Disclaimer: I don't own Jonathan Crane (sadly) nor Batman. I don't claim to own them. I don't make any profit off of this. I'm just having fun.

Interlude

11

I was lucky it was such a nice day. Fall was setting in, the leaves changing and temps falling. It stayed at about sixty today which made it a perfect day for relaxing on campus. I hadn't had much morning sickness so I was in a good mood as I waited for Jonathan. I pulled on the sleeve of my shirt and stared up at the building in question.

Buckner Hall was probably one of the more imposing buildings on the Gotham U campus. It was one of the older gothic ones, complete with red bricks and enough stone gargoyles to frighten small children. It had been built as a mansion for the old Buckner family when the city of Gotham had been nothing more than a cluster of small houses. The newly formed Gotham University had bought it several generations later after Josiah Buckner bankrupt the family and their paper mill then subsequently murdered his wife and four children plus all the staff.

I was sitting on a picnic bench outside of said dorm, remembering all the stories my father had told me about the building. He had been a resident there during his first year at Gotham U and he swore to anyone that would listen that the place was haunted. His books went missing only to reappear in the old swimming pool. One day the poor man had to go without shoes because every single pair had disappeared for a week, which was quite a feat since my father had always seemed to have a sort of shoe fetish.

"Oh my, you're her aren't you? The little musician that caught Crane's attention."

I had to stifle a shriek as a distinctly male voice sounded to my right. A ginger kid, not much older than me, stood stiffly at the end of the bench. He was fine boned, similar to Jonathan, and he would have been handsome if he wasn't looking at me like I didn't even deserve to lick his boots. His green eyes were narrowed on me like I was some sort of lab specimen. I had the distinct impression that I was being sized up and the feeling made me tug on my almost too tight shirt. "Er, yeah, I guess?"

He snorted. "He told me you were intelligent, though you must not be, being eighteen and ending up pregnant."

"Excuse me?!" I had excused Jonathan for being an idiot because I was carrying his child but I had no idea who this moron was so he wasn't getting off so easily. I was going to throttle his skinny neck, campus police be damned.

"Edward!" The front doors of Buckner had burst open and Jonathan was basically sprinting towards us. "Edward, no!"

"This is Edward?" I waved angrily at the bastard in question, a smug look on his face. "This is the guy you're staying with?" I should have figured, really, seeing as you had to be a special sort of person to be able to put up with Jonathan Crane for any length of time.

My maybe-boyfriend definite-baby daddy spared me a glance before turning on his friend. "What did I tell you? She's pregnant, back off!"

"Well, it's certainly not my fault that you decided to impregnate someone who happens to have an IQ below sixty."

I felt myself bristle and I couldn't stop my hands from curling into fists. Who the Hell did this guy think he is? My IQ was far above sixty, thank you very much. Not that it was bad to have that IQ, but this guy was a slimeball anyways. I found myself wanting to know what his face looked like as I bashed it into the pavement. "Listen, you-"

"Back off, Edward. Now." Jonathan's voice left no room for argument. The man narrowed his eyes on me again before turning and walking away. The way he strutted reminded me of a rooster our next door neighbors used to have. Jonathan kept his eyes on him until he threw open the doors and vanished inside. "I'm sorry, D.G. I tried to get out here before he found you but he must have gotten out of class early."

"I can't believe you're living with that jerk." I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. Wait, ouch, that hurt. Note to self- boobs are sore. "How can you handle it?"

Jonathan quirked a thin eyebrow. "Well, my girlfriend kicked me out, remember?"

"Only because, like your friend, you were being a pompous ass." I snarled. So much for being in a good mood.

"Hey." Jonathan pulled me to his chest and I felt him give out a light chuckle. "I don't fault you, okay? Edward is... different. Hard to handle."

"If that isn't the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is." I mumbled into his chest, relaxing as I breathed in his scent.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Jonathan kissed my forehead lightly as I lightly pulled on his green sweater.

"Watch it, Crane. Pregnant or not, I can kick your ass."

He pulled back a little and held out his hand. "That I do not doubt."

"Are you nervous?"

The doctor's office was freezing. Like I had given up my new found hatred of PDA to steal Jonathan's body heat freezing. I was laying on the bed next to the ultrasound machine after the most... uncomfortable test ever. I was happy to be able to put my clothes back on.

"I am." I glanced away from the ugly yellow walls to Jonathan, who was seated in the plastic chair next to me. I was glad they didn't let him sit in on the last test. "I just want to go home and sleep for awhile."

I felt Jonathan's hand grip mine. "We'll head back as soon as we're done, I promise."

Before I could even nod the door swung open, revealing the most curvacious blonde I have ever seen. She was wearing nurses scrubs that looked like they were going to burst and had a stethoscope around her tan neck. She glanced at a chart before smiling at me. "Dahlia Cohen?"

I nodded the affirmative and she gave a little cheer. "So, I'm Amelia and I'm your ultrasound tech for today. This is your first, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Psh." She waved me off with the chart, coming dangerously close to hitting Jonathan in the head. He ducked, an aggravated sound coming from his throat. The nurse ignored him. "My name is Amelia and that's what you'll call me. I'm not old enough to be a ma'am."

I just bit my lip and she sat on the stool in front of the machine and started hitting buttons. Jonathan was still holding my hand and was watching the blonde like a panther that was ready to strike.

"Alright, hun, lay back and lift your shirt to right underneath your bra, okay? Don't wanna get any of this goop on it." I did as she instructed, shivering as a cold chill raced down my spine. She squirted some of the icy blue goop on my stomach and I squeaked. "Sorry, babe. They don't let us warm this stuff up. Give me a few minutes and I'll be able to show you your baby."

An awkward silence went over us and the maneuvered the white wand on my stomach, pressing in enough for it to be uncomfortable. "It looks like you're about eight weeks." She clicked on the keyboard and static filled the old speakers on the wall before a different sound broke through.

Ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump.

Holy shit.

I glanced at Jonathan to see him having the same reaction. His cool mask was broke and his mouth was open a little in awe. "Is that-?"

The nurse glanced from the machine and smiled. "Yep, that's the heartbeat. Nice and strong, too." She turned the black and white screen to us and pointed at the small blob on the machine. I felt tears burn behind my eyes as I stared at the tiny image on the screen. It looked like a small alien and you could easily see the beating heart. "Congrats, Mama. Meet your baby."

So, this is super short but I wanted to get it up before Hurricane Sandy hits us in a few hours. I hope everyone that does get hit is safe. We're expecting her tonight into tomorrow.

I usually don't get into political things on here, but since I probably won't be updating again before the election, let me get this off my chest.

If you are of age and are an American, make sure to vote November 6th. This election is so important to our country right now. So many things are riding on the line. Every vote needs to be counted. Certain parties are trying to make it harder for people to exercise their born right to vote and if we don't stand up and be counted, they win. I can't overstate how important it is to take the five, ten minutes out of your lives and hit the polling office.

I won't say who I'm voting for, but if you follow me on Tumblr, you already know. But regardless who you vote for, make sure you do. Don't just vote for whoever your parents tell you to, don't vote for who you see on TV. Take some time and research and make up your own decisions, okay? Your vote is your voice and only yours.

Thanks again to everyone that has favorited, followed, and reviewed. I love you!

Anyways, as long as Hurricane Sandy cooperates and leaves our power and property alone, the next chapter should be out sometime next week. Hopefully. Be safe, everyone. Happy Halloween.