A/N: It's kinda said to say this is the final part. I'm really glad I decided to write a BoP fic and I hope to do another, thanks for all ur great comments throughout. Hope you like the ending.
Part 7
Helena waited three minutes exactly then marched to Dinah's room, Barbara at her back. She knocked and didn't wait for an answer. As she walked in she expected to find Dinah on her bed but instead they were met with an empty room.
"She must have taken the emergency exit." Barbara said as she rubbed her forehead.
"And who told her about that?!" Helena asked as she marched around the room, making sure Dinah wasn't there.
"Me, obviously. In case there was an... emergency."
Helena tried to take a calming breath that so didn't work for her. Her eyes changed and she made a b-line for the window, "I'm going to find her." And with that she was gone.
Barbara sighed and went to her computer's to check if Dinah had taken her comm set.
******
Helena dived from rooftop to rooftop letting the cool air around her sooth her. She had to find Dinah but where was she meant to start?
She sat down on the edge of a tall building and scanned the dark skyline. It was beautiful, like every New Gotham night. She never truly got sick of it.
The Huntress needed to start hunting.
Where would Dinah go? She was upset, way beyond it. And she was upset over her visions. Now which one would have affected her most? It sounded like a moronic question, she saw the people she loved, her family, in great pain both emotionally and physically. Not only that, she felt it all.
Huntress sighed, why did she have to think and think rather than just follow her instincts.
Standing up she looked around then it hit her where she should start, the burnt down warehouse Black Canary died in.
Taking off, she got there in a matter of minutes. And sure enough, There was Dinah, standing with her arms wrapped around herself, staring at the charcoaled ruin.
Helena quietly approached, "Hey kid."
Dinah didn't move to look at Helena, "Sorry I took off."
"Hey, we all gotta run sometimes." Helena smiled then she realised now wasn't the time for Huntress. "You ok, kid?"
Dinah shrugged, "I'm not really sure what that is anymore."
Helena sat down on the dry concrete and patted the ground next to her. Dinah followed but still sat defensively with her knees drawn up.
"You know, I'm not good at this. I've never really had to talk deeply with anyone but Barbara and even then, she was the one doing most of the talking but she did say something that was true. It won't seem like it now or maybe even for a while but it does fade. You think your getting over it then something comes up -"
"Like seeing her die again?" Dinah said with bitterness.
"Yeah." Helena answered sadly. "We both went through that the other day."
Dinah finally looked at Helena. The guilt in her eyes was obvious. Helena found herself choked up just seeing the mix of emotions in Dinah's eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"Not being strong enough to control my powers. I let you and Barbara in and I should have held you out, you shouldn't have seen all that again."
"That wasn't your fault, you had no control!" Helena took a breath before she got too heated. "I would go in your crazy mind time and time again if it meant saving you. Dinah, I've seen that night repeat over in my head a million times, it's horrible but I can cope."
"But you shouldn't have to! You lost your mum in the most unfair way, you shouldn't have to cope with being in that place again. It's not fair to expect you to deal with that because I have to." Dinah said truthfully.
Helena took the younger girls hand, "Don't you get it? You and I and Barbara are family. We're the only family we've got. If your hurt or in pain, then that affects us all. Think about it, if me or Barbara had been trapped in visions, would you have done anything different?"
Dinah shook her head. "No."
"So, stop beating yourself up over it. We all have to get through this together."
Dinah saw the sincerity in Helena's eyes, a look that didn't last long in people she trusted. "Since I was 6 I've been let down and abandoned. If you or Barbara turned your back on me... I couldn't..." Dinah couldn't continue as her emotion's got the best of her and she started to sob.
Helena automatically wrapped her arms around Dinah and held her tight. "Shhh. We're not going anywhere." She whispered.
"We're in this together." added another voice.
The two meta humans looked up to see their mentor and surrogate mother. She had the neuro-transponder on.
"I needed to be mobile tonight." She answered before Helena could ask. Barbara took a seat on the cold ground on the other side of Dinah who was now pulling herself from Helena's embrace. "Someone's got to look after you two runners." She said jokingly.
Dinah looked at her with sullen eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, namely to apologize, but the look on the red head's face told her there was nothing to apologize for. She practically tackled Barbara in a bear hug.
Barbara was grateful that Dinah gave her the easy way for now. She held Dinah tight, willing the newest member of her family to let go. "I promise you, you'll be ok. We all will but only if we stick together. We're all so used to running away from our problems until they go away. We can't do that anymore, ok? We're here for each other."
When Dinah had eventually calmed down, they all sat leaning against each other looking at the burnt down warehouse. None of the woman really saw it though, instead they thought about the past year, how much they'd changed and the people around them.
