Chapter 28: Seal Your Doom

Disclaimer: read chapter 1

Lacey was staring at Falcone intently. Falcone was strapped to a chair, saying the same word over and over again, "Scarecrow. Scarecrow."

Lacey narrowed her eyes at the statement. Scarecrow. None of this made sense. This crime lord, who never had any mental problems, just suddenly cracked out of the blue, and it was right before he was taken to court. Lacey knew that Jonathan had something to do with it. He had declared Falcone and his men insane, every time. Crane had a degree in psychopharmacology, so it might be a possibility that he had drugged them. The same way he did to Arnold Flass (though there was no solid proof that it was Crane). A long time ago he was fired at Gotham University by a rumor, experimenting college students. What if the story was true? What if Jonathan drugged Falcone? If any of it was true, then Kathy's dating a crazy, dangerous, mad doctor; and it's up to Lacey to save her.

"Oh, Miss Donaldson," Jonathan arrived and greeted her with a fake smile, though his voice seemed out of breath. "I was hoping I won't see you here."

Lacey scoffed and rolled her eyes, before facing Jonathan with her arms crossed. "The feeling's mutual," Lacey mocked his fake-friendly tone, "But who else is going speak for Rachel's behalf?"

"Oh, yes, you're her assistant."

Lacey formed a fake smile, continuing the tune, "Oh yeah. Rachel would've come here tonight, but couldn't. Don't you remember? You filed a restraining order against her."

"I can assure that was all Kathryn's idea."

Lacey's fake smile fell, "I'm sure that you're the one, who convinced her."

Jonathan shook his head, "I didn't have to convince her. After what you and Miss Dawes had done, Kathryn was determined to keep Miss Dawes away from her..." Jonathan smirked, "and me. I find it very sentimental of her being so protective of me."

"Well, guess what, Crane? You are going to be seeing a lot of me."

"So you came here to air Miss Dawes' dirty laundry?" Jonathan asked, "Is that why you're here, Miss Donaldson?"

"Rachel sent me here because she questions about your report on Falcone."

"Questions?" Jonathan offered a glint of curiosity in his eye. What could Miss Donaldson possibly ask him? Admittedly, it would be the same ones he had heard many times from Miss Dawes.

"About Falcone's condition," Lacey gestured Falcone inside the glass window, "His whole life, Falcone never had any mental health problems. Don't you think it's odd that he..." Lacey snapped her fingers, "cracked instantly, right before trial?"

"Well, as you can see for yourself, there's nothing odd about his symptoms," Jonathan replied in a cautious tone. They both paused to listen to Falcone repeating the same word over and over again. Scarecrow. Scarecrow.

"And what exactly are his symptoms, Dr. Crane?" Lacey narrowed her eyes at Jonathan suspiciously, "and why does that man keep saying Scarecrow? What does it mean?"

"It's quite simple, Miss Donaldson," Jonathan slowed down for the blonde to understand, though his choice would be opposite, "Falcone is suffering delusional episodes, often focus on their paranoia, and external tormentor... usually found them in Jungian archetypes. In this case..."

"You can keep me locked away, Johnny-boy," the dark half echoed.

Jonathan's eye twitched, attempting to stay in control, "a scarecrow."

Lacey was oblivious to the brief hesitation, keeping her eyes locked on Falcone.

"Well, let me ask you this, Crane. Can a drug cause him to have..." Lacey began to imitate Jonathan's professional tone, "delusional episodes?"

Jonathan raised a brow at her questionably.

~000~000~000~

Kathy checked her watch to see that it was close to 7:30. What was taking Emma so long? Why was she making Kathy wait? She tried calling her, texting her, only receiving no response. She decided to go up to Jonathan's office, where Emma usually sits outside, only to find the front desk and hallway empty.

With a huff, Kathy called Emma once more, waiting for a response.

There was a response. She heard a voice with a muffled upbeat tune. The sound just appeared when she called Emma. Coincidence? It must be Emma's ringtone, but where was it coming from? Curious, Kathy pressed her ear against the door to Jonathan's office, making out the voice loud and clear. Nobody was talking or singing, but rapping. Eminem to be specific. What was it doing in Jonathan's office? Better yet, what would a quiet, proper woman like Emma Thomas be doing listening to rap?

