Helena landed on the balcony, she opened the big window and walked inside Barbara's bedroom. The redhead was there, she turned and looked her. Barbara was so beautiful; she walked toward her.

The red head unmoving stared at her.

Helena stood up close to her and leaned in and kissed her. Barbara kissed her back. Her lips were so soft, she was lost in her taste.

"Fuck, Helena!" Barbara suddenly shouted moving back. "I don't want to see you ever again!"

Helena snapped her eyes open.

What the hell was that?

She noticed she was surrounded by the darkness of her own room.

A dream… But the kiss had been so real, she could still feel it. She rubbed her eyes with her palms. Man, she really had kissed her. Why had she felt that impulse? She remembered feeling anxious while she ran through the streets, her mind just focused on finding the redhead.

She turned to her side, holding her pillow.

Barbara had said she quit, that she was tired of her. And she had been very serious. She'd said bad words. Barbara never said bad words.

Barbara was a very self-cotroledand tolerant person, she was the image of respect and courtesy. For her saying a bad word was like killing her self.

If she had said it it was because she was tired of her, maybe Helena had pulled the rope too much.

Even though she'd been pushing Barbara away, the redhead had been there, chasing her…

The idea that she wouldn't be in her life anymore scared her. She realized that she didn't want Barbara not being there

But she hated her, why did she feel that if she hated her?

She sighed.

She was so stubborn. The truth is that she couldn't hate her, she had been lying to herself, pretty unsuccessfully.

She felt something for her.

She didn't want to be close because she didn't want to be hurt, but, at the same time, she didn't want Barbara too far away.

It was a strange feeling of emptiness. At least when she was on the street, she knew she could find her as the irritating Batgirl. In the end, though, she could be with her for a few minutes.

She sat on her bed and rubbed her eyes.

Why had she kissed her? Well, the truth was that she had admired her beauty and fantastic body. She always had been an admirer of women, but Barbara was different, she really made her drool.

No, she was mixing her feelings. She loved Barbara because she had always been there when she was a kid and, years later, because she had always been patient with her… because she never had quit on her. She always listened, she made her laugh, she supported her. Barbara was a very nice friend.

She hated to admit it, but, yes, Barbara was her best friend and she had been pushing her back because of her insecurity, her fear.

She had been rude, again, when Barbara had tried to help. She hadn't been decent enough to say thanks.

Helena sighed, she felt like a rat.

Damn.

Barbara always made her feel like a rat. And a jerk.

Fuck, she needed apologize and it was not going to be easy.

She turned and buried her face in her pillow.

Crap.

Life just sucked.


Barbara took a bath. She had several candles around her and soft music played in the background, it was perfect. A vanilla cinnamon scent filled the place. It helped her to relax, to have a peaceful moment. She loved her long baths. She needed these quiet moments to clear her mind and kill her stress.

Classical music was a good option in these minutes where she spoiled herself.

She felt, then, that someone was watching her.

It was weird. She was alone in her home.

She half-opened her eyes and found Helena looking at her. She was seated on her bathroom bench, with her legs crossed and resting her elbow on one of her legs, her chin on her fist. One night and one day… That was quicker than she thought it would be. She took a deep breath before closing her eyes again and resting her head back against the wall.

"Do you like what you see?"

"Very much," Helena said.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was returning the favor of your visit to my home the other day."

"I didn't interrupt you while you were naked and bathing."

"You should have," the brunette winked at her, "I have a great body."

Barbara chuckled. "No, thanks."

"Your loss."

"All right, you win. I'm curious, Why are you here? As I recall, the last time I saw you, and every time I find you or I save your ass, you say you hate me, but you always come back. I'm beginning to think you are sadomasochist."

"A bit.. I like cuffs during sex."

"Christ Helena! Come on! I did not need to know that." Barbara stretched her legs.

"Of course, it depends on who is cuffing you," the young woman explained.

"Helena, that is just kinky."

"Look who's talking," the thin brunette crossed her arms. "The one that runs around in tight latex at night."

"That's not a reasonable comment." Barbara closed her eyes again.

"You are inherently kinky."

"I'm what?" the redhead lifted her head.

"Batgirl makes you inherently kinky."

Barbara took a deep breath. Patience. She needed to be patient with this woman that changed her moods even more frequently than she changed her clothes. "Seriously, what are you doing here?"

