Love Bites Part II – "Claws and Wills"
By: Calico
There was a soft tap to the door. "Come in," Hannah called out and Craig entered the room. She was removing her belongings from her suitcase and he stood watching her with arms crossed over his chest.
"So do you think he bought it?" he young man asked with a cool, even voice.
Hannah looked up at him with the smile of a proud mother. "Hook, line, and sinker. Bruce has always had a soft spot for sob stories."
"You had better be certain, you're betting our inheritance on it."
Hannah removed the toiletry bag from her case and opened it. From within she withdrew a delicate crystal perfume bottle. There were no manufacturer markings upon it, nor any mass-produced labels identifying it, just two letters ornately etched into the glass – PI. It was a special blend, made specifically for Hannah as payback for a favor. The favor had been quite costly to Hannah, but she felt it was worth every drop. She unscrewed the cap and dabbed a small amount of the potent liquid behind her ears. It wasn't strong enough to affect just anyone in her general proximity, but if she, say, fell into someone's arms, they would get just enough of a whiff to come under its spell.
With a knowing smile she turned to her boy. "More than certain, my sweet. But it's the other one I'm more concerned about. I want you to keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't get in our way."
"What do you mean?" he asked with a confused expression. "He's just a kid."
She sighed. "Darling, you really aren't the brightest bulb in the box, are you? Dear old Brucie certainly isn't putting on the tights and mask these days. He must have somebody younger doing it for him…"
"Oh! Terry is the new Batman!" Craig cried out in understanding.
Hannah nodded proudly. "So find out what you can about him. Anything could be used to our advantage if he gets too close to the truth."
"Very well," he agreed and walked over bending down as if to give her a kiss on the cheek.
"Uh uh," she warned him, putting a hand on his chest to keep him at bay. Then she kissed her fingertips and pressed them against his face. "Go on, Darling. That key will be as good as ours soon and all our troubles will be behind us."
Once Craig had departed and Hannah had finished unpacking, she sat on the bed and looked out of the window. Bruce always had a thing for the bad girls. It was a character flaw that was going to come back to haunt him.
30 years ago
"Bruce!" an annoyed voice cried out as the billionaire bachelor pushed through the crowd, the svelte brunette prowling gracefully beside him. "Bruce, who is this?"
"Devon," Bruce Wayne said apologetically. "This is Selina Kyle. Selina, this is…"
"I know who she is," Devon cut him off. "What I want to know is what is she doing with you. I'm your date for this evening."
Bruce blinked at her. "Of course you are, Devon. I found Selina admiring the jade panther sculpture. She's here alone, so I invited her to join us." With that he leaned forward and placed a solicitous kiss on Devon's cheek while Selina grinned with amusement.
"Don't worry, cupcake," she taunted. "Bruce and I are old friends, but we decided long ago that we couldn't be anything more. Your claim to him is perfectly safe; from me that is. Though, considering you stole him from your own sister, I'd say he's fair game."
Devon bristled at her tone and Bruce looked clueless as to what was happening right under his nose. In reality, he was sighing deep down inside. Once he'd seen Catwoman cast her felonious gaze on the priceless statue, he knew that he had to keep an eye on her, even though it would seriously dampen his evening.
"Ladies," he said with a smile. "Shall we?" He placed a hand on each of their backs and began escorting them around the gallery. Across the room, watching them, Hannah seethed as she sipped her champagne. Her beautiful, successful sister always had to have the best of everything – clothing, cars, men – especially men, even if they happened to belong to someone else. Hannah swore to herself that she'd get even one day.
What happened later in the evening was the stuff of urban legends, and Hannah herself could only say she believed it simply because she was there.
The Joker had attacked the show. Bruce had predictably disappeared shortly before the Batman showed up to engage him. Selina Kyle had used that opportunity to slip away and return as Catwoman to claim her feline prize while all attention was diverted away. Devon, still stinging from their earlier exchange, noticed her attempted theft and tried to stop her. What ensued was a battle of wills and claws. Having been trained in Aikido, Devon was stunning and fierce and gave as good as she got, though in all honesty, Catwoman was hindered by her prize, which eventually fell from her grasp during an attempt to outmaneuver her opponent. Seeing that Batman had finished cleaning up the Joker's mess, Catwoman knew she'd run out of time. Lashing out in anger she swiped at Devon's face with her claws and managed to snag the large antique locket from around her neck, a family heirloom passed down from generations long gone.
"I guess this will have to suffice, cupcake," Catwoman sneered as she back flipped away, and out the window.
"No!" Devon yelled and tried to follow her, but by the time she reached the window, Catwoman was nowhere to be seen.
Devon had cried about the loss of her necklace for months afterwards, not to mention the four scratch marks in her left cheek that never quite healed properly. Hannah had been solemn and consoling on the outside while inside she had silently cheered at her sister's misfortune.
It wasn't until years later she would sorely regret feeling so happy about it.
You see, her father didn't just suddenly decide to leave all his wealth to his younger daughter. Devon being by far his favorite was meant to inherit everything, leaving Hannah with a mere stipend on which to live. This was why she had married Craig's father, a successful investment banker, who eventually ran off with his secretary to the Caribbean along with several millions of dollars he'd embezzled from his company.
Alone with a young son, she knew her only means of survival was her father's money.
So, scraping together every dollar she could, Hannah proceeded with a plan to forge a new will, leaving her as the sole beneficiary upon his passing. She'd even hired a crook to break in and switch the wills.
It was flawless, so perfect that her father's lawyers had no idea. Devon was furious. Shortly after the funeral she cornered Hannah like a rabid dog, and told her that their father's distrust of Hannah ran so deep that he'd given Devon a copy of his true will along with a letter that explained any deviation was a result of Hannah's deceit.
Devon had placed both documents in a safe deposit box of the First National Bank of Gotham where it could easily be retrieved except for one minor detail – the bank's rules explicitly state that without the box holder's key the box could not be opened, nor could a replacement key be issued. It was a safeguard designed to thwart even the most devious con artist. And Devon had always kept the key very close, wearing it in the antique locket, which had been stolen by Catwoman so many years earlier.
Devon vowed to track down the locket, her determination doubled by the vendetta with Selina Kyle.
So for these past ten years the sisters had each desperately been searching for Catwoman and the missing locket. Devon had always been the superior of the two, so it would only be a matter of time. When news of a new Batman started filtering through town, Hannah knew it was time to play her trump card.
There was a knock at the door. She stood from her bed and went to answer it. "I just wanted to make sure you were settling in alright," Bruce asked.
"Oh, Bruce, that is so sweet of you!" she cried and threw her arms around his neck. "I feel so safe knowing you're right here to protect me. And I know you would do anything I say, wouldn't you?"
After a moment pause he replied, "Yes, I would do anything you say."
