Downtown

[Bruce Wayne]

"The lock a'nt givin', I told ya they recycled the codes!" Harry Wilcox whispered loud enough to wake a city block. He'd had his suspicions about this job from the start. First off, he should have never made an exception. He never did high scale robberies like this. He could handle a simple breaking and entering, but cracking into a fancy corperate lab, armed with a security system tighter than a reverend's collar wasn't his cup of tea. Even if he got inside, getting back out again with all his fingers, not mention his life, would be another challenge. What happened to a simple register swiping, Harry thought. Now I'm stealing big army toys.

"Ya wanna set off the sound alarm or something?" Weinstein whispered back. The much shorter man typed the key code again into the door panel. He figured he must have messed it up with his stubby gloved finger, and hit a wrong number. When the buzzer sounded off, he cursed to himself. He glanced irritatingly at Harry, as if it had been his fault. Weinstein had suggested the whole thing. Simple job, he had said. No sweat.

"Hey, we managed to in the place. All we gotta do is get into the lab here." Weinstein said, revealing a screwdriver from his pocket. He pried off the panel and started fiddling with the wires.

"Oh goodie. Yea we did get this far." Harry said. "Maybe there's a second place prize if we get caught now."

"Shush up."

"What?" Harry's question muffled through his mask. The two men wore them to protect themselves from any camera that might try to identify them. But, the fabric made it impossible for any real communication.

"I said, shush?"

"What for? The sound thing didn't go off befo--"

"Did you hear that?"

The two men fell quiet. At first, Harry didn't hear anything, but by straining in the heavy silence, he could just make out a scratching noise in the above skylight. He pointed upward, and they strained to see into the night sky. But, not even the moon was out, and it made visual identification of any danger that might be lurking, impossible.

"Harry look--"

The shattering glass spilled on both of the burglars, blinding them from seeing their attacker. Soaring through the gapping hole of the skylight, Batman's boot connected with Harry's chest sending slamming up against the laboratory door, craming the air out of him. He slid harmlessly into a seated position, dazed. Landing on the ground, the dark knight turned and backhanded Weinstein across the face and then he delivered a swift kick into the forehead of the seated foe, Harry, getting him out of the way.

By now, the alarm had sounded. The response time of Gotham's finest would clock in at about ten minutes. All the time he needed. He grabbed up Weinstein by the collar and glared into his beatty brown eyes.

"What were you doing?!" He said, screaming over the alarm.

……………………………………………….

High above Gotham streets, Batman sat atop a finely chiseled gargoyle, sitting on the City Records building, a few blocks from Oscorp. Upon the face of the grimaced creature was the image of a contorted angel. The structure where the City Records were held was build on the heels of the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts, by some of Gotham’s founding members. The statues were made to wart off invisible tormentors. Like the nineteen killed horrendously in the Salem witch-hunts, this aging metropolis was facing its own brand of viscous killings. Two watchmen at Wayne Enterprises had been murdered three nights ago. The one place Bruce Wayne should have been and wasn’t. The break in occurred in the science labs, but they had only taken a few power cell fuel tanks. This had Batman on full alert for another possible heist.

Neither of the two he’d dropped in on at Oscorp knew anything other than what they had to steal. Just a seismic field generator. They had no idea who they were working for. Batman didn’t know if he’d killed them, but was sure they weren’t going anywhere for a while and by the sounds of the sirens, The Gotham PD was already upon them.

Gotham was in for trouble of a mastermind criminal. But, who could be breaking in on the scene? A new face, or a familiar enemy? Before he could think further, he heard footsteps approaching him. He turned, ready to attack.

[Selina Kyle]

It felt like it had been years since she had been on the Gotham Rooftops. Years since she had been in Gotham, but she was called back again, Selina Kyle was pushed away into a dark corner of her mind. Letting the fun of the night take a hold of her. Easily the Catwoman persona had replaced the innocent, well somewhat innocent damenor. The feelings she felt running through her body when she placed on her leather body suit was familiar comforting really. Looking at herself in the mirror, those sharp pale blue eyes staring out at herself, they were like family. A smirk slowly appeared on her lips as she ran her hands down her body, her tongue running over her lips, running a hand through her blonde hair, she then slowly pulled on the black cat mask and crouched down. Her legs spread as she streatched her body. "Meow." She breathed, standing up again she grabbed the whip off of her bed and slung it around her waist and then shoulders. She smiled to herself and then turned towards the window. She opened it and then slide out, balancing on the fire exit, she looked down at the ground beneath her and then looked up, grabbing a hold of a ladder above her and then started to crawl up to the roof top.

