I am working on my stories of the Team's wedding days but I really wanted to go back to some pure Chalant. So I decided to write this!
Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice.
A Day in the Life of Zatanna Grayson
...October, 17th, 2026...
Zatanna reached into the crib and made a stuffed dog nuzzle her 6-month-old's face. The baby giggled and wrapped her chubby arms around the toy. It was 8 a.m. and Dick was about to leave for work. He entered the nursery and kissed the top of his wife's head.
"Have a good day, love," he said to her "You too, little one," and he ruffled their child's hair.
Zatanna lifted their baby out of her crib and stood up with her in her arms. Dick kissed his wife on the lips before he kissed their daughter's forehead. Mrs. Grayson followed her husband through their house to the front door. She and her daughter watched from the doorway as Dick got into his station's carpool.
"Well, little Roe, it's time to get ready for the day," Zatanna said, smiling at her 6-month-old.
She closed the front door and snuggled Roe before running up stairs to the nursery to get her baby dressed for the day.
Roe happily kicked her feet, trying to kick off her little booties. Zatanna laughed as her daughter giggled while she put her vest on her. She pulled some black trousers on Roe before pulling on a white short-sleeved t-shirt with a panda face on the front. The 6-month-old was delighted as her mother put a white beanie over her silky raven hair.
The nursery was white with cartoon insects painted on the walls with plants. The crib, dresser and changing table were all made of the same white wood. The floor was a light green carpet with a rainbow rug on it. The room was pretty much animal themed.
"There you go. Now, let's go have some breakfast before we go out for the day," said Zatanna, picking up her child "We're going to go see Grandpa Bruce and Grandma Selina. Then we're going to go see Auntie Megan and see how Baby Karen Marie's doing. We might even go shopping for dinner. What do you want for din-dins tonight?"
Roe gurgled and began sucking the air to show that she was hungry. Zatanna giggled at this action and headed out of the nursery to go feed her daughter.
They came downstairs and Zatanna turned in the direction of the kitchen. It was pretty small but they had plans on expanding it. She sat Roe in her high chair and mashed up a banana to feed her while the milk warmed up in the microwave. Being 6-months-old, Roe's parents were trying to move her off nursing and onto some solids. Zatanna pinned a plastic bib around her and began feeding her child the spoonfuls of mashed banana. Roe looked up at her mother with her big baby blue eyes as she was fed and seemed to be curious about something. Either way, any food Zatanna put in, she wouldn't chew or swallow so it came out again when she opened her mouth.
"Oh, Roe!" Zatanna sighed "Alright, forget solids. Let's get your milk out of the microwave,"
Roe leaned in her chair to watch as her mother opened the microwave and took out the bottle. Mrs. Grayson squirted some milk on her wrist to check the temperature before putting the bottle down, lifting her baby up and sitting down with her. Zatanna picked up the bottle and held it to her daughter. Roe opened her mouth and her mother gently put the bottle in. With a sigh, the baby's mother sat back and looked at the content look on her daughter's face. Baby Roe just loved warm milk...
"Huh, it's only 8:15," Zatanna said, looking over at the clock "Guess we're ahead of schedule," she looked back down at her daughter "You want to go for a walk? Get some fresh air in you before we go to your grandparents'?"
Roe opened her eyes and looked up at her mother, her eyelashes emphasizing her curious blinks. Zatanna smiled at her baby before taking the half empty bottle away and using a tissue to wipe away the dribble.
"C'mon, darling, let's get you all bundled up," she said.
"Ah-goo!" Roe squealed, unknowingly intertwining her fingers together as she tried to use her hands.
Roe was in a white hoodie with bear ears on the hood with a polka dot raincoat on top. She had knitted mittens over her little hands and yellow rain boots on her feet. Zatanna had a duffel coat on, a Winter hat and some black gloves to keep her hands warm on the pushchair handles. It was October and so it was Fall and it was getting cold.
"Having fun, sweetie?" Zatanna asked her daughter.
She got a "proooooooo" in response and she giggled. Mrs. Grayson liked to take her baby on walks to give her fresh air. A little girl came running up to them and squealed at the sight of the 6-month-old.
"I am so sorry! Riley, I told you to hold my hand," said the woman who was presumably the girl's mother.
"It's alright," said Zatanna "Would you like to see my baby?"
