Chapter 3

"Ms. Snart?"

Lisa looked up from the cookie she was decorating (or attempting to – the frosting seemed to hate her) to see Mr. Ramon trying to get her attention by the door. She couldn't quite see what he needed her for (the room mother dressed like a clown was carrying balloons as a part of her outfit), but she put down the plastic knife she couldn't get to work for her and stood, answering the call.

It helped that the teacher was dressed as Olaf. It was hard to be intimidated by a snowman.

Of course, it only made him more adorable. Which only gave her more butterflies in her stomach.

She just couldn't win.

Her own costume was cobbled together from an old skating outfit she had in her closet. Well, it was more 'inspired' by said outfit, after the outfit itself had been retrofitted into something for the club scene during her brief wild child phase. Instead of the (short) gold dress with gold wedges and make-up with gold detailing on the ears and tail, she was in ripped black jeans and a black t-shirt. The jeans had stripes of gold paint to match the gold scrolled words on the shirt that said, 'Good Kitty, Soft Kitty'. The shirt had a sweetheart neckline, which drew attention to the glitter on her collar bone.

Oh, and she kept the wedges, makeup and ears and tail.

She still got speculative looks from the other room mothers, but that could have been because when Mr. Ramon had seen her, it took him a minute to remember how to speak.

It wasn't at all revealing, though, so she honestly didn't know what their problem was.

When she got around the balloons, she saw a young woman, maybe a few years older than her, in a sleek brown business pantsuit, briefcase in hand, and long, silky brown hair that curled at the ends. Her makeup was impeccable, and Lisa knew that no matter how hard she tried, she'd never pull off the sheer amount of 'chic' that the other woman gave off. She was about to ask what the teacher thought she could do for her when she noticed the other 'accessory' hanging onto the woman's arm.

The little girl was blonde and blue-eyed, though that was virtually all she knew, for she was dressed like a ninja. The only things visible were her eyes and eyebrows.

Still the cutest thing on two legs, however. She reminded her a great deal of Lenny, who had insisted on dressing up like Captain Cold to Mick's firefighter.

"Ms. Snart," said Mr. Ramon, "I want to introduce you to Laurel Lance. She's just moved to Central City. This is her sister, Sara." He turned to the other woman. "This is Lisa Snart. Her brother, Leonard, is in my class this year."

Lisa felt an odd thrill at that phrasing. Even though she dismissed the idea of becoming involved with him, the idea that next year there wouldn't be any awkwardness at Lenny being his student was something she had to work to put aside as Laurel's eyes lit up

Lisa couldn't blame her. Part of her excitement was from finally meeting someone in the same boat she was. It proved that maybe they weren't that uncommon.

"OH! Hi." She put out her hand and Lisa shook it. It felt like something fell into place when they did that. "I didn't realize there would be anyone... like me, here."

Lisa laughed a little, the nerves she felt at meeting the woman starting to fade a little as their hands dropped. She started to appear human. "I didn't think so, either. I haven't met any before now."

"I probably shouldn't be so surprised," said Laurel with a nervous chuckle. "I came here for my job. I work in family law. I'm an attorney."

That explained her suit and briefcase.

Lisa's experience in family law was... complicated. While she herself was fortunate to have someone to help fight for her, the fact remained that her father's record and her own past as waitress in a strip club hadn't helped anything.

Some of that must have shown on her face, because Laurel rushed to continue. "I got into it after I got custody of my sister. My initial focus was going to be in pro-bono legal aide and criminal justice."

Lisa forced herself to shrug, though she didn't really feel it. "I got custody after my dad robbed one too many banks," she said. The look on Laurel's face became compassionate and sympathetic.

Thankfully, there was no pity, there. Lisa hated pity.

"Mine died in the line of duty," Laurel told her. "Mom couldn't get over it. I woke up one morning to find a note saying she needed to 'find herself'." This time, it was Laurel's turn to shrug uncomfortably. "I graduated with Sara on my hip. Best decision I ever made."

'In the line of duty...' Laurel was a cop's daughter. Lisa didn't have much time to think about this, because a little voice interrupted them.

"My sister's a dragon slayer," said Sara. Her voice was a little muffled under the mask, and she reluctantly pulled it down. "She uses a pen, though, not a sword."

