Okay I somehow massively messed up the order of my chapters and I think I managed to completely chop chapter 4 out… I am so so sorry! Thanks to thereallegend123 for pointing it out for me! Thank you to everyone for all the encouragement, it's so lovely to hear your nice words (especially after my first not so complimentary review!). Once again I feel like I should apologise for not updating in a while but having a job and going to college and being a good girlfriend takes a lot of time! Stick with me and I'll try and make it worth your while J
Harley was on her way home when she met Pamela.
She'd had three patients after seeing the Joker first thing that morning, and although the sessions had proven to be on the whole useless, she was still buzzing from what she had achieved with Mr J. It might not have seemed much, but her (albeit accidental) personal revelation had encouraged him to trust her. If he had her cell number, he could contact whenever he felt like it. Her sessions didn't have to be limited to their morning hour anymore.
She had to stop herself from skipping down the corridors on her way out. All she had to do was waste her evening, then it was bedtime, and then it was time to see Mr J again. If there was something more to life than this, she wasn't interested. This was what she had worked so hard for all her life.
"Hey, doc. Come here."
A woman's voice. Harley paused. None of her patients were female. She wasn't even sure if there were any female patients in Arkham.
She looked down the corridor. There wasn't another doctor to be seen.
"In here, you idiot."
Harley stopped herself from protesting at the name-calling and turned to the cell to her right. This cell didn't have a barred door; it was a solid metal door, with both an electronic lock and a key. There was a sliding window at face-level, and Harley slid it open to reveal glass.
Staring back at her was a beautiful woman, with flowing red curls, deep green eyes and voluptuous lips. Her skin was pale, with a slight greenish tinge.
Harley was shocked. "Are you okay? Are you ill?"
The woman laughed. "Oh, honey. Yeah, I guess I am. I'm sick. And I'm certainly sick of this place."
She couldn't have been more than five years older than Harley. She had no right to be so patronising. Harley frowned.
"What do you want? I'm going home."
The woman smiled. "It's not about what I want, Harley."
Harley froze. How did she know her new nickname?
"I'm worried about what the Joker wants. You got time for a chat? Come inside."
Harley knew she shouldn't. But this woman knew about the Joker. She knew about Harley! But she had to act cool.
"Why should I talk to you about one of my patients? Besides, I can tell from this door that stepping into your cell is a bad idea."
"I'm not trying to talk to you about one of your patients, doctor. I want to talk about the Joker. I know what he's trying to get you to do and I want to figure you out for myself. And I'm guessing you want to know about him."
Harley gulped. The Joker wanted her to do something? And this woman was in on the plan. She didn't like the sound of this.
She ignored Harley's mood change and carried on talking. "You don't have to worry about coming in here. I'm not violent. Well. Not any more violent than your standard wackjobs. It's not me who can't be trusted. They've got these locks because the guards can't be trusted. You see, I sort of have an effect on these guys… I don't know why but they seem to love me!"
Harley looked at the woman again. She wasn't surprised they loved her. She was a typical femme fatale, with the hair, the lips, her supple shoulders, her…
Harley's eyes snapped back up. Was she naked?!
The woman was smiling. "Anyway, for whatever reason, they keep trying to get in here. Or let me out. But you'll be fine… From what I've heard from the Joker, I'm not your type." She laughed. "My file's in Arkham's office. The key is attached to it. And Arkham knows the code. Good luck getting it, I can't imagine he's going to give you something for nothing."
The woman took a step back. Her cell was too dark for Harley to see anything. She shut the window and considered her situation. She had nothing better to do tonight. And she didn't like the sound of what this woman was saying.
She had thought Mr J was beginning to trust her. What if he was actually plotting something?
She had to find out. There was no other way. Besides, this patient could be interesting. Maybe if she asked Dr. Arkham she'd be able to have sessions with her too.
It was decided. Harley walked briskly to Arkham's office, crossing her fingers that he'd spent enough time with 'Charlotte' to not approach her again.