A/N: Sorry I haven't returned back on this story for a while. I have been working more on my Jedi Fallen Order story. And I'm dying to do more Poppy and Jerome stories. If you have any ideas, please tell me. I already have another Gotham story up which is called Out of Time, and it was inspired by the video game, Life is Strange.
One Year Ago…
Poppy was still tied to her chair as Galavan's goons were unaware that she managed to slide a glass shard into her hands when she was once on the floor. When Galavan left the room after being on the phone with Jerome, a few of his goons were left to guard the outside of it. As she managed to stay in the chair, Poppy was ignoring the shard that she nearly cut her fingers with while using it to cut the ropes around her wrist.
Keeping an eye on the door, Poppy felt the rope loosen before it fell down onto the floor.
"Those jerks… I'm getting out of here alive." Poppy managed to say quietly, knowing that she was still in pain after being punched, kicked and slapped by Galavan and his guards.
She reached down and started cutting the ropes around her ankles, before hearing the door to the room slowly opening with a key. Poppy quickly hid the rope behind her ankles as she was pretending that she was still tied up, before looking down at her legs when one of the guards came in to check on her.
Seeing that he had a pistol in his holster, Poppy thought of a quick plan to get his attention.
"S-Sir? Can… Can I have some water?" Poppy asked quietly, as she was faking her scared voice.
The guard heard her voice as he decided to look down at her while pulling her hair up until Poppy gave out an angry cry which caused her to brutally stab him in the neck.
Blood was spilling out of his neck as his eyes widened like saucers, before he let go of Poppy's hair and dropped down onto the cold ground. As he was holding onto his wound while trying to stop the bleeding, Poppy removed the ropes from her ankles and quickly picked up the enemy's gun from the floor, shooting him in the forehead.
"Time for me to go." Poppy responded to herself as she looked back at the open door when she heard more of Galavan's guards yelling out in an alarming tone.
"I've got him! Finish him off!"
Jerome was in a grabbing hold as a buffer and taller guy while he was being suffocated.
"I sense… anger in you." Jerome managed to say as he tried to break out of it, before seeing another guy walking towards him with a hunter's knife.
As Jerome was about to be stabbed, Poppy appeared around the corner and quickly started shooting her pistol at the two guards. One bullet was to the one with the knife in the head. And she shot two more to the stronger and taller one who had Jerome in a headlock, which was to his shoulder and to his head.
When the bodies dropped to the floor, Jerome was on the ground while trying to catch his breath.
"Jerome!" Poppy exclaimed in shock, but with a hint of happiness as she managed to limp towards him.
When he heard her voice, Jerome had a smile on his face before he quickly stood up and hugged Poppy tightly. Picking her up bridal style, he spun her around for a bit as they were both happy and laughing at the same time.
Putting her back down where her feet was touching the floor, Jerome cupped Poppy's face into his hands.
"Who taught you how to shoot?" Jerome asked.
"I learned it from my boyfriend." Poppy answered, before he took the pistol out of her hands.
"You're so bad… Thats what I like about you…" Jerome responded while kissing Poppy's bruised face. "Come on, Doll. Let's get outta here before-" He stated to say before he held Poppy's left hand… until they heard the safety lock of a pistol clicking.
"Hello Jerome." Galavan greeted with a smug look on his face, before Poppy heard footsteps coming from behind when more of his thugs blocked the hallway while aiming their guns.
"No…" Poppy whispered, as she gripped onto Jerome's arm tightly.
"Galavan!" Jerome retorted loudly...
Present Time…
Poppy had a blindfold tied around her head as she could hear a few cult members whispering to themselves along with the van moving. As she had her hands on her knees, Poppy can manage to move her head slowly towards the cult members voices, until they stop talking.
"Uh… where are you taking me?" Poppy managed to ask.
The cult members didn't say anything, before Poppy felt the van stopped moving in a screeching halt, which caused the 17 year old teenager to fall down on her hands and knees.
The members grabbed and lifted her underneath by her arms roughly, which caused Poppy to cry out in pain, before the van doors opened where the 17 year old teenager turned her head to.
"You two… come here."
Jerome's voice was heard as it sounded deep and frustrated.
Poppy can hear the cult members jumping off the van, until…
*BANG!* *BANG!*
Poppy jumped as she covered her ears and immediately crawled away from the doors of the van, until her back hit the wall of the van that stood between the front seats and the back.
