= = = (*Breakfast With The Birds*) = = =
The next morning Gabby was woken up by the gentile shaking of her shoulder. Dinah was trying to get her to open her eyes. {But I only just fell asleep!} She protested in her own mind, {What time is it?} she wondered, looking out the pale window.
"Come on Gabby, we need to get going." Dinah said gently, sighing and sitting down on the end of the futon they had set up for their guest. "Barbara needs to get to school early for the Friday-Morning Teacher- Meeting, and we need to go with her or else its a 30 minute walk." Gabby just kind of murgled and rolled over. Dinah laughed, and forcibly opened one of Gabby's eyes. "You're really not a morning person, are you?" she asked laughing, causing the sleepy blonde to chuckle, and swat her hands away.
"Why are you trying to kill me?" she asked croakily, flinging an arm over her eyes.
"I'm not, I'm trying to get you in the shower." She said calmly. One of Gabby's eyes poked out from under her arm, a playful smirk in place. Dinah just smacked her softly, and glowered. "I just took mine, and there's plenty of wonderfully hot water waiting for you . . . ?" She said, trying to sound enticing. Gabby sighed, and yawned. Getting up, she headed for the connecting bathroom. "I'm going to change, and then I'll go make us some breakfast, okay? The Kitchen's just a little ways up the ramp, okay?" all she got in reply was a gurgle and a nod.
Dinah laughed, and turned towards her dresser. Opening the drawer she searched for something school-worthy. Settling on a black and maroon Custo top with gills along the arm, and a pair of dark but sand-blasted jeans, she strapped on her shoes. After gathering up her books and binders, she put them in her bag and tossed them over her shoulder. She had completely forgotten about Helena and their kiss . . . up until she opened the door to the rest of the clock-tower.
"Helena?!" Dinah said, slightly shocked. She'd *Never* seen the brunette before 11am, and here it was . . . barely 7; it was obvious that she was surprised. She was sitting on the couch with Barbara, who looked a little stressed and tired. Helena tossed a small smile her way, and Barbara rubbed her eyes. It was then that Dinah noticed that Helena's clothes weren't up to their normal standards; she was wearing a pair of light-gray sweat-pants and a blue tank-top with a back zip-hoody. Helena seemed to notice her eyes taking in her appearance, and blushed slightly.
"Uh, Laundry . . ." she said, plucking at the cuff of her jacket. Dinah just nodded and rushed past the two older women, making her way up the ramp. She really didn't want to have to deal with Helena and all the crap right now. She'd just spent half the night studying for an exam, something that she had to stay focused on. As she reached the kitchen, she fired up the stove and tossed on the frying pan. Making some eggs and toast for breakfast seemed okay, seeing as she didn't know what Gabby would have liked in an omelet.
Leaning over the rails as the eggs started cooking, she heard the two women talking to each other. They seemed to be very involved in whatever they were discussing. As Helena got up and headed in the general direction of the elevator Gabby popped out of Dinah's room. She said good morning to Barbara, and headed up the ramp. Dinah turned back to their breakfast and kept cooking. Gabby slumped down on her chair, laying her head on the table. Both started laughing at the same time, and the ringlet-blonde sat up.
"I take it you didn't sleep well?" Dinah asked delicately. Gabby got up and looked at the pan. Eggs, scrambled. Nothing fancy. Gabby had a better idea.
"No, the sleep I got was good, it just took me a while to actually *fall* asleep . . ." She trailed off, looking at Dinah lightly. "Would you mind if I took over?" she asked, almost excitedly. Dinah just nodded, and handed Gabby the spatula. She quickly turned off the burner, and headed to the fridge. Opening it, she continued talking as she pulled out a couple things, placing them on the table.
"I had the *BEST* dream! Weird, but also very cool. I dreamed that I was named the International Spelling Champion, and that I was told that since I could spell so well, I would never have to go to college. I could just be an editor at TIME magazine and never have to do anything even related to school ever again. And then, I was working there, and this woman was dressed like some thing out of a T.A.T.U. video - " she went on and on about her dream, and Dinah just listened, and watched.
Gabby took out a green onion and chopped it up, a long with an orange pepper. They got tossed in with the eggs, which were seasoned with a bit of black-pepper and some chilly-pepper. Dinah had set the table as she talked and cooked. She poured them both some English Breakfast Tea, and took out some sugar and milk. As she put the now very colorful scrambled eggs on two plates, she told of the end of the dream, almost in a fit of giggles.
