The red head tied a rope to her and Helena's ankles together. When the red head stood up, Helena felt like a pygmy, she was has 4'9''and Barbara was 5'8".
"We are ready," Barbara said. "Well, I have a plan."
"A plan?"
"Listen to me, when we start to run, raise your left foot and leave the rest to me. Don't use your meta abilities, got it?."
"Raise my foot? We are going to be the clowns. Marty's mom goes to the gym everyday and runs eight miles in the park everyday."
"Being smart is better than being strong."
"Okay."
Helena could barely keep up with Barbara when she started to walk. They stood in the line with ten other parents and children. A gunshot announced the start of the race.
The parents began to run, one of them fell to the ground followed by his son. Another tried to run faster, but his kid couldn't do it and he fell, too. Helena had a hard time trying to follow Barbara, her long legs made it difficult to run with her.
"Come on, Helena, you look like a turtle." The red head taunted her, smiling at the trouble that she was having.
Helena felt disgusted with herself. Damn, she was fast, how could she run so fast? Suddenly Barbara took her by her waist.
"Raise your foot, Helena!!" she shouted.
Helena held on to Barbara to avoid falling and, before she knew what had happened, she saw that they were crossing the finish line.
Barbara began to jump. "We won! We won!"
"Wait, wait." Helena tried to hold on to her to avoid falling with her leg tied against the redhead's.
"We won, kid!" Barbara felt really happy, it had been fun. It had been a long time since the last time she had been in a contest and won it.
"What was that?" the child asked, stunned.
"We won." Barbara kneeled to untie the rope.
"That was against the rules," Helena protested.
"No..." Barbara showed her a piece of paper. "The only rule is that we both have to arrive at the end. Read it."
Helena looked at the paper, she was right. "Yes, but..."
"See? I told you, being smart is better than being strong.". Barbara took her arm and pulled her. "Let's go, the climbing contest starts in a few minutes. We need another plan."
"What plan? Hey... Hey Barbara, easy..."
They went to the place where the next contest was going to be. It was a fake wall to climb with hands and feet. At the top was a flag that had to be thrown down and the person that was on the ground had to run down a field to the finish line.
Helena looked at the top and made a face. "Barbara, why do you want to participate in this one?"
Barbara looked up, too. "Looks easy."
"Easy?"
"Well the plan is this, I climb and you run."
Helena moved her hands. "I'm dead... I will be the joke of all my friends."
Barbara hit her on the head playfully. "Hey, we are a team. Members of a team must support each other."
"Barbara! You can't climb up there!!"
"Why not?"
"You, you have never tried anything like that, I should go."
Barbara crossed her arms. "Sure, sure, says the one that fell from a building in front of a car."
Helena rolled her eyes.
Barbara leaned over her and fixed her eyes on hers. "Okay, as I said, the plan is I'll go there," she pointed to the wall "and you ran as fast as you can."
"But, Barbara, John's dad is an alpinist; Monica's dad is the coach of the football team; David's mom..." The kid looked at the other participants.
"Oh, Helena, have fun... and be ready." She went toward the wall, a guy put a security harness on her waist before the game started as he did the other participants.
Helena, resigned, shook her head. Barbara would never be able to get up there. Gibson stood up next to her.
"And now?" he asked.
"She wants to break her neck..."
"Dad is going to climb too..."
"Yes, but he is a man and she is a woman, a woman that just knows how to work behind a book! She's never even ridden a bicycle." Helena glaed to him.
"How do you know that?" Gibson crossed his arms.
"I know it, that's enough."
At the sound of a whistle, the parents and children began to climb up.
"Damn..." Gibson and Helena said at the same time; they watched amazement at how easily Barbara climbed it, while the other parents had problems doing it.
"You told me she was a library mouse?" Gibson asked, standing up next to the brunette.
"I thought...." Helena mumbled, stunned, "How could she do that?"
"I dunno, I don't live with her." Gibson scratched his head.
"Me either...".
