The Spider Web (All 24 Chapters Up!!)

[latikono]

(Chapter Thirteen: In Which the Dark Knight Appears, Part II)


Several seconds later, the second row of ceiling lights were all taken out, sparks sprouting like fireworks as each lamp and bulb were destroyed. And as the responsible object planted itself into the column nearby, Dahlia jerked her head downwards in surprise. It was an intense and frightening situation, with guns going off in every direction, men shouting or screaming in fear, and darkness engulfing the entire bank. This ringing chaos was worse than any rock concert. Slowly, Dahlia lifted her head up, opening her eyes, and she came face to face with an odd looking metal device stuck in the pillar. She could barely make out its dark golden color, and its familiar shaping of a bat.

Yes, so this was the Batman. She never would have expected to be so terrified of a man masquerading around as a bat, but it truly was terrifying. She frantically looked around for Crane, half out of worry, half for comfort or some amount of protection. It took her eyes several moments to adjust to the darkness, but she managed to see him heading off in the distance, disappearing behind a row of desks.

Another thug cried out as he was suddenly lifted up to the ceiling and silenced, his AK falling to the ground and shooting off another round into the wall. Dahlia cringed, then took her chance and sprinted as fast as she could towards where Crane had run off to. However, one of the few remaining thugs had suddenly darted out from behind another pillar and the two collided, both falling over. He hysterically pushed her aside as he half crawled, half dragged himself off to hide underneath a table while Dahlia backed herself up as far as she could go, able to go no further with the wall in her way. But the Batman was there too, dropping to the ground and smashing the table in half, the wood exploding upon impact and scattering shards and broken chips about.

Dahlia watched in terror as the Batman disarmed the thug, and the two others with another thrown projectile. His movements were so rapid, so confusing and unclear to her eyes. All she could see was his black cape whisking about as he knocked out each thug quickly, moving like a phantom. And finally, the area was quiet, and the only ones left were Dahlia and the Batman. He turned to face her, and for the first time, she had a clear view. He was completely clad in black armor, the only sign of mortality showing being his eyes and part of his face. Then, with those glaring and completely serious eyes, he approached her. Her mouth opened to scream and cry for help, but she was unable to. Her eyes wanted to look away, but they were locked on, watching this predator approach and counting down the seconds until it would be upon her.

But today was a lucky day. The Batman would not have her this night. Suddenly, the Scarecrow vaulted over a nearby desk as queerly as a grasshopper, and landed noisily behind the caped crusader. As he turned to ready what looked like a punch, the Batman then got a face full of fear toxin, sprayed from the bottle hidden in Crane's sleeve. He jerked several times awkwardly and drew back, somehow able to keep on his feet as the now dominant Scarecrow slowly continued forward, hunched slightly. Dahlia was finally able to breath as she watched in intense fascination as he kept pushing the Batman back with his mere presence, speaking in a low and cruelly twisted tone. "Ahhh, something wrong?" The Batman tripped down the short flight of stairs, rolling down onto the main level as he continued to back away, stuttering as he desperately held in his fear. "Something bothering you?" The Scarecrow carefully followed, his pattern very tactful as he angled the Batman to scoot away towards the open vault. Dahlia got to her feet to better see the scene unfold.

Finally the Batman had gotten back up to his feet in weak attempt to defend himself. The Scarecrow tilted his head back slightly, in a c*cky manner, and finished, "You look like you could use some quality time by yourself to sort out your feelings." And quickly rushing forward, he didn't need any physical push to get the Batman to scramble backwards in panic, tripping over a sack of money and falling inside the vault. Scarecrow quickly went to grab the heavy door and pull it back with all his might, softly cackling to himself and to torment the Batman. Several moments later, the vault was sealed and locked.
Dahlia was frozen in spot, staring at the shut vault, the events that had just unfurled repeating in her head over and over again. Before she knew it, the alarm was triggered, purposely it seemed, and Crane had suddenly grabbed her wrist and was dragging her out of the bank and to one of the vans in the alley. His words echoed in her head. "We'll have to gather the rest some other time. For tonight, this much will do." And he quickly nudged her into the passenger's seat, then got behind the wheel and drove off as the police sirens began to approach from the opposite direction of the street.

