"I've heard rumours," Blake informed Isabelle as he stood with her in the kitchen of her home on the third day of entrapment. He had been visiting her household each day, making sure she was safe and that Crane hadn't come after her. She didn't know why he did it. He didn't really know, either. He simply kept telling himself that he was a cop. It was his duty to protect her. Food supplies were running low after mass panic. The rich had been evicted from their home, allowing anyone to use it. Some had been more fortunate. People like Lydia and Daniel weren't a target. They were wealthy, yes, but they didn't flaunt it.
Their cars had been hijacked, but, the house remained locked up tight. No one roamed the streets or did anything.
"What of?" Isabelle wondered, handing him the coffee which he sipped. She wrapped her small hands around her cup as she heard her mother and Daniel rowing upstairs. She sighed once. They had been arguing at least three times every day. It was becoming a routine. Blake's eyes looked upwards to the ceiling.
"My mom and Daniel," Isabelle simply told him. "Mom's getting worse without her medicine. She doesn't think three months will be how much time she has left."
"She's strong," John assured Isabelle, shifting around on his seat and she shrugged once, moving the jumper up her arm to cover her bra strap as she crossed her legging covered legs and looked at him.
"What was this rumour?" Isabelle pushed him, wanting to change the topic from her dying mother. She didn't know him that well...but...well...he was beginning to come into her life. Her mother approved tremendously.
"You have to promise me that you won't freak out," Blake pushed her and she inhaled quickly, closing her eyes as she did so. She knew it would be about him. Of course, it had to be. What else would she freak out over?
"What has he done?" she wondered lightly and Blake rubbed up and down the back of his neck.
"Bane has him presiding over some kangaroo court," he told her and her eyes went wide as he shook his head, unable to believe what was happening. "Apparently, he's in the courthouse and giving people the option of death or exile."
"Exile?" Isabelle wondered and Blake nodded.
"I was hiding out on the banks of the river last night," he shrugged. "They get them to walk across the ice. No one has made it so far."
"And...that's all he's doing...that's not a court, John...that's just which death would you prefer!" Isabelle exclaimed and he nodded at her in agreement, drinking more of his coffee.
"I agree," he promised her. "But, their guilt has already been decided, apparently. Anyone who is anyone has ended up there. Your ex just asks which they prefer."
"That doesn't sound like something which Jonathan would want to do," Isabelle whispered, shaking her head and looking to the floor as she bit down on her bottom lip. "Jonathan needs to have...more control...he'll be bored...just sitting there and doing that...he didn't chose to."
"Bane ordered him," Blake said and then he sighed, looking away for a second. "Gordon said he will have made him sit there to make sure his mind isn't challenged. This is Bane's city. There is no room for minds like Crane's."
"That sounds more like it," Isabelle agreed with him before the noise of running came from the stairs. Daniel rushed into the kitchen, his heart beating ten to the dozen as he looked at the pair of them, unlocking the back door as he did so.
"You need to go," he hissed at Isabelle and John jumped into action. "Some of Bane's men...they're here..."
"What?" Isabelle said, looking to the hall. "Where's mom?"
"Me and your mother will be fine...Isabelle...it won't be us they want."
"Daniel's right," John agreed, pulling his gun out of his waistband and moving out of the back door, checking all around the yard as Daniel pushed Isabelle to his side.
"I'll look after Lydia. Don't come back until it is safe...Isabelle..." he pushed her as the front doorbell rang and Isabelle shook silently, allowing John to take hold of her hand as he led her to the back of the side of the house, edging around the wall until they reached the front. He poked his head around, noting how Daniel had opened the door and the thugs had barged their way in. As soon as they had moved, he silently crept forward, pushing her in front of him, his body crouching over hers as he managed to get to the car which he had stolen.
...
"It's been three hours," Isabelle complained as she sat in the corner of the office which Jonathan had managed to persuade an elderly man to let them use. He had informed Isabelle that it was a boy's home which had been close to him. The office was small, a computer sat on a desk as Isabelle slumped to the floor, seeing as there were no chairs in the room. Blake had taken a seat next to her, feeling slightly exhausted as his knees rose upwards.
"We need to give it four," he urged her. "We don't want to go back and them still be there."
"What did they want?" Isabelle worried. "I'm...he knows that I'm supposed to be away from here. He knows that."
"We'll find out what they wanted," John promised her. "We just can't rush to conclusions."
