Jerome and his Complicated Destiny

by DarkLordFluffy

Jerome lasted two years after his brother left until he had enough. He ran away. But ended up running much further than he had ever thought was possible. He ends up in a whole other world parallel to his but years ahead. Will he ever make it back to his own world? And will the life he leads while there, help him prevent him from becoming a psycho? Or was he always a bit psycho?

1. Chapter 1 - Jerome the Child

I did a story that involved Jeremiah ending up in another Gotham and was just so tempted to do another one where Jerome has the same thing happen. This will not be the same. Jerome deals with things different from Miah and this is not the same Joker Miah ran into.

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Some worlds are more parallel to each other than others. So much so that sometimes they might touch briefly. And when they touch, things and people can move from one world to another. Not always intentionally.

Jerome Valeska was twelve now. His brother, Miah, had been gone for a few years now. Shortly before he left, Miah told everyone at the circus where they lived that Jerome was hurting him. He even lit his own bed on fire to sell the story to their mother. At the time, Jerome hadn't known why his brother could be so cruel. But then Miah was sent away like he always wanted. Then Jerome knew. It was all some scheme to get away and probably get a real education. And Miah had sacrificed his own brother to pull it off. After that, everyone at the circus treated Jerome like he was some kind of psycho. None of them were ever really all that nice to begin with. But after Miah left, they treated him with a coldness he didn't know how to deal with. And his family, his mother and uncle, were even worse. His family were never against using him as a punching bag when they were drunk, but now, they didn't even have to be drunk to want to hurt him. They barely even treated him like he was human. And the other carnies did nothing to stop it, mainly because they thought he deserved it. It was so mentally exhausting every day just to get out of bed and go on. He had no one. Not even the one he used to go to for comfort. Miah wasn't there to patch him up after a beating, or to hold him as he cried. Miah was the reason it was this bad! Jerome was so tired. So angry. So everything! He didn't know how much more he could take!

When Haly's Circus was in Gotham city again, things got particularly bad for Jerome. His mother was missing her golden child and was taking it out on Jerome. Jerome knew Miah was somewhere in that city. Probably warm and safe and getting the education he always wanted. It made him sick! It made him rage at the world. And so, that day, Jerome and his mother were both angry at each other. He raged at her, even though he knew it was a bad idea. And she raged right back. She slapped him hard in the face and he glared at her with tears in his eyes.

"I wish you were never born! You are such a useless waste of space, you little psycho!" his mother, Lila, yelled at him.

"I'm not a psycho! All of you are! You hurt a kid to make yourself feel better! You can't tell me that's sane behavior!" Jerome snarled at her.

"You deserve it. You are a psycho! Miah was your brother! But you were so jealous of his intelligence that you couldn't stand it. So you hurt him! You hurt the only person in this family that might make something of himself! And now he will. Because he doesn't have to worry about you!"

"He lied to you! How many times do I have to say that?! But you'll never believe me because you're all too stupid to not believe his lies! I never would've hurt him! I would've taken a bullet for him! I would've helped him get away with murder if he had asked!" Jerome yelled.

"You lying little bastard. How many times are you going to try that lie, huh?" Uncle Zach walked up, shaking his head in disgust.

Jerome grimaced with rage in his eyes as he took another beating. Several carnies could see and did nothing to help. He tried not to cry and focused on the rage instead. Why did no one care?! After it was over, he just lay there, numb to everything. He couldn't take much more of this. He was going to break. What was the point in staying at the circus? His life there was awful! He needed to get away. He slowly sat up and thought about it. Why doesn't he just run away? He could do that. Any life was better than this one. He pulled himself to his feet and rushed to his mom's trailer. He grabbed a few small keepsakes and then left the circus. He ran away.

Gotham city was huge. Jerome didn't know where anything was so he nicked a map of the city from a newspaper vendor. What was he going to do? He didn't know where he was going. He didn't have any money. He started regretting his decision to run after a few hours of wandering the city. But the odd thing was, some of the landmarks he passed at times looked completely different from what he saw on tv. Was he more turned around than he thought? And did Wayne Tower always look like that? He didn't even know where he was going so maybe he was just disoriented. He went to a nearby diner and sat in a booth with a lost look. What was he going to do?

"Are you ok, sugar? Do you need me to call someone for you?" a waitress walked up with a concerned look.

"I'm fine." Jerome said, definitely not looking fine.

"I can tell you aren't fine. You have a split lip. Are you in trouble? It's ok. You can tell me."

"I… I ran away from home." Jerome confessed to her with an upset look. "But now that I've done it, I don't know what to do next. I didn't plan this out. I don't even have any money."

The waitress looked at him with a sympathetic look. "Did your dad do that to you?" she pointed at the split lip.

"No. My uncle. I don't know what to do. I know that I'll just get worse than this if I go back. But I don't know where else to go." Jerome said, sadly.

"I can call the GCPD for you. They can get social services involved. You don't have to deal with that." the waitress said.

"That won't work. It never works. My mom and I live at Haly's Circus. And they always have ways of making sure their carnies get away with stuff like this. It will just make it worse. But thanks. I appreciate the concern. But you can't help me."

"Well, at the very least, I can offer you some food. It's on me, sugar. I do wish you'd let me help you more than this but I can at least do this for you. I can also pack up some food for you if you decide not to go back home."

"Thank you." Jerome looked up at her gratefully. "No one's ever been this nice to me."

"No problem, sugar." the waitress said, with a face full of pity. Jerome hated pity. "I'll be right back with your food."

As Jerome waited for his meal, he thought about his situation. He had no real street smarts. He grew up in the circus. He had no knowledge of how to survive on his own. Maybe he should just go back. It may be hell but at least he'd be alive. He moped in the booth until the waitress came back with a large burger and a big side of fries. And the drink was a chocolate milkshake. He hadn't had a milkshake in forever. He brightened up a little at the sight of the food. At least he'd have a good meal before going back to hell. He enjoyed the best meal he had in a long time, savoring each bite. The milkshake was the best part. It was so good. The waitress came back with a paper bag full of food for him.

"Good luck with whatever you decide to do, sugar." the waitress said, smiling at him as she handed him the bag.

"Thank you. You've been so kind to me. It means a lot." Jerome said.

"I had awful parents too. So I know how it feels. And I know it's sometimes hard to get out of that situation. So I understand why you feel no one can help you. I sympathize. I hope things work out for you. I really do." the waitress said.

Jerome left the diner and unfolded the map with a sigh. He was going back to the circus. He knew that he was in for it when he got back. Maybe his family didn't notice? They were probably already pretty drunk by then so it was possible. He looked at where the fairgrounds were on the map and started to head in that direction. It was a long walk back but he couldn't exactly take a bus. He didn't have any money. But he was used to walking everywhere anyway.

A few hours later he started getting close to where the map said the fairgrounds were. But when he got there, there were no fairgrounds. There were no circus tents and carnival rides. There wasn't even just some empty field. In place of the fairgrounds was a whole amusement park. Jerome looked down at his map in confusion. He thought he was going the right way. He knew how to follow a map and had just been at the fairgrounds earlier. But maybe he had gotten lost. Though, it was odd that the map didn't even have an amusement park on it. How was he going to figure out where he was, if where he was wasn't even on the map? He sighed and wandered into the dark and foreboding amusement park. It was getting late. He was exhausted and didn't know how much longer he could keep walking. The park looked long abandoned so maybe there was some mostly intact building he could hole up in for the night. He wandered the park looking at the looming derelict rides as he passed. He had always wanted to go to an amusement park. But that place didn't look as happy or fun as he'd imagined his first amusement park to be. It looked ominous. Dangerous. Like monsters could leap out from the shadows at him at any time. He tried to reassure himself that at worst there were probably just some junkies or homeless people around. But why would some of the lights still be on? And why was it so quiet? Wouldn't any junkie or homeless person make some noise? Any noise? He had a very bad feeling about the place. But he had nowhere else to go. He couldn't walk all the way back to town this late and even if he could, where would he go?

