Disclaimer: The Characters from "The Batman" are owned by DC Comics, Warner Bros., Bob Kane and God knows how many other people by now. This is a story done purely for fun and not to make profit whatsoever. Any original characters that may appear belong to the writer and can be used with permission.
Knightshade
Chapter 2: The Consideration
Two days after Ivy's surprise visit, Barbara's thoughts were still preoccupied by what her former friend told her. To say nothing of what she actually did. She still wasn't sure exactly how she felt about Ivy. Or rather Pam. Of course Pam was Ivy and really that was just the tip of the emotional iceberg. Even after she figured out which side was attracted to her, she had to figure out if she could actually return that attraction. As odd as it was that was the part that was really messing with her head. She wasn't ready to say flat out "No" like she thought she would but she wasn't quite ready to say "Yes" either. It was all very confusing.
A lot of that confusion came from the fact that she never really thought who she was attracted to. Mostly because she was too busy with school work, gymnastics training, convincing her dad to let her quit gymnastics to start police training, and of course lately the super hero gig. So most of her down time was spent relaxing and sleeping and trying to get her energy back. Which of course left her with little energy to think about dating and relationships. Although now it seemed like that was all she could think about.
This whole thing is just so...sudden! And confusing! She thought in annoyance. I mean really, how am I supposed to process my former best friend breaking into my dorm room while on the run from the cops, telling me she's in love with me and then kissing me?!
She took a few deep breaths to try to calm herself down.
Alright Barb just settle down an think about this rationally. There's no way anything could work out between you and Pam...Ivy, she paused. Pam. Yeah that'll make it a little less confusing. No wait let's go back to Ivy because that gets to the heart of the matter. She's a dangerously insane criminal whose hurt your friends and family before in the past and probably wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
Of course the only reason she got so far out of hand to begin with is because I didn't follow through with my own promise of helping her out when I became Batgirl. So in a way I could be just as accountable for her actions as she is herself. And again if maybe I tell her I care for her too that will help her on the road to redemption. But I'm still not sure if I do care about her that way.
She stopped and furrowed her brow in further annoyance.
Okay this is just leading me in circles. She sighed and rubbed her left temple. Face it Barb, aside from figuring out your own preference the biggest obstacle here is the fact that you're-
"Batgirl."
Exactly! I mean it's not like I could just flat out tell Ivy that. Aside from the risk of exposing Bruce and Dicks' secret identities she might see it as a betrayal since Batgirl has helped bring her in from time-to-time. But if I tried to hide it from her she's likely to find out eventually and that could make things even worse! Somehow. It's times like this I kinda wish I never had the idea to become-
"Batgirl."
Yeah, she nodded. Let's face it, it's not like this is a normal life. Not that my life was really that normal before, but at least I wasn't out skulking the streets at night and having to deal with crazed super villainesses hitting on me.
She sighed a bit and leaned back. But I shouldn't even try to fool myself. Even if I wasn't doing this I'd be doing something else reckless and stupid. Just seems to be the way I am. At least this way I'm helping people. So maybe it was always in the cards for me to become-
"Batgirl."
She arched an eyebrow at the third time the name was uttered. I seem to be hearing that a lot. And that doesn't sound like my voice it sounds more like-
"Batgirl!"
The redhead cringed a bit at the screech of static that accompanied the last, gruff utterance of her super hero moniker. It was then she realized that the voice wasn't in fact her owns but rather Batman's trying to get her attention from the small communicator tucked into her right ear under her cowl. Apparently she had been so lost in her thoughts that she momentarily forgot she and Robin where helping Batman keep a look out on the Gotham Diamond Exchange building.
"Um, sorry, I was just...thinking about an assignment I have due tomorrow," she relied rather lamely over the comm.
"That's why you should have done it before you went out on patrol tonight," Robin's smug voice returned from the other side. "I got all mine finished."
"Did you?" Batman's voice asked in that soft yet intensely unnerving way.
Batgirl smirked as she could practically see the shamed look on Robin's face.
"Well...maybe not all of it," he muttered.
"Busted," she retorted.
"Hey at least I'm not the one spacing out!"
"Keep the comms clear of chatter," Batman's stern voice broke in. "I just checked into make sure you're in position."
Focusing again on the task at hand, Batgirl lifted the binoculars in her left hand and peered down at the main entrance to the Diamond Exchange. As was to be expected at the late hour, there was no one standing in front of the building and only the faintest hint of a security guard's flashlight moving about inside.
"All's clear on the western front," she muttered into the comlink.
On the roof to an adjacent building, Robin looked down through his own set of binoculars to side door that led into an alleyway occupied by an overflowing dumpster.
"Side entrance is clear," he reported. "Though how does a Diamond Exchange produce so much trash?"
"They do have customers you know," Batgirl shot back. "Plus maybe all the big execs have big lunches. Seems about right to me."
