Always…

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

Chapter Seventeen

"I'll help you, Lisa. You don't need to worry, all right? Everything will be fine. You'll see," Jonathan said soothingly, his melodic voice mimicking Jackson's own.

"Thank you. I had never planned on raising a child on my own, but I know Jackson would hate me for giving up our baby. My child needs a father since I killed him and someone needs to help me," Lisa said softly. She hated having to remember that she had cold-bloodedly murdered her husband. Could I have learned to live with him?

"I will help you as long as you need it."

Lisa was still his patient, yet he was unconcerned about anyone finding out about this private arrangement and if Sergeant Gordon kept poking into his affairs, he would find no evidence of Jonathan treating Lisa. All he would find was a pregnant widow working as his assistant. It was unofficial, his taking care of Lisa and therefore there were no doctor-patient boundaries to cross.

Lisa nodded, a smile crossing her face. "Thank you so much, Jonathan. You have no idea what this means to me."

"Well…" Jonathan started to say, but the psychiatrist was quickly enveloped in a hug from Lisa. He responded stiffly at first; not used to showing physical affection. He had been ignored most of his life and when he was noticed, he was only kicked around by his bully of a twin or his father. Lisa was different. She was an exceptionally strong woman and at the same time she was incredibly reliant upon him.

'You enjoy the power…' Scarecrow hissed in his ear.

Oddly enough, Scarecrow was correct.

Lisa now belonged to him. She was his property and his to command or manipulate. By asking for his help, she had unwittingly bound herself to him and Jonathan knew he could never relinquish his hold on her.

He would be everything Jackson was not. He would take his dead brother's place and he would be a father to the baby and a husband to Lisa. Yes, I'll marry Lisa... It was best to make everything legal.

Lisa would be his either shortly before or after the baby was born. His plans would utterly depend upon her. Either way, he was still going to use her as an experiment for his fear toxin. Nothing, not even his feelings for Lisa, could interfere with his commitment to Ra's Al Ghul.

Jim Gordon knew that trying to contact Lisa Rippner was futile. Dr. Crane would surely be keeping tabs on her. Instead, he did the next best thing to gather information upon Jackson Rippner and the events that brought Lisa to Gotham, therefore leading him to contact Joseph Reisert.

"Hello?" Joe answered the phone, his voice filled with a sudden hope. Everyday, he prayed that he might hear from Lisa. It had been months since she had shut him out. Ever since she had landed in the hospital, ended up married to Jackson Rippner, and subsequently murdered him; Lisa had refused to see him.

"Joe Reisert? This is Sergeant Gordon—"

"Lisa! Did something happen to Lisa?" Joe's voice was shaking from anxiety.

"Mr. Reisert, Lisa's fine as far as I can tell. I'm calling about Jackson Rippner…"

"Is that bastard still alive? I thought Lisa killed him!"

"Um, I'm not entirely sure. I have reason to believe that your Jackson Rippner could potentially be a man known as Jonathan Crane…"

"Has he hurt Lisa?"

"No," Gordon's patience was wearing thin. "No one has hurt your daughter. She is in Gotham with Dr. Crane, the director of Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. Dr. Crane just happens to bear a striking resemblance to Jackson Rippner and I thought I would do some checking on him."

"If I'm lucky, he's rotting away six feet under."

"Mr. Reisert, I'm sure this sounds like an odd request, but I'd like to exhume Mr. Rippner's body."

"By all means, go for it. I just want to be present when you dig him up so I can make sure he's still there. He was a sneaky bastard."

"I'm sure he was, Mr. Reisert…"

"Lisa, I have to return to Arkham. Do you want to come with me or stay here?" Jonathan asked her a few hours later. He was dressed in a fresh suit and feeling well-rested. Now it was time for him to deal with the incompetent police force overrunning his asylum.

"I think I'll stay here. I'm really tired," Lisa yawned.

Jonathan nodded. "I'll be back shortly. Get some rest."

Lisa waited for him to leave before slipping into Jonathan's bedroom and changing into a nicer outfit. She killed at least thirty minutes before snatching the keys to the Beemer and slipping into her car. An overwhelming sense of curiosity surrounded her. She wanted to watch Jonathan at work, without his knowledge.

She wanted to know that she could trust him. She did not want to wait until it was too late. Lisa couldn't afford to take any chances with anyone else and she was not going to let a repeat of her altercations with Jackson occur. Her daughter deserved better than that.

Author's Notes:

Not a very long chapter, but it sets up an interesting conversation between Jonathan and Lisa in the next chapter. Enjoy and big thanks again to emptyvoices! Next chapter coming soon!