BB The Next Gen Team:

The Kids Want to Play

Blüdhaven, End of May 2045

M'gann sat in her chair on the beach. She was so happy that Dick had purchase the land with a beach years ago.

Her youngest son, Wesley, played in the sand, waiting for the others.

All of the moms had planned a playdate and the young toddlers were excited.

Serenity came up to them both, Reiena and Marik in tow. Both were dressed alike in shorts and shirts. Marik had gotten a haircut but Reiena's raven black hair was pulled into a braid.

Serenity sat the kids down by Wesley and sat down on the sand next to M'gann. "Hey M'gann."

"Serenity! This was a great idea! This winter was rather rough."

"I know. The kids need this." Serenity then lay a towel down and laid on it, eyes closed with sunglasses on.

Wesley smiled as Marik and Reiena helped move the sand to him. "Rei-Rei! Marik!" he said mentally.

"Hi Wes!" Marik said.

Reiena waved her hand at him.

"Building a castle?" Marik asked mentally.

"Yeah. I almost have it," Wesley told him.

Reiena started to make a wall. Marik followed.

Artemis was running up to the ladies as a small bundle of red hair speed walked to the other kids.

That walk turned to a spec of speed, and Iesha West tripped over a bucket but Wesley caught her before she fell on her face.

"Hi Red," he said mentally.

"Hi Wes!" she said back.

"Iesha! Slow down!" Artemis caught up to her daughter. She saw that Wesley gave her a bucket to load up some sand with. Artemis laughed. "Thank you, Wes. You're such a good boy."

Wesley beamed.

Artemis made her way to the others. She put her chair down and sat down, exhausted.

"Oh no. Artemis, you ok?" Serenity asked.

"You try raising a speedster."

"No thanks. You've got that covered," Serenity joked.

"Wally's lucky...she gets away from me and he can catch her. Me, well I just pass out."

"You got Brian too," M'gann added.

"But he's already grown. At least he's starting to help her with her powers." Serenity remarked

"And Vincent, the other day, he used a net arrow to stop her in her tracks. I told him never again!"

The other moms laughed.

"I'm sure she was going to get away before Wally or Brian could catch her."

"You know...you should use net arrows on her. They seem to work," M'gann suggested.

"Until she learns to vibrate through the netting."

"That won't be for a long time."

Artemis shook her head. "Wally's trying to teach her. If she gets it, he's so dead."

It was then that Areina came up to the group, her twins right at her side.

"Hi everyone!" Areina came to them. Jason was eager to be released while Bruce was very calm.

"Areina! Help me with Iesha! She's speed walking!" Artemis joked.

"Only if you help me keep Jason from getting into everything!"

The ladies laughed.

Jason tried heating up his mother's hand.

"Don't you dare." Areina said as she didn't look at her son.

Bruce flicked water at him to stop him.

"This is what I have to deal with every day; were Marik and Mathen like this?"

"At times. Until-" Serenity paused for a moment. "But with him and Reiena, they don't do anything to get into trouble."

"Guess I'll just get use to it. Alright boys, go and play. Jason...NO fire alright."

Jason pouted but Bruce raced off. Jason then ran after his twin.

"At least I got Jason away from the fireplace."

Areina sat next to Serenity. "And Bruce put out the fire."

"Who gets into more trouble?" M'gann asked.

"Jason. Hands down."

"But Bruce tries to put out those fires." Serenity remarked.

"Where's Meygan?" Artemis asked.

"Getting Rini together." Serenity answered. "Meygan's...become...well..."

"Paranoid?" Artemis supplied.

"Yes. Poor thing. She fears for Rini. My granddaughter just got over an ear infection."

"Paranoia is normal, especially after all the hell that the Master has put me and Meygan through the past two years, I would be too." Areina remarked.

"Meygan got Mona and Eolus to come live here for a bit but the two didn't mind."

"So how does Mona like Themyscira?" Artemis asked.

"She wanted be Wonder Woman now that Cassie is retiring. But Donna was next in line," Serenity told them.

"Hi mom!" Mona Sandsmark came up to the group of mothers and kissed Serenity on the cheek.

"Hi little Mona."

Mona sat down in front of the group. "I so needed this." Mona's hair reached the middle of her back and her skin was slightly red but she removed her sunglasses, showing her red eyes.

"What happened to you?" Areina asked.

"I got into a fight with Donna. Guess who won." Mona's eyes then went back to blue and she lowered the sunglasses.

"What was the fight about THIS TIME?" Serenity asked.

"I mentioned something about being Wonder Woman when she's done and well she didn't like it."

"When will she learn not to mess with you?" Areina remarked.

"Never. I know she's a born Amazon, but I'm Cassie's daughter in law."

"Is Eolus treating you well?" M'gann asked.

"He is." Mona had a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Mona!" Meygan cried as she walked to everyone, carrying Rini in her arms.

When she got them, she hugged Mona then her mom. "Kevin's putting the last touches on your house." she told Mona

"Good. I'll tell Eolus."

Meygan sat down with Rini and she was so tiny, her body slow-growing. She looked only six months old but was two years old. She only wore a sea green onsie shirt and nothing else. Her loose curly hair was in a ponytail but it looked like it wouldn't hold.

