"So."
Cynthia and Bruce sat side by side in a cell guarded by Galavan's disciples. Bruce was wearing a white robe while Cynthia had continued wearing her clothes; she wasn't a part of the ritual. Galavan just wanted to kill her.
It had been mostly quiet until Cynthia's voice had cut through the silence.
"… You said Galavan broke the Maniax out." Bruce's question clear in his voice.
"Yeah," Cynthia replied.
"And everything at the benefit was staged?"
"Yep."
"… Did you actually kill Jerome?"
Cynthia looked over at her brother; her expression overflowing with pain.
Cynthia looked away; leaning her elbows on her knees and staring at the ground.
"… He was a bad person, Cynthia," Bruce said "He killed people."
"But, I loved him."
It was silent as the truth hung heavy in the air.
"In Arkham?"
"Before."
It was quiet except for their breaths; Cynthia sniffling slightly.
Instead of saying anything, Bruce scoot closer to Cynthia, allowing his sister to lean her head on his shoulder.
.
Alfred felt sick.
Cynthia and Bruce were missing.
And, when he went looking for them at Galavan's tower, well…
Things didn't go so well.
Where were they?
.
Silver St. Cloud was a victim, Cynthia understood that now.
Not that Cynthia had forgiven her, no, Cynthia was still pissed. But, she understood.
Silver was trapped.
And Cynthia couldn't help but feel a swell of pride for her baby brother when he expressed his sympathy for Silver.
.
"I'm going to see my parents."
Cynthia winced.
"Silver, could I speak to my brother for a moment?"
Silver nodded and moved off to the side of the cell, giving the siblings a moment.
Bruce looked over at Cynthia expectantly.
"… We're not going to die tonight."
Bruce frowned.
"But, Cynthia-."
"I know how this seems, but, Bruce; I promise you we won't die tonight."
Bruce looked disbelieving for a moment.
But then, he smiled slightly.
"Okay, I trust you," Bruce said "What do I do?"
"Nothing."
Galavan approached the cell, Cynthia giving him an evil look.
"Showtime."
Bruce and Cynthia stood.
"One moment, please," Bruce said before turning to Silver "Goodbye, Silver; I love you and I forgive you."
Bruce kissed Silver quickly, Cynthia smiling slightly.
And then the two Waynes headed to their fate.
.
"Death to the son of Gotham, death to the son of Gotham, death to the son of Gotham, death to the son of Gotham."
"You all went the full nine yards of crazy," Cynthia said as Galavan tied her and Bruce back to back on a pole.
"Prepare yourself, boy," the main cult member said.
"You're a deluded, old fool. And you'll pay for this," Bruce spat, Cynthia smiling proudly.
"Ancestors, be our witness! The prophecy is fulfilled!"
He raised the knife and Cynthia felt her stomach clench; had she been wrong?
"Stop!" Silver called, distracting the man "Please?"
Then their rescuers burst in; Alfred, Gordon, Cat, Penguin and his goons.
"How did you know?" Bruce asked Cynthia.
"I didn't."
But, the thing is…
Monks who'd trained their whole lives to kick some ass.
Which led to the subsequent ass kicking of their saviors.
Once the monks got them down, Galavan laughed.
"Did you seriously think that you could defeat them?" Galavan asked Gordon "You know what happened when you went toe-to-toe with me; what did you expect?"
"Wow, guys; stunning rescue," Cynthia said, her voice filled with heavy sarcasm
"Truly remarkable," Bruce added, Cynthia smiling slightly; Bruce's sass was rare, but amazing.
"You will all be witnesses to the cleansing of Gotham," Galavan said, the monks returning to their formation except for those restraining the others "Soon, the wrongs against the Dumas will be righted."
"I don't understand," Bruce said.
"His ancestor tried to rape our ancestor so our ancestors ran his ancestors out of town," Cynthia said "And they were all a bunch of babies about it for, like, centuries."
"I will not relish spilling Bruce's blood, but I will enjoy watching you bleed out," Galavan said, getting close to Cynthia "You act like a queen, but you're nothing more than a whore; desperate for power. Desperate enough to kill the only person who could tolerate your presence."
Then Galavan took a few steps back and turned to the hostages.
"Did she not tell any of you? About how she attracts the unhinged and then drops them once she's bored. About how she made a schoolboy love her and then drove him insane. About how she found him again in Arkham Asylum and clawed his eyes out with her bare hands. How she made an Arkham inmate trust her and then betrayed him." Galavan turned back to Cynthia, who was looking at her feet "How she made him love her before throwing it all away for her own gain. How she is just like her whore of an ancestor."
It was quiet for a moment.
The hostages were reeling with the new information while Cynthia continued to stare at her feet; Bruce gently taking her hand as best he could.
"Right or left?"
Galavan frowned at Cynthia's quiet words.
"What?"
Cynthia raised her head.
"Right or left?"
"I don't have time for your silly ga-."
"This isn't a silly game; this is me being nice; right or left?"
Galavan rolled his eyes and went over to Bruce's side of the pole.
