I tend to think of fanfiction as mere entertainment. Review or don't. Just enjoy. Also, I made a vow to never post unless the story is done. So don't expect this one to cut off halfway through. (I hate when that happens!)

~* Christmas *~

The alley smelled faintly of day old Italian food and urine, despite the fresh scent of falling snow that hovered over it.

It was that acrid scent that could only come from the industrial landscape of a dirty city. It was failed dreams and all too innocent hope, with only a pinch of remorse lingering from the fast paced sex that occasionally haunted the seedy area between Marco's and the pawn shop. It was wet cement and rancid garbage, car exhaust and cigarettes.

From her perch on a fire escape, she watched the people pass, her breath coming out in soft wisps, floating into the night sky like the swirls that curled out from under a freshly popped cork. It would have been a serene, starlit night, if it wasn't for the fact she was brewing white hot rage inside her.

The people of Gotham were obscenely happy during the holiday season, scampering by with their arms filled full of brightly coloured gifts, wrapped in sweet ribbons and useless paper, made her physically ill.

Beneath her, a couple lay unconscious, she didn't assault them, but she certainly didn't help them. If they were stupid enough to go down a dark alley in Gotham, then the group of street punks were a hard lesson learned in life. They would wake in the morning, possibly in the hospital and know never to venture into dark alleys again. It wasn't Smalltown, USA. It was Gotham City and everyone knew Gotham was hell on earth.

After a few minutes of watching the little rat bastards pick over their victims, Selina decided it was time to intervene.

Eyeing her prey, she leapt, dropping to the hard ground of the alley.

Grasping her whip in a strong, but delicate hand, she lashed out, knocking a young man onto his ass.

Before the other two could cry out, Selina Kyle turned on one, dropping him like a sandbag in a run down theatre, the second man soon followed, finished by her elbow. The boys scrambled to their feet, smart enough not to mess with anyone in any form of costume.

Moving to stand over the forms of the couple as the youth took off into the night, she sneered. "You should have taken the long way home, kids."

It had been only two hours prior that she was skulking around Wayne Manor, the brightly lit interior calling to her like a lighthouse in the fog. It was Christmas Eve and all the merriment of the season, all the well faked joy and family togetherness suckered her into thinking that she could tolerate it for once with someone who didn't make her want to bang her head against a wall.

But inside the manor Bruce seemed far too happy with his newest blonde bombshell some spoiled princess of a socialite. And while he gathered around a richly decorated tree with his little bat family and that horrid woman being catered to by Alfred, serving them eggnog on a silver platter, Selina knew she wasn't wanted there.

Turning violet eyes on the gifts at her feet, she smirked, those boys were about to rob them anyways, may as well make use of a fortuitous situation.

"I'm glad to see someone else as fed up with this season as I." A well spoken tone broke over her moment as she gathered up all the gifts. It was a deceptively soft, crystal clear voice, that sparked something in her mind as familiar, but wasn't quite familiar enough. "Hemi-parasitic weeds hanging in doorways, songs about peace and love, a smile on every face and a nog in every pot."

Catwoman glanced over her shoulder at who dared interrupt her angry thieving and found none other than the Riddler emerging from the shadows of the pawn shop's backdoor.

Resting heavily on his cane while cocking his hip rakishly, he smiled down at her with his mockingly coy grin. It was a bright, almost boyish grin that seemed demure only because he tilted his head downwards ever so and lowered his lashes almost humbly.

She knew better. The Riddler was anything but demure.

Tucking all of the gifts (an overabundance in her opinion) into the black garbage bag she carried in a pouch at her hip (she never knew when she might come across the chance to steal a lot of things at once), Selina stood up and spun on him.

He continued to stand there arrogantly, his eyes shadowed by his fedora. "One might consider it cathartic, they," he pointed at her victims with his cane, "however, might consider it robbery. Now, I know you have more class than this…"

Selina glowered darkly at him. "You remind me of a jackal standing there, Eddie." She purred. "Waiting to pick clean the carcasses."

The Riddler chuckled. It was that laugh of his that bordered on giddy. When he finally sobered, he raised his head just enough, so that the light from Marco's backdoor struck his turquoise eyes, electrifying them. "It's Christmas Eve, kitten. Shouldn't you be holed up somewhere warm?"

"I could ask the same of you, Ed." She remarked coolly, striding away. "And don't ever call me 'kitten'."

The green suited man caught up with her fluidly, bounding at her side youthfully. "Let me rephrase my question. Shouldn't you be holed up somewhere warm with someone you love, sipping cider and wrapping your own gifts?"

Selina scoffed. "What a revolting idea." She growled, placing a hand on his chest and pushing the Riddler hard onto the ground. She knew it was juvenile, but it made her feel a little better.

As he landed, long limbs askew, on the dirty, wet pavement, he looked up at her with a slight pout. "This suit is new." He replied. "You really have no idea how hard it is to find them in green."

