miss-bubbles prompted: I just thought of a fic Idea and I knew you above all would appreciate it: toddler Helena having a day out with cool big sis Cass

You're absolutely right, I adore it! Thanks so much!

Batman and related properties © DC Comics
story © RenaRoo

Sisters

Cassandra's attention was absorbed by the dance mat and directions lighting up on the screen. It might have been a few months since the last time one of her siblings had challenged her to he game, but she was still determined to become a master of it all the same.

Her competitive spirit simply would not allow her to face any of the physical challenges lying down. Even if Tim was technically better at video games and Dick was technically better at dancing - nope. Cassandra would defeat them.

The whole day was looking as though it would be lost to the challenge when the entertainment room's doors opened wide and a familiar face walked straight in.

The former Batgirl blinked owlishly toward Catwoman but managed to keep in step with the screen avatar.

Selina threw up the hand which didn't hold a toddler attached to her hips. "I thought for sure with as loud as the TV was blaring that Tim was in here!"

"Nope," Cassandra answered, swaying her hips and smiling as little Helena squealed and attempted the same. "Just me."

"Where is Tim?" Selina asked rather impatiently.

"Out."

Putting Helena down on the ground with a sigh, Selina shook her head. "And Bruce?"

"With him." Cass tilted her head curiously even as Helena began to join by her side. "Everything... okay?"

"Peachy," Selina said sourly. "I told Bruce that I had to leave the country tonight and he was supposed to watch over Helena for me until I got back." She put a hand on her chin, deep in thought. "I do suppose I could find Alfred wherever he's working in this place right now and ask him to watch until Bruce or Tim comes back-"

"Alfred lives with Dick and Damian," Cass explained as she abandoned the game's directions and began to stand on her hands for Helena, leading to the baby girl to fall back on her butt and squeal. "He's not here."

Selina's shoulders dropped and she shook her head. "No offense, hun, but how the hell did Bruce manage to have five decent kids before now with as scatterbrained as he is?"

Cass smiled from her one handed handstand. "Magic."

Dropping onto the couch, Selina groaned into her hand. "What am I supposed to do with Helena now?"

Rolling from her position to the other side of Helena, Cassandra pulled the toddler into her lap and smiled knowingly at Selina. "I'll watch her."

"YES!" Helena squealed.

Looking up, Selina seemed a little baffled. "You? Oh, Cassandra, thank you but... are you sure? I mean. Have you even watched a baby before?"

Tipping her head to the side, Cass listlessly played with Helena's bouncy hair. "I was a baby before," she offered.

Selina just stared blankly back at Cass before looking to her wrist watch and dropping her head.

"Okay. You know what," she said, raising back to her feet, "I'm going to trust you."

"Really?" Cass asked brightly.

"Sure, why not," Selina offered as she walked over to Helena to offer a big hug and kiss goodbye. "I mean, who's a safer babysitter than the strongest martial artist in the world, right?" She then rubbed her own head and, more to herself, repeated, "Right?"

"Right!" Cass answered anyway as Selina headed out the door in a hurry.

Helena waved. "Bye-bye!"

By the time an hour had passed, Cass had learned a few things about children she wasn't aware of before.

For example, they didn't keep their attention on one thing for longer than fifteen minutes, which was not enough time to master an entire dance game.

Another was that if they weren't completely capturing your attention for a few minutes at a time then they were liable to disappear in the very large and winding depths of Wayne Manor.

Fortunately, Cassandra was not one to easily panic over such things. After all, babies and toddlers had existed for a long time and seemed a little more capable than mos were willing to give them credit.

And Cass was able to hit the bullseye of a target blindfolded by Helena's age so her Bat Sister was probably just as capable.

After a bit of rummaging around, Cassandra was able to find Helena just by opening a closet door.

Dirt smudged over her cheek, Helena just grinned. Cass smiled back.

"My turn," Cass said simply before disappearing off before Helena could even finish blinking.

Now excited by the prospect of hide-and-seek, Helena charged out of the closet and began wandering the halls, all bouncy with enthusiasm.

Cassandra had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing a few times, but managed to be covertly in the shadows, always just out of sight from the baby Bat until it seemed like the toddler was about to give up.

