Siren's Call 1-2

DISCLAIMER: Birds of Prey and its characters are the property of Miller/Tobin Productions, Warner Brothers and DC comics. No infringement intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to: My big thanks to Nightstalker that always help me in the beta and giving me ideas. You are wonderful friend.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.

Siren's Call
By Jaguarin

Part One

New Gotham. Dr. Quinzel's office at night.

The blonde paced in her office; waiting. She smiled to herself. Things were flowing in a marvellous way. All of her dreams could come true. She would be soon the queen of the underworld; she would soon rule the dark streets. She just needed to think carefully about her next step.

She stood up at the window; extending her arms out from her sides she said to herself, smiling, "Yes."

Yes, she had done it. Her plan was perfect, masterful, no one could stop her and the best part of all… her worst enemy would die soon in the hands of her best friend.

A triumphant grin materialized on her face as she sat on her desk and looked around. The place was a mess. Papers littered the floor and Gibson could be heard muttering furiously to himself. But... who cared?

"...Lumbar, the coccyx. 26. Pop the head. Squeeze! Watch your back, watch your back!" he yelled.

The sound of the door unlocking caught her attention. Helena walked into the office and closed the door behind her. The girl was gorgeous. Before she could say a word, the brunette spoke.

"Barbara knows." She walked toward Harley.

That definitely was not good. "What happened?"

"I hit her. Hard."

"That would tend to give it away."

"But I got what you wanted." The brunette took out a disk. "The complete blueprint of the clock tower - layouts, defenses, securities, computer systems. It's all gibberish."

They both turned to look at Gibson who is sitting cross-legged on the floor in the center of a mess.

"90 Newton pounds per square inch angled at the jaw line renders 50 of the female population unconscious, as defined by the obliteration of a friendship!"

"Gibson ... shut up," the blonde said. She turned to look her new friend. "Tell me something, Helena. Why didn't you just kill Barbara?"

"Kill her?" the brunette took a few seconds before answering. "I don't know."

"Superheroes don't kill, no matter how hard they hit their Barbara." He made a whooshing sound and threw the doll across the room. "Incoming—headless best friend!"

He laid on his side and covered his head with his arms. Helena turned to look at Harley.

"Maybe it's because you didn't tell me to."

"An oversight on my part-- which we'll soon remedy." Quinzel moved closer to her, lifting her hands and caressed the leather lapels of her coat. The material was soft... curious that a rough girl could evolve such soft skin. Her eyes locked on the brunette's. She was damn beautiful, a strange and magnetic mix of danger and softness. "But meanwhile..." she whispered, "I think we can have some fun…" She pulled Helena against her and kissed her softly on her lips.

Gibson covered his eyes with his hands, muttering, "Superheroes don't kill their Barbara, superheroes don't kill their Barbara."

Harleen moved back, smiling. The brunette was still, her eyes fixed on her former therapist.

"Why did you do that?" Helena asked.

"Because you are my pet now," Quinzel grinned, tracing the young woman's lips with her index finger, "and I can do whatever I want with you."

"Superhero betrayed by her friend!" Gibson shouted.

Harleen rolled her eyes, having him there was killing any chance for romance. She turned and glared at him.

"Gibson, shut up and go away. I will not need your services for a few hours."

"Superheroes love their Barbara. Incoming... heartless best friend," he said, playing nervously with his fingers.

"Gibson, I said go...Now."

He crawled and went toward the door, stopping to look back. He found the cold gaze of Quinzel. This time he left, without stopping to close the door behind him.

The blonde smiled and moved her hands below Huntress' coat. "Now, where were we?" she said slipping it off slowly.

Her eyes twirled with madness, confused blue eyes were trapped by them. "What... what are you doing?"

The answer was a rough kiss that surprised the brunette. Quinzel put her right hand behind her neck and pressed her against the desk.

After a few seconds, she stepped back, smiling. "That was good... but you must be more cooperative..." She cleared the items on the desk with a grand sweep of her hand, uncaring that everything crashed to the floor. "You are doing an excellent job, Helena, but you need to rest now and have some fun."

"Fun?"

"Yes… with me... " She pushed Helena down gently, against the desk.

The young woman felt the hard wood against her back.

Quinzel leaned over her smiling. "You just need to let things happen." The petite woman caressed her lips with her finger. "You just need to accept it." She kissed her softly.

After long seconds, she threw her head back and laughed, removing her short grey suit before tossing it to the floor. She leaned over the young woman again, shuddering at the contact of her naked skin against leather, belly against belly, breast against breast. Her tongue traced Helena's ear. "Accept… and pleasure me…" she whispered, taking Helena's hand and moving it over her breast. "Touch me…"

The brunette cupped the soft mound with her fingers and pressed lightly.

"Yes, that's it…" the blonde closed her eyes and sighed. "I want to feel your hands on me, your mouth on me… I want all of you." She leaned over and trapped the young woman's lips again.

Huntress parted her lips. Quinzel's tongue was rough and moved aggressively, taking.

"Helena..."

Taking her.

"Helena..."

The brunette jerked abruptly. "Don't touch me!"

Barbara grabbed her wrist. Thank goodness for her years of training as a crime fighter. If Helena had caught her, she would be lying on the floor with a black bruise on her eye.

"Hey, easy…" she said fixing her eyes on her. The brunette still seemed to be lost in her dream.

Helena tried to pull her hand back, but Barbara held the grip.

"Helena, it's me."

The young woman blinked and recognized her mentor. "Barbara?"

"Yes, are you okay?"

Helena didn't answer; her eyes were feral and her muscles tensed.

"We are at home." The redhead slowly released the girl's wrist and looked at her worriedly; she had been working at the Delphi and Helena had fallen asleep on the couch watching TV; she was in the kitchen looking for some tea when she'd heard the soft whimpers of her protégé in the living room. She wheeled inside and immediately recognized that Helena was having a nightmare. After so many years of sharing the same home, she had learned to read the young woman like a book… of course, some chapters were restricted… Helena still kept some pages to herself, which had not helped much in trying to understand her.

Barbara put her hand on her cheek, but the brunette moved her head back. "Easy…" she said, "It's me."

The young woman closed her eyes trying to organize her thoughts. What a dream. It was so real. She could almost taste Quinzel on her lips; feel her hands roaming over her body with a frenzy. She shivered.

Barbara noticed it, she leaned forward, looking for blue eyes. "Was it about that night?"

"About… that night…" Puzzled, feral eyes darted up. "What?"

"Your nightmare…."

"Oh…. that, don't worry… I'm okay…" Helena's eyes slowly turned back to violet.

"Sure, and I'm blonde. Drink this." Barbara gave her some tea and turned off the TV. "It will help you more than me."

"It's yours…"

"I have more water on the stove, don't worry."

"Thanks." Helena sipped a bit of the warm tea.

The redhead waited a few seconds before speaking again. "Want to talk about it?"

"Talk?"

"About your nightmare."

"Oh… Don't worry, I'm fine…" she smiled lightly. When she saw the brow of her mentor lift, she knew she wasn't fooling her and added, "…really, it was just a nightmare."

"Okay, if you say so." The redhead sighed. When Helena closed herself off to the world, it was impossible try to talk with her. It was best to change the subject. "Want some cookies?"

"No… thanks." Helena sipped her tea.

Barbara wheeled back and spun her chair toward the kitchen. "I'll be downstairs," she said. "We'll start your sweeps in a half hour. Is that okay for you?"

"Yea…" she listened to the sound of the electric chair wheeling toward the kitchen and closed her eyes.

It had started a few weeks ago; the same nightmare was occurring more frequently. It was so real.

She felt sick. How could she possibly think of Quinzel in that way?

She shook her head and stood up. It was not good to think so much. Barbara would realize something was going on and start to ask questions that she couldn't answer.

"I'll need these books," Barbara said, placing the rather tall stack on the counter at New Gotham's library.

"Did you bring a truck to carry them?" the clerk asked, amused, as she noticed the quantity of books she was taking with her.

"Yes, Joanna, don't worry." The redhead smiled and handed over her library card. "I'm always prepared for these things."

"All right, give me a second."

Barbara nodded and checked her watch; she was on time, she had a lunch with her father; her usual bimonthly lunch… He had insisted on it. One day, he told her that her whole life was spent locked inside the Clock Tower or at the school, so she had proposed go to lunch with him twice per month.

Helena came to her mind. She enjoyed the meals she shared with Helena. The brunette was usually fun and all had a way of making her bad moods disappear, a very different person from Huntress she was at night. Once they were seated at the table, she couldn't stop looking at the young woman and listening to her.

Helena was a really smart girl and she could talk about any topic. She had discovered that in their first years together. She had been aware that Helena was intelligent, but lazy. However, the depth and breadth of Helena's knowledge had surprised her when they'd first started having long talks. Selina really did an excellent job of teaching Helena culture, history, art…

Helena, her stubborn and grumpy protégée who had become an important part of her life. Helena, who had become her main support, her best friend. Helena, the person who always was present in her mind.

