A/N: Sorry it's been a while! My life's been a little crazy. I'm hoping to keep updating more regularly now.


Constantine adjusted his eighteenth-century clothes and groaned. "This is quite possibly the most boring mission Sara's ever sent me off on," he told Mona. "We're sitting here doing what? Watching nothing happen and making sure nothing continues to happen. I could be working on dark dimension business right now. That would be a lot more helpful. And interesting."

Mona crossed her arms. "Constantine, this is important. If we don't keep an eye on Wolfgang until his sister gets back, a major aberration could happen without warning."

"What aberration?" John asked, gesturing toward the room across the hallway where the six-year-old prodigy was still located. "He's doing nothing. Nothing at all. Literally nothing." After a beat, John had a realization. "Mona," he said, holding up his index finger, "do you hear anything?"

Mona shook her head.

"Exactly," he said. "Little Mozart was practicing his harpsichord when we left. Now, it's quiet, and it's been quiet for a long time."

Mona peered at the room's slightly open door, trying to get a glimpse of the young child inside. "Do you think that's a bad sign?"

"I don't know, but I doubt it's a good one," John replied. "More likely than not, he just got tired and stopped. But his dad did seem pretty adamant about keeping it up."

Mona understood where John's logic was going. "And he only seemed reluctant to practice when his sister went missing," she said. "It could be a coincidence, of course, but if Nannerl's absence is causing even a slight deviation from history, we need to know."

"Precisely, love."

The two of them looked down each direction of the hallway to make sure no one was watching, then quickly and silently slipped through the crack door and into the room. Wolfgang was, as they'd guessed, not seated at his instrument. He was instead standing beside a tall window at the far end of the room, staring at the gardens outside. When he heard footsteps, he turned around and looked at them curiously. "Oh, hello," he said. "Did my father send you here?"

"Uh…no," Constantine answered. "We work in the palace and just wanted to check up on you." He nudged Mona.

"Yeah," she said quickly, backing him up. "Just wanted to make sure you're doing okay."

Wolfgang studied them for a second, then shrugged and turned back around to face the window. "I'm fine. Do you know where my sister is?"

Mona walked across the room until she was close to the young boy. Constantine followed, but hung back a few feet from them. "Not exactly," Mona answered, "but I know she'll be back soon."

Wolfgang turned his face toward her. "Really?" he asked. "Why isn't she here yet?"

"Because she's on her way," Mona assured him. She glanced back at the unattended harpsichord. "Are you…uh…performing tonight?"

Wolfgang nodded. "Me and my sister."

"Sounds like fun. Should you be getting ready, or…?"

Wolfgang crossed his arms and pouted. "No!"

John raised an eyebrow and took a step closer. "And why not?" he asked.

"Because I don't want to."

"But why don't you want to?" Mona asked. "Isn't music kind of your whole thing?"

Wolfgang continued to pout. "I want to play with my sister. It's not fair if I have to practice and she doesn't. And it's no fun without her either." He stomped his foot. "I won't play without my sister."

"But what about tonight?" Mona asked. "Isn't it a big night for you?"

"I don't care." He sat down on the floor with a tiny frown on his adorable six-year-old face. "I won't play anything for anybody until my sister gets back. And you can't make me!"

Mona glanced back at Constantine for help. He seemed as unsure as she was. Before either of them could say anything else, they heard footsteps and voices approaching the room. Mona quickly told the boy, "We're playing hide-and-seek. Don't tell them we're here." She ran to John, grabbed his arm, and pulled him behind the long curtains hanging on either side of the window.

"Hide-and-seek?" John whispered inside the curtain. "Really?"

"You got a better excuse?" Mona hissed back.

"Well, he is six," John admitted. "I guess he'd buy it."

"Shh!" Mona shushed him. "Listen!"

They heard a voice that they recognized as belonging to Wolfgang's father. "Son, what did I say about practicing?" he asked.

Wolfgang's voice answered, "I said I didn't want to."

"I thought you wanted to perform tonight. You were quite excited this morning. You want to be ready, don't you?"

"I don't want to play without Nannerl. It's supposed to be both of us."

"You will play with her tonight. You can still practice your solos alone."

"But I don't want to!"

"Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, do you want to be prepared for your concert or not?"

The young boy's voice sounded much angrier. "I'm not playing any concert without my sister!" he shouted.

"Please calm down, son," his father's voice responded patiently. "You won't play the concert without her."

"Then where is she? Why isn't she here? I won't play without her! I won't!"

"That is enough," his father said sternly. A beat of silence followed. Apparently, Wolfgang had stopped arguing. "Your sister is somewhere within the palace. I am sure she will be back here very soon. But her temporary absence does not mean you have any less obligation. This concert tour is your big introduction to the world. People – important people – are waiting to see you. Would you really throw away everything we have worked for now? If you do, you might never have a chance like this again."

"But what about Nannerl?" Mozart asked. "It's her concert, too. It's not fair."

"It doesn't have to be fair." His father sighed, then spoke again, "I understand your frustration. I, too, want to find your sister and am worried about her. I will continue searching the grounds until she is found. But I will not have you back out of your commitments. You must practice now so that you can perform later. Am I clear?"

"But I don't want to."

"Am I clear?"

"…yes, Father."

Mona and John heard the older Mozart's footsteps exit the room. "This could be bigger than we thought," Mona whispered, still hiding in the curtain.

"Agreed," John whispered back. "If this concert is what starts that boy's career, and he misses it over his sister's disappearance, we could have a massive ripple effect on our hands."

"Exactly. You know what that means?"

"Yes, love. We need to…"

"…help young Mozart discover his inspiration!" Mona said enthusiastically.

"…alert the Legends and tell them to hurry up," John finished at the exact same time. He gave Mona a strange look. "Sorry, what?"

"Crazy things can happen with time travel," Mona explained. "There's always a chance that the Legends won't be able to get Nannerl back here at the exact time she's needed. That means that in order to save Wolfgang's legacy, we need to inspire him to find his love of music with or without his sister."

John sighed and closed his eyes, taking his time before forming a response. "Mona," he said slowly, "I realize that some people find your innocent idealism charming…but without even thinking about it much, I can come up with about a dozen different reasons why that plan is ridiculous."

"More ridiculous than hiding in a curtain while wearing powdered wigs and listening to one of the most famous classical musicians in the world throw a tiny tantrum?"

John hesitated, opened his mouth to respond, and then closed it again. He thought about their situation for a moment, then said, "Well…you might have a point."

Mona grinned. "So you'll do it?"

John rolled his eyes. "I suppose." He sidestepped around her and pulled the curtain away so they could both return to the young boy's view. "But I still hope the Legends get here fast."


Zari stepped into the Waverider galley and stopped suddenly as she stared at the sight that awaited her. "Uh…Snart? What are you doing?"

Leonard didn't look away as he carefully placed a cherry on top of an elaborate ice cream sundae. "Robbing Fort Knox, obviously. What does it look like I'm doing?"

Zari stared at him for another moment, then shrugged and walked over to Gideon's food fabrication system. "That's for Mozart's sister, isn't it?" she asked as she entered instructions into Gideon's machinery.

"She's not 'Mozart's sister,'" Leonard corrected her. "She's a Mozart, too. There happen to be two kids with that name."

"Right. Got it."

Suddenly, Nannerl ran through the doorway and into the kitchen. She was no longer dressed in her original clothes, apparently having switched them out for an extremely 1983-esque outfit including jeans, tennis shoes, a shirt covered in bright yellow polka dots, and a high ponytail pulled into a gold, sparkly bow. "Snart!" she shouted. "Look!"

He looked up at her over top of the ice cream sundae and couldn't help smiling slightly when he noticed the gold sparkles. "You've got taste, kid."

Zari studied Nannerl's new outfit, then turned to Leonard. "Fabrication room?"

"She asked why everybody on this team dresses the way they do," Leonard explained, "so I told her how it works. Naturally, she wanted to try it out for herself."

"Oh, naturally," Zari said. "So you told her how to find the fabrication room and let her play around with Gideon's preset 1980s selection while you made her ice cream?"

"Pretty much."

"It's so much easier to run in this!" Nannerl exclaimed as she sprinted back and forth across the room. She changed directions and ran up next to Leonard. "How does it make clothes like that?" she asked.

