Sorry for the shakiness! I can't help but start my stories off this way, but I promise you it does get better so I really hope you stick around for more 8) This chapter is long because it offers a sort of explanation of what happened before the story started, a sort of background check if you will. Therefore, if you want to skip to the end to avoid explanations it shouldn't leave you wondering too much. Also I must thank the three reviews I received on the first chapter! Such things are what keep me wanting to post! Oh and forgive my Jonathan being so OOC in this chapter - it won't happen again.
Also Rachel and Harvey are showing up in chapter three, I am extremely excited about that (loves writing about Rachel) I also realize that as of this being in the Romance category makes no sense shrugs things will get better! So if people have any particular pairings that they would like to see in the story I'd love some suggestions. I may or may not choose to use the suggested characters but it doesn't hurt to ask -
Word Count:2,223(not including author's note)
Chapter Two
This Happens All The Time
"Wake up Jonathan."
He shook his head slowly, trying to clear the fog of sleep inside his mind. His body felt tender and taut. How long had he been out? He could remember being pulled in front of that camera, but after that, everything was black. There were shadows all around him and his tired eyes were thankful for the lack of luminosity.
"Wake up You idiot!"
The voice inside his head made him flinch as it roared in his ears. It was disappointing, to hear that voice again. Weeks ago, he'd been happy; he'd completely forgotten the bundle of suppressed emotions inside his head that took on a life of its own. Now it seemed that all the fright and the torment had let those feelings resurface. Back then, he had felt so strong, almost happy even, but now he was back at the beginning. Alone with nothing but his own mind at his side. It was frustrating to say the least. He'd felt confident that there had been a decent amount of transformation in his life, but all it took was a knife to the face to remind him that he couldn't take any steps in the right direction without a force to fight with.
"I'm awake, stop shouting." He grimaced, doing his best to sit up but failing miserably. So he let his body rest on the floor, he figured he needed it anyways, though the rest would probably do little good. He needed more than a good night's sleep to feel any better. He could feel his heavy eyelids slowly drooping. It was too hard to stay awake even when the fear of what might happen was so strong. What if he didn't wake up? As of now, it was obvious that he was fighting himself. His mind didn't want to go down this way but his body seemed to have already given in to surrender. He had no idea how much blood he'd lost, but it had been enough to cast a thick fog over his mind and leave most of his senses impaired.
"Don't go back to sleep! We've got to figure out a way to get out of here!"
The voice was barking inside his head, making his already unbearable headache increase in intensity. Maybe if he slept all this hurt would cease…
"Jonathan!"
The voice was hard to ignore, but his aching body made it so much easier. Whilst his mind begged for movement, his body was screaming at him to rest. He could feel his mind slipping, giving in to the waves of sleep that were creeping their way upon him. The angered voice was dulled by the welcoming calm of slumber. A weak smile curled onto his shredded lips as he dreamt of better times.
He could picture himself curled up on one of the couches in Bruce's penthouse, with a cup of coffee in hand and a warm blanket over his shoulders, watching the snowfall outside and feeling safer than he ever had. He could imagine how happy he had been and it made his heart sting. He wanted that so badly right now, but the delight and relieve were so far out of his grasp. When he had been at the head of Arkham he had convinced himself that happiness could only come from inflicting fear and pain on others, but his opinions had changed over time.
Bruce had come to rescue him from Arkham. That crazy, hellish place that had been his home for nearly a year. He'd gave little explanation for his actions, except that Jonathan was going to help him track down the criminal sadist, the Joker. At first, Jonathan had been unwilling to cooperate, but after his harsh words and insults were met with patience and kindness, he had slowly stopped fighting back. They had never gotten anywhere though. No matter how thoughtful the batman had been, it didn't change the fact that neither knew enough about their target to locate him. However, the roof over his head during the cold winter season had kept Jonathan from leaving immediately.
The voice inside his mind deemed "Scarecrow" had never stopped badgering and picking on him whenever he felt himself feeling even the slightest bit content. He knew it wasn't like him at all. Generally, he was such a serious and cross individual, but truly, he had been growing very tired of his old self.
Nevertheless, the good things were bound to end…such were the ways of the world. And they had, in a sharp and painful blur, his happiness had been snuffed out like the wick of a thin candle. All those suppressed feelings, the rage and the hate, had all come back in a swarming wave of emotions, one he couldn't defeat with his own will power. He'd lashed out at the only thing that reminded him of his fury and agony. Rachel Dawes. If it hadn't been for her and her stupid Tazer gun, he might have been able to escape Gotham and he never would have ended up in that stupid Asylum. All those months of imprisonment and misery would have ceased to exist in his life.
Also her constant bickering and degrading of him had grown very aggravating, indeed it had. He could perfectly recall her eyes filled with terror as he approached her with one Bruce's kitchen knives.
And of course when you're a seemingly stable person and you just happen to attack the best friend of the man who is providing for you, things don't' generally go your way. This case was no different. Bruce had thrown him out, getting rid of the main problem before it was given room to grow. It had been Jonathan or Rachel, and of course, Bruce chose his long time friend over an insane, worthless man from Arkham. It had been an obvious, but crushing blow. One he couldn't deny or block out. As much as his old self had enjoyed it, the newer Jonathan Crane regretted it severely.
He'd only been wandering around the Narrows for a few hours before they'd come for him. He knew his name had been circulating around that place after the incident with Ra's, but he hadn't expected it to reach the Joker's ears. He'd been ransacked, ambushed, attacked. They'd originally only wanted to meddle around him with for abit until he confessed to knowing about Batman's true identity. However, it was exhausting to keep secrets when you're life was on the line. Jonathan had told them Batman's only other alias while striking a deal that the Joker wouldn't crave his face up in exchange, but of course, he did it anyways.
