“Are you sure you want to go through with this, Shannon?” Officer Gordon asked nervously, glancing over at his adopted daughter. Shannon was quietly biting her lip; a tell tale sign she was scared. Officer Gordon had been watching over Shannon for about two years, having taken her in when she was a sixteen year old junior in Gotham High. Now she was eighteen and about to enter Gotham University for the first time, planning to become a psychiatrist.
“Yeah,” Shannon whispered, “I’m ready to do this.” Gordon smiled at the young lady. Shannon was not as scared of people since she had come to Gordon and his wife. She had gotten use to them pretty fast, and they let her have her space. Shannon had especially connected with Gordon’s two children, three year old James Gordon Jr. and newborn Barbara Cassidy Gordon- named for her mother and grandmother.
“I’m proud of you, Shan,” Gordon praised as Shannon opened the cruiser door. She hadn’t yet learned to drive, so Officer Gordon was planning on driving her to and from her classes until they had time to get Shannon a license. Shannon looked back at Gordon and gave him a wide smile. She was definitely excited. Gordon could tell that as she hobbled quickly up to the University’s front doors, her walking stick barely helping, not even noticing the few others around her giving her strange looks. Gordon sighed, driving off. The poor girl had never recovered after Zsasz’s attack… not physically, anyway. And there was no way she ever would be..
Shannon ran fingers through her brown hair before pushing open the glass door that led to the college’s main area. There weren’t many people wandering around, as it was pretty early. A whole hour to be precise, but Shannon had yet to find the classroom she would be attending her psychotherapy classes in and she hadn’t wanted to be late on account of being lost. Thankfully, the class was very easy to find, however only the teacher was present as there was still fifty minutes until the start of class.
“It is nice to see you here,” the teacher, a balding man, greeted his back to Shannon, “You’re here a bit later than usual, Mr.-…” The teacher turned around, to see a very confused and nervous Shannon Gordon. “Oh! I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else,” the teacher chuckled, then his eyes focused on something behind her, “Oh, there you are, Mr. Crane. I was starting to worry, you aren’t usually this late.”
Jonathan Crane didn’t answer the teacher, but walked into the room, setting his things down on the second table in the front. He had just turned around to offer an excuse- bad traffic due to yet another bank robbery- when his eyes landed on an oh so familiar pair of brown eyes, watching him as they had just a few years previous.
“Now, tell me, what is your name?” the teacher asked Shannon, regaining her attention. She was just opening her mouth, when Jonathan answered for her.
“Shannon Marks,” he mumbled, his face losing its usual bored look in place for one of shock and confusion. That girl had disappeared off the face of Gotham when he was in his junior year, the same day Victor Zsasz had made a brief reappearance and slaughtered over twenty people. Only a few names had been released as some families didn’t want their names mentioned, just in case Zsasz saw and decided he wanted to wipe out the whole line. Everyone had assumed Shannon had been one of those poor lost souls… but apparently not. “Where in the world have you been off to?” Shannon felt her face heat up. She hadn’t forgotten Jonathan, but she was sure he would’ve forgotten her… After all, hadn’t he asked her name the day before she had basically disappeared?
“I-it’s Shannon Gordon now… and it’s a long story, really,” Shannon said softly.
“Ah, our late addition, Miss Gordon,” the teacher nodded, with a smile, “I expect you will be able to catch up quickly. You’re father said you were a very fast learner.” Shannon bit her lip and nodded.
“Yes sir, I am,” Shannon assured.
“Well, you can take a seat by Mr. Crane if you would like, and if he will allow,” the teacher instructed, “Be warned, he does not like distractions of any sort.” Shannon smiled a little. That was the Jonathan she remembered, the one who hated class disruptions. She could recall him bluntly glaring at several people who had interrupted their teacher’s speeches. Shannon looked over to Jonathan, her eyes asking him if she was allowed to sit next to him. As if he could read her mind, he nodded.
“Thank you, sir,” Shannon replied, then used her walking stick to hobble over to the table. Jonathan, looking shocked once more, hurried to her aid.
“Do you need any help?” he asked. What had happened to the girl? She hadn’t needed a stick to help her walk when he had last seen her. But then, her last name hadn’t matched the Chief of Police’s, either…
“I’m fine,” Shannon guaranteed, “I’m use to it.” All the same, Jonathan grabbed Shannon’s arm, supporting her and helping her to the table. “Thanks,” Shannon smiled, taking the seat Jonathan pulled out for her.
“I believe this is the first time I’ve seen you make this much human contact, Jonathan,” the teacher chortled. Jonathan’s normal blank gaze came over him as he looked to the teacher.
“She’s an old friend, Mr. Samuel’s,” Jonathan informed the teacher, who nodded before exiting the classroom, mumbling something about getting some coffee. Jonathan waited a moment before taking a seat beside Shannon. “So,” he said, in a rather bored and superior tone, “what happened to you, anyway?”
“A lot,” Shannon sighed, shaking her head.
"Well then, I suppose you better start explaining now," Jonathan instructed, "Because I am very interested in knowing what happened to the quietest, and possibly smartest girl in our school." Shannon frowned and flushed a bit, not bothering to wonder how he knew she was smart. She had, actually, made straight A's in high school, needing a scholarship to be able to go to college.
"Where do you want me to start?" Shannon asked unthinkingly.
"When you left school," Jonathan replied, "What happened? Where were you going? No car came to pick you up, I saw you walking as I got into my own vehicle."
"I went home," Shannon said, recalling the day, "I.. I haven't tried to think about it in a while. I went home, but something was wrong.." Shannon bit her lip, trying to remember what had bothered her so much she hadn't entered the house. "It was the window," she told him, making eye contact, "there was no glass, no screen.. It was just a hole. And then I saw the blood... t-there was so... so much blood," Shannon whispered, her body starting to shake and eyes beginning to water. The memory was so painful, but she didn't want to disappoint Jonathan. "Then h-he walked through the w-window, the m-murdering psychopath.. He said... He said he wanted to cure me.."
"Victor Zsasz?" Jonathan asked, a frown upon his face, "I did studies on him. He thinks he is curing people by killing them... How did you escape him? A victim of his has never lived."
"I ran," Shannon whispered, "I ran and h-he threw his knife.. It... It ruined my leg. If it h-hadn't b-been for the... the police officers I would've... I.." Jonathan looked at the pitiful girl and put a consoling hand on her shoulder. If she was telling the truth- and he was sure she was- then she had broken past barriers that would have made most people certifiably insane.
"It's okay," Jonathan cooed softly, observing Shannon closely as she took a shaky breath, "You are still here."
"All of those people," Shannon whispered, stuck in her flash backs, "They... He killed everyone... All the people on Jake's street.. they were..." Jonathan pressed his lips into a thin line. She was truly broken girl.
"Who is Jake?" Jonathan continued interrogating, watching as Shannon began to sob.
"H-he.. He wa-was my.. my foster d-dad!" she cried, crumpling in her seat. Jonathan sighed, knowing he probably pushed her a little too much with the questions. Shannon was obviously delicate, but Jonathan was interested in her story. Back in high school, he had watched Shannon when she was not watching him. Her nervousness and quiet demeanor... it interested him. The way she avoided the hallways and people as if she was afraid of them... He wondered if she was still that way.
"I'm very sorry," Jonathan murmured condolence, leaning toward her and wrapping his arms lightly around her as he went over her words in his head. They skimmed over all the parts with Victor Zsasz because that was self explanatory- the man was a raging, psychopathic murderer that committed random acts of violence. Jonathan's gifted mind did, however, pick up on two words- 'foster dad.' He didn't know Shannon was a foster child. Perhaps that was why her name had changed? Maybe she had been adopted by the Police Chief.
"I-it isn't your fault," Shannon whispered, sniffling as she tried to compose herself as Jonathan released her from his slight hug, "He is part of the reason I want to be a psychiatrist. I want to know why people kill... I want to see if I can find a way to fix them, so no other kid's mom gets killed."
"Mom?" Jonathan asked. What all had happened to Shannon? But she shook her head.
"I...I don't want to talk about it right now," Shannon told him as a few students filed into the classroom, looking at Shannon and Jonathan with amazement. None of the students had ever seen him talk to anyone other than Mr. Samuels.
"That's perfectly understandable," Jonathan agreed with a nod, wiping all worry and concern from his face once more, "But, I would love to know some more recent events in your life. May I take you out to lunch after class?"
"Uh, yeah," Shannon nodded, glancing around nervously as more and more people entered the classroom, "I would.. I'd like that." Jonathan gave her a slight smile, though it was more because of her uneasiness. So she still had that trait, then?
"Alright, then," Jonathan confirmed, "It's a date."

Class was long and boring. At least it was for Jonathan. For Shannon, however.. Well, she seemed very interested as Mr. Samuels began explaining things such as basic functions of the mind. She was so immersed, she didn't even notice Jonathan openly staring at her. He was studying her, her actions and expressions. She really got into things such as the mind it seemed, but that made sense seeing as she had said she wanted to be and was currently studying to become a psychiatrist.
Thankfully the dull hours finally came to a close, and Mr. Samuels dismissed them, giving them a few chapters out of their psychiatry books to read. As soon as the class ended, Jonathan stood with the rest of the students, eager to remove himself from the school.
"Jonathan?" Shannon asked after a moment, "Do you... do you mind if we wait just a minute? For things to all clear out?" Jonathan blinked at Shannon, considering her request, and then nodded. He wondered why she was wanting to wait. She had always left late at school, he remembered, but he had never found the exact reason. Perhaps it was just common claustrophobia. A lot of people suffered from that, and got rather jumpy. But then, Shannon seemed a bit anxious when people had been coming into the classroom. Perhaps a fear of crowds? Or of men? No, she seemed perfectly comfortable around himself... "We can go now," Shannon's voice announced softly, tugging Jonathan from his thoughts.
"Alright, then," Jonathan agreed. He was still standing, so he helped Shannon to her weak feet and put an arm around her waist. He was able to support her weight just fine, though she still held on tightly to her walking stick. He supposed it was just human nature- she didn't fully trust him not to drop her and so had a backup plan. Jonathan led Shannon through the only lightly occupied hallways and back out to the place she had first arrived. Shannon groaned quietly when she saw Officer Gordon's cruiser waiting for her. She had forgotten to tell him she wouldn't be needing a ride.
"Hold on a minute, Jonathan," she sighed, trying to free herself from his grasp, "I need to tell Jim I don't need a ride.." Jonathan was already helping her to the cruiser, from which Gordon was closely watching them.
"Hey Shan," he asked suspiciously, eyeing Jonathan for a moment, "What's up?" Shannon smiled nervously at Gordon, hoping he'd approve of her outing.
"Um, I'm really sorry, Jim," she started, "I meant to call you, but I don't need a ride. Jonathan is going to take me out to eat." Gordon raised his eyebrows. Shannon was going out with someone she had just met? There just wasn't something right about that...
"Jonathan?" he questioned, still focused on Shannon.
"Yeah, Jim. This is Jonathan," she said, inclining her head toward the jaded young man standing beside her, "We knew each other back since we were in middle school and we just met up in our psychiatry class. Weird, huh?"
"Yep," Gordon agreed with a curt nod, before looking to Jonathan once more, "I expect her home by ten."
"Of course, sir," Jonathan smiled vaguely, a smile that made Gordon narrow his eyes. He just felt something was wrong with the young man.. But he wasn't about to stop Shannon from being social for once in her life.
"Alright, then," Gordon approved with a nod, "Shannon knows the address and it's pretty easy to find.. You kids have fun." Shannon smiled at her father and nodded, Jonathan copying the action without the smile. Gordon gave him one last stern look, then started the cruiser's engine and drove on.
"I don't think he likes me," Jonathan sighed, turning Shannon and himself around. Shannon chuckled softly.
"Jim just isn't used to me talking to.. well, people," Shannon informed Jonathan, truthfully. Gordon definitely was not used to Shannon talking to anyone outside the family she had been brought into. Shannon herself wasn't very used to it, but talking to Jonathan seemed so natural.
"Perhaps," Jonathan considered curtly, supporting Shannon all the way to the parking lot. He quickly found his car, a slick black vehicle. Unlocking it, he opened the passenger door and slipped Shannon in. He took her walking stick and slipped it back into the back seat before shutting the door. Jonathan promptly rounded his car and joined Shannon.
"So, where are we going?" Shannon asked as Jonathan put the keys in the ignition, turning them to crank up the car. He looked over to her and smiled softly.
"Somewhere... private. Not very crowded. I thought you'd prefer that," Jonathan confirmed, driving through the parking lot and exiting onto the street. Shannon blushed slightly. Was it that obvious... Well, of course it was. Ever since she was in middle school she avoided all contact with everyone with the exception of the occasional teacher. Even in class she had been jumpy..
"Thank you for thinking of me," Shannon replied softly, glancing at Jonathan under thick lashes. She saw the ghost of a smile flash on his face as he supplied her with a nod.
A silent ten minutes went by, and then Jonathan turned off the road into a parking garage where not many cars were at. That surprised Shannon as they were in the city of Gotham, not on its outskirts as the University and Gordon's apartment were. Little did she know how much crime this part of the city was known for..
"I trust you like Italian?" Jonathan hoped, his vacant eyes falling on Shannon. She smiled and nodded happily, seeing a bit of happiness in those deep eyes. Jonathan got out, circled the car, and opened Shannon's door. Shannon reached back for her walking stick, but Jonathan pulled her out of the car before her fingers could wrap around the dependable object.
"Jonathan, I-"
"I've got you," Jonathan assured, looking at her expectantly. He wanted Shannon to trust him. He watched as she bit her lip, her teeth raking the pale pink skin. She made eye contact with him for just a moment, then glanced back to where her walking stick lie abandoned, then back to Jonathan. Finally, she nodded her head, much to Jonathan's pleasure. She was trusting him, and that brought a brief- but very real- smile to his own lips.
"I trust you, Jonathan," Shannon admitted, smiling back at Jonathan even though his smile had already disappeared.
"Come on," Jonathan directed, automatically realizing the irony in his words as he basically carried Shannon with his on arm wrapped around her waist. Her feet were barely even touching the ground as he led her out of the parking garage and the sidewalk.
Though Shannon did not know it, they passed Crime Alley on the way to the small family run restaurant just a block away. It was, as promised, almost empty. The only people there were a few members of a local gang, but gangs in Gotham didn't usually go after people they didn't think could benefit them or supply them with money. The three Italian looking men glanced up from their discussion as the welcoming bell tinkled, declaring a new arrival. However, when they saw a gangly man supporting a crippled girl, they looked away, uninterested. A nervous looking waitress came up to the couple and hastily placed them at a table on the other side of the restaurant, passing each of them a menu before hurrying to tend to the other customers.
Jonathan watched as Shannon squirmed slightly, her eyes darting to the strangers on the other side. He smiled just a bit, one of his fleeting smiles. He had a strange delight in watching her anxiousness. Still, he reached out and placed a hand on top of hers on the table.
"They won't bother us," he guaranteed, "And if they try, I promise they will not touch you." Shannon's eyes flew from where they had been on the three men to Jonathan, her mouth slightly agape. He had just said he would protect her... Jonathan's eyes looked determined. She knew he meant it. And so Shannon nodded, allowing herself to completely trust a man from her past.
"Can I take your order?" the waitress asked, walking back to Jonathan and Shannon's table as she pulled out a note pad. Jonathan looked to Shannon, giving her the cue to order first.
"Um... the seafood brodetto, please?" Shannon requested timidly. The waitress nodded, glancing at the three mobsters nervously.
"The lobster cannelloni for me," Jonathan told the waitress, waving her off.
"And drinks?" the waitress questioned.
"Water for both," Jonathan sighed, annoyed at the lady's prolonged presence when he was intent on further interrogating Shannon. He was happy when the waitress finally walked off to attend once more to the other customers. "So, how have you been over the past couple years?" Jonathan inquired curiously, his eyes rapt on Shannon.
"Better," Shannon sighed happily, with a slight nod, "Much better than I was. I'm not as scared of the world anymore, and I'm a little more trusting of.. well, people."
"Well, I'm glad you are more trusting," Jonathan commented, giving Shannon another short lived smile.
"Yes," Shannon agreed, "It was... hard. But Officer Gordon and his family really helped. After all that happened, it was nice to finally get a real family.. I hadn't had one in a long time." Jonathan saw his chance to try to get more of Shannon's story in her statement.
"You know, I never knew you were a foster child," he interjected, "You said earlier, something about your foster dad..?" Shannon gave Jonathan a half smile and nodded.
"Yeah," Shannon sighed, "He technically wasn't a foster dad.. Just a social worker, but he was the longest, I think. No one wants a kid who is scared of her family." She shrugged as Jonathan nodded, feigning understanding. However, he was truly sympathetic- which was probably a first for him. He had heard stories of foster children, and had noted that in Gotham foster children never turned out for the better.
"I am very sorry," Jonathan consoled.
"Oh, don't be," she said softly, a blush sliding up her cheeks as she spoke the next words, "Actually, you helped me a lot when it... when it first happened. You were the only one who really talked to me, back in the sixth grade. I had just moved to Gotham and not many people in our class were looking to make a new friend." Jonathan looked thoughtful. He knew Shannon had been in his sixth grade classes and had come into the school near the middle of the year, but he hadn't remembered befriending her or even speaking to her. But, he didn't remember all that much of his past as he considered most of it unimportant. "You were the only person who I actually felt comfortable around, so I guess it... you calmed me down."
"I'm glad I could help," Jonathan nodded. He was about to continue with his questions, when Shannon continued.
"So, what were your parents like?" she asked suddenly, smiling up at the waitress as a glass of water was placed before her. A matching one was set before Jonathan, and he immediately reached out for it, pondering his answer as he took a sip. He decided on the truth.
"They died," he told her impassively, "I never knew them. My dad died before I was even born, my mom soon after I was born followed. I lived with my grandparents and my older brother." Shannon had a look of understanding.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice comforting to Jonathan who only shook his head.
"Don't be. My parents- from my grandmother's perspective, at least- were nowhere near ready to have kids. They treated my older brother horribly.. He used to torment me day in and day out," Jonathan revealed, before realizing he shouldn't tell Shannon all his secrets. Especially when he didn't know hers.
If it hadn't been for the waitresses return with their meals, Jonathan would have turned the conversation back to Shannon. However, the waitress did come, and a growl from Shannon's stomach told Jonathan there was no way she could wait to begin eating. Jonathan watched as Shannon picked up her fork, and waited for her to begin to eat, but instead she looked up at him as if asking him if it was okay from her to begin eating. Jonathan narrowed his eyes in confusion and picked up his own fork, giving a small nod. Shannon smiled, then began eating. Jonathan too, began to eat, though his eyes were on Shannon. She was definitely a bit odd, but that intrigued Jonathan further.
"This is heavenly," Shannon hummed happily, taking in another mouth full of her meal. Jonathan smiled, stopping his chewing for just a moment as a thought came to him. Swallowing, he cut a portion of the cannelloni and lifted it on his fork.
"So is this," he added, "Want a bite?" Shannon looked up through her eyelashes, a blush warming her cheeks once more as she understood the offer. She smiled softly and nodded, opening her mouth just a bit. Jonathan slid the fork into her mouth and let her eat the cannelloni off before taking it back. "Good?" he asked.
"Yes," Shannon told him happily, the blush still apparent on her cheeks, "Thank you." Jonathan nodded, still smiling. Shannon tilted her head, a grin growing on her lips. "I think this is the longest I have ever seen you smile." And with that, Jonathan's face returned to the normal vacant expression.
"I suppose you make me happy, then," Jonathan responded, shrugging off the momentary confusion of feelings. Yes, he liked being with Shannon, but he had never been one for relationships of any sort. But then, Shannon wasn't like anyone he had ever met.. Perhaps, along with his mission to figure out Shannon he could follow his feelings and just see where they may lead him.

