****************
Chapter 21 - The Warming Spring

Slam was behind the wheel of the Plymouth, smoking and watching the road. The car was parked nose-out on a deserted backcountry lane set deep in the heart of Bristol Commons. It was early morning. The world was still gray and foggy. Frost dusted the grass lining the unpaved road. Spring was still a few weeks off, but the ground had thawed enough to turn the countryside a dull shade of brown. At this hour, the rutted ground was packed hard and deep. Frozen puddles of condensation left during the night had formed in the cracks running through the earth and Slam stared at the pools of ice, smoke from his slowly-burning Duke curling around his head. He stared through the smoke, waiting. He was good at that.

Finally he heard the soft pounding of feet in the distance, regular as a heartbeat. Selina, putting herself through the paces. He knew her routine: a 15 mile run, an hour of yoga and then a punishing combination of fight training and gymnastics. Selina had followed that regiment every day for a month since the casts had come off and he considered once again how badly Huntress must have hurt her. It was more than simple embarrassment about being taken down by one of the junior-grade psychos. She was determined that she would never be hurt like that again. He�d seen Holly go through the same thing after Sylvia had�

Slam smiled, thinking of his women, both of them survivors and fighters. He loved them, more than they would ever know.

Holly stirred next to him, coming awake slowly. She�d come along for the ride and the promise of breakfast after the meet with Selina. The chance to see her best friend for the first time in six weeks hadn�t hurt either.

�Is she here yet?� Holly mumbled, her voice still thick with sleep. Slam shook his head, finishing the cigarette before the squirt had a chance to complain about the dangers of secondhand smoke.

�Give her a sec,� he advised, rolling the window down far enough to flick the butt out onto the frozen ground outside. He watched as the orange spark went out against the dull, dead earth, fading into gray.

Selina�s footsteps drew closer and she materialized out of the early-morning fog. The demur black sweat suit did little to conceal her curves but she looked thinner somehow, taller. Perspiration glistened on her cheeks, plastering strands of hair against her forehead. Slam thought she was beautiful.

She came to a halt slowly, walking for a bit, cooling down. Slam got out of the car and leaned against the driver�s side door. Holly scrambled out of the passenger seat and climbed over the hood to sit next to him, her slight weight not even registering on the big car�s frame.

�Hi!� Selina gasped, waving her hand in their general direction. She doubled over, her hands on her knees, dragging air into her lungs. Slam watched her, lighting another Duke.

�I told you to quit smoking,� he teased her about her winded state. Selina�s head came up and she approached him, snatching the cigarette out of his hand and taking a deep pull. She blew a delicately-formed smoke ring and handed the butt back to him.

�Still cheeky,� Slam smiled.

Selina grinned, throwing her arms around Holly, keeping her eyes on Slam�s face. �Glad you made it,� she said, her face still flushed from the run.

�I brought the rest of your clothes,� Holly piped up, squirming out of Selina�s embrace. She reminded Selina of Bruce, a little. He didn�t like to be touched too much either.

Holly continued, dutifully reporting, �Karon helped me pack them up. She sends her love, hopes you�re enjoying Mexico.�

Selina nodded, then mock-grimaced. �You didn�t let her pick out my vacation wardrobe, did you?�

Holly grinned and poked Selina�s side. As firm and sleek as Catwoman had been, Selina was now a rock. His training, Holly realized, watching her friend�s face. Things were different now. Neither Ted nor the sensei at that backalley dojo could teach Selina anything anymore. She�d crossed over, come under the tutelage of the Bat. Holly knew Slam worried about that, sometimes. She often saw him staring out the window in his dingy little office, frowning up at Wayne Towers.

Selina crossed around the back of the car. Slam reached into the open driver�s window and popped the trunk. They had a nice setup going in the Plymouth�s back end; there were holes punched into the lid of the trunk for breathing, an IV containing glucose, another bottle for urine. Useful for an emergency trip across state lines, or even a remote border run. A person could survive for days in the trunk of Slam�s old Plymouth, curled around the fuel cell on a couple of mouth-eaten blankets.

The trunk wasn�t habitable now, however. Cardboard boxes containing Selina�s few personal effects not destroyed in the fight with Huntress crowded the small space. Two cats, a short-haired domestic named Marcelo and an orange tabby named Smitty were napping comfortably on a box of Selina�s sweaters.

�Mew,� one of them greeted. Selina rubbed the tabby�s ears, a soft look in her eyes as she massaged the cat�s head.

�Thanks,� she told Slam and Holly. �I missed them.�

�Let me guess,� Slam began, lowering the trunk�s lid gently. �No stealing, no smoking, and no cats.�

�House rules,� Selina agreed. �But he�s willing to negotiate. He really isn�t as�hard as he pretends, Slam.�

Slam took another drag, casting a dubious expression towards Holly. The squirt shrugged, not wanting to get involved.

�He treating you okay?� Slam asked, his voice gruff. He pretended it was the cigarette smoke.

