Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Keys jingled as one Gothamite by the name of Elaine began her daily commute out to her job one cold, Gotham morning. She checked her apartment door to make sure it locked properly and made her way to the elevator. She kept her head down as she passed a neighbor, just as they did the same. No words spoken. Pushing the button to go down, she waited. Foot tapping a beat on the wood paneling below her. The metal sliding door opened and she went in, pushing for the lobby. It didn't take long for her to be walking out the main doors.

The breeze blew by and she shivered. Her brown fur-lined coat was buttoned up to her neck. Black gloves keeping her hands from the chill. There weren't very many people out and about at this time in the morning. Which was good in the fact that she wouldn't be forced to push her way through the sidewalks to work. Plus the mornings were always so lovely. They were always the brightest part of a Gotham day. Literally. The sunlight slowly dwindled as the hours passed by, into various shades of grey before ending to black during the night. 

She didn't expect the sack that was thrusted over her head, or to be hurled over the shoulder of a potential kidnapper. Though, this was Gotham City.

Elaine, of course, did what any citizen of this insane city would in this situation. Struggled and screamed at the top of her lungs. Not that this would normally bring anybody to help, but hopefully convince someone to contact the police and get the badges onto her case a little faster. Her kidnapper was clearly thrown off, as they stumbled into the wall. To which, Elaine twisted around in an attempt to find some purchase to push off from. 

Her heart fluttered with adrenaline and hope soared as her foot caught along the brick, using all her strength to plunge them to the floor. She hissed in pain when she landed on her hand and wrist wrong but didn't allow it to deter her. Startling and blood-curdling laughter greeted her as she snatched the burlap off her face. Elaine looked on in shock as a blonde in pigtails clutched her middle, as if a joke was shared between them instead of their frightful tousle. 

"Oh, wow…" The blonde gasped out, fanning her tear-filled eyes as she struggled for air. "You're gonna be perfect, sweetie. I knew that I chose right."

"Wh— what are you talking about? You tried to kidnap me!" Elaine made an effort to stand, crying out as she used her hurt wrist. She opted to scoot back a few feet, cradling the wound to her chest.

"Correction, I'm still trying to nab ya." The other woman grinned, now staring at her potential victim. Elaine gave out an "eep!" and used the wall to help her back into her feet. She didn't even hesitate to start running in the opposite direction of the blonde, further into the alley she had been pulled into. The strange woman let out a groan behind her. "Aw, come on. It won't be that bad, promise! I ain't even bringing you to my Puddin'. You're just gonna be going on a blind date with a friend of mine, that's all."

"Look, thank you for the invite, lady. But I've got better things to do than get snatched for some "blind date"." She called back, not slowing down for a second. Is that what they were calling the trafficking ring now? Blind dating? No thank you. 

"Aw, but it's nearing the Rogue's Annual Bash and Prof ain't got a date yet!" 

Footsteps began to follow Elaine and she sped up. Then with a couple of giggles, her pursuer flipped in front of her in a fancy show of acrobatics. She slid to a stop, nearly running into the stranger. Frustration welled up in her, making her vision turn blurry as her eyes became watery.

"Please, let me go." Elaine choked out. "Just leave me alone, ma'am. I won't tell anybody I saw you and pretend this never happened, if you leave me be."

Pigtails sighed and shook her head with a smile. The woman reached into her jacket and brought out a spray canister. Elaine took a step back.

"Oh, Sweetie. Trust me when I say you'll thank me for this later. It'll work out, you'll see!" In a flash, the blonde grabbed a tight hold of her uninjured wrist and pulled her closer to spray gas into her face. With a surprised inhale, Elaine's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell forward. In her last moments of consciousness, she felt warm arms wrapping around her.

.

.

.

" ...ong will it… sure it won't…" 

Elaine's brow twitched and her nose crinkled as muffled voices conversed some measure away from her. The people were quiet as they spoke but clearly not enough, as it had disrupted her sleep! Then a sharp movement from beside her brought her a little further into focus. She vaguely noticed the warmth emanating next to her. 

Did her dog jump up onto the bed again?

This is what she got for coddling the pup when he was little. Now he felt that he was king of the house. Oh, well, cuddles were nice. After a noticeable lack of noises, she felt herself start to settle back into the cozy blanket of unawareness. Blissfully ready to fall back to sleep. There was another jolt next to her and this time she violently jerked awake with a snort. 

She gave out an annoyed groan and looked over to what caused it in irritation. She was graced with the sight of ice blue glaring coldly at her behind askew lenses. Elaine's eyes widened and she screamed. She attempted to move away a safe distance but found herself trapped to the bed. By vines! 

"No, no, no, no!" She tried to toss and turn but the greenery was too strong. The man tied down next to her scoffed. The door to the room was kicked open, slamming into the wall. The man beside her began to mutter curses under his breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him hide away something shiny as two women burst in. Though most of her attention was focused solely on the newcomers. More specifically the costumes they were wearing.

"Alright, let me at them! What's going on?" The shorter woman, dressed in a black and red harlequin suit, aimed a notably cartoonish-looking gun about the room looking for potential threats. The other, dressed in essentially a green bathing suit made out of shrubbery, merely placed a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at the two stuck in the bed.

"Perhaps our guests were merely… getting acquainted, Harls."

"Oh, ha. I suppose you're right, Red." Harley Quinn lowered her weapon and gave the room occupants a dazzling smile. "Hey, Sweetie, you're up and awake! It's so good to see those darling bright eyes."

"W-why am I here? I'm nobody special." Elaine hated how her voice wavered. She knew that making herself a blubbering mess wouldn't help the situation. If she wanted to get out of this alive, she needed to try to stay calm.

"Aw, I don't know. You seemed pretty special to me, back when we were dorm-mates. You're one of the nicest and smartest people I know." Harley went to sit at the edge of the bed and moved some hair from the other girl's face. "Very pretty too."

"But I didn't go to college anywhere near Gotham. I wasn't even living in this state yet."

"No, but we both went to Midway University. Though I transferred to Gotham State when I moved." The clown giggled. " I can't seem to remember what you majored in."

"I didn't finish." Elaine's hands clenched and she looked away. Then her brows furrowed as she struggled to remember that time of her life. "...Wasn't my dorm-mate named Selena?" 

"We were dorm-mates for only half a semester, there were some problems concerning room assignments." 

"You know, as interesting as all this is. I'd really like to leave and get back to my work." The man finally spoke up, his voice as chilling as his gaze. Something about the man absolutely frightened the dickens out of Elaine, and she hoped to never catch his ire. Harley, on the other hand, had no such qualms and looked over to him with a pout.

"Aw, Doc. We're only doing this cause we care for you. It's for your own good."

"Actually, I'm only doing this because I know it'll bother the daylights out of our dear, Johnny. " Poison Ivy smirked, flicking her hair back behind her shoulder. The man gave her a glare.

"And just what exactly is going on?" He snarled, giving the vines another tug.

"Well…" Harley gave a glance over to Ivy before returning to their two captured victims. "Every Joker should get his own Harley."

Both people tied to the bed blinked, trying to comprehend what exactly that meant. Though, as the seconds ticked by, the doctor's eyes widened in realization while Elaine's narrowed in growing confusion.

" No… Harleen, please. This isn't necessary at all." He shook his head, eyes not straying from the clown. His gaze shifted when he noticed Ivy pull out a peculiar, yet colorful flower from behind her. "Isley, don't you dare ."

"Or what, you'll douse me in a little of your toxin?" Ivy purred stalking slowly closer, hips jutting out purposefully with every step.

"What?" Elaine looked between the three, apprehension growing within her. "What are they doing?"

She was ignored as the doctor began to struggle. The woman decided to follow his cue and struggled as well, figuring nothing good will come of what was making the stone-cold man so nervous. She wrestled with the vines even more when Harley moved away.

"How do you even know this will work on me?" He continued, mind racing as he struggled to figure some way out of this situation. "Nothing much, save for your poisons, will work on me."

" Poison?!" Elaine squeaked.

"Oh, calm down. This won't hurt a bit. In fact, this might even be… pleasant." She raised up the flower and a mist of pink gas was emitted, encompassing the two. Elaine did her best to hold her breath and closed her eyes, not wanting anything to do with whatever they were just sprayed with. Next to her, she could hear her fellow kidnapee hacking his lungs out and knew that in a couple of moments she would be doing the same. 

Something clenched harshly onto her wounded wrist, an injury she had temporarily forgotten about, and her mouth opened in a pained gasp. Which delved into coughing as the sickly sweet vapor came rushing in. That was a dirty move, she couldn't help but think.

With chest-heaving hacks and blurred visions, the vines slowly let go of the two. Slithering off the bed and receding to who-knew-where. Elaine curled herself around her injured wrist, trying to protect it while in such a vulnerable state. It took a long while for her to calm down from whatever that stuff was. 

