Author's Note: And we are back. I know you all have been waiting for this chapter since last week. Things didn't work out on Friday, but the normal schedule for posting is back on track right now. Without further ado, enjoy.
What Fun It is to Ride and Sing
There was always a rooftop access, especially when you had something on the roof that needed to be reached. Usually, that was for A/C units or repair on the roof. Word to the wise, do not make your roof flat; it allowed water to collect up there and this was worsened if a ledge was added. Given enough time, that water would leak through and then you had water problems inside the building.
This building's access was a ladder at the back. Close to a corner, it had some distance from the one open backdoor that Gordon was aware of. Getting to the ladder was a bit of a problem as its start was several feet in the air. You needed a special pole to slide it down, and take a wild guess where such a pole might be. The former commissioner did his best to find anything sturdy around to stack up and give him some needed height.
A risky jump, also slipping as his grip on the bottommost rung was not secure, and using all of his strength to pull up had him climbing the ladder though he was panting like a dog. Damn, he was too old for this shit. Younger generation should be left to this.
Finally, he pulled himself over the rooftop ledge and took a few minutes to catch his breath. He could see his own breath fume out of his own mouth, no help from cigarettes needed. Then, getting onto his own feet, he trekked ahead to what might be a rooftop window. There were three outcroppings if you will, glass tilted diagonally to form a basic tent shape. These were probably made to let the sun shine in, though more than likely it was an obvious way to spy on employees hiding in the back.
Thanks to the winter weather, snow coated the glass. With his arm, he dislodged some of it then almost groaned as the now uncovered glass revealed itself to be fogged over. However, that was an indication that it was warm inside. It had been for some time. There had to be something here.
With a little more care because he didn't want to accidentally cause any squeaking, he rubbed away some of the fog then peered through the clear glass. There was a lot of space below, but that was to the relics of this building's past being moved to a side. There was a table down there, one complete with chairs and a desk lamp. Was that a desk lamp? Regardless, there was some kind of paper or parchment spread out on the table but from this height, Gordon could not make any sense of it.
There, though, there was Mugsy and his friend. The two were standing there, appearing comfortable and relaxed. And…right there, a large man that could only be Rhino. Mugsy and Rhino were like peas in a pod; where you found one, you found the other. If he narrowed his eyes, he could always make out the small movements of the heads, indicating when they were speaking.
Then the glass began to fog over again, and once more he wiped it away. This might become a problem, but for now he would deal with it.
Still…
It was a thought, one that he put into action. He slipped out his phone and turned it on. Oh right, had to put in a code that Barbara insisted he have. Movements were automatic putting it in, then he was faced with the menu and all of the little apps on it. Which one was the camera again? Wait, couldn't he have slid his finger to the left and automatically pulled that feature up?
There, second from the top and at the left, the camera app. Practically stabbing at the icon with a finger, when nothing changed, Gordon brought his hand to his mouth and put his finger in the orifice. Clasping teeth down, he pulled his hand away and removed the glove that he had been wearing. Now with human skin pressing against the touchscreen—there we go! The image on the phone changed and now he had the camera working.
Needing to wipe away the fog on the window once more, Gordon began taking pictures, grateful that he had had Barbara disable the flash feature—if there was one—a long time ago. There was no need to give himself away thanks to a flash.
Three individuals, none were looking up which was both good and bad. Good because it made it less likely any of them would know he was watching them. For all intents and purposes, he would be trapped up here if they did know and it would take them less time to run out here than for him to get to the ladder and climb down. It was bad because he couldn't get facial IDs on any of them. He could claim which one was which, but without a face to match, it would only be on his own word.
The relaxed atmosphere down there changed. It was sudden and abrupt, and it had Gordon on edge. There was another person in there, walking into sight. From up here, all he could tell was that it was someone in black. Looking to his phone, he attempted to try and zoom in with it. Had to switch hands when it didn't work as fast as he wanted it. Okay, not the best picture but he could make out that this man in black was holding something in his arms.
