My Mama Said Knock You Out

[Susanna Gossamer]

She was a bad detective.

She normally was pretty good at pressing through life without feeling self-degrading, insecure, or even that good little voice in one's head that questions their own performance. Most of the time, she sauntered around knowing she was awesome and never allowing a thought to enter her head to the contrary. This morning, that was not the case.

She was a bad police officer, too.

She had killed the police department's entire network, and made them virtually without any connectivity, and some people entirely without computers. So now not only did she know that she was bad at her job, but so did everyone else. As in everyone. Her cousin. Her boss. The guys in the exercise room who sneered at her when she lifted weights. Everyone. It was really a huge ego crusher.

She was a bad teacher, too. Her rookie was dead.

It might have been okay if being a bad detective only caused her a little embarrassment and nothing more. And when she said a little embarrassment, she meant the most humiliating experience of her life. But no, it was much more than that. Someone had died. Granted, she couldn't have known the riddle sent to her and a few other detectives the day before could have been an actual death threat. Everyone was trained to handle the situation if they were caught with a dangerous person. That is, everyone except Brewsky. And now he was dead.

She was a bad person!

Feeling dejected and a little bit angry at herself - and the rest of the world - Susie went back to the place this had all started, Bruce's apartment, determined to do a little more investigating (even if she was officially not supposed to be investigating anything) and if she ran into someone she could use as a human punching bag so much the better. She could so go for beating a sucka up, homes. Fo' real.

[Bruce Wayne]

Bruce was feeling slightly less than his usual ‘fake’ self that day as well. He had spent a sleepless night scouring the top of his building after the PD had finished with it until he had collapsed into bed around 9am, exhausted and frustrated by his lack of information. He’d had no choice but to turn over the thumb drive to Susie – not the he distrusted her – but it was a crappy feeling to be left out of the loop. He was unable to consult Gordon really, unless he tried tonight, but the noose around his neck was more rope than shadows these days.

After a paltry three hours sleep he had risen, showered, shaved and delivered a suitably non-plussed speech to the press clamouring to speak to him after the events at his party the night before. If it wasn’t for the fact that a young police officer had lost his life, Bruce probably would have assumed that none of it, including revealing to Susanna that he was Batman or that kiss, had really happened. Alfred had cleaned the apartment to dazzling point, and the whites, soft beiges and glittering tiles made him screw up his eyes and hold up a hand as he walked to him room to change. He needed his gym, and he needed it now. He needed to remind himself that he was still working for the city and not the other way around.

After his cardio and weights, Bruce did his usual sit ups, push ups and chin ups with his jaw set in grim determination before hitting his punching bag to work out his extra aggression. Tonight, he was going out there. Tonight, he was going to pick the city up, turn it upside down and shake it until something green and shaped like a question mark slipped out. He worked on his form, ducking and punching with a practised speed and hitting hard, not realising when Alfred let a certain someone into the gym until the door closed behind her. He turned, his eyes wide before he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. The light grey singlet he wore was drenched, as were the plain black sweat pants.

A guy couldn’t wear Armani all the time...

[Susanna Gossamer]

She was surprised to find Alfred answering her buzz instead of one of her fellow policemen, or even Bruce, though she quickly realized she shouldn't be. She was only surprised because Alfred was such a sweet old man, she couldn't really take her frustrations out on him. His kind eyes made her feel bad for even thinking of it. Ugh. She was despicable.

She loaded herself onto the elevator and upon arrival upstairs was shown into the gym. She was surprised, walking through the apartment, how quickly everything had been finished up, and he'd been given control of his apartment back. For the rich, even the Gotham PD could move quickly, apparently. Too bad she couldn't inspire the Crime Scene Investigators to move that quickly any other day. She wished she could carry Bruce around in her pocket to inspire that kind of devotedness all the time.

But it appeared that Bruce already had a full time gig. And that full time gig was maintaining his sexybeast Batman physique. The last time she had visited, he had been exercising as well. It was a lot harder this time, now that she had kissed him, to keep her eyes at a professional level, and this time she allowed her eyes to follow his powerful movements as he pounded the body-sized bag. She was almost envious of him. She would have liked to have done exactly what he was doing when she walked in, punching a bag and hitting it hard, but the gym she normally used was off limits because it was inside GCPD. And there was no way in hell she was showing her face there.

