MOUNT JUSTICE

NOVEMBER 5TH 2010 18: 53 EST

"Recognized: Honeybee – B06."

Honeybee stepped into the Cave, a cookie tin tucked in her arms and a frown clearly present on her face. The past three days without Jason had passed by at a sluggish pace, and she had been half-expecting him to appear in their apartment as if by magic. The days had passed with school and baking and Honeybee patrols, but they had been near impossible to get through.

Honeybee missed him more than she ever thought she could. Perhaps it would have been different if Jason had chosen to leave, but no, he had been taken from her. She had been deemed not good enough to take care of him, not a good enough sister. Maybe a better sister would have done more to keep him there.

They had received no updates on Jason since he was taken from them, not that Betty had expected one. They were unlikely to get primary custody, seeing as a family member was petitioning the court. But still, Betty wanted to know that he was okay. That the foster family he was with was giving him the proper love and care that the little boy deserved. She didn't even need to see him – she just needed to know in his time of grief that he was okay.

Honeybee sighed and stepped into the hallway leading to the hangar. Batman had requested the whole Team be present today, as he had sent Miss Martian and Superboy out for supplies, and they were supposed to be taking inventory together. Honeybee would much rather be anywhere else than here, taking inventory, but Aunt Melody had essentially all but pushed her out the door. Something about getting out would make her feel better.

A load of poppycock that was. Here she was, out, and she still felt miserable.

Honeybee stepped into the hangar and walked over to where Wally was watching M'gann and Conner unload boxes from the Bioship. M'gann was using her telepathy to float a box full of what looked like groceries, while Conner had a wooden crate slung over his shoulder that he dropped off by Robin and Kaldur.

"Did you get everything?" Batman asked from where he stood next to Zatara. Zatara's presence piqued Honeybee's interest. Was Zatanna here? Surely she was no longer grounded from their little excursion, and Honeybee had rather liked the girl last time they had met. It would be nice to see Zatanna again.

"Everything on your list, Batman," M'gann said, levitating a box onto the ground. "Plus, groceries."

"Cookie fixins'?" Wally was nearly buzzing with excitement as he saw the items in the box. Honeybee smiled despite herself and adjusted the tin of cookies in her arms. She had been baking in her free time since Jason had left, much like after the exercise, and she had decided maybe Wally could make use of them. The boy had the fastest metabolism Betty had ever seen, so maybe her stress baking session would get some good out of it.

"Snickerdoodle!" M'gann replied, a bit of cheek in her expression.

"Babe, you rock my world," Wally awed. Honeybee rolled her eyes and stuck her tin of cookies directly below Wally's nose.

"I have chocolate chip, if that'll suffice for now," Honeybee said. Wally's smiled doubled in size, and he took the tin from her in a flash. "Make sure you share them, at least."

Wally rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her.

"Whatever you say, Mom."

Honeybee laughed under her breath and walked over to where Robin and Kaldur were inspecting a crate. Honeybee was unsure what must be inside, but it was off Batman's list so it was probably some kind of spyware he had M'gann and Conner pick up. Robin probably knew – he knew a lot of things like this, even when he shouldn't know what it is.

"Hey boys," Honeybee greeted. Kaldur looked up at her and smiled kindly, while Robin kept reading the label on the package.

"Hello Honeybee," Kaldur said in turn. Honeybee smiled the best she could at him, putting her hands in the pockets of her cardigan. If he could tell something was up with her, Kaldur did not comment on it. Honeybee hoped it was because she was putting up a good front and not because their leader was just being polite.

"I brought cookies," Honeybee said. "Wally has them, so you gotta move fast if you want some."

Kaldur chuckled once lightly, and Robin finally looked up at the ribbing of his best friend.

"The minute he got the tin it was too late," Robin joked, looking over at Wally. Honeybee looked over her shoulder and saw that Wally had the tin open and had three cookies in his hand. One had a massive bite taken out of it, and Honeybee watched as he took another large bite of the chocolate chip cookies.

"I did not know you enjoyed baking as well as M'gann," Kaldur said. Honeybee shrugged. Before, she could hardly afford it and only did it on sparse occasions. Now, she could do it whenever she wanted, granted most of what she baked went back into the diner. Miss Nettle had even okayed the practice herself on her last visit to their dinner and had tasted Betty's cherry pie.

