A/N: Sorry it took so long, I had a busy work schedule this week, but I finished the last 1/2 of this tonight so enjoy. Apologies for the shortness. I intend for the chapters to get longer as I go on...and again, sorry for straying form romance, I attempted to redeem myself by making the last half quite fluffy and romantic.

Chapter 2- Never Alone Again

Jonathan Crane stepped through the door of his apartment and disarmed the security system. As he smelled the unusually sweet air, he identified the scent of lavender. Kristen was awake and well from the sound of the running bath water. He wondered if he should disturb her or not. Deciding he should at least let her know he had arrived home, he knocked at the door leading to the spacious bathroom. "Kristen?" He asked, leaning around the door just so as to make sure his voice was heard. No reply. "Kristen?" He asked a bit louder. He began to worry slightly as she still had not responded to him. He looked around the corner, the water was flowing into a barely filled tub, but Kristen was nowhere in sight.

As he walked into his apparently empty bathroom, he noticed a small foot belonging to a woman on the ground. "Kristen!" He yelled in a panicked voice as he rushed to her. She lay unconscious; a small pool of blood lay at the base of her neck. Jonathan quickly removed his suit jacket and placed it over her unclothed body. As he propped her head so as to elevate it, his expression changed from worried to terrified. 'The master of fear, terrified, now this was a laugh. Or it would be if the situation were different.' He thought to himself. He quickly carried her to his bed, and laid her down.

"Jonathan?" Kristen mumbled groggily as she tried to remember what exactly was going on. 'That's right. I slipped.' She thought to herself. It all made sense. She had began to draw herself a bath when she tripped while removing her pants. How clumsy of her. "Jonathan, I'm alright." She said to him, noticing his doting care.

"Kristen!" He all but shrieked. "Are you alright? You worried the hell out of me." He said, catching his breath as he covered her up, checking her body for any other marks in surprisingly innocent fashion. He should not have left her alone. Secret or not, he could not chance something like this happening again; Accident or not.

"I fell. Honestly that is all that happened. I tried to take a bath to relax and clear my head, and I must have tripped." She rubbed the back of her head, wincing as she felt dried blood near her hair line. "I must have hit the sink or something on my way down. I'm so sorry. I'll clean it up right away." She said in a panicked voice.

Jonathan could not help himself. He began to laugh. "You are one hell of a girl Kristen. I leave you in a strange place, and you fall down. Now you're actually apologizing to me for it" He asked amusedly. "I should be the one apologizing to you." He said as he pulled her close to him. "Can I get you something to put on?" He asked her, his face turning a bright crimson color as his mind thought back to her naked body. Now that most of his worry had dissipated, his mind cleared up the blurred images of the incident. He quickly ducked his head to avoid her eyes.

Kristen blushed as she quickly realized why she was covered up in Jonathan's bed. She nodded her head in embarrassment. His own glances going quite unnoticed by her. "Jonathan, where did you go?" She asked quietly as she reached over to a bottle of aspirin sitting on the dark cherry wood bedside table.

He had hoped that question would not come up, considering the circumstances. He was not sure how to respond to her as he looked for a t-shirt or something similar. Glancing at a stack of folded, but not yet put away clothing, he found a dark navy colored shirt he was convinced would cover her completely. "Here you go." He said handing it to her and turning away. He knew she might press the question, so his mind searched for answers that might pacify her.

"Thank you. But you never answered my question. Where did you go?" She asked, getting suspicious. She knew that the only time you were seen in Gotham after dark was for business meetings of the not-so-legitimate kind. She crossed her arms after slipping the oversized shirt over her body. "Jonathan Crane, where the hell were you!" She demanded.

Jonathan twitched, he hated her anger at him. It made him feel like a failure, a total disappointment to her. "I was…out…meeting with someone." He said, turning around and walking toward her. "It is nothing, I assure you, I won't leave you alone again." He said kissing her forehead and walking to the bathroom to clean it up.

Kristen knew there was more to his story than he chose to let on, but she decided it better to drop the subject for now. She would press it further when her head wasn't pounding so badly. She quickly downed the aspirin with the bottle of water she had opened earlier and settled into the bed. Although she knew it was unwise to go to sleep after such a fall, she felt she had to rest her head somehow.

Jonathan felt uneasy with how close he had come to telling her the truth. He was afraid she might leave again if she knew the truth, or worse, what if she accepted it and stayed. He could not let her become part of this world he had driven himself into. The woman he loved could not be subjected to be captured by that horrid Batman on her behalf. Knowing how she would react, it would not do well for her to be placed in Arkham, not even with him in control. He shook his head at the very thought. No. He must keep her in the dark for now. As he cleaned up his bathroom, he noticed Kristen lying in the bed. He could not let her sleep just yet for fear of a concussion. "Kristen, you need to stay awake." He said, walking toward her. She was quite simply the most beautiful thing he had ever seen lying in his bed wearing nothing but his t-shirt.

"Mhmm…"She mumbled sleepily as her voice trailed off. She was slightly startled by Jonathan sitting down on the bed next to her. She looked up to see that he had removed his glasses. She suddenly remembered back to their last night together as teenagers. It was the last time she had seen him remove his glasses to reveal those captivating blue eyes. A tear slid down her cheek, and she quickly brushed it aside.

"Kristen, are you alright?" He asked as he noticed the tear she tried to hastily brush aside. He had hoped he had done nothing wrong.

"I was remembering something that has haunted me for many years, Jonathan. I was remembering our last night together back when we were kids. It was the last time I had seen you take off your glasses until just now." She said, her voice nearly a whisper.

Without hesitation, he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Nothing but a soft, romantic kiss full of all the love he had wanted to show her since she had walked into his office.

Kristen was taken aback by his sudden show of emotion, but yearned for his touch so much she allowed him to kiss her as long as he wanted. She had failed to realize that she now had a hold of his shirt.

After what seemed like eternity, Jonathan pulled back, breathless. "Kristen, I, I'm sorry, I didn't mean. It's just, I still… I still love you Kristen." He said, defeated. He could not hide it any longer. He looked deep into her eyes, preparing himself for what he was about to do. "There are some things I have to tell you, and you mustn't interrupt until I've finished. Promise me that you will be open minded and listen, please." He said, a desperate look in his eye.

Kristen looked to him. She knew she would not like what he was about to tell her, and it probably had something to do with his nightly endeavors. "I promise Jonathan, and no matter what it is, or what you have done, I always have, and forever will love you." She said, placing her hand in his.

Jonathan took in a deep breath and looked at her solemnly. He proceeded to tell her just what happened to Jonathan Crane and how he had come to know Scarecrow since her departure from Gotham years ago…

A/N: Any comments or reviews would be appreciated. Also, anything you think I should add to upcoming chapters would be greatly encouraged. I take all suggestions into consideration. I do hope you all liked this chapter. Chapter 3 coming soon. How will Kristen respond to Cranes confessions? =O DUHN DUHN DUUUUUUHN!