2nd Series 01/2 - And So It Begins

by Sapphire1

Cosmo gets involved with a murder and the only person who can help him is the one he does not want to return to

And So It Begins
By Sapphire

The warm and sunny summer weather, which had reigned the last couple of weeks, was over. Two days ago it had begun to rain and it hadn't stopped ever since. It was pretty cold as well, and the weather forecast had promised more of the same for the next couple of days. Somehow, the weather fitted Ace's mood.
Sitting in the living room of the Express, he went through a file Vega had brought over. The large cop had found a place of his own on the couch opposite Ace and watched his friend silently, as he was reading the information Vega had dug up for him.
This was not the first file Ace had read on Cosmo during the last week, but it was one of the more revealing ones. Much of the data inside he already knew. Some was new to him.
Cosmo's real name was Anthony O'Connor. Ace's guess he was twelve hadn't been too far off, as he was really a little bit over thirteen years old. Cosmo's father's name was Robert O'Connor. The boy lived with him, as his mother, Morrian O'Connor, had died over four years ago. The father hadn't had a steady employment for quite a while, living on whatever he could earn doing odd jobs. Some employers had reported he had a problem with alcohol, stating this as the reason to fire him, but else there was very little data on him. Currently he was in prison for a period of thirty days after he had started a fight in a bar. When the police had come, he had resisted arrest, punching out one of the cops. It hadn't been the first time he had come in contact with the law in such a way. When O'Connor had been arrested, Social Service had tried to locate Cosmo but without success.
Cosmo had attended Lincoln Junior High School until this spring. He had been known as a mediocre student, his grades all over the place. Computer science was, not surprisingly, Cosmo's shining star. Ace had spoken to the science teacher and she had praised Cosmo in the brightest colors, claiming she never had had another student with such a knack for computers. Other teachers, however, had told him Cosmo either was a troublemaker, or stated he had been a very quiet kid who was barely noticeable. When Ace thought about it, he realized the ones who had said Cosmo was a troublemaker were all female, while the men had been the one to overlook him.
A disturbing fact was that the boy already had a rap sheep and it was that file he was holding in his hands now, thanks to Derek Vega.
One case of breaking and entering. Twice robbing an ATM. And that was only the cases they could clearly pin on him. There were no outstanding warrants right now, but Derek hadn't given him any high hopes this would remain like that for a long time.
At least there was nothing in the file that he was involved in a gang. Yet.
Derek Vega had also dug up a file on a gang led by a guy called Star, as Cosmo had mentioned that name when Ace had asked him why he had broken into the Express. Ace could only hope Cosmo hadn't joined up with them. They called themselves The Underdogs and had quite a reputation for fraud, burglary and other crimes. A lot of cops would like to put their hands on them - including the one sitting on the other side of the living room - but so far there was nothing they could fix on them.
This didn't look good. If Cosmo's break-in into the Express really had been his initiation into the gang, he was straight on a down hill path into the quagmire of crime. Okay, Cosmo had not gone through with the plan - Ace had found the files the boy had managed to copy from Angel on the table in the guest room - but knowing the boy's talent, it wouldn't take too long until they would accept him in.
Ace sighed as he placed the folders on the table before him. What he had read had worried him deeply. Though he really couldn't say what it was that made him care about the boy so much, there was no denying he did. He picked up a cup of tea and leaned back in his couch, telling his body to relax. His body didn't listen. No surprise there.
Vega hadn't said a word while Ace had leafed through the files, had just watched him closely. Now he couldn't hold back anymore.
"I don't know, Ace, why you are so interested in that boy. He's nothing but a troublemaker." The cop couldn't hold still any longer and pushed himself up from his chair to begin pacing.
"I'm not so sure about that, Derek. I think he's just lost. He deserves a chance."
"Ace, I meet kids like this Cosmo of yours every day on the streets. They have no respect for the possession of other people. They do drugs. They run in gangs and they make our lives much harder." Vega had stopped and now gestured wildly to accentuate his statements.
Ace slowly shook his head. "No, I think there's something special about Cosmo. He's not just any other kid. He has quite a talent for computers. A talent that shouldn't be put to waste."
"Oh, I'm sure he'll use this talent of his," Vega remarked sarcastically. "Anyway, why should you be the one to do something about him? We have social services for cases like his."
"'Don't we have poor houses?'" Ace said half aside.
"Heh?" Vega looked confused.
Ace smiled weakly, then he shook his head. "It's quote from 'A Christmas Carol'. On Christmas Eve, two men came to Scrooch begging for money for the poor. Instead of giving them any, he claims that there are poor houses after all and he's paying taxes for them, thus he wasn't required to give anything else."
Vega furrowed his brows, but didn't say anything. Finding he couldn't release his frustration by pacing, he plopped again into his easy chair. Reaching for his cup of tea, he took a large gulp.
"Derek, you know that I know the social system in this country better than most. And I don't think Social Services can help Cosmo anyway. All they can do is to return the boy to his father. And if I'm not very mistaken, Cosmo is scared shitless of him. I wouldn't be surprised if the man has mistreated him, or at least allowed it. The boy had been terrified to make a mistake. Every time something unexpected happened, he shrank back, almost as if he thought I would hit him. This isn't normal."
"Still, why should *you* be the one to take care of him?"
Ace sighed quietly. "It's just something I have to do. It feels right." He leaned forward on the couch, returning the teacup to the table. He fixed his gaze on Vega. "Why did you think it was the right thing to befriend a young criminal twelve years ago? Why did you help me?"
This got through to Vega. For a moment he didn't say a word. Then: "That was something totally different."
"Really?" Ace hid a faint smile.
"You saved my life," Vega reminded Ace of the moment when BlackJack - then only known as Jack Malone - had sent Diamond and Spade to kill the cop who had learned too much about his organization. They had planted a bomb in a museum, dropping an anonymous tip of something going on there. Vega had gone to the museum and would have been blown to kingdom come, if not for Ace, who had reached him just in time. Ace, sixteen years old back then, had tapped into the magic he had kept secret for so long and magic-pushed the older cop away from the bomb. Vega had realized he had to find somebody to teach Ace's raw magic powers and had contacted Anna LeFrez, who had been Ace's teacher for the next couple of years.
"And one day Cosmo might save mine," Ace remarked, only half joking. "Seriously, Cosmo needs help and I want to be the one to give it to him. I only have to find him," he added with a sigh.
Vega returned his cup to the saucer. "I don't need to tell you that the easiest way to find him, is to file charges against him for breaking into the Express. This way we can look for him and pick him out of any hot spot he might be in."
Ace shook his head. "No, I can't do that. I think I have formed some bond with him already, but if I would be the cause for him being arrested, I would lose everything I've gained last week."
"And how do you think you're gonna find him?"
Raking his hand nervously through his hair, the magician let go of a deep breath.
"I wish I knew."

* * *

The house stood in one of the more upscale parts of Electro City. Here the rich and the famous - or those pretending to be one or the other - had their homes. David Jennings wasn't famous, but he certainly wasn't poor. Having made his money on the stock market, he had bought himself a mansion, a six-bedroom affair, with a garage for three cars and an indoor swimming pool. The house stood a good distance away from the street, surrounded by a high wall and hidden by large trees from any curious onlookers.
Thus nobody noticed the two teenagers lingering close to the entrance of the mansion on this early August morning. They kept themselves close to the wall, though it wasn't clear if it was to stay out of the pouring rain, or because they were not supposed to be there. It was obvious they were waiting for something, and most likely, it wasn't the owner of the house.
The younger of the two, a dark-haired boy not older than fifteen, took another glance at his wristwatch. He had done so about every ten seconds since they had arrived there.
"What's taking him so long, Star?" he asked his companion in a whispered hush.
Star, a boy taller than the other and possibly two years older than him, was about to turn away from his close scrutiny of the entrance, when suddenly the door opened and a red-haired boy stuck his head out.
"What took you so long, dork?" Star asked accusingly, as he slipped inside, closely followed by the other. "It's raining outside, in case you haven't noticed."
"I'm sorry," Cosmo mumbled, as he pulled back a bit, not mentioning it had taken him less than two minutes to crack the very high security system that was supposed to protect the villa from burglars. It hadn't been easy, though it had been nothing compared to the really top-notch system Ace Cooper had in his Express. Angel was a very sophisticated computer, with some really cool features ...
Stop, no, don't think of it.
Automatically, he shut down any thoughts leading to Ace Cooper. He didn't want to think about the events less than a week ago, when the had broken into the magician's home, circumventing all alerts, only to be caught by the owner of the train when Cooper had came home much earlier than Cosmo had anticipated. Instead of handing him over to the police, however, the show star had given him something to eat and had offered him a bed for the night, allowing him to leave without any discussions the next morning. To top all this, the older man had offered that he could stay if he wanted, offered him a home, with no strings attached.
It had been too good to be true.
If something was too good to be true, that much Cosmo knew, it usually wasn't real. Nobody offered something for nothing. Only because he hadn't been able to find out what Cooper's angle was, didn't mean there wasn't something the magician wanted from him.
Some part of him wanted to trust the magician, wanted to take him back on his offer. However, a much larger part screamed at him that this was madness. He was much better off without any adults meddling in his life. Sleeping in that rat infested hole he shared with Flash, his resolution had almost wavered, but then he only had to recall the memories of his father and how he had treated him, and his decision stood firm.
The other two now basically ignored him, as they went further into the house. Cosmo knew what they were looking for - cash, jewelry and other things, small enough to carry away and easy to make into money - and followed them. It wasn't the first time he had acted as their key into some rich guy's house.
Cosmo was aware his standing with The Underdogs was still pretty shaky, especially as he had failed to bring the files he had promised to get out of Cooper's home. He hadn't told anybody in the gang he actually had managed to break in and copy the files, as this would have led to questions why he hadn't brought them with him. Instead he had said he hadn't managed to crack the Express' security system. As this had been Star's sentiment to begin with, nobody had doubted him. They wouldn't have believed him anyway, if he'd told them he had left the files on the table in Cooper's guest room, because he had felt it was wrong to steal from the man. Star's policy was that no adult could be trusted, and in general Cosmo agreed with that. Maybe Cooper was an exception, but it wouldn't do any good to mention that to anybody.
They entered the huge living room. With a wide gesture Star invited everybody to start with the looting. Raphael, the dark-haired boy, didn't ask for a second invitation and began to rip open cupboards and drawers, pulling everything out and onto the ground. He didn't care if something broke.
Usually, Cosmo would have joined him without hesitation, but suddenly he felt a strange pang of remorse.
"What's the matter, Cosmo?" Star asked, half challenging, when he noticed Cosmo's reluctance.
Cosmo gulped, then shook his head. "Nothing," he said, as he stepped forward to join the other Underdog.
Damn, now Star had noticed something. The older boy had watched him pretty closely the last week every time they had been in the same room.
Damn you, Cooper! Now you affect my life, even when you're not here.
With renewed determination, Cosmo ripped open a drawer, dumping the content on the carpet, ruffling quickly through the stuff, before he turned to the next one. After all, it wasn't as if they were stealing from somebody who couldn't afford it. David Jennings, the owner of the house, was rich enough. Anyway, the insurance company would cover for any loss or damage.
"Hey, look here. That guy has some cool music," Raphael called out, holding up a disk with the familiar logo of DJ Mickis. "How about some atmosphere?" He pushed the disk into the slot of a state of the art sound system and immediately the beat of DJ Mickis' music filled the room.
"Oh yeah!" Invigorated by the music, Cosmo left the drawers to their own device and moved over to one of the pictures hanging on the wall. Somewhere there had to be a safe. Rich guys always had a safe behind some pictures.
"Hey, you!" a dark voice interrupted their search. "What are you doing in my house?" The voice boomed even louder than the music.
A tall man with wavy dark hair stood at the foot of the stairway visible from the living room through a large archway. He was at least fifty, his hair streaked with silver. He wore jogging shoes, sweatpants and a white T-shirt, a towel slung over his shoulders. In general, he looked pretty harmless. In his hands, however, he held a mean looking shot gun, pointing its barrel now at Cosmo, who had frozen when he had heard the voice.
Raphael hit the off button of the stereo. A deafening silence suddenly filled the room.
"Nobody moves. I have called the cops and they will be here any minute."
Cosmo's stomach clenched. What was it with him and getting caught? Twice in less than a week, that wasn't normal. Only, this time he doubted he would get off so lightly. This guy didn't look like he would let them go.
What happened next went by too fast for him to do anything about it. Still, every single moment etched itself onto the back of Cosmo's eyes, like slides, each and every one illuminated in crystal clarity.
*Flash*
Star pulling out a gun from the back of his pants.
*Flash*
The muzzle of the shot gun moving away from Cosmo and over to the older boy, as Star aimed his weapon at the owner of the house.
*Flash*
Two loud bangs, so close to each other they sounded like one, roared into the silence.
*Flash*
Two flashes of fire.
*Flash*
*Flash*
A vase, which stood between Cosmo and Star, shattering into a million, tiny pieces.
*Flash*
The man on the stairs reeling backwards, a dark stain blooming on his white T-shirt, the gun tumbling from his hands and clattering down the last couple of steps.
*Flash*
For a moment nobody moved, as time began to move once more.
Then, "Let's go!"
At Star's command, Raphael scrambled to get to the exit. If the cops were really on their way, they had to get away from here as quickly as possible.
As Cosmo passed by the crumbled form on the stairs, he hesitated. The man lay there absolutely motionless. A pool of blood had formed underneath him, forming a small river, trickling down the formerly pristine white, marble stairs. Cosmo could see the shot had hit the man square in the chest. Open eyes stared accusingly at the youngster.
Star brushed by, stopping when he noticed Cosmo's motionless form.
"Cosmo, move!" he commanded, grabbing the younger boy at the arm, attempting to pull him with him.
Cosmo didn't budge. "I think he's dead," he said, turning slightly to the gang leader. His eyes were wide and fearful.
A shadow passed over Star's face, too quickly to really register. Then the face changed into a stony mask.
"He had it coming. I did it to save you, bonehead," he said coldly. "Now come!"
He pulled once again, and this time Cosmo allowed himself to be pulled.
As they ran into the rain outside, the words 'I did it to safe you' echoed over and over in his head.

