Author's Note: Thank you guys for reading, reviewing, and adding me to your story alerts! I hope you enjoy this chapter, as we get a closer look at the Joker :D
I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, so the following applies for this, the last, and future chapters: If you recognize it, I don't own it.
The lights were on in the Joker's cell now. He was laying on his cot in the back corner of his cell. At this angle, his face was still obscured.
"What was this doing in my office and how did you get out of your cell?" She asked, hastily and out of breath.
"Now you don't really expect me to reveal all of my secrets, do you?" He asked without looking up.
"What would the guards say if they knew you had been out of your cell?" Harley threatened, hoping to get answers.
He sat up and she saw him for the first time. He looked at her from behind dirty, green curls. His deep green eyes stared at her, penetrating right to her core. It unnerved Harley, made her feel incredibly vulnerable. His skin was a naturally sun kissed gold, and his mouth-- Old, knotted, white scars stretched from the corners of his mouth to halfway up his cheeks. A permanent smile carved into his face. Harley could easily imagine what he would look like without those awful scars, and he was beautiful. The Joker let her stare for a moment, noting the fact that she did not stare at his scars like most people, but looked directly into his eyes. Her gaze made him uncharacteristically uncomfortable, so he spoke.
"If you were really going to tell on me, you would've done it already." He called her bluff.
She said nothing, taken aback by his statement. The Joker relished her reaction. In one fell swoop he was off his cot and at the glass in front of her. Harley flinched at the movement, despite herself. He looked at the pretty little doctor. A petite little thing with dangerous curves. Blonde hair pulled into a tight, uniform bun. Thick framed glasses magnifying already big, piercing blue eyes. This was a girl who was used to men throwing themselves at her. Yes, she had probably been with many men she had no feelings for. And those glasses were a joke. She probably bought them at a convenience store the day Arkham hired her, thinking they'd make her appear smarter. The girl was one big, walking joke, even her name was a joke. Harleen Quinzel. Her parents must've had some sense of humor. It was no wonder she wanted to be called Harley, as Leland had done. Harley Quinzel. Ha! He broke out into his signature laugh, doubling over at his own joke.
"What's so funny?" The little thing asked, making him laugh so hard he fell to his knees.
The Joker put his hands on the glass to steady himself. Harley let him get it out of his system and he soon calmed down enough to speak. He leaned back on his heels and looked up at the young doctor. From this angle, one could look up her skirt, but he was hardly interested in that right now.
"Harleen Quinzel is such an interesting name. Rework it a bit and you get Harley Quinn." He said, still chuckling a bit.
"The French word for clown? I've heard it before." She said, clearly not amused.
The Joker tried to hide his disappointment at the fact he wasn't the first to discover this joke.
"You know, I think it's fate that you and I met. I could have a lot of fun with you. Are you a good listener, doc?"
Harley hesitated.
"I bet you're a great listener, which is perfect, 'cause boy do I have a story for you." The Joker said, baiting the hook.
"I'd love to help, but I'm on probation. I can't work with you." Harley said regretfully.
"Aw, c'mon, doc," He rose, now looking down at her. "I'm sure a smart girl like you can find her way around something like that."
Harley thought about her goal to get onto max. sec. Perhaps he could tell her which of his fellow inmates was the one she was looking for.
"I really feel like I can talk to you. All those other doctors, they don't get it." He continued. This was almost too easy.
It tugged at her heartstrings. A patient was crying out for help, her help. Still, there was the matter of the other patient.
"Mr. Joker," This amused him a bit. "Perhaps if you help me, I could help you. I'm looking for another patient on this floor, a male. I don't really know anything about him other than that the other doctors describe him as being extremely difficult. Any idea who that could be?"
The Joker threw his head back and began cackling once again. That laugh made the hairs on the back of Harley's neck stand up. Eventually he regained his composure.
"Honey, have you even looked in any of these other cells?" He asked. "I'm the only one here. I'm your guy."
Harley looked around disbelievingly.