Suddenly, the ominous quiet was disrupted. Several unhinged looking thugs were approaching him with dangerous grins on their faces.

"Lookie here. It's a little stray. You picked the wrong place to hang out, little red." said one of the odd looking thugs that had clown facepaint smeared on his face like warpaint.

"I'm sorry. I thought this place was abandoned." Jerome said, backing away, nervously. "I didn't mean to trespass. I'll just go."

"It's a little late for that, kid." another thug said, wearing a clown mask and brandishing a baseball bat covered in spikes. "Only idiots or people with a death wish trespass on the Joker's land. You're just lucky our boss isn't here right now or you'd get a lot worse than whatever we could dish out. Trust me on that. Now be quiet and take it like a man."

"Hey! Back off bozos!" a high pitched female voice yelled at them. Suddenly, a very odd looking woman all in red and black looking like some crazy clown walked into view. "He's just a kid. Take a chill pill for once! He's obviously not a threat."

"But Harley, Joker wouldn't be happy with us just letting him go." the thug said.

"Well, Mista J isn't here right now, is he? He's in Arkham again. So it's fine. By the time he's out, he won't care." the odd woman said.

"Whatever you say, Harley." the thug sighed. "If he turns out to be one of Batman's sidekicks in disguise, it's on you."

"Please. Batman's only redheaded sidekick is a girl. And he's clearly not a teenage girl." she said. "Buzz off and go back to patrolling the area. I can deal with him."

The thugs shook their heads and walked away.

Jerome stared nervously at the woman who didn't look entirely sane. "Thanks for stopping them. Why did you help me? And who are you people?"

"The name's Harley Quinn. Nice to meetcha. Those guys can be huge brutes sometimes...well most times actually. My puddin doesn't really hire his goons for their brains. And you're a kid. I didn't see the point in having them beat you up. Actually you already look a bit beat up already. Did one of the guys do that to you?" she said, pointing at his split lip.

"No. My uncle did this to me." Jerome said, quietly. "I'm sorry I trespassed. I thought I was headed to the fairgrounds, not an amusement park but I guess I got lost. This map is so useless. It doesn't even have this place on it."

"Let me have a look." she said. He handed the map to her. She looked at it for a few minutes and then laughed. "Someone played a joke on you. This map is all wrong. A lot of places are in the wrong place. The fairgrounds should be over there on the other side of the city, not here. Where'd you get this map?"

"From a newsstand. It should be accurate. I don't know why it isn't." Jerome said, confused.

"It's a pretty old map too. The date on here is all wrong. It's not 19##, it's 20##. What newsstand would sell a map this outdated and inaccurate? Weird." Harley said, staring at the map.

"20##? What?" Jerome stared at her with wide eyes. It was 19##! What was going on?!

"Why do you look as if I told you aliens just invaded or something? Yeah. It's 20##. What's so weird about that?" Harley asked.

"This morning, it was 19## for me. I'm not making this up. I don't know what's going on. I only took that map to find my way around the city. I've already been to the fairgrounds. So I don't know how I could've gotten lost even with an inaccurate map. I remember the fairgrounds being in this direction."

"Calm down. I've heard weirder things, believe me. Come on. Mista J isn't here right now so it's safe for you to be here. At least for a little while. It's late so you can stay with me for the night. We'll figure this out." Harley said, trying to get him to follow her.

"Why are you helping me?" Jerome asked, suspiciously.

"I don't know. Because I'm bored, maybe? I don't really have much to do when my puddin is in Arkham. And he told me not to help him get out this time. Last time I used too much explosives and the rubble hit him in the head pretty hard. He was so mad at me. So I'm here just waiting for him to get out. Which is lucky for you. So it's probably best not to question it. Come on. I have food if you're hungry."

Jerome followed her. He had to admit, as untrustworthy as the clownlike woman looked, he didn't really have any other options. And he was extremely confused by everything. She led him to what looked like a funhouse and opened the door for him.

"Home sweet home!" she said, cheerfully. "Go ahead and get comfortable. Like I said, unless Mista J gets out quicker than usual, you should be safe here for now."

"You live in a funhouse?" Jerome asked, looking around. The funhouse looked like it was repurposed into a home of sorts. But the furniture looked just as odd looking as the entire setting. As if the owner was not at all sane.

"Yep! For now at least. Batman doesn't usually bother us here. I think he thinks it would be too obvious a hideout." Harley said going into the makeshift kitchen. "You want anything to eat?"

"Who's Batman?"

"What?" she peeked her head from behind a cabinet door. "How do you not know Batman?"

"I don't know. Should I know him? I'm not really from Gotham so maybe that's why?"

"But even outside of Gotham he's pretty well known. I mean, a guy who dresses up like a bat and fights crime? That's pretty newsworthy."

"I've never heard of him. There's really a guy who dresses up like a bat and fights crime? So weird." Jerome said, trying to wrap his head around such a weird concept.

"Hey, I'm not saying it isn't weird. But it's also weird that you've never heard of him. What rock were you living under, anyway?" Harley said, sitting down on a couch and staring at him.

"I wasn't living under a rock. My mother and I live with Haly's circus. She's the snake dancer. That's why I wanted to get back to the fairgrounds. I tried to run away from home...but I didn't really have any big plan on how to survive. I don't have street smarts. My life might be awful there but at least I know I won't starve."

"So instead of running away from home to join the circus, you were running away from your home that was the circus?" Harley laughed a little. "Mista J would get a kick out of that. But that doesn't really explain why you don't know Batman. I know that circus tours the US. So you'd still get news that would talk about him. Oh well. I guess it's not really that important."

"I don't know what's going on. You say it's several years in the future. And if I remember correctly, things in Gotham did look different. I just thought it was my imagination. But well known landmarks in the city definitely looked different. Now you're talking about someone you think I should know but I don't. I'd say I time traveled but that doesn't really explain the different landmarks." Jerome said, very confused.

"All of that is weird." Harley thought about it for a few moments and then her eyes brightened up when she thought of something. "Hey! Maybe you're one of those people from another world!"

"What?"

"Recently, some people have shown up in the city saying that everything in the city is different and that they're probably from another world. They sounded just like you. Most people just think they're crazy but I know crazy and they don't seem that way. Maybe that's what happened. You're from another version of Gotham city!"

"That sounds a little unbelievable." Jerome said, a bit skeptical. "But I'm not sure I can find another explanation for all of this. So I guess I'll just have to accept it. So this is another world? Years in the future? Do you think there's another me somewhere out there? Honestly, that would be interesting to see. To see if my family was wrong about me not going anywhere with my life."

"Who knows. What's your name anyway?" Harley asked.

"Jerome Valeska."

"Huh. Never heard of you. But that doesn't mean you didn't do anything. Maybe you changed your name." Harley said.

"Maybe." Jerome said, hoping that was the case. "What am I going to do now? If this is another world, then I have nowhere to go back to. Even if Haly's circus is here, they wouldn't know me. And I was always told foster care is awful."

