Sylvia parked her car outside of Crane's apartment, and looked at Diana next to her. During the ride to Crane's apartment, she had been silent, and very tense. She was scared, that much was obvious.
'I'll walk with you' she said.
She watched the girl as she silently got out of the car, and walked with her up to the porch. When she rang the bell, the door quickly opened.
Sylvia had to smile. Dr. Crane was such a mature and kind man. Unlike her son's description of him. One thing was certain; he cared for Diana's safety, which was the most important.
'Good morning, Mrs. Fischer, Diana. It's good to see you' he smiled charmingly.
Sylvia gently pushed Diana forward. She whimpered softly.
She knew the girl was scared, but she had to go into therapy to get past that. They only tried to help her become better.
'Go ahead. I'll pick you up in one hour' she said.
She stepped back, and went back to the car. She watched as Diana walked along with Crane, and the door closed behind her.
As she started the car, she hoped Crane was able to help her. She had suffered so much. She needed the help.
XXX
Diana shyly handed her coat to Crane, whom took it from her, and hung it on a nearby clothing-rank. He guided her to his living-room, where he had her sit down on a big, comfortable couch. He took a seat in a chair close to the couch, and crossed one leg over the other.
A moment of silence fell. Diana didn't dare to say or do anything. She felt really uncomfortable. She had no idea what to say.
'Would you like a cup of tea?' he asked her.
She shook her head shyly.
'N-no' she answered.
He heaved a deep sigh.
'When did the abuse start?' he asked.
She bit hard on her bottom lip. Tears began to fill her eyes.
'T-three years ago' she said.
'Just take it easy. Breathe…' he spoke warmly.
'A-after my dad left…my mom started to develop a drinking problem. It only got worse when Michael came into the picture' she explained softly.
'What did your stepfather do for living?' he asked.
She wiped a stray tear that fell down her cheek.
'He worked for Carmine Falcone' she said.
She looked up when he held out a tissue-box, which had been on the table previously. She picked up a tissue, only in an attempt to dry her tears.
His eyes found hers. For once, she found herself unable to look away. She hadn't really noticed how blue his eyes were. In fact, she had completely failed to notice how handsome he really was.
If she looked past how rude and unreasonable he had been in the beginning, she really preferred this kinder side to him. Maybe Adam was wrong, maybe he really wasn't such a bad guy…
She felt herself blush, and looked down at her hands in her lap. Why was she thinking about that?
'Diana, I think it's good if I prescribe some meds for you. I can tell you have trouble sleeping' he told her.
'I don't know…' she argued softly.
'Trust me. I wouldn't do anything without your best interest at heart' he spoke.
'P-professor Crane…I-' 'Jonathan' he cut her off.
She frowned at him. He gave her a warm, secure smile, giving her a strange, yet good feeling in her stomach.
'You may call me Jonathan. During our sessions, I'm not your teacher' he spoke.
'You're my therapist' she stated softly.
'I may be, but you can address me by my first name. No need for formalities' he assured her.
She nodded faintly.
'Okay' she replied with a weak smile.
XXX
For the remainder of their first session, Crane would listen carefully to every word she spoke. She was growing more confident in his presence. While she had been afraid of him, he slowly saw her fear of him melt away, and be replaced by a feeling of security.
He was glad; he didn't want her to fear him. He wanted her to trust him, to adore him, to love him.
The simple thought of her telling him those three simple words, had him shivering. He wanted her warmth, her comfort. He needed, no, he craved her touch. He wanted her to love him, to tell him she would never betray him, to hold him in her arms.
He watched her sit on his couch, dressed in a plain, grey shirt, with a rather low neckline and long sleeves, jeans, and the same converses she always wore. The shirt was rather tight around her already thin body, and showed off those delicious curves of hers perfectly.
Her head was lowered, causing her long, wavy hair to fall over her shoulders gracefully. She had gone silent again. He felt no need to pressure her already damaged mind.
He stood up, making her raise her head.
'I'll get you something to drink' he said with another smile that made his cheeks ache.
He left her in his living-room, and went into the kitchen. He picked up two mugs, deciding to make her some tea, while preparing some coffee for himself.
After having prepared their drinks, he returned to the living-room, finding her stand in front of his book-shelf, holding one of the books, her eyes scanning the pages very carefully.
His eyes softened. The sight was so endearing. She looked so innocent. He could see her back, and noticed how wavy her hair was. She was truly beautiful.
She noticed him standing in the living-room, causing her to drop the book. Her cheeks grew terribly red, as she bent down to pick up the book.
'I'm so sorry, Professor Crane' she apologized.
He placed the mugs down. A smile appeared on his face. She still wouldn't call his first name. She was quite adorable.
'It's perfectly alright. Don't apologize' he assured her.
'I was just…I was really curious about your books' she rambled.
She held the book close to her chest, her eyes big, and puppy-like. His heart warmed at the sight. She looked so young, so child-like. And yet…she had all the curves of a mature woman. He had come to notice she was bustier than women he normally felt attracted to, but he didn't mind. She was beautiful either way.
He gestured her to sit down, which she did, after putting the book away. When he handed her the mug, she offered a shy smile, making his heartbeat fasten.
'Did you have word from the hospital yet?' he asked rather suddenly, making her nearly choke on her tea.