She had rediscovered the pleasure of those long talks during the lunches they had at the Clock Tower… At least, until a few weeks ago, when Helena had changed her attitude toward her. She still wondered what was happening with her, but as usual, Helena didn't want to talk, she just avoided the topic.

"I think we're finished," Dinah said, leaning back in her chair.

The blonde reached and took her friend's notebook to read.

"Yea," Gabby said. "I think this is pretty cool."

Both girls were studying in New Gotham High School's library after a long day of classes.

"I'll work on this on my computer tonight." Dinah turned her head and noticed her mentor at the library desk, signing some papers. There were a ton of books to her right. Dinah smiled, no matter how advanced technology was, the pleasure of reading a book was something Barbara always enjoyed.

"Well, gotta go." Dinah picked up her things. "Do you want to come?"

"No, I need to look for Jenny. Want to come with us? We're going to lunch."

"Uhm… no, thanks… Barbara spends almost all day working at home or here and I think it would be good to get her out of her routine a bit."

"Is she okay?" Gabby asked hesitant "After… after all..?"

Dinah sighed. "Yes, she is, she is dealing with it, but she's always obsessed with work. And, after what happened, became even more obsessed. She spends all day behind books and computers." She noticed her mentor putting her books in her lap. "Bye Gabby."

"Have fun."

The teen arranged her jeans, picked her school bag and, with her notebook in hand, ran to reach her mentor.

"Hi Barbara."

The older woman turned her head and smiled, surprised to see her protégée.

"Dinah… hi, what are you doing here?"

"Research with Gabby. We already finished."

The redhead leaned back a bit and saw the blonde at a library desk; she waved a hand toward her.

"Science and technology…" Dinah explained, "Numbers, you know…"

"Good. Why you didn't you use the computer at home? It's easy and faster." Barbara wheeled toward the exit.

"Oh well, you know," she explained, following, "Superheroes need a normal life, too, and sometimes acting like normal people is helpful in understanding human beings. Well, you are human, but teens act in different ways and have different reactions."

Barbara lifted an eyebrow as she turned to look at the young woman.

"I'm joking," the teen laughed. "It's just that I like to be with my friends."

"Oh, that sounds much better."

"What is that?" The teen pointed at the books in her mentor's lap.

"English literature, I need my students to work on this." They moved toward the parking lot. "And some books for me."

"Are you going home? I need a ride."

"No, it's Wednesday."

"Oh, I forgot, your usual lunch."

"Yes, want to join us?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, if it doesn't offend you that a human being is driving."

"Well… that can be fixed if I drive."

"No way."

"Come on, Barbara."

"Take it or…."

"All right, all right." The teen rolled her eyes.

The dark haired woman hid in the shadows, crouching on the cornice of a tall building, looking down. After her usual shift at the Dark Horse Bar, she ran a sweep of the underground, having a 'nice' talk with some thugs…. well, not exactly nice for them. She convinced them to talk after a few black eyes and punches; she was now keeping vigil on what seemed be the hideout of a dangerous drug gang. Oracle had asked her to keep an eye on the hidden storage close to New Gotham bay.

The night was cold. A snowflake fell on her nose. That was just great.

The memories of the weird dream from the night before came to her mind. She played with her tongue inside her cheek, thinking about it. Quinzel's touches were so present in her mind. Even now, a day later, she could still almost feel her lips on her… she shivered and shook her head.

That was gross.

Barbara, yes, but Quinzel? Yuck!!

Those dreams about her lying with Quinzel were making her crazy. It had started a month ago; and it was always the same, Quinzel taming her in an inexplicable way, she couldn't refuse to her touches and caresses. It pissed her off. What was wrong with her? Why was she dreaming about a woman that made her feel sick? That she hated so much?

She couldn't understand it. She fantasized about her mentor all the time, imaging how it would feel to kiss her lips, caress her hands, touch her skin and lose her soul in tastes and touches. She was strong and independent, yet at the same time, tender and sweet.

Barbara was the only person to whom her heart belonged. She had loved her for so long.

After her mother's death, she became cold and violent. Many people were afraid of her, except Barbara. She had never shown any fear; she and her mother were the only ones who never showed fear.

She respected Barbara for it, for her courage to live and keep going despite her own limitations. Her feelings of anger turned into admiration and, eventually,… to love. She could talk with her for hours and hours and, when the day was over, she still wanted to keep talking; she was never bored with her.

She could be with her for hours without saying a word and that was okay, too.

What would it feel like to be loved by that wonderful, smart, intellectual, funny and beautiful redhead?

She loved to watch her work at the Delphi or at the kitchen table with tons of books and papers hiding her marvelous green eyes. Eyes that hid behind glasses, but eyes that were so sensual.

Who would imagine that watching someone at work could be so arousing?

Just her.

At first, she thought it was just a crush, but after years, she discovered it wasn't just a crush, it was real love.

The kind of love where you feel butterflies in your stomach and your heart beats so loud when you are near that person. So loud that she was afraid others could hear it beating. The kind of love where you feel your heart bleeding, if you can't see or talk that person.

Crap.

She was corny.

Great, the terror of criminals, the princess of the night, was as corny as any stupid teenager in love.

Corny and pathetic.

She sighed.

Pathetic or not, she still felt excited thinking that when she finished sweeps, she would go back to the Clock Tower and be with Barbara again; she was happy just knowing she was close to her, maybe not thinking, not talking, but in the same place. That was enough for her.

But now, those dreams brought back the memory that she failed Barbara. They made her feel guilty, so guilty that she had avoided being at the Clock Tower the last few weeks; except for yesterday when she finished her shift at the bar early and fell asleep on the couch, waiting for sweeps.

She still couldn't remember what had happened during the long twenty four hours that she had been under Quinn's spell. Since the night that she'd taken Gibson to Harleen's office thinking –stupidly- that she was a friend and would help him… until the night that she was roughly awakened and found herself on the floor of Gibson's bar.

She saw Barbara under her. Disoriented, she got to her feet, Barbara was on her own, that was not good.

"What's going on? What am I doing here?" she asked looking around, trying to understand. The last thing she remembered was being at Quinzel's office and then… nothing.

"Short version? Dr. Quinzel hypnotized you," the redhead answered rubbing her head.

Helena felt a cold chill on her back.

"…She's the big bad we've been searching for."

The brunette blinked, trying to organize her thoughts. "D -did we just…" she was afraid to ask "um…. did we just fight?"

" Yeah."

Dammit, it was wrong, it was all wrong. The consequences could be terrible.

"I could have killed you," she whispered in realization.

"It was a calculated risk, but I had to get close enough so I could fire this directly into your eyes."

"Hey! Hello?" Dinah called from inside the elevator.

"Yeah -- little help? This thing's jammed," Reese explained.

Helena opened the wooden door and wiped her hands, thinking, trying to understand.

"I don't remember anything. Last thing I know, I was at Dr. Quinzel's with Gibson."

"And then you were in the Clock Tower."

Helena turned and looked away for a moment, she was ashamed by her behavior and that she couldn't even remember. What the hell could she have done in Quinzel's hands? She didn't want to think about it.

"Helena, try to remember." Barbara asked her, "What is Quinzel up to?"

And still, after so many months, she still couldn't remember. It pissed her off. Couldn't remember if she had hurt people… or killed.

She had almost killed Barbara that night. She would die for her, she had wished desperately to trade her life for Wade's and allow the redhead to finally be happy...

But she couldn't change things.

She hadn't been capable of saving the man Barbara loved. The feeling of guilt over all that happened was a heavy weight that she would carry on her shoulders forever. It was a weight that was so hard to carry, despite all her meta-human strength, because she carried with it, Barbara's pain.

The pain that his death had caused.

Why had life been so cruel with her mentor? She saved people, stopped criminals and the price was so unfair.

Quinzel had been in jail six months since then. The frikin' bitch was obsessed with Barbara and hurt her. The Joker had taken so much already and they still wanted more… screwing up her life hadn't been enough ...and now she was dreaming about having sex with the crazy woman.

What the hell was going on?

"Huntress…"

The brunette jumped, startled when she heard her name. "Crap! Dinah!" She growled, turning her head.

"What?" the teen giggled.

"What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" Dinah crossed her arms and smirked. "Helloooo… I'm patrolling with you. Remember?"

"I mean…" the brunette babbled "…here? You should be on the other block. Not here."

"Oracle sent me here. She said it would be better if we stay together. Didn't you hear her?"

"Uhm… no?"

<Huntress, Dinah, any movement?> They heard their mentor's voice over the comm.

"No, Oracle," the blonde responded. "Looks like the bad guys took the day off."

"I don't think so…" Huntress said, narrowing her eyes and looking down "Look, I don't think they're going to the movies."

Several men walked out of the building with rifles and weapons. Dinah crouched down and fixed her eyes on the dark street.

"What do you think? Talk to them and see what's going on?"

"I never talk to anyone with a gun in his hand. Let's go," the brunette said, jumping down.

Dinah rolled her eyes and ran toward the stairway. "Has she always been so impatient? Isn't that supposed to be me? I'm the youngest here."

<She's always been my karma.> Oracle said, amused.

"Yes, but why must she be mine?"

"All right, but I'm working under protest."

