Helena closed the door of the car and buckled her seatbelt.
"Was necessary carry all your zoo with us?"
"It's just Leonard & Leroy."
"I need to rent another house, you brought Jaçques too, your squirrel and that big mole." Barbara pointed to the back. The back seat was full of Helena's things, two suitcases and her toys.
"It's not a big mole, it's my hippo…"
"Your hippo is bigger than you." The young woman raised her brow.
Helena glared at her, "I'm not short."
"I'm not saying you are short. I'm saying that thing is bigger than you."
"Not funny. It's late, Barbara, my teacher is going to be angry with me."
"Hey, it's not my fault." The redhead moved her car toward the main street. "You took too long packing your suitcase."
"Me? You woke me up late," the brunette protested. "Mom always wakes me up early because I´m slow."
"And how was I supposed to know that you are slow?" Barbara responded, knowing the next few days were going to be long, very long…
------------
Helena was playing on the floor with her toys. Being with Barbara wasn't too bad; she was a cool friend of her mother, but it didn't mean she didn't hate her mother's fast trips. She was dragging a small car around the floor, making noises when she saw two bare feet in front of her. She raised her eyes and saw Barbara wrapped in a towel and dripping water.
"Is this yours?" The redhead extended her hand showing her a little turtle moving its legs.
"Leroy! Where have you been?" Helena kneeled and took him with her hands.
"He was enjoying my bathroom."
"You are a bad boy." The little brunette pointed at him with her finger.
The redhead rolled her eyes. "Could you please keep him inside his aquarium?" She put her left hand over her waist.
"I did, but he likes to explore everything." Helena stood up and walked toward the bed, she kneeled and moved a box out.
"Well, lock him up, he scared me!" The young crime fighter turned and walked back toward her bathroom. The best thing to do was try to find out what was happening with Selina. Soon. Helena and her turtles were driving her crazy.
Helena opened the box and looked inside, she looked under the bed and then around the room. She put Leroy in the box and pushed it under the bed. Whispering, she asked, "Leonard?... Where are you?"
Barbara pressed the ´enter´ button. She checked the results on the screen on the bat computer. She had asked Alfred for permission to do her research there. Helena was at school and she had the morning free to try to find the blonde. Bruce had the most advanced computer equipment. She loved it. She needed to buy one like that some day.
"Tea, Miss Barbara?" Alfred asked, arriving with a tray in his hands.
"Yes, Alfred, thanks."
The gentle butler put the tea cup next to her. "I brought some cookies, I know you love them."
"I love you."
"Did you find anything about Catwoman?"
"The night I found her, she stole two valuable Ruben paintings that were on exhibition. The paintings are famous, it's not possible to sell to anyone, so it must be a private collector that paid her for it…" She leaned back in her chair and took a sip of coffee. "I still don't understand… I talked with her several times and she told me she had quit her criminal life for Helena and that she was happy with her decision."
"And now she is ignoring her little daughter," Alfred said.
"When you see them interacting it's marvellous, Selina loves her; she would give her life for her; and yesterday she acted as if Helena were nothing. She was cold... I'm sure she is not doing this for money, I checked her bank account; she has enough to live well for the rest of her life."
"She always stole more for pleasure than for money."
"Yes, the adrenaline rush, danger, the challenge." Barbara took another sip of tea, "but I'm sure she never would do this to Helena."
"Perhaps someone blackmailing her?" the old man asked.
"That wouldn't account for her indifference towards Helena. She just disappeared without explanation. She left her alone and later just came back to her apartment to prepare a suitcase; she was leaving without talking with her. And now she is out of the city. What mother could leave her daughter alone like this? This is not normal. Something happened to her, Alfred."
"Are you sure she is out of town?" Alfred asked curiously.
"Yesterday. She took a plane to New York around midday."
"Tomorrow night some paintings by Boticelli are going to be there for a half day before being flown back to France after an exhibition in Boston for two weeks."
The redhead ate a piece of cookie and smiled at him. "Yes, 'Madonna del Magnificat' It would be her next goal. I need to go there and figure out what Selina is planning. I need your help."
Alfred picked up the tray and walked toward the stairway of the bat cave knowing what was she going to ask him. "I'm not good with children."
"Alfred, she likes you."
"Oh no, no, Miss Barbara…" He moved and didn't turn back.
"Alfred, it's just one night and a school day…"
"I'm sorry, Miss Barbara, I can´t."
------------------
Helena stood in the middle of the living room moving back and forth with her feet, listening to Barbara talking with Alfred. She ate a piece of chocolate. The redhead was giving him instructions about how to take care of her.
"I think that's everything." The redhead gave him a sheet of paper.
"You forgot dessert," Helena interrupted.
"No I didn´t forget dessert." Barbara said.
"I don't see poptarts." Helena took the redheads hand and moved it down, reading the paper she had in her hand.
"I didn't write poptarts. That's not a dessert; Alfred is going to give you jello."
"That's not dessert."
"It´s dessert." The young crime fighter put her hands on her waist. "Now, where are Leroy and Leonard?"
"In their box." The brunette licked her fingers.
"Great, I want them there and not running all around the house, Alfred will kick them."
"Leroy and Leonard?" Alfred frowned.
"You will see later. And your stuffed animals, Helena?"
"In my room." The kid pointed toward Barbara's guest room.
"Yes, the one where you never sleep." Barbara took out a napkin and crouched to clean the child's fingers. "I want you to sleep in my room and Alfred in your´ room. It couldn't be a big deal for you; you always sleep there."
"It's warm and you don't want to change rooms."
"I´m not going to leave my room to sleep in the guest room." Barbara cleaned her face.
"Hey… easy." The child moved her head.
"Move your hippo and your stuffed animals out of the bed. Alfred needs space to sleep."
"Jaçques too?"
"Jaçques too. He can sleep with you. Do as Alfred asks, he has permission to punish you."
"Smart move, Miss Barbara," the butler said.
"That's mean," Helena protested.
"No, I know you." The redhead went toward the kitchen.
Helena tilted her head and looked at Alfred, "Do you like turtles?"