Meow -

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything except Serenity Anderson.

A/N: Thank You to all my reviewers, I love you guys! You all know who you are and I really appreciate that you're still with me! But gah, don't waste your time reading this; go read the chapter that I finally got around to writing- it has some Terry/Serenity interaction-y goodness! Go! Enjoy! Read and let me know what you think!

Have a nice day:)

-Two days later-

Selina watched Serenity over the rim of her teacup. Her brows furred slightly when she saw the distant expression on the girls face and the distracted look in her eyes.

Something was definitely was up.

Selina cursed herself for not spotting it sooner. She would have to have been blind to have not picked up on it. True, for the past couple days she had been in a better mood than normal…maybe a little bit distracted herself but she should have noted the change in Serenity.

But really- what would she have picked up on?

Serenity wasn't acting out…at all. She was being quite complaint and now that she thought about it Selina guessed that that should of tipped her off. Serenity usually did what was requested of her with little to no complaint…but now it seemed if she just did it because she was too busy with something else to even engage in verbal sparing- she loved verbal sparring.

The two of them even rented a movie and had a girl's night. It…it had been really normal…boring, but normal. The night had started out awkward, neither female really knowing just what exactly to do. Slowly though, they just did what felt natural to them both realizing they had no clue what they were supposed to do. They had talked and giggled and had fun…even going as far as to talk about their own little pointy-eared problem-solvers and comparing the two. What other females could actually be able to compare the Batmen? The conversation had never gotten too heavy, just easy topics, batmen, stealing, boys at school, annoying girls at school- anything but what they really needed to talk about…

Maybe she should have pushed Serenity to try and get her to open up, should have broached one of the heavier topics that had been weighing on her mind- but she hadn't. She had the perfect opportunity- it had been just the two of them in their pajamas with some ice cream and popcorn. As soon as the conversation had gotten flowing it had been comfortable…even the cats had been relaxed and contented. But she never raised the subject, she hadn't wanted to spoil their female moment and the fun they were having. At the time it seemed like a good idea, but now, she couldn't help but wonder-

Did she completely miss chance to try and talk it out with Serenity?

"Alright, I'm leaving," Serenity said, throwing on her jacket and shouldering the weight of her bag. She took a couple steps towards the door, picking up a pop tart on the way before pausing, "oh- before I forget, I have to stay after school today. I'm supposed to talk to one of my teachers about an essay, so I'll be a little late."

"Okay," Selina replied not really knowing what else to say, "Just be careful."

Serenity half turned and gave Selina a smirk, "Aren't I always?"

She had said it lightheartedly and in jest but her eyes betrayed her. Selina noticed that Serenity's blue eyes glinted with something deeper before turning back into their normal mischievous gaze.

So she had a little actress on her hands did she?

"Now you are," Selina replied evenly, raising a single eyebrow. She lifted the teacup to her lips once more and took a shallow sip, letting the slightly bitter taste roll down her throat for a long couple seconds. When no immediate reply came Selina spoke again, "Serenity?" she questioned her tone hardening slightly.

She received an eye roll and an annoyed huff,

"Yeah, yeah, you know I'll be careful." Serenity gave in before stuffing some pop tart into her mouth, "Shwe yaw waiter." And with a little wave Serenity was out the door with a click, the sounds of her foot steps fading as she got further away.

Somebody else had to have noticed that Serenity was acting a little off. It couldn't just be her-

But whom could she ask?

Selina gently placed her teacup back onto its cozy, tapping her fingers on the tabletop for a couple seconds before reaching for the phone, maybe Harvey or Two-Face noticed something odd going on with Serenity. It wasn't much but it was at least worth a try.

She punched in the numbers automatically before holding the phone up to her ear. As it rang Selina absently reached for the mornings paper and began skimming through it, the light rustling accompanying the ringing and the soft movements of the cats in the adjourning room.

When the voice on the other line picked up and questioned who was calling Selina opened her mouth to reply, like she had done numerous times before, when she froze- mouth open, eyes glued to one of the article titles:

"Break-in At GCPD Headquarters or Computer Glitch?"

Her eyes quickly moved to the article and began to hastily read the words printed.