"Left on the next intersection," Shannon said lightly, watching the road as Jonathan drove. In her peripheral vision, she saw him nod. At the next light, he pulled into the turn lane and went left. "Right here," Shannon told Jonathan as they drove in front of an apartment complex. Jonathan pulled to the side of the road and stopped the car before getting out and walking to the passenger side to help Shannon.
"I'll walk you up to your door, if you'd like," Jonathan offered as he pulled Shannon out of the car, this time letting her grab the walking stick.
"Oh, Jonathan it's fine," Shannon assured him, "I've gone up to my room by myself before; it's not that much-"
"What floor?" Jonathan interrupting her, letting her know he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Shannon smiled at him.
"It's the third floor," She answered, letting him support her as they went inside. "There is an elevator, though, it's right... Oh.." The elevator was just inside the complex, but taped to it was a sign that said 'UNDER MAINTANCE.'
"I suppose it's lucky I decided to come in with you," Jonathan chuckled dryly, "There is no way you'd make it up all these stairs by yourself." Shannon blushed. She had gone up stairs before- at least one flight- by herself. Shannon was about to tell him just that- that she was, indeed, capable- when he scooped her up in his arms. Her stick fell with a clunk to the ground.
"Oh, um, Jonathan, you don't-"
"It's fine," Jonathan once again stopped her midsentence, staring at her with his blank expression, "I'm pretty strong for my size. I'll just come back for your walking stick, is that alright?" He didn't wait for an answer, but instead began up the stairs.
"Thank you..." Shannon said, biting her lip softly, "For all of today. I had fun." Jonathan glanced at her as he reached the top of the first staircase.
"I did, too," he told her, that rare and lovely smile gracing his lips for a fleeting moment, "Perhaps we can do it again sometime soon."
"I'd like that," Shannon whispered. The rest of the way up, the two were silent. Jonathan sat Shannon down on the top of the third stairwell.
"Just one moment," Jonathan instructed, walking back down the stairs, "I'm going to get your walking stick- I'll be quick." Shannon nodded, though Jonathan couldn't see her. A moment later, a door opened somewhere in the hallway.
"Shannon?" she heard Gordon's voice ask. Shannon twisted around to see her father walking down toward her, looking angry... Why would he be angry? "Shannon how long have you been sitting there?!"
"Only a minute Jim, I'm fine. Jonathan-"
"Did he just leave you here?! Tell me he at least had the curtsy to walk you to the door!" Gordon demanded, eyes narrowed. Shannon sighed; so that was why he was mad, he thought Jonathan had left her. "Did you climb up all these stairs by yourself? Well, I-"
"I carried her, Officer Gordon," Jonathan said coolly, appearing at the bottom of the third staircase with her walking stick clutched in his hands, "I had to leave her walking stick on the first floor. I swear, I wasn't planning on abandoning her , sir." Gordon looked very taken aback and embarrassed, having not expected the young man he was criticizing to suddenly appear.
"Oh, well, um," Gordon spluttered, as he looked down at Shannon.
"Tried to tell you," Shannon mumbled, smiling as she rolled her eyes. She then looked to Jonathan. "Thanks," she said, taking her walking stick from him as he reached the top.
"It was no problem," he responded, lifting Shannon up to her feet. He then stood beside her, his arm around her waist to support her. Gordon glared at where Jonathan's fingers rested lazily under Shannon's ribcage. Jonathan didn't seem to care, however, for he held Shannon shamelessly, looking straight back at Gordon.
"Well, thank you for bringing her home," Gordon said dismissively, but Jonathan didn't seem to take the hint as he continued standing there.
"I was actually wondering, sir, if I could start driving Shannon to and from school?" Jonathan requested, looking just as disinterested as usual as his cold eyes made contact with Gordon's, "It seems your home is right in between campus and my own residence."
"Well, I think that-"
"Would be lovely!" Shannon finished for Gordon, smiling up at Jonathan. Jonathan looked down at Shannon and the corners of his lips turned up just the slightest bit.
"I suppose it'd be fine," Gordon muttered. He hadn't really wanted to agree- he still did not like this boy- but it was obvious he was a person Shannon actually felt comfortable around. Gordon wasn't about to deprive the girl he thought of as a daughter a chance of interaction.
"Thank you, sir," Jonathan said flatly, though on the inside he felt victorious. Jonathan knew Gordon did not like him, and when people did not like him he enjoyed to bother them as nonchalantly as he could as the little things always made the biggest impact. It almost brought another smile to his face, seeing he was killing two birds with one stone. Almost. But this would give him more time with Shannon- which was the main reason he had asked as he was still so very intrigued by the curious girl.. "I'll pick you up around eight, Shannon," Jonathan informed Shannon, releasing her from his hold, "I'll come up and walk you down, if you'd like."
"I'll have her downstairs by then," Gordon announced before Shannon could answer for herself. Jonathan nodded, a momentary smirk crossing his features at the annoyance he was causing. Gordon, able to see micro expressions well, narrowed his eyes as he realized Jonathan was at least partially doing what he was to annoy himself.
"Very well then," Jonathan said, watching Shannon for just a moment before looking to Gordon, "Goodnight, Officer Gordon, Shannon."
"Goodnight," the two chorused, though while Shannon's sounded sweet, Gordon's sounded gruff. Gordon watched as Jonathan made his leave and then turned to walk with Shannon back to the apartment.
"You know," Shannon mumbled as they walked, "you could be a bit nicer, Jim. He already thinks you don't like him."
"I don't," Gordon huffed, "That boy is up to something, I just know it." Shannon laughed at his words.
"Quiet, straight 'A' Jonathan Crane up to something?" she mused, "I don't think so. Jim, I've known him since the sixth grade- not very well personally, but I used to...ahem.. spy on him just a little. I assure you, he is a good person. The most he would be up to is plotting how to get extra credit." Gordon shook his head, standing outside the apartment door.
"I don't know, Shannon," he said warily, "I saw him smirking at me; he knew he was getting at me. I've seen that look-"
"Jim, give him a break," Shannon sighed exasperatedly, giving Gordon a quick smile, "He barely talks to anyone, let alone smile. You know, today I actually saw him smile a whole minute! In all the years I knew him I think I saw him smile a total of one time, but today it was so different... Anyway, I don't think he was smirking at you, Jim. Your probably getting paranoid because he's a guy who is talking to me." Gordon sighed, knowing that wasn't it. But he shook it off. Jonathan made Shannon happy, and that's what mattered.
"Alright, I guess you may be onto something, Shan," Gordon finally agreed, opening the apartment door so the girl could limp in. He would just have to watch this Jonathan a little bit closer.

"Shannon," a voice whispered right next to Shannon's ear, "Wake up, sissy!" Shannon blinked her eyes open to see little James Jr. staring right at her, his face an inch from hers as he was cuddled up next to her. Shannon smiled, letting out a yawn.
"Morning, Jimmy," Shannon greeted, wrapping her arm around the small boy and squeezing him.
"Shannon!" James laughed, struggling against his sister, "Let go!" Shannon chuckled and released Jimmy.
"What time is it, kid?" she asked, pushing herself up.
"Seven-thirty," Jimmy told her, to which her eyes went wide.
"Crap!" she squeaked, then she began to order around Jimmy, who usually helped her out in the mornings. "Jimmy, please go get my clothes; their folded on the dresser! Oh, and my walking stick!"
"Yes, captain!" Jimmy laughed, giving her a salute. He fetched Shannon's clothes and brought her walking stick to her, and then left the room, the door clicking behind him.
Shannon rushed to pull off her pajamas- something that she usually took slowly because of her leg- and then dressed herself in a black pencil skirt and a light blue short sleeved button up blouse. All of that she amazingly did still sitting. Only after she had slipped on her worn black flats did she use her stick for support to rise from her bed. Shannon then proceeded to hobble to the bathroom just across the hall from her room to brush her teeth, happy she still had enough time to do so. Jonathan had not yet arrived; she had dressed in ten minutes, a new record for herself. Of course, when Barbara used to help her dress, it was quicker and easier, but Shannon had began doing it on her own a few months ago when the therapy sessions had stopped and it had been proclaimed she would never walk normally again...
"Shannon!" Shannon heard Barbara call just as she was setting down her toothbrush. Was Jonathan already there? She had thought he had said eight? "Shannon! There is a boy at the door for you!" Barbara sounded extremely happy as she called for Shannon, but that was expected since he was first boy that had ever been at the door for her.
"I-I'm coming, Barbara!" Shannon called back. She came out of the bathroom and started walking down the hall to the front door... Which was closed with no one at it.
"In the kitchen, Shan!" Of course Barbara would invite someone she didn't know into the house for breakfast..Shannon wasn't very surprised as she had actually done it before- of course, Shannon later learned Barbara actually did know those people and it was more of an exercise so Shannon could see not all strangers were out to hurt her. Maybe it was just a sort of reaction for her now- see someone at the door, give them food.
"Gotcha," Shannon responded with a huff, turning towards the kitchen area. She could see through the arch that was the kitchen door that Jonathan was in fact seated in the kitchen, looking bored as usual.
"So, how long have you and Shannon known each other?" Barbara asked from the stove as Shannon entered the kitchen.
"Since the sixth grade," Jonathan informed her flatly, before looking to Shannon with those soul penetrating eyes, "Isn't that right?"
"Yes," Shannon agreed, nodding as she took a seat at the small table across from Jonathan, "Since sixth grade." Barbara nodded and turned toward her cooking, right as Jimmy entered the kitchen. As soon as he saw Jonathan, however, he stopped.
"Who are you?" Jimmy asked curiously, staring at Jonathan.
"Oh, Jimmy, this is Jonathan," Shannon introduced, "Jonathan Crane, a- um- old friend. And Jonathan, this is-"
"I'm her brother!" Jimmy finished for Shannon, grinning as he ran to grab the seat between Shannon and Jonathan. He looked to Jonathan, and lowered his voice as he continued, "Are you two dating?"
"Jimmy!" Shannon and Barbara exclaimed at the same time, Shannon's hands slapping the table top. Shannon felt a blush fill her face. Why in the world would Jimmy ask something like that? Did he want her to go back to being friendless? He was going to chase Jonathan with that question, Shannon just knew it! And that was why she was oh so surprised to see that oh so slight smile creep onto his face.
"Why not?" Jonathan asked, his voice actually having some emotion in it as his hand slipped across the table and covered her own, "I think yesterday could be considered a first date, don't you think?"
"I-isn't this going a little f-fast Jonathan?" Shannon asked, dark eyes widened. Barbara had turned away from the stove, her hands placed over her heart as a delighted look spread across her face.
"You said it yourself," Jonathan told her softly, "we've known each other a rather long time." This was perfect; the perfect opportunity for Jonathan to get close to Shannon... and possibly to further agitate her father. He did have slight feelings for Shannon, too, though. It was odd for him, really... Love was not something Jonathan had come in contact with since... Well, never. Sure, his grandparents had been fond of him, but they didn't much care for him. If they had, they would've stopped his older brother from terrorizing him... This thing he felt for Shannon was completely new.
"Oh, um, I" Shannon stuttered, unsure. But then a shy smile came upon her lips and Jonathan knew exactly what she would say before she said it. "Yes, um, I will be your girlfriend, Jonathan."
"Oh my gosh!" Barbara squeaked, clapping her hands together. It was a step up for Shannon; a step Barbara didn't know if Shannon would ever take after her bad experiences... Both of which involved men. But, here Shannon was, getting in a relationship with what seemed to Barbara to be an excellent young man that made Shannon happy and was going to make something of himself.
"Barbara," Shannon mumbled, smiling but obviously embarrassed.
"Well, I believe we need to be going, Shannon," Jonathan said, standing. He had returned to his normal, composed self.
"Right!" Shannon chirped, standing up with the help of her stick. But as Jonathan rounded the table and snaked his arm around her waist, she found she no longer needed it as Jonathan was once again supporting her weight.
"You can just leave that, if you want," Jonathan told her, his voice low as he walked her to the door, "I'll make sure not to leave your side today. You don't need it." As they reached the front door, Shannon paused a moment. She leaned her walking stick- her crutch for two years- against the wall. Jonathan was right; with him around she didn't need it.
"Bye Barbara! Bye Jimmy!" Shannon called behind her as Jonathan opened the apartment door and took her out.
The door shut before the rushing Jimmy had reached it, the new couple already on their way to the campus. Jimmy huffed angrily. Shannon hadn't given him a goodbye hug! He was about to go back to the kitchen when he saw a very familiar object propped against the wall.
"Mommy!" Jimmy called, running back to the kitchen. Barbra was in there, smiling as she looked out the window of their apartment, "Mommy! Sissy forgot her walking stick!"
"I know," Barbra sighed, glancing away from the window as the black car carrying Shannon drove off.

The days seemed to speed up as they turned into weeks, and then to months until finally a year had passed... And another... And another... And another...
Four years of college come and gone in a blur. Jonathan had branched off in his decided profession, studying a little farther into abnormal aspects and phobias while taking up a internship at Arkham Asylum. He was still with Shannon, and usually brought her along with him to the asylum. Shannon was not as intrigued by the crazy people residing there, though. She had decided she preferred child psychiatry to that of adults- she trusted children more. Of course, that didn't stop Jonathan from pestering her and pestering her until she had finally branched off with him in the studies of abnormal psychiatry and also took up an internship at Arkham.
The relationship the two harbored had grown, also. Shannon, after two years, had finally revealed the fate of her mother all those years ago, to which Jonathan was glad- he finally knew everything about her. Her greatest fears were in his hands... Jonathan had also revealed a bit about his past- his cruel brother, his insensible grandparents- to which a very sympathetic Shannon had comforted him. Jonathan was also smiling more often and for longer periods of time, though it was only in front of Shannon and never in the eyes of the public. Shannon was very happy, even when Barbara had so often teased her about marriage and Gordon had so often sent glares at Jonathan when he was not looking- he still believed the boy was up to something...
Jonathan and Shannon had graduated with their proper degrees and had promising futures at Arkham Asylum, where they had been offered jobs. Shannon was still nervous about the job, but Jonathan had reassured her multiple times.
"You will be fine, Shannon," he whispered as they stood before the asylum, about to enter for the first time as real doctors- not interns-, "You've been coming here for the past two years and I will be with you." Jonathan hugged her slightly, supporting her even though she had her walking stick with her.
"You don't know that," Shannon muttered, knowing they would probably be separated as soon as they began working- that was why she had brought her crutch along. Shannon was to be conducting interviews with some of the patients while Jonathan was planning on doing a private project, and she didn't think he was planning on giving that up just for her own relaxation.
"Okay," Jonathan sighed, "perhaps not the full time, but I promise to check on you, Shannon. You don't have anything to worry about." Shannon frowned, but nodded still. Oh how she wished she could be in a tall building somewhere in a nice office helping poor children deal with their parents divorcing instead of being locked in with the criminally insane...
Jonathan lifted Shannon up the few steps that came to the grand doors of Arkham, before releasing her. Shannon rested on her crutch and watched as Jonathan opened the large, cracked doors for her to enter. She hobbled inside using her walking stick to find the one running the asylum, Mr. Jeremy Arkham- one of the relatives down the line of the Arkham Asylum founder- himself, waiting for her and Jonathan. He wore a smile upon his face as the two new recruits came to face him.
"Ah, Jonny! Shan! How nice to see you this morning," Mr. Arkham greeted, the smile on his face remaining and making Shannon rather.. uncomfortable.
"It's nice to see you, too, Mr. Arkham," Jonathan responded coolly, though Shannon could expertly detect a bit of annoyance at the nickname. He wouldn't even let herself call him Jonny..
"Yes," Shannon put in shortly.
"Now, it seems you two have much to do today, so much to do!" Mr. Arkham told the couple happily, "Jonathan, you will be working on your 'project' in the lab. Feel free to pull any of the patients to your service, you genius boy! And Shannon, I will show you to your office from now on; you will be conducting the regular interviews with our patients, I believe you know the procedure for that?" Shannon nodded. That was the good thing about the internship Jonathan had insisted she take- it let her jump right into work.
"I suppose I'll see you later, Jonathan," Shannon said softly, but Jonathan didn't acknowledge her words as he had already turned and was walking away. Shannon sighed at her boyfriend of four long years.. her thoughtless boyfriend.. She shook her head, deciding not to dwell on the bad moment. She knew Jonathan often got carried away with his work and having the opportunity to work freely in lab definitely had an effect on him, whether he let it show or not. That was why he had forgotten to say good-bye.. And why he would forget to visit her later...
"This way now, Shannon," Mr. Arkham directed, walking a bit ahead of Shannon, but going slow enough so she could attempt to keep up. She was able to stay just a few steps behind the tall, round man the whole time until they came at a stop before a door with a plaque that read 'Dr. Shannon Gordon, Psychotherapist'. Shannon smiled at the plaque, straightening herself as best she could, very proud of her position and the plaque.
"Thank you," she said as Mr. Arkham opened the door and let her into her new office. She was a bit surprised to see the inside; it looked comfortable in a way, yet menacing in another. There was a large desk in the corner for her, along with a couch and potted plant on the opposite wall. A single chair was in front of her desk, and a small bookshelf was behind it. Of course, none of that was menacing in any way. It was the flickering light, caged window, and the splatter on the wall Shannon swore was blood that made the room rather ominous.
"It could use a little help," Mr. Arkham admitted, shooing Shannon to her desk, "but, I know you could deal with it.. I'll send in someone to fix that light and cover this... um.." Mr. Arkham was examining the blood, and winced as he realized what it was. "I'll get the janitor in here tonight, Shannon, don't fret," Mr. Arkham assured with a nod, then looked back to her and gave that unsettling smile, "Now, the first of the patients should be arriving any moment. I'm going to have them escorted by a guard, so don't worry about anything happening." Shannon let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in as she sat down. She had, in fact, been nervous about the convicts trying something, whether it had been conscious or not.
"Thank you, Mr. Arkham," Shannon responded, leaning her walking stick against the wall beside her desk. Mr. Arkham chuckled.
"Scared of the patients, are you Shannon?" he asked curiously, leaning forward to place a clipboard on her desk. Shannon let her set smiling lips dip down into a slight frown.
"I suppose, deep inside, I may be a little nervous," Shannon admitted. Truthfully, Shannon hadn't been very scared of strangers since Jonathan had stepped back into her life- he had promised to protect her, and he had kept to that promise to the best of his abilities- but she supposed old habits died hard.
"Well, don't you worry, Shannon," Mr. Arkham replied, suddenly sounding rather sincere, "No one will touch you in my asylum." And with that, the odd man turned away from her and walked out the door. Taking a deep breath, Shannon reached forward and grabbed the clip board Mr. Arkham had left her. On it were clipped several papers, each holding a different name, picture, set of information, and an area to record the interview that was to be given to each. Shannon looked through these, checking the names on each, before turning back to the first which read:
Name: Daedalus Boch
Alias: Doodlebug
Age: Thirty
Previous occupation: Artist
Current Ailment: Patient believes everything he paints must become reality, and takes it upon himself to do so.
Committed Crimes: Six counts murders, five counts attempted murder; Seven counts kidnappings; Unknown number of robberies
The picture attached was that of an African American male, a crazed smile upon his lips and murderous intent in his brown eyes. His jet black dreadlocks were matted to his head with something in the picture Shannon had a very bad feeling was blood..
"Ms. Gordon?" an authoritative male voice suddenly called out , followed by a few short knocks on her door.
"Come in!" Shannon called just as the door was swinging open to reveal a muscular guard, guiding the man depicted in the picture attached to Daedalus Boch's file. The same crazed smile was present, as was that murderous look he held. At least his hair seemed free of blood and his hands were rendered useless handcuffed behind his back..
"Good morning, Ms. Doctor," Boch greeted, grinning widely to show Shannon a set of dirty and yellowing teeth. Shannon scrunched up her nose and nodded to the chair before her.
"Please, sit down Mr. Boch," she offered the psycho, picking up a loose pen that was on her desk. Boch laughed happily and walked to the chair before her desk where he sat down. The guard watched Boch warily for a moment before going to the couch to take a seat.
"Call me Doodle," Boch allowed, leaning his body forward and examining Shannon, "No need to be so formal."
"Alright then.. Doodle," Shannon said unsurely, glancing at the guard for support. The man nodded in approval, so Shannon continued, "Tell me, how is your day going?"
"Well, very well," Boch- or Doodle- told her sounding almost sarcastic as he nodded quickly, "And you?"
"This isn't about me, Doodle," Shannon pointed out coolly, trying to imitate Jonathan's normal composure as she scribbled down his previous responce, "Now, have you been taking your medications?"
"Nope," Doodle told her, popping the 'P', his smile growing, "I've been painting, though. Lovely death scenes. Would you like me to paint you something, Ms. Doctor?" Shannon pursed her lips and paled a bit.
"No, Doodle, that is fine. May I ask you begin taking your medication again," Shannon requested, trying to remain calm as Doodle began leaning in.
"But look at that lovely face," Doodle mumbled, "I promise, I could do it justice."
"That's enough," the guard suddenly declared, standing up and marching so he stood behind the chair. Roughly, he pulled Doodle from the chair and dragged the crazy man from the room. When both had disappeared, Shannon found her body shaking and her eyes watering. Was she honestly about to cry?..
Shannon sniffled, quickly wiping her eyes. She was not going to break down, not in her office at her job and certainly not on her first day! What in the world would Jonathan do if he saw her? He would think her pathetic- though he'd never say it. And she was. Shannon quickly composed herself, awaiting the next patient. Her brown eyes flickered to the clip board. She used the pen she still held to finish the interview section, and then turned to the next page.
Name: Humphrey Dumpler
Alias: Humpty Dumpty
Age: Twenty-two
Previous Occupation: None
Current Ailment: Extreme form of obsessive compulsive disorder causing patient to believe things are broken; patient thinks he must assemble things to fix them even if he must first disassemble them.
Committed Crimes: Three counts of murder
"Lovely," Shannon muttered just as the door opened once more. Shannon looked up to see a man led by the guard, but not the plump one shown in the picture she had been looking at. This man had tanned skin, black hair, a pencil mustache, and a rather thin face.
"I thought you could use a quick break from the real psychos," the guard explained, pushing the man- who was free handed, unlike Doodle- into the chair, "This guy should be the forth on you board. Joe Coyne, known better as Penny Plunderer." Shannon blinked at the guard, then nodded.
"Thank you, Mr..?" Shannon tried to thank before she found herself lost. She didn't know the guard's name.
"Berns," the guard told her, "Charlie Berns, Ms. Gordon. Call me Charlie." Shannon nodded, then turned her attention to the man before herself as Charlie took is place back at the couch.
"So, Mr. Coyne," Shannon began, flipping to his file, "tell me, how is your day going?"

