This chappie is dedicated to LaBOBuren. Enjoy!

Standard disclaimer - blah, blah, blah.

Hotstreak hopped impatiently from foot to foot as he waited for Ebon. He knew Ebon was gonna be pissed, but he had done what he had to do. His premonition came true as he saw Ebon phase in across the alleyway. From their concealed location, Ebon could see the cops and reporters swarming around the Foley house.

"What did you do, Hotstreak?" Ebon's voice was sharp and angry.

"I called the cops."

"You what!" Ebon grabbed Hotstreak by the throat and pushed him against the cold bricks.

"I was just doing what you told me. 'Keep an eye on the kid.' That's what you said. Well, he was getting the shit kicked outta him, so I called the cops. He ain't no good to Brainiac if he's dead."

Ebon was still angry, but Hotstreak's words made some sense. "Who was doing the beat down?"

"It was a woman. Probably his mom. They took Richie away in an ambulance, and his parents went with the cops."

Ebon thought for a moment. It wouldn't be as clean as taking the boy from his home in the dead of night. There would be more witnesses at the hospital, more chance of interference, but the plan could still work.

"Let's go." Ebon grabbed Hotstreak and phased from the alley. They reappeared in the basement of the hospital.

"We need to look around, see if we can find the kid." Ebon examined his surroundings. His exploration turned up bales of clean laundry recently delivered. He sorted through several bags until he found uniforms that would fit.

"Here. Put this on."

Hotstreak caught the clothes tossed his way and changed. When he was ready, he looked over to Ebon and started laughing.

"What's your problem?"

Hotstreak got his laughter under control and responded, "E-man, ain't nobody gonna mistake you for a human being, much less a doctor."

Ebon caught a glimpse of himself reflected in a pane of glass. Hotstreak was right. Sometimes Ebon forgot what he looked like now. He was, literally, a shadow of his former self. Ebon continued to root through the laundry bags and came up with a surgical mask and gloves.

"This ought to get me close enough to do the job. We run across anybody, you'll have to do the talking."

"Not a problem. Let's go."

"Excuse me, Mr. Foley, did you say that Richie is not your son?" asked Detective Aryah.

"That's right. I met Maggie while she was still in college. She was already pregnant when we started dating. She told me it had been a weekend fling, that it didn't mean anything. I could tell, though. She kept the baby because she really thought the guy would come back for her, but he never did. I don't even think he knows he has a son."

"What was the man's name?"

Mr. Foley answered, "I don't know. She never told me who he was. He was just some guy she met at a lecture. We got married about a month before Richie was born. I let her put my name on the birth certificate, and I raised Richie as my own."

Batman stood and stepped out of the room; he was followed by Detective Aryah.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to check on Richie. Then I'll talk to Mrs. Foley," he said. "If we can find Richie's natural father, he won't be forced to live in a foster home for the next two years."

"Did you mean it?" Richie's voice was still weak, but it was growing stronger.

"Mean what?" What was Richie asking?

"Am I your baby?"

God, they were both being so careful, so tentative. "Do you want to be?" Virgil stared down at the young man he loved. This was it. What would Richie say?

'How many times had he had this dream?' wondered Richie. Brainiac's assault was messing with his mind again. In the dream, he would say yes to Virgil then one of two things would happen. Virgil would lean down to kiss him and Richie would wake up before their lips met, or Virgil would lean down to kiss him and turn into Brainiac-Virgil, hurting him with love.

He didn't want to dream anymore. He turned away from dream-Virgil and closed his eyes.

Virgil was stunned. He had been so sure that Richie had feelings for him. Oh, God he had messed up so bad. Richie hated him, wouldn't even look at him now. Virgil knew he had failed Richie by not protecting him, by not realizing sooner that they were meant to be together. Now Richie knew how Virgil felt and had turned away. It was too late for them.

The pain of Richie's rejection was devastating. Virgil backed away from the bed and moved toward the door. Sharon was standing there, her eyes filled with emotion.

Sharon stepped over to the bed and placed her hand on Richie's head. She stroked his hair for a moment, then leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead. She quietly backed away and pulled Virgil out into the hallway. After ensuring the door was closed behind her, she turned to Virgil and popped him on the side of the head.

"What the hell are you thinking, Virgil Hawkins?"

Again, Virgil was stunned. "What are you talking about?"

