The Perfect Present
Author's Note: All characters featured in this fiction are copyrighted to their respective creators, which includes Batman, Catwoman, etc whom belong to WB/DC Comics. One character on the other hand belongs to a good friend of mine – who might as well be a real comic character. Forgive any spelling/grammar errors, I don't claim to be an English major. I also apologize for any character who seems "OOC." I did my best, but I always doubt my abilities to write characters fully to the ability they should be shown.
The dark-haired girl sat within a shadowed corner of a secluded warehouse; the only place she had ever been able to keep as a home. Her fingers tapped lightly against the hard surface of the desk in front of her. Christmas eve, she always hated that time of year. People all running around with their happy little lives doing their happy little things, in their happy little world – it made her sick, well at least half of herself sick. She had what could be called a slight case of schizophrenia. There was one side, Alycia Belmont, just a troubled girl who went through a bad life, and Dementress, a woman whom wouldn't blink at putting a bullet in a man's head. Fortunately for Gotham tonight, Alycia was the one in control.
She shifted in her seat trying to push away the awful thoughts of what was going on outside. She was glad she lived away from most people. She'd probably put a gun to her own head if she had to listen to a group of carolers. She considered going to a bar somewhere and taking it over. Free drinks for everyone! Herself that is, but she didn't even feel like doing that. She decided to just wallow in her own self pity – she was alone, aside from her better half – oh so alone.
"Damn the city, damn the world, but most of all, damn Batman."
Her thoughts shattered as something jumped into her lap. She almost fell out of her chair in a fit of panic until she realized what it was; a cat; her cat. How could she have forgotten? She let a small smile creep upon her lips as she stroked the black animal. Death was the name she had given him, or the one Dementress did. She sighed a bit.
"I … guess I am really glad to have you here." Another smile when Death took the opportunity to meow at her. "But sometimes I wish for something more. I am here in an empty room with a desk, a gun, and a cat. How pathetic is that?" When she received no reply from the animal she let out another sigh. She could still remember the day she got him; it was a present of sorts….
"I saw this and thought of you." The purple adorned woman smiled a bit.
Alycia arched an eyebrow at the other girl before opening the lid of the basket. Two yellow eyes peered out at her. She was taken aback. A cat? Why was she given a cat? Well, it was Catwoman we were talking about, but still. "… Why?"
Another smile. "I know we haven't really been friends, but sometimes you just need another woman to talk to, and I suppose that is why we have been able to get along these few times. Sure there are others, but I can't really go to ones like Batgirl, and the Huntress right? Ivy is a nut-case, Harley is even worse. I don't really have anyone to listen to my problems – and neither do you. I know it isn't much, but I found that when I am all alone I am still grateful to have something to greet me, and there is nothing better for that than a cat."
Catwoman had been right about one thing, when all else fails it was nice to have something there, even if it was a small, annoying, fuzzy creature that always seemed to want attention. "Yer more trouble than you're worth, you know that?" The cat blinked back up at her. "But I suppose, I still like you." She sat back in the chair, stroking the cat softly. Her thoughts drifted back to the feline felon.
What was she doing this night? They were both alone, though she had heard Catwoman had been seen with another girl, maybe she was finally getting herself a sidekick? Alycia smirked at the thought, but she knew deep down, the Cat was always a loner; a person who was truly sad, even if she hid it behind more than one mask. Was she out stalking this night? Finding a new caper? A new cat-thing (which Alycia never truly understood) to steal? Or maybe she was having a nice fling with the bat?
Yes, the bat. Almost everyone knew the two had something going on even if they both tried to hide it. Catwoman did so more when she was around others, but they new. Hell, even Scarecrow tried to use her for bait a few times she was told. Maybe Catwoman was curling up in front of a fire with Gotham's most annoying hero? Probably not. She knew better than that. Even the feline fatal once admitted that nothing ever seemed to go well between them. She'd always get so close and then he'd push her away. Alycia wondered if she was the only person who truly know how Catwoman felt – the woman had confided in her a few times and Alycia had done the same. They both knew secrets about the other – it was both dangerous and yet it's what kept them as friends this long. No. Catwoman was alone. She didn't have to be psychic to know that.
But what if she could change things? Catwoman after all did give her a present before. Was there anyone out there who would get anything for the world's greatest thief?
A thought struck her mind. Alycia Belmont, the Dementress, had a plan.
A damn good one at that.
Everything was set, and it was fail-proof. She couldn't help but boost her own ego – she had come up with the best idea and she was sure no one else had ever thought of it. The perfect present for a person who was just as alone as she was. The pieces were all put together, except one, and that one would take a little work; just a little. The jewelry store was the only place she could think of, well, the only place with minimal security that she could get through without ruining things and setting herself for an instant trip to Arkham.
