Disclaimer: I do not own any Batman Begins/ Dark Knight characters. All other characters are mine.

Thank you guys so much for all the positive support, it's so awesome! Let me know your favourite character so far.

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XOXOXO -Improbable Dreamer

Caterina's hands were shaking again, her eyes an unflattering shade of scarlet. She caught her reflection in the rear-view mirror and thoroughly questioned anyone who had ever called her beautiful.

"Cat-" Yvonne's voice was soft and sad, and Caterina caught the heavy implications.

"-I'm fine." Cat lied, there was no reason to confined in her at the moment, it wouldn't solve anything.

The car swerved slightly into the left lane, and Cat clenched her teeth as she attempted to regain control of her hands. Her left arm was burning dully, an obnoxious reminder of the mornings consumption. It almost served as a voice in itself; you're not fine, you're monumentally fucked up.

Beside her, Yvonne returned to staring down at her lap, filling the car with uncomfortable silence.

Cherry and Douglass had acquired prison guard outfits through careful muggings at various drycleaners, and they were awaiting Caterina at Major Crimes Unit.

She and Yvonne would get in using the ventilation system, a factor that wasn't included in any recent blueprints and any plan of direction was solely based on Cat's memory.

It seemed like a lifetime ago when she'd been taken there, locked in Gordon's office, and eventually broken both herself and Joker from imprisonment.

She forced her mind away from the memory, tearing her thoughts from the detail she could retell it; the oaky smell of the office, the cool metal of the vents against her palms, the thundering explosion and the warmth that rustled in her abdomen as she had been thoroughly kissed and made to feel beautiful.

In her whole life, she had never been treated with the same affection and aggression as she had with Joker. The complexity of it all had made it all the more thrilling, and despite her best efforts her mind went back to that night, to remember it all over again…

"Mmf." Cat finally pulled away, coming up for rugged gasps of air. The curtains of the large window were drawn, and yet a silver halo outlined the square as the first signs of morning fell upon it. She wiped at her eyes, attempting to remove the streaks of eye makeup she knew would be there; waterproof mascara was both a blessing and a curse.

"Don't." The soft voice halted her action, and she glanced across at the figure lounging against the headboard.

Joker smiled; a warm and affectionate smile that was entirely foreign on his face. His fingers were laced with hers, an arm secured around her waist.

"You are beautiful." He unravelled their interlocking hands and brushed a thumb against her lower lip, barely grazing the skin and yet Cat felt her cheeks flush.

"Tell me you believe me."

She hesitated, swallowing a small lump of emotion. It was a question she asked herself often; how much further could she delve down the rabbit hole and still believe herself beautiful? How blood-stained could she get and still not resemble a monster.

"I-I- "Cat paused, and instead decided to lean into his arms, a prolonged sigh escaping her. "I almost do."

Joker nodded, apparently satisfied, and shifted himself slightly to accommodate her in his lap. Cat rested her head on his shoulder, absentmindedly tracing a pattern against the back of his neck.

Joker's own fingertips found her shoulder, and he skimmed her skin affectionately before resting on the wound that marked her shoulder-blade. He traced the torn skin slowly, and Cat wasn't sure if he was admiring her work or chastising it.

"If you want this," His voice was barely audible, his breath warm against her neck. "You have to be sure. There is no second-guessing, there is no alternative. I will adore you, utterly and completely, but I will slit the throat of anyone who looks at you funny."

Cat looked down to where Joker was indicating, and she regarded the 'J' that she so willingly cut into herself. She had made up her mind weeks ago, and was now unfortunately without a choice or the will to deny him.

Cat turned her head slightly, not wanting to disturb her position in his arms, and she framed his face with her free hand.

"I don't even have to say it." Her whisper was hoarse, dripping with unspoken affection. "If you knew how much of me belongs to you."

Without breaking eye contact, Joker tilted his chin to gently brush his lips against the palm of her hand.

"Here?"

