Author's Note: Hi guys. Thanks for reading. I have been working on this story for about three months. I actually have posted parts over on Deviant Art, but I didn't know about this site. So, I took it from over there and I am slowly going to add it here. I haven't finished it yet, so even I don't know what will happen. So, I do have some notes about the characters. If you want to skip them, stop reading now.

Harleen: I actually bought a few of her comic books and I didn't like how she was portrayed as a dumb blonde and how she slept her way to Arkham. I think she is a very intelligent woman but it is hidden behind shyness. She wasn't hard to portray because I think I made up a lot of her character.

Crane/Scarecrow: I had a lot of trouble with his character. I watched Batman Begins about a million times, studied his expressions and his ticks. I took avid notes and I even watch a few of his other movies. I did take a lot of inspiration from On the Edge and Watching the Detectives. I recommend them both highly. I also recommend Red Eye because he is so adorable. His psychological profile probably took the longest but once I got inside his head, it just came to me. I did make up a bit of his past, taking some from the movies and from the Animated Series.

Joker: You won't be seeing him for a while, but his was the hardest character of all. I had no idea where to start. I watched The Dark Knight over and over. By the time I figured him out, my whole family knew his lines. I started by figuring why he did what he did, why he said what he said, etc. I still haven't figured this guy out, and honestly, I don't think anybody ever will. That is one of the greatest legacies of the Joker. No one attempt his mind and he stays that much more fascinating.

Anyways, I think I have rambled on enough. If anyone wants them, I will post my character notes. I have a profile written for everyone. Just let me know in a pm or reviews which character you want. I plead with you to leave me reviews. I love them, even if they say that I should never insult Batman by writing again, I just want feedback. Let me know if any of the characters fall out of character.

So, if you are still reading, may the comic lords bless you.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the following charaters, of which full rights belong to DC Comic.

I also do not claim to own any of the lyrics of Marilyn Manson, they fully belong to him.

Thanks!

CHAPTER ONE

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"I have decided to move you onto a more high profile case."

"Dr. Thurman, I really appreciate this opportunity, but do you really think that I am ready?" Dr. Thurman was a middle aged man with slightly thinning hair. His eyes glistened a light green that made him look soft but he was everything but. Very stern and un-accepting, Dr. David Thurman was relentless. I can't deny that I looked up to him, and I wanted his approval. I wanted nothing more to please him.

"Now, Harleen, you have been at Arkham for almost six months and have only been treating the simplest of break downs. I don't have to tell that you are more than capable. You are starting on Cranes case tonight and meeting with a biochemist early tomorrow. I expect you to be well versed on this case." There it was the approval I so craved was there, even if it was small. He gathered the files, tapes and transcripts into a small box before I could even answer him. He knew I would do anything to please him.

"Absolutely, sir, is there anything else you need?" I added in an extra sweet tone.

"No, Harleen, you have enough to learn for tomorrow." With that he went back to work, once again ignoring my presence. This is my cue to leave. I tiptoed out and down the hall and down to the basement where my office is. The basement does run on electricity but the setup is so faulty that almost every hour, flickers furiously. I still refuse to use that elevator, never did trust it. There isn't direct stairs to the basement so I have to go through the main lobby, climb down those creepy dark stairs and walk past the boiler room and the morgue just to get there.

Off in the other end is where Dr. Crane decided to set up camp, so to speak. That wing is still closed for "repairs". Anyone that knows Arkham knows that we don't repair, we cover up. His bout with the water line has been fixed but half the walls have not been fixed, just closed off. Only 30 of the 98 escapees were caught. Crane was apprehended a few months later when a drug deal went bad.

I sighed and looked at the clock as I straightened my desk, gathered all of Cranes files and looked over my schedule.

Half an hour left, I guess I'll make my rounds. I grabbed my clipboard.

Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane had some gorgeous architecture and all of it is completely original down to the double barred windows and the inlaid floor. The tragedy of it all is that it isn't maintained, I wouldn't even deem it inhabitable but apparently someone has something worked out with the health and safety inspector, then again I doubt we even have one. The paint was peeling, tiles chipping, half of the equipment was banned, outdated or just plain broken, not to mention the piles of filth that seem to multiply in the corner on its own accord.