"But, before, the guards-"
"Were checking on the inmates?" He said, mockingly. "One of Warden Sharpe's rules. His way of keeping them alert."
"If you ask me, it's not working." She replied.
The Joker howled with laughter again.
"Oh, I like you. You've got spunk." This made her blush. "So whadda ya say? Therapy every Tuesday and Thursday?"
Harley entered her crummy apartment, tossing her keys onto the nearby kitchen counter and chucking her purse onto the couch in the living room. She was exhausted.
Min. sec. had been at the center of asylum-wide chaos today. Harley had noticed how the patients' outbursts tended to escalate with the full moon. She was surprised she hadn't been called up to max. sec. because of the Joker acting out. Word was that he was being unusually well-behaved. Harley had a guess as to why.
She kicked off her heels next to the door and walked into the kitchen. She opened the cabinets one by one, sighing. Of course there was nothing to eat. Opening the fridge, she settled for a soda. She really didn't feel like running out for food right this second. She still had a huge pile of research waiting for her in the living room. Soda in one hand, other hand unzipping her skirt, Harley made her way into the next room.
She set down her glass on the coffee table next to a large stack of files and newspaper clippings. She slid off her skirt and tossed it toward the hall leading to her bedroom. Then she did the same with her garter belt and stockings. Now relaxed and comfortable, Harley lay on her stomach across the couch. She pulled a file from the top of the pile and propped it up against the arm of the couch to read it.
Patient ID #11496875
Name: Unknown
Aliases: Joseph Kerr, J. Reko, Clem Rusty
Age: Undetermined
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 160 lbs
Date admitted: July 20, 2008
Diagnosis: Sociopath (pending)
Assigned doctor: Dr. Joan Leland (No longer active as of 10- 22-08. No replacement assigned.)
Current medications: Ambien 50 mg hs (subject to change)
Thorazine 500 mg daily
Lamictal 600 mg daily (subject to increase)
Initial report: Since arriving on the unit under Batman's supervision, the patient has taken great pleasure in antagonizing the staff. A vast amount of knives were confiscated from his person by the MCU upon arrival. In accordance with Batman's request, the patient has been placed into maximum security and will be under 24 hour surveillance until further notice. Patient is defiant and oppositional towards treatment. He refuses to provide any information such as his name. Tox. screen has returned negative.
Goals: Attend therapy sessions twice a week
Effectively communicate feelings in a non-violent manner
Meet the standard behavioral expectations of the maximum security unit
Projected release date: Ineligible
Every other report dated after that was nearly identical. The Joker wouldn't talk except to make trouble and the diagnosis was inconclusive. The only thing that seemed to change was his medication. Since his arrival, they had given him every antipsychotic and mood stabilizer or had simply upped the dosage. With each new doctor assigned to his case, he grew more and more violent. Those doctors that he didn't fatally wound, he toyed with. Given that the latter occurred more often, Harley guessed that he enjoyed it more. He was the proverbial cat playing with his mouse before growing bored. It seemed, though, that all of the Joker's "mice" here had either become patients themselves or had resigned before it was too late.
It had been nearly three months since Harley had found that rose in her office. In all that time she had researched the Joker top to bottom. She knew all of his tricks by heart and felt she was finally ready to take him on. It had also taken her all that time to convince Joan she could hold her own against him.
"If he can behave himself for six weeks, I'll give you a trial run. If he shows progress, I'll officially assign you to him. But don't get your hopes up." Joan had told her.
When the coast was clear, she had sprinted up to max. sec. to share the news with the Joker.
In one week, Harley would be having her first session with him. As the days went by, the butterflies in her stomach had grown bigger and bigger. Now, here she was, rereading her files as she was beginning to lose confidence in her abilities.
Harley tossed the file onto the coffee table and reached for the remote. Flipping onto her side, she switched on the TV. The channel had been left on TCM and one of her favorite movies was playing; Meet The People. As Virginia O'Brien was sang "Say That We're Sweethearts Again" she rested her arm behind her head and settled in.