<Come on, kid.> Huntress' voice interrupted <You are missing all the fun here.>

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

Huntress dropped into the middle of four men.

"Hey guys.. having a nice day?"

She kicked the first man and hit the second one. Bending over she avoided a punch and used her legs to sweep the feet of the third man. She looked for the fourth guy, but he was running. Suddenly, he bounced back and hit the floor.

"What the hell?" Huntress groaned.

"It's called invisible shield," Dinah said stepping next to her, "Pretty cool, eh?"

"Incredibly creative name. Right up there with 'liquid guy'…We have more guests coming to the party," the brunette responded, noticing five more guys appearing at the back of the warehouse.

"Well… time to work."

"What do you think we've being doing?"

A laser hit a pillar next to them, breaking it in pieces. Both girls threw themselves to the floor.

"That wasn't a normal gun," Dinah said.

"No kidding."

The sound of firing weapons filled the place. Both women hid behind some metal boxes.

<What's going on?> Oracle asked worriedly, when she heard the unmistakable sound of discharging guns.

"Seems they didn't like our visit," Huntress answered. "Oracle, these are not normal weapons. They are high-tech lasers and that stuff."

<I'm calling the police now.>

Another blast close to them destroyed a wooden box. The munitions inside of it exploded and the fire increased. Bullets were everywhere. Dinah covered herself and her partner with her shield just in time, as the box they were using as cover exploded.

"It would be a good time to call the fire department, Oracle. These stupid people don't seem to care that the place is full of weapons and munitions."

"That's not fair, we don't have guns," the blonde whined, covering her head with her hands.

"And they don't have a teenager with telekinetic powers." Huntress looked at her partner "All right, inside or outside?"

"Outside."

"Inside." The brunette jumped and ran toward the men that had started the fire and who were now trying to escape the fire in a car that had been parked in the garage.

Dinah stopped the men running outside using again her force field. Huntress engaged the group of thugs trying to escape. She easily knocked them out and then threw them out a window to get them out of the fire. Turning her head, she noticed a man far from her pointing his gun at the teen. She picked up a piece of metal on the floor and threw it at him.

The man missed the shot when the metal hit his arm. He turned his head in time to see a black shadow fall over him. Huntress hit him roughly in his jaw with her elbow and he fell backwards.

Dinah finished with the last man and turned around in time to see Helena knocking the out thug. She didn't see the guy hiding in the shadow behind her partner.

He lifted a big rifle and hit Huntress over the head with the butt of the gun.

"Huntress!" she shouted, but it was too late.

The brunette turned in on herself and fell heavily to the floor, knocked out by the force of the impact. He had used the rifle like a baseball bat on her. Dinah noticed the man didn't hesitate and again lifted his weapon to hit her.

"I'll spill your brains out!!" he growled, using all his strength to hit the unconscious girl's head.

He hit his target again -- but it was weird. He didn't hear or feel the sound of a skull breaking, or see blood spilling everywhere. He raised the weapon and hit her again on her head.

Nothing happened.

"What the f…?"

"Hi, remember me?" Dinah's voice made him turn. The young girl had a hand extended toward her partner, she had covered her with the aptly named invisible shield to prevent the man from killing her. "Has anyone told you that cowards attack from behind the back?"

She moved her other hand, pushing the man against some wooden boxes that fell on top of him. The last thug was knocked out.

"Oracle, we're all clear," she said, running toward her partner, "but Huntress is out and the place is on fire."

"A thug wanted to beat her brains out… he hit her really hard…" The blonde put her hand over the back of her friend's head and felt a sticky warmth. She recognized the sensation immediately> Blood.

"She will need a bandage, maybe stitches... it's bleeding. We need to get out of here…" Dinah looked around, the place could explode in any moment. There were many weapons and lots of ammunition inside the boxes surrounding them. "I need your help here, Oracle."

<I'm working on it.>

Dinah heard a sound over her, a piece of ceiling was falling. She covered them with her force field. The pieces of the ceiling hit the force field and she felt the floor cracking under her.

"Dammit!"

<What's wrong, Dinah?>

The blonde just hugged Helena as the floor collapsed under her feet.

The mouth that was on her was possessive… consuming her. She was used to being the aggressive one, but, in this case, she felt like bird trapped by a hawk. She heard the zipper of her coat opening, the sound of her shirt ripping, a hot demanding mouth surrounding her naked breast. She arched her back and almost jumped when she felt fingers caressing her labia.

When had she opened her pants? The hand was cupping her sex.

She gasped for air and tried to push the woman above her. "I…" Helena whispered, trying to gain control, she was confused. The woman was Quinzel. It was weird, why she wasn't breaking her neck rather than just fucking her over the desk in her office?

The blonde read the confusion in her eyes and cupped the back of her head with a strong hand forcing Helena to look at her. "Look at me, Helena…"

Her eyes focused on her former therapist's face. She was smiling at her. Again, she felt trapped in those strange eyes. Suddenly, she couldn't focus on anything, just on those mad eyes and on the soft, hypnotic voice of the woman.

Quinzel placed her hand between the brunette's legs. The girl jumped slightly at the touch; her body was starting to feel like it was on fire. The blonde began stroking, at first ever so gently, her middle finger moved in circles, increasing and decreasing in diameter. Quinzel smiled to herself when the brunette drew in a deep breath. Her index finger kept moving, increasing and decreasing the pressure on the young woman's most sensitive area.

Helena could smell Quinzel's excitement. Her hands moved down, to the blonde's pants. Quinzel laughed and stopped her hands, Helena was not in control, not this time; she trapped the hand between her own and leaned to kiss her fingers softly.

"No, dear, I'm in charge here." It was time to claim her, to show her that she was hers. "You like this. You are enjoying this, you want this." The blonde stuck out her tongue and nibbled the upper curve of the dark woman's ear, enjoying the hollow of that curvature. Then, she moved her hand inside the soft underwear.

Helena's breathing became shallower; she closed her eyes enjoying the sensation of those tender fingers touching her. The brunette began to move her hips in rhythm with the hand caressing her. She wanted more and moved her arms around the back of the petite woman, holding her against her.

"You are mine." Quinzel said softly and touched Helena's clit with her thumb. The touch was electric, Helena's mind was filled with flashes and lights. "Don't forget it… you are mine, Helena."

The brunette gasped and bucked looking for more contact with those thin fingers. "Please…" she whispered, holding the blonde against her tightly.

"Say it, Helena…" Quinzel licked the outline of her mouth. Her thumb moved in circles around the sensitive organ, her fingers played with her lower lips, taunting her entrance "I want hear to it from your lips, you want me inside you… say it…"

She wanted this…

She wanted her.

"Please…" Helena gasped and arched her back.

"Tell me you want it, and I'll give it to you, my little kitty." Quinzel whispered in her ear. "Give yourself to me…"

"Please… inside me…"

Helena growled when she felt the sudden pressure of fingers filling her and turned her head to find the other woman's lips.

Sunday.

The redhead pushed her eyeglasses up her nose. She wondered why no one had invented something to keep it on the nose instead of slipping. Maybe she would work on it on her free time and patent it. The copyrights would give her a good amount of money.

She sniffed, she'd caught a cold.

She sat at the small table she had in her room; she wasn't usually awake so late, but it had been a difficult night. She turned the page of a magazine in front of her and sipped a bit of coffee. She had always thought that coffee was a Goddess' elixir. Her eyes stopped in on an entertainment note and smiled. It was something about people buying nuts to protest the cancellation of a TV show. People really did weird things sometimes.

A whimpering sound called her attention, she turn her head, Helena still was unconscious. She hadn't come back to her senses after they brought her home a few hours ago. When the floor collapsed under her feet, both had fallen into an underground river. Dinah had saved their life by creating a force field around them. Both had been safe and floated on the water. She had followed their GPS signal and picked them up close to new Gotham's bay.

She wheeled next to the brunette and wet a cloth to clean the sweat on the young woman's forehead.

She had taken her time cleaning the deep wound on her head. Dinah's powers had saved them both from a terrific explosion that made the building collapse.

She had dressed the girl in one of her old New Gotham's P.D shirts. Noticing the buttons of the front had opened, she extended her hand to close it. Her eyes locked on her cleavage. Without thinking, she gently traced the skin with her fingers, feeling her softness. Her hand moved slowly to Helena's upper chest, feeling the strong muscles under her hand. It was a nice feeling.

How many times she had touched that body and taken care of it? Healing, patching… she felt a warm thrill surge from the pit of her stomach, it was like a wind that invaded her chest and then her cheeks.

Barbara shook her head. She moved her hand back. She wheeled toward the bathroom to change her clothes. The lack of sleep was numbing her mind and it was playing tricks on her. She opened a drawer and took out her favorite night shirt.

Helena, stubborn, hard and tough; she never let anything show of herself… except to her… She could see places that she never opened to anyone, places that she didn't want others to see. She was feared by many criminals, her name was beginning to be a legend in the underworld.

She was one of the few people –if not the only one- who could face her without fear, knowing she never would try to raise a hand against her.

A low sound made her look through the door to her bed where Helena was lying. Her breathing was agitated and she was moving restlessly.

