Gar woke up in the chair in Rita’s room to Raven’s smiling face.  “Hi, sleepyhead,” Raven said.

“Hey, Ray,” Gar said.  “How’s Mom doing?”

“See for yourself,” Raven said, pointing to the tank.

In the tank, attached to an artificial umbilical cord, was a small figure, a few inches long.  It looked like a fetus well along in the pregnancy.

“Mom?” Gar said.

The tiny figure turned toward his voice in the floatation tank.  Its arms and legs stirred.

Gar looked at Raven.  “She can hear me?” he said.

Raven nodded.  “And understand you.  Her consciousness is far stronger than her size would suggest.  She’s much more … complete now than she was when we found her.”

“Is she … still herself?” Gar asked.

Tiny Rita began to kick and move her arms.

“She’s trying to tell you, ‘Yes,’” Raven said.  “She’s still your Mom, and she knows who you are.  Her memory is still like Swiss cheese -- lots of big holes -- but the basics are all still there, and she’s still mostly herself.”

Rita was still kicking.

“She’s trying to tell you she loves you,” Raven said.

Gar looked at Rita.  “I love you, too, Mom,” he said.  “Don’t worry; you’ll be able to tell me yourself soon enough.”

****

On the private island, Rita stopped what she had been doing with Cliff’s sensors.  “Well?” she said.  “Based on the noises you were making, I think I already know the answer to this, but how was it?”

“Oh, my Gawd!” Cliff said.  “Rita, that wasn’t just sex, even if it’s only simulated. That felt to my brain like some of the best  sex I’ve ever had in my life!”

“Really?” said Rita, still tiny and inside Cliff’s skull..

“Really,” said Cliff.  “Of course, it didn’t hurt that I knew it was you.  How as it for you?”

“Pleasurable,” Rita said.  “Different than I remember sex being from when I was married, but it was definitely a sensual experience.  I actually enjoyed it, partly because I knew I was pleasing you.  That made it better.”

“Cool,” said Cliff.

“You want to go again?” asked Rita.

“Do you even need to ask?” replied Cliff.

Rita smiled and moved to the sensor.

****

Raven came back into the room with a tray of food.  “How’s it going?” she asked.

Gar was fumbling beside the table where Rita, who now appeared to be about six months old, was lying.  “OK,” he said.  “It’s a little bit strange changing your Mom’s diaper due to young age.”

Rita giggled.

“Yeah, well you never had to do that with me,” he said to his diminished mother.  “You adopted me well after I was potty-trained.”

Raven smiled.  “At least you won’t have to change her again.  And she should be able to speak again within the hour.”

“Good,” Gar said.  “I’m just glad I was able to be here for you, Mom.”

Baby Rita smiled adoringly up at her son.  He caressed her cheek.

****

It was the next morning when Cliff came into Rita’s room on the island and watched her recollect herself into human form.  “Good morning, gorgeous,” he said.

“Hi, Mr. Hard-Body,” Rita said.  “I think I know what you want.”

“In a couple of minutes,” Cliff said.  “You know, Rita, I’m not so enamored of the idea of dying anymore.”

“No?” Rita said, smiling coyly.  “Why not?”

“Why do ya think?” Cliff asked.  “I’ve finally got something to live for.”

“Me, too,” Rita said.  She smiled and walked over to him.

Cliff took her in his arms, and Rita gasped.  “I felt that!” she said.  “It felt like a hug -- like a hug used to feel, when I was human!”

Cliff grinned.  “Yeah, I hoped it would.”

Rita tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.  “What did you do?” she asked.

“Well, you said the electrical current when we’re, uh ‘doing it,’ or as close as we can get, was sensual,” Cliff said.  “So. I figured, if I routed a low-level electrical current through my ‘skin,’ maybe I could give you some kind of feeling like what you gave me.”

Rita’s lower lip quivered.  “I’d cry, but it would just be fake tears,” she said.  “Cliff, that was wonderful!”

“Um, I can try electrifying my fingers and seeing what else feels like it used to  -- maybe even in some places you wouldn’t think of at first,” Cliff said.  “After all, turnabout is fair play.”

Rita’s eyes widened and she smiled.  “I’m game,” she said.

****

That night, Gar and Raven stayed in the dormitories of the Cadmus facility.  By now, Rita was physically eight years old and wanted to sleep by herself without a boy in the room.

The next morning, Gar slept later than the staff using the dorm.

He was awakened to a familiar, yet subtly different than usual voice.  “Good morning, sleepyhead.  It’s time to get up!”

Gar opened his eyes to see Rita beaming down at him.  She was no longer a child, but not yet an adult.  She was a teen and, from the look of things, a few years younger than him.

Gar smiled groggily.  “Mom.  Good morning,” he said.

“The doctors want to see us in my room,” Rita said.  “Better get a move on.  They won’t wait forever.” She pivoted, grew to eight feet tall and bounded out of the room and down the hall.

Gar smiled.  He hadn’t seen his adoptive mom this happy in quite a while.  In fact, the last time he could remember was before the Doom Patrol was blown up by Madame Rouge and General Zahl.

The weary Beast Boy dragged himself out of bed.  Sleep had bee n a relatively rare commodity in the last 36 hours, and hadn’t been comfortable when it had come.  He looked forward to being back in his own bed again.

At Rita’s room, Gar found Dr. Thompson and Raven waiting, along with Rita.  It registered now for the first time that Rita was wearing the old red and white Doom Patrol uniform of hers that he had kept in storage after her death.

He heard Raven in his head.  “I got the uniform for her, Gar.  She’s going to need clothes.”

“Well, now that we’re all here,” Thompson said.  “let’s start.  Miss Farr, our tests show you’ve matured to the limit you’ll reach with our methods.  From here you’ll age normally as a super-powered human being, we think.”

Rita looked around the room.  “But I’m not even half of my right age,” she said.

“The barrier isn’t in our system,” Thompson said.  “Remember, your growth was a function of your powers, and those powers are controlled by your mind.  I think there’s a subconscious level on which your mind wouldn’t let you get older … and our processes are now done working, so you won’t artificially change ages again.”

“So, does this mean I get to go home?” Rita asked.

“Not yet,” the doctor said.  “You see, your home is on a private island, and we need you to stay within the continental U.S.  There will be a period of about two weeks before your condition is stable enough that you may not need our help, but it should be stable enough for you to leave.  We just need to have you stay within the boundaries of the lower 48 states.”

“But why?” Raven asked.  “With my powers, I could have her here in an instant from anywhere on Earth, literally.”

“But we may not be here,” Thompson said.  “Cadmus as it currently operates is secret, including our base locations.  We move with little or no notice.  If that happens, you may not be able to find us, even with your powers -- especially now that we know how easily those powers found us.  We’re going to give Rita a beacon so you can find us and get here if she needs us, but it will only work within the lower 48 U.S. states.”

“But, where will I go?” Rita asked.

“Duh!” said Gar.  “You’re staying with me.  “I’ve got a spare room, and I’m not leaving my mom with nowhere to stay.”

Rita looked at Raven.  “But I’ll be in the way.”

Raven patted Rita’s hand.  “The people we love, if we really love them, are never a load.  There may be inconveniences, but you’re worth it to Gar, and that makes you worth it to me.  Besides, you look like you’re about my size , so we can at least get you some clothes.”

“So, that’s settled?” Gar asked.

Rita nodded.  “That’s settled.  Thanks, Gar,”

“No problem, Mom,” Gar said.