The call made me nearly drop the phone. "Jen are you kidding me. You got invited to run mantanice on The Watchtower! Thats amazing, glad you called me." I glanced into the living room to check up on Emma (my five year old). "Actually I called to ask if you wanted to help me out. I mean you know me I can fix anything but I'm not a computer programer." That time I really did drop the phone. "That be amazing, but I can't. I don't have anyone to watch Emma."
"So bring her with you. Between the two of us we can keep her in check. I'll just need to clear it with security." I told Jen that it be great. Emma can be a hand full, maybe she'd be to jazzed to be on the watchtower to get any trouble. "Emma do you want to come to work with me tomorrow?"
"No way momma. Your works boring, you just sit at a computer all day."
"Well hon this is different, we'd be going to the watchtower. Only the one place that all your heros work everyday. But if you don't want to go." I couldn't hear myself finish over my little girl's squeal. "I need to find my autograph book!" I laughed as she ran into her room screaming.
The next day:
We took the bus to the transport site. While we were waiting I took my girls hand. "Listen Emma you stay with me and don't move from my side understand." She nodded and straighted her favorite dress for the umpteenth time. "If I meet a super-hero do you think that they'll like me?" I smiled down at her. "Of course, just be the angel that I knows in there somewhere." Then I felt a static like tingle and in a flash we were on a receiving pad. In the middle of the watch tower. And standing in front of us was the martian manhunter J'onn J'onzz. Emma looked up at the green skinned being the squeaked and hide behind my legs. The Martian looked curiously at the girl then Jen took her hand. "I'll go ahead with her, You just get us situated." I nodded. J'onn J'onzz looked back at her as they walked away. I cleared my throat. "Sorry Mr. J'onzz I don't know what came over her she usually so polite and outspoken."
"She was frightened by me." He said in a monotoned voice. I shoke my head "She was just a little shy, Emma's actually a big fan of yours. But you know children are." J'onn gave a wistful look and nodded "yes I do."
"You Miss. Heartly will be working here in the main area. Your friend has just been sent directions." He pointed me toward a computer console, and I set to work. An hour later I was interupted. "Jen what is it." Jen whispered in my ear "Emma ran away from me, I just turned around for a minute and poof she was gone."
"What!" I jumped up, a couple of heroes stopped to stare at me. Jen pulled me back down "Don't make a scene or we'll both be fired. We'll just split up and look for her. How much trouble can a little girl get in up here?" I gave her a look. "Oh right." She agreed.
With Emma:
Emma had been wandering for ten minutes and was beginning to get a little scared. All that had happened was she had seen a blur and felt a gust of wind. Emma knew that meant the Flash had ran by. Determined to make up for her previous shyness she took of to get his autograph. Perhaps she had had a lapse in judgement, because now she was lost, and beginning to panic. Emma just sat down and began to cry. "Ho there lil' darlin what is it your doin here?" Emma looked up wiping the blurry tears from her eyes. She saw a cowboy complete with a cowboy hat and twin holsters. The girl guessed he was one of the heroes, only instead of a mask he kept a bandana over his nose. She didn't recognize him but his voice had a western twang; it was warm and friendly.
"I'm lost, momma told me not to wander, but I did and I can't find her now." Emma began to be choked up with sobs. "Whoa, hold up there darlin it's all right. Ol' Vigilante here will help ya find yer momma." Vigilante pulled a handkerchief from his pants pocket. "Here ya go darlin, blow yer nose and dry yer eyes." She did so and handed back the cloth. "What's yer name darlin?"
"Emma Heartly. Mr. Vigilante."
"Alrighty Emma what's your momma do on the ol'Watchtower?" Emma sniffled before answering. "She's a computer person." Vigilante smiled and held out his hand and helped the little girl to her feet. "Well you come with me now well probably find your momma on the control deck."
On the control deck I was still trying to find someone to cover for me so I could find my daughter. "Ash look." Jen told me. I raised my head to look where Jen was pointing. There was my daughter holding the hand of a cowboy with teary eyes. "Anybody lose this here little princess?" He cried out. "Emma!" I ran forward to my daughter.
"Momma!" She cried gleefully Emma ran forward to jump in my arms. I held her close for a moment the pulled away. "Don't you ever run away like that again little lady." Emma looked down shame faced "I won't."
I looked at the cowboy that had escorted my girl in. "Who is it I have to thank."