Dinah eventually broke the comfortable silence. "I hope she knows that I'm happy here."
"I think she does. They always know." Helena said with a nudge to Dinah.
"If things had gone differently, would you have let her take me away?" She questioned.
"That wouldn't have been my choice." she said confidently.
"No one can make you do or go anywhere unless you want to. Not us, not your mum, not some guy you meet who wants to take you away from all this." Helena continued.
"I don't think I could leave. Not unless it was with both of you. This place is home now, but only because your here. I love you guys so much, you're the only family I've really had. The Redmond's weren't even human and all I can ever remember about mum is how she left me. I know she's my mother and that she loved me but it doesn't take it all away, it doesn't give us those 10 years back." Dinah told them sadly.
"You'll always have that last day with her. She did love you Dinah. That's why she came charging in trying to take you away, she just wanted to protect you. Black Canary was always a very passionate person. That's where you get it from." Dinah couldn't help but smile at that.
"Hey kid, I've been thinking about what you said." Helena stopped when she saw the blank look on Dinah's face. "About an alias?" When the younger one nodded she continued, "I think you should take on Black Canary."
Barbara sat silently letting her girls have their moment.
"Really?" Dinah asked, slightly amazed at the idea.
Helena nodded, "Really. You've got the Canary look." She said jokingly as she messed up Dinah's blonde hair. Turning more sombre she sincerely added, "and your mum would want you to take up the name."
Dinah stared to the building that had taken her mother. Would she really want her daughter to take on her name? Her legacy and reputation? She wasn't happy about Dinah's involvement in the superhero world but once she took the time to listen to her daughter she could see how much it meant to her. It would be one constant link to her mother, something she felt she needed.
"I think Carolyn would have really liked that. Plus, I'm pretty sure you have that Canary Cry in you." Barbara said encouragingly
Dinah nodded, "Yeah. I'd like that."
Barbara put an arm around the blonde and grinned, "Welcome to the fold, Black Canary."
Helena gave her a nudged, "Yeah, your now an official split personality, crime fighter."
Dinah through her a side wards glance, "thanks." She said sarcastically.
Barbara climbed to her feet, "Lets get home. Maybe Alfred will make us some breakfast." She said noticing it was dawn.
Helena and Dinah got up and turned to follow, Helena excited at the prospect of food. Dinah stopped and turned back to the warehouse. She gave a small smile in silent goodbye before joining her family.
Part 7
Helena waited three minutes exactly then marched to Dinah's room, Barbara at her back. She knocked and didn't wait for an answer. As she walked in she expected to find Dinah on her bed but instead they were met with an empty room.
"She must have taken the emergency exit." Barbara said as she rubbed her forehead.
"And who told her about that?!" Helena asked as she marched around the room, making sure Dinah wasn't there.
"Me, obviously. In case there was an... emergency."
Helena tried to take a calming breath that so didn't work for her. Her eyes changed and she made a b-line for the window, "I'm going to find her." And with that she was gone.
Barbara sighed and went to her computer's to check if Dinah had taken her comm set.
******
Helena dived from rooftop to rooftop letting the cool air around her sooth her. She had to find Dinah but where was she meant to start?
She sat down on the edge of a tall building and scanned the dark skyline. It was beautiful, like every New Gotham night. She never truly got sick of it.
The Huntress needed to start hunting.
Where would Dinah go? She was upset, way beyond it. And she was upset over her visions. Now which one would have affected her most? It sounded like a moronic question, she saw the people she loved, her family, in great pain both emotionally and physically. Not only that, she felt it all.
Huntress sighed, why did she have to think and think rather than just follow her instincts.
Standing up she looked around then it hit her where she should start, the burnt down warehouse Black Canary died in.
Taking off, she got there in a matter of minutes. And sure enough, There was Dinah, standing with her arms wrapped around herself, staring at the charcoaled ruin.
Helena quietly approached, "Hey kid."
Dinah didn't move to look at Helena, "Sorry I took off."
"Hey, we all gotta run sometimes." Helena smiled then she realised now wasn't the time for Huntress. "You ok, kid?"
Dinah shrugged, "I'm not really sure what that is anymore."
Helena sat down on the dry concrete and patted the ground next to her. Dinah followed but still sat defensively with her knees drawn up.
"You know, I'm not good at this. I've never really had to talk deeply with anyone but Barbara and even then, she was the one doing most of the talking but she did say something that was true. It won't seem like it now or maybe even for a while but it does fade. You think your getting over it then something comes up -"
"Like seeing her die again?" Dinah said with bitterness.
"Yeah." Helena answered sadly. "We both went through that the other day."
