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.

10

Shallow Grave

It was finally December 17th. Which means, it was finally time to go see Dad in Gotham.

My ribs had finally healed and I now showed no signs of my assault, which was amazing. I hadn't told Dad about it because, to be honest, I didn't want to hear him bitch for hours on end. The only evidence left was burrowed deep inside my skull, the lingering doubt over what happened that night when I was in the hospital. I kept it there because I wasn't ready to deal with it.

The phone ringing broke me out of my thoughts and I shut my suitcase, grabbing it. "Hell-o?"

"Hey, sweetheart. You seem to be in a good mood today."

I grinned at the sound of my dad's voice. "Of course I am. I finally get to come home, even if it is only for a few weeks."

"Don't you let your mother hear you talk like that. That boy is coming with you, right?"

"Dad, he has a name, it's Jonathan Crane." I sighed and sat down on my bed. "He's my boyfriend, Dad, get used to it."

"It's highly irregular for a young lady to live with her boyfriend at such a young age."

"Dad, save the lecture. You lived with Mom when you were sixteen, and you're currently living with your girlfriend. Don't be a hypocrite."

"I just don't want you to make any mistakes."

I ran a hand through my hair and rolled my eyes. "I wouldn't be human if I didn't make mistakes, Dad."

"Alright, smart ass. Are you two planning on staying here or with your aunt?" I only smirked at the distaste in his voice. Like everyone with half a brain, he wasn't a fan of my mother's sister.

"Do you really have to ask? Of course we're staying with you. I promise, you'll love Jonathan. Mom does."

"Your mother has a faulty sense of good character."

"Oh, is that what happened when she married you?" I heard him huff and I giggled. "I swear, Dad, if you give him a hard time, I'll pop your girlfriend's implants."

"Dahlia Grace!" He was trying not to laugh. "You're going to be the death of me, child."

I shrugged even though he couldn't see it. "Nah, if anything, it will be that newspaper you run." My Dad was the current owner of Gotham News Register. It changed hands often, but it had flourished under his care. "We should be there around nine if we leave in a half an hour."

"Right, well, just come on in when you do get here. I'm sure we'll still be awake, but you know where the spare key is." Well, duh. I only lived in that townhouse for seventeen years. "But I'll let you go. I'll see you when you get here. I love you, D.G., be careful."

I hung up and looked at the doorway, blinking when I saw Jonathan there. "I mean what I said about the bell, you know."

He rolled those brilliant blue eyes of his. "I just came in to see if you're ready. It takes approximately twelve hours to reach Gotham."

"I know that, I've driven it before." I stood and moved to grab my suitcase, not at all surprised when Jonathan beat me to it. I think he's just gotten into the habit of being my personal butler. "Are you packed?"

"All of my bags are in the car. When is your mom coming up?"

We walked out into the living room and I made sure everything was turned off. "She's leaving tomorrow. She couldn't get today off." I shrugged on my jacket and followed him outside. "Are you driving first or me?"

"I should probably drive first, that way you can be the one driving when we're in Gotham." Right, that makes sense. I was surprised to know that Jonathan had gotten his license. Without his grandmother's knowledge, of course.

He climbed into the driver's seat and started the Charger, smirking at me when I looked at all the bags in the back seat. "How many of those are books?"

He pulled out of the parking lot. "Not all of them. Look in the brown bag."

I found the brown paper bag and pulled it out. Inside was a box from Downtown Bakery, my favorite Bakery this side of the Mason-Dixon line. I looked inside and almost squealed. Blueberry scones, muffins, and pumpkin donuts. I smiled happily and leaned over, kissing his smooth cheek. "Thank you."

We were at a red light so he turned his head and caught my lips with his briefly. He also took a donut out of the box and smirked when I gave him a slight glare.

I leaned back in the seat and took a bite out of the a scone, smiling as the Georgia scenery went by. In a few hours I would be home with the most important people in my life. Things were finally starting to look up.

It was about three hours into the trip and my legs were already cramping. I stretched and yawned. I forgot how much this drive sucked and why the hell did I pick a car with leather seats? Talk about uncomfortable.

Most of the drive had been spent in silence, unlike me Jonathan liked quiet when he was driving so he could concentrate. When I was driving, I needed as much noise as possible. Even if I was alone, I'd end up talking to myself or turn the radio up full blast. The radio was on now but it was low, almost like a background hum.

"Are you excited to get out of Georgia?" My own voice surprised me, breaking the silence like glass.

Jonathan spared me a glance and nodded. "Yes, I am."

I bit my lip. "What do you think it will be like?" Hopefully he got the message.

"What?" Of course not. As smart as Jonathan Crane was, he was painfully inexperienced in the social aspect of life.

"Us."

Now he really looked at me, both eyebrows raised. "Where is this coming from?"