The former cop almost jumped as he heard a loud, booming voice. He couldn't make out what the words were, but he knew someone was speaking. Had one of those natural booming voices that carried over long distances.
Hold on, the glass was fogging again. Wiping it away, Gordon tried to peer down and make out what he could see. This time he was better able to make out what the man in black was holding and his eyes widened slightly. What the hell?
At this point, he wished he had some kind of listening equipment, or another kind of camera. He was witnessing something. Wait, the phone. What was it able to make out?
Again, not the best quality, but with that last wiping of the glass, the image he had last recorded had the best it could get. This time, his eyes widened larger than they ever had.
What on earth was this?
This was getting tiresome. Somehow, Catwoman was able to evade everything that had been thrown at her. Trying to lead her to an ambush point hadn't worked. Trying to box her in hadn't worked.
And now, from a corner of a building, Bluebird fired her taser rifle over and over, trying to pin the thief down. Blasts of electricity sizzled through the air, striking the ground and sides of buildings, leaving singe marks where the blasts had struck.
Yet, Catwoman dodged, darted from side to side, flipped, and even bounced off of walls to avoid these attacks. The entire time, she had a coy smile on her face, as if she were enjoying this.
It was getting frustrating.
Even now, the burglar was climbing up a wall, swinging from side to side as she used her whip to help with the climb. The swinging was because of Bluebird as she would fire her taser rifle, only to hit the wall where Catwoman had been. It was almost as if she expected the blast to come and was a step ahead.
At the very least, Batgirl knew where Catwoman was going. Clearly she was trying to get to the top of the building she was climbing, so she would just meet her there. Grappling her way up the building, she reached the roof and went right for the corner she knew Catwoman would emerge.
Appear she did; however, the burglar immediately planted her feet on the roof's ledge before she flung herself backwards, going into a backflip. She flipped over the alleyway and landed on the building across it. She had her whip coiled in her hand, which she raised up and gave a mocking salute to the girl.
Alright, she had had enough.
Before she could even move, however, something shot through the air and struck the ground by Catwoman's feet. This caused her to jump, spinning around as she searched the rooftop she was on.
Batgirl only paused long enough to discover the object sticking out of the roof was the shaft of an arrow. She then joined Catwoman in searching for the source and found Huntress standing out in the open, casually reloading her crossbow.
Oh great, the Birds of Prey were here.
Seeing multiple energy blasts was a rather eye catching sight. After watching it for a few minutes, the Birds had decided to go check it out. What they found was the Batclan trying to capture a lone woman, one Huntress faintly recalled as being Catwoman. Her only exposure had been a short meeting after the burning of Robinson Park and a confrontation while tailing a disguised Batman, so you had to forgive her for not knowing this lady's name.
"Well, I see I got someone's attention," Catwoman remarked. "I might have to actually try now."
"You got someone's attention alright," Huntress agreed as she finished reloading her crossbow. She then took aim.
Catwoman then darted to her side, beginning to run, but then immediately came to a stop. Standing in her path was Black Canary, her arms crossed over her chest, giving the woman an expectant look.
Then, just to add a little more pressure. Katana appeared on the ledge next to Catwoman, crouching on it as she balanced on the balls of her feet.
Manhunter wasn't here tonight. She was currently seeking mental help, so she was effectively grounded. The Birds were a three-woman team for now.
The Batclan arrived on the roof shortly after, filling in the gaps between the three women. Batgirl positioned herself behind Catwoman, cutting off the retreat there. Next to her was a boy in red and gray. If it wasn't for his hair, Huntress wouldn't have recognized the Son of Batman. His position put him between Batgirl and Huntress.
Then, between the purple-clad woman and Canary, Bluebird and Spoiler appeared, the former holding the barrel of her taser rifle straight up in the air, the latter with a couple of batarangs in hand.
Yet, Catwoman didn't look the least bit perturbed. She was surrounded on all sides, and she was just amused.