"An inside source at the GCPD has stated that exactly two days ago the GCPD computer systems experienced a 'brief computer glitch' that caused the station to temporarily loose it's surveillance power. Although it's been stated that the power was lost, the Commissioners computer was still on-line and functional. Our source at the station confirmed that the Commissioner began questioning those at station about the 'computer glitch' and if anybody had accessed her computer. When the answers were negative she began to question the glitch itself leaving many workers at the station, and our inside source, with the idea that the glitch wasn't just a glitch. When questioned about the incident the Commissioner stated that ' it was just a glitch in the system that brought up some old problems, nothing more.' The question becomes not if it was a glitch or not, but who would be able to pull off something like this and why. It's for you to decide; computer glitch or break-in?"

The receptionist on the line continued to question who was calling before Selina firmly shut her mouth. She clenched her teeth before opening her mouth once more and finding her voice, her tone icier than usual,

"It's Selina, I need to speak with Harvey."

§§

Terry rubbed his eyes and blinked rapidly to try and wake himself up. As much as he was getting used to the later nights it was still the trouble of the early mornings that was giving him a problem. Of course being called into the principal's office first thing in the morning didn't help any. Everything would be so much easier if he didn't have to worry about waking up in the morning after a late night patrol.

And how was it that he always got called down during English class? He knew that everybody had been watching him as he had gathered up his things. He felt their eyes on him the entire time, especially Serenity's burning gaze. He had refused to acknowledge her though and merely packed his things without complaint and went down to the office. Max knew that he'd fill her in later, but first he had to find out what was going on. As soon as he got the principals he had been put in the room and told to wait.

He'd been sitting here ever since.

The door opened and he sat up a little straighter, expecting to see the principal but instead was met with the unhappy face of Commissioner Barbara Gordon. He blinked once before turning and seeing that she was unaccompanied. He faced her once more and blinked again. She walked around the opposite side of the desk but didn't sit down.

Terry almost groaned; that wasn't a happy face she was sporting. He had a feeling this wasn't a social call.

"Terry," she greeted curtly leaning over the principal's desk. He supposed it was a police tactic to try and appear more intimidating- her standing over him while he was seated. It lost its affect when it wasn't Bruce giving you the Bat glare; everything else just seemed second rate. Bruce was the reigning king of glaring. No contest.

"Commissioner," he greeted back evenly. He had no idea what this little meeting was about but he had a feeling it wasn't going to be pleasant.

"I'm going to be blunt," she stated in a tone that showed she meant business, "I'm sure you've read the paper." At his disbelieving expression she rolled her eyes in frustration. "I'm sure your boss has read the paper and talked to you about something interesting that's recently happened at the station," she tried again. This time she saw the look of recognition come over his features and he nodded his head.

She cleared her throat and kept going, eyes carefully watching his every move.

"As you both are probably aware it wasn't a computer glitch," and Terry knew as much. Since when did the GCPD Headquarters have computer glitches? A regular station he could understand, maybe, but the Headquarters? That was just too much of a coincidence.

Bruce had brought the subject up with him but they were still just looking into it. Since it appeared nothing else had been tampered with besides the commissioner's computer they knew it wasn't just an average burglar and nothing had been stolen or misplaced…

"I think it's your little feline friend," Commissioner Gordon continued tersely, "I don't care what little infatuations you've got going with her right now. All I know is that she somehow got into my office –my private office- and got onto my computer – my private computer. I want her ass brought in, and I want it done soon."

She sounded pissed off, very pissed off. It was very obvious that she was unhappy with this new Catwoman. She even swore in front of him without even really noticing. That was big.

There was something else though- she was mad that somebody got into her computer- yes, no doubt…but there had to be something else or else she wouldn't have come to him personally. She'd just work harder to catch Catwoman herself, not even bothering to see him, so why was she really here? He could see the anxiety on her face, the tension in her jaw and the way her eyes were narrowed. It was almost as if the break-in was a personal attack on the Commissioner herself.

Nevertheless, Terry composed himself before speaking. Gordon was one tough lady that you didn't simply mouth off to; she'd give you an ear full.

