A/N: I own nothing you recognize.
I have never been injured to the extent that Naomi has, so I have no idea how long bruises that extensive would heal, how long it would take, what color they would turn, how long she would be in pain, so take her healing process with her injuries with a grain of salt.
I also dont' know if anyone is questioning if I am the same StoryLover23 that is posting this story over on ao3, since i posted there significantly later, but to prove it's the same author I have posted this chapter (Recovery) over on ao3 a couple days before I posted here on .
As always, thank you so much to everyone who has interacted with this story. Naomi has been in my head and heart for almost ten years now, and it's been so fulfilling to share her with the world, even if it has taken me many years, and will continue to be a labor of love as I continue writing Season 1 and beyond.
Location: Wayne Manor, Gotham City
Date: Friday, August 13, 2010
Time: 0934 EDT
Bruce tensed when he heard the patter of feet approach the kitchen and he quickly scrambled to gather up the numerous Gotham-area newspapers that were spread out in front of him. He paused, though, as he realized a) Naomi wasn't an early riser if she could help it, and b) she was still injured and wasn't moving as quickly as the footsteps that rounded the corner.
"You're not at the office," Dick stated as he entered the kitchen and spotted Bruce.
"I wanted to be around today if Naomi needed anything."
Dick's gaze landed on the newspapers that were in a half-pile beside Bruce's breakfast plate. "I've been keeping tabs of the comments online," he said grimly.
Bruce sighed heavily and flipped through the pages half-heartedly. "Given the vitriol by the professional writers, I can only imagine how bad it is online," he said as he rubbed his forehead.
"Do you think we should tell her?" Dick asked worriedly.
The silence stretched on as Bruce considered his answer. He didn't want to be dishonest, but he also didn't want to subject Naomi to the harsh comments sooner than necessary.
"No," Bruce said finally. "We can't keep her from seeing these things on her own, but I don't think we need to tell her sooner than necessary. Let her heal up without outside distractions."
Dick pursed his lips but nodded in understanding. Bruce was keeping his fingers crossed that Naomi would spend the next few days in bed and away from the internet, which would hopefully be enough time for the trolls online to grow bored and move onto their next target.
Naomi didn't come down to the kitchen until almost eleven, and by then, Bruce had carefully put away all of that day's newspapers. She found them in the breakfast nook, which she appreciated, even if it was odd to see Bruce still at the Manor so late in the day.
She was still very banged up from the dock incident. Her torso and back were ugly shades of purple and blue, and her arms and legs were infuriatingly itchy with all the scabbing that had started. Naomi had spent most of the previous day sleeping, and her body still felt like lead.
"How are you feeling, Nomi?" Dick asked, taking her crutch and setting it aside. She smiled tiredly as Alfred started on her breakfast.
"I'm okay," she said, leaning back gingerly and wincing a little as her bruises flared. "Well," she amended when Bruce and Dick raised an eyebrow at her reaction, "you know. As okay as I can be."
They continued to watch her with eagle eyes as she tried to find a comfortable sitting position. She huffed at them and rolled her eyes but finally settled into her chair.
"How did you sleep?" Bruce asked.
Naomi tried to shrug, but with the bruising on her torso, it looked more like a twitch of her shoulder. "Okay, I guess," she said. "I don't think I moved around too much, since I don't remember waking up in the middle of the night." She leaned her head against the back of the chair. "I feel alert and awake, but my body doesn't seem to be getting the memo."
"Your body is recovering from a…well, an ordeal," he replied, and Naomi rolled her eyes at him. He and Dick had been dancing around the subject, going out of their way to avoid words like trauma, beat or beaten or beating, and even incident had fallen out of use.
"I imagine you'll be fatigued for the next few days," Bruce finished.
"I can't wait until I feel like myself again," Naomi sighed, closing her eyes. Alfred placed a plate of pancakes in front of her a few minutes later, and she thanked him before starting the slow process of eating.
Dick glanced at his phone and smirked. He excused himself and disappeared, only to return a minute later with Naomi's phone in hand. He passed it to her and then typed out a quick message. A moment later, her phone buzzed.
She rolled her eyes in an attempt to keep her cheeks from reddening too much. "Seriously?" she asked. "What are you, a matchmaker now?"