All of my patients were present and the time passed without a second thought. I packed Crane's files in to the box, grabbed my other case files and locked up. I rushed down the street to the parking garage and threw my belongings into the passenger seat, ran over to the driver side, locked the door and breathed a sigh of relief. You never knew, we weren't exactly in the Narrows but this part of town isn't celebrated for its upstanding citizens.

I reached my apartment without incident. I climbed the three flights of steps and opened my door. There was a familiar beeping of my answering machine, the only greeting I ever got. I changed into my old gymnast uniform, spread out all of Dr. Crane's case files, hit play on the machine and started to stretch. It had become a part of my routine since college. I was on Gotham University's gymnastics league but a misplaced back handspring and my career was over. I had broken my wrist in three places and had two metal pins implanted. In fact the scar was what I was most self conscious of. I reached over and hit the "Play" button.

"Congratulations Miss. Quinzel, you are now eligible for-" Delete.

"Harley, Baby, I am so sorry, can you please forgive me? I know I did this before but it will never, ever happ-" Delete, Asshole! Ex-boyfriends, can live with 'em, can't kill 'em and hide the body, eh? I laughed audibly at my joke. I was hardly ever a negative person but when it came to men, I was practically Edgar Allen Poe. I had been through so much heart break that I decided to just take a break. The next message interrupted my thoughts.

"Harley, honey, will you call me back?" Oh shit, Dad. Why call now, I just don't have the time.

I started flipping through the files discerning the important from the not when I found his mug shot. Never did I notice that he had the most piercing yet cold eyes that I have ever seen. They were very deep and told stories of a sorrowful past but all was shielded in a layer of pure anger and hatred. He face remained composed but his lips curved in to a very small smirk that favored the left that made me feel uneasy.

I bent forward and slowly and gracefully lifted myself into a handstand. I took a few steps forward, then backward. I tried to stand on one hand but my wrists were still too weak.

My phone began to ring again, which made me jump but I caught myself and resumed my previous position. The machine will get it.

"Harley, honey, can you please call me back, it's really important-" The moment I heard my mother's voice, I sprang forward and lunged for the phone.

"Hi Ma, what's the word?" I answered, heading for the tub, hoping I could get a bit of multi-tasking done. I would just half to just skip my hair.

"Harley, sweetie, it's been almost week and I was worried. You father said he called."

"I know, mom, I have just gotten a case that is really out of my league and it's just a lot on my plate, so I can't really talk long"

"I just wanted to check on you, that's all. I'm worried about you in that apartment all by yourself and in such a horrible neighborhood. I really wish you would just come back home, there are plenty opportunities here and well, we miss you"

"I know mom, I just can't. The only mental facility there has Matthew Sedgwick as their director" I said as rinsed and dried myself. I slipped on one of my ex's old t-shirts. It was my favorite thing to sleep in.

"Darling, you are going to have to let go of this silly feud you seem to have with him, he didn't intentionally do anything to you."

"He took my scholarship; I was going to go to Yale. I would have been close to home. It's his fault I am here working with a man that runs around with cut up pillow cases on his head. Sedgwick cheated anyways. I don't want to talk about him and I have to go anyways"

"Okay, just as long as you are okay, just call if you need anything and I will be up to visit possibly next week. I love you."

"Love you to and tell Dad I'm fine, see you soon. Bye" With that I hung up with a sigh and brushed out my hair.

Okay, back to the case. He was admitted four months ago…docile…blah, blah blah, I knew all of this already so I moved onto my favorite part, the psychological history. I popped some popcorn, which would substitute as my dinner, not that I had anything better.

Name: Jonathan Crane, Ph.D.
Aliases: The Scarecrow; Jon Delany
Age: 32

Sex: Male

Special Precautions: Separation from inmates, social interaction restricted, and private use of Recreation Room an hour per day. Transport with a straight jacket and shackles only when Scarecrow is dominate.