Robin seemed to think about that for a second. "Yeah makes sense to me," he shrugged.
Batman tuned out their chatter as he scanned the loading dock of the Diamond Exchange. It was the most likely point of entry for their suspect. Which is exactly why he chose to watch over it. Something was different here and he was determined to get answers.
"So naturally I get why we have to stop Mr. Freeze from stealing diamonds, but what's with all the extra intensity lately?" Batgirl asked through the comlink as if she had caught on to his brooding. "Afraid he'll screw up the economy even more?"
"Because Freeze hasn't just been stealing diamonds lately," he answered curtly. "He didn't take anything from the last three diamond depositories he hit."
"So maybe he's just diamonded out," Robin suggested.
"I don't think so. It's more likely he's looking for something. And I want to know what."
If either of his sidekicks responded to his last comment he didn't acknowledge them as he caught site of an armored truck driving up to the loading dock. No doubt it was meant to look inconspicious but there were two things that struck him as odd. One was the fact that it was far too late at night for a delivery and two was the fact that the driver looked terrified. Batman zoomed in on his binoculars to get a better look as the back door of the truck slid open and watched as Mr. Freeze stepped out.
"He's here. Get into your positions," he instructed.
"Right," Batgirl and Robin's voices called back simultaneously.
Batman nodded in confirmation to himself before he stashed his binoculars away and pulled out his zip line to repel down to the street. He had waited until Freeze was already inside so as not to alert him to his presence just yet. He still wanted to know what the cold blooded villain was up to. As he passed by the parked truck, he motioned for the terrified driver to stay quiet to which the shaking man could only nod vigorously.
Batman then made his way into the building itself, following the frozen and shattered doors through the back and to the vault where the most valuable diamonds where held. He slipped behind one of the pillars when he caught sight of Freeze standing in front of the vault door. He peered out behind the marble column to watch as armored jewel thief froze the giant steel door. Freeze then walked over to it and placed one of his detonating ice picks inside the mound of ice then took a step back to avoid the impending explosion. Despite being heavily fortified the room still shook slightly from the force of the charge and the pieces of the door clanging loudly onto the marble floor.
Freeze seemed rather unfazed by it though as he strode almost casually into the vault itself. He then started to yank out all the small, metal drawers holding multiple diamonds of various shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, none of them where the right kind of diamond he was looking for and the repeated failure was quickly making him frustrated. He tossed aside another drawer after still finding nothing then pushed his fist into one directly in front of him. When he pulled it back he brought the draw with him and was about to throw it across the vault in frustration as well when caught sight of what was inside. His red eyes widened and a smirk crossed his frozen face as he pulled out a baseball sized diamond. He held it up to the soft lights of the vault and twisted in his hand, examining it for any noticeable flaws. His smirk grew wider when he found none.
"Perfect," he mused as he froze the drawer still stuck to his hand and shattered it. "Just the one I was looking for."
His victory was short lived, however, when a batarang suddenly knocked the diamond out of his hand. He whipped his head towards the source to see Batman standing a few feet away from him in his usual fighting stance. He caught the batarang effortless and started to take a few cautious steps towards Freeze.
"Batman," Mr. Freeze said in a low growl. "I knew you'd show up eventually."
"What's so special about that particular diamond Freeze?" Batman demanded.
"Just a small side project I've been working on for awhile now. But you don't need to worry because you won't be around to see it!"
With that, he fired an ice blast directly at the Dark Knight but he leapt out of the way and tossed a few explosive batarangs back towards Freeze. A quick blast froze them in midair and caused them to land harmlessly on the vault floor. Never one to be deterred, Batman performed a flying kick that hit the villain square in the chest and sent him stumbling back a bit. Freeze caught himself on the cabinet drawers then tossed a few of them towards the hero. The Caped Crusader ducked and dodged the metal containers and the diamonds slipping out of them then launched a zip line that tied around his opponent's legs. A quick tug sent the cold criminal to the floor. Freeze grabbed the line and with a concentrated effort froze the half tied around his legs then sent a sheet of ice racing back up to the line towards Batman's hand.
Batman snapped the line to avoid the icy blast then tossed another exploding batarang towards Freeze as he started to stand up. It impaled itself in the cabinet drawer right behind the diamond thief and exploded a second later, sending him tumbling forward amid a shower of metal shards and sparkling diamonds. As he lay on the floor, trying to recover from the blast, Freeze spotted the diamond he came for right in front of him. With a new found determination he snatched up the diamond and with his other hand froze the floor right under Batman's feet as he walked over to him. Caught off guard, the Dark Knight started to lose his footing but he quickly shifted his balance to stay upright. Unfortunately, it was enough of a distraction to allow Freeze to jump up to his feet, grab the hem of Batman's cowl and toss him out of the vault and behind the two pillars he had hide behind earlier. He then quickly constructed a wall of ice between them that would keep the bat at bay.