" - And then Mr. Jenison, the PE Teacher, showed up dressed as a nun, and started screaming about how he could fly! Ha Ha! Then the next thing I know you're shaking me awake." She dug into her eggs, and dipped her toast into her tea. Dinah just looked on, surprised at Gabby's sudden energy and unexpected culinary skill. She started eating too, surprised at how good the eggs were, and noticed the fact that Gabby was looking at her. Swallowing her food, and taking a sip of her tea, she looked at Gabby expectantly. "Well, what about you? Have any dreams last night?" Gabby took another bite of Tea and Toast, and waited. Dinah thought for a second before responding.
"I'm not sure . . ." she replied, scrunching here nose. "I have a feeling I did, but I'm not sure what it was about." Sighing she finished her tea, and looked down at the table, trying to force the memories back into her mind. "I remember talking to someone. I don't know who, but it seemed kinda serious, so I think it may have been Barbara . . . but then there was, well," she looked up at her friend and blinked a few times, "I think it was an animal of some kind, 'cause I remember growling, and then the feeling that I was flying . . ." she shook her head, trying to remember what else had happened. Just then, Helena appeared at the entrance of the kitchen.
"Barbara's a little behind this morning, so you guys have another 15 minutes or so." She said looking to Dinah, and then glancing at Gabby. Her expression changed, and if the blondes had to describe it as something they'd call it defensive anticipation. When neither of the younger girls said anything, she looked to Dinah. "Who's this, and where did she come from?" she asked slowly. Dinah blushed, and introduced the two.
"Uh, Gabby this is Helena. Helena, this is my friend Gabby . . . she slept over last night to help me study." She answered quietly. Helena reached out a hand, and gabby took it, almost smirking at the brunette. That was when the Huntress realized who this was. It was the Kissing Girl from Dinah's dream. Squeezing a little harder then necessary, she smiled back. Gabby didn't even react to the pressure; no face, no wince, not even her smirk faded.
"Nice to meet you, Gabby." Helena said smiling genuinely now. She liked this girl . . . you know, except for the fact that Dinah had dreams about kissing her. Looking at their coffee mugs, she looked to the stove. "Any hot-water left?" They nodded, and Helena started making her tea.
"Dinah was just telling me about a dream she had last night." Gabby said, as a way to both invite Helena into the conversation and to get Dinah to try and continue. Gabby noticed Helena slip with the kettle and pour hot water on her hands (though she didn't even react as the hot liquid ran over her skin). Shaking it off, Helena looked back to Dinah.
"Really?" Helena asked, voice slightly higher than before, "What did you dream about?" she dreaded the idea of Dinah sharing too much with Gabby. {It was *OUR* dream,} Helena thought angrily, her territorial instincts taking over, {She can't share it with this girl . . . she gave it to me, she helped me . . . It's just hers and mine.}
"She can't remember, that's the problem." Gabby said slowly, "She remembers that there was a growling animal in it, that she was flying, and that she had a serious talk with who she thinks was Professor Gordon." At that Dinah noticed Helena looking at her intently.
"Is that true?" she asked slowly, voice quiet, "Do you really not remember?" Dinah shook her head, and wondered what was bothering Helena about this dream. The brunette just smiled, though Dinah knew it was a fake one, and waved it off. "Well, I had a pretty good dream last night." She said, hopping up on the counter. "I'll tell you about it later this afternoon during - "
"Fudge making!" Dinah said quickly. Helena looked at her like she was crazy for a second, then remembered the Gourmet Baking excuse. Nodding slowly, she smiled.
"Right, when we make fudge." She looked down into her mug for a second, then back at Dinah. "and then maybe you and I could talk . . . before we - " Helena paused, trying to think of a term to use. "before we do a *sweep* of the inventory." She said pointedly. Dinah looked down at the ground, and nodded.
"Right, inventory tonight." She nodded and looked up at the brunette. Helena just smiled back, and laughed slightly.
"Don't worry Birdie, it's nothing bad." Just then they heard Barbara calling them from downstairs. Grabbing their bags and placing their plates in the sink, both girls hurried down the ramp. As the teens piled into the elevator, Barbara wheeled in behind them. Looking up at the brunette, Oracle gave her the thumbs up. Nodding, Helena went back to her tea, and then maybe a nap.
