Barbara Queen: The sirens return

Hand proof

By the time me, Tabitha and Selina show up at Barbara's new place it's only around four o'clock.
I'd told Barbara we'd be there at nightfall but I doubt it really matters.
And besides she'd seemed pretty desperate for our help. Despite her calm demeanour of course.
It was odd how much a he'd changed especially since last year she's been nothing short of a psychopath, well she was one. Of learned that first hand.
But she's been soft at times, she always threatened me but I think I knew deep down she'd never kill me. At least I'd hoped so. But I'd changed a lot over these months and maybe so had she.
"I still think this is a bad idea." Tabitha grumbles as I open the door.
"Just try and stay calm, okay. We don't need to pick I fight." I point out.
Tabitha doesn't respond as we walk in.
Barbara is waiting patiently for us at her desk, sifting threw some papers.
"Ladies, thank you for returning." She says when she notices us. "I'm glad-"
"Not so fast." Says Tabitha cutting her off.
"I'll be needing proof of your sincerity."
Barbara looks at me calmly.
"Yes. El said you would need something from me. You can have anything you like." She says.
"Fine." Says tabby "I'll take your hand."
"My what?" Barbara asks.
"Wait Tabitha no-" I begin.
"Shut it." She says.
"Both Butch and I lost a hand do yo penguins Machiavellian war games. I believe it's your turn."
Tabitha pulls out a large butchers knife, Barbara looks down at it calmly. But I know she's deathly terrified, I know I would be.
"You didn't say anything about this." Selina says.
"Quite." Tabitha barks at her. I look at Selina who shares my same unsettled expression. I'm not sure how to feel about this. Sure Barbara deserves it, but I don't really want to be a witness.
"Tabitha I assure you-" Barbara starts but tabby interrupts her again.
"Now more words, penguin cut of butches hand, nygma mine. Now I take yours." Tabitha says like it's simple.
I gulp.
"Fine."
Slowly Barbara agrees, laying her hand out for Tabitha in the table.
"if this is the only way I can get you to trust me... so be it."
I look down at Barbaras soon to be gone hand. I can't help but quiver, I want to look away but I can't tear my eyes away from the sight.
Tabitha stays in eye contact with Barbara the whole time even as she raises the knife and then... she smashes it down.
The blade lands inches away from Barbara's fingertips, any closer and she'd have lost her hand.
Barbara takes a moment to process it before looking up at Tabitha.
"Fine.I'll trust you... for now." Tabitha says.
Barbara has won the long con.
She turns and leaves, "I'll start Monday." she says slamming the door shut behind her.
Selina let's out a long sigh before turning to leave. I stay back a moment just staring at Barbara.
"I can't believe you were about to let her do that." I say in shock.
Barbara looks at me. "I told you once and I'll say it again, I made a mistake but now. I will not move forward without you." She says.
I sigh.
"I want to believe you." I say and then turn and leave. This was the way Barbara had always left me. Alone, hopeless and yet somehow calm.
"I'll see you Monday." Barbara says to me as I leave. I nod in her direction.
"Monday." I repeat and then leave.
When I get outside Selina is still there.
"Did Tabitha go home?" I ask her.
She nods, "yeah."
"Thanks for waiting for me." I add with a meek smile.
Selina just nods and we walk away silently.

The next few days I spend trying to get ready for my partnership with Barbara, on Sunday she calls me asking that me and Selina go get a crate for her. I don't know what's inside it but it doesn't really matter since we couldn't get it.
Me and Selina renter Barbara's place. We're both dreading telling her we've failed.
Me more than Selina though, me and Barbara didn't always have the best history.
"Maybe only one of us should go in."
Selina suggests as I'm about to open the door.
"What why?" I ask.
"Because if Barbara's gonna be pissed it's better if she only takes it out on one of us." She says.
"Alright fine then you go it." I say.
"What? No way." Says Selina, "you know her better."
