Cherry sat up front as Thor took the wheel, bopping his hands around though as he sang his little song as he attempted a country singer voice.
"Alright, let's sing a new song now." Cherry suggested.
"Oh, fine." Thor pouted.
"Alright then," Lionel replied as he sat in the backseat. "What's on the radio today?"
"Hmm... I'll put on some oldies..." Thor pondered as he changed the radio station to something more classic. "Everybody was suuurfiiiin'... Across the USA~"
"50's pop... Cool..." Cherry shrugged.
"Nifty!" Lionel replied as the car pulled into the parking garage of Wayne Enterprises.
Thor sang along until the song was done as they came to park.
"I liked last Halloween when he sang Elton John's Crocodile Rock." Cherry hid a small smirk.
"That was a good song." Lionel replied as they parked and went inside.
"All right," Thor said as he stretched a bit. "I hope this doesn't take too long for your sake, Cherry."
"I'm sure it won't, besides, I'm a lot more patient these days," Cherry replied. "I'm a mother after all."
"We'll be done quickly," Lionel replied. "Just need a quick transition!"
As soon as he said that, a clockwise-wipe covered the screen, and by the next shot, Lionel, Thor, and Cherry were sitting at a table, before a pink-haired African-American teenage girl in a yellow hoodie.
"See, what'd I tell you?" asked Lionel. "Alright, who's next?"
"Um, I guess that would be me." The girl spoke up with a bit of a raspy voice.
"Hello, I'm Paula, and this is Randy and Simon." Cherry smirked.
"Simon's kinda cute when he's not cynical." Thor said.
"Focus, Lover Blob," Cherry told him before looking over. "All right, what do they call you?"
"Uh, I'm Max." The girl said softly as she rubbed her arm.
"Okay... Max," Lionel replied. "Why do you think you qualify for the position of intern of Wayne Enterprises?"
"Well, I'm pretty sharp for my age, a straight-A student," Max replied. "I might even become class valedictorian."
"Smart girl, I like that..." Thor said as he wrote that down.
"Yes, I was able to get a perfect score on the standardized GAT test and I usually do computer programming as a hobby." Max continued from that.
"Computer programming?" Lionel asked. "Very interesting."
"My kinda gal." Cherry added as she loved computers.
"I hope you're not suffering from perfectionism though," Thor remarked. "I've heard that does crazy stuff to people, like I once heard about this girl Olga Pataki who had the worst case of it and pretty much drove herself insane."
"I try my best not to go that far," Max replied. "I just hope I could be useful to you guys."
"Well... It's looking pretty good for you so far." Lionel replied.
Max smiled bashfully from that.
"We might hear from you again soon, but just remember... We'll call you..." Cherry told the pink-haired girl.
"That's fair enough." Max replied.
"Results should be in by next week, so keep your phone on." Lionel added.
"Thank you for your time, I just hope I didn't waste yours." Max said to them.
"Oh, trust me, we already met some candidates who did that a while back." Cherry hid a roll of her eyes.
"Aye," Lionel replied. "I suppose we'll see you around. You take care of yourself."
"Thank you again," Max said as she began to walk off. "I guess I'll get going."
"Sure, but first, have a complimentary snack," Thor said as he took out a basket. "I'm a mix of a mom and a dad, so I always have healthy snacks for youths such as yourself."
"Um... Okay... Thanks." Max said as she took a granola bar and decided to leave with it.
"No problem," Lionel replied. "Get home safely. This town's infested with crime!"
"Thank you again." Max said as she walked off then.
Thor waved goodbye with a bit of a happy smile.
"Well, she seemed cool." Cherry spoke up.
"Yeah! I like her!" Lionel replied. "...Well, I think we've done our work for the day here. Let's bail and get some pizzas."
"All right!" Thor beamed from that.
They then walked off to do just that after a busy time with checking for possible interns.
"Who doesn't love a good pizza?" Thor smiled as he stretched a bit.
"Other than lactose-intolerant people, I don't know!" Lionel replied as they went to the car.
Thor drove them away again as he sang along to Karma Chameleon on the radio.
