Chapter 9 - A Reason for Everything
It had been three days since my final meeting with Jack and I don't know how I felt. After I left Arkham, I thought I would feel like a weight had been lifted off me - I thought I would finally be free of a part of my life that I so desperately wanted to forget. That I would finally feel free of the guilt that I felt about not doing more to help him - but I didn't. I felt just as heavy as I did before.
I know he told me there was nothing I could have done, but there was something that Jack had said to me, that I just couldn't get out of my head.
You can't fix this...you can't fix me.
He was right about about the obsession I had since childhood, with helping people and wanting to fix them, even if it was unconsciously. He was letting me know that he was a lost cause, someone unredeemable - and I realized that maybe he was wrong about me wanting to fix him. Maybe I didn't even want to at all.
Maybe I was just living in denial. Living in denial about a truth I had been trying to convince myself wasn't real. The truth that I wanted him to ask me to stay. I wanted him to beg me not to leave - but he didn't. He was right, maybe I should stop having so much faith in him.
In our hotel room, we had our suitcases out, ready to pack everything up in a few days. Tyler kept asking me if I was sure I really wanted to leave. I told him I was. I was sitting on the couch watching TV , when Tyler called out to me.
"Hey, Julia! You have mail." I looked up, confused. How could I be getting mail when this wasn't even my address or even my parents'? We had been in a hotel for almost a month.
Tyler walked into the room smiling, waving a small white envelope in the air.
"Wait, how -" I began.
"I picked it up from the front desk. It's from The Martha and Thomas Wayne Home For Children." The name rang a bell. It was the foundation that was set up after Bruce Wayne died. I still didn't know how they could have found me.
"It says Julia Nichols, but there's no address - oh, but there's a post-it on it that says Hunter dropped it off for you."
I sighed. For a moment, I thought this was one of the Joker's schemes at work. "Oh. Here, let me see." I reached out my arm, like an eager child. I didn't carefully open it with a letter opener like I usually do. I ripped one end, pulled out the the folded paper and read it aloud.
"You are cordially invited to the 3rd Annual Charity Gala for The Martha and Thomas Wayne Home For Children. Blah blah blah. The home provides The housing and care of the city's at-risk and orphaned children - and this year we plan to reach our goal of one million dollars. Blah Blah Blah. Please dress formal. Location:The Lochlin Hotel on 32nd Street. Date: February 15. Time: 7 PM."
"Well," I paused. "I've never been invited to one of these before. Do you think it's because of the interview? Am I like a VIP now?" I smiled.
Tyler sat down beside me and draped his arm over my shoulder. "I guess so. Does that mean I'm your plus one?"
"Of course." I grinned up at him. "Who else would be?"
On the night of the Gala, Tyler and I stood at the bar drinking wine. I wore my hair up and I had on a tight form-fitting maroon gown with lace embroidered long sleeves. Tyler wore a black suit with a tie that matched my dress.
We were side by side, with our backs leaning against the bar like bored teenagers. To be honest, we were bored out of our minds and we would stay bored until dinner. Around us the wealthy and elite were dancing and chatting and drinking. I looked ahead, and saw a woman was glaring at me from across the room. I looked beside me to see if I was mistaken. No one else was around, and when I turned back to her she just walked away. I shrugged.
"Hey, I think they're accepting donations over there." I pointed to a table near the back with a woman writing something down on a piece of paper and handing it over to a man sitting down.
Tyler turned to me. "Do we have to?"
"Yeah." I started walking over there, so he followed. "We can't just show up to this thing and not donate. It would look bad." I turned to him once we got there. "So, how much should we put?"
"I don't know. These people probably spend at least $15 000."
"These people." I laughed. "Yeah, well I don't have $15 000 to spare, so I'm gonna put down $1000. That's a decent amount. It's more than I give Feed the Children every month."
"Yeah, I'll put down that too."
"Copycat," I whispered to him, jokingly.
As we were walking back to the bar, we were interrupted.
"Hi, excuse me?" I turned around to find an older woman with tired dark brown eyes and short cropped red hair, with grey roots. She had on a too-tight hunter green body-con dress, that creased uncomfortably at her arms and waist.
"You're Julia Nichols, aren't you?"