"Well, you could always hit that rich guy, Bruce Wayne, up and give him some sob story. He seems to have a thing for collecting stray kids." Harley said, looking like she wasn't really being serious. She got serious when she saw he didn't really appreciate the joke. "Sorry. Not helping. I'm not sure what you can do. There are a few places in the Narrows that help people. The kids there tend to look out for each other."

"I suppose I could do that." Jerome said.

Suddenly they heard someone walk into the room. "So, are you going to explain who our little guest is, hmm?" the person said in a singsong and insane sounding voice.

"Puddin." Harley said, looking a bit scared and very surprised. "You're back a lot sooner than I thought you'd be."

Jerome stared at the odd figure standing in the doorway, very unnerved by the sight. The man looked like a clown. He had a pale white face and a big red grin stretched across his face and dark green hair. The man would look almost comical if it weren't for the dangerous levels of madness in the man's eyes. The man was clearly extremely crazy and extremely dangerous.

"I got bored and Arkham's food was more flavorless than usual. So I left." the crazed clown said nonchalantly. "You didn't answer my question. Who's the kid, Harley?"

"I don't really know. I think he's from that other world, like those people on the news. He says the city looks different. And says it was 19## for him this morning." Jerome didn't miss the scared tone in Harley's voice. He hoped he was going to get out of this in one piece. "And I was curious about that so I let him stick around. Are you mad at me, puddin?"

"Well, I don't know. Am I mad? I did specifically tell you that no one but my hired goons could know I'm hiding out here. Which I assumed you'd realize meant no guests. But perhaps I wasn't clear? Was I not clear?" he snarled the last part.

"He wandered in, lost. I didn't invite him." Harley said, sounding upset and terrified. "And he's just a kid. He's not a threat."

"He's still perfectly capable of going to the cops or Batso with my location! He doesn't have to be an adult for that!" The clown slapped her hard in the face. "Next time, listen to what I tell you! Now go tell those idiots I'm back. Now!"

Harley rushed out of the funhouse, stopping only to give Jerome an apologetic look before leaving.

Jerome stared nervously at the crazed clown in front of him, who was staring at him intensely. "Please don't hurt me. I didn't know this was your place. I won't tell the cops. You have my word."

"Have we met before? I swear I've seen that face before." the man said. "But I can't think where. Are you one of Batso's sidekicks? No… I don't think he has a redheaded Robin. Where have I seen you before? Talk."

"I don't know. I've never seen you before. I don't even know who you are." Jerome said. But he felt the same damn way. There was something about the man that felt...familiar.

"You don't know who I am?" the man responded with confusion and then laughter. "How do you not know who I am? I doubt anyone doesn't know this distinctive face at this point."

"Like Harley said, I don't think I'm from this world. Maybe we don't have a version of you? Or you aren't active yet? It's only 19## in my world. So you'd have to be like, almost just my age right now, I think. I don't know." Jerome said.

"Hmm. I suppose that could be true. You don't seem to be lying that you don't know me. I'm known as the Joker. And I'm rather notorious. So let's say you're telling the truth and you are from another world. Who are you? Hmm? I know I know that face from somewhere. So spill. Tell me your life story, kid, like your life depends on it. Because it does."

"I'm Jerome Valeska. I lived, until recently, with my mother at Haly's circus. My family is awful. My mother is a drunk and abusive whore. And my Uncle Zach, he's worse. He tortures me and calls it discipline. He is such a psychotic asshole. My mom is a snake dancer and my uncle is the circus cook but he always wanted his own diner."

The man had an interesting look when his uncle was mentioned. "What was your uncle's full name? Just curious."

"Zachary Trumble. Why?" Jerome asked nervously.

The man's face broke into a deranged grin. "That's how I know that face. It's not identical, by any means. You look somewhat different and the red hair is definitely different. But otherwise it's unmistakable. And your uncle is proof of it. I've heard the name Zachary Trumble before. And you are absolutely right. He was a psychotic asshole. A waste of space that I enjoyed murdering. And his cooking wasn't even that good. Except for one dish he made one time. It was quite memorable. A lovely chicken soup with a rather interesting and unconventional ingredient if I remember correctly."

"How do you know about that? How do you know he burned my hand in chicken stock?" Jerome said, very surprised. Did he know this guy? Did he know someone like him?

"I'm not talking about your Zach. It wasn't your hand this world's Zach put in that chicken stock. But mine. It smelled…mouthwatering. Didn't it, kiddo?" He grinned knowingly at Jerome.

Jerome stared at him in horror. Was he implying what he thought he was implying? That he was an older him? "Are you saying…? Are you saying that you're me? That I'll grow up to be you? How did you even get like this?"

"It's a long story. I had a bad day." Joker said. "The worst day actually. And I went insane. Not that I'm complaining. I do enjoy being this way. It's so liberating not to have to worry about sanity anymore."

Jerome just stared at him with a shocked look. He didn't want to believe it. After being called a psycho for the past two years, he had been so exhausted by trying to explain that it wasn't true. That he wasn't a psycho. And now he just found out that someday, he would be? That he'd just give up and prove them right? Maybe all that being called a psycho finally made him snap after years and years of it.

"How fun! Another me. It might be nice to have a little protege hanging around. I know that me and Batso can't keep doing this forever. We'll both have to pass along our legacies when we get too old or injured to keep at it. And I know he'll just hand the reins to one of his little birds. I always wondered what I would do to pass along my legacy. The chemical vat did more than just scar my face. It also fried all chances of having a biological kid. Not that having one with Harley seems all that appealing. I get the feeling she'd be even more annoying if I had a kid with her. But here you are. A younger me. Even better than any biological brat of mine. At least I know you won't disappoint."

Jerome knew that staying with this guy was a very bad idea. Joker was insane. And would likely try to make Jerome the same way. He didn't want that. Maybe if he were Miah, he wouldn't care as much. Maybe if he were Miah, he'd be able to live up to whatever this guy wanted from him. Because Miah had something wrong with him. He was fully capable of being as bad as the Joker seemed to be. Though Jerome did have to admit, Miah definitely wouldn't have quite as much flair.

"I suppose I won't be able to convince you to let me go, right?" Jerome said, knowing this guy was probably not going to let him walk away.

"I'm afraid not, Little J." Joker said, grinning at him.

Jerome lived in an abusive situation long enough to know not to rock the boat. So he didn't try to run right away. He stayed. He knew he would have to escape. But he couldn't be stupid about it. Getting the Joker angry would only lead to pain. He knew because he saw it in Harley. Joker treated Harley like shit most of the time. He had no idea how or why she put up with it all. Joker's thugs were told by Joker who Jerome was. But they didn't look like they knew whether to believe it or not. It was an insane idea, a young other world version of Joker. But they did as they were told and treated Jerome as if he was Joker's reluctant protégé. They went out and bought, or more likely stole, stuff for him like clothes and such. And made sure Jerome didn't try to escape. There was one or two of the thugs that were even nice to him when Joker wasn't around. Harley was torn between feeling sorry for him and being amazed that she could see what her favorite person was like when he was a kid. She was rather annoying because she had taken to acting like she needed to be his mother. And he hated his mother. He definitely didn't need another one. Joker took to trying to teach him various skills he'd need to know when he was 'Joker' someday. Jerome had to admit that at least they were interesting skills to learn. Learning how to shoot. To fight. To throw a knife. He even learned how to make explosives. It was actually kinda fun to learn those things.

