"Hey, Alex?" Roy says. He's in the kitchen and I'm in the living area, playing a board game with Garth. "Barbara wants to put Jas on the phone. You up to talking for a bit?"
I sigh, think quickly, and nod. I get up and walk to the landline, which Roy gestures for me to carry down the hall. I thank him just before I hear Jasper's bright voice. "Alex! Hi!"
"Hi," I say. I'm tired.
"I heard about Charlotte and I wanted to make sure everything ended up okay. Kara says she went with the others but after something like that, I worried that you guys might not be doing so well."
I flop down on my bed, sideways. It's so soft and comfortable, much more so than usual, and I explain why to Jasper.
"Everybody's fine. Aunt Karen is getting close to having her baby, and Uncle Vic is worried about her and Char, but they're all fine. And with Garth going on a mission for Uncle Dick, I've been working a lot more than usual. I've barely slept in a week."
"Ouch! I'm sorry, Xandria."
"Alright, what's up? You haven't called me that in a year." I am alerted by the endearing name. The last time he used it, Garth and Roy had both left on a mission and I'd been in a panic. He'd actually been by my side, hanging out, and had calmed me.
"They didn't tell you what happened with the kids that went to make a new Young Justice team, did they?" I think for a minute. I sit back up, and ponder a little while looking around, trying to get inspiration. "I know Destiny and Austin are brawling. Um… I can't think of anything else. What didn't I hear?"
"You and I gotta meet up somewhere. You think your dads would allow you to come out here? I know Vic or Babs could activate the tech."
"Well, yeah. Let me ask." I walk back to the main room, running to where both Garth and Roy are sitting on the couch. I make the request with a small smile, which does the trick. It's set up for two days later.
At that time, I am zeta'd to the Kent farm, where Jasper lives with one of his moms, Kara. His second mom, Babs, is temporarily in Gotham for a family thing. She left the day I got the phone call.
Jasper awaits me on the porch. I run to him and receive a warm hug, which I don't push away for once. I'm starting to notice that lately, I allow a lot more affection in my life than usual. Most of it's come from Garth or Roy, but still.
"You're not okay, are you?" So Jasper's noticing, too. I shake my head. "Maybe I'm just more comfortable with certain things. Maybe I'm just making some kind of realization. I don't know. But I just… life was so much easier when I could sass my way through things, and now all I want is somebody to hold me like Roy used to."
"Used to? He's still close to you, right?"
"Oh, yeah. But he… there's been so much going on lately. An uptake in crime so he's out a lot more. He leaves Garth with me and Abby, and she's center of attention, of course. I don't really mind. I just wish for that once in a while, you know?"
"Yeah. It's like how Babs keeps leaving me and Kara to go to Gotham. I don't know, maybe it's because we're getting older and we don't need it anymore."
I sure need something, even if I don't know what. But I don't say this to anyone, even Jasper, as we walk across the farm.
"Anyway, Alex. You know how the others made a new Young Justice and whatever, skip a little while, Des and Austin are still in a fight and causing trouble, Damian's got a good training thing up so they're going to be superheroes way before us, and then I went down with Kara to see them. Well."
"What happened?" I ask. His smile's fallen ever-so-slightly. "Spark and Briar-Rose ran away about a week ago and they didn't even tell their parents. Didn't want them worrying. Bri's dad found out by coming over there and he was so mad."
"Oh my God." I say. Briar-Rose and I had bonded over our age, both of us being young compared to the others. We Skyped before the fateful meeting at Wayne manor. She and I talked forever on the phone. And when Jasper's face falls, looking over at me, I ask, "They didn't find them yet, did they?"
"No. Oh, Alex. Everything's falling apart, what're we gonna do?"
"We gotta fix this, Jas. But how?"
