I sat up slowly, thankful that the noises going on in my head were subsiding, and along with them, the headache. Luckily, a trip to the doctor wouldn't be necessary today.

I sighed in relief as my mind cleared and I had control once again. It was four o'clock in the afternoon, and I hadn't talked to anyone besides Rick today. I suddenly felt a little lonely sitting in my empty apartment.

"I'll go for a walk," I said aloud, trying to ease the silence. I grabbed my coat and shoes and walked out of my apartment, glad to feel the sunlight on my cheeks.

The docks were swarming with people despite the chilly November weather. Dead leaves swirled under their feet and the ocean spray repeatedly blasted the wooden surface, making it very slick, but the shipping still had to be done. I watched as cranes and crew members alike piled boxes upon boxes onto the dock. The air was filled with the sounds of chatting people and machinery.

Amid the chaos, I also noticed a familiar face among the crowd. I almost didn't recognize her, but I knew it was Harley. Harley smiled, waving at me and making her way over. She was wearing normal clothing and had her hair pinned up in a bun rather than the usual pigtails.

"Hi Har-" I cut off suddenly when I saw her stiffen and shake her head a little "-brey! How are you doing?" I said, correcting myself at the last second. I'd have to remember to call her Abrey for a while. Harley relaxed, hugging me. "I'm doing fine! And yourself?" I couldn't help but jump a little. Her accent was completely masked now.

"I could be better," I said simply, shrugging as she led me down the dock, near the end. Luckily, no one seemed suspicious of us. Harley ducked behind a few crates at the very end and pulled me with her.

"Okay. I'm REALLY sorry about everything yesterday. But Mistah J is back now, and I can't thank you enough!" She grinned broadly and hugged me. "Eddie said that you weren't feeling too good though."

"Yeah… I had a terrible headache last night." I stopped, pulling out of the hug. "I have a few questions for you, actually. First of all, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be hiding?"

"Naw!" Harley giggled. "I'm in disguise. Plus, Puddin' had some chemicals being shipped in, so I came with the boys."

"The… boys?"

"Henchmen."

"Oh.. Okay. Also, Rick came by today. I… don't really know what was going on, but he was mad at me for being friends with Edward and Jonathan."

Harley suddenly stared at me, her smile fading. "Rick… He still hasn't told you the truth?" She shook her head. "You'll have to get all the details from him, but he works for Mistah J. He is sort of like… a… well, I don't really know. A spy is the best way that I could think to put it. He keeps an eye on areas and people who my puddin' think need surveillance."

"So… he lied to me?" I asked, crossing my arms in annoyance. I'd already guessed as much, but it still annoyed me.

"Well… we all do on a normal basis," Harley pointed out.

"Well he straight up told me that he wasn't a henchman of the Joker," I said, still annoyed. "None of you guys- the actually wanted criminals- have lied right out like that to me."

We sat there in silence for a bit, looking at the dark water hitting against the dock's supports, before I spoke again.

"Harley? Do you know where I can find Jonathan Crane?"

"Yeah… he's in a warehouse near here. I can take you there," Harley said, smiling again. "Why do you need to see Jonny?"

"I've had some issues with… a voice in my head. I'd like to find out what I can do." I suddenly stopped and looked at Harley again. "Wait… aren't you a psychologist?"

"Well, I kinda quit in college. Jonny knows a lot more than me," Harley said, looking pleased. "I'm glad you remembered that though!"

I giggled and shook my head. "Two psychologists gone mad…"

"I'll take you there right now," Harley said, hiding her accent again and pulling me out from behind the crates.

"Thank you very much Aubrey," I said, following her, carefully avoiding hitting people as we walked down the dock.

"Here we are!" Harley said, proudly presenting a large warehouse. The windows were boarded up and the door hinges rusted.

"Thanks Harley," I said as I gripped the doorknob and turned it slowly. As it swung open with a creak, I was greeted with a dark room.

"Are you here Jonathan?" I whispered into the dusty warehouse. I stepped forward, and was caught full in the face by a cobweb. "It's Sable Tate. I have something I need to talk to you about."

"What is it?" I voice asked from behind me.

"Ah!" I said, jumping in surprise. "H-how did you... "

"I was standing by the door all along," He said, putting a canister of fear toxin on his belt.

"Were you going to..." I asked, eyeing the weapon suspiciously.

"Not a friend. Now, what did you need?" He asked, leading me to a different, less dusty corner. He gestured at a wooden crate. "Please, sit."

"Thank you," I said. "Aren't you a psychologist?"

"I was one. They revoked my license, sadly."

"Well, would you mind helping me?" I asked.

"Helping you? Are you experiencing... difficulties, child" He asked, looking amused. I just nodded in response. "It seems as though no friend of ours can escape, can they?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that..." I said, trailing off. "And you promise not to test on me?" I asked."

"So long as you don't annoy me or interest me enough. I do make a little bit of an effort to keep friends," He said sitting down across from me.

"Well, I just really wanted to know why I might be having a… strange voice appearing in my head from time to time. Whenever it comes by, I also seem to get a headache."

"For you… the most likely cause could be lack of sleep, stress, bereavement, or another loss. I seriously doubt that it is drug induced or due to some other illness. When exactly do you hear this voice?"

"Random times… It started just after… my Father's funeral, and just shows up now and then otherwise."

"Can you think of any correlation between the events?"

"Well," I thought hard. "Confusion. It seems to pop up most often when I am not sure of what will happen or is happening."

"So uncertainty is an emotion that evokes it. Anything else?"

"...fear?" I said, not quite sure if saying the word around him was a good idea. As I whispered it, a smile creeped across his face.

"I see. Very informative." He stopped, thinking. "This seems to be a pretty straightforward example. I suggest simply making sure you are getting enough sleep at all times and to know when to expect the voice. I also suggest taking around some simple pain medication for the headache, and whenever it comes on, take some. This should help with that aspect. Hopefully, if you ignore the voice enough, it will go away. if you need any other advice, Harley should be capable enough for at least counselling and simple treatments, and you now know where I am."

"Thank you," I said, relieved to hear that it wasn't something completely out of the ordinary. "I assume we'll see each other again before too long."

"With the friends you've chosen, I wouldn't be surprised at all." Jonathan said, looking very amused.

Author's Note: I have no good excuse. I'll blame the late update on writer's block and whatnot, but I'm really sorry. However, I am getting back into a more normal writing schedule and should be able to update a little more consistently. I'll shoot for every Wednesday or so.