Gabby was sleeping deeply in her room, she heard a light taps on her
window. She woke up and turned her head.
".Dinah??...." she mumbled and stood up to open the window.
"Hi Gabby.." Dinah entered the room.
"What are you doing here! It's too late." Gabby looked outside "Are you nuts? This is a second floor."
"I know, but I didn't want to wake up your parents."
"They aren't here, remember? They went to Indianapolis. What are you doing here?"
"I need you to hide me for a few days." Dinah closed the window and sat in Gabby's bed, she was shivering. "Hide you? What happened? Calm down, And Barbara?"
"I don't want to return to live with her again." Dinah said mad.
"If you explain everything to me, I would understand what's going on." Gabby sat next to her.
".My mom appeared." Dinah avoided saying that she had almost killed Helena too, becouse Gabby didn't know anything about her metahuman side.
"What?" Gabby was shocked "She is dead!.... How."
"She lied to me.." Dinah hugged her and began to cry "She lied to me. and so did Barbara and Helena, they knew and never told me!"
"But. why? What did your mother say?"
"I didn't see her. Helena told me that she appeared at our house a few weeks ago. and they hid it from me, I hate her, I hate Barbara! I thought we were a family."
"What did Barbara say?" Gabby turned on her lamp and gave Dinah a kleenex.
I dunno. I didn't see her. Hun. Helena told me. But I don't want to talk to her, or Helena, again." Dinah felt afraid of herself, of not being able to control her powers, "I'm scared."
"Scared?"
Dinah kept silent. She couldn't tell Gabby all her secrets.
"And your mom?"
"I don't want to see her. I need you to hide me until I leave."
"Leave? Are you nuts? Where are you going to go?"
"As far as I can. just promise me that you won't tell her I am here." Dinah cleaned her nose "This is the first place they will come."
"I'm your friend, but I think that you need talk with your mom, she must have a good reason for doing it, lying you. Maybe she asked Barbara and Helena to not say anything until she talk with you first."
"They should have told me!" Dinah shouted.
"Ok, ok." Gabby touched her shoulder "Stay here, no problem."
"Are you going to hide me?"
"Yes, but I still think that you should talk with your friends, I promise I won't open my mouth."
Dinah hugged her, Gabby too, she thought that maybe the next morning her friend would be calmer and change her mind.
* * *
Helena was really pissed as she sat in a chair in the lab. She put her hand to her head and noticed she was bleeding. "Damn," she said. It had been a terrible day for her, problems, fights, her friend was hurt and disappeared, Carolyn bothered her, she was hoping it would be over soon. She cleaned the blood with her hand, she needed a cloth.
Barbara wheeled toward her. "Let me see that." Barbara stopped in front of her with some gauze.
"No! I'm okay," Helena said angrily and noticed the cut over Barbara's brow. "What happened to you?"
"Nothing, let me clean that wound on you forehead"
"She hit you?" Helena stood up immediately. "I'll kill her!"
"Helena, sit down!" Barbara exclaimed.
"Tell me! Did she touch you?"
"Helena, I told you two to stop and you didn't listen to me! It was an accident." Barbara said, annoyed. "This isn't a boxing ring. This where we work! I'm tired of being a referee when we have troubles! Dinah is gone! Now sit down!"
"She insulted my mother!" Helena shouted walking in circles. "Every time she see me does the same thing! Am I supposed to just smile?"
"I understand you. I'm going to talk with her. This isn't fair to you, but you won't end every conflict that you have with a fight! Now, for the last time, sit down!"
Helena sat and glowered as Barbara began to clean the blood off her face near the wound. They were silent for a few minutes. Barbara tilted her head. "You need a few stitches here." She wheeled to the cabinet.
"Why does she hate me?" Helena asked in low voice "Just because of my mother?"
"She does not hate you."
"It seems like it."
"Helena, Carolyn had a lot of conflicts with your mother. They were like oil and water."
"A bird-cat thing, right?"
"Yes." Barbara wheeled to Helena again, carrying a tray on her lap. "Carolyn was always so inflexible about that, I fight crime too, but I could see the human side of the personas, like your mother did. Raise your head." she raised her arm with the needle. Helena looked at her and grabbed her wrist with her hand. "Was she really so bad, Barbara?"
"What?"
"Was my mother so bad?"
"Helena, your mother made many mistakes, like all of us, but the important is that she changed thanks to you," she cupped Helena's cheek. "She gave you all her love and the best of her. How do you remember her?"
The girl thought a second "Hugging me at night, singing to me before bed," Helena smiled, her gazed was fixed to the floor, "Talking about our things, about my problems, I feel warm every time I remember her, but... at the same time I feel cold, the cold of that night, the cold that I felt when I returned to our house to pick up my things. I was longing to see her opening the door saying to me 'welcome back', and." Helena voice broke, her eyes filled with tears.