She lifted her eyes when he turned and finally noticed her, blinking through whatever awkwardness there might have been because of her stare. She inhaled to tell him about the flash drive, the riddle, and the virus, but she swallowed the words back down before she could get them out. Instead, she tilted her head as she looked at him, contemplating a moment. Was there still a difference between Batman and Bruce? After what happened last night was there anything brewing between them that wasn't purely professional? Had she really come to investigate more or had she come because he was here?

These questions remained unspoken. Only one among the many that had passed through her mind made it to fruition. "Care for a sparring partner?"

[Bruce Wayne]

In movies where you see the tormented couple looking at each other and time seems to freeze, it’s very easy to imagine what they each might be thinking. Bruce, however, had absolutely no idea what he should be thinking. He had been playing a part so long and left out of the loop where feelings were concerned that now he didn’t know what to feel. On the surface, his immediate reaction was that he was happy to see her. Delving a little deeper, he could not ignore the memories of the very public kiss they had shared last night and the prevention of them having gotten any closer. The paring of another layer revealed his desire to know whether she was here in an official capacity and if so (though he sort of hoped not) whether she was going to tell him everything or give him the Gotham PD Briefing TM.

“I’d love one,” he grinned at her, surprised that the rapid rising and falling of his chest was not entirely due to his loss of breath. He snatched up a nearby towel and dried himself off before slinging the towel over one shoulder and cracking open a bottle of water Alfred had left for him. He took a sip and exhaled loudly before lifting his eyebrows at her slightly. Seeing as she had, even unwittingly, set the lighter tone for the first forays of their conversation Bruce was more than happy to continue along the same lines. “Although I don’t think you could take me in those clothes,” he nodded cheekily.

[Susanna Gossamer]

She was pleasantly surprised by his ready acceptance. Really? What were the chances they could exchange blows and still be attracted to each other? Most Gossamers guys had severe pride issues. Get in one good smack to their ego and suddenly they forget why they liked you in the first place. Play the damsel and let them win, and they think you're cute for trying. She hoped he wasn't that way. She needed a self-assured man, not a cocky little boy, and in return she needed a man who wanted a full-grown capable woman, and not a squeamish little girl. Guys like that just didn't rate high on her sexy-o-meter.

She quirked one auburn eyebrow higher on her forehead at his comment about her clothing, shifting her sharp, coffee colored eyes to his face. Damn him for being cute when she was having a bad day! She glanced down at herself as if to ask, but what's wrong with my clothes? Then glanced back up at him, tilting her head carefully.

"Well maybe I should get out of them?" she suggested coyly. She allowed the thought to hang in the air for half a moment before she continued. "You wouldn't happen to have anything I can change into, do you?" She finally allowed the cheeky smirk that had been threatening to color her lips. Served him right for suggesting that she couldn't kick his ass in any outfit!

[Bruce Wayne]

“You mean you don’t want to wear the suit?” he asked her with a smirk, referring of course to the suit that both of them now knew existed in a closet not too far away. Recovering well from the heartbeat that had gone MIA at her sly suggestion and lifting an eyebrow of his own, Bruce moved to a piece of wall and pressed it, a spring opening another closet door although definitely a more mundane one than the one she had witnessed last night. Full of his gym wear (which Alfred claimed stunk out his bedroom), it was obvious that the sleek walls of the gym were all cupboards; where else would one have storage in a tiny luxury penthouse apartment? He selected a blue tee that always had been a little on the small side for him and a pair of track sweats to hand her.

