The Endless Storm, Chapter Four ;
Part One: 'Serving It Up'
Helena wiped down the bar for what felt like the hundredth time that night. She'd probably spilled about half the drinks she'd poured today. She was nervous, and it showed. She was just glad that her boss wasn't there to see her wasting his good drink on the Dead-Rag. Seeing a hand on the edge of the bar, and a shadow fall over the now clean bar she sighed.
"What'll you have?" she asked without looking up, turning to the shelves of liquor behind the ledge.
"How 'bout a glass of milk?" replied a familiar yet playful voice. The brunette's eyes sot up to meet baby blue ones. There's, standing on the other side of the bar was Dinah. And she looked hot! She was wearing tight red-leather pants with a black tank-top and a faded black duster. I don't know how she expects to fight in those pants, Helena thought, they're practically painted on. Taking a deep breath and smiling nervously Helena looked at her watch. She hadn't ever noticed that she shift had ended ten minutes ago.
"Come on." Helena said nodding in the direction of the stairs in the corner of The Dark Horse. "Let's go up stairs." She said over the music. Dinah simply nodded and fallowed. Making their way up to the older woman apartment, the blonde took in the sights. Once they'd made their way through the door, Dinah looked around rather critically.
"Kinda . . . Spartan, don't you think?" Helena chuckled and walked to her dresser.
"I like it that way. Warrior at heart, you know?" Helena's apartment was an open studio, a mattress in one corner, a kitchen area in the one opposite, and mismatched furniture spread far aand few between. For some reason the blonde had expected their to be more to it, but then she realized that there was no need for it. Helena's life was complicated enough. Besides; her office was down stairs, and she had a room over in the Clock-Tower where she ate most of her meals. Flopping down on the slightly over-stuffed couch, Dinah looked over at her partner.
"So, you going to change? I'm kinda excited to get going on sweeps." Helena looked down at her shoes, and then back at the questionative blonde. Taking a deep breath, the brunette got ready for what was bound to be a difficult conversation.
"We're not going on sweeps tonight." Dinah, for some reason, didn't look all that surprised, and sat there with a look that showed she was waiting for the other boot to drop. "I thought we could just, you know, hang out. Talk."
"Talk?" The youth reiterated. Helena nodded, and sat down on the couch next to her counter-part. "And what do you propose we should talk about?" She asked suspiciously.
"Well," Helena thought for a second, "Why didn't you tell me you could sing like that?" Dinah looked at her confusedly, and Helena smiled at her almost sadly. Suddenly, the blonde's face turned to of shock, and almost horror. "Yeah. I saw you. And, well, heard you." Dinah looked down at her lap, then at her feet, noticeably avoiding Helena's face. "Care to explain? Or at least tell me what Barbara said I had to hear from you?"
"Helena . . ." Dinah said gently, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." She sounded so ashamed, and Helena was sad to hear it. "I know how upset you got when you thought I didn't tell you last time but . . . this time I was too, I don't know . . . afraid." With that last word, Helena's heart stopped for a second. Dinah's afraid of me, she wondered, I thought she liked me?
"Dinah, you shouldn't be afraid of me. I'd never hurt you, and I'll always listen to what you have to say." She said gently, and it was then that she saw the tear shining in the blonde's eye.
"I know." She said, voice shaking slightly, "That's why I didn't tell you." Taking a slightly calming breath, she turned to look at the brunette. "You're such a caring person, I was worried what you would think . . . of me." The tear fell, and slowly ran down the girls cheek before the youth quickly wiped it away.
"What's wrong?" Helena asked quietly, almost whispering. Placing a gentle hand on the girls shoulder, she rubbed her back lightly for a second before the girl shrugged it off. Helena's heart sank that little bit more, but the blonde suddenly got up.
"I'm a bad person." She said coldly, facing the older woman full on.
"What?" Helena asked, shocked, "Dinah you're not a bad person, you could never be a bad person!"
"You don't understand!" the girl yelled back, "I don't love her!" the room froze, and Helena's heart began to race. Holding her face in her hands, the girl flopped down into the chair opposite the couch. "I don't love her Hel." She repeated, voice muffled through her hands. "I know that she loves me but . . . I'm a bad friend."
"What?" Helena asked, wondering if she'd heard correctly. Lifting her head shamefully, Dinah looked at the brunette, and sighed.
"I was just so lonely. I was tired of being nothing except a Meta, or a Crime-Fighter. She only knows me as a student, as a friend, as some one she wants to be with, spend time with . . ." she trailed off slightly, lost in thought.
"You remember, Helena, when I told you I wasn't attracted to her?" Helena nodded, "I thought it didn't matter. I thought, you know, over time, that maybe I would. I like other girls, why not her? She's smart, and pretty, and caring, and . . . I don't know." Getting up suddenly, Dinah started pacing the room in tight little circles. "I love spending time with her, and she makes me smile, and laugh, but, well . . . I can't. She's my best friend, and that's all I think she can be."