She nodded, her breathing shallow and her lips barely parted. He took her hand in his and lifted it slightly, pressing a kiss to the inside of her elbow.

"Here?" Joker asked again, and he was clearly enjoying himself, a small, playful smile on his lips. Cat bit her lip and managed a small nod.

In response, his hands flew to her waist and in one fluid moment he had twisted her body around and flattened her against the mattress.

Despite the intimacy of the moment, Cat noticed an odd level of hesitance, caution, and restraint. Joker was hovering over her, both arms pressed beside her face, an unfamiliar glint in his dark eyes. He bent his head slightly, inches away from her collarbone, and Cat blushed again as the heat that radiated from him caused her stomach to swoop deeply.

He glanced up at her, keeping his position over her heart. She heard the words before he spoke them;

"Here?"

As much as she loved this new softer, gentler side of Joker; she wasn't with a criminal for nothing.

Cat nodded curtly, allowed him to place a kiss over her heart, and then wound her fingers tightly in his hair. It was still cool and wet from the shower, Cat found selfish pleasure in noting that she was still all over him.

"Mn, what was that you said about throat-slitting?"

A grin slowly spread over Joker's face. Cat leaned forwards, tugged his head back sharply and let her lips travel up his throat.

He kissed her sweetly and gently. And then less gently, his arms curling around her.

Until the sun was high in the sky and streaming through the window; the two of them promptly lost their minds.

"Cat."

She blinked herself back to reality and glanced sideways at Yvonne. She had parked the car in the MCU visitor carpark, and neither of them had gotten out.

Cat absentmindedly brought her thumb to her lips, she could almost still feel him, instead she tasted the familiar salty flavour of tears and quickly wiped her eyes.

"C'mon," She managed in a distant voice, unfastening her seatbelt and reaching for the car door. "We've got work to do."

Yvonne watched her leave, wincing slightly at her cold tone. She had been mustering up the courage to tell Caterina the truth, and still, through the entire car trip Yvonne had remained silent. She was selfishly afraid, and she hated herself for it. She wanted to worry about Iris, about keeping her wife safe; she was after all only imprisoned because Yvonne rubbed the Warden the wrong way, and yet her mind couldn't stray from thoughts about Cat.

She was her best friend, maybe more, her emotions were horribly complicated. Caterina was beautiful, like otherworldly beautiful. She was kind, and complex, dark, and dangerous. Yvonne was plagued with a sudden thought, an image that rudely thrust itself into her mind. Cat was happy, Cat had forgotten about Joker, she was flipping pancakes on a Sunday morning, her hair gorgeously messy and pulled into a bun. She was singing softly, piling the warm cakes onto a platter and turning to Yvonne. "Morning, love." Cat smiled brightly, leaning forwards to peck Yvonne on the cheek. Her breath was warm and minty, her eyes a light, clear green, like jade.

Yvonne wiped the picture from her head, like whiteboard marker, and subconsciously diagnosed her sudden delusion;

'She wanted Cat better, she wanted Cat to enjoy life again. But above all else, she wanted someone to love Cat the way she deserved'.

It was a slight relief to recognise that Yvonne was in no way being unfaithful, she loved Caterina dearly, as a friend, but would go to the ends of the earth to ensure her happiness.

Eventually she caught up with Caterina, who was in the ladies' bathroom and standing on a small, metal ladder.

"About time." Her voice was muffled by the screwdriver between her teeth, and she carefully removed the vent cover she had been working on. The security camera above the mirror was covered in a layer of white foam, and an empty can of shaving cream was thrown haphazardly to the corner of the room.

"Sorry." Yvonne took the vent cover from Cat, and gently laid it on the floor so as to not make any noise.

Cat stuck her head up through the vent, made a small hum of approval, and gracefully hooked her right shoe in the rim. She hoisted herself up without so much as a grunt, and momentarily disappeared into the ceiling.

"Ok, c'mon." Cat reach an arm down, beckoning Yvonne to the ladder. "I'll help you up."

