Batman/Bruce Wayne, Batwoman/Kathy Kane, Catwoman/Selina Kyle, and Nightwing/Dick Grayson belong to DC Comics/Time Warner.
I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.

Rated PG : language; violence, some mature concepts.

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A Woman Scorned

Love Stinks

I stopped to look at the house after getting out of my car, not that I hadn't seen it plenty of times before. Bruce's house. Big enough to be called a mansion, and much too big for one man. Or two men, including Alfred. Once I had wondered what it would feel like to move into this house, as Bruce's wife... but that was in the past, better not to think of it. What I had to worry about now was making sure Selina never lived here, or at least that Bruce knew exactly what he was getting if she did.

So I marched past the carefully tended flower beds, along the pathway to the door, the same way I had come so many times before. It seemed strange now, as if I didn't belong anymore. As if I was trespassing. I wondered if Bruce would see it that way, as I raised a hand to knock. I hadn't called, afraid he'd make up some excuse not to see me.

"Miss Kane?" It was Alfred, surprise breaking through his usual impassive and correct demeanor. He even smiled. "So good to see you again."

"You too, Alfie." I smiled back. Alfred was my kind of people, more than Bruce, really. He had even been a performer, like me, before he gave up acting to become a butler, a decision that still struck me as odd. But to each their own.

"Is Mr. Wayne expecting you?"

"Well, not exactly. But I have to talk to him. May I come in?"

"Of course." He stepped back and let me into the large foyer.

The last time I'd been here had been when I finally confronted Bruce about his secrecy and the feeling I couldn't shake that there was something he kept hidden from me, something important. He had as good as admitted it, but refused to tell me what it was. Had I done the right thing by walking out then? It had seemed like the only thing to do, the only way to preserve my pride. But was pride really so important? At this moment it didn't seem so, especially when I wondered whether Bruce would have started seeing Selina if I had stayed.

"It has been some time. How have you been?" Alfred was asking.

"Just swell."

"May I tell Mr. Wayne what brings you here?"

"I think you can guess. Alfie..." I paused, but Alfred had always impressed me as the straightforward type, and I knew he cared about Bruce. "What's going on with Bruce and Selina Kyle?"

"It's not my place to comment about my employer's affairs-"

"Oh, come on. You only get that prune-like expression when you disapprove of something. And you disapprove of her, don't you?"

"Let's just say I prefer another of his lady friends." His face had gone deliberately blank again, but there was a distinct twinkle in his eye. I grinned, ridiculously pleased to have won the good opinion of this quiet, unobtrusive, yet somehow impressive man.

"Kathy?" We both turned at the interruption. It was Bruce himself, in casual slacks and a sweater, standing in the doorway to his study, exactly the same way I had seen him so many times before. The sight of him here, in these surroundings, brought back an unexpected and unwelcome wave of emotion, one which I firmly shoved back where it came from.

"Bruce, we need to talk." I started for him without waiting for an invitation. For a moment I thought he wasn't going to let me pass, but then he stood aside as I walked into the study and glanced around at the familiar room. The same room I had once angrily walked out of.

"It's been a while since you were here."

I looked up to find him watching me, his face uncharacteristically somber, his eyes alert but unrevealing, his words echoing my thoughts almost exactly. "Yeah, I guess so," I answered.

"I'm glad to see you, of course, but this is kind of a bad time."

"Why? Expecting company?" I asked, my tone sharper than I really intended.

"What's this about?"

"It's about Selina."

"Oh." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "As a matter of fact, I am expecting her, any minute..."

"It won't take long. Please, Bruce, there's something you need to know."

"Okay." He was reluctant, and making sure I knew it.

I didn't care. "Are you and Selina engaged?"

"What?" He seemed genuinely astonished. I breathed an inner sigh of relief. "No. Where did you hear that?"

I waved a hand. "You know our friends. Well, I'm glad to know it's not true."

"Would it be so bad if we were?"

That shook me up. Was he actually considering marrying her? "Yes, it would be bad! You don't know what she's like. You don't know anything about her."

"And I suppose you do?"

"More than you, apparently. Bruce..." There was just no way around it, I had to tell him, no matter what the consequences. If there was the slightest chance he was serious about her... I braced myself and plunged in. "Bruce, she's not who you think. What you think. She's a criminal."

"What are you talking about?" His face was expressionless, his eyes wary. I suppose that should have warned me.

"She's the Catwoman. Selina Kyle is Catwoman."

There was a brief pause. I could almost see the wheels turning in Bruce's head as he stared at me. "How do you know?" he finally asked.

