Selina placed the last of the Christmas cards on the mantelpiece with a rueful sigh. She'd received almost three hundred this year, mostly from men she'd noticed. Women seemed oddly prone to disliking her. Particularly the married ones. Hardly her fault if the husbands gave her all their attention.
But there was one card she'd been waiting for. Of all the socialites she had the pleasure of rubbing shoulders with, it was Bruce Wayne she most wanted a season's greeting from. And a little more besides. And yet he was the only bachelor in Gotham who hadn't sent a card.
Of course, he was the type to be distracted. By women, as much as anything else, but she'd hoped…
She sighed, and sashayed back to the chaise longue. Isis mewed lovingly as she settled into the seat, taking up the glass of white wine. The sheer fabric of her white gown stirred in the breeze from the open window.
"I wrote a letter to Santa, asking for something tall, dark and handsome," Selina mused wistfully. "Do I get to unwrap you now, or later?"
Behind her, Batman stepped out of the shadows. His cape billowed in the breeze, snapping periodically along with the net curtains. His face was implacable, his stance statuesque, but his voice would be warm despite himself. She knew it all instinctively. It was a tired old game they'd played a hundred times. She needed a new ball of yarn to unravel. Like Wayne.
"I needed to be sure you were staying out of trouble."
"Oh, come Christmas, I'm strictly a house cat," Selina assured him. "Are you sure that's all you're hear for? No mistletoe on your bat-belt."
The only answer was silence. Typical. She could tell he was still there, watching her, denying his emotions. Denying he had any.
"Too bad." She turned in her seat and saw the batcuffs hanging from his belt. "Handcuffs will do."
"Merry Christmas, Catwoman," he said gruffly. Then he was gone.
Selina slumped in her seat and drained the last of her wine. She glared at the cards encroaching on every shelf, hiding her beautiful cat figurines with images of snowflakes and ribbon-tied gifts. The flames danced in the fireplace, reflected in Isis' green unblinking eyes.
"What's so merry about it?"
She stroked Isis from head to tail and sighed again. At least she wasn't alone. Gotham was a hard city to survive on your own. She knew that from experience. But she had hoped this year she'd have more than a cat for company.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang.
Crossing the room, she fixed her hair and wondered absently who it could be at this late hour. GCPD most likely. They still liked to hound her from time to time. The same as Batman. But the detective that came to her door were rarely so dashing.
When she opened the door, it took all her self-restraint not to shriek in surprise. A good surprise, though. A Christmas gift.
"I do hope I'm not intruding, Miss Kyle. I'm aware these aren't usual social hours," Bruce Wayne said apologetically. Then, as an afterthought, "I didn't wake you did I?"
"No, please. Come in," Selina said sweetly. "I was just thinking about you."