Gabby woke up feeling again sore and stiff, only, some of it seemed to have lessened this time around. Her arm and shoulder screamed in pain from a night spent laying on them, but after a few moments the throbbing subsided when the pins and needles tingling went away. Her head felt a lot better, though, so Gabby felt that she had to take her victories as they came. She stretched slowly, allowing her stiff muscles to relax a little bit, and over all, she felt a lot better. Her lips still had a small pulsing sensation to them as thoughts of Dinah's kiss from the night before came to her once more, and Gabby tried hard to fight off her blush.

'Us being together,' Dinah had said, 'It doesn't have to be a lie.' These words and her fears came back to her as she made her bed looked out for her mom and had taken a shower. She made sure her her shower was extra hot. Though it seemed to scorch her skin, her aching limbs were grateful for it. Getting out of the shower, she noticed how much easier she seemed to move about and she was glad. After going through the rest of her morning routine, she walked into the kitchen, where she was surprised to see her mother at the stove cooking scrambled eggs. When she saw her, Gabby's mother motioned with her spatula for the teen to sit down at the table, and then went back to the stove. Gabby did as she was silently told. A moment later, a plate with the eggs, as well as two slices of toast were placed in front of her. Gabby was hesitant, but she picked up her fork and took a bite, while a glass of milk was set next to her plate.

"Thank you," Gabby murmured. She didn't have the heart or courage to tell her mother that she didn't drink milk in the mornings and hadn't since she was in elementary school. Since her mother had remained silent in all this time, she knew that it was wise for her to do so as well.

More silence continued while Gabby ate and took the smallest of sips from her glass of milk while her mother put the breakfast food away until her mother said, "I'm taking you intro school today."

"But the bus-"

The skillet used to cook the eggs was tossed into the sink, its clatter making Gabby flinch. "I don't know what it is you're doing Gabby. I don't know where you go, or what it is that you're getting into now that you don't babysit the Morgan's. And now for some reason you don't trust me and have given me no reason to trust you so… I'm going to watch you every chance I get, and since I can't do this in the evening, the mornings are going to have to be it, understand?" Gabby swallowed, but she nodded to this. "So finish your breakfast, get your things, and meet me out at the car in twenty minutes." With this, her mother turned and walked down the hallway to her room, the door closing roughly behind her. Gabby was still for a moment before she picked up her plate and glass, dumped everything in the garbage disposal and went to her own room to collect her things.

Gabby almost hated Barbara and Batman and all of the reasons for them being who they are. She knew it wasn't their fault entirely. She chose to help. She chose to become Oracle, and she loved that she was. Still, couldn't there be like a small group of people of who she could tell? It would only be her parents, and, if things got serious, Dinah since she was a metahuman and would understand. Still, Gabby knew she couldn't do this. She couldn't do this, but she couldn't keep on the way she was. Barbara had said she would help her fend off Mr. Brixton, but what about her parents? What about Dinah? What about other people who whisper and wonder about her?

After Gabby got her things, she placed them on the table long enough to wash the dishes in the sink. Then she went to the car and waited, even though it was freezing outside. She just couldn't' handle the tension in the house. As she leaned against the car, she saw the boy from her art class the year before. They shared a quick nod as he walked by, and then she watched him until he was out of sight. Her mother joined her seven minutes later (not that Gabby was counting or anything), and again it was silent work as her mother unlocked Gabby's door and started the car. As the car defrosted and the morning news played between them the silence became uncomfortable, and Gabby wanted to run screaming after her ex-classmate to get to the bus stop with him. Finally, Gabby's mother looked to her daughter and said, "It's just… You'd tell me if you were in any sort of trouble, wouldn't you?"

Though Gabby kept her gaze forward, she nodded. "Yeah," She said. The fact that Gabby couldn't look at her mother alerted both blondes that this, too was a lie.

Gabby knew that her mother thought that there was a reason why Gabby wouldn't trust her. As long as she could remember, her mother worked the twelve hour night shifts, which meant that her mother wasn't home at night and was either on her way home or sleeping when she got up for school in the morning. They spent some time during the weekend, but rarely ever were the two of them alone like this. It was usually her father who got her up and ready for school, her father who cooked dinner helped her with homework and watched TV with her at night. This wasn't her mother's fault, and Gabby never blamed her. She understood that night shifts made more money, and that her mother loved what she did. It was because of her somewhat that made Gabby want to help people as well, though not in the medical profession.

Gabby knew that her mother was wrong though. She just couldn't tell her what was happening. It had nothing to do with trust, and everything to do with loyalty to Barbara. It had nothing to do with her job or the fact that her father had been there more than her mother. It had nothing to do with any of that, and Gabby was at a loss for a way to let her mother know this. She knew that her mother was hurt by her silence, but her secrecy, but there was nothing she could say or do right now that would make it right.

~

Dinah paced back and forth in her room. She wasn't sure what she was going to do. She looked at her alarm clock. Having been dressed for the last twenty minutes or so, she was now just waiting for time to turn. She wondered not only why she had asked Gabby to be her girlfriend but how this was going to work. With Gabby being who she was at night and Dinah being who she was at night, there really was no way that this could work, but Dinah wanted it to. It was the only thing she had ever wanted since she was about eleven years old and first had dreams of Gabby. She wanted to try for something - what, she wasn't sure, but she knew that friendship wasn't enough. For them to be together now, with Gabby on one side and Dinah on the other and neither one supposing to know of this, well, she just had to wonder what was going on.

