I apologize profusely for the wait. It is difficult to write something bright and full of laughter when also writing something dark and broody. I hope you enjoy this chapter . . . I've only wrote it five times. But I have some really terrific plans for the future of this story.

Laughter preceded Dick and Elle's entrance into the kitchen. Mornings in which everyone was present at the manor were almost always informal and the couple walked in to find Tim sitting at the breakfast bar that ran across one section of the kitchen island. Alfred was standing across from Tim and pouring batter into the waffle maker.

"Good morning, Alfred, Tim," Dick greeted them with a grin.

Tim grimaced at his elder brother. "Seriously? Since when are you a morning person?" He turned with his coffee mug cradled in his hands and eyed the couple critically. He frowned. "Elle, you look like you went bargain basement shopping for boyfriends and got scammed. Did you keep your receipt? Maybe if you rush right back over you can get your money back . . ." He smiled charmingly at her. "Or trade him in for a newer model."

Elle laughed as Dick moved past Tim, flipping the younger man in the ear, on his way toward the refrigerator.

"She's out of your league, rookie," Dick smiled. And honestly, what was wrong with being comfortable in the morning if he wasn't on his way to work. If his faded and torn jeans were dirty and not merely worn out, his brother might have had a point, but they were Downy spring-fresh. His t-shirt smelled just as fresh, and had no holes for him to complain about.

Tim winced, rubbing his ear as he jumped up. He performed a gallant bow over Elle's hand. She grinned, accepting his gesture with grace, while wishing him and Alfred a good morning.

"Elle, you look amazing this morning," Tim complimented her. "Are you really into the homeless vagrant look?"

"Thank you, Tim," she said, and then threw a look at the vagrant in question. "He's kind of adorable in a scruffy sort of way, but, you know, he smells really good, and that makes up for the rest." She winked as Dick's head popped up from behind the refrigerator door.

She, unlike Dick, had dressed in a black, ribbed, mock turtleneck and gray, wool slacks with black, suede, ankle boots. Her dark hair was pulled back into a sleek, low ponytail. Dick reached between them to set two glasses down on the bar, forcing Tim to stepped back. With his newly-freed hand, Dick tugged Elle's head back by her ponytail for a kiss, and then opened the milk so he could pour it.

"Those waffles smell divine, Alfred," Elle smiled, ignoring the other two.

"Cinnamon and nutmeg waffles this morning, Miss Arabella," Alfred answered. He gestured to a platter of various fruits. "You can top it with fruit or syrup. We have several kinds to choose from. And may I add your healing abilities are quite amazing. One cannot tell to look at you that there was ever anything amiss. In fact, your skin appears quite flawless."

Elle uses a spoon to scoop blueberries into her palm, blushing. "Thank you, Alfred. Today is much better. Oh, have you seen Damian? Is he able to come down from his room?"

Alfred looked over at the table in the corner near the door. "Oh, it appears that Damian has left. He was eating when you two came in."

Elle glanced over her shoulder. There was indeed an abandoned table setting with a half-eaten waffle on it. She felt disappointment wash over her. She had wanted to see how he was. She wondered if he was embarrassed because she had needed to save him.

She had just taken a drink of her milk when the door opened and Damian came skidding to a halt. When his ears turned red, Elle was careful not to show her amusement. Her eyes immediately went to his forehead. The skin was bruised and still a bit swollen around the cut he had received yesterday.

"Damian, good morning" she greeted cheerfully. "How are you feeling?"

He stepped up to her, and seemed to be gathering his courage for something, not that he appeared afraid, but more like apprehensive. His solemn demeanor had Elle's smile fading. Whatever he was planning to say to her was obviously serious.

"I-I wanted to thank you for saving me yesterday," he began. Bright spots appeared on his apple-cheeks that matched his ears. "Father told me what you did was at great risk to yourself."

His face scrunched in confusion. "Are you really allergic to chlorine?"

