Disclaimer: You know where Young Justice belongs. I hate DC and the end of the Allen marriage.
I have so many ideas running through my head for YJ fanfics. I want to do a TT crossover with YJ, a TT crossover with JLU (Which, admittedly has nothing to do with YJ except for being DC) and then a YJ and JLU crossover. Rewatching JLU and I have never been happier. Who doesn't love the classics?
So many ideas. So little time. And way too many prior commitments. Story wise. This section ended up being more GA and Superman focused. Also, realized in the last chapter that I totally forgot Aqualad. My bad. He and Zatanna are sort of getting a lot less air time for the next two/three chappies. Mostly because I have very little to write for them. Maybe I'll struggle to put something together. But for now, Superboy and Artemis will get the most screen time, followed by Wally and Dick. M'gann third. Zatanna and Aqualad, I pray for you. Also, Rocket is in this fic, but she's not shipped with Aqualad.
Fourth Trial
"I guess we should get these kids home then," said Green Arrow finally, after another relaxed hour went by, playing with the children and talking. Dinah had been proud when Ollie had praised Artemis, who seemed to warm up to him quickly after he mentioned that she was a great shot. The man had been taken aback, but was trying to make a connection with the girl. In turn, the girl had practically beamed at the praise, before revealing she wasn't used to it. Sportsmaster apparently neglected such praise when training his daughters. The thought made her cringe at the man's technique.
"No," replied Dinah sharply, however, and earned curious looks from everyone. She sighed as she felt a headache coming on. Was she really the only one who had any idea what work went into taking care of children? Surely she wasn't the only one who had looked up some of the requirements.
"Why?" asked Green Arrow finally, looking at her as though she was acting irrationally.
"Because, are any of your homes ready to occupy a five-year-old?" asked Dinah challengingly, more to all the men in the room.
"I can handle it," replied Batman coolly.
"No," repeated Dinah again, this time glaring him down, "You will handle it. It's currently nine AM Eastern Time. I want it handled by noon, for all of you."
"But why can't we go home?" asked Artemis, from her seat beside Green Arrow, who was staring incredulously at his girlfriend.
"Because sweetie," said Dinah in a warm voice, "We have to make sure that the homes are safe for you guys, and I'll be judging it."
"But it's just y'know, throwing some toys and clothes together," said Barry, looking at Dinah like she'd lost her mind.
"It's not just throwing together toys and clothes," said Dinah with a fierce glare, "It's making a safe environment for children to grow and learn in. Do you have any idea how much work goes into taking care of kids?"
"If I may enquire, what exactly do you need of us to do?" asked J'onn, as Dinah stared at the room of hopeless men.
"Black Canary," said Zatara firmly, "I have raised my daughter before at this stage and am capable of caring for her without instructions."
"Oh, of course Giovanni! I didn't mean you," said Dinah, whirling around in surprise at the man, "You and Zatanna can leave any time you want. It's these people I need to work with."
"Thank you," said the magician, a little less offended, "Come Zatanna."
Dinah couldn't help the fond smile as the magician offered a gloved hand to his daughter, leading her out the door as she chattered excitedly. Then the woman whirled around and stared at the men in the room, meeting the Batman's glare, before seeing Superman shift uncomfortably. If he thought for a second he was getting out of this, she'd go and screech directly into his ear. Superhearing be damned. Connor deserved that happiness. Placing her hands on her hips, she sighed as she tried to figure out how to explain this to the men.
"Kids, you're okay with each other while I borrow the men, right?" she asked, as the children nodded enthusiastically. They were most comfortable with each other.
"If I may," said Aquaman, interrupting her again, "I believe I can take Kaldur'ahm to the palace in Atlantis where he can stay until Sha'lain'a is contacted. Between the maid servants and his mother, Kaldur'ahm will be most comfortable at the palace."
"Very well," said Dinah, nodding her assent to the idea, "Kaldur, do you want to leave now?"
"Will I be seeing my mother?" he asked with wide, excited eyes.
"Of course," said Dinah, nodding her assent to the boy.
"Then yes," said the boy, scrambling off his bed. He had awoken last, after Hal had left the room. Dinah had sat with him, as had Aquaman, while the boy tried to communicate his confusion to them. Everyone but the King had forgotten that a young Atlantean child may need salt water to recuperate faster. After putting the boy in water, he'd woken up two hours later, very confused.
