DISCLAIMER: These characters and situations do not belong to me in any way shape or form. I have borrowed them as part of my sanity maintenance.
SEQUEL/SERIES: This story is a sequel to Here's the Rub, Surely, Tomorrow Will Be Better, Slowly, But Surely, As Sure As Sure Can Be, Surely a Fail-Safe Plan, Tomorrow Surely Comes…And So Does Helena, Surety of a Mother's Love, And Then... The Sureness of a Father's Love and Are You Sure It Happened That Way?.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
I'm Sure She's Remembered
By Debbie
Helena was sitting, swinging her legs, feeling them gently knock against the stone of her mom's old haunt. She glanced sideways, and a big grin creased her face. Her partner was trying to discretely lick a moustache of icing off her upper lip.
"It's no good trying to pretend you haven't eaten half of my cake."
"Hmmff."
"I'm a cat; I can see in the dark you know."
"Yeah, but at least I bought something for you," whined a voice now unhindered by the creamy icing.
"I know you did, kid. It's nice to know someone remembered."
"You mean Barbara's forgotten?" Dinah couldn't hide the disbelief in her voice. Barbara, with the eidetic memory, never forgot anything.
"Yeah, just like every year for the past… you'd think with her memory she couldn't forget. Well…"
Dinah turned to see Helena's smile had disappeared; it was obvious she was more hurt by Barbara's apparent indifference to her birthday than she was letting on.
"I'm sure she's remembered, Hel. Just wait and see. I'm sure that thing you do to her when you're happy will jog her mem…" Dinah's words trailed off and a blush slowly crept up her neck as Helena's head snapped around to glare at her.
At Helena's raised eyebrows, she mumbled, "Um, you know that coffee making thing you do."
Helena laughed at her friend's discomfort. "You've not been hugging Babs again, have you?"
"Just the once, Hel, honest."
**Huntress, Canary, are you there? I need one of you to go over to Butcher's Wharf to collect a parcel for me.**
Barbara's voice rang out loud and clear in both their ear-pieces; before Dinah could volunteer to collect the parcel to allow Helena time to relax on her birthday, Barbara continued.
**Canary, it's a big day tomorrow, you can come on home. Huntress, you go over to the Wharf. I'll keep in touch.**
Dinah was sure that Helena's despondent sigh could be heard over the airwaves, and yet, Barbara made no comment whatsoever. She seemed oblivious to her lover's despair.
"I'm sure she's remembered Hel, just wait and see. Yeah, just wait and see, huh?" mimicked Helena as she kissed Dinah on the cheek and jumped off into the darkness.
Dinah walked into the clock tower and saw Barbara hard at work at her bank of computers. She considered mentioning Helena's unhappiness but, between the door and Barbara, she changed her mind. It really was a matter for her two favourite ladies to sort out on their own.
Barbara turned to greet her. "Hey Dinah, you ready for the big exam tomorrow?"
"Yeah, as I'll ever be, Babs. May I come by at lunch tomorrow; let you know how it's gone?"
"Hmm, please." Barbara's concentration was broken by a bleep over to her right.
Dinah could see it was Helena's icon flashing. She quickly hugged Barbara and said her goodnights. Whether it was Barbara's distraction towards Helena or whether it was just an unusual lack of control, whatever it was Dinah saw behind Barbara's mental curtains.
Walking towards her bedroom, she grinned.
Helena cursed. It was 11.45pm on her birthday, and she was still traipsing around Gotham City. She'd picked the parcel up to find it was small enough to slip in her duster pocket, only to be then directed here, there, and everywhere; each time getting further and further away from where she wanted to be, in Barbara's arms.
She'd been so near to losing it the last time she'd been directed on, but she'd somehow managed at the last minute to stay her tongue. She was angry with Barbara but… but, she still wanted to finish off her night doing what she did best, and being angry with her woman would get her nowhere along that path. So…
… Here she was back at Butcher's Wharf; the place she'd first started from, staring out across Gotham Sound, waiting for Barbara to arrive. Her last instruction had been to make her way back to the Wharf where Barbara would join her for one last job.
She sighed; it really was quite a nice place to be meeting her lover, bright sodium lighting giving off a warm orange glow and illuminating the water enough to see a few hundred yards, if only she wasn't quite so angry with her.
Suddenly, the quiet hum of Barbara's chair alerted her to her lover's approach. She turned and the vision wrought a gasp from deep inside.
Barbara looked stunning in her tight little black number that never failed to give Helena shivers. She held her hand out to pull Helena down into a hug and Helena waited to hear the words she'd craved all day long.
However, the only words she heard were a curt, "The parcel, Hel?"
Helena seethed inwardly as she handed the parcel over. Then, shock and confusion took over when Barbara's face split into an excited grin as she literally just handed the parcel back.
"I didn't forget, Hel. Many happy returns, love." Barbara's words brought a smile to Helena's face but she continued to just stare at the small box. The redhead couldn't wait any longer as she urged, "Please, unwrap the box."
Helena's fingers shook. It was now 11.55pm; she really hoped her pain had been worth it. Gazing into the box for a few moments, she looked up to lock eyes with Barbara, bemused.
"But, I already have the key to your apartment." The dark haired woman leaned over to plunder her partner's lips and continued in her cocky assured tone, "And, I already have the key to your heart."
Barbara laughed joyously. "Yes, but you don't have the key to… Alfred?"
Helena spun around as bright arc lights shone out unexpectedly, and Alfred peered around the slowly opening warehouse doors. He disappeared from view, and Helena heard a car engine strike into life. In moments, Barbara's Hummer came into view, pulling a trailer behind that carried a gleaming, beautifully painted, Jet Ski.
Helena turned back to Barbara.
"Mine?"
"Yours."
Both women nodded slightly to show they both understood perfectly the double meaning in those two simple words.
Alfred joined Barbara to watch Helena carefully manhandle the Jet Ski down the ramp into the water's edge. With a wave to her friend and a blown kiss to her partner, she was off across the open water now floodlit enough that the darkness could hold no fear.
Helena laughed out loud, with her hair blowing in the wind, the water spray whipping at her face, and the bounce of the Jet Ski over the waves, all she could feel was free. Her anger slowly dissipated; only Oracle could have pulled off this stunt and it was all for her, Helena.
She glanced back towards the shore to see that Babs was now on her own, her red hair flaming in the light as she waited for Helena's return.
Helena laughed again; she could honestly say this was her best birthday ever.
The End