Time for a Laugh (Jerome Valeska Fan Fiction)

9

Anya was woken up by a sudden thud. She opened her eyes to see she was strapped down to a dolly and unable to move. She looked to her left and saw Jerome looking at her impatiently.
"Well look who's finally awake. Did you have a nice nap?" He said smirking at you.
"Where the hell are we?" she said still feeling sleepy. She looked around the room and realized she was in what looked to be a really nice penthouse. As she looked around more she finally remembered something.
Jerome noticed the look of dread cross his girlfriend's face and became slightly worried. "What's wrong doll?"
"My sister," Anya trailed off at the thought of Selina. She hadn't thought to call her since she got to Arkham, but what could she tell her? Hey sis! I just wanted to say hi and that you won't be able to see me unless you come to Arkham Asylum. Oh yeah! I also killed our parents. Love you, bye! There is no way of explaining that where it ends well. "I need to talk to her. I need to tell her what happened."
"Listen, doll." Jerome looked at her with not even an ounce of kindness in his face. "You need to forget about your sister. She's just gonna hold you back and seeing as to how we aren't in Arkham anymore I say we're moving up."
As he finished saying that, a man wearing what looked to be an expensive suit walked into the room followed by a woman with long dark brown hair wearing an all leather outfit. She walked with a certain air about her that made you both intrigued and terrified of her. Anya turned to look at Barbara and saw a look on her face that she hadn't seen in a long time.
Desire.
Well, something along those lines. She let out a small laugh as she turned her attention back to the man. He had began speaking already, but Anya hadn't been paying attention until he got closer to them.
"Today is the first day of a wonderful future for all of you." Theo Galavan said. "If you want it."
Anya had seen him before on TV. She never paid much attention to him before. Just another rich guy in suit to her.
"Who are you?" Barbara said curiously. As they looked on at him you could practically see the crazy hiding behind his eyes with a thin veil of normality to cover it.
"Well now, the question is who are you?" He continued. "The world sees criminal lunatics. I see brilliance. I see charisma. And power. I see power." The way he spoke almost made Anya believe him.
"Yes," Jerome interrupted. Anya rolled her eyes with a smirk as he continued. "Exactly, my man. Oh, that is spooky. That is me to a T. These other bozos, oh, I don't know but... Your singing my song."
"Quiet, Jerome." Sionis said sharply. "Keep talking."
Galavan continued his speech as though nothing had happened. "Imagine a group of brilliant outlaws like yourselves, each selected for their unique ability, all working together as a team. Imagine the synergy. Imagine the impact." He stood directly in front of Anya, almost challenging her to speak. "Gotham would tremble before you."
"Well that sounds fabulous," Barbara spoke up. There was just a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "But I'm not a brilliant outlaw. I just have...mm... issues."
"You have beauty and desire and that's enough." As he spoke to her, Barbara started to drop her walls just enough that she was able to consider his plan. He put one hand on Barbara as he finished. "Come with me Barbara. Whatever you want in the world, it's yours."
"Theo?" Sionis cut in jealously. "That's your name, right... Theo? You're getting way ahead of yourself here. First of all, keep your hands off of her. Second, this whole 'magic team'? I gotta pass. I don't take orders. Good luck on everything, though. It's an intriguing idea."
"This is very disappointing." Galavan glanced at his sister Tabitha and gave her a subtle nod.
"Oh," Sionis paused for a moment as he realized something. "Fair play. You want a reward for breaking us out of Arkham. I am grateful. How's a million bucks sound? Pretty good, huh? I can get it for you today, as soon as I hit the street. Money's not a concern."
"Oh..." There was that craziness again. The thin veil disappeared and the uneasy feeling returned to the pit of Anya's stomach. "I had such high hopes for you. I didn't anticipate sexual jealousy. That always poisons the well. You have to go. Tabitha will see you out." He gave a nod to the dark haired woman as he walked back towards the table. Sionis was released from his restraints and walked towards the door.
"Miss Kean is coming with me." He gestured to Barbara with an arrogant wave of his hand.
"Oh she doesn't want to go where you're going." Galavan gave one last look before continuing to pour himself a glass of what looked like Brandy.
Just as he finished his sentence, Tabitha uses her whip to grab Sionis by the neck. He begins to choke until she pulls the whip back causing him to fall backwards to the floor. Tabitha stalks over and sits on top of him before pulling out a knife and stabbing him repeatedly until he was no longer breathing. Jerome's laugh is heard as everyone looks on in what can only be described as a mesmerized amusement.
"Anyone else?" Theo said nonchalantly. Anya is horrified at the scene in front of her and looks to Barbara to see if her long time friend had anything to reassure her. The look that covered Anya's face was the same as Barbara's. They both were unsure of what to do, so they did nothing.
Anya began to think of her sister again and wished she wouldn't be dead before the next time they were together.