Batgirl Begins (dbspock/WendyTheRed)

She was glad he didn't comment on how embarrassed she was. She gratefully accepted his help to stand. When he retrieved the weapon she prepared herself and couldn't help a smirk and eye roll at the corny line.

She turned, presenting her profile and did her best to knock his arm to the side as he had hers and to mimic his trip maneuver. Should she succeed or he simply allow it so she'd learn she'd smile at him as she laid on him. "How did I do?"
 
It was a mistake and he knew it. The whole point of having a firearm was so you didn’t have to get close to your enemy. But they’d already established the futility of that, so he overcame his instincts and stuck the gun in her lower back, trying to ignore her tight ass just inches lower.

She proved good as her word and proved she had understood the lesson. While he did get a shot off when she tried to move, it sailed harmlessly past her. He had a few counters to her trip, but he didn’t use them as she knocked him to the mat. He told himself it was so she could learn, and not because he either lying on him.

“If I didn’t shoot you in the back, you did good. “ he told her.
 
She smiled and shook her head. "No, you missed me. I'm curious...you did try to shoot me right, I don't care if you allowed the trip but I want to make sure the shooting was real so I know for sure I did it right."

She looked at him as she continued to lay there then seemed to realize their position and scrambled up, blushing. She held a hand down to help him up and after he stood either with or without her help she asked. "Well, what's next?"
 
“I pulled the trigger and you weren’t there. “ John confirmed as he pointed to the splotch on the wall where he’d hit. He felt if he’d really tried to shoot her, he would have been farther away so he felt to be honest he had to qualify his answer. “You did it right. “ he confirmed, glad she wasn’t pushing the trip portion of the exercise.

He reached out and took her hand after she rose, then frowned for a bit as she asked what was next, considering his answer. “Well, you have to get to work soon, and we still need to clean up, so maybe a combination lesson and clean up. “

John walked over to a door and took up position in front of it. “Shower is through here. “ he said as he pointed at the door. “All you have to do is get past me. “
 
She nodded to him. She too knew that being this close would be dumb with a gun but she had little doubt some gang banger would do it to try to intimidate someone. If she was unlucky that someone would be her.

She nodded slowly when he mentioned the combination lesson, having a sneaking suspicion of what was coming. Her suspicion was conformed when he said she had to get through him. "Hmmm... most of what I've learned has been countering moves." She nibbled her lip as she paced in front of him then an idea occurred to her.

She was in mid-pace when she darted towards him. She moved like she was planning to just run past him, but at the last moment she moved to drop to her knees and jab at that nerve point he showed her, hoping to numb his leg and drop him. Regardless she didn't watch to see it she succeeded, instead trying to do a shoulder roll away from him using her gymnastics background.
 
John nodded back when she mentioned her training so far had been designed for her to survive. She had a lot to learn, and you had to stay alive to do that. He watched her carefully as she paced in front of him, and not just because she looked great doing it. He had to keep an eye on her to know what she planned to do next. The view was just a bonus.

So he saw her attack coming almost before she made it. He didn’t fall for her ploy, knowing she was too smart for something so simple. So when she lashed out at his leg, it was no longer there. He had jumped over her and was behind her when she tried her roll. He dropped to his knees and grabbed her by the hair. A dirty move? Yes. But one of the lessons he was supposed to teach her was that there were no rules in a street fight. So he used the grip on her hair to pull her onto her back.
 
She growled in frustration as her attack not only didn't work but put her into quite the bad position when he grabbed her hair and pulled her onto her back. She didn't bother complaining about the hair pull though she did wince.

She reached up to grab for his wrist, mostly on instinct to take some pressure off of her hair. If she got him to release it all the better. If not she'd try to roll towards him to get the pressure off until she could figure something else out.
 
He heard her growl as he got a hold of her red mane of hair, but his loyalty to Sara meant more than her annoyance so he kept his grip.

She grabbed a hold of his wrist, which did relieve some of the pressure as he began to drag her across the mat away from the door. He didn’t stop her roll either, but he also didn’t allow it to get her into a better position as he made sure to stay behind her the entire time.
 