Shannon had arrived at Arkham at eight-thirty. Now, three and a half hours later, Shannon was preparing for a short lunch break. She had had her life threatened at least five times, having only had eight patients visit. One even had to be wrestled out of the room as he had been wielding a knife... That was when the guard had advised Shannon to take her break.
At the moment, however, she couldn't bring herself to move. Only a minute ago a man had held a knife at her throat; his name was Ned Brann, but he called himself the Dagger. He was truly obsessed with knives and had insisted Shannon take a closer look at his favorite in his possession. Thankfully, Charlie had registered the threat and was throwing Brann out of his seat before he could dig the dagger he held into her skin... Charlie had assured Brann's room would be searched, as well as his person, but he wasn't the only one Shannon was now worried about.
She remembered the other interviews. The first, Doodle, had said he would paint her death scene and do her face justice. The third- who was supposed to be the second-, Mr. Dumpler, had said she hadn't looked put together. He had suggested perhaps he could take a look at her and try to fix her. She reclined, but he didn't let the subject go throughout the whole interview. The forth, a woman known as Jane Doe, had asked for her skin. When Shannon had politely declined from giving up the layer that held her together, Ms. Jane Doe had said she would just have to skin her. She had then been yanked out of the room by Charlie, as Shannon looked down at the information she hadn't yet checked.
Name: Unknown
Alias: Jane Doe
Age: Unknown, suspected mid-thirties
Previous Occupation: Unknown

Current Ailment: Dissociative Personality Disorder; Patient uses skins of victims to play as her different personas
Crimes Committed: Five counts of murder, one count attempted murder
The sixth patient, Lester Buchinsky, had simply tried to shake her hand while he was armed with something that looked oddly like a joy buzzer. Shannon had almost fell for it, but Buchinsky's hand was slapped away by Charlie just in time. He had then held up the patient's hand for Shannon to see, and had warned her against the seemingly simple minded tricks of some of the psycho's locked within Arkham's walls. After all, Buchinsky wasn't called the Electrocutioner for nothing...
What a day... and she still had at least twelve more patients to go through. How in the world was she supposed to interview twenty psychopaths daily?! Perhaps most of her later patients would only be the ones like Mr. Coyne, just obsessive compulsive in things such as robberies...
Knock, knock, knock. Shannon's eyes darted up. Was her break already over? Or had Charlie forgotten she was going to take one to collect herself and calm her nerves?
"Shannon?" Jonathan asked, as the door opened, pushed open by the lanky man. Shannon jumped a little at the door opening. So far that action was not met with good consequence as it had meant all day a new patient was entering into her midst...
"Oh, Jonathan," Shannon breathed, relaxing as she saw him. She hadn't realized how rigid and tense she was, sitting literally on the edge of her seat. Jonathan's eye brows knit together as he noticed this. He walked quickly, but with his normal cool demeanor. He dropped the bag of food he had brought with him on Shannon's desk as he rounded it, and then his arms wrapped around Shannon. He could sense her fear; it was radiating off of her. If it was anyone else, Jonathan would have laughed and wallowed in their terror... But, Shannon was different. He didn't want her to be scared. Not when she already feared the world so much.
"Tell me what is wrong," Jonathan murmured, Shannon comfortably resting her head on his stomach.
"I hate it here, Jonathan," she whispered, fighting the tears that were brimming in her eyes, "The patients are insane! But that is no surprise; we are in an asylum.. I've only seen eight of my twenty and five of them threatened my life. I didn't realize how terribly scared I was until the last patient... He held a knife to my neck... It reminded me of him..." She couldn't hold it back anymore. Shannon's body racked with sobs as tears streaked down her face, the old memories once again rearing their ugly heads.
"It's okay Shannon," Jonathan assured, his eyes narrowing, "I promised no one would hurt you anymore. And they will not, I am sure of it." Especially once he found the man who had threatened Shannon with a knife and made an example of him.. He would be his first subject, a lab rat of sorts. The patients at Arkham needed to learn Shannon was under his protection. She was not to be frightened... Unless, perhaps, it was by himself.... No. That wouldn't happen.
"I don't... want to work... here... anymore," Shannon whimpered between thick breathed sobs. Jonathan sighed at that statement. He knew she hadn't wanted to work at Arkham. During their college years she had always shown distaste for the asylum. She had wanted to go into the field of child psychology, but Jonathan had harassed her constantly about how they would never see each other and how children would be a waste of her unique talents, until she had cracked and followed him into the studies of the abnormal. Secretly, Jonathan despised himself for causing Shannon to relinquish her dreams to accompany him- he had seen her with her siblings, and knew she adored kids- but he didn't want to be separate from her. She was his first project, his duty, and his only friend.
"Shannon," Jonathan said sternly, releasing his embrace and instead taking Shannon's chin in his hand. He tilted her chin up so her watery eyes looked up into his cold ones before continuing, "I told you no one would hurt you. I won't let them. Don't you trust me?" Shannon sniffled, but nodded. "Good, now-"
"Who are you?" the voice of Charlie Berns suddenly asked, familiar to Shannon but not the Jonathan. Shannon's eyes leapt from Jonathan to Charlie, but Jonathan's eyes only narrowed. He released Shannon's face and straightened out his tall body before glaring over his shoulder at the man who was intruding in Shannon's office. He was a muscular man, and very large too, though Jonathan could tell it was not due to weight but because of big bones. He looked angry, but Jonathan's glare made him flinch just the slightest bit. That made Jonathan smirk.
"Doctor Jonathan Crane," he introduced himself, "The boyfriend of Doctor Shannon Gordon. And due to my position, I must inquire who you are. Shannon doesn't normally make new friends so fast." Shannon blushed, lowering her head. She wasn't sure why Jonathan insisted on embarrassing her when he felt the need to assert his position of her boyfriend; perhaps it was just his jealous and possessive side showing. Shannon wouldn't really know as it was a side barely shown, but not due to the fact Jonathan didn't get jealous easily. It was because Shannon really didn't make friends fast... Or at all, really.
"Charlie Berns. I'm Ms. Gordon's guard," Charlie informed, though he sounded a bit vexed, "I just came to see how she was as she seem distressed when I left."
"Shannon is perfectly fine," Jonathan reported, though he knew Shannon's flushed and tear tracked face probably did not help his case, "Now, if you don't mind, I was about to share lunch with the love of my life."
At the word love, Shannon's head had snapped up. Jonathan had never said anything like that... When had Shannon become the love of his life?... He had never even said he loved her, not that she could blame him with his history and altogether lack of emotions...
"Alright then," Charlie replied stiffly, and then left the couple, closing the door behind himself. Jonathan glared at the door a moment, before going to the other side of the table and taking a seat opposite Shannon. She was staring at him and he knew exactly why. He made no mention of it as he emptied the bag of its contents: two colas, one peanut butter and honey sandwich for Shannon, one turkey sandwich for himself, two bright red apples, two cups of yogurt, and finally two chocolaty muffins. Jonathan then sat Shannon's portion before her, then pulled his to himself.
"Are you going to eat, or are you just going continue your staring at me?" Jonathan asked snappily after about a minute, as opened his canned drink. Shannon blinked, and then looked to her food, her face suddenly flushed once more.
"Sorry, Jonathan," she mumbled, reaching for her sandwich. Shannon began picking off the crusts, almost nervously. She was nervous, though. Jonathan knew she only took the time to peel the crusts off her sandwiches when she was too caught in thought to think; he had figured it out at the multiple lunch dates they had shared, along with their lunches spent at Arkham as interns.
"What's wrong now, Shannon?" he asked out of habit. He always did , even though sometimes he could've cared less. This time was most likely to be one of those times as he had a feeling he knew just what was on her mind.
"Did you mean what you said?" Shannon asked shyly, looking up at Jonathan through long eyelashes, "Or were you just trying to get him to go away?"
"A bit of both," Jonathan told her honestly, not very much paying attention. Shannon only nodded, looking a little put down as she continued picking the crusts. Jonathan sighed. That had obviously been the wrong answer... He stood, and leaned over the desk, capturing Shannon's chin between his thumb and pointer finger, and then tilting it upwards. "That isn't the only thing bothering you, is it?" he questioned.
"How can you read me so well?" Shannon muttered, trying to look away from Jonathan's captivating blue eyes. Jonathan smiled, letting at a chuckle at the question.
"Your easy to read," he notified her, "Now tell me what is making you so bothered." Shannon looked torn for a moment, but then relaxed as he squeezed her chin lightly.
"It's just.. We have been together four years and you've never even mentioned... love, Jonathan," Shannon admitted, her cheeks turning even brighter red. Realization hit. He hadn't even realized.. How could he have not even recognized that was all about before? He was just so caught up in the moment he hadn't realized that was what he had said until now.
"Oh," he said dumbly, a hint of color rising to his own cheeks. He knew he felt something for Shannon, something strong, but love he didn't know about that! He didn't-
"I love you, Jonathan," Shannon whispered, her eyes glancing to him before they returned to the desk, littered with pieces of discarded crust thanks to Shannon. For perhaps the first time in his life since Shannon had returned from the dead- in his eyes she had, at least- Jonathan was shocked and momentarily lost for words.
"I love you, too, Shannon," he finally said calmly after a moment. Shannon looked up at him, mouth slightly agape. She looked truly adorable.. So vulnerable, so naive... Jonathan swooped down and captured her lips with his, kissing her gently. Jonathan may not have truly loved Shannon just yet, but he knew he felt something he never felt before when it came to her and that the foreign feeling was strong. Perhaps it was already love he felt... If not, he was sure the feelings he held for her would indeed turn to love soon enough.
The rest of the day went on in a blur to a inattentive Shannon. She had gone through twelve more patients in about seven hours. She had barely registered the threats made to her life the second round, too caught up in her thoughts of romance. The patients seemed to notice Shannon was not paying attention, and were rather irritated by it, as was Charlie for some reason. When Mr. Arkham came into her office when she was finally finished, he was thrilled to see Shannon in such a good mood.
"Jonathan just sent me to tell you that he would be here momentarily," Mr. Arkham announced. If she had been in her normal state of mind, Shannon may have wondered how in the world Jonathan had managed to get his new boss to do his bidding; but then, Jonathan did have his way of charming people when he needed things done. "So how was your first day?"
"It was fine," Shannon lied. It had been an awful day, quilted in the loveliness of Jonathan..
"Shannon?" the collected voice asked as in stepped the person of all Shannon's desires.
"Jonathan!" Shannon basically cheered, sitting up straight in her chair and smiling widely at Jonathan. She was glowing, and - as far as Jonathan could tell- no longer in fear of anything. That was good; she had nothing to fear in his presence.
"Good evening, Shannon," Jonathan greeted, giving her a smile. He knew she liked it when he smiled, even though it was always brief and almost always forced. Jonathan rounded Shannon's desk and planted a light kiss on her soft hair, before straightening to look at Mr. Arkham. "Do you think you can have that patient I asked about found and prepared by morning? I think I will be ready to test by then, Mr. Arkham."
"Of course, of course, Jonny boy!" Mr. Arkham said merrily as Jonathan scowled at the old man. Again with that horrid shortening of his name... But, he didn't say anything. Mr. Arkham was currently at Jonathan's beck and call, and Jonathan planned on it staying that way. He had done a lot of talking, and a lot of planning to get to the top spot, bringing Shannon up with him- though she did not know it.
"Thank you, Mr. Arkham," Jonathan replied dismissively. Taking the subtle hint, Mr. Arkham left.
"How in the world do you do that?" Shannon laughed lightly when Mr. Arkham was gone.
"Do what?" Jonathan asked coolly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"How do you control him so well?" Shannon asked, looking to the door, "It's as if you are the boss and he is the brand new employee."
"Well, I suppose he just likes my ideas," Jonathan said, as he thought the true answer. The man has a weak, twisted mind, while I have a strong one.
"He likes me, but I doubt he would respond to me like that," Shannon pointed out. To this Jonathan smiled, kissing his girlfriend's forehead affectionately.
"Of course he would," Jonathan assured her, "You're with me." Shannon giggled at this, not knowing how truthful the words were. Mr. Arkham would literally at this point bend over backwards for her because Jonathan was so important to him. And Shannon was Jonathan's. "So, do you want to go home or to dinner?" Jonathan questioned, leaning down and snaking his arm around Shannon's waist before lifting her up.
"Hmm," Shannon thought, "I'm not very hungry tonight, Jonathan. Can you please take me home?" Jonathan nodded, reaching across Shannon to grab her walking stick.
"Of course," he told her as they began their way out of the room. Jonathan then asked, "Do you need to go to the restroom before we leave the asylum?" Shannon blushed slightly at the question, but then realized she hadn't been to the restroom all day, and that there was a bit of a pain beneath her stomach. She really did..
"Yes," Shannon mumbled, looking down. Jonathan nodded, not noting her embarrassment. He knew where the worker's restrooms were, having passed them thrice coming and going from Shannon's office. He led her to the one closest to her office, then gave Shannon her walking stick, which he had been holding as she would have to go in alone. "Thank you," Shannon said softly as Jonathan pushed the ladies' restroom door open for her. He knew she sometimes had trouble with them. He smiled and nodded, waiting until she was all the way inside the restrooms before letting the door swing closed.
Jonathan waited, leaning against the wall, for Shannon to begin struggling against the swinging door. As he did, he thought about the productive day he had had with his research. Tanks to his work during internship, Jonathan had gotten the prototype mostly finished. With a few more hours, it would be completed, and then it would have to be tested- and the test subject would be the man who had threatened what was his. At the mere thought, Jonathan's eyes narrowed. The loonies in the asylum need to learn their place, especially when it came to Shannon, and Jonathan was ready to make them learn it..
"Ah, Jonathan!" the cheerful voice of Mr. Arkham called out. Turning his head slightly to the left, he saw the man coming toward him from down the hall, followed by two men- the Charlie guy from before and an older man with his hands cuffed behind his back. He was bigger, his orange jumpsuit a bit tight around his waist, but built also. He could've easily overpowered someone like Shannon, and suddenly Jonathan was a bit thankful Charlie was watching her, even if he did suspect he liked her a bit too much. "Jonathan, this is Mr. Brann, the man you asked for," Mr. Arkham informed Jonathan, who only nodded.
"What's all this about?" the man, Ned Brann, asked irritably , "I was trying to sleep." The three other men ignored his remark.
"Where do you want him again, Mr. Arkham?" Charlie asked, glancing at Jonathan for only a moment.
"The holding cells by the lab on the other side of the asylum, there is... uh..."
"A new medication," Jonathan cut in for Mr. Arkham, "I have been working on it. I hope it will reduce... violent tendencies."
"Yes," Mr. Arkham replied merrily, "and do make sure you double check the locks on the cell before you leave, Charlie! You know we haven't used them in a while." Charlie nodded, and then continued to push Ned Brann, the Dagger, forward until they were out of sight.
"Well," Mr. Arkham said after a moment, "You have a good night, Jonathan." And with that, the man waddled off. Jonathan took a deep breath, glad the annoying man was gone and he had silence to think. Of course, then he remembered Shannon. What was taking her so long? He strode across the hall from where he had been leaning on the wall and rapped shortly.
"Shannon?" he asked.
"Is he gone?" Shannon's voice was quiet on the other side of the door. Jonathan frowned. Had she heard that whole discussion. Pushing open the door, Jonathan saw Shannon standing in the dimly lit room, propped up against a line of sinks.
"He's gone," Jonathan told her, striding into the room, and pulling her up to lean on him instead of the sinks, "Don't fret, Shannon, he won't touch you." Shannon nodded at his promise, biting her lip gently. She then began to compose her nervous self.
"What was he doing out of his cell?" Shannon asked, trying to sound unfazed, but Jonathan wasn't convinced. Still he didn't say anything as he answered,
"We are going to put him on some new medication I've been working on. It is supposed to prevent violent tendencies."
Did Jonathan feel bad for lying to Shannon? Surprisingly, yes. But, he knew it was best she thought what would become of Ned Brann was just an unknown side effect. She didn't need to know that fear was the wanted result of the experiment that was to be conducted the next day...

When Shannon arrived at work the next day, she found she would be short a patient; Mr. Brann would be helping scientists- obviously Jonathan- conduct some tests on new medication being created to sooth violence. It came as no surprise to Shannon, and so she went on with her day, much warier of her patients this time round. Her shoulders tensed as the first entered...
Elsewhere, on the opposite side of the asylum, was the missing patient. Brann was strapped down to a medical examiners chair, watching his 'doctor' with narrowed eyes. He didn't trust the man and all this talk of 'new medication'. He was right not to...
"So, you are a patient of Ms. Gordon, correct?" Jonathan asked coolly and casually, as he picked up a syringe from the counter on the far side of the room. Brann smirked at the thought of the weak doctor. He had almost ended her life the day previous, the daughter of that stupid police commissioner who had landed him in the nuthouse along with many of the other inmates- or 'patients' as the workers called them.
"That is absolutely true," Brann told the doctor, not letting his eyes leave the untrustworthy man. The doctor nodded, uninterestedly, his head down so Brann could not see those cold eyes of his.
"Do you know who Shannon Gordon is, Mr. Brann?" he continued interrogating. His voice seeming almost- not quite, but just almost- agitated.
"Everyone knows who she is," Brann responded in a growl, "The Police Commissioner's kid!" Then Brann began laughing, maniacally laughing, at a sudden vision that had formed in his mind. "I would love to see the expression on Officer Gordon's face if I killed his little girl!" he screamed with laughter, "I would love to see it!"
Jonathan was still, composing himself and containing rage that he kept bottled within himself. He waited until the madman's laughter died away before saying in a low, cold voice, "You do understand, Mr. Brann, that Shannon is under special protection in these facilities?"
"Course she is!" Brann laughed, "All the doctors here are! But that won't stop me, that stupid body guard isn't-" He cut of when Jonathan started chuckling softly, a sound that made even him, a criminal and murderer, cringe.
"You believe I mean the protection put in place by the asylum?" he asked in laughter, picking up a vial and poking the syringe's needle into it's opening. He made the syringe swallow all of the vial's contents, a rather disgusting green liquid. He then put the vile back down on the counter, and looked over to Brann, whose eyes widened as the noticed the change in the doctor. He was no longer calm; In his eyes, blue fires danced in rage and a predatory smirk was on his face.
"I do not mean the asylum's protection, Mr. Brann," he told the now terrified patient, stalking forward and holding the needle up so light glistened off its point. When he reached Brann, he stabbed it deep into the grown man's muscular arm. Brann winced in pain, causing Jonathan to grin insanely. He loved pain, almost as much as he loved fear. "I am her protection," he whispered, pushing his finger down on the plunger and injecting Brann with his toxin. He then removed it, and after composing himself, went back to the counter. He replaced the syringe for a pen, and picked up a clip board. Turning back around, he began observations.
Brann was fine, yet confused, for only a minute. Then the screams started. He was looking every which way, his eyes darting around, and his body struggling against the restraints. Jonathan had only just looked down to write the effects when suddenly everything went quiet. Still, he scribbled down the effects before glancing back up. Sighing, his eyes went back to the clipboard and he wrote the last piece of the observation.
Prototype failed.
End result- Death.

