Thank you to all those who reviewed and are following this story! It makes me so happy and made me want to update this story more quickly than originally planned! So please, drop a review after this chapter! You have no idea how grateful and happy I am to those who review :)

ANOTHER GREAT BIG HUGE THANKS to my beta SaintRenee. Visit her blog! saintrenee . tumblr (without the spaces of course)

Thanks you and read on! Part 2!

Bart was stuck to Jaime like glue, and he didn't mind at all. Bart was his confidant, his anchor, and supporter.

Without Bart, he didn't know what he would do, what he would become…

To betray his friends, family, the whole human race... It sounded impossible. But he never doubted Bart, not for a moment. Bart wouldn't lie to Jaime, and he wouldn't come back from the future just to play some elaborate prank.

Bart wasn't like that. He knew that.

Bart came to warn him. To fight off the apocalypse, protect against evil. He came to help him escape the Reach's hold and stay unmoded.

Bart, in short, saved him. In more ways than one.

Jaime wasn't a dumb kid. He realized that Bart coming back here was no small sacrifice. He also realized that Bart didn't come here to escape his past. He ran towards the danger. He ran to where the apocalypse started, befriended the most evil villain there ever will be during his time, and did all this while still somehow keeping a smile on his face.

Bart was a hero. He was his hero.

He couldn't lose him.

Jaime was so terrified when Bart asked if he hated him. How could he even ask that? How could he hate Bart? His knight in shining armor? The person who risked everything to save him? The person who willingly and completely befriended him, the same person who comforted him and reassured him everything would be fine.

Bart was his rock. Strange, a speedster being as constant and durable as a rock.

So in a way Bart wasn't stuck to him, Jaime was stuck to Bart, because there was no way Jaime was letting his rock go. He needed him.

Two weeks had gone by since Jaime cried on Bart's shoulder, although no tears were shed. He had already cried all his tears out by himself in the middle of the night. Terrified, scared, and alone.

But ever since that night two weeks ago, he felt less alone than usual.

Bart had agreed to have a sleepover at Jaime's house. And Jaime was actually nervous.

Heart rate increasing.

Jaime ignored the scarab, thinking of Bart and whether or not he would be cool with just hanging out in his room. The last time they did that they had ended up having a heart to heart.

"Jaime. Do you hate me?" Those words echoed through Jaime's head. How could he think that? Bart had easily become his best friend and get even closer to him than Tye, and Jaime relied on him so much. In hindsight he realized he hadn't shown it, but he was determined now to make sure Bart knew how much he appreciated everything that he had done. Not only for the deeds he'd done for Jaime, but for the whole world as well.

Fast moving object detected. Impulse is now in the area. Impulse is at the front door.

Jaime rolled off his bed and went down stairs as the door bell was ringing.

"I got it!" Jaime called as he ran the rest of the way downstairs and to the door.

"Jaime! My man, what is up! You ready to do this?" Bart said as soon as the door was opened wide enough for Jaime to hear him.

"I guess?" Jaime answered as Bart practically ran up the stairs yelling a quick hello to his parents and sister.
Jaime followed him to his room, finding Bart had already opened a pack of chicken whizees and was sitting cross legged on his bed.

The Impulse is intruding on your territory, Jaime Reyes.
"This is so crash! I've never been to a sleepover before. Unless…" Bart stopped himself, and then instantly continued on with a bright smile. "Nope! Never had a sleepover."

"Well hermano, we just do what we normally do when you come over. Except you stay the whole night, and you don't go to sleep until it's really early in the morning."

"Sounds crash! But isn't the point to sleep? You know, sleep over. It implies sleeping."

Jaime smiled at Bart's naivety. "Yeah, I don't understand that either. We can sleep if you want, but normally people like to spend as much time with each other as possible."

Bart chuckled, "wouldn't we be spending time together even if we were sleeping?"

"I suppose, but like I said, it's an optional thing."

