The museum is definitely my favourite of the places we've visited. We walk through and Riddler even pays for our tickets like a good, law-abiding citizen.

Sure enough, the giant dinosaur is still there, right in the middle of the first room. I try to be prepared, but I psych myself out so much it still makes me jump. Riddler and I make our way through each exhibition- he telling me interesting and relevant facts about the displays, me pointing out who Penguin had locked in there previously. It takes us hours to tour the whole building and by the time Riddler suggests going to see Penguin, I'm starving. I hope the food at the Iceberg Lounge is good.

We enter the lounge through the museum and Edward flags down someone almost immediately. He leads us to a shady alcove where Penguin is sitting at a small table, puffing away at a cigar.

"Edward Nygma. What brings you to my club?" He crows.

"Cobblepot. I'm looking to call in a favour you owe me. I want a table for tonight. A nice one, if you'd be so kind." Edward requests. I stand next to him, his hand on the small of my back.

"You're calling in a favour for that?" He barks out a laugh. "Well if that's what you want, that's easy. Best table in the house is yours for the night. Tell ya what, I'll even toss in a bottle of champagne for you and the lady." He nods at me.

"Cobblepot, Belle. Belle, Oswald Cobblepot." Edward introduces us, and I try not to look like the star-struck mess I am. Even though he is a pretty awful villain, meeting him is still awesome. I give him a head nod, which I hope comes across as cool and badass. He head nods me back, so I figure I mustn't seem like a total weirdo. Though in this town, that description is pretty loose.

Edward and I are shown to a table on one of the balconies on the second story. We have the best view of the dance floor down below, as well as a great view of the Gotham skyline out the window next to us. As promised, a waiter arrives with a bottle of champagne.

"Compliments of Mister Cobblepot." He says and pours us two glasses. I wait until he walks away before leaning towards Riddler.

"This is not convincing me that Penguin is such a bad guy. He's like, ten per cent Rogue and ninety per cent businessman." I take a sip. "Oh man, and that is good. He gave us a nice bottle!" Edward looks like he's thinking of rolling his eyes.

"Some of the best criminals pass as businessmen."

"Oh? What's your business?" I tease, and he shoots me a look.

"I said some of the best, not the best." He smirks, making me laugh. We spend the night talking like regular people, not mentioning Batman or villains or evil plans. The food is great and Edward even pulls me up to dance to the songs the band is playing.

"Careful," I say to him as we finish dancing and sit back down. "People are going to think you're going soft. You'll lose your reputation." He just smiles. "Not that I haven't had a great time today- the best day, actually- but shouldn't we be hiding out a bit more? You said half the Rogues are on our asses, it seems pretty bold to spend our time running around Gotham and dining out."

Riddler frowns a little at the reminder. "You're right. We can't do this all the time. But anyone after us would hardly think to look at Gotham's top tourist spots. And people would think twice before starting anything in the Iceberg Lounge. It would be asking Cobblepot to come after you."

"So, this was a final night out on the town?"

"In a way. I wanted to show you Gotham, as promised, before we went underground." Riddler tells me.

"Edward…" I begin. "I don't want to start a fight. I really don't. But I can't go underground. I know you don't agree with it, but working with Batman is important to me. I'm not going to stop doing it. But I mean, on the plus side, I'm in a mask. Who'll know it's me?" I end on a light note.

"I had assumed you would say something like that." He sighs. "And I don't want to argue either. But I think it would be safest if you gave up your nocturnal adventures, at least until I get this situation sorted." I consider this for a moment.

"I'll make you a deal," I say as we finish our drinks. "I want to see this arms deal with Nightwing through. No! Don't say it." I shout- I can see him working up an insult about Nightwing. "I want to finish this. Once the arms deal is over, I'll hang up the cape for a while. But not indefinitely. You can't drag this protection deal on forever so I never work with Batman again." I give him a look. "I know you, Edward." He at least has the decency to look contrite.

"Do I have a timeframe to fix the situation before you go back out? A month? Two weeks?" He sounds snarky, but I can see his eyes crinkling up from amusement.

"Smartass." I shove into him with my shoulder as we walk out the door. Riddler nods at Penguin, who blows cigar smoke in our general direction as a reply. We hail a cab and head back to Lacey Towers, riding in content silence.

"I have hero things to do, but I'll come over in the morning?" I check as he gets out of the cab. He barely even looks irritated.

"Be safe. Give the Detective my regards."

"What, really?"

"No. Not really." He leans back into the cab to kiss me before shutting the door and letting the cab drive away. I give the driver the address of Dick's building; I figure he'll be on his way to the manor soon and I can get a lift with him.

I pay the driver and hike up the stairs of the building and hammer on the apartment door.

"New girl! What brings you to my humble abode?" He asks, swinging his arms out to let me in.

"Thought I would get a lift with you to the strategy meeting. And there is nothing humble about you." I say, punching him lightly in the arm.

"You wound me. Well, your words do. That punch was terrible. Your training session is with me tonight now." He says, grabbing his car keys. "Come on, let's hit the road."

¿?

"So, no point asking what you were up to today I guess," Dick says, throwing a punch at me. I duck and go for his legs.

The planning meeting went well, and Bruce and Tim are out patrolling. Barbara is in the corner on the Batcomputer and Dick followed through on his threat and has me in training, putting me through my paces.

"I was with Nygma. I'm not lying or hiding it. Total transparency." I dodge a kick and come at him fast, landing a succession of hits to his midsection.

"Transparency is good," Dick replies, blocking my next blow. "Not dating super villains is better."

"Dick," Barbara says warningly from the corner, not looking up.

"Just a thought." He says, sweeping my legs out from under me.

"Like you can talk," I retort, rolling up and landing a solid kick to his jaw. "Didn't you have a thing with Harley Quinn at some point?"

"What?!" Barbara and Dick both exclaim, Dick dropping his guard. This lets me perform a flashy spin and land a flying kick to his chest, sending him sprawling to the floor. He falls and just lies there, looking at me in disbelief. "Quinn? Harley Quinn? What are you smoking New Girl?"

"Oh, is that not a thing? Pretty sure I saw that in a movie sometime." I reach my hand out to help him up. "My bad."

"I think that's enough training for the night," Barbara announces, wheeling over to us. "And enough talk about dating super villains."

"Sounds good to me," I announce. "I need a shower. And then bed. Kicking Nightwing butt is exhausting." I wink, making Barbara laugh and Dick look affronted.

"Low blow Newbie. Tomorrow night when we're taking down Sionis, I can guarantee I'll take out more goons than you."

"Put your money where your mouth is, Grayson." I taunt.

"Money I've got. This is just for bragging rights." He says, and his accompanying smile is slightly unnerving. But I'm game.

"You're on. But if, no, when I win, you stop calling me New Girl." I demand.

"Sure thing new girl." He winks. "Whatever you say." He calls, strolling out of the gym.

"That guy drives me crazy." I glare at his retreating figure.

"Dick has that effect on most people." Barbara smiles at me. "I'm sure I'll see you before tomorrow night, but if not, good luck, Belle." She says, squeezing my arm gently. "I know how exciting it is, but don't forget to be careful. Don't try and keep up with Bruce- he's the best."

"Thanks. I'll be careful, but we'll be fine. Promise." I grin at her. "See you tomorrow." Barbara leaves and I head up to my room. I shower and get into bed and check my phone to see a message from Riddler.

Hope your planning went well. Lacey Towers apartment is no longer safe. I will send you the new safe house address soon.

I frown. That doesn't sound good. But I have no doubt Riddler would be ten steps ahead of any attackers. With that comforting thought, I turn off my phone and go to sleep.

¿?

I roll out of bed at the leisurely time of 7:00 am, steadfastly ignoring Alfred's pointed look at the clock when I walk into the kitchen. I take my time making coffee and getting dressed- Bruce doesn't need me today and I have nothing to do except meet with Riddler at the new address. An hour and a half later and I'm out the door.

The new address is further away than Lacey Towers. The neighbourhood gets worse and more industrial before the cab finally pulls up outside a dingy looking storefront. The driver and I look at each other sceptically.

"You sure this is where you want to be, miss?" He asks gruffly, eyeing the crumbling façade of the building.

"I don't know, but it'll do." I reply, handing over cash for the drive. I stand on the sidewalk and wait until the cab is out of sight before turning to inspect the building more closely. It looks like it used to be an office of some kind. I can see desks and chairs through the partially shattered front window, and I can almost make out a faded logo on the door.

I carefully push at the door, half expecting it to splinter apart. But it holds, and I walk in. I walk through the front room, which is split into small cubicles, into the back which consists of a long hallway with what must have once been private offices branching off.

"Edward?" I call out tentatively. "Are you here? Because I have some comments about your new place compared to the apartment." A head shoots out from the office at the end of the hallway.