"Man," Helena said to no one in particular, "How do I know this day is only going to get longer?" Flopping down onto the couch, she flung the toss- blanket over her self, content to sleep off any worries she had about this afternoon.
.
= = = (*People Are Strange, When You're A Stranger*) = = =
Dinah crept dejectedly back into the clock-tower. As she tried to quickly walk past the Delphi monitors, Barbara was pulled out of her concentration. Keeping her eyes on the screens and adding an artificial tone of offhandedness to her voice, she called to the blonde (Who was only feet from her door).
"You missed training." She said, eyes still on the monitors. Dinah stopped, lowered her head slightly, and turned towards Oracle.
"I was hanging out with Gabby." She answered by way of an explanation. Barbara nodded and smiled sadly.
"I know, we tracked you ComSet." The red-head rolled back from the desk slightly so she could look the girl in the face. "Helena was waiting for you to come home from school . . . she really wanted to talk to you. I practically had to hold her back when she found out you'd missed training to go to the movies." With that she gave the girl a short glare, but there was a smile hidden in her eyes.
"I thought Helena had therapy on Friday Afternoons?" Dinah said, not looking at her mentor. Barbara took off her glasses, and looked down at her hands.
"We both agreed that she'd had enough Psychosis for today . . ." She looked at her charge and saw that she was trying to subtle try and Find Helena, as though expecting her to be listening in the shadows. "She just got off work about a half hour ago. She's patrolling now, expecting you to back her up when you got back."
"Not tonight." She said sadly, slowly walking up the ramp to the Delphi System, "The two of us fighting side-by-side before we've had a chance to talk out what's happened just doesn't feel . . . Safe." The Blonde looked at the large hanging screen and watched as the little red dot marked 'H' moved from street to street. Rubbing her eyes lightly, Dinah sighed.
"Tired?" Barbara asked her gently. Dinah nodded and sat down in the extra desk chair.
"Yeah. I had a really weird dream, but I can't remember what it was about." Barbara was looking at her fixedly and Dinah could feel the redhead's stair boring into the back of her neck.
"You *really* don't remember *anything* about it . . . ?" she asked pointedly. Dinah looked at her as though worried about the older woman's sanity, and shook her head slowly. "You're not just saying that because you feel the topic may be of a . . . private nature?"
"Noooooo . . ." Dinah said slowly, as though explaining that 1 + 1 = 2. Barbara sighed and watched as the little 'H' stopped at the corner of Cole and Steiner. Dinah shook her head, confused, and looked at Oracle through the corner of her eye. "You're the second one to ask me that today . . . what is it with you people and dreams? Not all of mine can predict the future."
"I think you and Helena are going to have to have that talk . . . and then I think the three of us will need to have a talk." Just then the monitor started beeping, and the BIRDS Symbol started blinking at the corner of fifth and Drake.
"Rhys triggered the Bat-Ring!" Dinah called over the beeping, wheeling over to the computers and shutting down the alert system.
"I'm on it." Helena's voice said through the speakers. Dinah looked quickly to Barbara, shock obvious on her face. She just shrugged and opened a new file for whatever case the Hero and the Cop were about to start.
"Why didn't you tell me her ComSet was on?!" She whispered Angrily.
"Hey Kid." Helena called through the speakers, "You're home late." She didn't sound upset, but she didn't sound happy either. Dinah wished she could see the brunette's face, then maybe she'd know how scared she should be about the next time she had to see her. "I thought we were going to 'Make Fudge', and 'Take Inventory' . . ." {Jokes!} Dinah thought quickly, {Jokes are a good sign . . . Right?}.
"Uh, Yeah," The blonde thought lamely, "That test was a killer, so Gabby and I wanted to blow off some steam."
"And here I thought you *liked* using the punching bag for that." Jealousy. That was definitely Jealousy, which shocked Dinah slightly.
"Oh, Yeah, and that went *SO* well yesterday, didn't it?" she asked rhetorically, voice bitter. She could practically feel Helena flinch, and she didn't care. The brunette put her though hell these past two days.
"Okay, good point." Helena sighed and could be heard landing on the pavement with a near silent swish of her cloak. There was a sharper intake of breath, and Rhys could be heard chuckling slightly.
