Chapter Three – Eccentricities
It seemed she was always early, no matter if it were at work or to a class; Jessica never seemed to arrive on time… always fifteen to twenty minutes early. Of course the city's monorail schedule did have a great impact on her own timing, what with having to rely solely on it and the public bus for her transportation.
So here she sat, in the first floor break room of Arkham Asylum at 6:46 in the morning, alone.
She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was about this room that she didn't like, whether it was the bitter smell of decades of cigarette smoke baked into the walls, or the horribly bright florescent light above her head that seemed to be on its last leg. All Jessica knew was that this room gave her a severe headache.
At least the coffee was good. She sipped at the small Dixie cup in her hand all the while wondering how a room this dingy could produce a decent caffeinated beverage such as this when suddenly the break room door flew open.
A man in his late forties stuck his head in the room, his small but thick and round lens eyeglasses surveying his surroundings before finally landing on her. It appeared as if he were about to speak to her before his bug-like eyes noticed the cup in her hand.
"Good, isn't it?" his serpentine voice cooed to her from the doorway, Jessica just stared at him blankly. "The coffee, it's quite good, am I right?" she was nearly blinded by the overheard light reflecting off of his shiny bald scalp.
"Oh, yes… it is very good actually." She managed to respond through her cloud of confusion, who was this guy?
"Hugo Strange, doctor to be exact." Seeming to read her mind he extended a hand to her which she cautiously shook. "And you must be new here." He flashed her an overly fake smile.
"Yes, I am Dr. Crane's new assistant, I'm Jessica Matthews." The words had no sooner left her mouth before his smile suddenly faded, was it the mention of her employer that caused this reaction from him?
Once again he looked as if he were about to say something meaningful to her, but like before his attention quickly snapped from her to the coffee pot in the corner of the room.
The man known as Hugo Strange, doctor, strode over to where the coffee maker was plugged in at the wall, he then leant over and took a huge whiff of the steaming pot.
"Arabica beans, slow roasted… imported from Brazil." He exhaled his words while appearing to stroke the coffee pot lovingly, Jessica was amazed by the display. Once again his eyes shot to hers, making contact. "I bring the beans from home, it's all they let me have since my last… indiscretion." He seemed to be a million miles away now, lost in his own muddled head.
"Who are 'they'?" she half expected him to answer with something like 'the coffee gnomes', she briskly shook the thought away though.
"The Discretionary Board." Was all he said before leaving the coffee pot and returning to the doorway from whence he had entered.
As he got to the open door he paused before going through, he then turned to her one last time.
"The mind is a very fragile thing, Ms. Matthews." He was lost in his thoughts again. "You must never let them take it all, otherwise you cease to exist." And with those last few words he was gone, back from wherever it was in the asylum that he had came from.
Jessica was left alone in the room once more, now lost in her own bewildered thoughts.
Jonathan angrily made his way to his desk, gathering up what papers he could find there before shoving them roughly into his black leather briefcase. He had an appointment with the local District Attorney's office on the matter of one of his new patients, a mob lackey by the name of Anthony Pirelli.
This was the second time he was forced to declare one of Carmine Falcone's incompetents insane in the last month, the DA was starting to catch on now, or rather the assistant DA was.
What is it with female assistants, Jonathan? They all seem to be a pain in the ass!
Is if on cue his new assistant appeared in the open doorway of his office, sending him a rather confused look to his state of haste.
"Ah, Ms. Matthews, perfect timing." His tone was grateful but his expression gave away his evident agitation.
"I need you to gather all of the files on a Mr. Pirelli and bring them to me immediately. I am due at the courthouse in less than an hour." He then snatched up his briefcase and pushed past her through the doorway. "I'll be back in five minutes for those files." Jonathan called to her as he made his way towards the elevator.
Jessica gave a quick look around the office, her head felt as if it were spinning all of a sudden. She sprinted over to the filing cabinet in the far corner by the small window, tearing the third drawer open as fast as she could.
"Pirelli, Pirelli… where are you…" she muttered underneath her breath, her fingers rapidly moving from one manila file to the next. "Yes!" she exclaimed quietly with success, pulling the file out of the drawer, blindly shutting it behind her as she turned back towards the doctor's desk.
Jessica let out a high pitched squeak of a scream as her face collided suddenly with something both hard and soft obstructing her path to the desk.