"This isn't my usual opulence, no, but it is necessary I'm afraid. Come on through." I walk into the room and am greeted by computer screens on all sides.

"This is over the top, even for you," I say, taking in the dozens of screens running programs. "What happened to the apartment?"

"It was found." Riddler says darkly, typing away furiously. "It shouldn't have been able to be discovered. I covered my tracks to that apartment so thoroughly, anyone less than Batman shouldn't have been able to find me."

"Did they follow us home yesterday?" I suggest, leaning forward on the back of his chair, still inspecting the screens.

"I would have noticed a tail." He replies confidently, and I believe him. It is unlikely neither of us would have noticed being followed. And it's not like we took a direct route home.

"Did they follow me to your apartment?" I ask, feeling slightly guilty. What if I'd unintentionally sold him out?

"They would have had to follow you from wherever you're staying. Which even I can't find." He shoots me a glance at that. I shrug. I had figured Bruce would have a way to hide.

"What are you checking on all these?" I gesture at all the screens.

"Looking for holes in my security. Checking bank accounts, internet connections, tablet, computer, my phone-" He grabs my phone from my back pocket swiftly and plugs it into the computer next to his, "and your phone for any tracking software." The computer starts beeping and flashing on one screen. Riddler narrows his eyes. "Do you know you're being tracked by a user called… Batcave?" He tells me.

"I'm not overly surprised," I grumble, taking my phone back. "Is that how they found the apartment?"

"Highly unlikely. If I can't hack into Batman's programs, no one else would even come close." He says, a tinge of his arrogance showing through. "Besides, the apartment is a dead zone. All devices and programs that aren't approved on my network in advance won't work." That gives me an idea.

"A dead zone?" I repeat, and the look on his face says he just had the same realisation. "That's how they found you, isn't it. They didn't track your information; they tracked the lack of it."

"I think so. It had occurred to me as a risk, but to be honest I thought it was beyond any of the Rogue's abilities."

"Looks like you underestimated someone." I frown. Riddler looks unhappy at that thought. "To be fair, that is like, Batman level clever," I add.

"It is." He says absently. Surprising; I was expecting an insult. "If you had to guess, who would you think it was? Using your… unique perspective of the criminals in this city."

I think about it for a moment, trying to imagine this as the plot of a comic, or video game. "Honestly, my first guess would be you. Next guess though, would be Crane. He is probably the most motivated, and while he isn't usually all tech-genius, he did kind of hack Batman's comms in Arkham City to leave him a coded message. Maybe this isn't beyond him."

Riddler sighs and spins around in his chair to face me properly. "That would be my guess too. Though I can't say I'm thrilled Crane has the capacity to do this."

"Don't worry; you're still the smartest kid in the class." I wink at him. He grins wickedly and swipes out at me, pulling me forward onto his lap with an undignified yelp from me.

"Your sarcasm is much appreciated." He says, keeping my wrists entrapped in one hand while the other trails down my side to rest on my hip.

"Anytime." I quip, though my voice catches at the sudden proximity. His eyes darken and his hand grips my hip tighter, and I'm pretty sure something fantastic is about to happen when an alarm on the computer goes off. I groan involuntarily, making him laugh. He frees my hand and lets me stand, spinning around to type.

"Huh. That is… unexpected."

"What is? Don't leave me in suspense here." I say, jumping up to sit on the edge of the desk.

"Crane has a visitor."

"A visitor? Who? From where?" I ask, trying to read the screen.

"I don't know." I know he hates saying that. "I've been keeping close tabs on him, and someone has arrived in Gotham, and they're here to see Crane. A military man, by the sounds of it." Riddler sounds just as confused as I am. "Sound familiar to you?"

"Not really… I mean, there are probably plenty of rogue military people it could be. Either Deadshot or Deathstroke come to mind. Not sure if they were actually military or not though… League of Assassins, maybe? That's kind of military." I sigh. "No idea, is what I'm saying." We sit in silence for a moment. "I need caffeine. Want something? Coffee? Food? Anything?" I ask, sliding off the desk.

"Surprise me." He says and stands up. He walks me to the front door. "Be careful. Don't drop your guard." He warns. I give him a salute, and he rolls his eyes, hiding a smile. He snakes an arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him. The kiss he gives me is short, but the heat in it more than makes up for it. We break apart and I'm pretty sure I'm blushing.

¿?

My face is back to its normal colour by the time I reach the coffee shop. I order two coffees and an assortment of pastries because hiding out from super criminals is hungry work. I stroll back to the hideout, not paying a great deal of attention to my surroundings.