Helena looked at her with no expression, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Barbara lifted her head to look at her.

"No, I don't know. You said I kissed you I can't stop thinking about why I kissed you." Helena couldn't admit that she liked Barbara. "I hate you."

"You kissed me because you were drugged and, inside your big pig head, you know I'm the person that knows you best and the only person that you can trust."

"But I hate Batgirl!"

"You hate everybody, God!" Barbara pinched the bridge of her nose "Fine, now tell me, why do you hate Batgirl?"

"She pisses me off." Helena waved her hands.

"Well, you are not a piece of cake. You piss her off, too." Barbara moved her head.

"And I thought about you," Helena waved her hands, "and I found that I hate you, but it's not hate. Do you understand?"

"Try explaining it to me it as if I were a five year old."

"I can't love you. You lied to me!"

Barbara lifted her index finger. "Technically, no. You never asked me if I was Batgirl. And if we are going to talk about lies, might I remind you that you are a compulsive liar…. And a pretty bad one." Barbara began to feel amused. Helena was stubborn and she didn't want to accept that she really didn't hate her. She had been having this fight for years.

"It was just once." Helena sat on the bench. "And if Gibson hadn't opened his mouth, you never would have known who broke your porcelain doll."

"Hel, even before he talked, your story about a giant bird flying inside the house to steal your Twinkie wasn't credible."

"It was."

"You can't always live in the past." The redhead stood up from the bathtub. It seemed she was not going to go and that they would be talking for quite some time.

Shit. Helena frowned. She felt her mouth go dry. Barbara was gorgeous. The redhead was doing this on purpose. She wanted to distract her.

She was a bitch.

"You must move on." The redhead picked up her towel and covered her body." "Your philosophy is absurd. You can't forgive others for their mistakes, but you commit a lot and you think everybody must forgive you."

"Hey, don't do that," Helena said.

"What?"

"I liked the view without the towel."

Barbara lifted her eyebrow. "First, I'm straight. Second, I don't date women. Third, you hate me."

"Oh true," Helena said, "but my conclusion is that I don't hate you, I hate Batgirl."

Barbara sat on the edge of her tub and began to dry her legs. The dark haired woman found her eyes glued to the movement of the redhead's hands on her legs.

"Must I remind you that I am Batgirl?"

"I know, but every time you wear that cowl, you change. You turn into a very nasty person."

"Nasty? Hey, that's rude and look who's talking." Barbara straightened. The redhead noticed the brunette had her eyes fixed on her chest.

"Helena," she asked, "are you really gay?"

"Yes, and one of the hottest bachelorettes in the city."

"Modest, too. Well," Barbara stood up, looking for her underwear, "I suppose this is not a social visit."

She had a very nice ass, much better than her dream.

"Helena? Are you listening?" Barbara turned and looked at her.

"I am!" The brunette extended her arms.

Barbara shook her head "I think the drug is still in you."

"Not my fault. Could you just please just dress and so I can talk to you?"

"We are talking!"

"But you are distracting me!" She waved her hand at the older woman's nude torso.

"Well," Barbara put her hands on her waist, "I was having a bath. You interrupted."

Helena sighed. "Okay, be naked. I love seeing you naked, but don't blame me if I'm distracted.

"Get out of here," Barbara sighed. "I need to dress."

"What's the problem?" Helena protested. "I've already seen you!"

"You are still under the effects of that drug!! Christ! Try to calm your hormones." Barbara went toward her and pushed her out. "Just wait for me in my room, okay?"

The redhead slammed the door behind her.

"You are mean," Helena shouted.


"All right, yes, you still have traces of the drug in your blood," Barbara said, checking a sample under her microscope. She moved back in her chair. She had just finished the test of Helena's blood.

She was happy. Helena had come back. Her suspicions were correct. Helena didn't hate her as she always said. The truth was that the girl felt affection for her.

"But I don't feel high," the brunette said sat on the desk next to her.

"But your libido is high," the redhead explained, showing her a screen. "Those blue lines show it is above normal levels."

"Oh…" Helena leaned toward the screen and looked at the graphic "Damn… and it's not even a full moon."

"They wanted to daze you," Barbara explained. "They know you are not exactly human, so the amount of drug in the cookies was enough to knock out an elephant." Barbara opened another window and showed it to the brunette.

"Shit…" Helena mumbled when she saw the image on the screen.

