Helena Wayne is (the_huntress) wrote in doorslogs, @ 2012-11-17 21:57:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | huntress, red robin |
Who: Morgan and Spencer, with very brief appearances by Tim and Helena
What: Meeting
Where: Unnamed bar
When: Before Helena crosses
Warnings/Rating: Some feels, nothing big.
Tim had taken up every last ounce of Spencer’s free time and wore his patience thin with each passing day. When he wasn’t at work, Tim forced him through the door. It seemed Tim’s overwhelming emotions were more than enough to wrest control away from Spencer. The Army man didn’t like it one bit, even less now as Tim battled for control. Hels is back. I need to go see her! Spencer understood that need, he really did. He just wished Tim trusted him a little more. “Calm down, kid. I’m going, okay? You’re going to let me do this right?”
Dressed casually in jeans and a faded graphic tee, Spencer held his cell phone up to his ear so that he could talk to Tim in the cab without getting any weird looks. Fine, Tim huffed. But I want to talk to her. Me, okay? And then I’ll let you have all day tomorrow here instead of dragging you through the door. Spencer perked up at that. “The whole day, Tim. You can’t even peek. Deal?” Deal. Problem solved, as far as Spencer was concerned, and Tim settled into the background. He was still ready to jump forward, but Spencer trusted that he’d wait his turn.
They’d agreed to meet at the bar so that was where Spencer headed. He wasn’t sure what Morgan looked like, but Tim had apparently given a rather accurate description of him so he just stood casually at the bar and waited for someone to approach him.
As much as she liked the Wynn, a new city meant exploring and Morgan wasn't one to stay cooped up inside all day. There were places to go, people to see, things to do, and once of those included meeting this man that had Tim in his head. Helena had been quiet the first few days but over the past day or so, she'd started talking. About everything.
And then this morning she finally said that they needed to contact Tim and someone named Luke to let them know she was all right. Helena had been waiting to put it off until the afternoon so that Morgan could look at a few houses, but as soon as they were back at the hotel, Morgan made the post in the journal. It brought another fist pumping cheer and Morgan had the distinct feeling that if she could, Helena would have been hugging her in those few minutes afterwards.
She hadn't asked what made the other girl so happy yet as it was something they could talk about later. 'Later,' Helena agreed as Morgan got dressed in a pair of comfortable jeans, still new so they weren't quite broken in yet, and a navy blue baby tee, emblazoned with a hello kitty. Helena liked it best. Tying her hair up into a loose ponytail, she left her hotel room, the heels of her boots clicking across the floor.
Leaving early left her with plenty of time to actually walk there, doing a little window shopping along the way and while Vegas was no longer scorching hot, by the time she arrived at the bar, she was parched. Luckily enough, it seemed that Spencer was already there. Tim had given her a fairly accurate description of the other man and she smiled as she walked up to the bar beside him. "Spencer?"
Whoever Spencer had been expecting, Morgan certainly wasn’t quite it. She was hot, for one, and that didn’t necessarily mean that he hadn’t expected that. It was just how completely and utterly not-Tristan she was. She didn’t look crazy, didn’t live in a basement. She certainly didn’t talk like she wanted to eat people. Those were all positives as far as the boys were concerned, but when they actually saw her, they were both relieved. “Hey, yea. That’s me. Morgan, right? It’s nice to meet you.” Spencer was warm and welcoming, offering her a hand just as the bartender slid his beer in front of him.
“Can I get you something to drink?” He could feel Tim just itching to take over, to hug the other woman as a way to hug Helena. He wanted to tell her everything that was going on, all the crazy and the angry and everything. “I really appreciate you reaching out to us. Poor kid’s been going crazy not knowing if she was here or not.” Tim balked at being called a kid, but Spencer reminded him of the gangs he’d tied up and left for the GCPD. He’d certainly been acting like a kid.
"A pleasure," Morgan said warmly as she slid her hand into his and gave him a firm shake. While she didn't know much about him, Helena had said that he was a friend and could be trusted. Perhaps it hadn't been the best idea to trust a girl who's voice she'd just gotten, but there was something about her nature -- not simple, not naive, but optimistic that she liked to have.
