The Phoenix Behind The Truth
By: Catwoman
Disclaimer: I don't own the BOP actors, writers, or set (since they took it off). But If I did this is what it would be like! ^.^
Warning: This is a hardcore BOP fanfic! With actual facts from the comics and show to combine together and bring peace to between BOP comic lovers and BOP show lovers. Enjoy!
Special Thanks: To my twin sis, Maria for pointing out the obvious. To John Stinizi (I know I'm spelling your last name wrong but you know it's you) for convincing me to take on the character of Bruce Wayne. To Trace Messmore for role-playing as Bruce (what? You guys think I actually know this guy?). Last but not Least, Shadow Walker for peer editing my work. Thanks A Bunch Huns! And too my fans ^.^!
Summary: Trust is a hard thing to piece back together once it's broken. When one detailed is left out of a truth it is automatically lie, it cannot be toyed with. No matter how hard we try, the past always comes back to haunt us. And when you think you know someone they show you the real them in the strangest ways. How can the birds combat these errors? Run or stick in for the fight? These are the Birds of Prey!
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Chapter 2
Disappearance
Feelings disappear into a black hole of confusion,
To speak of them there are no expressions,
To think of it, it all happened as an illusion,
And the mistake was made with the one confession,
I wish I could dig a hole deep enough,
A hole big enough to hide me away,
It may make me feel rough and it may make me feel tough
~~MyExistenceFlawd
Confrontation, clashing, conflicting if you would like to call it. There's nothing worse then colliding with yourself, or part of you. Internally or externally Helena didn't need this now, or ever. His presence was too strong, to defiant for her aura. Her father's accomplishments could over throw her own. Bruce, Batman, her father all in this one feature made her feel defeated.
"Bruce?" Helena's voice broke up as she said his name. The last person she expected seeing today, or ever was her father.
"Yes."
"What… what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to see you."
After eight years of not knowing where her father had been, not even a letter or anything, it was hard for her to believe that she was the only thing he came here for, "Why?"
"Why? Well because you're my daughter."
"Don't give me that bull," Helena turned around, "Barbara!"
Helena's voice echoed throughout the clocktower. Barbara knew that she was the only person who could knock some sense into Helena. "Should I go in?" She asked Dinah.
"I think you should," Dinah said, she began drinking her water and sat down at the table.
It felt like a mission going into the living room, but not a mission of destroying evil, it was more of bringing peace. She had to play the role of the super-referee, "Helena, just please hear him out."
"I don't have to hear anything!" She faced Barbara, "You!" Helena pointed at her, "Why didn't you tell me that he was here?"
"It was supposed to be a surprise," Barbara told her. It was a lame excuse but that was the best she could come up with.
"She didn't know I was coming," Bruce explained.
"Ok, ok!" Helena was tired of all this explaining. "I'll listen but I can't promise you I'll like it."
"I'll leave you two alone," Barbara was gone and they were alone.
"So you think you can just waltz back into my life with no warnings or anything and expect a welcome party? Well you're sadly mistaken," every word that came out Helena's mouth was harsh. Today was the day she was going to get every aching feeling Bruce left in her when he departed New Gotham.
"I couldn't contact you, if I did then-" his words trailed off and she began to wonder around the room.
"Helena! You say you want the truth but you won't even listen to me! Your not sixteen anymore, your twenty-four. Show a little maturity."
"Yes, your right. I'm not sixteen. Is that why you came here?" She shot back meeting his eyes.
He took a deep breath, "Helena please, this isn't easy for me either."
"Yeah, and it was all peaches for me when you left."
I don't have time for this, she thought. Hoping she could just go back to the Dark horse bar, but fate lead her to this point and this is happening for a reason. How bad could it be to hear him out? Whether he deserved it or not, Barbara always listened to her. Even if she knew she was wrong, and now she needs to be the bigger person. Helena walked over to the couch, sat down, and patted a seat next to her. Her voice filled with sarcasm, "Go ahead, daddy."
"I think I'll stand. I have to leave in a few minutes anyways."