Much to her relief, the door was unlocked, only to be confused again. Jonathan always locked his door. Jonathan should be sleeping at home. Who else gained access to his office? Emma? Henri? John Doe? The last thought accelerated her heart beat.

"Hello?" Kathy looked around to see no one inside. She followed the rapping ringtone, only to find Emma's phone locked inside the top right drawer of Jonathan's desk. Again, what was it doing in there? What did Emma want to tell her about Crane? Did something happen to her? If her phone was locked inside his desk, then something must be wrong. If Emma can't be here to tell Kathy answers, then Kathy must find them herself.

Kathy started with Jonathan's desk, looking for evidence that can support Lacey and Rachel's claim. She couldn't find anything, except Arkham paperwork. The only drawer left was the top drawer where Emma's phone was inside.

Kathy sighed heavily in frustration, looking around the office to find the key.

~000~000~000~

"I've done some research on you, Crane," Lacey stated.

Jonathan couldn't help, but chuckle at her statement, "Did you?"

Lacey nodded, "Yes, I know about your time as a professor at Gotham University. You got fired because you were experimenting with students."

"No," Jonathan denied it, "I got fired because I was accused of experimenting students. My former students obviously didn't want to have a strict professor around, so they wanted to get rid of me by some ridiculous rumor."

"You have a degree in psychopharmacology. Correct?"

"Psychopharmacology is my primary field, yes. I'm a strong advocate. Outside, Falcone was a giant," Jonathan gestured Falcone, before turning to Lacey, "In here, only the mind can grant you power."

"So you enjoy driving people crazy?" Lacey asked, "You liked to go inside people's mind, and twist it all around until they're not themselves? Is that what you do?"

"I respect the mind's power over the body, Miss Donaldson," Jonathan corrected her "It's what I do what I do."

"Well, I do what I do to keep criminals like Falcone behind bars. I want him to rot in prison, not have him be here, enjoying a slice of peach pie every day to wash down his meds! Especially not have them served by corrupted, sick, twisted people!" Lacey's eyes roamed through Crane's body in disgust.

Jonathan raised a brow at her, "If I don't know better, Miss Donaldson, it sounds like you're taking this case a little too personal. You're not here, because of Falcone. You're here because of me, aren't you?"

Lacey frowned and narrowed her eyes at Jonathan.

Jonathan's lips slowly curled into a wicked smirk, "Aha. So that's what this is."

"I'm here for professional reasons-"

"Oh no, Miss Donaldson," Jonathan cut her off, shaking his head, "That can't be far from the truth. You can't stand the fact of me dating Kathryn, so you're here to make my night miserable."

"You're right about one thing. I'm not happy that you're dating my friend-"

"I know. You're angry at me, and that's a problem. But I believe there's a solution for that."

"And what is the so-called solution?" Lacey demanded, "Kill me?"

Jonathan couldn't help but chuckle at her question. He can almost hear his other half snickering as well, tempting him to do the deed - end the blonde's life. Crane felt the syringe inside his sleeve, ready to use the toxin in her. He so much wanted to have the pleasure of doing it too. That woman put him and his Kathryn through hell, and she had to pay. But then, another idea came in mind, without giving a second thought, he gave Lacey his answer.

"I would like to call a truce," Jonathan replied.

~000~000~000~

Kathy went through a lot of Jonathan's belongings in his office. She couldn't find anything out of the ordinary or a key to unlock Jonathan's locked drawer. Her search came to a halt when Kathy spotted a small picture frame on Jonathan's desk. She took a good look at it to see it was a picture of the two of them together. Jonathan had his arm around her, smiling slightly but not much; while Kathy leaned against his shoulder with a massive grin on her face.

