MikariStar and Barry, thanks for your reviews! It's good to know someone's getting a kick out of this. Barry, your reviews are almost like stories in themselves -- have you written any fanfics?

A short time later, the doorbell rang. Betty ran to answer it, but Dad got there first.

"Why..." He looked down at his visitors. "Hello."

"Good day." A voice like a butler's, coming from a short man dressed in a suit. An oversize fedora, not unlike dad's, was scrunched over his head. Only the slit of a mouth showed; no lips or teeth. His trouser legs hung down as if there were no legs in them, ending in a pair of shoes that appeared sewn to the trouser cuffs.

Beside him stood the greenest woman Dad had ever seen, wearing a floral dress, an enormous platinum wig and star-shaped earrings--and what a huge nose! "Good after-noooooon!" she said in a shrill falsetto.

The man spoke again. "I believe you recently adopted a baby boy?"

Dad scratched his head, regarding this odd pair. "Uh...yes..."

"I'm afraid there's been a dreadful mistake," the man went on. Dad looked at the visitor's hands--they were actually two-pronged claws.

"Body armor," the man explained. "Goes with my job."

"What is your job?"

Betty stood beside her dad. She gave the visitors a wink. "Why, hello! What brings you here, may I ask?"

"Oh!" The green woman shrilled. "It's our baby, you see, our sweet little boy--is that him now?" For Infantor was howling for all he was worth. "Darling!" the green woman waved. "It's mommy!"

Betty's mother appeared at the door, gaping. "You're his natural parents?"

Armored man said, "Oh, he's quite an escape artist. He got out of his crib and out the window, and must have ended up at the adoption agency. We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may have caused."

"It didn't take long to find him!" Greenie yelled above the noise. "We could hear him all the way from our house!"

Dad's eyes narrowed. "I haven't seen you before. Are you new in town?"

Mother appeared and folded her arms. "You could be anybody! Why should we just let you take our baby away?"

Greenie and Armor fidgeted, not seeming to have an answer.

"Mom," said Betty. "They must have some kind of proof with them. Don't you, folks?" Quickly she mouthed yes!

Armor said, "Uh...yes, we do."

"You probably just left it in the car, right?" Betty nodded.

"Yep-per!" Greenie shrieked almost to match Infantor. "So we'll just--ah--go get it!" She vanished in a flash.

"Bathroom," said Betty, and ran off.

"My!" Her mother's voice faded behind her. "That girl! I've never known anyone who has to...so often..."

But instead Betty rushed to her room and slammed the door, thankfully shutting out at least some of the screaming--didn't Infantor ever run out of breath? She activated her bracelet. "Sparky!"

"Right here, Chief! I'm in the ship, hovering over your house."

"Good. I've got photos of Infantor here on my bed--my mom took a whole bunch yesterday. Beam me up real quick."

The Galactic Guardians' photo-manipulation equipment was second to none. Five minutes later, Greenie presented Betty's parents with a nylon album decked with Infantor's leering, sneering face. "You see?" Greenie shrilled.

Mom and dad flipped through the pages. "Why," Mom said, "these look like the pictures I took yesterday."

"Here's us at the beach." Armor nodded toward one shot. "And another one at Hollywood--we were so lucky to meet the Olsen twins! We got them to pose with the baby."

"Yeah, that took some doing," said Greenie. "See how scared the girls look with junior between them?"

Betty listened to X-5, watched her parents' faces. Finally mother closed the album and handed it back. Her face was downcast. "Well, if we must, we must."

Betty's heart panged, seeing her parents so sad. But it wouldn't last for long. Besides, she had a galaxy to save.

"Waaaaahhh!" Infantor struggled as mom and dad handed him over. "Bet-ty, Bet-ty!"

Betty turned to her parents. "Maybe I should go along? To help smooth the transition."

Mother's eyes glittered with tears. "Oh, would you, honey? That is so sweet! That's my girl!"

Could it be? Has Betty finally triumphed over that evil brat? I hope so, because now she has Maximus and his plot to deal with--if there's still time...