* * *

Standing close to one of the emergency exits of the Ring Theater, Derek Vega watched the stage, where Ace was in the middle of the last act of his performance that night. One of Ace's assistants had shackled the magician to a heavy wooden table in the center of the stage. His ankles and wrists were spread far apart from each other, fixed tightly to the table, making it almost impossible for Ace to move, let alone to do something against the giant circular saw that just now began to cut into the table between his legs, spreading wooden splinters all over the place. A breathless hush had settled over the audience of the up to the last seat filled arena, making the angry scream of the saw sound even more impressive as it was anyway.
Though Vega had seen that particular trick before, he couldn't help to feel the same tension which held the rest of the audience in its thrall. He - probably more than the others - knew how dangerous that trick was. Though he knew Ace was up to the challenge, he couldn't quite stop the cold knot forming in his stomach and the sweat that somehow had decided to form on his palms. Everything in him screamed he had to get to Ace, get him out of there, save him. Only long years of discipline and the certain knowledge Ace could manage on his own, held him back.
Ace was the closest thing Vega had to a son - though he'd rather die than revealing this little bit of information to his young friend. He had no kids of his own, his two marriages having remained childless. Jennifer, his first wife, never had any interest in having children, her career being more important to her than that - probably one of the reasons their marriage hadn't lasted very long. Suzan had wanted children, but she had had two miscarriages, before she had died from cancer nine years ago. So Vega had taken a special interest in Ace. Not that he had ever ignored Ace - not since the day he had met the young, bright man, with that incredible talent of his.
From the very first moment Vega had known Ace was something special. It had not taken long to find out how special. Boy, to learn that the boy had such a magical talent, had been quite a surprise, to say the least.
Derek had tried to help Ace, had tried to find somebody who could teach Ace how to control his powers, but hadn't had much success. Then, one day, he had gotten a call from Anna LeFrez. How she had known about Ace, and how she had know that he was taking care of Ace, he would never know. She had told him about her school for people with similar talents like Ace. Naturally, he had checked out Anna's background, and had found a couple of very interesting things, and after visiting her once in Whitewater Springs, he had decided to bring Ace to her. He certainly couldn't have allowed Ace to stay in Jack Malone's gang. There was no knowing what would have become of the teenager if he'd stayed there.
But there had been more. Something had told him Ace was worth it.
Maybe he shouldn't be so hard on Ace now because of this street kid he had found. Maybe the magician also saw something in the boy, something worth saving - as he had seen something in Ace back then.
Of course, it didn't make the information he was about to give to Ace any easier to deliver
On the stage, the saw had almost reached Ace's crotch. The magician struggled in his bonds. Vega knew it was only for show, but the rest of the audience didn't, and here and there a nervous shout could be heard from the seats. Then, suddenly, the whole table with Ace on top of it, burst into flames. The roar of the fire almost swallowed the scream of the saw, but only almost. Two of Ace's assistants, dressed in fire fighting gear, rushed to the table, extinguishers coming to life in their hands. For a moment, the whole table with the saw was covered in white mist, the CO2 dousing the flames in no time. Then the powerful air conditioning system of the hall whipped the mist away, revealing the black starched table, now broken in two halves.
There was no sign of the magician.
"Where is he?" Vega heard somebody close-by call out. A question that was posed by more than one other audience members.
Ace's assistants pushed what was left of the table aside, and then the stage was empty. The tension in the audience rose to an almost unbearable level.
Then, from one corner of the stage, Zina ambled out, brightly illuminated by a cone of light. The great panther took her time getting to the center of the stage, ignoring the people all around her. She sniffed the ground where the table had stood and where a few scorch marks still could be seen. A medium sized ball rolled onto the stage and was stopped by Zina's nose. The panther swiped at it with her paw, and it rolled a bit away, only to return to her, seemingly with a will of its own. Zina circled the ball once, almost as if she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do with it.
She poked at it with her snout, and it fell apart, revealing some fabric inside. Zina took one corner of the cloth in her mouth and began to pull. Soon it was obvious it wasn't just a normal piece of fabric, that it was indeed Ace's cape, the trademark red half mask clearly visible on the dark fabric.
Having draped the cape on the ground to her satisfaction, Zina stepped aside. The light in the theater went out completely, only a single spotlight illuminating the cape in the center of the stage. For a moment nothing happened, then the cape seemed to move a little bit. A wave rippled through it, almost as if it was a living thing. It began to levitate, though there was no way to see how this could be happening. As if an invisible person was picking up the cape and was slinging it around his shoulders, it rose. Soon the hemline barely touched the ground anymore.
The audience held its collective breath.
Suddenly, a blinding flash of light, and then Ace stood in the center of the stage, his cape around his shoulders, a big smile on his lips.
The arena fairly exploded into applause.
While Ace and Zina took their bows, Vega slipped out of the auditorium and made his way to the back stage area. As a friend of Ace, he had unrestricted access. The guard on duty knew him well, and waved him through to Ace's dressing room. Entering the room, he made himself comfortable in one of the chairs, waiting for Ace to show up.
Ten minutes later, the magician and Zina entered the room.
"Hi, Derek," Ace greeted his friend, as he made his way to the fridge to get himself a bottle of water. Holding the fridge door open, he asked if Vega also wanted something to drink, but the cop declined.
Petting the panther that had come over to Vega to say her hellos, the cop wondered how he should address the subject which had brought him here. Somehow he found it difficult to find a beginning.
Ace had placed himself in front of the mirror and began to remove his stage make-up. Like everybody working in the performance business, he knew that without the aid of artificial colors, his face and expressions would almost be impossible to make out for those sitting further away from the stage. The harsh stage lights tended to wash out all colors, and without make-up Ace would look rather pale. He had once told Vega he didn't like the way the make-up made his skin itch, but as there was no way around it, he had learned to live with it.
"So, how did you like the show?" Ace asked in ways of starting the conversation, as he drenched a tissue with some solution.
"One day you're going to give me a heart attack, you know that," Vega said. He stopped petting Zina and after she had waited a moment, watching Vega in the hopes he would change his mind and continue, she moved to her corner of the room and plopped down. Quietly, she began to groom herself, her large tongue licking over her velvet fur.
"Hey, nothing can happen to me," Ace said with a grin. "After all, I'm the Great Magician!" He caught Vega's eyes in the mirror. With a flourishing gesture, he allowed some sparkles to dance above his fingertips.
Vega shook his head, but he grinned as well. Then he grew serious again. "I just don't like you using your magic like this. As long as the people believe everything you do is just smoke and mirrors, you have nothing to fear. But what if they find out you can do real magic? Man fears what he doesn't understand."
It was an old topic between them. Vega was more tolerant towards magic - real magic - than most people. Still, he couldn't deny he had an unwell feeling when he thought about the power Ace could wield. Ace was his friend and he trusted him with his life - actually had done so on more than one occasion.
Still ...
There were other fears, fears he never had mentioned to Ace. What if certain people in the government found out about Ace? With his abilities he would be the perfect spy. Or the perfect assassin. Vega knew there were people who wouldn't hesitate a second to exploit Ace if they had any inkling about what he really could do.
Ace, on the other hand, lived magic. Magic was as natural to him as breathing - though there had been a time where this had not been the case, as Vega clearly remembered. Now, if there was an emergency, Ace had no scruples to use the powers he had been given, and damn with the consequences.
Ace had turned in his seat and now looked at Vega, a serious expression on his face. He caught the older man's eyes, holding them.
"I told you before, I never use 'real' magic, as you like to call it, on stage. All my tricks are just that: tricks. They are not easy, and some of them are dangerous, but they are only tricks. Any illusionist worth his or her money could perform them, if he or she just knew how. That, actually, is the biggest trick of them all. Keeping the trick a secret."
He held Vega's eyes for one moment longer, then he turned back to the mirror to remove the last of his make-up.
Vega sighed to himself. He had to trust that Ace knew what he was doing. Maybe his way was the best way after all. Nobody would believe that a stage magician could use real magic. It was like hiding in plain sight.
No sense in delaying the inevitable any more.
"I've got word from that street kid of yours. Cosmo," he said quietly.
For a short second, Ace froze. Then the magician pulled himself together, put aside the tissue he had been holding and turned towards Vega.
"Is he in trouble?" Ace asked, his eyes dark.
With a flash, Vega realized what Ace must have been thinking. 'He came to tell me Cosmo's hurt or dead.' They both knew the streets were not easy on anybody living there. Especially not on kids.
Vega almost wished he didn't have to tell Ace the news. He drew a deep breath and nodded.
"You could say that. His fingerprints have shown up on the scene of a murder. We now have a warrant out for him."
Ace closed his eyes for a moment.
"Tell me more," he inquired, his voice devoid of all emotions, as he fixed his gaze again on Vega.
Vega complied.
"This morning somebody broke into the villa of David Jennings, a rich stock broker. Whoever it was had probably thought nobody was at home. Jennings had been out jogging, but when he came home, he must have noticed something. He called us, then went to investigate. He was shot at point blank range. When we arrived, the house was empty."
"And now you believe it was Cosmo? For crying out loud, the boy is only thirteen."
"What I believe has nothing to do with it, Ace. I have to look at the facts. And fact is that Cosmo's fingerprints have been found at the scene of the crime."
"There're other ways how those could have gotten there," Ace protested weakly. Vega knew Ace was grabbing for straws, but he also knew his young friend didn't really care at the moment if he was making sense.
The magician rose, too agitated now to remain seated. There was not much space in the dressing room to pace, but Ace did so anyway. Zina lifted her head from her paws, watching her master closely. A deep rumble emitting from her chest showed she was also affected by Ace's agitation.
A metal ball, which had rested on the ground until now, rose into the air, rotating wildly around its axis. Two other orbs followed suit, and soon they spun around each other almost as if they were a miniature planet system.
After a minute of vending nervous energy - physical and magical - Ace returned the globes to their resting place. He turned back to Vega.
"What are you going to do when you find him?" he said, his voice back under control.
"You know the procedure as well as I do, Ace. He will be arrested and possibly charged with manslaughter unless something comes up that proves he's innocent. He's only thirteen, so he might get off easily, but I wouldn't bet on it."
Ace had grown pale. Manslaughter. It was an ugly word for an ugly deed. Vega didn't want to contemplate what a conviction would mean for a thirteen-year-old boy, but he could see what was going through Ace's mind.
As if all energy had drained out of him, Ace sunk back into his chair. He raked his hands through his dark hair.
"Derek, am I making a mistake here?" he asked, sounding all of the sudden much younger than he really was. "Should I forget about Cosmo, give him up as a hopeless case?"
A part of Vega wanted to say 'yes, don't get involved into something like this. You don't know what you get yourself into.' However, something in Ace's eyes told him that it was already too late. Moreover, he wouldn't be able to call himself a friend, if he wouldn't give Ace all the support he needed.
"Ace, you have to do what you have to do. I know, this sounds like a platitude, but it's the truth. You see something in the boy, something that is important to you. Yes, maybe you're making a mistake, but maybe you're making something right. And you never know if it's one or the other, unless you do it."
He rose and stepped up to Ace. Placing his hand on the younger man's shoulder, he told him without words no matter what Ace decided about the boy, he would be there for him. He would support him, be the voice of reason or provide him with a swift kick to the butt; whatever was appropriate or necessary at any given point. If Ace indeed was making the biggest mistake of his life, he would be there and pick up the piece, all the while informing him he had told him so from the very beginning.