Despite the interesting education he was getting, Jerome didn't know how much more he could take. Joker was controlling, gaslighting, and psychotic to the point that he made Jerome's mother look kind and loving. It was taking all he had not to blow up in rage at Joker at times. He knew that would not be at all good for his health. He knew that he couldn't stay. Eventually he would set Joker off and bad things would happen. And he didn't want to be stuck there forever. He needed out! So he tried to run. But the thugs caught him and beat the shit out of him. Then he was punished by Joker. But that didn't stop him. Next time Joker was in Arkham, Jerome tried to escape again. And again the thugs caught him and started beating the shit out of him. Something in him kinda snapped a little. He smiled at them as they kicked him.

"That all you got? I could do this all night." he snarked at them, spitting out a bit of blood.

"You little shit. You think you're hot stuff because the boss thinks you're a little him? You're nothing. Probably just some street trash." a thug said.

"Well, this street trash is going to poison the food of the next person that kicks him." Jerome stared up at them with a smug look, like he held all the cards. He was a mini Joker, right? So why not act like one if it will help him?

The thugs laughed. "You're just a kid. Your threats aren't that intimidating."

"It's not a threat. It's a promise. Go ahead and don't believe me. It doesn't matter to me. I'm not the one that's going to die, after all."

They kicked him a few more times. Well, it looked like he'd have to make good on his promise now. Bummer. They dragged him back into the funhouse and dumped him in his small room.

The next day, the first one that had continued kicking him after his threat, fell down, convulsing and foaming at the mouth before dying. The other thugs stared at their fallen comrade in shock and then looked over at Jerome who was sitting eating breakfast. He raised his glass at them and smiled.

"Told you so." he said, smugly.
"Holy shit. He really is just a mini Joker." one of the thugs said with a shocked look.

After that incident, the thugs were a lot more wary around Jerome. They still did what their boss told them and tried making sure he couldn't leave. But they looked at Joker's protégé in a whole new way. The fact that a few of the other thugs that had kicked him and still treated him like shit ended up dying shortly after in various different ways made the other thugs very wary of the boy. The fear they had for their boss now extended slightly to Jerome. And he used that to his advantage. The next time he ran, he was able to get away. Because they were too nervous to try and hurt him. They all just pretended not to notice him leaving and hoped Joker wouldn't kill them for it.

Jerome wasn't sure what he was going to do next. He was in the same position that he had been before getting trapped by Joker. Only now he had Joker after him. He knew that just trying to hide out in the Narrows wasn't going to cut it. But then he remembered what Harley had said. She had mentioned that that Bruce Wayne guy collected stray kids. She had been joking at the time, but she was right. He looked it up. The guy did take in two different boys. One from Haly's, the other from the Narrows. He paid for their schooling and everything. He let them live in his mansion. It was a tempting idea. Maybe he could come up with a convincing sob story. He didn't even have to really lie. His life was awful. Probably worse than the lives of those two boys Bruce Wayne took in. If Mr. Wayne was really as charitable and giving as people all said, he wouldn't be able to resist. Jerome smiled as he thought of his plan. Miah had manipulated his way to a better life, so why shouldn't he do the same?

Bruce Wayne had not really enjoyed the opera his date had convinced him to go to. The things he had to do to fit in. He was relieved when it was over and they were making their way out of the building. Bruce and his date waited for Alfred to arrive to drive them back to the manor. Suddenly a small redheaded boy walked past them and accidentally bumped into him.

"Sorry." the boy said before walking away.

"Hey brat! Stop!" Bruce's date yelled. "Bruce, he stole your wallet!"

The redheaded boy looked back in alarm and tried to run but a nearby opera house employee managed to grab him. The boy thrashed around in the man's arms.

"Let me go!" the boy yelled, looking very scared. Bruce noticed the split lip and black eye the boy sported.

"Do you want me to call the police, Mr. Wayne?" an opera employee asked.

"No please!" the boy pleaded with them. "Please don't! I'm sorry! Please don't send me to jail!"

"Why did you take the wallet?" Bruce asked the boy, calmly.

"I'm hungry. And didn't know what else to do. I ran away from home and… I don't know what to do! Whatever you do, please don't send me back there. I'd rather go to jail!" the boy said, sniffling.

Bruce stared at the boy with sympathy in his eyes. The boy looked so lost. It was clear he had been through hell. "Who did that to you?" he pointed at the boys bruises.

"My uncle… he hurts me. All the time. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to run but I didn't really plan it out very well. And I'm not a very good pickpocket I guess." the boy said sniffling. "Please don't send me back. Or to jail. Here. You can have your wallet back. I didn't mean any harm. I just didn't know what else to do and figured it wouldn't hurt someone to steal a wallet from a rich person if it was just this once." Bruce took back his wallet.

"Mr. Wayne? Are you going to press charges on him?" the opera employee asked.

"No. It's ok. The boy returned the wallet. There was no harm done. You can let him go." Bruce said.

Jerome had to try very hard not to smirk. He could tell he had Mr. Wayne feeling sorry for him. The best liars were the ones that told the truth. And he had. He had run away. His uncle did torture him. And he did have nowhere to go. Those things were all true. He might've gotten the bruises and split lip from Joker's goons but that didn't matter. And he left out the fact that he might be a parallel version of the Joker. He figured that would hurt his chances of sympathy from really anyone. People did not like the Joker. Except for Harley but she was crazy.

"What's your name?" Mr. Wayne asked him.

"Jerome. Jerome Valeska." No point in lying about his name.

"Jerome, where are you staying right now?" Mr. Wayne asked. That line of questioning seemed promising.

"Wherever I can find that's dry and mostly safe. The last place was a little dingy and had some unstable people squatting in it so I had to leave. I do the best I can. It's better than with my uncle. Anything is better than my uncle." Jerome said.

A fancy car pulled up beside them on the street. Mr. Wayne looked over at his date who huffed in good natured annoyance as if she knew what he was about to do.

"I'll call a cab. Since it would seem you're busy, Bruce. You are way too kind sometimes." the classy looking lady said, before kissing the man and walking away.

Jerome looked up at the man in confusion. Inwardly he was not confused at all. He had him hook line and sinker, didn't he?

"Jerome, I'd like you to come with me. Just for now. We'll figure out how to help you after you've had a good night's sleep and had those bruises looked at. Don't worry. I don't plan on sending you back to your uncle if he did that to you." Mr. Wayne said. He held the car door open for him.

Jerome stared at him in shock and confusion. "Really? You're going to help me? Just like that? But why?" Success! He had actually pulled it off!

"Because it's the right thing to do. It's ok. You'll be don't ever have to worry about your uncle hurting you ever again. Trust me." Mr Wayne said. Jerome gave him a grateful look and got into the car with him.

"Master Bruce, I take it I will be setting up a guest room for this young man when we get back to the manor?" said the driver who looked like a stereotypical British butler who acted like he was used to things like this from his employer and just ran with it.

"Yes, Alfred. I'm going to call Leslie tomorrow. I want her to have a look at him to see if he has any serious injuries. It would seem his uncle is a rather violent man." Mr. Wayne said.

"Very well, sir." the man named Alfred said.

