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Batgirl Begins (dbspock/WendyTheRed)

Before she stopped to think Barbara typed out a quick reply. 'No, like all the men in my life he has eyes for someone else. I'm the youngest single cat lady ever. Except I don't own a cat. Yet.'

She smirked right back. "Well, it'll still be less obvious than marching past him with them all. And if he sees them before I come home he'll have time to think before he reacts." It sounds good to her and she flushed slightly when she saw that smile as she hurried along with him. Truthfully, she kept up in part because she had a bit of a competitive streak and she just couldn't help herself. She nodded when he opened the door and showed how she was still somewhat naive about stuff like this by climbing into the car without thinking through the view it would give him, though the flush that formed on her neck gave away that she realized it shortly before she settled into the seat. "Uhh...thank you."

She quickly texted Chloe. 'Going to drop my new clothes off. Yours too. If you're home you can pick yours up if you want.'
 
Sam's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't picked up that vibe from Babs at all. She frowned, and all thoughts of teasing went out of her head as she formulated a reply. 'No cats allowed. And we are going to have to take a night off training soon and take you for a night out. Not optional.' Sam didn't mention there was one group of men who had focused on Babs...Sam knew Babs didn't need the reminder of her assault on the bus. She figured that was not the sort of attention Babs had in mind...nor was the Mayor's son, for that matter.

How Babs explained her sudden wardrobe explosion was her problem, so Bruce didn't comment on that before he nodded at her thanks. "Your welcome." He assured her as he made sure she was situated before closing the door, then circling to the passenger seat and climbing in as well, settling in for the ride to Barbara's house...his first visit...really.

'See you soon.' Chloe quickly texted back. 'And THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁' There weren't enough smiley faces or exclamation points to express how grateful Chloe was, not just for the clothes, especially as she thought it was just a dress, but for the opportunity to work at her dream job.
 
Barbara smiled slightly at Sam's response and typed back. 'If I get time. Between my new job and training, time off is in short supply it seems like. But that's alright.' She shook her head, wondering what Sam would do if she knew she was the one John had his eyes on. She also decided to be kind and warn Chloe so quickly typed a reply to her as well. 'Coming in my new vehicle from Wayne Enterprises. Do not tell my dad about it. He won't get a chance to see it because I'll be changing to another vehicle. This one is going to be used for official business. Oh, and also, Bruce Wayne will be with me.'

She drove calmly to her dad's house. She hadn't been there long enough to think of it as her house and she nibbled her lip thoughtfully. "You know, I may have to rent a storage unit or a small place or something to store things like my armor suit when I get it. Or can I use that garage we'll be dropping this off at for that kind of thing? If not, any suggestions?"

After that conversation she pulled up to the driveway in front of her dad's house, grateful that most people would be at work or whatever and not see the armored vehicle pull into his driveway. She decided on the off-chance word got back to him that she'd tell him Bruce Wayne wanted to take it out for a test drive before it was used for the delivery. Stopping the vehicle she smiled at Bruce. "Did you want to come in or wait here while I carry stuff in?"
 
‘Oh it’s not optional. ‘ Sam insisted in her reply text. ‘We are going out to celebrate after we win the tournament. ‘ in Sam’s mind, losing was simply not an option.

“Wasting money on rent doesn’t seem like a good idea. “ Bruce told her bluntly. “The garage makes sense to me, but you’ll have to check with Sara. “ yes, he owned the building, but Sara was in charge of it. He smirked at her offer to come in. “If I wait for you to carry everything in, I’ll be here all day. “ he teased her as he exited the vehicle, then opened the back to retrieve some of her bags.

Chloe was standing in the middle of Babs yard (she thought of it as Babs house now) behind a lawn mower she had clearly been using to mow the lawn. Right now, she was staring at her phone, having just seen Babs text, and she looked up and saw the monstrosity Babs was driving and burst out laughing. “What on earth are you doing?” She asked with a shake of her head as she walked up to the driver’s door. Her eyes widened as she saw the dress Babs was wearing, and she hadn’t noticed Babs ‘assistant’ get out of the vehicle yet. The vehicle had distracted her before she’d read that far. Otherwise she would have been mortified as she was sweaty, and dresssed in shorts and a T-shirt.
 
She smiled at that reply and texted back. 'Well duh, that was always going to happen.' She didn't think they'd lose either. For one thing, she'd be shocked if anyone in Cobra Kai could beat John if he came. And she had hopes that her intense training would pay off. In fact, her biggest issue might be reigning in whatever John and Sara taught her since she knew their lessons would be geared towards winning and probably not in tournament friendly ways.

She smiled at him. "It's not a good idea but..." She shrugged. "I didn't want to assume anything, you know? I'm glad you offered the garage but I didn't want to take advantage. And I'll talk to Sara. Hopefully that garage will have a mannequin I can put that armor on among other useful things. " She laughed at his comment and shrugged, stepping out of the vehicle. She smiled at Chloe and did a slow spin. "You like? I was wearing something else but, long story short, this is what I ended up wearing out of the store." She looked at the vehicle. "This isn't going to be my everyday vehicle. It's going to be used for official Wayne Enterprises business. But I don't want my dad to know, it's going to be used in a couple of days for an important delivery and I don't want him worried about me." She motioned for Chloe to follow her around back and pointed out the bags helpfully labeled with Chloe's name. "Those are yours."
 