"Yes I am." I smiled. I quickly glanced over at Tyler who had silently made his way to the dessert table. I looked over from across the room and he gave me a cheeky grin. I turned back to face the woman.
"It's so nice to meet you. I'm Nancy Carmichael - The co-host of Gotham Now." She offered me her hand and I shook it. Her face seemed kind of familiar. I must have passed it a few times while skimming the channels in my hotel at night.
"So -" She smiled. "You're the one who they gave the Joker interview to?"
"Yeah I am." I replied, unsure of whether or not I should still be smiling or not. It was like someone saying, "So you're the one who's marrying Tyler Harrison" or "you're the one who ate the last slice of chocolate truffle cake".
She continued. "To be honest I was quite surprised to hear an unknown like you was going to be the one to do it, out of all the other possibilities. You know, I wasn't even asked or Mike Engel or Roger Phenlan or Jessica Taylor."
"I was a bit surprised to be asked myself." I told her. Although after I found out why, I wasn't in the least bit surprised.
Nancy cocked her head slightly to the side. "Why is that, do you think? That they chose you - someone with barely any experience, no offence, and who hasn't set foot in Gotham in how long? Nine years?"
I sighed. I knew the answer, but I was biting my lip trying to remember the reason Hunter told me the day we met. "Well, Collins said he needed someone who wasn't as affected by the situation as the rest of you were and thought I was the best candidate. I'm still technically a reporter and a Gotham citizen so -"
"Ah, I see - I didn't mean to come off as rude, just curious. I've seen some of your past work. You were quite good, considering how young you were. Oh well. " She sighed. "I really hope this does bring some good publicity for you. I know a lot of people - including myself who are tired of seeing Engel's face everywhere we go."
I was relived at where the conversation was now going. As far as I could tell, she was no longer suspicious about how or why I got the job.
"Will you be joining the network permanently after this?" She asked me.
"Um, I actually haven't been offered a full-time position - yet - or at all. I don't know if I will be." I replied, honestly.
"Well," she smiled. "There's still time." She patted me on the shoulder before walking away.
When she was gone, I thought about what she said. I never thought about the possibility of Collins asking me to work for GCN. Did I even want a full-time position? No, I told myself, because that would me moving to Gotham and it just wasn't in the cards for me. Staying here. I mean, it couldn't be, right?
I was turning around to order another drink, when I saw something that caught my eye.
Tyler made his way back to me. "Hey, babe. Look over there." I raised my chin up and gestured towards the far end of the bar.
"Who is that?" Tyler asked me.
"It's who I was telling you about - Commissioner Gordon. He's been around for everything that happened here. In fact he knew the Batman - saved his kid, I think."
"Oh, really?" He asked.
"Yea. Also, that guy he's with is looking at us. Well me." I paused. "How many people do you think know about the interview already? I saw this other chick practically glaring at me awhile ago."
"No idea." he said.
I was now certain the looks I was getting were all out of sheer jealousy. I could see Mike Engel staring me down as we spoke. At first, I wasn't sure I would like the attention, but now I felt a superior, and a bit cocky even. These people were envious of me and I liked it. I just hoped my interview would be good enough to be deserving of all the green-eyed stares.
"Do you think it's a good thing or a bad thing?" I asked Tyler. "Having all these people know about it?"
"Again, no idea." He replied. "
"Yeah, it's not like there's any pressure or anything." I told him, sarcastically."
"You got it, don't worry babe."
"Thanks." I smiled, not truly convinced. I bit my lip. "Hey, I have an idea. I think I'm gonna go over there and introduce myself."
"Um excuse me? Hi!" Both men turned to me. I continued. "My name is Julia Nichols. I work for GCN. Well, I used to, actually." I trailed off. I was more interested in speaking to Gordon, but he seemed distracted and wasn't really looking at me. The guy on his left, who I assumed was a cop, was the one to engage me first. He stuck out his hand.
"Julia, I'm Officer Reed. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Nice to meet you as well." I smiled.
He put his hand on Gordon's shoulder. "I'm sure you know who this guy is." He said, boastfully.
Gordon finally came out of his trance and peeled his eyes from whatever he was staring at. He looked my way. "I'm sorry about that. Jim Gordon." He smiled and gave me his hand. I shook it as well.