The Dark Knight's daughter shrugged and crossed her legs as a response.
"It was about being in the wrong place at the wrong time," he began, "It was two months since your mother's death and I thought I was over it. Well, not over, more handling it. I was back on duty, patrolling, the basics. Barbara was still in the hospital, as you must already know, I visited her everyday and made sure she was with the top doctors." He met his daughter's gazed, "His name was Phoenix."
"Excuse me?" she asked bewildered.
"The man that killed your mother. His name was Phoenix."
Ever since that night, when her mother was killed, Helena Kyle wanted to know who did it. Not solemnly for revenge, but for closure. But was this enough? She took awhile to register what her father said, and nodded, signaling him to continue.
"He wasn't an assassin. He called himself a Phoenix because he sold drugs, crack, marijuana, and angel dust anything in a powder or a sub-powdered form. He thought of himself as the unconquerable drug dealer, and in a way he was because I never knew he was under my nose for a very long time."
"Why do you keep saying 'was'?"
"Because he is dead."
"Did-"
"No," he simply stated. "Anyways, I was tracking down some of the Joker's leftovers. I kept a camera in the building Barbara and I last fought him. As my instincts told me, they were back. I swooped in there and broke their little family reunion, and then Phoenix stepped in, drunk as alcohol itself. He held up a knife and told me every gruesome detail of how he waited in the alley for you and your mother to walk by. I wanted to make him shut up and beat the living daylights out of him, but he just kept talking."
He paused for a moment and then looked at her again, "Part of me wanted him to understand my pain, and the other to pay for what he did to you. I wasn't thinking, Helena. So much rage consumed in me, I did something that I will regret for the rest of my life. I picked up a gun and pointed it at him."
A gun, Helena thought. One of the things that superheroes would never dare use even if it were their last resort. Guns have shaped many peoples lives for the worse. Barbara, Bruce, and herself just by listening to the stories she's heard.
"I wasn't going shoot him," he continued, "I just wanted to scare him and find out what other causes he did. Then I felt a little tug at my ankle and when I looked down I saw a little boy hitting me. He kept chanting 'Let my daddy go! I hate bat's'," he turned around.
Helena rose from her seat; if he was going to breakdown she might as well catch him.
"I left with a tracking device still placed on him to detect what he was up too. He was still a criminal and he had to be stopped. I found out that he still had his connections to the Joker and he paid him a little visit. Joker sent him to Rupert Throne, but I didn't understand what was going on. I followed him and he was sure to have his kid with him. Phoenix wanted a new life, seems like he knew that I was going to pay him another visit. Rupert sent him on a mission for a trade of identity. He sent him to go sell some weapons at the black market. At that time I couldn't go break up the little parade because I had a very important meeting and also I found out that Babs was never going to walk again," he turned around and walked over to her daughter, he then placed a hand on her shoulder, "Because of me a man is dead, Helena. I didn't get there in time and he was killed in a big explosion. A man died because Batman wasn't good enough!"
Helena was speech less looking into her father's eyes, his dark piercing eyes. She's seen many of his faces, but this one was more determined and a bit tired.
He took his hand off her shoulder, "Did, did Barbara ever tell you how Jason Todd died?"
"No," she sat back down on the couch and he followed.
"Jason died because I wasn't good enough, I wasn't there to stop Joker. Just like I wasn't good enough to stop Phoenix from getting killed. I was blinded by rage, I wasn't thinking clearly," he held her hand, "That's one mistake I hoped I could have kept you from making. Those people were like children, but Helena, you are my child!"
His words touched her heart and knew what he said came from within.
"I didn't want you growing up the way I did. I was afraid if I stayed I would have made your rage, your pain worse with my own. Until I could deal with it, I didn't know how to be a good father to you. I don't know; I just wanted you to be better than what I thought you could be with me around. I knew Barbara understood. I knew she could temper your rage better than I."
Helena remembered the time she first found out that he left. She didn't show how hurt she felt, but deep inside it felt like if it was all her fault.
