So I was looking up crossovers for Catwoman the movie and Batman Begins/the Dark Knight and couldn't find anything. So I thought you know, why hasn't anyone done this yet? I mean they both originated from the same story, you'd think someone would've done something for that by now. I later knoticed that very few people have done really anything for Catwoman. There's only like three stories for it and about four crossovers that are mostly about Twilight Werecats in Forks. Then I got to thinking, you know maybe I'm the only person in the world who actually likes the new Catwoman. I'm not crazy about her costume exactly, but you gotta admit, Halle Berry kicks ass.
I'm sort of in the process of writing a different fanfiction right now, but if I get enough reviews, I'll continue this one real fast. If not, I'll still continue it, it just won't be as quick. So here's Bats, Cats, and Jokes for ya. Hope you enjoy the first chapter. Please review and tell me what you think.
1. Friends
Old, New, and Forgotten
Patience Phillips walked hastily down the sidewalk of her new home. The city Gotham was rumored to be glazed over with the thickest coat of crime and violence this side of the United States had ever seen in one city alone. A year ago, she would've rather moved back in with daddy than move to a city this intimidating. A year ago when she was still the weakling that bent over backwards and took whatever crap was thrown at her. A year ago before the cats entered her life.
She was no longer the Patience she was before who was a people pleaser, afraid, and shy of everything. When she'd read the add calling for an artist that specialized in designing and illustrating magazines, she'd jumped to prepare her portfolio and résumé. Ever since that idiot boss of hers fired her for dying, she'd hunted through the adds day and night for a position she'd been dying for ever since she'd left art school. The thought that it was located in a city inhabited with thugs and criminals of the day, hadn't seemed to bother her all too much. On the contrary, her other side that laid dormant only until night came, had purred excitedly at the prospect. Catwoman enjoyed challenge. She enjoyed hunt and chase and play. This new city would provide her with fun enough each night.
For the moment though, she was merely Patience, and unfortunately she was having the worst trouble with her boxes. She heaved a large one filled with art supplies and heavy design books out of the truck she was borrowing. She inched up the tall stairs to her apartment building and struggled to grab the handle with one hand while the other held tightly to her awkward parcel. Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of her paintbrushes tilting over the side. If she could just get the door open she could catch it before it…
Damn! It was lost over the side. She reached to pick it back up again but only succeeded in dropping a little wooden dummy and an inkbottle, which thankfully didn't smash on the concrete. A pencil was just about to make it's way to the ground when a small hand shot out of nowhere and caught it in midair.
Patience was on full alert now. She spun to see her new adversary but sighed with relief when she saw it was only a young boy. His skin was a fine auburn just a touch darker than hers and he had lovely chestnut colored eyes, not chocolate like hers, but a softer shade. His face was kind and he had cornrows braided in his course black hair. He couldn't have been much older than thirteen or fourteen and yet he carried himself like a professional fighter. Her other half could sense the hidden warrior in the boy. She could even smell it in his fresh sweat. She assumed he had just come from running.
"Thank you." Patience said when he replaced it in her box and stooped to pick up the remaining things she'd dropped.
"No problem." The boy announced pushing the door open for her. "Do you need any help with that?"
"No, I think I got it."
He seemed persistent to help. "I see your car pulled up over there. Do you need help bringing some stuff up?" She couldn't smell anything suspicious about the offer. She didn't really have much of anything to steal in there. They'd made sure to get the electronics, like her TV, laptop, and appliances were out first before they left the old car unattended in this neighborhood. He was a nice boy, she decided.
"Why thank you. That would be really great."
"Okay great," he turned to grab some boxes out of the car while her foot held the door open. "What apartment are you." He said coming up with some of the more heavier boxes slung under his arms. For a little guy he was pretty strong. It was only then that Patience noticed the definite muscles outlined under his white t-shirt.
"It's 117." She announced leading the kid up the stairs. It was unfortunate that the elevator decided to stop working on the day she moved in.
The boy looked delighted. "Nuh-uh! My apartment is right across from yours."
"Really? Well what a coincidence."
"My name is Dre Parker, by the way." The boy announced skipping two steps.
"I'm Patience," Patience said. "Patience Phillips."
"So are you an artist?" Dre asked, trying to make conversation apparently.
"I'm aspiring to be one. I moved to Gotham for a job. Have you been here long?"
"No, we use to live in China, me and my mom. Then we moved here when she got a transfer to the United States. We moved in a month ago."
"Wow, China. That must've been pretty exciting." Pacience adored China—well the art and culture mostly. It was one of her top places to visit someday and as an official catwoman she was sure to someday make that dream reality. "Did you learn some kung-fu?"
"Oh yeah. You could say I picked up a few moves." He said proudly, and Patience knew from his tone that he'd done more than just learned it.
They turned into her apartment on the top step and saw a plump and beautiful woman sitting on the floor as she unpacked books. She smiled when the two entered.
