Chapter Six – Sycophant

Surprisingly, he had had a rather nice day off. No worries about work, the operation or that pesky assistant of his. In truth, the one thing Jonathan really needed the day off from was all the thoughts he kept having about Ms. Matthews, the way she looked, the way she smelled, her constant need to please…

Oh, and let's not forget about how good she felt beneath you, Jonny boy. I remember you thinking about that quite a bit.

Jonathan rolled his eyes at the Scarecrow's words, what the hell did he know about how he felt?

The elevator doors opened, revealing the second floor of the asylum to him, Ms. Matthews was nowhere in sight.

So far so good, I told you Saturday's episode in my office would do the trick.

The Scarecrow said nothing but was clearly unimpressed by the doctor's hypothesis.

Jonathan was enjoying the silence of the morning as he turned his key in the lock of his office door; he hadn't had a Monday this peaceful in quite some time. As he heard the lock click the door open he was then distracted by the soft sound of footsteps behind him.

You have got to be kidding me.

"Good morning, Dr. Crane." Her sweet greeting broke through the silence he was so enjoying a moment before, though he knew it was inevitable, Jonathan still visibly winced at the unwelcome sound of her voice.

"Good morning, Ms. Matthews." His tone was flat and devoid of any and all emotion, he didn't even bother turning around to face her as he spoke, only pushed the office door open with perhaps a bit more force than was needed.

The Scarecrow was cackling with amusement as Jonathan stepped to the side, allowing her to enter the office before him, which she cautiously did, he then followed her in and shut the door securely behind them.

Look who's back, eh?

Shut up! All I want to do at this moment is grab her by her skinny little neck and slam her up against that wall!

And then what, hmmm? The Scarecrow teased.

I said shut up! Jonathan was having none of it; he was simply not in the mood for his games.

"Is everything alright, Dr. Crane?" her words came out unsurely, as if she were almost afraid to ask him this.

He looked up at her blankly, suddenly releasing he had been glaring angrily at the floor's carpet the entire time he was having his little exchange in his head. He swallowed hard before speaking.

"Yes, Ms. Matthews, I am fine." The look he was sending her now said otherwise. "How are you this morning?" he cocked his head slightly to the side while staring her down intently, clearly he was annoyed with her.

"I.. I am fine as well." She quickly shifted her gaze from his eyes to the floor, even through the lenses of his glasses the doctor's intense blue stare proved too much for her to handle.

There was a long moment of silence between them; feeling as if it dragged on for hours.

"Ms. Matthews, would you like to accompany me to the basement this morning?" it was such an odd request she could hardly believe he had said it at all, but when she returned her gaze to his face he was waiting expectantly for her response.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Crane?" Jessica questioned with utter confusion.

"There is something there that I think you should see." His words changed nothing about her confused and hesitant demeanor; he decided to take another approach. "I have been working on a rather complex experiment involving fear and the chemical properties of the mind, I only suggested that you join me because I thought it would be something you would be interested in, what with you working on your thesis-" he could barely finish his sentence before she cut in.

"Yes! I would love to see your work, doctor, I mean if you really want me to." She was so excited now, her mood that of a child being told she could visit the carnival.

"Excellent, let me clear my schedule and then we shall begin." He let that clever grin play on his lips as he pacified her with his words.

Really, Jonathan… for me? And it's not even our birthday. The Scarecrow was practically jumping for joy in his mind.

Jonathan stepped onto the empty elevator car, his assistant following closely behind. Once they were both on he removed the set of keys from the pocket of his suit-coat and slid the smallest one into the keyhole at the bottom of the elevator's control pad, giving it a quick turn before returning the set back to his pocket.

Jessica casually kept her distance from the doctor, even in the tight confines of the lift car; he of course picked up on this.

Why so shy? Hmmm, little mouse?

Jonathan eyed her closely for a few moments, always making sure to look away just as her gaze traveled to him, he suddenly felt so immature.

What is this? Junior High?

The elevator lurched to a stop as it made its way to the bowels of the asylum, the doors then slid open and their awkward ride was over.

"This way, please." Was all of the recognition he gave her as he walked briskly out of the elevator and took a sharp right once he was on the basement's floor.

She silently followed him, trying to stay as close as possible while managing to keep a respectful distance, she of course failed miserably when he came to an abrupt stop and she nearly walked right into his back.