~**~**~**~**~**~

He parked the van off behind his home, and was hastily carrying their loot inside and to the basement one bag at a time. She remained seated rigidly in the passenger's seat of the vehicle, staring down at her feet with the mask still pulled over her face. Though the Batman was gone and she was safe, somehow she still felt vulnerable. The vigilante her father so often ranted of had appeared, and she got to see him face to face. And she survived, and wasn't in jail.

And Crane had saved her. Her affection for him only skyrocketed after his brave display, like a knight in dusty, dismal armor. But, still . . . What would become of him now? Was the Batman to be put behind bars or executed after this, after he would be caught by the police? In his eyes, their heist was viewed as completely wrong, while to them, it was for justice, to help free Gotham of the corrupt and cruel . . .

"Dahlia."
Slowly she lifted her face up to gaze up to Crane, who had opened the passenger door and was leaning forward over her. For several moments they were silent, Dahlia only waiting for what he would say. Something along the lines of 'Be more careful next time' or 'Why didn't you help stop the Batman?' She did prove herself pretty useless this night, in her mind. But he didn't say anything of the sort. This time, his voice was kind and reassuring, as he said, "This was a more intense night than I would have anticipated. Rest assured, this type of encounter is very rare. I apologize for putting you through it so early on in this business."
". . . I understand. It wasn't your fault . . ." Dahlia shook her head, closing her eyes as she reached up to untie the ribbons to the mask. And as she removed it and held it in her lap, she continued, ". . . It was the Batman . . . But it's okay. I'm okay . . ."

She felt his fingers rest under her chin and gently force her to look up at him once again. As she opened her eyes, she found him smiling down to her. "He won't take you, so long as I am here. I promise." A pause, before she nodded and smiled back. Still though, his hand did not leave her face, as he trailed his fingers up to then rest on her cheek. They became hot with blush, which he either didn't acknowledge or didn't notice. "Now, let's get this money into the basement and figure out how to attain the rest of our funds."
". . . Okay." Crane helped escort Dahlia out of her seat, and the two quickly went to take in that night's earnings.

[Murchadh]

He still just pretending to be nice to here or does he really care, or starting to care for her?? Curious. Can't wait to see if the Bat-man is caught (right, he's the bat-man...but still), and how they will get the rest of the money. I'm truly addicted to your fic, its so awesome I love it to pieces, and hope you add more soon.

[§ilvercell]

i hope he likes her......

[latikono]

(This isn't the complete next chapter, but I didn't want to leave anyone hanging for too long. Got paranoid.

Chapter Fourteen - In Which Business Booms)



At least she seems to be picking herself up easily. A few reassuring words now and then, some physical indication of affection, and she's satiated.

Crane fell deeper and deeper into his mental ramblings of his young partner in crime as he headed down the long, chaotic corridor of the university to his classroom. So far, things seemed steady and easy to maintain. Dahlia seemed even more trusting in the devious Crane, and he kept her tied around his finger. She was so terrified of disappointing him or failing him that it was almost flattering. The word 'perfect' would not soon wear out. It was. It truly was a perfect situation. And he could immediately tell the difference in her behavior and thought patterns after joining up with him. So few times she stood up for herself and defended herself against the bullies. Though she did know martial arts and how to physically defend herself, she held back whenever the right circumstances rolled around - Even when he had attacked her as the Scarecrow. Why? Only she knew. Perhaps because she was just that timid, and too afraid to lift a finger in fear of failure. Or too scared to remain calm and to think. And now, she seemed to rise to the occasion whenever it called for some skill.

As predicted, once Crane reached the psychology classroom, he found Dahlia waiting for him - Her new routine. She was half walking, half skipping about the perimeter of the room, meanwhile reading off her class notes and humming some cheerful tune to herself. Something seemed different about her, however, apart from her mood of course . . . Was she wearing makeup? Yes, her white skin was usually left boldly undecorated, and now she appeared as though her lips, cheeks, and eyes suddenly bloomed in color and definition. Dahlia actually looked better - She was much prettier than she let on. But of course Crane knew it was solely to look better for him and to gain his attention. It did work though, he'd give her that. He opened the door with an amused smile.

