"THE HELL DO MEAN 'if he was a penguin'? YOU CAN'T JUST POISON PEOPLE, IVY," alright, I was a little hysterical, but I had a right to be. The guide to my badass future could be dying in the other room. Or... turning into a bird native to the South Pole. Either way I'd be screwed.

"I didn't poison him!," she yelled back but calmed down swiftly. "He's just gonna be a little more adorable."

"Oh my god," I rubbed my face roughly, trying to make some kind of plan. I wasn't ready to take over yet. And if I had to have another boss I was gonna lose it.

"Relax! He won't be a literal bird. He'll just talk like one."

"So... he's fine?," I looked at her, hopeful. She nodded. I felt my whole body deflate, my head drooping.

"He may find a new appreciation for fish!," Ivy said happily, not caring about how she manipulated Boss for her own game.

"Whatever, he's alive," I sighed.

"Ey, is the Boss alright?," Gabe had hobbled over to us, his bushy eyebrows turning up in the middle of his forehead.

I forced a smile, "Peachy." The concern seemed to deepen in his features and I guessed he thought I was being sarcastic. "He just needs some sleep. Do you remember the last time he slept through the night?," I asked him, already knowing the answer.

"No...," he answered quietly. It wasn't like Boss didn't sleep; he would sleep for like four hours then be up again for the next day. He'd also choose 3 am to go to bed.

He used to never sleep, supervising everything and telling everyone what to do. It took a couple months, but he finally let us help run the family business. After a couple lessons with Butch, and some terrifying interactions with Victor, I unofficially became "Advisor to the King." I never liked being in the spotlight, so I enjoyed being the errand girl.

Then Ivy just had to intervene. She just had to find him interesting enough to test her plant pollen on him.

It was around one in the morning or so, about three hours later from the little Wonderland incident, when I heard the door creak and Boss's unique footsteps.

"Hey," I greeted softly from my seat on the table. He hobbled over to me slowly, his eyes distant. "Boss?," I bent my head to look up into his face. He finally snapped out of it.

He opened his mouth to say something, but what came out was another animalistic squawk. My eyes went wide at the sound and he tried desperately to clear his throat. He opened his mouth again.

"Hello," he whispered to no one in particular. A sigh I didn't know I was holding left my lips.

'He's not a penguin, he's not a penguin,' I chanted to myself. 'Ivy could never actually-'

"Here, kitty kitty kitty. Oh, Seliiiiinaaaaa," I heard her coo. She walked in with a long, black fur-ball in her arms. "Guess who I found."

"Ivy, you can't just-," I was in the middle of reprimanding her through my teeth when the fur-ball's head perked up and meowed at me. "Mary!" I extended my arms to the cat and Ivy gave him to me. He purred in my arms.

"He was in the alley. I thought you'd want to see him," Ivy twirled a bit, expecting praise for catching my cat. When I didn't respond to her further, she turned to Boss. "Hello, Mr. Penguin. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Ivy." Ivy extended her hand towards him and he took it gently.

"Likewise," he croaked. He cleared his throat again. "Are you the redhead living in our back room?" My heart dropped. 'How the fuck does he know everything?'

"Huh?," Ivy looked genuinely confused.

"Oh, you know, the one who's been making a greenhouse out of my storage room?," he had that unpredictable smile on. I felt my insides turn to lead. I don't know who I was more worried for, her or me.

"Really?," she asked, "That's a storage room? But the glass roof is perfect for gardening." My jaw dropped. "Honestly, I put it to more use."

I wanted to scream at her, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?," but the Boss's smile turned genuine and he actually laughed.

"Well, Ivy, I wish you'd have come to me before you moved in. You wouldn't have to keep sneaking around then." He took a moment for his words to sink in. "You may keep your garden on one condition," he paused to gage her reply.

"That is?," she finally asked.

"Your services go through me first. And you'll make whatever I ask. In exchange, I'll get you any supplies you may need. Sound fair?"

Ivy shrugged, "Sounds good to me."

"Excellent." He turned that grin to me. "Oh, Selina. You don't have to hide things from me. Especially useful friends. Or where you sneak off to every night," he had the nerve to wink at me.

"What are you...," I started off defensively but settled for shaking my head.

He laughed again. "Bruce Wayne is a very lucky man," before I could even process what he said, his smile dropped to the floor. "If he hurts you he'll be dead within the day."

"Woah!," I almost yelled, facing my palms out in the stop-position. "Nobody's killing nobody, okay?"

"Wait," Ivy interjected. "Bruce Wayne? As in, the kid from the-"

"Yes, Ivy, the same." I couldn't even wrap my head around the fact that we were talking about Bruce right then. About my personal life! "How did you even..."

"Well," he started in that annoyingly bashful tone of his, "on one of your days off, I just had this... feeling. I was... worried about you. Considering how important you are to... this business, I thought it would be stupid to not, at least, check on you." He actually managed to turn pink during this whole awkward speech. "And that's where I, or more specifically, Victor, found you with the young Bruce Wayne." I shivered at the thought of Victor following me.

"Um... when exactly was this?" I was gonna freak if it was that one time I wore a dress for Bruce's stupid homecoming or whatever. No one who knew me saw me in that dress except for Alfred and Bruce. 'Oh God, what if that freak took a picture?'

"A couple months ago. Victor said you went all the way to the countryside to have a picnic. I guess that was a Wayne Get-Away home." A sigh escaped my lips.

"Yeah," I replied. "It was his grandfather's retirement house after his dad took over Wayne Enterprises. Very cozy." I don't know why I added that, but I did.

"How sweet. Perhaps, we should be acquainted-"

"NO," I blurted. I smacked my hand over my mouth a little too late. He gave me an almost hurt look. "I mean, he doesn't know I'm working for you. I don't think... he'd take it too well," I admitted honestly. He hummed in understanding.

"One of those strong-headed stoics, is he? Just like our favorite detective?"

"Favorite detective? Seriously?," sometimes, I really need to keep my mouth shut.

"Hm?," he asked for clarification, which I was not willing to give. "Jim can be stubborn sometimes, but it always works out in the end. He even killed a man to prove our friendship."

"That's..." NOT WHY HE DID IT! "Great, Boss. I'm glad you two are friends." I plastered the best smile I could across my face. He took it in stride.

"Slowly but surely, Ms. Kyle," he continued swooning, "he'll be just like me, and we could rule Gotham together as partners. Kings..." he drifted off into space, a dopey smile still stretching his pale countenance. Heavy knocks vibrated the conference room door and Butch slowly opened it.

"Oh, Boss, you're up. There's someone out here wantin' to see ya." He snapped out of it.

He turned to Ivy and I, "excuse me, ladies." And walked right out the door. I didn't care to tell him he wasn't wearing shoes. The door shut behind them.

AN: who do you think is the mystery guest?

Ch3 later (today/tomorrow)