"Dinah . . ." Helena said gently, "Why would you go out with her if she was just a friend? You could have plenty of guys at school, why go after someone you don't want?" At that Dinah looked at her suddenly, but then looked down at the carpet.
"Urgh!" Dinah grunted suddenly, slamming her back against the nearest wall and sliding down slightly. Moaning in defeat, Helena watched as Dinah's shoulders slumped.
"Uhhh . . . . you okay?" Helena asked, slightly uncertain. Dinah nodded, and looked back at the older girl sadly.
"Have you ever been nervous before a date?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah, who hasn't?" Helena asked. Dinah faced her, face taking on one of what the blonde must have deemed pathetic.
"I've never been on a date, Hel. And, I don't know, with Gabby . . . I don't get nervous. I can just be me, and I know she likes me for me, you know? When she leans in to kiss me, I know it's because she wants to, and I don't have to worry about doing it right because she's showing me how. She knows I've never really been with anyone besides her, so . . . there's no expectations." Helena wanted to both cry and go hunt down the ringlet-blonde just to see how fast she could run.
"Dinah," Helena choked slightly, "How out of hand has this gone?" Dinah looked at her slightly confused, and the brunette cleared her throat. "Um, how much has Gabby 'taught' you?" the older woman asked slowly as the blonde's eyes grew wide.
"Oh! No! Not like . . . no, Helena, just . . ." Dinah sighed and got up from the wall. "I was just getting used to it. I was worried that if I did ever get into a relationship with a woman, I'd be afraid to be seen with them or a I wouldn't understand certain things and . . . that's it. She's not, well . . . nothing extreme." Helena had a feeling that it was vague answer for a reason, and she didn't want to press it.
"Dinah, all I can really think to tell you is . . ." Helena thought for a second, mind blank, and sighed. Closing her eyes, the brunette forced her words out of her mouth. "This isn't like you." She said quietly, "I'm kinda shocked that you would do this . . . but I understand." Looking up into azure orbs, Helena smiled sadly. "But what you decide to do next is up to you. No one can tell you what to do, and I just hope you think long and hard about how your going to handle this." Dinah nodded, looking down at her feet.
"Okay." She whispered. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Part Two: 'Truth In Time'
As Helena walked slowly back through the elevator doors into the clock-tower, she watched as the blonde marched ahead of her, heading right into her room. Despairingly the brunette walked over to the Delphi system and looked the screens over wordlessly. They'd done a quick patrol, for lack of a better idea of activities, and it had been mostly in-active. Dinah fought a mugger by herself, with Huntress watching from a distance to make sure she was alright. The girl had done really well . . . though her mental distraction was obvious.
"You didn't tell her, did you?" Barbara asked without looking up from her typing. Helena sighed, and sat down on the desk, eyes fixed on the door to the blonde's room.
"No." Barbara stopped her working and took off her glasses.
"Why not?" the older woman asked slowly, sounding almost exhausted.
"Because." Helena stated as though it explained everything, her tone sad. Barbara turned to face her fully in her chair, and gave her a hard look. Helena's own gaze never wavered from their spot on the door. "I love her . . . I rather see her happy than see her with me." Barbara's eyes widened slightly. It was a level of maturity she'd not expected from the brunette. She'd always seen the older girl's interest in Dinah to be something fleeting; that she'd get over, but that last statement proved her wrong. She genuinely cared for the small blonde. Enough to sacrifice her own happiness for her partner.
"What happened to you date?" Helena asked, her eyes finally landing on the red-head. Barbara shook herself out of her own sad thoughts about her charges as she tried to answer the question.
"I had to cut it short." She stated, sounding annoyed, "Wade's parents were there . . . when I came back from the bathroom, I overheard them talking to Wade about me. They didn't think I was good enough for him."
"So you ran away?" Helena summed it up, though not heartlessly. Barbara nodded, and went back to her typing.
"It just made me realize I can't keep lying to him." She said sadly. "I love him, yeah, but he loves me to . . . and therein lies the problem. He has such care and devotion for me, and he barely even knows me. What if, when he finds out about the real me, he loses that love. I just don't want to hurt him. I own him enough to protect him for whatever pain I'm causing him." Helena actually chuckled at that.
"Why don't you wait, and let him decide for himself. Either way you're going to hurt someone. . . but maybe if you wait it out, you'll find that he'll understand. And knowing Wade," Helena said gently, "He'll love you still. Besides, if you love him, isn't it better to hurt him by being honest, rather than keeping him in a lie?" with that the brunette walked up the ramp to the guest room and closed the door, leaving a slightly surprised red-head in her wake.
.
