Belle Reve, Evening…

Cameron was sitting silently at the table in the middle of the interrogation room nursing a bloody nose. The blood was uncomfortably hot against his naturally chilled skin, and the numerous attempts to wipe it away were leaving bloody smears against his lip.

His fellow inmates had been especially rough with him when they found out about his unintentional involvement in the failed escape attempt. Granted, he'd had to fight off a few extra inmates to cover the faux Terror Twins escape. That hadn't been very good for his rep either.

At least he could be grateful for his father being detained and placed into solitary confinement with the other ice villains. That saved him a couple nasty bruises for the time being. As he lifted his arm for another swipe at his nose, he winced.

His muscles throbbed along his ribs at the sudden, awkward movement. Granted, the bruises he had been given weren't anything to laugh at either. He wasn't a doctor, but the amount of pain he had in his ribs had to be a fracture or something.

At least, even though they were suppressed, he had genuine ice powers. They helped to numb the pain. Honestly, he didn't even know why he was here. The camera film and Junior Justice League already knew what happened.

So, why had he been dragged from his cell with only hints from guards suggesting he was about to have an important meeting? He leaned back in his chair and lifted his chin to look up at the immaculately white ceiling tiles in boredom.

If it was a news meeting, or some bull crap like that, he'd make a few inappropriate hand signals at the camera. Suddenly, the locks in the door turned. Cameron stiffened and unconsciously straightened in his seat as the door opened.

A black figure swept in with the door shutting quietly after him. Two white eyes glared down at him from the darkness of the man's mask. His tall and muscular form menacing even in the stale whiteness of the room.

Cam's eyes widened. "Oh shit."

Cameron sat rigid to his seat and didn't even dare to breathe as the Batman stared him down. Suddenly, he was very self-conscious of the now flaking red bloodstains across his nose and lip. Though he didn't dare raise a finger to wipe it away.

God knows the bat would think him reaching to attack and break his neck before he could say 'Icicle Junior'. The Bat suddenly strode over to the opposite side of the table. He didn't deign himself to sit down across from the young juvenile but remained standing above him.

"Icicle Junior." It wasn't a question.

Cameron forced his suddenly numb lips to move. "Y-yes."

"We have been notified of your involvement in the escape attempt." The man stated, and the criminal nodded. "You aided your father, Icicle Sr., in trying to break out the prisoners. During this attempt, you helped break into the female section of the prison."

Cameron nodded again dumbly remembering the fight that broke out afterwards between the ice users. "Then, you aided two of our heroes in their escape from the facility. I want to know why. Why did you help them?"

The man narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the teen.

"I…" Cameron's lips parted to speak.

He wanted to deny it. Claim that it was all a mistake, but the denial died on his tongue. Why had he helped the two teens? Superboy had betrayed his trust, his crush turned out to be a hero, and his father's plans crumbles around his ears.

Even now, a full week after the incident, he wasn't angry with them. At the time, he had fought valiantly against at least 5 prisoners before the guards arrived beating them all back into submission. The next day, word spread that he was to blame for the failed escape attempt.

His life became hell. Icicle Junior was a massive target at the prison, and, thanks to the collar, he was helpless at the hands of the other inmates. The guards didn't blink an eye at the violence and merely watched as he was beaten to a pulp every day.

The lazy farts probably thought it would help the angry prisoners to take their rage out on him rather than them. The only time they interfered was when a fellow inmate nearly took it too far and began strangling him.

The bruises still lingered below the orange collar of his prison jumpsuit. The black and blue bruises a stark contrast to his pale blue skin. After all of that, he never questioned why he helped those heroes escape. He just… did it.

"You don't know." The gruff voice startled him out of his thoughts.

Cameron flinched as he looked back up at Batman. The man's head ever so slightly leaned back as if in consideration. Cameron winced. God knows how many heroes would use that against him. Ugh, he'd never be taken seriously again.