"Come Kaldur'ahm," said the King, leading the boy away as he followed like a duckling.
Dinah turned back to the room again, daring anyone to interrupt. Nobody did. However, she could feel the scepticism rolling off of Batman and Green Arrow. The Flash was trying to be accommodating, but his confusion was apparent as Wally sped over to Connor's bed. Batman let Robin down, and the child scrambled over to Wally and Connor, while M'gann simply floated to Artemis, making themselves comfortable the way children do.
"Outside," she said, as the men accompanied her outside the sick bay. Though they did stay by the windows to watch the children.
"Dinah, isn't it a bit unreasonable to presume we can't-
"No it isn't, Oliver," she said with a glare to her boyfriend, who winced in response, especially at the use of his full name. Turning back to the men, she began to fire off questions, "They may remember things from their older lives, but they're still kids. Special kids, for sure, but kids nonetheless. And their mentality is just like that of a child! You all have rooms in the house that kids shouldn't enter, Batcaves that Robins can easily explore and get hurt in, training rooms with arrows that Artemis could injure herself on, even a normal ordinary home with corners that Wally could run into when he's running at his top speed because of a lack of control! Not to mention the Watchtower is nowhere near safe for a child like M'gann who could just float through the walls and find weapons lying around!"
"She's too young to manage floating through walls just yet," offered J'onn.
"So what do you need of us to do?" asked Batman with a glare.
"Door locks for one," said Black Canary, "Each room in the house should have one, and in the Watchtower as well, since M'gann needs to stay with J'onn and she shouldn't be entering rooms that aren't safe."
"Easy enough," said Green Arrow with a shrug.
"Child utensils, plastic cups, plates, so that they don't break things," added Dinah, glaring as the men rolled their eyes but nodded. They were definitely underestimating this child thing.
"Alfred will probably have something for Robin that's child friendly," countered Batman, as though she was wasting his time.
Ignoring him entirely, Dinah continued, "Flash, I'd remove any rugs that Wally could slip on or burn if he's running, especially if he's not in control. I'd make sure that anything Robin can climb is secured to a wall or the ground, so he doesn't tip over and bring down the shelves. All of you need booster seats since they're kids and can't sit at a dining table without them, especially in your house Batman. Superman, you'll definitely need to make sure that your apartment is Kryptonian proof, so any toys are a bit tougher than the norm-
"Hold on! I'm not his dad! I can't keep Connor!" said Superman with a jump, staring at Dinah in shock.
"And do you want to be the one to tell Connor that you- the person he's gotten to trust in the last hour- isn't keeping him? Do I need to describe the abandonment issues that leads to in adults?" countered Dinah.
Superman blanched, and stared into the window at the kid, before glancing back at Dinah's firm glare, her arms crossed across her chest. He couldn't just say yes, he couldn't just say no. He stared helplessly at the little boy in the room, who seemed dazzled by the batarang Robin was holding. At any other moment, he'd have been concerned that the child had a batarang, but his eyes were focused on Connor. The little boy who just listened to him and said nothing, but the adoration in his eyes spoke for him. Why was this so difficult?
"I'll email you all a list of things, and you can head to Earth. Superman, deal with Connor. I'll watch the kids until you're all done and approved by me," said Dinah, not wanting to leave the kids alone anymore. Besides, these guys would take her far more seriously if she sent them off with a list.
"I-
"Deal with it Clark," said Batman with a growl as Black Canary went back into the room, and made sure to lock the door from inside, before the Caped Crusader stormed to the Zeta beams and back to Earth.
"Excuse me, but do you happen to have any Green Arrow merchandise for kids?" asked an all too familiar voice behind Roy Harper.
He'd woken up just an hour ago, having decided to sleep in since he'd taken a bad hit and bruised a rib while on patrol last night. Waking up, the archer had discovered, to his annoyance, that the fridge was empty. So he had made the smart plan to just do all his shopping today. And since Dinah's birthday was coming up, he'd entered the mall, despite himself, and gone straight to a Department store to find her something like perfume to wear or a butchering knife to kill Ollie when he screwed things up again. Only to hear Ollie behind him. Making the oddest request possible.