"Give yourself up," Batgirl demanded them. "You are surrounded."
"Or am I?" Suddenly, Catwoman took off running, heading right for Son of Batman. She must have thought he was the weak link in their perimeter and she wouldn't have been wrong.
Son of Batman readied himself, holding his fists up. Huntress followed the famous burglar with her crossbow, just waiting for the right moment to fire…
And then Batgirl deliberately slid in front of the boy, who yelped out in anger. Whipping out one arm, she threw a batarang at the charging woman.
Catwoman's response was either perfectly timed, or just a huge heap of luck. She never broke stride, her arms pumping at her sides, one going up as the other dropped down to her side. Her whip-holding arm was rising just in time for her to use the weapon to block the bat-shaped shuriken, literally punching her whip-filled hand at it. She knocked the batarang right out of the air, then promptly swung her arm out, releasing the coils of whip out of her hand save for its handle.
Huntress' eyes widened as she saw the end of the whip heading her way, snapping at her. In response, she backed up a step, pulling her crossbow back and pointing it up into the air so that it wasn't accidentally discharged.
Then, Catwoman swung her arm back, her feet skidding across the roof as she slowed to a stop. The whip swung through the air, heading right for Batgirl, who ducked down and lunged forward to avoid it, while closing in on the burglar.
However, it became clear that Batgirl hadn't been the target of the whip. No, that honor went to Son of Batman, the whip striking and then wrapping around his raised arm. Grabbing onto the handle of the whip with both hands, Catwoman then yanked it towards her with all of her strength, yanking the boy off of his feet and sending him flying towards her.
Or rather, he went flying right into Batgirl's back, and knocked her right off of her feet. The two children went crashing to the ground, one landing on top of the other.
Now that, Huntress had to admit, was impressive.
Katana then sprung off of the ledge she had been crouched on, launching herself towards Catwoman. The woman had spun to one side to avoid the pile of body parts Batgirl and Son of Batman had become, which turned her profile to the approaching Asian woman. With a flick of her wrist, her whip freed itself from Son of Batman's arm, returning to the cat burglar as a mass of coils to her hand.
However, she had caught sight of Katana's approach. For a moment, Huntress thought Catwoman would use her whip to deter her new opponent, but instead she darted right towards her. No, not right at her, but just off to the side. Katana blew right past the woman, leaning to one side as she skidded to a stop on one foot, twisting her body to keep Catwoman in front of her.
Katana then lunged at her foe, throwing a fist. Catwoman just bobbed to one side, then weaved to the other as Katana threw a second punch. The two seemed to settle into this pattern, Catwoman darted from side to side, avoiding each punch and kick Katana sent her way.
Huntress pointed her crossbow again, waiting for a shot. Out of her eye, she spotted Bluebird doing the same, the blue-haired girl swaying the barrel of her taser rifle back and forth.
It was then she realized what was really going on. Catwoman had Katana between her and Bluebird, making certain the younger girl couldn't fire without hitting the Asian woman. How the hell was this thief this many steps ahead?!
"Katana!" Huntress barked. "Drop so Bluebird can fire!"
Immediately, Katana did as she was told, abruptly dropping down to the ground, using her hands to catch herself as if she were doing a pushup. Immediately, Bluebird fired her taser rifle, the blast of electricity rapidly closing in on Catwoman.
Who turned into a literal Matrix stunt. Catwoman threw herself backward, leaning back as far as she could while keeping her feet on the ground. The electrical blast flew right over her, crackling, but not hitting the woman.
The moment the blast passed by, Catwoman flung herself forward, both of her hands moving above her head to clasp each other, the handle of her whip clutched between them. At the same time, Katana pushed herself back onto her feet.
Which was just in time for Catwoman to throw her jackhammer blow, and land it and the butt of her whip against Katana's face. The Asian woman cried out as she stumbled backwards from the blow.
