She knew that she was playing some kind of game once she had left Jonathan in that corridor. She had straightened herself out, doing her best not to appear too flushed as she went back to work. She knew that she had told Jonathan that she didn't want a game with him. She didn't want him to mess her around, but she also wanted him to know that he was not the one calling the shots all of the time.

She had shown him that, or so she had hoped when she had pushed him against the wall and warned him. The feeling of being so close to him had been enough to take her breath away. She struggled to control her breathing even now. The feeling of his body against hers and the smell of his cologne was enough to make her think of the previous night.

But she wouldn't let him know that. She wouldn't let him know how he affected her. She couldn't. It was best for him not to know. She contemplated whether he felt the same way as she poured another glass of wine to be taken to a table. Did she have the same effect on him? Did he go crazy just thinking about her? Or did he not care as much as did?

She didn't know and she wondered if she would even get the answer she wanted from him.

…

Jonathan didn't know how to feel once he returned to his apartment later that evening. He had been in a frenzy ever since Victoria had pushed him against the wall and looked as though she was going to have her wicked way with him. Not that he would have protested. The idea of hoisting her up against the wall filled him with some kind of excitement he had never felt before.

Victoria was everything he detested. She had been idle in college; barely having any discipline to study. Then again, he suspected that had a lot to do with her personal problems. But since then she had kept a job as a waitress and bartender. She was living in fear of Falcone. She was under everyone's thumb. She was always under someone's control.

But she was not under Jonathan's control. She had refused to be and Jonathan had just seen that. Manipulating little Victoria didn't seem like something Jonathan was able to do. Perhaps this was her way of showing she was not weak; that she did not enjoy being dominated. It was her only way to express herself.

Jonathan chuckled at the thought of that as he flopped down onto his sofa, closing his eyes as he wondered just how far he was willing to go with Victoria.

…

Victoria had been working for the rest of the week and so she had not seen Jonathan. She had not called him or sought him out. She refused to. She had thrown the ball into his court and it was his turn to make the next move. She had no idea what move that would be, but she refused to call him and appear desperate.

She wasn't desperate. If Jonathan decided he wanted nothing to do with her then she would cope. She had coped without him before and she was certain she could cope again. Of course, she couldn't help but wonder if he was messing with her; toying with her to see what she would do as a reaction.

She hadn't heard from him and that was why she had been shocked to see him stood in the corridor to her apartment. She held her keys in her fingertips as she arched a brow in his direction and moved closer to him. She had no chance to say anything for he was grabbing at her, pushing her against the wall as his lips claimed hers, dominating her entirely.

Victoria struggled to object, instead feeling her satchel fall to the floor as she hoisted her legs to wrap around his waist with help from his hands underneath her thigh. His lips moved to whisper in her ear as he nipped on her skin there, causing her to moan lowly.

"No more games," he muttered into her ear. "This is it. Do you get that? If you want this then you can have it. Just say yes…"

His voice was enough to put her on edge with need as his hands ran along her sides, peeling her coat from her shoulders as she dropped her keys to the floor, moaning as his hands ran along her stomach and took hold of her waist. She groaned once more at the feeling but nodded her head, the word tumbling from her lips before she could think anymore about it.

"Yes."

…

"Just so you know, I have no intention of defining what we are," Jonathan informed Victoria as she was the one to dress first after their antics that evening.

She had pulled her jeans onto her body before finding a clean white blouse. She had changed with haste, knowing that she had errands to run that day. No doubt James would more than likely be coming for her at some stage for the money. She didn't need to consider what her and Jonathan were. They had bigger things on their plates.

"Good," Victoria said, buttoning her blouse up to her chin and looking down to Jonathan as he remained on her mattress, his hands behind his head as he looked to her. "Because I don't want to define this either. Just leave it as it is. We're able to be mature about this thing."

"We are," Jonathan agreed, "but, just so you know, James might not be too happy with me about any of this."

Rolling her eyes, Victoria crouched down to check her satchel and find her purse. "Why are you so concerned about James all of the time? There is nothing going on between us and there never will be. Honestly, if you're jealous then you can forget it."

She shook her head back and forth while Jonathan chuckled, closing his eyes and letting the quiet wash over him. Jealous. Jonathan had never felt jealous before, but he suspected that was what he was feeling when he thought of James being near Victoria.

"Just make sure he gets the message," Jonathan grumbled.

"You're being paranoid," she informed him. "Now get up, I need to go out."

"I can see myself out," Jonathan informed her.

"Oh no," Victoria said, shaking her head back and forth. "We might not be defining what we are, but I'm not just going to be here for you to come and sleep with whenever you want. You're going to come out with me too."

"Really?" Jonathan demanded from her, sounding more amused than annoyed with her as she shrugged.

"Yeah," she said. "So get up."

…

Jonathan and Victoria spent the rest of the day wandering around Gotham while Victoria did errands and Jonathan joined her. He didn't know why he was doing this. He suspected he could abandon her, return that evening and she would not complain. He would still have her, but he wanted to be there. He wanted to be there. He complained, but he enjoyed it.

Walking around the grocery store, he carried the basket in his hands while Victoria picked things up and placed them in the basket. Jonathan didn't know how it looked, but he suspected that it looked like they were just a normal couple.

"Did you want to stay for dinner tonight? I've got the weekend off."

"No," Jonathan answered, "because your apartment is dire, Victoria. You can come back to my apartment. It is much nicer and not in the Narrows."

"Fine," Victoria nodded at him. "Sounds good to me."

…

James couldn't believe what he was seeing as he stood outside of Victoria's apartment. He kept his distance, watching as she walked into her apartment with Jonathan, the doctor carrying her bags. They re-emerged not too long after minus the plastic bags. She carried her satchel and some kind of duffel bag was in Jonathan's hand. He didn't know what was happening, but then he saw her put her hand inside of his. James could feel something inside of him snap at that, his head shaking back and forth as the doctor looked down to her.

