"Jim Gordon said we couldn't leave town because the investigation was ongoing, but now I wish we would have left." you said with a concerned voice. "He wants you down at the station now."
"Gotham is our home, I'm not going to run off because of some stupid cops. Trust me, they didn't find anything." he tried to reassure you but you couldn't help feeling uneasy.
"I hope you're right. Either way, you have to go down there or else they'll come here. There's no avoiding them." you said, you tried to prepare yourself for what could happen but at the same time you didn't want to think about it.
"What's the worst that could happen? They'll send me to Arkham Asylum? That place can't be so bad." he chuckled to himself.
"I know you don't want to be behind bars, and neither do I." you said with your arms folded over your chest. "We killed Lila together so whatever happens, we will face together. I won't let them take you away from me, not after everything we've been through." you said softly.
"They couldn't lock us up forever. We could easily break out. We can do anything, remember?" he smirked and added, "You worry too much."
"And you worry too little. We're not crazy, we don't belong there. I don't want to be restricted and have my every move watched by robotic guards." you fretted.
"Even if it does come down to that, I don't regret a thing. That bitch got what was coming to her. My only regret is not getting rid of her sooner." he said with a bleak tone to his voice. You looked at him sympathetically. You stepped closer to him and planted your hands on both of his cheeks, gazing into his eyes earnestly.
"You're right, we did the right thing. It had to be done. She can't hurt you anymore and that's all I care about." you leaned in close enough till your noses brushed against one another. "No matter what happens, I'm with you. Don't ever forget that. They can't separate us." you meant every word, you were silently telling him that you loved him and you hoped he knew that.
"I'd like to see them try." he remarked. A smile formed on his face and you gave him one in return.
"I'm going with you. I'll be waiting for you outside the room. I'm not letting you go alone." you told him adamantly, there was nothing that was going to change your mind so he complied.
There was no use fighting it or avoiding it. You hoped for the best possible outcome but expected the worst. You and Jerome made your way back to the precinct together. Jerome was escorted by an officer to the interrogation room, which is when you two had to part. You waited patiently outside the room for him just like you said.
When Jerome walked in, you spotted Paul Cicero in one of the chairs across from Jim Gordon. Suddenly, the bad feeling in the pit of your stomach worsened. You heard Jim sternly tell Jerome to take a seat. Your mind became full with worries with what could happen to you and Jerome. You found it troubling to stay still but you couldn't let that show, you took a deep breath and attempted to relax. You wanted this to be done and dealt with as soon as possible.
Time moved very slowly, you felt as if you were waiting for ages. You knew that you weren't waiting for as long as it seemed but it was exhausting delaying the inevitable. You constantly found yourself eyeing the ticking clock across from you, it was the only thing you could hear or see.
Finally, after your prolonged lull, an unsmiling police officer walked up to you. "Detective Gordon needs to speak with you." he said impassively. You knew you didn't have a choice but to obey. The officer opened the door to the interrogation room and then closed it instantaneously. Jerome and Cicero were no longer in the room, which made you apprehensive. Your throat tightened and your stomach was in knots suddenly.
"Hello Y/N, take a seat." he said with a blank expression on his face, you sensed a hint of suspension in his voice as. You followed his direction and sat down on the chair in front of him. "Where's Jerome and Mr. Cicero?" you asked with genuine curiosity.
"Before we get to that, I have to ask you some questions regarding the murder of Lila Valeska." he said, looking at you with unwavering eyes.
"Alright. I'll try to help you the very best that I can." you said, your heart beating rapidly and you hoped with everything you had that he couldn't hear it.
"Where were you this morning? Before Lila was murdered." he inquired, keeping his eyes focused only on you.
"I was at the library with Jerome." you stated quickly, your lies coming natural to you now.
"What were you doing there exactly?" he asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.
"What anyone does at the library; to read of course." you smiled lightly, you attempted not to let your nerves show in any way, if that was even possible.
"Only your alibi doesn't check out. I've questioned many people at Haly's circus and the other hoop dancers said that they saw you with Lila this morning, that you two were spending time together." he continued to interrogate. You wore a calm and unworried face on like it was a mask. You knew he was onto you but you weren't going to give in to what he wanted, and that was your break down.
"Well sir-"
"Your story doesn't check out. It's convenient that you both said you were at the library this morning and then at the trailer after the stage fight." he interrupted, staring back at you with a cold look in his eyes.
"I can explain that. Lila was preparing me for tomorrow's next show, I had a new gig. That's all it was." you lied. Your heart started to beat even faster, you knew that Gordon knew and it made you feel sick with disappointment in yourself.
"You were never at the library. Mr. Cicero let you and Jerome cleaned up in the trailer after he murdered his mother up on that hill. You brought her there, which is why you were with her yesterday." he said, his tone becoming increasingly grim.
