Downtown

Dear Gothamite:

You are hereby invited to Wayne Manor this Saturday Evening at 8:00 for a charity event to help support new provisions and supplies for your loyal police department. Anthony "Tony" Stark and Bruce Wayne shall be your hosts. Mr. Stark is planning great things to better enforce the GPD and is calling upon you to do your part. Mr. Wayne has promised to match any amount of money you raise. Come and dance the night away. Live Band to play!

Wayne Enterprises

It was difficult to tell who owned the mansion by the time Stark had finished decorating it. As part of the drive to raise money for the police he had decided that a display of the previous incarnations of the Iron Man armour would be in order. So he was currently supervising the placement of six out modeled suits of armour in the grand hall where Wayne had decided to host the ball. The armour was of course no longer functional, but still a fine museum place.

The bar was fully stocked and Stark had hired many of Gotham's best bartenders to serve the drinks. The guests were starting to trickle in and Stark was simply waiting for Bruce Wayne to make an appearance before starting into the main part of the ball. Meanwhile he circulated around the room greeting guests.

Princess Diana of Themyscira entered Wayne Manor. Tonight she had taken a limo because it was tradition amoungst these sorts of people, and she was here not as Wonder Woman but as the ambassador from the Amazons to the world of men. Recieving the invitation had been a surprise to her, but she supposed that America had little in the way of royality and so it was natural that they would want to invite what they could find. It gave her a means of interacting with Americans in a way that she could not as Wonder Woman.

Of course it was no secret that she was Wonder Woman, but wearing a flowing white toga she was dressed far different than her typical hero costume. The outfit was far more subtle, offering only a hint of leg, but remained as alluring as ever.

The room was starting to fill and Diana began to look for her hosts.

Bruce Wayne did not join the party right away. For at least the first half hour or so, he stood in his study, staring blankly at the portrait of his late parents. Lately, he'd found himself enveloped in it. Now it grabbed him more than ever. Mostly because at some point, he'd have to go down stairs and face that crowd and he wanted to find any distraction. He hated pretending to like all those people. It wasn't that he hated them or anything, it was just that he didn't particularly care for them either. At least Selina would be there. He missed the few hours they had been separated.

However, while he was in this party playing nice, the worst kind of villains would be out there causing all kind of hell in his absence. He didn't need to be at some damn party, not with Gotham going to hell in a hand basket. Maybe the city could take care of itself for tonight. Could he take that chance? How many were going to die if he did? He shook the shuddering thought off.

He adjusted his tie, not that he had straighten any better that it was before. He thought about trying to get Alfred in there to do it. But, he was down stairs, tending to all the guests and their drinking demands. As he turned the knob on the door to leave, he had one final notion to ditch the party completely and make his way to the bat cave. No, Tony Stark would suspect something if he vanished from the party and tomorrow morning he read a headline about Batman.

He came down the stairs and began to greet the guests, faking every smile he made, hopeing he'd see Selina.

Selina had gotten Bruce's invite to her and she knew that he would most likely be bummed if she didnt' show up. She had wondered if she should actually go to this. They were pretty boring sometimes and it annoyed her that some of the people here held themselves above a lot of the people that were just normal.

Finally she had just decided to go there for Bruce. She wanted to see him anyways. She hadn't seen him since the night that him and Steve had been fighting.

Dressed in a black dress, the one she had worn on that christmas night. It showed some of her leg and had sparkels as well. She had hose on and black heels. She had her hair up in a bun and a necklace was around her neck. Her make-up was done faintly, mostly because she didnt' want to work that much on it. Finally putting on a black shaw she walked out of her apartment and to her car.

She parked infront of Bruce's mansion. Seeing that there were a lot of other cars here. She got out and looked up at the manor, she smiled to herself as she made her ways up the stairs and through the doors. She saw Alfred and she smiled at him. "Alfred, do you know where Bruce is?" She asked, wanting to get away from these stuffy people. He shook his head some. "No. But I'm sure you'll be able to find him. Let me take your shawl." She handed it to him and he then walked off. She smiled to herself, he was such a swet man. Finally she made her way through the party trying to find Bruce.

Bruce had stopped walking around and placed himself opposite the front entrance to the grand hall, where all the guests were arriving. If Selina was going to accept his invitation, he wanted to be the first one to see her. He cradled his rink, sipping it impatiently. Before long, his prayers were answered. Dressed as she had been the night of the Max-eraide Ball. He wasted no time in getting to her.

"Plan on shooting anyone tonight?" He asked, reminiscing on her plans to shoot Max Shreck that night. "If you're not, I'd like to have this dance."

Tony Stark watched Wayne enter the ballroom and then greet a woman. The pair seemed close, or at least familiar with each other. So Wayne had a libido and didn't just stay hidden awayin his gothic mansion all day. Good, a healthy sex life was important, even for the richest man in America.

Meanwhile Stark was searching the ballroom for his own companion. He had ensured that the Amazon known as Wonder Woman was on the guest lis, but he was keeping his options open. He began to move towards Wayne, feeling the need to greet him.