Not that he was ever taken seriously, even by the villain population, before. Well, now he was officially his father's failure. A villain with a heart. How poetic. Batman was watching him again. It was then that Junior realized he had unconsciously been scowling at himself.

He quickly schooled his expression. "So what?" He was slipping back into the persona of the cocky, meta punk. "What's it matter to you? You going to lock me up for it? Cause I'm already in prison!"

The Dark Knight remained stoic and junior huffed before slouching back in his seat. He gave another sloppy wipe of his nose with his knuckle, glared off to the side, and clenched his jaw. Stupid heroes and their power plays. Why couldn't he have been interrogated by Flash?

At least he wouldn't have the brains to call him out on his confused morals. No, that'd be too simple for him. They just had to call out the freaking Dark Knight. The Sherlock Holmes of the super hero league. God damn it.

"Superboy seemed convinced you did it of your own free will." Batman responded after a moment's silence.

Cameron stiffened. "What does he know?"

Batman raised an eyebrow.

Then, after a few minutes of silence, he appeared to come to a silent decision. "This is a Justice League communicator." He placed a small earpiece on the table. "This signal cannot be traced, so don't bother giving it to one of the other cellmates to dissect. Always keep this on your person, and don't let the guards see it. If you change your mind, use it."

"Wait, what?" Cameron looked back up at the Dark Knight like he'd suddenly grown two more heads. "Am I getting punk'd?"

The man's mouth twitched ever so minutely before her moved towards the door. "You should get that rib looked at."

Cameron froze as the man stalked out.

4 Day's Later…

Eventually, Cameron managed to limp back to his cell where the guards pushed him in roughly before the door slid shut. He hopped over to the bottom bunk and slid himself onto the mattress with a sigh. His rib felt even worse than yesterday.

A couple of the other inmates had ganged up on him again today, and instead of beating him on the ground like they usually did, they dragged him to a corner of the laundry room. While the guards were distracted, two of them held him up letting the others beat him.

They took immense pleasure out of beating his extra sensitive injuries, and what felt like a severely bruised ankle. It was an angry, bluish-purple the last time he checked. Even his cool skin did nothing for him anymore. The only solace was that they hadn't released his father yet.

On one hand, he was immensely grateful that his inevitable punishment had been postponed. On the other hand, it was going to be less than pretty when his father was released. Cameron closed his eyes and was about to turn onto his side when he felt something hard in his pocket.

He paused and pulled out the communicator before taking a moment to stare at it. Batman had handed the device to him for a reason, and it wasn't charity. The Batman had probably hacked into the cameras here and seen everything long before he came in for that meeting.

He was sure of it. Junior swallowed as his throat suddenly felt very dry. His father would probably talk him into handing it over. Then, he'd shoo him off while he and the other 'big boys' worked on whatever scheme they were coming up with.

Just like the escape attempt, he'd be left in the dark until they were ready. After all, that was how it always worked. If they hadn't left him out of the loop with the last plan, then he wouldn't have fought Freeze, and he wouldn't be in this mess now.

Cameron glared at the tiny ear mic in his hand before tossing it onto the bed and pulling his knees to his chest. He anxiously gripped his hair and took a shuddering breath as tears began to form in his eyes. He shut them angrily and continued to hold his hair in a death grip.

"I don't know what to do…" Junior murmured to the empty cell.

3 Day's Later…

Cameron sat in his cell staring at the communicator. It has now been 1 week since Batman's visit, and he'd had enough. He's now had an almost permanent nose bleed thanks to the daily dose of abuse, and his side is one solid punch away from finally cracking.

That, and he was now sporting a head injury, courtesy of the Brick, who smashed it onto the edge of one of the cafeteria tables. A few minutes after that, he'd vomited on the floor. Now, having been 'assisted' to his cell, he was left staring at the communicator he'd left on his bed.

He was becoming desperate, and he didn't know what else to do. He couldn't keep going on like this. Quietly, and with trembling fingers, he picked the device up cradling it in his hands. He gently pushed the on button.

"This is Batman." The familiar gruff voice stated.

