Dick Grayson was not a morning person. Even when he didn't go on night patrol with Bruce, he always woke up tired and groggy.
So it was not uncommon that Alfred watched as Dick sat at the kitchen table looking like he was about to fall asleep in his cereal bowl. However, as Alfred reached for his morning cup of tea, Dick sat up with a start, his eyes growing wide.
Confused, the butler turned around to see Harley Quinn had come downstairs. In the week since she had been in the Wayne household, he had only seen her once before, when Bruce was taking her upstairs to one of the many spare bedrooms. Then, she had been covered with dirt from head to toe, wearing nothing but her jester costume, emaciated and injured.
Now, thanks to the nutrition supplements Bruce had been giving her, she looked strong and healthy. When clean, her ivory skin was bright and seemed to glow from within. Her blonde hair, untangled and trimmed, hung in two braids down her back. She wore a simple blue dress with black shoes. She was very pretty, save for the frown on her face.
"What're you lookin' at Grayson?" she snapped, smirking as the teenage crime fighter blushed and closed his mouth which had been hanging wide open.
Smiling, Alfred stood and pulled out a chair for her. "Good morning Miss Quinzel." He said cheerily. She waves him off. "It's just Harley, thanks." She replied, though her snarky tone left a little something to be desired. He knew that the young lady had a very difficult past, but as Bruce had told him, she seemed willing to behave, though it would take considerable effort from both parties to get her fully adapted to her new life.
"Morning everyone." Bruce said evenly, walking into the kitchen, dressed in a sharp looking suit as always.
"Morning Bruce!" Dick called cheerily. Bruce smiled and sat down to breakfast. He glanced toward Harley and noticed her empty plate. "Not hungry Harley?" She shook her head, keeping her gaze on her lap.
"You should eat something. It's a long time until lunch."
"Yeah Harley, you've got to have energy." Dick injected.
Harley glared at him. "I've survived gangs, robbers, and psychotic mass murders. What could be that bad?" Dick and Bruce shared a look and smiled. "High school."
Bruce drove the teens to school himself that morning, pausing as he pulled into the parking lot. "Have a good day, and Harley…" he said, making the girl pause as she grabbed her bookbag. "Behave." He reminded, reiterating that there would be consequences if she did not.
Bruce smiled internally as his cell went off during an extremely boring meeting at Wayne Enterprises. He mouthed his apologies to his associates and picked up.
He listened intently for a few minutes, frowned and ended the call. "I'm sorry gentlemen, but if you will excuse me," he said as he rose to leave. "Problem, Mr. Wayne?" his chief executive asked. He nodded. "Teenagers."
When he got to Gotham High, he was not surprised to find Harley Quinn waiting for him in the Principal's office. He sighed, sitting in a chair beside the very despondent young girl. "Mr. Andrews. It's good to see you, although I wish it was under better circumstances."
The principal nodded. "Harley, would you like to explain what happened to Mr. Wayne?"
She shook her head, eyes glued to the floor, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
The principal sighed in exasperation. "Miss Quinzel was involved in an altercation with another student in the cafeteria this morning."
Bruce's eyes widened as he turned to his stubborn charge. "Fighting Harley? On your first day? Really?" Her head snapped up to face him. "It was an accident I swear! I was just trying to get my tray and this bitch tripped me! I hadta defend myself, I just hadta!"
Bruce took a deep breath. "Harlene Quinzel." He said, his voice carrying the same deadly edge as his Batman voice. "First of all, you will apologize to Mr. Andrews for your behavior. Secondly, you are going to apologize to the girl you fought. And thirdly, if you do not watch your language, you are going to be spending a lot of time with me and a bar of soap. Do you understand?"
"But Bruce!"
"Do. You. Understand. Me?" He growled. Harley hung her head and nodded, deliberately avoiding his gaze.
"As per school policy, Harley is suspended for the next three days. But I hope that she will be able to return to us and have an excellent career here at Gotham High." Mr. Andrews said solemnly.
Bruce nodded and stood to leave. "Come on Harley, it's time to go home." She frowned and followed behind Bruce, her head still hung, her eyes brimming with tears.
In the car, the vivacious, attitude filled teen was dead silent in the back seat of the car. When Bruce looked in the rearview mirror, he saw that she was trembling, almost shaking with fear. He sighed. "It's okay Harley. It's alright. I am disappointed in you for fighting, but I understand that sending you back to school right away might not have been the best idea."
"I'm sorry Bruce. I didn't mean to let you down." She said mournfully.
He nodded understandingly. "I know sweetheart. But if you ever want to work with Dick and I, you must go to school. That's the rule."
Her gaze dropped back to her lap. "Dammit." He groaned. "And watch. your. language." He scolded. I'm going to need more soap.