The chracters except Mrs. Butler and the Bad Men all belong to DC comics. They're used without permission, and not for profit. Green Eggs & Ham belong to Dr. Seuss' estate and are likewise not used for profit. Feedback to the usual place. Archive rights to the usual people. Challenge: Three Little words. That's My Girl by Indigo "'...thank you, thank you, Sam I Am!' I did it! I read it all! Now do the monkey! Do the monkey, Uncle Gar!" Garfield Logan couldn't hide the smile, even though he asked, predictably, "Why is it always 'do the monkey'? Nobody wants anything exotic like a Great Auk, or a Capybara..." There was a flicker of his natural power on the visiphone, and the Changeling turned into a green capuchin monkey. He hopped up closer to the camera and waved. "How's this, Lian?" Lian Harper clapped her tiny hands with delight, laughing. Her black hair swayed like a pennant behind her with every enthusiastic turn of her head. "Yay, Uncle Gar! Thank you!" She scrambled up onto the counter, Dr. Seuss book forgotten, and leaned close to smooch the screen. "Awww," Gar couldn't resist saying, and nuzzled his tiny green monkey face against his own screen, completing the cross-continental virtual hug. "Thank you for reading me a story, Lian. I don't know what I would've done before bedtime without you." Another green flicker of light, and Gar was a young man again -- still green as a lime lollipop. Lian giggled, dark Amerasian eyes crinkling in amusement. "Bye, Uncle Gar. Sweet Dreams!" "You too, pumpkin," Gar returned. "I'll tell your Daddy that your reading is getting much better." He winked and closed the visiphone connection. Lian beamed the smile of the delighted five year old -- one tooth missing in the front, then hopped down off the counter and picked up her book. Skipping with the exuberance that was only befitting a child her age, she ran down the stairs to the ground level, out the back door, and over to the pool. "Hi, Gillhead!" Garth looked up and smiled in spite of himself. "Garth, Lian. Garth. Not Gillhead, okay?" "Okay," Lian agreed brightly, and opened her arms for a hug, despite the Titan known as Tempest being soaking wet from having swum laps in the pool. "I'll 'member this time." "That's my girl," Garth beamed, embracing the girl warmly. "Is it time for your swimming lesson?" "Yeth!" Lian replied enthusiastically. "I just read to Uncle Gar, and now it's time for you to show me swimming. I've been practicing my doggie paddle!" Garth smiled warmly at the little girl, and waited for her to yank off her sneakers, jeans, socks and T-shirt, to reveal the Wonder Woman swimsuit underneath. Lian waded into the shallows, and dogpaddled out to where Garth stood in the slightly deeper end of the pool, waiting. "You have been practicing," Garth said, approvingly. "Who's been spotting you when I haven't been around?" "Donna and Toni," Lian replied at once. "Donna bought my swimsuit. Do you like it?" "You're gonna break hearts, kid," said a voice from beyond the pool. Lian looked up and shrieked, "Daddy!" In a splash of water and a blur of gangly, tiny arms and legs, Lian was out of the pool. Two seconds later, she was barrelling at top speed toward Roy Harper, her father. Unmindful of the fact that his small daughter was dripping wet, the Titan known as Arsenal cuddled his child against his chest and smiled broadly, waving an appreciative thanks to Garth, who resumed his own swimming regime, promising to give the girl her swimming lesson at another time. Lian giggled as Roy swung his child onto his shoulders, piggy-back style, and jogged back into the shining T-shaped tower of glass and steel that he and the other Titans called home. "Hi, honey, I'm home!" Arsenal called, heading immediately for the kitchen. He was barely a foot in when Lian wriggled free and hopped down, padding wet bare feet over to the refrigerator. "I'll make you dinner, Daddy!" Lian warbled cheerfully. "Dinner?" Roy raised his brows. He knew very well none of the Titans would have risked putting his little girl near a hot stove without his blessing -- even though he trusted them to treat her like she was their very own. "Yeth!" Lian crowed. "Rice krispies and cold pop tarts and a big glass of milk!" Roy breathed an internal sigh of relief. "That sounds simply divine, Lian. And I'm starved." ~That's my girl,~ he thought proudly. ****** The next morning: "Okay, Lian, you know what the codeword is for today?" asked Dick Grayson, down on one knee so he could be at eye-level with Roy's daughter. "Yeth!" lisped Lian, nodding emphatically. "Hold still!" protested Donna Troy, who was attempting to french braid the child's hair despite her rapid movements. "Sorry Donna," Lian said apologetically, then turned her attention back to Dick. "The codeword for today is: 'Wocking Howse Wanch'." She said the phrase seriously. "And if anybody comes to pick me up from school, they have to know to say that to me, or I don't go wif' em. Wight?" Dick nodded, approvingly. "Excellent. Kory should be by to get you after her last shoot of the day. If she can't make it, then Donna should be coming for you, okay?" "Yeth!" Lian said, giggling as the Flash and Jesse Quick sped by, kissing her good morning, bringing her her bookbag and her lunch in the same fractions of a second. "Beagoodgirlatschooldon'tforgettoworkonyourpenmanship..." Jesse