On the outside, it looked like any other house on the skirts of the Gotham City. Painted plain white and modestly maintained, with a small porch for welcomed guests. Mrs. Clarke was tapping her foot impatiently on the very same porch as she waited for Carly and Bruce to join her. Carly gripped Bruce's hand tightly. She was not prepared to endure the cold gaze of Emilia Clarke, nor was she prepared for whatever awaited them inside the house.

Carly adjusted the shoulder strap of her purse where a familiar elephant was resting quietly. She thought about how excited Dick was going to be to see Elinore again. For fairness, children in group homes weren't allowed to have personal effects like special toys or brand name clothing. It promoted superiority and fighting. Carly and Bruce followed Emilia into a small kitchen that had seen better days. The dated wallpaper was peeling and the wobbly wooden table displayed several large scratches and scrapes. She inhaled a sharp breath as she forced down her childhood memories of places like this.

Bruce continued to hold her hand as they each claimed a seat at the table. She picked a spot on the wall and decided to study the wallpaper pattern in great detail. He, on the other hand, was attempting to memorize as much of the house as possible. The yellowing refrigerator, the rickety chairs, the stern looks of the other children they had passed on their way by. Mrs. Clarke returned at last, guiding Dick by his shoulders.

The first thing Carly notices was his smile. The way his whole face lit up when he saw the couple sitting at the table waiting for him. The first thing Bruce noticed was the dark cemi-circle just under the boy's left eye. It was unmistakably a bruise. Then he saw Dick's smile and decided not to mention the wound, for the moment. Carly's eyes trailed up from Dick's smile and stopped at the horrifying bruise forming just above his cheek. Her throat felt constricted and her mouth suddenly dry. He hadn't had the bruise yesterday when they left him in the care of Emilia Clarke. Unable to speak, she squeezed Bruce's hand.

"I know, I see it." He whispered, barely audible. "Later." All of this transpired within a matter of seconds, not even long enough for Dick to notice. He was still beaming excitedly when he sat down next to Carly.

"They said I had visitors and I thought it was a mistake. I'm so glad it's you!" He looked down at the table. "I was worried you wouldn't want to see me anymore."

"Dick, that couldn't be further from the truth." Bruce smiled and only Carly could tell it was forced.

"We meant what we said. We want you to live with us. As long as you'll have us. And we brought someone else with us." Carly reached into her purse and pulled out Elinore. "I've been taking very good care of her." She promised. "She has a tiger friend to keep her company."

Dick cradled his elephant as Carly showed him a slideshow of photos on her cellphone that she and Alfred had taken just for this occasion. Pictures of Elinore and the tiger eating a leftover birthday cupcake, standing next to a sink full of bubbles getting ready to "take a Bath" and even sliding down the main staircase's banister. Dick was old enough to know that Carly had posed the stuffed animals herself, but he appreciated the effort she has put into doing something like this for him. After the night he had been through, it was nice to remember that anyone still cared about him.

"Thank you." He said with a wavering smile. "She says that she's enjoyed being with you."

"I'm sure she'll like it more when you can join us." Carly set her phone down on the table and looked up at Emilia who was standing in the doorway. "How soon will that be, exactly?"

"As I explained yesterday, Ms. Rogers, the background checks alone take roughly two weeks. During those two weeks Mr. Greyson will reside here, where you are welcome to supervised visits on Mondays and Fridays. Your home will need to be inspected and approved and all of this must happen before we move forward. Have either of you filled out the forms for the background check?" She sighed.

"I have them both here and one for our butler as well, just as you requested." Bruce slid the stack of documents over to the social worker. She nodded encouragingly as she looked them over.

"This is an important first step. How soon these are processed, is up to the police." Mrs. Clarke managed a small smile. "The next thing will be to preparing for your home inspection. I would start with the small list of things we discussed Mr. Wayne. And once those are taken care of, you can give my office a call to arrange the first inspection. I know this process seems extensive, but all we are trying to do is make sure that Mr. Greyson is given a safe place to live until a more permanent home can be found for him."

"I'm glad you brought that up." Bruce chimed in. He released Carly's hand and splayed his fingers on the table. A telltale sign that he was not pleased. "What happened to his eye? He didn't have that bruise yesterday." Mrs. Clarke sighed as if she knew this would come up in their conversation eventually.

"I'm told it's a sort of initiation ritual for the boys here in the home. It is a onetime occurrence, and the guilty parties have been dealt with. Unfortunately, situations like this happen when there are fourteen children living in one home. That is was Foster parenting is so important." She explained.

"Fourteen?" Carly repeated. She felt a fire rising in her chest. The house was an average size at best, there was certainly not enough room for fourteen children to learn, live and grown properly. Bruce could sense his fiancé's ire mounting. He placed a hand on her knee and looked into her seafoam eyes.

"Darling, we only have a limited amount of time with Dick. And we won't be able to come back until Friday." He reminded her. "So let's not spoil what little time we have."

"You're right." Carly agreed. "The paint is peeling in the room we've chosen for you." She told Dick. "We'll have to repaint it. Do you have a favorite color in mind?"

"I like red and blue." He said almost immediately. "Just like Superman!"

"Do you like Superman?" Carly asked Dick, giving Bruce a sly grin. If she didn't know any better, she'd say the billionaire was pouting.

"Yeah! Superman's the best!" Dick began to talk animatedly about how great Superman was. Carly let the boy go on for what Bruce considered too long before she started talking to him about Gotham's own hero, Batman.

"Yeah Batman's alright." Dick shrugged. "But he can't fly like Superman or run really fast like The Flash." This led to a lengthy discussion that grew to include the other Justice League members with Bruce even jumping in for a fact or two. Before they realized it, it was well past six o'clock and Bruce and Carly were being hastily rushed out the door so that the children could begin their dinner. Carly pulled Dick into a tight good-bye hug with Elinore tucked under her arm. Bruce offered a handshake and gentle pat on the back and then the couple were sitting in their car staring at the house from the outside in.


A/N: Maple Sparks, ha ha nope not dead! just on a hiatus looking for inspiration! (which I found thankfully!) I hope you are feeling better or at the very least that this Chapter brightens your day! I'll be back with an update as soon as I can!