"Evening, Detective." Helena said slowly, voice low as usual. Dinah both loved and hated to overhear these little sessions. They were funny to listen to, but at the same time, it Dinah could not believe Helena liked this . . . 'Guy' more than her. Though the blonde did enjoy hearing The Huntress' tone of voice when she was flirting, even if it wasn't with her.
"Huntress." He said simply.
"You called, Detective?" she said coolly, as though she was bored.
"Yeah, uh," He said slowly, Voice slightly tight, "I was wondering if you were doing alright." The constant delicacy in the words that he picked becoming noticeable. "That woman you work with, Oracle I think, she called me to tell me you'd be staying in . . ."
"Took a personal evening, Detective." She almost snapped, her usual tone gone. It was replaced with a shortness that most would consider a fair warning of danger. "I'm still a normal person during the day, you know."
"You're only Meta at night?" Rhys asked, confused.
"No," Huntress growled, "I'm only a crime-fighter at night. During the day I have a job, a life, a family . . . my whole world doesn't revolve around New Gotham Scum."
"Alright, alright," Rhys said quickly, trying to stop this argument before it got out of hand. "I Got it, I just wanted to see if you were alright. . . I was worried."
"I'm Fine." Her shortness deflated, but not gone, "Besides, if there was anything wrong, I have people to take care of me." Dinah smiled, and little did she know that Helena said it with the specific intention of her hearing it.
Okay, I got it. Private life stays private, no problem." Both girls in the clocktower could practically see the poor cop raising his hands and backing away slightly in fear. He sighed and continued. "How's the kid?"
"She's not a kid!" she said quickly, then calmed, "She's fine. Well, she's not really, these scars never go away, but she *will* get better." Rhys must have nodde3d, because there was a quiet moment.
"How's your arm?" he asked quickly. Helena just chuckled.
"Good as new, Better actually . . . it certainly made me smarter, that's for sure."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's put it this way," Huntress answered slowly, "Strength of muscle is no match for strength of mind." Rhys laughed lightly, but it was obviously just to cover the fact that he was confused and trying to down-play it.
"Well, if you're alright, and that Blonde is too . . ." Rhys trailed off, and a slight growl from Helena's throat could be heard ringing in her ComSet.
"Her Name," she said sharply, "Is Dinah." And with that there was the standard whipping fabric sound as the brunette took flight into the night again. The soft swish of her coat mingled with the splashing of puddles on the roofs.
"Oracle?" she called a few moments later, "Give me an ass to kick." Both clocktower girls laughed and started typing, trying to fulfill the woman's request.
"Okay. There's been a number of muggings down in the greens district. Between Charles and Cannon streets." Dinah said as her search finished running. "Might be worth checking out." She added happily. Helena practically purred and laughed.
"Sure you don't want to join me, Kid?" she asked quickly.
"No thanks, maybe another night."
"Alright. Huntress Out." Her ComSet beeped and Dinah sighed, sitting back in her chair. Barbara laughed slightly, grabbing the blonde's attention. "What?" she asked slowly.
"Was that *really* so bad?" the redhead asked quickly. Dinah shook her head, a look of confusion on her face.
"I don't get it!" she almost yelled. "Yesterday she yelled at me and blamed me for something she probably did, and then runs off - and then the next morning she comes in all smiles and jokes and it's like nothing happened?!" she screamed angrily, unaware that Huntress had turned her ComSet back on to get the names of the streets again. "I don't want her angry at me, but I think I have the right to be upset! She wouldn't even listen to me . . . !" she was obviously very frustrated with what was going on. Dinah got up slowly and sighed tiredly.
"I'm going to bed," she said, voice scratchy from exhaustion, "I'll see you tomorrow." And she started walking towards her room.
"Dinah!" Barbara called quickly. The blonde turned and looked at her mentor. "You, Helena, and I are going to have a nice long talk tomorrow morning . . . all of us." Dinah nodded and headed back to her room.
.
.
.
(Author'sNote: WELL! There you have it! The VERY FIRST thing I've written since I got back to the US! God, how I love these lovely American Key-Boards! Such a blessing - the German ones are downright scary! I hope y'all like what I've done with this story and let me tell you: I t may be a bit for the next chapter as I have to do a bit of research before I can get it on paper. NOT TOO LONG THOUGH! Nowhere near as long as this took.)