She sighed. Now it was her turn to be embarrassed. "Uh, yeah. I know. It's kind of a dumb thing to be allergic to, isn't it?"

"Why did you agree to go swimming if you are allergic to the water?"

Elle winced. "That is the million dollar question, isn't it?" She looked over her shoulder at Alfred and Tim. Alfred had already heard this, but Tim was watching her intently, just as eager to learn why she would do such a stupid thing.

"I had a reaction to chlorine when I was sixteen. It took several exposures, but the reaction wasn't anything like what I had yesterday." Elle shrugged. "I was hoping that it would be like that first time, and I could swim for maybe an hour or so before I needed to get out. I really like to swim, and I haven't been able to do so for a long time, you see."

She rolled her eyes, grinning as she glanced back at Dick who was standing at her shoulder. "Our first date and saving that little girl the only exceptions, and those times were either too short or not for enjoyment. But I realized that it was going to be a problem the moment I entered the pool area yesterday. Just the chlorine in the air bothered me. That is the reason that Dick and I turned back around and walked out right away."

Damian frowned at her. "But you ran back in to save me even though you already knew you would have a reaction. Why did you do that?"

Elle blinked. She could tell this was an important question to him. Elle placed her glass on the counter and then crouched down in front of him. He was tall for an eleven year old, and her position placed his face slightly above her own. She looked up at him, biting her lip a second as she contemplated the almost unnerving sense of maturity that emanated from such a young boy. Damian was like a walking contradiction; understanding complex adult concepts, but not always having the emotional maturity it took to deal well with them.

"Because . . .," she started this slowly. She had yet to say this to Dick. It wasn't exactly how she had wanted to tell him, but that was her own fault. She should have said something yesterday, but his own declaration had stunned her. She met Damian's eyes and plowed ahead.

"Because . . .," she started again, the decision made; might as well share it with everyone at the same time. "I love your brother. And he loves you. And because you are so important to him that means that you are just as important to me. Besides, I had already decided early on that I liked you, and I hoped that we might be on our way to becoming friends."

She didn't know if anyone else noticed it, but Damian's eyes grew slightly larger as her explanation went on.

"When you fell yesterday, I was the only one that witnessed it happen. Everyone else had been distracted by the rude entrance made by my father and his bodyguards. While my father was speaking to me, I was watching you dive, so I saw when you hit your head on the diving board."

"Not only was I the closest one to you, but I was also the fastest and most powerful swimmer there. I knew that I could reach you before anyone else, and that I could shave two to three minutes off of the time you were in the water. That's a huge difference, Damian, easily one that could mean the difference between life and death."

Elle reached up and stroked his cheek; partially surprised when he allowed it. "If you had died, I would have been so, so sad. But your family, Damian, they would have been devastated. Dick would have been devastated and that would have simply shattered my heart. Saving you was not just the right thing for me to do; it was the only thing I could have done and been able to live with myself afterwards. But it is important that you understand that I wanted to save you. For Dick, yes, definitely, but it was also for me . . . because you and I are friends."

He was silent for a minute as he processed what she thought was a rather long-winded speech for an eleven year old to listen to without losing interest somewhere after the third or fourth word. He nodded, and then his blush was back as he suddenly shoved a piece of paper at her. Elle grabbed it before it could flutter to the floor and looked at it.

Oh my . . . The thought slid away as she gasped.

It was the picture! The one he had made of her Saturday in the music room; the one that she had so coveted that she had been scheming for a way to get him to give it to her. Oh God, she must be hormonal because tears sprang to her eyes, making the picture blurry. She looked up at him, smiling.

"It's beautiful," she gushed. "Is this me from Saturday?" She already knew that it was.

He nodded, looking a little concerned. He hadn't meant to make her cry. "It's not beautiful. I didn't even draw your face."

"It's perfect," she insisted, handing the picture over her head to Dick. She could hear him making some appreciative comments about it, but Elle was distracted as she threw her arms around the startled boy and drew him into a hug.

