Wow, three reviews already! I say that's a record, but it isn't, even tho it makes me happy. Sorry, Savitri,K.C. don't get so much action in this chapie, but she's still got a major part coming. As for you other two... a little feeback would be nice. Tonight we have our first adult themes, so I'm glad I went with the T rating. Oh, props to anyone who saw Howl's Moving Castle.

The Knight's first encounter

True to his word, Bruce hastily changed into his customary attire of comfortable pants and a sweater to rush down the stairs, still trying to slick his hair back. He skid into the parlor, the strangely empty parlor. She wasn't in the library (thank goodness, odds-on she'd inadvertently bang the piano and find the Batcave), she wasn't in the dinning room, and she wasn't in the coat closet. Closing the coat closet, and completely unaware of why he was possessed to look in the coat closet, he heard Carm laughing in the kitchen. Warily (Batman is always wary) he peek his head around the corner to be greeted by a wet dish towel in the face.

"Tag, your it." Carm was dicing potatoes into a pot and the smell of chicken was wafting from the oven. Alfred seemed to be enjoying Carm's invasion of the kitchen, and was sitting back, retelling his favorite stories from working at Wayne Manor.

"And then, if that wasn't bad enough, -"

"Alfred, I don't think she wants to hear that," Bruce interjected, recognizing the potential for a very embarrassing story to be told.

He hefted himself onto the counter and watched in silence as Carm poured different ingredients into the potatoes. "Alfred, do you have any condensed milk?"

"Top shelf, Miss Lordly." Bruce leaned over across the counter and grabbed the can, putting his face temptingly close to Carm's.

Dear lord, he smelled good. Not like all the other rich boys, he smelled like soap and mint instead of fancy cologne that stunk of department stores. "Are you waiting for something?"

He grinned, loving her sarcasm even more. "A kiss might be nice."

She dropped the pot of potatoes in his lap. "Mash those and I'll kiss you after dinner." Alfred sighed with relief.

Dinner turned out to be superb, and food-fight-free. "Miss Lordly, where did you learn to cook like that?" Carm had insisted that Alfred eat with them.

"Grandma, cook books, boyfriends, and a good lot of experimentation." Carm began cleaning up the dishes, but Alfred shooed her away, insisting that was his job.

Out in the hall Carm checked her watch. "It's later than I realized."

Bruce checked his watch as well. "It's only ten."

"Well, Mr. Party Animal, I have the graveyard shift at work, and I need to get home and into my… working clothes." The hesitation was only a fraction of a second, but Bruce noticed it nonetheless.

"Alright, I'll drive you home." Bruce headed out the door but quickly turned around. "But it'll cost you another kiss."

Carm suppressed a giggle and opted for a smirk instead. "Are you really that desperate?"

Bruce gently held her elbow and guided her to the garage. "I do what I can." He flipped on the light switch to reveal several fancy sports cars.

Carm whistled. "What, no armored tank?"

Bruce smiled, thinking of the Batmobile. "Darn thing is such a gas guzzler that I don't drive it that much. Take your pick. Ferrari, Porsche, or Lamborghini?"

"Hmm, how about that one?" Carm pointed to an antique Ford Mustang, complete with drop-top.

"Hmm, it's a junker. It needs new tires, an engine, the axles should be replaced, and I don't think it has brake pads. I was just gunna sell it rather than fix it up," Bruce grimaced.

"How much? I need a new a car." Carm looked it over, trying to come off like she knew what she was doing.

Bruce could tell she didn't have a clue. "For you? How's five hundred dollars and a second date sound?"

Carm fell over she was so shocked. Peeking up from the backseat she asked, a little flustered, "Are you kidding! For that price I'll cook again!"

Bruce smiled wider than he already had been. "Deal. For the meantime though, let's take the Lamborghini."

K.C. was in a foul mood. Carm had scared away her date, and she was rapidly running out of men to seduce. She estimated that she'd dated – or at least made-out with – half of Gotham's male population. Carm, however, walked in on cloud nine. No surprise, she was always the looker of the two, what with being built with an hourglass figure and a face that looked like it came off a Victoria's Secret ad with just a little blush. Growing up she'd had long brown hair that even when braided fell well below her waist. As she got older, though, she chopped it all off and dyed it black and then hid the black mop under a brunette wig. K.C. had by far dated more men, but that was on sheer will power. K.C. was short and stout with a genetic roll of fat around her waist. The child of a Mexican and a Cherokee, she was dark skinned and thick haired. Beautiful in her own right, but not stunning, not like Carm.

"You've got some nerve," shouted K.C. as Carm changed in her bedroom. "Scaring my date away and then waltzing in here like you just came back from heaven."

Carm was supposed to respond with a cackle. She sighed instead. That could only mean one thing: there was a second date. "Not heaven, but Bruce certainly can kiss a girl."

"What!" That was so unlike Carm. "You kissed on the first date!"

"Twice, actually. He's giving me a car for five hundred dollars and we're going to see a movie next Friday an then back to his house." Before K.C. could question her further, Carm came out with the face-pastels. "You're better at it than me," she half pleaded.

