STEEL THY HEART: CHAPTER FIVE
Selina Kyle finished putting the dresses she had gotten into her closet, not even pausing to inspect what she had bought. On the bed, in the kitchen, and in every room in her apartment, she heard her cats meowing as she either stroked them or fed them. One huge male black cat, the one she had named Bruce, ironically, started scratching at the post she had bought for her pets.
"I wish I could use him as a scratching post," Selina snarled, her green eyes blazing. She went over to Bruce the Cat and nuzzled him. Bruce responded by leaping down from the scratching post and curling around her feet.
The Catwoman smiled. "I do so wish Bruce could be like you," she told her cat, picking him up and petting him. "You would never leave me for some Grecian tart who doesn't deserve the title of Princess, eh, boy?"
Bruce meowed, pleased by the attention for a moment, then jumped from her arms. He went off to join a white cat with blue eyes—Duchess. Selina sighed, wondering why fate had wanted to play a cruel joke on her. It wasn't as though she was the most dangerous criminal on the planet. She didn't kill anyone after all, unless it was in self defense. She also made a point to steal only from those who could recoup the loss, or from ruthless tyrants who deserved to be taken down a peg every now and then.
So why, for all of her good efforts, did she have to be raked over the coals in matters of the heart? Was it too much to ask for a good relationship with a good man just once, one who wasn't mentally screwed, or one who didn't mind showing his tender or emotional side, especially where she was concerned? As if on cue, she heard a tapping at her window. Selina stared at the frontal view of the Man of Steel there.
Her eyes danced with mischief as she beheld his football player's body. Bruce had been lighter in his musculature; he was built more like a Ninja warrior, but Superman looked as though he played with the Oakland Raiders or some other famous team. His face had curiosity etched into it, his blue eyes staring at the apartment and taking in every minute detail. Selina was curious as well. When she'd come to Metropolis to get away from the Batman and think things over for a change, the last thing she had expected was a visit from the Man of Steel himself. She allowed herself one last look at his powerful legs and calves, then let him in.
"Superman!" she exclaimed. "What an unexpected surprise."
Superman looked at the Catwoman with a teasing expression. "Yes, I found out where you were staying, and I thought I'd pay the great Catwoman a visit. I hope you don't mind," he said.
"I don't," Selina rejoined, liking the banter they had started. "But I must admit, I'm at a loss as to why you're here."
"You mean you don't know about your own theft of a $50,000 emerald from the Metropolis Gemological Museum earlier?" the Man of Steel chided. "Just what kind of catnip have you been ingesting to forget an attempted theft like that?"
Selina could not believe her ears! She knew the Man of Tomorrow wasn't as familiar with her as the Batman was, but she also knew that some of the information the Caped Crusader had on her preferences had to have been made known at some point. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "I didn't take anything, and if I had, it would certainly have been more pricey than that bauble!"
Before the superhero could comment, Selina told him with a hint of disgust, "I knew you didn't know me that well, but I didn't think you were stupid!" The Man of Steel was annoyed.
"Oh, really?" he asked, crossing his arms. He hovered over her, measuring her with his cold stare.
"Save that for someone who's easily intimidated by a cold stare," Selina told him.
"Ahh, yes, I had forgotten your involvement with the King of Cold Stares…the Batman," Superman jeered. Selina looked at him incredulously. Did he actually feel jealous of the Bat? Of course, if he did, that would be quite an interesting development! Probably she had imagined that, though.
The Big Blue Boy Scout landed across from her, asking, "This is getting us nowhere. Why do you think I'm stupid?"
Selina calmed down somewhat. She felt the tiniest bit of guilt at having overreacted. Deciding to change the subject, the Mistress of Cats queried, "Can I get you something? Tea? Soda? Water?"
"Never mind the pleasantries!" Superman cried, exasperated. "Tell me what I want to know! Why am I an idiot?"
"Does one need a reason to be one?" the Catwoman gibed. She walked into her kitchen and, filling a teapot with water, set it to boil on the stove. When she returned, she saw that the alien was still angry.
"I won't ask again," he said, his voice in a low, almost feral whisper. Selina sat down on one of her easy chairs, regarding the man in front of her.
God, he smells nice!She thought as she caught a whiff of his cologne. Aloud, she told him, "Because, as I pointed out seconds ago, I wouldn't steal just the one gem! You think I didn't know about them? They're part of a collection of gems from Brazil that are on loan to the museum. I would make it worth my while if I were just coming to Metropolis to steal by taking all five of them! Could pocket an easy $750,000 that way!"
"I thought as much," Superman said quietly.
Selina gave him a long look, as if she were trying to discern what game he was playing. As the whistling sound of the teapot startled both of them, he told her he'd get it, and she pointed in the direction of her kitchen. Superman nodded, and went into the kitchen, turning off the stove. He grabbed tea bags from the cupboard, along with sugar, honey and some cream from her refrigerator and placed them on a small tray he saw on her kitchen table.
Arranging the items in front of her, he took a seat in the easy chair beside hers and started pouring the tea into a china cup. While he sat and extended his legs, Duchess tentatively came up to him, sniffing this new arrival. After a moment, the cat started purring, winding around them. Some other cats meandered to the Man of Steel having taken the other cat's cue. They sniffed him too, but some ran off, since his scent was different. Having been around cats on Ma's farm, the superhero paid them no mind. He took the cup and cream in his hands.
"How do you want it?" he asked.
"Cream and two sugars," Selina told him. He placed the items into the cup and stirred them. Then he held out the cup to her. After brewing the tea to his liking, and adding three sugars and liberal amounts of cream, she noted, they both took a sip.
"You said that you knew I didn't take the emerald?" Selena asked.
