Barbara Queen

New plan

I don't see Tabitha or Butch for the next couple of day, but by the time they do get back Barbara has already devised a new plan.
Ed stands in front of us, he's been missing for days, Me, Tabitha, butch and Babs all glare at him.
"Come again!" Barbara demands.
Ed sighs, " I said Oswald Cobblepot is alive."
"He's lying." Says Tabitha.
"I wish that were true" says Nygma in his defence.
"He disappears for days, comes up with some insane story about him and Penguin being trapped in bird cages and escaping together. What'd you say you used pudding?" She asks him sarcastically.
"Red Gelo" he says blandly.
Tabitha scoffs, "how stupid do you think we are?"
"You really want me to answer that?" Asks Ed.
"It's a set up." Tabitha retorts.
I nodd, "she's probably right." I say.
Barbara sneers.
"Well you would know, being an expert in betrayal!" She glared at her former best friend.
"Keep pushing me!" Tabitha dares her stepping forward.
"Calm down both of you." Says butch stepping between them.
"In the interest of corporation," Ed beings "your partners backstabbing, actually lead to an answer you were seeking. Who controls Gotham?
It's an organization calling themselves the court of owls." Says Ed.
"And? Barbara asks.
"Who are they? What do they want?"
Ed sighs, "well unfortunately my interaction wa slim it's to a woman named Katherine, with a very tight up do, but I can tell you there no unrest in the under world. So you don't have to worry about them, at least not right now. You should... worry about penguin." He stresses.
"I'm sorry but how is this our problem? Your the one that shot him and dumped him in the river." Butch asks speaking for the four of us.
"Ugghhh, butch," says Ed, " I knew your hand was made of led but not that your brain was as well.
"Cute" says butch in his low growly voice.
"Thank you." Replies Ed with a snug smile.
"The three of you conspired with me to help murder him. As far as he's concerned your all guilty." Ed says.
"He's right." Barbara admits looking at us.
She takes out her phone.
"I'll get a team to hit penguins house right away." She says.
"Don't bother," Ed says, "he knows that's the first place we'd look. He's probably stowed away in some safe house. Good thing I know where they all are"
"Here we go together again." Barbara says like we're at a family reunion. Tabitha rolls her eyes.
"Oh and I should have told you, Penguin's recruited an army of Hugo strange's monsters." Says Ed as he walks away.
"He did what!?" Barbara yells after him, but the Riddler is already gone.
"Did he just say what I think he said?" I ask, "how are we going to fight of an army of medically made murder machines?"
Barbara doesn't respond. I can tell she's thinking the same thing.
"We need a new plan." Says Barbara.
I nod.
Tabitha rolls her eyes ,"well what do want us to do huh? It's not like we have too many options here Barbara!" She spits in babs direction.
"I need time to think." Says Barbara going into her office and slamming the door shut behind her. I hear the lock click, she doesn't want to be disturbed.
"Well this is great!" Tabitha remarks sarcastically, "we have no plan, no leverage and literally no ideas."
I sigh, she's right.
"Well maybe if Barbara had come up with one sooner." Says butch.
"The is isn't her fault." I pipe in, "if anything it's Ed's. I mean he disappeared for days only to come back and tell us, might I add at the last minute, that penguin has an army of monsters."
Tabitha rolls her eyes at me, "well, maybe if Barbara hadn't trusted him in the first place-"
"That's enough," says butch "let's all calm down, okay." He's trying and failing to play peacekeeper.
Tabitha scoffs, "says the one who's been telling me to leave Barbara for weeks. If you had your way she'd be dead."
Butch ignores her.
I sigh and go off on my off. After around an hour of plotting alone Barbara comes out of her office.
"I have a new plan." She announces. Butch, Tabitha and I gather eagerly, though I'll admit I care more than they do. It seems at though at this point, there only in it for the power.
"Well? What is it?" Asks Tabitha.
Barbara glared at her, "it involves you bribing someone to me, I think all of us know her well." She says with a poisonous look.
"Who?" I ask but then it dawns on me.
"Selina Kyle." She says with a smirk. "I need you to bring her to me by any means possible, just don't be to rough. I'll need her in one peice."
"What's re you going to sit I her?" I ask trying not to show my concern.
"Nothing if she behaves." Says Barbara, "but I'm not against further our session if she needs it."
I gulp, I know what that means. I only hope Selina corporates.
She turns to Tabby and butch, "of you go now, don't let me down. Again!" She adds sharply.
Tabitha glared at her but night where tongue, "I'll be back soon." She says grabbing her whip and gun. Butch follows her out leaving just babs and me.
I turn to her, "listen Barbara, I know you really want to kill penguin but just, don't hurt Selina." Barbara glared at me.
"I'll do whatever I wean! And unless you want me to test out some of tabby's new "toys" on you, I'd watch your mouth."
I clench my jaw and look away. The last thing I need is Barbara torturing me instead.
Barbara strolls away smugly, "let's just hope your not a traitor like Tabitha. I can promise you I won't be as forgiving."
I sigh and sit down at the bar, if I were like Barbara I'd probably be needing a drink right about now.