"Right this way sir," said the crisp voice of an attendant, and Roy ended up silently following the man to the kiddie section the store, and then watch him pick up the Green Arrow and Speedy action figures and toss them into a large cart. A cart already filled with what looked like child-locks, a childish set of plates featuring Green Arrow, arrow shaped cutlery, and a cup. He stared at the clothes in the cart. There was a little Green Arrow costume, and some regular clothes as well, most likely for a little girl. Now he was curious.
"Ollie?" he asked slowly, as he approached his ex-mentor.
"Roy!" said the man, startled as he turned to see his ex-apprentice.
"What the hell is all that for?" asked Roy, straight to the point, and a little annoyed.
"What's what for?" asked Ollie blankly, looking him up and down, trying to figure out his condition. Could he be anymore obvious?
"The stuff in the cart," said Roy with a scowl, "Green Arrow merch for a little girl? Please tell me that the kid is yours and Dinah's and not some imaginary niece."
"Er, well, it is the imaginary niece," said Ollie with a shrug, as he picked up a plastic bow and arrow set for kids with a scowl on his face, "How does anyone shoot this thing? The string is plastic- Wait- it doesn't even bend! It's just a gun toy meant to look like a bow!"
"Hold up- What the fuck does that mean?" asked Roy, staring at Ollie with his eyes wide. Artemis was sixteen- not six!
"It means what I meant," said Ollie seriously, tossing back the crappy bow as he stared Roy dead in the eye, "Artemis and her friends had a little mishap on a mission and came back a little bit smaller than normal."
"So- All this crap is for blondie?" asked Roy, as he stared at the cart, "Why isn't she staying with her mother?"
"Can't," said Ollie with a grimace, "Too risky. We have no clue who did this to them, or why. Safer if she stays with me. But Dinah wants the house kiddie-proof, and apparently I'm supposed to do it."
Roy's head was spinning as Ollie rolled the cart down the aisle and plucked up a Barbie doll meant to be Black Canary, and threw it into the cart with an obvious sort of leer. He left the Green Arrow Ken Doll after being offended that the thing didn't have his goatee, and was a brunette. Roy didn't have the heart to tell him that the doll was supposed to be Peter Pan, and that Green Arrow didn't have a Ken Doll.
"Isn't all this crap a little too obvious?" asked Roy as he followed Ollie, more out of curiosity on how the irresponsible man would deal with a kid than any concern for Artemis, "I mean- I'm pretty sure this is how indoctrination starts."
"She'll love it! Look what I found," said Ollie excitedly, digging through the cart and pulling out a black leather jack, tank-top and black shorts, "It's a knock-off Black Canary costume!"
"That's actually pretty kid-friendly," said Roy, before casually asking, "How are the others?"
"Memories are all jumbled, so they sort of rely more on feelings than actual memory of trusting us," said Green Arrow with a shrug, "Dick's a four year old. Daddy B is a thousand times more protective. Barry has a kid on a permanent sugar-rush to deal with. Hal was laughing his ass off. Kal went home to his mother since Arthur's not doing the whole parental thing."
Translation- Robin is four and Batman's going nuts. Kid Flash is still a speedster and probably the only person with enough patience for him is the Flash. Green Lantern is enjoying this way too much. Aqualad is back in Atlantis with his family.
"Oh," said Roy easily, "Well, I guess I should-
"No!" said Ollie, suddenly grabbing his arm, and the boy glared at his mentor until he let go. "I mean, stay a bit! Let's grab some lunch! I was thinking of making Artemis some of my chilli when she gets to our place, since the kid's never had any before, and Dinah knows I need help with this!"
Roy wanted to walk away. He didn't want to get involved. But Ollie was looking so desperately at him that he shifted uneasily. This was their first face-to-face conversation since he'd stormed out. Instead, he idly shifted the topic to, "She's never had the chilli?"
"Nope," said Ollie brightly, "And I'm going to make a large pot! Wonder if she can handle it, kid's pretty tough ya know. Stay for dinner and have some too!"
"Maybe not chilli for first night," said Roy with a sage nod, and like that, he had agreed to staying. If only because in his mind, it was to get blackmail pictures on blondie. And to make sure that blondie didn't die eating the chilli.
"Master Bruce," came Alfred's voice, "I've set up young Master Richard's room for him, and brought up some of your old toys and story books."
