Gift of a Friend
Harley shoves Helena out of the way and leaps for the balcony railing. As she flips to the inside, Barbara steps up on a table and flies to the railing, struggling to climb over with her escrima stick in one hand. Harley watches as she completes her task.
Below, Helena becomes preoccupied with two cops, not realizing her mentor has gone after Harley.
Barbara jumps over the railing taking small steps toward Harley. Her hand grips an escrima stick with rage. "Where is he?" Her breathing increases with her anger.
"Oh, Mr. Wade Brixton? He's gone. Does it bother you that my lips where the last his touched?" She smirks at Oracle, almost pleased with what she had done.
Barbara's eyes spark intensely as she places a front snap into Harley's chest, sending her flying backwards into the kitchen island. The rage escalates as Barbara raises her escrima stick and brings it crashing down with a loud crack as Harley ducks out of the way. That was meant for your head. Her arm swings to the right and Harley rolls to the ground only to be hit across the cheek when she stands up again sending her into a counter. Trying to defend herself, Harley throws a punch, which Barbara easily steps out of the way and counters with another attack to the head and misses. Harley takes the opening and hits Barbara square in the face.
Oracle attempts to grab Harley, but is put in a throat lock and slammed against the counter's edge next to the sink causing her to drop her escrima stick. Pain rips through face as her neural responder makes contact. I can't loose my legs now. Not till this is finished.
Harley shoves her arm under the redhead's throat to keep her in place. She struggles to be released from Harley's hold. Harley reaches for a knife that is just out of her reach. No you don't. Barbara shoves Harley's arm away and grabs a wine bottle, smashing it on her opponent's head, which sends her to the floor.
Harley slowly crawls away, trying to regain her senses as a weakened Barbara picks up her escrima stick off the floor. She kicks Harley in the gut sending her closer to the railing. As she stands up, Barbara grabs her arm and places it in a lock. Harley leans over the railing with Barbara's escrima stick at her throat.
Harley seers at Barbara, tempting her to do the one thing she has always told her protégé never to do. Kill. "Soft lips, so sweetly tender. Cute little trickle of blood running out the side when he died." She half chuckles. I may die, but she will be turned into the one thing she hates most.
Helena looks up realizing what is happening. The light reflects off her mentors eyes, making it look like they are ablaze with rage, and the longing to kill that Helena has experienced so many times. "Barbara, don't." Barbara pushes her stick harder on Harley's throat, almost closing off her windpipe. The look in her eyes becomes stronger and Helena leaps to the balcony to stand next to her mentor.
"Stay back, Helena." She gives her orders with a voice that is ready for the kill. To seek the vengeance it desires. Harley stares into Barbara's eyes with a smirk that says you can't kill. Watch me.
"Barbara, listen to me." Helena pleads with the older woman, trying to save her from herself. I wont let you kill. I know what it would mean if you did.
"There's nothing left to say." Her eyes burn as she is determined to carry out what she started.
"Yes, there is." Helena emphasizes the words to get her point across. She opens her heart to reach the older woman in a place that is filled with nothing but anger and the longing to kill. Longing to reach the real Barbara and not the rage driven one. Just let me in, please. "You have saved me so many times, it's my turn. When my mom died, you told me something that I didn't understand until right now."
Harley breaks her gaze with Barbara to take a look at Helena, and appears annoyed at the girl's attempt to stop her mentor. Try all you want, but her rage and anger are beyond your reach. Barbara presses her lips together determined not to listen.
"You told me revenge might dull the pain, but the less we felt the less we were." Helena watches as her mentor begins to break.
"It was a lie." Her voice breaks as Helena's words pierce her heart.
"No, it wasn't. Barbara, this is my last chance to get forgiveness for what I did. If I could give my life to have Wade back, you know I would." Tears come to Barbara's eyes as she swallows hard trying to keep them back. "But I can't. Barbara, we don't kill. No matter what."
The barrier around her heart weakens under every word Helena says. "I can't let you do this. It makes us less."
Below her; Alfred, Reese, and Dinah watch, realizing what could happen. They wait for Barbara's response, praying that she will simply stop and not have to have Helena stop her. Dinah watches her mentor struggle with the pain inside of her, remembering how it felt when she lost her mom and also feeding off the words Helena says. As if they were also meant for her. Alfred listens and no longer sees them as mentor and protégé. They are friends, but so much more. Helena's need to save her friend is what must reach her. I cannot do it, Dinah nor Reese. It has to be Helena.
"It makes us less." Helena speaks with such certainty, Barbara's heart aches for the comfort of her friend.
Barbara's defenses break and she releases Harley, letting her fall to the floor. She reaches for her back as her responder begins to stop. She takes a few stumbling steps and begins to fall to the floor. Helena takes hold of her shoulders to keep the woman from falling and the two slide to the ground.
"Barbara!" Broken hearted, in pain, and emotionally spent, she lays back onto Helena's lap as her friend wraps comforting arms around her. Helena strokes her friend's hair and holds her close. Barbara's responds stops and her legs flop lifeless once more.