Nightmare for sure.

She wheeled back to her side and called her; "Helena, wake up…"

The brunette half-opened her eyes, showing feral eyes, but she didn't react. Her eyes was glassy and lost… she was still inside her dream.

"Helena, you are at home," she said, trying to wake up the girl, she touched her cheek.

"Please…" The young woman mumbled moving her hand to push Barbara's fingers off her face.

"Hel, you are dreaming, wake up."

The young woman arched her back lightly and growled. The redhead cupped her face between her hands forcing her to see her. "Hel, it's me… Wake up."

The brunette jerked abruptly back, her feral vision locked firmly on Barbara's face, nerves thrumming tightly and still feeling the sensation of Quinzel touching her.

"You were dreaming," Barbara said softly. "Everything is okay."

The young woman blinked a few times, staring at her. Was she dreaming now? Quinzel's image was so vivid, she would swear she had been lying with the mad woman a few seconds ago; she still could feel her skin under her fingers; her taste on her lips; her touch in… the thought of it made her feel sick.

Barbara smiled gently at her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yea…" she brushed her hair back and grimaced.

"Careful, you have a big bruise there."

"What… happened?"

"You had a bad encounter last night. Here, take this…" Barbara said, giving her a glass of water and two pills.

The girl took a deep breath, the gears of her brain began to work and she began to remember.

The warehouse, she and Dinah in the middle of a fight.

"I… yeah… the gang…." She accepted the glass from Barbara's hand, her mouth was dry after that terrific dream -- Quinzel fucking her and she just laid there accepting her touches and kisses.

"Wooden bat?" the girl asked, feeling a bandage near her forehead.

"Butt of a rifle."

"Ah…" She put her lips on the glass.

"A hidden thug hit you when you stopped the man that tried to shoot Dinah in her back… hey, easy," she said, noticing Helena was gulping the water from the glass. "Slow down..."

"Thanks…" She extended the glass to her friend and winced, feeling a stab of pain in her head. "That guy wanted to knock my brains out of my head."

"Literally."

"I must use extra make up today." Helena felt another piece of her brain working. "The building was on fire…"

"Yes, Dinah created a bubble around you two and, when the building collapsed, you fell into an underground river. I followed your signal with the GPS and picked you up close to New Gotham Bay."

"Damn… it means I owe her one… crap… I'm sure she will ask to borrow my blue skirt."

"That is not so bad."

"It's bad. I can't say 'no' to her now!" Helena whined.

"She is your karma." Barbara smiled lightly. "Hel… you were in the middle of a nightmare… a very weird one."

Helena froze, looking terrified. Her mouth was even more dry now. Had she said something in her sleep? Did Barbara know what she was dreaming?

"Did… did I say something?"

"No… but you are still really shocked."

Helena could breathe again. Barbara would think she was a real psycho if she knew she was dreaming about having sex with her worst enemy.

"Hel?"

"Must be that blow to my head… I don't remember anything," the brunette lied.

"Helena, lately, I've noticed that you are having very bad nightmares."

"We are used to have nightmares, Barbara."

"Yes, but, with these, you always wake up disoriented and frightened."

"I'm not scared."

Quirking an eyebrow, the redhead smirked.

The brunette grumbled in annoyance, avoiding her look; it was so hard to lie when she still could feel the evil woman touches on her skin. She shivered.

The redhead suddenly sniffed.

"You have a cold," Helena said, almost with a whisper looking at her.

"Yes, I have a cold, but I´ll survive…. Hey…" The older woman took Helena's hand in hers. She knew that Helena didn't like to show her weak points. In those moments, she was like a big kid. "I'm worried about you. That's all, you haven't had nightmares in a long time and it caught my attention that they've been pretty frequent over the last few weeks. Are you really feeling okay?"

The brunette turned to the redhead and stared at her in silence. She noticed the fond look in her eyes as she watched her. Helena wondered if she would feel anything more for her than friendship. The same love she felt and made her feel like her heart would explode in any moment, sometimes from happiness, sadness.

Barbara always took care of her, it didn't matter if it was day or night, she was always there, for her… She pressed her fingers lightly into the redhead's hand and she stared their intertwined fingers. Barbara had long, delicate fingers, her nails were always in good shape and painted. When she was with her it was all that mattered. She was everything in her mind. Her face was before her eyes every minute of her life and she just counted the minutes every day until she was with her again.

Barbara was beautiful, she had felt her close to her so many times; her softness, the firmness of her muscles; she had heard her cry and laugh. Her cry was a punch in her gut and her laugh a bright light in the day. Her body trembled when she was near, and a knot in the pit of her stomach was permanent.

Her need for Barbara overwhelmed her.

Helena rubbed the back of the redhead's hand with her thumb. She had known for a while that her feelings for Barbara weren't an ordinary friendship, but something more. And that was a difficult thing to handle, more so because Barbara was sexy, really sexy, damn, the way she moved, the way her eyeglasses slipped down her nose, it was fucking sexy.

"Helena?" Barbara asked, the gentleness of Helena's touch making her feel a chill down her back.

"You… you should be in bed." The brunette sighed, coming back to reality; she couldn't let her libido be so free in that moment or she would jump on her and kiss her. "You are sick, Barbara, thanks for taking care of me, but you need take of yourself, too."

"Wait a minute, you are the one who was hurt with a…"

"And you are the one that has a cold." Helena looked pointedly at the tissues on the redhead's lap. When her gaze lifted, her eyes were trapped by the sight of Barbara's breast, barely covered by her robe. Pale, firm flesh, soft as porcelain barely illuminated by the dim light of the lamp on the night table. She wondered how would it feel. Her mouth was suddenly dry when her eyes fixed on the middle of her breast. She blinked and blushed when noticed Barbara was staring at her.

"Helena?"

Crap. Helena winced, she had caught her.

"I'm sorry…" she mumbled, lowering her head and releasing her hand. "I don't feel well…"

"I know… please rest…"

Helena leaned back on the mattress, closing her eyes. She was tired, she needed to rest a bit and organize her thoughts. Everything was confused inside her mind and she felt nervous, the dreams, her feelings... her body felt heavy, as did her limbs. What the hell was she doing thinking about Barbara in that way when the redhead was right in front of her? The blow had definitely affected her head. She had never allowed herself to think about the redhead in front of…

"Helena…" the voice of her former guardian interrupted her thoughts.

Her eyes opened.

Delicate fingers brushed the hairs that were a mess on her forehead "Stop thinking, just rest…

The young woman closed her eyes again, surrendering to the caress of those magic fingers. Without knowing when it happened, she fell asleep.

Barbara kept brushing her hair softly. After Quinn's attempt to control New Gotham using Clock Tower, things had begun to return to normal. It had been hard for Barbara to lose Wade, but she was healing. She knew Helena still couldn't recover at all. The young woman suffered from terrible guilt about what had happened; she tried to look happy, grumpy as always, but she could read the sadness in her eyes.

She had tried everything to prevent Helena from feeling rejected. She tried to make her feel okay because she needed her, she needed her close, she needed to know she was there.

It was curious how much she needed her, since the brunette had appeared in her life.

She smiled and sighed, remembering how hard she had needed to fight to keep her close after all the events eight years ago. First, there was the anger, pain and Helena's need for revenge that threatened to send her to wrong side of the law.

After that, her own pain and anger -- she was on the edge, between feeling sorry for herself or fighting to get her life back and helping Helena to live.

Both had survived.

Helena was a person who didn't like be touched or touch, she put up barriers. The barriers made her seem cold, rebellious and stubborn… but… Helena was always warm with her, she had noticed that the brunette always touched her by 'accident', an arm, a hand over her shoulder, soft enough to make her feel she appreciated her. It was sweet.

She liked it.

Dinah kissed her often on her cheek, to say hi, bye or good night, but never Helena never. Many times she wished she could do it. Sometimes she wanted to pull her down and kiss her cheek, but knowing the other woman, she was afraid she would reject it. She liked Helena being near her or just knowing that she was around.

The young woman had gone from being a friend's daughter, protégé, and an orphan in need, to someone really important in her life; someone who had given sense to her life.

She leaned down to kiss her forehead, her lips pressed for long seconds on the soft skin. She closed her eyes, inhaling her scent. She could recognize it easily in anyplace. Helena was unique.

She moved back and turned off the lamp.

Part Two

"Well, I screwed it up," Helena grumbled.

"I'm sure she didn't notice it," Dinah said, licking her ice cream. Dinah was sitting on the cornice of the balcony while Helena paced, waiting for Barbara to arrive for sweeps.

"How are you so sure about it?" The brunette stopped pacing and fixed her eyes on the teenager.

"Because Barbara never realizes what is happening around her, she is always focused on work and saving this city from criminals. In her personal life, she just…" she shrugged her shoulders "…sucks."

"Hey, don't talk about her like that."

"Well, tell me another way to describe why she knows what is happening everywhere, except around her."

"Well…" Helena waved her hands thinking, finally after a few seconds she gave up. "All right… fine."

The blonde grinned.