“Here you go,” he said unnecessarily, slipping a wink her way for good measure. He undid the lid of the water bottle and took another sip. “You can use the bathroom to get changed.” He was confident that she would remember where it was. Last night it had been her job to know. Hopefully today it was something completely different. As much as he was dying to find out what had been on that flash drive, Bruce was more interested in finding out something else. Susanna had kissed him back last night when he had kissed her. Would she recoil now that she knew in large part why he was the way he was

[Susanna Gossamer]

She grinned. It was a relief to hear him mention Batman in a lighthearted way. She was afraid that it would become the taboo subject she wasn't allowed to bring up, which only came up in dire situations. In a way she had been okay with that; Batman brought up questions she didn't know whether either of them were ready to delve into yet. Still, it was nice to know that it wouldn't become this gulf between them that she wasn't allowed to talk about. At least, not immediately?

She took the offered clothes with a nod. "Thanks," she told him, spinning on heel and making her way back out of the gym and into the hallway beyond. She was lost in her own thoughts as she turned into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, ideas all a jumble in her head. There was the murder the night before, the party, Bruce's kiss, the reveal of his alter ego, then this morning, the riddle, the virus, the complete humiliation of being the cause of the computer blackout at GCPD, and now, here she was. Completely incapable of deciding which of the many events should be forefront, which emotion should overpower her more, she chose to ignore them all for the moment. For now she would just be Bruce's sparring partner, and let things sit a bit on her brain.

Now clothed in his things, she eyed herself in the mirror. Well, it wasn't the most attractive thing she had ever worn to the gym, but it would do. She rolled up the overlarge sleeves on his shirt so that her arms were bare and rolled down the waistband of his sweats so they didn't drag the ground and slow her down. Then she tied her hair back and up in a tight ponytail that fell down again around her neck. "Sexy," she intoned to the mirror in sarcasm. Good thing this wasn't a beauty pageant.

After folding her clothing in a nice neat stack in the bathroom, she returned to the gym, making her way between the machines. She held her hands out to either side of her, twirling as she came to a stop before him. "Better?"

[Bruce Wayne]

He watched her leave, a quizzical lopsided look on his face as he considered where they would go from here. Obviously she wasn’t mad at him which was a relief. Also she seemed to be taking the news that he was Batman really well, which was definitely another plus. The kiss they had shared last night was evidence that they had already surpassed the friendship milestone, and he was eager to discover just where they were headed now in light of the rushing events of the past evening (and, unbeknownst to him, this morning). When she emerged from the bathroom he flashed her an easy grin, amused in a way that most guys were when they saw a girl they liked wearing their clothes. It was a simple but familiar gesture, and one that definitely wasn’t lost on him even if he had suggested it and it was born out of an assumed necessity. She probably could have kicked his ass no matter what she was wearing.

“Much,” he nodded, getting rid of his water bottle and leading the way over to a padded floor mat. While he might have been used to falling from alarming heights and landing on his head (to say nothing of the fact that he had a nice Kevlar suit to break his fall and prevent some) of the bruising) Bruce didn’t see the need for them to tumble on the cement floor. Barefoot and ready he crouched, waiting for his opponent. He was still grinning and obviously enjoying himself; he had seen Susie in action so he wasn’t likely to underestimate her, or so he thought. His ninjitsu training had taught him to be patient and so he waited, watching her shoulders intently as they would be the part of her body to warn him of any impending movement. "You ready?"

[Susanna Gossamer]

Unfortunately for Bruce, Susie was also a practitioner of some of ninjitsu's principles, albeit unwittingly. Being smaller than most of the people she sparred with, she had learned to lie in wait and capitalize on her opponent's missteps or mistakes. If they got impatient and aggressive, she could use their momentum against them, which helped her combat their superior strength. She balanced on the balls of her feet, body leaning slightly to compensate, and watched him intently. "Uh huh," she told him. And when they both continued to wait patiently on the other, she grinned, trying to goad him out. "Ready."

He was watching her shoulders, she was watching his eyes. Despite having really wanted to just let out her aggression - and she had a lot of it to let out - now that she was with him she felt calmer, without his even trying to make her so. Something about the easy way their conversation had immediately fallen into flirty repartee, skipping over the more serious, other relationship they had also been fostering between them: Batman and Detective. She appreciated that, and though she hadn't known it that had been exactly what she needed when she entered his apartment. She hadn't even known she was looking for it. Wasn't that odd?

