I know I am rewriting this in Shadow Puppets, but I want to end this AU here just how I intended to (so that I can change things up there hehe). 

Hope you guys enjoy.

P.S: This is not the last part.

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She knew it was a bad idea to attend Jonathan Crane's court trial.

She had just been discharged from the hospital, and the city was still reeling from the chaos Scarecrow had wrecked in the past few weeks. His trial would be packed, and heavy crowds always overwhelmed her.

Still, Charlize was there at the Gotham City Court, her heart going miles a minute as she took her seat in the corner of the courtroom.

Jim Gordon had spotted her in the crowd waiting outside and brought her in as a special witness if need be. But she requested him not to involve her further with that case until it was absolutely necessary.

She had faced the disappointment and betrayal in Jonathan's eyes already when she had handed him over to the police at the hospital. She couldn't bear to see it again if she testified against him.

"Are you sure you're alright, Miss Thorne?" Gordon asked one last time before leaving.

"I am fine," she replied though her chest was constricting with such pain that made her forget about the wound in the back of her head.

"If you need anything, you can call me. I assume you have my number," he spoke kindly, knowing she was already going through a hard time. "The trial is about to begin."

She nodded, watching him step ahead where representatives from his department were already seated.

All she knew from the news so far was the list of crimes Scarecrow had committed and the fact that he would be in police custody before the trial which would decide his next holding place—either Blackgate Prison or Arkham Asylum.

"We are here today for the trial of Doctor Jonathan Crane, charged with multiple counts of terrorism, destruction of property, and the unlawful use of a biological weapon." The judge's voice resonated through the courtroom as the trial started but she closed her eyes, not yet ready to see Jonathan.

The rest of the words faded into white noise as the list of Jonathan's crimes was being announced, including the use of fear gas, potential plans to destroy Gotham, colluding with the mob, jailbreak, and so forth.

"How does the defendant plead?"

And then, his voice cut through, jolting her out of her slowly spiraling thoughts. "I have no comments."

It was the same voice—calm and composed—that she had heard for the first time when she had attended that seminar where she met Jonathan. She looked up but couldn't see him due to the crowd of people sitting before her. 

Perhaps it was a good thing she couldn't see him. She didn't know if she would be able to take it.

"Doctor Crane, where is your lawyer?"

"I have no lawyer, your honor. No one has agreed to represent me so I shall represent myself, if that's no issue," he replied, biting the words off as if merely being there at the trial was something he considered irrelevant.

If not for the cuffs in his hands and the armed guards on either side of him, he would prefer to be back in his cell.

"Very well then, how do you plead?"

"Do you expect me to say not guilty?" His eyes sparked, locking with the judge's unnervingly, "Every person in this courtroom is guilty of one thing or the other. Including you, your honor."

His expression was stoic but the calm that gripped him as he ridiculed the court was unnerving. Even in that state, with his hands cuffed and him accused of all the crimes he had committed, he held an unnerving control over his audience.

A collective murmur swept through the courtroom, and Judge Farrow raised his hand to quell the noise and chose not to indulge Jonathan by turning to the prosecution. "Very well. The prosecution may make their opening statements."

The district attorney stood up, regarding the defendant with caution before turning to the judge. 

Jonathan looked at him indifferently, not recognizing the new attorney. The man in front of him was newly appointed, probably the previous DA Carl Finch's replacement.

He noticed just then that Rachel Dawes wasn't present at the trial. Perhaps she had lost herself to madness as an aftermath of the concentrated dosage of his fear gas. Or possibly Batman had saved her but warned her to stay safe and not attend the trial.

"Your honor, the evidence against the defendant is overwhelming. There is no doubt that Jonathan Crane, lately known as the Scarecrow, willingly and maliciously unleashed a deadly fear toxin upon the citizens of Gotham City, causing widespread panic, destruction, and loss of life. The defendant orchestrated this heinous act, driven by a thirst for power and a twisted desire to instill fear in the hearts of the people."

Jonathan was brought to the witness box for questioning, escorted by the guards. As he stood there and finally had a view of the people in attendance for his trial, his eyes scanned the crowd until he spotted Charlize.

