Chapter 2

Sorry for the delay

"It was about three months after my little impromptu team up with Luthor and the others. I had been laying low, trying to fix myself up as best I could after Grundy got done with me. The guy was strong enough that he had broken more than a few of my bones, when he heard the noise the league was making, he dropped me, literally, and I ran for the hills."

The pain was finally gone. She was able to run without feeling her bones grinding, which was a definite bonus, and the fact that she needed to run now made it all the better. Like everything else in her life, she always needed money.

The first time she needed it, was when she was a starving college student living off government cheese and cheap bread while trying to balance a twenty one credit school load. After that, it was for her research, didn't people realize how important her life's work was? With her research, she could figure out a way to cure massive spinal injuries from falls that cats never seemed to suffer from. And now most recently, she needed the cash to try and find a cure. That was how she got in this current situation, two hundred bucks from a gas n' gulp. Two hundred bucks, no one was hurt, and the cops were chasing her with guns drawn. REALLY?! It was a miracle that a six and a half foot long, fifty four inch wide male with a flying mammal fetish was trying to tackle her into the pavement.

Thankfully, the open sewer cover near a construction site was all she really needed to lose them. Yeah, they could keep going, but who wants to chase a person through raw sewage for just five twenties, five tens, four fives, and a mess of singles? Eventually, she made it back to her home/hideout/research lab. After a quick scan to make sure no one had gotten in, there had been a few homeless people who found her place and raided her pantry, she had filled out a deposit slip and dropped the cash with it into an envelope to deposit into a dummy account in the morning. Then, she started her laptop up.

Why she came to Gotham, she didn't quite know, but there was an unexpected bonus here. A scientist was in town re-debuting an isotope that he had created ten years ago, but it had been stolen so he needed to recreate it. The isotope was meant to be able to stabilize any type of chemical compound, as well as having possible medical applications regarding genetic-based illnesses. That was her hope, that maybe this could stabilize the most current cocktail she had mixed up. The problem with the drug in its current state was that it worked fine on mice, but when she tested it on her blood, it led to immediate cellular breakdown.

The scientist was surprisingly willing to exchange emails regarding her research. Without going into specifics, she had explained that she had a patient whose body was reacting negatively to an experimental drug she wished to give them. He was more than willing to send her copies of his published notes, as well as accept vials of blood to run his own tests on, but kept refusing to send her a sample of the isotope to use. She could understand his hesitance, but it was still a pain in the ass to try and explain that she needed it to be human again. She had no choice, she was going to need to break into the lab and test a sample there.

After a few weeks of skimming newspapers, and some convincing lies that she would be coming to Gotham and would like to meet with him, the guy finally told her where he was. Wayne Enterprises. Of course. He had to be set up in one of, if not the most, secure labs in the entire city. It would take time, but eventually, she might be able to pull this off.

The roof, while it was cliché, was the best way in. One of the few bonuses she had discovered since she changed, was that she truly did have a cat's ability to climb. She also seemed to have gotten their lack of fear regarding heights. Twenty five stories up, and she was at the roof top access. A few minutes later, she was dancing around shadows, hiding in camera blind spots, and making her way slowly to the R&D department.

When she got to the entrance, she wasn't surprised to find a fingerprint scanner over the lock of the door. She was getting ready to try and bypass the lock when she saw it, a perfectly good air vent over the entrance. It was often debated about whether or not cats have collapsible spines, she wasn't sure about the debate herself, but something had to be up to be able to squeeze through a foot and a half square opening to get in.

When she was in, it took her back to when she was welcomed in places like this. To be asked her opinion on how to properly splice a strand of DNA or what was her opinion on the newest data out on some new medical discovery. Someday, she would be back, when all this was behind her.

Hacking the computer was sadly easy, who in God's name would decide that "guest" would be an appropriate password for this type of computer. But, then again, when you look at the guy who owns the company, it wouldn't surprise her if his pin number was "1234". She had just figured out that the isotope was being moved out of the city tomorrow when she felt it. That feeling that all animals get when a bigger predator was nearby. She didn't even need three guesses to figure out who. "I'm not looking for a fight, just a cure."

She felt him move, but refused to stop looking at the screen. That was when she found it. It was there, in the lab, not even ten feet from her. The computer when black then, and in the low light, she could see him in the reflection right behind her. Without thinking, she swung out her arm, and smiled when her claws struck something. Hearing the grunt, she ran for the vault. She was almost there when he tackled her to the ground.

