Reese blinked, obviously taken aback. "Now wait." he started.
She stepped into his space, moving just inches from him. So close in fact that he could feel her heat on him. It was intoxicating. "What's the matter, Detective, if you're so sure I killed him, why haven't you cuffed me?"
She was challenging him, her anger sparking in her eyes. Her body appeared to be relaxed but he could see the dangerous lilt to it. If pushed, she could spring into action within a moment and perhaps kill even faster.
"I'm not sure," he retorted. "That's what you're still standing here." He sighed. "I believe you when you say you didn't do it but I need to understand more. Your fingerprints are on the body. I'm a cop. I need to make these things add up."
"I know," she said, almost apologetically. It seemed like every time they started to create a bond between them, it was broken by the concept of trust. "Look.the night he was killed.I was.doing something else..."
"What?" Barbara pushed, seeing her protégé's growing frustration.
"I was watching you," Helena muttered under her breath, not looking at Reese.
"Watching me?" he questioned, feeling a flush on his cheeks. He could see the same redness of hers.
She turned her back on him and paced away. "I was watching your back," she amended. "I had a feeling there could be trouble."
"Uh huh," Dinah snorted, finally taking one of the coffee mugs. "Anyone else here NOT buy that?"
"Shut up," Helena said. She snapped off what she hoped was an icy glare. Dinah seemed unaffected if not a bit amused.
"You were watching me?" he asked again, moving closer to her. She had retreated to the far wall of the room. "I was at the station."
"I had a feeling," she insisted again.
"How long where you watching?" Reese asked.
"And can anyone confirm my alibi?" Helena replied, amusement in her tone. He simply stared her down. She squirmed a bit and sighed. "Until you started yelling with the other cop and shut the drapes."
"You saw that?"
"Why did you shut the drapes?"
Reese sighed. "That's another story. A very long story."
"We have time," Helena insisted.
"Helena," Barbara said softly. "Where did you go after you left the police station?"
"That's when you sent me to round up those goons. So a goon-rounding I went. Remember?"
Barbara nodded slowly. "I do. And then Reese called."
"Believe me now?" Helena asked, almost sticking out her tongue.
"I told you I did before," he replied. "But now I got a body with a killer who was framed."
Helena frowned. "Someone tried to set me up. That sucks."
"Your grasp of the obvious is as usual fascinating," Barbara drawled. "Detective, is there a way that I can get a hold of the forensic data for Mr. Falco?"
"I think I can arrange that," Reese replied. Then he shook his head. "I think you're going to end up destroying my career."
Helena snorted. "Blame it on me."
"I do," he shot back. "Okay, look, I need to get back to the station. You stay put."
"You.want me to stay here.at your apartment?" Helena teased.
"Uh.uh.it doesn't have to be here," Reese replied, obviously flustered. "Just be.be around."
"Here it is," Helena grinned, dropping back down to the couch. "You have plenty of good liquor and I've known held up my part."
"So you're gonna get drunk?" Dinah asked. "I'm so staying." She looked up at Barbara's disapproving look. "I mean I'll keep watch."
"Great," Barbara replied dryly. "Two lushes." She looked at the two of them. "I'll be back at the Clocktower."
"I'll watch the kid," Helena grinned. She winked at Reese. "Find out who's poaching my fingerprints, huh? It kinda pisses me off."
Reese shook his head. He looked at Barbara. "Come on, I'll get you those files on Falco."
*****
"Somehow I never saw you getting into a bad relationship with a guy. I guess I always figured you for the queen feminist," Dinah said, eyes on the TV.
"Hardly," Helena said with a laugh as she tossed a handful of popcorn into her mouth. The two of them were seated on the carpet in front of the couch watching Saturday Night Live on Comedy Central. Most of the lights in the apartment were off allowing for only the soft glow from the TV. Two glasses sat next to the oversized bowl of popcorn that rested between the two girls.
"Hardly?" Dinah pushed. "Come on, you kick ass. You kick men's' asses.and you get off on it."
"I do, don't I?" Helena grinned, wrinkling her nose a bit.
"So."
"It was a bad decision," Helena admitted. "Barbara and I were getting rough with each other. I was pretty pissed about her holding back.and then I was just generally pissed. I didn't want to be a superhero."
"Can't imagine that."
"Now," Helena replied. "Now you can't imagine that. But it does get to you. And you either got to get over it getting to you or you start getting pissed off. I chose to get cranky."
"So you hooked up?"