"Some drugs are focused on certain zones to affect people. They have side effects. This one attacks zones of the brain linked with headache, insomnia, agitation and libido."

"Is that bad?"

"I don't think so. Libido just refers to a baseline interest in sex and might be redefined as sexual appetite. Arousal refers to the physiological response to sexual stimuli. Women with higher libidos generally have a greater response to sexual stimuli, or greater arousal. You just could be," Barbara waved her left hand trying to explain, "a bit…. How can I define it? Well a bit keyed up."

"It's bad, then." Helena moved back. "The effect will disappear soon?"

"Knowing your metabolism, yes." Barbara moved back and tuned her chair to see the brunette. "Now, Helena," she said looking at her, "help me to understand this. You have been refusing my help all this time and, suddenly, you are here."

Helena played with her tongue inside her mouth a few seconds, thinking.

"Side effect?" she asked innocently.

Barbara shook her head and smiled lightly. She knew Helena's pride was enormous and she could rarely accept that she had made a mistake. But if she was here, it was because she knew she needed someone with her because the situation was dangerous. Maybe she could help her a bit.

"I'd like to propose something," she said

"Propose?"

"Yes, a deal."

"A deal?"

"I propose that we work together to find out who is after you. When we catch him, every one can go their separate way."

"But…" Barbara lifted her index finger.

"Oh God," Helena narrowed her eyes, "I knew there was a catch."

"If you want to live, you must follow my orders."

"Why do I…?"

"And no arguing," the redhead interrupted. "I don't want to see you dead. Those men are not playing around. You know that. They will not stop until they kill you."

"All right." Helena rested her hips at the desk. "What's your plan?"

"First, I'm going to give you a comm unit."

"A comm unit?"

"I have been working on one." The redhead turned and walked toward her lab. "We will be in contact all time. You can listen and talk to me and vice versa."

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea." Helena followed her.

"Be careful with this." Barbara opened a drawer and took out a black box, she gave it to her.

"Why?"

"It's more expensive than a car."

"BMW?"

"Ferrari." The redhead walked toward Delphi.

"What?" Helena stared at the box.

"Second, you must trust me." The older woman said. "If you don't trust me, this will not work."

"Well, why else would I be here?" Helena opened the black box. Inside, there was a necklace with a bird and earrings that looked like bats.

"Side effect?" Barbara smirked, turning to see her.

Helena faked a smile. "Funny."

"The necklace has the mic. It also has a tracer."

"Why do I want this?"

"So I will know where you are, and the earrings will let you hear my voice."

"Oh, I get it, you will be like Jimmy Cricket… my conscience."

"More or less." The redhead rested her hips on the edge of her desk. "I need to give you a code to use the hidden elevator and show you how the system works."

"Okaaaay."

"Third."

"There is a third?"

Barbara crossed her arms on her chest. "You must stay here."

Helena frowned. Now, she didn't expect that. "Why?"

"Your place is not safe." The redhead pressed a button on her keyboard and all the screens showed images of the tower from different places and angles. "I have a complete security system here. No one can get in if I don't approve it."

Helena whistled. That was really amazing, but staying with Barbara wasn't in her plans. She knew perfectly well that Barbara was the only one that could help her, but the older woman had asked her to trust her, and it was clear she meant: Follow my orders. Barbara was a methodical woman and Helena was used to working on her own, with her own rules. The first of which was: Do not follow rules.

"Well?" the redhead asked, pulling the brunette out of her thoughts.

"When you say I must stay here," Helena waved her finger, "you mean I must stay 'here'?"

"Yes."

Helena was not sure if she would regret this, but she didn't have any options. And, after all, being with Barbara didn't sound like a bad idea. In fact, she liked it. Suddenly, an idea came to mind.

"I want to put my conditions in, too," the brunette stated.

"Oh…" the redhead replied. "And those are?"

"I want to go out to look for those guys, too. No way I'm gonna sit around and wait here."

The redhead looked at her in silence a few seconds.

"All right." Barbara allowed.

"Second, I keep working at the bar…"

"Why do insist upon working at a bar if you are millionaire?"

"You know why… And third…."

Barbara lifted her eyebrows in amusement.

"I want to watch movies on the big screens." She pointed to the screens at the top of the lab.

"Oh, no…. no way." Barbara shook her head emphatically.

"I'll watch at night when you go to sleep."