"I hate when you do that." The brunette glared at her. She wondered why the hell, of all the thousands of meta-humans, she had to have the one that could read minds as her partner. Dinah had discovered her feelings for Barbara very easily, months ago.

"What?"

"You're doing the superior thing."

"I'm not doing the superior thing, it's just logic. It's easy to tell how much you love her just by looking at your puppy eyes every time she is in front of you."

"I don't do puppy eyes!"

"You do."

"I do not."

"Helena, " Dinah sighed, raising her hands, "I knew you loved her just by watching you, not by reading your mind. If Barbara wasn't so distracted, she would have noticed it long ago."

Helena frowned and took a step toward her, "You were doing it again, right?"

"Doing what?" The blonde bit her ice cream.

"Reading my mind… I was thinking that you knew about my feelings for Barbara because you read my mind!"

"Well, okay, now I cheated, you think too loud… but the other part is true… I saw it in your eyes. At that time, I wasn't able to get through to your strong head…. Speaking of which, how is it?"

"Fine." Helena grumbled and pointed at her. "I'm asking that you don't lurk about inside my head. It's not polite to invade people's privacy, you know?"

"I know!" Dinah looked at her. "I don't want to do it, but it's impossible not to hear you when you are screaming in your mind."

"That's not true…"

Sometimes Helena was a big child, Dinah was amused with her. "Well, how can I hear you then? You practically shout when you are 'emotional'."

"I am not!"

"You are, you try to hide it, but you can't. Your thoughts are like waves on the sea, I can't avoid being hit by them, and even more so if I'm close to you."

"Forget it." Helena sighed and sat next to the blonde.

"May I borrow your blue skirt?"

"Of course not."

"I saved your life last night."

"Dinah…"

"Okay, so what happened?" Dinah finished her ice cream and licked her fingers. "Barbara caught you looking at her cleavage…. Did she hit you?"

"I'm not sure if she caught me or not, I guess she thought I was still a bit out of it from the low to my head." She still didn't know why she talked about this with Dinah, she was just a teenager, a kid, she hadn't lived enough… but… well, she was the only person she could talk to about this, she could be herself with her; the girl never showed any fear of her no matter what her mood… and… well, she trusted her.

She trusted a teenager?

Crap. Maybe she needed to reorganize her life and meet more people. Her circle of friends was really small.

"So, it was not so bad," Dinah said "Maybe she didn't realize it."

"I hope not."

"Is that the reason that you have been avoiding the ClockTower these last few weeks?"

"What?"

"The fact that you love her."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, Helena. You are not here as often as you used to be. Are you avoiding her because you're afraid?"

"Afraid?"

"Yeah. Afraid you won't be able to control your feelings in front of her."

"I'm not in the mood for this…"

The sound of the balcony doors opening and Barbara's electric chair interrupted them.

"Are you two arguing again?"

"I'm telling Helena that she thinks to loud." Dinah smiled.

"Yes, and you need to start controlling your powers," the redhead noted.

"See? I told you it's not polite." The brunette elbowed the teen in the side.

"Hey…" Dinah rubbed her side. "I told you that it's impossible for me to not hear to you when you are practically screaming in your head."

"What were you screaming?" Barbara looked at the brunette.

"That she doesn't want me to borrow her blue coat and her blue skirt that she already agreed I could borrow."

"What?" the brunette growled.

"All right, arguments later." Barbara rubbed her hands "All right, about last night… one of the guys confessed they work for the boss…."

"But…?" Helena asked, knowing that when Barbara rubbed her hands it was because she didn't have any clue about what was happening.

"They don't know who it is."

"We need to do more research."

"I think so… But all the men inside have something in common. They were military."

"Oh… Someone is preparing their own army?" Dinah asked.

"That possibility worries me," Barbara said.

"Maybe we should investigate where the weapons are coming from."

"Delphi is already working on it. But it would be good for you two go to visit some of our contacts."

"Love the idea." Helena stood up and walked inside the tower. "I'd love to kick some butt. Let's go kid."

"Don't call me kid." The blonde followed her.

"Helena…"

"Yea?"

"Can we talk after you finish your sweeps?"

Helena hesitated a few seconds. But she didn't have any other option. "Uhm… sure…"

Barbara smiled. She couldn't avoid it.

Both girls disappeared behind the doors.

Barbara turned and looked at the city below her, breathing the soft, cold air of the night. Helena's face came to her mind. For an instant she was sure Helena was eyeing her last night in her room. She felt a shiver down her back and a warm feeling invading her body. But… she shook her head and opened her eyes, she was imagining things. The poor girl was still dazed by the hard blow to her head; the thug had hit her with great strength, Helena was really hard beat, the man must have been big, with oversized muscles.

Maybe she should use a helmet instead of a mask, but she never liked it. So vain. She smiled to herself. Knowing Helena maybe she would accept a Darth Vader or Bobba Fet mask.

She looked at her watch, duty called. She wheeled inside the Clock Tower, she had important things to do.

Well, she just wanted to talk with her. They had talked many times before. So there was no reason to be nervous. It was just Barbara, her friend. The brunette arranged her coat and brushed her hair, looking at her image reflected on the glass of the balcony doors.

She took a deep breath and straightened herself; she took the handle of the door and opened it.

She stepped inside the Clock; Delphi was on, but no sign of Barbara. She put her hands inside her pockets and looked around. Maybe she'd gotten lucky and Barbara had forgotten that she had asked her to come back after sweeps.

"Hey, anybody home?"

"Here… living room."

So much for luck.

"Hi…" Helena looked up. Barbara was upstairs. "I'm coming."

She climbed the stairs.

"Why are you so late? Dinah arrived long ago," the redhead asked when she saw Helena step inside the living room. She was lying on her side with a book in her hands.

"I stopped to get something to eat," the brunette lied, she had taken her time, afraid of what Barbara would want to talk about.

"Alfred is here, now the fridge is full."

Helena laughed. "Yeah, true, I forgot."

Well, that helped to relax her a bit. She sat in front of her resting her back on the chair. Barbara had her hair falling free over her shoulders, she had that black blouse with the turtle neck and no shoulders that made her look so sexy. Her skin was white as milk, she would love to lick it freely.

"Is it a good one?" she pointed at the book

"Yes." Barbara put it on the table next to her, "García Marquez is one of my favorites."

"One Hundred Years of Solitude* should be called *Use preservatives or…"

"Well, I remember Jose Arcadio Buendía, later José, Aureliano and his 17 sons… Arcadio again… Remedios the beauty."

"You have a very good memory."

"That book would be good for a TV drama with eight hundred episodes… I would play Remedios."

"You?"

"Several men die for love or lust of her." She leaned in and winked an eye at her. "I'm sexy."

The wink made Barbara nervous. "You love to flirt with anything that moves."

"I'm charming."

"All right, you are charming…"

The brunette grinned. Barbara smiled to herself.

"Hel…"

"Yes?"

"I have the feeling that… you are avoiding me…" The redhead sat on the coach using her hands to move her legs. "Well, maybe it's my imagination, but you are not here as often as you used to be… You don't stay for dinner."

Helena felt cornered. That's was one of Barbara problems, when she asked a question, sh'd ask it straight, no anesthesia.

"I miss you," the redhead added, locking her eyes on her.

Warmth invaded Helena's body. That look melted her. The brunette felt a smile drawing on her face. She missed her.

"Why haven't you been here lately?" Barbara asked, reaching for her hand.

The touch was electric for Helena. She lowered her head and stared at the long and elegant fingers caressing her hand.

"You sometimes look tired and distracted," Barbara added, "you have become nervous. Is something bothering you? May I help you? Helena, I love to help you."

"Nothing is wrong," Helena whispered. The redhead surely wouldn't believe that.

"Helena…"

"I'm fine, Barbara. Really." The brunette moved back.

Barbara sighed and caught her eyes. "I would like for you to trust me more."

"I trust you." Helena hurried to say. She couldn't let her think otherwise

"Doesn't seem like it. Something is bothering you, you have been avoiding us… me."

Why did Barbara always go straight to the point? She didn't give her room to find a good excuse.

"No, it's not that." Helena smiled and shook her head. She knew her smile was one of her best weapons and maybe it would be helpful now to distract her from the real topic. "I'm just… well… reorganizing my life. Visiting bars… meeting people."

The redhead looked at her skeptically.

"Barbara, you know you are the only person that I trust, but when you realize that you talk about your problems to a teen that you hate because she loves to wear your clothes, you know it's time to increase your circle of friends."

The redhead laughed lightly. Helena loved it. Barbara was so beautiful when she laughed.

"All right, I get your point… "

"And well…. I have been enjoying he night life; you know, visiting bars, places to dance…"

Barbara looked at her without saying a word.

"I need to meet people… new friends, maybe a boyfriend." Boyfriend? Helena thunked her head mentally. That was the problem when Barbara cornered her, she said stupid things.

Barbara's laugh turned into a light smile. She didn't seem to like that idea so much. "Yes… I understand..." she cleared her throat "…and… what about Reese?"

"Well, he's nice but, we have problems with the rules and the law thing." Helena shrugged her shoulders. "He is stiff about it."

"And you are a rebel."

"In a way,.. yes." The brunette bobbed her head.

