title: like me
author: EV
Rating: PG
timeline: shortly after 'Sins of the Mother'
Summary: Helena POV. Helena reflects on the similarities between herself
and young Dinah.
disclaimer: The Birds of Prey tv series belongs to the wb and some other
people that aren't me.
a/n: Sidekicks steal my heart. So it's no wonder I'm waist deep in Dinah
fic ideas. I was just reflecting upon how 'Sins of the Mother' made Helena
and Dinah have much more in common and started writing this. I originally
intended it as part of a longer work, but I like it as a stand alone.
I remember the first time she hugged me, I didn't want her to touch me or
love me, I didn't want her. But as Dinah sat beside me tonight and laid her
head on my shoulder, I didn't push her away. Hell, I'll even hug her now if
she looks like she needs it and I don't know when that happened. We both
listened to the gentle tapping of Barbara's fingers on the keyboard a short
distance away. It's a comfort to both of us to know she's there, though I
never said it I knew Dinah loved Barbara as much as I did. I guess as much
as I didn't want to see us as the same, we were the same. I was big on not
getting attached, never getting to close, but I couldn't resist the girl,
so eager, so innocent, so -- Like me.
I'm starting to see she holds as much pain as I ever had. Barbara has often
pointed out, Dinah isn't much different from me. But I couldn't see
anything similiar about myself and little miss sunshine, little miss 'I
want to be a superhero when I grow up'. But when I was young, when I first
began to learn what I could do, before there was a Batman in my life and a
tradition, when I was just some metahuman kid, I dreamed of it too, being a
superhero - for all the fun reasons. I've since lost that childlike "wow"
approach to the life of the hero, but I was exactly like her a long time
ago. And just a few days ago, when she confronted the parent who abandoned
her, I knew exactly how she felt. She was me, I was her, facing the excuses
of an absent parent. And now as she faces the loss of a mother, I know
exactly how she feels because the memories of that loss still feel like
they happened yesterday. On top of that, now she has her own larger than
life superhero tradition to live up to and I know the weight of that.
So much like me, but not so much we'll end up the same. I'll bet she'll
handle the whole tradition thing different. She'll throw herself into
training, mastering her skills, trying to live up to the name of Black
Canary. Not like me, who yells 'I'm not my father'. Who knows though, one
day she could be just like me. One day hearing how great Black Canary was
will annoy the hell out of her. She'll be older then, romantic thoughts of
crimefighting gone, ready to scream 'I'm not my mother'. But maybe she
won't be like me, maybe she won't be afraid, that's right afraid, afraid
I'll never live up to the vision people have for me as the daughter of
Batman. As far as I'm concerned, I'm the daughter of Selina Kyle, that's
who put me to bed every night, not Batman or Catwoman. Dinah didn't even
have that from her natural mother or at least she didn't have it for very
long, yet she's not bitter or at least she doesn't show it. Even when she
gets angry, she faces the next day with a smile. Little miss sunshine, I
use to hate her for it, but perhaps she's braver than I am. I'd never tell
her that though.
I guess we are more alike than different. However, I hope she's never just
like me, I want her to keep her sunshine and maybe one day I'll be a little
more like her.
END
Nov. 9, 2002
author: EV
Rating: PG
timeline: shortly after 'Sins of the Mother'
Summary: Helena POV. Helena reflects on the similarities between herself
and young Dinah.
disclaimer: The Birds of Prey tv series belongs to the wb and some other
people that aren't me.
a/n: Sidekicks steal my heart. So it's no wonder I'm waist deep in Dinah
fic ideas. I was just reflecting upon how 'Sins of the Mother' made Helena
and Dinah have much more in common and started writing this. I originally
intended it as part of a longer work, but I like it as a stand alone.
I remember the first time she hugged me, I didn't want her to touch me or
love me, I didn't want her. But as Dinah sat beside me tonight and laid her
head on my shoulder, I didn't push her away. Hell, I'll even hug her now if
she looks like she needs it and I don't know when that happened. We both
listened to the gentle tapping of Barbara's fingers on the keyboard a short
distance away. It's a comfort to both of us to know she's there, though I
never said it I knew Dinah loved Barbara as much as I did. I guess as much
as I didn't want to see us as the same, we were the same. I was big on not
getting attached, never getting to close, but I couldn't resist the girl,
so eager, so innocent, so -- Like me.
I'm starting to see she holds as much pain as I ever had. Barbara has often
pointed out, Dinah isn't much different from me. But I couldn't see
anything similiar about myself and little miss sunshine, little miss 'I
want to be a superhero when I grow up'. But when I was young, when I first
began to learn what I could do, before there was a Batman in my life and a
tradition, when I was just some metahuman kid, I dreamed of it too, being a
superhero - for all the fun reasons. I've since lost that childlike "wow"
approach to the life of the hero, but I was exactly like her a long time
ago. And just a few days ago, when she confronted the parent who abandoned
her, I knew exactly how she felt. She was me, I was her, facing the excuses
of an absent parent. And now as she faces the loss of a mother, I know
exactly how she feels because the memories of that loss still feel like
they happened yesterday. On top of that, now she has her own larger than
life superhero tradition to live up to and I know the weight of that.
So much like me, but not so much we'll end up the same. I'll bet she'll
handle the whole tradition thing different. She'll throw herself into
training, mastering her skills, trying to live up to the name of Black
Canary. Not like me, who yells 'I'm not my father'. Who knows though, one
day she could be just like me. One day hearing how great Black Canary was
will annoy the hell out of her. She'll be older then, romantic thoughts of
crimefighting gone, ready to scream 'I'm not my mother'. But maybe she
won't be like me, maybe she won't be afraid, that's right afraid, afraid
I'll never live up to the vision people have for me as the daughter of
Batman. As far as I'm concerned, I'm the daughter of Selina Kyle, that's
who put me to bed every night, not Batman or Catwoman. Dinah didn't even
have that from her natural mother or at least she didn't have it for very
long, yet she's not bitter or at least she doesn't show it. Even when she
gets angry, she faces the next day with a smile. Little miss sunshine, I
use to hate her for it, but perhaps she's braver than I am. I'd never tell
her that though.
I guess we are more alike than different. However, I hope she's never just
like me, I want her to keep her sunshine and maybe one day I'll be a little
more like her.
END
Nov. 9, 2002