The little girl, Riley, nodded vigorously. Mrs. Grayson pulled Roe from her pushchair and crouched down with her child in her arms. Roe blinked her baby blue eyes at the little girl and the baby smiled.
"She's so cuuuuute!" Riley squealed.
"Oh! You gotta be quiet because baby ears are very sensitive," Zatanna hushed.
Riley covered her mouth and kept it covered as she and her mother walked away. Zatanna put her child back in her pushchair and they continued on their way home.
Helena Martha Wayne, age 3, slid down the banister at the sound of the doorbell and dashed over. She was excited because her sister-in-law was coming to visit and was bringing along her niece. Helena loved Baby Roe so much but was a little bit upset that she couldn't play any of her favourite games with her. Anyway, Bruce beat her to the front door and opened it to let his daughter-in-law and granddaughter inside from the cold. They were talking about Roe's progress in crawling when Helena reached them.
"Zee-Zee! I wanna hold Baby Roe!" she exclaimed "Please?! Please?! Please?! Please?!"
"Helena, you're too small to hold babies," said Bruce, reminding her a billionth time.
"It's okay, Bruce, as long as she's sitting down and we're watching her," said Zatanna, pulling off Roe's booties and unzipping her raincoat.
They moved to the living room where Helena sat on the red velvet sofa and watched intensely as Zatanna sat beside her with Baby Roe. Mrs. Grayson took off her daughter's gloves and coat before carefully placing her on her aunt's knee. Helena put her chubby arms around her niece and the two looked into each other's eyes. Bruce took out his phone and took a few pictures of the adorable moment.
Roe began kicking and squirming and Helena began squealing in surprise and fear. Zatanna took her child back and began rubbing her baby's back over her shoulder until there was a little burp.
"It's alright, Helena," she said "Baby Roe just needed to burp is all. You didn't do anything, she was just being fussy,"
Helena nodded in understanding and watched as her sister-in-law handled the 6-month-old. The subject of Roe crawling came back up and Helena helped put some pillows on the floor for her to crawl along. Bruce held his granddaughter as Zatanna took her position at the end to get her daughter to come to her. The baby's grandfather knelt down and put Baby Roe on the first pillow of the course. Roe looked around, as if wondering what to do, before looking forward at her mother. Her mother had a smile on her face and her arms outstretched. Roe moved one foot and one hand forward only to tumble when she tried to use the other hand and other foot.
"Oh, Roe!" Zatanna exclaimed, getting up and retrieving her daughter.
Roe had a surprised look on her face from her sudden face plant into the pillow. Her mother brushed aside her silky black hair and kissed her forehead.
"Maybe you'll crawl for Tati tonight," Zatanna said "Well, we better go. I told Megan I'd come visit at around 12 and Roe needs to have something to eat before then,"
"You can feed her here if you want. You can use Helena's old high chair," Bruce offered.
"Thanks, I didn't feel like going all the way home," said Zatanna, adjusting her arms as her daughter began squirming.
After feeding Roe at Wayne Manor, Zatanna buckled her daughter into her car seat and made sure she was nice and toasty. She got into the driver's seat, did her seat belt and turned around.
"You ready, sweetie?" she asked her child "Do you want to listen to some music?"
Roe gurgled and Zatanna turned on the CD of Disney songs. The 6-month-old yawned and closed her eyes as her mother drove through the city. Zatanna moved the mirror and saw her baby fast asleep. It was okay, it was her naptime anyway. Since it was never a good idea to take small babies through the zeta-tubes, Zatanna had to drive to Metropolis to see M'gann and the 3-month-old Karen Marie. It was okay, though, Roe enjoyed a car ride. A downside was that it was a two hour drive to Metropolis.
"I'm glad you like car trips, sweetie, this is going to take a while," said Zatanna as she turned out of Gotham City.
As they left the city's borders, the hands-free phone began ringing and she quickly pressed the answer button.
"Hey, love, just checking in. How's our little angel doing?" Dick asked.
"She's being fussy about eating solids but she actually swallowed some banana today while we were at your parents," said Zatanna, looking forward at the road before her.
Roe squealed at the sound of her father's voice and accidentally threw her stuffed toy to the floor.
"Hi, Roe! You better not be giving your mother any trouble, ya hear?" Dick said in response to his daughter's squeal.
"We're on our way to Metropolis right now to see M'gann and Baby K.M," said Zatanna "So, how's working going?"
"It would be better if we could get this witness to talk... gah! Why can't people just stop committing crimes?" Dick complained.