But it wasn't a look of desire in his eyes. James had seen enough young couples in love to know what that looked like, but this was not how they appeared. Instead, he was looking at Victoria with possessiveness. His gaze was different. It was completely different.

James didn't trust him. He didn't trust anything about them. He wanted to tell Victoria. He wanted to make her see that there was something wrong with the man she was with. She needed to understand that he couldn't be trusted. Of course, if he told her then he would risk himself also.

But he couldn't let her do this. He couldn't let her risk herself.

…

Victoria sat on the sofa in Jonathan's apartment, sipping on a glass of wine while Jonathan cooked dinner, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he chopped an onion and sipped on wine himself. Victoria felt quite useless, but she didn't exactly mind. She couldn't help but think it was nice to have someone else do something for her.

"So I need to find another job," Victoria said, folding her legs underneath herself as her white blouse crumpled. She held the glass of wine in one hand while her other arm rested on the back of the sofa, her hand holding her cheek as she watched Jonathan cook.

He pushed his glasses further onto his nose as he chopped up some onion. "Why?"

"Because the bar is in trouble," Victoria said. "You know what it is like in Gotham. I mean, the crime rate is terrible and people daren't venture out after dark as much. Some people are being made redundant."

"Where are you looking for a job?"

"No idea," Victoria said. "It's not as if I get to keep all my money, is it? Falcone is still sniffing around for a cut."

"Yes," Jonathan told her. "I take it that a new apartment is off the cards."

She chuckled at that, shaking her head slowly. "Most definitely off the cards. As much as I would love a place like this, there is no way Falcone would let me afford it. He has me right where he wants me."

There was silence between the two of them before a knock on the door distracted them. Victoria startled as Jonathan rubbed his hands on a towel and tossed it over his shoulder, moving to the door as Victoria remained seated. Pulling the wooden door open, Jonathan arched a brow as he saw James in the doorway, gasping for breath.

His leather jacket was undone, revealing a plain white shirt tucked into his jeans. His eyes roamed the room before he looked to Jonathan, his glare increasing as he barged into the apartment. Victoria put her wine down and stood up, wondering what was happening as James stepped forwards to her, grabbing her by the upper arms.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded from him, her voice demanding.

"You need to listen to me," James told her. "Victoria…just look at me and believe me…he's not who you think he is. He is not some knight in shining armour."

Jonathan almost startled, but he kept himself calm. "Oh, not this again," he muttered and Victoria looked to Jonathan who shrugged and shut the door. "He seems to think I am working with Falcone."

"I took you to him!" James snapped, turning his head over his shoulder to glare at Jonathan. "I took you to him and you're doing something behind her back."

"I am doing nothing behind her back."

"What?" Victoria demanded, pushing James back from her. "What are you on about?"

"Your little admirer over there seems to think I am working with Falcone, when I am not."

"So why did you go to him?" James demanded from Jonathan who rolled his eyes.

"Why do you think?" Jonathan asked, pointing to Victoria. "I was trying to help her. I was trying to help her by getting him away from her. You are aware that he has made her life a living hell?"

"No," James snapped, moving and pointing at Jonathan who backed into the kitchen, slightly intimidated as Victoria rushed forwards, standing between the pair of them. "That is ridiculous. You went there because you have something he wants. I know you do."

"What could I possibly have that he wants?" Jonathan demanded. "I promised him that I would try to help him make this toxin he wants if it would get him away from Victoria."

Looking to Jonathan, Victoria let her eyes widen and her mouth gape as Jonathan looked back down to her, his eyes focused on her and he knew that he had her. He had her believing him. He could tell by the look in her eye.

"How do you know where to start?"

"And what about Rob?" James asked, not giving Jonathan a chance to answer Victoria. "He had a breakdown and ended up in your Asylum? And what is this toxin your helping him work on?"

"None of your business," Jonathan ground out through his teeth.

"It was bad," Victoria said. "My father was murdered because of it. It was bad, Jonathan."

"I know," Jonathan assured her.

"Then you shouldn't help him," Victoria protested. "I mean, it is kind of you to do that for me, but you shouldn't…it's too dangerous."

Jonathan scoffed. "It is only dangerous if you get it right which, believe me, seems to be impossible. Your father was one smart man, Victoria."

"No," James shook his head with haste. "There is something else and I know it. He is not being honest, Victoria. He knows exactly how to make this toxin thing and he is lying…I know it."

"And where is your evidence?" Jonathan asked, but James went back to Victoria, taking hold of her again by her arms as she watched him.

"Victoria, listen to me, he is lying to you."

"I'm not Falcone's henchman," Jonathan scoffed.

"Shut up!" James demanded from him. "You have no idea what I have done…what has happened…just shut up."

"Then get away from her," Jonathan demanded. "Victoria can make her own mind up on the matter."

Letting her go, James watched her look between the two of them, almost as if she was weighing them up somehow. But then she made her decision, shrugging her shoulders as she did so.

"I think you've just got the wrong end of the stick, James," she whispered and he shook his head in disbelief. "Jonathan might be many things, but he wouldn't hurt me. I know that. Look, there has just been a misunderstanding-"

"-No," James said, shaking his head as Jonathan moved a hand to Victoria's back, resting it there as James backed away to the door. "I'll prove it, Victoria. I'll show you. I promise you."

"James…" she called after him, but he had already gone, slamming the door behind him as Jonathan smirked, knowing full well that he would never win.

…

A/N: Thanks for reading and the reviews. Do let me know what you think/any suggestions!