Hey guys, sorry for the long long wait for this chapter. Its been a chaotic year filled with a lot, so I lost a lot of time. I hope to make it up but I won't make any promises yet. Thank you to the loyal fans and I hope I can make up for the lost time 3
"Nirvana, we should talk."
Her body stayed still as stone, but her eyes looked at him. He looked at her with lit blue eyes as if inspecting something he was dissecting. She turned her eyes away and didn't say a word to him. He scooted on his side of the van to catch her eyes again, but she seemed to stare into space again.
"I just want to know how you're feeling taking the credit for a crime you didn't commit?" He asked curiously, looking directly into her face with interest and fascination.
"What did your grandmother do to you?" She countered with a acidic tone and she felt the aura in the van suddenly shift with a hate filling the air.
"That's none of your business," he stated with ice in his tone.
"No, Jon. We don't know boundaries anymore. We don't have secrets anymore. So tell me, what did your grandmother do to you to create such a monster?" She questioned with a steady tone, her eyes turning back to him again.
He fumed under his straight jacket, but answered after a few moments of heated silence. "She was the monster, not me. She was a religious zealot and I was her disgusting bastard grandson. And she put me through hell for what my mother did to hurt her family," he answered with ice filling his own voice as he looked into her orange eyes. They held each other's gaze in silence. "She used to hit me, tell me I was nothing but walking sin. She used to..." He took a moment before continuing, "Whenever I got into trouble she used to put me in an outfit and lock me in the family church. The church was abandoned and invested with crows. The clothes had the very first serum on it, a recipe my great grandmother created to make the crows go into a rage and attack," he finished as he kept her gaze. She stared into his eyes as she calculated what he said and leaned back against the wall of the van. She felt the feeling of pity course through her but she swallowed it back down.
"Joker promised my chance to kill you if I help with his little Halloween party he has planned, I just needed to take the credit for the murder and get thrown back into the asylum."
His eyebrows narrowed at her morbid reasoning but a smirk played on his lips, "You really want to kill me?"
"More than anything, Crane. I want to torture you. Lock you away, decide when you eat, sleep, shit, and shower and take away everything that was important to you and crush it in front of you."
Scarecrow nodded in understanding as he rested his head against the wall of the van as well. He thought about it for a moment, "How are you supposed to get your fix if I'm dead? Waylon won't always be around to get it from. And he's dangerous."
"He's only dangerous if you treat him dangerously."
"He has killed people and eaten them Nirvana," he stated more matter-of-factly. He watched as Nirvana simply nodded and she didn't say a word more. He sat there and watched her as the van suddenly started and began to move along. The two sat in silence for a while before Nirvana spoke.
"Have you ever fallen in love?" She asked gently, her eyes staying away from his as she asked this question. Crane didn't look up from his lap as he answered.
"Yes."
"Who was it?"
"A girl that was back in my hometown. She was a very intelligent young lady and for a long time she was the only person who even acknowledged I existed," Crane answered honestly.
"I don't think I've ever been in love," Nirvana stated gently, "I was always too busy for love."
"I'm surprised. Someone as beautiful as you are, I would have thought many would be looking to be with you." Crane answered honestly.
"You mean as beautiful as I was."
"No," he looked up from his lap finally and looked at her, "Are." She looked at him and rolled her eyes and looked away and they kept silent again. They rode in silence as Crane fidgeted in his straight jacket.
"Never realized how uncomfortable these things were," he stated casually as he wiggled his arms inside the jacket.
"Really? It looks like it was made for you," she stated sarcastically and Crane chuckled gently.
"Yeah I guess you're right," he stated gently as he stopped struggling and relaxed. "Do you think I'll be put in Max?"
"Here's hoping."
"I think mass murder makes you dangerous enough for Max too," he stated matter-of-factly.
"They can't put me in Maximum. I was the head of staff there and the main psychologist. It'll be too risky and they know I'm not a flight risk right now. Unlike you," she stated gently. "I swear you never read your paperwork fully. You're technically supposed to be placed in a different asylum all together because of the conflict of interest. You could possibly be able to trick a nurse who knew you and had a crush on you and then you were able to convince her to let you out. We signed the paperwork when Harleen happened. That was in your terms and conditions you signed." She stated coolly.
"Ah yes, that's right," he stated simply. "That's unfortunate, I'll miss our time together," he finished and the comment hung in the air like lead weight. They stayed in silence before Nirvana tilted her head to the side as she looked at him.
"Our time together? You really are fucking crazy," she spat harshly, "It wasn't some sweet getaway, Crane. It was torture."
"I know that. Crazy I'll deal with but I'm not delusional," he hissed before continuing. "I just... It was nice. Having someone who solely and fully depended on me. Someone I know like the back of my hand now-"
"You don't know me. You don't know anything about me," she hissed but Jon continued.
"I do though. I know the shit some boyfriend would never know. I saw every good, bad, and ugly side of you. You. One of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. Strongest woman I've ever known. And I got to... To see you ugly. And weak."
They stayed silent again, and the pieces came together slowly.
"All that... At the end. What was that? Why couldn't you just let me go?" She questioned gently, "Why was killing us your only option?"