Two weeks passed. Shannon never asked what had happened to her patient. She understood that sometimes medication had the wrong effect on people. They could have an allergic reaction or- in the case of Arkham Asylum- simply go mad. Perhaps Mr. Brann had committed suicide or had had to be shot down by a doctor, or something. Over the weeks that had past, Jonathan never brought up the name of Mr. Brann again, and Shannon followed his lead.
Jonathan did, however, ask how her other patients were doing- sanity wise and with their impulsive violent tendencies. Shannon told him everyday things were going just fine, which they were. It was almost weird how the patients that threatened her life the first couple times were barely talking. They answered her questions, but nothing more. No flirting, no threats, no odd questions. Nothing. But, Shannon did not question it. After all, if Ms. Jane Doe was no longer interested in skinning her, why would she begin questioning the sudden change in heart?
The only one of her patients showing the slightest of aggression was the Electrocutioner. He had spoken sadistically of how he enjoyed tying woman up, placing them in warm baths, and slowly lowering things such a toasters into the water. He talked about how some fought, some squirmed, and some just sat with building tears waiting for death. He had an unhealthy fascination with charred bodies, and could describe their blackened flesh and burning smell in such detail Shannon could see it. It made her gag. The first time he had recounted it, she had actually thrown up...
Still, Shannon kept this from Jonathan because it was just a psychopath being a psychopath. Nothing unusual there.
"Shannon?" Jonathan asked softly as he drove, waking Shannon from the overview of her day playing in her head. Shannon looked over to Jonathan, who took one hand off the wheel to straighten his glasses as he glanced to her. "I want to take you out tonight," he admitted indifferently, "Is that alright with you?"
"Of course," Shannon told Jonathan, smiling lightly at him, "I suppose this means you are done with that 'project' you've been so worried over?" Jonathan had been acting rather secretive the past few days. It was like him to be secretive, yes, but the way he had been acting was off. Usually he would at least give Shannon a clue to what he was doing, and he had been telling her he was working on a 'project', so they couldn't go out to dinner.
"Yes, indeed, darling," Jonathan responded, "I finished all the arrangements last night." Arrangements? Shannon looked to Jonathan to see him smirking. What 'arrangements' was he talking about? Wasn't he working on a project? Shannon was about to begin questioning this when the car stopped. They were at a house, an older one that- though only a story tall- seemed like a mansion to Shannon with it's lovely large windows and beautiful light blue color.
"What's this?" Shannon asked as Jonathan got out of the car. He quickly walked around the car and opened Shannon's door. He scooped her out, and when she looked at him, he was smiling. Actually, really smiling.
"Do you like it?" he asked, sounding almost nervous. Jonathan.. nervous? There was something big going on.
"Yes, it's a lovely house, Jonathan. But, what-" Shannon didn't finish as Jonathan chose that moment to give her a peck on the lips. A polite way of telling her to be quiet, which she obliged to, watching Jonathan suspiciously. Jonathan didn't seem to care though, as he kept a smile- a real smile- glued to his face, and walked to the front steps of the house. He sat Shannon on the old, white steps, then began pacing before her.
He was nervous, Shannon could tell. It was strange seeing Jonathan nervous- as he rarely was. Jonathan was always sure of himself; it was like he could predict the future, he was so calm. But now he was mumbling to himself, running his fingers through his hair, straightening his glasses even when they hadn't moved a centimeter.
"Jonathan?" Shannon piped up after five minutes of this odd behavior, "Jonathan, what is going on? What's wrong?" Jonathan looked to Shannon, and took a deep breath, composing himself. Then he strode forward to her, reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out a box. For a moment, Shannon was confused. But then, Jonathan knelt before her.
"Shannon," he began, sounding breathless, "Darling, I've been thinking these past few weeks about us. About love. I do love you, Shannon. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone in this world. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you at my side." Jonathan paused, looking into Shannon's wide, shocked eyes. He was trying to read her, trying to get an answer. But she was showing none. And so, Jonathan cleared his throat and continued, "Shannon, will you marry me?"

Shannon's eyes were wide. Had he... Had Jonathan Crane just ask her, Shannon Gordon, to marry him? The usually emotionless vessel had just asked for lifelong commitment and love? Shannon sat in shock, her brown eyes wide in plain astonishment. As she stared at the beautiful white-gold band that was reflecting her.
"Shannon?" Jonathan snapped, making Shannon jump. "Oh dear, I'm sorry," Jonathan quickly apologized. He hadn't been trying to scare her.. He was just-
"Yes," Shannon said softly, cutting Jonathan's thoughts short.
"W-what did you say?" Jonathan asked in a whisper. Shannon smiled, looking at Jonathan. He looked so vulnerable, and then so happy! He launched at Shannon, hugging her and kissing her, then slipping the band onto the ring finger of her left hand.
"Would you like to tell me where we are now, Jonathan?" Shannon asked, looking back at the cute blue house.
"Our home," Jonathan whispered in Shannon's ear. She felt him smile against her skin.
"Our home?" Shannon squeaked excitedly.
"Indeed, my love," Jonathan responded, "Barbara helped me pick it out. She said it was a bit off the beaten path and you probably would prefer that... She also helped me pack your things and bring them here little by little."
"How?.." Shannon began to ask, but then remembered that Barbara had been setting out her clothes recently. Shannon had been trying to do it by herself, but Barbara had claimed she wanted her to relax as her job was stressful. Since Barbara had set out her clothes. Shannon hadn't even bothered to look into the sets of drawers that held her clothing..
"We were pretty sure you'd say yes.." Jonathan admitted with a shy smile. Shannon grinned, laughing.
"I couldn't say no to you, Jonathan," she told him, kissing his lips lightly, "Never." She didn't notice the smirk that came to his mouth oh so briefly at her words.
"I know, darling," he responded sweetly, before picking her back up, and walking up the steps completely. The front door was already slightly ajar, as Jonathan had left it a bit open the night before. Shannon gasped as they came upon the quaint living area. It was a pastel yellow, and merged with an arch into a kitchen of the same color; a color that looked so very much like sunshine. The furniture was white, as were the curtains, and the floors were light. Bookshelves lined the wall farthest from the front door, the line only being broken by another arch that led to something that Shannon could tell was a hallway with light beige coloring. There was a comfortable looking loveseat straight in the line of light a window to the side provided, facing the window to look out upon a garden at the side of the house. Near it was a nice armchair she supposed Jonathan would sit in. Between the two seats was a small light wood table, a light sitting atop of it.
"Would you like to see the rest of the home?" Jonathan asked, lightly. Shannon looked up to him with a wide smile and nodded.
They went to the kitchen next. It was perfect to Shannon with the same flooring as the living room and matching cabinets with white granite tops. Before a large window was a small dining table with two chairs, a vase with buttercups in the center. In there, too, was an arch to the hallway which Jonathan took her to next. The first room, he announced, was a spare room in which he'd be staying until he and Shannon were wed- he was a traditional man and didn't believe two should share a bed out of wedlock. It was a good sized bedroom, pale green in color, with light furniture and flooring. The second room was a bathroom, themed like a beach with the sky blue coloring and sandy colored tiles.
The third was the bedroom Jonathan announced they would share in due time. When he opened the door, Shannon expected soft colors but instead found herself faced with dark wine colored walls, mahogany flooring, and almost black wooded furniture. The dark curtains were pulled, but a few candles were lit on the dresser, their tiny flames reflected in the rounded mirror.
"I hope you don't mind the color," Jonathan mumbled, sitting Shannon on the bed, "It was this color when I got here.. I painted all the other rooms, but this one. I can re-paint it though, if you'd like." He watched Shannon as she looked around the dark room in awe.
"I love it," he whispered, her grin returning to her, "It's so romantic. It's lovely Jonathan!" Jonathan gave her a light smile before helping her back on her feet.
"Would you like to go relax in your living room? I can fix you a hot glass of tea," Jonathan offered, to which Shannon nodded in agreement as her fiancé carried her back out into the hallway, towards the arch leading to the living room. But before he got there, Shannon noticed another door.
"What's that?" Shannon asked, craning her neck to see the door over Jonathan's shoulder as he turned into the living room.
"My office," Jonathan explained simply, "I would show you but it is quite a mess.. and there's some- uh- specialized paper work in there."
"Oh, it's fine," Shannon smiled as she was sat down on the loveseat. She leaned back against one of the pillows, feeling quite comfortable and warm.
"Good," Jonathan said, kissing her forehead, "I'll get you that tea, then." He smiled at her, then went to the kitchen to boil the water and ready the warm drink for Shannon. He noticed, as he was heating it, that night had began falling. When he returned to Shannon, the windows were darkened and she was fast asleep.
Jonathan smiled a bit, sitting the mug down on the side table before he moved to close the drapes.
"Shannon, darling," he mumbled quietly as he sat down in his armchair, "you probably don't realize it, but when I said I'd protect you, I meant to the fullest extent.. I killed that man who almost took you from me, and I'd do it again. I would tell you to your face, but I don't wish to frighten you, my love.." Jonathan ran his tongue over his dry lips, reaching for the mug of tea. He took a sip, and continued, "I'll kill anyone who tries to take you from me, Shannon, and I won't think twice. You are mine..."
He probably sounded crazy, if anyone else was listening. And no one was. Jonathan took another sip from the mug.
"It doesn't bother me, you know, Shannon," he went on, "Killing, I mean. Murdering. I've done it before... My brother.. I told you, darling, he tormented me every day of my life.. He deserved it, he really did.. But now, I could go after anyone. I just don't feel what's so wrong- it isn't like there aren't a million others around. Even you... No, no.. I wouldn't kill you, Shannon. I love you...
"I don't very much like killing, honestly, if that helps any. I've only killed perhaps thrice. And the last time I did was on accident. I wasn't trying to kill him, no..." Jonathan stopped, finishing off the tea and standing. He walked to Shannon, and lifted her up. "You've inspired me greatly, love," he explained as he carried her back to the hallway, "You and my brother. I know your fear, Shannon. I felt it once.. until I decided to not feel it anymore. He broke me, Shannon. He made me like this... But, you help... I will make them feel our pain, Shannon. I will drive those who defy us mad with fear- beautiful fear, my love."
Jonathan pushed open the bedroom door and walked in, lying Shannon on the plush comforter of the crimson bed. She moaned softly in her sleep as he let her go, making him smile softly. Jonathan kissed her head, then moved out of the room. Instead of going to the spare room, though, he turned towards his office. Taking a key out of his pocket, he unlocked the door , and pushed it open to show a room that was indeed messy, but not exactly what an office was to look like. Switching on the single light illuminated a wall lined with tabled on which vials of chemicals sat, in varying shades of green and purple. In the middle sat a desk, papers thrown all over it. On the other wall was a book case filled with binders detailing Jonathan's private experiments and a few other things. A corkboard was also hanging on that wall, with pictures of asylum occupants- Shannon's patients- and their information, some news articles, and almost a shrine to Shannon herself with some notes on her personality.
Jonathan sighed, pushing his glasses up. Everything was going as planned so far, and that's the way Jonathan intended to keep it.

All of Shannon's family members were ecstatic about the upcoming nuptials in their adopted girl's near future. Well, all but Jim Gordon, who was as suspicious as ever about Jonathan. He wasn't even aware Shannon would be moving out until one night she didn't come home from work. He had panicked, being as she was always home by nine. Always. Jim had gotten back into his uniform, holstered his gun, and was about to call reinforcements, when Barbra had noticed the ruckus. She had grabbed the phone from Jim, and hung it up before explaining exactly where Shannon was.
Jim, of course, thought his wife had gone crazy. She was letting their daughter move out of the house with a man she wasn't married to, and he pointed that out straight away. Of course, Barbra had countered him quickly, saying Shannon and Jonathan had been dating for almost five years and Shannon was an adult who could do as she pleased and that the wedding ceremony was only three months away, as Jonathan wanted to be married to Shannon as soon as he possibly could. This last point only further infuriated Jim, but instead of arguing he just went to bed in hopes perhaps all of that night had been a bad dream. Of course, It hadn't been, but it had been a valiant effort on Jim's part.
Jonathan's grandparents seemed to be happy about the wedding, too, though it was hard to tell with their indifference to almost everything. Jonathan later said, however, they very much liked Shannon- not that she could tell. Shannon found the couple to be rather draw, but never showed such thoughts to Jonathan during their visit to the extravagant manor in which they lived as she did not want to offend him or his grandparents. The visit there was short lived, however, when the subject of Jonathan's elder brother was brought up.
Jonathan had yanked Shannon from her chair and picked her up as his grandmother started recounting a girl his elder brother had almost married. The woman did not stop talking as Shannon was carried from the room.
"Such a pity, she was a lively girl. He died only a week before the wedding-" BAM! The front door slammed shut behind Shannon and Jonathan. Shannon looked up at Jonathan to see him red in the face, looking rather angry.
"I'm sorry you had to hear the old bat say all that," he muttered, shaking his head and surprising Shannon very much by the nickname he gave his own grandmother.
"You never told me your brother had passed away," Shannon said softly, trying not to further anger her fiancé as he began his decent of the front steps towards the car. His steely eyes darkened at the mention of his undesirable brother. He said nothing as he opened the passenger door of the car and slid Shannon inside. He slammed it shut, and Shannon felt the vehicle vibrate slightly from the force. Jonathan rounded the car and got in himself, but he did not all at once start it.
"Shannon," he said very seriously, straightening his glasses on his face, "Can you do something for me?" He looked to her, and did not even wait for a nod before he made his request- or more over order, "Never speak of my brother." And that was that.
Jonathan started up the car and drove them back to the little house the two of them had shared for a little over a week.
"How has the wedding plans been coming?" Jonathan asked at around the midpoint of the drive home. He saw Shannon's face brighten at the subject and half-listened to her babble on about her and Barbra's plans for the festivity. He smiled slightly, liking her happy and excited. He was very happy he had handed all creative control over to her, it made her relaxed somehow.
"I was thinking yellow flowers, maybe.. What do you think?" Shannon asked, and Jonathan, having picked up on an incoming question, nodded encouragingly.
"It sounds lovely, dearest," he told her, glancing in her direction, "And on the subject of flowers, I'm thinking of getting some roses for the garden. Would you like that?"
"Oh yes!" Shannon said happily, "I just love roses!" She paused a moment, and then squeaked excitedly, surprising Jonathan with the girlish sound, "Yellow roses! That's the flower, Jonathan! The perfect flower!"
"Well, I'll buy yellow rose bushes for the yard and I'll make you a beautiful bouquet," Jonathan chuckled as Shannon clapped with delight. It made Jonathan happy to see her so excited.. Ever since he had popped the question of marriage she had been so happy and had such a carefree mood- even at work. Though, at work she wasn't having death threats any longer. Jonathan had taken care of the last psycho who had scared her- some freak, the Electrocutioner. That prototype had been for the most part successful, keeping the patient alive and screaming in terrible fear for quite some time. The Electrocutioner, though, after three days killed himself somehow.
Having heard of the two deaths involving threats to Shannon Gordon and conducted by Jonathan Crane, the rest of the patients in Arkham exceeded normal 'healthy' procedure with Shannon. In addition to not making threats or crude remarks, Shannon had reported them quite polite. She was happy, believing they were warming up to her and she was making some sort of a difference. Little did she know that they feared her greatly because of her threatening fiancé.
"Are you hungry?" Jonathan asked Shannon as they pulled down the drive to their home. Shannon shook her head, giving a little yawn.
"Tired," she said, rolling her shoulders back. Jonathan laughed softly, seeing it was only six in the evening. Served her right for staying up late the night before fretting on every detail for the meeting of Jonathan's grandparents. Jonathan had told her he didn't care if she just wore a sack, as he didn't care what the old crones thought. Shannon, however, was set on impressing the two.. Now, Jonathan regretted taking Shannon to his grandparent to personally invite them. Because of them, the unbearable subject of Jonathan's brother had been brought up and Jonathan had upset Shannon by snapping at her about it..
"Jonathan?" he heard her say softly, snapping him from his thoughts, "You okay?"
"Oh, yes," Jonathan said plainly, before clearing his throat to continue, "But I believe I owe you an apology for my earlier behavior. I didn't mean to upset you, but the subject of my brother is touchy and-"
"It's okay," Shannon told Jonathan softly, placing a smooth palm on his cheek comfortingly, :You don't need to explain everything, Jonathan." Jonathan sighed and smiled lightly.
"Let's get you to bed, shall we, my love?" Shannon answered her fiancé with a soft yawn. Jonathan proceeded to remove Shannon from the car and bring her into their shared home.

"Are you ever going to show me that room Jonathan?" Shannon asked sleepily as they passed the once locked door in the house. Jonathan glanced to his secret office as he made his way to Shannon's room.
"We will see," he said soothingly, walking through the open door into the dark red room. He sat Shannon on the bed, then walked to the dresser to retrieve her clothes, as he had been doing for many days. He said nothing about it, though Shannon complained and said he shouldn’t worry himself with the meager task of picking out her clothing. Secretly, he enjoyed that bit of power over Shannon. He enjoyed it very much, as he enjoyed having the upper hand almost as much as he enjoyed pain and fear. Of course, he would never want Shannon in pain or fear.. he would just settle for the power he had over her.
"Thank you," Shannon said, flushing slightly as Jonathan handed her a rather sheer night dress, "Uh, Jonathan, I think.. I think Barbra may have packed this for.." Shannon cleared her throat, "for later.. When we are married." Jonathan smirked. He had known that when he had gotten it out.
"Just try it on, darling," he urged Shannon, seeing her a bit uncomfortable about it. However he knew his power over her was greater than her nervousness. She probably wouldn’t even question him. And she didn't, only nodding shyly as Jonathan smiled a cocky, triumphant smile.
"Go on, then," Shannon giggled anxiously, "I'll call if I need your help." Jonathan's face returned to its usual blank slate expression, and he turned and left from the room, though he left the door open. He had been since the first night Shannon spent there. After all, she was crippled with no walking stick in the room- Jonathan hadn't let her bring it into the house as he said she had him- and if she needed something, and the door was closed, Jonathan may not hear her. Besides, Jonathan wasn't the type of man to take advantage of his wife before marriage and where he was going, to the kitchen, he wouldn’t be able to see into the room whatsoever.
It had become somewhat of a habit for Jonathan to make a cup of tea for Shannon before she went to bed, though she had only been awake for two of the times he brought it. It seemed to Jonathan, she just didn't sleep well and it caused her to still be tired when she woke. He was thinking about doing a sleep study on her if it didn't start getting any better.
About fifteen minutes passed before the tea was ready. Jonathan readied a cup, and just as he suspected, when he walked into the room he found Shannon very much asleep. He smiled softly as he looked at the little nest she had done with the blankets so they built a bit of a wall around her without covering her. He had seen her do this once before during the days she had been with him so far, and when he asked she said it was just a way she slept and it was comfortable. Jonathan, however, wondered if it made her feel safer, slightly hidden behind the small wall of fabric that rose to the height of her horizontal lying body.
"I wish you didn't feel so scared," Jonathan said softly, sitting at the end of the bed as he did on the nights she was already sleeping, "I know it's him- Zsasz- you fear, but he is in Blackgate. And if he does escape, Shannon… If he does get out, I swear to you I will kill him." Jonathan shook his head angrily, thinking of the man who brought his future bride so much fear. No one was allowed to do that… except perhaps Jonathan…
"I told you, I won’t let anyone hurt you, and that includes Zsasz.. And me… I won't hurt you, Shannon," Jonathan whispered. He had promised Shannon numerous times he would not hurt her, though each time he grew more and more uncertain. It wasn't that he wanted Shannon in pain or frightened, he just.. he just wanted to see her afraid, truly afraid, like she would have been when the Zsasz man attacked. He envied that psycho for being able to see Shannon at such a state.. Jonathan wanted to study Shannon, to realize if her greatest fear truly was people and tight spaces as she said.. But, no… He would never use his toxin against her.. Never.
"Never," he whispered, standing and leaving a half empty cup of tea on the vanity as he walked out, "Never.. I would never hurt you… Or would I?.."

