Issue #20

The Moment of Truth

Wayne Manor, Gotham

10/02/2023

07:05

The smell of breakfast wafted through the Manor as Helena made her way over to the dining room. She was dressed for school but she hadn't bothered combing her hair since she'd been too tired so it was in a tangled ponytail that had a few ends sticking up. She'd managed to fit in a quick half an hour of sleep when she'd got back to the cave and passed out at the plane wheel.

Helena yawned loudly when she walked into the dining room. "M'ning," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey." Jason was sitting at the table—Helena stopped and did a double-take—eating some waffles while his crutches leant against the arm of his chair.

"Oh, hey…" Helena blinked a few times, walking over to the chair next to him while Alfred came in with a fresh pot of coffee; her mouth watered when the smell hit her nose.

"Good morning, ma'am," Alfred greeted in his usual light-hearted manner. "A late night?"

She scoffed quietly, sitting down next to Jason. "Yeah, pretty much."Breakfast was laid out like usual, single plates full of waffles, fried eggs, bacon, and buttered toast. Alfred put a plate in front of her and started to pour her some coffee. "Thanks, Alfred," she said, shooting him a smile while she piled her plate up with eggs, bacon, and toast.

Jason stuffed a mouthful of waffles in his mouth, puffing out his cheeks as he chewed. She smiled crookedly, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. Normally he ate breakfast in his room, so him actually joining them for breakfast was at least some kind of progress.

He swallowed his food and washed it down with some orange juice. "So, how'd the mission go?"

She tried not to grimace and instead just shrugged. "Besides getting trapped in a cave?" She took a sip of her coffee, smiling when the sweet taste of caffeine filled her mouth. "At least we got the artefact back, so that's one thing I guess."

Jason's brow creased, wiping some grease from his mouth. "So what happened with this Blue Beetle guy?"

Helena held her mug tighter and sighed, placing the mug back down. "The artefact triggered something in his AI."

"And, nearly got us killed." Tim entered the room, dressed in an expensive looking suit. His eyes widened when he saw Jason but then he quickly averted his gaze and walked over to the opposite side of the table, nearer Dad's usual seat at the head of the table.

"You know it wasn't his fault, Tim," she said, firmly, narrowing her eyes.

"Why are you dressed up?" Jason asked not very nicely.

Tim stiffened when he looked back at Jason, causing Helena to shift uneasily. "I have a meeting at Wayne Enterprises today," he replied, evenly, picking up his cutlery.

Jason leant back in his chair, letting out a low whistle. "Well aren't you a little darling." He smirked humorously. Tim grew paler. "You're like those pets you dress up—"

She felt a harsh wave of disgust. "Jason, leave him alone," Helena rebuked sharply. Her glare intensified when Jason glowered back.

"I was joking," Jason replied, irritably.

"No, you were being a jerk," she snapped. Helena glanced back at Tim who was keeping silent, his lips set in a thin line. "I think you look great, Tim, and you're gonna ace that meeting." She smiled encouragingly.

Tim's posture relaxed, smiling. "Thanks."

Helena nodded and took a bite of her egg while she glowered at Jason warningly. Jason pursed his lips, turning back to his food. "Pfft, whatever," he muttered, shoving another waffle in his mouth. "It was just a joke."

"Then I assume you won't mind apologising, Master Jason?" Alfred said, cordially, looking at him expectantly from where he stood next to Tim.

Jason stiffened and glared at his plate while he chewed his waffles. Alfred's stern gaze was unwavering like a scorching heat. "Okay, fine." Jason finally cracked, looking over a Tim resentfully. Helena felt an uneasy twist in her stomach when she saw the look. "I'm sorry, okay."

Tim fiddled with his knife, shrugging stiffly. "It's fine," his voice was clipped.

Helena sighed quietly, looking at the both of them apprehensively. Her glare softened when heard her dad approaching, his footsteps echoing from the hallway. "Morning," Dad greeted, as he tightened his cufflinks. He was wearing his favourite red tie with his suit again and arched an eyebrow when he saw Jason. "I'm surprised you're all up on time." He sat down at the head of the table as Alfred approached with the coffee pot.

Tim shrugged. "I got two hours sleep so I'll be fine." He started to eat his breakfast.

Her dad glanced at her, but she just shrugged. "Eh, I'll be fine. I already packed an energy drink," she said, waving her hand dismissively.

