p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"a name="_Hlk157177997"/astrongspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Chapter Seven/span/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk157177997;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk157177997;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Harleen tried to listen to her TV. The news reporter was talking about how yet another supervillain attack had been/span/spanspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" thwarted by Batman. She blankly watched his mouth move as he motioned towards a smoking building./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Her new apartment seemed bare and small compared to her old house, but she had refused to move back there, feeling sick every time she made it past the foyer to pack. Instead, she had grabbed a few necessities and decided to start from scratch. Now, everything was new and clean./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Gone were the stains on her living room rug and couch—she had a furry pink rug and gently used white couch to replace it. Her island was replaced with a small dinner table and two wooden chairs she'd found at a garage sale. Even her bedroom and bathroom were different. Instead of a large bathroom with a big marble counter, she now had a small bathroom barely big enough to fit inside. Her bedroom was blank and tiny, too—her bed was smooshed into the corner with a small nightside stand. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Knocking on her door forced her out of her thoughts and she lowered the volume. Ever so slowly, she inched towards the door, looking through the peephole to see who it was./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Harley, are you in there?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"It was Dr. Markus with a box of pizza. She opened the door and let him inside, watching him place the pizza on the counter and grab two plates from her cupboard. When he had placed two slices on each plate, he closed the box and put it in the nearly-empty fridge. Then, he strode over to the table and sat down, motioning for her to do the same./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""How have you been?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Harleen bit into the warm pizza. "Okay, I guess."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""I heard that the Joker attacked you today."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"She rubbed her neck subconsciously. "Yeah. He tried to strangle me."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Did you do anything to provoke him?" Dr. Markus bit into his pizza, as well, waiting for Harleen to respond. Something in her mind set of warning bells, but she pushed them away. This was Dr. Markus: He was good. "Say anything…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""I told him there was too much chaos happening."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""And he attacked you?" When Harleen nodded, he continued. "Have you two ever talked about chaos before?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Harleen paused and set her pizza down, confused. "Dr. Markus, you know everything we talk about. There's a mic on the camera."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"He seemed taken aback. "I don't usually sit in on the counseling sessions." He ate more pizza, talking as he chewed. "Plus, I want to hear everything from your perspective."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Another bell went off in Harleen's head and she leaned back. "Does your wife know you're here?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Of course, Harley. She even suggested I bring the pizza." He seemed tense. That was one of the things that served her correctly after years of training and working as a psychologist—not only did you learn about the mind, you learned about the body, just in case the mouth was lying. "Is something wrong?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Harleen smiled. "You sound so serious, Dr. Markus." She leaned forward, again, hoping she sounded and looked believable. Something wasn't right and she wanted to figure it out. "I had a question, though… about the night that Guy died."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Dr. Markus grew more tense./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""How did you know he was at my house?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Harley, what are you trying to say?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Harleen shrugged, even as the upsetting pieces slid into place. "It was just a question. I wasn't sure if he told you, or…" She was giving him an out. She didn't want to believe what her mind was telling her, but if it was true, she didn't want to be in danger of something bigger./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""He told me that he was going over to your house for popcorn and a movie."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Oh," Harleen said, and then, before she could stop herself, she blurted, "Was this before or after you messed with his Think Drink?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""What are you talking about?" He looked suddenly defensive. "Are you implying that I played a hand in Guy's murder?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Murder./span/emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" Guy had been murdered and Dr. Markus knew it. If something was leaked, she would be done for. She didn't want to go to jail. Some part of her told her to retreat and the other part told her to keep going, so she did both./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""I just want to know what happened, Dr. Markus." A tear slipped down her cheek as her eyes filled with fake tears. If she wanted answers, she needed him to become less defensive. Sure enough, it worked. He relaxed, assuming she was just trying to blame something else for Guy's death. She knew the truth, though. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Ever since she had called Dr. Markus that fateful night, she had gone over the conversations again and again, trying to figure things out. He had assumed that something was wrong with Guy, even before she had said anything about her boyfriend being involved./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Did you do something to his Think Drink?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Dr. Markus slowly nodded. "Harley, you have been honest with me about everything that went down that night, I think it's time for me to tell you my side of the story."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Harleen froze. He was admitting his involvement in the accident. If she tried to go to the police, he could easily pull strings and put her in jail. Whatever he said next would have to stay between them, even if it was terrible./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""I emdid /emput something in his Think Drink," he stated. "I wanted to see if his invention could stop the effects of Joker Venom…" His statement chilled her to the bone. emJoker Venom?/em No wonder Guy had seemed so out of it—his thoughts were being warped by the Joker Venom./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Why didn't you do that in a lab or something?" she whispered. "He could've killed me."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""I thought it would work, Harley. I didn't think he'd hurt you."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""And-and when I called you, you were emsleeping/em. What if you hadn't answered the phone and the situation was different? What if I needed your help to survive and you didn't hear your phone ringing? I could've died."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""But you didn't."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Guy did." Why had she thought she could control her reaction? She was horrified. "You should've tested it in a lab: In-in a controlled place. Why—?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""It doesn't matter anymore, Harley." Dr. Markus stood up, taking his plate with him. "And if you tell anyone emanything/em I said tonight, I'll make sure you'll never escape the consequences. Do you understand?" He put his plate in the sink and turned to look at his student. "I trust you to do the right thing."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Feeling betrayed, Harleen watched him leave in stunned silence. The door closed softly and a tear slipped down her cheek. What had she done? Knowing the truth was worse than being kept in the dark./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"She shuddered as she reached for her remaining pizza. She didn't feel hungry anymore. Picking up her plate, she threw her half-eaten food away and put her plate in the sink. She'd wash them later…when she wasn't trying to process what Dr. Markus had admitted./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Harleen walked over to the couch and turned up the volume, waiting to return to her head and shut out the world. Maybe next week would go better./span/p