A/N: This story takes place in Season 4, before episode 16, One Of Those Soups… whatever the name of the episode is called. That episode is personally one of my favorites in season 4. Anyway, I managed to think of one up after a long hiatus of my other Gotham ones.
I do not own Gotham! DC Comics owns it. I only own my original characters.
Arkham Asylum has changed quite a lot since Poppy Gordon was here.
The first time she was there, she was supposed to be in a scared straight program where the Gotham City High principal recommended to her Uncle Jim Gordon to place her there for a few weeks, hoping she will straighten up her act. But she only stayed there for a few days until she was taken to be a part of Galavan's plan of becoming a notorious criminal group known as the Maniax.
To this day, Poppy can remember the moans and screams of this place since this was her third time being here.
As an Arkham Asylum guard led the 19 year old high school senior through the dark halls, she looked to her left to see Jerome who was laying down on top of a picnic table. A small smile appeared on her face, before the guard unlocked the door and looked down at her.
"If he gives you any trouble, let us know." The guard responded, before Poppy nodded only once and walked in.
With the door locked behind her, Poppy was left alone with the red haired psychopath. But inside the visitor center of Arkham Asylum felt like heaven to her, knowing she can see her one and only red-haired boyfriend. It felt like ages before she was able to see Jerome again after he had his face stitched back on, and was no longer in pain, while regaining his memories of her.
Walking towards him, Poppy can tell that he looked different, but he was definitely her Jerome Valeska.
His rebellious red hair was now cut like in a mohawk style. His face now has healing scars around his skin and even with his permanent stretch out smile, but the dark haired girl can tell that his pink lips are still kissable. He still wore his Arkham Asylum uniform but it was different to her, and white gloves and white shoes were on his hands and feet.
Poppy giggled slightly, before resting her right hand on the side of her face slowly, knowing it felt all brand new to her. Gently using her thumb to rub his cheek, Poppy was slowly leaning down until… Jerome's head leaned up quickly before giving out a comical sounding kiss on her lips.
Laughing hysterically as she backed away from him, Jerome laughed with her as he slowly sat up off the table and saw her blushing red face full of laughter.
"Still the same Poppy Gordon. Always laughing every time I laid these pairs of lips on ya." Jerome cackled, before he stood up from the table and walked towards her. "Let me look at you… Looks like Pops was right. You look extremely beautiful, doll. I hope every pervert in Gotham has tried to talk to you. If they did, I'd be the one to gouge their eyes out and cut out their tongues." He explained, as the two held their hands while Poppy smiled up at him.
"You have always been protective of me since my childhood. But I've gotten stronger as well while you have been away." Poppy responded, before the two decided to walk around the visitor center while holding hands. "How's Arkham? It has changed since Hugo Strange left." She asked.
"Well, doll… Its still the same to me. But I do run this wonderful place of wonders. I've practically have everyone wrapped around my finger. Except for one guy. He rather be depressed and boring, but I'm trying to help cure him." Jerome explained, before he mentioned that Penguin was here in Arkham. "You know… I still have vague memories from the night. It still haunts me to this day that I might have killed you with these hands instead of doing something fun for your birthday." He confessed, as Poppy was looking down at her black boots.
Poppy and Jerome remembered that night clearly. It was her birthday as she threw a birthday party with her friends and classmates, before the powers went out, causing Jerome to make everyone one of his cult lunatics to find her. But instead, he found her and had plans to kill her.
It took some stalling time, talking about the past, and one swing of a circus mallet to the head for Jerome to finally remember who Poppy was to him.
"'Rome… you've really put up a fight. All it took was a hallway of mirrors, glass shards and a few knives. We were all bloody and bruised up that night… until I nearly killed you with the mallet." Poppy responded, as she vaguely remembered Jerome carrying her out of the maze, before he immediately protected her when Jim tried to stop him. "What about your shoulder? Is it okay?" She asked once more after remembering a gunshot and hearing Jerome's painful cry.
"It's fine. That bullet didn't stop me from saving you. But I wish I could punch the living lights out of your uncle for the way he attacked me while I was protecting you." Jerome explained, as he rubbed his right shoulder which was where Jim Gordon shot him after coming out of the mirror maze with his unconscious girlfriend.