~ VixenRaign ~
The next morning Gabby was woken up by the gentile shaking of her shoulder. Dinah was trying to get her to open her eyes. {But I only just fell asleep!} She protested in her own mind, {What time is it?} she wondered, looking out the pale window.
"Come on Gabby, we need to get going." Dinah said gently, sighing and sitting down on the end of the futon they had set up for their guest. "Barbara needs to get to school early for the Friday-Morning Teacher- Meeting, and we need to go with her or else its a 30 minute walk." Gabby just kind of murgled and rolled over. Dinah laughed, and forcibly opened one of Gabby's eyes. "You're really not a morning person, are you?" she asked laughing, causing the sleepy blonde to chuckle, and swat her hands away.
"Why are you trying to kill me?" she asked croakily, flinging an arm over her eyes.
"I'm not, I'm trying to get you in the shower." She said calmly. One of Gabby's eyes poked out from under her arm, a playful smirk in place. Dinah just smacked her softly, and glowered. "I just took mine, and there's plenty of wonderfully hot water waiting for you . . . ?" She said, trying to sound enticing. Gabby sighed, and yawned. Getting up, she headed for the connecting bathroom. "I'm going to change, and then I'll go make us some breakfast, okay? The Kitchen's just a little ways up the ramp, okay?" all she got in reply was a gurgle and a nod.
Dinah laughed, and turned towards her dresser. Opening the drawer she searched for something school-worthy. Settling on a black and maroon Custo top with gills along the arm, and a pair of dark but sand-blasted jeans, she strapped on her shoes. After gathering up her books and binders, she put them in her bag and tossed them over her shoulder. She had completely forgotten about Helena and their kiss . . . up until she opened the door to the rest of the clock-tower.
"Helena?!" Dinah said, slightly shocked. She'd *Never* seen the brunette before 11am, and here it was . . . barely 7; it was obvious that she was surprised. She was sitting on the couch with Barbara, who looked a little stressed and tired. Helena tossed a small smile her way, and Barbara rubbed her eyes. It was then that Dinah noticed that Helena's clothes weren't up to their normal standards; she was wearing a pair of light-gray sweat-pants and a blue tank-top with a back zip-hoody. Helena seemed to notice her eyes taking in her appearance, and blushed slightly.
"Uh, Laundry . . ." she said, plucking at the cuff of her jacket. Dinah just nodded and rushed past the two older women, making her way up the ramp. She really didn't want to have to deal with Helena and all the crap right now. She'd just spent half the night studying for an exam, something that she had to stay focused on. As she reached the kitchen, she fired up the stove and tossed on the frying pan. Making some eggs and toast for breakfast seemed okay, seeing as she didn't know what Gabby would have liked in an omelet.
Leaning over the rails as the eggs started cooking, she heard the two women talking to each other. They seemed to be very involved in whatever they were discussing. As Helena got up and headed in the general direction of the elevator Gabby popped out of Dinah's room. She said good morning to Barbara, and headed up the ramp. Dinah turned back to their breakfast and kept cooking. Gabby slumped down on her chair, laying her head on the table. Both started laughing at the same time, and the ringlet-blonde sat up.
"I take it you didn't sleep well?" Dinah asked delicately. Gabby got up and looked at the pan. Eggs, scrambled. Nothing fancy. Gabby had a better idea.
"No, the sleep I got was good, it just took me a while to actually *fall* asleep . . ." She trailed off, looking at Dinah lightly. "Would you mind if I took over?" she asked, almost excitedly. Dinah just nodded, and handed Gabby the spatula. She quickly turned off the burner, and headed to the fridge. Opening it, she continued talking as she pulled out a couple things, placing them on the table.
"I had the *BEST* dream! Weird, but also very cool. I dreamed that I was named the International Spelling Champion, and that I was told that since I could spell so well, I would never have to go to college. I could just be an editor at TIME magazine and never have to do anything even related to school ever again. And then, I was working there, and this woman was dressed like some thing out of a T.A.T.U. video - " she went on and on about her dream, and Dinah just listened, and watched.
Gabby took out a green onion and chopped it up, a long with an orange pepper. They got tossed in with the eggs, which were seasoned with a bit of black-pepper and some chilly-pepper. Dinah had set the table as she talked and cooked. She poured them both some English Breakfast Tea, and took out some sugar and milk. As she put the now very colorful scrambled eggs on two plates, she told of the end of the dream, almost in a fit of giggles.