Huntress grimaced, then gritted her teeth. It was becoming very apparent that perhaps using long-distance weapons were a hazard to them all. Catwoman was using the close-range fighters as protection, then timing her counterattacks as her opponent finished dodging the long-range attack.
Tossing her crossbow to one side, Huntress pulled out her bo staff, striking the switch that caused both ends to extend out from its base. Canary seemed to have the same idea as she went charging in at Catwoman's side. Huntress would do her best to keep the burglar's attention on her in that case.
Letting out a war cry, Huntress charged in, immediately drawing her foe's attention. Perfect. The moment she was within striking distance, she jabbed one end of her staff, to which Catwoman avoided as she darted to one side. Undeterred, Huntress repeatedly jabbed the staff's end, trying to hit the woman's face.
Catwoman just kept dodging, oblivious to Canary damn near being on top of her. The blonde woman leapt into the air, leaning backwards she swung her leg to land a kick.
Suddenly, as Catwoman dodged yet another staff jab, one of her hands shot up, her palm striking the side of the staff and pushing it to one side. She slid to one side as well. This allowed her to completely evade Canary's kick, but not Huntress' staff. Canary's foot actually kicked the staff, which forced it back to Huntress, smacking her in the face.
"Gyah!" Huntress yelled as she stumbled back a few steps, gripping her face with one hand.
"Sorry!" Canary cried out apologetically the moment she landed on the ground.
That proved to be a mistake. Catwoman had dropped to the ground, swinging both of her legs out from beneath her. She kicked out Canary's legs from underneath her, sending the blonde vigilante falling backwards, her eyes wide with surprise. She ended up hitting the raised ledge to the roof, her back and the back of her head hitting the brick that it was made of. A cry of pain left the woman's lips as she ended up landing on her bottom, slumped against the ledge as she grabbed the back of her head with both hands.
By then, Catwoman was back on her feet, springing into a series of flips. Not certain what she was up to, Huntress slid out of the woman's' way, only realizing as she passed by that she had flipped her way out of the perimeter the Birds of Prey and Batclan had formed around her. She ended up on her feet, holding both of her hands up like a gymnast, a pleased smirk on her face.
"Anyone else what to give it a shot?" she challenged, her eyes flicking from Huntress, to Katana, who had positioned herself between the burglar and Bluebird and Spoiler. She even eyed Batgirl and Son of Batman as the two struggled against each other to get up on their feet.
So that was naturally when a shadow fell over the woman. She paused for a second, lowering her arms to her sides, and then turning around.
Looking herself, Huntress spotted Batman standing on top of the nearby roof access, seemingly lording over the rooftop filled with women and Son of Batman. "I think I'll try," was all he said.
She was panting, practically vacuuming up the air around her, but it had been a long time since Catwoman had felt this good.
This alive.
Pursued. Outnumbered. Outmatched you could say. But it was always so easy to use others against themselves. It was how she evened the playing field growing up. How she stayed on her toes. Always one step ahead.
This was marvelous. Fabulous. Addicting.
And it wasn't over. Oh no. She had had her fun with the kiddos and the grown-up babysitters. It had been enjoyable. Kept her on that adrenaline high. Yet, the main course had delivered itself.
He stood above them, looking down on all of them. Batman. The last time she had seen that look from him…had it been that long? Wrecking one of Max's stores and there he was. Oh, and the museum, the same one from the last time. The same look, the same intensity. Already she could tell the rest were relaxing, believing he had it in hand.
A moment of weakness like this? Don't tempt her. Alright, you know what, she was tempted.
Muscles that were burning from exertion tensed and then uncoiled. The thief launched herself into action. Realizing their mistake of lowering their guards, the groupies attempted to close off escape, but it was too late.
There had been a gap between the girl with the lightning bolt rifle, and the girl in the purple hood and cape. Names didn't really matter, especially if they stood in her way. The one with the rifle tried to make herself into an obstacle, the barrel of her weapon aiming at her, but the cat burglar adjusted enough that she was heading for a head-on collision with the one in the hood.
