Two Weeks Later

Selina Wayne stood at the door of the house she would one day be mistress of. For her it had been years since she has even seen her home. For the Selina that actually belonged in this time it had been a week and a half since she had last been here. Selina raised a trembling hand to the knocker. Just weeks ago her sanity had been returned to her.

"I forgive you," he had said, his breath hot on her ear. With those words he'd shown her the path back to herself. And right now she was afraid that when the door before her opened the pain that this place held for her would drive her back over the edge. Get a grip Selina, she told herself, thinking like this isn't helping the situation. You have to do this. She knocked. The door opened and there stood Alfred, just as she remembered him.

"Hello, Alfred," she said, tears coming to her eyes.

"Miss Kyle, thank goodness you're safe," the butler began, but then he noticed the bold streak of white in her hair. His manner grew colder. After all, this was the woman who had tried to kill Miss Selina. "I'm sorry, Master Bruce is not receiving guests, he is busy." Alfred started to close the door, Selina stopped him.

"I need to speak to…Bruce," she choked the name out as she held back a sob. "It's about my—I mean Selina's—disappearance." He paused in his action, grabbing the door in her hand she said, "I'm coming in whether you like it or not, Alfred." The steel in her voice told him she was serious. Alfred wisely decided to let Master Bruce deal with her.

"This way miss," he said, turning to lead her to the Batcave.

"Alfred—you don't know how good it is to see you…" she stopped, she had been about to say 'alive', "again," she finished. Then she did something no one had ever done to him. She hugged him. The butler was very much taken aback. She pulled away quickly. "He's downstairs, right?" she said.

"Yes miss," Alfred replied, and before he realized what he was doing he said, "I'm sure you know the way." Selina did know the way. She knew better than she knew almost anything—the only thing she knew better was the dark man she would find there.

Selina sighed, why had her memory chosen today of all days to update itself. Todays was the day that everyone avoided Bruce Wayne. Everyone but her, that is. Selina had always refused to let January 21st become sort of holy day. She honored it because it was important to her husband. But she refused to let his parent's death ruin her day or his. Which meant actually talking to Bruce instead of letting him go into himself. Over time, Bruce had some to see her wisdom and Hell Month had become a thing of the past. Unfortunately she was in that past right now. And she didn't think he'd be happy to see her even if today wasn't January 21st. But she didn't know if she had time to wait until tomorrow.

He was at the computer, compiling his note's on Selina Kyle's disappearance. She stopped at the edge of the stairs, realizing that while she had rehearsed everything else she had to say, she hadn't figured out how to make her presence known without getting bones broken.

"I already told you, Alfred, I'm not hungry," Bruce said, his eyes still on the computer screen. Selina smiled, she had heard that so often.

"Has Alfred been able to get you to eat anything since Selina disappeared?" She stood her ground as Bruce turned and stormed over to her. And as he slammed her up against the wall, she only winced inwardly.

"Where. Is. She? " His grip on her arms tightened.

"Don't you know it's rude to answer a question with a question? They were the Cat and the Bat again, dancing the dance they'd danced for years. How she had missed it.

"I swear, if you've done anything to her I'll…"

"If she were dead, I wouldn't be here, Lover," she spat. They were so close. "Now, are we going to discuss this like civilized people? Or do I have to tell you what I know while I'm pinned to the wall?" For a moment, Selina forgot when she was--in fact, she forgot everything but the man kissing her. For a moment, she imagined that they were years from now, making up after a fight or relaxing after a training session. But Selina Wayne was a haunted woman tormented by both the past and the future. She pulled away, shaking. She hit the wall.

"Do you know what it's like to have Alfred answer the door? What it's like being down here and not having Dick and Tim and Cassie's costumes staring at you accusingly? Her head dipped down. "Even in your madness you mourned them. Made their costumes into relics that blamed me for being unable to save those I cared about. I understand you now, Bruce, better than you think." She fit so easily into his arms. Part of Bruce cried that he didn't have time for this, but the rest of him knew that she wouldn't be able to tell him anymore until she finished crying.

"Help me Selina, what so you know?" he finally asked.

***

People who try kidnapping me usually end up regretting it.

For example?