"Hey, Bruce, wanna hear something funny?" Cynthia called, smiling as she leaned her head back slightly.
"What, Cynthia?" Bruce asked, hoping to help stall.
"Theo is just like his ancestors, you know why?" Cynthia asked, smiling happily.
"Why?" Bruce asked.
"He's such an idiot."
"What makes you think that?" Bruce asked, watching the leader of the cult warily "Besides the obvious."
"I mean, he misses such noticeable things, like, blood capsules are one thing but, seriously, how is he-?"
Galavan suddenly turned over to Cynthia's side.
"What blood capsules?"
"Oh, you know, the blood capsules, I mean, those are small, I understand. But, how on earth are you missing it? I mean, it's pretty obvious where it is and-."
Cynthia cut off as Galavan grabbed her throat.
"What am I missing?" He hissed.
"The explosives."
The explosion went off and a majority of the monks fell in the hole made in the ground by it; Silver and Tabitha managing to get to the safe side of the room. Before Cynthia and Bruce could be pulled into the opening, Cat managed to get free and cut them loose; Cynthia pulling Bruce to safety. The distraction the explosion made let Gordon and the rest get away and knock out their captors.
.
Galavan had nearly fallen into the opening; crawling away from it while hissing. A piece of debris had cut his leg pretty bad.
But, he was stopped by someone standing in front of him.
"So, Theodore, how high is your pain tolerance?"
.
The group ran down the stairwell, desperate to get out in case the building collapsed.
But, they all stopped when they heard it.
A loud, unnerving, familiar laugh.
Cynthia smiled excitedly before turning to her brother.
"Bruce, go with Alfred."
"But-."
"I'll see you soon," she promised.
And then she was up the stairs.
.
Cynthia headed up the stairs to Galavan's office, knowing what she'd find there.
She threw the door open and smiled widely.
"Jerome."
The red headed maniac turned to her, his grin growing impossibly wider.
"Cynthia."
Neither of them paid any heed to Galavan as they kissed each other hungrily; the dark haired man tied to a chair rolling his eyes. They only broke away when he scoffed slightly.
"So, Dollface, what are we going to do with him?" Jerome asked, Cynthia giggling in happiness.
"Can I?"
Jerome gave her the Wayne knife with an indulgent look in his eye, then, Cynthia moved to where Galavan was giving her an unimpressed look. Jerome moved around to the back of the chair and placed a knife to Galavan's throat before freeing his hands; slapping them down on the table.
"So, which was it?" Cynthia asked, gesturing down at his hands.
"Right or left?"
.
They hadn't been able to see each other in months; Galavan's people had been watching Cynthia too closely for her to see Jerome after his 'death.'
But now, they laughed happily as they ran through the dark streets of Gotham.
"Oh, Babydoll," Jerome said, twirling Cynthia before pulling her close "I've missed ya."
"Your groupies don't compare?"
"Not even close."
Jerome had been staying at an underground club where they worshiped him.
"I've been receiving some lovely death threats from them," Cynthia said, Jerome grinning.
"Needed to keep up appearances, Pumpkin; did you get mine?"
Cynthia smirked.
"I had a wonderful night when I received that one."
Jerome grinned; his had been explicit.
"Let's go to the club; I need ya, Doll," Jerome said, pushing her against a brick wall "I've been lonely."
"No willing fans let you fuck them?" Cynthia asked.
"Loads were willing; didn't touch 'em."
Cynthia sighed in pleasure as Jerome bit her neck.
"You haven't screwed around with any rich boys, have ya?" Jerome asked.
"No," Cynthia said, Jerome grinning.
"Good; they'd have to die if you did."
"Jerome?" Cynthia said, Jerome pulling back to look her in the eye "You really didn't sleep with anyone else?"
"'Course not, Cyn," Jerome said, surprisingly sincere.
"Why not?" Cynthia asked, Jerome growing uncomfortable.
"You know why not."
It was quiet for a moment, Cynthia looking expectant.
"You're really gonna make me say it, huh?" Jerome asked.
"Yes."
Jerome looked away for a second before looking back at Cynthia.
"I love you, Cynthia."
Cynthia grinned widely.
"I love you too."
"Yeah?" Jerome asked, Cynthia softening.
He was scared.
She supposed it made sense; not like anyone had really loved him before.
She cupped his cheeks and looked him dead in the eye.
"I love you, Jerome."
Jerome's smile suddenly spread across his face; larger than any smile Cynthia had ever seen him smile.
"Let's head to the club, Sugar."
Jerome wrapped his arms around her tightly and started leading her to where he knew they could go undisturbed for a little while.
"Wait until you meet Jeri; I want you to do your makeup like hers."
"One condition," Cynthia said, grinning.
"What?"
"You do it too."
Jerome laughed, Cynthia giggling.
"I'm not kidding."
"I know you're not; I can tell when you're being a kidder."
"Hey, you're a clown just as much as I am," Cynthia said, Jerome grinning.
"We're both Jokers, Darling."