A/n: I finally have a bit of action for you! (nxt chapter)I hope you like!

Chapter 6 – Surprise!

"She was asleep."

Salvatore told the others as he came down the stairs and into the huge kitchen/dining area. Whoever had built this building had gone all out, the Knights didn't even use half of it.

"You guys aren't going to be popular tomorrow!" warned Ace.

"I think we'll survive!" laughed Euphrates. "She certainly has enough spunk to be a Lightning Knight, whatever else she lacks!"

"If she does make it through, you boys may have to hold her steady for a while. Guide her down the right path, that sort of thing." Adair advised.

"If? What happened to when?" Ace sounded surprised. "After seeing how well she fights, I thought she was a ring in!"

Adair smiled at his son. "It's true she can fight, but there's more to being a Lightning Knight than just fighting, Ace." he reminded him. "How do you and Randy feel about having her on your team, now that you've gotten to know her a bit?"

"I think were both comfortable with it." Ace answered for Randy, who was cooking dinner.

"I am." his voice rang out. "Unless I get in her bad books!" he laughed.

Sparx was the first one up the next morning. Instead of her jeans and top, she pulled out her old fighting outfit. It was white with a black band around the middle and almost skin-tight. She studied her reflection uncertainly. Combined with her new hairstyle it made her look like a completely different person.

"They'll hardly recognize me! Still, if it's a woman they want, it's a woman they'll get!"

Sparx demolished a huge breakfast before hitting the gym. After half an hour later she headed back to the kitchen, where everyone else was having breakfast. Her plan had been to stride in and see how long it took them to realize what she'd done, but now she hesitated. Biting her lip, she turned from the door, planing to retreat to her room, and ran straight into Ace.

"Sparx is hanging back a bit this morning." Adair had commented ten minutes earlier. "Ace, go see if she's up, will you?"

Now Ace was coming back down to report that she wasn't answering his knock when he ran into her. His mouth dropped open again, she seemed to have that effect on him quite regularly.

"What did you do to your hair?" he finally asked.

"I cut it." Sparx said flatly.

"Yeah, but . . . you look . . "

"Different?" she supplied.

"Older."

"That was kind of the plan."

There was a short silence before Ace remembered,

"Dad was looking for you, he's in the--"

"Kitchen, yeah I know."

Puzzled, Ace followed her in. She seemed very subdued.

Before Sparx had even sat down Salvatore was firing questions at her.

"What happened to your hair?! And what are you wearing? You march right back upstairs and put on something decent this instant!"

Euphrates started laughing. "You sound like her father, Sal! It's not exactly a bikini she's wearing."

Only Adair didn't seem surprised.

Remembering her resolution, Sparx bit her tongue until she could trust herself not to say anything stupid. Then she started to answer the questions.

"I simply cut it, Sir. And the clothes are to train in. I have no intention of wearing them in public."

More eyebrows went up at her respectful tone of voice.

"What brought this on, Sparx?" Adair seemed mildly amused at his friends' reactions.

"I simply decided to take this whole thing, um, that is, becoming a Lightning Knight, more seriously, and more maturely, Sir."

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to decide to do that."

"What made you so sure I would? . . .Sir."

"I guess I just knew you had it in you, if you ever took the initiative. Now my only hope is that you didn't leave it to late. Oh, and stop it with the Sirs, you're making me feel old!"

"O.K." Sparx seemed more than happy to oblige.

"Right!" said Euphrates, standing up. "Let's get to it, shall we?"

"Let's." They filed off to the gym.

Randy and Ace, left alone in the kitchen, looked at each other. Ace shook his head, and Randy smiled at him.

"I guess that girl will do anything once she puts her mind to it."

"Speaking of which, we'd better put our minds to studying."