"I'm back." Batman called as he jumped out of the Batmobile and walked towards Bruce in the Batcave.

"I noticed." Bruce replied. "So what.?" He didn't get time to finish his sentence because at that moment the computer began to flash a warning sign. "We have an uninvited guest." Bruce said.

"But how?" Batman asked. Bruce pointed to the Batmobile. One of the hatches was opening and a woman dressed in red stepped out. She wore a tight red cat suit and a mask obscuring her face.

"I'll get her." Batman said, he flew over to where she was standing.

"Nice set of wheels." The woman said. "Shame about the passenger compartment though."

"It's not built for two." Batman growled.

"Shame." She replied. "Thanks for the ride though." Batman lunged at her but she just jumped out of the way and stood, looking at him. "Now is that anyway to treat me after all I've done for you?"

"I owe you nothing." He snarled, jumping at her again. But yet again she jumped out of the way.

"Really, then you don't want me to save your butt anymore?" She asked.

"Hold on Batman." Bruce walked over. "Explain yourself." He said to the woman.

"Like I said, I've been helping him when he needs it." She said.

"Prove it." Batman said.

"Last week at the old hospital. You got gassed and I moved you and that guy before the whole place could collapse on you. The next evening I locked the doors at the bank so that the robbers couldn't escape. The other evening I stopped a Joker from hitting you round the head with a steel pole." She said.

"I think we've found your guardian angel." Bruce said to Batman.

"Who are you?" Batman asked.

"My name is Phoenix." She replied. "Of course I know who you are, Terry McGinnis."

Bruce and Terry gasped. "How do you know?" Terry asked.

"I'm right aren't I?" She said. Terry pulled of his mask and nodded. "I though so."

"And what interest do you have in Terry?" Bruce asked. Phoenix turned to him.

"Actually, Terry was just the final link. I was really interested in you, Bruce Wayne. The original Batman."

Terry stepped in front of Bruce. "Who are you, how do you know all this? And what interest do you have in Bruce?"

"I'm glad to see you are looking after him." Phoenix said.

"I don't need looking after." Bruce replied irritably. "And as you know Batman's true identity it's only right that we know yours."

"I was going to tell you anyway, if I have to explain myself." Phoenix turned her face away and pulled the mask off her face. Blonde hair fell to her shoulders and she turned back around to face the two men. "Surprised?" She asked.

"Lark?" Terry asked, shocked. "What on Earth?"

"You know this girl?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah, she's a friend from school. And my inside agent on this Dracula's Nemesis case." Terry replied. "But why? And how did you know it was me?"

"This is going to take a lot of explaining." Lark said. She went over to the Batmobile and pulled out her backpack. "I hope you two have an hour or so to spare."

"Both of you get changed." Bruce said. "Then meet me in the manor."

Terry and Lark went behind so screens to change into normal clothes. "So, were you surprised?" She asked him. They couldn't see each other, but they were still able to talk.

"Stunned is more like it." Terry replied.

They finished changing and Terry led Lark up some rickety stairs and into the living room. Bruce was seated by the fire. Terry and Lark took two chairs opposite him and Bruce looked at Lark. "Explain yourself." He said finally.

"It's a long story. But I guess it begins when my father died nearly nine years ago. Actually I'm surprised you weren't at the funeral." She said to Bruce.

"Why should I go to your father's funeral?" Bruce asked. "I don't know the man."

"That doesn't matter. But it hurt that you didn't come to my grandmother's funeral. She would have wanted you there." Lark continued.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Bruce said. "Why should I go to the funerals of people I don't know?

"But you did know them. Well, you knew my grandmother anyway. Alicia Robertson." Lark explained.

"Alicia?" Bruce face softened. "She is dead?"

"Didn't you know?" Lark asked.

"We lost touch after she moved away." Bruce said. "So she married and had a son I take it."

"She never married." Lark said. Suddenly something dawned on her. "Oh my goodness, she never told you?"

"Told me what?" Bruce asked.