Sadly this meant he couldn't simply go back the way he came. Instead he had to take his chances going through the front door. The few night guards he ran into were of little consequence as he froze them in place before they could even reach for their guns. Of course they were never going to be a threat to him. It was always Batman and his annoying sidekicks. Who, he had noticed, weren't with The Bat himself. It was possible they were somewhere else in the city but it was more likely they were waiting for him outside.
His suspicions were confirmed after he broke through the front door. He had barely taken a step outside when both Batgirl and Robin landed simultaneous drop kicks on his chest and sent him flying back inside the building. They landed in the street in crouched positions, ready to strike again.
"Chill out Freeze!" Robin quipped with a smirk.
"Really?" Batgirl sighed with a shake of her head.
He just shrugged and before he could get out another quip, an ice blast forced the two apart. As the flipped through the air they simultaneously threw a batarang and birdarang towards Mr. Freeze, who simply froze them in midair.
"I hate when does that," Robin remarked as he landed on one side of the icy diamond thief.
"Yeah it is really annoying," Batgirl agreed as she landed on the other side.
"Just like both of you!" Freeze growled as he tried to ice over both of them.
"Oh now that's just rude!" The Boy Wonder quipped as he leapt away from the blast.
"Yeah, haven't you ever heard of professional courtesy?" the female bat asked as she rolled away from the blast coming towards her.
"Shut! Up!" Freeze shouted in frustration.
He continued to blast away at them, trying to either freeze them in midair or on the ground. Unfortunately, their acrobatics proved to be too much and he couldn't get a good bead on them. His frustration growing by the second he decided a different tactic. He watched as Batgirl soared through the air again and watched where she was going to land. A smirk on his face, he froze the pavement under her feet and watched as she slipped onto her backside. He was about to incase her in ice to finally put an end to her meddling when a rope tied wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his waist. He could feel a slight tug pull him backwards and since Robin was helping Batgirl up that left only one option:
"Batman," he snarled as he looked over his should at the Dark Knight. "I thought you would have learned from before that this little trick doesn't work on me."
With that he reached up and started to freeze the line as he had a few moments earlier, once again causing Batman to let go of it. Freeze turned completely around to engage him again, arms raised to blast the Caped Crusader back into the Ice Age.
"I wasn't trying to hold you, just distract you," Batman simply replied.
Freeze's red eyes widened and he spun back around just in time to see Batgirl running towards Robin's cupped hands. The Boy Wonder helped launch her towards the stoop in front of the Diamond Exchange. She flipped and contorted her body through the air so that she could land in a handstand on the flag pool just above the double doors. She then swung her body down and planted the heels of both feet onto the face plate of Freeze's suit. The impact knocked him off the raised platform and down to the hard concrete of the sidekick below.
"Whoa, nice moves!" Robin cheered as he ran up to her.
"Hey, I wasn't an Olympic hopeful for nothing," she quipped.
The Olympics. Now there's something I haven't thought about in a long time, Barbara noted to herself. In fact the last time I even used the phrase "Olympic hopeful" was my struggle with Temblor. When I found out that Pam was using him as hired muscle for her revenge against eco unfriendly companies. Back before all the heroics started. Back when I thought we were friends. Back before that kiss. And definitely back before I started thinking about-
"Batgirl look out!" Robin shouted urgently.
Snapped back to the real world by his scream, Batgirl finally realized that Mr. Freeze had gotten up and was pointing a glowing blue fist right at her. She was caught so off guard by the sudden realization she her body had completely locked into place and she found her legs didn't seem to want to move. Everything seemed to slow down as the glow around Freeze's fist turned into a projectile blast that shot straight towards her. She was saved at the last second, however, when Robin moved forward and pushed her out of the way. Unfortunately, the only resulted in him being incased in a block of solid ice.
"Robin!" both Batman and Batgirl yelled in concern.
When they ran over to check on him, Freeze took advantage of the situation by building an ice wall around the stoop they all stood on. He peaked in just as he was finishing up the last wall.
"Good luck with your cold canary Batman," he chuckled right before his face was hidden behind a block of ice.
Batgirl shivered a bit as she looked around the frozen room.
"So what do we now?" she asked Batman as he kneeled down to inspect Robin.
"First we thaw Robin out," he said, pulling a pen sized laser from his utility belt and using it to melt the ice. "Then we get out of here."
"Then we go after Freeze, right?" she asked with a sense of determination in her voice.
"No he'll be long gone by the time we get out of here," Batman scowled.
"So then what do we do?"
He looked over at her with a glare that tied her stomach into a knot.
"We go back to the cave and have a talk."
Why do I get the feeling this isn't going to be a friendly chat? She thought nervously.