"All right, I believe you… but…" the redhead extended her hand and took the brunette's fingers between hers again, "promise me that if something is wrong you will tell me."

Helena felt lost in those green eyes. She felt guilty for not telling her the truth about the dreams, it was sick, she didn't know what Barbara would think of her for having dreams making love with her worst enemy; she would be disappointed; and if she confessed her love for her… Barbara surely wouldn't react well, she loved her as a sister, as a friend and she didn't want to lose her. She was her only family, the only person who really cared for her.

Helena lifted the hand between hers and kissed it softly. She pressed her lips long seconds on the soft skin and, for a second, was tempted to taste it with the tip of her tongue.

She moved the hand down and caressed it with her thumb.

"I promise."

The redhead played with the pencil between her fingers. She was staring at her computer monitor in silence. She had a lot of work to do, but her mind was stuck on Helena.

She was still acting weird; she thought that after their talk a few days ago, Helena would change a bit, but she hadn't. She knew that the nightmares were affecting her and Helena didn't want to accept it.

She checked the clock on the screen. Maybe she would call her and ask her if she was okay. After all, the last time Helena had been home, she'd brought a pizza and they'd watched a movie on TV. Helena had been in a pretty good mood all night and she spent the whole time sitting at her feet, her hand often touching her leg while she ate the popcorn in her lap.

Her lips twitched upwards into a smile on her face. Helena was so sweet.

The bell of the elevator made her turn her head.

Helena.

Her heart beat increased.

"Helena?" Barbara asked, without thinking.

"Alfred, Miss Barbara," the gentle butler said, walking inside with a bag full with groceries.

Years of experience controlling her emotions allowed her hide her disappointment pretty well from him.

"Hey, you are back," she said "How was your vacation?"

"Excellent, Miss Barbara. It was a really nice trip to my lovely England."

"What is that?" The redhead pointed at the bags he had in his hands.

"Your fridge needed an urgent refill." He went toward the kitchen and Barbara followed him.

"How do you know? ... You are just arriving."

"Every time I leave you alone, the fridge and the pantry are the first ones who need my full attention and I don't think Miss Helena's stomach pit could survive one more day without food."

"Yea…. But she is not here now…."

"No?" He lifted his brows in surprise while the doors of the elevator closed. "Maybe her sixth sense warned her that your fridge was empty and she went to fill the bottomless pit elsewhere."

The redhead laughed lightly, looking at a plastic bag outside the grocery bag. "Mmm… pasta? Are you going to cook Italian?"

"Exactly. Superheroes need to be in shape and eat healthy food. Not just frozen or fast food. I will make some coffee. Would you like some?"

"Please."

The elevator doors opened on the second floor and they moved toward the kitchen.

"I'm glad you all survived by yourselves."

"Hey, we are superheroes, remember?"

"Oh, yes. True… Well, maybe pasta and some chicken would be good for dinner."

"I love the idea."

"Dinner for three." He put the groceries on the kitchen table.

"Well…" she hesitated, Helena hadn't been at dinner in the last week; she always had an excuse. Dumb excuses, but excuses nonetheless.

"Someone is sick?" Alfred asked.

"Not exactly. Helena has been acting weird the last few weeks. It's like…" she moved her hand nervously while he began to prepare the coffee, "like she is avoiding the Tower."

"Avoiding?" he looked at her curiously.

"Yes… I'm not sure what is happening to her. You know, sometimes she doesn't want to talk."

"Were you arguing again?" It was not uncommon for them to argue. In fact, it was a pretty rare that they didn't argue.

"Oh no, no, everything has been fantastic. It's just… that she… she is having nightmares; I think that must be it. Maybe she still feels guilty about Wade."

"You talked with her about it. It was not her fault." Alfred put coffee inside the coffee machine. "We all know it."

"Yes, but I think it's hard for her to accept. She trusted Quinzel. And you know that Helena doesn't open up to just anyone." Barbara leaned back in her chair and was quite for a moment. "I'm afraid…"

"Afraid?"

"Afraid that after that experience, she doesn't want to talk to anyone or open herself to anyone… including me."

Alfred turned on the coffee machine and turned to face the ex-crime fighter. "I don't think that would happen. Miss Helena loves you too much."

"But she is hurt…"

"You have never failed her, Miss Barbara."

"But she thinks she failed me, which, in her mind, is worse."

The ding of the elevator interrupted the conversation.

"Alfred! You are back from your vacation!" Helena said enthusiastically.

"Hey!" Barbara couldn't hide the big smile on her face.

"Hi," the brunette smiled back to her; she waved toward Alfred. "I'm so glad to see you again."

"Glad to see you too. I'm just starting to prepare dinner," he said in amusement, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. "Did you miss me?"

"Yes, I'm starved, I really suffer every time you leave." The brunette stood up next to him.

"I would cook, but you don't let me." Barbara kept an eye on her, observing the younger woman. She looked tired. Maybe she had gone to one of her favorite night clubs after her movie.

"I want to live." Blue eyes laughed at her. "You burn coffee."

"I'm glad you are here."

"Oh… I just came to look for my short coat. I guess I left it here last week."

"What happened to you?" the redhead asked curiously with a frown..

"Me? Nothing. Why?"

"You look as if you hadn't slept in a week," Alfred said, preparing the pasta.

"Good party?" Barbara moved her finger below her own eyes to signal her 'black rings'.

"Uh?" Helena muttered, "No." How could tell her about her weird dreams with Quinzel? Always the same damn dream every time she slept. She and Quinzel, that was crazy. Even weirder was that she could still feel Quinzel's skin under her fingers, she could still taste of her, and it was pissing her off. It was like being in the middle of a never ending nightmare.

Barbara observed the younger woman; suddenly, she seemed to be uncomfortable, the brunette moved back on the chair and played with the cookie she had in her hands.

"So?"

The young woman didn't answer, she kept playing with the cookie on her hands, her eyes lost on it. Barbara stretched out her hand and touched her arm. The dark woman jumped, startled.

"Hey, easy…" Barbara moved her hand back. "Are you okay?"

Her young protégée blinked, she seemed to be disturbed. The redhead moved her hand again to touch Helena's. The girl couldn't suppress a shiver and stood up.

"What's wrong?" the redhead asked.

"Nothing… I'm thirsty." Helena wandered to the cupboard to find a glass.

Barbara quirked an eyebrow.

"No," Helena moved her index side to side, "don't throw me 'the look' I know you, I didn't sleep enough last night… that's all. Nightmares, you know."

"Nightmares, yeah, your odd dreams." Green eyes didn't blink and followed her.

Damn.

When Barbara looked at her like that, it meant that she wasn't falling for it.

"Yes… it was just a nightmare…" Helena waved her hands, "You know, monsters, white fangs, green bodies, dragons and all those things," she joked.

"Monsters? Fangs?"

"Yes… like when you are a kid…" Helena took the handle of the fridge to open it. "Is there cold milk?"

"Yes," Barbara said scratching her ear. Now she was sure something was wrong. "But be careful opening the door, people say there are monsters inside when the light is off."

The brunette turned and glared at her.

"I'm joking, don't be so grumpy."

"I'm not grumpy… I just need to sleep a bit." Helena took out a carton of milk. She stood behind Alfred, who was at the stove, and sniffed, "Hey, that smells pretty good, Alfred."

"I know, I'm cooking."

"Well," Barbara moved back in her chair. "I'd love for you to stay for dinner."

"I'll prepare extra pasta for you," Alfred said.

"All right, just don't make too much. I don't eat that much."

Barbara smirked. The brunette rolled her eyes.

"All right, but I'm growing, Barbara."

"I hope someday you will stop growing or you are going to bankrupt the Wayne Foundation," Alfred chuckled.

She felt like shit. Not just because of the creepy dreams. She lied to Barbara.

But what else could she do?

Confess that she was having sick dreams with Quinzel?

Tell her that she loved her?

She was standing in a open field next to New Gotham Bay. The sky was filled with stars. She brunette picked up a pebble next to her shoe and threw it far, toward the bay.

The pebble skipped on the water two times before sinking.

She had been throwing small rocks on the water for the last half hour, thinking about the talk she had with Barbara almost a week ago at the Clock tower. She closed her eyes a few seconds; she still could feel the gentleness of her fingers touching her hand, her lovely gaze upon her. Her soft perfume.

She half opened her eyes and stared at the dark water in front of her. She didn't know what to do.

She was screwing it all up.

She was acting stupid, maybe the dreams revealed just her deepest fears. Every time she woke from one of those dreams, she had a creepy feeling, a tingling in her skull and in her hands and legs... she needed time to steady herself, to recover her breath. Every time she dreamed of Quinzel, she felt darkness upon her, claiming her. It was like being in hell.

While Quinzel was alive, she had reasons to be afraid of her. The damn doctor had screwed with her mind and had screwed with her mentor's life. She was an insane criminal that was obsessed with her them. Barbara had hunted the Joker, almost all entire career, she had stopped the criminal so many times and Batman… her… father had sent him to Arkham.

A place where he belonged.

She had reasons to hate them both.

As she had reasons to hate Harley, too.

