Knocks.
Those were knocks.
Barbara dizzly opened her eyes. She heard knocks at her balcony door?. No, she was dreaming, she felt him on her back and smiled, closing her eyes.
"Barbara!"
She opened her eyes immediately. That was not a knock. That was a yell. She raised her body covering her chest with the blanket. She was on the fourth floor. That couldn't be.
More knocks.
She gently moved Dick's arm that was around her waist and stood up, she took Dick's shirt and put it in front of her chest to cover her front and went toward the window. She took the curtain from the border and moved it to the side. Her eyes opened wide seeing Helena standing there with a big jacket and her school bag on her back; she had a small suitcase in her hands. She immediately closed the curtain and rested her back on the wall. What was she doing there? On the terrace of a fourth floor! She must be dreaming.
"Barbara!" Helena shouted again, "Wake up!"
The redhead took the curtain by the middle and opened it enough to just show her face. "Helena," she whispered, "what are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here? Freezing."
"No! What are you doing on my balcony?"
"I pressed the door bell for more than ten minutes, but you didn't answer. I saw your car." The kid pointed down, "but I guess you were sleeping. So I climbed up. Open the door, it's cold out here." She knocked on the door again.
"You climbed? Four floors?"
"Yes. Open the door."
Barbara rubbed her temple, remembering. "Helena, you should be at home." She mumbled in a low voice, trying to not wake up Dick.
"I escaped from my home, I don't want to live with mom anymore."
The redhead blinked. "What? Why? Does your mom know you are here?"
"Why are you whispering?"
"I don't want to wake the neighbors. What time is it?"
"Mid day." The girl put her hands on the door and pushed it. "Open the door."
"Shhhh!!! Don't do that!" Barbara turned to see Dick, who was sleeping deeply. "You can't be climbing buildings! You could break your neck!"
"What was I supposed to do?" Helena crossed her arms. "I couldn't find the stairs."
The young crime fighter looked down the side of the window. "Helena, it'se four floors!"
"Could we discuss this inside?" Helena rubbed her arms. "It's cold out here."
"Oh dammit!, give me a second." She closed the curtains and ran toward Dick, she moved him. "Dick, wake up, come on!"
"Mmm?" he mumbled.
"Wake up, now!"
He fixed his eyes on her. Without warning, he hugged her and pulled her against him. He pressed his lips against hers. "Morning, sweetheart."
"Dick, wait, wait…."
He didn't hear her talk and kissed her again; she broke the kiss breathless, "Wow…" she gasped, shaking her head. She looked at him and leaned to kiss him again, roughly. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled on the mattress. After a few seconds, Barbara had a bit of trouble breaking the moment. She moved back, "Dick, sorry, wait…"
"What's wrong? Something nasty in mind?" he grinned.
"No, no," she whispered, "Helena is on the balcony. We need to dress." She crawled down the mattress, picking up a blanket to wrap it around her body.
"What?" he sat up in the bed.
"Too long to explain, come on, dress now, she can't see us." She began to pick up the clothes on the floor with her free hand.
"Are you joking?"
"Barbara!" Helena yelled, knocking on the door again. "I'm freezing here!"
Dick made a face. "No, you are not joking." He stood up.
"A second, Hel!" She looked at him, "Dick, cover yourself! She can see you!"
"I don't look so bad." He proudly showed her one of his biceps.
"Dammit! How am I supposed to explain to her why you are here?" Barbara threw him his underwear and socks.
"Tell her, I'm a good friend," Dick said.
"Nude?" she glared at him. "Dress now!"
"What's the problem if she sees us?" He put on his underwear.
"She is a child!" Barbara finally found her pants and began to dress.
"And? We are adults."
Helena, still outside, began to get impatient, she tapped her feet on the floor crossing her arms.
"You know what I mean." She walked out of the room, closing the button of her pants.
Dick sighed and shook his head. Suddenly, Barbara walked inside and threw him his pants.
"Why did you leave your clothes everywhere around my house?" She exited the room.
