"Kris."

I slowly awoke and took note of how sore I was from sleeping in the chair. I looked over and saw Bruce smiling at me.

Okay, even though I had known from the beginning that he was going to be fine, from what I saw over the course of the last couple of days, seeing him awake was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I gasped and went over to him. "You're finally awake."

"How long was I out?" Bruce asked.

"Two days," Alfred answered. "It's your birthday. Many happy returns."

I laughed. "I guess waking up after being so sick like that is a better birthday present than anything."

"Did you stay here the entire time?"

I blushed a little. "You were in pretty bad shape. Someone had to stay in here and make sure you didn't hurt yourself."

"Were you singing?"

I blushed even harder. "You, uh, heard that?"

"It's kinda fuzzy. It was pretty though. What was it?"

"Siúil A Rún. It's just a Celtic song I saw on the Internet before."

"And you gave me these things?" He gestured to the two washcloths I had placed on him.

"You…you were sweating a lot. I was trying to get you cooled down."

At that point, I think Alfred started shipping us too. "Could you excuse us, Kris?" he asked.

I nodded and left the room. If I hadn't already known everything, I would've been pretty offended that everyone was keeping me in the dark. But even though they tried, I knew it all. I took a deep breath and sank down against the wall, waiting for their conversation to be over. When Mr. Fox left, I went back in.

"So, did I prove to be a difficult patient?" Bruce laughed.

"Well, only the times you threatened to pummel me. You must've been having some pretty bad nightmares. You, uh, screamed a lot and…well, let's just say that you were having a very fitful rest."

He took my hand in his. "Kris, I can't thank you enough for everything you did."

"I didn't do anything, Bruce. Mr. Fox was the one who made the antidote. Everything I did didn't work."

"You stayed by my side the whole time. It may not have been the cure, but it was basically the next best thing."

"It was the least I could do after all you've done for me."

"That was more than I'll ever be able to do for you."

It's hard to explain what it's like when simple fangirling is no longer simple fangirling. But something stirred inside of me when Bruce took my hand like that. Those were real feelings rising up in me. But if I ended up leaving by the end of the movie, what was I to do then?

I'd worry about that when the time came. For now, I had a big problem on my hands. Rachel. She was about to go see Jonathon Crane and get gassed herself. I had to decide if I wanted to stop that or not. Well, of course I wanted to, but would I mess everything up if I did? The whole reason I didn't tell Bruce is because if I did, I would have to confess that I knew his secret identity and then I would have to explain how I knew THAT and that was a conversation that I was putting off for as long as possible. But when it came to Rachel, there was nothing for me to hide, aside from the fact that I knew everything that was going to happen to her. I could work around that.

As I watched Bruce and Rachel talk, my mouth decided to make the decision for me. Rachel left and I went after her.

"Rachel!" I called as she went back to her car.

"Hey! Kris, right?"

"Yeah."

"Listen, I'd love to talk, but I have to get down to Arkham."

"Yeah, that's what I wanted to tell you. I know we've only talked before for a minute, but even still I have to tell you that you can't go there."

Rachel scoffed. "Did Bruce send you out here to say that?"

"What? No, I'm telling you this because if you go there, you will be in danger."

"I'm an assistant District Attorney. I deal with danger every day."

"Not this kind of danger."

"Look, I appreciate your concern, but I really have to go."

As soon as she left, I raced to get a cab and I did not play around this time. I forced the driver to take me to Arkham and I did not take no for an answer.

We managed to get there almost at the exact same time as Rachel.

"Rachel!"

She turned to see me walking up to her. "Why are you following me?"

"Please, just listen to me. Jonathon Crane is not who you think he is."

"How did you know I'm meeting with him?"

"I…overheard you talking with Bruce. But I'm not joking about Crane. Hasn't there been some part of you that felt that he was always just a little bit…off?"

"Well, I suppose, but I have a duty to the law, and this needs to get sorted out."

She started walking in, but I just kept following her. "Rachel, please. I'm begging you to leave now while you can."

"Why are you so determined to make me leave? You don't even know me very well."

"It's difficult to explain, okay? Just…trust me. You need to get out of here."

I was too late. We were at Falcone's cell. And to make matters worse, I couldn't leave now which meant I was stuck with Rachel. Did that mean I was going to get gassed too? I tried to mask my fears as Dr. Crane came around the corner.

