Primal Instinct

A Birds of Prey Story

(TV-Verse; H/B)

By Enginerd

Chapter 14 - A Tenuous Truce

"Alfred! Can you please get me out of this?" Helena asked with new hope.

"Miss Barbara had you two restrained for a reason," he said, pulling out a stool and sitting down facing them. "And I must say, your recent behavior does not inspire sufficient confidence to grant your request for freedom."

"Aaaagh," Helena growled and plopped back in defeat, causing a sharp pain from her new wounds. "Ow."

"I must say, I am disappointed in you. Both of you," Alfred said, pouring himself a cup of tea. Both women winced.

"She started it," Helena said, glaring at the metabeing.

"And I'd like to finish it," Huntress hissed.

"Ladies!" Alfred sputtered, appalled. "Your continued barbarianism is most distressing. You are not only causing yourselves injury, you are injuring Miss Barbara," he scolded them.

"Barbara?" Both blurted.

"She's hurt?" Huntress quickly asked. "Did she get hurt by the glass?"

"Did you hit her?!" Helena accused, glaring at Huntress who harshly pulled at her restraints and growled at that accusation.

"Ladies, quiet!" Alfred said sternly, causing them to immediately silence and stare at him uncomfortably. "Not since right after her shooting, has she been so uncertain and frightened. But after the shooting she had you to rely on. You gave her purpose and strength when she needed it most. Unfortunately now, you are too busy fighting each other to see how all of this and you are tearing Miss Barbara apart. I had been under the impression that you cared for her more than you cared for yourselves. It breaks my heart to see that I was mistaken," he said with a disappointed shake of his head as he pushed his now unwanted tea aside.

Huntress and Helena looked at each other a long, uncomfortable moment, wanting to blame the other. But each knew it was both of them causing this problem.

As he got up and started to leave, Helena called to him. "Please release us, Alfred. We need to speak to her."

"We need to stop hurting her," Huntress said guiltily, looking at Helena who nodded with a cringe.

Alfred looked at the two for their sincerity and was pleased.

As Alfred unshackled the final wrist cuff, Helena looked at him. "Alfred, in case things don't work and . . . well, they don't work out, I want Barbara and Dinah taken care of. I want them to have . . . everything," she said, motioning to the mansion above. "If that's OK with you," she quickly added, looking at Huntress.

Alfred said warmly "There's no need to worry, Miss Helena. I don't believe Miss Barbara or Miss Dinah will let anything to happen to either of you."

"But if it did . . . ," Helena persisted, knowing the odds were not so good.

"We already have a will," Huntress offered. "And they inherit everything."

"Oh," Helena said softly. "Good."

/BoP\

As they rode in the elevator, the human and metabeing silently glanced at each other, knowing there was only one thing that really mattered. And they had hurt her.

Huntress was the first to break the silence and offered begrudgingly "You are not as stupid and weak . . . as everyone thinks."

Helena looked over to her. "Thanks," she said flatly. "Do you always approach things so . . . passionately?"

"It's who I am. A terrible weakness," the metabeing admitted, looking down at the ground, ashamed.

"Not when you control it. It's an amazing strength," Helena said as the metabeing groaned then shuddered suddenly. "Are you OK?" Helena asked.

"I take it back. You are stupid," Huntress said, reaching out and steadying herself against Helena, who brought her arm around her to help.

"Well, that's why I have Barbara," Helena said sarcastically.

"Do you?" Huntress asked sharply.

"Maybe not . . . the way I want," she said hesitantly. "But she has always been there for me," Helena said.

"Yes. She has always been there for us," Huntress allowed.

After an oddly companionable silence, Huntress offered. "You might not want to let Dinah know about the inheritance. She really likes our clothes."

"I thought she was wearing my clothes," Helena said with irritation.

"Our clothes."

"Right," Helena blurted uncomfortably, helping the metabeing out of the elevator.

/BoP\

Barbara sat on the balcony, numbly staring out towards the New Gotham city lights on the horizon. She knew there was still so much to do. But she had never felt more impotent, even when she had learned she couldn't walk.

She had plenty to worry about. They had no clear method to perform genetic recombination, which might mean the Helena she mentored, lived with, and watched grow into a beautiful woman would be forever gone. And they were running out of time. Huntress' genetic instability was killing her. But if they tried to rush and combine them with a faulty process, she could end up killing both Helenas - assuming they actually agreed to recombine, which, after that fight, was a likely "no."