Selina leaned against the bumper, folding her arms across her chest. �What if I say no?�

�You could come home,� Holly said softly. Both Selina and Slam looked at her, surprised. �Well, it�s not like you�re living with him. Once you�re finished training-�

�There�s something coming,� Selina interrupted. �Something soon. April 1^st. He hasn�t explained what it is, but I�m there until it�s over.�

�Any theories?� Slam asked, blowing a fine plume of smoke out into the overcast sky. Selina shook her head.

�There are some things we don�t talk about,� she said, wrinkling her brow. Something next to her sneaker began to fascinate her; Selina stabbed at it idly with her toe. �Surprise surprise.�

Holly frowned, chewing at her bottom lip. She leaned against the trunk next to Selina, crossing her arms in an unconscious imitation of the older woman. �Come home,� she said again. �We could go back to the way things were, before��

�I nearly got you killed. You, Maggie, Slam..� Selina trailed off, feeling their concern and love for her. �The stuff with the Black Mask, Sylvia�At least he knows the risks.�

�Isn�t that something we should decide?� Slam said quietly. �I mean, shouldn�t you ask us if we want to be in your life? We learned our lesson, okay? No more drugs. No more messing with the mafia.�

�Unless we can get away with it,� Selina added with a wry smile. She shook her head. �I was kidding myself with our operation. I�ve seen his resources, what he�s got to throw up against the animals controlling the East End. He hasn�t made a dent.�

�Well, we�re not him,� Slam told her. �And sure, he�s got some good techniques. Scare tactics, mostly. We don�t trade on fear. We ask the people to come to us. Let them help us fix their problems.�

�We help the helpless,� Holly added. Slam resisted the urge to pat her on the head.

�This isn�t you, Selina,� he told his friend quietly. �You belong in the East End, doing the good work with us.�

Selina raised her eyes to his, the green orbs infinitely sad and wise. �I don�t belong anywhere, Slam. I�m just�just passing through.�

�That�s what it is, with him?�

She shrugged, taking Holly�s hand, her fingers warm and rough against the girl�s palm. �If I knew what it was, I could tell you why I�m determined to stay.�

Her words hung in the cold spring air for a moment. Slam noticed that the first fingers of dawn were beginning to paint the sky a cool, pale pink in the east. �You love him?�

Holly looked at Slam sharply, frowning. If she�d know this was going to be a replay of their awkward Christmas dinner conversation�

Selina looked to the east, to the city and to the rising sun. �You asked me that before, about another man who died on a river in Canada. I told you then I didn�t know the meaning of the word.�

�You buy a dictionary since then?� Slam asked her, quietly, his tone taking the sting out of the words.

She didn�t reply, kept looking east. Her eyes were a little moist; Holly thought it might be the light. �It�s not something I could ever say to him, Slam. And even if he felt the same way�� she broke it off, weary at the attempt. �There are things normal people have, things like love and family and a future where you can face yourself in the mirror every morning. Neither I nor Bruce will ever have those things, Slam. And if I pretended, just for an instant, that we did, he�d ask me to go.�

�Do you want those things?� Holly asked her, rubbing Selina�s cold fingers. The two women were back in that airless little room at the Hotel Edwards in Crime Alley, nursing each other through each day, waiting on a soiled mattress for their next customer. Selina touched Holly�s cheek, taking a deep breath.

�Thanks for the clothes, hon,� she whispered. Holly nodded, a tear spilling down the side of her face. Slam swallowed hard, not knowing what to say. He watched as Selina unpacked the two boxes from the trunk, the cats spilling out of the Plymouth to wind around her legs.

�We�re just a phone call away,� Slam told her, squeezing her forearm. Selina nodded, not trusting her voice.

�Don�t come around again,� she told them. �Not until it�s finished.�

****************

Selina made it back to the manor slowly, juggling the two boxes as she tried not to step on one of the cats. They were city animals, born and bred in the alleys of Gotham. The space and clean air of the Bristol countryside was a little overwhelming to them. They stuck close to Selina and moved hesitantly as she entered the house, sniffing everything in site and mewing plaintively. �You two are complete and total wusses,� she informed them.

Selina set the boxes down near the stairs, making a mental note to try and collect the boxes before Alfred shuffled them off to some back room. The possessions in the boxes didn�t matter much to her. Bruce had certainly bought her enough clothing to last until April and Selina had never kept many personal items around her apartment. She didn�t have many personal items to begin with. Very little had survived the firestorm of her childhood. Whatever hadn�t been taken to pay her father�s debts or stolen at the orphanage had been pawned long before she�d resorted to selling her body for her next meal.

Selina moved down the hall into Bruce�s study. She paused before the great oil portrait of Bruce�s parents hanging above the fireplace. Selina frowned, trying to discern from their expressions what they had been like. She knew they had been able to inspire the kind of love and loyalty necessary to make Bruce�s mission seem worthwhile. The tall, strong-chinned, dark haired man and beautiful woman in the portrait were almost a different species to her. They had been the kind of parents who�d wanted had what they�d brought into the world.

Selina set the hands on the grandfather clock�s face to 10:47 and stepped back as an elaborate security system silently unlocked and granted her access to the Batcave. It wouldn�t have taken her long to figure a way in by herself, but Bruce had given her the combination weeks ago as one of his rare, random displays of trust. He would leave her the keys to the Batcave but refused to tell her what was so important about April 1^st. Selina had resolved to figure that out for herself.

