Author's Notes: The second part of Reasons to Fight and the last post for Eli of 2016. Again, its a rather short chapter but I did not want all of it attached to the previous one. This chapter also gives a small insight into the thoughts of Leila. But as always, read and enjoy.

Chapter Warnings: This chapter is rated T for Teen for swearing.

The Markings of a Hero

Chapter Six: Reasons to Fight Pt. II

"You won't get it down in a few hours kid," Nick Hickman's voice somehow taunted Eli as the teen failed to swiftly exchange cards as Nick had done. "This takes months to learn and years to master."

It had been hours since the two began, the time now being six in the evening. Leila had surprising not called, as well as Mallory and Hannah. Eli would have marked this as a day of smooth sailing if he could learn this sleight of hand that Nick was trying to teach him. That, plus his throbbing muscles reminded him of the torture yet to come.

"You never answered my question," Eli said as he shuffled the cards. "Are you some sort of go-to man for the vigilantes in this city?"

"Are you a cop?" Eli gave a negative answer. "Then why do you have to know?"

"Curiosity."

Nick gave a quiet breath of exasperation. "I have contacts that supplies things to set up hideouts such as this one. Your dad figured he could get all the help he could with cleaning the city so I learned more people, more names. So, yeah, in a way I am the go-to for that kind of stuff in this city."

Eli gave a small nod. "I see. And how did you know that I was using the computer to find out Dad's history?"

"The laptop and the big computer over there are somewhat connected." Nick explained. "You can't use the laptop without me knowing. Most of its files are just shortcuts to the main files here."

"So why do you need the laptop and the hard copy files?" Eli inquired.

"You probably already know that answer," Nick said. Eli kept a straight face though he had figured out that the paper files were not all listed on the laptop and vice versa. "But there are some files not on the computer. That's why you see the cabinets over there as well as a large computer."

"…" Eli sat quietly before sitting the cards on the table in front of him. "I'll give you the files."

"This isn't a bargaining table, kid. I'm taking everything." Nick told him. "Like I said, this won't be for free but-"

"You can't pay me what I want because what I want isn't money." Eli interrupted. "I want to know why he did it. I need to find out by myself and I need at least the laptop and his journal to do so."

Nick tapped his left hand's index finger on the table noisily for a moment before leaning back in his seat and taking in a deep breath. His eyes seemed to have given Eli a thorough look over once more before settling on the boy's brown eyes.

"Miles said that you could throw darts pretty well. So how about a game? You win, everything stays with you. I win, everything comes back to me. Sounds fair?" Eli snorted and shook his head.

"I'm not as stupid as I was when I was a kid. I know you'll win." Eli said.

Nick sighed heavily. "Kid, I don't know what to tell you but I will get those things. Like I said, they are for those who are actually trying to do right in this world, not hold onto them for a personal memorabilia."

Eli gave Nick a hard glance before the teen rested his folded arms onto the table.

"What if I became this next vigilante?" Eli questioned.

"No."

"Nick I-"

"No," Nick said firmly again. "Leila will not have my head because her son wants to keep a bloody laptop and some files. Bad enough she blames me for Miles's death. I won't have your blood on my hands as well."

"I won't die. Not as a vigilante." Eli told Nick.

Nick glared at the boy. "Do you have some death wish or are you just this naturally stupid?"

"Give me till August," Eli stated. "Not only will I learn sleight of hand and any other stage magic that you know, but I'll also be capable of handling my own. I'll fill those shoes and get a personal experience as to why anyone would want to take on such a stupid job. I'll get the answers I want and you get the hero this city needs."

"You sure are as stubborn as both of your parents, aren't you? And just how in the hell do you think you're going to be ready for such a job in two months?"

"Because I have to." Eli answered. "Not for the city. Not for Cheshire Square. But for my dad. I need to do this for him."

