Author's Notes: The second chapter to Three Days After. I really like this idea and this story is very cutesy. Hope you like it.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Birds of Prey
Dinah awoke the next morning crying. She had the most awful dream. She dreamed her mother had died, but Dinah knew she was just being paranoid. She looked around the room and felt as if the walls were closing in on her. The room was getting smaller and smaller, Dinah ran from the room and into the living room. She whirled around confused, everything felt so different. Voices drifted up from the Delphi control centre. A smile broke out on Dinah's face.
"Mom?" Dinah asked, looking down on the Delphi. Barbara and Helena stopped talking and looked at her.
"Where's my mom? Did she leave?" Dinah asked. Helena and Barbara looked at each other.
"Dinah, you're mother, she's...well, she's..." Barbara stammered. Dinah looked at both of her friends faces.
"It was real, wasn't it?" Dinah whispered, falling to the floor. Barbara and Helena came towards her.
"I'm afraid so Dinah. She's gone." Barbara whsipered. No tears fell from Dinah's eyes, she just stared blankly ahead.
"C'mon Kid, let's go get some breakfast," Helena said. Dinah nodded and rose shakily to her knees only to collapse minutes later. She looked fearfully at Barbara and Helena.
"It's okay Dinah, you haven't eaten all day you're probably just very weak." Barbara assured her. Helena carefully picked up Dinah and put her back in her room. She moved to the door.
"Helena...I don't want to be alone. Will you stay with me?" Dinah whimpered.
"Sure Kid, how about we go invade Barbara's room?" Helena asked, playfully. She picked up Dinah, who was hugging tightly to her stuffed canary. Helena got under the covers in Barbara's room with Dinah beside her.
"What's that?" Helena said pointing to the stuffed canary in Dinah's arms. Dinah sighed.
"My, Caro...she gave it to me. When I was really little." Dinah explained. Helena placed her arm around the younger girl.
"Does he or she have a name?"
"He. No, he doesn't have a name."
"Well...how about we name him?" Helena asked, "What about Fin?" Dinah giggled.
"He's not a fish, Hel" Helena laughed.
"Damion? Diablos?" Helena asked. Dinah scrunched up her face.
"Don't those both mean devil," she inquired. Helena shrugged.
"John? Harry? George? Patrick? Marky? Charles? Will? Tim? Jason? Todd? Drake? Richie?" Helena began counting the names off on her hands. Dinah shook her head while playing with the stuffed canary.
"It should be something exotic, not a name you hear often..." Dinah mused. Helena and Dinah sat for a full ten minutes, thinking about a name.
"Galen!" Dinah shouted. Helena looked at her.
"His name is Galen," Dinah explained. Helena smiled and Barbara chose that moment to enter the room.
A tray of breakfast food was on her lap. Two plates of bacon, eggs and pancakes. A mug of coffee and a glass of orange juice plus four pills, two white and two amber. Barbara placed the tray on the night table.
"Here, Dinah, Alfred made your favorite. But don't over do it, honey." Barbara placed a small table in front of Dinah and handed her a glass of orange juice and a breakfast plate. Dinah gingerly picked at her food. Helena watched her out of the corner of her eye while she ate her own breakfast.
"I'm full," Dinah announced, Barbara smiled. She handed Dinah the four pills.
"What're these?" Dinah wrinkled her nose.
"Vitamins and some sleeping pills. To help you relax." Barbara explained. Dinah looked at her in shock.
"Dinah, please, you barely got enough sleep last night. You're tired, you want to be left alone, we understand that. Take the pills and we'll leave you alone." Barbara promised. Dinah looked at Barbara and Helena. Reluctantly, she took the pills and popped them in her mouth.
"We'll leave you alone, call us if you need anything," Barbara said, tucking Dinah in. Helena got out of the bed and smiled at Dinah before she left the room. Barbara stroked her hair and kissed her goodnight. Dinah heard the door close and went to the garbage can to spit out the pills.
It was five hours since Helena and Barbara had left Dinah to sleep. Helena had gone to work and so had Barbara, they both returned at the same time. Barbara had her arms filled with groceries.
"Barbara, Dinah doesn't seem so sad. We were laughing and having a good time as usual." Helena said. Barbara sighed.
"I was afraid of this..." she mumbled.
"Afraid of what?" Helena asked, confused.
"Helena when you're mother died, how did you feel?" Barbara grabbed Helena's hands in her own.
"Angry, lost, lonely, I felt like I was empty. Everything hurt, I would lie awake for hours just staring." Helena said, eyes unfocused. "But Dinah's not like me, she's nicer, quieter, gentler."
"Yes but you didn't hide your emotions, you let everyone know you were upset. You walked on the edge. Dinah's keeping it all bottled inside. She's trying to act indifferent about it. Trying to show it doesn't bother her." Barbara said.
"What's wrong with that? Isn't that safer?"
"Safer, yes. But, eventually the bottle might get too full and she'll snap. If you heard her last night Hel, her sobs, her desperate pleas. It broke my heart, hearing her cry like that and not being able to do anything, it was painful." Barbara said.
"I know you didn't like Carolyn, but she was a very good friend of mine, I miss her a lot. Everytime I see Dinah, I feel like crying. She looks so much like her mother," Barbara said, crying. Helena hugged her distraught mentor.
"I'm here for you Barbara, like you were there for me," Helena whispered in Barbara's ear. Barbara nodded and wiped her eyes with a tissue, that Helena handed to her.
"We should go check on Dinah," Barbara whispered. Helena nodded.
"Stay here, get some rest. Dinah wasn't the only one who didn't get any sleep. I'll go take care of the Kid." Helena said. Barbara shook her head.
"Dinah needs us now, I'll sleep after all this is over." Barbara said. Helena glared at her.
"What Dinah needs is you fully energized, take a small nap, besides, what could happen?" Helena asked. Barbara gave in and went to lie down on the couch. Helena made sure Barbarawas layingbefore she went to check on Dinah.
Helena peeked into the room, a large lump was underneath the covers. With silent steps, Helena went over to the bed and lightly touched Dinah's shoulder. Her hand fell against something soft. Frowning, she threw off the covers and instead of the blonde teenager, there were two fluffed up pillows. Galen was lying on the pillows. Helena raced out of the room and ran to get Barbara. Barbara was sitting up and watching television. She noticed Helena standing in front of her. She put down the remote.
"What's wrong Helena?" Barbara inquired. Helena just stood there.
"Dinah, she's gone." Helena said.
'What?"