She descended into the cave using the staircase behind the clock, counting the number of steps in the darkness of the passage. It was an old thief�s habit, counting steps, memorizing the placement of obstacles. You never knew when a hasty exit would be required and a true professional would never blunder over a forgotten ottoman or into an undiscovered corner. She reached the first level of the cave, crossed over to an elevator and descended to a second level. Casting a fleeting glance at the central computer system, Selina chose instead to head for the gym.

She�d been spending most of her time there, fighting to regain the strength she�d lost in Huntress� attack. Her thigh still ached sometimes, particularly in the damp chill of early spring, but Selina had regained all of her lost flexibility and athletic prowess. In fact, thanks to the state-of-the-art gym and health facilities in the Batcave, she was in better physical shape than ever before. Still, she hesitated at the possibility of returning to her activities as Catwoman. Bruce hadn�t asked her why, at least not yet. She suspected he was relieved to discover her unwillingness to resume her former activities. Not that he�d ever just come out and say so, of course.

Selina did a few warm-up stretches, some running on one of the treadmills and then hit the balance beam. Gymnastics had always been her favorite activity, from the short time with her parents in the East End, to the orphanage, to the Young Offenders facility, and even when living on the street. She had always managed to find time for it, even if was only a few hours a day prowling on the rooftops of Gotham to practice tumbling. It allowed her to shut everything out and fully concentrate on her breathing, every small movement and muscle. Nothing matched the calm and centeredness of that moment. Holly had tried to explain heroine to her once and Selina had only understood much later, in one of those moments of calm. Drugs could be a retreat. So could meditation. Selina found release in the muscle-deadening exhaustion of exercise, and if she could only reach that place today, everything else would seem so much clearer�

�You�ve got beautiful form,� a woman�s voice was telling her. The voice was slightly familiar and Selina opened her eyes, jerking her head around to see who was addressing her. Her balance on the thin beam didn�t waver. She remained perfectly poised on one leg, her other limbs extended to maintain perfect equilibrium.

A pretty woman with glasses and shoulder-length red hair was watching her. Selina noted the wheelchair, wondering which cave entrance was handicap-accessible.

�Thanks,� she said, keeping her tone even. Who the hell?-

�We�ve never met,� the woman said quickly. �Barbara Gordon. Batgirl.�

�Oh,� Selina said, wincing at her own banality as soon she said it. Catwoman should have said something much snappier. The kids practically expected it. Selina straightened, dropping the graceful posture, her arms held limply at her sides. �Oracle.�

The woman nodded, eyes framed by thin, fashionable glasses flashing something Selina couldn�t interpret. �Where did you study?�

�Study?� Selina repeated, closing her eyes again. Great, she thought. You�re coming off like a real genius. �Oh, that. I guess I just picked it up somewhere.�

Barbara didn�t seem impressed and Selina realized that was what she�d been trying to do. Impress her, that skinny little red-headed girl who�d been Batgirl so many years ago. Gordon�s daughter. Another piece of Bruce�s life fell into place. She marveled at the carefully arranged fictions of Batman�s world�and then her heart caught in her chest. The wheelchair. Barbara Gordon, that goofy kid who�d never quite managed to bring Catwoman down�

�What about you?� Selina found herself asking, her mind screaming. All she could see was the chair and Bruce�s sad expression when she�d asked about his extended family intruding into his life.

��I was on the school team,� Barbara explained, watching Selina carefully. �It was gymnastics all through high school and college. They once offered me a chance to try out for the Olympics.�

The memory was strange, just another example of a long string of physical and mental accomplishments and one Barbara preferred not to recall. Six years in this damn chair, and all of a sudden it was coming back to her. How it felt to be weaving in among the parallel bars, tumbling into a complicated routine, balancing with perfect grace on a beam no more than an inch in width. And sailing over the rooftops at night, ready to foil the crimes of someone like the woman before her. It all came rushing back, the enormity of what had been taken from her. Barbara closed her eyes, opening them to find that Selina had hopped off the balance beam and approached her.

�Did you make the tryout?� Selina asked quietly. Barbara shook her head.

�I was�busy. The Joker-�

�You would have made it,� Selina assured her quietly, sincerely. �I remember the way you used to move. You�d have been a shoe-in.�

Barbara backed up a little in the chair, shaking. She�d come down here expecting a fight or some of that sexually-charged banter Catwoman was so famous for. The last thing she�d anticipated, or wanted, was sympathy. Surprise and confusion made her tone much more bitter than she�d intended.

�And what would you know about it?�

�I know I was never asked to try out for the US team,� Selina replied, backing off a little, giving the other woman her space. �It would have been an honor. Hell, it would have been an honor to audition for the Lithuanian team, just to say I�d had a shot.�

Barbara kept silent, her eyes narrowed. Selina looked almost�regretful, she decided. Barbara wanted to say something about convicted felons not being allowed on the Olympic team but the words failed to come out right. All she could manage was a muffled �huh�. It seemed like such a normal dream for a cat burglar and feline fatal.

