somewhere in there / jonathan crane

33. september

Warning: heavy themes such as death, emotional abuse, trauma etc.

"May I see him?" In the quiet room under the beautiful sky of the biggest metropolis in which she lived in, the words were spoken out with uncertainty. Her body was certainly not warm, with icy chills coursing through her veins as if dancing to a sad serenade that she called her life.

"I-" Gordon takes a deep breath, then fixes his glasses. "Yes, you may."

Zoe nods and stands up, following closely behind him as they exit his office and move quickly through the hallway.

They head towards Arkham Asylum together, just the two of them in the quiet police car. She sits still in the passenger seats and views the people as they drive through the boulevard. The ride is  brief. Once they passed the bridge, the guards open the heavy gates of the asylum and they enter the home of the crazy.

She feels so small inside the dim lighted halls of the beaten up building. He guides her through the maximum security unit, which she's visited before, but now it wasn't for an educational purpose. It's to face the fate of her lover.

"Listen, I'll be here with the guards and you can push the red button anytime you feel uncomfortable."

"Okay."

"Be careful, he's dangerous."

"He's not." She says, shaking her head as her hand pushes the door open.

Then her eyes are greeted by a fragile figure in a straitjacket curled up on the chair. Her heart sinks deeper inside and makes a jump all at once. Her breath gets stuck in her throat when she finds herself not being able to form a word, let alone a sentence. 

He doesn't seem to notice her, as he's mumbling something to himself. She takes a step closer, her eyes move to his hair which is wet. He's sweating. 

"J-Jonathan?" She softly breathes out, barely audible. He doesn't move an inch. His eyes still focused on the floor. Zoe spots a chair in the corner and grabs it, placing it in the place where his eyes lay.

She sits down and lowers her head, trying to reach his attention.

"Scarecrow...scarecrow..." She finally hears his mumbles.

"Jonathan." She finally says more loudly, not aware of the strength she's gained. "Can you hear me?"

His teeth are gritted, he nods. His eyes never leaving her legs.

"Are you okay?"

"Dr. Crane isn't here right now, but if you'd like to make an appointment-"

"Jonathan!" She yells. Zoe moves her hand closer to his knee and stands up just a bit to get closer to his face. She brushes her nose against his as his eyes are wide open. He starts shaking his head, clearly bothered. Zoe grabs his face with her soft hands, then places a soft kiss on the corner of his wet lips. For a moment he closes his eyes. When she sits back he reopens them.

"Zoe...Zo, Zoe..." He breathes out, resting his head on the chair.

"It's me." She says.

"I see you." He mumbles.

"I know you can see me. I'm not a threat." He wasn't in a normal state of mind, and she had to be as delicate and soft with him as possible. He taught her that.

"You should go. They're coming."

"Who's coming?"

"The voices in my head."