Cameron paused, suddenly not quite knowing what to say, and the communicator was silent as the hero waited for a reply.

"Batman?" Cameron asked quietly.

His eyes darted to the cell door just thinking an inmate was about to bust in here and give him another dose of pain for communicating with a hero. That never came.

"I see you've decided to use the communicator." Batman replied smoothly.

Cameron sighed bitterly at the device and lowered his head. "Yeah, I changed my mind."

"Good. Now, I would like to get down to business." Batman said. "Superboy has been making a request that you join his team."

"His team?" Cameron sat back in shock. "He wants me to join the junior super heroes?"

"Yes." Batman replied patiently.

"Why me?" He asked. "I mean, I know I covered him, but I'm a villain while he's a hero. We're on opposite sides of the battlefield. Why would he even consider something like that?"

"Perhaps he saw something you both have in common?" Batman supplied.

Cameron put the communicator down on the bed and let his face sink into his hands. God he was so confused, tired, and ached all over.

"Superboy can be rash, but he generally is a good judge of character. While you may not trust him, he certainly trusts you. Will you join him?" Batman asked.

Cameron glanced down at the communicator and considered hanging up. He could just pretend nothing happened and hand it over to one of the geekier inmates. Then, he remembered how Superboy had been friendly to him.

Unlike any criminal, that guy had protected him from the other inmates. Even when Superboy foiled his father's plan, the guy didn't attack him from behind. His nose had begun to drip blood again, so he hastily wiped it before taking a deep breath.

His father was going to kill him for this, so there'd be no turning back. Even if his father made some offer to take him back in the future, it'd be to use the young ice meta for all he'd gained. Then, Junior would get what was coming to him.

"Okay… I'm in."

Next Day…

Batman and Black Canary had arrived early the next day and quickly signed the paperwork to release him into Justice League custody as well as putting him under their parole. Batman hadn't commented on his limp, though his lingering gaze did say something.

Black Canary, on the other hand, was a bit more obvious in her concern. She gave a mother hen frown and constantly glanced in his direction. Cameron, ever the flirt, was too exhausted, and strangely relieved, to be bothered to try hitting on the older heroine.

They took him out of the prison to an armored vehicle. Batman cuffed his hands before he and Black Canary sat down across from him. They rode in silence until the drivers dropped them off in Jackson, Mississippi.

"Jackson?" Cameron questioned.

"We'll be able to get back to base this way." Batman replied before they walked a short distance and stopped in front of a warehouse. "I'm afraid this as far as we go willingly. Superboy may trust you, but the league doesn't. You're going to have to be blindfolded before we go further."

Cameron opened his mouth to argue. Honestly, did he think he did this to himself to get their trust?

Black Canary placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's just for security purposes. We still have some work to do if you're going to be considered a hero."

Cameron desperately tried to come up with a clever argument but heaved a sigh of defeat when he couldn't. "Fine. Pin the tail on the mysterious location it is."

Black Canary smiled, obviously holding back a chuckle, as she produced a blindfold out of her pocket. After securely tightening the blindfold over his eyes and nose, they walked further down the street.

Black Canary took his hand, despite the tension that came with the sudden contact, and guided him around any obstacles they passed. Then, there was a sound of a door sliding open, and the punching of several keys.

"Recognized: Batman A02

There was a whirring sound, and then it was silent.

"Batman? What was that?" Cameron asked nervously.

God forbid they had walked him into a trap and then get him electrocuted or something.

"It's alright." Canary assured him. "It's just the portal we're taking."

"Wait, portal? I thought you said we were going to the base?!" Cameron asked suddenly feeling very vulnerable in the blindfold.

He was probably going to be interrogated there too.

"We are, don't worry." Canary was typing away at a board. "We're just using the nearby portal to get there." She stopped typing, and he heard her step over to him. "I can wait until you're ready if you'd like."

Cameron immediately stiffened. Nobody waited until he was ready. Even when he was 5, his father was already attempting to throw him into his schemes. God knew how many close calls those were. At eight, his father was teaching him how to fight.

