I truly loved the importance of Sylvia DeLaine and the complicated but wonderful story of her and her husband Andrey. Here, she is portrayed by the late Marilyn Burns, known as Sally in the original "Texas Chain Saw Massacre", and later on Alexandra Daddario's grandmother in 2013's "Texas Chainsaw 3D". Burns passed away the following year, which happened to be a year after Henry Polic II (voice of Scarecrow in the 90s Batman animated series) whom Vytina and I mourned for a while after, and my BTAS fic "Elizabeth and the Scarecrow" was made in honor of him.

Chapter Fifteen

Girls' and Boys' Day Out

The phone was ringing, and Iris had made it clear that she wanted no calls unless it was an emergency. But it was Joan, who knew as well as she did. A lump formed in her throat as she wondered what kind of emergency it was...

Jonathan was propped up in the chair at the foot of the bed - not the storage bench - reading The Legend of Sleepy Hollow when the phone rang. Iris stalked over to where her mobile rested on the edge of the vanity. "Joan, what's happening now?"

"I'm sorry, Iris, but nothing severe as a patient escaping," the other woman said with a nervous laugh. "I know you said emergency only, but I had to tell you this sooner while you were on leave..."

Iris burst out laughing, turning her head round to see Jonathan's befuddled expression, eyes twinkling with amusement. She had her going for a second even though it wasn't laughable, but seriously, if a patient broke out, then she would be harassed by Batman for all she knew. "Well, before I ask, our stay here is very much uneventful. But now back to the important matter: how are things at the asylum?" Before taking off, she'd put Joan in charge of the patients in her place until her return.

"Oh, everyone misses you. Especially Edward. But my cousin and cousin-in-law, and their kids, have visited us a couple of times since Friday. I'll admit it, I was surprised because I know they hadn't seen or spoken in years. There might be hope for Edward yet in the court's eyes. Drew and I haven't had much contact like we used to, but family's family."

Iris smiled at the fact that things were improving lately. So many of her patients had been treated properly and reentered into society without any trouble - as far as she knew - most especially some of the Rogues gallery. But there was a handful that was on her list of doubts, most of all the Joker until his demise. "How about you?"

"I'm still feeling sick, but I'll live. It's been...unnerving for me, but Edward and I haven't had the chance to discuss the baby much." A muffled shout came from the background, followed by Joan's "Hold your horses! I'm talking to Dr. DeLaine here; can't you see that?!" She grumbled something under her breath. "I have to get back to business, Iris, but I'll try to handle something for you before your return."

"And what is that?"

"To try to schedule a board meeting, the same way we did with Jonathan, and oversee that Eddie is released as soon as possible."

Iris felt like screaming with joy at the suggestion…or rather, the possibility. How in the nine layers of hell was all of this happening? People would start saying that she was a fairy performing her magic and changing the "bad" people to "good". On second thought, Edward would have Joan to run home to, reconnect with his makeshift family, and continue his friendship with Jonathan. "Oh, that's wonderful," she said. "It would be great that Edward leaves Arkham the day we return." She had to say that so Jonathan would know what they were talking about. He was now regarding her with wide eyes and a slightly gaping mouth.

"As I said, I'll see what I can do. Have a nice break, Iris."

"I will, and send my regards to Drew and the family for me." Iris ended the connection with a big grin.

"Eddie's going to be released?" Jonathan asked, his voice lowered to the point of a whisper that was meant to be disbelief and yet exhilaration. Iris leaned back against the edge of the bed, smirking.

"You made it possible. Now it's Eddie's turn."

~o~

Spending time with Sylvia DeLaine was nothing like Jonathan had imagined it would be. Then again, not all grandparents were the same. Tell that to his dead grandmother. But Iris' grandmother was a gentle, pleasant woman who still bore the same air of fire and determination that had been passed on to her granddaughter through her father, Marcus DeLaine. It appeared, also, that grandparents tended to love their grandchildren more than their own offspring.