Bruce's eyes narrowed slightly, earning a cackle from Dick. "What? Can't I help my two friends communicate?"
"Whatever, Bird Brain," Naomi grumbled but swiped her thumb across the phone screen all the same.
How'd you sleep?
She couldn't help the little quirk of her lip as she scoffed. Of course that was his first question, she thought even as she replied, Well enough.
Are you up for visitors?
Naomi smiled, despite the hawk-eyed gazes of Bruce and Dick. Yeah, come over!
Roy sent a smiley face and an ETA, and Naomi set aside her phone. "So, Roy's coming over."
Bruce just grunted and Dick grinned widely. Naomi rolled her eyes are them and eased away from the table. Dick was up in a flash, retrieving her crutch and helping Naomi to her feet.
"Can I get you anything?" Dick asked as Naomi pointed him in the direction of the second-floor family room.
"My laptop," she said once she settled into the comfortable and well-loved sofa. "Oh, and my books!"
"Which one?"
"The stack in my room, on the coffee table."
Dick rolled his eyes but nodded and disappeared. He appeared a few minutes later, laden with Naomi's things. She had already made a nest for herself, leaning against the arm of the sofa with her legs stretched out along the length of it. She was surrounded by pillows of all shapes and sizes and cozily enrobed with blankets. She had managed to drag the coffee table closer to her, so it was in easy reach, and Dick set her items on the shiny wooden surface.
"Thanks," she said with a smile, and she was pleased to see Dick plop down on the couch opposite hers with his own electronics.
Their quiet time was interrupted when Alfred rapped his knuckles on the open double doors of the family room. "Mister Harper, young masters."
"Thanks, Alfred!" Dick said as he raised his hand in greeting
Dick raised his hand in greeting and Naomi smiled at the redhead, struggling a little in her nest to sit up straighter. Roy sat on her couch, gently moving her legs so he could sit on the cushion closest to her. That wasn't particularly strange; Naomi liked to stretch out, and sometimes depending on the seating situation, friends were forced to make their own room.
Roy returned Naomi's legs to their stretched-out position, which also wasn't uncommon. Normally, though, whenever Roy draped Naomi's legs over his lap, he would rest one arm over the back of the sofa and the other on the sofa's arm.
This time, one arm went over the back of the couch, as usual, but his other hand rested on her shin. His touch was light, like he was aware her limbs were still a little tender from all the cuts and knicks. But the warmth of his palm seeped through the blankets and Naomi could swear she could feel it spread through her limbs and nestle in her chest.
Roy resolutely held Dick's gaze as he started up a conversation with the younger teen, but Naomi could see the pink creeping up his neck and tinting his ears. She smiled a little and turned her attention to her little brother.
Location: Wayne Manor, Gotham City
Date: Sunday, August 15, 2010
Time: 1026 EDT
Naomi had managed to wake up earlier than the previous days, and she was pleased she wasn't feeling as tired as she had before. She had managed to talk Bruce and Alfred (and Dick) that walking on the treadmill would do her some good.
She couldn't describe the feeling of being active again, even in such a minimal capacity. She had been dying to do something over the past few days, not just sitting around feeling exhausted even though she hadn't doneanything.
All that being said, she was mad at herself for not even making it thirty minutes on the treadmill. She had tapped out just sixteen minutes after starting and was now lying flat on her back on a thick yoga mat. She was faintly, annoyingly, out of breath, and her legs felt like noodles.
Beside her head, her phone started buzzing with incoming text messages. She dragged herself upright and began scrolling though the messages.
"Hey, Dick, I think we're being summoned."
He dropped from the rings and plopped beside her. She passed him her phone so he could see the screen as messages rolled in.
The texts were from their combined friend group, which consisted of the people in Gotham Academy that were, in Naomi and Dick's opinion, the only enjoyable kids of Gotham's elite: Aaron and Logan Wood, Sage Burke, Andi Byron, and Barbara Gordon. Olivia Wood and James Scott, both of whom had graduated that spring, were notably absent from this particular text chain.
"They're making plans to meet up today," Dick read as his eyes skimmed all the messages. He pulled out his own phone, and Naomi peaked over his shoulder.
"Hey, wait!" she said, snatching the phone out of his hands before he could send his message. "Don't say I'm sick! I'm fine!"
