WARNING: The following are words from a fangirl.

A/N: Oh wow, was all I could say when I saw Cillian Murphy playing Jonathan Crane. Majorly HOT. I've been a fan of the Scarecrow since I was little and have been a follower of for a while now, and when I saw Batman Begins for the first time, I thought, why not look at some Batman fanfiction? When I looked up J. Crane as a character, I was devistated. Where is the love for this guy? There were so few and half of them were Crane/Joker smut(ew). So I thought, lets give Jon some love! Lets pair him up with someone as crazy and fucked up as him! So after reading a few different stories about him, I got some inspiration. The one that inspired me the most was Afraid to Love by PreciousRaymond (LINK - .net/s/5967364/1/Afraid_to_Love). I really liked the 'love at first sight' thing that was going on and especially when he stole her away! He/She(sorry, doesn't say on your profile) said in one of his/her author notes that whenever a person takes inspiration from one of his/her stories, to say so. So I'm saying so. If someone has already written a story similar to this one, I'm very sorry, I was not aware. Criticism or suggestions are welcomed but don't be trollin' or hatin'. I'm really sorry if my spelling isn't the greatest, I don't have Word or anything that has a spell check. Stupid Notepad... There will also be swearing in this story, so if you are offended by such things, oh well. This is the first time I've ever written a story so... ya. It's quite difficult to come up to the standards of other stories here and there might be a long period where I don't post a chapter because I'm trying so hard to make it perfect! I will try my hardest to alert you if there's going to be a resting period from writing. I will also try to keep Jon in character as much as possible, so that means he's going to be an arrogant, self-centered bastard that thinks little of everyone else and has a fetish for fear. But that's what we love so much about him! Ok, that's enough with my epic A/N. R&R! :)

All characters in Batman belong to DC Comics. Laura Freeman is mine however, and is heavily inspired from myself(why create a personality when you have one right in front of you?).

Chapter 1

I sat in an upright position, my head against something cold and hard. It slowly registered in my mind as metal. My rear was planted on the same unpleasant material. There was a loud hum and vibrations and shakes going through my body. Vehicle, I figured out after a few minutes of intense concentration on my part. Why was I in a vehicle, I thought. I tried to take a look at my surroundings but I couldn't see anything. Why is it so dark? Oh, my eyelids were closed. I gave an attempt at opening them only to see a line of light momentarily then darkness. I tried again and again to open my eyes, only to be disappointed with the same results as before.

Panic began to surge through me. Where am I, I thought. How did I get here? I tried to remember how I got in this unknown situation. I can remember waiting at home, nervous, scared, and angry. But why, I thought. Was it an expensive credit card debt? No, I barley use my credit card. Was someone breaking in? Ugh, I can't remember, it's so frustrating! Why can't I think straight or open my eyes? I grew angry and a whimper escaped my partially open mouth. Oh great, I can make noise but no movement! Noise won't help me if I can't move! I heard a bit of shuffling around me and some voices.

"Hey Rob, she's wakin' up. Should I give her a little more?" a man spoke. It sounded like it came from the left, fairly close to me. Definitely within a few feet. A little more of what? What where they doing to me? Wait... a sedative, I thought. That's why I can't think straight! This conclusion made my heart sink. Why would someone sedate me other than to kidnap me? I went to yell, and scream for help only to have another whimper, slightly louder than the one before, leave my throat.

"Nah, we're pretty close to Arkham already. They'll want her to be somewhat awake when she gets there," a different man, which I assumed as Rob, spoke from the right, much further away than the previous man.

Arkham, what's Arkham? My thoughts slowly buzzed around in my head. It sounded familiar... Wait, isn't that- just then, the vehicle hit a large bump on the road causing me to rock forward then back again only to smack my head on the metal it was resting on. Owww, I thought as I let our a groan. Why is it impossible for the driver to miss the potholes in the road? He should be able to see them, they're as big as a POT! My mind swam with dizzily with complaints. Wait, I thought, what was I thinking about before? I think it had something to do with ham. Mmmm, ham. Wait, I'm a vegetarian, why would I think that? Dumb sedative makin' me all dizzy and craving ham.

