Sorry I couldn't get this to y'all sooner. This semester has been more difficult than I thought but that's just a poor excuse. Leave a review and let me know what you think please! If you don't like the direction this is heading, you should let me know! Also, I apologize if this is choppy and for grammar mistakes, for I'm sure there were plenty of them.

-9-

We set up a date for Thursday. He would pick me up from work and we would go out to eat, somewhere. Honestly, I don't even care where. I've been bubbling over with glee since we set it up. I haven't been this excited in forever, and I'm genuinely surprised by how much I like Bruce.

Of course, all of that had to come crashing down ten minutes after I got back to my apartment when Maegen called me. My happiness doesn't change the fact that she pissed me off and that she's pregnant. I watched the call come and go and the image of a voicemail appear in the corner. I ignored it.

To retain my happiness, I decided to work about lazily. I popped in a movie, grabbed some case files, and began to organize the contents and figure in some of my notes. It was wonderfully tedious and distracting and I ended up going to bed later than expected. I thought of Bruce as I slipped into the dark.

I made it to Arkham early the next morning, almost completely prepared for the day. I hadn't expected to find a note in my box requesting for me to see Dr. Walc. It put me on edge and I was quick to drop off my belongings and make my way to his office.

"Ah, Dr. Stark," he greeted with a smile, making me feel more at ease. I smiled back and entered as he waved me in. "It's good to see you so early; I want to get this taken care of quickly."

I nodded and took the seat across from his cluttered desk. He moved away from his cabinet filer and took his own seat, meeting my gaze with his. It seemed strange to me that he was so calm. Dr. Walc is usually so flustered and uncomfortable, but still rather sweet in his grandfatherly way.

"Dr. Stark," he began, causing me to square my shoulders, "I would like you to become the primary consultant for the Joker case."

That was not what I expected.

Clearing my throat, I found that I didn't know where to look. The carpet was green, the walls grey, the room smelled of moss, the chair was stiff, his books looked new, his eyes were blue, and I had no words.

"Sir," I tried, "I-I don't understand." That was not sufficient.

He gave me a smile that I couldn't describe. I tried again.

"I've only worked with him once."

"And you are the only one who's been able to handle him. I've had people quit so they wouldn't have to deal with him. But you—I watched the video and you were in complete control of the situation, and you were able to write him out a bit."

"Writing him out doesn't mean that I have any sort of diagnosis for this man, if there even is one," I attempted to cut in, feeling unstable. "That session could have been a fluke and I may never be able to get anything out of him again."

"I have full faith in your capabilities; you're a natural," he bragged, eyes shining. If only he had seen my first patient's reaction to me. At seeing my disheartened expression, he continued. "If you're worried about compensation, don't be. I am more than willing to administer a raise."

"Money isn't the issue." I paused. It might become an issue. I can't really afford to me mad at Maegen and not be paying her back steadily. Before I had a chance to continue, Dr. Walc did.

"I know it's a lot to ask of you." There was a sympathy in both his voice and eyes. "But I do hope that you will think on it. Do know that no one will blame you or think less of you. It's a tricky business and I will respect your decision fully."

Shifting my glare to my shoe, I can't help but feel as though this is complete bullshit. Of course everyone is going to think less of me. They'll lose respect for me and think that I'm some sort of coward. I know I shouldn't let their opinions affect my decision but it does factor in. And the raise is not something to ignore either.

But it's the Joker! I can barely stomach the guy! And that dream… I know it was just a dream but I do not in any way want to become close to this guy. I don't want him to be my primary subject when I get to work and have his pictures and work and crimes stamped on all of my papers.

Then again, maybe I should. What if it wasn't a fluke, that first time? What if I was actually able to get something from him because I'm good enough? That's a strange thought, being good enough for the Joker.

Finding resolve, I look back at Dr. Walc and say, "Can I have a few days to think of it?"

"Of course," he answers with a smile.

Old bastard I think viciously as I make my way out of his office, he knows he has me.

I played hard to get for as long as I could, which only ended up being a few hours after the proposal. Before I knew it, I was outside of Dr. Walc's door and was knocking. I was let in and he was still smiling.

"Hello again," he said. I didn't reply as I took my previous seat and steeled myself.

"What would being the primary consultant mean for me?" I asked instead.

