Chapter 6

I had to admit that it was good to have Terry back. He was as much as an asset to me as I was to him, maybe more. He had the experience that I didn't have and he was always willing to help me. He didn't fully accept me right away. At first he was adamant to only let me join him on patrols when he thought it was absolutely necessary but slowly I started coming along until it was as if there had always been a batgirl. Even though my name was cleared it was still dangerous for me to go back to school so I continued my studies at Wayne Mansion. I sat in the comfortable wing back chair that I usually sat in and studied the information on Batman's findings at Blake Lab. Bruce had filled me in on their investigation and also added that it might be connected to me in some way. The lab had been disserted and nothing was outwardly odd about it until he found an empty vial of methane glucose, the same chemical that splicers used and possibly an ingredient in the formula that Blake had developed. Also hidden behind some cabinets was a small pad of paper with a phone number and an incoherent coded name. I embedded the information in my head and then closed the file.

"How come when ever I come over you're always reading in that chair?" Terry said leaning against the doorway. I hadn't even noticed his entering.

"How come when ever you come over you always bother me while I'm trying to read in this chair." I responded lightly. He laughed and I got up and met him at the door. "Did you come to see Bruce because he's left for the day. He said something about a problem at work."

Terry shook his head. "No. I came to see you."

"Really".

"Yeah. Max and a couple of friends of ours are going out to the Zone. You want to come?"

"Dana's going to be there right."

"She is my girlfriend."

"I think I have homework somewhere to do." That didn't seem to convince him.

"I know you and Dana aren't exactly…friends but you can tolerate her can't you?"

I thought` for a moment and then sighed heavily. There's no reason to let Dana get to me. She wasn't a bad person and it could be that the hostile feelings I felt from here were all in my head. "Fine. I'll go if you want. At least Max will be there."

"Great. I'll pick you up at eight?"

"No. I'll meet you there. I'm feeling like taking the Batgirl express."

When I got to the Zone, via the new Bat girl mobile that Bruce had whipped up, I immediately spotted Terry and Max at the entrance. Walking towards them, I groaned as I noticed Dana wrapped seductively around Terry's muscular arm but I just ignored her. Max saw me first and she waved.

"Hey, Kat!" She said smiling widely.

"Glad you could come." Terry added.

"Me too." I looked Dana's way. "Nice to see you again too."

She merely nodded at my attempt to be friendly and moved her attention back to whispering things into Terry's ear. His smiles looked strained and very forced and his replies to her questions were curt. I wanted to puke right there on the sidewalk at the sight of her but I refrained seeing as how an extremely cute guy was walking over. Instead of coming all the way over he stopped when he reached Max and enveloped her in a big hug. His spiky blonde hair and green eyes pulsated with the sound of the music from inside as he held Max in his arms.

"Kat, this is Cameron, Cameron, Kat." I shook his hand after the introduction but had to keep myself from wishing that he wasn't with Max. I let the couples walk in front of me both of them oblivious to the one loner behind them. I considered turning around and walking away since neither of them would notice but I continued on into the club. All five of us found a table and Dana immediately started begging Terry to dance. He relented and she dragged him out onto the floor amidst the flashing lights and faux smoke. I got up and left the table but Cameron and Max were so engrossed in each other that neither of them looked up. I decided to go get something to drink and I made my way through the crowds of dancers to the bar.

"Can I have a water please?" I said to the bartender while trying to yell over the constant thumping of the bass and noise.

"What!" He yelled inclining his ear towards me.

"Water! I want a water!" I tried again.

"You'll have to speak up, honey! I can't hear you through all this noise!" He said moving closer to hear. I sighed.

"She wants a water." A voice said from behind me. I turned a gorgeous guy stood behind me laughing.

"Oh why didn't you say so." The bartender said, turning to the machine and sliding the water down the bar top.

I turned to the guy standing behind me and leaned on the bar. "Thanks."

"I'm Ethan Waters. No problem. I deal with the same issue all the time." He laughed and I joined him. I couldn't help but notice how his eyes were so dark but they seemed to shine in the darkness. He was tall, dark and extremely handsome, your classic babe.

"I'm Kathryn but you can call me Kat." He and I made small talk for a little while and I found out the he was the same age as me and attended the Gotham Boys Academy. He also liked to play a lot of sports and his parents, his sister and he lived on the Eastside, which I noted was a very high class part of town. Ethan was extremely nice and he asked questions about me.

"I was wondering if you'd like to dance with me?" He said with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. I debated for a second whether or not I should and seeing no reason not to I said yes. He led me out to the dance floor and we danced for a straight hour. Our bodies close together, moving in the rhythm of the song. When we finally stopped he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and steered me to a table.

"I'd really like to get to know you better, Kat." He said removing his arm and taking my hands in his from across the table. He stared straight into my eyes.

"Really?" Was all I could manage out because he was mesmerizing me every second with his strong gaze.

