Dance with Me

Author: Janine
Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine, they belong to
Tollin/Robbins, and the WB (who abused and mistreated them) and a
bunch of other people I'm sure who aren't me. So, that's my crappy
disclaimer.
Fandom: Birds of Prey
Pairing: Barbara/Helena
Rating: PG
Summary: Helena gets tired of two-stepping.

Note: This story was inspired by an essay/exam induced fever and too
many trailers for Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights and The Dreamers,
which put the idea of a French accented, sweaty dancing Helena in my
head. And well, she would not be ignored, so … fetish be shared!

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New Gotham City … Present Day

Helena sat on the edge of the desk, her legs hanging over the edge,
her feet perched on the wheel of the redhead's wheelchair as
Barbara's fingers flew over the keyboard in front of her, almost too
fast to make out any of the keys she was hitting.

"I can take care of it," Barbara said finally, her hands dropping
from the keyboard into her lap as she turned to face Helena, who was
still in her combat leathers having just returned to the clock-tower
after a sweep.

"You make it sound like a booty call," Helena replied smirking at
Barbara as the redhead leaned back in her chair comfortably, staring
at her lazily.

"With you it's essentially the same thing," Barbara finally replied
easily, shooting Helena a smile herself, "hungry and horny are pretty
much interchangeable for you after a good night of ass-kicking,
aren't they?" She went on knowing full well that they were. The zeal
with which Helena tucked into post-sweep snacks, finger licking and
moaning both part of the package, was borderline indecent, and the
fondness the brunette had for whipped cream made her think any booty
calls would have to be placed well after midnight on the kinky clock.

"Right, so which one are you going to take care of?" Helena asked
holding Barbara's gaze with her own before biting her bottom lip as
her gaze dropped to rove over Barbara.

"Well," Barbara said thoughtfully, fully aware that Helena was
checking her out and probably undressing her with her eyes since the
brunette seemed to have absolutely no sense of shame. "I guess that
depends what you're in the mood for."

"Well, like you said, I'm a simple girl with simple tastes," Helena
replied her eyes moving back to Barbara's face. "I'm fairly easy to
please. Reese put pancakes on the table so it's up to you to beat
his offer."

"I know how you love pancakes," Barbara said thoughtfully, her brows
scrunching together in mock consternation. "I'm not sure there's
anything in the kitchen that will beat that."

"That's okay, stay positive," Helena encouraged. "Think outside the
box, Oracle. Let's consider the whole clock-tower, for example. Can
you think of any tasty treats that might be … rolling about somewhere
else?"

"Pop tarts?" Barbara suggested.

"Not better than pancakes," Helena replied shaking her head sadly.

"Pie," Barbara offered, looking over at Helena with such a mockingly
hopeful expression on her face that the brunette nearly lost it.

"That does sound good, but I've got a taste for something else," she
responded dropping her feet onto the floor and moving closer to the
edge of the desk so that she was barely sitting on it and practically
in Barbara's lap.

"I think I need a hint," Barbara commented looking up at Helena
through her lashes. "I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, you
know."

"I think you're special," Helena smiled holding Barbara's gaze for
moment, before slowly leaning forward, closing the distance between
them until they were practically nose to nose, her lips millimeters
away from Barbara's and closing in.

Barbara turned her head to the side as Helena was about to make
contact with her lips, causing the brunette to draw to a stop, her
lips so close to the redhead's face she could practically feel the
smooth skin beneath her lips.

"It's late," Barbara commented her eyes on the computer screen as her
hands dropped to the side of her chair as she rolled herself
backwards slightly placing some space between herself and Helena.

"This is news to you?" Helena asked before loudly exhaling in
frustration, as she pulled back so that she was once against leaning
against the desk.

"Are you staying the night?" Barbara asked very aware of Helena's
tone and the tension radiating off of her.

"Only if I can sleep in a bed," Helena replied pushing off the desk
so that she was standing.

Barbara contemplated her silently for a moment, shifting
uncomfortably in her chair before her eyes skittered away from
Helena's and she opened her mouth to speak her gaze on some far
corner of the clock-tower.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. And we start the dance all over,"
Helena muttered holding Barbara's gaze for a moment longer before
moving past her and heading for the elevator.

