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.

12

The Pretender

To say that my mother was happy to see me would be an understatement. Once she got a hold of me in the crowded airport, she held on and didn't seem to want to let go. Tears streamed down her already blotchy face and she sobbed into my shoulder, making me tear up as well.

When she noticed Jonathan standing awkwardly to the side, even he wasn't spared. She grabbed his jacket and brought him into the hug, making his face color. I almost laughed but I felt a sob bubble into my chest and I bit it back. I have cried enough for about ten people within the past twenty four hours.

Mom finally let us go, wiping her eyes. "I'm so glad you're both alright! You have no idea how worried I've been!" She looked over us both, her eyes settling on me. "You look awful, Dahlia."

"Gee, thanks Mom. It's not every day that you find your father's corpse on the kitchen floor." My voice broke and I felt Jonathan move closer to me, his hand settling on my lower back. I felt a little better. "We haven't slept yet. The police thought they caught the bitch, but she gave the car to a junkie."

Mom frowned, worry blanketing her face. "Where are you staying?"

We started walking back to the parking lot. "The Ritz right now. I don't know where after that... I don't know if I can go back there, Mom."

She sighed and wrapped her arm around me again, falling into step beside me. "I know, baby. You don't have to go back if you don't want to." I noticed Jonathan purse his lips out of the corner of my eye but he showed no other emotion. "Baby, you two just drop me off. You both look dead on your feet, so you go back and get some sleep. You can visit tomorrow."

We reached the Charger and I climbed into the back, ignoring Jonathan's curious stare. I just needed some solitude to think.

After dropping my mom off at my Aunt's, we sped back through the streets of my city. The snow was falling heavily, giving the city a gray tone even in the daylight. I leaned my head against the window, the cool temperature helping ward off the inevitable headache that usually came with staying up for so long.

Jonathan placed his hand over mine in my lap, making me turn my eyes to him. He stared determinedly out the window, navigating the streets of Gotham was difficult even for me and I had grown up here. He cast a look at me. "Are you feeling alright?"

I shrugged weakly. "I think I'm just tired. Between that and crying so much, I just feel awful."

He squeezed my hand gently. "I know. We'll be at the hotel in a couple minutes and then we can both get some sleep." He merged into the lane that led to the hotel. "You know, if you feel like talking-"

"Thank you." I shut him out, which wasn't an easy thing to do to Jonathan Crane. "I just feel... numb right now. That's the way I want to keep it."

"You are going to have to deal with it at some point.

"Will you quit playing shrink with me?" I groaned and ran a hand through my messy hair. "I know I will... I just don't want to."

"That's completely normal, Dahlia. You've gone through a lot these past couple months. You need to deal with it before it builds up and causes more stress on you." I stayed quiet, letting my silence do the talking. "And I think that going back to your father's house would be beneficial to you."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I just stared at him with wide eyes.

"No."

My stare turned into a full on D.G. Cohen DeathGlare (patent pending). "Well, I'm glad you're not my parent, then. Because nothing on this fucking planet is getting me back into that house."

"Language, Dahlia." He pulled up to the hotel, looking for a parking spot. "You need to face your fears. You can't not go back because your father died there. Thousands of people die everyday, it's the natural end to a life cycle. There's no need to fear a place because it is associated with death."

He pulled into the parking spot and I basically threw myself out into the cold. "There was nothing fucking natural about my father's death." I didn't even bother to hide the tears that were making a course down my face. I was hurt that he would just write my dad's death off like it was nothing. But then again, I guess to him it was nothing. "Just leave me alone, Crane."

I ran into the hotel, not bothering to look back. I ran past the clerk and went straight to the elevator. I pressed it hurriedly, I really didn't want to be bothered by anyone, including my boyfriend. The elevator finally dinged and I pushed my way through the crowd to get inside.

I hit the closer door button, ignoring the calls to hold the elevator and sighed in relief as the door slid closed. However, my relief was only temporary, as a pale hand grabbed the door and I rolled my eyes.

Jonathan slid into the elevator, giving me a glare. "Is this really the thanks I get for trying to help you?"

"You really don't care that my father is dead."

His blue eyes were icy as they bore through me. "Of course I do. I, however, am strong enough to be calm when someone I care about needs me."

I groaned and leaned my back against the metal wall. "I just need sleep, alright? I'm sorry, maybe I won't be such a bitch after about a year of sleep."

"I know." Jonathan's face softened and he let out a sigh as the elevator dinged on our floor. "Let's go to bed, we'll discuss this further whenever we wake up." He grabbed my hand and led me down the hall, before sliding the key card and opening the door. At least he got it on the first try, it took me about five before I got it right. He ushered me in and shut the door behind him, sliding the chain into place.