Dad hummed lowly, drinking his coffee. "You two should both skip patrol tonight so you can catch up on some sleep," he said, it didn't sound like a suggestion.

Helena frowned. "I'm still investigating that missing girl case, though, remember?" Her lips twisted into a scowl when her dad didn't appear phased. "Can't I just do an early patrol and then come back at like two in the morning or something?

Dad opened his mouth to speak but Tim interrupted. "I was gonna do the same as well." The boy smiled crookedly. "She needs my help recovering the deleted CCTV footage."

"CCTV footage of what?" Jason spoke up in mid-bite of eating his waffle.

Tim's smile faded, shrugging as he picked at his food with his fork. "Just of the fight that happened a week or so ago."

Jason clenched his hands into a fist, making Helena's brow furrow. Was he jealous of Tim's skills or that Tim was spending time with her?

"Can't Barbara help?" Bruce asked, sipping his coffee.

She washed her bacon down with some coffee as she swallowed. "The League is keeping her busy, and besides, Tim's quicker."

Tim looked up and grinned. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Anytime," she replied, smiling wryly.

Her dad sighed quietly, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Fine you can patrol, but I want you both back by midnight. Understand?" Dad's brow furrowed.

She sighed, slouching in her seat. "Yes, Dad."

"Midnight and not a minute late, gotcha," Tim agreed, resting his chin on his knuckle while he poked at the fried egg on his plate.

Dad nodded and picked up a piece of toast. "Now eat up, we'll need to set off soon."

Helena gave her dad a thumbs up and shoved some toast in her mouth, making Alfred frown and shake his head faintly.

Gotham City

10/02/2023

12:01

"Helena, wake up," a bossy voice spoke through the hazy fog of sleep.

Her face was resting in a pool of drool, which was probably her drool.

Someone started to poke her. "Come on already!"

"Maybe we should just let her sleep," that was definitely Lydia's voice.

The poking became more painful when the sore injury on her arm was touched. Helena's face scrunched up as she stirred awake. "Stop it," she moaned, groggily sitting up in her seat as her eyes blinked open.

Her vision was blurry for a second or two before Anada and Lydia's faces came into focus, the rest of the classroom was nearly empty with their English class and even their teacher already gone.

"Finally," Anada said, irritably, crossing her arms. "We have a blood test in ten minutes," she said, while Helena rubbed her eyes and sat up straighter. "And, I am not getting a detention because of you, Babe."

"Okay, sorry." Helena learnt under her desk to get her bag, rolling her eyes when she was sure they weren't looking. "I had a late night last night." She took out an energy drink and slung her bag over her shoulder, blowing some hair out of her face.

"Pfft, doing what, late night prayer?" Anada remarked dryly.

The chair scraped against the floor when she stood up. "No." Helena's eyes narrowed. "I just had a late night, enough said." She undid the cap of the can and drank a large gulp, while Anada and Lydia's gazes became more curious.

"Were you with someone?" Lydia asked, slowly, raising an eyebrow.

Helena nearly choked on her drink and quickly swallowed, wiping some excess liquid from the side of her mouth. "No."

Anada's eyes gleamed. "You were with someone!" She grinned and clapped her hands together. "It was that Mexican boy wasn't it?"

"Stop jumping to conclusions," Helena said, defensively, starting to walk through the desks towards the door.

"Oh, my gosh, you so spent the night with him," Anada purred, forcefully linking her arms with Helena's while Lydia followed behind. "You can tell us, come on."

Helena felt like smacking her head against the wall, sighing deeply as the three of them walked into the corridor where a lot of students were loitering around their lockers. "Can't you just drop it already, nothing happened, we just hung out and watched a movie," she lied, breezily, shrugging.

"So, you were with him." Lydia was by her side, smiling teasingly. "So what's the deal with you two?"

"Nothing, we're just friends." Helena squirmed her arm out Anada's grip.

Lydia frowned. "But I thought you liked him?"

"Yeah." Anada crossed her arms, blocking Helena's path. "What's the holdup?"

Helena sighed, eyes flicking from Lydia to Anada. "I do like him," she said, readjusting her bag. "But, I don't know if we'd last that long," she told them, shrugging. "So maybe we're just better as friends."

