Psychosis

Disclaimer: I don't own batman, this ain't no disco, this ain't no foolin' around.

Skidding blindly around the corner, Jervis Tetch was nearly dead-ended by one of the myriads of random stacks of wooden crates that seemed to breed exponentially in back alleys. He managed to save himself by vaulting clumsily over a trashcan, landing wrong and turning his ankle. Swearing breathily, he stood partially and searched the shadows for signs of movement. He could never be sure how far away It was, It had nearly caught him at the last corner when he thought he was home safe. Seeing nothing, he hobbled to a nearby alcove between two buildings and examined his new injury.

Swelling, to be sure, but he couldn't tell if it was sprained or twisted. Either way, he knew he was as good as dead. He had barely been making it unharmed, now he had no hope of outrunning It, if indeed he was. He had a sneaking suspicion that It was just toying with him, though it had seemed all business earlier when…

"Oh my god!"

"What in the name of William Wilson is that?"

When it…

"It's broken the door!"

"Guards!"

it had gotten…

"It's still coming! Run, Tetch!"

"But J-"

"I said run!"

But no time to think of that now! He shook his head and stood up. He had been taking the wrong course of action. Athletics in general were never his forte. But he had always been good at escapes. What to do? He could make his way to the nearest public area and summon the police…but no, that would take too long. And there was no guarantee they could save him from the creature, or even see It before it was too late. What to do…

Of course! He brightened considerably. He was always good at poking His nose where it had no business, and once he was with Him, the thing wouldn't dare show its fa-…Itself. Show Itself. He could convince him something extremely out of the ordinary had happened, he could get protection…but how to summon him?

A crash from the alley two down from him scattered Jervis's thoughts to the wind. He limped away as rapidly as he could, bracing himself on the wall with one arm. The other hurriedly searched about his coat pockets, his hat had been lost ages ago in the flight from the warehouse.

Aha! He found it! A combination smoke-bomb and fear toxin spreader. Technically one of Scarecrow's devices, but it would do in a pinch. Quickly he hobbled to a likely place and tossed it over a wall, barely pausing to do so. In his compromised state, he had to keep moving, he had to-

"Working a little late tonight, aren't we?"

What luck! O frabjous day, callou callay! For once he was glad to see the shadows melt into a caped and cowled form, considering they didn't form anything else. Jervis, relieved, was still cautious. This was a man who put him away time and time again. It would do him well to play the victim.

With a strained but ingratiating smile, he hobbled toward the Batman, one hand out, the other still bracing his leg.

"Sometimes the night is when I do my best thinking. However, to–night hasn't been very constructive for me, and I daresay it's been even less for a mutual acquaintance."

"Spill Tetch." Direct as ever. "How is it I find you lobbing something definitely not trash into someone's backyard, when just a month ago you got out on parole?"

Tetch's eyes widened in mock surprise. "That long? How time does fly when you're having fun–and obeying the law of course." His mouth split into a mere shadow of his mad grin. "I would not even be seeing you tonight, had unforeseen developments forced me here, and daresay you would like to know what they were, hmm?"

"Me, Bullock, Gordon," his tone was nonchalant. "Whichever. You'll spill eventually." He made a move for the injured man.

"Wait, wait!" Jervis could feel panic beginning at the tips of his toes. He hade to make him listen, he had to know…

"I'm waiting."

Jervis mopped his face with a sleeve. "Gotham chemicals went up earlier didn't it? You saw it, didn't you? It lit up the sky!"

"And?"

God, it was like conversing with a wall!

"But it didn't burn, per se, not in the normal manner. Eyewitnesses say it went up all at once. I was there, I saw it happen!"

"That was fifteen minutes ago, Tetch." The shadow moved forward a little more. "You made great time for a cripple."

"I didn't sustain this until a moment ago, would you please listen?" the early stages of hysteria were making him shrill.

"I was there before it started, me and an-ahem-" he reddened slightly. "aqquantence were there. It was our base of operations. And that was no ordinary fire. I can't tell you exactly how it happened, but I can tell you what was probably behind it. Only promise me one thing!"

"What's that?"

"Protection!"

"All right, Tetch. We've got a nice private cell down in-"

"Nononono! It can't be there, It can follow me there! It has to be somewhere more secure than that!"

Batman sighed. "Meaning?"

Jervis all but ran forward and grasped the edges of his cape.

"Take me with you! Take me somewhere secure, somewhere out of the city! Or, I promise you, both of us will end up exactly like Jonathon Crane!"

There. It was out.

"What does Crane have to do with-"

"Protect me and I'll tell you."

The dark night shrugged in defeat. He didn't have time to "convince" Tetch into telling the truth, if it had to be secure he could manage just that. He could knock Tetch out and take him to the minor stronghold in the batcave, so long as Tetch came unarmed.

"Does that coat have pockets?"

"Y-yes, why?"

"Empty them."

Jervis did him one better. He dumped the coat on the ground. Batman blinked. He was clad only in Arkham-issue pajama bottoms, a blue so stiflingly tranquil elephants would have trouble keeping their eyes open, and a cotton tee-shirt. Tetch's small frame looked even more fragile than it normally did, he looked like a little boy shivering with cold and exertion.

"Aren't you-"

"Comfort does not matter, my dear boy, flight does. We need to be away from here five minutes ago."

Batman did something he did not very often do. He blinked.

"N…no, that's all right. You can wear the coat. Just keep your hands where I can see them in the car."

While Tetch gratefully retrieved his coat, Batman turned and hit the homing mechanism; he had left his car a few alleys back, and he didn't feel like backtracking tonight. Something in Tetch's demeanor subtly disturbed him, but he couldn't quite name it yet.

When he was assisting the Hatter into the car a moment later, Tetch did another strange thing. He turned to the general direction from which he came, eyes shining brightly.

"Good-bye." He murmured in a broken tone, then ducked his head inside the batmobile. Batman sighed and clenched his molars. This was not going to be an early night, he knew. Godammit, why wasn't it ever simple and easy? Other cities got bank robbers, he got fruits in lime overcoats.

As the drove off, neither looked at the nearby shadow of a mangled car. Which was natural. The old jalopy had nothing that would interest either of them. And that nothing was watching their departure with a mix of anticipation and apprehension. This thing, which currently matched the shadow of the car, did not have a means of verbal communication. Not in this form, anyway. But as they rounded a corner, It raised what could be called on other things a head, and watched them without eyes.

It was an unknown blessing that they hadn't seen it, acknowledgement of It's presence brought about immediate demise, as the other man earlier had found out. He had only seen It the second It got him, and then it was only a glimpse. It had been savoring the man's last rictus of horror, and stroked the part of its body that was digesting him smoothly with stray bits of matter.

It was as happy as things like It can get. It had fed more in the past few days that it usually did in a year. And the best part was that It would go unnoticed for far longer than in any sane city. It was excited, it anticipated a joining soon, it had gone so long without one.

And this thing, which had no voice, spoke for the first time since arriving.

"Well." It said. "Well, well."

Author's Note: it gets better in the second chapter, I promise! and please don't ask me what the hatter was doing in his underwear.