Superman nodded, finishing his tea and pre rinsing it in the sink. He put the cup in the dishwasher and sat back down in the chair.
As Selina watched him place the cup in the washer, she thought, nice butt! And such a gentleman, too!
"How did you know?" Selina pressed, curious.
The Kryptonian shrugged, saying, "Because the robbery was so full of errors you would never make." He went on to describe the things he had told Inspector Davis about the inconsistencies of the attempted theft.
The Catwoman smiled, showing some even white teeth inside her attractive lips to him. Superman found himself smiling back. Batman had been holding out on him, Kal-El decided. He had never told the Man of Tomorrow how gorgeous Selina was, especially this close. It was hard to concentrate on business, especially when he could feel his brain travelling in a Southern direction. He put his craving for her in the back of his mind and concentrated on why he was there.
"Assuming you're innocent, do you have any idea who'd want to frame you?" he asked. "I mean, there can't be too many women who look like you, or who have your…" gorgeous green eyes, his mind supplied. Superman harrumphed.
"My what?" Selina asked, amused as she saw the mighty Superman blushing slightly.
"…knowledge of museums and how to rob one properly," he finished sheepishly.
"Like I'd tell you," Selina said. "Listen, I'm glad that you think I didn't rob that place, but surely you must know I won't divulge all of my secrets to a complete stranger, particularly a superhero."
"You can tell me, or the police," Superman said calmly. "It's your choice."
Selina's eyes pinned him with a stare. "Oh?" she asked. "You'll look pretty stupid taking me in for a crime I didn't commit."
"Perhaps this woman who resembles you could be an accomplice…" Superman countered.
Selina crossed her arms, saying, "Oh, puh-lease! Give me a break! Listen Big Blue: I work alone, not with sidekicks. Batman could tell you."
"I'm sure he will when he gets back," the Man of Steel told her. "But for now, I'm all you've got."
Selina considered her options. She couldn't exactly ask the police to prove her innocence, and with Batman gone, Superman could very well have a point. On the other hand, if this was some sort of trap and someone impersonating her was out to get her, she couldn't afford to trust anyone, not even the Man of Steel himself.
"Sorry," she said simply. The alien stood up, looking at her with a mixture of disappointment and annoyance at her refusal to cooperate. Selina didn't get up, but she, too, was disappointed that the Man of Steel was leaving.
"Then I see no reason to continue this conversation," he said. He walked to the window he came in, much to the cats' disappointment. They had been camped around their favorite new subject and didn't look forward to their campsite being disturbed. Several meowed their displeasure. Superman took off, leaving Selina to ponder what she would do next, and more importantly, wondering why she wanted the Kryptonian superhero to stay.
When the Man of Steel was once again amongst the clouds, he thought about the raven haired Cat Mistress. She had been right; going to the police without more evidence would be a waste of time and effort. His mind was blank for a few moments until he came up with a brainstorm. Maybe Clark Kent could succeed where he'd failed. Perhaps she would open up to a shy, more withdrawn reporter, and if she was innocent, they could find out who was behind this. His mind made up, he went to his apartment. He would return later on to put his plan into operation.
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In a hotel room on the planet Alton Seven, Diana knocked on the door to Bruce's room. "Come in," Batman said.
He crossed over to the door to open it. Diana came inside, her eyes taking in the papers across the desk. They showed various photos and documents of the Prince, and Batman studied them intently.
"Princess," he greeted in his usual monotone, not looking up from his papers.
"John has turned in for the night," Diana reported, coming closer to the table.
The Caped Crusader said nothing, but compared one photo with another. Although his mask concealed his emotions well, the Amazonian warrior didn't have to see his face to know he was frustrated.
"Anything?" she asked.
"No," the Batman responded. He put the first two photos he had been scrutinizing down on the table and picked up a second pair. Diana stepped over to her lover with concern in her eyes. She knew that when Bruce didn't get much sleep, he tended to be cross, as any person would be. She also knew that whenever he was cross, he tended to miss things. Although she knew that it could be futile, the princess decided to try to get him to relax just a little until morning.
She came behind him and started massaging his shoulders. In front of her, the Batman stiffened. "I don't have time for this…" he said curtly.
"Just one moment," Wonder Woman said softly.
"In one moment, the Prince could be killed," the Dark Knight said.
"You always look at the bad side of things," Diana commented. "You need to believe that he is still alive. It has only been two days, after all."
"And, if we don't produce him in three more days, then billions will die who have not died before in interplanetary combat," Batman pronounced. "Do you want to be responsible for that?"
"Of course not!" Diana cried emphatically. Her hands massaged his shoulders more. He started to relax somewhat as her circular kneading of his tired muscles intensified. The Princess of Themyscera tried again.
"But if you don't relax, at least a little, you might miss an important clue. You will be no use to His Majesty if you collapse due to exhaustion," she said. Bruce's hand flew up to touch hers. In a surprising move, he didn't remove it, but guided it to another sore and tired muscle in his lower back.
"Your powers of persuasion are quite adept, Princess," Batman said in a gravelly voice as she continued her ministrations. Before she knew what was going on, he spun her from behind so that her back was to the table and threw her on it. Pinning her arms by her sides, he captured her lips in a bold kiss.
Diana didn't fight him as she would have; she was so enamored of her brave warrior. She sighed into the kiss, pressing her large chest up to his Kevlar costume. Time stopped for a minute as they hungrily fought for dominance of each other's lips, their tongues doing a tete a tete as old as time itself.
"I could draw you a bath…" she said seductively when they both came up for air. When she felt the Batman start to withdraw again, she added, "and I could join you in it."
The Caped Crusader smirked and let her go. He started taking off his armor and walked over to the bathroom. Diana followed, a sly smile tugging her lips as she closed the door behind them.