"Erp," was the sound of Damian's surprise.

The poor boy had no idea what he was supposed to do with his brother's weeping girlfriend clinging to him. The thought made Elle giggle.

"Just go with it, Damian. It'll be over that much quicker if you don't fight it," Dick suggested, unhelpfully; making Elle snort with laughter.

She leaned back, holding Damian by his shoulders. "I think this must be your first exposure to overly-emotional women. Am I right?" Elle tried to control her snickers at the wonderfully befuddled look on the boy's face.

"Uh, no?" Damian answered.

"I'll bet that you're still trying to get used to us." Elle winked at him.

Elle stood up; staggering when her blood pressure dropped and a wave of vertigo washed over her. Damian made to grab for her, as did Dick, though he was too far away as he had moved to show off Damian's artwork to Tim and Alfred. Strong arms, however, swept her up before she could fall.

"Careful," Bruce murmured as he moved to set her on a barstool. "And good morning to you, too."

Elle gaped at him, stammering a greeting in response. She hadn't even heard him enter the room! Dick was on the other side of her in an instant.

"Are you alright? Maybe you should have stayed in bed for another day," Dick said. "It's been less than twenty-four hours, you know."

"Pfft," Elle waved him off. "I just stood up too fast. A perfectly normal, if annoying circumstance. I'm completely recovered."

"Not completely," he countered, with a frown. "Your voice is still a little hoarse." He hoped that would not be permanent.

Elle cleared her throat. "Not for much longer," she assured him. She hoped she wasn't lying.

He leaned in, nuzzling her ear, and whispered. "I like it. It's kind of sexy!"

She rolled her eyes at him, but grinned. Dick seemed to have a talent for making her feel better.

Alfred handed her a plate with a fresh, steaming waffle on it and Elle made use of the fruit and whipped cream. Dick bumped Tim off of his chair, sitting down next to her as Alfred handed him his plate next.

"Hey," Tim yelped. "I was sitting there!"

Dick slid his plate further down the bar. "And now you're sitting there," he quipped, lightly.

Elle picked up her plate and drink and hopped off the stool to sit by Damian at the table. Dick and Tim grabbed their plates simultaneously and rushed to the table in an effort to sit beside her. Unfortunately, Bruce was on the other side of the one empty chair, and coolly grabbed Tim's plate before he was forced to wear it to the office. He set the plate on the other side of him, placing Tim on the other side of Damian.

"This is so not fair," he grumbled at his elder brother. "You get to sit beside her any time you want."

Dick grinned. "That's right. And I want to sit beside her now."

Elle smiled encouragingly at Damian, and the boy grudgingly scooted over to make room for Tim on the bench. Tim slides onto the bench gingerly as if he was expecting Damian to attack at the least provocation, but the younger boy ignores him. Alfred raises his eyebrows and meets Bruce's eyes as he serves him. It is the first time that the two boys had sat next to one another without one trying to stab the other with a fork. It was most impressive.

Tim had to leave after breakfast to attend class. He had a test he couldn't miss, so said his goodbyes immediately after breakfast. Damian, however, had been allowed to miss school for the day, and he stood at the back of Jaguar helping Dick put in the luggage.

Elle turned to Alfred. "You have been so patient and kind to me this weekend, Alfred. Thank you for taking care of me so well when I know I was so much trouble."

Alfred seemed pleased with her speech. "Nonsense, Miss Arabella. I am very much used to trouble in this household, and I assure you that you have been a pleasure to serve."

A rumble of vehicles caught her attention, and she turned with the others to watch a couple of vans and one large truck moving up the drive. As the newcomers neared, Elle caught sight of the company logo and gasped. Hamilton Industries! She spun around to Bruce.

"What are my father's company vehicles doing here?" If it came out as more of a demand than a question, her host gave no indication.

"I'm updating the manor," he said easily. "And the pools."

Her eyes widened in shock. "You mean . . ."

