I started this oneshot in a fit of boredom during quarantine, thanks to Google Drive. About halfway through, I realized I had completely forgotten about Wolf and thought the prospect of leaving him out was a travesty. Then, I had it almost completely finished, and was eager to publish it... And then I read it over again just to make sure. I don't know whether it was because I was writing on a smartphone, or if I was just so out of practice, but it was terrible. The core ideas were sound, but the execution... definitely not up to par. So I had to go back and rewrite basically the entire thing. The second draft (AKA the version where Wolf actually exists) was around 6,000 words.
Like I said, much improvement had to be made.
Because this is much longer. Literally twice as long, in fact.
Have fun! Because I certainly did. This is by far and away my favorite oneshot I've written so far.
"Robin to Justice League…" Pausing for a moment, his face twisted in perplexity as he tried to think of the least immediately alarming way to phrase his request while also managing to recruit help as soon as possible. "We have… a bit of a situation we're unsure how to handle?"
Thankfully, a response came almost immediately. "Robin, this is Black Canary. What kind of situation?" Her tone was hard, but there was an underlying edge of concern that was impossible to miss.
"Well... uh... Skylar's been magically turned into a child and now we can't get her out of the air vents?"
"... What?"
H
It was supposed to be a normal mission, or at least as close to normal as the Team could ever get. Considering the track record they had for plans going awry at the drop of a hat, they should have expected something would go so drastically wrong on what they'd been assured was an 'easy task to complete'. The goal was to guard a museum overnight, and apprehend an as of yet unknown thief that had been partaking in a spree across the country, having infiltrated four museums in the span of a month. Batman had managed to figure out the pattern once he'd identified each break in to be carried out by the same individual, and they'd been tasked with stopping and apprehending the culprit.
So the Team had shipped out to a relatively small museum in Maine that was currently hosting a traveling collection of Cubism-style paintings from the early twentieth century, the thief's next target. Using the blueprints of the grounds, they'd positioned themselves in key places across the entire property, guaranteeing at least one of them would spot the intruder. When the thief made their appearance, they'd been identified as a complete newcomer onto the scene of crime (this spree being their first foray), calling himself Shade Stealer.
It was an incredibly dumb name, but he seemed pretty proud of himself for it, so to each their own.
Shade Stealer had enough combat training to barely hold his own against a single opponent, as his skills clearly lay elsewhere. Said skills (and some kind of phasing power) made him fairly good at evasion, causing a massive game of cat and mouse, with him as the mouse and the entire Team as a horde of increasingly frustrated cats. Which is why when he found himself facing off against Hawkgirl in the depths of the storage shelves, his instinct had been to grab the nearest object (a fairly plain looking vase with runic style script spiraling around the neck, mouth, and base) and proceeded to throw it at her instead of even attempting to engage her physically. Anyone who was even vaguely familiar with her could have told you how that fight was going to work out (namely, her hitting him once, and him hitting the floor).
Of course, it was just their luck he had managed to pick up the only magical artifact in the entire museum. When it shattered harmlessly against her armor, there was a strange burst of blue light, but when nothing of immediate concern happened, she merely strode forward and knocked the thief out in one punch.
It wasn't until they were back in the bioship and heading back to the mountain that things started to go amiss. After Skylar had shifted in place one too many times, her clawed gauntlets curled tightly into fists to keep from digging her claws into the armrests of her chair, Aqualad had demanded to know if she was hiding an injury again.
Skylar shot him a glare, but winced. If she was actually showing she was feeling pain, it must have been bad. "I didn't get hit, if that's what your asking." She managed to say, though it was clear from her tone of voice that it was a struggle.
M'Gann had made an innocent and sincere inquiry if she was suffering from menstrual cramps, and if she wanted them to stop anywhere on the way home for supplies. That had temporarily distracted the Team from further interrogation, as even though they had been spending months working together and was used to this kind of thing happening, there was still an initial hurdle of awkwardness they had to jump over every time it came up.
This was not that.
Insisting that definitely wasn't the cause, the Thanagarian managed to center herself enough to assuage immediate concerns for her health by claiming possible food poisoning.
Of course, the moment that everyone on the ship realized, 'Wait, Skylar can't get food poisoning from Terran food, she's lying again,' they had arrived at Mount Justice, and she flew off to her room before they could force her into the med bay.
Approximately two minutes of uneasy looks of 'okay, who's going to go after her and risk bodily harm', Conner volunteered. Honestly, he was the only one who was likely to gain little to no ire from such an action, something they all unanimously agreed on. When he knocked on her door and hesitantly called her name, he received no answer, not even an audible growl. Without thought, he opened the door and stepped into the room. He had expected to see her curled into a ball in her bed, or collapsed on the carpet, but instead... she was nowhere. Well, not exactly, as he could clearly hear a heartbeat, but it sounded off.
That only made him worry more.
Reexamining the room, his blue eyes locked on the discarded pile of armor and clothing haphazardly lumped next to her bed. It suddenly twitched, then shifted slightly more, before it exploded outwards, accompanied by a screeching noise like the metaphorical love child of nails on a chalkboard, cat being stepped on, and Mothra. Newly emerged from the pile was a small child, brunette hair a wild, tangled mess and little downy two-toned wings flapping with fury.
It was thanks to the sheer shock at seeing who could only be a miniaturized Ski'Lira Hol that he found himself taking the full brunt of a tiny, yet powerful fist hitting him in the unmentionables. Doubling over, he gasped out as the tiny ball of terror sprinted past him out into the hallway, tearing off the nearest vent cover she could find, and diving inside.
The second he had his breath back, Conner ran for the others.
They had a baby bird to catch.
H
"What do you mean 'this is our problem now'?" Artemis' hands balled into fists at her sides. "What are we supposed to do about this?!"
"Babysit," Black Canary deadpanned, though she did look genuinely apologetic about the situation. She had arrived mere minutes after the emergency call, only to be shepherded towards a slightly ajar vent cover close to the ceiling. "I know it's not ideal, but frankly, this was the worst time for something like this to happen. We're stretched thin as is, so I can't offer you any League support other than myself... and maybe Batman, but that depends how quickly he can finish rounding up the most recent escapees from Arkham."
"What about her parents?" M'Gann asked, worrying her lip.
Surprisingly, it was Conner who answered. "Out of town. Her mom's on Thanagar for another week, and her dad went off planet with both Green Lanterns for a mission yesterday."
"So we just have to sit and wait?" Some of the tension had left Artemis' shoulders, but she was still visibly stressed.
"Unfortunately, yes." Black Canary nodded her head a little. "I'm going to head to the museum and investigate what exactly caused this. Magic isn't exactly my area of expertise, but I'll try to find as much as I can until Dr. Fate returns from... wherever he might be. Zatanna, you'll be on call in case I need your for your knowledge."
"I still don't know a lot, but I'm pretty good with research." The young magician agreed immediately.
"I really am sorry I can't provide you more help."
Rubbing his forehead, Robin let out a long sigh. His gaze was locked on a live feed from the vents, where he'd managed to carefully guide a remote camera to provide a visual on the wayward Thanagarian. At the moment, she was curled into a little ball, unmoving apart from the occasional twitch of her tiny wings. The fact she'd intentionally positioned herself in front of an ajar vent cover was not unnoticed. She must feel like she was caught between a rock and a hard place, namely safety in a terrifyingly confined space, or risking danger with a bunch of strangers. They had to resolve this quickly, purely for her sake. "Can you at least give us some kind of advice?"