* * *

The music throbbed through the old, abandoned building the Underdogs used as a hiding place, when the one they normally used downtown seemed to be too dangerous. The rhythm echoed in Cosmo's head like a drum. Restlessly, the young teen tossed on the old mattress lying on the ground in one of the former offices. He stared at the ceiling, trying to banish the sights and sounds, which hadn't really left him alone since the morning, since they had left the mansion where Star had shot that guy. Cosmo felt rotten, his head was hurting, his stomach cramping, as was his heart.
The others, Raphael and particularly Star, didn't seem to be bothered by the morning events, partying since the early evening in one of the other rooms, almost as if nothing had happened.
But something had happened. Somebody, a human being, had died, had been killed. He was dead, and unlike in the computer games and the holo movies, he wouldn't stand up again and resume living. He was dead for real.
And it had been his fault. Star might have pulled the trigger, but only to protect Cosmo.
He couldn't do anything right. His father was right. He was useless. A nothing, a nobody. Not worth anybody's time and effort.
Everybody seemed to think so.
Everybody but Ace Cooper.
The thought popped up unbidden in his mind.
Ace Cooper seemed to have seen something in him. Something that made it worth offering him a place to stay.
"No," Cosmo whimpered.
Whatever Cooper had seen in him, whatever had made him make this offer of his, it was all over now. He'd loose every chance he had had, as soon as the magician learned about what he had done. Breaking into the magician's home had been one thing. Killing somebody was something else. Something unforgivable.
He moaned again, a wordless cry of utter misery. Pulling the ragged blanket further over his head, he tried to shut out the world, but it didn't work. He couldn't shut out the voice in his mind and the pictures replaying over and over against the inside of his closed eyelids.
If he only could sleep. In sleep, he could hope to forget, at least for a short time.
Distantly he heard voices talking, coming slowly closer.
He knew that about ten to fifteen members of the Underdogs were gathered in the old lobby of the former office building, listening to the music, playing video games, enjoying themselves. As the industrial park the office building was in had been abandoned years ago, there was no danger of anybody overhearing them, except for the occasional patrol car coming by. An outlook made sure the cops would be spotted long before they got close to the building and the others could be warned.
Cosmo had tried to join the others, tried to lose himself in one of the video games, but he hadn't lasted long. He wanted to be alone, seeing nobody, talking to nobody. So he had withdrawn to another part of the building, hoping he could get some sleep. A project which hadn't worked particularly well.
Cosmo dug himself even deeper into his blanket, hoping the voices would go away, leaving him alone.
Suddenly he heard his name spoken, and he couldn't stop himself from eavesdropping.
"...about Cosmo?"
"What about him? He won't talk. He's too scared."
The slightly mocking voice who spoke the last words belonged to Star, the other to Kennara, his second in command.
"You're sure?" Kennara inquired once more. "All somebody needs, is to apply a bit of pressure on him, and he'll break. He's a risk."
Star took a moment before he answered. "You're right. He's a witness, a risk." Again hesitation. Then: "What do you suggest?"
Kennara sounded satisfied as she answered. She always had had a cruel streak. "There could be an accident," she said speculatively.
"He still could be useful to me. He's good with computers," Star commented matter of factly.
"He's too much of a risk."
With that, they moved out of Cosmo's range of hearing, even as the teen strained his ears to catch more.
Ohgodohgodohgod! They wanted to kill him. Cosmo was breathing hard, almost hyperventilating, clutching the blanket close to his chest.
What was he going to do now? What was he to do?
Oh god!
One thing was clear. He couldn't stay here. Kennara was going to kill him, making it look like an accident.
But where was he going to go?
Back to his father?
Cosmo almost laughed out loud hysterically. He would never go back to his father. He'd rather die. Or actually, he would kill him instead of Kennara.
The police?
No. The police would only take him back to his father. Or they would arrest him because of the murder of that rich guy.
He could try to leave the city. This was so far he best possibility. However, something prevented Cosmo from following that thought further. He couldn't leave Electro City. The town was his home, the place he had grown up. Here he knew his way around, he knew where to go and which places to avoid. In any other town he wouldn't know such things. He couldn't leave the city.
Ace Cooper.
Once again, the name popped up in Cosmo's mind. The magician had offered him a place to stay. Maybe he could hide with him until the whole thing had blown over. If he could keep Cooper from calling the cops, prevent him from finding out about the dead guy, he could stay there, at least for a while.
No, he shook his head, he couldn't go there. Cooper was an adult, and adults couldn't be trusted.
Still, the show star could provide him with a place to hide without even knowing about it. When Cosmo had gone to check out the train of the magician last week, he had noticed the large area it was parked on. There was a lot of hiding places, places he could use to vanish for a few days. When Star saw he hadn't sold him out to the police, he would return, and the Underdogs would take him back.
It was a slim chance but it was the best chance he had. He had to believe it would work. There were no alternatives.
Action following thought, he grabbed for his backpack. He left the room, then slipped out of the back door.
Not minding the rain and the darkness, he started to walk towards his destination.
He never realized somebody saw him, as he was leaving the building.

* * *

The night seemed to have a life of its own.
Cosmo never had been afraid of the dark, having spent enough time out there, wandering alone through the city when he had wanted to avoid his father when he was drunk once again. Normally, he only had returned to the place he used to call home after he was sure his father was fast asleep or had passed out from the alcohol. Back then he never had been concerned anything could happen to him, alone in the big city. There had been nothing which could have been worse than the things his father did to him anyway, worse than the fear his voice alone evoked in him, the pain he administered on a regular basis. It had been in the city where he had made his first contact with the Underdogs, hanging out in one of the gamehalls, playing against Flash on one of the consoles. Flash had told him about the gang, and how they always were looking for kids who were good with computers. After a lot of thinking, Cosmo had decided to give it a chance. He had passed the first tests without problems, showing he knew his stuff. Star seemed to be impressed, but still had only admitted him on a probation basis.
Today, however, the darkness wasn't the friend it used to be. Shadows were moving, sounds which never had worried him, now made him jump every time. He had the feeling invisible eyes were following him, watching his every move.
The rain had drenched his clothing down to the skin, and he walked faster, simply to keep himself warm. It wasn't cold, not really, but Cosmo shivered nonetheless. He wished he could use his roller blades, but in that weather the wheels would clog up in no time, so they had to stay in his backpack.
To his left, a trash can crashed over with a loud bang, and Cosmo started. Only about half a mile to go before he reached his goal, and he began to walk even faster, almost running.
Then the shadows moved, forming into distinct shapes, people.
"Where are you going so fast, Cosmo?"
Star was standing before him. About half of the Underdogs were at his side, forming a crude, open circle, blocking Cosmo's way. As the red-haired boy was skidding to a full stop, they closed the circle, almost like a pack of wolves closing in on their pray.
For a moment Cosmo couldn't say a word, his throat tied into a tight knot. Sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Isn't that Cooper's lot back there?" The leader of the pack pointed over his shoulder.
"I...," was all Cosmo could stammer out, before the older boy interrupted him again.
"So you're working with him now. I always thought this story of yours, how you couldn't crack the security system of his, kind of stunk. I haven't seen a system you couldn't crack."
"I don't..."
"You don't? Don't what? Spit it out."
Star shoved Cosmo at the shoulder.
"I don't work with anybody."
"Yeah," Kennara cut in. "You don't work with us, so much is clear. And who doesn't work with out, works against us."
Cosmo made a step back, trying to get out of the girl's way as affirmative murmur rose around him. He stumbled against one of the Underdogs who was standing behind him. He got shoved forwards, stumbled again and almost fell. He tried to catch the eyes of one or another of the gang members, but he didn't see any sympathy. They might not know what he had done, but if their leader said Cosmo was a traitor, they would do whatever he wanted them to do.
"I would never betray you, Star," he pleaded with the gang's leader.
"Yeah, right. And I'm supposed to take you up just on your word."
"I swear it."
Star slowly shook his head. "I'm sorry, Cosmo, this is just not good enough." He slapped the short metal pipe he was holding in one hand into the palm of the other.
On an invisible command of their leader, the Underdogs moved in on their pray.

