When he saw her, the first thought that came to him was '...Really, Bruce? You chose me over her? Really?'

He had to know why.

The fact that he even saw her was utter coincidence, true he was -is- the fastest man alive, but that by no means equals having any of sense of direction. In his defense he wasn't quite used to heading to the Batcave from Hong Kong, it threw his bearings off completely.

Wally found himself wandering Gotham city, sticking to rooftops to avoid the post twilight hustle and bustle on the streets. The impending darkness wasn't helping at all, and he was just about to give up on trying to be independent and call Bruce on his comm link for directions when he spotted her.

It was almost as if she could fly.

Any given person on the street wouldn't have noticed her, no, she moved too fast for that. But Wally, being -the- fastest man alive could see her clearly. She flashed across rooftops, movements all precision and grace as she jumped from ledge to ledge, landing without hitch, the dim lights of the city reflecting off of her goggles.

He had to know why.

He ran.

Building up his own momentum, Wally jumped and nearly flew from rooftop to rooftop, trying to catch up to her, following her, needing to get a closer look.

Catwoman. He knew a lot about her, more then he most likely should have, but Bruce was the one who had left him alone with his computer. Wally couldn't be blamed for searching 'Catwoman' on the database in his infinite boredom.

There were at least 50 pages archived on her. From newspaper clippings when she was first starting out, to photographs of her, in costume and in person.

And Wally knew...hell, everyone knew that something had gone on between those two, between Batman and Catwoman.

His skin itched under his costume, the cold, polluted night air of Gotham city dulling his senses as he followed her from rooftop to rooftop, unable to process what he'd do if she realized he was following her, what he'd say to her if she confronted him. Would she try to fight him, misinterpreting his actions as a threat?

He had read about her fighting skills, seen the scar on Bruce's chest, over his heart ironically enough.

Claw marks, her claws, marking Bruce's skin forever.

Why?

Wally had to throw both hands over his mouth to stop himself from screeching as he nearly fell off the rooftop, having been too lost in thought to really pay attention to his feet. She had stopped on rooftop across from him, a darkened, well furnished rooftop.

Careful not to give himself away, Wally quickly hid behind a molding air conditioning unit, it's hum sounding more like an anguished groan as he peaked his head out from the side of it, watching for her.

He saw her reflection first.

In the gloriously dim city lights her reflection followed her form as she strolled past the pool, her fingertips gliding along expensive patio furniture, only to stop when they reached the sliding glass door that lead into the penthouse.

Wally's next thought was the following: "She's gonna steal something!"

It was as if a switch was flipped inside of him, he lost any and all will to stay hidden, instead he moved away from the air conditioner, taking a few steps back before pushing foreword, jumping off of the building and landing on the next rooftop.

It was hero time. He pointed his finger at her, puffed his chest and said; "Freeze Catwoman!" Only then did he realize that he was pointing at glass. She was nowhere to be found. His eyes widened. Wha-

"Took you long enough."

Wally hated himself for the way he jumped at the sound of her voice, he considered trying to disguise it, but he knew she caught the movement. So instead he turned around and faced her, blinking when he saw her spread out on one of the cushioned lawn chairs, her long legs extended and lying on top of one another.

He swallowed deeply, she was gorgeous.

It took far too much effort to refrain from looking at her legs, or her breasts for that matter. He tried focusing on her face instead, but he could feel her jade eyes watching him under her goggles, and he suddenly felt more uncomfortable in his costume then he had in a long time.

Wally wished he could tug at his collar. "...H-Hi." he sounded like an idiot, he knew. But he didn't know what else to say. Instead he fidgeted, playing with his fingers, shifting weight from one leg to the other.

Catwoman pulled her goggles up onto her forehead, her eyes suddenly on him, making him fidget even more. She gestured to something behind him and he blinked, turning his head and seeing a chair, which he happily sat in.

"So..." She spoke, and her voice was far more enticing then he ever imagined. "What's a Central City suit doing following me around Gotham?"

Wally felt his throat constrict at that, trying to think of a suitable answer. Should he tell the truth and just ask her? Should he lie? Fastest man alive or not, he didn't think he could dodge those claws. The real question was, would she be more offended by the truth or a lie?

Her jaw became set and Wally could tell she was getting impatient with him. He swallowed, took a deep breath and spoke. "I...I came to see Br-Batman. And uh...I got lost. Heh heh..." He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling himself flush under his costume.

"I just happened to see you and...uh..." His ears were on fire. "I was wondering..." This was it, he could do this! He could ask her! She wouldn't get offended...right? And if she did he could apologize to her and drop it! No harm, no foul...?

Catwoman raised an eyebrow at him, her claws drumming lightly on the metal arm rest and Christ they even sounded sharp.

...He couldn't do it. "...I was wondering if you'd give me directions." He tried to keep the sound of utter failure out of his voice.