�You don�t like me very much, do you?� Selina asked, catching Barbara off guard.

She recovered, back on more familiar, adversarial territory. �No.�

Selina nodded. �That�s fair. No reason you should. I mean, you gave up a lot to catch people like me.�

�We�ve all given up a lot,� Barbara informed her through clenched teeth. �Bruce seems to have forgotten that, but I haven�t.�

�Have you explained it to him?�

�I�ve tried,� Barbara replied, her tone sounding more tired than exasperated. �He�s refused to listen to me.�

�You want me out, huh? Think I�m a bad influence?� Selina asked, shifting her weight. �Or haven�t you heard? I�m reformed.�

Barbara snorted. �I don�t believe that you are. I did some checking and turned up some things even Bruce didn�t find. You�ve got a lot of blood on your hands.�

Selina met the other woman�s eyes, guessing at what Barbara knew and how much of it was fact. She decided it didn�t matter. If it made Gordon�s daughter feel better to believe she had some kind of dirt to use as a bargaining chip, Selina was willing to let her have it.

Up to a point.

�I don�t believe in regret,� Selina said, her voice clear and strong. �But it seems to be a religion with you people. If you�re looking for an apology��

�I�m looking for an explanation,� Barbara cut her off. �I want to know what your angle is.�

Selina raised her hands, palms towards Barbara. �No angle. I�m just trying to put some things right.�

�I thought you didn�t believe in regret.�

Selina paused, her eyes twinkling. �Well, I figure, I hang around here long enough, maybe I�ll learn.�

******************

Bruce stepped out of the town car, loosening his tie a little. He was wearing a summer-weight gray suit: spring had finally arrived. The mornings were still cool but by mid-afternoon the sun had begun to warm the land. Bristol was hard and ugly at dawn. By at three o�clock the Gotham countryside was transformed into dappled hills sweet with the first dusting of greenery. It had been many, many years since he�d noticed the change in seasons from the landscape alone. Clark was always pointing out something about trees or new leaves or fresh earth. Today, in the warming spring, Bruce could almost understand the farm boy�s enthusiasm for the feel of sunlight on his face.

Barbara was exiting the Manor near the south lawn. Bruce approached her cautiously. They had been engaged in a cold war the last few months. Barbara hadn�t come up to the manor since Christmas and Batman had not frequented the Clocktower to consult with Oracle in the months since. He watched as she wheeled herself down a short ramp, headed for a small parking area a hundred feet away. When she was halfway there he chose to reveal himself, materializing in broad daylight nearly at her elbow. Truth be told, he liked startling the Gordons.

�Jesus!� she yelped, closing her eyes. Bruce waited until she had composed herself, which she did quickly. �I think Dad was right: you need a bell around your neck.�

Bruce smiled slightly, letting her know he wanted to put an end to the cold war between them. She might disapprove of his relationship with Selina, and much as it irritated him to have others involved in his business�he needed her. �You�re not going?� he asked. Barbara met his eyes and held them for a beat, trying to interpret the subtext beneath his question.

�I�ve got what I came for,� she replied, returning her hands to the sides of her wheelchair. �I didn�t come to talk to you.�

�Alfred-�

�Not Alfred, either,� Barbara informed him, pushing herself forward over the smooth, level walkway leading to where she�d parked her car. �Catwo-�Selina.�

Bruce didn�t reply, didn�t allow his face to show surprise or concern. He waited until she spoke again, watching Barbara�s face carefully. She tucked a thick piece of red hair behind her ear, the gold highlights in her curls shimmering in the light. He�d begun to notice a few gray strands in the last few years, since the �quake.

�Dick�s coming into town tomorrow night. He wants us to have dinner. I thought I�d invite you and Selina.�

Bruce raised an eyebrow.

�Okay, Dick thought I should invite Selina. He still feels bad about what happened to her.�

�He wasn�t responsible for-� Bruce started, but Barbara cut him off.

�See, that�s what great about Dick,� Barbara said, the afternoon sun reflecting off her glasses. �He doesn�t feel guilty, because he knows it wasn�t his fault. But he feels bad for her anyway. It�s not remorse or pity with him, it�s sympathy. A distinction he didn�t learn from his father.�

Bruce narrowed his eyes and said nothing. Barbara squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head. �I�m sorry. That wasn�t fair. This was supposed to be a peace offering. And it may have been Dick�s idea, but I agreed to drive all the way out here with a white flag. I just-� Barbara sighed, resting her slim, white hands in her lap. �I�m tired of fighting you. I guess I keep hoping that what I say to you matters.�

�It does,� Bruce assured her. �You know I value your opinion.�

Barbara shook her head. �I�m not some kid you took in and trained; I was nearly twenty when I put on that Batgirl suit. But I�m still a junior partner, Bruce. And I can�t tell you how to live your life. Neither can Dick, or Alfred, or Dad. We all love you, but-�

Bruce looked away. Barbara closed her mouth, sorry for him. �Just come to dinner, okay? Make an effort.�

He watched as she pressed forward towards her car, her handling of the chair smooth and efficient. Had he been another man, he might have stopped her with a kind word or a hand on her shoulder. Instead, Bruce watched as she pulled herself into her specialized van, packed the chair away behind the driver�s seat and pulled smoothly down the long drive winding out of the manor�s grounds. Bruce stood there a moment longer, then went inside. The sun had begun to feel strange on his face.

