Disclaimer: I don't own Dr. Crane and/or any of the characters/places associated with Batman Begins
"Get up, Vanessa," Jonathan ordered.
Her body ached; she wasn't going anywhere. Where was she supposed to go, anyway? She couldn't even see.
Running out of patience, Jonathan grabbed her by the hair and pulled her from the bed, accidentally tugging her blindfold off in the process.
"I don't have time for your games right now. Do you really think I don't know who's at your door?"
Of course he knew; it was obvious why he had waited to come after her. He was making a plan; getting a feel for her daily routine, including her visitors. He wanted Jim to be there and that frightened her more than anything else.
Jonathan shoved her into the closet and shut the door behind her. With her hands bound, she was unable to effectively break her fall and landed on her side with a resounding thud. Vanessa lay on the floor feeling utterly helpless. All she could do was listen as Jonathan ran down the stairs. It was quiet for a moment; then the front door opened.
What am I going to do?
She heard Jim's voice crying out in alarm, followed by a sound most people would not be able to identify, but she was all too familiar with – steel colliding with a human skull. The sound came to her several times before she covered her ears, unable to listen anymore.
Please, don't kill him.
The front door slammed shut, causing her to jump. She could hear something, or someone being dragged across the floor; then another deafening silence. Where had Jonathan taken him?
There were only two choices left to her now; give up, or fight. She refused to give up; letting him win was not an option.
Then focus on what you need to do to get yourself out of here.
She pulled at the tie holding her gag in place and managed to slide it down around her neck; she spit the bulky piece of fabric he had so heartlessly wedged in her mouth onto the floor. Using her teeth, she began to pull at the knots binding her wrists; slowly, they began to loosen and unravel. Someone was coming up the stairs fast. Vanessa's breath caught in her throat.
Keep going; you're almost there.
Her hands finally free, she stood up as someone entered the bedroom. She crossed her fingers and prayed that by some miracle, it was Jim.
No; if it were Jim, he'd be calling your name, searching for you.
The door was flung open and she was disheartened, but not surprised, to see Jonathan standing before her. He held the flashlight, dripping with a fresh coat of blood, in one hand and a gun, which she assumed he'd taken from Jim, in the other. He smiled when he saw that she had managed to free herself from her restraints.
"Clever girl," he said as he grabbed her arm and pulled her from the closet.
He pushed her backwards and she landed in a chair in the corner of the room; the same one she'd been thrown in the night those men had attacked her.
"Did you kill him?" Vanessa asked in a panic.
"Does it matter?" he asked.
"Did you kill him? Tell me!" she demanded.
"No."
"I don't believe you, Jonathan."
"Then I can't help but wonder why you asked, Vanessa," he laughed. "I have no reason to lie, do I? I still might have a use for him; besides, he has to wait his turn. I believe you were first in line."
Jonathan paced back and forth across the room, never taking his eyes off of her.
"Why does he mean so much to you anyway? How did the two of you become so close?" he asked.
"We're friends; friends care about each other. I don't expect you to understand."
"But he didn't have this place cleaned; he didn't have the security system installed either. That took money, the kind of money you and Sergeant Gordon will never have."
"I don't know who did it," Vanessa said truthfully. "Not that it would be any of your business if I did."
"Now I'm the one who doesn't believe you, Vanessa. No one would do something like that out of the goodness of their heart. You're not trying to start you life over with a new man, are you? I don't like the idea of sharing you with someone else."
Vanessa turned away from him; his comments weren't worthy of a response. He leaned over her conspiratorially – the gun still in his hand.
"Whoever he is, I hope you're honest with him. Will you tell him about us?"
He rested his hand against the side of her face and pressed his mouth to her ear "Tell him about your request; it's only fair. He needs to know it was me you asked to replace the child you lost."
"You bastard!" she screamed and slapped him hard across the face.
As Jonathan recoiled from the blow, Vanessa jumped from the chair and made one last attempt to get out of the room. He grabbed her as she passed, and threw her face first against the dresser. He pressed his body against hers and kicked her legs apart.
"You're being naughty, Vanessa. I'm afraid you'll need to be punished."
Stay calm.
Vanessa looked down and saw her metal nail file lying on top of the dresser. With as much subtlety as possible, she reached for it. If Jonathan saw her take it, he gave no indication, and she quickly concealed it in the thick sleeve of her oversized robe.
"Now, where were we before Sergeant Gordon so rudely interrupted?" he asked.
You think you're so damned superior.
"Jonathan?"
"What is it now?" he asked impatiently.
"I don't want to fight with you anymore. I'll do whatever it is you want; but please, not like this. I want to do it on the bed."
He stopped for a moment, considering her request. Slowly, he stepped away from her and allowed her to stand.
"Very well, we don't have to do it like this if it makes you uncomfortable," he said, unable to hide his amusement. "But you can't have the comfort of the bed yet either. You have to earn that privilege."
"What do you want me to do?" she asked.
"Start by turning around," he told her.
Vanessa turned to him, looking straight into his eyes. Those eyes; he was once such a stunningly beautiful man – his madness ruined him.
"Give me your hand, Vanessa."
She tentatively put her hand in his. He raised it to his mouth and licked her palm several times, covering it with his saliva. She turned away in disgust as he forced her hand down the front of his pants.
"Touch me," he demanded.
Jonathan rested his head on her shoulder, deliberately focusing his hastening breath on her neck. He voiced his desires softly into her ear; telling her to quicken her strokes or tighten her grip as he saw fit. He watched her eyes every time he issued an order; watching her die a little inside with each new command – or so he thought. Her already aching neck and shoulders protested against the repetitive motion.
