“She’s family. It’s what we do.”
“But she’s not your family.”
JD shrugged his shoulders. “She’s yours. That’s close enough.”
Sarah then grinned at him. “So, you and Gemma huh?”
JD’s face went rigid. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I overheard your call to her.” JD could see her eyes were sparkling with amusement. She was teasing him and he didn’t like it. “How long have you been sleeping together?”
“I do not discuss my sex life,” he said coldly.
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Now why does that not surprise me.”
Wishing to change the subject, JD said the first thing that came into his head and instantly regretted it.
“You’ve stopped wearing your engagement ring I see.” The smile dropped from Sarah’s face.
“It belonged to Alex’s great grandmother so I’ve returned it to his mother. She didn’t take it very well.”
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. When they were finished, Sarah stacked the dishwasher then went into the lounge. “Time for your bath young man,” JD heard her say to Tommy and he found it unnerving that he was suddenly jealous of a three year old.
JD was in the lounge when Sarah returned, a clean and smiling Tommy in her arms.
“Interesting DVD collection,” he said.
“The martial arts ones were Alex’s. It was he who got me into Korean sword. I started to enjoy them so I decided to keep them when I got rid of the rest of his stuff.”
“And the horror?”
“They’re mine. The more blood and gore the better.”
“I’m beginning to understand why you wanted to be trained.”
“Alex hated them. Craig and I had to watch them whenever he wasn’t around.”
JD really did not want to be talking about Alex. Tommy was dressed in Star Wars pyjamas, so he focused on those. “Nice outfit kid. I wish they did those in my size.”
Sarah grinned at him. “They do. I’ll get you some if you like. I’m sure the others will find it very amusing.”
“Don’t you dare.”
“This young man has to go to bed,” she said then left the room.
“Perfect timing,” Gemma said as Sarah approached the dining table. “We have just finished. I don’t think Sally has anything to worry about. Her ex is just trying to scare her. I’ll send him an official letter. That should sort him out. If not, I am confident that we will win in court.”
“Thank you,” Sarah said as she handed Tommy over to his mother.
“I’ll see Gemma out,” JD said.
“This is going to cost you,” Gemma said to him as she stood on the doorstep. “My place? Tomorrow night?”
JD glanced into the kitchen where Sarah had just started to make Sally’s favourite cookies. He shook his head. “Sorry, I can’t.”
“Oh, I see.” Gemma gave him a knowing smile. “Another one off the market. Well tell her from me she’s a lucky girl.”
“She doesn’t know how I feel.”
“Why not?”
“It’s complicated.” There was no way he was going to be able to explain their trainer student relationship and he hoped that his lack of explanation wouldn’t rouse her curiosity too much.
“Well you know where to find me if things don’t work out.”
“Thank you for helping Sally. It means a lot to Sarah.”
“My pleasure. At least I was hoping it was going to be. Oh well. We can’t win ‘em all. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
————————————-∞————————————-
A few weeks later, after her Friday night training session, Sarah knocked tentatively on JD’s office door.
“Come in,” he called out.
“Are you busy?” she said as she took the seat opposite him.
“Yes, but it can wait.”
“Do you always bring your work home with you?” she asked, knowing that the closed door probably meant he was doing lawyer stuff.
“Only when I need to. So what I can do for you?” She seemed nervous and he was intrigued as to the cause.
“I’ve come to temporarily renegotiate our agreement.” He put down his papers and looked at her with interest. Her wording suggested she had been working on this speech and was appealing to the lawyer side of him instead of the trainer. Did she really think that side of him would be more reasonable? There was only one way to find out.
“You mean you want to get out of a training session. Do you have a good reason?”
“I think so, but I’m not sure you’ll agree, hence the renegotiation.” She sounded unsure of herself, but determined.
“Okay. When and why?”
She took a deep breath. “Next Sunday I have a Korean sword grading. It’s usually on a Saturday afternoon, but for some reason it’s on a Sunday this time. I also don’t want to train on the Friday or Saturday, just in case I get injured so I can’t grade. As Sally’s college is shut for the holidays, I don’t need to babysit for a few weeks, so I propose I train Monday and Thursday nights instead.” She said it all so fast he almost had trouble following her. When she had finished she looked at him expectantly.
He decided to play with her for a while. “For how many weeks?”
“One.”
“Three.”
“Two.”
“Deal. But that’s only in exchange for the Sunday. Friday and Saturday sessions still stand. I promise I will take it easy on you.”
She grumbled her acceptance and stood up.
“You’re a really bad negotiator by the way.”
“Why?”
He grinned at her. “I would have let you off the extra training. Your grading is a valid and acceptable excuse. When entering into a negotiation, assume nothing. Find out what the other party wants before making any offers.”
“I’ll remember that next time.”
“There’s going to be a next time?”