She was quiet for a moment, and to Wally it felt like a lifetime had passed, he swore he could feel sweat forming under his costume by the time her lips slowly twisted into a smirk. She extended her arm, and Wally couldn't help but admire the way the tight fabric of her costume clung to each curve of toned muscle.

"Look to your left, kid."

He did, and he was granted a great view of Gotham city, the moon hung above large and bright yellow as dusk finally begun fading away. "Towards the mountains."

That's when he saw it. Wayne Manor, the lights of the foyer sticking out like a sore thumb in the pitch blackness of the mountains.

She spoke again. "You can see it from nearly every rooftop in the city, if you're high enough."

Wally fidgeted again, toying with his fingers, feeling his entire body flush from shame, and all he could say was, "...Oh."

Her eyes on him now, and it was as though she was looking through him, as though she knew that he was lying. Wally stood then, quickly, unable to stand the awkwardly constricted feeling of being around her.

He tried to fake enthusiasm. "Okay then! Thanks a lot!" Before before he could lift one foot she said.

"Hold it!" And her tone reminded him far too much of Batman's that he couldn't help but obey. He looked at her, one leg raised, frozen in position. She glared at him, and pointed down at the chair, motioning for him to sit.

And he sat, sweat making his costume stick to his skin, his throat far too heavier then he would've liked.

Catwoman sat up then, turning her body so that she was completely facing him. She crossed one leg over the other and Wally felt himself fidget more. "Now. Tell me why you were really following me."

Wally gulped, swallowed, and licked his lips but the still felt utterly dry. "I...uh-" She interjected, show off claws that were far sharper then necessary. "And don't lie to me."

Clenching his fists, Wally mustered up his courage and, after taking a deep breath and assuring himself that he could outrun the claws if necessary (he hoped), he spoke. "...I wanted to know what happened...Between you and...Batman." He visibly winced as he said it, completely ready to bolt if he had to.

She pulled her goggles down over her eyes and was silent again, watching him, and he couldn't look away from her this time. Behind the reflecting lenses of her goggles Wally could see something in her eyes.

Something powerful, something deep, but it was fleeting and gone before he really got a chance to try and understand..

She stood, stepping around the furniture and looking out at the city, her back facing him.

Guilt was beginning to choke him, far more then his fear had and Wally forced himself to stand, convinced that she wasn't going to answer him.

"When you saw me on this roof, next to that door, what did you think?" Her voice was steady, and even, and perhaps Wally was just sensitive to these things because he heard something in it, something else entirely. That something is what made him tell the truth, almost without even realizing it.

"I thought; "She's going to steal something".."

"Bingo." She looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes barely visible through the goggles. "There's your answer kid. It's been years since I've stolen anything. Guess the past isn't ever really forgiven, or forgotten."

Catwoman looked back at the city then, her eyes deviating towards Wayne manor, and Wally thought that it was perhaps against her will because her head snapped to the side, looking as far away from it as possible.

She spoke again, and he was finding it hard to breathe evenly. "It's simple, really. He doesn't trust me. I could take a bullet for him and he wouldn't trust me. I could hang up my whip and open a pet store and breed cats to sell to rich bitches and he still wouldn't trust me."

Wally had stopped fidgeting at this point, hell, he was stiller then he had been in a long time, but he couldn't help it. In his mind he re-read her file, wondering what she could have done to warrant such treatment. She wasn't a killer, she was a specialty thief, a huge animal rights activist...most of the money from her thefts was donated to animal shelters and other organizations.

He spoke without realizing it. "He's an idiot." and it was something Wally couldn't believe he said.

Would he ever give up Bruce? No. Never. But it disturbed him just how easily he could imagine Bruce giving up him.

Part of him screamed that this was different, that he wasn't like Selena, that she must have said something, or done something not mentioned on file that ruined it.

Part of him screamed that Bruce really couldn't be so callous, really couldn't ignore someone like Selena, someone with real feelings for him, feelings that he did or maybe even still does return simply because he can't let go of something that happened in the past.

Then he remembered why Bruce still dresses as a giant rat and jumps off of rooftops. Because for Bruce, the past is always there, and he can't let go.

He realizes then what it really means to have Bruce's trust, he realizes that he has something that this woman in front of him has been wanting since before his uncle Barry died, since before he joined the titans.

She turns and faces him then, and he wants to hug her, hug her and say that he's sorry, tell her that it's not fair, that she deserves it more then he does even though he knows he'd never give it up. But he doesn't, he wants to keep those claws as far away from his skin as possible.

A huff leaves her and she rolls her eyes, the action surprises Wally, throwing him off as his breathing finally stars resuming it's normal pace. "Don't pity me. I hate pity. I'm not a child, it's not something I need or even want at this point. I'm fine."

He winces, and nods and looks away from her, eyes resting on Wayne Manor, wanting to say something to her, wanting more then anything to apologize. But for what? None of this was his fault, but he wanted to say sorry anyway, maybe because he knew that Bruce wouldn't. Because she wasn't fine and she had to force herself to be.

