Chapter Two:

A New Hope

It's been three days since I found out that the Joker is my soulmate.

THE JOKER IS MY SOULMATE…

I still can't believe it. How on Earth am I supposed to love a man like him? He's so violent and cruel. He's nothing like the man I imagined him to be. Not only am I disappointed, I feel absolutely cheated. I feel I've been cheated out of having a soulmate because there is no way I am ever going to love him. He cannot be the man destined for me. I refuse to accept this. How could I- My brain has been running in circles all weekend!

After the Joker's vibrant performance the other day, I've been keeping to myself. The Joker is all anyone is talking about lately and I'm in no mood to talk about him right now. The fifth and final bomb was located in the Gotham General Hospital by the Batman who immediately disarmed it. He then quickly apprehended the Joker and turned him into Arkham Asylum. That's where he's at right now. I can hear him giggling. Heeheehahahaha. He's been in such a good mood since he pulled his little stunt. I on the other hand have been feeling the complete opposite. I just can't seem to understand how that man and I are destined to be together. I really want to understand. I want to understand why he and I are fated to be together. And as much as I hate to say it, the only way I can even begin to understand this, is if I get to know the Joker personally. This means I won't be leaving Gotham after all…

With a heavy sigh I walk to my desk and plop myself down in my chair. I reluctantly fire up my laptop and start putting together my résumé.

"Harleen, you have been so gloomy this whole week. What's going on?" Amber and I are alone in the intern office while the guys are doing their afternoon therapy sessions. I really appreciate Amber's concern because she has been such a good friend to me, but I don't want her to know the truth about my other voice. I don't want anyone to know.

I smile weakly at Amber and quickly think of another reason for being so melancholy. "Well, I guess I've just been feeling down because our internship is almost over. I'm really going to miss you all."

"Aw Harleen!" Amber pulls me into a gentle hug. "Of course I'm going to miss you too. I'm going to miss everyone. That's why I'm making sure everyone promises to visit me in Chicago. That includes you Harleen; you better visit me." Amber can be real bossy sometimes, but I believe that's one of her best qualities.

"Of course I'm going to visit you. I've always wanted to go to Chicago."

"Good, because I've done so much research about the best hang-outs to go to! We're going to hit the bars, the clubs, eat tons of food, and then-" Amber stops abruptly and I stare at her quizzically as her eyes seem to look off into the distance. Her lips slowly tug at the corners as her face changes into one of complete bliss. I say nothing to pull her out of her reverie because she looks so happy and at peace with herself. She must be listening to her other voice. As I watch Amber listen to her soulmate, I realize how incredibly hurt I am. I don't think I'll ever get to wear that look on my face ever again. I'm in an even worse position now then I was when I couldn't hear my other voice at all. Now that I know who my soulmate is, I can't allow myself to fall for him. Honestly, I think it would have been better to not have a soulmate at all. I know that I should just stay away from him, but for some reason, I want to try understanding him first before I decide to avoid him all together. Ugh, I don't want to be thinking about this now; not here. I decide to break Amber's concentration so that I can have a distraction from my thoughts. I wave my hand in front of her face to grab her attention.

"Hey, Amber are you alright?" She blinks twice before her eyes return their attention to me.

"Yes, I'm sorry. It's just that-" She smiles sweetly and looks down bashfully. "He was singing again." That is so sweet and I am so very jealous.

"Aw, he sings?"

"Mhmm," she shakes her head enthusiastically. "He sings songs about me. About how he can't wait to meet me and how he knows that I can hear him because he feels strongly about me already even though we haven't met yet." Oh, fuck my life. This is the most romantic relationship I've ever heard of! Did I seriously have to hear this now? Why couldn't this have happened a week and half ago when I was still in love with the idea of love. I would have been completely happy and unresentful of Amber then.

"Wow…" is all I manage to say. Amber simply continues to smile in that stupid happy way. I stare at her in wonder and voice my thoughts without meaning to. "What's that like?" Amber furrows her eyebrows and cocks her head to the side slightly.

"What is what like?"

