Disclaimer - see Part 1. Song - This Protector by the White Stripes. I dont own it, they do, those musical geniuses.



I never knew that I had to be
this protector
So many thoughts inside my head
a strange collector
but now
now
You thought you heard a sound
there's no one else around
looking at the door
it's coming through the floor
300 people living out in
west virginia have no idea
of all these thoughts that lie
within you but now
now



"Come on, let's get you into bed," said Barbara, knowing that what Helena needed most was a good night's sleep. Helena noticed the quick change of subject, but was too tired to argue, especially after telling Barbara her feelings on a very sensitive subject. She assented, and slowly stood, stretching her arms with a very cat-like grace. This ease of movement always fascinated Barbara, and she wondered what else Helena had inherited from her mother. Without a word, Helena started for Barbara's room, and Barbara didn't mind in the least. It reminded her of the 'good old days', as Helena had once called them, an attempt of hers to cover up potentially painful memories with a sarcastic tag. It was the way she dealt with things, Barbara thought, and followed Helena into her room.

Five minutes later, Barbara had a possessive arm draped over Helena's midsection, listening to her quiet breathing. It hadn't taken her long to fall asleep, and Barbara had promised to chase any bad dreams away. Times like these reminded Barbara of how child-like Helena could be sometimes: she still needed comforting, and Barbara didn't blame her. She idly traced an intricate tattoo with her finger, before Helena turned around in her sleep to face her. Unconsciously, she lifted a leg over Barbara's and moved her head onto the same pillow. Barbara's breath caught at the sudden proximity, feeling Helena's steady breathing on her neck. She planted a kiss on the top of Helena's head, before tucking the covers more comfortably around them and falling into peaceful sleep.


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The alarm woke them both at 6:30. It was another glorious schoolday, and Barbara had forgotten completely about it. *That's a first*.

"Ungh," groaned Helena, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to wake up. "How do you get up so early every morning?" she asked Barbara, amazed at the older womans stamina.

"Practice, and lots of coffee," said a barely conscious Barbara, the warmth of their bodies causing her to be a little more drowsy than usual. "Oh, and Dinah. She is NOT driving the Hummer."

"Good point," agreed Helena, not wanting to move out of Barbara's arms.

"C'mon," said Barbara, not really wanting to get up either, but doing so nonetheless. "The kids won't teach themselves, and the inspectors are in today." Her slight humor alleviated the tension of the previous night, and Helena was glad. Still, she felt like she had to say something.

"Thank you for last night," she said, feeling slightly foolish in her moment of weakness.

"What for?" asked Barbara. "You know you can talk to me."

"I know. Just....thanks for listening. And helping me feel safe again."

Barbara couldn't describe the emotions she felt at the last statement. She knew it was hard for Helena to be completely open, and felt incredibly glad that Helena trusted her. Out of impulse, she reached out to flatten a tuft of Helena's extremely messy hair, and placed a light kiss on her temple.

"You're more than welcome."

*I wonder if Helena knows how welcome she is?*


Helena flushed a little at the brush of Barbara's lips against her pulse point, and felt her pulse increase accordingly. "I guess I'd better do some work today," she said, not wanting to ruin the beauty of the moment. Reluctantly, she pulled back the covers and slowly got out of bed. "I'll see you later?" she asked, knowing that she and Dinah had a training session after school.

"Definitely," said Barbara, smiling as she lifted herself by the bars and maneuvered into her chair. "Sweeps tonight?"

"Sure," Helena smiled. As soon as she was out the door, she nearly jumped for joy. She didn't know why; she just knew that Barbara always cheered her up. Running up the stairs two at a time, she quickly showered and threw on some clothes, saying goodbye to a bemused Barbara and a semi-comatose Dinah before leaving for the bar.

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"Huntress, they're on West and Fifth." Oracle's clear, confident voice helped fuel Helena toward her destination. *She has faith in me* she thought, before leaping onto the next building. *More than I do in myself, sometimes.*

She slowed to a halt as she approached her destination. "They're heavily armed, Oracle, she whispered into the receiver. Six men in balaclavas and black clothes were in the process of stealing some valuable artwork from the New Gotham Museum of Modern Art. "I'll be damned if they steal the Picasso."

Barbara laughed at that. She had never thought of Helena as being an avid art fan, but it turned out she was, and a particular follower of The Spaniard, Picasso. Perhaps it was the skewed version of reality that particularly appealed to Helena, Barbara didn't know, but ever since she'd found out, they had made as many trips to the gallery as possible. She also knew which painting Helena loved the most. She returned to the situation at hand. "Do you want Dinah to come up there?" she asked, slightly worried at the presence of weapons.

"Nah, it should be okay. I can get the drop on them from here, and there aren't many of them."

How wrong she was had yet to be proved. Silently, she slunk to the fire escape, hoping that the added height would give her a greater impact. Making up her mind, she quickly dropped onto the first man, sending him crumpling to the ground. The suddeness of the attack and the quick removal of his shotgun ensured that the first of the thieves was incapacitated. *Now for the others*.

Keeping her momentum, Huntress raced forward, completely unaware of the two figures inside the museum's cafe door, keeping guard. She efficiently knocked the other two men out at once with the butt of the shotgun she still carried, waiting for the other three men to appear on the roof. When they took longer than expected, she slipped inside the glass doors, unaware that as she did so, the two men in the cafe had stepped out of the shadows.

The only light provided was from a high-power halogen lamp. The museum was completely empty, and with the security having completely disabled, Helena could move with ease. She could easily hear the men's voices below, and looked over the edge of the railing to make sure there were, indeed, three men down there. *Easy does it* she thought, before grabbing onto the railing and vaulting onto the ground below in an effortless flip.

"Hello, boys."

Before any of them could move a muscle, Helena had flipped over to them and kicked two into the wall, knocking them out. The third, while trying to aim his rifle, got it knocked back into his face, instantly breaking his nose and sending him to the floor, sprawling in agony.

"Oracle, I got 'em," Huntress said, adrenaline pumping in her veins. "You can probably send the cops over now."

Whilst she listened to Barbara on the other end of the line, she didn't hear the footsteps coming down the stairs.

The click of the safety caught her attention, but it was too late. A bullet, red-hot, followed by another, had entered her body somewhere, she didn't know where. All she knew was that she felt fierce pain everywhere, and she doubled over in agony.

"Oh, shit," she mumbled, tasting the blood rising in her throat. "Oracle, I need Dinah." These few words cost her all the energy she had, and she collapsed.

Barbara had heard the first shot, and was already contacting Dinah when she heard the second. "Helena!" *To hell with codenames*.
"Dinah's on her way, just hang on," she said, the panic in her system making it hard to breathe, let alone think. She heard Helena's strained breathing over the comm, as well as the voices of two men, obviously the shooters, discussing what to do with her. Helena was probably unconscious by now, and completely helpless until Dinah arrived.
Barbara almost couldn't handle the frustration of being trapped in the chair, and was tempted to take out her anger on the expensive computers in front of her. *Helena needs you, you can't lose control now!* She quickly called for Alfred.

"Yes, Miss Barbara?"

"Could you get the bed ready, please? And look out the bandages and emergency kit? The one with the morphine?"

"Yes, Miss Barbara. Is everything all right?"

Barbara sighed. "No, its not."

On to part 6...