I wandered over to the bed, kicking my shoes off. I just collapsed face-down to the mattress, groaning when my entire body ached. I heard shuffling behind me before I felt my socks being pulled off. I ignored it until I felt the spindly fingers encircling my waist. My head shot up as I felt his long fingers undo the button to my jeans. "What are you doing?"

"It's not hygienic to sleep in your day clothes." He pulled on my pants and I acquiesced, moving my hips so Jonathan could get them off. I sat up then, fixing a stare on him.

"I'm not really in the mood." And yet I let him pull my shirt off and I watched as he did the same.

"Please, I'm not after coitus." Coitus? Who the hell says coitus? Oh, that's right. My boyfriend. "Skin to skin contact is very beneficial for humans. Mothers have been known to bring infants back to life by laying the child on their chest. Skin contact can also relieve stress if it is with someone you love."

My heart stopped beating. I looked up at Jonathan but he was working on his belt. He made quick work his pants and socks and I was enraptured yet again by the dull light on his scars. He finally looked up at me. His bright eyes stood out without his glasses, enhanced by his high cheek bones and pale skin. I saw that emotion again and I felt my throat swell.

He moved so that he was laying on the bed facing me. I just sat there, probably looking like an idiot in my bra and underwear. He raised a thin eyebrow. "Are you going to lay down or are you planning on sleeping in that position?"

I rolled my eyes and did as he asked, but made sure that my back was to him. I didn't expect him to grab me and pull him against his back. As his arm wrapped around me, I literally felt the tension drain from my body. As my body finally started to relax, I couldn't help but think how right it felt to be in Jonathan Crane's arms.

There was ringing. Really loud, annoying ringing. I tried to ignore it, I really did. It just wouldn't stop. I pulled the pillow over my head and almost screamed when it continued.

I felt the bed shift as Jonathan reached over, picking it up. "What?" Even after the lack of sleep, his voice was crystal clear, although his tone was less than pleasant. "Let me ask." The pillow was lifted off my head. "Do you know a Victor Sobeleski?"

I perked up, the name striking a chord within my sleep-deprived mind. "That's Dad's lawyer. Er, was."

Jonathan ignored my correction. "Send him up, then." He put the phone down on the cradle and squinted at the clock. We had gone to bed around eleven, and it was now a little after five. Six hours, we definitely could have slept longer. At least, I could have. Jonathan grabbed his glasses and slid them on before turning his head to me. "We need to get dressed. We can sleep more once the lawyer leaves."

I nodded and slowly got out of the comfortable bed, wincing when my feet his the rough hotel carpet. "Alright, I want to go back to bed already."

"I don't think it will be long, D.G." Of course, being the overachiever he is, Jonathan already had a pair of jeans on and was pulling on a sweater. As he pulled the fabric over his stomach, he made his way over to me and pulled me into a small kiss. "He won't want me in here, so I'll wait out in the hall. If you need me, just yell."

"Alright." I stood and walked over to my suitcase, pulling out a random shirt and a pair of clean jeans. I pulled them on quickly as a knock resounded at the door. Jonathan checked to make sure I was dressed, ever the protective one, before answering it.

On the other side was a man around my father's age. He was thin and balding, a horseshoe of salt and pepper hair on his scalp. Small glasses were perched on his crooked nose and when he saw me, his face broke into a kind smile. He was wearing a sharp and expensive suit, an unnecessary show of wealth, given that his current client was staying at the Ritz. "Dahlia! You're all grown!"

"Hello, Victor." I remembered him well. He was one of my dad's most trusted friends, even more so since he was his lawyer and financial assistant. "It's been a long time."

Victor walked in, taking in the mess that was our room. "Yes, dear, I'm sorry for your loss. Your father was a great man, but you know that already. Who is this?"

Oh, he meant Jonathan. "Victor, this is Jonathan Crane, my boyfriend. Jonathan, Victor Sobeleski, my father's lawyer and best friend."

"You flatter me, D.G." He turned to Jonathan. "Do you mind if I call you Jon? Of course not." Judging by the look on my boyfriend's face, he did mind but the lawyer went on anyways. "I need to speak to Dahlia privately, so if you wouldn't mind."

"Of course." Jonathan nodded at the older man before turning to me, his eyes sending me a message. If you need me... He made his exit, shutting the door behind him.

"Seems like a nice boy." Victor moved to the table, setting his briefcase on top.

I smiled sadly. "He is. He's been a big help."

"Did your father ever meet him?"

"No." I shook my head. "Yesterday would have been the first time."

He tutted, a sad tone to his voice. "Your father would have loved him, I have no doubt. He seems like quite the gentleman." He cleared his throat. "Now, I hate to do this now, but I'm afraid I'm not here for a social call. I have with me your father's last will and testament."

He motioned for me to sit and I did. He sat as well, pulling out a few pieces of paper. "Shouldn't his other family be here?" I was curious, I knew that Dad didn't associate with them much, but I thought that this was how the process went.