She threw another pebble onto the water. This time, the little one bumped on the water four times before sinking.

She always had been a difficult soul for others to understand because, sometimes, it was hard for her to understand herself. Maybe those dreams were just a warning that she was losing control of her own emotions.

She kneeled and took another round pebble; she cleaned the dirt off reverently, remembering how Barbara had cleaned her of all the pain she had after her mother's death. She owed her life to her.

Barbara had taught her to manage her anger through the years, and she had done an excellent job. She could be awake now and not feeling the anger and pain consuming her. But she still had work to do. She needed to control herself more -- her temper, her feelings...

Her love for Barbara.

She took the small pebble and cleaned it again carefully.

Barbara always looked at her in a loving way. She always touched gently.

Maybe she was making a mistake by pushing Barbara away. Barbara had always been there for her. And she was happy when she was close. Why push that happiness away?

Maybe she would try to be close to her most often instead of running away.

She took the pebble and threw it to the water.

Four skips. Not so bad.

Maybe she still had time to fix this mess. To be closer to Barbara, spend more time with her; maybe go out to lunch or dinner and enjoy her company and talk about many things, not just work. She would lend some of her clothes to Dinah…

Helena scratched her head.

Well… no reason to go completely nuts.

She smiled to herself.

She would try.

"There are two kind of foolish people: the stubborn ones and Helena."

Barbara chuckled, opening her bag lunch on her lap.

"I'm telling you the truth, Barbara, she really is pig headed," the teen said, biting her sandwich; it was lunch time and she was seated on a bench in the gardens of New Gotham school.

They usually had lunch together when they had the same free period. Barbara loved the green gardens filled with trees and flowers. Now the weather was cold, but the beauty of the gardens was something that was always there. They were under an old tree with their backs toward the school building. Some students were sitting on the grass enjoying the sun and studying. Others just talked.

She cut a slice of apple that she had in her bag. "She is just having a hard time right now."

"Her life is a 'hard time'. You spoil her too much." Dinah looked for a napkin inside her lunch bag.

"I do not spoil her." Barbara put the apple slice in her mouth.

"Yes, you spoil her and it doesn't help things. Helena is like a big child."

"Well…" Barbara tapped her chin lightly. The soft breeze played with her hair. "She is a big child, just like you are sometimes."

"We are not talking about me. Maybe you need to spank her."

"I think I'll spank you first." Barbara leaned back slightly and fixed her eyes on her.

Dinah was silent a few seconds, maybe she was teasing her too much, and when the redhead got an idea in her head, it was hard to make her change her mind. "Okay. We can forget the spanking."

Barbara smiled lightly and cut another slice of apple. "I'm sure her behavior is connected to the nightmares that she's been having lately."

"Do you think?"

"She doesn't want to talk about it, and when she doesn't want talk about something…"

"…Got it," the teen interrupted opening her bottle of juice. "That brings us back to the first topic, Helena is pig headed."

Barbara rolled her eyes. "Dinah…"

"All right."

Barbara looked the apple in her hands in silence for a few seconds, thinking. She was not sure whether or not to ask her young protégée about the doubts she had. It would be invading the privacy of a person, the privacy of Helena. She knew it was not right, but she really wanted to know. Finally, her curiosity was stronger than her reason.

"Has… she told you anything about them?"

"About her dreams? No…"

"And… " She moved back in her chair, hesitant to ask. "Have… or… could you catch what is… bothering her…?"

"Uh?"

"You know," Barbara waved her hand toward her head. "…Thoughts?"

"Barbara! You told me not…"

"I know, I know," the redhead interrupted her. She was not good at trying to be subtle. "But I'm worried about her and I was thinking that maybe you, by accident, had picked up on something. You told me you can do it sometimes…"

"Well," the blonde girl shrugged her shoulders "I can´t avoid hearing when she is thinking too loud."

"Explain that again? About thinking too loud, who thinks too loud?"

"Helena."

The former crime fighter glared at her charge. Sometimes Dinah really did need a spanking.

"It's not my fault," the teen tried to explain, moving her hair nervously behind her ear with her fingers. "I… I don't want to do it… it's just, well, sometimes you can't avoid doing something and… it's like when you want to sneeze and you can't stop it…"

"Dinah…."

The young girl closed her mouth and met Barbara's emerald eyes. She knew 'the look', she just wanted an answer. Not more. Okay, maybe she was babbling again without say anything. She took a breath and tried again.

"Sometimes it's like she is talking in a very loud voice and I can't avoid hearing her. But she is not talking, she is thinking."

"All right? When… she does it… what have you caught? Anything about her dreams?"

"No…"

"But you have heard her, listened to her thoughts."

"Yes."

Dinah bit a piece of sandwich and munched it. The redhead waited in silence, and after long seconds, she noticed Dinah was staring off into space and it seemed she had forgotten they were talking.

"So?" she asked, to get her back to the topic.

"So?"

"We were talking about you hearing Helena's thoughts because she thinks 'too loud.'" She raised her index finger and moved it.

"Yes." Dinah nodded.

"So you heard her."

"Yes."

"What did you hear?"

"I can't tell you."

The kid really was testing her limits. She pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers; God! Dinah was almost better than Helena at ending her patience in record time. It was much easier to knock out a super villain and make him talk than to try to make a teen with meta powers talk. All right, in these case, she just needed to take a deep breath and count to ten.

And she did it.

"Why not?" she finally asked, trying to sound calm.

"Well... I heard to her by mistake and I don't think that talking about it would be right because you told me…"

Barbara raised her hand to stop the inevitably long and confusing speech that was sure to spill from the blonde's mouth. She needed to ask the question another way.

"All right, I understand, just tell me… Did the things that you 'heard' when she screamed in her thoughts have anything to do with her dreams?"

"Nope."

"With her absences from the Clock tower?"

"Nope."

"Dinah…"

"I promise, Barbara." And technically she was telling the truth-- in every thought she picked up from the brunette, Helena was drooling over the redhead. If Helena didn't want to talk; she respected her decision and it was not her place to open her mouth. "But I asked her why she was avoiding the Clock and she didn't want to tell me. Maybe as you say, we must wait until she decides to tell us what is happening. She will talk, Barbara."

"Yeah…" She leaned back in her chair, looking at the gardens. She liked the place, it was peaceful, a peace that usually disappeared every night when they guarded the city. She enjoyed those moments, serving the city, helping people; being close to Helena. Yeah, she needed to accept it, Helena's adrenaline was contagious; her inner strength filled the Tower every time she was there and her smile was a light in the darkness of their work.

She enjoyed the time they shared sitting in the living room watching TV or dining. She was fun, she showed her the unexpected side of a night warrior. Helena used to have breakfast with her or call at mid day after she was back from school.

But today was not the day.

Nor any day over the last few weeks.

"I miss her…" she said, almost in a whisper.

Dinah turned to see her. Had she heard that?

"… not just physically;" the redhead added, "I miss talking to her and having dinner or lunch with her. She is a good friend. " She lowered her head and played with her fingers. "I don't want to invade her privacy."

The teen noticed the tenderness in those green eyes when she talked about Helena.

"You know as I do, that she is hiding something from us. I would just like know what I can do to help her."

Dinah touched her hand.

"I know, Barbara, she will talk. Just give her time. She always comes back to you, she loves you so much."

"I hope so."

She arrived at her apartment late. She loved long, warm baths, and especially on cold night. Tonight was a really cold night. The hot water fell over her shoulders and she put her hands on the wall, lowering her head to enjoy the feeling of the water on her back. She couldn't stop thinking about Barbara. Some days she would dream about snuggling, holding her tight, just resting her head on her back and listening the beat of her heart, or burying her nose in soft red hair.

But her life was this one, a crazy crime fighter living over a bar; with no family or friends, just Barbara.

And she was not going to lose her just because of some stupid dreams and her stubbornness.

She turned off the water and stepped out her bathroom, wrapping a towel around herself. She walked into her bedroom.

Suddenly, she stopped; her eyes turned feral and her head snapped back.

"Quinzel?" she asked, surprised. In a corner, next to the window, the blonde stood naked, the moon light that crossed the window made her skin look like porcelain.

"Yes, it's me…" The blonde stepped closer to the younger woman, slowly, taking her time.

Helena had her eyes fixed on the other woman, she couldn't move; she could only stare at her, stunned. The woman had an incredible body, she seemed to move in slow motion, allowing Helena time to notice her thin curves and admire her small, but firm, breasts; the brunette felt her mouth go dry and a throb between her legs. The evil woman moved her arms around her neck smiling.

"I was waiting for you." She stroked Helena's mouth with her thumb.

"But…" the young woman noticed she wasn't in her room anymore; she was at Harleen's place.

"You did a good job knocking out our dear Oracle, but I'm sure your friends are lurking now and we need to kill them."

"Who?"

"Dinah and that annoying detective, Reese."

Helena suddenly remembered, Quinzel had hypnotized her and she had knocked out Barbara. She had given her the disk to get access to the tower and…. Quinzel stood up so close to her that she could feel the heat from her.

"This time you must not fail me," the blonde said.

