AN: Finally, another session! Jeez, the last official one was like… forever ago! So I hope the wait was worth it. Here's another boat of therapy with the ever-lovable Joker and Harleyyy! :)
So I'm literally writing a oneshot, and trying to get chapters up for two other fics besides this one. What. Like why did I decide that having three EXTENSIVE stories was a good idea? Insanity I tell you…
ALSO! One of those new fics is called 'Reverse Psychology', and it is about our two fav clowns- only their roles are reversed! Harley Quinn is a homicidal maniac who is quite the charmer when she meets Dr. Jack Napier, a well-meaning and demure young man(; I think you all would enjoy it!
"He's here, Dr. Quinzel." Todd announced in a sour tone, opening the door of Harleen's office and allowing three guards with the Joker in tow to pass him. "Have fun." And then muttered under his breath, "Bitch."
The Joker's lip curled. "My doc deserves respect, Todd. So shut it!"
"Mr. Joker," Harleen began in a placating voice. "Please don't-"
"We're just going to leave." The tallest orderly told her, looking extremely uncomfortable. "We'll be back soon." The two others nodded and they all retreated, filing through the door silently, letting it shut behind them quietly.
Harleen inspected the Joker, who looked a bit put off by Baker's rudeness, but other than that, he seemed less tense and more relaxed. She decided that the trip to the Rec Room had probably went well, and that he enjoyed it. Still, she needed to ask. "How was the Rec Room?" Her question was innocent, but there was a hint of satisfaction in it, for she knew that giving him more privileges would lead to improved behavior, over time. She had heard some other doctors tittered about it earlier, but what did they know?
"It was fine." He answered vaguely.
"I'm told you got to spend some time with an old friend…"
He laughed and nodded. "Yeah. Me and Harv spoke a bit. He said he wished he had you as his shrink, too." He shrugged. "Can't say I blame the guy. Lots of folks here want my doctor." A shiver ran through Harleen at what seemed to be a double entendre. Lots of folks here want my doctor. She shook the thought off quickly, and refocused.
"You're too kind, Mr. Joker." She replied sweetly. "But we must continue with the session. Enough about me."
The Joker's intense green eyes flashed and he regarded her with a calculated expression. "Enough about you? Wasn't that the whole gist of the deal in the first place?"
Harleen swallowed. The deal. Of course. She had forgotten about it somehow, in the midst of everything else going on. Or else she just didn't want to think about it. She knew it was not something that was allowed, because with these inmates, you didn't just give them information about yourself or allow them to get into your head. Especially the Joker, who had earned a reputation of killing, maiming, or driving all of his doctors insane. Harleen had no intention of letting any of those things happen to her.
"Riiiight…" She spoke slowly, weighing her options in her head. Either turn back on the deal and likely upset him, or try to be honest and open with him and maybe gain his trust. "So what do you want to know?"
A hint of surprise lit the Joker's face, but was soon replaced by a more smug expression. "Good decision, Doc." He tilted his head to the side, letting a few curls fall across his pale face. "So. You're from Brooklyn, huh?"
"What?" Harleen asked, confusion evident from her cute, round face. "How did you- I mean, what are you talking about?"
Triumphant, the Joker stuck a finger in the air. "See! I was right! It's kind of obvious, if you really listen. The accent slips out when you get mad, or excited."
She flushed. "I've just tried to get rid of it, honestly." She glanced down at her small hands and fiddled with them nervously. "I mean, no one would take me seriously, if they knew, about, you know…"
"No, I don't, Harleen." He replied gently. She didn't correct him. "What do you mean?"
She threw her hands in the air and did anything but meet those burning emeralds. "I'm not like the rest of them! But if I'm not exactly the same as everyone else, then I'd be an outcast!"
"Oh, Harleen. Why would you want to be like those fools? And what's wrong with being an outcast?" He raised an eyebrow expectantly as he waited for her answer. The young doctor was out of her element. He says one thing and she started getting emotional. And it wasn't even a big deal, the whole accent thing, but it escalated as she revealed how she wanted to be like the rest of her peers. Harleen told herself to get a grip. Immediately. This was her session, not his, and she ran it. She couldn't start crying to the Joker about her itty-bitty problems. What would he think? What did he already think?" She inhaled a deep breath.
"There's nothing wrong with being an outcast, Mr. Joker." She said in a calmer tone. "You seem happy enough. But for me, I can't be very different, because it would affect my life, whether it be in work, relationships, or whatever else. You understand?"
