December 18
Somewhere on the rooftops of Gotham.......
Helena felt a growl work its way up her throat, as the air shifted nearby and a dark-suited figure stepped from the shadows.
The masked figure regarded her calmly, and then boldly moved to sit on the ledge next to her. Helena scooted several inches away from his intruding presence, glaring dangerously at him, her eyes shifting into predator mode.
"You never showed up tonight for sweeps."
"Had to work an extra shift, and I needed to think about some things."
"She's been worried about you all night you know," the masked man known as Nightwing said casually.
With a defiant shake of her head and a snort Helena went back to her brooding.
"She always worries."
"Yeah well, I guess you've given her plenty of reason to over the past year."
That remark cut Helena to the bone. Rage boiled up inside of her uncontrolled, and she lashed out at Nightwing with lightening fast fury. Which was exactly what he was expecting. The masked crusader rolled back off the ledge, and back-flipped twice more to bring himself a few feet outside of Helena's range.
"Who the hell are you to judge me?" she hissed as she charged him blindly.
Nightwing easily sidestepped the attack, tripped Helena up and brought a weighted gloved into her side with full force. "Family remember?" he ground out.
Helena sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes shifting once more, and she crouched down low waiting for an opening. "Screw you. You have been as much family as He has- which is nothing!"
"Because you won't let me in damn it!" he shouted back at her in frustration.
He shifted his stance slightly, and it was the opening she was waiting for. She lashed out with a foot that caught him in the chest and sent him flying backwards. He crashed into a brick chimney, and she charged him once more. She forgot that his suit was designed to withstand hard impacts though, and was unprepared for him to recover from her kick as quickly as he did.
She was in mid-swing when his hand caught her fist and he used her momentum to flip her over his knee. She landed heavily on her back, swept her leg out and managed to knock Nightwing down as she rolled to her feet with cat-like grace. Her foot lashed out once more, and this time her boot caught the young man in the chin, splitting his lip as his head snapped around violently.
"Give me one good reason why I should let you in?" she demanded of him, a predatory grin curling her lips at the sight of him bleeding.
"Because I care for you Helena. I care for you just as much as Barbara and Alfred does," he told her harshly as he spat blood onto the roof. She started with that revelation, and her guard slipped just enough for him to sucker punch her with all that he had.
Her trip up from the ground was less graceful, as she stared at him in shock. "So what's this?" she finally asked stalking around him on the hunt again.
"Tough love?" he quipped. She snarled and lunged, and he spun out of the way once more, his hand chopping down sharply on the back of her neck as she went by.
"Look at you," he taunted. "You've become so careless and unfocused you can't even beat me."
This time the attack came so fast, he didn't have any time to react. Thankfully his suit buffered most of the impact, but he was still left gasping for breath, when her weight settled on top of him and her hands circled his throat.
He looked up into her wild untamed eyes, and realized that only one thing would reign in the Huntress. "Go ahead," he gasped. "Kill me."
Her eyes flashed violently and the hands squeezed tighter. Before she completely cut off all his air though, he managed to choke out the one thing that would bring Helena's sanity back. "Kill me...and you will kill Barbara too...."
The woman on top of him froze, and then as quickly as she had attacked him, she retreated. Nightwing dropped his head back onto the rooftop and closed his eyes as he sucked air down his bruised windpipe. Then with a groan, he sat up and spotted Helena several feet away.
She was curled up tightly, her body trembling as violent emotions warred within her. "What do you want?" she asked in a rough voice.
"What happened last year wasn't your fault Helena," Dick sighed as he took off his mask to talk face to face with her. He crouched down several feet away from her, but close enough to read her face. "You need to stop blaming yourself for something you couldn't control."
"You know every one keeps saying that, but no one gets it. I GOT BARBARA'S BOYFRIEND KILLED! It doesn't matter how it went down, it all happened because Harley used ME."
"Well I hate to be the one to break it to you little sis, but that's what these psycho's live for. This is all a game to them! Joker, Harley, Ivy.... Yeah they all have some agenda, but their main goal is to find a way to break us. The Joker got your father Helena, and now Quinn is doing the same thing to you," Dick finished softly.
Helena was silent for several long minutes. "I will never run like him," she stated harshly.
"No, I don't think you would. But how many times have you gone into a situation, not caring if you came out?" he asked bluntly.
