A/N: hey guys on a bit of a spree so hopefully chapters come closer together now; if school doesn't get in the way.

29th of October, Saturday

10:01pm

"I do not understand." Kaldur said, leaning against the railing of the hero's mountain based hideout. "Crime is down as a total but drug rates among the youth continue to soar."

"There's not much more we can do about it Kaldur," Megan said.

He closed his eyes and sighed. Perhaps she was right. Perhaps it was simply a case for the Justice League.

"Robin, could you do me a favor?"

…

No one would be at the school on a Saturday night.

Kaldur was grateful he was right on that assumption. There was no one there as he entered the pool from the high diving board. He swam laps leisurely, carelessly. He missed swimming in Atlantis. He missed his home world where he knew everything.

Ah, Tula.

Floating along his back Kaldur thought back to that summer pool party. Cailan should not have had that anklet. That was Atlantian jewelry; it wasn't something that was found or given freely. So how could Cailan have gotten one…especially that particular one? He swam a few more laps before he became distracted by something.

Kaldur surfaced and looked around. Something was amiss. He swam to the edge and paused, listening hard. There was something wrong. He pulled himself from the pool and toweled.

As he walked along the tiled floor of the pool-hall, he didn't know he was about to fall in love. He didn't know that after he walked through the hall and looked through the gym door his world was going to be tossed upside down. Kaldur didn't know that his feelings for Tula were merely memories he kept kindled for want of his home and his old life. Or, for that matter, that those feelings were about to be erased.

…

10:10pm

Natalia was in bed, back at the apartment asleep. Cailan breathed a sigh and hooked up the speakers. Mozart's Requiem began sifting through the speakers on gentled, clouded sound waves. She stepped back and let her body relax and began weaving back and forth. In time with the music she lifted to her slippered feet and her grace began in full.

She piqué –ed across the floor and spun, extending a leg out behind her, dipping deeply and coming back with her arms like willow branches in the wind. She twirled along the wood floor like a flower in a stream. Brisé voles were performed as her figure graced across what had become her stage. Cabrioles came easily and naturally to her as she skirted around on the floor. All she missed as she danced was a cavalier.

As Requiem continued on past the first break she became almost wild, tossing her body around—practicedly, of course—and not giving herself time to think before her body was moving. She was on her toes bending and swaying, she was leaping across from point a to point b; her hair flew around her face and she spun again.

Cailan continued spinning and spinning, her pirouettes beautifully executed, her right leg extending and bending as she spun, her arms making her look like she was flying as they came in and out in an upward manner.

…

Kaldur dried his hair as he walked along. He'd figured out what was wrong with that night at the pool. He could hear music. There shouldn't have been any music.

Carefully he hung the towel on the bench of the guys' locker room and pushed open the door. The main lights were off; Cailan was illuminated by the center lights that ran a row down the middle of the gymnasium. Kaldur stood awe-struck in the doorway, his mouth hanging open. She was like a flower tossed carelessly into the waves of an ocean.

He watched her cream legs move through the dim lights of the gym; there were undertones of gold and he had no doubt if she'd baked like the other girls on the cheerleading squad she'd be the traditional beach-babe. But she wasn't tan; she was pale, like the froth of the ocean's waves. Her hair was a dark chestnut that glittered with copper in the light as it sprayed around her as she turned. He'd never noticed the copper in it.

He noticed that she was picking up speed and as she did she began to stumble and wobble. Without warning she crumpled to the ground and the music crescendo-ed and played on. Kaldur's first reaction was to rush forward and see if she was okay. But he didn't make it more than a step before he froze. She didn't want his help, she didn't want him interfering.

She didn't see Kaldur watching her, had no idea she wasn't alone. She let her body just lie crumpled on the ground while she bawled. Mozart covered the sounds almost nicely; the echoes resounding off the walls rang in between the music's airwaves and distorted it. Requiem was on repeat and began playing over soon after it'd ended the first time through. Cailan adjusted herself on the floor and curled her knees to her chest.

The Atlantian didn't understand why it hurt him to see her hurting like she was.

…

2:07am

"Sh, sh-sh," Cailan adjusted her baggage and hushed the child. "It's alright sweetie, almost there,"

Natalia adjusted and squirmed, but stayed asleep. Cailan hadn't realized it would be so difficult to carry the kid and a small suitcase half way through town. It was stupid and ad-lib but she had no choice. Things were falling apart.

Cailan wasn't stupid. She knew what would stir up with this; that there would be repercussions. But she couldn't get out of this. If Cailan were going to have any hope of saving things, it had to happen. And, putting the selfish want of her own protection aside, it was what was right for Natalia. Cailan had been selfish when she'd left, she'd been selfish when she'd let Natalia stay, and now she was being selfish in sending Natalia away. But there was slight redemption in the fact it was better for Natalia this way.

