A/N Alright, chapter two! Woohoo! I've gotten a little traffic on this, but reviews would still be VERY nice. Enjoy!

Disclamer: I do not own the universe of Batman, or any related characters. They belong to DC comics, Christopher Nolan, and whoever else. Blah Blah Blah.

Up creaky steps and down the hallway Alice went, until she reached her apartment, number Forty-five. She put the key into the door, and walked into the dark house. She immediately flipped on the lights, and sighed, glad to be home, and in a well-lit room. Alice hated being in a dark room, or anywhere that was dark, for the matter. Within seconds she heard the familiar yapping of her Sheltie, Toby. He ran to her and licked her hand. She petted him, and then took off her coat and hung it up on the coat rack. Alice walked into her kitchen and started to make dinner for herself, hungry from her long day. She decided on pasta.

In fifteen minutes the pasta was ready. Alice drained it, and put the sauce she had warmed over the top. She went to her living room to eat, and sat on the couch. She turned on her TV, and flipped the channels while she ate, ignoring the tedious news shows and laughing at the so called 'reality' shows.

When Alice finished her dinner, she returned to the kitchen, and cleaned up. She then went to her room, and took off the pants she had been wearing, and switched them for a clean pair. She observed the dirty pair and shook her head, recalling her foolishness and her encounter with Dr. Crane. Reaching into the pocket, she pulled out the card he had given her. It read;

Dr. Jonathan Crane.

Asylum Director.

Psychiatric Care & Rehabilitation.

Arkham Asylum.

If it had been wet before, it was dry now. But the pants…she picked them up again and found the spot where she had wiped her hand. It was still slightly wet, and Alice brought it up to her face, and smelled it, wondering if it had been cologne or some unknown substance.

It wasn't cologne.

The lights turned off, and Alice was alone in the dark room. She dropped the pants, and the card. She looked around, but she wasn't able to see anything.

Suddenly, she saw hands reach out for her from the darkness. She screamed, and ran to the door. Just as she reached for the knob, it became a huge spider, fangs out and ready to strike. Again, she screamed for her life. She quickly opened the door, and ran to the living room. Toby was seated on the couch, scrutinizing her with red eyes.

Has his eyes always been red? A panicking voice in her head asked. He barked, and the noise echoed loudly though the house. She ran for the door, but a shadow stood there that looked like a menacing man. Closing her eyes, she ran right by him, or, right through him, had she been thinking straight. She flung open the door, and a giant cobweb blocked the exit. Again, she took a breath, and ran through it. She ran all the way out of the building, and searched the lot for her car. But instead of her car, now, it was a horse with a Scarecrow riding on it.

"Don't be afraid!" It growled menacingly at her, pointing at her with an outstretched hand. She yelled, and ran the other way, feeling the pounding footfalls of the horse behind her She didn't know how long she ran, or how far, or how she managed to escape, but she eventually collapsed somewhere, and fell asleep.

Alice woke up to hands shaking her. She looked up to see the face of Dr. Crane looking down at her.

"Ms. Huntley? I was just walking through the park, and I saw you asleep here. What are you doing here?" He asked. She sleepily rubbed her eyes, and sat up. She was indeed at the park.

"Oh. I…my house…it was awful." Were the only words she could form. He looked at her from behind blue eyes.

"You might have more of a problem than I first thought. Maybe I could see you for an appointment tomorrow? Is that a good day for you?" He asked her. Her head was still fuzzy, but she was able to think long enough to answer.

"Uhm, yes, that's a good idea...What time?"

"How about noon?" He inquired.

"Okay, yeah. That'd be great." She agreed. He extended a hand to help her up. She took it, and steadied herself.

"Do you need me to help you home?" He asked, worry in his voice.

"No, I'll be alright. I'll see you tomorrow, Dr. Crane." She replied.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, Alice." He finished, and smiled before turning around and walking away. Alice smiled to herself before walking away.

As Alice walked back to her apartment, she thought about the night before. How had her imagination conjured up such terrible images? Maybe she had dreamed it, and had sleepwalked to the park. She tried to convince herself of this as she opened her apartment door.

The lights were still on, and the coffee table was knocked over. Alice frowned. It had seemed like the lights had gone out.Apparently they hadn't. Alice picked up the coffee table, and sighed. She'd have to call her boss and make up an excuse for being late, or not going in at all. She decided on the former, and picked up the phone.

She dialed the office number, and it rang three times.

"The Gotham Gossip, how can I help you?" A woman answered.

"Hey Annie, it's Alice. Can you tell Mr.-"

"Alice! Where have you been?" She cut her off, obviously worried. Alice sighed.

"Well, last night…my…my car broke down. I just got it fixed this morning." She lied. "Can you tell Mr. Fitzgerald that I'll be in late?"

"Sure, Alice! But hurry in. By the way, you have some mail. Oh, and-"

"Annie, really, I got to go. Thanks." She hung up, and thanked God that the receptionist was her best friend. Annie, whose full name was Anastasia, had met Alice when she had been put on as a reporter for the magazine.

Alice walked into her room, and picked up Dr. Crane's card. She examined it, reading it over.

Alice screamed when she heard barking, and spun around.

Toby sat in the doorway, waging his tail happily.

"Toby!" Alice squealed. She had almost forgotten about him, he must've run off when Alice collapsed in the park. "Yes, did you have a good time running around last night?" Alice cooed, and Toby licked her face as she bent down to pet him. She laughed, and went to get ready for work.

A/N AH, I can't believe I'm doing this! I hoped you enjoyed this, and sorry for any mistakes. If I didn't make it clear, that was Fear Toxin on the card. Heh, I don't know the specifics of how long it lasts, but I'm hoping that it's possible. Anyway, REVIEW!