"Crash. I say we stay up! I want to get used to the early twenty-first century and all its weird traditions."

Jaime quirked a smile as he sat on the bed and ate some of Bart's precious chicken whizees. "Right, well sorry ese, but there isn't much to learn here."

"Wanna sneak out later?"

"What?" Jaime asked taken off guard.

"Yeah! Sneak out, like all the kids do in the movies. Should be fun, except you're used to it because you always sneak out to do the whole hero thing." Bart grinned.

Jaime smiled after briefly considering it. "Alright, sounds like a plan."

They waited for the rest of the household to fall asleep, both of them eating (Bart more so than Jaime) and drinking energy drinks.

When they felt the coast was clear they opened the window and left.

It is unwise to participate in risky activities. Return home before you are discovered.

Jaime scoffed as he flew up into the air, keeping his eyes locked on Bart who was still in his civvies. "As if you care about what danger I put myself in. You'll take any excuse to see some action."

None of my weapons can be used against foolishness.

Jaime ignored the scarab, figuring that it would do anything to spite him. He's learned it's better to just not argue with the infuriating thing, it always has to have the last word.

Bart was racing outside the city, too fast for the naked eye to focus on. Thankfully Jaime could rely on the armor's lenses to see Bart.
Bart would sometimes slow down, letting Jaime catch up. And as soon as Jaime was directly above him, Bart would speed right back up and get ahead again, just barely enough to frustrate the flying boy. This was a game they frequently played. A race that Jaime always lost.

"Quit being a tease ese!" Jaime called down to the runner. "You're just afraid to give me a chance!"
The fun came when Jaime managed to get in the lead, which he was getting better at. The moment that Bart slowed down because of the taunts from above was the same moment Jaime doubled the energy input to his jet pack and took the lead.

Now Bart had to follow Jaime, which was where Jaime had the advantage; Jaime didn't have to worry about the terrain. He headed straight in the direction of the rocky, uneven, hilly part of the desert. These were no problem for Bart, but it helped divert his attention long enough for Jaime to put more distance between the two.

Leading Bart straight through the rough terrain he turned and headed deeper into the desert, as fast as he could. Of course after that there was only open sand, and Bart took the lead again.

The Impulse is bettering us. This must be corrected.

One of the only things Jaime agreed on with the scarab was that he didn't like to lose. To Bart especially. Bart had this annoying way of bringing out the worst and best in him. Bart motivated him, made him want to prove his strength, be the best he could possibly be. But he had a bad way of showing it. For instance, his refusal to lose to Bart of all people.

Bart was heading away from the city and straight into the middle of the cool desert.

This was where Jaime tried to tackle Bart. He had managed to do it before. Twice. Out of who knew how many times.

But Jaime was determined to catch him, and kept on speeding forward, commanding the jetpack to pick up more speed. Bart started weaving across the terrain, knowing full well what the other boy was planning and how to dodge it.

Jaime didn't know if Bart was mocking him by doing this or trying to give him a chance, for when the speedster started going from side to side it let Jaime slowly catch up.

The Impulse is taunting you. He is saying "Here's your chance Blue"

"What? How can you tell?" Jaime grumbled as he got ever closer to the zigzagging blur.

My senses picked up the sound waves of his voice

"Right." Jaime mumbled, not surprised in the slightest.

When Jaime felt he was close enough to give a tackle a shot he rose higher, figuring higher altitude would help him and give him more time to change directions if need be.

Best chance of catching the Impulse in 3. 2. 1!

Jaime dove straight to where he presumed Bart would be in the few seconds it took him to reach the ground. He had hoped to catch Bart by surprise. But that almost never was the case.

And it wasn't the case now as Jaime collided with the sand, forcing his body to flip and roll a few yards away from his impact zone.

That was a failure Jaime Reyes.

"I know it failed!" Jaime grunted in frustration as he sat up.

Recommended tactic: obliterate the Impulse.

"I don't want to. Besides that would never work, he's too fast."