There was another pause and Eli was sure that his bullshitting had finally met its match. Nick was apparently not buying Eli's speech at all, not that Eli could blame him. Eli really wanted to just keep the files that he had with little to no care about the city in general. But, Eli figured that if he put on a mask and at least kept Cheshire Square safe, then he would technically be a hero and, per this agreement, would be able to keep the laptop.

To Eli, this was a fair trade. Suicidal, maybe, but fair to say the least. Cheshire Square was not that big and the only problems it had stemmed from the Saints Row Children. Therefore, he would not be in the same company as his father was.

"You think," Nick began, his tone showing just how annoyed and angered he was. "That you can just put on a mask and run around here screaming you're the good guy?"

"Not really…"

"Do you even know what being a good guy means? Hell, do you even know how to be a good son to your mum?" The shot to his private life caused Eli to sit up, angrily staring at the man. "I'm going to make this as blunt as I can kid. You are in no shape, physically or mentally, to become what this city needs. You're selfish and fixated on getting answers you don't need now."

"What's your point?" growled Eli.

"My point? You're that bloody stubborn, eh? You really want to go around, getting shot at for a laptop? Fine! Be my guest mate!" Nick relented as he sat back in his seat. "But I'll tell you this, I will not take the fall for your death. If and when Leila finds out, this is all on you."

Eli studied Nick's posture now. It was clearly seen and heard that the man was not pleased. Though, Eli got the feeling that Nick's discomfort was not directed towards Eli. Instead, Eli felt as if it came from a talk that Nick most likely had with Malcolm.

"Nick," Eli spoke calmly and carefully. "This is what I want. You said you'd give me what I want in exchange for the laptop and files and this is what I truly want. I'm not asking you to train me. I'm not asking you to help me. All I'm asking from you is to just honor your deal."

Nick took his glasses off and rubbed the lens with the bottom of his shirt. Eli watched the man carefully as it looked like Nick was taking a second to mull over the offer. Then, with actions faster than Eli could react to, the man threw an object that whizzed right by Eli's ear and hit something with a solid thud.

"You learn to do that in two months and you got yourself a deal." Nick said. Eli swallowed before turning to see that there was now a dart sticking into the punching bag. "Deal?"

Eli turned back to Nick to see the man putting his glasses back on. There was no way that this man had said dart in his hands this entire time, let alone able to throw with such accuracy without his glasses on. However, that was a trick Eli figured he could learn about later. For now, he just nodded his head.

"Oh," Nick said. "And I guess it goes without saying that you will never tell Leila that I'm helping you kill yourself, got it?"

"Yeah…" Eli answered before frowning in confusion. "Why the change of mind though?"

"American Revolution."

"…What?"

"The American Revolution was not fought by Americans. It was fought by immigrates who wanted independence and freedom." Nick elaborated as he began to shuffle the cards that were on the table. "That concept is something I believe this city needs."

"An immigrant wanting independence?" Eli questioned.

"A Bialyan kid who has a knack for annoying the hell out of people with a hundred questions." replied a grinning Nick. "Now pay attention kid. You only have two months and I'm debating that you'll learn it. Like I said, Miles may have believed otherwise, but you are not as smart as your mum."

Eli shrugged his shoulders. "Let's find out then."

Eli had stayed with Nick for as long as he possible could before he had to return back to Cheshire Square. Once more he found that riding the subway somehow reminded him of how tired he truly was, but pushed said exhaustion aside as soon as he was back in his home neighborhood. Crinkly Park was still packed with people even in the later hours of the evening, the setting sun not discouraging the kids there from having taking advantage of their summer vacation.

His thoughts wandered to a time where he and George would be one of those kids, having fun at the playground with little to no care about the dangers in the world. In fact, back then, the only truly scary thing was missing curfew and having to deal with their parents. And when Hannah joined Eli's group of friends, she brought more smarts to the group along with her New York toughness that made one think twice about picking on such a physically small girl.

