Warren had been at home, in bed, for three days and his mother was driving him crazy. Every five minutes she would come and check on him, fiddle around with his hair, bring him drinks and snacks even when he wasn't hungry and continually bought him things he didn't need like Travel Scrabble and a weird cushioned tray for his meals.

He understood that she was worried about him but really he was fine. He just wanted to get out of bed and move around. See other human beings. So when his mom suggested he came downstairs for a little bit he jumped at the chance but first, of course, he had to wear about a million layers in case he caught cold. He waddled down the stairs strapped into a t-shirt, two jumpers, trousers, long socks and a giant dressing gown. He was sweltering but if it meant he could leave the prison that was his bedroom he would put up with it.

He ambled into his front room to find Layla, Will, Ethan, Zach and Magenta sitting on his furniture.

'Hi!' Layla said sprightly. 'I hope you don't mind us visiting but your mom wanted to keep it a surprise, cheer you up or something. She said you'd been kinda quiet lately.'

'Yeah, she's driving me crazy,' Warren whispered as he slumped into the remaining chair. 'I'm so glad to see other people I can't begin to tell you.'

'Well, I'm not sure Zach fits into that category,' said Magenta laughing.

'Hey! What about you, guinea pig girl?' said Zach, only slightly offended.

Mrs. Peace stood in the hallway listening to the noise coming from her front room. It had been almost ten years since Warren had had any friends to the house. She was pleased to hear the sound of children's laughter again – it had been a long time coming. She went to open the door but then stopped, better to leave them to it, she didn't want to interrupt the beginnings of possible friendships.

'So what's been going on?' asked Warren inquisitively.

'Well the gym's finished,' said Ethan. He was still nervous of Warren but in this weakened state he felt slightly safer.

'Yeah, it looks great,' added Layla. 'It's all ready for the ceremony -.' Suddenly she looked horrified. 'Oh no! I wasn't supposed to tell you about that, it was meant to be a surprise when you came back to school.' Her face crumpled in dismay.

'A surprise?' said Warren. 'Well it was already ruined before you got here, don't worry. Nurse Spex told me about it practically as soon as I was awake.'

'Oh, that's alright then.' Layla's face visibly lightened.

Warren couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked when she smiled but then immediately dismissed the thought from his head. She was with Will and pretty happy by the looks of it from the way they held hands and he looked at her constantly.

'So, when's the ceremony supposed to be?' he asked.

'A couple of days' time, Friday I think,' said Will. It was strange for Warren to see this guy sitting in his house, a thing he never would have thought possible just two weeks ago. But then again, it's not every day that supervillains attack you.

'Well that gives my mom enough time to buy all the film in the city then,' Warren joked. 'No one is going to be able to see for all the flashes.'

'I think Medulla is filming it and about a million news crews are going to be there as well so I'm sure there'll be enough footage for everyone!' commented Zach.

They stayed at Warren's for another two hours, talking, laughing, and forming the first friendships Warren had made in a long time. They would have stayed longer except Warren's mom came in and politely asked them to leave.

'I'm sure Warren appreciates you stopping by,' she said, looking at her son fondly, 'but he still needs his rest. You don't get over something like that overnight.'

'No, of course not. It was very nice of you to let us come to visit Warren Mrs. Peace,' said Layla as they all got up off the furniture and made their way towards the door. 'Bye, Warren,' she added as she left.

'Bye, thanks for coming you guys,' he said.

After they had all left Warren slumped back down in the sofa, exhausted but happy. It turned out being friends with the bunch of freaks wasn't so bad after all.

'Warren,' said Mrs. Peace as she put her head around the door, 'what would you like…' she trailed off. Warren had fallen asleep, tucked up in his dad's old robe. She smiled, smoothed the hair off his forehead and tiptoed out of the room.

Friday

'Warren! Warren honey we're going to be late! Get downstairs this second otherwise we'll miss the ceremony!'

Mrs. Peace stood anxiously at the bottom of the stairs checking her watch and tapping her foot.

'Warren!' she said shrilly, 'we really can't leave it any longer!'

'Relax mom,' he said as he appeared at the top of the stairs, 'they can't start without me, who would they give my award to?'

'You're right, I suppose,' she sighed, 'but still, it looks pretty bad to turn up late to your own awards ceremony.'