That's why you wanted me to do it; isn't it?
Without warning, he pushed her away from him "That's enough of that," he said. "Get on your knees."
"Yes, Jonathan," she conceded, and knelt down before him.
Jonathan eyed her suspiciously.
"You're being a little too cooperative, Vanessa. What are you up to?" he asked.
Thinking quickly, she said, "I told you I'd do whatever you ask, but you have to promise me you won't hurt Jim."
Jonathan accepted her response; seeming to find the whole situation quite entertaining. It was all a game to him.
"Very well; I'll make you a deal. You'll be graded on your performance tonight, Vanessa. If you're well behaved, like I know you can be, then Sergeant Gordon will wake up with a raging headache and the knowledge that he failed to protect you. If you disobey me, or fail to live up to past performances, then I'll make you watch while I gut him like a fish. Does that sound fair?"
Vanessa nodded in agreement.
"Good; then get to work, Vanessa. Jim is counting on you."
Jonathan dropped his pants to his ankles and, to her horror, pulled his Scarecrow mask from her dresser drawer, and slipped it over his head.
"Yes, Jonathan," she said as she regarded him apprehensively.
"Call me Scarecrow," he instructed, and gently ran his fingers through her hair.
"Yes, Scarecrow," she responded.
Vanessa let the file slide down her sleeve into her open hand. He was so proud of himself for having beaten her into submission; she couldn't wait to deliver this rude awakening.
Taking her delay as a betrayal of their agreement, he pushed on the back of her head, pressing himself against her mouth.
"Do it," he demanded.
Oh, don't worry; I'll do it alright…..
Vanessa drove the file into his groin with a stabbing motion. Jonathan let out a series of high pitched wails and fell to the floor, holding himself. He still held the gun in his right hand, but she couldn't risk getting close enough to fight him for it. She had to get out of here now. Vanessa fled the bedroom and ran towards the control panel of her home security system. She was successful in pressing the panic button this time; the police were on their way, but she was hardly going to sit in the kitchen with a cup of tea, waiting for them to arrive
Jonathan was cursing at her, and she screamed when she heard the gun go off. A small hole appeared in the wall; inches from where she had just been standing. Vanessa ran down the stairs; Jonathan's screams were still echoing through the house, although they were becoming less intense. She was two feet from the front door when she stopped dead in her tracks.
Jim
She couldn't leave him here alone with Jonathan. Now that he had nothing left to lose, he would kill Jim for sure, just out of spite. It was then that Vanessa noticed that Jonathan's agonized screams had ceased completely. The house was quiet again. Her time was up; she had to find Jim quickly.
He was in the living room; his hands tied behind his back and a gag in his mouth. Blood poured from an ugly cut on his scalp, but he was alive. Vanessa untied him and tried to shake him awake.
"Wake up, Jim. Get up!"
There was no response.
Okay; I guess I'll have to drag you.
She grabbed him by the ankles and pulled him across the floor, thankful she had wood flooring that was easy to slide him across.
"Vanessa?" Jim moaned.
"Shh, we're getting out of here; it's going to be okay."
"Forget about me, Vanessa; just go," he told her.
"No way, buddy; I'm not leaving you here alone."
"Run, Vanessa," he yelled urgently.
"I'm not going to argue with you now, Jim. I won't leave you behind."
"No. Behind you, Vanessa; run!"
By the time she turned around, it was too late. Jonathan was already staggering down the stairs. The Scarecrow mask still covered his face – his gun was pointed directly at her.
"You little bitch; I'm going to kill you slowly," he hissed at her through that burlap countenance.
"Vanessa, my leg," Jim whispered.
What? This nut has a gun drawn on me and you're complaining about leg pain?
"I have a service revolver strapped to my leg," he continued as he pulled up his pant leg.
Much to their dismay, the holster was empty.
"Looking for the other gun, are we?" Jonathan asked. "In case you're wondering, I left it upstairs. Some may think me crazy; but I'm not stupid, Sergeant Gordon."
Jonathan stepped into the living room, his gun now pointed at Jim.
"Age before beauty; you get to die first, Jim – may I call you Jim? After listening to your conversations with Vanessa over the past two weeks, I feel like I know you personally"
Knowing she was the one Jonathan really wanted, Vanessa took off towards the kitchen.
As she'd predicted, he followed her immediately, jumping over Jim as if he weren't even there.
Vanessa was being driven by fear. She had no plan, no real idea of where she was going or what she was doing – she just wanted to get away. He caught up to her so fast; she could almost feel his breath on the back of her neck as she rounded the corner into the dining room. Her foot caught on the edge of an area rug, and she took three awkward steps before recovering her stride; it was all the time Jonathan needed to catch up with her. He turned her around and drove his fist into her stomach. Vanessa doubled over and fell to the floor. She'd never been punched in the stomach before; was it supposed to hurt this much?
She looked down and saw the blood stain rapidly spreading down the front of her robe. There was the knife, protruding from her gut; only the hilt was still visible.
Author's Note: Hi everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful February.
Only two chapters left before we reach the end. Parting is such sweet sorrow; but I have begun a little Red-Eye fanfic, so I'm excited about that.
A special thanks to Not Human for the beta read. You're the best!
Thanks to all who read and/or review (golden peaches, BregoBeauty, tharpina, xOx Samantha, dreamer 0110, and anyone else I forgot to mention.) I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story.
