AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been on fire the last couple of days! I don't know why, but I've been super inspired. Since next week I'm going on vacation and June (which is my birthday month) is right around the corner I thought everyone would enjoy a nice surprise update. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 11

(Remy's P.O.V.)

I have to admit, waking up to luxury is a nice change. I ended up spending the next three days confirming my network of people was secure. There were a few I suspected so I let them go. I even managed to get my laptop, TV, and cash out of my old apartment. Once that was all done I decided to just continue on staying in the luxury hotel. When I approached the front desk about how long my stay was I was told with a pleasant smile I could stay as long as need be. A special "someone" was apparently footing the bill for me until I decided to leave.

I had my qualms about Batman's sudden interest in me. Why did the man feel the need to keep me within spitting distance of him? Other than our night together he not shown much interest in establishing a relationship with me. Or perhaps I thought to much of one night of amazing sex. Perhaps it was just an unwritten deal between us. If I kept sleeping with him he would turn a blind eye to my illegal activities.

Right?

When the fourth day came around I won't lie. I was glad to see Catwoman again when we finally met up at our secret spot. When she showed up however I knew right away something was wrong. Her hands were clenched when she saw me and the first thing she did was run into my arms. Shocked, I accepted the surprise embrace as she gave me a squeeze before stepping back.

"The penthouse was burned down. They found a body and I thought…" Selena said her voice catching. I froze as I took a step back to look at her. I felt like such an ass. I hadn't even bothered to check the penthouse.

"What happened?" I asked her stupidly. Selena glared at me for a second. Her eyes were rimmed red as if she had been crying. There were bags under her eyes as well as if she hadn't had a proper sleep in days.

"I'm sorry, Cherie." I said a second later. Selena only shook her head with a tired sigh. Reaching up removed her goggles and wiped at her eyes. I pulled her into another embrace glad to see she was alright.

"I got the cats out as soon as I left. When I came back the penthouse was just...up in flames. It wasn't even an hour after we were ambushed. I thought you had gone back to look for me…" Selena said trailing off. I ran a hand through my hair smoothing it back. Guilt eating away as I remembered what it was I truly had been up to that night.

"I'm sorry, Selena. I didn't think to contact you. Those men were still following me when I left…"

"And you didn't want to risk getting me in danger. LeBeau, we're always danger. It's not like you and I work nine to five jobs."

"Not during the day, at least." I added in. Selena snorted as she got over the initial shock of seeing me alive. She drew her goggles back down as she peered out over Gotham City.

"Up for a heist?" She asked me. I shook my head. Instead, I walked across the rooftop and peered over the edge. At least now I understood why Batman had put me in the hotel room. Why hadn't he bothered to mention the fact the penthouse had gone up in flames?

She and I quickly left the rooftop and began browsing the city. Selena told me she had found a few leaks on her end which she had dispatched accordingly. I told her of how I had cut off a few of my own people. Not willing to risk keeping a wide net if someone was out to kill us. We discussed how we would make up for the time we had lost. Our funds were running low as it was.

"We could steal cars again. That's always fun." Selena suggested. I laughed, giving her a sly grin as we hung out across the street from a garage.

"You just want to go for a joyride in a Porsche. Remember what happened last time?"

"The idiot had a chance to get out. It's not my fault he thought hanging on while on a motorbike was smart."

"Cherie, that was me!"

"Oh, well, you should have let go then."

"You were supposed to wait for me to get in with you!"

Selena snorted waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. I gave her a light shove acting as if I meant to throw her off the edge of the roof. Despite everything that had happened I was genuinely glad to have her back with me. Selena is perhaps the only real friend I've had in a long time. Sure, that's corny coming from me. But it makes a world of difference when you can have someone to relate too. Who shares some of your views of the world and doesn't judge you just because you're different than most people.

We enjoyed each other's company in silence. Watching as the cars passed by below us. I had begun to think about seeing Sabretooth again after so many years. I wondered, perhaps he was the one coming after us? It made sense when I thought about it. My question is though if he was coming after us, why now of all times? Or perhaps he was just after me in particular? No, that didn't make sense either. At the gala Sabretooth had clearly been there for his own enjoyment. The last thing he would want is a reminder of his past.

"Selena, do you and Batman still get around?" I asked her after a while. I had sat down on the roof for a smoke. Swinging my leg as Selena sat beside me. She had begun to focus on sharpening her claws and inspecting her whip. At my question she glanced up at me with her piercing green eyes.

"You two had sex, didn't you?" She asked me directly. I tried not to let it show, but a wicked grin had already begun to cross my face.

"Maybe." I answered. Selena's eyes narrowed as she slapped my shoulder.

"Whore! Where did you two do it? How many times?" She demanded of me. I laughed, rubbing my shoulder. While she hadn't used her claws they had still scraped me a bit.

