Angela combed her fingers through her hair as she looked herself over in the foggy bathroom mirror. She hardly recognized herself. The dress Doctor Crane had given her was extravagant to say the least. It was strapless and long flowing, but gave her a range of motion with the slit that ran along the left side of the dress – stopping half way up her thigh. The top of the dress was corseted and made her modest breasts swell like the chest of a bird, which seemed to be the motif of the outfit.
The cloak hung over her shoulders was dazzling with its blue-black feathers that just barley swept the ground. She felt powerful and vulnerable all at once. Never in her life would she have been able to afford such a garment. She paired it with a set of black heels she had gone out to buy the night before – long after her "new associate" had left her apartment. Angela suppressed the disgust she felt for herself for accepting the offer Doctor Crane had made to her.
She wiped the fog from her mirror and stared uncertainly at her own reflection. She was glad for the warm shower that helped to sooth her tense muscles, but it would do nothing to prepare her for the night ahead of her. Did she really agree to do what she agreed to do? Was she seriously about to go to a black tie event with a man who had attacked her in her own home – after she had saved his life no less? She let out a huff as she held her gaze in the mirror.
Her hands were shaking as she gripped the sink. It was now 5:30 and she had to hurry if she wanted to make it out on time.
I don't like to be kept waiting, the words from the note echoed in her mind.
She took some time to apply her makeup and finish drying her hair out. She brushed back her short black hair in a way that made it look sleek and feminine. When she finally stepped out of her bathroom and into the living room she looked to her wall clock and saw that it was already 6:05. She jumped and raced out of her door, heading straight for the elevator. She pressed the button several times to find that it was out of order, a fairly regular occurrence that she should have been expecting.
Angela raced down the stairs as quickly as she could in her pair of heels. When she came to the glass door at the front of her building she paused to look out on the rain slicked street. Right before her building was an impressively expensive looking black car. She was shocked to find that it was still in good condition and the tires weren't already stolen out from under it.
You couldn't leave such an expensive vehicle parked in a neighborhood such as this, but when she looked closer she noticed the neatly dressed figure leaning against the passenger side door, and the look of anger on said figures face. She internally groaned as she pressed forward and opened the door to step out onto the sidewalk.
"My instructions were specific, Miss Sterling," Doctor Crane said as he looked up from glaring at the pavement.
Angela let out a huff of air, her breath coming out in a small cloud because of the chilled Gotham air. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off.
"We don't have time for excuses. Get in." Jonathan opened the back door on the passenger's side and waited for her to get in before sliding in after her. He took note of the fact that she shuffled as closely to the opposite side of the car as possible.
Angela looked forward and noted the separating window that opened to reveal the driver sitting in the front seat. It was the man who had come into her apartment the day before, The Riddler.
"Hey there, Angie," he said with a wink as he eyed her through the rearview mirror. "You clean up nice."
"Shut up and Drive, Edward," Jonathan grumbled as he sunk back into his seat, getting comfortable. The car moved forward and made its way up and out of the Narrows. He looked over to Angela, who in turn looked very uncomfortable. Her muscles were tense and she was leaning as closely as possible to the door as she watched the cityscape go by. He leaned forward to try and catch her eye but she ignored his movements, though he noticed her muscles grow a little more tense as he leaned closer.
Angela clenched her fist around the doors handle and tried to keep her breathing steady while she felt his eyes on her. She gripped the door so tightly that the muscles in her arm were shaking. When she couldn't take any more of the staring she whipped her head around to glare back at him. "What!?" she shouted a little louder than she meant to. She noticed the faint smile twitch at the corners of his mouth.
Angela stared straight into those blue eyes for the first time in over a month, and they were just as cold and calculating as she had remembered them. She couldn't stop the chill that reached her, and she knew he had noticed it when she saw that smile on his lips grow ever so slightly. "Tell me what I'm doing here," she said as she sank into her seat, trying to get comfortable.
"It should be a simple enough task for you," he said. "I just need you to accompany me, make my offer seem legitimate, and charm the rich folk into offering up their money. Think you can handle that?"
Angela frowned back at him. "So you hired me as some kind of escort?"
"In a way, yes," he replied frankly. "The rich tend to empty their pockets at the feet a pretty woman."
Angela bit down on her bottom lip to keep herself from shouting back in retaliation over such a remark. He was watching her, gauging her reaction to the entire situation. He noticed how tense she looked whenever he leaned in any closer and decided to scoot into the middle seat in order to intrude a little more into her personal space.
"Whatever you're doing, please stop," she said quietly as she looked down at her hands.
"No," he said leaning slightly closer, "If we're going to do this then you're going to have to get used to me being near you. I can't have you're fragile little mind shuddering every time it I'm near you. They'll think I've got you there as a hostage. Don't forget, you agreed to do this."
She drew in a deep breath and nodded her head. They sat in silence before she finally spoke. "It doesn't help that you made me watch as you blew up my job and then tazed me in my own living room, after I pretty much saved your life – twice."
Jonathan rolled his eyes. "It's not as though you were going to be working there forever, Angela. Besides, you've got a new job now. Thanks to me. You're welcome. And trust me, this one will pay much better than your last."