Hours later Jerome was snuggled up in the most comfy and huge bed he had ever been in. He closed his eyes and smiled in contentment and joy. It had worked! Bruce Wayne seemed to feel sorry for him. The butler had cooked him a great meal and sent him off to bed. Jerome wondered for a little while how they had pjs around his size but then realized that he wasn't their first charity case. Were those boys still at the manor? Jerome wondered if they were friendly. He wondered If he'd get along with the other two boys that Bruce Wayne had as wards. Would Bruce want to keep him around? Or just send him off to some other kind family or boarding school after he made sure he was fine? Jerome knew that his best option was to stay with Mr Wayne. Joker would be looking for him. And Wayne manor had really good security. He had no doubt that Joker could get through that security but at least it would slow him down. If Jerome was with a normal family or some orphanage or boarding school, he'd have no chance. Joker would take him back. And he had no intention of going back. He didn't want to be like Joker. Even though he knew Joker likely was his parallel. Well, that's not entirely true. He was half of Joker. He was an identical twin after all. Identical twins start off as one entity before splitting into two. Miah and him were both the Joker's parallels. He knew it. He could tell. He had spent enough time with the Joker to see the similarities. Jerome was Joker's creativity, his laughter and his charisma and his rage. His emotional side. And Joker did have quite a lot of that. While Miah was his cold and cruel scheming. His lack of empathy. The part of him that made him feel apart from the rest of the world. Above it all.

Jerome didn't hate his brother. No matter how hard he tried, and he did try damn hard, he couldn't hate his cold-hearted brother. Even though he betrayed Jerome and abandoned him. What else did he expect from the boy he always knew lacked empathy? He hadn't cared that there was something wrong with his brother. Even though it had kind of scared him. He figured that no matter what horrible thing Miah would do someday, Jerome would still be right there beside him watching his back, even if it made Jerome a monster too. Even after Miah left, he still held out some small hope that he could reunite with him and beg him to let him back into his life. Now he never would. Because Miah was now literally a world away. He missed him. So damn much. He never got a good nights sleep since his brother went away since he was so used to sleeping right beside his twin and snuggling into him for comfort. Any bed he slept in now felt empty. Even the one he was in now. It was so big that Miah and him wouldn't have had to scrunch together. He still totally would though. He'd hug his brother to him and never let go. Maybe someday he could find a way back to his world. And bring his brother back here. That world of his didn't have anything for him. Nothing but Miah. And maybe if he brought Miah back here, he could find a way to help his brother. Help his brother with his emotion problem. Miah couldn't feel extreme emotions. He never could. Joy, anger, depression. He had never felt any of those, at least that Jerome could tell. Miah did know how to fake the emotions but he never really bothered when it was just Jerome he was with. Because Jerome didn't care. Jerome understood and didn't judge him for it. Jerome had gotten all the emotions and left next to nothing for Miah. He had always wanted to help Miah finally feel joy. To truly feel happy and not just the pale imitation that he usually felt. Jerome felt everything too much but that meant he knew how wonderful the feeling of truly being happy could be. That rush of emotions was the best part of life. And Miah was missing it. Someday. Someday he would figure it out. And then he'd find a way back to his world and cure Miah. He had always only wanted to help Miah. Now maybe he could. With the Wayne fortune at his back he could get the education he needed to figure it out. He wasn't an academic like Miah but he wasn't stupid either. If he paid attention to things, he did well. He just had massive ADHD most of the time. He fell asleep thinking about his plans for the future and what he would do when Miah was back in his life.

When Jerome woke in the morning, he felt more rested than he had ever felt before. He guessed that a decent bed made all the difference. He didn't really feel like pulling his old clothes back on so he went downstairs in his pjs, to see if that butler dude was making breakfast. Sure enough, the old man was cooking up a storm. The man looked over at Jerome when he walked in and smiled.

"Good morning, young sir. You're up early. I'm used to most of the people in this house sleeping in. It's rather refreshing to see someone else awake this early. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. That's the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in." Jerome said, smiling. "Do you need any help cooking breakfast?"

"It's quite alright, sir. Just sit down and I'll have some food for you soon. Usually I just leave things on low for awhile until people are up but I guess you'll get your food piping hot and fresh."

"Thanks." Jerome sat at the kitchen table and watched the butler cook. Soon the man was finished and put a little of everything on a plate and set it in front of Jerome with a glass of orange juice and some sliced fruit.

"Wow. This is more food than I've ever had at one time." Jerome said, staring at all the full English style breakfast in front of him.

"If you can't finish it all, we can save the rest for later. Don't feel you have to finish it all. I won't be offended." Alfred said, setting the burners to low so things would stay warm but not burn.

Jerome tucked into the food and it was amazing. The man definitely could cook. He enjoyed his food as the butler tidied up.

Just as Jerome was halfway through his food, a young man walked into the room and got himself some food.

"Good morning Master Todd." Alfred said as the boy sat at the table across from Jerome.

"Morning Alfred." the boy, who looked only a year or two older than Jerome, said. He eyed Jerome casually after he sat down. "So you're the new stray, huh?"

"I'm Jerome."

"Jason Todd. Nice to meet you, new kid."

"Nice to meet you. I don't know if Mr. Wayne is really letting me stay. He just let me spend the night and is having a doctor look me over today."

"Trust me. You'll probably be staying. Bruce is a sucker for kids down on their luck." Jason said, smirking. "So what's your story? How'd he meet you?"

"I tried to steal his wallet." Jerome said.

Jason snorted in amusement. "That'll do it. Especially with those bruises you're sporting. Let me guess, you're an orphan who gets beat up by the people who were supposed to look after you."

"I don't even know my dad. Mom said he was a sea captain but that kinda sounded like a lie. My mom is probably still alive, actually. But that doesn't really help me. She didn't really want to take care of me. My uncle was the one that liked to think he was caring for me. But he was an abusive bastard. His idea of discipline was actual torture. So I ran away. Because I figured anything was better than being with him."

"And I thought my life before Bruce was bad. Sorry for asking." Jason said, with a sympathetic look.

"It's ok. It's all over now, right? Is Mr. Wayne a good guy?" Jerome asked.

"Yeah. He's the best. I was born in the Narrows. My parents died. He found me and looked after me. Let me stay here. And before me, was this kid named Richard Grayson. He was a carny from Haly's circus who's parents died. Bruce saw it happen and felt he had to look after him. Richard still comes by here occasionally but he's off at school now. And he tends to do his own thing now." Jason looked over at Alfred. "You might want to put Bruce's food in the fridge for now. He hasn't even been asleep for that long. He had a long night."

"Very well, sir." Alfred huffed in slight annoyance and then proceeded to put the rest of the food in the fridge.

"It's just so odd that a random rich guy decided to pull me off the street like this. I never thought something like this would happen to me. Honestly, I thought I was going to starve. I'm not very good at pickpocketing. And I'm not street smart."

"That's Bruce for you. He wants to help when he can. And he must've seen that you needed help." Jason said.

"Young sir, Master Bruce told me to tell you that Doctor Thompkins will be over in a few hours to have a look at you. In the meantime you can wander the manor at your leisure. I suspect this will be your home now so you might as well learn where everything is."

"I'll give him a tour." Jason said, helpfully.

After breakfast, Jason led Jerome around the manor. It was huge. It had so many rooms that Jerome just knew he'd end up lost rather often. And most of the rooms were really interesting. There was an 'armory' with ancient weapons and armor Bruce and his family had collected over the years. There was a game room. A gym with high tech weight lifting equipment. There was a library that Jerome thought Miah would swoon over. It was huge with so many books in every subject imaginable, many of which were really old and expensive looking. There was a movie theater! An actual big screened movie theater with comfy seats. He would so be taking advantage of that. He stared in awe at it and Jason gave him a knowing look.

"I know, right?" Jason said, smirking. "That isn't even the best part. This screen is hooked up to a few consoles too. All mine of course. Bruce isn't that much of a gamer. How about we play a few games while we wait for Doc Thompkins?"

"Really? Wow. Sure!" Jerome said, amazed that he was about to play a video game on that huge screen.

