A/N: Hey guys! This chapter is a bit shorter than usual but I hope it's still good for you. I'm very sorry for the amount of grammar errors in all of my chapters!
All rights reserved to DC comics. I only own Alouette.
By the way whenever you see 'Scarecrow' that's mostly Jonathan's other side speaking (duh, of course). I want to make sure there is a line bolded different between two of them even though they're inside of the same person. Technically speaking, Jonathan switching between Scarecrow and vice versa. I want to be able to have Jonathan have the personal war with himself and his darker identity and how much control Scarecrow actually has over him. It'll make more sense once the chapter goes along.
Chapter 6: Wrong floor.
Alouette was on her feet early morning on the way to Arkham Asylum. Her black heels made the clicking sound when she walked on the concrete pathway after parking her car in the parking garage. She got inside of the building, welcomed by few of the roaming doctors and the receptionist in the front.
Returning the gentle smiles and a wave of a hand, she started to walk towards her personal office centered at the corner at the end of the hallway. As she walked and entered inside, she noticed a small note placed on top of her wooden desk. It had a few scribbles in blue ink. The handwriting looked identical to the head of the asylum. She grabbed it in order to make sure it was actually him.
'Hello Miss Abraham, I just wanted to notify you that you are going to have a new coworker here in Arkham Asylum. He will be arriving shortly. Thank you.'
The last few words that were scribbled were the signature of Jeremiah Arkham.
'Hm, well that's good news.' She said to herself when she put the note inside the trash bag next to her desk; walking behind her computer. She was about to open the stack of yellow envelopes filled with patient information until she heard a small knock at the door.
"Come in."
In came a fellow coworker of hers and when she put her head up to say hello she swore she heard her heart screamed in horror.
"Hello Alouette, I just wanted to introduce you to our new psychologist who will be working alongside you. Dr. Jonathan Crane."
Scarecrow saw her gulp along with the small tremble that escaped her lip at the side of her mouth. He maliciously grinned at the sight of her. He took out his hand as if they never met before, still maliciously smirking.
'It's nice to see you again, Miss Abraham." The way he mouthed her last name sent shivers down her spine. She took his hand and they both exchanged a firm handshake.
"It's nice to see you too, Dr. Crane." His arrogant levels risen up as he nodded towards her. He loved how he completely took her out of surprise. It was absolutely hilarious to see her star-struck in such a way. It was almost as if he was completely in control of the situation in front of him. She looked scared. Just the sight of his appearance made her feel uncomfortable. He enjoyed every minute of it.
Alouette could feel his intense stare that felt like he shooting her knives at her when she looked away to greet her co-worker that came with him.
"Well, it seems like you two already know each other! How wonderful, this leaves it to be less of an awkward introduction." Her coworker said. He smiled joyfully, looking at the two of them.
"Yes, we went to the same university, studying psychology together." Jonathan answered. He quickly got rid of the image of Scarecrow on his face like a snap of his fingers.
"That's fantastic! Well I'll let you two get settled down and maybe catch up? Sounds about right? See you both."
Her coworker left her with Jonathan in order to tell him a few key points around the area. She dread knowing she was going to be in the same room as the person who probably wanted to choke the living sight of her. However, she remained calm and stared back at Jonathan who seemly looked not triggered by their reunion.
"So, Arkham Asylum?" She asked him when she started to prepare a cup of coffee. She offered him but he gentle denied.
"Yes, in the mean time. I think this will be a more appropriate home for me. Life has a funny way in reuniting people, doesn't it Miss Abraham?" She almost dropped her coffee when she felt that same fear running through her spine. She hoped he couldn't see the terror through her eyes, but in reality he saw her body language screaming in discomfort.
"Yes…yes it does." She sat down and started drinking coffee. If this were a game, Jonathan would have definitely beaten in being the one with the most intense glance. If only she knew that the earlier presence of Jonathan wasn't the real Jonathan she knew in her college years.
Alouette didn't understand on the reason why she would be afraid of the man in front of her. It wasn't as if he was armed, but he seemed the type to get rid of the person who altered his aspirations in a dangerous matter. In this case, Alouette took his internship position even if she wasn't the one who had the control of the application process, but he wasn't having it.
He stared at her, jaw clenching, before he said anything else.
"If you're thinking I have any grain of hatred towards you because of an internship position, I want to remind you that is least of my worries."
She looked up at him again, gulping and then slowly nodded. Why was she so afraid of him? What was it his stiff posture and the way he looked like he was about to restrain her in her seat?
"I didn't see you after graduation. And I don't want to be sound like a pestering little girl, but I was looking forward to the nonexistent friendship we promised to have." Alouette said, giving him a sad smile towards him. She noticed a small shift of his posture as if he wasn't expecting those words.
In his mind, Jonathan didn't really care much for the young woman in front of him, but he did recall the way she made him feel after having those intellectual conversations they had in the café. He hasn't been with anyone who offered the same level of intellect as him other than professors and for that he caught interest in her. However, Scarecrow thought differently. His other side forced him to think of her as a little mouse for his experiment. All those nights of him crawling around his bed, hating the whispers that haunted him in his sleep. He couldn't take advantage of Alouette especially in such a evil way. She was one of the few who actually conversed with him. Even though she looked like a deer about to be run over, he sympathized with her. She actually gives him the time of a day to talk without hurrying away in being physically close to him and for that he admired her compassionate personality. He had to be true to himself, he was ashamed for not delivering his promise, but Scarecrow had other plans for her in mind that he didn't had the heart to perform.