"Maybe because I was stripping for you to the song "I'm too sexy" and you were enjoying it?" he said, starting to dance, moving his hips and singing "I'm too sexy for my love too sexy for my love…"
Barbara let her head appear again at the door frame. "Dick, shut up and dress now!"
"Your words are my command, madam."
Helena heard noises and voices inside, what was Barbara doing? Whatever, she was annoyed, it was cold. She rubbed her arms and rested her back on the door. After two minutes more, the door opened. Barbara appeared, smiling, with her hair unruly, wearing jeans, wearing a big shirt, that, of course, was not hers.
"Hi, Helena, sorry, I was picking up my room." The redhead moved her hair behind her ear with her hand.
The child narrowed her eyes and looked at her. Something was wrong; her eyes examined the room before walking in.
"Come in," Barbara said.
"What were you doing?"
"I…I was sleeping, I was up late yesterday… and I fell asleep… I didn't realize the time."
"Sure." Helena walked inside the room and looked around, it was a mess. "What happened here?"
"I was cleaning my closet yesterday and I didn't finish."
Helena looked at the redhead. She was sure she was lying. She watched her in silence a few seconds.
"What?" Barbara asked nervously.
"Who's shirt is that?"
The redhead looked herself and raised her arms. "This?… dad…. It's my dad's, sometimes I sleep in it."
"Your dad wears those colors? Ughh!" Helena made a face. She was lying for some reason, but it was not her problem.
"Okay, your mom knows you are here?" Barbara crossed her arms.
"No, I don't want to see her again." She removed her gloves and put them inside her jacket.
"I need to take you back home now."
"No! I told you, I don't want to go back home." She pouted.
"Why? What happened?" Barbara kneeled in front of her, noticing her eyes were starting to fill with tears.
Helena cried. Barbara hugged her. "Oh, Hel, it's okay, it's okay, easy; what happened?"
The child didn't answer and kept crying, wrapping her arms around her neck. The red head rubbed her back, talking to her softly, trying to comfort her. When she felt she had calmed down, she asked again. "What happened, Hel? Why are you angry with your mom?"
Red eyes fixed on green. "My mom killed him…"
"Your mom what?" The young woman blinked.
"My mom killed him! I hate her!" Helena shouted, crying again.
"Your mom killed who?"
The little brunette didn't respond and sobbed uncontrollably. Barbara hugged her again. "It's okay Hel, it's okay. I'm here." She held her for long minutes in silence; the only sound in the room were the sobs of the kid.
"She killed him…" the child mumbled softly, "was horrible…"
"Helena, what happened? Tell me." Barbara moved back and cleaned the child's tears with her hand. She noticed her hair had stuff in it.
"I can't… it was horrible, horrible…"
"Why not, honey?" Barbara blamed herself for asking that, Helena started to cry again. Her mother had done something bad, to break the little brunette's heart in that way. She picked her up in her arms and walked with her to the guest room. She removed the blankets and put her there. She removed her shoes, her jacket, and covered her with the blankets.
"I have an idea, Helena," she said to her softly, sitting next to her on the bed, "What do you think if you sleep a bit while I'll prepare something to eat?"
"I'm not hungry." Red eyes looked at green ones with sadness.
"Rest a bit and, when you wake up, you will feel better."
Helena wrapped her arms around Barbara's neck and sobbed. "Don't go."
"No, no, honey, I'm here." The red head lay down on the mattress with the child. She moved until she was laying face to face with the girl.
Helena took her head between her hands and moved her forehead against hers. "Are you going to stay with me?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes, I'm not going anywhere." She smiled, gently caressing her cheek with her finger.
"She killed him…" the child sobbed again.
"Don't think about that now," Barbara whispered, "Close your eyes and try to sleep."
The child did as she was told. Barbara looked at her, she moved her finger to her eyebrow. Her eyebrows were like the ones of her mother; she was so much like Selina. But yet, some attitudes and faces that she did, reminded her someone else. She couldn't put her finger on it. The soft breaths of Helena after a few minutes told her that she had fallen asleep. She smiled and kissed her forehead.
