Author Note: Sorry for my lack of updates. I have two reasons, one because things are really hard to transfer to my laptop ( slow internet) to my other computer (fast internet so it can upload things!) and the other because I was going to give up on this story. However I wrote/sketched the whole story out in a black book I keep for writing down random ideas or story concepts and I realized that I still like this story and want to keep it up. So I hope you guys are happy with my decision. ^^ This is a LONG chapter btw! Enjoy!

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Chapter Three

Raindrops slid quickly down the glass of the bright colored vehicle. The harsh wind banged against the side of the taxi as it slowly made its way down crowded streets. Rachel Dawes was seated in the back, hugging her chocolate colored jacket to her shivering body. She watched quietly as the rain continued to pound outside the taxi's warm walls. Her hands rested in her lap and there was a wet umbrella at her feet. She was impatient, watching the buildings pass by and wishing they could go faster. It wasn't normal for her to be this anxious and she loathed it.

The fact that Harvey was sitting on the other side of the seat, looking the least bit concerned didn't make her feel any better. He'd agreed to accompany her on this trip souly because he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. He did not share her unease or anxiety. The moment she heard about the incident on the news she had been dialing Bruce's number. Of course, Gotham's Caped Hero could probably handle himself, but the news always had a way of scaring her when it regarded someone she was close to. And knowing of Bruce's stubbornness, she wasn't sure what to expect. Of course, it only seemed more foreboding that Alfred had picked up the phone and told her Bruce was unable to talk at that moment.

"Hey Rachel, we're here." She was so absorbed in thought that she didn't notice the vehicle had halted until Harvey was opening the door and grabbing for the umbrella. She nodded to him and hurried out as he paid their driver. Clinging to their umbrella, though it did little good, they hurried into the towering building that was their destination. Inside it was warm, but they shivered under their soaked clothes.

"You picked a great day to decide to travel."Harvey joked as he shook his head and rain water splattered everywhere. Rachel gave him a sympathetic smile as she folded their umbrella. Quickly, they made their way to the elevator. It was miserable when it rained like this in the winter time. Generally, both of them would have been couped up inside an office or their home but today they had decided to brave the elements. This winter there had been little snow, instead it was replaced by rain and sleet.

"How long do you plan on visiting?" She chuckled a bit at that, already Harvey had decided to spend as little time as possible here. It was obvious that he felt uncomfortable around Bruce. The fact that the man was a billionaire and her closest childhood friend probably had something to do with that. She supposed the man would seem abit intimidating.

"I'm not sure…I just want to make sure he's doing okay…" Harvey gave her a puzzled look that made her heart stop.

"Why wouldn't he be?" For a moment, she had almost forgotten Harvey didn't know of Bruce's secret. Now that she thought of it, she must of seemed pretty silly to him. He didn't understand how much she worried about Bruce, and she didn't really expect him to. However; he had been kind enough to come with her though she could have bared the trip just fine on her own. With all the recent crime that had been occurring, Rachel had noticed Harvey becoming abit more protective when around her. The thought of it made her smile slightly, and she blushed when she realized it.

"I just haven't seen him in awhile…that's all." Harvey seemed satisfied with that answer. Oh how she loved him for not pressing for a better answer, especially when that had been the most decent one she could think of. The ride in the elevator seemed to take ages and Rachel was happy when they finally reached the right floor. They made their way down a long hallway of window's and doors. Harvey walked beside her, frowning a bit when he noticed the frightened look on her face. What was wrong? All day she had been looking this way, slightly sick and pale. He wanted more than anything to vanquish the look of trepidation on her face.

"You feeling all right?" She looked up from her feet and gave him a look of shock before quickly recovering with a grin.

"Fine. The rain just has me abit down, that's all." Harvey raised an eyebrow at that reply, It had never gotten her down before…

Rachel knocked on the polished door as loudly as she could and waited impatiently, fiddling with the umbrella in her hands. Her heart nearly jumped as the door opened, but she was quickly disappointed.

"Hello Miss Dawes, Mr. Dent. Master Wayne has been expecting you." She gave Alfred a hug as they walked in the door, grateful for his warm presence. At least things felt normal inside, no dying billionaire to be seen just yet. They took off their wet coats and handed them to Alfred. Harvey was looking around curiously, admiring the size and luxurious look of the place. Rachel hadn't quite got used to this place yet. It didn't have the same homey feeling as Wayne Manor and she shivered as she thought of the once glorious place now being nothing but a pile of rubble. But Bruce seemed to like it and she supposed that was what was important.