With heavy breaths she slowly sat up, swiveling her feet onto the floor below, and checked herself for anything different. Her one good hand patted herself down, ending with probing her face for any possible deformities. Nothing felt different…

A pair of thin but deceptively strong arms wrapped firmly around her waist from behind and a nose was burrowed into her neck. Elaine stiffened with wide eyes. Logically, she knew that the man behind her wouldn't actually do this in his right mind, seeing as he had given her a look that could kill when she first saw him. Though, right now her mind was mostly filled with thoughts of 'stranger danger' and 'help!' . She hadn't ever had much luck in the romance department.

She could feel her face warm up, as well as the parts of her body that made contact with the man behind her. It didn't help that he was shifting to get closer. Elaine felt hyper sensitive to what he was doing and she didn't know how she felt about that. Her face burned brighter and she used her one working hand to tug on an arm holding her. She attempted to wiggle out of his hold, which only served to make him growl and latch on tighter. 

"Please, let me go. I don't even know you." She attempted to reason with hardly kept calm, though it was to seemingly no success.

"Whoopsies! I guess we forgot to introduce them, huh, Red?" Harley giggled off in the corner of the room, hands raised up to hide her smile. Ivy merely shrugged with a smirk. "Ellie, meet Doctor Jonathan Crane. Professor, meet Elaine Hensley."

Jonathan Crane, as in the Scarecrow?! Elaine felt dread fill her veins. This was bad . 

"Mmm, Elaine." Crane murmured, his hot breath warming her neck which made her shiver. She couldn't help the shaky inhale or the goosebumps that appeared. She bit her lip. The way he had said her name…

"Dr. Crane… I need you to let go now. This isn't at all appropriate or the best time." She gave another tug at his arm. The woman didn't notice the onlooking Rogues give each other amused looks.

"You were right, Harls. I think they are a pretty good match. She's very eloquent like him."

"Right? It's lucky that I found her again and nearing the date of the party too!" 

"You're quite the matchmaker."

"I know ." Harley looked quite proud at her achievement. Elaine looked back over to them with a frown.

"Look, I don't know what you did but I'd really appreciate it if you reversed it." She huffed and batted away a hand that had begun to stray a little too far up for her liking. Her shoulders rose as his nose strayed from her neck, making a swift path up to her ear. His breath warmed up the appendage. Despite trying to stay strong, her breathing was beginning to shorten as her bravery began to slowly dwindle. 

"Sorry, budling, but my newly concocted pheromone mixture— an elixir of infatuation, if you will— won't go away until it wears off." Ivy looked up from inspecting her nails to be greeted by the rather territorial expression on Crane's face as he gazed suspiciously at his fellow Rogues, half hidden behind his new beau's dark hair. A smirk grew on her baby pink glossed lips. Things were working exactly as planned.

"What, like a love potion?! You can't honestly believe I would buy that! There's no such thing. Completely fictional." Elaine shook her head and gasped when she felt something wet touch her ear. Had he licked her?!

"I like to call it, Blossoming Romance . Quite catchy right?" Ivy set her hand on her friend's shoulder and guided the clown to the door. "Anyway, don't let us stop you two lovebirds. I suggest you spend this time wisely, Hensley. Not everybody can say they've been with the Scarecrow. In fact, I think you'd be the first."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Harley called over, before disappearing out of sight. "And don't be a stranger, Ellie! We'll get some lunch some time. I'll fetch you both for the party on Friday!"

"Wait! How long does this last—?" 

The door shut with a click, giving her a foreboding sense of finality. She stared at it in shock. Still trying to register what exactly was going on. A hand wrapped itself gently around her good wrist, slender fingers searching for something. Her eyes were drawn to the movement and watched as they settled over her radial artery. 

"You seem awfully… frightened, my dear." His words were quiet with an almost rough quality to it. It made her eyes wide and she tried to swallow away the panic that was trying to break the surface. A burst of anger spiked through her and her brows furrowed.

"Well, you would be too if you were being manhandled by some supervillain creep with a Halloween fetish!" 

"Elaine Hensley. Height is estimated to be about 5'4". Perhaps around mid to late twenties? Seems to respond in anger when—"

"Don't analyze me!" She bucked and twisted, her leg kicking out into the air in her effort. Elaine grunted when she applied pressure onto her injured wrist. He hummed and loosened his hold, shifting so that he could look at her from over her shoulder. It took a few seconds but her gaze moved away from her injury and up into his annoyed icy blue. Though, they were much softer now than when she had first locked eyes with him. No doubt a by-product of that gas they were forced to endure. 

"Look, I don't mean to be such a bother . I can't help myself. You're so irresistible . It's like I can't even control my— my actions." His eyes unfocused as he delved in thought, though there seemed to be a bit more awareness in his gaze. His hands raised up into his line of vision as if he were seeing them for the first time. They were shaking. 

Any irritation left Elaine as her mind went back onto the fact that, at this point in time, they were both victims of Poison Ivy's latest concoction. Which is to say, she never thought she'd ever find herself in such a situation and with the Scarecrow of all people. It actually hurt to see the muddled confusion in his gaze as his mind struggled to make sense of what was going on, but not quite making the connection. But what could she do? Honestly, it'd probably be better for both of them to simply go their separate ways.

She got up with the intention to do so, not noticing the way Jonathan's focus snapped to her movement. Watching her acutely as a haze fell strongly back over his eyes. Every shift and sway she made. The way her hair shined in the muted sun rays peeking through the broken and boarded up window. The way the remaining shadows of the room fought for dominance with the light across her form. A prickling sensation ran down his spine, through his arms and legs, and ended at his toes and fingers. Like pins and needles. Then his hands and chest began to ache. He needed to touch her. 

Slowly, he crawled off the bed and stood up onto his feet. Though he stumbled and nearly fell over in the process. He hissed slightly, sitting back down and clutched his head. The room warped slightly. 

"Oh… not good." He grunted and sat back down. Elaine glanced at him over her shoulder from her place in front of the door. He was gazing back at her longingly with a hand cradling his forehead. She raised an eyebrow and went back to inspect the door.

What are the odds that their "hosts" had locked the door? Or were even guarding it?

She reached out, twisted the knob, and pulled. It gave with a long creak. Her head poked out and she surveyed the rather dilapidated hallway. She watched a lone mouse scurry its way around a corner. Straightening back up, she twisted around with a smile.

"Dr. Crane, turns out they didn't lock the door. We can go home!" The smile dropped to a frown when she saw him hunched in on himself, head in his hands. She haltingly came closer. Bleeding heart getting the better of her. Her slow gait eventually brought her in front of him and she reached out to place her hand onto his shoulder. "Are… are you okay—"

He shot up and clenched onto the arm she had extended, pulling her closer with his other arm around her waist. Elaine was pulled flush against him and she gasped. Her cheeks burned. Jonathan watched as she registered what had happened. Her mouth was ajar as she gazed up at him in shock and alarm. And oh was she breathtakingly beautiful. Her eyes glistened. Cheeks rosy. Lips plump and oh so enticing . He leaned forward, resolute on sampling them. 

Elaine leaned back, trying to keep distance but his strong grip kept her from going far. She turned her head and he landed on her cheek. Her injured wrist was stuck between them uncomfortable and she attempted to use it to push him away. All while trying not to jostle her wound too much. He gave out a disappointed sigh and allowed her a little more room. His expression was sad and pained. 

" Don't look at me like that. I don't know you. I should hope after this I'll never be a passing thought through your mind. All of this is some sick joke of a crazy clown and her plant friend."

"You're all I can think about." He whispered, eyes still locked onto her moving lips. The feeling of her against him was exhilarating. His hand against the small of her back curled around the material of her shirt. He wondered how smooth her skin would be. Jonathan leaned back down and caught her chin with his mouth, drawing a line of kisses across her jaw. He growled when he felt her clench her hand tightly onto his shirt. Then jolted back when he heard her cry out in pain. His focus was brought down to the arm she pulled tightly to her chest.

"Oh, my little raven, are you hurt? Let me see." He pushed her gently away and extended her arm, inspecting her wrist. Elaine tried to pull away but he continued to prove how immovable he could be. It was no wonder such a scrawny man seemed to be able to continually stand up to Batman. 

"Stop, it hurts." She whimpered when he pushed and prodded. He glanced at her from his inspection and nodded, letting go. 

"The swelling is bad. Hopefully, it's just a sprain but it could be broken. From one to ten, how much does it hurt?"

"About… five. Seven when it's touched. " 

"I'd say it's more of a sprain then but I'm not officially qualified. We'll see to that when we're out, little one." He looked over to the opened door. "You didn't see anybody in the hall?"

"Not a soul. We can leave and go our separate ways." She didn't notice him twitch at her words, too focused on walking out the room. Jonathan stayed a step behind her, ice blue closely keeping watch of their surroundings. 

"Elaine, I suggest you stay behind me." He strode in front of her easily with his long legs. "Just because it seems we are safe doesn't entirely mean we actually are."

"What do you mean?"

"There could be traps or other measures waiting for us. I wouldn't be as concerned about it if this had just been young Dr. Quinzel. But Miss Isley… let's just say we have never had the most positive relationship."