Then… They drifted. George soon became a pawn in his brother's gang. Hannah and Eli dated and then broke up which made certain moments quite awkward. And Eli… He sort of withdrew into himself, focusing on the things such as basketball to prepare for a future for himself. No longer did they hang out at Crinkly's like they used to. No longer did they sneak off to Drayton Pier for the Winter Festival. They were just… Them.

"You know," Eli nearly jumped out of his skin at the Jade's voice beside him. "You should really pay more attention to who walks by you."

"Too busy worried about the SRC." Eli replied. "And a small Vietnamese chick does not portray a member of an all black gang."

Jade rolled her eyes. "Right, right. We'll just pretend that I didn't scare you shitless then." Eli looked over to his right to see a smirk morphing onto her face. "I thought you weren't afraid?"

"I never said that. I just said that I didn't care." pointed out Eli. "And what are you doing here?"

"Well for starters, I do live here for the moment." Eli caught on to her words and formed a question for a later time. "And, I guess I'm here for the same reason as you are. Training." Jade's thin brows knitted. "Which brings me to this question. What were you doing out and about? I was sure that you'd pass out after warm-ups this morning."

"I had to go meet up with a friend of my dad's. He's trying to get me to get my license so I can legally own my dad's Cherokee." Eli explained.

"Ah," The girl voiced. "You know, your not-really girlfriend stopped by earlier. I caught her when I came back to check for mail."

"She'll probably call." Eli told Jade.

Jade's smirk returned. "She asked me if you and I were seeing each other. I told her to ask you for that information, though I'm pretty sure she got the wrong idea."

"Hmm," vocalized the boy as they neared the steps to their apartment building. "Something tells me that you purposely gave her said idea."

"You're right again detective." Jade sang as they entered the building. "Ben was right. You are smart!"

Eli's lips thinned in thought. He was sure that Ben and Jade had talked about him after he left earlier though he could not pinpoint exactly what they would talk about. His worst fear was that the two had somehow concocted a scheme that would end in Eli's early demise. It was a thought that was heavily supported by new information about the pair.

"I think," Jade spoke, gaining Eli's attention. "That your friend put a hit out on me. There were several of guys staring at me earlier when I came back. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"You think I asked George to do so?" Eli asked as he took the key out to open his mailbox.

"It wouldn't be a stretch. You've been friends for a longtime apparently and have always had each other's back. Planning on getting rid of me for a favor for his brother does make sense." Jade answers with a shrug of her shoulders. "Which makes me wonder if you would ever think of something like that or not."

Eli chuckled. "And let Ben come hunt me down? I don't have to know the guy to know that he's no joke." Eli took his mail and closed the box, locking it. "Besides, I doubt George wants to be anywhere near you after last night. He's never been handled like that by a girl. Hurts his pride."

Jade only snorts in response as the pair made their way to the stairs. Eli noted that she looked quite prideful about her actions. Not that he could really blame her as George had been quite difficult to talk to last night. However, George's intentions- bad or not- were not directed towards Jade whatsoever; but only to Eli. Eli did not know what truly forced Jade to physically attack George. While it could have been because George ruined a roughly good day, Eli doubted that Jade cared that much about their time together for George to have ruined anything.

"You know," Jade said as Eli made a stop to his apartment to sit the mail on the table. "You never mentioned your dad was a vigilante."

"Point?" Eli asked as he opened his apartment door.

"Point is that's something pretty big about this city. Even I know that." Jade commented.

Eli sighed as he threw the mail on the table and turned to Jade.

"He was. He died. End of story." Jade's brows rose. "What?"

"I get it. You don't like talking about it." Jade said. "But why? It's not like he was one of those wackos trying to blow the city up for a quadrillion dollars, right?"

"Worse," Eli answered as he closed and locked his apartment door. "He was one of those foolish enough to think he could save this city from the shit that we're always in."

Jade clicked her tongue noisily. "I see."

