shinyglorchan

Title: Watching You While You Sleep
Fandom: DCU
Character(s): Barbara Gordon, Lian Harper
Pairing(s): N/A
Word Count: 682
Genre: General/Family
Rating: PG/K+
Notes: I'm not sure yet if this follows another Puppetverse continuity, or if it's own 'verse inside of it... I think it can be fit in with the Titans part of the 'verse. Also, Lian is adorable. She's put into my head the idea that only children can hear the puppets talk. Babs' version of the Batgirl story comes Batgirl: Year One.
Link: N/A

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Barbara Gordon was not a babysitter. Occasionally, when she had still been a teen and Batgirl, she would babysit for some extra cash, but she definitely did not need it now. She was Oracle, not some two-bit babysitter, and that was probably why Lian Harper was in her lap as she wheeled them to the guest bedroom to put Lian to bed.

She knew how to say no to Dick Grayson, unlike some other women and the occasional man, but when he came to the Watchtower with a sleeping Lian in his arms, she was reduced to any other woman who could not say no to the man. She had been following the situation with the Outsiders and had even helped to find Lian when she was captured by Tanner. There was no way she was going to deny that one of the safest places for Lian was with her while Dick helped Roy out of his depression over thinking he was a bad father. Lian needed her father, but not if he was like that.

Barbara picked up the sleepy girl and gently placed her in the bed. Lian had been mostly quiet since Dick dropped her off that morning, and that made Barbara worry. Lian was usually a bundle of uncontrollable energy when Dinah sometimes brought her to visit the Watchtower. Now, she was quiet, and for a lack for better word, broody, and broody was never adjective used with Arrows. That was more Bat territory.

“Can you tell me a story?” Lian asked quietly.

“Of course, sweetie. What story do you want to hear?”

Lian quieted again, biting her lip before looking up once more. “Tell me how you became Batgirl,” she stated.

Barbara frowned. “Honey, maybe I sho-”

“No, I wanna know, so I know bat stuff when I become Speedy,” Lian interrupted, giving her best pout. “Please, Aunt Barbara?”

The pout always worked, and Lian had figured that out at an early age. Not even Barbara could say no to that face. She sighed. “All right. At first, I wasn't trying to be a hero. It all started by accident, really...”

After telling Lian about the costume party, actually becoming Batgirl, taking down Killer Moth, editing out the parts Roy would kill her for telling Lian about like the kisses with Dick and the do or die training Batman put her through as a test, Lian fell into a fitful sleep. Barbara softly ran her hand through the girl's hair, hoping she would have sweet dreams even though she knew it was very unlikely that Lian would be having sweet dreams for a long time. Barbara frowned as she left the guest room, hoping that Lian would at least sleep through the night.

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Once Barbara had left the room Lian slept in, there was movement in the shadows. The figures moved to the bed, waking Lian. Lian sat up quickly, scared even though she really wanted to be brave. She calmed down when she saw the hand-puppets on the bed. Lian counted them quietly to herself. One, two, three, four, five, she counted in her head.

Lian smiled and gathered the puppets into her arms. They were puppets of her family that came to scare away the bad dreams, she was sure of it. With that thought, Lian slipped into the first peaceful slumber she had had since before her kidnapping. The Arsenal puppet snuggled close to Lian as the Speedy and Green Arrow II puppets moved toward the foot of the bed, bows at the ready if needed. Green Arrow and Black Canary stood on the pillow at the head of the bed, ready to shoot off an arrow or screech at the first sign of trouble.

When Lian woke up, the puppets were gone. She smiled. Her family was protecting her while she slept, and she was sure they were protecting her now, even though she could not see them. Lian jumped out of bed and went to greet her Aunt Barbara and tell her she did not have any bad dreams last night.