I know, those who saw this story alert must be shocked and those just joining us, hello! Welcome to the story. I apologize for the lack of updates, but life got in the way. College and working as a waitress is not the best when you want to write. Anyways, I designed the plot further in the story and have created a huge plot twist that will occur much later, but I hope this twist does not defer any reader. Just keep in mind this sentence: Nolan universe attempts to realistically portray batman villains and humanize them. Obviously there are impossible elements, such as this fear toxin does not exist, but whatever.
Also remember folks, I am keeping ties and ideas from the Comic books because Cillian's scarecrow was not really shown much screen time. Dr. Crane has the ability to alter people's feelings by his words. Remember in a comic book he drove a person to kill themselves, just by talking to them! Also in a comic panel I recently saw, scarecrow was smoking a pipe and drinking wine. While I don't picture Cillian's scarecrow smoking, for certain wine is a suitable thing!
The weekend was passing by and Alexis was surprised to hear no words from Jonathan. Not a single text nor phone call arrived into her cellular device. Although, she never pegged for Jonathan to be one that texted or even called people often, the conversation yesterday implied that he would be getting in some form of conversation with her. It would be a lie if she did not say she was disappointed. It was also within that moment of disappointment she made a striking realization.
Slow the hell down, she took a deep exhalation and leaned back in the chair she was seated at in her dining room. Living alone and the social life of a studious doctor meant for no often interactions with friends. The apartment was quiet and still. The only noise was coming from inside her brain, which was growing excited at the next opportunity to see Crane. Her mind raced back to when he told her she was monophobic in her youth. This moment would completely go along with that idea. She hated being alone. Most her friends were no longer anywhere near her, and only so much company can be eased with family visits. Jonathan was the first friend she had since moving back to Gotham and she was suddenly jumping at the opportunity, making her feel desperate. Not only that, but she found him attractive. She hoped she was not confusing the mere fact he was the first to become her friend as something more than what it really was.
I don't even know if I like him like this, she tried to convince herself. But she knew, the minute she met eyes with his piercing blue ones, the confusion would only heighten. Perhaps it was due to the fact she could never tell what he was thinking that excited her. He was just an odd friend to have. He always was. It was difficult to be suddenly picking up the pieces of a friendship that occurred in high school. Their summer visits to the library were often and a bounding experience, but it felt awkward and back to square one now. They both changed so much over the years, more intelligence, more morality changes, more physical changes…
She bit her lip.
The phone rang and her stomach had a sudden pang of excitement.
Call from: Mom
Disappointment.
Followed by kicking herself for even being disappointed.
Yet again, years later in her life, Jonathan Crane was causing Alexis to be confused.
Monday morning, Arkham was a bit busier than usual as a few police officers were chatting with doctors. Passing by, Alexis heard the name "Falcone" dropped a few times. Being an avid news program watcher, she knew he was the leader of one of the mobs in town and a dangerous man. Once she was in her office, Dr. Slater knocked on her door and wasted no time letting himself in.
"Dr. Crawford? A moment of your time?" He had asked, but it sounded more of a statement to her.
"Of course," She motioned for him to sit as she removed her jacket and placed it on the hook in her wall.
"We are having an upcoming court case that Dr. Crane is going to be testifying at regarding one of Falcone's thugs. He was their butcher, so to speak. Chopped up a lot of people and murdered countless others. Dr. Crane has interviewed and concluding that he is insane and should be treated here and that is what he is going to testify in a couple of days, but Dr. Crane has called and said he's running late due to family emergencies and we need you to conduct an interview with the patient as part of the legal procedure that requires a certain amount of interviews before it can qualify in court." He rubbed at his chin, which appeared to have stubble indicating he did not shave like he normally would.
It dawned on her the only thing that registered at first was the thought of if Jonathan was okay, or what family member was injured or died. Perhaps his grandmother? Shit…Come on focus!
"Of course, I'll interview the patient. When do you need me to?" She asked, looking through her files that she had organized by last name. "And what is his last name?"
"Zas, is the last name….and…. well… we need you to in the next hour. The police have brought him here and we have limited time constraints. I know, I know, that this is last minute, but Dr. Crane has never ran late before, and I am not going to question his family emergency. He might show up half way through your interview even and can join in. I had intended for you to observe and assist him, but..." Slater, looked stressed as he adjusted his glasses on his face a couple of times, breaking eye contact with Alexis regularly.
Nerves hit, but she agreed to do the interview. He handed her a couple of sample questions and a brief summary of information on his case and Crane's findings, which she studied the entire fifteen minutes she had to look over it. Her hair was worn down today and she ended up playing with the long dark red curls with her finger tips as she looked over the paper. She adjusted her black rimmed glasses and looked up to the sudden sound of her door opening.
Dr. Slater returned to her office to signal that he was ready to lead her to the suspect. She followed silently, a mixture between nerves and excitement for the fact she was finally doing something major for her line of work. Lead into a room with only a table and two chairs on opposite ends, she took her seat and clicked her pen open.
A bald man with various tattoos on his body entered the room in an orange one piece jumpsuit and chains around his hands. He was seated by a guard in the chair opposite of her and then the guard promptly left the room, but his shadow was barely visible standing directly on the other side of the door.
Doctor to patient confidentiality is even a thing with criminals?
The patient looked at her with a very blank stare, eyes cold and dark. He had a goatee that was a medium shade of brown, but that was his only prominent feature.
"Hello," She simply stated, breaking the silence.
"Where's Dr. Crane?" He asked in a very flat tone, although hints of irritation could be noted.
"He's running late. A family emergency. So I'm here for now. I'm Dr. Crawford. It's nice to meet you," She gave a small smile that showed her awkward nerves very plainly for him to see.
"I mean…. I don't mind having some red headed broad in the room with me. Believe me, you're better to stare at than Dr. Crane, but I don't feel comfortable talking to you and I would like him here now." Zas leaned back in his chair. "You got a light?"
"I actually don't," She awkwardly readjusted her glasses. "But regardless, he is not able to be with us at the moment, so you're stuck with this red headed broad. Sorry." She tried to make her tone sound light and playful. Using her gender to make him more relaxed, was not her original plan, but his comment made her change tactics.
After a half hour of chatting, Alexis started to pick up the signs that perhaps he was not mentally insane. She asked him simple questions regarding what happened, how he murdered his victims, what he felt, why he did the crimes he committed, but everything did not add up. Crane labeled him as a paranoid schizophrenic, but from his responses she gathered he was just in it for the power and money of being in the mob.
"So… you enjoy what you do?" She asked him again, summing up their entire conversation.
"I do what I have to. Falcone wants someone dead, I do it. I get paid and respect." He fiddled his hands on his lap while smirking at her.
She tapped her pen on the table a few times in thought. "Do you… see anything ever strange? Hear voices?"
