If you must take a hostage then take me and let these people go home. To their families, to their children." At this Barbara hits Galavan over the head with a mallet.

"Boring." She replies with a yawn.

"I know right?"

A little while later, Jerome is calling for Bruce to come up on stage. When he doesn't respond he grabs Alfred and finally Bruce shows himself. A second later, Jim comes out from behind the curtain shooting the bad guys. "I don't have a clean shot." He says aiming his gun at Jerome.

"Shall we boost our ratings?" Jerome asks holding the knife closer to Bruce's neck drawing blood.

"I said enough!" Jerome turns to face an angry looking Galavan who proceeds to stab a startled Jerome in the neck. "I know. I know. This isn't how we rehearsed it. Plot twist, now rises the hero." Galavan whispers to Jerome as he falls to the stage. Jerome turns and winks at me before breathing his last.

"No!" I scream in agony as Gorden takes the stage and unties me. "How could you? How could you let him do this?!" I demanded angrily as I rush over to Jerome's body.

"Please Jerome, please don't die. Please get up. I'm begging you. Please." I whisper cradling his lifeless body as tears stream down my face. I hadn't cried like this since my mother died.

Galivan drops the knife as if  in shock. "Sometimes a hero has to make hard decisions. Decisions that he really doesn't want to make. Believe me, I didn't want this, but the young man left me no choice."

At this I glared angrily at Galavan and punched him directly in the face. "Your no hero! I know your little secret Galavan. I know that it was you, who broke Jerome out of Arkham. It was you, who convinced him to do this."

"It was you, who orchestrated this whole event. I swear I won't rest until I make you pay for this!" I screamed at him hitting him over and over again until Gorden pulled me off him kicking and screaming. "Let me go!"

"I'm sorry but I can't do that Quinn. I know that you cared about Jerome, but he was a sick young man. This whole situation was created and orchestrated by him no one else."

"Your wrong Detective. Jerome told me himself,  that he would have left with me and started a new life if given the choice. However, he said that he was just a pawn in a much bigger game. That he had to play his role just like everyone else does."

"Why didn't you stop that monster from killing him?" I demanded hitting Gorden in the chest over and over again as he tried to comfort me. Jim looked at me his eyes filled with sadness.

"Believe me, this is not how I wanted this to end."

"Yes it was. You blamed Jerome for the death of your precious commissioner and fellow officers. You wanted him to suffer. Admit it, you're glad that he's dead."

"You just wish that it could have been you who killed him, instead of Galavan." I hissed at Jim. With that, I turned to leave but Galavan grabbed my arm.

"Despite what you might think, I did care for Jerome. He had so much potential. If only he had used it for good and not evil." Galavan replied my response being to deck him once more.

"I swear to God, that I will make you pay for this if it's the last thing that I do!" I hissed at him as Jim placed handcuffs on me.

"Let her go detective. I am not going to press charges"

"She openly attacks you and threatens your life and your not going to press charges?" Gorden asks in surprise.

"She's just witnessed the death of one of her closet friends. She's not in her right mind right now. I have no intention of holding a bloody nose against her. However, I am concerned for her safety."

"I'm afraid with the loss of her friend that she might become suicidal. I have enough blood on my hands. Please watch over her." Galavan replied and I frowned.

Suddenly, I was awakened by the sounds of laughter. "That is the funniest story I've ever heard."

"Why thank you Ecco." Jeremiah replied and I frowned. What was she doing here? My feelings of jealousy surprising me.

"Good morning Quinn. I was just telling Ecco about some of the days a the circus. Do you remember all the fun we used to have? We use to play truth or dare. It was our favorite game to play next to hide and seek."

"Yeah and it caused us nothing but trouble. Due to your daring Jerome to steal a snickerdoodle from your Uncle's wagon he wound up with third degree burns on his arm."

"Hay, it wasn't my fault that he got caught." Jeremiah replied with a shrug.

"True, but you knew the consequences of getting caught were bad and you still dared him to do it anyway. Because of your stupid dare, I wound up with my arm in a cast for a month." I replied bitterly.

"Believe me Quinn, I never wanted you to get hurt."

"Sometimes I found myself wondering if you liked seeing Jerome in trouble. You were always daring him to do things that would get him punished if caught. You always seemed to have a smile on your face whenever Jerome was being punished." I replied daring him to deny my accusation.

"Believe me, it gave me no pleasure in seeing Jerome punished, but the truth is Quinn, that he always deserved to be punished. Anyway, let's forget about that it's all in the past. How about we play truth or dare now for old times sake?"

"I don't think so. I would prefer to go outside and enjoy the fresh air."

At this, Jeremiah frowned. "Yeah, sorry Quinn, but I'm afraid that I can't let that happen. You see, my house is a bit of a maze and I wouldn't want you to get lost."

"If I had known that you intended to hold me hostage I never would have come here."

"Why can't you understand that this is the only way that I can keep you safe?"

"Jerome would never hurt me."

"Then why did you come here?" Jeremiah demanded angrily.

"I'm starting to ask myself that very question." I replied with a frown.

WC 1859