He merely sighed heavily, pursing his bright red lips together tightly. "Doc, I can see how hard you want to do well and everything. But this… This hiding who you are, pretending to be something you're not… It's crazy! That kinda thing drives people mad. And I feel for you, I really do, because it's killing you. Keep a bird locked up and one day it just falls over dead."
"You don't have feelings." Harleen tried to change the topic, as she looked away from him again. She couldn't bear to stare into the endless pools of green. She felt like she was drowning. So she attempted to divert their conversation towards the whole deal with him being unable to feel emotion.
He mocked a look of hurt. Exactly her point. "Hey, Doc, I got feelings!"
"Really?"
"Yeah! Just because I don't express every tiny emotion doesn't mean I don't have any! I just try to view life as a joke, and be happy. You should try it." He giggled in a high pitch.
Harleen groaned. "This is ridiculous. You're like a mix of a sociopath and psychopath! I've never seen or heard anything like it."
He winked and grinned. "I'm one of a kind, Dr. Quinzel!"
"Well, that's for sure." She retorted. "But do you know how big of a headache I get trying to psychoanalyze you?"
"Then don't."
His reply stunned her and left her silent for a moment. "What do you mean?"
"They say I'm incurable." He began, looking into the distance. "I am a lost cause."
"Now that's not true-"
"Hey!" He scolded in his deeper voice, pouting at her. "Lemme finish." After she made no move to talk over him again, he started back up. "So I'm crazy, yeah? Out of my mind, insane. I kill people, all the time, for fun. I torture people when they look at me the wrong way. My henchmen? One of them pissed and forgot to flush so I shot him, right then and there. I live my life interlocked in a battle for this damn city, with another guy, who dresses as a bat and obviously has some homoerotic tendencies. So, I ask you, Dr. Harleen Quinzel, Dr. 'I-can-cure-anything', why would you even try?" A smirk lit his face, as Harleen simply stared at him. Finally, she spoke, shaking her head even though there was a smile creeping up on the corner of her mouth.
"You can't just give up on people like that."
The Joker nodded to himself. "There are people in this world, Doc, who are different. Special. I am one of those people. And sometimes I think that you are, too. It's up to people like me, and maybe like you, to keep the world on its toes. You get it?" He continued even before she had the chance to answer. "You wouldn't admit it, of course, but it's true. I'm going to show you, I swear, and you'll get it."
Harleen gave a slight smile to the Joker, as he rambled on. "You know, you're absolutely insane, but being the charmer you are, it's hard not to enjoy talking to you."
"Hmm, Doc, is that a compliment?" He chuckled quietly. "You're a funny gal, Dr. Quinzel. A sense of humor is always something I've appreciated."
"Well, being the Joker and all, I would expect it…" She rolled her large, blue eyes, feeling a light sensation in her chest. She was bewildered when she realized it was the feeling of being freer, being able to speak her mind to this lunatic, who had charmed her in only a few sessions. He was crazy, yes, but as she had learned over the years, at least some crazy people didn't try to hide behind a façade of something they were not. A dark rush of shame overcame her as she recognized the fact that she was hiding behind a façade as well, at times. He was right. But perhaps that could change.
He snorted. "I think sarcasm is your forte." Together, they shared a laugh, before the Joker flicked his sharp gaze up towards the clock. "Hm. Time flies when you're having fun, huh, Doc?" He winked again. He seemed to do that a lot more lately.
Dr. Quinzel stood up, and smoothed down her skirt, as she always did when it was time for a patient to leave.
"And Dr. Quinzel?" He asked, and she leaned forward slightly. "Just know I wouldn't have noticed you if you were just like everyone else."
A second later and the guards were inside of the room, working the chains and loosening the restraints. Harleen kept staring into the Joker's eyes, and he into hers, boring into her shallow soul. The corner of his red lips curled, then a large orderly stepped in front of her view.
Hours later, and she still couldn't get the sound of his voice, those words, out of her mind.
Just know I wouldn't have noticed you if you were just like everyone else.
AN: Whew! Just cranked out that chapter in one go! I feel so accomplished :P Lol, but seriously, I hope you enjoyed it. Most in depth session so far, so wait til you see what's in store! I'm praying you all like it. I took Luckster25's advice and made sure the therapy was longer, because honestly, the others were quite short.
Anyways, please review(: It brightens my day and reviews are what really encourage me and make me more excited about writing a story!
And check out 'Reverse Psychology'(;