As the days passed, Natalia continued her work at Wayne Enterprises, excusing herself from the activities of the group. Bruce had tried to convince her it would be okay, but she'd waved off his concerns, reminding him that she wasn't a teammate, just the administrative assistant. He'd stopped after some time, and she'd continued on as though nothing had happened. Diana and Bruce were really the only people she saw, since they both spent time around the Tower during the day. Her nights were spent at home, watching whatever happened to be on in sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt from college. On just such a night, a knock sounded on her door, and she hesitated. The team wasn't meeting tonight due to some charity event Bruce had to attend, so it could honestly be anyone. She opened the door, surprised to see Arthur on the other side with a backpack.

"Um, hello Arthur." He was giving her the smirk she'd come to expect from him as he leaned against the door frame. He nearly filled the entire doorway with his size, and she tucked her hair behind her ear self-consciously.

"Hey. You haven't been at the meetings lately." He arched a brow as she shrugged.

"Yeah, I haven't really been needed. Bruce takes care of most of the details now, and asks me for help during the day." He nodded slowly, seeming to really think over her words.

"Mind if I come in?" She hesitated before nodding, standing aside as he strode in. He deposited his bag gently onto the coffee table and settled onto her couch, stretching out a bit. She shut the door, moving to stand just in front of him. It had been so long since she had guests, she wasn't quite sure what to do. His smirk grew as he rummaged in his backpack, pulling out a bottle of wine and take out. "Got some forks and glasses?" Relieved, she nodded and hurried to grab them, returning quickly. He shifted on the couch to make room for her. She kept a bit of distance between them, handing him the glasses and setting the forks down. He unpacked what looked to be Italian, and the smell made her mouth water. He served her first, waiting until she'd taken her first bite before worrying about himself.

"This is really good, Arthur." She began to eat in earnest, surprised at how hungry she was. He gave a low rumble of a chuckle, eating his own food. The TV played in the background quietly, adding a strange but comfortable ambiance to their dinner. Natalia waited until she was nearly finished with her food to speak. "So, can I ask why you came over? Did you need something?" He took another bite, chewing slowly before finishing and setting his food down.

"You haven't been around much lately." It wasn't a question, and so she stayed quiet to see if he would answer hers. "Any reason you would avoid us? Besides, you know, that Kent guy." She dropped her gaze, poking at the food in her lap. It sounded so stupid out loud, that she'd been avoiding the reporter. Natalia wasn't fond of going in to have him treat her like some sort of bomb ready to go off at any moment. There was a few moments of silence between them before Arthur chuckled. "I know it's probably not in your nature, but maybe you should stand up to the guy. Wayne and Diana try, but nothing seems to take him down at all. He deserves a bit of a fall from grace." She gave a small smile, raising her gaze just a bit. He was giving her a small smile.

"I suppose I could try. If only to help the others, of course." Arthur gave a knowing look and a nod, standing and collecting the dishes. Waving off her protests, he took them to the kitchen, and she heard the distinct sound of water running. It felt weird, letting a guest do her dishes, but outside of physically forcing him away, there wasn't much Natalia could do. He finished quickly, coming back around and pulling her to her feet. To her surprise, he gave her a gentle hug and a pat on the head, before gathering his things and leaving. Natalia was left to think about not only their conversation, but his strange actions. Shaking herself, she made her way to bed, knowing she'd likely be going into their late meetings the next day.

"Miss Steele, could you please make arrangements for dinner tonight?" Bruce kept up appearances at the office, not that it mattered to her. Her stomach flipped with nerves over dealing with Clark that night, and what he might say or do. Bruce seemed to notice her distraction, moving to shut the door. "Natalia, are you alright? Has something happened?" She looked up in surprise, shaking her head quickly.

"No, nothing. I just...I was hoping I may rejoin your little...group, starting tonight." He was already nodding slowly, seeming to think it over.

"I don't see why not. Are you sure?" She gave a quick nod, and she could swear she saw relief in his gaze. A part of her wondered if Clark was being more trouble than Arthur had let on. "Great. We'll see you tonight, then. Will you be able to find the new place?"

"I don't know if it would be wise for me to just take a cab." Bruce gave a wry smirk, nodding.

"A fair point. I'll bring you with me after work. You'll just be a bit early." She nodded again, hesitating. "Was there something else?"

"May I take an extended lunch to go home and grab extra clothes? I don't much want to stay in work clothes tonight." He agreed, and she hurried off to complete her morning tasks early and get home. The day passed quickly, and all too soon she was sliding into Bruce's passenger seat, having changed into dark jeans, a simple tee, and boots. He sped off out of Gotham entirely, and Natalia realized she hadn't known just how far out they had put their base of operations. It was nearly twenty minutes before he pulled into what appeared to be an underground parking garage. Leading her inside, she looked around the new facility, smiling at how crisp and modern it was. There was a lab, a living area, a rather large computer, and a secondary garage. So far, the only vehicle she could see was the Batmobile, but she didn't know just how many would end up in there.

"Natalia, I wanted to ask you something before the rest of them showed up." She looked up at her friend. "Would you like to join the team? As a permanent member?" Her eyes widened and she took a moment to think about the offer.

"I'm not really a hero, though." Bruce gave a chuckle, shaking his head and guiding her to another part of the room. Lights came on as they approached, and she found versions of everyone's uniforms on mannequins. There was an extra one, modeled not too differently from Bruce's, that seemed to be in her size. She looked up at him in shock to see him smirking down at her.

"Better late than never, wouldn't you say?" Turning back to the uniform, she took in the details. There were small details done in purple, and she felt touched that he would go to such trouble.

"Did Lucius do this?"

"Yes. When I explained it to him, he seemed pretty eager to help." She spun and hugged her friend, not surprised when he hesitated before returning the gesture. "Should I take that as a yes?"

"I'd be happy to join." Pulling away, she couldn't stop smiling for the pride she felt. "I'll make you proud, Bruce."

"I know you will." He ruffled her hair and led her back to the main area, and as people filed in she fell back into the routine of bringing coffee and what snacks she found. Barry and Diana seemed happy to have her back, though Clark mostly ignored her. Arthur was late, true to form, but gave her a smile when he arrived. As Bruce announced her introduction into the team, everyone congratulated her, before they all got down to business.