Flashback Chapter 12 Compromise

Girls were interesting. Not just Babs; girls in general. They weren't nearly as icky as they used to be.

Dick knew this. He also knew that Bruce knew, and had known for longer than he had.

In the four years he had lived with Bruce, he had seen Bruce take an interest in many girls, mostly at social functions, and never for very long.

He worked with some girls, of course; Wonder Woman, Black Canary and Zatanna, to name a few. And he did flirt with the Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane, but that was mostly to annoy Clark.

There was only one girl Bruce had…sustained an interest in, if you could call it that. They'd see her every now and again, but not with any kind of regularity.

Oh look, there she was, breaking into an art gallery.

"Catwoman," Bruce growled, facing his…enemy? Opponent? Rival? Perhaps…potential ally? Any and all of these.

Robin was by his side, waiting for the signal. Normally, there'd be a bit of playing around, a bit of flirting, and if they managed to pin her down, she'd get away from the police later. She wasn't much of a threat, largely because she had some discretion in selecting her victims and so didn't really hurt anyone. It was almost a game, although…not one he'd play with anyone else.

He might not be as much of a sucker for a pretty lady as Brucie, but as Talia had proven, he still liked the ladies.

But now, it might be time to change the game.

He made eye contact with Robin, and gave him an almost imperceptible nod. The signal given, Batman lunged at Catwoman, who stepped backwards. Robin vaulted off his mentor's shoulders, snatched the statuette from the startled sneak-thief, and flipped away, as Batman's boot pinned her suit's tail to the floor and kept her down long enough to get her into a hold.

"Good move, birdie," Catwoman cooed. "I'll have to remember it."

"Enough," Batman growled at her. "Robin. Put it down and resume patrol."

"What?" Robin asked, brow furrowing in question. Batman gave him the do-as-you're-told Look, then softening it to the I'll-explain-later. Robin ducked his head, put down the statuette, and flipped away. The comm hummed as Robin switched it to one-way communication, allowing Batman to hear what was happening while keeping the rooftop conversation private.

Catwoman squirmed in his grasp. "You want me all to yourself, huh? I'm flattered. Really. Who wouldn't love the attentions of tall, dark, handsome you?"

"Selina," Batman cut her off, knowing that would get her attention.

She twisted, trying to look at him. "How do you know my name?!" she demanded, a faint note of panic bleeding into her voice.

"You let the police get too close last time," Batman explained. "Got a nice still of your pretty, unmasked face.

She froze, then went a little limp in his hold. "So, what now?" As Batman slackened his grip, she wriggled free. "Should I expect GCPD's finest knocking on my door tomorrow?"

"Not if you stop breaking the law." Batman picked up the statuette Robin had left behind, turning it over in his hands.

"No dice. A girl's gotta eat," Catwoman declared.

"And your property portfolio in the Narrows won't allow that?"

She snorted. "If you know half as much as you claim, you'll know those slum blocks barely break even, what with all the repairs that need doing."

"Then why do you keep buying more every few months?"

"Do you know what it's like for the people living in those places?" she demanded. "Most of them can barely pay the rent, half-freeze in the winter, and don't get me started in the damp and disrepair. When I buy up, I drop the rent to something affordable and make sure the apartments are fit to live in. It might make me a return, in five years or so. But right now, the only ones who benefit are the tenants."

"So you steal to pay the repair bills?" Batman let a hint of amusement slip into his voice. Really, this was going better than he thought it would.

She shrugged. "You clean up the streets, I clean up the homes."

Batman nodded slowly. "Will you steal for anyone?" he asked.

"Not everyone, but most people. Why; want dirt on a client?"

"Dr Victor Fries," Batman said. "Commonly known as Mr Freeze."

"Never taken a job from him. Probably would if offered."

"He recently acquired plans for a new cold gun. It requires focusing diamonds. Diamonds recently stolen in a stick-up. I want them recovered."

Catwoman's eyes widened. "You're asking me to steal for you?"

"You can keep the diamonds. Sell them to a jeweller, make sure they're cut down, and I don't expect to see you thieving for the next four months."

She smirked. "And then you'll have a new job for me? You make me feel like a kept woman. But I usually require partial payment in advance."

Batman held up the statuette. "The police will receive an anonymous tip on the buyer-"

"Boss Thorne," Catwoman supplied.

A shadow passed over Batman's vision. Thorne had taken the place of the old mob families, but was a lot more subtle. "I'd rather you stole from him than for him," he muttered. "The tip will come next week. If you get traced from there, it's your lookout." He tossed her the statuette and pulled a computer disk from his belt. "This has all you'll need to recover the diamonds."

She slunk over and plucked the disk from his fingers. "This could be the start of a beautiful relationship," she murmured, ghosting her lips over his cheek, and disappearing into the night.

A beautiful relationship indeed.

AN: So, someone's getting some action... I'd like to point out that, unlike some other chapters, this doesn't have roots in any canon story, or at least not that I'm aware of. It's all me. By the way, the title is a shout-out to chapter 9 of Family Ties.

Next week, back to Family Ties, and poor Tim's adjusting to his new injuries. Also this week, an update to Black and Red. I'm also closing the poll today. Next week there will be another update to Little Bird's Vengeance. Fun fun fun.

So, there you will find me next week.

See ya.

Katara