"You think that she might do something to hurt you."

"Hurt me. Kill me. Whatever works to take me out of commission." Jonathan chuckled, carefully glancing around the corner. Nothing. They moved forward.

"But why?" 

"Because of my "crimes against nature", of course." He sighed when he noticed her still gazing at him in curiosity. "I need nectar from a certain flower to make my toxins. I don't exactly have the greenest of thumbs, so it more often than not kills them. She hates me for it."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Indeed."

They stopped in front of a set of double doors. Jonathan inspected them and deduced that they most likely led to the main part of the warehouse. He turned to his lovely companion.

"I'm going to go out and make sure there's no surprises. Stay here and find a good hiding spot, just in case."

"What? No!" Elaine shook her head and reached out for a handle. "It wouldn't be right to leave you to fend off whatever's behind there by yourself."

He intercepted and held her hand to his chest, thumb rubbing a pattern into her palm. Then he threaded their fingers together.

"No, my raven, I wouldn't be able to bear it if you were harmed any more than you already are." He stared down at her tenderly and with adoration. She couldn't keep his gaze for very long, glancing down at their conjoined hands. The break in eye contact caused Jonathan to blink hard, regaining just a little clarity. "Besides, this is merely an occupational hazard."

Elaine jolted. Her eyes went wide as a realization hit her. 

"Oh geez, my job… I'm definitely late."

"That's what you're worried about right now? Go hide!" He guided her to the middle of the room, then went back to the door and slipped out of her sight before Elaine could even open her mouth. With a huff she looked around and made her choice of a hiding spot, sliding into an empty cabinet that was slightly out of sight. Then she waited with baited breath. This was going to be torture. She was never really good with patience.

Chapter Text

The door behind him shut almost completely silent and the doctor took in the room. Apparently they were in the trainyard, based on the rail cars that were placed in various places throughout the room. Plenty of convenient places for an ambush. Jonathan really wanted to just go back the way he came and simply cuddle with his little raven. Though, he supposed she was far more deserving than that rotting, old mattress they had been forcibly placed on.

With a deep breath, he took his first steps in. He grabbed a forgotten crowbar off a crate as he walked past, firmly gripping it. Carefully, he began a sweep of the room. Though this was a harder feat than it usually would be. He would constantly find himself zoning out and staring in the direction of the double doors where he knew Elaine to be. As the seconds ticked by he began to feel worse and worse, like being so far away from her was zapping his energy. His breathing became heavy and sweat began to build as if from exertion. At this point he was in no shape to be doing this. Would he even be ready if he needed to fend off some thugs? Frustration was building within him and he grit his teeth, practically stumbling like a zombie as he stubbornly continued his task.

The sound of something metal dropping onto concrete sounded to the left of him. He didn't hesitate in whipping toward the sound and throwing his weapon. Someone went down with a cry, the impact had sounded nasty but Jonathan didn't care. There was a person here that could potentially harm his lady. All he could see was red as he slowly stalked to the fallen form. All aches and discomfort temporarily drifting from him.

The figure groaned and curled up on their side, clutching their head where the crowbar hit. As Jonathan came closer he took note of the familiar blue uniform of a GCPD officer. The officer looked to be male, about 5'6", and seemed to be of a more lean build. Clearly not one of the ones who regularly inhaled donuts like they were going out of style. One could assume he was here on an anonymous tip of Rogues being in the area. Though, that would usually instigate a full patrol to come out and investigate. This, as far as he could tell, was a lone wolf. A potential young cop looking to make his mark by checking out a suspicious place. There were still other factors to consider. 

Like the fact that Poison Ivy was involved. This young man had bright hair and a decent jaw line. In fact, if one looked closely they could see that there even was a similarity to him and Harvey Dent. Isley could deny it all she wanted but there will always be a part of her that truly still had a thing for the fallen DA. 

The officer groaned and sat up. He brought down his hands from his head and fluttered his eyes open. They were an unnatural bright green. Undoubtedly hypnotized. The scuffle of shoes brought his attention away from the officer and he turned to see another of Ivy's victims. The man swayed in his steps as he walked along his path, a dreamy grin upon his face. Jonathan's hands twitched as he tried to estimate how big of threats these artificially twitterpated fools were to his girl. The one he'd hit stumbled back to his feet and the doctor merely watched as he hobbled past him as if he wasn't actually there.

Did Isley not order them to attack him on sight? 

He was suspicious but quickly realized that the plant-monger wasn't showing her hand quite yet. They should be fine for the time being. The doctor went back to where he left Elaine. A relief and eagerness filling his being, urging him along quicker.

The woman in question clutched her legs tightly to her torso. Having been left to her own devices and hiding in a small cabinet with nothing to do but think. It was easy to let the paranoia settle. She first wondered about what he might be facing all alone out there. Then she worried about whether she would still have a job after this or not. Would the Scarecrow, in his current state, allow her to part ways as she'd been attempting to allude to? Or was she going to be stuck with a straw-covered shadow for the foreseeable future? Heck, she was sure he could simply drag her to wherever he wished to be, whenever he wanted to. A frightening thought came unbidden into her mind.

What if this was some ploy made by the three criminals? What if it was Dr. Crane's job to keep an eye on her while the other two made arrangements for her demise?

Elaine honestly couldn't remember having ever been dorm-mates with Harley Quinn. Which was surprising because wouldn't she have remembered having to share a room with someone so quirky? She had only been at that college for a year. Having finished two semesters before simply not signing up again and moved away. After everything that had taken place… there was simply no reason to continue her studies. Was she honestly important enough to even have anybody get back at her in such a fashion? As far as she knew and had already stated, she was a nobody.

Elaine sighed and leaned her head back to bump into the wooden board behind her with a dull thud. Her breathing was the loudest thing in her hiding spot. Amplified due to the small space she was within. It brought within her a speck of fear that someone bad would hear her breathing. Though she knew that while it sounded loud to her, it might not necessarily escape the confines of the overly-decorated, dusty cabinet.

Then Elaine heard a door handle rattle and sat up tensely. It was only a second of struggle before the mysterious newcomer made their way in, the door shutting behind them almost soundlessly. She tried very hard to regulate her breathing and willed herself to not move anymore than she had to. However, focusing on it only made it all the harder for her not to.

Her eyes squeezed shut as she heard the slow, calm pattern of wandering footsteps. She tried to visualize where they might be. Then tried to remember what the layout of the room had been, so that she could attempt to slip past if she needed to. Elaine was regretting not grabbing some sort of makeshift weapon. Not that there was barely anything smaller than a crate in the room.

There was a thump, the sound of some falling objects, and a muttered curse not too far from her hiding place. Elaine bit her lip, fingers digging into her knees. She was beginning to feel jittery and was honestly one crash away from simply making a break for it. Out the double doors and as fast to Dr. Crane as she could. The woman wasn't above taking advantage of his current state for some protection. Provided it really wasn't some cruel ruse. Taking a risk, she pushed the cabinet door a crack in a poor attempt to see her possible attacker. Her limited view didn't help in the slightest. She debated on what to do. 

Elaine's anxiety spiked when she heard movement somewhere around her, though the strange acoustics of the room made it hard to discern exactly where. Honestly, she felt frozen. One part of her wanted to make a move and get this horror show over with. The other to stay hiding and, hopefully, keep from being harmed in any way. Though it was probably too late in the "being traumatized" department. 

Never again would she feel comfortable around any sort of Scarecrow, alive or otherwise, without some proper supervision. Perhaps not even then. She could only imagine just how angry Crane was going to be when he regained his senses. And she didn't put it past him to take it out on her due to involvement alone. Why would an insane person care if she was merely involved because of an unfortunate acquaintanceship? Especially since she would probably be the easiest to torment. Out of her, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn, that is.

Her eyes caught sight of a pipe wrench leaning against a cloth covered tool chest not too far from her. She flexed her fingers and peaked around in anticipation. Then, before she could convince herself out of it, Elaine made a break for it. Pushing herself out and running to grab the tool. Behind her, she could hear movement coming in her direction. She only had one shot. 

Clumsily, she swept up the wrench into her grasp and swung it around, in an effort to hit whoever was after her. The mysterious stranger, a man, easily sidestepped the attack. She swung again and he ducked. A third swing and her weapon was caught in between his hands. With a cry of rage, Elaine tugged as hard as she could and managed to offset the offender. They both went tumbling to the ground. Elaine on her back and the man right on top of her. Having bumped her head in the tumble, it took a second for her to register the position she was in. A gasp came out when she realized that she was pinned underneath none other than Crane. She would have felt relieved if she wasn't so mortified. With her good hand she gave a push to his shoulder.

Jonathan let out a groan and rose up, rubbing the nose he managed to ram into the floor. It wasn't broken, thankfully. He blearily opened his eyes and realized his glasses had been thrown off. Then he recognized, through his blurry vision, that he was straddling Elaine. Which wasn't at all an unpleasant situation for him. Briefly, he looked up to gaze at the pipe wrench strewn not too far from them. The beginnings of a smile teased at his lips and he gazed down at her with half-lidded eyes. 

