A Stainless Steel Cat (13 page)

"Mom..." He started.

"Please, David." She pleaded.

"It's Royce, mom. Just Royce. I never got to know David, even if he was supposed to be me." He couldn't quite keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"I'm sorry... Royce." She said. She mentally kicked herself. It WAS his name now. No matter how much she wanted her son back, he was different than he would have been if she'd been allowed to raise him.

"It's ok, mom. Now, why do you need The Cat's help?" He asked, his temper cooling.

"I did what you asked. I called all the gang leaders and sent them final payments with the understanding that their help would no longer be required. However, one gang threatened my family, and I need to get he evidence against them to the police without them suspecting my involvement." She paused, taking a shuddering breath. "That's where you come in. I need you to get the information to the police, and do so publicly."

"And get arrested and locked up? No thanks, mom." Royce smirked.

"In front of a security camera would work, sweety." His mom said, and he raised an eyebrow. That could work. As long as they had him on camera in his full gear, and it got all over the news, it would be seen as another hit by the cat burglar folk hero. The Media had already put out public invitations for interviews, but he'd dismissed every one he saw on TV.

"I know where I could do that." He grinned, thinking of the perfect place.

"I'm still at my office. Can you drop by and pick up the folder?" She asked.

"Yeah, mom. I'll be there in twenty minutes." He replied. He ended the call before she could say anything else, and carefully extracted himself from Tam's lightly snoring form.

He left her sleeping on the couch as he went and got his bag from the closet in their room. He donned his jeans, but left off the other clothes for now, just wearing a t-shirt. He slung the bag over his shoulder and wore it crosswise on his body as he put on his helmet on the way out the door.

He rode to his mom's office, and went up to her office. He told the receptionist, Cynthia, that he had an appointment, and, although she was surprised, Lisa said to send him on back.

He entered her office and closed the door behind him.

"Thank you, Dav.. Royce." Lisa winced. She would never get used to that.

"Hey, no problem. I'm proud of you, mom." Royce smiled as he gave her a hug. He put the folder in his bag and made to leave.

"Royce... Could you wait a moment?" Lisa asked. "I mean, it doesn't have to be done yet. Tonight after sunset would be good." She smiled nervously.

Royce shrugged. "Ok, I suppose so."

He sat in a chair in front of her desk, and she came around and took the other chair, so they were sitting side by side.

"Royce, I can't thank you enough for opening my eyes. Umm... Look, about the money you took from the safe..." She started nervously.

"I'm not returning it, mom. I already bought a motorcycle with part of it." He shrugged.

Lisa laughed lightly. "I was going to say keep it, anyway. God knows I owe you that an much more, but I would turn the clock back 18 years just to have another chance to raise you instead."

Royce noticed the tears in her eyes. "Did... Did you tell your husband about me?" He asked softly, remembering their conversation from the day before.

"Not yet. He had a late meeting last night, but I plan to as soon as I get home... unless you don't want me to. Royce, I would love for you and Tam to have dinner with us next Friday." She smiled at him.

"Umm, are you sure, mom?" He asked. "I mean, I really don't want to mess up your lives. If it became public knowledge, that would screw up a couple things right off the bat. The Cat would be finished, and your career..."

"My career would be fine. Once the truth comes out about what really happened. However, I know how independent you are, but think about this. When I was a little girl, my big brother... your uncle, in fact, read Batman comic books. I read a few, and Bruce Wayne led a very public identity by day and acted as Batman at night." She chuckled at the look on his face.

"Mom, this isn't some comic book." He smirked. I would have paparazzi hounding me 24/7 for a very long time, which would make my work pretty much impossible." He said seriously.

Lisa nodded. "True, but they would give up when you weren't doing anything interesting." She shrugged and smiled.

"Yeah... interesting. Ok, fine. You win. Dinner, but I'm not promising anything after that." He said evenly.

Lisa hugged him. "Thank you, sweety. Don't worry. Just come to this address Friday at 6 PM, and I'll leave word to let you and your Lady in." She wrote down her address. "I trust you still have my number in your phone?"

Royce grinned and blushed. "Yeah, mom. I do."