Now he sat with the love of his life sprawled up against him, both of them reading The Legend of Sleepy Hollow together, her arms wrapped around his waist as he read it aloud to her as though they were still in school, and he was the teacher again. The dress she wore since this morning was racy black leather - clinging to every part of her body - the halter ending in a collar around her neck and bringing her breasts together to show plump at the neck, and the skirt ending mid-thigh. Her favorite heeled boots rested on her feet and hugged her calves. She looked up at him every now and then, batting her eyelashes in an innocent yet seductive manner, and it roused him. Her dark yet sensual aura stood out against the pallid, innocent background that was the sitting room of the manor: taupe curtains were pulled back to the sides of the arched windows to allow more sunlight. Lush green fern plants and trees rested in almost every corner and on a few tables, the floor being plain light brown wood interrupted with a carpet similar to the Persian one of Iris' home, except with more damask patterns in tan and soft brown. The sofa they sat on was also soft taupe, with warm damask pillows, to provide warmth and welcome. Iris sighed and leaned against his chest. Smiling, Jonathan stopped reading and closed the book to bring her closer to him. "Despite all these years of us being together despite many obstacles, I can't think of anything to say…" he murmured. Iris opened her mouth to reply when there was a soft voice from the entrance.

"So lovely to see a young couple in lover's embrace," Sylvia said, stepping in gracefully. She was dressed in an old-fashioned dress of ivory lace, the sleeves and bodice in peasant style, and a studded belt around the waist, and her curling silver hair fell over both shoulders, covering her ears. Jonathan smiled at the wonderful older woman he easily accepted, whose granddaughter moved over so her grandmother sat on the other side, and then her eyes fell to the book in their hands. "Ahhh, Washington Irving. A man of mystery and depth to the negative side of human nature. Your father loved his works, but unfortunately..."

"Mother was not," Iris finished.

"My own grandmother never picked up a book in her lifetime," Jonathan agreed. "She said they were against God, even accused me of doing things I shouldn't from certain types of books, such as James Joyce."

"Both women were fools," Sylvia said, shaking her head. "I knew Maria would never be part of my family, but my son was a weak-minded fool to let his little head go over the big one." She laughed lightly, but both her granddaughter and Jonathan himself laughed harder than she. Then the topic changed quickly as it began once everyone calmed down. "Ah…you taught her at the university, no?" Sylvia questioned Jonathan. "Then placed her after you at the asylum?"

Jonathan nodded; he wasn't surprised that Iris told her grandmother this information. "I did, yes. And I taught her well. She was my greatest student and the best thing that's ever happened to me in all my miserable life." He placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

"He wasn't just my mentor and employer," she said. "He is my best friend. Besides having a best friend from college - his first and only real one as Alice was and still is to me - but he was also criticized for his 'crazy' theories. As I got to know him, I knew it from the start that he was not insane. He expanded my knowledge of his passions, and opened up doors to wonders I never knew could exist." The way this woman spoke of his passions lifted his softening heart. He leaned down and brought her lips to his for a harder, more passionate kiss. Sylvia watched them in silence for a moment, a faint smile tugging her lips.

"You two are nothing that everyone spots at any day, any time. As a matter of fact, I also think you two, Alice and Jervis ought to spend the day together today, no? Be good for all four of you to get out of the house for a lunch date or something? Do some shopping for the engagement party I have set up in a few days?"

Jonathan's mind dinged with the idea light bulb. "And I know just the place..."

~o~

Alice looked around the warm rose-golden stone walls and low, vaulted wooden ceiling of the place that they were currently in, her eyes wide like a child's. She wore a lilac floral blouse paired with a pair of cheery cornflower blue leggings, clutching Jervis' arm, who was in a blue-collar shirt and jeans. "Italian restaurant, really? Iris, I don't know how on earth you and Grandma could ever consider this -"

"It's not just any Italian restaurant, sister dear," Iris said calmly, also holding Jonathan's arm. She hadn't changed out of her dress at all before they arrives, just instead putting her hair in a simple, elegant bun behind her head, and showing off her opal-and-Swarovski-crystal earrings. "It's the Villa D'Amore. And Jonathan and I have been here before when he still ran Arkham. Took me on a lunch date during the day a few times."

~o~

4 years ago…

Villa D'Amore had a stunning welcoming entrance - draped with ivy vines and grapes - that created a relaxed yet mysterious ambiance. It was one of the most authentic Italian restaurants that stood out from the rest with its unique dinners, lunches, and desserts. The influences of Greece were seen in the pillars and mosaic patterns throughout. Iris looked around with amazement; this was her favorite restaurant and turned out to be Jonathan's. This had been discovered only last year when he first brought her here twice before for their lunch breaks. It was located on the other side of Gotham, isolated from much of Gotham - for a more private, romantic effect, she'd imagined.

Jonathan helped her into her seat at one of the mosaic tables beside the pillars of the interior section. She was wearing a white blouse with a black damask print and skirt, hair down her back, covering her ears. She smiled across the table at Jonathan, who had sat down in the seat across from her after draping his black suit jacket on the back of the chair to show a tan vest over his crisp white shirt and red tie…but he didn't smile back at her. And she knew why. "The ungrateful bitch bothering you again?" she asked of Assistant District Attorney Rachel Dawes.