Her friends exchanged a look. Anada pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes while Lydia shrugged. "Okay, that makes sense. Totally respect that," Anada said evenly, placing a hand on her chest. "But come on…are you serious?" She raised her arms in exasperation. Helena scowled. "Every Disney tween drama wannabe thinks that about their first boyfriend!"

"Hey, don't yell," Helena hissed, looking around self-consciously when she felt a few students staring. "I just don't wanna ruin our friendship."

Anada pinched the bridge of her nose and Lydia groaned, covering her face with her hand. "That's what everyone says," Lydia said, shaking her head. "But, come on you've known this guy for what a month? It's not like you've got years of friendship in jeopardy."

"Exactly." Anada, patting Lydia on the back. "See this is why she's the smart one."

Helena's cheeks grew hot, looking away. Okay, so Lydia had a pretty decent point, but if things went bad it wasn't like she could just cut Jaime off. They'd still have to work together and he already knew her secret.

"It's complicated," Helena said, leaning against the side of a locker.

"Listen, babe," Anada's voice softened, taking a step closer. "I get it, he's your first crush but also your friend. Kind of a lot of pressure for a first boyfriend." She held Helena's free hand, clasping it towards the hand holding the energy drink. "But, if you don't tell him how you feel you're going to be walking on eggshells around him until it all comes out at the wrong time."

Helena's brow furrowed together, lowering her gaze thoughtfully. "Listen, these feelings for all I know could just be temporary."

"Well, yeah, duh," Lydia exclaimed. "That's what a crush is, but if you want it to more you gotta work on it. Like…" her forehead creased, scowling for a second before her eyes lit up."…Like that episode of the Real Housewives of Star City, remember? The one with Chris and Tania at that nightclub."

Helena arched an eyebrow, trying to recall the reality show. "You mean the episode where Chris asked Tania out?"

Lydia snapped her fingers, smiling. "Exactly! Just like that…except without the weird horse fetish—but anyway, the point is, he just wanted to have sex with her but after two seasons of dating they actually fell in love even though they were both shallow assholes."

Anada nodded, looking oddly serious. "Lydia is giving you some high-end love advice here, Babe." She smiled sympathetically. "Look, do us all a favour and just ask the guy out on a date or something and tell him how you feel," Anada said, letting go of her hands. "At the end of the day he's just a guy, there's plenty more where he came from if it ends badly."

Don't underestimate Batman's power of scaring off potential suitors. Helena nodded and chewed her tongue. Routine and complacency were safe but it was a stalemate, and maybe a change wouldn't be so bad. "Okay, fine, I'll ask him out the next time I see him," she told them, meeting their sharp gazes. "I swear."

The two of them smiled smugly. "Finally," Anada exclaimed, flinging an arm around Helena's shoulder. "I swear without us you'd be a spinster by seventeen."

Helena cocked an eyebrow. "I'm not sure that's how it works."

Lydia's smile grew warmer, but it disappeared after a second. "Oh, crap, we're late for the blood test."

"Shit." Anada hastily grabbed Helena's arm. "We gotta go."

Anada dragged her suddenly, making the can in her hand spill. "Hey watch it," she snapped, switching the can into her other hand when her friend kept pulling her.

Tim usually enjoyed visiting Wayne Tower, especially the science department, but this was one of the rare times he wished he was back in school.

The suit he was wearing was grey with a crisp blue tie tightened around his neck, and his dark hair was slicked back with gel, not a single hair out of place. If it wasn't for his age or height he'd look the picture of a perfect CEO, but the illusion was broken by the too large chair he was sitting in and long glass table that seated the much older CEO's staring down at him like sharks.

Half of the main WE board members were on the left and the other half was composed of the remaining Drake Pharmaceutical's CEO's who had survived the cull.

"This is the last section that requires your signature, sir," his lawyer spoke from behind him, turning the page of the document.

Tim kept his face blank as he positioned his pen near the signature section of the starch white document in front of him, hesitating when he knew he shouldn't.

Would his dad have been angry with him?

The boy's stomach churned and twisted, fingers shaking ever so slightly as all eyes were on him.

A firm hand on his shoulder made his fingers stop shaking. Tim looked up to meet Bruce's reassuring gaze, reminding him that he wasn't alone here.

A warmth waved through the boy's body, gaze shifting to Lucius who was by Bruce's side, (he was quite old with white hair and wrinkled brown skin) and then to his father's old friend, Derek Powers; a man with a chin sharp enough to cut glass, brown eyes, and slicked back mousey hair. All three of them were looking at him encouragingly.

