Christmas Eve

"Holly, have you seen my black dress?" I had 30 minutes until my ride got here and I was so far from ready that even I was worried.

"Which black dress? You have several," she shouted back. Then she shouted something else, but I couldn't here her.

"Hold on!" I grabbed a towel and started furiously drying my hair as I went to find my friend. "Now what was that you said, I couldn't hear you."

"I said it's not like you have a dress in any other color," she replied looking up from her book.

"I do too," I retorted.

"Then you never wear them." I started to reply, but there was a knock at the door. I rushed back to my room.

"If that's my ride tell then they're early," I yelled, applying the towel to my wet hair with a vengeance.

"Hey, you got a package Selina," Holly said as she entered my room a few minutes later.

"Just put it on my bed, I'll deal with it later tonight."

"You might want to take a look now, the delivery guy was from one of those upscale boutiques." I sighed, that girl had more curiosity than a cat.

"You can open it Holly, I've got to figure out what I'm going to wear," I said, dropping the towel and heading to the closet. A disgruntled marmalade shot out from underneath the wet rag a moment later. "Oops, sorry puss." I wanted to look perfect tonight. I was going to show Bruce that I didn't need him and was doing just ducky without him.

"Actually, I think you're supposed to wear this," Holly said. I turned to see her pull a breathtaking green dress out of the box.

"Hmm, satin. I wonder who…"

"Go on, get changed," Holly urged. "Unless you think you can plan another outfit before seven."

"Yipe!" I exclaimed, grabbing it. At the moment I didn't care who it was from, I could sort that our later. Right now I had to be ready in twenty minutes and I still had no clue what I was going to do with my hair.

"Beautiful," Holly said when I a few minutes later. I glowed, the dress was a deep green which I suspected went well with my eyes. The front met in a v-neck, which curved over my shoulders to a scooped back. I resisted the urge to twirl and see if the full-length skirt flared out like a bell. Next thing I knew Holly was bossing me around. "Sit down and let me work with your hair. Too bad it hasn't grown out a little longer, then I could really do something fancy."

"Here," she said, "I think you're supposed to wear these. You get the earrings. I'll put the necklace on." Whoever had bought this get-up had put a lot of planning into it. Emerald drops now hung on silver chains from my ears and at my throat. I pulled on some shoes and a coat, grabbed my purse, and rushed out the door.

* * *

Wayne Manor

So far, so good. I'd been at the party for nearly an hour and during that time I'd managed to keep from being cornered by the host. I left Leslie in a heated debate with some of her colleagues and mingled. It wasn't long before I ran into the Kents. Apparently, Clark is doing a story about Leslie's clinic and thought this might be a good time to talk with people who worked there. Which was what he was doing now. Lois and I just watched as he attempted to talk with my "date".

"So, what's going on with you and Bruce?" Lois, ever the reporter, was following up on our last conversation.

"Nothing," I replied coolly. I hoped.

"Well, that's obvious. Have you two reached some sort of agreement," she replied quietly. Darn it, why couldn't Kansas have asked me the question. Being a guy he would have taken my answer for what it was and not try to read between the lines like his wife.

"I told you, there's nothing going on with us."

"He doesn't seem to be happy with nothing," she said, taking a sip of her drink.

"What's that supposed to mean?" You know the bad thing about being flexible is that it is way too easy to get your foot into your mouth.

"He's waiting for you. You can see it in the way he looks at you. Trust me I know the look. He's trying to figure out how to talk to you without you running or feeling cornered." Or biting off his head.

"You know as fascinating as this conversation is, I'm getting awfully thirsty. You want anything to drink?" I asked. Lois held up her current drink and shook her head with a smile. Reporters, they have to pry into everything, even if they can't get a story out of it. I made my way over to the refreshment table and managed to get caught up in a conversation with a nurse I knew.

"Do you feel a draft, Selina," she said suddenly. "I just felt a strong breeze." I started to reply, but was cut off.

