Disc: don't own

No sooner had Jonathan Crane knocked, than the door flew open. Expecting Melinda, he was about to say something when he saw who it was.

That was definitely not Downey.

A tall, slim young woman with chocolate skin and dark brown hair stood in the doorway, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised.

"And you are?" she asked.

Jonathan stared for a moment before clearing his throat and smoothing his hair back. "I am Professor Jonathan Crane, Ph.D." he said regally. "And I wish to speak with Melinda Downey."

The woman leaned against the doorframe, unimpressed and looked Jonathan up and down. "You do, huh?"

"Yes."

The woman eyed him for another second before answering, "Alright then…Hey, Mel? Some skinny white boy is here to see you!"

The Master of Fear opened his mouth in anger. "Excuse me?" But before he could get a chance to say more, Melinda came into view.

"Who? Ooh…Hi, Scary! Nice to see you again. I figured you'd follow me."

The other young woman looked from Melinda to Jonathan in confusion. "Wait a minute…he followed you? Well, I can take care of that…"

She turned and glared at Jonathan with such a ferocity that he took a step back, reaching automatically for his fear toxin. "No!" Roulette said quickly before things could escalate. "No, that won't be necessary, Ali. I'm fine. And I think we both know that I can take care of myself if I have to."The Scarecrow had had enough of these insane women.

Scowling at the both of him, he prepared to turn on his heel and stalk out of the room. "Where're you going, Scary?" Melinda asked, stopping him. "After all the trouble you took to follow me, the least you could do is stay and meet the family."

Jonathan glared at her. "I have no interest in meeting your family."

Melinda rolled her eyes, turning to her companion.

"Jonathan, this is Alise Parker. And Ali, this is…"

"Oh, I know who he is." Alise said, folding her arms again. "He's a skinny white boy stalker with a fancy name and an inflated opinion."

"OH!" Jonathan spluttered, thoroughly furious. "Let's get one thing straight, Alise. I am the Master of Fear! The Lord of Despair! I am SCARECROW!"

Alise nodded. "That would explain why Mel calls you 'Scary.'"

"YOU WANT ME TO SHOW YOU JUST HOW 'SCARY' I CAN BE?"

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Melinda shouted, stepping between them. "NOW BOTH OF YOU STOP YELLING, OR SO HELP ME, I WILL MAKE YOU STOP!"

Jonathan and Alise both turned to Melinda, surprised.

Melinda looked from one to the other and then smiled shakily. "Thank you. Now," she went on, taking them both by the shoulder and leading them through the lair. "who wants supper?"

Wednesday (later)

Well, I found her again. Followed her from a coffee shop…and she fed me supper. She's a surprisingly good cook. Not that I told her that. But, of course, there's a downside. She has a rather insufferable roommate. And not Eddie insufferable. Just plain insufferable! She thinks she can boss me around and call me names…well. We'll just see about that. She better not push me too far, that's all I can say. Because Alise Parker does not know what she is dealing with.

Jonathan Crane closed his journal and sighed, rubbing his eyes. He knew he should get some sleep. Eddie had fallen asleep hours ago watching some all-night game-show channel and had slumped down on the couch, laying his head on the Master of Fear's knee. Jonathan sincerely hoped that the Riddler wouldn't start drooling.

Absentmindedly, the Scarecrow trailed a hand through Eddie's hair while he thought about what he would do next. Downey and Parker had to be taught respect, certainly. But then, lots of people did. Why was he so concerned about them?

Sighing again, Jonathan leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes. Maybe if he got a little shut-eye, he'd think of something…