Evelyn soon found that Dr. Hugo Strange was an annoying man, full of irritating questions and idiotic musings.

"Evelyn, what exactly drew you to taking up the knife?" He'd asked.

What had drawn her to take up the knife?

She could've scoffed at him, or given him a nonsensical response.

She could make his head spin with her ideals, like most heads do when their work was brought into light and explained to them.

She remained silent.

"Now, now, my dear. You can't keep quiet. What drew you to killing in the first place?"

"Have you ever killed a person, Strange?" Evelyn asked, looking deep into his eyes.

There was a dead, glassy look to his eyes, one that she often saw in other patients at this miserable asylum. One the Joker often wore until someone mentioned Batman.

The look of a murderer.

Strange scowled and said nothing.

"I believe that I am the one that will ask the questions, Mrs. Zsasz."

"If you answer my question, I might be inclined to answer yours," She spoke softly.

"I have never killed a person, Mrs. Zsasz," Strange muttered.

The corners of Evelyn's lips turned up.

He was lying to her.

The eyes of a murderer are ones that most people would never dream of being familiar with, at least not to the point where one could point another murderer out just by looking into their eyes.

For the eyes truly are the window into the soul, and Strange could lie to her with his words, but his eyes would tell her a different story. His eyes told her the truth.

He'd killed before.

And he'd enjoyed it.

Her lips parted slightly as she answered his question.

"Victor."

Strange gained an almost predatory look upon her answer.

"Ah, yes. Victor," He set his eyes on her husband.

She could feel Victor tense up, anger taking hold of his body as Strange opened his mouth again.

"It all comes back to Victor for you, doesn't it, Evelyn," Strange mused. "But Victor has been doing this much longer than you have. Much, much longer."

"Just spit out your questions, Strange," Evelyn demanded. "No games."

Strange sent her a reproving glare.

"Victor, when did Evelyn stop being a...a 'zombie' to you?"

"You've asked me before, Strange."

"You never answered. Tell me, when was it? Or, was she ever truly a zombie to you?"

Evelyn sent Strange a glare. "I was a zombie to him, but-"

"I was asking Victor, my dear. You have to wait your turn. Victor?"

Victor was quiet.

He was refusing to answer.

"Perhaps it was when you found out she was pregnant?"

Evelyn gripped the edge of her chair tightly.

"Shut up, old man," Victor snarled. "You know nothing."

"Or maybe it was when you found yourself falling in love with her. Pretending to be Harrison Vale, pretending to be a loving boyfriend, pretending all of those emotions and...being with a beautiful woman...you found yourself wanting to be around her," As Strange blathered on, Victor's jaw ticked, irritation and hatred becoming almost overwhelming. "Wanting to hold her, wanting to be the first person she sees as she wakes...wanting to make love to her-"

"Enough of this, Strange!" Victor snarled.

"Have I hit a nerve, Victor?"

"I will not have you talking about my wife like that. Especially not in front of her-"

"Victor, I'm fine," Evelyn whispered, slipping one of her hands into his. "Nothing is wrong."

"He will not talk about you that way," Victor grit out. "He disrespects you."

"I don't care whether an old mad doctor respects me."

Strange looked on at the couple with an odd glee.

"Perhaps this is a conversation best left for another day, yes?" Strange prompted.

All he earned were glares in return.

"Let's talk about your methods," Strange continued, folding his hands on the table. "Hmm? Perhaps you could tell me why exactly you use knives."

He received no answer.

"You could...liberate more people with guns than with knives. From what I know of you, sheer number is what you go for. Unless...guns are too impersonal for what you're doing. The word liberate...it's almost too kind for what you do to your poor victims, Victor. It implies you're setting your victims free. With knives you have to get up close. Guns are more far-ranged a weapon. You like seeing the life slip from their eyes, don't you? Knowing you were the one to do that to them?"

Victor said nothing.

"You've said before that your body is a temple to your work. Is it also, perhaps, a temple to their memories? Do you remember each and every person you've slipped a knife into? As you look at your tallies, you remember their faces, don't you? You truly don't believe you're harming them. You believe that you're freeing them from mundane life. If that were true, why haven't you freed yourself? Or is that for when you run out of room on your body?"

He was met with silence.

He sighed. "Guards! Take them back to their cells!"

Strange was a smart man.

Strange was also very right.


"I understand now. I think," The girl spoke.

Evelyn sighed.

She was in the visiting room and this girl – one of the guards when she'd been in the care of that old woman – had come to see her. Honestly, she was surprised her visitation rights hadn't been revoked due to her uncooperative nature during those pathetic attempts at interviewing herself and Victor.

"Do you really, Amanda?" She asked.

"Every life is born with meaning, isn't it?" She probed.

Evelyn nodded, the telephone cradled between her head and shoulder.

"Of course it is. What would the point in living be if there weren't a meaning?"

Amanda smiled slightly.

"Then...then as we go on in the world, as we lose sight of what we truly desire, as we seek safety from danger and cradle ourselves in the routine, the ordinary, as we strive to be average, we lose sight of what we're really here for."

"And what are we really here for, Amanda?"

"We're here to live. To chase the unknown, to take risks, to push boundaries. We're here to savor the extraordinary. By-by seeking out safety and conforming to be average, we're upsetting the natural balance of what human beings really are."

"And what are we?" Evelyn prompted with a smile.

"We're free."


A/N:

Replies to Chapter 52:

Stitcher: Buahaha XD Right? Sassy Zsasz always wins XD

4SeasonsChick:

Indeed it is. Thank you!

TheAlabastorPhoenyx:

Thank you for the review, I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)

Jenicide24:

I think I'm gonna tease Harv with being Big Bad Harv for a long looooong time XD thanks for enjoying!

Replies to Chapter 53:

Erik-is-my-angel1234:

Well, Arkham City is coming up soon! I hope you've enjoyed!

Stitcher: Haha, I just had to sneak her in there. I cannot wait for her debut into the FF archives!

4SeasonsChick:

Wow! Dude, calm down XD Thanks for the review btw!

Jenicide24:

Well, I hope I've met your expectations in every way and I hope you're still excited for Arkham City!

TheAlabastorPhoenyx:

Well, I hope you've enjoyed and I'm afraid I may need to burst your bubble at some point but not at this moment! Enjoy! You're welcome!

Replies to Chapter 54:

TheAlabastorPhoenyx:

Always use puns! I love puns! :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Stitcher:

If I wrote more about Joker, I could see him making jokes about Zsasz and Evelyn getting caught in their skivvies. XD

ACF:

Haha, I think Strange irritates everyone. Anyway, hope you've enjoyed :)

Batty:

Hey, Batty, how are you? Sorry I haven't talked in a while, life has been nuts. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed :D