#stray!jason

Selina, canonly has black curly hair and green eyes (during that era).

So... how did we get here?

The birth certificate says "S~~~~~~~~~~~~". Willis Todd knows some shady people. He was supposed to be a low level Two-Face grunt, which is true at the time, but during the time frame he knew all 3 women and Jason was born Harvey wasn't yet Two-Face. Jason was already 4 years old when Batman Year One happened. So clearly Willis Todd was already up to some stuff long before Harvey had his accident. Now, Selina lived in and worked the East End, within which is Crime Alley. In canon, Sheila got pregnant before Willis was with and married to Catherine.

In canon, when Selina did accidentally become pregnant (Helena, via Sam Bradley) she opted to carry to term despite everything going on, and tried motherhood out, only to ultimately give Helena up for adoption because it just wasn't working safety wise.

We work with that.

Here's the timeline-

-Selina's mother kills herself

- Her father drinks himself to death

- Selina bolts to avoid child services, but ultimately ends up at the orphanage, where the Director still tries to kill her for knowing too much. She survives, and deals with them and makes her escape.

- On the streets and struggling, at 13 she joins the working girls

-She ends up with Stan as her pimp. It's not a good time. He breaks her down. Always picks her men, as in canon.

-Selina is 17 when Stan sends her off with Willis. He's not anyone's goon yet, but knows people, and does some not so great things whenever he ends up in a financial pinch, which is not the case at the time. He's in a good place financially, currently single, and just looking for meaningless sex. It's a normal night, nothing special. Ages aren't discussed, it doesn't matter. She can look as young or as old as she wants anyway. The condom breaks- but she's more concerned about STDs than pregnancy. She complains to Stan afterwards, takes the Plan B he passes her, and he promises to pay for her testing in a few weeks. So life goes on.

-Except at the appointment, she's clean, but pregnant. She expects Stan to be furious and promptly tell her to hit the clinic, throw money in her face, and end up suffering through an abortion- because it's not like she's going to make the same money he's used to if she's pregnant.

- He doesn't. Instead he cold and calm. She's sent back to her apartment, terrified of what he's going to do once he processes. To her shock, and horror, Stan summons her 2 days later and she finds him with Willis.

- It's out of her hands. Willis wants the baby- she's sure Stan's getting a payout over it, covering the loss of her work and then some. It's...what it is. She's not fit to be a mother, but the idea of getting an abortion hadn't sat right with her either. Selina supposes this is the best outcome she could have hoped for. 9 months without having to be passed around, her baby gets a chance at life, and has a father that wants them.

- 4 months later Willis tells Stan he's met someone. They're getting married- the woman knows he's got a kid on the way. They're planning to raise him together. The man is thrilled he's having a son. Selina supposes that things couldn't have worked out better. Now her baby boy will have a mother as well.

-Despite knowing what's to come, she loves her baby. Daydreams about what could have been, under different circumstances. Feels pride whenever she sees the sonogram pictures. Her little boy is going to stand a chance, have a better life than she ever did.

- Labor...sucks. She doesn't let Willis or his wife be present for the birth, wanting to keep some semblance of dignity. Doesn't want to meet her son's mother to be. The less she knows, the better for everyone in the end. She holds him for a while after- couldn't help herself. Says her goodbyes, wishes him a happy life, signs the birth certificate- leaves his name blank. Better she doesn't know that bit either.

- He's given to Willis an hour after his birth. She mourns, but is happy for everyone. She's only allowed the night in the hospital. The next day she's back at the apartment. Barely 4 weeks later Stan has her back to tricks, and on birth control that makes her feel like shit. But it's better than the alternative.

- 3 years later Holly shows up. Reminds her so very much of herself. She feels that maternal instinct she tried to bury rear up. Somehow she all but adopts a barely teenager.

- 1 year later, Stan puts her in the hospital. She's 21, but the cops can't tell her age for shit, especially with her face banged up. She's not giving them any information- but of course, the Detective gives her some that changes her life.

- Ted Grant...Wildcat, trains her. She learns how to hold her own in a fight, her acrobatic abilities only help matters. Stan, of all people, gives her her first hooded Catsuit- ears and all, for a kinkster client. But she ends up running with it. Because her hair is deemed a liability by Ted, she shaves it short.

-Batman appears, and the city doesn't know how to handle that. He makes a name for himself. Selina decides to do the same.

-x-x-x-

Now... In canon at the time of Batman Year One and Selina's 4 issue mini series Post-Crisis (1988), Selina's age is not stated. The cop thinks she's 16-17yo, but Bruce contradicts this during the same story-

Bruce at the time, listed in Year One, is 25yo-

(During which Dick is 10yo, Jason 4yo, Tim 2yo)

It's not until 1995 that DC retconned in with Catwoman annual #2 that Selina was 19 during the Year One plotline. But DC until recent years was horribly back and forth in EVERYTHING of Selina's. The same 1995 annual states that Selina's mother died when she was a baby- but just 9 months prior during Zero month in 1994 Selina's mother died when she was something like 10yo 🙄

So I feel absolutely no shame in aging her up "two years".