"I could get high to this song." Cherry smirked as this song always felt chill to her as the kids say these days.
"We have a lot of off days, so we could probably do that sometime." Lionel replied.
"Get high? No, no, no! What would the children think?" Thor cried. "Someone please think of the children!"
"Are you 100% sure you're not just gay and not bi?" Cherry asked. "I mean, serious-"
Thor grabbed her before giving her a deep kiss for a few minutes before he let go with a smirk as he took the wheel. "Is someone still doubting my sexuality?"
Cherry babbled while looking bright pink in the face.
"I didn't think so~" Thor smirked.
Lionel chuckled. "Oh, you rascal," he replied. "We could stop by that drive-thru pizzeria you like so much."
"Sweet!" Thor beamed as he decided to drive him that way.
Cherry could just babble as she seemed quite tongue-tied.
"That's what ya get," Thor teased. "Do it again and I'm tying you to the bed again."
"Hey, she already got to get that," Lionel remarked. "I want a turn!"
Cherry babbled bashfully from that.
"All right," Thor smirked. "I'm in a pretty good mood, so I'll go after you tonight."
"Yippee!" Lionel whooped as they pulled up. "We'll give Cherry some time t'gather her thoughts while we place the orders."
Cherry babbled a bit from that.
"Don't worry, you'll speak normally again after a couple of hours or so," Thor told her. "Uncle taught me that one from his last game night with Aunt Hilda."
Cherry shuddered before plugging her ears as she did not want to think about that.
"Oops... Sorry... Let's get that pizza." Thor smiled sheepishly.
"Welcome to Cassandra's Pizza," said the speaker. "What would you like to order?"
"I'll have a large chicken-and-triple-cheese," said Lionel. "And... What would you two like?"
"I'd like some ham and pepperoni." Thor said.
Cherry gave her order which was mostly cheese as she craved some cheese lately.
"Okay... Two ham and pepperonis, and two extra cheeses, with Fanta Orange and Fanta Cherry." Lionel added.
A brief silence followed. "...Alright, pull up to the main window, and claim your order." The worker replied.
"Awesome!" Lionel replied.
Thor smiled as he drove that way. Cherry seemed to try to massage her tongue.
"Ah, ah, ah, it doesn't work that way~" Thor chuckled.
Cherry looked slightly aggravated from being unable to talk.
"I got ya," Lionel replied, waving his finger and tapping Cherry on the mouth. "Give it a shot."
Cherry cleared her throat a bit. "A, E, I, O, U... Ah, much better..." she then smirked. "Thor, did you have to make my tongue numb?"
"Yes, because you should know that I'm a beast in bed when I want to be." Thor smirked back.
"Hey, knock it off, you two." Lionel playfully chided them.
Eventually, they came around to the last window, and Lionel gave the money, and they got their order.
"Thanks for stopping at Cassandra's Pizza," said the worker. "And the truth is, we hope you enjoy your meal."
"Oh, we will!" Thor beamed as he took a hold of his pizza box.
"Thanks, Cassandra Pizza person." Cherry chuckled a bit.
And so they drove back to their house to enjoy their lunch.
"This is pretty tasty," Lionel said as he helped himself. "...But not as good as Thor's."
"Aw, shucks..." Thor blushed.
"Yeah... Better than my mama's though..." Cherry chuckled weakly.
Lionel gave a nod. "I hear Commissioner Gordon is gonna retire this month," he mentioned. "So Bruce intends to visit him tonight and go out for drinks."
"Gosh... Feels like the end of an era again," Cherry said. "I never thought too much of Gordon most of the time, but... Still."
"Yeah, I sorta know what ya mean," Thor replied. "I'd go out there, but... I don't like to drink too much alcohol... I think it makes me into a jerk."
"Oh, it does..." Cherry said knowingly. "You're a pretty scary drunk."
"No kidding," Lionel replied. "It's like you turn from Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde! That's why I water down your booze."
"Yeah... First time like that, I never felt so scared..." Cherry said.
"Kinda scared like when you got sassy with Bruce after some puberty hit you with talking back to him and not cleaning your room until he showed you how scary he could get?" Thor smirked.
"...We don't talk about that." Cherry shuddered.
