Descent

Chapter 2

Popping open a can of grape soda, Harleen sat with the file before her. This was it, the defining moment of her career and she was only six months into her profession. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would get this far this fast. Now that she had the toughest inmate in Arkham within her grasp Harleen wondered what she had gotten herself into.

Sure with her other patients she could pretend that she wasn't all sorts of fucked up herself. Though Harleen doubted she would be able to hide her dark side from the man most people likened to the devil himself. The Joker would see right though the well erected façade of Dr. Harleen Quinzel. Right down into the scared, abused little girl she once was.

Tapping her nails against the file, she tried to find a rhythm that eased her nerves. It wasn't him seeing her darkness that had her worried, or at least she tried to tell herself that. Instead claiming it was not being able to see her other patients today that had her upset. One day could set back all the progress she had made with Pamela Isley.

Harleen had finally gotten the women who referred to herself as Poison Ivy to open up. To trust her enough to let her see the vulnerable little girl locked inside the women who took no shit. Allowing her to see that side of her patient that Harleen knew Pam kept hidden from the world. Now this could set them way back.

It could be months before Pam even let her get that close again. There was no way she was going to let five months of progress fly out the window because Dr. Arkham thought she needed to study the Joker's case file all day. She had seen enough of the shit he pulled all over the news to know exactly what she was getting into.

Though she was resigned to give his file a cursory glance. Harleen liked to know as little about her patients as possible. In the case of The Joker she would limit what she knew to just the facts on his rap sheet. Harleen didn't really care what other doctors had to say about him. She would form her own conclusion through their sessions.

"I'll just read the basics and see Pam after lunch."Just like that it was settled.

Flipping open the file Harleen felt the air rush out if her lungs. The pages on top weren't The Joker's arrest sheet but the image of a badly disfigured body. One of the Joker's many victims she was sure.

Dr. Arkham did that shit on purpose. He was still trying to test her and it pissed her off. Though she wanted to strangle her boss, she couldn't help but sit transfixed by the image before her. She had never seen someone so bloody and broken in her entire life.

Holding it up she tried to make out just who the person was before the Joker had gotten a hold of him. There was nothing human looking about the heap on the floor. The only thing that gave away that this had once been a man was the finely tailored suit it wore.

Slowly she examined the rest of the image. Holding it under her desk lap Harleen was able to make out the marble floor and two overturned chairs. The initials on their backs were LC. The fucking Lupinacchi Club, no way. Joker had beef with these guys and walked away? He was definitely more of a badass than she had first assumed.

Without warning a memory overwhelmed her and she was that cowering 14 year old all over again.

"Come on Harleen, we don't want to keep Mario or Jimmy waiting." Her mother called up the steps.

She cowered behind her bedroom door. Harleen hoped that the little lock would keep her mother from getting to her.

There was no way she was going to the club tonight. Not after what they had done to her three nights ago. Harleen did not want a repeat of the lesson Mario and his son had given her.

The footsteps in the hallway should have propelled Harleen into action, should have had her climbing out the window, or jumping out, whichever would have kept her safe. But her fear had her rooted to the spot. Her mother charged into the room making the door bang off the wall.

Grabbing Harleen by the arm she began to drag her from the room. "You ungrateful little bitch. Mario pays well for the service you are providing for his son. Jimmy especially likes you."

The thought of Jimmy being anywhere near her, sent the young girl into a fit of hysterics. Harleen could feel his hands tugging at her hair as he forced himself down her throat. How he had forced her to suck what she hadn't swallowed off his fingers.

No, she couldn't go through that again. She would have rather been beaten by her mother.

Tugging on her arm she tries to get free, but her mother only holds her tighter. They struggle back and forth, Linda overpowering the younger Harleen. Effectively dragging her down the stairs and out of the house.

"Let go." Harleen redoubled her efforts as she spots the limo idling in their driveway. Its back door open and Jimmy leaning out leering at her.

Not one to suffer disobedience from her daughter, Linda smacked her hard across her face. Then yanked her to a stop before the limo. Jimmy was already reaching for her.

"Listen you little bitch, if Mario tells me you gave him or Jimmy a hard time, you are going to beg for mercy before you ever see it."

As she was being yanked into the backseat, Harleen turned to look at her mother. "One day you are going to pay."

Linda patted her hard on the cheek she had slapped causing Harleen to wince. "Whatever helps you when you're on your knees, slut."

Jimmy's laughter fills her head and Harleen knows there is nothing she can do to fight these animals that hold her life in their hands.

With a harsh gasp Harleen pulled herself from the cesspool of her memories. A lone tear slipped down her cheek, and she let it. Hoping that it would cleanse the raging pain and hatred she felt from her soul for her abusers.

She had fought long and hard to overcome the scared little girl she had been back then. Going so far as to take self-defense classes. Promising herself that the next guy to touch her would do so by her choosing. But she had been lying to herself because all it took was one image and she was that scared teenager all over again.

Harleen steeled her nerves and gazed at the image once more, noticing the ring on the victim's finger. Absentmindedly her hand went to her left leg and traced the scar through her thigh highs.

On the night of her sixteenth birthday she had once again been sent to Jimmy, but this time she was ready. When he had pulled her close she used the momentum to add power to the punch she threw. Her fist connected with his face and broke his nose.

Jimmy flew into a fit of rage. He had one of his men bring him a blowtorch and another hold Harleen down. After his ring was good and hot he had pressed it against her skin. All these years later Harleen could still smell the burning scent of her own flesh.

It had taken her weeks to recover, and even longer for the creams the doctor had given her to fade the mark to nothing but a shadowy scar. Now it was only slightly raised and she could pass it off as another old scar. Unless a lover was perceptive he would never make the connection, for that she was happy.

Seeing what The Joker had done to Jimmy brought a surge of relief to her. As if he had been the hero she had waited for her whole life. The man she had daydreamed about while she was on her knees before Jimmy. Whacking a scumbag like Jimmy Lupinacchi kept the streets safe for other young girls.

Though Harleen wasn't fool enough to think that the Joker was one of the good guys. Not a knight in shining armor, he wasn't even a vigilante like Batman. But he had taken out a man more vile in her eyes than he could ever be.

Batsy should have been happy for the help the Joker was giving him. After all, if the bad guys were taking each other out, it was less work for him and the GCPD. Instead he had manhandled the Joker so bad during his last take down that they kept him in the hospital for three weeks before releasing him to Arkham.

Shaking her head Harleen reprimanded herself. "Stop making him sound like a hero. The Joker is a sick man who kills as many innocent people as he does criminals."

Yep, and she needed to stop talking to herself. Harleen gazed at the clock, noticing that it was well after lunch. Closing the file on the Clown Prince of Gotham she stood and grabbed Pam's chart.

Harleen tried to steady her nerves as she headed towards her private session room. Moving toward the intercom she pushed aside the scared young woman she once was and put on her Dr. Quinzel persona. Then she told the guard to bring Pam in for her session.