"Good morning, Jonathan!" An unusually happy and bubbly Dahlia immediately shoved her papers away in her notebook and quickly jogged over to him, an enormous smile on her face. She clasped her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on the heels of her shined boots, obviously expecting some sort of report.
As he went to his desk to place his briefcase down, Crane provided, "Dahlia, you look quite beautiful and cheerful today." Her thanks was returned with a girlish laugh as she followed him to his desk and watched him prepare his lesson. "I assume you have not taken a look at this morning's newspaper. He's quite a clever little bat." Crane slipped the daily paper out from his briefcase and handed it to her. The headline read, 'MYSTERIOUS BANK ROBBERY - SCARECROW AND BANSHEE SUSPECTED.'
"Oh, they didn't find Batman?" Dahlia immediately understood, her eyebrows furrowing as she skimmed through the first few lines of the article.
"I highly doubt that we have seen the last of him.

"Now, I must ask that you please come with me to my private office down the hall."
Dahlia looked directly at him, head slightly lowered in curiosity. "Hm? Sure, but for what?"
As he began flipping through his few keys and headed towards the door, leaving his briefcase behind and Dahlia following obediently, he explained, "Mr. Frank Kendrick has requested an immediate session with me, just a matter of business. A simple task for a good sum of money. Just the easy opportunity we need to increase our funding."
"Oh, interesting." Dahlia replied as she exitted through the door Crane held open for her. She waited nearby in the hall as he began to lock it behind them. "What is it?"
"That's what we are to discuss with him in this meeting. Follow me."

Several minutes later, Crane entered his secluded office with Dahlia quickly following. It was small and felt crowded with the large desk and file cabinets, but it was private, and he shared it with no one. The window shades were always left closed for added privacy, and so the bright light sparkling in from the edges and corners of the window were barely of any use when he might need to write or read something. It was a meeting room, nothing more. And his first client of the day, a disgruntled looking Frank Kendrick, sat waiting in the cheap office chair. He was a stocky, balding, middle-aged man of average height in an expensive suit, and with unfriendly beady eyes hidden behind oval glasses. "Crane!" He practically shouted as he saw the professor enter, his voice thick and loud. "Finally, you're here!"
"Calm yourself, Mr. Kendrick." He didn't particularly like Kendrick, but if it was for cash, he would have to endure the obnoxious man. We don't want unwanted ears eavesdropping on our meeting." Dahlia entered behind him, and closed and locked the door.
"Okay, now, what I want is . . ." Kendrick trailed off as Crane went to take a seat and unveiled Dahlia's presence behind him, and stared at her with the kind of disgust an arrogant aristocrat would give to a homeless beggar living out of a cardboard box. "Hey, what's with the kid?" Dahlia's eyes narrowed slightly, insulted. But before she could speak up, Crane leanded forward slightly and answered first. If things were to go smoothly in the ordeal and free from annoying setbacks, he'd have to get her role across early on.
"This is Miss Dahlia Rhodes, Mr. Kendrick. my arseistant and colleague. I ask that you treat her with some respect, as she will be just as much use to you as I."

Crane could tell that Kendrick wasn't so easily trusting and tolerant of her, but they had more important matters to speak of. Waving his hand at Dahlia, Kendrick simply said, "Moving on. Anyway, Crane, I need this job done as soon as possible, tonight even if you're able. Ya see, I recently found out that my wife has been cheating on me with another man."
Interrupting impatiently, Crane said in a low voice, "I don't handle personal affairs, Mr. Kendrick." He was quite serious when it came to his business, and oddly enough, had good taste in his jobs. At first, the fat business man was silent, his mouth slightly open and saliva shining on his thin lips. His eyes glanced back and forth between Crane and Dahlia several times before finally blurting out.

"I'll pay you one million, cash."
Kendrick had mentioned something of his wife cheating on him. Obviously, he wished for them to gas either her or her new lover - A small, every-day task for a decent sum of money. Though Crane decided on his own to take up the small job, he looked to Dahlia for some hint to what she herself thought. She only returned the blank gaze, then silently nodded her head.
Looking back to Kendrick, he gave a small smile and replied in a lighter tone, "Very well, Mr. Kendrick. We accept." He paused. "Shall we discuss what this job will consist of?"
"Simple, Crane, simple. I just want you to give my wife, Amelia, a little taste of fear. Poison her, gas her, you just do your thing to make sure she never disobeys her master again." He stopped in his aloud thinking to await Crane's nodding of confirmation.
"My mansion, tonight. Be there, and be ready for a fun time."