"But, honey, that would leave you unemployed," Zatanna said, biting back laughter.
"Haha... Well, I'll leave you to driving and caring for our child. I love you," he said.
"Love you too," said Zatanna "Are you going to say goodbye to Tati?" she asked her daughter.
Roe squealed and her parents both chuckled before hanging up. The 6-month-old reached up to the toys hanging from her car seat and smiled as she played with them. Zatanna smiled at her in the mirror before bringing her full attention to driving for two hours.
M'gann answered the door for Zatanna to enter her house with Baby Roe. The 6-month-old was asleep in her car seat with a toy wale in her arms. The two woman went to the living room where 3-month-old Karen Marie was asleep in a Moses basket. Zatanna put her daughter next to the other sleeping baby and sat across from M'gann on the sofa.
"So, how's it been? I've been stuck inside with Karen Marie and I'm going stir crazy!" M'gann exclaimed but covered her mouth when the children stirred.
"I don't know! I'm still getting over having Baby R.," said Zatanna "Where's Kurtie?"
M'gann smiled at the mention of her firstborn child.
"Kurt's at the park with Conner. He's determined to go down the big curly slide but he's scared. Conner said he'd buy him ice-cream if he does it but he'll probably get him ice-cream if he doesn't. Kurt's always trying to act tough but he's just a tiny pudgy 2-year-old," M'gann said.
Karen Marie began stirring and let out a cry. M'gann reached over and lifted her 3-month-old out of her basket.
"Does she need feeding? I know how awkward it is when your baby wants to nurse when you're in public," said Zatanna, chuckling.
"No, Karen Marie is always cranky after a nap," said Mrs. Kent, patting her daughter's back until she burped.
Roe began squirming so she reached out and tugged the bottom of her mother's jeans. Zatanna looked down at her and began laughing.
"Oh! Roe, I didn't realize you were awake. Come here, sweetie," she said and undid the buckles.
Mrs. Grayson lifted her baby out of her car seat and took off the baby's warm clothes so she was in her t-shirt and trousers. Roe reached over and clawed at her black booties with white bows on them. Zatanna smiled at her daughter and kissed the top of her head.
"You've got a cute one there, Zee! She looks just like you!" M'gann squealed.
"Actually, babies under a year old resemble their fathers as a defence mechanism so they wouldn't abandon them. Plus, babies have very pudgy skin since their bone structure is still hardening. It's why babies tend to look alike," said Zatanna "but that still means she's adorable! My miracle baby bird!"
M'gann smiled and she caught the unfortunate whiff of her daughter filling her diaper. The two new mothers looked at each other with a look that said "I've been there". Zatanna stayed in the living room as M'gann took Baby K.M to the bathroom to change her.
Mrs. Grayson kissed the top of her toddler's head as the memory of the day she was born came back to her. It was a painful day and not just because of contractions. Roe's innate magical powers wouldn't separate from her mother's so she had to be born through C-section so the doctor could pull the magic apart. Zatanna still had the scar under her stomach from where Roe was pulled from her. It was a dangerous procedure for both mother and child.
Roe gurgled and turned around to look at her mother. The pediatrician said she should be crawling soon but Zatanna was just happy that her baby could sit up on her own. Roe reached a pudgy hand up and took hold of a lock of her mother's raven hair.
"My baby..." her mother said, hugging her "Never go away..."
Roe let out a squeal and began flexing her chubby little legs with her feet on her mother's knees. Zatanna looked at her daughter and smiled at her, lifting her into the air.
"You're getting ready to move, aren't you?" she asked her 6-month-old.
Roe looked at her mother with curiosity and began sucking the air to show she was hungry. Zatanna had a bottle of milk in her bag and figured M'gann wouldn't mind if she used her microwave to heat it up.
Which is why when M'gann returned with Karen Marie, she saw Zatanna holding a bottle as her daughter drank.
"We've got little cuties, now don't we?" M'gann said as she sat back down "Sorry for taking so long, Karen Marie needed to have something to drink too,"
Roe sat up in her mother's arms, her iddy-biddy hands were on the sides of the bottle with her mother keeping it held up. Karen Marie was in her own mother's arms and the two looked at each other with baby blue eyes meeting.
"Me thinks these two are going to be friends," said Zatanna, removing the bottle as her daughter finished it "Wow, you really were hungry, now weren't you?"