Once Robin was thawed out the trio quickly returned to the Batcave where he was placed in a special warming solution to elevate his body temperature while Alfred tend to drying and cleaning his costume. Of course Batgirl wasn't really aware of all that as she was too busy getting an evil eyed glare from Batman. Which was exactly as intimidating as it sounded. She felt like she was about two inches tall at the moment and part of her really wished she was because then maybe she could have snuck away from the berating he was giving her. Instead all she could do was look down at her feet while she paced a little back and fourth nervously. She looked up at him only when she realized he had asked her a question.
"What?" she asked softly.
"I said, 'What's gotten into you lately'?" Batman repeated in a stern voice. "For the past two days you've been sloppy and distracted out there and I don't think it's just about your homework."
Damn! Well I guess you really can't slip anything by the World's Greatest Detective, she thought weakly.
"I'm waiting," he prodded as he crossed his arms over his chest.
She let out a deep sigh as she tried to gather her wits about her and come up with an excuse. The thought of telling him the truth crossed her mind but then that might lead to even more questions of why she didn't tell him about Ivy's little visit earlier and what she planned to do about it. The latter of which she still wasn't even sure about herself! So she had to think of something to tell him that would hold him over for now. Once she steadied her nerves she looked up at him again.
"Look, I know I screwed up tonight," she started.
"Ha! That's the understatement of the year," Robin's voice called out from behind them.
They both turned to see Dick walking towards them in his regular clothes and drying his hair with a towel. He moved to stand next to Batman and almost completely matched his glare in an uncanny way that showed of how similar they could be. Under the duel glares, Batgirl's confidence shrunk again.
"Look Dick, I'm sorry," she said softly. "I didn't mean for you to take the hit for me and I truly appreciate it and I just can't tell you how really, really sorry I am."
"Darn right you better be sorry!" he shouted back. "I mean geez Babs, I was frozen today!"
"I know, I know! And like I said I'm really sorry!" she repeated.
"It's not a question or whether or not you're sorry," Batman broke in.
"It's not?" Dick asked in confusion.
He was answered with a look that told him to be quiet. He put his hands up in defeat before he took a step back. Batman nodded then looked back at Batgirl and continued.
"Despite what Dick said, he and I both know you feel terrible about what happened," he said. "But that fact is it did happen. We lucked out in that he was just frozen and we have the equipment here to handle that in the Cave. But what if something more serious had happened? What if he had been shot or broke a limb or...worse?"
Dick blinked and looked up at him in surprise.
"Wow, you've thought about this, haven't you?" he asked in an uncertain voice.
"Unfortunately I've had to. For both of you," he answered, casting a glance at Batgirl. "They're aren't pretty thoughts but it's what we have to think about when we go out there every night. All of us. We have to know that we have each other's backs and we'll be there in the a tough spot."
"I know all that," Batgirl replied softly. "I get the training, I get the cohesiveness of the team and all that stuff. And I'm right there with ya big guy, it's just that...well...something's kinda thrown my life for a loop right now and I'm having trouble dealing with it."
"And that is...?" he prodded.
She narrowed her eyes a bit. "Personal."
"It's effecting your work with us."
"I know and like I said I'm sorry. Just give me some time to deal with it and I promise you I'll be back to fighting shape in no time."
Batman stared at her for several silent tense filled seconds which made the pit in her stomach grow even larger. After an excruciatingly long time he finally nodded ever so slightly.
"Alright fine," he agreed. "You take the time you need to get your head together and then come back and we'll see how you do."
"Wait, that's it?!" Dick snapped. "She get's me frozen and all she gets it...super hero detention?!"
"What else do you suggest?"
"Well...I don't know, loss of Batcave privileges?!"
"If I'm gonna take some time for myself then I'm not really gonna be in the cave much, now am I?" Batgirl asked with a slight smirk.
Dick tossed her an annoyed look. "Hey you don't get to be funny right now!"
She threw her hands up in defeat.
"Okay, you got a point there. I'm just gonna go back to my dorm room and try to relax for the rest of the night," she said then looked up at Batman. "I mean if that's okay with you boss."
"That's fine. I'm going to try to track Freeze's whereabouts with the Bat-Wave anyway," he remarked.
"And I'm gonna get something warm to eat!" Dick said enthusiastically then made his way towards one of the doors to the mansion.
Batgirl watched him leave with a smirk and a shake of her head before she walked over to her personal Batcycle. She picked up her helmet from the seat and was about to turn it on when she heard Batman's voice calling to her.
"Barbara," he said in a soft tone that honestly took her by surprise. "Whatever this thing you're working out is...you can talk to us about it if you need to."
She couldn't help but feel touched at the sentiment and a bit surprised by the sudden mood swing. Still she managed to smile softly back at him.
"I know. And thanks. But there are just some things you gotta work out for yourself, you know?" she remarked and then felt incredibly stupid for phrasing it that way.
