A man slapped a woman causing her fall to the floor. He was a tall black man, with big muscles. He was really annoyed; he took her her from behind and shook her. "Now you come with me!" he dragged her toward his car, her sobbing child was pulling her back.

"Let my mom go!" the kid cried. The big man pushed him back with his feet making her fall.

"No!" the woman shouted sensing the man would seriously hurt her seven year old daughter.

"You are my woman, you come with me!"

"I'm not your woman!"

The man hit the woman and tried to punch her again when the child grabbed his hand and bit it. The man yelled and slapped the kid. The child rolled over the floor.

"You are dead, stupid!" he growled raising his hand to hit the kid again but a hand stopped his fist. He looked at a young woman standing next to him. She was smaller than him, who the hell was she?

"Don't touch him. It'll be your worst mistake." Huntress

"You've just made yours." He tried to hit her but she ducked and smashed her knee against his gut. He bent over and she punched his face making him fall backwards. He stood up immediately but in a few seconds he was on the floor again.

::What's going on Huntress?::

"Nothing," the brunette answered preparing to attack again "Just a typical asshole that loves to hit women and children."

The man cleaned his lip. Suddenly, he moved his hand back and immediately forth, to her surprise she felt something curling around her throat that pulled her down. She hit the ground roughly. She moved her fingers between the rope and her throat trying to free her self. A second later he was over her. He seemed to be a meta-human with the ability to turn his hands in ropes or something like that.

"Big mistake girl." He grinned.

"Yes…" she gasped "big mistake." She smashed her head against him and he released her. She stood and hit with a fury of blows and kicks.

He felt as if he were in the middle of a storm. Desperately, he tried to find an escape. The small child was crying on the floor, with her mother hugging her. He extended his arm and it transformed in a rope, it wrapped around the child's waist. Huntress noticed the movement and turned her face, enough to let him push her back with his feet.

He wrapped his other hand around the girl's neck. "Let me go or I'll kill her!" he shouted. The girl began to cry.

She felt her blood burn. Fist in balls. Her eyes changed in two cat slits. She fixed her pupils on his. Only a coward would use a child to protect himself in that way. She hated that. "Let the kid go."

::Huntress, what is happening?:: Oracle asked.

"This son of bitch is using a child as a shield." She mumbled trying to control her anger.

"Go away!" he shouted again.

"I'll go," Huntress growled really annoyed "but watch your back, for now I'm your worst nightmare." She jumped toward the next building and disappeared.

"Damn bitch." He mumbled watching her go; he looked at scared the woman "You must come with me willingly or I'll kill her!"

"Please, let my child go."

"You come with me!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know you, I've just seen you a few times."

The man pressed his hand on the child's throat and she began to gasp trying to breath.

"Now you will see your daughter die… this would teach you."

"No, I'll go! But please let her go!" the woman yelled desperately.

"No… you need to learn," He squeezed the child's neck harder.

This time there was a hard blow to the back of his head that make him release the child and fall to his knees. Huntress rolled on the air and fell on her feet, crouching infront of him.. She didn't give him time to react; immediately she took him by his lapel and threw him against the wall. She was blinded by anger. Her knuckles were buried deep in his face. She hated him. They used their strength usually against weak people, they never used it for good, to help the city improve; and she hated people like him. Her mind just could saw images about how unfair life was usually. Why do things need to be that way?

::Huntress!:: a shout in her ear made her stop. She blinked. ::Huntress stop!:: she heard the voice again, in front of her was the black man, his face all bloody, her left hand grabbing him by his jacket, her right fist ready to hit him again, he fell to the floor and she kneeled over him.

::Huntress answer me! You are killing him!:: Oracle yelled.

The young woman stood up slowly and moved back, her breathing rapid. She could still feel the anger running through her veins. Her hair was unruly, her forehead covered in

::Huntress, please answer me.::

The bruntte reaised her left hand to clean the sweat on her face and noticed her nuckles were bloody, she raised her other hand, it was bloody too. "Dammit." she mumbled.