"And now I have to find out why he did it." Jade's face showed Eli that she needed more of an explanation. "When normal people want to help the world, they become doctors, cops, teachers, nuns. Those type of things. My dad was in the army. He fought in Qurac. But for some reason, that wasn't enough. Why? I don't know now, but I will. Trust me."

Jade's lips thinned. "You do know that you're most likely going to become a vigilante yourself if you continue to walk in his shoes, right?"

"Hopefully, I'll be able to stop once I get my answers." Eli responded while the two walked up the steps.

"Or?"

"Or I'll die just like he did. An idiot trying to find answers to fix a problem."

Eli's answer put an uneasy silence between the two, one that remained until they arrived at Ben and Jade's apartment. Jade unlocked the door with her key before leading Eli inside. Ben was currently there, silently meditating in the middle of the floor.

"You're early," Ben's voice rang out before he opened his eyes to stare at the teens. "Are you ready to begin your training, Eli?"

Eli nods. "I am."

"I learned quite a few things about you," Ben said standing as he spoke. "Or your father, I should say. He too had a strong conviction, determined to help this city in ways that very few brave to do so. But he, like many others, was bound to fail."

"How do you figure that?" questioned Eli, careful to make sure his anger was not heard.

"He restrained himself." Ben answered. "He stopped himself from completing his duties due to a moral code. Many so-called masked heroes have them. They gain the ability to ultimately save the day, but when they have the chance to stop a terrorist or attempt to take him in before he destroys half the city, they always go to take him in. During the struggle, hundreds die, and in the end, said terrorist escapes anyway. That isn't a 'hero'. Not to me and not to those who don't survive the fight."

Eli took in a deep breath, his anger long forgotten by the end of the speech. He agreed with what Ben said. Whenever there was a fallen hero shown on the news, it was normally due to them hoping to talk the gunman out of shooting and failing. Malcolm's death had been different but most of them died in this fashion. Eli never understood why and had just given up trying to find reason in their faults. Apparently Ben also saw the problem.

"I have clothes for you to train in." Ben continued, staring at Eli. "You will wear this when you train with me. I will also need your number to tell you when and where training is. Much like this morning, follow my instructions without questions. Got it?"

"Yes sir." Eli answered.

"Good," Ben stated. "Jade, take him to the back to get ready."

Jade motioned Eli to follow her which he did.

"Your dad must have been a good man," Eli heard Ben say, causing the teen to pause. "In order to know why he did what he did, you have to let go of your anger that he died. Or else."

Eli swallowed quietly before looking upwards.

"I'll try…"

Eli had said that he would be home by nine, it was now eleven. For one Leila Nolan, that was not okay. She had already called Hannah but the girl had no idea where her son was. That only left George and Leila was not a fan of the teenager who more than likely dragged her son off to some random drug-filled party.

The woman sighed heavily as she leaned against the refrigerator in her kitchen, the back of her head resting on the appliance with her arms folded in front of her. This was not supposed to be easy. That was Leila's mantra when she knew that Malcolm had passed and Eli was going to be living with her and her husband. It was not supposed to be easy. Eli was unyielding and refused to do a lot that he was asked. He was not just a typical teenager, he was her typical teenager. And that put him in a class of stubborn where very few resided.

So again, this was not supposed to be easy, much like quitting smoking. Though, Leila mused, there was a huge difference between stop smoking and raising a teenage Eli. In order for her to stop smoking, she would need more conviction and willpower, support from her family, and a new habit to replace it. That was simple. But Eli… He would need a lot more than that.

"You're still up?" Robert asked as he trudged into the kitchen, t-shirt and boxers on. "Lily, you should at least prepare for bed. Eli's alright."

The woman gave her husband a dark glance.

"He is a seventeen-year-old teenager from Cheshire Square who just lost his father. He is not alright." Leila returned.

Robert sighed. "I don't know what you want me to tell you Lily. Eli is your son. He's stronger than you know."

"I know how strong he is, Robert. That's not what I'm worried about." Leila argued.