"I'm working on it," Terry stated carefully trying to gauge just how worked up Gordon was.

"Yes, I'm sure you're trying your hardest," she retorted spitefully before cocking her head slightly to the side, "just what exactly were you doing before Inque attacked?"

Terry frowned before the full implication of the question sunk it. It was dead silent for a whole minute before Terry was calm enough to reply. His voice had dropped a full octave but his voice remained steady.

"Are you accusing me of helping in the 'computer glitch'?"

She didn't seem all that bothered by the notion and it made something begin to burn in the pit of his stomach. The gall of this lady to accuse him of helping whoever broke into her office, did she forget that he was Batman? Just because he might have begun to be attracted to Serenity didn't mean that he was just going to start helping her out every chance he got!

The fact that she'd even suggest something so ludicrous- she was acting as if he had cheated on her or something-

Wait. Stop. Pause.

Terry briefly remembered Bruce mentioning that he and Barbara had 'gotten closer' at one point in time and a thought popped up right in front of his face.

"Are you jealous?" He asked before he could stop himself. He saw her eyes darken at the question and the skin around her mouth tighten into a frown. Her frown morphed into a resentful twist of her lips.

"What is it about the bad girls that you Bat-men just can't seem to get over?" She asked rhetorically…at least Terry thought she meant it to come out rhetorically. And was that a trace of bitterness that he heard imbedded in her tone?

Terry raised an eyebrow at the statement and deciding how much he was actually expected to answer. A picture of Serenity in costume flashed into his mind and he couldn't help but feel the start of a stupid grin forming before he caught himself. He quickly realized that the Commissioner sounded jealous – or bitter, or maybe both.

Realizing that she had veered off topic she shook her head, casting a quick once over on Terry before walking to the door. She made her point and got her message across, there was no other purpose for being here.

"Just remember one thing kid," she said scornfully as she paused just before exiting the room, hand immobile on the knob. She glanced at him over her shoulder and locked eyes with him, something indistinct swimming in her gaze, "cats walk alone."

Without another word she left, shutting the door behind her, leaving Terry alone in the principals office with nothing but his thoughts and her words.

§§

Terry was curious and furious simultaneously. The more dominant thought was, what exactly was Serenity doing at the police station in the first place…and the other more enraged thought was, how could Gordon think he helped Serenity get into her office and computer!

Um, he was busy dealing with Inque while her "backup" got tossed around. Not that they had helped him any, in fact they were the reason that Inque had been able to escape. One of her men had been, quite literally, tossed around and right into him. That's all it took for Inque to make her grand escape. To say he had been pissed off was be an understatement. He hated being beaten especially when it was because of something as stupid as somebody being thrown into him.

But that wasn't the current thing he was worrying about. Oh no, he had just been given a reprimand in the principal's office by the old Batgirl because the old Batman has the hots for the old Catwoman. He didn't even know if it had been Serenity that broke into the Commissioner's office or not. He had a gut feeling it was her, but he didn't have any proof yet.

How could she accuse him of helping her?

Shaking his head to rid himself of those thoughts he came to a resolution; he was finding Serenity and finding out just what the hell was going on! He looked at his watch and a muffled curse slipped through his lips. It was lunchtime already. He had missed the end of English. Damn it, Serenity was probably getting a good laugh out of this.

Terry knew it would be pointless to go to the cafeteria to check for her, she hadn't been there this past week…but he had a fairly good idea where she was hiding out.

He changed directions and strode firmly to the library.

§§

Serenity sighed as she brushed some long hair over her shoulder, absently noting that maybe she should get a trim because the ends were beginning to look a little split. Next she began scrapping some dirt out from underneath her fingernails- anything to divert her attention.

It had taken her a total of five minutes to locate the address she wanted.

How…disappointing.

She had used the schools computer to find the address and now that she had it…there was nothing left to do. Looking up an address was not a challenge, especially with sites out there like mapquest that made things even easier. Now she was bored.