The two crawled silently through the many interlocking shafts. Caterina was able to easily plot out their path, and was only stumped at one of many forks.

"Left?" Cat sat back on her knees and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I don't think it was straight. Possibly right? Fuck, I have no actual idea." She wrapped a hand around her left forearm, subtly reacting to stabs of pain or discomfort.

"Let's get this over with." Cat hissed, she was impatiently tapping her fingers and rubbing circles over her forearm; it was wearing off.

Yvonne tried and failed to ignore this, instead she forced her mind to work on the conundrum they faced.

"The blueprints," She murmured, crawling forward so that she was directly behind Cat. "The air vents flow directly to certain locations, more than others. I would assume the staffroom to have more steady air conditioning, let's go the opposite way."

Cat smiled, catching on, she carefully picked a flake of black nail polish from her pinkie, and held it at eye level in front of the fork.

"Ready, set, go." Cat released the flake and watched it flutter noticeably to the right. She laughed loudly and elbowed Yvonne in recognition. "'Being a girl' wins again!"

They turned down the left option, and eventually came to the desired vent opening after about 10 minutes of travel.

"Okay." Caterina circled the hatch and sat opposite Yvonne, her eyes twinkling with exhilaration. "This either leads to the second supply closet, or the staffroom. If Douglass and Cherry were successful then Iris should be down there."

Cat grinned, despite herself, and carefully removed the screws holding the hatch down. "Last one down is a pussy." She smirked, kicked the panel sharply and braced her arms around the rim.

Cherry and Douglass were both sitting on upturned buckets, waiting in the small dark supply closet for Cat's appearance.

Cherry had discarded her uniform jacket, and was lounging in her sky-blue button down that was rolled up at the cuffs and unbuttoned one-too-many times down her chest. Douglass had given up criticising her on the unprofessional appearance of her attire.

'What if someone walks in?' He had asked, in response she had squeezed her arms around her chest and sent him a sultry wink.

'We're two fairly attractive people alone in a supply closet. Let your imagination run wild.'

Now however, the two sat in uncomfortable silence.

Cat constantly partnered them for missions, she said something about 'suiting each other's capabilities', but usually said this with a small smile.

Douglass tore his gaze away from Cherry, instead tapping his feet to distract him. Her attractiveness did not go unnoticed, although Douglass acted like he was oblivious. Cherry's dark hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, the brown and black curls brushing her shoulders cutely. Her makeup today was as bright and obnoxious as it usually was; dewy foundation, bronze eyeshadow, a flick of cat-eye eyeliner, and apparent orange lipstick that was still flattering against her dark skin. Douglass noticed how the blue shirt followed the curves of her body, and he was hit with incredible shyness and unease.

Cherry popped the gum between her teeth again, and reached both arms casually around her head. "So, Dougy."

"Don't call me that."

"Dougy," She repeated, meeting his gaze in a challenge. "What was the thing?"

Douglass sighed and ran a hand through his black, curly hair. This time it was Cherry's turn to shift her gaze somewhat as she found herself staring.

"You know," She went on, leaning forwards slightly. "The thing, the thing that put you where you are. We all have a thing; I mean, no one wakes up one day like 'well what a hunky-dory day, I think I'm gonna be a criminal and stab people in the face, repeatedly.' Ya get it, sugar?"

Douglass shrugged, but felt an unwelcome smile fall over his face, Cherry's antics so often led him to smile, usually inwardly.

"My thing," He put quotation marks around the word 'thing'. "Was the death of my parents."

Cherry's expression twisted into a scowl. "Well fuck me sideways," she sighed. "I'm gonna be feeling sorry for you, aren't I? Like a little bitch."

This time he fought the wave of affection and kept his face stone cold.

"My parents fought a lot," he explained solemnly. "Sometimes they hit each other, sometimes they just shouted. Both hurt though. And one day it got bad, really bad, I thought they were going to kill each other-"

Douglass paused to take an uneven breath, Cherry had stopped the sarcastic banter and was instead watching him with a downturned expression.