"Naomi, you were…you know…"
She rolled her eyes and erased his text from the composition box. On her own phone, she typed: Dick and I are in!
He groaned beside her. "You're not in any condition to hang out."
"I can handle a chill hang out sesh at…Andi's," she said after double-checking whose house had been selected to host.
"You move like a geriatric grandmother, and you look like you haven't slept in days."
Naomi knew he spoke the truth; her torso and back were still bruised. They had certainly faded slightly over the past three days, but given the extent of the bruising originally, that wasn't saying much. She still moved slowly due to the constant dull pain, and the mark left by the whip was still present enough to make the thigh it crossed tender.
All of that near-constant buzz of pain had made it difficult for Naomi to sleep the last four nights, as well, which had led to lots of napping from her throughout the days following her beating. Even now, she could tell she was a few hours away from dozing away on the closest soft surface she could find.
But she was stubborn and wanted to get out of the house desperately. "We can tell them I'm getting over something but am completely non-contagious!"
"Bruce, Alfred!" The two men paused in the doorway as Dick waved at them to join the teens. "Tell Naomi she can't go out today!"
She rolled her eyes and quickly corrected, "Just out with friends! They're making plans to meet at Andi's. It'll be completely calm!"
The two men studied Naomi, and she clasped her hands in front of her. "Please, I am begging you. I need to get out of this house and do something! I can practically feel myself losing muscle mass."
That earned her two raised eyebrows from Bruce and Alfred, but the butler finally said, "I don't see the problem with that plan."
"Alfred!" Dick whined.
"Thank you!" Naomi exclaimed.
Dick turned to Bruce, who was still studying Naomi apprehensively. "I think that'll be fine," he said eventually, and Naomi stuck her tongue out childishly at Dick while he slumped against the wall.
"Naomi," Bruce continued, "I've talked to Hal."
She quirked an eyebrow. "About what?"
"Training."
"Training?"
"I've been thinking about it for a while now," he went on. "And I think it's time you learn how to use your powers to their full extent." At Naomi's wide-eyed stare, he said hesitantly, "I know I have been…apprehensive about your powers, but if…it might have made a difference…"
Bruce was never at a loss for words, but as he warily eyed Naomi's exposed arms and legs, she realized he was thinking that if she had better understanding of her powers, it might have been second nature to use them, which might have saved her a lot of pain and bruises when she faced the Tigers.
"Yeah, okay," she nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
"I'll let him know and we can set a schedule."
Naomi began to gather her things when Dick suddenly put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, wait," he said. "You can't go out."
She rolled her eyes. "We've already determined everyone else thinks it's fine, so why—"
"No, I mean—look." He shook his head and pointed at her arms, which for the first time in days were bare, exposing all the little cuts. "What do we say about those?"
"Oh, right." She frowned. She had grown so used to seeing them that they no longer felt like such a big deal. But she realized Dick was right; there was no way they could explain away her injuries this time.
"I'll reach out to Zatara," Bruce offered. "He should be able to place a glamour spell on a piece of jewelry for you."
"Can he do it in the next thirty minutes?" Naomi asked hopefully.
Bruce chuckled. "No promises, but I'll contact him now." He nodded at them and then exited the gym, most likely to the Batcave so he could hail the magician directly.
Naomi pursed her lips as she stared at her limbs. "Well, I'm always cold anyway…"
"You're still going?!" Dick exclaimed.
"Yes!" She sounded exasperated. "Dick, I am sick and tired of being a lump. Do you realize this is the longest I've gone without moving in years?" He opened his mouth but Naomi plowed on. "Think about it! We are the most active people in Gotham. How would you feel if you had to sit on your ass for days because it hurt to even breath? This little thing I can handle."
Dick could only nod, feeling thoroughly admonished. Naomi reached out and squeezed his hand. "I am so appreciative of how much you care," she said softly. "More than you can possibly know. But also know that I'm aware of my limits." Her eyes flashed toward the door, where Bruce and Alfred had disappeared through. "More than some people in this house," she said with a slight smirk.
"You're right," Dick said solemnly, squeezing her hand back. "I'm sorry, it was just…scary."