Lisa found herself smiling, looking up at Laurel. The other woman looked a little embarrassed, but also proud. "She's watched me work. I can be a bulldog when I have to be."

One of the other room mothers called for Mr. Ramon. "If you ladies will excuse me," he said before hurrying way, his costume making it look as if he were shuffling. Lisa turned back to Laurel and they shared a smile.

"He seems nice," Laurel said.

Lisa nodded. "He's been really good to my brother," she said. "Not many teachers will do that."

"Sounds like a handful," said Laurel ruefully. She pulled Sara into her arms, hugging her. "I would know." She looked around. "Which one's yours?"

Lisa looked around and found Lenny by the cookie table. The hood of his parka was over his head, as if he were trying to hide. This was normal behavior, actually, which was why Lisa was careful not to get him a hoodie. She didn't want to encourage it.

"Right there," she said, pointing. "Lenny!" she called. Her brother looked up, scowling. She knew she was 'Mom'ing him, but she ignored the look. "Come here!"

With apparent great reluctance, Lenny got up from the table, making his way over to her.

"Ah, he's like that, huh?" Laurel said, her tone understanding. "I know a few of those."

Lisa nodded, looking at her in resignation. "I'm trying to help him, but he's stubborn."

Her new friend smiled. "That can be difficult."

Lenny finally got over to them, and she made the introductions. "This is my new friend, Laurel. And her sister, Sara."

Lenny tried not to show it, but it was obvious to Lisa. With those words, she had his interest piqued. Then, Sara looked up at him and...

Oh, there it was. There was no mistaking the spark between them.

Sara looked down, looking a little shy, but this time for a different reason than being new.

Lenny was turning a dull shade of red.

Lisa's eyes met Laurel's over their heads. She saw it, too. They looked back down at the interaction unfolding between them.

"Hi," said Lenny, his usual barely verbal self.

"Hey," Sara replied, giving him a smile.

That only served to make her brother blush harder.

"Hey," said Laurel, still cuddling Sara," why don't you guys go back to the cookie table? Lenny can show you how they're decorating them," she suggested to her sister.

Sara nodded, reaching out to Lenny as Laurel let her go. "You wanna?"

Lenny did a nod/shrug combo, but it was a rarely-seen shyness in the way that he pulled his hands out of his pockets to offer one to Sara, not reluctance as Lisa would have expected, that showed. The two women watched the two children walk toward the cookie table, and Lisa felt her heart clench when she realized she may have just seen her brother get his first crush.

She looked back at Laurel, who was fighting not to grin from ear-to-ear.

Lisa smirked. "My brother is almost 10, and he already has a girlfriend. When do we do The Talk?"

Laurel chuckled. "Hopefully not for a few more years. I'm not ready for that yet."

"Make way!" With a surprised look, the lawyer moved, a young black woman about their age coming in from behind her, carrying a large container filled with more cookies, balancing it on her large pregnant belly. "Coming through! Babies on board."

Lisa and Laurel exchanged a look. 'Twins?' Lisa mouthed. Laurel nodded, looking bemused.

They both watched as the woman, dressed as a reporter with the 'Press' badge in a front pocket now revealed after she deposited the cookies and notepad near her hip, greeted the other mothers and Mr. Ramon. They apparently knew each other well, exchanging an awkward hug around her swollen stomach. Then there were hurried footsteps from the hallway, and Lisa turned to see a young white man hurrying in. He was also dressed as a reporter, except that his button up shirt had been unbuttoned somewhere in the middle, revealing the front of a t-shirt that had the Superman 'S' on it. He carried a box full of more treats, glasses firmly in place. They would have to be, considering the hurry he was in.

"Iris!" He quickly moved over to where the newcomer had settled, near the art table between the cookie table and the teacher's desk at the back of the room. "Could you slow down a bit, babe?"

"Not on your life, Barry Allen!" came the reply, and he was soon divested of his load. One of the mothers, a woman dressed as a witch with an elaborate dress and plume on her hat, looked up and motioned to Lisa reprovingly.

"Oh, duty calls," said Lisa, cringing, looking back at Laurel guiltly.

