Unwanted Allies- Dr. Jonathan Crane Story

The Truth

She was bloodied and broken. But, Jonathan was there. Sitting next to her in the back of the cold van, not that the coolness of the air around them seemed to bother him. He simply sat still, his blue eyes staring at nothing. Across from them, was where Raleigh used to be, that was a few hours ago when she wouldn't stop making such a... racket. As for where the guards dragged her off to? Lilah didn't know for sure. But, seeing as how she was swapped for Jonathan Crane, she wasn't complaining. She was, however, very curious as to where Christian was, or Edward Nigma, or even Floyd.

"Jonathan." Lilah muttered, her head falling back with a small thud as it hit the metal behind them. Jonathan didn't move however and instead clung to the mask she had just realised was in his hands. "Jonathan." She repeated a little louder, her eyes staring at him, waiting for him to move. Hell, she would have been happy to see him blink. "Dammit Scarecrow!" She cried, slamming both of her palms against the metal floor of the van, the sound of it echoing around them. But still, Jonathan didn't flinch, instead, he merely turned his head to face her, his eyebrow raised slightly in question. It was ironic in a sense that he responded to the name. It was almost as if Jonathan Crane had died within the asylum and the man that sat before her, the man that had stolen his voice and appearance... The man.... Scarecrow had replaced him. Lilah paused, whether she was talking to Jonathan or Scarecrow, either way she had his attention. Something so fleeting and precious and yet she was at a loss for words. She wanted to hear him speak, she wanted to feel his touch. But Jonathan neither spoke nor touched her and as the seconds passed, Jonathan's attention was fading quickly until he once again turned to stare ahead of him. Lilah had lost his focus... again. "The least you could do is say something." Lilah finally said, the words falling from her lips like they weren't even hers. But, Jonathan had a way with her. A way that made her feel small and insignificant when she was with him. She wasn't able to explain why she felt that way. She just did. Taking a breath, she bit her lip, "Anything? Perhaps you could tell me to shut up?" There was another pause, this time for longer, but Jonathan still didn't speak. He did however, give out an irritated sigh. That was a start at least, "You think you can intimidate me with silence? I'm not scared of you Jonathan Crane." Lilah hissed, leaning forward as she spoke. And without a second longer of silence to linger around them, Jonathan turned his face around to look at her and... smiled?

"Yes. You are." He smirked back at her, his eyes flicking down to her lips before meeting back with her gaze. They were a few centimetres apart, but even those few centimetres were too far for Lilah's liking.

"So what? Only idiots aren't scared of the master of fear himself." Lilah mused, trying her best to keep her tone calm and collected as she spoke. "Should I be scared of you, Jonathan? Are you going to hurt me again?" Lilah then asked, cocking an eyebrow as she asked the question that had been on her mind the moment Jonathan declared her his Mistress of Fear. Taking a short breath, Jonathan lifted his hand and slowly let his fingers run down her cheek before they made their way to her lips,

"I won't hurt you again. Not unless you give me reason too." He mumbled, his eyes focused on his fingers as he spoke. Which was good for Lilah who felt her brow furrow as his words reached her ears. Jonathan had half answered her question. Which was better than nothing. "You came back to me out of fear. That's the fascinating thing about loyalty."

"We've been through this already. I didn't come back out of fear." Lilah replied shortly, sitting back and pressing her back against the van once more. Glancing briefly at Jonathan, she saw that he continued to watch her, with a somewhat sly expression. He was baiting her.

"Hm? I slightly recall that conversation. You didn't give me a reason for your return back then either. Or perhaps it was hidden." He said. Lilah narrowed her eyes at him with suspicion. He was playing her. But, that wasn't surprising. He was constantly playing her.

"Fine. I came back because I need you." Lilah sneered, her arms crossed over her chest as she spoke like the stubborn child she was. She wasn't going to fall into the trap. Not again. Jonathan was fun. In a sick way she found him fun. But back before she had even met Jonathan, she once though Floyd Lawton to be fun and losing him broke her heart in ways she didn't think possible. Mercious, was fun. Mercious was loved just as Floyd was and he was gone too. Shattering her already broken heart into even smaller pieces. Looking up at Jonathan, who wore a smug expression, Lilah blinked, "What do you want me to say?" She asked, "Stop looking at me like that." Raising both of his eyebrows, Jonathan did as he was asked, which made Lilah's heart sink. She liked the way he looked at her, she just didn't want to admit it. "Is there a cure for your sickness do you think?" She asked.

"What sickness?" Jonathan asked, snapping his head back around to look at her.

"Scarecrow..." Lilah muttered, his brow furrowing as she received Jonathan/Scarecrow's glare. Another short silence erupted around them before Scarecrow moved in front of her, his fingers wrapping themselves around her arms and his knees either side of her thighs.

"I like Scarecrow." He hissed as he leant forward, his eyes narrowed and cruel looking. Lilah sat still,

"Jonathan. Take your hands off me." She spoke clearly and with authority, but nothing could hide the pleading look in her eyes.

"I will when you tell me the real reason you came back for me." He replied, tilting his head slightly as he spoke. Glancing down at the tattered straight jacket that hung loosely on his body, Lilah almost wished it was still intact.

"That depends. Who're you? Jonathan Crane or Scarecrow?" She asked. Receiving yet another, more daunting and dangerous glare from the mystery man. Taking a breath, Lilah swallowed her pride and spoke, "Get off me and I'll tell the truth." Scarecrow smirked and his warm fingers slowly loosened and he sat back, waiting for the magical truth she had promised. But there was no point, what she had to say had no purpose. But she could hardly breathe, not because of the truth that would sooner or later escape her lips, but because he let her go. The truth would have been so much easier for Lilah to admit if she was someone else, or even if Jonathan was someone else. But they weren't anyone else. They were Lilah and Jonathan. Phobia and Scarecrow. They were feared, they were cruel and they were cold. 

"It doesn't matter who I am." He replied, shifting in front of her and pulling her onto his lap. "Stop stalling and tell me what I already know." Lilah bit her lip before the words exploded from within her. 

"I know that you had me pinned as your Mistress of Fear long before you brought me to the Asylum." She said and Jonathan froze. 

"But how could you? I covered my tracks." He snapped back at her but Lilah continued to speak. 

"You gave my life a purpose. Thank you. I love you." She hadn't intended her words to be so harsh, but that was the way they came out. Jonathan on the other hand just watched her, still in somewhat disbelief. "I've known it since the moment we first kissed. I'm sorry it took so long for me to catch up, I just got stuck." She told him finally, hugging him tightly as he continued to hold her. "I'm yours, now until we die. I'm yours whether you're Jonathan Crane or Scarecrow." Before she could continue to confess her love for the man, he placed a hand on the back of her head and pulled her towards him, kissing her.