Death sat on a table watching her as she worked. She was ever grateful she was a technician in times like these; not that she ever used her expertise for something to this nature before, but whatever worked right? She may not be the thief that Catwoman was, but she knew how to do a little breaking and entering without setting off the alarms. At least she hoped she didn't set them off – not yet anyway. She moved quickly in either case, she had a few things to put into place before finally activating it all. Just a little trap, nothing more, nothing harmful, which even went to surprise herself. She wasn't one to usually do things that didn't involve killing someone. Hey, it was almost Christmas; even baddies had to take one day off from killing and doing a sickeningly good deed. She reminded herself that she it could be worse, she could be giving money to little orphan kids or rescuing a puppy. She gagged at the thought.
"Ready Death?" She glanced over at the cat who stared back at her. "Hey, don't look at me that way. It'll work." A blink. "I'm serious it will!" Why the hell was she talking to the cat? Craziness she reminded herself. Picking up the black fuzzy ball she moved to the back room, "accidentally" tripping the alarm wire as she did so. She stopped near an exit she made earlier just incase the Police Department decided to actually be quick in their response to break-ins tonight.
She waited for about five minutes at her count just writing in a small notebook. She had made various listings of different ways to kill a person when she heard the crash. Instantly jumping to her feet, she had to stop for a second to congratulate herself. "Did ya hear that Death? It worked!" Not that she had doubted herself from the beginning at all. Well … maybe a little, but that was in the past! Her plan worked! The perfect plan and the perfect present!
Alycia ran from her hiding spot, heading towards the inner room of the store. Death followed close behind, stopping right behind it's master when she came to an abrupt pause.
"Aw damn, I caught the wrong one." She threw up her arms in an exasperated sigh. All that work, and it went wrong! She even took the time out to make sure she had used a sedative instead of poison or anything else that would kill, and for what?! She walked over to the fallen form, only to give him a kick in the leg. Not that he would really feel it or anything, but it still made her feel better.
Now what would she use for a present? She was rather pissed off right now, but the more she looked him over, the more she felt that maybe this would still work after all.
"Maybe not the best, but close enough…" She reached down to pick him up. Now it was time to move him. She managed to lift an arm. "Damn, you're heavy. What the hell do they feed you hero types?" He may not have been able to speak back at the moment, but she could imagine what his response to be. "Well… I hate you too."
She didn't even want to think about how hard it was to move him. She wasn't weak or anything, but it still wasn't easy, yet she somehow managed to make it out of the building before the sirens appeared. Shoving the man into the car, before jumping into the drivers seat, she began to make her escape back to her hide out.
They were already at the warehouse when he began to awake. He instinctively went to lift a hand to his throbbing head only to discover that his hands were tied behind his back. Someone seemed to have gone through a great deal of trouble to make sure it would take him awhile to get himself free. He was rather surprised that whoever set that trap, which he discovered a little too late, hadn't just killed him. Most of the Gotham loonies wouldn't turn down the chance to kill, but whoever set the trap must have wanted him a live. For what reason? He didn't know.
"Yer lucky I'm in a good mood." A female voice made him jerk his head to his right. He couldn't quite make out the figure, who was hidden behind a long cloak.
"Don't you bad guys ever take a day off, even on Christmas eve?" He shot back at her. A black cat wandered up to him and began rubbing against his form. For a moment it made him think of Catwoman, unless there was another villainess who had a thing for cats?
"I'd say the same for yo—Death! Death stop that!" She called out as the cat continued its rubbing. "He's not for you! Damnit, Death, am I going to have to lock you in the back? You're a guy for god's sake!" She made a gesture forward and the cat went running, but only to stop and watch the two from a safer distance. "Anyway, as I was saying."
"Who am I for?" Well she did say he was for someone, didn't she?
"Don't interrupt me!"
"Geez, people can't even answer questions anymore."
Alycia rolled her eyes. He was worse than Batman. She had an idea who he was, but she wasn't quite sure. She kicked him in the leg again for that remark, and she was quite satisfied when he let out an "ow." It served him right. "You're Nightwing aren't you?"
"No, I'm Batman." He said dryly. He thought he was better known than that?
"Now I know that's not true. If it was, things would be perfect, but no, you had to show up instead of the bat, and ruin things! So I have to make deal with you. Bah."
She went on a bit more, but Nightwing stopped listening after awhile. Another villain wanted to capture Batman, what else was new? He thought he was doing his old mentor a favor by checking out a break-in for him, after all he was in the area. He had no idea it would mean him getting captured.
"Are you trying to talk me to death or do you have an actual plan to kill me?"
Dementress let out the laugh this time. "As much as I would like to rip out your intestines, I have other plans for you." She smiled almost evilly. "No death for you tonight, unless someone else wishes to put you out of your misery! But I don't imagine that happening. Besides isn't this supposed to be the happiest night? You should smile a little! Christmas will be here soon!" She clasped her hands together.
"Riiight." Another crazy one, he thought to himself. "Who are you anyway?"