Once on the top of her apartment building, she crouched down and looked over the city. She heard an alarm go off and smirked some to herself. "Maybe a little shopping will help keep me a little more than being bored." She slowly pushed herself up and then she started on her trek to the jewlery store.

On Top of the store, she tilted her head as she looked down, searching for a way in, she smirked as she saw what looked like a glass roof. She made her claws come out and then created a large circular hole, picking the glass up and placing it beside her. Swinging her legs down, she dropped into the store, careful not to trip anything, she walked to a box near the back and licked her lips again. Smirking to herself again she grabbed the box and pulled the wires out causing the alarm to be turned off. Smirking to herself, she unwrapped her whip from around her shoulders and waist and then skipped towards one of the cases that had the jewels in them. She raised the end of whip and slammed it down into the glass, she smirked some and grabbed some of the jewles and then placed them in a bag that she had tied to her waist. She smirked some to herself and then skipped out of the store.

She heard the sierns and tilted her head, slowly she started towards the city records building. She climbed up to the roof and crouched down as she saw a figure. She smirked to herself as she recognized the black cape that covered his body. She slowly stood up and walked towards the figure who she knew so well. She saw him stand and face her, ready to fight, she crossed her arms as she watched him, wanting to see what he was going to do. She wanted to be amused, she wanted to see if he would rush to her or stay back. Either one she was going to have fun with him, attack him if he ran towards her.

[Bruce Wayne]

The image of Catwoman always carried a strange pulling sensation in his chest, as if she were trying to peer into his soul and find his weak point. And with it revealed to her, she could bring down all his defenses and make him forever bound to her will. The every watchful gaze of the Catwoman was one shrouded in the sexual energy of a cunning mind. The one thing she always had over any other foe he'd ever faced, whether she knew it or not, was that he loved her.

Batman should have been surprised when he saw her standing across the roof top from him, but he was too in tune with her duality, much like his own. After so much time apart, he showed no emotion in the parts of his face uncovered. Standing face to face, he wore a second mask, to hide from her in.

Her defiantly crossed arms defeated any use of his fists he might want to throw upon an enemy who'd dared get so close to him. But, other than a broken heart, The Batman had no quarrel with her. He was suddenly pulled from his thoughts when he realized the long silence that was passing between them. Did he have to be the one to break the ice all over again? Did she expect him to? He wouldn't. He need not acknowledge her unless she wished to begin the acquaintance again. He turned back toward the streets bellow.

You were gone 271 days...

[Selina Kyle]

When Batman did not go towards her or even seem to pay attention to her, it was sort of a relif and then anger filled her. How could he not pay attention to her, how could he not swoon over her. He wasn't even giving her a chance to turn him down. Her eyes narrowed as her hands rested on her hips, her memory searching for why he would be acting like this....Oh yeah, that whole christmas eve thing. She had rejected his request to settle down with him and then she had just disappeared. It hadn't occured to her how much he might have been hurt, that was Selina Kyle that worried about that, she worried about what Bruce had been going through, she was the one that wanted to come back.

Absent mindedly, Catwoman messed with the pouch on her hip. Her eyes never left the figure of Batman as his back was to her once again. She should just kick him off this god damned roof, do what he had done to her before. A smirk appeared on her lips as that thought crossed her mind, how many lives did he have? She cracked her neck some as she lightly drummed her fingers on leather clad hips. Neither of them wanted to be the first one to speak, pride stood in the way she supposed. Did she want anything to do with him, Selina did but with him knowing of her alter ego and him with her, would it be the same. Besides, Selina Kyle had wanted to be her own woman for so long and know she wanted to be with Bruce Wayne again. It made no sense to Catwoman but there was nothing she could really do to change that sides mind. At least not anything that she knew about yet.

"I see you haven't changed." She said as she moved closer towards him. She kept her distance though, she didn't want to get to close to him. She hadn't been around him, he could be a wild card now....she laughed in her head. She was the wild card, the only one that she really knew, she would be sweet and then attack you the next minute. Her hands rested on her lips again as she gazed down at the city. "Getting Lazy Bruce." She said with a smirk as she picked up the pouch with jewels and held them in her hand.