Three months flew by for a very busy Shannon Gordon as she balanced her job at Arkham with the planning of a wedding- a rushed wedding at that making it even more difficult to plan out. She was so busy, she hardly noticed the absence of her soon to be husband when her mother dropped her off at home from visits with the wedding planner. She was slightly upset when she first noticed he wasn't there to greet her, but when he told her it was very important work for Mr. Arkham, she decided she didn't mind. After all, he was still there every night to give her a kiss and bring her tea whether she was awake or not.
The wedding itself was nothing spectacular. It was simple and elegant, but the presence of so many unknown people- as the only guests Shannon had invited was her adopted family- was unnerving to her. She was glad that Jonathan had his hand around her waist to support her in both mind and body. However, she never did see the smirks he sent Jim Gordon, and neither did anyone else but a man Gordon had invited. Bruce Wayne was the man's name, and he greeted the bride happily, placing a kiss on the back of her hand before somehow forgetting to congratulate the groom.
"Who is that rude man?" Jonathan had asked his bride, who had only shook her head. She didn't know. The newlyweds only learned it was Bruce Wayne, the millionaire, when they saw him in the papers a few day later.
There was no honeymoon for Shannon. No, on the first night, the two shared a room for the first time and did as those who are married do. Shannon didn't know Jonathan was sneaking out of bed after she fell to sleep, and she also didn't notice the slight changing in his attitude- how he was growing colder and.. almost.. obsessive over her. Like when he said he didn't think she was sleeping well a month before the wedding. He had began writing down her daily activities, and tracking the time from which she fell asleep to when she awoke. He had then went through a number of experiments to find something to make her sleep better. The end result was a cardio bike- which Shannon was surprised to learn she could actually use-, a before bed bath, aroma therapy, and a dimmer switch for the bedroom light so some light could be on at all times. But, that wasn't all. Shannon was told Charlie, her guard, that her husband was frequently visiting the patients for which she interviewed. She, of course, waved it off. All of the patients she was seeing her had become almost friends to her. They were overwhelmingly polite, and the ones that weren't well… She wasn't very sure what happened to them..
Either way, in Shannon's vision, Jonathan was being a loving and protecting husband. Only a few actually noticed his obsessive tendencies. Charlie was one of these. He saw how Jonathan watched Shannon's every move, how he corrected her and carefully molded her as he wanted. He noted that Jonathan asked her questions about her day- and not normal ones. It was as if he wanted each and every moment of her day accounted for. He also saw that Shannon was constantly emailing him from the laptop he had gotten her, sending him even her patient interviews.
Another two who noticed were Shannon's parents, Barbara and Jim Gordon. They wanted to visit Shannon constantly, to see her home, but Jonathan always made excuses for them not to come. He hardly even allowed her to leave the house, and if he wasn't somewhere, she wasn't either. All phone cards the two made to Shannon was on speaker in the living room after Jonathan answered and asked the nature of the call. Nothing could be hidden from him, not that Shannon had anything to hide. Barbara was slowly seeing Gordon's suspicions…
Shannon remained oblivious to everything. In her eyes, life was perfect. She had a good house, a good job, and a loving husband who always wanted her with him. He was her safe place as he had been since they were kids. On work days, they ran a good routine. There was breakfast at home, then they headed to work. When they were done, they usually came straight home, save Wednesdays and Fridays when they went out to the little Italian eatery on which Jonathan had taken Shannon on their first date. On the weekends, they would spend the days together in the garden filled with beautiful yellow roses or in the sitting room reading, contented with each other's presence. At night, work day or weekend, Jonathan would bring Shannon her tea. If she was awake by that time he would take advantage of her consciousness before letting her fall to sleep in his arms. If she was asleep already, he would speak with her. He always, however, escaped the room without her knowing to go to his office where his obsessions would be seen at new heights- both his obsessions for fear and for Shannon. And oh how he longed to put those two things together somehow… But that was where he argued with himself.
Jonathan was sure that he loved Shannon. He knew after their first night married when he had her completely under his control in both body and mind… He wanted so to protect her, to keep her fears away… Yet, if what she saw wasn't real, if she knew that, then why couldn't he test his fear toxin on her? He knew it wouldn't kill her. He had finally gotten the dosage right and with Shannon he would be extra careful. But he didn't want her scared of him. It was constant turmoil Jonathan went through, controlling his darker side from hurting his own wife. And so, it was lucky for him when one night she finally noticed his absence.
It was their sixth month into marriage when she finally noticed him sneaking out of bed after she fell into sleeps arms. For a week she feigned sleep before he came to the room, and each night she heard his internal battle. It frightened her, his intense want to see her as frightened as Zsasz had made her- thankfully, that was all he spoke of the week she listened in. But, being the good wife she was she wanted to please her husband. She wanted to end the turmoil her husband was forcing himself through. And so, one night she followed him to his office, being as quiet as she could be. It wasn't exactly that silent, but Jonathan was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice her until she stood in the doorway, pale and tired.
"Jonathan," she whispered, out of breath as she wasn't normal to stressing her leg so. At the sound of her voice, Jonathan's head snapped up from the papers he had been pouring over. His face held a shocked expression and it didn't fade as he rushed to her.
"Shannon, darling… What are you doing up?" he asked, rushing to her and trying to push her into the hallway, "I'm sorry I wasn't in bed, love… I haven't been sleeping well, I-"
"Jonathan, I know you've been sneaking out of our room when I'm asleep," Shannon revealed. Jonathan didn't speak for a moment, and so Shannon continued on, "I've been tricking you this past week after I noticed, I… I heard all you said about the experiment you and Mr. Arkham have been working on.. About the patients and… And about me." At this Jonathan turned his back to Shannon and walked back into the room, leaving her to hang on the doorframe. She watched him pace a few moments, pushing a hand through his hair and adjusting his glasses.
"You shouldn't have done that," he growled lowly before his voice raised to a shout, "You shouldn't have done that! Shannon, I am dangerous! You shouldn't have followed me, you shouldn't have listened to me! Why can't you do this right!" He went off in a stream of curses, which almost frightened Shannon more than his raised voice to her. Jonathan had never spoken to Shannon in such a way, and never had he cursed in her presence.. She must have really upset him.
"J-Jonathan," Shannon quaked. He gave her no acknowledgement, and so she gulped down her momentary fear before barking out his name. "Jonathan!" That got his attention as he stopped his rant and looked at her, utterly surprised. He had never heard her speak high above a whisper.
"Yes?" he inquired, still fuming but trying to keep his cool.
"I want you to do it," Shannon mumbled, before clearing her throat and speaking more clearly, "I want you to get this off your mind… I know you want to do it, so just… Just go ahead. I'll do it." There was silence. Jonathan just stared at her, first in confusion and then in… in awe. He rushed to her and held her up by her forearms, seeming like an excited child.
"Really?.. You'll actually do this for me?" he questioned, not seeming to believe her words, "You'll let me inject you and undergo your worst fears… for me?" Shannon couldn't help but smile a little. Did he not already know she would do anything for him?
"I will," she stated softly, "On the condition that you will stay with me and keep my hand in yours so I can know it isn't all real…"
"Of course!" Jonathan quickly agreed, grinning, "Of course I will, Shannon! I'll stay right at your side, I just… I can't believe you'll let me do this.." He watched her eyes carefully, and he saw she was honest in wanting to do this for him. No more words were needed.
Jonathan quickly scooped her up and took her back to the bedroom, laying her down on top of the blankets of their bed and making sure she was comfortable. After doing so, he rushed back to his office, picked up a few things he would need and then returned to the bedroom, closing the door behind himself.
"What happens now?" Shannon whispered as he sat the things down on his vanity. She lifted her head to see he had a clipboard with some paper and a pen, a small vile of something green, and a syringe with a thin needle. Jonathan looked back at her and smiled sweetly.
"Now, you relax.. This won't be too bad," he informed her gently. It was a lie, but he wanted to reassure her. He didn't want her to change her mind on this.
"Alright," Shannon breathed, leaning back to rest her head on the soft pillow. She tried not to watch Jonathan as he filled the syringe with the green liquid, but found her eyes stuck on him. He picked up the clipboard and pen, then walked to the bed, the syringe in his other hand. He sat on the bedside and sat the clipboard down, reaching out to take Shannon's wrist.
"Are you sure about this Shannon? You don't have to go through with this," Jonathan reminded her. Shannon took her eyes off that syringe a moment to look into his blue ones that had always hypnotized her. But there was something different this time… A glint that she knew meant that even if she refused, he would somehow get her into doing it.
"I'm sure," Shannon nodded, to which Jonathan grinned. There were no more words. Jonathan laid her wrist onto his lap and carefully positioned the needle before plunging it in, emptying the contents of the syringe into Shannon's bloodstream.
For a moment there was utter silence as Shannon held onto Jonathan's hand. She saw him put the syringe onto the bed and pick up the pen instead. She heard him click it.. And then everything faded away. She felt Jonathan's hand holding hers, but she no longer saw him…
It was like a horror fest. Before her she saw the house she had come back to that last day of school. It looked the same as before as she held onto the chain link fence. She saw the window knocked out… all the blood…. And then Zsasz walked out. He had that insane smile, those hundreds of scars that covered his body, and that knife swinging in his hand as he walked- the one that handicapped her. A scream erupted from Shannon mouth and she hardly registered the gentle squeeze to her hand as dead bodies of her family and her patients began falling onto the lawn behind Zsasz.
Shannon was screaming, sobbing uncontrollably as Zsasz neared her. And then suddenly, he wasn't alone. The men who had killed her mother were there, dragging her body behind them.
"Don't worry, little zombie," Zsasz chortled, "You will be cured very soon." Shannon screamed again, wanting to run, but she seemed glued to the spot.
"Shannon…" a new voice suddenly whispered in her ear, "Shannon I'm here." Shannon blinked her teary eyes to look over and see Jonathan there. She didn't come out of her state, but suddenly she calmed. Jonathan was there… Jonathan meant safety… It didn't matter now that Zsasz was there or that the men who killed her mother were there. Jonathan was standing beside her, gently squeezing her hand. She kept her eyes trained on him as the threatening men approached her, trying to regain her attention.
~-~-~
Jonathan watched as Shannon shrieked and cried out for what seemed like an hour. He was curious of what frightened her so, but he supposed it would be Zsasz. He wondered if this was the reaction she had when she first saw the murderer… He guessed it might be worse.
As Shannon's screams grew louder, Jonathan began feeling a little remorse for putting her through all of it. He remembered he was holding her hand and squeezed it softly to no affect. She continued screaming. After a few more moments, Jonathan bowed his head and whispered into her ear.
"Shannon…" he called softly, "Shannon I'm here." Instantly, he saw the difference. Her body, which had been stiff as a board, seemed to relax and her head turned to his direction so her blank eyes stared at his shoulder. She no longer screamed and the last few tears rolled down her cheek, no more following it. Sitting up, Jonathan observed until her eyes closed and her body fully relaxed.
Jonathan gently let go of Shannon's hand and then began scribbling down his findings.
"Fascinating," he mumbled, reading over his writing, "Absolutely fascinating…" He set down the board and then looked to Shannon's completely peaceful expression. "My darling," he whispered, moving a strand of hair from her face, "I think I can fix your fears…"

The next morning, Shannon woke up in Jonathan's arms, which was odd because he was always up before her. She lay a few minutes wondering what had happened last night after she had been injected. At first, she couldn't seem to remember exactly what happened, but slowly the memory of the hallucination came. She remembered Zsasz, the men, and all the dead people… the people she loved… A shiver shot up her spine and for a moment she was lost in the pure horror.
"I see you're up, darling," Jonathan whispered gently, having felt her body tense. But as soon as she heard his voice, she relaxed. Jonathan smiled softly and kissed her hair.
"What… what happened last night Jonathan?" Shannon asked softly, snuggling against Jonathan.
"Wondrous discoveries, my love," Jonathan told her, running his fingers lightly through her hair before sitting up and getting out of bed, "I believe I may be able to cure you of your fears… I can make you as fearless as me, Shannon." This news made Shannon's eyes grow wide.
"What?" she asked, unbelieving, "Me? Not scared? Jonathan, it's a lovely thought to be unafraid… but I don't think it is possible."
"With my help it is," Jonathan assured, taking his glasses from the side table and putting them on, "And that is exactly what we are going to do." He turned to Shannon and scooped her up into his arms.
"J-Jonathan… What do you mean? What about work?" Shannon asked, now rather confused. It was Tuesday. They should be eating by now…
"Maternity leave," Jonathan announced, carrying Shannon down the hall and into the mysterious room that was his office, "Or so Mr. Arkham thinks… I'll have shorter hours and you'll have over nine months off… Or until this experiment is done."
"You told him I was pregnant?!" Shannon squeaked, "Jonathan, I'm not having a baby! Not yet, at least.. What are you going to do when he figures that out?!" Of course, Jonathan only shrugged.
"Mr. Arkham won't ask questions to his favored employee," he explained, kicking open his office door and taking Shannon inside. He sat her on his desk and then went behind it to look at a beaker that was bubbling over a burner.
"B-but, Jonathan.. I like my job…" Shannon mumbled, pouting at him. Jonathan didn't even look up at her, though, as he scribbled something down on a pad of paper.
"Shannon, please, it's only a year's time. Probably less," Jonathan assured his sulking wife, "I'm sure your patients will be cared for well. Now stop that pouting." Shannon sighed. He didn't even have to see her to know the expression on her face… She couldn't help but smile a little at that thought.
"What about my parents? What will I tell them?" Shannon wondered aloud.
"Same thing we are telling Mr. Arkham. You're pregnant," Jonathan informed her, glancing up to see her.
"They will want to see me…" she mentioned
"We will say you are sick," Jonathan shrugged.
"They'll want me in a hospital.."
"I'm a doctor," Jonathan reminded her.
"But, you're just a-" Shannon couldn't finish that thought as Jonathan walked around the desk and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
"Just trust me, alright?" Jonathan whispered against her lips. And how could Shannon say no?
"Of course I trust you," she smiled, then bit her lip before going to ask, "So, what are you going to be doing..? To… to make me 'fearless'?" Jonathan backed away from her and smiled.
"So you will let me do it, then? No questions?" Jonathan asked, before brushing a strand of hair from Shannon's face. He saw her face contort in thought a moment, but he sent her a breathtaking smile and she crumbled just as he wanted her to.
"Anything for you, Jonathan," Shannon agreed, grinning happily. Did Jonathan feel bad for using himself against Shannon? Yes, a little, but not much. It wasn't as if he was going to hurt her. No, he was helping Shannon. He would make her fearless… Of course, she would most likely be more dependent on Jonathan, but that was alright. Jonathan liked his power over her.
"Good," he smirked, leaning forward and kissing Shannon's forehead. He then rounded the desk, taking a breath before announcing his plan for her, "I had the idea last night, and I have confidence that if it is carried out correctly, it will cure you of your fears as long as I am in the general area… Last night I watched you as you went through your terror. It was utterly heart wrenching, I must tell you, but fascinating.. Eventually, though, I couldn't take it anymore so I spoke to you. And the moment I did that… It was like… You just totally relaxed."
"I remember that.." Shannon said softly, "I heard you.. And there you were. I kept my eyes on you and everything else faded away."
"You fell asleep," Jonathan nodded, "Yes. Now, you used me to block out your fear, and that is excellent.. but you had to see me. I want to reduce that into my voice, then my touch, then just you knowing of my presence. If I can do that, you can go basically anywhere and not be frightened as long as I am in the area, or as long as you think I am. Claustrophobia, xenophobia, and your thoughts of impending doom, all out the window. Just like that." He snapped his finger on the last sentence as emphasis.
"You… You can do that?" Shannon whispered, amazed. She knew Jonathan was a brilliant man, but never did she imagine he could do something like that.
"Yes," Jonathan smiled, sitting down behind his desk, "At the end of this experiment, I will be able to inject you with the fear serum and leave the house at a random time and you will still feel safe as you will think I'm still there." Jonathan watched Shannon as he spoke, and noticed when he mentioned the fear serum how she suddenly tensed.
"Y-You're going to inject me with that stuff again?" she stammered. Jonathan gave her a small smile to reassure her.
"By the end of this, you won't even blink to it, darling. Trust me," he urged, to which she nodded. And so it began.
That afternoon the experiments began. Shannon sat on the bed beside Jonathan, where he injected her with the fear serum. It was the same as the day before. She screamed and cried until he spoke to her. Then she turned her head and watched Jonathan until she passed out. Once she was out, Jonathan left for work. When he returned, they went another round.
After a week of just this, Jonathan began telling Shannon to look back to her fear and just listen to his voice and feel his hand on hers. At first, it didn't work so well. She thought if she looked away, Jonathan would disappear and Zsasz would get to her. Slowly, however, she eased to it. She could stare into Zsasz's eyes, as long as she heard and felt Jonathan next to her. And he stayed next to her, either holding her hand or wrapping an arm around her as she endured the torture of her hallucinations. He would coo encouragement and sweet nothings into her ear as she faced her fears. He was so proud of her. And she was so happy to please.
Jonathan kept Shannon in their little world as he continued their experiment. Five months in, and she was totally clueless her parents were worried sick and her husband had turned into a villains assistant. The Joker, a former high security patient at Arkham, had broken out with the help of Dr. Harleen Quinzel. Due to her status at Arkham, Dr. Quinzel knew of Jonathan's experimentation on patients and had told her new sweetheart of his abilities. The Joker wanted in and agreed to pay good… Good enough for Jonathan to temporarily take leave from his job at Arkham and work primarily for the Joker. It was extremely risky, of course, with the Batman searching all Gotham for the source of the fear toxin Joker and Harley Quinn- the new name of Harleen Quinzel- were using on their victims…
Shannon was totally oblivious, of course. She had no idea her husband was working with criminals… Or that in the seventh month he became one himself. It seemed to improve his toxin, he needed a few things that weren't so easy to get his hand on. And so, the Scarecrow was born. And it was such a lovely experiment to see the different reactions different people had to his hideous mask. He had the greatest urge to show it to Shannon in her state, but they had just gotten to the just touch stage and he didn't want to backtrack…
But, there were things he didn't know, too… Like that Shannon was becoming a bit addicted to the fear toxin. She loved the rush she got when she caught sight of her worst fear, and the ease Jonathan gave her… However, she didn't like the paranoia she began getting whenever Jonathan wasn't around or whenever they didn't do the experimentation at the time it was supposed to be. It was such a scary feeling, one that had her looking under everything in the house, double checking the locks, and sitting in the corner of the kitchen clutching a butcher's knife. Jonathan, however, was just too busy keeping his secrets to notice Shannon had any of her own…
Another month passed. Jonathan was to the point where he only had to reassure Shannon with his hand on her shoulder a few moments every few minutes. It was amazing progress. He would need another couple months or so, but soon she would be fearless and dependant solely on himself.
"Just you wait, Shannon," he whispered to her, holding her frail hand as she slept after another of their runs, "Soon, you won't be frightened by that Zsasz man… No one will be able to scare you… Well, no one but me, but I would never-" The sound of Jonathan's phone chiming brought him from his thoughts. He cursed softly, standing and rushing out of the room. He silently closed the door so he wouldn't disturb Shannon, then went to the kitchen to find his phone. It was on the counter, ringing shrilly. Jonathan looked at the caller ID, then spit out another curse.
"This isn't a good time," he hissed into the speaker as soon as he picked up the phone. On the other end, he heard a man click his tongue.
"Now, now, Crane," Joker snarled in his croaky voice, "I know you have a wife to watch, but this is the first time in a week I've called. I need your toxin and you at the warehouse in ten minutes. Bring your mask."
"Joker, my wife is very sick," Jonathan growled, "I can't leave her alone right now."
"Well," the Joker hummed, his voice going high, "I could always send Harley to watch her for you…" Jonathan wanted to throw his phone at the offer. Harley was a psychopath, not as much as Joker, but still… Jonathan didn't trust Harley with Shannon.
"No, that's okay," Jonathan fumed, "I will be there in ten minutes with the toxin and my mask…" He heard the Joker cackle on the other end of the phone.
"Perfect," he laughed, and then the line went dead. Jonathan threw his phone against the wall, where it broke with a crack. This was all just perfect. Now he had to leave Shannon while she was asleep. If she woke and he was gone, there could be a major backtrack in progress.. But what choice did he have?
Jonathan stormed into his office, grabbing a bag that contained glass balls filled with fear toxin and his burlap mask. On his way out, he looked back at Shannon's bedroom door.
"I'll be home soon, darling.." he whispered before opening the door and walking out, shutting it lightly behind himself.