"Ah- Thank you Alfred," said Bruce with a nod, before returning to the screen of his computer. Upon returning home, he had informed Alfred of the situation at hand, and then done the responsible thing. He'd settled into the computer by the Batcave glaring daggers at the list Dinah had emailed while he went through the various results of the blood tests the kids had yielded. He was trying to find a reason that the kids had been deaged and left alive. It just wasn't the League of Shadows style. His eyes went over the crime reports last night, looking at the information he'd had Batgirl email him.
Batgirl. Another situation he'd have to start dealing with. It had been several months since the Killer Moth incident when Barbara Gordon had helped take down the idiot. Since then, Bruce had casually sent the girl a few batarangs. He'd also made sure to hack her computer system to keep an eye on what she was doing. Then just a month ago, he'd found out his ward had decided to trick both Bruce and Barbara so that the girl knew their secret identities. As annoying as it was, it was actually a saving grace with this incident. Especially if the baby-sitter plan ended up being the League's fall-back. Though, if it were up to Bruce, Richard would spend all his time in Alfred's more than capable hands.
"Any luck finding your answer?" asked Alfred, as he set down a cup of tea for Bruce, alongside a sandwich, which reminded Bruce that he hadn't eaten in at least six hours.
"Not a thing," growled Bruce, as he sipped the tea, "There's nothing connecting the League of Shadow's to deaging children, and nothing deadly affecting the children."
"Perhaps the incident was never about the children?" asked Alfred.
"Checking into that too. The League of Shadows hasn't lifted a finger beyond the bank robbery. I've been looking into possible partners of theirs. The Young Justice team confirmed that the League has some kind of connection to Queen Bee and Luthor, so I'm looking into their activities. And I'm looking into suspected magic users associated with the Shadows."
"And when will you be picking up Master Richard?" asked Alfred.
"Noon," said Bruce, as he glanced at the clock with the butler. Another half hour to go.
"So, he's five?" came Iris's voice, as Barry swooshed by her, causing her hair to flutter.
Barry had raced to the mall, buying everything for Wally's return, while Iris herself headed to the West house in Blue Valley and grabbed any and everything Mary West thrust into her hand. Needless to say, their current guest room was decked out to resemble the Flash museum, complete with posters, a Flash duvet and bed-spread, and a stuffed bear dressed like the Flash. There was also a smaller teddy with a yellow shirt and a clumsy red lightning-bolt painted on, as well as yellow swimming goggles that made Iris giggle when Mary showed it to her. Apparently Wally had made the doll himself after becoming Barry's sidekick. Barry had beamed when he'd seen the doll today for the first time.
"Yep," came Barry's voice, as the carpet suddenly disappeared under what looked like a large foam rug. "And with superspeed. No control!"
"You realize nobody's ever going to be able to take us seriously again if they see the house, right?" asked Iris, as she leaned against the kitchen counter. The edge was covered in a protective, rubbery rounding so that if Wally ran into the counter, he wouldn't hurt himself on the edge. The entire house was covered in foam, or bubble wrap, or rubber protectors. It was like Barry was making the place free of sharp edges.
"Probably," laughed Barry as he held her by the waist, now finally done. It was 11:57. In exactly three minutes, Barry would be off to grab their nephew, and bring him home. "But it makes good practice for when we have a little speedster some day."
"Maybe we should just leave this stuff up until that day then," said Iris with a gesture to the house, as Barry raised an eyebrow.
"Is that day soon?" he asked, a little worry in voice as it quivered. Iris smirked, and placed her hand on her husband's cheek as she calmly said, "Not for a few years, I should hope. Let's see how the trial run goes, hm?"
"It really does feel like we're going to be parents," confessed Barry, his face a little red, "I mean, I know he's not my kid, but he's my Kid, you know?"
"So he's Kid Flash, you're Flash, ergo he's Flash's kid," said Iris with a smile, "We just did things a little backwards. Got a teenager and are doing the toddler thing now."
"I'm excited," confessed Barry again, and Iris laughed as she kissed him, "Me too."
Their eyes drifted to the clock, 12:01.
"I'm late!" yelled Barry, as he ran upstairs to get his ring and disappeared, leaving Iris in the kitchen. She ignored the whoosh of air as she began to get a lunch ready, for her and her two boys. Her heart racing as she thought about the opportunity she had before her.
