Layla and Will hurried to their usual table for lunch the next day. Layla had mentioned the situation to Ethan, Magenta, and Zach in Hero Support class but hadn't been able to get far before Mr. Boy began lecturing. Well, talking was more like it, Layla mused. Mr. Boy did not lecture. Fortunately, everyone managed to get there before Warren.

"So, what's up, Layla?" Magenta asked as she slid into a seat across the table from the redhead. She leaned on her elbows and bent in close.

"We're trying to convince Mr. Stronghold that Warren's okay," Layla replied as she mirrored Magenta's pose.

"I thought we were already trying to do that," Zach said, only hearing Layla's comment as he collapsed at the lunch table.

"It wasn't working. We've decided, Will and I, that something more active needs to be done."

"Agreed," Ethan sat. "But what can we do? I mean, the Commander is pretty, well, commanding. I don't know how we could make him do anything he doesn't want to do."

Will hurried up and slammed down breathlessly, tilting the table slightly. "Warren will be here any minute," he gasped ignoring his companions' glares.

"So how are we going to do this?" Zach asked.

"Well, first of all Mr. Stronghold can't know. And neither can Warren."

"Obviously," Magenta said rolling her eyes. "What's the plan?"

"Well," Layla glanced over at Will. "We don't exactly know, yet."

"Hang on!" Zach cried. "You want us to go along with a plan that will cause us to risk life and limb and you don't even know what it is?"

"Yes," Layla said.

"Warren's coming," Will warned. The dark-haired youth had just stepped through the cafeteria doors.

"Are you in?" Layla asked the others urgently. Ethan and Magenta nodded. "Zach?" Zach didn't say anything.

"Zach," Will growled.

"Okay! But look, man, I'm not getting fried for this. Or crushed."

"Of course!" Layla assured him.

"Good," the glowing sidekick replied.

"Of course what?" Warren asked standing beside the table.

"Of course we're all going over to Will's house to do homework after school," Layla lied smoothly while the other jerked started guiltily. Warren's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"You're coming, too, right?" Will asked hoping to draw attention away from his girlfriend.

"No," Warren shook his head.

"Look, if this is about my dad," Will began, but Warren cut him off.

"Jeez, Stronghold, not everything is about you. As a matter of fact I have an early shift at the Paper Lantern."

"You want to come over afterward?"

"No. I do have a home, you know." Warren rolled his eyes.

"Well, will you sit down, at least?" Magenta interjected. "You're driving me nuts standing just over my shoulder like that.

Warren rolled his eyes again and tossed his bag onto the table. "So nobody's eating today?" he asked, pulling a wax-paper wrapped sandwich and his book out of his bag.

Everyone looked down at the empty table in front of them.

"Oh yeah," Zach muttered as he stood up. "Coming?" he asked the others.

Ethan shook his head and pulled a brown paper bag from his backpack. "I brought mine," he said.

Will stood up. "Yeah, hang on a sec. You want anything, Layla?"

The redhead shook her head. "I brought salad," she said.

"Maj?" Zach asked. The shape-shifter just shook her head. "We'll be back," Zach assured them as he and Will hurried to get into line.

"You aren't eating?" Warren asked Magenta when she looked down at the table again.

"No. I'm not really hungry," Magenta shrugged. Warren raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" Layla asked. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"You know, it's very unhealthy to skip meals," Ethan commented, seemingly to his own sandwich.

Magenta rolled her eyes. "Some upperclassmen took my lunch money, okay?" she huffed.

"Oh, Magenta!" Layla cried. "Are you okay?"

"Did they stuff you in a locker?" Ethan asked sympathetically.

Warren handed her a five dollar bill. "Go buy lunch," he ordered. "You can tell us about it when you get back," he glared at the sidekicks across the table.

"I don't know when I'll be able to pay you back," Magenta told Warren.

"Don't worry about it. I can wait."

"Seriously?"

Peace rolled his eyes and shook the bill again.

"Thanks!" Magenta said. She gave him a half smile and strode over to the dwindling lunch line, cash in hand.

