Meow
Disclaimer: Don't own anything except Serenity Anderson
A/N: AH! Wow…um, I def. didn't think it would take that long for me to get this up and posted. SO SORRY for making you guys wait so long, (ducks the rocks aimed at my head once again) but it's been really crazy and I haven't had a moment to really sit down and write. I only have the next chap about half way written, but as soon as that ones done the rest should be way easier to write and get up. Any way, thank you to all my lovely reviews, I love you all so very, very, much!
Sand Lord, A Catlike fighter! LMAO I love it! Your reviews always make me smile cause it's like you're reading my mind, No joke! Everything you wrote in your review was everything that I was thinking as I was writing this! I love how you found the parallels between Serenity and the original bat, and it's okay to be a hopeless romantic! You'll just hafta wait and see where the story goes! Lol heh.
Anime-Ronin, Me too, I always wondered what it would be like if Batman ever really did start to loosen up and play back…we'll just hafta wait and see!
CATgrl, Thanks for the compliment fellow cat! And here's the next chapter! And you're right, you should NEVER piss off a cat!
NekoGuyFan, Thanks for the review, well- here is a little taste of what she is going to do! Enjoy!
Kyoko Kasshu Minamino, Ack! No, you hafta stay alive to read my next chappy! And Bruce making a joke a sign of the apocalypse? ...I'm with you there under the bed…and I think there's room for one more ;)
XinnLajgin, thank you for your review and I hope you enjoy this next one!
Maid of the Mer, Ack! Ack! Here, here you go! The next chapter! Please don't take my muffins away:(
alias245, hehehe, I'll try to hurry up on the chaps, but I just want to make sure they're good!
Ratdogtwo, writers block DOES suck, big time! Here's another update, enjoy!
GambitGirl2008, well, here you go, the ext installment! Enjoy!
lt. commander richie, YUMMY cookie! Thanks! You're the best for reviewing!
Galaxya, awe! I'm so glad you were eager to read my story! I hope this next installment is to your liking! Enjoy!
Cougar2k2, oh man, thanks for such a sweet review! I hope I don't disappoint and that you enjoy this chap!
Lady-Crymsyn, hehe, thanks, Enjoy the next chap!
sakurachan299, what ever you sent me I couldn't see, but thanks?
Once again, thanks for reviewing and a BIG THANKS for everyone who's been patient, I only hope that you stick with me, because I will finish this fic! Okay, let's just get to the fic…heh, GO READ - ENJOYand as always, tell me what you think, and Have A Nice Day!
§§
She sat in English but the words coming form her teacher's lips weren't penetrating through the thick haze that were her thoughts. No, right now she was thinking of what happened between herself and Selina. She was not thinking about Terry, or Batman, or "Mister Wayne," or anything else…least of all this stupid English lesson.
Her thoughts about retribution were momentarily put on hold as she went over, once more, what took place the previous night. "I was worried about you." The soft-spoken words still hauntingly danced around in her ears, over and over until she was almost sure it was on a constant loop.
What was Selina so worried about? She was just having a little bit of fun, she wasn't stealing anything really or hurting anybody -her eyes darkened slightly- not yet.
She hadn't told Selina about her decision to find those Jokerz yet…quite frankly she wasn't sure how Selina would take the news and she couldn't worry about that right now.
Last night had held a strange tension to it, but she couldn't pick out exactly what or why. Even though Selina had admitted to being worried about her, Serenity wasn't sure if that was the whole reason or not. And she also wasn't sure why she when she started doubting Selina's motives.
Her eyes lifted and refocused. She let out a small sigh as the teacher began questioning students for their opinion on the current book that the class was reading, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. An old classic…
Currently the teacher was questioning Chelsea, and like usual her answers left something to be desired. Serenity couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes- her teacher caught her.
"Miss Anderson? What's your opinion on this matter?"
Great, just perfect- she didn't even know what the hell they were talking about. She cast a quick peek at her wristwatch, only fifteen more minutes left of this period. She just had to last fifteen minutes.
"I don't think you're going to like it," she replied trying to throw him off and leave her alone, but he wouldn't have it.
