They had only been walking for a few minutes but they had already arrived at a small coffee shop. Jonathan let go of Rebecca's arm and held the door open for her.

"Ladies, first!" He murmured with a smirk pulling at one corner of his mouth.

"Why, thank you, Mr Crane" Rebecca breathed, wanting him to hold her arm again, or hold her around the waist, or hug her and... No. She had to stop thinking like this. Jonathan was her boss and nothing more. She shook herself out of her thoughts and they drifted away as fast as they had come.

"It's no trouble, Rebecca." He flashed that devilish smile that she knew oh too well. "And please call me Jonathan. We're outside of work, we're not here on business, so you should be allowed to call me by my first name, as I do you."

"Well, okay, that makes sense I guess Mr Cra- I mean, Jonathan." Rebecca felt like a schoolgirl with a really silly crush on a teacher and she could feel her cheeks flush more and more the closer she was to him.

She walked through the door into a large, brightly lit room filled with 80's styled booths around the edges and small metal tables with 2-4 chairs around them, varying from one to the other in the middle of the room. There was a long salad bar-style counter filled with various cakes, biscuits and crisps.

Rebecca was too busy admiring the beautiful little coffee shop she could never expect what would happen next.

Jonathan walked up behind her and rested his hand on the small of her back and whispered in her ear "Why don't you grab a table? I'll get us a drink" and he sauntered off to the counter where a plump waitress stood listening to her mp3 player.

Rebecca, however, stood dead. His faint touch on her back had sent all of her senses into overdrive and she felt like exploding into hyperventilation. His warm breath had sifted into her ears and she had heard the sharpness to his quiet request. Their heads had been centimeters apart. Rebecca felt the room start to spin so she grabbed the nearest table and collapsed into the booth in the fear that she might pass out due to the sudden dizziness.

Once her mind had settled down and her senses had calmed themselves, she looked over to Jonathan to see if he was having the same effects as she was. He wasn't, judging by his stance, but he was still perfection in an imperfect world, Rebecca thought. He had his left hand on the counter and his right hand was in his back pocket, lifting his blazer, making it very easy to see that his trousers had slipped a few centimeters from his waist. Several millimeters of a black cotton could be seen peering out from his trousers. Rebecca knew she had seen those boxer shorts in a store once before but had no interest in them what-so-ever, until she had seen them on Jonathan Crane.

Unintentionally, Rebecca let her mind wander for a moment; thinking about what the boxer shorts would actually look like on Jonathan, with no trousers on.

It was Jonathan that shook her back into reality when he was walking over and placed a cup down in front of Rebecca.

"Oh, thank you, Mr C- uh, sorry, I mean, Jonathan." She cupped her hands around the drink and pulled it closer to her, warmth bleeding through her hands and coursing through her body.

"It's not a problem. I mean, why would we go to a coffee shop if I didn't buy you a coffee, right?" He sat across from her and stared at her face, though she was looking down and hadn't realised.

"Mm" she agreed and took a small sip from her coffee. The hot liquid ran down her throat quickly and she was suddenly very warm and very alert. The coffee was a perfect taste; three sugars and plenty of milk. "This tastes really nice, Jonathan. Thank you" she looked up and realised he had been studying her face for the few minutes while she had stared into her coffee.

Jonathan locked her eyes on his and held her gaze while he swam through her sapphire blue eyes, searching for what- he didn't know.

Rebecca could never think of a more perfect moment to look into his blue - almost white - eyes. They were perfectly glazed and his pupils were growing and shrinking every time he blinked. Before they knew it, their faces were mere inches away from each other; they had been unknowingly leaning in to each other the whole time. Rebecca dropped his gaze and they both leaned back in their chairs, leaving Rebecca feeling rather disappointed, though she didn't know why.

"It's, uh, a lovely night" Jonathan exclaimed, looking out of the window examining the sky. It was a deep purple colour - just after sunset - and decorated with tiny diamonds scattered around randomly.

"Yes, it is." Rebecca replied staring out of the window too. "I love this time of night, just after sunset. Not quite day, not quite night, so it just leaves a wonderful purple colour but it's still dark enough to see the stars shine. Purple's my favourite colour, you know."

Jonathan peeked round at Rebecca to make sure she wasn't watching him.

"Yes I got the idea since you wore that purple dress to the company staff ball a few months ago" He was still studying her; trying to figure her out.

"You remember my dress?" She coughed, her sudden intake of breath had resulted in her not managing to breathe at all.

"Well, yes, I suppose I do."

"Oh" was she could manage to say. Her mouth had become extremely dry and she was worried that if she opened her mouth she might scream out how utterly brilliant he was being, just by sitting there in her very presence.

They sat in silence, both staring out of the window, for what seemed like forever until Jonathan cleared his throat; Rebecca assumed he wanted to start a conversation.

"Rebecca, you know much about me and the work I do at Arkham, yet I don't know much about you. What's your story?" He sat up in his seat, obviously interested in what Rebecca had to say, which she found surprising as no-one ever asked her about her life.