"Yeah, you're an amazing girl and I haven't even known you for a day yet." Ethan said.

"Flattery will get you everywhere." I joked.

"Will it get you to come to a quieter spot with me. Where we can talk without all this noise."

I was a little taken back at the invitation. I looked around and noticed that Cameron and Max had no proceeded to turn our table into a make out booth and Terry and Dana were still dancing. I knew they wouldn't miss me. With a moment of hesitation, I turned to Ethan.

"Sure." He grinned again and took my hand. We left and walked along the street talking about a hodgepodge of different things until he took me to a secluded part of Gotham Park. I sat down on the bench and he sat down next to me, still holding my hand in his.

"It's such a beautiful night." I said breaking the companionable silence we were in.

"Yeah but not as beautiful as you." Ethan said stroking my chin with his hand. I blushed deeply and he moved his lips to meet mine. I relished in the kiss but when I tried to pull away he held me firmly from behind.

"Ethan…stop." I stammered but he wouldn't. He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me to him until I was plastered up against him. He finally released my lips and I trembled under his firm grasp.

"You want this. If you scream I'll make sure it hurts even more." He no longer looked sweet, his eyes were narrowed into evil slits and his mouth curved in a devious smile.

"Please don't…please." I pleaded but my cries fell on deaf ears. He was starting to fumble with the zipper on the back of my dress. I couldn't get a good position on him to try and defense moves and I continued to struggle when a person from out of nowhere jumped on him and punched him to the ground. He released me immediately and I quickly re-zipped my dress. I looked towards my savior who was presently punching the daylights out of Ethan. After he had given him a beating he'd never forget he turned to me.

"Terry!" I said shocked. He looked at me with coldness in his eye.

"Who else do you think it would be…Batman," He said not the least bit amused. "Let's go before this guy wakes up."

He made the way to the car that was sitting out on the curb near the park. I took one last look at the unconscious Ethan and ran up to fall instep with Terry. I shivered in the cold, rubbing my arms, partly from the biting wind and partly from the evil I had just escaped. Terry looked back when we reached the car.

"Cold?" He said dryly. I nodded and he threw me his jacket. I entered the car behind him and he didn't say a word for the whole ride. I didn't bother to ask where Dana and Max were because he didn't look in the mood for conversation. When we reached Wayne Mansion he went immediately to the Batcave, completely ignoring me and keeping his eyes lowered. I went upstairs and changed into a pair of sweats and then came back downstairs to find something to eat even though my stomach was still tight from the experience. I heard footsteps and saw Terry coming up the stairs from the Bat Cave. He saw me and looked away.

"I didn't know you were still up." He said.

"Yeah." I responded simply but he didn't go. He just stood there staring at me with his icy blue eyes that looked even cooler.

"What the hell were you thinking." He yelled suddenly.

"What?"

"Going off with that jerk for an escapade in the woods. You didn't even tell any of us where you were going! You could have been hurt seriously or even killed! If I hadn't been there who knows what could have happened to you! Sometimes I wish… He stopped.

"What? Say it?! Go ahead just say it. You wish you had never met me! Is that it! Or you wish that I had stayed home and not tagged along with your friends! Well guess what Terry I hate being the fifth freaking wheel! I was handling the situation but of course you had to be Mr. Do Gooder and jump in! I decided to do something for myself for once!" I yelled back flushed with anger. Who was he to tell me what to do . I wasn't a child.

"And look where it got you! You can be so nieve sometimes, Kathryn." He said. I stared at him in awe.

"Me! Nieve! You're the one who's in a relationship with a girl that you don't even love and you're the one that can't admit he has feelings for someone when he does! At least I have the audacity to say what I'm thinking!" I spat out in a rush. When I was done he didn't say anything and I the silence was worse than the yelling.

"Are you done?" He asked simply. I nodded my pounding head.

"Good." With that he came close to me and wrapped his arms around me in a passionate kiss. I was so startled that I thought I was going to pass out but instead I relaxed and let him move his mouth over mine. We kissed, letting all the feelings that were bottled up inside be released. When we finally stopped to come up for air he smiled at me with a half grin.

"That's what I was thinking. God, if anything had happened to you tonight…." He said.

"Shhh…It's alright now." I smiled at him and kissed him again harder. Then I released him reluctantly because I knew if we went any further both of us would probably regret it. He was still with Dana and just because I hated her it didn't give me a reason to sleep with her boyfriend, even if I did love him with every fiber of my being. It seemed like he understood this because he let me go.

"Good night, Terry." I said going up the stairs to my room.

"Sweet dreams, Kat." His voice floated up to me and I smiled softly in the darkness. All this time I had refused to let myself go to the feelings I had for him. Now, here I was with the perfect opportunity to love him completely and I was resisting him because of a girl I hated. Life was twisted sometimes.

"Dana you had better thank me for saying no because I almost didn't… and next time I wont." I said to the night air and then lying my head on my pillow I drifted off to sleep.