"Oh my god, this bitch is heavier than I thought!" you said in frustration, helping the ginger carry his mother's body onto the back of the truck.

"No surprise there. She's even a nuisance when she's dead." he chuckled to himself as he placed her body down with you. He threw a white sheet over her body and made sure that every inch was covered.

"How much time do we have left? We have to dispose of the gloves and our clothes." you said in a loud whisper.

"We have enough time to burn them, stop stressing so much." he said in an annoyed tone.

You assisted Jerome by gathering nearby wood and tinder. He stacked the kindling on top of the tinder in a teepee-like structure and created a small fire pit. He grabbed a couple of matches and lighted several sides of the tinder on fire. Jerome pulled off his bloodied gloves and you followed, throwing them into the fire where they burned rapidly. The angry fire's smoke smelled of scorched wood with hints of blood in it. You glanced at Jerome, he was content with himself you could tell, but he was silent at the same time, because there were no words to say after what you two had done.

Your way of helping was by trapping his mother, getting her alone when it was showtime for Haly's circus performers. You hated Lila almost as much as Jerome did so you wanted to help in some way. You watched as he stroke her several times with the hatchet and in that moment you couldn't be prouder of him. He was finally taking control of his life and disposing of the root of his anguish. You would never see that detestable swine again and you believed that the world would be a better place without her in it. You were also very thankful that Cicero had allowed you to use his truck and gave you two permission to clean up in his trailer after the deed was done. You weren't quite sure why the fortune teller approved of the killing of Lila and his reason for helping but you figured that he hated her as well.

All three of you shared Lila's blood on your hands.

His mother was beating him for years, ever since he was a little boy and you couldn't bear it anymore. Something had to be done. She was gone and nobody was going to miss her.

You and Jerome had to get rid of every piece of evidence, so that included all of your clothes. Jerome took your hand in his and led you to the trailer where you two quickly disrobed, washed up any parts of your body that had spots of blood on it, and changed into fresh, blood-free clothes. You came back out to toss the clothes into the pit of fire and watched it burn once more. After it was finished, you poured a bucket of water on it to blow it out. You grabbed a shovel and dug a small hole in the ground, then you kicked the ashes of the clothes into the hole so that there wouldn't be any traces of evidence left for the GCPD to find. You threw the dirt back into the hole and patted it down with the shovel. You sighed in relief after you finished and wiped the sweat off your forehead with the back of your hand. You dashed back to the trailer and slammed the door behind you, washing your hands again at the sink. You grabbed a towel and dried your hands with it, and even though they were clean you felt like you could still see the blood stains on your palms.

You sat down on one of the seats as Jerome double checked his face and neck for any traces of blood in the mirror.

"When the police come here, which they will be soon. Our alibi is that we were at the library, so we have to act like we just came back. Got it?" you said softly.

"I was just about to say that. The library is close enough, and Mr. Cicero will be our witness." he said, taking a seat next to you.

You looked back at him earnestly, you couldn't help but wonder why Mr. Cicero was helping in the first place. It piqued your interest.

"Why do you think he's risking so much to help you?" he looked back at you and you could see in his eyes that he didn't know the answer either.

"My guess is that he's another one of her sex partners, he's probably bitter that she wouldn't have sex with him anymore because he's an old geezer." he said, laughing hysterically.

"You're probably right about that." you giggled, but a part of you couldn't help but think there was more to it than something as trivial as that.

You moved closer to him and sat on his lap suddenly, making yourself comfortable there. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him closer to you. You looked into his eyes and you could see that they were smiling. You leaned in and kissed his lips gently and slowly at first, your noses brushing against one another's. You tilted your head to the side and pressed your lips against his passionately once more.

He pulled away, your lips at a short distance from his. "I could have done this all by myself, you know." he said, smirking that mischievous smirk.

"I know. But you didn't have to. I'm always going to be your partner in crime remember?" you said with a soft smile on your face, your forehead against his.

"I don't think you've ever turned me on nearly as much as you have today. You're full of surprises, Y/N." he grinned deviously.

"As long as I'm around, you're going to keep getting them." you replied, gazing at him with soft eyes.

"I better keep you around for as long as possible then." he snickered, pulling you into another deep kiss. His lips were tender and moist, they felt so soothing against yours and you wanted nothing more than to be able to taste them forever. You held him close to your body and started to play with his tongue with your own. He uttered low and soft moans as you two shared an open mouth kiss.

Time passed by rather quickly and you didn't even realize it because you were with Jerome, you treasured every moment you had with him, and he made everything better without even trying. You couldn't ask for a better boyfriend or accomplice, he was all that you needed in the world.

You two stayed up kissing, touching, and talking for such a long time that you started to get sleepy. The trailer wasn't the best place for a nap but you felt like you needed one after what you just did, rest was essential after committing such a heinous crime. Your head was positioned on Jerome's lap because you found it more comforting than a pillow. You were hugging your knees close to your body as you tried to catch some z's. Jerome was still wide awake, he played with your strands of hair between his fingers as he sat in thought.

Before you could get an efficient amount of sleep, there was a loud bang on the door. You immediately jolted up from Jerome's lap and tried to fix your hair hastily with your hands.

"I'll get it." he said, immediately getting up from his seat and opening the door. Unsurprisingly, it was exactly who you thought it would be.

"GCPD!" Jim Gordon said assertively. "We need to speak with Lila Valeska. Is she here?"

You peaked out the window, you spotted Jim Gordon but he was not alone. There was a slim young dark-haired brunette woman beside him.

Jerome hastily pulled a coat over his body while replying, "She's not here, she was supposed to be back a while ago, I've been worried sick."

"Do you have any idea where she went?" he asked firmly.

"She didn't say where she was going, the last time I saw her was this morning, before I took off to the library.