She didn't expect him to let go and she would have been shocked if he did. She hadn't even really realized she'd made the sound, it had been her frustration at constantly getting outclassed taking over for a moment.

She frowned as he dragged her across the mat. Her mind raced as she thought back over their encounter so far. She couldn't think of anything that he'd taught her to counter this. She sighed as only one lesson came to mind, though it was part of the firearms training. She decided to wait a bit longer to see if he intended to pin her to bring those early lessons into play.
 
John hoped he wasn’t hurting her. He was all too aware of her nudity and the effect the mat might be having on her butt as he dragged her away from the target. But she knew the safe word, and how to make this stop. If she wasn’t going to quit, neither could he.

This lesson was different than the others he’d tried to teach her, so he didn’t try to pin her so she could use those techniques. And his current move was against the rules of most martial arts, so he doubted her lessons there would help. So he just held his position behind her and watched, vaguely curious if she was aware just how much her tits we’re bouncing as she tried to escape.
 
When he didn't try to pin her she sighed and thought back once more to the lesson about the gun. She slapped the mat three times with her free hand and said. "Time out. I surrender. Whichever you prefer. I could get out of this against a street thug but you're too well trained..."
 
As soon as her hand struck the mat three times, John released his grip on her hair even before she said the magic words. He rose to his feet and held out his hand to her. “Want to try again?” He asked.
 
She took his hand and stood, looking at him thoughtfully. "My stubborn pride says yes but my logic says the only lesson I'm going to learn here is there are some fights you can't win. I need more training or a lot of luck to get past you." She shrugged, not really aware of what it did to her breasts.
 
John was all too aware of what her shrug did to her boobs, and he shifted his hips a bit in hopes of hiding the growing tent in his pants from her as he considered her answer. She’d drawn the correct conclusion…they both knew she couldn’t beat him yet..but had missed the solution he had in mind.

“Or a little politeness. “ he added to her list of ways she could have gotten past him. “I never said you had to fight me. A simple excuse me would have gotten me to move away from the door. “
 
She blushed slightly and looked away when she did notice the look of his pants. She cleared her throat and listened to what he said. "I'm pretty sure excuse me wouldn't work in a fight John. So what are you trying to teach there? That there are different methods to get what I want? I mean, I'm aware of that but this is a dojo so..." she shrugged again.

"So...excuse me. I'm going to shower. Also...uhhh...my clothes aren't exactly business wear so will you be driving me home to change?"
 
John frowned for a bit when she began to argue with him. Did she think she knew the lesson better than he did? And now she was trying to issue him demands? This was going to be harder than he thought, but then Sara wouldn’t have given him the assignment if it was easy.

“I never said it was a fight. “ he reminded her sharply. “And this isn’t a normal dojo. If you want that, stick to Miagi-do. You need to broaden your mind to other possibilities. That’s what I’m trying to teach here. “ and failing, it would seem. He hated that.

He frowned at her question. That hadn’t been part of the plan, but her request made sense. “I’m supposed to drive you to work. “ he repeated. “But I guess we could stop by your house first. “

She hadn’t asked where the shower was, and he was irritated with her enough at the moment he wasn’t inclined to offer directions. If she opened the door to the staircase, she’d find it went to the second floor and a hallway with a half dozen doors.
 
She noted the frown but was distracted enough sue didn't give it as much thought as she might have. She nodded slowly. "Broaden my mind. I have to admit, there were times I debated alternate strategies. I'm not going to share them though. I'll keep them in reserve." She smiled slightly and shook her head. "I'll try to remember it in the future."

She nodded her thanks. "If it's a big problem after you drop me off to change I can make other arrangements to get to Wayne Enterprises. Though...I get the sense you view it as an order and you intend to see it through."

She went up the stairs and paused when she saw the doors. Normally she might have thrown them open until she found the right one, but in her current state of undress she crept from door to door and eased it open until she found the showers. Assuming she did so, she'd adjust the water temperature then step into the shower with a sigh, letting the water run down her form before she began to work on getting the paint off.
 