" - And then Mr. Jenison, the PE Teacher, showed up dressed as a nun, and started screaming about how he could fly! Ha Ha! Then the next thing I know you're shaking me awake." She dug into her eggs, and dipped her toast into her tea. Dinah just looked on, surprised at Gabby's sudden energy and unexpected culinary skill. She started eating too, surprised at how good the eggs were, and noticed the fact that Gabby was looking at her. Swallowing her food, and taking a sip of her tea, she looked at Gabby expectantly. "Well, what about you? Have any dreams last night?" Gabby took another bite of Tea and Toast, and waited. Dinah thought for a second before responding.
"I'm not sure . . ." she replied, scrunching here nose. "I have a feeling I did, but I'm not sure what it was about." Sighing she finished her tea, and looked down at the table, trying to force the memories back into her mind. "I remember talking to someone. I don't know who, but it seemed kinda serious, so I think it may have been Barbara . . . but then there was, well," she looked up at her friend and blinked a few times, "I think it was an animal of some kind, 'cause I remember growling, and then the feeling that I was flying . . ." she shook her head, trying to remember what else had happened. Just then, Helena appeared at the entrance of the kitchen.
"Barbara's a little behind this morning, so you guys have another 15 minutes or so." She said looking to Dinah, and then glancing at Gabby. Her expression changed, and if the blondes had to describe it as something they'd call it defensive anticipation. When neither of the younger girls said anything, she looked to Dinah. "Who's this, and where did she come from?" she asked slowly. Dinah blushed, and introduced the two.
"Uh, Gabby this is Helena. Helena, this is my friend Gabby . . . she slept over last night to help me study." She answered quietly. Helena reached out a hand, and gabby took it, almost smirking at the brunette. That was when the Huntress realized who this was. It was the Kissing Girl from Dinah's dream. Squeezing a little harder then necessary, she smiled back. Gabby didn't even react to the pressure; no face, no wince, not even her smirk faded.
"Nice to meet you, Gabby." Helena said smiling genuinely now. She liked this girl . . . you know, except for the fact that Dinah had dreams about kissing her. Looking at their coffee mugs, she looked to the stove. "Any hot-water left?" They nodded, and Helena started making her tea.
"Dinah was just telling me about a dream she had last night." Gabby said, as a way to both invite Helena into the conversation and to get Dinah to try and continue. Gabby noticed Helena slip with the kettle and pour hot water on her hands (though she didn't even react as the hot liquid ran over her skin). Shaking it off, Helena looked back to Dinah.
"Really?" Helena asked, voice slightly higher than before, "What did you dream about?" she dreaded the idea of Dinah sharing too much with Gabby. {It was *OUR* dream,} Helena thought angrily, her territorial instincts taking over, {She can't share it with this girl . . . she gave it to me, she helped me . . . It's just hers and mine.}
"She can't remember, that's the problem." Gabby said slowly, "She remembers that there was a growling animal in it, that she was flying, and that she had a serious talk with who she thinks was Professor Gordon." At that Dinah noticed Helena looking at her intently.
"Is that true?" she asked slowly, voice quiet, "Do you really not remember?" Dinah shook her head, and wondered what was bothering Helena about this dream. The brunette just smiled, though Dinah knew it was a fake one, and waved it off. "Well, I had a pretty good dream last night." She said, hopping up on the counter. "I'll tell you about it later this afternoon during - "
"Fudge making!" Dinah said quickly. Helena looked at her like she was crazy for a second, then remembered the Gourmet Baking excuse. Nodding slowly, she smiled.
"Right, when we make fudge." She looked down into her mug for a second, then back at Dinah. "and then maybe you and I could talk . . . before we - " Helena paused, trying to think of a term to use. "before we do a *sweep* of the inventory." She said pointedly. Dinah looked down at the ground, and nodded.
"Right, inventory tonight." She nodded and looked up at the brunette. Helena just smiled back, and laughed slightly.
"Don't worry Birdie, it's nothing bad." Just then they heard Barbara calling them from downstairs. Grabbing their bags and placing their plates in the sink, both girls hurried down the ramp. As the teens piled into the elevator, Barbara wheeled in behind them. Looking up at the brunette, Oracle gave her the thumbs up. Nodding, Helena went back to her tea, and then maybe a nap.