A teenager, and one that was bringing up her hands to grab her, even if it was to slow her down. Catwoman clasped onto the teen's hands, then slipped down to the wrists. Yanking her arms out, the thinner girl's arms followed, blue eyes widening over the face mask. Bending, Catwoman pushed her shoulder into the teen's stomach then unbent her knees. This lifted the hood-wearing girl up and it took a twisting of her torso to throw the teenager over her and right into the other girl.
A shadow fell over the thief, but she was already making her next move. Again, she ran towards one of the other vigilantes, the one that had fired an arrow at her with…had it been a crossbow? Yes, a crossbow, and now she was holding a staff. Well, the cat burglar leapt, keeping her feet in front of her which had the purple vigilante holding up the staff.
Using it as a springboard, Catwoman once more changed her trajectory, one that had her going over the ledge of the building and soon the drop to the street below.
Something fired, a hissing sound following. She twisted her body then reached out to snag the grappling hook that had been shot to try and grab her. With a smirk, she became deadweight, and what do you know, it seems like the big, bad Batman hadn't been expecting that. Part of the man peered over the edge before he regained his balance, making himself into an unsuspecting fulcrum for the grapple cable.
Her fall turned into a swing, and then booted feet landed against the side of the building. Holding on tightly to the taut line, she began running, going to her left. She was curving upwards and as she was getting closer to the rooftop, she let go of the line and leapt once more, throwing out her whip to catch on to the nearest anchor point. The thief swung once more, giving a familiar jerk of her arm to dislodge her whip only to throw it forth again. Another swing and then another rooftop.
Looking over her shoulder, she only felt more excitement as she saw him coming after her. That cape of his was keeping Batman aloft, gliding to her latest landing. Not bothering to wait, Catwoman broke into a sprint, making it to the next ledge and jumping to the next building. She could hear him closing in, the way that cape was flapping in the wind.
When it felt like his breath was practically on the back of her neck, the burglar took a sharp left, losing only a little speed but making up for it as she reached what might have been a dead end. A jump, one that seemed to carry her over a vast expanse with the street far below acting like a canyon. Falling began, but not for long as she knew where she was heading next.
It was a large building, practically a cathedral, and one that had a prominent clock at its top. She was nearing the clock face, passing by the Roman numeral of twelve, then the clock hands, then the numeral of six, and finally the narrow ledge under the clock. You would be surprised to know how many times she knew this fall, had done it enough times that she knew to bend the knees and throw her hands outwards to push against the building itself. She threw herself to the right, almost stumbling but regaining her balance easily.
Something heavy landed behind her, another look to confirm that Batman hadn't lost her yet. He was slower to recover, though, but he was breaking out into a sprint himself despite the narrowness of this ledge.
Look ahead and keep it up. Take the next corner, definitely some space to maneuver. The buildings' much larger roof was an expanse compared to the ledge. The observation had to stop because she could hear them cutting through the air. Combining a spin with a jump, she threaded the needle that were the two bat-shaped throwing objects that had been thrown her way. One continued off into the distance while the other came to a stop into the brick and mortar that made up the side of the clock.
In retaliation, she snapped her whip at her pursuer, a move that slowed him down, that natural reflex to jerk back from something going for your face making dividends. Spinning on her heels, she continued with the sprint, heavy footsteps pounding after her. Once more she made it to the ledge, and again she leapt off without hesitation.
The chasm below rushed up to her and she didn't quite make it to the next building. Not a problem; again another leap she had done many times. Her whip cracked out, aimed for a flagpole and wrapped onto it. Down she went only for her arms to go over her head and then she was swinging upwards, a fall becoming a rise. This momentum carried her over and up and this time she had the ledge, recalling her whip.
Another look, and he was gliding again. Another smirk, resume the chase.
Her heart pounded in her chest, her muscles were burning and begging to stop, and every breath was deeper than the last. So exhilarating. Let's keep this up.