"Then what are you worried about?" interrogated her husband.

Leila took in a deep breath. "I'm worried that he'll leave. I can't… I can't protect him if he leaves."

"Like you did?"

"Like Malcolm did," Leila snapped back. "Malcolm left every night. He left Elias, our son, to run out and save this damned city. And Elias is so determined to find out why."

"How do you know this? Eli could-"

"I know my son, Robert. He's angry and fixated on this problem and it'll lead him to more trouble than necessary." Leila cut off. "Elias is not like Sam and he never will be. I just pray that Sam also doesn't become like Eli…"

Robert silently looked at his wife as her eyes drifted to the sliding glass doors that led to the backyard. He was no stranger to watching the woman stay up late nights deep in thought, there were more times than he could count. But he had never seen her worry this much before. Then again Leila Rassan- his Lily Nolan- did not worry about anything. She found problems, she found solutions, and then she moved on.

"Eli is fine. He probably went to a party and forgot to call and tell you. You know what it's like to be young Lily." Robert caught his mistake when brown eyes glared at him again. "I don't think he'd get involved with the SRC, not after the whole ordeal with Sam. Or maybe he was doing his job applications like he said and just fell asleep? He's been pulling all-nighters. Even I can hear him typing on that laptop of his some mornings when I return."

Leila took in another deep breath. "I'll be upstairs in a few. I just want to wait for him a little longer."

"I can stay-"

"No," Leila interrupted. "This is between me and my son."

Knowing better than to argue at the late hour, Robert nods and gives his wife a smile.

"Fine Lily," Robert said, his smile never falling. "And just so you know, Eli loves you. He's just intimidated to tell you."

Leila raised a brow. "He is?"

"I was afraid to tell you that I loved you too, remember?" Robert joked. "Not only could you have ripped my head off metaphorically, you did have a six-foot four muscled body guard that could do it physically."

Leila smiles. "Malcolm would not have hurt you. I doubt he would have done anything to anyone I said that I was in love with."

"Doesn't stop it from being any less terrifying with him around." Robert said. "Just… Just let Eli come to you, like teaching Sam to walk. Eventually he will take those first steps to you. All you have to do is stand with your arms open."

With those words of wisdom, Robert left his wife in the kitchen. Leila watched the man exit while consciously rubbing the band of her wedding ring. She needed to smoke at the moment and she was patiently waiting for signs to show her that it was alright to do so.

Robert was right about one thing though. Eli was her son. He was bred to have the natural instincts to navigate throughout the streets of New Camford with little to no worry. It was a trait that Leila noticed that Sam lacked; the natural survival instinct. Eli cried when he fell off of the bar stool only after retrieving his cup from off the counter. Sam cried because his cup was on the counter and he could not reach it.

However, that was all that Robert was right about. Leila knew for a fact that no matter how long she waited with her arms opened, Eli would never see this as his home and would always wander away. It scared her, especially considering that he was going into his senior year at high school. He was not just growing away from her but he was growing up. His dependence on his parents- both she and Malcolm alike- was lessening by the seconds and therefore he would not necessarily walk to her. Maybe walk near her. Probably walk by her. But not walk to her.

After waiting twenty minutes, Leila stepped out onto the back porch and reached into the pockets of her dress pants to retrieve her lighter and the cigarette she had retrieved just for this moment. Her mind traveled back to a simpler time. Back to a time when she could come home and see Eli with wide brown eyes tell her whatever it is that his dad had done. Back to when Eli would choose to sit up against her and ask her to read to him or watch TV. Back when he "wasn't afraid of thunder" but always found his parents during times of a storm to make sure that "they were alright".

Leila chuckles as she exhales a cloud of smoke.