Well, there was this one guy, a government agent. I affectionately think of him as Dave. He tried forcing me to work for him. Ended up with a busted knee. And then there was that time that with Scarecrow. I eventually set him on fire. And let's not get into what I did to Harley Quinn. If you ask me she and Poison Ivy are both…Well, anyways, my point is that I don't do the whole damsel-in-distress this very well.

And I was having a particularly fun time deciding what I would do with my latest captor. From a description I'd heard from Bruce I'd figured out that this guy was Hush. And the while Lois Lane might be thinking, "Wait, until my husband gets here and kicks you butt," my train of thought was "Wait until my boyfriend sets me free and I kick your butt." However, anyone who has seen a superhero movie knows that voicing said thoughts rarely gets anyone anywhere. So I'd have to wait until "my boyfriend" got her. And I sure hoped he'd bring me a set of claws.

***

All his life Bruce Wayne had been haunted by a nightmare. It plagued him especially in the days leading up to the anniversary of his parent's death. The setting and the characters are always the same. Or they were at least until last night. Last night, though the place was the same, the rest was different. In the new dream, he took his father's place. Selina, his mother's. And the child between them was a little girl with bright green eyes. It began with them laughing, when suddenly, the Joker materialized of thin air pointing a gun at them. As is often the case with such dream, Bruce was unable to move as he watched the Joker gun down his wife and child. The last scene he saw before he woke was himself in an alley, once again kneeling in the blood of his loved ones. The dream, coming on the eve of January 21st seemed like an omen. As did the presence of the woman next to him. He was taking a risk letting Shadow Cat come with him. She might be Selina, but this Selina was different from the one he knew. She was unpredictable in a possibly unhinged way. He should have asked Dick to come with him instead. But some inner voice told him that this was something that she needed to do.

***

Does this guy ever shut up? He's been going on and one ever since I woke up here. Mostly about his childhood, which might be rather interesting except I've been here long enough to have heard every story twenty times. This guy is definitely not winning any kidnapper brownie points. I already mentioned that I don't make a very good victim. Nor do I do very well when I'm bored.

Could be worse I guess. I could be wearing heels and a dress.

Both of us jumped at the sound of glass shattering. Finally. Batman to the rescue. Unfortunately, they ended up behind me, and I could only listen as their fight carried them into the next room. So I get to do my favorite thing in the world some more: sit there, waiting. And wonder why he couldn't have brought someone along to untie me.

A familiar form suddenly appeared outside of the window. Shadow Cat, being me of course, take the time to open the window.

"Which side are you on now," I demanded. She didn't say a word, just moved behind me. I heard the familiar sound of claws unsheathing and the ropes around my wrists were gone. I ignored the pain as blood was finally allowed to flow freely again, instead I began to fumble with the bindings around my ankles. "Took you long enough," I muttered, unwrapping the cords. Soon as I was up, Shadow Cat—Selina—headed towards the window. "No," I said, "we don't run away like the helpless girlfriend." The other me looked at me for a moment, then grinned. We could hear gunshots in the other room, rushed in with no other plan that to keep him shooting until he ran out of bullets. And hopefully not get shot in the process.

I could go into the amazing thrill of working with myself. Of knowing every move she would make and knowing she could read me the same way, but it would take too long to do the feeling justice. Suffice it to say I've never felt like that before and never again.

I still don't know how it happened. Bruce had just gotten himself thrown down the stairs, Selina was dazedly picking herself up on my left. And me? Well, I was the one who ended up facing the guy who still had two bullets left.

Lucky me.

To make things worse, I was frozen. It was not so much that I couldn't move, but that something told me I wasn't supposed to move. That I was to stay there—pardon the pun—even if it killed me. And as I watched him pull the trigger, the same voice told me I wasn't going to die today. I could hear Bruce shouting as he clambered up the stairs. I felt the force of something hit me, but it wasn't the bullets. It was my other self. She shoved me down, taking the bullets in her back. Her face went eerily blank, then she smiled and she was gone. We both hit the floor and I could hear two sets of footsteps. One running away from me and one towards. Bruce hauled her body off of me, for a moment we just stared at each other, our minds still processing what had just happened.

"She finally redeemed herself," I said at last. A tear trickled from under his mask. That's when I realized I was crying too. "You should go after him." Bruce stood, leaning down to help me up.