Barbara squeezed her hand gently. It was one of those strangest moment where Barbara could see the pain in her soul, where she could see her defenceless.
".and she wasn't there, anymore. Her room was empty, empty of her, all her things where were she left them before we left that night. The last blouse that she changed out of was over the bedside table, where she threw it. I opened her closet and I touched her clothes, clothes that she wore, trying to feel her again, just once. I smelled her in each one. I lay on her mattress for many hours smelling her in the pillows, trying to absorb all her scent. before that smell disappeared, sobbing, missing her."
Helena was crying. Barbara hugged her close. "Helena, I love you," she said. "I love you so much." Helena couldn't respond as she cried like a small child in her mentor's arms.
* * *
Barbara entered the kitchen, she had a little patch on her eyebrow. Carolyn was sitting drinking coffee. Barbara went to the coffee maker and took a cup, Then she wheeled next to Carolyn at the table.
"I'm sorry I was so rude" Carolyn said.
"You don't know how Selina's life changed when Helena's born," Barbara said. "She turned from her life of crime. It was beautiful to see them together. Selina was a wonderful mother for her, until she was murdered."
Carolyn crossed her arms and lowered her eyes. ".I'm sorry. Helena almost repeated my words in the letter that I wrote to you when I found Dinah the first time: 'I'm a terrible mother. even Selina, a thief, was able to give up her 'job' for her daughter. I don't know why I was never strong enough to do that for Dinah, because I always loved her, more than anything or anyone else.' I remember that perfectly well.
"Yes, and you don't have the right to hurt Helena just because she is Selina's daughter." Barbara tried not be rude. "Selina is dead, and so is your rivalry. Helena isn't to blame for your problems and differences. You don't have an idea how hard her life has been. Growing up alone, knowing that her father, one of the greatest hero's in the world, could take care of a lot of people, but not his own daughter, could save a lot of lives, but not the life of her mother. She couldn't have a real family, why you want to destroy the only memory that she has of one: her mother? What has she ever done to you?"
"You are right Barbara, I need to apologize to her."
"Yes, but not now, she is not well at the moment." Barbara sighed, looking outside "We need find Dinah and we can't do it fighting among ourselves. If you want our help you have to learn to respect us first."
Carolyn stood up. "I'll need to take a walk for a while."
"Ok."
Carolyn walked to the elevator.
"And Carolyn." Barbara said.
"Yes?..."
"This is Helena's house, not mine."
".Dinah??...." she mumbled and stood up to open the window.
"Hi Gabby.." Dinah entered the room.
"What are you doing here! It's too late." Gabby looked outside "Are you nuts? This is a second floor."
"I know, but I didn't want to wake up your parents."
"They aren't here, remember? They went to Indianapolis. What are you doing here?"
"I need you to hide me for a few days." Dinah closed the window and sat in Gabby's bed, she was shivering. "Hide you? What happened? Calm down, And Barbara?"
"I don't want to return to live with her again." Dinah said mad.
"If you explain everything to me, I would understand what's going on." Gabby sat next to her.
".My mom appeared." Dinah avoided saying that she had almost killed Helena too, becouse Gabby didn't know anything about her metahuman side.
"What?" Gabby was shocked "She is dead!.... How."
"She lied to me.." Dinah hugged her and began to cry "She lied to me. and so did Barbara and Helena, they knew and never told me!"
"But. why? What did your mother say?"
"I didn't see her. Helena told me that she appeared at our house a few weeks ago. and they hid it from me, I hate her, I hate Barbara! I thought we were a family."
"What did Barbara say?" Gabby turned on her lamp and gave Dinah a kleenex.
I dunno. I didn't see her. Hun. Helena told me. But I don't want to talk to her, or Helena, again." Dinah felt afraid of herself, of not being able to control her powers, "I'm scared."
"Scared?"
Dinah kept silent. She couldn't tell Gabby all her secrets.
"And your mom?"
"I don't want to see her. I need you to hide me until I leave."
"Leave? Are you nuts? Where are you going to go?"
"As far as I can. just promise me that you won't tell her I am here." Dinah cleaned her nose "This is the first place they will come."
"I'm your friend, but I think that you need talk with your mom, she must have a good reason for doing it, lying you. Maybe she asked Barbara and Helena to not say anything until she talk with you first."
"They should have told me!" Dinah shouted.
"Ok, ok." Gabby touched her shoulder "Stay here, no problem."
"Are you going to hide me?"
"Yes, but I still think that you should talk with your friends, I promise I won't open my mouth."
Dinah hugged her, Gabby too, she thought that maybe the next morning her friend would be calmer and change her mind.
