Six Sentence Sunday: Part of the Night: The One Rule

Part of the Night: The One Rule

BookWorm's Library | Ao3

Selina landed on the roof of her apartment building with a grin. Not that the night was anything worth grinning about: Daggett tricked her over the CleanSlate and had muscle willing to kill him to get her head. Then Batman had to swoop in and help her, but she got away clean before the legend himself snapped the cuffs on her. She breathed through her chuckle and headed down the fire escape.

Jen sat on the armchair with only one lamp on in the living room/Selina's bedroom. Selina's good mood bubbled higher since she could tell her about tall, dark, and mysterious right away.

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Summary: Batman has one rule he will never break, and there is one thing Selina Kyle will never steal.

This was my second AU inspired by The Dark Knight Rises. Before Selina Kyle was rebooted in 2001 by Ed Brubaker and artist Darwyn Cooke, her moral code didn't include killing. So I was a little disappointed that the Nolans decided to ignore that bit of history in the Dark Knight Rises, and that took the form of a what if. What if Selina had refused to lead Batman to Bane's trap because it would kill him? And what if Bruce hired her to work with him to protect her? I hope you enjoy this take on the Nolanverse.

Six Sentence Sunday: The Dark Knight Rises: Weapon of the Shadows

The Dark Knight Rises: Weapon of the Shadows

BookWorm's Library | Ao3

"The last thing he said to me was anyone can be a hero." Jim Gordon's voice caught and he looked down at the podium. Selina pitied him and turned off the television set. She knew there were more to Batman's last words, but she had been there two months ago when he had uttered them. She didn't begrudge Jim's editing for the speech dedicating the statue to the fallen hero's memory. Just like he didn't begrudge her leaving Gotham before someone pinned a medal to her undeserving chest.

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Summary: After the core explosion, the League of Shadows seeks retaliation for what they lost on the one Gothamite they can reach, but the stakes become personal when the Cat takes in a kitten.

So I was reading emiv's awesome story The Longer You Stay adding all the Robins to the Nolanverse, when multiple commenters asked about the Batgirls. emiv explained that she had no plans for them. The muse started plotting. I had already reintroduced Barbara "Babs" Gordon in Meanwhile in Gotham City and I have plans for Stephanie Brown in the Part of the Night series. That left Cassandra Cain, my favorite little bad ass, and bam this story hit my brain. I hope you enjoy this take on the Nolanverse.

Six Sentence Sunday: Signs and Portents: Trinity

Signs and Portents: Trinity

BookWorm's Library | Ao3

The three F-15s screeched through the sky towards the billowing, black mass. It reminded Steve of the 2010 Iceland volcano eruption. The lightning flickering in the enlarging red and black clouds didn't help the impression. "Keep an eye out for the alien entity designated as Superman. He doesn't have a transponder," Steve said to his subordinate pilots. Command listened to every word as well.

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Summary: In this sequel to Signs and Portents: Forgiveness is for the Living, Signs and Portents: Meanwhile in Gotham City, and Man of Steel, Superman defeated General Zod, saved Earth, and lost all his Kryptonian heritage that was sent with him, but Lois knows about another woman who can fly.

For the longest time, this story only had two scenes after I watched Man of Steel: Wonder Woman and Batman confiscating the world engine wreckage before any Earth government did, missing Superman by minutes, and Lois using Selina as a sounding board for her venting about Zod. (Dude, if you had colonized Mars, you would have won. Wait a while, call Kal-El for a visit, and kill him after he was weakened from Kryptonian environment, easy-peasy.) But two scenes do not a story make, so I put the whole thing aside to simmer.

I figured out how to work in Steve Trevor and Diana's meet cute and decided who would act first: Bruce and Diana because they know the prophecy or Clark and Lois because they know of another hero who can fly. Eventually, when I wanted Blake and Babs to interact with Clark, it all worked out. I hope you enjoy this take on the Nolanverse.

Six Sentence Sunday: Signs and Portents: Meanwhile in Gotham City

Signs and Portents: Meanwhile in Gotham City

BookWorm's Library | Ao3

Jim Gordon, likely Commissioner of Gotham City Police Department until he died, closed the rooftop stairwell door. And he had thought getting back to his office at Police Headquarters would calm things. He managed not to chuckle bitterly. The city could be in worse shape. Power was stable, rebuilding projects moved forward, city government was in charge, all the feds had withdrawn except for the disaster liaison, and about half the escapees from Blackgate had been rearrested.

Learning the two Blackgate Boys brought in tonight had been trussed up and were waiting for the police sent Gordon to the roof. He approached the flood light.

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Summary: Blake thought being a detective was the hardest thing he's ever done, until he became Gotham's protector. But he's not the only one who wants the job.

