"One for the money two for the show
I never was ready so I just watched you go"

CLUBS WERE NEVER ROSALIND'S THING, ESPECIALLY NOT IN THE POURING RAIN.

She stood under the small covering the front of the Iceberg Lounge had, arms around herself. It was freezing. Riding here on a motorcycle in the rain certainly didn't help. Neither did what she was wearing.

Rosalind didn't own "club clothes." The last time she had even been to a club was in college. It simply wasn't her scene. Yet here she was wearing tight black pants, a deep cut dark green buttoned top, and boots. At least she had a jacket over it. The Bat had told her to blend in and that's what she planned on doing.

He had briefed her on the way there. She would go in first and scope things out, then he would follow. They would get to the Penguin to ask him what he knew, then get the hell out. Simple enough. She had those weird contacts in her eyes and an earpiece hooked up just in case they lost each other in the club. Not that it would be hard to lose him in a crowd.

The doors opened and Rosalind straightened up, flashing a smile to the man at the door. The red lights inside the club fell on her like a spotlight. The loud music wafted through the sounds of the rain.

"Hi," She said. "It's bloody freezing out here, if I could just-"

"Hold on there babe," he cut her off, looking her up and down. "And why exactly should I let you in?"

"You need to get in there," The Bat's voice came through her earpiece.

Rosalind frowned and put her hands on her hips, letting her unzipped jacket open up a bit more, showing off what she hoped looked good enough to get in. Men were stupid, she knew how to use that to her advantage.

"Uh, because it's pouring," She said. "And oh, I don't know, I'm a paying customer? Do- do you know who I am?" She almost cringed as she said it.

"Seriously?" His voice rang through her ear. "What happened to worrying about being recognized?"

Rosalind couldn't help but notice that he was a lot more talkative this way. Someone else appeared in the doorway and Rosalind blinked. Was she seeing double or were they just twins? She thought quickly.

"Oh wow," She said. "Two for the price of one? Must be my lucky day."

The newer twin smirked at her, pushing his brother out of the way to let her in.

"Aw c'mon," He said. "Let the girl in, huh?"

He let Rosalind step inside, looking her up and down. She smiled politely then tried to make her way further into the club but he stepped in front of her.

"Woah, hey," He said. "Now hold on a sec. Sorry about my brother there, he's a bit of a hard ass."

"Hm, no kidding," Rosalind replied, keeping her flirty persona.

"Don't get distracted," His voice came through her ear again. "Get further in."

"I don't think I've seen you in here before," He said. "You new around here?"

"New to the club," Rosalind replied. "Old to the city."

"Rosie, you're wasting time."

"Lucky city," He said. "Too bad you've never been in here. I'd definitely remember that face."

"Well with two of you running around I doubt I'll be able to forget yours," She joked, trying again to slide past him. But he stood in front of her, leaning against the railing of the stairs with a smile. His twin looked on in annoyance.

"Hang around here much longer and I'll let you see more than just this face," He said.

Rosalind almost laughed in his face. But she bit her tongue.

"I'm coming in."

Before Rosalind could say anything else, two loud knocks came at the door. The twin who had no interest in her opened it. The Batman stood there, his eyes going around the twin and straight to Rosalind who was only a few feet away. The twin she was talking to didn't seem to notice. Rosalind tuned him out to hear the conversation at the door.

"Know who I am?" He asked, using the same line she had said just moments before.

Rosalind never knew why he spoke that way when the mask was on. She had joked once that maybe the suit was too tight, but he didn't find it very funny.

"Yeah," The twin replied. "I got an idea."

"I want to see the penguin," The Bat said.

"I don't know what you're talking about, pal." The twin said before closing the door in his face. Rosalind frowned.

"So I get a break in 'bout twenty," The twin talking to her said. "Whats say me and you-"

His brother marched over and whispered something in his ear. He held up a finger to Rosalind, telling her to hold on a minute before going back to the door. They opened it and he was still standing there. His eyes went straight to her again.

"What's the problem?" One twin asked.

"Says he wants to see the penguin," The other replied.

