Chapter 1: Reformed once again

Authors note: This is my first Batman story so don't be too harsh about it please. This first chapter is kinda similar to the beginning of the episode 'Birds of a feather' but it changes as soon as the second chapter begins. I wrote this story because I felt poor Ozzy gets no love. Joker has Harley and the other villains get paired up but no one loves Penguin. My character Abigail Nighting will be introduced in the next chapter and more will be revealed about what will happen later on. Meanwhile poor Ozzy can't go a day out of prison without something going wrong. Enjoy!

"So, today's the big day uh Penguin?" The prison guard chirped amusingly as he carried several items in his arms. He approached the prison cell and entered it, there he found his once prisoner the Penguin sitting there patiently awaiting his belongings to be returned to him. Penguin smiled as the guard entered and handed him his clothes and other personal belongings. It would be a great change to finally be rid of his tatty old blue prison uniform and get into something more formal for a change.

"Indeed it is my good fellow," the Penguin replied with much pride in his voice "and what a day it is too if I might add."

"Yeah the perfect day to be let out of prison eh? So planning anything special? A party with the other rogues perhaps?"

The Penguin shook his head in denial as he slipped on his jacket. "Not this time. I won't be caught with that riff raff from Arkham Asylum ever again, not if I wish to stay sane that is."

The guard scratched his head in a confused manner as he looked down at the ex-convict. "But I thought you liked the likes of Joker, Two-face and all the rest?"

"Liked? Oh no," Penguin said as he placed his monocle in his left eye. "We were all acquaintances who met up from time to time to discuss how we could defeat the valiant Batman, but I never liked them enough to form a partnership. Besides I am a reformed man now, I cannot get on the wrong side of the law again if I wish to get my rightful place back into society."

"But are you sure you're truly reformed? Remember the last time you said you were reformed?" The guard added knowing full well what had happened the last time he had said that. Come to think of it, that was the time Penguin had kidnapped and held for ransom Veronica Vreeland, but as always Penguin was defeated by Batman and brought to justice. Surprise, surprise.

"Trust me my good fellow; I have this time learned my lesson. No more crime for me. Plus I don't think I could stand another bat in my belfry, if you get my draft."

"Right," the guard muttered not really believing one word of what Penguin was saying "ready to go then?"

"Yes I believe so," Penguin said putting his hat on his head before bringing his umbrella and suitcase with him out of his cell. He then nudged the guard and handed him is belongings. "Come now, I believe a limousine will pick me up at the stop."

The guard simply sighed and shook his head. Since when did his work detail include being a luggage assister? But yet again he was dealing with the Penguin, AKA Oswald Cobblepot who always liked to give the impression he was some high society aristocrat. But even as a criminal he was different to the other scum that the Batman and the Gotham police force took down every night and day. At least this criminal had class, not to mention a good taste in the stuff he stole.

"So got any bullets in that umbrella gun?" The guard asked passing a curious glance at the umbrella Penguin was holding as they both walked down the prison corridor. The guard was clutching Penguin's suitcase with both of his hands as it was very heavy for such a small case. Penguin walked, or should we say, waddled proudly down the corridor occasionally glancing into the other cells as they passed by. But his attentions were raised by the guard when he asked the question.

"Who says this is an umbrella gun?" Penguin asked holding his umbrella up high. The guard then chuckled.

"Alright then if it's not an umbrella gun what is it? A flame thrower umbrella? Blade umbrella? Oh I know! An electric shock umbrella?"

"None of the above my good sir, it is just a standard umbrella," Penguin then opened it up "see?"

"There may be hope for you yet bird man," the guard muttered under his breath so Penguin couldn't hear him.

About twenty minutes later outside the entrance of Stonegate Penitentiary stood a very impatient yet bewildered Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot. He had waited for some form of transport to pick him up from the prison to take him home. He glanced around in all directions but nothing came. He was sorely tempted to get his turbine umbrella out so he could fly away but he knew he didn't have it on him. Plus it wouldn't give the right impression to the guards if he just flew away like he did when he was escaping the Batman or the police.