"I'm a stress baker," Honeybee settled on. Honeybee internally cringed. That then begged the question of what was she was in turn stressed about to bake. Robin furrowed his brow, catching this fact, and opened his mouth to ask, but he was cut off by a loud crash.

"Dad!"

Honeybee turned on her heel and saw a mess before her. A literal mess – a crate had dropped, cracking open and spilling its contents across the hanger floor. Splinters of the wooden crate were mixed in the mess as well, but that was not what caught most of their attention.

Batman and Zatara were gone.

It was like they had just disappeared into thin air, no trace of them was left behind. There had been no warning, only the crash of the crate Zatara had been carrying with his magic. And now they were gone, just faded into nothingness.

"Dad!" Zatanna called again, rushing to the spot where he had been standing. She looked amongst them wildly, hoping one of them might be able to give her some explanation as to what just happened. "Where's my dad?!"

Kaldur stepped forward and put a calming hand on her shoulder.

"I do not know," Kaldur said. "But we will find out." He turned to Robin and nodded towards the young member of the Team. "Robin, scan for their heat signatures. See if they're still in the Cave."

Robin, who had a smaller version of his holocomputer in his civvies, pulled up his jacket sleeve and let the holoscreen pop up. He began to scan, and Conner shook his head, stepping off of the Bioship's ramp and onto the hangar floor.

"I can't hear their heartbeats," Conner informed. Robin dropped the scanner and looked at them in mild defeat.

"I can't find their heat signatures either," Robin said. Honeybee crossed her arms. This was not good. Has some kind of sorcerer made their way into the Cave? Was their position once again compromised? Had they figured out this base was operational again? What kind of attack was this?

Kaldur hummed to himself, bringing his hand to his chin as he thought over what to do next. Honeybee watched him closely, already feeling at a loss at what to do.

"Robin," Kaldur said. "You and I will stay here with Zatanna in case they return." He looked at the rest of them, brow furrowed in determination. He still did not remove his hand from Zatanna's shoulder, who was still liberally showing her distress. "The rest of you go into Happy Harbor. See if there is anything unusually related to this."
I can't lose you, not again
I can't lose you like then
If you could see yourself the way I do
Then you'd see why I can't lose you

HAPPY HARBOR

NOVEMBER 5TH 2010 21: 34 EST

Honeybee stood in the center of Happy Harbor High's gymnasium, a baby sleeping in her arms and drooling onto her shoulder. At her feet stood a myriad of small kids, all of whom looked up at her with wide, confused eyes that eerily reminded her of Jason in the car the other day.

It turned out that Batman and Zatara's disappearance was just one in many disappearances. All the adults in Happy Harbor had vanished, leaving the children and babies to their own devices. Cars had crashed from the random disappearances, creating pile-ups that kids had to be clawed out of and they were trapped behind locked doors they could not get out of, leaving some of them alone in their shock and confusion.

The Team had set up a temporary shelter at Happy Harbor High's gym, and she and Artemis were manning it full-time, keeping the kids distracted while Conner, M'gann, and Wally were collecting the kids from in Happy Harbor and their suburb. Some of the other teens had stepped up, like two young girls named Wendy and Karen, and they were helping keep the younger kids in line.

Honeybee had half a mind to rush to Gotham, as she knew her home must be in chaos right now. Especially the Narrows, which had a precarious peace, to begin with. But what could she really do? She just had to have hope that Gotham's elder teens were stepping up and taking care of the others.

Her mind once again kept wondering about Jason. Had his foster parents disappeared? Was he by himself? How was he surviving this?

She shook her head. Here and now. Here and now.

Honeybee patted the back of the sleeping baby and smiled down at the kids.

"Who wants to hear a story?" Honeybee asked. The kids seemed to be interested in it, their confused looks being replaced by a subtle and guarded joy. They were still worried, and Honeybee doubted that she could come up with anything that would make them not be.

"Okay, so I call this story 'Rapunzel and the Prince,'" Betty started. "Once upon a time, in a magical forest lived a young girl in a tower named Rapunzel. And she had long, golden hair that stretched all the way to the very top of the tower to the very bottom."

The kids looked entranced by the story, and Betty thanked the heavens they hadn't called her on already hearing it. Betty sat down on the ground in front of them, slowly positioning the baby so that it was in her arms rather than over her shoulder. She rocked the baby gently as she continued the story.

"Rapunzel was kept here by a wicked witch, who liked to imprison people in high towers," Betty continued. "So, Rapunzel was unable to leave, no matter how much she wanted to explore the world."