Pursing her lips, Black Canary thought for a moment. "Confidence is key, because she won't trust you if she smells fear. Her English is probably passable at this point, but I'd suggest getting Zatanna to cast a translation spell to avoid any misunderstandings. Make sure she eats plenty of protein… Oh, and watch out for the teeth. She bites."
Wally looked genuinely stricken. "... How is it possible for her to be more violent at this age?"
"Good to know, but how do we get her down?" Robin asked, gesturing to her hiding spot. "Because I don't think using force is going to go well for any of us."
When she took to long to give an immediate answer, M'Gann prompted her with a question. "What did you do to get her to trust you? You know, when she was young the first time?"
"We had the benefit of being introduced directly by her parents, plus she was a little older. I suppose it was something like... sheer force of presence, at least, that worked for most of us. I could probably coax her down myself, but I wouldn't be able to stay. She has to trust you..." Suddenly, a small smile appeared on her face. "Try having Conner of Kaldur crush something durable in front of her."
"... Pardon?" Blinking in confusion, Kaldur glanced up at the vent. "Will that... actually work?"
"Theoretically. If it doesn't, message me. I really do need to get to the museum, I've already taken enough time as is, and I don't want to risk losing track of whatever did this." With a final, hasty apology, she headed towards the Zeta Tubes at a dead sprint, leaving the gathered members of the Team in silence.
Wally made the first move, blurring at super-speed and reappearing a blink later with a toaster in his hands. Truthfully, they'd been looking for an excuse to replace this toaster for weeks, considering how often it burnt whatever it was put in it despite the setting it was place on. "This can't possibly work." He said as he handed Conner the despised appliance.
"Canary claims it will suffice." Kaldur pointed out. "I trust her judgement, considering how she is the only one present with prior experience dealing with a… much younger Skylar."
Carefully positioning the toaster in his hands, Conner did a final check to make sure he was perfectly in view of the vent opening. With an effortless amount of pressure, the appliance folded in his hands, crumpling like a paper ball. Unsure what to do next, he kind of just... set the ruined mass on the ground near his feet.
One moment passed in tense silence, all waiting with bated breath.
Then a second moment passed, just as strained as the first.
And then the metal grate shifted open ever so slightly more.
Ski'Lira toppled through the widened opening, landing ungracefully onto the hard ground, but the impact didn't seem to faze her. Approaching Conner with clear wariness in her eyes, she inspected the remains of the toaster with scrutiny. Her eyes snapped up to Conner's, blue meeting blue, and he held her gaze steadily. Those dark blue eyes were gut-wrenchingly familiar, albeit lacking the hardened edge she'd gained with age. Whatever she saw in him, he seemed to pass some kind of unspoken test, and she held up her hands in a grabby motion, demanding to be picked up.
Clearly hesitant, it took Conner a few seconds to actually lean down, gingerly grabbing her underneath the arms and swinging her up onto his hip. He cradled her stiffly, but continued to hold her nonetheless.
A soft noise like the shuttering of a camera lens betrayed Wally's sneaky attempt at taking a photo with his phone, but Conner's immediate scowl did nothing to dissuade him from taking more in rapid succession.
This was an event that needed to be both remembered and thoroughly recorded with tangible evidence.
Once it became clear that Little Skylar showed no signs of formulating an escape attempt or making any moves to escape from Conner's hold, Zatanna took the opportunity to hastily cast a language spell. By all rights, Skylar would think that they were all speaking Thanagarian, while all of her speech was translated to English for the rest of them. Not a single member of the Team even wanted to consider what kind of absolute nightmare of miscommunication and confusion they'd be dealing with if they had to contend with a language barrier on top of everything else.
But to their pleasant surprise, their charge wasn't acting like the demonic hellion they had expected, considering the hoops they had to jump through to get her out of the ventilation shafts. She seemed quite content to sit quietly on Conner's lap, though her demeanor tipped the scale over to 'excited joy' when an inquisitive Wolf had emerged from the depths of the Mountain (where he had most likely been napping in peace).
Snuffling at her face, Wolf inspected her carefully before licking her nose, settling down at Conner's feet like a guard dog while remaining well within petting range (which Sky took full advantage of). It was nearly too cute to handle.
With the child sufficiently distracted by the bundle of thick fur and razor sharp teeth, it gave the Team the time they desperately needed to finally shower and change out of their uniforms into more comfortable clothing. Through a unanimous decision, they had all decided to stay at the Mountain during the course of this... adventure, providing the greatest amount of support they could offer to one another (with Skylar included in that). Shifts were hastily allotted so as not to leave Conner to deal with the girl by himself as they all cleaned up.
But when everyone else had gone, and Conner was set to take a turn, well...
"Come on, I'm only going to be gone for ten minutes." Conner was clearly exasperated, as Skylar continued to cling to him like a limpet, though he didn't dare display anything more aggressive than the most delicate of tugs to pull her off of him.
"Maybe we can get another toaster?" M'Gann suggested. "It worked last time."
"It would be better if we could find a way to get her to… imprint on someone else." Zatanna agreed. "But maybe something with less property damage? I mean, we might have to do some, just to get her to let Conner go."
"I don't think it's the damage, exactly." Chewing on his lip a little, Robin's eyes went a little glassy as he pondered, trying to puzzle out the mystery. "Thanagarians aren't about damage for the sake of it, at least most of the time."
"She's a baby." Wally deadpanned. "Even human babies can be destructive, she probably just likes the sound it makes when something gets crushed beyond repair, which I will admit, is very satisfying."
A low growling noise made him jump, though it was a little too high-pitched to originate from the singular canine in the room. "I'm seven." Ski'Lira corrected, finally speaking up for the first time, though merely because she was affronted at being called a 'baby'.
Leaning down to get closer to her, Wally bopped her lightly on the nose with a finger. "Like I said. Baby."
Her reaction to the boop was instantaneous, hissing at him like an angry goose, and baring all of her teeth in a clear threat display. Letting out a strangled shriek, the speedster pulled his fingers as far away from her face as physically possible. "What the hell is in her mouth?!"
Moving around the couch to gain a better angle, Kaldur stooped down slightly in order to examine her further, displaying absolutely zero fear as he saw what had caused Wally such distress. "Eight canines, absolutely fascinating. And far sharper than one would expect, as well... I wonder where her bite strength rates..."
That earned him an incredulous look from Wally. "... Do you want her to tear your face off?"
"I am certain you wouldn't do that, would you?" Kaldur asked Skylar directly, a small smile on his lips and eyes locked on her own.
After a moment of serious consideration, she shook her head and promptly let go of Superboy, reaching up to Kaldur. The Atlantean picked her up with no hesitation, seemingly far more at ease than the half-Kryptonian had been, holding her close to his chest. Letting out a relieved breath, Conner left at a brisk pace while he still had the chance, quietly ordering Wolf to stay with the others.
Despite the fact Kaldur had just managed to garner Little Sky's trust without having to destroy anything, it had done nothing to help them figure out how to get her to trust everyone as quickly as possible. Maybe she was more of a hellion than they thought...
