True To Yourself

Be a hero, not a villain.

Only thing was, Selina had never thought of herself as villain. Villainy entailed wanting to hurt people, like the Joker, Two-Face without Harvey, or Poison Ivy with Harley.

Selina had been a criminal, out to get what she could for herself. She'd never wanted to hurt anyone who never hurt her first. She still didn't; Zatanna deserved it. Deserved whatever was coming to her, though she had her doubts that it would be enough.

Zatanna's spell hadn't been enough to make her into something she wasn't, because she hadn't known enough about Selina to affect her. One thing Selina did know about magic; the effectiveness was all in the wording.

Zatanna had used the wrong ones. So all the heroics of the past decade…that was all Selina. It had just taken her a bit to come to terms with it. She'd always been the cat who'd walked by herself.

But that had changed; she wasn't alone anymore.

Zatanna was the one who'd been changed by her spells. Karmic justice, poetic irony…just desserts delivered by the universe itself. Since no one mortal would.

The heroes of the world were often too soft on the criminal population. This Selina knew from personal experience. It was why she'd killed Black Mask. It had been for herself, and for poor Holly, who'd tried so hard to be a good Catwoman. It had been for Batman, and for that poor girl who'd once worn purple like she had, and tried so hard to deny her father's influence.

Stephanie Brown had denied it to her grave. Just like Jason Todd.

Just like Holly Robinson could have.

And if Batman couldn't bring himself to cross that line and avenge his fallen partners…well, at least he wouldn't fall prey to the evils that had plagued Zatanna. He would be true to his code of ethics.

Selina would be true to herself. She had done a lot of things in her life she would rather not have done. But she'd done them, because they needed to be done.

And the next time she ran across the Joker, his throat would become intimately acquainted with her claws. That was the God's honest truth.

Selina…she'd long ago given up denying anything that was true. Anything that was herself. But she was her own person now, and her only influence was her own. Her own…and whatever booby traps Zatanna left in place, though the Martian assured her there were none. No booby traps, no fail-safes, just her own mind, and her own heart.

And if her heart felt almost broken, well, with Bruce it was slowly healing. And if the urge to do good for others instead of trying to avenge the wrongs done her wasn't her own, well, it wasn't hurting her. It had, in fact, brought her many things she wanted. Needed.


Selina had only ever stolen out of enlightened self-interest. Now her interest was much less focused on herself. It was focused on Holly, and little Helena, and even…Bruce.

In the world they lived in, even Batman needed someone to look out for him. And Bruce didn't suffer many people to do so.

Selina Kyle, soon to be Selina Wayne, felt herself lucky to be considered such.