Wally stared at the kid, gaze filled with a mixture of confusion and exasperation. He sighed then (something that was becoming a regular habit these days) and ran a hand over his face, "Look, kid. I think you've got the wrong place."
The kid-Arlynn, she said her name was- stared back at Wally, her own gaze inquisitive as she tilted her head slightly, "Nuh-uh." she said, digging in the pocket of her bubblegum pink jogger pants with her hand that wasn't holding a duffel bag. She pulled out a small crinkled paper, smoothing it out on her pant leg before showing it to Wally.
"My mommy gave this to me. This is your address, right?" she asked. Wally took the paper, taking a moment to decipher the chicken scratch. To his horror and confusion, it was his address. Great, another problem to deal with. Why was the universe so against him getting any rest?
"Okay...ignoring how creepy and disturbing this is, where is your mom now anyway? And how'd she find out my addre-no scratch that, I don't wanna know. Just answer the first question."
"She left." Arlynn replied.
Wally blinked, "She...left? Left where?" he asked incredulously. What kind of mom left their preschool-aged child on the doorstep of some stranger at night?
Arlynn pointed to the right, "She left that way." she answered.
"Okay, do you have any idea of where she's going exactly?" Wally asked.
Arlynn shook her head, "No."
"Do you know why she left?" Wally pushed.
"No." Arlynn answered again, her grip on her duffel bag tightening.
"Do you know why she left you with me?"
"No!" Arlynn exclaimed, frustrated at her lack of answers and Wally's bombard of questions. Wally went quiet, startled by her outburst before his gaze became somewhat calculating.
"Is this some type of weird selling tactic for girl scout cookies or something?" he asked suspiciously.
Arlynn rolled her eyes, "How'd you guess? Yes, Mister. My mommy left me on the doorstep of some annoying weirdo's apartment at night with a bag and a letter all just to sell some cookies that I don't even have. Hit that right on the hammer." she replied.
"Nail." Wally said.
Arlynn raised an eyebrow, "What?"
"It's hit that right on the nail. You know since a hammer is used to..." He trailed off as Arlynn gave him a deadpanned look. "Nevermind." Wally noticed as Arlynn gave a small, barely perceptible shiver, the cool winter breeze breaching the warmth of her black hoodie. He sighed, hesitantly opening his door wider as a reluctant invitation to enter. Apparently the concept of stranger danger was foreign to the girl as she accepted the invitation quickly, walking into the small living area of Wally's apartment and dropping her bag carelessly to the floor.
Wally followed, closing and locking the front door behind him. He sighed, internally giving up the concept of sleep anytime soon as he sat back on the couch.
"Okay so...you said your mom had a letter right?" he asked. Arlynn nodded, handing him the aforementioned object.
"Alright," Wally said, placing the letter aside, he'd read it later after this kid was back with her mom or CPS or...something. "Anyway, got any relatives you can call to pick you up or something? Preferably by tonight?"
Arlynn shook her head.
"Great..." Wally groaned. At least tomorrow was the weekend. The two sat in awkward silence for a while, Arlynn subconsciously twirling strands of her hair in her fingers as Wally drifted in his thoughts. He should probably call someone right? Like the police or CPS or literally anyone else who was actually qualified to deal with a situation like this. He knew he should and he would, but he just couldn't ignore the nagging feeling of curiosity at the back of his thoughts. Why had this girl's mother just suddenly dropped her daughter off at his place specifically and then take off? Who even was this girl's mother? How did she know where he lived? And what was in this letter the kid had given him?
Wally had plenty of questions, all of which he had no way of answering...well all but one. He glanced at the sealed envelope at his side, no doubt holding at least some type of information that would give him some answers.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by a light poke on the cheek. Instinctively, he swatted the hand away.
"Stop that." he said, glaring at the girl.
"Just making sure you weren't dead," Arlynn replied, "You were staring at the wall for a while."
"I was thinking." Wally said.
"About what?"
"Stuff." Wally answered vaguely.