Hiking Skylar up further into his arms, Kaldur angled his head a little awkwardly so that he could look at her face directly. "Are you hungry, little one?"
The prospect of food seemed to thoroughly pique her interest, and she nodded eagerly, tucking her face into his shoulder as he carried her towards the kitchen.
H
Ski'Lira was very confused (but definitely not scared, because Thanagarians didn't get scared even though there was no Da'My Maye or Da'My Tilde or her parents). She had woken up in an unfamiliar room (but it smelled like her, so was it hers?) in a too-big shirt, only to find herself face to face with a wide eyed boy with a weird red symbol on his shirt.
So she punched him where hoped it'd hurt the most and ran for it, cramming herself into a tunnel to hide. She hated the tunnel (her skin was crawling, can't draw in a deep breath), but she was small, and he was big, and it was the best place to hide where no big strangers could get her. But she found an opening and stayed close, just in case.
Red Symbol had found friends and they squawked at her too fast and complicated for her to understand, but she knew it was English like she was learning for her parents, but it was still too fast, because she'd only just started. She still had two years to go before she had to move to Earth after all (she'd been living there for years, but that can't be right, because she's seven and Earth is two years away). An older blonde woman in black clothing had shown up briefly before leaving again, but Skylar didn't really care about her.
Then Red Symbol had crushed the sturdy metal device like it was soft bread.
It was instinct more than anything that pushed her into his arms (he's so strong and so kind, leaping buildings in a single bound, he can be trusted) and she was more than content to stay there. A strange magic user had cast a spell on her, and she didn't question how she could suddenly understand their too-fast words from before. Magic was dumb and rarely made sense, a lesson Thanagarians learned early. And then there was the big, very good, fuzzy creature with the massive teeth who let her pet him.
Though they attempted to pry her away from Red Symbol, she remained with her chosen protector until Saltwater Pale Hair faced her without fear.
He was way better at holding her and he was offering food, so… He was clearly the better choice.
Once she was in the middle of tearing her way through a meat-filled sandwich that Saltwater Pale Hair had made all for her, he spoke up. "Am I correct in assuming you do not… recognize us?"
Not pausing in the slightest, Ski'Lira shook her head in the negative, only to pause shortly after answering. Did she? Was she supposed to?
"It's alright if you do not." He assured her, picking up on her distress. "My name is Kaldur'ahm, but you may call me Kaldur."
"Kaldur," She parroted once her mouth was clear of food, making absolutely sure she got it right. Names were important and mispronouncing them was so mean.
He offered her a small smile, showing she'd given the correct answer. She mirrored him, though hers was far wider.
"Jesus!" A sharp cry came from nearby, and she looked over to see Green Eyes Coward pressing a hand to his chest like he'd just been hit. "Definitely not going to get used to that." He shook himself, muttering under his breath. "Sharp-toothed, horror movie, child nightmare."
"I think that she looks quite cute." Kaldur disagreed.
"Sure, cute like a baby shark." Green Eyes Coward huffed, displeased with the differing opinion. "Anyway, M'Gann's going out on a quick shopping trip with Zatanna to pick up some clothes and supplies in town. The shirt-dress chic and underwear as shorts look can't be too comfortable."
Ski'Lira had noticed her clothes were much looser than normal, but they were staying on okay so far and kept her completely covered, so she didn't really mind it. It was actually kind of comfortable.
"Any word yet from Black Canary?" Kaldur prompted.
"Yeah, she's still investigating, but she said she sent out another general message to the League updating them to the situation. Someone will show up to help whenever they're free, I guess. So we're stuck on babysitting duty a little longer." The redhead let out a long sigh, scrubbing his hand through his hair and turning it into a mess. "At least she's behaving."
H
"I don't know how, but this is a hundred percent your fault, Wally!" Artemis yelled, hands clapped over her ears as she glared at the speedster with the heat of a thousand exploding suns.
"I jinxed it!" He shouted back, voice nearly cracking from panic.
The cause of their current predicament? Or rather, the new snag in their overall predicament? The tiny Thanagarian child screaming her lungs out with a volume and pitch that would give Black Canary pause. A while ago, the Skylar of the proper age had given a cursory explanation that Thanagarian vocal chords were built differently from Terran species, allowing them to reach pitches and make noises the others were unable to (hence their inability to properly pronounce a significant margin of her native language, as well as her real name). In that explanation, she had failed to emphasize exactly the sheer discord they were capable of producing if they put their minds to it.
Conner had no choice but to leave the room entirely, his enhanced hearing far too overwhelmed by the sheer amount of input. He was joined by Wolf, who had whined and run out the moment the cacophony had started. The rest of them were left at a total loss, especially since they weren't even certain what had set her off in the first place.
After she had finished her meal, Artemis had coaxed her back onto the couch to watch cartoons, something that would hopefully keep her quiet for at least a little bit longer. Once the credits had rolled on the third episode, her fragile patience had finally snapped, and it was only a fast save on Wally's part that kept her from bolting out of the room. He'd managed to keep her entertained for the next few minutes by speeding around the room with her in his arms, but by that time M'Gann and Zatanna made their grand return from town with newly bought child-intended items in tow.
M'Gann's foresight was truly something to behold, as she'd insisted on the purchase of a cute light blue swimsuit, as she'd had the idea that taking her outside to run around the isolated (and protected) beach on the Mountain's grounds would hopefully burn some of what was sure to be near-endless energy. Also it would be extremely adorable, which was just an additional benefit really.
Idea explained with genuine enthusiasm on M'Gann's part, she had successfully managed to convince Ski'Lira, whose tiny wings fluttered eagerly at the prospect.
But the moment they had stepped outside, newly clad in swimsuits, she had gone into a full meltdown.
They had all scrambled to try to calm her down, but no number of soothing words said in soft tones, confident assurances, bribes of sweets and toys, or crushed kitchen appliances (the blender would be greatly missed), would assuage her.
That brought them to the present moment, all ensconced safely back in the mountain near rapidly close back entrance with a screaming child that showed zero indication of stopping anytime soon, or providing any kind of hint as to what could help. It was a little impressive that she had yet to pass out. They had thrown out their last lifeline, a frantic message sent to the League out of sheer desperation that someone could come help before she actually did yell herself unconscious.
The all too familiar noise of the Zeta Tube activating was barely audible over the dissonant shrieking, the computer system chiming in with it's signature monotone. "Recognized: Batman, 02"
Relief swept over the frazzled teens when the Dark Knight himself swept into the hallway, the hero they both needed and deserved.
"Please tell us where the off button is." Wally begged, practically sobbing at this point.
Batman hadn't ceased walking, crossing the room and scooping the child up into his arms. He promptly carried her out of the room, forcing the teens to all follow after him (though still covering their ears). Despite the fact that her volume hadn't changed in the slightest, Batman remained utterly unfazed as he strode towards the Hub, only coming to a stop once he reached the very center of the room. With a flick of the fingers on his free hand, a holographic screen popped into existence. Manipulating it for a moment, the screen blinked to a live feed, summoning the unsmiling visage of Hawkman.
"Ski'Lira Hol"
Like a switch had been flipped, those two words cause Ski'Lira's scream to die in her throat, fully lapsing into silence.