The part of her that was still human, a very small part of her that wasn't desperately trying to wrestle free, couldn't help but notice that even though he was pinning her to ground, he was holding back. He could easily make her feel more than just his weight on top of her. It was, impressive. "I gave you a chance to just walk away," the growl made her still then. The cat part of her brain telling her that playing docile was the best way to win right now.

"I need what's inside there," looking up, she could see the door was right next to them. If she could just wiggle loose, and have an obscene amount of luck, she might be able to get in. That plan disappeared when she felt him pressing metal against her wrists. This was it, her one chance to actually make some headway in her research, and now it was gone. He was going to drag her away, and her only possible hope for being human was going to be on a plane back to Germany in the morning.

It surprised her when he pulled her up, and helped her sit down on the floor, what was even more surprising was when he sat down in front of her. She only stared at his chin, those white lenses over his eyes made him seem inhuman; his chin negated that. She could see the shadow of a beard forming, and his hair was poking out under the black of his mask. Looking at him, she couldn't help but remember when they were in opposite places, when he was the one tied up and she was staring him down.

Did he remember the kiss as well as she did? It had been so long since a man, or anyone really, had talked to her like a person, had wanted to know who she was before she was "Cheetah", it had felt good. Then, the talking had shifted to flirting, that had really felt good. She was a woman again, and this was a man interested in her. When she had kissed him she had been tentative, hesitant that he would try something. But when she deepened it, he had taken the initiative and slipped his tongue to her. She had wondered what would have happened if he had been free? Would those arms, more than capable of breaking bones, have pulled her close? Would he have taken her elsewhere, somewhere private? Thank god the fur on her skin kept him from seeing her blush. "-can help you?"

She refused to show embarrassment for not listening to him. Playing coy would always be better. Tilting her heard to the side, she widened her eyes slightly, truly giving him an, "Innocent kitten" look. "Excuse me?"

He sighed and ran a hand over his face. The sound and motion seemed to turn what many considered a nightmare, into an aging man, almost but not quite at his end. Surprisingly, she found this just as attractive. "Dr. Minerva, why do you keep doing this? There are people who can help you?"

"Oh yes, let's look at how they might help me," she rolled her eyes and looked out the window, she didn't stop the quiet hiss when she saw it had started to rain. She might be a woman, but it always took an annoyingly long time for her fur to dry. "Star Labs seemed ideal at first, they took blood, but then they wanted something more. I let them take a sample of my spinal fluid, but they said the still needed more. I managed to escape while they were figuring out how much anesthesia it would take to put me under for exploratory surgery." She didn't stop the shudder that followed.

"GothCorp was a little better, they just wanted hair samples and saliva, simple stuff. Eventually though, they said that funds were getting low and they would need me to do a few, "jobs" for them. I'm a doctor, not an assassin. After I clawed that into the forehead of the CEO, I ran." The rain was starting to slam itself against the windows, and she could hear the wind through the double pane glass. Maybe if she tilted her wrist just right, she could cut through the cuffs and dive out the window? She was only on the fifteenth floor, her body would be just fine.

"Did you try and talk to anyone here?"

She didn't stop the snort this time. "I must've sent some guy named Fox over fifty letters requesting assistance. Each one returned with a letter saying, and I quote, 'Wayne Enterprises understands your plight Dr. Minerva. But until you have completed your required incarceration, we will be unable to assist you.' They gave that Freeze guy tons of help with his research, but couldn't even spare the time for me to get one medical evaluation.

"I'm getting desperate, that's why I'm here committing what I'm sure is at least five felonies to try and help myself. If you hadn't been here I would already be gone. I wasn't even going to take anything, just run a few tests." The more she thought about it, the fall would probably dislocate something, but it wouldn't break anything. She didn't stop the hiss when she felt a claw break against the chain of the cuff.

"I can't let you do that, but if you behave, I might be able to help you." She looked up, and his voice had changed. It was still dark and she could tell he wasn't one to fight against, but it didn't have that inhuman, gravelly growl to it. It was nice, it was the voice from back when they first met. He was much closer then, and she could smell the coffee on his breath, it was the good kind. The type people ground fresh at home, not what you would get at a gas station. Part of her wondered if she just leaned forward, would he also taste like coffee.

