Disclaimer: I don't own Jonathan Crane (sadly) nor Batman. I don't claim to own them. I don't make any profit off of this. I'm just having fun.

06

Hit The Floor

I really, really should have realized that the news of Jonathan living with me was going to spread like wildfire. How, I'm not sure, seeing as I literally had no other friends other than him. But whatever, it is what it is, I guess.

It was Wednesday, also Jonathan's birthday. It was our first day back to school. We had taken yesterday off to get him situated in our apartment, which is really far too small for three people. But luckily, Jonathan didn't need much room. I just cleaned out half of my closet for his clothes and we set up a cheap bookcase in the living room for his books. He was still sleeping on the couch because we weren't sure where to put another bed and he refused to sleep in mine.

The day had gone by slow, really. It was finally the last period and then I'd be free. Well, not free exactly. But close enough. Jonathan and I had plans for after school, so time seemed to tick by at it's own leisure.

I was walking down the hall on my own headed to Trig. The hall was mostly empty seeing as there weren't many classes in this wing of the school. I had my head buried in a new book that I couldn't seem to put down and I didn't notice anyone approach me until I ran into them.

"Oh wow, sorry!" I dropped my book and looked up, my eyes locking with Boytoy's. He smiled at me. It was only then I noticed I was in the middle of a bully circle, with his friends flanking my right and a couple at my back. "Er... can I help you?"

He took a couple steps forward and I backed up. "Did you really think we were going to let you get away with what you did to Sherry?" I was pushed to the floor and I cursed. "You, an absolute nobody, taking on us, the popular crowd. Are you really that stupid? Or has fucking Scarecrow clouded your judgment?" I just glared at him and he grabbed my face, his hand crushing my jaw but I refused to flinch. "You listening, freak?"

"Go. To. Hell." I ground out, looking at him right in the eyes.

"You think you're real brave, don't ya? A brave girl from big bad Gotham. So what if you can take on Sherry, you sure as hell can't take us all on, now can you?" The asshole threw my head back and I felt it connect with the hard floor, stars popping up in front of my eyes. "You're not so brave, are you? You just had to make a name for yourself, didn't you?"

I tried to get back up and I felt a fist connect with my jaw, making me bite my tongue. I was knocked back to the floor, held my mouth, feeling it well up with blood. I spit the blood out, fighting the nausea. I gave a weak chuckle and brought myself to a sitting position. "Fuck you, dude. You think you're a big man, hitting a fucking girl. You'll end up at a fucking mini-mart somewhere, working sixty hours a week to support your wife and all those kids you know aren't yours. I'll be in Gotham, doing something that I love. So, who's the bigger person here?"

"Bitch!" He came at me again but I moved quickly and knocked him to his knees. "You're dead!" I kicked him in the middle of his back before one of the other ogres tackled me, landing hits in my ribs and my chest. I struggled to breathe and fight until someone pulled him off. Boytoy leaned down, "I'm going to enjoy this, you fucking whore."

He swung his leg back and it connected with my stomach, knocking what little air I had out of my chest. I blocked the kick to my face and was able to shove him off a little. I fought the urge to vomit.

Rough hands turned me onto my stomach and a fist grabbed me hair. I struggled, making him lose his grip twice, but Boytoy had apparently been lifting. Even with my training, I couldn't shake him off. "Just leave me the fuck alone!"

Two people grabbed my arms and pinned them down to the cold floor. My face was pushed into the puddle of blood I had spit out earlier. I felt something being poured on me, cold and sticky. The smell washed over me. Soda. Are you fucking kidding me?

"Sorry, freak, I can't do that just yet. You see, you've started some things. Sherry is in a bad way now, she won't even talk to me much anymore. It would make her feel a lot better to see what happened to you, I'm sure." I felt his stupid fucking cowboy boot press down on my back and he put his weight on it. I couldn't fight the scream that burst out of my throat as I felt a rib crack. "Maybe you're little freaky boyfriend will get the message, too. Fucker's been stalking me, telling me he'll be my 'worst nightmare' or some shit if I don't leave you alone. Can you believe that? The fucking Scarecrow has finally got some balls."

There were chuckles all around and I fought the darkness that was edging my vision. A quick kick to the other side brought my back to reality with a cry. "Fuck!"

"You should have stayed in Gotham, you don't belong here. We had Crane a razor blade away from killing himself and you had to walk in, playing savior." More kicks to my abdomen, one right after another. "Hell, if you would have just walked away you wouldn't be getting your ass kicked!" I gasped when I felt his weight on my lower back, pressing my cracked ribs to the floor. The boy grabbed my hair, lifting my face off the floor. My neck felt like it was going to snap. "Let this be a lesson to you. Tell your fuckbuddy Scarecrow he's next." I saw the floor approaching me and then there was nothing.