Junior couldn't even count the number of times he'd been tossed like a ragdoll only for his father to grow tired with his lack of skill and stalk off for a beer. Even now, with his father's plans, he was a sitting duck until the last possible second. Having someone wait for him wasn't normal.

"No, I'm ready." He lied. "I'm not ready for whatever the hell this is!"

He was getting the feeling Black Canary had given him a look and tried to square his shoulders more convincingly.

"Alright, here we go." She pulled him forward.

Cameron could feel the energy bending around him, and the ground leave his feet. He held Canary's hand in a white knuckled grip while gasping. Then, as if it had never left, the ground returned, and the air became still again.

"What the hell was that!?" Cameron yelled.

He reached up for the blindfold, and Canary didn't stop him as he ripped it off. Cameron now saw he was in a large room with a carved stone interior and two hallways leading out in separate directions. A large holo-projector hung from the ceiling, and the sensor pad below was empty.

"Welcome to the Cave." Black Canary said.

"Where'd tall, dark, and demonic go?" Cameron asked while looking around for the Bat.

"He's probably preparing with the team now." Canary started to walk away. "I'll show you around later, so let's get you cleaned up now."

Cameron, seeing no alternative, quickly began to follow.

Mount Justice

Cameron was currently laid out on an infirmary bed as Black Canary tended to his wounds.

"Ow!" Cameron yelped as he flinched away her.

"Yep, looks like a mild concussion." She confirmed and moved away to get something out of the infirmary's cabinets.

"Nothin' I can't handle." Cameron stated.

He rubbed his wrists as those handcuffs had been a little tighter than he thought they were supposed to be.

Black Canary raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. "Any other injuries you'd care to let us in on?"

It had taken a bit of arguing and questioning before he'd admitted to maybe having a headache.

Before he could answer, blood trickled from his nose again. "God damn it!"

"I guess that answers that." Black Canary said with an amused smile.

She handed him an icepack and a tissue. Cameron gave an irritated pout before snatching the icepack and putting it to his head. He didn't bother with the tissue and simply swiped the blood away with a knuckle.

"You do realize it won't stop bleeding if you don't clot it, right?" The older heroine commented,

"It'll stop bleeding eventually." Junior said even as it continued to drip down his lip.

Black Canary rolled her eyes and sighed before placing the tissue down on the bedside table. "Alright, we'll play it your way. How about your ankle? You good with that too?"

She crossed her arms while looking down at the appendage currently dangling over the side of the mattress. Cameron looked down at it as well. The blue and purple bruise hidden under the prison suit's pant leg was beginning to swell under the strain of walking around so often.

"Just… give me an ankle brace or something." Cameron mumbled. "It'll be fine."

Black Canary paused and gave him a mother hen frown before going to the cabinet to find the ace bandages. Honestly, he didn't even know why he was here. Why should they care if he was injured? Why did they?

He was a criminal, so they should have been expecting this. Were they really that naive about how the criminal and justice system worked? Besides, wouldn't him being injured help reassure the team he wasn't in any position to turn on them?

Easy to keep under their thumb while he was weak? He shook his head free of the thoughts. No, he was being given a second chance which was ridiculously hard to come by. He couldn't blow this opportunity. Not if he truly wanted his freedom.

Cameron accepted the bandages from Black Canary. "Thanks."

He turned away from her, slightly blocking the limb from sight, and tugged off his shoes. He quickly began to wrap it around his ankle while ignoring the stare Black Canary was giving him. When he had finished wrapping his ankle, Batman made his entrance.

"The team has received the message and will be arriving shortly." He announced.

"Whatever." Cameron tugged his sneaker back on again. "Let's get this over with."

Batman raised an eyebrow and exchanged a look with Black Canary who merely shrugged at the young juvenile's behavior. "Before we meet up with the team, there is something we must go over."

Cameron turned to him. "Like what?"

Batman crossed his arms. "As you know, Superboy requested you become part of his team; however, he is not the leader you will be answering to. Chimera is your leader, and you will take your orders from him."