[Murchadh]

OMG! Well, that answers where thier going to get more money ^_^. I'm so glad you added this, and it is quite a good size for not being finished. A very nice way to wake up in the morning though.....or atleast half wake up....And you don't need to be parinoid, not entierly sure what your paranoid about, but even if it takes you days to add more we will still read it if thats what it is. I'm hooked and even when I go to school for the day I'll sneck on in the library to read it if I have to

[latikono]

^^ I'm exalting you again, if I already have before. Gosh, you rock my socks. You're awesome. I love you. You are a sweetheart. *hugs*

And I'll try to get the next part up later today, just so ya know.

[latikono]

(Next part of Chapter Fourteen - In Which Business Booms.)

" 'Master' . . . Can you believe that?" Dahlia began to rant aloud shortly after being picked up by Crane and his van full of thugs. The two masked villains sat in the back with most of the other men, on their way to Kendrick's. The Banshee's arms were crossed over her chest, and her head down as she glared down to the silver floor. "What an arsehole. I mean, having an affair is bad, of course, but treating his own wife like his little servant? What a pig. No wonder she cheated on him. We should just spray them both and take everything they have." She scoffed.
After several seconds of silence, Crane's slowly smiled and he let a soft chuckle echo behind closed lips. He found it amusing how she seemed to take control of her own increasingly crafty mind with only a little bit of his help now and then. Admittedly, he did like her. She was a bright girl, and a lot stronger than she let on, at least once properly motivated. And finally, he began to realize just how similar they were in past, and now in present. It was only a shame that she weren't older - She may have been quite a fine woman, even for the lone wolf, Crane.
Once Dahlia had glanced up to him in curiosity, he replied with his usual calmness, "Don't worry, my dear. Mr. Kendrick will eventually get his just reward."

Frank Kendrick's mansion bore some good similarities to the infamous Wayne Manor - Large, lavish, and luxurious, and built atop a short hill a little ways from the city. Surrounded by trees and a gate for privacy. When the van pulled up to the intercom, Crane's thug behind the wheel exchanged a few short bits of dialogue back and forth before the gate was opened and allowed them inside. And once they reached the front door after driving through what seemed like miles of green grass and lusious scenery, Kendrick emerged to greet them.
"Good, you're here!" He called out as he quickly headed towards the vehicle. The driver stepped out and opened the back doors, assisting Dahlia out as Crane met up with Kendrick.
"As planned, Mr. Kendrick." The disguised Crane said, his eyes thin behind the scarecrow mask with the rise of his cheeks, caused by a hidden smile. "I'm always on time." Dahlia then stepped up to Crane's side, also disguised with both her white porcelain mask and in raggedy black clothing.

"Come in, come in! Amelia should be home shortly." Kendrick said with a laugh as he gestured openly for both of them to enter. As Crane went ahead and sauntered in as if he owned the estate, Dahlia meanwhile had to be urged with a slight, friendly push from the stocky man to get her feet moving - Crane could tell she really hated the guy. Then leading the group to the large sitting room, Kendrick continued, "So, tell me what you plan to do. I'm sure a smart guy like you was able to come up with just the right poison for that wh*re." Dahlia stood several feet behind her professor, and the four thugs accompanying them took guard-like positions around the perimeter, each holding a firearm for security.

Still smiling, Crane glanced to Dahlia, who returned a questioning look. He gave a slight nod of his head towards Kendrick while his back was turned, hoping she would understand to be on her toes for what he had just conjured up in the sly mechanics of his brain. Clearing his throat to get Kendrick's attention, Crane said in a subtly cheery voice as he took several easy going steps forward, his hands clasped behind his back, "Mr. Kendrick, I assume you know who Mrs. Kendrick has been having an affair with."
He snorted. "No, but as soon as I find out, I'm-"
"-Mr. Paul Herald. One of your associates in business, if I'm not mistaken."
". . . What?" Kendrick's face stretched out with the widening of his eyes, clearly quite shocked. "Paul?"
"Mm-hm." Crane replied, motionless, watching him from the corners of his eyes. "I hear he has quite a fine salary, making about as much as you do a year."
"Paul . . . But, what does his salary have to do with anything?"