Tim stared at the document, sitting up straighter in his chair as he signed on the dotted line below the other signatures after he'd done so he set the pen down and took a deep breath before he addressed the rest of the board. A speech he'd spent practising in the bathroom mirror while he'd gotten dressed.

"Thank you all for your patience during these tenuous two years," Tim said, curtly, as Bruce's hand left his shoulder. "It is after much conviction I have placed the daily running's of Drake Pharmaceuticals into Wayne Enterprises hands. Such a decision is necessary considering my age and lack of experience at this present time." His gaze swept over each of the board's faces. "But be rest assured that I will resume control when I am of age to do so, all I ask is that you give me time, thank you."

The board and other ten people present started clapping politely with some albeit reluctantly. Bruce put on the usual charm when he smiled at the board. "Lunch is being served in conference room C," he announced as the lawyers started to file away the legal documents.

Tim stood up, buttoning his blazer as the rest of the board stood as well, all their chairs scraping against the floor. Bruce's hand rested protectively on his shoulder, which Tim was grateful for.

"You handled yourself well," Bruce said quietly as they all filed out, heading toward the conference room down the hall. "I couldn't have pulled that off at your age."

Tim's lips quirked up a little. "Thanks," he murmured, walking passed the offices. He was tempted to look back at the board members who were following behind but he resisted and kept his back straight and face passive.

I'll get better at this, he reminded himself. He loved business and he understood he had a responsibility to keep his family's legacy alive, but he still needed time and more experience so his hands wouldn't shake when he addressed the CEO's who judged him as nothing more than a sheltered child.

When they entered the conference room he was greeted by the rich smell of delicious food, a long table of food lined up against the giant window in the room. Mixed platters to cater to the individual taste buds and was probably enough to feed the people who came to the homeless shelter Helena volunteered at. Tim's forehead creased at that thought, but he was distracted when someone cleared their throat.

"You were quite impressive in there, Timothy," Derek Powers had approached them, dressed in an expensive green suit that rivalled Bruce's in quality. "Your father would have been proud," he said, warmly.

The comment hurt despite the good intention behind it. "Thank you, Mr Powers," Tim replied, forcing a smile, clasping his hands behind his back as the rest of the board members started to pile into the room. "I hope my father would have respected my decision."

Powers smiled in his usual way, sharp and shark-like. Something Tim's dad had always commented on, describing Powers as something of a close friend but whose ambition was something to be wary of. Friendship only extended so far.

"Thank you for coming, Derek," Bruce said, smiling pleasantly. "I trust Lucius has answered the concerns you had about your shares in the company?"

Powers' eyes squinted the tiniest bit. "Yes, he was quite helpful," he replied evenly. "You understand my apprehension, of course?" He looked down at Tim.

Tim nodded, wishing he was taller so he didn't have to strain his neck to look up. "Completely, Mr Powers, please understand this really wasn't an easy decision to come to."

Powers nodded, glancing at Bruce briefly before looking back at Tim. "I understand, and I have to admit, even I couldn't have handled it so well at your age." He chuckled lightly. "I suspect you'll be running things before you finish high school."

Bruce patted Tim on the shoulder. "Well, I suppose I better start looking for a new job then." Bruce chuckled along with Powers while Tim forced his smile to stick. "Now, if you would excuse us, I've been eyeing those chicken roll-ups since we arrived."

"Yeah, I'm starved," Tim said, touching his stomach.

"A growing boy needs his food," Powers replied, tilting his head in agreement. "We'll catch up another time, gentlemen."

Tim nodded along with Bruce as Powers took his leave. Once the businessman was out of sight Tim's smile faded, letting out a sigh as he and Bruce walked towards the table of food. "You trust him?" he whispered, glancing up.

Bruce's lips thinned, raising an eyebrow. "Not particularly. You?" He picked up a plate and passed it to him.

Tim shrugged, accepting the plate while Bruce got his own. "My dad trusted him," he replied quietly, staring at his empty plate. There was something about the small patronising comments Powers kept making about Tim's age that rubbed him the wrong way, while the comments were expected since everyone more or less did that, with Powers there seemed to be a predatory lilt in his words. "But I don't." He sighed and looked back at his guardian. "Something about him feels off."