"More than you'll ever know," Batman replied in a low voice before he turned around and walked deep into the cave.
Batgirl sighed as she put on her helmet and slipped onto the motorcycle.
Really batting a thousand there tonight Barb, she chided herself before she kick started the bike and rode out of the cave.
After she stored the Batcycle in a safe location near the Gotham U campus and changed out of her Batgirl costume, Barbara quickly returned to her dorm room where she immediately made her way into the bathroom to have a nice, long, hot shower. She found it really was the best way to wash away the tension that came with crime fighting, especially when she messed up as badly as she did tonight. Bruce, and especially Dick, had every right to be mad at her. Truth was she was mad at herself. She screwed up badly tonight and it got Dick hurt. Granted he ended up being fine, but it could have been much, much worse. She sighed and rested her head under the shower nozzle, letting the warm water run over her back.
I've gotta get a grip on this thing with Ivy, she thought determinately. It's messing me up in a lot of ways and it's hurting people I care about. I wish I could just answer this stupid question with a "yes" or "no". But it's just...not that simple. The worst part is I don't even know why it's not that simple!
She let out a frustrated growl before she leaned back and let the water fall over her face. As she stood under the stream of water, her mind drifted back to Ivy's visit two nights ago. Mostly specifically it drifted back to the kiss at the end. It was a surprisingly gentle kiss with just enough force behind it to show she was serious with her confession. What was even more surprising was the fact that it didn't kill her as she figured Ivy had some kind of poison on her lips. It would make sense given how her hair produces mind controlling spores. But yet here she stood, in the middle of the shower reflecting back on that very peculiar kiss. It wasn't a bad kiss. In fact as kisses when it was quite enjoyable. Not that she had any frame of reference before, mind you, but from everything she heard it was a good kiss. One that had lingered on her lips just a few moments after it was over and caused a slight tingle to go down her spine. If Barbara was going to be completely and totally honest with herself she actually wouldn't mind another kiss like that. But the billion dollar question was, would she want another kiss like that from Ivy?
Maybe if... she started to think.
"Would you hurry the hell up in there?!" a shrill voice accompanied by a loud bang came from the door.
Barbara jumped a bit at the sudden noise then let out an irritable sigh when she recognized the angered voice of her and Kara's suit mate. The real problem with having a bathroom in your dorm wasn't sharing it with the person you lived with it was sharing it with the people who lived on the other side of you. Especially when they were spoiled little brats who demanded it nearly all the time so they could make themselves look pretty for their next club outing.
"I said get out of there!" the voice rang again.
"Alright already!" Barbara snapped as she turned off the water.
She then grabbed a large towel from the rack on the door and wrapped it around her slender body before she took a smaller one to wrap around her hair. She then hurriedly picked up her clothes and left through the door leading back to her room. No sooner had she closed it than she heard the other door open and a very irritating voice let out a few choice words about her.
"Gotta love the neighbors, huh?" Kara asked from where she sat on her bed with a book in her lap.
Once again Barbara was taken aback that night as she looked dumbfounded at Kara.
"When did you get here?!" she asked in confusion.
"Just a few minutes ago while you're still in the shower," the blonde girl explained.
"Oh," Barbara nodded then moved to the closest on her side of the room. "Guess I didn't hear you come in."
"Yeah I can be pretty sneaky when I want to be," Kara smiled.
"I bet," the redhead smiled back as she dumped her used clothes into her laundry basket.
"So where have you been all night?"
Barbara barely flinched at the question. It was one of her few instincts that still seemed to be working perfectly. Mostly because it was a common question she was asked. Still she always had to think of something good to say that sounded believable. She slid the mirrored closet door closed and walked nonchalantly over to the dresser with a shrug.
"Oh no where special. Just out and about really. You know, seeing the town and all that," she remarked casually.
Kara just tipped her glasses a bit and stared at her roommate. Despite all the body and voice control she had learned from Bruce, there were times when Barbara could swear Kara could still tell she was lying. It wasn't anything in particular just this feeling she got. Like the blonde wasn't so much looking at her or through as she was looking inside her to all the muscle ticks and tension that happened anytime you lied. It was kind of eerie in an otherworldly fashion.
"Uh huh," Kara nodded and turned her attention back to her text book. "Sounds like another fun filled night in the life of Barbara Gordon."
"You know it," she chuckled as she pulled some clothes out of the dresser. She then looked over at her roommate. "Um...hey, I know you just got back and all but would you mind giving me some privacy for a moment?"
"Yeah no problem," the other girl remarked as she stood up and stretched. "I was just about to head down the hall and talk with Cassie anyway to get some help with this Greek Mythology assignment."
"She certainly does seem to know a lot about that stuff. It's like the girl lives it or something," Barbara remarked.
"Oh you have no idea," Kara smirked.
She then slipped on her shoes, grabbed her keys and headed out the door. "Later roomie!"