"Everyone that is needed is here. Now, I need to say that you are your father's last living kin, as far as he was concerned. I know that you are young and probably don't remember, but your father had a falling out with his family not long after you were born."

Now my interest was really piqued. "Really? Why?"

The man sighed and wiped his forehead. "I'm not sure of the details, all I know is that they didn't approve of you or your mother. Your father came from a very wealthy and influential family, Dahlia. They believed in business arrangements, not love."

"So, Cohen..?"

"Your father decided to take the Cohen name after his father disowned him. It let him build his own empire without his biological family's influence. Your father was very good in judging trends with stocks and such, and he built up a small fortune. Then he got his hands on the Gotham News Register and, as you know, it is better today than it was when it was first written. Your father had quite the knack for business."

The fact that he was talking about my father in past tense made it all the more real. Denial wasn't something I could do anymore, Jonathan was right. I had to face this head on. "So, his family?"

"Are you sure you want to know, Dahlia? This knowledge won't give you anything but pain."

I swallowed but nodded. "Yeah, I think I can deal. I'm not going to do anything with this knowledge, I promise."

Victor seemed to debate it before he sighed. "I guess it's best that you know, that way you can be prepared if needed. Dahlia, your father was born Anton Falcone, the younger brother of Carmine Falcone."

"You're kidding." My brows knit together and I knew by the look on his face that Victor Sobeleski was not kidding. The Falcone family was one of the biggest crime families in Gotham, on par with the Maroni family. They were known for their ruthless behavior, not caring if it was family or friend or foe that got gunned down. How could my kind father be cut out of the same cloth as those people? "Does my mother know?"

He shook his head. "No. Your father invented David Cohen on a whim when he met your mother, he didn't want to be involved in the family business to begin with and meeting your mother only cemented it. Despite his indiscretion and the divorce, your father loved your mother. But sometimes, genetics win out."

I felt sick to my stomach. Dahlia Grace Falcone? That sounded just... wrong. "But Dad wasn't exactly a private person, Victor. How did he not end up dead? You don't exactly cross the Falcone family and live to talk about it."

Scratching his head, Victor shrugged. "To be honest, I have no idea. I know that your grandfather, Vincent Falcone, loved his family, and your father was the baby of the family. Maybe that was why he was able to leave without having a hit put on his head."

"Do they know about...?"

"About you?" He chuckled, a mirthless sound. "I'm sure they do. Nothing passes the Falcone family's attention, Dahlia. I'm sure your father's death won't pass, either. However, I don't know what they will do with that knowledge."

I sat still for a minute, just talking it all in. I was related to the Falcone family. Fuck. Somehow I felt that they weren't going to let the death of David Co- er, Anton Falcone pass lightly. "So, is this all going to come out since he's dead? Like, a big scandal?"

"Oh no, dear. Your father was cunning, I guess that was the Falcone in him. He had all the proper documents forged, and they were done well. No one will ever know that David Cohen was born Anton Falcone, unless you or the Falcone family wish it."

I breathed a sigh and leaned back against the chair. "Does anyone in this town not have secrets?" Victor gave me a look. "Don't answer that- I don't want my optimism to be dashed."

"Now you know who your father really was, but who he was born doesn't mean much, Dahlia. He took the name David Cohen when he was sixteen and he never looked back." He shuffled the papers, getting my attention again. "Now, the reason I came. Like I said, I have your father's will, and to be frank, everything that the awful woman didn't take is yours. Well, what she did take is yours, too, but we'll probably never see it."

"He didn't leave anything to anyone else?" My throat went dry.

"No. The paper, the townhouse, the vehicles, the investments, it's all yours. He left behind a small fortune, Dahlia." He turned the papers so that they faced me and showed me the dollar sign.

"Oh my god." I felt faint. My head was spinning, the past couple days have been too much. "I had no idea."

"I don't think anyone did, except for David. I wasn't joking when I said he was a very good businessman. He also didn't believe in flashing his good luck in front of others." He pushed the papers towards me more and I looked through them, not really paying attention to the words as my eyes grazed them. "When do you turn eighteen?"

I glanced up briefly. "January second."

"Oh, good. Everything will still be in court, then, so you won't have to set up a temporary guardian or anything. Just sign here. Once everything clears the court, and it will, I'll contact you and we'll get everything sorted then." Victor sat back and breathed out a big sigh as I quickly signed the document. "Do they have any leads on where the murderer is?"

"No, they found her car but she had given it to a junkie." I handed the pen back to the lawyer. "Jonathan thinks that she'll stay in Gotham, so hopefully someone will find her."

"Don't fret, D.G., if the Falcone family is going to react like I think they will, then she will be found." He started putting the papers back in his bag and held out his hand for me to shake. "You know if you ever need help with anything, I am more than happy to help you, right? Your father helped me get my business started, I owe everything to your family."