"You would do better to look where you are going, Ms. Matthews." Jonathan said in an ominous tone, looking down at the small brunette's now flustered face.
"I.. I'm sorry, Dr. Crane." Was her tiny response, lowering her head as she was hit with the realization that it was his chest that her face had just made contact with.
He said nothing to this, just brought a hand up to his throat to stiffly straighten his tie.
"Do you have the Pirelli files?" his voice broke the awkward silence that was between them.
"Yes, but I could only find one file, doctor." Jessica held it up as if it were an offering to some pagan god; he took the file from her slowly.
Jonathan used this moment to closely observe her demeanor, eyes cast downward, head bowed, her petite frame was taunt as if awaiting a snake bite and her breath was coming in quick bursts every two seconds. Oh how he longed to check her pulse at this very moment.
Do it Jonathan! Wrap your hand around her pale little neck and let's watch her squirm for us!
The Scarecrow was screaming in his mind but all Jonathan could do was marvel at how she was the perfect picture of submissiveness. He felt his breath begin to hitch in his throat and he was then snapped out his momentary reverie.
There's no time now… I must be in court soon. Was he trying to convince the Scarecrow of this, or himself?
"I will be back before noon, please take this time to alphabetize my filing cabinet. I want everything in it to be in perfect order when I return." His voice was the paramount of control as he instructed her.
"Yes, Dr. Crane." Came her habitual response to him, her eyes still on the carpet as she began to nervously bite at her bottom lip.
His eyes quickly shot to her mouth, noting the nervous tick she appeared to have, his thoughts then traveled from that of scientific observation to personal.
Her lips are so full and pink… I wonder how they stay looking so soft with all that chewing she does to them.
You're staring, Jonny boy… it's rude to stare, remember?
The Scarecrow's teasing jarred him back to the reality of the moment, he was going to be late. Without another word Jonathan turned from his assistant, briefcase in one hand and the Pirelli file she had handed him in the other.
"Shut the door behind me." He commanded as he left the office, he didn't need look back to know she would obey.
Damn that Dawes woman! She was really starting to get on his very last nerve.
I have a proposal to the problem if I may interject, doctor.
Not now, I have too much work to do thanks to that smug bitch of an assistant DA.
I never get to have any fun anymore.
Jonathan stepped off of the elevator and walked briskly down the corridor to his office. With a firm hand he turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, then almost slammed it closed behind him as he entered the room.
The sudden loud shutting of the door caused Jessica to jump slightly from where she sat on the small couch in the corner beside the filing cabinet. As she looked up from the files on her lap she noticed Dr. Crane standing beside his desk, he was sending her a look of pure annoyance.
For a moment she thought of saying something to him along the lines of 'is everything okay' but quickly decided against it, better to stay quiet.
"We have a lot of paperwork ahead of us today, Ms. Matthews. I am going to have to ask you to take your lunch here in the office with me today." It was a demand, not a request, didn't matter, she only nodded obediently. "We must ensure that not a minute is wasted today." And with that he sat down his briefcase and shrugged off his suit-jacket, placing it on the back of his chair before sitting down in it.
They sat quietly in the office for what seemed like hours, truthfully it was only about forty-five minutes, the only sound that of papers being rustled between them. Jonathan glanced up at the clock on the wall above the couch where his assistant sat; thumbing through the paperwork he had assigned to her.
Jesus, it is only 12:30… will this day ever end?
He took off his glasses and wearily rubbed his eyes.
"Ms. Matthews, you may eat your lunch now if you like." He didn't look at her as he spoke, just returned the glasses to his face.
As if by magic she pulled a small brown paper bag out from beside the couch, it made an obtrusive crinkling sound as she opened it, this caught his attention.
What is this, 8th grade? He didn't know why she annoyed him like this sometimes, she just did.
Jonathan let out a sigh before opening his briefcase with a sharp click. He reached in and pulled out a neatly prepared salad in a plastic bowl, luckily he had had enough time to purchase it before returning to the office this morning.
He retrieved a plastic fork and bottle of water before finally closing his briefcase for good and setting it down on the floor next to his desk. He then began to eat his lunch, no dressing, no croutons, just forkful after forkful of veg.
As he glanced up from his lunch he noticed Jessica eating her own, she had a plain looking sandwich on her lap that she was tearing into small uniform pieces. He watched in a daze as she ate the tiny pieces one at a time, chewing each one with great care, oddly her actions reminded him of a mouse.
