Chapter Seven: Someday My Prince Will Come

That night, after dinner, which even Lightning Lad had to admit was delicious, the kids showed Tinya what they did after coming home from mines, have fun. They each played an instrument they did best with and simply sung nonsense, with Lightning Lad playing the organ that Tinya saw earlier.

Saturn Girl then walked up and smiled.

"I like to dance and tap my feat, but they won't keep in rhythm." She sang. "You see I washed them both today, and can't do a thing with them."

Everyone then chuckled at the choke and sang out,

Oh hum,da-doo-lee-dum!

The words don't mean a thing!

Isn't this a silly song for anyone to sing?

Chameleon Boy then used several pots and pans as drums and did a nice trick where he pounded on the drums before hitting a cymbal with an elephant trunk. Brainiac 5 then stood up.

"I…" He began. "Uh…"

Lightning Lad then blew a loud note, and that snapped Brainiac 5 to the alert.

"I chased a pole cat up a tree." Brainiac 5 said. "Way out upon a limb, and when he got the best of me, I got the worst of him."

Oh hum, da-doo-lee-dum!

The words don't mean a thing!

Isn't this a silly song for anyone to sing?

As the music continued, Shrinking Violet was pestered by that fly again.

"Hey, go away!" She said.

The fly then bothered Chameleon Boy who ended up quickening the beat in his effort to get the fly. He only ended up panting as the fly landed on Shrinking Violet's nose. She then made to swat it as Chameleon Boy gave her a cymbal, but she only succeeded in giving herself a big headache.

"Why you…" Shrinking Violet said angrily, and Chameleon Boy ended up with a very bad wedgie.

Tinya then danced with each of the kids, except Lightning Lad in turn.

Chameleon Boy then got on top of Superboy with a long cloak.

"Hey watch it!" Superboy said. "Don't tickle my nose!"

Chameleon Boy made sure to keep his feat still as he put the cloak over the two, with Chameleon Boy as the arms and legs and Superboy as the legs. They then walked up to Tinya, and she danced around a little, with Chameleon Boy only nearly falling off once before he was pulled back up by Superboy.

The dance went on and everyone had a great time until they heard a sneeze building up from underneath Chameleon Boy's feat.

"Uh-oh." Chameleon Boy said.

"Duck and cover!" Lightning Lad called out, and everyone hid behind the organ.

"Mommy." Chameleon Boy squeaked as Superboy sneezed, and Chameleon Boy flew up into the ceiling and floated back down as a bird before turning back to normal.

Everyone laughed, and Tinya sat down.

"That was fun." Tinya said with a smile.

"Now it's your turn to do something." Saturn Girl said.

"What should I do?" Tinya asked.

"Tell us a story." Shrinking Violet said.

"Yes, tell us a story!" The others called out.

"A true story!" Brainiac 5 said.

"A love story!" Saturn Girl said as she looked at Lightning Lad, who didn't return the gaze, but everyone saw a pink tinge in what they could see of his face.

"Well…" Tinya said before she remembered the day she met Robin. "Once there was a princess."

"Was the princess you?" Cosmic Boy asked.

"And she fell in love." Tinya said with a nod.

"Was it hard to do?" Superboy asked.

"It was very easy." Tinya said with a laugh. "Anyone could see that the prince was charming. The only one for me."

"Was he strong and handsome?" Cosmic Boy asked puffing out his chest.

"Was he big and tall?" Superboy asked as he flew up.

"There's nobody like him anywhere at all." Tinya said dreamily.

"Did he say he loved you?" Brainiac 5 asked.

"Did he steal a kiss?" Saturn Girl asked.

"He was so romantic, I could not resist." Tinya sang out.

Everyone except Lightning Lad then sat down as Lightning Lad leaned against a corner.

Someday, my prince will come.

Someday, we'll meet again.

And away to his castle we'll go,

To be happy forever, I know.

"Hmph." Lightning Lad muttered. "Mush."

Saturn Girl then managed to pull herself away from the story and pulled Lightning Lad over to Tinya, with Lightning Lad blushing even more.

Someday when spring is here,

We'll find our love anew.

Shrinking Violet was beginning to fall to sleep, just as if she was listening to a lullaby, even though she tried to resist it.

And the birds will sing,

And wedding bells will ring,

Someday when my dreams come true…

Everyone then sighed as a clock began to chime eleven.

"Oh look at the time." Tinya said. "It must be way past all of our bedtimes."

"But I'm not sleepy…" Shrinking Violet said as she yawned.

"Oh yes you are." Tinya said as she picked Shrinking Violet up.

"No I'm not." Shrinking Violet said as she made another yawn.

"Now, all of you, go to your room." Tinya said kindly.

"Wait a second." Cosmic Boy said. "We can pretty much sleep anywhere. The princess will sleep in our room tonight."

"But where will you be doing the sleeping?" Tinya asked.

"Oh, we'll be fine down here." Cosmic Boy said.

"In a pig's eye." Lightning Lad muttered.

"Hey, stop that!" Cosmic Boy said. "Don't worry. We'll be comfortable down here. Won't we, guys?"