"I need you to promise me that you will tell no one of what you see, nor of what I am doing down here in the basement." He said ominously as he turned to face her. "Do you understand me, Ms. Matthews?" he narrowed his stare on her to further emphasize the seriousness of his words.

"Yes, of course, Dr. Crane." She complied, both curious and confused as to why he would need to be so secretive of his work.

He nodded silently to her in agreement before removing his set of keys once again; he turned his back on her and unlocked the old metal door that lay before them. The door opened with an abrasive rusty creak, he returned the keys to his pocket before blindly reaching inside the darkened room and flipping on the nearby light switch, the florescent lights overhead flickered wildly before finally coming completely on.

Jessica blinked a few times to adjust her eyes to the new light; she then took a second to survey her new surroundings as she followed the doctor into the room. It was old, obviously a part of the asylum that had not undergone any renovations in decades, the smell of mildew and medical cleansers filled her nostrils as she took a deep, apprehensive breath. He looked back at her in that moment, the sound of her heavy breathing quickly catching his attention; she was too busy studying the old restraint table in the middle of the room to notice him step behind her and shut the door.

She let out a loud gasp as she jumped at the sound of the door being suddenly shut, she then whipped around to see Dr. Crane standing behind her, the shadows of the poorly lit room causing his face to appear both sinister and darkly handsome at the same time. She visibly blushed at her growing thoughts about him and his appearance.

"You should feel honored, Ms. Matthews, not many people have been invited to this room." His tone was flat and cold as he slowly took a step closer to her, their bodies were now mere inches apart.

"I.. I am very grateful that you would bring me here, Dr. Crane… thank you." She didn't even know what she was thanking him for, at the moment all she could seem to do was move her eyes from one object in the room to the next, trying her best not to look him in the eye as she spoke.

Jonathan couldn't help but smile at this; she was just so amusing to him.

Is it my turn to play yet, Jonathan? Let me play with her! The Scarecrow's impatience was starting to become a problem now.

Not yet! We have to take certain precautions; we don't want her telling the world about what is going on here.

As her attention wandered quickly from one thing to the next in the room, Jessica suddenly noticed the small box of dried blue flowers resting on the nearby lab table to her left. Without another word spoken she walked over to the table and gently removed one of the blooms from the box, Jonathan eyed her closely as she began to the twirl the flower in her hand by its twig like stem.

"Do you know what that is?" it was another odd question from him, but this time she was too preoccupied by the plant in her hand to even notice the peculiarity of his words.

"It appears to be in the Papaveraceae family." She answered still enthralled by the flower, when she finally did look up to meet his stare she saw the apparent confusion on his face. "It is a poppy." She said finally, clearing up any uncertainty he was feeling.

Wow, doctor… you mean she knows more about something than you do?

"You have studied botany I take it?" he questioned her sternly now, she nodded mutely while continuing to twirl the flower between her thin fingers. "I never considered the study of plants to be crucial in acquiring a psychology degree." He added snidely, a poor attempt on his part to regain the upper hand of the conversation.

"Well, it is when you get into the more chemistry related points of psychopharmacology." She said in a sweet tone, trying to take the bite away from her smart reply.

Is she arguing with me, or is this some subtle battle to see who is better versed in psychopharmacology?

"Well, since you are so well informed in flora, perhaps you could help me with a problem I have been having." He asked in the same petulant tone as before, her face perked up to this, obviously eager to assist him in his work. "I cannot seem to successfully adapt a compound of the flower into a base that can be added to water and later vaporized and then absorbed into the lungs."

She furrowed her brow as she thought hard on his problem; he took this short moment to notice how cute she looked when she was so deep in thought.

Don't tell her too much, Jonny boy… remember, this could come back to bite us both in the ass.

Jonathan silently heeded the Scarecrow's warning but was still interested in hearing what his little assistant had to say on the subject.

Who knows, maybe she is the fresh pair of eyes we need on this.

Doubtful.

"I can think of several ways you can adapt the plant so that it can be successfully absorbed through digestion, but inhalation without combustion that can be reconstituted in water, well that is a little trickier." She seemed to say to herself aloud rather than to him.

"Now you see my quandary." He was looking her up and down while she thought the matter over, too lost in the puzzle to even remember he was in the room.

"Can I have a day or two to research this, then get back to you with my answer?" she innocently inquired, he only grinned coldly before responding.

"Take all the time you need, but I will let you know that I have been battling with this problem for the past three and a half weeks and I have come to no positive conclusion." The smugness dripped from his voice like acid but she still didn't pick up on any of it. "Perhaps you will be more successful than I."