"Man," Helena said to no one in particular, "How do I know this day is only going to get longer?" Flopping down onto the couch, she flung the toss- blanket over her self, content to sleep off any worries she had about this afternoon.
.
= = = (*People Are Strange, When You're A Stranger*) = = =
Dinah crept dejectedly back into the clock-tower. As she tried to quickly walk past the Delphi monitors, Barbara was pulled out of her concentration. Keeping her eyes on the screens and adding an artificial tone of offhandedness to her voice, she called to the blonde (Who was only feet from her door).
"You missed training." She said, eyes still on the monitors. Dinah stopped, lowered her head slightly, and turned towards Oracle.
"I was hanging out with Gabby." She answered by way of an explanation. Barbara nodded and smiled sadly.
"I know, we tracked you ComSet." The red-head rolled back from the desk slightly so she could look the girl in the face. "Helena was waiting for you to come home from school . . . she really wanted to talk to you. I practically had to hold her back when she found out you'd missed training to go to the movies." With that she gave the girl a short glare, but there was a smile hidden in her eyes.
"I thought Helena had therapy on Friday Afternoons?" Dinah said, not looking at her mentor. Barbara took off her glasses, and looked down at her hands.
"We both agreed that she'd had enough Psychosis for today . . ." She looked at her charge and saw that she was trying to subtle try and Find Helena, as though expecting her to be listening in the shadows. "She just got off work about a half hour ago. She's patrolling now, expecting you to back her up when you got back."
"Not tonight." She said sadly, slowly walking up the ramp to the Delphi System, "The two of us fighting side-by-side before we've had a chance to talk out what's happened just doesn't feel . . . Safe." The Blonde looked at the large hanging screen and watched as the little red dot marked 'H' moved from street to street. Rubbing her eyes lightly, Dinah sighed.
"Tired?" Barbara asked her gently. Dinah nodded and sat down in the extra desk chair.
"Yeah. I had a really weird dream, but I can't remember what it was about." Barbara was looking at her fixedly and Dinah could feel the redhead's stair boring into the back of her neck.
"You *really* don't remember *anything* about it . . . ?" she asked pointedly. Dinah looked at her as though worried about the older woman's sanity, and shook her head slowly. "You're not just saying that because you feel the topic may be of a . . . private nature?"
"Noooooo . . ." Dinah said slowly, as though explaining that 1 + 1 = 2. Barbara sighed and watched as the little 'H' stopped at the corner of Cole and Steiner. Dinah shook her head, confused, and looked at Oracle through the corner of her eye. "You're the second one to ask me that today . . . what is it with you people and dreams? Not all of mine can predict the future."
"I think you and Helena are going to have to have that talk . . . and then I think the three of us will need to have a talk." Just then the monitor started beeping, and the BIRDS Symbol started blinking at the corner of fifth and Drake.
"Rhys triggered the Bat-Ring!" Dinah called over the beeping, wheeling over to the computers and shutting down the alert system.
"I'm on it." Helena's voice said through the speakers. Dinah looked quickly to Barbara, shock obvious on her face. She just shrugged and opened a new file for whatever case the Hero and the Cop were about to start.
"Why didn't you tell me her ComSet was on?!" She whispered Angrily.
"Hey Kid." Helena called through the speakers, "You're home late." She didn't sound upset, but she didn't sound happy either. Dinah wished she could see the brunette's face, then maybe she'd know how scared she should be about the next time she had to see her. "I thought we were going to 'Make Fudge', and 'Take Inventory' . . ." {Jokes!} Dinah thought quickly, {Jokes are a good sign . . . Right?}.
"Uh, Yeah," The blonde thought lamely, "That test was a killer, so Gabby and I wanted to blow off some steam."
"And here I thought you *liked* using the punching bag for that." Jealousy. That was definitely Jealousy, which shocked Dinah slightly.
"Oh, Yeah, and that went *SO* well yesterday, didn't it?" she asked rhetorically, voice bitter. She could practically feel Helena flinch, and she didn't care. The brunette put her though hell these past two days.
"Okay, good point." Helena sighed and could be heard landing on the pavement with a near silent swish of her cloak. There was a sharper intake of breath, and Rhys could be heard chuckling slightly.