"You attacked me, my little raven." 

Her eyes widened at his words and she attempted to get out of her position beneath him. Jonathan's hands moved to press down lightly but firmly on her shoulders to keep her down. He also pressed some of his weight back onto her for good measure. It felt good to feel her thighs brushing against his sides. Even better to see that lovely blush brighten up her cheeks.

"I-I'm sorry! I thought you were someone wanting to hurt me." She stopped in her squirming and blinked in thought. "Actually, I still think you're someone who'd want to hurt me."

"I'm wounded, truly." He breathlessly whispered and dipped down until their noses were brushing. Elaine held her breath and tensed as he saw fit to nuzzle into her. "Would you be so kind as to allow me to kiss you?"

Her bottom lip trembled as panic and indignation began to well through her. She reached up to push him away and shook her head.

"No! Now get off me. Please." There was a moment where the man on top of her stilled at her blatant refusal. A moment of clear indecision. Her heart skipped a beat as his eyes held a spark of something she couldn't properly define. His hands tightened briefly around her shoulders before releasing them.

"Oh, very well." Jonathan sighed but got up. He brushed off some dirt from the flannel shirt he was wearing, then reached out a hand to help her. Elaine ignored it and stood up on her own. She crossed her arms protectively and took a couple of steps back, then turned away from him. He sighed once more and began his search for his glasses. Which was considerably harder than it needed to be, with the dim lighting and his already failing vision. Kneeling down, he shuffled around. His hands probed the nearby floorboards. 

Hearing his shuffling, she turned her head to peak over her shoulder. Elaine couldn't help but give him a once-over. He was undoubtedly tall and lanky. Which with the torn button up flannel and slightly ripped jeans truly did give him that scarecrow look, even without the mask that she had yet to see. His hands and fingers were slender but meticulous in the search. hair was messy and quite shaggy, hiding his piercing icy gaze from her. Honestly, if it hadn't been for the whole "notorious, dangerous villain"-thing, and the fact that his interest wasn’t actually real, she wouldn't have minded being given his attention. He was handsome in a nerdy way and she kind of liked that. In another life, she could have seen herself going on dates with him.

Her eyes strayed from him and to the pair of glasses that he was no doubt searching for. He was faced in the opposite direction from them. Elaine frowned sympathetically and walked over to the fallen glasses, picking them up. Walking over to him, she hesitantly squeezed his shoulder.

"Um, here's your glasses, doctor." The woman refused to look him in the eyes as she held them out. He accepted them and placed them back on, gazing up at her in unnoticed admiration.

"Thank you, my little raven. Perhaps it is time we leave the premises. There will be only so long until a wayward do-gooder finds it in them to investigate." Especially since there were hypnotized dolts roaming around, and they typically stumbled around like drunkards. He silently added on to himself. 

Jonathan tried to take a hold of her hand but she wiggled it out and stepped back, so instead he simply led the way. The walk through the warehouse was silent and awkward. At least, it was for Elaine. She wasn't entirely certain if someone under the influence of a "love potion" could feel awkward. Her heart skipped a couple beats when a man came stumbling around the corner and nearly ran right into her. Then she smiled when she realized it was a cop. Surely, he could help! 

"Oh, officer, you scared me! You wouldn't believe the night I've had." Elaine hardly gave Jonathan a glance, shaking her head wearily. "First I was kidnapped by a woman who turned out to be a clown, then held down by a plant lady and forcibly… forcibly… Sir, are you even listening to me?" 

The man was staring off at a point past her with the most peculiar expression. It was enraptured and wanting. Like a man in love… 

Elaine felt her stomach twist in realization. She looked to Jonathan to find him staring at the poor policeman in distaste, before raising an impatient eyebrow at her.

"O-officer?" She tried again, her voice faltering. 

"Pardon me, ma'am." The man tilted his hat, still not directly looking at her. His voice held a dreamy lilt to it. "If you'll excuse me, I must get back to my rounds. She needs me to protect this place." 

With a fanciful sigh, he went back on with his stilted trek. She watched him go, gaping at the absurdity as her mind raced. Was this man under the same thing that the doctor was? No, that couldn't possibly be, since the Scarecrow wasn't bumbling around like that. Though, Poison Ivy had said she'd been working on something new. 

If anything, Crane honestly seemed very coherent and in control of himself. Which only heightened her suspicion that this was all some long ruse with a brutal, painful end. Spirits lowered, she dragged her feet over to the irked psychiatrist. Jonathan was glaring daggers into the back of the cop.

"Having fun? What part of "we need to leave" do you not understand?" He huffed as he moved his focus back to her. She glared up at him. The man continued to be intimidating, being so tall compared to herself. She didn't let it get to her.

"I believe it was: "Perhaps it is time to leave". Didn't sound very hurried to me." 

His eyes widened, then he looked away all while grumbling. The doctor waved her to keep moving without another word spoken. Elaine didn't feel too bad now that she'd managed to win the current argument. Maybe it was petty but did it really matter when it was against a notorious criminal? 

She followed after him, eager to get out of this nightmare and back out into the streets of her city. It was a welcome relief to feel the cool night breeze when they walked out the door. Though she could have done without the literally fishy smell of the docks. Elaine scrunched up her nose and waved a hand in front of her face. 

With a dismissive glance to the abysmally maintained wooden walkways, she turned her sight to the city. A grin brightened up her features and she moved to begin her quest home. Not even taking a second glance to her temporary prison or her fellow victim. 

Her mind was filled with daydreams of what she was going to do once she was within the comforts of her apartment. First was going to be a hot, steaming shower. Then, once properly cleaned and her dog cared for, she was going to get into comfy pajamas and binge watch her comfort show. Afterwards, she was going to sleep for as long as she needed. Hopefully, she would forget that this night had ever happened. And that everyone involved would forget about her too. 

She made it a couple of blocks to a bus stop when a frown appeared on her face. Something told her that Harley Quinn was going to be a problem. The woman slumped onto the bench underneath the metal awning and pulled out her wallet, which was thankfully still on her. 

Checking what cash she had on her, Elaine mulled over pros and cons of skipping out of town for a while. She had to do something to keep from being found by the clown again. Because apparently she'd made enough of an impact on the criminal to warrant her attention. Would it be better to simply move to another city altogether? A disheartening question since she'd only just moved into this one about a year-and-a-half ago. Another good question would be: why had she even thought Gotham to be a good place to live in the first place?

Oh yeah, it was because her best friend had wanted her to. 

'We could be roommates!', She had said.

'It would be fun!', She had said.

Well, where was she now? All alone in one of the most crime-filled cities in the United States. No best friend or support system in sight. Stupid girl, she was.   She was also too stubborn to drag her feet back to her little hometown and bare the faces of all those smug people who'd tell her, 'We knew you wouldn't be able to make it on your own.'

Taking out enough for the bus ride, Elaine slid her wallet back into her pocket and dropped her face into her hands. The bench she was on creaked as another decided to sit beside her, which caused her to tense up. The woman knew she wasn't in the better parts of the city, so typically those who roamed this side liked to keep their distance from those they didn't know. And she didn't feel very confident in the fact that the friendliest person on the street may have simply wished to keep her company. 

Trying to look confident and relaxed, she unhurriedly set her shaking hands onto her knees and sat up a little straighter. Her eyes were straight ahead and watched as a lone stranger walked their way on the sidewalk across the street. Out of the corner of her eye she tried to spy who was bold enough to sit next to her. Only for all pretense to drop when she realized that Jonathan Crane had decided to simply follow her. 

Elaine gaped at him as he took out a tiny notebook out of his shirt pocket and a pen from a back pant pocket, seeing it prudent to take the time to scribble onto a blank page.

"Do close your mouth, little one. You wouldn't want to catch any flies." He muttered only loud enough for her to hear, leaning back on the bench and shuffling to get comfortable as could be. Her mouth shut with an audible click and she breathed deeply.

"Why… are you here?" She asked, trying to keep from screaming. Her nails were digging into her palms painfully. The doctor gave her a sparse glance, not even lifting his head up from his booklet. His eyes gave their surroundings a quick scan.

"I believe we are waiting for a bus, yes? Or simply a quick rest before going on our way? Though the money in your hand suggests the former." Jonathan went back to his notes, not at all concerned about being out in broad daylight with people walking around. A bout of paranoia filled her and she leaned closer to him.

"No." She whispered. "I mean, why are you following me? Aren't you worried someone might see you? Heck, don't you have some type of supervillain thing to do?"

This time he lifted his head to raise an eyebrow at her, adjusting his glasses. His expression said, 'Really?', and she winced.

"Beyond popular belief, "supervillains" aren't only just planning the next big score or how we're finally going to best the Batman. We need to eat, drink, keep clean, and live too." 

Well, when he put it that way…

"Alright, then couldn't you do that in one of your hideouts or wherever you guys run off to? Why are you still here?" Elaine rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"I—" Jonathan nearly dropped his pen and flailed to catch it, the almost animosity in her voice startling him. She didn't break off her glare from his face and he looked away, lest he go blind from the searing heat. "W-well, you're here . So, this is where I'll be also."