"Relax, I know how to follow orders." Cameron shrugged. "Depending on who you ask, you'll get a different answer on how well I did."

Batman turned towards the hall. "Follow me."

With the Team

The team was assembled in front of the portal room where they spoke with each other about the announcement. Cameron suddenly wished he could take off the collar just so he could have his ice armor to protect him. He felt so vulnerable.

"Maybe he's giving us a mission." Miss Martian suggested.

"It's possible." Kid Flash replied. "He did ask for the whole team, and that we be in costume."

"Usually, Bats is good about telling us it's a mission." Chimera stated. "I'd put money on a training session or new team member."

Cameron had to give it to Chimera because the guy was perceptive.

Robin spotted his mentor. "Hey Batman, what's with the important announcement?"

Batman walked out while Cameron was hesitant to leave the safety of the shadows. "I needed you all here to inform you that we've found a possible new recruit for your team."

All the team members perked up, but Superboy was the most invested. "You did?"

Cameron felt even more uncomfortable. "What have I gotten myself into?" He took a deep breath and stepped into the light. "Hey."

It was the best he could think up on the spot that didn't sound vaguely threatening. Most of the heroes tensed. Even Lucky Girl was startled by his appearance. Robin, Wonder Girl, Miss Martian, Kid Flash, Ion, and Bushido jumped into battle ready positions. Chimera had his Pyronite dialed in and was ready to slam the face plate down.

Everyone froze as Superboy jumped in front of them. "Wait, guys! He's with Batman!"

"Superboy, he's a criminal!" Wonder Girl yelled. "A criminal Wonder Woman and I put away months ago!"

"He's also a friend!" Superboy shot back.

He glared darkly at the demigod only for her to return a glare of her own. The others were conflicted, but Chimera was at ease.

"I'm also right here." Cameron added mentally.

"Batman, you know he's a bad guy." Robin turned to his mentor. "Haven't you seen this guy's track record?"

Batman narrowed his eyes. "Yes, I have, but Belle Reve has agreed to release him into the league's custody. In return, he is placed on parole until we decide he is ready to be placed onto the team."

"Batman…" Wonder Girl began.

"This isn't up for discussion." Batman stated grimly leaving no room for argument.

He swept away to the portal leaving them there.

"He shouldn't be here." Wonder Girl muttered.

"Yeah well, I'm still here." Cameron said loudly.

"Hey." Superboy greeted before taking note of the faint stains on his lip. "What happened?"

"Oh, you know." Cameron shrugged off the concern. "The usual pecking order." He looked Superboy over. "I didn't have time to register your true look the last time we met. You look different."

Superboy smiled ruefully. "Being Tommy wasn't my choice." He turned to the team. "I'm sure you know most of the team." He leaned over. "Lucky Girl and Miss Martian are taken."

"That only leaves blondie then." Cameron sighed. "That's just unfair." He shook his head. "Anyways, most of you know me as Icicle Jr., but you can just call me Cameron."

"Yeah, we've all seen your mug shot." Wonder Girl snapped.

"Okay, your touchy." Cameron gave a soft chuckle. "Got it."

"Here, let me give you a proper introduction to the team." Superboy stated. "You remember Lucky Girl?"

"Nice to meet you properly." Cameron stated before shaking her hand.

"Yeah." Lucky Girl stated. "Honestly, Conner talked to me about this beforehand, but I didn't think it'd happen so soon."

"We also got Ion, Bushido, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Wonder Girl, Robin, and our leader, Chimera." Superboy introduced.

"Considering you aren't an official member of the team; I'll simply welcome you to the Cave for the time being." Chimera stated as he held out his hand.

Cameron shook it mildly stunned at getting two handshakes when he expected none. Hey, the leader at least seemed to be cordial with him.

"Come on, I'll show you to your room." Superboy began to pull him down the hall. "Lucky Girl and I set one up for you."

"Well, it wasn't the best introduction of all time, but it's a start, right?" Cameron thought.