"Later I can show you my VR setup. It's not all that great for multiplayer though so this is better." Jason said, turning everything on.

"I've never played a video game before. At least not on a console. I played on some arcade machines. But that's a lot different." Jerome said.

They played various games for a few hours. Jason was way better at gaming but he had been playing for a lot longer. Jerome did pretty well for his first time. He decided he kinda liked Jason so far. He wouldn't be unpleasant to be around.

"Well it looks like you didn't waste any time in showing Jerome your game collection." Bruce said, amusedly as he walked into the room.

"Hey Bruce." Jason said, not turning around because he was still fully immersed in the game he was playing. Jerome had given up about an hour ago and was just watching him by that time. "Hello, Mr. Wayne."

"Call me Bruce, Jerome." Bruce said, smiling at him. "Doctor Thompkins is here. She's waiting for you."

"Ok." Jerome said, getting up and going with him.

Bruce left Jerome alone with Leslie Thompkins. He was worried about the kid. He seemed underweight for his age and had bruises everywhere. He was surprised and impressed that the kid was still able to act so positive and smile so much after what he had likely been through. He was a tough kid it seemed. The boy was growing on him. He was already making plans to get the ball rolling in adopting him. First he had to see if he could find the boy's parents and uncle. Especially his uncle. Bruce bristled with anger when he thought of the man. How could someone do all that to his own nephew? He hoped he could make the man be held accountable for it all.

When Leslie was done with her examination and talk with the boy, she met with Bruce with a concerned look.

"What did you find?" Bruce asked.

"You're right. The boy has clearly been through hell. I'm surprised he's held it all together this well after what has happened to him. He has clear signs of abuse and neglect over several years. Some of his bones have likely been broken and not healed properly. He was likely not taken to see a doctor really ever. I'd like to have him taken to get x-rays at some point to see if any of his bones need to be rebroken and reset to heal properly. But he seems terrified of the idea of going to a doctor. It might not be worth the trouble at the moment since overall he seems fine. If anything changes, then take him to a doctor but don't force him if he's not ill or injured. He also seems mildly malnourished. As for signs of abuse besides the broken bones, he has burns and scars all over his body. That uncle of his should be put away for a very long time." She said angrily.

"I'm going to try and find him so he can pay for all of that." Bruce assured her.

"I hope you can find him. His mother was not much better but from what I gathered from what he said, she didn't spend much time in his life. He was mostly raised by his uncle. Bruce, tread carefully with Jerome. He may seem very strong, and he is. But he has a lot of trauma. I'd say he should see a therapist but he seems resistant to that idea as well. He did, however, consent to allowing me to come back here from time to time to talk with him. I'm not a therapist but I can help. Bruce, whatever you do, don't involve him in your secret life. At least not like your other two boys. I don't think that would be healthy for him. You can tell him. But don't involve him. Let him have a normal life. He needs that. He needs stability."

"I will keep that in mind. I never intended for Richard or Jason to help me, but they both insisted. I will do my best to see that Jerome gets a normal life. Or as normal a life as he can get here with me. You don't have to worry. Anything else I should know?"

"Yes, actually. He should probably get his eyes checked. He probably needs glasses. His vision is probably not too bad but it would probably help him see the board at school when you send him. And I would like to point out that he's never gone to an actual school before. He will need to get tested to see where he's at. Jerome mostly learned from his neighbors and books he would find. I don't know how his uncle was able to get away with that. His uncle seemed to get away with a lot."

"Thank you for coming and having a look at him on such short notice, Leslie. I really appreciate it." Bruce said, smiling at her.

"I was glad to help. He seems like a good kid. I take it you're keeping him?" Leslie said.

"Yes. I've already called Harvey to help me with the legal aspects. I can't just walk away from this kid. There's just something about him that makes me want to help him. Something...almost familiar. If that makes any sense. I don't know where it's coming from because I know I've never met the kid before last night. I don't really understand it but I do know the kid needs me." Bruce said.

"Whatever the reason, it's good that you're there for him. I doubt his life would've gone very well if you hadn't taken him in. He's a very tough kid, as I said, but there's only so much someone can take. Take care of him. He will need you." Leslie said. "And Bruce, if you, yourself, ever need to talk, I'm willing to listen. As always."

"Thank you, Leslie. I don't know what I would've done without you. You were there for me at a very horrible time in my life. I can't ever repay you for all of that. I might take you up on that offer sometime." Bruce said, giving her a hug.

"My phone is always on. Just give me a call." Leslie said before leaving.

Bruce walked into the library to see Jerome with his nose buried in a book. He noticed that the book was IT by Stephen King. It wasn't a book Bruce was fond of himself. Richard had gifted it to him as a joke one year since he was well aware he was not fond of clowns. For good reason. If anyone had to spend nights upon nights worried about what a psychotic clown was about to do to a city, they'd not be fond of clowns either. Jerome looked up at Bruce and smiled shyly at him. "Hi. I hope you don't mind that I borrowed this? I've never read it. I do love Stephen King books whenever I can find them."

"It's alright, Jerome. You can have it actually. I'm not fond of the book, myself." Bruce said.

"I can have it? Thanks!" Jerome said, smiling happily at him. "The doc was really nice. I like her."

"So do I. She helped me years ago to deal with the death of my parents. She is a very kind woman. She said she'd come back so you could talk with her more. Is that something you want?"

"Well, yeah. She seemed easy to talk to. But how long am I even going to be here?" Jerome asked with a hopeful look.

"Forever if you'd like to." Bruce said, smiling at him.

"Really?" Jerome said with wide pleased and surprised eyes. "You're going to let me stay?"

"Of course. You have had a hard life. Doctor Thompkins said you needed stability in your life. I'd like to give you that. If you'd like to stay, that is."

"I'd love to! This is like some kinda amazing dream. I have to keep pinching myself to see I'm still awake." Jerome said with an overjoyed look on his face. "You won't change your mind, will you? This is for real?"

"I plan on making it official as soon as I can. Adopting you like I did, Jason and Richard." Bruce said smiling. It was hard not to smile when Jerome looked so happy.

Jerome beamed at him. "Thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me!"

"Tomorrow Alfred can take you out for some new clothes and everything you'll need. Like things to decorate your room. Until then, I think some of Jason's old clothes will fit you well enough. So you can get out of those pjs."

"New clothes. So cool." Jerome said, still beaming with happiness. "Most of my clothes were just things that my neighbors outgrew and threw out. To actually have new clothes that are ones I picked out, it's amazing. I'd love to actually look stylish for once."

"Well, Alfred does know the best places to get stylish clothes. He'll be able to help you out. Also, I heard you might need glasses. Are you ok with going to an optometrist? I heard you aren't very fond of going to the doctor."

"That's an eye doctor, right? That's not the same thing as a regular doctor. They just look at eyes. Not nearly as scary." Jerome said. "But will I really have to have glasses?"

"If you want to see the board at school then you might need them." Bruce said.

"School. Wow. An actual school. That's… a little intimidating. I mean, I'm not surprised I have to go to school. But I don't really know what to expect." Jerome said.

"I'll have you tested so we know what grade to put you in. And if you are at all behind and don't feel comfortable being in a class with younger kids, I can hire a tutor to start with. I can hire a tutor even if you aren't behind. We'll do whatever you feel comfortable with."

"I'll probably need a tutor even if I do go to school. And I suppose I do want to go to school." the boy said, with a complicated look.

"What's wrong?"