"Alright," sighed K.C. "But when you get back I want a full report." She quickly but skillfully applied the make-up, making Carm's upper part of her face appear heavily tattooed

Batman was on the hunt tonight. He had a mind to find that Dragon girl and make sure she was in line. He instantly headed to the most popular area for crime, and patrolled the small space. It was amazing that under all the dirt and grime and haze that seemed to be the very essence of crime was hidden even more filth and corruptness. It was a well known fact that this was where Gerodi Valintino had his lair, but he was even better than Falcone was. He was untouchable, hidden from the cops by layers of bodyguards and bureaucracy. His name was never on the drug shipments, on the murder orders, and even the highest of his cronies weren't lying when they said that they didn't take orders from Valintino. Not even Batman could find actual proof that Valintino was the one behind that massive crime wave that had struck just months before, but everybody knew it was him. He was the God of Crime, as untouchable and undefeatable.

A rise in the gunshots drew Batman's attention, and soon his presence. Hidden in the shadows he watched as a band of murderers - most likely Valintino's – were set aflame by a vixen of the night. He could see where her name had come from just by watching her. She wore a tight body suit of a material that was as thick as Kevlar but blacker and more flexible. Over the suit were plates of midnight blue armor, scales they could be called that stopped several knives without even scuffing. There was a large spine down her front with several spikes that framed her face. On her upper arms and lower legs each had three deadly spikes wrapped around the limb that, with a single swipe she could open a wood plank, and they easily stuck into the brick walls. Similar spikes sprouted from her fingertips and her boots, but these were different. Some hidden device retraced them, or shot out flames. The fire, long after being extinguished shone in her eyes, practically the only visible part of her face. A sleeve connected to the collar of her suit covered the bottom two thirds of her heavily tattooed face and slid perfectly under wild, cropped black hair.

Within minutes of his arrival, she was done, all the murderers burnt or bleeding, but not yet dead. She scaled the wall as easily as if there were known handholds and she wasn't clinging only by eleven thin spikes. He quickly ascended the wall as well with the help of a rusting drain pipe.

She was waiting for him. "Next time I'm going to charge you for a show like that."

He perched on the wall, distance enough between them where neither was within arms' reach, but that could be fixed in a fraction of a second. "Why put on a show?"

She pretended not to mind him, stretching lazily and lifting herself into a handstand. "Why not? You obviously came looking for me, I might as well make the trip worth your while."

"What makes you think I was looking for you?" He watched her carefully, looking for an Achilles Heel. He could find no signs of one.

"Because I've done my homework, Batman." She spat the name like she felt he was beneath her. "I know that you always go after the big fish. So why aren't you scouting out Valintino? Because you're checking out the newest threat."

He stood up, slowly stepping closer. "And should I consider you a threat?"

She flicked a small flame in his direction, warning him back. "Stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours."

"We'll see how long that lasts." He swan dived off the roof, gliding away.

Dragon spat where he had been standing, feeling extraordinarily inferior.

"Where'd that bruise come from?" Bruce and Carm were playing darts after dinner. Carm had rolled up her sleeve in the evening heat.

Without breaking her concentration she hit a perfect bull's-eye. "Mugging."

"You were mugged or you were doing the mugging?" Bruce perched on the back of a couch, coming over as incredibly cocky.

She tackled him, and even though she didn't doubt that if he'd wanted to he would have come out on top, she pinned his arms above his head and sat on his chest. "For your information, mister, I was mugged."

Real concern flashed across his face. "Did they get away with anything?"

Carm bounced, sending a whoosh of breath from his lungs. "Nope, they didn't get two feet before Dragon was on them. She's good. I bet that she could give Batman a nice, long run for his money." She rolled off of him and joined his gaze at the ceiling.

"I doubt it," he scoffed. "Batman's put much more dangerous creeps behind bars before, she's not going to be any different."

Carm struggled internally to keep from snapping a stinging retort. "She's not doing anything wrong! In fact, she's put a nice dent in Valintino's resources."

Bruce pretended not to notice the defensiveness in her voice. Instead he changed the topic. "You know, I never asked you why you were at that party where we met."

Carm sighed and got up. "One of Valintino's lackeys set me up with an invite by leaking that my savings account is pretty hefty. Not that it should mater, right?" She asked for reassurance that it was only out of curiosity that he asked.

I got up and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Right. He watched her scan the books for a few moments before pulling off a bent paperback. "This one's my favorite."

She looked it over, clearly uninterested. "I read it. Author was a Chauvinist pig."

"No he wasn't. The main character is just…"

"A possessive and compulsive lunatic."

"Territorial. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being territorial."

"Sure, maybe if you're dog. I can't stand it when people let themselves be controlled by stereotypes and shows of violence."

"You're talking about Valintino again?" He was still draped around her shoulders and was gently kissing her neck.

"No, I was actually about Batman. I suppose I could be talking about Dragon too, but she doesn't exactly fit any stereotypes, does she."

"I suppose not." Bruce spun Carm around and his lips quickly found hers. She didn't stop him until his hands headed towards her waist.

She gently pushed him away. "Not tonight Bruce. Besides I need to go home." She left before he could show her out, leaving him desperately wishing that she wasn't so complicated and loving her for it.

I'm hoping taht Bruce doesn't come off as a Playboy, but I'm going to need some feedback on that. (hint, hint)