The Many Loves of Batman

Predators of the Night (Rosabelle Mendez, aka Pantha)

*KNOCK*

"Pizza!" She narrowed her eyes at the door, ignoring the glee that was coming from her son's squeaky voice. She glanced at the clock that was on the wall, her eyes focused on the time that it was marking. It was way too late, no one should be awake at this hour of the night. She had suspicions about whether it could be a friendly or unfriendly face. She tensed at the mere thought of it being someone that was here to hurt them. She had escaped that life for a reason.

"Wildee, I didn't order any food" She stood up, preparing herself for the worst. Her tail was tens, standing upright and defying gravity itself. She knew that it were her instincts as a mother, her claws extending ever so slightly at the thought of villains attacking her home. She knew that staying in Gotham was a bad pick for her, but no other city would have accepted freaks like them. No one wanted to be around a pair of metahumans with feline characteristics.

"So, I close my room until you tell me to?" She smiled at her son's immediate question. She glanced at him, showing her son the smile she had on her face. He may not be her biological son, but it was all the family she had left. Especially since an unstable Superboy killed Red Star, whom she was slowly falling in love with. It was also one of the reasons as to why she chose Gotham over Metropolis in the first place. She definitely did not want to deal with anyone related to the one who killed her chance at being able to form a family.

"Good boy" She caressed her son's feline ear, earning her a purr from Wildee Mendez. She hoped that everything would be alright, even as she saw her son rushing away into his room and locking it from the inside. As soon as she did not see him any longer, she narrowed her eyes at the door. She took careful steps towards the door, her cat pads helping her move as silently as possible. She needed to solve whichever problem this may be once and for all, not wanting her son to suffer from anything if she could help it. So she grabbed the doorknob, twisting it fully without any hesitation. "Listen... It's late and-"

She stopped talking, her throat almost tightening fully just as she realized who had arrived at her home unannounced. She saw the dark, impenetrable kevlar armor that the Dark Knight would always wear. She was quite surprised to see him without his cowl, which only confused her even further as she realized that it was the man she had flirted with at one of the galas she had been invited to. Bruce Wayne looked at her with such eyes that it made her tail softly swing left and right.

"B-Bruce?" She asked, her voice quivering slightly. She didn't really know what to expect from him. It was surreal, her heart throbbing against her chest as she quite clearly remembers the time that she licked some food from his cheek at the gala. She felt embarrassed about doing such scandalous actions where everyone could see them, but most of the guests had guessed that it was because of her feline instincts. Thankfully, those words were able to slightly cover her mishap. "W-What are you doing here?"

"Is good to see you, Rosa" Rosabelle Mendez just blushed slightly, thankful for her fur that was covering her entire face. He came looking for her, which only made her heart throb at an accelerated rate. She had come face to face with the man before but never would have she ever expected for the man to be Batman as well. "I just..." She noticed just how words were escaping from his mind. She stayed quiet, wanting to see just what he had to say to her that it couldn't even wait for the following day. It made her curious, her cat-like instincts being more prominent at this very moment. "I wanted to apologize, for all the suffering you have been through" She created a sad smile on her dark tainted lips, her heart pulsing wildly for the man. He didn't need to do so, it was because of him that she was safe with her son in Gotham. She also was able to have one of the best nights of her life since Red Star's death, and it was all because of him. "I never should have dismissed you the way I did"

She was left speechless, remembering the last moments of the gala. She couldn't even blame him, she had been very drunk that night. She let her needs get the best of her, to try and find someone that could replace the void that had been left. She tried to overstep her mark, going far enough that the farewell turned sour from her actions. She was not proud of that moment, she still had nightmares from that day. Yet even when all was said and done, she was really wanting to hear what he really had on his mind. Her tail swayed at a faster rate, imitating the quickness of the beats of her heart.

"You didn't deserve to be treated like that, you deserve more" Her heart skipped a beat as soon as she noticed the bouquet of purple flowers right in his hand. He had extended the bouquet towards her, her hands shakily grabbing the flowers in her grasp. She smelled the flowers, her mind relaxing even for the faintest of moments. She just smiled at the man in front of her, her heart aching at the feelings that she was letting surface once again. "Once again, I'm so-"

She didn't let him finish, the space between the two becoming null as she kissed him straight on his lips. Some may call her crazy, letting someone as dangerous as the Dark Knight into her life. Telling her that she was not acting rationally, that it was not a good idea. But she didn't care, he was the one who had filled the void in her heart. A void that had been filled for a long time, yet she kept ignoring it because she had her son in her life. But now she could have both, and she was more than happy to have these two treasures in her grasp. She slowly separated herself from him, a hand on the bouquet while the other imprisoned his wrist.

"Wildee! You might want to come out of your room!" She yelled, excited for her son to meet Batman. She couldn't imagine the reaction that Wildee would have to seeing the Dark Knight. But she was happy, her heart finally feeling at peace. Her instinct had already decided who she wanted to be with, even if she had ignored those feelings for quite some time. She sometimes loses the balance between her feline part and her human part. But she didn't care, she was happy and that was all that mattered at this moment.