Chapter 3 - Crimson Tears in the Moonlight
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creeping Left it's seed while I was sleeping And the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains Within the sounds of silence
She had come to talk to darkness again. The only difference this time was that the harsh cries of pain and anger had been replaced by tears of loss in the silence. The darkness seemed to comfort her, it had ever since Dinah's sobs had faded.
Barbara stared at the ceiling through her crystal tears. Even though she welcomed the silence, the blast before the telephone line was cut, still rang in her head. She had been stunned for a few minutes, listening to the operator on the other side. After Dinah's voice over the comset reached her, Barbara had managed to pull herself more or less together.
When she drove to the Bar, she kept thinking that this was slowly becoming a really bad nightmare. Was someone after them, was Cris' death and now possibly Helena's linked?
Reese was already on the scene when Barbara and Dinah arrived. As he spoke to them, his voice seemed strained. He too was scared, even though he and Helena never admitted it; they shared a love for each other. The blast was instantaneous killing all in the bar. As Reese relayed the report, Barbara grew distant as she felt a stake slowly plunge into her heart. "Helena, no," she said to herself.
A new tear formed and ran down her cheek. Helena had meant so much to her. Barbara never really thought of Helena as her protégé, but through the years Helena had become more like a daughter. A daughter she had now lost.
Barbara rolled over to her side and closed her eyes as the tears now started streaming down her face. Every beat of her heart brought even more pain and even more tears. Her whole body now shook as she sobbed. "Helena." she managed to whisper.
********* FLASHBACK *********
It had rained all night long. The rain fell harder and harder as the night wore on. Barbara didn't care though, she had to carry on, she had to find her. The hummer's windscreen wipers could barley wash away the downpour. There were a few close shaves that told Barbara she had to turn back, but she kept pushing forward. :: Oracle, nobody here has seen her,:: came Dinah's voice over the comm. She had gone to no man's land enquiring about Helena. ::She's not at the bar either,:: Jesse said in turn. "Okay, I'm about to check one final place, you guys go back home," Barbara replied. :: Oracle, you should turn back, this rain.:: Jesse started. "I'll be okay detective," Barbara interrupted and then turned the comset off.
The hummer approached the gate and slid slowly in. The sign above the gate read, "Gotham Cemetery." Lighting flashed and illuminated the eerie cemetery. Barbara parked the hummer and opened the door, a platform extended and a machine pushed her wheelchair slowly onto the platform. As she exited the car she was immediately drenched from the downpour. As soon as the lift reached the ground Barbara moved off down the paved pathway. She headed towards the one place, if any, Helena could be.
She found her curled up next to the gravestone. "Helena?" she said over the thunder. Helena looked up, even through the rain Barbara could see she had been crying. "I miss her so much," Helena said. "I know I miss her too," Barbara replied. Barbara and Helena stared at each other. The rain cascaded down their faces, mixed with their tears. It hurt Barbara so much to see Helena in pain. Sometimes she just wanted to hold her, cry with her and then later wash away all the tears. She wanted so much to take the pain away, to soothe the hurt.
Helena slowly stood up, kissed her middle and index finger and placed the two fingers on the gravestone. She walked slowly up to Barbara and then hugged her, whispering into her ear, "I love you," like a child to a mother. Barbara closed her eyes and struggled to fight off the tears, as she held tight onto Helena. Finally she replied, "I love you too."
******* Present *******
She felt the soft touch of something against her cheek. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. A black cat with deep blue eyes stood on her bed, near her head. It stared at her with intensity as if it knew her and tried to talk to her. Barbara wondered how it got here. There was no possible way a stray cat could wonder into the clocktower. She sat up and looked at the cat. It looked oddly familiar but she didn't know why. Its black fur shone brightly in the moonlight that streamed through her window. Its eyes were intense as it stared at Barbara, as if it looked past her and into her soul. For a brief moment cat and human connected, in Barbara's mind Helena's face flashed, replacing the cat's face, but one thing remained constant. Their eyes, blue and intense, were exactly the same.
Barbara's eyes widened, "Helena?" she whispered very softly. The cat continued to stare at her. Too many questions started running through her mind. What was happening? Why were Cris and Helena still present? Why did they seem urgent to protect her? As these questions ran through her mind a vision flashed through her mind.
The crude blade of a knife flashed in the moonlight. Dinah stood in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water. There's a flash of movement and then a thick stream of crimson trickled across the floor.
She opened her eyes. A shadow rushed past her out the door, the cat stood staring at the door with its fur on end, a low growl rumbling from its throat. Barbara moved towards the end of the bed and swung her self over to her wheel chair. Securing her feet she moved as quickly as the chair allowed out of her room. Time seemed to slow down as she moved through the passage. The passage seemed longer, almost stretched. The more she moved the more it stretched. "No, NO!" she shouted in frustration as she tried desperately to move into the kitchen. Suddenly she appeared in the kitchen and she saw her. Dinah lay on the floor, with a knife buried deep in her belly, in a pool of blood, the crimson ignited by the silver of the moonlight
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creeping Left it's seed while I was sleeping And the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains Within the sounds of silence
She had come to talk to darkness again. The only difference this time was that the harsh cries of pain and anger had been replaced by tears of loss in the silence. The darkness seemed to comfort her, it had ever since Dinah's sobs had faded.