--------------------------------------------------

Gotham City … 8 years ago

Barbara felt a delicate hand come to rest lightly on the curve of her
hip and breathed in deeply as she felt a trim yet strong body move
closer towards her so that they were almost standing chest to chest.
She felt hot and uncomfortable and tilted her head to the side to
address the person holding onto her, the words "I don't think this is
such a good idea" hanging on her lips as she watched a pale arm lift
up, remote control in hand, to turn the stereo on. However, before
she could get the words out of her mouth the remote control was
flipped easily onto a nearby couch and the girl who's hand it had
just been in turned around to face her, pinning her in place with her
eyes as her now free hand took its place on the other side of her hip.

"Don't think okay, just move with me," came the smooth, confident and
slightly accented words from the girl in front of her as those clear,
blue eyes continued to hold her in place. "I'll take care of you,"
Helena went on leaning a little closer as she straightened her body
and shifted her weight onto the balls of her feet.

And with that she was suddenly drawn roughly against Helena by the
hand the brunette had snaked around behind her back, the movement so
swift that it surprised her causing her to gasp and open her eyes
wide, though she instinctively placed her hand on Helena's arm, just
above her bicep.

"Don't you think we're close enough," Barbara managed to breathe out
refusing to push into the body in front of her even though she knew
she should according to the rules of the dance. Instead she simply
extended her right arm in the ballroom manner causing Helena to
follow her motion and move on from the missed action.

"You can never get close enough Bar-ba-ra," came the smiling response
as she felt Helena press lightly against her hand before she clasped it.

Barbara found herself grinning a little at the way her name sounded
as it dropped from those lips. Only one person ever said her name
like that, and she still found it as charming as she had the first
time she heard it. It came out confident, teasing, and slightly
mysterious as if there was a meaning behind the extra syllable that
even the speaker was ignorant to.

It was quintessential Helena.

"Five to ten says differently," Barbara replied finally as she
stepped backwards with her right foot and then backwards with her
left foot, as Helena stepped forward with her left foot and then
forward with her right foot.

"Okay," Helena replied before laughing airily, more amused by the
statement than Barbara would have liked. Like her mother, Helena
seemed inordinately amused by her at times, most of the time
actually. "Whatever you say."

"Are you humoring me?" Barbara asked as they began the rock steps,
pivoting as she stepped to the left before making a 360 degree
counter-clockwise turn. Her tone was indignant and mildly
chastising.

Helena stared at her for a long moment, still moving in time with the
music, her eyes moving away from Barbara's only for a moment when the
redhead accidentally stepped on her foot. She smirked at that before
spinning Barbara around, and then looked over at her contemplatively
again before finally muttering, "Why are you talking so much?"

"That's the pot calling the kettle black," Barbara murmured pointedly
before dropping her eyes to look at her feet as they moved through
the next set of steps, jerking back slightly when Helena's face
suddenly appeared right in front of hers.

"Don't look at you feet, look at me," Helena said quietly. "You
won't be able to tell what I'm going to do next by looking at my
shoes," she continued watching as Barbara somewhat reluctantly
returned her gaze to her. "Good," she went on seemingly pleased with
the turn events had taken. "Now stop thinking. You can't dance if
you think."

"That seems a little antithetical," Barbara commented. "Not all of
us were raised in ballrooms and studios. I have to think about the
steps in order to execute them," she went on noticing how Helena
smirked at the mention of ballrooms'.

"That's bullshit," Helena responded. "We both know I learned to
dance like this in barrooms … just like mammon," she continued
smirking at the redhead as they swayed back and forth. "And you
don't need to think about the steps in order to execute them'. You
know them, now you just have to feel them."

"I feel like Jennifer Grey," Barbara muttered under her breath,
nonetheless trying to follow Helena's advice and go with the flow.

"Concentrate on how my body feels moving against you," Helena
instructed her voice barely a whisper as she leaned in closer to
Barbara.

"I'd really rather not," Barbara bit off before she realized she had
spoken.

Helena was quiet for a long moment after that though she continued to
lead Barbara through the steps. Her features had closed off, and
Barbara could tell that she was thinking intensely about something,
which impressed her since the teens body was still moving bonelessly
as if she didn't have a care in the world.

"This is not the dance for you," Helena said finally pulling away
from Barbara as the song neared its end.

"What do you mean?" Barbara asked uncertain as to the brunette's
meaning and tone. She wasn't sure whether she had hurt Helena's
feelings with her previous comment. "Selina said it would be perfect
for …"

"I know," Helena interrupted, her back facing Barbara as she moved
towards the entertainment system at the side of the room. "I was
there remember, I was thinking what she was thinking," she went on
her tone slightly teasing. Selina had turned to her daughter after a
moment of consideration when Barbara had detailed the situation to
her, and had said to Helena, "are you thinking what I'm thinking?" to
which the girl had smiled brightly and nodded her head.