"Umm…" I debate whether to delve further into my question or not. I suppose I can trust her with part of the truth of what's bothering me. "Well, what is it like to know that he loves you back?" Amber's eyes are completely filled with concern as she gently places one of her hands on my shoulder for comfort.

"Do you not think that your soulmate loves you? He's your soulmate. How could he not?" I feel tears forming in my eyes and I immediately blink them away because I do not want to do this here.

"It's just that- I don't know if he loves me. He doesn't think about me the way yours thinks about you."

"Have you met him yet?"

Hahahahahaheeeheeehahaha! There he goes again…

"No I haven't." But I know who he is…

"Well there you go." Amber offers me an encouraging smile. "He must be living a super busy life that he doesn't even have time to think. I'm sure that once he meets you, you're going to be all he thinks about. So don't lose faith okay?" I smile and pull Amber into a hug. She actually cheered me up a bit.

"Thank you."

I think that there's a possibility that she could be right. I never stopped to think about whether the Joker was capable of love or not; but what if he is? What if he actually does fall in love with me? Would my love change him? Would he drop his insanity to become a normal man for me? What if I'm meant to be his savior? If this is the case then I have to meet him before he decides to concoct another plan to hurt more people. But can I really change him? Can I actually make him sane? I guess I won't know until I try. I really hope I can do this. I thank Amber again because without her realizing it, she has implanted a new hope in me.

Now that my mood has lightened, Amber and I start talking more animatedly about Chicago. I'm really glad to hear how excited she is to start a new life there. Guy and Daniel walk into the office when Amber and I are finishing up talking about Chicago's food.

"Guess who just got a call from a Dr. Jeremiah Arkham?" Says Guy as he slides into his desk chair.

"You heard back from the asylum already?" I ask. They haven't called me yet. I sent in my résumé five days ago. Guy doesn't know though. He'll be ecstatic when he finds out.

"Mhmm. Dr. Arkham wants to interview me tomorrow afternoon, so Harleen can you cover my two o'clock appointment?"

"Uh sure. No problem."

"Thanks." I wonder when I'll get called in. IF I get called in. …I hope so. My level of anticipation for meeting the Joker has gone up tremendously since talking to Amber. I really want to get inside his head. Literally, I smile to myself.

On Thursday night I got a call from Dr. Joan Leland. She said that Dr. Arkham wanted to interview me on Saturday morning; the day after our graduation. I quickly agreed because the sooner I get this interview over with, the sooner I can meet the Joker- hopefully. Recently I've been keeping my mood neutral by only focusing on meeting him and nothing more. I'm not dwelling on his previous actions or the fact that I completely disapprove of them. I'm simply focusing on what lies ahead. I'm hopeful that the future will be good to me because with regards to this whole soulmate business, life has not been so kind.

After graduation, the other interns and I went out for drinks and partied the night away. We enjoyed our last day together because Amber and Daniel were flying out to Chicago and Metropolis the next day. With my interview so early the next morning, it wasn't smart of me to stay up so late; But I was really going to miss my little posse, so I decided to live it up with them until the very last minute.

I still haven't told any of them about my plans to work at Arkham Asylum. Daniel was confused when I told him that I wouldn't be flying with him to Metropolis. We were thinking about becoming roommates over there. I told him that I didn't think S.T.A.R. Labs was right for me and that I needed to take some time to think about my future. He understood and said that if I changed my mind, he would put in a good word for me. I appreciated that.

Last week Guy triumphantly announced that he would start working at Arkham Asylum come Monday morning. I hope I get to start as soon as he does. Not only am I impatient to meet the Joker, I also really want to start making money so that I can get out of this neighborhood. Plus, I could really use a new car. I don't want to have to take a train and a bus every day to get to work.

