Chapter 9
Dinah sat watching and pulled the blanket up over Helena as she slept. She moved to the head of the couch and brushed the hair out of Helena's eyes; gently so that she would not wake her. Helena looked so innocent. Dinah stared at her and wondered how she could turn into someone so dangerous in the blink of an eye, literally. Helena stirred slightly as Dinah touched her but did not wake up. Dinah smiled and felt such a warmth come over her. It was the first time she really saw Helena. She saw the innocence, the childlike vulnerability and the pain that Helena kept trapped inside. She felt a tremendous caring towards Huntress, a caring that went beyond hero-worship that she felt, until that very moment. She fought the urge to use her mind-melding to read Helena's thoughts; to enter her dreamscape.
Barbara watched from the doorway as Dinah shared affectionate moments with an unsuspecting Helena. Barbara remembered back to the days when she used to sit up, watching Helena, as she slept. For the first year after Selina died, Helena had trouble sleeping and although Helena never knew it, Barbara spent countless hours just stroking her hair and soothing away the nightmares. And now that the nightmares were back, Barbara had no desire to make the pain go away. She felt guilty that Dinah was doing so, yet she could not muster up a single smile towards the sleeping beauty. After all, Wade wasn't there to make her nightmares go away anymore, so why should Helena be so lucky. She was the one responsible. It tore her heart apart. She wanted to express her feelings to Helena, but that side of her refused to open up.
After several minutes of watching Helena, Dinah retreated to her bedroom, grabbed her stuff and headed out the door. In passing, she let Barbara know she had previously made plans with Gabby and went to meet her friend. The moment she hit the outside air, Dinah slipped on a pair of sunglasses to hide her black eye. It was almost noon so the sun was bright. Even with the dark glasses, Dinah still squinted from her tender eye.
Helena moaned on the couch which startled Barbara. She dropped the book she was holding when she jumped. Helena moaned again. Barbara approached her and noticed that she was in the midst of a nightmare. Helena's eyes fluttered and she shifted uncomfortably on the couch. Her face contorted slightly as the nightmare intensified and her eyes fluttered even faster. Barbara slowly stretched out her hand, holding it in mid-air, wanting to make contact with Helena, trying to will herself to ease away the nightmares but she couldn't. She froze in place, plagued by her own twisted emotions.
"No," Helena mumbled with pain in her voice. You can't be dead! Mom, can you hear me? Mom, it's Helena! Mom, wake up! Helena cradled the woman in her arms. The night sky swallowed her whole, as she watched her mom bleed to death, before her very eyes. Helena saw the knife hit the ground and as she looked up, she saw that familiar face. The woman standing near the knife, Helena knew her. Her eyes widened. What is she doing here? Oh my God! What is SHE doing here?! And why is SHE by the knife? Helena screamed in her dream, distraught by what she was seeing.
She looked down at her mother in her arms and brushed the hair from her eyes as tears filled her own. I love you, she said. Please don't leave me. Through teary eyes, Helena stared at her mother and the blurry vision finally became clear. Her mother was gone; she cradled someone else in her arms. Helena gasped for breath as she stared into the eyes of the dying woman.
"Barbara!" she shouted, ripping herself from her sleep, in a state of panic. Barbara's hand was still hovering over Helena, still afraid to make contact. The moment Helena screamed and woke up from the nightmare, Barbara yanked her hand away quickly, startled by Helena's cry. She was wide-eyed and guilt ridden, but Helena didn't seem to notice. "Barbara!" she shouted again and launched herself into Barbara's arms.
Barbara became a statue. Helena's embrace stunned Barbara and she felt Helena's tiny, teardrops hit her bare arms. But Barbara didn't return the embrace. She didn't warm to Helena's touch. She remained frozen and after several moments, Helena realized where she was, and what had happened, and slowly unwrapped herself from Barbara. A wave of humiliation washed over her as she realized what she had done.
She met Barbara's eyes for a moment, but then looked away. "I'm sorry," she apologized. Barbara narrowed her eyes at her. "Nightmare," Helena frowned.
"Yeah, I could tell," was all Barbara responded. Her voice lacking the emotion she wished she could express. Helena jumped up from the couch in a hurry.
"I have to see someone," Helena stressed, as anger now grew in her voice. "Right now!" she snapped. Barbara stared at her blankly, not really too concerned to ask. With that, Helena rushed for the elevator and hit the down button over and over, until the doors finally closed.
Helena practically flew down the sidewalk as she ran. I can't believe I was so stupid, she screamed at herself. Fuck! It was her all along! Helena ran faster and when she reached the building she sought after, she shoved aside the doorman and flew up the stairs. Her anger was extreme; she couldn't wait the few seconds it took for the elevator to arrive.
She reached the floor she needed and ran down the hallway. When she reached the door, she kicked it so hard that when it opened, it broke the hinges.
"What the?" a man said as he jumped at the crashing door. He stood to meet the intruder but with one sweep of her arm, Helena sent him flying into the wall, rendering him unconscious. She didn't stop, she moved forward like a freight train.
"It was you!" Helena snarled. She picked up her victim by the throat and slammed them against the wall, causing the picture frames behind to shatter as they hit the floor. "You were there!" she screamed, her eyes now revealing her Meta human terror.
"Please," the victim begged, "Don't do this." Tears of pain pooled in her victims eyes. Helena stared dangerously into them, and showed just who was in charge.
"Please? Please?!" Helena seethed. "You DARE beg me after what you did! You lied to me! You were there, I saw you," Helena paused, "I dreamed you." Momentary confusion washed over her as she stared into the eyes of her prey. She saw something familiar, but only for a moment. Helena blinked the confusion away and when she once again got a clear picture of her prey, threw the person across the room and into another wall.
Battered and broken, yet not defeated. Her prey stood up, carefully, painfully, to face the attacker. Helena recognized the challenge, and was more than willing to oblige. She vaulted over the desk and landed squarely in front and grabbed for the throat, as most cats do when they want to subdue their prey. She pressed up against her victim, using her body to pin them against the wall, along with her hand, choking the throat. Helena smiled as she saw the pain and fear looking back at her. And then something happened that she didn't expect. Her victim reached out and hugged Helena.
Helena squeezed tighter and despite the terror, so did her victim. Helena eased up, confusion plaguing her and she backed away. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she snapped, demanding an answer.
The voice was quiet, but Helena got a response. "I could never hurt you Helena, I told you that." Helena formed a fist and drove it through the wall. Bits of plaster and dust clung to her bleeding knuckles.
Helena looked at her prey incredulously. "Fuck!" she roared, slamming her fist in the wall again, mere inches from the victim's face. She let go, spun around and kicked the chair that was in her path. It smashed against the window, shattering it in a million, tiny shards. She paced back and forth, unsure of her next move. Helena hated her confusion. She wanted to attack, but something stopped her and she couldn't figure out what. She spun around to see her victim crawling across the floor and reaching up for a chair.
Helena walked back over and yanked the person up. "Why are you not afraid of me?" she demanded to know. This reaction was new to her… and she didn't like it. She stared intently but didn't find the answers she sought. Helena stormed out of the office, anger and confusion seeping from every pour of her body.