"God, I can only imagine how it must have been for you," she whispered, and Dick knew she could very well imagine it. This wasn't the first time one of them had been seriously beaten, but it was the first time it was someone other than Bruce. She kissed his knuckles before releasing his hand so she could carefully get to her feet.
As soon as she was upright, Dick gingerly wrapped her in a hug. Naomi immediately returned the warm gesture, a content sigh whispering past Dick's ear.
"I love you, Mimi."
Her next sigh was huffed out and he cackled at her exasperation. "I love you too, Bird Brain."
"What time did Andi say we were meeting?" he asked as they started walking out of the gym.
"About an hour."
"You sure you can make it on time with all the stair climbing you'll have to do?" The question was infused with genuine worry, but delivered with a cheeky smirk, and Naomi knew that while Dick might have been feeling one way, the other was for her benefit, and she appreciated he was finally giving her some room to breathe.
She rolled her eyes and shoved him into the wall. "Whatever, Wonder Brat. You can't legally drive yet, so you can't leave without me anyway."
"I could if I wanted to!" he sing-sang as he skipped toward his room.
"Not without being grounded for a year!" she yelled after him.
When Naomi finally made it to her room (she would never admit how winded she felt after a couple measly flights of stairs), she hopped in the shower to wash away the thin layer of sweat that had accumulated during her short walk on the treadmill. Even that was torturously slow going, given just how much she was scabbed, and when she was finally finished, she sighed at the several cuts that had reopened.
It wasn't much blood, just a few drops from each slash, so she just let them scab again as she walked into her closet to figure out something to wear. Naomi was well known for getting cold easily, so wearing pants and long sleeves wouldn't raise any eyebrows.
She grabbed her undergarments and found a pair of forest-green joggers and a cream-colored pullover, then dropped her towel. She caught her reflection in the full-length mirror before she could turn away completely, and she winced at the sight.
The bruises were several days old, and the edges were starting to molt, but the majority of her torso and back were still an ugly black purple-blue. The pain had also receded somewhat, with only the most exaggerated of movements making her lips thin in an attempt to keep from worrying Bruce, Dick, and Alfred.
Sighing, Naomi turned away from the mirror and pulled on her clothes, then joined Dick downstairs. "Alfred's getting the car," he said when he spotted her coming down the stairs. He watched her like a hawk as he informed her, several counterarguments at the ready if she voiced her opposition to the plan.
He was pleasantly surprised when she just smiled and nodded. Once they were seated in the backseat (after Naomi had bit back her groan as she slid into the car, knowing two sets of sharp blue eyes were on her) she said to Dick, "You were expecting me to argue, weren't you."
"As a matter of fact, I was," he replied, knowing there was no use in trying to deny it. "You make me, Alfred, and Bruce very happy you're not pushing yourself any more than you need to."
She hated to admit it, but she had to agree with them on that; driving did feel like it would be a little more than she could chew at the moment. Given how tired she felt after a slow walk on the treadmill that hadn't even lasted twenty minutes, her legs felt heavy and her shoulders felt stiff from being extremely aware of how any motion might cause a flare-up of her numerous bruises.
Andi's house, like James and Sage's, was in the neighborhood below Wayne Manor's. Each lot was large with spacious houses and perfectly groomed lawns and shrubbery, and Naomi loved driving the winding road to admire the grand structures.
The drive was short, and Alfred dropped them off at the curb with instructions to call him when they were ready to leave. Dick watched Naomi carefully as they made their way up the walkway, noting she was moving easier than she had over the last couple of days. He also noticed how she let out a breath when they finally reached the covered porch, her shoulders falling away from her shoulders a fraction.
He sighed quietly but didn't get a chance to check how she was doing when the door was thrown open by Andi Byron. Her hazel eyes sparkled as she pulled Naomi and then Dick into quick, tight hugs before ushering them inside.
"Perfect, now everyone is here!"
This wasn't their first trip to the Byron household, so Naomi and Dick didn't spare a glance at any of the opulent rooms they passed. Andi led them to the well-used game room, where the rest of their school friends—Aaron and Logan Wood, Sage Burke, and Barbara Gordon—were gathered.
"I take it from the lack of James and Olivia in the group chat the graduates are no longer invited?" Naomi joked once everyone had greeted her and Dick.
