THIS STORY IS DEDICATED TO THE VICTIMS, SURVIVORS, FAMILY MEMBERS, FRIENDS AND COMMUNITY OF AURORA COLORADO, WHO SUFFERED THAT SENSELESS TRAGEDY. MY DEEPEST CONDOLENCES GO OUT TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE SUFFERED.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Batman/Catwoman or any related characters that are part of either the DC Comics/Warner Bros films. This is a work of fan fiction. The author received no payment for this story. Please don't sue.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is part of the Nolanverse and is a prequel to Dark Knight Rises. The story focuses on Selina Kyle's back story.

BEFORE THE CAT MET THE BAT

Prologue

I was not born into privilege. My childhood was not a fairy tale. My teenage years were no bubbly sitcom. Pink and fluffy, sparkles and glitter, ponies and unicorns, sugar and spice, that's not me at all. The only blessing in my life was my Uncle Jimmy. He was a master cat burglar and taught me everything he knew. He taught me how to survive on the mean streets of Gotham, to be a thief and a fighter. I've done many things I'm not proud of and many things that I can't take back. This here is the story of where I came from. It's a story of tragedy and triumph. It's MY story. My name is Selina Kyle and I'm The Catwoman.

Chapter 1 – Mother

When I decided to tell my story, I debated where I should start. After much thought, I decided the best starting point would be the beginning or just before it actually. My mother was a whore. I don't say that in an accusatory, judgmental way, I say it in a factual way. She was a paid lady of the night. As luck would have it, the night I was conceived, her paying customer was none other than Carmine "The Roman" Falcone, Gotham City underworlds Crime Lord. Lucky me, right?

During my mother's pregnancy, she kept my father's identity a secret but just days after my delivery, my mother showed up at the posh Villa where my father conducted his business with me in her arms. Her intention was to blackmail him. She burst in on a meeting between my father and some of his top sergeants and a few of his key associates (one being my beloved Uncle Jimmy) and demanded $10,000. My mother told my father that if he didn't pay the money right then, she would go to the papers and the courts and have him paying child support for eternity, but if he'd give her the money she was asking for right then, she'd disappear forever, never to be heard from again.

My father was not a man to be threatened. He asked my mother to bring me to him, saying that he wanted to hold me. When my mother handed me over, my father drew the revolver that he'd been holding under the table and shot my mother twice in the chest, killing her before she ever hit the ground. Then he ordered his henchmen to take my mother's body away and make sure it was never found. He handed me to Jimmy Tutelly and told Jimmy to "flush it, smother it or whatever you do with those things."

Jimmy left that meeting clutching me in his arms. Jimmy wasn't a killer or a hired gun. He was a thief. Killing wasn't in his nature. Plus, he later told me once he lay eyes on me that he knew he could never bring me harm. He took me to his place. It was a rundown, one room apartment in the slums of the Gotham Narrows. With no electricity and no working water and also no knowledge of how to raise a baby, Uncle Jimmy did the best he could for me. He learned that when if I cried that meant that I was hungry, if I was stinky then my diaper needed to be changed. He said that he was forced to leave me alone when he had a job, but I was a good baby, content to lay on my own. He said most nights when he would return home I'd still be asleep, and then I'd wake up and keep him up all day. He said it was rough at first, but Jimmy Tutelly was an adaptor. It wasn't long before we started to fall into a routine. I know Uncle Jimmy wasn't the ideal, picture-perfect, single parent but he did the best he could for us.

As soon as I was old enough to ask why I didn't have a mommy like other children, Uncle Jimmy told me the full story. He didn't sugar coat it. He didn't leave out the gruesome details. He thought it was important that I knew exactly who my parents were and why I lived with a man I called Uncle Jimmy even though he said we had no real relation. He taught me it was important to know exactly where you came from so you could figure out exactly where you were going.

Revenge was a concept that I grasped at a very, very early age. When most children working on their ABC's and counting to 10, I was plotting to avenge my mother's death, I was planning to murder my father, the man who was half responsible for my existence. I would have daydreams and fantasy's about shooting my father, a man I'd never seen or met. Uncle Jimmy never discouraged these thoughts. He would just warn me that my father was a very important man and not a man who would be easy to kill. Easy or not, it had to be done . . .

BLOATMAN'S CORNER: Thank you for reading! If you want to read more, PLEASE REVIEW. I have the first three chapters written but I won't bother posting if there is poor response.

I will say that I really liked the Dark Knight Rises. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the film.

And please check out my other stories if you like. You can get to those through my profile. - Bloatman