(To Be Continued . . . )
~~ This Has Been A SquibVix Production ~~
Part One: 'Serving It Up'
Helena wiped down the bar for what felt like the hundredth time that night. She'd probably spilled about half the drinks she'd poured today. She was nervous, and it showed. She was just glad that her boss wasn't there to see her wasting his good drink on the Dead-Rag. Seeing a hand on the edge of the bar, and a shadow fall over the now clean bar she sighed.
"What'll you have?" she asked without looking up, turning to the shelves of liquor behind the ledge.
"How 'bout a glass of milk?" replied a familiar yet playful voice. The brunette's eyes sot up to meet baby blue ones. There's, standing on the other side of the bar was Dinah. And she looked hot! She was wearing tight red-leather pants with a black tank-top and a faded black duster. I don't know how she expects to fight in those pants, Helena thought, they're practically painted on. Taking a deep breath and smiling nervously Helena looked at her watch. She hadn't ever noticed that she shift had ended ten minutes ago.
"Come on." Helena said nodding in the direction of the stairs in the corner of The Dark Horse. "Let's go up stairs." She said over the music. Dinah simply nodded and fallowed. Making their way up to the older woman apartment, the blonde took in the sights. Once they'd made their way through the door, Dinah looked around rather critically.
"Kinda . . . Spartan, don't you think?" Helena chuckled and walked to her dresser.
"I like it that way. Warrior at heart, you know?" Helena's apartment was an open studio, a mattress in one corner, a kitchen area in the one opposite, and mismatched furniture spread far aand few between. For some reason the blonde had expected their to be more to it, but then she realized that there was no need for it. Helena's life was complicated enough. Besides; her office was down stairs, and she had a room over in the Clock-Tower where she ate most of her meals. Flopping down on the slightly over-stuffed couch, Dinah looked over at her partner.
"So, you going to change? I'm kinda excited to get going on sweeps." Helena looked down at her shoes, and then back at the questionative blonde. Taking a deep breath, the brunette got ready for what was bound to be a difficult conversation.
"We're not going on sweeps tonight." Dinah, for some reason, didn't look all that surprised, and sat there with a look that showed she was waiting for the other boot to drop. "I thought we could just, you know, hang out. Talk."
"Talk?" The youth reiterated. Helena nodded, and sat down on the couch next to her counter-part. "And what do you propose we should talk about?" She asked suspiciously.
"Well," Helena thought for a second, "Why didn't you tell me you could sing like that?" Dinah looked at her confusedly, and Helena smiled at her almost sadly. Suddenly, the blonde's face turned to of shock, and almost horror. "Yeah. I saw you. And, well, heard you." Dinah looked down at her lap, then at her feet, noticeably avoiding Helena's face. "Care to explain? Or at least tell me what Barbara said I had to hear from you?"
"Helena . . ." Dinah said gently, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." She sounded so ashamed, and Helena was sad to hear it. "I know how upset you got when you thought I didn't tell you last time but . . . this time I was too, I don't know . . . afraid." With that last word, Helena's heart stopped for a second. Dinah's afraid of me, she wondered, I thought she liked me?
"Dinah, you shouldn't be afraid of me. I'd never hurt you, and I'll always listen to what you have to say." She said gently, and it was then that she saw the tear shining in the blonde's eye.
"I know." She said, voice shaking slightly, "That's why I didn't tell you." Taking a slightly calming breath, she turned to look at the brunette. "You're such a caring person, I was worried what you would think . . . of me." The tear fell, and slowly ran down the girls cheek before the youth quickly wiped it away.
"What's wrong?" Helena asked quietly, almost whispering. Placing a gentle hand on the girls shoulder, she rubbed her back lightly for a second before the girl shrugged it off. Helena's heart sank that little bit more, but the blonde suddenly got up.
"I'm a bad person." She said coldly, facing the older woman full on.
"What?" Helena asked, shocked, "Dinah you're not a bad person, you could never be a bad person!"
"You don't understand!" the girl yelled back, "I don't love her!" the room froze, and Helena's heart began to race. Holding her face in her hands, the girl flopped down into the chair opposite the couch. "I don't love her Hel." She repeated, voice muffled through her hands. "I know that she loves me but . . . I'm a bad friend."
"What?" Helena asked, wondering if she'd heard correctly. Lifting her head shamefully, Dinah looked at the brunette, and sighed.
"I was just so lonely. I was tired of being nothing except a Meta, or a Crime-Fighter. She only knows me as a student, as a friend, as some one she wants to be with, spend time with . . ." she trailed off slightly, lost in thought.
"You remember, Helena, when I told you I wasn't attracted to her?" Helena nodded, "I thought it didn't matter. I thought, you know, over time, that maybe I would. I like other girls, why not her? She's smart, and pretty, and caring, and . . . I don't know." Getting up suddenly, Dinah started pacing the room in tight little circles. "I love spending time with her, and she makes me smile, and laugh, but, well . . . I can't. She's my best friend, and that's all I think she can be."