Memories proved to be a great getaway nowadays. And not just about Eli, but Malcolm as well. Times such as when the two first met before her first year at Gotham State or when he returned back from the army and tracked her down to New Camford. Back then, she had recently graduated from the University of Connecticut in Ivy Town (sometimes referred to as Ivy University or Conn-4) and was living in her first solo-owned apartment without the need of a roommate or government aid. She remembers how swiftly Malcolm was able to organize her at-home office- which later became Eli's bedroom- and always made sure that she ate something before bed, even carrying her to the kitchen sometimes. And those nights where Malcolm's friends would come by for guys' night and how he would refer to her anger…

The Bialyan warrior.

Another laugh escapes Leila before she intakes another puff of her cigarette. Of all the schools that could have accepted a seventeen-year-old graduate, Gotham State University was the school that did. And out of all the guys that could have hit on a lonely girl working as a waitress in the East End, it was Malcolm who came up to her and asked her to walk her home. Of course, she declined the offer for approximately three weeks straight before giving in. But nonetheless, she waited for him to return the next night to walk her home, just like she waited for him to return from the army.

Yet, Leila still found herself waiting for her Malcolm to return from Qurac.

The sound of the door opening startled Leila. She was seconds away from discarding her cigarette before she spotted Eli. Her facial features softened at his appearance, seeing him obviously exhausted as if he had spent the last five hours at a gym or something.

"I'm sorry," Eli spoke quietly, moving to sit in one of the lawn chairs. "I got caught up with Mr. Turner."

"Who?" Leila asked.

Eli waved her off. "A guy who lives at the apartment building. Promised to teach me some crazy form of karate." Leila let the explanation go for now but was more than determined to ask questions tomorrow. "I stopped by Nick's as well. He says hi."

"I'm guessing you wanted to find out why your dad did what he did, huh?" Eli nodded, now staring out into the backyard. "Did you find your answer?"

"No. He didn't know."

Leila stood silently as she watched her oldest son in deep thought. Her motherly instincts were begging her to question him more and find out what he was really up to, but she knew that that would just push Eli away. But, again, tomorrow she will ask for the entire truth.

"I never knew you met Dad in Gotham," Eli said, now looking at Leila. "When you said that you met him in school, I thought you meant that you went to Cam State."

Leila shook her head. "No. I never went there. I went to Gotham State in eighty-eight and then Ivy Town in ninety-one, class of ninety-five."

"And the apartment was yours?" Eli questioned.

"Up until you, it was my most prized possession." Leila explained as she finished her cigarette. "Years of working in a diner and then as a paralegal, I finally got enough money to move away from my sex-crazed roommate." Leila grinned at the thought. "Your dad hated Maria. But he knew her from when they were kids, Carla's friend."

Eli actually grinned. "I can see Aunt Carla having a wild friend. Mal's a lot like that."

Leila nodded. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree in the Jackson Family, or so I'm told." Her eyes studied his grinning features for a moment. "And why do you need this 'crazy form of karate'?"

"It was either that or buying a gun. I chose to learn self-defense for free." Eli answered, his smile no longer present. "He's a good guy, Mr. Turner. Just moved in upstairs with his goddaughter, Jade."

"The same Jade Hannah told me about?" Eli muttered something incoherent before looking away. "Is she the same girl, Elias?"

"Yes, Mama, she is," Eli droned out. "Anything else that you want to know? Because I honestly can't tell you other than her name, a brief description, and where she lives. All of her personal information is solely hers."

Sensing strife rising between the two, Leila sighed.

"I just wanted to know," Leila said as she stepped for the chair beside Eli's. "Did you find a job?"

"…" Eli's silence did not bode well for Leila, and she found herself glaring at her son for a definite answer. "I left the laptop at the apartment."

"You can use mine." Eli gave his mother an odd look. "What? I'm old enough to share, Elias."

Eli just stared at her for a full minute before speaking once more.

"It's a job working for some youth program at Stagg Industries." Eli elaborated. "I'd be working Saturdays and probably a few other days during the week, but it's just to help the kids that were taken in."