Tonight on Gotham News Channel Five, we have breaking news! Batman, with the help of the GCPD, caught two of the most infamous villains in Gotham.
The Joker and the Scarecrow were caught robbing a bank late this evening. Their motives are undeclared. There was no sign of Harleen Quinzel, the former doctor of Arkham who now is known by 'Harley Quinn'. The-
Wait, we are getting a message from the Gotham City Police Department. It seems while the Joker still remains a John Doe, the Scarecrow has been unmasked as Jonathan Crane, doctor at Arkham Asylum and son-in-law to Police Chief Gordon! We are taking you live now to-
The television switched off as Shannon's hands shook violently, her eyes tearing up. She had woken up an hour ago and saw Jonathan was missing. She had guessed he had only gone into work as he sometimes had to, so she had made her way to the spare room where the only television in the Crane household was located. In turning it on, she had seen it was switched to the news, which was showing various clips of the three 'Gotham Rogues', as they were called. Harley Quinn, Joker, and the last, Scarecrow. Deep in her mind, Shannon recognized the body of the man she loved most. The one that held her, comforted her, and made her safe… But she hadn't wanted to admit it to herself.
Somewhere in the house she heard her phone ringing, but she didn't have it in her to get up to answer it. Then there was a knocking on her door… She frowned a little, tears still streaking down her cheeks. It couldn't be her father.. He would be at work, or possibly- hopefully- finding a way to get Jonathan out of jail… Maybe it was her mother… Or maybe-
"Mrs. Craaaaaane," a nasally, accented voice sang loud enough to echo through the house, "Mrs. Crane? Are you in missy?" Shannon stood slowly, leaning on the wall for support and began making her way slowly towards the hall. She apparently wasn't fast enough for whoever was on the other side of the front door, though, as there was a sharp CRACK, followed by a loud CRASH!
"W-who is t-there?" Shannon stuttered nervously, hanging on to the door frame, horrified. She heard the footsteps approaching in a quick fashion. Then from behind the arch connecting the hallway and kitchen popped a young woman a little younger than Shannon. She wore a red halter top, tight black jeans, and red platform heels. Her hair was tied up in two high pigtails and a wide smile was on her face.
"Well, there ya are, Mrs. Crane!" she cried happily in what Shannon identified as a Brooklyn accent, "I knew ya had ta be in here- Crane said you were rather sick… Whatcha doin' outta bed?"
"I-I'm not… not really sick…" Shannon mumbled, confused on who this lady was, "We… We've just been… We've been running experiments…"
"On what?" the lady questioned curiously, still smiling brightly.
"Me…" Shannon told her, to which the lady became rather shocked.
"He's been running experiments on ya?! What do you… Well, you can explain later. I'm Harley, by the way! We used to work together, not that we ever saw each other. I worked with the really nutty people like Mistah J," Harley Quinn grinned, causing Shannon's eyebrows to furrow.
"W-Why are you here?" Shannon asked cautiously as Harley skipped up next to her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Ta getcha outta here, silly! Can't have your daddy questionin' ya!" Harley explained, dragging Shannon along. Shannon dragged her feet, not wanting to move, but Harley was rather strong for a thin woman.
"B-but I don't know anything! I promise!" Shannon assured Harley, afraid of leaving her home, the last place she saw as safe, "P-please, don't make me leave! What if Jonathan comes back, what if-"
"Mrs. Crane, I'm really sorry 'bout the husband and all that.. They got Mistah J, too…" Harley sighed sadly, dragging Shannon out of the house and towards a shiny red sports car, "But look, I'll look out for ya until the big guys get back. Jonathan told me, though, at the beginnin' of all this, if he was found out he wanted ya safe. So I agreed ta watch ya for him, alright?" Shannon was quiet a moment as she processed Harley's words.
"Jonathan?" she whispered as Harley loaded her in the car, "You mean… Jonathan said for you to do this? He… he wanted me to go with you?"
"Yep!" Harley stated, popping the 'P', "Ole' Crane told me ta watch ya, so here I am!" Harley closed the door, then skipped around the car to the driver's side and slipped in.
"Oh.." Shannon mumbled, thinking it over before nodding, "A-Alright… If Jonathan said go with you, I guess it must be safe.." Harley looked to Shannon and smiled as she started the car up.
"You really trust him, don't ya?"Harley wondered aloud. Shannon nodded.
"Of course I do… I've been in love with him since middle school, and he's been caring for me since college.." Shannon informed Harley.
"What about the whole 'Scarecrow' thingy?" Harley went on, pressing down the gas pedal with her toe. Shannon gripped the sides of her seat as the car zoomed down the empty street.
"He… he must have a good reason for it," Shannon decided, convincing herself, "He would never just do something like that for no reason.. He is a genius."
"He got caught," Harley mentioned, taking a sharp turn, making Shannon's head slam against the window.
"Ouch!" Shannon yelped, reaching up to feel a knot forming on her head.
"Oh my gosh! I am sooo sorry, Mrs. Crane!" Harley squeaked, still speeding down the street.
"Why are you going so fast?!" Shannon squealed, seeing the speedometer slowly creep past one hundred. Harley didn't answer, though, as the sound of sirens began to form behind them.
"Well, that'd be because you're daddy is one of my biggest fans," Harley sighed, taking another sharp turn, "Next to Batsy that is.. Speak of the devil…" Harley cursed as a slick black military-like car pulled up right next to her own red sports car.
"What is that?!" Shannon shouted, looking out the window wide eyed at the strange vehicle coming awfully close to the passenger side.
"No one ya need ta worry about, Mrs. Crane," Harley huffed, "Now hold on. He just made my job much more difficult.." Shannon's hands clutched to the sides of her seat, her nails digging into the leather as Harley began swerving all over the room.
"Is this necessary?!" Shannon screeched, her head almost hitting the dash board.
"For ya? Nah," Harley shrugged, "But for me… Well, I don't want ta go back ta Arkham and I certainly don't want Mistah J mad at me, which he will be if I don't get ya safe and sound." Suddenly there was an exploding noise.
"What was-"
"He shot the tire! Stupid Bat!" Harley growled, trying to keep control of the car. She cursed as another tire was shot out, pulling into the dirt on the side of the road. "Mistah J better have a backup plan," Harley muttered as she stopped the car, and reached in the back to grab something, "Until then… I'm really sorry 'bout this, Mrs. Crane." When Harley sat up, Shannon saw her holding a rather large barreled hand gun. If it wasn't pointed at her, it may have been comical…
"W-what?" Shannon whimpered, her eyes wide. Harley only shook her head, and grabbed Shannon's arm with her free hand.
"No time ta explain…" she sang softly, kicking open the car door and pulling Shannon out behind her, "Just trust me." With that, Harley spun Shannon around to face a large, muscular man dressed in a bat costume of sorts, keeping one arm around the handicapped girl's waist to hold her up. She felt tears prick in her eyes as the cool metal of the gun's barrel circled her temple.
"Harley," the Batman growled, keeping his distance as not to upset the villain holding the girl hostage.
"Well, hey there, Batsy. Long time, no see," Harley grinned, setting her chin on Shannon's shoulder as she held the gun steady at the other side.
"Harley, let her go," the Batman grumbled, his voice scratchy and low, as he began circling around the two ladies.
"Hmm… That wasn't my job, so I don't think so," Harley smiled back at him, turning Shannon to continuously face him, "Now, if you would be so kind to call us a cab…"
"Just hand over Shannon Crane, and you can go, Harley." Shannon closed her eyes, praying Harley would just give her over. But of course, she just held on to her.
"Yeah, hand her over and Crane puts me in an unending nightmare. I got my orders, Batsy," Harley huffed. Shannon listened. The police cruisers still sounded far off.. Were they not coming after all? "Besides, I really doubt she wants to go with the man who landed her poor hubby in jail… Right in the middle of his experiment on her, too…"
"Y-You… You put Jonathan away?!" Shannon cried angrily, opening her eyes to glare at the Batman, "You took my husband away?!"
"That he did, Mrs. Crane," Harley pouted, happy to see she had turned Shannon on the hero. But Harley didn't count on what happened next as Shannon grabbed the gun away from her head and aimed it angrily at the Batman.
"That man is everything to me," Shannon growled, Harley still holding her up, "And you have gone and taken him away from me!"
"Shannon, you have the Gordons'," the Batman reminded her, his voice trying to be gentle, "They can take care of you…"
"No, they can't!" Shannon barked, tears running down her cheeks, "Jonathan is the only one who can take care of me and you took him away! You. Took. Him. Away!"
"He is in Arkham, you can visit him-"
"I will kill you!" Shannon screeched, surprising both Harley and Batman. The Batman opened his mouth to speak again, but suddenly he was flying across the ground as a large black van hit him.
"What the.." Harley mumbled, and then squealed happily when the door opened to reveal a slim ginger man in a green suit, "Edward! Thank God, I thought she was about to kill him! Mistah J would not have been happy if his favorite entertainment was killed without his consent.."
"Yeah, yeah, get in you two.. Jonathan called me before he got caught and told me to come see to Shannon. I've been following your car since you left her house," the man, Edward, announced, rolling his eyes, "I should've known you'd be after her. Joker's orders, huh?" Harley shrugged, opening the back of the van and throwing Shannon in.
"Mistah J didn't know if she knew about what was happenin'. He didn't want any squealers," Harley told Edward, shutting the back sliding door and walking around to get in the side. Shannon's brow furrowed. She thought Jonathan had sent Harley… but he had sent this Edward guy?
"My husband sent you, not Harley?" Shannon asked, confused at this point. Edward looked around at Shannon and smiled, giving her a nod.
"That is correct," he told her, locking the doors to the van as Harley reached to open the passenger door, "Lesson of the day- never trust a clown." Harley banged on the window of the van, realizing she had been locked out. Edward shrugged at her, then started driving, leaving her behind.
"W-What about Harley?!" Shannon asked, crawling across the carpeted back of the van to get to the passenger seat.
"What about her?" Edward shrugged, obviously not very worried, "I'm not yet considered a criminal as Harley is. I'm still just a masked villain like Jonathan used to be, and I am not going to harbor her. She'll get us all caught in a week… If you are going to sit there, buckle up. I promised Jonathan I would keep you safe, and I plan to keep a promise to my oldest friend."
"Your Jonathan's… friend?" Shannon questioned, the two words feeling unfamiliar together. Shannon had never known Jonathan to be friendly to anyone other than herself and people he considered respectable in position, such as the professors and Mr. Arkham. In fact, he was hardly pleasant to anyone else…
"Well, I consider him a friend… Don't you remember me from the wedding?" Edward chuckled, glancing over to her. Shannon narrowed her eyes and actually took time to examine the man's narrow face. He was pale with slicked gingery hair and bright green eyes. Yes, she remembered him.
"Yeah… I do, now that you mention it…" Shannon smiled a little, "You got us a sort of.. odd wedding present, right?"
"A book of riddles," Edward grinned, "You may not get it, but Jonathan I'm sure got a silent, emotionless kick out of it." Shannon grinned at that.
"You definitely know Jonathan," she said softly.
"Since elementary school," Jonathan nodded, glancing to Shannon, "Your husband has always been a stuck up know it all… But I got him with my riddle. He's really horrible with them, actually, he over thinks it too much."
"You became friends over a riddle?" Shannon almost giggled, thinking of a little Jonathan frustrated over something he couldn't figure out.
"Kind of," Edward chuckled, "He actually hated me until middle school because I wouldn't give him the answer. Then someone told him the answer- apparently he was still obsessing over it and-"
"The writer's riddle," Shannon smiled.
"You told him?!" Edward laughed, driving calmly through a nice neighborhood now. Shannon nodded, smiling softly.
"He sat next to me in math… He had a page where he had written it down and he couldn't figure out so I wrote on a slip of paper and passed it to him," Shannon told him, lost in her old memory of happier times before her mother died, "The writer's riddle… A writer's autobiography is the work that is never done…"
"Correct," Edward smirked, "You didn't over think it."
"I'm not Jonathan," Shannon reminded him.
"I can tell… You’re much more pleasant," Edward let her know, turning into a driveway of one of the cookie cutter homes on the suburban street.
"I'm staying with you, then," Shannon asked softly as Edward pulled into the open garage and pressed a button to close it behind the van. He nodded.
"Until Jonathan gets out of Arkham and can find a stable place for you and him, yeah…" Edward nodded, getting out of the car and closing the door behind him. Shannon opened her mouth to tell him she couldn't walk properly, but closed it when she saw him circling around to open her door and scooped her out. "He told me about your disability and such, how you were used to being carried around."
"He had time to explain all that?" Shannon wondered aloud, to which Edward shook his head.
"No. Like I said, we've been friends quite a while. I call sometimes.. Mostly at night, he says he doesn’t sleep well anyway," Edward explained, "And don't get too used to being carried around.. I got a wheelchair with your name on it. Your bedroom is on the first story, so you'll be just fine, I think."
"He… He'll be back soon, won't he?" Shannon asked softly, looking up at Edward with wide eyes. He frowned down at her, going into the house that the two would share for… Well, Edward didn't know how long yet… But, Jonathan had told him not to worry Shannon, and telling her there was no way her husband would be getting out of a high security cell in Arkham Asylum anytime soon…. That would probably worry her.
"I'm sure he will be, Shannon," Edward assured.. Or more like lied…

"I'm here to visit my step-brother," Edward smiled at the woman working behind the counter, handing her his ID. She took it and went to check her computer. Edward took the time to glance around, his eye catching a post on the wall. A missing sign for Mrs. Shannon Crane, asking for any and all information of her continued existence to be turned into the GCPD. Well, that wouldn't be happening…
"Oh, Mr. Nigma… I'm not sure if your step-brother will want to be seeing any visitors-"
"Ah, Edward, my boy!" the hearty voice of Mr. Arkham cut in as if cued, "Johnny has been wondering when you would show up, the dear boy… He may be crazy but he is as nice as ever.. Perhaps you can see what is wrong in that head of him, hm?"
"I'll try, Mr. Arkham," Edward sighed, nodding to the woman at the counter as he took his ID back.
"Have a nice visit, sir!" she called as Mr. Arkham steered Edward away from the counter.
"You shouldn't be here, Edward… Jonathan isn't supposed to have visitors for six months. It's only been five," Mr. Arkham mumbled, "He's been working on an escape plan, and he will not want to be interrupted. Perhaps-"
"Tell him it's about his wife," Edward sighed, "I'm sure he won't mind."
"Is something wrong with Shannon? Have they found her?" Mr. Arkham worried, looking at Edward with obvious concern.
"I need a private room with Jonathan.. One we will not be heard from," Edward mumbled, not answering Mr. Arkham's questions deliberately. If Jonathan hadn't trusted the round man, he wouldn't either.
"Done," Mr. Arkham nodded. He led Edward through the maze like hallways and they ended in front of a door on which read 'Dr. Shannon Gordon, Psychotherapist'. Mr. Arkham opened the door and Edward walked in, looking around in the welcoming space. He could feel the comfort here, the walls a tan color with a small hanging light fixture on the ceiling. The desk was askew in the corner with a picture of Jonathan and Shannon's wedding and a couple small plants on it. Behind it was a leather rolling chair and in front of it was a comfortable looking plush chair. The matching loveseat was pushed back against the wall, a dying fern beside it. "I'll send Jonathan along," Mr. Arkham told Edward, then backed out of the room.
Edward kept looking around the room as he heard the door click closed. He wondered if Shannon had liked her work here at Arkham… Jonathan had often said he felt bad for influencing her choice so, but it seemed so homey in the little room… Edward was sure Shannon had made it that way with the help of the custodians. Maybe it was to make herself more comfortable, though.
"Edward," a dry voice suddenly greeted from behind Edward. He looked around and smiled when he saw Jonathan in an orange jump suite, looking a bit rough.
"Jonathan… Good to see you," Edward smiled, sitting in the chair before the desk. Jonathan nodded silently, walking around the desk and sitting behind it.
"Shannon is safe, right?" Jonathan mumbled, running a hand through his hair, not seeming very concerned.
"She is… For now," Edward nodded. That gained Jonathan's attention, and those icy eyes glared at Edward behind smudged lenses.
"What is that supposed to mean, Edward?" Jonathan growled, his hands turning to fists on the desk, "You said you would keep her safe-"
"And I will, but she is starting to worry me, Jonathan!" Edward declared, watching his friend's expression turned into one of confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean every time I come home from work, I find her huddled in the corner crying and holding a knife!" Edward told Jonathan, shaking his head, "Yesterday she nearly killed me… I had to drug her before I left today… Jonathan, something is wrong with her…"
"Is there anything else?" Jonathan questioned anxiously, looking genuinely concerned, something Edward wasn't used to.
"She has nightmares… Wakes up screaming, you know. And when she thinks she's alone…" Edward trailed off for a moment and shook his head, "She says things, Jonathan.. She is obsessed over you. She keeps whispering, wondering when you will come back, what you two will do-"
"Well of course! She's rather attached-"
"I wasn't finished," Edward interrupted, "She is afraid you won't come back and she starts arguing with herself. Not normal type stuff, either. It's violent and… She keeps saying she is going to kill the Batman… And herself…"
"What?!" Jonathan roared, outraged at the thought of his wife being in such a state.
"I looked up the symptoms.. Has she ever shown signs of schizophrenia or bipolar-" Edward cut off, watching Jonathan's face pale, "What's wrong?"
"The experiment," Jonathan mumbled, his eyes widened, "It's the experiment. We didn't get to finish and now… Oh God, what have I done?!"
"What?!" Edward questioned, "Jonathan, what the heck did you do?!"
"It… It wasn't meant to be ended so abruptly! I knew it was affecting her, but only when I was gone! And I wasn't supposed to be gone this long!"
"What is it?!" Edward demanded, standing and slamming his fist on the desk. Jonathan looked up at him and for the first time ever… the fearless man looked scared.
"I… I gave her the toxin," Jonathan whimpered, looking away as Edward's eyes widened, "It wasn't supposed to be like this… I was going to be her safe place and she wouldn't worry anymore with me around, but…. I didn't get to finish…"
"You did what?!" Edward shouted at his friend, making the grown man flinch.
"It wasn't supposed to happen like this," Jonathan whispered in a far away manner, "She was supposed to get better…"
"Well, what is going on with her now?" Edward questioned, trying to stay calm and not slap Jonathan over the head for his stupidity. If the man wanted to keep his own wife safe, why had he risked everything for his obsession with fear?
"I don't know," Jonathan growled under his breath before he stood, straightening his glasses and wiping all emotion from his face, "I'll look into it. Until then just keep watching her, I appreciate it. Tell her I will see her soon."
"Will you?" Edward asked, wanting a truthful answer, both for himself and Shannon. The girl needed the truth for once…
Jonathan stopped at the door, his hand on the knob. He didn't give an answer.. He just walked out.
~-~-~-~-~
"Shannon?!" Edward called out as he realized Shannon was not where he had left her in her room. He rushed through the house, double checking in closets and behind shower curtains as Shannon had taken to hiding in closed off areas. She was nowhere to be found… And that frightened him more than it should have considering she had almost killed him the last time…
On the thought of Shannon's preference of knives as protective weapons, Edward hurried to the kitchen to take a count of his knives. Thankfully, he found them all there… But he also found something less desirable. Turning from the knife drawer, Edward found himself facing a note taped to his refrigerator. He pulled it off, letting go of a stream of curses as he read.
Dear Eddie,
Took Mrs. Crane for a little trip since I saw you were gone. I'll keep her safe 'til the doctor gets out of the madhouse.
Watch out for the coppers!
Harley
"Harley!" Edward roared. That clown had found out where he lived?! And she had broken in to get Shannon, who he was supposed to be watching for Jonathan… Oh the man would kill him when he discovered that his wife had been kidnapped by that crazy woman… And if Harley wasn't careful… Edward's eyes widened. "Oh God," Edward mumbled, running back towards the garage, "That girl is going to get herself killed… "

