Sorry for the delay, I was moving... Thanks to my editors, ooby and nutstalker...
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Barbara took a sip of coffee. She had been researching the necklace that Helena had given her, unsuccessfully. It was as if that strange jewel had never existed. She put her hand on the back of her head and moved it side to side. She heard the "pop" of her bones. It felt delicious.
A beep signaling at her computer made her turn. She pressed some buttons and an image appeared on the screen.
"Did you find something?" The blonde teen walked onto the platform, hands in her jean pockets. Her hair was wet after taking a warm bath.
"The nacklace is the Victory Palette of King Narmer, 3200BC."
"He was important?"
The redhead adjusted her glasses and leaned over the screen. "This palette commemorates the victories of King Narmer, also know as Menes, the first Pharaoh and the unifier of Upper and Lower Egypt." She pressed a button."This is a picture."
Dinah leaned down, putting her hands on her knees to look at the picture, "It's like Helena's."
"Yes."
"Where do you think Helena's mom got it?"
"There were just five pieces made; two are at The Cairo Museum, another one in London and the other two were lost. Antiquities traffickers stole them from the tomb in 1916 and historians think they are in private collections. The pieces at the museums were stolen a few weeks ago, and Reese suspects that the man that was found dead last night had one of the lost pieces."
"Why?"
"He found a box, which had an impression in the form of a necklace on the inside. He gave you some pictures last night. Here is one."
"It's the same form as Helena's necklace."
"Yes."
Barbara leaned back in her chair, scratching her head with her left hand, "So… only one remains missing."
"Helena's?" Dinah looked her.
"I guess."
"Why do they want it? How does it work?" The teen pulled up a chair and sat next to the redhead.
"How did Helena's mom got it?"
"Helena said a friend gave it to her. Helena was pretty young. She just knows what her mother told her."
"Do you think her mom stole it?"
"I don't know. Could be."
"Do you think?"
"Selina was a professional burglar, a pretty good one, it's a possibility."
"My mother didn't steal the necklace," an angry voice echoed in the Clocktower.
Dinah and Barbara turned, surprised to see Helena standing at the bottom of the platform, golden cat eyes glaring at them.
"Helena…" Barbara felt her cheeks blush, "Oh… I'm sorry... we didn't…"
The brunette felt her jaw clenching; how could Barbara think that? "She didn't steal it! She told me!"
Barbara felt the weight of the girl's gaze, understanding her protégé's anger. "I know she told you, but…"
"She would never lie to me." Firm steps echoed in the ClockTower when she walked toward her mentor, Dinah moved back, she never had seen her partner so annoyed.
"We didn't mean to imply that, Helena…" The redhead tried to take her hand, but the brunette jerked back.
"But you did." Fists in balls, Helena's jaw trembled trying to control her anger, "You already did." She turned and walked to the elevator.
Both women watched her disappear behind the elevator doors. Barbara moved her hand toward her nose and rubbed it, closing her eyes. She had screwed up. She knew how sensitive Helena was about her mother, but she never expected she would walk inside the Clock Tower at that moment.
Dinah, ashamed, mumbled "Maybe we should apologize."
Barbara sighed. "No, I know her, it's much better lto leave her alone." She moved her head. "Her mother… is a topic that still hurts her."
The teen felt guilty for Helena's reaction, she gave Barbara the suggestion that maybe Helena's mother had stolen the necklace "I'm sorry, Barbara, this is all my fault."
The redhead smiled gently at her and moved closer; she took the teen's hands between her own. Green eyes fixed on clear blue. "Don't worry, Dinah, it's okay."
"But…"
"You know Helena, she has a strong temper. She is sensitive about her mother; she loved her very much, she still loves her." Barbara sighed. "She told me once that every day she wakes up thinking of her and the 'what if… she would still be alive' scenario." The redhead patted her hand. "Leave her alone; I'll talk with her later, don't worry. Okay?"
The young girl nodded.
Barbara smiled, "Right, now I'll finish this research and while you do your homework."
"All right." The blonde stood up and walked toward the elevator. Barbara followed her with her gaze and smiled; she was still an innocent girl.
The elevator doors closed, Dinah looked at the buttons. She moved her finger toward the penthouse and, suddenly, changed her mind. She pressed the training room button. It might be good to hit something a bit. The door opened and, surprised, she saw the brunette hitting the punching bag.
The chains tensed with each blow. Feral eyes fixed in the bag. Her anger was evident, her muscles were tensed.
She was hurting.
Every time Helena was hurt she didn't talk, she just wanted something to discharge her anger, her frustration, her sadness.
Dinah thought for a moment it would break. Helena was hitting it as if it was cotton candy. She stepped inside and slowly circled the brunette, who didn't seem to notice she was there.