She was at the very back and she did not look well. Her face was paler than he had ever seen, her eyes betrayed the conflict within and her hands were clasped tightly in her lap, probably to hide that tremor that went through her whenever she was put in difficult situations.

Something flickered in his heart—a small spark of sympathy that still lingered despite the Scarecrow debating with him day and night on how Charlize was the enemy and he shouldn't feel anything but hatred for her.

She shouldn't be here, he thought, knowing she was still recovering from her injury. She shouldn't have come to the trial as it would tense her further.

"Of course not. She came to see you suffer," Scarecrow snapped, his scratchy voice almost deafening him to the words being uttered in the courtroom. "She should have been in the front row. She should have testified against us. What the hell is she doing in the back? And you still feel concerned for her? Pathetic!"

He couldn't even hiss at Scarecrow to shut up as he knew he was surrounded by people at the moment. Still, that scratchy voice grew louder, making him unable to hear anything else.

"Doctor Crane, I asked you a question," the DA's sharp voice snapped him back to the present at last, and he looked at him with a cold, stony glare.

Shortly after, his eyes flickered over his face dismissively, "I didn't quite hear you, Mister...?" 

"Harvey Dent," the DA answered.

"Apologies, Mister Dent, do carry on."

"On the night of September 12th, you mixed a biological weapon—this fear gas—with Gotham's main water line and intended to destroy the entire city by vaporizing the contents into the air," Harvey asked, his eyes cautiously judging him, "is this true?"

"Yes."

"On whose orders did you proceed with this plan?"

"I prefer not to say," he replied tight-lipped, "but yes, it wasn't entirely in my hands to initiate the chaos that could have passed that night... If not for your Batman, this city would be no more."

The tension that gripped the entire courtroom upon that blatant confession was palpable. Charlize gripped her chair tightly, uncertain how much more she would have to listen to everything Jonathan cleverly hid from her.

"You wrongfully acquitted Carmine Falcone's men and admitted them to Arkham under the insanity plea," Dent resumed, "how much did Falcone pay you for that?"

Jonathan was still calm outwardly, inside, Scarecrow was throwing up a fit. "Yes, go ahead, tell them everything, you idiot. You no longer listen to me..."

"I suppose you already know since Falcone's lawyer must have presented a signed agreement."

"And where is that sum now?"

"Invested. In Arkham," he replied, "All the funds were used to re-equip Arkham Asylum and bring it back to a standard mental health facility."

"None of it was used personally?"

His eyes glinted with a hint of amusement, "If you consider paying a few people to get me out of police custody a personal use, then yes... Some of it."

"How thoroughly unabashed," the woman beside Charlize clutched her prayer beads, shaking her head in disapproval. 

She looked at her briefly but then reverted her gaze to Jonathan. He stood in the witness box, his hands rested on the wooden stand, and even though he was there, he felt so distant and cold.

Almost as if she had never known him. 

A stranger. 

A man with a mask for a face and now that mask had been ripped off, leaving nothing but a hollow void that she had never seen before.

"After escaping police custody, you eluded capture and proceeded to sell your toxins to the mob, causing further panic and disarray in the city. You also released some of the most unstable criminals from Arkham and let them run amok despite knowing they are a threat to innocent civilians and city property."

He stared into the eyes of the DA coldly, "You seem to have kept a close track of all my offenses, Mister Dent. Still, you have not yet asked a single question of value."

"I have no further questions, your honor." Dent ignored Jonathan's piercing stare and faced the judge, "Every citizen in Gotham is a witness to the crimes this man has committed. I rest my case."

When the district attorney finished, the judge turned to the defendant. "Doctor Crane, do you have any counter statement?"

"I accept the charges against me," he spoke up and it took the jury as well as the audience by surprise. They had certainly not expected him to give in. "But I have a few points to make. If allowed, that is."

"Accept charges! Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"Permission granted, you may resume," Judge Farrow relented, allowing him a few last words.

