Perfect Dark pt.17a

[The_NewCatwoman]

**Thanks DoE, actually, I've never seen that one, but I'll see if I can get my hands on it. My favorite Anime Movie would have to be Ghost in the Shell, it's beyond excellent. I can't remember anybody's name or anything, but I remember everything else. Also, the part about that guy and the illusion that he had a wife and daughter, and then finding out that it wasn't true, was the absolute best. (That stupid Pokemon intro is stuck in my head!)**

A.J. sat calmly, eyes forward, legs crossed in Tim's dorm room. Wondering silently what to do next. He'd walked around aimlessly for a few hours in the East Garden's area, so no one would see he was out and about when he was supposed to be sick. East Gardens, which for the record looked more like a war torn country than the beautiful high-class area it had been named for, was a breeding ground for most gangs, and the cruel violence Gotham was synonymus with. Too many children grew up sexually, emotionally, or physically abused on a regular basis there. Incest was all too common, and there were a few-dozen daring nuts who even took on bestiality as an after-school activity. The towering apartment buildings that had been built similar to the one's in Spain, now were grimy, and splattered with thoughtless graffiti, and often hid the horrible crimes and sins commited there in Gotham's ghettos. But the kind he'd seen today showed nothing but thoughtless domination. He'd stopped a young man in his mid-twenties from raping a girl a third of his age. It was things like that that made him remember why he was so hard on people. Why he took so much care in the infliction of pain, why he made sure they didn't forget him when they woke up in the ambulance, shaking from the pain.

"A.J.!" Tim said loudly, interrupting his thoughts. "Man, it's like you go into a freakin' trance!"

A.J. grimaced at Tim's voice level, then leaned back as comfortably as he could against the side of Tim's bed. "I thought you had a lecture every wednesday at 3'? What are you doing here."

"If you had any concept of time, and I can see why you don't, when you regularily immerse yourself into coma's and all, it's 6:30, how long have you been here?"

A.J. shrugged, "I left around 10:30 or something."

"This morning or last night?" Tim asked.

"This morning. I didn't go to school,..."

"For obvious reasons." Tim interrupted, pointing at A.J.'s chest.

A.J.'d had to double up on guaze because he'd started to bleed through the other one's.

"What happened, you and Bruce got into it again?" Tim asked with a snicker.

"I was shot, but don't worry about that, it's a lot worse."

"What else happened?" Tim asked, pulling a dictionary out of his bookshelf and flipping through the pages.

"I let a little girl get murdered." A.J. said quietly.

Tim dropped the book immeadiately, forgetting the childish refrence to "psychosis" he was about to make. "How the hell did that happen?!" he asked taking his seat again quickly.

"I don't know, well I do, but... Look I don't really want to discuss that, I just needed to begin somewhere, and I guess I just found my way here. I can't talk to my parents, they've got their own problems, and if they find out how deep this all really is, Batman'll take it on, and put me out of it, and then he'll probably end up in some drainpipe somewhere."

Tim grimaced, A.J. had no qualms about being blunt, he wasn't at all shy about death, but he did know where to draw the line. At least it appeared he did. "So you come here, and get me involved?" Tim said incredulously.

"I have the brawn and all that, and I know I'm smart, but I'm no dectective, there's things about this that has me wondering where to go next. Where else am I gonna go huh? I don't have the tempermant for what you all go through, because doing what I do involves days, and hours. Not weeks and months, your the only one I know with those kinds of skills. Batman, and Dick would take too long, waiting for patterns and s**t, we don't have that kind of time."

Tim sat back in his chair, worry creasing his frow, after a few moments, his face brightened uncertainly, "Where do we start partner?"

[Panther]

Thanks for the character sketch. Nice to see 'ask and ye shall recieve' occasioanlly comes true. I feel sorry for AJ but can see he is obvoiuulsy incredible capable and strong - both mentally and phyiscally. And it's interesting to see where he is coming from.

I liked seeing him team up with Tim. I think thier characters bounce off each other quite well - better than with others around AJ. Man, that boy needs some rest before he falls over!

Can't wait to see more!

