"Something in the way"

ROSALIND LOVED HALLOWEEN.

There was trick or treating when she was younger, parties as she got older, and fun and clever costumes every year. But this year was different. She would be spending Halloween alone, watching old slasher films and handing out candy to kids who knocked on her apartment door.

It was raining. Rain on Halloween meant that less kids would be outside to scour the city for candy and more would be knocking on apartment doors to stay dry. There weren't that many kids in her apartment building, maybe around 20 scattered around the 15 floors. Rosalind had a big bowl of candy bars ready at the door. She hoped it would last the night.

But it probably wouldn't. She had eaten two of them already and was working on a third as she sat on her couch. The old slasher movie Sleepaway Camp was playing on her tv and even with the darkness from the rainclouds the day was dwindling away to night. Rosalind couldn't help but think that the whole situation was a bit pathetic. Here she was, all dressed up with nowhere to go. Well, she used to have somewhere.

She had been going to go to a party. But as of three weeks ago, she was technically uninvited. Getting dumped right before Halloween by the party host sucked even more when you had a great couples costume planned. But Rosalind had already bought the dress and she sure as hell wasn't going to let it go to waste.

Their couples costume was supposed to be Hades and Persephone. Her flowing pink dress was covered in vines and flowers, with matching ones adorned in her hair. Her matching shoes were kicked up on her coffee table as she smeared her lipstick as she ate the chocolate. Not that it mattered. Everett, her now ex boyfriend, had liked the idea a month ago when she first brought it up.

But within that month, Everett had grown tired of Rosalind's constant need to work. Rosalind was a writer, having published five bestselling books in the last seven years. She did it through lots of hard work. But that hard work included canceling plans, shutting herself inside her apartment for days on end, and forgetting important tasks. Everett had accused her of loving her work more than him.

Now it might as well be spring because this Persephone was alone on Halloween.

Well, not fully alone. Copper, her Bloodhound, was snoozing next to her on the couch. She scratched his ears lovingly as she watched her movie. He had his own costume on, two fake dog heads attached to his collar turned him into Cerberus. It was a great costume, too bad no one would see it besides the few kids who came to her door. Copper snored softly beside her, the two fake heads moving up and down slowly.

Rosalind's phone buzzed with a text message. She recognized it as Rebecca Jackson, her editor.

Becca
Happy Halloween! Fun news from
up high. They want a sequel to Sliced!

Rosalind stared at the text message. Sliced was her most recent book. It had been published four months ago and was an immediate hit. It had been a mystery thriller featuring a detective who took his cases into his own hands. It had sold more than all her other books combined. There were even rumors of a movie adaptation.

But a sequel? Rosalind had never even considered it. She thought Sliced had wrapped up quite nicely. She wouldn't even know where to begin with another story.

Ro
Hey Bec, happy halloween! They
really want a sequel? I wouldn't know
where to start

Becca
Don't stress about it honey.
Nothing's definite yet. But they
want at least an idea. You didn't
hear this from me but there may
or may not be a big bonus for us
both if they like it

Ro
...how big?

Becca
BIG. I know you probably
have a million ideas bouncing
around in that red head of yours

Ro
I mean kinda? I'm working
on something else right now
that I'm almost done with

Becca
Don't sweat it! They just
want an idea by the end of
next month. If they like it, they'll
take you on for a bigger contract.
No pressure, ofc. You bang these
books out so fast I don't doubt
you'll have any trouble. Let me know if you need anything!

    Rosalind frowned. The end of next month? To come up with a whole new idea when she was already working on something else? It was nearly impossible. But if it gained her a big bonus for both her and Rebecca? And a new and better contract? How could she say no to that?

    There was a knock at her door. Trick or treaters. Copper woke up immediately, letting out a whine as he rolled off the couch and bounded towards the door. The little Cerberus heads on his collar bounced with every step he took. Rosalind stood from her couch and grabbed the bowl of candy. It was still Halloween, so this was a problem for tomorrow. But that nagging little voice in the back of her head began to pace and panic as she opened her front door.

"Trick or treat!"

"Oh wow," She looked down at the two kids at her door, both dressed as vampires. "Look at you guys! Very spooky, I love it."

The kids took the candy and began to fuss over Copper. Rosalind swore that her dog acted like he had never gotten attention in his life.

"Hey Rosalind!"

She looked up to see Sydney, the mother of the kids at the door. Sydney lived a few floors below Rosalind and always made small talk in the elevator. She was wearing a witch hat.

"Hi Sydney," Rosalind smiled at the woman. "Staying dry?"

"Of course it would downpour on Halloween," She sighed. "They wanted to hit the town but I had to convince them to trick or treat in the building."

"I heard they were giving out jumbo candy bars on main street," One of the kids grumbled.

"Tell you what," Rosalind grabbed another handful of candy from her bowl and slipped it into the kids' bags. "Put these all together and you get a jumbo one."

"You look nice," Sydney said as the kids began to dig into their candy. "Got plans for tonight? Any exclusive Wayne parties? I haven't seen much about you over there."