"Excuse me Selina." It was Barbara. I backed into the doorway behind me to let her past. Right into the man standing there.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I…" I began. "Bruce!"

"Selina," he said, "you should really watch where you're going."

He was teasing me. Bruce Wayne was teasing me!

"Maybe you need to be more aware of your surroundings." I spun on my heel to storm off, but certain people had other ideas about that.

"Oh no, you don't." Grayson materialized out of thin air right behind Bruce. "You know the rules," he continued pointing up. Mistletoe. I briefly fantasized grabbing the plant and stuffing it down Dick's miserable throat. But the Selina Kyle the public knew would die for a chance to get caught in a liplock with billionaire Bruce Wayne. I stepped closer to him.

"Gotta stay in character," I said under my breath.

"Certainly," he breathed. And next thing I knew he was kissing me. It wasn't a light peck on the cheek either. It was a sweep-you-off-your-feet, hair-raising, bend-you-over-backwards smackeroo.

"Wow," I said as he drew away. Then I grew painfully aware of the people watching. "Well Bruce," I continued loud enough for everyone to hear, "you certainly know how to make a girl's toes curl." With that I walked away as if nothing had happened.

* * *

He kissed me. Now I know I shouldn't be making a big deal about this. After all, we kissed before plenty of times. However, before I was the one who kissed first, and it had always been on my own terms. This time though he had taken me off guard. Not to say I didn't like it… Because I did. Which was why I had retreated to the balcony as soon as he was looking the other way. Wouldn't keep him away for long, but here in the shadows at least he could confront me in private.

"You should wear green more often, brings out your eyes." There he was right on cue.

"So, you are the one I have to thank."

"Yes and no. I didn't pick it out, but I have a feeling I paid for it," he replied. "Someone set us up."

"I know, the mistletoe wasn't there ten minutes ago," I said. I known that this was all planned the instant I saw the smirk on Dick's wretched face.

"Dick and Barbara were obviously the masterminds. They involved Lois, Clark, and possibly Alfred and Leslie."

"Always the detective."

"Not always," Bruce said. "Selina…I'm tired of being…alone." He said the last word carefully. I knew it wasn't easy for him to say that, and I could only imagine how hard painful it had been for him to finally admit it to himself. "Before, being alone was just a fact of my life… something I couldn't change. I didn't think there was anyone…who would want to, uh…share me with Batman. But you, you're different. You understand why I do what I do. And you—you're in love with that part of me also."

"Bruce," I paused, swallowing convulsively, "we know it won't work. We already tried."

"Not very hard." He was right behind me. I could feel his breath on my ear. His hands on my arms were warm. I wanted to lean back, wanted to give in. Desperately. "Selina, please come back."

"I can't," I choked out, turning to face him. "Bruce, if you knew what I know. What loving me could…would make you, you'd hate me." I backed away from him. It wasn't far before I ran into the balcony railing, but a few feet between us was better than a few inches.

"What in the world are you talking about Selina." By then I was safely seated on the stone balustrade. "You aren't making any sense."

Realization hit me like a bolt. He was right, this whole situation was absurd. For the first time I began to seriously think that the only way to change things was to tell him what he would do. Before I could say anything though there was a gunshot in the distance behind us. I started turning when ten-thousand kinds of pain exploded in my left shoulder. I knew I was falling backwards, but could do nothing to stop my descent.

"Selina!" Bruce's voice called to me, a thin beam of light shining through my pain. "I've got you." Oh good, knowing I'll bleed to death rather than meet my end as a pancake on your driveway is so comforti…

Okay, I know I'm awful. I get people started on a story and then I leave you in the middle for weeks. So here's the next part of my first little fan fic trip. Its fun to read my old writing and see how much my writing has changed over the years.

Oh, and kudos to anyone who knows what Batman story arc I was responding to/mimicking when I wrote the "Please come back" moment...

Please R&R and keep looking I'll try to have the next part typed and edited soon-ish...plus, visit my profile to find my FictionPress website, I'm starting to add stuff to that tonight.