Chapter eleven


First Person POV: Alyson

Jervis lead me back to the room I had woken up twice in but not before getting a glass of non-drugged water and a piece of toast before exiting the kitchen. I thought about going back and dragging Dawn with us but Jervis grabbed my hand and that was all I could think about. It scared me so I took a bite of toast and concentrated on chewing. I gratefully took my pill bottle from the Hatter and downed half the glass almost expecting to feel funny again.

"Did you know that 'Through the Looking Glass' had a deleted chapter?" I asked hoping to spark a conversation so he would stop looking at me like I was going to spontaneously combust at any moment. I could feel my panic attack weakening as he answered.

"Yes, yes. Of course." He smiled for a moment before his expression darkened. "But unfortunately due to... circumstances, I have not been able to get my hands on a copy." I nod knowingly and he continues to look at me. I felt myself shift uncomfortably my hair falling in my face as a defense mechanism.

"Um... do you have an um... hairbrush?" I ask pointing to the mess on my head. He nods and leaves to retrieve it. Before I could say 'Off with your head' the Hatter was back with a purple plastic hairbrush. I sat down on the edge of the bed and started attacking my mane of hair. When I was drying off I had tried not to upset my hair too much but my attempts to keep my hair from knotting were in vain

"Do you need some help?" Tetch asked after a few seconds of watching me battle with a particularly stubborn knot on the back of my head.

"No." I was quick to reply. Didn't he realize how uncomfortable he... they made me. Not to mention how afraid they made me for Dawn's mental health, she was very hyper before all of this and now... These guys were supposed to be fictional characters and suddenly they're gassing Dawn and calling me Alice. After a few seconds more I managed to free my hair of knots.

"Who stays in that room?" I asked as Jervis led me back to the kitchen.

"I do normally." he says nonchalantly.

"W-where..." I half asked tripping over my own two feet causing him to wrap his arm around my waist and grab my arm to keep me from falling on my face.

"I shared a room with Jonathan." Jervis clarified easing my worries for the moment. I was aware that he didn't let go of me even though I was out of danger of falling. "You can ask..." he trailed off blushing a little. I laughed.

"As crazy as this sounds: I trust you." I wasn't sure what I meant, did I only trust that he hadn't tried anything while I was 'asleep' or did I trust him with a little bit more?

"Am I interrupting something?" the smug voice of Edward Nygma asked. Jervis removed his arms from around my waist and let go of my arm his blush intensifying. Dawn was standing slightly behind him with a raised eyebrow.


First Person POV: Dawn

I followed closely behind Edward's heals on our way back to the kitchen. Jonathan was walking behind me and I could picture the smirk on his face at my obvious discomfort. I wondered what was taking Alyson so long. I wasn't too worried about her because I didn't think that Jervis would hurt her as long as she didn't do something incredibly stupid. Sure she didn't seem to know how to act in front of Jonathan, but she and Jervis seemed to be doing okay.

Edward stopped short, but this time I was prepared and I stopped my own feet before colliding with him. He looked at me with a smirk and jested slightly to the scene taking place in the kitchen. A blushing Alyson in the arms of a flushed Hatter.

"Am I interrupting something?" He asked smugly. I took a step out from behind him so I could see them better. Jervis quickly let go of her and she blushed again. I raised an eyebrow at the scene, suddenly more curious and a little more worried.

Jonathan pushed me out of his way and into Edward who caught my shoulders again. Jonathan scoffed when he saw to two of them blushing and moved from the kitchen into the room where I had first woken up in. All the while Alyson was shooting him glares. I opened my mouth to ask her what the hell just happened but she shook her head so slightly I almost didn't catch it. Almost immediately Alyson latched herself onto my arm. I shot her a warning glance; Jonathan would notice and make sure we stayed separated. He was mean like that. She let me go but stood almost uncomfortably close. I rolled my eyes after what I saw in the kitchen I don't know why she acted like that; her face was still a little red.

We entered the living room and Jonathan was sitting in one of the chairs reading a book with an unpronounceable title. 'That book has nothing to do with psychology' Alyson whispered to me. How she could read the title was beyond me. As everyone sat down, Edward and Jervis taking the other two chairs and Alyson and I on the couch, I could tell that this would be really awkward.

"Oh God!" Allison whispered bringing her hands to her face and shaking her head. All eyes were on her now. I didn't know what to do... well I knew that I had to ask her what was wrong but I knew that I couldn't ask with everyone staring at her. I decided to ask her but unfortunately the Scarecrow beat me to the punch.

"What? Another panic attack?" he scoffed still smug that he was keeping her other meds away from her. I almost glared at him but again someone else beat me to it. Namely Alyson.

