Shine a Light on Me
The Animal Inside Her
The hideout wasn’t an apartment or an underground lair, somehow Crane and The Riddler found a cottage on the far outskirts of Gotham.
The cottage was surrounded by a lake with lots of beautiful trees and lovely green grass; and you could see the sun setting miles away.
It was beautiful.
Crane was at a loss for words in the living room with Edward, who was reading on the couch across from Crane.
“…she *did* warn you…” Edward said after a few minutes of silence.
Crane sighed “I know.” He said, beginning to lie on the couch and stare up at the ceiling.
Edward smiled as he looked up from his book “…but it’s not like she can leave you forever—she can’t just ‘disappear’…not with your son.” He assured him.
“At least we’re not shacked up in a crappy apartment with Harley Quinn and Joker…seriously, those two are...” Crane stopped and thought of a word.
Edward smirked “Insane?”
Crane looked up at Edward “Well, yeah…but—”
“We’re all insane, but they just go seriously overboard.” Edward said before looking back down at his book “…but you’re main concern should be your girl and your son. It’s weird knowing a super villain who has a kid.” He continued to say.
Crane shook his head “…yeah, it’s weird being one.” He said, getting off of the couch.
Jackie stared up at the ceiling remembering the year she had had at Arkham, and the meds they had put her on.
She liked not being told what to do and when to do it, she smiles to herself as she closed her eyes to relax for a moment.
“JACKIE!” she heard somebody screaming, Jackie’s eye shot open and she sat up in the bed heaving from the shock.
There was nothing around and Julian was asleep in the crib across from her bed.
Jackie listened for a moment before whispers began to echo throughout the room even if there was nobody else in the bedroom.
“…Jackie…” a whispered called out.
Jackie turned towards the wide open window to see The Joker standing next to the window.
“There you are…” The Joker remarked, smiling at Jackie as he walked towards her.
Jackie fell off the bed, completely shocked by what she was seeing as she backed herself into the wall; yet she could yell for help.
The Joker pulled out a gun from his pocket and checked to see if there were any bullets in the gun “…I’m sorry, Jackie. But this is all strictly business—I’m going to have to turn your little boy into an orphan, just like I did with you.” He said before pointing the gun at Jackie.
Jackie screamed as she covered her head.
The door busted open “JACKIE!!” Crane yelled, turning to the scare girl in the corner as she covered her head.
“…Jackie?” Crane asked, kneeling down next to her.
Jackie looked up to see that nothing was in front of her as she slowly got up off of the floor.
Julian was crying from Jackie’s screaming, she sighed heavily as she went to the crib to retrieve Julian and rock him softly back to sleep.
“You’re not going to tell me what happened?” Crane asked.
Jackie shook her head “No.” she remarked.
Crane sighed heavily “Why not?” he asked
“Because nothing happened! It was all in my head, okay?” Jackie hissed, walking out of the bedroom.
The Riddler sat on the couch, watching Crane and Jackie argue with Julian in her arms.
“Well is it the Schizophrenia?? Cause we can go get your meds!” Crane suggested, following Jackie into the kitchen.
Jackie rolled her eyes “I don’t need your help!” she yelled.
Crane’s hands turned into fists “Yes. You do! You’re not well, Jackie…” he told her.
Jackie turned to him fiercely, Edward could tell something was about to go down as he pushed himself off the couch to softly take Julian out of Jackie’s arms.
“Let me tell you something Crane, I can take care of myself alright?? In the town of Gotham I’ve got plenty of people watching me *very* closely…I don’t need some—some attention seeking villain telling me what I do and don’t need!” she said before pushing him into the wall.
Crane and Edward watched as Jackie walked out of the house and towards the lake.
“…give her time.” Edward remarked softly as he returned Julian to his crib.
Crane looked out the window and watched Jackie sit on the edge of the water at the lake, she was tense and frustrated and he knew that; but he was just trying to help.
Edward sighed “You should probably call somebody who can get into Arkham and get her meds—just try and be sneaky about it.” He said.
Crane turned to Edward “And what makes you think she’d be okay with that, Nigma?” he asked.
Edward shrugged his shoulders “Your situation with Jackie is complicated; she was taken from a rather secure and comfy environment RIGHT after leaving a mental asylum and told that she has to hide from something that is, quite frankly, beyond her.” He explained.
Crane thought about it for a moment, he turned back to Jackie and watched her watch the lake and the smooth current of it all.
“Before you know it, The Ballerina is gonna pop her head out…because if things get really dirty, she’s going to have to become the bad guy to protect herself and her son.” He said before walking into the kitchen.
Crane sighed “That’s my job!” he said after a moment of silence.
“What is?” Edward asked.
Crane cleared his throat “Protecting her and Julian…” he said.
Edward laughed “Oh, yeah? I don’t think she’ll let that happen…first you’ve got to protect dear Jackie from herself.” He said.
Crane just stared at Edward for a moment, he sighed before grabbing the car keys and nodding at Edward “I’ll be back.” He remarked softly.
Edward watched Crane grab his coat and glasses and leave the house, walking towards the car.