"I told Helena I would. She wanted him to know that she'd made it," Morgan said as she sat down on one of the bar stools, her heels hooking over the bottom spindle. "What that means, I don't know." The details were filling in, but most of what she'd gotten from Helena had been to talk to Tim and Luke, and the girl named Kara that the young woman missed. "And yes, I'd love a drink." A nudge from Helena and she was grinning as she playfully reached over to pluck his bottle of beer from his grip. "Thanks," she said, lips curled upwards, eyes teasing, as she tilted the bottle towards her lips and took a long swallow.
Spencer shook her hand firmly, hinting at the muscles that lay beneath his clothes. “The pleasure’s all mine,” he insisted with a smile, which only grew when Tim snorted in the back of his mind. He gestured for another just as she took his bottle right from his hand. Spencer was a little shocked, but mostly impressed and whistled low to show his appreciation. “Ballsy. I like it." Spencer paused before continuing. "She was in another person, before you. The woman was a murdering psychopath. She’s currently in a mental facility to determine whether or not she’s fit to stand trial,” he explained quietly. “You really don’t want to know the details but it’s a good thing she’s back. I’m not sure I could take much more of days like this week has been.”
Jeeze, you’re not going to let me forget about this, are you? asked Tim. Spencer just smiled and shook his head ever so slightly. His beer came and he paid for both drinks before taking a seat on the stool next to her. It wasn't so crowded that they had a lot of space, but it was crowded enough that they wouldn't be overheard too much. "Okay, so, what's the scoop with you? Or should I show you mine first?" He asked with a smirk before taking a swig of his beer.
She laughed outright at his comment about being ballsy. It had taken her years to learn that the best way to get what you wanted was to go for it. The laughter died though as he started talking about the other woman that Helena had been with. 'Tristan,' she said in the back of Morgan's mind. 'Her name was Tristan.' And while she had the details from Spencer -- lovely man that he was -- the feeling she got from Helena provided more information than he ever could. Morgan didn't press her for more details about it nor more from Spencer regarding the woman -- Tristan.
"Why? What's been going on this week?" She asked, curious as she took another sip of beer. It wasn't her favorite but it was cool, wet, and exactly what she wanted at the moment. "Oh, by all means, show me yours first," Morgan grinned. If he was going to be polite enough to offer, she was going to take him up on it. Not to mention, there was a girl in the back of her head that was nearly as curious about Tim's Vegas side person as she was.
A good sense of humor was always a plus as far as Spencer was concerned. He wouldn’t have minded telling all about the crazy that was Tristan, but he could feel Tim’s unease and realized Helena could probably convey more about the other woman than the two of them could. He shrugged and decided to delve into what little Tim knew about what was going on in Gotham. “Bruce got hit with some kind of toxin and he went on a clean up spree. Jason got hit with it too. Tim doesn’t know much of anything, other than that Selina had that Blake guy from the movie lock down the cave before going after Bruce. Babs showed up though, so that’s good. Shiva and Ra’s are around. Ra’s had Shiva break Scarecrow out of Arkham and Tim talked to her for a bit. Apparently there’s other stuff that he doesn’t know about.” Spencer shrugged, but the look in his eyes - Tim’s eyes - said he was pissed about it.
“Doesn’t help that Tim’s moved out of the mansion and is currently trying to single handedly clean the gangs off the streets.” Tim groaned in the back of Spencer’s mind, annoyed that he’d said anything about it. “It’s not that bad, honest,” Tim said through Spencer’s mouth. Spencer’s eyebrows shot up, surprised that Tim had been able to do that. “Uh, okay, now that I’m talking again...here’s the rundown about me. US Army, recruitment over at UNLV. I’ve got a year left until I’m out and I’m not reenlisting this time. Tim and I get along pretty well, when he’s not running me ragged and not letting me get an ounce of sleep or leaving me with brui- I have not!” Spencer took a deep breath and forcibly pushed Tim in the back of his mind. “Right, sorry about that. He’s not usually like this, I promise. And he’s not making me say that.” He took a long drink of his beer to stop himself from saying anything else.