No one was on the bus, no one was on the streets. At least, not in the better neighborhoods, like around their schools. There wasn't a soul around to see Cailan carrying her foster sister through the streets of Gothem. Cailan's destination was to the outskirts of the city, almost off into the next district in fact. There was a free clinic was just past the Narrows. It was a busy place, with most of the hospital running as hectic as a traditional hospital's emergency ward. No one would notice her coming in.

And no one would notice her leaving a sleeping child.

…

3:37am

It was cold as she walked back through the streets of the Narrows. Of course she'd get lost. Nothing lasted in the Narrows, and that included directions. It'd been years since she'd been here, of course she wouldn't remember where to turn to get out. She was well aware of the looks she was getting. The old homeless people gazed at her with fearful or crazed eyes. Groups of druggies and teens out past curfew leered out from the dark at her as she passed their alleyways.

Hugging her jacket to her she looked away and hurried on. The Narrows is not where she wanted to be at night and there were several people she didn't want to meet in the dark alleys here. She was a dancer; she could maybe out run danger, if the need arose. But, walking through the midnight-blackness, followed perhaps—she'd be useless if it came out an out and out fight. She wasn't strong; she'd never learned self defense.

Great. A fricking damsel-in-distress. Way to not be a cliché, Cailan. The girl thought to herself as she hurried along. The apartment where she lived wasn't much but it was four walls and a locking door. Walking through the Narrows was seriously creeping her out. It'd been so long since she'd been down here…

What miserable years…

"Cali!"

Cailan jumped out of her skin and whirled around with a vengeance, her eyes wide. Her name, hissed out in the night in the crime-center of Gothem—it was enough to startle anyone. Especially a kid who knew she was doing something she shouldn't be doing.

"Cali, god Cali" a boy grabbed her arms hard and swung her around into the night into the side of a decrepit building. "they're everywhere, they're out there."

Jake's breath smelled heavily—of booze, bad breath and…vomit; his voice did little to reassure Cali as he gripped her arms even harder. Knowing it was Jake didn't take the wild look out of his eyes nor the hysteria out of his voice.

"They've been following me, they'll get you, watch out for the shadows!" Jake shoved her hard into the alley wall opposite the one they were against and she felt something ram into her side.

"we gotta run, gotta fly…fly like a bird no! No! Not a bird! A bat!" he crouched, hunching his back a little, looking around all over the place and holding her arms like they were his anchor to life itself. "It's the bats that's got it out for us, watch the bats!"

Cali vaguely knew what he was talking about; the Batman ran rampant around the slums of Gothem, cleaning up the dealers and the crime-lords of the streets.

"Where is it, what'd you do with it!" he began to demand of her, shoving her against the wall.

"Jake you're hurting me!" she started to struggle, managing to slap him.

The slap slowed him down and woke him up a little. He looked at her oddly now. And his voice fell to a whisper. "No, no no no no no….no. You, it's you Cali. We gotta run, run run as fast as we can!" he jumped and looked fiercely over his shoulder. "Look! We're afraid of the big bad bat! Run!"

His hand was like iron around her wrist and she couldn't stand straight as he led her pell-mell through the alley's and backstreets of the Narrows. She felt her shoulders and legs getting run into things of all natures; she was scared of what she'd look like once morning hit. It felt as if Jake were trying to rip her shoulder from her socket. Cailan couldn't get out of his grasp.

And she had no idea where they were going.

…

"Tula,"

The Atlantian girl turned and smiled. "Kaldur!"

"Tula, I need to talk with you," Aqualad said; he felt haggard and tired.

"Whatever is the matter Kaldur?" she asked, sensing he was in no mood for a long-winded reunion.

"…" he sighed heavily and sat down. "Many things Tula. The surface world seems to see nothing but crime and danger. It is so different than home,"

"You knew it was a tough job when you agreed to serve the King."

Kaldur'Ahm couldn't tell what tone her voice held.

"I have a question, one that I must ask you," he continued, ignoring her comment.

"And I am listening," she replied with a faint smile.

Kaldur took a breath and looked away. It was a hard memory to forget, but it was much more painful to remember it. "Tula, do you remember…when we were young children?" he asked carefully.

"Kaldur—" she began exasperatedly.

"Listen to me. Do you remember the…the gift I gave to you? It was an Atlantian ankle-bracelet…a braided band of silver-green thread, mother of pearl beading and…and a rare blue-glass-sea shell? It was many years ago but it is important; do you remember what happened to it after I gave it to you?"