It was these thoughts and not thoughts of kicking his ass in any outfit that kept her mind occupied as they circled each other and bided their time, and as their standoff continued for a few seconds more he eventually glanced up at her, perhaps to check she was still paying attention. A mischievous smirk crossed her features and that's when she made her move. She stepped forward, straightening up from her defensive pose, and slowly lifted herself to kiss him full on the lips.

She hovered there for a moment, lips brushing his, as she allowed herself a moment to enjoy the butterflies that danced as they shared their second kiss. She was glad she'd done it the minute their lips touched, and the feeling didn't dissipate even as the kiss lingered a little longer than she'd originally intended. It was all good for her, she decided, and in more ways than one. For as soon as it looked like she might really have him engrossed in the kiss, she made her move, using her nearness to him to her advantage as she attempted to swipe his legs out from under him and push his much heavier, stronger body out of balance.

Yeah, so, it was a little dirty. It was also fun! And when sparring, fun should always be the first priority. Even before kicking men's asses.

[Bruce Wayne]

He had only been distracted for a split second, but that one second was all it took for Bruce to fall victim to Susie’s dirty cheating. She moved quickly and efficiently to bring herself into line with him and his shock at her lips on his soon melted into pure enjoyment and not a lot else. The delightful silken friction of their lips as they intertwined reminded him of the politeness of their kiss last night, and he was determined to make up for what they had missed out on when they had been interrupted. If she expected him to be fully taken in by her trickery, however, she would be much mistaken. He felt the sharp and deliberate force against the side of his leg and he planted his feet to the mat where they remained solid.

Grinning into the kiss, he wrapped his arms effortlessly around her waist; she wasn’t getting out of this that easy! He pulled her to him and made his kiss more insistent, determined that he should meet her in the middle with a mix of himself that was half Batman and half Bruce, but all of who he really was, deep down inside. Protective, concerned and responsible but also playful, sensual and, most importantly, human. When he had wanted to be with Rachel Bruce hadn’t understood that the reason she didn’t want him was because he couldn’t just leave Batman to one side; Batman was a part of him and always would be. What he realised now was that whilst Batman would always be a part of him, it didn’t mean that he had to have the lion’s share.

He lifted one hand to cradle Susie’s face, his fingers entwining in her glorious russet colored hair and allowed himself a less ‘wholesome’ approach to the kiss, bolder and much more risqué. He had spent years doing things because he thought they were justified and right, and he wasn’t about to stop now when being here, like this, with Susanna Gossamer felt like the rightest thing in the world to him. He might have been leaving himself open to attack (she could beat him to a pulp and he wouldn’t care a damn) but mostly he was playing just as dirty right back with her and that was, in his mind, the most important thing.

[Susanna Gossamer]

She was caught off guard by his not being caught off guard, and for a moment she felt she might lose her balance entirely. But then his strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her close and she lost her breath for another reason entirely. Her head got away from her almost instantly. If he was playing her she didn't even bother to be suspicious of it. Much like him, she wouldn't mind in the least if she wound up flat on her back for letting her guard down. She might even prefer it.

Her arms slid around his shoulders as he intensified the kiss, his confident blend of flavors mixing with her own, that of a woman not naturally trusting who feels her walls slowly and strategically being pulled down around her. Her grip tightened on the only stable thing in the world to her, him, her fingers tugging gently at the folds of his shirt as she gently returned the pull of their bodies towards each other. She was acutely aware of all the junctions where their bodies touched and her brain was still micromanaging those touches with nervous energy, incapable of abandoning her to the bliss of this connection just yet. She was still in control, still anxious, but that wouldn't last long.

When he deepened the kiss again she felt herself slipping, like falling beneath the waves of a warm and comforting ocean after a long struggle. Her brain had officially gone on the fritz, and now instead of warning her off was encouraging her. How long had it been since anyone had made her feel this way? Why was she fighting it? She at last returned the kiss with the same forward, sensual energy, admitting in a non-verbal way the very real effect he had on her.