A snap of his fingers grabbed Dahlia's attention, and she stepped forward, alert. Making sure she was nearby to protect him, Crane then took several more steps forward and continued. "I apologize, Mr Kendrick, but I'm afraid that I must cut our deal off. You see, Mr. Herald too had offered me a job just this afternoon - To take care of you. He cares a great deal for your wife, it seems."

No millionaire went without something to defend himself with, especially if they didn't have guards milling about at all hours - Kendrick's hand carefully slid up the seam of his buttoned jacket, his fingers nervously picking at his tie. ". . . You damned rat! You white-collar geek, I'll get you for this, Crane!"

Just as he planned. As quickly as Kendrick pulled out an automatic handgun from inside his jacket, Crane had grabbed Dahlia's arm and shoved her forward. And just as he planned, her unexpected adrenalin rush gave her an extra boost of quickness and energy as she spun like a top and struck the gun away with the back of her knuckles. She continued an instinctive follow-up, landing first a left hook and then a hard roundhouse kick to his fat neck. The blow toppled both of them over, Kendrick falling back against and sliding down the wall as Crane jerked his arm out to catch Dahlia. She immediately shot a wide-eyed glare up to him and muttered sarcastically with a slight panic and pant in her voice, "Thanks for the warning!"
"Hmm." Crane chuckled.

And within the next few minutes, Frank Kendrick was gassed, gagged, bound, and tossed into the back of the van and ready for delivery to Gothm's harbor. What they could find inside the safe in his bedroom was taken, and not much later, Paul Herald and Amelia Kendrick arrived to pay for the night's work.

[Murchadh]

*hugs* So are you darlin', and I didn't say anything you didn't deserve cause you are awesome.

I Havn't been on it a bit and here this is waiting for me ^_^, I'm glad the jacka$$ got what he deserved...didn't like him much my self, the harbors a perfect place for him. I'll check back when I get the chance to see if you've added another chapter to this delightfully addictive fic ^_^

[seonedevinian]

ah, so glad to see Kendrick get his. and to see Dahlia become more assertive - a great story all around. sorry i haven't been on in a while, getting caught up now. love it!

[§ilvercell]

*eating a cillian-bar and waiting*

[batman]

This is really an interesting story. You are an excellent writer.

[latikono]

(Chapter Fifteen - In Which She is But a Child)


[Side Talk
I would first like to say that I immensely appreciate the support and all the wonderful comments I have received on this fan fiction piece, my first one ever attempted. I think I finally feel that all my hard work researching into the character of Jonathan Crane and developing my non-canon character, Dahlia Rhodes, were not in vain. Seonedevinian, Silvercell, Kenderbender, Winged Seraph, Murchadh, and Eccentric Banshee, just to name a few, the rest, you know who you are - I thank you all for the wonderful feedback and constructive criticism (especially on those typo mistakes I had. That snapped the laziness out of me). Trust me, your comments do not fall onto def ears. You're the reason I have continued on with this story and gave me some confidence, the few who took the time to make a comment and help me along. It's not like this is ever going to be a published piece I would make money off of, but I put my greatest effort into everything I do, and every little bit helps. Now, forgive my OOC rambling. On to chapter fifteen.]



The past couple of days had been quite exhausting. Monday night she took care of Caitlin, then Tuesday night, she accompanied Crane to the bank for the robbery, where the Batman decided to make a surprise appearance. Then last night, Frank Kendrick was robbed of all the money they could gather from his estate. A lot of activity had been going around, and during school time at that. Dahlia was begging herself to ask Crane for a break as she barely managed to trudge to her classes in the morning, bags under her eyes and completely devoid of stamina. But she didn't quite realize how dead tired she was until the slightest accidental bump sent her to the floor on her back. "Urgh . . ." She moaned. Of course, no one bent down to help her up, all either afraid of her or hating her, or both. And she didn't feel like picking herself up either. Maybe she could just fall asleep there and gain some energy, or better yet, just sleep forever. Why did she need to wake up anyway? They had money, her main aggressors were locked up in the looney bin . . . No reason she could see. Sleep . . . Sleep . . .