Hawkman's head tilted slightly as he continued, knowing he had her full attention now. "What's the matter, fledgling?" Because Ski'Lira had been the sole target of Zatanna's spell, his words remained untranslated, though much could be gleaned from the soft paternal tone he had slipped into.
Ski'Lira's face screwed up, as if she'd bit into a particularly sour lemon. "Not on Thanagar. Wrong skies." The teens all traded looks, all more than a little upset they hadn't even considered she didn't know she was on Earth. No wonder she freaked out.
"It's all right, fledgling. There was an... incident with a magical artifact." He explained. "So you're staying with our kast and their brood on Earth... At least until the problem is fixed. Which it will be as soon as possible, I'm sure." His masked eyes angled towards Batman, who gave a slight nod of acknowledgement.
"No Maye and Tildi?"
"They're still on Thanagar, along with Shayera." Katar answered. "And before you ask, they're just fine. I wish Shayera and I could be there to help, but we're too far away right now." His stern expression cracked ever so slightly, lips turning up into only the most subtle of grins. "I'm helping two Green Lanterns on a mission right now."
Mouth dropping open with shock, Skylar wiggled excitedly in Batman's arms, forcing him to tighten his hold lest she fall. "Really?!"
Hawkman huffed out a quiet laugh, really more of an amused exhale than anything else. "Really. I wouldn't lie about something so important." His eyes flickered to a point off-screen before returning. "This was all of the time I could spare, as we are dealing with something of a time constraint here." There was a distant explosion from somewhere behind him. That was probably fine. "You're safe, Ski'Lira, I promise. So I want you to be on your best behavior, alright? Don't traumatize the other kids?"
"Or do, it'd be hilarious." An unfamiliar (familiar, he gave you the sunglasses, he's the best uncle ever) voice chimed in from an unseen source.
"Shut it, Hal." Katar snapped. "Ski'Lira, keep your guard up."
"Eyes open, Ya'Ti." She assured, giving a terse nod
Baring his teeth in the semblance of a grin, Katar nodded back. "That's my little demon."
The screen winked out of existence, leaving the room in silence. Wally was the first to speak up. "How did that work? Can we learn how to do that? Like, as soon as possible?"
"The screaming was a basic instinctual response." Batman answered, readjusting his hold on the newly pliant Thanagarian child as he turned to face the others. "She was calling for help."
"We were just trying to take her outside to play." M'Gann was downright mortified at the prospect they had so thoroughly terrified the small girl with such an innocent gesture. "She seemed excited to play on the beach."
He gave a slight hum of acknowledgement. "It was an accident, none of you could have predicted she would have that kind of response. If there's one thing that Skylar is at this age, it's unpredictable."
"... I'm guessing from your tone, that means personal experience?" Robin surmised.
"When she was first introduced to the League, she showed up barefoot to the meeting because she kicked off her shoes. She didn't like how they lit up when she walked." There was a slight edge of fondness to his voice. "Expect the unexpected from this one, I'm sure you've already seen how much of a handful she can be."
"Difficult to forget." Wally said, rubbing at his ears in an attempt to rid them of the last of the ringing.
"Do you..." M'Gann started to address Skylar, stopped, then cleared her throat and tried again. "Would you still like to go to the beach? I know it's no Thanagar, but it'll still be lots of fun!"
"Yeah!" Ski'Lira nodded eagerly, an unintentionally vicious smile back on her face in full force.
"I trust you can take it from here." Batman set Ski'Lira down on the ground, nudging her towards the others. "I'm going to aid Black Canary in her investigation."
"Has there been any progress at all?" Artemis asked.
"She successfully located the remains of the artifact before they could be taken by either museum staff or the police, but she hasn't been able to find any matches for it in their records." He answered. "Most likely, someone was keeping it on the premises without anyone's knowledge."
"Well, that complicates things by... a lot." Robin groaned.
"Let the adults worry about it for now. You go out to the beach and enjoy yourselves. If any more issues pop up, message me, I'll try to help however I can." With a final nod, Batman swept out of the room and headed towards the Zeta, the computer announcing his departure a minute or so later.
H
The moment Skylar's bare feet had hit sand, she had set out in a dead sprint for the ocean.
"Whoa!" Flinging out a hand in an instinctual response, M'Gann snagged her with her telekinesis just before she dived fully into the water. By the time the tiny bird realized what had happened, Kaldur had caught up to her, acting as the unofficial lifeguard.
"Careful, little one," He reprimanded her gently as he kneeled down next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder to both ensure her attention and keep her from moving. "The ocean can be very dangerous."
Scrunching up her nose, she put her hands on her hips in a defiant pose. "I know. I'm a good swimmer. Better than you!"
Kaldur's pale green eyes sparkled with amusement. "Are you now? Well, I would be honored to have a demonstration of your superior swimming ability." He lifted his hand off her shoulder, encouraging her forward.
Ski'Lira stepped out into the surf, the power of the waves threatening to pull her off her feet, but she remained firm. Shooting him a triumphant grin, she leapt further into the water until it lapped at neck-height (for her, at least, because she was child-sized) and she began steadily treading water.
"See?!" She demanded proudly, carefully keeping her head angled up to avoid earning a mouthful of seawater.
Letting out a laugh, the Atlantean met her in the water, wading to his waist. Though he looked to be nonchalantly standing in the water, it was clear he was ready to intervene the second it looked like she was struggling.
Meanwhile on the beach, M'Gann had her verdant hands clasped together in front of her mouth. "Please tell me someone is recording this."
"You bet." Robin piped up, phone held steadily in his hand. "We are going to have so much blackmail material."
M'Gann made a slight squealing noise, latching onto Conner's arm and shaking him. "Look, look, look!"
They weren't sure how he had managed to convince her, but Kaldur had somehow managed to persuade her of his own ability in the water. The end result was Kaldur steadily swimming through the waves with the tiny Thanagarian perched carefully on his back. Every so often, the two would dive under, reappearing a few seconds later.
"You know Sky's never going to forgive us for recording all of this, right?" Artemis asked.
"And that's why I'm encrypting it so she can never get her hands on it, and I can keep using it to embarrass her for the next decade." Dick pointed out, completely unapologetic.
"Your funeral, I guess." Shrugging, the blonde made her way to the water, diving in to join Kaldur and Ski'Lira.
Once Ski'Lira had gotten her fill of swimming (at least for the moment), they had lured her back to the sand for a castle-building contest. The concept of making sandcastles was a novel one to the tiny bird, but she quickly caught on after a rudimentary explanation and small demonstration. After a short discussion, they all split up into teams of two to see who could build the best one.
Wally and Dick's was made the fastest, sturdiest, and simplest, as the speedster had no qualms about using his powers to rapidly construct hefty walls.
M'Gann led the charge on her and Conner's creation, lovingly etching designs into the sand, adding pretty bits of scavenged shells, and artfully draping seaweed over key areas like pennants and banners.
Kaldur and Zatanna built theirs with an elaborate moat system, mostly because they had it the easiest when it came to shuttling water back and forth thanks to their combined powers.
But it was the final duo's, Artemis and Ski'Lira's, that really set the standard. The (temporarily) older blonde had taken a page out of Proper Age Skylar's book and retrieved a five gallon bucket from inside the mountain, setting to work on a truly terrifying structure. Thanks to Artemis' impressive biceps and Ski'Lira's inherent inhuman strength level, they set down bucket after bucket in a carefully planned ring, stacking them up two high in places. Once the basic structure was completed, various sticks, seashells, and other detritus strewn about the beach were stuck everywhere at dangerous angles as proper exterior defense.
