It was a Saturday night in February when he showed up at the door. His spikey blonde hair was flopped down, soaked from the freezing rain. I recognized him instantly from the news. His name was Axel Walker. He had recently stolen the name and gimmick of one of my past teammates, the Trickster. I already didn't like him. The boy gave me a pathetic smile and said one little phrase that would change our family's life forever.

"Hey, I need a place to crash."

I slammed the door in his face.

Of course Lisa, who had inherited the "light sleeper" gene from our father, came down to see what the ruckus was. The moment she saw the boy outside in the cold her maternal instincts kicked in. She pulled him inside despite my protests and ordered him to take a long hot shower, in James' old room of all rooms. I guess she figured he might as well take that room since the kid had basically taken James' identity.

Then, of course, she decided the skinny boy needed to eat something at two in the morning. She started to cook pancakes. Obviously the smell woke up Mick and Mark, who decided they were also starving pre-teens who needed to eat. Soon the entire team was downstairs chatting in the kitchen, unaware that there was a twelve year old across the hall. I turned on the television, too annoyed to care.

About five minutes later, Axel walked out of James' room. The dumb brat had put on one of the old Trickster's shirts. The entire room got quiet when they saw him. Pied Piper's face turned completely white, as if he was seeing a ghost.

"Mmm, are those pancakes?" Axel asked, oblivious to the tension in the room. He walked over and grabbed a plate, starting to dig in. Through a stuffed mouth he mumbled, "Thanks for letting me stay here while the cops settle down. I can't believe I'm actually eating breakfast with the Rogues!

The room was still quiet. Axel looked around confused. "Is there something on my face?"

Hartley stood in the corner. He looked like he was on the verge of tears. "You, you look just like him."

Axel looked down at his outfit. "Oh yah, mine were wet. I hope you don't mind that I borrowed some of the original T's clothes. I do feel insanely cool wearing his shirt. It's kind of ironic."

I was about to make a snarky remark when Lisa decided it was time for her to cut in.

"That's okay Sweetie," she said. "Just let me introduce you to the rest of the team. Axel, this is Mick, Digger, Evan, Harley, Mark, and Roy. Boys, this is Axel. I'm sure you've seen him on the news. He's going to be staying with us for a little bit."

"He'll be leaving in the morning," I growled from the couch.

Lisa gave me a death glare. "He'll be staying as long as he likes."

Axel excitedly waved to everyone. Evan, ecstatic that there was another teenager in the house, rushed to give Axel a high-five. Roy gave a shy smile from one end of the table, while Mark simply returned the wave. Mick gave him a shrug, focused on stuffing his face with chocolate chip pancakes. I ignored him. Hartley remained unresponsive.

Digger, who had only known James for a short time, seemed curious about Axel.

"So boy, yoos are the new Trickster now, huh?" he asked.

Axel gave a cocky grin. "Yep! I actually just pulled my second haul tonight with the new gear. Got five grand from a fancy restaurant downtown."

Everyone seemed impressed, and I have to admit I was too. That was until I realized I hadn't seen him carry anything in.

"So, where's the cash now kid?" I asked sarcastically.

He pouted and his shoulders slumped. "I had it, brought it back to my base to split with my gang. But they double crossed me, too all the dough and kicked me out. Luckily they forgot about my boots."

He held James' old rocket boots on the table with pride, most likely trying to get us to overlook the fact that he didn't get the score. Lisa gave Axel a stern look, and he sheepishly put this feet back on the floor.

I laughed. "One of the main rules of being a criminal is to have a good team. Rookie mistake Trickster."

He shrugged. "Yah, you're probably right." He paused, as if he were deciding whether or not to say something else. Finally he added, "You know… I'm gonna need a new team now. If you have any spots open, I could always join."

I threw him the dirtiest look I could imagine. Before I could kick him back out on the street, Evan spoke up.

"I'm doon fur it," he said cheerfully. "When ah first teuk ower Scrudder's suit, this gang pure helped me learn tae uise mah powers."

Digger nodded. "You seem like a bonzer lad, worthy ta take James' place."

Axel gave a puzzled look.

"Bonzer means good." He clarified. "Yoos'll have ta get used Evan's n' I's lingo."

Mick, still inhaling pancakes, added, "I wouldn't mind seeing some more explosions around here again. Kind of miss them."

Even my partner was betraying me.

"No!" I said loudly. "We have plenty of members on this team already, and we are not adopting some rip-off amateur that's barely out of his diapers."

Axel was offended. "Hey, I'm fifteen, and I'm not dumb. I may of stolen the old Trickster's boots, but I made all my other weapons myself."

"You know," Lisa said. "Evan was seventeen when he started. And you were just saying the other day how we needed some more fire power on the team."

I growled again. "No, and that's final. The boy's leaving in the morning."

"I think he should stay Len."

I blinked twice. Everyone stared at Harley, who had not spoken since his first meeting with Axel.

"I said I think he should stay. James died too young. The boy's not our Trickster, and he'll never replace the other, but he can still become a new member on the team. Continue on James' legacy. It's what James would have wanted."

I knew how close Hartley and James Jesse had been. It had been hardest for Hartley when he had died. I figured if anyone wanted Axel gone, it would have been him. Now I knew the kid had to stay, whether I wanted it or not. Everyone looked at me for my answer. I sighed.

"We'll put him on trial run. Train him a bit, test him on a mission, see how things go. But he's not getting in that easily. He needs to prove he has what it takes to be a Rogue."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Axel jumped for joy. "Sweet Cold, you won't regret it."

"It's Captain Cold," I muttered under my breath.

"Well," Lisa said, looking at the clock. "I think it's time for everyone to go back to bed. We'll get you some better fitting clothes tomorrow Axel, and maybe a fake id."

He nodded, and the team headed for their rooms. Mick managed to slip one more pancake under his shirt before walking up the stairs. Only Lisa and I stayed behind.

Golden Glider walked over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you Lenny. I know you don't want to do this, but this is a really good thing for the team. I googled Axel's alias when he was in the shower, and it turns out he recently lived in a foster home with an alcoholic. An alcoholic Len! Remember when you were fifteen and we lived with dad? I can't stand that happening to someone like him."

I sighed. "You're right Lisa, but we're also not the best role models. We're criminals, encouraging him to become a criminal. Heck, Mick, Digger, and I are practically alcoholics."

She shook her head. "This is different. We're a family here. We have a code, no one gets left behind."

I rolled my eyes. "You just met him tonight Lis. I wouldn't exactly call him family just yet."

Lisa smiled. "Don't worry big brother. He's not gonna replace you. Now get to sleep you big Snowball."

"Goodnight Trainwreck."

We parted ways. I sunk into my bed, eager to fall asleep and forget tonight's events. However, just as my eyelids were about to close, I heard a knock on my bedroom door.

"Umm, you don't have a toothbrush I can borrow, do you Cold?"

This was going to be a stressful week.

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