Rebecca's long slender fingers danced quickly across the ivory keys of the grand piano. Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata filled the empty mansion. The phone had been ringing for the past 5 minutes, but she ignored it, partly lost in the classical music and partly dreading having to go back to /that/ place.
After playing the piece through a second time, she couldn't ignore the irritating shrill anymore, and banged down on the keys before picking up the phone.
"What!" As soon as she heard the person on the other end, she bit her tongue. She hated to be angry at Aaron.
"You need to get down here now. They just brought someone in."
"Who?"
"Just get down here."
She sat and listened to the dial tone for a bit, wondering just who it could have been. Her father had been missing for months, it was unlikely he'd come back just to be caught straight away; the same for Harley and Ivy. Riddler had retired, through no one would say that. The state declared him "Cured", but she knew he had just grown tired of the chase, and settled down. Harvey was dead, occupational hazard. It was fast, one quick shot to the head. Oswald was dead as well; his end wasn't quite so quick. He ended up passing on in Gotham General.
Slowly she got up, slipped on a pair of shoes and left, not bothering to change of out her baggy PJ pants and tank top. It wouldn't be the first time she'd gone to the Asylum in her pyjamas.
She sat in her car for a long time, looking up at the new building. Officially it was just called Arkham Hospital, but the media had taken to calling it New Arkham. She didn't mind much, in her head she called it Hell, but in a way, "New Arkham" had a bit of hope attached to it. It was the public who was the hardest to convince. People's faith in Gotham had been going downhill since before she could remember. But things were starting to get better. Everyone new they'd never be as safe as people in Metropolis, or Hub City, but it was getting /better/.
When she finally got out of the car, Aaron was at the main entrance, waiting. After looking her over quickly, he handed her a white lab coat.
"Were you sleeping?"
"You know I don't sleep anymore, Aaron. Tell me who it is."
He was quiet as he lead the way down the hall, and it annoyed the hell out of her, right to the point where she grabbed his arm and let out a light growl.
"Tell me who the hell it is!"
"JJ."
She stopped dead, her eyes going wide for a moment before she took off past him, sprinting down the hallway.
"Room 168!"
She slid around the corner, and almost past the room, her shoes squeaking as she stopped. She took a moment to collect herself, than looked in through the small window. There he sat, his right side to the door, staring at the white wall. He was restrained by a straight jacket, and Rebecca figured they'd sedated him. She watched him for a moment, but he did nothing. She couldn't help but smile; like her, he looked just like their father. White skin, green hair and eyes. Jack Jr. was the spitting image of his father, only younger. Slowly she opened the door, and he turned to look at her, grinning.
"Hello, baby sister."
"What are you doing here?" She made sure the door was closed before sitting on the edge of his cot.
"I came to see you, of course. You look stressed. We should go out for dinner." He grinned wider and she wanted to cry.
"We can't do that. I can't let you out, J. I know you know that. So why did you come?"
His grin disappeared and he looked away from her.
"You're one of them now. Really?"
"Really. You knew that."
"Well I was hoping…. Never mind. You really don't look well. Stressed. Tired. Is that a grey hair?"
She sighed softly and stood, leaning over to kiss his forehead.
"It's late. You should get some sleep, JJ… You want me to help you into bed?"
He didn't answer, but she turned the blankets down and helped him into the bed, taking off his slippers and tucking him in. He didn't look at her all the while, but she just smiled and kissed his forehead again.
"I really missed you, JJ. But you shouldn't have come here. It isn't like before. It's better. I'll help you, okay? I'll make you better, J. I promise."
Finally he looked up at her.
"I know you're just bluffin', Bec. I'll play along. For a bit."
She sighed and left quickly, closing the door behind her. Aaron stood outside, waiting, and she blushed a bit when she realized he'd been watching through the window.
"/You/ can't treat him."
"Yes I can. He's not Daddy. Growing up, I manipulated him, not the other way around."
"Yeah? Manipulated him how?"
She scoffed and rolled her eyes, and quickly walked away from him. Everyone knew about Rebecca and her brother. Right up until JJ left Gotham, they had been using each other. And not in a traditional brother sister way. But when JJ left, Rebecca went straight. She got help and went to school, became a doctor, got a job at the asylum, worked her way up, became director, campaigned for a new hospital, built the hospital and converted the old building into the mansion, her home.
"Rebecca. Listen, you can't go back t—"
"I'm not going back. I'll figure it out in the morning, Aaron. He's sleeping now. I'll be back in the morning, and we'll figure out what to do with him. Okay?"
"You can't just keep putting him off."
"Tomorrow. I'll deal with it tomorrow."