"Anyway, I stopped my dad, pulled him over. It's not right to hit a woman, no matter what. I said I was going to call the police, he beat me, I was kinda a scrawny kid."

"That explains all the- "Cherry vaguely gestured to Douglass' biceps. "-I mean, it's like a b-cup of muscle. You felt inferior, when you couldn't beat your dad."

Douglass shrugged, but the implications were there. "He said he was gonna take my mum for a drive, smooth things over, my dumbass believed him. And then he rammed them both into a tree."

Cherry was staring at him open mouthed, her hand flew to his and for a moment they both enjoyed the physical contact.

"Shit," She breathed. "That…sucks." It was such an understatement that it was almost criminal. Douglass nodded slightly, and quickly drew his hand away as if just aware of their intimacy.

Cherry thought for a moment, trying not to feel disappointed as she curled her hand into a fist, already craving the warmth of Douglass' hand.

"You're…like…. the nicest criminal I've ever met. How did you go through something so fucking awful? I mean, Cat went through hell and came out pretty damaged, but not you."

Douglass shrugged, playing with the colourful bracelets that still adorned his wrists. "Before I moved to America, I made a promise to myself. I would never forget who I am, or what I believe in. I think those that do are just afraid to allow themselves to be hurt again, they shell themselves in, dehumanize themselves. It takes a real strength to have a soft heart in a cruel world."

"Amen," Cherry smirked slightly, but was still clearly impressed. "You think that's Cat's deal, she's protecting herself?"

Again, Douglass shrugged. "I don't know, I think she's still working that part out. And I'll do whatever I can to help her, I owe her- "

He cut himself off, his mind drifting to the days where he tortured her in a murky basement. He swallowed, and didn't mind when Cherry seized his hand again.

"I guess I forgot myself for a while." Douglass smiled a watery smile. "I misplaced my trust, and my loyalty. It was nice to be part of something bigger than myself, even if it was under the leadership of the Joker."

Cherry found herself nodding in understanding, and she absentmindedly rubbed circles on Douglass' thumb.

"I get that, sugar, I really do." She sighed and smoothed the top of her hair. "I'm no stranger to family drama. I had seven brothers, growing up, all strong and masculine as fuck. My dad was super protective of me, had my future all planned out; I was going to become a doctor and study at Ivy League, someplace, I don't know. I never wanted that, I loved engineering, I loved fixing cars and taking things apart, my brothers taught me. So, when I finally had that 'it's not your life, it's my life' thing, he kicked me out of the house. I was homeless for a while, it was actually kinda cool, like I had a good aesthetic going; I stole food and clothes, slept wherever someone would let me, broke a few hearts and bank accounts."

Cherry got a far-off look in her eye, reminiscing simpler days. "But I was always alone, always looking out for myself. That shit got old pretty fast."

She managed a lopsided grin, and Douglass' heart fluttered for her. "I guess that's why I'm here now, part of this 'League of Arkham', I like having people I can count on."

Douglass took both of her hands and leaned in, a gentle smile on his face.

"I get it, you act all tough, but you're actually pretty vulnerable."

She scoffed loudly, and play punched his arm. "Well, I'm manly enough for the both of us."

He laughed this off, glad to be making a joke of this whole conversation. "You're just jealous that I'm so secure in my own masculinity, I don't need to overcompensate for anything." To make his point he awkwardly spat to the floor, parodying men trying to keep their fragile masculinity intact.

"You're right." Cherry sniffed. "I am so insecure about my masculinity, I'm glad you get me."

They both dissolved into quiet giggles. It was a really pure moment, that despite their differences in personality (and height), they could find common ground and enjoy each other's company.

Cherry had a burning question in her mind, a question that she had been deliberating the first time she'd laid eyes on Douglass; the tall, buff, Asian man, with fucking gorgeous hair. Not to mention how kind he was, it was almost unfair; like God was giving the middle finger to all women.

