A few nights later, Helena was seated outside the Clock Tower, holding her
legs and looking over the city. She was thinking about Barbara's; she
never imagined that she would be a hero. Many ideas were floating around
her mind. Barbara wheeled up and stopped the chair next to her.
"Barbara, why can't you walk? What was that 'accident' that you told me about? Who hurt you?" Helena asked with curiosity. "Was it revenge because you are a crime fighter?"
"Well... that's what I want to talk to you about." Barbara explained "Yes... it was an old enemy that shot me in my apartment, the same night that your mother was murdered, it was the same man."
"What??" Helena turned to see her surprised.
"I'll confess many things to you, many things are going to be very hard for you, but you need to know." Barbara swallowed hard. Have you heard about Batman and Batgirl?"
"My mom told me about them, she told me they were crime fighters and that she knew them. I never saw anyone; I read and heard about their legends sometimes in news. But that's all." Helena looked her "Do you know them too?"
"Well, yes. I. I had another name; another identity, another self." Barbara played with her fingers nervous "Helena, I'm giving all my trust to you now. Many people would kill to know this secret. I used to work with a man... Batman."
"Did you work with him?" Helena was surprised "With Delphi?"
"No. yes, well. I... I was Batgirl." Barbara locked her eyes on her.
"Batgirl?" Helena blinked, she was an intellectual, a very serious woman, she couldn't imagine her jumping between buildings and hitting bad guys "You are joking. You were a U.S. Congresswoman to Humanities Executive and."
"I met your mother in the streets, she as Catwoman and me as Batgirl. We were enemies, we fought against each other many times. She was so smart and agile, I never could catch her"
Helena listened without knowing what to think. Barbara was talking seriously.
"As I said, many people would kill to know this secret and take revenge on Batgirl." Barbara looked her. "I'm giving all my trust to you."
"Why would you be Batgirl? I don't understand, you had a great life!"
"It was a childhood fantasy. While my best friend Marcy came up with the roles, I became them, dreaming of becoming a superhero: Rocketgirl, Marvelousgirl, Supergirl, or whatever. This fantasy allowed me to escape the harsh reality of living in a home with an alcoholic father. I understand your anger and how you feel, and I know that is difficult for you stay with me living here, because my parents perished in an automobile accident when i was a pre-teen, the accident was caused by my father's drunkenness. I was forced, like you, to leave my best friend, Marcy, and my Ohio childhood behind to go and live in Gotham City with my Uncle James and Aunt Barbara."
"The Commisioner Gordon. He isn't your father?" Helena sat in front of her again.
"In my hart yes, forever. Upon being taken in by the Gordons, I discovered that my uncle, who soon after became my adoptive father, wasn't an ordinary policeman. He knew, he was friends with Batman. I loved see them work together." Barbara was exited talking about them "They were a marvelous team, they inspired me and I trained myself to become his partner and did not waver from that goal for the next several years until college and more "grown-up" dreams sidetracked me."
Barbara sighed and continued looking distractedly to the city. Helena followed her words.
"Long after my graduating from college and embarking on a career as the Head Librarian for Gotham City Library; to surprise my father and to relive my childhood excitement of pretending to be a superhero, I had designed and made a fully-functional "Batgirl" costume to wear to the policeman's masquerade ball, but on the way there, I happened upon Killer Moth's attack on Bruce Wayne and instinctively I leapt into action. I provided enough of a distraction for Wayne to slip away."
"I meet Batman there for the first time. I assisted the Dynamic Duo sometimes and later I asked him be my mentor, but he refused in the beginning, but I have a photographic memory, and," Barbara smiled, proud of herself, "I'm an excellent detective; he admired my analytical researcher's mind and agreed to train me. I'm a brown belt in judo, have a background in gymnastics, dance, and other athletics..."
"I guess Batman agreed to train me as a crime fighter upon figuring out who I was and attempting to keep me out of trouble." Barbara laughed "For the next few years, I was the head librarian of Gotham Library and eventually became a congresswoman as well. As Batgirl, I had wild adventures, captured all sorts of villains, teamed up with Robin and the private investigator, Jason Bard "
"I occasionally displayed moments of doubt and vulnerability as a crime fighter. One time a man who's name is Cormorant shot me and almost killed me. I questioned my effectiveness as a superhero for a long time, which led me to retire as Batgirl."
