Book One - Part One: Dark Knight

Chapter Eighteen

A week after their heart to heart in the batcave, the moment Bruce has been both dreading and looking forward to is here. He watches as Elena once again is looking up at the old Batman suit, her face determined and ready, Bruce approaches from behind and gently touches her arm.

"Lena?" he asks, she takes a breath and turns to him.

"I thought about it" she starts. "A lot....and I want to help people" she answers. "I want to make the world a better place, I want to make sure that what happened to me and to Tony, and to Yinsen never happens to anyone else.....I want to be brave and strong and powerful" Bruce smiles a little. "I want to put on the suit, I want to become the Bat"

"And you're sure about this?" he asks her stepping closer, she nods.

"I am..." she assures him. "I've been thinking about it for a while....since I was stuck in that place" she takes a breath. "The whole time I kept thinking.....If I had had the training, if I had been trained to take up the suit..." she pauses and shakes her head.

"It's going to be hard" he points out. "And painful, and you are going to want to quit" he cups her face in his hands. "So for whatever reason you are doing this, hold on to that...."

"Okay" she whispers.

"Tomorrow, 4am" he tells her. "We start" he looks down at her. "It'll be light for the first few weeks" he admits. "You're still healing" he motions to her side and she nods curling her hand over where she is still wearing her stitches. "So get some sleep...." he strokes her cheeks and then leaves her alone, she turns back to the batsuit and looks up at it. Bruce walks back in heading towards her, he wraps her up in his arms, pulling his daughter close, she turns and buries her head in his chest wrapping her arms around him.

...................

Dick waits for Elena the next morning. Ready to run. She hurries down the stairs as Bruce leaves the kitchen with a mug of coffee and the days newspapers, Elena raises an eyebrow.

"You're not coming with us?" She asks her father who shakes his head.

"I'm too old for that..." Bruce comments with a smirk. "But you two have fun" Dick snorts as he pulls on his arm band to hold his cell phone, Elena wraps her hair up with a hair band and then rolls her neck. Bruce and Dick share a look. "Go easy on her" Bruce warns touching his side where Elena is hurt still, Dick nods and looks to Elena who is crouched with Robin.

"What are you doing?" Dick asks wide eyed.

"Putting a harness on Robin" she answers. "What?" she asks back noting their looks.

"He's not a dog, Lena" Dick argues.

"I don't care" she draws out and looks down at Robin. "He wants to come, don't you, buddy?" the cat stares up at her. "See" Dick shoots Bruce a look, pleading for his help.

"He could do with exercise" Bruce offers, Dick looks betrayed and turns to Elena who smiles and chuckles.

"Nice try" Dick grumbles. "You two had me going" Elena undoes the harness on Robin.

"I wanted to see if you'd let me do that to him" She comments bouncing to Dick. "You didn't, good for you, slugger" she teases, he nudges her shoulder and rolls his eyes.

"Let's just run" he states walking away, Elena follows after him as Robin follows Bruce into the study.

...................

The sun is only just rising with Elena and Dick return to the manor, keeping to the light side it wasn't a heavy jog more like a meander around the land. Dick chuckles as Elena bends over to pant, pressing her hands to her knees. Alfred sits watching them with a warm smile, seeing the two of them act as if they are siblings always warms him, watching the two of them grow up with bond most would kill for. And Dick is back to his former self, the Dick they witnessed with Elena gone was empty and lost, his sister and best friend missing feared dead, and he shouldered the blame. Elena sees Alfred first and beams at him in greeting.

"Your father is waiting for you in the gym" Alfred tells Elena as she pulls off her jacket.

"We have a gym?" she asks, both men look at her.

"West wing, third door" Dick offers. "And you've lived here your entire life" he teases. She sticks out her tongue and then heads away to look for this 'gym'.

............

Elena finds the door she's looking for, it's one she has never gone through before, usually because this is her father's side of the manor. His study. His bedroom. His bathroom. His gym. She hasn't been along here since she was a little girl. She takes a breath before she knocks on the door and then opens it to enter the room.

"Dad?" she asks stepping into the room, it is an extensive gym, equipment lining the walls and in the centre is raised matted area, Bruce already sits there, eyes closed, legs crossed, he opens his eyes to look at Elena then motions to the space in front of him, she climbs into the raised area and looks down at him.

"Meditation" Bruce tells her. "Strength on mind is just as important as strength of body" she sits across from him, crossing her legs like him. "We'll start with breathing techniques" he shares a look with her. "It'll help keep you calm under stressful situations" he assures her. "I want you to do this for 3 hours every day"

"3 hours?" she asks. "On top of the running? And the business?"

"I did it, so can you" He argues and she pouts a little before nodding and looking down. "Are you ready to begin?" he asks her, she looks up at him determined and ready, she nods.