"I didn't need a mentor at the time... I needed my father. I thought you of all people could understand that. Yea she helped, but you could have still been there."
"I do understand; that's partly why I'm back. But I know that I was feeling the same rage as you. I was not in a position to be the kind of father you needed. Until I could deal with it, I didn't know how to be a good father to you. I thought if I weren't around to encourage you, you'd never follow my or your mother's path. I'm impressed with the Huntress, but it's not what I wanted for you. I've watched you Helena, you have a lot of rage."
She let his hand go and looked down, "Yeah, I do, don't I."
"It's nothing to be ashamed of, if it weren't for rage there would never have been a Batman."
She locked eyes with her father, "Yeah, I guess so."
"And I never would have had you," Bruce placed a hand on her cheek; she smiled back, and he hugged her almost awkwardly.
Helena felt the tension in Bruce's embrace. She could tell he didn't give many people hugs and wrapped her arms around him, "So where does this leave us now?"
"Hopefully at a better beginning," he broke the bond, "I am proud of you, Helena."
"Thank you Bruce… dad."
They paused for a while and confirmed the father daughter bond.
"Helena, I have to go. My business is waiting for me. But I will come back tomorrow, ok?"
"Okay."
He stood up and she watched a part of her leave. The part that used to be filled with rage and remorse now had closures.
~ ~ *** ~ ~
"I'm never going to get this Barbara! Algebra is just not my thing. Who needs it anyway?"
"You need this. You never know, it could save your life, math is pretty powerful stuff," Barbara clarified.
It's not that Dinah was trying to make Barbara's life difficult, it's just very hard for her to get into something that looked meaningless, with all of those numbers and letters. It's more like if she can't see it she can't understand it.
"Just look Dinah, what is the next step after you do one thing to one side."
What language is this woman speaking in? Dinah thought. She doesn't even see what she did to the side Babs is talking about. The blonde haired teenager became more frustrated, she laid her head on the table, "I don't know!"
"Look at the piece of paper. How do you think you will be able to understand anything?"
Dinah thought about it, maybe if I can see it I will understand it. She came to the idea that if she can't make sense of the equation in her mind, maybe she could see it in someone else's. "Barbara can you please pass me that pencil over there, I don't think I'm ready to do math in ink yet."
Barbara handed Dinah the pencil on the counter, which gave her the advantage to touch Barbara's hand. She's been training for a year now and her touch telepath powers have developed strong enough to the point where she can go inside people's minds and they won't even know it. The atmosphere turned gray and she was inside Barbara's mind, but not in the part that she wanted to be. At the moment Barbara wasn't thinking about math, but about her past.
"You did what! Oh God," she saw the younger Barbara say to Bruce on a hospital bed.
"I don't know what came over me, it's like some kind of force."
"Bruce you were really depressed, you need help. You need to leave, you're a danger to yourself and others."
Dinah broke free from the connection. She felt like if she was going to cry or something, "I'm going to go and get some water."
Dinah went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Even though she was powerful, she can't stay in someone's mind to long because they will figure out that she isn't moving, and when she gets out she still has some of his or her emotions. She took out a bottle of water and began to take deep breaths.
"Hey Dinah, guess what just happened?"
Dinah looked up to see that Helena was sitting on the counter next to her. She still needed to adapt to the fact that Helena creeps up on people.
"I kinda had a father daughter moment. He left because he cared about me."
"Never tried it, gotta tell me what that is like," Dinah quickly opened the bottle of water and put it in her mouth and began to drink. From that little flash back, she knew that it was Barbara's idea for Bruce to leave New Gotham. Dinah also knew that she had a big mouth and the only people who was going to tell Helena the truth was Bruce and Barbara, she didn't want to be pulled into the huge family affair.
Helena looked at Dinah in the eye, "What's the matter. You know something, tell me now." Helena took the bottle out of her hands.
Dinah still had some water left in her mouth and managed to say, "Sorry I can't talk now," she turned around and tried to get away from Helena, but she grabbed Dinah by the arm.
"Tell me or I'll make you wish you told me."