"Don't you understand, doctor? You can't follow me home. I can't have a criminal in my apartment . " She scowled. "Besides, there's not enough room for more than one person in my shoebox, really."

This time it was his turn to scrutinize her as she frowned into her lap. He was intelligent enough to understand that she wasn't at all comfortable around him. Which wasn't odd, seeing as most everyone wouldn't be interested in being within gasing distance of the Scarecrow. But she didn't have anything to worry about. He wouldn't dare harm a single hair on her head. He'd rather die—

Jonathan squeezed his eyes and shook his head as a sharp pain struck through it. Lifting up a hand, he rubbed his forehead. When he opened his eyes, he completely regretted it. A sense of vertigo overcame him and his stomach twisted terribly. Feeling sick, he settled his hand over his mouth and leaned forward. 

"...ane? Can you…" He knew that Elaine was trying to talk to him but he couldn't hear her over ringing in his ears. Opening his mouth to try to answer, he found himself in a particularly nasty coughing fit. 

Gasping and clutching his chest, he fell forward onto his knees. It took far longer than he was comfortable with for the coughing to die down. His eyes were watering and he was breathing hard. His stomach was still giving him trouble and he vaguely wondered if it'd be prudent to find the nearest trashcan and try to throw up. Jonathan then took notice of the hand rubbing circles into his back and the hair that was grazing against the back of his neck.

"Elaine…?" He barely whispered, not wishing to fall into another spell. Especially not while out in the open like this. What was happening to him? 

"What the heck happened?" She asked. Her hand came off his back and he suddenly felt so cold.

"We need to get off the streets." Was his only response and he tried to get up, only to fall back onto one knee from another bout of nausea-inducing dizziness. Then hands came back to hold onto his own and the symptoms seemed to recede, some. 

How curious , he thought absentmindedly. 

"That's not really an answer to my question but I'll accept it, for now." She helped him up and placed his arm around her shoulders, allowing him to lean on her some. Which must have been amusing, to see a taller man being led around by a smaller woman. "So, where to?"

Taking a glance at a nearby street sign, he pointed in a direction and they were off.

Chapter Text

The further into the Narrows they went, the more uncertain and scared that Elaine became. 

She was practically burrowing into Jonathan's side and he was reveling in it. He'd been feeling much better about ten minutes back but certainly didn't wish to give his little raven any reason to push him away. Literally. 

It was strange. Normally, he would be elated with the fact that someone was afraid. For her, though, it seemed to be the fact that she chose him to protect her from her fear. He couldn't bring up memories of anybody wanting to find protection in him, rather than from him.

"How much further, doctor?" Elaine whispered, eyeing a passerby from underneath her eyelashes.

"Not too much longer, little one." He whispered back. Her caution was amusing. Anybody who dared to threaten them would instantly regret it. Or perhaps not live long enough to. It was another two blocks before Jonathan led them through a hidden away entry into an abandoned garage shop. 

Elaine looked around, a little intrigued to see what a hideout of the Scarecrow's would look like. The main garage was mostly filled with cobwebs, dust, and left over scattered tools. A single, nondescript little brown car sat by its lonesome in the space. The license plate was missing. 

They walked past it and into the door leading into a smaller room. In it there was what looked to be the makeshift lab of a mad scientist. Vials and beakers were filled with all sorts of variously colored liquids. The glow of which casted eerie shadows over the walls. Off in their own little corner, there were a set of beakers in a sickeningly familiar shade of yellow. Elaine swallowed and looked away.

On the opposite side of the room a cot was set up with a pillow and a rather thin blanket. She frowned and risked a glance at Jonathan. He seemed preoccupied in leading them to said cot. 

"Thank you, my dear." He rasped out, making sure to put on a show of effort as he sat down. It became less of a show when he could feel the beginnings of the symptoms slowly crawling back when Elaine detached herself and took a few steps away from him. How infuriating.

"Okay so, you'll be fine here, right?" Elaine took another glance around. "You stay here and do whatever you need to do and I can go home? Go back to my life?"

"I don't believe that to be the wisest decision, my raven." Jonathan winced and raised a hand to rub at his chest. He watched as she slowly inched her way to the door. "You see, whatever Isley did… it made it so that whenever you're not near me, I become increasingly ill."

"Well, no offense, but that doesn't exactly sound like it concerns me. And seeing as how you're not exactly in any position to stop me, I'm going to make my way out. I do hope you manage to figure out a way to fix this. I'm sorry. Goodbye, doctor." The muddled slam of the entrance to the garage outside of the room made Elaine pause. A sickening feeling began to pool in her stomach.

Footsteps slowly made their way closer and she flinched when Jonathan gave out a chuckle.

"Then I suppose you'll make no offense when I tell you that I had the foresight to call for some backup, while I followed you to the bus stop." The door to the room gave a long creak as it opened. A man in a green suit and bowler hat came flaunting in, twirling his cane in the air with a smirk. "Elaine Hensley, meet Edward Nygma. Otherwise known as the Riddler. Ed, if you would please."

Jonathan waved a hand in her direction and the newcomer didn't spare a second to roughly grab a hold of her good wrist, thankfully, and twist it behind her back. She cried out in pain and the Scarecrow gave his fellow Rogue a harsh glare.

"Gentler, you fool!"

"Whoa! Okay, geez." Edward brought up a hand in a calming motion as he released his hold, some. Despite it, his grasp on her was still very strong. "Man, Johnny, normally you don't care about your victims. What gives?"

"She's not a test subject. Bring her closer." The psychologist was looking paler by the second. He was also breathing heavily, as if he'd just ran a marathon. 

"No, seriously. What's going on?" The puzzler grunted and reaffirmed his grip when Elaine gave an experimental tug. As they came closer, Jonathan began to regain some of his color. 

"Poison Ivy. She did something to us. I'm not entirely certain. It's hard to— to think about." A stab of pain ran through his head and he rubbed his forehead. With his other hand he reached into the satchel leaning against one of the cot legs and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

Edward, taking the silent cue, thrusted out Elaine's arms. She tried to wrench out of his hold but he hardly even noticed. Instead, he watched in intrigue as his friend locked one cuff to himself and one to the girl, effectively linking them together. "Pammy, huh? And what does Elaine here have to say about the situation?"

Said woman had been looking at the cuffs in horror, mouth agape. Upon hearing her name she closed her mouth with a click and looked over at the Riddler with a pleading gaze. He merely raised an eyebrow. Elaine sighed.

"She called it "Blossoming Romance". Said it was like some type of love potion. As far as I know, she did it for Harley Quinn because the clown wanted Dr. Crane to have a date for some party." She lifted up her arm and sullenly watched as Jonathan's arm came up with her. The psychologist looked on in amusement at her antics. His eyes were soft and there was an out-of-place dreamy daze in his expression.

"Okay then. Did you hear that, Jon?'

"Huh…?" The master of fear looked away from his "beau" and blinked when he saw Edward, as if noticing him for the first time. 

"I'd say "that's typical" but for him it really isn't." The puzzler sighed and lifted his hat up briefly to run a hand through his hair. "Anything else, El?"

Elaine narrowed her eyes at him. Edward rolled his eyes.

"I can't help if I don't know all the details." 

"...Apparently, distance away from me causes him to show symptoms of being sick. Other than that, I really don't know."

Edward hummed and thought. Then smiled as a small chuckle came out of him, which eventually delved into a full on cackle.

Elaine stepped back and Jonathan glared at him suspiciously.

"Oh, Johnny… she really got you good this time." The riddle-maker wiped away a stray tear that fell from his eye. "Wait until Jervis hears about this. This is great. About time you got a girlfriend, dude."

"Uh, hello? Unwilling victim, here. I am not his girlfriend." Elaine snapped out with a huff.

"Eh, in Hattie's book it's the same thing." The redhead laughed again, waving her off. He looked back to Jonathan, who was practically drooling as he stared at the fuming woman. "I'd ask what the plan was but something tells me you're not in the right frame of mind."

"Mm, mhmm." The Scarecrow nodded, clearly not paying attention.

"This was so not what I planned tonight." Edward groaned. Elaine scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Welcome to the club." She muttered, eyeing the satchel where the cuffs came from. She wondered if perhaps the keys were stached there too, or if that would be too obvious a place. Edward was sharp in his observation and grabbed the satchel, moving the strap over his shoulder with a smug expression. 

"Well, at least I'll have some lovely company." He leered, giving her a once-over. He was startled back a few steps when Jonathan growled and jerked as if to lunge at him. A shiver went down the redhead's spine at the dangerous gleam in his friend's eyes and he raised his hands up placatingly. "Joking!"

The puzzler slumped in relief when his friend settled down, seemingly placated. Elaine frowned at the scene, placing a hand on her hip. 

"So, what are you going to do?" She asked Edward with a pointed look. He looked insulted and unamused.

