Liam sighed deeply, as he looked around the hallways of the college, Diana had attended to previously. The headmaster had allowed him, and Gordon to ask a couple students questions. So far, all they had heard was negative things. That Diana didn't like socializing, and only talked to Adam, her late best friend.

Some students had even accused her of having a sexual relationship with one of her professors.

He felt sorry for the girl. Because of the way she looked, she was intimidated by guys, and the girls had avoided and bullied her. Wherever she was now, he hoped she had a far better life than she had at this college, and at home.

Every day must've been a struggle for her. Getting called after by guys, getting told they 'wanted to fuck her senseless', while she had suffered so much sexual abuse.

She must've felt so defenseless, and so alone. All she had was her best friend, whom couldn't even begin to understand what she was forced to go through, for three years straight.

Just the thought of her trapped beneath her stepfather, angered him. Who in their right mind would use a sixteen year old girl like that?

He snapped out of his thoughts when Gordon came over to him.

'I talked to Crane. He said Adam had been really violent at the college; picking fights with several students that so much came close to her', he explained.

'I'm sorry detective, but I find it hard to believe her best friend would kill her', Liam argued.

'We have to look at this from his perspective, rookie. Think about it: he had been friends with her for a very long time, and then suddenly, she got attention from someone else, not to mention this person, Crane, spent an awful lot of time with her, even though his only intention was to get her better', Gordon explained.

'Which would make the boy snap, sir?' Liam asked.

'Exactly. He had been used to having all her spare time to himself. But now, he had to 'share' her with someone else. And being as infatuated with her as he was, he couldn't take it. So he tried to turn her against that other person, which failed. So he turned to violence. But when that was proved in vain, and his parents refused to believe him, he killed all of them by setting the house on fire', Gordon went on.

Liam blew out some air. 'This would be a solid theory if we had some proof, sir. But all the victims are dead, or missing', he spoke.

'We should just put this case on hold, for now', Gordon said.

'But sir -'

'I know you want to help, but an officer must never get involved, emotionally', Gordon cut him off.

'I'm not, sir, I promise', Liam argued.

'You're concerned for the girl', Gordon stated with a dry chuckle. Liam didn't answer. Gordon placed a hand to his shoulder. 'Just accept the chance she might be dead. There's nothing we can do, besides our job', he explained.

Liam nodded. 'Yes sir,' he answered.

As Gordon walked away, Liam narrowed his eyes. He had agreed to please his superiors, but if they didn't believe him, he would go off-road, to find the truth.

…

Crane was caught off guard by getting a phone-call, during one of his classes. He picked up quickly, and told his students to work on the assignment he had given them.

He took the phone, once he was outside.

'Hello?'

'Hello Crane.'

He stiffened slightly at the voice. The voice of the man that had given him the opportunity to make his toxin.

'It seems you've found yourself some company.'

'I did, sir', Crane answered.

'She won't be a distraction to you, I hope?' came the voice on the other end of the phone-line.

'No sir. I can assure you, she won't intervene with my work', he answered.

'Good. Though I think some companionship will do you good.'

'Yes, sir. How long until your arrival?' Crane asked.

'I had planned to come soon, but my top student decided to throw off our plans. You will hear from me again soon.'

Before Crane could ask another question, the phone-line was disconnected.

'Well someone's short-tempered.'

Crane couldn't agree more. But he was anxious; he couldn't fully test his toxin at the school. Some of the students were bound to tell something, if he experimented on them. And being here made him look suspicious to the cops.

He knew the young Liam Smith didn't trust him. And from judging his character…Crane knew the young man was smart enough to figure out his plot.

He pushed his glasses up his nose. He would leave the college. He had recently learned that Arkham Asylum were hiring. They were in need of a new head psychiatrist there and with his resume, he would easily qualify. All he needed to do was simply fill in the application and that problem would be taken care of.

He smirked to himself. Those dumb inmates would be defenseless under the influence of his powerful toxins.

…

Liam parked his motor-cycle in front of the old O'Connell residence in the Narrows. He pulled off his helmet, sighing. It looked so filthy from the outside.

Carefully crossing the police-line, he went inside, clicking on his flashlight. The apartment still reeked of cigarettes. He headed straight for Diana's room. All her belongings were gone. The room had been cleared.

It didn't surprise him. She had gone to live with the Fischer family shortly after finding her deceased mother. He was more than glad her stepfather was dead, so he couldn't claim custody over her.

He exhaled deeply, taking a closer look around him. He noticed something on her nightstand and went to pick it up. Upon a closer look, he found out it as Crane's calling card.

He narrowed his eyes. Crane's name kept popping up. Why hadn't the GCPD issued a search warrant yet?

He stuffed the card into his pocket. He guessed he had to go around the neighborhood of the Fischer family for clues.

…

'Oh yes, they were such a nice family. I can't imagine it to have been on purpose. Young Adam was the sweetest kid on the block.'

'And did he ever display psychotic behavior?' Liam questioned the neighbor.