Well once again Dinah your powers brought you into a situation you tried to avoid, "Yeah sure, but first things first, your hurting me."
Helena let go of her grasp.
"Thank you," she rolled her shoulders back to relive the tension Helena gave her, "It was Barbara's idea for Bruce to leave. I accidentally read her mind trying to find some math answers."
~ ~ * * * ~ ~
Helena glared at Dinah and marched into the room the Barbara was in, "Barbara!"
Barbara turned around, "Yes?"
Helena wasn't thinking anymore. She just said anything that came to mind. "When were you going to tell me that it was your idea for Bruce to leave New Gotham? Did you forget to tell me something, for the past eight years? And you can't lie to me because Dinah read your mind."
"I thought you had to hear it from your father," Barbara replied.
"My father left that same day, remember? It was your idea!"
"Yes it was, but-"
"But what? You thought I couldn't handle the truth at the age of sixteen? But I was capable of being a vigilante right? What, are you hiding some secrets from Dinah too?"
"Now you know that's not true."
"Then what is the truth? Tell me the truth!"
Barbara grabbed Helena by the arm, "I am! But I need you to calm down!"
Helena broke free and pointed at herself, "I'm not mad! You'll know when I'm mad!" Helena became so furious her eyes changed to Meta.
"Ok, so now that you're mad, I need you to calm down."
"What is wrong with everyone? Ever since my mother died everyone's been telling me what to do, trying to protect me! People like you need to back off! You all just– you know what I'm not even going to finish that sentence before I say something I'm going to regret," Helena didn't even feel like being in the same room with her at this point, "You know what, Huntress is out!" Helena pushed Dinah out of the way and left the clocktower.
Those last words shattered Barbara's heart. Knowing Helena's true feelings towards her as a mentor, guidance, and most importantly a friend. The helping hand she was supposed to give her, felt just like her legs, paralyzed.
Dinah walked in, "Sorry I read your mind. I didn't-"
"It's ok. It wasn't your fault, I should have told her."
"I don't believe she meant what she said. She's just upset, that's all."
"I know. And Dinah."
"Yes?"
"You're grounded, except for school purposes."
~ ~ *** ~ ~
Jumping on rooftops when she ever had a fight with Barbara was the only time Helena felt free. Free from sorrow, free from pain, free from life. People always under estimated her and that was one of her biggest pet peeves. It felt like if there was no one in the world who understood her at this point. Why had fate brought her to this period? She knew it couldn't be answered in one day.
Besides fighting, Helena was also good at blaming herself for tragedies. She thought it was her fault for driving her father insane. He was already depressed and she had told him to kill a man, because she knew that her mother would have done the same thing. As much as she tried to convince herself that it wasn't her fault, it was difficult. All signs pointed to her, and she wasn't sure if she was able to forgive herself.
One question that bothered her so much was; why didn't Barbara tell her? Barbara always told her how wonderful Batman was, how he didn't even kill Joker when he had the chance. One thing she forgot to mention was her father's flaws. The truth was something that couldn't be played with. If one piece of information was left out it was a lie. How one act could corrupt so many lives. It corrupted her in many ways, the way she befriended, the way she trusted, and the way she loved. But what hurt the most is thinking how Phoenix's child suffered the same way. Her mother was killed in an alley; it was very typical because evil lurks in dark corners. But his father was killed trying to make a living. He was a drug dealer and probably needed some extra cash and killing someone was an all time low. The chance for Phoenix's child to have chance for a normal life was swept away because of revenge.
The thought almost made her cry when she heard police sirens from a distance. Helena jumped across four rooftops to see what all of the commotion was about, and saw a bunch of police cars stationed in front of a skyscraper. Helena still felt a little depressed but jumped down to see what Reese had in store.
~ ~ *** ~ ~
"So Reese, what theories do you have for this situation? Was this animal so hungry that he needed to borrow some money?" All of the cops laughed at Detective Reese.