::Huntress.::

The man tried to understand what had just happened. She was like a demon, her strength was not normal, and she was faster, alot faster. He raised his face, he barely could see. She had closed one of his eyes with a hard blow to it. He could taste the blood on his lips and felt it over his face; he was sure she had broken his nose. Scared, he looked her shadow walking toward him, he crawled back trembling. Deep blue eyes were fixed on him. He could see in them cold hate, anger… dead. He covered his face with his hands.

"Please no…" he mumbled.

"Touch any woman or a child again, and you are dead." Her words almost a prophecy than a sentence. "I'll look for you under stones."

He felt her words would cut him in half and just nodded.

::Huntress, please.::

"He is lucky Barbara," she said finally to her mentor, "don't worry, call the police, or better, an ambulance." She heard sobs behind her, she turned around. The child was hugging her mother. They were safe, the girl was okay. She was not hurt.

"Is she okay?" Huntress asked in low voice.

"Yes, yes," the woman sobbed, that Huntress scared her, she looked dark; she didn't know who she was, how could she defeat him, but she had saved her life, "thanks."

"And you?"

The woman nodded. She was lucky, she was there to save them. She wished she had have someone near her to help the night her mother was stabbed. But she was alone. The images of that night crossed in her mind. She felt it as if it had been yesterday.

"Go. Go now," the brunette licked her lips "take her far from here." It was not good to have the child at a violent crime scene. "Tomorrow go to the police and present a lawsuit against this asshole."

The woman picked up the crying child and ran down the street.

::What the hell is happening with you?:: Oracle shouted ::The man was shouting for you to stop, he surrendered and you kept hitting him!::

"He is an asshole, just an asshole." Huntress said taking a piece of paper from the floor to clean her hands. Her mother's pale face was in front of her. She didn't move, she was smiling and a second later she was unmoving. Her heart stopped.

::I'm talking about you.::

"He was going to kill the kid." Her mouth felt so dry, like that night. The night was so cold, like that night. She rubbed her hands furiously against the paper.

::You can't do that!::

"I can't do what?" Huntress yelled annoyed stopping in the middle of the street, "That son of a bitch was going to kill the girl! What do you expect I do?"

::You need to control your strength!:: Barbara said annoyed ::He was asking you to stop and you didn't hear me when I called you.::

"I know what I'm doing! I stopped that asshole! That's enough for me."

::No is not enough.::

"It is enough!" Huntress shouted "Why were you worried for him? He is alive! I could have done with someone's help the night…." She cut her words and bit her lips.

::Helping you?:: Oracles asked, stunned.

"Forget it." She threw the paper to a container feeling tears covering her eyes.

::Helping you when? When your mother?::

"Huntress out." She cut the comm. She walked toward the bar, she needed a drink.

---------------------

Barbara rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. Helena was definitely not all right. Something was happening to her. Sometimes it was hard to deal with all the ghosts of the past. She looked at her watch; it was late.

"Alfred!" she said turning back.

"Yes ma'am?" Asked the butler upstairs who was preparing to leave.

"Im sorry but, would you please stay? I have problems, Helena is not okay and I don't want to leave Dinah alone."

"Sure, don't worry."

Barbara looked him in silence.

"Something wrong miss Barbara?"

She exhaled, "Nothing, just… is difficult help people that you love."

"And most of the time it's when they keep themselves closed."

"Yea, that's right." She wheeled toward the elevator, "I be right back as soon as possible."

"Do you know where I can find her?"

"Sure…"

---------------------

One of the advantages of working at a bar was that she had access to all the beverages anytime, day and night. She was sat over a bench next to the counter, with a scotch bottle open next to her. Her eyes lost. She put some peanuts in her mouth and immediately sipped from the glass. In a few seconds it was empty, she filled it again.

Every morning she woke up with thoughts about how her life would be if they hadn't gone out that night. If, someone… if, if, if, the "if's" didn't count. It was stupid. She took another sip of scotch. The past had gone. Her past had gone; her life had

Her father had gone, leaving her and Barbara alone. He didn't fight anymore. When he knew the truth he just left; he couldn't handle the pain. A pain that she alone needed to face, a pain that Barbara had helped her to face. She at least had her father, Helena had no one, just her. She would be lost without her, she knew it. She swallowed the contents of the glass and filled it again.