"Later! And if you come in later while I'm asleep please be quiet, okay?"
"I'll be like my feet aren't even touching the ground," the blonde called back before she closed the door behind her.
A wide grinned crossed Barbara's face as her departing roommate. When she first came to college she wasn't sure how well she was going to get along with whoever she ended up sharing a room with given her dad was the police commissioner and nocturnal activities as Batgirl but she and Kara quickly became great friends. She was one of the few saving graces Barbara had in her life right now and part of her really wanted to confide in her what was going on but that presented problems of its own. Not the least of which was that it might reveal her identity as Batgirl. Even if it didn't, she wasn't entirely sure that revealing that she might have feelings for another girl wouldn't seriously freak Kara out. She did have those mid-Western values after all.
And that right there is the worst part of this whole thing, she thought in annoyance. I have no one to confide in on this topic. Maybe if I did I could finally come to a decision and work past this whole mess one way or the other. But seriously who can I talk to?!
It was then that she spied a copy of the Gotham U newspaper laying on Kara's bed. The headline on the front page caught her interest and she quickly snatched it up.
ART SCHOOL TO HOLD JADE GATO EXHIBITION
Apparently the university's art program had worked out a deal with the city's museum to hold an exhibition for the rare Jade Gato statue. It was only going to be on display in the school's art building for two weeks before being shipped back to the museum. The article went into great detail about how the dean of the art school and the head of the museum came to the agreement but Barbara didn't care. What interested her the most was the idea of a "Jade Gato" statue being in her own backyard and what sort of light night look that might attract.
"And if she's there then maybe..." Barbara started but quickly shook her head. "Whoa, whoa, I'm not seriously thinking that, am I?"
She looked down at the paper again as if it would provide some answers for her.
"On the other hand I do need someone to confide in and she's the only neutral party I know. Also the only older female voice of guidance I know. Which is kinda sad now that I think about it."
She sighed as she threw down the paper and pulled her backpack out from under the bed.
"Still if I'm gonna do this, I might as well do it now before I talk myself out of it. I just hope this goes as smoothly as it possibly can. Which honestly still isn't saying much."
Despite the numerous street lights and well lit walkways placed throughout the Gotham University campuses, roofs to the buildings there still left pretty well shrouded in darkness since there were very little reason for anyone to go up there in the middle of the night. This made sneaking around them quite easily for night shift janitor taking a quick smoke break or a pair of amorous students feeling particularly wild that night or for a certain cat themed burglar to go prowling around them in a black full body suit.
Catwoman smirked as she landed soundlessly on the room of the Gotham U Art School. All the time she took in planning on how to get the Jade Gato out of the Gotham History Museum and the fools just go and put it on display in a very poorly protected college building. It was almost like they were daring her to take it.
"Well, never was one to pass up a good dare," she smirked as she started to approach the large window box that looked down on the building's main hall.
"Okay so I dare you to take the night off and not steal the Jade Gato," Batgirl's voice called out.
Catwoman spun around with a hiss to find the bat crouched on top of the service entry into the building. She jumped off her perched and landed in a fighting stance a few feet way from the feline felon. Catwoman smirked as she took a fighting stance of her own.
"So where's the rest of Team Bat, huh? Waiting to pounce on me from the shadows?" she asked in a steady tone.
"Nope. It's just me tonight," Batgirl replied.
"And you think you can stop me from taking the Jade Gato alone? Pretty brave kid. I admire that. Still won't help but I admire it."
"Well while I would like for you to not steal the statue that's not entirely the reason I tracked you down here."
"Oh? Then what is?"
Batgirl then relaxed her posed and allowed her cape to flow of her arms, standing upright and perfectly still to show she wasn't a threat.
"I need someone to talk to," she confessed with a slight sigh.
Catwoman blinked behind her orange tinted goggles at the statement. She relaxed her own stance out of confusion the started to look around to see if anyone else was on the rooftop with them.
"This is a trick right?" she asked in disbelief. "A way to get me to let my guard down so that Bats and Birdboy can pop out of the darkness and jump me, right?"
"Nope it's just me here you have my word," Batgirl clarified.
"Uh huh," Catwoman nodded, still not convinced. "And how do you know I can take you at your word?"
"Because I'm the good guy here, remember?"
"True, you do all seem to have that annoyingly high moral code." She tapped her chin with one of her gloved fingers. "Provided you are telling the truth, why on Earth would you want to talk to me?"
Batgirl got a little flustered and she sincerely hoped her cowl hid her embarrassed blush.
"Because I have this...personal issue I need to talk about with another woman and you're really the only other one I know who I can confide in with this secret."
"Wow, that's really sad."
"Trust me, I know," she sighed. "So you gonna help me or what?"
Catwoman couldn't hide her slight chuckle.