I brushed his hand away and hugged him, taking the older man by surprise. I pulled back and smiled at him. "You've helped Dad a lot over the years and if he considered anyone family, it was probably you. Take care, alright? I'll be sure to call you if I need help."

We said our goodbyes and I pretended to ignore the tears in his eyes. I knew my father's death probably hit him just as hard as it did me. I collapsed onto the bed as he left and Jonathan came in.

"That took awhile. What did he have to say?"

"Dad left everything to me."

"Well, I figured as much." I leaned up onto my elbows and raised an eyebrow. "You said before that he doesn't talk to his family, so who else would he leave anything to?"

I gave a little chuckle. "Well, do you want to hear why he doesn't talk to his family?" I took the silence as consent. "My father was born Anton Falcone. Carmine Falcone is his older brother."

"Really?" It took a lot to surprise my boyfriend, but judging by the look on his face, he was surprised. "Well, that would explain why he doesn't talk to his family. He took a false identity."

"Now I just have to see what they are going to do when they find out. I don't know when it's going to hit the papers."

Jonathan looked uncomfortable. "It's already in the News Register, D.G."

I shot up, a panicked look on my face. "What? When were you going to tell me?"

"I just saw it when I was out in the hall. A maid walked by with a stack of papers." A knock sounded at the door and we both stopped dead. "Could that be the lawyer again?"

"I hope so. Wouldn't the front desk call and let us know if anyone else tried to come up?"

"Not if they were paid off." Jonathan mumbled, but I heard it. He motioned for me to stay behind him as he walked towards the door. He looked through the peep hole and, keeping the chain connected, opened the door slightly. "Can I help you?"

The man on the other side of the door was barely older than us. He had dark hair and darker eyes, his skin had a pale olive tint to it. The smile he gave Jonathan was chilling. "I need to speak to Dahlia Cohen. I'm... family."

I could tell the way that Jonathan's eyes narrowed that he knew exactly what was going on. This man was a Falcone or, at least, part of the mafia. These fuckers are fast. "You are no family of hers. Leave before I call security."

The man stepped back and Jonathan moved to close the door. Just before it was shut, four hands came in between the gap and easily broke the chain. Jonathan ushered me back, keeping himself in between the broken door and me. The door swung open and two other men I hadn't noticed entered following the young man. They were all dressed in designer suits, the younger of them was obviously the leader. He gave the room a look that spoke volumes of his attitude before his gaze settled on us. His face was handsome but his dark eyes were dead inside. "That wasn't very... nice."

Jonathan was rigid in front of me. "Get. Out." I couldn't see the look on his face, but I knew just by the dark tone to his voice that his eyes were probably blazing with blue fire.

"Get out?" The man chuckled, taking a few steps towards us. His stride was confident, a boy raised to believe he had no masters. "Is this any way to treat long lost family?"

I took a deep breathe and stepped out from behind my protector. "What do you want?"

The second his eyes laid on me they came to life. "Well, if it isn't my cousin. My name is Mario Falcone, I'm sure you've heard of me."

I had. It was rumored that Mario was going to take over the Falcone crime family once Carmine died. He was as ruthless as his father. This was my father's nephew, my first cousin. "What do you want?"

Falcone gave me a mocking smile, bowing slightly. "It's nice to meet you, Dahlia Grace Cohen. I must say, when my father told me that Uncle Anton had died, I was surprised. I didn't even know that Uncle Anton was alive! I was even more surprised when he showed me pictures of his beautiful daughter that I didn't even know existed. I must say, pictures don't do you justice."

I felt Jonathan about to spring so I grabbed his hand, keeping him next to me. I spared him a glance and was momentarily taken back to when Collins showed up at my door. The same fierce mask was there, transforming the man that I loved into some one completely different. I turned my focus back to the stranger that claimed himself to be my family. "I'll ask again, what do you want, Mario Falcone?"

"Father is very, very interested in finally meeting you, Dahlia Falcone." I glared at him when he switched my last name. "A meeting, that is it. To discuss...family matters. No harm will come to you."

Jonathan was not happy. In fact, his anger was seeping out his pores, his eyes darker than ever. I sighed. I was already pretty much fucked, so I might as well get some answers before someone put a bullet through my skull. "Fine. But Jonathan is coming with me."

Mario shrugged, the unexplained glee still on his face. "Good, good. Father will be very pleased. We'll head there now, then."

A shiver creeped up my spine, what the fuck had I just gotten myself into?

A/N: I'm sorry this is late! I had family things all weekend and they took up more time than I thought they would. I hope you guys liked this one! I (sadly) don't have time to reply to everyone again and get this up on time, so I just want to say thank you to everyone who reviews, favorites, alerts, everything! They all give me more drive to complete this part of the series. =) The next one should be up within a week or so.