Serenity slid her newly acquired directions securely into her notebook and shut it, taking the book itself and putting it into her bag. Now that she was done she had time to kill. She didn't deal with boredom too well, never had, never will. She began to tap her fingernails on the tabletop as her eyes went around to the different book covers that were on the shelves around her. What was she supposed to do now? She really didn't feel like going into the cafeteria, it was noisy and-

Her head snapped to attention at the sound of voices in the other section of the library. There was never anybody else in here now. She had been the only one here for the past week. The weather had been getting nicer out and more and more students had been having lunch outside. Even the nerdy kids had taken a break from the musky sent of the library to bask in the grassy smell of the beginning of summer. Who would come here?

A sly grin slid onto her face as she spotted a head of dark hair and broad shoulders under a familiar brown jacket. Oh…that would be a nice little reward for herself…

She rose from the table, leaving her stuff exactly where it was, and disappeared into the rows of books. A few seconds later did Terry immerge from the adjacent section of the library and into the section where Serenity previously was. He quickly noted that her bag was still there but she was not. He narrowed his eyes as they switched to the rows of books, instinctively knowing that that's where she was. She must have heard him coming.

So she was still playing her little games huh?

He stalked into the first row and went all the way down to the end before turning and scanning the cross isles for her. He was slightly surprised when he spotted her rather easily. She was facing away from him and towards the books, fingertips dancing over the different colored spines. Her head gently swayed from side to side as she looked at the different names of the books. She craned her neck upwards and seemed to spot something worth noting.

She took a step closer to the bookshelf and stretched upward, reaching with one hand for a book that seemed to be just out of reach of her grasping fingers. Her back arched towards the bookcase, shirt riding up and showing the pale flesh of her back as she stretched.

She knew he was there.

"Serenity," he called in a loud whisper. He didn't know why he was whispering, they were the only two in the library and they were far enough away that you couldn't even see them from the other section of the library, but he did it anyway.

She didn't turn or even acknowledge his presence or his voice. Feeling the lingering annoyance at his crummy morning begin to spike once more he grunted, grabbing her by the arm and spinning her around. Before she could blink he was pinning her to the shelf, wrists firmly behind her and pressed against the worn spines of the books. He knew she could probably break the hold if she truly wanted to- but she wasn't even fighting him.

She knew she wasn't going to; his skin was warm and his gaze intense. His presence seemed to triple when he was mad…and she'd come to realize that he was breathtaking when he was angry, especially when he clenched his jaw and the way his arms tensed, inadvertently flexing their muscle and pulling the material of his shirt taut against his skin.

"Oh," she sounded surprised but that sparkle in her eyes said otherwise, "Hello Terry," there was a wide grin on her lips and the volume of her voice was normal. She knew that her nonchalance would only increase his annoyance and she was in the mood to play. A little fun was exactly what she needed.

He had never been this aggressive with her out of the suit before-

She kind of liked it.

He didn't even seem to realize that he was practically looming over her and pressing her further into the shelf.

"You want to explain to me why you broke into the Commissioner's office?"

Ah, he heard about her little trip to the Commish's office. She knew he would, it was inevitable, but just how the hell did he know it was her? Geeze, it could have been anybody! Okay…maybe not anybody…but it didn't necessarily mean it was her!

"It's always shoptalk," she said in mock disappointment and almost squeaked when he squeezed her wrists in warning. His face moved the slightest bit closer and Serenity was almost smothered with the way the air seemed to be filled with him- his scent, his powerful frame, everything. He was in the game today. The thought pleased her greatly, but it was her game.

She tilted her face up, closing the distance even further and leaving merely inches between them. The grin never faltered from her face and her eyes never wavered from his.

"Why don't you try asking me nicely?" She taunted him. Her voice never raised from it's relaxed tone and almost seemed to gain a lilting quality.

His eyes narrowed and he felt his jaw begin to clench. To be honest with himself he didn't really know why he was getting so angry. So the Commissioner pretty much accused him of helping a criminal, she was just still bitter over what happened between her and Bruce -major sore subject he didn't want any part in- and was taking it out on him. Whatever. Maybe it was the fact Serenity seemed to enjoy making him mad and making him feel like a fool. Each time he confronted her she was able to turn the tables on him and he hated it. He was supposed to be the one in control of the situation, not her.