Roe let out a squeal and reached into the air. Her smile dropped and she curled up with a concentrated look on her face. She suddenly sighed with a satisfied look on her face and uncurled herself. Zatanna lifted her baby up and took a whiff only the smell something unholy.
"Oh, no. We were about to head home! Well, you did just have something to eat," she signed and got to her feet "You mind?"
"Go ahead. My baby changing stuff is your baby changing stuff," said M'gann.
After changing Roe and driving back to Gotham City, it was well passed midday. Deciding to get some shopping done before Mommy&Me, Zatanna placed her daughter in the seat of a shopping trolly and pushed her through the supermarket. Roe found it an adventure to be sitting in the shopping trolly but soon became upset with its lack of movement. She began squirming and whining and tried to pull herself out.
"Oh, Roe! You never make things easy, do you?" Zatanna said and her daughter giggled.
She picked the 6-month-old up and held her in her arms as she pushed the shopping trolly one-handed. Roe held onto the buttons of her mother's duffel coat and rested her head on her shoulder. She loved her mother a lot, even if she couldn't say it. She also loved her father and was always happy to see him at the end of the day.
"Mada," she mumbled.
Zatanna smiled and held her daughter closer as she tried to speak. She reached out and picked up a discount chicken from the freezers.
"What do you think, Baby R.? How about chicken tonight?" she asked her baby.
Roe reached out and put her pudgy hand on the frozen bird. She squeaked from the cold and pulled her hand back but giggled.
"I'll take that as a yes," Zatanna said, laughing as she put the chicken in the trolly "Alrighty. Now, let's see about some more baby products,"
Roe tilted her head at her mother's words but rested against her shoulder again. Mrs. Grayson pushed the trolly to the baby isle and looked at the items. She put some diapers, baby powder and baby wipes in the trolly as they went along the shelves. Roe reached out for things and managed to grab a vacuumed sealed flannel with a plush elephant head.
"You want this?" Zatanna asked her baby and looked at the picture of it hydrated "I guess it's okay. I usually just use the spare one for you,"
Roe didn't want to let go of her prize so her mother let her keep hold of it. By now, Zatanna's arm was growing tired of holding her 6-month-old and she sat down on some seats. Roe sat on her lap as she tried to open the flannel. With a smile for her baby's health, Zatanna took Roe's blanket out of her baby bag and used it to pad the trolly seat before sitting her daughter into it.
"Is that better?" she asked.
Roe looked at her with curiosity and gave her a big smile. She gurgled out some words before getting back to trying to open her packet. Zatanna sighed but shook her head with a smile before pushing the trolly towards the check-outs.
They had to swing by their house so Zatanna could put the shopping away but that barely took a few minutes. It was nearing 3 o'clock and Mommy&Me was starting soon. To be honest, Zatanna was behind schedule and got to the place a few minutes late. It was a yoga center but the owners rented it out to the Mommy&Me group for extra cash.
"Ah, Mrs. Grayson, you're late," said the instructor.
"Sorry. I went to Metropolis to see a friend who's just had a child and traffic on the way back was bad and then I had to go shopping and..." Zatanna took a deep breath "I'm sorry, my day's been packed with my little one,"
The instructor nodded and Zatanna took her coat, hat and gloves off before taking off her 6-month-old's hat, jackets, mittens and Wellington boots. She sat down in the circle of other moms with her baby on her lap and the session started.
"Has anyone made any progress? Cecilia?" the instructor asked, looking at a certain mother.
"My Benny pulled himself up on the coffee table," said Cecilia, almost smugly.
"Well, my Stacey has started saying 'joo' whenever she wants juice and never any other time," said another mother, this one named Greta "What about you, Zatanna? Is your Roe crawling yet?"
Zatanna looked down at her daughter as Roe tried to wriggle off her lap.
"Roe's been more active in trying to move and has tried to crawl but she just can't seem to figure out how to move one leg and arm in time with her other leg and arm," she said, hugging her daughter to her "But she's a curious little one. I'm confident her curiosity will get her to crawl soon enough,"
The other mommies looked at her as if to say her child wasn't as smart as theirs. This was one of the reasons Zatanna didn't like Mommy&Me but Roe liked all the activities they did so she put up with it. Roe turned onto her side and rolled off Zatanna's lap and onto the floor.