"Dr. Crane has already covered those areas with me and I don't wish to discuss anything with you." He folded his hands together on the table.
"Well that isn't how this works, Mr. Zas. I ask the questions just as any doctor would. You can't rely on Crane to help you. What if he were to ever move, or quit? Who would you answer to then?" She tried to sound helpful in her tone, keeping a light approach to the subject.
"That won't happen and besides, I'll be cured by then and out on the streets a better person." He smirked and learned back in his chair.
She kept eye contact with him, his dark brown ones showing no remorse or signs of anxiety. She wrote a few things down, only pausing to look up at him. Something did not add up to her and the gut feeling inside of her pegged him to be faking his 'mental problems'. The ideas going against this thought process was the fact that Dr. Crane was so intelligent and able to pick up on emotions so well that the thought of this guy outsmarting Crane was laughable. Impossible was more so the word. Alexis could not question Crane's judgment unless this guy put on the act solely in front of Jonathan and did not bother with her. Another thought came into her mind and she accidently wrote out the word 'jealous' when she meant to write something else. She believed if she could prove this man's faking his insanity, she could impress Jonathan or easily upset him. Either way it would be entertaining to her.
"You know, that smirk on your face can leave anytime now." Alexis said, dropping the paper and pen to the table.
She was just going to go for it.
"I'm going to be honest with you. I don't believe a word you are telling me. Wanna know why? My father was a cop and could always tell when I was lying. He passed down the tricks of the trade and you sure are going down my mental checklist of signs a person is lying." Alexis kept her eyes connected to the man, even though it became slightly awkward.
"Lady, you don't know a god damn thing you're talkin' about, so why don't you just call it a day?" Zas shifted in his chair uncomfortably, while his tone started to show hints of irritation.
"I think I do, because you are sitting here and showing no signs of anything Dr. Crane wrote as your problems. All you did was sit here and talk about how happy it was to have money and gain power through illegal acts. You supported your family through doing so and did what you had to. I think you're a classic case of..." Alexis did not have time to finish her statement.
A series of events occur simultaneously as Alexis's glasses flew off her face as Zas had managed to climb out of the chair and leap across the table at her. It was at that moment that Dr. Crane had walked into the room and clearly not expecting to see his patient jump at Alexis, let out a yell for help. Alexis's chair fell backwards, her head hitting the concrete floor and her back receiving a sharp pain along her spine as it fell with the chair backwards. She let out a cry of mixed surprise and pain as his hands wrapped around her throat, squeezing down at her and yelling profanities. Before she could even bring her hands up to get his off her neck, Jonathan and a couple of police officers were on Zas, trying to pull his body away from her. His hands left her neck, but began to scratch at her face and arms. The chair underneath Alexis turned onto its side and one of her hands became crunched underneath the metal chair and the floor. With his weight off her body, she scrambled to a kneeling position as Dr. Crane got in between her and Zas, taking a couple hits to his upper arm. Zas yelled out as the cops were able to restrain him and handcuff him once again. They dragged him out of the room with his yells echoing out.
Jonathan immediately turned around, kneeling down next to her. It was the first time she saw Jonathan showing actual concern for her wellbeing. "A-Are you okay?"
At a loss for words, she realized that a warm liquid was traveling down her forehead. She wiped it with the hand that was not in pain from the crushing chair and saw that it was blood. "Just shocked…"
Jonathan kept their eyes locked as he was trying to read her. She could not tell if it was anger, concern, or worry that his eyes were showing, but the stare made her suddenly uncomfortable. He looked at the blood running slowly down the side of her face and clearly swallowed a lump of nerves in his throat.
"What happened!?" Dr. Slater entered the room, out of breath. He looked like he was a deer in the headlights as he saw Alexis with blood on her hands on face.
"He attacked her." Dr. Crane stood up and walked over to Dr. Slater.
"I'm fine…I just need to clean myself up. He just scratched me in a few places and I fell…" She tried standing up but shakily had to use the wall as support. Her legs felt like Jell-O, having been stiff with fear moment earlier.
"No, no you are not certainly fine. Dr. Slater, may I request she goes home for the day? Surely this has been enough excitement for her. I can make sure she makes it home alright." Dr. Crane stood sideways so both people in the room could see him clearly and read his facial expressions. He seemed stoic about the situation, his tone of voice remaining as calm as ever. He had returned to his normal self, even though moments ago he showed an emotion unexpectedly to her.
Dr. Slater put a hand on his chin and rubbed at his scruff, "She has to fill out paperwork and the trial will-"
"I'll handle everything and clear this situation up. Don't worry about it." Dr. Crane turned to face Dr. Slater directly as he spoke. The other man sighed and agree turning on his heel and leaving the room.
"Come on, Lex. Let's go get you washed up and home." Dr. Crane walked to her and eyed her over for a moment as she stayed leaning against the wall. "D-Do you need help to walk?"
He kept looking at her searching for something that was unknown to her.
"I'm fine seriously… I could have stayed on the rest of the day." She started to walk with him and led the way out of the room, wiping a bit more blood from the top of her head. She was in intense pain, but tried to bite her tongue about it feeling as if she was the fool of Arkham Asylum at that moment. To question Crane's judgment on Zas's mental state had earned her a physical attack from the patient. She had felt so correct about it all and was sure he was faking it, but clearly not as his violent outbreak was something Dr. Crane had written he had the tendency to have. She had to come up with some sort of lie to cover this situation up. If Jonathan were to know, he'd give her a lecture about her intellect and then she'd roll her eyes and argue with him. It was increasingly hard to concentrate on formulating a plan while the pain of her spine, hand, and head were taking over most of her preoccupation. She stopped at Jonathan's office door and remained leaning against the wall next to it as he caught up to her and unlocked it.
"I'll be right inside in one moment," He turned around and headed down the hall while Alexis stepped inside. His office was cluttered with books and seemed messier than she remembered it earlier in the week. His lab coat was thrown on the chair meant for guests to sit, so she remained standing until she decided to half sit and half lean on the side of his desk. She crossed her arms and stared at the various book titles on the shelf in front of her. She looked away and down at his desk. His briefcase on his desk and looked like it had messed up stacks of papers as he had thrown it down. Along the edge of the briefcase she could see that something brown was barely poking out the side and wondered if he needed a bigger suitcase, dubbing it to be his lunch bag or something.
He returned to his office with a medical kit and a cloth which was damp. He stopped in front of her, giving a reasonable distance and handed her the cloth. "You certainly won't forget your first time interviewing a member of the mob."
She took the cloth and started to wipe at her hands and forehead, leaving red stains in its blue fabric. Jonathan started to open the medical kit taking out bandages and rubbing alcohol. He placed the rest of the container behind her on the desk and stepped closer to her. "Here, give it to me. You missed a couple spots."