Barbara glared at her. She definitely didn't like this idea.

"So?" Helena asked.

It seemed she didn't have so many options. Barbara sighed. Well, a small sacrifice was worth it, if she could keep the younger woman alive.

"No porn." She stood up.

"Oh, come on!" the girl whined.

"No." Barbara picked up her jacket.

"Why not?"

"No! Period." She walked toward the elevator. "Let's go. We must pick up your clothes."

Helena put her index on her lips, thinking a few seconds. "What if I mute it?"

---------------

All right, no one had told her about this before she accepted. This was simply not acceptable. She turned on her side and covered herself with a blanket. She adjusted the pillow under her head and lay back down.

Barbara needed to buy another couch. This one just sucked.

Why had she opened her big mouth? Barbara had told her that she could sleep with her and she had refused. She had said she would sleep on the couch.

Sometimes she hated her pride.

Barbara had said she would buy a bed tomorrow, but tonight she needed to sleep on the couch. She didn't like the couch so much. Okay, it was comfortable, but… she stared at the door of Barbara's bedroom a few meters from her. It was nicer when she was with Barbara and besides, her bed was warmer and softer than the stupid couch.

She buried her head in the pillow.

Barbara woke up early. She had work to do at school. When she opened her door, she found Helena sprawled on the couch. She chuckled. Definitely, the elegance she had when walking and moving disappeared when she slept.

She walked toward her and kneeled to take the bedspread from the floor. She covered the younger woman with it. As she did so, she observed her. Helena had the beautiful features of her mother. In fact, she was a beautiful woman. She was glad Helena had come to her when she was stunned by that drug. It meant that inside her heart, she knew she could trust her.

She shook her lightly. The brunette wrinkled her nose. The movement was adorable.

"Hi," Barbara said, smiling lightly.

"Mmm?" Helena half opened her eyes sleepily and moved her head back.

"Why don't you go sleep in my room? You will be more comfortable."

"I'm fine."

"This is uncomfortable." She patted her side. "Come on. I need to go to work, so the place will be empty."

"No, no, seriously. I'm fine."

Barbara stood up. "Okay, then. See you later."

The brunette closed her eyes and Barbara walked toward the elevator.

As soon as the doors closed, Helena jumped off of the couch and ran toward the bedroom.


Barbara worked for hours. Helena watched her from the upper floor, lying on the couch. She was watching TV, but she often gazed down to look at the redhead.

She had been out almost all day, and when she had returned, she had sat there and not moved. Helena checked her watch. Barbara had been sitting there for almost three hours.

The redhead really worked hard and it seemed she was not a social person. She often went out to attend Foundation events, but almost all her mind was focused on crime fighting. She couldn't understand how such a woman could only be thinking of helping others when people usually sucked.

She had agreed to stay with the older woman, but she still felt a bit "stiff". There was a thin line between them that she couldn't cross. Barbara was nice, but she still couldn't open up to her. Helena had closed her heart to everyone so many years ago.

The brunette had felt fine, she didn't want feel that pain again… It was still confusing for her because she also felt like she wasn't alone when she was with the redhead. She liked spending the day with her, staying at Barbara's apartment. It was like being home.

She looked down again to where Barbara was. Tired of inactivity, she stood up and walked downstairs.

"What are you doing?" Helena asked when she stepped onto the platform.

"Trying to find a connection between the chemical compound that was in your blood and the factories that produce it."

"Wouldn't it be easier to ask my 'friend' the policeman?"

"I don't think so," the redhead said, turning to see her. "He disappeared."

"What?"

"No one knows where he is. He hasn't been to work in two days." Barbara moved back in her chair. "I think that when you escaped, he thought you would search for him and he vanished."

"Shame…. I wanted to kick his ass," the brunette grumbled.

"Well, it seems you must wait."

"Waiting here is boring. What if I go out and find for someone to kick?"

"You know it's dangerous."

"I can't hide here forever."

Barbara looked her in silence.

"You know, you can't force me to stay here, just waiting. I need to find out who is behind this."

The redhead sighed and gave her the necklace and the earrings. "I have a better idea. Don't forget to use these."

"What's your idea?" Helena took the comms.

"I need some info that is inside Brixt Labs."

"Am I going to break in?"

"Yes, but follow all my instructions. I'll guide you. Call me Oracle."

"Ok, but you must call me Huntress."


TBC