Yeppers, second chappie. It's the musical chappie! Yes, I have the bad habit of putting song lyrics into my fic at random moments. Like a montage thing. But at least I don't put the WHOLE FRICKIN' SONG IN!!! points at Kyoko

Kyoko:sticks tongue out

No, I don't own Batman Beyond.

Psychic communication

Psychic reply

'Lyrics'


C H A P T E R T W O - Past and Present

"Can I open them now?"

"No."

"How about now?"

"No!"

".........What about now?"

"Katherine!" Laughing, Matthew pulled her forward a few more steps. "Okay, now you can open them." Her eyes flew open; they were at somebody's 50th aniversary. "So whaddaya think?"

"I think we're going to stand out a bit," she said with a grin. Everyone else in the room was over 40.

"Good." He twined his fingers into hers and they entered the crowd. As they started a slow dance, Matthew murmured in her ear. "It's good to know people can stay together no matter what." She kissed him gently.

"This is great, Matt."

KP!

"I thought you'd enjoy it."

Yoo-hoo, Earth to Katherine. Katherine squinted one eye and tried to force Terry's voice out of her mind.

"What's wrong?" Matthew asked concernedly.

"Ah...nothing," she said with a quick smile. "I'm just tired, probably."

"You wanna go home?"

"No, no, let's just sit down for a while." They moved to two chairs along the wall.

"I'll get you a drink." As Matthew dissappeared into the crowd, Katherine glared at the ceiling.

So help me, Terry, if you're where I think you are.....

Well, it ain't Barbados, that's for sure.

Terrence Anthony McGinnis.....

I know, I know, I'm sorry. I have my orders.

Bruce's orders?

Uh....yes? Katherine closed her eyes. A few Tetran curses ran through her mind, but she said none of them. Nice vocabulary.

You don't even know what those words mean.

I don't have to to know what they're used for.

Terry, go be Batman.

For the record, I voiced my disapproval, but I was swiftly and forcefully overruled.

Forcefully?

She sat on me. She gave a small grin.

Go. I'll deal with my "sister" if and when I get home.

If? Matthew returned with two glasses in hand and she gave just the tiniest shake of the head.

Go, Ter.

Through the far window, she watched a dark shape take off across the sky.


'How can you say that you never meant anything to anyone standing alone on the street with a ciggarette on the first night we met?' Katherine's hand joined Matthew's on the stick shift. 'When I look back I remember a smile, let's go to sleep I could sleep for a while 'cause I know in my dreams that I'll always be dreaming of you.' He glanced over at her and smiled. 'We'll make sure this time, smiles fade in the summer, place your hand in mine, I'll leave when I wanna.' She reached up and pulled the ribbon from his hair. It fell in dark waves around his face. 'Place your hand in mine, I'll leave when I wanna.' She brushed her hand through it, pushing it behind his ear. 'I'll leave when I wanna.' The Jokerz attacked.

Katherine's hand joined Matthew's on the stick shift. He glanced over at her and smiled. She reached up and pulled the ribbon from his hair. It fell in dark waves around his face. She brushed her hand through it, pushing it behind his ear. The Jokerz attacked.

"Katherine!" Matthew screamed as she lurched forward in the seat; he had slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting "Mr. J". He turned to her, eyes frantic. "Are you okay? Anything broken?"

"I'm okay, I'm fine," she assured him. Her eyes darted to the windows, to the Jokerz advancing on the car. She hit the door lock. They laughed.

"Can Mattie come out to play?" Mr. J screeched in a high-pitched voice. Matthew's jaw was set.

"Katherine, please stay here." He unlocked just his door. She grabbed his arm.

"Matthew, I'm more use to you out there, where I can do something." He touched her chin.

"Katherine, love, please. If you stay in here, they'll leave you alone." Tears of frustration pricked her eyes. Matthew didn't know about Mariann, and this did not seem like the time to tell him.

"How do you know?" He pointed with his chin at the Joker now leaning on his hood.

"That's my old costume."


Thunder rumbled menacingly overhead as Matthew walked to the front of the car. The big black Joker (none other than Marcellus Lodger) went for the door, but Matthew held the remote keychain over his shoulder and pushed the lock button. He didn't turn, just spoke.

"She stays out of it." Mr. J laughed, a poor imitation of the original Joker's cackle.

"She certaintly is a pretty thing," he said fondly. Katherine saw Matthew's muscles tense.

"Careful," she whispered, lips barely moving. "Careful, Matt, don't attack him, don't get mad, oh, gods, Matthew!" Mr. J continued.

"Surely you remember what tonight is?"