Superman was not a coward. Not a single person in Metropolis would ever call him a coward. But if anything scared him, it was this. After he'd spent a shameful hour trying to figure out how to tell Dinah he couldn't take the kid in, he'd called Perry and said he was sick. He'd faked a bad cough and everything. Perry sounded suspicious, but let it go, for which Clark was grateful.
It was just that Clark never used a sick-day before. He used a few vacation days here and there for League missions, claiming he was visiting his parents. That was easy enough to pass off, since for humans, they'd need four days to drive out of the city. For Superman, it was about a half hour flight. Ten if he was rushing himself. More often than not, his missions coincided perfectly with a report Clark Kent was doing on the situation. And his job was the type that if he told Perry he was investigating a lead, he could sneak away and do the Superman thing without taking a sick day. Sick days were foreign to Clark Kent.
But today was a different day. He hadn't even thought of how off character it sounded for Clark Kent to take a sick day until ten minutes later Lois called him and asked him where the hell he was. Jimmy had actually been concerned that he was unwell. Lois was just suspicious. He had a feeling his fake coughs hadn't passed by her. But he wasn't able to worry about that.
Instead, he'd flown to the farm. He had vaguely told his mother he needed some things, and asked a few questions about his own childhood as he dug through the attic for a while. She hadn't asked him about the toys he'd taken, or made any sort of comment on the situation. She hadn't asked any questions. He'd offered no answer either. She'd simply sent him home with a pie and to take care. Of what, she didn't specify.
Clothes had been easy enough. Bedding was a bit trickier. He only had one bed in his apartment, a large double bed, mostly for show since he didn't need as much sleep as a regular human being. That and because more often than not his nights were spent searching for criminals or rescuing people from fires. But if Conner were staying here, the bed would probably be good enough for the kid. He'd sleep on the couch.
The toys were another matter entirely. As a young boy, his super strength had made it so most of his toys were broken or snapped in hours of his parents acquiring them. He could remember the frustration rolling off at that time. Other children couldn't play with him because he was too dangerous. He found himself staring at the toys that survived his childhood wondering if they would survive Connor's. He had a suspicious and nagging feeling that they wouldn't. But he couldn't go back on it now.
Probably because said boy was holding his hand with a grip as firm as a full-grown man as they went to the Zeta transporter. He hadn't said a word beyond hello, and Clark wasn't sure what to say to the little boy, as they found themselves now in an alley in Metropolis. Well, probably a good time to explain the concept of secret identity, he decided, as he pulled on glasses.
"Why are you wearing glasses?" asked Conner, as he ducked into the shadows and pulled on a shirt and jeans over his costume. He'd change out of it later.
"Conner," he said, bending down as Clark now, feeling more nervous than ever, "My name isn't Superman, I use another name when I'm not Superman."
"You're not Superman?" asked the little boy, as Clark lifted him into his arms as they walked into his apartment building, which was just across the street from the Zeta transporter. "But you just put on glasses and pants! Aren't you Superman?"
"I am, but only when I wear the costume," explained Clark as he pressed the yellow up button, "But when I'm not wearing the costume, I'm Clark Kent."
"Really? That's your name?" asked Superboy excitedly, "I'm Conner Kent! We're Kents! M'gann and her uncle and Red Tornado helped me pick my name! Did they help you pick yours? Did oldie man Mr. Nelson give you his name too?"
"No, my parents gave me my name," said Clark gently as they entered the elevator, as the little boy frowned and looked at the tile. Quiet again. Well, shit. "Connor?"
"I don't have parents," he said softly, suddenly squirming in Clark's hands. If Clark was an ordinary man, the boy would have probably escaped his grip. Luckily, Clark managed to hold onto the kid as the elevator beeped open and they walked towards his apartment, Clark holding the child the entire way.
"Well, I'm not a dad," said Clark, watching Conner's face fall even further, "But I'm Clark, and you're Conner. We're both Kents, and we're both Supers. Is that okay?"
"So- I'm yours?" asked the little boy, his blue eyes pleading for assurance and longing for a connection. That made the Man of Steel stop right outside the elevator,.
"Kind of," said Superman, trying not to flinch and run away, which it really helped that the kid was now hugging him tight with joy. What was with this kid and looking so open and vulnerable? Couldn't he just look- less kiddish? It made it easier to remember that this kid was designed to replace him and was not really his child. Right?