"Penguin? There no penguin here."

"That's what I tried to tell him."

It was as if they had rehearsed this. Or maybe it was just a weird twin thing. The one who had liked Rosalind so much leaned closer to the Bat.

"Get out of here, freak." He said. "I got more important things to do, if you know what I mean."

He jerked a thumb back towards Rosalind. She pointed to herself sarcastically and mouthed "Me?" She saw Batman's jaw clench.

"You hear me?" The twin asked. "Or that little suits gonna get all full of blood."

"Mine or yours?" Batman asked.

Faster than Rosalind anticipated, the twins were taken down. She stood there for a second as he strode towards her. She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Are you okay?" He asked. She scoffed.

"He was just flirting with me," She said. "And besides, I could of taken him. That was a pretty good line though, I might use it."

Even with the mask, she could tell that his eyebrows furrowed by the way his eyes squinted slightly like they always did.

"Follow me," he started walking further into the club. "And stay close."

She followed behind him, the crowd staring and pointing. She heard a few exclaim that they had saw what he did. The music was much louder now. Rosalind could feel the pounding of the bass in her chest. But it wasn't until they got to a staircase and shouts of "get him!" were yelled did she jump into action.

Rosalind was by no means as good of a fighter as he was. But you don't grow up with Alfred Pennyworth as a father without learning how to defend yourself.

One guy shoved Rosalind out of the way and tried to punch him. But Batman was faster, punching back and shoving him into another rushing at them from further down the stairs. They both tumbled down. Rosalind jumped in front of another coming at them, throwing her elbow hard into his chest before flipping him over the side of the staircase. Bystanders looked at her in surprise as she blew her hair out of her face. Rosalind flexed her hands as more attackers approached her.

If there's one thing people in Gotham should know by now, it was to never underestimate Rosalind Pennyworth.

The fight took Batman up to the balcony beside them, leaving Rosalind to fight off two more on the stairs. His fighting was calculated, almost professional. But Rosalind didn't have time for that. She fought dirty. She kicked one in the groin, beginning her knee up to smash his head when he doubled over. The other grabbed her by the hair and pulled her forward and she got a punch to the gut. She yelled out in pain before stomping down hard on his foot. He elbow flew up again, this time into his neck.

Batman leapt down from the balcony and landed next to her, delivering a swift punch to another who had been about to swing at her. The pair were a strange sight to behold, fighting back to back.

Another came at Rosalind with a metal bat. She swiftly ducked out of the way, the bat missing her by meere inches. She kicked the guy in the knee, making him lose his balance on the stairs. She snatched the bat from him, using it to push him down the rest of the stairs, crashing into other coming their way.

She heard more yelling and turned to see a man pointing a gun at Batman.

"Hey!" She yelled, tossing the bat to him. He caught it with ease, flinging it at the guy pointing the gun. Gunshots went off and before Rosalind could duck, Batman had leapt in front of her, his armored suit taking the hits.

Another gunshot rang out, this time from the other side. He caged her in behind him, the cape practically covering her. He pointed and shot a grappling hook at the shooters, making them fall over.

Someone else approached them from behind but Rosalind was almost pinned by Batman, unable to see who was coming. He whirled around, fists at the ready only to be met with-

"Woah, woah, woah take it easy sweetheart!"

Rosalind peeked out from over his shoulder to see the Penguin.

"You lookin' for me?" He asked. "I see you met the twins. Boy, you're everything they say, ain't ya? I guess we both are. How you doin'? I'm Oz."

He stuck out his hand for Batman to shake. But the Bat just stared him down. The Penguin's eyes wandered over to Rosalind and he frowned.

"And you, little miss," he said. "What are you doing in this mess, huh? A girl like you in a place like this? Ain't you practically a Wayne?"

Rosalind resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course that's how he would know her.

"I take it you're not a big reader?" She replied, trying to fix her appearance that was messed up in the fight.  He chuckled at that.

"Oh you've got spunk," He said. "What are you doing runnin' around with this guy, huh?"

