Hey all! Decided I would indeed make this a one shot series. I don't know how long it will last, although probably as long as my inspiration from the show continues, but nevertheless we'll have fun with it! This one is a bit longer, and I was inspired by both episodes 9 and 10 and the interplay between Bruce and Selena. These two in particular have done a phenomenal job of portraying their characters, and I eagerly await their return in the last half of season 1. Just to give you a heads up, I am working on a full story, and may have the first chapter up soon, so keep an eye out for it!

But enough talk, let us begin
_

"Jab, jab, right."

Selena twitched. Those same annoying words she heard again from the rooftop of Wayne manor. It was shortly after breakfast, which had resulted in a rather spirited food fight that was spurred on by Selena's challenge to Bruce to hit her so as to win a kiss. The result was a few broken glasses, some orange juice on the table and carpet, and food on the boys clothes. Despite some close calls, she had managed to avoid being hit, and was thus saved the need for a cleanup. Bruce, on the other hand, had bits of muffin, bread, and fruit covering him.

They would have went on, had they not run out of "ammo" just before the boys butler came in. They froze for a moment after they had seen him, as they expected him to be furious. However, to their surprise, he just smiled at the two before clearing his throat and asking," Right, will that be all or are seconds in order?" Selena and Bruce both were stunned, and apparently Bruce was too afraid to push his luck and decided they were finished, much to her disappointment. They helped tidy up, picking up a bits of broken glasses and sweeping up the bits of food that were strewn about. After they were done, Bruce went to his room to change, while Selena decided to head onto the roof for a bit.

She lay there, staring at the clouds, lost in her own thoughts when she heard the familiar words of the butler,"Jab, jab, right."

Disturbed from her day dreaming, she rose to a crouch and moved to a vantage point to see Bruce and the butler on the verandah behind the manor.

"Keep your guard up, son." The man said, giving him a firm tap on the head. The boy had a knack for leaving down his guard after his right, which could prove potentially fatal if he missed his punch, as Alfred had shown many times. As they repeated the punches, she noticed, Bruce began to get the swing of things. He was beginning to keep his guard up, his punches were a bit faster and better placed. He even managed to weave out of a tap or two on the head and made a counter punch that surprised both the butler and Cat.

She noticed that something was a bit different, though. His punches seemed a bit more aggressive, and his countenance was a bit more fierce. Occasionally, he took an extra swing before the butler was ready, getting a nice knock in return.

Things came to a head when the older man was about to call it a day, and the boy tried to take another punch, blocked only a fraction of a second before it could connect with his sternum.

"Oi!" He cried,"That's enough, lad!" She saw Bruce lower his guard a bit," What's the matter with you, boy? That's the fourth time you've sneaked a punch!"

Bruce was quiet at first."I was hitting you while you weren't prepared." He replied, puzzling both Selena and the butler.

"Well, I can bloody see that." Alfred snapped, beginning to remove his gloves," The question is, why?"

Bruce paused, letting his guard down completely. Selena watched with great interest, as the boy looked unsure of what to say. What was he doing? Was he angry about something? He didn't seem it, he was particularly happy this morning. She didn't have to wonder long, as his next words answered her question.

"I'm learning to be ruthless."

There it was. In an instant she recognized the words that came out of the young boys mouth. She remembered clearly, Bruce's sopping wet form climbing out of the pool, training himself to be disciplined and strong. Admirable, she had told him, but ineffective. It wasn't enough to be disciplined or strong: one had to be ruthless. On the streets, no one cared whether you had boxed or how long you could hold your breath. All that mattered was who was left standing in the end. Bruce had taken those words to heart, and she should be glad that he was learning.

So why was it she felt as if a knife had struck her straight through the heart? The boy taken her advice, and she was always right. She should be feeling proud to have influenced him in some way. Why did she feel that instead of improve him she had tainted him? Why did she feel that instead of helping she had only hurt him?

She tried shaking her had of the thoughts. Big deal, he played a bit rougher with his butler and he was learning to be mean. She had taught him some golden rules of the streets, and he was applying them in his training. So what if it had stripped a little bit of the nice kid she knew, the streets would do that anyway! You either did what was needed to survive or you didn't survive.

But is that ruthlessness? The question came in her head. She hated herself for asking the question, as she knew the answer. She may not have been properly educated in the traditional sense, but she knew what ruthless really was, and it wasn't most people on the street. Those who had mastered the art of ruthlessness were usually the rich and greedy. True, the muggers and mob on the street were ruthless, but were most of the kids she knew? They just did what was necessary to live, nothing more.

So he wasn't cut out for life on the street, so what? At least he actually cared, and wanted to help those in need. He had supplied clothes to the orphans of Gotham after the child trafficking incident, and was now giving her a good place to sleep, if only for the time being. The boy had glimpsed how dark the streets of Gotham were, and he was now trying to bring a little light.

Selena had been so deep in thought that she hadn't noticed Alfred's stern rebuke of the boy, although she did hear the words 'lairy little mynx' before he went inside to get some water for himself and the boy. Bruce had sat down against one of the pillars, clumsily trying to remove the gloves from his hands. She knew what she had to do and, with a deep sigh, began her descent from the roof of Wayne manor. Sliding down gracefully on the slopes of the rooftop and gaining purchase on the little nooks in the brick walls. She landed on the ground in her typical cat-like fashion, and began to saunter over to the boy, who was still having difficulty with his gloves. He never heard the girl approaching him from the side.

"You're getting better." She began, startling Bruce. She let a small half smile crease her lips, as she enjoyed getting the drop on him.