"Fair enough," Lionel replied.
And so, later that night, Bruce was out with Jim Gordon, soon-to-be-former commissioner of police, having a drink.
"You're not worried about me, are you?" asked Jim.
"No more than I am the rest of the city," said Bruce, putting down his glass. "People have given up, Jim. They're hiding, turning a blind eye."
"These are scary times," replied Jim. "And the Mutants, they're not like the usual street crooks. A mugger, he's after a wallet. It makes sense. With these kids, it's just random violence. There's no humanity in them at all."
Bruce gave a wry glance. "Sounds like someone I used to deal with..." he remarked.
A server soon came by as the two men talked among each other.
"Thank God he's keeping quiet." Bruce mumbled from that as he took a sip of his drink as the server came by for them before she took her leave.
"Remember how you had us all going back then?" Jim remarked. "You with that ginger ale of yours, pretending it was champagne. Made up for lost time on that since."
"Makes it easier."
"Makes what easier?"
"Staying retired." Bruce said after he took a sip.
"Things are different now, Bruce," Jim replied. "The government, the public, they wouldn't stand for you anymore."
It seemed a bit quiet for a while between the two men.
Eventually, Jim broke the silence. "...Talk to Dick lately?" he asked.
Bruce turned to the side. "You know I haven't..." he replied.
"Shame you didn't keep up with him," said Jim. "Could've been a shoulder to lean on, after what happened with Jason."
That was enough to make Bruce get up from his seat. "...Let's call it a night, Jim." he said, as he walked out.
Jim said nothing, merely taking another sip of his booze.
Bruce walked out to the streets as he decided he had enough for one night until he got a call from an old friend. "Cherry?"
"Hey, I thought you could use a call," Cherry said on the other line. "Seems like yesterday I'd visit you occasionally out of school while you'd lunge out at me to test my reflexes."
"You with your nostalgia, Cherry." Bruce teased.
"Well, it's true," Cherry smirked as she lay on the couch while talking to him. "You were always more like a father to me than my own old man before he drunk himself silly just to tolerate my mom."
Bruce gave a small smile. "...I did my best," he said. "And I helped make sure you grew into a reliable, strong-willed young woman along the way... With some help."
"Aunt Selina," Cherry smirked. "So... Tonight is Terry's birthday."
Bruce looked down. "...I know," he replied. "He's 16 today, right?"
"Yeah," Cherry said. "So, whatya think? You gonna do somethin' about it?"
Bruce was silent for a few seconds. "...I'll do my best," he replied. "I just don't want him to end up like Jason did."
Cherry sighed. "...Hey, from what the tykes have told us, Terry is a good kid," she replied. "Sure, he gets into a few scrapes here and there, but what kid doesn't?"
"I suppose that's true," Bruce said to her. "Do you like being a mom?"
"Ah, the kids practically raise themselves." Cherry shrugged as she shut a door as the kids seemed to chase each other in the background.
Bruce chuckled a bit at that as he soon found he'd walked into an alley. Below him was a discarded newspaper. FAMILY MURDERED, MUTANTS SUSPECTED, the headline blared. Something about the picture seemed to dredge up bad memories of Bruce's past. "...I'll call you back." he told Cherry before hanging up.
Out of the shadows stepped a punk with a mohawk and a red visor: a member of the Mutant gang. Bruce glanced behind himself, seeing the punk. And on his own left was another punk with a spiky mohawk.
"Aces. He sees us," said the punk. "Don't go all Billy. Go around, behind him. Slice and dice. Show him we nasty!"
"I dunno, man; Spud's awful big," said his friend. "And look at 'im!"
Bruce clenched his fists, ready to throw down, and glared at the punk. "...Come on." he scowled.
"Jeez, man..." The punk backed off, nervous. "Spud's into it."
Bruce looked very firm and stoic, even after his old age from being Batman himself a very long time ago.
"So, what? Slice and dice." The other punk chuckled.
"Come on." Bruce challenged without fear.
The two punks looked less interested now.
"No. Can't do it when they into it," One punk told his buddy. "Blow this, let's go to the arcade."