"No idea," Leonard answered. "That's just Gideon."

Nannerl looked at him confusedly. "Gideon?" she repeated. "Who's Gideon?"

"I am, Miss Mozart," Gideon's disembodied voice echoed through the space around them.

Nannerl let out a little shout of shock, then looked around to find the source of the voice. She pointed at Zari. "Did you do that?"

"Nope," Zari answered.

Leonard knelt down to Nannerl's level. She turned around to face him as he said calmly, "Don't worry, kid. She's not going to jump out and scare you. She's not a person. But she can hear you anywhere on this ship."

"What does she do?" Nannerl asked.

"She answers questions and makes stuff work," Leonard told her.

"Bit of an oversimplification," Zari commented.

"It certainly is," Gideon's voice affirmed.

Nannerl jumped a little at the sound of Gideon's voice. "Hey," Leonard said gently, "don't be scared. She's just here to help, okay?" He paused a second, waiting for her to relax before suggesting, "Do you want to ask her something?" Nannerl hesitated, so Leonard prompted her again, "Go on, ask her anything."

Nannerl thought for a second, then asked, "Gideon, are you a ghost?"

Leonard smirked amusedly as Gideon's voice provided an answer. "No, Miss Mozart," the A.I. said. "I am not a ghost. I am an artificial intelligence system designed to operate all technological functions of this ship, including the fabrication room in which you just selected your new outfit."

Nannerl gasped. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "That's amazing!"

"You know what else is amazing?" Leonard replied. "Ice cream. Sit down and I'll bring you some." He straightened up and led her over to the table.

"Z? Is that you?" Nate asked, sticking his head in from the hallway. "Have you seen..." He noticed Nannerl's outfit first, then watched curiously as Leonard pulled out a chair for her at the table. "Wait…what's going on?" he asked as Charlie joined him in the doorway.

"Yeah, what's all this?" Charlie asked.

"I let a little girl play dress up and am now giving her ice cream," Leonard said dryly. "Is that a crime around here? Not that I'd care much if it was."

"Uh…no," Nate replied, pleasantly surprised. "No, it isn't."

"It's actually kind of nice," Charlie added.

"He also introduced her to Gideon," Zari pointed out.

"She's only going to be on a spaceship from the future once," Leonard replied. "She might as well enjoy it a little." He placed the ice cream sundae on the table in front of Nannerl, who stared at it eagerly. "Help yourself, kid."

Zari grabbed the donut Gideon had created for her with one hand and patted her boyfriend on the shoulder with her other hand. "Good luck."

"Good luck?" Nate repeated as Zari walked past him toward the doorway. "Where are you going? And why were you even in here?"

"Back to work. Programming makes me hungry." She took a bite out of her donut, then disappeared into the hallway.

Leonard sat down across the table from Nannerl, not paying any attention to the others. "How's the ice cream?" he asked, looking over the sundae that was already quickly shrinking in size.

"I haven't had it this way before," Nannerl answered, "but I like it."

"Thought you would."

Nate joined them at the table. Charlie followed and took a seat beside him. "Hey," Nate said with a friendly smile in Nannerl's direction. "You doing all right?"

Nannerl smiled and nodded, though her mouth was too full of ice cream to form a verbal answer.

"Good," Nate said, sitting down in the chair closest to Leonard. Leonard eyed the very small distance between them and shifted his seat just an inch farther away from Nate. Nate noticed, but pretended not to.

"What do you think of the ship?" Charlie asked the girl. "Pretty nice, isn't it?"

"Yes," Nannerl answered enthusiastically. "It's incredible. I can't believe it's real. I just wish my brother could see it." She looked to Leonard. "Are you sure he's all right? It's been a little while since I got here."

"Your brother is perfectly safe," Leonard assured her. "He's exactly where you left him, and we should be able to take you back pretty soon." He gave Nate and Charlie a sharp look. "Right?"

"No word from the rest of the team yet," Charlie told him with a nonchalant shrug.

"But they've already been gone a while," Nate added optimistically. "They should find the rift any minute now." He looked back at Nannerl. "Just hang in there for a bit longer. Okay?"

"I suppose," she replied, though her voice sounded somewhat disappointed.

