Professor Fear (the sequel) - Jonathan Crane

Chapter 25

----AN: What a coincidence that Chapter 25 is coming out on the 25th of December! Hope everyone is having a lovely christmas/yule or whatever else you celebrate this month! I will be uploading more than one chapters today so stay tuned!-----

Jonathan had stayed up for most of the night watching Daria have a nightmare. He had continually spoken trigger words which would focus Daria's delirious state on her past.  For a few hours, Jonathan joined Daria in sleep. When he woke up, he held a small book in his hand which he'd been using over the past months to track Daria's states. He felt that a story was starting to come alive in the studies. 

Before attempting to read the many pencilled pages, Jonathan woke Daria up. She immediately clung to him. Then retracted and frowned when she say her name in his notebook. 
"Did you drug me again?"
"No, but you are sweating out the toxin from the other day and it's making you have nightmares. I asked you last night if you'd been anxious lately."
Daria nodded. "Yes. It's been awful."
Daria was then made aware of the intense smell of her night terror sweat. Her side of the bed was soaked. 

 Jonathan was one step ahead of her. He fished out vial the Lavender oil that Daria had bought for the bathroom and place two drops under where the water would land when he turned the faucet to the bathtub on.
As the bath ran, from the wooden stool Jonathan read through the notes. Daria mainly stared at the wall or at her body. She was processing her nightmare.
The sunlight was coming through the small window in the bathroom.

From reading the notes, Jonathan found himself conflicted by the upset he had definitely caused Daria. Perhaps when she read the notes she would understand too. He'd found something. 
He hoped Daria could forgive his sadistic and phobophiliac states. 

Jonathan fumbled around the kitchen. He wanted to make Daria pancakes because he knew she enjoyed them. The kitchen failed to reveal the correct ingredients for the recipe. Instead, he resorted to making her tea. Decaffeinated black tea. Somehow, he had a box of tea on top of his fridge.
Daria bought it.
"Of course: It's our home," Jonathan reminded himself. Smiling at the warm thought.
Jonathan's hand leapt back at the hot water when foolishly trying to grab the teabag out by hand. He quickly grabbed a spoon from the side of the sink and chunked the teabag in the sink.

Loud thumps were heard down the stairs. She stood in the doorway of the kitchen; dark circled eyes, tears and a large bag which Jonathan remembered from when she first moved in.
He felt like someone had snatched his heart and was squeezing the blood out of it.

He felt his own hands trembling.
Like hers were.

Daria couldn't withhold the tears. She found it almost impossible to walk to the front door. She couldn't let herself be used as a test anymore.

"I remember, parts of it," Daria admitted. "Parts of the visions last night," She took a shuddery breath, "I just... can't be in this pain anymore," She began to cry. "I'm scared you'll drug me again."

"It will never happen again," Jonathan swore. "You can leave me or call Batman on me if it ever does, but I swear it won't!"

"I need to be alone for a while," The sentence took much longer than Daria had wanted. Her sobs punctuated every word. Jonathan went to hug her goodbye, but she recoiled from his advance. 

And that was it for Jonathan. He sunk down to the floor, sitting in shock as the first woman to show him true love and care, walked out the door. He supposed he deserved it, but it was a pain he didn't want to bear.