"No." she all but hissed.

"A-Allison what's wrong." I asked in a whisper a little more than afraid of another episode like the one two days ago. She looked at me and I knew she didn't want to say anything in front of the Rogues, but of course Edward's interest had been piqued.

"Then tell us what plagues that mind of yours?" she hesitated for a moment. It looked as if she wasn't going to answer.

"M-my term paper." she said softly.

WHAT? Her Term Paper? She is in the company of three of Gotham's Rogues and is called Alice by the Mad Hatter and she's worried about her Term Paper? I couldn't help but think and it looked like I wasn't the only one who was shocked at this recent development into the mind of Alyson Little. The only person not surprised was Jervis who seemed only to see that she was distressed and didn't care why. It would almost be sweet if it wasn't so dang creepy.

I narrowed my eyes at her slightly, not like a glare, and tilted my head. Jonathan and Edward both scoffed at her odd worries. Jervis just kept looking at her with this odd look of… interest? I wasn't that sure. I stifled a yawn. I had to sleep on the couch for the past few days and even then I didn't sleep much. It was hard to sleep with the toxin still in my system and the worry that Jonathan might do it again. I had to stay on my toes, even if that meant developing purple bags under my eyes. I yawned again, and this time I couldn't hide it.

"Somebody's tired-" Jonathan said in a sing-song voice. I flinched because I knew that meant he was watching me.

"How about letting her get some sleep then?" Alyson snapped.

He let out a dramatic sigh and the Riddler rolled his eyes.

First Person POV: Alyson

"Seeing that we did not expect guests..." the Riddler started. I bit back a retort still thinking about my paper, didn't they know that my entire psychiatric career rested on turning it in. I didn't know what was happening everywhere else, I mean did we get sucked into the DC universe and are now missing persons or did something more complicated happen, not that getting sucked into the DC universe wasn't complicated but...

I must have zoned out because the next thing I knew Dawn had laid her hand on my shoulder and was shaking lightly. I looked at her and she raised a questioning eyebrow. I smiled a little and nodded slightly before standing up beside her and being led to the room I knew that Jervis Tetch used to sleep in...

"Okay so what's new?" I asked semi-lightheartedly as the Riddler closed the door.

"Nothing much…" Dawn answered awkwardly. She looked longingly at the bed over my shoulder before moving to go sit on it. "Ok, I can't take it anymore, what was that in the kitchen?" She asked after a few seconds of awkward silence.

"Nothing! Why would you think it was… something?" I said the last word weakly because I knew I wasn't fooling her. "It was an accident."

"Accident. Sure." She shook her head with a yawn. "I know it's none of my business if you want to get cozy with a psychopath but just be careful, ok?"

"DAWN!" I yell exasperated. "Technically he's not a psychopath..." I say at her incorrect use of the medical term.

"You know what I mean. He is a known crazy." she rolled her eyes. I was almost in tears. I was confused, scared (not that I would tell the Scarecrow), and apparently having moments with 'a known crazy'. His hands were soft and he did... no I wasn't going to think things like that.

"Dawn." I whined sitting down next to her. "I'm so confused. We're being held hostage by three Gotham Rogues, and I'm not entirely opposed to being called Alice by the Mad Hatter."

"That's settles it." She said matter-of-factually "You're screwed." I laugh humorlessly

"And what about you, I don't think I want to know what happened when I was out." she shook her head but didn't say anything. "But I promise you I'll do everything in my power so it doesn't happen again. I'll even sit outside the door while you're asleep if I have to." I swear to her. It was her turn to laugh without emotion. Then she looked at me with all seriousness.

"I'm really scared." She said in a small voice. "I-I keep relapsing and… Jonathan really scares me." When she said that her eyes darted quickly to the door as if she thought he would come barging in. Maybe he would. "Sometimes it's like he's two people." She whispered like it was a secret.

That caught my attention. "What? What do you mean?"

Her eyes darted to the door again. "I mean that something definitely ain't right up here." She tapped her forehead with her finger. "Like… um… what's the term? Multiple personality disorder?" She asked.

"Shit… really? How can you be so sure?"

She shrugged. "I'm not, but he's certainly… weird. Sometimes he acts like two totally different people." She yawned.

"You should really go to sleep." I told her. She looked timidly at the door again. "I told you I would sit outside the door."

"But that's where they are." She pointed out anxiously.

I chuckled humorlessly. "Good point, but I don't think they will hurt me." She nods tiredly and I get up.

"Night… or morning… or whatever." She mumbled. I sighed and sat in the rocking chair until she was asleep. When I was sure she was out, I got up and went out of the door.


Edited as of 9/2/13