Alfred was not at the door to greet him and Bruce remembered it was the third Friday of the month: his butler was in the north hall, dusting a succession of family portraits. Bruce proceeded into the main foyer, deftly avoiding some boxes stacked haphazardly near the staircase. A little tabby cat meowed plaintively, winding around his legs. Bruce stooped and picked up the cat, scratching its ear. The cat purred loudly, the volume and tone surprising him.

�I don�t supposed Alfred is aware of our new houseguest,� Bruce said.

Behind him, from the darkness of his study where he knew she was watching, Selina responded. �I might have once worn purple leather, but I�m not crazy. I figure, we could tell him the cats are evidence in a crime. Exhibit A and B. He won�t know the difference. I�ve seen your trophy room. Weird, wild stuff,� she muttered, doing her best Johnny Carson. The allusion was lost on Bruce.

She came forward into the hall, and Bruce tried to hand her the cat. She shook her head, folding her arms, letting Bruce hold Marcelo for a few more minutes. �How was your day?� she asked him.

Bruce frowned. In the side-light coming in from the windows lining the hall, she noticed faint wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, lines of worry and pain she�d never noticed before.

�Fine,� he replied. �And yours?�

Selina smiled, keeping her eyes on his hands as he stroked the cat�s fur. �One of your little canaries stopped by. She�s tougher than I remembered. And she doesn�t have much use for me.�

�You did dislocate her arm once,� Bruce reminded her. Selina�s expression faltered and she decided to laugh.

�That wasn�t my fault,� she informed him. �The little twerp knew that stairway was rotting out, and she was so busy trying to catch me she forgot to match her footsteps to mine. If she�d only paid attention-� Selina smiled and shook her head. �She�s lucky I caught her. That was a ninety-foot drop and if she�d fallen, she�d have gotten worse than a sore shoulder.�

Bruce didn�t reply, watching the cat�s expression. The tabby was feigning sleep, hoping to stay in his arms a while longer.

�How did it happen?� Selina asked him softly as the sunlight faded a little from the hall. �I�d heard the Joker went after Gordon�s daughter, but-�

�He didn�t know she was Batgirl,� Bruce replied softly. �He was after Gordon. Barbara happened to be in the apartment that day.�

She knew from the way he�d said it, using such a quiet, deliberate tone that Bruce would tell her that and no more. But it was enough. Selina began to stroke the tabby�s back, leaving the ears for Bruce. She didn�t try to tell him that he couldn�t have prevented the madman�s attack or that Barbara�s injuries weren�t his fault.

The words kept getting stuck in her throat as she thought about the long, thin track marks on Holly�s arms. And Maggie�s dull, dead expression. He would never believe her, and she wouldn�t believe it either.

�Should we go?�

Bruce looked up at her in question. Selina swallowed, forcing her smile to reach her eyes. �Dinner.�

He sighed, stooping to set the cat on the floor. �Did she tell Alfred about her plans?�

Selina nodded. Bruce rose from his crouching position. �Then we don�t have a choice,� he said simply. She grinned, resisting the urge to make the appropriate �Whipped!� sound-effect and gesture. Bruce watched her for a moment, her face soft and relaxed in the light streaming through the windows. Selina�s emerald eyes were luminous in the light and her mouth parted softly. He remembered the feel of her lips closing around him in the night, coaxing him to release. And the taste of her skin. Bruce leaned forward, kissing her deeply. Selina slid her hands around his neck, pressing her body against his.

�Excuse me,� Alfred�s clipped accent interrupted, breaking the spell. Selina slid back down his body, flat-footed again on the wood floor. A seductive smile played about her lips. Bruce resisted the urge to send Alfred away.

�What is it?� he asked, his tone as inhospitable as ever. Alfred ignored him.

�The secure line, sir,� Alfred told him, casting an apologetic glance at Selina. �Seems there is a riot taking place at Blackgate Prison. Master Tim and Ms. Cassandra are on the way. Shall I hold dinner?�

Bruce grunted, brushing past Selina and making for the cave entrance in his study. She glanced at Alfred, shrugged and trailed after him. �I�m coming with you.�

Bruce turned halfway down the staircase. Selina was silhouetted against the light coming in from the clock entrance. He couldn�t see her face or guess at her expression. �Are you sure?�

�Nope,� she told him directly. �I�m terrified. I couldn�t fight off some crossbow-wielding psycho and I can�t seem to sleep for more than an hour without some nightmare waking me up, but you need backup. Someone with more experience than your two little birds.�

He nearly refused her offer. She had the physical skills but Helena�s attack had damaged her will to use them. Bruce wanted to tell her about Bane�s attack and his long recovery but he simply nodded to her, turning and heading back down the staircase. Selina�s footsteps, steady and sure, echoed after him. She was doing this for him. Selina had nothing to prove.