"Liv's busy with a summer internship," Aaron said of his and Logan's older sister, who had graduated with James.
"And James is working with his mother this summer to have some pocket money before college," Sage answered.
"Jamie and Livy, you will be missed." Andi sighed dramatically, putting a hand over her heart and bowing her head. Without missing a beat, their young hostess turned to Sage to ask her about the trip to Europe her family had just returned from.
"Can you believe the crazy rumors about Lark?" Aaron asked about an hour later. Naomi stiffened and Dick shot her a concerned glance. Her fingers tightened around her water glass as she brought it to her lips.
"They're more than rumors, aren't they?" Andi pointed out. "It was caught on camera and everything."
Aaron snorted. "I won't believe it until someone sees it with their own two eyes."
"Isn't it awful what they're saying, though?" Sage asked. "I mean, all she's done is help the city, and that's the thanks she gets?"
Dick relaxed slightly at Sage's words in support, but he noticed Naomi was still looking slightly queasy. Her expression turned down-right ill when Sage turned to her and Dick. "What do you guys think?"
"She's a hero," Dick said plainly, perhaps a bit too vehemently for an average citizen. "She deserves nothing but praise for all the hard work she's done over the years."
"Yes," Naomi said weakly as everyone turned to her for her opinion, then cleared her throat and said with slightly more conviction, "I agree with Dick. Sh-she's done so much for the city."
Dick quickly redirected the conversation, making a comment on the poor performance of Gotham's baseball, which made Aaron elbow Naomi with a laugh while Logan began to lament the error-prone infield.
Naomi relaxed as talk continued away from the topic of Lark. She made herself comfortable in the plushy chair and laughed and joked with her friends. After the last few days, with the constant reminder of her injuries and her inability to do anything, she felt refreshingly normal for once. She could forget about her night life, she could ignore the pain, she could just be.
She was almost sad when they left. It was the first time Naomi had ever wanted to linger during one of the school-gang hangouts. Normally she was eager to get back to the Manor, get down to the Batcave, hit the streets as Lark.
Instead, after dinner, after Bruce and Dick had donned their uniforms and left the Batcave, Naomi was left at the computer, on monitor duty. Alfred kept her company, which was appreciated, and he talked her through some of the more nuanced aspects of playing the all-seeing, all-knowing oracle.
Just after midnight, Alfred and Batman insisted she should head to bed. Her argument that she was fine, she could wait until they got back, was weakened significantly by the fact she kept yawning, and her eyes kept fluttering shut. She finally relented, heading up to her room after exchanging good-nights with Alfred, Bruce, and Dick. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and then collapsed into bed. She was out the moment her head hit the pillow.
Location: Wayne Manor, Gotham City
Date: Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Time: 1343 EDT
"Miss Naomi, a package was delivered for you."
As she stepped off the treadmill, Dick glanced over from the high beam and asked excitedly, "Ooh, whatcha get?"
Naomi's eyebrows furrowed just slightly in confusion. "Wasn't expecting anything," she said as she followed Alfred out of the gym, though instead of heading toward the front hall like she expected, he led them to the backyard.
Though "backyard" was a gross understatement. The Manor sat in the middle of about five acres of land, which itself was part of a much larger parcel that was most allowed to grow wild. A team of landscapers came by every couple of weeks to keep the growth from growing too out of control and to make sure the flora was healthy. Alfred's thumb was just green enough for him to maintain the land around the Manor, though a gardener stopped by once a week to assist.
Alfred opened one of the French doors that led to the wide, tiled patio, where a large, young rosebush had been placed on the edge. There were about a dozen buds, ranging from a pale blush pink to a light apricot. A postcard-sized information card was pinned to the burlap sack which surrounded the dirt-encased roots, and a small white envelope was nestled in the leaves.
"For you, Miss Naomi," Alfred said, plucking the envelope from the leaves and handing it to her. Her name was indeed the only one on the envelope in a neat cursive in emerald-green ink.
"Was there a sender listed? Or a return address provided?" Naomi asked, curious as to who would be sending her a rose bush.
"I'm afraid not, Miss," the butler replied with a shake of his head. "Shall I plant it?"
"Seems a waste not to," she shrugged.
"Would beneath your window be too on-the-nose?" he quipped, and Naomi chuckled.