Harley awoke to the sound of her phone ringing, whatever dream she had been having dissipated like a cloud of smoke and was almost immediately forgotten. She had fallen asleep on the couch. The sun was already shining brightly through her window. Harley sat up and looked around for her phone. Tracing the sound to her purse, she picked the thing up and shuffled through its contents until she saw the light of the LCD screen. Just as she picked it up, it stopped ringing. The phone beeped and its screen flashed 'One Missed Call'. Harley flipped open her phone and read who the call had come from. The screen lit up again, this time reading 'One New Voicemail'. Harley dialed her inbox and listened.
"Hi, Harley, this is Joan. We were wondering if you were planning on coming in today as it's now ten o'clock. I was also wondering if you would be willing to reschedule your appointment with the Joker for today. So, please let me know if we should be expecting you and whether you can meet with the Joker today. Thanks, bye."
"Fuck!" Harley exclaimed, running into the bathroom and turning on the shower.
When she finally arrived at Arkham a mere twenty minutes later, Harley rushed straight up to Joan's office.
"I'm so sorry I'm late." She said upon entering. "I've been researching the Joker's case like crazy. Did you still want me to meet with him today?"
Joan leaned back in her chair and heaved a great sigh.
"The new DA is questioning the Joker's insanity. She wants to take him to trial and get him sent to Blackgate instead." She told Harley.
"So what does that mean for us?" Harley perched tentatively on the edge of the chair across from Joan.
"Well there's no doubt in anyone else's mind that the Joker is as crazy as they come, but if this goes to trial, I guarantee he'll get himself into Blackgate. If that incident down at MCU is any indication, breaking out will be a piece of cake. We need to keep that from happening while he's still in our custody."
"So what are we going to do?" Harley felt like maybe Joan thought she was a little slow for asking.
"That's why I wanted to get you in there with him today. We have to prove that he's crazy and that means getting him to talk. You're our last chance, and we're on a deadline now."
Harley was silent. She knew what Joan was asking. If she couldn't get the Joker to talk and prove he was crazy, she might as well unlock his cell and personally escort him back into the free world.
"I've scheduled for you to meet with him at 12:30. So have an early lunch and then head up to max. sec. therapy… I'm sorry to put this kind of pressure on you."
"It's alright, Joan. I'll get him to talk." Harley said.
She stood and left for her office. On her way, she tried to recall everything she could from her files. She knew his height and weight, his scare tactics, the play-by-play details of his reign of terror in Gotham. Anyone who had been in Gotham last summer could tell you for a fact that the guy was nutso. Apparently, this new DA wasn't one of them. She wanted more than eyewitness accounts from an entire city.
Harley entered her office and took off the light sweater she had worn in and replaced it with her lab coat. She clipped her badge onto her lapel and exited once more, locking the door behind her. She made her way over to the elevators and pushed DOWN. The doors sprung open immediately. Stepping on, she heard someone call "Hold the door!" from around the corner. Though Harley was tempted to shout "No!" and continue on her way, she stuck out her arm and held the doors open until the person had caught up.
"Hey!" They said, stepping on. It was Charlie.
Since starting here, Harley had been fortunate enough not to be stuck talking to him. They had seen each other in the halls several times, but had both been preoccupied with work.
"It's been a while, huh?" He asked, giving her that same I'm-trying-too-hard-to-be-charming smile.
"I guess." Harley responded.
"I would've talked to you before, but you always looked so busy. I didn't wanna interrupt you."
"Thanks." Harley could appreciate his courtesy, at least.
"But now that I've got you here, do you have any plans Saturday?"
She had been wondering when he was going to ask that. Now what? She was stuck on an elevator with a guy she didn't really like and he was asking her out. What would Xena do?
"Look, Charlie," She said. "You seem like a really nice guy but I'm not really looking for anything right now."
The elevator doors opened onto the cafeteria and Harley exited.
"Fucking bitch." She heard Charlie say before the doors closed.