He keyed the combination to the costume vault and she didn�t feign surprise to see her black leather Catwoman costume there, stacked on a shelf next to his Batsuit. He reflected that it had been much harder to adjust to the sight of her toothbrush in the bathroom than the presence of her costume next to his. The two costumes, both woven of light-eating black material, seemed to fit next to each other.

They were dressed and in the Batmobile speeding towards Gotham within five minutes.

*******************

Dick tapped his finger against the linen cloth covering Barbara�s kitchen table, trying not to cough. Every time the elevator binged down the hall, he rose, smoothed back his hair and checked to make sure his fly was done up. Barbara had watched him do it five times in a row before she found she couldn�t stand it anymore. The next time the elevator dinged, Barbara placed a restraining hand on his thigh before she was forced to stab him with a fork.

�They�ll be here soon.�

Dick picked up a knife and balanced the tip of it on the end of his index finger. �I�m hoping they won�t show at all,� he confessed. �I mean, Christmas was awkward enough, but��

�This was your idea,� she reminded him, grinning. Dick smiled, kissed her and went back to juggling the cutlery.

�I still think it�s a good idea.�

�Then why are you so nervous?� Barbara asked pointedly. Dick shrugged, flipping the knife and catching it back on its point.

�Because I�ve never had to have dinner with Catwoman before.�

Barbara sipped at her water, sniffing the air a little to see if the Chinese food warming in the oven had caught on fire. She had a habit of self-destructing her dinner parties. �She isn�t so bad, I guess. A little flippant, but I�ve made it a policy never to hold that against a person.�

�Thank God,� Dick replied, kissing her again before going back to his balancing act just as the elevator dinged again. The knife tumbled to the floor as Dick jumped up. Barbara strained to pick up the knife as the door buzzer sounded. She replaced the knife on the table and Dick looked at her.

�Ten second rule,� she explained, sticking her tongue out at him. �Just make sure Bruce sits there.�

�He�ll notice,� Dick cautioned, going to answer the door.

�Good.�

�Now who�s being flippant?� Dick asked as he admitted their dinner guests.

Bruce entered first, his eyes sweeping Barbara�s apartment, noting every small detail and filing it away. He was slightly bruised and moved slowly. Tim had informed Dick about the Blackgate riot and said only that they�d gotten it �under control pretty quickly�. Dick could imagine how nasty it had gotten. Right after the �quake, Bruce had sent him to stabilize the situation at Blackgate by himself. It had been difficult, but Dick had managed it. It gave him a guilty sort of satisfaction to see Bruce�s black eye and slight limp.

Selina followed him in, clad in a sophisticated plum-colored dress and ballet flats. Her hair was swept up and piled on top of her head in a calculatedly-carefree style. She was growing her hair longer, Dick noted, and bore no physical evidence of her role in subduing the riot at Blackgate. Tim had been in awe of her during the riot.

�Nice digs,� Selina complimented. �I haven�t seen a genuine Ravali vase in years!�

Barbara glanced at the table�s centerpiece, a blue stained-glass vase holding a spray of brilliant sunflowers from her father�s garden. She had no idea what a Ravali vase was: the urn had been a gift from a friend of her father�s, a wealthy, well-connected politician from Chicago. Barbara refrained from asking Selina how much it was worth on the black market.

�Have a seat,� Barbara told them. Bruce sat obligingly on the sofa. Selina crossed the room to stand at the window.

�You can almost see Bludhaven from there,� Dick informed her. Selina nodded.

�I haven�t been to the �Haven since before the earthquake.�

�It hasn�t changed much,� Dick said, smiling, uncomfortable. �Still a toilet.�

�No worse than Gotham Heights or the Bowery,� Selina replied. Barbara had wheeled over next to Bruce and was whispering something to him. Selina met Dick�s eyes and he was the first to look away, grinning awkwardly.

�Feeling better?� he asked.

�A hundred percent. Although the next time someone aims a crossbow at me, I think I�ll try ducking.�

Dick fell silent, watching the city from Barbara�s sixtieth-story window. �How do you like the Manor?�

�I keep thinking it must have been a very cold place to grow up in,� she said, green eyes watching him intently.

�Well, not really. Central heating and all that�oh,� he finished lamely, finally getting it. She grinned at him.

�It�s okay, kid. I didn�t mean just for you. Bruce too. All those empty rooms�� she sighed. �Any idea why he had the place rebuilt instead of just moving into the city?�

Dick frowned. �I never really asked him about that. I guess, to hide the cave-�

�Dinner!� Barbara chirped from the kitchen.

They sat down to eat, consuming Thai noodles with sesame sauce and steamed vegetables. Bruce ate little and said less. Selina and Dick kept up a the majority of conversation, much to their surprise. Selina had always liked the skinny kid in the Robin suit and she was surprised to discover that he was such a funny, well-adjusted young man. His humor was self-effacing and irreverent but never cruel. Barbara seemed content to listen to the two banter back and forth but Bruce had immediately retreated to his own inner world, apparently using meditation to pass the hours until he could return to the cave.