As she continued to cover her ears, she heard the sound of someone's footsteps climbing into the back of the van, before she started crying quietly, thinking she was going to be next.
But she slowly moved her head up and started speaking.
"Jerome?" She gently called out knowing she still couldn't see through the blindfold.
"My future Queen of Gotham…" Jerome started to say, before she felt his hand touching her cheek until it moved down to her left hand.
His hand gripped onto hand as he helped her stand gently.
Having her right hand out, Poppy was slowly walking out of the van as she could hear faint carnival music playing. It reminded her so much of her time with Jerome at Haly's Circus after school and even during her volunteer performance nights.
But the music sounded more haunting and creepy to be a fun carnival.
She was expecting the sweet smell of salty butter popcorn and with a yummy sweet cotton candy in the air, but when her heeled boots touched the ground... she fell and tripped on something which caused part of the blindfold slipped off her left eye.
Her left blue eye widened in shock as she saw that she landed on the dead cult member's bodies who Jerome shot them dead, when he warned them earlier not to touch or threatened her.
Poppy immediately covered her mouth as her left eye kept staring at the dead bodies, before Jerome removed the blindfold.
"Awww, I wanted to surprise you since it was your birthday. Oh well… Welcome to our home away from away. Our circus." Jerome announced before having his hands out, welcoming the 17 year old teen to the boardwalk circus.
Climbing over the dead bodies, Poppy felt her heart racing faster as she started looking around.
She can see the flashing string lights as they were almost bright for her eyes while she can hear the terrifying music playing in the air along with cries and screams when the 17 year old had finally gotten a closer look at the game booths.
Instead of the cult members playing the games to earn prizes, they were terrorizing the citizens of Gotham. The innocent people of the city were being slammed down and hit with hammers, shot with darts, fired with real BB guns, or humiliating them with any sweet carnival food for their fun.
"Hit him! No, the fat one! Come on, put your back into it! That's right!" Jerome cheered as he was laughing hysterically at how the people of Gotham were being abused by the members of his cult with his horror carnival games.
"No…" Poppy whispered as she knew that she was at the boardwalk circus while she had her hands, covering her mouth in shock.
"Isn't it beautiful, Doll? Tonight will be a new lifestyle for Gotham all thanks to my brilliant brain of mine." Jerome asked as he had his arm around Poppy's shoulders, resting his hand on her right shoulder. "Well, Poppy… We can't afford to waste any time. As the soon to be King and Queen of Gotham. Let's make a night that we will all remember. Shall we?" He explained as he started to place a top hat on top of his fiery red hair, before he held out his hand for her to take it.
Poppy hesitated a bit, before taking Jerome's hand once more.
At Château De Peters, the whole madison was raided by the police when a few members of Jerome's cult were left to stay behind to make sure that no one would escape or call the cops. But with half of the party goers who were not drunk were able to go home as some of them stayed to tell them exactly what happened.
"So you're saying that Valaska came here with his cult and he kidnapped my baby sister?" Tommy Canellei explained as he was talking to Ruby and Liv while the other party goers were explaining to the other police officers.
"Yeah, that's what we've been trying to say, Tommy!" Liv exclaimed as she shouted before Ruby held her close to calm her down.
"He took her because she likes her. Jerome wants Poppy to be his Queen of Gotham." Ruby responded as she started to rub Liv's back. "And what Liv was trying to tell you… that explains the dead crazy in the pool." She explained before looking back at a few police officers who were examining the floating dead cult member who was face down in the pool.
"Do you have any idea where Valaska could have taken her?" Jim Gordon asked.
"Poppy did tell us that the cult members have their own carnival near the boardwalk." Ruby answered, knowing that it wasn't enough information. "Maybe a church or something creepy like a haunted house?" She suggested, before Harvey Bullock walked towards them.
"I've got them. There's a bar that they have taken over. A cathedral. The zoo. They've taken over the courthouse and an abandoned boardwalk circus." Harvey responded.
"Jerome was raised in the circus." Jim Gordon stated as Harvey Bullock took his glasses off.
"Then what the hell are we waiting for?! I'm not giving my baby sister away to some maniac." Tommy explained, Jim Gordon stopped from leaving as the young cop looked back at him.
"You're not going alone this time. The last time you did, you were almost wounded by a gun." Jim Gordon explained, before Ruby and Liv moved closer.