In a matter of seconds, Dahlia had indeed fallen asleep right in the middle of the hallway, only to be awaken no more than two minutes later by the first bell. Boy, was that loud. Groaning loudly, she shook the laziness from her arms and legs and picked herself and her things up, then gathered focus into her feet to take her to class.

And of course, in each class she just managed to catch the start of each lesson before falling asleep. After psychology, Crane immediately recognized her exhaust, and with the sweetest voice like that of an angel, he told her to go home and rest up for as long as she needed. And so she did, for about eight hours, passed out on the couch and dead to the world.

Around nine o'clock, she stirred upon hearing her father's loud rantings of the Batman. ". . . It's true that he managed to stop the first bank robbery, but he was useless in the second attempt. That nuisance should just leave the law in the police officers' hands!" Squinting her tired eyes towards him, she saw a phone up between his cheek and shoulder as he slipped on a pair of socks. Ready to head back out to work. "We're hired for the job and we take care of it. If Batman interferes, then the attention is no longer on us and we're pushed aside. There's no more respect, so there's simply more crime!"
"The law shouldn't be placed solely in figures of authority . . ." Dahlia managed to call to him as she slowly put herself into a somewhat upright position, eyes still glazed and crusty from sleep. Sounding quite set on her view, she continued almost bitterly, "Word gets to the station too late, and you guys draw too much attention. Plus, in all honesty, Dad, a lot of the people you work with act a lot mightier than they are." Lou looked over to her intently, ignoring the voice of whoever was on the other end of that receiver. He also paused while tying his shoes. "The only thing you're good for is showing up late to clean up the carcass of the rape or murder victim. The law should be executed by whoever needs justice immediately, without having to go through the paper work and publicity."
"What the hell has gotten into you?" Lou replied, the lack of seriousness in the tone of his voice shoving Dahlia's words aside. "Ya, sorry Tim, just Dahlia. She looks to have had a rough day. Anyway . . ."

Rolling her eyes, Dahlia stood up and headed to her room to read or work on catching up on her school work. But once again, Lou stopped her as he called out, "Whoah whoah whoah, you're not heading out tonight?"
"Uh, no." She called back with some attitude, turning to face him while glaring up to the ceiling, "I'm freaking exhausted."
"Well suck it up. It's not like you have to go out every day and defend an entire city." To that, she rolled her eyes once again, before staring at him impatiently. "Do me a favor and grab some groceries and a few packs of cigarettes from the store, eh? Your step mother's out helping her friend pack for a move."
"Ya, sure, whatever." She let out an agitated sigh before turning back for the kitchen counter and grabbing several bills of cash before going to the door.

Lou called once again, "What's the problem? Something bad happen at school?"
"Every day, Dad. I'm just not in a good mood."
"Well, don't talk back to me like that again, you hear?"
She sighed again. "Whatever."

The door slammed shut behind her.

~**~**~**~**~**~

Dahlia finally started to notice it in herself . . . Since she met Crane, so many changes had happened. She felt more confident in herself, and she was more willing to act on her impulses to defend herself and speak up for herself. And she was getting recognition and attention, and she had so far done exactly what Crane said she would - She had turned the tables on her tormentors. However . . . She was also more aggressive. Far more aggressive. One would think that it was a good thing, but to Dahlia, it was so foreign and wrong on herself. The way she had just been so cold to her father several minutes ago ran over and over again in her head, and she kept thinking, Why was I like that? Why was I acting like such a brat, and why was I so opinionated? Because my father's a policeman, and he just totally disagreed with Crane's philosophy? No . . . My new philosophy? I mean, he's still family . . .

It began to rain lightly once Dahlia had gathered all that she needed from the convenience store. For several minutes she just stood outside, staring up at the black sky, the stars shining particularly bright that night. It was beautiful, and she had never really taken the time to admire it when the Gotham skyline was as gothic and morbid as it was. The sliding doors opened as the jingling of the bell rang, and she stepped out onto the speckled concrete and set her eyes down the street to where she would head. But unfriendly voices behind her first caught her attention. She did not turn to see them.

