Disclaimer: Not a thing this fic is based on is mine.

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At first, she tried to be like Batman. That was her inspiration in the first place, the Batman. Gotham was…a strange kind of messed up place, and being so it created – and allowed the continued existence – of a grown man dressed up like a bat. And if one masked freak was tolerated, why not another?

So here she was in her stitched-together, skin-tight leotard of an…ensemble, wandering aimlessly around the dark alleys of Gotham – in the freezing cold of winter, no less. At least her outfit was originally a nice jacket.

Selena – no, Catwoman – was looking for some low-life doing some criminal act she could put a stop to. In the city of Gotham, that didn't take long.

This was only her fourth alley checked and already she'd spotted some black-haired man accosting a rather clueless woman. Once, that woman could have easily been her, but she didn't think about that long.

The woman noticed her first, diverting her attention from her attacker to an approaching shadow with a look of pleading hope. Then the man noticed he wasn't his leading lady's focus anymore and whipped his head back towards Catwoman as well. It was as if both were surprised and annoyed – well, maybe only one of the two were annoyed – that they had been interrupted.

"I just love a big, strong man who's not afraid to show it with someone half his size."

That brought the man's full attention. It was so easy to prick a man's ego. After shoving the girl into the wall for good measure, he left her cowering and came walking towards the town's new masked vigilante, flexing his bare hands to get them warm and ready for use. Her only response was to smile and say, "Be gentle, it's my first time."

And so it was, but it sure as hell wasn't difficult. The man never saw it coming. Kick, kick, kick, and his back was to that same wall he'd held his still cowering prey against. One more kick for good measure and he was right where she wanted him to be.

He, of course, groaned in indignity and pain, giving her a look as if to ask why she wasn't just like the many other women he'd accosted. It was a blank, stupid look of confusion, and with it his attacker knew that he was beaten.

In that moment, in seeing this man's confusion, Catwoman wondered what Batman would do. Probably something mysterious yet heroic, like knock him unconscious and drop him off at the police station. And what good would that do? She knew how justice worked in Gotham City, how every day men just like this got away with murder.

Selena had died because men like this ruled Gotham.

With a hiss, Catwoman raised her hand and out came kitty's claws. The man's eyes widened, but he never had a chance to fight back.

"Tic." She drew one set of red lines across his face.

"Tac." Another series of crimson marks to match.

"Toe!" A final, sharp blow and the greasy-haired man's head gave the wall behind him a good smack. With a groan, he slid down the wall to crumple at Catwoman's feet, dying. As all men like him – like Shreck - should be.

Her pleasure was interrupted when the woman she'd saved gave a sigh of relief, looking at her black-clad savior like…well, like she was Batman or something. "Thanks," she began, "I really-Oohhh!" A clawed hand pushed the woman right back against that wall, shutting her up nicely.

"You make it so easy, don't you? Always waiting for some Batman to save you." The girl continued to stare dumbly, much like her previous attacker, her mouth hanging open. So the black-clad woman leaned closer. "I am Catwoman. Hear me roar."

After a moment to let her message sink in, Catwoman jerked away from the stupefied girl, back-flipping with great skill away from her first – and last – heroic deed. She had decided even before she was finished dealing with that criminal, she was not going to be like Batman.