"It wouldn't surprise me if there was a test dummy somewhere you could use for that. Or you could include it on your request for R&D, I know they have a few lying around." He told her as he piled up his arms with her clothes and headed for the door, the clothes piled so high Chloe couldn't see his face.

Chloe glanced over at Bab's assistant, but didn't want to try and shake his hand or anything as his hands were full. She did whistle softly as Babs did her turn. "Very nice. You pull it off well." Chloe assured her, then glanced towards Babs front door where the man was waiting to be let in. "How did you manage to get an assistant so quickly?" She whispered, then impulsively leaned in and hugged Babs tightly. "Not to mention get me a job." Chloe broke the hug and took a step back to admire the vehicle again, but of course she was more interested in the controls and peeked in the driver's seat. "Wow...this is amazing. And bulletproof too?" She had clearly recognized the extra armor on the doors and windows. "I think your dad would be jealous if he saw this." She declared, then nodded. "But don't worry, I won't say anything." She promised as she followed Babs to the rear to pick up her dress, and her eyes widened again when she saw the bags with her name on them. "I...I...I can't afford this." She said as she looked towards Babs with a look that was both fearful and sorrowful. She appreciated her friend trying to help her out, but Chloe was afraid there'd been a miscommunication along the way.
 
She nodded in reply to Bruce's idea, her mind racing. Surely he knew where she was going with all of this and he seemed to be letting it proceed. She was pretty quickly distracted by Chloe's arrival though and she blushed at Chloe's whistle when she turned around. "Thank you."

She looked to the door and realized that Chloe couldn't see Bruce's face. She almost told her who he was but decided to hold off for the moment, it would be more fun that way. "Well, Mister Wayne offered the help." Technically she told the truth but she was sure Chloe would interpret it as him assigning someone to her. She hugged Chloe back and smiled. "The job, well, it would appear I can be persuasive from time to time. Who knew?"

She nodded in surprise at Chloe realizing it was bulletproof. "It is. I asked for armor in case I had to drive Bruce Wayne around and this is what they gave me. But now it's going to be used on a Wayne Enterprises delivery and I don't want Dad to know I was driving it. He'd worry."

She looked at Chloe, confused for a moment, then motioned to her own bags. "And I can't afford this. Bruce Wayne put it on his card Chloe. He even helped pick some of it out." She grabbed her own bags then and hurried to the door to unlock it and open it for Bruce, not wanting to keep him waiting any longer than he already had been. "Sorry, had to greet Chloe." She whispered the next to him. "She didn't see your face and thinks you're just my assistant. I can't wait to see her face when she sees it's you."
 
"Is the new job that bad that you need help already? Or is it just that far behind, and will calm down once you catch up?" Chloe asked with a frown, afraid her new friend might be getting in over her head. "Oh, and I had no idea." Chloe laughed with a wink. Certainly Babs had persuaded her to do some things she'd never considered before. Chloe in martial arts? Who would have guessed it? If she noticed Babs blush in response to her whistle, she chose not to comment on it.

Chloe's eyes widened as she took in the console. it wasn't quite like something from Star Trek, but for this planet it was close enough. "Is that the Waynetech 5000 processor? I didn't think that was released yet." She said with amazement. She really wanted to climb in and take the thing for s spin around the block, but she knew better than to ask. Reluctantly she closed the door and moved to the back of the vehicle. "What? Your dad? Worry? Never." She said sarcastically before she burst out in a fit of giggles.

She was still in awe at the vast amount of clothes Babs was presenting her with. She peeked into one of the bags, and sure enough it was full. She practically passed out, though, when she saw the price tag that was attached. "So it gets deducted from my paycheck, then?" Chloe said with a bit of relief. If she had to pay Mr. Wayne back in some sort of installment plan or something, that could work. She'd still be making more than what she was making now, and hopefully she'd have enough left over to make the next mortgage payment. She then blinked as she processed the rest of what Babs had said. "Wait...Mr. Wayne picked out the clothes?" She asked in amazement. That certainly explained Babs outfit, though Chloe blushed a bit at the realization there had been a pair of panties in the bag she looked in. Had Bruce Wayne picked out her underwear?

Bruce nodded when Babs made her way to the front door and let him in. He took a quick look around the living room, and it looked neat as a pin. Clearly Chloe had done a bit of straitening up that morning. "Not as many take out containers as I expected from hearing Jim talk about his diet." Bruce laughed, and indeed there was not a container in sight. Chloe had just taken out the trash. Bruce waited politely for Babs to show him to her room so he could drop her clothes off, because of course he had no idea where it was,
 
She smiled at Chloe as she asked about the job, thinking back. "I actually have tried to convince Mister Wayne to make you my assistant but I think he wants to see where your skills put you." She shrugged slightly, grinning a bit at her friend, looking forward to the reveal that was coming about the identity of her "assistant".