"I remember." Matthew's voice had gone low and deadly.

"So, Boss-man, how're we doing?" The head grease-painted monkey smiled an awful smile. Lightning struck somewhere and thunder cracked the sky again.

"You're a sad excuse for a man," Matthew replied simply, "that you would ambush me at night instead of facing me head-on during the day." Mr. J was not pleased by Matthew's answer, and since Mr. J had the emotional security of a three-year-old, Mr. J decided he was going to bust something up. He lifted a piece of pipe and brought it slamming down onto the hood of the car. Katherine gave a little scream.

"You were one of us," he hissed into Matthew's face. "You planned this night, made it our dream. But you left, returned to them." Katherine had about decided that he was pretty well-spoken for a grease-painted monkey when he lifted the pipe again. "So now you'll suffer the same fate as the rest." He brought the pipe down hard on Matthew's arm. He howled in pain and Katherine screamed, scrambling out of the car.

"No! Stop it, damn you, no!" She ran for them but two huge Jokerz grabbed her arms. "Let me GO, you grease-painted bastards! Matthew!" She struck out at the Joker's mind with all she had, lightning struck, Matthew grabbed the pipe, Mr. J's body convulsed, Matthew's body convulsed, and Katherine screamed as her mind was hit with a force unlike anything she'd ever felt. Shooting into the air, she slammed the two Joker's heads together and headed for the rest of them, collecting their bodies in a pile. If Matthew was awake, she had some 'splaining to do. Oh well, he was bound to find out eventually. Leaving their bodies in a groaning heap, she went back to Matthew. Picking him up and loosening his fingers from the pipe (they were almost fused together), she set him gently in the car and put it in reverse, digging her cell phone out of her purse. Something was swimming through her mind; she didn't want to risk a psychic link. "Dammit, Bruce, pick up pick up pick up.....Bruce!" His voice was steady and comforting, even through the static of a shaky signal.

"Katherine, what's wrong? You just sent a psychic wave over the entire city."

"We were attacked by Jokerz. Something happened to Matthew; he's barely breathing."

"I'll tell Terry to come pick you up. Are you wearing your locator?"

"Always."

"Good. He'll be there soon."

"Bruce..."

"What?"

"Don't....don't hang up."


Matthew's eyes opened slowly. Katherine smiled. "Greetings from the land of the living."

"Katherine..." She touched a finger to his lips.

"Don't try to talk. You were badly injured." He took her hand with surprising firmness.

"Katherine, listen." His voice was weak. "Tonight's the Inferno, the burning of Gotham." Her eyes widened and she sat on the edge of the bed, leaning closer to him.

"You told me you and your Jokerz had planned a huge event. Is this it?" He nodded. "Will they go through with it without you?" Another weak nod.

"Tell the police." He went into a racking cough. Katherine waited until it had stopped to kiss him gently on the forehead.

"I'm going now. Go to sleep." He did, almost instantly. Sedatives are a wonderful thing. She stood and moved to the window. Yes, she'd tell the police. But first, a close personal friend. Carefully, she opened her mind and reached out. Terry, meet me at the place. Nothing happened, no pain, no weird twinges, none of the usual symptoms of a problem with her powers. Matthew's eyes slid open slowly, in time to see a pair of black sneakers and the tail end of a mahogany braid exit the window.


"Katherine." Terry - er, Batman landed on top of the Wayne-Powers building and moved towards her. "Sorry, Mariann. What's up?" Even in Batman's gruff tones, the voice was concerned.

"Matthew used to be Mr. J." The white blankness that was his eyes widened. "He almost died in a firefight with the police one night and gave it up, went home, started a band. But before he left, he wrote up a plan to burn Gotham. They call it the Inferno or the Reign of Fire, and Matt says they'll go through with it without him. It's tonight." Batman closed his eyes and laid a hand on his chin.

"So basically, the biggest terrorist act Gotham's ever seen."

"I don't know about biggest, but....yeah."

"And you're dating this guy?"

"People change." He shot her a look but conceeded the point as Bruce's voice sounded loudly in his ear.

"Terry, are you with Mariann?"

"Yeah."

"Good. There's a fire at the hospital. Take her and go."

"A fire at the hospital?" Mariann's eyes shot open.

"Sweet gods, Matt!" She was sprinting across the roof and zooming through the air before Terry could stop her.


Cliffhangers go whee.

Reviewer Recognition!

Because reviewers go whee too.

Kyoko Kasshu-Minamino: For your review, I grant thee a song: Naked Terry....du du du....he's so naked....

Okay, the rest of you need to get your butts over here and review.