Chapter 11 (Plans)

Nearly a half a day later Selina and Batman found themselves outside the abandoned warehouse, crouching behind some bushes. "Selina, are you sure that you're up to this? I don't want you to wear yourself out…"

"Honestly Batman" she sighed, "It doesn't make much of a difference… We have to get those herbs, they're my last chance."

"It makes a difference to me. Are you sure you'll be ok?"

"Who'd of thought the tough Batman would be so sweet? I'll be fine. Now let's go get those herbs!"

"Selina, it's not as simple as all that, we need a plan."

"My plan is we go through the front door and beat up whoever we have to in order to get those herbs!"

"Ok let me rephrase: We need a good plan." Batman put his hand in his head.

"We don't know what we're dealing with. Maybe we could change into our other identities and.."

"And what? You just want to know who I really am! And what if things get rough? I think going in Catwoman, Batman is the best way."

"You still don't trust me do you?"

"No."

"WHEN? When will you trust me? If this little partnership, team-up thing is going to work you have to trust me!"

"Selina calm down! I trust you", Batman put an arm around her shoulders.

Selina looked her in the eyes, "No you don't you're just saying that to get me to calm down."

"No I'm not. Listen we'll follow your plan, as soon as you come up with it…"

"Ok. I say we just go through the front door."

"What if it's a trap?"

"Trust me", she said still looking him straight in the eyes. A moment of silence passed until she slipped her gloved hand into his gloved hand and squeezed, "Please?"

"Ok, we'll go through the front door, I'll even let you go first."

Selina fake punched him in the upper arm. "You make that sound like it's a good thing."

"Hey ladies first, remember?"

"Maybe I don't want to be first."

"Hmm. The great Catwoman not wanting to go first? Do I suspect a bit of cat-fright?"

"You've got it wrong, It's just with this illness on my back it'd be safer for you to go first, in case I faint or something."

"A reasonable Catwoman?"

"Oh shut up and go first already!"

"Ok, I'm going, stay behind me", Batman instructed. He opened the front door, and stepped cautiously inside, "The coast appears to be clear", he whispered.

Selina stepped into the room without making a sound, she silently shut the door behind them, "Now what?" As if answering her question purple smoke started drifting down from the ceiling.

"Selina" said Batman warningly, he backed up a few paces to try to open the door but found it locked, "It IS a trap!"

"Batman! Oh I'm so sorry. You're right! We should have used a plan, I wasn't thinking and-", Selina started crying flinging her arms around the Batman's neck like a lost child.

Surprisingly the Batman stroked her hair slowly turning side to side, "Shh, shh, shh. It's going to be ok. We need to stay calm. We'll make a new plan. But you're going to have to let go of me, ok? I have some nose filters in my tool belt…" As if hearing his words the smoke began to fall faster, and lower than before.

"Ok", Catwoman sniffed and took a step back, "I don't know what came over me, it's just… I guess the fact that it's a life and death matter… I just… Don't want to die…"

Batman's gloved fingers began searching his tool-belt frantically, it was hard to see in the poorly lit warehouse, "You won't die Selina; I won't let you."

"I'm scared", Selina admitted.

"In your shoes, who wouldn't be? It's ok to be frightened. I'm frightened right now. I can't find the nose filters…" A sudden desperation crept into his voice.

"Well take off your gloves then! You won't be able to find them with the gloves on!" Selina said, joining the ranks of the panicked.

"I… I can't take off my gloves… You might recognize my hands…" Batman stammered, as purple smoke began to close in on them.

"I can't believe you're worried about your secret identity at a time like this!" Selina said, putting a hand on her hip.

"Found them", said the Batman, " Dropped them…"

" You're kidding right?" But Batman shook his head. "I'll find them… We cats can see in the dark you know…" Selina dropped to her knees, suddenly out of sight. A sudden fear of being alone crept over the Batman.

