Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Every Other Way

Chapter One

A delicate hand raised to closed eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose in contemplation as well as in effort to ward off the offending headache, his other hand clutching his beloved burlap sack while he sat.

The brown-haired male took a deep breath, keeping his eyes closed, wanting to ignore his reality for only a moment longer even though he could hear footsteps rushing towards him.

"Sir! Mister Scarecrow...uh, sir...?" the noisy goon announced his presence as he stopped running and placed his hands on his knees while he caught his breath.

Jonathan Crane lowered his hand from his face and slowly opened his ice-blue eyes, casting an uncaring stare towards his panicking henchman.

"What is it now?" Crane's velvet-smooth voice sifted through the stale atmosphere of the warehouse they were currently in, providing almost something musical to be heard in the midst of so much struggling.

"It's...it's the Bat!" the stocky, unkempt goon finally exclaimed, standing upright and adjusting the grip on his handgun at his side, "...he took out four of our guys out on the dock and he's heading this way!"

The lovely criminal mastermind nicknamed Scarecrow pursed his luscious lips together in though, not impressed with his henchman's warning as he took his time standing up from his chair, wordlessly turning towards the nearby table and gathering the papers that he had had scattered there.

"You should probably get out of here, sir!" the nameless lackey offered to his boss, only to hear Jonathan Crane's soft chuckle.

The lights suddenly out, leaving only the back-up battery-powered set to switch on that cast a shallow, yellow glow to dot across the wide area inside the warehouse, Jonathan continuing to file his paperwork back inside his briefcase while the male by his side held his gun at the ready and nervously turned this way and that.

"This is not good...this is not good..." the henchman's voice wavered while he pointed his gun at shadows, his breathing obnoxiously hard and it was the only sound present in the room.

"Will you get a grip...we will just need to lose him," Jonathan spoke sternly but not harshly as he snapped his briefcase closed, pulled it off of the table, and began to stride towards the rear of the warehouse to where the other exit was located.

The other male hurried to catch up to his employer, both of them jogging towards the set of large, double doors within view, trying to be careful of the several rows of crates that blocked their path.

"Hey, Scarecrow...wait up...whoa!" the male had spoken before suddenly calling out and the gritty sound of his voice stopping short.

Crane whipped around upon hearing the other man suddenly stop speaking, the former psychiatrist's heart thumping inside his chest while he clutched his briefcase in both hands.

The henchman was nowhere in sight.

He started to back up slowly, taking his time in placing each foot behind the other while he narrowed his hauntingly beautiful eyes at the darkness around him.

"I know you're there, Batman..." Crane chanced provoking the masked crusader as he neared the exit step by careful step, a grin curving his lips while he continued, "...so how about you stop playing in the shadows and face me."

Jonathan's back bumped into something solid.

The doctor did not turn around, his genius mind wholeheartedly wishing for the object behind him to be just another wooden crate stacked too high and nothing more.

However, strong, gloved hands quickly wrapped around his arms and spun him around.

Crane gasped in fright, his briefcase dropping to the ground, and his piercing blue eyes widened at the sight of Batman's glaring features behind his jet-black mask.

"What's the matter, Crane?" Batman growled at the trembling, slighter male within his grasp, dark-brown eyes admittedly trailing over the doctor's perfect complexion and full, pouting lips, "...it's alright to make others feel fear until that person is you?"

Jonathan narrowed his eyes at the cloaked vigilante.

"Don't act like you know me, Batman...I might be getting off on this," Scarecrow smirked at the taller, stronger man, wanting to catch him off guard by such words, wanting to shock him into making a mistake.

Jonathan tried to wrestle his arms free of the Bat's prevalent strength, but his efforts were to no avail as Bruce only held onto him tighter, almost to his chest in order to prevent him from struggling any more.

"The Joker is looking for you..." Batman spoke in his usual gruff tone, this time catching the good doctor by surprise as Jonathan stopped trying to pull his arms away and instead lifted his genuinely worried gaze up to look upon the dark knight.

"But that can't be...I thought you put him away," Jonathan could not hide the concern from his melodic voice, his eyes lowering back down to Batman's chest as his mind began to race with horrible thoughts as to why that madman would want anything to do with him.

"I did. He's out now...he's been broadcasting a message all over the local networks for the past hour for you to be brought to him," Batman explained, slowly releasing his crushing hold on the smaller male as he trusted that Jonathan would want more details about the situation and would not try to run away.

Crane's lips parted, his eyes trailing over the dirty warehouse ground as he absorbed the information, not even caring anymore that his most hated enemy was standing right before him.

He knew that he was honestly more wary of the Joker...the lunatic that he really was.

Jonathan closed his eyes, not seeing the way Batman took a step closer to him, the latter male honestly fearing that Scarecrow just might pass out from receiving such news.

The doctor opened his eyes and swallowed hard, fixing Batman with a somber stare that sent a small shiver down the billionaire's spine.

"There's no way he can find me...he'll kill me," Jonathan spoke seriously, holding Bruce's chocolate-colored gaze steadily even though he could not see the growing concern finding its way to Batman's features as well.

"I know...that's why I'm keeping an eye on you," Batman reasoned soundly, giving into the nagging urge within himself to lift up a hand and slowly bring it to the side of Jonathan's gorgeous face.

Crane stilled immediately upon being touched so intimately, either from fear or confusion, and he could not tear his eyes away from Batman's features so close to his own while the black-dressed crime-fighter carefully trailed his fingers down one of his cheeks until he could slide them off of his small chin.

"I don't...um..." for all of his credibility and mental prowess of being someone of the utmost intelligence in his field, Jonathan Crane was at a loss for words and he closed his mouth in silent defeat.

"I'm willing to let you go this one time, Jonathan..." Batman affirmed, lowering his hand from Crane's mesmerizing face, his tone sounding a little more natural and softer, "...your men are all outside unconscious. They won't be of any use to you."

Jonathan swallowed hard again, not particularly liking this situation that Batman had wiped out all of his goons and that he was, for all intents an purposes, letting him go to use him as bait to draw out the bigger threat.

"...he'll come looking for me," Crane attempted to argue, a humorless smile curving his lips as he blinked at the way Batman licked his lips and then began to turn away from the doctor.

"I'll be there...I promise," Batman spoke solidly to the dark-haired young man as he spared one more moment to brush his hand against Crane's wrist, before abruptly turning towards the opened skylight, zipping out into the overhanging night faster than Scarecrow could have blinked a second time.

"Christ...what am I going to do..." Jonathan thought, even his inner voice sounding downtrodden at the moment, the doctor bending down to pick up his briefcase from the floor, sighing as he did so.

"Well, one thing is for sure..." Crane spoke aloud to himself, patting his brown leather briefcase and holding the item tightly to his chest, "...I need to make more fear toxin."

Jonathan Crane licked his lips in thought, not minding that he was alone and his surroundings eerily quiet, but greatly fearing this news that had just been brought to his attention.

If the Joker wanted him, Jonathan knew he was a walking target.

Jonathan snorted a brief laugh as he calmly strode out of the warehouse through the opened double doors.

"The Joker in this makes perfect sense so far...what doesn't make sense..." Crane continued to contemplate the night's events as he navigated away from the warehouse and down the docking area towards his parked car, "...that look Batman gave me...those strange...touches. What could he possibly have been thinking?"