"Patience Phillips," she lectured playfully eyeing her helper, "did you make a friend already?"
Patience chuckled and set her box on a table as Dre came round to meet her good friend. "Sally, this is Dre. He's my neighbor."
"Well hello mister." Sally held her hand out to him, but didn't get up from the floor. He walked over and shook it politely, smiling too. "It's nice to see some young gentlemen in this building. Even more this city." She added the last bit with a trace of distain. "Place like this is hard to find any dashing men around." She smiled again and winked at the young man. "Or really any civilized people."
"Tell me about it." Dre said leaning against a doorframe. "I was nearly jumped three times on my way to and back from school since we got here."
"Nearly?" Sally asked noticing the indefinite statement.
"Well," Dre rubbed his neck shyly. "I didn't go too easy on them when they thought they would intimidate me on my first day."
"Dre and his mom just got here from China." Patience explained putting a coat on a hook.
"Oh I see," Sally grinned knowingly. "Big tough boys thought they would be able to show you whose in charge and you turned the tables on them and wiped the ground with their keesters?"
Dre's face got slightly pink, "You might say something like that."
The woman squealed delightfully. "Looks like you've got your own body guard here, Patience. I'd keep this guy close. You never know when you might need his skills in a town like this."
Sally hadn't encouraged the idea of her best friend moving to a city that was swimming in violence like this one. As her best girl, she'd insisted on her friend staying at her place even if she did have a new boyfriend. Sally couldn't imagine her Patience running around alone without a friend in a place like this. A whole year already and her best friend still didn't know who Patience really was. Sally still viewed Patience as the shy little girl she'd been in elementary, high school, and all through college. Patience herself couldn't deny that it was a bit of a change when she began to feel the dramatic alterations on her otherwise timid personality. Day by day, night after restless night, she could feel herself growing into a new, more aggressive entity.
That was more or so why she needed to get away. Sooner or later her friend would catch on to the changes. She'd already had to cut her ties with the police officer she'd fallen in love with. If she wished to keep her identity secret from those who knew her best, she would need to establish herself somewhere away from them. Where people didn't know her, and where she would be free to build her life on this new consuming personality.
To be sure, she'd keep in touch with her dearest friend, Patience just wouldn't see her as often.
Dre helped her bring up the rest of her things and Sally busied herself to unpack them. Now came the hard part which was trying to bring up her couch. They'd been able to get two men from two floors above to help them with it. Finally, after several swear words, a broken banister, and a nasty bruise on one of the men's knee later, they'd finally succeeded in getting it up the damn stairs and into her apartment.
Patience ran and got some ice for the man while he rested a bit on her positioned couch. She apologized twice and handed the ice pack to the man, thanking him for his trouble. He forgave her, but only if she'd accept to go on a date with him, whose name was Tate Nolan Tyler aka TNT by his friends.
Patience grinned by his persistence, waving goodbye to the man as he left with his friend. Sally beamed with her friend's quick luck and proceeded to tease her all the while they were unpacking. They finished with the kitchen and decided to take a break to have a bit of late lunch and to watch some TV.
"Hey, Dre." Patience called from the kitchen, fingering through a phone book, "Do you know any good sushi restaurants around here."
"Not that I know of." Dre called from his position on the couch. "I really don't care that much for raw fish."
"Most people don't." Sally said leaning over to the boy. "It's just Patience. Snacking on tuna and salmon. Napping in the middle of the day, wherever she wants, whenever she wants. Man the girl is like a cat the way she's so free-going."
Patience tried not to respond to the comment. Could her dear friend be on to her? Could she know?
She found a number for Dominoes and placed her order. Even though she really hated pizza, she needed to appear as unsuspecting as possible. After all, Catwoman appearing in town the same day Patience Phillips? It just reeked with suspicion. And it seemed Sally secretly knew about her friend's covert identity. Once news reached her old town that Catwoman had moved on to Gotham, Sally would eventually put two and two together and her suspicions would be confirmed.
She shared a look with the woman across the room. Her eyes smiled at her and from that one look, Patience knew her friend didn't care what she was. Even still, she could also sense the hurt inside Sally of how her dearest friend hadn't been more honest with her before. Well she'd have to fix that now.
"Well that ought to do it." Sally announced smoothing out the wrinkles from her dress. She placed her hands on her hips and looked proudly around the living room, which was nicely sorted and arranged just the way Patience liked it. Dre had left about two hours ago when his mother came home. Introductions had been made and Patience found Mrs. Parker to be a decent sort of women.
Patience looked at her friend. "Thanks for all your help Sally. It means a lot."
"You welcome." The woman placed her hands on the other's shoulders and smiled benignly.
"And tell your boy, Kyle, that it means a lot that he let us borrow his truck."
"I'll tell him. And even if you are living one hundred miles away now, don't be afraid to make a few visits now and then, okay. You're still my best girl, you know."