Kathy couldn't help but smile at that photo. She remembered it was taken at a photo booth in the mall. It took a lot of begging and pleading for Jonathan to agree to do it with her. The picture of them smiling and cuddling up one another was the best picture; they took together. As the woman reached her hand further up, Kathy paused, feeling something hard and narrow on the back of the picture frame. Kathy turned the frame over to see a small, golden key taped on the back. Kathy pulled the key out and knew where the key belonged. She turned her attention to the locked drawer and unlocked with the found key.

Inside the drawer, she found Emma's cellphone, seeing a bunch of missed calls from Kathy and one from Arkham HR. Why would she be contacting Arkham HR?

Unlike the cabinets and other drawers inside Jonathan's office, this drawer was clean, organized. Kathy found an opened letter next to the phone. She took it out of the drawer and opened the paper inside it. It turned out to be a letter. She began reading to herself. Luckily, the letters on the note had big and bold letters, so it made it easier for Kathy to read without her glasses -

Emma Thomas,

Thank you for sharing your concern about Dr. Crane's behavior to the board.

Your allegations are indeed disturbing and frankly, hard to believe if not outright fantastic. Dr. Crane is a highly respected and longtime member of our staff. We hope that you haven't made those accusations lightly, and urge you not to make them publicly.

Since the Board doesn't handle interpersonal matters, I have taken the liberty of forwarding your note to Human Resources (cc). I suggest that you thoroughly document Crane's alleged threats and behavior for your own protection, should legal action be required either party.

Regards,

Doug Hunter (PH.D.)

Kathy reread the letter, trying to piece it together. She couldn't believe what she was reading. Why would Emma report Jonathan to the Arkham Board? What did Emma see that Kathy wasn't? Kathy wanted to talk to Emma if she was here and had her phone. She shoved the letter back inside the torn envelope and continued searching through the drawer, and came across a notebook.

She analyzed the cover. It was a medium size, brown, hardcover book. She opened the first page to see a bunch of notes of formulas and equations, Kathy didn't entirely get. She understood some chemical elements, she learned from the periodic table. But this was a whole new level. She tried to read what Jonathan has written, but his handwriting was sloppy, and Kathy couldn't read well without her glasses.

She turned a couple more pages to see patient notes. She first saw John Doe's name on the page in big letters. She read below the title to read his diagnoses and fear. Both written the same answer - unknown, which was completely understandable, because no one understood John Doe, except the scarface clown himself. Kathy had one question in her mind. Why would Jonathan care what the John Doe's fears were? Kathy realized that Jonathan mentioned his passion for fear, and he had a degree in psychopharmacology. Seeing the charts and chemical formulas on the last few pages, how far was Jonathan taking his fear passion?

She turned a page to see more notes about John. Kathy narrowed her eyes and leaned closer to the page, trying to make out what it said. She wished that she brought her glasses with her; it would've been less a strain for her eyes.

She turned a couple more pages to read more names of Jonathan's patients - Pamela Isley, Victor Zsasz, Ted Carson, Lazlo Valentine. She stopped and froze still, finding one title that caught her eye - Kathryn Knightly.

Kathy reread her name over and over, making sure that her eyes weren't deceiving her. Her eyes may be blurry with reading, but she wasn't blind. No matter how many times she reread that name, it was there. Why would Jonathan write notes about her? She looked below her name to see a bunch of entries written down. She had a hard time reading what it said.

She turned a couple more pages to see a name written down, but it didn't have a lot of notes like Kathy's page did. Kathy narrowed her eyes to see small letters becoming crystal clear - Arnold Flass.

Kathy widened her eyes in shock. Why would Jonathan write about him?

Kathy knew that she didn't have time to read the whole journal. She wanted to take it with her, but it might earn suspicions from Jonathan. He'll notice that somebody had broken inside his office and stole the evidence. But he wouldn't suspect her taking it, would he? Making a decision, so she stuffed it in her purse.

Gazing back at the grey AT&T cellphone, Kathy couldn't help but worry about Emma. It was already close to eight, and she had yet to show up. If Jonathan had her cellphone locked away, then Emma must be in deep trouble. Jonathan might do something to make sure she stays quiet. Kathy had to rescue her. She looked back at the drawer to see a small, orange bottle rolled from the back to the right front of the drawer so that Kathy could see it.