Helena covered her face with her left hand, she felt the damn alcohol running inside her veins, everything was soft, her mind was numb, but not enough, not enough. She looked at the glass between her fingers.

"Does it really help?" a familiar voice echoed behind her. She closed her eyes, what the hell was she doing here? She didn't have time for this. She listened to the sound of the electric chair wheeling toward her. She took the glass and emptied it, immediately she filled it again.

Barbara stoped to her right hand. She didn't turn to look at her. She knew what she would find in her gaze, sadness, anger, reproach, questions, questions that she didn't want to answer.

"What dddo you wwwant?" had that been her? Damn it, maybe she was more drunk than she had thought. Her voice sounded like a grumble.

"Does this help you Helena?" Barbara asked concerned, trying to find her eyes.

"Leave me alone." The brunette mumbled rubbing her temples.

"I've never left you alone Why I must leave alone now?"

The young woman took a deep breath and exhaled. She slowly moved back and faced her mentor. Her mind was a blur. Yes, she had drunk so much, but not enough yet. She took the scotch bottle and poured the liquid inside the glass. "Not now Barbara. Want a

"Please Helena."

She moved the glass towards her lips when suddenly the glass crashed and the liquid spilled everywhere. She stood up immediately. "What the…?"

"I'm talking to you." The red head said defiant, she had taken out her batons and had smashed the glass with a quick movement.

Helena's eye's turned feral. "Don't piss me off."

"So don't fuck me. This doesn't help you and you know it."

Barbara never used those words. Helena glared at her. Fist in balls; she couldn't raise a hand against her. Maybe she was the only person in all the damn world she never could raise a hand to. And she knew it, but it was not good she teased her limits.

"Tell me what's going on? Why did you almost kill him! I saw the police report!"

"I could never understand why you feel so worry for those assholes." The girl went toward a table and sat in a chair. Why couldn't Barbara just didn't go?

"We don't kill."

"That crap again…" Helena mumbled covering her face with her hands putting her elbows on the table.

"It's not a crap!" Barbara wheeled toward her, "Helena look at me!"

The brunette didn't answer, she moved just her hands through her hair. She was too drunk. Her mind felt foggy.

The red head crossed her arms over the table and fixed her green eyes on her. Something happened that made her react that way. Suddenly she understood, Dinah had touched her, Helena had told her she felt strange. In some way Dinah had uncovered her hidden emotions and in the fight she had seen something that brought the sad memories of her mother out.

"What happened there?" Barbara asked in soft voice, "Please, tell me. Let me in."

Helena moved her hands down. "I'm not okay right now." She had struggled to talk.

"I know." Barbara took her hand and pressed her fingers. "Nobody helped you when your mother was murdered? That girl and her mother reminded of that night, right?"

Helena moved back as if she'd been shocked. She stood up but Barbara grabbed her hand hard, she knew she had touched the source of her pain.

"Don't go, please, you weren't the only one that got hurt that night. I was too."

The young crime fighter bit her lips trying to not cry, she hated crying and more in front of people and avoided those green eyes that buried themselves so easily into her soul.

"I was hurt too, remember? Look me please." Barbara said.

The brunette closed her eyes, a tear fall from her eyes. "Shit."

"Please look at me."

Slowly she raised her pupils to her mentor; Barbara noticed she looked like a scared child.

"It hurts, I know, it hurts me still, it will always hurt, but hiding those feelings, drowning them in a bottle can't help to make that pain go away."

"I'm tired," Helena mumbled lowering her head, "good night:" she slowly pulled her hand.

The fingers of Barbara slipped slowly. The brunette stumbled toward the stairs.

"Tell me something before you go."

"What?" the girl put her foot over the first step. She didn't turn her head.

"If you had killed that man, would it make you feel any

Helena kept still.

"Would it have helped to diminish the pain?"

"I'm drunk Barbara."

The red head wheeled toward her "Would killing help you forget your mother? To forget how much you miss her? Would it help to make you forget how much she loved you?"

Helena didn't answer, she began to walk upstairs.

"It hurts me to me too Helena," The red head said with sadness, "It hurts so much." She kept her eyes on Helena until she closed the door. She couldn't avoid the tears that fell from her eyes. She turned her wheelchair and wheeled toward the exit.