Harley sat upside down on the ratty couch in the lair, Shannon lying on an old carpet in front of her. She hadn't wanted to have to steal the lady back, but she also hadn't wanted to make her Mistah J upset with her. He had told Harley to keep Shannon safe until he and Jonathan got back out of Arkham if they ever got confined. Harley had let Shannon stay with Edward long enough, and she was sure that the day of her puddin's return was drawing close.
"Jonathan…" Shannon whimpered in her sleep for what seemed the hundredth time. Harley sighed dreamily.
"So romantic," she mused, smiling softly, "It's been a whole month and she's still just'a dreamin' of him… I wonder if Mistah J is dreamin' of me…"
"Too long," Shannon continued whimpering, looking disturbed and pained as she twitched on the ground, "Too long.. Don't hurt me…. No… No!" Harley jumped as Shannon sat up, screaming the last word.
"Mrs. Crane? What's wrong?" Harley worried, running over to inspect Shannon. How was she to know that the crippled girl had rather strong arms? Or that she had become extremely violent?
"Where is Jonathan?!" Shannon screeched, flinching away from Harley's outreached hand.
"Arkham, Mrs. Crane," Harley assured gently, confused by the outburst, "You know that, Mrs. Crane.." Harley reached out for Shannon once more, but this time Shannon reached out and grabbed her wrist, yanking her to the ground next to her before using her hands to choke the blonde woman.
"You put him there!" Shannon accused angrily as Harley choked below her, "You put him there! I will kill you!" Shannon continued screaming obscene threats until Harley stopped struggling beneath her and went limp. She was still alive, but as Shannon wasn't in the right mind, she didn't bother to check for a pulse. In her mind, the person she had choked was dead… And in her mind, the person she had choked was Batman…
Slowly, Shannon stood, maintaining her weight on her good leg, the other one aching… But she ignored that… She saw keys on the table and grabbed them up before she began towards the door of the room she expected led out, having a rather drastic limp. When she came to the door, she pushed it open, hanging to it for support momentarily before moving out. She saw the car within a moment in the dark night, another pretty red thing.
Unconscious tears slid down Shannon's cheeks as she limped slowly to the car, a war waging inside her. She knew where her body was taking her as she slid into the car. She had been holding out as long as she possibly could waiting for Jonathan, but everything was becoming too much. Every time she closed her eyes that awful scene came into her mind and each time it got worse… Jonathan had lied.. He said she would be fearless and that he would always be there… Now whenever she felt fine, she craved fear and every time she felt fear, she craved Jonathan… And he wasn't there.. Shannon couldn't take it anymore, the constant paranoia… She had nearly killed Edward, thinking he was Zsasz…
She didn't want to kill anyone.. But it was getting worse every day. She could feel herself going insane.. She just had to accept that Jonathan wasn't going to come back and she wasn't going to get better, only worse… And she needed to end it.
Shannon was thankful for the nearly empty streets as she drove uneasily down them. She had at one time tried to drive, but had never learned properly… She regretted not having that experience as she neared her ultimate fate. After a few minutes, she saw the bridge that connected Gotham to other cities to which Shannon had never gone and would never get to go. Another regret…
There weren't many cars crossing the bridge at that point in the night, so Shannon was able to pull the car to the side of the bridge without getting in the way. And since she was not in the way, no one really noticed as she climbed out of the car to limp a few steps to the edge of the bridge. Looking down, she saw the black water of the icy river raging on. Her fate…
Tears once again ran down her cheeks as she placed a hand on one of the beams that guarded the bridge. She didn't want to jump.. All the things she hadn't done… And what if Jonathan did get out of Arkham? What would he do if she was dead? What of her family…?
"Shannon," the recognizable raspy voice called, making Shannon's blood boil as she looked back at the Batman.
"Stay away from me," she growled out, not noticing the police cruiser stopping on the road.
"Shannon, get away from the edge.. You don't want to do this," the Batman grumbled, watching her with hard eyes. Shannon opened her mouth to shout at the man, but then closed it back when she saw the aged face of her father behind him.
"D-Daddy?" Shannon whispered, unknowingly striking Jim Gordon's heart as she hopped around to face the two men watching her. Never had Shannon called him anything other than his first name.
"Shannon," Jim called softly, "Please, come here… Look, we can talk about this. I know you miss Jonathan-"
"He locked him up," Shannon whimpered, looking to the Batman with teary eyes.
"I know, sweetie," Jim cooed, slowly moving towards his daughter, "I know… But Jonathan did some bad things.. Maybe we can get him on house arrest, then he can be with you."
"Don't give her false promises, Gordon," Batman warned, glaring at the man. Jim glanced over his shoulder.
"There is something wrong with her," he hissed angrily, "I will do what I need to make my daughter safe."
"Don't tell her she will get her husband back," the Batman advised, "He won't be let out of Arkham until he reveals his 'unfinished project'-"
"I'm the project," Shannon whispered, not noticing how her body was shaking as fear and paranoia began working its way into her system once more, "I-I'm his project, h-he gave me th-the toxin…"
"He what?!" Jim asked horrified.
"Get away from the edge Shannon," the Batman demanded, seeing her step back a little, her eyes growing wide as if she saw something terrifying.
"He found me… H-he found me…" she murmured hurriedly, taking another step back. Her scream filled the air as her bad leg gave out beneath her and caused her to topple backwards.
"Shannon!" Jim cried out, running to the edge of the bridge as Batman took a few steps back. Jim was just about to call for help when the caped crusader ran forward and leaped after the girl. There were two soft plops, and Gordon looked down, trying to see any human movement.. But he didn't. Tears formed in his eyes as across the bridge, a hidden and scarred man smiled madly.
~-~-~-~
"Jonathan," a grim sounding voice pulled Jonathan from his thoughts. He had been out of it most the morning, just sitting at the table in the rec room. He hadn't noticed a small group of patients forming around the caged television. A group of patients Shannon had grown close with through her interviews.
"What's going on, Coyne?" he mumbled, looking curiously up to the man he recognized as Joe Coyne from Shannon's interview papers and patient documents.
"You need to see this," Coyne practically whispered, seeming gloomy. Jonathan didn't give much thought to his or the other patients' bleakness as he stood, however, as Arkham was a rather awful place. Slowly, Jonathan made his way to the group, noticing Joker watching with a sad sort of interest. He looked up to the screen, slightly hidden behind bars, to see the picture switch from an elder lady's face to a scene that seemed to have been caught through a security camera at Gotham bridge. In the scene, there were two men- both with their backs facing the camera as they were across the street talking to a woman who from far away looked a bit like Shannon… But, of course, it couldn't be Shannon. Edward was watching her.
”This footage is taken from last night on the Gotham Bridge. As it can be seen, Commissioner Jim Gordon and the Batman are coaxing a young lady away from the bridge's edge," the older woman's voice narrated as the three moved a bit, talking and such, "It was revealed this morning, the young lady was Shannon Crane, daughter of the police commissioner and wife of Jonathan Crane- currently residing in Arkham Asylum." Jonathan felt his blood run cold at her words, and for a moment he could only hear the beating of his aching heart as he watched his beloved Shannon's body arch backwards to fall into the murky waters below.
"Jonathan.." Coyne whispered as the man's face continued to be blank.
"The police are currently searching the river for the bodies of both the Batman and Shannon Crane, though they have yet to find anything," the old woman continued in a professional manner that, normally, Jonathan would admire, but at the moment found torturous and cruel, "It has been announced that the car Shannon Crane used to get to the Gotham bridge was registered to Harleen Quinzel- or Harley Quinn- who was delivered to Arkham Asylum Recovery Ward after an anonymous call was received. Miss Harleen Quinzel was found almost strangled to death in the floor of an abandoned wareho-" The television went silent as four chair legs were pushed between the bars and into the screen by a raging Jonathan who then turned to face the observing clown.
"You got Harley to take her, didn't you?" Jonathan seethed, glaring at Joker. He, along with the rest of the patients, remained as silent as the broken television. Jonathan stormed over and pushed the Joker back against the wall, pinning him down by the shoulders. "I had Edward watching her! He was going to take care of her until I got out of this place!"
"And how was I supposed to know that?" Joker asked in a rather bored tone, "I told you when we started this, Crane- I'm not having any squealers."
"She didn't know anything!" Jonathan cried out, "She was sick! She was insane! And now…. now she's… she's.."
"Gone," Joker finished for him, "And I'm sorry for your loss."
"Oh you will be," Jonathan growled, pulling back his arm to strike Joker square in the jaw. Within moments, there was a full blown brawl, other patients taking sides and fighting amongst each other- Shannon's patients, of course, taking Jonathan's side as they were upset over her death, too.
The guards rushed into the rec room and began trying to tear the patients off of each other. It was a mess with people screaming and scratching and biting, fighting to remain within the brawl but being escorted to their cells. When it finally got down to Jonathan and Joker, one guard walked away with a broken arm and another with a bloodied nose and black eye as Jonathan wasn't willing to be torn from his new found nemesis. Joker just let himself be punched as the guards attempted to restrain Jonathan and failed miserably.
Finally, with the help of three extra guards- including Charlie- Jonathan was able to be pried away from Joker and dragged from the room, shouting curses and threats back to where Joker was standing and observing as another guard spoke something to him.
When the man was secured in a set of cuffs, Charlie waved the other guards away, saying he would get Jonathan back to his cell. The other guards nodded, needing to get back to clearing the rec room of the remaining brawlers.
"You really screwed up, you know that?" Charlie muttered after he was sure the other guards were out of earshot.
"I noticed," Jonathan growled, keeping his head down to hide his watery eyes.
"She trusted you to take care of her and you didn't… You got yourself sentenced here after making her believe you were what she needed and she killed herself because you took her world away from her," Charlie continued, his eyes narrowed in anger, "You caused this, Jonathan, so don't go blaming Joker."
"What do you want from me, huh?!" Jonathan barked, yanking out of Charlie's grasp and turning to face the man, "I am sorry for what I did, alright! I only meant to help her! I wanted her not to jump every time she heard the floor creak in our house, to spend a night without nightmares overcoming her! And I was so close…"
"I don't care what you did," Charlie muttered, turning Jonathan back around and releasing his wrists from the cuffs restraints, "I don't care you tried to help."
"What are you doing?" Jonathan questioned, looking back at Charlie as he felt himself being released.
"Letting you go and hoping you are smart enough to get out of Gotham," Charlie responded stonily, "Because I swear, if I ever see you again, I will kill you for what you did to that girl. I don't want to go to prison, and I don't want murder on my hands… But if you stay here I will kill you. So go." And with that, Charlie turned and walked back towards the rec room.
Jonathan stood there, staring a moment, but then he looked back to the dark hallway and continued down it, recognizing it as the hallway of Shannon's office… And looking beside himself, there it was. Her office. He reached out and took the handle, twisting it to open the door of the room he had so frequently visited..
Walking inside the familiar space, he felt momentarily happy as the memories of Shannon came to mind. All the lunches they'd shared, the time they had spent painting the small room and hanging the tiny light fixture so it wouldn't be so gloomy… The day he told her he loved her…
Looking to her desk, Jonathan felt a pang in his heart as his eyes fell upon the picture of their wedding. Shannon was smiling so brightly in the picture, looking up to the slightly smiling image of himself as if he were some sort of god… She worshipped him. He knew that, knew how much she trusted him… And this was how he repaid her. If he hadn't taken the deal from Joker, Shannon would still be alive. She would be happy and fearless, and maybe she would even be carrying the child Jonathan had lied and said she was having…
He walked over and picked up the picture. He deserved to die… He deserved it for what he did, and if it wasn't for a few people he felt deserved death, too, he would've chased after Charlie and demanded the man shoot him straight through the head. However, he felt he had some vengeance to reap. And with that in mind, Jonathan escaped from the asylum in route to Edward Nigma's house.

At first, Jonathan was planning on killing the one person he called 'friend'. Edward had promised to keep Shannon safe.. He should have kept Shannon safe… But after one incredibly long walk, avoiding bumping into police on the streets as they searched for him after his escape in broad daylight, Jonathan decided that it truly wasn't Edward's fault. After all, hadn't Edward been to see Jonathan? That was why he hadn't been seeing to Shannon- because he was telling Jonathan he feared for her sanity and was seeking answers..
Jonathan's grudge, therefore, was drawn to four people instead of five. Joker and Harley were two- but since they were currently in Arkham, they were at the end of his list. He would get to them, but later. Another he would have to wait for was the Batman. If the man had lived, Jonathan would find him and kill him slowly for taking him away from Shannon. Sadly enough, that right may have been taken from him and knocked his count to three.
The last of Jonathan's list was the man that started it all, Victor Zsasz. Another one to wait for, but Jonathan didn't care. He would kill Zsasz if it killed him. Heck, he would break into Blackgate if he had to! He would see the man die from an over dosage of fear toxin so he would see exactly what Shannon had gone through because of him.
It was night by time Jonathan slipped inside of Edward's opened garage. There was no car inside, but Jonathan was sure his friend would be home soon and he didn't want a run in with Batman or a police officer. The picture was still clutched in Jonathan's hand as he let himself in to Edwards home, making his way through the home that looked like it had been torn apart in a search of sorts. That must've been when Edward noticed Shannon was gone.. Glancing into one room, Jonathan saw an unmade bed and a wheelchair beside it. He looked away as he realized that was where Shannon had probably spent her nights, and made his way back to the main area of the house as he heard a door open.
"Jonathan?!" Edward called, surprised as he walked in the house to find his friend, "Jonathan, what are you doing here?... I heard you escaped, but… I thought you would've gone home if you had heard.."
"I can't go there," Jonathan mumbled. It wasn't just because that would be the first place the police would check, but also because he couldn't deal with so much of Shannon's energy surrounding him when she was gone…
"Well, I guess you can stay here," Edward said softly, trying to be gentle as he saw Jonathan was obviously upset. He watched his friend nod silently, and his eyes found the picture he was holding. It was the one of the wedding.. "I'm sorry, Jonathan.." Edward apologized suddenly, "For all that happened. If I had known Harley-"
"Don't…" Jonathan ground out, his grip tightening on the frame as he closed his eyes. He didn't want to talk about his victims just yet. For now, he just needed a place to stay so he could mourn before going for the kill. "I just… I don't want to talk about her. Not now."
"Of course," Edward nodded, before heading into the kitchen, "Can I get you anything, Jonathan?"
"No… I'll be in her room," Jonathan whispered, walking into the room with the unmade bed with the wheelchair. He silently closed the door behind him so the room was only lit by the faint light of the moon and the small amount coming from under the door. That was when the tears he had been restraining came rolling down his cheeks, but he didn't make a sound as he walked to the bed and curled up in it. Beside him, he placed the picture, his lip quivering as he gazed upon her image… He ran his fingers gently over the picture, wishing for that day to return. She had been so lovely… so happy…
He heard a knock on the door, and Edward asked something. Jonathan didn't respond though as he closed his eyes tight, his body shaking as a noiseless sob racked through him.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Shannon, my love," he whimpered softly, his fingers attempting to dig into the glass, "This wasn't supposed to happen… There was so much left for you.. I'm sorry…"
~-~-~-~
Edward only made one attempt to draw Jonathan from the room the next morning. A gentle knock on the door, and when it wasn't answered, Edward backed away. He had heard the muffled cries of his friend through the night, and knew that this was not something he would just cast aside as he had the death of his brother. Through all the years Edward known him, he had never seen Jonathan cry, he had only seen the man grow extremely angry which often resulted horribly. That was why Edward was terrified of what might happen now.
Now the news channel was on, and Edward watched hopefully as the program went on. The old reporter was talking about the escape of Jonathan Crane at the moment, saying it was a complete mystery as he was reported to have been escorted to his cell after smashing a television and picking a fight with the Joker.
The program then cut to a press conference, looking to be held by the famous Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon, Shannon's father who looked extremely distraught.
"I am sad to announce the bodies of the Batman and Shannon Crane have not been recovered," Jim Gordon said wearily, his voice sounding tired as Wayne patted his shoulder consolingly, "We will continue looking for the bodies, due to a generous donation from Wayne Industries… But we have to proclaim both as…. deceased."
"Turn it off," Jonathan growled as he opened the door from the bedroom. He looked tired with red eyes and his hair messy. He was in the same clothing he was in the night before, still gripping that picture. Edward immediately pushed the button on the remote and the television flickered off.
"Sorry," he sighed giving Jonathan a small smile. Jonathan only shook his head and headed into the kitchen. Edward frowned, knowing he probably wouldn’t get anything out of Jonathan for a while. He stood and went to the front door, knowing the paper had probably arrived. Opening the door, he found it there with the bold headline glaring at him: Escape From Blackgate Prison.