My first clue that something isn't right is the front door ajar. Instantly the adrenaline is pumping and I'm in fight or flight mode. Though due to Bruce's training, it's mostly fight mode now. I put the coffees down on the ground and look around for an impromptu weapon. I settle on a piece of steel pipe and a trash bin lid as a kind of shield, so I walk into the building like some kind of poor man's knight.

I creep through, making no noise, like Bruce taught me. Just as I'm thinking I've made a mistake, there's no problem here, I hear glass smashing.

"That is very delicate and expensive equipment! Could you try and be more careful?" I hear Riddler's imperious tone from the back office, followed by a thud and exclamation of pain.

"Rest of the building is clear." A male voice declares. I must have gotten here at just the right time.

"No problem. This one was the priority target anyway." Another voice answers. I slowly stick my head around the door and see two men, facing away from me… and Riddler.

My eyes stick to him. On the floor, hands bound, a prominent bruise already starting to form on his left cheekbone and a bloody lip. My heart clenches.

If he notices me at the doorway, he doesn't give it away. "At least Crane is recognising me as a priority. I assume Crane sent you, yes?" He asks, sounding more casual than the situation warrants.

"None of your business." One says as the other says "Yes." They glare at each other.

Riddler smirks. "I thought so. Well when you see him, tell him there are more civilized ways to arrange a meeting besides sending one's thugs."

"Right. Or you tell him when we deliver you."

"Oh, I don't know that you'll be doing that." He says casually, inspecting the torn cuff of his jacket.

I choose this moment to attack. I swing into the room, wiping the legs out from underneath goon number one, sending him flailing onto his back as I bring the steel pipe down on the head of goon number two. He drops like a sack of bricks. I spin and press the edge of the bin lid to the throat of number one, stopping him from getting to his feet.

"You move and I'll crush your trachea," I warn him. "What exactly does Crane want with Nygma?" I ask.

"I don't answer to you, little girl." He sneers. I bring the steel pipe down on his knee and judging by the scream, it does some damage.

"My name is not little girl." I snarl. "Tell me what Crane wants Nygma for!" I demand, raising the pipe again threateningly.

"Revenge!" The man shouts. "I don't know details. But I know he ain't the only one Crane wants revenge on." He pants, gritting his teeth against the pain. "You watch your back, Belle Mitchell. Because you're on his list too." He struggles to get up, so I land a well-placed kick and send him into unconsciousness.

As soon as he stops moving I drop my weapons and run to Riddler, dropping to my knees when I reach him.

"Are you okay? Stay still, I'll untie you. Are you hurt? Anywhere I can't see I mean?" I ask him, rapid-fire. He holds his hands out and I make short work of the knots, pulling him close as soon as he's free. "Crane is officially on my shit list. He's got it coming."

"I'm fine, they hardly touched me," Riddler claims, and I look at him doubtfully. "Really." He looks past me at the unconscious men. "The Dark Knight must be teaching you well. That was impressive." He admits.

"That was nothing." I shrug, still searching for more injuries.

"No, really. You, threatening a man with a steel pipe? I've never been more attracted to you." His tone is teasing.

"Hush, you," I say, though my stomach flips. "Come on, we need to find you a safe place. Really safe." I help him into the chair. He's holding his side, so I'm guessing they got in a good shot there too.

I unlock my phone and make a call.

"Batman?"

"Belle? What's wrong?" He asks, instantly on guard. He knows I wouldn't call him Batman if there wasn't someone else here.

"You know how I told you Jonathan Crane is holding a grudge? Well, he just tried to collect." I pull Riddler's face up to mine, inspecting his eyes. He doesn't look concussed, but I'm no expert.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

"I am, but Ed- ah, Riddler copped a beating," I say before being interrupted by an irate Riddler.

"I do not need the Dark Knight's help."

"Shut up." I hiss, hand over the phone. "When I'm the one beaten on the floor, then you can make the decisions." I move my hand away. "Sorry. Riddler is being difficult. Can you think of anywhere safe for us to hide out? At least for a few days, until Riddler has recovered." I cross my fingers.

"I can arrange something." He finally says. "I'm… surprised. I didn't expect Crane to move against Nygma."

"Oh yeah. He is pissed. He's even got some military guy here apparently. Not sure what for yet, but we'll figure it out."

"I'll sort out accommodation. Try and get somewhere safe, I'll call you when it's organised." He hangs up.