The two looked back at the old man before they decided to run away. Bruce sighed breathlessly as they ran off as he decided to get himself home as a full moon veered out into the night sky.
Meanwhile, at the Schwartz house, Lionel, Cherry, and Thor were having dinner with their children: Felicity, Zofia, and LJ.
"You kids have fun in school today?" Thor asked.
"It was okay..." Zofia said softly.
"Yeah... Okay..." Felicity added.
"Mm-hmm," LJ replied. "Ich and Sandra are pretty neat, so we had lunch together today."
"I always did like that girl friend of yours," Cherry smirked. "Reminds me of my childhood."
LJ smiled. "I guess that makes sense," he replied. "...So, when are you guys gonna tell cousin Terry the truth?"
"All in good timing," said Lionel. "We just gotta know the right time to speak up."
"Oh, yeah, ya can't rush these things." Thor said as he tried to take food away from Felicity's plate.
Felicity didn't even seem to notice as she had other things on her mind.
"Thor..." Cherry nudged him a bit.
"I'm sorry, but this chicken is too good to ignore!" Thor defended bashfully.
"Then you can get some from the main plate, like the rest of us." Lionel replied.
"...You seem distracted, Sis," LJ told Felicity. "Something wrong?"
"I'm not very hungry..." Felicity said softly.
"But it's your favorite," Cherry told her. "Chicken Cordon Bleu."
"It's nothing... Really..." Felicity sulked a bit.
"Hey... You know you can talk to us about anything... Right?" said Zofia. "That's what family is for: we have each other's backs, no matter what happens."
"Yeah," LJ agreed. "If something's bugging you, then you can talk about it with us and get it off your chest."
Felicity looked over softly. The rest of the family showed warm smiles to show that she could talk to them if she wanted or needed to.
"...I got in a fight..." Felicity soon said softly.
"Who was it?" Lionel asked, his even tone contrasting with the slow irritation that he felt.
"It's okay... Nobody has to get hurt..." Felicity said softly.
"Tell me." Lionel told her.
Felicity looked away with a sharp sigh. "Katie La More."
"The blonde cheerleader?" Thor glared.
Felicity nodded with a shaky sigh. "Yes."
Lionel sighed. "...I'm not mad at you for standing up for yourself," he spoke. "...But I imagine that this was your last resort considering the teachers were ineffectual in stopping it."
Felicity nodded.
"Well... At least it wasn't your first plan," Lionel continued. "You aren't in trouble, Felicity."
"Did she do something to provoke you?" Cherry asked.
"She called me a 'freak'." Felicity sulked.
"Aw, Flick..." Cherry sighed as she rolled her eyes, not at her daughter though, but to the insult. "You're not a freak. You're unique. You might feel like you don't fit in and do what everybody else does, but so what? That makes you special. I was always very different from the other kids at school, but look at how I turned out."
"Exactly!" Lionel replied. "And besides, they say that the weakest dogs bark the loudest... So I'm guessin' that Katie broad was barkin' pretty loudly."
"She just made me feel hurt..." Felicity frowned. "I don't have any friends in school, so... I felt like she was right... I'm not sure if being special is going to help me win friends..."
"They'll come though." Zofia spoke up.
"But when?" Felicity sulked as she sunk in her chair. "Everybody already has someone, but I'm just the weirdo who sits at the cafeteria with her books."
"Hey," LJ said. "You're not weird. You're smart, and wonderful. Any putz would be lucky to have you as a friend. Usually they come around when you least expect them. It worked for me."
"Hmm..." Felicity set her head on the table with a sigh. "I wanna believe you all, but it just feels like no matter what I do, I can't connect with people."
"It'll work out," Thor smiled. "You'll see! The key is just to be yourself."
"I suppose I could try," Felicity relented.
"That's the spirit!" LJ beamed. "Lucky for us, you might have plenty of time to make friends tomorrow, considering that's when there's gonna be a huge heatwave... So lucky for us, we'll all be out of school."
"That reminds me, could we visit Grunkle Drell then?" Zofia asked.
"Why?" Cherry face-palmed.