* * *

Vega pulled up the car close to the Express, allowing the vehicle to settle down on its wheels.
"You're sure you don't want me to come in with you for a drink?" he asked his passenger once again.
Ace only shook his head. "I'm okay. Thanks for the offer, Derek. But I'd rather be alone."
He opened the car door and got out. Then he freed Zina from the back seat. The black panther slipped out, stretching herself after her confinement. Ace leaned inside once more, smiling at Vega.
"Thanks for giving us a lift. I'll call you tomorrow."
"Don't stay up too long," Vega said in ways of good-bye.
"Don't worry, 'mom'," Ace jested. "I'll be all right."
Vega hesitated only for a second, then he closed the door, restarting the car. Ace watched him pull away, then he turned to the Express' side door.
The huge train sat in the darkness, a single light over the entrance the only illumination. The Express was waiting for him to come home, but Ace hesitated.
Home. The Express was his home, had been his home for the last two years. It had everything he needed. Thanks to Angel, he could get into contact with every place in the world. He had over two hundred channels he could tap into. There were books and all forms of entertainment.
And there was nobody else.
All of the sudden the Express seemed to be empty, and he almost hesitated to go in there alone. Yes, there was Zina, but ultimately she was just a pet, not a person.
He almost turned around, calling Vega back, but with an effort of will, he stopped himself. Instead, he stepped up to the entrance.
"Zina," he called out to the panther when he noticed the big black cat was not at his side. He allowed his eyes to travel over the dark train yard he had acquired two years ago from the city to park the Express and store some things and materials. Stacks of wood, still left over from before he had bought the grounds, blocked the sight further into the lot. The light illuminating the area around the Express didn't reach far, particularly in that rain.
"Zina," he called out once again, as he activated the torch on the tip of his staff, casting the light around.
Though Zina was a not exactly a house cat - ignoring for once the fact that most pussy cats didn't come in sixty-five pound packages anyway - she usually obeyed his voice. However, she was still a wild animal, as much as she normally behaved like just another member of the family. For her not coming when Ace called, was a reason to worry.
A flash of black alerted Ace of movement on the other end of the yard, close to where the tunnels were. Wrapping his cape closer around him to ward off the all-penetrating rain, he followed the panther, gripping his staff tightly.
For some reasons he refrained from calling the panther again, just followed her, as she moved past the tunnels and off the grounds. He knew he should get her under control as soon as possible, that if somebody found out he was allowing to let his panther roam freely, he might get into trouble, however something told him he should allow her to go where she was going.
He had fallen into a light trod in order not to lose sight of Zina, when he heard the noise. A muffled bang, almost like a gun shot from far away. But this sound didn't come from a distance; it was close, very close. And there were voices, loud and angry voices.
He rounded a corner and almost stopped.
In the flickering light of an old street lamp, a group of maybe a dozen kids with similar jackets were gathered around something on the ground. They were holding sticks and short pipes, using them to beat the body in their midst. As one of the kids moved a little bit to the side, a flash of red hair alerted Ace of the identity of the poor victim.
Cosmo.
Oh God!
He acted, not questioning how it was possible that the boy who he had desperately tried to locate for the last week, was here, now. Not even once he doubted it was actually Cosmo.
"Hey, stop that!" he called out, as he raced towards the group.
Zina was there before him. With an angry roar, the large cat leaped into the middle of the fray. She landed on one of the boys, pushing him to the ground, making the others scatter like leaves in the wind. One look at the raving panther was enough, and they were gone. Allowing the boy she had tackled to get up again, she showed him her impressive teeth. The boy didn't need a second prodding and was gone before the magician reached the group.
"Cosmo, oh no."
Ignoring the fleeing children, Ace went to his knees at Cosmo's side. The boy was curled up into a tight ball, his blood covered arms wrapped protectively around his head. There was blood everywhere, tinting the rain-covered street with a red stream.
For a moment, Ace feared he was too late, as Cosmo wasn't moving at all. Carefully, he reached out, touching the boy at the shoulder. When the boy flinched, he didn't really know if he should feel relieved his worst fear hadn't come true, or if should be worried at the boy's condition.
"Cosmo?" he called the boy gently by his name.
There was no reaction, as the rain continued to beat down on them uncaringly.
Zina, who had given up her chase of the other kids, returned to the boy and the magician, moving slowly closer to the body on the ground. From the very first moment the black panther had taken a special interest in the boy who had broken into the Express, treating him almost like she would treat a cub. The one night Cosmo had spent at the Express, she had slept in his room, being particularly protective. The boy had taken to her as well, allowing her close, even when he kept his distance to the magician.
Now she sniffed at Cosmo's hair, her golden eyes showing how unhappy she was about the smell of blood on it.
Ace sighed. "Be careful, Zina, he's hurt. I have to take him to a hospital."
Lifting his wrist com to his lips, he was just about to call an ambulance, when Cosmo suddenly stirred.
"Please, no hospital."
The voice was weak, tinted with pain, but the plea was clear. Grey eyes looked at Ace, one of them already halfway swollen.
"No, Cosmo, you have to go to a hospital. I can't tell how much you are hurt. There might be something broken."
"Nothing's broken," Cosmo insisted, as he was slowly uncurling, wincing at every miniscule movement. "I'll be fine."
Ace's eyes widened. Cosmo looked anything but fine. There were cuts and bruises all over his body. He was bleeding from a head wound, a nasty gash over his left eye, blood dripping still even as he tried to get on his feet.
"Will you stay down!" Ace commanded, but noticed with despair that the boy didn't obey and actually managed to get up.
"I can't go to the hospital," Cosmo insisted once more, swaying like a leaf in the wind. "Please," he added, his eyes fixed on Ace's.
Right there and then, Ace knew he had lost the battle. Even if he wanted to - and, boy, did he want it - he couldn't refuse Cosmo's request.
Suppressing a deep sigh which threatened to rise, he nodded. "Okay, no hospital. Will you at least allow me to get you into the Express, to clean you up?"
"No hospital?"
"No hospital. I promise."
"Good," Cosmo said. Then whatever strength he had used to get himself onto his feet left him, and he crumbled to the ground, only to be caught at the last moment by Ace.

* * *

Cosmo looked lost inside the large guest bed. He was sleeping, but far from peacefully. He had woken once, shortly, when Ace had undressed him and begun to clean the wounds. But the magician hadn't had the impression the boy was even aware of where he was and what was happening to him. He had fought him for every inch, but succumbing in the end to the darkness that pulled him down, freeing him from the pain, at least for a little while.
Right now Cosmo was running a low fever. What was visible of his body was covered in cuts and bruises, the dark spots standing out in angry contrast. After washing away the blood from his young charge's face, the wound on the forehead hadn't looked as bad as in the beginning, and he hoped it wouldn't require any stitching. As he had given his promise, he couldn't bring Cosmo to a hospital to have a doctor look at the wound. So he taped the wound shut and hoped for the best.
The rest of Cosmo's body hadn't fared much better. Cuts and bruises everywhere, all over his legs and the too thin midsection, where the rips stood out in sharp relief. The arms looked the worst though, as Cosmo had used them to cover his head, one bruise sitting right next to another. Careful probing with his fingertips hadn't revealed any broken bones, however Ace would have loved to get the boy inside an X-ray machine to make sure. Internal wounds were also a distinct possibility, but again there was no way for him to find out.
Though Angel had an extensive software library on medical science, so far Ace hadn't thought it necessary to add any diagnostic equipment to the computer's hardware - an oversight he planned to rectify as soon as possible.
As Ace had been caring for the boy, he had forced his mind to concentrate on his task, not dwelling on what had happened and what was going to be.
Now, as that task was over, he had nothing left to do but to think.
Sitting in the darkened room, he watched Cosmo sleeping restlessly.
What was he to do?
There was so little he knew about Cosmo. At the same time, he had the feeling he already knew the boy very well, almost as if he had known him for all his life.
There was no denying a certain similarity in their paths in life. Like Cosmo, Ace had joined a gang when he was a teen, though he had been a couple of years older than Cosmo was now. He had used his skills to gain a place where he could belong, though his main reason had been love for Mona, and he doubted love had been the reason Cosmo had joined the Underdogs. He was still a little young for that.
Now, his life's path has taken a turn to the better - all thanks to a certain Detective Vega who had taken an interest in him and had helped him to get out of the gang before it was too late. After learning of his magic - and surprisingly accepting it - Derek had brought him to the house of a woman who trained those with talents like his, and the rest, as they like to say, was history.
One helping hand, held out at a crucial point in time, and everything had changed.
Cosmo's future wasn't written yet. However, there was no denying the fact that right now and right here, was a crucial point in Cosmo's life. Was Ace here to hold out the helping hand for Cosmo and change his path into the future?
Yes!
The answer came from deep within him, from the very center of his being, and there was no doubt, not hesitation. He didn't know why, and he didn't know how, he simply knew something had brought them together, and no matter what, it was a good - the right - thing.
A whispered moan brought Ace's attention back to the bed and the boy sleeping there.
"No, no, no."
Ace rose from his chair and stepped closer, reaching out to touch Cosmo's forehead, but held himself back a the last moment. So far, Cosmo hadn't exactly reacted positively to his touch.
Cosmo tossed around, pulling out his arms from underneath the covers. He lifted them in a warding gesture.
"Please, no!" A frightened scream.
Ace thought his heart was about to break. Cosmo sounded to utterly scared and so lost, all at the same time.
"Dad, no."
A cold, fiery fury rose inside of Ace. He had suspected it. Somehow, he had known it had to be Cosmo's father the boy was so afraid of. But suspecting something and actually hearing the proof, were two totally different things. Now he had the proof, and only with calling on all of his will power, he refrained from storming out of the Express, to blow the bastard to kingdom come. How could somebody make his own child fear him so much? How?
"Cosmo, please calm down." Ace pitched his voice as soothingly as he could.
Cosmo's face was a mask of fear; his eyes squeezed shut tightly, tears running down his cheeks.
"Cosmo, please." Now Ace was begging. "Please calm down."
However, the nightmare held Cosmo tightly in his clutches. His arm flailing around, he almost pushed off a water glass from the nightstand, missing it only by a few inches.
Suppressing a muttered curse, Ace moved the glass out of Cosmo's range. He *had* to wake the boy up. Before he hurt himself.
"Cosmo!" He commanded loudly, his voice firm.
Gray eyes flew open, staring around for a moment without really seeing anything, before focusing on Ace's face.
"Sorry to wake you up, Cosmo, but you had a nightmare," Ace explained.
Cosmo's eyes wandered around, taking in the surroundings. When he recognized the Express' guestroom, he relaxed gradually.
"What...?" he asked, as he tried to lever himself into a sitting position. An attempt, which was cut short when his numerous bruises made themselves known with a vengeance. With a barely suppressed moan, he sank back into the pillows at his back.
"How do you feel?" Ace asked, concern evident in his voice.
Cosmo seemed to give the question a careful consideration. His eyes fluttered shut, and Ace thought he might have gone back to sleep, when he opened them again.
"I've been better."
"Can you move your fingers, your toes?" Ace had to be sure nothing was broken, and suddenly he remembered doctors often asked questions like that.
There was some movement underneath the thin blanket and a barely noticeable nod.
"Yes."
"What about headache? Any localized pain?"
A slight shake of the boy's head, however Ace suspected Cosmo hadn't answered totally truthful about the headache, when the negative was accompanied by a hiss from behind tightly pressed lips.
"You're up for something to drink?"
Another head shake.
"Do you remember what happened, Cosmo?"
Cosmo didn't answer.
"Cosmo," Ace attempted to draw Cosmo's attention, however the boy seemed suddenly to be more interested in the ceiling than in the magician.
Ace suppressed a sigh.
"Cosmo, we have to talk about this," Ace tried again, with equally little success.
After a minute watching Cosmo staring at the ceiling, Ace *did* sigh.
"Okay, we can talk in the morning."
Hesitating in the doorway, Ace looked back at the boy in the bed. Cosmo had turned to his side, looking away from Ace, the curve of his back a defiant wall.
Ace wondered if he would find any sleep this night.

