She finally said yes!

After three months of requesting it, Dr. Joan Leland had finally given Dr. Harleen Quinzel the go-ahead to schedule a session with the Joker! Harleen had been begging for this ever since she started working at Arkham Asylum, and finally, finally it was happening.

Racing down the asylum hallway, white jacket and strands of blonde hair flapping about, Harleen barely avoided running into an orderly or two in her excitement. Dr. Leland had expressed appreciation for the progress Harleen had made with patient Julian Day, which Harleen assumed had been the key to her finally receiving this chance.

A door suddenly swung open, and Harleen barely managed to skid to a stop to avoid crashing into the person stepping out of it. A short, rotund man with a moustache stood before her. One of the janitors, she was fairly certain. Her eyes flashed over his name tag moments before she said, "Sorry, Bill! Wasn't watching where I was going…"

He tipped his ragged hat at her. "Not to worry, Dr. Quinzel. Glad no one got hurt."

Though her immediate instinct was to carry on toward her office, Harleen couldn't help but notice the large ballistic glass door behind Bill, and the abnormal cell it was attached to. "This is one of those special cells for the superpowered patients, right?" she asked, jerking her thumb toward it. Bill tipped his head downward once. "Huh. I didn't think we had any superpowered patients. Besides Waylon Jones, I suppose."

Shuffling aside and closing the cell door, Bill raised his shoulders up and down. "Dunno, Dr. Quinzel. I was just told to check this cell over, make sure it was useable. They don't tell me much more than that."

Frowning slightly, Harleen turned away and quickly walked back down the hallway, in the direction she'd just come from. Though she was eager to start reading through the file on the Joker she clutched tightly in her left hand, her curiosity about the potential new patient was too great to ignore.

Booking it down a few more hallways, Harleen didn't have much trouble finding Dr. Leland.

"Joan!" she called out as she approached, tucking a bit of her hair behind her ear and hoping she didn't look too terribly disheveled from all the pseudo-running. Dr. Leland turned, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, Dr. Quinzel?"

Finally coming to a halt, Harleen wasted no time on pleasantries. "Are we getting a new patient? A superpowered one?"

There was a hint of exasperation in Dr. Leland's expression and voice as she replied. "Yes… we are. ...Poison Ivy, as a matter of fact."

Harleen's eyes went wide, as did her sudden grin. "That plant woman that destroyed Kane Tower? They're sending her here?"

"They are indeed."

"Joan - Dr. Leland," Harleen corrected, "please, you have got to let me be the first to have a session with her."

With a sigh and a shake of her head, Dr. Leland replied, "Dr. Quinzel. I just assigned you Joker. You're going to have your hands full enough with that one." Shifting her glasses where they sat on her nose, Dr. Leland continued, "We know very little about Poison Ivy aside from her destructive power and her apparent obsession with plants. It would be irresponsible-"

"Dr. Leland, please!" Harleen cried, holding her hands together and shaking them, folder under her armpit. "I can handle them both! Give me a shot, at least one try. I know I can do this."

Eyes narrowing, Dr. Leland gave Harleen a piercing stare. "Let no one claim you lack ambition, Dr. Quinzel. But you're eventually going to bite off more than you can chew." With a another sigh and the ghost of a smile, Dr. Leland continued, "I'll allow you to be the first to interview her, but you'll be sharing her with other doctors until we have a better idea of what her needs are. And if attending to her and the Joker at the same time proves to be too much for you, I won't hesitate to remove you from them both, if that is what I deem necessary."

Nodding emphatically, Harleen couldn't suppress the humongous smile on her face even if she had wanted to. "Thank you so much, you won't regret it, Joan!" Not waiting for a reply, Harleen took off down the hallway, more excited than ever to prepare for next week's sessions.

{}{}{}{}

The fateful day finally came, and Harleen felt confident. She'd read all the files, learned everything there was to know about her two new patients. Which wasn't much, when it came to Ivy, admittedly. Of course, it was Joker who was scheduled first, and it was Joker that Harleen felt most confident about. She knew all the tricks he'd used to elicit sympathy or throw off guards, doctors, parole officers, and many others before her. She could handle him, she was sure of it. Her only question was what tactic he'd start out with.

"You know, my father used to beat me up pretty bad."

So going strong with the sympathy play then. Harleen scribbled something on her notepad, then watched patiently as Joker told a story about attending the circus with his father. The details varied slightly from other stories of his on record, but the overall substance was the same.

Something the files and pictures failed to adequately describe, however, was the man's face. It was rather pointed, particularly his chin and nose, but it had an odd attractive quality to it. His voice, too, was unexpectedly alluring; it was quite enjoyable to listen to him, even if she couldn't believe a word he said. It was becoming clear to her how so many people could fall for the man's charms, despite his homicidal tendencies.

Suddenly, Joker stopped talking, and sat up from the reclining position he had been in. A sly smirk sat upon his face. "You're not actually buying this BS, are you."

