Catgirl: Young Justice BOOK 2 (COMPLETE)

CHAPTER 50

|Gotham City
|December 25 2006, 07:02

"Katherine?" A small voice came from the door.

Katherine lifted her head to look at the caped figure standing in the doorway. Her vision was still blurred for the most part, but her head had cleared enough that she wasn't hallucinating anymore.

"You're awake." Dick moved closer to her, stepping into what little light was coming through the living room curtains, revealing his cape was just a blanket he'd taken down from his room.

Katherine gave him a soft smile and sat up a little, moving her legs so he could sit at the other end of the couch she'd taken up.

"Hehe." Dick giggled to himself as he sat at the other end of the couch.

Katherine rolled her eyes and lay her legs on his lap. "You're clingy, Birdy." She murmured, resting her head back on the arm of the chair. "What're you doing up this early anyway? Doesn't Bruce give you a day off today?"

"Yes, it's Christmas!" Dick excitedly told her, his bright smile soon fading, "I usually..."

Katherine felt the shift in his mood.

This was his first Christmas without his family.

She sighed and sat up to look at him properly. "Don't cry." She narrowed her eyes at his glazed ones, "If you cry, I'm out of here, k?"

"No crying." Dick wiped his eyes with his pyjama sleeve, "I'm not crying."

"Mhm." Katherine moved back a little to put some distance between them. She hesitated to talk, as she didn't know what to say, but eventually decided on, "You can't cry anyway, because it's Christmas, right?"

"Right." Dick weakly laughed, "And I do have a family; I have you."

"Yes...you do." Katherine managed a small smile back.

It'd been a while since she heard someone call her family and mean it..

Dick sniffed and wiped his eyes a final time, asking, "What does Bruce do for Christmas here anyways? Does Alfred make dinner?"

"No clue." Katherine shrugged, "I never stick around that long. Only reason I'm here today at all is because I got sick. I'm feeling better now so I'm getting out of here before he shows- if he shows at all."

"What?" Dick frowned as she got up from the couch, "Don't go!" He grabbed the sleeve of her catsuit, "Y-You can't go, you just got here!"

Katherine slipped her hand out his grip and made her way to the door, stating, "I said I was getting out here, never said you couldn't come with. Didn't the old man tell you to read into what people were saying?"

"Come...with?" Dick had already followed her out into the hall, where she'd stopped to get her bearings inside the giant manor.

"Yeah, why not?" Katherine pointed down the hallways, mumbling to herself, "Kitchen...dining...study- yes."

Dick chased after her as she ran down the 'study' hallway, squeaking as she grabbed his arm and pulled him into Bruce's empty study.

"Katherine!" He whispered, afraid there would be something inside the study that would alert Bruce they were inside it, had he not already been made aware. "We can't be in here! Bruce-!"

"Bruce just doesn't want you joyriding in The Batmobile while he's out." Katherine pushed away from him, jumping from where she was by the door, to the top of Bruce's desk, where she stood up and eyed the chandelier.

Dick had just got in trouble for doing what she was about to...or not.

Katherine kicked a button under the desk and jumped back down to the floor, pointing up at the chandelier on the way to the clock, muttering, "Bruce is already acrobat-proofing the place. That was top quality crystal last time I was here."