"Can I keep the flower for my research." She then held up the dried blue plant in her hand.

"Yes, you may keep the flower, Ms. Matthews." He answered her childish question, putting emphasis on the word 'may' so that she would feel even more immature than he already believed she was.

"Thank you, Dr. Crane." she said timidly, blushing slightly at his correction of her words as she placed the flower in the small side pocket of her cotton button up blouse.

There was a new silence between them now, somehow even more awkward than before. Jonathan decided to make use of the uncomfortable moment, taking a few steps closer, bridging the gap that was between them until he was standing right in front of her.

Enough business, time to play.

"I was wondering, Ms. Matthews, if you would like to discuss any of your phobias with me. I am after all a trained professional in this department." He said finally, breaking the quietness of the room.

"I already explained about my arachnophobia…" she began to say, this was not what he wanted to hear from her.

"Actually, I was referring more to your belonephobia." He quickly interjected, her face instantly scrunched in confusion.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Crane, but I don't suffer from belonephobia." She answered surely, was she playing games with him now or was she truly unaware of her fear of needles?

"I saw the way you reacted to the hypodermic needles a few days ago; I know that you fear them." His tone was hushed now as he leaned in closer to her while he spoke, his voice causing the tiny hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end.

Jessica couldn't help but shudder in response to his words, trying her best to remain calm and compose the proper reply to him in her mind. Things were just so confusing at the moment and she suddenly felt too uneasy, it could have been the topic of their discussion or perhaps that fact that he was so close to her now that she could feel his warm breath on her skin. All she wanted to do was shrink away and disappear inside of herself until he was gone or the subject was changed.

"I do not have belonephobia, Dr. Crane." She finally repeated in a soft whisper, he sternly looked her in the eyes now, lowering his head slightly to get a better view of her hazel gaze, unknowingly bringing his lips only centimeters away from hers.

Was this some sort of defiance she was now showing him, or did she honestly believe this? He was so perplexed and annoyed by her now.

If she tells me she doesn't have belonephobia one more time I am going to shove needles in her pretty little eyes until she screams that she does!

Now we are talking, Jonny boy! Finally, something fun for me to do!

"I…" she began but then stopped herself, he raised an eyebrow questioningly at her, ready to strike if she lied to him again. "I have trypanophobia, not belonephobia." She finished, turning her face from his slightly once she became aware of how close they were, he couldn't help but stare down at her with a look of utter disbelief.

"Trypanophobia…" the word slowly escaped his lips, she nodded gently to this.

"Yes, I have no fear of knives or sewing needles, only hypodermic needles and other medical implements." She said while slowly taking a few steps backwards, creating a comfortable distance between their bodies, comfortable until she felt something cold and hard ram into her back.

She let out a subtle oomph as her back collided with the lab table behind her, Jessica then looked down to examine the offending structure, too distracted to notice the doctor had made his way over to a table to the right of the room.

He opened the closest drawer on the lab table he now stood before, taking out a single sterile packaged syringe and single packaged 20 gauge needle tip before shutting the drawer back. He kept his back to her the entire time he opened the two items and assembled them silently, screwing the needle onto the tip of the plastic syringe as a deviant grin spread across his face.

Yes, let us gas her and then let me introduce her to that hyperemic needle, we'll see if her precious desensitization theory really works.

We cannot gas her. Jonathan then alerted his darker half, this caused rage to flow through the Scarecrow.

What! Of course we can!

No… I left the mask upstairs by mistake.

Well then go and get it, damnit!

Oh, sure… I can just see it now 'excuse me Ms. Matthews while I run upstairs and fetch my mask so I can gas you with my fear toxin', I'm sure that will work out beautifully.

Then inject her with it!

This idea had not occurred to the doctor, it was as if a light bulb had just went off in his mind and he was very grateful to his alter for that. He reached out and opened the small overhead refrigerator against the wall and removed one of the tiny liquid filled glass vials that were housed there.

He swiftly inserted the needle into the vial's well and withdrew the appropriate amount of toxin, a slight feeling of glee washing over him as he put the vial back in the fridge. He turned to face her now, carefully hiding the needle from view behind his back as he did so, he was surprised to find her with her back to him, too distracted by whatever she was now holding in her hands.

What the hell is she doing now?