"No, that sounds perfect, Alfred, thank you."
He nodded once with a smile before heading off to find a cart to move the rose bush. Naomi turned her attention back to the envelope in her hands, and she turned it over to reveal a wax seal stamping it closed in a matching emerald green.
At first glance, it appeared to be plain, with no crest or other distinguishing feature, but when she trailed a finger over it, she felt its uneven surface, indicating there was indeed some sort of design in the wax.
She squinted and began tilting it this way and that in the sun, trying to decipher the image. Just as realization dawned on her, Alfred called her name, sounding slightly concerned. She joined him under her bedroom window, where his steely blue gaze was staring intently at the information card that had come with the bush.
Wordlessly, he passed her the card, and Naomi's breath caught in her lungs. The rose was called A Lark's Ascending.
"Either this is the largest coincidence in the world—"
"Bruce doesn't believe in that word," Naomi muttered to distract from the way her hands were starting to tremble just slightly.
"—or someone is sending you a message," Alfred finished solemnly.
Naomi's thoughts were going as fast as the Flash as she tried to make sense of the pieces. It was one of those puzzles that seemed painfully obvious, but the painful obviousness of it made it seem as though it was the wrong answer and she needed to keep digging to find the right one.
"I will inform Master Bruce of this development."
When there was no response from Naomi, Alfred turned on his heel and headed inside, taking the rose info card with him.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing mind. Her finger traced the wax seal, the very faint design becoming more and more prominent in her mind's eye.
Someone is sending me a message.
Despite the bright sun, Naomi felt a shiver course down her spine as the implication of the rose finally sunk in.
Naomi spun on her heel and hurried inside, heading straight for her room. She leaned heavily against the door once it had closed. She stared down at the envelope, the green seal staring back at her, the pattern now clear as day to her.
As she turned it over to inspect the ink and cursive, she finally made note of the unevenness of the weight inside. She hesitated to open it, a long-buried memory resurfacing.
Surely…it can't be…
There was the slightest tremor in her hand as she unsealed the envelope and tipped it, emptying its contents in her palm. Her breath caught in her throat.
It is.
It was just as she remembered.
A jade medallion about the size and thickness of a quarter hung from a thin but sturdy gold chain. On one side, the same image that had been in the wax seal was carved in incredibly fine detail, the thin line work delicate and filled with gold, which glinted slightly in the overhead light and served to emphasize the design. The detailed tiger face stared up at her, filling Naomi with a sense of warmth and comfort. Of home.
The last time she had seen the medallion had been ten years ago, the last time her mother tucked her into bed. It had hung on a short black leather cord when her mother had worn it, and it would always swing just above Naomi's nose as her mother leaned down to kiss her forehead.
But what did it mean? Something from her past, resurfacing now, and with a rose that happened to share her alter ego's name?
Naomi's thumb was moving absently over the gold tiger face when Bruce called for her and Dick to meet him in the kitchen. She took a deep breath and tucked the necklace into the pocket of her gym shorts.
Dick paused at the bottom of the stairs when he noticed Naomi coming down from her room. "You know what this is about?" he wondered as they continued their way to the kitchen.
"Yes," she said simply. His eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise, but when she didn't elaborate, he kept silent.
Bruce stood in the kitchen, leaning one hip against the island. The information card sat on the counter trop in front of him, and he was frowning at it.
"What's up, Bruce?" Dick asked, walking around to sit on his usual stool.
Bruce didn't look away from Naomi and he quirked an eyebrow, just slightly, and she sighed. She dragged the card closer to her and stared at the glossy picture of a fully bloomed rose bush. She pursed her lips at it for a moment before sliding it over to Dick.
His eyes widened when he saw the name of the rose. "This is, what? A warning? Something to tell us they…know?"
"Alfred said there was an envelope addressed to you," Bruce went on, and Dick just barely managed to keep from rolling his eyes in frustration. Naomi blew out a breath and nodded. At her continued silence, Bruce said firmly, "What was in it."
She was quiet a moment longer before reaching into her pocket and dropping something on the granite counter in front of her. Dick edged closer while Bruce immediately stepped closer. He pulled a fork from the drawer and used it to make the medallion lay flat.