Bruce nodded, gathering food onto his plate. "You should trust your instincts," he said, picking up some cutlery. "In the meantime, a few company functions and dinners should help ease the transition and it'll be a good experience for when you take back control."

Tim smiled grimly, loading his plate with some sandwiches. "So much for video games at the weekend," he remarked, wryly. "You sure it isn't just my company I'll be taking over?"

Bruce's smile became crooked and less businesslike. "I think Lucius will be the one who'll have the final say in that."

Tim ended up smiling for real this time, relaxing for a second until a few more shadows loomed over him when three of his board members came over with gleaming smiles.

It'd be a long day.

The Hall of Justice

10/02/2023

12:30

The Flash was staring at Don through the two-way glass in the interrogation room. The twelve-year-old still had the collar around his neck and was dressed in a grey sweatshirt and joggy bottoms since his clothes from before were soiled through. The kid was glaring at the table with his arms crossed, completely silent.

The door slid open from behind him. "Hey," greeted Nightwing, standing by his side. "You okay?"

"No." Wally sighed, arms crossed. "I failed him, Wings," he said, glancing at his friend sadly. "Barry trusted me and I let them both down."

Nightwing placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Listen, Don has his own demons he needs to deal with, and it's not your fault," he told him. "You tried your best but sometimes people can't be helped until they want it." He removed his hand and smiled feebly. "Just try to talk to him."

Wally looked back at his cousin and sighed quietly. "I'll try…" He took a deep breath and walked towards the door next to the two-way mirror.

The hallway was getting emptier as lunch started to come to a close. Helena made her way over to her locker to grab her science books. There was a polka dot band-aid hidden underneath her left sleeve from where the needle had dug in.

She put in the combination and opened the locker, pausing when she saw a pale pink envelope was inside on top of her books. Helena tensed, digging her nails into the locker door as she stared at the card. She hastily looked around anxiously before settling her gaze back on the card.

It could just be a boy, she'd had a couple last year but that had been closer to Valentine's day. At least no one had broken into her car again, that was a plus. She was tempted to scan it but there were still students loitering around so it was best not to risk it.

Helena picked up the envelope and ripped it open, frowning when she pulled out a letter. She tossed the envelope back in her locker and unfolded the paper, squinting when she saw the writing. It seemed familiar but she couldn't pinpoint whose handwriting it was.

Dear Helena,

I think you're really pretty and I really like you, so I was hoping you'll meet me under the bleachers after school today.

I just really need to talk to you.

XXX

She cocked an eyebrow at the note, judging by the style of writing it looked like a girl had written to her, which was odd but she supposed there was a first time for everything.

Helena pursed her lips, wondering if she should meet the girl or not. If she ignored it the girl would be upset but she might not contact her again, or the opposite could happen and Helena's admirer might keep pestering her, and that was a conversation she definitely didn't want to have with her dad.

Helena folded the paper away into her skirt pocket and grabbed her science books, closing her locker.

The five-hour nap he's had beforehand didn't help his tiredness. Don could feel the bags under his eyes and the faint drowsiness still buzzing in his head. The bright lights from the interrogation room he was in didn't help things much either.

The second Flash, Wally, was sitting opposite him twiddling his thumbs anxiously on the metal table while he waited for him to speak. Don just glowered at him, too tired to argue or even attempt a conversation. He eyed his cousin's costume for a second, it was slightly different to his dad's.

The red body suit and cowl remained mostly the same except for the eyeholes and the thin golden lines that ran along the side of the costume like race stripe, as well as the lightning bolts on his ears were gone. The emblem on the middle of his chest was exactly the same as Barry's which felt out of place in contrast with the small tweaks to the costume.

"So, Santa Cruz, aye?" Wally finally spoke.

Don crossed his arms and slouched in his chair. "What about it?"

The Flash shrugged, smiling apprehensively. "Nothing. I should have figured you'd hide stuff there," he replied, leaning back in his chair, lifting it up a little off the floor which caused it to creak. "You guys always used to love that place."

Don shrugged, looking anywhere but in Wally's direction. "Whatever." He leant forward on the table. "Are you gonna throw me in jail or what?"

Wally frowned, sitting up straight in his chair, scratching the back of his neck. "Listen, man, I…I'm sorry if you felt like you couldn't talk to me," he said, sighing. Don bit down on his tongue. "Barry would have wanted me to be there for you and I pretty much failed."