"Miss Dawes, this is most irregular," he said to her. "I have nothing to add to the report I filed with the judge."

"I have questions about your report," Rachel said sharply.

"Such as?"

"Isn't it convenient for a 52-year-old man who has no history of mental illness to have a psychotic breakdown just when he's about to be indicted?"

"As you can see for yourself, there is nothing convenient about his symptoms."

The three of us looked through the window at the man strapped down to a gurney, his head twitching scarily.

"Scarecrow," he mumbled.

"What's 'scarecrow'?" Rachel asked.

"Patients suffering delusional episodes often focus their paranoia on an external tormentor, usually one conforming to Jungian archetypes. In this case, a scarecrow."

I always found that line really confusing. I was definitely not cut out for the medical field.

"He's drugged?"

"Psychopharmacology is my primary field. I'm a strong advocate. Outside, he was a giant. In here, only the mind can grant you power."

"You enjoy the reversal."

"I respect the mind's power over the body. It's why I do what I do."

"I do what I do to keep thugs like Falcone behind bars, not in therapy. I want my own psychiatric consultant to have full access to Falcone, including blood work. Find out what exactly you put him on."

Rachel went straight for the elevator and I followed because what else could I do?

"First thing tomorrow then," Crane said smoothly.

"Tonight. I've already paged Dr. Lehmann at County General."

"As you wish." Crane got into the elevator with us and put his key into the button panel. My heart rate increased dramatically as I tried to process how the heck I could get both of us out of here. The elevator stopped and Crane ushered us out. "This way, please." He led us through some very old hallways that smelled really bad. How this didn't seem to raise a red flag for Rachel, I'll never know. He opened a set of double doors, and I knew this was it. "There's something I think you should see." The sight before us was terrible. People in orange suits were dumping the toxin into the water supply. "This is where we make the medicine. Perhaps you should have some. Clear your head."

Rachel grabbed my hand and took off as fast as she could. She opened the elevator, but I pulled her back.

"No! That won't work! We need to find the stairs."

"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

"You can question me later. Right now, we need to get out of here!" We raced down the hall, and managed to find a set of stairs.

Rachel needed to get out. She was actually important to this story. But I knew there was no way both of us could make it out. I knew Batman was here, but he came for Rachel. I don't think he'd be interested in saving me twice. Even if it was Bruce in that suit. After all, Bruce had feelings for Rachel…not me. If I was to die here, I wanted to go out memorably.

"Rachel, get out of here. I'll hold them off."

"What? No!"

"There's no time to argue! Just go!"

My eyes watered a little at the thought of what I knew was coming. But I saved Rachel. And in the long run, that was all that mattered.

I slammed the door to the stairs and suddenly I was whirled around and came face-to-face with none other than Scarecrow. Without warning, I was immediately sprayed. That fear gas smelled way worse than I ever imagined it would. I began choking and coughing on the horrid smoke.

From there, everything was a complete blur. Every voice I heard sounded like it was a million miles away. I felt two people carry me back to the room and set me down on a slab of concrete.

"Who are you?" Scarecrow growled at me. "Who knows you're here? Who knows?"

When I looked up at him, his face turned to maggots and began to melt away. Fire shot from his mouth and eyes. I screamed at the horrendous sight before me when suddenly, a couple of the lights went out.

My brain felt like it was on fire. I just wanted to die already and be done with it.

"He's here," Crane said.

"Who?" one of his henchman asked.

"The Batman."

Wait a second. My foggy mind tried to process what he just said. Batman had come for me? Why? He cared about Rachel and came after her because of his feelings for her. Why was he trying to save me? I didn't matter to the story in any way.

I didn't catch much of what he said after that because my brain was going insane, but I did manage to hear, "She hasn't got long. I gave her a concentrated dose. The mind can only take so much."

The next thing I heard was loud screaming and a lot of gunshots. My head whipped from one side to the other, the fear gas beginning to completely take over every part of me. I began sweating and hyperventilating.

I could make out Crane coughing and I put together that Batman had gassed him. I would've been a lot happier had I not been in so much pain.

Finally, I felt an arm slip under my knees and another go under my back and I was lifted up.