"I'll help," said Laurel walking with her, putting her briefcase down next to the teacher's desk. "Not like I was going anywhere else today."

"I thought you were headed to work," Lisa admitted, taking a bowl of treat bags from the clown.

Laurel snorted. "No, from. My start date was a day later than I was told, so I'm feeling a little overdressed." She took a bag from the witch.

"Oh, that su-stinks," Lisa said, remembering just in time that she was in a classroom. With actual kids. Not that she wasn't careful about her language in front of Lenny, but... she felt more judged in the presence of women who were legitimately old enough to be moms third graders. "You could pretend it's a fancy costume."

Laurel chuckled. "Fake it til you make it, right?"

Lisa laughed, and they started passing out the bags.

The party went on, and the adults wound up to the sides of the room as the kids separated into groups. Lenny, Sara and Mick wound up in one such group. Mick wasn't left out at all, but it was obvious he was more or less playing pint-sized chaperon to the other two.

"He's very protective, isn't he?" Laurel asked, leaning over to Lisa. They were near the two mothers, though the couple was close enough to hear as well. "He hasn't been too far from your brother all day, except for when you called him over."

Lisa sighed. "He's been Lenny's only friend all year. I don't know why, they just seem to get along on some level. They do everything together."

Laurel smiled wryly. "Does that include getting into trouble together?"

Lisa chuckled. "I was in here to talk to Mr. Ramon last month," she confided, getting a chuckle from Laurel. She paused. "And a couple times in the meantime." More in the way of follow-up than anything else. Her eyes met the teacher's for about the fourth time that day, and once again, she looked way, blushing slightly.

Laurel noticed, and her smile grew. "Why do I get the feeling you made time a little more... readily, than you would have otherwise?" She dodged a swipe Lisa took at her with a laugh.

"It's not like that," she protested. She looked again to watch Mr. Ramon talk to a group of kids, one of them a cute little black girl with a white boy next to her. "Besides," she said with a sigh, looking back at her new bestie, "I'm not dating right now."

"Anyone?" Laurel asked. The conversation seemed to have gotten the attention of the surrounding adults and Lisa was uncomfortably aware of being the center of it.

Lisa shrugged. "It's not that fun, anymore," she said.

Laurel got a knowing look in her eye. "Because it's not just about you."

Lisa shook her head. She glanced over at her brother. He and Sara were playing with a top one of them had gotten in their bags. Mick spun his own and it collided with theirs. The kids erupted in laughter and set about making it into a game, seeing who could send whose top farther across the grouping of four desks.

"I find myself thinking about him more and more," Lisa said. She drew her gaze back to Laurel. "It feels more like a job interview. I have to know he's good enough for Lenny." Her mind went back to her last boyfriend, and she set her jaw. "He HAS to be good enough for Lenny."

"It's a high bar," Laurel confirmed, looking over at the kids herself. "It's hard, because so few are really good enough. And even if they are..."

"They have to want to be a father right off," Lisa finished, nodding. "Most of the time, they aren't."

Laurel nodded sagely. "Though that can come in handy, too."

Lisa smiled. "Yeah, there are some guys you want to drive off," she said, amused.

Both women laughed.

"So, what you're saying is," said the clown, "that it's a double-edged sword." She seemed a lot more charitable than before, though Lisa felt that might be because she knew Lisa wasn't trying to make a play for Mr. Ramon. At least, not overtly.

"There's good and bad to it," Lisa said, nodding. "And not many people understand what it's like, either." The two mothers nodded sympathetically. It occurred to her that perhaps they finally understood her. At least, they were willing to do so.

Laurel cleared her throat. "As to that," she said as Lisa turned back to her, "I might have something that could help you."

Lisa raised an eyebrow. Here it was. People who worked in family services always had something to offer. She wasn't sure whatever it was really helped most of the time.

But, Laurel was like her. So maybe she should give it a chance.

"What's that?" she asked.

"A friend of mine has a group here in Central City," Laurel said. "It's why I moved here. He needed someone to help with legal aide for it's members, and I didn't really have anything holding me back in Starling, so I came. It's called Taking Care of Our Own."

"Taking Care of Our Own," Lisa repeated, taking the card that Laurel handed her. It wasn't for the group, but for the coordinator, a social worker named Thomas Merlyn.