Barbara stared at the ceiling through her crystal tears. Even though she welcomed the silence, the blast before the telephone line was cut, still rang in her head. She had been stunned for a few minutes, listening to the operator on the other side. After Dinah's voice over the comset reached her, Barbara had managed to pull herself more or less together.
When she drove to the Bar, she kept thinking that this was slowly becoming a really bad nightmare. Was someone after them, was Cris' death and now possibly Helena's linked?
Reese was already on the scene when Barbara and Dinah arrived. As he spoke to them, his voice seemed strained. He too was scared, even though he and Helena never admitted it; they shared a love for each other. The blast was instantaneous killing all in the bar. As Reese relayed the report, Barbara grew distant as she felt a stake slowly plunge into her heart. "Helena, no," she said to herself.
A new tear formed and ran down her cheek. Helena had meant so much to her. Barbara never really thought of Helena as her protégé, but through the years Helena had become more like a daughter. A daughter she had now lost.
Barbara rolled over to her side and closed her eyes as the tears now started streaming down her face. Every beat of her heart brought even more pain and even more tears. Her whole body now shook as she sobbed. "Helena." she managed to whisper.
********* FLASHBACK *********
It had rained all night long. The rain fell harder and harder as the night wore on. Barbara didn't care though, she had to carry on, she had to find her. The hummer's windscreen wipers could barley wash away the downpour. There were a few close shaves that told Barbara she had to turn back, but she kept pushing forward. :: Oracle, nobody here has seen her,:: came Dinah's voice over the comm. She had gone to no man's land enquiring about Helena. ::She's not at the bar either,:: Jesse said in turn. "Okay, I'm about to check one final place, you guys go back home," Barbara replied. :: Oracle, you should turn back, this rain.:: Jesse started. "I'll be okay detective," Barbara interrupted and then turned the comset off.
The hummer approached the gate and slid slowly in. The sign above the gate read, "Gotham Cemetery." Lighting flashed and illuminated the eerie cemetery. Barbara parked the hummer and opened the door, a platform extended and a machine pushed her wheelchair slowly onto the platform. As she exited the car she was immediately drenched from the downpour. As soon as the lift reached the ground Barbara moved off down the paved pathway. She headed towards the one place, if any, Helena could be.
She found her curled up next to the gravestone. "Helena?" she said over the thunder. Helena looked up, even through the rain Barbara could see she had been crying. "I miss her so much," Helena said. "I know I miss her too," Barbara replied. Barbara and Helena stared at each other. The rain cascaded down their faces, mixed with their tears. It hurt Barbara so much to see Helena in pain. Sometimes she just wanted to hold her, cry with her and then later wash away all the tears. She wanted so much to take the pain away, to soothe the hurt.
Helena slowly stood up, kissed her middle and index finger and placed the two fingers on the gravestone. She walked slowly up to Barbara and then hugged her, whispering into her ear, "I love you," like a child to a mother. Barbara closed her eyes and struggled to fight off the tears, as she held tight onto Helena. Finally she replied, "I love you too."
******* Present *******
She felt the soft touch of something against her cheek. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. A black cat with deep blue eyes stood on her bed, near her head. It stared at her with intensity as if it knew her and tried to talk to her. Barbara wondered how it got here. There was no possible way a stray cat could wonder into the clocktower. She sat up and looked at the cat. It looked oddly familiar but she didn't know why. Its black fur shone brightly in the moonlight that streamed through her window. Its eyes were intense as it stared at Barbara, as if it looked past her and into her soul. For a brief moment cat and human connected, in Barbara's mind Helena's face flashed, replacing the cat's face, but one thing remained constant. Their eyes, blue and intense, were exactly the same.
Barbara's eyes widened, "Helena?" she whispered very softly. The cat continued to stare at her. Too many questions started running through her mind. What was happening? Why were Cris and Helena still present? Why did they seem urgent to protect her? As these questions ran through her mind a vision flashed through her mind.
The crude blade of a knife flashed in the moonlight. Dinah stood in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water. There's a flash of movement and then a thick stream of crimson trickled across the floor.
She opened her eyes. A shadow rushed past her out the door, the cat stood staring at the door with its fur on end, a low growl rumbling from its throat. Barbara moved towards the end of the bed and swung her self over to her wheel chair. Securing her feet she moved as quickly as the chair allowed out of her room. Time seemed to slow down as she moved through the passage. The passage seemed longer, almost stretched. The more she moved the more it stretched. "No, NO!" she shouted in frustration as she tried desperately to move into the kitchen. Suddenly she appeared in the kitchen and she saw her. Dinah lay on the floor, with a knife buried deep in her belly, in a pool of blood, the crimson ignited by the silver of the moonlight