She resisted rolling her eyes and feeling defeated, gave him the cloth. She met his eyes and felt a pang of mixed emotions rushing through her. His slow movements of getting closer to her increased the feeling. He took a few more steps and then started to lightly pat away a couple spots on her face to remove the smeared blood. She felt as if the moment was more intimate than it should have been as he rubbed the cloth against her skin. His bottom lip ended up inside his mouth as he sucked it in concentration until he threw the cloth behind her and reached for the bottle of rubbing alcohol. Each time he reached for something, his body barely would touch her with a simple mixing of shoulders or the brush of his upper arm against hers. He would look at her every so often in the eye as if he was trying to read her still.
"So what did you do to make Zas attack you?" He broke the silence and he opened the bottle and turned it upside down against another cloth to soak it in the contents.
"He and I got into an argument due to his dislike of a woman being put in place of you at that moment. He did not like or respect me and insisted you be there. He just snapped I think ironically as you came in the door." She looked away as she spoke. A sudden short pain hit her upper forehead as he pressed the alcohol soaked cloth to her cut.
"I was going to warn you that this might sting, but…" He rubbed it for a second and then lowered the cloth. He locked eyes with her for what seemed like minutes, although it was only a few seconds. She had the sudden feeling of uncomfortableness as he gave her a blank stare. "If you insist on lying to me, then I don't feel you deserve a warning."
He met her eyes and his arrogant smirk is what made her break the contact. She felt intimidated by him, attracted to him, resentful, and jealous of him all at the same time. It was a rush of feeling that would mix into the pit of her stomach and make her feel anxious being around him.
"I'm not ly-" She began.
"Save your breath, Lex." He suddenly reached down and grabbed her hand, running his finger against her pointer and middle finger. "Does it hurt if I place pressure on them?" His warm touch sent goose bumps down her arms, but there was no pain.
"No, I just crunched them on the chair. I don't think their broken or anything." He placed more pressure on them and she winced questioning if he suddenly was doing that on purpose to get her to feel pain.
"Mmm… Well Lex, I'd say you are in shock at best right now and should go home and rest. Your mental state right now is not in the proper condition to be working here at the moment." He stepped away from her, giving her a bit more confidence to have breathing room. She rubbed at her fingers where he had put pressure and sighed.
"Are you okay? I heard there was a family emergency and…" She straightened up and turned around as he sat in his chair and started up his computer. He took his briefcase and placed it on the ground under his desk.
"If you are not going to share what caused Zas to attack you, why should I grace you with my personal stories? Is trusting me that hard for you Lex? Especially when we are in the same medical department." He seemed irritated and folded his hands under his chin, leaning on his desk.
Where is all this coming from? She thought to herself, seeing he was in a terrible mood. The only time today he showed signs of not being irritated was when he thought she was in danger, but now whatever had happened during the weekend along with the fact she was lying to him had obviously made him reach his bubbling point.
"I'm just gonna go home then. Okay?" She made it sound like a question, but her tone came out much sadder than she had anticipated it too. She knew he'd notice it. She turned towards the door and began to walk out. Unlike the typical male, he did not even stop her which made her furious. She left the Asylum and headed home, dubbing today a mini vacation day from work. The drive home she remained furious, the bottle of wine she opened made her anxious, and the second glass into the wine made her just over the entire situation. She decided that whatever Dr. Crane's anger was towards her today, was due to something in his life stressing him out.
"Meow." Her cat climbed onto her lap as she sat watching television.
"I know…it's not even 2 o'clock and this is gonna be my third glass…"
"Meow."
"It's five o'clock somewhere kitten." She stroked its spine.
Meanwhile at Arkham, Crane had just finished filling out the paperwork. He rubbed his temple in irritation while stapling it all together. Dr. Slater had come in moments ago and said that Crane had to meet with Zas once more before he was transported back to the prison system awaiting his trial.
He had a deep fear that Alexis had figured out something or realized Zas was not insane. He decided, in order to calm himself down, that she would have said something if she had realized Zas and Crane were working together. Whatever happened in that interview though, he was going to find out somehow. He could not let this red headed novice, ruin everything he was working towards. In the back of his mind he was only slightly remorseful for how angry he came across to Alexis. His anger was not entirely due to her lying to him about the reason Zas attacked her. In fact it wasn't even something he would get mad about. He was irritated as Zas could have blown his cover and ruined everything.
His second irritation was how difficult it was to have Alexis added into the equation of his plans now.
Sometimes more trouble than she's worth… He thought to himself.
Leaving his office, he headed towards the room they were keeping Zas in. Upon entering, he found Zas had twice the amount of chains around him, keeping him contained to the chair. Once Crane was seated and the door was shut, only then he risked speaking.
"What the hell happened?" Jonathan stared blankly at Zas, keeping a calm and composed demeanor. Crane enjoyed his position of power over Zas. He took his seat and placed a stack of files on the desk, none of which had any true purpose, but to trick the law officials of Zas's 'illnesses'.
"Look, that bitch was on to me! She started accusing me of faking a mental illness." Zas spoke quickly, but sounded irritated himself. "I didn't wanna attack her, but I felt in that moment that it would be the only way to convince her. I didn't think that you even had a coworker of the same position of you! I was shocked when she came into the room! I thought you were doing your best to keep yourself alone?"
"You aren't in the position to be asking me these questions right now. My dealings and agreements with your boss have been set in stone and well maintained for over a year now. My dealings with the mob will not be ruined by your inability to keep your story straight." Jonathan gave him an intense glare, removing his glasses halfway through speaking.
Zas remained silent for a few moments, whether in thought or fear. "Who is she?"
"She's been added to the equation."
"Does she know anything?" Zas asked.
"No, but the situation is a bit awkward. I can't tell you much, but know I have met a new business man who is helping me out. Your boss Falcone is helping smuggle drugs into Gotham for me. His new price is to make sure that every one of his..." Crane swallowed the lump in his throat, "…helpers… gets out of jail and into Arkham where you will all be released reasonably… or find a way out."
"Isn't that the deal you had before this new business man showed up? I thought that's what you were doing anyways." Zas raised an eyebrow.
"It was, but I did it and Falcone paid me. This new arrangement, Falcone does not pay me anymore, but just aids in the smuggling of drugs. So perhaps if you get out soon enough, you will be helping him with that."
"What drug is this?"
Crane placed his glasses back on his face, "None of your concern."
"So how's the girl playing a role in this?" Zas leaned back in his chair.
"Contrary to first glances, she's very intelligent. She won't realize it, but she's going to help me with what I need to do."
"And what do you need to do?"
"Simple chemistry, equations, formulas… things a bit beyond your brain capacity." Crane smirked slyly, clearly insulting the man.
