Leslie recommended Barbara rest the weekend. She slept the rest of the day, but it was far from restful. The nightmares invaded her dreams. She woke up many times shivering at night. All those dreams were so real. She tried to control herself, but it was becoming more difficult.

So difficult..

Sunday morning she was exhausted; she barely slept and thought it was best to stay in bed all day. Maybe Leslie was right and she needed to ask for some vacation time; the stress was overwhelming her; but it was hard to stop working knowing a murderer was free, walking the streets. She closed her eyes once more trying to sleep. Suddenly, she heard the door to her room opening.

"Morning Barbara, how do you feel?" Selina appeared in the doorway.

"Selina? What are you doing here?" The red head sat up in her bed.

Selina put her bag on a chair and sat next to her on the bed. She touched the redhead's hand and smiled. "Sorry, I took your keys yesterday" Selina raised them in her left hand, "I wanted to be sure you are okay. You worried me. How do you feel?"

"Much better," Barbara said. She looked through the open door. "Helena is here?"

"No, I left her at home. You need rest, Leslie said that." The blonde smiled gently. "I brought you lunch. It's in the kitchen. I think it's better if you don't do anything."

"I think you are exaggerating this." The red head covered her eyes with her hand. She didn't like anyone to take care of her. It make feel her useless. "I'm okay."

"I don't think so. You are working too hard." Selina rubbed her arm, soothingly. "Try to relax."

"I am trying."

"You need to take care for yourself."

"Maybe you are right about that."

"Just relax."

The red head closed her eyes feeling the soft pillow under her head. "Maybe you and Leslie are right."

"Have you thought of quitting?"

"Quit?"

"Quit being Batgirl."

Barbara opened her eyes and looked at her. "No."

"Maybe you need to. Quit that damn crazy job. Enjoy your life." Selina said with a soft voice. She moved her hand to Barbara's head and brushed her hair. "Barbara, you are so young; you need to live and every night you play with your life."

"I can't, Selina," the red head said. "This is my life; I always dreamed about this. Helping people, be useful."

"Useful to whom?" Selina raised an eyebrow. "You kick some ass tonight; you put three guys in jail, and tomorrow three more are free."

"Maybe," Barbara sighed, "But I can help to change lives; I can stop an injustice. Any murder that can I stop makes my work worthwhile."

"You need to stop." Selina fixed her eyes on her.

"I can't." She didn't understand. Many innocent lives depended on her work as Batgirl.

"You need... to stop."

"I'm sorry. I can't."

Selina moved her hand off her forehead to her throat, suddenly, and squeezed. The redhead was surprised and tried to move, but Selina was faster and climbed over her, grabbing Barbara's hands with her free one.

"If you won't stop, I'll stop you!" the blonde woman shouted.

"Selina!" She saw her eyes had turned feral.

"Don't force me to do it!"

"Selina!Stop!"

"No! You need to stop!" Selina shouted.

Barbara struggled to free herself from the grip, but the older woman pressed harder. She felt she couldn't breathe and opened her mouth, trying to take air to her lungs.

The ringing of the phone woke her up. Barbara sat up abruptly, sweating and breathing heavily. Again, it had been a nightmare. It took her a moment to recover her breath. She moved her hand hesitantly and picked up the phone.

"Yes?"

::Barbara?:: She heard Selina's voice. ::Good afternoon.::

"Selina?" she blinked.

::Are you okay?::

Barbara looked around, stunned.

::Babs?::

"I'm okay. I was,.. I was sleeping." The red head moved back to her pillow.

::Oh, I'm sorry I woke you.::

"No, it's okay... I need to take a shower anyway."

::Barbara, do you feel all right?::

"Yes, I feel much better today, it was just... fatigue." She heard some yelling, she recognized Helena's voice.

::A second:: Selina said ::Wait, Helena... Barbara give me a second... Oh, ok, Barbara, Helena says don't forget tomorrow is your presentation at her school.::

"Oh sure, I'll be there on time, eight am."

::Okay, rest and if you need anything, call me. I'll be here at home....:: The conversation was interrupted by a tiny voice ::No, no hamburgers, Helena... No... wait, I'm talking with Barbara, damn, a second, Babs.::

The redhead heard voices and, suddenly steps running, finally, a door closing.

::Sorry, Barbara, I had to get her out of my room.:: Selina said, picking up the phone again.

"Don't worry, Selina. Thanks for your call."

::Would you like me to bring you lunch?::

"No, I have frozen food in the fridge."

::Well, I hope you really rest today and don't work.::

"I'll do it."

::If not, I'll kick your ass.:: Selina joked.

Barbara heard Helena's tiny voice again, telling her mother not to say bad words.

