"God Damnit…" she mumbled under her breath. She had been prying at the window for the past twenty minutes trying to break the seal open but so far had been unsuccessful. If she had known the windows to the museum were this thick she would have brought something more heavy duty than a crow bar. Since several priceless gems were on display here tonight she expected the security to be uptight, but this was ridiculous.

She rocked the iron rod back and forth between the panes until it finally gave way. The glass came free with a sudden snap and she was in. Carefully she descended down the wall into the gallery. The sensors could go off at any moment if she took a wrong step but she had memorized every detail of the security floor plan.

She dodged the security cameras and floor sensors as she made her way to the exhibit hall. The entire gallery was stocked wall to wall with paintings and sculptures worth several thousands, but her goal was more on the priceless side. Some of the rarest gems in the world were on display in this prestigious museum. Precious stones she was being paid to take off said museums hands.

She waited patiently under cover for any of the museums security guards to show up. She assumed they were taking a smoke breaks or jacking off in lonely toilet stalls, either way her time was limited. Once she was sure the coast was clear she quickly went to work. One by one she began cutting the power to the alarms and emptying the glass display cases of their contents. Blue emeralds, red diamonds, and black opals as big as her eyes fell into the bag.

It wasn't until she had collected the contents of the fourth case that an eerily familiar sensation overcame her. She was being watched.

Batman watched intently from the rafters, having suspected an attempted robbery on the stones for a while now.

After he had neutralized the security guards he had taken his position in the shadows above where he could stalk his target and go unnoticed. She had avoided all the museums security easily enough but would not be escaping him.

He waited patiently to make his move on the thief, waited until after the crime was committed before he made his presence known. He watched her intently. Watched the agile moves of her body and tried to ignore the way the tight suit hugged the curve of her frame.

The thief's body tensed suddenly. She was crouched over her bag, barely moving a muscle. What was she doing?

Very slowly she stood up and walked slowly towards the gallery entrance, leaving her bag with the stones on the floor. She walked like she was in a trance around the corner and disappeared into the shadows.

She waited breathlessly in the dark. It wasn't long before the looming shadow fell from the rafters and landed with a thud on the floor next to her bag.

He rose up slowly. His presence was overwhelming in person. The size of him took her breath away and the cold silence was even more intimidating. She stayed perfectly still and watched as he scanned the room in pursuit of her. He took a step in her direction but she kept silent. Slowly she inched her way against the wall making her way to one of the other galleries. Her steps were barely audible but they continued to draw him closer. After she rounded the corner she ducked behind the nearest life-like sculpture. She was out of the safety of the shadows now and all she could do was wait. Wait for her chance to strike.

He listens for any sound of breathing or movement. Nothing. It was eerily quiet as if the thief knew he was there waiting for him. He silently made his way into the next room. Marble statues of men and women filled the space and provided the perfect cover for a thief to hide in. Suddenly he heard a shuffle and saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his attention to a dark mass on the floor. Cautiously he made his way toward the heap. Crouching down he picked up a long cord with a heavy, leather bound grip at the end. It was a whip. The hair suddenly stood upright on the back of his neck. Before he could react he felt a sudden jolt to the back of the head and everything went dark.

When he came too, he had been bound to one of the statues. His wrists and legs were tightly restrained behind him with the same whip that drove him to distraction before.

"Well, well, well…" he heard a sultry voice say. A figure walk out from the shadows unlike any figure of his former opponents. It was the slender figure of a woman with long athletic legs and a curves barely being held in by a skin-tight suit.

"You must be the one they call The Batman."

She leaned against a nearby pillar and looked him up and down.

"I was always curious what it would be like when we finally crossed paths. I always imagined I would be the one tied up and at your mercy, not the other way around."

He did not respond but he picked up on the suggestive hints she was dropping.

She walked towards him with a sensuality that was difficult to ignore and moved to lean against his left shoulder. "You know getting you tied up really wasn't easy" she leaned closer "I really had to restrain myself quite a bit from…" she paused and traced the outline of his face where his cowl and skin met "exploring you further"

He didn't respond to her overly suggestive comments and remained silent and cold.

She moved to stand in front of him and looked up into his hooded eyes "not very talkative are you? More the silent type?" She stroked his jaw with her claw like glove.

He caught the perfumed scent from her wrist and struggled to resist the natural reaction his body had to it.

She let her hand fall to her side as she turned to walk away "Well, I'd love to stay and continue this lovely banter but these babies aren't going to steal themselves" bending over she picked up the bag of gems, giving him a teasing view of her backside "Now don't you go anywhere." She quipped before disappearing out the window and into the night.

He waited for a moment. It only seemed fair he gave her a head start. When he was sure he had given her enough time to make it back he gave a strong downward thrust against the leather restraint. The razors on his gloves cut straight though the corded whip and it fell to the ground in a shredded heap, freeing him.