Then Cass leaped from the shadows to Helena's delight.

"My turn!" Helena sputtered before rushing off to hide.

Cass was able to keep the game up for half an hour, enjoying every moment of it.

Alfred had once mentioned to Cassandra that it wasn't really proper that their family had dinner after eight at night. That it wasn't good for growing bodies.

She wasn't too certain about that information, but for Helena she decided not to even risk it.

At seven she brought her sister into the kitchen and let her loose on the pots and pans.

Cass tossed ideas for meals back and forth in her head, but for the life of her she only remembered how good they would taste if Alfred or Dick were making them for her rather than anything helpful for her to be making them herself.

Helena's chattering and banging of pots and pans wasn't exactly the most helpful either.

Looking at her sister for a moment, Cass couldn't help but smile. There was a lot of Bruce in Helena's stature, the quizzical looks she gave things that bothered her, the way she demanded things her way, but it was also easy to see how much of Selina was in her, too. She had a mischievous glean in those beautiful eyes, a smooth movement to even her crawling stride, and a need to get her fingers on absolutely everything.

All of that was well and good.

But as her sister, Cass couldn't help but wonder if there was anything of herself that she could impart on Helena someday.

Thinking, Cass figured there was no better way than to get a start on ensuring that.

"We'll eat my favorite," Cass said assuredly before marching over to the pantry. She pulled out box after box of cereal.

Helena cheered.

When the hours had passed and a tickling sensation at the back of Cassandra's neck continued to tell her that there was something one was supposed to do with children before midnight, she decided that it was time to put Helena on her shoulders and walk proudly into the den.

Helena lit up, so Cass knew it probably wasn't the first venture for the toddler, but she was happy to add to the excitement all the same.

She opened the face of the clock, bent forward, and let the fumbly fingered child twirl around the hour and minute hands.

The child of the Bat and the Cat never quite got the combination right, but Cass wasn't known for her speed for nothing.

Without Helena being any the wiser, Cass turned the clock hands to their perfect positions and stood back as the clock moved adjunct from the wall. Helena squealed in delight at what she believed had been her own doing.

Cass just smiled knowingly and carried Helena the rest of the way down the winding stairs and into the dark corridors of the true home in Wayne Manor.

"Pfftt!" Helena sputtered over Cass' head, pulling on her sister's ears and hair.

Smiling in amusement, Cass carried Helena to the sparring level, pulled the girl off her shoulders, and hardly hesitated at all before pulling them both into a full roll onto the sparring mats. Only being careful enough to see Helena never feel either of their full weights in the roll.

Helena's squeals of delight echoed around the cave, sending the bats fluttering.

They played and pulled and pushed around on the mats for several minutes before Helean spun herself to the floor, breathing harder and harder between her giggles.

Cassandra pulled herself up into a sitting position and smiled wily at the child.

"Are you scared?" she asked Helena.

"No," Helena said firmly as she toddled back and forth on her wobbly feet.

"Do you know what this," Cass motioned around the cave, "means?"

The girl stopped, looked deeply into Cass' face, and then pulled a wide-mouthed grin. "Batman," she whispered, well coached about secrets already.

"Who do you want to be?" Cass asked, grinning just as wide as her little sister.

"Batman," Helena giggled as she pulled herself into a roll.

Cass copied the move, more than a bit more eloquently, rolling to a stop just by Helena. She smiled at the girl. "Me, too," she whispered back.

They were curled around each other on the mats well into morning. Cass had seen but not stirred as Alfred covered them with the infirmary blankets and walked off shaking his head.

It'd just made Cass want to curl around Helena more.

The night continued to be quiet, even so close to the computer, no one radioed in an emergency or asked for backup. All was good.

The only time she stirred again was to hug Helena tighter upon hearing the soft rumble of a familiar engine, the almost silent walk of boots across the scaffolding, and the sounds of a shower from he locker rooms.

When Bruce laid down beside them, newly showered, in fresh pajamas, and oh so gingerly laying a cape across his daughters, Cass just breathed in Helena's springy dark hair and smiled.

So this was what being Sisters of the Bat was like.