"Never mind how. Just - trust me." I took another look. "Wait a minute. You're not even surprised. You knew, didn't you?"

"Yes. I've known about it for a while."

"How? Did she tell you? And why on Earth are you still going out with her?" I took a step closer, confronting him.

"Kathy, just slow down. Listen." He took his time about sitting down in an armchair, and waving me onto the couch. I got the impression he was trying to decide what to say. How much to tell me.

"After I met Selina, Batman came to see me," he said finally. "He told me about her. Asked me to keep seeing her anyway, to find out what she was after, to see if we could catch her in a crime..." Discomfort crossed his face as he hesitated, and then went on slowly. "Then, later, he said he thinks she really wants to reform. He said maybe I could help her, get her started in the right direction..."

It was my turn to pick my words carefully, as I struggled to take it all in. "So - you don't care about her past, that she's a thief?"

"I'm just doing Batman a favor, that's all."

"Mr. I-don't-need-your-help actually asked you for a favor?" I muttered.

"That's right." He looked at me, his eyes sharp, but all he said was, "It won't be for long, just until - until we know if Selina has really reformed."

"Reformed! She hasn't told you the truth, has she? She's been lying to you all along. Deceiving you. All she wants is to get her hands on your money, just like with Ronnie and Andy and Oliver... She didn't tell you about them, either, did she? About how she - she romanced them and then stole from them-"

"What if it's different this time? What if she really wants to go straight? I think she deserves a chance."

"But you're the one who's taking a chance... She's dangerous, Bruce, this is a mistake!"

His expression softened. "Are you really worried about me?"

"Of course I am."

"I know what I'm doing. It'll all be okay, you'll see."

"I still think this is a mistake. Look - if she really does care for you, what's going to happen when she finds out?"

"No need for her to find out."

"So - what are you going to do, just keep seeing her? For how long?"

"Well, for now. Selina's really not as bad as you think. She has a good side, and I'm trying to bring it out."

"Oh, my God. You like her, don't you? You've - you've actually fallen for her!"

"Of course not. I could never love a criminal." His face turned hard and cold. "Selina doesn't mean anything to me; this is all just part of the plan. As soon as it's over, I'll end it with her."

"That doesn't make any sense..." I was on my feet again. "If Selina doesn't love you, Batman's just using you for bait. If she does, both of you are playing with her feelings. How do you think she's going to feel when you break up with her? She's bound to find out what's really been going on!"

"Batman and I can handle it."

"You'll handle it? How?"

His eyes slid away from me. "Kathy - just stay out of this, okay?"

"Fine. Make a huge mistake. Why should I care, and why should you listen to me? I'm just your friend, not a big scary guy who dresses up like a bat!"

"Kathy..."

But I was already on my way out. I slammed through the study door. And jolted to an abrupt stop as I came face to face with green eyes, now bright with unshed tears. Selina and I stared at each other for a breathless moment. I heard Bruce, behind me, mutter a curse. Realized that the door had been slightly open. Remembered he had been expecting her. She must have heard the whole thing.

Her eyes moved to Bruce's face and narrowed. "You bastard," she said, very softly and quietly, and yet the intensity of the pain and rage contained in those words sent a shiver down my spine.

"Selina, wait!" Bruce called as she ran for the front door. She didn't stop.

I could have told him off, could have said 'I told you so'. But I didn't need to. I almost felt sorry for him; he looked so guilt-stricken and horrified as I glanced back on my way to the door. Almost.

"Oh, my." I stared at the now empty stand in Harvey Dent's living room. "Not the vase you brought back from China. It was so beautiful, why would they break it?"

"Probably an accident." But Harvey's voice was bitter.

It hadn't taken long for us to find out what the consequences of that disastrous confrontation a week ago in Bruce's house had been. Selina Kyle had promptly disappeared. And Catwoman had returned, in a big way. Her first move had been this robbery at Harvey's house, where she and a few of her men had broken in. Luckily no one had been home, but...

"And they took your mother's jewelry? All of it?" I asked.

He just nodded, his face stony.

Gilda, as always at his side, quietly took his hand. Harvey's mother had died some time ago. Losing the things that had belonged to her must hurt, well beyond the monetary damage.

"The night after this happened they hit the Jungle Hut. They tied up the staff and robbed the safe," Harvey said.

"We were there just a few weeks ago, remember, Kathy?" Gilda murmured.

"Yes, I heard about that." The same restaurant where we had run into Bruce and Selina.