Almost as quickly as they had left Tabitha and butch came back, Selina was struggling against Tabitha grim hand but I was no use.
"Selina!" Barbara exclaims like she's greeting and old friend," what a pleasant surprise, I'm so glad you could join us." She says with a pleasant smile.
"Barbara?" Selina ask in surprise.
Tabitha drags her closer, "let go of me!" She yells.
"Let her go." Barbara commands. I look at babs in surprise.
"Please, sit," she offers pointing to the bar bench.
Selina doesn't make any move to do as she says.
"Unless of course you'd like me to have Tabitha escort you." Barbara says with a dangerous smile.
Selina sits down arms crossed, Barbara smiles cunningly.
"Good girl, now why don't you tell me why you... we're working for penguin." She asks.
"I'm not working for penguin." Selina says with an annoyed tone.
Barbara places a hand in her hip, "so you were just held up with him for kicks?" She asks sarcastically.
Selina rolls her eyes, "no. Ivy just asked me to come by." She explains.
"Why?" Asks butch.
I'll admit it's a decent question.
Selina states at him.
"None of your business, lunk."
Tabitha smiles and I let a laugh escape.
"Now I gotta talk lip off a kid?" Says butch standing up threateningly. Tabitha holds him back. "Relax." I hear her whisper to him.
"Your friends with that firebug, sent you?" Asks Ed chipping in. I didn't even rise he was here until now. When did he even come?
"Her names Bridget." Selina corrects him.
Ed laughs, and Barbara smiles.
"Penguins army of monsters deserted him." He tells Barbara.
"And he needed your held finding them." He says pointing to Selina. "Your gonna tell penguin you know where this Bridget is and that you'd like to meet, and we'll take care of the rest." He says gesturing Barbara and the others.
Selina considers it for a moment. It's hard to tell exactly what she's thinking.
"Fine. But I need cash to get out of town." She claims.
Barbara looks to me and Ed, "fine." She replied with a smug smile.
"And nothing happens to ivy." Selina says as her last request. "She's stupid but, not a traitor." Barbara gazes down at the girl with a smirk. "This things aren't mutually exclusive." She says looking to Tabitha.
"Shoo," she says to Tabitha and butch, "the grown ups need to talk. Oh, and forgive me if I don't want you knowing the details. That didn't work out so well last time, now did it."
Tabby and butch glare at her.
"Bye, now." Barbara says with a small but mocking wave.
"How much longer are we gonna put up with this?" I hear butch whisper  as they walk away.

Barbara looks down at me, "I'll leave." I say in a defeated voice but she stops me.
"Not so fast, I don't remember saying you could leave yet." She says with a devious smile.
I feel my stomach flip with fear and butterflies, what did I do this time.
Barbara smiles at me and turns back to Selina. Apparently she's not dealing with me now.
"Well give you the money once you do your job." Barbara says waving Selina off.
Selina leaves to do her job.
"You didn't hurt her." I say in surprise,
Barbara looks at me nonchalantly.
"It's a good thing she did what she was told." She says to me. "Now get ready, we're going to get penguin."