* * *

Cosmo awoke disorientated. For a moment, he didn't know where he was, then he remembered he was in the Express' guestroom.
Once again.
It seemed he was making a habit out of it.
A habit he could get used to, if he had to be honest.
Lazing for a moment in the softness of the pillows and the fact he was actually in a bed with clean sheets, he almost could forget his aches.
All things considered, he wasn't feeling too bad. Physically, he didn't feel much worse than the one time his father had beaten him so badly his left arm had broken in two places. His father had taken him to the hospital that time, claiming he had fallen down the stairs, daring Cosmo to refute the lie. Cosmo thought that somebody at the hospital had suspected something that day, but nobody had acted on it. With his father close by, he hadn't dared to say a word, too afraid of what might happen if he found out. The people in the hospital wouldn't have believed him anyway. Adults never did.
Pushing himself up into a halfway sitting position, he couldn't suppress a heartfelt moan, when each and every bruise on his body let itself be known.
Inhaling deeply, he fought the dizziness which suddenly tried to overwhelm him. The room began to dance wildly around him. His stomach cramped, trying to expel food, which wasn't there. His head seemed to explode.
"Okay, bad idea," he muttered to himself, as he fell back into the soft embrace of the pillows.
Closing his eyes, he tried short and even breaths, until his stomach had settled down again, and the headache receded to an almost bearable level.
Damn, what was he to do?
Cosmo knew he had to get away from here. Though Cooper had kept his promise not to take him to a hospital, he didn't know how far he could trust the magician, particularly if he should ever find out about the man who had been killed yesterday.
However, as he wasn't even able to sit up without the urge to puke his guts out and walking was definitely beyond his abilities right now, there wasn't much he could do.
Damn.
He hated to be dependent on anybody.
A soft knock pulled him out of his dark, brooding thoughts.
For a second he was confused why Cooper would knock at the door instead of just entering the room. This was his home after all. Then Cosmo realized the older man was just polite, respecting his privacy. Something nobody had done so far in his life.
A strange revelation and he would need some time to sort through it. Time he didn't have right now.
"Cosmo, is it okay for me to come in?"
He wondered what Cooper would do if he wouldn't answer. How long would he wait? Would he knock again? Just enter without his permission? Or go away again? Closing his eyes, he was tempted to wait and see, but then decided against it.
"I'm awake," he called out, just loud enough to be heard.
The door slid aside and the tall man entered the room, carrying a tray. Cosmo noticed with surprise Cooper was wearing the same type of clothing he had worn the last two times he had seen him, though for once he had let go of the cape. He could understand Cooper had to wear eveningwear for his show, but there was no real reason for him to do so in his home. With the tray, he kind of looked like a waiter in a fancy restaurant.
Cosmo almost had to giggle. Didn't that guy have any casual clothing?
"Good morning, Cosmo. How are you feeling?" Cooper asked, smiling at him.
Cosmo found he reacted to that smile with one of his own in return.
"I'm alive," he answered. "I think."
Cooper stepped closer and sat the tray down. He sighed softly, then pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down.
"Cosmo, I really would like it if you would allow me to get you to a hospital," he said quietly, searching to make eye contact.
"NO!"
Cosmo didn't think, he reacted. Scrambling away from the magician, he bumped into the headboard, before sudden dizziness stopped him again, and he had to hold onto the board in order not to topple over. Again, the room did its crazy dance.
Hands reached out to him, and once again he was back in his room at home, his father grabbing him, pulling him out of his hiding place in the closet, readying his belt, he face above him, his stinking breath in his face.
"Nononononono," was all he could whimper.
However, the beating never came, and the hands receded on their own accord.
A soft voice spoke to him, urging him to calm down, apologizing, pleading. Instinctively Cosmo reacted to that gentle voice and its calming effect, and finally the nightmare dissolved, leaving behind the Express' guest room and an extremely concerned looking Ace Cooper.
"I'm sorry, Cosmo, I'm really sorry. If you don't want to go to a hospital, it's okay. I won't hurt you, I promise. Please calm down. Please," something akin to desperation had slipped into the older man's voice.
As the shadow of his father vanished, leaving behind a bitter taste in his mouth, Cosmo calmed down. Breathing heavily, he slid down into the bed, instinctively clutching a pillow tightly to his chest. He wiped away a tear which had found its way down his cheek. His whole body hurt, though he couldn't say if it was from yesterday's beating, or because of something else.
"I'm sorry, Cosmo," Cooper repeated, gingerly sitting down again in his chair, creating some distance between them, and Cosmo was grateful for it.
Cosmo gulped, still tasting the bitter bile in his mouth. He burrowed his cheek in the pillow, accepting its cool touch.
"No hospital. I've promised." Cooper didn't look happy about it.
Cosmo almost felt sorry for him. If he only could explain. If he would go to a hospital, they would have to call his father or the cops, and he didn't know which one of the two options was the worse.
Finally Cosmo had calmed down enough that he thought he could trust his voice again. He looked at Cooper.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"Don't thank me, Cosmo. I would be much happier, if you would go to a hospital," he said, holding up his hand, when Cosmo opened his mouth to protest. "Here I have no way to find out if you have anything broken, or if you have any internal injuries. But as I promised you, I won't do it."
"Why?" Cosmo asked softly.
"Why what?" the magician asked somewhat puzzled.
"Why do you keep a promise you've given me? You don't know me after all. I'm just a street kid."
Cooper narrowed his eyes for a moment. "To me it doesn't matter to whom I give a promise. I have given it, and I will keep it," he explained matter of factly. "Besides, you are not 'just a street kid'."
Now Cosmo was curious. "Why not?"
Cooper smiled. "There is no such thing as 'just a street kid'. I already know you are very good with computers, for example. Also, last week you had the chance to get away with Angel's files without me even knowing, but instead you left them behind. A 'street kid' wouldn't do such a thing."
Well, Cooper had him there. He had left the disk he had managed to pull from the Express' computer behind, feeling it was simply wrong to steal the data after Cooper had treated him so nicely. All things considered, he would have saved himself a lot of trouble if he had taken the files. Star would have taken him in as a full member. Star wouldn't have had any reason to doubt his loyalties. And he certainly wouldn't have had to run away from the Underdogs.
Still, it would have been wrong.
Damn.
Cooper watched him closely, but didn't say a word. When Cosmo kept still as well, he rose and reached for the tray he had placed on the small bedside table.
"Are you hungry? Thirsty?" he asked, pointing out some orange juice and a plate with toast and jam. "I don't have much to eat here at the moment, but Angel could order something, anything, if you want."
Cosmo wasn't very hungry, the memory of how he had almost puked - would have puked if there would have been something in his stomach - still fresh. But he was thirsty, very thirsty.
Slowly, very slowly, watching every second the nausea to rise again, he levered himself into a sitting position. Cooper watched him with anguish in his eyes, posed almost as if he was ready to leap forward in order to help him, but holding himself back with a great control of will.
Cosmo was glad for it, as he wasn't sure how he would react if Cooper would get too close. Though Cooper had treated him with nothing but kindness so far, he was still an adult. Cosmo's mind had kind of accepted by now there was nothing he had to fear from the magician, but it was hard for him break the conditioning he had had to endured for the last couple of years.
Finally he sat upright, his back propped up against some pillows. Though there was some squeeziness, it never was so bad he had to stop.
"Something to drink, please."
Cooper held out the glass.
The cool liquid felt wonderful to his dried out throat and he wished there would be more, when he returned it to Cooper.
"Thank you," he said instead. He didn't want to be more of a burden than he was already.
Cooper returned the glass to the tray. For a moment, it looked like he didn't know what he should do next. He turned a little, almost as if he was about to go back to the door, but then he turned back to Cosmo.
"Cosmo," he said, accompanied by a sigh. "We have to talk."
He sat down again.
Oh god, shot through Cosmo's mind. This is it. Now he's going to throw me out. I knew it. I just knew it. This couldn't last forever.
Somehow, it escaped him that not too long ago, he wanted to get away himself.
Cooper leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his fingers steepled before him.
"I know what happened yesterday. I know about the murder."
Cooper might as well have thrown a bomb. Cosmo could only stare at him, his mouth agape, but no sound coming out.
"After you left last week," Cooper continued, his voice flat and devoid of emotion, "I searched for information on you. A friend of mine, who's working with the police, gave me your file. And last night, before I found you, he told me you're wanted by the police in relations of the murder of David Jennings. The police found your fingerprints at the scene of the crime and really would like to talk with you."
Cosmo got all numb. That was it. He was dead. Dead and forgotten. Cooper would tell his friend, he would tell the police, and the police would arrest him, and he would go to prison.
Cooper's eyes now were fixed on a spot just above Cosmo's left shoulder.
"Cosmo, I can and will hide you here as long as you want. I will not tell the police or anybody where you are. All I want in return is that you tell me the truth."
His gaze moved back to Cosmo's eyes and he looked at him intensively.
"I'm sure you have nothing to do with Jennings' murder. You are not a murderer. But I need to know the truth." The last was spoken with a calm intensity.
Cosmo's mind was awhirl. Here was Cooper, knowing what had happened, knowing he was wanted by the police, and still he offered him a place to stay, a place to hide.
And he said the first word, which came to his mind.
"But I did kill him."

Ace's eyes widened, as Cosmo admitted in a flat voice that he had killed Jennings. He boy was pressed against the pile of cushions at his back, still clutching one of them against his chest. He had lowered his eyes, staring into nothingness.
No, Cosmo was no killer. He didn't - couldn't - believe it. This was simply not possible.
Forcing himself to breathe evenly, he fought to get his hammering heart back under control. He couldn't loose control. Not now. He wanted to grab the boy, shake him, force him to tell what had really happened, but he knew doing so would be the worst thing he could do. Most likely it would send Cosmo back into one of those panic attacks which wouldn't be very conductive for finding the truth.
He swallowed.
"Cosmo, you can't mean that. You're telling me you actually *killed* Jennings?"
Cosmo looked aside, avoiding eye contact. Then his gaze flickered back to the magician's face. He inhaled deeply.
"No," he admitted. "I didn't actually shoot that man. Star did. But he did it to save my life."
Ace thought a boulder just had been lifted off is chest. Cosmo hadn't killed Jennings. He hadn't done it.
There was no doubt in his mind that Cosmo said the truth.
"He did it to save you?" he gently probed further.
"We broke into this house, thinking nobody was there. But this guy was there and he showed up with a gun. Star only shot because he threatened me. "
I bet that's what this Star guy told Cosmo.
"Cosmo, this doesn't mean *you* killed him. Star did. He pulled the trigger. Not you."
"But I might have as well. He did it to save me," he stubbornly repeated once more, almost like a mantra.
Ace wanted to scream. Why was that boy so stubborn? Cosmo hadn't killed Jennings. It wasn't his fault. He only had to get that idea into his thick head.
"Did you pull the trigger?" he probed.
"No! But..."
"Did you tell Star to pull the trigger?" Ace asked now, ignoring Cosmo's protest.
"No!"
"Did you want Jennings to die?"
"No! But..."
"Cosmo," Ace said, cutting off once again Cosmo's protest, "Star killed that man. He might have said he did it to save you, but ultimately he did it to save himself, nobody else. It is no your fault!"
He accented every word of the last sentence, trying to drive the message home.
Cosmo opened his mouth once more, possibly to protest again, but shut it before he could say a thing. Ace almost could see how the idea was taking hold.
Tears swam in his large eyes, threatening to spill over, and Ace felt the sudden urge to gather the boy into his arms and hold him tight. He knew he couldn't do it, knew Cosmo wouldn't react too well, but the urge was there nevertheless, though he didn't really know where this feeling was coming from.
"He still died," Cosmo whispered, his voice close to breaking. He turned over, away from Ace, clutching his pillow. His shoulders and his back began to shake uncontrollably. Muffled sobs emitted from the body.
"I know," Ace sighed. "I know."
Again, he wanted to reach out, to comfort, and again he held himself back. Instead, he gathered up the tray and left the room.