"What are you doing?" the brunette asked in a whisper, trapped in her eyes.

"Taking what's mine…" Harleen took the young crime fighter's face in her hands and kissed her. The contact was fierce and Helena found her lips being forced apart by a hot, demanding tongue.

She couldn't resist it. She knew Quinzel was a crazy criminal that hated her mentor and that would never stop until she destroyed her, but something happened that every time she was in front of her. She couldn't do anything and once they had kissed, she couldn't keep her lips off of Harleen's body; her mind could only focus on touching and loving that woman.

The blonde moved back and smiled, looking deep into Helena's pupils, "I love your kitty eyes. They are so sexy…"

"Do you think?"

"Well…" she moved her hands down to the bottom of the towel and removed it easily, she let it fall to the floor. "Everything about you is damn sexy."

Harleen kissed her again and pressed her body against the brunette, moving her backwards toward the bed; Helena felt the other woman's naked leg between her thighs she gasped, unprepared for the sudden rush of warmth to her lower regions. The blonde's hands and tongue moved on her body, making her tremble and lose her mind in the feeling of touches and tastes.

She felt Harleen's breasts moving against hers with every heavy breath. Nipples pressed into her skin.

She rolled the other woman on her back and kissed her.

Quinzel knew she was close because of her panting against her ear. Her abdomen contracting under the pressure of her fingers.

Then…

Barbara wheeled toward her room. She was wearing green sweat pants and a white tank. It was Sunday, a good day to do nothing or watch TV. Of course she had chosen to work at the Delphi; she loved it. Humming, she went to prepare a cup of coffee in the kitchen before starting her work. Yesterday had been a wonderful day. Helena seemed to be back to her usual mood. She had dinner at Clock Tower and everyone had a good time.

She was in a good mood and seemed to have recharged her batteries; she really wanted to start work. Still, they needed to find some clues about the 'boss' -- the mysterious new criminal in New Gotham. She opened the lower cabinet and picked up the coffee bag. It was empty.

"Bad news," she said to herself, her gears couldn't start without coffee. She put it in the trash and opened the next door. She moved some boxes around and a few jars to the side, trying to find it. She was sure they had more coffee some place. She could handle an empty fridge, no food, no drinks… but no coffee? That was a sin.

She looked up at the upper cabinet. Maybe there? She raised her arm and opened it. Excellent, a coffee bag was there, but it was pretty high. She looked down and sighed. The manual chair. Very short.

Hard for her to get it. She usually didn't require her brain try to work before coffee, but this morning she would have to do it.

She looked around, trying to find something she could use to reach the bag.

"Can I help?" a voice interrupted her thoughts.

Barbara felt her heart jump out of her chest. She turned, surprised to see the thin brunette.

"Sorry, I left my bell at home." She shrugged her shoulders, knowing she had startled her mentor.

"Don't worry." Barbara smiled. It was a nice surprise. "What are you doing here?"

That smile was a light for her day. Helena raised two plastics bags in her hands. "Breakfast, Alfred doesn't work on Sunday and it's not healthy for you to eat anything you cook."

"Frozen food?"

The brunette put the bags on the table and went toward the cabinet. "Oh no, it's too early for it." She was nervous before stepping inside the elevator that would take her to the clock. She paced outside for almost fifteen minutes, wondering if what she was doing was correct or not.

She had promised herself that she would change and not let those creepy dreams separate her from Barbara; the woman had asked her to trust in her and stay away so much… Even knowing that, she was not sure how the redhead would take her visit. After all, she had spent almost a month avoiding the place. Yesterday, she had been there for dinner and now for breakfast. She used to do that before, but she couldn't avoid feeling nervous. She finally had mustered the courage to go to the top of the building.

Barbara's smile had assured her that it had been the right choice to be there that morning.

"Ooh… and what is the menu for today?" the redhead asked, curiously looking at the bags.

"Well…." Helena stretched to get the coffee. "Fresh orange juice, fresh fruit, crispy bacon, bagels with ham, and a grilled chicken sandwich."

She picked up the bag and gave it to her, purposefully leaning a few inches from her face. She wanted know her reaction; she wanted to know if there would be an inkling of emotion on the redhead about her.

"And, of course, Babs, your whole-grain muffins," she said, trying to sound casual, but it was hard, Barbara was so beautiful; her perfect white skin, her eyebrows in perfect shape over those deep green eyes that always looked incredible, surrounded by her long, red hair. The morning sun behind her back made her look like an angel.

She took a deep breath and she could smell her soft scent. It was unique; it always made her heart beat as fast as if she had run miles and miles with no rest. She could fly and bring her the stars, or could go to the end of the world to bring her the first morning rays; or the first pink clouds of the sunrise. She wanted to curl up with her, wrapping her arms around her waist and just listening to her heart, listening to her breathe.

Corny.

Helena smiled to herself.

Yea, she was corny and romantic. If she stayed there for one more second, she would surely lean in and kiss her.

Instead, she winked at Barbara and moved back, smiling. "By the way, you look gorgeous today."

Barbara smiled lightly at her. "You are crazy."

"Evil, some people say… Ah," Helena poked around inside the bags, "I brought some sausage, the kid loves it."

"Thanks…" the redhead mumbled, looking at her disconcertedly. Maybe she was still dreaming.

"I know you always watch what you eat, but I bought you a donut. It's filled with cream, your favorite."

"Hey," Dinah said, yawning in the kitchen doorway. "What is this? Party?" she narrowed her eyes and looked at the clock, "Its early, no?"

"It's nine-thirty kid," Helena said. "Don't be lazy."

"Do you feel sick, Helena?"

"No, I'm hungry."

After a pleasant breakfast, Barbara enjoyed her warm cup of coffee and her cream filled donut. Dinah had gone to take a shower and Helena was finishing her third pop tart. Helena was full of life. She was dressed in a dark blue skirt and a white blouse with no sleeves. She seemed relaxed and looked so sweet and innocent, like that girl that she met at Selina's house such a long time ago.

She was talking about something, but Barbara was lost just looking at her, her smile, her eyes sparkled with delight. The energy that she radiated; her skin, in some way, she looked especially beautiful this morning.

She remembered the electricity running through her skin when Helena had leaned in to give her the bag of coffee Those expressive blue eyes, so close to her really made her feel nervous, so nervous the only thing she was ale to say was "you are crazy."

Helena had a strong magnetism and an incredible inner strength of which Barbara was sure the younger woman was unaware.

"Barbara?" the brunette asked, cocking her head.

"Uh?"

"You weren't listening to what I was saying." Helena felt that maybe she was talking too much and Barbara was bored.

"Yes, I… well, no," Damn. She was caught, she couldn't lie. "Sorry… I was thinking…"

"About the new super villain in the city?" Helena tried to joke.

"No…" the redhead said "about being glad you are back. We missed you so much. Never forget that we love you."

"Oh…" That was an unexpected answer and Barbara was staring at her with that look that melted her. Damn. Helena felt warm from her feet to her face.

Barbara smiled, noticing Helena was blushing; she took another bite of her donut.

Helena was silent and noticed a drop of cream on the Barbara's lower lip. The temptation was too much. Without thinking, she bent down and extended her hand to clean the cream off the corner of her mouth. The movement surprised the redhead; she felt a slight, tingling shiver down her spine and it was now her turn to blush.

"I have a great idea," Helena said, suddenly.

"Mmm?"

"We can organize a movie marathon today."

"Movie…? But I have work to do…"

"Come on, Barbara, you work all day. What do you think?"

"Did I hear something about movies?" Dinah walked into the kitchen, drying her hair with a towel. "Cool."

"Well… sounds good…" Barbara hesitated, she hadn't planned this.

"Excellent," Helena said, standing up in front of Barbara, "I'll be right back in a few…"

"Just don't bring your typical horror movies, they are awful…" Dinah glared at her.

"You won't be able to sleep tonight after watching my choices."

"I want to see that."

The brunette smiled and hopped toward the elevator before the redhead could protest. Dinah sat at the table and took a donut out of the box.

Barbara was surprised, she wanted her back, but she was being very nice and attentive; she hadn't protested about anything nor had she been grumbling as usual. She liked it but, well, she didn't expect this nice behavior. She had blushed; she knew she had blushed when Helena had touched her lip.

Yeah, she had caught her off guard. Helena was just being nice.

"This is new…" Barbara said, as soon as the young woman disappeared.

"Her paying for the movie rentals? Yeah." Dinah agreed, crossing her arms on the table.

"No, I mean, she's here again and…."

"Well, she is back, I told you. She just needed time."

"She is being very nice…"

"Well, from Helena that is really weird. But is that a problem?"

"Of course not… it's just… different."

"Give her a few weeks and she will be stubborn and obstinate once again."

Barbara shook her head, smiling. Those two definitely loved to annoy each other like sisters. She wheeled her chair back.

"All right, your turn to wash dishes."

"Who? Me? Why?"

"I need to check a few things on the Delphi before Helena comes back. I already prepared the coffee, Helena brought the breakfast…"

"I brought my stomach."

"And hurry up." Barbara wheeled toward the stairs. "I think she will be back soon."

Part 3

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