Even though Reese was an honest cop, that didn't mean he was respected. Ever since he has worked with Huntress, his friends found him weird and not of this planet. But he doesn't regret any of the times he's worked with her, because he gets to really change the world and do some good, than just sit back and pretend the world was a safe and sane place, when it is far beyond that, "Very funny you guys. But I think this is far beyond an animal that wanted more than just food. A lion treats his prey with more mercy than this killer."
The rest of the men left to eat some doughnuts while he stayed behind, once again, waiting for Huntress to show up.
He looked out into an ally, and waited for her to creep up behind him. He's gotten use to her coming from above or from behind, but she still surprised him most of the time.
He looked out into the dark alleyway and saw a shadowy figure coming closer. He pulled out his gun for protection. The figure came into the light from the lamppost and he saw Huntress walking towards him. This was the first time she had actually walked over to him instead of appearing from God knows where.
He made sure none of the other policemen were looking at him and walked over to her, "Huntress!" When he saw her look up from looking at the pavement her face looked as if she had been crying, "Are you ok? No surprises tonight?"
"Yeah I'm fine. What's going on?" Helena replied; she denied whatever feelings she had at this moment. She wanted to forget about everything that was going in her life, Huntress just wanted to work.
"There was a big robbery. Some guy stole a lot of money from Michael Thomas' safe."
"Any suspects?"
"We have a really good picture from surveillances. Check this out?"
"Let me see," Helena's heart skipped a beat when she saw the picture. It was like her worst nightmare had come to life. The thought of Batman shooting a man seemed like a really bad fiction story; comparable to the tales about aliens, people believed in them but couldn't really imagine how they act, look, or feel. Helena quickly turned her face away from the gruesome photograph and handed it back to Reese. "I don't know him." She thought about it, Yeah I don't know him at all.
Reese filled with bewilderment, put the picture back in his pocket. He wondered, why did she give it back to me so quickly? She looked as if she's seen a ghost or something, "Are you ok?"
Helena knew showing emotion would make him suspicious of her. Letting him know her name was entirely different as to knowing who her parents were. She quickly collected herself, "Yeah. I just got a lot on my mind."
"Oh, ok. Remember Morton?"
"Oh yes, Morton. Who could forget the man who tried to kill me and my people?"
"Yeah," he didn't want to bring him up again but judging by her expression Huntress looked like if she knew the man on the picture, "He told me something about a guy named Batman. And he fits this description-"
Helena didn't want to start comparing notes about her father, especially not with him. Helena always believed that to be a vigilante fully, she had to have total separation from her private life, and this wasn't helping her, "Look, if you want to believe whatever Morton told you, fine. But don't think that I'm going to stand here while you waste my time. Do we have a lead or not?"
"No." Reese wasn't surprised she was playing her little vigilante games with him. By this time he was pretty tired of it. Tonight a villain went too far, and she doesn't want to talk about? He couldn't let her go, not this time, "But I think you know who it is."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I know that this might be personal, I can see it in your eyes. Don't try to play it off. What you know might save many innocent people-"
"You know what? You're really wasting my time here. I have better things to do then stand here and argue about what I do and don't know," she turned around and headed towards the alley but Reese pulled her back to him.
"Look, are you ok? I don't want you leaving like this."
"Yeah, I mean no." She took a deep breath, "Look, I told you I have a lot of things on my mind right now. Sorry if I hurt your feelings," she turned around and walked away. Helena didn't want to walk away from him, but sometimes Huntress had to play the stubborn part to avoid him from knowing her. That's probably the most effective way she's been handling her problems in the past year.
Reese watched her walk away, he felt really empty inside. The detective had always felt that way when they had a fight. He thought about it, she's walking away. He knew she must have been having serious problems. Though he didn't know her name or any other background information, he knew the way she thought, and walking away wasn't her style. He decided to follow her into the alley, "Hey you guys I'm taking ten."
The alley was dark with a vague solitude. The nights always used to comfort her from the dilemmas life brought. But tonight the dilemma was too huge for her to just forget about in the dark. The emotions flooded her mind and she held on to the wall to maintain balance. She wiped a tear that ran down her cheek. At this point, life wasn't making any sense. Her father came back and is killing people, wasn't he suppose to be cured? And if he wasn't, was she going to be able to fight him? The thought made her weep harder.