Dinner ended a little late. Barbara served two pots of tea before Dick and Selina had stopped exchanging wisecracks. Bruce�s cell phone rang, surprising them all. He snatched the phone out of his jacket pocket and retreated to Barbara�s bedroom. Barbara shrugged, heading for the kitchen to tidy up the remains of the food. �I guess we bored them a little,� Selina said.

Dick shook his head. �That�s the way he is. Bruce isn�t good with people.�

�No kidding,� Selina replied, cocking her head towards the kitchen. �What about your girlfriend?�

�She�s not much good around criminals.�

Selina smiled brashly . �I�m glad you�re not so discerning.�

�I�m just happy to find someone besides Tim that�ll laugh at my jokes,� Dick confessed. �We should have done this a long time ago. I mean, if you were nervous about meeting us��

�I wasn�t nervous,� Selina replied. �But I don�t think Bruce was in a hurry to get all of us in a room together.�

�Oh?� Dick prompted.

�He�s a little embarrassed,� she confided in him. Dick chuckled at the idea of Bruce being embarrassed. His adopted father was never, ever wrong. About anything. Even to suggest that he was wrong would be sacrilege. But Selina didn�t seem interested in playing by the rules.

�He�s never needed our approval before,� Dick told her, the smile fading from his voice. �Babs and I were just worried that he was letting you in too quickly. We only knew you as a thief-�

�I�m still a thief,� she reminded him. �I just steal from the bad guys now. Not that Tall Dark and Gloomy approves, but I guess he sees it as a step in the right direction. And he wasn�t embarrassed about getting your approval. Bruce is a little ashamed, I think.�

�Of you?�

Selina shot him a look that women reserved specifically for men who were being incredibly thick-headed. She crossed her legs and coughed, making it clear to Dick that no man with a pulse would ever be ashamed to be seen with her. Before the blush creeping up his neck began to show on his face, Dick swallowed and continued, wondering how Selina was able to turn on her sexuality so easily. Even Barbara, who in Dick�s opinion was the most beautiful and intelligent woman in the world, took some time working up to full-on femme fatale. You could clock Selina�s transition with an egg timer.

�Look, he�s what, 37? And this is the first time in his life he�s having sleepovers with a girl,� Selina said in a false whisper. �Suddenly, he�s not Batman, he�s just a man. And as alarming as that is to him, it�s worse because it�s now clear to the rest of you too.�

�He told you that?� Dick asked, shocked. Selina shot him the Look again. Dick smiled, settling back in his chair. �Okay, stupid question. But he�s really embarrassed because now we know he�s getting laid on a regular basis?�

�I wouldn�t have put it so bluntly,� Selina told him and Dick got the impression that she would have, without hesitation, only he�d said it first. �But yes. He�s a little uptight, especially when it comes to sex. I don�t think he particularly likes to be touched.�

Dick nodded, thinking about all those awkward, half-hearted attempts at hugs Bruce had made over the years which had only occurred in life-or-death situations or just after a major tragedy.

�Why do you think that is?� he asked Selina.

She leaned back, resting her arm on the back of the chair. �I have this�friend. Big guy, red cape, lots of frequent flier miles.�

�Clark?� Dick asked. Selina nodded.

�He stopped by the manor a few times to check up on me,� she explained quickly, wondering what, if anything, Bruce had told Dick about those long months at the manor. �We had some good conversations. I know Bruce is the resident psychologist of the Justice League - and explosion expert, and strategist, and�well, pretty much all-around go-to guy, except when it comes to people skills. That�s Clark�s job. So I guess Superman is a bit of an expert. He�s known Bruce for years, right?�

Dick nodded, fascinated. He�d never known much about Bruce and Clark�s relationship beyond the fact that Batman made Superman nervous. Clark sometimes looked like he wanted to ask Bruce out for a beer, but Bruce wasn�t exactly the most approachable human being on the planet. He�d always wondered if they were friends, and if so, what that meant to Bruce.

�Well, he�s had a lot of time to observe him as an equal. Time that maybe none of the rest of you have had. And he told me something about Bruce, something I try to hang on to when I�m tempted to pack up and head back to the East End.�

�What?� Dick asked, hooked. Selina�s mouth quirked upwards in a smile and she leaned closer, a conspiratorial tone in her hushed voice.

�He�s lonely.�

Dick leaned back and laughed. He�d been prepared for a huge revelation. Selina grinned at him. �Bruce happens to be the brains of the Justice League, too. Clark thought he was explaining something that wasn�t completely obvious to everyone. I didn�t have the heart to tell him that wasn�t one of Bruce�s best-kept secrets.�

�Did you know? I mean, before you and Bruce-�

�Sure,� Selina shrugged. �But the trick is, Bruce doesn�t know how lonely he is. I mean, I think a part of him recognizes the fact that he�s an isolated, emotionally aloof man who can�t form close relationships unless someone gets in his face and demands that he love them. But he can�t connect that with such a basic human emotion as loneliness. Maybe he thinks it�s indigestion.�

�Indigestion?� Dick repeated.