In the span of the first six sentences, Helena went from being in the back of her mind to feeling like she was going to burst out of Morgan's forehead and she visibly winced. It was the first two that had the worst impact -- Bruce and Jason being hurt. While Helena wasn't particularly close to either one of those men, at least on the Door-side, she knew it was bad. Really bad. No matter what Spencer said. "Is everyone okay?" She asked while Helena calmed down enough to no longer feel like she was going to crack her skull open. At least now she knew how she was going to be spending her weekend -- through the Door.
"You cannot follow that up with anything you want me to pay attention to," she finally said with a quiet, strained laugh. Shaking her head as Helena got quieter, no less worried though -- Morgan could feel that -- she lifted the bottle back to her lips. "You have to work on your delivery there, handsome," she said once the bottle touched back down to the top of the bar. While getting the facts straight up was always a preferred method, it was usually good to let someone catch their breath between them. "Now. Army recruiter. He's leaving you with bruises?"
Spencer shrugged. “I don’t know. Like I said, he isn’t exactly in the loop. Damian went after Jason. Stephanie was coordinating their movements for a while there, but we’re honestly not the best people to ask.” He felt bad, not being able to tell them more, but he couldn’t tell them what he didn’t know. Tim had pointedly steered clear of the lot of them, since they’d decided they didn’t need him. Spencer thought it was petty, but Tim hadn’t wanted to listen. He wasn’t going to interfere on something like that.
“Hey, when it’s just me? I do alright for myself. It’s the teenager messing me up.” Tim humphed, but didn’t say anything. Thankfully. He took another long swig of his beer before answering Morgan’s question. “Eh. Not too bad. Just feels like I’m back in Basic, honestly. Plus, I haven’t been out in the field for about a year. Even when I was overseas, I didn’t see much action. Thank god I’m not out of shape or anything.” He said it with a smile, as if to reassure her. “It’ll be fine. Having Helena back with help take the edge off, I’m sure.” Another smile, another drink.
Morgan simply looked at him for a long moment, both of them digesting this new bit of information. She was definitely going to be going to the hotel as soon as she could. "Tell him to take it easy on you," she said after she took another sip of her beer. Tim didn't need to get hurt on top of whatever else was going on in Gotham.
"They've got different rules there, no matter how well you can take care of yourself." Army, training, it didn't matter much in Gotham, nor how big one's muscles were. The smile didn't reassure her much, but she appreciated the effort as she returned it. "And he needs to leave some behind so Helena can have something to do when she comes back."
Spencer nearly laughed at Morgan’s reply. If only it were that simple. He could feel guilt stirring in the back of his mind, but he shook his head softly. I get it, kid. Even if I don’t agree with it, Spencer assured him. Still, Tim withdrew a little more. “He’ll be fine. He’s a tough kid and we compensate for what the other’s missing,” he replied, taking another swig.
“There’s plenty for Helena to do, but I’m sure Tim won’t mind a trip to Wonder City. God knows their streets need a good clean too.” Spencer shrugged. It really didn’t matter all that much where Tim was. He’d find a way to let it out and work through it. “So, what’s your deal? Crazy? Lots of cats? Thing for knives? Bodies in the closet? Inquiring minds want to know.”
"Sounds like you have a good partnership," she said with a genuine smile. That was a good thing and it was her turn to laugh at his questions. "No, not crazy. No cats. No knives unless my ex-husband is around," Morgan said warmly as her fingertips ran through the condensation on the beer bottle. "And no bodies in the closet, basement, or backyard."
But where to start? Morgan downed the last of her beer and gestured for another one from the bartender. "Divorced, no children. I do a bit of financial advising on the side when I'm not traveling. Oh, and I'm a comic geek. Tell Tim I'm sorry for traumatizing him with that story the other day. My lips are sealed as to what else happens."
