Authors Note: Thanks for all of you who have reviewed, and a special shout to KrisEleven for all of your great, constructive feedback. Also to OhioJones for helping me out of a plot hole that we discovered. I couldn't have written the second part to this chapter without your encouragement and helpful ideas

Dark and Twisty

Chapter 5

2 Months Later

"You do realize Katherine that you are human, don't you? I mean, you have to go home sometime and sleep, or perhaps read a book, have a hobby, eat."

"This is my hobby David. Why do you think I went to school for so long to get a PhD in it?"

"I just mean that there's a big world outside these walls, and you're missing it."

"I've only missed the last few days, stop being so dramatic."

"I'm just saying…"

"Bye David."

Kate's assistant walked out of the room accepting defeat to go home for the night, as she busied herself on the computer making more detailed layouts for her new exhibit that was to debut. She was excited, but the closer the event came the more nervous she became. When she had first accepted the job of curator, she was overwhelmed to say the least. In her wildest dreams she never thought that she would work for the museum as a sectional curator. Considering the events that led to her staying in Gotham, it wasn't shocking that when she accepted the position she threw herself into her work. Nothing soothed her more than exploring and learning about the past of other civilizations. It helped remind her of what the world was capable of.

Looking blankly at the screen, she realized that her assistant may be right. She hadn't left the museum in two days, opting instead to work around the clock, and sleeping on the couch in her office.

It was probably time to go home and take a shower if anything.

She shut off the computer, grabbed her jacket and started toward the exit. Grabbing for her keys as she walked, she was hit with a bit of apprehension. It was very late to be going out alone, even if it was just to go to her car.

Why didn't I go out when David did? She thought.

Stifling her fear with a deep breath she opened the door, and started walking as fast as she could to her Land Rover. About halfway there she felt like someone was watching her. Looking around, she saw no one but felt that she wasn't alone.

"Hello Katherine."

Stepping out from behind her vast vehicle, she saw Ethan dressed in jeans and a dark hooded sweatshirt.

"What are you doing here Ethan? I thought my ignoring your phone calls and refusing to see you got the point across well enough."

"I need to talk to you."

"I feel no need to listen, so you see we are at an impasse. I don't care about anything you have to say."

"You're in danger Kate, please will you just hear me out?" Ethan began to look around the street, hoping that he wasn't followed. The last thing he needed to do was make things worse by leading them straight to her.

"Is that right? What kind of danger Ethan, please enlighten me."

"The people that killed Olivia, they may be coming after you too."

"Why would they be after me? Wait, you know what? I see what you're doing Ethan. You're trying to manipulate me into a conversation and I won't have it. Now get out of my way Ethan before I call the police." Pushing her way through him, she tried to open her door, but Ethan pushed it closed.

"Listen! I borrowed money from a mobster and I couldn't pay it back right away. I wouldn't ask Liv for the money because it would have broken our marriage. My gambling was our one problem in our relationship." Speaking fast, he hoped to get her attention somehow.

"Let go of my door NOW!" She was beginning to feel trapped and cornered by a man that she utterly loathed.

"Not until you let me talk to you." He didn't budge an inch.

"Fine, have it your way." Swiftly, she kneed him in the groin with all of her strength, and seized the opportunity to jump into the car. Unfortunately, he recovered faster then she thought possible. Before she even had the door open he grabbed her by the arm and threw her up against the car.

"You have to trust someone sometime Kate. Let it be now." Something in her face seemed to change as he spoke. She went from looking defiant and stubborn to utterly terrified, her eyes wide and fearful.

"I'm not going to hurt you Katherine." He couldn't beleive that Kate thought he might hurt her. It was after he spoke those words though, that he realized that she was looking past him, not at him.

Perched on the roof of The National Museum of Gotham, Batman crouched waiting for the moment to come when he could interrupt a very unwelcome reunion down below on the street.

Ethan Reed had been too aggressive for Bruce's tastes in trying to contact Kate. It was when he saw Ethan in the narrows the night before though, leaving a warehouse that had become associated with the Carver Gang, that he actually began to worry that this snarky looking man's interest in seeing Kate might not be your typical 'lest talk over coffee and catch up' scenario. He hadn't liked the things being said about the man for years. He and Bruce had run in similar social groups since childhood, and upon Bruce's return to Gotham disturbing accounts of drug use, gambling, and mafia involvement had surrounded Reeds reputation. He had suspected that those failings of Reeds might have been related to the abduction of himself and Olivia, and Batman was not about to let that happen to Kate as well.

It had been pure luck that he stumbled into the situation that he was now witnessing. He spotted Ethan in an ally way in a dangerous part of the narrows while doing his nightly patrols, and decided to follow him, on pure instinct.

As soon as the museum came into sight, he understood exactly. He sat and watched as the man tried to blend into the night, next to Kate's car, waiting. He waited, and watched, and after about an hour, Kate decided to leave her cocoon in the museum (how many days had she been in there, he thought) and walked through the side door, moving with ferocity, as if she knew something was wrong. He hadn't thought of Ethan Reed as a violent man, but as soon as he grabbed Kate after a few minutes into they're discussion, Bruce lost his control and patience, deciding that it was time to step in.