"Then …"

"We were wrong, it's not the right dance for you," Helena said
cutting Barbara off once again as she opened up a CD case and pulled
out the disc, placing it into an empty slot on the player.

"Why?" Barbara asked somewhat off-put by Helena's rather dismissive
tone.

"The Argentine Tango is a dance of passion," Helena commented
stepping away from the stereo and moving over towards the couch where
she had thrown the remote control earlier.

"Are you saying I'm devoid of passion?" Barbara asked quirking an
eyebrow, not sure whether to be insulted or amused by Helena's
youthful presumption.

"No," Helena said running her thumb over the buttons of the remote
thoughtfully before tilting her head to look over at Barbara. "No, I
think you are very passionate," she continued pointing the remote at
the stereo, but seemingly thinking better of it and dropping her arm
again. "I also think that scares you."

"What?" Barbara asked not quite sure she liked where Helena was going
with her statements, but not certain enough to outwardly argue with
the girl yet about it.

"You like being in charge, in control of everything," Helena
responded sounding almost sad as she spoke.

"So," Barbara challenged, her back straightening a bit defensively.
There was nothing wrong with wanting to be fully informed, self-
sufficient, and capable.

"So you can't let yourself go," Helena said holding her eyes, meeting
the challenge. "We try this instead," she continued finally turning
on the stereo again. "The Cha-Cha, it is playful. Much less
exposed. You'll like this better," she went on walking the few steps
that would bring her in front of Barbara once again. "You won't have
to get so close for this," she added looking directly at Barbara as
she reached for her hand.

Barbara remained silent though she allowed Helena to take her hand.
She felt chastised by the look, and somewhat foolish since a sixteen
year old had mastered a dance that apparently she was emotionally
incapable of learning.

"We do a crossover pattern for this one," Helena began drawing
Barbara's attention back to her. "You are looking at your partner,
at me in this case, and then you turn away and look at something
else. Very coy, I can see that you want me, but I don't want you.
Or do I?' You turn back towards me then, a brief look, and I smile
or maybe wink at you. I know you want me too, but you are playing
hard to get. You are a saucy minx. We turn away from each other.
Then we go back to a standard face-to-face pattern. We dance, you
look at me, and blow a kiss, it says not tonight my friend', and we
start the dance all over."

------------------------------------------------

New Gotham City … Present Day

"Helena!" Barbara called out, her hands on the wheels of her chair
propelling her towards the elevator and the brunette quickly. "Don't
go."

"Why stay?" Helena asked as she flung her back against a nearby wall
and crossed her legs at the ankle before folding her arms over her
chest defensively.

"For the company," Barbara suggested smiling playfully, though she
sobered pretty quickly when Helena remained stone-faced and surly
even in the face of her charming rapport. "Which you obviously find
lacking," she added a moment later under her breath, before breathing
in deeply.

"I don't find your company lacking, which is exactly the point,"
Helena responded her head turned towards Barbara, watching her with
darkly intense, hooded eyes as she rested against the wall. "Well,"
she continued her head turning away from Barbara's to roam the clock-
tower. "Maybe in one respect, but again that's exactly the point."

"I know," Barbara admitted her eyes dropping down into her lap for a
second before looking up again to meet Helena's which were once again
on her. "I'm more comfortable with the Cha-Cha, you were right."

Helena stared at her for a moment before smiling a little, her eyes
sparkling as she gazed at the redhead. But almost as soon as the
look appeared it vanished, replaced by once more serious eyes, and
lips with a sad pout to them.

"Yeah," Helena replied softly, "that's why I suggested it. But …
that was a long time ago. I'm tired of chasing you only to have you
turn away," she continued her voice still quiet though her eyes were
burning into Barbara's with a brooding intensity that sent a shiver
through the redhead's body. "Dance with me."

"I had my dancing shoes retired for me a long time ago," Barbara said
meeting Helena's eyes.

"There's more than one way to Tango," Helena replied uncrossing her
arms, her expression less stand-offish than it had been a few moments
before as she gazed at the redhead, a slow smile working its way
across her lips.

Barbara's hands dropped to the wheels of her chair as her eyes
dropped away from Helena's. Her back was tense and straight, and her
jaw clamped tightly shut. She began to rock her wheelchair back and
forth unconsciously as she wrestled with the desire to flee the
conversation and all that came with it, and stay and finish it and
all that came with that.