Obliterate him when he is unawares in order to avoid future failures.

"No! I'm not obliterating anyone! Especially not Bart!" Jaime yelled.

It was then that Jaime noticed Bart was right there. Watching him as he argued with himself. Jaime looked down at his lap, afraid of what Bart was thinking about his last comment… he would never obliterate Bart, and as far as he knew the scarab didn't want to obliterate Bart specifically. Just anyone who got in its way.

So much for showing how much he appreciates Bart.

"You ok, hermano?" Bart asked as he outstretched a hand.

Jaime gratefully took it. "Yeah, just arguing with the scarab." He looked at Bart's face "It doesn't like to lose." He chuckled nervously as he retracted the mask.

Bart smiled and nodded. "'Know the feeling. That's why I never let you win."

"You just like to have the bragging rights." Jaime said as he genuinely chuckled.

"Oh please, I could get bragging rights just by saying that I'm Impulse." He grinned as they both started to walk back towards the city.

Jaime smirked but did not reply. He would let Bart have this victory, along with all his other victories. He deserved them; he had earned to be the top dog for once.

It still would have been nice if Jaime had won though…

Thinking about what Bart had heard him say, Jaime sighed. He needed to clear things up with Bart. He knew that Bart was extremely good at hiding things. Including his potential hatred towards him… Jaime was terrified of becoming something even remotely like the Black Beetle. And unfortunately the beetle armor was enough to make him at least similar. He didn't want Bart, or anyone for that matter, to even doubt he was a good guy. He needed to make sure that everyone knew he would never betray them. He especially needed Bart to understand this.

He wouldn't be able to handle it if he didn't trust him.

"I would never hurt you. Obliterate you." Jaime said.

Bart stopped short. "I know." He said turning his head to look at him.

"No, really, I would never." Jaime said, turning to face Bart fully. "The scarab isn't out to get you; it is out to win against anyone who challenges it. And even if it somehow did hold a grudge against you, I would never let it get to you. Nunca. Yo te prometo esto."

"Jaime, I know." Bart said as he looked straight into his eyes. "The Reach will never put you on mode. I won't allow it."

Jaime reached out and grabbed Bart's shoulders, returning Bart's gaze. "I'll look out for you. I always will. Siempre."

"Siempre…" Bart echoed, clearly not knowing what it meant, but sensed the sentiment behind it none the less. "I decided a long time ago I would protect you man, and meeting you- the real you…" Bart drifted off, suddenly grabbing Jaime and pulling him in for a hug. "I won't lose you." Bart finished.

Jaime did not reply. How could he reply to that? This boy, this amazing boy, just swore to protect him…

Of course Jaime said he would protect him first, but Bart had no reason to protect him. Blue Beetle, the biggest big bad in history… If he were Bart he would want nothing to do with him…

And maybe Bart didn't want anything to do with him. Maybe it was only a strong sense of duty that kept Bart from bolting.

No. Bart was his rock, his knight in shining armor. And now his protector. Bart could have just told him and the rest of the team the harsh truth and let them deal with it. He could have kept him safe from a distance, never having to do more than look at him.

But Bart willingly became friends with him. The biggest big bad in history.

And Jaime was so… grateful. He thought as he tightened his grip on the boy in his arms.

Bart was here. And with him here, Jaime didn't feel like a failure, he didn't feel as frightened. He felt stronger with Bart by his side.

"Aren't you cold?" Jaime murmured against Bart's ear. He retracted the rest of the cold metal incasing him, sharing his body heat with the boy.

"A little," Bart muttered back.

Bart's heart beat was erratic.

Jaime chuckled slightly as he rubbed the Bart's back. "Why do we always seem to talk about the most serious stuff?" Just two weeks ago Bart had been comforting him, rubbing his back and letting him get his pent up emotions out.

"Because we've got each other's backs." Bart replied seriously.

"Cariño." Jaime whispered into Bart's hair.