“I’d say we’re stuck with each other, but Helena’s proven that’s not quite true. Certain things make it...complicated, but we make it work. We could both be stuck with far worse people.” That was the truth and neither one was unhappy enough to risk getting someone worse. Spencer listened as Morgan shared her own story. His eyebrow quirked up at the mention of traumatizing Tim, but the young man was silent about it. “Can’t say I know what you’re talking about, but he’s sulking which means I missed something good.” Though there was humor in his words, there was also worry in the back of his mind.
“I’m a bigger fan of movies and stuff, but my eh-uh friend, he’s a big DC comic nut so I’ve been slowly but surely making my way through. I’m on the No Man’s Land arc at the moment. Not a lot of Tim, but it’s important to read stuff in order, far as I’m concerned.” He’d been told plenty of times that it was wrong, but it didn’t really matter. It was technically all stuff Tim knew and held little merit here because they were in a different place. A different time. “I doubt I’ll read past where he starts not knowing. No sense in borrowing trouble.”
"Like what?" There was something that Morgan was curious about. Having Helena in her head was definitely a first, but she didn't find the girl's presence disturbing once she'd gotten her clean bill of health from Dr Fischer. But, having learned now about Tristan, Morgan was curious to see how others dealt with this and what sort of conflicts they had. To be forewarned was to be forearmed.
"I've seen the movies as well, but I've always enjoyed looking at the source. Though it took me a long time to get into the bigger names and larger runs. I'm starting to enjoy those as well." She tipped her head to the bartender as he came back with a fresh beer for her. "I've read through the Red Robin series. I let him know about something that happened that hasn't happened to him yet. He was a little," she paused, biting the tip of her tongue as she considered what word she wanted to use. "Disturbed by it."
Spencer waved off the question. It really wasn’t necessary to get into every last detail and it really was just way too complicated. That conversation was going to require a hell of a lot more alcohol. He also wasn’t going to bring up the Tim, Steph, Damian issue that was him, Nick, and Jade. It was just better not to get into it. “Not really into reading. I’ve got too much stuff going on between my life and his. Movies are just easier to digest, that’s all,” he replied.
He could understand why Tim got annoyed about finding out about that stuff. “When he first got here, he was in Iraq. He’d just found a cave with Bruce’s symbol on it. Flew home right away to deal with stuff.” Spencer shrugged. “He’s been sensitive lately. Missing Helena, feeling left out. I wouldn’t take it personally if I were you.”
"Ah." After traveling for the past few years, reading was a way to pass the time on airplanes, something else to do on one beach or another. "Books are easier when you don't know which country you'll be in. DVDs have regions, then you have to get specific DVD players," she started, hand waving through the air as she laughed. "Easier."
Morgan noticed that he didn't answer her question, but she wasn't going to pry. As curious as she was, she could wait until he chose to divulge that information or she found out on her own. "I'll do my best not to," she said with a smile. "And I won't. I got the feeling something was going on that he wasn't talking about when we talked before, but I didn't press."
“Different strokes for different folks and all. No big. My ex is really into comics so I’ve just been borrowing his.” Spencer shrugged and finished off his beer. He declined the second offered by the bartender. “Good choice. He’s 19 but he’s still a kid most days. He’ll get there eventually.” It was almost amusing that Morgan might push Tim. “I definitely wouldn’t recommend it. He’ll play nice because you’re Helena’s person, but he’s fiercely protective of her. Probably a good thing she wasn’t around for the crazy, else he would’ve been way worse.”
I want to talk to her. Tim was getting impatient. “Damn, I hate to be the party pooper and all but, can she talk through you? It’s a bit like handing over the controls. Way awkward, but he wants to talk to her.” Spencer didn’t bother adding that he’d end up with a killer headache if she declined. Wasn’t worth worrying Helena or making Morgan think less of Tim.
Morgan made a face as if she'd bitten into a nut and found a worm inside. Even on the best of days she didn't like turning control over to anyone and they weren't even in her own mind. 'Please, just a minute,' Helena said. "Right, handing over the controls." Much easier said than done, Morgan suspected, but she was still going to try.
And in the end, it was easier than she thought it would be. It was like relaxing and just letting Helena slide forward.