Again and again, Catwoman maintained the lead, Batman getting close only to fall behind time and again. He tried a few of his toys, a bola for one, but honestly, you'd think that would be something obvious. More of those bat…ah, batarangs were thrown, a miss every time. Alley after alley passed by, and there seemed to be no end in sight.
Then they entered some of the older parts of the city, where the rooftops were more slanted, more shingled, so much more Gothic compared to the newer parts. Snow built up here, and threw it she ran, leaving footprints behind.
Taking a right, and then another sharp left, she found herself reaching two buildings that were built close to one another. A spite house, a house built for the sole purpose of pissing off someone. These buildings tended to be really thin, or oddly constructed to fit in some of the narrowest spaces imaginable just to stake a claim to land.
One of these two buildings had to be a spite house. There was this space between them that was perhaps a foot, a foot and a half wide. It would be a tight fit, but angling her body was not too much of an ask. And it indeed was a tight fit, the leather of her outfit scraping against the bricks on either side of herself.
Several feet in and there was a crashing thud behind her. Another look back and what do you know, Batman couldn't fit in. Oh, he tried, but that armor he wore was a bit too bulky to squeeze in. A rare miscalculation for him. How funny.
Keep going. As much as this stopped Batman in his tracks, it also slowed her down. Go, go, go, and get to the other end. Do so before he got there.
No, no, he would beat her there. Already he had pulled back and vanished. Up then. While he got to the other end, she'd get back onto a roof and make for another turn in this chase. Planting one hand on the building in front of her and the other hand on the one behind her, Catwoman pushed up, using the toes of her boots to purchase leverage in the thin gaps between each and every brick.
The scramble upwards felt like it took too long, but she got out just as Batman backtracked. Must have realized what she was up to. The roof that was in front of her was slanted and with shingles, not ideal, but it would have to do. Once her feet were up top, it was a little tough dealing with the slant and how it was slippery. Melted snow could always serve as a complication.
Batman also had to deal with the slick, but he was gaining. Still she reached the narrow top and then she started to slide. The whip was cast out once more, latched on to another anchor point and she was climbing again. A grapple hook passed by, guess who was closing in.
Practically feet away, but it wasn't over yet. A mad dash to the next jump.
A dash that encountered ice.
Just like that. Just like that did she slip forward, carried off of this rooftop by momentum alone. This fall was out of her control and everything below was rushing up. She had to—she needed to—
An arm wrapped around her torso, then she was jerked forward. Two bodies slammed down onto a slanted surface, there was a little sliding, but not by much. A flat surface greeted her feet, and then a larger body pinned down onto hers. Powerful hands clamped down on her shoulders, and above a panting yet glowering Batman glared.
Huh.
Panting, and with it came heated air that took the form of smoke came out of their mouths. The coldness of the surface under her seeped through her costume to try and invade her body. So, this was how the chase ended.
The fun, however, was not.
It had been awhile since Batman felt this exhausted. It was difficult to catch his breath, so he was open-mouth panting. Below him, Catwoman was doing the same thing, her eyes languid, bemused. Their chests rose and fell rapidly as they breathed all over each other.
The vigilante had both of her wrists in his hands, pinning them down to the roof beneath them. He was on top of her, his legs straddling one of hers. Her other leg was next to him, bent at the knee.
Yet, he couldn't look away. Despite her trying to catch her breath, he could see the upturned corner of her mouth, meaning she would have been smiling had she not been gasping for air. She had been enjoying this.
"What are you up to?" Batman couldn't help but question as he began to regain his breath.
"Just…a little fun," the thief responded coyly.
"Running across rooftops is…fun for you?"
"Whenever there's a chase. A girl…has to have her fun somehow."
Batman raised an eyebrow. "For which you had to steal something to do?"
"How else was I supposed to get your attention?" she returned evenly.
"Well, you got it."
By now, both of them had recovered enough that they were now breathing through their noses. As he expected, Catwoman was smiling. As for him, he was emotionless as stone. He just stared down at the woman.
