Men, Women, Garters, and Chains
By: The Angelic Temptress
Disclaimer: If I owned them, things would be different.
Spoilers: Through "Starcrossed"
Rating: PG-13 for the usual features
Pairings: BM/WW BM/CW GL/HG NW/BG
##
Chapter 2: Ain't That a Kick in the Head
John turned off his television and rubbed the back of his neck. He was exhausted, tired of life and its unfairness.
J'onn had been right the night before; John Stewart missed his winged redhead. The Green Lantern yearned for her, hungered for her touch.
He missed her voice, the energy she brought to a room, her subtle flirting, the warmth she brought to his bed, her smile, her emerald eyes, her love...
Her love.
That was what he missed the most. Shayera had loved him and didn't know that he had loved her in return... that he still did.
So what if she had been labeled a traitor? So what if she had lied? So what if the League would have trouble trusting her again?
If only she'd call him and tell him she was all right.
Maybe he'd be able to sleep peacefully if she did.
John finally managed to get off the couch and go to bed, despite his unsettling thoughts.
##
"You dated her?" Diana asked and folded her arms over her chest.
"How do you know Selina?"
"She bought me a drink last night. Why does it matter?"
"Did she approach you?"
"Yes. Why?"
Bruce stood from his seat and motioned Diana to follow suit. She did without protest. Her boyfriend left the check and a few bills on the table, took hold of her arm, and guided her to the car. Alfred was waiting outside the restaurant, holding the door open for the couple. Once they were settled, he returned to the driver's seat.
Miles away from downtown Gotham, about twenty minutes into the car ride, Bruce finally spoke.
"Selina Kyle is Catwoman."
"The burglar?" Diana's face fell for a second, but she quickly covered her jealousy with curiosity. "Does she know...?"
"No. She has no idea."
The princess folded her hands in her lap and bit her lower lip, not knowing how to go about questioning the criminal's motives. Why contact Wonder Woman? Because she was dating Bruce Wayne?
As if Bruce were reading her thoughts, he said, "Selina isn't in love with me."
"But I wasn't –"
"She's in love with Batman."
Diana's breath got caught in her throat. Was that the connection? How in the world could the "sister" be aware of a relationship between Wonder Woman and Batman if she didn't know his secret identity?
But then again, don't all women have a sixth sense about these things?
Especially a Catwoman?
Diana turned her gaze away from Bruce and stared out the window. As much as he tried to hide his attraction to Miss Selina Kyle, he was failing miserably. Usually, he was so good at hiding his emotions.
Something nudged Diana in the pit of her stomach. Catwoman was no infatuated child; neither was Batman. If he was so concerned for this common criminal, there was a reason for it.
As he had once told her, there were no coincidences.
Selina bumping into Diana at a Metropolis bar, the criminal forgetting to mention that she had dated Bruce, the ladies meeting in Gotham the next night, Bruce's troubled thoughts...
"Bruce?"
"Yes, Diana?"
"I think I have to go."
The handsome billionaire's gaze hadn't wavered, as if the fact of her not staying in Gotham a little longer didn't bother him. He probably wanted her out of his city, out of his hair, so he could meet with the cat burglar.
She made fists at that idea.
"Why?"
"I've got things to do tonight, errands to run."
"Right."
When Alfred parked before the front doors of the Wayne Manor, both Diana and Bruce stepped out of the car. She wrapped the shawl around her slender shoulders and faced her boyfriend with a faked smile; he returned one.
She wanted to punch him.
"Then I'll call you?" he asked smoothly, as if he had practiced the line several times, with his mind clearly someplace else.
Perhaps on the rooftops of Gotham...
Perhaps in Miss Kyle's bedroom...
"Sure, but don't call out of obligation. Call because you want to. Goodnight." She touched her lips to his and turned on her heel.
Diana didn't fly away. She didn't feel like flying tonight. She walked to the end of the massive driveway, past the frightening gates, and onto the barren street.
The Amazon didn't make it far before she heard a strange sound.
A quiet laugh.
A sadistic laugh.