::I can say that because I'm older than you!:: Selina shouted ::And if you don't move your little ass out of here, you're going to get a spanking! Understand?::

Barbara laughed.

The next day, Selina drove her car toward Helena's school. She parked in front of it, waiting for her kid, while she opened her calendar and checked her schedule for the afternoon. She had an appointment at six and another at seven thirty. Maybe she could move the appointment from seven thirty to five o'clock.

Helena opened the door, she threw her school bag in the back seat, and sat next to her mother; she closed the door furiously.

Selina glared at her. That was a sign that the child was in bad mood. "Hey, car doors can break too. What's the matter with you?"

"I'm angry, I don't want to talk to anyone." Helena grumbled, slipping down in the seat.

"Not even to me?"

"Not even to you!"

"Okay." Selina said and moved her hand back. She took a plastic bag and, opening it, she took Jaçques out of it and put the stuffed cat in between the seats..

"What is he doing there?" Helena asked, sitting up again on the seat.

"Jaçques, tell Helena you are a clean cat and that you just finished of your monthly session at the laundry. And then ask her why she is angry."

The child put the seat belt on and crossed her arms furiously on her chest "Tell her because Barbara never came to my class. Everybody made fun of me."

Selina frowned. "Barbara?"

"Now everybody laughs at me, they tell me I'm a liar, my friends says no one like Barbara would come to give a speech to my class because she is a very important person." She paused. "Is she?"

A silence filled the car.

"Is she?" Helena asked her mother again.

"Sorry, Jaçques, tell her that I can't answer because she doesn't want to talk with me."

"Mom!!"

"What?"

"Tell me!"

"Well, maybe you don't know, Helena, but even though she is young, she is a very smart and intelligent woman. Many people ask her to conferences because she is always interesting; Why do you think she is the head librarian?" Inwardly, Selina was confused as to why Barbara hadn't shown up. "Now, it's strange that she didn't come, she always keeps her promises, and especially when it a conference."

"Whatever, I hate her and I don't want to see her again!" Helena shouted again.

"Don't be dramatic."

"I'm not dramatic. I never should have asked her anything! I don't ever want see her again!"

"All right, all right, as you wish, just don't shout again, I don't like you shouting. If you want to shout do it outside of my car, okay?

The kid grumbled.

"Now we are going to eat with Marcy, so please be polite and nice." Selina said.

"Marcy?" Helena cocked her head.

"She is giving me advice about investing. We are going to talk about business, okay?"

"Hamburger?"

"No, I don't want the cookie monster doing a show. Pasta." Selina glared at her. "I'm warning you, don't start a spaghetti fight or you will be in trouble and no poptarts all a week."

"All right." The kid sighed and crossed again her arms. She was angry with Barbara. She had failed her. Again.

Selina was silent, wondering if Barbara was still feeling bad. She would call her after she finished her appointments; it was not normal for her to miss an appointment.

Selina was tired of pressing the door bell of Barbara's apartment with no answer. Now, she was really worried, the redhead had her phone off the hook and she hadn't been to work. The last time she had talked with her was yesterday. She sighed and, taking a hair pin from her hair, she tried to open the door lock. She did it quickly and smiled to herself. That was one of the advantages of being an ex-cat burglar.

After no news about the young crime fighter; Selina had left Helena alone at her apartment, trying to figure out where Barbara could be. It was almost seven pm, she opened the door and walked inside, carefully.

"Barbara?" she called out.

The house seemed to be in order, but she noticed the newspaper and some mail was under the door. She picked it up. Barbara hadn't slept at home? She walked inside the kitchen. There were two dirty dishes at the sink. She had dinner at home.

Selina looked around. Maybe she had gone out again as Batgirl. Dammit; maybe she had been hurt last night. She went toward her bedroom and opened the door. The room was a disaster. The bed was a mess and the lamp from the night table and the phone were on the floor. It seemed as if there had been a fight, a big fight. She went to the window and tried to open it; it was locked from the inside.

Suddenly, she heard a whimper. Her eyes changed. She kept still looking around, waiting. The bathroom door was half opened; she took her whip from her bag. She always carried it with her. It was always useful.

She walked slowly toward it and opened it slowly. Empty. It was empty.

Her fine hearing made her turn to her right. The closet. That sound came from the closet. She moved slowly toward it and stood up, waiting. She heard the soft sound again. She took the handle and with a quick movement, she opened the closet.

"Barbara?" Selina mumbled in surprised.

The young crimefighter was curled up in the corner of the closet. Her hair was a mess over her face and she was grabbing her head between her hands. She was only wearing her night shirt. Selina kneeled next to her and touched her arm, "Barbara?"

"Go away!" The red head tried to hit her.