"It's easy when the conclusion is staring you in the face," Isabelle replied to him. "If Jonathan is out then he would...it's been eight years...I would have thought that he would have moved on..."
"You haven't," John said back to her, a snort escaping from his mouth as she turned to glare at him and he looked back at her, his shoulders moving up and down. "What? You haven't moved on from him."
"I've tried," Isabelle whispered, closing her eyes and hitting her head against the wall.
"He's been locked away for eight years. His mind must have been going stir crazy. He won't have let go of you," John said lowly. "But, as I said, we need to wait. And I don't get it."
"What don't you get?" Isabelle asked him, trying to distract her mind slightly as he shrugged, zipping his jacket up further.
"How you haven't gotten over him," John mumbled. "I mean...he killed your father...kidnapped you...I would have thought it would be easy to get over him. The male population in California isn't that bad, is it?"
"I can't explain," Isabelle shook her head quickly. "Jonathan...there was something about him, John. When I found out what he'd done then I couldn't wait to be rid of him. But...deep down...it hurt to be apart..."
"You deserve someone so much better than him," Blake said, his voice quite forceful as she arched a brow in his direction, a small smile playing on her lips as the young officer turned red slightly. "You do," he defended himself. "I mean...you're pretty...you seem smart...and kind...I can't fault you."
"Oh, John," Isabelle sighed to herself. "I'm messed up."
"No, you're not," John promised her. "You're just complicated."
...
"Her step father said she was in California," a small, bald man informed the Judge as he slammed the gavel down and demanded recess for ten minutes when he had seen him walk in. Jonathan had made his way down from the stacks of desks and furniture which he sat behind as he placed his hands onto his hips, his lips pushed in a straight line as jeering continued around the court. "He said that he would never tell us where, though."
"What about her mother?"
"She didn't intend on talking either," the bald man chuckled, "even when we shot her husband. She said death isn't far off from her."
"And why is that?"
"Terminal cancer. I checked the records to make sure she wasn't lying to us, too," the man said, sounding impressed with himself as a feather fell from Jonathan's back and he messed around with the black tie which hung around his neck.
"And did you leave her?" Jonathan checked. Somewhere inside of him he thought killing the woman would have been wrong. And Jonathan's moral compass wasn't all together there.
"Yeah," he shrugged. "Seeing her husband dying was enough. She wasn't going to talk. I can go back and make her."
"No," Jonathan shook his head. "I'll talk to Bane...see if he can pull some strings."
"Whatever," the man shrugged, chewing on the gum and then turning around as Jonathan moved back up to his chair, taking a deep breath before he looked back at the shimmering ring which sat on his finger. He knew something wasn't right.
He knew how Isabelle worked. He knew that Lydia would have told her about her cancer and he knew that Isabelle would have rushed home to her side, being the loyal daughter which she was. Jonathan would find Isabelle for himself. He'd pay Lydia a visit tonight after his afternoon of work had been done.
"Bring in the next one!"
...
Blake went into the house first. The door was open, allowing anyone in as he moved in slowly, Isabelle behind him, her hand gently resting on his waist where his hand sat on top. His gun was in his free hand as he checked the corners, remembering the Commissioner's advice as he looked around quickly. There was nothing apart from the echoes of sobs.
Isabelle had to resist the urge to rush into the house, screaming out for her mother. But, Blake was in control. He had told her as much.
"They're gone," Lydia's voice sobbed as soon as they entered the living room. She was knelt on the floor, her hands holding onto her husband's cheek as his head rested in her lap. She didn't need to look up to know who it was. "They left."
"Mom," Isabelle whispered, rushing to her mother's side and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She could have sworn she felt her mother flinch, but, she soon hid it. Isabelle felt tears fall into her eyes as Lydia stroked Daniel's hair back.
"What happened?" Blake wondered, looking at the dead body which contained one bullet hole in the forehead. "I need to know, ma'am."
"They...they came for you...Isabelle...they wanted to know where you were...he told them...he said you were in California...but...he said he wouldn't tell them...and they did this...they killed him."
Isabelle was shocked at her mother's composure. She had expected her to be sobbing loudly, yelling at her and blaming her. But, she was calm, the odd tear rolled down her cheek as Blake listened intently.
"They said that they'd kill me...I said I had borrowed time, anyway...they left..."
"Do you know who sent them?" Blake asked and she nodded, looking at her daughter who gulped once and rested her forehead onto her mother's shoulder.