"We'll come too. Poppy hasn't experienced Jerome's wrath yet. Liv was part of the bus incident where he covered the cheer and football team with gasoline." Ruby explained.
"No, you girls go home. It's way too dangerous." Jim Gordon responded, before he, Tommy Canellei and Harvey Bullock left...
Back at the Boardwalk Circus, Poppy was at the makeup booth as she was getting her hair fixed and even having clown makeup on for her and Jerome's wedding. Winching slightly as one of the crazies was putting Poppy's short hair in a two ponytails before teasing it to make it look more of an insane look.
The second cult member decided to do her face as it felt like heavy foundation to her, but it was white face paint and setting powder. Opening her eyes, she can see that her own face was pale as a ghost before sneezing the loose setting powder off until the cult member pulled her face toward him when he had a makeup brush that was covered with purple paint. Closing her eyes, Poppy can feel the wet paint and the hairs of the brush touching her skin as she kept still, before feeling another brush touching the left side of her eye.
The chair swiveled towards the mirror as Poppy slowly opened her eyes to see that they somehow managed to do a crying tear eyeshadow look with the red and purple paint. The cult member who was doing her makeup was putting face gems on her running tear eyeshadow look before Jerome walked up behind her.
"Hmm… tell me, what is this look I see?" Jerome asked.
"It's… my circus makeup. I created this look to make it look like a sad clown. You've told me that it makes me look more beautiful when I have my cheery and creative personality out." Poppy explained as Jerome looked back at her through the mirror.
"Gotta be honest, Princess. You do make a beautiful Queen. It's truly amazing… but…" Jerome started to say, before he pulled out his switchblade knife in front of her, making her flinch once she saw it. "There's two things wrong here..." He stated, before Poppy quickly closes her eyes, thinking that she was about to be stabbed to death.
But then she heard the cult member who was doing her makeup, crying out in pain when she opened her eyes to see that Jerome stabbed him in the stomach.
"That's for putting your dirty hands on my Queen's face. She's mine, ya hear me?!" Jerome retorted, before the cult member nodded with a soft cry and the ginger haired psychopath pulled his switchblade out. "How about… some beautiful red lipstick to go with that pretty face? Let's turn that frown… upside." He asked, before Poppy started whimpering out quietly, until she felt something being glided across her lips, seeing that Jerome had a tube of red lipstick in his other hand, while holding her close from behind.
"Uh… Jerome, sir?"
Jerome turned around before pulling out his revolver, aiming it at a cult member who had a mohawk.
Poppy watched from the mirror as the cult member and Jerome were having a private conversation before seeing the ginger haired psychopath's face which was grinning ear to ear, before he turned around to swivel Poppy's chair.
"Good news, my Princess. Our wedding is set up in the main event tent. Well, before we get ready for our special night. Let's get to know each other." Jerome responded before doing his signature laugh.
As Poppy and Jerome were walking around the carnival, the 17 year old teenager was keeping her head down while listening to Jerome's rambling. Knowing that there was two cult members who were acting like Poppy's personal security, they were following her and Jerome until… Poppy stood where she was, which caused the three of them to stop.
"What's wrong, Poppy? Wedding jitters? You can tell me everything for dear ol' me." Jerome asked.
"Why… Why can't you remember me? Jerome, this is not what I want! This is what you want. The Jerome I knew before he was killed by Galavan will always have me on his mind. You wouldn't want me to be hurt by seeing you killing someone. But… I've changed, Jerome." Poppy explained.
"You've changed? Changed?!" Jerome asked as he stood in front of Poppy, before cackling at her. "How can someone like you change because of me? Did my death affect you that much? Oh! I love this game!" He started to ask, before he got sidetracked by seeing a dunk tank game.
Poppy examines the dunk tank game as if Jerome managed to hit the target, the person who she probably thinks is a working businessman or lawyer will be dunk into a school of piranhas in the water down below.
"It did, Jerome. I cried for you. And I even killed Galavan. That's something I'm willing to confess." Poppy responded, as Jerome had one of the baseballs in his hand.
"It's not about Galavan I'm worried about now. I should be thanking you. But you're one of the lucky ones who I still want to keep alive. Just be happy that you are about to be my Queen of Gotham, instead of being sold off to a whorehouse." Jerome explained as he completely ignored Poppy's face, before he began to focus on the target.