"Me? This is your mess. Maybe if you hadn't of been so weak as to get captured by Harley, you wouldn't be stuck in this nonsense. More importantly, I would still be at home and working on my latest scheme."

"Nothing about the clown appears "weak" to me." She raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to stand there and tell me that you'd be able to go one-on-one in a fight with Harley?"

Edward mumbled grumply, crossing his arms. 

"Besides, this is your friend, right?" Elaine gestured to the swooning man beside her. During the time they were talking, Jonathan had seen fit to slither right up underneath her arm and cuddle into her side. Awkwardly, due to the cuffs, he clutched onto her. "Whatever we were sprayed with doesn't seem to be affecting me like it has him. As far as I'm concerned, once I figure out a way out of the cuffs I'm gone and skipping town. I'm not gonna get involved with whatever feud you have. I don't want to be associated with any of you at all."

"Yeah… that's not going to cut it." The Riddler clicked his tongue, leaning onto his cane. "You see, we happen to need you to keep Jon from potentially dying from whatever he's inhaled. Which means you're stuck with us for the time being. Tell me, how much practice have you had in escaping hostage situations?"

Elaine wilted and looked away. 

"That's what I thought." He sniffed haughtily and perused the satchel he'd confiscated. Whether he was looking for something useful or simply being nosy was uncertain to Elaine. 

"Okay, fine. Can you at least promise me that, if I willingly help you, I won't be harmed in any way after all of this?" His face stayed focused toward the satchel but his eyes strayed up to study her. She couldn't read his face, as it had become blank, but it was very clear the cogs were turning in his brain. Elaine, though, refused to allow him to intimidate her. She stood straighter and looked him head on. Edward hummed and adjusted his tie, flipping closed the bag's opening flap.

"And just what exactly do you think I can do for you? Or even what might happen to you?"

"Maybe talk sense to Crane when he's back to himself. Convince him to forget about me and not use me as a test subject. Heck, convince Harley, too. For some reason she's decided to fixate on me." Elaine slapped a roaming hand that had been threatening to explore underneath the hem of her shirt. It briefly lifted and then decided to wrap around her thigh instead, rubbing slow patterns. She briefly bit her lip and uncomfortably glanced into a corner of the room, trying to focus back onto what she was talking about. "J-just— I'm nobody caught in a bad situation. There isn't anything I can do to any of you."

Edward tilted his head as he listened to her. Tapping his cane on the floor as he mulled, in a bored fashion, over whether he'd agree. His lack of response as the seconds passed left her rather antsy. Just when she felt like she was simply going to explode in a waterfall of jumbled explanations and angry remarks, he shifted his weight and spoke.

"Well, alright, I guess. I don't see any reason why I couldn't do that. Provided you're willing to do your part in helping us. You're certainly gonna have to change first, though." He gave her a once over. She looked down at the collared white shirt, blue jeans, and non-slip shoes she wore with an eyebrow raised.

"What?" She blinked up at him.

.

.

.

"Absolutely not."

"Come now, you haven't even tried it on yet!"

"No."

"Pretty please? With a cherry on top?" Edward gave his best puppy dog eyes impression, which ended with a cringe when he could practically feel the singe of Elaine's glare. 

Her hand was placed on her hip with the most defiant stance he'd ever seen. Jonathan, still in his happy-go-lucky state, was not at all subtle in his obvious ogling as he stood cuff-in-cuff beside his lady. Something of which she caught sight of when she rolled her eyes at the criminal puzzler. Frowning, she used her cuffed hand to awkwardly grab a hold of his chin and push his face away from her direction. His smile only grew bigger until he caught sight of what exactly his friend in green was holding. The icy blue of his eyes lost some of their haze.

"Oh, Edward, no. What on Earth— that shade of purple is so not you." The scrawny doctor shook his head as if in shame, clicking his tongue. Riddler was gaping as he looked from the rather scanty, small dress in his hands to his friend. 

Elaine gave out a surprised snort, bringing up her sprained wrist to cover her mouth. Of which had now thankfully been wrapped and cared for, as it had turned out that Jonathan had been underestimating his medical skills earlier.

"Seriously? You're stuck under the high of Poison Ivy's drugs and you're still spitting out wisecracks at me? Not cool, man." 

"Well, perhaps if you weren't trying to dress my lovely beauty into that pitiful excuse of clothing, I wouldn't be so quick to insult your lack of fashion taste. A queen deserves only the finest of linens." He brought his free hand up to curl a strand of Elaine's hair around his finger. She stilled and stiffened as he cupped her head and leaned over to rest his lips upon her temple. "Unfortunately, something this lowly Scarecrow is currently yet unable to provide. But it shall be so. In time."

"Haha, I can't even get angry. This right here is all the revenge I need." Edward grinned snarkily at the blatant display of affection. He knew that Johnny would be absolutely appalled in his right state of mind. Maybe Pam was onto something. 

Though as much fun as watching Jonathan not be his stick-in-the-mud typical self, it just wouldn't be the same. But oh how he wished that Jervis wasn't still stuck in Arkham so that he could get a cut in on the laughs.

"Maybe instead of giggling about it, you could hurry up and get me something practical to wear." Elaine glared at Edward as she pushed herself out of the doctor's hold. His amusement sobered up and the puzzler glared right back with a pout.

"You should do well to remember that I'm a very dangerous criminal. One of Gotham's Most Wanted."

"You really want to try something when I've currently got the complete and utter support of him?" She pointed a finger at Jonathan. His face showed an obvious and intense disapproval of Edward's threat. The puzzler gave out a nervous laugh.

"Fair point. Moving on!" He swivelled around, back to the huge chest of various articles of clothing. He threw clothes over his shoulder in a rather comical fashion. Some of which the two behind him had to dodge. Though one had perfectly smacked Jonathan in the face and wrapped around his head. Elaine brought up a hand in a poor attempt to cover her laugh. Using his non-cuffed hand, the psychiatrist attempted to take it off but only somehow tangled it up worse. 

"Ha… W-wait a second, come here." She reached up with her cuffed hand, allowing him use of his second hand. Grabbing a hold of some fabric, she experimentally tugged. It took a minute but the material finally released its unwitting hostage. 

In the process of taking it off, Elaine found herself nose to-nose with the crazed psychiatrist. Her eyes widened as they locked with his, her mouth opening into a small ‘o’. She found herself mesmerized by the frozen seas of blue. This close, she could smell the scent of something like cinnamon mixed with the freshness of peppermint. His lashes, she noticed, were quite long and framed his eyes beautifully. Elaine would have to be blind to not notice the absolute handsomeness of this man. Couldn't even imagine what had to happen to him to cause the man to go to such broken lawlessness. 

Crane's eyes slowly slid down to take another longing look at her lips and she finally gained enough of herself to push away. Her ears burned. Then she caught sight of the teasing smirk on the Riddler's face and she glared, hoping that it helped in masking her blush more into that of anger. Though she doubted it. The redhead merely gave out an annoying chuckle and went back to sifting through the box.

"Why am I even getting changed, anyway?" Elaine crossed her arms and idly watched as the man continued his search.

"Well, we can't let you go running around with us looking like you just woke up from bed, sweetheart." 

"I'm wearing jeans. Who goes to bed in jeans?!" Elaine sulked, patting down her hair in hopes that it didn't look too bad. She really needed a mirror. Edward jerked out a tiara that had gotten caught up in some fabric, muttering out an 'oops' when he heard something rip. He looked back over to her and waved it around in the air. The woman shook her head and he shrugged, throwing the tiara into a far corner. "Also, why do you have so many girl's clothes? Because that's not suspicious at all."

"For your information, I used to have assistants. Two wonderful ladies, Echo and Question." The redhead sniffed, nose thrusted up into the air. 

"And where are they now?"

"Blackgate Penitentiary." He shrugged and began to go back to the search before freezing mid-action. He gave her a suspicious look. "Wait, how do you not know that? All Gothamites keep up with us Rogues, otherwise well…"

He gave a sinister smile and gestured his pointer finger across his neck. Elaine swallowed but did her best to hide her panic behind rolling her eyes.

"I'm not a born Gothamite. I've been living here for the better part of this year."

"Ah, a noob. Welcome to Gotham, cupcake."

"...Thanks." She pursed her lips while dodging another article of clothing. Then her eyes narrowed. "Wait, did you just call me a "noob"? What are you, a twelve year old gamer?"

Edward sputtered while Jonathan guffawed. Elaine simply crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. The more she spent time with these guys, the less she was scared. Despite being legally insane they weren't really too hard to get along with. She still didn't trust them, though. 

"He might as well be, goodness knows how much time he spends on those mind-numbing devices." Crane huffed. 

"Okay, boomer." The redhead sneered before shifting his attention to their resident damsel in distress. "Look, I like video games. Used to be a game designer once upon a time and would make up different levels and maps and puzzles for them. 