She couldn't tell where it was coming from, especially when she was standing in the middle of an empty street, and actually considered that her heated mind was playing tricks on her. There was nothing around Diana, and it was nearly one o'clock. What did she expect to happen outside the Wayne Manor anyway?
The laughter suddenly stopped.
And something hit her square in the forehead. Before she could react, she fell to the cement, and the night became even darker than before.
##
"What's on your mind?" Batgirl asked Bruce as he suited up for patrol. "I kind of figured you'd be spending the evening indoors with a particular Amazon princess."
He managed to send her a glare as he stepped out of his closet. "Diana isn't your concern, Barbara."
"I know, but you two have been dating for quite a while. I would think that you two rounded that base by now."
"Selina's in town," he stated blankly and jumped into the 'Mobile.
"Oh no." Batgirl placed a hand on the car door for emphasis. "And you're going to see what she's up to?"
He started the engine and shifted into drive as an answer. He closed the roof of the Batmobile, and she watched him leave the cave.
"My prayers are with you, Wonder Woman," she muttered under her breath and hopped onto her Batcycle.
##
Catwoman heard the rumple of his cape when he landed behind her and smiled to herself. She had dearly missed her Dark Knight and couldn't wait to play with him.
"Nice night, isn't it?" When he didn't answer her, she turned to make eye contact and sat down on the ledge of Gotham's Second National Bank.
They spent a good few seconds just staring at one another, studying. She noticed the few alterations in his suit: the longer length of his cape, the darker color...
"What do you want, Selina?"
"I just wanted to visit you. We haven't seen each other since –"
"You're life was in danger," he finished with a candid tone.
"Jeez. Some warm welcome. I guess working with the happy-go-lucky Boy Scout and his super friends hasn't made you any less intricate... or sexy, for that matter." She crossed her legs and patted the space beside her. "Take a load off, Hero. You look a little tense."
"What were you doing in Metropolis the other night?"
"Wonder Woman blabbed? I'm glad that I left an impression on her. How does it compare to my first impression on you?"
"Enough, Selina. Answer the question."
"I was in a bar, and I happened to see her there. I bought her a drink. Big deal. It's not like I poisoned her or something." Catwoman stood from her seat and came to Batman, wrapping her arms around his neck. "We've got a common bond, you know. She's dating my ex." The female kissed the corner of the Bat's mouth and gently licked the same area, knowing that it would equally agitate him and turn him on.
Batman shoved her away in reaction, and her mouth dropped open. He hadn't gently pushed her away; he had shoved her away. Either he didn't enjoy her playfulness anymore, or she had really gotten under his skin.
"Looks as if that swimsuit model and I have more than just one common bond. Am I sensing an attraction for the half-naked superhero?"
"Go home, Selina."
"Go home, please," she corrected with a smirk.
The eyes of his cowl narrowed, and he turned his back to Catwoman. After shooting out a line, he swung off the building and left the black-clad villain to stand alone.
'He doesn't really care for that Wonder Bitch,' she thought. 'It's a phase. Maybe he's going through his midlife crisis.'
She forced a small chuckle and imagined sinking her claws into the perfect skin of that Wonder Whore.
##
"Why aren't you asleep?" Clark asked Kara and sat down on the couch, next to her.
"Conan's on."
"As in the Governor of California?"
"No. As in the late night talk show host." Kara pulled her damp hair back into a ponytail and sent him a smile. "Thanks for letting me stay the night."
"What's family for?"
She only shrugged as a response and folded her legs under herself so she could sit Indian style. "Have you talked to Bruce yet?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, I'm sure she's got some sort of a theory for the false alarm the other night."
His small eyes narrowed at her statement, and he muted the television. "Kara, we need to talk."
"About?"
"I think you need to calm down a bit. The world isn't going to end anytime soon, I hope. You're over working yourself."
"I just don't want to mess up. I want to be just as good as you are, Clark."
"I know." He kissed her forehead, as a brother would a sister, and mussed her hair. "Get some sleep, blondie."
##
Shayera heard her bunkmate groan as she woke from her imposed sleep. The woman opened her eyes and rubbed the center of her forehead before she sat up. The superhero looked confused, but her eyes widened the moment she recognized her company.