When Harley had bought her lunch, she decided to take it with her back to her office. This time she took the stairs. It was an arduous haul from the fifth floor to the ninth, but she didn't want to chance another run-in with Charlie right now.
Out of breath and a Styrofoam container of food in one hand, she unlocked her office and let herself in. Eating in here would be an advantage, she decided. She could continue to work while she ate, and if she wanted to be left alone, she could lock her door. Harley did just that and situated herself behind the large desk, the rest of the Joker's files strewn across her desk pad. She picked up an article on the top of the mess and read through it quickly.
JOKER CONTINUES REIGN OF TERROR, BLOWS UP HOSPITAL
BY Patricia Santana
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Gotham City - The city was in a frenzy earlier today as police scrambled to evacuate every hospital in the area after a bomb threat made by the Joker.
As Coleman Reese, a lawyer for Wayne Enterprises, had been preparing to reveal the true identity of Batman on Gotham News, the studio received a call from the Clown Prince of Crime.
"If Coleman Reese isn't dead in 60 minutes," The Joker said. "I'm going to blow up a hospital."
Commissioner James Gordon of the GCPD and the Major Crimes Unit, led his men and the men of the GCFD into an evacuation and subsequent search of all local hospitals. School buses were also brought in to transfer the evacuated staff and patients.
"Our priority is Gotham General." Gordon told the press. Being that GGH is the city's number one choice in healthcare and has the largest staff and housing limit, it was an obvious target for the Joker.
Gordon's guess was correct. Shortly after the last bus pulled out, the hospital went up in flames following several loud explosions. All patients and staff members were safe and accounted for. Though one bus carrying our own Mike Engel, and roughly fifty patients and staff, seem to have gone missing. There is no word yet as to the bus's whereabouts.
The GCPD has told us that the hospital's most valuable patient, District Attorney Harvey Dent, is safe and recovering. The White Knight was rumored to be dating Rachel Dawes and… continued on p. 8C
The continuation of the story was missing from her files, but it seemed to just be standard Gotham socialite gossip. Harley really couldn't care less about who the DA was sleeping with.
Checking her watch, Harley decided to start heading up to max. sec. She stuffed the rest of her sandwich in her mouth and grabbed a large notepad and a pen from the top drawer of her desk. Wiping a spot of mayonnaise from the corner of her mouth, Harley left her office and locked it behind her.
Still leery of Charlie, she once again took the stairs. At least she was getting some exercise. From the slight burn in her calves, she could tell it had been too long since she had a good workout. Once she had started college, she quit practicing gymnastics in order to get in as much study time as possible. Though she missed her balance beams and uneven bars terribly, she was trying to become a psychiatrist, not an Olympic gold-medalist.
Now that Harley had secured her spot with the Joker, she hoped that she wouldn't have to do anymore background research. Then maybe she could start practicing again. Besides, it had always been a great stress-reliever in high school, and god knows she'd have plenty of stress with this case.
Harley reached the eleventh floor and pushed open the door. The guards were mulling about the floor, enjoying their job of doing nothing. She made her way to the other end of the hall, noting the emptiness of the Joker's cell. He was already waiting for her. She had to assume that the room behind those mysterious double doors was max. sec. therapy. She approached the guard standing at the doors and held up her badge. He nodded and she proceeded to the doors.
As her hand came down onto the door handle, those butterflies from before returned once more. Now they were so strong she felt as if they were consuming her whole body. Harley took a deep, calming breath and reminded herself that she was just working herself up. She had talked to him before without a problem. Only this time, there'd only be a table separating them. This last thought caused the butterflies to stir once again.
Without another thought, Harley took another deep breath and opened the door.
Well I know I left you with another cliff-hanger, but it will definitely be worth it. The next chapter will be Harley's first session with the Joker. I haven't written anything yet, but I plan on watching The Dark Knight 100 times in a row to make sure I get him right. So be patient if I don't update as quickly as last time. Remember to review! Thanks :)