He seemed so pleased. "You would hold and be in charge of the main case file, in charge of keeping it updated and all that. If the police were to come by, it would be you that they would seek out. Your times with the Joker would be weekly instead of in rotation. You would be in charge of making sure his medication was appropriate. That's about it."

"And everyone else's involvement?"

"For the most part, it stays the same. The span between visits will grow, and no doubt people will think that they can to slack, but everyone will see him in turn. But with your focus on the Joker, your own turns with the Scarecrow and Two-Face would no longer an issue." He paused. "Unless you want to continue with them."

"I wouldn't want to stress myself," I blurted, looking at the blue pen on his desk. As soon as I said it however, my eyes went back to his.

"So you accept?"

It's not like I can deny it now.

"Yes."

Walc was happy enough with my decision, but I could tell Chris wasn't so happy for me. By the end of lunch, everyone must have known because everyone was significantly happier and Diane even promised to bring me lunch for Tuesday. It was strange and I was kind of excited. And if I am just awful and can't take it, I can just drop the file.

That is, if my pride doesn't get in the way.

Although my planned, regular meetings with the Joker would be Wednesday, this week it would be Thursday, as Carol Vlore would be taking her break the following week. Rather unfortunately, this just meant that my Thursday would be a bit stressed. And even more unfortunately, it came sooner than I would have liked.

The early week had been a blur, in spite of the progress I'd made with my other patients. My time with the Joker was scheduled to start at two, but because of a minor outbreak in the commons, it was pushed back to three. It made me feel stressed for time as I prepared my notes and calmed myself down.

On my way down, I came across Chris, who was looking for me.

"What's up?" I asked, deciding to take the stairs instead of the elevator.

"My wife would like to invite you for dinner," he said, giving me a strange smile. "I know it sounds weird but she's really excited to meet the woman who has given me relief of mind."

"What do you mean?" I asked, before adding, "And of course, I'd love to."

"The Joker used to terrorize me," he admitted, following me down. "I'd have nightmares about him and what he threatened to do. I'm not stoked that you've decided to put this on yourself and I'm not saying that I'll slack when it's my turn, but I think I speak for the whole staff when I say I'm grateful for this."

Somehow, this was not what I wanted to hear, and I didn't know what to say. So I gave a tight-lipped smile and nodded, feeling uncomfortable in his presence.

"Is Tuesday good for you?"

When I entered the room, the Joker was already present, tightly chained and secure to his chair. I eyed the security camera in the corner of the room before shutting the door and moving to sit in front of the man. He hadn't looked up since I had entered, it made my nerves fray.

Taking my seat, I began with a basic pleasantry. "How are you doing today?"

"Fine," he grumbled grudgingly.

"That's good," I replied, moving some files around. "So, I thought we'd start today with—"

"Are you my new regular?" he interrupted smoothly, making me blink from the interruption. After the question processed, I nodded truthfully. "This will be fun then."

"How so?" My head cocked a bit to the left and I wished it hadn't. I didn't want him to know that I was curious, beyond the common doctor-patient standards.

"Wel-l," he drawled slowly, "how could it not be, with me and you? We're a go-od couple."

At the word couple, I wanted to cringe. Instead, I smiled.

"Yeah, I think we are too. A little rough around the edges…"

"That's the spirit," he complimented, raising his chin at me and giving a snarl of a smile, his scars twitching. "My last regular never played with me."

"Never?"

"Never."

"Dull," I remarked, giving him a sharp, playful look with my eyes.

"Very."

"We'll be the best of friends before long, I'm sure."

"Oh ye-s. We'll even have, uh, nicknames for each other—In which case, you can call Mister Jay."

"Mister Jay?" I questioned quirking an eyebrow and trying not to smile at the semi-adorable nickname.

"Yes. You're welcome to add a bit more of that ac-cent of yours if you'd like." He tongue flicked out to the taste the right corner of his lips.

Having my slight southern accent brought out made me a bit uncomfortable but I tried not to let that show too much. As my accent was present, I couldn't deny and ignore it either.

"What about my accent?" I asked, leaning forward a hair, attempting to see aloof and interested at once.

"It's southern, but how southern?"

"I'll tell you if you'll tell me about your own."

"Tit-for-tat. I like that."

But then he didn't say anything else. He leaned back in his seat and began to stretch his neck, which was no doubt a bit difficult in the straitjacket. His dark eyes were full of mirth as he turned to look back at me, and I realized that he wasn't going to answer my question.

It was going to be a long session.

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