"Momma," Emma pulled at my sleeve. "momma this is Vigilante he saved me. Well not really saved, but he found me and brought me back here." I put my daughter down and smiled at the cowboy. "Thank you so much Vigilante." The cowboy looked like he was smiling from beneath his bandana. He tipped his hat to me. "Happy to help ma'am. The little darlin was just a might scared is all. You must be Mrs. Heartly." I didn't really know how to regulate my facial expressions. "Actually its Miss.; and again thank you so much." Then he knelt down to my girl and put a hand on her shoulder. "Now you listen darlin, keep yourself outta trouble and listen to your momma, hear?"
"Yes sir." Emma answered politely. Vigilante stood and tipped his hat again. "Ma'am." and he was off. "Alright kid come with me, I need to get back to work." I took Emma's hand and went back to my terminal. The next few hours passed uneventfully. "Ok, baby time to go home." Emma woke up from the nap she had been taking on one of the League's couches. "Ok momma." As we walked down the hall to the transport, Emma clinging to my hand. "Momma? Do you think I'll see Mr. Vigilante again?"
I smiled at my daughter, she was a people person and like nice people. "I don't know baby, people like Mr. Vigilante are very busy. There like policemen, not exactly nine to five workers."
"Well hello there ladies." Said a rich accent. "I guess I spoke to soon." I spoke laughing with my words. Emma tore out of my grip and ran up to the cowboy. "Hi mister Vigilante!" Vigilante laughed and picked her up in a familiar way "Hello little darlin." He tossed her into the air, and she giggled her curly head off. When set her back down on her feet he stood straight and looked at me. He tipped his hat "Headin home ma'am?"
"That was the plan." I smiled at him. "Well I'm headin that way, how about I escort you ladies out."
"Yeah" Emma squealed jumping up and down, all the while pulling on Vigilante's hand. Which was making him nearly fall over. "Easy there girl, Don't dislocate Mr. Vigilante's shoulder, he needs full mobility to do his job."
"Thank ya very much ma'am. This child of yours is a force of nature." I laughed and agreed with him.
"Hail my friend, I've wondered were you disappeared to." Looking at the newcomer I blinked a few times, just to make sure I wasn't kidding myself. It was a knight, like a real Arthurian knight, complete in chain mail, helmet, and sword. "How do Sir Justin." Vigilante waved to the new hero. Emma ran ahead giggling "Your the Shining Knight!" The knight smiled at my daughter uncertainly. Personally I'd never heard of this hero, but then my daughter did know more about these guys than I did. "Momma, Momma Shining Knight was on the T.V in that parade."
That made me remember, I had watched that fiasco. I also saw the Shining Knight get seriously injured in that fight with the ex general. "Verily young lady, that I was." Vigilante and I caught up to the other two and Vigilante introduced us. "Justin this girly is Emma Heartly and her momma, oh." He turned to me, looking a little sheepish. " Sorry, ma'am I neglected to catch your full name." I nodded to the knight. " Ashylin Heartly, nice to meet you." With that I held out my hand to shake his. But instead he took my hand and rose it to his lips. "An honor to meet the both of you good lady; Sir Justin at your service my lady, formerly of King Arthur's court."
"Pleasure's all mine Sir Justin." I studied him a moment. He seemed a archetypical knight; tall, cut chin, strong shoulders. All this offset by fair skin, with blue eyes. If it weren't for the getup I would have pegged him for a former high school quarterback. "Momma," Emma tugged at my sleeve breaking me out of my observations. "What is it babe?"
"We need to get home, we'll miss the new episode of Phineas & Ferb." She urgently tapped the face of her plastic barbie wrist watch. Chuckling at her I took her hand and turned to the two heroes. "I guess we'll see you two sometime later?"
"I would find it an honor my lady." Sir Justin said making a slight bow of the head.
"Same goes for me ma'am." Vigilante agreed. Emma broke free of my grasp and ran up to Vigilante. "By Mr. Vigilante, I was happy to meet you." Vigilante smiled beneath his bandanna and got on his knee a gave Emma a hug. Then Emma turned to Sir Justin, and bobbed a curtsy. "I was happy to meet you too Sir Justin."
Sir Justin smiled in a way that showed that he thought Emma was adorable. He got on his knee and kissed Emma's hand the same way he had mine.
"In truth young lady, I was pleased to meet you as well."
Later when Emma and I were back on Earth on the way home, I was buckling her into her car seat, and we were on the road.
"Momma don't you think that Sir Justin was handsome." The question made me give myself whiplash turning to look at my daughter. That and Jen about choked herself to death laughing in her seat.