Later,

[The_NewCatwoman]

**Disclaimer: I forget to do this regularily, but to make it clear to those who might sue: I don't own them, and they don't own me! I have legal rights to A.J., Dennis, Dallas, William Warren "Doc" Kyle, Monica Kyle, Donald Dilly (now deceased of course) D.J. Dilly, Caprio Raleigh, his wife the puppet , Wes Raleigh. Donatello Raleigh, Bruce and Selina's future baby, Abuela, Nathan Dayland, Jessica Waters (deceased), Jason the Greek, Marvo, Abel, the hebrew mom, Dimanche, Caine, Lolita the vampiress formerly known as Gloria the Prostitute, Bianca Dayland (who is regretfully dead also), and Charlotte Dayland, who'll become Ms. Charlotte Price when the divorce finalizes. And Bill and Jane. I think I got everybody, and am starting to realize how complicated I've made this, "Sleep in the bed you've made" comes to mind...**

**Also, I want to add that this is ONE post is rated R for it's content, and has had plenty of things cut out due to moderator's comments made about a month ago. I'll try to tell it as maturely as possible (in a decent tone for those who're thinking of other things), and apologize if anyone has a problem. This part is detrimental to the story. Thank you.**

**Several hours earlier, about 3 o' clock**

Dr. Leslie Thompkins sat calmly sipping a cup of english tea, courtesy of a very english Alfred of course, watching as Selina stared at her from across the room. Which they'd only been doing for the past ten minutes since she'd arrived. Leslie swallowed a mouthfull of the steamy drink, and rested her teacup in one hand as she spoke: "Selina, we both know why I'm here, now I'm not saying it's going to be painless, but let's try to end these sessions as soon as possible okay?"

"Great, just write me a clean bill of mental health, and you can be on your way." Selina said with a strained smile. It wasn't like she didn't like Leslie, she'd been treated by Leslie twice before in her childhood and adolesence. Leslie knew that entire family's worst secrets, atleast when it came to Bruce, Dick, Tim, and A.J. Selina on the other hand, had figured out early in her childhood, that if you told people what they wanted to hear, eventually they left you alone. This went for everbody from her adoptive parents Bill and Jane, to Leslie (atleast it used to), to the police. Unfortunately, Bruce wasn't everybody else. So here she was, in the dining room, having a chat with her therapist.

"Selina, it's obvious you've got alot to hide, and I also have the feeling you're not willing to play by the rules like other people, so I'm going to cut you some slack here. Completely ignoring everything that went on when you were sixteen, how about we focus on the primary's?"

Selina remained silent, focusing intently on what Leslie had to say, 'Just play by the rules, say the standard.' she said to herself.

"When I say primary's, I mean childhood, ages 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on, all up until your parents deaths."

An involuntary twitch shook Selina's eyebrow, one tiny little muscle strain, that told Leslie she'd touched a nerve. Of course Leslie made no active response, something she'd learned trying to drag painful memories out of Tim, and A.J., two of her most difficult patients.

"You're a smart girl Selina, you've had me fooled for a very long time, ever since that first week in August, when you were six, and your grandmother brought you to see me, do you remember?"

Selina slowly nodded, eyes choosing to focus on the floor, as the memory streamed involuntarily into her conciousness.

**August 3rd, 1968**

Selina had been staying at her grandmother's house in Newark, and had been having violent nightmares for a few weeks, waking up with blood under her fingernails, after scratching herself raw. Leslie had been known for being a prominant celebrity therapist, who'd been the first at the crime scene to comfort Bruce Wayne the previous month. The article with their picture was framed on a wall, next to the window.

Selina searched the room, soaking in the wood paneled walls, and standard hanging plants that reached towards the ground. She tightened her grip around her 'Abuela's' hand as she was led to a child-sized chair.

She'd started to panic when Abuela'd gone out into the waiting room to wait for her. It'd been one of the many terrifying experiences she'd had to endure. Atleast until the weeks past, and she got used to it, Leslie asking her questions about her parents, and their behavior. She only told Leslie about the good times, when her father was sober, and wasn't in withdrawl, and would cook them giant breakfasts' and take them to the park, and to plays on Dartmouth Rd. She was careful never to make any references to her father sticking needles in his arms, and watching as his muscles seized in hallowed, red pain. And listening as he threw her mother around in the empty room in the back of their expansive house. She told Leslie about running around outside, as her father worked on his garden, but didn't mention that his 'garden' consisted of opium poppy seed plants, cannibus, and modified marijuana. No, her father wasn't a hippie, Gotham didn't have hippies, Gotham had Depression era kids-turned-adults who grew up to be doctors and lawyers straight out of Yale and Harvard, and St. Johns Hopkins, (forgive if this isn't accurate) who just happened to do drugs. But most of all, Selina never mentioned the nights when he'd drink, and the things he did to her. She never talked about "Bad Daddy".