Zas looked like he was growing red in the face, but kept a remark in, trying to stay on good terms with the man that could get him out of jail.
"She's your pawn is what you're saying." Zas stated in a very matter-of-fact tone, but also appeared to be changing subjects to avoid yelling at Crane.
Jonathan nodded.
"Well at least she ain't sore for the eyes too. Don't waste your resources if you're only using her mind as your pawn…. If you catch my drift. Use all of her…" Zas let out a chuckle.
Jonathan abruptly stood up and shuffled the papers from the table into his hands. "We're done here. Become a better actor, Zas, or Falcone said to cut ties with anyone who cannot play the part."
Jonathan left the room and the cops walked in after him to take Zas away.
Over the weekend he had met with Ra's al Ghul's informant outside of Gotham. They spoke and had a conference call with the man called Ra's al Ghul himself. He was in an organization called the League of Shadows, whose goal was to demolish any form of corruption through any means. They wanted to destroy Gotham. The state of the city itself was not of Crane's concern, but the drug they possessed was. The first shipment was due to arrive tonight and he'd have it in his hands by tomorrow.
His part of the deal was the dump a liquid form of the drug into the water supply. He'd force all of Falcone's thugs that he got into Arkham to aid him. He was also allowed access to the drug in general for his personal use.
Crane also noted that he researched the League of Shadows, they destroyed cities throughout the years in history. Ra's al Ghul had never stated to him they wanted to destroy Gotham, but hold it for ransom. Crane simply nodded his head, knowing very well that they were attempting to use Crane as their own pawn. He did not care. If he had this drug in his hands, whatever happened to the city was their own business.
Back in his office, his mind was boggling with ideas.
The crazy fact that Alexis accidentally stumbled upon this drug through television blew his mind still to this day.
He however would never say that it made her smarter than him because she found it. It was just her resources that she had. She watched television. He didn't. That was her advantage.
Adding her to his plans was starting to crack and show the very weaknesses to it. Alexis almost found out Zas was actually a sane person. She was clever, he'd give her that. But she did not trust him completely nor did he show any trust in her. If he wanted to have her help him with the drug and creating the perfect formula, he'd have to get her wrapped around his finger.
The state of their relationship, friendship, whatever you'd call it was in a very dormant state.
"Well at least she ain't sore for the eyes too. Don't waste your resources if you're only using your mind as your pawn…. If you catch my drift. Use all of her…"
Zas's words rang in his head.
He'd have to charm her and get her to like him, love him, something! The simple process of just motivating her to impress him was not enough. She gets irritated with him too much and soon she'd have no interest in him. He'd have to charm her and be smooth.
Smooth.
He mentally laughed to himself as that was never something he'd think he'd ever say about himself. His only experience with women in college was a couple one night stands. He had been on two actual dates in his life, both were terrible. Just terrible. He'd have to look up online what women like that men do or something, because he was partially clueless.
Or…I could easily close this door. What am I gaining by keeping her around?
He ran scenarios through his head. If he were to keep her around, she'd help him out. He'd have to have fake stories and cover ups at every turn. Then… what? Once everything is done cut ties with her? Or convince her once she knows the truth to continue to help him? She wouldn't do that. She's not corrupt.
If he just stopped now, she wouldn't know anything or be a part of anything. She wouldn't get hurt.
He slammed a fist down on his desk in frustration.
Why did I ever have to have that science class with her?
It was a difficult choice to make, but part of him couldn't shake the fascination he had with her.
Alexis was on her fourth glass of wine, wandering around her kitchen in her shorts and baggy T-shirt with her old high school logo on it.
"Food…." She hummed to herself, trying to debate what to cook. Having a slightly big buzz from her wine, she reached her stage of drinking when she needed to eat. Having too much wine in an empty stomach was never a good thing. The worst part of the situation was that fact she couldn't find her glasses, so reading instructions off of cans came hard to her.
"Where are my glasses kitty?" She yelled out as her cat charged into the kitchen hearing her voice.
"MEOW!" The cat stretched its paws up her leg, seeking food.
"Shit…" She suddenly flashed to the moment Zas attacked her. Her glasses had flown off her face, but she never ended up retrieving them. "Ugh…. Their expensive!"
She sat down on the couch in defeat, sipping more of her wine. Deciding she'll cook during the next commercial break, her cat let her know how upset it was that she wasn't feeding it. It howled in anger so much, it took her a couple seconds to realize someone was knocking on her door.
"Coming!" She yelled, shooting up from her seated position. She sat up a little too quickly and had to hold a hand on her head for a moment. Keeping her wine glass in hand, she went to her door and opened it.
Piercing blue eyes behind a pair of glasses stared back at her, first intense and then clearly amused wandering to the glass in her hand.
"Am I interrupting something?" Jonathan asked, his hands folded behind his back.
The red in her face might have been from the wine, but at the moment felt from embarrassment. Of all the times he decides to make an appearance, it has to be when she started drinking and looked like a hot mess. Her dark red hair was in a tied back bun, but hopeless falling out to the point where one could not even tell if her hair was considered to be up or down. Her eyeliner was smudged and smeared under her eyes, and face red from her buzz.
"Just me throwing a pity party," She threw the words out without thinking. "Why are you here?"
In a better mind, she may have asked "What brings you here?" but a buzz was good enough to get her to say whatever came into her mind first.
"I found these-" He revealed his hand, holding a pair of thick black rimmed glasses, "-on the floor at Arkham and figured they must have been yours…and judging by the prescription… I am surprised you made it home alive." He teased her, knowing it was not that terrible of a prescription, especially one that would impair her ability to drive.
"My glasses!" She took them from his extended hand, her fingertips barely glossing over his. "Thank you…"
He remained still at the door, looking her over for a moment before looking down at the ground. "I must apologize for my behavior earlier… I acted angered by you when in reality you were not the cause of it at all and on top of that you were attacked and I blamed you entirely for Zas's actions."
Alexis wished she had a recorder with her, because her mind was floored. Jonathan? Apologizing? I'm dreaming right?
"Oh…" Was all she could muster out of her mouth and then regretted how stupid she must have sounded. "Its… fine really. I- did lie to you about why Zas attacked me. I don't even know why I did. I shouldn't have. I just feared you judge me, but now you are anyways and-"
She met his eyes, realizing she was rambling. "Would you like to come in? I was just gonna make dinner, but I am sure I can make an extra plate."
He seemed hesitant on what to say, but nodded and stepped into her apartment.
"Meow." The cat walked up to him and sat in front of his feet, while Alexis shut the door.
"Oh, I haven't missed you though at all." Crane told the cat sarcastically.
Alexis actually laughed out loud at that, walking to the kitchen and rummaging through its contents once more with her glasses on. Jonathan decided to sit at one of the kitchen stools placed by the island counter top in the center of the small kitchen. He placed his bag down on the table and took out a couple of folders, placing them next to his bag.