"Selina? You do realize that you aren't really a Cat right? Selina…" Batman tried to keep his cool. By this time they were surrounded in purple smoke. Where had he seen it before? If he could remember maybe they could figure out who was behind it. Another fear came over him… What if he couldn't remember and he and Selina died because of him? A sudden fear of death hit him. Fear? He thought this over as he researched his tool bet for another pair of nose filters. Finally after what seemed like hours he found them and clumsily inserted them. He hoped he hadn't inhaled too much smoke… Maybe it was pass out smoke and Selina was lying on the floor knocked out…

"I can't find them!" Finally the voice of Selina rang through to Batman, clear as a bell, but it wasn't Selina that appeared out of the smoke… No, it was a giant ferocious cat with fangs, hissing at him, ready to pounce. A purple cat, its color did nothing to make it less frightening. Suddenly a scream pierced through the air, clearly dictating terror. Once the shrieking stopped he could hear Selina, "Batman! Batman where are you!" She sounded so near… "I need you I'm being attacked by a giant bat!"

A giant BAT?

Wait a second… He was Batman… She was Catwoman, meaning the giant cat in front of him wasn't real; it was actually Selina, looking like some giant cat because of something the smoke had done to his brain… Yet that fact didn't make him any less frightened. His eyes needed proof, to escape from the fear… Fear? Scare… Scare-crow. That's who the smoke belonged to Scarecrow, to create fears… And Selina was still inhaling the smoke… "Selina, I already know who you are right? You need to take off your hood, ok? I know you can't see me, but if you take off your hood I can make the bat go away."

He could hear Selina's breath short and fast, heart racing from fear, her brain creating more fears by the second. Maybe she was paralyzed, too scared to move. Suddenly the great cat vanished and there was his Selina. Yes, HIS Selina standing alone frightened of the world. "Batman take away my fears, you must be the bat. I don't know how it happened, but now it's your turn to remove your hood… I know you were afraid of removing even a glove in my presence, but please, for me?"

She had come to him asking for help. She had undone her past of evil, so she wouldn't damage his reputation. She hadn't run away when she learned that he knew her other identity. And she hadn't made any guesses as to what his identity was. She still needed him, and now there she was, the woman he loved asking for his help. But after all these years how could he just drop his hood revealing his identity to the world? No. Not to the world, to her world. A world that he had planned to be a part of anyway. All he had to do was remove his hood. But could he? Certainly he couldn't. There had to be another way… He took a step forward Selina took a step back, still scared of the false image in front of her. He had to. Before he could stop himself he pushed the hood back on his head; he winced when he heard it hit his back. The true Batman was unveiled.

Selina's jaw dropped in disbelief, her eyes widened, "Bruce?" She could only whisper.

"Yes, honey I'm here. So is Scarecrow. We'll find you those herbs. But I have to get you out of this smoke…"

"Bruce is Batman," rambled Selina, dazed by both the smoke and her discovery, "No wonder… You kept calling me names like Honey and baby… And your laugh and everything was so familiar…"

"You're in shock…" Bruce told her, "if only this smoke would clear…" And as if it had heard them the smoke began to clear.

"Oh...Batman…" Selina's eyes rolled to the around and she suddenly passed out. Bruce caught her of course, and he pulled her hood back up, and then pulled his own up.

"I don't know how you found me Batman… But I do know that you'll be sorry." Came a voice out of the darkness.

"Scarecrow", The Batman identified him, "I didn't come here for you… We came for the herbs. The ones from your private plot in Egypt."

"You'll never get them."

"They aren't for me… They're for Se-Catwoman… she's dying."

"Even so, I'm not going to hand them over to you."

"Then I guess I'll have to fight you for them."

"Yes", Scarecrow agreed, " I guess you will."

TO BE CONTINUED!

A/N: I tried to make this an extra long chapter but it got a little too long so I cut it off. But nobody is reviewing… So I guess I'm just talking to myself in this authors note… I started out writing it for myself anyway, but if you like it, please speak up. It means a lot to me. Thanks.