"Tommy started the group after watching a friend of his struggle with raising their younger sister." On Lisa's startled look, "It's a long story, and not mine to tell, but after seeing what Ollie had to go through, Tommy knew there had to be other people out there. So, he found a few, and started the group."

"TCOO is excellent," said Iris, speaking up for the first time. She pronounced it 't-coo'. "Barry and I have been going since it started."

Lisa blinked, surprised at this revelation. "You guys are members?" She assumed they were helping Mr. Ramon, with how close they seemed to him. She thought maybe the twins were going to be their first-borns.

Iris nodded, as did Barry. "We're raising Iris' little brother, Wally," Barry informed her, looking very proud of that. "Joe, our dad, died when he was four."

"'Our'?" Laurel asked. Clearly, husband and wife looked nothing alike.

Iris elbowed Barry, getting a small 'oof' for her trouble. "He was never officially adopted," she filled in, "but Dad fostered him from the time he was 11. He never treated us as siblings, though."

That made sense, in a way, and it was actually kind of sweet. They were picking up where someone left off. Lisa liked that.

It seemed a bit more... wholesome than her situation, anyway.

"They meet on Tuesday nights," Laurel told her, getting nods from Barry and Iris. "Free child care, and they have a worker for each group, both the kids and the adults."

"How many are there right now?" Lisa asked.

"About five, depending on the week," Iris said. "Most of the group consists of working single parents, Barry and I being the lone couple. So there are some weeks when not everyone can come." Lisa nodded. That made sense.

"How many kids?" she asked.

"Just the five," Barry said. "There's nobody taking care of multiple siblings... yet. Though obviously there are other ways to expand that number," he added, smiling down at his pregnant wife. She smiled back.

"When are you due?" Laurel asked, excited.

"Next month," Iris said with a sigh. "The doctor said to expect Thanksgiving babies, but I think they might be earlier than that." She rubbed her belly. "Just a feeling I get."

"Always trust your instincts," said the witch. "They're never wrong."

Just then, there was noise outside the classroom. It sounded like a lot of kids were coming their direction, and someone was playing 'Monster Mash' from their phone.

"Oh! Everyone get ready!" said Mr. Ramon, clapping his hands. "It's time for the Halloween Parade!"

Lisa looked at the two mothers, confused.

"Every year, the entire school has a parade to show off their costumes," the clown told her. "We need to put an adult every couple of kids, but it's really fun."

"I'm going to have to sit it out," Iris told them. "But you go ahead. I went last year, and she's right. It's fun."

Lisa suddenly found herself wrangled into position about four or five kids from Laurel, with Lenny in front of both of them. The parade moved around the room, walking or dancing around the perimeter before the class moved to join the end of it, Mr. Ramon taking on the far rear. They left Barry with Iris in the classroom.

Lisa was surprised to find a woman outside the room dressed as Elsa, handing out snow cones with the help of a swamp lady and a man in a beige trench coat, probably dressed as a detective. Lisa ignored him, feeling vaguely triggered thanks to her father, doing her best to concentrate on the kids.

The women had been right. It WAS fun. They moved through the school, picking up kids as they moved through their classrooms and the library, with the long line maneuvering through gym around strategically placed orange cones near the end. The parade had apparently started with the youngest kids, because their procession wound up going through the rest of the third grade wing into the fourth, then the fifth. She wondered if the Klaus in that wing was connected to 'Elsa'.

While they were in the gym, she caught sight of Mr. Ramon dancing... badly. She had to laugh. He was utterly adorable, and the more time she spent around him, the harder that got to be to ignore.

Lisa did her best to push that from her mind, and turned her thoughts to TCOO. She didn't know too many people like her, and making new friends had been hard for her the last couple of years. She was wary of new people in general, after essentially being abandoned by her old friends after gaining custody of Lenny and not knowing too many people outside work.

Maybe she could give it a shot.

She smiled at Laurel when they got settled back into Mr. Ramon's classroom, and the kids started to pack up their goodies to get ready to go home.

Maybe she could start trusting people again.

Besides... she looked over at Lenny, who was talking to Sara, looking sweet and shy in a way she hadn't seen him do in a long while.

Her brother could use more friends, too.