Always…

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

Chapter Fifteen

Lisa was dozing when a worn out Jonathan returned to his office. He did not wish to wake her from her peaceful slumber as she needed a generous amount of sleep at this late stage of her pregnancy. He removed his jacket and gently covered her upper body with it to protect her from the constant chill of the asylum.

"Jackson," she mumbled, a faint smile appearing upon her face as she shifted slightly under the newly-acquired jacket.

"Sleep, Lisa," he whispered, removing his eyeglasses and setting them aside upon his desk after dimming the lights. Once satisfied with the lighting, he settled down into the chair situated across from Lisa.

He observed her sleeping form, cheerfully noting that she slept rather well compared to her previous sleeping patterns he had read in her file and experienced. He enjoyed watching her and he was sure Jackson had done the very same thing when he first met her.

Jonathan could easily see how Lisa had managed to melt his brother's frigid heart as there was something utterly endearing and real about Lisa Rippner. She could see the "good" in people and completely ignore the "bad". She was far too trusting for her own good, despite what she had been through.

"Jackson?" She sounded pitiful once more.

"I'm here, Lisa," he replied softly, his eerie blue eyes piercing the darkness of the office.

At night, he was Jackson to her. During the day, he was her savior, Jonathan Crane. To his staff he was the unapproachable Dr. Crane and to a large majority of his patients, he was only known as Scarecrow. Silvia Monroe had been added to the list of his patients thanks to Scarecrow.

"Talk to me. Where've you been hiding?"

"I never left, Lisa. I'm still here."

Lying to Lisa was fun. She never remembered it and didn't resist. She believed everything that he told her.

"I thought you left me…"

"I'll never leave," he swore, uncertain of what he was saying. He made it a point to never make promises.

Lisa did not speak again as she drifted back into a peaceful sleep. Jonathan sighed and closed his eyes as well. He would need the sleep as well, for tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Early the following morning, loud knocking roused both Lisa and Jonathan from their deep slumber. Jonathan rushed to his office door.

"Who is it?" he demanded. He never opened his door to just anyone.

"Dr. Crane, we need you! Silvia Monroe was just found…she's dead!" came a panicked voice from the other side. One of the young, inexperienced girls from the front desk, he assumed.

"Dead?"

"Yes," confirmed the voice.

Jonathan swiftly unlocked and opened the door. He momentarily forgot all about having slept in his office all night and that Lisa was still with him until she spoke.

"Jonathan? What's going on?" Lisa asked, sounding confused. Her voice caused him to turn around.

"Lisa, come along. Something's happened."

He ushered her to join him. The young woman outside his office seemed shocked by Lisa's appearance at his side. Lisa latched onto Jonathan again, but this time she was actually afraid of what was happening outside the safety of his office.

Jonathan shot the young receptionist who had disturbed them a withering glare and she gratefully took the hint and beckoned them forwards, leading them to main nurse's station, where the police were waiting for him. Being director of Arkham often took a toll on his life and it meant that he often had to deal with police regarding the different criminals institutionalized there.

"Dr. Crane, I'm sorry to have disturbed you," said the police sergeant in charge.

"That's quite alright Sergeant Gordon," replied Jonathan with a false smile. Gordon was a nice man and a good cop but he was a constant irritating factor for Jonathan to be sure. At least he was polite compared to some of the other men of Gotham's police force, such as Flass. "What seems to be the problem today?"

"One of your employees was found dead early this morning." Gordon looked down at a notepad in his hand. "A Miss Silvia Monroe. She appears to have died of trauma induced heart attack, but our investigation should reveal more. I would like you to lock down Arkham temporarily if at all possible to keep the inmates and employees separated."

Jonathan sighed. Lock-downs were tiresome. Cooperation with the police was over-rated anyway. He started to speak.

"I don't think—"

"Jonathan, please," Lisa whispered to him. "Help them catch this person."

How could he find the words to tell her that he had done this? That he had tracked down Silvia, sprayed her with the toxin and listened to her terror filled screams? After which, he regained his composure to return to his office?

"Okay," he agreed reluctantly. "Whatever needs to be done, just let me know and I'll handle it. I don't understand how this could have happened."

"If you don't mind my asking, where were you last night, Dr. Crane?" Gordon questioned, pen poised above his ridiculously tiny pad of paper.

"He was with me," Lisa piped up quickly. "I'm his new assistant, Lisa Rippner. We were working on some tedious paperwork last night in his office and we both fell asleep."

"Miss Rippner..." Gordon began, but Lisa cut him off.

"Mrs. Rippner," she said sadly correcting him. Lisa did not want him getting the wrong idea of her relationship with Jonathan.

"Oh, I see. And where might be Mr. Rippner?"

Lisa bit her lip. Jonathan wrapped an arm around her shoulders to comfort her. "Her husband just died not too long ago. His death was sudden and hit her rather hard," Jonathan explained to Gordon. He did not even bother to mention that recently was actually nearly nine months prior.

"I'm terribly sorry," Gordon said sincerely.

"It's okay," Lisa said, choking on a sob that settled in her throat and Jonathan held her closer, rubbing her back softly now. She needed him to lean on and he did not care, despite the ethical boundaries that he knew he was crossing. He could easily lose his medical license if the wrong person found out that he was treating her. Not that anyone would find out…

Unless cops, such as Gordon, started asking the wrong questions and poking into places where they did not belong. But there was a solution to that though not a pleasant one. A faint trace of a smile came emerged on his lips. Not a pleasant one at all.

Author's Notes:

Not much to say except big thanks to emptyvoices as well as everyone who reviewed this chapter! Enjoy and the next chapter should be up soon.