For the most part, Artemis was supportive of the metaphorically lethal design, the exception being one brief incident. Artemis was forced to physically grab the small girl to keep her from shattering a discarded green bottle in her bare hands, her intent being to add glass shards to their creation. Thankfully, a few terse words dissuaded her from further attempts to decorate with potentially realistically harmful objects. (Though there was no doubt in her mind that if Skylar was any older than seven, the chastisement wouldn't have gone nearly as smoothly.)
Once their creations we're finished, their resident Atlantean used his powers to barrage the castles with water, testing their integrity.
There was little surprise that Artemis and Skylar's fortress of death was the only one standing, though Robin and Wally's put up a pretty good fight until a particularly vicious wave struck it down.
After that, Wally had demanded another contest in order to regain his honor, this one a tournament style game of Chicken, claiming it was 'the perfect game for the baby bird'.
When Zatanna had gone through the rules of the game and unapologetically explained the meaning behind Wally's joke, Skylar had promptly leapt at him and latched onto his face like, well, a facehugger. The two toppled down onto the sand, destroying the last vestiges of M'Gann's sandcastle. Her opponent properly defeated, Skylar clambered off the stunned speedster and insisted they play this new game.
The proclaimed 'tournament' never ended up happening, mostly because everyone wanted a chance to let Skylar ride on their shoulders. The arguments had lasted so long, they'd grown impatient and instead opted for a Free-For-All. She ended up passed around to everyone at least once, but Skylar had no complaints with the arrangement, mostly because it meant she had the chance to play every round. And she was good. Even at age seven, she had enough strength behind her to put up a hell of a fight, not to mention the single minded determination that was a base pillar of her entire personality. The two aspects combined made her a force to be reckoned with. The most memorable moments included; Skylar startling Wally from his perch by merely baring her teeth at him (somehow he'd legitimately forgotten about the demon teeth, and was genuinely shocked), Conner riding on Kaldur's shoulders in what was meant to be an unbeatable juggernaut duo only for them both to fall spectacularly at Artemis' hands with a particularly skillful push, and Skylar perching carefully on one of Kaldur's shoulders like a parrot and still managing to knock Dick into the water despite her disadvantage.
It was at that point that M'Gann insisted it was time for their planned picnic on the beach, as the sky was starting to paint itself with the softer hues of the approaching evening. The group all worked in tandem to set up the campfire, blankets, and chairs, as well as retrieving the supplies for dinner from inside the Mountain. Wolf finally made a reappearance, though he was clearly just there for the prospect of begging for food.
Though Skylar was a little too invested in helping start the campfire, but that was to be expected. The crow of delight she made when the wood ignited at Dick's coaxing was video worthy... though it was too bad nobody was filming at the time.
The teens, child, and genetically mutated wolf) circled around the fire once their work was completed, hot dogs on sticks steadily cooking and plates waiting with buns, chips, and various fruits to complete the meal. It was a peaceful moment... one that was destined to be shattered by a single, curious question from a certain de-aged Thanagarian.
"What is a dog?" Skylar asked as she held her stick steadily over the flames, carefully keeping her fingers away from immediate burn radius.
"It's an adorable four legged fuzzy animal, kind of like Wolf, but domesticated. Us humans keep them as pets." Wally answered immediately. There was a beat of silence, and then he realized exactly why she was asking. "Wait, no-!"
"You eat your pets?!" Clearly horrified, she dropped her stick onto the sand and scooted closer to Wolf as if to protect him from being picked next for dinner.
"No!" Wally practically squeaked. "Well, I mean some parts of the world-" Before he could make things monumentally worse, Dick clapped a hand over the redhead's mouth, silently begging literally anyone else to help.
"They aren't actually made out of dogs." M'Gann explained patiently, as ever, handing over her own already cooked hot dog, seeing as Skylar's was pretty thoroughly ruined. "I made the same mistake once too."
Skylar seemed satisfied with the correction, but still looked confused by the skewered tube of unidentified food she'd been given. "Then what is it?"
"Delicious." Placing her own cooked hot dog into a bun, Artemis demonstrated putting on the provided condiments. "Details aren't important."
Skylar scrunched up her nose, but didn't question further as she followed Artemis' instructions. Some things were left better off as mysteries.
By the time they'd all eaten their fill (mostly consisting of an obscene amount of s'mores and Wolf consuming an entire pack of hot dogs when no one was looking), night had fully fallen, the campfire serving as the only source of illumination on the beach for miles. Despite Skylar's current condition, it was difficult to differentiate this night from any other that they had spent together out on the beach.
But inevitably, they received a glaring reminder that this was far from a typical relaxing beach day. Usually they'd spend at least another couple of hours out, but Skylar was clearly growing tired. Her tiny wings were visibly drooping, and she had been getting steadily quieter and quieter from where she was curled up in Zatanna's lap.
"Are you tired?" Zatanna prompted gently as the girl started listing towards her chest for the third time.
"No." Immediate vehement denial was to be expected, really, especially from a Thanagarian.
"Oh really?" Unable to bite back her smile, Zatanna gently prodded her in the tummy. "Because it looks like you're pretty tired. You've had a long day, after all."
"I'm tough, I don't need sleep."
That earned a chorus of amused snickering from everyone else, which only made Skylar even more determined to stay awake.
"Let's make a deal." Artemis offered. "If you get ready for bed, I'll tell you a story." She whacked Wally before he could make any snarky comments.
Rubbing at her eyes, Skylar perked up a little. "A good story?"
"Yeah. Promise."
H
"And then, a giant alligator popped out of the water and dragged me in!" Artemis snapped her hand together mimicking jaws. "I barely escaped!"
To the archer's relief, Skylar's eyes were finally starting to close despite the sheer amount of action going on in Artemis' story, though this level of action was probably pretty typical for a Thanagarian bedtime story.
Getting Skylar into bed had been a little bit of a debacle, mostly because it took both M'Gann and Artemis working together during bath time to properly clean out all of the sand that had accumulated in her feathers. Any drying their swimsuits had done while they were out of the water was reversed as they were quickly soaked in soapy bathwater from the irritated flapping of wings. After that, she brushed her teeth and changed into her sleep clothes without complaint, a newly pajama-clad Artemis ushered her to her room and into bed.
At first, the blonde had tried telling her a standard fairytale, but it had been rejected for being not good enough, and made up. So after she'd spent a good minute wracking her brain for ideas, Artemis recounted their adventures with Brain's mutated animals in India. It combined two of the girl's favorite things, violence and highly dangerous animals. And it was working apparently, consider how visibly close Skylar was to sleep. Artemis made it as far as their initial discovery of Brain's base before Skylar was completely out. Using every bit of stealth training she had received, Artemis snuck out of the room and rejoined the others in the lounge.
"She asleep?" Conner asked first, voice dropped low so as not to risk disturbing Skylar.
"Yeah, she was pretty tired. I guess the beach plan worked out like we hoped."
Wally clasped his hands together, eyes staring up at the ceiling at an unseen force. "Our prayers have been answered. Let me tell you, I was not looking forward to a bedtime temper tantrum."