"Only once, and on the hood of the Batmobile." I answered her. Selena's eyes widened as she stared at me. Then her face flushed as she glared at me.

"No fair! Granted, we ruined a penthouse but….fuck, I wanted to do it on top of his car! Do you know how many times I tried to get him to do that?" Selena complained. I shrugged my shoulders taking a drag on my cigarette before I answered.

"And you call me a whore. A man has needs, Cherie."

"So do I. I don't go around sleeping with just any man but you have admit, when it comes to Batman…" Selena winked at me knowingly. I found myself grinning again at the thought.

"Okay, you make a fair point. He sure drives hard though. Does he always do that?"

"Bat boy likes to keep himself in shape. I don't think he gets laid very often either. So each time he has sex is the only time he ever gets off." Selena explained. I frowned, but nodded my head. It had seemed that way with Batman when we had done it. I guess the man really was dedicated to what he did. That's more than I can say for a lot of supposed "super" heroes I've known over the years.

"You know, I honestly don't know what to expect from him. What was he like when he was with you?" I asked her. Selena paused thinking for a moment. She gave me a strange look at the question. Odd how she and I were so alike. Yet I could not imagine anyone else being able to answer my question. She tapped her chin as she fell deep into thought.

"Believe it or not, but when he and I first had…whatever it was, a relationship if you can call it that, he seemed confused."

"Confused? Batman?"

"Yeah, it was like…he didn't know quite what to do with himself. Don't get me wrong, he cared about me back then. I think he still does. Not in a romantic way, but at times he scared me."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, I never told you this, but back when I was operating alone I got caught by the GCPD. They took my fingerprints, picture, etc. When they ran a background check on me though they didn't find a damn thing on me. I mean, it was like I had never even existed." Selena explained giving me a serious look. I nodded my head, leaning in as she spoke. I almost wanted to ask her if she was making it all up, but I knew better.

"When I asked Batman if he had anything to do with it, he said yes. He was trying to protect me. It's no secret the GCPD have dirty police officers on someone else's payroll. What scared me though is the fact Bats has access to that kind of information. It makes you wonder what else he knows about you. All your secrets, even the bad ones. Who you loved, who you lost…" Selena sighed shaking her head.

"And sometimes he knows thing about you not even you know. That's the worst part of it." Selena admitted.

I licked my lips my throat suddenly going dry. I sat back brooding over what she had told me By the way Selena was looking at me I figured she had never had cause to tell anyone this. Before I had always seen Batman as a good man. Someone who looked out for others. I knew he had access to information, but wiping out someone's personal files? Government ones, no doubt. He must to have taken out Selena's entire identity to hide her. I'm sure he probably had the files stored somewhere safe from prying eyes. But still….

Batman's note to me. He had run a background check on Logan's dog tags. Was he asking me who Logan was to mock me? Or was it a scare tactic? I shook my head. My Dark Knight suddenly seen in a more sinister light in my mind's eye.

"Selena, I need to take care of something. Contact me tomorrow night when you've picked our next heist." I said to her.

I didn't give her a chance to say anything else. I simply said a hasty goodbye and left. Actually, I was surprised Selena didn't follow after me. In the night sky above the Gotham skyline though I had spotted the Bat signal. It wasn't my first time seeing it, but it was certainly the first time I was headed directly towards it. Beforehand whenever I had seen the signal I would lay low for a couple of days. Now I found myself desperate to speak to Batman.

It didn't take me long before I came within a few blocks of the signal. I knew the signal didn't always work. Sometimes Batman would stand up Jim Gordon, but usually because he already knew what the situation was. At least that's what I've heard. I paused on a rooftop away from the bat signal. I was so close I could see Jim Gordon's cloud of breath as he waited. I prayed Selena had taken my hint and gone on home.

"Gambit."

His voice made me jump. I actually almost fell off the roof he had startled me so badly. A strong hand reached out and grabbed my shoulder. Spinning me around and pulling me back from the edge. I smacked his hand away, glaring at Batman as he calmly gazed at me. He frowned at my refusal of his help, still stood there. Silent. Dark. Brooding. Glaring at me like I had done something wrong.

"Stop scaring the shit out of me. You're going to give me a heart attack!" I snapped at him. Batman only scowled at me as he peered over at Jim Gordon. We were to far away for the police commissioner to hear us.

"You're lucky. I don't usually give people a warning." Batman said to me in his usual no-nonsense voice. I glared at him, but now that I was over the initial shock I wondered how long he had been following me. Had he known I would be here? Or was it just pure chance we had run into each other again?

"Batman, I have to talk to you about something…" I began, but he cut me off.

"We'll have to discuss it later. Meet me back at your room. I should be there around two." Batman informed me bluntly.

