((Sorry about the long delay between chapters guys! I HOPE YOU ENJOY. LEAVE FEEDBACK!))

Crane sat behind his desk with his fingers clasped together with his hands on his lap. Gordon had remained standing, his dark tired eyes seemed on edge as he stood in Crane's office. Gordon talked slowly and carefully, speaking about how he had been working on this case for almost a year. That Nirvana was still missing and not many leads had come into play. Between the rise and quick fall of the new District Attorney and Joker and Riddler becoming more and more of an issue, Gordon had to push the Halloween case behind everything else. He had recently revisited this case and taken a fresh look at the evidence and it had lead him back to Crane's office.

Crane had carefully picked up the evidence bag and turned it over in his fingers a few times as Gordon paused in his speech. His mind reeled but he remained his face was calm, almost stone like. He inspected the broken bottle inside before opening the bag and taking a gentle whiff.

"Dr. Crane, I believe you have minor in biochemistry, correct?"

"Yes I do. So I can understand why you came back to me," Crane answered truthfully, leaning forward in his chair and setting the bag gently in front of Gordon, who nodded and placed a hand over the bag.

"Which is why I need to just ask you a couple more questions about that night," Gordon sat in front of Crane and looked at him dead in the face. Jon returned his gaze with an almost bored expression. "Tell me again what you remember about the incident."

"Chaos, Officer Gordon. Fear and chaos. I had arrived waiting to the Gala hoping to meet a potential business partner but he never showed. Nirvana and I spent some time talking about work while smoking a cigarette before she went in to socialize. I waited a few more moments before deciding the man I was waiting for wasn't going to show. I stepped out of the Wayne Manor and was almost to my car when I heard the first screams. People began to run out of the building covering their ears, scratching out their eyes, biting off their tongues. I got into my car and sped off after that."

"No call to the police?"

"I did so a few hours later. I was shook up from the whole event."

"Tell me more about your relationship with Dr. Nelson."

Crane sighed audibly, taking a thin hand and pinching the bridge of his nose in obvious aggravation but answered, "As I said, her and I were had a very close work relationship but not much else. We were partners in running this damned asylum. We fought constantly but we always resolved our arguments. However outside of work, we had little to no contact with each other."

"So you had no other feelings for her?"

"No, none like what you're thinking, anyway."

"So, you guys were work partners? Constantly by each other's side. Always bouncing ideas off each other," Gordon lead the questioning further and Crane answered with a nod of his head but no words. "So she told you about going after head psychologist of the asylum correct?"

Crane rose a single dark eyebrow, eyes gaining a shining glint in the glacier pools, "Excuse me?"

Gordon nodded knowingly, "I figured she might not have shared that she was going after your job," he reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper and threw it on the desk before Crane. Crane made no move to pick it up and just looked at Gordon. "Go ahead, that's her application. I also have a copy of a letter of recommendation from Bruce Wayne. And with his family being a huge backer to the asylum... well, she probably would have gotten the job if she hadn't gone missing."

Jon looked down at the folded up piece of paper but made no move to grab it. He sighed quietly and shook his head, "She had seen how much stress I was under with everything going on. The renovations, the lack of funding, the growing patient numbers. She probably was looking to relieve me of that. She wouldn't have done it out of spite. Nirvana isn't like that."

"You speak so fondly of her, Dr. Crane. Are you sure what you had was only work related?" Gordon questioned smoothly but Crane only pushed the folded paper back towards the detective and stood from his desk.

"I have work to get to, Detective Gordon. So unless you're arresting me, I'd like to wrap this up," he stated firmly, waiting coolly to see what Gordon did. The man stood from his chair and straightened his jacket. He picked up the paper and placed it back into his pocket.

"Don't leave the city, I may need to question you again, Dr. Crane," and with that he stepped out of Jon's office and shut the door behind him. Crane stood completely still, his hand resting on his desk as he breathed in carefully, his heart racing. The evidence was suddenly stacking itself up and he was now a firm suspect. He relaxed himself as much as he could. He straightened up and ran his hands over his jacket. He stepped out of his office and began his work day as normal.

...