Barbara felt so free there, she would have asked not to use the rope, but she didn't want to be so obvious. This was fun game, after the cold nights climbing up old buildings and fighting against criminals. She arrived easily at the top and took the flag. She immediately moved down using the rope.
"Wow!" Gibson exclaimed.
"Oh s..."
Barbara landed next to Helena and gave her the flag. "Go on, Helena, run!"
The girl took it and did as the red head said. She ran quickly and arrived at the goal line well before all the other kids.
She smiled happily and turned, she saw Barbara jumping while she ran toward her, she ran, too, with a big smile. They hugged.
"And now? Am I an office woman?"
"How did you do that?"
"I have my secrets like you." Barbara winked.
"But you know my secrets." Helena glared at her.
"Well, that is not my fault."
"Tell me..."
"Exercise, good nutrition and lots of studying."
"That sounds like mom advice to me."
"You got it. Come on, the next one is the race on the logs."
"What is that?"
"A log on water; we have to run on it and throw the other team into the water."
Helena was going to protest, but now she was sure Barbara could do it.
The tall man walked inside his office, he examined many letters and memorandums that he had received. As soon as he entered his office, he recognized her perfume. He closed the door. The chair at his desk that was facing the window turned and he saw Selina sitting there with her legs crossed. She was so beautiful; she smiled seductively at him.
"Hello, Michael Dubois." she greeted.
"Hi." He put his coat to the side. "I see you are in trouble."
"We, we are in trouble," she corrected.
"I know. I'm sorry, Selina." He sat on a chair in front of her. "He surprised all of us."
"Yes, I was a fool." The blonde woman sighed.
"You aren't."
"My name is in all the newspapers." Selina took a pen from the desk and played with it between her fingers.
"I'm sorry."
"The thing that most worries me is that the friend that is taking care of my daughter read it and is now quite pissed. She thinks I lied to her."
He leaned over his desk. "You didn't tell her?"
"I couldn't! I thought I would solve this easily." Selina moved her head "When you called me, warning me that a stool had told you that Lussac had contracted killers to look for me because I testified against him, I thought it would be easier to face him than let him find me in Gotham. He would hurt Helena."
"You must tell your friend. Lussac is free because he blackmailed the judges and evidence disappeared. Why did you hide it from her?"
Selina stood up and look through the window "I thought it would be easy. The plan was perfect, I let people in the underworld see me, I brought the plans of Gotham Museum to let him think that I was behind those jewel thefts. He is a loud mouth, he wants to face me before trying to kill me and mock me. He surely would boast about how he blackmailed the judges and I could tape his confession and send him back to jail."
"But he beat us. He stole from the museum first." Michael leaned back in his chair. "And he left evidence involving you."
Selina remained silent a few seconds. She turned to look at him. "Yes, he sent police to my apartment and they found the plans that I brought, detective."
"That let it worry you. You are working for me."
"Working with you," she corrected. "Whatever, it doesn't worry me, what worries me is that I never expected him to call the press too."
"He is trying to corner you."
"I know. It's a game, his game. But I know how to play, and I'll win." Selina sat at the desk and watched him with a seductive smile.
Wow, she was really sexy, he couldn't avoid thinking it.
"Do you have any idea where am I going to sleep tonight?" she asked.
"Well..." He swallowed nervously.
She raised her brown and smiling moved back. "I'm not thinking in your house, you are married."
He took a key from his pocket "Hotel Ritz... penthouse."
She took the key and winked at him. "Thanks, Michael. The police department knows how to treat women." She stood up and walked to the door.
"The man next to your room is a police officer, as two of the bell boys and a receptionist. I don't want you to get hurt," Dubois said.
"Thanks, don't worry. I'll trap him. This is personal now. You will get him soon." She opened the door.
"May I invite you to have a drink?"
"Sorry, I don't drink when I work." She smiled and walked outside the detective's office.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath smelling her perfume. She was damn sensual. He could still feel her there. He sighed and stood up.
He needed a cold shower.
Helena was asleep in the front seat of the car, she was tired after a long day of fun and exercise. Barbara was happy to have a free day of fun and relaxation. She usually spent all of her time working or as Batgirl at night. Maybe that wasn't a life for many people, but she loved it. She loved balancing over the streets and feeling the cold air on her face. She loved that she had the capability to help others.