"You." Diana got to her feet and pointed her index finger at the Thanagarian. "Why do I have a feeling that this all your fault?"
The redhead didn't answer. Instead, she returned her eyes to the bars that separated the women from the outside world.
Their square cell was large enough to fit five comfortably but didn't have any furniture.
Only a toilet.
Shy sat in the far left corner, hugging one of her knees and considering any feasible escape. Wonder Woman was one of the last people she wanted to deal with, so she did her best to avoid snapping at her. The former teammates hadn't exactly experienced a painless and simple split five months ago.
'I should let you burn...'
Shayera could still hear her friend's words echoing in her head. It was one of the last things she remembered before going to sleep each night, one of the phrases that truly stuck to her dreams.
To her nightmares.
"Did you try to get out of here?" Diana questioned with a frustrated tone and stepped up to the bars. She gripped two and began to pull them apart...
Or attempted to pull them apart. Shy raised an eyebrow at the scene and noticed something different about the princess: she wasn't wearing her bracelets.
"Great Hera... give me strength..." She mumbled as her face began to turn a shade of red. When the reinforced steel bars didn't budge, Diana realized why she was so weak.
"They took them," Shy stated dryly. "They took my mace too."
Diana narrowed her eyes at the other woman and pressed the comm-link hidden in her ear, or, rather, the comm-link that should have been hidden in her ear.
"Took that too."
"Who took them?"
"Don't know."
"Well, who carried me in here?"
"Thugs who work for whoever kidnapped us."
The Amazon began to pace, gripping the ring located around her neck as she did. "How do we get these off?"
"You don't." When Diana stopped to glare at her, Shayera continued. "It's actually of Thanagarian design. You need the key."
"There's no way to break it open?"
"If there were, I would have done it by now."
"I'm sure you would have." Diana kicked off her expensive heels and sat down across from her former comrade. "What do they want?"
"To balance the universe. At least, that's what they told me."
A few minutes later, when her anger had slightly subsided, Diana ran a hand through her long hair and asked, "What are you still doing on Earth? It's not as if you could blend in with its crowds."
"I don't. I live in hiding and watch the people of the city, making sure they're safe."
"How noble," she muttered under her breath, but Shayera paid no mind. She deserved every remark the heroine threw at her.
"Now, no bickering, ladies," a familiar, psychotic voice snickered from the darkness before them.
Shy clenched her teeth and balled her fists. If there was anyone she truly hated...
The Clown Prince of Crime stepped up to the bars and slipped his white face to sit between two. His lips curled into an evil grin as he chuckled.
"Joker."
"What do you want?" Shayera demanded and stood from her seat on the cold floor. "This isn't your style. You're not one to stealthily go about kidnapping women."
"You're right, little detective. Trying to fill the shoes of the big bad Bat?"
"Go to Hell, Clown."
"Maybe we'll see each other there. You know, the deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers." His mouth dropped open. "That's right. You're a bad guy now, according to the American military." He laughed even louder. "Welcome to the family!"
"I'm not like you."
"Keep telling yourself that, Angel."
##
"Master Bruce?"
"Yes, Alfred?" Batman sat at his computer, skimming through The Daily Planet's articles, searching for any robberies in Metropolis.
"If it isn't too bold to say, I believe that your lady seemed a little irritated when she left so abruptly this evening."
"She'll be fine." He didn't have time to think about a girlfriend at the moment. He had to make sure Selina wasn't in any trouble. Nowadays, she only ran into Batman when she needed help or when he caught her stealing.
"Don't you believe you should be paying more attention to the lady instead of obsessing over an old flame?"
"Alfred, I'm going to state this as kindly as possible," he confirmed without moving his stare from the screen. "Do not worry about me and Diana. Right now, I have to deal with Selina."
"Catwoman," he corrected ingenuously. "Why do you still believe that you can change her? A woman cannot be saved unless she wishes to be. Tell me that I've taught you at least that much, Sir."
The Batman didn't respond to his butler. He just started typing on his keyboard.