"What do you me-AH!" She felt the sudden poke and looked down to see the hypodermic in his hand. She felt him pick her up then, and she curled into his warmth. When did he get so warm, and when did she feel so tired?

"Trust me," those words sounded perfect as he walked out of the room with her, she wasn't even thinking about the isotope still in the lab. Him holding her felt right, and she wasn't ashamed to let him hear her purr.

Wherever she was, it was soft, warm, and she didn't want to move from it. She could smell coffee brewing and smiled, thinking of Kyle in the kitchen, making her breakfast. What they did last night must've really did a number on her, because she couldn't believe how tired she felt. She just wished he'd stop playing with the faucet handles, they always squeaked, and no amount of twisting was going to make them stop.

She sat up then, and realized this wasn't her first apartment, Kyle had long since left her, and the squeaking wasn't from a sink. Looking around, she could see them. Bats, hundreds of them. Another bonus from her little accident was the eyesight of a cat, she could see them perfectly, crawling over the rocks. She could even pick out the little pink ones clinging to their parents. That was when she noticed the bed.

It was huge, too big to even be a king size, something custom made. The sheets, she ran a handle over the fabric and couldn't stop the moan of appreciation, pure Egyptian cotton. She had gotten a set for herself as a gift for graduating college and had to bleed to pay for them. These made hers seem like cheap canvas. Standing, she pushed aside a curtain he must have put up and scanned the room she was in. She could see the walls covered with piping, and saw his car parked in an open area. What really made her jaw hit the wall was the giant penny surrounded by a wall of playing cards, and unless this was a dream, a statue of a T-Rex.

She couldn't believe it, a very small part of her wanted to squeal like a fan girl, he had brought her to his home. Although, a more rational part of her was concerned for a number of reasons, the most prevalent being that this guy was taking the bat-theme way too far. Another part of her was thinking how many people would kill, literally, to be in a place like this.

Following a walkway, and the delicious aroma, she found him staring at the largest computer screen she had ever seen. The thing seemed to take up an entire wall of his cave, and he was just looking at it, images were moving too fast for her to follow, but she didn't doubt that he was probably understanding everything that flashed by. "You know there are better ways to get a woman to come home with you."

The only sign that he heard her was him pushing the chair next to him back. She sat down, and couldn't help but stare at the mug in his hand and the pot beside him. "Its Peruvian," taking that as an invite, she helped herself to a cup and truly did purr. It had been so long since she had good coffee, and drained it almost instantly before pouring another. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" She had to fight against herself to keep from draining the cup like she did the first. When the caffeine struck, she realized what he meant. "Its alright, not the first time I've been roofied, it was the first time though that I woke up without feeling violated."

"I didn't mean that, although I probably should, I meant about your arm." She looked then, and saw that he had shaved her right arm up to the elbow, and couldn't help but stare at the dark skin. It had been so long. It then she saw the white gauze around her elbow.

"What did you-," the rest of her answer was cut off by the massive screen blaring, "Analysis Complete." She saw a DNA sequence flash across the screen as his hands moved over numerous keys. "You took a sample." It wasn't a question, even though she had a million of them.

"Computer: run sample against all other known samples." The screen started to flash again and he turned to face her. He had shaved since he had knocked her out, even without her heightened senses she could smell the bay rum of his aftershave mixed with the coffee he drank. He had also removed the lenses from his mask, and she could finally see those eyes. She had always pictured them as black, all-consuming, maybe even fire to burn his enemies. Baby blue was something startling, and rather perfect. She could stare at eyes like those for days.

"You said you needed help, so that's what I'm doing." He turned back to the screen, and she couldn't help but smile. He was almost acting shy.

"Thank you," she went back to her coffee, and couldn't help but think about how nice this seemed. If she really tried, she could imagine this as something completely different. That they were just a man and woman sitting as some little corner booth café, and she was debating whether or not to let him scoot over next to her and maybe put his hand on her thigh. "I was wondering," she got up, and blaming it on the animal in her sitting next to an alpha male, sat down in his lap. "Whether or not you still think about the night?"

She didn't need to explain which night, feeling his hands come up to her hips made it pretty obvious he remembered that night. "And what might have happened if we were still there, and if you were still curious." She could feel his breath on her lips, and was almost there, could practically taste him, when it happened.