". . . Ya, Caitlin too. I still can't believe it."
" Mm-hm. That Scarecrow freak and his mistress Banshee. They gotta be in it together . . ."
"Hey hey! Look who it is!"

So far, Dahlia identified six people as the footsteps came up behind her. Instinct got her feet moving, keeping her head down and just plowing on ahead in hopes of avoiding confrontation. Halfway down the block, she could still hear their footsteps and murmurs amongst themselves. One block down, and about seven more to go. But halfway down the second, the footsteps suddenly bursted in volume and pace, and she felt two sets of hands grab her from behind and push her forward and into the empty building nearby. It was old and had been devoured by a fire not long ago, its scorched brick walls full of holes and wooden floors creaky and unstable. The high roof looked as if it would fall with even the slightest disturbance. But of course, when there was Dahlia to pick on, no kid would take anything around them into consideration. None of them would mind their surroundings.

One of the stronger males of the cackling group had grabbed Dahlia by the back of her neck as the other had snatched away the grocery bag in her hands. He kept rushing her forward, too fast for even her feet to keep up, and then let go and let her fall into a large pile of debris. "Think you got it pretty well at the university, huh, Vampire? Well, you're in our land now. It's time someone took control over the bums again." Fire rushed through her blood at those words. The others stood nearby.

"I am not your dog," She spat out as she turned to face the unfamiliar culprit, in an upright and seated position, "and I never was. And if you don't get it through your thick skull, I just may have to break it into you the hard way, Bozo. And believe me - You'll regret it." Crane always made sure she had fear toxin with her in case of moments like this. Stealthily, her hand slowly and carefully trailed down to her thigh and she brought up her foot onto the debris with her, seemingly in defense. Her hand found the hidden canister in the side of her boot.
"Oh ho?" The large boy replied, crossing his arms and smirking. "What's a little pipsqueak like you gonna do about it? We both know you can't do anything but run home and cry, Goth Girl."
"There's your first mistake."

Swiftly Dahlia had pulled the bottle from her boot and stood as quickly as she could, jerking her arm forward ready to spray him. But, quite unexpectedly, he was just as fast, and now holding a look of surprise on his face, he had lashed out and snatched her wrist in an iron grip. Now everyone looked shocked as the two wrestled about, the boy doing what he could to subdue her, and Dahlia doing her best to get the bottle near his face to end his reign of terror. But the sudden crack of the wood under one of her feet made her forget the physical brawl, and quite easily the boy broke through her defenses, snatched the bottle, and shoved her back down to the floor.

"So what the hell is this, huh? Poison or something?" Holding the bottle with two fingers and with his chest puffed out in triumph of the short event, the boy looked over the silver container with squinted eyes of curiosity. Fool. Dahlia shoved herself forward while still on the floor, and, without any such help of martial arts, landed the steel toes of her boot into his crotch. He immediately curled forward and fell onto his side, dropping the toxin. The others all panicked and rushed towards her as she had scrambled to grab the bottle, and grabbed at her arms and legs, trying to keep her down. All she knew at that time was that she had to get that toxin away from them. She couldn't endanger the plans and secrets of Crane, and she couldn't risk getting caught.

But it already seemed so. Those four remaining boys and one girl all surrounded her, pinning her down to the floor on her stomach and with her arms behind her back like a criminal. It was over. She knew it. It was already over.

The cracking and splitting of wood heard from above grabbed the bullies' attention, and in seconds each was on their back or belly and shouting and screaming in fear. Dahlia could only stare at the wood grain of the floor before her, and she too screamed as she felt and watched as it gave under some heavy force and fell to the low basement, she herself to go with it. But she didn't - She felt a stiff, curved mound of muscle snap tightly around her waist and catch her. As the floor fell, so did the bottle, which she reacted to immediately and snatched just before it was out of her reach. Then she felt herself get lifted faster and faster upwards, the sound of heavy cloth snapping in the wind, her vision suddenly obscured by blackness. And just as suddenly, she fell onto another sturdy surface, and rolled onto her back with the hard drop, now able to clearly see the stars above and the Gotham city skyline around her.

She was up on the roof. How she got there, she already knew.