“Of course there is now that you have taught me how to try to get what I want from you.”
“Remember my warning about pushing me too far. Be very careful what you ask for.”
“I will,” she said, then left the room. JD was thoughtful as he watched her leave.
————————————-∞————————————-
The next morning, JD asked Craig to join him for Sarah’s training session. He wanted to work on her fighting someone while he could closely watch her movements.
“So exactly when and where is your grading?” he asked, trying to distract her. It didn’t work and she easily blocked Craig’s sword. He was taking it easy on her so JD signalled that he should increase his intensity.
“I’m not going to tell you that,” she replied as she parried.
“Either you tell me now or Craig tells me later. You know I’m going to find out either way.”
She made the mistake of looking at him and Craig took advantage, only missing her because she stepped back at the last moment. “Why do you want to know? You’re not going to turn up.”
“Concentrate on what you’re doing,” JD said, noticing her mistake. “Do you not want me there?”
“No I damn well don’t.”
“Okay then.”
“Good. I’ll give you the details later,” she said as she launched her attack.
After she left the arena, Craig stayed behind to talk to JD.
“You never actually agreed not to go to her grading, did you?” he asked as they put their weapons onto the wall.
“No, I didn’t.”
“And you are going to turn up, aren’t you?”
“Yes I am.”
“Why?”
JD turned to look at him. “Curiosity. But don’t worry, I won’t let her see me until after she has performed. I don’t want to put her off.”
“And I take it you’re expecting m
e not to mention this to her.”
“I’m not going to bother to answer that.”
————————————-∞————————————-
Wednesday arrived and Sarah turned up on time for her training, as usual. For once, JD wasn’t there so she took a knife from the wall, ready to begin. For the last few weeks they had been working on her knife skills midweek, so she expected today to be no different.
JD, however, had other ideas. “Grab your sword,” he said as he walked into the arena. “I want to see your Korean sword routine.”
She froze, her hand half way to her weapon. “What?”
“You heard me.”
She took down the sword she usually used then turned to face him. “Why?”
“Stop questioning me Sarah. It’s beginning to piss me off.”
“Alright,” she said, her tone suggesting that it wasn’t. “Step back.”
He was surprised she hadn’t told him to go up to the balcony. He would have refused, as he needed to be quite close for what he had in mind, and he was curious as to how she would have reacted.
He did as instructed, stepping backward until she nodded her okay. Then she began. The routine was short, but quite complicated. She did it well, but it could be improved.
“Do it again.” She knew he was watching her closely and she did her best not to let him put her off.
“Once more,” he said when she had finished. “But this time do it slowly and talk me through what every movement is supposed to represent.”
She did as he asked, verbalising what she was doing for every attack and defensive move. He asked her to do it twice more. The final time through he appeared to be counting.
“What are you up to?” she asked when she completed her routine once more, completely forgetting she had been told not to question him.
“Wait here,” he said, then left the arena. When he returned he had Craig, Jonathon, Scott and Katie with him.
“What’s going on?” Sarah asked. She sounded worried. Craig winked at her.
“Show them what you showed me,” JD said.
They backed away and she went through the routine yet again.
“Do you get what I mean?” he asked the others when she stopped.
“Yes,” Katie said, “but I need to see it one more time.”
“You heard the lady.” Sarah grumbled, but complied. She still had no idea what the others were doing there.
“Alright, take your positions.” They retrieved their swords and surrounded her, close enough that she would hit them if she had to go through her routine again. She raised a questioning eyebrow at JD.
“It’s looking good,” he said, “but it can be improved. Fighting real people instead of imaginary ones will help that.”
He was right, but practicing with others had never occurred to her. “Are you all here to help me with my Korean sword rather than my normal lesson?” she asked.
“Of course we are,” Jonathon told her.
“What’s important to you is important to us,” Scott said. “We’re more than happy to help out.”
“Thank you.” The words seemed inadequate for the gratitude she felt, but she couldn’t think of anything that would suffice.
“Start slow,” JD said, “until everyone has their part memorised, then increase the speed. I’ll give pointers on what you need to work on.”
It was a very successful lesson and by the end of it they were going at full speed. It still wasn’t perfect, but was a lot more accurate than before and Sarah felt a great sense of accomplishment.
They repeated the process on Friday night. Nobody was surprised when Jonathon didn’t turn up, but Simon was more than happy to take his place.
JD had cancelled her Sunday morning training as he was worried she would be too stressed to concentrate properly, so Saturday morning was her last chance to practice with the others before her grading. She made the most of it and promised to take everyone out for dinner the next day to thank them for their help.
She then turned to JD. “I can do that can’t I, or does someone need to stay here?”
“You can do that,” he said. “I’ll let 7 know that we won’t be available for a hunt.” He then dismissed them all, calling Craig back before he left. “Before you go out tomorrow night, come and see me to get my credit card. I don’t know what Sarah’s finances are like, but I can’t imagine they’re in a very good state so I don’t want her paying for you all when she’s the one who should be treated.”