"Good!" She replied with a grin. "I'll call you tomorrow and let you know how Jeremy took the news."

"Ok, I guess." He was still uncomfortable, but he was warming up to her. In spite of her past crimes, she seemed genuine. He cleared his throat. "Ok, mom. I'd better get to the drop point with the security camera and plant this evidence." He chuckled.

"Then I'll call you tomorrow night." She stood up and he stood with her. They hugged and let go, and he smiled as he walked out of her office.

He rode to a parking lot near the drop box, and made sure no security cameras could see him. He walked over to a dumpster and put on the gray windbreaker and ski mask with goggles. He left the bag in the hiding place where he'd changed behind the dumpster, and only took the folder, which he wiped down to get rid of the fingerprints. He also checked for hairs, and finding none, decided it was time to be a 'hero' once again.

He considered sprinting for the box, but he had a better idea when he saw a police cruiser driving down the street. To get the cops' attention, he just waved the car down and handed the folder to the shocked officer in the passenger seat. Without saying a word, he nodded and sprinted away in the opposite direction of the parking lot where his Ducati was parked.

He made a large circle back to where his bike was, and changed and rebagged his jacket and mask. He then put his helmet back on and walked to his motorcycle, then kickstarted it and rode back home.

When he got there, Tam was just waking up as he walked in.

"Baby?" She asked blearily as her eyes focused on him as he walked in.

"Hey, Sweetheart. Feeling better?" He asked as he sat down beside her and took her in his arms.

"Mmmm, much better. Thanks." She smiled warmly, kissing him and feeling much better. "Oh God, how long did I sleep?"

"Well, I think you fell asleep around noon..." He started.

"And it's after 8?? FUCK, I slept all day!" She fumed, glaring at him.

"You needed the rest, Sweetheart. You cried for several hours, and I didn't want to wake you. Then I went and visited with mom again, and she's invited us to dinner. Oh, and I made it look like The Cat got the dirt on one of the gangs that she fired today." He blurted it all out, letting her know everything that went on while she was asleep.

Tam took in all the information. "She invited us to dinner? When? Did you accept?"

"Yes. Friday night at 6, and she even wrote down the address for us. And yes, I accepted, if you want to go with me. If not, I'll cancel. She said she would talk to her husband tonight and get back to me in the morning." He shrugged, and Tam grinned warmly.

"I can't wait, baby! I hope he's ok with us coming to dinner!" She was giddy now, and Royce found himself laughing and smiling right along with her.

When Royce had first visited his mother with Tam, he had never intended to be part of the woman's life. She, along with Tam, had kind of talked him into it. He'd been fine with being his own man, and not caring about who his birth parents were. Now, he found that he had a mom, step father, two sisters and a brother... albeit half siblings. He was still afraid it would turn into a media circus, which would be bad for everyone involved, but Senator Keen had insisted. He was torn now. 'Shit, I might actually have to get a REAL job!' He thought despondently that his time as a vigilante-cat-burglar might be over after dinner with his newfound family.

But now wasn't the time to think about that. He looked at Tam. She looked nervous all of a sudden. "Baby, what if they don't like me?"

"They're going to love you, Sweetheart. I'm more worried what they'll think of me. I mean, come on. I was given away when I was a few months old, left on a Cathedral's doorstep. Here I am, 18 years later, out of the fuckin' blue, and back to usurp their way of life. At least, that's how I'd see it in their shoes." He shrugged.

"That's true, but what if they don't accept me as your girlfriend because I'm black?" Tam was biting her lip nervously now.

Royce smiled. "Baby Girl, this is the 21st Century. Besides, they're Democrats. I'm pretty sure they'd be open minded about you. And this IS California."

Tam chuckled as he ticked off the points on his fingers. He had some good points. "Sorry, Baby. I'm still used to the shit Cammie went through in New York when she married Nate's dad. He was Puerto Rican, and neither of our families accepted it until he was killed overseas. It was one reason why they moved out here."

Royce just nodded. "I'm sorry, Tam."

Tam cuddled up next to him. "It's ok, honey. I'm just sayin' that not everyone accepts interracial relationships."

"I know. I met some real bigots when I was in St. Agatha's. Not orphans. Priests. Go figure, right?" Royce held her close, enjoying the warmth of her body next to his.