"You're accusing me of helping Jerome murder his mother? That's crazy. Why would I do that? He loved his mother, he would never hurt her." you replied with a frown on your face. He knew the truth and you came to the realization that you were going to be arrested regardless. "Where are Mr. Cicero and Jerome?" you asked for the second time.
"Cicero said that Lila sent him a message from beyond the grave, which wasn't possible. His message sent us to Arkham Bridge Park. I found a hatchet with satanic symbols scratched into it, Cicero tried to frame the Hellfire Club but they hadn't been active in a decade. He wanted us to think that satanists were responsible for Lila's death. The hatchet was an inexperienced ploy, so I knew he was desperate to protect someone, just like you are. You and Mr. Cicero helped cover up the crime. And you lied about being at the library with Jerome so that you two would have an alibi." he explained.
You were about to speak up but then he continued, "Cicero told Jerome to scratch the symbols onto the hatchet and throw it over the bridge. Do you know why he helped Jerome?" he questioned with a stone-cold face. You shook your head in response and waited for him to tell you. "Cicero is his father, that's why he helped him as he did."
You couldn't say that you were shocked upon hearing the revelation, you were always a little suspicious of him and why he helped you two commit the crime in the first place, but you couldn't help but wonder how Jerome took the news.
"I also heard from the other performers that you two do almost everything together, which got me thinking that could even mean commit first degree murder together. You could have stayed back home and waited for us to bring you in for questioning, but you came here with him. It was just like your comrades said about you two. Now I need you to tell me the truth. Did you work as an accomplice to the murder of Lila?" he inquired.
He had all the pieces to the puzzle and you were aware that Jerome was already apprehended, there wasn't anything you could do to change that. You bit your lip anxiously but then quickly broke your silence.
"Yes, I did. I only helped him because I thought Lila was going to kill him one day. She was so cruel to him, I couldn't lose him to her. She was a selfish bitch who only cared about herself and booze." you confessed, you knew that you would live to regret it but the cat was out of the bag.
"You were with Jerome when he murdered his mother, weren't you?" he asked, leaning a little closer to analyze your facial features when you spoke to him.
"Yes, I was." you admitted reluctantly.
"You wouldn't be in this predicament if you weren't blindly loyal. You could have reported her to the police instead of taking matters in your own hands, it wouldn't have to be this ugly." he stated, he almost sounded disappointed.
"I did what I had to. How would you feel if someone you loved was mistreated every day? Would you be able to stand by and watch it happen? Would you want that person behind bars or dead where they couldn't even think of doing it?" your tone changed, you spoke acrimoniously and without self-discipline.
"That is not our choice to make." he didn't answer your questions but he continued to look at you fixedly. "You have to leave these matters to the law." he brought out the handcuffs suddenly, your eyes widened because those restraints meant the end of your freedom.
"Y/N, you are under arrest for acting as an accomplice of the murder of Lila Valeska. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." he recited and he latched the handcuffs tightly on both of your wrists, locking them in place.
"Wait! I need to know where Jerome is. Where did you take him?" you demanded and he gave you the courtesy of answering your question.
"He's been sent to Arkham Asylum. That's not where you're going. I'm sending you to Blackgate Penitentiary." he revealed. You were not going to allow Gordon to send you there, you had to keep your promise to Jerome and yourself that you wouldn't let the police separate you two.
"You can't send me to Blackgate Penitentiary, I don't belong there! You hear me?" you struggled in the restricting manacles.
Gordon guided you to the exit door until you abruptly exclaimed. "I killed my father before I joined Haly's circus! That's why I found it so easy to help Jerome murder his mother! We're more similar than you think. I got away with killing my father because he was the scum of the earth! A nobody; every day he would drink and beat me until I couldn't take it anymore, so I got rid of him just like Jerome with his mother." you yelled out suddenly which made Gordon pause for a couple of moments, he was taken aback by your confession.
Every word of your announcement was true, you were able to get away with the crime because not many knew of his name, he was just a raging drunk and a drug addict. The people who knew him believed that he died of an overdose of alcohol, but that was only partly true. One day when you were ordered to serve him a full cup of whiskey, you gave his drink a lethal dose of sodium thiopental. When he was sent to the hospital from a fellow neighbor, the hospital staff ruled his death a suicide and you were scot-free. It made you hate Lila even more because she reminded you of your father. You weren't going to let someone you love continue to be treated the way you were for years. You believed people like that didn't deserve to be behind bars, they needed to be punished further. You loathed your father with every fiber of your being but you also felt that he made you a stronger person and that if it wasn't for him, you wouldn't have been able to help Jerome kill his mother.
"It came easy to me because I've done it before. I'm not just an accomplice, Gordon." you hissed snarkily and with a baleful laugh.
"You're going to Blackgate Penitentiary until further investigation." he looked at you with a somber expression and stood his ground.
"You're making a mistake! There's nothing more to investigate, it's the heart-rending truth!" you growled in frustration as Gordon led you out the door.