"I don't want to keep you. I just wanted to introduce myself." I assumed if other people knew about the interview, they must have known about it too.
"Well thank you for that." Gordon said with a smile.
"I'll leave you two to get back to your drinks, then. Have a nice night."
"You too." He nodded.
"By the way, I can't wait to see the interview." Reed chimed in.
"Me either." I blushed. "Thanks!" I smiled, as I walked off. I turned around to glance back at Gordon, but he was turned around and went back to his drink. The other man, Officer Reed, seemed to be watching me as I walked.
"You know who that was, right?" Reed turned to Jim Gordon.
"No, should I?" He asked uninterested, as he continued to sip his drink. Gordon had a lot of randoms come up to him, telling him their names and their life stories and about how much of a fan they were. He worked for Gotham PD. It was his job. He wasn't a celebrity, so he didn't care for it.
"She's a reporter." Reed said.
"Ah..." he replied, still not very interested.
"Everyone's talking about her. Apparently, she's the one doing the interview with your friend, the Joker."
Gordon downed the last of his drink, turned to Reed with a unamused look on his face. He then set down his drink. He didn't bother turning to Reed when he spoke. "He's not my friend," he told him, before walking off.
Officer Reed chuckled to himself. "Cant wait to see how it turns out."
I started on my way to the bathroom. I got to the lobby before I was interrupted.
"Hey, you!"
I turned around and it was Hunter. He ran to catch up to me.
"So, did everyone from GCN get invited to this thing?"
"Yeah - and everyone from the Times too. Of course all the rich socialites are here too. Talk about feeling out of place."
"How's it going?" I asked.
"Great - How's your night been so far?"
"Uneventful."
"Your fiance with you?"
"Yeah. He's here somewhere."
Hunter nodded. "I just wanted to let you interview is being edited as we speak."
"Good. How did it turn out?|
"You got some pretty good stuff in there - looks like you finally got him to tell you the truth about his messed up face. How some homeless meth addict carved his face when he was five."
I almost burst out laughing then and there, but I my lip to stop myself. I almost did while I was interviewing him, but he gave me a look that said "keep it together," so I nodded at every detail. Told him I was so sorry that had happened to him. He even added a moment f silence to seemingly reflect on his pain.
If they only knew the real story, I thought to myself. He was giving them what they wanted, and wasn't even afraid to be ridiculous and over the top about it. It's not like they could tell otherwise. We both agreed on how gullible these people were. He knew they would just eat up whatever crazy thing that came out of his mouth, no matter how unbelievable it was and no matter how many lies he told in the past. And I could care less what he said in there as long as I got my interview done.
"They're looking to air it as soon as possible. " He continued. "March 3rd I believe. I'll email you."
"Oh wow. Great."
"How's fame treating you?"
"Well, only one person came up to me tonight, but from what I hear a lot of people hate my guts right now."
"Give it time. It'll pass." He paused. "By the way, some lady came up to me and was looking for you."
"Oh, no. Not another one." I groaned.
"Yeah, I don't know where she is now."
"That's fine. I'm sure I'll find her eventually."
"Alright, I'll leave you alone then. Enjoy your night."
"You too." I said, and Hunter left.
I went into the washroom, used it and then on my way out, I was walking out a bit slower than usual. I walked into the empty lobby. Most people were in the ballroom, so I was glad to have a few moments of silence.
I turned a corner, then looked up. Shocked. I couldn't believe who was standing in front of me.
"Ms. - Harley - What are you doing here?" I asked her.
"Hello Julia." She said with a smile.
"Hi," I said, softly. "Is there a problem - with the interview?"
Then her smile faded. "How about we cut the crap?"
My mouth fell open. "Um, I beg your pardon?"
"You don't like me and I don't like you." OK - she was right about that, but why the change in attitude all of a sudden? I hadn't done anything to her.
She continued. "I don't know what you think you know, but I'd be careful if I were you." So my suspicions were correct - she had been helping him. I don't know why I thought for a second, she wasn't.
I nodded. "I should have known right away - We said some pretty revealing things in there and if anyone else but you was listening, I'd be on the ten o'clock news right now."
She grinned.
"So what are you in love with him? That's rich." I scoffed.