"Robyn!" Mrs. Grayson exclaimed and pulled her daughter back into her arms "You, darling, lack a sense of danger just like your daddy,"
Roe began giggling and pulled at her little booties. She managed to get one off and threw it aside. She giggled again and tried to take off her other bootie. Zatanna sighed since her 6-month-old had been trying to do this all day. She reached out to take the discarded bootie before taking the other one off her baby's foot. Roe looked up at her mother as she put her booties in her pocket before turning her attention to her feet. She stretched her toes out and reached out to grab them.
"Now, today we'll be stimulating the children's minds with song and movement. Everyone, to your feet and hold your children," said the instructor.
Zatanna did so and the instructor put on Mozart and said to dance with their children to it. Roe wasn't impressed even though she really loved music. Zatanna saw her daughter's lack of entertainment when she got a phone call. The rocking ringtone got Roe excited and upset her when Zatanna answered.
"Hello?... Oh, hi, Dick... Roe's fine, we're in Mommy&Me... No, Roe usually loves it but she isn't very impressed with Mozart. She liked my ringtone, though... yeah, we went shopping... 'kay, I'll leave it on the side for ya... Okay, I love you too... love ya... bye," and Zatanna hung up to see the other mothers looking at her "Sorry, that was my husband calling to tell me he'd be late home," she apologized as she put her phone back into her pocket.
The instructor put the music back on and Roe wasn't just unamused; she actually started crying!
After the hour-long Mommy&Me session, Zatanna returned to the Grayson household with her baby. It was 4:05 in the afternoon and the chicken took two hours to cook right. Mrs. Grayson put her daughter in the kitchen playpen as she began to prepare the chicken. The kitchen really was tiny with only one wall of counters, cupboards and appliances with a single frosted-glass window. Luckily, Dick had been talking with a contractor to renovate it. They had the room to expand a bit and add a conservatory. But, for now, they had a tiny kitchen that looked like it belonged in a rundown London apartment (or "flat" as the [1]English called them).
Roe began biting the bars of the playpen and Zatanna gave her her teething ring before getting back to prepping the chicken for the oven. She tossed the family dog, Ace, the scraps as she did so but found the task too tedious to perform the "usual" manner. With a devious smile on her face, Zatanna took off her rubber gloves and looked about as if someone was about to jump out.
"Yelsrap egas yramesor dna emyht!" she said and the seasoning flew up and settled on the chicken "There. Now that that's done, let's put it in the oven,"
Zatanna put on her oven mitts and opened the oven door. She picked up the tray and pushed it in before closing the door. She tried not to use magic for mundane tasks but sometimes she just couldn't help it. Mrs. Grayson took her mitts and apron off and walked over to the playpen.
"C'mon, little one, let's go read a bit," she said to her daughter.
Zatanna picked Roe up and walked out of the kitchen and to the living room. One side of the room was all baby toys where she sat her daughter in a little foam seat for babies. She took a pop-up book out and lay on the floor beside her 6-month-old. Roe leaned forward to look at the pop-ups as her mother turned the pages. She was such a curious little one and Zatanna loved her dearly.
The front door opened and Cassie and Tim entered. Dick had called them and asked them to keep Zatanna company with Roe. When they looked into the living room, they saw Zatanna laying on the carpet next to Roe, who was asleep in a bundle of blankets. Zatanna was asleep herself but woke-up when Tim shook her shoulder.
"Uh... hey, Zee," said Tim "Dick called and asked us to come keep you company,"
Zatanna yawned and sat up. She looked down at her baby's sleeping face and smiled. Roe yawned and opened her baby blue eyes. Zatanna picked her up and held her in her arms. The 6-month-old looked up at her mother's tired face with curiosity as Zatanna struggled to stay awake.
"Zatanna, you can't look after Roe when you're so tired. We'll babysit while you get a nap," said Cassie as she took the 6-month-old from her.
Zatanna nodded and yawned. She got to her feet and headed up the stairs to the master bedroom. Cassie was effectively an aunt to Roe despite it being Tim who was her uncle and that wasn't even biologically. Roe began wriggling in Cassie's arms and she put the 6-month-old down. The little one began sucking the air and they both knew what that meant.
"I'll go warm up some milk, you watch her, Timmy," said Cassie.
"A'right. They keep it in the fridge door," Tim told her.
Cassie left for the kitchen and Tim sat down on the floor with his niece. He had turned 21 that September and had been dating Cassie for 5 years. Tim was fond of his little niece and she gurgled at him.
