A/N I don't own these characters, wish I did though...

A/N Reviewers, you rock my socks:)

"So...can we get McDonald's?"

"Do you know how bad that is for you?" Helena asked as they walked down the hall.

"Yeah, but think about how good it tastes." Bella grinned.

Helena rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but think about how bad you feel an hour after you eat it."

"So, Chinese is the same way." Bella pointed out.

Helen opened her mouth to respond when Bella suddenly froze. "What?" Helena asked.

"I forgot it!"

"Forgot what?"

"Something for Daddy that I left in the car! I need to go get it!"

Helena sighed. "Just be quick, okay? You pretty much invited us over here and I don't want to hang out with him too long."

"But whyyy?" Bella whined. "He can't be that bad; I mean you guys had me, right?"

Helenas' lips twitched into a smile. "Just go get...whatever you're getting. And lock the door when you're done!" Helena called after her daughter as she took off.

Laughing slightly, she walked towards Vics' apartment door. Still smiling, she approached the door and opened it cautiously . "Hey, Vic?" She called.

Nothing. She walked into the small apartment wondering where he was. She heard an odd noise coming through a door. Was that music? Intrigued, she wandered towards the sound and realized it was coming from his bedroom.

Helena opened the door and saw something she had so not expected to see again.

Vic was on his bedroom floor, shirtless and sweaty, doing push-ups to pop music. Helena didn't know whether to laugh or stare shamelessly.

"Uhhh..." She trailed off unable to come up with anything. She knew Vic worked-out (everyone in the vigilante business did) but seeing it in person was something she hadn't seen in years.

Vic suddenly realized he wasn't alone and looked up in bewilderment. "Oof!" He muttered falling to the ground after being startled out of his wits.

"W-Why are you here, you're not supposed to be here until six." He exclaimed obviously embarrassed as he got up.

"It's six-fifteen." Helena pointed out.

"Uhhh..." Vic mumbled intelligently.

Helena watched him curiously. She let her eyes roam over her Ex's body, taking in every detail. Those suits he wore as The Question hid a lot, Vic was solid muscle with soft spots she used to be very fond of.

She smirked. He looked good without his shirt on, real good. She knew she probably shouldn't have been thinking that way, but hey, she was a woman. Stuff like that she noticed. "Well don't act so embarrassed, it's not like we've never seen each other naked before."

Vic raised an eyebrow. "I'm not embarrassed

"Yes, you are." Helen smirked. "But you shouldn't be. Jeez, it wouldn't kill you to wear less clothing you know, actually show off that bod. I mean, you look good shirtless."

"So do you." Vic blurted out thoughtlessly. Oh, now she's really going to kill me.

Helena raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smirk on her face. "Really Viccy, I thought I was supposed to be the dirty one." She wondered if it was always going to be like this. Half of her wanting to rip off their clothes and staying up until morning pounding him into the mattress senselessly, and the other part of her wanting his head on a stick.

"Please don't call me Viccy." Vic frowned. He hated, hated, that name.

"Sure thing, Viccy." Helena smirked. "But it wouldn't kill you to be a little more subtle. Besides, I thought you wanted me back? Telling me I have nice boobs isn't helping."

"I didn't mean to say-"

"Although," Helena continued thoughtfully. "you were very fond of them. I remember you used to stay up all night playing with them and tasting them and kissing them..."

Vic gulped quietly, desperately trying not to think about that and attempting not to sweat while thanking God he was wearing loose pants. It wasn't fair, why couldn't men hide their arousal like women could?

Helena grinned evilly, completely aware of what she was doing to him. "Besides, it's not like you to make a comment about how awesome you think my chest is. I thought you were more into complimenting my legs."

He glanced at her legs, hidden by the denim jeans she was wearing. Shame. "They're very nice legs." He offered.

Helena batted her eyelashes at him. "That so?"

"Yes." Lord, how he wanted her right now!

She licked her lips sensually before smacking them together. "What about my lips? I thought you like them too."

"I do." He said quickly. "Very much."

Helena smiled. "Aw, that photographic memory isn't helping this, isn't it?"

Vic looked at her smirking and leaning against his desk. He had taken her on that desk a few years ago. It had been the perfect height to thrust in and out of her as she moaned and shuddered. "No...It isn't."

She looked at him mischievously. "Oh, darn. Well, at least you'll always have your memories." She sighed sitting on his bed and crossing her legs, looking at him flirtatiously.

"Tru-Wait a minute...You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

"Doing what?" She asked innocently.

"Messing with me and making me...excited."

She grinned. "What, can't I have a little fun while I'm here?"

"Helena..." He groaned.

"Alright, I'll stop." She laughed jumping off the bed.

Vic wondered where her good mood had came from. "Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to, uh, change I guess."

"Fine." She shrugged walking out of the room. She stopped a few inches before he was out of view, watching him put on his shirt and a new pair of pants.

Hey, she didn't have a photographic memory. And if he had dirty images of her, why couldn't she have the same?

Bella suddenly ran into the room breathlessly. "Mama, where's Daddy?"

"Right here." Vic called walking into the room.

Helena found herself a tiny bit disappointed he was wearing a shirt again.

"Daddy!" Called Bella dragging him into his living room. "Look what I got you!"

Vic looked at the stack of newspapers. "...Thank you?"

