Labyrinth: A Jeremiah Valeska Story *COMPLETED*

Chapter 51: The Hideout

Ecco drove us deep into Gotham, dropping us off in front of an old warehouse before she went to park his car. Jeremiah lifted me effortlessly into his arms, bringing us over to the entrance. He opened a compartment disguised by a mailbox, revealing a key pad. He typed in some code before a facial recognizer scanned his face and the door clicked unlocked. Jeremiah then carried me into the warehouse, the door closing automatically behind him. I looked around me, it was a very large industrial building with high ceilings. There were fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling and there were very large desks in the center of the first room littered with blue prints and models. This must be his new study. There were various materials piled in the corners of the room. Metals, plastics, wires, anything a mass murdering engineer might need for his next crime. He brought me to a room with a small bed, an entire array of medical supplies on the side of the room. This must be where Ecco removed the bullet from his shoulder days before. He set me down on the bed, propping my head up with pillows before he turned to grab medical supplies. I must have looked like a mess. My braided hair was now loose and frayed, my body beaten and bruised, fresh cuts littering my skin as well as dried tears on my cheeks from the whole ordeal. When Jeremiah turned back around, supplies in hand, he placed beside me on the bed. "I'm going to need you to take off a few layers so I can better access your wounds..." He said softly, and I assumed he was joking. I was about to start laughing before I met his eyes and realized he was in no mood for games. "O-okay." I stuttered as I carefully lifted my shirt from my sore body, wincing as the fabric slid against my cuts. The man had left gashes on my stomach, just below my collarbone, across my leg and on my left arm. I placed my shirt behind me, suddenly feeling shy under his gaze. "Your pants as well..." Jeremiah ordered and I looked at him incredulously. "But-" I tried but he was quicker. "Your pants Lilly!" He raised his voice and I flinched in reaction before peeling off my pants. I was fully exposed to him, left in my panties and bra. I shouldn't have felt so awkward to be in this state in front of my husband but it had been a long time since we had been intimate and given that I just tried to leave him I couldn't have felt more awkward. Jeremiah was intently focused on patching me up, not reacting to all of my exposed skin and I was thankful for it. He carefully cleaned the cuts before placing a gauze bandage on them. I felt heat rise to my cheeks as he worked on the cut just above my breast. I felt the magnetic pull that had drawn me to him the first time we met as he loomed over me. "Thank you..." I whispered, looking up at him. He didn't meet my stare, instead focusing on the bandage. "For better or for worse right?" Jeremiah responded, reciting the vows of marriage and it felt like a knife in my chest. He was still at my side, helping me when I was at my most vulnerable after I so blatantly betrayed him. "Jeremiah-" I started but he interrupted me. "Not tonight." He said firmly and I was relieved. I didn't have the emotional energy to deal with our relationship at the moment. Once he finished the last bandage on my upper thigh, his eyes found the dark bruising on my side. His hand gently trailed from the beginning of my bruise on my leg all the way up the side of my body to my arm. He didn't apply any pressure, his fingers ghosting over the beaten flesh, his eyes clouded with hurt and anger. We sat there for what felt like forever as he assessed my wounds, and I suddenly remembered something he had told me after one of my many close encounters with Jerome. I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to you. The words he had once uttered as he held me tightly in his arms and shielded me from the world were now visible in his pained expression. "I'll get you something for the pain." He said before leaving the room and then returning with two aspirin and a glass of water. I took the medicine eagerly, hoping to ease my aching body. Jeremiah then handed me what looked like women's pajamas. I looked up at him in question. "They are Ecco's... She sleeps here and makes sure that there are no intruders." He reassured me and I took the pajamas from him and put them on. The silk fabric felt good against my abused skin and I was very happy to be fully clothed again. "Will this room be okay for you to sleep in?" He asked but I knew that I really had no other option. "Don't you have a bed?" I questioned him. "Yes, but you won't be sleeping there tonight." He told me and I felt my heart sink. Damn. I really messed up. "Oh... Okay." I said, my eyes finding the floor. He lingered there for a moment before speaking up. "Well if there isn't anything else you need, I'll bid you goodnight." Jeremiah concluded and I frowned. Just as he turned to leave I stopped him but the last thing I wanted was for him to leave. "Wait! I have a question..." I piped up and he turned to listen to me. "Do you know who hired those men?" I inquired and he took a deep breath. "No, I don't know." He revealed before looking me dead in the eye. "But I'm going to find out, and then I'm going to kill them." He declared and I knew by the wild look in his eyes, that he meant it. And with a turn of his heal he left the room, leaving me with my regret and longing to earn back my husband's trust. I struggled to get myself situated in the bed, trying to find a comfortable position to lay down without feeling pain. I settled on my left side as it kept the pressure of the more injured other side of my body. In my agony, all I wanted was for my husband to comfort me. But I would have to settle with the dark as my companion for now, knowing that it would take time to repair my marriage. I was certain now, that while Jeremiah was indeed a monster, he was all I had left. He was my everything. And I would do anything to prove my loyalty to him.