However, the work day didn't seem normal. Things at some points were loud. So busy. Joker and Harley were brought back in. Cells rattled with the excitement that the two brought with them. But after they were settled in, things became eerie. Crane couldn't get over the feeling that he was being watched. He would catch the glances of nurses and security. Faces he had never seen before and it seemed like they were always watching him. Always around him. The day went on like this. No solid alone time unless he stepped into the bathroom. His mind was reeling by the time it was for him too leave and bring Nirvana some food. But when his car pulled out of the parking lot, his blue eyes gazed into the review mirror to see a black car following his own. He breathed through his nose deeply settling his rattling heart. He turned to head towards the city. His eyes would shift to the mirror then back to the road. He made his way home instead of the store. He couldn't risk someone following him back to Nirvana's room. His stomach churned at the thought of leaving her without food. After everything he had put her through, food seemed like the bare minimal he could give her. He watched as the car followed him until he pulled into his home. He lived on the outskirts of Gotham, the area wasn't very friendly as far as neighbors were concerned but people avoided his home. It looked regular but almost abandoned. He didn't take the best care of it. He pulled into his driveway and the black car drove past and left the block. He rushed inside and shut the door with a sharp snap. He exhaled loudly as he leaned his forehead against the door. Was he being paranoid? Was he acting out of his own fear? He couldn't be quite sure, but with the dutiful detective pulling at strings, he couldn't be too reckless. He set down his briefcase gently and pulled of his suit jacket and tie. He felt paranoia itching at him again and forced himself not to look out the blinds. Not yet atleast. He'd wait till he went down into his basement and checked the cameras he had set up.

His mind reeled quietly as he sat on his couch and he placed his hands over his face as he stretched his long legs onto the coffee table. He breathed in and out deeply, trying to concentrate. To focus. He thought about Nirvana. He hoped she saved some food for herself. Even just the protein bars would be enough to fill her up for a night at least. But she was probably so hunger she ate it all throughout the day. His own stomach growled in response. He should make himself fast to feel what she feels, he thought bitterly. He hated leaving her alone. He looked at his briefcase and pulled it over to him. Opening it, he pulled his laptop out and set it on his lap. When he opened it, the video screens lit up and he saw Nirvana standing at the door, talking to someone outside. The cameras couldn't catch the person standing on the other side but his heart beat at a fast hard pace. He turned the mics on in the room and listened to what she was saying, trying to hear a voice.

"-Is he not coming back? What happened?" Nirvana spoke gently as she looked out the door.

"I don't know. I don't smell him anymore," a male voice responded and it didn't take long for Crane to recognize the voice. Waylon Jones. Killer Croc. He wanted to stand up and scream into the mic to get away, to run. However he listened silence.

"Waylon please just get me out. I don't care if you kill me, or eat me or whatever. But I've got to get out. I'm going crazy," Nirvana spoke quietly, her head resting against the door.

"Joker said ain't no one allowed to even touch this door," his gruff voice answered her plea. She sighed, somehow already knowing that would be the answer.

"How did you find me?"

"I could smell you through the walls. I recognized it, but I couldn't quite figure out who it was," he answered, an inner city drawl to his voice, "I followed it and it lead me here."

"Well thanks for stopping by and saying hi," she answered sarcastically.

"Has he been feeding you?" The monster continued.

"Yes he'll drop by food every now and again. Sometimes though, like tonight, he just doesn't come back," she answered truthfully. Jon's heart sank for a moment.

"Has he been giving you that, that drug of his?"

"Yes. He's got me messed up, Waylon. Drugged me for months. If you could see me now... God I must look like a monster," she stated weakly, fighting back tears suddenly.

"You can't look any worse than me right?"

Nirvana chuckled and shook her head, "I'd give you a run for your money, Jones. That much is for sure."

"But, I can't even function without that shit now. I've been seeing things, hallucinations. They won't go away," she continued with a sigh.

"He was 'helping me' get over my fear. He pumped so much of that orange shit in me it's stuck there now," Croc responded gruffly, "It's in my mouth now. Whenever I chomp, people start seeing things too."

"Well if I ever need a hit, you'll be the first I call," Nirvana said sarcastically again and she heard Croc admit something that could described as laughter from hell itself. Deep and guteral. Frightening if Nirvana hadn't already been to hell itself.

"Stay strong doc. Only a little while now. Joker won't let you stay in there forever," Croc stated before she heard his thunderous footsteps leave the door. She moved back over to her bed where the protein bars sat and Jon saw she had over half of what he gave her that morning. She'd be fine. He sat back into his couch as he watched her quietly. He let her words sink in. Was she addicted to his serum? Seeing hallucinations, hearing things? It wouldn't be the first. But he expected more will power from her.

...

He briefcase was heavy that day. Between his lap top and several bottles of tightly packed fear gas inside, it weighed down his hand. But he needed to keep it around just in case. It wouldn't leaving his hand all day. He wondered to his office, his eyes looking at the ground. He hadn't gotten much sleep. He had just watched Nirvana all night, in her silence, in her grace. She sometimes mumbled to herself as she doodled in her book. She was falling back into her routine she had before he had her hidden away in the basement. Sometimes she would look at the wall absently. Sometimes she would speak more directly but not about anything in particular. Broken sentences. Lost in her own world. A world of his creation. His world just for her. He couldn't help but romanticize that in his head. He had made that for her. Him and only him. He'd like to see some other Joe from the streets do that for her.

