It was a normal day. The Team and the League were at the Watchtower. Kaldur was about to go home for the night when he got a call from his husband of 5 months, Roy. This was weird since Roy would know what time Kaldur was going home so he wouldn't have to call him.
"Roy?" Kaldur said in a questioning voice.
"I'm so sorry babe." Roy said as his voice started cracking.
"Roy what is going on? What is wrong?" Kaldur asked worriedly.
"I step away for two minutes. I grabbed my keys and shut the door behind me. I told her to stay inside and I locked the door." Roy said as he started to sob and in a panicked tone.
"Is Lian well? Tell me what is going on." Kaldur demanded.
"Someone came in the house and took Lian." Roy said with a loud sob.
Kaldur nearly collapsed to the floor in shock. Lian was practically his own daughter. Connor saw Kaldur leaning on the wall and ran to him.
"Kaldur what's going on?" Connor asked.
All Kaldur did was release a loud sob and clutched the phone to his heart. His whole body shook with fear as he shakily put the phone to his ear.
"C-come to the tower. Quickly." Kaldur ordered as he hung up the phone.
"Kaldur what happened?" Connor asked again.
"Roy told me that- someone took Lian." Kaldur said as he tried to hold himself up but his sobs were overwhelming.
Connor hugged him tightly, trying to comfort him. The entire Team and the League fell in love with Lian. He told Megan in the mind link that they share what happened. Roy came up to the Watchtower through the zeta and ran to his crying and panicked husband. Connor got Kaldur to sit down in a chair after fighting him for about 2 minutes. Roy was in tears as he hugged his husband tightly.
"I'm so sorry. I should've- I could've- I would've. God what have I done." Roy tried to say but his sobs got in the way.
"Hey, look at me." Kaldur said with a small sniffle.
Roy refused to meet his husband's eyes. He knew that Kaldur hated him for losing her. Kaldur placed his hand underneath Roy's chin to make him look up.
"We are going to find Lian and we will bring her home." Kaldur said to him sternly as he hugged him again.
All Kaldur had to do now was believe it for himself.
The entire League starts the search for Lian. Kaldur stayed with Roy to help him walk through what happened. Canary was getting no where in that department. All it got her was being yelled at by Roy. Kaldur told everyone to leave the room. Kaldur kneeled in front of his frantic husband and placed his hands on his face.
"Have I ever told you the tale of when I was kidnapped?" Kaldur asked trying to change to mood of the room.
"No. When did it happen?" Roy asked while looking at him in shock.
"I was about 7 years of age. Ocean Master took me from my room at the palace and held me prisoner for 4 days. I do not remember what happened to me in that period of time, but I do know that Annex never gave up on me. He never once believed that I was dead even though everybody believed it to be true. Lian is her mother and she is also you, Roy. If there is any hope of her being alive, you need to keep a cool head. Please." Kalur explained as he looked Roy in the eyes.
"I should have never left her in the house." Roy said angrily as he hung his head down.
"In your mind she was safer in the house than she was outside with you. Now, close your eyes and try to remember what drove you to go outside." Kaldur said as he placed his hands on Roy's knee cap.
"I heard loud shouting coming from the hall. I told Lian to stay put in the living room. I went to see what was happening and I remember hearing Lian screaming. I ran back to the room, she was already gone." Roy explained as he eyes were shut.
"You said you had the keys so you could lock the door behind as you left." Kaldur said.
"Yeah. I looked in the house and saw that the window was forced open." Roy said.
"Did the kidnapper leave something behind?" Kaldur asked.
"Yeah." Roy said as he fished something out of his pocket.
Kaldur looked at the card and looked in shock. On the car was a black eel, just like Kaldur's tattoo. He knew this came from only one person. The Black Manta, his father.
"It's him, isn't it?" Roy asked already knowing the answer.
Kaldur nodded his head in shock, not wanting to believe it.
"Kaldur, Batman received a call from Belle Reve Prison saying Manta wants to talk." Nightwing said sadly into the communicator.
Both Kaldur and Roy growled under their breath. They got up and walked to the zeta beam and headed to the prison.
The Team and few League members were in the interrogation room with Manta staring at them with a smirk.
"Where is she?" Canary asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Manta said bluntly.
Roy slammed his hands on the table angrily.
"What have you done with my daughter you son of a bitch!?" Roy demanded angrily.
"I heard that your wedding day was a huge celebration. Tell me, who lead you or my son." Manta teased as his smirk turned into a grin.
Roy took a swing at his face, causing his mouth to bleed. Kaldur held his husband back from doing anymore damage.
"What do you want?" Kaldur asked sternly.