She was a bit surprised at Chloe's technical knowledge but didn't show it. She merely nodded. "It appears to be. I need to read the manual and do things like pair my phone with it. I have a sneaking suspicion it might also have voice activation for some functions based on things Mister Wayne hinted at." She nodded and followed Chloe to the back of the vehicle, debating with herself, then spoke quietly. "He has reason to worry this time. The delivery, that he doesn't know I'm driving for, could be very dangerous. He knows I was involved in the planning of it but not that I'll be the driver. So please don't tell him."

She smiled at Chloe when she asked about it being deducted from her paycheck. She was almost certain that wasn't the case but she didn't want to speak for Bruce Wayne, just in case. He seemed not to totally understand the concept of money and it was the one area where he truly seemed out of touch. She laughed quietly at the follow up question and could guess at her thoughts. "Not all of it. Some of the dresses. He has a good eye for colors. Who knew? But most of the underwear the salesladies picked out based on color recommendations and your measurements."

She smiled slightly at Bruce's comment and looked at him. "You know my dad better than anyone would have guessed. Who knew a billionaire and a police captain talked so much?" She glanced towards the door and then back at him. "But perhaps you talk to him in your other role...hmmm?" She winked and then showed him to her door, opening it. She stepped in and placed her bags on the bed then turned to help him lay out the rest of them. "Hmmm...maybe I should change back into something more fitting for the office? What do you think Mister Wayne?"
 
Chloe's eyes widened a bit at that revelation. "YOUR assistant? You need another one? Just what is it that you do?" She asked, amazed. She figured Babs would just spend most of her time making and receiving phone calls, but were there really enough that they needed three people for that? Four, when you counted Alfred. And being an assistant to an assistant to an assistant was not what Chloe had been hoping for when Babs said she had an interview, but Chloe wasn't about to complain. Maybe once she got her foot in the door, she'd be able to request a transfer or something. Chloe was not a fan of talking on the phone and didn't really want a job where all she dead was dread the phone ringing.

"There's a manual?" Chloe's eyes widened again, and this time there was a bit of hunger in them. "Can I read it?" She asked eagerly, then her excitement faded. "Or is it proprietary?" Th
at was probably the case. Considering the processor this thing was using, it seemed to be a prototype, and Mr. Wayne probably didn't want the specs out in the open. Of course, all thoughts of the manual vanished when Babs started talking about the mission. "Oh, but its all right for me to worry?" Chloe teased her, and she couldn't resist looking around for a possible eavesdropper. But the only other person present was Mr. Edwards walking his dog across the street, and he was so old and hard of hearing Chloe doubted he would have overheard their conversation if they were yelling it into his ears. She shook her head so decivesly her hair waved around a bit. "I won't say anything." She promised.

Chloe couldn't help but laugh when Babs admitted Mr. Wayne had picked out some of the dresses. "Like the one your wearing?" She teased. She could see the resemblance to the one Miss Johnson had worn to the gala, and suspected he had had more than a little something to do with that as well. "And he's got an eye for more than colors." Chloe laughed, more relieved than she should have been that Mr. Wayne hadn't chosen her underwear for her (as far as Babs knew, at least). Chloe still felt a bit odd that he'd paid for it, but she knew better than to refuse it. Frankly, the bras she had were either too small or worn out, and she was long overdue for a replacement.

Bruce shrugged when Babs commented on how well he knew her father. "Sadly our businesses have been the target of a few of Gotham's criminal element, and I always requested your father investigate them. So yes, I do know him fairly well, though the Big Belly Burger bags in his front seat were rather difficult to miss. As for how many times Alfred has talked to him, you'll have to ask him." Bruce said with a shrug, then placed his bags on the bed as well. He took a glance around the room and frowned. The bed was just a mattress lying on the floor, there was no dresser or night table, and the alarm clock seemed to be the one from Jim's bedroom. Clearly her father hadn't managed to fully furnish the room yet.

"You know..." Bruce began as they unloaded the bags as well as they could, with only a closet and a few hangers to use. "We are doing a remodel at the Highland Roads apartments, and the furniture needs to be stored in the meantime. You seem to have a bit of space...would it be all right if we stored some of it here? We'll pay a storage fee, of course." He shrugged when she asked if she should change. "I think you look fine." He told her. "But if you'd feel more comfortable changing, go ahead." Of course, he had no intention fo leaving the room while she did so.
 
Chloe had no idea that some of her thoughts mirrored Barbara's own. She quite liked what she was doing with Bruce today but she also didn't want to be glued to a phone all the time. She still was debating trying to write some kind of AI program to answer the phones somehow but she wasn't sure Bruce would approve. She smirked at the other objection. "Well, today I more or less ran a meeting between Mister Wayne, my dad and some government people. I didn't mean to but Mister Wayne just let it happen and so did my dad." She shrugged with a bit of a grin.

She wondered about Chloe's question regarding the manual and had to answer honestly. "This came out of R&D. So, I doubt it? I'd have to check with the guys in R&D. I'm dropping off a request from Mister Wayne to them today, maybe I'll find out then." It was technically true about the request, even if it was for an armor set for her. She smiled at Chloe. "Well, you don't need to worry. But Dad, well, he's...dad. He won't be able to help himself."