Dinah could only think about the kiss though, the one that she had planted on Gabby at first for show, and then for herself. The kiss was everything she had thought it would be, everything she had longed for and more because it was real. If the images she had seen all her life of the other girl hadn't made Dinah fall in love with her, then she would have fallen head over heels for Gabby with just that one kiss, and in many, many ways, this scared Dinah. Still, she held on to the hope, to the small amount of hope that she felt, because Gabby in just an instant, had kissed her back. Dinah wasn't sure if she was also doing it for her mother, but if nothing else, Dinah got that one kiss, a kiss that felt real.

With those thoughts in her head, Dinah grabbed her keys and left the house. She bumped roughly into one of the goons on her way out, and the man only grumbled a curse at her. This made the metahuman grin as she continued on. She drove by Gabby's house but saw that there was no one there, and the car from the night before was gone as well, which told Dinah that Gabby must have gotten a ride from her mother to school. The snow started to fall lightly on her windshield and she did her best to hurry into school to get out of it. Surprising to her was the fact that Gabby was waiting for her just outside of her locker. "How did you know that this one was mine?" Dinah asked.

"I'm psychic," Gabby replied playfully. "I saw you stop here a few times," Gabby admitted a second later.

Dinah took a good look at Gabby and watched her. She saw the eye was considerably less swollen, and when the other girl had shifted from one foot onto the other, she noticed that she didn't seem to feel as much pain in her leg. Dinah felt better about the other night, even as some of the guilt remained. Gabby took two steps away from Dinah's locker to give the metahuman room, and Dinah went to work getting her books she needed for the first couple of classes so that she didn't have to come back in between.

"So you're gonna be here for lunch?" Gabby asked.

"Of course," Dinah said, trying to decipher the other girl's tone. "No dilly dallying in Bludhaven today." She pretended to pout, and Gabby smiled. After the deep-ish conversation she almost had with her mother, she was glad for this playfulness. Seeing Dinah was just what she felt she needed. Her heart pounded slightly, but Gabby pushed the thoughts of the kiss from her mind. Dinah closed the door to her locker just enough that it stuck, but not hard enough for it to slam, and then she stared at Gabby. "So.. uh, have you considered?"

"Being your girlfriend?" Gabby asked.

"Yeah."

"I didn't know you were gay," Gabby copped out.

"You didn't ask. Besides, there is more than just the two sexualities, aren't there?" Dinah asked.

"Touché," Gabby replied with a small shrug. Gabby and Dinah's eyes locked, the blues mingling together as if to say something to each other as their mouths said nothing. Dinah leaned so that her back was on her locker as this continued on.

"Look, we all have our secrets, Gabby," Dinah continued. "I just get the feeling that yours are deeper than my closeted love for VR Troopers."

"What?"

"Hey, that blonde chick looks like my mom sometimes. I can't help but watch it," she said somewhat defensively.

"No judgment here. You've seen my posters," Gabby said, holding her hands up in a time out.

"Oh yeah. But seriously," Dinah continued. Gabby nodded, knowing that she couldn't deflect this conversation any longer. "And whatever this secret is, I hope one day you can find the trust to tell me or at least…" Dinah shrugged.

"I guess the same goes for you too." Gabby said, "but how could we have any sort of relationship if there are secrets between us and we both are aware of them? How is that any sort of fair to either of us? Believe me when I say that I would give anything to be able to tell you - to tell my mother what has been going on but… I, I can't."

Dinah was silent for a moment before she looked away and said, "We could just be friends then, if you want to. At least until we find out that we're okay enough together to share those things with each other? After a kiss like that, though… I really don't want to be."

Gabby felt the flush to her cheeks and she also looked away. She finally reached down and touched Dinah's hand. "I don't either," Gabby admitted, "but I don't want to put you in that position. It just isn't fair. I'm sorry."

"I know," Dinah finally said, moving one of her blue streaks back behind one ear, "I know," she repeated. She sounded defeated and hurt, and Gabby felt even worse. Still the teens both knew that this was the right thing. "Friends it is, then," Dinah said. "That's me, at your side always."

Gabby blushed. She just couldn't help it. She wanted more than that, and it was clear from the blues in Dinah's eyes that she wanted this too. Damn her for having her responsibilities. "Dinah…" Gabby let out, but that was all. She reached out to grab the girl's hand. Her head felt fuzzy, and she hoped her headache wasn't coming back again. Dinah closed her eyes and seemed to shake a thought away before she squeezed Gabby's hand. At least the pain filled look seemed to dissipate somewhat, and Gabby was glad for that, if only so that her own guilt could ease up some.

With the hand that wasn't in Gabby's Dinah reached into her pocket. "Part of me knew this would happen, if I was honest with myself."

"You wanted me to say yes?"

"With all of my heart," Dinah answered easily. There was a pause. "Anyway, here. This is for you, but not when I'm around."

Gabby took the small slip of paper from Dinah, wondering what it was. She almost wished that she and Dinah could part ways just so that she could get to see what was on it. Dinah shifted her weight from one look to the other and seemed to be about to say something else when there was an interruption of the moment.

"Hey! Hi, hello. Hi. Hi, sorry to interrupt. Um, I was wondering if you could help me?" Gabby saw Dinah tense up in front of her. "My name's Melanie Freeman, and I am a T.A for Ms. Gordon. I… need to find her room?" the voice asked. Gabby turned around and came face to face with familiar eyes . The teen's eyes went slightly wide as she recognized the figure before her.

"I need to go now, Gabby," Dinah said from behind her. There was a look on Dinah's face that Gabby couldn't decipher when she turned to look at the streaked blonde girl.

"Okay. See you later," Gabby said. She reluctantly let go of Dinah's hand and watched as the other girl pushed her way past the new figure and down the hallways, where students moved away from her.

"Wow, sorry to interrupt-"

"What are you doing here, Huntress?"