* * *

"You have done *what*?"
Derek Vega basically leaped out of his chair, staring at Ace with wide eyes. For a moment, he hovered in a half sitting, half standing position, before dropping back into the easy chair behind him. With his hands he helplessly gestured at Ace.
"He was hurt. I had to help him." Ace only grinned, projecting innocence on the actually target of Derek's question. He had kind of expected this reaction from his oldest friend. Actually, he would have been surprised if Derek Vega had reacted differently. He would have preferred to keep Cosmo's presence in the Express a secret, but he needed Vega's support in what he was planning, and so he had to tell him at least part of the facts.
"But you didn't take him to the hospital, and you didn't inform the police. You know we're looking for him." Derek stabbed an accusing finger in Ace's direction.
"I promised him not to take him to a hospital," Ace stated matter of factly.
"From what you told me, he could have been seriously been hurt. What about broken bones, internal injuries, infections? He could have died."
Ace sighed, remembering his own concerns from last night. He hadn't liked it back then, but as he had given his promise, there was not much he could have done. He had told himself, he'd take Cosmo to medical aid if his condition deteriorated, promise given or not. He valued his honor, but not at the expense of a boy's life. Particularly if the boy in question was Cosmo. He knew he would have lost any chance to be accepted by the youngster, but there were things more important than that.
"He did not die. He's fine," he defended himself, knowing how weak it sounded.
Derek just gave him a look, but decided to drop the topic.
"Where is he?"
"In the guest room. He's sleeping."
It had been two hours since his talk with Cosmo. The boy had fallen asleep shortly after he had left the room. Angel was keeping an eye on him and would alert him as soon as he would wake up again. That was how he had learned Cosmo had woken up the first time.
"Good," Derek said, rising again, this time for good. He turned and started to walk into the guest room's direction.
Ace leaped up from the couch, intercepting Derek before he reached the door of the living room / library.
"Where are you going?" he asked, knowing fully well what Derek's target was.
"What do you think? I have to talk to the boy."
"I've told you, he's sleeping."
Derek stepped back, glaring at Ace.
"You know fully well there's an APB out on the boy. Damn, it was I who told you about it. And the next thing you do is picking him off the street and hiding him here. What were you thinking? Actually, were you thinking at all?"
"Derek," Ace cut through Derek's words. "He is hurt. He's in no position to talk to the police."
"Then, why the hell, did you tell *me*. Ace, in case you've forgotten, I'm with the police. I just can't ignore something like this. Damnit, you are walking a very thin line, Ace."
Still glaring, he allowed himself to be pushed back into the living room and into his chair.
"What the heck do you want?"
"Derek, I do need your help."
Ace also had lowered himself back into his seat. For a moment, an uneasy quiet settled between the old friends. Derek still didn't look too happy, and Ace was only a short step away from fidgeting.
Then Derek Vega sighed deeply.
"Okay," he said resigned. "What is it?"
"Cosmo knows who killed Jennings. He was there, witnessed the whole thing. If I can get him to stand witness against the killer, can you help me to keep out Cosmo of the whole mess as much as possible?"
"Who's the killer?" Vega asked, all business now.
Ace hesitated for a second. This wasn't really his to pass on. But he knew Derek needed something, and he needed more than just some vague information. He closed his eyes for a second, then looked at Derek.
"It's Star."
"The leader from the Underdogs?"
Ace just nodded.
A speculative expression appeared on Derek's face. Ace knew how much the cops wanted to get their hands on the gang leader. If they could get him and had a witness to put him behind bars, they might pull some favors with the attorney's office.
At least that's what he hoped.
"And Cosmo is willing to give testimony for that?"
Ace lowered his head.
"Well, it really hasn't come up until know," he admitted with a little shrug of his right shoulder and a small grin.
"And already you've come to me with a deal?" Derek said, his tone of voice halfway between a question and an accusation.
"Derek, you are the only one I can trust with this."
Clear gray eyes looked pleadingly. Derek lowered his own eyes and nodded with an only barely suppressed sigh. He knew he wouldn't be able to resist Ace in that.
"What about the father? Cosmo is a minor, and he'll have to be involved in this," Derek pointed out.
"No!" Ace said with conviction. "He will not be involved. I've told you, this man has mistreated his son, abused him. If he's involved, Cosmo will not say a word."
"And how will you prevent it after that? You'd have to be his guardian to do that."
Guardian. What a thought. One Ace couldn't follow right now.
"If it's what it takes, I'll do it. The least I can do is speak for Cosmo in court. If Cosmo agrees, this can be done."
"Ace!" Derek said warningly.
"I will not bring Cosmo's father into this!" Ace's tone of voice made clear that's all there was about it. He would not involve Cosmo's father. No way.
Derek sighed. He knew Ace well enough by now to know when he had to stop pushing.
"Okay, I'll see what I can do."
He glanced at his wristwatch and rose.
"I've gotta go now. Lunch break's over."
Ace rose as well.
"Thank you, Derek," he said, as he accompanied his friend to the Express' exit.
"Don't thank me yet. I can't tell you what I will be able to do."
At the exit, he turned once again to Ace, giving him an serious look.
"Ace, I hope you haven't bitten off more than you can chew. You know almost nothing about this boy. I can not help being worried."
"Worry wort," Ace replied with a teasing grin. But then he grew serious as well.
"Yes, I don't know much about Cosmo. But doing this..." he hesitated shortly in search of the right words, "this just feels right. Here." He hit his fist against his chest, just where his heart was. "I have to do it. It is the right thing to do."
Derek hesitated for a moment as if lost in thoughts. Then he sighed once more, as he placed his hand on Ace's arm, pressing gently.
"Just don't tell me later, I haven't warned you."
Ace inclined his head, hiding a grin.
"Thank you for you help. And ... thank you for being a friend."

* * *

For the next couple of hours nothing happened. Cosmo was asleep, and Ace thought it was for the best, as this way the boy had the best chances to heal. Though Angel was still keeping an eye on him - an electronic one of course - Ace had checked in on him several times, finding him sleeping peacefully. If there had been any bad dreams while he hadn't been there, he didn't know, as Angel wasn't programmed to detect something like that. On occasions like this one, Ace wished there was a way to make Angel more intelligent. She already was a fairly sophisticated computer by today's standards, but she had her limits.
As Cosmo didn't need him, there was not much he could do, and so he went to the mundane tasks of cleaning up the Express. Though he certainly had money enough to afford a cleaning service, he despised the thought of strangers coming into his home, sticking their noses into his affairs. Besides, cleaning up once a week helped him to clear his thoughts. Usually he got his best ideas for the show while he was vacuuming - something that better never got out to any of his fans. The only task he despised with a passion was doing the laundry and luckily this could be done out of house.
As usually Zina had fled after he had taken the vacuum out of the cabinet it was stored. The large cat hated the machine and made herself sparse whenever Ace used it.
It was Monday and there would be no show until the evening of the next day. Ace was glad about it, as this gave him the chance to sort things out with Cosmo.
Cosmo.
What was he to do about the boy?
Coming to Cosmo's rescue last night had been pure instinct. Naturally, he would have come to help of anybody who had been in a situation like this. But taking him into his home like that and standing by that promise not to take him to the hospital, had been more than he would have done for just anybody.
He was aware of a constant, pressing urge to take care of Cosmo, protect him. An urge he couldn't quite explain, even to himself. As he had told Derek, it was something he had to do, something that was simply right. It didn't really need an explanation - though it would be nice to have one, as he had to admit to himself with a grin, as he was chasing a dust bunny into a particularly tricky corner.
Still, all that didn't solve the problem of Cosmo and what he was to do with the boy.
Fact was, the police searched for Cosmo. So far, the police didn't know where he was, and Derek wouldn't tell anyone. Ace could trust him in that. But ultimately he couldn't hide Cosmo here forever.
He also couldn't send Cosmo back out onto the streets. If the police didn't get him, Star's gang certainly would. Ace had no doubt on the identity of the group who had beaten Cosmo. The emblems on their jackets had pretty clearly stated their origin. A second time Cosmo wouldn't be so lucky - if anybody could call what happened to him luck to begin with. Next time, they would kill him.
No, this issue had to be resolved and Cosmo had to come out of it in the clear. And this meant, Cosmo had to act as witness against Star. This was the only way to wash his name clean.
Ace switched off the vacuum and put it back into the storage cabinet, pulling out a duster in turn. Slowly he began to work his way up to the second level bookcases.
Derek had been right. For Cosmo to act as a crown witness, he would need somebody of legal age at his side. From all the information Ace had read so far, and from Cosmo's reaction, he doubted Cosmo's father would be willing. Let alone that Cosmo wouldn't accept him there.
Though there were one or two other possibilities, the idea for himself to act as Cosmo's guardian was by far the best. And not only because it would help to get Star what he deserved. No, it also would solve the problem what do to with Cosmo when everything was over.
Being Cosmo's guardian.
Ace approached the idea carefully, looking at it from all sides. He knew it would be a lot of responsibility, as he was nobody who took something like that lightly. It would mean Cosmo would live with him in the Express, that he had to take care of his education and also of all the troubles a growing teenager was prone to run into. Cosmo would be around him almost twenty-four hours a day, going with him on tours. It would mean to share secrets nobody knew about.
And it also would mean sooner or later he would have to tell Cosmo about his powers.
Ace's train of thoughts stopped. There were only a handful people in the world who knew that what he could do was more than simply stage magic. Much more. He was a real Magician. He could call on the Forces of Magic, tap into their power and do things which were downright impossible. He didn't do it all too often and only in dire emergencies, but still...
Being whom he was, doing what he could do, set him apart from everybody else. Most people would fear him for his powers. Though Derek sometimes thought he was taking his talent too lightly, trying not hard enough to hide them, quite the opposite was true. After all, this had been one of the main reasons he had walked down that particular career path. Becoming a world famous stage magician had enabled him to hide his talent in plain sight. It was impossible for him not to do Magic if it was called for. But as a famous stage magician, everything he did was explained away with it being a trick, a part of his show. It had worked every time so far.
Now, could he trust somebody else, particularly a thirteen-year-old kid, with that knowledge? And how would Cosmo react to something like that? He couldn't stand the thought of Cosmo fearing him because of the magic.
Ace stopped dusting the books, leaning for a moment against the shelf he had been working on, closing his eyes. Working on a relaxation exercise Anna had taught him, he sought his center, looking there for an answer.
The Magic Force around him stirred, beginning to wake. Ace was surprised, as he hadn't knowingly called on the Magic Force, hadn't expected it to react, but he accepted its touch.
The Magic Force was always around him, a constant companion, ever present. He could call on it, use it, wield it. In the beginning, he had thought the Magic Force was using him, but that wasn't true. It wasn't something really intelligent, though there always was the feeling of some kind of awareness. The way Ace understood it, the Magic Force was a special kind of energy. Only people with a special talent could tap into that energy and use it. How it was used depended solely on the user. It was like fire. Somebody could use it to warm a house or to burn it down. The fire itself was neither good nor evil.
Quickly he walked down the stairs and into the center of the library. There he lowered himself into a cross-legged position, resting his hands lightly on his knees.
He knew if the Magic Force was acting now, it was most likely his sub consciousness speaking. Anna had tried to teach him how he could learn more about himself by channeling his thoughts through the Magic Force, but he never had been very good at it.
But he was willing to give it a try now.
Taking deep, controlled breaths, he relaxed his body, allowing his eyes to slide shut.
He felt the Magic Force, tugging at him, a breeze ruffling his hair, playing with the white lock of hair on the top his head. The touch was cool, impersonal, as always.
Slipping into a light trance, Ace allowed his thoughts to drift, not concentrating on anything in particular.
Somebody laughed close by and surprised, Ace opened his eyes to look. A young man, maybe eighteen years old, was sitting on the couch. A pair of glasses held his fire-red hair back. Over his muscular frame, he was wearing a red, purple and yellow T-shirt, matching a pair of red pants. Ace had no problems to recognize a future version of Cosmo, though this version of Cosmo was as different from the scared boy who was sleeping in the Express' guest room, as light was different from darkness. Grey eyes were sparkling, as Cosmo was talking with his companion, a slightly elder version of Ace himself. Both weren't paying any attention to the Ace sitting in the center of the living room, almost as if he wasn't there. And maybe he wasn't.
Though Ace could hear the conversation, he wasn't paying any attention to it. His eyes were transfixed on Cosmo. This young man was self-confident, knowing who he was and where he was standing in the world. The deep bond the two men shared was almost visible, like gossamer tendrils of light connecting them.
Both men rose gracefully. Still deeply in conversation, the older Ace was putting his arm around Cosmo's shoulder. The younger man accepted the touch, actually leaning slightly into it, as he was listening to something the older Ace said to him.
It looked so right, it almost hurt.
As they were leaving the room, Ace closed his eyes again. He felt the Magic Force receding, leaving him in the here and now. Ace knew he really hadn't traveled into the future, though it had felt pretty real to him. It had been more of a vision.
A vision of how things could be, should be.
Rising again, he walked out of the living room. He had to talk to Cosmo as soon as possible.