"My old friend Marcy turned up in my life just at the time I was seriously questioning my effectiveness as Batgirl and during Marcy's visit, she help me to conquer the foe I feared most - Cormorant - and I was able to put Batgirl behind me with no regrets."
"I won Batman's respect, and I became one of the few to know his true identity. He is Bruce Wayne." Barbara was waiting for the best moment to tell her the truth.
"The millionaire?" Helena felt surprised "He is a playboy! Why would a man like him would want to be a crime fighter and expose his life in that way?"
"His father and her mother were murdered when he was a kid, he always kept that in mind and he made the choice to fight against the crime. The night that you mother was murdered, I, as Batgirl and Batman fought against the Joker, you know him, no?"
"Yes, an insane criminal."
"Batman was Gotham's greatest champion, and most people never even knew he existed. The last time I fought at his side was that night. We'd cornered the Joker, the worst criminal Gotham had ever known, smashed his organization and hunted him down. Batman could've killed the Joker... but he didn't. And his honor had a price. The Joker got away from the police, a few hours... just long enough to send a man to kill your mother and to come for me himself." Tears began to fall over Barbara's cheeks. Helena was shocked with her words; Barbara was trying to tell her something. something big.
"That night I heard the news of your mother's murder on TV. The first thought that come to my mind was you. I went to the phone to try to locate you when I heard someone knocking on the door. I ran to open it without precaution thinking it was you, but it was the Joker. He surprised me, even now I don't know how he could have known I was Batgirl. That's why I couldn't be with you that night and the following days, I was at the hospital, I woke up four days later."
Helena kneeled in front of her and put her hands on the armrests. "Why did he send someone to kill my mother? She wasn't a crime fighter, she quit everything for me."
"Helena." Barbara took a deep breath "Your mother and Batman knew each other when she was Catwoman. They fell in love. and. and you were born."
"What?" Helena blinked.
* * *
Okay exist two versions of Barbara's parents I took the one of Legends of the DC Universe 10-11.
"Barbara, why can't you walk? What was that 'accident' that you told me about? Who hurt you?" Helena asked with curiosity. "Was it revenge because you are a crime fighter?"
"Well... that's what I want to talk to you about." Barbara explained "Yes... it was an old enemy that shot me in my apartment, the same night that your mother was murdered, it was the same man."
"What??" Helena turned to see her surprised.
"I'll confess many things to you, many things are going to be very hard for you, but you need to know." Barbara swallowed hard. Have you heard about Batman and Batgirl?"
"My mom told me about them, she told me they were crime fighters and that she knew them. I never saw anyone; I read and heard about their legends sometimes in news. But that's all." Helena looked her "Do you know them too?"
"Well, yes. I. I had another name; another identity, another self." Barbara played with her fingers nervous "Helena, I'm giving all my trust to you now. Many people would kill to know this secret. I used to work with a man... Batman."
"Did you work with him?" Helena was surprised "With Delphi?"
"No. yes, well. I... I was Batgirl." Barbara locked her eyes on her.
"Batgirl?" Helena blinked, she was an intellectual, a very serious woman, she couldn't imagine her jumping between buildings and hitting bad guys "You are joking. You were a U.S. Congresswoman to Humanities Executive and."
"I met your mother in the streets, she as Catwoman and me as Batgirl. We were enemies, we fought against each other many times. She was so smart and agile, I never could catch her"
Helena listened without knowing what to think. Barbara was talking seriously.
"As I said, many people would kill to know this secret and take revenge on Batgirl." Barbara looked her. "I'm giving all my trust to you."
"Why would you be Batgirl? I don't understand, you had a great life!"
"It was a childhood fantasy. While my best friend Marcy came up with the roles, I became them, dreaming of becoming a superhero: Rocketgirl, Marvelousgirl, Supergirl, or whatever. This fantasy allowed me to escape the harsh reality of living in a home with an alcoholic father. I understand your anger and how you feel, and I know that is difficult for you stay with me living here, because my parents perished in an automobile accident when i was a pre-teen, the accident was caused by my father's drunkenness. I was forced, like you, to leave my best friend, Marcy, and my Ohio childhood behind to go and live in Gotham City with my Uncle James and Aunt Barbara."