"Hey," She wrestled with her own emotions, but decided that she had never been awkward about this kind of thing before, and she didn't want to start now.

"So, you keeping a relationship in all of this? I can picture it, I mean, you're one of those guys that can balance business and pleasure." Cherry winked slowly as she articulated the last word, and was rewarded by a low chuckle from Douglass.

"It's not that I can't balance business and…pleasure," He imitated her wink, and they were both plagued by laughter. "It's just that I don't really want to do that to anyone, bring them into this life I mean; and I get super, uncomfortably protective. Most girls don't like that, in the long run."

Cherry shrugged, her heart fluttering at Douglass' answer and all the possibilities it opened up, all of the situations she suddenly pictured.

"I don't know," She murmured. "Maybe some girls are tired of aloof guys, it's nice to be taken care of, sometimes."

His smile faded slightly, as if he had just heard something private. He opened his mouth to speak, hesitated, retried, and hesitated again.

'Fuck it, life's short.'

Douglass smiled warmly and met Cherry's steady gaze, he picked up her hands and noted fondly how well her smaller hands fit in his.

"Cherry-"

He was cut off abruptly by the opening of the supply closet, they were both thrown into fluorescent light and Douglass quickly dropped Cherry's hands on instinct.

The figure in the door frame was fairly short, ash-brown hair fell low and swayed in gentle waves at her waist. Her eyes were large and chestnut brown, her face was circular and her small, upturned nose was sprinkled in sparse freckles.

"Well?" She crossed her arms over her chest, trying and failing to make her petite form seem more aggressive. "I'm a prisoner, not an errand boy, why am I here."

Cherry jumped up, her smile warm and pleasant. Douglass couldn't tear his eyes away from her, nor could he fight the wave of nausea that filled his midsection, but he stayed silent; he had officially lost his nerve.

"Iris, Iris Huntley?"

She narrowed her pretty eyes, and nodded slowly. Douglass thought she looked a lot like a fairy from a children's book.

"We're here to break you out." Cherry explained excitedly, and she pulled Iris into an awkward arm-hug, she was obviously trying to ease away any discomfort or distrust.

This time, Iris's eyes softened but instead she shook her head. "I don't care…I can't leave."

Douglass stood up with a puzzled frown, and waited at Cherry's side. "I don't understand, we have to go. Why the hell do you want to stay?"

Iris sighed deeply, and sank her weight onto a blue, upturned bucket. "It's not about want, it's about need. I'm serving a sentence, if I break out who knows what they'll do to Yvonne. These cops are actually so twisted."

She glanced up at them with a half-smile, playing with a strand of dark hair. "So, thanks, but no thanks.

Douglass stared at her for a moment, and found nothing but sad earnest in her eyes. She was going to serve an unjustified 15-year sentence, give up her whole life for a single person. He felt severely impressed, but somewhere deep down, he also felt a twinge of jealousy.

"Actually, sugar," Cherry knelt beside her, an action inspired by Iris's apparent vulnerability. She had a very small frame and a bright innocence in her eyes. "Yvonne's here with us, she wants you to escape now, trust me?"

Iris seemed to perk up at the mention of Yvonne's name, and she nodded slightly. A large, glistening tear rolled slowly down her face.

"Thank god." She breathed, gradually and shakily getting to her feet. "I really didn't want to stay here."

"But you would've." It wasn't a question, and Cherry was gazing at Iris in a similar fashion to Douglass. Her gaze slid over to Douglass for a moment, and found that he was staring right back at her. Cherry appeared uncharacteristically nervous, and she hastily averted her eyes.

In that moment, an overhead vent hatch was opened with a clang and Caterina's voice floated down.

"Last one down is a pussy."

She landed heavily on the concrete floor, her lace up ankle boots knocking over a number of paper towel roles.