"I wonder if some of her exhaustion is a residual side effect from being transformed." Running a hand through her still slightly-damp hair in thought, Zatanna's eyes went a little distant as she recalled the corresponding arcane knowledge. "Spells that change an entire body like that tend to take a lot out of the victim, mostly because they tend to use the target's own energy for the transformation… We should be thankful that she wasn't turned into some kind of animal, those curses are way more common."
"I don't even want to know what that nightmare would have been like." Wally shuddered. "I'm fine with tiny hellion Skylar. For now, at least. Definitely not on a permanent basis."
"I miss her." Wringing her hands together a little, M'Gann raised her head from where it had been resting lightly on Conner's shoulder. "Little Skylar is cute and fun, but… I like Skylar the way she is. I just… really don't want this to be… permanent."
"I am sure that we all agree on that." Kaldur nodded. "But I have full faith that the League will have a solution for us as soon as possible. For now, we should all get some rest. If today's events have been any indicator, we are in for another busy day tomorrow."
No one could argue with his logic, so they started the process of shuffling off towards their respective rooms, all except one. Wally paused as he realized Dick hadn't budged from his place on the couch, staring intently at his personal holoscreen.
"Dude?" Wally prompted.
"I have to look through some files for a case. I'll sleep later."
Used to this kind of behavior from the Boy Wonder, Wally merely offered a wave and headed off, leaving Dick alone to his work.
Time passed quickly for him, seeing as he was thoroughly engrossed in poring over a series of coroner's reports in search of a pattern. But his train of thought was brought to a screeching halt as he heard a strange noise, something between a growl and a whine. Glancing at the clock (2:34 in the morning), Dick expected to see Wolf walking around, as the canid had a tendency to wander at night.
Instead there was a sleep-rumpled Thanagarian child staring at him with uncertainty from the mouth of the hallway.
"Hey…" He greeted softly, deactivating his holo-screen to show her she had his full attention. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"
All he received was a shrug as she made her way further into the room, climbing up onto the couch next to him.
Dick's mind was whirling as he tried to think of a possible explanation for her presence. Did she wake up too early by accident? Was she thirsty? Had she eaten too many s'mores and was wired on sugar? Did she hear something that kept her from sleeping? Was it a side effect from the spell?
And that's when he noticed that her wings were trembling, the feathers shifting softly against each other. But he'd only ever seen Skylar do that when… Oh. He resisted the urge to smack himself, not wanting to startle her with any sudden movements.
"Nightmare?" He asked.
Skylar whipped her head towards him, dark blue eyes blazing indignantly. "No!"
He put his hands up in a placating gesture. "Hey, they happen to everyone. There's no shame in having a scary dream "
"I'm not scared! Thanagarians don't get scared!"
"If you say so…" Dick nodded a little to himself. "Then I believe you."
He definitely didn't believe her.
Over the years he'd known her, Dick had learned that forcing Skylar Hall to open up about any kind of fear or perceived weakness would only encourage her to shut herself off more. The only person who had managed to do that was Batman, and that was a special case.
So instead he opted to wait, booting his screen back up and settling back into work.
After good a few minutes had passed in comfortable silence, the young girl started to squirm a little closer to him. A little more time later and she was fully leaning against him. A full ten minutes after she'd first laid down on the couch, Skylar finally spoke up, in a wounded voice that sounded wrong coming from her.
"I was stuck in a glass box and I couldn't get out. And something was hurting me and… you were there. Kaldur and Wally too… and I lied. It was scary."
Dick found himself freezing in place for two reasons. One, she was clearly talking about their brief captivity at CADMUS. And two, that meant she had recalled something she had no reason to know at her current age. "That does sound pretty scary." He commented idly, though he was internally screaming at the clue. "And you said I was there?"
Giving a slight nod, she chewed on her lip slightly. "And Wally and Kaldur and Conner, too. But he wasn't in a box like we were, he was watching. Then I woke up."
Okay, this definitely wasn't some kind of fluke, it had to be a sign, or at least something that could indicate exactly what had happened to Skylar.
"And I'm guessing you don't want to go back to sleep?"
The shaking of her head was expected. "No."
"Okay, I'll cut you a deal." Dick offered. "You can stay here with me while I work, but only if you try."
"... But what if I have a bad dream again?"
"Then I'll wake you up and we'll watch a movie instead. Deal?" Offering to 'chase away the nightmares' would have been a better thing to say to a child her age, but he knew there was no way she'd buy that. She'd probably spout something about 'nightmares being in your head' and how that meant he was completely incapable of doing anything to them.
Considering the option he'd laid out for a moment, she acquiesced. "Okay. Deal."
"Let me just go grab a blanket for you. I'll be back in a minute." Standing up, he made a beeline towards Skylar's bedroom, calling Bruce via hologlove as he went. It was a credit to the strange hours the vigilante kept that he answered immediately. Though that was also probably because he was technically on emergency call for them.
"Robin?"
"Not an emergency. Skylar had a dream, nightmare really, don't worry about it I'm taking care of it." Spotting the fuzzy green blanket that Artemis had provided crumpled on the floor, he snagged it and kept talking. "But it was about CADMUS, like, an exact recall. Part of her still remembers who she is. I hope that helps?"
"I'll inform the others of this development. Thank you."
"No problem."
His lips visibly pursed a little. "Try to get some sleep yourself. Work can wait a few hours."
"No promises." He shot the image of his mentor a smirk. "Night, B." Closing the call, he returned to the lounge, finding that his temporary charge hadn't moved a single inch in his brief absence.
With a flourish, he wrapped the blanket around her as tightly as he dared, careful to keep it loose enough that she could wriggle out of it easily if it grew too uncomfortable. Seemingly pleased with her fuzzy cocoon, she tucked herself into his side, laying her head down on his lap.
"Dick…?" She asked as she closed her eyes, keeping up her side of the bargain, just as they'd agreed.
"Yeah, baby bird?" He asked, dropping his tone down to a whisper.
"Do you think we escaped from the glass boxes?"
"I'm sure we did." He assured without hesitation. "Conner wouldn't just stand by, he probably saved us. And then we all fought our way out together."
She gave a slight nod, smooshing her face harder into his leg. "Good."
Before he fully registered his action, Dick threaded a hand through her unruly hair, smoothing down the locks in a repetitive motion. Skylar's breathing evened out into the quiet puffs, as she finally fell back to sleep. Rubbing at his face with his free hand, Robin leaned his head back against the couch, closing his eyes. He was just going to rest them for a moment, then he'd get back to work.
A handful of seconds later, he too, was fast asleep, hand still resting lightly on Skylar's head.
H
"This is the most adorable thing I have ever seen." Artemis' monotone proclamation made Wally snort loudly. He attempted to stifle the noise, but it was already too late. With a harsh jerk, Dick shot up, dislodging the lump of sleepy Thanagarian child from his lap and nearly sending her tumbling onto the floor. The action earned him a low grumbling growl that sounded more like an irate purr than a truly threatening noise.
Scrubbing the last of the sleep out of his eyes, the others watched with unbridled glee as Dick idly patted Skylar's head until she calmed back down, mostly so she wouldn't immediately attack the nearest person for disrupting her slumber.
