Please don't get answers from eyes
You know that mine can't lie quite as well as yours
Just let the spare moment flow
Rounding steps as I go through the open doors

The rain poured heavily onto the windows of the sleek black car. Soft tunes played through the radio as Leora Thea Lance rested her elbow on the armrest with her chin on her hand, watching the rain droplets race down the window in boredom. The blonde huffed when she neared the familiar looking driveway of the manor, hearing the gravel crunch underneath the cars wheels. The car came to a sudden stop outside the front door, and Leora looked at them with such distaste that you wouldn't even expect it to come from such a bright and happy looking child.

Suddenly, the driver's door was opened and a man's voice sounded out. "Good evening, Ms Lance."

"Alfred. How are you?" Leora's mother, Dinah Laurel said.

Alfred Pennyworth held out an umbrella for Laurel, who stepped out of the car and under its protection. "I'm doing well, Ms Lance. Although the new addition to the Wayne family has been a bit....troublesome. More than Mr Wayne himself."

Laurel laughed softly. "Now, that's saying something."

Laurel grabbed onto the umbrella and she closed the door, then the two of them walked around to the other side of the car and opened up Leora's door. "Miss Lance. Pleasure seeing you again," Alfred greeted with a warm smile. Leora always liked Alfred.

"Hey, Alfred," Leora smiled softly, then got out of the car and under the second umbrella Alfred held out.

"Are the other's here yet?" Laurel asked as the three walked up the short set of stairs to the front door.

"All but Mr Allen, but we both know how late that man tends to be," Alfred chuckled softly.

"That we do," Laurel replied.

Alfred opened up the grande doors to the Wayne Manor, the dark yet luminous manor shining softly on the trio. Laurel lead the way as she stepped through the doors with Leora following behind her. Laurel swiftly took off her slightly wet coat and handed it to Alfred before making her way through the manor and towards the dining hall, where voices could be heard coming from it.

"Miss Lance, mind if I take your coat?" Alfred asked Leora whose eyes were fixated on her mother's retreating figure.

"Ahh, no. I'm alright, thank you," Leora told him, before turning back to face him. "And I've told you before, Alfred. Call me Leora. Even Thea. Anything but Miss Lance."

Alfred smiled. "Alright, Miss....Leora," he corrected.

Leora smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

The two suddenly turned their heads to the grande staircase when they heard a noise, noticing a boy with dark hair freeze halfway down the stairs. His eyes paused on Leora for a second before meeting Alfred's gaze, letting out a long sigh. "I know I'm not allowed out my room during the meetings. I was just getting something to eat and drink," the boy told Alfred.

Alfred looked between the two children before smiling. "Leora, do you mind accompanying Mr Grayson and I to the kitchen? I can make you hot chocolate if you like. Just the way you like it."

Leora curiously watched the boy with brown hair and how he just blankly stared at her before nodding. "Yeah, I'd like that, thank you."

Leora and the boy followed after Alfred as he lead them to the kitchen, the Butler then proceeding to make two hot chocolate's as the young teenagers sat on the bar stools in front of the counter. There was an awkward silence in the air as Alfred went to work. Leora could tell that the boy she was sitting besides was very closed off, perhaps because of something he had been through. Dick was thinking something similar about the girl with blonde hair besides him. She looked like a positive girl, someone who radiated energy, but there was something else about her that told him she had been through something traumatic as a child. Perhaps something similar to what he had been through.

Alfred placed the two mugs of hot chocolate's in front of the children, one with two marshmallows in it and another full of them. "Be careful, they're still hot." Dick watched in surprise as Leora pulled her mug straight towards her and began to immediately eat the marshmallows, the heat of the drink not minding her one bit. "Now, I believe introductions are in order." Alfred gestured towards Dick. "Mr Grayson, this is Leora Lance." Leora saluted at Dick, not being bothered to look his way. "Leora, this is Richard Grayson."

"I prefer to be called Dick," Dick responded.

Leora choked on the marshmallow she had in her mouth, and swallowed it before turning to face Dick. She looked him up and down, at his brown hair that was a mess on his head and his brown eyes that stared into her own, curiously wondering why she reacted the way she did. "That's an unfortunate name," Leora eventually said, before turning back to her mug.

Dick blinked once, not expecting that reaction from her. "Your face is unfortunate," he responded with.

"Mr Grayson! Leora! Apologise imm—" Alfred paused mid sentence when he noticed the two beginning to laugh. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish, and then a frown made its way onto his face. "W-what just—"

"We're just messing around, Alf. It's fine," Leora grinned, before turning towards Dick. "Right, Derek?"

"It's Dick, Le-arna. You could at least get my name right," Dick said with a grin.

"Sorry, Daxton. I promise I'll get it right next time," Leora replied. "And my name's Leora, not Le-arna."

"Ohhh, right. Sorry. My bad, Larissa," Dick said, then the two grinned and turned to Alfred.

Alfred looked between the two with his lips parted in shock. "Why am I always stuck with teenagers?"

Leora shrugged. "The day my Mother decides to leave the Justice League, the day you won't have to see me anymore, Alfred. Don't worry."

"Who's your Mom?" Dick asked Leora.

"The Black Canary," she responded.

Dick tilted his head. "Can-can you do the....y'know....the 'ahhhhhh' with your voice as well?"

Leora rose an eyebrow. "You mean the Canary Cry?" He nodded. "Well, yes, I can scream when necessary. A lot of people can do that."

Dick's cheeks tinted pink. "Oh, right. Yeah."

Leora took a large skull of her drink and then looked at Dick again. "Now whose son are you? Or are you a protégée? Arthur's got one of those, as well as Diana."

"I'm a protégée, I guess. Although Bruce Wayne adopted me when my parents died," Dick told her.

"Ah, good ole adoption," Leora said with a nod. She instantly noticed Dick's change in mood, so Leora lightly bumped him. "I'm sure hanging out in Dracula's house isn't all that bad. You do have Alfred, and he's pretty cool to mess with when you feel up to it. And you also have the Batcave. No matter how creepy and dark that place is, being around the Batmobile is pretty cool. And plus, now you're friends with me. You're going to be seeing a whooooooole lot of this from now on."

Dick chuckled softly. "Oh, yay. Lucky me." The two of them smiled at each other and Alfred, himself, watched the pair as they conversed and joked around with each other, seeing for the first time the genuine happiness on both of their faces.

AUTHORS NOTE
I've decided to change the layout of this fanfic. I want to write more of Leora and Dick's childhood and past, so I hope this goes well :)))
-rosepetal