She coughed a few times, before looking at him, a look of fear on her face.
'Y-yes…I didn't catch any infections or something like that. A-and…' she hesitated.
'Yes?' he asked carefully.
'I'm not pregnant' she smiled.
A wave of relief washed over him. The mere thought of her being impregnated by that piece of scum of a stepfather enraged him.
'Good thing the son of a bitch is dead'
'She doesn't even know'
'Is it necessary for her to know?'
'Point taken'
'P-professor Crane?'
Her honey-sweet voice snapped him out of his inner monologue.
'Yes?' he asked.
'Why did you become a professor at Gotham University?' she asked very shyly.
He had to smile at her innocent question. He sipped his coffee.
'I wanted to teach the students the importance of fear. It's quite a complex emotion' he spoke proudly.
She nodded in understanding. She pulled her sleeves down, covering the bandages on her wrists. This raised more questions about whether she had cut herself again.
'How are your wrists now?' he decided to ask.
She froze, as if she had been caught red-handed.
'F-fine' she answered.
He narrowed his eyes. He could see she was lying.
'How dare the little witch to lie? You should just knock her out now and take her!'
Crane felt repulsed by the idea of forcing his own desires onto this young girl. She had suffered enough. She needed to feel comfortable with him first, before he could bring her into his apartment.
'Are you listening? Let me in control!'
'No! I will not let you scare her again. You've done enough'
'Do you even hear yourself? You're turning weak!'
Crane ignored Scarecrow's rant inside his head. He was growing rather tired of his other half trying to get control. He only allowed him in control when he thought it was necessary. But in Diana's presence, he would be in complete control. She needed a stable, calm environment if she was going to live with him.
'Would you mind if I took a look? Just to be sure' he tried to convince her.
She faintly shook her head. He got up, and took a seat next to her.
'Diana…I'm trying to help you. You don't have to be alone. I won't let you be alone' he assured her.
She said nothing. When he reached for her wrist, she simply allowed him to slowly remove the bandages. It revealed many more cuts. His heart sunk. While they had healed partially, he could see that some of the cuts were rather fresh wounds, at least a day old, not unlike the cuts from a couple of days ago.
He took hold of her other wrist, and removed the bandages of those as well, seeing both her wrists were in a rather bad shape.
He heaved a deep sigh.
'Do Mr. and Mrs. Fischer know about the fact you cut yourself again?' he asked.
'No' was her soft answer.
He placed a hand to her shoulder. She trembled slightly, but didn't push him off.
'You do realize we're all trying to help you, right?' he asked.
'I do but…I just don't know what to do' she began to sob.
She hesitantly moved closer. She rested her head against his chest. His heartbeat fastened at the sudden contact.
'I'm so sorry, Professor Crane. But…I'm so scared' she cried softly.
He wrapped her arms around her very carefully, and tucked her head underneath his chin.
'Shh…it's alright to be scared' he hushed her.
Her body trembled heavily, as she cried into his chest.
'You can always come to me for help, Diana. I'll never ignore you, or push you away. I'm always there' he spoke sweetly.
'Do it, Johnny! Knock her out, and bring her downstairs!'
'No. She needs the comfort right now'
'She's turning you soft. One look into those green eyes and you want to do everything for her'
'Thank y-you…J-Jonathan' she thanked him very softly.
His heart leaped at her saying his name. He buried his nose into her soft hair, inhaling her lovely scent.
'You're welcome…' he whispered.
XXX
Diana felt some relief after she had returned home. While she had her doubt, Professor Crane…no…Jonathan, had really listened to what she had said.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror, and then at the bottle of pills in her hand. She was told it would help her sleep.
She took one, and swallowed it. She hoped it would work.
She looked up at Adam in the door opening. His blond hair was tousled, and looked rather adorable.
She knew he was angry at her for agreeing to go into therapy. Ever since he had heard, he wouldn't speak to her. She thought it was really immature, but didn't dare to say anything.
He entered the bathroom without another word. He turned on the shower, making her place the bottle of pills into the bathroom drawer, before slowly heading for the door. When she turned her head, she saw Adam without a t-shirt on. It left her blushing like crazy. She gaped slightly, before hurrying out of the bathroom. What was the thinking? Adam was her best friend.
She walked into the living-room, where she found Adam's parents.
'I'm going to bed' she softly said.
Sylvia smiled.
'You look happier' she commented.
She cast her eyes to the carpet, a blush snaking over her face. She did feel a bit better. She had Jonathan to thank. She -finally- felt at ease in his presence. While she had been afraid of him in the beginning, she wasn't afraid anymore.
'G-good night' she said.
She went to her new bedroom. She immediately reached for her journal, and began to write. She found her face grow warm at merely writing Crane's name down.
She bit on her pencil, her cheeks rosy. She thought of that moment when he had looked into her eyes. His blue, charming eyes. They had been so blue. She had never seen such an eye-color before.
She touched her wrists. He had wrapped her wrists up with a new set of bandages. He hadn't reacted angry upon finding what she had done. He had reacted calmly, and full of compassion. It had made her feel so much at ease.
He really knew how to make her feel comfortable.
XXX
Another chapter, yay! I hope you're all enjoying this :D I'm sure enjoying writing this. It's much better than my old version of this story :3
Anyways, have a nice day!
~TheOneWithTooManyInterests