Around her he felt like a walking hormone that couldn't keep up with her, but he could, and he was going to prove it.

"This is me asking you nicely," he all but growled and she suppressed a shiver at the timbre of his voice. She opened her mouth to give a witty retort back when he continued, eyes narrowing even further, "-And I want the truth."

Her head tilted to the side as she studied him. She wanted to play while he wanted to be serious- but yet, there was something else behind his anger. His grip on her wrists were firm but not painful, the way he was forcing her to either lean towards him or into the bookcase and the fact they were secluded in a public place…she finally realized that maybe, just maybe, in his own way he was playing back- even if he wasn't aware of it.

She ran her tongue slowly over her top lip before pressing herself flush against him, still refusing to break his hold over her hands. Serenity leaned over and Terry felt her warm breath brush against his cheek.

"Is that what you really want?" she whispered into his ear and felt his whole body turn rigid- but he didn't drop his hold on her hands. She could already tell he was fighting with himself about how far to actually play along with her. To be honest it was starting to get a little bit annoying.

She really didn't know why he fought his attraction for her so much. Okay, so she wasn't exactly on the same side as him but did that mean they couldn't both benefit from their mutual attraction? Why torment yourself so much when you could just…give in. It wasn't going to hurt anybody, and they already knew each other's secret- so no surprises there. He wouldn't have to give her any lame excuses or crappy lies about his after hour's job- just take advantage of their attraction.

"Terry," she cooed almost condescendingly, moving from his ear to scarcely grazing his lips with her own, "the only way to rid yourself of temptation is to yield to it."

She didn't move back an inch and remained where she was, making sure that he could feel her breath on his face just as she felt his on hers. He didn't rebuke the advance, but he didn't participate in it either. Despite herself she had to admire his determination and his self-control. If had been anybody else they wouldn't have lasted nearly as long as Terry. But than again that's what made Terry, Terry. He was still human though any second now he would-

As if a light bulb was switched on he took a step back, putting some distance between them, and let go of her captive hands- almost as if having contact with her skin had burned him. His mentor would be so proud, Serenity thought spitefully as she rubbed her wrists from where he had been holding her. They didn't hurt; she just wanted something to do with her hands to cover her disappointment. She had just started to get him to play along and now she was back to square one. UGH! She had been so close!

He refocused his gaze to the books to the right of where she stood.

"Just tell me what I want to know," he grunted, hands to his sides with his fits tightly clenched.

Terry wasn't sure if it was to keep him from hitting her or from grabbing her and kissing her. And that was the problem; he had almost let her distract him- again. He'd be lying if he said he didn't her want to- and that was a big, BIG, no-no. He was supposed to be finding out why she was in the Commissioner's office, not indulging in a little back-of-the-library-nookie.

He didn't notice how her eyesight kept skipping down to his arms before going back to his face.

"What makes you think it was me?" she said shrugging her shoulders. Instead of getting angry at the ambiguous answer like she thought he would he merely looked at her with a 'duh' look, like he expected her to think of a better excuse.

"Nobody else could have done it so cleanly," he said plainly and Serenity felt her ego and her pride swell about ten feet taller. Getting compliments about her work from him? Now that was worth keeping track of. Despite her urge to tease him about his compliment she decided to try a different tactic.

"You know, I heard that nobody was hurt and nothing was even stolen," she said conversationally, as if they were talking about the weather. He knew what she was doing; she was trying to get him to let it go. Trying to show it him it wasn't such a big deal because nobody got hurt and nothing stolen- but he had Gordon on his ass and he couldn't just look the other way without something concrete.

"Serenity, please," he said softly. His eyes caught hers and stopped the retort that was on her tongue.

She liked him better when he was yelling at her.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," she scoffed but she knew she couldn't hide the trace of bitterness that was there. She hoped he missed it and would just give the subject a rest.

"Try me," he insisted instantly squashing her hope.

She hated when he looked at her like that. His eyes always got to her and she couldn't bring herself to lie. Something squished around in her gut before traveling to her chest.