* * *

Cosmo was dreaming. He knew he was dreaming, but it didn't matter as for once it was a good dream. Not like most of his dreams recently. Though he usually didn't remember them in any detail, he knew basically what happened, and he always had been glad to wake up - though reality usually wasn't that much better, as he had to admit.
Now, however, he didn't want to wake up. Not this time.
He was flying, free as a bird. Nothing held him, nothing stopped him. He was soaring in the sky, his arms wide. The sky was above him and the Earth far below him. A tiny movement of his left hand, and he was tilting to the right in the beginning of a corkscrew loop. He was laughing, his lungs filling with the fresh air, as the horizon flipped over once, twice, before it leveled of again.
As he looked to his right hand side, he saw he wasn't flying alone. Ace Cooper was at his side, his arms also stretched apart, his cape flapping in the wind like wings. Though Cosmo thought he should feel threatened, he didn't. Cooper was here, and it was right.
Now Cooper turned his head and gifted him with a smile. Cosmo opened his mouth, laughing out loud once again, as he pulled his arms in, changing his trajectory from gliding to falling. Cooper grinned and followed Cosmo's example, plummeting through the air in close pursuit.
Again Cosmo didn't feel threatened, didn't feel afraid. Instead, he knew this was right, this was the way it should be.
Below them, people stood and looked up to them, their faces white spots in a sea of colors. They came closer quickly, as Cosmo and the magician were dropping like stones.
Cosmo could make out individual faces, their eyes wide open, then he stretched out his arms again, arresting his descent. He glided over the people, his passing ruffling hair beneath him.
They were aiming for a cleared off area. A yellow tarp was stretched out, a red emblem in its center. From above it looked like a half mask, a half-face. In the missing half, where the eye would be, a circle held the letter 'M'. Cosmo knew the logo, had seen it before. It was the logo Ace Cooper used in his shows.
They got closer, and light-footed they landed side by side just in the center of the logo.
The applause was deafening.
It was where he wanted to be, where he had to be. It was right.
Slowly Cosmo woke up, the remnants of the dream still lingering. Becoming once again aware where he was, he tried to find out what the dream was telling him. If it in fact was telling him anything at all.
Ace Cooper had been nothing but kind to him. Unlike most adults, he had kept the promise he had given, had taken him seriously. He had offered him food and shelter, and had protected him when he needed him. There was no reason he shouldn't trust him.
Still, he was an adult, and adults couldn't be trusted. That was what he believed, what he had lived by for the last five years.
But during the last five years, he hadn't met anyone like Cooper.
Maybe, just maybe, Cooper was different.
Maybe he *could* be trusted.
Trust. Such a fragile, little thing. So difficult to gain, so easy to break. Something that came so easily to a child, so un-conditionally, with no strings attached. Until it was broken for the first time. And again, and again, and once more. Until it was almost impossible for the child ever to trust again. Cosmo hadn't trusted anybody in such a long time, he wasn't even sure if he still knew how to do it.
Could he really trust Cooper?
Or was it simply he didn't have a choice? Searched for by the police, and the Underdogs, and who knew who else, there was not much he could do by himself.
Cooper had offered to help, offered him protection.
Cosmo had to accept that help if he ever wanted to get out of that mess. There wasn't much else he could do.
But trusting Cooper?
He didn't know if he really could go so far. Not yet, maybe never.
Cosmo was still thinking about what he was going to do, when there was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
The door slid open, and Cooper entered the room. This time he wasn't carrying something, but he was still in his eveningwear. He was all serious, but when he saw Cosmo was awake, he smiled.
"How are you feeling, Cosmo?" he asked, as he approached, pulling the chair closer and sat down.
How was he feeling? Not too bad actually. He was hurting all over his body and he wouldn't be able to run a marathon for the next couple of days. In general, however, it wasn't any worse than how he had been feeling often enough after his father had been through with him. In a way, he was used to the pain, used to ignore it, used to hide it.
Inside he was felling better too. Though he couldn't free himself totally form the guilt he was feeling related to Jennings's death - not yet, maybe never - he saw now it hadn't really been his fault. Star had pulled the trigger of the gun, and he had done so at least as much because he wanted to save his own life, as he had claimed to do it because of saving Cosmo's life.
Pushing himself into a sitting position, he suppressed a moan as his aches made themselves known with a vengeance. At least this time there was no dizziness, and his stomach stayed where it was, without any attempts on its side to expel its content. Not that there was much to expel, as same stomach informed him in no uncertain terms
"Much better, thanks," he told Cooper, meaning his physical as well as his psychological state.
Cooper seemed to pick up on both, as his smile widened, touching his eyes.
"Good," he commented. "You think you're up for something to eat now."
Cosmo just nodded. He wouldn't tell Cooper he was actually ravenous.
"Okay. How about I make you some sandwiches, and you try to get a shower in the meantime?"
This sounded like a very good plan. Cosmo was very much aware he desperately needed to get cleaned up. There was still some blood stuck in his hair and he was feeling sticky all over.
"Thank you, Mr. Cooper," he said, as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed.
"I told you before, you can call me Ace," Cooper remarked, as he was retreating a bit to make room for Cosmo.
Cosmo was about to ignore the remark, as he had done the last time, when he saw Cooper's eyes darken. It seemed it was actually important to him that Cosmo lost some of his formality towards him. Normally Cosmo would ignore something like that. As Cooper was an adult, there was nothing he owed him.
But he *did* owe something to Cooper. His life, maybe even more. There was no denying that.
He lowered his head, than looked up again, noticing the worried glances Cooper cast in his direction, though he was trying to hide them.
Damn, Cooper really was concerned about him. About him, Cosmo. It was real.
Suddenly a warmth suffused him, filling him all the way down to the center of his soul. Somebody cared about him. Honestly cared. Something, which hadn't happened to him in a very long time. A far too long time.
Cosmo gulped, feeling a lump rise in his throat. In a moment, he would break out in tears.
Pushing himself off the bed, he fairly launched himself towards the bathroom. He didn't trust his voice enough to even give an apology to Cooper - no Ace. It would need some time to get used to that.

Ace watched multiple emotions rush across Cosmo's face, too fast to identify each and everyone. Cosmo's lower lip quivered, and for a moment the boy looked as if he would start to cry. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, he made a dash for the safety of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
The magician was tempted to follow Cosmo inside, but then decided to wait. Cosmo needed some time alone.
And he needed something to eat.
With a sigh, Ace left the room and went for the kitchen to prepare some sandwiches.
He was back fifteen minutes later, carrying a tray with a glass of milk and half a dozen sandwiches. The guest room was empty and for a moment fear flashed through Ace that something had happened to Cosmo while he had been in the bathroom. He was about to check for himself, when he heard the sound of the shower running, only to be switched off a moment later.
A weight lifted off his chest, and he almost had to grin. It was strange how this boy managed to evoke such strong feelings in him. Something like that had never happened to Ace, and to be honest, he wasn't too sure how he should cope with it.
Just then, Cosmo left the bathroom, still toweling his hair. He was wearing a pair of jeans, which had been in his backpack and a T-shirt. Both pieces of clothing were a little bit too small, but they were, as Ace knew very well, the only two wearable items Cosmo had had left. He had to see to it that Cosmo soon got something better to wear.
"Hi Cosmo," he greeted the teenager. The boy looked much better now after the shower. All traces of blood were gone and some of the tension also seemed to have left the young body. On his bare arms the bruises stood out in sharp relief, and Ace had to wince when he saw them, knowing fully well, how much more the clothing was hiding.
The boy barely acknowledged Ace's presence and made a beeline for the food. He sat down on the edge of the bed and reached for the first sandwich, when he seemed to notice Ace watching him. Stopping in mid-movement, he let his hand hover only inches away from form its target as if frozen. His eyes widened, and for a moment Ace feared Cosmo might go into another one of his panic attacks, afraid he might think he did something wrong. But then Cosmo pulled himself together.
"I'm sorry, ... Ace." There was a second of hesitation before Cosmo said the name, but the small smile, which accompanied it, made more than up for that.
"Go on," Ace said, indicating the laid out food. It felt good hearing Cosmo say his name. It felt right. The way it should be.
Cosmo didn't need a second invitation and dug in.
Ace leaned back in his chair and watched Cosmo eat. At least the boy had a healthy appetite. He would need it to work on filling out his lean frame. Ace was aware that teenagers of a certain age tended to be rather slim, but Cosmo was beyond that. He was simply far too thin. Well, regular feeding should do the trick, Ace thought with a grin.
Ace was immensely relieved there didn't seem to be any negative aftereffects of yesterday's beating. Though Cosmo was moving carefully, wincing once in a while when a particular move reminded him of his bruises, there didn't seem to be something worse than that. Given time he should heal without any lasting effects.
Soon Cosmo had worked his way through the last of the sandwiches and also made short work of the glass of milk. Ace gave him another minute, then he leaned forward in his seat, elbows on his knees, his hands folded before him.
He was just about to initiate the conversation, when Cosmo opened his mouth.
"Mr. Coo... Ace, I think I need your help," he said, looking down at the ground before him.
Yes! Ace was only a second away from pumping his fist in triumph. To have Cosmo come forward and being willing to talk, asking for help, was a huge success.
Ace smiled. "I told you before, I'm willing to help wherever I can."
Cosmo looked up. He sighed. "I know. It's just, I'm not really sure, how anybody could help me."
"Cosmo, I've been thinking. I believe the only way is that you have to go to the police. Tell them the truth, tell them Star did it. If you act as a witness, you should get off relatively easy. You have done nothing wrong, after all."
"No!" Cosmo declared vehemently. "I ... I can't go to the police." His voice drifted off, until it was almost too low to be heard. "I just ... can't."
Ace had figured that much. Though he had an idea why Cosmo was so reluctant, he had to ask.
"Why?"
Cosmo hesitated, and Ace was counting the seconds. What would Cosmo say?
Inhaling deeply, Cosmo visible pulled himself together. "It's my father."
"What about your father?" Ace probed gently.
Cosmo looked everywhere but at Ace.
"If I go to the police they will call my father."
Such a small voice, sounding so totally lost. Ace forced himself to put a clamp on his concerns, to stay objective. It wasn't easy.
"And you don't want them to call your father," Ace stated the obvious.
Cosmo shook his head. "I ... I can't. I just can't go back to him."
"Cosmo, did your father abuse you? Is this the reason you don't want to go back to him?"
Ace wanted to reach out and take the boy into a tight embrace. Heck, it would be enough simply to touch his arm, create some form of physical contact. But Ace knew he couldn't. It didn't make the wish go away.
The boy looked up sharply. "How...?" Then he clamped his mouth shut.
"How I know?"
Cosmo simply nodded.
"Cosmo, I'm not stupid. I see how you react to ... everything. And I know kids don't just run away from home for no reasons. I look at you and I see ... I see somebody who needs help. And then I ask myself 'why?'. The most logical explanation is that your father is abusing you."
"And you believe me?" Hope flickered in Cosmo's eyes, as he was looking up again.
Ace caught the stormy gray eyes with his own.
"Yes, Cosmo, I believe you." It was a simple statement of fact. He almost added, 'I believe *in* you,' but stopped himself before the words could leave his mouth.
His face seemed to have transferred something of that believe to the boy.
Cosmo's eyes widened until they almost seemed to be the only distinguishable features in Cosmo's face. The teenager opened his mouth, closed it again and opened it again, like a fish on dry land. If Ace hadn't been so focused, he probably would have laughed out loud. A tear showed up in the corner of one eye, then another. The first tear fell, traveling along Cosmo's cheek to fall forgotten. Others followed.
Cosmo sniffled and pulled up his nose. Then he tried to wipe the tears away with the back of his hand. Ace held out a handkerchief, which Cosmo accepted with a muttered thank you.
Ace leaned back, allowing the boy some time to pull himself together. He had a vague idea what must be going through Cosmo's head. So far, fate hadn't treated Cosmo particularly friendly. Since his mother's death, there probably hasn't been an adult who truly had believed in him, making for a very fragile self-confidence. Now, to have finally found somebody who said he believed must be overwhelming.
"Thank you, Ace," Cosmo said, as he handed back the hanky, thanking for the handkerchief as well as for the trust. This time there was no hesitation before he said the name.
Ace smiled. "No problem."
He rose and refilled the glass with water from the bathroom. Cosmo downed the glass in one big gulp.
"Cosmo, I think I have a solution for your problem," said Ace, as he was sitting down again.
He held his hand up to prevent Cosmo from interrupting him, when he saw Cosmo wanted to ask what offer he was talking about.
"I have thought about all this, and I think I've found a way to get you out of this mess without involving your father much. I've talked to my friend and he said, if an adult other than your father was willing to represent you at court, speak for you, it could be done. You are old enough to decide on your own who represents you.
"If it's okay by you, I would be willing to do that, represent you. If you wanted to, maybe you could stay here for this time." The last sentence he said almost as if an afterthought.
"You would like me to stay with you? Here?" Cosmo asked astonished
"Yes," Ace said simply, smiling. "Actually, I think you could have this room, if you want it. What do you think?"
Ace fell quiet. He hoped he hadn't rushed things too much. He hoped Cosmo would accept his offer. Though Ace was thinking about guardianship, he didn't want to mention it to Cosmo yet, as he was very much aware how many complications were ahead of him if he'd follow that path. Even if Cosmo should agree to it - something Ace hoped would happen if Cosmo got used to living here - there were many obstacles to go over. Ace was single and a show star. He traveled a lot and he had the press all over him every day of the week. All those points worked against him, and he knew that very well.
But guardianship was something Ace wanted, and he could be very stubborn if there was something which he wanted.
The silence got almost unbearable to him, as Cosmo was thinking about his proposal.
Finally, after a seemingly very long time, Cosmo once again sought eye contact.
"Why?" he asked quietly.
Ace knew if he couldn't give a satisfying answer now, Cosmo would decline the offer.
Ace drew in a deep breath, letting it go slowly. He licked his suddenly very dry lips and wished he had thought about bringing a glass of water for himself.
"It is something I want to do. I think you deserve a chance and I would like to give you this chance. I think all this, how we met and met again, is no coincidence. And, finally, I think it's the right thing to do."
The explanation wasn't a very good one, at least Ace thought it wasn't a very good one, but it was the only explanation he could give.
It was the right thing to do. In a way, it was as simple as that.
He hoped it was enough for Cosmo.
It had to be enough.
For a long moment Cosmo's gaze lingered at Ace's face, searching for something. Then he nodded slowly.
"And I can have this room?" he asked again, almost grinning.
Ace's grin threatened to split his face.
"Yep. But that means you have to clean it up once in a while."
"I think I can live with that."