"Yeah bu you've known her for longer." I retort.
Selina slumps.
"Common please, just this once. I've gotta go pick something up for tabby and besides its just a crate."
"Then why are you so scared to go in?" I question her.
Selina gives me a pleading look.
"Alright fine!" I say giving in.
"But just this once, and if Barbara is mad I can't take all the blame. This is on both of us."
Selina smiles.
"Of course."
I roll my eyes but smile a little, she then runs off.
When I get inside Barbara's the place is full. Everyone quickly files out though, including a man who's apparently just been the test dummy for one of Barbara's new guns.
"Tabitha and Selina planning on coming to work?"
Barbara asks once she sees me.
"I am paying her half the profits." she adds.
"Don't you mean a forth?" I remind her.
Barbara raises a brow.
"That depends. Where's my crate?"
I gulp, squirming under her gaze.
I look down at my feet, "we ran into some trouble." I say guiltily.
"Did penguins men see you?" Barbara asks seriously, more concerned about that than my safety.
"No, me and Selina wore masks like you said."
Barbara frowns.
"I know your pissed-" I try to say.
"I'm not mad." Barbara says in her new measured tone. "I misjudged the twoof you." She says calmly.
She turns away from me.
"I was wrong to cut the two of you in on my new business. Your clearly not ready." She says softly.
"What no! Barbra please, I'm really sorry. I can get it!" Barbara remains silent.
I'm getting sorta angry.
"Barbara common, I can't get the dam thing!" I yell.
Barbara turns round to face me.
"I'll do it myself." She says not caring to much that I'm getting all flustered.
She finishes closing up and faces me again.
"But if you want to redeem yourself, you can do the floors. Mops in the closet."
She looks at me with a familiar cunning look. She wants to put me in a box, make me feel like I'm a child.
I scoff.
"You can mop your own damn floors." I say angrily storming out.
Barbara crosses the room and blocks my exit.
"Well then, I guessed you don't want in after all." She says smugly.
I look deep into her icy blue eyes trying to find a motive.
I either have to swallow my pride and out up with her shit... or me and Selina both lose our jobs. I should've seen this coming. I never should have gone into the lions den alone.
"Fine." I say not looking her in the eye.
Barbara smiles sneakily, she has me right where she wants.
"Good girl." She says in her playful tone, "oh and the next time you see Selina I'd tell her to watch herself. Next time it'll be her cleaning." She remarks before sitting smugly down at her desk. She's smiles as she watches me mop and clean her floor like some kind of slave. I've been working for her only a day now and I'm right back where I started.
When I'm about halfway done I stop.
"You know what I'm done." I say.
Barbara looks up from her papers.
"Come again." She asks. I step closer to her.
"I said I'm done. I agreed to work with you because you promised to treat me like a partner and not a servant. So I made a mistake, it wasn't even really my fault and you know what, you need me!"
Barbara just looks amused.
"Is that so?" She asks.
I nod confidently.
"It is, and I'm not going to let you treat me or Selina like this anymore. So either you find someone else to clean your stupid floors, or I leave. And believe me when I say I'm not gonna come crawling back this time!" I declare.
Barbara doesn't look so amused anymore. She steps down toward me her infamous glare following me.
"So..." she says, "your finally gotten some back bone."
I hold my ground steadily, not braking eye contact.
"I like that." She says.
She touches my cheek gently like she used to.
"Don't disappoint me again." She says sternly.
"I won't." I say.
Barbara glances at the clock.
"It's late." She says turning away.
"Your welcome to stay here if you'd like, just don't touch anything that's not yours."
I look at the clock too, I hadn't realized how late it was. In Gotham it wasn't smart to be out at night.
"Fine." I say, finding a nice couch to lie on.
I look up at Barbara, there's a slight smile on her face. I think despite everything she likes having me around.
For about an hour I can't sleep. Barbara doesn't talk to me. She doesn't even sleep, I'm not even sure if she does at this point.