"Not again," Penguin let out a moan of annoyance. No limousine was coming, and he knew what that would mean. He would have to catch that tatty old bus with that cranky woman bus driver barking at him to get on the bus because of her stupid schedule. Why did this have to happen every time he was let out of prison? Why couldn't he just once give the right impression to those blasted guards so they would stop mocking his formal style?

"What's the matter Penguin?" The guard from above called out with a few stifled laughs "your limousine broke down or something?"

"Don't start this again Mr Mockery, my friends obviously haven't heard of my release yet." Penguin called back trying to give a believable explanation why his apparent transport had arrived.

"I thought you had stolen from all of your so called friends," the guard laughed and Penguin sighed and looked down at the floor. This guard obviously liked to pick faults with everything Oswald said or did. It was as if he knew that he had no friends and that all of his attempts to get back into high society were about to fail. Penguin suddenly glanced up as he heard a familiar sound. He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"At last."

The bus pulled up nearby where Oswald stood. This time he had made sure he was standing far enough back so the bus couldn't make him fall over. As the doors opened he noticed that grouchy lady bus driver who he was all too familiar with. He was about to step on the bus when the guard above called out.

"Good luck Penguin, with your fitting back into society!" Penguin glanced back up where the guard stood before another voice rudely interrupted his thoughts.

"Are you coming or what? My schedule doesn't have the patience for time wasters."

Penguin stepped onto the bus and just gazed at the woman plainly. "Do you think of nothing else but your schedule?"

"Yes actually," the bus driver chirped before snapping rudely at Oswald "I'm currently thinking of hitting you round the head with a heavy book if you don't sit down and stop wasting mine and everyone else's time!"

"Calm down woman," Penguin muttered as he picked up his suitcase and carried it to the only spare seat on the bus. Unfortunately for him it was next to a woman with a small child on her lap. And once he sat down the child wouldn't stop crying. Penguin wasn't at all happy to have a random child screaming down his already bleeding ear hole. And he would have to put up with that noise until he got back into Gotham city.

…

After entering the building where his apartment was located Oswald heard amongst the gossip of other peoples boring lives, the mention of him. Not out of prison for over an hour and already people were talking about him. It wasn't easy to take in words like 'God that Cobblepot's back' or 'the waddling miscreant Penguin is back'. And all this was said as he entered the building and walked past all of these people. Their gazes were a mixture of shock, disgust or anger. And to think he should be used to this by now. But he wasn't. Perhaps trying to get back into society would be harder than he originally thought.

Once he got to his room Penguin opened the door not even expecting anyone to be inside welcoming him back. Last time he was expecting his fellow rogues Joker, Two-face, Killer Croc and all of the other felons to welcome him back, but not even they showed up. So what was the chance of anyone else who wasn't a criminal showing up? None of his family was alive or in Gotham to contact him and unfortunately for Oswald Cobblepot this meant one thing. He was all alone.

"I'm home," Penguin muttered weakly as he entered his apartment. All of his furniture was covered in blankets gathering dust from the lengthy time he spent in Stonegate penitentiary. And his windows were left open yet again some how, so a very big draft was the only sound other than the creaking floorboards that could be heard from within the room.

"Well it's nice to be back I guess," Penguin continued to mutter aimlessly to himself as he slung his stuff down and made his way over to the window. Penguin wasn't expecting a reply to what he had just said, but it seemed he would get one. From a rather expected intruder.

"That's nice," a low voice called from within the shadows of the room. "A great way to start your criminal activities again huh Penguin?"

"Oh it's you again is it?" Penguin's tone was obviously unimpressed and lacked enthusiasm by the person who was standing in the shadowed part of the dark room. "And technically who is committing a crime here? Breaking and entering is illegal Batman."

"Same could be said for all of the crimes you have committed Penguin," the figure known as Batman stepped out of the shadows and into the light so he was completely visible.