As she turned towards him he quickly noticed the large white lab rat she was holding gently in her hands as if it were a pet, she then began to mutter inaudibly to the small creature while petting it.

You have got to be kidding me.

Jonathan was trapped in a strange limbo somewhere between annoyed and flabbergasted by her actions.

"What do you think you are doing, Ms. Matthews?" he tried to hold back the disdain in his voice but he was beginning to lose his iron grip on his self control.

"He is just so cute, I couldn't help it." Was all she had to say for herself, continuing to baby the albino rodent in her hands the entire time she spoke. "Does he have a name?" she then asked the doctor, he couldn't stop looking from the rat's empty open cage on the table to her hands, why was she holding his lab specimen like a pet?

"Name?" he seemed to be completely lost now. "Why would it have a name, it is a lab rat not a poodle!" he let the disdain sound boldly in his voice now, composure be damned, she was really starting to annoy him now.

For a moment she appeared to be hurt by his words, but she quickly shook this off while focusing her attention back on the little ball of fur in her hands, the soft smile returning to her face as she did.

"I think I will name you then." She said in a gentle voice as she held the rat up to her face, acting as if she were having a private conversation with the animal.

He couldn't take anymore of this nonsense; he slowly closed his eyes and let the welcoming darkness in, relinquishing control to the Scarecrow.

That's it Jonathan… let me take over…

The Scarecrow opened his eyes, relishing the power he now had over his limbs as he began to take small steps towards the doctor's unsuspecting assistant.

"I will name you… Archimedes." She concluded, lowering the rat from her view, now cradling it in her hands as she gently rocked it back and forth like an infant, she had no clue what was in store for her.

Archimedes? Who names a rat after a Greek physicist?

I don't have time for these questions, Jonathan; I am a little busy here.

He stepped up close to her, she met his gaze for a brief moment before he lowered his attention to the lab rat she held, he then reached out and began to gently pet the creature with his right hand, his left still strategically hidden behind his back. She watched his hand as it slowly stroked the rat's white fur; it seemed that the doctor had finally softened from his usual cold nature, that was until his long fingers came to rest at the rat's tiny neck. She let out a sudden shriek of horror as she watched him harshly twist the rodent's small neck in one quick and fluid motion, the crude subtle cracking sound filling her ears and scaring her memory as he broke the rat's neck.

He let his eyes travel up to hers, she was still staring down at the limp little carcass in her trembling hands, her mouth widely agape in shock, he grinned manically at this.

Was that really necessary? The doctor asked from the back of his mind.

Hey, you're the one that wanted her to stop playing with the damned thing!

I know, but she had just named it, somehow it just seems so…

What?

Cruel.

The Scarecrow suppressed the laughter he was now feeling.

Why Doctor Crane, you surprise me with your sudden sensitivity, how adorable of you. With this he let the laughter he was holding in out, it mockingly echoed through his mind.

Fuck you.

The Scarecrow visibly rolled his eyes to this, he then looked back at the face of the doctor's assistant just as she slowly raised her head up to look him in the eyes, both shock and confusion consumed her expression now.

"Wha… Why?" Was all she could seem to emit to him, her lips starting to quiver almost violently now.

"Why? Why do you think, my darling?" he allowed the satisfied smile to linger on his lips, his tone filled with sarcasm as she shook her head back and forth in bewilderment to his words. "Shall I spell it out for you then?" he took another step closer to her and she instantly recoiled, her back pressing against the lab table behind her, she was clutching the dead rat to her chest now protectively. "I did it because it was fun." He slowly drew out each word for a desired effect, that effect of course being the fear she was obviously feeling towards him.

"Fun?" she said the word as if she did not know its meaning. "How could killing a poor defenseless creature be fun to you?" she just couldn't understand what he had meant by this.

He did not answer her question, only reached out and snatched the limp body from her hands and carelessly flung it onto the nearby lab table. She turned her head away from him as she watched the rat's corpse fall crudely onto the tabletop near its open and empty cage, when she did finally turn to face him again her eyes were filled with tears.

"Aww, are we going to cry over spilt milk now?" he mocked her in a childish voice, causing the tears to pour from her eyes and down her flustered cheeks. "Poor little Jessica." He cooed with fake sympathy as he gently ran the back of his hand down the left side of her face, she let out a hiccupping sob as he did this. "Did I just kill your only friend?" he was enjoying this all too much, the smile on his face growing wider by the second.

