"He sounds like you did," Lena told Dinah, who rolled her eyes. "Yes, Daddy," she said, patient. "I'm seventeen. Mom's nineteen. You're nineteen. Berto's seventeen." She grinned, then kind of shuddered. "And there's a guy here who looks just like you who's maybe seventeen and he hit on me. It was traumatic."

Dinah might be choking on chocolate in the background.

Lena snickered, even though Dinah had a very thoughtfully homicidal look on her face in front of her. "Nope. Derek Gardner. I've got a picture I took of him to prove I'm not making it up." She TK'd some chocolate to herself, and added, "He's a Star Sapphire Lantern superhero. Or a porn star. He wasn't real clear on if that was just a hobby, though."

...yes, it was fun to give her dad a stroke. Why do you ask?

"Awwwww," Lena responded. "Sorry, Daddy." She settled in, repentant, but still thrilled to be talking to him when he was so young. And not even dating her mom yet! "I'll be nicer. What do you want to know? That won't break space-time or anything?"

"Yes!" Lena grinned. "Although, nowadays she mostly trains the younger ones, and coordinates tactics and stuff, since she's over forty..." That got her a Look and a protesting, "Well, you are!" to Dinah. "And still a P.I. and all. Oh oh I'm graduating! And I'm going into hotel and restaurant management!"

It was cheating, but it wasn't cheating, 'cause it was so far in the future, and they'd both told her over and over that there were alternate universes. This Priestly might wind up married to Aunt Tish.

Weiiiird.

So telling him what happened in hers was okay, Lena justified to herself.

"You co-own the expanded Beach City Grill. And you have the best popcorn shrimp and fruity drinks this side of L.A.," Lena said proudly. "We even get tourists! Who just come for the food!"

Lena rolled her eyes and snorted. "As if. Like you'd put up with people distracting you in the kitchen or bothering the customers. We don't do that," she said firmly. "That's for posers." She grinned hugely. "You let me and Jen do little webcasts of the specials of the day, though!"

"Not even," Lena confirmed, sneaking more chocolate. "She lets you trim it back and stuff, but she gets all twitchy if you go completely clean-shaven."

Be fair. Bad things happen when he shaves. It gave Dinah a complex.

"Something about how it's her turn next? You guys never explain that."

Lena choked on her chocolate. "Daddy! No! Oh my god! I don't wanna know! It's bad enough to come home from a date to find you guys making out! I don't need to know more than that!"

"And Aunt Barbara wonders where I get it from," Lena grumbled.

No, she really didn't. Lena was abusing the sarcasm that Barbara abused.

"Yes, you do. It's not normal, but it's sweet." Lena made a face. "And overly. Mom spends a lot more time in Santa Cruz these days, since she can commute to... um. The training facility." No giving away *real* secrets. "Just as easily as from New Gotham. What are you doing this weekend, aside from weirding out Aunt Piper?"

Yeaaah, not something to reveal to Lena. She could be a tad unreasonable.

"You should come visit Fandom," she wheedled. "And oh, have you gone to Mongolia yet?... not that you have to. But you might to. Just saying..."

"Duh. That's just a weird thing with her world, like monkeys that talk," Lena said dismissively. "I know better, Dad." She grinned. "Do you want to talk to Mom?"

"'kay." Lena grinned from ear to ear. "Maybe we'll talk to you later this weekend.'Til then, bye. Love you, Daddy."

She handed the phone over to Dinah, who took it and went out on the balcony, shutting the door behind her. "So. Yeah. She's... here, let me send you a photo." She sent more than one, just so Priestly could see her. "She's the same as she was two years ago. Just, you know. Twice the size and age."

"I knooow. We wear the same size shoes! And tops! But not jeans, I'm still taller, at least." Dinah leaned against the outside wall, shaking her head. "She's so pretty," she said, keeping her voice really low. "And I think Berto's crushing on her. It's weird. But awesome. But weird." She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "We're crashing in 'Dite's suite. She knows where everything is. It's like getting a little sister. I think she's kind of freaked too, even if she's hiding it."