Chapter Nine:

It was the incessant ringing of a cell phone that brought the newly engaged couple back to the world of coconsciousness. There was some fumbling trying to get to the phone since their activities the night before had resulted in them being tangled up at the end of the bed with each other and the sheets. A pale masculine arm finally emerged from the beneath the sheets and snagged the cell phone from where it was perched and dragged it back into the silk encased darkness.

" It's for you." A sleep rusted voice growled as the sheets pushed upwards and finally fell away to reveal the two.

" Mmmm hello," Ororo said her accent noticeably thicker in her still partially asleep state.

" Ororo, its Wanda. We had a visitor last night it was Two-Face. "

" What happened? Was any one hurt?" Ororo asked as popped up into a sitting position and roughly shoved her hair out of her face. Bruce sat up just as quickly and propped himself up behind her positioned so that he could eavesdrop on the conversation, only for Ororo slap him on the thigh not that it moved him.

" No, we're all fine. He agreed to the deal and left his contact information so we can send him the wiring instructions." Wanda said as she struggled to hold back a yawn that threatened to over take her. " You will have to excuse me he only just recently left."

" What took so long?" Ororo asked as she pulled away from Bruce and started to gather her clothes.

" His flirting."

" Excuse me?" Ororo asked as she froze half bent over reaching for her bra.

" He spent most of the evening hitting on me." Wanda said with a tone of frustration.

" Get some sleep Wanda, I'll be back as soon as I get dressed." Ororo said her face showing her struggle to keep from laughing, which she did just as soon as she hung up.

" What, what is it?" Bruce asked.

" A side effect of Wanda's power. We had a plan for when Two-Face contacted us it was going to be face to face and Wanda was going to use her ability to influence odds by." She trailed off as though searching for the appropriate words as she sat down on the side of the bed. " Jinxing his coin in her favor." Ororo finial said. " And I guess that one of those flips was whether or not to pursue her romantically." she concluded with a giggle.

" Well I suppose there are worst things that could have gone against the plan." Bruce said with a chuckle of his own. Neither of them wonder why they found it so funny they were still in wrapped up in their won post engagement glow. They in fact just about to rekindle the glow into a fire when the bedside phone rang. Bruce reached over and picked it up as he tightened his grip on Ororo when she tried to pull away from him. " Yes, Alfred."

" Pardon the intrusion master Bruce." The aged retainer began " but I was wondering whether or not you and Ms. Monroe would be requiring breakfast this morning."

" Yes, Alfred we would love some breakfasts." Bruce replied as the final relinquished his hold on Ororo, there was something off putting about thinking about sex while talking to the man that raised you.

" Very good sir. I also took the liberty of procuring something in Ms. Monroe's size that I believe suites this occasion." Alfred replied.

" Thank you Alfred." Bruce said as hung up. He then turned around to enjoy the sight of Ororo collecting her clothing. " You know there is a bathrobe in the closet you can use, you don't have to bother with those just yet."

" As nice as that sound I do." Ororo said " I still have some people to contact about the auction."

" Oh, like whom." Bruce asked as he slide out of the bed to retrieve the aforementioned robes.

" Mr. Freeze, Phobia, and Mr. Icicle." Ororo replied as she carried her clothes into the bathroom. " Which reminds me how are things going with Iron Cross and Evil Star?"

" Evil Star is currently waging a siege in the Zega quadrant and could care less. Iron Cross is serving a life term in Canada and when he heard your offer claimed that he didn't need or want your service, of course he said it with allot more racial slurs." Bruce replied as he slid into his bathrobe and threw hers over the end of the bed.

" So about how we expected." Ororo replied as she came out of the bathroom carrying her jewelry. " Did you have any luck on finding a location for Phobia?" She asked as she sat down at a small breakfast table that was set up in a corner of the room.

" Last we heard she was in Australia but we can't keep a real track on her." Bruce growled his mood souring quickly.

" It's all right, if things where going perfectly I would really be worried." Ororo said as she held her hands out to him. " At least this way we know what to expect." She explained as Bruce took her hands and knelt in front of her. " The more knowledge we have the better our chances of success." She said as kissed him and then rested her forehead against his.

" That's one way to look at it." Bruce whispered with a smile. They just sat there for a moment as they started to pull apart Alfred came in.

" If I may be so bold sir, I believe this is needed." The elderly retainer said as he lifted the lid off of the smallest of the three plates on his tray to revel an antique ring box.

