Authors note: I didn't really expect to update so quickly but I have a bunch of random pieces of the story written here and there and it's getting me really excited to get past all the boring introduction details and into Harleen meeting the Joker. Trust me, I can't keep these two apart for long. I also want to make it crystal clear that my version of Harley will not be a victim in this story, I absolutly hate when people do that because it totally subtracts from who she is as a character… and after all it really does take two to tango, and you can't do that with a weak, helpless version of Harley.
Harleen practically skipped into Doctor Leland's office by the end of the day. Normally, after a day such as today Harleen would be trudging out of the Asylum with her shoulders sagging and her heels dragging. Several of her patients had been uncooperative during their therapy sessions, which wasn't all that surprising. Another, had tried to kick her multiple times under the table, convinced nonexistent hands were pulling at his legs; although she shouldn't have expected much different from a paranoid schizophrenic. Moreover, an unprecedented amount of her drone-like colleagues seemed to believe it was her job to keep up with the notes of their sessions. Harleen shook her head quickly, refusing to let her good mood falter for the slightest of second.
Pushing the heavy, metal door open Harleen surveyed her surroundings: the rather large room had dark wood floors and walls that were painted a deep olive green with minimal art work adorning them. Harleen always found the theme of Leland's office much more captivating than the other doctor's brightly colored rooms. In fact, she often found those rooms to be one of the strangest aspects of the entire Asylum, which considering the circumstances of the place was saying a lot. A large fire place burned at the corner of the room; Harleen recognized it as a sad attempt to keep the ever present chill of the Asylum at bay, however, she could feel the cold air leaking in through the giant windows located on the east side of the room. Harleen often liked to joke with herself that the cold came from a different sources: that it oozed up from underneath the gloomy Asylum, escaping from the mouths of Gotham's most menacing mentally deranged that were housed far, far below. Almost, snorting at the thought, Harleen knocked sharply on the metal door before proceeding into the office.
"Hello Doctor Leland." She said in a singsong voice.
"Quinzel? What's got you so excited?" Leland said in a troubled voice.
"Nothing in particular." Harleen answered back, quelling her excitement for the moment as she walked further into the cabin esque-room.
Leland held back from rolling her eyes at the bubbly blonde, she hadn't seen Harleen in such high spirits before. She had always assumed the girl wouldn't last in a place like Arkham, that she would end up fleeing its dreary halls as soon as her internship was over. So far, however, she was stuck with the perky young blonde. Sitting in her plush office chair, Leland eventually tossed a small vanilla file towards Harleen; the top of it was marked with a crimson stamp, indicating the level of mental health, next to that was a yellow stamp, that meant the patient was also a high security threat. "You sure about this Harleen?" Joan spoke, hoping the use of Harleen's first name would make her understand the serious nature of what she was about to begin.
"Of course." Harleen reply without any hesitation.
"Alright." Leland sighed clearly still not convinced that Harleen was the person for the job, but she obviously had little control over it all now. "This is his file, study it closely…I'm aware there isn't much there. However, I would like to continue his sessions as soon as possible."
"I'll be ready by tomorrow morning." Harleen reply with the utmost confidence.
"Yeah, don't get carried away. Tell me that tomorrow morning and I'll consider agreeing to it. There's a lot that has to be done before I'll even consider letting you begin your sessions with him." Leland said, still slightly put off by Harleen's evident excitement. 'Poor kid doesn't even know what she's getting herself into' Joan mused 'She'll be lucky to even last a week… hell, I'll be surprised if she even still wants his case after seeing his file'.
"Certainly." Harleen answered in a stern voice. "Have a wonderful evening Doctor Leland." She stated before grabbing the small file off of the desk and strolling out of the large office.
"Good night Doctor Quinzel." Came the sharp reply.
Harleen hurried to gather her belongings from her own stark office. Quickly, her heeled feet carried her outside towards her cherry red convertible. It had been a graduation present to herself and an impulse buy, which was not normal behavior for the overly cautious Harleen Quinzel; however, when she had seen it, she knew she had to have it. 'Even if Gotham always seemed to be too cold and damp to ride with the top down' she sighed bitterly.