My thoughts drifted around my head for the next half-hour trying to come up with conclusions of why I was in the back of what is probably a van, coming out of sedation. Some of those 'brilliant' ideas included aliens, China taking over the world, and the second coming of Jesus. Even though the last two examples have nothing to do with my current situation, at the time they seemed like some of the most likely things that would happen.

After hitting hitting a few more bumps, and a few strangled groans from me, the van started to slow. With a sharp turn here and there, the vehicle rolled to a stop. About damn time we got someplace, I thought, was starting to get carsick from all the freakin' bumps. I breathed a sigh of relief at the now motionless van, but tensed at the sound of tell-tale joint pops and groans of people moving from there long held seats. I felt breaths of wind rush past me as people moved about the van.

In a last attempt, I tried to open my eyes to get some insight of what the fuck was happening. My eyelids twitched, complaining at the sudden effort of movement after being still for so long. My eyes drifted open smoothly, and to my surprise, stayed open. All I could see was a bright fuzziness. I groaned in annoyance at the limited vision. I blinked slowly a few times to try and get a clearer picture. Progress, I thought with renewed vigor. I could now see basic outlines of the people and things around me. Now if only I could move around a bit... My head rolled to the side but not without effort. I guess I overestimated how much of the sedative was still left in my system. I closed my eyes to gather my concentration. I reopened my eyes to find my vision had dramatically improved. I can see people! Fuzzy people, I thought, but still people!

I saw three men in white jumpsuits that all said in bold letters, "ARKHAM SECURITY," on the back. Ugh, I thought, what the hell is Arkham? Two of the men were prepping a gurney, while the other opened the back door of the van. It was night out and windy. A chilly breeze swept into the van, goosebumps rose on my skin and a shiver went through me. The air smelled clean and pure, like all the pollution and smog had been washed out of it. It was raining, or had previously been raining. My eyes were finally focused and I could see properly now. I saw small drops of water fly past the glow of the outdoor light fixture. It's mesmerizing, I thought, my mind once again drifting.

I was pulled out of my stare at the lights by one of the security staff in the van. He pulled my hand forward and cuffed it to a brace on the now ready gurney. He then proceeded to lift me from my seat and set me down onto the gurney. Once I was placed in the right position, he held be down tightly while the other security staff that helped prepare the gurney strapped me in place. My arms were secured first, then legs, feet, head, then torso.

I heard metal clashing and sliding against metal somewhere behind me. A ramp maybe? My theory was confirmed when the two men that strapped me to the gurney rolled me out of the van and down onto the pavement. Light sprinkles of rain hit my face as I stared into the dark sky waiting for something, anything to happen.

"Hey Steve, what time is it?" said the man who opened the van door and pulled out the ramp. I recognized his voice as Rob from earlier. I glanced over to who I assumed was Steve who took out his phone to check the time.

"It's near twelve."

"Shit, we're really late. Crane's going to chew us out for this," groaned Rob.

"Well it's your guys fault for taking so long to get the chick loaded and stable," said the third, unknown man.

"No, it's your fault for driving so fucking slow."

I sat there, forgotten for the moment, irritated at the security. God, I thought, are they really going back and forth at eachother for this? They continued to argue, trying to pin the fault on one another.

"Shu-t the fuck up!" I slurred trying to get them to stop fighting and get me out of the rain. I was thoroughly wet by now and glaring daggers at the now silent men. They all looked at each other one last time then got back to getting me to where they wanted to get me.

Arkham, the name was so familiar. I think it has something to do with a hospital, I thought, or was it a prison? I wracked my still somewhat fuzzy brain for answers. I was starting to get a headache from all the concentration in such a short period. I decided to take a brake for a while and see where I was headed. I recognised it as an office building of some sort. They pushed me through the swinging glass doors into the dimly lit room. I tryed to take a look around but the head restraint proved the task difficult.