"I feel the same way. I apologize for the immaturity I gave to you. I'm afraid I already gave a poor impression on you."
"You didn't. You're still the genius." She corrected him.
Alouette didn't mind of what already has happened between them. She was the type to remove grudges whenever they were necessarily and at this point she has grown up from her college days. She was content that Jonathan felt the way too; having her fear of him disappear behind her.
She eventually led him to the ways of the asylum, introducing to the different rooms and areas where she usually spent her time with patients in. He complimented her in knowing her ways and she would usually blush at his charming comments. She wasn't surprised that Jonathan was a gentleman from the very start, but she knew something was off with him at the same time. She usually ignored those doubts in her mind. It wasn't normal to meet a gentleman like him nowadays especially in a city like Gotham.
Their reunion ended shortly after she was done showing him his new work area that was located across from her office. She offered if he needed any help to settle in but he kindly rejected.
He let her go back to her office and once she did she noticed that she had a patient to check up on in 10 minutes. She decided to head the cells earlier than usual and began working.
Jonathan could feel Scarecrow itching him inside of his head, nagging him to make the move in inviting Alouette for a 'surprise', but Jonathan held more control over himself than his other identity had over him. He needed to learn to be the real Jonathan in front of her, not the inner monster inside that caused her to be frightened when he saw her in the beginning.
He knew if he did perform any mistreatment towards her, she would defense herself no matter the consequences. That brought a little spark of light inside of him. He never witnessed a young woman to be radiantly intelligent as Alouette and he didn't like to lie to himself that he wasn't attracted to her. He hardly ever had been the type to be infatuated over a woman for her body. To his surprise, he was more attracted to the workings of her insightful mind instead of Scarecrows intentions for her. Alouette was peculiar to him and he wanted to dig more than what she allowed him to see.
'Don't ruin this for me.' Jonathan whispered darkly once he sat down onto his office chair. He took off his framed glasses and leaned over to his chair glancing up to the white ceiling above him. His crystal blue eyes darted to the small detailing of the wallpaper on the walls.
'I can't make any promises, Johnny...' He heard the dark anonymity whisper back.
Later that day Alouette was told that Gotham police were able to capture the man who killed Bruce Wayne's parents. When she was done with the patients she had to see, she got up to her car and started driving to Gotham's courthouse. Once she was out she noticed a tall figure in a long draped coat with dark hair resting on the sides of his head. She was able to recognize that it was Bruce.
However, once she started walking towards him a flock of photographers started running towards the opposite direction, blocking her path. Their cameras were instantly flashing once a woman starting shouting that Bruce's parents murder was coming out from the side causing a clamoring scene. The mass of photographers almost tripped Alouette until she noticed that Bruce started walking towards Joe Chills. Attempting to push around the horde of people, she was about to go over to Bruce until an ear piercing gun shot ran all the walls outside of the court house. She saw Bruce stopped In the middle of his tracks. She took the opportunity to run towards him and grasped his arm.
"Come on Bruce, we don't need to see this." She told him, looking back at the dead Chills in front of them. Bruce had a shocked expression on his face and he took her hand off of his arm.
"I do." He firmly told her.
After seeing the murder of Joe Chills, Alouette was giving a ride to Bruce. She explained to him the real person who was behind the constant crimes of Gotham: Falcone. Bruce was stubborn enough to not understand the corruption of Gotham after not being here for seven years. She needed him to see the change of the city after his parents death.
Driving to the inner streets of the Narrows, she pointed to Bruce the corruption that criminals have left after the wayne tragedy. Bruce saw the struggling citizens of Gotham that he did not know about, raging his own inner turmoil.
"Bruce, your parents did not tolerate injustice. They were good people, the people that Gotham needed. Falcone is no mystery to the police department. We already know where he is. But as long as he keeps the bad people rich and the good people scared, no one will touch him. What chance does Gotham have if the people don't do anything? " Alouette eyed to Bruce, parking in front of Falcone's spot. Bruce held his head back to the car seat and closed his eyes.
"I'm not one of your good people, Alouette." He told her.
She instantly got confused at his statement and asked him what he meant. By the time he was about to answer, she saw a glimpse of a small gun in his hands. She suddenly slapped the side of his face.
"I've been wanting to kill him after all these years." He told her with a irritated look.
"Your father would be ashamed of you." She told him, a hint of anger and sadness. Alouette knew she hit a soft spot, but she didn't mind. She wanted to have Bruce learn his lesson and knowing the difference between justice and revenge. She wanted those notions implanted into his head and remembering which of his family symbolized and which one he needed to remain not planted in his family line.
She left Bruce into the dark alley in front of Falcone's spot; leaving him deciding to go inside of the bar. Little did he know he was going into his own disappointment.
A/N: And that's it for chapter 6!
Let me know if I'm doing a good job and if you enjoy the story so far with a review/fav/follow! See you guys in the next chapter!
- X