##
By: The Angelic Temptress
Disclaimer: If I owned them, things would be different.
Spoilers: Through "Starcrossed"
Rating: PG-13 for the usual features
Pairings: BM/WW BM/CW GL/HG NW/BG
##
Chapter 2: Ain't That a Kick in the Head
John turned off his television and rubbed the back of his neck. He was exhausted, tired of life and its unfairness.
J'onn had been right the night before; John Stewart missed his winged redhead. The Green Lantern yearned for her, hungered for her touch.
He missed her voice, the energy she brought to a room, her subtle flirting, the warmth she brought to his bed, her smile, her emerald eyes, her love...
Her love.
That was what he missed the most. Shayera had loved him and didn't know that he had loved her in return... that he still did.
So what if she had been labeled a traitor? So what if she had lied? So what if the League would have trouble trusting her again?
If only she'd call him and tell him she was all right.
Maybe he'd be able to sleep peacefully if she did.
John finally managed to get off the couch and go to bed, despite his unsettling thoughts.
##
"You dated her?" Diana asked and folded her arms over her chest.
"How do you know Selina?"
"She bought me a drink last night. Why does it matter?"
"Did she approach you?"
"Yes. Why?"
Bruce stood from his seat and motioned Diana to follow suit. She did without protest. Her boyfriend left the check and a few bills on the table, took hold of her arm, and guided her to the car. Alfred was waiting outside the restaurant, holding the door open for the couple. Once they were settled, he returned to the driver's seat.
Miles away from downtown Gotham, about twenty minutes into the car ride, Bruce finally spoke.
"Selina Kyle is Catwoman."
"The burglar?" Diana's face fell for a second, but she quickly covered her jealousy with curiosity. "Does she know...?"
"No. She has no idea."
The princess folded her hands in her lap and bit her lower lip, not knowing how to go about questioning the criminal's motives. Why contact Wonder Woman? Because she was dating Bruce Wayne?
As if Bruce were reading her thoughts, he said, "Selina isn't in love with me."
"But I wasn't –"
"She's in love with Batman."
Diana's breath got caught in her throat. Was that the connection? How in the world could the "sister" be aware of a relationship between Wonder Woman and Batman if she didn't know his secret identity?
But then again, don't all women have a sixth sense about these things?
Especially a Catwoman?
Diana turned her gaze away from Bruce and stared out the window. As much as he tried to hide his attraction to Miss Selina Kyle, he was failing miserably. Usually, he was so good at hiding his emotions.
Something nudged Diana in the pit of her stomach. Catwoman was no infatuated child; neither was Batman. If he was so concerned for this common criminal, there was a reason for it.
As he had once told her, there were no coincidences.
Selina bumping into Diana at a Metropolis bar, the criminal forgetting to mention that she had dated Bruce, the ladies meeting in Gotham the next night, Bruce's troubled thoughts...
"Bruce?"
"Yes, Diana?"
"I think I have to go."
The handsome billionaire's gaze hadn't wavered, as if the fact of her not staying in Gotham a little longer didn't bother him. He probably wanted her out of his city, out of his hair, so he could meet with the cat burglar.
She made fists at that idea.
"Why?"
"I've got things to do tonight, errands to run."
"Right."
When Alfred parked before the front doors of the Wayne Manor, both Diana and Bruce stepped out of the car. She wrapped the shawl around her slender shoulders and faced her boyfriend with a faked smile; he returned one.
She wanted to punch him.
"Then I'll call you?" he asked smoothly, as if he had practiced the line several times, with his mind clearly someplace else.
Perhaps on the rooftops of Gotham...
Perhaps in Miss Kyle's bedroom...
"Sure, but don't call out of obligation. Call because you want to. Goodnight." She touched her lips to his and turned on her heel.
Diana didn't fly away. She didn't feel like flying tonight. She walked to the end of the massive driveway, past the frightening gates, and onto the barren street.
The Amazon didn't make it far before she heard a strange sound.
A quiet laugh.
A sadistic laugh.