"Hey, don't go back to sleep, baby bird!" Wally piped up, earning a one-eyed tired glare in response. "Don't you want breakfast? M'Gann's gonna make waffles."
"... What's a waffle?"
The scandalized gasp the redhead made could probably be heard all the way across the country in Central City. "You poor child, to live in such ignorance! Don't worry, we'll help you. This I swear on my honor as a hero." He struck a dramatic pose, putting one foot on the coffee table like a dashing hero from an adventure serial. Artemis, never one to miss an opportunity to humiliate Wally, promptly swept his leg out from under him. If he had already consumed his required amount of morning caloric intake, he probably would have been able to catch himself with his super reflexes.
But since he had yet to eat this morning and was running low on fuel, instead he dropped like a sack of potatoes and hit the table face first with an unforgiving smack.
Artemis and Dick burst out laughing as Wally lifted his head to look at Skylar. "Alas, I have fallen at the hands of my foe… I cannot help you with your quest for waffles… Avenge me! For waffles!"
Nodding solemnly, as if undertaking only the greatest of oaths for a dying warrior. She proceeded to launch herself at the still-cackling Artemis while letting out a high-pitched war cry, knocking her onto the ground.
"You little-!" Artemis exclaimed, more out of surprise than anything else as she found herself with a child sitting on her chest, keeping her in place.
"Avenge the waffle bringer!" Both fists shot into the air in victory, Skylar's wings flaring out to their full span (which was, frankly, not that impressive).
Running a hand down his face, Dick sighed, though he was clearly amused more than exasperated. "Why am I not surprised she knows what 'avenge' means?"
"It's probably one of the first words she learned in whatever the Thanagarian equivalent of daycare is." Feeling generous thanks to his avenging, Wally grabbed Skylar around the waist and pulled her up and off Artemis, freeing the blonde from her captivity. "So, waffles?"
"Waffles." Skylar agreed, kicking her feet to be let down so she could walk into the kitchen herself. Once there, she attempted to climb up on an empty stool herself, only to struggle to do so due to the awkward angle. Just as Kaldur was about to offer to help, she pushed the adjacent stool over, creating a makeshift step-stool that she used to perch on her seat of choice. She noticed everyone staring at her, and her wings puffed out. "What?"
"Oh, nothing." Artemis grinned. "Just good to know mini-Skylar's problem solving skills also involve minor bouts of destruction."
Her brows furrowed in confusion, but the child let it go in favor of focusing on the plate of 'waffles' that M'Gann had placed in front of her. Using the provided fork, she stuck a large piece in her mouth, her eyes widening as an unconscious vocalization left her mouth.
"Oh my god, is she purring?" M'Gann's hands fluttered.
"I think it's cooing, more than anything else." Wally corrected. "Like a little baby pigeon. Recording?"
"Yep." Robin affirmed. "Started when she first tried to climb onto the stool and haven't stopped yet."
"Cool." Clearing his throat, Wally got the baby bird's attention. "So, do you like them? The waffles, I mean."
The pleased cooing stopped, replaced by a scoff. "You know waffles are my favorite, Wally."
He coughed, as if he had swallowed something wrong. "Excuse me?"
"She's so smart, isn't she?" Robin plastered a large, fake grin on his face so as not to alert their charge, while tapping at his temple as he made pointed eye contact with M'Gann. She set up a mental link at his wordless request, allowing them to speak freely without spooking the child currently present. "Something happened last night."
"Good something or bad something?" Conner asked for clarification purposes, cocking an eyebrow.
"Something something." Robin paused for a moment, thinking over his wording. "She... remembers stuff, I think. Things only actually sixteen year old Skylar would know. She had a nightmare about CADMUS... like, a picture perfect recall."
"A nightmare? Is that why she was on the couch with you?" Zatanna asked.
"Yeah, she was pretty shaken up. Don't say anything about it, though, she won't take it well. I already gave Bats an update, but I haven't heard anything back."
"So this is... good news? I mean, if she still remembers us even subconsciously..." Artemis trailed off. "Could this just... wear off on it's own?"
"Maybe." Their resident magician had no concrete answers, considering this was pretty far out of Zatanna's wheelhouse. "But I think a full reversal of the spell would be safer for her in the long run. She could... I don't know... End up stuck at seven with all of her sixteen years of memories." Zatanna pulled a face. "But that probably won't happen."
"There is no point dwelling on 'what-ifs' at the moment." Kaldur spoke up. "Especially the worst case scenarios. We should be thankful that she at least has some knowledge of who we are, and that she can trust us."
"That's probably the only reason she's taken to us so quickly." Dick pointed out. "We all know how distrustful Sky can be of new people. She should have been openly hostile with us, but she wasn't."
"Small favors, I guess." Artemis shrugged. "We probably never would have gotten her out of that vent."
H
Their salvation came during a particularly intense game of tag that had pretty much spread to the entire Mountain. When the game first started, they'd put a temporary moratorium on power use, but that hadn't even lasted through the first round.
By the time the computer announced the arrival of Black Canary, Batman, and Dr. Fate, the teens (and child) were scattered all throughout the place, but the game was quickly abandoned in favor of sprinting towards the Hub. After all, if Dr. Fate was there, something must have changed.
When she caught sight of Batman, Skylar scampered away from Conner's side over to him. To his credit, he swept her up into his arms without a word. Black Canary broke into a wide smile at the sight. "Now isn't that a familiar image." She commented, earning her a look.
"I can clearly see the curse placed upon this one." Dr. Fate intoned, closing the distance and inspecting her small form. Ski'Lira stared back at him, face almost completely expressionless. "It is just as I suspected, based upon the artifact in question. This is no doubt the work of Rionach the Vengeful, a particularly spiteful Celtic witch who had a penchant for... unique punishments. How one of her curses objects ended up within the museum requires further investigation, as I believed them all to be destroyed."
"Which means you can reverse it?" Canary prompted, though it was most likely more for the gathered teens' benefit than her own.
"I can. I merely require a space to set up the ritual. Returning her to her proper state will be an easy task for a Lord of Order."
True to his word, setting up the ritual seemed to be the most difficult part, but that was purely due to the time-consuming process of scrawling circles of runes on the ground in a disused storage room. While he had been working, the teens had shared all of the photos and videos of little Skylar with Batman and Black Canary.
"You have to send all of these to her parents." Dinah insisted. "They might kill you if you don't."
"I've already sent a few pictures to Carter." Conner offered. "He hasn't gotten them yet, because you know, off-planet."
That earned him a strange look from Artemis. "Wait, do you just casually text Hawkman?"
"...Why wouldn't I?" So as not to further confuse the easily confusable teen, Artemis let the subject drop for now. Though she did make a mental note to bring the topic up again when Skylar was around to provide more context.
"Do you think Skylar would kill me if I put all of these into a scrapbook and put it in the trophy room?" Wally asked.
"Yes." Chorused several members of the Team at once, shutting down the idea just as it was formed. They were all going to be on thin ice for even recording this event, throwing it in her face with a no-doubt glittery and sticker-covered tome of memories was a death sentence.
"Excuse me." The soft, yet commanding sound of Dr. Fate's voice drew them away from their current conversation. "But the ritual is ready. If the child would come with me?"
"Wait, can we not be there?" M'Gann bit her lip.
