Never…

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

Chapter One

Amy Crane yawned loudly as she stretched. She loved the early morning; seeing as it was only time of day that she was not surrounded by the insanity of the life going on around her.

Her father, Dr. Jonathan Crane, was the director of Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane and a well-known psychiatrist, before packing up his family and moving them back to Miami following the attack on Gotham City, shortly after her birth. Her mother was originally from Miami and they lived comfortably in a Tudor mansion in one of the more elegant neighborhoods in the city.

However, the Cranes had just decided to return to Gotham after sixteen years of living in virtual exile. Jonathan was busy campaigning for his old job as director. Her mother, Lisa Crane, was withdrawn and spoke very little. She had been greatly affected by the fear gas that had spread through the water mains during the night where Gotham came near destruction. Jonathan had injected her with the antidote immediately at an immense risk to himself since Lisa had attempted to attack him under its powerful influence.

"Amy?" Jonathan asked from outside her room. "We need to leave in fifteen minutes."

Amy groaned and rolled out of her comfortable bed. Instead of falling clumsily to the floor, she landed deftly upon her feet and used one arm to hold herself up form the ground. She stood up and walked over to her closet, numbly yanking out her usual 'crazy' clothes: a simple light blue blouse, a dark blazer, matching dark pants, and heels. The blue blouse accented her striking blue eyes, which was the only clue that she was even related to Jonathan. She had straight brown hair, a shade of color between her father and mother that she usually wore cut short. Lisa hated her hairstyle, but she was unable to sway Amy from her complete stubbornness.

As a matter of fact, her mother had no control over her. There was only room for one authority in the Crane household and that power belonged to Jonathan alone.

Amy secretly hated her father. She knew that he had an obsession with fear and had performed unethical experiments on his former patients. She had heard rumors regarding the creation of the fear toxin and his involvement ever since they arrived in Gotham less than two weeks earlier. Of course, back then the only side of Dr. Jonathan Crane that anyone ever saw was the devoted family man who had saved his wife and newborn child from the terrorist attack. Amy definitely knew better then that.

She was not a naive individual and she knew that Jonathan was grooming her to one day become a psychiatrist. That was the singular reason behind all the visits to the various asylums and her working with him. It was not, as Jonathan pretended, to spend some quality father-daughter time.

"Amy! Let's go!" Jonathan was calling her again, clearly annoyed.

It was never a good idea to anger her father. She had learned that lesson a few days earlier, but she had still believed that he was a good person and defended him against the accusations said from those around her. But no more. Amy had reached the end of her rope and she was fighting back.

There was no love lost between her and her ignorant family. Amy Crane would stop at nothing to bring Jonathan down; despite the pain it would cause her mother. If losing Jonathan meant causing her mother's death due to her weakened state, Amy did not care. Jonathan deserved to be punished for his crimes against humanity. She would see to it that justice was served or she would deliver it personally.

No one else was going to get hurt.


Dr. Jonathan Crane was not a tall man; he was only a few inches taller than his wife and teenage daughter. His long-legged stride was unusual and caused Amy to run to keep pace with him. She hated following him about like a little, lost puppy dog. It was demeaning.

"Hurry up," snapped Jonathan. "We're already late."

Whatever you say, dad. Or should I say 'Scarecrow'?

Amy rolled her eyes at him behind a curtain of her hair. Who would believe her if she told the truth about him?

It was not like she could walk up to a random person and say 'Hello, my father is a psychopath with MPD and he tried to kill me.' No one would believe a young girl with her record and penchant for lying and manipulating. If Jonathan had not insisted that she accompany him, it was doubtful that Amy would even be allowed in most of the asylums because she might very well cause mischief and release the patients. More than once, Jonathan had threatened to send her off to a juvenile detention center instead of getting her out of trouble, or to a boarding school if her risky behavior did not cease.

But she knew that he never would. He needed her to continue his work. He could not afford to lose her, but she was determined to break free. Now that she was back in Gotham, she could easily escape and run away. Surely there was someone in the city that would take her in. When they lived in Miami, their house had been surrounded by a high, iron fence that required a code and that her parents controlled from the house. There had been no way to runaway from that beautiful fortress.

"Dr. Crane, it's nice to see you again," greeted the current director of Arkham, an older man preparing to retire. Dr. Olsen was a genuinely nice guy, unlike Jonathan. "Amy."

Amy just nodded hello. Jonathan had yelled at her before about speaking. He preferred that she remain silent unless he was asking her a direct question.

"When you talk it interferes with my work and distracts me," he had hissed at her. "And we don't want that, now do we?"

"It was very kind of you to take some time out of your busy schedule to meet with me," Jonathan said, his voice sugary sweet and false-sounding to Amy's well-trained ears. She was adept at seeing through lies.

"Let's step into my office, shall we?" Dr. Olsen offered, opening the door.

Amy had seen her father clench his teeth at the words 'my office'. It was very clear that Jonathan still saw Arkham as his, even though he had made the decision to leave. He quickly regained his composure and they entered the office, Amy on his heels.

"Dr. Crane, I had some questions concerning your file," Dr. Olsen said, once everyone was seated.

"Yes?" Jonathan replied, intrigued and with a hint of annoyance.

"It's concerning two separate murder cases and the sequence of events leading up to your unexpected departure."

"Amy, leave the room," Jonathan ordered coolly.

Amy wanted to protest, but she knew it was useless. She would only anger him and lose badly. It was better to give up without a fight. She quickly exited the office and closed the door harshly behind her. If he remembered her slamming the door, then he would punish her for it later.

She spun around to lean against the wall, colliding with a man at the same time.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out and her face fell when she realized that she had run into a police officer.

"It's okay," he said, waving it off.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean too… I was just so mad at him that I wasn't thinking straight," she apologized.

"Mad at who? Dr. Olsen?"

"No, at my father, Dr. Crane. He kicked me out of their meeting. It was bad enough that he had the nerve to wake me up and drag me to work with him…"

"You're Dr. Crane's daughter?" the police officer asked curiously.

"Yes, I'm Amy Crane."

"Amy Alison Rippner?"

"No, I'm Amy Alison Crane. Why do you ask?" Something was odd about this conversation. Why did this man seem so nervous?

"Miss Crane, my name is Jim Gordon. I knew your mother and your grandfather."

"My grandfather? I don't have a grandfather. He's been dead my entire life."

The office door opened and out stepped Jonathan Crane. He glared at Jim, clearly remembering all the trouble that the police sergeant had brought to him sixteen years earlier. He casually slipped an arm around Amy's shoulders and smirked at Gordon.

"Come on, Amy. We're going home," Jonathan said sweetly.

"It was nice to meet you, Jim," Amy called, as Jonathan turned her around and they walked away from Gordon.

"Amy, what did I tell you about talking to people?" he hissed into her ear, once they were in the parking lot.

"You said not to. But this was an exception—"

Jonathan quickly cut her off. "There are no exceptions. Do you understand? You are not to talk to anyone, let alone the police, and especially not Sergeant Gordon."

"Why?"

"Sergeant Gordon tried to frame me for a murder that I did not commit. He's out to get me and whatever you say to him or to anyone else might be twisted and used against me."

Amy doubted what he said. Jim Gordon had seemed to be an honest man. Why would he be out to get her father?

Not unless he knew the truth… Does he?

Author's Notes:

A very long first chapter! There will be a flashback soon that will explain why Amy doesn't like Jonathan anymore and doesn't trust him. Enjoy and please review! Big thanks to emptyvoices!