I shrugged and settled back into the seat. "I don't know. I know we've only been together for like a month, but I can't help but think of when you leave."

The bastard actually smirked at me. "What, is Dahlia Cohen afraid of losing the Scarecrow?"

I punched him in the shoulder, making him chuckle. "Shut up, I knew I shouldn't have said anything."

"Nothing is going to happen, D.G. Do you think I'm stupid? You're mine, I'm not going to let you go."

I wasn't sure if that should scare me or not.

It was almost nine-thirty by time we finally reached Gotham. The boring drive took even longer after we hit a bunch of traffic on the interstate going into Gotham. I had read the sign, "Hostage Situation in Progress". Jonathan hadn't known what to do, I just shrugged. That was tame compared to what this city was used to.

I tried to keep myself from staring out the window as we passed the heart of the city, Wayne Towers. Everything looked exactly like it had when I left it. It was snowing lightly, already an inch or two where the city workers hadn't cleaned. The snow actually made the city seem a little cleaner, but I knew that beneath the snow laid blood stains.

I stole a glance at Jonathan, a smirk gracing my face when I saw the open awe. Gotham was an amazing city, full of skyscrapers as far as the eye could see and then some. It was on the water so it had great boating business.

The Falcone family, one of the most influential (and corrupt) families ran the biggest shipping business in the coast. The corruption had a lot to do with both the prosperity and the size of their business.

Gotham was a dirty, corrupt city but to the true Gothamites, it was home. We did our best to clean up the city, but with more and more people turning to the dark side every day, it was almost a fruitless endeavor.

"What do you think?"

My voice broke Jonathan of his thoughts, he twitched a little . He turned to look at me, a small smile on his face. "Much better than Atlanta."

"You're telling me. We're almost home." I pulled onto a side street and went a few blocks, away from the chaos and into a quieter neighborhood. A parking garage sat across the street from my father's condo, one you had to get into with a keycard. Luckily I still had mine, so I swiped it across the screen and the door raised, letting us in. "I bet the cunt stole my parking spot."

"Your father's girlfriend?"

I nodded but was pleasantly surprised that my spot was empty next to my father's convertible. "Score!" It was only a couple floors up, so it wasn't a far walk. I pulled in and shut the Charger off, immediately jumping out excitedly.

Jonathan followed, at a much slower pace. I started walking away. "Shouldn't we get the bags?"

"We'll get them!" I waved him off. "I want to see my dad!"

I basically ran across the street, leaving Jonathan to jog after me. They were awake, the condo lit up invitingly. I reached the door and tried it, opening it and letting us in. "Dad!"

My voice echoed off the high ceilings, but there was no answer. Weird. I took off my shoes and glanced around. Everything was how we left it.

The cream walls, the dark wood flooring. It still smelled like cinnamon, my father's favorite candle. The light fixtures were still the same, the gothic steel offsetting the otherwise light decorations. He hadn't even changed the furniture. I was definitely home and it felt amazing..

"Dad! We're here!" I motioned for Jonathan to follow as I walked into the kitchen. Everything in the kitchen was the same, too. I was so excited, I hardly even noticed Jonathan hesitate at the door.

"Dah-"

"Dad! We-" I screeched as I slid and fell on something sticky. Who the hell spilled something and didn't clean it? I brought my hand to my face and saw red. I screamed and Jonathan quickly moved in, helping me get up. "Is tha-"

"Yes, that's blood."

I looked down, I was covered in it. It was staining my light jeans, soaking into my socks. I tried to suppress the nausea and almost failed, gagging. Jonathan looked around the counter and his face went serious. "Dahlia, go call the police."

"What is it?"

"Dahlia Grace, go ca-"

I caught a look at what was behind the counter and couldn't help the horrible scream that bubbled up from my throat. I turned to the side and vomited, falling to the floor.

My father was on his side, laying in a pool of his own blood. I watched as Jonathan carefully checked for a pulse before closing his eyes.

"He's..."

"Yes."

I couldn't stop the sobs welling up in me. "Oh my god, oh my god.." The tears came before I could stop them and I curled into myself. I heard footsteps and Jonathan was crouching next to me.

"Dahlia, I've got to call the police. I'll be right back, okay?"

"No!" I clung to him, my bloody fists curling into his jacket. I buried my face into his chest. "Please, please don't leave me!"

"Shh.. I'm not going anywhere. I'm just going to get the phone. You can see me, alright? I will never leave your sight." I nodded shakily and he stood and walked to the other side of the room, gingerly stepping over my father's corpse.

My father's corpse. My father is dead. I burst into tears again, putting my head in between my knees where I didn't have to see him.

"Dahlia!" I jumped and looked up, seeing Jonathan kneel in front of me. I was now in the sitting room on the floor, my back against the couch. When had I gotten here?

