Jerome was still holding Rory, the low vibrations of the van's motor ran through them. She could feel his heartbeat through her back, his breath on her ear. He didn't feel real to her. He still felt like a dead body to her. For the past months in captivity, Rory had been stuck in a dazed state, floating around Jerome's lair without fully processing where she was. Her grief for Lola seemed to be keeping her blind to the villains she lived with, the villain she shared a bed with. She couldn't remember the last time she didn't feel the sting of tears, the dryness of her lips, or the dull headache that followed from sobbing. How could she have been so passive?

The van lurched forward causing the two to stumble forward, Rory put her arm out to stop her from falling into the van door. Jerome let go of her and the feeling of his heartbeat faded.

How could I have been so passive? She thought, taking in slow breaths as she leaned against the door for balance. She could now hear her own heart-beath, it thudded in her ears, making her head feel swollen. Seeing her father again snapped her back into herself. Jim was a harsh slap in the face. How could she have just stood there? Why did she say--

A sharp pain shot through her head and Tetch's melodic voice rang through her. Stay with your husband; don't ruin the fun.

Suddenly, she was hyper-aware of where Jerome was. The strings of his madness seemed to dully pull her towards him. Her ears were ringing. She slowly turned, pushing herself off of the van door to face her husband. He had sat down and was leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees. He was looking at her, with a cold smirk on his face. For the first time in a long time, she saw his green aura in the harsh way she had seen before. It was a cold ominous fog of light that swirled and consumed. There was a strange beauty to him, she could see that even with the scars which framed his face. A deadly charm, one to entice you in, lull you before the kill.

She pushed her hair out of her face and sat down opposite him. He looked away from her, turning his head to study the face of his brother.

"It's always nice when family visits," he chuckled to himself before the smirk faded and his thoughts took hold of his gaze.

Rory didn't bother to respond and just watched him nervously, waiting for him to pounce. But he remained stilled, watching his brother, consumed by whatever wicked plan he was scheming. Rory was also frozen, quietly working out how she could communicate to her father without triggering Tetch's hypnosis.

After a while, the van came to a stop and the sounds of doors slamming echoed through. Before the doors opened Jerome looked up at Rory, who had been bitting the inside of her cheek furiously trying to navigate her mental block.

"Can you see anything? Any colors?" He asked sternly pointing to his brother. Rory hesitantly glanced down at Jeremiah and stared at him for a long while. She took in all the details that separated Jeramiah from Jerome. He had a slimmer build, his hair was slightly lighter and his mouth slightly thinner. But there was no aura glowing from him.

"Nothing," she muttered.

Before Jerome responded, the van doors opened and harsh white light spilled into the vehicle. Jerome pursed his lips and stood. Rory couldn't get a read on if he was happy with the answer or not. He crouched down and grabbed Jeramiah's ankles, pulling his brother out. Rory followed after, taking a cautious step down.

"What are you going to do with him?" She asked as she watched Jerome drag his brother into the warehouse they were staying at. He laughed dryly in response and winked at her after he spoke.

"I'm going to do the same thing I did to your lovely nurse."