"Say what you want, but he's good man." She looked terribly offended at what I had said.
"Oh, I have no doubt he is." I said. For the most part, I was being sarcastic. Harley didn't reply.
"So why are you here?" I asked her.
She looked up and smiled. "Oh, just to figure out how much you know - whether I need to kill you or not."
"Funny." I laughed, but was still unsure about whether she was serious or not. "I don't know anything." I assured her.
"Alright." She nodded. "How about you follow me."
She took me to the hotel library which was located on the 12th floor. The whole elevator ride, we didn't speak. When we got there, I assumed the door would be locked, but she just turned the knob and walked inside.
I was a bit more hesitant.
"Are you coming?", she called out from the room. Her voice seemed to come from nowhere as she said it. I peered into the dark room and could only see the bookcases and furniture. She was gone. I headed in and shut the door behind me. Near the front desk, there was a balcony overlooking the night sky. The doors had been left open, so an icy breeze made the room cold and unsettling. Harley stood beside it, looking out. She turned around when I approached. She left the lights off in the library and only under the glow of the moon, I could faintly see her face and anything else for that matter.
"Listen, I don't care what the two of you get up to, honestly. I don't."
"How about you stop speaking for a minute." She told me, quietly.
I continued. "And I don't care what kind of sick fantasy you're playing out by getting involved with someone like him, but - " she cut me off with a swift
smack across the face. I was stunned.
"Remember - I told you to be careful. You have no idea what I'm capable of. " She scolded me. "The Joker was right - you are too saucy for your own good."
Did he really call me saucy, I thought. "You're a lunatic." I told her, while rubbing my face. I could feel the welt on my cheek.
"On this coming Wednesday morning, you're going to meet me at Arkham."
"Why the hell would I do that?" I questioned.
"We have to discuss some things."
"Like what?" I spat back. "What could you possibly have to say to me? It better not be to beg me to come back for weekly visits - because that is not happening."
"He wants nothing of the sort." She told me, but it sounded more like an insult.
"OK, then what?"
She didn't say anything.
"Can't we discuss it right now?"
She glanced at the door behind me. "Look at where we are. Obviously not."
"But the room here is empty."
"I know but there's a reason - there's a reason for everything."
"Well, I won't go back there." I said defiantly. I paused. "I can't," I told her softly this time, directing my eyes to the floor.
"Listen, you don't have to see him if you don't want to."
"Good." I looked up. "Because I don't." I told her, harshly.
"That's fine., but who are you trying to convince, darling? Me or yourself?" she asked.
I didn't reply. Then, I looked at Harley. She was glancing nervously around the place like she was getting ready to split.
"So-" I looked at her seductively. "Working late nights, cooped in Arkham all alone - bound to get real lonely - " I began. "So tell me, how long did it take him to win you over with his charm? To get under your skin?"
She stopped moving, turned to me and smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she asked, with a gleam in her eyes. "I have to go." She told me. "I don't plan on spending anymore time around these people than I have to."
"Oh, so you came all this way just for me. I'm flattered." She smiled at me, but there was nothing kind about it.
"Do you live in Gotham?" I asked her.
"No. I've lived in New York ever since I came here to study psychiatry when I was nineteen. I'm from Reading, England originally."
"Oh, I see. Well, we're not that bad."
She didn't reply. "Wednesday." She began. "In the morning. Come alone - but you know that already."
"OK. I still don't know why I have to go there, but fine. I'll be there."
She nodded and turned to walk away.
"Oh yeah, and Harley?" I called out.
She turned around.
"You ever put your hands on me again," I began. "You'll really find out just how "saucy", I can be."
A/N: Sorry for the delay. I am quite lazy and I'm back in school. I promise things will pick up after this because I've already completed most of the next four chapters a while back. It was just this chapter that was giving me trouble because there is a lot of stuff in it. I wasn't sure how much to leave in or take out.
I know the chapters are going a bit fast, but that's because, SHOCKER, the story hasn't really started yet.
Meanwhile I'm praying there are no major mistakes in here. I really need to find a beta reader. Any takers?
Do I even need to tell you to review?
Pretty please with a cherry on top! It gets so much better I promise you. The key character to watch in this chapter is Gordon. He is a big game-changer. I won't give anything away though.
