The brunette arrived late, after her shift at the Dark Horse Bar. They hadn't gone out on sweeps, but Barbara said she had something important to talk about. And if Red wanted to talk about something important, it would, without doubt, be important. Maybe it was about the 'Boss'-- they had discovered three hideouts over the last few days, almost thirty five tons of weapons. The man surely wasn't happy and would be looking for another place to hide his arsenal and recover all his lost equipment.

The Clock Tower was empty when she arrived. She looked around; the Delphi was in stand-by mode and a dim light filled the place. When the lights were dim lights, Barbara hadn't be there for a long time. She was probably taking a shower. So, in the meantime, Helena would kill her hunger. She went toward the kitchen and opened the cupboards, looking for pop-tarts. Finding some, she opened them and dropped them in the toaster.

She began to hum as she walked toward the fridge. She took a big bottle of cold milk and opened it.

She loved milk. It was a cat thing. She downed almost half of it immediately.

The toaster dinged, announcing the now toasted poptarts. She put them on a plate and sat at the table, eating happily.

Barbara wheeled into the kitchen with a dark green top that exposed the firm muscles of her arms; the black pants were almost pasted to her legs and her long red hair fell over her shoulders.

It was, in Helena's not so humble opinion, a really hot combination. She couldn't avoid staring at her. Wow. She really looked great—well, Barbara looked great in anything.

"Hi." She sipped more of her milk; her mouth was suddenly dry.

"Hi, 'Tiger'…."

The brunette coughed, spewing milk across the table.

"Careful, you will ruin your jacket." Barbara tossed her a napkin.

"Sorry… cough… "

"… Or do you prefer 'Beautiful'?"

Shit. Helena wiped her lips. She needed a quick idea to get herself out of this.

"So…" the redhead asked, taking a cookie from a plate on the kitchen table, "how was the night at the bar with Dinah?"

The attack would be hard and incessant; Barbara was not giving her time to breathe. She couldn't believe the kid had opened her big mouth, but she couldn't lie. Knowing Barbara, things would be worse and she didn't know how much the girl had said.

"She told you." The young woman cleaned the milk off the table.

"No. She would never betray you. Let's just say she gave me a hint…" the redhead smirked, "and then I just had to ask the right questions."

Helena rolled her eyes. As always, Dinah talked too much.

"It's not good that you teach her bad things."

"Come on, Barbara, I'm helping her practice empirical research."

"What?" Barbara narrowed her eyes.

"But don't worry, I kept an eye on her at all times."

"She is just a teenager, Helena!" Barbara said, exasperated. "Heavens!"

"Barbara, the kid needs to learn about life. They aren't bad things, just experiences."

"Then show her experiences proper for her age."

"Well, being a crime fighter is not exactly proper for her age." The brunette leaned back in her chair. Yes, this was going well. She was making good points.

"You know what I mean; you were in lots of trouble at that age."

"I was not."

"Are you sure? I spent half of my salary on Tylenol." Barbara crossed her arms over the table and leaned forward, glaring at her.

"Okay, okay, maybe I was a bit of a rebel… but I learned a lot." Helena crossed her hands over the table and also leaned forward, her eyes meeting Barbara's.

"Doesn't look like it."

"Hey, I'm still learning."

After such a long time living together, she had learned to read Helena like a book. Well, after Dinah's confession,… Helena had a damn charm that made difficult for Barbara not to give in and finish by asking her to just apologize. And she was very smart… she was now trying to distract her from the main topic.

"I would love," Barbara said, trying to go back to the topic at hand, "really love for you to explain to me why you took Dinah to a bar…?"

"She just danced and drank coke, I promise. She wanted to go to the bar. I thought it would be good for her."

" …a gay bar?"

Crap. Dinah was so dead.

"Oh… that…" Helena mumbled.

"Why did you take Dinah to a gay bar? You broke the rules, you helped her to get in a place that is prohibited for minors! You encouraged her to break the law! That is wrong! You know I hate that! Don't ever do this type of thing again!"

