If I owned Batman or any Batman characters, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.
I am so sorry for the wait between chapters. My friend got me hooked on Once Upon a Time and lately that's all I've been focused ohn. If you haven't seen the show, you should at least take a look at the Pilot
"My life sucks."
Mabel looked up from her small desk to see Becca leaning against the doorframe. "Oh? And why is that?" the redhead asked, going back to her paperwork.
"It just does, okay?" Becca sighed. "I swear, some higher power has it out for me." She collapsed in the chair across from Mabel's desk and put her head in her hands. "Seriously, I just need someone to put me out of my misery."
Mabel sighed and, realizing she wasn't going to get any more work done, looked up at her friend. "Okay, I'll bite—what's wrong?"
Becca ran her hands through her hair and glanced up at Mabel. "Have you ever liked someone, but you don't know why because really, you can't stand them?"
Mabel blinked.
"I mean, they're a complete jerk, and they're arrogant and think they're all that, and you just want to slap that stupid smirk off their face, but at the same time you care about what they think about you, and you hate seeing them in pain, but there's nothing you can do about it because they're stuck in a maximum security insane asylum and there's nothing you can do!" Becca took several deep breaths and closed her eyes. "Damn," she muttered; she hadn't meant to say that much.
Mabel looked confused for a second before her eyes widened. "Oh my god," she breathed, her mouth hanging open.
"Don't," Becca warned.
"Oh my god."
"I mean it."
"Oh. My. God."
"Mabel, I swear to whoever's listening, if you tell anyone—"
Mabel shook her head. "Oh no, your secret's safe with me," she promised, leaning forward. "How long have you . . . .?"
"A while," Becca sighed. "I have no idea when it started, but I've been having these stupid dreams for weeks now, and they keep getting worse."
Mabel frowned. "You're having nightmares?" she asked.
Becca's face reddened.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Becca muttered something too quiet for Mabel to hear.
"What?"
Becca glared at Mabel, her face growing even redder. "I said, they're not nightmares."
"Then what—oh. Oh."
Becca slid down in her seat. "I don't even like the guy," she moaned. "He's arrogant, he's a jerk, and he makes me want to punch something!" She rubbed her eyes and thumped her head on the back of the chair. "If it wasn't for those three weeks looking after his sorry ass, I wouldn't care about him at all!" She sat back up and put her head on Mabel's desk. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"
Mabel tapped her nails against the desk. "Well, you could always tell him how you feel," she suggested.
Becca raised her head. "Yes Mabel, I'm going to tell a psychopath that I want to have sex with him, because that always works out so well. Honestly, do you hear the words that come out of your mouth or is it just noise?"
Mabel huffed. "I'm just trying to help."
"I know, and I appreciate it," Becca sighed. "Thanks for listening." She stood up and headed for the door, but then stopped and turned back around. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask you something."
"What?"
Becca tilted her head. "Lyle Bolton—creepy, or is it just me?" She glanced around the room. "The psychos are scared shitless of the dude, and I get major creep vibes from him."
Mabel nodded. "Mr. Bolton can be a bit . . . . extreme."
"Just be careful around him, okay? I know your uncle is his employer, but still—like I said, major creep vibes." And with that said, Becca left the office.
Becca's words stayed with Mabel for the rest of the day, buzzing at the back of her skull. She tried to brush them off, but they stayed there, and it caused her to jump when a lesser security guard came running in.
"Oh, you startled me," she half-laughed nervously. "What can I do for you?"
The guard leaned on his knees and wheezed heavily. "Follow me, and bring a sedative."
Jonathan and Edward had no idea what had set Jervis off, really. Well, actually they did. One minute he was gleefully accepting his cup of tapioca pudding from the cafeteria staff, then someone shoved passed him, causing the small plastic cup to tumble out of his hands. Jervis stared down sadly at the pudding—he wouldn't be aloud to get another one. His head snapped up and his focus landed on whoever had run into him.
A larger inmate with salt-and-pepper hair glanced back and smirked. "What're you lookin at, Twerp?" he sneered.
Jervis's head tilted t the side. "The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts, all on a hot summer's day."
Edward noticed it first—the way Jervis's hands were twitching at they held his tray.
"The Knave of Hearts, he stole the tarts, and the mad Queen said . . . ."
Jonathan noticed right after Edward and both of them took a step back.
"OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" Jervis swung his tray and slammed into the larger inmate's face, catching him by surprise and knocking him over. Jervis straddled him and swung the tray down, again and again, screaming "OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" the entire time.
The nurse appeared shortly after and two orderlies wrestled Jervis off the larger inmate while she injected him with something—most likely a sedative.
Edward and Jonathan watched as their friend was carried off, already knowing that it would be a while before they would see him again.
A/N: This was a hard chapter to write, and I'm still not quite satisfied with it.