Actually, right now I was getting ready to take the train and bus to get to the asylum. It's early Saturday morning and I can feel a chilly spring breeze coming through my cracked window. It was not easy getting up this morning. I have a headache from all of the drinks I had last night. My reflection reveals the fact that I'm running on four hours of sleep. I have dark circles under my eyes that I promptly cover up with some foundation. I lightly blush my cheeks pink and apply light brown eye shadow. Mascara is my final touch before I move onto my hair. I was originally planning on wearing my hair down, but as I look at my reflection, the woman looking back at me looks very young and unprofessional. So I decide to tie it up in a high ponytail. However, there's still something missing. I glance over at my glasses case and debate whether to wear them or not. They're non-prescription glasses that I used at a costume party when I dressed as a librarian. I remember how mature that they made me look, so I decide to wear them; and it does the trick. I actually look like a psychiatrist and not some silly college sorority girl.

Once I've finished getting dressed I head out the door and make my way towards Wayne Central Station. I start thinking about all of the different scenarios of which I ask Dr. Arkham to let me treat the Joker. I understand that he is an extremely high profile case; Heck, he probably is the most dangerous and high profile patient at Arkham Asylum. But I have to at least try to get him as my patient. I know that there is a high probability that he will say no, and I'm prepared for that. I'm more than willing to work my way to the top. I won't rest until I have the Joker as my patient. I need to get to know him. I want to understand him; to understand us. If anything, I hope my eagerness to take on this case will help me seem like the type of person who loves a challenge and is ready for anything.

When I arrive at the gates of Arkham Asylum, the gothic appeal of the entire facility overwhelms me. I'm sure that this eerie atmosphere has sent plenty of people running with their tails between their legs before they even enter the gates; I wasn't about to be one of those people. I march through the front yard in a determined stride. When I open the door and step into the building, an immense, peculiar feeling of belonging sweeps through me. For some reason I feel welcome here; like I'm right where I'm supposed to be. As weird as it is, this place has put me in a good mood. A content smile creeps up on my face as I greet the woman at the front desk.

"Hi, my name is Dr. Harleen Quinzel, I'm here to see Dr. Arkham."

"Yes of course, he's ready for you." The woman rises from her desk and gestures towards a grand polished stairway. "Right this way Dr. Quinzel." We climb up the stairs and make our way through a bland, narrow hallway. After a couple of twists and turns, we find ourselves outside of Dr. Arkham's office.

A tall shaven man rises from his desk to greet me. He has brown well-groomed hair and green eyes that sit behind thin silver wired glasses. He smiles kindly and we shake hands.

"Hello Dr. Quinzel, it's a pleasure to meet you." My good mood has me beaming brightly back at him.

"Dr. Arkham, the pleasure is all mine."

"Please have a seat." He gestures towards the seat opposite his desk. I sit and gracefully cross one leg over the other. I let my dangled foot swing on its own accord as I speak with Dr. Arkham. It's a little unconscious habit of mine. "Well Dr. Quinzel, I must begin by saying how very impressed I am by your résumé." He grabs a file from a pile on his desk and starts sifting through it. "Fresh out of graduate school and already you have so many high recommendations. These doctors have praised you immensely for the work you've done in your internships; Blackgate Penitentiary in particular. And then of course there's your 4.0 GPA that you've managed to sustain throughout school." He looks up from his file and grins. "So far, I'd say that you have remarkable qualifications Dr. Quinzel."

"Thank you. I've worked really hard to earn the praise of my mentors and colleagues. Believe me, it wasn't easy," I laugh lightly at the recollection of all those people who were so quick to judge and underestimate me by my appearance alone. I swear, just because I have blonde hair does not mean that I am the party girl type. I cannot even begin to count the number of times I've heard someone call me a bimbo behind my back.

"Well I can see that you are a hard worker and that you definitely have a passion for this line of work." Dr. Arkham leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. "I'm going to be honest with you Dr. Quinzel, you are exactly the right kind of doctor that Arkham Asylum is in need of at the moment. Despite your lack of professional experience, I'd say that this facility would benefit greatly from your employment here."

A big stupid grin spreads across my face. "Are you serious?" Dr. Arkham grins.

"Yes." He extends his hand to shake my own again. "Welcome to Arkham Asylum."

AN: Yay! Harleen is going to start working at the Asylum in the next chapter! Sorry there was no Joker in this chapter, but of course he was mentioned a lot. Hope you all liked this, and please feel free to leave any comments that you have. See ya next chapter!