"Barbara?" Helena was confused and scared.

"Shut up, you!" he yelled at the child.

"Don't shout at her!" Barbara said angrily.

"I don't want to see you near my daughter!" he pointed at Helena and walked toward her.

Helena looked at Barbara, frightened.

Barbara stood up in his way to prevent him from touching the kid. "Don't touch her."

Helena didn't understand what was happening and moved back.

"She is the daughter of a criminal!" he growled.

"I'm not going to discuss this in front of her. I'd really appreciate it if you go and we can talk about this later."

"What?" He was surprised. "Are you asking me to leave? You want your own father to leave for that...?"

"Please."

"Barbara..." Helena mumbled. "What's happening?"

"Stay back!" she said to the kid.

Helena crawled back until the couch stopped her.

"Please go." She went to the door and opened it.

Helena, disconcerted, took her notebook and ran to the door.

"Not you!" Barbara said, stopping her with her hand. "Dad."

"Who?" Helena asked.

"Him." Barbara pointed at her father.

Helena looked down the corridor. "But, Barbara, there isn't anyone here."

"What?" She looked at the kid and then at the place where her father had been. It was empty. She blinked.

"You're scaring me," the little brunette said softly.

Barbara went to the kitchen and looked inside. "He was here," she said.

"Who was here?"

"My father." The red head was stunned.

"Barbara, you started to talk to yourself suddenly." Helena said to her, she was worried. "Are you joking with me?"

"Did you see my father here?" Barbara asked the girl, pacing. "He had a brown coat and a white shirt."

"We are alone... nobody was here..." The child played with her hands nervously. "Are you ok?"

"I'm all right..." the red head mumbled ,"just bring me a glass of water..." She felt her eyelids closing and put her hand on Helena's shoulder. "Just water..." she felt her mind twisting and she grabbed the back of the coach so she wouldn't fall.

Helena was very frightened scare as Barbara's face paled. "Barbara?" She touched her.

Barbara's eyes rolled back and she passed out.

A disgusting smell that forced Barbara to return from the darkness. She moved her head to the side, but the smell followed her; she tried to push whatever it was far from her nose with her hand.

"Easy," a female voice said.

Again, the smell was under her nose and she half opened her eyes, trying to focus, feeling a big headache. She groaned softly, taking her hand to her forehead.

"Are you all right?" the voice asked.

She blinked and she could see a blonde woman in front of her. "Selina?"

"Are you okay?" the woman asked again, putting a cold cloth over her forehead.

"What are you doing here?" the red head said, still stunned.

"You scared the hell out Helena." Selina was seated on the mattress next to her.

"Me...? I don't remember."

"She said you began to argue with yourself and suddenly you passed out."

"Sorry, I," Barbara tried to remember, "Where is she?"

Selina changed the cloth on her forehead, "Watching television in the living room; she called me, really scared, and I came as fast as I could. What happened to you?"

"I don't remember." Barbara took her hand to her forehead.

"Helena said you started to talk alone... with your father?"

The red head took a deep breath. "Yes, he was here... I remember now; we argued and..."

"You argued with him?"

"Yes, he was mad with me. He yelled and I asked him to leave my apartment..."

"Helena said you were talking to yourself." Selina fixed her eyes on her.

"She told me that too." Barbara tried to remember again, step by step, what had happened "I thought she was playing, but when I turned to see my father he had disappeared, he had gone, like a ghost. I was confused."

"Helena thought for a moment you were yelling at her." Selina bit her lip.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want..." Barbara felt ashamed of herself. "I was talking with him! I could see him!" She moved her head back. "And suddenly he was not there. It's confusing."

"I called Leslie, she said she will be here at seven." Blue eyes stared in green ones.

"Why did you call her? I'm all right."

"You told me you can't sleep well at night and, lately, you look tired every time I see you. Now you are arguing with people who aren't there and pass out. I think you are stressed, you need to work less and calm down. Do you have a problem?"

The young woman sighed. "I had been so distracted with Voodoo."

"Voodoo?" Selina frowned.

Barbara moved the pillows and sat up on the bed. "Voodoo is a criminal that uses his black magic against other people. Sometimes he can induce them to do things that they normally couldn't do it through his magic."

"I heard about some 'suicides' in the past few days."

"They are not suicides, he killed some professors from the University;" Barbara explained. "I know it's him because I surprised him inside the house of one of his victims. He escaped, but I saw him. Batman and I could protect the rest of the possible victims, but we can't keep them hidden all the time. We need to trap Voodoo."