"You know how in those adventure games there's those parts where you have to complete a puzzle before moving on to the next area? Yeah, I'd make those, among other things. It was a very fruitful job and personally fulfilling, before my absolute a-hat of a boss terminated me and stole credit for my work. So…" Edward gave a sharp, angry shrug. "I may or may not have tried to kill him, using a very intricate puzzle that I recreated in real life from one of my videogames. Then comes Batman, blah blah blah, yadda yadda, as the story goes."

He sighed and stood up from the chest, stretching his back and neck. Elaine gave a nod and hummed.

"I suppose I can't blame you for feeling like wanting to kill your boss for his own crimes. Though, I definitely don't condone you actually attempting it. Did, uh, he ever get properly charged for it? Or anything?"

"Ha! In this city? No, only the victims get convicted here." He shook his head, hands finding their way into his front pockets. Elaine didn't know if she entirely agreed with that statement but decided it would probably be best to let it go. Last she checked, attempted murder was in fact a crime. No matter if the person you were trying to off deserved it or not.

Instead she lifted up the clothing still within her grasp and gave it a curious look over. 

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any sewing materials around here? Preferably, a sewing machine, a scissor, a pencil, and some paper?" Both men blinked at the rather random question, though Elaine didn't seem to notice their surprise. She seemed too busy looking around herself and Crane, picking up different articles of clothing that she saw fit for her purpose. Then she jolted as if remembering something and blinked up at Edward with wide, bright eyes. "Oh, sorry… you wouldn't mind if I cut up some of these clothes and made myself something to wear? Since you're so insistent that I put on something new."

"Oh, um, sure. I don't mind." He didn't really feel the need to add that they weren't exactly his. So, what did he care? The actual owners were currently incarcerated. His mind was on a more important matter. For instance, "You can sew?"

"Yes?" She gave him a confused smile. Crane rolled his eyes.

"Edward. Sewing isn't exactly a forgotten art, there are plenty of people who can. I mean, I can sew." The psychiatrist sighed.

"Yeah, and there are plenty of people who didn't grow up on a farm in the middle of Nowhere, Georgia." The puzzler bit back. He looked at Elaine suspiciously. "You didn't grow up in the middle of nowhere, either?" 

"Well, obviously, I did." Elaine deadpanned. "I mean, clearly no one else in any other living conditions could just simply decide that sewing was an important skill to learn."

"Well, you don't have to be so snippy about it." Edward sniffed shrewdly and stomped out the room. He gestured for the other two to follow. "The sewing machine should be this way, princess."

They went out into the main area of the Riddler's current hideaway and, this time, Elaine took the time to look around. When they had first come in, she'd been too wrapped in her anger and fear to truly focus on anything. It was about just as messy and ill-kept as the room with the clothes chest had been. 

There was a ratty old couch in front of a rather nice and big flat screen tv. The TV stand underneath held both a PS5 and an Xbox X|S. She raised her brow before moving her attention. Within the kitchenette was the sink which was filled to the brim with dirty dishes. Not far from the mess was a package of paper plates. Clearly someone didn't want to pick up after himself.

Elaine nearly took herself and Crane down when she tripped over a question mark cane. Thankfully her cuff-mate had rather quick reflexes and managed to balance the both of them. His arm had easily wrapped around her waist and brought her back against his front.  She let out a sound of surprise, stiffening as she could feel the heat of his breath against her cheek. Almost unconsciously she slowly turned her head to look up at him. He was already staring down at her warmly. Eyes soft with the tease of a smile. 

"You need to be more careful, my beautiful raven." He whispered, drawing her closer and burrowing his nose into her hair. 

She scrunched up her nose and made a point to remove herself out of his grasp. Silently thankful that he was letting her. Crane's arms dropped and he looked at her with that same sad face that he'd begun to repeatedly make when she rejected his affection. A mixture of confidence and anxiety began to swirl in her gut, her arms crossing protectively over her waist.

"Dr. Crane—"

"Jonathan, please."

"—I would like to speak very plainly, right now, and would very much like it if you'd truly listen." She waited until he nodded to her. "You are not in any way sound of mind right now. What you are feeling for me is not at all of your own. Poison Ivy forced you to inhale something that is causing it. In fact, I am fairly certain that you would be more relieved than anything else that I've been rebuffing your "affections", once everything is said and done. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

She looked at him expectantly. Though, unfortunately, as Elaine had spoken, Crane's expression only became more clouded and glassy. He merely tilted his head in wonder at her.

The corners of her lips turned down in the realization that whatever had caused this was somehow working against him in keeping his focus away from the issue. Sighing, she turned away with her head cast low.

"Besides, who'd actually be interested in someone as boring as me?" She whispered to herself, though apparently loud enough for the crazed psychiatrist behind her to hear. In shock, he opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Edward poking his head out from another room.

"Hey! Are you two done flirting, cause time's ticking."

"We're not flirting, Edward!" The woman huffed, flicking her hair back behind her shoulder and stomping toward the puzzler. The faster she made her new outfit, the quicker this nightmare could be over. Crane trailed behind her, silently in thought. Then he blinked.

"Hold on, why is he Edward and I'm still "Dr. Crane"?" Crane fumed, a swirl of jealousy beginning to swirl within him. It made his mind fog up and his sight turn a tinge of red as he followed his lady where Eddie had disappeared to. His eyes glaring daggers at the redhead upon appearing into his sight. "You've known me longer!"

"O-oh, um—" Elaine stumbled as she struggled to find an answer. Her tongue began to tie itself when she looked over to see the rather frightful sight of Crane— Jonathan's anger. Thankfully, it wasn't directed at her. The scrawny man pushed his way past her and placed himself nose-to-nose with his fellow rogue. The action forcibly dragged Elaine a couple steps forward, a terrible reminder that they were still cuffed together. 

Edward narrowed his eyes and puffed out his chest. The slightest twitch of his brow was the only indicator of his worry.

"I am only going to make this clear, once. Elaine is mine. Not yours. Back off or else I might need to resort to more unpleasant measures." The fearsome Scarecrow hissed menacingly, his fingers flexing, as if iching to do something. Edward didn't immediately respond. Instead he took the time to look his fellow rogue and friend up and down. For once, he seemed not at all amused about the other man's frazzled and crazed state. 

"You shouldn't make threats upon mere speculation, Jonathan. You of all people should know better." The redhead growled, tense and ready to move at a moment's notice. "After all, assuming makes a fool out of you and me."

The psychiatrist jolted in place, as if he had an urge to make a move but reluctantly held himself back. An indecipherable combination of emotions flashed through his eyes. Edward took absolute advantage of the other rogue's hesitation.

"Besides, any move against me and you'll inadvertently bring your lovely, fair maiden within harm's reach. Or did you forget that you're… rather connected." The criminal puzzler gestured to the cuffs with smug satisfaction. Jonathan forced himself to take a step back and relax. He stretched out his neck and shoulders, looking off in the distance just above Edward's shoulder. The Riddler also found himself relaxing, internally relieved that he wasn't going to have to tussle with the secretly-rather-strong fellow Rogue. The redhead reached out and patted the other criminal's shoulder. "The girl's yours. Understood. There, see? I'm glad we could come to a more civilized agreement."

Jonathan growled and raised a hand up to wrench off the others hand off his shoulder. His action was aborted by Elaine's split second decision to snatch it and hold it tightly, pressing herself up against his side. The action completely derailed the psychiatrist. His attention now completely enraptured by his girl.

"Look… Jonathan, Edward didn't mean anything by his poorly phrased sentences." She shot the redhead a look to keep him from arguing, which surprisingly worked better than expected. "Especially since he's taking so much precious time to help us. Right, doctor?"

"Uh-huh…" He obligatorily agreed, though his tone expressed just how much he was actually paying attention. He was too busy watching every minute expression appear on her face and just how artfully her mouth crafted her words. It didn't help that she felt so perfect against him. Warm and soothing. So beautiful. His wonderful bird.

He must have been staring at her for too long because the calming, yet confident expression on her face turned strained. Awkwardly she patted his arm and moved away from him.

"Okay," Elaine clasped her hands and tried to pull herself together. She just wanted to go home and cuddle with her undoubtedly lonely dog. "Shall we get started?"

Chapter Text

"Okay… shall we get started?" Elaine asked, gesturing to the rather dusty machine on the desk. 

Edward, in a sweeping and dramatic motion, pulled the chair away to allow for the woman to sit upon it. His face and body language was made to show the utmost gentlemanly the man could possibly be. 

She rolled her eyes but allowed it without a fuss. Though she did make sure to check on Jonathan with a quick glance. 

Once all three were situated, with Elaine sitting in front of a rather old sewing machine and the two criminals awkwardly staring over each of her shoulders, the woman deftly got to work. She was absolutely thankful that there seemed to be a full array of tools here. With scissors, pins, thimbles, and everything else she could have hoped for.  

The men watched in captivation as she allowed her hands to nimbly fly over the desk, reintroducing herself to a craft that had been taught to her for as long as she could walk. While it had been a long time since she'd used a needle and thread, she could feel herself relaxing as she lost herself to the familiarity. 

Back when she was little, some of her first memories were of helping her father with his tailoring orders back in his old shop. She was surprised how much she had missed it.

