Gotham BatCat - On the edge of night

Plan B

So I got stuck...

Could you imagine that? A cat burglar with acrobatic flexibility, animal senses and unbelievable grace was stuck in this small window in the roof of this damn museum.

Well, things should have gone smoothly. I should have used the staff door that I used to enter. Something went wrong. A museum alarm went off though I already took the jewelry. How the hell did it go off?

I had to use plan B which looked good on the map. In reality it was a small window that wasn't big enough for a normal person. I managed to stick the head, then I managed to get one shoulder out, the second just didn't go. I pushed myself up really hard and bit my lip not to scream out of pain. I got the second shoulder out, alright, a dislocated shoulder that hurt so much that tears appeared in my eyes.

I tried to pull myself with one arm, but my leather jacket got caught on something. I pulled it harder, it started tearing my jacket, then it tore my shirt and got into my skin. I stopped. It wasn't as painful as the shoulder, but I didn't want to try my luck just yet.

I decided that I needed 2 minutes to prepare myself to more pulling when I heard some light footsteps. They were really light. If I had continued pulling myself out, I wouldn't have heard them.

There was no way I would have gotten out quickly enough so I've decided to wait.

The footsteps got closer and then figure shielded the view of the city.

"He-ey," I said carefully, "Can you give a girl a hand?"

There was no answer, but the figure got closer and then got on the knees before me. It appeared to be a man with a mask covering most of his face.

He was wearing all black, sort of armor, and he was closely examining my condition.

"Hmm...I think I've dislocated my shoulder and also something is on my back," I said a bit puzzled and getting frightened by his silence.

He carefully traced my back with his hand to the place where I was caught. I felt pressure for the slightest moment and then nothing was holding me.

He touched my right shoulder and, when I hissed, he quickly let it go and got to my unharmed hand. He lifted me up getting slightly under me. Our cheeks touched, my collarbones were next to his neck.

"What the hell..." I started saying, but heard his whisper.

"On three," it was barely hearable.

He didn't count. There was a first pull, then second and on three he pulled me out falling on his back with me over him. I've tried to stand up immediately, but one move with my right hand showed how bad this idea was. I felt awkward and embarrassed.

He was still silent. His hand wrapped around my waist and he pushed himself up in the sitting position.

Right then I understood that "awkward" didn't even start before: my thighs got wrapped around his and I still needed a second to push myself from his abdomen. My face must have been radiating red.

I could have got up, but his hand was still around my waist. There was not enough light for me to see his eyes. However, I felt that they were piercing through me.

He let me go and I quickly got up, but before I got going, his hands caught my hand by the wrist.

"Hey...thank you and everything, but I really need to go." - I started saying.

He pulled me closer and his other hand caught my right hand.

"Ahh," I couldn't keep the cry of pain when he touched it.

He put his right hand on my shoulder above dislocated arm.

"On three," he said again with some kind of distortion in his voice.

I got what he was going to do, but I totally wasn't ready.

"No...please...."

There was no "three". He pulled in sharply on "one" and I heard my muffled cry. It was muffled because at the same time he pushed me to himself. My scream got into his shoulder. No one would have heard it.

He let go with my other hand and slowly started pulling his hand out of my hair. I turned my face to him finally meeting his eyes. They were dark without any light in them, but he seemed to look concerned. I didn't push away quickly feeling that I know him.

The closeness bothered me, of course, but it was somehow warm and ...safe. There was a feeling of security, washing over me.

"Who are you?" I whispered.

He smiled, but before I was able to understand why this smile was so familiar, he pulled away getting my purse with him.

"Hey!" I've cried offended being ready to run for him.

There was a noise from the stairs to the cellar. It seems that police finally decided to check the roof.

"Crap!" I cursed and sprinted to the closest roof on the other side.

***

I was relieved when I saw her running away. I jumped to the roof of the nearby building with her purse secure in my hand.

I was sure that she didn't recognize me. However, keeping silence was quite difficult. I would need to talk to Alfred about disguise for my voice.

I needed to stop smiling, but I forgot how it felt being close to her. I forgot how she smelled, how her brows were getting together when she was angry, how vulnerable she can be... Well, the latest wasn't that good actually. Who knows what other danger she may meet on the rooftops of Gotham?

I took the fire exit elaborating briefly on how I would return her gain to the museum.

Selina would have been furious if she knew that I had messed up her heist.

I've remembered the expression on her face. She seemed angry and.. embarrassed. That didn't seem like her, but wasn't I different as well?

I had a feeling that we were ought to figure it out soon enough...