She couldn't meet his gaze and he sighed. "Helena, you don't have to believe it, but I do care about you. And you're already aware of just how much I love Barbara. The more you two withdraw from each other, a small piece of you dies. I won't stand by anymore and let that happen. You're a grown woman as much as she is, it's time for both of you to suck it up and deal."
Helena's eyes narrowed and she looked ready to say something more as her mouth opened. But words failed her, and her lips pressed tightly together unwilling to admit he was right. Deep down, she knew he was though. Life sucked sometimes, and that was just the way the dice rolled. There was nothing she could do about it, and damned if she was going to let Harley break her.
Dick seemed to sense the change in her, and nodded once before replacing his mask. She did not move from her spot in the shadows as he stepped up to the ledge and dropped off into the darkness below. Several moments later, Helena's keen hearing picked up the sound of his motorcycle racing off in the direction of Wayne Manor.
With a sigh, the brunette dropped her head onto her knees, and wondered how in the hell she was going to make things right with Barbara.
"Nightwing to Oracle."
"Copy Nightwing. Did you find her?"
"Eventually. She was okay."
"Then why-"
"Said she needed to do some thinking. I just gave her a little more to think about," Nightwing answered, grinning a bit until his lip re-split and he tasted fresh blood.
"Oh," came the hesitant response. "You heading in for the night then?"
"Yeah, I promised the Canary more training in theafternoon."
"You realize you're only feeding her infatuation with you," came the amused remark.
"Well I gotta get some love from one of you ladies," Dick teased.
"I'm sure Huntress would be more than happy to give you some 'love'."
"Been there done that, hope I don't have to do it again," Dick admitted ruefully.
"Thought you said you only gave her more thinking to do?" Barbara asked, curious now.
"Well you know what a think skull she has. I had to beat the thought into her first. Give her an ice pack from me when she gets home okay?"
Barbara chuckled, and he could just see her shaking her beautiful head at him. "You have such a winning way with women. I'm sure she'll be flattered. Good night troublemaker."
"Night love," he returned affectionately as she signed off and gunned his bike even faster down the final stretch towards the Cave.
Somewhere on the rooftops of Gotham.......
Helena felt a growl work its way up her throat, as the air shifted nearby and a dark-suited figure stepped from the shadows.
The masked figure regarded her calmly, and then boldly moved to sit on the ledge next to her. Helena scooted several inches away from his intruding presence, glaring dangerously at him, her eyes shifting into predator mode.
"You never showed up tonight for sweeps."
"Had to work an extra shift, and I needed to think about some things."
"She's been worried about you all night you know," the masked man known as Nightwing said casually.
With a defiant shake of her head and a snort Helena went back to her brooding.
"She always worries."
"Yeah well, I guess you've given her plenty of reason to over the past year."
That remark cut Helena to the bone. Rage boiled up inside of her uncontrolled, and she lashed out at Nightwing with lightening fast fury. Which was exactly what he was expecting. The masked crusader rolled back off the ledge, and back-flipped twice more to bring himself a few feet outside of Helena's range.
"Who the hell are you to judge me?" she hissed as she charged him blindly.
Nightwing easily sidestepped the attack, tripped Helena up and brought a weighted gloved into her side with full force. "Family remember?" he ground out.
Helena sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes shifting once more, and she crouched down low waiting for an opening. "Screw you. You have been as much family as He has- which is nothing!"
"Because you won't let me in damn it!" he shouted back at her in frustration.
He shifted his stance slightly, and it was the opening she was waiting for. She lashed out with a foot that caught him in the chest and sent him flying backwards. He crashed into a brick chimney, and she charged him once more. She forgot that his suit was designed to withstand hard impacts though, and was unprepared for him to recover from her kick as quickly as he did.
She was in mid-swing when his hand caught her fist and he used her momentum to flip her over his knee. She landed heavily on her back, swept her leg out and managed to knock Nightwing down as she rolled to her feet with cat-like grace. Her foot lashed out once more, and this time her boot caught the young man in the chin, splitting his lip as his head snapped around violently.
"Give me one good reason why I should let you in?" she demanded of him, a predatory grin curling her lips at the sight of him bleeding.