"Look kid, I like you and all but I'm not exactly the touchie feelie type. Especially not with someone who's tried to haul my butt to jail on more than one occasion."
The redhead sighed and slumped her shoulders. "Yeah I kinda had a feeling you'd say something like that. Well go ahead and take the Jade Gato. I'm sure it'll bring you all sorts of cash."
With that she turned around and plodded over to the service entrance which she leaned against before she slowly slide down to the concrete roof of the building. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them so she could lay her chin on her hands. She sat there in completely silence, a saddened expression on her face.
Catwoman just blinked as she looked at the sullen hero the back at the window box which would easily lead her to her treasure. She started to walk towards it but then stopped and looked back at Batgirl.
"So you're not going to stop me at all? Not even a little?" she asked in confusion.
"Nope. I'm not in the mood for it right now," Batgirl replied wearily.
The cat themed thief shrugged then knelt down to the window and popped the claw on her right index finger. She had just placed the tip on the glass to cut a whole in it when she caught the reflection of Batgirl sitting helplessly against the brick wall of the service entrance. She tried to ignore the young crime fighter's plight but something kept nagging at the back of her mind. Truth be told she really did like the redhead for her spunk and tenacity and seeing her like this just didn't seem right. But she was also the enemy and on any other given night would have been fighting her right not stop her from stealing the statue so she deserved whatever torment she was going through right now.
Right?
Wonderful time to grown a conscience Selina, she growled at herself as she stood up with a silence.
"Okay I can't stand to see you like this," she said aloud as she turned back to Batgirl.
She then walked over to the redhead and sat down next to her, taking a similar pose with her legs brought up to her sizable chest and her hands sitting lazily on her knees. She stared down at the crime fighter for a moment before she finally asked:
"What's on your mind kid?"
Batgirl looked up at up at the older woman cautiously for a second, unsure if her concern was genuine or if it was just a trick to lure her into a false sense of security and knock her out or something. Of course being that it was her idea to talk to her in the first place she knew she had to say something eventually.
"Well...you see...I have this friend," she started nervously.
"Ah! Stop right there! If you're gonna drag me away from my prize for some heart-to-heart then I'm not going to hear this 'I've got this friend' crap," Catwoman chided her. "So start over."
"Okay, fine, it's me," Batgirl repeated in annoyance. "I had an...encounter a couple nights ago and it's been messing with my head ever since."
The cat burglar arched an eyebrow behind her goggles. "What kind of 'encounter'?"
"Well it was with a villain...a female villain, and it was kind of...personal."
Again Catwoman seemed a bit lost in the conversation. "How personal?"
Batgirl rested her head against the rough brick of the entrance and refused to look her companion in the eye.
"Do I really have to tell you?" she pleaded.
"If you're gonna pull me away from work then yes you have to tell me."
"Okay, fine." She closed her eyes, took a deep breath then blurted out, "She kissed me."
Catwoman's eyes went wide behind her goggles and her head whipped around to stare down at Batgirl in complete shock.
"What?! When?! Who?!" she sputtered.
"That doesn't matter," Batgirl insisted.
"Oh yes it does! There aren't that many female villains in Gotham so I'd like to know...wait...it Ivy wasn't it?" she guessed.
Now it was Batgirl's time to be surprised. "How did you know?!"
A satisfied smirk crossed Catwoman's face as she rested her head against the wall as well.
"Oh just call it...cat's intuition," she mused. "There was just something about her that made me think she could go that way." She paused and looked at Batgirl again. "So she's into you, huh? Weird I always figured she'd have a thing for Harley."
"What?! Why?!" the redhead demanded.
The woman shrugged. "Just something about the way they interacted is all. So if Ivy likes you then do you like her?"
"I don't know!" Batgirl shouted, throwing her hands up in frustration. "That's the part that's confusing me! I really don't know how I feel about her! I mean I like her but I don't know if I like her like that."
Catwoman chuckled in amusement. "Yeah these times of your life really are confusing even without the costumed stuff. Discovering who you are mentally and sexually, it's real challenge." She then paused and looked back at the girl again. "You are old enough to even have these feelings, right?"
The redhead's mouth hung open in offense.
"Of course I am! I'm in college!" she screamed.
"Really?" the older woman remarked and looked her over again. "Wow, puberty was not kind to you, was it?"
"Hey!" Batgirl cried, her face reddening behind her mask. "I'm sorry it not all of us look like they should be on the cover of villain's edition of Playboy!"
"Okay, fine, I admit that was a low blow. I just wanted to check before this talk went any further," Catwoman clarified.
"Well trust me, I'm old enough. It doesn't make me any less confused though."
"Well let's start with the big question: what's got you more worried that you might be into a girl or that you might be into a villain?"
"Both really," Batgirl sighed.
"One's gotta be worse than the other."
"I guess if I had to choose it'd be..." she paused and thought about it for a moment. "The villain thing really."