He stayed silent as he thought of an answer. He seemed to have a look of confusion pass those pale blues as he tried to figure it out. Nirvana took this time to look away from him, dragging her eyes back to the interior of the van. The ride stayed quiet after this point, him thinking about his hasty decision to end them both. He didn't remember most of it, however he spoke the one thing he did remember. "You're my creation, you're my greatest work, Nirvana. You are an example of everything I can do," Crane spoke genuinely. Nirvana kept her eyes away from him still, eyes seeming to become void of all emotion as his words. "I can't let someone else have you." Nirvana closed her eyes as she heard his words. How did she make it out of that room but still felt captured all the same. She pushed the feeling out of her mind. There were much bigger problems that have still yet to bloom.
This was an Arkham ride she never thought she'd be taking. Even though she couldn't see out the van, the familiar curves leading to the asylum that she at one point had driven every morning and home every night. She could feel Jon shift in his spot, probably feeling the same thing she did, however she kept her eyes closed. When the van stopped, and shuffling of feet moved to the back of the vehicle, both doctors looked at the doors as they opened up. Two men in security outfits grabbed Crane in a tight grip and escorted him out of the van before grabbing Nirvana and dragged her out as well. There were people staring at the two of them, reporters and asylum staff. Of course. Whenever something happened, there were reporters. The two doctors were walked in side by side, raven black hair and pale skin mirroring one another. Nirvana kept her gaze straight ahead, but the orange of her eyes could be noticeable from space it. Crane would look at everything, nodding to some he passed. When a photographer camera flashed brightly, Nirvana still looked straight ahead, but Jonathan was turning his head in that direction. The flash made his icy eyes look to be glowing, paired with her own glinting eyes, she was sure it would be quite the picture.
"Vikki Vale, with the Gotham Gazette, do either of you have any statements?" The blonde reporter that hustled past the crowd asked, tape recorder held tightly in her hand. Jonathon had turned to her, taking in the blonde before turning his eyes. Meanwhile, Nirvana kept her eyes straight ahead no matter the distraction. Soon they were hustled forward and the doors of the asylum snapped shut. Nirvana didn't make a sound as she was moved away from Jonathon with a tug, her needing a new set of clothing and to be taken out of the handcuffs. He looked after the nurses and doctors with narrowed eyes, seeing her slender shoulders and long hair disappear from his view. His eyes lowered to the man who was released him from his straight jacket to dress him in the proper clothing.
Nirvana behaved calmly as she was freed from the cuffs, taking a moment to stretch her arms slowly, not wanting to scare the woman who was helping her change. She undressed behind a curtain, pulling on a clean and uncomfortably stiff pair of scrubs of her body, they were the most horrid shade of orange colors. She never thought she would see that color gracing her flesh. She heard some scrambling from the next side over, not looking surprised at the sounds over a metal table or chair being knocked over. "Guards!" A voice called out and soon there was a shuffle and a thud. Chuckling and a sigh of frustration mixed together before more shuffling.
"You wouldn't happen to have a 'safe' hair tie I can have?" Nirvana asked boredly and the nurse looked at her with surprise but she rummaged in a box and handed Nirvana the hair tie. "Thank you," she said politely. She was escorted from behind the curtain to see Jon being pushed out from behind his curtain as well, blood staining his teeth. Nirvana stared at the red before her calculating eyes looked at one of the large guards shaking his hand as if to shake out pain. The two of them stood next to each other and began to travel down the asylum side by side. She stood closer to Crane at this point, almost a protective air radiating off her. Not to say it was because she wanted to confirm he was safe, but to say she wanted to make sure he made it to October. They were separated once again, filing into two separate offices to fill out informantion for their records. It was mostly silence, safe for the whispers of different voices all around her. They were both thrown out into the hallway once again. Both walked side by side again, being led to the back of asylum. As they walked, she realized both were being led to Maximum, which caused her to be on her guard. She wasn't supposed to be in Max, it was a conflict of interests. Which is exactly what she said.
"You guys can't put me in Max, it was in our paperwork," Nirvana explained, looking at the guards behind her. All she saw was a roll of some eyes and that was it. Jonathon smirked next to her but remained silent. She blinked but shook her head. It was okay, she could handle max, as long as she had some distance between her and him, she would be fine.
As the door slammed shut, and the guards walked away, she could hear Jonathon laugh from him room. They were fucking neighbors. Arkham once again shows its true colors as she heard him get comfortable on the bed in his cell. She remained still and silent. She didn't want to give him any satisfaction. So she just stood by the door. "Isn't this an interesting turn of events? Not only are you in Max with all collections of patients who you treated and may not be your biggest fan. But me? As your neighbor? Who would have planned something like that?"
Nirvana sat in silence, not giving him the satisfaction.
"Now we'll have all the time in the world to talk, won't we?"
Silence still, not moving from the spot she was standing.
"Now you can tell me all about those hallucinations you've been seeing"
"Now we can talk all the time, isn't that right?"
"Nirvana, will you really be able to ignore me forever?"
Nirvana moved to the bed, sitting on it, then laying all the way down and staring at the ceiling. She was furious. And frightened that hearing his voice echo though her ears would drive her to insanity. She heard his chuckle echo through his own room, and heard him shuffle into a more comfortable position.
"It's okay, I can wait."
Nirvana closed her eyes and breathed in quietly, a form of medication that she needed in that moment. She heard his chuckle again, it making goosebumps raise on her arms and the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She hoped her will could last, and deny him the one thing he wanted, which seemed to be your attention. And she hoped that Joker was going to throw one hell of a Halloween party to make up for the torture she would have to go through for the next 3 months.