"That's rather simplistic don't you think?"
"You tell me," Dinah replied, making like she was about to slap Helena's hand away from the popcorn bowl. "You've already eaten most of it," she said by way of explanation.
"Oh whatever.if you stopped putting entire handfuls in your mouth with each bite then this bowl might have lasted longer than the last three."
"I think you're drunk," Dinah laughed.
"Can't be. Remember." she held up the glass to reveal a light bubbling brown liquid. Coke.
Dinah grinned. "So.why was it simple?"
"Because I got to be angry and I didn't have to be good. And I got to be who I thought I was. I got to rage and no one could stop me." She shook her head. "Anger is so easy. So is hate."
"You hated Barbara?"
"I wanted to. I don't know if I ever did." She shrugged. "I kind of don't want to go there. Okay.if you spill anymore of that on me, I'm gonna kick your ass."
"You and what army," Dinah challenged. "I mean before I tossed your butt against the wall."
"Getting awfully cocky with your powers aren't we?" Helena replied.
"What can I say, I learn from the best."
"Now you're just flattering me."
"Is it working?"
"Flattery always works," Helena replied with a laugh. She took a deep breath then and grew deadly serious. "I don't know if I hated Barbara then or if I hated myself. I hated the Joker, I know that.but I went looking for the biggest monster that I could find so that I could understand."
"And did you?"
"No," Helena replied, shaking her head. "Falco was a creep but he wasn't a monster like the Joker. He was just a little man who liked to hurt other people a lot. And those other people included anyone close to him. He liked to play games but he was never good at them. I let him hurt me. Part of me wanted to hurt because it allowed me to hate."
"And hate is easy."
"Right. You're getting this," Helena said, offering a small smile. "The day I woke up in the bathroom and realized that I was the only one to blame for where I was.it kinda messes with you. You see yourself different. You start realizing how easy it is to become everything you hate."
"So Barbara."
"She came a'running. Just like she always does. She didn't act like I'd wounded her anything. She just trusted me again. You know I spent that first year working my ass off to get her trust back.she never stopped."
"She's amazing."
"That she is," Helena confirmed. Then she frowned at Dinah as she watched popcorn hit her lap. "Okay. Turn off your powers and prepared to get beat down."
Dinah grinned. "Bring. It. On."
TBC.
She stepped into his space, moving just inches from him. So close in fact that he could feel her heat on him. It was intoxicating. "What's the matter, Detective, if you're so sure I killed him, why haven't you cuffed me?"
She was challenging him, her anger sparking in her eyes. Her body appeared to be relaxed but he could see the dangerous lilt to it. If pushed, she could spring into action within a moment and perhaps kill even faster.
"I'm not sure," he retorted. "That's what you're still standing here." He sighed. "I believe you when you say you didn't do it but I need to understand more. Your fingerprints are on the body. I'm a cop. I need to make these things add up."
"I know," she said, almost apologetically. It seemed like every time they started to create a bond between them, it was broken by the concept of trust. "Look.the night he was killed.I was.doing something else..."
"What?" Barbara pushed, seeing her protégé's growing frustration.
"I was watching you," Helena muttered under her breath, not looking at Reese.
"Watching me?" he questioned, feeling a flush on his cheeks. He could see the same redness of hers.
She turned her back on him and paced away. "I was watching your back," she amended. "I had a feeling there could be trouble."
"Uh huh," Dinah snorted, finally taking one of the coffee mugs. "Anyone else here NOT buy that?"
"Shut up," Helena said. She snapped off what she hoped was an icy glare. Dinah seemed unaffected if not a bit amused.
"You were watching me?" he asked again, moving closer to her. She had retreated to the far wall of the room. "I was at the station."
"I had a feeling," she insisted again.
"How long where you watching?" Reese asked.
"And can anyone confirm my alibi?" Helena replied, amusement in her tone. He simply stared her down. She squirmed a bit and sighed. "Until you started yelling with the other cop and shut the drapes."
"You saw that?"
"Why did you shut the drapes?"
Reese sighed. "That's another story. A very long story."
"We have time," Helena insisted.
"Helena," Barbara said softly. "Where did you go after you left the police station?"
"That's when you sent me to round up those goons. So a goon-rounding I went. Remember?"
Barbara nodded slowly. "I do. And then Reese called."
"Believe me now?" Helena asked, almost sticking out her tongue.
"I told you I did before," he replied. "But now I got a body with a killer who was framed."
Helena frowned. "Someone tried to set me up. That sucks."
