It was about three days later when Lark left the hospital on crutches. She
hobbled out with Terry walking beside her, carrying her things.
"Careful done the steps." He said when they got outside.
"I'm fine." She said. They had gone down about three steps when one of Lark's crutches slipped from her grip and crashed to the pavement. Lark nearly fell with it, but Terry put an arm out and supported her in time. "Damn." She said. "I thought I was getting used to those damn things."
"Don't worry." Terry said. He rushed down the steps and threw her belongings and crutch into his waiting car. The he returned up the steps to her.
"Thanks." She said, putting out an arm so that he could support he on the way down. To her surprise he didn't take it. Instead he scooped her into his arms and carried her down the steps. Lark laughed. "Stop it Terry. I can walk you know."
"I know, I'm just making sure that you don't fall." Terry said, placing her gently into the front seat. He ran around to the driver's seat and got in.
"Thanks for coming to pick me up, in more ways than one." Lark said. "I didn't fancy walking home on crutches. Do you know how hard they are to work?"
"It's no problem." Terry said. Lark sat back and sighed, glad to be out of the hospital. She didn't notice that Terry wasn't taking her back to the hostel where she had been staying for the past few months.
"Hey, where are we going?" She asked finally, when she realised that they weren't going the way she had expected.
"Home." Terry said, pulling into the grounds of Wayne Manor.
"Home?" Lark asked. Terry got out and helped her out of the car. Hung on the front of the house was a sign saying 'Welcome Home Lark' and underneath it stood Bruce Wayne.
"Come on!" Terry said excitedly, handing Lark her crutches.
"But." Lark protested.
"Welcome home Lark." Bruce walked down the front steps to greet her. "I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of moving your things over here."
Lark looked at Bruce questioningly.
"I hope that you will accept this as your new home, with your grandfather." Bruce said. Lark felt tears well up in her eyes. She only nodded and flung herself into Bruce's arms, hugging him tightly. Bruce looked surprised before hugging her back.
Terry smiled and picked up Lark's things from the car. Silently he took them upstairs to the room that had been designated as Lark's. It was huge, with an en-suite bathroom, king size bed, television, computer, furnishings and a balcony that overlooked the rare but beautiful countryside around Gotham.
He placed her things on her bed, having to move countless balloons and gifts to do so. He was just opening the windows to let some fresh, summer air in when Lark hobbled in with Bruce.
"It's beautiful!" She exclaimed. "Thank you so much." She hugged Bruce again. "And all these balloons!"
"There are some presents for you too." Bruce said. "But they can wait until after lunch. Will you stay for lunch Terry?"
"If you'll let me." Terry said. Bruce smiled and left them. "So do you like this surprise?" Terry asked Lark.
"I do." She replied. "I take it you have something to do with this?"
"Me? No, I only showed Bruce where you lived. He was so shocked that you are practically unsupervised and he wanted to do something for you, he suggested that you move in here. I told him that you would." Terry replied.
"Thank you." Lark hugged Terry. "For everything. You've been an amazing friend through everything. We got off to a bit of a rocky start what with the argument between you and Dana. Anyway, I'm glad I've got you as a friend."
Terry smiled. "Come on, let's get some food." He said, helping Lark downstairs. They entered the dining room that was bedecked with more balloons, and filled with people.
"Surprise!" They all shouted.
"Oh my goodness!" Lark gasped.
"This part took some persuasion on my part." Terry whispered. "Bruce doesn't often welcome guests."
Lark smiled even more as the entire cast of the play and her friends from school came over and hugged her, giving her presents and welcoming words. Everyone had heard of her heroism in trying to save everyone backstage and of her confrontation with Miss McCracken.
"Thanks." Stuart said.
"Well done girl!" Max appeared from among the crowd.
"Hi Lark." Dana said, stepping out. Her arm was still bandaged.
"Hello Dana." Lark said, hugging her. "We make quite a pair don't we?"
"Do you?" Dana asked, looking at Lark and Terry.
"I meant you and I." Lark said quickly. "Look at all our bandages!"
