A/N: So hallo everybody, I haven't been on this site in a while, but now I'm back. If the title of this story seems a little familiar to you, you are not mistaken. Since I have, a little while ago, purchased my own PS4, which allowed me to finally play the Arkham Knight game, and also because my writing has improved a bit over the years, I decided to rewrite my Arkham stories and then continue where I originally stopped.

I'm not planning to change much about the story of those fanfics, most of it will remain the same, but some things that, in retrospect, I think I could have written differently will be changed to form a slightly better written story while still being the original concept. It is also aimed to make The Shadow a slightly better character, and I hope I will succeed in both of my goals. So here we go… :) I'll be happy if you leave a comment how you like this new version, and those of you who are new to this series, welcome. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own the DC Comics or anything in it...

Shadows over Gotham

Chapter 1.

I think it would a good idea, before I start my story, to ask myself a single question: why exactly am I writing this? I ponder this question as I'm sitting here years after this actually started, and I can't for the life of me come up with a good answer. Is it because I feel the need to pour all the emotions my life led me to into something other than my late night tears? Or because I want to justify my actions, if only in front of myself? No. I think the reason I'm writing these records of previous events is that I want to understand it all, everything that actually since that fateful day when I first stepped on the island's shores. Was it mostly me, or did I do it because of her? I have known Harleen Quinzel for so many years before we even came here, and yet I wasn't able to stop anything that followed. I now know that, partly, I did not want to stop it, after all, she was happy with that crazy clown, and I? I had my own things to worry about. To tell the truth, I can't help but feel we have both made the same mistake, succumbing to our feelings, and it send both our lives spiraling to the depths of the unknown.

But well, let me start my story from the beginning.

My name is Katherine Jones, I was born in London and I moved to Gotham when I was 25. I left my parents in London, but, by that time, I haven't lived with them for a while anyway, through no fault of mine. For a time I kept in contact with them, but in later years that gradually faded away. I never had a boyfriend, never met a one who wouldn't be too annoying or utterly, unbearably simple in his mind. I never wanted a boyfriend to just have a boyfriend, I wanted someone special, a soulmate, someone who I will look at and know that this is the one.

Later I started studying psychology at the local university and it was there where I met a certain Harleen Quinzel. She was determined to be the best, and yet at the same time, to me she still managed to be the best friend I ever had. We were like sisters at that time, actually we often played a little game, just for ourselves, that we actually were sisters, and with our blond hair and blue eyes, we actually looked very similar in appearance too, though in character we were always different. She was the one who would always jump head over heels into everything, while I was the shy, quiet person in the corner, not much of a sociable type, often bullied by the school's… less pleasant characters. You'd think in a place like this people were actually grown up, but I guess there are exceptions everywhere. But Harley was always there for me, always my protector, and when we finished the university we were looking for a place to work together.

When we heard that they had a few free doctor positions in Arkham Asylum, we were both pretty excited. It was a dream come true, at least for Harley, who I knew was always fascinated with the criminal minds, to the point when I was sometimes worried about her. I found it a little weird at first that they accepted us without having any previous experience at such a job, but hearing about Arkham I realised that there probably never was enough available doctors at the facility, with many of them leaving after finding the job way above their heads.

It was the beginning of September when we first stepped through the asylum gates and I must say I was immediately affected by the strange, chilling atmosphere of the place. The asylum was an enormous set of old, gloomy, dilapidated buildings, that not even in daylight had managed to look any more reassuring. I would learn to love that place later, but that first day we were just standing there, shaking in the cold wind, with the building glaring at us like they didn't want us there.

We made our way over to the Penitentiary, where we were supposed to meet someone from the asylum to give us a little introduction tour, and there was indeed a female doctor waiting for us in front of the doors. It was an older lady who introduced herself to us as doctor Gretchen Whistler, her German accent quite strong as she spoke. She, however, seemed like a person I might actually get along with, which made me feel slightly better about my first day there. She took us inside and led us a through a series of narrow corridors until we arrived to a large hall full of cells with thick, glass paned sides with heavy security doors at the front. Immediately we both became really curious. This was the place where the patients were kept. The doctor stopped there and without even looking at her, I could almost feel Harley's excitement as she was having a hard time stopping herself from hopping around like a girl in front of a Christmas tree. It was quite amusing to watch her until I saw the displeased look at the older doctor's face.