Eventually I get up and walk over to her desks.
She doesn't acknowledge me at first. I hover for a minute or two.
"Yes?" She asks me, sounding a little irritated.
"Do you ever sleep I ask."
I know I'm probably annoying her but I don't really care.
"Rarely." She says not looking up from her work.
"I guess that's one thing we have in common." I say.
Barbara looks up at me with angry eyes.
"Do you need something?" She asks glaring at me.
I shrug, "no, I, I just wanna talk. I mean you've been dead for months and now suddenly you back and, and...Barbara you haven't told me or Selina and Tabitha anything."
She stares blankly at me. "Barbara common, who brought you back?" Barbara doesn't answer me.
"It's none of your business." She says.
I shake my head, "yes it is. I need to know, it's the only way I'm going to be able to really work with and trust you." I say.
Barbara puts down her pen and gestures for me to sit opposite her.
"What would you like to know." She says with a serious face.
"Everything" I say.
Barbara smiles slyly.
"I was brought back to life by a man named Rah sha goul." She beings.
"He promised me power, money, if I were to be his eyes and ears in Gotham."
"So that's what this business is about. You don't care about what's happening in the city, he does." Barbara nods.
"Yes and no, he told me to help him but it was on my terms. Using his money I bought this place, and it was my idea to recruit you and the others." She says.
"And how do you know he's not just playing you?" I ask her.
Barbara glares at me, "you should trust me more often, when have I even been wrong." She says.
I scoff: she's been wrong a lot.
"So what does he want from you?" I ask.
"Right now... a knife."
"A knife?" I ask, confused.
" an important knife." She says.
"Tomorrow evening, penguin is going to be selling it at his auction. I was hoping you'd come with me to retrieve it." She says.
"Oh alright." I say, "what's so important about it."
Barbara doesn't answer.
"You don't know do you. So your just blindly following what this guys says? Barbara that's so stupid."
"Watch it!" she snaps making me go quite.
"Will you come or not?"
I sigh, "I'll come."
"good." She says.
I hesitate a moment before saying what I do next.
"You- you seem different." I say cautiously filtering any judgement out of my voice.
"So do you." Barbara replies casually.
"I like it." I add smiling slightly.
Barbara looks like she wants to say something but doesn't.
"So you've been living with Selina and Tabitha." She says.
"I'm sure that arrangement is pleasant." She says sarcastically.
"I don't mind." I say, "I'd rather be in a crappy, small apartment than be alone."
Barbara's eyes glint for a moment.
"Alone doesn't always mean lonely." Barbara says.
I smile, "that's just what lonely people say."
Barbara works her jaw angrily, "are you implying something?" She asks aggressively.
I look away, "of course not. All I meant was that I understand what being alone is like. I never want to feel like it again." I say.
I can feel Barbara watching me closely but I don't mind. At least we're finally having a civil conversation.
"So do you like not sleep anymore?" I ask her.
She rolls her eyes, "aren't you growing or something, I'm pretty sure teenagers need to shut up and sleep once and a while." She says in an annoyed tone.
I smirk at her, "oh common." I say, "don't act like you hate talking so much."
Barbara told her eyes and gets up.
She pours herself a drink and then sits back down.
I just stare at her.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did you want one." she says mockingly. I let out an exasperated sigh.
"You know I don't." I say.
She smiles poisonously, "yes well, no one ever said it was wrong to have a little fun." she ads.
"Now go on, back to sleep." She says shooing me away like a fly. I roll my eyes and drag myself back to the couch.
"Barbara?" I ask lying down.
I hear Barbara's annoyed yet comforting voice.
"What is it now?" She asks me.
"Goodnight." I say.
There's a long pause as the lights are turned out. Then I hear Barbara walking away.
"Goodnight." She responds before going to wherever she sleeps. I close my eyes and for the first time in months, I finally feel at peace.