Dizzily, Dahlia rushed to her feet and looked up to see him clearly and face to face. The Batman was so much taller and larger than she had earlier observed, most likely able to squash her like a bug, and it was no wonder that all the criminals in Gotham feared him - His sheer magnitude was enough to intimidate anyone. His entire presence was strong and fierce, dark and strangely entrancing. It was difficult for her subconscious to identify if he was even mortal or not. But the main question on her mind was . . . how did he escape the bank vault, and how did he overcome the toxin?

But before any questions were even asked, he was coming forward to once again try to claim her. Eyes locked on him and unable to be deterred, Dahlia scrambled backwards as fast as she could to get away from him. The high altitude was already forgotten however, and once the backs of her calves hit the ledge, she began to tumble backwards.

And he saved her again. The Batman had sprinted forward and had grabbed her shoulders and lifted her back up. But as his grip held to simply prevent her from falling, Dahlia began kicking violently and screamed over and over, "Go away! Leave me alone! Let me go!!"
"Where's Crane?" His piercing vocal talents silenced her. The gruff comment, much like his entire presence, held intimidation and strength. Dahlia figured him to be quite the charismatic man, both inside and outside of this identity.

His hold on her finally began to hurt, and finally she reared back her leg and swung forward as hard as she could. Though her hit meant to land in his face, it came short at his shoulder, and feeling the light impact she also felt him release her. Never would she be trusting of the Batman, so she immediately flipped back up onto her feet and backed away, hands up and feet spread in a defensive position. He seemed laid back, and had then perched up on the rooftop ledge, staring at her with those intense black eyes.

For several minutes, there was just silence. Who knew what the Batman was thinking. Dahlia herself was questioning what this character had in store for her. What he wanted, why he wanted it, and what he thought of the Scarecrow and Banshee. Her impatient, bitter voice broke the silence. "You may as well just not bother with me. I won't tell you a damned thing, Bat!"
"Why do you help him? What's in it for a kid like you?"
"Huh?"
That kind of question was completely unpredicted. In her mind, she imitated his voice in her soprano range, wondering if he'd speak up with a 'Who do you work for'? or 'Take me to your boss!' Or perhaps something as theatrical as 'Come with me if you want to live.' But something that seemed of mere curiosity really stirred up her own.

Her stern reply was genuinely honest, and without any regret.

"All my life, I've been treated like a mangled, dirty stray dog. By kids, adults, teachers, step parents . . . My only wish up until now was to find peace, and to get revenge on those who had wronged me. And I thought I'd never get that, I thought that I'd just continue being picked on and bullied and beat up. No one ever cared because they think it's just a teenage problem, just because I'm what you call a kid . . . But . . . Jonathan Crane understands me. He respects me, and sympathizes with me, and knows exactly what I feel and how to take the pain away. And now I'm being pampered like a house cat."

The Batman was silent, intently watching her, and she intently glaring back at him.

"What he asks me to do in exchange for his time and attention is nothing. It's something a person like you would never understand . . .

". . . So, you going to arrest me now? Take me away to get locked up?" Dahlia held her arms out, one wrist over the other in a daring gesture. But the Batman did not comply. He only pivoted to face the street, then held out his cape and leapt off and away. Dahlia didn't watch him go, but instead dropped her defensive stance and took a quick glance around for the bottle of fear toxin. It was no where in sight. The Batman most likely had taken it.

Softly, she murmured to herself, "I know why, Bat . . ." Lifting her eyes up from the floor, she looked out over Gotham's jagged skyline. "Because I'm just a kid, right? What can I do, right?"

From that night on, she would forever treat the Batman like one of her cruel tormentors. He was an enemy.

[seonedevinian]

aw, thanks yourself! an excellent chapter too, by the way. i'm always excited to see where this story will go. i'm so glad you are keeping up with it!

[batman]

Another great chapter and ready for more.

[Murchadh]

Wow, that was really good latikono! She finally met the Bat-man without her mask on...and now its war ^_^. Totally awesome! *hugs* You are a great writer and I'm glad you feel your work not in vain, it certainly isn't becuase you have been able to portray him perfectly, and Dahlia is a very well developed character with a unique personality that we get to see the mind of. I can't wait to read more