"So... you're a baby... how's that going for you?" he asked her.
For some reason, Roe laughed every time someone asked her this. She giggled at the question and reached her hand out to her uncle. Tim leaned closer to her and she grabbed his nose. She laughed again and Tim faked a sneeze to shake her hand off. This caused Roe to laugh even more and she kept hold of her uncle's nose. Cassie came walking in with a bottle and bib and saw the scene. She smiled.
"You're gonna be a great father some day, Timmy," she said "Guess I made the right choice with you,"
"Slow down, Cass, we're not even engaged yet," Tim said, playfully lifting his niece into the air.
"Yet? There something you'd like to ask me?" Cassie said, teasingly.
Tim blushed since he'd been carrying round an engagement ring in his pocket for a month now and was yet to ask. Cassie took Roe from him, sat the 6-month-old on her lap and gently put the bottle of warm milk into her niece's mouth. Tim sat up on the floor and ruffled Roe's silky black hair. Cassie loved looking after the little ones the first eight members of the Team had started having.
After an hour, Zatanna woke-up on her bed. She sat up and yawned before getting to her feet. Tim and Cassie were still babysitting Roe downstairs so she took the opportunity to get a refreshing shower. Afterwards, she changed into a more comfortable outfit of loose jeans and the novelty Nightwing t-shirt Dick gave her as a joke on her 19th birthday. Zatanna then left her bedroom and walked down the stairs.
She looked through the living room archway and saw Roe sitting on Cassie's lap as they played Round the Garden together. Tim was checking his e-mails on the Graysons' laptop. Zatanna walked over to them and Cassie handed her her daughter.
"Thanks for babysitting. I needed a rest. I didn't realize how exhausted I was," she said, holding her daughter in her arms.
Roe let out a squeal and hugged her mother with her chubby arms. Zatanna gently rubbed her daughter's back until she burped.
"We should be off. Tim's looking at law schools today," said Cassie as she stood up.
Tim blushed again since he hadn't told anyone else that yet. They said their goodbyes and left mother and child alone. Roe put her little hand on the Nightwing emblem on her mother's mock t-shirt. From what she had seen, Zatanna suspected Roe recognized the Nightwing emblem as her father. Then she got the unfortunate whiff of something disgusting.
"Oh, Roe... at least your digestion is working properly," Zatanna sighed as she prepared to change her daughter's diaper.
Mrs. Grayson looked at the wall clock and saw it was 5:32 p.m.; the day sure did fly by. When Roe was in a clean diaper, Zatanna got up to throw the used one away and make a call. She picked Roe up and sat down on the sofa with her daughter on her lap. She held the house phone in her hand as she went through the contacts and selected Dick's cellphone number. As it rang, Zatanna acknowledged her 6-month-old daughter in her lap.
"Hey, you've reached Dick Grayson's voice mail! If you don't know what to do after the beep then how did you have the brain power to call me?"
Zatanna waited for the beep before leaving her message.
"Uh, hey, Dick, it's your wife. I was just wondering when you'll be home. You said late but not an actual time. So, call me back, 'kay? I love you, bye,"
She hung up and hugged her baby before getting up to put the phone back in its charger. Roe wrapped her chubby little fingers around her mother's and put one in her mouth to chew. Zatanna thought this was cute until she saw the redness on her daughter's face and the tears in her eyes. Finally, Roe let out a cry as her growing teeth hurt her.
"Oh, sweetie! Let's get you that teething cream, yeah?" Zatanna said.
Mrs. Grayson reached into her purse and took out a tiny tube of cream that apparently helped teething gums. She put a bit on the tip of her finger and carefully inserted it into her daughter's mouth. Roe cried as Zatanna rubbed the cream along her 6-month-old's gums and afterwards too. It hurt her mother not to be able to make her daughter feel better. Mrs. Grayson held her baby and gently bounced her as she calmly rubbed Roe's back.
"Ssh, ssh, ssh. It's alright, little one, everything's alright," Zatanna hushed her as her daughter cried into her shoulder.
Roe balled up her little fists and held them to her face as her tears ran down her cheeks. Babies could be cute while doing many things but the one thing that wasn't cute was crying; it was heartbreaking. Zatanna heard someone knock on the front door and she continued to hush her child as she went to answer it.
"Yes?"