Barbara blushed slightly and nodded. "Mmhmmm. In fact, he more or less dared me to wear this out of the store. Not in words but...he handed it to me when I was going to change. So, I figured I'd put it on to show I wasn't afraid. Though I do understand now why Agent Johnson kept adjusting the dress and stuff."

She nodded, impressed that Bruce Wayne requested her dad. She knew it was a show of confidence in her dad's ethics and his skills as a detective. She blinked in confusion at his Alfred comment but decided it was him pretending to misunderstand what she had meant and just shook her head with a patient smile. She saw Bruce looking around with a frown and it wasn't hard to guess why. She felt a mixture of embarrassment at how shabby things were but pride that her dad had done what he could in such a short time. She told herself she'd use her first few paychecks to buy some furniture. And also some food she'd cook for him so he didn't get a belly from all that fast food.

She was surprised when Bruce Wayne helped her unpack and she shot him a grateful smile. She took a moment to pack a backpack with the new workout clothes since she'd be going to Sam's after work to practice with Miyagi-Do. She wondered how they'd react to her new athletic shorts and the tanktops she'd gotten. She paused though when Bruce spoke and she looked at him, doing her best to keep her face neutral. She wasn't dumb, she saw the offer for what it was and knew he'd phrased it this way partly so she could tell her dad that and partly to spare her some embarrassment probably.

Her eyes misted at the offer and she quickly blinked the moisture away and gave him an impulsive hug. "Yes. That would be just fine Mister Wayne." She smiled at him and then smirked when he made the comment about her dress. She thought about what Stan had assumed about her and with a head shake she shrugged out of her new dress, blushing as she turned her back on Bruce Wayne. She knew he'd be able to see the smooth expanse of her back, her toned legs and her shapely butt in her panties but she told herself he'd already seen much more. She quickly pulled on a bra to match her new panties and one of her new dresses. She very carefully hung the dress she'd just taken off and finally turned to look at him over her shoulder. "I like that dress but also want to be sure people in the office take my seriously."
 
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"Government people? Like the mayor?" Chloe asked curiously. The glimpse she was getting into Bruce Wayne's world only made her want to get the job even more. She giggled when Babs revealed she'd pretty much taken over the meeting. "Well, did you give them a chance to say no?' She teased, then nodded at Babs answer about the manual. It was better than the no she'd expected, and she wasn't about to try and push her friend to bend regulations just to satisfy Chloe's curiosity, so she accepted the maybe. The fact Babs was dropping something off at R&D later didn't strike Chloe as odd in the least. She imagined Mr. Wayne always had a lot of papers to shuffle, so she didn't ask any follow up questions regarding that either. She giggled a bit when Babs said her dad would worry as she nodded in agreement. "I've seen a bit of that side of him myself." She admitted.

Chloe giggled once again when Babs revealed how she'd wound up in the dress. "I can picture that." She claimed, though even with that story the very idea that Bruce Wayne would be in the neighborhood wasn't even a possibility in Chloe's mind. She nodded when Babs mentioned how prone the dress was to accidents as she reached out and gently tugged at one of Babs shoulder straps that was getting a bit to close to the edge for comfort.

If Bruce noticed her smile as he helped her store her belongings he gave no indication of it. he seemed more interested in finding a location for the underwear he had purchased for her, but the options were quite limited. he finally settled for just placing it on the top shelf of the closet, confidant Babs was tall enough to reach it easily. he didn't look at her when he made his suggestion to use her room as extra storage, and her hug took him completely by surprise. He stiffened up at the contact, and Babs could now feel the muscles she'd seen last night at the pool. "Ummm...yes...good." he stammered out when she accepted his offer. "Just fill out the form when we get back to the office, and let Alfred know. I'm sure he'll be pleased we found a solution to the logistics of this."

Of course, Babs stripping as he'd dared her too was more what he'd come to expect from her, and he smirked again as her saw her bare breasts. "Probably wise, though you might be surprised how many doors would get opened for you if you wore that dress." Bruce chuckled as he heard someone at the door.

Chloe was standing at the open door and caught the tail end of Babs little strip show. She opened her mouth to say something when the stranger in the room finally turned and Chloe got a good look at his face. Her eyes widened as she realized her friend had just stripped in front of the most powerful man in the city, then she went pale as she realized she was wearing sweaty workout clothes in front of the same man. Her legs buckled a bit and Bruce darted across the room to catch her as Chloe began to faint.
 
Barbara shook her head. "Federal actually. Agent Johnson's people. And that's all I can really say." She thought back to the meeting when Chloe asked her question. "They were debating how to make this...delivery. And I offered a suggestion. Then the Federal people seemed to think I was in charge and started addressing me directly and Bruce Wayne and my dad just went with it." She shrugged, looking embarrassed. "I apologized to Mister Wayne afterwards but he seemed not to be too bothered by it." She nodded to Chloe. "Believe me. He'd worry. He uhhh...doesn't know I'm driving this delivery."

She shot a grateful smile to Chloe when she adjusted the strap and just shrugged, carefully, as she saw the look in Chloe's eyes as she thought about how prone to 'wardrobe malfunctions' this dress might be. Especially as she was a 34C compared to Chloe's own B cup.

