The woman who went by the codename of Oracle exited the lab with a weary groan. The door shut behind her and she moved further towards the control center.

For several long moments all Helena heard was the soft whirling of her mentor's chair as the redhead circled behind her and slid up the ramp towards the bay of computers. "You're pissed," she started hesitantly.

Barbara didn't look up. She started to type on the keyboard, her green eyes burning into the LCD in front of her. The screen flashed light back on her face, which reflected in her glasses. Finally with a dramatic sigh she turned towards Helena, "I'm not sure I know what to say right now."

"Say anything," Helena Kyle pleaded, taking a step towards her old friend. She moved around to stand in front of Barbara. "I'm sorry."

"Helena, you're always sorry. You know, I'd have long since forced you into AA if I actually thought it'd do you any good," Barbara muttered, still not meeting Helena's wide blue eyes.

"I'm not an alcoholic," Helena replied. She shook her head. "I lost it. I was stupid."

"No," Barbara agreed. "You're not an alcoholic and you're not stupid but you are irresponsible and reckless." She leaned back in her chair and finally gazed up at Helena. "This time you went too far."

Helena swallowed hard. "I'm sorry. I...I didn't mean to..."

"Dammit Helena, you broke her ankle," Barbara snapped, her irritation growing. A voice in her head told her to calm down and that this would do neither of them any good but she was long past that. So much had been boiling between them for so long and now it was finally starting to leak out.

Helena stumbled back a step, stunned by the anger she heard in the redhead's voice. Barbara Gordon was always under control and she rarely allowed for strong displays of emotion. "It's broken?"

"Yes, it's broken. She's going to be off her feet for at least two weeks. That means you'll be handling sweeps by yourself."

Helena lifted an eyebrow. "No offense but that's not that big of a deal."

Barbara shook her head. "You don't get it do you? We're a team, Helena. We're only as strong as our weakest link."

"Are you saying that's me?" Helena asked, her voice very low and almost childlike.

Barbara looked up at her, locking eyes. "Yes."

Helena stepped away, taken aback. For a brief moment Barbara considered telling Helena that she was wrong and that her words were a mistake. The stunned look on Helena's face horrified her. Closing her eyes she steeled herself to continue the argument.

It was time.

It was high bloody time.

"I'm sorry," Helena finally stammered. She continued stepping back, like she was searching for an escape route.

"Are you going to run again?" Barbara challenged, warily watching her young former ward inch towards the elevator. "What's going on with you? When did you become such a coward?"

It worked like a charm.

Helena snapped around, blue eyes now angry instead of defeated. Rage boiled up through her and she clenched her hands into tight fists. "I'm not a coward," she roared. "I go out every fucking night and risk my life and I'm a coward?"

"Oh lose it," Barbara said mildly, intentionally attempting to get under Helena's skin. There was a lot that needed to be said and Barbara wasn't naïve enough to believe that it would all come out in one evening but she wanted to get the ball rolling. "You do it because of the thrill of the hunt and because you like violence."

Helena's growled. "I do it because you want me to. I do it because your damned mission is so important."

"Keep telling yourself that," Barbara shot back. "I just can't figure out why. I can't figure out what it is inside of you that is so damaged and so ugly that you can't look in a mirror and see what you are."

"What I am?" Helena demanded. "I know what I am. I'm the weakest fucking link, ain't that right oh great Oracle?"

"Helena," Barbara chastised. "Stop being a child."

The brunette started to pace in front of the desk, keeping her head low and glaring down at the floor. She could still feel the effects of the alcohol in her system but her anger and fear pushed the dizziness away. Her eyes were dilated into hard blue slits and her mouth pulled back into a thin line. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to grow up and start taking some damn responsibility for the things you do," Barbara snapped. She immediately regretted her words, knowing exactly how her young protégé would choose to take them.

"I do take responsibility," Helena murmured in response. She looked up at Barbara, her eyes returning to their normal form. "I'm responsible for Wade being dead. I mean, that's what you're getting at, right?"

"No," Barbara said, shaking her head. "You know I should have realized it a long time ago that this is what's been bothering you so much. God, I don't know how I missed it." She took her glasses off and gazed out at Helena. "Listen to me, I don't blame you for his death."

"You should," Helena replied, the anger mounting again.

"I'm not gonna play this game with you, Helena. You want to keep blaming yourself; you go ahead and do that. You go ahead and let yourself be torn apart it. What you did tonight, I don't have words for it."

Helena laughed bitterly. "You have words for everything."

Barbara nodded. "I am angry at you. No, I'm pissed off. What happened with Wade was an accident but tonight you crossed the line. Dinah went there to help you and you hurt her. And by doing so, you hurt the whole team."

"So am I off the team?" Helena shot back, trying to be flip. She was trying to act like it didn't matter. Like she didn't care.

Barbara wasn't buying but she decided to press on. "There are going to have to be changes around here." She pressed her nails into the soft pad of her armrest.

"Changes? Am I grounded?"

Barbara smiled but it wasn't a very friendly one. "Something like that. I don't trust you to be on your own anymore..."

Helena stepped back and away. "No," she said, her voice flashing with raw emotion. "No."