"I spoke with your father about putting in a new filtration system into the house, and changing the indoor pool from chlorine to salt water. He gave me an excellent deal," Bruce smiled, but was watching the workmen climb out of the vehicles. "I'll do the outdoor pool in the spring."

"Oh my God," Elle whispered, stunned. This was a lot of work and expense when no one in the household had her sensitivity. She was just a girlfriend of a son he saw once or twice a month. "Y-you did this . . . for me?"

"Of course," he declared, as if this were the most sensible thing in the world. "I expect you to come and visit again, and I want you to be comfortable and to feel safe while you are here, as well as have the freedom to use the pool anytime you wish."

"That . . ." Elle could barely speak around the lump in her throat. "That has to be one of the nicest, most extravagant things that anyone had ever done for me. Well, I mean, who wasn't a relative. This is a great inconvenience for you."

"Nonsense," Bruce repeated Alfred's sentiment warmly. "You make my son happy," he told her. "There is nothing inconvenient about that."

Oh, that did it. Tears of joy sprang to her eyes, and Elle threw her arms around the startled man and hugged him for all she was worth.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear. "You are wonderful!"

"Just go with it, Father. It's over that much quicker if you don't fight it," Damian's voice came from behind her.

Elle was laughing and wiping her eyes as she released Bruce. She turned to the boy who was standing nearby, almost as if he were patiently awaiting his own turn for a hug. Elle made certain she didn't disappoint. She kneeled down and wrapped Damian up in an enthusiastic hug; even going so far as to rock him a bit.

She grinned when she felt his arms slide hesitantly around her shoulders. She gave him an extra squeeze before releasing him.

"You are so adorable," she declared, ignoring his blush. "I want you to come and visit your brother over a weekend sometime. I'll plan something fun that we can all do together."

Elle slid her hand into the small backpack she was using as a purse, and pulled out a pen. Turning Damian's hand over, she wrote her cell phone and home numbers on his palm. She knew it would tickle and felt his hand twitch in hers, although he struggled to remain stoic throughout the ordeal.

"There now," she said. "You can call me anytime you like. Make sure you copy these down somewhere you won't lose them before you wash your hands again."

Damian stared at his palm, looking a little dazed. She wondered if he would have let her do this if she had asked first. She had noticed that he pretended he didn't care a lot when his eyes often begged for attention. Rather than give him a chance to blow off her offer, she had just bypassed his permission all together and forced her numbers on him. It would be up to him if he decided to wash the numbers off without writing them down elsewhere, or whether or not to actually use them to call her sometime.

When she went to stand back up, both Bruce and Dick took hold of her elbows to support her. She giggled as she thanked them for their courtesy.

"Bruce, you will have to come back to Chez Donovan's, and bring Alfred with you next time. Oh, I may even be able to arrange for you to be able to bring Tim and Damian as well. But let me check on that first. I'd hate to promise something only to have the boys turned away at the door." She looked at Dick, excited. "Maybe I could do an early show just so you can bring your family!"

"That's very generous of you," Bruce began.

"Nonsense," she told him with a smirk as she followed Dick to the car. "That is what family does for one another."

"What do you think of her now, Damian?" Bruce glanced down to see his youngest son gazing thoughtfully at the phone numbers written on his hand.

"She's very emotional," he commented. " . . . And perky," he added as an afterthought.

Bruce smiled, marveling how easily it came to his face after this weekend. "Yes, Damian," he said, agreeing with his son's assessment. "She is that."

"But all in all, not bad," he murmured, and walked back into the house.

"No, she's not bad at all," Bruce nodded.

The weekend hadn't gone entirely as planned, but at the end of it, he was satisfied. Dick was happy, and that is what mattered most, but then there was the added bonus of Damian's apparent acceptance of her. The young woman was part mermaid, but it seemed like she may have a bit of magic to her as well.

I'm still working on a couple of other stories as well, but I hope to get a chapter out regularly. I'm aiming for once a week at least, so if too much time goes by, feel free to PM me to remind me.