He looked at Jackie, whose head tilted a bit as Crane unlocked the car and got inside; Edward didn’t know where he was going, but he knew that things were about to start spinning.
The cottage was surrounded by a lake with lots of beautiful trees and lovely green grass; and you could see the sun setting miles away.
It was beautiful.
Crane was at a loss for words in the living room with Edward, who was reading on the couch across from Crane.
“…she *did* warn you…” Edward said after a few minutes of silence.
Crane sighed “I know.” He said, beginning to lie on the couch and stare up at the ceiling.
Edward smiled as he looked up from his book “…but it’s not like she can leave you forever—she can’t just ‘disappear’…not with your son.” He assured him.
“At least we’re not shacked up in a crappy apartment with Harley Quinn and Joker…seriously, those two are...” Crane stopped and thought of a word.
Edward smirked “Insane?”
Crane looked up at Edward “Well, yeah…but—”
“We’re all insane, but they just go seriously overboard.” Edward said before looking back down at his book “…but you’re main concern should be your girl and your son. It’s weird knowing a super villain who has a kid.” He continued to say.
Crane shook his head “…yeah, it’s weird being one.” He said, getting off of the couch.
Jackie stared up at the ceiling remembering the year she had had at Arkham, and the meds they had put her on.
She liked not being told what to do and when to do it, she smiles to herself as she closed her eyes to relax for a moment.
“JACKIE!” she heard somebody screaming, Jackie’s eye shot open and she sat up in the bed heaving from the shock.
There was nothing around and Julian was asleep in the crib across from her bed.
Jackie listened for a moment before whispers began to echo throughout the room even if there was nobody else in the bedroom.
“…Jackie…” a whispered called out.
Jackie turned towards the wide open window to see The Joker standing next to the window.
“There you are…” The Joker remarked, smiling at Jackie as he walked towards her.
Jackie fell off the bed, completely shocked by what she was seeing as she backed herself into the wall; yet she could yell for help.
The Joker pulled out a gun from his pocket and checked to see if there were any bullets in the gun “…I’m sorry, Jackie. But this is all strictly business—I’m going to have to turn your little boy into an orphan, just like I did with you.” He said before pointing the gun at Jackie.
Jackie screamed as she covered her head.
The door busted open “JACKIE!!” Crane yelled, turning to the scare girl in the corner as she covered her head.
“…Jackie?” Crane asked, kneeling down next to her.
Jackie looked up to see that nothing was in front of her as she slowly got up off of the floor.
Julian was crying from Jackie’s screaming, she sighed heavily as she went to the crib to retrieve Julian and rock him softly back to sleep.
“You’re not going to tell me what happened?” Crane asked.
Jackie shook her head “No.” she remarked.
Crane sighed heavily “Why not?” he asked
“Because nothing happened! It was all in my head, okay?” Jackie hissed, walking out of the bedroom.
The Riddler sat on the couch, watching Crane and Jackie argue with Julian in her arms.
“Well is it the Schizophrenia?? Cause we can go get your meds!” Crane suggested, following Jackie into the kitchen.
Jackie rolled her eyes “I don’t need your help!” she yelled.
Crane’s hands turned into fists “Yes. You do! You’re not well, Jackie…” he told her.
Jackie turned to him fiercely, Edward could tell something was about to go down as he pushed himself off the couch to softly take Julian out of Jackie’s arms.
“Let me tell you something Crane, I can take care of myself alright?? In the town of Gotham I’ve got plenty of people watching me *very* closely…I don’t need some—some attention seeking villain telling me what I do and don’t need!” she said before pushing him into the wall.
Crane and Edward watched as Jackie walked out of the house and towards the lake.
“…give her time.” Edward remarked softly as he returned Julian to his crib.
Crane looked out the window and watched Jackie sit on the edge of the water at the lake, she was tense and frustrated and he knew that; but he was just trying to help.
Edward sighed “You should probably call somebody who can get into Arkham and get her meds—just try and be sneaky about it.” He said.
Crane turned to Edward “And what makes you think she’d be okay with that, Nigma?” he asked.
Edward shrugged his shoulders “Your situation with Jackie is complicated; she was taken from a rather secure and comfy environment RIGHT after leaving a mental asylum and told that she has to hide from something that is, quite frankly, beyond her.” He explained.
Crane thought about it for a moment, he turned back to Jackie and watched her watch the lake and the smooth current of it all.
“Before you know it, The Ballerina is gonna pop her head out…because if things get really dirty, she’s going to have to become the bad guy to protect herself and her son.” He said before walking into the kitchen.
Crane sighed “That’s my job!” he said after a moment of silence.
“What is?” Edward asked.
Crane cleared his throat “Protecting her and Julian…” he said.
Edward laughed “Oh, yeah? I don’t think she’ll let that happen…first you’ve got to protect dear Jackie from herself.” He said.
Crane just stared at Edward for a moment, he sighed before grabbing the car keys and nodding at Edward “I’ll be back.” He remarked softly.
Edward watched Crane grab his coat and glasses and leave the house, walking towards the car.
He looked at Jackie, whose head tilted a bit as Crane unlocked the car and got inside; Edward didn’t know where he was going, but he knew that things were about to start spinning.