"And Trinkets, the jewelry store. A little more her style." Harvey's voice was all business now. I realized I was seeing the side of him that was the dedicated district attorney, as much a crimefighter as I was trying to be. Probably more.

"I think she's been committing a robbery every night," he went on. "There are three more I suspect she was behind, but there were no witnesses and no proof so far. Another restaurant, a museum, and a theatre. Not really her MO, she usually goes for jewelry or valuable items, not cash."

"Theatre. The Wallingford?" The same theatre where we had again bumped into Bruce and Selina.

"Right. It was robbed last night."

"Kathy, what is it?" Gilda was staring at me.

I stared back, too stunned for a moment to care what kind of impression I was making. Then I got my face under control somehow and stammered something about having a headache, or leaving the stove on, or some other idiot excuse. Without quite remembering how I had done it, I found myself outside, driving away.

Harvey's house, where Selina had met Bruce. The Jungle Hut, where they had gone on a date. Trinkets, the place where he usually bought jewelry, where he had probably gotten her those earrings. Another restaurant and a museum, likely locations for more dates. And then the Wallingford, where I had seen them the night before she had overheard us. The Catwoman was hitting all the places where Selina and Bruce had gone, all the landmarks in their relationship.

What she was doing wasn't smart, wasn't logical, and would inevitably end with getting her caught. There was only one conclusion I could come to. She really had loved Bruce, and she was hurt and angry; striking out in the only way she knew how. I could even sympathize, and feel sorry for the role I had played.

I had found myself doing a lot of thinking in the last week. About Bruce. Myself. And Selina. I didn't like her. She was cold and hard, at least to me, not to mention a criminal. But whenever I pictured her face, the vision came back to me of her eyes swimming in tears, and of the pleading and hopeful tone in her voice when she told us she was in love with Bruce. How could I not feel pity for a woman whose love had been thrown back in her face like that? Especially when Bruce had made me feel the same way? In some bizarre and unwilling sense, I felt a sisterhood with her.

And Bruce... how on Earth had he been stupid enough to do this? Why? Could he possibly not have realized how it was bound to end up? I didn't want to admit that I knew the answer to that, didn't want to face it, but there was no way around it. He must like her more than he had told me, maybe more than he realized himself. Whether it was love or only lust, it hardly mattered; both possibilities dug a deep, sharp hole in my heart.

And what was Batman's part in this? Had he really asked Bruce to do such an insane thing? Bruce wouldn't have lied about it... would he? Who knows what goes on behind that mask, I decided with a mental shrug, and gave up on figuring that one out.

And then there was the last and hardest question I had tried to face up to during those restless days and sleepless nights. Did I still love Bruce, still love him in spite of everything? He had looks, charm, brains - usually - but this wasn't about any of that; I knew other men who were equally attractive, or close. I couldn't say why, couldn't make any sense of it, even - especially - to myself, but I suspected it might be true. And now I might lose him beyond all hope.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. That's what they say, although I had always thought men were at least as likely to turn violent when rejected. I had called Bruce the day after our confrontation with Selina, just to make sure he realized she might want revenge, and he had assured me he was taking all possible precautions. But now... the possibility had turned into certainty in my mind. I was worried more than ever about Bruce's safety, despite all he had done to bring this on himself. There was one logical next stop on the Catwoman's path, one last target. I knew she would strike again tonight, and it would be at Bruce's house, where he had broken her heart. And where she might try to destroy him in return.

Luckily my house was almost directly on the way to Bruce's. I drove too fast, parked crooked, ran in and down to the lower level, where a locked and hidden door blocked the way to my headquarters. It seemed to take forever to get out of my clothes and into costume. Another eternity to start up my 'cycle and speed into the tunnel which led me onto a forgotten trail leading to the highway, dark and deserted under a starry night sky.

Bruce's house was quiet ten minutes later as I looked up the driveway from the street. Everything looked perfectly normal. With time to think, I had realized that Bruce and probably Batman must have thought of this possibility, and be prepared. But what if I was wrong? What if Bruce and Alfred were there, alone, unprotected? I had to know.

A closer look showed me two strange cars in the driveway, cars that didn't belong to anyone I knew. And the windows of the house were dark. Something was wrong; I could feel it. It only took a couple of minutes to slip into the shadowy clusters of trees almost hiding the house, and get closer. Just as I was wondering again whether this was a mistake, whether it was all my imagination and I should just go home and call Bruce with another warning, I saw it. A small light, dancing across the picture window on one side of the front door. Then another. It flared briefly, dimmed, and was gone. But I knew what they were. Flashlights.

She was here... and it might be up to me to stop her.

TBC...