"Why don't you let her play with the kids?" Areina said gently.

Meygan looked torn for a second, then got up and took her to the other kids.

"Poor Meygan," M'gann whispered.

"I know," Areina whispered. She watched as Meygan returned-without her daughter.

"Meygan...what's wrong?" Serenity asked her daughter.

"Nothing," Meygan whispered.

"Wait-do they know?" Mona asked her "twin".

"Know what?" Areina asked.

"Nothing!" Meygan rushed to cut off the conversation.

"Meygan, you can tell us, we're your family." Areina told her cousin.

"I'm...pregnant. That's why Mona and Eolus are moving here."

Areina hugged her cousin fiercely. "See that wasn't so hard."

But Areina saw the fear in her cousin's eyes.

"It'll be alright." Serenity hugged her daughter as well.

"How far along?" Artemis asked as she hugged her as well.

"Two months. Kevin doesn't know yet."

"Don't worry-your father will be thrilled," Serenity told her daughter.

"Kevin was worried that dad would neuter him when I was pregnant with Rini."

"That was because you were 17."

"Still, I remember the look on his face; I just hope he doesn't feel that way this time."

"At least Cassidee is around to help." M'gann said.

"And Uncle Jason, Uncle Roy and Kori are still hunting down...him."

"Don't fret over that. Let us deal with him." Artemis looked over at the kids. "Looks like Rini is dealing with separation anxiety."

Rini had crawled away from the kids and was almost back to the women.

Meygan scooped her daughter up and sat with the group again.

"Rini is subtle about what she wants." Areina whispered.

"She senses the baby."

"So, she wants to be with her sibling huh." Artemis remarked.

Rini had her hands on her mother's stomach.

She looked back and showed the sign for a woman.

Artemis' jaw dropped.

"So...you're having a sister?" Meygan asked her daughter.

"Yes," she squeaked softly.

Mona laughed. "She sounds soooo cute!"

"Think my boys will like her?" Areina asked.

Rini made a face. It was Conner's mad face.

Everyone laughed.

"Okay sweetie, I know Jason can be a handful."

Rini's face looked even madder as she shook her head.

"Bruce." she said to Areina.

"What about him?"

"Water."

Areina looked over. Bruce was crawling for the water.

"NOT AGIAN."

Artemis laughed.

"Run-walk." Rini pointed to the group.

"Bruce, you stay out of that ocean." Areina hollered.

Wesley had Iesha in a telekinetic bubble to keep her from running away.

Meygan turned and used her demon powers to put Bruce back with the group. "There."

"Thanks, Meygan. It's bad enough he wants to stay in the pool all the time."

Wesley then levitated his bubble to Artemis and dropped Iesha to her mother.

"He loves the water." Mona said.

"And Jason loves fire." Areina added.

Meygan then got up and took Iesha from Artemis and set both girls back with the group. Meygan then returned.

"Thanks."

Serenity smiled as she looked back at the house. "I hope Dick's ok."

"Why?" Mona asked.

"Brie. He's watching Brie."

Mona laughed. "She could have been with us."

"Dick promised me a day free of her. She's a handful."

The women laughed.

Marik saw the leaning branches from the tree near them and he raised a hand.

The branches were woven into a swing, in which Marik got up and laid on the seat part belly-side up. He then kicked at the sand, and the swing moved.

Marik giggled.

The other kids saw what he was doing and they all wanted to get on too.

They abandoned the sand and when they could, climbed on too. Wesley took Rini's hand and moved to the side as he used his telekinetic powers to move the branch swing.

The kids were laughing as they went faster.

Everyone looked over.

"Oh crap!"

"Marik! Not again!" Serenity cried, getting up.

"Iesha, no!" Artemis cried when the two year old speedster was ready to jump.

"Wesley, stop moving the swing!" M'gann cried.

All of the mothers were getting up.

Jason was mad; he didn't want his fun to end, but he was unintentionally burning through the branches.

"Jason stop!" cried Areina.

The branches were burned through.

The kids screamed.

But a black/purple platform caught them all.

The women looked to Meygan.

But the power didn't come from her.

They all looked over at the toddlers.

Rini lowered them back to the sand. She looked back at her mom.

"That's my girl." Meygan said proudly.

"Since when?!" cried Areina when she scooped up her boys.

"She always had them."

"And we didn't know?" Serenity cried.

"I needed a few secrets to myself."

"Looks like Rini doesn't want it that way." Areina remarked.

"She does. But she didn't want them to get hurt."

Meygan picked Rini up just as a few beeps came from her cell. "Crap. Time to feed her. Bye everyone!" Meygan rushed off to her house.

The others stared at her.

Meygan rushed back to her house and opened her phone. She hit call back and it was picked up on the other end. "It's me."

"I know who it is," Uncle Jason said on the other line.

"When?" Meygan asked.

"Can I meet you tonight? Can we use Watchtower?"

"No. Too many cameras. My dad's old apt, midnight. I'll be there."

"Be ready, little girl. This will shock you. And to be honest...none of you are strong enough to stop him." Jason told her on the other end.

"See you soon." Meygan looked at her young daughter. "This will be over with soon."