"Rachel!" Her eyes shot around, searching out the source of the familiar voice. A smile crept onto her lips as she saw Bruce making his down the stairs, looking as normal as ever. He gave her a friendly smile back, flashing his perfectly white teeth. She hurried to hug him and confirm that this was real, to make sure it wasn't just a figment of her imagination. It couldn't be. He felt so good in her arms and she might of held him too long, lost in his sweet smell. Her hugged her back, as though drawing as much comfort from it as she was.

"I see you're doing just fine!" He exclaimed, releasing her quickly and giving Harvey a wave, he gave a small smile back, seeming abit intimidated. Something about seeing Rachel around this man worried him. Bruce was so much better than him on all standards and he didn't want Rachel noticing that too.

"Horrible weather we're having today." He said flatly, making some attempt at small talk.

"Oh yes it's dreadful!" Bruce said, perhaps abit more animated than needed," Can Alfred get you something warm to drink perhaps, you both look very cold." Up until now Rachel had completely forgotten that they were still dripping with rain. Her face grew red as she noticed the trail of rain behind her.

"A cup of coffee would be nice." Harvey admitted and Rachel nodded in agreement. Nodding, Bruce turned to inform the butler but Rachel stopped him.

"Can I speak with you privately for a moment." He gave her a confused look but simply nodded his head and started off towards the kitchen. Harvey sighed and sat down on one of Bruce's expensive looking sofa's. He took a coin out of his pocket and placed it on his fingers before flipping it into the air. It was a strange habit he had acquired that helped him pass the time.

Once inside the kitchen Bruce closed the door behind him and turned to face Rachel, slightly afraid of what she most probably was going to say. He knew Rachel was a smart woman, there was no way of fooling her when trying to hid something. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him, obviously annoyed.

"You look okay but this morning the news made it sound like you were dead…or atleast in the process of dying." He felt guilty as soon as he heard the worry in her voice. He scratched the back on his head, searching his mind for a reasonable answer.

"Well Rachel you know they tend to exaggerate-"

"Stop it Bruce. I want to know what happened." The conversation had barely begun and already she had him feeling trapped. Rachel was one of the only people who knew all the ways to get under Bruce's skin and she never hesitated to do so. She was glaring at him, almost like a mother confronting a child who had done wrong.

"It's complicated…" He replied, not meeting her glare.

"I think I can get the jest of it if you just tell me what's going on!" She almost yelled, and he frowned. It was better if she didn't know…

"I'm sorry for making you worry…" He'd been apologizing so much recently, it was beginning to become a habit," I didn't mean for things to end up this way." That look of guilt on his face was making her stomach turn. Her eyes grew wide as a sudden realization hit her.

"Please tell me you turned him into the cops. Please tell me the news was just stretching the truth like they usually do!" When he didn't answer immediately she grew agitated.

"Bruce please! I have a right to know!" Yes she did, but that was the part that sickened him the most. Up until now Rachel had suspected that Bruce's dark navy colored sweater was being worn because of the weather but when she saw him shift his shoulders uncomfortably she frowned even further.

"Don't tell me you're arms are hur-" He cut her off with a menacing glare.

"It was an explosion Rachel, of course I got hurt," Suddenly it seemed like a stupid thing for her to get so worked up about," I can't tell you what you want to hear." Ever since they grew up he'd been telling her that. He couldn't tell her how much he wanted to be with her because he refused to put her in that much danger. She did love Harvey dearly, but, there was a childish part of her that would have left him for Bruce if ever he put his suit and gadgets away for good.

She stared at him, dazed, and feeling slightly betrayed. Her heart was pounding in her chest.

"Bruce he isn't safe! That man tried to kill me!" She waved her arms widely as she spoke," He tried to kill me on more than one occasion! He'll probably try to kill you if you turn your back!" He didn't look at her and it made her want to scream. She didn't need him to give her a yes or no, she knew the answer even without words. Bruce gave a small chuckle when he noticed how angry this was making her. Steaming, she wanted to smack her hard across the face but was trying hard to hold herself back.

"Bruce…you went out and got yourself hurt… for what?! The man who tried to destroy Gotham?! A man who tried to kill me?! Please tell me you're joking." She scoffed.

"Rachel it was my mistake, I had to fix i-"

"Fix it?! How does this fix it?" She was close to tears now. After arguing with him like this she had begun to realize that more than anything she was just concerned, it was just coming out in angry words." I don't feel like anything has been fixed."