Very interesting.
He went back to his lunch and finished it, once she was done as well they both instantly returned to their paperwork.
Hour after hour crept by, neither saying a word to one another, every now and then they would exchange a glance or two, but then went back to their work. It seemed like the paperwork would never be finished.
Jonathan took off his glasses, flinging them tiredly onto the top of his desk. He let out a deep breath and slouched back into his leather office chair. He had never minded clerical work, in fact it was one of his strong suits, but all of this meaningless paperwork just so the DA's office would be satisfied was downright frustrating to him.
You're too tense, Jonathan, you need to learn to have a little more fun in life.
Really, and what exactly do you recommend as 'fun'?
The Scarecrow didn't answer, only directed Jonathan's gaze across the room at the brunette with her head stuck in her paperwork.
Don't be ridiculous.
What is so ridiculous about it? You're tense, she's eager to please… I bet all you would need to do is ask her to get on her knees in front of you and the rest would take care of itself- He was then cut off by his milder-half.
I would rather eat nails.
Don't be so dramatic, Jonathan… I was only trying to help.
He was lost in his internal dialogue when she softly walked up to his desk, paperwork in hand.
"I'm finished with these, Dr. Crane." She alerted him while setting the papers down.
As she gently laid the now completed paperwork onto the desk in front of him, Jonathan couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her hand. Before either him or Jessica could register what was happening he had quickly reached out and forcefully grabbed her left wrist with his right hand.
She didn't say a word, just looked him straight in the eyes with a look of puzzlement and a hint of something else, fear perhaps? He slowly pulled her wrist closer to his sitting form, causing her to take a step forward in compliance.
His eyes never left hers as he began to squeeze her wrist with what felt like bone-crushing force. She let out a small whimpering sound as her breath hiccupped in her throat, he had hurt her.
Good girl, now give me some tears. The Scarecrow was cooing.
Jonathan suddenly realized that he was not the one in control of his actions, in his fatigue he had managed to lose control on his mind and the Scarecrow was now starting to break through. Their steady gaze never broke the entire time he sat there holding her wrist within a foot of him… she had beautiful eyes he noticed, light gray with flecks of green and brown throughout them.
"Am I hurting you, Ms. Matthews?" his voice was smooth like satin in her ears, she held her breath as she nodded. "Are you frightened?" his eyes seemed to change in that moment, they were brighter somehow.
"Yyess." Her breathing was unsteady as she exhaled the word.
Without warning Jonathan loosened his grip, he was holding her wrist in his hand almost tenderly now. He broke their eye contact and she followed his gaze downward as it fell to her wrist.
"You have the thinnest wrists I've ever seen, Ms. Matthews. Tell me, have you ever broken one of them?" he sounded as if he were examining her like a patient, yet his tone had something dangerous behind it, was he threatening her?
"No." her voice was so small and innocent, he began to gently stroke her wrist with his thumb, caressing the smooth skin above her exposed blue veins. "Dr. Crane?" she questioned, he didn't look up from her wrist only made a subtle 'hmmm' sound in response. "I still have more paperwork to do…" This caused his eyes to shoot back up to hers.
Jonathan stared blankly at her face for a few seconds before finally seeming to come back to his senses.
"Of course, Ms. Matthews." He released her wrist completely. "Please continue with your work." He said dismissively, he was back to his old self again.
As she carefully made her way back to the couch he noted the now uncomfortable tightness of his pants.
Rather eat nails, eh Jonny boy?
This is all your fault. He spat internally, the Scarecrow let out a sadistic laugh.
A/n:
Okay, so I have completely written 3 chapters so far, but I have at least 7 chapters completely planned out and in the works. If I may say so myself, the 6th chapter is going to be a good one, I would tune in for that if I were you guys.
So what I am attempting to do here is mix the comics with the plotline of Batman Begins… trying to mix the two as seamlessly as possible. So if there are some characters you are all unfamiliar with don't worry about it, the plot is pretty much still on the same track as the movie.
As always, R & R.
Thanks again.
They never seemed to last more than a week, his new assistants. Then she arrived and changed everything… his work, his sanity, because of her it was all coming apart at the seams. Crane/Scarecrow & OC. Rated for language and adult content.