**end of flashback**

Yes, Selina remembered everything. Every single harrowing detail.

Leslie considered this too, Selina, I want to rid you of whatever is inside of you that hurts you so bad, but it's obvious you're not going to tell me anything that could have caused you to go this route. Only the good things. It's obviously not a repressed memory because you chose everything you wanted to say in advance, you took the easy way out, and it seems nothing's changed since then.

Selina considered this and raised her eyebrows in aggreance.

"Therefore, I'm going to suggest hypnotism" (this is a lovely guesture to a story written by an old board member Syl called 'Child Snatcher's' I believe, it's on the World's Finest Archieves, go read it, it's beyond excellent, but kinda long.)

Selina's hands gripped the armrests on the side of her chair, "You can't do that without the patients permission, because you DO NOT have my permission."

"It's not up to you Selina, in the city-state of Gotham, if a patient is found mentally aggrevated by dstressing memories past, and is under suicide watch, then yes, to save that person's life, all we need is a consent from the board of health, and a spouse or other surviving loved-one."

"You and I both know, Bruce will say yes." Selina said flatly, vicious hate edging through her voice.

"Selina, this can all be avoided if you open up a little, we have sessions every other day for the next three weeks, that's about the time it takes the papers to process, if we can get to the bottom of this by then, then I'll file an appeal, and cancel the treatment. Talk it over with Bruce, see what side of the coin he's on."

Selina nodded, her world was closing in on her.

[The_NewCatwoman]

I just finished reading the entire history of opium in one sitting, Ai! (for this story of course) anybody got a freakin' asprin, and some decongestant? This thing dates back to 3500 B.C., all the way to 1996. I'm not ashamed to say that I learned alot, like not to trust Willam Randolph Hearst (supposedly, I'm not able to prove this, the creator of the Hearst Magazine Company, who publishes Cosmo, and things like that) and his "anti-chinese" sentiments disguised as a drug-awareness type thing.

This is the statement:

"Tabloids owned by William Randolph Hearst publish stories of white women being seduced by Chinese men and their opium to invoke fear of the 'Yellow Peril', disguised as an "anti-drug" campaign. "

This is in 1890 by the way, see what the internet can teach us?

[Daughterof_Evil]

Like Panther, I enjoyed seeing AJ and Tim teaming up. Obviously Tim knows how it is being a teenager in Bruce's house, and understands AJ's anger with his father. But what I really want to know is when Tim left Bruce's care, and if it was before or after AJ's birth, and if AJ's birth had anything to do with his leaving.

Never seen Ghost in the Shell, though every otaku I meet chastises me for that fact. I will buy/rent/borrow it at some point, along with Akira and Kiki's Delivery Service and Princess Mononoke, all of which I have also neglected.

Great, and disturbing writing, as usual.

[The_NewCatwoman]

Wow, that was quick, you must be a speed reader.

Ah, Princess Mononoke, you know besides all the references to animals being gods and all that, it was a very enjoyable movie, but you kinda get tired of having it on tape, so I taped over it with Gundam, (Wing, 8th M.S. unit, and Mobile Suit from the seventies. also a little Gargoyles thrown in for flavor.

[The_NewCatwoman]

Tim, left after he graduated from high school, when A.J. was about 4 1/2, A.J. never had anything to do with Tim leaving home, he just grew up is alls.

[Panther]

You /just/ noticed how complcated this is? I'll admit my head started to spin a bit when I was loking at all your characters - let alnoe all the DC/WB owned characters. Good look sleeping!

About the drugs - was that a website or a book? I always enjoyed reading about drugs in the 19th century. And the 60's of course. Did you know escasty was used then by marragie counslers to help couples get over thier martial rifts? It so amazing people made it passed the 70's...

Poor Selina All those not so repressed childhood memories.