"If you want to stay a part of the team well then you'll have to move back in here." Barbara sighed loudly. "You can't keep taking out all of your anger on everyone around you. You just can't." She took a deep breath. "Act like a child Helena and you'll be treated like one."

Helena slammed her hand on the desk. "You know what, fuck you and fuck all of this!"

"Guys..." a voice said from the door. Neither turned towards it, both so intent on staring at each other. The tension in the room was unbearable.

Barbara wheeled down the ramp and moved in front of Helena, reaching out to grab her hands. Helena tried to evade her but the effects of the alcohol slowed her enough to give the redhead the advantage. She yanked Helena towards her. "Enough dammit. Enough of this." She spun Helena around, forcing her to look at one of the monitors. "Harley escaped earlier this evening and God only knows what she's up to and your answer is to get drunk and beat on your best friend?"

"Guys..."

"I had a bad night," Helena spat back at her. Her eyes were wide and she looked like a caged animal. Just the same, Barbara had seen the brunette enraged before and this certainly wasn't that. This felt more like she was phoning it all in. Fighting just for the sake of it.

"You could have talked to me," Barbara replied. "But you never do. We could have gotten through all of this a long time ago but no, your answer is to drink yourself to death." She sighed. "You keep doing this to yourself. One of these days you're gonna get yourself in way over your head."

"I'm fine," Helena replied softly.

"But Dinah's not. You hurt her, Helena. You hurt her."

Helena staggered back, looking defeated. She dropped her head. "I know," she finally said. She looked up with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"I'm okay," Dinah said from behind them. She hopped into the room, her injured foot up in the air. The visual was so absurd that it actually forced a reluctant smile out of Helena. "Just a little break."

"Dinah," Barbara warned. "Go lie down." She pointed back towards the lab.

"No," the blonde replied, placing herself between the two women. Barbara slid back a few feet, arms crossed over her chest but a strange look of almost bemusement on her face. "We can't do this," Dinah continued.

"Dinah, you shouldn't be up," Helena choked out. She roughly wiped at the edges of her eyes, angry with herself for the tears that had begun forming.

"Well I am, so deal," Dinah replied. She glanced over at Barbara. "You can't make her move in here. You can't take away her freedom. She made a mistake, we all have."

Barbara lifted an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

Dinah nodded, momentarily satisfied. She turned to Helena, stumbling a bit. She held out her hand to stop both of the women from coming to her aide. She felt tired and drugged thanks to the morphine that Barbara had given her a little bit earlier. Just the same, she wanted to say what she had to say. It was important.

Crucial really.

"And you, you need to shut your mouth and open your ears. We're here for you; we've always been here for you. You're not alone. Stop acting like you are and stop pushing us all away. You've been like the walking dead since Wade died. You're not okay, you can't say that you are."

Helena remained silent but a single tear trickled down her cheek. She pushed it roughly away.

"Helena," Barbara started slowly. "Whatever you think, whatever is going on inside of you right now, believe me, I've been there." She moved her chair around Dinah so that she was facing Barbara. Using her left arm she swept out and yanked Dinah down into her lap. The blonde let out a soft shriek as she tumbled. "I said stay down," Barbara commented wryly.

Helena smirked. "I should have warned you about that."

Dinah made a face but said nothing.

Barbara chuckled but then quickly grew serious again. "Look, we'll make it through this. We always make it through. We'll be okay." She patted Dinah's hand drawing a scowl from the blonde.

"Not a dog," Dinah commented.

Barbara smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

Helena snorted in amusement. Then she sighed and looked at Dinah. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Eh," Dinah laughed. "First off I'm too drugged to be mad. Morphine good. Morphine very good." She paused for a beat to allow the chuckles from the two women to pass. "And second, I know what this is all about. You just wanted to do the whole lone vigilante bit again." She shrugged. "I don't blame, I mean, I've been kinda coping your rep as of late."

"Oh dream on," Helena shot back, her eyes brightening. The tension slid away from her body and she relaxed her posture. The storm had passed. She glanced towards Barbara. "Are we okay?"

"We're okay," Barbara confirmed. "But eventually I'm going to make you talk. Even if that means strapping you to a chair."

"Sounds like fun," Helena replied. She was trying to be sarcastic but much of her energy was gone and her tone was too weary to have much punch.

"In the meanwhile, I want both of you in bed. Now. Helena, Dinah's right, I can't make you live here. I know you need your own space. Tonight however..."

Helena held up her hands. "Consider me sacked."

"Good." Then she looked at Dinah and frowned. "When did she fall asleep?"

Helena lifted an eyebrow. "I didn't notice." Then she cocked her head. "Is she drooling on you?"

"Yes," Barbara muttered. She placed a hand under Dinah's chin and lifted her face. "I'm going to take her to bed. You get there too." She started to move away and then stopped. She didn't turn to face Helena but she spoke her words very slowly. "Believe it or not, Hel, we're in this together. I'm never going to walk out on you. I'm never going to let you fall."

Helena opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out. She just watched in silence as Barbara slid into the elevator. The doors closed behind her and Helena finally blew out air, forming a perfect "o" with her mouth. She chuckled a bit nervously. Then she started for the stairs.

Sleep was calling but there was something she wanted to do first.

Someone she wanted to talk to.

Someone who always made her feel better.