After a three more rough kicks and hits, the bag collapsed, ripping down the middle. The sand fell to the floor. Helena grumbled and kicked the remains of the bag.
She put her hands on her waist and, lowering her head, she took a deep breath.
Dinah thought it was a good moment to talk with her. She moved her hair nervously behind her ear. She walked toward the brunette hesitantly. "I'm sorry, I didn't want…"
Helena remained unmoving a few seconds. It gave Dinah a bit of confidence; she walked closer. "I know how much you love your mom, I was stupid, I…"
The brunette walked toward the wall and took some batons. She threw it to the blonde.
She caught it in surprise.
"Wanna play, kid?" she asked taking another baton.
Dinah hesitated, Helena was in feral mode; she could see her eyes clearly. "Well… I…"
"Come on, let's play for a few," Helena smirked, moving the batons between her hands.
"Helena, I don't…" the blonde understood this wasn't a good idea; her partner wasn't in a good mood and a fight with her wouldn't be pleasant.
The brunette suddenly attacked her. Dinah had very good reflexes and raised the batons in time to avoid the blow.
Their faces were inches apart. "Pretty good, kid, excellent. But I guess that was just luck." Helena grinned with those feral eyes that made Dinah feel a shiver down her back.
She wasn't playing.
The young crime fighter moved back and tried to surprise the blonde with a fast movement to her ribs. Dinah blocked it too. She turned and tried to hit her again; Dinah barely stopped the next blow to her head with the stick.
"Good, good, you are improving," Helena whispered, golden eyes locked on the teen.
"Helena, stop, I think you…" The words died in the girl's throat when her partner moved incredibly fast and hit at her again. Dinah was forced to step back with the strength of the blow against her baton.
"You think she was a burglar, no?" Helena threw her another blow.
"No, I…" Dinah blocked it and moved back, but Helena followed her.
"You think she lied to me."
"No, Helena, I…"
"You didn't know my mother!" Helena used both hands to throw another hard blow. Dinah raised both arms and one of her sticks broke with the strength of the impact. One of the brunette's sticks hit her on the shoulder.
Dinah cried out and bent down, holding her shoulder.
"She never lied to me! What the hell do you two think she was?" Helena threw a baton to one side with fury. She pressed her fist and bit her lips; she didn't want to hurt the blonde, but they had touched her most vulnerable part. It was best is she shut up and don't say another word.
"Helena, I'm sorry!"
Helena covered her ears. She didn't want heard her apologize.
"I… I know how much you loved your mom and I…"
The mention of her mother made her blood boil again. "Stand up."
"Helena…"
"Stand up!" Helena demanded forcefully.
Dinah rolled on the floor to avoid another impact from the brunette. The stick hit the floor, echoing through the Tower.
The thin woman dressed in black took the baton that Dinah had left on the floor and threw it to her. "Come on, stand up." She walked around the place like a caged panther. "You didn't know her; she quit everything for me."
The blonde took the stick and stood up, trying to move her shoulder "I know, Helena, but the necklace could have been before you born…" Dinah stopped her words again to protect herself from another furious attack by the brunette. She tried to hit her, once, twice, three times, unsuccessfully.
Dinah was confused , she knew that fighting with Helena was hard, but when she was angry, the fight went all to hell. She fought like a demon. She was missing so much, usually Helena never failed.
Finally a blow from the brunette hit the blonde's side. She bent down.
"You didn't know her," Helena growled, baton in hand, "You never listened to her, you never felt her; you never talked to her." She smashed the baton roughly against the mirror in the training room, breaking it.
Frightened, Dinah stepped back.
"She spent many nights with me when I was afraid, when I was sick." The older woman closed her fingers of her right hand and squeezed them hard, "She made a big effort to change her life because she loved me." She turned and glared at the blonde. "And now… you and Barbara say…" The brunette threw the piece of stick to one side. "I don't need this. Stand up."
"Helena, no!"
"Stand up."
A fast kick surprised Dinah, throwing her back. She hit the rack holding Barbara's weapons, breaking it with a loud noise. In seconds, Helena was over her. Dinah stood up and took a stick, trying to hit Helena, but the experience of the young crime fighter was a great advantage, she ducked and took the baton with her hands, hitting Dinah's gut with it. The teen doubled over.
She felt a strong impact on her jaw. Helena hit her with the other side of the stick. Stunned, she rolled on the floor.
The brunette walked toward her and lifted her by the back of her shirt, "Say my mother is a burglar one more time!"
Before the blonde could say a word, she was crashed into the wall on the other side of the room.
"My mother never lied to me! Understand? I don't want to hear you accusing her!"
Dinah coughed and raised her head, Helena, with her fists in balls, was walking toward her. She curled up and covered her face with her hands. She was going to kill her.