Rosalind let out a sharp breath of laughter at that. She remembered when the newspapers were full of pictures of her and Bruce. Sometimes they still were, when the two were actually spotted out together. When they were younger Rosalind would drag him to parties and restaurants and parks and shops. ("Because you need to get out more, Bruce, it's concerning.") It was inevitable that the paparazzi would spot them. Gossip columns were always speculating that the two were in a relationship or that she was stealing the Wayne's money. Rosalind's personal favorite was that she was the secret long lost Wayne child. ("Because we're totally twins.") But there hadn't been an "exclusive Wayne party" in years. Especially not recently. Bruce's nights were... busy lately. She shook her head.

"I had plans, but they kind of fell through," She said. "But I never pass up a chance to dress up on Halloween. It's always been my favorite holiday."

"Because of the candy?" One of the kids asked, his mouth full.

"That's definitely a big part of it," Rosalind smiled. "And the costumes. And the general spookiness."

"That's your specialty isn't it?" Sydney chuckled. "All those horror books you write. I'm not surprised Halloween is your day."

The mention of writing her books made the nagging voice in the back of her head stop pacing and start shouting. Rosalind ignored it and kept smiling.

"You know it," She said. "I'm truly in my element."

Sydney and her kids bid Rosalind goodbye in order to continue their candy hunt. Copper yawned and padded back into the apartment. Rosalind followed him inside only to see that her movie had been replaced with breaking news.

"...found dead in his own home earlier tonight after what looks like to be a gruesome breakin..."

Rosalind crossed her arms over her chest as she stood in front of her television. Well, the mayor was dead. Not that she was very sad about it. She didn't vote for him anyway. Still, it was shocking.

"...We warn viewers of what you're about to me. It is quite disturbing..."

The image of the mayor's body flashed on the screen. Yikes. His head was wrapped in what looked like duct tape. Written on it in red ink was "NO MORE LIES". Rosalind's eyebrows shot up at the sight of it. She leaned forward to get a better look at her television, her morbid curiosity getting the better of her. In her defense, she was a horror writer. This kind of stuff was like something out of one of her books.

In fact, it kind of was.

In her very first book, Divinity, she had written that the murderer would wrap his victim's mouths with duct tape and write their "sin" over it. This was eerily similar. She shuddered at the fact that her mind could come up with something akin to a killer's. Then again, that was kind of her job.

Rosalind sat back down on her couch as the news cut to commercial. She was kind of bummed out that she missed some of her movie. Her phone began to ring next to her.

INCOMING CALL: DAD

"Hi Dad," Rosalind picked up the phone. "Bit late for a call."

"It's not like you go to sleep at this hour anyway darling," Alfred replied. "I assume you've seen the news?"

"Yeah, it's gruesome isn't it?" She said. "Just saw it."

"Listen," He sighed. "You live much too close to the Mayor's place. And you live alone-"

"I have a guard dog." She interrupted.

"You and I both know that Copper would roll over and show his belly the second any threat would come in." Alfred replied. "You can bring him along, I don't mind. But I'd like you to at least spend the night here."

"Dad, I'm fine, really I am," Rosalind groaned.

"Just so I can rest easy tonight," He said. "Your old room is just as you left it. Please, darling."

Rosalind sighed, closing her eyes. She could really never say no to her father.

"Alright," She said. "I'll be there in an hour tops."

"Wonderful," He said. "See you then. I love you darling."

"Love you too dad."

Rosalind hung up the phone and stood. Copper lazily looked up at her.

"C'mon buddy," She patted her thighs. "We're going on a little trip."

Rosalind quickly threw some pajamas and a change of clothes into a bag. She attached Copper's leash to his collar after taking off his Cerberus costume. Looking down at herself she realized she was still in her own costume. But who cared. Technically, it was still Halloween and she was going to get her money's worth out of this damn dress.

The drive to Wayne Manor was a familiar one. She had moved out after graduating college yet still made the drive over at least once a week. It used to be for visiting everyone. But now it was mostly reserved for seeing her father. She didn't expect to see Bruce at all. Night was his time to prowl. Besides, with all this mess with the now late mayor, he probably had his hands full.

Rosalind let herself in, she had her own key. The manor was quiet, as it always seemed to be. The click clack of Copper's paws on the hardwood floors echoed. She put her bag in her room as Copper made himself comfortable on her bed. She sent a text to her father.

Rosalind
I'm here

Dad
Down below

"Down below" was the cold, damp basement of the manor. If you could even call it a basement anymore. It was Bruce's workshop or, as Rosalind had so lovingly named it a year ago, "The Batcave." She took the elevator down and its doors opened to reveal an all too familiar sight.

"Hello darling," Alfred hugged his daughter tightly, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You alright? No trouble?"

"None," Rosalind shook her head. "Just a bit of holiday traffic."

"Good," He nodded, taking a second to look at her attire. "Oh, that's lovely. Went big again this year then?"