On the other side of the door was... her father? And not Doctor Fate but Giovanni Zatara himself! Zatanna was awestruck at the sight of her father. Nabu hadn't freed him since her wedding and that was 5 years ago! He would have been freed for Roe's birth if Wotan hadn't tried to take over the world.
"Is... this my [2]nipote?" Giovanni asked.
Roe reached out to her grandfather and he let her grab his pinky finger. He smiled at her and chuckled when she put his finger in her mouth. Zatanna adjusted her grip on her child and invited her father inside. Giovanni complemented her home and they both sat down on the living room sofa.
"How long has Nabu agreed to free you?" she asked her father.
"Only a few hours, sooner if there's trouble," said Giovanni "So... I still don't know your little one's name,"
"Roe, Roe Grayson. It's short for Robyn," said Zatanna, her daughter on her lap "I get why you were so protective of me now. I can't stand the thought of not having Roe and if I were to lose Dick... I understand why you're such an overprotective father,"
"My overprotective days are over, Zatanna. You're a grown woman with a child of your own. Now it's time I become a grandfather to dearest Robyn," he said, reaching over and giving her a tickle.
Zatanna turned Roe around so they were facing each other and the 6-month-old grabbed a lock of her mother's hair.
"You hear that, my little one? You're going to have a [3]Nonno now!" she said and lifted her daughter into the air "Will you crawl for him? Eh?"
Roe began moving her little legs which was a sign she wanted to move. Giovanni and Zatanna got to their feet and went to the other half of the room where all the baby stuff was. Giovanni took Roe and carefully placed her on the floor. Zatanna knelt across from her and reached out her arms.
"Go on, Roe, go to your [4]madre," Giovanni said.
Roe looked around and saw her mother with her arms outstretched. The 6-month-old knew she wanted a hug from her mother. She moved one arm forward and slid her knee forward with it. Then she put her other hand forward and stretched her other leg out into the air. Roe was confused at how she got in such a position and completely froze.
"C'mon, Roe, you can do it! Just put your leg back down and move forward," Zatanna encouraged.
Roe just looked at her mother and lifted her hand up. This was the wrong move and she fell flat on her face. Before she could even start crying, Zatanna was pulling her into her arms and rocking her baby. Giovanni observed this and thought of how Zatanna reminded him of Sindella back when Zatanna was a baby.
6 o'clock rolled round and Giovanni watched Roe while Zatanna took the chicken out of the oven. It was somewhat comical to see an elderly man in a suit have a 6-month-old child on his knee. Zatanna was mashing potatoes when her father walked in with Roe.
"This little one really takes it out of you even without crawling," said Giovanni "Do you need some help?"
"You can feed Baby R. for me," Zatanna said "Just mash some bananas for her and if she doesn't eat that then there's some milk in the fridge. We're trying to get her onto solids,"
Giovanni sat his granddaughter in her high chair and did as her mother told him; he tried to get her to eat solids. Roe continued to let it fall out of her mouth but her grandfather managed to get her to eat some. Giovanni repeatedly looked at the clock and wondered when Dick was supposed to be home.
"Um... Zatanna? When is your husband coming home?" he asked.
"Oh, Dick's usually home by now but he got a case and will be home late," Zatanna said, smiling at her father "I'd like it if he didn't have to work so late but that's what I agreed to when I married him,"
Giovanni could tell she was more disappointed than she was letting on but Roe became fidgety and took their attention. When her grandfather held her, the 6-month-old reached out to her mother and began crying to be held by her. Zatanna took her child and Roe held onto her as if she knew her mother's sadness about the absence of her father.
"Dinner's nearly ready. Do you want to eat at the table or in front of the T.V?" she asked.
"Uh... wherever you want, darling. I just need to make a phone call, I hope you don't mind," Giovanni said.
Zatanna nodded as she held her daughter in her arms and her father left the room.
Giovanni looked through the contacts in the Graysons' address book until he found his son-in-law's cellphone number. He used the house phone to dial and looked to make sure Zatanna wasn't watching. There was a 'click,pop!' sound and he heard Dick's voice.
"You got Grayson. Zee, is that you?"
"No, it's your father-in-law," Giovanni said.
There was a thump as Dick fell out of his desk chair.
"Z-Zatara? Y-You're not under Fate's control?" he stammered.
"Not at the moment," Giovanni said in a hushed voice "Now, listen, Richard. It was very hard for me not to be there for Zatanna and it was very hard for me to trust you to be by her side. And now, she's clutching your child as she prepares dinner. I don't want excuses, your wife and child needs you so get your butt home, right now!"