" Thank you, Alfred." Bruce said as rose to collect ring from him. " This should do nicely." He said as he turned back towards Ororo. As kneeled back down in front of her he flipped open the box reveling a princess cut diamond flanked by blue diamonds in a platinum setting. " This ring is one of many that has been passed down through my family and I would be honored to continue that tradition with you."

" As would I." Ororo replied as she gave him her hand so that he could slip the ring onto her finger.

As Alfred watched the two of them lose themselves in each other the only thing he could think was ' That it was about time.'

Elsewhere in Gotham

Selina Kyle stood staring out the window of her high rise apartment looking out over Gotham city, fuming. " I leave for one month and some upstart decides to try and move in on my territory." she said as turned to face her favored cat Isis. " Well we can't have that now can we." she purred as she scooped the feline up and headed back towards her bedroom. " We will just have to do something about that." she purred as she turned to face a wall that was dominated by a schematics of Windrider Farms, along with security plans, and observation notes and photos. " Yes, we will."

Somewhere in some mountains, Far away from Gotham

" This is unacceptable." the shill sound of a woman's voice echoed through out the halls of the ancient mountain fortress.

" What is my daughter?" Ra's al Ghul asked as he gave himself a moment to roll his eyes skyward before his temperamentally daughter came bursting into his throne room.

" This travesty, this African harlot has used her wiles to bewitch my beloved." she spat as she handed a handful of papers at her father. He flipped through the papers almost absent mindedly only to pause as a photo caught his eye. It was a black and white photo showing the detective posing with a striking African American woman with light color hair in an Egyptian style dress with a black headpiece.

" It can not be." he whispered as he started to flip through the papers again this time paying more attention. He read the gossip column that predict the future engagement between the detective and this "Ororo Monroe", which was substantiated by the surveillance report of the Wayne's elderly retainer requesting the immediate delivery of an antique engagement ring that had been on loan at the Gotham museum. Too a magazine spread about the young lady and her newest business what caught her attention specifically was the colored photo of the white haired beauty. " Welcome back old friend." he said.

" You know her father?" Talia asked her fathers behavior shocking her out of her temper tantrum.

" I use to along time ago, or at least her past incarnation." He replied

Back in Gotham

Ororo was lounging in the back of Bruce's limousine as Alfred drove her back home. She was still coasting on the glow that came from her morning with Bruce so she was caught flat-footed when Alfred was forced to slam on the brakes in order to avoid ramming into a sheet of ice that had appeared in the road. So she only had time to gather her wits about her before the car door next to her opened and gloved hand reached in and Mr. Freeze's distorted voice asked " A moment of you time, if you would?"

" My pleasure." she replied as she accepted the hand. " I assume this is in regard to my request for a meeting."

" You would be correct." the frozen man replied.

" I assume that you have heard about what is going on?" Ororo asked as moved to stand beside him staring at the ice wall.

" Yes, the auction." Freeze replied as placed his hands behind his back and joined her in gazing at the ice wall.

" You provide us with the maximum amount that you are willing to bid and if ...

" The winning bid is lower then amount provided the excess is kept as a bonus for the proxy. And I am also required to provide an airtight alibi far away from here." Mr. Freeze finished.

" So you heard." Ororo asked as she looked over to him.

" Yes, I did." Mr. Freeze said as he turned so that he faced her fully. " Here are the bank codes for a backup bank account use as much as you have to get my wife's things back."

" I will do all that is in my power to do to meet that goal." Ororo assured him.

" Then I believe that our business is concluded." He said as he turned and departed. Ororo stood there and watched him leave before turning her attention to the large ice wall.

" Shall I call for a sledge hammer, or would a wrecking ball be more appropriate?" Alfred asked as he came up behind her.

" No need." Ororo replied as she pointed her hand at the ice wall fingers splayed fireing off several lightning bolts at the wall striking it at different points causing the wall to shatter and blown away from them. She then flicked her wrist creating a wind strong enough to pick up the debris and blow them off the road. " Shall we?" she asked as she turned and headed back towards the car.

" Of course Madame." Alfred said as headed after her at a quicker pace then normal in an attempt to reach the door before her. As the two climbed into the car and readied to head off they didn't notice the figure behind them that had watched the whole thing. Mr. Freeze had retraced his steps with the intension of breaking down the wall. Only to watch Ororo clean the way on her own with just a few hand gestures.

" Interesting." He muttered as he watched the luxury car disappear into the horizon.

Villains featured so far

Mr. Freeze (Dr. Victor Freeze)

Two-Face (Harvey Dent)

Joker ( Unknown)

Hugo Strange ( No Alias)

Ras'Al Ghul (Demon Head)

Catwoman (Selina Kyle)