Diligently, her fingers nimbly flew over the desk. Taking measurements. Cutting fabric. Pinning corners. 

At some point during her work, Jonathan had brought up a stool to sit on. Within his grasp was a yellow paged, lined notebook. It was balancing precariously on his knee and held down by his remaining free hand. The other was held in the air by his side of the cuffs, in a seemingly uncomfortable manner. She noticed him scratching vigorously into it with a pencil. Occasionally, he would look up to see what she was doing. Was he taking tips? Or perhaps cataloging her behaviors? What a strange man.

During one of her glances toward him, she accidentally caught his eye. He let out a small smile. With wide eyes she snapped her focus back to the costume, her cheeks burning. 

A crash broke her concentration a few minutes later and she looked over to see a sheepish Riddler, now in full getup, hovering over some junk that had fallen from a forgotten table. Which had been hiding behind the rest of the forgotten, and most likely stolen , things left in this room. 

"Heh, whoops?" He chuckled nervously before grabbing the chair that he must have been after. The other two watched as he took it and sat down at Elaine's other side, so that he could look over her free shoulder. "What? Keep going! Stop staring at me."

Jonathan snickered, while Elaine simply went back to it. It took another hour-and-a-half but finally she was done. It was a rush job but it would, hopefully, appease her captors. 

"Alright, guys. I think I've done what I can with what I got. What do you think?" She turned around awkwardly to hand over the material to Jonathan. He curiously lifted it up, trying to hold it with one in a way to allow him a better look. Though, before he could adjust, Edward snatched it out of his hands and spread it out, holding it up in the air.

"Hey!" The Scarecrow snarled, glaring furiously at his fellow rogue. He lashed out, attempting to snatch it back but the Riddler walked out of reach. The nerve of some people.

Edward hummed as he stared at the newly created piece. Brows furrowed and his gaze critical, he was single-focused on his interest in judging. "...it could use more, pizzazz ."

"Well, it's not like I'm looking to win any awards for this." Elaine rolled her eyes. "Honestly, this whole thing is simply to appease your obsession with my fashion choices."

" Or the lack, thereof." He muttered darkly, shooting her a disapproving glance. He threw the clothes at Jonathan. "I'm doing you a favor, cupcake. This whole business could use some work."

He motioned up and down her form, snootily. She was not amused.

"These are my work clothes."

He stuck out his tongue. Very mature-like.

"I think you are going to absolutely shine in anything you put on." Jonathan spoke up, smiling adoringly at the material in his lap. Then he leaned over to her, the gentle smile turning a smidge more mischievous. His eyes half-lidded. "Though I believe you'd be absolutely more radiant while taking them off."

Elaine could barely hear the choking and sputtering behind her as the thumping grew loud in her ears. Her face burned and she was beginning to feel lightheaded. She stared with wide eyes as he watched her with a heavy gaze. It took her a moment to remember how to breathe.

"I, uh," she looked away and blinked, breathing hard, "I should go get dressed. The sooner we get started, the sooner this is all over."

There was a loud hack that forced the two to look over at Edward in concern. The Riddler was hunched over hands on knees. The man looked like he couldn't tell whether to laugh or cry. He looked over at them with tears in his eyes.

"I'm elated that I get to see Jon like this. However, I am entirely mortified that it is, in fact, Johnny that I'm essentially third-wheeling for right now."

"We are not together!"

"That sounds like a "you" problem." 

Elaine whipped around and glared at the crazed psychiatrist. He reeled back at the vitriol.

"What?" He asked defensively. She gave a harsh sigh and shook her head. 

"Okay. Can you let me get dressed now?" She looked between the men. They both nodded.

"Sure."

"Of course."

Nobody in the room moved and Elaine narrowed her eyes at them. They merely smiled and stared at her. She brought up her cuffed arm and wiggled it. "Well? A girl needs her privacy , y'know."

"Eh… that wouldn't be very smart of us. You might escape!" Edward countered. 

Elaine took the time to look around the small room, with no windows and a single door as the only way to enter and exit. She slowly turned her head back to him with a raised eyebrow. "Somehow, I don't think that'd be a problem." 

Jonathan snorted and brought out a key from his pocket. He gently took hold of her cuffed hand and released her. His hand lingered and it took everything in her not to rip it away. She certainly didn't think about how good the warmth of his palm felt against her own.

He stood up and headed out, roughly grabbing a hold of Edward's arm. "Alright, come on, you cretin. Let's allow the beautiful lady her space."

"Now wait, hold on—!" The door closed before the puzzler could finish but she could still hear his muffled protests. The slightly deeper tenor of Jonathan's eventually joined his. Arguing, even as they moved further away from the door.

Quickly, she shed her work clothes and placed on her new creation. It wasn’t too much longer that she pressed her ear firmly against the door. They were still making a lot of noise, though nowhere near the other side of the door. How arrogant. It was lucky for her. 

Her hand slowly slid over the doorknob and she gave it a twist. Checking to see if it was locked. It wasn't. 

Licking her lips, she braced her hand against the wall and did her best to open the door just a crack. Peering out to see what she could glean from the outside. Elaine couldn't immediately see them, though she could still hear them. She opened the door further and peeked her head out. 

It sounded like they had gone into the doorway off to her left. The sound of dishes clinking made her believe it was the kitchen area. Probably having a snack while they waited. And yet they didn't lock the door. Did they really think she still wouldn't try?

With a smile, she crouched low and crawled through. Closing the door as quietly as possible. Despite that they might not see her, she still was careful to hide behind the furniture as she got closer to the exit. 

Her eyes never strayed from it, on the other side of the room. Only occasional bracing and waiting when she heard something particularly loud come in the direction of the rogues. They were still none the wiser. 

Her heart beat fast in her chest and she reached the door. It was only a moment later that she found herself outside with the door shut behind her.

She simply stood for a beat before walking forward slowly into the tiny courtyard and toward the street. With each second she picked up pace until she was running and laughing wildly. It probably sounded crazy but she didn't care right now. 

 She'd somehow survived her first Rogue Experience. And yes, that was capitalized for a reason. Everyone in Gotham had one and loved to use it as a good starter topic. " Only in Gotham" , as the saying goes. 

Not that anyone would ever hear hers. There was no way she was staying in this city a second longer than she had to. But first she needed to go home, grab her dog, and pack a duffel. And the more time she spent, the longer her captors had to realize she escaped and come looking for her.

.

.

.

It was in the middle of a titillating argument of the lasting effects of mental pain while simultaneously discussing Wayne Enterprises' latest release of nanotechnological devices, that Jonathan suddenly dropped from where he'd been leaning against the counter.

"J-Jon?!" The butter knife that Eddie was holding fell out of his grasp as he ran to his friend. He fell to his knees, hands hovering, as he watched the psychiatrist try to cough out his lungs.

Jonathan was practically curled over into a ball. His forehead to the cold ground and a hand to his chest, as he suffered through. Every breath that he could gain was harsh and haggard. 

"What's going on? How can I help?" Edward looked around, trying to find something.  

"E…laine…"

The Riddler stopped short. He took one last short glance at Johnny and ran for the storage room they'd left Elaine in. He was there in seconds, barging in with a frantic energy. "Cupcake! Get your pretty little butt into the kitchen, your Jon-bon needs you—"

Gone.

She was gone.

His eye twitched and he let out a yell, kicking over a lone little table with a dusty lamp on it. He stomped out and grabbed his coat as well as a second for Jon. Returning to the kitchen, the puzzler carefully grabbed hold of his friend and in an awkward maneuver, managed to help him up.

"Alright, we gotta go." Edward grunted and began to lead them out. "Gotta, hrgh, go get your girlfriend."

"She's not here." The breathy response was a statement and not a question. 

The puzzler could see the frustration and annoyance growing on the psychiatrist's face. The expression that settled was far closer to what Edward was used to. He'd only say it to himself, but it relieved him to see it.

"No. And I'm hoping she hasn't gotten too far yet and we can simply just pick her up!" Edward replied with faux cheer as he kicked open the exit door and practically dragged his friend to his vehicle. 

It took more effort than Edward would like to admit to help his tall friend into the passenger seat. When he did succeed, he took a moment to just simply look at the sad, pathetic mess that greeted him. "Geez, Jon. You look terrible. "

The scarer glared up at him and growled, "I believe we've already established your materialistic tendencies, Edward. Now get in the car and drive."

And he did, muttering angrily all the while. Getting in, turning the key and screeching out of his safehouse. Edward carefully scoured the local area in the hopes of seeing her. It was no use. Twenty minutes had gone by when he finally decided that she'd had enough time to lose them.

"Agh, we're wasting time! As far as I can tell, she'll run out of town before we can actually catch her." He growled, smacking his hand down on the steering wheel.

"Oh, I have an idea." Jonathan braced himself for another wave of pain. His hand clenched tightly to his chest. His other hand reached shakily into his pocket and he took out his phone, handing it to Edward. "She has a little dog that she's very attached to. My lovely raven wouldn't dare leave without it."