She noticed how he stiffened up and quickly let go of him. "I guess casual affection isn't something you're used to Mister Wayne. Apologies." She nodded her agreement as he mentioned filling out a form and Alfred being 'pleased'. She wondered if Alfred would keep up the fiction that this was some kind of storage solution or be happy Bruce was helping her.

She had just slipped her new dress on when she heard a commotion behind her. She spun around right as Chloe's legs buckled and Bruce darted forward to catch her. She sighed softly. "For God's sakes..." she muttered under her breath even as she hurried over to check on her friend. She shot Bruce a bit of an embarrassed smile. "Now she'll be wondering why I changed in front of you. I should have thought of that." She leaned down and laid her palm gently on Chloe's cheek. "Chloe? Chloe, wake up. It's alright. But you're getting sweat on Mister Wayne."
 
"Federal? FBI? CIA?" Chloe clearly watched too much TV as her eyes lit up at the prospect of her friend being involved in some cool federal operation. She gasped with mock surprise. "Are you transporting a space ship?" She asked with a giggle. If she heard Babs say that was all she could say, it didn't stop her initial burst of questions, though it may have stemmed any follow ups. She did, however, have a question about how Babs had managed to take over the meeting, but those were forgotten with confusion at Babs last revelation. "Uhhh...isn't your Dad going to be there?" She wondered. then brushed a hand against Babs hair. "I mean...he might notice his daughter is the driver. He is a detective, after all."

"No apology needed." Bruce assured her, then gave a half hearted shrug. "You just surprised me is all." Bruce couldn't remember the last time someone had tried to hug him, and he only initiated it when he was in full playboy mode.

Bruce glanced at Babs with surprise when she swore at her friend. That had not been a reaction he would have expected, but it also wasn't his business. So Bruce focused his attention back on Chloe as he settled her on Bab's mattress, quickly checking her pulse and verifying her chest was rising and falling as she breathed. Bruce gave a slight nod as the color came back to Chloe's cheeks and she opened her eyes...only for the color to REALLY return to Chloe's cheeks as she began to blush at Bab's comment. "That's all right." He hastened to assure Chloe and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder as Chloe tried to get up. "Just lie there for a minute and rest. There's no hurry." He told Chloe, also ignoring how Babs was goign to explain getting naked in front of her boss. That wasn't his problem.
 
Barbara shrugged, clearly not ready to answer the questions that Chloe had. She was pretty sure she couldn't though it occurred to her. Did Alfred know Bruce Wayne's activities? Did he have someone to confide in? Maybe, eventually, she'd need someone like that. Could Chloe be trusted with such an important secret. She smiled at her. "He would recognize me yes. If I wasn't in disguise." She winked playfully at her friend and said no more.

She looked at him thoughtfully. "You know, I read somewhere that people need affection. It actually stimulates endorphins and helps long term to improve their moods and some studies even say it can help with health. I'll tell Alfred to give you one hug a day, going forward." She grinned at this last bit even though she'd been serious about the rest of it.

She saw Bruce's look of surprise and was surprised herself at his reaction. Surely he didn't think friends never got irritated with each other did he? She was, in fact, worried about Chloe somewhat but was pretty sure the fainting was simply an overreaction to the situation. She was glad when Chloe woke up and she saw the color return to her cheeks. She couldn't help smiling at Bruce when he showed empathy for Chloe and then she looked back at her. "So...now you know who my assistant is!" She paused and said softly. "Surprise?"
 
Chloe's smile dimmed as Babs didn't respond to her teasing. She'd thought the lien about the spaceship had been funny...had she miscalculated? Or had she teased Babs about something that Babs took very seriously, like her job? Or WAS she actually transporting some sort of spaceship? Chloe was still brimming with questions, but she respected Babs desire not to discuss it. "Sorry." She said softly instead, then raised an eyebrow. "Disguise? What are you going to do? Put a bag over your head and pretend to be mute?" Chloe had no idea what kind of disguise Babs might use to prevent her own father from recognizing her.

Bruce looked at her and laughed. "If you can figure out a way to get Alfred to follow instructions, by all means let me know." He told her.

Friends were about as alien to Bruce as hugs, so if she'd expressed her confusion to him, he would not have understood. Chloe seemed more than a bit confused herself as she looked at Babs with confusion. "Assistant?" She repeated, just as softly, then realized she was in front of Bruce Wayne in only a tank top and shorts, and quickly grabbed a sheet to try and cover herself. Bruce, satisfied Chloe seemed to have recovered and fearful he was only going to make things worse, rose to his feet. "I'll wait for you in the...tank...boss." He said with a wink before he turned to leave the room.
 
Barbara saw the dimming smile and it wasn't hard to guess why. She glanced briefly at the door where Bruce waited and whispered to Chloe. "It's not any of those agencies. It's SHIELD. As for the disguise, R&D is going to make me an armored suit and a voice changer so dad won't recognize my voice or be able to see my face and it'll keep me safe if anything goes wrong during the delivery." She wasn't sure if she'd said to much but she figured now was as good a time as any to see if her instincts about Chloe were right. "Mum's the word Chloe. Please. This is important to me."

She nodded, keeping a straight face at Bruce's joke. "So, if I get Alfred to agree, you will accept daily hugs from him. Noted."