She couldn't tell where it was coming from, especially when she was standing in the middle of an empty street, and actually considered that her heated mind was playing tricks on her. There was nothing around Diana, and it was nearly one o'clock. What did she expect to happen outside the Wayne Manor anyway?
The laughter suddenly stopped.
And something hit her square in the forehead. Before she could react, she fell to the cement, and the night became even darker than before.
##
"What's on your mind?" Batgirl asked Bruce as he suited up for patrol. "I kind of figured you'd be spending the evening indoors with a particular Amazon princess."
He managed to send her a glare as he stepped out of his closet. "Diana isn't your concern, Barbara."
"I know, but you two have been dating for quite a while. I would think that you two rounded that base by now."
"Selina's in town," he stated blankly and jumped into the 'Mobile.
"Oh no." Batgirl placed a hand on the car door for emphasis. "And you're going to see what she's up to?"
He started the engine and shifted into drive as an answer. He closed the roof of the Batmobile, and she watched him leave the cave.
"My prayers are with you, Wonder Woman," she muttered under her breath and hopped onto her Batcycle.
##
Catwoman heard the rumple of his cape when he landed behind her and smiled to herself. She had dearly missed her Dark Knight and couldn't wait to play with him.
"Nice night, isn't it?" When he didn't answer her, she turned to make eye contact and sat down on the ledge of Gotham's Second National Bank.
They spent a good few seconds just staring at one another, studying. She noticed the few alterations in his suit: the longer length of his cape, the darker color...
"What do you want, Selina?"
"I just wanted to visit you. We haven't seen each other since –"
"You're life was in danger," he finished with a candid tone.
"Jeez. Some warm welcome. I guess working with the happy-go-lucky Boy Scout and his super friends hasn't made you any less intricate... or sexy, for that matter." She crossed her legs and patted the space beside her. "Take a load off, Hero. You look a little tense."
"What were you doing in Metropolis the other night?"
"Wonder Woman blabbed? I'm glad that I left an impression on her. How does it compare to my first impression on you?"
"Enough, Selina. Answer the question."
"I was in a bar, and I happened to see her there. I bought her a drink. Big deal. It's not like I poisoned her or something." Catwoman stood from her seat and came to Batman, wrapping her arms around his neck. "We've got a common bond, you know. She's dating my ex." The female kissed the corner of the Bat's mouth and gently licked the same area, knowing that it would equally agitate him and turn him on.
Batman shoved her away in reaction, and her mouth dropped open. He hadn't gently pushed her away; he had shoved her away. Either he didn't enjoy her playfulness anymore, or she had really gotten under his skin.
"Looks as if that swimsuit model and I have more than just one common bond. Am I sensing an attraction for the half-naked superhero?"
"Go home, Selina."
"Go home, please," she corrected with a smirk.
The eyes of his cowl narrowed, and he turned his back to Catwoman. After shooting out a line, he swung off the building and left the black-clad villain to stand alone.
'He doesn't really care for that Wonder Bitch,' she thought. 'It's a phase. Maybe he's going through his midlife crisis.'
She forced a small chuckle and imagined sinking her claws into the perfect skin of that Wonder Whore.
##
"Why aren't you asleep?" Clark asked Kara and sat down on the couch, next to her.
"Conan's on."
"As in the Governor of California?"
"No. As in the late night talk show host." Kara pulled her damp hair back into a ponytail and sent him a smile. "Thanks for letting me stay the night."
"What's family for?"
She only shrugged as a response and folded her legs under herself so she could sit Indian style. "Have you talked to Bruce yet?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, I'm sure she's got some sort of a theory for the false alarm the other night."
His small eyes narrowed at her statement, and he muted the television. "Kara, we need to talk."
"About?"
"I think you need to calm down a bit. The world isn't going to end anytime soon, I hope. You're over working yourself."
"I just don't want to mess up. I want to be just as good as you are, Clark."
"I know." He kissed her forehead, as a brother would a sister, and mussed her hair. "Get some sleep, blondie."
##
Shayera heard her bunkmate groan as she woke from her imposed sleep. The woman opened her eyes and rubbed the center of her forehead before she sat up. The superhero looked confused, but her eyes widened the moment she recognized her company.