Before I knew it he had left the rooftop and was already heading towards Jim Gordon. For the policeman's benefit he hardly seemed fazed by Batman's sudden appearance. I'll give the man props for being able to keep his cool at his age. Shaking my head, I could see no way to get Batman to speak to me. I even turned around to go home when a thought occurred to me.

Why didn't I just follow him? Why did I have to be the one to wait for him to come to me? Of course, in certain way that's all I have been thinking about in my spare time. I still had his batarang he had left behind on the note. Turning back around I saw him leaving the rooftop just as he disappeared off to the side. With his black suit it was hard to track, but I had already picked him out. I let out frustrated groan when Batman expanded his cape and glided away.

Cracking my neck I darted after him. Even going down below to steal a motorbike in order to follow. I could hardly take a direct route, but I managed to figure out where he was going. I made good time and managed to keep him in view just long enough to see him land on a building. Did he know I was following him? Did he care? I bet now I was starting to get the paranoia most of the other criminals had when it came to Batman. Always thinking he was around every corner. He knew your every move. Every thought.

Granted, Batman is just one man. But there were rumors he had others under his control. I knew one of them was Nightwing who worked in a completely other city. Then there was the Red Robin who, apparently, ran a team of younger super heroes known as the Teen Titans. There was a smaller, younger Robin who ran with Batman from time to time. I had no idea where he was except perhaps probably safe at home somewhere. At least I hoped. Trained or not I still don't condone kids getting involved in saving innocent people.

I know for a fact there was a mercenary by the name of the Red Hood who helped out Batman. There was also Batgirl, but she was only a mere rumor. There was no doubt in my mind however she probably did exist. Then of course you have Catwoman, but she told me she didn't usually get involved anymore. Why would she? Batman clearly had everything covered right down to the small print.

Then there's me.

What am I in all this? I'm certainly not a villain, at least I never considered myself one. Sure, I stole for a living, but I only ever took from corrupt people anyway. When it came to going downtown and protecting the working girls I had begun to give them back all their money. I let them do as they pleased and for the most part they were grateful to me for it. Most of the kids I managed to get back home to their parents.

Selena used to think I spent most of the money I got from heists paying off the Penguin or some other head honcho. It took her a long time to realize a lot of the big bucks I earned went into helping other people. Paying for an apartment, making sure a family didn't get evicted, and from time to time I've gone shopping for groceries and left it right outside the door of a hungry family.

Yes, yes, I know. That's boring, right? What person in their right mind would do that? I know for a fact I'm no hero. I never tried to be and, honestly, I don't want to be. It all just boiled down to me seeing someone hurt, or hungry, or being taken advantage of and the compassionate part of me takes over. I can't stand to see someone walk past a grocery store. To look in and know there's food in there, but they can't eat it because they don't have the cash.

So, where did I stand in all this? Did my actions give me a free pass with Batman? I had the sudden urge to ask him where I truly stood when it came to him. Even as I parked the bike I had stolen and climbed up to the top of another roof my mind whirled with questions. One of my worst fears was for someone to take one look at me and call me a monster. I wanted so much to win Batman's approval, but at the same time I was scared of getting to close. Especially after what Selena had told me it made me worry about what the man might think of me.

I have some skeletons in my closet I'm not proud of. Even to this day I'm trying to redeem myself for the mistakes I've made. If Batman knew the truth of my past….would he still accept me for who I was? Does even know what I truly am?

I licked my lips as I scanned the rooftops. To my discouragement I didn't see Batman anywhere, but that didn't mean he wasn't around. He has a well-earned reputation for hiding professionally, after all. I began to walk slowly searching the shadows for him.

Batman had traveled way, way down town. In fact the part of Gotham he had glided into was considered condemned. The only reason the buildings had not been knocked down was because the mayor was too busy using tax payer money to pay for his hobbies. Since the homeless, the drug addicts, and other exiles of society came to live here the rest of Gotham City turned a blind eye. As long as no one of great value got themselves killed here hardly anyone seemed to care about this part of town. It was a miracle if even one out of five of the street lights managed to turn on after dark.

I spent probably twenty minutes walking around. I had to be careful about where I stepped on the rooftops. Some of the roofs were known for caving in unexpectedly due to lack of maintenance. I clucked my tongue feeling sorry for the poor people who had to live here. I really did make an effort to save anyone I can, but seeing this place made me wonder if anything I truly did make a difference in the big scheme of things.

As luck would have it I heard a small rustle of cloth before I actually saw him. I let out a sigh of relief as I turned around. Instead of seeing a familiar dark figure however I found myself face to face with someone I was not particularly happy to see. In fact, he and I had met several times when I had been on a heist. He had almost caught me a few times and he was perhaps the only person in this entire world I would even bother to call a "rival".