"That's quite alright, we've already established that Chelsea doesn't like the monster because he is," the teacher grinned, "'disgusting' and 'icky.'"
Serenity almost smiled. So they were talking about the monster, more specifically opinions on the monster…Okay, she could work with that. And why wasn't she surprised about Chelsea's response?
"Well," she started off simultaneously flicking some of her hair over her shoulder and leaning back in her chair. She made sure she gave off the air of casual indifference.
"I liked him," she stated bluntly and the teacher raised an eyebrow in interest, but yet as an indication for her to keep going.
"And why, did you like him?"
"He wasn't just some dumb animal that liked to kill things, he was smart." Her eyes flicked over to Terry who was watching her with rapt interest, "What better way to send a message to somebody than through their loved ones?"
Oh man, if looks could kill…did the room's temperature just drop about 10 degrees?
Serenity saw his eyes narrow at her and she couldn't help the small grin that that came over her face right back at him. Oh how she loved to tease him.
Hey, just because she wouldn't focus completely on him didn't mean she would ignore him.
Her gaze returned to her teacher, grin still firmly intact.
Terry narrowed his eyes at Serenity; she wanted to play? Fine, they would play…two could play at her little game.
His hand shot up faster than it had in a long time surprising the teacher. It took the teacher a moment to realize that Terry was actually awake and wanted to contribute something to their class discussion. This hadn't happened in a while.
"Mr. McGinnis, pleasure to see you're awake today! Something you would like to add to Miss Anderson's opinion?"
Serenity looked over at Terry, hiding her surprise. What was this? He was playing back; he wasn't supposed to do that... Terry could see her eyes light up with interest even though her face remained blank.
Oh yeah, he was going to respond back to her "little" signals, Wayne may not have been the one to answer back to these things, but Terry wasn't going to just sit here and take it! She wanted to play, they were going to play!
"Yeah, I do-"
The class was interrupted with a bang when Nelson slammed the door open and strode into the classroom late. All eyes were on him, just the way he liked it. There was a strut in his walk and a smirk on his lips, but Serenity could detect a hint of annoyance in his posture- guess his alarm didn't go off that morning…
Heh...heh…
She hid her amusement and tilted her head to the side to casually observe him.
"Sorry 'bout this teach- you know how it is," Nelson said lazily.
The teacher raised an eyebrow in response. It seemed Nelson could get on anybody's nerves.
"Why don't you just take your seat Nelson?"
Nelson gave a smirk and turned to go to his seat somehow missing when the teachers' eyes widened and a chuckle escaped his lips. He quickly coughed to cover it up- nobody noticed except two people. The teacher cleared his throat.
"Nelson, I'm afraid I'm going to have to confiscate your jacket."
Hold on.
Rewind.
What?
Nelson's eyes narrowed and scoffed like the idea was ludicrous, "My Varsity jacket? … Are you nuts? No!"
The side of the teacher's mouth twitched.
"Nelson, give me your jacket-"
He fully faced the teacher- his back to the rest of the class- "No, this is completely-"
He trailed off when he became aware of the laughing. He was confused for a second before looking over his shoulder at his friends and saw that they were laughing. He looked at everybody else…they were all laughing at something too…
It took his brain a few seconds to put the pieces together.
-Him; they were laughing at him!
…but why?
Wait, the teacher had wanted to take his jacket. With a growl he ripped off his prize possession and turned it around to read the back. His eyes narrowed and words failed him. Instead of what it normally said, his name, school, and status it now read:
"Grade 'A' Asshole"
Varsity Captain
Nelson
His brain couldn't function.
Grade 'A' Asshole!
GRADE 'A' ASSHOLE!
WHAT!
Nelson looked at the material in his hands and saw red. If he had this…garbage… then where was his real varsity jacket?
When did this happen? How did this happen to him? - But more importantly, who was dared do this to him? Who was dumb enough?
His eyes rose from the material being clenched in his fists to look at his amused classmates.
Laughing- they were all laughing at him, they thought this was funny. They thought what the jacket said was funny. He grit his teeth.