Her eyes narrowed at the last item inside, and she picked up to see a label on the side. She leaned in closer to get a good look. She realized this was a prescription bottle, and looking at the owner's name written on the label, Kathy realized this bottle belonged to her lover, Jonathan Crane.

~000~000~000~

"A truce?" Lacey asked, still in shock what Jonathan suggested. She expected him to threaten her or something violent, but this was just out of character for Jonathan. This wasn't right.

Jonathan nodded, "Yes. Lacey..." Jonathan noticed how Lacey's eyes widened; she couldn't believe that he said her first name for the first time. Jonathan smirked at her reaction, but continued, "We've been playing this childish game for who knows how long. And I think for Kathryn's sake, we should start fresh, drop everything from the past and move on."

Jonathan looked at Lacey, who stared at him with a straight face. He couldn't tell what she was thinking. Hopefully, she can be smart and think about his offer. He never wanted to call a truce with Lacey, but this was what Kathryn wanted. He's willing to offer the blonde a chance, and if Lacey refused to take it, she'd sealed her doom.

"Look, Lacey," Jonathan continued, "you and Kathryn had been friends forever. Me being a part of Kathryn's life isn't going to change that. Don't you want Kathryn to be happy?"

"Of course, I want her happy," Lacey replied, finally managed to get over the state of shock and confusion.

"I thought so because I don't think she likes it if we're having a feud. Don't you think?"

"You know what I think, Crane?" Lacey began as she curled her mouth upwards, "I think you're a sleazy, pathological liar."

Jonathan furrowed his brows at her, confusingly, "Excuse me?"

"I know what you're up to, Crane. It's not going to work."

Jonathan inhaled deeply before exhaling in frustration. He so much wanted to gas her with his formula here and now, but there were too many witnesses around. He had to keep himself calm until they're alone.

"Let me assure you, Lacey, I'm not up to anything," Jonathan continued to attempt his manipulation with the blonde, "I just want us to be friends."

Lacey chuckled, "Oh my gosh. You're even scarier when you're trying to be nice."

"Now, you're rude."

"Quit acting like a saint. I know why you're doing this. The only reason you want to be my friend is so you can score points with Kat!"

Jonathan blinked exaggeratedly, amused by her statement, "I don't know we're playing that game, Miss Donaldson. If we were, I would've won, because I'm not the one who worked for Miss Dawes, whom Kathryn hates."

Lacey scoffed, "I took that job for me!"

"Besides," Jonathan continued as if Lacey hadn't responded to him, "Kathryn doesn't know you're here, and that we're having this conversation."

"True, but I bet my money that you'll tell her later. The truth is, Crane, is that you hate me, as much as I hate you! So why don't you drop the act, okay? Which is really bad acting, I might add."

Jonathan sighed in defeat and crossed his arms over his chest, "Very well. If you're not going to try to make an effort for Kathryn, then it's fine. It's your loss, Miss Donaldson."

"My loss?!" Lacey asked in disbelief, "What do I have to lose, Crane? I mean, okay, sure Kathy is upset with me, but soon Kathy will stop being mad and forgive me. And pretty soon, Kathy will dump you like yesterday's garbage. The only person who's going to lose everything is you."

"That's where you're wrong. I have nothing to lose."

"Not now. But I sense fear in you, Crane. Fear that I might convince Kathy to stay away from you."

Jonathan scoffed, "And you haven't try to achieve that task already?"

Lacey didn't respond at first, only to hear Jonathan continue.

"Well," Jonathan sighed heavily, "as much as I want to continue to argue with you about Kathryn, but I'm afraid I'm tied up back at home with Kathryn if you know what I mean."

Lacey's face contorted in disgust. It wasn't surprising to know that Kathy was sexually active with Crane. When she first saw Kathy at the docks, her eyes were beaming bright like she was high on drugs. That's the same face Lacey made when she lost her virginity back in high school

"If you don't have any more questions about the report of Falcone, I should get going." Jonathan walked past Lacey, who so much want to argue Jonathan. She refused to let him walk away. She had so many things to say to him, right here and right now.