"So- when you wear clothes, I call you Clark?" asked the little boy curiously. And Clark's neck was released as he shifted the boy.
"Sure thing," he asked easily, not feeling all that comfortable being addressed as Clark from the kid. But there wasn't really any other options.
The boy looked at him for a moment, as though piercing his soul. He tried to ignore the way the boy looked at him. He seemed like he couldn't find the right words. Neither could Clark really, but this was a lot easier than telling the kid to call him Clark. It was just a horrible fit. Instead, Clark headed down the hall and to his apartment, unlocking the door and walking in. It didn't distract the boy at all as he locked the door. He was still staring at Clark with those big, endless blue eyes.
"Can't I call you Superman? You're supposed to be Superman," asked the kid finally, in a quiet, scared voice.
"Not when I'm not in costume," said Clark, feeling guilty for something he didn't know, "I'm Clark now. And you can't tell anyone I'm Superman either."
"But I'm in costume right now!" said the little boy, pointing to the 'S' symbol on his chest, "And you call me Conner. Does that mean people can know I'm Conner?"
"Well, no," said Clark, wondering why he had initiated the conversation now, "But I don't think people will remember that you're Superboy really."
"Because I was big at Cadmus?" asked Superboy curiously, and Clark nodded.
"Exactly like that," said Clark.
"But I'm in costume!" said the little boy adamantly, "Which means I'm Superboy right now!"
"Do you want to change out of costume?" offered Clark, "Into something for Conner to wear?"
"Conner doesn't have anything to wear," said the little boy with a sad little pout.
Clark smiled for the first time today. Finally he had a problem the kid presented that he could solve! Clark moved and pulled out a red shirt and jeans, grinning at the boy who looked at them curiously. He glanced back up at Clark, confused.
"For Conner to wear," said Clark with a grin, "Now you can be Conner."
He helped the little boy into the plain shirt and jeans, as the boy stared curiously at them. He refused to take of the 'S' shirt, but was happy enough to pull on the button-down red shirt. He lead Conner over to the couch, as the boy kept curiously patting his chest. He'd open the shirt and look down, to keep checking for his other shirt.
"Conner needs glasses, doesn't he Clark?" asked the little boy, pointing to Clark's.
"Not all secret identities need glasses. When you're older, we'll get you a pair," offered Clark, and the boy nodded, apparently satisfied.
That awkward silence returned. Apparently the idea of secret identities could only drag on the conversation so long. And now they had nothing to say. Instead, Clark watched as the little boy stared around the room, fascinated. His apartment wasn't much. Just a brown couch, small T.V, a little too white kitchenette, and a bedroom down the hall. But the kid seemed fascinated, as he moved around the house, staring at the pictures of the people. Each time Clark thought the kid was going to ask a question, he didn't, and would move on. It was like the kid was scared of him! But if he was, it made no sense for the kid to keep turning and looking to make sure he was still there. Almost like checking for that 'S' symbol.
When the doorbell rang, Conner jumped in surprise, and began looking for the source of the noise. Clark couldn't help the grin on his face, as he calmly explained, "Just the doorbell Conner."
Clark moved to open the door, not sure who would come by at this time. Conner waddled behind him, clinging to his pant leg tightly, probably tearing the fabric a little as he stared at the door. Clark glanced down at the kid in surprise.
"What's wrong?" asked Clark, letting the person behind the door ring the bell again, rather than answering as per his norm.
"I don't want you to go," said the little boy with a scared look, "Please don't leave me alone!"
Clark gaped at the kid, unsure where he got this idea from. Instead, he bent down and faced the kid, trying to make sense of it all, as he calmly said, "Just answering the door Conner. I won't leave you alone."
"Okay," said the little boy, reassured. Damn that trusting little face.
Clark shook his head as he went to the door, trying to figure out why the doorbell seemed to make Conner think he was leaving. Instead, the bell rang again, and was accompanied by vicious pounding on the door frame. He opened the door, and then wished he hadn't as a fist swung by him, apparently about to pound the door.
"Smallville! Must be a serious illness if it takes you more than a minute to get the door," came Lois Lane's drawl, as she smirked up at him. Well. Shit.