CHAPTER FOUR

A dark purple car sat outside Arkham Ayslum. Joker stood next to it as Harley made sure no one was watching them.

"When will you be back for me?" She asked.

"Soon, baby. I have some things to take care of first."

She nodded in understanding. He gave one last look around and then kissed her. She kissed him back, closing her eyes and holding his pale face in her hands.

"I'm gonna miss you." She said sadly.

He gave her a small smile.

"I know you will Harls."

Then he climbed into his car and sped away from the asylum, leaving Harley to watch the car untill it disappeared completely...

Harley had tried to bury herself in her work but it had been almost three months since Joker had left. He had said he was coming back for her, so where was he? Her work mates were sensing something was off. She would lose her temper with other patients and start rambling about people, love and abandonment. They were concerned about her but did nothing. She was a top pyschartrist. The only one who seemed to want to do anything about her was the doctor who had taken over Joker's case. Her name was Amanda Stone and she stepped into Harley's office one night to see her on the floor, looking at pieces of Joker's file.

"Dr. Quinzel?"

"It's Harley." Harley growled.

As Amanda shut the door quietly behind her, she could see that Dr. Quinzel was a mess. Her hair was matted, her clothes looked like she'd been sleeping in them and her eyes when she looked up, were bloodshot and wide. She looked like she could've been a patient herself.

"Harley, can we talk?"

"About what? What's there to talk about?" She rambled then stopped as if realising something. "Ohhh...you want to talk about Joker. Now that I can do!" She said with a grin and sat down behind her desk while Amanda sat opposite her.

"Ok, lets talk about Joker. You released him three months ago, why?"

She frowned.

"He was better. He had made sufficient progress."

Amanda shook her head, brown hair falling around her face.

"No, he hadn't. You released him because he told you to."

"No! I would never!"

"Harleen-"

"Harley! He calls me Harley!" She screamed.

"I'm taking you to see the head doctor. I think you need to talk to him."

Her already wide eyes went wider.

"No-why?-I'm fine! I don't need to speak to anyone."

"I really think you do."

Harley stood up, her chair flying backwards as she moved towards the window.

"He said he's coming back for me y'know." She said as she started shaking.

Amanda frowned. "Who?"

"Joker. He said he would be back but it's been almost four months and I dunno...maybe-maybe I'm not enough for him. How can I be? Look at him. He's the Clown Prince of Gotham and I'm..."

Amanda moved towards Harley and tried to reach out to her.

"Harley...he is a lunatic. He wasn't well-still isn't well."

She glared at the other doctor.

"You don't know him! What if he's the only sane one here and the rest of us are all just crazy?!"

"You know that's not true." Amanda tried to reason with her.

Harley put a hand to her mouth and looked out of the window at the sky that was gradually getting darker.

"Do you something? After today, it'll be four months since I released him." She said with a small smile.

Amanda smiled sympathetically. She couldn't hide this from the officials anymore. Harleen Quinzel was no more. This Harley had taken over and Joker had seen to that. It was time to commit Harleen. It was the only way to save her.

With more coaxing, Amanda managed to get her to the head doctor who was very concerned when Harley was brought into him.

They locked the door behind her as Harley stepped into his office. Amanda stayed in with the head doctor.

"Harleen...do you know why Amanda has brought you in to see me?"

Harley frowned as she looked around the office.

"No."

"It's because she thinks you're sick. Do you think you're sick?"

Harley's frown deepened. "You're speaking to me like I am."

Amanda licked her lips nervously and folded her arms, the concern was evident in the way she held herself.

"Amanda tells me that you keep saying Joker will be back for you. Is this true?"

Harley looked up and suddenly, it was like she had remembered who she was and she looked like Harleen again.

"Of course not. I released Joker almost four months ago. Why would he come back for me? He was just a patient of mine."

The doctor glanced up at Amanda with a questioning glance.

"Then why would Amanda tell me such a thing?"

Harleen sighed.

"I can understand why she would lie like that."

"Lie? I never-"

"Amanda was Joker's doctor. She was happy when she was assigned to him. She hoped-as I did- that she would be the one to cure him and when she couldn't and he was referred back to me, I cured him and obviously that has wounded her pride."

She looked back at Amanda with a sympathetic expression on her face.

"You feel like a failiure."

"I do not! Doctor, you must realise that she is the one lying here, not me!"

The doctor shrugged and took off his glasses to clean them.

"With all due respect Dr. Stone, Harleen has been one of my best doctors and I think I would know if she lost her mind or not. She seems fine to me."

Amanda sighed and left the office in a huff.

"I should make sure she's ok." Harleen said softly as she stood.

"Of course Harleen. I am so sorry about all of this. Maybe you're right and this is her way of lashing out."

Harleen nodded. "We've both seen this so many times before, doctor. Excuse me." She said before opening the door and leaving the office.

The bathroom door opened behind Amanda and Harleen walked in. Amanda saw her in the mirror over the sink.

"How could you say all those things?" Amanda asked as she turned around to face the other doctor.

"Because on some level, I think they could be true."

Amanda shook her head.

"Well I have a few things to say; first of all, I am not lying about having concern for your well being and secondly, I am sorry that I made a false allegation. I can see now that you are still within your right mind."

Harley laughed at her and Amanda frowned deeply. The confusion written all over her face.

"Why are you laughing like that?"

"Oh just because I can be very convincing when I wanna to be. You see Amanda, out of my mind I might be but you have no idea how freeing this feels! I don't even think I was ever sane untill I met him."

"Joker..."

Harley smiled at just the mention of his name.

"But now you know the doctor will always take my side and it'd be pretty stupid for you to try and prove that I need help, wouldn't it?"

Amanda hung her head.

"You're insane..."

"Uh, that's subjective honey but let me tell you this, Joker IS coming back for me and you will do well to mind your own business. You get me?"

Amanda looked at Harley and sighed, nodding in defeat.

Harley smiled.

"Good. Be seeing ya."

Joker did return. It had nearly been full on six months but he'd returned. The problem with staying away for so long, as he'd discovered; was that inside Harley, Harleen was still present. She still knew right from wrong and she worried about people and the things that she did, she still cared and that would not work for Joker.

That night, he'd turned up in her office, gave her a few sweet words and then proceeded to take her to the basement for some shock therapy.

She'd been tied to the table with tears streaming down her face, pleading with Joker.

"You don't have to do this! I'll do anything you want I swear!" She cried as he took the two electrodes and stood behind her.

"Joker please...don't kill me."

"I don't plan on doing that hun. I wouldn't dream of such a thing. But you do need to learn a few things Harley."

"Like?" She asked as Joker wiped the tears away from under her eyes with his thumb, the electrodes dangerously close to her face.

"Feelings don't matter and soon... you won't have any and you'll be thanking me for it."

A flash lit up Harley's blue eyes and her screaming echoed through the asylum as doctors including Amanda and the head doctor, were killed and the patients let loose. It was pure chaos that night and it was also the night that Harley Quinn was born...

Author's Note- Hey guys, sorry for such a short chapter but hope you enjoyed it anyway. Also, apologies for switching between the names Harleen and Harley, I hope you understood why I did it, contrasting personalities and all that, hehe. Stay tuned and please review. X