"Dinah . . ." Helena said gently, "Why would you go out with her if she was just a friend? You could have plenty of guys at school, why go after someone you don't want?" At that Dinah looked at her suddenly, but then looked down at the carpet.
"Urgh!" Dinah grunted suddenly, slamming her back against the nearest wall and sliding down slightly. Moaning in defeat, Helena watched as Dinah's shoulders slumped.
"Uhhh . . . . you okay?" Helena asked, slightly uncertain. Dinah nodded, and looked back at the older girl sadly.
"Have you ever been nervous before a date?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah, who hasn't?" Helena asked. Dinah faced her, face taking on one of what the blonde must have deemed pathetic.
"I've never been on a date, Hel. And, I don't know, with Gabby . . . I don't get nervous. I can just be me, and I know she likes me for me, you know? When she leans in to kiss me, I know it's because she wants to, and I don't have to worry about doing it right because she's showing me how. She knows I've never really been with anyone besides her, so . . . there's no expectations." Helena wanted to both cry and go hunt down the ringlet-blonde just to see how fast she could run.
"Dinah," Helena choked slightly, "How out of hand has this gone?" Dinah looked at her slightly confused, and the brunette cleared her throat. "Um, how much has Gabby 'taught' you?" the older woman asked slowly as the blonde's eyes grew wide.
"Oh! No! Not like . . . no, Helena, just . . ." Dinah sighed and got up from the wall. "I was just getting used to it. I was worried that if I did ever get into a relationship with a woman, I'd be afraid to be seen with them or a I wouldn't understand certain things and . . . that's it. She's not, well . . . nothing extreme." Helena had a feeling that it was vague answer for a reason, and she didn't want to press it.
"Dinah, all I can really think to tell you is . . ." Helena thought for a second, mind blank, and sighed. Closing her eyes, the brunette forced her words out of her mouth. "This isn't like you." She said quietly, "I'm kinda shocked that you would do this . . . but I understand." Looking up into azure orbs, Helena smiled sadly. "But what you decide to do next is up to you. No one can tell you what to do, and I just hope you think long and hard about how your going to handle this." Dinah nodded, looking down at her feet.
"Okay." She whispered. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Part Two: 'Truth In Time'
As Helena walked slowly back through the elevator doors into the clock-tower, she watched as the blonde marched ahead of her, heading right into her room. Despairingly the brunette walked over to the Delphi system and looked the screens over wordlessly. They'd done a quick patrol, for lack of a better idea of activities, and it had been mostly in-active. Dinah fought a mugger by herself, with Huntress watching from a distance to make sure she was alright. The girl had done really well . . . though her mental distraction was obvious.
"You didn't tell her, did you?" Barbara asked without looking up from her typing. Helena sighed, and sat down on the desk, eyes fixed on the door to the blonde's room.
"No." Barbara stopped her working and took off her glasses.
"Why not?" the older woman asked slowly, sounding almost exhausted.
"Because." Helena stated as though it explained everything, her tone sad. Barbara turned to face her fully in her chair, and gave her a hard look. Helena's own gaze never wavered from their spot on the door. "I love her . . . I rather see her happy than see her with me." Barbara's eyes widened slightly. It was a level of maturity she'd not expected from the brunette. She'd always seen the older girl's interest in Dinah to be something fleeting; that she'd get over, but that last statement proved her wrong. She genuinely cared for the small blonde. Enough to sacrifice her own happiness for her partner.
"What happened to you date?" Helena asked, her eyes finally landing on the red-head. Barbara shook herself out of her own sad thoughts about her charges as she tried to answer the question.
"I had to cut it short." She stated, sounding annoyed, "Wade's parents were there . . . when I came back from the bathroom, I overheard them talking to Wade about me. They didn't think I was good enough for him."
"So you ran away?" Helena summed it up, though not heartlessly. Barbara nodded, and went back to her typing.
"It just made me realize I can't keep lying to him." She said sadly. "I love him, yeah, but he loves me to . . . and therein lies the problem. He has such care and devotion for me, and he barely even knows me. What if, when he finds out about the real me, he loses that love. I just don't want to hurt him. I own him enough to protect him for whatever pain I'm causing him." Helena actually chuckled at that.
"Why don't you wait, and let him decide for himself. Either way you're going to hurt someone. . . but maybe if you wait it out, you'll find that he'll understand. And knowing Wade," Helena said gently, "He'll love you still. Besides, if you love him, isn't it better to hurt him by being honest, rather than keeping him in a lie?" with that the brunette walked up the ramp to the guest room and closed the door, leaving a slightly surprised red-head in her wake.
.
(To Be Continued . . . )
~~ This Has Been A SquibVix Production ~~