"D.G.! Dahlia! Dahlia Grace Cohen! Wake up!" I blearily opened my eyes and saw a dark figure with bright blue hovering over me. The voice was familiar. "Dahlia, an ambulance is on the way here. Where does it hurt?" I gagged, feeling the blood pooled at the back of my throat. The person rolled me over and I vomited, my entire body shaking. The shaking hurt. "Damn it... Dahlia, who did this to you?"

I worked hard to get my voice to work, but I could only get one word out. "Boytoy." I rolled onto my back despite the pain and my vision started to darken again. I saw blue orbs widen and realized they were eyes before the world went back again.

"Ms. Cohen, can you hear me?" My eyelids felt heavy, like there were bricks holding them down. But it was bright outside of them. "Ms. Cohen, open your eyes if you can."

I tried again and after some effort, my eyes were open. I flinched. I was right when I said it was bright. I felt weird. Like my eyelids, I felt like I was weighed down. "Where..?"

"You're in the hospital. Someone banged you up pretty badly." My eyes focused and I saw an elderly man over me. He was was balding and there were laugh lines around his green eyes. " My name is Doctor Larson. I'm your physician as long as you're here. Now, you might feel weird, but it's the pain medication. We needed you to rest so we could check you out, it will wear off in a few hours."

I looked around and I was in a generic hospital room. Private, too. It had light gray walls and a glass door and wall with shutters that must have lead to the triage part. There were two chairs that were pulled up to the bed, one closer than the other. I almost smiled. Mom had been here. "Where's Mom?"

The doctor chuckled. "She's outside. I didn't want too much to overwhelm you so quickly. If you're ready, I can call her in. She's giving a statement to the police."

I nodded and jumped when beep rang through the room. "Paging Doctor Larson to trauma. Doctor Larson to trauma!" Doctor Larson sighed. "I'll send her in on my way out. Don't move unless you have a nurse helping, do you understand?" I nodded again. "Good, your cracked ribs will be sore for awhile. I'll be back later to check on you."

The man made his way out and it wasn't even a few seconds later that my Mom burst in, panicked. "Oh, Dahlia! You're alright!" She gave me a hug, careful of my injuries.

I gave her a small smile. My face was in pain, so I could only imagine that it looked like, "Yeah, I'm okay. How did I get here?"

"Jonathan found you in school and called the ambulance. He stayed at the school to sort your stuff out once the EMTs found out it was only minor injuries." She gave me a kiss on the forehead. " Who did this to you, baby?"

I frowned and leaned back against the pillows. "Mom..."

She noticed the look on my face and wasn't having any of it. "No. You are going to tell the police, hun. They are not going to get away with this."

I groaned and rolled my eyes. Well, tried to, anyways. "Mom, it's not your fight."

It must have dawned on her, it was written all over her face. "It was that girl that you poured pop on, wasn't it?"

"It was her boyfriend."

Her face darkened. "Fuck!" My eyebrows shot up. Mom never cursed. She stood. "I'm going to go tell the police that you're ready to talk."

I sighed but acquiesced. No use denying it now.

She was only gone for a few minutes before the door opened. I looked up from where I was studying my broken nails, shocked to see Jonathan closing the door behind him. He walked over and sat in Mom's chair. He appeared to study me, his eyes piercing. Neither of us spoke for awhile. Finally, he sat back. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got run over by a Peterbilt." I tried to roll my neck to crack it and winced. He gave me an odd look. "A semi."

He nodded. "You look awful." I gave him a dirty look and he shrugged. "You do."

I was saved from replying by the door opening again. This time my mom came in, followed by a young police officer. She motioned him over and Jonathan went to stand, only to have my mom force him back into the chair. "Stay, Jon." I almost laughed at the nickname Mom had given him. I could tell he was less than pleased with it. "Officer Dewitt would like to talk to both of you."

The man smiled at me. He almost reminded me of Jonathan, kind of bookish. But by the medals on his uniform, I could tell he wasn't one to mess with. "Ms. Cohen, I need to ask you a few questions."

I raised an eyebrow. "Have at it. But call me D.G. please."

"Alright. D.G., then. Your mother told us that it was Michael Henry that did this to you?"

I was confused, but then I realized that must be Boytoy's real name. Man, I was off. "Yes, sir."

"Do you remember about what time it happened?"

I thought. "I was walking to last period. So, about one?"

He nodded. "How did it happen?"

"I was walking to last period and I wasn't paying attention. I ran into Boy-er, I mean Michael. He said some awful things about me deserving what I got and, well, you see the end result." I waved a hand over myself to emphasize.

He nodded again, writing in a notepad. "D.G., did you hear what happened after that?"

I shook my head, groaning when it made the world spin. Jonathan steadied me. "No, but having your head beat against the floor tends to do that."

The officer gave me a small smile. "Alright. I was just asking, because I wanted to know where they were headed." He sighed and took off his hat, running his hands through his dark hair. "I asked, because Michael Henry and Sherry Williams were in an accident on the way home from school. Mr. Henry swerved and the car hit a tree."