"But you two were so close, I can't believe she wouldn't tell you something like that." Lark said, taken aback.

"Will someone explain this to me?" Terry asked.

"Alicia Robertson and I were friends when I was younger, when I was Batman." Bruce replied. "We were more than friends. She knew that I was Batman, and she was always there to cover for me. Except we became lovers and were engaged to be married. After one argument she handed back the ring and left. I never saw her or spoke to her again after that."

"I can't believe she didn't tell you." Lark shook her head. "And all these years I just thought you were a callous man who didn't want to accept the truth."

"What truth?" Bruce asked.

"Alicia had a son. About seven months after she left you. You were the father." Lark said.

Bruce sat there, stunned. "She was pregnant? She never told me."

"She only found out after you separated. She was too proud to come crawling back to you." Lark looked down. "She never stopped loving you though." Bruce stared into the fire, not saying a word. "She called him Robin." Lark added.

"Whoa!" Terry interrupted again. "So you are telling me that Bruce had a son?"

"Had a son." Lark corrected.

"Which makes you his granddaughter?" Terry asked.

"It does." Bruce replied. "I never knew. I'm so sorry about Alicia. How.?"

"She suffered a stroke. The doctors couldn't do anything for her." Lark said, anticipating his question.

"And.my son?" Bruce asked, swallowing before saying the word, son.

"A horse on our ranch threw him when he was riding one day. He broke his neck." Lark fought back tears at the memories of her father. "He was a wonderful man. And the resemblance between you two is uncanny." She glanced at a photograph of a young Bruce on the mantelpiece. "You would have been proud of such a wonderful son."

For a few minutes they didn't speak. Then Bruce finally asked. "So how did you know all this?"

"Guess work mainly. My grandmother sent me a letter that I only received after she died. She also got me that costume for Phoenix. She knew that I was interested in my heritage, especially my roots in Gotham. I suppose she knew that when I found out who you were I would want to find you, and she knew the only way that I could do that was to become Phoenix." Lark smiled.

"Alicia was a wonderful woman." Bruce sighed. "Extremely clever too."

"She knew that I wouldn't tell anyone your secret. She and I have similar personalities like that." Lark said. "She told me that you were Batman and explained how I could get to meet you. She also knew that you would never truly hang up your cape. That's where Terry comes in."

"How did you figure out that I was Batman?" Terry asked.

"Through Dana." Seeing Terry's shocked face Lark added, "Don't worry, she doesn't know. But when she told me that you spend a lot of time working for Bruce Wayne I put two and two together and luckily I came up with four. I guessed that the reason you missed so many dates and always looked tired was because you were Batman."

"Looks like she inherited a sleuths nose from her grandfather." Terry said.

"This is the letter that she gave me." Lark handed the note from her grandmother that had been attached to the package containing her costume to Bruce. "It will explain everything."

Bruce read it and nodded. "I believe you."

The sat in silence for a bit longer. Finally Lark spoke, standing up as she did so. "Look, I know this is a bit of a shock to you. Finding out that you have a family after all these years. I completely understand if you don't want anything to do with me. You have a substitute grandson and I think he fills your shoes, or rather Batman's, better than I could." She looked at Terry.

"I completely understand if you don't want anything to do with me at all. I'll give you time to think this over." She walked over to the door. "I'll show myself out. See you later Terry."

She left. Terry sat staring at Bruce. "Aren't you going to go after her? She's your granddaughter. You have a family! You had a son!"

"Go home McGinnis." Bruce said. "I have to think things over."

Terry got up to leave. "I just think that if all you ever wanted was to have your parents back then you would at least want to give someone in a similar position a grandfather. Like you became a second father to me." Terry walked over to the door. "You should get to know her, she's an amazing person to know. She may not be as intelligent as you might want her to be, academically speaking. But she is a pretty impressive detective and an amazing sportswoman. She'd make a wonderful granddaughter."

Terry left, leaving Bruce alone with his thoughts.