"Your late," said a very irritated voice. The gurney I was rolling on came to a sudden stop at the voice. I heard footsteps echoing off the empty walls around me, gradually getting closer. I closed my eyes in fear of what was to happen next.

"Sorry, Doc. Mark was driving so freakin' slow that we-"

"I was not, I was driving here as fast as I could. You took forever to load her up!"

"SHUT UP!" I shouted as loud and steady as I could. I opened my eyes to take in their reaction. Just as I thought, they were staring at me. I giggled slightly. Then something caught my eye. A man I've never seen before was standing next to me holding a clipboard. He had frameless glasses on, high cheekbones, and pronounced lips. What caught my attention about him was his eyes. It's like he was peering into my soul. They where the lightest shade of blue I've ever seen. He gave me a questionable look with his eyebrow slightly raised. He broke eye contact and looked over to Rob.

"Mr. Martin, address my by my proper name as I am addressing you by your's. And it doesn't matter who's fault it is, what matters is that your still late."

"Sorry, Dr. Crane," Rob said but not without a bit of venom. Dr. Crane brushed him off and looked down at the clipboard he was holding.

"Ok, patients name is Laura Freeman, 19 years-old. Height, 5 feet 9 inches. Weight, 149 lbs. Hair color, dark brown. Eye color, hazel. Patient suffers from depression, GAD, mild hallucinations, and extreme paranoia," Dr. Crane glanced down at me.

"Is all of this information correct, Miss. Freeman?" He's so handsome, I thought. I wonder if he's taken already. Nah, this guy has been waiting for me. I grinned at the thought.

"Call me Laura," I said dreamily, hoping to be a little bit more personal with him. He cocked an eyebrow at my reply.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said. He then proceeded to walk over to Steve and hold out a piece of paper for him. I frowned at the lack of attention. Maybe he is already taken, I thought disappointed.

"This is a map on where her temporary holding cell is. When you get there, the nurse will take her off your hands and settle her in. You may leave after that," he said with disdain. Steve grumbled and took the paper being offered to him. He took a look at the map and showed Rob and Mark. They then wheeled me off to a hallway in the distance, me still frowning from not gaining Dr. Crane's attention. Does he not find me attractive? I pondered this thought. Yes, I thought, that's it. Remember Laura, your not the prettiest girl in the world. I sighed at this. Well, maybe I need to get to know him more. Maybe he's not shallow like the rest of the guys in the world and actually want to get to know a girl first. I stared at the dim lamps on the ceiling that rolled by. A sudden stop jolted me out of my deep thoughts. I looked over to my side and saw a steel door with an older lady standing in front. She was probably the nurse Dr. Crane referred to earlier.

"Name please," the nurse asked.

"Laura Freeman," Rob replied.

"Hey, that's my name to," I giggled jokingly. Rob shot me a look that probably ment I should be quiet now. The nurse ignored my response and nodded to Rob then opened the door behind her. Rob then proceeded to roll me into the center of the room. The design of the cell had as much cheer as a graveyard. Plain concrete walls, cement floors, no windows, and one light bulb hanging in the center of the room. No bed, I thought. Do they expect me to sleep on the floor? Rob and the rest of the crew then left me and the nurse to ourselves.

"Hello Laura, my name is Molly. I'll be helping you settle into your room," the nurse said to me.

"This isn't my permanent room is it?" I asked, concerned.

"No, no. This is just a temporary room. We had little time to prepare a proper cell for you so we're having you stay in this room for tonight," she smiled reassuringly. The smile did nothing to settle my anxieties. Something about her seemed a little off, like she was too happy. Molly then went over to a small, metal rolling table near the wall that I failed to notice earlier. She picked up some iodine and rubbed it on the inside of my elbow. She then took out a needle and stuck it in my arm.

"W-wait-"

"Don't worry it'll just make you a little sleepy," Molly smiled at me, injecting the fluids into my bloodstream.

"Don't lie to... me you... Nazi," I slurred trying to keep up with myself. The last thing I remembered was Molly starting to unstrap me and me thinking that her hair was so 70's.