Kaldur was unnerved when he turned to look at her. Tula had a peculiar look on her face.

"…Kaldur…it is true, we were once very close but… Kaldur you never gave me a gift of that kind. I know we were once…once, romantic, but… You know what kind of a bracelet that is, do you not Kaldur? Even if you had offered—and I accepted…I would have had to give it back now that Garth and I are together."

"But…Tula I remember. I gave it to you. It was sunset and summer—we'd gone to the surface world for an adventure… we were in a cove and—"

"Kaldur. We went to the surface many times—you went alone far more than with me— for adventures, and each time we got into trouble after. But as much as I remember these adventures with you, there was never a bracelet."

"Tula I know that I gave—"

"But not to me, Kaldur'Ahm." She said, placing a hand on his shoulder and standing. "I must go. Garth is waiting for me."

Kaldur was left stunned and confused. He knew he'd given a bracelet to her. He could remember it distinctly. They'd gone to a surface beach for excitement and adventure…to be alone. They were just children at the time, young, naïve, and innocent. He'd had it hidden for a while, waiting for when he should give it. He'd finally decided. It'd been the evening. It was Ruby Hour on the sea; the waters were a bloodied red with the setting sun; the sky was vibrant with shades of yellows and pinks and oranges, clouds looked like colored rags drifting in heavenly waters. He had watched her play in the waters; dancing as the waves lapped up around her feet, twirling in the sand. Her hair had shown like copper—

Kaldur stopped remembering. He knew he'd given that gift to Tula, intending to spend his life with her. He couldn't understand why she would deny it, or why she would fail to return the bracelet to him.

…

Monday the 31st of October,1:30pm

"Great. First Jake, now Cailan." Wally said, throwing the newspaper, with the article on Jake, into the air.

"We don't know she's missing," Dick said, relaxing in a chair.

The day had let out early; half the teens of Gothem Academy had skipped Halloween altogether so the team was assembled in the mountain layer, debating which movies to watch for a true Halloween thrill.

"She has been skipping a lot lately," M'gann said, stretching and changing to her traditional clothes.

"What I'm more interested in is this kid suddenly showing up out of nowhere." Artemis said, picking up the paper and flipping it to the second page. "She's missing for like, six years and then just suddenly turns up?"

"Yeah, and no harm, no injuries; she doesn't remember where she lived. She just knows the school and her friends…it's crazy." Dick said, shaking his head.

"What's crazy?" Kaldur asked as he walked through the transport rubbing his eyes.

"A missing persons case was solved. A little girl went missing from her home when she was two, and now she's miraculously turned up, good as the day she left."

"Yeah, a kid by the name of Natalia Jeffries. Police were originally inclined to think it was a kidnapping, but there was no evidence to convince anyone and everyone just figured she'd wandered off." Artemis continued after Dick had left off. "Hey!"

The team looked at her, even Conner's interest was garnered by her sudden and uncharacteristic outburst.

"What is it, Artemis?" Kaldur asked, just sitting down to a comfortable seat on the nice, plush couch.

"Well, the kid's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jeffries…" the blond looked at them, her eyes big and rather surprised "they were foster parents…and the girl in the photo looks—"

"…it's Cailan…" Wally said, looking over her shoulder.

…

2:46pm

"Mr. and Mrs. Jeffries," Kaldur said, sitting down on the couch in a quaint little sitting room. "Thank you for letting us in,"

He, Dick and Artemis had gone to 'investigate'.

"You say you're friends of Cailan's? You…you've seen her?" Mrs. Jeffries said, holding Natalia close. The eight year old girl was curled up on her mother's lap, sleeping.

"Just why should we talk to you kids?" Mr. Jeffries demanded, standing and beginning to pace.

"John," his wife chastised. "You've seen her?"

"Well, we know a girl…who looks remarkably like her, ma'am." Kaldur said, nodding towards the father.

The adults shared a look.

"Is there something you haven't told the police?" Artemis asked boldly, looking from one to the other.

"How dare you—"

"What she means," Kaldur said, hastily covering for her bold outburst. "is just that, if the girl we know truly is Cailan…why would she have left?"

"Now see here!" the father said, lurching forward. His wife jumped up and nearly threw his baby-girl into his arms to pacify him.

"Please, ignore him." Mrs. Jeffries said, looking timidly back to the children. "He's defensive. You see, we were Cailan's foster parents until six years ago. We told the police everything back then too; she just up and left us one night. We…had thought, back then, that Cailan had…"

"Had taken her foster-sister with her." Dick filled in.

"Yes. It didn't make sense…not really. You see, Cailan is our niece."