There was silence before Dick answered.
"There's no excuse for not being with your family," and he hung up.
Giovanni put the phone down and returned to the kitchen where Zatanna was sitting at the table and trying to feed Roe some mashed potatoes. He took a seat by her and looked at the meal on his plate. There was chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy and vegetables. Giovanni looked to see his daughter was beginning to tire from the day. Roe looked up at her mother and woke her by tugging a lock of her hair. Zatanna straightened up and adjusted her grip on her child.
Only a few minutes passed when they heard someone unlocking the front door. Zatanna got to her feet with Roe in her arms and stepped forward. Dick came in and panted from the sprint to the front door. Mrs. Grayson practically fell into her husband's arms and he hugged both her and their daughter.
"I'm sorry I'm late," he said "Let me take Roe so you can just relax,"
Zatanna handed their 6-month-old over to him and wrapped her arms around him. One of Dick's goals as a husband and father was to not make the mistakes other officers had made that caused their wives to leave them. He'd be there for every birthday, he'd remember every anniversary and he'd be there for them. Zatanna slumped in his arms and he supported her to the sofa. It was barely 6:15 but she was exhausted from watching over her child. She agreed to hold Roe so he could get his dinner and sit with them.
Roe saw her father walk out of the living room and saw her mother asleep. She was a bored little girl and slid herself out of Zatanna's arms. Her grandfather was in the kitchen with her daddy. Roe rolled herself off her bottom and onto her hands and knees. After getting her arms and legs mixed up, the 6-month-old wrapped her chubby little fingers on the edge of the coffee table. She pulled herself up, her legs wobbling beneath her and she got to her feet. Curiously, Roe put her foot out and stepped out from the coffee table. She let go and her feet thuded forward. Giovanni looked through the kitchen door and dropped his knife and fork.
"Dick... get your camera..." he stated.
Dick looked out the kitchen door and said his wife's name to awaken her. Zatanna opened her eyes and steadily sat up as she stared. Dick lifted his phone up and pressed record. Roe just looked down at her wobbly feet as she moved them forward. She fell onto her bottom but leaned forward and pushed herself to her feet. Roe toddled forward and her father got to his knees. He reached out to her and she fell into his arms. That's when everyone erupted.
"ROE JUST WALKED?!"
The pediatrician had said some children completely skipped the crawling stage and went to walking. But Roe was still only 6-months-old! She was an advanced baby to be walking so early. Zatanna went to them and hugged her daughter and husband. Her child... her baby... just walked for the first time...
Sadly, Zatanna had to say goodbye to her father again and he left to assume his role as Doctor Fate. It was 8 o'clock by then and Roe's bedtime. Mr. and Mrs. Grayson washed, dried, changed and dressed their daughter. Roe's pyjamas was a soft onsie with a hood that had ears on it. Zatanna sat in the rocking chair as her daughter fell asleep in her arms. Roe's only movement was her pacifier as she sucked it. In her arms was a plush robin toy that she couldn't sleep through the night without. There were butterfly lights on the wall by her crib that kept her out of the dark and the baby monitor was standing on the dresser.
When Zatanna was sure her daughter was thoroughly asleep, she got to her feet and walked over to the crib. She gently lay her baby down and put the baby blanket over her. Roe began to stir and Zatanna put the mobile on to play calming music. She looked down at her little one with a smile.
"Sleep tight, my little miracle," she said.
She left Roe to sleep and headed out of the nursery and down the stairs. Dick was sitting on the sofa with his laptop and was saving the video of Roe walking onto his computer. Zatanna walked over to him and sat down next to her husband. He put his arm around her and she cuddled up to him.
"Sleepy? When it's only 8 o'clock?" Dick asked her.
Zatanna groaned and buried her head into his shoulder. He chuckled and held her closer. She turned her head to look at his laptop screen and a smile spread across her face at the image of their daughter walking.
"Roe's our little miracle," she said.
"She sure is," Dick said, kissing his wife's forehead.
Zatanna looked up at him and kissed him before resting her head on his shoulder. Her eyes were heavy but she was happy with the knowledge that she'd get to have another day just like this one tomorrow.
[1]BTW: I'm actually English myself.
[2]Nipote: Italian for granddaughter/grandson/grandchild.
[3]Nonno: Italian for grandfather.
[4]Madre: Italian for mother.