She nodded to Bruce Wayne with a smile, then looked back at Chloe after he had walked out. "Mmhmmm. Do you see another man in here? My mystery assistant who carried in my clothes was none other than Bruce Wayne. I actually texted you to warn you he'd be here but I guess you didn't see it. Anyway, I have to get back to work, will you be alright?"

Once she was sure Chloe would be fine she'd head back out to the 'tank' and climb back into it, looking at Bruce Wayne. "So, on to the mystery garage? If you give me the address I'll punch it into the GPS and we can head that way. Also, one of us should contact John or Sara about a ride back to Wayne Enterprises."
 
"Who?" Chloe looked at Babs blankly. She'd never heard of such an organization. She frowned for a moment, wondering if her friend was just making stuff up now, but she didn't think Babs would do such a thing to her. Maybe that SHIELD thing was just a cover the real agency used, or maybe it was some secret organization no one was supposed to know about. In either case, it didn't really matter. Chloe wasn't about to press the issue. Besides, what Babs said next was much more interesting. "An armored suit? Seriously?" Chloe felt like she was being sucked into a spy novel or soemthing. Life was certainly more interesting when you were friends with a police Captain's daughter.

"If you can convince Alfred to add something else to his work schedule. Your supposed to make things easier for him, not harder." Bruce teased her.

When Babs mentioned she had a text, Chloe's hand automatically went to her phone and saw the unread text message. "Oh..." She said softly. Not that she was angry at Babs, of course, but the fact she'd missed the tip off to an embarrassing situation didn't make her feel better about it. "Yeah...I'll be fine." Chloe promised. All she really needed was a bit of time to herself to recover...and the hope that she hadn't embarrassed herself so much in front of her potential boss she'd lost her chance at her dream job.

"So how's Chloe?" Bruce asked as Babs climbed in beside him. He nodded when she asked for the address, but instead of telling her the address, he put his phone in the holder so she could see the display. "Probably best not to enter the address into the system. Rick was saying something about it being linked to the Waynetech mainframe, and Sara likes to keep a low profile. The address on the phone is actually a block away, but I trust you can find it from there. And Sara assured me John will have time to take us back to Wayne Enterprises."
 
She nibbled her lip at Chloe's confusion about the agency. She shook her head. "I'm not sure. I've got business cards from two of them but they're just plain black with a phone number. Nothing else. And I think me even hearing the name Shield was a slip up. Probably best you forget I mentioned it." She nodded to Chloe. "MMhmm. From Wayne Enterprises R&D. When we get back to the office I'm going to write a letter requesting it, Mister Wayne will sign it, then I'll turn it in and it'll hopefully be done on time." She didn't bother to add that she was very tempted to put on this letter something along the lines of 'make it to the standards of the last suit I requested but use these measurements this time'.

The more she thought about things the more certain she was that Batman hadn't simply made his costume in his garage or something. And Bruce had said something about how he checked stuff out but didn't return it. Still, wouldn't Rick in R&D recognize his own work? Maybe he had some kind of don't ask, don't tell policy where he decided as long as Bruce didn't shove it in his face he could pretend he didn't know anything. Did this mean Batman's other equipment also came from Wayne Tech R&D? Like those batarangs he was so famous for? His grapple guns? Her mind raced and she wondered how Bruce would react. She decided to test him on it later and see what he'd say.

Barbara smiled at Chloe. "Funnily enough when you called me before the clothing store run? It was Mister Wayne who answered my phone. I think he's been enjoying pretending to be my assistant in his sarcastic way." She could see the worry in Chloe's eyes and patted her hand. "Don't worry. Mister Wayne won't hold this against you. Your resume and your interview will determine what happens. I think you've got the job so don't stress. After all, the owner of the company bought you some work clothes did he not?" She winked at her before standing and leaving.

She smiled when he asked about Chloe. "She's fine. Mortified, but fine. I told her not to worry about what happened." She nodded as she followed the directions on the phone. "So, if she wants to keep a low profile, that means we need to check the manual and see if this vehicle has a GPS and disable it before we park in the garage." She glanced at him and nodded to the glove compartment since she was driving. "I was thinking about the armor I'll be requesting for the delivery mission. I think I'll make the letter relatively simple and tell R&D to make it like the other suit you checked out but to my measurements, complete with the same additional gear." She waited, curious how he'd respond to that. She figured either he'd deny it or just find some way to reply that continued to maintain the fiction but also gave her permission to do what she was saying.
 
"Uh...yeah...sure." It was the first lie Chloe had told Babs, because there was no way she was going to just forget the name. She had a bit more work to do on Jim Gordon's yard, but after that she was going to do a bit of research on her computer and try to figure out just who her friend was involved in. She giggled when Babs explained how she was going to get her disguise. "Can I get one?" She asked with a laugh, then her eyes widened as Babs revealed she'd talked to Bruce Wayne earlier. She panicked for a moment as she replayed the conversation in her head, and let out a small sigh of relief that she couldn't recall saying anything rude or scandalous. "Mr. Wayne sure has a weird sense of humor." Chloe observed when Babs theorized he enjoyed pretending to be a secretary, but then she shouldn't have been too surprised considering some of the stuff the papers said about him.

