A/N: OK, so before I got to re-watch the old 90's Batman cartoons I watched as a kid, I'd actually read a few Jervis/Alice stories in this fandom. It wasn't until I re-watched the "Mad as a Hatter" episode that I wanted to write a fic for this pairing. Badly. So, anyway, here's the first chapter. Like it? Great. If not, well, it doesn't matter, because I'll keep putting up chapters anyway. XD
Disclaimer: I don't own anything off the Batman: The Animated Series TV show including its characters.
Chapter 1: Not a Friend in the World
His high school years were not the best ones of his life. If anything, they were some of the worst, making him long to escape. He never joined a club, for he knew they would inevitably leave him out. He certainly never went to the prom or was asked. And why should he have gone? They would have ignored him anyway, leaving him alone with a lukewarm cup of punch and a sense of alienation.
He wasn't even voted "Most Likely to Succeed", even though he got good grades and an induction to the honors society. Instead, it was common gossip that, in his case, it would be more like "Most Likely to Die Alone."
Only Jervis Tetch could experience this daily misery out of high school, whereas his classmates always had the enjoyment of being around friends. Friends...He wasn't sure if he ever really knew what kind of meaning that word contained. After all, making them to start with wasn't his strongest suit. Shy and not too socially inclined, he would be awkward, stumbling and stuttering over his words. Peers would laugh at him while he would muddle through a speech presentation. The humiliation he would get seemed endless.
A resentment of Gotham grew deeper with each passing year he lived there. And he definitely resented his parents for uprooting them out of his English hometown when he was nine. Back then, at least he had befriended a couple of children his age. That was the thing about primary school, so innocent a time when everyone in your class could just be your friend. They ended up getting used to your stuttering and your other strange mannerisms like talking to the pet gerbil every morning. Hm, how ironic that Jervis ultimately ended up liking animals more than most people. Especially the people of Gotham, who seemed to have this uppity attitude that you could only observe from city folks.
It seemed that since day one in Gotham, he was doomed to be an outcast in everyone's eyes. Wherever he went, careless teenagers would scoff at him. Make fun of his grotesque overbite and the general shape of his face. High school was difficult enough as it was, but when you didn't have the right look...Your life was virtually over.
No one would sit with him at lunch. He would be all alone, without a friend in the world, half-heartedly poking at his portion of mystery meat. It would be times like these when Jervis let his logical side go away and his emotional side take control. Deep down, he looked for companionship.
Not enough solace could be found in all the science classes he'd taken, and that was a subject he was passionate about. He loved nothing more than to poke around and find out what made something tick. Science seemed to have an answer for everything, something he could appreciate, as he didn't know how to answer the deeper questions.
Why was he friendless? Why would no one give him a chance? After a while, Jervis resolved to block his peers out, to ignore their constant taunts and his nickname of "Jervis Tech Geek." He liked the tech classes, too.
He assured himself that his outcast status was simply a result of the other teenagers dismissing his intelligence. That they couldn't accept a concept that they didn't understand. That much was obvious. So, he comforted himself by insisting they were all weak-minded fools. Right? Oh, he didn't know. He never knew, and quite frankly (so he would constantly remind himself), he didn't care. His own parents didn't even want him around. Why bother with a trifle such as socializing? On those weekends when the high schoolers partied, he preferred to stay at home, drinking tea, experimenting, and occasionally skimming through Alice in Wonderland. Thank you very much.
Alice in Wonderland, the one book that changed his life, helping to shape him into the man he was today. Jervis was so sure of it. And though he liked literature, he read Alice in Wonderland to the extent that he had to buy another copy. His original copy had by then been dog-eared and worn too much to his liking. Ah, to think the obsession had started for him when he was a lonely ten-year-old boy living in a strange city. With moronic dolts for parents and the children's backs turned, he had not a friend in the world! Thank God he'd found a vintage copy in a bookshop just around the corner from the apartment.
There, within the pages of Lewis Carroll's finest work (he could attest to that being true, since he'd read all the man's works), he found the friends that eluded him in real life. Told through whimsy, this story had taken Jervis on a magical journey.
