Always…

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye or Batman Begins!

Chapter Nine

A while later, after Lisa had showered and dressed for the day, she sat down to her first real therapy session with Dr. Crane. They sat in her living room, him with a notepad open upon his lap and a pen in hand while she relaxed on a couch across from him. His eyes focused intently on hers.

"Everything is starting to fall apart." She murmured despairingly.

"Can you tell me what you feel is wrong?" Jonathan questioned.

"He's everywhere. He won't leave me alone. I'm always afraid that he's going to hurt the baby or me. He can switch from being kind to a killer in a heartbeat," Lisa explained calmly. She was always calm at the beginning of a session and his presence was soothing to her.

"When does he bother you most?"

"At night and when I'm feeling lonely. It's usually when I'm the most alone that I think about him. I often wonder if I could have done something differently. If I could have learned to live with him and he'd still be here today."

Jonathan nodded and jotted some notes down on the pad. He never once had to look down at the paper in his hands.

"Why do you wonder about that?"

"I had a choice. I could kill him or let him control me and get away with what he had done. He knew that he would've never let me go. It's not his style. Once he knew about the baby, there would have really been no mistake. He would have hurt, even killed the baby to prevent me from leaving. I was a possession; just a mere toy to him," she sighed. As the memories surged back, Lisa started to hurt, but so far Jackson was leaving her alone. If only it would stay that way. "I never wanted to kill him, but I knew I should. I knew I had to do it."

"Would he have killed you if you did not kill him?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes…he could have. He would have done anything to keep me prisoner."

She took a shaky deep breath. The memories were beginning to catch up to her. Jackson was so kind in the beginning until she saw the cruelty beneath the surface.

"I swear, I won't let anyone hurt you again," Jackson whispered to her in the hospital.

Liar. Jackson had lied to her since the very beginning. From the moment that she had met him, deceit had been his primary weapon.

"Lisa?" Jonathan was calling her name. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Lisa muttered. "Just lost in thought."

"About?"

"Him. He said he never lied and he promised never to hurt me. But he did! He betrayed me!" She exclaimed.

"How would you say he betrayed you?" He inquired as he steered the conversation, driven by a need for information.

"Lying. He lied. I don't know if everything was a lie or if he really loved me. I won't ever know. I don't even know who Jackson Rippner was!" She murmured, confusion lacing her tone.

Jonathan of course knew exactly who Jackson was. He could tell her stories about his twin brother that would make her hair curl more than it already did. He knew the truth about his brother and his descent into madness.

"Who was he to you?" He asked.

"He was a friend and a shoulder to lean on when I needed him. He supported me but he used me at the same time. For moments only, he was my husband… I can't describe him because I never got a chance to figure him out," Lisa sighed, exasperated.

"Do you still love him? Even after everything?" Jonathan inquired.

"Yes, I loved him very much. I never got the chance to really tell him how I truly felt. I told him in the hospital, yet it wasn't the same. I never told him that I loved him once my memory returned. I felt too dirty and betrayed to tell him."

Jonathan was nodding again. The repetition of it annoyed Lisa.

"I think that's enough for today," He said softly, snapping the notepad closed. "I need sometime to consider what you told me."

What the hell had Jackson done to her? How heartless had his twin really been?

Jonathan really had his hands full with her. Her mind was thoroughly damaged to begin with. Even if he managed to restore her sanity, what kind of results could he expect with the toxin? Was it worth all the effort on his part to heal her mind only for the brief moments it would take to destroy it once more? Could he devote the time to her?

Jackson. What would he have wanted Jonathan to do? Jack would have wanted Jonathan to care for her just as he once did. Jack would've told him to fix Lisa. Even though he was the one who hurt her in the first place.

He would not be able to heal her in his short stay in Miami. Jonathan would be forced to take her back to Gotham even though Miami wasn't terribly far for him to drive. In her mental state and with the pregnancy, he didn't want to take a chance of leaving her unattended at her home. When he returned, Lisa would be coming with him.

Whether she wanted to or not.

Author's Notes:

The drive to Gotham isn't far, but Jonathan was flying into Miami from elsewhere, not Gotham. Big thanks to emptyvoices! Enjoy, and the next chapter should be up shortly.