He noticed immediately when her eyes lost their playfulness, as she seemed to debate within herself for a long moment. The air around them seemed to get a bit heavier. She looked away and down the isle and shook her head slightly, unable to believe she was actually thinking about telling him. She opened her mouth to tell him where he could go shove his pointy little ears when it slipped past her lips instead,

"Closure."

As much as she would deny it wasn't a lie. She was doing all this, going through all of this, so she could move past her mothers and brothers death. She was doing this so she could move on. She simply left out the fact that she had to go find the guy responsible before it could all be over. She wanted some peace of mind…some contentment…some serenity. If only she could feel as her namesake.

"I just…wanted to see…" she shut her eyes and shook her head slightly, "I just want it to be over."

She knew her voice quivered at the slip and bit her lip to keep anything else from coming out. She refused to look at him and was slightly daunted when he remained silent but continued to fixate his stare on her. (She could feel it)

Silence surrounded them for a long moment and Serenity contemplating leaving before she revealed anything else when she felt the soft touch of a calloused finger against her bare cheek. Gently, she felt four other fingers creep up and cup her cheek, turning her face back towards his.

She didn't know why she didn't resist, but she didn't.

Her heart began to beat faster as she felt his finger move from her cheek to her lips. When she finally managed to look up at him he was watching his thumb brush over her bottom lip with an unrecognizable look on his face.

She felt the air in the room begin to evaporate and time slow down as he smoothly lowered himself towards her.

It was almost as if in slow motion when her eyes slid closed just as his lips made contact with hers. She knew it was bad when her mind completely blanked out and the warm feeling in her stomach intensified. Coincidentally, it made her forget the fact that she couldn't think of anything.

…Except that his mouth seemed to fit perfectly against hers.

She didn't notice when her left hand moved up to his shoulder or when the right one sneaked its way to his chest. She was vaguely aware of the feel of his hand on her face while the other was on her hip…at least she thought it was on her hip. Her insides were tingling and her mind was fuzzy.

It was a long couple of seconds of nothing but sweet pressure on her mouth before she pulled back from the kiss to gauge his initial reaction- and lost her breath when she finally recognized the look on his face.

Understanding.

It wasn't pity or regret or anything of the sort. He could identify with what she was feeling because he had lost his father. He understood.

Her lips parted and for once Serenity wasn't sure what she was doing or going to say. She wasn't sure if she wanted to kiss him again or ask what the hell just happened. That was the last thing she ever expected him to do and she was still caught off guard by the action.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" a new third voice broke into their haze.

Both students broke apart and turned to see the school librarian at the end of the isle observing them with her arms resting gently at her sides. She was an older woman, probably in her early 40's, but sort of naïve when it came to anything dealing with the library. Some clips pulled her brown locks back and you could just begin to make out some gray hairs. Her focus kept switching from Serenity to Terry, but mostly strayed to Terry.

"Did you?" Serenity asked softly taking a small step back from him and wrapping her arms around herself.

He cleared his throat at the awkward position he had been quickly thrust into. What was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to follow his brain, his gut or his heart?

"Yes," he said finally turning to cast a glance at the librarian. He gave a brief smile before turning back to Serenity and locking eyes, "I did."

He missed it when the librarian nodded her head at them and hesitantly returned back to the front of the library, disappearing into the books. Terry and Serenity stared at each other for a long moment, neither saying anything before simultaneously looking away. Neither knew what to say after what just happened.

Serenity blinked as the action was repeated in her head, Terry had kissed her.

The library was eerily silent now as the teens avoiding looking at each other. It was funny, Serenity thought, that she had pinned him to a roof and licked him but yet it was a kiss in a secluded library that turned them both shy.

They were both saved the bell however, quite literally, when the bell rang to announce the end of the period. Both teens let out a silent breath of relief but yet the awkwardness still seemed to linger between the shelves of the library. Neither teen moved from their spot but they knew they were going to have to look at each other sooner or later. It was after all, inevitable.

"I have to- go to French," Serenity said slowly as her eyes darted from his solid form to the floor. She bit her lip and opened her mouth to say something else before deciding against it and making a tentative exit. Terry looked up just as her hair disappeared around the corner. Terry waited another minute before leaving after her and heading to his own class.

His day just got a whole lot more interesting.