One girl let out a gasp, and Betty made a show of being faux upset by the story.

"I know!" Betty said. "Just despicable!" A slow rumble of a laugh worked its way through the kids, and Betty returned to her smile. She looked down at the baby, who made a small fussing sound. She made a soft, soothing shushing sound and continued to rock the baby gently.

"Until one day, a Prince found the tower, and he climbed it!" Betty intoned to the children. Wally began to walk up next to her, looking amongst her and the gaggle of children with mild interest and a lot of concern. In his arms was a toddler that was babbling furiously about something. "Inside he found Rapunzel, and he found her so beautiful that he fell in love right away! Rapunzel was so happy to see someone else that she fell in love with him too. So, the Prince rescued Rapunzel from the tower, and she became a princess!"

It was a highly edited version of the story, but it was one that worked nonetheless. She just needed something to keep them calm, not the entirety of Grimm's fairytales lain out before the children.

"Is it story time over here?" Wally asked. "I wish someone had told me, I'm always a sucker for one of Miss B's stories."

There had been the small hassle that none of them knew Honeybee's real name, so Honeybee had quickly decided on Miss B, as it was close enough sounding to Bee.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll hear another one soon enough," Honeybee said cheekily, and Wally smiled. He sat down the child next to the other tots and leaned down to whisper to Honeybee.

"Zatanna is going to try her father's spell," Wally whispered. "Kaldur wants us all back at the Cave."

Honeybee nodded and stood up calmly, smiling at all the little children. She bounced the sleeping baby in her arms a couple more times for good measure.

"I've had so much fun with all of you, but I need to go put the baby down for his nap, okay?" Honeybee said. Some of the kids looked crestfallen by the news that Honeybee would be leaving, but Honeybee knew that had less to do with her personally and being frightened in general. Honeybee did not want to make them sad, so she plastered the kindest small she could find in her. "My friend Wendy is going to come over and tell you another story, is that alright?"

"Yay! Another story!"

Honeybee gave them a little wave and stepped away, falling in step with Wally. They came over to where M'gann, Artemis, and Conner stood by the door, kids crawling all over Conner's shoulders and head.

"Having fun Conner?" Honeybee said, and Conner scowled, but his heart was not in it. Honeybee could tell that a part of him was happy to be giving these kids a distraction.

Honeybee laid the baby in her arms onto the make-shift mats that they made for the babies they found. The baby let out a small whine but did not wake, curling in on its side and sucking its thumb with a frown. Honeybee returned the frown, her thoughts once again wandering into a faraway place, towards Gotham. What kind of place had Gotham become in this time? What had happened to the city she called home? Were the kids safe? Had the Gotham kids stepped up as they had here in Happy Harbor?

Honeybee shook her head. Here and now. Here and now.

Wait! I'm happy you came
But it's not safe to stay here and talk
Don't get close, this is all so brand new

GOTHAM CITY

NOVEMBER 5TH 2010 23:02 EST

Jason scurried through the streets of Gotham, his go-bag slipped on his shoulders. He had begun constructing it the minute he had been left alone in his new foster home, and the inattentive folks who ran the place had been none the wiser. It had a three days supply of non-perishable foods, a change of clothes, Ziplock bags, at least fifty dollars in cash he had snooped from the father's wallet when he was sleeping, and an old blanket. Jason almost felt bad about taking the money, but then he remembered the vile things that he had shouted at Jason in the short time they had known each other and decided he wasn't all that sorry.

The bag was not as complete as Jason wished it could be, but he had not been expecting to use it so soon. It's just when they disappeared suddenly like that, Jason knew he had his opening to get out. What he had not been counting on was the chaos that was unfolding on the streets of Gotham; it seemed every adult in Gotham had disappeared, not just his foster parents. This being Gotham, that meant any shift in the balance resulted in pure mayhem.

Kids were running wild, desperate to find their parents or taking advantage of their absence to do all the things they couldn't do before. Jason had seen at least three kids smothered in chocolate and another one knee-deep in packages of Oreo cookies they swiped from the grocery store. And then there were the desperate ones, who looked scared and frightened on street corners as they cried out for their moms and dads.

Jason didn't do any of this. All he did was mind his own business, keeping his head down as he traveled through the city. He had gotten turned around so many times he knew finding Miss Melody and Betty's house was going to be impossible until all this was straightened out, so he knew he was going to have to wait for the Justice League or some other hero to figure out what was going on and fixed this.