It wasn't!
He could feel his face heating up in embarrassment and rage, most probably turning the same shade of red as his flaming red hair.
"Nelson?" the teacher questioned when he noticed that Nelson hadn't said anything since seeing the jacket. Nelson could see all this amused the teacher too. He felt a burning inside of him and an insane urge to punch something. His eyes skimmed his classmates and all there amused expressions.
Who was dumb enough to do this to him, who!
Without hesitation he threw the offending garment towards the teacher who caught with no problem and put it on his desk.
"Thank you, now if you would kindly take your seat we can continue."
With a tensed jaw, clenched teeth and fists, Nelson took his seat.
His mind churned as he sat, who could have done this to him? Who was stupid enough to mess with- with HIM- and who wanted to get even with him?
His eyes roamed over his classmates going over each possibility. His eyes landed on McGinnis and he paused for a moment to consider. He was a definite possibility, but then his eyes wandered a little further back – Serenity -
Nah.
Just as quickly as he thought it he dismissed it. She was, as he was recently finding out, feisty- but not THAT feisty.
A frown settled itself on his face as he continued to look over the rest of the class–
He would find out who did this to him.
"Alright class, calm down," the teacher spoke up, once again trying to gain control over his class. After a few seconds the class lowered their volume and began their discussion once more.
"Now, where were we? Oh yes," the teacher seemed to perk up once more as he turned his attention back to Terry, "Terry was just about to enlighten us about what his feelings are towards Miss Anderson's comments about the monster."
Terry almost grinned and opened his mouth,
"I think-"
RING
Terry felt his mouth drop open; this had to be a joke. Just had to be. Fate couldn't be this cruel to him.
But apparently it was.
"Saved by the bell Mr. McGinnis," the teacher turned his attention to the students who were packing up their belongings, "We'll continue this discussion next time, and your papers are due in two weeks. If you have any problems with your topic, come see me."
But, Terry thought looking around at the moving bodies that were dismissing around him…he was just about…he was going to…
He let out a small grunt gathering up his things with a small pout adorning his lips.
Maybe the reason why Batman never played back was because Fate was against him, as it was proving for Terry.
His eyes watched as Serenity glided gracefully past him and out of the room, his eyes lingering on the little extra sway she threw in her hips. Shaking himself mentally he met Max's eyes and knew that he had been caught staring. She didn't say one word but the look on her face spoke volumes.
Caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
He cleared his throat while simultaneously swinging his backpack over his shoulder. The subtle hint that he was ready to leave.
Terry's eyes narrowed as he followed Max out of the English room; he would have to play back in another way.
§§
Serenity let out a sigh, as she was pat down. It was routine, she knew that, but she hated that she got patted down each time she came to visit Uncle Harvey.
"All right- you're clean. You're clear to go."
She knew she had been clean but kept her mouth shut. What would she smuggle into an almost 85 year old man anyway? … Okay maybe it was more like two men, but still.
She shook herself from her complaining and began to walk down the long corridor, following the nurse and the ward. She knew how to get to Uncle Harvey's room on her own; go down the hall, elevator up one level, go to the right until you hit room 222- but once again she kept quiet. There was no reason to cause any trouble right now.
As she past by Room 107 she waved a quick hello at Pamela Lillian Isley - or more commonly know as Poison Ivy- who gave a shallow wave back. Her once vibrant red hair was now pale and almost completely overgrown by gray.
She knew there was a history between her Uncle Harvey and Ivy, you could just tell. They had a, pardon her bad pun, a unique chemistry. That and Selina had told her that they too had a 'Gotham relationship,' meaning a love-hate relationship. Man, everything in Gotham City was labeled.
Shaking her head she continued on her way and passed by Room 113 giving another quick wave to Jonathan Crane, a.k.a the Scarecrow. He, who was once a frail young man, was now an even frailer old man who had bits of straw piled in the corner of his room, kept there to remind him of what he once was. She couldn't help but feel pity for the man every time she saw him.
He turned towards her and gave a single shake of his hand in greeting- his usual 'hello.' She smiled sadly before continuing on her way.