Now Leila was shocked. "You are working with children?" Eli nodded his head. "Well… I can't say that I predicted that… But a deal is a deal. So long as it keeps the apartment and you keep your grades up, then the deal still stands."

"Nick told me not to tell you this," Eli began. "But he's teaching me to drive so I can get my license. So I might be with him for the next few weeks."

"If he told me not to tell you," Leila began. "Then why tell me?"

Eli shrugged. "You'd figure that something was up sooner or later. I thought I might as well save us both the time." Another small pause came before Eli gave Leila a confused look. "Were you ever afraid?"

"Of what?"

"When you came to Gotham City," Eli expounded. "Were you ever afraid of failing?"

Leila pursed her lips, believing that there was some reason behind his question but could not pinpoint it at the time. Yet, at the same time, he seemed genuinely concerned and interested in her answer.

"I crossed the border into Qurac and left with a group of men and women fleeing the country. The plane eventually took us to a port within Saudi Arabia where people were asked to show identification and reasons for leaving our homeland. I had fifty American dollars, a fake ID, books, and clothes. By the time I arrived to Gotham City, fear had long been out of my system." Leila answered.

She watched her son sit and digest the information. Once again, she got the feeling that he was actually interested in her past. Leila figured that maybe Nick had given Eli this interest about her past but was not sure. Maybe Eli was just curious?

"I guess that makes sense," Eli finally stated. "Though I didn't know you knew a friend of Aunt Carla's. How'd that sit well with Dad?"

Now Leila laughs. "How do you think? He told me of all the reasons that Maria was bad. He'd even send your aunt over to make sure Maria didn't interrupt my studying." Leila's giggles slowly died out. "To Malcolm, no one could have a problem that he couldn't fix, especially his loved ones. He'd fix the problem, even if it killed him."

"Nick says that I remind him of you, or a younger male version." Eli commented. "He said…" Eli's words were interrupted by a yawn that took the teen by surprise. "He said that I was a 'Bialyan kid with American problems'. Dad obviously said it a lot as well."

"Eli," Leila said with a warm smile. "Get some sleep. You're tired."

"I'm fine Mama. Mr. Turner's workouts just wore me out a little, but I'm fine." Eli halfheartedly argued. Despite his determination, his eyes were slowly closing.

"You and I both need rest Eli. Let's go to bed and we'll talk more tomorrow night." Leila said as she rose. "Come on. You need to get to bed."

"Fine," the teen blew out in exasperation. Leila's brows rose in amusement as he stood up and stretched, his eyes soon locking onto hers again. "But I want to know something. Qurac isn't an ally of Bialya or the U.S. How'd you sneak onto a plane in Qurac?"

Leila's face twisted for all of thirty seconds before she sighed heavily and relaxed.

"Tomorrow, I will explain. Tonight, you rest." Leila said. "And don't stay up doing whatever it is you do, understood?"

"Sure Mama." Eli said, already heading for the backdoor. "Good night."

"Good night Elias."

Leila watched her son disappear into the house, losing track of him as soon as he exited the kitchen. Her worry had not left her body and neither had her curiosity as to what he and most likely this Jade girl had been up to. However, she was more than pleased to see that Eli willingly came back, even with a few excuses for his tardiness.

Maybe it would get easier?

Author's Notes: So here is the second part of the chapter with a small clue as to how Eli will be as a hero/vigilante. With this here, I do want to remind a few that this story has nothing to do with Young Justice- the TV series that is. So do not expect Artemis/Artemis Crock to just show up and be Jade's sister because that's not going to happen. Also, Ben's and Nick's training will continue for a year so even while Eli is out doing what he will eventually do, they will still train him- much like Jake's training with the League of Assassins in Shattered Persona. There will be a time skip between this and next chapter, also next chapter will show a little "nightcap" with Jade and Eli. Finally, if you have any questions, thoughts, or comments leave a PM or a review and I'll reply during the next review corner. Till then, enjoy the rest of your holidays and see you next year.