"I heard you, Virgil. I heard what you said to Richie. Why are you walking out on him?"

"In case you didn't notice, sis, he just dissed what I said. He doesn't want me the way that I want him."

"In case you didn't notice little brother, he just came out of surgery and had been awake for all of thirty seconds. He didn't diss you; he probably didn't even know you were there."

"You're crazy. He looked right at me. He talked to me." Virgil was angry that Sharon had eavesdropped, but her words had planted a small kernel of hope in his heart that was threatening to bloom.

Sharon stood straight and crossed her arms over her chest. "Seven years old. You had to get your tonsils out. When you came out of the anesthesia, you had a twenty-minute debate with your roommate about whether elephants prefer creamy or extra crunchy peanut butter."

"So?" snapped Virgil. "That's a perfectly logical question for a couple of grade-schoolers to wonder about."

She slapped Virgil's head again. "You didn't have a roommate, genius!"

"Ouch! Stop hitting me or I'll tell Dad on you!"

Sharon grabbed Virgil by the shoulders, turned him around and pushed him towards Richie's door. "Get back in there, Virgil. When he wakes up, you tell him again how you feel. If he flakes out, wait until the next time he wakes up and tell him again. You keep telling him until he understands that you're serious."

"Sharon, why are you doing this?"

"Because I love you, little brother. I want you to be happy, and Richie makes you happy. You two do belong together. Don't let him get away because of a misunderstanding."

With that, Sharon gave Virgil a last little push, then went back downstairs to wait for the police to take her statement about Richie and his home life.

Virgil took a few deep breaths, then reentered the room where Richie slept.

Virgil wanted to believe, oh, how he wanted to believe that Sharon was right. That Richie hadn't really seen him earlier. He walked towards the bed. Richie's right hand lay protectively against his chest. Richie was only a little bit shorter than he, but right now he looked so small. He sat beside the blond and took Richie's hand in his own.

Come on, Virgil. You're a superhero. You can do this.

"Richie?"

Richie turned towards Virgil's voice like a plant turning towards sunlight.

"Virgil?"

"Yeah, bro. It's me. Come on. Will you open those big blue eyes for me?"

Long lashes fluttered and finally opened to reveal confused orbs.

"V? What are you doing here? I thought you left."

Virgil smiled sadly. "I'm here now. And I won't leave you again."

"You have to go. She can't catch you in here."

Virgil frowned. "Who, Rich?"

"Mom." The title, almost universally spoken with love and reverence, was uttered with dread. "You need to go before she comes up. She doesn't like it when I have people over without her permission."

"Richie, do you know where you are?"

Richie was obviously confused as he looked first at Virgil, then around the room. He felt something strange on his face; his left hand found the nasal cannula.

"Hospital?"

"That's right." Virgil knew the relief he was feeling was reflected in his voice. Richie really hadn't shut him out earlier. He was just dopey from the drugs he had been given during surgery. Virgil still had a chance. "The cops got an anonymous phone call. When you got here, they had to take you to surgery. The doc says you're gonna be OK, though."

Richie noticed that his hand was wrapped in Virgil's, and that both hands were clasped close to Virgil's chest. To his heart.

Richie raised questioning eyes to Virgil. "V?"

Virgil looked down at their joined hands then back to Richie's face. Slowly, slowly enough to allow Richie to pull away if he wanted, Virgil leaned over. He kept his eyes on Richie's the entire time. When his lips were a whisper away from Richie's, he said, "I love you," then closed the distance.

Richie's lips were soft and warm and trembled beneath his. Virgil held the contact for several heartbeats before sitting up. He had told Richie how he felt. Now it was up to Richie to either accept him or turn him away.

Richie's tongue slipped out and tasted Virgil on his lips. He felt Virgil's hand gripping his tightly. It wasn't a nightmare, or just a dream. It was real. Maybe a dream come true?

'YES!" thought Virgil as The Smile broke out on Richie's face. Virgil wore a matching grin of his own as Richie tugged him down to lay beside him on the narrow bed. Carefully so as not to aggravate the blond's injuries, Virgil and Richie squirmed and adjusted until Richie's head was resting on Virgil's chest and Virgil's hand played in Richie's hair.

"Virgil, what happens now?"

"With your parents? Or with us?"

"Both."