He lolloped easily down the stairs and out of the door. 'Come on then, what are you waiting for? We'll be late,' he said with a grin.

They touched down on the school carpark and were instantly greeted by Principal Powers.

'Mrs. Peace, Warren, welcome! It's good to see you looking so well. Now we don't have a moment to lose. If you'd follow me please, Coach Boomer will show you to your seats. I must begin the proceedings!' she bustled as she led them into the school and handed them over to the Coach.

Warren and his mother were led up the central aisle of seats and placed on the front row. On the opposite side he saw Layla and her friends - his friends – and gave them a small, nervous smile. Layla smiled back at him and gave a little thumbs-up.

Principal Powers started the ceremony with, 'Superheroes, ladies, gentlemen, faculty and students. I welcome you to Sky High's new gym and the ceremony which shall open it and be remembered for many years to come. We are all gathered here today to celebrate the actions of my students and one in particular who defeated the attack on the school at the beginning of the term. For this, we thank them.'

She broke off to a round of applause from everyone in the hall.

'Now I'm sure I don't need to remind you of the events of that dreadful night so I won't but shall jump straight to the awards. Our guest of honour tonight who shall be presenting the awards to these courageous students is a duo you all know and love: the Commander and JetStream!'

Another round of applause echoed throughout the gym and Will's parents flew from the back to the front in a matter of seconds. Warren glanced over at Will who had slumped in his seat, covering his face with his hands. Apparently there were other reasons that your parents embarrassed you apart from being supremely evil.

'Thank you Principal Powers and may I say how lovely you look tonight!' said the Commander and got a reprimand from JetStream for his trouble. 'Yes, right you are dear. Now, onto the awards. We have seven awards to present this evening, six of which go to my son and his friends. So, for outstanding bravery and courage in the face of danger and death, we present these shields to Zachary Abrams, Magenta Corrola, Ethan Jones, Layla Penatini, William Stronghold and Raven Vree!'

A ripple of whispers ran around the gym,

'Raven?'

'She's getting one?'

'How the hell does she deserve one?'

'I have just been informed that Raven is still in the hospital and so is unable to accept her award for the part she played in that night's events,' announced the Commander.

'She doesn't deserve it! She was the one who caused it all!' shouted out Lash.

'That as may be, she still risked her life to save that of another and in doing so, saved the other five students we recognise here today. And so, if you would, please give the appropriate accolade to the students who could be here tonight; Zachary, Magenta, Ethan, Layla and Will!'

The five friends stood up, flushed with pride and ascended the steps, each receiving a golden shield with their name and deed embossed on the front. They smiled broadly as they shook the hands of their principal, the Commander and JetStream and collected their shield to tumultuous applause.

'And now, we come to the person without whom many of you would not be here today. He showed courage, tenacity and a desire to save others even though he himself was injured on that night. Many of you had reservations about letting this young man into your school, could the only son of Baron Battle really ever turn out to be a superhero? I think that he has shown, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he will make one of the finest superheroes the world has ever seen. His powers can only grow and we hope that this accolade will encourage him to use them wisely and for the greater good. And so, without further ado, I ask Warren Peace, the first freshman of Sky High to become an honorary superhero, to come up on stage to receive his award.'

Warren sat in his seat, unable to move for a moment. He couldn't quite believe this was all happening, and to him. If it had been Will he would have understood, but him?

'Warren!' his mother hissed, nudging him in the ribs. 'Get up there!'

His mother brought him back down to earth and for the first time he heard the raucous applause caused by his classmates, teachers and friends. He stood up and made it up the steps to the top of the podium. He was presented with a certificate, a gold medal in a wooden case and two crossed swords in another case with his name on a plaque below them.

He was speechless as he shook the hands of his principal and Will's parents. He couldn't see them as the people who put his father away at this moment; they were just two people who had come to honour him. The biggest smile he had ever achieved was on his face as his hair hung in his eyes. He looked out into the crowd and saw his mother crying and his friends sitting on the front row, clapping so hard their hands were a blur and smiling up at him. He didn't think he could ever feel any better as he took bow after bow and had many photos taken by the thousands of cameras that had appeared from nowhere. His heart had never felt so full with pride and love for the people in this room.

Finally the clapping subsided and Warren made it back to his seat, laden down with his awards.

