"Alright," Ted said as he walked up into his house, "This shouldn't be too difficult."

What was there to be nervous about? Blue—and Ted really needed to find out this kid's name—seemed like a great kid. The main question was how he even got here? If he was from the south, then he and his family must have traveled a pretty long way.

I could probably just do a quick search of some families that had moved to Chicago from the south…it's a long shot, but it's a start right?

Without even thinking, Ted placed his key in his lock and slowly turned the knob.

"Hey, kid?" Ted called as he walked through the door. He gazed at the empty TV dinner cartons that littered his carpet. He felt his face turn red at the thought of his young guest wading through all this crap. He really needed to take better care of his place. The place was cold. Chicago was a strange city, for the past few days the weather had been nuts. First sweltering in the afternoons and freezing at night, and tonight was no exception.

Ted wrapped his arms around his body and tried to keep warm.

Shit, can't wait to get to bed…but first I have to find-

He stopped in the living room sofa and saw a small teenager curled on his couch like a cat. Blue's knees tucked into his chin and his arms wrapped around his legs…almost as if trying to keep warm. Blue was fast asleep. Shit, why didn't he get a blanket?

"He was probably too shy to…"

Ted rolled his eyes, he wanted to question Blue, maybe wean a little more info out of him…but now wasn't the time. Ted reached down and scooped his little guest into his arms. Blue didn't even stir, he only hung off Ted's arms like fresh laundry. The kid was light, almost to the point of being gaunt. Hell, Ted could probably bench press this kid without breaking a sweat.

"Your folks would kill me if I let you sleep like that," he whispered, "You'd get sick."

And a couch was no place to get a good night's rest.

Ted carried Blue down the hall, past the tilted picture frames and mismatched wall paper (Ted really needed a new decorator) and into the guest room. The place hadn't been used since Booster was there last week.

With one hand, Ted held Blue and with the other he ripped the covers off the bed, enough to make a little opening for Blue to be slipped into.

"Alright kid, this bed is normally used by a good buddy of mine, but if you won't tell him, then neither will I."

He slipped the comforter back over the kid's frame. He looked so…at peace in that bed. Nothing like the jumpy young man he met at the hospital.

"We'll talk in the morning."


Blue woke up to the loud blare of a smoke alarm. Where was he?

"Hello?" Blue threw his covers from his body, and rushed down the hallway. "Mr. Kord?" he called out, he might not know what has happening, but the one thing he was sure of was that a smoke alarm was never a good thing.

"Mr. Kord?"

In no time, Blue had walked through the halls, and into the kitchen, and there stood Ted Kord, a spatula in his hand and a burning pan in on his stove.

"Hey, kid. How'd you sleep?"

Blue didn't know how to answer. "I…uh…slept well. Thank you for letting me use your bed."

Ted only waved his gratitude away. "Come on, what kind of host would I be if I let my guest sleep on the couch?" He smiled and pointed to the table on the other side of the kitchen. "Sit." He turned back to his burnt pan, "I thought I'd make us some breakfast, maybe see if I can help you remember a few things. Oh, and call me Ted." He turned the burner off.

Blue closed his eyes…the smell of smoke. The crackle of a living blaze. Fire. Fire. All around him.

It's burning…can you save them little hero?

It was a trap.

"Kid?"

He awoke, still standing in the same spot, even now as Ted had sat a plate of (what looked like) pancakes on the table.

"You alright there kid?"

He blinked. "W-what?" Blue looked to his side, Ted had found at seat at the edge of the table, his fork inches from his mouth.

Ted gestured to the chair, and Blue took a seat.

"You're not getting sick right?" Ted tilted his head to the side, it almost looked like he was trying to resist the urge to reach over and feel Blue's forehead.

"I'm fine Mr. Ko…Ted. I'm fine." Blue smiled and stabbed his fork into a burnt pancake.

"So…Blue, right?" Ted tried not to laugh. "Where exactly did that name come from?"

Blue looked to the sky. Blue was the color of hope wasn't it? He felt like someone had told him that, someone tough and strong…and who was kind of a dick.

"I'm a pretty big fan of the Blue Beetle."

Ted's eyes lightened up at that news (from a non-egotistical stand point, of course). "Really?" Ted asked.

And just like clockwork, Blue's face lit up like the summer sky. "Absolutely. I've been a fan of his for years. He's the greatest hero ever." Blue's voice even echoed down the hall into the guest room, and Ted's face began to turn red.

"Cooler than Batman?" Ted asked.

"Totally…" Blue looked to his side, acting as if someone had overheard him, "Just don't tell Batman I said that, alright?"

This was great news, not only was The Beetle's fanbase growing (take that, Bats!) but this gave Ted a little more information to work on. Blue Beetle may have been known throughout the country, but he mostly operated in Chicago, even after joining the JLI, he was still mostly known in his own neck of the woods. So, perhaps Blue's family really did move to Chicago, and if that was the case finding them would be a breeze.

"Blue, can you tell me anything else? Maybe names of friends? What were you doing in the street anyway? You could have seriously gotten hurt."

"I can't really remember." Blue moved his fork against his plate, he hadn't touched his breakfast at all. "I just remember smoke…and fire all around me…and…"

Goodbye Blue Beetle.

That voice. It was always that voice. What did it mean?

And out of nowhere the phone rang.

"Hold on kid, I gotta take that." Ted excused himself from the table and left Blue sitting in his seat, his head ablaze with ripped memories.

Whose voice was that? The Blue Beetle. Something to do with the Blue Beetle.

"Hey Kid?" Ted came back, "Look, that was an important business partner on the line," Ted shifted his eyes to the floor. Why was it that he could never lie to someone's face? It always made it impossible to play poker. "I've gotta go into the office. You sit tight, and I'll be back as soon as I can, alright?"

But before Blue could even nod his head, Ted was out the door.

"Be sure to finish your breakfast," he called out as he opened the door. "I could lift you over my head and not break a sweat."

Blue chuckled at the thought and then glanced down at the breakfast that was spread out in front of him. Burnt to a blackened crisp.

"…I think I'll finish it later."