Nate tried to think of something else to talk about. "So…what do you like to do, Nannerl? Besides eat ice cream."

"Music," she replied.

"Brilliant," Charlie said with an approving smile. "I knew I liked you."

"Anything else?" Nate asked. "Do you have any hobbies? Stuff you do in your free time?"

She thought about it for a moment, then shrugged and said, "I play games with my brother sometimes."

"Okay," Nate said, nodding. "What kind of games?"

"Oh, anything, really. But I do spend the majority of my time practicing and studying."

"That's it?" Nate asked. "Doesn't that ever get tiring?"

"Sometimes," Nannerl said. She took another bite out of her sundae, swallowed it, then continued, "but I don't mind. I want to keep getting better. And if I do really well, my father says I can travel to even more places and play for even more people."

"A bit of a showoff, aren't you?" Charlie joked.

Nannerl shook her head. "I'm not a showoff. I just like doing it."

"Ignore her," Leonard said, earning him a scowl from Charlie. He glanced sideways at Nate and asked, "You sure Sara hasn't called yet?"

"Positive," Nate replied. "But I can't imagine them taking much longer."

"Right." Leonard looked back at Nannerl. "You like music and games, huh?" She nodded. "Then I've got something you can do until we get you home. Wait here." He stood up and started to walk away.

"What?" Nate asked as he left. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be back."

Nate looked awkwardly back at Nannerl. "Uh…he'll be back."


"I already told you," Wolfgang insisted with a huff. "I don't want to play anything without Nannerl."

"Are you sure?" Mona asked. "Isn't there anything you want to play?"

"No."

"Not even your favorite piece?"

"No!"

Constantine leaned down and whispered into Mona's ear. "Are you sure about this?" he asked. "Six-year-olds can be pretty stubborn."

"He's Wolfgang Amadeus freaking Mozart," Mona whispered back. "He's got to have a genuine love of music somewhere in there. We just need to find it." She walked over to the harpsichord and looked it over. She'd had piano lessons as a child, but she'd forgotten most of what she'd learned. The keyboard did seem at least a little familiar, though. "What about…" She pressed down a finger on one key, then quickly pulled it away. "Nope, not that one." She tried another one. "There it is." She sat down and slowly picked her way through Chopsticks. "This is fun, right?" she asked, smiling brightly at Wolfgang.

Neither Wolfgang nor Constantine seemed particularly entertained. Constantine, however, was the only one out of the two of them to think of something sarcastic to say. "Wow," he deadpanned. "I am overflowing with inspiration."

Mona stopped playing and glared at him, then looked back at Wolfgang with a much friendlier expression. "Don't listen to him. He thinks it's cool not to like things. But I know you like things, especially music. Don't you?"

Wolfgang looked down at the ground, thinking. He finally looked back up and answered, "I like music, but I don't want to do it alone. My sister is the best. I can't play if she isn't with me."

"Well," Mona suggested, speaking slowly as she put the idea together, "if you don't want to play alone…why don't we all play together?"

Constantine blinked. "Sorry, what? You think we can play at his level?"

Mona mouthed at him, "Do a spell."

He mouthed back, "That's insane."

She mouthed, "Just do one."

"Uh…right," Constantine said. He placed his hands behind his back while he pulled out the tiny pouch of magic powder that he had stored up his sleeve in case of an emergency. "We can play music. Together. That is something we do." Mona scooted to one side of the bench and he squeezed in next to her on the other side. The keyboard was just long enough for them both to have enough space for their hands. "Can't believe you talked me into this," he muttered. "Total waste of magic for a parlor trick. If it goes wrong, I'm blaming you." In one quick, smooth motion, he sprinkled the powder onto the keys and whispered an incantation. The edges of the keys glowed for a moment, then began to move by themselves, playing a melody complex enough to justify four hands. Mona and Constantine quickly moved their fingers over the keys, hiding the fact that they weren't really the ones playing.

Wolfgang did seem a little more intrigued this time. He walked over to the harpsichord, but he was thankfully just short enough not to be able to see the slight differences between the two adults' hand movements and the motions of the keys. "You're really good," he said.

"Thanks," Mona said cheerfully. "Do you want to try now?"

Wolfgang thought about it for a moment, then answered simply, "No."