John cocked his head a bit when she mentioned alternate strategies, but refused to tell him what they were. Did she think he was doing the same? “I’m not trying to keep secrets from you, we just have a lot to go over. We can’t do it all in one day. “ he told her.

“The problem is I was told to take you to work, not home. “ John tried to explain. He didn’t like disruptions in his routine. “But I can’t take you to work without taking you home first. “ Sara had said to call her if there was a problem, but was it really a problem? He shook his head at her offer of alternative arrangements. “No. I said I’ll take you to work and I will. We can stop by your house first. “

John watched her butt as she went up the stairs, but didn’t follow her. Sara hadn’t covered this either, but it didn’t seem right to follow her. Unfortunately for Babs, none of the doors she opened led to a shower. She found a janitor closet, medical bay, dorm room, and a gym. If she wanted to find a shower, she’d either have to explore more or ask for help.
 
She looked at him for a moment. "I'm not keeping secrets either. Well, not in training." It occurred to her she was starting to keep secrets already even from her best friend and her father and that this was only the start of that. It would be a lonely life in some ways she suspected and for a moment she was sad that Bruce Wayne didn't trust her yet. Because he would be someone she could talk to about it. She snapped herself out of her thoughts and looked at him. "I'm not telling you future strategies I might use because, well, why give you a chance to know what I'll do before I do it?"

She nodded her understanding. "Well, if I had known you'd be taking me to work I'd maybe have brought my work clothes or something. I thought we'd finish up roughly about the time you picked me up and I'd be back home for a couple of hours before leaving for work."

She was truly surprised not to find a shower. She suspected it was probably in the dorm area. The gym might have one as well but she didn't want to explore, especially since the dorm room told her there might be people living here. She sighed and returned to the stairs, walking back down to the dojo. If John was there she'd ask. "Can you tell me where the shower is?" After a short pause she'd add. "Please. Also, when do I get my clothes back?" It hadn't even occurred to her to ask and now that she brought it up and wasn't so focused on training that blush began to return and she did her best to hide her nudity with her arms and hands.
 
John raised an eyebrow a bit when she admitted she had secrets, but figured that unlike him people cared about what she did all day, so she was probably keeping this activity secret. Which meant Captain Gordon wouldn’t hear he’d been wrestling with his daughter naked for the last couple hours, which was a good thing. So he only addressed the question she asked him. “Well, because we are supposed to be teammates, and if I know what you are doing we can work together better. “ he pointed out.

He actually grinned a bit as she revealed her thought process. “The best laid plans. I think Sara likes messing my schedule up sometimes to see how I deal with it. Looks like she’s going to do it to you as well. “

John was surprised when Babs headed back down the stairs so quickly. She couldn’t possibly have taken a shower that fast. His confusion turned to understanding, and a bit of amusement, as she belatedly tried to cover herself. “I’ll show you. “ John offered, heading up the stairs himself, figuring she might not be as embarrassed if he had his back to her.

He paused for a moment as she asked about her clothes. “I…don’t know. “ he admitted. Sara hadn’t covered that either. “Maybe when you’re done with your shower? It doesn’t make sense to do it before. “ it seemed logical to him.

As Babs had expected, he opened the door to the dorm room. There were four bunks there, but only one was made up. Aside from a dresser and wall locker, there was nothing else in the room. With the ease of someone who had done it before, John crossed the room and opened the door, revealing a toilet, sink, and shower , but no shower curtain, towel, or anything else.

“Do you need some soap and stuff?” John asked.
 
She nodded to him. "That does make some sense. But I just want a couple of tricks in my back pocket to spring on you. One of them I doubt I'll ever use anyway. A big reason I don't want to tell you, honestly, is to see what happens genuinely if I pull something like what I had in mind during a 'fight' and get your feedback after words."

She nodded. "Well, as long as I don't lose my job over it. I need that job to help my dad out."

She nodded when he offered to show her. She couldn't help the slight eyebrow raise when he said he wasn't sure when she could dress and she nodded her agreement to his thoughts about potential timing. She wondered if she she have explored the dorm room after all but when he opened the door and she saw the lack of anything else she realized she'd have had to come looking for him anyway. "Yes please, and towels and stuff too."