She seemed to ignore his question as she continued to cry quietly to herself. The Scarecrow let out a harsh sigh of annoyance as he brought his right hand up to his face; he then removed the doctor's glasses and folded then against his chest before placing them neatly inside his suit-coat's inner breast pocket.

"Well, if you aren't going to play…" he then said tiredly, withdrawing his left hand from his back and bringing the uncapped hypodermic needle he held into her view. "Then I am just going to have to make my own fun." he then pushed down slightly on the syringe's plunger, allowing a tiny amount of liquid to escape the needle's tip.

Her eyes widened almost immediately at the sight of the needle he was holding so closely to her neck, her breathing now labored and heavy as she began to instinctively inch her body away from his to the center of the room.

"Aww, where are you going, little Miss Matthews?" he cooed tauntingly as he turned towards the new direction she appeared to be blindly headed in. "I thought we were just starting to get to know one another!" he said with mock hurt, he then began to step towards her.

She reacted instantly to this, practically falling backwards into the restraint table that was now directly behind her, all she wanted to do at this moment was flee. The Scarecrow's quick stride caught up with her in no time and he once again had her pinned against the table just as moments before, the only difference now was that she was pressed with her back against something he could strap her down to need the occasion call for it.

This is going well. Jonathan purred to his darker side.

Yes… The Scarecrow was looking her figure up and down now, licking his lips once he was through. I am rather hoping she puts up a fight.

Doubtful.

It was all becoming too much for her to handle now; she was suddenly awash with the overabundance of everything that was happening. She couldn't help but stand there rigidly while her brain took it all in, the feeling of the hard metal of the restraint table's edge digging into the swell of her back, the sight of the hypodermic needle that inched closer with her every thundering heartbeat. It was as if her senses were beginning to overload with panic.

The Scarecrow immediately noticed her worsening state of terror, he drew in a deep staggering breath as he basked in the pleasure that her fear gave him.

God, it's like Christmas morning… or at least what I imagine Christmas morning was like for all those brats that actually got presents.

Unlike us. Jonathan drearily added, a slight twinge of pain hitting him deep in his gut at the sudden surfacing of old emotional scars.

Cheer up Jonny boy, I'll make her scream just for you.

"What's the matter, Jessica darling? Is your trypanophobia starting to get the better of you?" he teased cruelly, he then brought the needle up to her face in one quick and threatening motion, causing her to let out a sharp squeak of a scream as she practically jumped backwards onto the restraint table.

At that moment his right hand shot out and grabbed her firmly by the throat, she choked out a gasp of shock as he leaned his face in closer to hers.

"Oh come on now, Jessie dear, I know you have a better scream in you than that pathetic little mouse squeak!" he hissed at her, their lips brushing ever so slightly as he spoke.

Their eyes met in that moment, hers watery and filled with fear, his bright and drunk with control. She opened her mouth to expel a plea for her safety only to find that no sound escaped her lips, she was literally silenced by her fear of him. Her mouth hung open shakily, he looked her face over as he realized her predicament, she was scared mute.

Looks like she will not be giving you that scream you asked for after all.

The Scarecrow was too caught up in her fear of him to even listen to the doctor, let alone answer him. He hadn't even needed to give her the toxin to elicit this level of terror from her, just the mere threat of sticking her with the needle and she was too frightened to even speak or move. This sudden realization sent a new and overpowering feeling of heat and euphoria throughout his entire body, all of it finally coming to rest in his groin. In that instant he hungrily thrust his lips against her parted mouth, her eyes widened in surprise and disbelief as he began to kiss her roughly.

What in the hell are you doing!? Jonathan couldn't believe what has happening, this was definitely new behavior from his alter.

The Scarecrow did not respond, too caught up in what he was doing to even care.

Stop this! I said stop now! The doctor demanded, still there was no response.

His hand around her throat tightened, causing her to gasp and part her lips wider, he used this moment to force his tongue into her mouth and deepen his kiss. Her body was trembling violently against him and the restraint table now, completely overtaken by fear. There was then a sudden clinking noise as the hypodermic needle fell to the floor, he had dropped it. A small feeling of relief washed over her but was quickly stolen away as she felt his now free left hand clasp firmly onto her hip; he then began to grind his own hips into hers rhythmically with his assault on her mouth.

If you do not stop this then I will stop it for you! Jonathan threatened to deaf ears.

