Hello all, first of all I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this. It's been awhile since I've written anything as I was the author of the massive epic Countdown to Christmas story under my previous penname redladyreba. Due to certain personal circumstances I had to come up with a new penname however *cringe* Anyway, I wrote this story awhile back...it started out with just this first chapter as a oneshot and posted it on a BirdsofPrey fanboard. It was recieved well, and I had a number of requests to continue so i turned it into a series of one shots that led into a whole storyline. I was in a pretty dark place when I originally wrote this and this was the result of some emotional outlet. So be forwarned there is some dark and sometimes disturbing content ahead. It will get a lot brighter towards the end, but you'll just have to mudle through my angst first lol.

~RB~

They took no note of her as she strolled through the corridors. To them she was nothing but a shadow…a ghost of some poor bastard that had died within these reinforced walls over the decades. Not even the cameras would record her image as she strolled past them on her journey into the most secure section of the facility.

When she reached her destination, she stood before the clear plastic cage that held her prey and watched with smug satisfaction as the blonde inside flinched when she saw her visitor. "Hello Harleen," she purred as she walked around the reinforced glass, casually dragging a finger along it.

For a moment, her prey showed a hint of her old self and the shorter blonde stood up defiantly. "Not through having your fun with me? My dear, I must say…I was definitely focusing my attention on the wrong vigilante. You have a mean streak that could rival mine. Think of all that we could accomplish together."

And then she was on the floor of her cell screaming and writhing in unseen pain. After a couple of minutes, she was finally allowed to roll to her knees and gather her composure. "Well….that was particularly brutal…." she panted shakily. "Having…a bad…night?"

Dinah cocked her head to one side and simply stared at the woman in front of her. If she could feel anything at all anymore, she supposed she would be frightened of just how much her life had changed the moment she had touched Quinn's mind. It was like a light switch had been thrown on in her brain. In the seconds that had passed while she had been linked to Quinn, a lifetime of experience and knowledge had been passed on to her.

The price of that gift had been steep however, and was a two edged sword. The sudden insight and access to all that the madwoman knew about the human brain and psyche allowed her to tap into powers she hadn't even suspected before. But it had also awoken something dark and primal within her. And she knew that if she didn't get it under control soon, it would drive her as insane as this woman before her.

But for now, she would find release in the pleasure of giving Quinn her memories back for a few brief moments each night and then brutally ripping them from her. Payback was a bitch, and no one deserved it more than this one.

"You know…you won't be able to keep this up forever Dinah. That Barbara is a smart one...she will figure you out one of these nights."

This earned her another round of mental torture. As Quinn lay shaking in the center of her cage, she rolled her head towards Dinah. "My, my……someone is walking….a fine line…tonight…."she taunted. And was rewarded with more agony.

"You'll never quit will you?" Dinah mused as she watched her victim curl up in a fetal ball.

"It's who I am little girl!" Quinn ground out once she could speak. "The real question is, who are you and what do you want with me?"

"I want you to pay for what you did to me and my family."

Quinn's eyes flashed, and Dinah realized she had said too much. "Awwwww….did one of the birdies fly the coop? Lemme guess. Helena couldn't take the guilt of how I used her and she ran-," the taunt was cut off by a high pitched scream. Which lasted for nearly ten minutes.

When Dinah released Quinn finally, the telepath was shaking in fury as she watched Quinn convulse on the floor. "I've been inside your mind Quinn and I know just how much you fear death. So before you make another smart ass remark, I should like to remind you of who is in charge here. And yes, I'm sure you'd be pleased with your…handy work. But if Helena dies because of what you did, I swear to you that you will wish you were dead before I am through with you."

Quinn lay on her floor, twitching, but she forced herself to open her eyes so she could see Dinah's when the girl made that threat. A shiver ran down her spine when she realized the teen meant every word she said. The madness that began to surface in her eyes was the same as the one she saw every day in the mirror. A part of her was jumping in absolute glee over the fact that she had permanently scarred this sweet innocent little thing into such brutal darkness. But the other half was truly frightened of what the girl could and would do to her if something happened to Helena.

"Well, I must be getting back to the hospital. Enjoy your nap until I come back," Dinah smirked before she raised a hand and with a wiggle of her fingers, stole half of Quinn's life away from her mind.

And then she simply disappeared.