"I wanted to have my son back but sense that didn't turn out well I decided to take away your daughter." Manta explained with a loud chuckle.
"Why? Because I went back to the one man that ever treated me like family?" Kaldur asked angrily.
"I am your father and you will treat me with respect." Manta ordered.
"You are the devil's advocate. He is my father." Kaldur said as he motioned to Aquaman.
"Everybody out. Now!" Roy ordered loudly.
Everybody in the room left, except for Kaldur, knowing that order was not meant for him. Roy pushed the table away hastily and pinned Manta against the wall. All Kaldur did was watch from a small distant.
"Where is my daughter?" Kaldur asked smoothly.
"I don't know." Manta said with a small cough as he throat was squeezed.
"You know I always loved it when Arrow took out the criminal by himself. I find it very attractive. It would make it a little bit sweeter if he did it to you." Kaldur said.
"You wouldn't." Manta said as he coughed again as his throat was yet again squeezed but tighter.
"You are very correct. Push me to a point, I would actually do it. Fortunately for you though, I am not at that point. But he is." Kaldur said as a grin slowly appears on his face.
Roy slammed his fist with wasn't around Manta's neck against his head. Kaldur walked next to Manta and pressed his hand against the wall.
"Now, before this situation turns, messy, you will answer me this one question: where is my daughter?" Kaldur said in a low whisper.
"I had nothing to do with her kidnapping. But all I know is that it is going to end the way it began." Manta said through his slightly bloody teeth.
Kaldur nodded to Roy as he let him go. They started to walk out of the room until Manta said:
"You better hurry. We would not want a repeat of what happened to your mother."
This set Kaldur off. He sprinted to Manta and pinned him to the wall, his feet no longer touching the ground.
"I will kill you! Do you hear me you son of a bitch?! I will kill you! If my daughter is dead, you will die next!" Kaldur shouted angrily as he punched Manta repeatedly in the mouth, jaw, and body.
Roy pulled him off of Manta and nearly dragged him out of the room. Kaldur punched the wall out of anger, leaving an indentation behind.
"Babe calm down." Roy ordered softly, trying to smooth his now angry husband.
"He started it." Kaldur said angrily. "I never told you what happened to my mother." Kaldur said somewhat calmly as he leaned on the wall.
"All you told me was that she died and Manta was responsible for her death. But you never said it in detail." Roy explained as he placed a hand on Kaldur shoulder.
"I never told you that I watched it happen. I saw him kill my mother in cold blood. I hate to say this but, if it suits his purposes he will kill anyone in order to achieve his goal. I am scared that he will kill Lian in order for me to join him." Kaldur admitted as tears rolled down his cheek.
Roy was shocked to hear this. They have been married for 5 months and have been friend since Kaldur first came to the surface. He hugged him tightly in order to comfort him along with himself.
"We are going to find Lian alive. We have to believe that. What did he mean when he said that it will end the way it began?" Roy asked as he pulled away.
"It can mean a million things. How am I suppose to know what it means?" Kaldur asked confused.
"Come on think. This is Manta we're talking about. What ever he said has to mean something personal to you. Think baby. Think hard." Roy said as he firmly placed his hands on Kaldur's shoulders.
Kaldur closed his eyes and thought back to where it first started. It had to be one of two places.
"The Santa Monica Pier or Warehouse 52 in Delaware. Aquaman took me to the pier when I first came to the surface and we faced each other again as emenies at that warehouse." Kaldur explained as his eyes open.
"Me, Kaldur and the Team will go to Santa Monica and the League will go to Warehouse 52." Roy said as he took his husband by the hand.
"Batman, I know I do not ask for many favors but please I beg of you, please find our daughter and bring her home." Kaldur begged to Batman.
"We will." Batman promised as they left for the Javelin.
The Team and the League we at both location. They tore the place apart trying to find her. At the League's location, they searched everywhere until they met one of Manta's partners, Lex Luthor in warehouse.
"Lex, where's the girl?" Superman demanded angrily.
"What girl?" Lex asked with a smirk as he ordered his assistant/ robot to attack the League.
They split into groups, one to stop Lex, the other to find Lian. After about an hour of fighting and searching, the first part was finished. Aquaman took Lex by his neck and pinned him to the wall.
"Where is my grandchild?" Aquaman demanded as he lightly squeezed his neck.
Before he could answer, a shipping container was opened and a small voice shouted excitedly yet fearful:
"Grandma!"
"Run and hope I don't catch." Batman ordered angrily with one of his famous bat glares.
Black Canary came out with Lian in her arms. They arrested Lex and Black Canary made a phone call.
"Arrow, someone wants to talk to you." Canary said as she gave Lian the phone.