It was a statement, not a question, and Harleen could do nothing to disguise the look of surprise that momentarily overtook her face.

Grinning wider, the Joker leaned toward her, staring intensely. "Come now, Doctor, I'm not stupid! You're either heartless or you don't believe my story, and dear Julian claims you've got a pretty big heart."

Trying to regain her composure, Harleen sat up a little straighter and adjusted her glasses. "I didn't realize the two of you talked."

Rolling his eyes dramatically, Joker said, "We don't, the idiot just won't stop going on about you in the mess hall."

Harleen felt a small smirk form on her lips, but quickly forced it away. "Well, regardless, yes, I have heard of you telling remarkably similar stories to the one you were just describing."

Leaning back against the wall, hands behind his head and a large smirk on his face, Joker said, "And you were just going to just let me prattle on? How rude!" Harleen barely managed to contain another smirk. "Look, Doc, let's level with each other. I don't even remember my childhood. I just like having a laugh at the idiots who believe the crap I make up! But you - you're no fool." His smirk grew. "And you're no philanthropist, either, no matter what Julian says."

Harleen kept her expression blank, though her eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to anticipate where Joker was going with this. He wasn't completely wrong, though she'd never admit it out loud.

Sitting forward and gesticulating with his arms, Joker said, "I can create a real good story for you, though. Lay it all out, help you write the best, most lucrative tell-all you've ever dreamed of!" Once again, Harleen had trouble disguising her surprise. Joker stood, his toothy smile at its widest. "Don't be so surprised, dear, I'm good at reading people, is all!"

Harleen shook her head, grimacing, irritated at how well she was playing into his hands despite her preparation. "Mr. Joker. Please, sit."

"Mr. Joker. That's a new one." He stood a second or two longer, then sat back down.

Managing not to roll her eyes, Harleen continued. "I am not interested in your stories, no matter how elaborate. I am not trying to write a tell-all, I am trying to help a mind that is clearly in need of it!"

Joker cocked his head to the side. "You're cute when you're angry, Doc."

It took all Harleen had not to throw her pen to the ground. Standing abruptly, Harleen headed for the door. "You're clearly intent on making this an unproductive session. We'll table this for now."

And with that she left the room, trying to ignore the laughter ringing out behind her.

"You want me to get Day next, Dr. Quinzel?" the guard outside asked.

She shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm taking my lunch early."

That proved to be a good idea. A lunch outside in the sun mellowed her out, and another excellent session with Julian Day lifted her spirits even higher. She was back to feeling confident again by the time her other big session of the day rolled around.

This one was different from the others right off the bat, in that Harleen was unable to talk to Poison Ivy in the normal interview room. Ivy was still a largely unknown quantity, especially when it came to her powers, and thus Harleen was forced to put on a chemical-resistant suit and step into Ivy's cell, where a small plastic table and foldable chairs had been set up. Ivy's chair was backed up against the back of the cell, and her legs were chained to the ground. It was a very different environment than what Harleen was used to, to say the least.

As she entered, the first thing Harleen noticed, aside from the room's setup, was the intense glare she immediately received from her patient. To say the atmosphere in the room was hostile would be an understatement. But it wasn't purely hostility Harleen felt from that stare... Ivy was like a caged animal, terrified and enraged all at once, and no doubt ready to attack if given the opportunity. Harleen suddenly felt appreciative of those chains.

Taking a seat in the chair opposite Ivy, Harleen looked her patient over, getting a good look at the 'plant menace' that she'd only seen in a few pictures and on tv before now. Ivy was a damn good looking menace, Harleen had to give her that. Wavy red hair cascaded over a lithe, green-skinned form, covered in clothes made of leaves. Her face, despite the anger currently displayed on it, was exceedingly pleasant to look at, as well. Those lips, in particular seemed… Damn, Harleen, maybe try to keep your thoughts professional, sheesh. Ogling Joker and now a woman who clearly would kill you if she had the chance. Harleen shook her head and gripped her pen a little tighter, successfully banishing the inappropriate thoughts for the time being.

Though Harleen had gotten lost in her own head for a good half-minute, Ivy hadn't budged, and Harleen wasn't even sure the woman had blinked.

"Hello," Harleen said with a smile, extending her hand. "I'm Dr. Quinzel."

There was no response.

Slowly retracting her hand, Harleen maintained her smile as she said, "So, I'm told you go by Poison Ivy. I'm going to assume that's not your given name." She laughed lightly at that, then scribbled a note about 'humor' not being a good 'in.'

Tapping her pen against her clipboard, Harleen tried again. "They say you claim to have destroyed that tower in the name of… plant-life? Plants are very important to you, then?"

"Yes." Ivy remained completely still, save the movement of her mouth.

Grinning slightly and dancing a little in her seat, Harleen continued. "What is it that draws you to them? What makes you so passionate that you would destroy a whole skyscraper, along with the people inside?"