I gasped, my hand going to my mouth. I noticed Jonathan stilling out of the corner of my eye. Yes, they were awful kids and tortured everyone, but did they deserve that? "Are they..?" I trailed off, hoping he would know what I was asking.

"Williams was pronounced dead on scene. Henry is alive, but he's undergoing surgery right now."

"My god." My mom had her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. She was undoubtedly wishing death on the boy who had put her daughter in the hospital and was probably regretting it.

"What I need to know now, D.G., is whether you want to press charges against Mr. Henry."

Surprising even myself, I shook my head. "No. What's done is done."

He nodded and put his notepad away. "I will be in touch, D.G., Ms. Flynn. Mr. Crane, if I could speak to you outside, please."

Jonathan nodded and stood, following the officer out of the room without even a glance behind him. Okay, be like that then.

I settled back into the bed, frowning. "I can't believe this."

I looked to Mom to see her shaking her head. "Neither can I. No one deserves that, even if they are bullies. They're just kids."

I couldn't help but agree.

Jonathan came back in an hour later, looking calm and cool as usual. I had already sent Mom home, so I figured he would have went with her. It was then I realized that it was his birthday. Fuck.

He was sitting on the chair closest to the bed and was reading me his Psych notes and I had to interrupt. "I'm so sorry, I forgot it was your birthday!"

He just raised an eyebrow. "I hardly expected you to remember, Dahlia, after getting your face bashed off the floor.

I just glared at him. "When you get back home-" he cringed a little. "Your present is on the my stand below the violins. Go ahead and open it."

His cool mask broke for a second, shock broke through before he quickly composed himself. "You didn't need to get me anything."

I shrugged and winced. "Er, that hurts. Anyways, I know I didn't have to. But it's your birthday, and I wanted to."

"Well, then. I'll wait until you get home. You are being released in the morning."

I perked up. "Really?" I was already tired of staring at these lame gray walls and there was only so many times you could count ceiling tiles.

He nodded. "At eight, I believe."

I smiled. At least there was some good news. "What did the cop want with you?"

He shrugged, his icy eyes finding his notes again. A chunk of his dark fair fell into his face, which he promptly pushed back. "Asking me how long they had bothered me, that sort of thing. Making sure I didn't have anything to do with the accident, I suppose."

My brows furrowed together. "Of course you didn't. What would you do, rig their car? That's ridiculous."

"I'm glad we agree on that." He flipped a page in the notes. "We're having a test tomorrow, but you obviously won't be going to class. You'll have an extra day to prepare for it."

I picked up a hand mirror my mom left at my bedside. I looked at myself, wincing. I had a busted lip that was a dark purple, matching the bruise on the left side of my jaw. I had a bandage across my forehead where the skin busted from being bounced off the floor. "What kind of man hits a woman?" I touched my lip gently, hissing.

"He's no man, Dahlia." Jonathan closed the notes and leaned closer to me, making my heart pick up it's pace. His eyes scanned the bruises and bandages before flicking to mine. "You will not be hurt again, I promise you that. Not by Michael Henry, or anyone."

There was something in his eyes that took me back to what his grandmother said. 'I can see it in him, too. From the first day that you spoke to him." I blinked and tried to stop thinking, but my heart beat faster.

Jonathan leaned closer, his face intent. His eyes had a fire in them I had noticed before. "What are you thinking, I wonder?" His lips were so close to mine that I could literally feel his breath on my parted lips, tasting of mint and something else... chocolate? His hands were resting near my legs and he was just so close in a way that made my chest ache and not from the cracked ribs.

"What do you fear, I wonder?" What? I was about to ask him what the hell he was talking about, but the soft touch of his lips against mine stilled all thoughts in my mind and made my eyes close.

A/N: Happy New Years Eve! I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays as much as I did! I knew I said this would be out later, but again I had so many ideas, I had to type them out. I also have a bit more time tonight, so I'll answer a few reviews while I'm at it.

t0ki- Thank you so much! I know that my writing style is a bit... different than most so I'm glad you enjoy it! I hope you enjoyed this one, too. =)

9aza- I actually really didn't want to make his grandmother completely evil. I mean, she's a child abuser, so obviously she has problems... But I digress. Thank you so much for the reviews, I love getting them.

pourquoibella- I love your name! Anyways, thank you so much! I'm glad you like it!

PurgatoryNymphe- Jonathan's grandmother knows a lot more than D.G. does, that's for sure. =) I don't really see Jonathan as being out of character so to speak... We really only see adult Jonathan in the movie and in the comics, he didn't have the influence of D.G. so with those variables, he would act a bit differently I think. I mean, in this part of the story, he's only a teenager so he hasn't had his first taste of blood yet (maybe... hehe) and he has someone supporting him. He won't be a completely different person, but his attitude would be a little different. Anyways, I'm rambling haha. Thank you so much for the reviews, I love getting the emails saying you left one!

Anyways, thanks for all the reviews, alerts, favorites, everything! They give me so much drive for this and without that, I'd probably spend my evenings watching Doctor Who. =)