"Attention children and teenagers of Earth," a commanding lilt said, and Jason turned his head, seeing a tv display in the window across the street. He gripped tight onto his bag when he saw the familiar faces of the sidekicks – Aqualad, Robin, Kid Flash, and Honeybee. Jason focused on Honeybee, who stood just behind Robin, her face serious, almost impassive. "I am Aqualad. These are my friends, Kid Flash, Robin, and Honeybee."

Jason of his own accord stepped across the street; his movements lithe as his body moved its way towards the screen. Betty was okay, she hadn't vanished away. A weight in his chest lifted as he saw his sister was okay. Betty had called herself his big sister, and Jason had not felt the need to correct her. It was impossible to deny that she was like family to him at this point. Pretty much the only family he had left.

"We are using Justice League tech to cast and stream to every TV, computer, radio, and smartphone on the planet," Aqualad said on the screen. "We know you must be scared and angry. We know with your parents missing, there is a temptation to run wild."

Jason looked out at the street, which had gone quiet as children and teens were bunched around TV displays and smartphones to listen to the broadcast. Gotham kids had certainly taken the go crazy route, at least, some of them.

"But please stay calm," Aqualad warned. "We will find out a way to bring the adults back."

"But until then, the oldest among you must step up," Kid Flash cut in. "Take care of your younger siblings, of kids that have no one."

Jason crossed his arms. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, he didn't need anybody. Honeybee stepped forward, arms akimbo and a determined turn to her lips.

"We know this is a frightening time, but stay as calm as you can," Honeybee said. "Each and every one of you can do your part to help others. Help your siblings, your friends, even people you don't know. You're all heroes, you just have to make the choice to be one."

Jason shut his eyes. That message hit right through his heart, and he felt a sudden shiver of shame wither down his spine. Jason knew he was only ten, but that was older than some. He could be doing something, anything to help. But what could he do? What could he possibly do that help anyone?

"Protect them, it's up to you," Robin intoned. And then the screen went static. Jason stared for a moment longer, as the moment of quiet stretched just a moment longer. And then the moment broke, and Gotham was plunged once again into chaos.

Children began to run rampant again and screaming, crying, shouting replaced the calm warnings of the sidekicks. Jason looked out at the street and noticed a little boy on the curb, the one from earlier that had been crying for his mom. He could not be older than five. Jason sighed and walked over to the kid, tightening the backpack on his shoulders.

"Kid," Jason greeted, "get up. You're gonna get run over by a scooter or something."

The kid looked up, stopping his screaming, and blinking up at Jason. Jason kneeled down to his knees and raised a brow.

"What's your name?"

The kid sniffled. "T-thomas."

"Well, Thomas, I'm Jason," Jason introduced. Jason held out a hand for him to take, which only got a stare in return. "How 'bout two of us stick together? Make sure we stay safe till the grown-ups get back?"

Thomas hesitated, furrowing his little brow, but his fear of the others won out, and he took Jason's proffered hand and stood.

Maybe helping would not be so hard.

Let me first learn to crawl before I try to walk
I'm at home here. Out in the cold, up in the air
But it all turns to chaos near people I love
And with how much I care

ROANOKE ISLAND

NOVEMBER 6TH 2010 05:37 EST

Honeybee and the others were clearly outmatched. Klarion the Witch Boy was kicking their can, and he wasn't even doing hardly anything. His familiar had taken claim of Superboy and was dueling him exclusively, massive cat versus Kryptonian. The rest of them were trying to take on the Witch Boy but were getting nowhere. Not even Zatanna's assistance was of any use, as his magic clearly outpaced the young girl's.

Honeybee kneeled next to the corn stalks of the field, now with only half of her stingers. Honeybee had tried to use them to break down the bright red shield that was covering the boy. Captain Marvel was snapping in and out of existence, one second his young Billy Batson persona and the next Captain Marvel in the grown-ups world. As that is what Klarion and his fellow sorcerers had done – taken the grown-ups and put them into two separate parallel universes. It was only by Captain Marvel's strange circumstance that they even knew of the alternate world. Captain Marvel's secret identity was Billy Batson, a ten-year-old that turned into Captain Marvel with the secret command of 'SHAZAM!'.