"Fuck." She breathed and looked around quickly, expecting her crash to immediately catch the attention of passing guards.

Cat glanced up through the hatch and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Actually, might be better to meet us outside, any more noise would be dangerous." There was a soft reply of agreement and the gentle thumping of weight passing through the ventilation shaft.

Cat turned again to the three of them, her face flushed and shiny with sweat. "What a crawl, huh?" She then looked directly at Iris and extended a strong arm in greeting. "Oh fuck, you must be Iris, you are absolutely breathtaking."

Iris was entirely stunned by Cat's dramatic entrance, and even more intimidated by the loud and mildly frightening edge to Cat's tone.

"Uh," She took Cat's hand and shook it feebly. An expression of deliberation passed over Cat's face like a cloud, and after a moment her smile widened and she pulled Iris into her arms instead.

"It's actually amazing to meet you." Cat smiled against her hair. "I'm Caterina, I'm friends with your wife."

Iris leaned away with a similar smile and kept her hands intertwined with Cat's. "Oh gosh, Caterina Morgan? Yvonne told me so much about you in our visits, you made quite an impression. She didn't tell me you were drop-dead gorgeous too."

Caterina blushed slightly and leaned forwards, brushing her lips lightly against Iris's cheek, beside her eye.

"Trust me," She pulled away quickly and searched her expression, wondering if the kiss was too invasive. "Yvonne made the bigger impression, she saved my life so many times."

Iris merely smiled shyly, seemingly pleasantly surprised, and gestured towards the air vent. "Wow, ok, you can stay with us anytime you like. And as much as I'm enjoying this, I'd love to see my wife now."

Caterina was the first through the vent, she hopped up into the shaft with feline agility and waited for a moment to check if the coast was clear. "Okay." She hissed down with an arm outstretched. "Iris first, let's make sure we keep her between us."

The brunette was rather nervous and hesitant in grasping Cat's hand. After a moment, she shut her eyes briefly and sighed, before taking Cat's hand in a firm grip and allowing herself to be hoisted up through the square hole.

Cherry and Douglass were thrown into a sudden silence, neither of them even made a step towards the shaft.

"Hey, Douglass?"

"Hm?" He felt the odd need to whisper, despite the fact that they were both alone. Cherry was gazing up at him with an odd expression, her eyes soft but her mouth set in a firm line; it was unmistakably anticipation.

"What were you going to say? Before Iris walked in? You had this funny look in your eyes."

Douglass rubbed the back of his neck nervously, taking a few steps from Cherry.

"I…I was…"

He met her eyes, and found that a single band of light was illuminating her irises and reflecting a warm honey colour. For the first time in a while, he felt extremely inadequate.

"I was going to tell you my first name."

"Oh." She nodded slightly, and tried to hide her disappointment with an apparent smile. "Douglass is your last name?"

Both of them were awkwardly averting their gaze, like an unspoken truth had passed between them; there was something here worth being awkward for.

"It's Jason."

A satisfied smile fell on Cherry's face, and she mouthed the name a few times to test it. "Yeah," She nodded. "Suits you, can I call you 'Jace'?"

Douglass blushed deeply, and felt an uncomfortable rustle of butterflies in his midsection. He wanted to smile, to pull Cherry into his arms, to kiss her with the confidence he absolutely didn't have.

But he'd fallen for someone before, he'd left his heart unlocked and been hurt in the process. The song was always the same, and it ended with someone dying, someone he cared about.

Douglass nodded in response to Cherry's request, and she spent the next few moments bringing up funny nicknames as they climbed up through the vent.

"Manta Jay." She giggled, smiling over her shoulder in triumph. "Jayphone."

He managed a slight smile, very aware of how his stomach swooped when she laughed.

'I'm trying not to fall for you,' Douglass admitted angrily. No, not angry, frustrated. He audibly sighed and absentmindedly scratched his cheek, and found that he was still blushing embarrassingly.

'But falling seems so easy.'