"I couldn't even keep up with you back then," she finally said
stilling her chair before taking a deep breath and looking up at
Helena. "And now …" she trailed off, her eyes avoiding Helena's
again before she screwed her eyes tightly shut, wishing she had just
let Helena go, or at the very least had removed herself from the
situation a few moments before.

"And now?" Helena asked softly walking towards her.

"And now, I'm afraid you'd find my staccato footwork," Barbara began
a bit darkly looking over at Helena as the brunette reached her,
watching as she kneeled in front of her, "rather lacking," she
finished as Helena gazed up at her.

"I want you," Helena said simply, her eyes resting steadily on
Barbara though the redhead was doing everything in her power to avoid
looking at her.

"You can't have me," Barbara responded her hands falling to the
wheels of her chair, though when she tried to move back she found
herself impeded. Helena had a hold on the chair and wasn't about to
let go anytime soon if the look on her face was any indication when
Barbara glanced at her peevishly.

"I need you," Helena said pushing closer to Barbara, wrapping her
arms around the redhead's legs, hugging them to her as she rested her
chin in Barbara's lap.

"You need to devise a better method for getting dates," Barbara
replied trying to move back again and finding that she could move a
little, but not a lot since Helena would just end up swaying with her
killing any momentum she was able to get going.

"I love you," Helena stated in the same tone, only this time with her
head resting on its side in Barbara's lap as she looked up at the
older woman.

That brought Barbara up short and somewhat helplessly drew her eyes
down towards the baby blues staring up at her. There were certain
things Helena was extremely open about, that Barbara was sure it
didn't even occur to her to be coy about though most people would be
hesitant to even broach thinking about talking about it. But when it
came to things she felt strongly about, emotions that could leave her
vulnerable Helena could be as closed off as Barbara herself was, or
even as distant as Bruce. Helena would tell you every detail of some
masturbatory fantasy she'd had, but ask her about something close to
her heart and she could stonewall you with the best of them. Which
meant that Barbara was rather shocked to hear the words "I love you"
fall so freely, and seemingly unconcerned from Helena's lips,
especially considering the conversation they had just been having.

"That got your attention," Helena commented lifting her head off of
Barbara's leg.

"Yeah," Barbara confirmed watching Helena as her eyes skittered away
for a moment though she maintained the hug she had around the
redhead's legs.

"Good," Helena said finally, letting go of Barbara's legs hopping
back slightly so that she could stand up. "Cause I want you to
listen to me," she went on once she was up right. "I love you and I
want to be with you, in every possible way. I want to wake up and
see your eyes blinking at me suspiciously in the morning before you
realize I'm suppose to be there. I want to come back from sweeps and
carry you into the bedroom in fine cavewoman form and do unspeakable
things to you before having milk and cookies. I want to spend my
breaks thinking up cute puns I can put on cards and send flowers to
you, and impress you with my wit. I really want to see the look on
your dad's face when you tell him we're engaged. I want to stare at
you until I know absolutely every line and curve of your face, until
I'm half sick of looking at you and yet, still completely captivated
by you. I want be with you until I'm in a walker and we sit around
all day in checkered robes arguing over butterscotch candy. And I
don't care if I sound far too impressed with myself, arrogant or
conceited because I know that you want me too. So, I'm going to rest
my hands on the arms of that chair in a few seconds, lean forward and
kiss you and after that, we're finally going to get around to that
Tango. Comprende?"

"Comprende," Barbara replied a big smile working its way across her
face as Helena took a step forward and leaned down resting her hands
on the arm rests of her chair as she said she would. "Wait,
engaged?" Barbara asked as the brunette leaned forward, the last
syllable barely escaping from her mouth before she felt Helena's lips
brush against hers softly.

"Hmmm, I'm going to make an honest woman of you," Helena murmured.
Barbara felt her lips upturn in a smile then before the brunette
pressed forward again, sucking Barbara's bottom lip into her mouth as
she kissed again, slowly, a simmering kiss that left Barbara waiting
to boil over.

"Of me?" Barbara asked somewhat incredulously as Helena pulled back
slightly.

"Why are you talking so much?" Helena asked smirking as Barbara
leaned forward pressing a soft kiss to her lips as her hand made it's
way to the brunette's check, stroking the skin there lightly before
she deepened the kiss, her hand moving around Helena's neck to tangle
in her hair. "Shut up," the brunette continued when Barbara broke
their kiss momentarily to drag her closer, "and dance with me."

The End

Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this little number as
much as the girls are going to enjoy theirs ;) Feedback is always
welcome and appreciated!