Batman and Catwoman: Family Mystery

Part 19: Welcome Back

(C.U)

It was beginning to be fun, living a civilian life, or at least it was when you were doing what you loved. Running a gallery fitted Selina so well she could to it in her sleep. Patronage from Wayne Enterprise wasn't bad either; brought in high end customers that kept her plenty busy.

When not stuck in the gallery, Selina was finding herself immersing with upper class society at charity events, auctions, or high tea. She even hit upper end clubs with her new girlfriends some nights.

Selina didn't often have the time or energy to go out as Catwoman, not that it was much fun without Batman around. The knight had gone national, finding other supers around the country to work with. Nightwing was active in Gotham still, and he was much more of a people person than his mentor.

Soon enough, her claws started itching to let out and she missed her old life. With or without the Batman, Selina Kyle was a cat burglar and tonight she was going to hunt.

Letting her assistant Mavin off for the night, Selina took a ride back down to her old apartment. Mavin knew her secret, but the girl's own passion for animal welfare put them on the same side.

Jen was going to be out of town for a month, so it was going to be just her and Isis tonight. 20 minutes after leaving her new place, Selina stood before the doorstep of her old one. Isis could barely wait till the door pushed in, reflecting Selina's own emotions.

"Welcome home, baby." Selina said to her pet as she tossed the keys away, and the feline situated herself in her old cat bed.

Selina skipped her own bed and head straight to her bolted closet. Couldn't leave stuff like this just hanging around. She undid the lock and opened aside the door, her jumpsuit staring back at her. Like a reflection. Drawing her nails down the zipper in the middle, she smirked.

"Miss me, darlin'?"

8 minutes in and Catwoman was ready to head out. Goggles on, zipper down, boots up. Shaking out her whip, Selina head out to the balcony and Isis jumped onto her shoulder.

"Cat's out to play tonight, baby!" She smirked to her old cat and leaped out her window.

🚁

The police helicopter patrolled the skies, half-assedly, cause they didn't see the cat burglar scaling a high rise in the West End. The brick and mortar made it easy to simply dig her claws in to climb. These modern day scrapers with their fancy panels posed an extra challenge, but of course nothing could keep her out if she set her mind to it.

Whipping her whip out ahead of her, she lassoed it around a spike and used a swinging momentum to bring herself on the ledge, looking right into a sleeping old lady's room.

Catwoman peered into the tinted window with her goggles and ogled the bejeweled necklace on display. The goggles also picked up the security lasers, which Isis could see as well. While training herself over the last decade or so, Selina also paid attention to training Isis.

Most times, it was Selina the thief and Isis the accomplice, but sometimes it was the other way around. Ha! What were they gonna do, arrest a cat?

Catwoman used her tactically sharp claws to cut a circle big enough for Isis to get through. She tapped it inward and caught it before the glass could fall and break.

"Now, Isis my sweet."

The agile feline slipped in and hopped past the lasers to get to the precious necklace. Isis sat on the neighboring counter, eyeing her prize. Then, in one swift leap, she caught the necklace and went over the lasers, running noiselessly back to Catwoman.

"Purrfect, my love. Let's go home." Selina gave her pet a snuggle as a reward and leapt off home.

"So, our cat burglar's back in action." The shadow on the roof receded into the darkness.

Catwoman scaled back down the building, and for a moment she could have sworn something flew by her, but then again cautiously continued her trail down till she jumped off on the ground. Her feet echoed and she snapped behind her to the alley, but then smirked when she saw no one.

"Probably my imagination." Selina said to herself with a shake of her head.

"Probably not."

Isis's yowl was not what made her heart skip a beat.

Batman stepped up into the light, his cape framing his new suit.

He was back! And what a night for him to be back on! It's like if they were in sync. Selina wanted to throttle him, question him where he'd been this whole time. Why he'd abandoned their game. Abandoned her. But Catwoman decided against it. Instead, she sauntered up to him, without a hint that she'd missed him, and let her claws explore his new suit.

"Magnificent."

"I suggest you save the flattery for the warden." He quipped as he began to stalk her way.

Catwoman had no interest being caught that easy and started running, leaving Batman behind. She lassoed her whip around a street lamp and swung herself on an awning and made her way to the roof of another building. Looking back to where she began, she smiled at her victory and blew him a kiss.

"So long, Dark Knight."

"Drop in, anytime."

Selina gasped and turned behind her to see Bats standing leaning against the exit, as if he'd been waiting for her. Catwoman smiled and laughed as she collected herself.

"You're too kind."

With Isis off her shoulders, Catwoman started running, and this time he followed. They played cat and mouse across many rooftops till she decided to go down the fire escape. Selina jumped each stair case one at a time. She was getting excited, having beat him, but then he landed ahead of her, having jumped down the entire building in one fall.

Catwoman had enough and started attacking him, and of course he matched her blow for blow. The cat burglar knew she'd had to get away soon, and examined her surroundings for an escape. Behind him in the alleyway, Cat saw a truck holding steel beams and smirked with a plan. Keeping him distracted by the fight, Selina whipped her whip at the bindings holding the beams and they chaotically rolled off the truck on top of Batman.

Isis caught up with her and the two cats finally began their way home leaving Batman trapped under the bars. Selina quickly crossed the road across but Isis wasn't fast enough. The old cat screeched and Catwoman could only watch in horror as her pet became frozen in the headlights of an oncoming van.

"No!" She screamed as the van blew its horn.

Luckily tragedy was averted when the local superhero swooped in and picked up the cat in one leap, taking her to safety.

"Left you behind, did she?" He asked as he stroked the cat's fur.

Meanwhile, a relieved Selina scaled the building to the top and blew her cat whistle, and Isis jumped out of Batman's arms and ran up to her mom.

Batman smirked as Catwoman blew him a kiss and watched the feline felons get away. He would've given chase too, if he wasn't back in town for far more dangerous claws to catch. And these had no intention for preservation, but instead the exact opposite: annihilation.