BTW, we haven't seen Mila in a while - how's she been?

Later,

[The_NewCatwoman]

Don't worry, we'll see plenty of Mila before this story is over. NEway, it was on the web. I was looking for heroin withdrawl symptoms for this story, when I came across a website with the history of Heroin, or Opium, I'm not sure which one.

Yeah, about that whole looking up drugs thing, I do that often too, there's a new story in the January 31st issue of Rolling Stone about a boy named Josh Robbins, who died nearly two years ago from a legal drug called 2c-T-7, I believe that's what it was anyway. Also, yeah, I was watching a report on Ecstasy on Nightline or something, about a year ago. It was talking about the effects, and the penalties for being arrested with Ecstasy on your person. It's amazing. I like to know these kinds of things because I usually have atleast one drug-related offense in all my stories. i.e. Caitlin and the 'Happiness' pill, Bruce getting cold drunk, in Breakdown and Perfect Dark, and all the nice little drug episodes in this story.

And, no I don't do drugs, I can't write if I have a stroke because of smoking weed and all.

C-ya!

[The_NewCatwoman]

**The rated-R post continued**

*6:59p.m.*

A.J. pulled on a pair of black, Dickies brand, twill pants, and a gray sweater, taking care to bag the clothing he'd worn that morning in the backpack Tim was loaning him. Walking to the mirror, he smoothed his hair down onto his head, and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Thanks for letting me borrow these clothes, I just hope they don't get ruined before the nights over."

Tim waved his hand in a 'shush' motion over his shoulder, "What'dya know about this guy?" Tim asked, as he brought up a search engine.

"You won't find anything about him on the web, try looking up Donovan Finnland."

"Who?" Tim asked turning around.

"Dad was grumbling something about him this morning when he came up from the cave, right before he had his morning gin."

"Everyone's an alcoholic." Tim interrupted, shrugging.

"Apparently his daughter is missing, she was kidnapped last night, she's probably the one I saw."

Tim entered 'Donovan Finnland' into the word box, and waited as the screen immediately filled with results. "Thank you, Yahoo!" Tim said with a casual smile. Clicking on the "Gotham Times" tag, he watched as the screen filled with three separate stories about the ex-executive. "Says here, he was fired from WayneTech a few days ago, something about conspiracy against his company. Apparently they found all kinds of stuff on him, like he was harrasing his co-workers, and filing all kinds of goofy reports on them, slanderous things about light bulbs and crap like that. This other one says that he's connected to the murder of Jessica Waters, that took place last week. Not only was he cheating on his wife with the chick, but he was also the last person seen with her. Sounds like he's in pretty deep, right up to his jugular." Tim said, folding his hands behind his head.

"What does it say about his daughter?" A.J. asked, his voice edged with impatience.

"Chill Winston." Tim said, quoting Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. "You can't rush this."

"The longer you take, the more likely someone else is gonna die!" A.J. said raising his voice.

Tim hunched his shoulders, "Man, I'm sorry, geez you never raise your voice. Don't start freakin' out on me A.J. The last thing we all need is TWO Bruce's running around." Tim said turning back to the computer and clicking the last article which was on another page. He didn't notice A.J. cringe slightly, the last person A.J. wanted to be like was his father.

"Okay, she was kidnapped, we know that,...uh... they don't know who did it, how, and why, but the little girl is gone. There's not much physical evidence that's out of the ordinary except..."

"Except what?" A.J. asked.

"There were no fingerprints." Tim said quietly, "And there was no sign of the little filaments that come off of rubber gloves on any of the windowsils, OR the bedsheets. It's as if she got up and walked off on her own."

A.J. groaned quietly. "Any sign of her this morning?"

"No, but they've got Donovan on suicide watch, apparently he went balistic. Threatening to kill himself if she isn't found. It seems that she's all he has left now that his wife has left him, and his jobs bye-bye"

"So basically, all we know is we're at a dead-in." A.J. said, running a hand through his hair.

"It appears so."

[The_NewCatwoman]

*Street Smarts is a hilarious game show that comes on at night, it's on the WB in the Southeastern-Michigan area, but I'm not sure what channel it might come on in other states.*

**The Hotel Wolfgang-Astoria, in Downtown Gotham. 9:48pm, November 18th**

Donald Dilly Jr. lay back on the comforter of his hotel bed staring at the ceiling. "If you had any common sense D.J., you'd be at home playing Monopoly with Jill and the kids. But of course, here you are, sitting in a hotel room, making sure this guy doesn't off himself."