"Whatever," Arlynn replied, "Um...Mister?" she asked.
"What?"
"Can you...are you gonna find my mommy?"
"Um, well...not me, per say..." Wally said.
Arlynn tilted her head curiously, "Then who?"
"Um..." Wally tried to think of a good phrasing for the CPS, "Some nice people are gonna come and pick you up so that they can take care of you until they find your mom, they're really good at dealing with these kind of things and-"
"You're gonna call the people in suits to take me away?" Arlynn interrupted.
Wally stared at her, shocked that she knew what he was talking about, "Um...well, I wouldn't call it that but..." He trailed seeing that the kid wasn't buying it. "Er...you've met them before?"
Arlynn shook her head, "Not me. But I saw them take my neighbor Tony and his baby sister, Leah, away after their mommy and daddy had to go with the police for selling bad candy. Tony was my friend and, well, I didn't see him again after that."
Bad candy? "Oh. Uh, sorry to hear that, kid." Wally said as an awkward reassurance.
"I don't wanna go with them." Arlynn said, ignoring his consoling efforts in favor of getting back to the original subject.
Wally frowned at her stubbornness, "Why?" he asked, more irritated than anything. He just wanted to sleep.
Arlynn crossed her arms, scowling stubbornly, "Because I don't wanna." she reiterated.
Wally's eye twitched in annoyance, "Not really a valid answer, kid."
"Well then because I really don't wanna."
Wally chose to disregard her comment, "Well tough luck, kid, 'cause you can't stay here." he said, internally wincing at the gruffness of the statement but standing by it nonetheless. After all, there was no way he could take care of the kid. For one, he had no idea who she was and did not need to be dealing with a missing child's case if whoever the kid's father is didn't approve of her mother's little stork drop-off act. And two, he simply lacked the desire and resources to provide necessary care for the four year old.
"Why not?" Arlynn demanded.
"Because I don't wanna." Wally quipped, smirking at the annoyed glare he got in return.
"But it'll only be until my mommy comes back." Arlynn tried to defend her case.
"If your mom comes back, you mean."
That statement appeared to have struck a chord in Arlynn, "Don't be a dummy. Of course she'll come back! And she won't be able to find me if I'm not where she left me!"
"Nope, kid. Not happening. No way. Sorry." Wally replied, shutting down her train of thought immediately.
"Fine then," Wally watched as the girl walked over to her bag, picking it up once again. "I'm going." she declared.
Wally stood up from his spot as she approached the door, "Going? Going where?" he asked, "It's thirty five degrees out. You won't get far in this cold."
"I'll manage. And I'm going to find my mommy. She can't have gotten too far yet." Arlynn said, balancing on the tips of her toes to reach the doorknob.
"Um, no kid, you aren't." Wally replied, walking over and closing the door just as Arlynn got it open. Geez, he wanted the kid gone, not dead. There was no way he could let her go right now in that weather, "Because you're not going."
Arlynn whipped her head around, green eyes narrowed in an intense glare, "Why not?"
"Because, like I just said, it's near below freezing outside and it's dark out. The neighborhood I'm in is no Gotham City, but it has some creepos of it's own lurking around. What if one of them grabs you or...something?" Wally asked, trying his best to break through to the girl.
Arlynn beamed confidently, "Then I'll mace them." she declared. Wally blinked.
"You...what? You have mace?" he asked bewilderedly.
Arlynn nodded, unzipping a small pocket on her duffel bag and pulling out the small can, "Mmhm! My mommy taught me how to use it!" Arlynn explained, as if it were some completely common occurrence for a four year old to be carrying around pepper spray. Wally stayed silent, unsure of how to react. Now he really wanted to know who this kid's mom was. Belatedly he also wondered if he should, I don't know, be trying to take it away from her or something?
Arlynn seemed to inadvertently answer Wally's last thought for herself, as she tucked the spray back into her bag and zipped up the pocket. She stared up at Wally, gaze impatient and expecting, "So can I go now?" she asked, tapping her foot rapidly against the hardwood floor.