"Maybe something a bit more futuristic will get his attention," Constantine whispered to Mona. "Let's try a little Tchaikovsky." He tapped his knuckles against the side of the instrument and the keys obediently started to play an excerpt from the Nutcracker Suite.

"You like classical music?" Mona asked, almost forgetting to continue the illusion of playing in her surprise.

"I know a few composers, love. That's all. You don't see me gushing about it like Dr. Heywood."

Wolfgang sat down on the floor, listening to the music. "I haven't heard that one," he said. "Did you write it?"

"No, someone else did," Mona replied. "Have you ever composed any pieces, Wolfgang?"

"Yes," the boy answered with a proud smile.

"Do you like playing pieces you wrote?" she asked.

"Yes," he said again.

"Do you want to play one now, with us?"

He folded his arms across his chest and frowned. "No!"

"Bollocks," Constantine muttered. "This isn't going to work. We should bail and call the Legends."

"Not yet," Mona insisted. "Let's just try one more. Pick something else."

"Like what?"

"Anything."

Constantine rolled his eyes, then knocked against the side of the harpsichord again. This time, the keys began to play a piece by Beethoven. Once again, Wolfgang seemed intrigued by the new piece. "I like that one," he said.

"You do?" Mona asked.

"Uh-huh."

"Want to try it? Or any other piece you like?"

"No," Wolfgang replied as he turned and began to walk away. "I'm going to find my sister." He approached the door and reached up to grab the knob.

Without thinking, Mona sprang off the bench and exclaimed, "Wait! Stop!"

It only took a second for her to realize her mistake. Wolfgang turned to look at her and could clearly see the keys of the harpsichord moving by themselves. All three of them froze suddenly, Mona with a guilty deer-in-the-headlights look, John with a frustrated scowl at Mona, and Wolfgang with a wide-eyed expression of wonder. John quickly ended the spell, but it was too late.

"You made it play itself!" Wolfgang exclaimed, stepping away from the door. "It was like magic! I didn't know you could do magic!"

Mona and John exchanged a quick glance. "What did I say about this going wrong?" John asked.

"I know, I know," Mona said with a sigh. "You're blaming me."


"Not that stealing my girlfriend's video game console is something I approve of," Nate said as he watched Leonard and Charlie set it up in the parlor, "but when you left suddenly like that, I felt like you were about to do something a little more ominous."

"Would you have preferred that, Nathaniel?" Leonard asked without looking up, fully focused on connecting the device.

"Uh, no. Definitely not." He paused, then added, "Just to be clear, though, I am not defending you when Zari finds out."

"Eh, people take it all the time," Charlie said. "At this point, she should start locking it up somewhere."

"That really wouldn't have made a difference," Leonard muttered.

"How did you even know she had this game, though?" Nate asked. "Or where she kept it?"

"Saw her playing it once, and it wasn't too hard to guess." He turned the game on. "And…done." He turned around to look at Nannerl, who was sitting on the floor, watching everything unfold with visible confusion. "Ever play guitar, kid?"

"It's not one of my main instruments," she said, "but I know how."

"Then you might want to give this game a shot. Charlie?"

Charlie handed Nannerl the guitar-shaped controller matching Zari's Guitar Hero game. Nannerl took the controller in her hands and stared at it, uncertain of what it was or how to use it. "I…um…what…is it?"

"You're a prodigy," Charlie pointed out. "I'm sure you'll figure it quick enough." She selected the tutorial option on the screen and began showing the girl how it worked. "Pretend it's a guitar, all right? You see those little lines and dashes? They match these buttons…"

Nate stepped back toward where Leonard was leaning back against the wall. "You don't want to join in?" he asked with a smile.

"I don't really do video games," Leonard replied.

"Really? From how easily you were able to set it up, I thought you had a lot of experience."

"I also know how to rewire every alarm system I've ever run into. Plugging in a game console isn't rocket science, Nathaniel."

"Snart?" Nannerl asked as she attempted to follow the moving shapes on the screen in front of her. "Am I doing it right?"

Leonard nodded at her. "You're doing great, kid."

"Now," Charlie said as she scrolled through the song selection page, "how about we find a fun one to try, yeah? Hm…let's see…"

While Charlie selected a song, Nate continued talking to Leonard. "I've got to say, Snart, you have really been surprising me today."