'Everyone, if I could have your attention please,' called Principal Powers. 'Thank you so much for making this evening a night we will never forget. If you would all make your way to the main hall there is entertainment and refreshments.'

Suddenly the hall was filled with chatter as what seemed like hundreds of people rushed over to congratulate him. When it seemed like he'd shaken the hands of everyone in the building and his back was sore from all the congratulatory slaps he'd received he finally managed to make it into the hall where his mom and friends were. Friends – he still couldn't quite believe it, like they belonged to a different person. But now he was a different person, saving lives and getting awards, what sort of person could possibly want to avoid this?

'Hey!' said Layla as she managed to fight her way through the crowds to him. 'Nice collection of stuff you got there!' she said, nodding to the pile he'd made on the nearest chair.

'Yeah,' he said, brushing his hair out of his eyes, 'don't know what I'm going to do with it all yet but I'm sure my mom will find some nice display cabinet or something – I don't know, I guess I'll leave it up to her.'

'It's nice that she wants to do that for you though, some parents would just leave it up to their kid.'

'I suppose, but then when there's a possibility your child will turn evil I guess you got to celebrate the good things he does while you still can.'

'Hey, don't talk like that! Listen to me Warren Peace,' she said, her face suddenly turning very stern, 'you are not going to end up like your dad, do you hear me? You are going to be a good guy and save people, like me and Will and everyone else you saved that night. You can't end up being a bad guy – it's just not possible,' she whispered, her eyes shining up at him.

He looked down at her and his whole body just seemed to relax. He reached down and cupped her face in his hand, nestling his fingers in her hair. He started bending down when –

'Hey guys! What's going on? Wow, nice swords Warren, can I look?'

It was Zach; completely oblivious as to what he'd just stumbled upon. The two of them broke apart, Layla flushed and Warren feeling uncomfortable.

'Yeah, sure. Listen, could you watch those for me? There's something I gotta go do.'

He strode out of the hall and hesitated a moment before turning in the direction of the medical ward.

He sat by Raven's bed, watching her and thinking. He couldn't decide what his feelings towards her should be. Should he hate her for trying to get him killed, or be grateful towards her because she saved his life? He'd been trying to figure that one out since he'd woken up really and a week is a long time to carry around that sort of confusion. He'd thought perhaps seeing her would make up his mind – instinctive reaction and all that. But all he'd felt when he saw her, lying unconscious, was sorrow and pity for her. What had possessed her to set the whole thing off? He'd never really spoken to her, or been aware of her existence before that night.

'Ah, Mr. Peace. I wondered when you'd be back.' Nurse Spex walked into the room carrying Raven's trophy. She saw him staring at it, 'I thought it might be nice for her to see when she wakes up.'

'So she's going to be alright then?' he asked hopefully.

'It's still to early to tell. Physically she's healed but I think something else is holding her back from us. Possibly something spiritual. She can't deal with what she did yet, not even with herself. I don't think she's ready to justify herself to the world yet, or face the consequences of what she did.'

'Will she have to go to prison?'

'I honestly don't know. She certainly can't stay at Sky High once she's woken up – it's been forbidden. Anyway, I just came by to drop this off. I'll leave you alone.'

Warren sat in the dark with only the glow of a nightlight for company.

'You know Raven,' he whispered. 'I don't think I hate you. I certainly don't like you but I know I don't want to destroy you anymore. When I first saw you, making that shield thing to save me, all I could think about was how good it would make me feel to toast you there and then. But something stopped me, self-preservation I guess, but whatever it was, I'm glad it did 'cos I wouldn't want to be a murderer. Not of good people anyway. 'Cos you are a good person, I think. A little mis-guided maybe, but essentially a good person, what else would have made you change your mind? A truly evil person would have watched me die. So I guess I'm grateful to you, for saving my life now and in the future – you may have changed who I become. So, what I'm trying to say, I guess, is thank you.'

He patted her hand and stood up from the bed. He'd just turned to go when he heard a small sound and turned back around. Raven had opened her eyes.

'Wa – Warren,' she rasped and coughed a little. 'Thank you. Whatever you just did helped bring me back.'

'You were awake?' he asked incredulously.

'No, you woke me. I can't explain it, I feel at peace now.'

'Same here,' he said with a smile, 'I'll fetch Nurse Spex.'

A/N: Happy New Year everyone and thanks to CMHValex, anonymous reviews are now enabled!