"Takes all kinds, I guess." She replied. "Just hold me tonight, Baby?"

"Always, Sweetheart." Royce smiled and kissed her lips lightly, then held her close.

Lisa walked in and was immediately mobbed by her teenage daughters and son. Jeremy came out of his den and smiled as he saw her too.

"How was work, honey?" He asked as she came into his arms and kissed him.

"Not bad, but we have to talk. Don't worry, it's not what you might think." She smiled reassuringly when he got a hurt look on his face. "Besides, you should know by now that I am completely in love with you."

Jeremy had thought that she... well, he wasn't sure, but he hated those words coming out of a woman's mouth. 'we have/need to talk' always preceded a breakup, from his experience.

"Ok, babe. What is it?" He asked.

Lisa looked at her kids, all listening attentively. "Not here. I need to tell you in private Then we can tell the kids together." She whispered.

"Alright. Let's go to the den." He shrugged and led her into his den. He closed and locked the door behind them so the kids couldn't barge in. "What's going on, Leese?" He asked once they were alone and in no danger of being overheard.

Lisa took a deep breath, and steeled herself to the task of revealing the biggest secret of her life. "Jere, you know that I love you, right?" She asked. At his nod and nervous smile, she continued. "Honey, back in High School before we met, I was... I mean I... I got pregnant." She blurted.

"You... what?" He asked in shock.

"Yes, I had a child before the twins. My father made me give him up, but kept not only my pregnancy, but the birth as well a secret. My first son never even had a Birth Certificate until Father Lawrence from the Cathedral took him to St. Agatha's up in Sacramento. I named him David William Carter, but that was never put on paper." She paused and took a deep shuddering breath. "He found me the other day."

Jeremy, to his credit, kept his calm. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He asked, more hurt by her lack of trust than by the revelation itself.

"I wanted to several times, honey. I was scared of how you'd react, though." She admitted, still a bit scared of how he'd take it.

Jeremy took his wife in his arms, holding her close. "It's fine, baby." He said, holding her to him as she clutched tightly to him in returned. "Is there any chance he's not who he says he is?"

"No, he's really my son." She smiled as she backed up a little. She looked up into her husband's eyes.

"How do you know?" He asked, a bit skeptical.

"Two reasons. First, he had a keychain that I had given him when he was still a baby, and second, he has my eyes still." Lisa smiled radiantly. "His name is Royce, and I've invited him and his girlfriend for dinner tomorrow night, if that's ok with you?"

Here it was. The Moment of Truth. Jeremy thought for a minute. Curiosity overcame skepticism as he smiled and nodded. "I have no problem with that. Now, should we go tell our kids they have a new brother?"

"Yes! Oh, thank you, honey!" Lisa kissed her husband lovingly. "I love you." She whispered as she leaned her forehead against his as they broke the kiss.

"I love you too, hot stuff." He whispered back. Lisa always could light his fire. Hell, they had three kids to show for it, and since she'd had her tubes tied, the playground was still open most nights of the month. Jeremy was more than happy to take advantage.

"Ok, that later." Lisa giggled and kissed her husband when she felt his hand on her derriere.

"Fine, but tonight I'm going to rock your world, baby." He promised.

"Mmmm, you better!" She purred as she felt her panties getting damp. "But let's go tell the rugrats now." She grinned and led him back out into the foyer.

"Ok, mom. What's going on?!" Leonard asked. He was usually the spokesman for the Three Musketeers, as she had come to think of her kids.

"What's going on, young man, is that you're all going to meet someone tomorrow night, and this is going to come as a shock to you all." She addressed her children.

"Who, mom?" Jessica asked. Her older twin daughter was the most inquisitive of the kids.

Lisa thought of the best way to tell them. "Royce is his name, and he's going to be here tomorrow night for dinner. He's... Well, he's your half brother."

The looks on her kids' faces were uniformly shocked. "What?" "You have a kid other than us?" "When did that happen?" "We have a BROTHER?"

Lisa was bombarded by the rapid-fire questions from her kids, and calmed them down long enough to explain what had happened all those years ago, before she'd met and married their father.