With Superboy and Cameron

"Are you serious?"

"It's all yours." Superboy said with a smile.

He was gesturing to the room within. The walls were made of brick with bookshelves lining the right wall. There was a fancy desk in the corner, a blue couch, and a bed complete with a down blanket in the corner.

"This is freaking nice!" Cameron laughed as he walked further into the room, and even saw a closet stocked with fresh clothes. "God, this is better than any hideout my Dad's ever had!"

He flopped down onto the couch.

"Really?" Superboy asked as he walked into the room.

"Well, for one the walls don't have holes in them." Cameron smiled as he looked down at the couch. "Also, nothing in here is moldy or beaten within an inch of its life."

Superboy frowned slightly as he sat next to the guy. "You really lived it rough, huh?"

"Well, we happened to live a rougher than most criminals." Cameron explained. "Unlike a few of them, we didn't exactly have the funds to pay for fancy, underground playhouses."

"Oh." Superboy looked down unsure how to respond to that.

Cameron leaned back and took a deep breath. He was simply enjoying the feeling of being somewhere comfortable for the first time in his life.

Superboy fidgeted slightly before standing. "Hey, would you like to take a tour?"

He wasn't sure if he should bother since Cameron looked very comfortable sitting where he was.

"Maybe later." Junior stated. "I think I'm gonna take a nap." He stood and made his way over to the immaculate bed in the corner.

"Sure." Superboy nodded and turned to leave. "I'll wake you later for dinner."

"Aye aye." Cameron saluted.

He then slipped under the sheets and fell asleep practically the moment his head hit the pillow. Honestly, these past few hours not having to endure a beating were bliss.

With the Team

"Did you know about this Dick?" Wonder Girl asked.

She looked sharply over at the younger teen from his seat on the couch.

"Believe it or not, I didn't know." Robin stated. "Granted, I had my suspicions, but the most Batman gave me was that he was 'thinking' about it."

"Did you know Ben?" Wonder Girl asked.

"My earlier guess was out of reason." Chimera responded calmly. "Granted, I didn't know it'd be Icicle Jr., but Batman did tell me to expect a potential recruit to come stay with us. Still, the league wouldn't just let him run off and do whatever he liked."

"He's right." Robin nodded. "Batman wouldn't allow him to wander off. Besides, he's still wearing the inhibitor collar from Belle Reve. There's not much he can do."

"Because nothing would need to be done." They whipped around to see Superboy standing in the doorway. "I know he's a criminal, but he helped me and Gwen escape Belle Reve. I don't know about you guys, but I think that makes him a good guy."

Superboy left them and Chimera stood. "I'm going to take a walk."

Cameron's Room

Chimera stepped into Cameron's room figuring Superboy would only leave the guy alone if he were sleeping. For a criminal, he seemed to be resting peacefully. As he drew closer, Chimera got a good look at him.

"Bloodstains on the lips and visible bruising on the arms." Chimera thought. "I doubt Batman did this, so he must have sustained injury from inside. No doubt helping a couple of heroes and derailing a plan couldn't have been good for his image."

The guy let out a faint groan before beginning to toss and turn. "Dad stop…"

He began to shift, and his face pinched in discomfort. The criminal seemed like he was beginning to have a nightmare.

"Hey, wake up!" Chimera shouted as he shook the guy.

"Gah!" Cameron yelled before shooting up to a sitting position and looking at him. "What the heck's going on here?"

He wasn't even phased by Chimera being in his room. When you were a prisoner, there was no freedom to be had. Cameron was just more confused than anything.

"Sorry for barging in, but I came to see you." Chimera declared. "After your little introduction everyone's suspicious of you. I think some might consider you a spy."

"What?" Cameron asked. "That's ridiculous. I don't have the nerve to do something like that."

"Strangely enough, I believe you, but I don't think the rest of the team does." Chimera replied. "Doesn't help that you still decided to introduce yourself as Icicle Jr. either."