"You're not good enough for Kat!" Lacey cried out to him over her shoulder, seeing him stop his walk.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to control himself. The Scarecrow was begging to take control so that he could put that woman in her place. No matter. The blonde friend will become their experiment soon, very soon.

He turned around to face with the same bored look on his face. Lacey could detect a hint of annoyance from him; she smirked at that. She so much wanted to make his night a living hell. What she didn't know was that she was digging herself to a deeper grave.

"And who is good enough for Kathryn, Miss Donaldson?" Jonathan asked, "Tell me."

"Not you, that's for sure. You don't love my friend, Crane! You never did! If you loved her, you would have never experimented on Flass. Lacey finished her sentence in a hushed tone so that no one could listen in.

Jonathan's frown deepened.

"That's right," Lacey hissed angrily, "I know everything, Jonathan. I know you are the man in the mask, I have the tape to prove it."

Jonathan pursed his lips, "I don't know what you are talking about."

Lacey scoffed, "Seriously? You are using that cheesy line?"

"If you have this piece of 'evidence' and if the police are involved, wouldn't I be in custody by now?"

Lacey rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest. Her silenced concluded Jonathan's worry. She didn't call the cops because she lacked proof.

"As I thought. You can't prove anything. You can't prove I didn't do any experiments on that officer. You can't prove I was a man in that burlap mask."

Lacey blinked but remained silent.

"Now if you excuse me, I'm a very busy man," Jonathan said in his same, dull tone of voice. "You can tell Miss Dawes to stop interrogating Kathryn and me if she knows what's good for her and you. And next time, if there is a next time, get your facts straight before you speak. It'll save us a lot of trouble. Good day, Miss Donaldson."

"Fine. Fine. But at least take me to the nearest exit," Lacey started walking with him. "This place is giving me the creeps.

Jonathan rolled his eyes as he stood by the elevator, waiting for the doors to be open.

"Oh, and before I forget," Lacey stood next to Jonathan, waiting for the doors as well, "Rachel wanted me to tell you that we'll have our own psychiatric consult to examine Falcone."

"Why would Miss Dawes want to put that consultant so much trouble into finding something that isn't there?" Jonathan asked.

"Well, if you think we'll find nothing out of the ordinary with Falcone, then you won't have a problem with this. Unless you have something hidden-"

"Of course not. So your consultant will examine the patient tomorrow morning?"

"Oh no," amusement laced into Lacey's voice, "tonight."

Jonathan shot a glare at Lacey, who stared back at him with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"Rachel already made the call at Gotham General."

They stared at each other challenging, and before they could do anything, the elevator doors opened. Lacey stepped inside first, and Jonathan joined in beside her.

"Very well." Jonathan pulled out a set of keys, and without Lacey looking, he inserted one key in a keyhole by the button control panel. The elevator doors closed.

~000~000~000~

Kathy hurried her way out of Jonathan's office. She wanted an explanation from Jonathan about the pills, she found in his secret drawer, and she wanted to know where Jonathan really was two nights ago. Her heart was racing, fearing for the worst. Maybe Rachel and Lacey were right. Maybe Jonathan was a dangerous man, after all. She came across Joan Leland talking with a security guard.

Joan spotted Kathy passing by in the corner of her eye and turned to face her with a pleasant smile, "Kathy."

Kathy came to complete stop and whirled around, facing Joan with wide eyes. She really didn't want to talk to Joan, right now. She needed answers.

"How are you?" Joan asked.

"Fine," Kathy breathed out shakily, looking over her shoulder to see if Jonathan planned to scare her from behind.

Joan noticed her frantic movements, "Are you alright, Doctor?"

"I-I'm fine. I-I just need to get back."

"Doctor Crane, I assume."

Kathy froze, didn't utter a word. Her silence was answer enough.

Joan's lips curled into a smiled suggestively, utterly aware of the rumors, "You just missed him."

Kathy furrowed her brows questionably, "Excuse me?"

