"You sound like Bruce."

"At least somebody is."

Terry glared at her. "So where is he anyway?"

"He said he needed to take a drive."

"By himself?"

"He was Batman, I think he can handle just driving around the city."

"I guess......So, any luck with Catwoman?"

"No," Emily lied. She didn't know why, but she simply couldn't tell Terry. She couldn't tell anyone. Other people, well, that made sense, but Terry and Bruce? Why did she need to hide the truth from them? She didn't know......

Emily seemed a little distant when she had gotten back. A bad fight with Catwoman? No. a bad fight would mean a temper. Odd really. Emily had no temper problems what so ever. They must have started when she began working for him. But even still, she was much more quite than usual. A lack of sleep might be part of it, but there was obviously something that had happened. Why wouldn't she at least tell him!

That girl! She was so impossible!

He hoped she was ok........

Not at all to Kat's surprise, her grandmother lectured her for a half an hour. In this, she couldn't say she blamed her. It had been a careless mistake the had let the Fox catch her, but quick thinking, and a strong kick had saved her. Emily had been too off balance with shock to do much serious fighting. But Kat still hadn't told her grandmother what she knew. In a sense, it seemed sacrilegious.

But it was this long lecture that made Kat decide to take on a partner. She wouldn't even discuss this with her grandmother, (she rarely discussed anything anymore. She was Catwoman now, and would do things her way) knowing she would simply get a lecture on the vices of a partner. Ah, but that was where Kat was a step ahead. Yes she would choose a partner, but it would be much more capable than any human. No, in this, Kat would be true to form.

"It's not necessarily stolen," said Bruce as he typed away at the computer.

"Yeah, it could already be dead," said Terry coldly. Bruce continued typing, but Emily fixed him with a hard glare.

"It is a possibility," acknowledge Bruce, making both Emily and Terry's jaws drop.

"Bruce? Agree with Terry? Somebody call the papers, I think we got a headline!" thought Emily. Terry fixed her with a smug glance, and she wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at him.

"A white tiger pelt would bring in a lot of money to any collection, or just be nice on the Black Market.

"Yes, but it might not be dead."

"Meaning what?" asked Terry, skeptically.

"Meaning what if someone was keeping it alive?"

"No one would keep it just for a pet," said Bruce. "There's tons of illegal paper adds for white tigers where they could get it from. It's ten times easier."

"Yeah, but a white tiger cub can't fight," she said, emphasizing the word "cub."

"You mean like an underground fighting ring?" asked Terry. He'd heard of dog and cock fighting, but tiger fighting?

"Not necessarily. Some guy might have gotten beat up. He feels insecure. What better way to strike fear into the heart of your enemy then by having a full grown tiger in your apartment."

"When people want to boost their ego, they buy cars, not steal tigers," said Terry. His cousin had flipped it!

"It's worth investigating!" exclaimed Emily.

"A possibility," said Bruce. This time it was Emily's turn to be smug.

"Look," said Terry, rubbing his face. "It's Saturday, we've been at this since midnight, and I'm famished. I'm going to go get some chili from Rhino's."

"Go ahead," said Bruce.

"You want anything Em?" he asked ,already knowing Bruce wouldn't eat.

"Sure," said Emily as she sank into a chair, not realizing how tiered she was till then.

"I'm off," said Terry as he climbed the steps to Wayne Manor. There was silence in the cave as Bruce had stopped typing.

"Why don't you say what you mean?" asked Bruce, finally.

"Huh?"

"You think Catwoman kidnaped the tiger."

"Something like that."

"She wouldn't fight it. She wouldn't want it to get hurt."

"It could be a completely different person. Not even related to Selina Kyle."

"But it's not."

"How do you figure that?"

"I dunno. You tell me."

There was silence again.

"So are you gonna tell me the truth, or am I gonna have to read your face?" he asked.

"That obvious?"

"That obvious."

"I...I found out who Catwoman is, in a weird turn of events..."

"And?"

"And she's Kat Kyle."

Bruce didn't make a sound. He had expected as much. His silence meant she should continue.

"But...."

"But?" he prompted.

"But she found out who I was as well."

"Ah," he said. "This might be a disadvantage."

"She didn't find out who you or Terry were though!" she exclaimed, as if by way of redeeming herself. Bruce nodded.

"In a sense it's an advantage. An advantage we've always known, to be sure, but we never had any proof before."

"We have proof now?"

"No," he responded. "Now we just are dead certain on who to antagonize."

The next morning, Terry was awakened by a phone call from Emily.

"Emily......It's seven AM...." he moaned.

"Turn on the T.V! Turn it on now!" she cried at the other end.

There was the sound of him moaning and shuffling for the remote, but she could almost here his jaw drop at the sight on the screen.

"...And in other news, the missing white Siberian tiger from the Gotham City Zoo was returned late last night by an unknown person. Zoologists and vets have done several check ups and it is determined that it is the very same tiger, unharmed in any way. Quotes Tiger keeper Lucy James 'We've done every check possible, and it's definitely Riko! In fact, he actually seemed happier than normal!'"

Terry turned of the T.V., silent.

"Well?" said Emily.

"Well what?"

"What are we supposed to look into?"

"You and I both know that that Tiger wasn't just staying in an apartment for the sake of protection."

"Yes."

"You and I both know it's Catwoman's work."

"Yes."

"So what are we supposed to do?"

"We wait. She's gonna take that tiger again, I know it!"

"You've known things before, might I remind you."

"This time I'm right for sure!"

"Good Riko," she said, giving the massive head a final pat. It had been pure luck that she had convinced her grandmother to take a weekend vacation. Selena had been harping on her constantly, more of worry, then of failure on Kat's part. It was clear to Kat that she was the new Catwoman, the old one dead, living only inside her grandmother's heart. Just as it was clear that the old Batman was dead, except for in the heart of the original and his partners.

Riko sat bolt upright, a soft noise coming from his throat. Catwoman grinned. And they say dogs were good watch pets.

Fox had stupidly lept onto the roof, unaware of the tiger companions close proximity to her. She cried out in surprise, Batman bumping into her. The two tumbled over as Catwoman just laughed.

"Riko, if you would oblige."

Riko lept upon the pair, Fox sliding away just in time. With a flick of her hand, no longer needing voice commands, the sword appeared in her hand, as Catwoman strung out her whip. Thus the brawl began, Batman fighting Riko, Catwoman fighting Fox. With the but of her whip, Catwoman slammed her opponent unconscious. She then grinned, a plan forming in her head.

"Riko, pin em down!"

Riko obliged as Catwoman took out a can, spraying some perfume into the face of her struggling victim. Batman was knocked out in an instant.

Kat tied his limp body onto that of her tiger's.

"Ok Riko. We'll head back home." And with that, the pair delicately lept over the roof tops of the city, to an unknown hide out.