"But at what cost?" She asked and looked unfalteringly into his eyes. Their gaze met and Jonathan tilted his head slightly as his cold look washed over her.
"If morality was you're concern then maybe you shouldn't have been working at a strip club."
His icy words hit her deep. "I didn't have much of a choice." She shot back, her brow creasing in anger. She felt her blood begin to boil. Who was he to judge her? He was a criminal, lowest of the low. He had no right coming into her life and mucking everything up the way he did.
"We all have a choice, Angela. You were just too afraid to make a different one. But oh, my dear, you were brave once. I remember that day when you first found me in the alley." He closed his eyes as if recalling the memory.
"Its raining, its pouring
The old man is snoring.
He got into bed
And bumped his head
And couldn't get up in the morning.
You helped me get up again, Angela. We're going to help each other now. This is a business proposition you shouldn't be afraid of. Just keep in mind, there's nothing to fear but fear itself."
"Yeah, Jonny here isn't so scary. It's the Scarecrow you should be afraid of!" The Riddler interjected from the driver's seat.
"Thank you for that, Edward, but I recall you agreeing to keep your idiotic mouth shut while you drove!" Jonathan shouted and then slammed the window shut that separated the driver's side from the back of the car.
The storm that was beginning to brew inside Angela settled down and she shook her head and grasped the bridge of her nose between two fingers. "I can't believe I'm doing this," she said to herself.
She noted Jonathan's movements as he reached into the pocket behind the passenger's seat. When he withdrew his hand he was holding a small black velvet box that he held out for her to take.
"I usually prefer to wait a while before a guy starts buying me jewelry," She said with a small chuckle as she took the box from his hand. She didn't know why she was expecting a normal human reaction from him, when all she was going to get was that blank, cold look in return for her small joke.
She opened the box to see a delicately elegant silver necklace. The pendant was a beautiful black diamond in the shape of a tear drop and it was surrounded by smaller white diamonds. She lifted it gently from the box, eyeing the glittering jewel in awe. This man was giving her whiplash. One moment he was judging her choices and the next he was quoting nursery rhymes and offering her expensive jewelry.
She opened the clasp and struggled with trying to close it behind her neck to put it on. Just as her arms were getting tired from reaching back Jonathan huffed out, impatient for her to put it on. "Here, let me," he mumbled.
Angela paused for a moment. She was unsure about being in such close contact with him, but he was right, she had to get used to him if they were going to pull this off. She passed him the necklace and turned to allow him access. He reached around her to drape the necklace around her neck and easily clasped it behind her.
She held her breath as she felt him draw closer to whisper in her ear. "See, I'm not so difficult to be around, Angela."
She tuned to look at him but he had already directed his attention forward. "Tonight I want you to steer clear of using my name, understand?" he said. "Tonight I go by the name Ebenezer Laughton, or just Doctor Laughton should be fine."
"You're using an alias, why?"
"Because I'm a wanted criminal. And to protect you, you'll need one too."
"So," she paused for a moment, "What is my name going to be?"
"I'm sure you'll figure one out." He leaned forward and knocked on the glass panel. "Hurry it up Edward. We don't want to over do it on the fashionable lateness," he said loudly so Edward could hear him clearly.
"You never wanna do anything fashionably," Edward whined from the front seat. He pressed his foot down harder on the gas pedal and soon enough they were pulling up to an illustrious mansion.
Angela looked out the window as she tried to steady her breath. "I don't know if I can do this," she said turning to Jonathan. "I'm not used to being around rich people. What if I do something wrong?"
He looked at her in that vaguely uninterested manner of his and gave her a fake smile that did nothing for her nerves, "I'm sure you'll do just fine."
The car came to a stop and Angela went to reach for the door knob. Jonathan snatched her hand away before she could get the door open. "What are you doing?" Angela looked back it him in question. "You're rich, my dear. Doors are open for you." And at that she felt the door knob slip from her fingers as a man in a tuxedo held her door open for her.
"You kids have fun," she heard Edward say as she stepped out of the car. Jonathan shot him a glare from the rearview mirror before getting out.
Jonathan grabbed her hand and placed it on his arm as they walked up to the front steps of the mansion. Another man in a black tux held the door open for her – she would be lying if she said it didn't make her feel important.
A man dressed in nicely tailored suit walked up to them and reached out to shake Jonathan's hand, "Nice to see you again Doctor Laughton, and who is this lovely little thing you have on your arm tonight." The man reached out and placed a kiss on her hand. Jonathan looked at her, waiting for the name she would choose.
"Doctor Young," she replied, and saw the smile spread across Jonathan's face. "Doctor Penelope Young."
AN: WHOO! Would you look at that, it's an update! I nearly forgot how to publish a new chapter. Told you guys I wouldn't forget about this fic any time soon, though. So in case any of you weren't aware, Ebenezer Laughton is the name of the Marvel equivalent of Scarecrow. How's that for breaking the fourth wall? And if you don't know who Penelope Young is, I suggest you go play (or replay) Batman: Arkham Asylum immediately… after leaving a review of course ;)