Unwanted Allies- Dr. Jonathan Crane Story

The Destruction of Gotham

The van came to a holt and Lilah was more than eager to escape the van for a breath of fresh air. As two heavily armed men opened the van, Lilah almost jumped to the cold rock that greeted her, landing hard on her hands and knees. Inhaling the beautiful air that cooled her skin, a thousands thoughts raced through her mind about how unappreciated air was and how she wanted to be a better person. More appreciative and she wanted to take more notice of the little things. All of them were lies that would never happen of course. They were merely thoughts of desperation as her lungs tried to fill themselves with way too much oxygen. When she regained herself, Lilah turned her head to see that the Scarecrow watched her, a small hint of danger in his eyes. That was the only way she could tell just who it was she was talking to. The glint in his eyes that screamed destruction. 

 "My deepest apologies for your... transportation. I do hope we didn't cause any distress during the travel." Came the voice of the very man that had made everything that had occurred come to be. Ra's al Ghul. Looking up at the man, who held both of his hands behind his back, she noticed that he looked to Scarecrow rather than her. He was the brains of the operation. But, the more she thought about it, the more she came to realize, he too was a pawn like her. Just a more dignified and important pawn. As the silence continued, Lilah figured Scarecrow was either A) Still staring at her or B) Staring at him with a blank look. That seemed to be the man's thing. Propping herself up onto her knees, she turned to face him and found option A and B both to be incorrect. Instead, Scarecrow kept his gaze locked onto the mask in his pale hands. "I assume you're ready to do what must be done then." Ra's more stated than asked, turning on his heel and moving deeper into the concreted building they were brought to. As the men followed behind Ra's in silence, Lilah pushed herself to her feet and moved towards her beloved, taking a hold of both of his hands and causing his gaze to meet hers. 

 "Gotham will be screaming very soon. All because of you." She said, "Do you really wanna waste time sitting here? or do you wanna prove to Gotham just how powerful the Master of Fear is?" She asked. The slightest hint of a smile appeared on Scarecrow's face as her words reached him and in that moment, she had him in the palm of her hand. "Let's go watch Gotham burn." She whispered, before she darted back and stood, watching as his grin grew wider and he stood, towering over her as he always did. With one hand grasping the burlap mask and the other curled into a tight fist, Lilah watched as the man she grew to love and respect followed Ra's al Ghul through the dark building. He was a man with power. A man who should be feared by all and he was all hers. As she followed the men into the building, up the stairs and onto the balcony, Lilah was greeted by even more air, but that was nothing compared to the view. Overlooking Gotham, Lilah could see everything, Crime Alley, even Wayne Enterprises itself. 

 "Why are we here?" Scarecrow asked, his gaze too, locked onto the view. But, for very different reasons Lilah had deduced. 

 "To inform you that I have something I need to do before I destroy this place once and for all." Ra's said, "There is someone I need to pay a visit to. Someone who just so happens to be holding a party this very night. Of course, I must ask you both to stay here while I am absent." He spoke with authority, something that Lilah noted above all else. She had dealt with many men who spoke with the same authority: Carmine Falcone, Jim Gordon, Thomas Elliot, Edward Nigma, Floyd Lawton and even the Batman himself. All of them dangerous. All of them not to be trusted. There were only two people she could trust Jonathan and... 

"Where's Christian?" Lilah asked, cutting Ra's off in mid sentence. Snapping his head around to look at her, she couldn't help but feel intimidated by his green eyes that focused on her, 

 "Christian?" He mused, "Perhaps you are speaking of Rameses. In that case, I assure you that he and Karliah are in good hands." 

 "Her I don't care about. I want to see him." Lilah snapped, even surprising herself at the coldness of her tone. But, it was the truth and see was done fabricating her words to protect others. No one protected her. When Jonathan was gone, she had Christian, he was her friend. Something even someone as twisted and corrupt as her could respect. Before she could speak once more, she felt Scarecrow's hand grasp her shoulder, 

 "He's not important. Not anymore." Scarecrow quipped, mimicking the mocking, yet cool tone Jonathan used so well. Or perhaps she was talking to Jonathan? Turning her head to look at him, she felt her brow furrow. Scarecrow or Jonathan... they didn't understand. Lilah owed Christian. 

 "As I was saying." Ra's continued, "You will be welcomed to do as you please once the destruction begins. Until then, you will stay here." As his words circled through Lilah mind, she watched in silence as Ra's and the two men that had accompanied them moved gracefully from the balcony and back the way they had come. But still, only one question remained on her mind. Where was Christian? Moving back into the building, Lilah only made it a few steps before Scarecrow grabbed her. Tightly. 

"Where are you going?" He asked, pulling her against his chest, his eyes fixated onto her for only a few seconds before he backed her into the hard, brick wall, a sharp pain running up her spine on contact. 

"I'm going for a walk." She replied quickly. Not daring to make eye contact with him, "Don't you trust me?" She winced as his grip tightened around her. 

 "You're going to go find Christian Sawyer I imagine." He replied, seemingly unaware that he was hurting her. 

 "Yes." Lilah replied through gritted teeth. It wasn't his fault. It was Batman's. Batman was the one who ruined everything. Who sprayed Jonathan with the gas. Who created.... Scarecrow. As fear raced through Lilah's body, the Scarecrow leaned forward, speaking in no more than a whisper, 

 "Don't forget. You're mine." He threatened, moving his cold fingers upwards to run them over her lips before he stepped back and turned  his attention back to Gotham City. Lilah stared at him for only a second. She had been so consumed in finding him that she had never anticipated whether or not the man was her Jonathan or not. But it was too late. She had no choice but to learn to love the man with the mask. The Scarecrow. But for now, Christian was her main priority.