He turned to face the people in the crowd but his eyes once again found only one pair—those soft brown irises so full of emotions that it was hard to dissect whether that languid mix was caused due to pain, fear, or disgust.

"Jonathan, use the insanity plea! They will send you to Arkham and we all know Arkham is under your thumb... Go on..." 

Scarecrow baited him again but he had other plans as his eyes were fixed on Charlize who was still in her seat, her face white as a sheet and her hands shaking even in her tight grip. 

"Stop thinking about your faithless lover and put an end to this madness. Tell them you're insane, tell them to get you evaluated by a psychiatrist. Tell them to ask Charlize, for God's sake!"

He winced at that name spoken in Scarecrow's voice, so full of contempt and loathing. But he couldn't waste his preciously borrowed time. He had words to say even though he knew rebelling against Scarecrow to this extent would warrant him hell once the deadly alter took control.

He would deal with him when that time came.

"Gotham is rotten already and breeds criminals," he spoke up, his voice brittle but authoritative. "All I wanted was to continue my research on fear and restore Arkham Asylum to a fully functioning mental health facility. It could have been easily possible without Falcone's intervention—and the consequent events that led to this trial—if only this city and its system was not full of corrupt people."

His jab was meant directly at the Board of Directors who refused his request for investing in Arkham's restoration. As a result, he had to look for other means, starting with that deal with Carmine Falcone, which became a starting point for his steady descent from a psychiatrist to a harbinger of fear.

Judge Farrow shook his head, firmly reproaching him, "We will not be swayed by your eloquent words or your attempts to rationalize your reprehensible behavior. You stand accused of heinous crimes, and you will be held accountable for them."

"I am not justifying myself or my actions, your honor. I am simply stating that this city offers more opportunities to those linked with organized crime." His eyes pierced straight through the judge and there was no trace of guilt on his face—merely a mask of indifference. "In Gotham, law holds no power. All the power is vested in two elements—wealth and fear. That's all. I have nothing more to say."

"Nothing?!?!?! Are you sure you have nothing to say? No insanity plea? No request for evaluation? And you insult Farrow to his face... Granted that he is not deserving respect but..."

It seemed Jonathan had gone deaf to Scarecrow's voice as he kept his lips pressed in a thin line, saying not a word in opposition.

Had Scarecrow not been an alter and another individual himself, he would have smacked Jonathan's head clean off for ruining everything. But he was restricted in that aspect and at the moment, not in control of the host personality.

Judge Farrow's gaze hardened as he fixed him with a stern look. "Jonathan Crane, you have betrayed the very oaths you swore as a medical professional. Your egregious actions have shattered the public's trust and endangered the lives of countless innocent people. As such, this court revokes your license to practice psychiatry, effective immediately."

The courtroom was silent, the weight of Crane's words hanging in the air as the verdict marking Crane's fate was about to be pronounced. 

"The court has meticulously reviewed the evidence, witness testimonies, and the jury's initial findings in this case against the defendant, Jonathan Crane. This trial shall resume in the next court session, allowing for a more comprehensive and thorough evaluation of the substantial evidence presented." 

Jonathan made no comment, however, he now had some time as the judge had chosen to adjourn the case to another hearing.

"Given the severity of the charges against the defendant and the clear risk he poses to the community, he will be remanded to Blackgate Prison to await the continuation of this trial."

He knew it was coming. Arkham would have been an option if he had pleaded for insanity. But he couldn't do that, at least not yet.

The gavel came down with a resounding thud, silencing the murmurs that had begun to rise in the courtroom. "Court adjourned."

As the session ended, Charlize was the first to step out, the suffocation getting too much for her to bear. Shakily, she exited the courtroom and once out in the open, she sank down to the steps, tears falling freely from her eyes.

Someone came to her and held her shoulder, even helped her to stand up on her trembling feet. But her vision was blurred by her tears and she couldn't see who that person was.

All she knew was that whatever she had with Jonathan was finished. He was not the man she fell for and she was not the love he could leave his dark side for.

Everything that ever was between them had dissolved to nothing.

***

Seen you soon with the last chapter.

Let me know what are your thoughts on this so far.

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