I grew up with a lot of green

Nice things 'round me

I was safe, I was fine

I grew up with a lot of dreams

Plans who to be

None of them none were mine

I love freaks, I don't care if you're a wild one

I have been working at Arkham Asylum for 3 months now as an intern. Today is the day where I finally get to prove myself. After months of begging Dr. Arkham, I get to have my first session with the Clown Prince of Crime. I have never been so excited. Although Dr. Arkham has to be in the room with me, I am confident that I will succeed.

I am going to be the one to cure him.

I put on a black skirt, a bright purple blouse, and my favorite black stilettos, then proceeded to make my way to the Asylum. I took the train, scanned into the building, and made my way to my office. I had to finish up my paperwork for my last client. I had been working with a guy who calls himself Killer Croc. The guy was nice, but I was always scared that he would turn on me. He was a cannibal, after all. He was a human with a skin defect that made him look almost reptilian. Together, he and I found his perfect vice. He loved the BET network.

After several hours of diligently working on the file, I finally finished and it was time to go to my very first session with the clown. I walked to Dr. Arkham's office. He was sitting at his desk waiting for me. "Good evening, Dr. Quinzel. Are you ready for our session?" I nodded vigorously, a smile plastered on my face. "Great. Let's head down then. They are transporting him to the room now." We began our walk to the counseling room. "He will be fastened in a straight jacket so that he cannot cause any harm. We have a panic button underneath the table. I am also providing you with your very own panic button in case he tries any of his shenanigans." I nodded again. Dr. Arkham put his hand on the door handle. "There is no turning back now." With that said, we entered and sat down. Two of my favorite guards, Nathan and Zachary, were posted right outside the door. Knowing that they were there made me feel a little more comfortable. I'll have to remind myself to request them there for every session.

"Patient 0801, My name is Jeremiah Arkham. I will be your doctor today. Do you have any questions for me right away?"

The Joker grimaced at the name. "We can be pals, Jeremiah. Call me Joker." His once grimace, turned into a rather large grin once he made eye contact with me. "Who is this?"

Dr. Arkham sighed. "No, Patient 0801, we will not be feeding your ego by calling you by your stage name. Let's begin. What is your name?"

The Joker cackled. "I just told ya, Jerry. I'm the Joker. I thought that would be in my file! I mean come on! How many times have I been here over the years?"

Dr. Arkham shook his head lightly. "Since you can't answer seriously, we will move on."

The Joker put a hand up. "Wait, wait, wait. You didn't answer MY question." He turned his attention to me. "Who is this b-e-a-utiful specimen that is seated next to your ugly mug?"

I tried to refrain from blushing, but he caught me. That only made his grin widen. I cleared my throat. "I'm Doctor Harleen Quinzel. I will be interning with Dr. Arkham on your case, Mr. Joker."

He beamed at me. "Well didn't I get ever so lucky. Please, for you, call me Mr. J."

Dr. Arkham shot daggers at me for using his alias. Shit! I can't fuck this up! He turned his attention back to the Joker. "It looks like our time is up for the day. We will see you on Thursday, Patient 0801."

The grin that previously occupied the Joker's face dropped. "Jerry! Another fifteen minutes. I really felt like I was getting somewhere!"

Dr. Arkham gave the Joker a stern look. "Cut the flirting with Dr. Quinzel. It is inappropriate. I can and will remove her from this case, if necessary."

The Joker straightened up. "I will be on my best behavior, doc. Scouts honor." He grinned, winking at me when Dr. Arkham looked away. I am going to have my hands full with him.

Dr. Arkham stood up. "We will see you again on Thursday, Patient 0801. I will be adding time to your sessions. They will be an hour in duration. You will meet with Dr. Quinzel every Tuesday and Thursday. If you try to pull any shenanigans, you will deal with me directly."

With that being said, we exited the room, hearing the Joker's laugh echo down the hallway.

I'm not the prettiest you've ever seen

But I have my moments, I have my moments

Not the flawless one, I've never been

But I have my moments, I have my moments

I can get a little drunk, I get into all the don'ts

But on good days I am charming as fuck

I can get a little drunk, I get into all the don'ts

But on good days I am charming as fuck

Dr. Arkham led me to his office and started digging out all of the information he had on the Joker. He pulled out a massive case file, as well as several video and cassette tapes. "Harleen, please review these. I want all of that material covered before you enter into your next session with him. If you have any questions, call me. I need to go home and be with the wife. That man gives me the creeps."

I nodded and took all the material with me. "Thank you so much, Dr. Arkham. I will let you know if I have any questions. Have a good night. Say hi to the missus and kids for me."

Dr. Arkham gave me an exhausted half-smile and left. I went to my office, gathered all my belongings, and headed home myself. I couldn't get that exaggerated laugh out of my head. I've never thought this much about a patient, so why would I think about him? I'm trying to convince myself that it was just because he was such a high profile patient. Yes. That has to be it.

Once I reached my apartment, I instantly felt a breeze. I looked to the window and noticed that it had been opened. I don't remember leaving it open. I shrugged it off, closed the window, and walked into my bathroom to brush my teeth. I took off my clothes, save for my bra and thong, and discarded them in the hamper. I took one glance at myself in the mirror before walking to my bed to get some much needed sleep.

One look at my bedroom told me that someone had either been or still was in my home. There was a bouquet of one dozen purple roses sitting on the nightstand in an intricately designed purple vase. Amidst the flowers, there was a playing card.

It was a Joker.