The Psychiatrist-The Billionaire-The Crime Lord-The Insecure (A DC Fanfic)

Part 54

-Oz-

"How about your favourite steakhouse off of Kane Street? 1 pm?" *Oz asked hopefully. He was pleased to hear Alex agree, he could have sworn she even sounded excited herself.* "Sounds great, Oz.." *He grinned and looked over at Butch.* "I can't wait. Until then." *He hung up and walked into his bathroom. He turned on the shower and enjoyed the warm water. Oz thought of all the things he and Alex would do, how unstoppable they would both be. He stopped before he got ahead of himself and stepped out, drying off and continuing to get dressed. He had his favourite suit, the one Alex said he looked the best in, ironed and ready to go. He made sure to take his time with his appearance. Alex loved it when he showed enough effort to look good for her, so he did just that. He did everything from shaving to trimming his nails. Soon the time got nearer, he made sure to be a bit early.* "Come on, Butch, we have a Goddess to impress." *He stated as he got into his car.* "Stop here, I'm gonna get something." *He walked into the little corner shop and looked around, eventually settling on a bouquet of flowers and a stuffed cat that looked like Lucifer.* "Hm, what do you think? You think she'll like them? No, they're not good enough!" *Butch laid a gentle hand on Oz's shoulder.* "She will love them. Remember, she's not here for gifts; she's here for an apology." *Oz nodded as they arrived at the Steakhouse. It was 12:20, just in time for him to rent out the restaurant for the two of them.*

-Natalie-

*She sat against the wall, staring blankly into the distance. All she saw was darkness until the same distorted Scarecrow she had seen in her nightmares appeared.* "Natalieee.. Natalieeee.." *It called out to her. It showed that night in Crime Alley, though no one else was around; just her and it. She felt her heart rate quicken, but she knew she had to face it.* "What do you want?.." *It drew closer to her and dragged its finger across her cheek,* "I want everything. Everything you love, everyone you love." *It grabbed her and forced her head up. Natalie grabbed its wrist and pulled it closer, though her hands were shaking and her eyes were wide.* "I don't think it'll be that easy." *She whispered to it, she could see its eyes. They looked so familiar, but she couldn't place it. Quickly everything vanished, and she was next to Jonathan, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. The toxin didn't last long and she had no idea what happened. She was scared, but something about it was so exciting she wanted to see it again.*

-Alex-

*"I guess I'm really doing this," Alex told Harley, having her friend help her stand. *"Is this stupid? Am I doing the right thing by giving him a chance?"* Harleen sighed. *"Look, I hate him, and I always will because of how he hurt you. But, after last night, when I got here earlier, I saw a glimmer in your eyes that I haven't seen in a long, long time, even after you had that terrible hallucination. I may not like Oswald, but I know that you want to, so if that's what makes you happy... then I'm all for it."* Alex knew Harleen was genuine because she'd never sounded so calm or serious before. *"Well then.. what should I wear?" Harleen helped Alex pick out a black, sleeveless, cropped corset top; a long black skirt to cover the scars on her legs; and a white cropped blazer to cover her arms. She accessorized with Oswald's diamond earrings and a similar necklace, as well as some closed-toe black velvet heels. As she did her makeup, Alex couldn't help thinking that she was treating this like it was a date. Was it a date? 'No, it's an apology,' she reminded herself as Harleen handed her her crutch. *"Damn, girl, Oswald will be drooling."* She laughed. Alex turned bright red. *"Thanks Harls... uhm, do you mind dropping me off? I still don't have a car. I've been meaning to look at new Jeeps, but... you know, I've had no time."* Alex didn't exactly want to pull up in Harleen's beat-up Prius, but she couldn't walk, and she sure as hell wasn't paying for a cab. Of course, Harleen agreed, she needed to get back to work anyway, and the steakhouse was near enough to Arkham. But when the girls got downstairs and outside, they were met by a limo. Alex's jaw dropped, recognizing the driver as Owen. *"Oh my god, he got me a fucking Limo. I love limos!" Alex exclaimed. Harleen gave Alex a small hug. *"You know, people don't normally get limos for just one person... I think he may have plans for you after you eat."* But Alex didn't waste time thinking about that.*"I gotta go, Harleen, have fun at work, I'm sorry you can't ride with me!"* Harleen chuckled. *"I'm sure there'll be more limos in the future."* Owen helped Alex get into the limo, as she was still having trouble manoeuvring her left limbs. Once she was settled, he drove her to the steakhouse. He helped her get out and then held the door for her to go inside. Alex gasped. The whole place was empty save for one table, where Oswald was sitting. He stood as she approached, a huge smile gracing his face. He was looking extremely handsome in his suit, her favourite outfit of his. As she walked, Alex heard 'A Rhapsody In Blue' playing over the speakers. He'd remembered that she didn't just love metal, but classical as well. 'This must be some apology' Alex thought, mentally scolding herself for falling for it already. Oswald greeted her and pulled out her chair for her, then he helped her sit down. Butch then stepped in and took her crutch, placing it out of the way as he pushed her seat in. *"Hi..."* she said, noticing the flowers and the Lucifer stuffed animal. *"You, um, really went all out, didn't you?"* she said shyly, silently cursing herself for sounding so vulnerable. But he was wearing her tough shell down as she remembered how nice it felt to be treated like royalty all the time.*

-Jonathan-

*Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief as Natalie's breathing steadied and her eyes flicked to him. *"Are you alright?"* He asked, not letting go of her, just in case. Natalie slowly nodded, blinking a few times. *"I- I don't know what happened... All of a sudden, I didn't feel well, and then I-"* She stopped, deciding she probably shouldn't say she hallucinated- they were in an insane asylum after all, and the doctor was liable to have her thrown in one of the cells. *"You what?"* Jonathan asked, hoping she'd tell him what she'd seen. But much to his disappointment, Natalie clammed up and shook her head. *"I just felt like throwing up."* She leaned her head into Jonathan's chest and closed her eyes. They stayed like this for a few moments, Jonathan stroking Natalie's hair and whispering soothing things to her until a knock on the door interrupted them. *"Hey Crane! Marcelline is ready for you!"* A guard said from outside. *"Who's Marcelline?"* Natalie asked. Jonathan smiled slightly. *"She's one of my most compelling cases- when she was a teenager, she overdosed on anxiolytics and that resulted in one of the worst cases of dementia Gotham had ever seen. Since she lost her self-identity, Marcelline went on to create a whole new persona for herself, becoming a murderous harlot. I've been tasked with trying to bring back any memory I can to hopefully eventually return Marcelline to her older self."* What he didn't explain was his use of fear serum to shock her system into remembering, as well as the threat of the Scarecrow. *"If you're not up to it, I understand, but I would like to have you in here with me to meet Marcelline."* He told her, figuring maybe Natalie could try to get Marcelline to remember something without the use of his serum. Plus, he knew Natalie wanted a challenge. He also wanted to spend more time with her, enjoying her company.*