Mad Love- An Alternate Begining

Daffodil

Harley and Dr. Leland stopped outside of a locked, wooden door just past the doctor's lounge. It was the last stop on their tour.

"Well those are the basics. It might take some time to get used to the layout, and again, get used to the patients, but I think you'll catch on quick. You seem very bright."

Harley was powerless against the grin that spread over her face. Her smiles tended to not be restricted to her mouth. They were a full face, full body movement. She so rarely received a compliment on her acumen rather than her physical "assets", and it felt unbelievably good coming from her superior.....her female superior. Male professors and co-workers were never shy in showing their fondness, although it was usually in reference to her impressive flexibility on the gymnastics mat or her shapely, athletic physique rather than her intelligence or academic interests. With a woman, Harley thought it was less likely there was an ulterior motive.

"Thank you, Joan- or, Dr. Leland. Yes, I think I'll get the hang of it sooner rather than later."

Joan smiled back at her. "You won't have any sessions for the rest of today or tomorrow. This time should be dedicated to studying the files of the patients we've assigned you. You need to know them inside and out. Knowledge is power, Dr. Quinzel, and you should have every possible weapon at your disposal when you walk in."

"Yes, Ma'am." Harley nodded, the excitement beginning to bubble up into her chest.

"This is your office." Leland said, gesturing to the door and placing a singular key in Harley's hand. "You will find the necessary case files on your desk." She gave a curt nod and headed back towards the doctor's lounge.

Harley took a few excited breaths before slipping the key into the lock and turning the handle. Her office was sparsely decorated, in fact, the only thing in the entire room was a large wooden desk which sat oddly at the center. Harley could plainly see the reading material Leland had assigned her but the bouquet of flowers sitting atop it was unexpected. Bright yellow and bound together in a pretty green vase, the daffodils provided the sole source of color in the otherwise drab room. Harley set her briefcase down and approached the desk somewhat cautiously. As she came up on the desk, she could plainly see a white piece of paper tied to the neck of the vase. Gingerly, she tore it off. Scrawled in well plotted cursive, the note read:

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this brings life to thee.

And was signed "Pamela" in the same penmanship.

Harley plucked a flower from the bunch and raised it to her nose, inhaling deeply. It smelled fresh, like the first day of spring, like freshly cut grass and baseball in the front yard. It smelled like home. A bizarre mix of emotions washed over Harley then, all of which seemed to gang up on her, bringing a single tear to her eye. She blinked and the droplet fell from her lashes and onto the note. There it mixed with the black ink, distorting it, blurring the smooth peaks and valleys of the letters. Harley hadn't the slightest clue why the smell had affected her in such a way, why the sudden bout of nostalgia had overwhelmed her and sunk beneath her skin, but she knew breaking into a psychiatrist's office was strictly against the rules.

Harley approached the woman's cell cautiously, the same way she had the flowers. Although her rational mind was reminding her that there was no real danger while Poison Ivy was in her cell, she decided it was better to be safe than sorry. And anyway, how did she get the flowers in Harley's office? She was locked in her cell and the office door was locked...Harley decided that her caution was warranted.

The young doctor could see the villainess laying on her cot absentmindedly curling a piece of her thick red hair with her finger. She was turned slightly towards the back wall of her cell, at just enough of an angle that Harley could approach her without being noticed.

"Hey, sweetcheeks!" That same sharp male voice yelled. Harley stopped in her tracks, the heat of Joker's gaze on her neck. Poison Ivy had evidently heard him too because she sat up and her eyes met Harley's. The Joker had effectively thwarted her stealth mode.

"Why hello, Dr. Quinzel. Back so soon?"

Harley restrained the arm that was attempting to bonk her in the forehead for her stupidity.

Ivy made a show of crossing her long legs. "Did you like my little gift?"

Harley pulled on her professional exterior once more and approached the glass with all the feigned confidence she could muster.

"I did." She smiled somewhat coldly, like Dr. Leland would. "I'm sure the guards would be interested to know you were out of your cell."

"Mmm...I thought this one could be our little secret." Ivy winked, her long eyelashes making the not-so-subtle movement all the more dramatic.

Harley crossed her arms and looked the woman up and down. It took all she had not to want to cover herself up for how inadequate she felt standing before this woman. But she didn't let it show, instead, she pushed her round glasses further up the bridge of her nose and smiled her wide, charming smile. "Navigating this place must be a breeze for you."

Ivy looked somewhat intrigued and sat forward slightly.

"Well, I mean, look at you. Beautiful, smart and a meta-human? This place must just be your personal playground. Use your assets or your fancy vocabulary to get a guard to let you out of your cell. Sit silently during therapy sessions, wasting everyone's time all the while plotting your escape...You're the queen of your domain. And then what? You get out, you break the law, you get caught, you get thrown back in here."

Ivy's body language shifted slightly. She was not pushing out her chest as far anymore and her back was somewhat rounded. Her expression remained the same, though, sultry with a hint of vapid.

"Gosh." Harley continued. "A hyper-intelligent scientist with a PhD, and yet here you are. Playing your little games. It all just seems so...sad." And with that, Harley turned her back on the woman and started swiftly back to her office. A spring in her step, a smile on her face.

The Joker catcalled her as she passed his cell, but she hardly even registered it. Doctor Harleen Quinzel was in the building.