Where he followed the anxious White Rabbit down the rabbit hole. Where he was alongside Alice for the long and short of the bizarre trip. Where he played croquet with the temperamental Queen of Hearts.
And where he attended a tea party thrown by the Dormouse, the Hare, and...
The Mad Hatter, who kept up his reputation by being downright petulant toward the little girl heroine while spouting nonsensical words. When he first saw the John Tenniel illustration of the Hatter, Jervis was automatically struck by how much they looked alike. In fact, it near troubled him for a day or two after reading.
Out of concern, he had closely examined himself in the bathroom mirror, noticing the unfortunate overbite and nervously touching his face. It was all so very bizarre that the physical similarities would be this striking. However, when he'd gotten up the courage to read it again, he found he rather liked the Mad Hatter. Indeed, he thought him the best comical character of the whole lot.
So, from that rainy day onward, Jervis became so absorbed in this one story (and Through the Looking Glass, though the Hatter was featured considerably less), so enraptured, that it evolved into an obsession. He would recite entire lines to himself each morning...until his parents told him to stop. They even threatened a psychologist on him, as usual. Honestly, Nigel and Wendy Tetch...two of the stupidest people he'd ever encountered in his life. Not to mention hurtful...
One particular high school day would imprint itself in his memory forever. It was a day during which it felt as though everyone got on his case.
It was tenth grade English class, one Jervis felt the least welcome in. Even the teacher detested him. That horrid day involved the students presenting their book reports on any book they wanted. Quite predictably, he did his report on Alice in Wonderland, disregarding what his peers might possibly think of that inept choice. When it was his turn to present, the results were promising to be disastrous. It also didn't help that he had clammy, sweaty palms.
"Alice in Wonderland, childish as it m-may seem, is actually..."
They were laughing at him already. Disdainful smirks all around.
Jervis' eyes darted nervously, hoping that there was at least one kid not smirking. Bored indifference would be more than tolerable at this point. But, no, everyone seemed to delight in taunting him simply due to his book choice. The general consensus at the school was that he was a freak, meant to be excluded no matter what. He was too different, too weird.
A bit nutty perhaps.
Jervis gulped down his fear, though his stuttering became more pronounced as he progressed through his speech. "C-Carroll, um, i-i-incorporated certain t-techniques that were un-unheard of u-up t-to...up to..."
"Get to the point, Mr. Tetch," his teacher spoke up none too pleasantly.
That rude, unprofessional excuse for coaxing did the trick. Several of his classmates laughed out loud, unable to hold it in any more. Others tried imitating his stuttering.
"I-I h-have n-n-no l-life," a football player scornfully joked.
"Wow, what a loser," a girl remarked condescendingly.
And so it went on and on and on. Like a bad record that couldn't stop spinning. The teasing and the bullying, the constants of his life, inwardly tormented Jervis. So insensitive and uncaring, just mean in every sense.
"Be quiet, you idiots!" he burst out. "I was at the very least polite to you through your lackluster reports. Oh, Lord of the Flies, how original."
Jervis had no idea how that rage had bubbled over or why his words came out without missing a beat. All he was aware of was that he had been shoved aside and picked on for too long. There he stood among his classmates, his chest heaving from anger and his fists shaking.
The teacher wouldn't have any of this. "Mr. Tetch, I will not have you—!"
"Ah, you would try humbling me too, you twit. Your class offers nothing of value to me. I'm done with the whole lot of you!"
Here, he paused to allow time for his words to sink in, to ensure that his message was heard loud and clear. The shy side of him shuddered at what he did, but who was he to bottle up his rage this time?
Saying no more, Jervis promptly gathered up his school supplies and left the classroom. Ultimately, he ended up skipping the rest of the day as well, for he hadn't time to put up with this hurt. From what he discovered of human nature, people could be unbelievably careless and thoughtless at times. It was inevitable that they would toss about hateful words without a second thought. And oh, how he resented them for it. If he had his way, they would pay for their apathy.