"Well, you like newspapers, right? And you like to glue them together and put them on your board thingy with Scooby-Doo and the Girl Scouts. So I thought you might need some more." She explained handing them to him.

He glanced at Helena to see if she had put her up to this. Judging by the way she was trying not to laugh, he had to admit it was very unlikely.

"Do you like it?" Bella asked worriedly.

"Yes, uh, thank you." Vic said as he put down the stack of newspapers on a chair.

The three looked at each other expectantly.

"So...Now what?" Vic asked.

"We could, like, eat." Bella suggested.

"Yeah, let's do that." Helena agreed.

A few hours later Bella was passed out asleep on a chair.

"So, that was...nice." Vic commented.

Helena stretched her arms out on the couch before answering him. "Yes, it was."

Vic paused, trying to decide how to phrase this. "Why aren't you acting like you want to personally neuter me with your crossbow?"

Helens' lips twitched into a grin. "You know, that's not a bad idea..."

"I'm serious. You've been very...upset with me for the past three weeks, but right now you seem so..."

"Non-neutering?"

"That's what I mean. You're almost acting like-..." He suddenly stopped, not wanting to say it.

"Like what?" Helena asked.

"Like...you used to act with me." He finished quietly. "You're acting like I'm an actual person again."

"You are an actual person, dummy." She stalled.

"You're stalling."

Damn. Why does he have to know me so well? "So what if I am?"

"Helena..."

For a moment she was silent. "I've been doing a lot of thinking." She said quietly. "I grew up without two parents, and I don't want Bella do go through that. I mean, it's different, but at the same time it isn't. I was with my family, you know, and it didn't feel like it was complete. And Bella has me, but that's not a complete family."

She paused before continuing. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that you are her family too. I mean, not all of it, but a big part of it, you know? And it isn't good for a little girl to watch her parents argue all the time. I mean, was I mad at you? Hell yeah. But did I have to show it in front of Bella; not so much. I might not like you, but I don't hate you-"

"You don't?" Vic exclaimed in surprise.

"Look, I know what hate is. I hated Mandragora, I still do, but not as intensely. Hate is when all you can think about is revenge and getting even, getting justice. You want that person to suffer, to rot, to burn in Hell. You despise them, their family, and anyone they know. And if an opportunity opens, you kill them without a second thought. I don't like you anymore, but I don't hate you."

Vic let her words sink in. "You never answered my question, why are you being nice to me? Bella's asleep, you can stop pretending."

"How do you know I'm pretending?"

Vic stared at her, noting the serious expression on her face.

"Look, I've spent almost all of my life being sad and angry and hurt and a bunch of other fun little emotions, and I don't like it. I don't want hate to be the only real emotion in my life, I mean look, I have a little girl. We have a little girl. I don't want her to be like that. I don't want her to feel hate and hurt like I do." She whispered staring at Bella.

Vic watched the most important woman in his life stare at the most important child. "You shouldn't think like that." He said softly. "You're so much more than that. You're not half as bad as you think, I mean you let Mandragora live, did you not?"

"Only because his kid was there." Helena said softly.

"It's not just that, you said it yourself; that wasn't what you really wanted. You're better than that, a lot better."

Helena grinned slightly. "I'm getting self-esteem lessons from you? Lord help me, I've hit a new low."

Vic frowned. "You're not the only one who made some mistakes. I shouldn't have did what I did."

"No, you shouldn't have." Helena agreed quietly. "You hurt me really bad."

"I know." Vic whispered. "And I'm sorry, Helena, I really, really am."

"I know. That's why I'm forgiving you. Mostly." She added.

"You're forgiving me?" Vic said in disbelief. Was she under mind control?

"Mostly. I mean, most guys would have been mad at me or Bella, but you aren't. Most guys wouldn't want anything to do with her, but you're pushing for extra time with her, which can get a little annoying but that's off topic. The point is, I understand what you did and why you did it. I might not agree with it, but I get it. And that's why I can forgive you, mainly."

"Mainly?"

"Yeah, like as friends. I mean just because I forgive you doesn't mean I want you sleeping in my bed again, but I do want us to at least be friends." Damn, that sounded lame.

"That sounds wonderful." Vic said surprising her. She was expecting him to beg a little bit for one more awesome night together.

"Yes, we both made mistakes. I mean, I made the bigger one but I really want to fix it." Vic explained.

"I know." After a moment she added, "Do you forgive me?"

"For what?"

"Not telling you about Bella."

"I can't."

"And why the hell not?" She exclaimed. After all she just said if he didn't say the same then he was never going to be able to have sex again.

"Because I was never upset with you. I know why you did it." He shrugged.

"Oh." She mumbled feeling a little bitchy. Oh well, at least it wasn't way bitchy.

"So," She said after a moment. "Friends? Not with benefits, but just friends?"

Vic stared at her for a moment. "Friends." He agreed.

"What's happening?" Bella mumbled blinking her eyes as she woke up.

Helena glanced at her watch before cursing quietly. "Shit, it's way past her bedtime. We gotta go." She explained as she jumped off of the couch and pulled her half-asleep daughter out of the apartment with by her hand.

"Bye Vic!" She called.

"Bye!" He called back.

He was happy that this time it wasn't permanent.

A/N So some, uh, interesting things are going to happen next chapter:)

A/N Read and Review pretty please!