"Yeah, the bandages." Dana said half heartedly before allowing herself to be pushed aside by other people. Finally Lark was steered over to the table where she sat on Bruce's right.
"Thank you so much for all this. I really appreciate it." Lark said, squeezing Bruce's hand under the table.
"Anything for my granddaughter's first day home." Bruce said. For the day anyway, he had cast aside his recluse ways. There was no doubt in Lark's mind that as soon as everyone left Bruce would be back to his old, quiet self. But for now she enjoyed the fact that the business entertainer and host had emerged, however briefly.
It appeared that Bruce's cook had prepared all of Lark's favourite foods. Pizza, noodles, and lots of chocolates and cakes weighed down the table as everyone sat down and tucked in. Lark saw Terry talking to Dana, but she seemed more interested in talking to Stuart. Lark sighed, she didn't want to come between Terry and Dana.
It was late when the last person left the mansion, leaving Lark and Bruce alone.
"Thank you." She said again as they sat down in the living room.
"I have one more thing to give you." Bruce said. He handed her a box. "Your actions over the past few months prompted me to think about doing this, but when I heard about your 'escapades' backstage, trying to save everyone including myself. Well, that convinced my to do it. I finished it while you were in hospital."
Lark opened the box to find her Phoenix costume. But something about it was different.
"It has a few minor adjustments." Bruce said. "A few added features. I thought you might like a flamethrower seeing as your name is Phoenix. It's built like Batman's suit, but with a few bits added and taken away. You'll make the perfect fighting team."
"I don't understand." Lark said, running her fingers over the beautiful suit.
"All the times that you saved Terry's life and how you helped him to solve some clues made me think that you would make a good team. Your determination and bravery in the face of fire the other day convinced me that I was right. Batman needs a partner. I thought that perhaps Robin was a bit dated, but a stronger bird would be welcome." He looked at Lark. "I'm offering you the job as Batman's new sidekick."
Lark couldn't say anything; she just reached over and hugged her grandfather. "I'll make you and grandmother proud." She whispered finally.
"Careful done the steps." He said when they got outside.
"I'm fine." She said. They had gone down about three steps when one of Lark's crutches slipped from her grip and crashed to the pavement. Lark nearly fell with it, but Terry put an arm out and supported her in time. "Damn." She said. "I thought I was getting used to those damn things."
"Don't worry." Terry said. He rushed down the steps and threw her belongings and crutch into his waiting car. The he returned up the steps to her.
"Thanks." She said, putting out an arm so that he could support he on the way down. To her surprise he didn't take it. Instead he scooped her into his arms and carried her down the steps. Lark laughed. "Stop it Terry. I can walk you know."
"I know, I'm just making sure that you don't fall." Terry said, placing her gently into the front seat. He ran around to the driver's seat and got in.
"Thanks for coming to pick me up, in more ways than one." Lark said. "I didn't fancy walking home on crutches. Do you know how hard they are to work?"
"It's no problem." Terry said. Lark sat back and sighed, glad to be out of the hospital. She didn't notice that Terry wasn't taking her back to the hostel where she had been staying for the past few months.
"Hey, where are we going?" She asked finally, when she realised that they weren't going the way she had expected.
"Home." Terry said, pulling into the grounds of Wayne Manor.
"Home?" Lark asked. Terry got out and helped her out of the car. Hung on the front of the house was a sign saying 'Welcome Home Lark' and underneath it stood Bruce Wayne.
"Come on!" Terry said excitedly, handing Lark her crutches.
"But." Lark protested.
"Welcome home Lark." Bruce walked down the front steps to greet her. "I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of moving your things over here."
Lark looked at Bruce questioningly.
"I hope that you will accept this as your new home, with your grandfather." Bruce said. Lark felt tears well up in her eyes. She only nodded and flung herself into Bruce's arms, hugging him tightly. Bruce looked surprised before hugging her back.