Ivy moved slightly this time, looking away for a moment, perhaps to think. Harleen tried to quell her excitement over such a small success. "...They… need help. Humanity is killing them. Ignoring their screams."

Furiously scratching notes down, Harleen pressed on, eager to see how far she could get. "So you hear the plants? Their screams?"

"Yes."

"Do they… talk to you?"

"Yes."

Fascinating. It felt like Harleen couldn't write fast enough. Ivy had said so little, and yet, in a way, so much. Harleen had to keep this going. "You killed humans in your assault… why do you care less about them than the plants?"

Ivy looked away again, then looked back, directly into Harleen's eyes. "..I... fight for my own. ...I take no pleasure in destroying you kind, but this is a fight for survival."

Harleen stopped writing, and stared at Ivy. The green woman seemed slightly less hostile; her glare, in particular, had softened. There anger in her eyes had given way to… passion.

Tapping her pen against her cheek, Harleen said, "So when you say 'my own', you mean plants, and when you say 'your kind', you mean humans, yeah?"

"Yes."

Clearing her throat and leaning forward slightly, Harleen said, "But… I mean, know you have green skin and some sort of metahuman powers… but you're still human, at least in part."

Ivy's glare returned, even more intense than before. "I am no human. I am one with the plants. I am Poison Ivy."

Leaning back and waving a hand, Harleen said, "I - I don't want to anger you, but… the medical doctors say you are, in fact, still significantly human, even if part of your physiology is now plant-based-"

SLAM. Harleen jumped a little out of her seat Ivy's fists ferociously met the table that sat between them. "I am no human!"

Scooting back a little, Harleen grimaced and said, "I apologize, I didn't mean to upset you, I-"

"You will not convince me to betray my cause, human! I will hear no more of it!"

Grimacing, Harleen tried desperately to salvage the situation."I'm sorry, forget I said it. If we could just go back-"

"NO! MORE!" Ivy yelled, gripping the plastic table and slowly crushing it with her bare hands.

Harleen's eyes went wide, and she scrambled to her feet. "Aheh, point made. We- we'll talk later, then."

"GET OUT!" Ivy screamed, picking the partially-crushed table up.

Harleen sprinted for the door, slamming it shut behind her as soon as she'd cleared the doorframe.

"Hey, um… no more tables for her, I think," she said with a strained smile to the surprised guard that stood nearby. "Also, maybe let her calm down a bit before you go in there."

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Free of her clothes and, with them, the persona she always wore for her job, Harleen crashed backwards onto her small, messy bed. She let loose a loud sigh and stretched her muscles, still a little sore from her daily work-out routine. Her hair, free of the bun she normally kept it in, splayed out across the wonderfully cold sheets.

What a day! A good one, largely, but also very tiring. Both her new patients had surprised her in their own way, and she couldn't get either of them out of her head for more than a few minutes at a time.

The Joker felt like he had her all figured out, and, to an extent she was uncomfortable with, he was right. But, for as much as he liked to act as though he were the one in control, ultimately, he was her patient. She wasn't about to give the man the power he craved by agreeing to some ridiculous deal. She'd get a good story for a tell-all out of him all on her own, thank-you-very-much.

And Ivy. 0 to 180, that one. But Harleen had gotten a surprising amount of info out of her, which Dr. Leland had been impressed with. Harleen wondered if Ivy would've given that info to whoever was first to interview her, or if it was something Harleen in particular had done or said. Regardless, it was good that Harleen had gotten the first go at the 'plant menace', so that she could have the credit for these discoveries. She'd already been gaining a great reputation with her rehabilitation of Calendar Man - and Poison Ivy, despite how new she was to the scene, was far more high profile than Julian Day had ever been.

The cold sheets below her were starting to warm up from her body heat, and Harleen was also belatedly realizing that a lump of scrunched blanket was pushing into her back in a painful way. She flopped up the bed like a fish until her head was on her pillow, and adjusted herself so that her body was once more touching cool fabric.

Alone in a dark room with no clothes on, Harleen's mind started to drift, going back and forth between the faces of her new patients. They were both quite attractive, she had to admit. Joker's face was longer, more angular, while Ivy's had a much softer quality to it, even with her large nose. Not that large noses couldn't be cute. And Ivy's certainly was.

Also, their mouths. They both had nice mouths. Joker's smile was toothy and charming, while Ivy… well, Harley hadn't seen Ivy smile. But those lips were so full, and looked so soft.

There was a significant heat growing in Harleen's lower body, one she considered taking care of before bed. But she had to get up early. She had to start preparing for the next time she conducted a session with either of those two. And besides, it was terribly improper for a psychiatrist to fantasize about her patients.

Harleen let loose a loud laugh, so unlike the soft chuckles she occasionally gave in more professional environs. But that was the thing. This wasn't a professional environment. What did Harleen care if she had indecent thoughts? Giggling even more, she reached toward the dresser next to her bed, searching for a certain vibrating toy that would help ensure her a good night's sleep.