She took the elevator up one floor and walked down the hall. She gave a quick "hello" and wave into room 216, Oswald Cobblepot, or, The Penguin. He gave a gruff "quack" and waved one wrinkled flipper-ed hand at her before speaking,
"Lovely Miss Serenity, well hello. How are you today?" his voice had lowered in volume, with a slight rasp.
"Same as everyday," she replied with a smile, "good and yourself?"
He looked at her over his beak like nose and wrinkled face and replied,
"Same as everyday, quack, but I must admit my dear, your visits are a most pleasant break of routine."
"Glad to hear it, I have to speak to Uncle Harv, but I'll try to come back."
"Correct me if I'm wrong my dear, but were you not supposed to come Saturday, not during the week…not that I am complaining of course, quack."
Serenity gave a grin again, "Yes, you're correct- I'm here early but the reason why is my secret." She gave another grin and wave before continuing on her route to Uncle Harvey's room.
Moments later she smoothly breezed into her Uncle's room without a backwards glance at the nurse or ward. They were pretty much useless now anyway.
"Hello, hello!" She said removing her jacket and dropping her backpack on the ground.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Two-face snapped looking more than a little confused, and angry with her for busting into their room, while the Uncle Harvey part looked intrigued.
"What, can't a girl come to see her uncle slash crime boss related uncle a few days early?" Serenity threw on her innocent look but somehow it seemed to have lost its effect over time…. The men in question didn't budge. The eye on the scarred side of his face narrowed while the eyebrow over his non-scarred side rose.
"Cut the look baby cat we know that something's up!"
Serenity let out a deep whoosh of air and put her hands on her hips, sticking her lip out in an exaggerated pout before dropping her arms to her sides and sinking into the seat near his.
"Fine, be no fun." She sulked before a serious look came over her features.
"I wanted to talk to you about something…" she trailed off and unconsciously sat up straighter in her chair.
The guys looked at her waiting patiently, well, Harvey was patient- Two-face was not.
"Well? Out with it baby cat and make it interesting, we're not getting any younger!"
"ALRIGHT!" she said loudly gripping the armrest of the chair tightly before taking a deep breath and relaxing her grip.
"I…I've- you see…" she trailed off and paused. She had think of the right way to state what she wanted and what she planned. Basics.
"I want to find the guys that killed my mother and brother, and to do that I need information. To obtain this information I need to know the right place to look, and to find the right place to look," she locked eyes with him, "I need the knowledge. To gain this knowledge I need somebody who has had experience tracking people down."
She left the rest unsaid; he now knew what she wanted.
Harvey Dent and Two-face were both, miraculously, silenced by this statement. Serenity raised an eyebrow as she achieved what many though impossible – both Harvey Dent and Two-face speechless.
It didn't last long.
"Damn baby cat, we just thought you wanted some new kinky ideas for you and your little Bat toy."
Always leave it to Two-face to make one of those statements that just couldn't come from anyone else. She fought down her blush at the idea of his 'kinky ideas' concerning herself and Terry. It was Harvey who made the more serious statement, a slight frown marring his face.
"And just what will you do after you've found them?"
He knew, but he wanted to know what she would say.
"Reprisal," she said slowly, meaningfully.
"And just what did Selina say about this?" Harvey questioned and noticed a flash of guilt cross her face before disappearing. He had his answer before she even opened her mouth.
"I'm doing this on my own-"
"-But you come to us for help?" Harvey cut her off.
Serenity let out a small growl deep in her throat before speaking once more her eyes narrowed slightly.
"I'm here right now for knowledge to accelerate my search. I come asking for your opinion, but it will be I who'll be doing the work."
Two-face cackled hoarsely and Serenity noticed how his scarred hand twitched slightly, no doubt from the lack of a coin…must have thrown it at the ward or nurse again…he did that frequently.
"So the baby cat wants to put on the big cats fur?" He laughed some more and the rough sound grated on her nerves.
"You should discuss this with Selina," Harvey tried again but was cut off by Two-face. "What do you want to know?"