"What is it?" Bruce asked as Alfred passed him a thin dish towel to pick up and inspect the medallion more closely.
"It's…my legacy," she said, recalling the words her mother had used. She reached for it, a feeling of wrongness coiling in her stomach at the sight of someone holding the jade. When Bruce retreated, Naomi's fist clenched on the island.
"Legacy?" His eyes narrowed just slightly. "This is from your birth family?"
Naomi forced her hand to relax, and she pressed it flat against the countertop. "It belonged to my mother," she said eventually. "She never took it off, and she would just say about it that it was our family legacy."
Bruce nodded, then headed out of the kitchen.
"Where are you going?" Naomi asked loudly, her voice taking on a slightly hysterical edge as she hurried after him.
"Checking for prints other than yours!" Bruce called over his shoulder.
The medallion, as expected, yielded no fingerprints other than Naomi's, but Bruce, who had never met a forensic test he didn't love, put the mysterious necklace through the wringer. Naomi hovered over his shoulder the whole time, while Dick eventually drifted to the training mat.
Bruce finally admitted defeat, leaning away from the desk with a sigh. "I haven't found any identifiable qualities or features. It's just…jade."
"So I can have it back?" Naomi asked immediately, sitting up straighter in the chair she had been slumped in.
"Well…"
"You just said yourself, it's just jade," she said at his hesitation. "What's the harm of letting me have just onepiece of my childhood back?"
Her words hung in the cool cave air, and even though she hadn't intended for her statement to guilt him, she could tell the question had struck a chord. Bruce sighed and passed the necklace to Naomi.
She let out a soft breath once it was in her hand. Bruce called for Dick to join him at the computer, something about an ongoing stakeout, so she headed upstairs, telling them she'd be back before they left for patrol.
She took her time walking to her room, turning the jade over and over in her hand. She hadn't been exaggerating when she called it a piece of her childhood. She had taken the clothes on her back and just one other thing from her small Chinatown home when she was adopted by the Williamsons, and within a week those had been taken from her too.
But what had it been doing with a rosebush?
The rosebush felt ominous, but the medallion felt like home. Naomi couldn't quite reconcile the conflicting emotions the two objects elicited, but she shoved aside her apprehension and slipped the necklace over her head.
She gasped lightly at the immediate sense of calm that washed over her. Tension she hadn't even realized was in her shoulders melted away, and she could almost feel a missing piece click into place in her mind. She felt more centered than she had in…days? Months? It was difficult to pin-point exactly, but it seemed painfully obvious now that for a long time now, she had felt unbalanced, disoriented.
When it was time to report to the Batcave for Oracle duty, Naomi had completed a book that had sat half-finished for several weeks, made a significant dent in the next fantasy book from her bookshelf, and put in a few extra hours in the music room than she had since the summer started.
She was feeling chipper as she entered the Batcave, and Dick mentioned as much when he saw her. "Feeling better," Naomi said with a grin and shrug.
"I'm glad." Dick smiled back, the evidence of his sister's ease and contentment in the relaxed slope of her shoulders and the lack of tightness around her eyes and the corner of her lips.
"Ready for your stakeout tonight?"
Dick groaned at the reminder. "Three days now!" he exclaimed as Batman returned to the computer to check for last minute activity.
"Maybe today will be the lucky fourth," Naomi offered as Dick went up to change.
"Since when were you an optimist," he joked over his shoulder.
When Robin came skipping down the stairs toward the Batmobile, Naomi just grinned and shrugged. "Dunno," she said, leaning against the hood of the car. "Just feeling…good."
"I'm glad." This came from Batman, who swept toward them from the computer. He placed a warm and heavy hand on Naomi's shoulder, squeezing briefly. "We'll reevaluate your injuries when Robin and I return."
"Sounds like a plan!"
As she watched Batman and Robin zip away, Naomi didn't feel nearly as disheartened about being left behind as she had in the past. She walked to the Batcomputer with a spring in her step, ready for monitor duty as Oracle for the evening.
A/N: a little bit of a filler, but the events depicted are relevant to Naomi's character as the season progresses.
Thank you so much for your patience as I slowly post these chapters. Writing comes in fits and starts, and I want to share Naomi's story as it comes to me, rather than sit on chapters for years as I write bits and pieces here and there.
Until next time.