'Never. That's why it surprised me so much he was screaming bloody murder the night of the fire', the neighbor sighed.

Liam crossed his arms. 'Screaming bloody murder?' he asked.

'Yes. Telling his parents they had never believed him', the elder woman spoke.

'What of this girl?' Liam held up a photograph of Diana.

'Ah yes, her. She rarely came outside, except when Sylvia brought her to her therapy sessions. A very kind man had offered her free therapy, can you believe it?' the woman smiled.

Liam wrote everything down. 'Yes, he must be quite generous', he grumbled.

'Yes, he is and quite good-looking too.'

Liam inwardly rolled his eyes. 'This man was Jonathan Crane, correct?' he questioned.

'Yes. Sylvia told me he was really devoted to the young girl. Though she expressed some concerns he was giving her the impression he was interested in her', the woman spoke.

Liam raised an eyebrow. 'Excuse me?' he asked.

'I'm not supposed to gossip, but she often told me that the young girl was deeply infatuated with him', she answered.

Liam rubbed his eyes. So Diana had feelings for Crane? But if she had escaped the fire, she would've gone to his apartment or safety, right? 'Was Crane here, the night of the fire?' he wondered.

'I don't know, officer. I'm sorry', the woman shook her head.

Liam stood up. 'Thank you for your time', he smiled.

…

His hands were hot on her skin. She let out a soft moan, as he kissed her neck. His hand moved between her already parted legs, while his skillful fingers made her shudder.

'J-Jonathan…' she groaned.

He grinned against her neck, slowly pushing two fingers into her. She dug her nails into his shoulders.

'Oh…yes…' she moaned.

He nipped at her collarbone. 'My my, Diana. You're so eager, aren't you?' he chuckled.

'Please don't stop', she pleaded with him.

'My dear, I never intended to stop', he smirked.

The hot water ran over both their bodies, and only increased the heat between her legs. She let out a loud moan, as his tongue flicked over her nipple and he pushed his fingers deeper into her.

Diana snapped out of her fantasy, as her climax washed over her. She dropped to her knees, crying out in rapture, as her body quivered heavily. The hot water suddenly seemed cold and she panted.

She sighed nervously. It felt so good, but the part that left her utterly ashamed was that she had quite explicit fantasies about Jonathan.

She breathed heavily. Jonathan had been right. She was now able to be in control of her pleasure and she loved the rush she got from it. If only Jonathan could give her such pleasure…

She groaned in annoyance. Ever since she had started pleasuring herself, she had these newly found urges, she hadn't felt before. She didn't feel as afraid as she had before.

'What's getting into me?' she wondered softly.

She turned off the shower. Her ears picked up at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, which made her take in a deep breath.

Embarrassed, she got out of the shower, to grab her bathrobe. She took a towel to dry her hair, before opening the door to her room. In her room, she found Jonathan. He looked at her, smiling.

'There you are', he smiled.

She flushed visibly.

'How was your shower?' he asked.

She nodded. 'It was amazing', she beamed.

A light smirk tugged at his lips. 'Oh was it?' he spoke while crossing his arms.

Her mouth dropped. Her cheeks turned warm. 'What I meant was -'

'I know, Diana, I know. You don't have to be ashamed', he cut her off.

She pulled her robe tightly around her. He came closer, pulling her to him. Sighing, she wrapped her arms around his torso.

'Tonight, we're celebrating', he spoke.

She looked up, frowning. 'What for?' she wondered.

'I have a new job. I've left the college', he explained.

'Why?' she asked softly.

He smiled. 'They didn't recognize my talents. I've applied to a high position in Arkham', he explained.

Her eyes widened. He was going to work at that mental institution? 'That sounds awfully dangerous', she answered quietly.

He took her head into his hands. Her cheeks grew rosy, at his warm grasp. 'I'll be fine, I promise', he whispered into her ear.

He kissed her cheek, which caused her to close her eyes and made her gasp softly. She laid her hands on his wrists.

'I guess I'll put some extra effort into tonight's dinner, then', she smiled.

'I know you will, my beautiful darling', he murmured; 'But first…I have a present for you', he smiled.

Her eyes widened. 'What is it, then?' she asked curiously.

He let go of her, to go towards the closet. He took out a large, flat box. Curious, she took a seat on the bed, while he handed her the box. 'Open it', he smiled.

Shyly, she removed the bow and lifted up the lid. What she found inside was a light pink, lace covered dress with short sleeves. Her mouth dropped, as she pulled it out. 'Oh Jonathan…it's beautiful', she stared up to him.

She threw her arms around his neck, to hug him tightly. He simply laughed. 'I wanted to give you something special. Just try it on, I'll wait upstairs.'

He kissed her hair softly. She kept smiling at him, feeling her heartbeat fasten. She felt so lucky to have him take care of her.

…

A Liam-centered chapter. I wanted to focus on him a little more ^^ hope you like it!

Lots of love,

~TheOneWithTooManyInterests