"He's long gone," he said, looking in the direction Elliot had fled. Suddenly, he pulled me close and kissed me hungrily. And I have to say in that moment, I kind of liked being the girlfriend. I pulled off the cowl, working my fingers into his hair, I kissed him back. For a long moment we remained like that, then I pulled away and let my cheek rest against his shoulder. "Let's go home," he whispered in my ear.

***

Bring.

Whu—

Bring.

Haven't I had this dream before?

Bring.

Maybe it will go away.

Bring.

What time is it?

Bring.

"Good grief Bruce, it's five a.m." Just a few hours ago Bruce had deposited a very sleepy me at my fire escape. You would think that people got the message.

Maybe I should send out an email: Do not wake up Catwoman unless you want your innards extricated through you navel.

Hmm, that might do the trick.

"Can we talk?" Ooh, something must be bothering. I felt awful for snapping at him, almost.

"Let me guess, you're at the coffee shop just across the street," I joked.

"Actually, no. I'm still in bed."

"Wow, that bad." Bad dream maybe? Alfred had mentioned them once. I remember being little and how good it felt to have my mom listen while I talked out my nightmares. That was a long, long time ago, before my sixth birthday. Still, it applied to now. "Talk away. And if you keep it interesting I might not fall asleep on you." And talk away he did. To tell you the truth, I've never heard Bruce utter so many words at the same time. He started out by telling about the night his parent's died. And the nightmares that began. Now I knew the Waynes had died tragic deaths, but somehow I managed not to know that Bruce had watched as his parents were torn away from him.

"Bruce, I'm so sorry." I bit my lip, I was not going to cry. Not yet. This was about him right now.

"Every time the dream is the same," he went on. "I can't change anything, but the other night the people changed. It was you and me and a little girl with your eyes." He paused. "Joker came out of nowhere and shot you both while I could only stand there. Just like with my parents." Was that the moment my future self had spoken of? Could Bruce have dreamed about what would happen? "And then tonight, just now, it changed again…" Another pause. You have to applaud the man, this was the longest speech I'd heard him utter that wasn't forced or Bat-business. "I stopped him tonight, Selina.

"We stopped him."

"We'll always stop him," I replied.

"I know." He stopped. "Selina...Hush said that when I saw you die, part of me would die too. He was right, there has only been one woman who has really held my heart. I locked that part of myself away after my parents dies. It was too hurt to risk exposing again. and yet, despite my best efforts, you broke in. You were the first to touch me and remind me that I still had one. I don't know if we could ever have more than we've been already had. I don't know especially after all of this, if you'd ever want anymore from me. Tonight I'm only sure of one ting. Whatever the future holds, wherever my life take me...I will love you. Always."

With those words, I saw our whole world change. Doors opened and suddenly I knew we were entering strange and dangerous territory for us. But then again, hadn't it only been a matter of time. This night we were crossing a threshold that was just one of many. And yes it was scary considering who we both were, but we'd already proved that together we could do what was impossible to do apart.

"Took you long enough," I said, smiling.

And there you have it. And i was wrong...the OOC-ness only got worse. Although the Dave and Scarecrow stuff is true.

Two interesting little tidbits. I had no idea that the events in Heart of Hush were going to happen, but I find it funny that I predicted Hush kidnapping and using Selina to get to Bruce (though it was kind of obvious). Yes, yes, I stole that last little speech from Detective Comics 850 (Oh yeah!) and added into my ending. Anybody else recognize that last phrase of Bruce's? From, oh I don't know, the Death of Superman? I think DC's gonna play on that again as they have to go through convincing people that Bruce is really back. Sigh, I can't wait until April.

Also, for those of you who don't get it. the whole "cafe across the street thing" is a little shout out to Chris Dee's Cat-Tales. Bruce always seems to be calling people at unholy hours and asking them to meet at a nearby cafe to talk. If you a Bruce/Selina fan and haven't read CT yet, I'm sorry for you, go Google it...you won't regret it. ;D

And that it where I leave this mess of a story. Enjoy it for what it's worth, laugh at the corniness and the rudimentary writing and go read some of my newer (and better) stuff. R&R if you like.