"How are you feeling?" Jonathan asked, watching her move throughout the kitchen and taking out various pots and pans.
"Well I've had four glasses of wine, so pretty good," She said as she triumphantly placed a box of pasta on the table. She filled a pot with water to boil.
"No," He let out an awkward chuckle. "I mean from the attack…"
"OH!" She giggled, "I feel much better. Just sore on my head is all."
"You know what I am going to ask you next, Lex." He let his hands slide across her counter top as he shifted in his chair.
Alexis continued to prepare the kitchen to cook, but kept the conversation going after a short pause. "Well, I am sorry to tell you, that I read your reports about him and the way he was acting in front of me just did not add up to what you had written."
"Wha-"
"No let me finish," She stopped him from interrupting.
"I was sitting there in my chair across from him in an internal debate to try to call him out on it, because he was acting so opposite of what you had diagnosed him with, but I kept thinking that how could this man Zas, fool you. YOU of all people. You're brilliant!" She blushed a little after this statement. Curse my running mouth. "But I did not think that you could be fooled by this man, but the other half of me wanted to prove you wrong and show you up. That's why I did not tell you. It's a bit of an embarrassing train of thought process I went through and I didn't know how to word it without getting lectured by you or pissing you off."
There was a pause here, with Crane staring her down. She had turned to look at him when she finished speaking, having placed the Ziti pasta in the boiling water.
"How about my gift to you, for telling me the truth, is me resisting the urge to lecture you on how to diagnose someone?" Jonathan gave a small smile to her.
"How about my second gift to you is not calling you an arrogant-" She paused, "Well see I'm stopping myself." She gave him a sarcastic smile, and then they both ended up letting out a small chuckle.
"Lex, all I will say is I have met with this man numerous times over the past month. You saw him one day, and most likely on a good day for the most part." Jonathan brushed a hand through his hair that was falling in his face. He brushed it backwards and placed his hands on his lap.
"Yeah cause him attacking me was a good day." Alexis joked as she stirred the pasta.
"No, but before he attacked you. His symptoms were not being shown outwardly. Then your argument triggered them. I'm not blaming you, it's a rookie mistake."
Alexis bit her tongue and continued to cook. She watched the pasta swish around in the pot of water for a moment, before grabbing butter out of the fridge to thaw out a bit so it would be spreadable for bread. She could feel Jonathan watching her every move, but kept her body facing the task at hand. "Well, I just had a gut feeling is all."
"Sometimes gut feelings are not the wise decisions to be made. You should follow logic." Jonathan's eye diverted to the cat that was pawing at his pant leg. He kicked his leg lightly to try to get the cat away. They ended up having a slight stare down, before the cat backed off and jumped up on the counter to bother Alexis.
"I just don't ever want you to get mad at me. You're not exactly the nicest person when you get pissed." Alexis admitted, dubbing the alcohol for the reason she was speaking so freely and honestly.
"My temper and patience only is evoked by those who commit foolish actions." Jonathan said coolly. "A perfect example would be your made up story of why Zas attacked you. A foolish action."
"I think you get mad at more than simple foolish actions of others…" Alexis mumbled, knowing Jonathan would not confess to that. He acted arrogant and rude often, but perhaps in his mind that would not fall under the category of 'having a temper'. Deciding to drop the subject, she went over to a cabinet a little off to the side in her kitchen/dining room and retrieved the half empty bottle of wine. "Care for a glass?" She offered him, making eye contact for the first time in a while.
"Riesling?" He inquired, seeing the white wine in her hand, but unable to see the label.
"I prefer sweeter wines than dry, if you want something a little more tart-"
"No, no," Crane raised a hand in the air for a moment dismissing her sentence, "I just was curious what wine you selected. A person's taste in wine says a lot about their character."
"Oh?" She reached for another glass and placed it on the counter space in front of him. She retrieved her own empty glass and began to pour him his glass and her now fifth glass. She would sip this one very slowly, she decided. "What does this wine say about me?"
Jonathan took the glass, swirling its contents around momentarily taking in the scent of the wine. He began to sip it and placed the glass back down before speaking. "You do not like dull and safe choices."
"I didn't know you were a horoscope for wine drinkers." She teased, raising the glass to her lips and sipping it slowly.
"I don't just study subjects related to the mind, Lex. I do have interests in other things." He took another sip.
Alexis strained the pasta and threw it into the empty pot, stirring in some butter and sauce. "Well, that is surprising as you never seem to show interest in anything but your books and fear and the mind and well… that is pretty much it." She grabbed two plates and scooped some alfredo covered pasta on to them. She placed a few rolls on the plate as well and put it in front of Jonathan. She placed her plate by the empty chair that was adjacent to Crane's. She'd now sit to his left on her own side of the table, placing the butter in between them and a few things of silverware.
"It's easy to judge books by their covers isn't it?" Jonathan mused while picking up a fork and twirling the pasta around it. He took a bite, running his tongue on his bottom lip after consuming. "Thank you Lex, this is very good."
"I got bored in college dorm rooms and studied cooking in my spare time. It's turned into a hobby now. I'd be glad to test recipes on you. My roommates were never around to try anything."
"How was college for you?" He asked.
"It was alright. I studied a lot, had roommates that got drunk every night, graduated top of my class... What about you?" She began to pick at her food.
"Exactly the same as your experience, except I got a single dorm room and was able to be free of those pesky frat boys that were idiotic."
"I never would have guessed that you of all people would be back in Gotham and working at Arkham. I was floored when I saw your name on the wall on my first day. I was not expecting it. I kept thinking to myself, before I realized it was you, that there was no way you were back in this rat hole of a city." She smiled, keeping her tone of voice light and inviting.
"Trust me, I didn't want to be back here, but work is hard to find. Through my studies, it is sad to say, but Arkham holds the worst cases of mentally insane patients than anywhere in the country. My dream was to work with the worst of the worst. To find answers and cures for the questions and diagnoses given to these types of people. Arkham just fit so well with my career aspirations, but I do hate this city."
"You and I both," She chuckled, pointing her fork with pasta at him before placing it in her mouth. "I never wanted to work in Gotham, but a job is a job. My mother of course is thrilled I am back here. She wants me to visit constantly or stop by her flower shop and just talk… I just want to move far away. But now I am stuck."
"You just feel like you are not getting what you want out of life, right?" Jonathan sounded more like he was telling her this fact, rather than asking.
His stare became suddenly intense, leaving a weird tingling feeling done her spine and her arms to erupt in goose bumps. It was his stare that made the, "Yes…" come sadly out of her mouth. Her tone did not hide her disappointment with her place in life.
"Do you have many friends around here? Do you do anything with your spare time?" He pried, sounding like he was treating her like a therapy session.