"Zsasz has escaped," Jonathan breathed angrily, throwing the paper away from himself, "Gone for two days… two days, Edward. He's a serial killer… And no one even knew it.."
"It said that he killed the guards attending to his section, and then the rest of the prisoners there, too… No one noticed until the warden went down to see why he hadn't gotten any reports," Edward mumbled, running a hand through his red hair, "Thirteen people… That man is truly evil and just as crazy as the Joker."
"No, the Joker isn't even as crazy as that murderer," Jonathan muttered, slamming a fist down on the table, "He only does things to mess with the Batman- meaning he doesn't have much purpose anymore… Zsasz thinks he's helping these people by killing them.. At least the Joker makes some sense." Edward wasn't sure how true it was to say anyone was crazier than Joker, but he didn't question his hurting friend.
"Either way," he ended up sighing as Jonathan stood and went to stand by the curtain covered window. Edward looked over to him as the sounding of sirens passed. Police were scouring the streets, and all vehicles leaving the city were being searched for either Zsasz or Jonathan- two extremely dangerous escaped convicts.
"We're going after him," Jonathan told Edward as he stared blankly at the thick curtain. Edward let out a low breath, having known this would probably be Jonathan's decision as soon as he learned Zsasz was out. Though Edward didn't know the full story, he did know Zsasz had played a part in Shannon's fear due to Jonathan's rants when he had come over during earlier years.
"Jonathan, you need to stay out of sight for a while," Edward reasoned, "In a few weeks, all this will calm down. Someone else will rob a bank and gain the Gotham Police's attention… No Batman means more time to go after Zsasz."
"I don't want to wait, Edward," Jonathan hissed, his body tensing angrily, "I want that man at the mercy of my toxin; I want him to be in fear. I want his fear to kill him as… her fear killed her… He made her that way, Edward!"
"I know, Jonathan. But you need to wait!"
"I don't have to listen to you!"
"You'll be caught, Jonathan! You need to wait for all of this to calm down, then do whatever it is you want!"
"She needs vengeance, Edward!"
"She doesn't need anything!" Edward retorted, standing up angrily before taking a breath and sinking back down in his chair, "Jonathan, she is gone. She doesn't need anything now but you to be happy. You know that is what she would want- you safe and happy."
Jonathan didn't say a thing, just stared at the curtain, but he knew Edward was right..That is what Shannon would want of him… After a few moments of silently standing, Jonathan turned on his heel and walked straight back to the room he was staying in, closing the door behind him with a snap. Edward sighed, shaking his head. He had never before seen Jonathan like he was now, but he knew something had truly changed within the man with the death of his wife..
"Oh God, Shannon," Edward breathed almost inaudibly, "Why'd you have to just go like that…" He knew none of it was the deceased girl's fault, but it seemed she was the only one Edward could talk to even if she wasn't there. "He won't say your name… I know he's all torn up.. Why'd it have to end this way…"
Standing slowly, Edward walked over to pick up the newspaper and opened it past the front page about Blackgate. Inside there were obituaries for all those killed by Zsasz, followed by an article on Bruce Wayne's latest donations to all those affected and another, larger article on Batman. Fan letters, conspiracies, and 'thank you' notes to the departed hero. Edward flipped another page and stopped as he saw an old article he recognized reading when he was just in high school- the one about Victor Zsasz's last attack.
"What?.." Edward mumbled, looking at the aged article, and then seeing the bold title below it "Last of Survivors from the Riley Street Massacre Deceased." From there it went on in a short biography of Shannon Crane, revealing her whole life right there.. Her mother a victim to gang violence, multiple foster families with the final ending in bloody disaster, and a police chief that took in the handicapped girl to try to convince her the whole world wasn't as bad a place… There were a few quotes, one from a high school teacher from her final year who commented, 'I remember the last day I saw her. She had stayed after class like always for probably a half hour. She was always scared of people. I can't imagine what would've happened if she had left earlier. At least she got more happy years before she left our world.' The next came from a college professor, then from Mr. Arkham, and the members of her adopted family.
Edward let out a long sigh as he read the last paragraph announcing the funeral preparations for the next week and the request for Jonathan Crane to turn himself in so he may attend. Edward knew he wouldn't though, as the coffin didn't even contain his beloved wife. It was just a sign of closure- something Jonathan obviously wasn't ready for. Still, Edward took the article, that had quite a few picture of Shannon- one with her family, one with her brother, one by herself, and one with Jonathan-, and ripped it from the paper. He discarded the rest, then walked over to the closed door. Crouching down, he slid the article under then waited. After a few moments, he heard the mattress creak and then slow footfalls. They stopped on the other side of the door and he heard the crinkle of paper as Jonathan gathered the article.
There was soft sobbing behind the closed door and Edward slowly stood as he heard Jonathan retreat.

~-~-~-~

"Hello?" she whimpered, her body feeling pained and tense. Her eyes opened to observe the unknown surroundings and her body shook. She didn't take well to new places so quickly, especially if she didn't know how she got there. "Hello?!" she called, frightened. She jumped as the door suddenly opened, allowing in an elder man dressed in a suite.
"Mrs. Crane," he smiled at her, his voice comforting to her.
"Y-yes?" Shannon asked nervously, "Who are you? Where am I? Where is my husband?"
" I am Alfred and your location needs to be withheld for now, Miss," the elder man sighed, keeping at his place beside the door, "And the location of Jonathan Crane is, at the moment, unknown. The police department is trying to lure him out with an invitation to your funeral, however."
"My funeral?"
"Yes, Miss," Alfred answered with a sad smile, "You are thought to be dead among the public. The master of the house feels that- in the name of your safety- it is better this way."
"Jonathan… he thinks I'm dead?" Shannon whispered, pained.
"Yes. I'm very sorry."
"I… I have to go find him! I can't let him think I'm dead!" Shannon cried out, starting to try to climb out of bed even with her sore muscles and crippled leg.
"I don't think that’s going to be possible," the crisp voice of Bruce Wayne interrupted as the man himself entered, straightening a black tie around his neck.
"M-Mr. Wayne," Shannon spluttered, recognizing him from the wedding, "What are you-"
"This is my home, Shannon," Bruce shrugged, going to her bed side and carefully pushing her back down, "And you are my guest. Please don't make me restrain you."
"Master Bruce!" Alfred scoffed from where he stood, seeing Bruce had scared Shannon, who's eyes were widened.
"Well, it's true.." Bruce said simply, straightening up, "Shannon, it's important you don't leave the manor. There are two very dangerous men who would love to get hold of you."
"Two dangerous men?" Shannon gulped, to which Bruce nodded.
"Yes, so it is imperative you stay within the manor. Is that clear?" Shannon nodded, frightened by his warning. He smiled at her. "Don't worry. Right now, you are in the safest place you can be." To this, Shannon shook her head.
"N-no… the safest place is with Jonathan…" she told Bruce softly, "If you find him… can I see him? Please? I need to see him…" Bruce pursed his lips at her request.
"We'll see," he said, just to appease her though. While she was asleep, he had run tests and found that what she had told him on the bridge was true. There was fear toxin laced in her blood as if it was part of her DNA. He had tried to use an antidote on her, but it hadn't helped much. He would have to do a full blood transfusion to rid her of the toxin- and she was much too weak to handle that. Because of that, Bruce didn't want to upset her as she was most definitely unstable.
"Master Bruce, you mustn't be late to the… um.." Alfred coughed to keep from finishing the sentence to tell Bruce he needed to get to the funeral.
"Right. Alfred, you'll stay and mind the place?" Bruce asked, turning and walking towards the door.
"Of course, Master Bruce," Alfred nodded, following Bruce as he exited the room and gently closing the door behind himself before continuing in a hushed tone, "Two dangerous men?"
"Crane is dangerous," Bruce shrugged, leading Alfred through the house as he headed towards the front door, "And after all he did to Shannon Crane, he is considered dangerous towards her."
"Is there any proof he held her against her will?" Alfred asked.
"No," Bruce sighed, "I talked with her father and some of the workers at the asylum. It seems like she is obsessed with him and he is… indifferent. I also went to talk to one of their college professors, though.."
"And?"
"It seems she's the only thing Jonathan ever took much interest in," Bruce told his butler, his voice portraying mild interest, "He looked down on his other classmates, but as soon as Shannon came, he immediately became interested."
"What did Jim Gordon have to say?"
"He never liked Jonathan. I told you, the day at the wedding Jonathan kept sending Jim those snide looks. Jim didn't want them married, but he said Jonathan was the only person outside the family Shannon connected with…"
"Do you think he loves her?" Alfred asked, stopping as they came to the door. Bruce paused a moment, his hand on the door knob.
"I'm not sure, Alfred…" Bruce admitted, "He might have loved her… Or maybe he just saw her as some sort of a project… What do you think?"
"I think even the darkest man can have a touch of light, Master Bruce," Alfred smiled to which Bruce chuckled.
"Yeah, I suppose so… Well, I'm off to the funeral. I don't think it will be too productive, but I promised Jim I'd come," Bruce sighed, opening the door and starting towards the waiting car, "Try to keep Shannon in her room and be careful- there's no telling what she is capable of. Keep her happy."
"Of course, Master Wayne," Alfred smiled, "She's our guest. I wouldn't dream of making her unhappy."

The days went fast for Shannon inside of the Wayne Manor, partially due to the fact each night she was injected with a relaxer medicine and partially because she was kept very busy. When Alfred wasn't escorting her around the manor in a wheelchair, the two of them chatting endlessly about many different things, she was with Bruce answering questions ranging from her early life to the fake baby she was supposed to be having. She had had to admit it was fake when it was so obvious she wasn't with child. She had gone ahead and told him the truth about the experiments, though he hadn't been very surprised.. She guessed her father might have told him something since she had mentioned it to him when she had been on the bridge…
The days slowly dissolved into weeks, then to months, and before Shannon knew it she had been in the Wayne Manor two months- all without her husband, who she asked for more than once a day.
"We can't keep her here forever," Alfred had told Bruce sternly on the two month mark, only to receive silence. He knew Bruce was growing close to Shannon, and he didn't want her to get hurt by her husband, but it seemed that he had never hurt her without her condolences.
Shannon was quickly growing restless within the manor without her husband, however. She would have mood swings that her medication should have prevented her from having. She would snap at Bruce if she felt he asked her too many questions, and even at Alfred if he made suggestions she should try to rest or if he attempted to help her move in her wheelchair. Night terrors and paranoia were also coming back to her, and screams pierced the silence of sleep. During the day, she would sit peeking out of the window, mumbling nonsense and frightened of the slightest movement.
"This isn't supposed to be happening," Bruce sighed, watching Shannon in the next room after three months, "I don't understand, the medication should be keeping her relaxed."
"Maybe her body is adapting to it, Master Bruce," Alfred said in a hushed voice, "She isn't meant to be this far from her husband for so long, you know what he was doing to her."
"He was making her stronger by making her dependent..." Bruce muttered, shaking his head, "But, what are we supposed to do with her? Everyone believes her to be dead, there are two unstable men looking for her-"
"One of which is her husband, Master Bruce," Alfred reminded quietly, "The man she asks for persistently.. Perhaps we should be searching for him so he can finally calm her."
"I'm not handing that girl over to a criminal," Bruce huffed, "She needs professional help…"
"He is a doctor.." Alfred went on, but at the look Bruce sent him went on, "Or we could send her out of Gotham for a while, to a nice hospital." This one Bruce nodded to.
"Yeah, that might work.. A private establishment somewhere far away.. Get to work on research, Alfred.. I need to make her some paperwork," Bruce instructed.
"What kind of paperwork, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked curiously.
"We can't send a girl who is known to be dead," Bruce shrugged, going into the room where Shannon sat, "We can send my troubled sister, though." Smiling to Alfred, he went over to Shannon and patted her shoulder. She looked up at him, her dark eyes worried.
"Where is Jonathan?"
-~-~-~-~-~-
"Today's the day," Jonathan Crane grinned. He had waited long enough, and sure enough another inmate had broken out. The police had finally toned down the hunt for Jonathan and had gone on to look for the more rowdy criminal who kept kidnapping girls of the street. However, he did return them so it was only a matter of time before someone caught the man who matched the description perfected by five victims.
"From what I've read, there have been killings a few cities over, all described to be exactly like Zsasz's," Edward relayed, opening the door to the garage and ushering a disguised Jonathan in, "That's our best bet… Is the wig really necessary?"
"Just until we get out of Gotham," Jonathan nodded, "I am not taking any chances of being found out until I have Zsasz screaming for death."
"Are you sure this is what Shannon would want, Jonathan?" Edward questioned for what would probably be the last time, "After this, you could go back to Arkham.. or be killed. Wouldn't it be better just to settle somewhere?"
"After this, I want to die," Jonathan told his friend, his good humor suddenly gone from him, "Once Zsasz is gone, it doesn't matter anymore. If I live, I'll go after the Joker and Harley next. If not, I'll be with Shannon again."
"I guess that is one way to look at it," Edward mumbled, deciding not to fight his friend's decisions any further. It was obvious he would be doing as he pleased, and if that was getting himself killed, that is what he'd do.

The Wayne Manor was quiet without the house guest who had resided with Bruce and Alfred those three months. Shannon had only been gone two weeks, yet she was already dearly missed by the two occupants of the manor. Still they knew it was better for the girl to be away from the crime filled city; where she was now was only a city or so out, in a very small home for the insane where the patients were delusional rather than murderous.
The silence was beginning to take its toll on both Bruce and Alfred- but not just that of the home. The silence of the whole city was wearing on them. Only one breakout since Jonathan and Zsasz had escaped their separate holdings, and the man had been caught within a weak. Jarvis Tech certainly wasn't the best criminal… It had been rumored that Zsasz had gone on to a different city, and Jonathan… Well, there hadn't been a peep out of him since Shannon had 'died'.
Bruce now sat in the living area, reading a newspaper from the town Zsasz was said to be in. Apparently there had been four separate families killed In the same way the last killing had set- the people had been left in positions that would portray normal life with bleeding chests and throats. He could hear the phone ring in the kitchen, but it was quickly answered by Alfred. Thinking nothing of it, Bruce picked up the newspaper from his own city, Gotham, and began reading. The largest article was about the death of Batman, filled with more conspiracy theories. People weren't willing to believe their favorite hero was dead- he wasn't, but that wasn't the point. It wasn't like he would never be back, there just was nothing he was needed for at the time.
"Master Bruce!" Alfred suddenly called, sounding worried. Bruce looked towards the kitchen, where Alfred had just appeared in the doorway.
"Alfred?" Bruce asked, standing and quickly walking to his aged butler, "What's happened?"
"It was the asylum keeping Shannon," Alfred panted, his hand over his heart, the stress obviously too much for the old man, "She has escaped… Two young women were tending to her, she killed them…"
"What…. How?!" Bruce practically screamed, helping Alfred over to a chair. How had Shannon broken out? With her disability, she shouldn't have been able to overpower two nurses, let alone escape.
"They said she had been quiet ever since we left, barely talking and screaming at night.. The two nurses were alone manning the asylum and heard her, they thought they should help… They said it was a rather gruesome sight… She got out through a broken window," Alfred said sadly, "They've been searching, but nothing…"
"Did she say anything? Did they say she had said-"
"She was talking to herself about Jonathan Crane and the Scarecrow, and that was it," Alfred told him, shaking his head.
"She'll be coming back this way, then," Bruce mumbled, "She wants to find Jonathan…"
"What should we do about it, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked, composing himself a little. Bruce took a deep breath, knowing the answer to the question.
"We need to find Crane… He's the only one who will be able to control her," he muttered, walking towards the kitchen.
"There hasn't been a sighting of him in months," Alfred reminded Bruce, "What if he's left Gotham?"
"Then I'll find him," Bruce responded, running a hand through his hair, "Shannon's killed two people now, and she's coming to Gotham. Her father thinks she's dead- everyone thinks she is dead… do you realize how dangerous this could be?"
"Not to mention she knows how to get into Arkham and knows the inmates," Alfred brought up, bringing a whole new problem to Bruce's mind. "Do you think he will even come back when he knows Shannon is coming?"
"You told me you think he loves her," Bruce smiled back at Alfred, stopping at the door to the kitchen, "If you were right, I think I can convince him."
~-~-~-~-~-~
Jonathan and Edward were crammed into the motel room, newspapers from the past weeks littering the floor. Edward was asleep, his arm over his eyes to prevent the glow from the television from disturbing his slumber as Jonathan read the latest paper. There had been two more killings since they had arrived to match the others, but there was no central area to trace him back to.
"Breaking News: Breakout from New Carthage Asylum," the female reporter on the television announce, catching Jonathan's attention. His tired eyes found the woman's face and he listened as she went on, "Sister of Bruce Wayne, Alicia Wayne, has escaped from the New Carthage Asylum. We have no picture of the girl, but she is said to be extremely dangerous. She has so far committed two murders and whereabouts are unknown."
"That's odd," Edward mumbled, keeping his arm covering his eyes, "I didn't know Bruce Wayne had a sister.." Jonathan shrugged.
"I'm sure it will keep police busy a while longer, now that they've caught Jarvis.." Jonathan shrugged, thinking nothing of the matter. The girl was certainly helping, though, as the police in and around Gotham would be looking for a murderous girl rather than a criminal gone silent.
"Probably," Edward agreed, sitting up as the report went on to say Bruce Wayne would be hiring a private detective to help track down his sister. The story then cut off to a meeting at the police station of Gotham. Officer Gordon was standing at the podium, looking greyer and weaker than he had been.
"We must be prepared for the threat of Alicia Wayne," he started, leaning against the podium, "But, we must also concern ourselves with missing convicts- Victor Zsasz and Jonathan Crane." The way he said Jonathan's name showed distaste and contempt, but he continued, "We have evidence Zsasz has moved on to Bludhaven, but Crane is still in hiding. We once again ask for him to turn himself in and offer him regular visits to his wife's grave." Jonathan sneered at the offer. He wouldn't abandon his mission just to see the place where the love of his life was forever entombed. He didn't want his image of her to go from grinning beauty to a cold stone marking an empty grave.
"The nerve of that man," Jonathan growled, "He never believed I cared for his daughter, and he can keep thinking it. I'll avenge her, and he'll keep mourning nothing… They never even found her body…"
"They tried, Jonathan," Edward sighed, "They did everything they could."
"I would've drained the river if it meant finding her," Jonathan growled, tears coming into his eyes as he stood up and started pacing, "What if she isn't even dead? What if she's somewhere slowly dying? What if someone's got her?"
"Don't think like that, Jonathan," Edward told his friend, sitting up on his twin bed, "She's at peace… She is in a much better place where no one else can hurt her."
"She should be with me," Jonathan breathed, his fists clenching . He let out a muffled scream and punched the wall, his fist smashing straight through.
"We're going to have to pay for that.." Edward muttered dryly, running a hand through his gingery hair.
"Funny, you think we're paying for this," Jonathan chuckled, plopping back down on the end of his bed. Edward rolled his eyes. He did in fact know that Jonathan had stolen the key to the motel room, and that no one knew they were inside except the cleaning lady- who Edward had convinced to tell the owners that the room was being worked on due to plumbing so no one would bother them.
"We need to find Zsasz soon," Edward changed the subject, seeing a picture of the scarred man pop up on the screen, "He usually gets caught quickly after a big job, like the one Sha-"
"Don't," Jonathan barked, still not willing to hear the name.
"Like the one she was in. He calls in the police to find him, hides out in prison a while, then escapes before any death sentence can be carried out," Edward went over the information he had memorized, "It's what he has done ever since he started. If we don't get to him before he turns himself in, we'll have to try again when he breaks out again… That could be years, considering when he last got arrested."
Jonathan nodded. Edward was right- they needed to hurry and find Zsasz. Slowly he stood from the bed and crossed the room to pick up his burlap sack mask. He turned it over in his hands, then put it back down, walking to the door.
"Jonathan, you'll be recognized," Edward called after his friend, jumping up and running to follow his fast moving friend as he went out the door.
"I know," Jonathan responded, "I want them to know I'm here. I want Zsasz to know I'm coming."
~-~-~-~-~-~
Shannon was shaking as she limped through the forest, her eyes jumping to everything around her as she held the blanket tight around her body.
"Jonathan," she whispered, frightened. Her knuckles were white as they gripped to the handle of the knife. Those two nurses had tried to inject her with something. Only Jonathan was allowed to do that. Jonathan was the only doctor she wanted near her.
Her mind seemed to be blank as she wandered slowly through the woods, coming out beside a road. It was very dark, until two bright headlights pierced the darkness. Shannon stayed perfectly still, like a deer in the headlights. Her mind was completely boggled- she didn't know what to do. When the car reached her, it slowed to a stop and the window rolled down to reveal the occupants within.
Shannon squinted her eyes to see within was an older man in the passenger seat and a lovely young woman around Shannon's age driving. The couple wasn't the odd part, though. That would be the scarred puppet sitting on the man's lap, staring at her.
"Well, what da we have here?" the puppet asked, his accent rather prominent.
"Seems to be a lost girl, Mr. Scarface," the lady answered softly, observing Shannon, "A girl with a bloody knife."
"I wasn't askin' you, ya dumb broad!" the puppet barked.
"Yes, Mr. Scarface," the woman frowned, looking back through the front window.
"So, tell me, girl," the puppet, Mr. Scarface, started, "Tell me, why ya wandering around in the middle of the night with a dirty knife. Ya been killing?" Shannon nodded.
"They shouldn't have tried to touch me," she whispered in response, making the puppet laugh manically.
"Ah, kid, you’re a riot," Mr. Scarface chuckled, "Where are you headed?"
"Gotham," Shannon told him simply.
"You want a ride, kid?" Mr. Scarface asked, "Ya can stay with us for a while. Who knows, maybe I can give ya a job."
And with that, Shannon climbed into the back of the car, happy that her throbbing leg was having a break. She should have gotten crutches, it would have made her go faster, but she hadn't thought of it and the adrenaline had been enough to push her through the trees.
"So, tell me, girl," Mr. Scarface asked from the front, "what's your name, huh?" Shannon was silent. She didn't want to say her real name. She was supposed to be dead. Bruce said it was the only way she'd be safe was to play dead. Shannon was quiet for a long while, annoying the puppet somehow, as he leaned to look at her over the seat. "Well?!" he asked, causing her to jump, "What's your name, kid?!"
Shannon stared at him a moment, and then the first word that came to mind left her mouth. "Paranoia."