Primal Instinct
A Birds of Prey Story
(TV-Verse; H/B)
By Enginerd
Chapter 20 - Back in the Saddle
The next morning, Dinah woke to an alarming Delphi. She rushed out of her bedroom to find Barbara rolling into her spot at the main computer keyboard. Helena stood by Barbara's side, not very pleased as she crossed her arms and stared at the screen with a frown. Dinah had to smile at the two of them. This was how it was supposed to be, she considered.
"What's happening?" She asked, joining them.
"My pop-tarts are getting cold," Helena growled.
"Helena, you can always re-microwave your pop tarts," Barbara said as she accessed the police logs.
"What?! You don't microwave pop tarts," Helena gasped in horror.
"Right," Barbara said absently, searching for cameras in the troubled area.
"It's morning?" Dinah said with surprise, looking outside at the light, then her watch.
"Yep. You slept through the day and night," Helena said with a shrug as Barbara successfully located cameras and sent the images to the screen above them. "Too bad Ms. Gordon here can't seem to take your lead and get proper sleep."
"I slept," Barbara countered, pushing her glasses up and looking at her.
"Did Delphi really need a diagnostic last night?" Helena asked pointedly.
"I was wound up and couldn't sleep right away," Barbara said defensively.
Dinah eyed Barbara curiously.
"You could have had a chamomile tea and a back rub," Helena countered.
Dinah eyed Helena with surprise.
"Is it a crime to want to be productive while I was up?" Barbara said with exasperation, scratching the back of her neck uncomfortably. A back rub would certainly not have had a relaxing effect, she considered.
"It's a crime you really don't know how to relax, Red," Helena said, shaking her head.
Dinah nodded in quiet agreement and glanced to the computer. "Speaking of crimes - there is a bank robbery in progress at Gotham Metropolitan," Dinah noted, pointing to the police report on screen.
"In broad daylight? What a set of . . . ." Helena said, impressed.
"Helena," Barbara interrupted, then noted with surprise "The police have . . . apprehended them," Barbara said hesitantly, looking a little lost.
"Ha! Ballsy but incompetent criminals. Gotta love that. I'm going to finish my pop-tarts and read the paper," Helena announced happily and headed back to the kitchen table.
"Can I have the comics?" Dinah asked eagerly, following Helena.
"After I'm done with them," Helena warned.
"How about the crossword?" Dinah asked.
"That you can have."
"Cool."
Barbara watched the two with amusement. This is the way it is supposed to be, she considered and smiled warmly. Suddenly, she frowned.
"Hel? Why can't you microwave a pop-tart?" She asked, rolling after them.
/BoP\
As Dinah worked on the crossword puzzle, Helena put two plates in front of Barbara. "OK, which one tastes better?" she asked, sitting across from her and eyeing her eagerly.
Barbara looked down at the pop-tarts then rolled her eyes. "Hel…I really don't like pop tarts," she said. Helena's mouth dropped in amazement.
"What's a ten letter word, ending with a "d" for unfulfilled?" Dinah suddenly asked, tapping the pencil on her lip as she looked up from the paper she had neatly folded.
"Frustrated," Barbara answered the teen, prompting a small smirk from Dinah.
"Thanks," Dinah said, then wrote on the newspaper.
"Dear GOD, you don't mean that," Helena said, aghast.
"I'm afraid so, Helena," Barbara answered the disturbed crime fighter.
"Maybe it's because you microwave them," Helena offered, grasping for a suitable reason for the horrible admission. Barbara shook her head and sipped her tea.
"What is the "blank" fruit of the granadilla? Seven letters," Dinah asked.
"Passion," Helena offered, then looked at Barbara. "Just try them - you'll see - the toasted one is much better."
"Fine," Barbara said with a sigh, and took a bite of one as Helena watched anxiously.
"Type of sofa . . . starts with a T. Nine letters," Dinah said as Barbara swallowed with a weak smile.
"Tête-à-tête," Helena offered as Barbara sighed and tried the other plate's pop-tart. "Well?"
"Thanks," Dinah said with amusement.
"This one," Barbara said, pointing to a plate.
"You can't be serious," Helena said with a frown, staring at the microwaved pop-tart in disbelief.
"Maybe your metabeing taste buds enable you to taste the difference?" Barbara offered.
"What is a five letter word for rendezvous? Middle letter "y". . . ." Dinah asked.
"Tryst," Helena and Barbara answered in unison then looked at each other uncomfortably before averting their gazes.
"That works," Dinah said, biting her lip to keep from laughing. "Six letter word ending in "e" - what is a system of opposing forces?" Dinah asked as Helena busied herself reading the paper.
"Dinah? I thought the point of doing the puzzle was to test yourself," Barbara said with narrow eyes.
"OK, fine. If you don't want to help, that's fine," Dinah said with an innocent shrug, looking at Barbara's glare with amusement.
"Oh!" Helena said with interest. "There's a Daniel Shurman exhibit at the New Gotham Museum of Modern Art . . . last day is today," Helena said, looking up from the paper to Barbara. "Wanna go?"
"I . . . I have a lunch . . . to go to," Barbara said awkwardly, getting a frown from Dinah.
"Oh. Well, I'm sure we can catch it the next time it comes to town," Helena said with a forced smile, then looked back through the paper. Barbara saw the flash of disappointment in Helena's eyes.