“I can take care of the bill,” Craig said and started to walk out, but JD stopped him.
“Craig. It wasn’t a request.”
“So you’re saying you want to treat us all to dinner?” he asked. “Why? And why not just come with us?”
“Let’s just say it’s a thank you for putting in the extra training hours. You guys got just as much out of it as Sarah did. And in regard to joining you, I really don’t think that would be appropriate, do you?”
“Let me guess. You also don’t want anyone to know.”
“No, I don’t. I do have a reputation to keep after all.”
————————————-∞————————————-
Sunday arrived all too soon and Sarah began to get nervous. No matter how many gradings she attended, she always worried that she would make a mistake. Failing would be humiliating.
“You’ll be fine,” Craig told her yet again as he drove her to the grading centre. He had attended every one of her gradings, even the ones before Alex died, and he had to say the same thing every time.
When they arrived, Sarah started pacing. “Relax,” Craig said. “You’re better prepared for this one than you have been for any of the others.”
“Thanks to you and the rest.”
Before she could say more, the candidates were called in. “Good luck,” he said and kissed her on the cheek. He watched her enter then got out his phone. ‘She has just gone in,’ he texted. Moments later JD was by his side.
“You don’t feel comfortable doing this, do you?”
“No,” Craig said. “I feel like I’m betraying her.”
“Don’t worry. She won’t find out and if by some miracle she does, I’ll make it clear that I made you do this against your will.”
“That’s not exactly the truth.”
JD shrugged his shoulders. “Close enough.”
Craig led him up to the viewing gallery. From where Sarah was seated, she wouldn’t be able to see them until she was called onto the grading floor.
JD watched in fascination as those who were lower grades than Sarah went through their moves. Critical thoughts ran through his mind, but he kept them to himself. After all, these were amateurs.
Then the examiner announced the next grade and began calling out names. As soon as Sarah’s name rang out he stepped back, making sure he still had a good view of the floor below without her being able to see him.
She glanced up, spotted Craig and winked at him. She looked calm and relaxed.
Throughout her entire grading, JD’s eyes never left her. She looked good. She looked very good. She did everything perfectly. He could not have been more proud.
“I’d better go,” he said to Craig as soon as she had finished. “She was amazing, wasn’t she.”
He slipped out of the room and headed home, arriving there a long time before Craig and Sarah.
As soon as the last person had completed their grading, the examiner gave a speech. He commented on the overall performance of the group, their effort, their technical ability and their passion. Then he announced that everyone had passed. Before allowing them to leave, as usual, he selected three people for special mention. The last was Sarah. He said that the difference in her performance that day compared to her last grading was incredible and that she put on the best display. Craig sent a text to JD to let him know then went outside to wait for Sarah.
As soon as the group photos were finished, Sarah
ran out and jumped into Craig’s outstretched arms.
“Well done,” he said as he put her down. “You deserved that. You looked great.”
“Thanks,” she said. “Where’s Jason?”
Craig froze. “How do you know he was here?”
“I know him better than you think. He’s a lawyer. He looks for loopholes in everything and he avoided telling me he wouldn’t come. Translation: he had every intention of turning up.”
“He left as soon as you had finished.”
“Come on,” Sarah said, taking him by the hand. “Let’s get home so we can give the others the good news.”
Craig drove Sarah to her house so she could get showered and changed before going to the Sanctuary. He had already phoned through the news so everyone was there to congratulate her when she walked through the door, even Doc and Silvia. JD wasn’t around and as soon as she could, Sarah went to find him.
He was in his office. The door was open so she walked in. “I heard you passed,” he said when he heard her enter.
“Don’t give me that crap. I know you were there.”
“You did everything perfectly. Well done. You should be proud of yourself.”
“I am,” she said. “But it’s mainly down to you and the others. Any chance you can help me out again next time?”
“Of course. Just let me know when.”
“But you won’t be coming to any more gradings. I need you to promise me that.”
She wasn’t joking and, as he had satisfied his curiosity, he gave her his word he wouldn’t go again without her permission. She was curious as to why he added that last bit as she never had any intention of inviting him, but all he said was, “We shall see.”
“We’ll be going out to dinner shortly. You are coming with us, aren’t you?”
He shook his head. “I can’t.”
“Surely you can take a couple of hours off work.” She sounded like she really wanted him there and he wished he could join her, but it would be wrong.
“I am your trainer and, as such, there’s a line I cannot cross, not if I want to maintain my authority over you. I hope you understand that.”
Sarah nodded. She did; she just wished things could be different. “One thing before I go,” she said as she stood up. “Do not even think about making fun of my uniform. I know the flared trousers look stupid but they’re what I have to wear.”
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