"I wasn't the one who picked my name." Cameron retorted. "You can blame my old man."

"Well, we'll just have to workshop a new one." Chimera stated. "Something that isn't associated with a known villain like your father."

"Can heroes do that?" Cameron asked.

"I think it can be done." Chimera shrugged. "Either that, or Robin got stuck with the worst name for later on in life."

"Oh yeah, not the best pick up line for an adult." Cameron chuckled before suddenly remembering who he was talking to. "You're talking with me rather casually… Why is that?"

"When we first found Superboy, before we were a team, he put a lot of trust in me." Chimera shrugged. "Now, I'm returning the favor by putting trust in you. Anyways, what do you think of the place so far?"

"It's freaking fantastic." Cameron decided to roll with it. "Do all heroes live like this?"

"As far as I know… it's roughly like this." Chimera shrugged. "Most of the team goes home at the end of the day, and most of us still have school to go to. Wonder Girl, Miss Martian, Ion, Bushido, and I stay here. Superboy occasionally does while Red Tornado oversees us."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door's entrance. They turned to see Superboy looking somewhat confused at the scene but otherwise relaxed.

"Hey Superboy." Chimera nodded. "I was just having a friendly chat with our potential recruit."

"Oh, good." Superboy walked over to the bed. "Since you're here, we can give a mini tour while we head to dinner."

"Alright." Cameron kicked the blankets off. "I'm ready to grab some grub."

Kitchen

"Wow." Cameron stared out across the table. "This is more awkward than I thought it was going to be."

Whenever the team thought he wasn't looking, most of them would watch him like he was about to snap. As soon as he looked up from his meal, their eyes shot down to their own plates innocently poking at their food.

Superboy and Chimera tried to be comforting presences, but it didn't help with the awkwardness. Especially since Cameron knew when, and when not to speak. He had a feeling that if he spoke a syllable, the blond female would be the first to leap on it.

Hey, someone had to break the tension, and it looked like it'd have to be him. "So…" Everyone's attention darted to him, and he paused. "Damn, it was much easier to do this around dad." He sighed. "How was your day?"

"Other than having a criminal and possible spy forced onto the team, today was peachy." Wonder Girl replied irritably.

"Called it." Cameron thought unfazed by the personal attack.

His father often pulled the same stuff when he was in a particularly bad mood.

"Cassandra, that's enough." Chimera chided.

"Firstly, don't use our names in his presence." Wonder Girl stood. "Secondly, it's not. Not only is the Cave not safe anymore, but I can't even wear civilian clothes in here." She pointed an accusing finger at the young juvie. "He shouldn't be here, and he knows it!"

"I have a name." Cameron stated firmly while narrowing his eyes at the demigod.

Wonder Girl froze, startled his words, before turning away. "I'm going to stay with my mother."

Without another word, she flew off down the hall.

Cameron sighed and glanced at the other members of the team. "Sorry Miss Martian." He stood with a frustrated sigh. "The dinner was good; however, I don't have much room left for dessert."

M'gann nodded dumbly and watched as he emptied the plate into the trash. Cameron then stuck his hands in his pockets and walked off. He didn't even bother to glance at Superboy or Chimera as he made his way back to his room.

"I was right." Cameron thought. "It was much easier around dad."

I'm genuinely surprised how many people are all for this happening. Anyways, Icicle Jr. clearly has his work cut out for him to be truly accepted, and I couldn't just make him part of the team right away. The guy is still a criminal and must pay some dues here. Part of that is keeping his collar, for the time being, to supress his powers. Additionally, it might be a bit for him to have a change in name, but if any of you have a new name for Cameron, I'll be listening.

Aztec 13: Thank you

Afan: I know, right? I knew he was crushing on M'gann disguised as Tuppence, but I did not expect him to go creepy with it in season 2. In season 3, his meeting with Conner just felt weird.

TheFishKing: Thank you

Huntsman23: Thank you

johnymike98: Thank you and I'll keep those in mind.

Specter11Dragon: Maybe... eventually.