"Christ. If there was one thing that he didn't need, it was Bat-anecdotes." This line struck me as funny as the infamous "Bat-shark repellent". :) Fantastic.

"What Jonathan wouldn't give to have come from a city like Metropolis, where he'd only need intelligence and a meteor rock to protect him from that city's resident vigilante." Ha! Another gem.

Jonny's reserve of bitterness is wavering. You document his inner turmoil very well, as he struggles with the script he's force-feeding himself out of a sense of self-preservation (namely that the Batman is a monster who feigns consideration), but also realizes that there is a side of himself that is desperately craving the solace of a comrade, in light of Scarecrow's absence. Given what the Joker did to him, the reader can definitely understand his unwillingness to lower any defenses. Brain and brawn in an enemy are a dangerous combination, when called upon as weapons.

I took tremendous delight in the numerous back-stories you provided in this chapter. The glimpses backward, to predicate a current interest or justified course of action, were extremely well-crafted. In particular, I really liked how you let us peek into Bruce's psyche when it came to his explanations for distractions. Bruce's few dates with any one woman would, in the circles of the less privileged, lead him to be the target of a scorned woman's wrath; however, the fact that these women cycle through the men in their economic echelon underscores just how shallow Bruce has to construct his facade to be, to be credible. He knows all too-well of the false friendships and fleeting loyalties in the world of the ultra-wealthy. I also liked the note about Lucius having to feign annoyance with Bruce's dalliances, to keep up appearances. Your choice of Natascha as a cover is very believable. Great pick!

Once again, your infusion of details is superb. I've never heard of Lacan, but your explanation of the gravity of his work and importance to Jonny was wonderful, as was the note of Bruce's replacing the entire library, having worked from an insurance list.

And that was a *BRILLIANT* touch, adding in the reference to "The Man Who Laughs", as a nod to the Joker! I saw a show on cable called "Universal Horror", which was sort of a documentary of horror movies going back to the start of Universal pictures. When they showed the character of the man who laughs, my jaw dropped when I saw the resemblance to the Joker. Only later did I read that the Joker's character actually was predicated to some degree on that figure.

Wonderful chapter!

Your attention to details is just one of the talents that make you such a great writer. The honey almond body scrub gave me such a smile. I honestly had no idea that there was a connection to "American Psycho", but bonus points to you for drawing that parallel! Such a seemingly small detail like that imbues not only humor (Batman likes honey almond-scented bath products?), but lends itself to well to a textured presentation of a scene. Goodness knows there are a ton of aspiring writers on this site that would do well to study the details like this that you bring to each scene. It's like watching a Martin Scorsese scene unfold: every detail has purpose, and nothing is inconsequential.

I *loved* the opening paragraph, in which you recap all the horrors that Bruce has witnessed, in order to lay a comparative base for the oddity of having a supervillain stare down at him while he sleeps. "As Batman, he'd seen the agonies the city's criminals inflicted on both their enemies and their followers, and even themselves, and the atrocities people were willing to commit out of greed or anger or just for the fun of it never failed to make his blood run cold as it had under the fear toxin." Brilliantly written, especially the poignant reflection about the criminals victimizing themselves!

Did you ever see a cartoon with Foghorn Leghorn and a little yellow chick with oversized glasses that followed him around everywhere? I couldn't find a picture of it on the internet, but the image you've constructed in this chapter is simultaneously sad and humorous. I keep picturing that little chick (who looks like Tweety with glasses) following around Bruce out of loneliness. The detail about his sleeping on the part of the bed closest to the bedroom door was very well placed. Me thinks it's not a coincidence.

Poor Jonny/Tweety-with-glasses. That boy just needs a good hug.

"Christ. If this wasn't definite proof that his life was one big, cosmic joke, he didn't know what was. Hating Scarecrow, hating the Batman, and most of all hating himself, he stood and went down the hall toward the kitchen, hating everything more and more with each step."

This was really humorous. I'm picturing nearly stomping down the hall, glaring at everything that dares to exist. "I hate that vase. I hate that clock. I that that crown molding. I hate that Queen Anne chair. I hate this Berber carpet. I hate the carpet fibers. I hate the people who made the carpet. I hate their dogs, too." Jonny's not in a feel-good place, is he?

"There was a hand on his shoulder, suddenly. God damn it. Why did people feel that they were allowed to touch him?" I've had days like this. Well, not quite. I've never woken up to have discovered that a gorgeous billionaire undressed me while unconscious, wondering what on earth he must have thought... but I still empathize with the sentiment.

Poor crabby Jonny. :)

You do a great job of underscoring just how dangerous the situation is for Bruce, and I like how you show the danger through his eyes: he knows that seeing Jonny in a more humanized setting is a dangerous thing... yet I have a feeling this won't be the first time he may soften his stance toward the doctor.

I know it's wrong to laugh at the image of a grandmother accusing a young boy of masturbating to Ulysses. The image is horrific.

