Disclaimer: Characters owned by DC. Ebony Dent owned by me.

Ayla finally gets her answer for a mom.

After tirelessly searching, Ayla, outside of her guest room at the tower, slumped to the floor in defeat.

"Why me?" She moaned.

"Ayla? Honey, what's wrong?"

Ayla looked up to see Ebony Dent, the black-haired teenage girl staying with the Legion and a close friend to Ayla's brother.

"Oh. Hey Ebony. Have you seen Imra?" Ayla asked her.

"No, sorry. I think she's on a mission." Ebony answered.

"Figures." Ayla muttered. Ebony sat down next to the little girl.

"Something bothering you?"

"I keep asking everyone the same thing but no one can give me a straight answer. The Triplicates just kept giggling, Cham said something about laying eggs, and Dream Girl flew out a window." Ayla listed.

"What are you asking?" Ebony asked. Ayla sighed.

"Ebony, do you know where babies come from?"

"… why do you want to know?" Ebony asked, keeping a straight face.

"Ugh! I knew it. I knew you wouldn't tell me." Ayla said.

"Just indulge me for a minute. Why do you want to know?"

"Because I was talking to Mekt on the phone and he was acting kind of weird. He was all sweaty and stuff, and scared, and I heard this girl on the other end say she thought she was gonna have a baby. So I started to wonder where do babies come from?"

"Oh. Well, okay then."

"So, where do babies come from?"

"Ayla this is really something you need to talk to your parents about." Ebony told the young girl not to sound mean.

"Why?" Ayla asked.

"That's what parents do. It's part of our job." Ebony told her.

"Our job?" Ayla asked.

"Ayla, the reason why no one's been giving you a straight answer is because, chances are, they're either too modest, or they're afraid they'll give you the wrong idea." Ebony clarified.

"But, why?" Ayla asked again, still wanting to know more.

"Because this isn't something you normally talk to a child about. I can't explain everything yet, but I'll tell you this. A baby is made by a mom and a dad." Ebony began.

"How?"

"Well, a baby's made when a man and woman love each other very much, and it's created during an expression of that love the two have for one another. This… act, however, is not something that you, at this age, should ever, EVER do." Ebony specified with a serious face.

"Why not?"

"At your age, trying to perform this act could damage you in ways you might never recover. When a grown person tries to do this to someone of your age, or any child for that matter, that person is sick. And because it's impossible for you to have a baby. Your body hasn't developed yet to the stage when you can have one. A man may add an important part to making a baby, but women, our bodies are designed so that we carry and nurture them until they're born. We make them inside." Ebony motioned this by pointing to her stomach and waist, signifying the organs inside. "Have you ever seen pictures of your mom and dad, and your mom has a swollen belly?"

"A couple." Ayla recalled.

"Well, that's when she probably was carrying Mekt, or you and your brother."

"How do I know when I'm old enough?"

"That is the part your parents have to fill in, understand? There's a lot of stuff I can't tell you right now and if your parents found out I told you all of it, we could both be in a lot of trouble."

"Okay. Thanks. But, why did you say 'our' job?" Ayla asked, noticing that the teenage girl had included herself in the clumping of parents.

"Well, because, I'm a mom myself. I had a baby, too." Ebony smiled.

"Really?" Ayla asked, perking up.

"Mmhmm. Her name was Susie."

"Garth never told me that. You have a baby? Really? That's so cool! Can I meet her? How old is she?" Ayla excitedly asked. However, Ebony dropped her smile and looked away for a minute.

"… she would've been two." Ebony said softly.

"Would have?"

"Susie… died, before she was born." Ebony said with great reluctance. Ayla gasped.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

Ebony put her arm around Ayla.

"It's alright honey, you didn't know."

"What about her dad?" Ayla asked.

"Susie's dad… he was a boy who committed that act for the wrong reason. He didn't love me, he didn't even know me, and I didn't know him." Ebony remembered. "There were others who did the same thing. That's something else you need to understand. When you're older, do not let anyone force or bully you into thinking you NEED to do this."

"People do that?" Ayla couldn't believe that.

"Yes, because some people can't control their urges. There are some very sick people out there who can't stop themselves sometimes. If someone says 'no' and the other person does it anyway, it's not an act of love anymore, and it can damage a lot of people."

"But what if I want to have a baby when I'm old enough?" Ayla asked.

"That shouldn't be the only reason. You shouldn't be with a person just to have a baby, because if a baby is raised in a loveless home chances are nothing good will come of it. You can commit this act with another person when you're old enough, and if you don't want to have a baby, or you're not ready to have one, there are steps you can take to protect yourselves. If you truly love someone and want to have a baby with them, when you're old enough and ready, that's fine, but only when the two of you are both ready. You shouldn't force the other person, either. And don't forget, you can have a baby without needing to commit this act. There are lots of ways a person can show they love someone, and this act is just one of them. There are people who live their whole lives with a person they love without committing this act AND with kids. But ONLY when you're old enough and ready." Ebony finally finished.

"What's this act called?" Ayla asked.

"Now, THAT is something you can learn when you're older and from your parents. Now no more, okay?" Ebony helped Ayla up and took her hand as the two started to walk down the hall.

"Okay." Ayla smiled.

However, halfway down the hall…

"Hey, you said when my mom had a big belly that was when she had a baby." Ayla questioned again.

"Uh-huh."

"Does that mean Chuck's gonna have a baby? His belly's huge."

Ebony just blanked for a minute.

"Um, not every woman with a big belly has a baby in it. And boys don't have babies, Ayla." Ebony told her.

"Why not?"

"Because life's not fair."