"And that is bothering you." Selina shook her head.

"Yes..."

"The problem with you, with all crime fighters, is that you want solve all the problems of the world and sometimes it's impossible." The blonde tried to be philosophical. "You are doing your work, but you can't force your body and take it to extremes; it just affects you and doesn't help anyone. You can't think clearly or fight well if you are tired or not in good conditions." She smirked. "To that point, "we" the bad guys are better; we take our time. We like to enjoy life."

"I would like to do it but..."

"Nah! Excuses, excuses young lady." She waved her hands. "You always invent an excuse to say you are busy. If it's not this Voodoo guy, it's Penguin, or Riddler or... was "Me"."

Barbara smiled lightly.

"Am I lying?" Selina raised her brow, crossing her arms on her legs.

"No, you are right."

"So... why don't you try to think of yourself for just one day?" The blonde stood up and looked around. "Go out, meet a handsome boy, have a crazy night; go to the movies, drink, run nude in the place that you think is most crazy, I don't know! Just live!"

"You are crazy."

Selina leaned over her. "You are young, don't work all day. Someday you will open you eyes and find that you are alone. Find someone to share your life."

Barbara gazed at her in silence a few seconds. "And you? Do you do that?"

The older woman didn't expect the question and moved back. She walked toward the wall holding her arms, thinking in silence. She turned her back to the red head. After a few seconds she turned her head to her. "I'm doing it," she finally said, "And it's a wonderful feeling."

They heard knocks on the door.

"Come in," Selina said, opening the door that was next to her. She saw her daughter's face, which looked at her expectantly.

"Speaking of the king of Rome..." Selina smiled. "She is awake Hel, come in."

The kid moved her head slowly and looked over at the bed.

"Hi, come in Helena," Barbara said to her.

"Are you okay?" the child asked, walking slowly inside.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She patted the bed.

Helena sat.

"Do you forgive me?" the red head asked.

"Oh... it's just that you... you worried me." Helena had been paralyzed when she saw her lying unmoving on the carpet. For a moment, she thought she was dead; the only thing she could think of was to call her mother, who had been in her house cleaning the attic.

"I scared you, I'm sorry." Barbara looked at her deep blue eyes, "I think Selina is right... and I'm stressed. Maybe I have been working so much."

"But you are okay now."

"Yes. I'm okay."

The doorbell was heard. Selina went to the door. "Must be Leslie," she said. "I'll be right back."

"Mom said that you need rest." The kid said with sadness. "Maybe I need to cancel your speech at school on Monday."

"Of course not." Barbara smiled.

"But you are sick."

"I'm just a bit tired. I'll be okay next week. I just need a few hours of sleep. And we will finish our English classes, just three more to go."

Helena felt a relief inside her. "I'm glad to hear that because I don't think anyone else wants to give me classes."

"I should take that as a compliment?"

"All the teachers say that I ask too many questions and that I don't pay attention." The child lowered her head and looked at her fingers.

"That is true."

"No, it's not..."

The red head glared to her.

"Well... just a bit." Helena finally said, feeling the redhead's firm gaze on her.

"Afternoon, Babs." Dr. Tomkins greeted her from the door. "I hate our meetings, they are always are in a hospital or in situations like this." She walked inside and put her bag on the night table.

"I'm sorry, Les." Barbara smiled, "Thanks for coming."

"Hey, little monster, how are you?" The old woman leaned over Helena and took her chin. "What did you do now?"

"Nothing," Helena said.

"She is telling the truth," Barbara explained, touching Helena's hand "She helped me, she called her mom."

"Oh, that's good." Tomkins put her hands on her waist looking at the kid "I think that you deserve a reward."

"A reward?"

"Yes." She raised her hands. "I have a surprise in my white coat, one pocket has a gift and the other one is empty; choose a pocket."

Helena smiled and stood up in front of the doctor looking her pockets.

"Which do you choose?" Dr. Tomkins asked.

"The right one."

"Take it."

The child moved her hand inside and took out a bag of pop tarts. Her face shone with happiness. "Thanks, Dr. Tomkins!"

"Pleasure, now go to watch cartoons while I check our friend, right?"

"Right," said the girl running outside the room.

"She is lucky," Selina said. "She always guess where you have it."

"Oh no," Leslie smirked and took out another bag of pop tarts that was inside her left pocket, "I always have both full."

"Oh, that was..." Selina smirked.

"Smart." Leslie interrupted and took Barbara's hand. "Now, let's see what's wrong with you Gordon."