"I was just always told that I'm stupid. That I wouldn't do well. I know it's a lie but it just makes me feel a little scared that they're right. I want to do well. To prove them wrong." Jerome said.

"You'll have all the resources you need to do well. And I have no doubt that you are very smart. You managed to survive your abusive family for this long and this well. That takes more than toughness. It takes cleverness." Bruce said.

"Thanks."

Jerome was over the moon that Bruce Wayne actually decided to keep him. It had been the plan to get him to but he hadn't actually thought it would work. At most, he figured the dude would give him some money and hand him off to a boarding school or something. But the guy was full on adopting him! If the guy only knew who he was adopting. He was actually kinda touched that the guy would go out of his way to help him. To bring him into his family. The amount of kindness Bruce, Jason, and Alfred were showing him… it wasn't something he was used to. They acted like he was worth something. And more than just some psychotic legacy like the Joker did. They just saw him and wanted him to be a part of their family. The idea of being in a family that wasn't awful was not an unpleasant feeling. He wasn't sure how to deal with it. What if they found out someday who he was supposed to grow up to be? That he was a parallel of the Joker? He didn't want them to ever find out.

Jerome went with Alfred to several stores to buy everything he needed. They bought a bunch of clothes. And they were all stylish. Jerome liked to look good. He was so happy that he finally could. The clothes that Joker's thugs had given him, he had not been able to pick out himself. And they weren't exactly good judges of style. And before that, he just got hand me downs from older carny kids. Clothes weren't the only things they bought though. Alfred took him to get stuff to decorate his room. He didn't know exactly what he wanted yet so he only bought a few things. He'd figure it out over time. Bed covers that were red, black, and white stripes. New curtains to match. He did love the color red. Alfred also bought him a cd player and any cd he wanted. And Alfred bought him a red leather bound journal to keep his thoughts in as well as markers and art supplies. It wasn't with Bruce's money either. Alfred bought the art supplies with his own money as welcome home gifts. Jerome wasn't lying when he said he kept having to pinch himself to see if he wasn't dreaming. It was all so much more than he ever figured he'd get to have. Just being able to have things. To have people wanting to give him things. It was so amazing. He'd have to thank Harley someday for giving him the idea to go to Bruce Wayne. It worked out better than he ever figured it would. Alfred then took him to a fancy toy store which confused Jerome. He wasn't really a kid anymore.

"Why are we here?" Jerome asked.

"Have you ever owned a stuffed toy? Perhaps a teddy bear?" Alfred asked.

"No, not really." Jerome said, shrugging. "Mom didn't feel like going to the trouble and my uncle never spent money on me if he could help it."

"Well then, that's why we are here. I feel every child should have at least one stuffed toy in their life."

"I'm twelve. I'm not a kid." Jerome said.

"That doesn't matter. Pick something out. Humor me, young sir." Alfred said.

"Alright." Jerome said, rolling his eyes. He wandered the store's plush animal section and looked at all the fancy bears and dinosaurs and rabbits. His mother would've never been able to afford toys this good quality. He's never even seen toys this good quality. Many of the stuffed bears had cute outfits but one caught his eye. It was perfect. Almost too perfect. It was a bear in a vest and pants and glasses that made it look like it was a nerd… and its fur was purple. Miah's favorite color. He stared at it and Alfred noticed.

"Is that the one you want, young sir?"

"...Yeah. I'll take it." Jerome said, taking it off the shelf and hugging it to him. Alfred smiled and they went to pay for it.

"So what are you going to name your bear?" Alfred asked as he drove them back to the manor.

"It's a toy, not a real bear. Why do I have to name it?"

"You don't have to name it. But naming one's bear makes it more special to you. My childhood bear was named Mr. Stuffington." Alfred said.

"...It's called Miah." Jerome said, with a complicated look.

"Miah?" Alfred looked over at him briefly like he could sense there was more to the name than just something Jerome came up with randomly. But he didn't ask. "What a fine name."

A few days later Alfred took Jerome to his optometrist appointment. And sure enough, Jerome did need glasses. He wasn't surprised. His mom had taken Miah to get glasses when she suspected he needed them. She hadn't wanted anything spoiling his ability to learn. She never bothered with Jerome though, despite them being identical twins and likely having the same exact eye problems. Jerome hadn't really cared. He thought glasses made someone look nerdy. Glasses worked for Miah's overall look. Because he definitely was a nerd. Jerome was a little disappointed when they said his eyes would not be suited for contacts. And the idea of eye surgery to fix his eyes sounded horrifying when they told him what it involved. He didn't want knives or lasers anywhere near his eyes, thank you very much. So he had to wear glasses. At least he'd get to pick out his own frames. He picked some cool looking frames that he had seen a hacker wear in a movie he saw. He figured, if he was going to look like a nerd, he might as well look like a cool nerd. When they were finished putting in the lens and they put them on his face he could actually see things clearer than he had ever seen. He looked outside and could see the words on signs that were far away. And he didn't have to squint. He was happy until he looked in a mirror to see what the frames looked like on his face. And then he just stared at the face in the mirror with an emotional look. Miah… The face in the mirror looked like Miah. He pulled himself together and realized… Miah would never look this cool or stylish. Miah's glasses had been cheap used frames that were falling apart and didn't look good. He hoped that Alfred hadn't noticed him getting emotional.

As it turned out, Jerome wasn't as behind in school as he thought, despite just having carnies tutor him and him never really paying that much attention. Miah had tried to help him and he supposed it helped in the long run. He had a tutor for a little while to catch up and then tested into high school early to his wonderful surprise. He might not care as much about academics as Miah did, but it didn't mean he hated school. If he liked the subject could sit still long enough to learn something. And now he had more motivation to do so. Part of it was to prove his family wrong about him. But most of it was to excel in school so that someday, he'd be able to find a cure for Miah, and then find a way to reunite with his brother to give it to him. Bruce enrolled Jerome at the same posh private school that Jason went to. One that required uniforms. The whole uniform thing was not appealing to Jerome but he still managed to make the look his own. Since Bruce was a big donor to the school, the headmaster and teachers begrudgingly let Jerome bend the strict uniform rules a bit.

The classes weren't boring mostly and his classmates might be rich pricks but they weren't so bad. Most of them liked Jason and now that Jerome was Jason's 'brother' and Bruce Wayne's 'son' they accepted him as one of their own. He did seem to fit in more with the misfits of the school though. The ones that didn't fit in. It was kinda his thing so he wasn't surprised they liked him more than the snobbish popular kids did. But Jason also fit in more with those kids too so it worked out. Jason and him had become rather good friends by that time so it was nice to be able to spend time with him as much as he could. Jason was no Miah, but he was his adopted brother and he related to him much more than he had ever did with Miah.

When the adoption was finalized, the press found out. And Jerome was all that the news wanted to report on for a bit. Jerome felt a little nervous about that because he knew that that meant Joker now knew where he was. He hoped the guy wouldn't make trouble.

One day, Jerome was outside eating his lunch alone. He didn't hate eating with the few friends he had made but needed the space that day. He noticed a pretty, bespectacled, smartly dressed, slightly familiar looking woman walk up to him.

"Hiya." the woman said in a very familiar cheerful high pitched voice. "I finally got you alone."

"Harley?" Jerome stared at her with a very concerned look. "What are you doing here? I'm not going back!"

"Relax, kiddo. I'm not here to take you back." Harley said. "You really surprised Mista J when he saw you on the news. He found it so hilarious that he laughed for a good half hour straight. You really impressed him. You know that I was only joking when I told you to do that, right?"