"Because I care for you Helena. I care for you just as much as Barbara and Alfred does," he told her harshly as he spat blood onto the roof. She started with that revelation, and her guard slipped just enough for him to sucker punch her with all that he had.
Her trip up from the ground was less graceful, as she stared at him in shock. "So what's this?" she finally asked stalking around him on the hunt again.
"Tough love?" he quipped. She snarled and lunged, and he spun out of the way once more, his hand chopping down sharply on the back of her neck as she went by.
"Look at you," he taunted. "You've become so careless and unfocused you can't even beat me."
This time the attack came so fast, he didn't have any time to react. Thankfully his suit buffered most of the impact, but he was still left gasping for breath, when her weight settled on top of him and her hands circled his throat.
He looked up into her wild untamed eyes, and realized that only one thing would reign in the Huntress. "Go ahead," he gasped. "Kill me."
Her eyes flashed violently and the hands squeezed tighter. Before she completely cut off all his air though, he managed to choke out the one thing that would bring Helena's sanity back. "Kill me...and you will kill Barbara too...."
The woman on top of him froze, and then as quickly as she had attacked him, she retreated. Nightwing dropped his head back onto the rooftop and closed his eyes as he sucked air down his bruised windpipe. Then with a groan, he sat up and spotted Helena several feet away.
She was curled up tightly, her body trembling as violent emotions warred within her. "What do you want?" she asked in a rough voice.
"What happened last year wasn't your fault Helena," Dick sighed as he took off his mask to talk face to face with her. He crouched down several feet away from her, but close enough to read her face. "You need to stop blaming yourself for something you couldn't control."
"You know every one keeps saying that, but no one gets it. I GOT BARBARA'S BOYFRIEND KILLED! It doesn't matter how it went down, it all happened because Harley used ME."
"Well I hate to be the one to break it to you little sis, but that's what these psycho's live for. This is all a game to them! Joker, Harley, Ivy.... Yeah they all have some agenda, but their main goal is to find a way to break us. The Joker got your father Helena, and now Quinn is doing the same thing to you," Dick finished softly.
Helena was silent for several long minutes. "I will never run like him," she stated harshly.
"No, I don't think you would. But how many times have you gone into a situation, not caring if you came out?" he asked bluntly.
She couldn't meet his gaze and he sighed. "Helena, you don't have to believe it, but I do care about you. And you're already aware of just how much I love Barbara. The more you two withdraw from each other, a small piece of you dies. I won't stand by anymore and let that happen. You're a grown woman as much as she is, it's time for both of you to suck it up and deal."
Helena's eyes narrowed and she looked ready to say something more as her mouth opened. But words failed her, and her lips pressed tightly together unwilling to admit he was right. Deep down, she knew he was though. Life sucked sometimes, and that was just the way the dice rolled. There was nothing she could do about it, and damned if she was going to let Harley break her.
Dick seemed to sense the change in her, and nodded once before replacing his mask. She did not move from her spot in the shadows as he stepped up to the ledge and dropped off into the darkness below. Several moments later, Helena's keen hearing picked up the sound of his motorcycle racing off in the direction of Wayne Manor.
With a sigh, the brunette dropped her head onto her knees, and wondered how in the hell she was going to make things right with Barbara.
"Nightwing to Oracle."
"Copy Nightwing. Did you find her?"
"Eventually. She was okay."
"Then why-"
"Said she needed to do some thinking. I just gave her a little more to think about," Nightwing answered, grinning a bit until his lip re-split and he tasted fresh blood.
"Oh," came the hesitant response. "You heading in for the night then?"
"Yeah, I promised the Canary more training in theafternoon."
"You realize you're only feeding her infatuation with you," came the amused remark.
"Well I gotta get some love from one of you ladies," Dick teased.
"I'm sure Huntress would be more than happy to give you some 'love'."
"Been there done that, hope I don't have to do it again," Dick admitted ruefully.
"Thought you said you only gave her more thinking to do?" Barbara asked, curious now.
"Well you know what a think skull she has. I had to beat the thought into her first. Give her an ice pack from me when she gets home okay?"
Barbara chuckled, and he could just see her shaking her beautiful head at him. "You have such a winning way with women. I'm sure she'll be flattered. Good night troublemaker."
"Night love," he returned affectionately as she signed off and gunned his bike even faster down the final stretch towards the Cave.