She started to struggle against him now, her hands pressing into his chest, trying their best to push him away from her but failing miserably for it did not seem to faze him one bit. As a last resort she bit down roughly onto his tongue, he let out a muffled scream as the taste of his blood filled her mouth. He broke from her in that instant; ceasing his movements against her as he brought the hand on her hip up to his mouth, when he brought his hand away from his lips he was greeted by the sight of blood on his finger tips.

Anger surged through him as he squeezed her throat even tighter now with his right hand, blood dripped from her swollen lips as she gasped and wheezed with every impossible breath. The Scarecrow watched with pleasure as she slammed her eyes shut, her face was now starting to turn red with loss of oxygen, he let a smile play on his lips. His right hand loosened slightly, just enough to allow her one easy breath before clamping back down on her windpipe and cutting off her air supply again.

"Having fun, my darling?" he mused as she struggled against him for air. "Maybe this will teach you, good girls don't bite." He released his hold on her neck all together as he finished his sentence; she immediately began coughing and gasping in air.

He waited until she was done, idly watching as she got her breathing under control and almost back to normal, he then brought his right hand back up to her throat only this time he snaked it upwards onto the back of her neck and into her hair. He roughly pulled at her hair, causing it spill from its done-up position and pool around his fist, he then pulled harder, tugging her head back awkwardly as she let out a groan of discomfort.

"Now…" he said, bringing his face back to hers. "Where were we?" he pressed his hips back against hers, his arousal fueled now not by her fear but his dominance over her.

Jessica shuddered at the feeling of him against her, he was hard and digging into her pelvis.

"Please sto-" her plea was cut short as he pressed his mouth atop hers yet again, resuming the heated kiss from before.

He slid his tongue back into her mouth, he then hesitated for a moment before renewing his assault, she let in the coppery taste of him, knowing better than to dare bite him again… he might kill her this time if she did.

I am growing impatient now! Jonathan warned in a futile attempt to make him stop what he was doing.

Oh, so am I… The Scarecrow practically moaned back to the doctor, now grinding his erection hard into her hips.

She let out a whimper which was swallowed by his open mouth, his kiss now savage and demanding.

That's it, this has gone on long enough!

Jonathan was through playing the Scarecrow's little games.

His movements against her stopped abruptly, his left hand firmly holding her hips to his and his mouth open and pressed against hers. Perhaps he should have timed taking back control a little better; he was now left with a raging hard on and his tongue in her mouth.

Now what are you going to do, eh, smart guy?

Jonathan stood there in the exact same position, his breathing labored as he tried to ignore the throbbing ache between his legs. She stayed perfectly still, pinned between him and the table behind her, frightened and awaiting whatever horrors laid ahead. He tried thinking of something, anything other than her warm body pressed against him, he was failing however.

Oh fuck it, what does it matter anymore…

With that last thought he began to massage his injured tongue against hers, slow and gentle, teasing her mouth as he now kissed her. She braced herself, fearing the assault to begin again, only this time it was different, it was as if she was being kissed by a completely different man than before. Confusion overwhelmed her as she felt his hand on her hip slid upwards to rest at the swell of her back, what was happening?

He was no longer pulling at her hair but gently cradling the back of her head as he continued to kiss her, the hand at the swell of her back now pushing her upper body against his. She softly pressed the palm of her hands against his chest, he had expected her to try to shove him off of her like before, this time however she did not.

I don't get it Jonathan, I'm not allowed to fuck her but you are? Please explain this level of reasoning to me!

Because… this is different… He answered with distraction as he continued to kiss his assistant.

Different how? Different because you are a gentle lover and I just want to split her in two with my cock?

Damn you… not now!

He deepened his kiss as he sped up the pace, holding her body close to his, he didn't even care that she wasn't responding to his ministrations. She whimpered into his mouth, or was it more of a moan? She was becoming dizzy all of a sudden, nothing made any sense anymore, she didn't even realize that she had begun to brush her tongue against his. But Jonathan did realize and the sensation of her kissing him back proved to be too much to handle at that moment. He released a shuddering gasp into her mouth before finally pulling away from her; she let out a small sound of protest as their lips parted from one another.

He looked her in the eyes questioningly; she only stared back blankly in confusion to the situation.

What's the matter, Jonny boy? Did reality get the better of you or can you only perform if she's not willing? The Scarecrow taunted bitterly, Jonathan chose to ignore him.