"Rachel he's too weak to do any harm…he's been sleeping since I brought him here yesterday." So he was here. Even though she had suspected it easily, she had still tried to deny it up until now. She glared at him and couldn't help but chuckle though she actually felt more like crying.

"That's what you said last time."

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It was only a dull sensation that awoke Jonathan from his slumber. The feeling quickly amplified. It was a burning ache and it shot through his body like a thousand bullets. He cringed, his eyes watering as he bit back the pain. His eyes opened as he resisted the urge to scream. It was blurry, everything was mixture of grays and blues. Some where far off there was a soft pattering sound, like the falling of raindrops perhaps. His whole body felt sore, as though he'd been sleeping for days and had completely forgotten how it felt to move. He groaned, finding himself lying onto of something that was obviously much softer than the hard floor he'd slept on at the warehouse.

Where was he? His mind was completely blank. There was the faint memory of an explosion of some sort but than everything after that was nothing but blackness. He needed to get up, needed to figure out where he was before something happened to him. What if they were only messing with his mind? What if this was simply another one of the Joker's games? He tried to get his arms under himself so that he could sit up but he groaned in agony instead. A pair of handcuffs held him to the frame of the bed he was laying on. He grunted and gave them a small tug. They rattled but showed no signs of breaking.

His heart was pounding again. He needed to calm down but he found that to be impossible. He was yanking at the cuffs, praying that they would break. Everything had been going so wrong recently, couldn't one thing go in his favor? Furiously, he pulled and tugged at the silver cuffs. Little trails of crimson ran down his fingers and stained the white sheets. He kicked his sore legs against the soft mattress, hissing with anger as he tired desperately to free himself.

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Harvey was growing tired of sitting on the couch. Earlier he had heard one outburst from Rachel, but after that everything had returned to being a dull whisper, one he had a hard time following. Whatever they were speaking about, it must have been very important or at least important enough that it had to be hidden from him. Such a thought made Harvey frown. What was so important that Rachel would go to Bruce before first confiding in him? He scowled, suddenly feeling very left out. After a few minutes of staring at all the wondrous things Bruce had in his home that Harvey could never dream of owning, he had grown bored. Harvey was leaning back against the arm of the sofa, trying to settle down and take a short nap when something caught his attention.

It was a thudding noise, and it vaguely sounded like it was coming from upstairs. At first Harvey suspected it was only Alfred coning downstairs but after staring at the stair case and seeing no one come down it for quite awhile, he had grown more curious. He sat up, stretching his back and approaching the cream carpeted stairs.

"Is anyone up there?" He called," Rachel? Bruce?" No answer. How odd…He glanced over at the door that led to the kitchen, making sure no one was coming his way before shooting up the stairs. He flew up them, walking quickly. He could have sworn he heard someone speaking, mumbling something under their breath. Upstairs there was nothing but doors, each one the same dark color. There was a huge glass window over looking the city streets and on all sides of it where closed doors, most of them, Harvey found with dismal, were locked. This felt so wrong, peeking around Bruce's home.

"Hello?" He called, and wasn't surprised when he received no answer again, Then suddenly he heard a crash coming from the left side and rushed over to one of the doors. Something was definitely wrong. He grabbed the golden handle and found it was locked (not surprised at the least) but this one was different. It was locked from the outside, which was unlike all he others. He hesitated, looking behind his back before turning the knob right. It clicked and he opened the door slowly. Immediately the voice he heard earlier became alarming louder. It cursed and yelled, making quite a fuss over something. So Bruce had had other guests today as well?

"Hello, is anyone the-" Harvey barely had time to dodge as something was hurled at him. A black flower vase shattered against the gray colored wall. He stared at it dumbly for a moment, trying to take in what he had just seen. Then something hit HIM, it cut into his arm, making him yelp with pain. Crimson poured over the large piece of glass that was now embedded in his arm. Gritting his teeth, Harvey turned his head to face his offender. His jaw dropped.

Standing in the middle of the room, in a mess of blood-splattered glass was a rather dirty and enraged looking Doctor Crane. He smiled at Harvey with a mad look dancing in his wide eyes. His hands trembled at his sides.

"Hello Mr. Dent." He said shakily as he bent over to pick up another piece of the shattered mirror from the floor.

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I believe now would be a good time to explain the reason why Jonathan is acting the way he is in my little story. Basically I'm following the idea that after all that has happened to him he isn't quite "stable" which would explain why he's acting the way he is. As of now he doesn't quite know what to do with all the emotions he's feeling. You'll see a lot more of this in the next chapter.

Reviews are greatly appreciated.