"Uh, yeah no, kid." Wally said.
Arlynn groaned in frustration, her already short line of patience thinning further, "Well you don't want me here and I'm not going with the suits, so what do you wanna do?!"
Wally sighed. He couldn't call the CPS now, it was late and it would definitely take them a longer time to get here because of it. Plus, Wally was sure that if he tried to force Arlynn to wait, she would make a break for it. Maybe though, if he called them in the morning while the kid was still asleep... A lightbulb went off in his mind.
"Fine." Wally said.
Arlynn's glare turned into a look of surprise, "What?" she asked.
"You can stay here, but only for the night. We'll deal with the rest in the morning." Wally explained.
Instead of receiving the expected reaction of joy and excitement, Wally received a suspicious stare from the girl. "Why?" she asked.
"Because I'm tired and don't feel like dealing with a kid right now." Wally answered. There, it probably wasn't the truth the kid was looking for, but it wasn't exactly a lie either.
Arlynn seemed to buy it, "I'm not a kid." she retorted.
"Yeah, try saying that when you can stand past my waist, kid."
Arlynn chose not to dignify that with a verbal response, instead rolling her eyes as she tried (and failed) to stifle a wide yawn.
And that was how two hours later, Wally found himself on the couch with a blanket as the kid slept peacefully in his bed. Despite the fact that Wally had been planning to crash on the couch anyway only a few hours ago, he couldn't help the small twinge of annoyance that came with having to give up his bed- his precious, sacred bed- to a random kid. It wouldn't have felt right taking it for himself though, random (and slightly annoying) kid or not, she was just that, a kid. A kid who was desperate to get back to a mother who practically abandoned her for no good reason as far as Wally could tell and okay, maybe he felt a little bad for her as well. The thought of calling the CPS first thing in the morning to come get her probably made Wally feel more guilty than it should've, but what else could he do? She was a child not a pet, he couldn't just choose to keep her like a stray! Plus, there had to be someone who was responsible for the kid other than her mother. Instantly the girl's father popped into mind but Wally dismissed the thought. He couldn't say for sure, but based off of his short interactions with the kid, he didn't think that the man had an active role in her life. So...a grandfather maybe? A grandmother? An aunt or uncle? Heck, an adult cousin? Wally rubbed at his temples, feeling a stress migraine building up. Why was he so worked up over it anyway? When he called the CPS first thing in the morning, they'd take the kid and handle all the details. He had nothing to worry about, right?
Right.
Efficiently having had calmed his mind for the time being, Wally laid down, only to sit back up briefly as he heard the crinkling of a paper. He picked up the now slightly crinkled envelope, still perfectly sealed.
...Huh. He had completely forgotten about that.
After unsealing the envelope, Wally pulled out the letter, unfolding it. It couldn't hurt to get a quick sneak peek for curiosity's sake right?
Hey,
Listen, I've never been one for small talk so I'll just cut right to the chase. She's yours, well, mine...ours? Arlynn is, I mean. And no Baywatch, before you even think of something so stupid like if this is all some sort of twisted joke, it's not. I know it's crazy and you probably have a whole load of questions you want to ask but I'm gonna need you to suck it up and write them down on paper for now since I'm, you know, absent at the moment. As for where I am, well, I can't exactly say, not on paper anyway. I'm so sorry for kinda just throwing this on you like this but...I need your help. Well, I guess the more accurate term would be I need a babysitter. Arlynn, she's...ours, like ours, and I...she has nowhere else to go. Where I am, I couldn't exactly bring her with me so I figured bringing her to you would be the next best thing since you're her...you know. How the hell am I even rambling on paper? I'll summarize, Arlynn is our kid, I have to go away for a bit, and I need you to watch her until I get back. Oh yeah, and if so much as a single hair on her head gets harmed while she's in your care, I'll-you know what? I don't know what I'll do, but I promise it'll be painful.
P.S. If you haven't figured it out yet, this is Artemis.