"Barbara!" Helena stood up. Why she was so stiff about this topic? "Please! Sometimes kids want to have fun! Life is not just about rules!"

"Helena, I could understand it if you were a teenager! But you are not a kid-- Look at you, you are a woman."

The brunette turned her head toward her. Barbara was seeing her as a woman? Had she really said that?

"You are a woman, a complete and mature woman."

Helena remained still, staring at her. "Do you think?"

Barbara's eyes examined the young woman in front of her-- slim, wild, with an incredible beauty and inner strength. She had noticed many times when they were out together how young men turned to see her, and how she flirted with them. She remembered how proud she had felt that Helena was sharing the time with her and not with other people, to get her complete attention. Helena really was sexy. Helena was not a kid anymore.

"Yes, you are… you are beautiful, Helena."

Both looked at each other in silence for long seconds. The brunette felt her heat beating harder. Barbara thought she was beautiful? WHOAA!! That was cool! Her gaze softened, she couldn't move her eyes away from that beloved face, trying to keep the moment forever. Barbara was looking her in a strange way, she had never seen it.

The older woman felt hypnotized under the gaze of the young woman. She was trapped, suddenly, in those familiar blue eyes. A lurch in her stomach and something she couldn't understand made her felt uncomfortable. She broke the moment, looking away.

"And understand please, Helena, a gay bar is not a good idea."

"So next time… I should take her to a straight bar?" the brunette asked, playfully.

Barbara rubbed her forehead. "I don't want you to take her to any bar!"

"Do you have something against gay people?"

"I don't have anything against gay people."

"You are angry because I took her to a gay bar." The brunette, amused, rested her hip on the table close to Barbara.

"Of course."

"So you don't like gay people."

"I have no problem with gay people. I don't like bars!"

"I don't believe it."

"I like all kind of people."

"I have an idea." Helena stood up, with a bit of poptart still inside her mouth and cleaned her fingers on the napkin. "Let´s go."

"Let's go where?"

"To show me you have nothing against gay people."

Only in Helena's mind would it be possible to conceive the idea of taking Dinah to a bar.

The plan was to scold Helena about her behavior and make her understand the young girl couldn't be in a bar, it was wrong. They were totally different, like night and day. Helena's experience when her mother died had changed her forever. Dinah could never be what Helena was. The brunette had been trying to escape her pain, experimenting with every wild thing she could find. Her emotions had been out of control.

Dinah's reaction was different after Black Canary's death. She had focused on school and work; it helped her that she hadn't really had a relationship with her mother since she was a small child.

Helena was a good girl – woman, Barbara corrected herself - with a big heart. She just needed to learn to respect limits. She was sure that experience would help her learn. She was just as Dinah said, stubborn and pig-headed; patience was the key with her. Usually she could subtly push Helena to her goal with persuasion and patience, and it was almost impossible for the brunette to convince her to do anything against her will. Usually, when she had a choice, it was because she had think about carefully, analyzing all possibilities.

She sipped of wine and tasted the texture. White, Italian, semi-sec, her favorite. She put the glass of wine on the table

Now… How the hell had Helena convinced her to go to the gay bar in question?

Definitely, her young charge always found a way to get what she wanted.

The brunette secured a V.I.P. lounge. It was ready when they arrived, as was a cold bottle of her favorite wine. She had thought of every detail. From her seat, she had a view of the entire bar and she didn't have to worry about people pushing her chair or stumbling against it. She watched the floor below; people were around tables talking and moving with the rhythm of the music. The main dance floor was full of men and women dancing. She took her cup of wine and played with it in her hand. As Helena said, the place was really nice.

Helena.

She smiled. Lifting her head, she studied the younger woman. She was dancing next to her; she was totally lost in her dance, with her eyes closed and moving her arms and hips with the loud music. The movements were soft, sensual like a cat; Helena had the same powerful sexuality of her mother.