His strides were long and furious on that long walk home, his vision a blur as he passed by people, buildings, and the cars moving down the street. This was hatred he felt now, not the flippant jealousy he once held toward these brainless fools. How could he envy those who kept their minds closed? No, if anything, Jervis found he expressed arrogant disdain toward them.
Nonetheless, that impulsive outburst of his still made him shudder from some sense that might have possibly been a hint of guilt. Despite the insults he hurled and his raised, incensed voice, he'd hated to have to resort to those things. He was acutely aware that, for a fleeting moment, he had turned into the bully. Not like any of them would care, though.
And that was the proof in the pudding, wasn't it? No matter how much he attempted to intimidate and provoke (to really fight back in other words), he was rather weak. Defenseless and pathetic in size, Jervis knew that his army consisted only of himself. An army of one battling against opponents that consisted of many. Those sounded like pretty grim odds, Jervis admitted to himself. So, suppose he tried with all his might to retaliate? It would merely implode and such were life's inner workings.
When he got home, Jervis isolated himself in his room, hoping that when his parents came home that they would disregard his truancy. They seemed to disregard everything else about him because, quite frankly, they didn't care. They contributed to the harassment that was a part of his life, every single day. Really, what with his appearance and odd ways, who could love him? Not even his family could appreciate him. Without that acceptance, he had nothing, nothing at all.
Unless...The book, of course! Alice in Wonderland was always just the solution for simply dreadful times like these. Among the many books in his bookshelf, he took this one out to read over again, though mainly the mad tea party chapter. Jervis half-smiled, eased in the knowledge he was with his friends once more.
Both his parents worked, but oddly enough, they usually arrived home just minutes apart from each other. Once he heard his father slam the door closed somewhat too forcefully, Jervis sensed his hearing becoming more attuned to the noise. Five minutes later, his mother arrived, making a similarly loud entrance. With the shutting of the door, his heart sank, and he had this urgency to put the book back. They'd berated him for that love of his for Alice in Wonderland many times before. How pathetic and immature he was for still holding such a fascination for that story, even after all these years. Well, how silly for his parents not to realize that he couldn't resist it. It also didn't help that he'd found out that Carroll had had a stuttering problem as well.
Jervis remained hidden in his room while his mother began cooking dinner, since he dared not venture out to greet his parents. It was most likely, however, that they wouldn't ask about his day. They never did. That way, he could avoid getting in trouble for abruptly leaving school in the middle of the day. They definitely weren't typical parents, not loving like they were supposed to be or caring. In truth, Jervis thought bitterly, they wouldn't shed tears if they brought him back in a body bag. On the contrary, they would be relieved. One less mouth to feed, in their eyes.
Dinner was a silent affair with Wendy and Nigel gazing quietly yet coldly at one another, every so often chancing a glance at their son. Not even out in the working world yet, and they had already written him off as a disappointment to the family, a downright shame. Their overwhelming lack of faith in him was demonstrated by their belief that he would get nowhere in life. They were irritated that their son couldn't fight back like a man, and that led to him constantly being the victim. If he was so easy to submit, how could he ever achieve a high status in his chosen career?
Yes, Nigel and Wendy cared about money immensely, especially since there wasn't too much to spare in this household.
For another thing, there was no way that Jervis would get a wife, what with his extraordinarily homely appearance. A mop of blond hair that made him look deranged, his unusual yet ugly face, and that dratted overbite they didn't have enough money to fix. To them, his own parents, he was a nuisance.
"So, Jervis," Nigel announced frigidly. "I received a call at work today. It was from the high school. From what I was told, you purposely skipped school for the latter half of the day."
Wendy asked petulantly, "Is it true, you brat?"
As much as he longed to seem brave, he shrank back. "W-Well, I...I g-guess. I-I—"
His blue eyes icy, Nigel slapped a hand on the kitchen table, losing his patience quickly with Jervis. "Stop your damn stuttering, boy, and answer the bloody question! Did you or didn't you—?"
"I did." He managed to speak up yet to him, he sounded cowardly. "It...It w-won't happen again. I sw-swear."