"Had to find a reason to wear this," She said grimmly. She looked over at Bruce who was hunched over at his desk, screens illuminating his figure. So he was home. "Big night for the Bat then?"

Bruce glanced her way with a nod before looking back at the screens. But she wasn't insulted. She knew that this was just how he was. And to be fair, this had really been a big night for the Bat. She turned back to her father instead.

"So I got a message from my editor," She sighed. "And I got some... news."

"Good news, I hope," Alfred frowned.

"Well, kinda?" Rosalind shrugged. "Higher ups want me to write a sequel to Sliced. I'd get a bigger contract and so would my editor. It's a whole thing."

"Well brilliant!" He brightened up. "What's the problem with that?"

"The problem is that I can't write a sequel!" She replied. "And I only have a month to come up with the idea while I've been working on a whole separate book. I dunno what to do."

"Well let's not fuss about it now darling," Her father squeezed her shoulder. "What you need is rest. But I'll admit I was hoping for a sequel eventually. Sliced was one of your best."

Rosalind smiled at him, but her focus was now mainly on what was on the screens Bruce was looking at. She made her way over and sat on the arm of his chair to get a closer look. He automatically moved his arm away for her to sit. He glanced up at her again.

"Halloween visit, Rosie?" Bruce asked.

"You guys always have the good candy." Rosalind replied.

"You bring Copper?"

"Of course."

He hummed a response and looked down at her dress then back up at her face with a raised eyebrow.

"Why are you here so late?" he asked. "And what the hell are you wearing?"

"You of all people cannot ask me that," She scoffed. "Look at your eyeliner-"

She reached out to touch the smudged black around his eyes but he lightly swatted her away.

"Dad didn't want me home alone tonight." She explained.

"Why didn't you go stay at Everett's?" He asked.

Rosalind frowned and she saw her father run a hand over his face. She had told him that she and Everett had broken up. Twice. He was the one who awkwardly hugged her when she was crying over it. But she just rolled her eyes.

"We broke up." She said. "A month ago. Glad you pay attention to my life."

"Hm, I never liked him," Bruce murmured as he continued to watch the recording. Rosalind looked as well. A card. Bruce pressed a button and it was printed out in front of them. He began to write on it.

"There's a cipher too," Someone in the recording said. "Any of this mean anything to you?"

The two Pennyworths looked to see who exactly the card was addressed to.

"The killer left this for the Batman?" Alfred asked.

"Apparently," Bruce replied softly.

"You're becoming quite a celebrity," He said.

"It isn't like you're connected to the mayor." Roslaind said, her mind going a mile a minute. "This killer wanted your attention."

"Whys he writing to you?" Alfred asked.

"I don't know yet."

Roslaind looked between her friend and her father. They stared at each other for a moment before Alfred let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head.

"Have a shower," he told him. "Our accounting friends at Wayne Enterprises are coming for breakfast."

"Here?" Bruce asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "Why?"

"Because I couldn't get you to go there." Alfred snapped.

"I haven't got time for this." Bruce rolled his shoulders.

Rosalind rested her head on her arm and closed her eyes. She had been used to the two of them bickering.

"It's getting serious, Bruce," He continued. "If this continues, it won't be long until you've nothing left."

"I don't care about that." Bruce said simply. "Any of that."

"You don't care about your family's legacy?"

Bruce paused for a second before turning in the chair to look at Alfred.

"What I'm doing is my family's legacy." He said. "If I can't change things here, if I can't have an effect... Then I don't care what happens to me."

Rosalind opened her eyes at that.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Her father said.

"Alfred, stop." Bruce said. "You're not my father."

Rosalind smacked the back of Bruce's head with another scoff.

"He may not be your father but he's mine," She said. "Show some damn respect."

"Leave him be, Rosalind," Alfred sighed. "I'm well aware."

Bruce looked back down at the cipher before standing and leaving his desk. He got into the elevator without so much as a goodnight. Rosalind shook her head as she watched him leave.

"He is so dramatic," She said.

"He's normally much worse," Her father replied, looking down at the cipher. "I think he was being nice because you were here."

"If that's him being nice I say quit your job." She said. He chuckled.

"I'm glad you're home," He said. "It gets too lonely around here. Maybe you should stick around a bit longer. For your safety, of course. And for his sake."

"I'm just staying the night, dad," Rosalind replied as they began to make their way to the elevator. "I have work to do. And Bruce is a big boy, he can take care of himself."

"Just sleep on it, darling." Alfred said. "Alright?"

"Alright."

Sleeping in her own bed was something that Rosalind could admit she missed. It was much more comfortable than the one in her apartment. She was about to settle in and go to sleep when she realized Copper wasn't in the room. He had been there a few minutes ago. She paused for a moment and heard the familiar click clack of him trotting down the hall. Rosalind opened her door and stuck her head out to let him in.

But all she saw was Copper's tail disappearing into Bruce's room a few doors down. The door shut behind the dog with a thump.

"Traitor." Rosalind muttered.