Sitting up, he grabbed the remote control and flicked the television on. The 9 o' clock news was just about over, and Street Smarts would be on soon. Sighing, Donald looked at his watch, "Ahhh, time to check on the patient!" he said in a mad scientist voice.

As he walked to the wall, and pulled out the listening device he used to eavesdrop on Mr. Finnland, his eyes flashed across a long, scar that wrapped around his lower arm.

Why was it that rich guys, who did drugs, always beat their kids?

His thoughts flashed back to a night long past, when he was seven. He'd woken up at the sound of loud shouting and ran to his father. He wasn't sure what was going on, but some big guy was pointing something at his father, and his father was being held up by his neck. He'd realized later in life that that 'something' was a gun. He'd been told it was 'business' and sent back to bed, even though he didn't budge.

Eventually the man left, and his father had held him, and assured him that everything was okay. Unfortunately, it didn't last and his father had stopped all of a sudden and knocked him to the ground. Then he'd stood over him, and blamed him, saying that if he hadn't ran to the door like that, it wouldn't have happened. Then he preceeded to pull of his belt, and slowly wrap it around his fist...

lightningpainwrappingaroundbodyathousandscorpions-seizeinonequickflickneedlesrainingdownfromhell-intheskyhollowshockofleatherpullrippinghurting-bleedingneverstoppingpleasemakeitstop...why...won't...it...stopitneverstopslongerandlongerinto-theragingblackholeofthefireinhisbellywiththefierce-dragoncryofthetorturedangelsandheasksagain...why...won't...it...stop...pleasemakeitstop...


...He is the son with the golden crown of hair, who is named after the father with the snake in his heart...


colorsswirltogetherashefallsintopainful-unconciousnessthatmixeswithhisbloodseveraltimeson-theflooranddaddyfallsinexhaustionandblamesthechild-andhescreamsinhissleepatnightstillfortyyearslater-wishingthewasdeadliketherest.

...And even now it runs through him like a train, tearing apart his soul, and still he doesn't blame the father, he blames the weakness...


...But it still doesn't stop it...


don'tcrybabythepainwillgoawayheretakemyhandsaystherabbitandthentheboyasksamiinwonderlandthen-therabbitwithhiskidglovessaysinreply-idon'tknowwhydon'tyougoaskalice

...Please make it stop...





Donald opened his eyes, and quickly rolled his shirt sleeve down to cover the wound. Looking around he realized that his walkie-talkie was buzzing like crazy, that he was in a defense position, and that he'd been shielding himself, maybe from the blow? Taking a deep breath, he stood and grabbed the bulky box from it's position on the nightstand. The garbled static hissed with coded words, asking if Mr. Finnland was alright. Donald responded in code that he hadn't checked yet, quickly he put the suction-cup end to the wall, and put the earpiece in his ear.

Donovan was watching television, the news or something.

"He's watching the news." Donald said, putting his hand to his forehead. "How long exactly until my shift is over?" he asked, looking at his watch again. Surprisingly, it'd been ten minutes since he'd gotten up.

"Not long, about twenty more minutes maybe." came the garbled response.

Not long, not long at all.... First thing I'm gonna do is give Jill and the kids a big hug, let them know I'm still here... ...I'm still here.

[The_NewCatwoman]

As he stares at the pulverised thing slumped against the wall that used to be a girl named Gloria, he thinks, "Why?"

He can never answer the question truthfully, because in his five-hundred years of deathly life, he has forgotten why he started.

And it scares him.

He thinks another thought instead, of how he told her to leave, showed her her fate and everything, all it took was a single bullet.

He knew she wouldn't leave, the sired are connected to their "parents" for the rest of their existence. They honor them as they would've honored their natural birth parents.

He looks at her again.

Her matter is splashed across the wall in grotesque abstract art, and her eyes stare forword without a soul to claim them.

And he remembers something:

That he was supposed to be careful with this one, they go so fast now, it seems to prove that he might do the same to his beloved.

To do that would be unforgivable.