"When does the exhibit close?" Barbara asked.
"Three," Helena said looking at Barbara curiously.
"What if I catch up with you, say at twelve thirty?" Barbara asked.
"You sure? I don't want you to have to rush through any lunches," Helena said.
"I won't be rushing. It won't take long," Barbara said confidently. "I'd like to go."
"Sounds boring to me," Dinah said with a smirk. "I think I'll pass," she said unnecessarily.
/BoP\
Barbara took a fortifying breath as she rolled into the 1st street Café. She immediately found a smile greeting her. "Barbara, you look . . . like you need some sleep," Wade said honestly, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
"Well, it's been a rough few days," she admitted.
"Specialty baking can have its moments, I suppose," he allowed with a grin.
She smiled weakly.
They sat at a nice table in the back of the restaurant. "I'm a bit surprised you rang - but glad you did," Wade said, pulling a napkin on his lap.
"Yes . . . uh, I did have a reason for asking you to lunch, Wade," Barbara said uneasily.
"You were hungry?" he guessed with a smile.
"No - in fact, I don't think I could eat a thing at the moment," she said honestly.
"Don't tell me you enjoy watching me eat - that would be a bit disturbing," he said jokingly.
Barbara looked at him with a sad smile. He really was a charming man. "No. I didn't have a sudden desire to watch you eat, Wade," she countered.
"Ok then, tell me. Why did you ask me to lunch?" he asked.
/BoP\
Helena stood staring at the large, colorful oil painting, tilting her head as if it would help her understand what she was seeing.
"Does it help?" A young woman asked, moving to stand next to Helena. She tilted her head at the same angle as she looked at the picture.
Helena looked at her and said "nope."
"Maybe the other side?" the young woman suggested, tilted her head the other way, getting a smirk from Helena. "I'm Megan," she introduced herself.
"Helena," she responded. "Did it help?"
"Nope. Do you come here often?" Megan asked with a grin.
"Not as much as I'd like."
Barbara rolled into the large museum and looked around for Helena among the throng of visitors. When she spotted the brunette, she found her talking with a pretty woman, who seemed to be unaware of the concept of personal space. She frowned, noting Helena wasn't objecting. Barbara wondered if her arrival would be an unwelcome interruption to . . . whatever was happening between the two. She didn't have to wonder long. When Helena's eyes fixed on her, the smile that bloomed on her face made Barbara feel ridiculously happy. She almost felt guilty for causing the frown that now appeared on the face of the woman next to Helena. Almost.
"Barbara, this is Megan," Helena said as Barbara rolled up. "Megan, this is Barbara."
"Nice to meet you," Barbara said with a smile.
"Likewise. Well, I'll leave this fine piece for you two to ponder," Megan said and quickly left.
"Who is she?" Barbara asked, glancing at the retreating woman then Helena, who had a smile on her face.
Helena shrugged. "Somebody who likes art, I guess…."
And beautiful brunettes too, Barbara suspected as she smiled, relieved with Helena's indifference. The smile faded as she wondered if Gwen was the reason for that indifference.
"So, how was lunch?" Helena asked, sticking her hands in her pockets uneasily.
"Quick, like I predicted," Barbara said, then scanned around the museum curiously. "How much have you seen?"
"Just this," she said, pointing to the big colorful picture. "And the paintings on the way in. I wanted to wait until you got here," Helena said a bit shyly.
"So I could explain them to you?" Barbara joked.
"Well, there is that. Like this one," Helena said, pointing to the interesting modern composition she and Megan had been discussing. "I can look at that and think the colors are nice but . . . what's that about? I tilt my head - no better understanding," Helena complained.
Barbara gazed upon the oil a moment with interest, then looked back at Helena. "Well, I'm not surprised - it's upside down," Barbara said.
Helena looked at her a thoughtful moment, then chuckled. "You are so full of shit."
"Ah, but now you are wondering if I'm right," Barbara said with an amused smile.
Helena frowned and looked back at the painting critically, then at Barbara with feigned irritation that made Barbara chuckle.
"Come on, Gordon. There are plenty of paintings left to admire."
"I do hope they are hung properly," Barbara said dryly.
Helena surprised Barbara when she leaned in incredibly close to look into her green eyes intently.
Barbara blinked.
"Yep. Thought so. They're brown now."
"Funny."
/BoP\
"Mom would have loved this one," Helena said, sitting on a bench as Barbara rolled next to her. The young couple who had been admiring the painting strolled away, hand-in-hand.
"It's beautiful," Barbara said, looking at Helena's profile as the younger woman studied the painting of a Parisian countryside. Seeing a sad sigh, Barbara asked "You OK?"
Helena looked at Barbara with a sad smile. "Yeah. Though every once in a while, I really miss her."
Barbara nodded and placed a hand on Helena's. "You're entitled to feeling blue, Helena," she said softly. Helena looked down at Barbara's hand with mild surprise.
"Not when we're supposed to be having fun together," Helena countered.
"I don't need to be entertained, Helena. I enjoy . . . just being with you," Barbara said with uncomfortable honestly.
Helena looked at her curiously. Barbara "didn't do" sentimental, but she wasn't going to complain. As she took a breath to respond in kind, her cell phone rang.
Barbara released Helena's hand reluctantly as Helena frowned and pulled out her phone.
Helena looked at the incoming number, surprised. "Hello?"