Patience suddenly found the rug in her apartment very interesting. Was she still Sally's best girl? A secret so crucial, and she hadn't even trusted her best friend enough to tell her. "Ah… listen, Sal, there's something I have to tell you."
Sally stopped her before she'd gotten very far. "Before you tell me some super classified information that will determine the fate of some innocent individuals, let me just say one thing." Her friend clasped her hands. "I don't care. I don't care what you are and you don't need to explain. I know you, Patience, I know you didn't do all those things that the news says you did. You'll always be my best girl." Sally really was too good to be true. Patience could feel a lightness filling her up. A weight had been lifted from her that she hadn't noticed before. It had bothered her not to be able to tell Sally who and what she really was, but there was no need to now. "And you know, it's just as well. Because if you were to tell me and you just happened to run into some real villains, like off of the comic books, and they found out you had friends in higher places, it could mean trouble for me and my boyfriend, and especially my boyfriend."
Patience had to laugh. "Well okay. We wouldn't want that, would we?"
"No, we most certainly wouldn't." She embraced her friend and sighed as the moment for their departure arrived.
"I'll stay in touch." Patience whispered inside their hug.
"Yeah… you'd better."
With that, her dearest friend turned from her and closed the door with a subtle click of the latch.
I can't believe I'm late on my first day,
…Or maybe just a little sprite over some buildings.
Whew that was fun!
Patience liked the rush of wind on her face but she would've enjoyed it more if it was night and she didn't have to dodge every person on a roof or one that was looking up at the sky, hoping to find pictures in the clouds.
She jumped from the roof she was perched on and landed in a crouch in a dark ally. She stood with an air of seducting confidence. The only person to see her was a bum who, was too drunk to even know if what he was seeing was real.
"Nice coat." She noted smoothly.
"Thanks." The man muttered, stunned as she was walking away.
Patience strode forward coolly. The run jumping had been a lot of fun and it had saved her time that the buss didn't allow. This was one of the many perks of being a catwoman. It was nice not to have to go around the buildings and wait tediously as streetlights take their time turning colors. This way she could skip the boring parts and just go right to her destination. Her new physique guaranteed her enhanced supernatural agility that not even most trained martial arts masters had.
Well here she was. Sadie's Script, one of the hottest magazines in the country, and she was thankfully right on time for her interview.
This was just great. Things were finally looking up for…
OUCH!
Patience didn't watch were she was going as she walked up to the office building and ran smack-dab into a man. Her portfolio fell to the ground and the paintings scattered everywhere. Damn it!
She dropped on all fours as did the man.
"Shoot! Sorry about that. Let me help you with that."
They stooped and hurried to retrieve them off the ground before—too late. A strong breeze blew in and whipped her pages off the pavement and into the air several feet away.
"Oh no, no, no, no!" She cried, tucking the apprehended paper under her arm and sprinting after the rest.
"I'll get them," the man said, snatching at the airborne pictures. Patience noticed his impressive reflexes, but turned her attention quickly to a page as it rushed by her foot. Her entire portfolio was being whooshed away into the street… and the traffic light had just turned green!
"DAMN!" She hissed as her best works were crumbled and ruined under the rubber tires.
"Oh man!" The man said as he watched in horror with the woman beside him. "Look I'm really sorry about that."
Patience shook her head, nearly feeling like she would cry at the sight of something so depressing. "No, it's not your fault."
"No it is. Look I…" His words were caught in his throat as the two turned to each other at the exact same moment. Something lit up under Patience's chest as she looked into his pine green eyes. She didn't understand it, but there was something about this man that she couldn't turn away from. He wasn't more or less handsome than most of the men she'd seen. He was averagely attractive for a man, muscular and healthy so far as she could tell, but there was something else about him, something that drew her into him. What on earth was it?
He seemed to have the same reaction towards her because neither one of them could turn away from the other. For a long moment, everything was forgotten. The world was on hold for them as the man and the woman continued to stare.
Something deep within Patience stirred. She could feel her other side leaping under her skin, as if Catwoman would jump out of her body any minute and leapt at the man. She only wondered if it was for lust or wrath that she would attack him without cause or motive.
She could only assume that he felt the same towards her. She was sure her face mirrored his. In it she spotted several emotions role across his expression. Emotions she felt stirring within herself as well: surprise, suspicion, longing, anger, passion, and most definite of all… regret.
The man opened his mouth several times before sound escaped him. "Who… I'm… Bruce by the way."
"I'm Patience."
They stood longer together not saying anything as the world moved on without them. For the strangest reason, Patience was certain they'd met before, but she was more than positive that she'd never set eyes on this man in her whole life.
"Do I… know you?" Patience murmured, at last breaking the silence between them. "I'm having the weirdest reaction of de`ja`vue."
"No," Bruce answered, confirming her assumption. "I'm pretty sure we've never met… in this life at least."
Yes everybody that is Dre from the Karate Kid. He plays a minor role in this story so far. I might give him more influence in later chapters though. Thanks for reading my story and tell me watcha think. :)