"No. Most of my friends live far away. I just… stay here. I work… then come home and… drink wine I guess…" The words spilled out, but her entire body felt off. It was as if a wave of depression suddenly hit her. She wondered if it was the wine, as her eyes left his and looked to her wine glass. She met his eyes again and had a sudden feeling in the pit of her stomach of anxiety.
"Meow!" The cat broke their intense stare and slowly the feeling of depression exited her body as she reached down and placed her cat on her lap. She stroked its fur, trying to compose herself from her sudden sadness. The fact that Jonathan pointed out inadvertly (so she thinks), how lonely she really was made her feel sick to her stomach. Working in Gotham led to a daily boring routine and no sense of adventure. The fact that Jonathan walked into her life, turned her routine into a mixed up mash of emotions and confusion, which actually excited her. She figured out her fascination with her must have been just because it was something different than everyday life. Her mind eased, realizing her feelings were not that of a fifteen year old girl with a crush, but of a lonely woman almost in her thirties that feared being alone and depressed the rest of her life.
They ate the rest of their food chatting about a variety of subjects such as Gotham's crime rate, why Crane diagnosed Zas with the disorders he claimed him to have, and finally Crane shared a few stories of how unintelligent some of the other Arkham staff was. Alexis went to clean up, but surprisingly Jonathan stopped her and offered to clean up for them. After a few times protesting, she accepted his offer and filled their glasses back up with wine, before going to the living room and sitting down. She took one of the blankets off the floor and wrapped it around her like a cocoon. She turned the television onto the news station and Jonathan returned within a few minutes, taking the other end of the couch as his seat. There was two cushions on the couch, but Jonathan remained so close to the edge of his side of the couch that the space between them was rather abundant.
"So… I need to tell you why I am really here," He turned his head to regard her, but looked back at the television, clearly not actually paying attention to what was on the screen.
"My glasses and an apology was not the reason?" She teased, removing her glasses and rubbing her eyes a moment. She placed her glasses on the side table next to her, and removed the hair tie from her head. She ran her fingers through her dark red hair while they spoke, taking out the knots and tangles within it.
"No, I clearly just came here for free food." He paused, and she looked at him with an eyebrow raised. His tone was so serious, that it took his small smile for her to realize he was joking. "No I actually came here to tell you something important."
The pit of her stomach became anxious again. What the hell is going on?
"I have one rule for me to tell you what I am going to tell you and that is do not ask how, understand?"
"Alright." She held her glass in her hand tightly.
"That lead you had from that television program about a drug being able to induce fear… you were right."
It took her a moment to react. She blinked a couple times, with her mouth hanging open just slightly. She sucked on her bottom lip in thought for a moment.
He continued as she kept silent. "I have found a way to acquire this flower that is supposed to be able to show you your greatest fears and I think through experimentation of this drug we could find a way to get the opposite effect."
Alexis put her glass down and met his eyes. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was always something sinister about his icy blue eyes, even when he did not mean to be so. His stare was just the most intense thing a person could imagine. Such blue bright eyes that show very little emotion was a scary thought to her. It was also one of the reasons that she pegged herself getting so angry at him often. He couldn't act like any other normal human being and show what he really thought about a situation. Leaving her unexplainable train of thought, she spit out the first words that came to her, "How?"
Jonathan made a 'tisk' noise, "Aw, Lex you said you wouldn't ask that…" His words were like velvet, smooth and with ease.
"I'm sorry," She played with her fingers, touching hands together and idly moving them with her increasing anxiety. "It's just crazy to think that this is real and how in the world you came to acquire it."
"I know a lot of people and traveled abroad in my studies. But my point is, I don't want you to think yourself suddenly smarter than me," He teased and snapped all anxiety out of Alexis. The feeling was replaced by familiar anger, but she was sort of grateful to have him return to his normal speech. "You only were able to make this discovery due to the sheer fact I do not watch television."
"You're just jealous I was able to create a lead before you." She rolled her eyes, but could not hide her smile.
"That is entirely not the case as I am sure I would have figured it out at some point, but you just sped up the process." He sounded entirely smug about the situation. "My point is, I want to ask if you have any interest in continuing to help me. I should have my hands on this flower tomorrow and then we could conduct tests on its chemical composition. I don't really think you will have as much knowledge as me in the chemicals surrounding fear, but an extra set of hands and a different perspective of the tests could be quite useful."
"I would be happy to help you," She smiled at him eager to assist him and have something at least a little exciting in her life. Her new friendship with Jonathan, she knew would not be an easy road, but she did somewhat enjoy his company.
And he's not that bad of a guy to stare at…. She blushed internally, shifting her focus to his thin arms resting in his brown jacket. She never cared for guys that were built and bulky, but Jonathan wasn't exactly super lanky anymore either. His arms, were simply… arms. No extra meat or bulk, but not entirely skin on bone. It was just a perfect combination, but her eyes immediately went back to his realizing she was staring for an abnormal amount of time at his arms.
"Good, well I am unsure when I will be receiving it tomorrow, but within the next few days we should use the labs in Arkham to conduct our research." Crane seemed on edge and Alexis couldn't tell why.
"Won't they question what we are doing?" Alexis let out a yawn, not realizing how tired she actually felt.
"That is why we would do it at night, when no one is around. No one else besides us will know what is going on. That way once we make our big break in our research, we will get all the credit. Of course, I will get most of it." He smiled another smug smile and Alexis got the sudden urge to throw something at him, reminding her of their childhood. "I'll just give you a heads up when we should meet."
"Meow!" The cat suddenly jumped on Jonathan's lap, causing him to jump from the unexpected lump of fur rubbing against his chest looking for affection.
"Hey! Get off!" Crane's tone of voice growled almost.
Alexis giggled. "Awh, it likes you."
"Well the feeling is not mutual." He pushed the cat off of him and stood up. "Well, I must be headed home. It has certainly been a long day, but I must thank you for agreeing to this."
"Yeah," She smiled, "It will be fun."
"Hmmpt….fun" He mused, "Goodnight Lex."
"Night…"
He walked himself out of her apartment.
Her mind was buzzing with thoughts. Conducting a big research project with him was something she never would have imagined herself doing. She could not shake the feeling that however he managed to acquire the flower was not through legal means, but she decided to try to not focus on that. Perhaps he knew drug dealers or something. She herself interacted with a few during college, not to buy anything, but just merely friends in her classes that happened to sell illegal products to their peers.
Most of all, she was excited that he thought of her at least in some form, intelligent enough to assist him.
The next wave of excitement came seeing he left his full glass of wine on her table. Looking to her half full glass, she decided chugging both glasses and going to bed would be the most suitable option for her next.
Stepping into his car, Crane let out a sigh.
He had made his choice. The entire time he was in her apartment, he was in a deep internal debate. To end the conversation and leave or to mention the drug and offer her a deal.