Standing over him, free hand on her hip, she eyed Eddie's lean form on the ground. If it wasn't for the mouth or the ego on him, he wouldn't be half bad to look at, not her type, but not horrible. The dominatrix in her found that she liked him best splayed out on the ground, right knee cocked, left leg stuck out straight, tie askew, jacket open.

"Everyone should have someone to be with at Christmas, kitten," he said sagely, still on the ground, propped up with his elbows.

"Well put," she remarked, placing her boot in the middle of his chest and pushing him back down, "why don't you run off and do that and leave me alone."

Eddie placed a slender, gloved hand to her ankle. "I could, but I too have no one to be with at Christmas. We are two peas in the same pod."

"Why am I not surprised you have no one at Christmas, Ed?" Selina replied, allowing him to push her foot off his chest.

He stood up, adjusting the warm looking, green and purple striped scarf at his neck and brushing alleyway dirt off his suit with precise, exact sweeps of his hands. "People seem put off by my intelligence." He said, adjusting his gloves. "But the more important question is, why don't you have anyone during this," he sighed grudgingly, "joyous season?"

"Because I chose to be alone, Ed." She replied.

He tilted his head back, angling his lower jaw doubtfully as he studied her with narrowed eyes.

Selina was tempted to roundhouse him then and there, instead she took hold of his scarf with her free hand and pulled him in close to her. "What's the look for, Ed?" She demanded.

Using his cane to push up his fedora, Eddie smiled his maniacally boyish smile. "You got rejected, didn't you, kitten? Poor, beautiful Selina Kyle, out cold in the snow. Oh, how the others will talk…" he sighed, settling his hand to his cheek as though he weren't in the claw tipped grip of death.

This time Selina dropped the bag of presents to properly knock Eddie onto the ground, he did well dodging her blows for a moment, but not really the fighter, he was soon nailed with a good right hook and a boot on his way down. "What did I say about calling me 'kitten'?" She growled.

Touching a finger to his bleeding bottom lip, Eddie continued to smile smugly up at her, once more splayed out on the ground pleasingly.

She wondered then, if anyone ever really managed to shut The Riddler up properly. He was incorrigible.

While she was lost in enraged thought, Eddie had gotten back to his feet, once more wiping the grime of the alley off his suit, not caring much about his split bottom lip.

Selina snapped back to the reality of her Christmas. In a dark alley with the Riddler, robbing gifts from happy couples. She scoffed at her own pathetic turn in life and shook her head.

"The thing about playing with the Bat is, he always sets the rules." Eddie said, his tone almost fatherly. "Things never happen on your terms, always his. Well," he smirked, "unless you force circumstances to be on your terms."

Frowning at him, Selina gave the Riddler a hard look.

"He is the reason you're in such a foul mood, am I correct?"

"You don't know anything about me, Eddie. And you damned well know nothing about my relationship with Batman."

"I know enough to know he's the only man you play nicely with. Don't insult my deductive skills, Selina dear. Ego animadverto, ego teneo*."

"You know nothing, Eddie."

"See, you're wrong, kitten. I know you. And in my prime I studied The Bat with a fine tooth comb and one thousand times magnification, and do you know what I found?" He touched the handle of his cane to the area just under her chin.

Selina swiped the cane away from her and moved off. "I don't care what you found and if you touch me again I'll rip your tongue from your mouth."

"In the end it's all about image," he called after her, ignoring her threat. "His kind. Heroes. Big men who think they're the only ones who can change the world."

She stopped, but kept her back on the man.

"When the cowl comes off in the morning, he doesn't want to play with a thief who dresses like a dominatrix, his sort wants a wife in floral and pearls."

Selina turned on him. "All men want the dominatrix, Ed."

"Not the good ones. Not the Batmen of the world, kitten. Could you imagine how hard his reputation would take beating if he ever publicly announced any kind of tender intentions towards you? You're no Joker, my dear, but you're certainly not his level of Sainthood. You are just as dirty as the rest of us."

Standing for a moment, unsure what to say, she scoffed again. "What about you, Eddie? You're supposedly 'good' now, do you yearn for the floral and pearls or the dominatrix?"

He smiled broadly. "It doesn't matter what I want, Selina dear. This is a study in you and The Bat."

Sighing deeply, Selina looked up at the sky. "I'm cold, Ed, and it's almost midnight."

"Your place or mine?" He asked.

She narrowed her eyes in disgust. "I'm not that desperate yet."

Sweeping his hands out in an innocent gesture, Eddie beamed. "Why, kitten, I meant for a nice Christmas meal of scotch and…little cheesy fish shaped crackers…I think I have some of those…"

Turning away from him to hide the smile that came to her face, Selina sighed. "Merry Christmas, Eddie."

"Feliz Navidad, kitten." He returned softly.

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Footnote(s)

*I see, I know.