Don squirmed in his seat, looking back at his cousin. Wally was annoying but he meant well, he didn't need to feel guilty. "Dude, I do what I want because I want to, that isn't your fault," he replied, flatly. "Now am I going back to Juvie or not?"

The Flash stared at him for a moment, brow furrowed together. It was a look he'd often given Don when he was younger like he couldn't quite work him out. "No, not this time, bud," he replied, as his gaze softened. "How do you like Robin, Huntress, and Blue Beetle?"

"They're a bunch of jerks," Don answered, narrowing his eyes.

Wally grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh, right, yeah you probably would think that." He smiled forcefully. "Well, congratulations, because as a part of your community service to avoid Juvie, you're going to be on a team with them," the excitement in his voice was fake.

Don grew rigid, unfolding his arms to hit them on the table. "No, I'm not doing that."

Wally grimaced. "Look, D—Tornado, this is your chance to make a difference," he argued. The young speedster clenched his fists tightly. "You might not think so, but you're a good kid." The Flash smiled grimly. "You keep saying you just wanna steal, but isn't there anything else?"

Don shifted in his seat, looking away. Robin's words from before itched at the back of his head like a mosquito bite. It was either this or the detention centre so how much of a choice did he have? Besides, who's to stay he had to stick around for too long, they couldn't keep an eye on him forever.

"…I get to design my own costume," the young speedster demanded, raising his chin defiantly.

Wally smiled, genuine this time. "It's fine with me, kid."

Gotham City

10/02/2023

15:35

Helena stepped onto the playing field in her yellow and black cheerleading uniform, gym bag flung over her shoulder with her blue pom-poms in her other hand. Her gaze wandered towards the bleachers for a second, frowning.

The football pitch was large, with two posts on opposite ends and the bleachers in between. There was a large electric fence that separated it from the school parking lot, with two security officers positioned at each end in case someone was stupid enough to enter without authorisation.

Anada slapped her on the back, making her jerk forward at the sudden contact. "What's up with you?"

Helena forced a smile and shrugged, glancing at her teammates as they all filed in onto the field. "Nothing…" She looked over at the bleachers, narrowing her eyes when she saw a flicker of movement. "Tim sent me a text to meet him under the bleachers," she said, looking back at Anada who whose brow was furrowed. "He's meeting a friend after school but he left his wallet in my car so, I just need to give him the keys."

"Under the bleachers?" Anada looked at her oddly.

Helena shrugged. "He's shy around girls." She smiled sweetly. "It's pretty adorable."

Anada's brow smoothed out. "Oh, well okay then." She shrugged. "Give him my love," she chimed, waving her hand dismissively when she turned around.

"Will do." Helena started to walk over to the bleachers, sighing deeply.

Whoever this person was she'd need to let them down gently, and hope the gossip columns didn't get wind of this. She was not going through that mess again.

Helena ducked under a tree branch when she stepped under the shade of the bleachers. "Hello?" she called, looking around.

There were trees behind the seating, blocking out a majority of the light. Her gaze zeroed in on the figure hiding behind one of the trees at the far end. She frowned and walked closer, stepping on some old cigarette buds.

"Hey, it's me, Helena. You said you wanted to talk." Helena stopped half-way towards where the person was hiding, frowning. "…Um, hello?" She arched an eyebrow.

The figure shifted, feet crunching against the grass, and then the woman —definitely a woman judging by the size of those hips—turned around and hesitantly peered around the tree. The situation turned a whole lot stranger. She was blonde and Caucasian, wearing some tight jeans and a jacket with a green t-shirt underneath.

An uneasy feeling prickled Helena's skin. There was something about this woman which was familiar… was she a new teacher?

Then the woman spoke quietly, "Kitten?" stepping out from behind the tree, hands visibly shaking.

Kitten

Helena froze, as the colour drained from her face. "What did you say?"

The woman walked closer, as the beams of light that slipped through the bleachers hit her face. The woman's hair was different but her eyes were a familiar green and her face…

"I missed you," the woman, the person with her mother's face and voice, said warmly. "And, I am so sorry," her voice hitched, eyes watering.

"Oh my god," Helena whispered, feeling like she was going to be sick.

No, no, this isn't real!

It isn't her, it can't be her.

"Helena…" The woman stepped closer.