Wally smiles at her, and it seemed disgustingly fake and plastic when reflected off her goggles.

"...Thanks."

She doesn't look at him. "Next time, don't follow me. I hate being followed."

Wally doesn't say goodbye, instead he runs, he runs but his legs feel like cement. He runs because he doesn't want to say goodbye, he doesn't want to feel tempted to look over his shoulder to see if she's still standing there, alone on that rooftop.

...Was she still there? Or was she gone again, trying to forget she had ever revealed so much to a perfect stranger, as she sails from rooftop to rooftop. Alone.

When he enters the Batcave Bruce is seated at his computer, typing away, something on Killer Croc from what Wally can tell by the photos and graphs on the screen beside the text.

Bruce glanced at him as he continued to type, "You're late." the tone is nowhere near harsh, if anything he just says it to acknowledge that Wally is there and that he's not being ignored.

Wally shrugged and leaned on the computer console, tapping his fingers against the cool metal. "I got lost."

Bruce's cowl is off, his blue eyes utterly fixed on the screen. He muttered an "oh?" to prove he's listening, or at least pretending to, and Wally finds he doesn't really care if he's pretending or not.

"I got directions."

He watched Bruce's hands for a second, watched as they moved across the keyboard, watched his eyes, completely caught up in the report he was filing. Did he even exist in Bruce's world right now?

It's as though he knows what Wally is thinking, because he answers with a question.

"J'onn?"

The redhead knew he was just saying it to fill the silence, only barely paying attention to him. But hell, it was better then being ignored, he supposed.

Taking a deep breath, Wally made sure to watch Bruce closely as he spoke. "Nope. Catwoman." Mid-type, Bruce's finger immeasurably slipped and hit the enter key, accidentally filing the report while half way into the word 'killer.'

But he played it off as though it was utterly planned, and if Wally hadn't been paying attention he would've missed it. Bruce's demeanor seemed to stiffen a bit, something flashing behind those blue eyes. "...Oh?"

The redhead nodded lightly, reaching up and pulling off his own mask, feeling oddly constricted in it.

"She's nice, Bruce. A bit scary...But nice." he grinned a bit, not taking his eyes off of Bruce's face. "Not to mention...she's seriously hot. Skin tight leather and a whip? She's like a 20 out of 10...with claws."

Bruce is careful to put on a mask of indifference and turns his head to Wally, raising an eyebrow, a hint of a grin on his lips.

Wally grinned back and took it as his cue to continue. "She told me that you could see Wayne Manor from about every highrise in Gotham. She must think I'm an idiot for not noticing but yeah, that's why I was late. Plus we talked for a few minutes."

"...Oh? About what...?" He could have laughed at how fake Bruce's effort to remain nonchalant was, maybe it was because the cowl was off but he could've swore he'd never seen Bruce so very...flustered.

"We talked about trust."

Bruce's eyes narrow at that and he shoots a look at Wally, something harsh that says 'after I say this the conversation is over.' but before he can speak Alfred clears his throat, and walks up to them, saying something about a reservation.

Wally knows what Bruce would've said had Alfred not entered the picture. He would've said, "You wouldn't understand." And Wally might've slammed his fist against the computer console and maybe shouted at him "At least apologize to her"

But it was better this way, he supposed. Bruce obviously thought so, because he looked at him and smiled his fake billionaire playboy smile, handing Wally a...suit?

"I know how much you like Italian food, so I got reservations to..." He rattles off an overly Italian name that he's sure Wally can't repeat, explains that, he knows, he knows Wally hates suits but he'll just have to endure for the evening, that it would be worth it once he tried the specials.

A moment later Alfred leaves them alone, and Wally can't help but blurt out, "...Really?" And he wasn't talking about the restaurant. Really? Really Bruce? Are you really going to change the subject, pretend it doesn't exist, simply because it's something you don't want to face?

Bruce looked at him, and although there was a smile on his lips, his eyes were hard, serious. "Yes. Really. Now don't argue and put on the suit, Alfred deserves a break from cooking every once in a while."

And Wally didn't have the stomach to say no, to fight back, to tell Bruce to cut the bullshit and be real because her feelings for him were real and Wally's were, too, and if he could just so easily blow her off how could Wally ever be sure he wouldn't do the same to him?

A bad taste settled in the back of his throat, but he put on the expensive suit and ate the overly expensive dinner and made idle conversation like something really wasn't weighing on his mind.

That night when they got back and made love, Wally caught each and every time Bruce closed his eyes during and wondered if he was just lost in the pleasure or thinking about her.

Even in the haze of ecstasy her words lingered in the back of his mind, even as Bruce pushed into him, against him, he felt oddly detached from it all, like running without gravity, like falling and never stopping, and one word ran circles around his mind until his nerves overloaded and his body convulsed as he cried out against Bruce's throat.

One word, one single, stupidly significant word.

Trust.