Leonard glanced sideways at him. "Is that so?" he drawled.

"Oh, I don't mean it in a bad way," Nate clarified. "I'm just seeing another side of you that I'm not used to seeing, and I like it. Seriously." He waited for Leonard to say something in response, but he didn't. "So about that bro hug…"

Leonard held up a hand in the space between them to prevent any attempts at a hug. "Don't."

Nate took one sidestep away from Leonard. "Yeah, yeah, I know. It's cool. We'll get there one day." He grinned at Leonard. "You're missing out, though. I've been told I give great hugs."

"Good for you," Leonard said, not sounding particularly impressed. He stepped away from the wall and crouched down to where Nannerl was sitting. "How's the game?"

Nannerl's eyes were fully glued to the screen as her fingers moved up and down the "guitar." She held a determined, focused expression on her face as she hit a complicated chord. When she succeeded, she grinned at the positive message on the screen. "This is fun!" she exclaimed, moving forward to the next chord. The song ended and Nannerl read her score. "Is that good?" she asked, looking each direction at Leonard and Charlie for an answer.

"Not bad for your first round," Charlie answered. "Maybe we can find you a real electric guitar somewhere so I can show you how to play some of my band's stuff. It's a little intense for most children, but I bet you'd be into it."

Nannerl's eyes grew wide. "You're in a band?" she asked Charlie. "Do you play music for people? Do you get to go all over the world?"

"Mostly just London," Charlie clarified, "but yeah, people show up. We've even had some big crowds a few times. Our demographic is pretty specific, but they're also consistent."

"Wow," Nannerl said in awe. "That sounds amazing. I've never met a woman who performed music publicly for people."

Leonard raised an eyebrow. "Never? I thought your family was all about show business."

"Well, yes," Nannerl explained, "but I always travel with my father, and he's the one who arranges everything. Nobody sees a problem with a girl performing alongside her family. But I know that some people think it's improper for grown women to do things like that alone, especially if they're doing it for money." She looked back at Charlie and grinned at her. "But I think it sounds fun!"

Leonard remained quiet for a moment, thinking. "Playing music is pretty much your whole life, isn't it?" he asked her. "Was that your dad's idea?"

She turned to look at him with some traces of confusion on her face. "Sort of. It was his idea to teach me first, but if I wanted to stop, I know he'd let me. But I don't want to stop. I love it. And I've written some pieces, too, so it's not just performing."

"Right," he said. "And if nobody told you it was wrong, would you want to keep doing it after you're grown up?"

"Yes, of course," she replied, though she seemed even more confused about this question. "I'd like that very much. But I don't really think about that now. I won't be grown up for a while. Maybe people will think differently by then. And even if they don't, I'm sure my father will advise me on the best path to take at that point. He always knows best." She tilted her head to the side. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering," he answered. He nodded toward the screen. "Want to try again?" She nodded eagerly. "Thought so. Charlie, help her out."

Charlie began picking out a new song, capturing Nannerl's full attention. Once he knew she was no longer paying attention to him, Leonard stood up and began to walk out of the room silently. Nate spoke as he passed him, "Hey, you're not stealing another game, are you?"

"No," Leonard replied coldly, turning a corner in the direction of the library with no additional explanation.

"Then what are you doing?" Nate asked. He got no response as Leonard disappeared from view. "Why does he always do that?" he asked himself.

A few moments later, Leonard entered the library. "Gideon," he said, "I need information."

"On what topic, Mr. Snart?" Gideon's voice replied.

"Maria Anna Mozart," he said. "I've got some questions that need answers."

"Are you certain this is a wise decision?" Gideon asked. "You seem to be developing quite a personal attachment to this particular mission…"

"Did I ask for your opinion?" he said, abruptly cutting her off.

"No, Mr. Snart. You did not."

"That's what I thought." He placed his hands on the table in front of him and looked at the blank screen. "What happens to her?"

"Could you perhaps be a bit more specific?"

"You know what I mean, Gideon. Her future. Tell me what happens next."

"I still think it may be unwise…"

"It's not. Show me."