"She's helping me out." Batman replied before Rosalind could give another snarky answer.

"You say that like I'm a damn sidekick," She grumbled.

He gave her a warning look but she just glared back at him. The Penguin looked between them for a second, amused.

"Alright, alright," he waved for them to follow him. "Like a bickering old married couple, the two of you. Step into my office, won't ya?"

The "office" overlooked the club. The music seemed to make the whole room shake but was muffled enough to have a conversation. Batman handed over the pictures of the mayor and the girl.

Rosalind couldn't help but feel a bit awkward standing there. She stood with her arms folded across her chest, unsure of what to do with her hands. She felt that she looked silly standing next to someone so large and imposing.

"Who is she?" Batman asked.

"I really don't know, chief," The Penguin shook his head. "I might have been coming out at the same time... but I wasn't rolling with them. We can't all be the dream team like the two of you now can we?"

He tossed the pictures back onto the table with a shrug. Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching. Rosalind and Batman turned at the same time to see a woman enter holding a tray. The footsteps had been her fancy looking shoes. Rosalind liked them.

The woman paused at the sight of the Batman, a slightly surprised look on her face. She was pretty, really pretty. Rosalind wondered if that was a requirement to work here.

"It's okay, baby," The Penguin reassured her. "Mr. Vengeance here, he don't bite. His little friend, on the other hand, she packs a punch. Come on."

The woman walked past them, eyeing Batman cautiously. She handed the tray to the Penguin and he took an envelope from it. He opened it up to reveal a bunch of cash. In exchange he placed a few packs of what only could of been drops on the tray. Rosalind eyed them warily.

But she noticed the woman's eyes glance down at the pictures that were still on the table. She seemed to falter for a split second before straightening up again. Her eyes flashed up at Batman then flickered to Rosalind.

"Thank you, honey," Penguin smiled at her.

She gave them both one more glance before strutting back the way she came, the sound of her heels clicking behind her. Rosalind and the batman looked at each other, the same thought in their mind. She knew something.

"Here ya go, champ," The Penguin stood and handed the pictures back to them.

"I wanna know who she is," Batman said. "And what she has to do with this murder."

"Whose murder?" Penguin asked.

"They mayor." Rosalind said.

"Is that the mayor?" Penguin looked at the picture again. "Oh shit, it is. Look at that."

Batman grabbed him and shoved him against the window of the room the overlooked the rest of the club. The glass cracked at the impact causing Rosalind to jump in surprise.

"Don't make me hurt you," He snarled.

"Really?" Penguin laughed in his face. "In front of your little girlfriend here?"

"Don't." He repeated. "Make me hurt you."

"You better watch it!" Penguin exclaimed. "You know my reputation?"

"Yeah, I do." Batman replied. "Do you?"

Penguin glared at him, his eyes flickering over to Rosalind who still stood behind them.

"What about you sweetheart, huh?" He asked her. "What'll happen to your reputation when people see how you're running around with tall, dark, and batty over here?"

"If anything it'll be good for sales," She replied.

"Look," He said finally. "I'm just the proprietor, okay? I mean, what people do here ain't got nothing to do with me."

Rosalind noticed that Batman was now looking past the Penguin. She followed his eyes through the window to see the woman from before peeking in on them. Almost instantly she ducked away. Batman let Penguin go and turned towards the woman's direction. He looked at Rosalind and the same thought was in both their minds again. Find her.

"Tell you one thing," Penguin said, dusting himself off and slapping the pictures into Batman's chest. "Whoever she is, she's one hot chick. Why don't you ask Mitchell's wife? Maybe she knows. ...what? Too soon?"

"You're disgusting," Rosalind snapped. But he just smiled at her.

She scoffed at him and turned back to Batman who was looking back down at the pictures. Subtly, he slide his gloved finger over to the side of the picture, pointing at something for her to see. A pair of familiar black shoes stepping into the frame. She nodded slightly and they were off again.

"You let me know if there's anything else I can do," The Penguin called after them.

"Split up," Batman told her. "Find her. But be careful."