Nightwing leered at me even as I glared back at him. He and I have a bit of a reputation. When I had been traveling around the first two years searching for other mutants for a couple of mutants I had ended up in the city Nightwing protected. Back then I had only stolen when I needed too. Still, after being trained by the best it was no surprise when Nightwing began to catch on to my activities. Granted, eventually bigger game came his way he needed to concentrate on. Still, he and I had developed a ah….reputation of sorts with each other.

"I knew I'd find you here. Big surprise, finding you in this part of town." Nightwing said coolly. I tensed glaring at him as he came closer. One of the things I can't stand about this young man is that he's fast as hell. The last time he and I had met I had only just managed to escape on a fluke.

"Keep on walking, cher. I'm not here for trouble." I said as we began to circle each other. Nightwing was under the assumption I carried explosives on my person. One of the main reasons I guess he had begun to focus on me. I usually tried to avoid using my powers these last few years. I didn't want to draw attention to myself.

"Sure you're not. Just like two weeks ago when you robbed that bank. You're going to tell me you were just making a withdrawal?" Nightwing shot back at me. I grinned despite the situation. While he was talking I saw his hand reaching for a pair of bolos.

"Non, don't go feeding me that morality bullshit. The man I was stealing from has millions, if not billions in overseas bank accounts. He made the cash with human trafficking."

"So you thought you'd cash in on it, huh?"

"No, cher, after I had the cash I busted his next 'shipment' and got those unfortunate girl's help. Why do you think the police have been on his ass lately?" I shot back at him. Nightwing frowned at what I said, but fuck him. It was the truth. I didn't take one cent from that heist. If he didn't believe me so be it.

I wasn't prepared for what happened next. Only I was focusing on Nightwing before I was slammed from behind. I went into a quick roll just as Nightwing threw the bolos. I won't lie, I got lucky. I popped back to my feet and ran like hell in the direction I had been kicked. Behind me I heard curses, but I didn't risk a glance back. Withdrawing my Bo staff I leapt across the cap between the two roofs. Ducking behind some old boxes when I heard a hiss through the air. A second later I heard the shuck shuck shuck of those damn throwing stars embedding themselves in the boxes as I continued to flee. They were similar to Batman's batarangs except they were in the shape of birds.

I continued running like hell. Dodging and weaving in between cover to avoid being hit. When I finally did risk a glance behind me I saw Nightwing was gaining on me fast. I didn't see my other attacker, but I didn't stop running. As I fled in my mind I wondered if perhaps the second person had circled around to cut me off. At this rate Nightwing would catch up to me and I would be off to jail.

I had to make a decision. When I came to the next alleyway I just leapt down into it. Nightwing had the greater speed and agility. In a flat out race I doubted I could outrun him. My only chance would be to outmaneuver him while I still had a lead. Without wasting a second I fled down the alleyway. Dodging around corners and leaping over trashcans faster than I thought possible. I was so focused on not getting caught I didn't really pay attention to where I was going.

All of a sudden I found myself out in the open street. I actually felt a bit of relief from being in the alleyways, but staying out in the open meant certain capture. I began to dart across just as a car came screeching around the corner. I was blinded by the headlights just as the car swerved to the right. I stared, wide eyed, as the car went into a tail spin. A split second later smashing into a wall before going still. Rocking back and forth slightly as the engine began to smoke.

Stunned, at first I just stared. Then my instincts kicked in and dashed over to the car. I wrenched the door open to look in praying the people weren't hurt to bad. To my relief other than being shaken the men inside were simply sitting there with wide eyes. When I opened the door four pairs of eyes turned to look at me. It was then I noticed the suspicious bulging bags in the back along the pistols they held.

"You guys okay?" I asked them. I guessed they were gangsters by the way they were dressed. I wasn't about to start beating on them though even if they were in the middle of a robbery. Anyone who was willing to crash into a wall to avoid hitting someone with their car had be at least a halfway decent human being.

They didn't have a chance to answer until the person I had been seeking most of the night landed with a loud thud on top of the car. I looked up to see Batman glaring down at me. His mouth set in a thin line just as Nightwing appeared a few seconds later on the rooftop above. I saw the young man smirk no doubt thinking I was caught. Pissed, I turned to Batman and crossed my arms pretending to be displeased with him.

"Cher, how many times do I have to intervene to help you catch the baddies? These men should have been in handcuffs by now. What's wrong with you?" I snapped at him. This only served to make Batman even more pissed as he came down from the hood of the car. The men inside looked as if they were about to protest, but on the sight of the bat they went silent.

"I was following them to their hideout." Batman hissed in my ear. He grabbed my arm and yanked me forward when he said it. I felt a hot blush come to my cheeks which was thankfully hidden by the dark.

"Oops." I said to him as he turned around. After a minute I added:

"Sorry."