"I have served my time Batman and I have learned this time that I will not be tempted to turn to crime again. I intend to reform myself and get back into society as an upstanding citizen. And this time I will not have any high society pompous users like Veronica Vreeland to trifle with my emotions." Penguin explained with a strong hint of determination in his voice as he said this.

"Well we shall see wont we?" Batman replied walking past Penguin with a slight caution. "But I'm not letting you off the hook in any case. I shall be keeping a close eye on you from now on."

"There is no need," Penguin replied coolly "I am truly past the criminal stages of my life and I intend to make the Cobblepot name back into the good books of high society."

"They all say that, but it all ends up with the same fate. They all get tempted to commit more crimes and cause more work for me," Batman said glancing around the room for anything that could be suspicious for him to target Oswald to some sort of crime.

"Don't bother looking around for clues Batman. I have just entered my apartment, so I highly doubt that you'll find anything to hold against me," Penguin then cleared his throat and smirked "and if all the criminal riff raff are getting to you why don't you take a vacation? I bet you need one under that cape and cowl of yours."

"If I did that then the whole city would go berserk! That is why I am here, to take scum like you off of the street and put you where you belong. Whether it be in Stonegate Penitentiary or Arkham Asylum for that matter."

"I must say I am not surprised by your high suspicion of my apparent criminal activities, but I will just say you are wasting your time. Why bother pin pointing an innocent and changed man while the mad, raving lunatics like Two-face, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn and Joker are roaming the streets at night? Now if you have done insulting me like all the rest of the people I have come to pass today, will you kindly leave me and let me carry on my now normal life?" Penguin then pointed to the balcony door which was obviously the way Batman came in. He had a regular habit of making an entrance through a window. The same question about him using the stairs on occasion passed many peoples minds even the majority of criminals he had taken down.

Batman was no doubt surprised by the way Penguin was sounding. His last sentence about being insulted actually made him stop and think for a while. He did in fact sound a bit hurt by the fact people had insulted him on his first day out of prison. But it was rare for a rogue like Oswald Cobblepot to show his emotions. Or if anyone insulted his appearance he would usually either hold them for ransom or rob them. But not today. For the first time ever the Penguin was showing his true colours. Perhaps he wasn't exaggerating about his reform. But Batman couldn't be too sure, this had happened before. And not just to the Penguin.

"Alright then, but just think twice before committing your crimes. Unless you want me breathing down your neck that is." And before Penguin knew it, Batman was gone.

"Bats in my belfry, prison guards mocking my formal lifestyle, people insulting me aloud… welcome home Oswald Cobblepot!" Penguin exclaimed dramatically as he then walked out onto his balcony and looked out at the city. It was a change from the view he got from his prison cell, and surprisingly enough to him it was a beautiful view. He had been spending too much time in prison. But he was now a changed man, and sure it may take time to get the respect he deserved but he would get it! Soon even the Batman would realize that even the bad guys could turn good. And Oswald wasn't going to fall into the trap of a cold hearted scheme of a rich woman's like he did before. Not that anyone would invite him anywhere anymore. That was the bad thing right now. He was all alone. No one would think twice about getting close to him. Plus he didn't have the looks or the money to get a woman to even touch him. He was a deformed, fat, pompous aristocrat with a bad criminal reputation. Life wasn't very good to Oswald right now. He wasn't loved or cared for by anyone other than his birds. And that only provided him with a limited amount of happiness. Yes indeed it was clear that he was all alone. No friends or close acquaintances outside the criminal circle. This was going to be more difficult than he originally thought.

"Perhaps an evening stroll will clear my head from these ghastly thoughts," Penguin suggested to himself smiling a little. He rushed inside and grabbed a random umbrella from his umbrella stand, made sure his hat was securely on his head and checked his outfit over quickly in the mirror before heading towards the door. He wished to make the right impression to the people of Gotham tonight. But that would be more than he bargained for. He would of course find himself in some sort of trouble, but not the normal kind he would usually get.

And like they say "The night is still young."

Authors note: Well what do you think so far? The next chapter will be better because more happens. Anyway please review! I really love to know what people think of my stories. Thanks!