"He was here. He was with someone a couple of minutes ago."

"Someone? Who?"

Joan nodded, "Yes, a young woman - blonde, blue eyes, wearing heels, and skirt."

Kathy widened her eyes at this revelation. Lacey was here in Arkham with Jonathan. Kathy knew how much Jonathan hated Lacey, and if Jonathan was dangerous, he might try to hurt Lacey. She had to find them. Now.

"Do you have any idea where they disappeared to?" Kathy asked anxiously.

Joan nodded, "I saw them heading that way," she pointed behind her, showing Kathy what direction Lacey and Jonathan went, "toward the elevator."

Kathy looked over down the hall she was walking from, now she had to turn around to find Jonathan.

"Thanks. I have to go. Thank you again," Kathy walked quickly to the elevator, not bothering to hear goodbyes from Leland, and pressed the button to summon the elevator, but somehow the switch wasn't lighting up as it should. Was it broken? She looked up at the meter above the elevator to see what floor it was at currently. It appeared that the elevator was going down. Kathy watched the arrow making its way to letter B, also known as the basement. Why would Jonathan and Lacey go there? Kathy knew the other way downstairs was the stairs. Kathy was thankful that she wore her tennis shoes today instead of heels.

~000~000~000~

Lacey hummed to herself, waiting for her ride to make a complete stop.

"You know something, Crane?"

Jonathan huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I think you are psychic."

"Oh?" Jonathan's tone was curious, but he was more annoyed than interested in what the blonde had to say, "what made you say so?"

"Well... What you said about not proving that you were wearing a mask."

"What about it?"

"How did you know that the guy was wearing a burlap mask?" Lacey analyzed the look on his face, but he gave away nothing. "How did you know that he was wearing that kind of mask? There were many different kinds, and you said-"

"You mentioned it," Crane responded evenly.

"Did I?" she challenged him.

Crane faced her with a raised brow. The two stared down at each other until a ding from the elevator interrupted them.

Lacey looked up to see the level the elevator had taken them. B. B for basement. "Why did you take me to the basement?"

Suddenly, her body was slammed against the wall, catching her off guard. Next thing she knew, she tasted a sweet, bitter taste in her mouth. She could see a blurry image of Crane with a potato sack in his head.

Scarecrow.

Before she could respond, her vision turned black.

~000~000~000~

Kathy made it downstairs to the basement, panting for breath, sweat dripping down her forehead and neck. She walked down the hall to the double doors. Kathy peeked through the small window to get a view to what's inside. When she couldn't see anything, she cracked the door open and crawled her way inside.

Through the rails, what she saw horrified her.

A bunch of inmates (most of them have a surgical face mask on) mixing chemicals and pouring them in an opened water maim. They were poisoning Gotham's water supply with a toxin - Jonathan's toxin.

"Hey!"

Her gaze lowered to see a man with a gun aiming at her. She screamed, jumped back as he took the shot. She crawled through the doors, forcing herself on her feet now running for her life.

Kathy turned on the cellphone. The only thing she saw from the screen was a shape of a battery that had the words - low battery. The image quickly disappeared as the cellphone died. Why do cells stop working when someone truly needed it? This wasn't supposed to be a horror movie.

"Sugar!" Kathy cursed as she shoved the dead phone back inside her purse, angrily.

As Kathy was running, tears fell from her eyes and words were formed inside her mind.

'How could Jonathan do this to the people in Gotham... to me? What could he possibly gain from all this? Did he actually think I wouldn't find out? Did he think I was too stupid that I couldn't figure it out? I knew he was acting weird before, but I never expected this! Why didn't Jonathan tell me that he was sick? How could I not see the signs that he had a mental health problem?! We could've worked this out together. I would've been there for him, while he gets the help he needed, but no! He chose to lie to my face!'

No words could describe how Kathy felt. Mostly, she felt stupid, pathetic, too crazy in love to know what was really happening. Rachel, Vicki, Lacey, even Falcone were right about him. They tried to warn her about him, but she refused to listen. Kathy was a freaking doctor for crying out loud! How could she miss this?! Kathy wanted an explanation, but she didn't need one from Jonathan. He's probably going to use his toxins to get her to forget everything she had discovered or worse; he'll probably kill her.