If I wasn't gassed, I would've been fangirling so hard. I mean, getting saved, and carried, by Batman is one of the best things to happen to any woman.

I could feel tears leaking down my cheeks as I was carried away from the horrible place. Eventually, I was placed back down on the ground. Every now and again, my hands would fly out in front of me, shielding me from invisible predators.

"What's happened to her?" I heard Gordon's voice.

"Crane poisoned her with a psychotropic hallucinogen, a panic-inducing toxin." Was that Batman's hand I felt stroking my head?

"Let me get her down to the medics."

"They can't help her, but I can. Get her downstairs. Meet me in the alley. Crane's been smuggling his toxin hidden in Falcone's drugs, and they're dumping it into the water supply."

"What was he planning?"

"I don't know."

"Was he working for Falcone?"

"He mentioned someone else, someone worse. She needs the antidote before the damage is permanent."

"How long does she have?"

"Not long."

Their words were scaring me. Now that I had a chance, I didn't want to die. I wouldn't do anything differently though. I had saved the person who actually mattered.

There was a noise that was pounding in my brain, making my head ache even more.

"What is that?" Gordon asked.

"Backup."

A huge swarm of bats surrounded the place. I felt myself being lifted again and carried away once more. The sight of all the bats was really making me freak out.

"Just keep calm," I heard Gordon say over all the bats' screeching. After way too long, I felt fresh air hit my face, which felt way better than I believed it would.

"How is she?" Batman asked as he took me into his own arms.

"She's fading. We gotta go. I'll get my car."

Batman secured me into a seat in the Tumbler. "I brought mine!" he called. His vehicle took off and my head began to hurt even more.

We started flying down the roads at breakneck speed.

"Stay calm," he said to me. "You've been poisoned."

I was never a road rage person to being with, so being part of one while hopped up on fear gas might've just been one of the worst experiences of my life.

I looked out the window to see that everything was blurred together as the world rushed past me. I started hyperventilating again.

"Breathe slowly."

"I…I can't," I gasped.

"You need to try. Take some deep breaths." We crashed through windows and I was freaked out beyond words. "Hold on." He drove up the ramp to a parking garage and got onto the top level. "Trust me." His seat moved to the center and he sank below.

"Weapons system activated," a computerized voice said.

My brain was getting fuzzier and fuzzier by the second. I couldn't really process what was going on around me. I felt us jet off again and I watched in fear as we drove off the roof and onto the one beside us. That went on for about four roofs before we finally got on the road again. His seat came back to the upright position and he kept driving like a maniac.

He pressed a button and then we began to drive along calmly. "Stay with me," he said soothingly.

I looked back at him with utter fear in my eyes. I was so scared that he wasn't going to make it to the Batcave in time. My head felt like it was splitting in two and it was getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open. After a couple more seconds, the vehicle took off down the road and crashed into several things on the way.

"Just hold on," I barely heard him say. The images outside the window were getting blurrier and blurrier. I tried to force my eyes open, fully aware that I was supposed to stay awake, but my efforts were useless. I was just so tired. My head lolled to one side and I felt everything around me going dark.

"KRISTINA!"

It was the last thing I heard before I completely blacked out.

I'm not sure how long it was until I woke up. But I did not come to like Rachel had. My eyes opened and my lungs refused to work. Finally, I bolted up with a scream.

"Take it easy," I heard through my gasping breaths. I looked over to find Batman. He had saved me from Scarecrow. Why?

"Where…Where's Rachel?"

He gently made me lie back down on the metal table he had put me on. "She's safe. I've given her the antidote to inoculate herself and another to put into mass production."

I looked around me and decided to play dumb. "Where am I?"

"Somewhere safe. Where I could give you the antidote before your mind was lost from the poison."

I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. "Thank you."

"I'm going to give you a sedative. You'll wake up in a safe place."

I had just woken up and I did not want to go back to sleep. Not when there was a big chance that I would have another set of nightmares. I slowly shook my head.

"It's just to keep my identity a secret."

As much as I tried not to, I couldn't help but smile. There was literally no secret he could keep from me. I saw him come over to me with the needle. He positioned it on my arm. "No, no, please…"

The liquid was inserted into my arm and I slipped back into unconsciousness almost instantly.