Moving with speed, he stood and dove down towards them, his wings propelling him into their reunion.

"Let her go."

Ethan turned slowly hoping the low growling voice didn't belong to who he was thinking of. Of course he knew that it was wishful thinking, and it was soon confirmed by his own eyes as he turned to face a very angry Batman.

"Holy shit, you're real." Afraid by the tall angry bat, he began to move back, eventually bumping into Kate and leaning on the Land Rover.

Ignoring Ethan's words, Batman kept his focus on Kate. He needed to get her out of here and quick. Simply he said "Get in the car."

Kate couldn't stop staring at the dark figure before her. She was frozen solid in shock.

"You're…you're….you're that bat guy.

"Go now."

Bruce watched as Kate grabbed the handle to the door never taking her eyes off him, and got into the drivers seat. She sat there looking at him for a moment through her window before starting the ignition and slowly pulling out on to the empty street. Bruce was unmoving, watching her drive down the quiet inner city road until she was swallowed by the descending fog.

Feeling confident that she would continue on her way home, he turned his attentions to the frightened man a few feet away.

"What do you know about the Carver Gang?" Bruce dropped his voice as low as he could trying to escalate Ethan's fear.

"Nothing, I don't even know what your talking about."

How the hell did this creature know about that? Ethan internalized.

Before he could even react, Ethan was grabbed by the shoulders, and his feet were dangling in the air with Batman's face mere inches away from his own.

"You're going to tell me everything you know."

Kate had entered her loft with precaution. After the way the evening started she was feeling a bit uneasy about being alone. She took her heels off, and separated her keys in between her fingers, ready to mangle some intruders face if she had too. Ready for anything, she began to do a sweep of her apartment. After going through every closet, cupboard, and room and finding nothing, she threw her keys down on her couch and made a bee line for the kitchen. Settling for something easy, she grabbed an orange out of a bowl on the center island and began peeling it thoughtfully. She had just seen Batman. Batman! Where had he even come from? That didn't even matter as much as why she couldn't have said something a bit more intelligent? "Bat guy?" Who says that to Batman? Her thoughts began to drift toward Ethan. I mean that was the cause of the whole event anyway, she thought. Why was he out there waiting for her and why did he look so unkempt? She had found out a lot about his reputation since his return a few months ago, and it still rather worried her. After this new found knowledge about her brother in law, she decided that she wasn't going to have anything to do with him. According to the socialites of Gotham, he had been falling into mob circles around the time of the abduction, and they speculated, or gossiped rather, about the idea that he was involved in Olivia's death. Even if that wasn't true, she still had enough reason to hate Ethan Reed, but what if it was true? Quietly, after hearing these disturbing ideas, Kate had started doing some research on Ethan and Olivia. What they did, who they did it with, and what happened the night they disappeared. She made sure that nobody suspected her of anything strange, especially Bruce and her Uncle Alfred. If those two knew what she was doing they would lecture her on the dangers of her actions and so on and so forth.

As she was thinking, she began to walk around absent mindedly eating her now peeled orange. She walked through the dining room, then into the living room and sat on her couch. Whenever she had company, which wasn't all that often, they almost always commented on her peculiar furniture arrangement. Deciding not to center her social space on a television, she turned her couch towards the long wide window that led out to her balcony, and had chairs to either side. Around her entire living room, she decided also not to decorate with paintings or pictures, but rather had hanging bookshelves coming down form the ceiling, and separated the room away from all the others using modern squared bookcases in different sizes to complete her theme. It was no doubt her favorite room, and she always ended up on that couch, looking out at Gotham City's lights, but as she sat down and looked out the vast window, she saw movement on her balcony. Staying as still as possible, she squinted in hopes of trying to see if something was really there, or if she was just paranoid and seeing things. As she stared out, she began to make out a figure over to the left, a figure that could only be described as looking like a bat. Eager interest was what pulled her off the couch and moved her in the direction of Batman.

Is Batman really standing on my porch, or is it just wishful thinking? Kate's mind was racing with all sorts of questions as she opened the door and approached the shadow.

All questions flew from her mind in panic as a hand came over her mouth, and as she felt her self slumping down to the ground she saw a man before her in a long black leather trench coat looking rather pleased with himself.

A/N- Hey, sorry that took so long! This chapter is actually only a fraction of what it was supposed to be. I decided that if I wrote it all in this chapter it would be about 7000 words which is alot to read for you in one sitting I think. So it will be broken up into two chapters.

I also haven't been feeling inspired to go on due to the lack of reviews. :( Another author named Phillipa sums up wonderfully how we fanfic writers feel about reviews and why we should show this kindness to eachother! Anyway I hope you like it and the next few chapters delve into the relationship of Bruce and Kate, and we will here more from our favorite Bat!

Trisky