Identifying Marks: Numerous scars on body, primarily located on back and torso. (unknown origin)
Profile: Jonathan Crane graduated from Gotham University, majoring in Psychology, Organic Chemistry, and Education. Soon after this, he took a position at the University as a professor of psychology, specializing in fears and phobias. He began running studies with willing participants (paid). He introduced them to an unknown hallucinogenic substance known to cause intense hallucinations and then exposed them to an object they feared. The patients would all then slowly descend into madness. He also was running ads in the Gotham Times under a pseudonym, one Jon Delany, claiming to cure phobias. In the early experiments, all patients were quickly injected with an antidote, but in later trials he would push the limits of sanity. His hypothesis stated that fear could push the mind to new realms, which could be considered alternate personalities. He also believes that all humans have at least one other dormant personality that could essentially be released by continued exposure to fear. He has driven at least twenty three patients to the point of hospitalization in Arkham Asylum and has caused seven deaths, four of which were suicides during the trials; The remaining were caused by heart attacks, presumably due to intense fear (intense stress leads to increased blood pressure and a state of paranoia). His latest version of the "Fear Toxin" leads the victim to fear whatever they see immediately after exposure. Such information is only based on testimony of said victims, who cannot be entirely trusted. Crimes committed include, but are not limited to, manslaughter, human testing (both willing and un-willing), drug-trafficking, terrorizing Gotham city, and minor robbery charges, which seem to be to fund research and production of his "Fear Toxin" Has also been associated with the mob in Gotham City.Psychological profile:He has been diagnosed with dual personality disorder, dominate and recessive class. When he is operating in the dominant mindset, he is usually very calm and calculating. He has a severe obsession with fear, as seen in his criminal history. He does many things to gauge the reactions of the people around him. These seem to be smaller versions of his experiments, as many of the inmates that he comes across are terrified of him. His demands/requests are limited. He only asks that his one hour of recreational time be spent every evening watching the Gotham News. At this time, he is given full control of the television but kept in an unstrapped straight jacket as he has been known to have outbursts. He is not permitted to socialize with anyone for his own protection, but he is more than happy in his solidarity. He is border-line anti-social, but he willing speaks to his old colleges. Many of the other patients are completely terrified of him, meaning he is usually let alone in community situations; no other patients will be in the recreation room with him. He is classified as a very negative and un-friendly person. He is able to read people in the sense that he knows exactly what to say depending on how others react to him; We have concluded that this is due to his training as a psychologist. He is very solemn; his attitude is grave and he is very sarcastic. He conveys his anger with his words, his face shows very little emotion, though he always has a slight smirk or a curl of his lips which can be read many ways.shows no other signs of schizophrenia. He is very aggressive and should not be approached. He refuses to eat and usually doesn't sleep. His voice seems to change pitch; it sounds a bit deeper. He is constantly demanding his mask (which contains a respirator and a supply of toxin in reservoir tanks) and when refused, makes one out of his pillow cases. He will wear it during transformations between personalities. It is to be removed whenever found. The transformation is brought on by sheer willpower. He seems to prepare for his "transformation", but no tests have yet been run regarding this. It is also to be noted that he may also talk to his suppressed personality, whether it be Crane or Scarecrow. Paranoia is also seen during this time, but as of late, it has been rare. During his first admission at Arkham Asylum, paranoia was heavily present but he had been exposed to his own toxin, so he presumably was in this state until the drugs left his system.In suspecting a dual personality disorder, we believe the scarecrow is his safety net. From information we have collected during interviews (See tapes D-09 and F-01) he has revealed that he had a very traumatic childhood involving abandonment and bullying/aggression from others, however the details are still unclear. The Scarecrow provides him strength and stability. He still is in control and his mask seems to give him the feeling of strength, or even pride. His actions are bold and unpredictable, even as Dr. Crane. We have also started observation for obsessive compulsive disorder. He is driven by the fear of others and tries to get reactions wherever he goes, leading to compulsion, but this but be proven before treatment is administered.

When his recessive personality, the scarecrow, takes over he is almost completely reversed. In this state he is despondent and mumbles to himself, but

"This is completely unlike anything I have ever dealt with before. I mean, we all have studied these patients for afar but now, I was solely responsible for the well being of a man that believed that his experiments were warranted and that fear is an actual catalyst for multiple personalities." I mumbled to myself, heaved a heavy sigh and stretched out my limbs hearing the barely audible cracks of my bones.

Might as well be comfortable if I have to read through his obsessions, right? I moved to my bed, not lifting my eyes from his files. I stacked the "to read" pile on my nightstand, praying that I got at least an hour of sleep.

Six hours into it, I had made almost no hypothesis of what his toxin could be but I knew every detail of what it did and how it can be counteracted. I also had a partial chemical makeup and it was organic. I yawned for about the hundredth time and got up to make some coffee, and slipped back under my covers, warm mug in hand. Within the next two hours, I had drifted to sleep, case file in one hand and my empty mug in the other.