"Daddy?" Lian asked with a small sniffle.
"Lian?" Roy asked happy yet confused.
When Roy got the phone and stopped in his place.
"What?" Roy demanded angrily.
"Arrow, someone wants to talk to you." Canary said.
"Daddy?" Lian voice said into the phone.
"Lian?" Roy asked.
"Lian, she is ok." Kaldur asked worriedly.
"Honey are you ok?" Roy asked as he put the phone on speaker.
"Yes. Daddy, where papa?" Lian asked with a small sob.
"I am here sweetie. Your father and I will come and get you soon ok." Kaldur said as he sighed in relief.
"Ok. Papa I miss you." Lian said sadly.
"I miss you as well my angelfish." Kaldur said as tears start to swell in his eyes.
"We're coming to get you sweetie. Stay put." Roy ordered as they started to make their way quickly to the bioship.
"Daddy, I wanna go home!" Lian sobbed loudly with fear in her voice.
"I know honey, we will come and get you really soon ok. Don't cry. Daddy will come and get you soon. Ok. Don't cry." Roy said as his voice began to slowly panic which only made Lian cry more.
Kaldur took the phone from Roy and started to softly hum a lullaby. Soon he added words but in Atlantean. After about 4 minutes, he slowly stops singing and the only sound left is Lian sniffling.
"Lian, I know you are very upset right now, but me and daddy need you to be a big girl until we come and get you ok. We shall see you soon, I promise. Can you do that for me?" Kaldur said.
"Ok. I love you papa. Can you tell daddy I love him too?" Lian asked with a small sniffle.
"And I love you and of of course I will." Kaldur said as he choked back a sob.
As the call ends, the two husbands embrace each other tightly.
"What happened?" Wally asked.
"Lian is safe and with the League. We need to go." Kaldur explained as he let Roy go.
"Alright." They all agree as the took their seat.
"I told you we would find her." Kaldur said to Roy as he held his hand.
All Roy did as he lightly rolled his eyes. He doesn't know if he hates or loves the fact that Kaldur is always right.
The bioship landed and Kaldur and Roy nearly ran off the ship and went to find Canary and Lian. The spotted Canary and Lian seating behind and ambulance. They ran to Lian as she looked at them and ran to them.
"Daddy! Papa!" Lian shouted happily as she flew to her parents.
Kaldur picked her up and nearly squeezed her to death. He let tears rapidly run down his cheeks. Roy honestly can't be happier. They both hugged Lian and prepped kisses on her face and hands. They were so happy to have her back. They asked her question if she was ok and if she was touched and where she was held. Lian was so overwhelmed with the affection she just cuddled into her papa's shoulder as she cried into his shoulder. Kaldur looked at the League as he passed his sobbing daughter to his husband. Roy hugged her tightly as he adjusted her on his hip. Kaldur walked to the League hugged Canary tightly.
"Thank you. Thank you. All of you." Kaldur said repeatedly to them as he either embraced them or shook their hands.
"You're welcome Kaldur." Canary said as she hugged him back.
After Kaldur said his million and one thanks you he went back to his family. Lian reached out to him as h gently took him into his arms. They carried her back to the bioship
They had Lian examined at the watchtower. Roy had no choice but to call Jade to let her know what happened. Jade asked if she could see Lian and Roy told her he would get back to her. When he went back to Lian's room, he saw Kaldur sitting by her bedside with tears in his eyes. He quietly closed the door which got the attention of his husband.
"Hey, is Lian ok?" Roy asked.
"Yes. She was not harmed in any way." Kaldur said with a sigh.
"What's wrong?" Roy asked as he sat next to his husband.
"We are doing the right thing right? With continuing being heros while raising Lian?" Kaldur asked, not looking at Roy.
"Don't go there. Don't do that to yourself." Roy ordered softly.
"We almost lost our daughter today due to me 'father'. Are we truly doing the right thing with her?" Kaldur asked.
"Look at her." Roy ordered firmly.
Kaldur looked at Lian carefully. Her face looked so content. He felt Roy wrap an around his waist. Roy placed his chin on Kaldur's shoulder.
"We are doing the right thing. She has army of heroes who are more than ready to protect her." Roy explained.
When Roy said that, he remember something that Jade said before she left Lian with Roy. He smiled lightly.
"Now I know why Jade left her with you." Kaldur said softly.
"Why is that baby?" Roy said as he kissed his jaw.
"She would rather have an army of heroes ready to defend her than an army heroes ready to harm her." Kaldur explained.
"I never thought about it like that before." Roy said before he took Kaldur's hand.
For that night, they simply sat there and watched protectively over Lian.