Prologue: The Beginning Of Something Wonderful
Harleen Frances Quinzel.
Born May 24th, 1988, 2:02am.
Gotham General Hospital, Gotham City, America.
Mother: Cecelia Jane Carey-Quinzel
Father: Henry Regan Quinzel
Brother: Luke Jeremiah Quinzel
It was a relatively normal day when Cecelia gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. 32 hours in labour and Harleen Frances Quinzel was introduced to the world. Henry and Luke were so excited; they waited anxiously for hours, bouncing around the hospital. Finally, they held their little angel in their arms. Months flew by and The Quinzel's were a loving happy family. Her brother Luke always ran home from school, anxious to see his little sister. He would make funny faces at her and try to teach her how to talk.
By the time she started primary school, her life was relatively normal. Couple of friends, nice teachers and she never got into trouble. In middle school she started to worry about her parents. Things were hard on the whole household and Luke wasn't always there for her. It got worse. Her mother started drinking and her father always got into a fight. Slowly making it through high school, she had only a few friends and was still getting good grades. She wasn't a nerd or a geek; she just kept her head down and studied. Her best subjects were sports, art and drama.
Finding out her father was arrested for murder, break and enter, drug dealing and assaulting a police officer, he was sentenced to a life sentence in prison. Her mother drank herself away and she never saw much of Luke after he moved out. Deciding that she was the only one she could ever trust, she threw herself into school. Becoming the best cheerleader and the top of the class for gym, her teachers all offered her after school activities. She stared in a play for drama, her finest work went on display at the local art gallery and she gained a scholarship for gymnastics and cheer leading at Gotham Collage.
She met new people, found a part time job and the diner, looked after herself and made a life out of what she had left. After coming home late from work, she walked in and found her mother lying dead on the carpet. Police told her she had alcohol poisoning. Luke came for the funeral. He stayed with Harley for a while and she gave him some cash for the future. Now living by herself in the house her family had lived in and loved so long ago, she wrote to her father about her death. Receiving no reply, she was concerned about him and she rang up. Upon getting the guard she was referred to the councilor.
They told her the bad news. Her father had been murdered. One of the inmates he was sharing with mauled him to death after finding out the police officer Henry killed was his brother in law. They told her Cecilia knew, they had called her a couple of days before hand. So in the space of a week, she was now orphaned. Her 18th birthday was one spent on the couch eating chips and watching a black and white movie. The only time Luke visited was when he had run out of money for his rehab fees. Sending a couple of grand each time, she really though that rehab was going to make him better.
She was wrong. Finding out that he was lying to her, he had been spending all that money she had given him at the casinos. Gambling away her trust in him. After that she broke contact with him. He didn't try to call her or come visit. She assumed he had been so ashamed he'd left. A police call ended that hope. They had found his body in a dumpster. A drug deal gone bad and he was shot. After all those blows in a row, she decided to invest a little of her money. The rest was so she could go back to college. But this time it was to be a doctor.
Years later on her graduating day, she walked out and received her doctorate. Dr. Quinzel. She felt great, now she could help other people. Quickly finding a job at Arkham Asylum as an assistant, she was shown around the ward. Her supervisor Janet was showing her the ropes. Giving her instructions, tips and pointers. As they were walking down the corridor, she noticed a particular patient sit up and take a whole lot of interest in her. His face was in the shadows, but she knew who he was. She had seen him all over the news. The one even the gangsters and the mob feared. Joker. But here in Arkham he was called by his real name. Jack Napier. His attire was confiscated and locked in the back of the ward along with all the other psychos in here. They all gave her the creeps, but she really wanted to help people. They had warned her. Told her horror stories of what happened to people who come. Tales and legends she thought. But she still had that tingling chill up her spine. Something she couldn't quite place. Still it was a job, and a job that she really wanted. And damn wasn't she going to impress them!
She stopped and stared at the man. He stepped out of the shadows and she really saw his face. Pale white skin, shocking green hair and that grin. Oh that horrific terrible beautiful grin. It thrilled her, right down to her bones. His eyes lingered on her still form and she smiled a little. "Well hello beautiful..." His raspy voice said behind the glass sheathed cell. Swallowing down fear and dread and a little excitement, she nodded her head once and turned, walking away. She could still feel his gaze on her even when she shut the door and breathed a sigh of relief.