"Their place is so cool and breezy," Zofia smiled. "And, erm... Heatwaves tend to make you snippy, Mother."
"I don't get snippy!" Cherry glared before she looked bashful and cleared her throat. "Ahem... I mean... I-I don't get snippy. I just... Prefer the cooler weather like Fall."
"Understandable," Lionel replied. "But I figured we could use that time to find and connect with your cousin Terry."
"Oh... Okay..." Zofia replied.
"We'll visit Uncle another time, like for a holiday," Thor smiled. "I don't think Mommy's too eager to see him right now."
"At least he gave us his blessing of becoming a family together." Cherry mumbled behind her glass of wine as she took a sip.
Lionel patted her on the back. "Yep," he replied. "And don't worry, I made sure to take precautions to keep us all protected from the heat tomorrow."
"You better hope so," Cherry replied. "For your sake... Otherwise, I'm cutting off more than Thor's hair short."
Thor and Lionel nervously crossed their legs from that while the kids looked confused of the reference.
"Y-Yes,'m," Lionel replied, nervously. "In fact... I'll do it now to make sure we get to keep them!" And he waved his finger, which began to glow before casting several multicolored rays over himself and the others. "There! Even when it's really warm, our bodies will be able to stay cool and not-sweaty."
"Hmm..." Cherry paused thoughtfully.
"It'll be great!" Thor grinned nervously. "Really great! Oh, please don't get too testy..."
"I'll think about it..." Cherry told them, purposely letting them stew as she sipped more of her wine.
Lionel and Thor both hugged each other as they sobbed in fear.
Felicity let out a small sigh as she picked at her food. "I'll never fit in at school."
"Never say never, Sister," Zofia advised. "You'll find some friends. I don't have many friends and I'm alright, aren't I?" she then smiled.
"...I suppose so..." Felicity said lightly.
"Besides, everyone knows popularity is fleeting," said LJ. "Almost everyone considers Icarus and Sandra losers, but I stick by them anyway! Though I guess... There IS someone at school..." he added, his face red.
"Hm?" Cherry asked.
"What does that mean?" Thor hid a small smirk. "Junior, do you feel special feelings for someone?"
"Maaaaaybe..." LJ replied.
"Oh, come now, you can talk to me," Thor beamed a bit. "I'm your mother, father, and uncle here."
"Is that what the kids call you?" Cherry asked.
"I want to be whatever the kids want me to be." Thor smiled proudly.
"Well... Alright," said LJ. "Her name is Kimberly Lodoza."
"Hmm... Do I know her mother?" Cherry paused.
"Probably." LJ shrugged.
"I think she's that girl who sorta lives in a fantasy world," Thor spoke up. "Unicorns, rainbows, and all that jazz."
"Yeah..." LJ sighed. "She's pretty cool. Ich thinks she's neat and Sandra is alright with her hanging with us."
"Maybe you should have her over for supper sometime," Thor suggested. "I'd like to meet this girl too."
"Well, there is a Parent-Teacher Night coming up," Zofia replied. "You gonna come with us this time?"
"Maybe I will, I'd hafeta check my schedule, but this Kimberly girl sure sounds interesting." Thor chuckled.
LJ blushed. "Well... Okay then," he replied. "I figure I can make it work."
"I just hope I can make friends." Felicity sighed.
Thor frowned worriedly as he decided to do something to help out Felicity as she looked very sad and lonely about not having friends like her brother and sister did. Lionel nodded to him with a smile, as if saying "go for it".
"I'll treat her somehow," Thor whispered to Lionel. "I hate to see the little dear so sad."
"You and me both, big guy," Lionel replied. "All of us here would gladly go the extra degree to ensure her happiness."
"It's in her name after all." Cherry said to them with how Felicity got her name.
"Interesting point," LJ nodded. "So it's settled then. We'll go with Felicity to help her make some friends tomorrow, then maybe we'll be able to find cousin Terry!"
"Okay by me." Zofia replied.
Felicity smiled softly from her family's help.
"Good kids," Cherry approved. "You do me proud that you helped each other out like that. Makes me feel I did my job right as a mother."
The three kids smiled widely at that. And so, the next day, they decided to enact their plan.