[Bruce Wayne]

"A few jewels don't concern me." He replied. Batman rarely handled simple robberies. Instead, he was usually up against street crimes, such as murders and rapists. Bigger heists, like the one at Oscorp got his attention, but his focus was usually on matters in which wrongful death was involved. Granted, she was essentially confessing to a crime, but he knew damn good and well he wasn't going to taker her down over it.

Damn you. I shouldn't be wrapped around your finger.

"What do you want?" He was short and direct. He was never the witty banter type. He said as little as possible, in or out of costume. He'd never found it in himself to be very open or lengthy in conversation. Of course, facing a woman who'd shattered a life they could have had together was just a good a reason as any to be less talkative. What could she want, anyway? A playful tease at his expense? Was she trying to rub it in his face? Or was she trying to get a reaction out of him? She knew better than to try that, didn't she?

[Selina Kyle]

Catwoman smirked as she listened to what he was saying, she was smirking because she was amused with what he was doing. She tilted her head as she watched him, slipping the pouch back onto her hips. "My lucky day." She breathed as she observed him closely. She was good at doing that, even if they didn't know what she was doing. She didn't care if he was sad for what had happened, Catwoman could careless. The thought that he was crying himself to sleep at night made her laugh and feel giddy at the thought that she had caused that. She could get attention for anyone else that she wanted it from. Selina had been a different story, tossing and turning at night, wondering if what had happened was the right idea. Was she exactly doing the right thing with leaving him.

Her blue eyes were hard, she didn't even falter when he was direct with her. She was acting like she had when they first met, like he meant nothing. To Catwoman he was just dirt on her paws, just some toy that she qould play with and then leave. That was how she acted, that was how she wanted to act but no Selina needed to have a companion. She hated that and viewed her as weak, but wasn't she viewing herself as week as well. She rolled her eyes some and let out a laugh. "Oh, like that struck a cord." She said as she perched herself upon a ledge ontop of the roof, she was lazily moving her legs, a bored look upon her face. If she got bored enough she would have more fun with him, even leaving him here and maybe running off to steal something else or mess with another Ice Princess. She laughed at that memory, the look on the Princess' face as she fell, that horrified scream that reached her ears. Batman had certainly been a thron in her side and yet she had fallen for him. She stopped herself quickly, no Selina had fallen for him. He was just a play thing for her, just a toy that she loved to mess with, get a rise out of because she knew he would never actually hurt her, he 'loved' her too much to do it. He loved Selina and he didn't want to hurt her. That would cost him and she would prove it to him.

She was still debeating whether or not to kick him off of the roof, it would be easy, just backflip over to him while he was caught off guard. She could make that happen, have Selina come out, bring up a few tears beg to his inner good to help her and then attack. She laughed to herself again, the idea was sadistic and very amusing to her. But it would end her fun if he had something up his sleeves.

[Bruce Wayne]

"Don't try it." He said.

Batman tried his best not to make eye contact with her. He couldn't help but be drawn to her movements atop the ledge. She knew what she was doing to him, and thought nothing of it. If the time they had spend together had meant nothing to her, then he had no problem with taking her down, if she tried anything. Well, that's what he told himself anyway.

So, he loved her, once. But she had appeared to have gotten over him easily enough. Why couldn't he? It wasn't like he'd ever been affectionate. He was used to the cold unfeeling darkness, his thoughts the only company he could have, locked up in his Batcave, the only true place he had dominion. Why had she changed things at the drop of a hat?

Your exactly alike.

"You know I could take you, if I wanted." How exactly did he mean that? In a physical contest, or something else. He wasn't sure at all. With each passing moment, he felt himself succumbing to his desire to...

Stop!

[Selina Kyle]

Catwoman tilted her head, watching him closely as she heard him speak. "Don't try it." She tilted her head. "Don't try what?" She was acting oblivious, maybe she really didn't know what he was talking about, then again maybe she knew exactly what it was, but she didn't feel like letting him now that, at lease not yet. She wanted to make him squrim, make him cry out and crawl back to her a broken man, show him that she could handle herself and break him down whenever she wanted to.

His next words made her laugh. "Could you Bruce? Could you really take me down, could you hurt me, would you hurt me?" She pushed herself off of the ledge and walked over to him. Maybe it wouldn't have been her that he wouldn't have trouble takeing down, but the thought of the woman he loves being in jail, probably hurt him a lot, even the fact that he put her there.

She tilted her head and then shook her head some. "Well, as much as I love spending time and just being with the quietness of your presence, but I haven an engagment," With those last wordse she jumped off of the roof and then landded on the ground walking in the shadows.

[Exit: Catwoman]