Once Nannerl was immersed in the next round of her game, Nate waved Charlie over to him. "You know what?" he said, speaking barely above a whisper to avoid distracting Nannerl. "I really like wholesome Snart."

"Wholesome Snart?" Charlie repeated skeptically. "He's not another person, mate."

"I know that," Nate replied, "but it's still different than what we're used to seeing from him. It's like he's finally comfortable loosening up a little and not shutting everybody else out. This is great!"

"You're not wrong," Charlie agreed.

"But the thing is," Nate pointed out, "he's only going to be in babysitter mode until we get Nannerl home."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"So if we want wholesome Snart to stick around," Nate concluded, "we need to encourage this side of him as much as possible until the rest of the team gets back. Whatever nice, wholesome stuff he wants to do, we need to get on board."

Charlie squinted at him doubtfully. "That might be taking it a little far, don't you think?"

"I said 'nice, wholesome stuff' only," he reminded her. "How could that go wrong? He's not going to do anything insane. He's too smart for that."

"Charlie, Nathaniel," Leonard said, suddenly stepping in through the doorway. "We need to talk." He moved back to the other side of the doorway, waiting for them.

Charlie and Nate looked at each other quizzically. "Encourage him," Nate reminded her.

"All right," Charlie said with a shrug. "Let's do it."

They stepped outside and joined Leonard. "I'm going to take Nannerl off the ship," he said.

"What?" Charlie and Nate reacted simultaneously, both shocked.

"Relax, I didn't mean permanently," Leonard clarified calmly. "Just for a little while. That girl's going to spend her whole childhood shoved into the spotlight, and then she's going to spend the rest of her life doing what other people want from her. This is the one day of her life when she can do what she wants and be an actual kid for once. She deserves more than being stuck in one place." He straightened his posture and crossed his arms with a determined scowl. "I'm taking her back to see that arcade, and I plan to watch her like a hawk, but if you two think you're going to stop me…"

"Oh, we're not going to stop you," Nate quickly assured him.

Leonard arched his eyebrows, clearly not expecting that response. "You're not?"

"What's more wholesome than forming some fun childhood memories in an early 80s video game arcade?" Nate asked with a smile. "I think that's a great idea. I'm with you all the way."

Leonard stared at him suspiciously for a moment, still processing his enthusiastic approval. "Huh. Okay." He turned to Charlie. "What about you?"

"I…" she looked at Nate and saw him nodding his head and giving her a thumbs-up. "…yeah, I'm with you, too." She copied Nate's smile. "Why not, right?"

Leonard continued to study the two of them warily. "Well…good."

"Haha yeah," Nate said, now directing his thumbs-up at Leonard. "Good! Great. Super great. Let's have some arcade fun times…and he's doing it again," he said as Leonard walked straight past him and back into the parlor without another word.

"Hey, kid," Leonard said, approaching Nannerl and crouching down beside her. "You hanging in there all right?"

Nannerl nodded and grinned at him. "This game is really fun."

"What if I told you there's a place with a dozen games like that? Would you want to see it?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "I want to see it. Is it on the ship, too?"

"No, but it's not far. Come on, I'll take you." He started to stand up, but noticed a slight wavering in her smile. "You okay?" he asked her.

"Yes," she replied. "I was just thinking about Wolfgang." She paused, then asked him, "You said I'll be able to go right back to him with barely any time passing, right? And that your other friends are making sure nothing bad happens to him while I'm here, no matter how long that is?"

"I did," Leonard confirmed. "And I meant it."

Her smile returned in full force. "Perfect!" She hopped to her feet. "Let's go! I've seen a hundred other impossible things today. I'd love to see one more." She skipped around him and out through the doorway into the bridge.

"Whoa there," he said with an amused smirk, walking out of the parlor at a leisurely pace behind her. "You don't know where you're going yet." She slowed down just enough to let him catch up with her. He looked over his shoulder at Charlie and Nate. "Stay or go, your choice," he told them.

"We're right behind you, Snart," Nate said eagerly. "Wouldn't miss it. Totally coming with you."

Charlie leaned in and whispered, "You're overselling it, mate."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Nate admitted. He realized that Snart and Nannerl were already almost out of sight. "Hey! Snart! Wait for us!" He and Charlie hurried after them.