Never…

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

Chapter Five

Jonathan punched his steering wheel in unmaintainable fury. He had been so close to catching Amy, only to have her slip through his grasp. He should have strangled the petulant brat of a niece when he had a chance, and then he would not have to chase her around the Narrows in his car.

Now, his enemy in Gotham, the dreaded bat-man, had her. Batman had been the one person to nearly destroy him before but as luck would have it, Amy had been born and the inmate escape from Arkham had provided him with a legitimate avenue of escape from questioning authorities.

He needed to get Amy back before she had the chance to cause any damage. She was the only one who was really aware of the experiments he performed on his patients and rebelled against his authority. Lisa was aware of his activities however she capitulated underneath his authority. Amy was unfortunately a loose cannon.


"I found her in the Narrows." Batman said, gesturing to the sleeping teenager in the passenger seat of the Tumbler. Her backpack had been zipped up and he had laid it on the floor beside her.

"That's Amy Crane," Jim Gordon said with surprise immediately identifying her, after peeking into the black tank. "What happened to her?"

"She was the near victim of a mugging gone wrong. Her head was slammed into the ground and she was knocked out. She sure put up one hell of a fight though," he said, admiration clear in his voice for the feisty young woman.

Gordon noticed the bruises on her neck and marks on her wrists. "Was she restrained in any way?" He questioned, indicating the bruises.

"This was wrapped around her wrists." The Batman handed over the burgundy scarf.

"Nothing around the neck?"

"No. He never touched her neck."

"I need to take some pictures of her injuries. Those bruises are recent," Gordon said. Unfortunately, his camera was back at his office.

"Do you think she was abused?"

"It's possible."

"Here, use this," offered the bat, handing Gordon a high-tech camera. "I'll bring you back the pictures."

Jim nodded at his gracious offer. If only Gotham had several more people such as him that could shake themselves out of apathy and indifference, then the city would stand an even better chance of survival.

Gordon snapped several pictures of Amy Crane's injuries with the Batman's help. If anyone, such as Jonathan Crane was hurting her, then these photos would be documented proof; unmistakable evidence of his crimes. It might be enough to get a conviction.

"I'm going to catch hell for this," Gordon muttered as he returned the camera to the Batman.

"Why would you?"

"Our favorite psychiatrist is back and that's his daughter."

"Crane?" It was not as much a question as a statement.

"Actually, she is really Jackson Rippner's daughter, all though I doubt she knows it. I'm sure that Crane has been keeping the truth from her. I need you to keep her protected from him. He'll stop at nothing to get her back."

Gordon knew that he was asking or rather ordering, a great deal from this masked man, but he was only person that he could trust with such a delicate matter.

"I know a friend who can watch her and keep her safe from Crane."

"Who? Just so I know where to find her."

"Bruce Wayne. I'm sure given the circumstances, he won't mind taking her in for a while. Don't worry about Crane. He'll never find her there."

"Thank you."

"Just doing my job," Batman said with a shrug before climbing into the Tumbler.


For a moment, Amy thought that she was back at home in Miami. Her bed was incredibly soft and warm; the room bright and airy. Then she came to the sad realization that the exquisitely carved wooden furniture, expensive bedding, and stylish curtains were not hers. They were beautiful, but this was not her home. As a matter of fact, Amy was sure that she had never seen this place before in her entire life.

Subcoming to panic, Amy threw the covers off her body and noticed that she was not wearing her clothes. Instead, she was dressed in a loose tee shirt and sweatpants. Glancing around, she noticed her discarded boots in a corner, her backpack, and her ruined clothes. She quickly shed the unfamiliar clothes and slipped into her other jeans and a fresh shirt. Her bare arms were slightly chilled, and she tossed the suit jacket that she had lifted from the trunk on.

Hastily, she yanked her boots on and slung her backpack over one shoulder. She was not about to hang around this strange place to see who had brought her here. What if Jonathan's lurking around?

Just as she yanked open the heavy wooden door, an attractive man, probably around Jonathan's age, appeared. He was dressed casually and his face indicated surprise upon seeing her out of bed.

"Amy? What are you doing up so soon?" he asked in a calm, reassuring tone. He seemed kind, but Scarecrow had destroyed her trust in 'kind' people after so many years of being forced to endure his company that rather then responding, she turned to the outer hallway and bolted. She was desperate to get away from her unfamiliar surroundings and especially from the presence of the stranger who had obviously brought her here.

Wherever she was, she became aware of just how large the house was. Amy became easily confused and was soon lost in the myriad of corridors within the mansion. She heard the footsteps of the man pursuing her and her heart pounded faster in absolute dread.

"You can't hide forever, Amy…" taunted Scarecrow.

"Stop it!" she screamed at the relentless voice of Scarecrow in her mind. She could hide for as long as it took. She would get away.

"Amy? What's wrong? I promise you that you're safe. There's no need to run," the man called after her, his voice growing closer.

Amy shivered and kept going, only to find that she had backed herself into a corner. Shit!

She took off her backpack from her shoulder. It was lightweight, but if she swung it hard enough at his face, she might be able to buy herself enough time to escape. A few minutes would be all the time she would need.

I have to escape. I can't let Jonathan or Scarecrow find me. He'll kill me. This man probably works for him.

When the stranger appeared before her, she instantly swung the backpack with all her strength, yet he deflected it with his raised arm. Amy was shocked at his quick reflexes however, she tried to swing again, only to have her right arm captured in mid air, holding it tightly, causing her to drop the flimsy weapon as she attempted to pull away from his firm grip.

"Amy, if you try to fight me, you will lose and most likely end up hurting yourself. I don't want that to happen," he said as he gripped her other arm to cease her futile struggling.

"Who are you? You work for him, don't you?" she demanded frantically.

"My name is Bruce Wayne. Work for who?"

"Him!" screamed Amy. "Scarecrow!"

"Crane won't touch you here, Amy. I won't allow it. I promise you."

"Where am I? What do you want from me?" she asked fearfully, slightly calmer, yet she was still on edge. Can I really trust him?

"You are in Wayne Manor, which is my home. All I want to do is to keep you protected from Crane. I know that he hurt you, Amy and I know what Crane's been doing for years."

"Then why haven't you stopped him?"

"Because he's an expert at covering his trail. I need solid proof before my good friend, Rachel Dawes, who works in the District Attorney's office can prosecute him. I need your help and the information you can give me to bring him to justice."

"How can I trust you?" Amy inquired stubbornly as her voice echoed with resentment.

"Amy, if the Batman, your father's greatest enemy can trust me, then why can't you?"

Everything that Bruce said made sense and Amy yearned to believe him. She desperately wanted him to be a good person. But how did he really know about her father's under-handed dealings?

"Tell me what you know," she asked finally.

Author's Notes:

Bruce is finally in the picture! And Jonathan's going to be extremely pissed in the next chapter. Enjoy! Major thanks to emptyvoices!