Once she was home Harleen stripped out of her simple work clothes and pulled on an oversized t-shirt, pairing it with a pair of thick knitted socks that went up to her knees. Quickly, brewing some coffee Harleen settled into a her stiff kitchen chair and placed the file before her. Unexpectedly, she found herself nervous 'just open the damn thing' she pressured, before she hesitantly unceiled the thin vanilla folder.
She was immediately taken back by the first paper placed within its confinements: it was an image of the last Doctor to have worked on his case, but with a rope around the Doctor's thick neck, and he was hanging from his office's ceiling fan. Harleen knew the image should scare her, or even repulse her, yet she found herself captivated by the dark circles that were gathered under the doctor's closed eyes and the purple tinge on his unnaturally pale face. His lifeless body contrasting with the lively colors of the office space. Harleen flipped through the file finding information on the other four losses of her patient's Physicians. Bullet wound to the head… drug overdose… deemed clinically insane…building jumper… and of course death by asphyxiation. Much to Harleen's irritation she found that the file contained more information on the past physicians than the patient himself. All she really seemed to learn was that he was clinically insane, presumably between the age of 30 and 35, and had been in and out of Arkham Asylum for the past several years, always finding some way of escape. 'Is this Joan's pathetic attempt to scare me away from this case?' Harleen suddenly found herself wondering as she continued to stare at the images from the file for longer than was either necessary or normal.
Rolling her blue eyes and stretching out her pale legs, Harleen yawned and ultimately became aware of just how tired she actually was. The excitement she had felt all day had pushed her to working extra hard, mostly as a lousy excuse to keep her overactive mind off of her newest patient. She just wanted to be the one to break through his cloudy mind and discover what made a man like that tick. Harleen sighed as she lounged back in her chair, beginning to imagine the future opportunities she would be offered if she could decipher the mind of Gotham's most feared criminal.
Suddenly, she was pulled out of her daydream by the buzzing of her phone. Swiping to answer, she held the phone to her ear. "Hello?" She asked in a clouded voice.
"Harleen! Hey, it's me, Matt!" Came the enthusiastic response.
'Shit.' Harleen screamed in her head. "Oh hi Matt." She answered in a voice that she hoped came off as excited.
She had gone on a first date with him only two nights ago and she had to admit, she hadn't had an awful time, but suddenly she found herself wishing he hadn't bothered to call her ever again.
"Hi!" He said again and she rolled her eyes. 'Had he been this slow on their date?' She questioned herself.
"Umm, what do you need Matt?" She asked, trying to not let any annoyance slip into her tone.
"Oh sorry…I was just calling to see if we could maybe set up another date for later this week?" He asked sounding hopeful, and even a bit too cocky for Harleen's liking.
She paused for a long moment. 'Matt was a nice guy? Why was she feeling so panicked about the idea of a second date? …because it'll lead to more.'' Some voice deep in her head stated. Harleen was startled, after all wasn't that what she wanted? To find the perfect guy, to settle down with him and have the picture perfect family she never had the chance to be apart of, to one day inevitably be expected to drop her career to raise their perfect children and be the perfect doting wife? Harleen felt herself shudder at the idea of having what she had always assumed she wanted most.
"Uhh actually Matt I don't know if that's the best idea…" She trailed off for a second realizing what she was saying. "It's just that they finally gave me a huge case at work, and I mean it's an important one Matt." She said getting excited. "And I just really need to invest my time into that…into work right now." She said hoping he followed her ramble.
"So no?" He asked sounding distraught.
Harleen sighed, still not completely understanding her decision, but she felt panic rising in her throat every time she thought about what her perfect life could be with him. "Right now I just don't think it's in the cards Matt."
"Whatever." He ground out before hanging up, his ego clearly damaged.
'Glad we ditched him.' The same voice from before surfaced and Harleen shivered slightly before deciding it was late and she desperately need some sleep.
Authors note: I know, I know, it's still a really short chapter, but don't worry I'm getting there. I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway and I would love a review!