Seemingly a surprise to both of them they broke off the kiss in the same instant as if to begin again, but instead there was a natural pause to catch their breath and she lifted her eyes to catch his gaze. She was a little surprised at herself but not unpleasantly so; she liked that they had been given another shot at the kiss that had ended so tragically the night before, and she wondered if this is how it would have been then or if this was the product of their new circumstances? What would have happened had Brewskey not fell from the sky? Surprisingly she didn't seem to be worried with what would happen next right now - on that point, she seemed secure with whatever might take place.

"Who won?"

[Bruce Wayne]

The rush of sensation that flushed through his body accompanied by the coursing of hot blood and adrenaline through his veins was something that Bruce was used to feeling on a nightly basis. Whether he was chasing down small-time crooks, mob bosses or villains of a different caliber entirely didn’t matter; it was all the same and he felt the thrill of doing what he did, doing it well and knowing that he was making a difference. This was something completely different. The love he had endured for Rachel (and he still loved her) was the kind of evergreen love that bloomed in childhood and was enough to sustain. It had been innocent, honest and binding and Bruce had, up until this moment, never thought to recover from the blinding loss he had felt when it was no longer there for him.

But Susie was here and she was beautiful, smart and demanding his attention, and it was with a certain shock that he realised that he needed her attention just as badly. He couldn’t hold on to his ‘what-could-have-beens’ forever. From the first moments he had noticed the fiery Detective as Batman he now realised he hadn’t just been looking at her as a possible ally; he had seen something much deeper in her. When the kiss broke off and their eyes met through the centimeters of space between them, Bruce knew that this could really be something. He opened his mouth to say something – he wasn’t sure exactly what – but was saved when she managed to effectively remove the awkwardness and soppiness of the moment with her question. Grinning instantly (and somewhat sheepishly) at the way she could change the mood of a room just be being in it, Bruce looked away as though to collect his thoughts before looking back at her.

“I didn’t realise it had anything to do with winning,” he said through his smile, pulling her closer and leaning his head closer to the addictive fragrance of her hair. His grip on her didn’t lessen in the slightest and Bruce found that now he had managed to get this close to her he was reluctant to let her move away so quickly. She knew his secret, and she knew him (or at least soon would be better acquainted with the real him) and it was a feeling that made him want to shout her name from the rooftop. The elation at not having to hide from someone was so heady that he felt he could burst, and even though he knew instinctively that Alfred wouldn’t approve Bruce was, for once, incredibly happy.

“You’re quite the woman, Susanna,” he murmured thankfully.

[Susanna Gossamer]

"Well thanks, Bruce," Susie quickly came back at him, though her tone was softer than her usual prickly sharpness. She spoke the way someone did after waking up from a fantastic dream, with the same contented ease and the complete inability to muster up anything like annoyance. "You're not half bad yourself," she teased in a way that sounded more like a purr, a grin coloring her lips and words. "But…" she had to continue, her grin broadening, "you should know that with me it's always about winning." She kissed his jaw softly before mumbling next to his ear. "And I won."

But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. It seemed fated that the two wouldn't be given too much time to enjoy each other's company, for just then the annoying and familiar sound of a persistent cell phone ringing broke the relative silence of the gym. Susie felt her embrace around Bruce loosen almost without her consent. She groaned. "Ugh..." She told him, rolling her eyes. "You know, between the two of us we will be lucky to ever have a moment to ourselves." Carefully extricating herself from Bruce's arms, hopefully without injuring his feelings, Susie reached for her phone and answered it even as she continued to move across the room to begin gathering her things back together.

She was sure Bruce could hear that she was being shouted at despite his distance, and she held the phone away from her ear.

"The flash drive was a virus," she explained to Bruce, apparently not listening to the criticism coming from her phone. "I answered a riddle and I guess that unleashed it in the entire computer system at GPD." She reached into her things and pulled out another thumb drive, which she offered to her, uh, to Bruce. "I made you a copy before I opened it. I'll get your clothes back to you later," she promised him, giving him another brief kiss and a seemingly wistful look as she exited to the sounds of distant screaming.

"Bye!"