Embrace the fear.

It had been two weeks since Jonathan had last spoken to Edward, but he thought that today would be a good day to see him again.

Edward stood outside the door to the house, his case in one hand and a file in the other.

Jonathan heard the knocks on the door and wondered over to the it, before he opened it.

"Jonathan," Edward smiled. "It's good to see you again."

Smiling on the outside crying on the inside. Scarecrow chuckled as Jonathan shook Edward's hand.

"Everything okay?"

Edward smiled, but it was forced before he nodded. "All is well."

Jonathan nodded before he awkwardly ran his hand up and down his arm. "Is there… did you bring what I wanted?"

"Yes…" Edward trailed off before frowning. "Though I don't understand why you would like something like this."

"If I said it was so I could mist the plants would you believe me?"

"If I said 'no' would that surprise you?"

Jonathan chuckled before he shook his head. "No. No it wouldn't surprise me."

Edward nodded before he looked him up and down and bit his lip. "What do… you want it for?"

"That's non of your business."

"But-."

"Edward," Jonathan sighed. "All I need to know is if you've brought it and it works."

Edward looked slightly hurt. "Of course it works."

"Good, well come on inside, would you like some tea?"

"Tea?"

"I can make you coffee."

Edward shook his head. "No, tea will be fine."

They walked in through the house, dodging the various pieces of wood and nails that lay on the floor.

"You've been working on the house, I see."

"I have to look after a six and four year old," Jonathan muttered. "I need to make the place safe for them."

Edward nodded before he frowned slightly. "So… why do you want this?" he asked as he pulled a gauntlet out of his brief case. It held small metal gaps perfect to insert a vile of something and it had a pipe leading from all three spaces to come into one coming at the front of the gauntlet with a button that could easily be reached by the fingers of whoever was wearing it.

Jonathan took the device from him and smiled. "It's perfect," he slid it onto his wrist and flexed his hand, turning it slightly and smiling. "Exactly what I needed."

"What do you need it for?" Edward asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jonathan sent him a glare before he smiled. "I told you. To mist the plants," he wondered into another room, leaving a confused forensic tech staring at a black plant-less room.

Not a piece of green in sight.

"Umm… I think in order to mist the plants you must first have plants to begin with," Edward muttered as he wondered after Jonathan who was lurking in the kitchen, fiddling with one of the knifes.

He didn't seem to notice Edward, not that Edward realised this.

"Jonathan?" he questioned as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

The boy suddenly snapped and turned on his friend, slamming him into the nearby wall with his hand around his throat and a blade following with the other hand.

"Jonathan!" Edward gasped for breath, caught completely off guard by the young teen as he grabbed at the other's tightening hand. "It's me! It's… Edward!"

Suddenly the boy let him drop and stepped back staring down at him, tilting his head to the side like the way a preying mantis gazes down at it's prey before it strikes.

The knife was still firmly held in Jonathan's hand as he stared down at him, tilting his head the other way, the action almost robotic and inhuman in motion.

Like how you would imagine a scarecrow to move.

Edward stared up at the boy's cold eyes and he felt his throat tighten in sudden realisation.

"You're not Jonathan are you?" he whispered as he stared at his friend.

A cruel smirk wound it's way onto Jonathan's face. "No, I'm not. I've been dying to meet you though," he crouched down so they were eye level, the blade held loosely between his fingers as he smirked at Edward. "Jonny wasn't too keen on the idea. Can't ever imagine why though," he shrugged and played with the knife in his hand, like he was entertaining the idea of using it. "It's like he thought I'd hurt you or something, can't imagine where he got that idea from."

"No," Edward deadpanned as he eyed the knife. "It's a complete mystery."

Jonathan smirked, no it wasn't Jonathan was it? It was someone else, something else.

"Ha, you're funny," he laughed as he swung the knife and smiled, resting his head in the palm of his other hand. There was a smile of content on his face as he studied Edward.

"Who are you?" Edward questioned.

His eyes lit up. "I'm Scarecrow."

"Scarecrow?"

"Hmmm…" he hummed before smiling. "It's taken me ages to get this much control of Jonny. Boy is he a stubborn one."

Edward backed up slightly, crawling along the floor till his back hit the wall.

"You scared?" Scarecrow chuckled. "You should be. I'm not exactly a nice person…"

"You're the one that wants the gauntlet," Edward whispered.

"Ha, you are a smart one and yeah… that's me," he grinned and held the guanleted wrist up and smiled. "You did a very good job."

"What's it for?" Edward whispered as he stared at his creation.

"Well…" Scarecrow chuckled. "That's a secret."

"Why can't you tell me? I'm your friend!"

"Na ah," Scarecrow shook his head and wagged a scolding finger in his face. "You're Jonathan's friend, not mine."

"You're the same person," Edward cried as he stared at him. "You're just a voice in his head!"

The knife only just missed his head as he ducked the swinging blow.

"I am more then he is and ever will be!" Scarecrow screamed.

"Why?" Edward muttered. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because… poor little Jonathan was sick and tired of being kicked around… his father's experiments was just the kick start and it turned into this," he gestured to himself and smirked.

"How does Jonathan cope with you?" Edward muttered.

Scarecrow laughed. "He obviously doesn't does he? If he did then I would not be here."

Edward was silent and stared.

"Aww what's wrong? You upset because the only friend you have… the only person who generally likes you happens to not be right in the head… what ever does that say about you?"

Edward slowly got to his feet. "It tells me… I should leave right now!"

Edward ran through the maze of the house, Jonathan casually following him, picking up the viles and sliding them into the gauntlet and fixing them in the place, before he began to run.

Edward as almost at his car, he'd almost reached it, his hand was within striking distance. But Jonathan slammed into him, tackling him to the floor and they rolled down the hill, hitting trees and sticks.

When they finally came to a stop, Edward scrambled away from Jonathan and stumbled into the straw near the scarecrow.

"Oh look," Scarecrow chuckled. "The place of my birth."

Edward glanced at the scarecrow and grimaced at the odd look, the stitched up mouth unable to speak a word to cry out.

The stitched up mouth prevented it from speaking, screaming at him to watch his back of his moving and powerful consciousness.

Edward turned at the sound of rustling straw and was met with a cloud of yellow gas in his face, the toxin smelt bitter, like sweat and blood.

It smelt like fear.

Edward coughed and chocked falling to the floor as he continued to cough.

The world titled and colours began to blend. Edward griped the straw in his fingers as he tried to keep control of his breathing, but it was going off pace. He sat up abruptly, his pupils dilated allowing more of the vivid and horrid images in and invading his mind. Torturing him from the inside out, invading his mind and pulling at old strands of long forgotten and stitched up memories.

Edward screamed backing away from Jonathan before he lay back in the straw, staring up at the scarecrow as it's figure morphed and changed to that of his father.

The look of happiness the scarecrow once held turned into a disappointed scowl of his father.

"No…" Edward cried as he tried to grab his head and hide. "Please no."

"That's it," Scarecrow chuckled as he leaned forward before he glanced up at his disembodied figure that loomed over them both. "Embrace the fear, let it consume you, it's the only way you can live with it!"

The crows cawed and flapped their wings as the screaming echoed around the trees bouncing off them and threatening to break his vocal cords as he thrashed from unseen attackers.

Scarecrow walked around him, leaning up and plucking his head from the face from his still body.

"Ah, that's better," he muttered as he pulled it on over his head. "I finally have my face back."

T.B.C:

The Scarecrow has risen for the time being... so guys hope you liked this chapter, do not worry Ankh will be updated pretty soon :D