The fifth story in the Signs and Portents series checks back on how Gotham City is fairing since the Occupation ended. It started off as a dabble in my head: Gordon turns on the repaired Batsignal and meets Nightwing. Then I gave a little thought on who Gordon would need to consult a cape about. Scarecrow was still at large at the end of the Dark Knight Rises, and no one noticed the hint I gave over who Jen went to work for, so both of those members of the Rouges Gallery made good subjects of conversation. And then I thought "what if Barbara Gordon the daughter burst in on their meeting?" I hope you enjoy this take on the Nolanverse.

Six Sentence Sunday: Signs and Portents: Forgiveness is for the Living

Signs and Portents: Forgiveness is for the Living

BookWorm's Library | Ao3

Selina blinked as she heard the music from Rampiamo, rampiano, che il tempo ci gabba erupt in their dark bedroom. Bruce rolled away and groped for his cell phone on the nightstand. "What is it?" He growled in his Batman voice.

She wasn't surprised. He had deflected her questions of why that selection from the opera Mefistofele was Batman's ringtone, but he always answered it in character. Even before dawn when one of the few people who had the number called.

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Summary: The day after the Dark Knight Rises ends, Selina's plans take an unexpected turn.

This story is the fourth story in the Signs and Portents series, and was written third. The initial thought was Selina would not allow Alfred and Bruce to never have any contact again and as Bruce's wife-without-the-title, she would want to approval of the man who raised him. But I really didn't think there was a story in Alfred and Selina talking about Bruce. Then the timeline snapped into place and the light bulb went off on the idea of Lois Lane's Batman isn't dead story. Alfred practically shook me as I couldn't stop researching Florence. I hope you enjoy this take on the Nolanverse.

Six Sentence Sunday: Signs and Portents: Entwined Fates

Signs and Portents: Entwined Fates

BookWorm's Library | Ao3

Selina pinched the bridge of her nose. There was no way she heard him right. "An implanted tracking device, is that what you said?"

"Yes. Can't be removed, the frequency is so narrow passive scanners miss it, not that you'll have to worry." Bruce's voice was light, like they were discussing paint colors for their new house back in Florence instead of how she couldn't sneak a tracking device past the terrorists that almost blew up Gotham.

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Summary: The inhabitants of a mysterious island capture Bruce and Selina won't let that stand, but can they beat a demigod?

This is the third story in the Signs and Portents series, but written fourth. My plan for the series finally condensed around Bruce and Selina gathering the Justice League. Man of Steel had been announced and I wanted to see how they developed Superman, so I introduced Wonder Woman to the Nolanverse. I hope you enjoy this take on it.

Six Sentence Sunday: Signs and Portents: Partners

Signs and Portents: Partners

BookWorm's Library | Ao3

The bastard. Selina's fingers manipulated the lock picks automatically and left her mind free to run on the same track it had been running on for the past few days. The man she had mocked as a parasite, the man who gave Gotham everything he had, the man she had betrayed, the man who forgave her and trusted her to follow his path, the man she saved, the man who got past her claws and walls, the man she kissed without any ulterior motive, the man who died so a city might live.

Calling him the bastard was the trick to keeping her tears at bay.

The massive doors swung open silently. She didn't bother keeping her footsteps quiet on the marble floors.

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Summary: Selina went after the Wayne pearls for a second time, and found something else entirely.

I started this story almost the second after I left the movie theater with the Dark Knight Rises still coursing through my head. I also exited firmly in the camp that the last scene was real and not a mental breakdown for poor Alfred. I outlined my reasons in a review blog post I wrote over supper, and then had the niggle thought: Selina helped him set the stuff up in Gotham. So it became the second story in the Signs and Portents series. I hope you enjoy this take on the Nolanverse.

Six Sentence Sunday: Signs and Portents: Symbol of Intuition

Signs and Portents: Symbol of Intuition

BookWorm's Library | Ao3

Bruce lay back on the prison cot with the drug addict doctor's words echoing in his mind. He had to fear death again. What did that even mean?

He heard the heels on the stone floor before he saw Selina step out of the shadows. She was wearing her burglary costume, but her pale face was bare and the cat ears on the headband from Miranda's party perched on her head. She looked up at the broken TV and then continued to sashay to his cot. "Your temper hasn't busted you out of here yet."

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Summary: Bruce is still in the Pit, and cats in dreams represent mystery and intuition.

Signs and Portents was the first AU series that churned into my brain after seeing the Dark Knight Rises. I actually started taking notes for it while eating supper after the movie. This was the second story I wrote in the series, even though it takes place in the middle of the movie and comes first chronologically. Overall, I liked the reimagining the Lazarus Pit into a pit that housed plague victims then turned into a prison. What drove me crazy was how long it took Bruce to realize that the rope wouldn't let anyone jump to that ledge. Okay, he was still injured when the first guy failed. But after his first jump? Come on, this is a guy who was hang-gliding between buildings in Hong Kong and Gotham City! He suddenly forgot how to calculate distances during his retirement? The second jump I expected him to untie the rope and leap. And he didn't. *headdesk* So I had to tweak it. I hope you enjoy this take on the Nolanverse.