Serenity tilted her head to the side and her grip involuntarily tightened on her chair. She cleared her throat before leaning closer to where they sat,
"Where should I start, picking random Jokerz and trying to get them to talk, or doing a search on my computer? – " She shook her head slightly, "They're not going to be easy to find."
Two-face grinned at her and she could tell that this actually sparked his interest. This was something he was good at, something he thrived at doing…why wouldn't he want to show his expertise?
"Don't waste your time on clown wannabes, although fun, it's time consuming."
She absently noticed that this was the most lucid she had ever heard Two-face talk.
"You were right about the computer, but not yours," he sneered at her at what he thought should be obvious, "yours is too simple for this kind of task, unless you want some stupid useless garbage that you pull of a google search."
She waited in silence taking in every word that was coming from his lips to her ears, absorbing everything. Selina did say she was a quick study.
"To do this you'd need something of a higher caliber, with information dating back a couple years, a highly complex search engine and almost unlimited access to normally unauthorized information."
A thought came to mind but it was practically impossible.
"The Bat's computer would be the ideal choice, but impossible to find and gain access to. Even if you found it, you'd have to break every lock and code just to open the screensaver."
How could he always read her mind like that?
"No, think simpler. The most sensible place to get the information you want."
It took her a second longer than she would have liked but the answer seemed to all of a sudden appear right in front of her eyes.
"The Police station."
Two-face nodded at her, delighted. Harvey was far from pleased.
"They should have everything ever written about the case, people, situation, times, dates, locations…everything," she rationalized out loud, a plan already forming in her mind.
Harvey gained control once more,
"And just what are you telling Selina about this?"
Um, nothing?
"I told you," Serenity said again, more than a tad bit defensively, "this has to be done on my own."
Harvey wasn't fooled for a moment. He didn't want to choose sides but Serenity was forcing him. There was no way he was going to pick between Selina and Serenity. Furthermore, he was not going to lie to Selina.
"I'm not going to lie for you-" Harvey stated sternly.
"-I will!" Two-face argued back.
Serenity huffed for a moment before speaking, and when she spoke it was calmer than what she felt.
"It's not your place to tell."
"No, it's yours!"
The room was at a silent stalemate for a moment, neither party willing to back down first.
"This is something I got to do, whither you help me or not-" a grin crossed her face, "but Two-face has already helped me out."
"You tell'em, baby cat!" Two-face cheered.
Harvey finally gained control over his mouth once more and tried to reason with her.
"This isn't you," he said with an odd look on his face…their faces…
Serenity stayed silent, unable to deny the statement, he was right after all. She had never been about deliberately hurting someone else; she was sneakier…getting around having to fight, slipping in and out. She avoided fights, but this was different- this situation was different.
"I'm just supposed to let them get away with it?" She asked and her tone was filled with hints of hurt.
"You have to let go…and move on," he said and Serenity felt a stirring at his word, Let go and move on?
She couldn't – not yet.
She looked at them with a frown on her face and slightly pinched eyebrows.
"You mean forget about them, and what happened," she said defensively. She began to fidget and shift around in her seat restlessly. She couldn't sit still anymore. She didn't know if it was the room, or the conversation being spoken, or the way she was reacting…maybe it was all of it…what ever the reason she couldn't stay anymore.
"No, not forget, but… move on…" Harvey tried again.
She felt trapped.
She felt trapped in trying to defend herself and the reasons why she felt that she had to do this. She felt trapped in the room with them, and the situation that she was currently in.
How to could she make them understand?
She turned sad eyes to them and saw them watching her intently.
"I can't," she said whispered and felt a small burning sensation behind her eyes. She couldn't stay here anymore. She rose from her seat slowly and soundlessly.
She grabbed her jacket and book bag and turned to go, but paused at the doorway. Keeping her back to Harvey and Two-face, she tried once more to get them to understand.
"Where do my loyalties lie if not with my family?" She questioned them softly. Without another word she exited the confines of their room, leaving them to stare at the spot where she had just been standing merely seconds before.
Harvey shut his eye and let out a deep breath- things had just gotten very complicated.