"Hah! There we go!" Catwoman cheered and patted her on the head. "Now the villain thing I can get given that Ole Sourpuss isn't going to look kindly on that sort of thing."
"I'm sure you'd know all about that," Batgirl remarked.
She glared down at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh come I've seen the way you two act around each other. You are so into him!"
Catwoman scowled and looked away. "It's just a little harmless flirting that's all. A way to have fun on the job. Throw him off his game."
"Uh huh," the redhead smirked mischievously. "You know you two even scowl the same? I swear it's like you're made for each other."
"Whatever."
"Actually it's kind of the reason I wanted to talk to you about it. If I actually do admit my feelings to Ivy...how am I supposed to handle this whole hero/villain relationship thing? It doesn't look easy."
"It's not," Catwoman said softly, dropping her pretense. "Especially when they guy you're interested in sees you as nothing more than a common criminal."
"Except in my case we're not talking about a guy."
"That's right," the black clad thief remarked and turned her attention to the girl again. "So how are you handling that part of the whole thing?"
"Not well," Batgirl confessed. "It's going to be a huge adjustment and I'm just..."
"Afraid how everyone around will react to the news?"
"Yeah," she mumbled as she tucked her head into her knees.
Catwoman reached down and cupped Batgirl's chin so she could gently pull her face back out of her knees and turn it to look at her. She offered a warm, understanding smile that actually made the young heroine feel a bit better.
"You asked me for my advice, so here it is: to hell with them!" she stated emphatically.
"What?!" Batgirl asked in surprise and confusion.
"You heard me. All those people you're afraid will turn against you just because you like girls? To hell with them! If they truly, honestly, care for you then they'll stick by you. Anyone who turns against wasn't really your friend to begin with and you don't need them dragging you down. And if what's got you really worried is all of the social taboos then just think about this; we run around the streets at night wearing animal themed costumes. We're already breaking a bunch of social taboos so what's one more, right? Especially one that makes you happy."
Batgirl leaned her head against the wall again and stared up into the starry night sky as she mulled over Catwoman's words. After a few seconds of processing them, an easy smile crossed her face as she body relaxed a bit.
"That...actually makes perfect sense," she remarked.
"Hey I'm a cat," Catwoman shrugged. "We know all about doing things that make us happy."
"I guess so," she nodded but quickly frowned. "Now I just gotta figure out what to do about this whole villain thing."
"Well there's one of two things you can do. You can either convince Ivy to give up her life of crime or you can join her. Either way I'd get started on it soon because I'm sure your boss won't be off her trail for long."
"Right," Batgirl nodded then after a moment looked over at her unlikely confidant. "Um...hey, thanks for helping me with all this."
"Yeah, don't mention it," Catwoman said as she stood up with a stretch then looked back at her with a stern expression. "Seriously, don't mention it. Ever. To anyone. I don't want my reputation getting ruined."
Batgirl smirked. "You're secret's safe with me."
"Good. Then if we're done with this Hallmark moment I'll be on my way."
"You're gonna go back to stealing the Jade Gato are you?"
"Nah. Like you said, I'm not in the mood for it tonight. I think I'll just go home and relax with a nice bubble bath. Maybe with a can of tuna. Yeah I like that idea."
With that, Catwoman began to walk towards the edge of the building. She stopped when she reached the ledge and looked over her should back at Batgirl.
"See ya later kid. You know it's a shame you didn't want to take me up on my earlier offer. You really would have made a good 'Catgirl'. Shame the position's already been taken," she said with a smirk before she leapt off the building.
"Wait! What?!" Batgirl called after her but she knew it was useless.
Instead she simply stood up herself and worked the kinks out of her back and shoulders as she did so. She then looked out over what she could see of the Gotham City skyline, knowing that Ivy was somewhere out there and waiting for Barbara Gordon's answer to her question.
"Well, at least now I know where I stand on this whole thing. Now all I have to do is find Ivy and talk to her. Which just leads me to my next problem. Just what exactly am I going to say to her?"
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: Aha! A month in the making but I finally got this chapter done! I was really hoping I'd gotten over my creative slump that plagued my last couple KP fics but sadly work is just too damn draining lately. Couple that with a couple family issues I needed to deal with last week and well....it took a month to get it out. But here is it and I hope you enjoyed it! I know there wasn't too much action in it but I had to progress the story a little bit. Next chapter we'll finally see Babs and Ivy meet up again after the surprise kiss Ivy planted on her former friend. What will Barbara say to Ivy? What will Ivy's reaction be? And what will Batman do if he finds out about this illicit affair? Tune in next week! Same Bat-Channel! Same Bat-Time!
Okay, that was bad but I just couldn't help it. Had to do it at least once to get it out of my system. But seriously these questions and more will be addressed in the next chapter of "Knightshade":
"The Confrontation"
See ya then!