"I am afraid not, as outside interference could disrupt the process."
"... Oh."
Black Canary was the first to stand. "I'll go get some of her clothes from her room."
"Will she remember any of this?" Artemis asked the Lord of Order directly, though her eyes kept drifting to the Thanagarian sitting on Kaldur's lap.
"That is something I cannot confirm until the ritual is completed. Though my suspicions would say that no, she will not. Perhaps it is best to... say goodbye?"
Any joviality they'd managed to muster from showing off all of the recorded evidence of the last two days was thoroughly shattered. Giving them some semblance of privacy, Batman swept out of the room, ushering Dr. Fate with him so they could wait in the hallway.
"Hey Skylar?" Dick spoke first, getting the girl's attention. "Did you... Did you have fun yesterday? And today?"
"Yeah!" Skylar's nod was eager and immediate, loose hairs shaking out of the careful braid that M'Gann had put it into this morning. "I liked the beach a lot. And waffles!"
"Good, that's... that's really good."
"Oh, Skylar..." Crossing the space, a teary-eyed M'Gann swept the girl into a tight hug. "We're going to miss you."
"Am I going home? Back to Thanagar?" The girl asked, pulling her face away from where it was pressed into the Martian's shoulder.
"Yeah." Artemis answered, leaping onto the explanation first. "It's time to go back home."
"We're gonna miss having you around, pipsqueak, demon teeth and all." Wally added.
"But we'll see you soon." Kaldur corrected. "After all, this isn't a permanent goodbye."
"We'll see you sooner than you think." Zatanna said. "And... try not to forget us?"
Conner, lost for words, as he had difficulty speaking his mind on the best of days, could only offer a nod of agreement. Though he did give her shoulder a meaningful squeeze while she was still held in M'Gann's arms.
"I'll miss you all too." Wings drooping a little, Skylar looked around at all of them. "But I move here in... two years? I'll see you then, right?"
"Of course you will." Letting out a slightly shaky breath, M'Gann put the girl down, ushering her towards Batman and Dr. Fate. "They'll be taking you to the... portal. To take you home."
"I can't wait to tell Da'My Maye and Da'My Tilde all about you!" Shooting them all a last, razor sharp, toothy grin, they watched as she took Batman's offered gloved hand and was led away.
Never had they imagined it would be this hard to say goodbye to the little girl.
The wait was tense, but Wally managed to break the solemn mood by telling a recent story about his encounter with the Rogues Gallery that had ended in no small amount of chaos and hilarity. Soon enough, they were all wrapped up in the story, and thus they missed the figure hovering uncertainly in the doorway.
A push to the back of her shoulder made her huff in displeasure, and Skylar shot Dinah an irate glare. Rolling her neck and stretching out her wings to rid them of the last of the weird ache that was currently plaguing her body, a sixteen year old Ski'Lira Hol stepped into the lounge just as Wally brought his story to a close."
"I find myself wholly unsurprised that your villains defeated themselves." She commented, heads whipping towards her direction. "They really need to stop teaming up, it never ends well for them."
"I'm not complaining." Wally's voice was slightly tight, but he was still smiling. "It makes them easier to catch."
"Skylar!" Said Thanagarian was forced to stagger back as she found herself with an armful of overjoyed Martian. "You're so big!"
"... Thank... you?" Her blue eyes flickered to her friends, hoping any of them could provide some kind of aid. "You're... the same size as I last saw you?"
"How are you feeling?" Helpful as ever, Kaldur gently ushered M'Gann away, focusing on her physical well-being.
"Weirdly sore. Mostly confused?" She rubbed at her forehead. "I don't... really know how I ended up here? I just kind of woke up in the med bay with Black Canary and Batman hovering over me... Did I get a concussion at the museum or something?"
"Um..." Dick let out an uncertain laugh. "About that..."
H
"I don't remember anything... specific, I don't know." Hunched over on the couch, Skylar rubbed a hand through her hair, for once content with staying bare-faced. "It's weird, whenever I try to think about exactly what happened, I just... feel... happy? Cared for? I don't know."
"D'aww." Wally clasped his hands together. "Sky actually admitted having a positive emotion!"
"I'm about to make you feel nothing but negative emotion if you don't shut up." She snapped with a growl. "Speaking of which, did I bite anyone? I'm sorry if I did. It's a defense mechanism."
"No biting." Conner assured. "You screamed, though. That was pretty bad."
"I didn't think I bit anyone, considering everyone seems to still have all your fingers, but I just wanted to make sure."
"I wanted to ask something." Artemis unfolded her arms so she could gesture as she talked. "When you were all... you know, you seemed like... way more... bird-y? Like, you were making way more noises. And your wings moved a lot more."
Ski'Lira shrugged. "Wordless vocalizations are... something I had to train out of, in order to come live here. If I was seven, then I hadn't started that training yet, considering I was still in a key developmental stage." She frowned. "Before you ask, yes, I can still make them, no, I won't demonstrate, and no, I don't feel bad about not being able to do it freely in public. It's something I came to terms with a long time ago." Letting out a deep exhale, Skylar rolled her eyes. "Anyway, thanks, I guess... For you know, taking care of me and all that. It was very nice of you."
"Did you think we would not do so?" Kaldur's brow furrowed.
She shook her head. "No, I just meant... You guys could have done the bare minimum and I would have been just fine, but... you took me to the beach, and hung out with me, things like that. So, thanks. Little me probably appreciated having some friends for at least a little bit."
"What do you mean by that?" Wally asked, catching onto her strange tone first. "Didn't you have friends growing up on Thanagar?"
"Well, I was seven, right?" At the affirming nods, she continued. "I was still living on Thangar at that time, clearly, and then I didn't... really have friends. I had playmates and classmates, sure, but everyone knew that I was going to live on Earth in a couple of years. No one wanted to form a long-lasting friendship with someone they were never going to see or talk to again. Roy was my first real friend, until you guys I guess. So you made little me pretty happy. Thanks." Letting out a long exhale, an expression of distaste warped her features. "Now can we please stop with all of this... emotional vulnerability? I was literally an emotionally vulnerable child for two days, I think I've earned a reprieve."
"We promise we won't pester you... now." Zatanna's grin was decidedly sly. "After all, we have so much blackmail material."
"And I know where you sleep."
"... Fair point."
The Team found itself slipping back into it's usual easy banter, now that the last vestiges of awkwardness from babysitting a de-aged version of one of their friends faded away. Ski'Lira made a silent plea that something like this never happened again, or at the very least, she wasn't the intended victim.
Fingers crossed.
Let me tell you, during the hot dog scene, it took actual effort not to write;
Artemis answered. "Details aren't important."
Skylar scrunched up her nose. "Sounds fake, but okay."
Real actual effort.
Anyway, that's the end of the longest oneshot I have written to date. It was getting so long I debated splitting it in half, but I dedicated myself to having it as one complete chapter. Though perhaps there is room for a sequel? Hmmmmm? There's no intrigue, I definitely have a sequel in mind, and a very, very rough outline already started for it. But that's probably a little ways away.
I hope you enjoyed this little romp through fanfiction tropes, because I certainly did. Much like M'Gann, I also got a little teary eyed when they all had to say goodbye to the winged babby. But I didn't cry, because I am strong.
Until next time! And continue keeping yourselves safe out there!