Chloe nodded when Babs said Mr. Wayne wouldn't hold the past incident against her, but she wasn't really reassured. She'd met Mr. Wayne twice now, and both times she'd made a fool of herself. She bit her lip nervously when Babs reminded her of the interview. "Do you know when and where?" She asked, NOT wanting to be late and further lower Mr. Wayne's opinion of her. Her eyes widened when Babs revealed Mr. Wayne had brought her work clothes. "He did?" She asked, All she'd seen so far was underwear...was Mr. Wayne dictating what kind of underwear she had to wear to work? How would he know for sure? Chloe was about to chew through her lip as her mind started running wild with possibilities.

Bruce nodded ruefully when Babs revealed Chloe had been mortified by their interaction. "I shouldn't have surprised her like that. I guess I should be used to be treated like a celebrity by now, but Sara and Alfred do a pretty good job of keeping me in my place. And why...did something happen?" Bruce asked with a wink, then leaned forward and began thumbing through the manual he retrieved from the compartment between the seats. "That's a good idea." he told her as he looked under 'G' for GPS. "Sara likes her little garage, and she isn't too fond of visitors." He frowned when she mentioned getting the same suit as his. "I think your father will still recognize you, even if you are wearing a double breasted suit. The tie won't fool him. Probably better to stick to your original idea of the armor. Hopefully Jim doesn't watch your chest close enough to notice the similarities."
 
Barbara glanced at Chloe when she heard her reply. She couldn't help noticing the general tone of it and debated trying again but decided it wasn't worth it. Besides, if Chloe poked around, hopefully she'd share anything she found with Barbara herself. It also occurred to her that she had probably overshared already and she mentally chastised herself for it. Barbara looked at Chloe once more when she asked if she could get an armored suit. "Well, hopefully you won't ever need one Chloe." She was, for the first time, extremely tempted to tell Chloe about her future plans and the path she foresaw her life taking but she held off, thinking about the burden that'd place on Chloe as well as knowing she needed to be truly certain she could trust Chloe with something this important. She nodded at the comment about Bruce Wayne's sense of humor. "Mmhmmm. He truly does."

She considered Chloe's question and smiled. "Tomorrow morning. With who, well, that is yet to be determined, it will depend on a few factors. I'm trying to get it with Mister Wayne himself but we'll see what happens. I'll text you full details later. Actually, Sam contacted me about training this afternoon, we can probably discuss it there if you'd like." She nodded and motioned to her closet and her own dresses. "He did. I think in general they'll be the same as mine. Well, maybe not the one I had on when I first arrived." She winked at her. "Chloe, don't worry. He did it because I've been telling him good stuff about you and I think he believes you deserve a chance." She pursed her lips, looking thoughtful. "Though if all goes well, my dad may have to hire someone new to mow his yard. You'll be far to busy with your new full time job to do it for him."

She smirked at his reply about Chloe. "I'll do my best to also remind you of your place once we get to know each other better." She grinned. "Actually, I feel like I'm already doing that. I better be careful in how I treat you going forward Mister Wayne." She smiled at his reply about the GPS and watched him thumb through the manual. "That reminds me, I have homework for the next couple of days. I want to read that manual cover to cover in case there are things I need to know before this delivery." She sighed when he played dumb about the armor and gripped the wheel tight enough that the leather on it creaked. "You're maddening, you know that? I understand. I do. But sometimes I wish..." She shook her head. "I need to be patient and prove I'm trustworthy. I'll tell you what, I'll write up two letters of request and you can sign the one you think would be best going forward."
 
"I hope you won't need one either." Chloe said softly. Yes, this was exciting and all, secret agents, special shipments, exotic dresses and Bruce Wayne, but there was an element of danger as well that Chloe wasn't entirely comfortable with. It was bad enough Bab's father had a bad habit of going towards danger, did his daughter have to do the same thing? Chloe supposed it ran in the family.

Chloe nodded nervously when she was told her interview would be in the morning. Part of her was hoping for that, another part of her was terrified. What if she passed out again? What would she say? What would she wear? Babs relieved a small part of that anxiety by revealing some of the bags Chloe had carried into her house contained business clothes, though unbeknownst to Babs it seemed, one of them did resemble the dress Babs had worn earlier. "I'd like that." Chloe said with a nod, then smiled. "Maybe you can help me pick out my dress." Hopefully her attire wouldn't be the determining factor in her upcoming employment, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. When Babs revealed she'd been buttering her up to the boss, Chloe impulsively leaned in and hugged her friend. "Sounds like someone earned dinner tonight." She teased. She knew there was no way she could truly repay her friend, but she wanted to do something. She then shook her head with a grin. "No need for that. Maybe with a steady paycheck, I can finally finish building that robot lawnmower I've been tinkering with. I won't leave your dad hanging." Chloe promised. The man had done too much for her for that to happen.