"I know. I didn't care. It was still a good idea. And it worked. So I impressed him, huh? Does this mean he's going to leave me alone?" Jerome asked.

"For now at least. He wants to see how long you can keep that rich twit from suspecting you have something to hide. And he admits that you having a good education would be helpful in the long run. I mean, look at Crane and Riddler. They got an education and it helped them accomplish their fun little goals. Speaking of Riddler, you kinda look similar to the guy now with those glasses. I wonder if Eddie will start wondering if you are his parallel."

"I doubt it. I'm not a tech nerd." Jerome said. "Can you just go? If anyone sees me talking to you they might start to suspect something. And Bruce Wayne is a lot more observant than people give him credit for."

"Fine fine. I'll go. Mista J just wanted to send his regards. He'll be watching your progress so don't disappoint him. Do well in school." Harley said.

"I will do well. But not because he wants me to." Jerome snarled at her.

"Geez. You do have a lot in common. That temper. Anyway, good luck kiddo." Harley said, blowing him a farewell kiss and turning to walk away.

"Harley."

"Yeah?" she turned back around and looked at him.

"Thanks." Jerome said, sighing. "For taking me in that night and for suggesting all of this."

"No problem. You are a mini version of my favorite person so I'm glad I got to help you. Even if I didn't know that at the time. Take care, Little J."

Jerome did as he promised. He did well in school. His ADHD was a challenge at times but he grit his teeth and powered through. He found creative ways to pay attention in classes he didn't enjoy as much. He knew that to help his brother, he'd have to get good at chemistry. And he found he wasn't horrible at it. He figured he shouldn't be surprised given what his parallel's signature weapon was. Smilex was a chemical mixture that caused laughter in small doses and insanity and or death in larger doses. Joker had to be at least somewhat proficient in chemistry to manage that. So it made sense that Jerome would have some of the same proficiencies. He didn't have as much of Joker's mechanical engineering expertise. The guy could come up with elaborate traps that looked cobbled together but needed a high level of engineering knowledge. Jerome figured that Miah had gotten all of the interest and ability in that subject. Because that was what Miah liked to read about most. Jerome could and did learn more about it because he figured he would need that knowledge at some point. But he didn't excel in it like Miah would've. Jerome's teachers were impressed with all he did though. His best subjects were Chemistry, Art, and English. His new family told him they were proud of him. It gave him a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Jerome just knew that Bruce Wayne was hiding something. Both Jason and Alfred seemed to know what that something was. He tried not to be curious about it. It was none of his business. But it was hard. One time as Jason was acting more shifty than normal while at Wayne manor and looking around to see if Jerome was around, Jerome made sure the guy didn't see him and followed behind him at a safe distance. He saw Jason open a secret panel and press a hand scanner. A secret door slid open and he slipped inside. Jerome booked it to the door as it started to close and took a running slide through it, making it through just in time. There was a dark tunnel that sloped downward. What was Bruce hiding? Secret doors and tunnels seemed very normal in an old manor but a high tech door locked with a hand scanner? That was probably not standard. He snuck through the tunnel, hoping Jason didn't catch him. When he got to the bottom of the sloping tunnel he gasped at what he saw. There was a huge cave under Wayne manor! But that wasn't all. It was filled top to bottom with tech. And had a very very familiar symbol all around it. A bat symbol. Bruce Wayne was Batman? Really? Jerome just stared at everything, his mind kinda short circuiting. Then he was shocked to awareness as he noticed Jason staring at him with a slightly exasperated look.

"For crying out loud, Jerome. You followed me?" Jason asked, shaking his head.

"I'm kinda at a loss for words at the moment, if you'll excuse me." Jerome said, mouth still gaping a little.

Jason sighed in annoyance. "Well, come on. No point in keeping you out now. You want to see?"

"Yeah." Jerome said as Jason led him into the batcave.

"Welcome to the batcave." Jason said.

"Why didn't Bruce tell me? He obviously told you." Jerome asked, looking around in wonder. "You're Robin, right? You must be."

"Yeah, I'm Robin. And I don't know why he didn't tell you. He must've had his reasons." Jason said.

"It just feels kinda lonely to be the only person in this family not to know a secret this big. I knew there was something you all weren't telling me. But I had no idea it was this. Bruce is Batman. That's just..." Jerome searched for the right word.

"Mind boggling?" Jason offered.

"Yeah."

"Yeah. I know. I felt the same when I found out. You get used to it. Sort of." Jason said.

"My word. I was wondering where you had wandered off to, young sir." Alfred said, walking over to them.

"Yeah. I kinda snuck in. I had no idea this was a thing. I'm still wrapping my head around it." Jerome said, still looking around with wide eyes.

"I believe Master Bruce intended to tell you at some point soon. He was trying to figure out a good way to let you know." Alfred said.

"'I'm Batman.'" Jerome imitated Batman. "It doesn't seem that hard to explain. Just two words."

"I had my reasons for not telling you immediately." Bruce said, sighing as he appeared in the batcave.

"What reasons?" Jerome asked. "You don't trust me?"

"It's not that I don't trust you. I just didn't want you insisting that you become another Robin. You need a normal, stable life and involving you in this doesn't help that." Bruce said.

"You think I'd want to be a Robin if you told me? No thanks." Jerome said, a bit amused. That wouldn't go well if Joker found out. Or maybe it would. Maybe Joker would find it amusing. "I'm not saying it wouldn't be loads of fun to swing around on grapple guns and all but I kinda just want to get through school. I have things I want to do with my life and I think spending my time being a vigilante would complicate things. But it would've been nice to know why my family insists on disappearing randomly all the time. All of this, it's big. And if I'm a part of this family, I think I should've been told. I'm not saying I want to be a Robin but I could've still helped. I'm guessing Alfred is the one that helps out in the batcave, right? That's a lot of work for one guy."

"I wouldn't mind the help around here, young sir." Alfred said, smiling at him. "I say that we let him come down here. He can still have a mostly normal life and help down here. But it's up to you, Master Bruce."

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to let you help Alfred out. I apologize for not telling you." Bruce said, going over to his batcomputer and sitting down.

"It's ok. I understand now why you didn't. When two out of three of your kids insist on being Robins, I can imagine you'd want to make sure the third one stays safe at home instead. I get that. But like I said, I don't really want to be a vigilante. So you don't have to worry." Jerome assured him.

"Bummer about that though. It might've been fun to have you out there with us." Jason said jokingly. "But I have respect for a kid who sees all this and says he doesn't want to be a vigilante. Most kids would jump at the chance."

"Would they though? It's a job that comes with the very real possibility of death. I'd rather not die, thank you." Jerome said.

"Changing the subject. I still can't find your uncle. I'd like him to get the punishment he deserves for hurting you but the only Zachary Trumble I found in Gotham city is long dead. He was murdered years ago." Bruce said.

"I'm not even sure that Trumble is even his real last name. He's probably long gone now and celebrating the fact I'm not in his life anymore." Jerome sighed. "I doubt you will ever find him. He likes to move around a lot. I think he was a criminal at one point so I'm not surprised he likes to move around. But it's ok that you couldn't find him. I just want him out of my life. And I got that. You've done way more for me than anyone else ever has. You're more like a family to me now than my real family ever was or wanted to be. And that means a lot."

"You needed someone in your life to care. And I'm willing to be that someone. We all are." Bruce said.

Jerome smiled at them. It was so weird that Batman of all people had adopted him of all people. If Bruce ever found out who he was supposed to grow up to be, he'd hate him. Joker was his most dangerous foe. Jerome didn't want Bruce to hate him.