She spotted the nearest fire alarm and pulled it.

~000~000~000~

Jonathan entered his office when he heard the fire alarm going off. Doctors and guards from outside were rushing and screaming to escape. He pulled out his phone, calling the people from downstairs.

"D-Doctor Crane?" the man stuttered in the other line.

"Mitchell, what is going on downstairs?" Crane commanded with a hiss.

"The blonde bimbo is with Emma Thomas. Just like you told us to take her."

"Then why do I hear the fire alarm going off? We can't take this plan to the public, not yet!"

"It wasn't us! It was some girl!"

Jonathan spotted a key on his desk - his key. The key to his drawer, "Girl?"

"Some girl with dark hair. Pretty. She walked in on the operation. She was spooked! Barney and Chandler are chasing after her now."

Jonathan opened the drawer to find something missing. His journal. His horrid thoughts were slowly coming true. He knew who broke in. His eyes cast at the photo of him and her together. He picked it up, slowly squeezing it tighter until the glass cracked.

"What do you want us to do, Boss?"

A smirk crept his lips, stating in a whisper.

"She is mine now."

~000~000~000~

What felt like going around a maze, Kathy finally located her dark office. She flipped on the light switch to see the office phone resting on her desk. She sped over and picked the phone to dial 9-1-1.

As she was dialing the number, she didn't hear any ringing nor beeping sounds as she pressed the numbers on the phone.

Kathy glared at the phone in confusion. "What?"

'What was wrong with this thing?! Why wasn't this damn thing working?!'

"Come on! Come on!" Kathy begged for the phone to work, but as she took a good look at the phone line, she saw that it had been cut as if someone was desperate for her not to call anyone. She knew one person who wanted to keep her from making the call.

"Having trouble?" a very familiar voice purred behind her. Kathy whirled around and gasped as she was faced to face with her unknown enemy. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" She narrowed her eyes at the man wearing a burlap mask, leaning closer to see the familiar, icy blue eyes piercing back at her.

"J...Jonathan?"

The man chuckled manically, wagging his finger at her, while shaking his head, "No, my dear. Johnny-Boy has yet to make the introductions, but I guess I'll be the one to do it for him."

He stepped forward out of the shadows, forcing Kathy to take a step back. Her back slammed against the corner of her desk, scratching her hip.

"Scarecrow."

Kathy narrowed his eyes, trying to comprehend his words, but he refused to let her do that. Instead, he threw his arm at her direction, a cloud of fear gas hit against Kathy's face. She coughed and fanned the smoke away.

As she looked up at Scarecrow again, she saw something she wished never to see again - snakes. She hopped onto the desk, lifting her legs as well, screaming fearfully as Scarecrow loomed over her. Scarecrow placed hands on either side of her body, watching her cower before him. He wanted to see her shaking with fear a long time ago, but Jonathan let himself get distracted to go through with their plan. If a man needed to do something right, that man must take control.

Kathy fell backwards off the desk, landing roughly on her head. She crawled back as Scarecrow came closer. She grasped the coat rack, whispering pleas for mercy in tears. Seeing her in this state was intoxicating in Scarecrow's eyes.

'Why didn't Crane go through the plan? She looks even more beautiful when she's scared.'

'What the HELL are you doing?' Jonathan cried inside his mind. Scarecrow knew that Jonathan would never approve of this. 'Let me be back in control right now!'

'And let her call the police? I just want to introduce myself and get to know your girl. I'll let you be back in control...' Scarecrow laughed wickedly, 'eventually...'

Jonathan knew what he meant by that, 'No.'

'You have had your fun with her, Crane, now it's my turn!' Scarecrow grasped Kathy's leg, making her scream loudly as he pulled her close, hovering his body over hers. She kicked and screamed, attempting to fight him off, but she couldn't. She wasn't strong enough. All she could do was lie there and cry until she passed out cold.