Honeybee shared a look with Kaldur and the two charged at the same time, Kaldur's waterbearers transformed into hammers. Honeybee had her stingers out and ready and once she was in range, she let them go and they hit the red blockade with a fury. It was of no use, as Honeybee was immedailty launched back by an attack of lightning sent her way by Klarion.

"Ah!"

She slammed onto her back hard, the lightning taking the wind out of her and she laid collapsed on the ground, body covered in dirt from the field. She groaned and turned onto her side, and she felt a presence beside her.

"Honeybee!" Robin said, pulling her up to a sitting position. She groaned again and looked at Robin, her head pounding and the bottom of her back alit with pain.

"Robin?" she asked groggily, and she tried to rise to a standing position. It was rough, her feet trying to betray her and make her fall, but with Robin's assistance, she was able to rise back to standing again. Most of her dizziness started to fade as she stood, and Honeybee narrowed her eyes at where Klarion stood haughtily, hands raised as the spells around him remained intact.

"I really don't like this guy," Honeybee mumbled. Robin laughed under his breath.

"And here I thought he might join the Team," he rebutted, and Honeybee rolled her eyes.

"Billy, I've linked you psychically with the Team," Miss Martian butted into their head. Honeybee turned to see that Billy Batson was standing with Miss Martian. Artemis released an arrow to wear down the shield at the same time the message went through.

"Cool!" Billy said. "I mean – the Gem! Get the Gem at the center of the pentagram, and we win!"

"That's all I needed to know!" Zatanna cut in cryptically. And then, the whole tide of the battle shifted.

Zatanna stepped forward slipping on the Helmet of Fate despite the warnings that Kid Flash and Aqualad called out. Then, before where there was Zatanna stood Doctor Fate, dressed in their blue and gold outfit, their cape billowing in the wind.

"Klarion!" A distorted voice came out of Doctor Fate, one neither male nor female, adult not child. "This ends now!"

"Captain, tell Zatara!" Miss Martian ordered, and Billy nodded disappearing with his call word.

"SHAZAM!"

Doctor Fate let out a golden beam of light, which connected with a red beam of Klarion's. Klarion snarled as his magic began to become more and more unstable thanks to the many spells he was casting, and Honeybee knew that their opening was going to be now or never.

Robin and Artemis rushed forward but were summarily knocked out by a blast of energy from Klarion. M'gann quickly levitated them up and disappeared into the cornstalks with them to hide their unconscious forms from Klarion. Honeybee and the others shared a quick look, and they all saw as Doctor Fate began a thick stream of light energy that attacked the dome of protection around Klarion.

This was it. The opening, the chance they needed.

Superboy kept the familiar occupied, while each of the others rushed forward with their own attacks. Aqualad used his waterbearers to beat down on the dome, an action Miss Martian repeated telepathically with rocks. Kid Flash kept running at different angles, each time hitting the dome head-on, while Honeybee stood back, using the pointed edge of her lasso and hitting the dome with her hook repeatedly.

It wasn't much compared to the others, but it was something, at least.

Doctor Fate began to flicker, and for a moment it was Zatanna mid-air. Honeybee's eyes widened. Doctor Fate had never done that before.

"Ah!" Klarion said. "With the world's divided, the Helmet splits you, Nabu! You're not all here! And you're losing control of that poor, soon-to-be-dead girl!" Klarion laughed like it was all a big game. "She sacrificed herself for nothing!"

"No, Witch Boy!" Doctor Fate decreed. He raised his fists with powerful magical energy and aimed at the dome of protection again. "Fate decrees her sacrifice will not be in vain!"

It was finally all too much, and Klarion lost control of the protection spell. The dome fell around him, and Klarion fell to his knees with a cry. Doctor Fate created a symbol out of light and trapped Klarion inside of it, stuck on his knees and his hands bound.

Kid Flash raced forward, taking the Gem from the center and tossing it to Doctor Fate. Doctor Fate took it, raising its eye and speaking an incantation.

"Yam eht owt emoceb eno ecno erom!"

And then it was over. The world became one again, and five adult sorcerers fell to the ground next to Klarion. Zatara, Batman, and Captain Marvel all appeared before them, looking confused before landing on the Team and Doctor Fate with their gazes.

Klarion sighed.

"They sure don't make evil immortal sorcerers like they used to. Oh well." Klarion snapped his fingers, and the entrancement keeping him there disappeared. His familiar returned to him, reverting from its giant size still battling Superboy into the small cat that it was when they arrived.