"Analysis complete; one near match. Jack Ryder; alias The Creeper." She jumped in his lap, and wasn't sure how he did it, but she was back in her chair, and his fingers were a blur at the keyboard. Afterwards, he was moving with a purpose to what looked like a vault and disappeared inside. He came back in a few minutes, carrying what looked like a stack of cotton.

"Do you trust me?" That was the question, did she? Here was the man who made it his mission to prevent all sorts of crime, the person who could disarm a soviet era with verbal instructions in bushman, the overall most badass hero in the league, as far as villains were concerned, was asking her if she trusted him.

"Why?" He was kneeling in front of her, pulling at the gauze and exposing more of her skin.

"This isn't a cure, but it may help."

"Do it." Anything that could help would be perfect. He looked at her once more, and pressed the paper against her skin. She realized then what it was, a patch. It was then she felt it, a slight burning sensation, not uncomfortable, but not something she could ignore. She felt tears in her eyes when he moved his glove against her opposite arm, the fur seemed to just brush off. She wanted to run to a mirror, anything reflective, but he held her arms. The burning became unbearable near the base of her spine, and she knew what it was, her tail. She had to fight to keep from trying to break his grip and reaching behind her.

Eventually, the burning stopped, and he pulled his gloves away to cup her face. She shuddered feeling skin, not fine hair pressing against her cheeks. "Dr. Minerva," she stared into those eyes, and she had to resist the urge to grab his head and press her lips to his. It felt like he had done what she had always dreamed, but she had to be sure.

"Mirror," he disappeared, and she trembled, not trusting herself to touch her face, she didn't want to lose hope. Eventually, he returned, and she held out her hand. When he saw her shaking, he simply held it up for her, and she didn't stop the scream. After all those years, she could see the woman she once was. Soft, dark skin, with the only hair on her face being two finely groomed eyebrows. Slowly, she raised her hands and cried when she touched just skin. "I'm back."

"You never left doctor." He wasn't ready when she tackled him to the floor, he surrendered to her kiss, and she felt him pull her close. Here was the perfect man, he had finally given her back herself. When she felt his arms wrap around her, she could only smile against his lips. He did taste like the coffee, and something purely him. It was then she realized what she wanted, the bed was only a few feet away, and he was severely over-dressed.

"Are you still curious?" Her answer was a stinging poke in her thigh, and her eyes found the needle.

"When I woke up, I was in a hotel room, with a box full of those patches, a suitcase with several changes of clothing, and a note with only one word written on it." She finished her glass and smirked at the four others. The redhead needed to pick her jaw up off the ground, the one with the wand, Zatanna, was just holding her head muttering something about bats and cat fetishes, and the other two just had identical smirks.

"What did the note say?" This was from the blonde. She had been decent, and after motioning for a refill, smiled.

"It said, 'Always', and signed with a picture of an arrogantly drawn flying mouse. That was how I almost had him." She motioned for them to deal out the next game, and after a few hands, the redhead spoke up.

"If the Bat changed you back, why are you still…"

"Catty? The joker fire-bombed my lab. The patches were only temporary, and with the fire went all my research and the patches. I changed back two hours after the one I was wearing stopped working. When the Bat got me, I was driving off with a truck load of chemicals that were all in the patch, I was planning on playing around with them until I figured out the cocktail." With a sigh, she turned towards a notebook that sat on her cot. "When he left me in here I noticed that," she gave a wave, and they all stared at the pad. "It's his notes on how to mix the cocktail when I get out of here." She didn't laugh when they all gave a collective sigh, it was pretty damn sweet of him.

"That's nice and all, but why didn't you just ask him for more?" With a sigh, she looked at her glass, and put it down in favor of her cards.

"Give me two," she threw them away and got the replacements. "Call it being stubborn. The next time I saw him, I wanted to be completely cured." She gave them a smirk and reached for her glass. "And I wanted to be able to thank him thoroughly without worrying about a patch falling off from sweating too hard." She laughed at the death look from the magician, and threw her hand down in disgust. Nothing, of course.

"Well, that was pretty good but, I think I've got that beat." She looked through the glass at Zatanna, and raised one eyebrow.

"I was naked and grinding against him like a cat in heat. He was in to it." She continued to stare at the other girl's smirk. "How can you say you beat that?"

"Well, how about for starters, I've seen him without his mask on." This time, it was her spitting wine that hit the glass of her barrier. This was going to be interesting.

So, one down and four more to go with Zatanna up next, how did she almost bag the bat? Hope you enjoyed, -N