Wally blinked, and then read the paper again. Then again. Then one more time just to be sure. Then another time to be sure that he was sure. The letter slipped out of his hands, gently drifting to the floor and landing silently.
...
...
...WHAT?
Wally stared blankly at the wall, unsure of how to react. Did he want to faint? Yell? Have a mild panic attack? A mixture of all three? He didn't know. Wally didn't know much of anything anymore.
'She's yours, well, mine...ours? Arlynn is, I mean.'
Was this a joke?
'And no Baywatch, before you even think of something so stupid like if this is all some sort of twisted joke, it's not.'
What...but how...?
'If you haven't figured it out yet, this is Artemis.'
Artemis had disappeared four years ago, right after...oh, God.
'Arlynn is our kid''
Arlynn is our kid''
Arlynn is OUR KID'
Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod...
This is...this wasn't real, right? Wally pinched himself and twisted as hard as he could. Wake up, West. Wake UP, West! WAKE UP, WEST!
He didn't wake up.
...WHY WASN'T HE WAKING UP?!
Wally stood up, and not sure of what else to do, he started pacing. He ran his now-sweaty hand through his hair, over his face, chewed his nails.
Was this real?
No, Wally reasoned, No. It couldn't be because he and Artemis had only...you know, once! A-a-and he had worn PROTECTION! An-and he was only twenty one and Arlynn was four and he had a girlfriend and he went to University and he hadn't even graduated with his friggin' degree yet! Plus he was only partially retired so he still went on missions every now and then and even with that, it was hard enough to spend time with Linda, let alone raise a friggin' KID!
No. No this wasn't real because it couldn't be. Because Wally couldn't afford it to be. He had just began his life and now a...a kid?! No. Nonononononononononono. NO. Maybe...maybe this was fake, you know? Just...just some of twisted prank. Maybe the kid was, I don't know, some sort of child actress or something and soon Dick or someone would jump out and yell 'Gotcha!' Then Wally would yell and punch them in the face and tell them to get out before he did much worse. Yeah. Yeah, that had to be it.
So Wally waited. And waited. And waited more and more and more and then some. Nothing happened. Nothing happened.
Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodnononononononononono...
How was...how was he supposed to explain this to Linda? To his parents? To anyone?!
You don't have to explain anything to anyone yet, a small part of his brain, the logical part, whispered, Because you don't know anything yet. You don't know if this letter is really from Artemis, and if it is, you don't know if she's telling the truth.
Yes, that's right. Wally didn't know anything yet. For all he knew, the letter could be from a complete stranger (nevermind that they somehow knew to use the exact nickname she used to call you, a more cynical part of his brain mentioned) and Arlynn, well, maybe she was a complete stranger too. They were no ways of telling if she was his just by being in her presence, and she had certainly shown no recognition of him (probably because she's never seen or met you before either, you dimwit!). Wally cursed his metabolism in that particular moment, knowing that an aspirin would do nothing to help his raging migraine now.
He sat back on the couch, running his pale fingers through his short fiery red locks once more before leaning forward and putting his face into his hands. He was being irrational, he knew. Just because he'd gotten a letter from someone who may or may not be Artemis claiming that a kid he had only met a few hours ago was actually his secret love child didn't mean it was true. In fact, come to think of it, that sounded pretty far-fetched.
Still though, Wally couldn't exactly let these accusations go unfounded.
Why me? He wondered. Did the gods (or god, Wally didn't know, he wasn't exactly religious) hate him or something? He hoped not, he had enough on his plate already.
Chances were, the kid wasn't even his. Wally had worn protection on he and Artemis'...ahem, encounter all those years ago, he was sure of it. However...it couldn't hurt just to get confirmation right? Maybe he'd let the kid stick around for a bit, probably only the weekend so that he had enough time to take a paternity test and get the expected negative results. Then he'd send her off with the CPS and try his very best to forget this night ever happened. Linda wouldn't have to know, nor would his parents, or anyone. Soon, this would all just simply be a bad (and slightly embarrassing) memory.