"Well, uh, okay. Hm, where shall I start?" She felt more relaxed than usual.

"I don't know. Start from, let's say, the beginning" he smiled at her with the same precision that makes Rebecca's stomach flutter.

"Oh, okay." She leaned back in her chair, patted her chin with her index finger and thought for a minute. "Hm, let's see.." she took an intake of breath "I had a pretty boring childhood. I was an only child, you see, and I had no play mates at home. My mother and father tried their best but they were earning little money between the two of them so we had to rent a small apartment in a rough neighborhood We had to move around a lot so I never really settled down in a school. Probably a good thing, too! I was always a bit of a loner, really, and I never made friends. I got a bullied a lot, too, because I wear glasses." She glanced up at Jonathan realising that he also wore glasses. "Uh, sorry."

"It's fine, I had the same problem when I was younger too." He chuckled quietly and waved his hand to her, urging her to carry on.

"Yes, well, anyway, although I changed schools a lot, my parents and teachers always said I was quite brainy. Especially Science, that was my favourite subject. I just love learning about how things work, how the world was created and the experiments we did in chemistry were amazing! I love learning about chemicals and how they help or harm the environment. It's really quite fascinating.

"Anyway, none of that really mattered since I left school at 15. My parents were practically begging people for money so I had to leave school and help them earn. I had small jobs working in a check-out and a janitor for nearby hotels - Let's just say I was exhausted!"

"Wait, you did all these jobs at the same time?" Jonathan raised both eyebrows in disbelief.

"Well, yes. Check-out was every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. The other days I cleaned hotels, but I was lucky 'cause I only had to do half a day on Sundays." Rebecca sat up and puffed out her chest as if she was extremely privileged to have this award.

"So, you only had one half a day free time a week when you were 15?" Jonathan furrowed his brow, clearly confused why she was so proud of this.

"Yes, but it was all to help my family. We were using my extra income to save for a car and driving lessons, you see. It took us a year to get everything in order but we made it in the end! Oh, you should have seen the look of joy on my mother and father's face when we bought it." Her mouth curved into a gentle smile as she reminisced happy memories. "We were so excited! We couldn't wait to drive back home, even though we only lived minutes away. I remember that we beeped to the salesman as we drove onto the road, mum was already moaning that dad had the radio on too loud, but I didn't mind. I was sitting in the back, looking at both of them. They were holding hands and I knew, I just knew, that things were going to get better from that moment. It really felt like we were finally moving up." Rebecca started to recall the whole car drive. She remembered that it wasn't all sunshine and daisies. That was the day the crash happened. She stared passed Jonathan, her smile fading away as all the horrific details flooded back to her.

"Rebecca? Are you okay?" Jonathan's voice was calm but his face seemed panicked.

"Oh my god." She started trembling. She remembered the murderous laughter. The flames. The explosion. All of the city crying for help.

"Rebecca, what's wrong?" Jonathan could no longer hide the worry from his voice. He reached out and grabbed her hand, grasping it firmly to drag her back from her memories.

Rebecca's eyes flickered over back to Jonathan. She held his gaze through tear-filled eyes. Her voice had become croaky.

"Dad decided to take us the long way home. He thought it would be a good idea to have a longer ride in the car. We all agreed, I even rolled down the window to feel like a movie star when we were going really fast.

"We got to the turning into our street but I remembered we didn't have any soda at home. I begged my parents to quickly pop to the store to get some. My mum nagged about saving money but they both gave in; I was a very spoiled child and I knew how to bend them around my little finger. Dad did a U-turn and he was excited that it was his first U-turn in his first own car. We all laughed at him - he was always easily amused. We carried on driving down the long road and my mum kept messing with the radio to find a station that we could all listen to.

"We, er-" She sniffed and looked down. She didn't want to look at him. "We were just about to turn the corner into the town center - Dad insisted to go into town to show off our new mode of transport - and, er... Well there was a robbery at the local bank and it was the same bank on that corner. Some kind of get away van crashed through the wall and into the street. The driver lost control and the van flipped over, crashing into a nearby lorry. Dad couldn't stop in time. We went straight into the lorry and the tankard on the back came loose and gas leaked everywhere. I could hear the panicked voices from my dad at the front, shouting mine and my mum's name, trying to see if me and my mum were okay. I saw someone climb out of the flipped van. A man. He was wearing a purple coat and a green suit. I remember he looked at the wreckage and spotted our car. He ran over and laughed through the half-open window. I remember his laugh. It haunts me, even now. He stared out at the growing puddle of gas on the floor, the smile still burning in his face, and he reached into his pocket. All it took was one match." Rebecca couldn't control her tears now, they fell freely down her cheek and onto the table.

"Everything burned. I could hear passers-by scream in agony. I tried to get out but the car was crushed and all the doors were jammed. Then the tankard from the lorry got too hot. It exploded and threw bits of metal everywhere. One big shard flew towards our car and... It hit the windshield.