Harley Quinn strolled in wearing her favorite dress. It was strapless with a poofy skirt and several layers. It was her favorite color-red, with black underskirts and a black stripe that thined as it went for the top to the waist, then expanded in folds from the waist to the floor. She had put a little plastic tiarra on her head in honor of the princess she had met earlier. See? She was a princess too now!
High heels, however, were still beyond Harley Quinn. Dr. Quinn, of course, had lived in them. But to Harley's childish mind they were a contraption of pain for dress up...and this was business. She had managed to get her costume and other...accesories...in the skirts-just in case she felt like putting on a show.
But for now her civilian garb seemed to be show enough. She stepped in proudly with her harlequinn boots (hidden by her dress) and her blonde pigtails bouncing. Princess Harley. It had a ring to it.
She glanced around.
Ooh. Several cutie-wooties...none of 'em her puddin', but she could always have some fun...playmates. Yep. Lots and lots of playmates.

Selina saw Bruce and she smiled at him, the remark he made caused her to laugh and she winked at him some. "Don't worry Bruce." She placed a hand on his shoulder and got close to him. Leaning towards him, she dently kissed his cheek. "Another one of these parties Bruce?" She asked as she hooked her arm into his.

"Do you like having me around as arm candy?" Of course she didnt' mind it. She turned her head and raised an eyebrow at the girl she had just seen walk in. She shook her head some, that woman looked familiar, however she just shrugged it off. It was about time her and Bruce spent some time along together, again. "So, how have you been?"

"Do you like having me around as arm candy?"


"Are you kidding?" Bruce Responded. "Your the only one I can just be me around. You know me. You know everything. I don't need to put on the mask of the careless man. You can take me as I am."

"So, how have you been?"

"OK." he said. "Except, I know a wars going on out their and I've never needed an army to back me up. But, now it seems, people like Stark and the Amazonian want to cash in on my city. Why can't it be like used to be? One against the rest."

They danced in a small circle ahold of one another. Bruce stared at the ceiling imagining the mistletoe there, when they found out about each other. He had her back, but things were never going to be the same. He had invaders in Gotham, all with their own concept of justice. He cringed at the thought of Superman coming to Gotham, which would only be a matter of time. None of them liked the way he did things in his city. They didn't realize that sometimes death was inevitable on those streets, and he wanted to make sure it was rapist and not the rape victim.

"How have you been, Selina?" He asked her.

Selina smiled at what Bruce said and she leaned her head on his shoulder as he spoke. "Yeah. Strange how we ended up meeting one another and then we were fighting with one another." She couldn't help but actually be glad for the fact that they had met, or she wouldn't know what she would be with.

"Yeah. All those heros are actually getting on my nerves. Well Steve was nice but not the kind of guy I would probably actually end up with." Selina had liked the man, but he was too gentleman like, not to mention he was really older than her. He was Captain America after all and had been frozen.

"I've been great. Bored with Chip around but he is a lot nicer than his father was." She knew it sounded weird for the fact that she was working under the son of the man she had killed but Chip didn't know that it had been her and she was good at her job, no matter how much she disliked it. It was a job, she was Catwoman for other reasons.

Diana spotted Harley Quinn. Though she was dressed far more typical than she had been before, her clothes made her look like she belonged there, Diana's keen eye was able to tell that it was her. She approached the girl and smiled.

"You look lovely dear. Now have you seen your Mr. J around here anywhere? Should we be looking any place specifically?" she asked still eager to help.

"Yea." Bruce said. "Because he's about as sharp as a saucer."

He pulled back a bit, so he could see her better as they danced. When his eyes met hers, suddenly all the problems he was facing didn't seem quite so bad. Sure, things were changing. Not all of them were bad. Selina Kyle had come crashing back into his life. Of course, he knew, that The Catwoman would come with her. The sultry other self of Selina would always be there, wagging her tail, stalking him, ready for the case, that dance in the night.

"What's your alter ego got in store for Gotham?" He asked. Perhaps if he asked, it wouldn't have to be a shocking surprise later when the burglary rates went up. "Better not be up to anything funny. I know were you live."

Selina laughed at what Bruce said and she then found herself looking into his eyes as he did the same with hers. She felt like it helped to soothe her, even when she knew there were other problems out there, times that she didn't need to feel good about herself. At leasts thats what she thought, that was one reason why she had left Bruce that time before. She smiled at what he said.

"Nope. No plans yet Bruce." She said with a sly grin on her lips. "Oh. But I know where you live." She breathed as she leaned towards his ear and let her lips move against his ear. She had no idea right now, there was just the thrill of going out and getting Batman's attention, the games of cat and mouse she loved to play with him. Although, she liked spending time with Bruce as well.

Bruce would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the game they played in costume. Even when it was dangerous. They were enemies at one point, and even then he would find himself more than just captivated by her grace. She was mesmerizing when she went to work, slashing out at him with claw or whip, her angular body distracting the eye.

Now, with the darkness as their playground, they each knew each others secrets, and it didn't matter who won the night, for the other would be their prize. At the games end, they'd be together, finally.

It suddenly occurred to Bruce that he had not kissed her since last they met. So, of course he did so. Her lips felt so soft and welcoming, as if she'd prepared them just for him. He wanted nothing more than to end this party, so they could be alone. True, it was selfish, this event was for a good cause, but he couldn't help but let his mind stay solely on her.

"You have no idea how much I love you." He said, totally aware of the statements forwardness.