Jonathan winced slightly as his thoughts were disturbed by the sound of footsteps. His eyes remained closed, no longer wishing to look upon this hellish place. The confinement and the shadows reminded him all too much of Arkham's walls. Someone walked past him, but made no efforts to disturb him.
"Open your eyes Jonathan!"
No, he didn't want to. This time he was through with listening to other people. But, his eyes jerked open as he heard a noise explode from outside. The crack of a gunshot filled the air. His heart was beginning to pound again and he cursed himself for being so easily scared. After being around chaos and horror most of his recent life he would have expected it to be easier to resist such feelings. But he, disappointedly, found himself to be the same as all the other people in Gotham, afraid of almost everything.
A noise sounded almost like a click, as though some kind of appliance had just been switched on. Then Jonathan heard the door slam and he was alone again. Shouts, followed by more outbursts of gunfire followed the banging of the door. Utter chaos had erupted inside the building. Jonathan could hear the screams of agony from the men who had been holding him here and he couldn't help but smile. Even if it wasn't his own revenge, it tasted just as sweet. The smile stung abit, but Jonathan supposed revenge was supposed to be that way. Bittersweet.
Suddenly he heard the door open again, but it wasn't followed by the parade of footstep's that he had expected. Instead, the person was walking at a steady, slow, gait, as though unaware of what was going downstairs. Opening his eyes did little good, the room was as dark as ever. Rough hands seized Jonathan's wrist and something cold and sharp was put around them. Handcuffs. How lovely.
He felt a tugging at his wrist as the person drug him backwards, holding onto the chain of the cuffs and pulling him along. Jonathan winced, the metal digging in to the skin of his wrists. He hit something hard with a loud "thud" and winced as pain shot up his back. A low chuckle erupted from the darkness.
"You're going to stay here and give our little friends a proper greeting." The moment Crane recognized that voice he aimed a kick in the direction that voice had come from. He hit nothing but air. Gritting his teeth together from frustration, he glared at the darkness, concentrating on any movements. He didn't need to concentrate at all, for there was a quick flash and then he felt a hand curling around his throat. He choked, the pressure intensifying with each passing second.
"Now you better act good!" The Joker chortled, enjoying the way his prey struggled in his grip, "We'll be seeing each other again soon so don't worry about it!" He would. He never wanted to see this man ever again. In desperate attempt to escape from the death grip, Jonathan drew his leg close to this chest and attempted to knock the Joker back, pressing his foot against the man's stomach. However, his fatigue made the attempt in utter vain. There was no way he could free himself. The room was beginning to spin now, little swirls of purple and green were mixing in with black. He was gasping for air, his open mouth making the cuts burn with pain as the skin around his face was stretched. The villain continued to laugh.
A loud scream echoed through the building and then all was finally silent. The Joker realized his grip, leaving Jonathan to fall on his side, coughing and wheezing.
"Until then doctor!" BANG!
Jonathan could hear the door slamming into the metal wall, and then the room was filled with shouting voices. He could hear someone shouting about the need of light and there were footsteps echoing like thunder all around him. He closed his eyes, trying not to think about the chaos that had suddenly erupted. One of the voices he could recognize as Officer Gordon. Great. The police were here; surely, they wouldn't treat him any better than his previous captors. This also meant that he was going back to Arkham now. Maybe he could hide somewhere, surely there must have been some crates or something to seek refuge behind. But his thoughts of escape were extinguished when a bright light burned in his eyes.
"There he is!" Jonathan was pulling at the hand cuffs now, silently praying to no one that they would break. But he was too weak, even at full strength he wouldn't have been able to break the metal chains. The horde of footsteps was getting closer now and his heart sank. He could feel warm blood pouring down his hands and his wrists stung. He wasn't going back to Arkham!
"Doctor Crane?" wait. That voice was so recognizable, that same seemingly strong but laced with guilt tone that he had heard so many times before. His eyes were open now and he was looking directly into the light. But he didn't see who he was expecting. He saw darkness, strength and fear all in one package. Batman…not Bruce. He frowned, still working furiously at his wrists.
It was not until now that he paid any mind to the noise in the background. Earlier he had been too preoccupied with the Joker to notice it but now he found concentrating on it more comforting than hearing Bruce's low and gruff voice. It was a soft and slow tick, like the moving hands of a watch or the lowering numbers of a timer. He found it peculiar but comforting. The armor clad vigilante kneeled down beside him and he did his best not to meet those eyes. He wasn't sure how to look at them. Part of him was still so angry. His struggling had ceased and he could no longer feel his hands, instead they were replaced by a dull numbness. He didn't even flinch when the dark knight broke the handcuffs off.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
That couldn't be right. It was still going, what was that?
Tick.
"Jonathan I'm…"
Tick.
"I'm so sorry…"
Tick.
"I didn't know things would turn out this way."
Silence. Wait? SILNCE?! Suddenly Jonathan's heart stopped, the horror of the situation had just dawned on him. It was silent…something had stopped…but something was about to go off.
"Everyone down! THERE'S A-"
A thundering crash exploded through the room. Jonathan could feel strong arms around him as Bruce did his best to protect the way from the blow.
"Idiot…"
--
I hope that wasn't so bad! This was by far, my favorite chapter to write. I like doing quick action scenes like this one! And I love making sound effect words!Well I hope you'll stick around for the next chapter. After watching "Batman Begins" again, my inspiration has sky rocketed! Sorry if it seemed abit confusing. I will admit I had pictured this scene much better in comic form, but I don't have the guts to actually try to draw it.
Reviews are very much appreciated 3
Kandy