"Jerome, just look at me!" Poppy cried.
Jerome rolled his jade eyes before he turned around to face her.
"I'm looking, am I?" Jerome asked as he had his hands behind his back.
"Even though you've always cared about me. You told me yourself that you never wanted to hurt me. Jerome… you have to remember me. Remember me as your girlfriend before your death. I was the one… who opened my heart to you since you were being abused. You will always have my heart, Jerome Valaska." Poppy explained as she slowly reached out to Jerome's left arm, and gently placed his left hand on her cheek where his thumb felt her tear running down it.
As Jerome studied her face, he heard a voice in his mind.
"Jerome… Don't always hide your wounds, okay. I hate your mother too. But one day… how about this… Me and you will leave Gotham for good. Somewhere where me and you can start a new life together, Babe."
Jerome's emerald green eyes were staring at Poppy's soft blue ones, until Poppy gently took the baseball out of his other hand, hoping to feel both of his hands cupping her face.
When his other hand reached for the other cheek… he pulled both cheeks together to make her for a silly face.
"Jerome, what the hell?!" Poppy managed to say through a slurred voice as Jerome was pulling her cheeks around.
Jerome's laugh was heard throughout Poppy's protest, before he finally let go which caused her to rub her sore face.
"I've gotta tell you this… for a stubborn girl, you sure know how to make me laugh." Jerome stated as Poppy looked up at him.
"Those were my feelings, Jerome. Me and you were something." Poppy responded as she narrowed her eyes at him.
"Let's get one thing straight. I don't do relationships... And if I was with you in my old life, I would have remembered you. Which I don't. Whether you like it or not, I will always have control over you." Jerome warned after he took the baseball back.
"Not even when you've saved me from Galavan? Don't you remember that? You were my hero." Poppy asked.
"Oh Poppy… so young, so naive to even listen. Do you think there ever was a hero in this horrible city? Where was the hero when my whore of a mother hit me without care? Where was the hero when I got sent to that hell hole asylum? Face it, Love… Gotham has no heroes ." Jerome explained as he got closer to Poppy's face.
When he turned back around to pay attention to his dunk tank game, Poppy started crying quietly as she had her eyes close, not caring that her clown makeup was running down her face.
But Jerome didn't know, it ignited something in Poppy's heart.
Unaware of it, Jerome was taken aback when Poppy pushed him onto the ground as he threw the first pitch at the target and he missed.
Seeing Jerome on the ground, Poppy was pulled back by the cult members as Jerome stood up in shock.
"Did you see that?! Foul! That's a foul!" Jerome exclaimed in shock, as the cult members who are in charge of the dunk tank game nodded in agreement, until the ginger haired psychopath noticed Poppy's angry face. "Geez, who put a spider in your panties, doll?" He asked.
"Is this what you wanted to see, right? This is how I felt when Galavan shot you, Valaska!" Poppy yelled as the cult members held her back from attacking Jerome again... which he decided to let it slide.
Jerome gave out a fake yawn, before speaking once again.
"For my Queen of Gotham, you sure do know how to make me sleepy." He stated, until he rested his left hand against the target button of the dunk tank… which he decided to press on purpose.
The man fell into the water as the school of piranhas ate him alive causing Poppy to scream out loud, when blood quickly filled the watery dunk tank.
As she was on her knees, Poppy kept her eyes on the bloody tank before Jerome walked up towards her and made her look up at him.
A smirk was on his face, before Poppy yanked her face away from him.
"Don't touch me…" Poppy whispered.
Jerome moves his fingers away, as he kept his emerald green eyes on her.
"Hmm… Looks like I have no other choice since you want to do this the hard way. You… give me those." Jerome stated, before Poppy saw a pair of handcuffs and shackles. "Now then… let's go get married, shall we." He whispered in a haunting voice.
Poppy's ocean blue eyes were staring at the handcuffs and shackles, knowing that Jerome will go through extreme lengths for her to be his Queen of Gotham.
But she now knows that she was running out of time.
Did you know that the name of this story is based off a song which is called Till' I See You Again by UNSECERT feat. The Powder Room? It was used in the video game called Tell Me Why which is a good game for those Life Is Strange fans!
I feel like doing that makeup look for Poppy when I cosplay as her for my Instagram. It was basically inspired by Liv Morgan's makeup look which everyone loves… beside the white foundation and powder.