He snorted as he picked up his menu. "Of course. About the Michaels case, again."

Iris scowled. "Obviously." She had first met the uptight ADA back when she'd first got her job at Arkham, but the two women never got along. Miss Dawes was a proud, arrogant woman who disrespected those around her, especially Jonathan. In fact, she looked at Iris as his "dog" who tagged along willingly. She accused both Jonathan and Iris of interfering with justice, declaring her perps insane and sending them to "comfortable rehabilitation" instead of rotting behind bars - truth was that jail did not help the perpetrator. Jail served only to toss aside and lock the dirtbags without actually digging deeper for more; Arkham gave her and Jonathan the opportunity to explore the mind and motivations of that criminal, something the university tried to deprive of them.

No day went by that Iris didn't wish for her to be out of the picture. Except for the fact that Dawes was insufferable enough as it was, she didn't really do anything to them. But why couldn't she just keep her piggy nose out of where it didn't belong?

"But let's just put her aside for this hour and have some time to ourselves?" she asked, reaching across the table to put a hand on his, the one that lay on the colorful surface.

Jonathan lowered his menu to peer over at her and gave her a little grin. "Why else did we come here for?"

~o~

Today

Alice looked around the boutique, eyes wider than the skies they matched in terms of color. "Iris…this is where we're going to be shopping for a new dress?" The store was known as Amorette's, filled with assorted party and public event gowns and dresses from every country, ranging from bridal to prom to evening wear.

"Absolutely," Iris said, smiling broadly. "It's the best option for my sister's engagement party."

Alice followed the dark-haired woman through the store aisles, taking in the warm glow on the white walls, floor, and furniture pieces from the overhead five-armed golden chandelier. Hanging on racks and lined up were various colored formal dresses, from short to long, to mermaid to full skirt, and so on. Thinking about trying on who-knew-how-many of these things made her wonder about the guys who were still in the car after the fine food at the Villa D'Amore. "You think the guys are okay? If they wonder what's taking us so long…"

Iris laughed and brushed it off with a wave of her hand. "Oh, you know how guys are, sis. They'll live. They'll always find ways of entertaining themselves - or each other." She wasted no time in darting for the nearest rack. "Now let's see here…"

~o~

Jonathan groaned as he closed his laptop in his lap, given by Jervis as a gift upon leaving Arkham. He had been job hunting - if until the girls were done with their fun - when his patience finally wore off. He had eventually found a promising job - librarian - when he closed the computer and sighed aloud to Jervis, who sat in the back behind him. "When do you think the girls are going to be finished?"

"Hmm?" The blond looked up from his copy of Alice in Wonderland.

"I said, when do you think Iris and Alice are going to be finished?"

"Wish I knew, March." Jervis shrugged. "You know how women are with shopping. They take as long as they wish. Very important they look their best."

"I remember Iris being that way whenever Arkham's finest were invited to those ghastly charities and fundraisers we were forced to attend. While those things meant nothing to me but to fund my research then, it was always her who was the highlight of my night, but it was more her face and everything about her more than her clothes…" Saying that made him remember what she looked like under those articles of clothing she always insisted on wearing, hiding what she bore on her body and revealing alike - she had changed from the scarred, gangly, nearly skeletal structure of the fourteen-year-old girl ravaged mercilessly by drunken jocks and frat boys, and her own mother, to still slender but more curves of a woman with no scars but those on her breasts.

Sudden sounds of laughter alerted him right away, and he jerked forward to the open window next to him, Jervis following his gaze. The ladies came out of there, carrying each a bundle in their arms. "Iris, do you think Jervis will like my dress?" they heard Alice ask, to which Jervis scoffed and shook his head.

"I couldn't care less what she wears," he whispered to Jonathan. "What matters is that she's beautiful as a flower." Then he let out a grunt of surprise when Alice jumped into the backseat and tossed both bundles on his lap.

"Be the gentleman and carry those into the house when we get back?" Alice asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him. Jonathan frowned; this was sheer laziness, letting the man do the work unwillingly. A real gentleman would do the offering himself. But Jervis smiled shyly and accepted a peck on the cheek.

Iris started the engine, and this was when Jonathan decided to have a little fun. "Can I see you in your dress when we get back?"

She gave him a crooked smirk. "Not until the night that comes."

Iris had made it a shopping experience in "The Words" that Alice would never forget. XD I love shopping myself. And the poor guys having to wait and be tortured.