"Evening, Detective." Helena said slowly, voice low as usual. Dinah both loved and hated to overhear these little sessions. They were funny to listen to, but at the same time, it Dinah could not believe Helena liked this . . . 'Guy' more than her. Though the blonde did enjoy hearing The Huntress' tone of voice when she was flirting, even if it wasn't with her.
"Huntress." He said simply.
"You called, Detective?" she said coolly, as though she was bored.
"Yeah, uh," He said slowly, Voice slightly tight, "I was wondering if you were doing alright." The constant delicacy in the words that he picked becoming noticeable. "That woman you work with, Oracle I think, she called me to tell me you'd be staying in . . ."
"Took a personal evening, Detective." She almost snapped, her usual tone gone. It was replaced with a shortness that most would consider a fair warning of danger. "I'm still a normal person during the day, you know."
"You're only Meta at night?" Rhys asked, confused.
"No," Huntress growled, "I'm only a crime-fighter at night. During the day I have a job, a life, a family . . . my whole world doesn't revolve around New Gotham Scum."
"Alright, alright," Rhys said quickly, trying to stop this argument before it got out of hand. "I Got it, I just wanted to see if you were alright. . . I was worried."
"I'm Fine." Her shortness deflated, but not gone, "Besides, if there was anything wrong, I have people to take care of me." Dinah smiled, and little did she know that Helena said it with the specific intention of her hearing it.
Okay, I got it. Private life stays private, no problem." Both girls in the clocktower could practically see the poor cop raising his hands and backing away slightly in fear. He sighed and continued. "How's the kid?"
"She's not a kid!" she said quickly, then calmed, "She's fine. Well, she's not really, these scars never go away, but she *will* get better." Rhys must have nodde3d, because there was a quiet moment.
"How's your arm?" he asked quickly. Helena just chuckled.
"Good as new, Better actually . . . it certainly made me smarter, that's for sure."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's put it this way," Huntress answered slowly, "Strength of muscle is no match for strength of mind." Rhys laughed lightly, but it was obviously just to cover the fact that he was confused and trying to down-play it.
"Well, if you're alright, and that Blonde is too . . ." Rhys trailed off, and a slight growl from Helena's throat could be heard ringing in her ComSet.
"Her Name," she said sharply, "Is Dinah." And with that there was the standard whipping fabric sound as the brunette took flight into the night again. The soft swish of her coat mingled with the splashing of puddles on the roofs.
"Oracle?" she called a few moments later, "Give me an ass to kick." Both clocktower girls laughed and started typing, trying to fulfill the woman's request.
"Okay. There's been a number of muggings down in the greens district. Between Charles and Cannon streets." Dinah said as her search finished running. "Might be worth checking out." She added happily. Helena practically purred and laughed.
"Sure you don't want to join me, Kid?" she asked quickly.
"No thanks, maybe another night."
"Alright. Huntress Out." Her ComSet beeped and Dinah sighed, sitting back in her chair. Barbara laughed slightly, grabbing the blonde's attention. "What?" she asked slowly.
"Was that *really* so bad?" the redhead asked quickly. Dinah shook her head, a look of confusion on her face.
"I don't get it!" she almost yelled. "Yesterday she yelled at me and blamed me for something she probably did, and then runs off - and then the next morning she comes in all smiles and jokes and it's like nothing happened?!" she screamed angrily, unaware that Huntress had turned her ComSet back on to get the names of the streets again. "I don't want her angry at me, but I think I have the right to be upset! She wouldn't even listen to me . . . !" she was obviously very frustrated with what was going on. Dinah got up slowly and sighed tiredly.
"I'm going to bed," she said, voice scratchy from exhaustion, "I'll see you tomorrow." And she started walking towards her room.
"Dinah!" Barbara called quickly. The blonde turned and looked at her mentor. "You, Helena, and I are going to have a nice long talk tomorrow morning . . . all of us." Dinah nodded and headed back to her room.
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(Author'sNote: WELL! There you have it! The VERY FIRST thing I've written since I got back to the US! God, how I love these lovely American Key-Boards! Such a blessing - the German ones are downright scary! I hope y'all like what I've done with this story and let me tell you: I t may be a bit for the next chapter as I have to do a bit of research before I can get it on paper. NOT TOO LONG THOUGH! Nowhere near as long as this took.)
~ VixenRaign ~