Never Fear

32

"Thank you!" Having a voice exclaimed through the silence, Thomas jumped and dropped his stack of photographs. Turning and narrowing his eyes at the door he wasn't too surprised to see Willow.

"For?"

"You saved my life."

Thomas smiled thinly, "Yes, I did. But how easy it would have been to leave you to bleed out." Willow smiled and walked into the room and sat near him, despite of his words and the lingering threat behind them.

"We're never going to see eye to eye, you know this right?" Willow asked seriously, Thomas gave a nod. "But thank you." Willow eyed the photographs oddly before standing back up and exiting the room. Willow let out a noise when she was tugged into a room. "Yes?"

"I'm not being funny, but is he really Scarecrow? I mean...he looks rather harmless."

"Rather harmless in comparison to Thomas you mean?"

"Well, yes." Pippa pulled a face and looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Trust me, I've known Jonathan long enough to know what he's capable of doing. Considering Thomas got taught by Jonathan, it doesn't take much to figure out." Willow nodded and put her hand in her pocket. "Like teacher like student. They're both whackos, as such they have whacko behaviour." Willow nodded, "Not only that, if I've suffered being used as a lab rat Lord only knows what you've been through with Mr Mummy as company."

"I can replace the bullet I took out of you!"

"I'll pass," Willow pouted and watched Thomas storm past the room. "Does he always stomp around? I fear he may stomp through the floor and be half stuck with his legs wriggling through into the store below." Against her better judgement Pippa laughed a lot at this remark, Willow smiled and looked towards the window. Snow was falling again in the city, unlike the time it was snowing when still inhabiting the church, this snow was heavy. Thick flakes floated down to the ground below and coated everything in white.

Pippa frowned and leaned forward so she was in Willow's line of sight. "You all right there?"

"I'm good. Just tired," Willow shrugged and winced slightly from this. Turning out of the room she walked down the stairs and slumped in a seat next to Jonathan.

"I sense something is bothering you, what is it?" He scribbled something down on the paper in front of him before turning and looking at her.

Willow moved her head away from leaning against the back of the chair and looked at him. "Christmas is in four days. You honestly think you can go through with your plan in this short space of time?"

"Wait," Thomas walked into the room and sat at the table too. "You're planning on doing something on Christmas? I thought Halloween was more your sort of holiday?"

"Branching out to different things, Thomas," Jonathan said while taking his glasses off and taking to cleaning them on his jacket. "Unlike yourself, tell me, why are you going around skinning people? It really does interest me. What can make you wish to do such a barbaric act? I mean, you are, oh I'm sorry I meant, was, a highly regarded surgeon."

"And you were a well regarded teacher, then a doctor in Arkham. What happened there?"

"Woah, I'm dying from the testosterone here!" Willow exclaimed, Pippa walked into the room and shot her a confused look. She typically appeared just as she exclaimed this as loudly as possible. Even though she didn't know what Willow was referring to, she laughed.

Thomas and Jonathan continued to glare at each other before Thomas broke the stare off and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed tightly. "Joker tends to like to try and do things on Christmas. I mean last year he managed to abduct the Commissioner and his family. And also blow up a bridge, oh! And he also highjacked a television station too didn't he?" Thomas smiled sarcastically at his former teacher. "A Christmas with the Joker, that was great. How the hell are you going to upstage that?"