He couldn't help the smirk on his face as he thought about it but it quickly fell as he came upon his office, the door wide open and noises coming from inside. He looked inside to see police officers tearing apart his book shelves. Detective Gordon stood near the door and held out a blue sheet of paper towards Jon as he walked up to his office door.

"Search warrant, Dr. Crane," Gordon stated as he took a step towards Crane's desk and began opening the drawers.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Crane snapped, throwing the warrant to the ground as he took a step into his office. He watched Gordon opening each drawer and digging through each carefully before opening the bottom right drawer and Gordon only looked down, not touching anything for a moment before grabbing a handful of needles and in the other hand a bottle of his fear serum, swirling and orange. All eyes suddenly turned to Crane but it was too late, his hand was inside his briefcase with three bottles of the fear gas in his hand and he swiftly threw it into his office and the sound of shattering glass echoed down the hall. Orange and red gas filled the room. Some of the officers began coughing immediately while others took their uniform shirts and covered their faces, Detective Gordon being one of them. Crane suddenly turned on his heel and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He ran faster than he ever did from his high school bullies. Faster than he ever ran from his grandmother. He pushed and shoved people out of the way, causing a scramble as the officers followed him. He exited out of the asylum main doors, heading toward the abandoned building where Nirvana sat inside. His mind reeled. What was he going to do? What the hell was he going to do? He had no solid plan. He had no real idea of what this would become.

He scrambled through the front door of the abandoned building and ran up the stairs, hearing footsteps on the pathway coming towards him. He took the stairs two at a time and ran towards her room. He should just let her go, let her get better. He found out what he wanted. He knew what she feared.

But the hallucinations, what did she see? He couldn't let her share that with anyone else but him. She couldn't be with anyone else but him. No one but him, he came to her door. He heard them coming up the stairs behind him. He opened the door, went inside, and shut it loudly.

Nirvana looked up from her journal to see the sweaty faced Jonathon taking deep breathes as he threw his briefcase down and opened it quickly. He looked at her over his shoulder and before she could say anything, he was upon her. His hand wrapped tightly around her throat while his leg held down her arm.

Nirvana's legs jerked and scrambled as she tried to break free of his grasp but soon she felt the familiar pin prick of a needle going into her arm and felt the warmth of serum going into her.

"J-Jonathon!" She gasped loudly, "Wait stop, Jonathon, p-please!"

"Shush shush shush, Dr. Nelson," Crane stated harshly as another pin prick went into her arm, more serum. The warmth turned to ice as her body fell into the abyss but she tried to keep her mind clear. Why was he doing this? Why was he acting this way? She subtly heard banging on the door and heard his name being called. "J-Jon. Jon, please. Please Jon, don't do this," she pleaded, tears streaming from her eyes as she realized what he was trying to do as more serum went into her arm. He was trying to induce an overdose.

More and more, he put into her. Her body convulsed and Crane watched as her veins turned aglow with orange and black, her pupil dilating to take up her entire eye. He got off of her and began injecting the serum into his own blood. He kept his mind as long as he could, his body beginning to shake as he grabbed Nirvana's compulsion body and brought it with him as he grabbed his briefcase. He threw the rest of the bottles on the floor, fear gas surrounding them just as the door to the room opened. Crane's mind was snapping, he felt the crack run deep in his brain as he pulled out a large knife from the briefcase, holding it up to Nirvana's throat.

"Dr. Crane," one of the officers stated loudly, keeping their distance as they looked at the scene before them.

"Crane?" Jonathan asked curiously as his hand on the knife as he held Nirvana close, "There's no Crane here... only Scarecrow," he added darkly as he turned his head so that his nose and mouth was buried into Nirvana's hair so only crystal eyes stared out through the orange fog before disturbing laughter echoed around the room. Scarecrow tightened his grip around Nirvana, pulling her as close to him as possible.

"Try to take her away from me, and you'll see what real fear is," he spat viciously, causing Gordon and everyone to take a step back in caution.

Nirvana's eyes opened and she looked out at the people in the door way and screamed. Just screamed. They looked horrifying, dark dripping masses of blue and black tar. She buried her face into Scarecrow's chest, causing Jonathon to hold the against her face as if to shield her but still looked menacing. Crazy.

Completely unhinged.

((There's a line from Arkham Asylum in here, 10 points if you know what it is! Hope you enjoyed! I'll be uploading the next chapter soon!))