"The Commisioner Gordon. He isn't your father?" Helena sat in front of her again.
"In my hart yes, forever. Upon being taken in by the Gordons, I discovered that my uncle, who soon after became my adoptive father, wasn't an ordinary policeman. He knew, he was friends with Batman. I loved see them work together." Barbara was exited talking about them "They were a marvelous team, they inspired me and I trained myself to become his partner and did not waver from that goal for the next several years until college and more "grown-up" dreams sidetracked me."
Barbara sighed and continued looking distractedly to the city. Helena followed her words.
"Long after my graduating from college and embarking on a career as the Head Librarian for Gotham City Library; to surprise my father and to relive my childhood excitement of pretending to be a superhero, I had designed and made a fully-functional "Batgirl" costume to wear to the policeman's masquerade ball, but on the way there, I happened upon Killer Moth's attack on Bruce Wayne and instinctively I leapt into action. I provided enough of a distraction for Wayne to slip away."
"I meet Batman there for the first time. I assisted the Dynamic Duo sometimes and later I asked him be my mentor, but he refused in the beginning, but I have a photographic memory, and," Barbara smiled, proud of herself, "I'm an excellent detective; he admired my analytical researcher's mind and agreed to train me. I'm a brown belt in judo, have a background in gymnastics, dance, and other athletics..."
"I guess Batman agreed to train me as a crime fighter upon figuring out who I was and attempting to keep me out of trouble." Barbara laughed "For the next few years, I was the head librarian of Gotham Library and eventually became a congresswoman as well. As Batgirl, I had wild adventures, captured all sorts of villains, teamed up with Robin and the private investigator, Jason Bard "
"I occasionally displayed moments of doubt and vulnerability as a crime fighter. One time a man who's name is Cormorant shot me and almost killed me. I questioned my effectiveness as a superhero for a long time, which led me to retire as Batgirl."
"My old friend Marcy turned up in my life just at the time I was seriously questioning my effectiveness as Batgirl and during Marcy's visit, she help me to conquer the foe I feared most - Cormorant - and I was able to put Batgirl behind me with no regrets."
"I won Batman's respect, and I became one of the few to know his true identity. He is Bruce Wayne." Barbara was waiting for the best moment to tell her the truth.
"The millionaire?" Helena felt surprised "He is a playboy! Why would a man like him would want to be a crime fighter and expose his life in that way?"
"His father and her mother were murdered when he was a kid, he always kept that in mind and he made the choice to fight against the crime. The night that you mother was murdered, I, as Batgirl and Batman fought against the Joker, you know him, no?"
"Yes, an insane criminal."
"Batman was Gotham's greatest champion, and most people never even knew he existed. The last time I fought at his side was that night. We'd cornered the Joker, the worst criminal Gotham had ever known, smashed his organization and hunted him down. Batman could've killed the Joker... but he didn't. And his honor had a price. The Joker got away from the police, a few hours... just long enough to send a man to kill your mother and to come for me himself." Tears began to fall over Barbara's cheeks. Helena was shocked with her words; Barbara was trying to tell her something. something big.
"That night I heard the news of your mother's murder on TV. The first thought that come to my mind was you. I went to the phone to try to locate you when I heard someone knocking on the door. I ran to open it without precaution thinking it was you, but it was the Joker. He surprised me, even now I don't know how he could have known I was Batgirl. That's why I couldn't be with you that night and the following days, I was at the hospital, I woke up four days later."
Helena kneeled in front of her and put her hands on the armrests. "Why did he send someone to kill my mother? She wasn't a crime fighter, she quit everything for me."
"Helena." Barbara took a deep breath "Your mother and Batman knew each other when she was Catwoman. They fell in love. and. and you were born."
"What?" Helena blinked.
* * *
Okay exist two versions of Barbara's parents I took the one of Legends of the DC Universe 10-11.