"See you later armadillos!" Klarion opened a red portal behind him and smirked at the assembled heroes before him. "Unless I see you first!" Then he jumped in, and he was gone. Honeybee stared in shock and turned up to look at Doctor Fate, who Honeybee was sure should have been doing something to stop him.

"What are you doing?" Kid Flash demanded. "Aren't you doing to stop him?"

"To what end?" Doctor Fate answered. "Klarion is chaos personified. He cannot be contained."

Doctor Fate kept watching over them all as Batman proceeded to tie up the unconscious sorcerers, Zatara looking up at Doctor Fate sadly. Honeybee watched from the side with the rest of the Team, at a loss for what to do. None of them wanted to see Zatanna disappear into Doctor Fate, but it seemed this time Doctor Fate was not as generous as to let her take off the helmet.

"Did we win?" Robin asked groggily, appearing with Artemis.

"At a cost," Aqualad answered. Honeybee looked up at Doctor Fate and tried to will Zatanna back to them. The young girl deserved to live her life, not be trapped by Doctor Fate for eternity.

"Fate!" Zatara called. Doctor Fate gave no answer, and Zatara bowed his head with a sigh. "Great Nabu, release my daughter."

There was a tense moment, and then, "No."

Doctor Fate spread his arms wide and looked down at them all, unrepentant.

"Having witnessed the chaos wrought in the past few hours, I realize the world needs Doctor Fate," Doctor Fate proclaimed. "And the girl's natural affinity for the mystic arts makes her the perfect candidate."

"You can't do that!" Artemis cried.

"She has her own life to live!" Robin shouted. Honeybee stepped forward and crossly looked up at Doctor Fate.

"You can't take away her future!" Honeybee tried. Kid Flash narrowed his eyes and pointed a finger accusingly at Doctor Fate.

"Kent would never allow this!" Kid Flash said.

"Kent Nelson did object, strenuously," Doctor Fate interrupted. "So I released his spirit to the other realm. He is gone." Doctor Fate did not seem bothered at all by this, and Honeybee nearly shook with anger. How could a being for good be so callous? So cavalier about life and death?

It seemed they were at an impasse, and the whole Team shared a heated, pressed look as they tried to think of anything they could do to free Zatanna. Honeybee knew they had to come up with something, anything at all that might rescue their friend from Fate. Honeybee could not lose another friend. She wouldn't let it happen.

Then, Zatara did the unthinkable.

"Take me instead," Zatara said. "My skills are already at their peak, my body is physically better equipped to deal with the stress and strain of your power."

"All true," Doctor Fate conceded. "But….if I remove the helmet, what insurance do I have that you will don it?"

Zatara did not waver.

"My word," Zatara promised. And really, it was the only thing he could promise.

Doctor Fate lowered themselves to the ground and stood before Zatara. They removed the helmet, and then Zatanna was back. She stared up at her father happily, so proud of herself, so happy to see her father again. It hurt to watch, and Honeybee took a breath, knowing what was to happen next.

"Dad!"

"Zatanna!"

They embraced, and Zatara held onto Zatanna for dear life. Then they separated, and Zatara leaned forward, whispering words to Zatanna before kissing her gently on the head. This was an intimate moment, one deserved to be had behind closed doors, but there was no time for that.

Zatara took the helmet from Zatanna, and he turned to Batman.

"Take care of my daughter," Zatara asked. Batman nodded, not hesitating a moment.

"You have my word," Batman assured.

Zatara went to put on the helmet, and Zatanna broke down, realizing what was about to happen.

"No, Dad, don't! This was my fault! No, don't –"

It was no use. Zatara was gone, and Doctor Fate stood in his place. Doctor Fate rose up, not even sparing Zatanna a parting word or glance. He rose the other sorcerers up from their place on the ground and then disappeared into glowing golden light, and then it was over. Zatara was gone. For good.

Zatanna fell to her knees. Honeybee raced to her, landing next to Artemis. Robin put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, and Honeybee stared at her sadly, uncertain what to say. What did you say when something like this happened?

"It's-it's all my fault," Zatanna whispered, and Artemis shushed her, rubbing a hand down her back.

"Don't say that," Artemis comforted. "Doctor Fate was going to take the next person, even if it wasn't you."

Zatanna didn't look like she believed Artemis, but she nodded nonetheless. Honeybee reached out and put a hand on Zatanna's other shoulder, remembering how she felt almost a year ago in that cold warehouse. Words had done nothing, but the presence of Robin, of her friend, had meant the world to her.