"You." Diana got to her feet and pointed her index finger at the Thanagarian. "Why do I have a feeling that this all your fault?"
The redhead didn't answer. Instead, she returned her eyes to the bars that separated the women from the outside world.
Their square cell was large enough to fit five comfortably but didn't have any furniture.
Only a toilet.
Shy sat in the far left corner, hugging one of her knees and considering any feasible escape. Wonder Woman was one of the last people she wanted to deal with, so she did her best to avoid snapping at her. The former teammates hadn't exactly experienced a painless and simple split five months ago.
'I should let you burn...'
Shayera could still hear her friend's words echoing in her head. It was one of the last things she remembered before going to sleep each night, one of the phrases that truly stuck to her dreams.
To her nightmares.
"Did you try to get out of here?" Diana questioned with a frustrated tone and stepped up to the bars. She gripped two and began to pull them apart...
Or attempted to pull them apart. Shy raised an eyebrow at the scene and noticed something different about the princess: she wasn't wearing her bracelets.
"Great Hera... give me strength..." She mumbled as her face began to turn a shade of red. When the reinforced steel bars didn't budge, Diana realized why she was so weak.
"They took them," Shy stated dryly. "They took my mace too."
Diana narrowed her eyes at the other woman and pressed the comm-link hidden in her ear, or, rather, the comm-link that should have been hidden in her ear.
"Took that too."
"Who took them?"
"Don't know."
"Well, who carried me in here?"
"Thugs who work for whoever kidnapped us."
The Amazon began to pace, gripping the ring located around her neck as she did. "How do we get these off?"
"You don't." When Diana stopped to glare at her, Shayera continued. "It's actually of Thanagarian design. You need the key."
"There's no way to break it open?"
"If there were, I would have done it by now."
"I'm sure you would have." Diana kicked off her expensive heels and sat down across from her former comrade. "What do they want?"
"To balance the universe. At least, that's what they told me."
A few minutes later, when her anger had slightly subsided, Diana ran a hand through her long hair and asked, "What are you still doing on Earth? It's not as if you could blend in with its crowds."
"I don't. I live in hiding and watch the people of the city, making sure they're safe."
"How noble," she muttered under her breath, but Shayera paid no mind. She deserved every remark the heroine threw at her.
"Now, no bickering, ladies," a familiar, psychotic voice snickered from the darkness before them.
Shy clenched her teeth and balled her fists. If there was anyone she truly hated...
The Clown Prince of Crime stepped up to the bars and slipped his white face to sit between two. His lips curled into an evil grin as he chuckled.
"Joker."
"What do you want?" Shayera demanded and stood from her seat on the cold floor. "This isn't your style. You're not one to stealthily go about kidnapping women."
"You're right, little detective. Trying to fill the shoes of the big bad Bat?"
"Go to Hell, Clown."
"Maybe we'll see each other there. You know, the deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers." His mouth dropped open. "That's right. You're a bad guy now, according to the American military." He laughed even louder. "Welcome to the family!"
"I'm not like you."
"Keep telling yourself that, Angel."
##
"Master Bruce?"
"Yes, Alfred?" Batman sat at his computer, skimming through The Daily Planet's articles, searching for any robberies in Metropolis.
"If it isn't too bold to say, I believe that your lady seemed a little irritated when she left so abruptly this evening."
"She'll be fine." He didn't have time to think about a girlfriend at the moment. He had to make sure Selina wasn't in any trouble. Nowadays, she only ran into Batman when she needed help or when he caught her stealing.
"Don't you believe you should be paying more attention to the lady instead of obsessing over an old flame?"
"Alfred, I'm going to state this as kindly as possible," he confirmed without moving his stare from the screen. "Do not worry about me and Diana. Right now, I have to deal with Selina."
"Catwoman," he corrected ingenuously. "Why do you still believe that you can change her? A woman cannot be saved unless she wishes to be. Tell me that I've taught you at least that much, Sir."
The Batman didn't respond to his butler. He just started typing on his keyboard.
##