She parked her car and woke up the kid, who yawned sleepily and followed her more asleep than awake.
"Helena, don't you want to go eat something?" Barbara asked.
"I'm tired." The kid yawned.
"We need to celebrate our victory! I can prepare something special."
"Better if we call for a pizza."
"Helena!"
"I've had enough of your meals."
"What are you talking about?" Barbara frowned.
"That cooking contest was embarrassing." Helena smiled, walking inside the apartment..
"Hey, our recipe was good, we just failed because of a small detail." Barbara walked in behind her.
"Forgetting the baking powder to make a cake is not a small detail. Our cake looked like an angelfood cake. " She threw her cap on the coach and let her body fall over it.
"Well, it tasted was good." The redhead put her bag on a chair.
Helena glared at her "Not even the dog wanted to eat that. Pizza."
Barbara winked, sitting in the other coach. "All right, but you fell off the log, not me."
"Don't remind me of that!"
"That was funny! Don't be grumpy."
"I'm not grumpy."
"You, are..." Barbara poked her stomach.
"I'm not..." Helena laughed.
"You are!" Barbara tickled her and Helena laughed loudly trying to release Barbara's grip. "Now go to sleep. I'll need review some papers."
"All right." The kid rolled over the couch and ran toward her bedroom.
Barbara sat down to work with a cup of coffee at her table. She wanted a bit of a distraction and not to think about Selina. She worked there almost two hours in silence. The ringing phone at her side pulled her from her thoughts. She picked it up quickly to avoid Helena waking up.
"Gordon..."
::Barbara, I can't come back now, please help me.:: Selina said.
The red head took a deep breath. And rubbed the bridge of her nose.
::I can't explain now. But I promise...::
"Don't promise me anything..:: she clenched her teeth and raised her voice ::You lied to me."
::Barbara, I know you are right to be mad...::
"You used me. You are playing with the future of your child."
"I did this for her!"
::Dammit! Stop lying, Selina, please! If you don't give back those jewels; I promise that I'll search everyplace and every corner fro you and send you to jail."
::Don't threaten me be. I have my limits.::
"I have mine too, and you're part them." Barbara stood up. "Fuck! What the hell do you want?"
::Barbara, please, I can't come back now!! ::
"I'm sure of that, the entirety of the Paris police department is behind you. What the hell were you thinking? What game are you playing now? Being a burglar while your child is missing her mom?"
:: I did this because I love her, please listen to me..::
"You are sick!!! I hate what you are doing to her! I'm so stupid, I never should have believed you!" she shouted, frustrated.
::I can't explain it now! Just trust me!:: Selina said, desperate.
"How can I trust you when you have been lying to me? Forget it! Come back now!" the red head yelled.
"Barbara?"
The red head froze when she heard Helena's sleepy voice. She turned and saw her standing in the doorway hugging her cat with one hand rubbing her eyes with the other hand.
"I need to go..." Barbara muttered. "She is awake."
::Barbara...::
"Helena, you should be sleeping." Barbara hung up the phone and went to her.
"Why are you yelling? Are you okay?" the kid yawned.
"Sorry, I was just discussing something with a friend. I'm sorry I woke up you." She hugged her. She was an innocent child, not guilty of her mother's faults.
"Why are you mad?"
"I'm not mad. Don't worry. It's nothing important. Let's go to sleep." She picked her up and Helena wrapped her legs around her waist and her arms around her neck. Barbara kissed her cheek. "You need to go to school tomorrow morning."
"I don't want to go to school." Helena rested her head on her shoulder, sleepily.
"You have to go."
"I feel sick."
"You are not sick." Barbara smiled.
"I am..." Helena said with a drowsy voice.
"You were sick last week, not this one."
Barbara was worried. Selina's behavior would bring serious trouble to her life. And if she escaped; she needed to trap her... But... and Helena? What would happen to her? She needed to think clearly. To think about what to do.