"Oh yeah." They all said as Chameleon Boy grabbed a pillow and prepared to go to sleep on a bench.

"Don't worry about us." Saturn Girl said. "We'll be alright."

"Go right on up." Cosmic Boy said.

"Well…" Tinya said. "If you insist. Good night."

"Good night princess." The children said.

"Are you sure you'll be comfortable?" Tinya.

"We'll be fine." Superboy said.

"Well, have pleasant dreams then." Tinya said as she went inside.

Once Tinya closed the door, they all headed for the pillow.

Unfortunately, it ended up ripping because everyone had dived at it. Chameleon Boy shrugged and turned himself into a dog as he went back to sleep on the bench.

()()()()()

In the children's room, Tinya was saying her evening prayers.

"Bless Katar Hol for saving my life, and please help my sister overcome her anger." Tinya prayed. "Bless the seven little children who have been so kind to me, and may all my dreams come true. Also, please help Lightning Lad find it in his heart to like me. Amen."

Tinya then went to sleep on the same three beds she had taken her nap in.

()()()()()

"Women!" Lightning Lad said as he tried to get himself comfortable in the pot that Tinya's soup had been before he felt something poking in his back and pulled out the ladle. "This has been a fine kettle of fish."

He tossed the ladle onto the floor and began to go to sleep.

Brainiac 5 was recharging near a drawer. Saturn Girl was sleeping on top of the drawer. Cosmic Boy was sleeping in the sink, getting a small drop of water in his mouth too. Superboy was sleeping on top of Chameleon Boy, but he woke up when Chameleon Boy was whimpering like the dog he turned himself into before Superboy poked him in the hind leg, and he went back to sleeping peacefully.

Lightning Lad went back to sleep as he was used to their snores by now, but the only thing he wasn't used to was someone whimpering, and Shrinking Violet did just that. She was fretting like a toddler as she squirmed in bed. Lightning Lad easily knew what had happened. Shrinking Violet's stuffed rabbit, Bunny, was upstairs in the bed room. Normally, if Shrinking Violet didn't have Bunny, Lightning Lad or Saturn Girl would go and get it for her, but Saturn Girl was out like a light, and Lightning Lad didn't feel like looking for a stuffed rabbit up in the bed room with Tinya there, so he just got out of the pot, walked up to Chameleon Boy and tickled his nose from a stray feather from the pillow. He sneezed and inadvertently turned into a bunny. Lightning Lad then picked Chameleon Boy up and put him in Shrinking Violet's arms, as they both slept contentedly while Shrinking Violet petted Chameleon Boy.

Finally with some variation of peace and quiet by now, Lightning Lad hopped back into the pot and fell asleep.

()()()()()

Meanwhile, the old hag that would be Falyce for the next few days dipped an apple into a potion she had spent several hours making.

"Dip the apple in the brew." Falyce chanted. "Let the sleeping death seep through."

She then picked the apple up, and it had turned black with the green potion clinging to it dripped away until it made a skull image.

"Yes!" Falyce said wickedly. "Under skin, a symbol of what lies within. Now turn red to tempt Tinya and make her hunger and savor."

Falyce then smirked and looked at the now beautifully red apple in her hand, sort of an opposite of her. Something ugly disguised as something delicious.

Falyce chuckled and got a mischievous look on her artificially aged face.

"Have a bit, sweetie!" Falyce said as she shoved the apple into Tharok's face.

"BWAH!" Tharok said as he backed away.

"Oh, you know it's not for you." Falyce said as she tickled Tharok's chin with her claw like finger. "It's for Tinya. When she breaks the tender skin to taste this apple, her breast will still, her blood congeal, and I'll be the fairest in the land!"

"As soon as that disguise wears off." Tharok said before Falyce starred him down.

"Wait a minute." Falyce said as a sudden thought crossed her mind. "There may be an antidote. Nothing can be over-looked!"

Falyce looked at her book again and found what she was looking for.

"Here it is!" Falyce said. "'The victim of the sleeping death can be revived only by love's first kiss.' 'Love's first kiss'? Falyce said with a sneer before closing the book. "No fear of that. Those brats will think she's just dead. She'll end up buried alive!"

She then walked down a secret stairway.

"Sweet Neptune, what's that girl's problem?!" Tharok asked as the door closed.

()()()()()

Falyce then made her way to a secret ship as she looked at a long dead captive of the dungeon that appeared to be reaching for water.

"Thirsty?" Falyce asked the skeleton that was left of the prisoner. "Have a drink!"

Falyce then kicked the jug, and the skeleton smashed to pieces. She then got onto the ship and rested as she thought about what she would do once Tinya was out of the way. Maybe she'd seduce that little beau Tinya met just to spite her soon to be buried alive step-daughter.

In a few days, Falyce landed on Earth and saw the ruined husk of the boar Katar Hol had killed to trick Falyce. She'd deal with the Thanagarian and his family after this. She only had about five hours left before the disguise wore off, and she knew Tinya would never accept an apple from her.

Aw… Lightning Lad has a heart.

Lightning Lad: Shut up!