Never…
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye or Batman Begins!
Chapter Eleven
He's going to kill me… He's got to kill me…
There was no way that Jonathan Crane would let her live now. Bruce had her blood, which was evidence of what Jonathan had done to her. She had tried desperately to hide the effects of the toxin, yet it seemed it was all for nothing. Jonathan would think that she had ratted him out and she would be punished as he saw fit. There would the one last therapy session and perhaps he would give her an overdose of the medicine. No matter what, Jonathan would kill her.
I know too much. I can tell them everything. I'm a loose end.
Her life was in immediate danger. If he found her, then she was dead. She had to leave Wayne Manor before Jonathan learned of her betrayal.
Wait until morning… Scarecrow lurks in the shadows.
She would hold off until dawn. Then she would have to leave Bruce behind and go where Jonathan could not find her.
At the break of dawn, Amy gathered her battered backpack and exited her room quietly. She had tried to memorize the layout of the mansion the previous evening when Bruce had carried her exhausted body upstairs. She had been too weak to fight him or to soak up many details concerning the house.
It should not be this hard, honestly…
Finally, Amy reached the front door. Her hand was twisting the doorknob, when it suddenly swung open on its own accord and in stepped a weary Bruce Wayne.
"Amy. Oh good, you're awake." He muttered.
"I—"
"Do you have any dressier clothes than that? Never mind. We can stop by your house to pick something up before we go."
"Go where?" Amy demanded.
"To the preliminary hearing. It's this morning. Rachel or Jonathan decided to push for an early time frame. Most likely it was Jonathan." Bruce said, sighing heavily.
"Why do you never refer to him as my father anymore?"
"That's because Jonathan Crane is not your father."
"You have got to be kidding me." He's lying, I know it.
"He's your uncle."
"What? He doesn't have a brother."
As a matter of fact, Amy could not recall ever having met any of Jonathan's family. Or Lisa's for that matter. They lived in total isolation.
"Amy, Jonathan has a twin brother. Your father is his identical twin."
"What are you saying?" Amy was confused. What is he trying to get at?
Your father is Jackson Rippner. Not Jonathan Crane."
"What? The man that mom killed? You're joking." Right?
Jackson Rippner…the man in the pictures with her mother. The smiling stranger of whom she bore a striking resemblance.
"You are just like your father!" Jonathan was hissing at her, shaking her.
"I'm not joking, Amy. Jonathan Crane is not your father." Bruce told her.
"How, how can you possibly know that? I know Jonathan wouldn't tell you that."
"I did a background check on when your mother was pregnant with you. I heard about what happened in Miami. It was tragic and it's no wonder that your mother is in her current state. Jackson laid the foundation for Jonathan's experiments." Bruce seemed sad, like he was wishing he could have changed things.
"You know, don't you?"
"Know what, Amy?"
"What you are doing to her isn't therapy, Jon!" Lisa was shouting at Jonathan.
"Then what exactly is it, Lisa?" demanded Jonathan, his blue eyes flashing angrily.
"It's abuse, Jon! You are hurting her! I asked you not to hurt her—"
Jonathan grabbed Lisa's shoulders tightly. "I beg to differ on that statement. You requested for me to prevent you from harming her of which I complied. However, you never made any such distinction about me."
"My God, Jonathan, what kind of monster are you? She's a baby!" Lisa cried.
"Oh, Lisa, Lisa. She's already five years old—which is such a promising age, and despite the fact that my treatment is rather unorthodox, I will not allow her to progress to become like him. I suggest you learn to cope with that fact."
"How is torturing her going accomplish that? Explain that to me!"
"I detest your accusation that I'm harming her. I'm not. In fact, my therapy will provide her with the basis of her own terror. If she has something to fear, then it is unlikely she will become like her father."
"Jonathan, just don't harm her anymore. If you have to, hurt me instead. Just not my daughter." Lisa pleaded.
Jonathan scowled at her as he shoved Lisa against a wall. "Do you enjoy it more when I act like him?"
"Jon? What are you doing?"
His hand found her throat and he squeezed. "I asked you a question. Do you prefer it when I act like him, Lisa? Do you miss him?"
"Jonathan, I can't—" Lisa choked and gasped.
"Breathe? How observant of you. That's exactly the point, Lisa. That's the point!" He raged, shaking her.
Lisa struggled and he smirked at her before releasing his grip. "That's what you get for being a whore, Lisa."
Lisa collapsed onto the floor, gasping. Jonathan stood over her and gave her a swift kick to the stomach, succeeding at knocking the wind out of her. She curled up into a ball as Jonathan kicked her again, and again; releasing all of his pent up anger on her pitiful form.
Beaten to a point of agony, Lisa begged, "Stop, please. Stop or I'll tell…"
"Tell who, Lisa? If you speak to anyone, I'll make certain that you'll never see Amy again." He threatened.
"You know that he hurt me first. He just tried to scare me. Then he created the toxin when I was six. Ever since then, he's been injecting us with it and giving us the toxin on a regular basis."
Bruce felt sickened at this new information as he looked at Amy's shivering form. "No, I didn't know Amy." Bruce said softly.
"No one was ever supposed to."
Lisa Crane slept fitfully that night on Rachel Dawes' couch. The district attorney had insisted that she stay at her small home and Lisa had reluctantly agreed because she had nowhere else to go. The police were not allowing her to return home, as it was a crime scene and she could have driven to Miami, but she did not want to be far from Jonathan.
She needed her medicine. It had been several hours since her last dose and it was beginning to wear off. Only Jonathan had the medicine that she required. Only he could help her control the demons inside of her.
For the first time in at least a decade, Lisa's mind was left unencumbered by the drug and she was able to dream.
She was home in Miami at the house that he had bought for her. Not Jonathan, because he could never afford it. It was Jackson. Jackson Rippner… her first husband, her love, and the only man that she had ever purposely killed without even considering the consequences..
He entered the living room, where she was lounging on the couch and smiled broadly at her and then sat down beside her. Today must have been his day off because he was dressed casually in a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
"Leese," he said sweetly, cupping her chin as if no time had passed.
"Jackson, where have you been?"
"I was busy. I'm sorry that I couldn't be here for you Lisa. How's Amy?"
Lisa automatically looked down at her stomach, but she was no longer pregnant. "Oh, Jackson…"
"What happened?" He asked her as concern flooded through his blue eyes. Amy's eyes. Why had she allowed this to happen?
"Jonathan and his therapy. He's harming her. I tried to stop him!"
"It's all right, Lisa. I'm here and it'll be fine. I promise."
"Please, don't leave me again Jackson."
"I never left."
Lisa awoke panting from the cruel memory of Jackson, whom offered her once again the fleeting sensation of protection, but Jackson was dead! He was dead and buried and she had killed him! Her dreams could not undue the traitorous act she committed all those years ago. Oh Jonathan, where are you when I need you? I need my medicine!
Author's Notes:
I really truly meant to have this up yesterday, but we had an electrical storm at my house, and I was unable to use my computer. One of my friends actually had her laptop catch fire last night in the storm. I'm really sorry. Enjoy and major thanks to emptyvoices for her help!