"Here we are." doctor Whistler said, still glaring at my friend. "This is what the cells look like. I took you here, because there are some of the patients you'll be seeing here, so I thought you'd like to get to know the area. But before we continue, I'd like to ask you both a question, if it doesn't bother you." she said, clearing her throat. "Forgive me for saying it, but you are basically just out of school, why do you want to work here of all places?" she stared at us both, expecting an answer.

I smiled warmly as I turned to her. "It's perfectly alright, doctor. I imagine we should probably get used to hearing this question. But I always found the notion of working in this place rather fascinating. I was always interested in the differences and the difficulties of the criminal mind and the way such minds work. I think it is a very intriguing subject."

"Yeah, that's right." Harley said and beamed at the doctor sweetly. "You can't deny there is an element of certain glamour to these supercriminals." she continued speaking, seemingly unaffected by the fact that the good doctor did not seem to share her enthusiasm, and I stopped listening and just walked along the cells, watching the patients through the glass. There were many low security patients in these cells, poor souls that entered the criminal life and then were thrown in here for eternity. But then I rounded the corner and I realised I ended up in the corridor meant for the really special cases, those well-known criminals who were almost like icons of this city, kinda like the man who got them there, the Batman.

Of course I heard of the city's famous "protector". I didn't want to believe it first, until I saw him with my own eyes, and then well, I like bats, that's true, but he didn't impress me as much as it seemed to be expected of me. But still, at that time, I was of course grateful for his protection and all that he did for the city.

Suddenly, I stopped in front of one of the cells. There, a man was sitting on a small metal bed. The moment I stopped to look at him properly, he turned his head towards me and stared back with icy blue eyes that held mine for a moment, it was quite unnerving to look into them, and he must have noticed, because in the next moment, an amused smirk appeared on his face before he went back to his own thoughts. He emanated power and great intelligence, and when I finally managed to tear my eyes away from him, I glanced at the little plate next to the door.

JONATHAN CRANE

The name was somehow familiar, and yet I couldn't remember which one of the famous Rogues Gallery this one was, so I decided to ask the doctor, when I heard her and Harley's footsteps behind me. "Making acquaintances, doctor Jones?" she smiled at me, but there was something, and underlying anger or annoyance. I felt like we didn't make the best first impression, but I decided to let it go. "Yes, doctor." I smiled back, and took a breath to ask my question. "Would you be so kind to tell me…?" I began, but she interrupted me with a wave of her hand. "I'm very sorry, but I have no more time to talk. I have a session in half an hour and I have to go prepare. Come with me, I will show you the way to the mansion."

As we were approaching the passage leading back out of the building, Harley looked into one of the cells and suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Inside was a man that no one could confuse with any other patient in Arkham, the white skin, green hair and that smile that always lingered on his face was simply unmistakable. Harley seemed at a loss for words and I watched as she, as if hypnotised, slowly approached the glass and stared inside. The Joker. The was probably no one in the world who never heard of him and his crimes. Seeing him now in person, even behind the unbreakable glass was agitating, yet fascinating, though more for Harley than for me as she was staring at him with a mixture of amusement and interest in her look, and thought we were lucky that he was currently sleeping, or seemed to be. Then I heard a deep sigh behind us doctor Whistler finally voiced her concerns: "I must warn you," she began. "You should be very careful or those patients will eat you for breakfast. And some of them," she said as she looked at me meaningfully. "will really enjoy it." Then she turned and caught her glancing to the same cell I was looking at before continuing down the corridor. I wanted to try and ask her again but she raised her hand and stopped me. "Follow me, I really don't have much time left. You don't want to leave anything to chance when you have a session with Victor Zsasz."

She led us through the grounds and a huge mechanical doors to the eastern part of the island, dominated by the imposing silhouette of the Arkham Mansion. It was a huge, old and somewhat beautiful giant of a building that, on its own, commanded respect. Doctor Whistler led them to the main doors and then turned to depart. "Very well, I will leave you here, just walk through the hall, up the stairs and enter the door to the right wing, then follow the corridor to the warden's office. He will provide you with more information before you begin. It was really nice meeting you." she said with a slight smile, and walked away, leaving us to our own devices. After a while we entered the building and found our way through its spacious halls and corridors. The office was a large, nicely decorated room with a great fireplace facing the door and a large desk in a corner. Behind it sat the warden, an older man with white hair on his balding head and thick glasses on his cold eyes. There was something about him that I didn't like at all, but now as we entered he stood up and smiled warmly as he looked at us.