*

Cooper had left the room, leaving Cosmo behind to think about his proposal. Cosmo had slipped back onto the bed, leaning his back against the headboard, his legs pulled up, his chin on his knees. It was one of his favorite thinking positions.
Staying here, even if only for a short while, sounded like a good idea. He still didn't really know why but he felt safe here, protected. It was a feeling he wasn't quite used to anymore. But it felt good. Oh so good. He certainly could get used to it.
He still wasn't too sure about the motivations of Cooper, but he had sounded honest when he had said he wanted to help. Maybe, just maybe, Cooper was somebody to trust.
Not that he would lower his guard so soon.
After all, it could very well be that all Cooper wanted was some good press, or something like that. Not that he seriously needed it. As far as Cosmo could tell, the media loved Cooper, and according to them, the show star couldn't do wrong.
There was also the possibility his very first thought he had had when Cooper had invited him to stay a week ago was true. That the magician was interested in little boys. Though there hadn't been any indication about that at all so far. Still, he had to be careful.
No matter what, for the moment he had a place to stay. A place that was safe from his father and from Star and his gang. If Cooper should lose interest in him - which probably would happen sooner or later - he wasn't worse off than now.
Cosmo didn't feel any remorse about betraying Star. The gang leader had lost any right to his loyalty, when he had wanted to kill Cosmo. And there was, of course, what had happened last night. He deserved what was coming for him.
For a moment, Cosmo felt a pang of regret about some of his friends in the gang. He would miss Flash and Tony. Maybe he could ask Cooper if he could help them, too.
He yawned, then yawned again.
Damn, he was tired. And that after sleeping most of the day already.
Slipping under the sheets, he closed his eyes.
Maybe another good dream was waiting for him.

* * *

Seven months later

The old courthouse was one of the oldest buildings in Electro City, more than a hundred years old. Normally a very impressive building, it had lost some of its impact, as scaffolds and tarps hid half of it, due to renovation work going on. For some strange reasons the tarps were in a bright blue, which gave the whole building a cheery disposition, which it usually lacked.
Inside, the corridors in front of the different court rooms were partially blocked by ladders, buckets with paint, stacks of more blue tarp and an assortment of different utensils used for the renovations. Men and women in once white coveralls - now covered in various shades of all colors imaginable - worked on the walls and the ceiling, basically ignoring the people bustling by them.
A group of three men - or rather two men and a teenager - worked their way through the chaos in the search of room 342. Today there would be the final ruling in the case 'The People vs. Patrick Webber' - Patrick Webber being the real life name of the former leader of the Underdogs, Star.
The gang leader had been arrested the day after Cosmo had given his statement at the police, and he had been charged with breaking and entering in five cases, bodily harm and manslaughter. Ace and Cosmo had followed the case, and though Ace had tried to keep Cosmo involvment as small as possible, the teenager had had to act as a witness on two of the court days. It hadn't been easy for Cosmo, but with some extensive counseling by a woman from social services, the help of Ace's lawyer Andrew McNeil, and the support of Ace himself, he had come through the whole ordeal relatively unscarred.
As Ace was walking together with his young ward and McNeil, who had come along as support, he couldn't help to think how much his life had changed during the last couple of months.
There had been many obstacles and problems, and more often than not, he hadn't been able to get a full night's sleep. The press, naturally, had leaped at the story of the famous magician taking in a street kid. Social Service had been very reluctant, but luckily Ace had found a firm supporter in Mary Staebler, the woman who had worked on Cosmo's case before. O'Connor had been dealt with, and with any luck, they wouldn't see him ever again. There had been some changes in his life style, particularly much less going out than he had been used to, but he could in all honesty say he wasn't missing it.
Ultimately it had been all worth it. Looking to his side, he saw Cosmo in turn looking at him. The teenager's expression had been serious, but when he noticed Ace's concerned expression, he grinned.
"Ace, I'm fine," he said quietly. "Don't worry."
It had almost become a joke between them. Ace couldn't help worrying about Cosmo. He had done so from the very first moment they've met, and hadn't stopped doing so for a second ever since. Actually, there was little to worry about anymore, as Cosmo had turned into a relatively stable and active - sometimes too active - teenager, who had little resemblance with the scared young boy who had stepped into his life seven months ago. The nightmares from the beginning had come less often, and there hadn't been one in quite a while. Still, Ace didn't seem to be able to stop himself form worrying.
Finally, they reached their destination, and McNeil opened the door for Ace and Cosmo. For a short moment the teenager hesitated. Placing a comforting hand on Cosmo's shoulder, Ace steered the youngster inside. Remembering the time every touch had resulted in a panic attack on Cosmo's side, Ace marveled how naturally Cosmo now accepted his hand, his support.
The courtroom was half empty. The case of a former gang member charged with manslaughter wasn't something that rallied the masses, and though there had been some press in the beginning due to Ace's involvement in the case, the interest had dimmed and today only one or two reporters were present to hear the severity of the judgment. The jury already had found Star guilty, and all what was left was to hear how long he would be vanishing behind thick walls.
Ace found an empty row three rows behind the bench and sat down, followed by Cosmo and McNeil. They were early and only the state attorney and a few other visitors were already present.
They had barely settled down, when a side door opened and the accused and his legal council entered. Star hadn't changed much in the last months. His blond hair was cut shorter than it had been before, but his eyes looked around with the same defiance he had shown when he had been the leader of the Underdogs. When he spotted Cosmo sitting not far away, he bared his teeth, glowering in Cosmo's direction, before he was forced to sit down on his chair where the court guard locked his foot chains to a ring at the floor. Though Ace hadn't been present, he knew there had been an incident where Star had tried to break out during a court session and almost had succeeded. For that reason maximum security had been ordered.
Ace felt Cosmo starting to shake at his side and laid a hand on his arm, squeezing it slightly.
"If you want," he whispered, bowing down to this charge, "we can leave again."
Cosmo only shook his head. Ace felt how Cosmo was calming down again, so he let it go He would have preferred it if they hadn't come, but Cosmo had insisted he needed this to come to a conclusion and finally he had relented.
Shortly after the jury had entered and taken their seats, the bailiff announced the arrival of the honorable Judge Rosa Benton.
Everybody rose, including Star, who had to be prodded by the court guard.
Judge Benton was a woman in her mid-forties. He brunette hair was cut short in a practical no-nonsense haircut, framing an oval shaped face, with a pair of clear green-gray eyes. Before she sat down, she let those eyes travel over her courtroom, taking in each and every person present. Ace noticed he was standing up a bit taller, as the glance passed him by, and Cosmo was straightening up as well. Ace had had a teacher who had invoked the same kind of reaction in all of her students - of course, he had been fifteen back then.
With a short gesture, Judge Benton made everybody sit again, and then, without any further delay, she went to work.

*

The ruling was nine years and six months. Cosmo closed his eyes, relieved. For the next nine years and six months, he was safe from Star. They were safe. Star had it made very clear that, given half the chance, he would take his revenge on him. The former gang leader wouldn't forget so soon what Cosmo had done to him. He viewed Cosmo's talking to the police as a betrayal, ignoring totally it had been him who had tried to kill Cosmo.
Cosmo knew he couldn't have done it without the help and the support of Ace. He owed the man so much, he never would be able to pay him back for everything. Though he had had doubts in the beginning, thinking Ace was only out for some good publicity, or had other interests in him, the magician had proven to him over and over again he could be trusted.
In the last seven months, his life had done a one hundred and eighty degree turn to the better. His father had vanished out of his life and with him the fear and the pain. What he had thought to be a dream in the beginning had turned out to be real. He was living with Ace permanently now, as the older man had taken over guardianship for him. Some days he wished Ace could have been his real father, but this was the next best thing, and he wasn't complaining.
Of course, there had been some problems in the beginning, as he learned to get used to living with Ace, but now they had settled into a familiar pattern, and next month, when they would go to a big across country tour, he would travel with him. He was already excited about seeing all the new places.
Being with Ace's show was also extremely cool. Ace even had incorporated some of the special effects he had worked out together with Angel into his show, and Cosmo was damn proud every time he saw the reaction of the audience to them. He also was helping out behind the stage, enjoying ever minute of it. He'd never thought there would be so much involved in setting up a show like Ace's. The stagehands had included him in their small circle, and though he had been nervous at first, now they accepted him as if he had been with them forever. And sometimes he felt he had been with them for so long.
Even school had changed to the better. Cosmo was getting some special tutoring now, went to special classes. Finally, he was learning some interesting things in school, things that challenged him, kept him interested. He also had met new kids, some in the same courses he was in, some he had met elsewhere. There was one girl in particular he was interested in, and leaving her behind was the only down part of the cross-country tour.
As the judge was giving an explanation for the reasons of the long penalty, Cosmo was casting a quick glance at Ace.
Ace was wearing his 'concentration' face as he was listening intently to the explanations of the judge. It was the same he wore when he was working on one of his tricks. As the magician noticed Cosmo's glance, he looked down for a moment, giving Cosmo a small smile. He put his hand on Cosmo's arm, squeezing it lightly. In his clear gray eyes stood the question if he was okay.
Was he okay?
Yes, more than okay. He was where he belonged.
He smiled back, nodding.
'Thank you,' he mouthed.
Ace's smile widened, bathing Cosmo in its warmth.
Yes, he was with Ace, and that was the only place he wanted to be. Ace, his guardian. Sometimes more his guardian angel, Cosmo thought with a grin. He better never told Ace that title.
Hard to believe it's been only seven months. Sometimes it seemed as if he had known Ace for a lifetime already.
He wondered what life held in stock for them. Because he knew, this was only the beginning.