said, speeding past her one more time. "I will," Lian said with all the seriousness she could muster. "That's our girl," the speedsters chorused, vanishing. The beep-beep of a horn from the street sounded. "You better put a wiggle on, shrimp," Kory grinned, pulling her brush through the lush thickness of her brown hair. "Vic doesn't turn himself into a car for just anyone you know!" Lian giggled and ran out of the Tower toward the gold sportscar Vic Stone had become. With his CyberEmpathy, he could convince all the traffic-cams that he was some other sort of car entirely...which would make it that much more difficult to tell exactly how Lian Harper had got to school -- which in turn would make it that much more difficult to track back the route she'd taken. Being the only civilian kid in a house full of Titans with secret identities to protect was occasionally a pain in the neck. But Arsenal was a Titan, and the Titans were family. And they all loved Lian. ***** Lian was bored. Exceptionally bored. Kindergarten was okay -- as okay went. But it wasn't as much fun as swimming lessons with Gillhea--uhm, Uncle Garth. Or as fun as learning the kitchen from Toni, or reading practice with Uncle Gar. The door burst open and things became more exciting at once. Several grown-ups in matching ugly-green-camouflage clothes all rushed in, with guns and knives. Some of the kids screamed. Some cried. One or two went silent with fear. Lian frowned, because she didn't want anyone to know that she wasn't afraid. Uncle Dick had said it was important to act as much like a "regular kid" as she could. She bit her lip so it would look like she was trying to be a big, brave girl and not cry. "What do you want here?" Mrs. Butler asked, gasping as a gun barrel came up against her nose. "We're gonna hold this kindergarten class hostage," said one of the masked people. "Parents will pay big money to make sure their precious little kids are safe." Lian raised a hand that she forced to shake a little. ~Gotta look scared. Gotta look scared.~ "What?" demanded one of the masked grownups. "Gotta go to the *bafroom*," Lian whined, widening her dark eyes and putting on the look the Titans feared. The Look usually got her an extra hour past bedtime, or a bowl of ice cream, or a candy bar. It didn't work this time. "I really gotta *go*," Lian insisted, raising her hand again a few minutes later. One or two of the other kids raised their hands and echoed the sentiment. "Well, what did you *expect*?" demanded Mrs. Butler. "They're just children, and you've scared them terribly." "Shut UP!" said another masked grownup, and backhanded the teacher. The crying got worse "This was a bad idea, man," said another grownup in the group. Lian sidled toward the door, swaying and dancing like she truly had to go to the bathroom or risk an accident. "Hey, where do you think *you're* going?" demanded the first masked grownup, the one who'd hit the teacher. "Nowhere," Lian said innocently. The man extended a gloved hand, "Come on back to your chair, and when everyone's calmed down, you can put your head down and have a nap, okay, honey?" He sounded like he had practiced saying those words, but Lian could tell he didn't mean them. But she took his hand anyway. And smiled sweetly, one tooth missing, as she bent back the man's thumb at an impossible angle and felt the bone snap in her tiny little fist. ~Daddy and Donna taught me *that*, you bad man,~ she thought angrily, as the grownup crumpled in shock, eyes wide. The other kids ooohed in amazement as Lian did *something* and got the leader on the ground, moaning in pain. It was all over at that point. 35 hysterical teenagers against four adults who expected acquiescent, terrified sheep? No contest. They went down, clutching their shins and their privates, where they'd been kicked. They stayed down, as chubby little boys jumped up and down on their backs. And Mrs. Butler, mystified, pulled the fire alarm in the hall to get the school evacuated and the authorities on the way. By the time the police came, the four Bad Men were huddled together in the corner, cringing from the class snake, Sam. They also were a sodden mess of popsicle sticks, crepe paper, paste, and non-toxic tempera paint. It wasn't long after that, when calls were made and parents dropped everything to come pick up their brave little kids. Tearful mommies hugged their children and covered their faces with lipstick smooches. Nervous daddies clapped their sons on the back and tried to look like they weren't scared. Lian wasn't sure who'd come for her. The Titans took turns. "Uncle Dick! Daddy!" Lian jumped up from the milk and cookies that had been laid out for her and the other kids, and rushed to the two men. Roy picked up his little girl and asked what happened. Lian explained the entire thing, lisping and giggling at some points, frowning angrily at the Bad Men the police had taken away, and waving proudly at her kindergarten teacher. "Just like before with Vandal Thavage, Daddy!" Lian nodded and showed the maneuver she'd used -- breaking the thumb of the leader. "Then all the other kids helped!" "That's my girl," Roy said. "Ice cream?" "Ice cream!" Lian shouted. This once, Dick didn't even offer a protest that it was not the healthiest thing for the little girl to eat. She deserved whatever she wanted.