I turn to Riddler. "Batman is going to help, and I don't want to hear one complaint," I tell him sternly. It says a lot about how much pain he's in that he doesn't argue.

"There's a first aid kit in the office across the hall." Is all he says.

I hurry over and grab the kit, using it to tend to the cuts on his face. There isn't much I can do for the bruising, so I just focus on what I can fix. We wait in silence until my phone buzzes with an address.

Riddler and I make our way across town, swapping cabs twice at my insistence; just to be sure we aren't followed. We arrive at a small house on a cul-de-sac that looks like it should belong to a happy family with a golden retriever. I knock on the front door and Nightwing opens it.

"Hey, New Girl. Why do I even bother telling you to keep out of trouble? You seem to have a knack for finding it."

"To be fair, the trouble did find us this time," Riddler says, surprisingly civil.

"Come on in," Dick says. "Mi casa es su casa. Well, mi… wait, what's Spanish for safe house?"

"Don't think so hard, you'll sprain something." I grin at him as we walk in. "Is this a new safe house? It doesn't really have the usual Batman feel to it, you know?"

"If it looked like a safe house, it probably wouldn't be a very safe safe house, would it New Girl?"

"Stop saying safe house, it's starting to sound weird," I grumble. I sit Riddler down in a chair at the table in the kitchen. "I think he might need actual medical attention."

"I don't." Riddler waves me off. "Bruising and a cracked rib at worst. You really think a doctor could tell me anything I don't already know?" Ah. That damn genius complex.

Though in this case, he's probably right.

"Fair call. Are we okay to stay here for a few days?" I ask Nightwing. The last thing we need is to have to try to find somewhere safe while Riddler is on the mend.

"You can stay as long as you need to." He replies, sounding cagey.

"Nightwing, don't mess with me here. I know I can stay here, but what about Edward? Should we be expecting a bat-shaped visitor tonight to haul him off to Arkham?" I don't find it encouraging that Dick won't look me in the eye. "Actually, it won't be tonight, right? Because we'll all be out taking down Sionis. So what, we've got until tomorrow night. Am I right?" I ask, but the look on Dick's face tells me I am. "You know what; I have had just about enough of this." I huff. "I think I finally see it. It took me a while, but I've got it now. I really can't have both. I tried, but every time I try, it doesn't work. So that's it." I throw my hands in the air in annoyance. "Nice working with you, but after tonight, that's it." Dick and Riddler both look at me, seemingly lost for words.

"Belle, don't make a decision you'll regret." Warns Dick, but I ignore him.

"Edward, we need a new safe place before tomorrow night. Is that going to be a problem?"

Riddler sits up a bit straighter. "No problem at all." I turn back to Dick.

"Well. You can go and tell Batman I'll be out of his hair by this time tomorrow." We stare each other down for a bit before he nods and stalks out of the house.

He pauses at the front door. "No hard feelings new girl. You just run with the wrong crowd." He says, and he leaves.

I walk back into the kitchen and take a seat across from Riddler. "Bet it killed you, didn't it. Watching me take so long to figure this out."

Riddler takes a moment before answering. "It seemed like something you had to come to on your own. I couldn't tell you the answer."

I bark out a laugh. "How philosophical of you."

"I am sorry it didn't work out for you."

"Thanks." I shrug. "But I realised something else painfully obvious. Batman doesn't have a monopoly on fighting crime in this town. I can do exactly what I was doing, just without the bat symbol on my chest."

"If you're in the market for new symbols, may I suggest a question mark?"

I don't bother replying to that. "How hard is it going to be to find a new place to stay that's hidden from Scarecrow and Batman?"

"I'll have it arranged by the time you're back from giving Sionis a headache." He says, cockiness colouring his tone.

"Alright. Make sure you actually get some rest though. The sooner you heal up, the better we'll be." I take my phone from my back pocket and put it on the table. "Better get rid of this before we leave. Batman will be tracking us no doubt."

"I'll set up an untraceable phone for you tonight. It will be so secure you'll be able to give Batman the number and he won't be able to track you." He boasts.

I smile in thanks. "Come on. I've got maybe five hours before I need to be at the warehouse with the others, and I need sleep. Otherwise, I'll be passing out mid-fight." I stand up and hold out my hand. He looks at it, confused. "You too, buddy. Sleep helps healing and all that." Riddler gives me a dubious look, eyebrow cocked. "Yeah alright, and maybe I like to cuddle. Got a problem with that?"

"None at all," Riddler smirks and takes my hand.

A/N: Weekly updates! I feel so organised.

Let me know what you think!