He supposed if worst came to worse, he'd just have to shoot the drug into her system and make her forget everything if she were to turn on him. Looking at his phone, he saw a missed text message from the man delivering him the drugs. Arriving earlier than expected, he decided to first stop and get a coffee and then be off to pick up his first round of this blue flower. He in no way was going to let Alexis be a part of the first testing of this drug. He had to make sure it even worked first.
He'd have to create fake files and papers on the drug and give them to her, so that she would not see his true intention. His primary goal was to create a liquid form of it. His second goal was to be able to alter its strength.
Here we go… He thought to himself as he started his car. He looked down at his suit which was now covered in cat fur and let out a frustrated growl. I'm going to kill that cat one day.
"I lost my keys!" A doctor was sighing to the receptionist as Alexis entered Arkham the next morning.
"I would call the janitor, but he hasn't shown up to work today." Judy said while filing her nails. "He didn't even call out. Rude…" She sighed.
"Hey, Mark is a nice guy. Something probably happened or his alarm didn't go off. But…ugh. Does Slater have any spare keys?" The doctor asked.
"You could ask him yourself," Judy was examining her nail.
The doctor turned to head down the hallway just as Alexis was. He looked at her and smiled, "Hi, I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Phil Keator."
He was a handsome man in his early thirties, she pegged him to be. He had curly brown hair and a face covered in light stubble, but it suited him. His perfect white teeth showed the work of expensive whitening and straightening and his suit had labels on them which she knew to be expensive. His entire aura was inviting and warm. He extended a hand to her.
"I'm Alexis Crawford," She smiled shaking his firm hand.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jonathan entering Arkham and slip past the two down the hallway. She could feel him watching her as he passed. She met his eyes and gave a small smile to consider him.
"You work with Dr. Crane don't you?" Phil asked, placing his hand in his pocket.
"Yeah, I do." She pushed her hair on one side behind her ear and looked down, avoiding eye contact out of nerves from how handsome his green eyes were.
"I don't know how you do. I wouldn't have the patience for it. I mean, we're all doctors here, but his language is even too complex for me. When I speak to him it's like reading a boring text book. But, I guess he has his head firmly on his shoulders. Respect for a man who can retain all the knowledge in our medical field." Phil chuckled. "Well, I'll see you around, Alexis."
Phil walked towards the opposite hallway towards Dr. Slater's office, while Alexis went to her office. The day was nothing out of the ordinary. News that the Zas trial was going to be postponed a few weeks had her stacking his paperwork far below other patients that needed treatment and evaluation before him.
Towards the end of the day, she met with Jonathan to discuss a few files. He did not bring up anything regarding their project or the drug, which she remembered him saying he would acquire today. She did not press on the issue or want to bring it up herself. Their talk was purely professional. Returning to her office she packed up her belongings and sent out a few emails. She ended up staying an hour later than she had to, organizing her filing cabinet. When she finally did leave, she passed by one of the hallways and noticed something odd.
Jonathan was at the end of the hallway waiting for the elevator to come. When it opened he stepped inside and the doors closed behind him. She headed towards the elevator, as she did pass it on her way out of the building. The odd thing she noticed was the fact the numbers on the screen just above the elevator, showed that Jonathan went to the basement floor. Dr. Slater had specifically told her that the basement was under construction and nothing of use was down there. She looked back at the screen once more to see if she was misreading it, but sure enough the arrow and words "B-1" were plastered on it.
Hmm… Maybe there's old files down there or something… She brushed it off and continued her walk out of the building.
"Hey Alexis." A voice said slightly behind her as she exited Arkham.
"Oh hey Phil." She said, sending him a smile.
"Worked late today?" He asked, obviously knowing the answer.
"Just organized my files and it took a little longer than expected." She chuckled as they walked towards the parking lot together.
They continued their small talk as they reached the parking lot, stopping behind Alexis's car and spending a little time talking about their colleges and degrees. Talking with Phil was a simple enough task, compared to talking to Jonathan to say at the least. When talking to Jonathan, she had to plan her words carefully and often was confused as to what emotion he was having. Phil was more warm and inviting. She felt at ease when speaking to him. They exchanged goodbyes and Alexis went home, forgetting for a few moments about anything to do with Jonathan Crane.
The next two days went by almost like clockwork. Alexis went to work, ended up spending her lunch break with Phil and a few other doctors. She'd see Jonathan use the elevator to go to the basement floor when she left Arkham and then she'd go home. Her interactions with Crane were on a professional level and she started to question if the drug he said he was going to acquire, fell through and he was too embarrassed to bring it up.
She went home and was just changing out of her work clothing when her phone went off.
"Hello?" She said holding the phone between her face and shoulder as she used her hands to pull her jeans on.
"Lex, its Jonathan. I was wondering if tonight you'd want to come back to Arkham with me to use the labs. It took a few extra days to get the flower to me. My friend was sick." He spoke calmly.
"Yeah, I could do that. You wanna pick me up, or you wanna meet there?"
"I could pick you up. I am sorry if the past few days I've been keeping to myself. We can't discuss this with people around, I am sure you already could tell what was going on."
"Oh, yeah yeah." She lied.
"I'll be there in twenty minutes?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'll be outside in twenty."
"See you then." He hung up, and she threw her phone on her bed, allowing her to button up her pants. She changed into a white button up blouse and untied her hair from its tight bun. She considered to herself what she might want to bring with her, but decided that everything they needed would be at Arkham or he would have in his procession.
"This feels like were doing something illegal." She chuckled, shutting the door behind her as she climbed into his car. She buckled her seatbelt and looked him over. He was still in business attire, a blue suit with a brown sweater vest underneath. The amount of layers he wore seemed too formal for this time and occasion, but she figured he liked to be professional at all times.
"We are not committing any crimes, Lex, I can assure you that. But if we told anyone what we were doing they'd want to be in on it. It's a shame these days that people are only out for money and not for trying to really create something new and for research purposes."
"You're right on that. It is a shame, but it's also a shame this world is based around money. I don't really think everyone is out for money," She ran her hand against the side of the car door, feeling its textures. "The world we live in just revolves around money. Without it you cannot live. People don't wanna waste time they have to do things that do not have a gain to it."
"I guess you and I are different then." Crane stated. He was a safe driver, not speeding or trying to go through yellow lights. She pegged him to be a very orderly and safe person. She'd bet his own apartment was neatly organized and the type of place you have to take your shoes off before entering. She mentally laughed at the thought of Crane scolding her for having her shoes on his clean floor, should she ever go to his apartment. They pulled into Arkham and parked in the back lot. Stepping outside, Crane kept his keys out as he unlocked a back entrance. He held in his hand a large bag, which he slung over his shoulder. Turning various hallways with Alexis following closely behind, they made their ways to one of the smaller labs on the third floor. They kept quiet as they walked and Jonathan locked the door behind them. They had passed very little staff, giving them a small nod of acknowledgement whenever they saw someone. Now within the lab, they grabbed a couple of the white coats hanging from the hooks near the entrance.