She looked stunning wearing that pretty red blouse with long sleeves and red pants. It seemed they were painted to her body showing her nice...ass….

Nice ass?

Well, she had it. Her eyes moved around the place and noticed a woman, staring at her friend. Well, not exactly staring, she was devouring her with her look. The dark woman didn't notice her. It was not the first time she had seen a woman eyeing her friend; she had seen two or three more looking at her. Including a beautiful, tall blonde with blue eyes, an elegant nose, and wearing a red dress that fit on her body perfectly.

The woman must be was the 'Gisele Bündchen´ that Dinah had described. She laughed lightly to herself.

"So… how is it?" the thin brunette suddenly asked, sitting down next to her. She took a napkin and wiped her forehead.

"How is "it"?" Barbara asked in confusion.

"This place…" Helena waved her hand around vaguely.

"It's very nice…" The redhead couldn't lie. The place was excellent.

"I told you, it's cool."

"You love to come here, as I can see," Barbara smiled, crossing her arms over the table, "many people know you."

Helena leaned over the table, as well, and smirked. "Well, it's always good to go out sometimes and not just to kick asses." She took the bottle of wine and raised it. "Want a bit more?"

"Sure. It's a great wine." Barbara extended her glass toward her. "How did you get it?"

"I have secrets too, my dear Oracle. I just want you have a great time here tonight."

Helena's smiled seemed to light up the room. She filled her own glass, too.

"It was a nice touch."

"Thanks."

Barbara moved back in her chair and watched the dance floor. Notes of a soft ballad filled the bar, the lights dimmed; she could see couples hugging each other and dancing. Her mind traveled back in time. She loved to dance when she was young. Yes, she liked to study, but she also loved to dance. For her it was as artistic as gymnastics. She used go out with Dick at night. They were wonderful moments, being wrapped in his strong arms and resting her head on a firm shoulder.

His cologne was great. She suddenly felt nostalgic. She missed the possibility of dancing like that again someday.

Helena interrupted her thoughts, raising her glass. "A toast?"

"Sounds perfect…" Barbara turned her head. "For…?"

"A perfect night?"

"A perfect night."

They tapped glasses, smiling.

"I told you the kid is safe with me," Helena said, joking. She was in a good mood and Barbara seemed to be having fun. That was good. Lately, she'd been working too much and almost had forgotten just to go out and have fun. "I'm an excellent bodyguard."

"I'm still not so sure." Barbara sipped her wine, amused.

"You are safe with me now, no?"

"I'm always safe with you, Hel."



The brunette felt butterflies in her stomach.

"…But I'm not yet sure about Dinah," Barbara added, frowning "I don't think that learning about your love for lawlessness is a good idea. I have enough headaches with you."

"But I'm charming, too, and damn sexy."

The older woman laughed. Helena was incorrigible. It would be fun taunt her a bit more. "Yes, Dinah told me you have amazing sexual magnetism."

Helena rolled her eyes. Did Dinah have to tell absolutely everything about their night at the bar?

"Maybe she was right. I see you have some fans around here," Barbara said smiling. She rested her elbow on the table and put her index finger on her cheek. Dinah had cleared up Helena's sexual orientation, but she wanted to hear it from the younger woman herself. "They don't stop looking at you."

"I look hot, huh?"

"Well, you love to flirt with anyone."

"Not exactly anyone…" Helena raised her hand. "I have standards."

Barbara lowered her gaze and played with her fingers on the mouth of her cup of wine. She hesitated a moment.

"Hel, are you gay?"

The brunette didn't expect that question at that moment.

"Why?" She looked at the redhead curiously.

"Just curious-- you like to come to gay bars. I haven't known you to have a formal boyfriend, we never talk about your romances, and I imagine you have a lot."

"Not so many, most of them are rumors."

"As were those two boyfriends you dated on the same day at the same time?" Barbara asked in amusement.

"First, they were not boyfriends," Helena noted, pouring more wine in her glass. "Second, it was a mistake-- I miscalculated the time. Third, I needed to flirt with them. One was very good in chemistry and the other guy helped me in math."