As they walked around the visitor center, Jerome decided to sit down and pulled Poppy onto his lap which caused her to giggle slightly. Seeing a smile on Jerome's face, Poppy slowly rested her hands once more on his scarred face, knowing it was going to take her a while to get used to it.
"Still wasn't pretty the last time you saw it. Don't worry, it won't bite." Jerome insisted before placing his left gloved hand on Poppy's hand, leading her to touch his face.
"You will always be pretty to me." Poppy stated, before resting her forehead against his own.
With their eyes closed, it felt like a true connection had truly grown between the two, knowing that they were happy to see and feel each other again.
They both went through so much over the years.
From being crazy kids at the circus. To Arkham Asylum inmates. Becoming criminals rebelling against the GCPD. And now their revived love has now grown since Jerome came back from the dead.
Jerome started humming an old circus tune as he held Poppy close to him, knowing that he made her relaxed, before speaking up once more to get her attention.
"Doll… I have something to tell you. Well, make that two things." Jerome responded before Poppy stared up at his green eyes. "One… I'm planning my escape out of this hellhole in a few days. And once I'm out.. out there… Gotham will be the asylum. We'll make the city pay for what they did to us." He responded darkly, as Poppy nodded with a smirk.
"I can't wait, Jerome. Just you and me… we will run this city as King and Queen of Gotham." Poppy stated, before Jerome cackled at his girlfriend's dark side.
"And what's next? Oh! Now I remember… I managed to find something. About your mother." Jerome responded after remembering what Poppy mentioned in the last letter she sent him last week. "I never thought I would be able to say this. But your mother. She's alive." He stated.
"She is?" Poppy asked as she was in shock.
"Looks like that Strange guy wasn't bluffing at all when he was doing weird experimenting stuff on you. Hey… could he be?" Jerome started to ask, before Poppy quickly answered.
"No! There's no way! And besides, I only have a mother. She never told me who my father was back then. But I don't care up to this point." Poppy answered, before she sat down next to him.
"Me neither. I'm glad I've killed both of my parents. Ha! I don't even need them. And look what I turned out to be." Jerome responded, before continuing the subject about Poppy's mother. "Here's what I managed to find. Her real name is not Luciana. That was a cover name that she used to hide herself while at the circus. Claire Gordon happens to be her real name." He explained.
"How did you know about this?" Poppy asked, before she sat down next to him at the table.
"I've done some hunting around here. Like I said, I sorta run this creme de la crazy. And I did have some help from a guy with a paper mache top hat." Jerome answered, knowing that he was mentioning Jervis Tech or known as Mad Hatter until he pulled out a picture from his back pocket. "And this… is her." He stated, after placing it down on the table as Poppy saw her mother sitting down in a chair wearing an Arkham Asylum dress, like the one her and Barbara wore.
"Yeah… that is her. But… why does she have an IV on her?" Poppy asked, as she pointed to the IV that was next to her.
"This picture was taken when Arkham was reopened. She could be a dope head, Pops. You know how the guards do to people here when they are insane. And this was simply not my doing." Jerome explained as Poppy held the picture in her hands. "The last person I did it with was someone who didn't make me laugh. I decided to sneak into his shock therapy session and goose the juice."
Poppy was staring down at the picture of Claire Gordon as she can tell the many years of being without her own daughter changed her. She remembered that her hair was short pixie cut when younger her always played around with it. Her skin was much paler now since she was able to have some sunlight. And she looked dead in the eyes, but Poppy knew that this was definitely not how her own mother acted. Not even when the two were living at Haly's Circus, making a living for themselves as circus performers.
"... I have to go see her. Where is she? Maybe I can break her out." Poppy asked as she suggested about helping her escape, but Jerome quickly covered her mouth with both hands.
"That mouth is going to get us into trouble one day, Doll… We can't. It's too risky. And she's on the other side of the hospital." Jerome explained, while looking back at the guard who was walking around outside the visitor center.
"Maybe I can. I just have to get some help." Poppy responded, after turning the picture around to see her cell number to her room.
"From who? Don't you need me for the job?" Jerome asked.
"No. I want you to still continue on with the breakout. But I know some people who can help me." Poppy responded.
She knew that she had to see her mother again, but she didn't know anything about the truth of the past, knowing that her own uncle had lied to
Poppy was willing to risk it all again.