Dinah finally looked at Helena. The guilt in her eyes was obvious. Helena found herself choked up just seeing the mix of emotions in Dinah's eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"Not being strong enough to control my powers. I let you and Barbara in and I should have held you out, you shouldn't have seen all that again."
"That wasn't your fault, you had no control!" Helena took a breath before she got too heated. "I would go in your crazy mind time and time again if it meant saving you. Dinah, I've seen that night repeat over in my head a million times, it's horrible but I can cope."
"But you shouldn't have to! You lost your mum in the most unfair way, you shouldn't have to cope with being in that place again. It's not fair to expect you to deal with that because I have to." Dinah said truthfully.
Helena took the younger girls hand, "Don't you get it? You and I and Barbara are family. We're the only family we've got. If your hurt or in pain, then that affects us all. Think about it, if me or Barbara had been trapped in visions, would you have done anything different?"
Dinah shook her head. "No."
"So, stop beating yourself up over it. We all have to get through this together."
Dinah saw the sincerity in Helena's eyes, a look that didn't last long in people she trusted. "Since I was 6 I've been let down and abandoned. If you or Barbara turned your back on me... I couldn't..." Dinah couldn't continue as her emotion's got the best of her and she started to sob.
Helena automatically wrapped her arms around Dinah and held her tight. "Shhh. We're not going anywhere." She whispered.
"We're in this together." added another voice.
The two meta humans looked up to see their mentor and surrogate mother. She had the neuro-transponder on.
"I needed to be mobile tonight." She answered before Helena could ask. Barbara took a seat on the cold ground on the other side of Dinah who was now pulling herself from Helena's embrace. "Someone's got to look after you two runners." She said jokingly.
Dinah looked at her with sullen eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, namely to apologize, but the look on the red head's face told her there was nothing to apologize for. She practically tackled Barbara in a bear hug.
Barbara was grateful that Dinah gave her the easy way for now. She held Dinah tight, willing the newest member of her family to let go. "I promise you, you'll be ok. We all will but only if we stick together. We're all so used to running away from our problems until they go away. We can't do that anymore, ok? We're here for each other."
When Dinah had eventually calmed down, they all sat leaning against each other looking at the burnt down warehouse. None of the woman really saw it though, instead they thought about the past year, how much they'd changed and the people around them.
Dinah eventually broke the comfortable silence. "I hope she knows that I'm happy here."
"I think she does. They always know." Helena said with a nudge to Dinah.
"If things had gone differently, would you have let her take me away?" She questioned.
"That wouldn't have been my choice." she said confidently.
"No one can make you do or go anywhere unless you want to. Not us, not your mum, not some guy you meet who wants to take you away from all this." Helena continued.
"I don't think I could leave. Not unless it was with both of you. This place is home now, but only because your here. I love you guys so much, you're the only family I've really had. The Redmond's weren't even human and all I can ever remember about mum is how she left me. I know she's my mother and that she loved me but it doesn't take it all away, it doesn't give us those 10 years back." Dinah told them sadly.
"You'll always have that last day with her. She did love you Dinah. That's why she came charging in trying to take you away, she just wanted to protect you. Black Canary was always a very passionate person. That's where you get it from." Dinah couldn't help but smile at that.
"Hey kid, I've been thinking about what you said." Helena stopped when she saw the blank look on Dinah's face. "About an alias?" When the younger one nodded she continued, "I think you should take on Black Canary."
Barbara sat silently letting her girls have their moment.
"Really?" Dinah asked, slightly amazed at the idea.
Helena nodded, "Really. You've got the Canary look." She said jokingly as she messed up Dinah's blonde hair. Turning more sombre she sincerely added, "and your mum would want you to take up the name."
Dinah stared to the building that had taken her mother. Would she really want her daughter to take on her name? Her legacy and reputation? She wasn't happy about Dinah's involvement in the superhero world but once she took the time to listen to her daughter she could see how much it meant to her. It would be one constant link to her mother, something she felt she needed.
"I think Carolyn would have really liked that. Plus, I'm pretty sure you have that Canary Cry in you." Barbara said encouragingly
Dinah nodded, "Yeah. I'd like that."
Barbara put an arm around the blonde and grinned, "Welcome to the fold, Black Canary."
Helena gave her a nudged, "Yeah, your now an official split personality, crime fighter."
Dinah through her a side wards glance, "thanks." She said sarcastically.
Barbara climbed to her feet, "Lets get home. Maybe Alfred will make us some breakfast." She said noticing it was dawn.
Helena and Dinah got up and turned to follow, Helena excited at the prospect of food. Dinah stopped and turned back to the warehouse. She gave a small smile in silent goodbye before joining her family.