He paused at first, still a little startled by how quiet the girl was."Y-you were watching?" He asked tentatively, squirming a bit. Cat had to suppress a giggle; she loved making him squirm, and it seemed so easy to make him uncomfortable.

" Uh-huh," she replied, stopping to stand over the boy, who went back at trying to untie his gloves. Raising a brow, she stated," Ya know, it helps to have fingers free to untie knots, not giant mitts, right?" She said, wiggling her fingers in front of him.

Bruce let a short laugh escape him, letting himself be amused by the girls observation of his current predicament. How did Alfred get his gloves off so easily, he wondered.

A few seconds passed, and with a roll of her eyes, Cat knelt down to the boys level." Here," she said,"Clearly, in your helpless and fragile state, you are unable to untie a knot." She said this all with a mock air of sophistication as she took his gloved hands in hers and began to untie them.

For a moment, there was just an awkward silence. She knew what she wanted to say, and she had the opportunity to say it. And yet the words would not come out of her mouth as she fumbled with the knots on the boys gloves, slowly loosing it from his hand. She began to work on the other when he spoke.

"You saw Alfred get upset?" The question was an odd one, not due to it's topic but in it's delivery. He seemed... confused, like he wasn't sure of what to think about the reaction of his butler. He had wanted to train like she had demanded him, and yet a part of him was pained with guilt, and another that told him he should have been proud.

She paused for a moment,"Yeah." Was all she could reply at the moment.

"I thought I was doing what I was supposed to do!" He continued, frustration touching his voice," I can't afford to wait until someone is ready in a real fight."

Selena looked him in the eye."But you're not in a real fight." She countered," You're just sparring with your butler."

The boy shook his head."It doesn't matter," He replied."If I don't train myself now I won't be ready when a real fight comes.

She narrowed her eyes at the boy, which he knew was a sign that she was going to say something quite stinging."You think that just because you are willing to beat up your butler means you'll make it in a fight?" She pointed to somewhere beyond the walls, shaking her head."The people who will fight you out there won't care about that, or about how mean you can get. They will kill you, and no amount of meanness will keep you alive."

Bruce raised a brow at her," But you said-"

"I know what I said!" She snapped suddenly, causing him to recoil back into the wall. Her face went red at her little out burst, but she continued nonetheless."Just because I say something doesn't make it gospel, alright?" Bruce was staring wide eyed at the girl, clearly surprised by her sudden fierceness. She bit her lip, and took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she thought about the words she wanted to say."Kids on the street can be rough, it's true. We have to be to survive." She saw Bruce take a breath, about to reply, but she stopped him before he could." But, that does not mean that they are ruthless or even mean. It just means they have to do things... different."

Bruce blinked."Different?"

Selena nodded," Yeah, different." She continued,"We don't have money, so we have to be smart and learn to pick our fights carefully. We steal from those who have more thank enough so those who don't have anything can eat. That's desperate, not ruthless." She paused." You wanna know what ruthless really is?"

The boy hesitated, and Cat answered before he could reply."When the rich take money from the pockets of everyone, including those who don't have much, just to line their own pockets? That's ruthless," She narrowed her eyes at Bruce once more," and I'm sure you of all people have seen that happen."

Bruce lowered his eyes and nodded, recalling his digging into the files of Wayne Industries and speaking with the workers. Even his parents company was not free of corruption, something he would have to remedy when he could.

She continued "Or when kids are sent to juvie for being homeless and having to steal just to survive, and then call it tough love? That's ruthless." She inched a little closer to his face, her green eyes piercing Bruce's very soul," Or shooting a boys parents right in front of him and then crooked cops and politicians sweep it under the rug as if it's been solved? That's ruthless." There was a change in the boys eyes she saw, a flash of an emotion she did not have time to read before it changed back."That's not us street kids, and I know that it's not you. You care, and that's not what has to change just so you can survive on the streets."

The boy swallowed hard as she came closer to his face, her cheek brushing against his as she whispered in his ear." And even if it was, I would rather it didn't change at all." The boy shuddered as he felt her breath on his ear, then stiffened as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. She pulled back, his face cupped in her hand as she smiled a smile that made the boy glad he was sitting.

"Thank you." Was that Bruce could muster.

She slowly pulled her hand from the boys face, reveling in her control over him even as she told him something she was quite proud to say. She then rose to her feet and her warm smile turned into a mischievous one." Bet you can't catch me."

Caught off guard by the sudden remark, Bruce looked at her blankly for a moment."What?"

Cat simply crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, Silly boy, she thought."I said, I'll bet you can't catch me."

There was a look of challenge in the girls eyes and voice. The words finally sunk into him, and he raised a brow." I might be able to, but why would I wan-." Click. That was what happened as he put together the events from this morning with how she was acting now, and the challenge and possible reward of her capture.

Selena nearly died laughing as she saw the realization dawn in the boys eyes, before she took off at a run to their hedges behind the manor, leaving Bruce in the dust. The boy was stunned for a moment before jumping to his feet and taking off after her, the thoughts of Alfred returning with water leaving his head entirely.

They had no idea that someone had been eavesdropping almost the entire time, as a man with two tall glasses of iced water stepped out onto the veranda and watched his young master chasing the girl. He had heard the girl talk with Bruce, and had been surprised by what she had to say. Rather than trying to usurp him and say he was a 'fuddy-duddy', she had reinforced his point he had made with the lad. Even when she was the cause of trouble, she still managed to wriggle into the butlers heart in one manner or another.

Smiling as they disappeared into the maze, he took a long draft from one of the glasses, before looking back out at the rows of hedges.

"Good hunting, master Bruce."

Don't this just hit you in the feels? Leave a review and let me know what ya think. If you love it, let me know! If you hate it, please, flame responsibly ;)