So Honeybee sat next to Zatanna as delicate, slow tears poured down her face, and hoped that Zatanna knew that they were all here if they needed someone.

If you loved yourself the way I do

Then you'd see why I can't lose you

GOTHAM CITY

NOVEMBER 6TH 2010 24:53 EST

There was a little boy by the Batmobile.

Batman stared, dumbfounded, as he looked at the little boy that was currently trying to jack the tires of the Batmobile. He would have to give the boy points for his brazenness, as he had never expected a little boy to be the person who was doing it. Where a kid would even get a tire iron was beyond him, but this was also Gotham, so he chose not to think about it too hard.

Batman watched from the roof of a building as the boy tried unsuccessfully to get the tires off, and Batman wondered how he should approach this. He didn't want to spook the kid, that was for sure.

Batman sighed and began his descent downward, landing a few yards down from the Batmobile, making sure that he was silent as he did so. Robin was already back at the Batcave via Zeta tube, but Batman had had the Batmobile tonight but had been forced to abandon it in a foot chase.

He had not expected anyone would be bold enough to try and jack his tires, or else he might have been a little more careful where he had parked it

He stepped forward out of the shadows and stared down at the little boy, and he realized with a start who it was.

Jason Todd.

The little boy that Betty had been desperate to find almost a month ago. What was he doing out here in the middle of the night? Trying to jack his tire of all things to be doing?

He looked exactly like the pictures he had seen, with average height and dark hair with blue eyes. He was slightly tanned, but was scrawny for his age, with limbs that seemed to jut out at pointed edges. Jason had a backpack slung over his shoulders and a determined look on his face, biting his tongue in determination.

"Hello," Batman said, and the boy shot up like a rocket.

He turned wildly on his heel, tire iron in hand as he stared up at the man before him. Jason was in awe for one solid moment, but then he hit Batman with the tire iron, straight in the shins.

"Go away!" Jason said. "I need these tires!"

Batman raised a brow and snatched the tire iron out of Jason's grip.

"What makes you think I'm going to let you steal them?" Batman asked. Jason pouted and crossed his arms, and Batman could see that the young boy was preparing to run off.

"Because I need the money, duh," Jason answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Batman bit his lip. He supposed he should have expected that answer.

"Jason –"

"How do you know my name?!" Jason demanded. Batman sighed and stepped forward, furtherer into the light.

"Honeybee has told me about you," Batman said. Jason blinked and looked up at him like he didn't quite believe what Batman was saying.

Jason frowned and crossed his arms.

"Then you must also know that I'm broke as shit," Jason said. "So let me steal your tires."

"I'm not going to let you steal these tires." Honeybee had said nothing of Jason being this stubborn, but then again, she hadn't said much at all about Jason's personality. The only thing that she had said was that she loved him and needed to find him, nothing more, nothing less.

"I'm aware of your… situation," Batman said. Jason was in a bad situation last time that Batman checked, which included him moving in with Betty, but last he looked into their lives they were stable. Had something happened in the past week that had forced Jason to do this? "But I can not condone you stealing my tires."

Batman looked at Jason critically. The boy had clearly not had a bath in a long time, as his hair was greasy and he had dirt running up his arms. He looked like he hadn't eaten in a while, with scrawny limbs and dark bags under his eyes. Yes, something had happened to the poor boy.

Batman supposed maybe he could help, if only a little bit.

Chapter Bible Verse:

"Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn't God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?" – James 2:5

Longest chapter yet, I hope y'all enjoy it!

Song excerpts are from "I Can't Lose You" from Frozen: The Broadway Musical.

Review Replies

MsRosePetal: Jason has really been put through the wringer in the past few chapters, and the issues that leave him with will be addressed in the chapters moving forward. Now that we're progressing into the more traditional Jason Todd storyline, we'll have more time to focus on that. And really? That sounds like a really cool job! I can only imagine the kinds of things you see every day, and I hope each and every one of the families you meet get the correct ending for them. And what did you realize?

Guest: Thank you so much for leaving a review! Betty and Jason have always been one of the bedrocks of this fic, so I'm glad that the emotion of that relationship is coming through. And Betty is going to be devasted when Jason passes. And I have plans for what Betty does, and some of them are….unique. Thanks for leaving a review!

Comments, questions, or concerns? Let me know! Have a blessed day!

-PrincessChess