"Doctor Jones, doctor Quinzel, welcome, welcome, I've been expecting you. I am glad that I have the opportunity to personally welcome you to the asylum." he went to shake our hands, and I had to keep myself from shuddering as I did so. I had a seriously bad feeling about this man, but at that time, I wasn't able to put my finger on what it was. He spoke to us a long time after that introduction, providing us with necessary instructions and then he gave us our schedules and keys to our offices. It seemed everything that was needed was said, but as we meant to leave the room he cleared his throat and spoke: "I must warn you ladies. I don't know why you wanted to work here, but it was your choice to do so, and everything that will now happen is on your responsibility, even though we can provide you with certain protection, nothing is guaranteed in a facility like this. In case you feel the need to leave us, you have to know that we cannot possibly pay you for an unfinished work. I wish good luck to you both."

With those words we left his office and the building as well, and in a few moments we found ourselves sitting on one of the benches outside, looking over our schedules. Before I had time to even properly look at mine thought, my ears were assaulted by Harley's excited screaming. "Oh my good, look, I got the Joker! Katherine, look!"

She put that paper right under my nose, and sure enough, on the little spot where the name of the patient was usually written were those five letters that brought terror into so many hearts, yet seemed to send my friend into a fit of joy. I instead rolled my eyes and remarked: "I'm not sure if I would consider that a reason to be happy."

"Well, you're not much more lucky yourself." there was suddenly a voice behind us and I turned around to see a young man, about the same age as us, looking over my shoulder and onto my schedule. "You have the Scarecrow." He said in a compassionate tone and sat down next to us on the bench. "Sorry for startling you. I am doctor Thomas, Ryan Thomas, and you are?"

I looked at him, for some reason, not utterly thrilled at his presence, but Harley spoke first. "I am Harleen Quinzel, but call me Harley, everyone does. This is my friend, Katherine Jones." She waved at him slightly, and he smiled. "Oh, so you are the new doctors? News travels fast, you know, but I certainly didn't expect you to be so beautiful." he said, winking at me.

"Thank you," I answered, not blushing. "But can you tell me who the Scarecrow is?" I asked casually, and his eyes widened in disbelief as he reached for my schedule and pointed to a name. "There, I can't believe you don't know him. You should definitely read his file at least. They should be prepared for you at your offices." I looked down at the schedule and gasped as I saw he was pointing at a familiar name that saw earlier today. Now I realised why it was so familiar in the first place. Of course I heard of the infamous Scarecrow, and I'd certainly never even dreamed of having a session with him. To think just an hour ago I was only a few steps away from him…

This however, I did not voice to the young man in front of me. Instead, I asked: "Is he really that bad?" and watched as doctor Thomas nodded vigorously. "Yes, he is, he's one of the worst. See, he was a scientist here at Gotham University, a professor of psychology specialising in fear and phobias, but then he was kicked out when the found out he was doing experiments on humans. He invented this so called fear gas that makes people hallucinate, see their worst nightmares come to life." he shook his head to calm himself down. "I don't understand why would they give our most dangerous criminals to newbies like you, no offense. I know that nobody wants to deal with them, but I didn't realise we were so incredibly understaffed." he almost growled in anger and looked at me once again. "Look, you just need to be very careful. Crane's very dangerous and he loves to mess with people's heads. This is a friendly warning. And… if you needed someone to talk you, don't hesitate to come to me." he smiled kindly, and I returned the gesture before standing up.

"Well thank you, for your advice, I surely will. Harley," I spoke, turning to my friend. "I'm sure you want to go home, but I'd really like to stay here for a little while longer and read those files, if you don't mind going home alone."

"Not at all." Harley laughed, obviously still very happy. "But hey, your work starts earlier than mine tomorrow, so I won't see you in the morning. Call me after your last session and we can have some dinner together."

"Great idea." I smiled at her and then turned to Ryan, nodding to him. "It was very nice meeting you. I hope we'll see each other again." I said, and we exchanged a one last smile before I went back into the mansion to search for my office.