'Are you related to Lila?" Jim questioned.

"I'm her son, Jerome." Jerome said timidly.

You suddenly felt like you should come out. It didn't feel right for Jerome to be in the limelight alone, you two were a team and if he was going to be questioned then so were you. You opened the door to the trailer and stepped out.

"Good evening Officer Gordon. How can we help you?" you tried to pull together the most sincere smile you could muster.

"We just needed to ask a couple of questions. Have you seen Lila anywhere? There was a fight on stage, with the Lloyds and Graysons." Jim inquired.

"I'm sorry I can't say I've seen her. What happened with the Lloyds and Graysons?" you asked, feigning worry.

Before Jim could answer, he started eyeing the snake in its cage. The snake, Sheeba, belonged to Lila and she seemed uneasy, she wouldn't stay still.

The dark brunette spoke up suddenly, whose name was Leslie Thompkins.

"The snake is really fidgety. Is she normally like this?" she asked, looking back at the two of us.

"No she's not. She knows something is wrong, she's really worried." Jerome said softly, turning his head to look at the tense snake.

"Let the snake out." Jim said sternly.

"Sir, I'm not sure if–"

"Let her out." Jim interrupted, repeating himself.

Jerome obeyed, unlocking the cage and letting the snake loose onto the ground. You kept your eyes on the snake just like Leslie, Jim, and Jerome did. You couldn't help but feel apprehensive because you knew that it was all about acting now, your performance here meant everything, it was make or break for both of you and Jerome. The snake slithered around her path, she was very familiar of her surroundings. Sheeba glided her way further and everyone followed her as she led the way.

Sheeba started to make its way onto the square-shaped haystacks and slid under the sheet on the back of the truck. Jim tossed aside the sheet once the snake was fully underneath it, only to discover the snake dancer's corpse.

Leslie, Jerome, and you gasped almost in unison but Jim stood calm, he was accustomed to occurrences like these.

Jerome fell to his knees, his eyes starting to water, and he whimpered at the sight of his mother's dead body. You immediately ran over to him and sat on the ground so you could pull him in a tight embrace. You let him cry on your shoulder and you rubbed his back comfortingly, your sleeve becoming wet with his tears.

Shortly after the revelation, the entirety of Haly's circus was sent to the headquarters of GCPD to investigate the murder of Lila Valeska. You couldn't help but feel nervous for yourself and Jerome, though at the same time you were confident that you two would get away with this crime. You reminded yourself to stay cool and calm at all times, no matter what questions were asked.

You were sent to the interrogation room with Jim, he closed the door behind him and he sat down on the chair across from you.

"So tell me your name and who you are." he said humorlessly.

"My name is Y/N. I work at the circus as a hoop dancer. I'm Jerome's girlfriend, and we've been dating for two years." you said matter-of-factly.

"What's your association with Lila Valeska? Did you know her well?" he asked.

"I knew her really well. She was a really kind woman. Jerome and Lila were really close." you said, you looked him in the eye and kept your focus on him. You were proud of your acting skills and the lies you told, you felt like he believed your every word or at least you hoped.

"Do you have any idea of who could have done this to her?" he inquired, his poker-face was practically glued onto his face.

"Everyone here at Haly's Circus is like family, we are all so close and I couldn't imagine who would want to hurt Lila. But if I had to make an educated guess, I would say it has to be one of her many sex partners." you replied.

"Can you give me any names of her sex partners?" he questioned. You felt like this was the opportunity to pin the blame on someone else so you took it.

"Lila had sex with nearly every male at the circus. But between you and me, I don't fully trust Alphonse at times. One time I saw him threatening her, it was over something petty, but the look in his eyes made me think that he was capable of murder. It wasn't just the look on his face, he had a deadly grip on her arm and it left an ugly bruise afterwards. I've tried my best to avoid him ever since." you simulated a sullen look on your face, trying to appear as you were genuinely frightened.

"We'll bring him in for questioning, that does raise a red flag." he said. You could see him jotting down what you just reported to him, but you didn't let that worry you.

"Where were you this morning? Did you see her at all today?" he looked back up at you.

"She was home when Jerome and I left to the library, and that's the last time I saw her." you said in a saddened tone.

"Is there anything else you can tell me?" he solicited. You were growing tired of the questions and you wanted to leave the room as soon as possible.

"I don't think there's anything else. But if you have any more questions, I'll be glad to accommodate. We have to find out who did this to Lila, for Jerome's sake. I can't bear to see him like this." you swallowed, acting as if you were getting choked up.

"Thank you for cooperating, Y/N. You're free to go. I'll be sure to let you know when we get more information. We will find out who did this. " he looked at you with a small smile and you smiled back.

You nodded your head in agreement and smiled lightly at him before leaving. When you left the room, you took a deep breath and sighed to yourself. You knew that Jerome would be interrogated shortly after you exited and it left a bitter taste in your mouth.

You waited for Jerome outside of the precinct and you tried not to stress but you found it difficult not to. You glanced at your wrist watch numerous times. You were aware that Jerome knew how to lie but you also knew that Jim was shrewd.

It seemed like a perpetuity but when you saw him step out the door, you quickly jumped to embrace him.

"How did it go?" you asked, without delay.

"We're free to go. Cops are so dumb, they don't suspect a thing." he said with a chuckle and a grin on his face. You two started to walk away from the precinct. Jerome wrapped his arm around your shoulder and pulled you close to his body. "Even on the slim chance that they find out, there's no way in hell they are spliting us apart." he said, looking back at you with a sly smirk. You smiled when he reassured you. You felt warm and safe staying so close to him, you started to fall in love with the idea of being his partner in crime.

"Now we wait." you said as you and Jerome continued to walk away from the police department.