And then he remembers why he does it all:

To make a punishment fit for taking away the one life he valued above all others:

Dimanche.

[Panther]

I was really impressed with how you portrayed Donald. I got a sense of how messed up his.

It was also a fine display of writing when you connected the little girl with that scene ages ago of the guy Bruce fired.

He didn't notice A.J. cringe slightly, the last person A.J. wanted to be like was his father.

Aj hasn't noticed he's practicly a Bruce clone?


Also - may I ask where your fascination with vampires comes from?

later,

[The_NewCatwoman]

**Panther, actually, it's a fancination with the darker side of life, and what it does to people's psyche's. All the worst elements of life there for people with the least amount of sanity to puzzle, and play with.**

Bruce:

I'm sitting here in A.J.'s room, it's late, at least for normal people it is. Already 10:15. *sigh* My son, the escape artist has done it again. Even though I had to carry him home with his intestines practically hanging out. And he missed school today. And his mother has finally gotten out of the hospital. He still persists to kill himself. I suppose I am no better, but there are boundaries to life. He is still a child, and under MY rule.

No child of mine is going to kill himself.

And I won't tolerate insubordination.

It was an unspoken truce of sorts: He stays home and recouperates, and I can sort out this condrum of staggering events. WITHOUT, the added threat of finding him with a newly amputated arm. But as usual A.J. goes by his own commandments. I can picture him laughing at all of us. The stupid people. Right now...

That's a terrible thing to say about your son.

I'm sorry I even thought it.

As I rise from his bed, in the dark quiet space of air around me, I feel a ripple of pain in my stomach. It is deep and quaking, and it tells me to vomit. And my thoughts turn to myself.

A.J. is somewhat safe in his adolecence. He has no wife to worry about him. He has no wife to cheat on...


Helena.


Her name rings throughout my head like a sonic boom.

It is poison to my tongue.

Yet, it's still there, after all this time, and I know it is only a matter of time before the beast reclaims my soul. And my drives stalk her again.

It tells me I am the hunter, a Wolf, a warrior who deserves the fruits of my labor.

She is a doe, not an innocent of course, but one willing to let me partake of her lovely feast. And in my bloodlust, I will take her again.

I force the images out of my mind.

My love is for my wife, first and foremost. Alpha to Omega.

She is where my soul rests and finds comfort. And wrath.

She bore me a son, and a kind of love that I had thought lost. She understands my pain, and my hatred. And still she continues to love me. We make love, not lust. And it is just, and perfect. Just as it was meant to be. There is no room for betrayal in this house. One ally is a greater force than a thousand enemies. We WILL win this war.

**

Helena:

I lay rubbing my stomach, damn cramps. I hate this.

I turn onto my stomach and stare at Dick, who is laying beside me. He is asleep, and I long to curl up in his arms, and forget for awhile.

Another one ripples through my womb. The price of being able to bare children is paid once a month. In full.

I inch up closer to him, and lay my head on his bare stomach, and begin to trace his muscles. His still incredibly fit, even after all this time. He easliy catches up with the boys whenever they play tag. And he likes to cook them all kinds of old Gypsy recipies he learned from his grandfather. And sometimes we combine our Gypsy/Italian roots to form brand new dishes. He makes it so much fun to be at home. Away from the lonely, crowded streets of Bludhaven. Away from the bullets that tear through homes, and playgrounds. Leaving damp puddles of mother's and children in their wake. Little scrapy runaway dogs wandering the neighborhoods, snapping at your heels when you don't throw them anything. Everyone's so darn bitter.

I'm glad I have my husband, with his overly-optimistic attitude about his condition. If he ever has any grief, I don't know about it. But I guess he saves the hostility for Bruce.

Dammit.

I thought,... I'm thinking about him again.

It was odd, almost dreamlike. We didn't make love, or have sex... We conquered the Ming Dynasty, and charted Apollo 13 all at the same time. It was like drinking anitfreeze, it's so sweet, but it kills so quickly.

Sometimes I forget, and it's easy to because it feels so unreal, but I quickly remember once that stabbing feeling races up my spine.

Then I chant: I love my husband, I love my husband.

And it's true, I do. He is everything that's right with my world. If I didn't have him, and the boys... I'd be dead.