Bruce chuckled. "I have little doubt of that." He assured her, then raised an eyebrow. "Yes, well, just remember I sign your paycheck, or however that is done these days. Though come to think of it, that doesn't seem to matter to Alfred or Sara. Or Lucius for that matter." He leaned forward and placed the manual back in its slot. "According to the note Rick wrote, the GPS needs to be activated before it's deployed. I guess someone forgot to tell Stan. So I don't think we need to worry about it today, though you should add it to your to-do list for the office so its working during the delivery. Just in case." If he noticed his reaction to her comment about the armor, he gave no sign of it, but just shrugged at her comment. "If you don't think I'm giving you enough work that you need to do homework and twice the paperwork, I'll try and remedy that."
 
Barbara looked at Chloe when she said that and for a moment, she once again debated telling her what her plans were but it occurred to her when she saw the look on her friend's face that there was a reason not to say anything that she had not considered before. It wasn't just about trust. It wasn't just about the need for secrecy. But also it was about Chloe worrying about her and being afraid for her. Could she really do that to her friend? She smiled at Chloe and simply said "Me too Chloe."

She was surprised by Chloe's impulsive hug but returned it with a smile, flashing back to how awkwardly Bruce had responded to her own hug. For a brief moment, she felt sorry for him and wondered if she could help him have a life beyond his two personas. "Robot lawnmower? Now you've peaked my interest. You do know you have a friend that can help with that right?" She winked at Chloe then.

She laughed at his comment about how people like Alfred and Sara and Lucius seemed to ignore their employee status. She shot him a quick look. "I'm honored you put me in the same category as them, even if it was meant at least partially in jest." She nodded slowly, thinking for a moment after his comment about the GPS. "If you think having the GPS on during the delivery is a good idea I'll see that it's done." She could think of pros and cons but she also suspected he wanted it on so he could track them from whatever vehicle he'd be using. She shook her head at his next comments though. "Oh, I think I have enough work Mister Wayne. I simply need to know what this vehicle can do. And I figured it couldn't hurt to type up both documents." She pulled the truck to a stop in front of what she assumed was the garage and looked out to see if Sara was out there perhaps. "That reminds me, when you talked to Sara about using the garage did you also mention her role in the delivery?"
 
"Yeah...Dave's great at turning a screwdriver, or carrying the thing, but he doesn't have enough money for the electric eye either. And while your dad probably wouldn't notice if it ran over the flowerbed, I'm kind of partial to them." Chloe winked back, she was fully aware who Babs was referring to, but couldn't resist teasing her.

Bruce shrugged. "Well, Sara trusts you enough to let you drive me, so I guess your sort of trustworthy. We haven't been in an accident yet...at least, I don't think so. Not sure we could tell if we hit anything in this thing." He nodded when she mentioned the GPS. "As long as we can be sure the signal is scrambled, and we aren't giving away our position to the adversary, I think the GPS is a great idea." He confirmed, then laughed. "If I know Rick, it might be easier to ask what it can't do. I just glanced at the menu, and it said it was watertight and had its own air supply. Great for getting out of town if the bridge is out, I guess. And I didn't have to. As soon as I mentioned the shipment, Sara pretty much took over the passenger seat."

Even before Babs had completely come to a stop, the door was rolling up. John had clearly seen them coming, despite the lack of windows, and he stepped outside the garage door as soon as it was high enough. Unlike the T-shirt and jeans he'd been wearing last night, now he was dressed in a polo shirt and slacks. Either Sara had instructed him to dress up a bit, or he'd taken it upon himself. Once he made contact with Babs in the drivers seat, he nodded to her then gestured for her to pull into said garage and to the right. Assuming Babs did so, she would find a parking spot alongside a few other vehicles, the van she'd ridden in the other night, a pair of motorcycles, and a Sedan with the engine already running. As soon as Babs came to a stop and it was safe to do so, John opened Mr. Wayne's door and stood at attention, complete with a salute. "Mr. Wayne. Sir. Your transport is ready. Sir." Bruce nodded at John and returned his salute with a straight face as he exited the vehicle. John then darted to the sedan and opened the rear door so Bruce could climb in.
 
She rolled her eyes at Chloe's teasing. "Well...if you don't want my help..." She said in a sort of resigned voice. She was teasing Chloe right back of course, though she was a good enough actress that Chloe might not realize it.

She raised her eyebrows when he mentioned some of what the vehicle could do. It was clearly packed with a lot of functions. She was definitely going to need to read the manual over the next two days. She grabbed it while they were at a light and tucked it into the duffel bag she'd put her athletic clothes in earlier. She nodded at his reply about Sara. "Does she know who else will be in the vehicle?" She didn't come right out and ask if Sara knew who was driving but it was the thing she was most curious about.

She pulled the 'tank' in and her eyes briefly roamed over the other vehicle as she parked. She snorted at John's exaggerated actions with Bruce and reached into the backseat to grab her duffel bag. She climbed out and slung it over her shoulder, locking the armored vehicle and sliding the keys into her purse. She paused while Bruce was climbing into the sedan, her eyes roaming over the motorcycles briefly before she turned and walked to the sedan.

She suddenly realized she had no idea where she was supposed to ride or if it even mattered. She found herself hesitating with indecision. If she sat up front, would she be acting like she was better than Bruce Wayne and deserved to be up there? But if she sat in the back, would she be treating John like a chauffeur? After a few moments of awkwardness, she climbed into the front seat and blew out a breath, having decided that riding in the back with Bruce definitely felt a bit too pretentious.
 
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