Warren glared at the glass in his hand. The previous shift had been busy and somehow an entire tub of dishes had been allowed to sit for a couple of hours. Just long enough that all the food that had been on was now completely dried out and hard to get off. For the flatware it had been a simple matter of soaking and putting them in the dishwasher. This glass, however, had refused to come clean in one cycle. There was soda residue in the bottom edge, and he was going to have to scrub it out by hand.

With a sigh, Warren walked over to the sink, turned on the hot water, and squirted some industrial strength dish soap into the bottom of the offending glass. Actually, he wouldn't put it past Ricky, the dishwasher who was on break just now, to have known about the tub and left it for Warren anyway. Warren held the glass up to the light. He could still see the soda stain, so he went back to scrubbing. It was a difficult task considering that his hands were large and the glass was long and narrow. It looked like he was going to be there a while.

Absently he thought about lunch that day. Warren was used to being slighted; it was a fact of life for a villain's child. That didn't mean he enjoyed being looked over or even notorious, but it was something he had learned to make the best of over the years. Which was why he had been surprised to feel a small pang race through him earlier.

Clearly Stronghold and company had been talking about something they didn't want to include him in. Possibly they had even been talking about him. Upon further reflection Warren decided that it was more likely that they had been talking about what had happened last night. Warren sighed.

He could understand that the Commander would be leery of letting his son hang out with a villain's kid, but he sort of hoped that Will's dad wouldn't make a big deal about his son's friend. Warren really didn't enjoy being talked about, or being talked down to. After all, he was the son of a hero, too. Why was it that no one ever seemed to remember that?

Steve Stronghold was slowly walking down the short hall that connected the bottom of the stairs to the front room, den, and the kitchen. He had hopped down the last two stairs and was belatedly looking around for Josie who always chastised him for doing that. She said that he should be setting a good example for Will, but if Will wasn't around, well, jumping the last two stairs was fun.

He hadn't seen Josie, but he had heard Will and his friends talking in the front room. Steve listened for a minute to see who was there. It didn't sound like the Peace kid was there at all. Steve winced as he remembered Josie's chat with him the night before. She had accused him of being judgmental. He preferred to think of it as protective. He was about to continue when it registered what they were saying.

"Honestly, Maj, don't worry about it so much," he heard Will say.

"But I seriously don't know where I'm going to get Warren's money. My mom already gave me lunch money for the week, and if I ask for more she'll want to know why I need it. I don't want her to worry."

"Too bad your dad wasn't there, Will," Ethan said. "It would have taken care of the whole problem."

Steve's eyes narrowed. Maybe he wasn't being judgmental after all. He was just about to walk in the room and ask what was going on when Josie stepped out of the kitchen and spotted him. "Steve! There you are. Come help me decide which kind of noodles to make with dinner."

"Coming," he replied. He'd have to ask Will what had happened later.

In the front room five teenagers froze as they watched Mr. Stronghold walk past. Had he heard what they were talking about? They held their breath for a long moment and waited. Finally Will exhaled and said, "That was close. We're going to have to be more careful." The others nodded solemnly.

In the kitchen Steve was watching his wife dump a box of elbow macaroni noodles into a pot of boiling water. "Jo, do you know what's going on with the kids?" he asked.

"Does it have to do with why you were eavesdropping on them?" she frowned at him.

"They sounded a little worried. Did anything happen at school today?" he asked, hoping to distract her into believing him innocent.

"No, I don't think so," she shook her head.

"It almost sounded like Peace," he stopped abruptly as Josie slammed a pan down onto the stove. She did not have superstrength, but the sound was still impressively loud.

"Steven Stronghold!" Josie exclaimed. "You are unbelievable! Why can't you just accept that Will is friends with Warren?"

"I just don't know that it's a good idea for Will to be friends with Baron Battle's son."

"Exactly!" Josie hissed in hushed tones. "It's Baron's son! Not Baron himself that Will is befriending."

"Still." Steve shrugged.

"No, Steve, not still," Josie glared at him with disappointment in her eyes before turning back to her dinner preparations.

"Josie."

"Don't."

"Josie, please."

"Don't, Steve."

Steve sighed and slumped against the counter. There had to be a reason why his wife and son were so eager to defend this kid, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what it was.

A/N: Thanks to my reviewers! I really appreciate it! I took a few liberties with the layout of the Stronghold house, and with how restaurants do dishes. Hopefully no one will mind.