"Well, I think your folks are in a lot of trouble. I know Dad is asking Protective Services for temporary custody. They know him pretty well from his work at the Center, so I think that will go through. As for you and me, what do you want to happen? I love you, Richie Foley, and I will take things as slowly as you need me to."

"I love you, too. And slow is good." There was a pause and then Richie said, "V, there are some things I need to tell you."

"I probably know what they are. We'll talk about it when you're ready."

"No, V, it's not just stuff about my parents."

"Rich, I know. Batman sort of, uh, found your laptop at the Gas Station of Solitude. He deciphered your download."

Richie froze. "You know then? About Brainiac? What he did to me?"

"I've got a pretty good idea." He gave Richie a gentle squeeze and kissed him again. "We'll work it out, Rich. Whatever happens, we'll work it out together."

Peering around the corner, Hotstreak had noted which door Virgil used.

"Room 216."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Virgil's in there. He wouldn't leave his little buddy."

"Well his little buddy is about to leave him. Let's go."

The Bang Babies approached the door cautiously then burst inside to catch the teenagers by surprise.

"Awww, ain't that sweet." Hotstreak couldn't help but comment at the scene of the two boys in the bed. Virgil slowly disentangled himself from Richie and from the various wires attached to the blond.

Hotstreak sprouted a fireball and passed it back and forth between his hands. "I've got a present for you, Virgil."

"What about me?" asked Richie. "I'm the patient here; the least you could have done was stop by the gift shop."

"Don't be a smartass," warned Ebon.

"Better than being a dumbass," replied Richie.

Virgil was proud of the courage his favorite blond was showing, but he really wished Richie would have waited until the cavalry arrived. He was torn - should he use his powers now? It might get rid of the bad guys, but it would reveal his secret identity. Also, Richie was injured and without his gear, he was in danger. He needed time; he needed to distract them.

"I heard Static and Gear wiped you guys out down at the docks before Christmas. How'd you get out of that one?"

Ebon, who was glaring at the bedridden boy, said, "Long story. One you're not gonna live long enough to hear if you don't step aside."

Damn. They wanted Richie. His Richie.

"I love long stories. Why don't you start at the beginning?"

Hotstreak answered, "I'd rather skip straight to the ending where I live happily ever after. I'll give you a hint, though, Virg. It has me and Ebon at the top and you, Dakota, the Justice League, hell, everyone else at the bottom. Thanks to our new friend."

"Awww, V! Hotstreak made a friend!"

"Can it, Rich. What friend? Alva?" Time. Time. He needed time.

Hotstreak sneered at the name of the wealthy industrialist. "Alva? That loser? He's gonna be one of the first to go. No. Blondie here has a date. With a real 'Brainy' guy." Hotstreak even included the air quotes outlined in flame.

Richie's face paled, and the heart monitor, which had held relatively steady, now began to beep in earnest. As Hotstreak and Ebon laughed at the boy's fear, Virgil used their distraction to overload the electrical circuits in the room. He only had a few moments until the emergency lights kicked on. He had to hurry.

Feeling sorrow for the pain he knew he was causing, Virgil ripped out Richie's IV and tore the wires from his body. He dragged Richie to his feet, and the two tried to run around the kidnappers. He was too slow. Ebon reached out and grabbed the edge of Richie's gown. He jerked on the garment and was rewarded with an armful of pissed off, in pain Richie, who promptly threw an elbow into Ebon's face.

Ebon was about to phase when the floor spewed forth an enraged Martian Manhunter. J'onn had been downstairs listening to the interview with Mrs. Foley when he felt the emotional surges from Virgil and Richie. At first, he was confused. Warm, tender feelings of love and contentment were soon followed by the sour tastes of anger and fear. He also felt the touch of a sinister presence, one that was nearing the boys!

J'onn used his powers to travel through the ceiling into the room above. His greater strength and quick reactions allowed him to pull Richie away from the Bang Baby. He also used a burst of telekinesis to thrust the fire-bearing attacker out the door and into the hallway.

Ebon, who didn't like the new odds, slid into the hall as well. He grabbed Hotstreak and phased away. They needed a new plan. Good thing he had one.

Mo and Aryah - Here are the boys!

Thanks to everybody for reviewing and for letting me know Richie's Mom's name. I will change the name in Chapter 11 later.

Review?