"Alright let's see what you have," Lex stated taking her glasses out of her purse and putting them on.
He retrieved a zip lock bag from his satchel, which contained numerous blue flowers. He carefully put gloves on and took out one of the flowers, placing it on the table. He took out one more, and turned the light on a microscope. They both took a flower and began their work. Placing mouth masks over their face to avoid inhalation (just to be safe), they both began cutting the flower into smaller pieces. They both took off conducting their own tests, Alexis blissfully unaware that Crane already performed these tests earlier himself. She examined it under a microscope and used other chemicals to extract its compounds.
After nearly two hours of collecting data, they both agreed that this plant had an unknown chemical within it that could produce hallucinogens and paranoid feelings.
"I'm certainly not testing this on myself," Alexis lowered her brows, with her hands on her hips.
"Well," Crane readjusted his glasses, "How are we going to know the effects of it?"
"This data is enough to prove it. We don't need to experiment with this, what if something bad happens?" Alexis wrote down a few notes. The room itself was dim, the only light coming from two table lamps and the light on the microscopes. The shadows created a dark intimate setting, creating shapes of dark on their faces and curves within their hands and neck. Alexis, although fascinated with everything, felt a bit of thrill from the fact they were conducting these secret experiments. Even though Crane assured her nothing they were doing was illegal, it felt like a stealthy mission they were on. She questioned mentally what they would say if anyone came into the lab and asked what they were doing.
"Okay, okay," He sighed. "The goal here would be to create this into a liquid form. It's much easier to work with and easier to find ways to create the opposite effect. This flower is too bulky and fragile. We need to extract the compounds within it and dissolve it into the desired liquid form."
They began working again, as the clock ticked on into the early hours of the morning. They tried and failed numerous times, creating liquids that made the compound that induced fear become nothing more than water. They wrote down formulas and equations on the white board and pieces of paper, testing theories, but nothing seemed to work. Looking at the time, Alexis began to give up hope for the night.
"We have to work in five hours Jonathan!" She pointed to her cell phone. "We should be getting home."
Jonathan was looking very frustrated at all their failed attempts. "Perhaps in any spare time you have tomorrow, you could reevaluate some of these formulas."
"Of course." She smiled at him. "It's all really amazing though. I bet this flower has never been examined under a microscope, if it's from the foreign country it's believed to be grown in."
"We have got our work cut out for us then." Crane smiled back at her and they packed up their belongings.
The drive home was quiet, except for the radio which Alexis fiddled with. Whenever she found a satisfying station, Jonathan would change it to a jazz station, to which she would change it to another station and so on. They argued about music for the rest of the drive, trying to seem like their taste was better than the other's. Pulling up to Alexis's apartment, she shut the radio off completely and gave him a sarcastic, somewhat flirty smile. "That's what I think of your music Dr. Crane."
"Alright," He smirked. "Out of my car."
"See you tomorrow, Jonathan."
"Bye Lex."
Alexis walked out of the car and looked back at him only once on her walk to the front steps of her apartment. She had a sudden feeling of butterflies in her stomach inexplicably when she saw he was looking to her as she walked to the door. It was in that moment, that she realized she did like Jonathan Crane. She liked him as more than a friend, but it was also when she realized that the chances of returned affection were slim and not only that but his style of life, his mannerisms, his ideology, was not something that might allow such a relationship to blossom. Accepting these two facts, she felt a sudden wave of relief wash over her.
She was going to let whatever happened happen. She would stop obsessing over when he'd call her next or her actions around him. The cards would fall wherever they may. It pleased her that she had the ability to admit and accept this idea. Of course, following it would be hard, but that was what life was about.
She trusted Jonathan, but knew his social awkward tendencies prevented him from being the average male.
If he ended up liking her back, so be it.
If that Phil doctor, who suddenly popped in her head, ended up liking her, she wouldn't be opposed to it either.
I'm nearly thirty damn it, I can have some options.
Her phone went off, signaling a text message.
Message from: Jonathan Crane
I forgot to say thank you.
She smiled outwardly, climbing the stairs to her apartment's floor. Yeah, it was going to be hard to follow her own advice…
With his text message sent, Jonathan drove back towards Arkham. He decided a text would suffice as a thank you, as he needed to keep her hooked and on good terms. He really did secretly appreciate her help. Crafting a formula to make the fear toxin into liquid was a challenge. He wouldn't want to have anyone else's help but hers. Everyone else was a bit… to bluntly put it… dumb to him.
He took a five hour energy shot out of his pocket and gulped it down, before shutting off the lights of his car and returning to the back entrance of Arkham. He made his way to the elevator, where he pressed the button for the lowest level. Taking a left, he walked through the unfinished pipe lined hallway to a set of large double doors. He opened and looked down at the room filled with various boxes, pipe lines, and one man strapped to a table with a blindfold on.
Crane let out a smile as he slowly walked towards the man. He set his briefcase down on a small table next to him and retrieved the brown burlap mask inside of it. He placed it on his head and took out one of the flowers. With a match box already on the table, he created a small flame from a match and lit the flower on one of its ends. He placed the flower close to the man's nose, who was already trying to hold his breath and resist it. A cold sweat was breaking out from his forehead.
The man wore a blue jumpsuit with the words 'custodian' on it. There was splatters of blood on various parts of the uniform and a wet spot towards the lower part of it suggesting he had urinated on himself whether out of fear or shire amount of time being held down on the table.
Crane removed the blindfold and the man erupted into screams.
"Scarecrow! Scarecrow!" The man started to yell.
Jonathan was smiling underneath his mask, feeling empowered and dominate; a feeling that was never present in his life until he placed his homemade mask on him and created utter fear within this man.
"Keep screaming. No one is going to hear you." The Scarecrow cooed, keeping the flower near the man's nose to make sure he got a bigger dose of it.
That's all for now folks. It's getting to the good parts. It's really challenging for me to have to write characters bonding in such a short time, but in movies most of the time people bound quickly, but I am trying to keep it realistic without making it long and dragged out. Poor Alexis does not know what she is in for as this wild ride continues. I am unsure how much I can cram into the next chapter. Once I reach around 12,000 words I try to find a reasonable place to end the chapter, I don't wanna give you too much each chapter. But Alexis and Scarecrow interaction is happening soon folks! Minds will be blown, fear toxin injected, and an awkward date will leave you asking, whose paying the bill anyways? STAY TUNED! –Love Kait.
Ps: Please review. I see no point in writing this, If I do not know if you all like it or want more!