He blindly reached into the inner pocket of his suit-coat and removed his glasses; he then unfolded them and placed them neatly onto his face before returning his hand back to his pocket and withdrawing his pristine white handkerchief. He brought the white cloth to his lips and began to roughly wipe the small amount of blood that remained there from when she had bit him. Jessica silently watched the display with curious fascination, she was then shocked when once the doctor was done wiping his lips he brought the napkin to her own and began to wipe them clean as well.

He used less force then he had when cleaning his own lips, with her he was almost gentle and reserved. She was extremely confused now, five minutes ago she was sure he was going to either rape or kill her, perhaps both… now he was back to his usual controlled and rigid self.

"We should go back upstairs, the other staff will start to wonder where we are." He said finally with no emotion to his tone as he returned the handkerchief to his inner breast pocket.

"I… um.." she began to stammer out in response, Jonathan seemed to completely ignore the fact that she was speaking to him, or rather attempting to speak to him.

"You should fix your hair back before we return, Ms. Matthews." He idly commanded her, he then reached down to the floor and picked up the fallen hypodermic needle that rested there.

Jessica watched his movements closely, not exhaling once while he held the needle in his hand, but this time he did not use it to frighten her like before he instead walked away from her towards the lab table to the right of the room.

"There is a mirror above the table to your left if you need it to fix your hair." The doctor instructed without even looking back in her direction, he appeared to be too busy throwing the needle away into a biohazard receptacle located near the lab table where he now stood.

She slowly walked over to the table to her left, trying her best not to look at the deflated little white body that was strewn atop the black tabletop. She finally exhaled a deep and ragged breath as she looked herself over in the small and dingy mirror that was taped to the wall above the table, she looked a fright. Her lips were red and swollen and her hair hung to one side in a tangled, ratty mess. She shook the thought of how unattractive she looked away and started to twist her hair back into the messy bun she always wore.

Once she was done re-pinning her hair up she turned around to see that the doctor was now watching her intently from across the room, his narrowed gaze sent an uncomfortable feeling of nervousness throughout her entire body. She met his stare for only a moment before shyly looking away to the floor.

"It's time to go back upstairs." His empty voice informed her, he then walked over to the only door to the room and with a quick clinking of keys unlocked and opened it.

She silently followed him out of the room, down the hallway and onto the vacant elevator. Not a word was spoken between them the entire ride back to the second floor of the asylum. As the elevator doors slid open Jessica took a small step forward in attempt to exit the car, she was instantly stopped by the doctor's firm hand shooting out and grabbing her by the wrist. She looked back at him with both fear and uncertainly as he stared her down coldly.

"I would like you to remember your promise to not tell anyone about today." It was more of a threat that a request and his words left her feeling very uneasy. "I need you to swear that this stays between us, Ms. Matthews." He narrowed his gaze on her now, sending her the darkest look she had ever seen in her life.

A cold sweat ran down her spine as she tried to control the sudden urge to run.

"Yes, Dr. Crane."She timidly replied, all color now gone from her already pale face. "I swear." She dropped her eyes to the elevator's floor.

"Good girl." Was all he said in response, the words causing her to look back up at him questioningly. "You may go home now, Ms. Matthews." He insisted, she opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off before she could even begin. "Go home." He demanded as he released his grip on her wrist.

Jonathan stepped off of the elevator, leaving his assistant alone on the car; he then turned to her one last time before walking back to his office.

"I'll see you tomorrow." And with those last words from him she watched as he turned and headed down the hallway away from her.

Jessica rode the elevator down to ground floor of the asylum, her confusion never once escaping her as she left the building and headed home for the day. As she sat all alone on the monorail car, awaiting her neighborhood stop, all she could do was wonder what the next day would be like. How could she face the doctor again after what had happened in the basement, did she even want to be near him again?

She nervously placed her hands in the pockets of her blouse as she pondered over what she should do, her thoughts were then abruptly cut short as she felt something odd in her right pocket. Slowly she withdrew the small dried blue flower and held it out in front of her; she twirled it gently between her fingers by its twisted stem. She had homework to do.

A/n:

Sorry for the delay on posting this chapter, things have been a little hectic lately.

To make up for my absence I have made this an extremely long chapter, hope you enjoyed reading it.

I will try to write the next chapter a little faster than it took me to write this one, but with work and all the craziness of my life at the moment I can't guarantee anything as far as time restraints. I ask that all of you please bear with me on this.

And please let me know what you guys think of the story thus far, please review as much as possible for your reviews are like writing fuel to me!

As always, thanks for reading!