Terry smiled and picked up Lark's things from the car. Silently he took them upstairs to the room that had been designated as Lark's. It was huge, with an en-suite bathroom, king size bed, television, computer, furnishings and a balcony that overlooked the rare but beautiful countryside around Gotham.
He placed her things on her bed, having to move countless balloons and gifts to do so. He was just opening the windows to let some fresh, summer air in when Lark hobbled in with Bruce.
"It's beautiful!" She exclaimed. "Thank you so much." She hugged Bruce again. "And all these balloons!"
"There are some presents for you too." Bruce said. "But they can wait until after lunch. Will you stay for lunch Terry?"
"If you'll let me." Terry said. Bruce smiled and left them. "So do you like this surprise?" Terry asked Lark.
"I do." She replied. "I take it you have something to do with this?"
"Me? No, I only showed Bruce where you lived. He was so shocked that you are practically unsupervised and he wanted to do something for you, he suggested that you move in here. I told him that you would." Terry replied.
"Thank you." Lark hugged Terry. "For everything. You've been an amazing friend through everything. We got off to a bit of a rocky start what with the argument between you and Dana. Anyway, I'm glad I've got you as a friend."
Terry smiled. "Come on, let's get some food." He said, helping Lark downstairs. They entered the dining room that was bedecked with more balloons, and filled with people.
"Surprise!" They all shouted.
"Oh my goodness!" Lark gasped.
"This part took some persuasion on my part." Terry whispered. "Bruce doesn't often welcome guests."
Lark smiled even more as the entire cast of the play and her friends from school came over and hugged her, giving her presents and welcoming words. Everyone had heard of her heroism in trying to save everyone backstage and of her confrontation with Miss McCracken.
"Thanks." Stuart said.
"Well done girl!" Max appeared from among the crowd.
"Hi Lark." Dana said, stepping out. Her arm was still bandaged.
"Hello Dana." Lark said, hugging her. "We make quite a pair don't we?"
"Do you?" Dana asked, looking at Lark and Terry.
"I meant you and I." Lark said quickly. "Look at all our bandages!"
"Yeah, the bandages." Dana said half heartedly before allowing herself to be pushed aside by other people. Finally Lark was steered over to the table where she sat on Bruce's right.
"Thank you so much for all this. I really appreciate it." Lark said, squeezing Bruce's hand under the table.
"Anything for my granddaughter's first day home." Bruce said. For the day anyway, he had cast aside his recluse ways. There was no doubt in Lark's mind that as soon as everyone left Bruce would be back to his old, quiet self. But for now she enjoyed the fact that the business entertainer and host had emerged, however briefly.
It appeared that Bruce's cook had prepared all of Lark's favourite foods. Pizza, noodles, and lots of chocolates and cakes weighed down the table as everyone sat down and tucked in. Lark saw Terry talking to Dana, but she seemed more interested in talking to Stuart. Lark sighed, she didn't want to come between Terry and Dana.
It was late when the last person left the mansion, leaving Lark and Bruce alone.
"Thank you." She said again as they sat down in the living room.
"I have one more thing to give you." Bruce said. He handed her a box. "Your actions over the past few months prompted me to think about doing this, but when I heard about your 'escapades' backstage, trying to save everyone including myself. Well, that convinced my to do it. I finished it while you were in hospital."
Lark opened the box to find her Phoenix costume. But something about it was different.
"It has a few minor adjustments." Bruce said. "A few added features. I thought you might like a flamethrower seeing as your name is Phoenix. It's built like Batman's suit, but with a few bits added and taken away. You'll make the perfect fighting team."
"I don't understand." Lark said, running her fingers over the beautiful suit.
"All the times that you saved Terry's life and how you helped him to solve some clues made me think that you would make a good team. Your determination and bravery in the face of fire the other day convinced me that I was right. Batman needs a partner. I thought that perhaps Robin was a bit dated, but a stronger bird would be welcome." He looked at Lark. "I'm offering you the job as Batman's new sidekick."
Lark couldn't say anything; she just reached over and hugged her grandfather. "I'll make you and grandmother proud." She whispered finally.