He taught me to fill the space my parent's left full of loneliness and hatred, with all the good things that had happened, like my work.

I am a soldier in a never ending battle.

It is a passion I take seriously, the opportunity to be a good girl, when everything is so bad.

But sometimes,... I long to be that bad girl.

What Selina once was. To forget the rules, and regulations. My faith even. But Selina found out that that doesn't work for long, and I'm part of the problem. And I admit, that all that time before, when I hated her, I was really jealous. But I took it too far, I took what was rightfully her's. And I liked it. True, I hated it afterwards, but not during.

I don't think she knows. Dick doesn't either.

They don't deserve half the crap we give them.

So I say I'm sorry, whisper it right into my sleeping husband's ear. But he doesn't hear a word.

[Daughterof_Evil]

First and foremost, may I say what an awesome Big O avatar you have? I had no idea you liked that series! What other animes do you like?

Great part, including Huntress in on this love-fest of yours. I didn't notice it at first, but she did have relationships with both Bruce and Dick in the comic series. I liked the first-person POVs, there. It really helps the reader get inside their heads.

Great, as always.

[Panther]

Wow.

You have just demonstrated beyond a doubt you have mastered POV's. It's amazing how well you can get into a character's head. Hat's off! I also admired how you are handeling the personal hell people's consceince can put them through. I eagerly await the next post,

later,

[The_NewCatwoman]

**DoE- thanks, I'll tell you who got it for me later, and yes I enjoy the show, my fave episode is Winter Night Phantom.

Panther- thanks, this is really tearing them up inside, and their dreading the day when they'll have to tell the spouses what the deal is.**

**flashback**

Selina sat in the kitchen of her adoptive-parent's Bill and Jane, clutching her stomach. "Damn!" she said angrily, here she was seventeen, a senior in high school with fourth-level calculus, and all 210 credits and then some under her belt, and a sweet, gentle boyfriend, and she goes and gets pregnant. Ted, her left-hip for thirteen months, wasn't the one she was worried about, he would take it like a man. Bill and Jane would understand too, they were the supportive type. The one person she was worried about the most was the baby.

School wasn't a problem, she could graduate in January so she could have the baby, and Ted could do the same.

Bill and Jane would urge her to keep the baby, and offer their assistance through the whole thing.

But the baby? The baby didn't deserve to have this kind of life to come into. This was all just too damn confusing.

**to be continued**

[Panther]

Hmmm...

Interesting twist. This could lead to interesting complications for present day Selina if she has /another/ child running around somewhere. However, if teenage Selina makes the choice I think she's gonna it seems yet another layer of pyschological pain has been revealed in this modern Gothic tale.

I've really enjoyed the character development in this story to its many characters.

later,

[The_NewCatwoman]

**The full name Theodore Roosevelt Grant belongs to me, but the shorter Ted Grant belongs to DC Comics, Time Warner, blah, blah, blah...

Daniel and Grace in this story, are Ted's adoptive parents, they belong to me also.**

*August 3rd, 1979*

Ted sat shifting uncomfortably in his chair, as he waited for Selina to come out of the gynecologist office. She'd missed her period, and although they both knew what to expect, he still wanted to be sure... He wanted undeniable proof that he was going to be a father.

A Papa.

He began to daydream about the kind of life they'd have, all three of them.

He'd have to go get a job of course, and put off college for a few years.

Selina could stay home with the baby, and on weekends when they needed time to themselves, Bill and Jane, or Daniel and Grace could baby-sit.

All they'd have to do is decide what religion to raise the baby. Daniel and Grace would want him brought up Jewish for sure, but Ted himself had remained Catholic even as Daniel and Grace had dragged him out of bed all those years to go to shabbat services every Saturday. Selina was Catholic as well, but Bill and Jane were Protestant. Hmmmm, should they have him Christened and have a Bar Mitzvah? Would he be allowed to take Communion? Ugh, decisions, decisions.

Maybe they could just agree that since Selina and Ted were Catholic, the baby should be brought up as such, even to the dismay of his grand-parents.

Perfect!

So why did he have a sinking feeling Selina wasn't going to go for it?

**To Be Continued in Flashback**

[Panther]

He's worried about relegion at a time like this?! (And I do not mean to be blasphmous.)

Please post more soon!