"I got this," She shook her head and turned to make her way to where she saw a few other girls working heading. But he grabbed her wrist, pulling her close enough so he could whisper in her ear.

"I mean it, Rosie," He said. "Be. Careful. We don't know how she's involved. Any problems I'm coming straight to you."

"I don't need protecting," She replied.

"I never said that," He said, letting her go. He turned and was gone in the crowd. Rosalind rolled her eyes as she made her way to the door. So dramatic.

The door said employees only. Alright. Rosalind shrugged off the jacket and tied it around her waist before smoothing her hair. She slickly picked up an empty tray that was on a table she passed with a spin and slipped through the door as it was closing behind another girl.

"No sign of her by me," Batman's voice came through her ear piece as she made her way backstage.

She scanned the girls around her until she saw the familiar pair of black shoes. She was sitting at one of the vanities, touching up her makeup and cleaning up. She looked like she was in a rush.

"I got eyes," Rosalind mumbled.

She pretended not to see the woman as she got closer, looking around at anything else. But as soon as Rosalind was close enough, she pretended to stumble over nothing, dropping the empty tray at her feet. Maybe high school theatre wasn't such a waste of time.

"Oh god, sorry!" She said. "I'm a bit out of it- hey, nice shoes!"

Rosalind picked up the tray, still looking at the shoes. The woman didn't say anything.

"Those are adorable!" Rosalind straightened up and smiled at the woman. "Where'd you get them?"

But the woman just stared at her with an unamused expression. She knew exactly who Rosalind was, she could tell.

"I'm not an idiot," She snapped, standing and grabbing her jacket off the chair. "I saw you before."

She began to walk away. Rosalind followed behind her.

"G'night Selina," One of the other girls said as they passed.

So her name was Selina. Rosalind made a mental note of that.

"Don't let her get away," Batman's voice rang through.

"You didn't answer my question," Rosalind said, keeping up with her as they exited the backstage and entered the club. The music blared so Rosalind talked louder. "Where'd you get the shoes?"

"Leave me alone," Selina replied, weaving through the crowd. "I'm busy." Rosalind was in stride with her now, they were almost to the exit.

"Busy with what?" She asked as they climbed the stairs. "Going to see a friend?"

"Listen," Selina stopped, causing Rosalind to stumble for real this time. "You seem real nice. But I don't know anything. You can tell your friend that too. Get lost."

Selina turned on her heels and walked faster. Rosalind followed her, pushing past the people on the stairs. She watched as the door closed behind Selina. She was about to leave when-

"Hey!"

A familiar face stepped in front of her, blocking her path. Too bad she couldn't tell which twin it was. He was sporting a black eye now.

"What's your problem, girlie?" He asked. "You and your crazy boyfriend can't come in here and do this shit to us."

"That ain't gonna slide." His twin appeared at his side sporting a busted lip.

"Looks like it already did," She sighed. "At least You got a way to tell you two apart. Now if you'll excuse me." She pushed past them and rushed out the door only to see Selina get into a cab.

"Fuck," She sighed, putting her jacket back on. "I lost her."

"Look right."

The light of the motorcycle flashed in her eyes. Of course he had already changed. She made her way over and he automatically handed her the helmet before she hopped on the back, wrapping her arms firmly around his waist.

"Twins give you trouble?" He asked as they pulled off after the cab.

"Nothing I couldn't handle," She replied. "Pity though. He was kind of cute."

"Which one?"

"No idea."

JILLIAN SPEAKS!

I promised badass Rosalind didn't I? I miss girl can FIGHT. honestly she's gonna have to if she wants to live through this.

Also we finally got Selina!! I cannot wait for her and Rosalind to be besties. And sorry but no love triangle here folks. I KNOW y'all heard her call Annika "baby" on the phone. That was her gf you cannot change my mind. Besides, Bruce is way too down bad for Rosalind to even LOOK at anyone else. He is a simp. That is all.

As always, feedback is appreciated! I also have a Adrian Chase fic out AND a Moon Knight fic that I'm starting if you wanna check those out.

As always, love y'all!