"Your grasp of the obvious is as usual fascinating," Barbara drawled. "Detective, is there a way that I can get a hold of the forensic data for Mr. Falco?"
"I think I can arrange that," Reese replied. Then he shook his head. "I think you're going to end up destroying my career."
Helena snorted. "Blame it on me."
"I do," he shot back. "Okay, look, I need to get back to the station. You stay put."
"You.want me to stay here.at your apartment?" Helena teased.
"Uh.uh.it doesn't have to be here," Reese replied, obviously flustered. "Just be.be around."
"Here it is," Helena grinned, dropping back down to the couch. "You have plenty of good liquor and I've known held up my part."
"So you're gonna get drunk?" Dinah asked. "I'm so staying." She looked up at Barbara's disapproving look. "I mean I'll keep watch."
"Great," Barbara replied dryly. "Two lushes." She looked at the two of them. "I'll be back at the Clocktower."
"I'll watch the kid," Helena grinned. She winked at Reese. "Find out who's poaching my fingerprints, huh? It kinda pisses me off."
Reese shook his head. He looked at Barbara. "Come on, I'll get you those files on Falco."
*****
"Somehow I never saw you getting into a bad relationship with a guy. I guess I always figured you for the queen feminist," Dinah said, eyes on the TV.
"Hardly," Helena said with a laugh as she tossed a handful of popcorn into her mouth. The two of them were seated on the carpet in front of the couch watching Saturday Night Live on Comedy Central. Most of the lights in the apartment were off allowing for only the soft glow from the TV. Two glasses sat next to the oversized bowl of popcorn that rested between the two girls.
"Hardly?" Dinah pushed. "Come on, you kick ass. You kick men's' asses.and you get off on it."
"I do, don't I?" Helena grinned, wrinkling her nose a bit.
"So."
"It was a bad decision," Helena admitted. "Barbara and I were getting rough with each other. I was pretty pissed about her holding back.and then I was just generally pissed. I didn't want to be a superhero."
"Can't imagine that."
"Now," Helena replied. "Now you can't imagine that. But it does get to you. And you either got to get over it getting to you or you start getting pissed off. I chose to get cranky."
"So you hooked up?"
"That's rather simplistic don't you think?"
"You tell me," Dinah replied, making like she was about to slap Helena's hand away from the popcorn bowl. "You've already eaten most of it," she said by way of explanation.
"Oh whatever.if you stopped putting entire handfuls in your mouth with each bite then this bowl might have lasted longer than the last three."
"I think you're drunk," Dinah laughed.
"Can't be. Remember." she held up the glass to reveal a light bubbling brown liquid. Coke.
Dinah grinned. "So.why was it simple?"
"Because I got to be angry and I didn't have to be good. And I got to be who I thought I was. I got to rage and no one could stop me." She shook her head. "Anger is so easy. So is hate."
"You hated Barbara?"
"I wanted to. I don't know if I ever did." She shrugged. "I kind of don't want to go there. Okay.if you spill anymore of that on me, I'm gonna kick your ass."
"You and what army," Dinah challenged. "I mean before I tossed your butt against the wall."
"Getting awfully cocky with your powers aren't we?" Helena replied.
"What can I say, I learn from the best."
"Now you're just flattering me."
"Is it working?"
"Flattery always works," Helena replied with a laugh. She took a deep breath then and grew deadly serious. "I don't know if I hated Barbara then or if I hated myself. I hated the Joker, I know that.but I went looking for the biggest monster that I could find so that I could understand."
"And did you?"
"No," Helena replied, shaking her head. "Falco was a creep but he wasn't a monster like the Joker. He was just a little man who liked to hurt other people a lot. And those other people included anyone close to him. He liked to play games but he was never good at them. I let him hurt me. Part of me wanted to hurt because it allowed me to hate."
"And hate is easy."
"Right. You're getting this," Helena said, offering a small smile. "The day I woke up in the bathroom and realized that I was the only one to blame for where I was.it kinda messes with you. You see yourself different. You start realizing how easy it is to become everything you hate."
"So Barbara."
"She came a'running. Just like she always does. She didn't act like I'd wounded her anything. She just trusted me again. You know I spent that first year working my ass off to get her trust back.she never stopped."
"She's amazing."
"That she is," Helena confirmed. Then she frowned at Dinah as she watched popcorn hit her lap. "Okay. Turn off your powers and prepared to get beat down."
Dinah grinned. "Bring. It. On."
TBC.