"Crane," Blake said, not needing to hear the words from their mouths.
...
Fear had broken out around Gotham, but, it wasn't as fun as it had been. Jonathan's toxin had been more interesting. This fear was just people worried for their lives, worried about a bomb.
Jonathan didn't dwell on this as he made his way to Lydia's home, his hand grasping onto the wheel of the car as he drove. He had to admit, it felt odd driving after all of those years. The court had been dull that afternoon as Jonathan contained order inside of it. His mind was elsewhere, searching for his ex wife.
He'd find her. It was only a matter of time.
He knocked on the front door, managing to be polite as it opened to reveal a small, fragile woman. She looked at him, her eyes widening as he looked back at her, his face stern and she shook her head.
"She's not here," Lydia snapped at him. "Your men did their work."
"I didn't give them any orders to kill," Jonathan spoke, pushing past her into the household as he did so. She took in his shabby appearance, from his suit jacket to the tie which hung around his neck all the way down to his shoes which he had scuffed. His face hadn't changed, his cheekbones were still pronounced and his hair was still black as night. The only difference were the small bits of stubble on his normally clean shaven chin and the glasses which covered his eyes.
"Well, they did," Lydia snapped at him as he looked around the home and she followed him. "She's not here. Don't waste your time."
"Now, you see, this is my issue," Crane informed her, looking back over at her and she remained silent, tucking her greying hair behind her ears. "She's your daughter. You have cancer. I know Isabelle. I know her better than anyone and I know that she would not have stayed in California whilst you're here dying."
"You don't know her that well," Lydia challenged him. "She wants nothing to do with Gotham and it is all because of you."
"She hated the city before she even met me," Jonathan recalled. "I just didn't help her love affair with it blossom."
"As I said, she's not here," Lydia said again. "Go and waste someone else's time and leave me alone."
"She never moved on after me, did she?" Jonathan checked with Lydia who remained silent, thinking of a lie but not being able to come up with one as Jonathan chuckled to himself and shook his head, taking his glasses off and rubbing the lenses. "I knew she wouldn't. I could tell."
"She's had a heck of a lot of dates."
"I have no doubt." Jonathan promised her, looking more interested in his glasses as he placed them back onto his nose. "I'm not an impatient man, but, I'm becoming bored. I just want my wife."
"Ex-wife."
"Not for much longer," Jonathan grinned gently before he picked up a sweater which sat on the sofa and he checked the label inside of it before looking back at Lydia. "This sweater isn't even your size, Lydia. And it is from H&M. I don't think you shop there, do you? So...there's only one person I know who does."
Lydia remained silent. Damn her daughter's sloppiness. She opened her mouth and then shut it like a fish before Jonathan folded the jumper up neatly, placing it down onto the sofa. His eyes burning into her, daring her to challenge him.
"Where is she?" he asked her, his voice dangerously low and Lydia felt her eyes water with tears.
"She's with a cop," she whispered, her voice hoarse as he eyed her up, making sure that she wasn't lying to him. "An Officer...I can't remember his name...she came back here and found Daniel...I told her to go...I said it wasn't safe...he's looking after her..."
"I believe you," Jonathan promised her, his eyes glaring into hers. "But, I need the cop's name."
"I said-"
"-Yes, you said you can't remember," Jonathan waved her off. "You're going to have to try, though, Lydia. You can't lie to me."
"She could be anywhere in the city, Crane," Lydia informed him. "You know that."
"I also know the city is being controlled by Bane who seems to be favouring me, at the moment," Jonathan said lowly. "If he found her then he'd kill her for being with a cop. You know me, Lydia; I don't want to kill her. I can keep her safe through all of this."
Lydia looked at him for a second, wondering if he was telling her the truth before he held his hand up and she noted the ring on his finger before she felt herself crumble at the truth which he spoke.
"Blake." She whispered his name and Jonathan nodded, moving past her and out from the house as Lydia fell to her knees and Jonathan turned around to look back at her.
"I am sorry," he said, sounding slightly sincere. "Death doesn't become you, Lydia. But, don't worry. Isabelle shall be in safe hands."
...
A/N: I had to involve Blake in this story, I just loved him the movie, hope no one minds! So, Jonathan cracked Lydia. Not long until he finds his dear wifey! Anyway, until that moment arises I thank mahxie, Zeny, BaDWolF89, LivinJgrl123 and Undertaker's Hattress for reviewing the last chapter!
More to come later! Let me know what you think!