"When we got to the hospital, doctors said my mum was dead before the explosion happened. Said she must have died on impact. Me and my dad never spoke of it. Ever. That's why when I was 20, I moved to Gotham. I needed a fresh start; I needed to get away from everything.

"You know what the worst part is? That man, although I hardly doubt he's even human, comes from here. They call him 'The Joker'. And I couldn't help but think maybe he's come back to finish the job." Rebecca couldn't carry on talking. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed uncontrollably.

"Rebecca, listen to me. That thing will not lay one finger on you." Jonathan spat out his words. "I swear I will not let him hurt you again! Rebecca! Look at me!" He placed both hands on her cheeks and lifted her head. She looked at him through drenched eyes. "I won't let anything happen to you. With Gotham Police, and our work at Arkham, we will make sure to put scum like him behind bars." He wiped away a tear from her cheek with his thumb and gazed at her. He wondered why she had worn so much mascara as he studied the black streaks on her face.

She smiled and grabbed his hands and held them to her face. She loved this feeling; she felt protected, like he could shield her from anything. She reached over and placed her hand on his cheek and gently rubbed his face; like she had done in his office earlier, but it was much more better when he was awake.

They watched each other in silence, Rebecca getting flustered. The heat of the moment was spreading between them like wildfire. Rebecca took a leap of faith and moved her head a few millimeters closer to Jonathan and she was extremely relieved when he did the same. Closer and closer they moved, Rebecca feeling the heat rise. She dropped both of her hands on the table and he did the same, but he held hers together, making her fingers become entwined with his. Their faces were still getting closer. Rebecca saw him look down at her mouth and back at her eyes. This was it, she thought. He stretched out one of his hands and held her chin, his eyes blazing with fear and excitement. He lifted her head to his and Rebecca closed her eyes, ready for the moment when his lips would meet hers. Closer he pulled her head towards him. Closer. Millimeters apart. Almost touching.

"Oi, we're closing now! You better clear off!" Boomed a voice from behind them.

The heat had gone. Jonathan dropped her chin and straightened up in his chair. Rebecca flung open her eyes and glared at the waitress, not bothering to hide her frustration.

"C'mon Rebecca, we better head back." Jonathan cleared his throat and stood up. This time he didn't offer his arm to Rebecca, which annoyed her even more.

"Yeah.." She couldn't believe how childish she was being but she couldn't help it! She and Jonathan were just about to share an intimate moment and that stupid waitress had ruined it. Intimate, she thought. They had just nearly shared an intimate moment. This must mean something. Maybe he has feelings for her too! Too many thoughts and ideas rushed through Rebecca's head and she leaned on the table to balance herself. Jonathan reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Rebecca, you don't look so good. Are you feeling alright?" He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Fine. I think I'm just a little exhausted." She lifted her head and gave him a weak smile.

"Hm.." Jonathan lowered his eyebrow but a look of wonder was still lingering on his face. "Maybe you should take the night off. I'll finish up for you, if you like. You look like you need a rest."

Rebecca's eyes snapped open wide, "no, it's fine! Really! I don't mind staying at work, believe me!" She didn't want to head back to a lonely apartment when she could so easily spend some more hours in the company of Jonathan. Rebecca stood up straight too quickly and lost her balance which made her conveniently fall into Jonathan's arms.

"Rebecca, I insist. I can walk you home, if you want?" He looked down to her and pierced her eyes with his.

Rebecca could feel his heart beats grow quicker under his chest and she had to pull herself away from him before she could get carried away.

"Yeah, okay. We better be off 'cause that waitress over there is beginning to tap her foot at us." They both turned to see the waitress doing exactly that and Jonathan bent his head down to hide his laughter while Rebecca covered her mouth with her hand to disguise her small giggle.

"Get out! We're closing!" The waitress pushed them both out the door and bolted it shut behind them.

"Well! She was a little rude, wasn't she?" They couldn't control their laughter anymore and they both exploded into loud chuckles.

"I suppose we'd better be off" Jonathan announced when they both stopped laughing, although there was still a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips.

Rebecca's face fell. "Oh, yeah, course. Um, it's this way." She gestured her hand down a nearby street and walked ahead of Jonathan, half angry and half upset. She wanted to stay at Arkham to spend more time with him but it sounded like his mind was set. Maybe this was his plan all along. Maybe he was just trying to seduce Rebecca to get her out of the way. What if he didn't even like her as a friend? Rebecca's confused emotions sent hurricanes through her brain and tears into her eyes. She didn't want to cry again tonight. Then Rebecca remembered that she had put on mascara earlier and guessed her tears had smudged it all over her face. She looked to the side to use passing shop windows as a mirror and she was right. Her cheeks started to flush because Jonathan had been with her the whole time and not said a single word. She wondered if he wanted her to look stupid or he wanted her to feel embarrassed. She quickly licked her finger and tried to wipe it all off. She used another shop window to see if she'd gotten rid of it all but there was still a thick line of it right below her lash line. She rubbed her finger over it but it made her eyes appear puffy, as though she had been crying again. Rebecca didn't dare to turn around and look at him; she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of him for a third time tonight.