And yet, your choice of words was so perfect. It wasn't until I read your author's notes that I realized this wasn't something you made up. It sounds like it, because it's just so awful. I mean that as a compliment, even though it may not read like one. :)

As was your description of Jonny's recollection of Georgia, and the foreboding image of the cornfield. I could feel his dread as you described what he saw. Scarecrow's countenance was truly disturbing. I always wondered exactly what he looked like to Jonny. As unsettling as the image was (especially your description of Scarecrow's eyes), it fascinated me to see Jonny's perverse tie to this interpretation of himself, almost as one would react to a lover. Very well written!

girl, you fic is unique, there is not a fic like yours

this is the best fic about this paring I've ever read,

the interection between Jonathan and Bruce is so well described

the motions, the conflict and the end, omg the end, that make cry.

even when Jonathan wasn't accepting his feelings he know that he needed sombody to love him, and Bruce knew it

and ofr the first time the Joker was a extra character xD

he wanted to interrup the relationship between these two, but he couln't

the romance was good too, it wasn't exagarate like others books I have the desgrace to read

I hoe you don't meant if I print your story also I will took too the ilustration od this fic, I have to tell you this is a master pice, you are in the nevel of a big writer, like stephen king, (that man is a GENIUS!) cangratulations, my dear, your are a GREAT WRITER AND PERSON!

take care

PS:sorry for my gramatical U

Amazing, absolutely amazing! I've been reading the entire series for the past week - neglecting my homework - and not once did I get bored. You wrote the characters exceptionally well, keeping to their personality, and the humour in the stories made me laugh. The references you put in were interesting and had me searching through the internet. Your writing just hooked me in and still hasn't let go.

I can't wait for the sequel! Thanks for writing!

I love this story so much. The entire series, really, but this is my favorite. I've always had a soft spot for Bruce/Jonathan, and I love the way you write them both. I think my favorite part is how, after Scarecrow is won over to Bruce's side, he becomes the staunches supporter, even refusing to give up hope once back in Arkham. It's perfect.

Love your stories, look forward to every update. Keep up the good work!

Oh. My. God.

First off, I have to say that you are officially the undisputed ruler of fanfiction. It's very rare that I can find a fic that's 30, 50, 100 chapters long and not want to stop reading it at some point. You keep everyone in character SO WELL. They grow and change realistically, and somehow it's all so enthralling that it blows my mind. I don't know how you do it, but I bow to your awesomeness.

Secondly...GAH! Why did it have to end! You had me sitting here begging Jonathan to pay attention to Scarecrow, begging Scarecrow to wake up, hoping they got out before Scarecrow was forgotten-and you STOPPED! ToT Miss Lauralot, you're so cruel! I absolutely love the way you portray Jonathan and his relationship with Scarecrow. You made it so real that I was getting mad every time Batman called Scarecrow an imaginary friend or a hallucination, lol. But please, please tell me you'll expand on that! I don't want Scarecrow to disappear! I don't honestly believe there's any way Bruce and Jonathan's relationship could ever work out...but hey, you've made stranger things happen before.

And thirdly, all the random facts you throw into your fics have me off to distant corners of the intarwebs in search of what you recommend. It's so cool the way you toss in simple things like music and fun science facts but can still make them relevant to the story.

You are, without a doubt, a goddess. I seriously think that if you decided to make this a career, you'd be famous. And in one final fangirl cheer-I FREAKIN' LOVE YOU!

Poor Bruce. He's just not having an easy time of babysitting a supervillain, is he? Nothing like vomit on the pants to ruin one's day.

What I like is both the humanity and the compassion you bring to his character, as he painstakingly analyzes what could have thrown Jonny into such a tailspin. He could have just been a brute, more interested in keeping Crane subdued, rather than looking to find the trigger for his aparent semi-catatonic state.

The ending of the chapter was very touching, as Jonny reflected how the terror brings up old fears that hadn't quite receeded into the background, but certainly had waned. Now the hauntings are back. The gesture of holding hands was not only his attempt to ground himself, but was a wonderfully intimate extension for help. Things are starting to get a little steamy for the duo! ;)

Thanks for the opener which clarified the quote by Oscar Wilde. I had never heard that second part, either, but it certainly puts the first part into better perspective, as sarcasm requires a baseline of intelligence that you're not going to find on the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour". Fantastic BGS quote, too.

How humi1iating must it be for a young man to be physically detained and intellectually bitch-slapped by a septagenarian butler? Your Alfred is tops, babe. :) Especially when he follows up his verbal spanking of Crane with a good tongue lashing for Bruce's tardiness in responding to the alarm.

Your flashback sequence where Bruce puts Crane in the tub was absolute brilliance! Both insightful into Crane's damaged psyche, but the structure of the flashback, insinuated between the an ominous baptism was masterful!

Another wonderful chapter!

i love your fics! Cant wait to the next one! :D

Ypur stories are so damn addictive, and fun to read, they kept my mind off sel-injuring because I was to busy trying to finish reading the series. You are AMAZING!

I've been reading your story pretty much every night for the past few days, and I can't tell you how happy it makes me that there's still seventy or so chapters to go.

Your writing is beautiful. The way you manage to get into the characters' minds is just fascinating, I've never seen someone explore thoughts and feelings so well, and in such intense detail, in a fanfic. I'm not familiar with the comic-verse, only the movie verse, so I'm very grateful for all the AN's explaining which plot details are your own invention. The backstory you've created for Crane/Scarecrow is incredibly well thought out, I found the bath scene, and the memories it provoked, to be particularly poignant.

The Joker is also an absolute joy to read and the early dream sequences were beautifully written. I love that you have just the right balance of humour, brilliant humour I might add. As for the developing Wayne/Crane relationship, I can see glimmers of it and I cannot wait to see it unfold :) Slow building relationships are my absolute favourite.

I'd also like to say that some of the ideas or themes, for want of a better word, that you explore in your story are absolutely enthralling. Little things which you include in Johnathon's thoughts, such as phobias, sanity, loneliness etc. and the way in which you discuss them makes me wonder if you aren't a great philosopher in disguise? haha :)

Sorry for rambling, I just wanted to tell you how much I look forward to reading your story at the end of each day :) It's truly enchanting to read something so well written.