She noted the lack of shower curtain and wondered if it was due to lack of use or some kind of further enforcement of no modesty. She also wondered how she wasn't going to get the floor soaked. When he left the bathroom she started the water and stepped in, setting it hot enough that it steamed fairly quickly. She hoped that simply the hot water would soothe her aches and maybe get a start on removing the paint from her. She rested her palms on the shower wall and leaned under the water, her head dipped down as she took a moment to let the hot water massage her shoulders and back.
 
John couldn’t help the small smirk that came to his face when the naked teenager mentioned her nonexistent back pocket, but he recognized the intent and saw no need to point out the discrepancy. Her next comment though confused him a bit. “How does your job help out your Dad? You spying for him or something?” He wasn’t sure why Sara would be helping out someone working against Bruce. Was it possible Sara didn’t know?

He had his back to her so he didn’t see her nod at his reasoning about being dressed, and he gave a nod of his own at her request for supplies. He waited a moment as she started the shower(she didn’t need to worry about the floor as it was all tiled with a drain) then vanished.

It didn’t take long for him to return. He placed a towel and her clothes on the sink counter, but her bra didn’t sit right and tumbled off. He glanced down at it with annoyance as he stepped towards the shower and presented a small bundle to her of soap, a washcloth and shampoo.
 
She cocked her head curiously when he asked if she was spying for her dad. The implication, of course, being that there was something at Wayne Enterprises her dad would need to know about. She could only think of one thing John would have in mind since if Bruce Wayne was up to more traditional corporate lawbreaking she doubted he'd know about it. She regarded him thoughtfully, debating with herself then said casually. "I'm sure there is some evidence of Bruce Wayne's activities at Wayne Enterprises. And as far as I know, only one Gordon knows what Bruce Wayne does with his nights and you're looking at her." She kept it vague just in case. "But no, I'm not a spy for my dad. I meant because I just showed up in my dad's life with no warning and he's had to take me in and it's put a financial strain on him. Hopefully, I'll get enough of a salary to help him out."

She was pleased to see him return with the soap and pleasantly surprised to see him come back with her clothing. She half expected him to have her walk back to the van nude. She nodded gratefully and accepted the soap and shampoo. She wasn't terribly concerned about shampooing her hair though it was probably a good idea anyway. She mostly wanted to get rid of the sweat and the paint. She lathered the soap and set to work on her torso, making the paint her highest priority right now.
 
John cocked his head a bit at her convuluted reasoning about not spying on Bruce, but he wasn’t nearly as good at keeping secrets as Bruce or Sara. The very fact he followed her thought process indicated she was right, but he did his best to deny it by not commenting on it.

He blinked with surprise when she said she needed money, then vanished out of the bathroom again. He was gone for only a moment before he was placing a small wad of money on the counter next to her clothes. “Will that help?” He offered.

He then bent down and picked her bra up off the floor, examining it curiously. Almost with as much curiosity as he watched her in the shower. “Can I ask you some questions? “ he finally blurted out. Their deal said she could ask him questions, not the other way around.
 
She noted how he didn't bother denying anything and wished she'd been more blatant but she hadn't wanted to risk it. She was becoming more and more sure that this kid knew Bruce Wayne's biggest secret and she found herself curious about that. But it did also, indirectly, answer another question for her. If he knew, then Sara definitely knew. Which meant, there was a chance Bruce Wayne had told her that she had tried to talk to him about it. "I told Bruce Wayne he could trust me. I meant it. I won't break his trust. It does mean I have to keep a secret from my dad and my friends though."

She blinked slowly when he came back with the wad of cash. "Uhh..John, thank you for the offer but I don't think I should take your money. For one thing, Miss Lance would probably be mad at me for taking advantage of you and if there is one woman in Gotham I don't want mad at me it's Sara Lance."

She paused in scrubbing at her belly when he asked if he could ask her some questions. It surprised her a little and she nodded slowly. "Yes, though much like what I offered to you, I reserve the right to not answer if it's problematic, like if it violates someone's trust."
 
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