�That�s Clark�s theory,� Selina replied. �Anyway, Clark convinced me that, deep down, Bruce wants more. He needs more. He just re quires a bit of coaxing.�

�And you�re willing to-�

Selina shook her head, the amusement in her eyes dying slowly. �I�m more like�the opening act.�

Dick opened his mouth to argue with her but stopped when he saw how completely transformed she was. A moment ago she�d been laughing, mocking Bruce�s self-imposed isolation and the idea that Clark, of all people, would notice. Now she was a different person and Dick saw it would be his fate to be constantly surrounded by the moodiest people on the planet.

�What do you mean?�

She sighed, leaning forward. �I�m not a nice girl, Dick. You�ve known that for years. So has he.�

�But that doesn�t mean that-� Dick caught himself. Two months ago, he�d been ready to condemn this woman for her past. Now, in the space of one evening, one conversation, he saw Selina Kyle for who she was, not what she had been. The strength and beauty and sheer survival ability of her awed him for a moment. Dick began to feel very afraid for her, and for Bruce. If Bruce let this one slip through his fingers�

�His family built Gotham, Dick. His name is on every library and court house and park in this city. He can trace his family back for nineteen generations to the founding of America. Whoever he ends up with will be worthy of that history, not some twist from the East End. Clark dropped hints that Bruce and Wonder Woman-�

�That�s ridiculous,� Dick replied, outraged. What the hell had Clark been thinking? �Diana�s a nice person but she and Bruce are like oil and water. So she�s a Princess? So what? You�re-�

�I know what I am,� Selina said quietly, resigned. �I�ve made too many mistakes in my life to deserve�� she trailed off, closing her eyes. �The best I can hope for is some kind of redemption. If all we ever have is confined to the hours between sunset and sunrise-�

�Aren�t you being a bit dramatic?� Dick interrupted.

�This from a guy who wears skin-tight spandex,� Selina muttered. �I�m never going to be anybody�s wife. Or mother. But it isn�t the same for Bruce. He has a duty to this city that has nothing to do with tights or capes. And I can�t be a part of that.�

�You�re what he needs,� Dick told her. �Even if you�re not what he thinks he wants. Look, I know Bruce can be a bit of an snob, maybe better than anyone. But he adopted me, and I�m just the son of circus performers. He took in Jason Todd, and he�d caught Jason stealing tires off the Batmobile! Commissioner Gordon is his best friend and the guy�s a beat cop from Chicago. Bruce isn�t as tied to tradition as you think, and I�m sure that if you gave him a chance-�

Selina smiled sadly, thinking he sounded a little like Holly. Still such a young kid in so many ways. �You know who his father was?�

�Yeah,� Dick said quickly. �Bruce never really talked about him, but��

�And you know who my father was,� Selina said. �Everything Bruce and I have in common fits into a little box of pain and regret and there�s not a lot of room left for anything else, a future being first on a long list.�

�You sound like you�re trying to convince yourself,� Dick put in, aching for her. He had no idea she�d given this so much thought. Every horrible thing he and Barbara had said about her was so far off that Dick was ashamed to call himself a detective. But Bruce knew. Had always known. �He loves you.�

Selina shrugged. �Men like him, even exceptional men, don�t marry their mistresses. I learned that from my father.�

Dick lowered his head. Bruce usually shut down when he mentioned his parents. Selina seemed to cut from the same mold. �You know, sometimes you�re wrong about people, and sometimes you�re wrong.�

She looked up, ready to argue with him some more. But Dick wasn�t talking about Bruce. He watched her with naked regret in his eyes. �I was thinking of the last time I saw you. Catwoman, I mean. I guess it would have been about three years ago. You�d been shot in the leg and poisoned with fear gas. It took five of us to bring you down and we�d been trained by the best. You never cracked. We couldn�t even get you to admit that you were Selina Kyle.�

�You thought I�d shot Gordon,� Selina said softly. �I guess you felt you were justified.�

Dick continued as though she hadn�t spoken. �I�ve felt so guilty about that for such a long time. You were hurt and frightened and we just left you in that warehouse.�

�You didn�t call the cops,� Selina reminded him. �Believe me, I appreciated that. You saved me a prison sentence.�

Dick shook his head. �We should have done more. You weren�t responsible for what happened to Gordon, and�and we�re supposed to be the good guys! We just left you. How can we expect to help anyone in this city if we treat innocent people like that?�

�I was never innocent, kid,� Selina said darkly. Dick closed his eyes, thinking of those bondage pictures taken of her when she was a young teenager. She was wrong.

�Bruce always thought you were. He still does,� Dick amended. �Barbara and I couldn�t understand why he was with you. Why, after all the women he�d turned away from, he�d picked you. I guess it has to do with innocence. You�ve done some terrible things, Selina,� Dick said honestly. �But you�re still a good person. That means more to him than anything else. You give him hope. And I don�t think any of the blue-bloods Bruce Wayne is supposed to end up with could give him that. Neither could Wonder Woman. You�re the reason he�s Batman because if you can find redemption, then so can he.�

Selina stared at him, hope and disbelief warring in her eyes.

�Do you love him?� Dick asked. Selina didn�t know how to respond. She lowered her head.

Behind them, in the shadows, Bruce slipped away.