Like with every other day, his parents glared disapprovingly at him, continuing to see him as a failure more and more. Disappointment hardly factored into their rage. It was the fact that he was a shame to the Tetch family.
Unable to hold this far too intense stare, Jervis glanced down at the table. An ominous feeling filled him up inside.
Even more condescendingly, his mother commented, "You will never grow up at the rate you're going. You always have to be a little boy and run away from everything. Coward."
"And you skipping out on school isn't going to happen again," Nigel stated sternly. "I'll make sure of it, you ugly little runt."
Bullied by his family. So ludicrous and yet in Jervis' case, it made perfect sense. He was fated to have the world set against him. Inwardly, he flinched when he saw his father unfasten his leather belt...
Without a doubt in his mind, once he got through college with a major in Technology and a minor in Biology (a master's degree in the former, giving him impressive credentials), Jervis refused to contact his parents. He continued to grudge them for not giving him the love he so desperately needed growing up. He felt they let him down in more ways than one.
In retrospect, when bitterly reflecting upon the nightmarish adolescent years of his life, everyone he'd ever met had let him down. Classmates and teachers alike seemed to look down upon him, as though he was inferior to everyone else. Like a slimy worm wiggling through the soil, he was very much overlooked.
His senior year of high school, of all years, they misspelled his name in the yearbook. After his graduation, he was forever known as "Jarvis Tesh." Did it surprise him that this should happen? Not in the slightest. After all, those fools hated him, ignoring him and turning their noses up at him. And the only reason he learned of the yearbook error was that everyone had made fun of him about it...like with everything else. Ignorance was not bliss, despite what that old, familiar expression implied. To Jervis, it promoted discord for the lowly people like him.
The one thing he enjoyed about being a high school and college graduate was his solitude. In the privacy of his luxurious apartment (for he did get paid generously by Wayne Industries), no one could humble him or even attempt to intimidate him. He could be all alone without a disappointing occupant here with him. Currently, he looked out the window, watching the rain splash against the window pane. In his opinion, rain was better than clear skies. It was like a release, wiping the slate clean, so to speak. Come a sunny day, and it all began anew.
Hm, not to mention he found he could relate to the rain considerably more. Listening to it offered comfort to his hopeless soul.
For, in a sense, he was still bullied, even as an adult. No thanks to his supervisor Dr. Cates, he continued to suffer through the experience of acting as someone's doormat. That witch gave him hell, that was certain.
Jervis swore that she was related to the Queen of Hearts in some fashion or other, just as he thought a connection existed between him and the Hatter. It would only make sense, for nothing seemed to satisfy her. No matter how much progress he would gain on a project on any given day, Cates managed to find something to pick fault with. Set on a mission, she was tireless in her critiques.
No wonder she's unmarried, Jervis thought evilly with a smirk.
Then again, so was he, but that surely had to be inevitable. Fast approaching his mid-thirties, he had yet to have gone on a date with a woman, much less kiss one. But, oh, it wasn't as though they leapt at the chance, for he did have a very poor appearance in his humble opinion. Yes, through his advanced job as a skilled scientist and tech wizard of sorts, he had gained substantial amounts of money. Clearly, that was not what women were after. They wanted to pursue males with well-groomed hair, movie star good looks...and perfect teeth.
How humiliating that Jervis should deal with having a lack in these qualities. Whereas other men must display such promising potential in the dating world, he offered so little.
However, perhaps it was best that love should forever be unobtainable for him, as difficult to reach as the stars. With his low confidence and tendency to be under the thumb of somebody, he couldn't make a woman happy. It could all be traced back to his past, when virtually everyone ignored him or wished to taunt him.
His eyes looked out through the window, but they didn't really see anything. Only the agonizing memories of the past. A past he'd like to forget.
A/N: Don't worry, these chapters won't quite be this long, but I found that I had come up with a lot of details to my version of Jervis' background. I've always been of the belief that villains aren't born, they're made. So, this chapter sort of gives insight as to the reason why he'll become a villain later on. He's actually one of the few Batman villains I feel sympathy toward.
Well, what'd you think of this first chapter?