"And didn't you find it fun too?" she then asked him. "The thrill of the chase? The victory of capture?"
Admittedly, he did feel that a little, not that he would tell her. "And what about your fight with the others?"
"An appetizer to the main course."
Suddenly, she raised her head, drawing her face closer to his. "You know, we have a tradition to uphold."
"A tradition?" he repeated.
"Oh yes. We were interrupted under the mistletoe last time." Her voice dropped into a husky tone. "This time we won't be."
"There isn't any mistletoe here," he pointed out.
"Are you certain? Why don't you take a look?"
Against his better judgment, Batman did turn his head and looked above them. Wouldn't you know it, there was some mistletoe tied to a nearby powerline. They were directly underneath it, but it was there.
So when he looked back down at Catwoman, she had closed the remaining distance between them and pressed her lips to his. He half-expected it to be a quick, chaste one, but the thief clearly had other ideas as she pressed her lips more against his, spreading them open slightly.
For whatever reason, he began to respond. He wasn't certain if it was instinct, or what, but he leaned towards her, deepening the kiss. Her bent leg began to rub up against his side, sliding over his hip as if to draw him bodily closer, only to drag it back down and then repeat it again. His grip on one of her wrists loosened, which she immediately took advantage of, moving her hand to caress the side of his face. His free hand dropped down, caressing her side and stopping at the swell of her hip. The sounds of their lips smacking against each other was all they could hear.
And then it was over. Catwoman drew her head back, her eyes alight from the thrill. She purred as she stared up at him, her hands falling from his head and dropping to their sides. "I think the wait was worth it," she said.
"Does that satisfy tradition?" he quipped.
"Oh yes, it most certainly does." A smirk then appeared on her face. "That just leaves one last thing."
Before the dark-clad man could ask what she meant, her free arm was moving, drawing his attention. In her hand was a statuette, the very one that she must have stolen from the museum. "Your prize," she told him simply.
Then she wrapped her arm around him so that the statuette pressed against his back. The reason for this quickly became apparent as she flung her arm back out, letting go of the statuette and sending it sailing through the air.
Immediately, Batman pulled away, staring at the statuette as it flipped end over end through the air. He instantly realized it was going to go over the edge of the roof, falling down to the ground far below. A priceless artifact that could not be replicated in this era, gone in a shower of shards and pieces.
The vigilante pulled away from Catwoman and gave chase. Feet pounded on the roof, crushing the snow as he raced for the ledge. He leapt the remaining distance, reaching out with both hands, and caught the artifact.
However, he had thrown himself over the edge of the roof and gravity was now pushing down on him. Pulling the statuette into his body, he held it tightly with one hand as he reached his other out towards the roof. He was able to grab onto the edge, which caused his body to swing and slam into the side of the building. He grunted from the collision, but he held on tight to both the ledge and the statuette.
Then, he gritted his teeth and began to pull himself up with his one arm. The muscles in his arm burned and screamed, but as soon as he could, he twisted his body to face the building and moved his artifact-holding arm up until he could rest it on top, statue and all. Soon, he had both arms resting on the roof's edge, his body and legs dangling below.
This gave him the sight of Catwoman on the other side of the building. She stood there, waiting, as if she expected him to reappear as he was. "We need to do this again!" she called out. "And next time, I may give you something better than a kiss!"
Then, she turned away and vanished over the edge of the building.
For a moment, Batman just stared before he grunted and pulled the rest of himself up onto the roof. He ended up laying there, again to catch his breath, but it wasn't as hard as earlier.
Then he heard a beeping in his cowl. Great, someone was trying to call him. Raising a hand up, he pressed it against the side of his cowl. "Batman," he grunted.
"Good, it worked," a familiar voice responded. "This is Gordon. We need to meet A.S.A.P."
The urgency he heard in the former commissioner's voice immediately got his attention. "I'm enroute."
