Young Justice and Their Grandmother

Smallville Kansas

-updating my other books soon, just in a depressive episode:)-

Kaldur stopped them on the way out the door. "If you see our suspect, call Ms. martain or me."

"Got it." Artemis reported. "are you sure you don't want to come M'gann? You're the one who seems to like this place."

"No, it's okay, I want to look around the house a little more." The martian said.

"Welp, have fun, we'll let you know when we've got the bad guys!" Wally called, pulling Dick onto his back. The duo took off down the driveway to the main road.

Conner and Artemis looked at each other, sighed and jogged after them. They had to find the suspect Bats gave them, and see if he was the one sending attacks to a lawyer in Central city. A lot easier said then done.

M'gann returned into the house. She stared at the photos in the hall:  the young boy aged about 12, and several others playing in the creek, the boy aged 5-ish, in front of the house, the boy in his teens, standing with a big white dog. That was Eerie.

Mrs. Kent, who'd been trying to get someone on the phone, emerged from the kitchen. "Have your friends headed off into town already?"

"Yes." The Martian mentioned, staring at the photo.

The woman smiled. "That's a wonderful photo, isn't it?"

"...yeah..." She muttered. "Sorry, he just looks so much like Conner."

"I know." The woman said stiffly, glancing at the landline in her hand.

M'gann pulled out her cell phone, and pulled up one of her numerous photos of Conner. She found a photo with the Clone and Wolf. "This is so strange, but look!" She showed the photo.

Mrs. Kent took the phone to see better. "That's uncanny." She put her glasses back on and passed the cell back. 

M'gann gazed at the photo, it was fascinating. "Do you have any more photos like this?"

The old woman's eyes lit up. "I have two whole albums somewhere..."

"Can I see?" The girl asked eagerly.

"Of course!"

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"Okay..." Dick unfolded the tourist map he'd just purchased from the post office. "So James Shepherd works there, at the high school. His sister Margret works at the Applebee's on 2nd, and he lives...there." He pressed the flimsy paper. "Just out of town in a gated community."

"Dibs not going to the gated community." Artemis said quickly.

"We shouldn't split up completely," Dick said. "We don't know this place and we've only got one map..."

"So, two of us go to the Applebee's, two of us go to the Highschool?"

"No point, it's spring break, they'll be closed."

"Welp, guess we're going to Applebee's." Wally settled.

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"Those old dresses are so pretty!" M'gann cooed. She and their host had been sunk in the sofa for about an hour now. "Look!" She shut her eyes and shifted herself into the fluffy tea skirt in the photo.

"That's beautiful." Mrs. Kent set the album down for a second, running a hand over her dress. "How did you do that?"

"Oh, I can shapeshift, it's one of my skills, actually."

She spent a few more minutes admiring M'gann's dress. She sighed. "It's been years since I saw one of these skirts. we used to wear them everyday, you know."

"I can only imagine."

"I can't find anywhere that still sells them. Those must be the perks of being a moon-girl, you can wear anything you want."

The teen smiled modestly, not bothering to correct her. Mrs.Kent picked up the album again. "They used to sell these petty coats for them, and there were two kinds, there were the bells, and..."

Across the room, Kaldur had set up one of their computers, trying to find details on James Shepherd's employment records. "Ms. Martian, do you remember when Robin said they'd return?"

"I think at five-thirty or six." M'gann replied. "About an hour from now."

Mrs. Kent checked the clock. "Is that the time?" She moved the photo album off her lap and put it on the teenager's. "I'm sorry, Darling, I've got to start Dinner?" 

M'gann shot up after her. "Can I help? I love cooking!"

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"Table for four?" 

Dick shook his head. "Is Margret Shepherd working today?"

"Maggie? She's on break 'round back." The hostess told them. "Table for four?"

"No thanks." The four headed out again, Wally lead the way around the building. Behind the Applebee's, there was a forty-ish year old woman with a cigarette against her lips.

"Maggie Shepherd?" Artemis called.

She turned to them, a bit put off by having four teens jogging down the alley at her. "Yeah. what?" 

"Can we ask you about your brother?"

"Jim?" She asked, blowing a puff of smoke and choking a little. "Fuck him, what do you want?"

"He's disappeared recently, and we need to know where he went." 

"Who are you?"

"He's our teacher." Dick said quickly. "We go to Nightingale."

"I don't know where he is, we don't really talk." Maggie put out her cigarette.

The teens glanced at each other. "Do you know how we can contact him?" Wally asked. "He confiscated my earbuds before spring break, and then we had a bunch of subs ansd haven't seen him in ages!"

Maggie considered having another cig, but decided not to. "I can give you his new number?"

"New number?"

"Yeah, he got a knew cell. can you take the number?"

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"No, sweetie." The woman took her the wooden spoon from the over-excited M'gann.

"Sorry." the sticky-fingered teen grabbed the recipe. "Don't we need to rinse the cup measure?"

"We can eyeball it" The woman told her. 

"...are you sure?" M'gann usually managed to screw up recipes, even if she measured everything Perfectly. 

"Why not?" the woman carefully tugged the bag of flour from the girl; she'd managed to get herself quite dirty already.  "Hold still darling, I'm going to get you an apron."

"You're such a good cook." M'gann's eyes sparkled as the Mrs. Kent looped an apron over her head, tying  it behind the girl's back.

"You'll get there too, you just need some time." She brushed flour off M'gann's shoulders. "Now, I'll show you how to line a pie shell.

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The teens were circled up in the alley, they stared down at the phone as it dialed up the number.

It picked up.

"Hello?"

Dick looked up at the others, and back at the phone. "James Shepherd?"

There was a pause, and the other side hung up.