And on top of all that, she couldn't help but feel amazingly guilty that she, as Helena's guardian and mentor, and supposed best friend, had no idea Helena had been so conflicted.

Growing up, Helena had been a bright and gregarious child. Selena had raised her with unconditional love and a good sense of self-worth, even with an unknown father. After her mother was murdered, Helena had withdrawn. It was understandable. They both had ridden the roller coaster of emotions after experiencing great losses. Yet, after she thought the mourning of Helena's mother was over, Helena never seemed to regain the balance she had as a child. Constantly fighting over her decisions and challenging her, Barbara didn't realize that Helena wasn't just fighting her, she was fighting herself.

The inner turmoil the young woman had endured made her heart break.

Hearing two sets of footsteps made her stiffen and her heart pound uneasily. It was them. She could feel them - both of them. She vaguely wondered why she had always been able to tell when Helena was around. She frowned, wondering how Alfred could have possibly considered it wise to let them go and how long it would take for them to kill each other. She was on the verge of melting down and in no condition to referee any more violent outbursts, let alone talk without breaking down into a useless emotional puddle. Barbara took an uneasy breath when she heard the footsteps stop just behind her.

"You should apologize first," Helena suggested quietly to Huntress.

"You think I'm a better speaker?" Huntress whispered with surprise in her voice.

Barbara's brows furrowed in confusion at the actually civil tone between the two.

"Nooooo. Because you started it," Helena said as if it were obvious.

Here it comes, Barbara thought with a wince.

"When?"

Barbara relaxed slightly, surprised by the calm question from Huntress.

"What do you mean when?"

"Well, before the split, you had been pretty antagonistic towards me. Pushing my feelings down, making me be . . . nice . . . and all. You started it."

"That doesn't count," Helena said dismissively.

"Why not?"

"I don't remember it."

"It's not my fault you don't remember it," Huntress said tersely.

"Well, no. But the time before the spit shouldn't count."

"I think it should."

"Well, I know one way to settle this," Helena said with irritation.

"Me too," Huntress growled.

Barbara tensed at the impending eruption.

"Ask Barbara," both said in unison.

Barbara blinked as tears sprang to her eyes. A hand went up to her mouth as she unsuccessfully fought against sobs.

The two Helenas moved around her chair and dropped to their knees on either side of her.

"Barbara?" Huntress asked, concerned with her unusual display of emotion. When watery green eyes looked at her, she felt a stab in her heart knowing she caused it.

"We came to apologize," Helena said.

"We need you," Huntress said weakly.

"Please don't give up on us," Helena pleaded, taking a hand and looking into her eyes.

"We need you," Huntress whispered longingly, resting her head on Barbara's leg, unable to look in her eyes for fear she would actually see the physical need.

"And I need you," Barbara whispered, squeezing Helena's hand and placing a hand on Huntress' head and caressing it. "Don't ever forget that."

/BoP\

"Yeoow!" Dinah said, getting a small shock when she turned the device on for a test.

"You ok?" Gwen asked, looking at Dinah who sucked her finger and nodded hesitantly. Gwen peered into the device then went to the bat-computer, reviewing the schematic.

"OK. I think I know the power problem - swap the red wire with the white wire," Gwen said, squinting at the computer screen over her glasses.

"Are you sure?" Dinah said skeptically, staring at the device on the work bench with a frown.

"As sure as I am about any of this."

Dinah eyed her uncertainly, then sighed and swapped the wires. The device suddenly discharged, sending a powerful blast of energy across the bat-cave, past Dr. Landry and Alfred, who were sipping tea, barely past the three women who had just returned, and directly into the examining room.

All stood, stunned, looking at the large hole in the walls, the melted medical cart and examining tables between them and the new smoky hole in the rocky wall that finally managed to stop the beam.

Helena looked at Huntress. "Do you think she knows about the inheritance?"

Barbara looked up curiously.

"I wouldn't worry," Huntress said, glancing at Helena's outfit. "She likes that jacket."

"Hmmm," Helena responded as she and Huntress approached the terrified teen.

Although confused, Barbara found this truce very . . . interesting.

"Whachya doing?" Helena asked Dinah with a thin smile.

"I am SOOOOO sorry," Dinah winced, looking at the two nervously.

"We made some progress," Gwen offered as Barbara rolled up to the computer.

"I can see that," Barbara said, glancing back at the beam's path of destruction.

"The computer simulation you programmed works. I think within a few more days of tests, we should be able to refine the device's settings . . . ."

"Huntress!" Dinah called as the metabeing collapsed to the ground.