Helena stepped back suddenly full of anger. "Don't touch me," she snapped, holding onto the strap of her bag, hunching her shoulders up. "You're not real." Her eyes felt wet. "Who the hell are you?"

This was a trick. It was a lie, because, b-because it had to be.

Run, shout, and leave!

Something stopped her, though, staring at the woman who had her mother's face. A part of her wanting and begging it to be true.

The woman's gaze softened, twin tears sliding down her cheeks. "No, sweetie, it isn't," her voice was raw and sincere. Helena shook her head, shaking. "I left to protect you, to keep you safe." She reached out but Helena recoiled. The woman's face crumpled. "I left because if I didn't Black Mask would have killed you."

The words were like a stab in the gut because suddenly everything hurt and burned.

That face, that voice, and those words were all her mother's. The woman who'd kissed her bruises, taught her how to punch like a man, and say please and thank you like a lady.

This was her mom.

Helena's lips trembled, forgetting how to speak for a moment, staring at her mom who wasn't meant to be alive but was. "…Mom?" the word came out broken and her eyes blurred up from the tears, gazing at her like she'd disappear in a second. "Why?"

Her mom reached out and touched her shoulders, Helena flinched. The sleeves prevented the physical contact but she could feel the warmth radiating from her mother's hands. This was real, despite the feeling like this was all a dream.

But, hadn't she said it herself and to Tim, Death wasn't always a permanent destination and this case it had all been a lie, to begin with.

A lie for the last nine years.

"I had to protect you, Helena," Mom said softly, looking at her tenderly.

The tears in Helena's eyes started to dry as a new emotion clouded her grief.

Nine years without any hint that she'd been alive, just like Jason but worse. Worse because Jason had actually died, he hadn't had a choice, had come back mentally handicapped at first.

What had her mom been doing the last nine years while she'd grieved?

"I thought you committed suicide," Helena's voice was empty. Her mom winced. "I thought…I thought you didn't want me anymore."

Selina's face scrunched, tears streaking down her face. "No, no never," she insisted, cupping her face. "I left because I had to and I kept away to keep you safe. That's why I left you with your father."

"The letter said you couldn't cope with me anymore," Helena ignored her pleading, shaking her head, wanting to scream or run as her anger started to grow, boiling under her skin. "Get off me," she snarled, pushing her mother away.

Selina reacted like she'd been slapped in the face. The ends of her blonde locks clung to her wet cheeks, eyes wide and somewhat desperate. It was a side Helena had never seen before and one she didn't want to see.

Reality came crashing down and only made the pain worse like it was hitting her repeatedly with the truth after truth.

What was she meant to do?

Helena took a step back, as her chest seized up.

What will Batman do?

Selina was still a criminal, one he'd locked up years ago despite having some affection for her.

If she told Dad then she'd be betraying her mom but if she kept it a secret then she was betraying her dad.

Helena wanted to throw up and curl into a ball, as her head pounded. "Just don't touch me, just…" She looked back at her mother, feeling her anger merge with her grief in a messy combination.

"Let me explain everything, please," Selina implored, taking a step forward.

Helena jerked back, feeling trapped like her mother would grab her, and maybe she would… there was no way in hell her Dad would ever give her mother shared custody.

She didn't know what to do, so like an animal in the wild, she did the first thing that hit her and bolted.

"Helena, wait!" Her mom tried to grab her.

Helena dodged and ran out from under the bleachers and across the field.

The rest of the team were busy warming up but they stopped when they saw her running. Anada was doing a handstand and hastily flipped onto her feet when she saw Helena run passed. "Helena, where are you going!?"

Helena had no idea, ignoring her friend as she ran passed the main building and through the slipway to where the car park was, her chest heaving as she looked around frantically.

"Helena!" Anada was running after her.

Helena looked over her shoulder and then at the main road, running down the path. She didn't care where she went she just needed to get the hell out of here.

And, finally, they meet!

Considering how hard Selina's death hit Helena the only reaction I can envision is denial and then a full breakdown when it's realised she's been deceived for the last nine years.

If Selina hadn't mentioned that the whole thing had been a lie at first then I think Helena might have had some time to absorb the information and keep calm. Straight up saying you lied about committing suicide within the first few minutes is like a train slipping off the rails.

So, just saying, Selina could have handled it better, but with the type of character she is I think she'd straight up be honest to her kid mainly out of guilt. On the other hand, maybe I'm wrong and she would have handled it better.