Morgan's body felt different from Tristan's, but much different than her own. It didn't stop her from giving Spencer an impish grin that didn't look nearly as out of place as it would have on her former head-mate. She didn't say a word as she slid out of the stool and practically jumped onto his, the entire thing rocking alarmingly as her arms held tight around his neck. "Timmy," was all she said as the stool settled.
The shift between Spencer and Tim was smooth, though how and why it worked well for them, neither knew. All that mattered was that it was Tim who caught Helena around the waist and held her close. It was Tim who’s eyes watered just from hearing his name. He felt better already, even though he knew he’d be the bearer of bad news. “I finished the secret door between our rooms at Wayne Manor but I...moved out. To Drake Manor, just down the way. I can’t-” Tim shook his head. “I’ll tell you when it’s you and me. Not them. Promise me you’ll tell me if she’s bad? If she makes you uncomfortable?” He didn’t let go of her, didn’t loosen his grip. He didn’t want to. Not yet. Just a few more minutes.
"I will," Helena assured him as she tried to press closer, but couldn't. A glance down told her why and for a moment, she felt almost guilty about the fact that she was shoving Morgan's breasts up against him. She was definitely going to have to remember that in the future. Maybe. "Can't... Can't do this for long, Timmy." It felt too weird and while Morgan wasn't trying to force her out, there was no hiding that the other woman didn't like giving up control.
It was nothing like Tristan though. "See you soon," was all she could say. They'd talk about him moving out later, but that would have to wait as Morgan slid back to the front and promptly eased out of Spencer's grip. It took her a minute, her gaze not meeting his to finally feel properly settled back into her own skin again. "Sorry," she said as she finally looked up. "I -- he should know. I'm not going to hurt her."
Tim didn’t even care that they weren’t in the right bodies. Only she’d call him Timmy. Only she’d understand. Morgan wasn’t cruel. She wouldn’t make it up just to hurt him. He might not have liked her all that much, but he didn’t think she was capable of playing a trick. Not like this. So he held on as tightly as he could even when she said she wouldn’t be able to hold on for very long. Sure enough, she was pulling away, and Tim knew it wasn’t Helena. He knew it was her. Unlike them, Tim stayed in control a while longer.
“Tell her I have some things for her, for when she comes back. They’ll be in her room at Wayne Manor, in the wardrobe. And- I’ll believe you, because you’re not crazy, but the second I so much as get an inkling that she’s not safe and I won’t hesitate to do the same thing I did with Tristan.” Tim was dead serious and it showed in Spencer’s expression. At least he could do menacing well.
"I'll tell her," Morgan started to say before Tim made his promise. Her smile turned a little sad then and she might have reached out to touch him if he had been Spencer, but she suspected he might not appreciate it as Tim. "You don't need to make threats to ensure her safety, Tim. I would have done that regardless." It wasn't in her nature to hurt those that did not want to be and she wouldn't have been cruel to Helena even if the young woman had desired it.
"She expects you to tell her about what's been going on when she sees you next." Morgan picked up her second beer and took a long swallow off it. "It will be soon. I don't know when, but if you like I can let you know."
Tim shook his head. He did need to threaten her. She needed to know he was serious. “I’ll fill her in. She knows how to get in touch with me. I’ll be there anyway.” That was all that needed saying as far as Tim was concerned, so he gave Spencer control back. Spence shook his head slightly and gave her an apologetic smile.
“And, now back to your regularly scheduled programming...” Spencer sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re pretty cool.” He pulled his card from his wallet and slid it over to her. “If you need anything. It’s kind of my thing. Just call. I’ll be around.” It was the least he could do.
"Your thing?" She asked, curious even as she took the card from him. What had she stumbled into? Morgan wondered, but in the back of her mind, Helena was smiling. 'He's good.' Sliding the card into her back pocket, she reached for the twenty she kept back there. Traveling had taught her to be careful with where she kept her wallet and purse, which was why she had brought neither and had only tucked her ID and money into her pocket. "You're going to have to tell me about your thing later," she said as she paid for her second beer, fingers loose around the neck of it. She'd finish it before leaving, but if he needed to go, she wasn't going to keep him.