* * *
Helena was really pissed as she sat in a chair in the lab. She put her hand to her head and noticed she was bleeding. "Damn," she said. It had been a terrible day for her, problems, fights, her friend was hurt and disappeared, Carolyn bothered her, she was hoping it would be over soon. She cleaned the blood with her hand, she needed a cloth.
Barbara wheeled toward her. "Let me see that." Barbara stopped in front of her with some gauze.
"No! I'm okay," Helena said angrily and noticed the cut over Barbara's brow. "What happened to you?"
"Nothing, let me clean that wound on you forehead"
"She hit you?" Helena stood up immediately. "I'll kill her!"
"Helena, sit down!" Barbara exclaimed.
"Tell me! Did she touch you?"
"Helena, I told you two to stop and you didn't listen to me! It was an accident." Barbara said, annoyed. "This isn't a boxing ring. This where we work! I'm tired of being a referee when we have troubles! Dinah is gone! Now sit down!"
"She insulted my mother!" Helena shouted walking in circles. "Every time she see me does the same thing! Am I supposed to just smile?"
"I understand you. I'm going to talk with her. This isn't fair to you, but you won't end every conflict that you have with a fight! Now, for the last time, sit down!"
Helena sat and glowered as Barbara began to clean the blood off her face near the wound. They were silent for a few minutes. Barbara tilted her head. "You need a few stitches here." She wheeled to the cabinet.
"Why does she hate me?" Helena asked in low voice "Just because of my mother?"
"She does not hate you."
"It seems like it."
"Helena, Carolyn had a lot of conflicts with your mother. They were like oil and water."
"A bird-cat thing, right?"
"Yes." Barbara wheeled to Helena again, carrying a tray on her lap. "Carolyn was always so inflexible about that, I fight crime too, but I could see the human side of the personas, like your mother did. Raise your head." she raised her arm with the needle. Helena looked at her and grabbed her wrist with her hand. "Was she really so bad, Barbara?"
"What?"
"Was my mother so bad?"
"Helena, your mother made many mistakes, like all of us, but the important is that she changed thanks to you," she cupped Helena's cheek. "She gave you all her love and the best of her. How do you remember her?"
The girl thought a second "Hugging me at night, singing to me before bed," Helena smiled, her gazed was fixed to the floor, "Talking about our things, about my problems, I feel warm every time I remember her, but... at the same time I feel cold, the cold of that night, the cold that I felt when I returned to our house to pick up my things. I was longing to see her opening the door saying to me 'welcome back', and." Helena voice broke, her eyes filled with tears.
Barbara squeezed her hand gently. It was one of those strangest moment where Barbara could see the pain in her soul, where she could see her defenceless.
".and she wasn't there, anymore. Her room was empty, empty of her, all her things where were she left them before we left that night. The last blouse that she changed out of was over the bedside table, where she threw it. I opened her closet and I touched her clothes, clothes that she wore, trying to feel her again, just once. I smelled her in each one. I lay on her mattress for many hours smelling her in the pillows, trying to absorb all her scent. before that smell disappeared, sobbing, missing her."
Helena was crying. Barbara hugged her close. "Helena, I love you," she said. "I love you so much." Helena couldn't respond as she cried like a small child in her mentor's arms.
* * *
Barbara entered the kitchen, she had a little patch on her eyebrow. Carolyn was sitting drinking coffee. Barbara went to the coffee maker and took a cup, Then she wheeled next to Carolyn at the table.
"I'm sorry I was so rude" Carolyn said.
"You don't know how Selina's life changed when Helena's born," Barbara said. "She turned from her life of crime. It was beautiful to see them together. Selina was a wonderful mother for her, until she was murdered."
Carolyn crossed her arms and lowered her eyes. ".I'm sorry. Helena almost repeated my words in the letter that I wrote to you when I found Dinah the first time: 'I'm a terrible mother. even Selina, a thief, was able to give up her 'job' for her daughter. I don't know why I was never strong enough to do that for Dinah, because I always loved her, more than anything or anyone else.' I remember that perfectly well.
"Yes, and you don't have the right to hurt Helena just because she is Selina's daughter." Barbara tried not be rude. "Selina is dead, and so is your rivalry. Helena isn't to blame for your problems and differences. You don't have an idea how hard her life has been. Growing up alone, knowing that her father, one of the greatest hero's in the world, could take care of a lot of people, but not his own daughter, could save a lot of lives, but not the life of her mother. She couldn't have a real family, why you want to destroy the only memory that she has of one: her mother? What has she ever done to you?"
"You are right Barbara, I need to apologize to her."
"Yes, but not now, she is not well at the moment." Barbara sighed, looking outside "We need find Dinah and we can't do it fighting among ourselves. If you want our help you have to learn to respect us first."
Carolyn stood up. "I'll need to take a walk for a while."
"Ok."
Carolyn walked to the elevator.
"And Carolyn." Barbara said.
"Yes?..."
"This is Helena's house, not mine."