Jonathan's eyes bored into mine. "The police are here. They need to ask you a few questions. I'll be with you the entire time."

"Okay." I swallowed, my voice sounding weak even to me.

A man walked in, dark hair with a thick mustache. He had kind eyes surrounded in laugh lines and the look on his face was pure sympathy. He walked over and I noticed Jonathan waving him into a chair. I almost smiled. Leave it to Jonathan to keep everything under control while I'm falling to pieces.

"Ms. Cohen? I don't know if you remember me, but my name is James Gordon. Call me Jim. I was a friend of your father's."

I did remember him. He was one of the higher ups in the police department. Not the commissioner, but close to it. He frequented my father's parties when he wasn't working. "Of course, Jim. Dad always spoke highly of you."

He gave me a sad smile. "Your father was a good man, and you have my very deepest sympathies. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Go ahead."

"Alright then." He cast a look over to Jonathan, like he had just noticed him. "Who is this?"

Jonathan stuck out his hand, all southern charm even in the worse instances. "My name is Jonathan Crane, sir. I'm Dahlia's boyfriend."

"You are visiting with Dahlia?"

"Yes, sir. I'm from Georgia." Jonathan nodded. "I'm coming back to Gotham in the spring for university."Jonathan pulled me to him and I leaned my head on his chest, trying to ignore the chaos around me.

Jim nodded. "Alright, Ms. Cohen. Did you see anyone here when you came in?"

"No."

"Was there anyone new in your father's life?"

"No." I started to shake my head but realization struck me like a Peterbilt. "Wait, yeah. His new girlfriend. The home wrecker."

"The home wrecker?" The man leaned over, interested.

"Dad cheated on Mom with my teacher. Kara Taylor is her name." Jim called another cop and said something into his ear and I saw the other man pull out a his radio, walking away quickly. "She was supposed to be here with him. I thought it was weird when she wasn't parked in my space."

"How long had they been together?" He was scratching away in a notepad

"About a year or so. I don't know how long they were together before my mom caught them, though."

"Do you think she would have a motive for killing your father?"

I shrugged but wasn't surprised when Jonathan piped in. "Money."

Jim gave him a weird look and I felt the need to explain. "Jonathan is going to be studying psychology in January. He's already really... good at it."

"There was a single shot to the head, it was a business transaction. If it had been a crime of passion, more damage would have been done. He might have broken up with her or mentioned something about Dahlia's inheritance. If you look in his accounts, I wouldn't be surprised if more than one of them have been drained." Jonathan spoke very matter of fact, almost clinically. It hurt, this was my father he was talking about, but I knew he meant well.

"You are good." Gordon looked impressed. "We'll check everything out. Do you two have somewhere to stay? I can't imagine you would want to stay here, we'll be in and out all night."

"We'll go to a hotel or something." I frowned at the ground. "I guess it was a good thing that we didn't unpack."

"I'll call and reserve you a room at the Ritz, if that's alright with you. Probably the safest place for you right now. How long are you staying in Gotham?"

"We're leaving January 2nd to head back to Atlanta."

He stood. "Well, I'm gonna report this and have someone book that room for you. I promise I'll let you know anything we find out as soon as we can, okay? We'll find whoever did this."

I nodded. I was exhausted and probably in shock. My father was in a body bag in the back of an ambulance. This was a nightmare I couldn't wake up from and the only thing grounding me was the beautiful boy next to me.

A/N: Chapter 10! We're in the double digits! So, it's 10:20 PM here and my son gets up anywhere between 5 and 6 and I'm still up writing. That's how much I adore you guys.

The next couple chapters will be their time in Gotham, which I plan on having a lot of fun with.

9aza- Thank you, I like her to. She's based off a friend of mine's mom, and she's pretty awesome. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

t0ki- I'm glad you liked it! I'm planning on actually continuing the series up until Dark Knight, possibly up into the new movie (if it's decent and/or Crane makes an entrance, which I'm really hoping for). Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this one.

Anon- Thank you!

forgetmenotflowers- Thank you! I hope you like this one!

CD- I plan on continuing this up until Dark Knight at the very least. I don't know how much of their college experience I'll show though. Thanks for reading!

iwishtheskywasgreen- Thank you! I try to write as quickly as I can, I won't let myself procrastinate to a month, if I did I would never finish it. Everything will be revealed in time. I hope you like this one, too.

SladeRavenFan- Thank you! D.G.'s mom is based off a friend's mom. My friend's mom is pretty cavalier about everything. She has to be pretty cool, she raised D.G., right? Haha Thanks for reading!

I should probably update that awful summary, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Oh, and I was under heavy influence of The Birthday Massacre while writing this chapter... so if it's off, you know why. As always, thank you for the reviews and everything! I'm still having a hard time believing what a good reception this has had, you guys are great.