Reese could barely see where he was going. The alley was so dark he had to make his way with his hands. She's probably gone by now, he convinced himself and turned around. The only thing that was guiding him out the alley was his hands and a light at the end of the passageway. He tripped over a loose can and fell to the floor, "Ouch!"
Helena's senses sharpened at the sound of someone else's voice in the alley. Her meta-eyes scanned the lane and saw someone getting up with a gun in their hand. Using her instincts she went around the person and kicked them in the face then held their position with her feet at their neck.
Her foot made it difficult for Reese to breathe. He raised his arm and shoved his opponent's leg to the floor with his elbow. He tried to run but the enemy repeated the move and pinned him to the wall once more. This time they were in the light and he saw Huntress was his adversary, and quickly let his guard down. But she didn't, in fact she left her foot there but not as tensed as before. Huntress looked resilient and hardcore, but what stood out in her facial expression were the tears that flooded her eyes and cheeks. He wanted to do nothing more than make the pain go away, but it was difficult to even attempt that pinned to the wall, "Huntress, you're hurting…"
Helena realized Reese wasn't looking at Huntress anymore. She swiftly turned her back to him and looked up into the sky, "No, I'm not hurting. I just have something in my eye."
He took a deep breathe, "Nice excuse, but you didn't let me finish. I meant to say you were hurting me. But thanks for releasing me."
She smiled a bit and wiped the remaining tears off her face, "I suppose you want to know what's going on."
Reese turned her around and looked deep into her eyes. There was no reason for him to ask that question. The evidence stood before him like a mirror. He held her close to him.
Helena returned the embraced by laying her head on his chest. The comfort only made her cry even harder.
Reese stroked her short black hair and held her closer.
She felt like a burden to him. He should have been out there getting more information about that killer, than trying to comfort someone who has treated him like an enemy for the past five minutes. She at least owed it to him to know what was going on. Helena pulled her head off of his chest but not breaking the contact, she looked up at him into his eyes, "It's just that-"
Reese placed his a finger over her lips, "It's ok, you don't have to explain anything."
The contact of his finger made her lips quiver. Was this the detective she knew? He appeared more than a partner, more than a friend. A soul mate, someone who wouldn't judge or underestimate what she said or did. Who didn't care about the circumstances, but the fact that she was hurting. A person who understood her body and soul, without saying a word.
Reese felt a little uncomfortable having Huntress stare at him, but if she needed to stare at him, so be it. She didn't need some insensitive jerk to kick her while she was down.
Helena could see the tension in his eyes and smiled a bit. Maybe changing her expression would loosen him up. He smiled back, and she quickly looked down with embarrassment and then back at him, now they were only a breath away.
Both couldn't resist the need, the longing, the passion they had this instant. And in that dark alley where evil usually lurks, away from civilization, from reality, from the truth, their lips met and the world around them disappeared. There was no world, no pain or sorrow, just them under the moonlight. The night that began in a disaster, brought out the true colors of a cop and a vigilante.
Every bone in Reese's body felt warm and right. All he could do was what he felt, he felt… he didn't care what he felt, all he cared about was how she felt. Reese wanted to eliminate the torture reality cast upon Huntress. All of the scares and blemishes the Detective felt in their contact. Reese was one with her and couldn't have picked a better place to be.
Tonight, Helena found a place beside the dark, where her pain could be buried. She took in his, and he took in hers. Lost in the moment she felt her meta-human abilities take over and her eyes changed. She felt like a slave to his lips, mimicking his every move, their bodies like a mirror. A slave? She thought, I've never been a slave to anything in my life, why start now? One thing she hated most then not having control, was having her control being taken by a guy. I can fight this!
Reese let go of their embrace and held her face continuing to kiss her. Then his hands felt empty, like a boy's favorite toy been taken away. When he opened his eyes it was just him and the lonely air. She was gone.
To be continued…