"You may call me Dementress." She bowed to him almost mockingly. "And tonight, my friend, you are my present, my gift to a friend of mine."
He was about to question just who that was when she pulled out a small compact. She opened it and blew sending a powered substance in his direction. He tried to hold his breath, but it managed to seep in. He wanted to say something else, but the room swirled together. He thought he could make out the form of Dementress walking towards him, but before he could look again, everything went black.
Nightwing woke up in a completely different place. His head still throbbed and his ego was slightly cracked, but he had managed to live this long at least. However, unlike the first trap, this time he was able to reach a hand to his aching temples. He couldn't remember anything that happened since he blacked out. Blue eyes darted around the area. He was on a roof … of the Gotham Police Department. He arched an eyebrow glancing up at the large light that was normally used to call upon Batman. Thankfully tonight it was off. He didn't need him to learn about—
"Ah, you're finally awake."
He whorled around at the voice, which was once again female. He could almost consider him lucky for all these girls who seemed to be stalking him; but in Gotham City, that was usually a bad thing. This time, however, he did recognize the voice. "… Catwoman?"
"So glad you noticed." She stepped into the shadows. She was probably the only woman who could look great in almost any outfit she wore. He was ready in case she choose to attack, she had to be the most unpredictable woman he ever met, but there was something about her charm for him to know she never meant any real harm.
"What are you doing here?"
"I brought you."
He arched an eyebrow again. "And Dementress?"
"She gave you to me." Catwoman almost seemed to smirk. She wandered over to the Batsignal and studied it for a moment. "I almost considered keeping you."
Now that caused him caused him to grin a little, who couldn't when dealing with her. "Wouldn't Batman get jealous?" Oh, he knew about that, almost everyone did.
"Ha, like he'd even notice. He'd probably lecture me for manipulating you or something." She turned back around to look at him.
He smiled. "Are you manipulating me."
"If I was, you'd never know." She stepped forward, but paused after a few movements. "I brought you here in case you didn't wake up soon. I figured the Bat-signal would be the best way to get in touch with him if anything happened. You should really get him to invest in a beeper. He has a supped up car, but no easy way to contact him."
Nightwing let out a laugh at that. "I'm grateful you didn't turn it on. If he found out what happened, I'd be the one getting the lecture." He titled his head at her. "Why did Dementress give me to you anyway? Rather odd don't you think?"
She looked rather uneasy as she folded her arms across her chest. "Well, she actually apologized that you weren't Batman. Apparently she was planning on giving me him for a Christmas present, but since she caught you instead … well, you know the rest."
He reached up and scratched his head. "I'll give her credit for being original."
"It wouldn't have worked anyway." Her voice seemed almost laced with sadness. She slinked over the ledge of the building and looked off at the city. "It never works."
Nightwing watched her for a moment. She wasn't really evil. She had helped him numerous times, as well as the rest of the bat family. And even if Batman didn't want to admit it, he did care about her. "Well…" He folded his arms across his chest. "I heard there is a nice Egyptian cat statue at the museum. It's kept in the back right now. Apparently they are still working on their security before setting up." He grinned at her. "After other run-ins with the Catwoman they didn't want to take any chances this time. It's supposed to be in the back … locked up … to keep it safe."
She turned back around giving him an odd look. "Are you trying to get me to steal something?"
He threw up his hands in defense. "I'm not suggesting anything. I'm just having a conversation to myself, if you happened to hear about it, that really isn't my fault." He grinned again as if he was up to something. "Well, I better get going. I wouldn't want to be seen up here." He paused over at the edge of the roof. "Um, I think we should keep this whole thing just between us?"
Catwoman was still in slight shock over what he had said, but her better personality showed through. "Like what happened between us back in Bludhaven that time?"
He almost blushed before he quickly pulled out his grappling hook. "Uh, yes, like that." Nightwing gave her one last glance before leaping over the edge. "Merry Christmas, Catwoman."
She smiled to herself, though he was gone before she had a chance to say anything else. She had been sad this Christmas eve, but even something little as a talk with him managed to pick up her spirits, even if it would only last a little while. Back to the old grind. She thought to herself, but first, about that statue….
Nightwing swung through the air before landing gracefully in a far off building. He knew Catwoman wouldn't tell what happened this night, neither would Dementress – most villains seemed to want to keep some sort of "evil" reputation about themselves. Capturing a hero for a present probably wouldn't go over too well among most of them.
He lifted up a hand and activated his radio which linked him to the Batcave.
"Batman? Are you busy right now? Well, I have word that there might be a theft taking place at the GothamMuseum – Egyptian Bast statue. Yes, I believe she will go for it. I believe I saw her when I was staking out the area. I can't right now. I am on the trail of another of Gotham's "finest." Nah, you can send Robin my way if you want, but you probably should check it out. We can handle things this way. Nightwing out."
He grinned to himself over the thought. Dementress wasn't able to give Catwoman the perfect present, but maybe he would be able to.