She drank her wine, she needed it. She was now certain that the kid told Barbara about her sexual preferences and lying to the redhead would not be a wise choice. She set her glass on the table and raised her blue eyes to met green.

"But, to answer your question... yes, I'm gay." Barbara would hate her after her confession, but she was and she couldn't do anything against her instincts and preferences.

The redhead nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" she asked.

Helena took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. "I thought it was something you wouldn't like, and I didn't want to disappoint you."

"You don't disappoint me." Barbara held her gaze. "I love you for who you are. This doesn't change anything between us."

"Really?" Helena asked, a bit surprised. She had always been afraid of Barbara's reaction. She was a traditional woman that that believed in marriage, heterosexual relationships and those things.

"Of course. Why would things change? You are the same-- dark hair, blue eyes, an excellent crime fighter; you empty my fridge every five minutes and you are always grumbling." Barbara raised her glass to sip her wine, but stopped short to point at the brunette "Ah! And with great sexual magnetism."

The brunette laughed. She was incredibly relieved knowing her confession hadn't bothered the older woman. "Sorry, Barbara," Helena played with glass, "I should have told you before."

"Don't worry, Helena, I understand." The older woman looked at her gently. "My education was traditional and I have my beliefs, but at the core of those is respect for other people. I respect you and what you are. Never forget that."

"Okay."

"Toast?" the redhead raised her glass.

"Toast!"

Barbara enjoyed the time with her friend; the hours passed quickly and she didn't feel it. She was a good friend, good company. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a nice evening. The last few years she had focused on work and saving the city. Definitely, she needed to go out more often.

Helena went downstairs, she told Barbara, to thank her friend, the owner of the bar, for the table and wine. The music changed again to the first notes of the last radio hit. Many couples practically jumped on the dance floor, moving to the music of Madonna's latest hit.

Barbara watched her friend's movements and noticed someone else was doing the same.

´Gisele Bündchen´ didn't take her eyes off the brunette.

Helena was on the lower floor talking to very handsome guy. She imagined he was the manager of the place. They spoke a few minutes and the brunette laughed before she shook the man's hand and moved through the throng of people toward the elevator to join her again.

Barbara saw ´Gisele´ move toward the brunette, a cup in hand. She stumbled 'accidentally' against the dark haired woman and threw the liquid in her glass against her own clothes.

She lifted an eyebrow.

That was the fakest movement she had ever seen.

She saw Helena excusing herself, thinking she really had caused the 'accident´, and helping the blonde to clean the blouse barely covering 'Gisele''s skin with a napkin.

The blonde said something to her and the brunette nodded; they walked toward the bar. Helena seemed to be asking for a drink. The woman said something and Helena smiled; they talked a few seconds. Then, ´Gisele´ moved her hand toward the brunette's arm and touched the material of her blouse.

Barbara rolled her eyes. So predictable. Surely, she was saying the blouse was beautiful, the material soft and, the usual, "Where did you get it?"

She was flirting with Helena.

The woman resting her hand on the brunette's arm. The movement of 'Gisele's' hand became overly friendly; Helena turned toward the counter and spoke to the bartender. The blonde rested her hand on the brunette's lower back.

Dinah told her that Helena was interested in the blonde, that she had thought she was hot, but she had interrupted their flirting that night. Now, it seemed she had the opportunity in her hands. The woman closed her distance and playfully said something in Helena's ear.

The dark haired woman laughed again, nodding.

She looked around. The place was full of gay couples. How could Helena bring Dinah to this bar? To any bar? It was so irresponsible. Dinah was still a child and Helena had much more experience. She was supposed to take care of her. How the hell had Helena managed to escape a scolding?

She always did this.

A waitress at the counter gave 'Gisele' the drink, the woman raised her hand, resting it on Helena's shoulder; they talked a few seconds more. Helena reached her hand out and the woman suddenly leaned in and trapped the young woman's lips between hers.