Chapter 2

After school was over, Lea decided to stop at the Rabbit Café for a bite before going home. It seemed logical because she did miss out on lunch stopping Tattoo Man.

She gave her usual order and she happened to overhear a young girl talking to someone.

"Jaime, that Blue Lantern was so cool!" The girl said happily. "The way she won the battle! Where did she get that guitar?"

"I'm not sure," the boy said. "But it looked like it came out of thin air."

"Like magic!" The young girl said a big smile on her face.

Lea couldn't help but chuckle lightly on hearing that, before turning around to see who the two people talking were. One was a Mexican-American teenage boy with tan skin and longish black hair. He also had black eyes and wore a loose black tee shirt, a green jacket, baggy grey pants, and black sneakers. The little girl next to him had similar physical features but with her hair in curled pigtails. She wore a sleeveless pink shirt with a daisy print on it, blue jeans, and purple sneakers.

"I always thought Lantern powers were more of an advanced science involving their rings, but who says that it isn't magic, as well?" Lea replied to get their attention, unable to hide her friendly smile.

The boy smiled at her as if appreciating that Lea was playing along the whole magic thing for the child. "Perhaps it is," he said. "There are some magic heroes, after all. At least that's what I've seen from the news."

"You mean...heroes like Zatana or Captain Marvel?" Lea stated, grinning a little more with interest. "And here I thought I was the only hero fanatic in Coast City."

"I'm a bit of a hero fanatic myself," he said. "Oh, sorry, my name's Jaime. And this is my little sister, Milagro. She's a huge fan of superheroes."

"I had a feeling you two were on the same subject," Lea replied, seeing her order steamed and finished. "I'm Lea, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Lea," he said. "Hey, do you know of any good places to visit here? My family and I are visiting for Milagro's birthday."

"You mean besides here?" Lea asked, grabbing her chicken sandwich to munch on before answering. "Well, I think I might know some places that can work. One of them being the local park."

Milagro's eyes lit up and she looked at her older brother. "Can we go there, Jaime? Please?" She pleaded.

He smiled and looked at Lea. "Um, I don't suppose I could ask you to show us the park?" He asked.

"Not at all. Just let me finish my late lunch first and I'll be happy to show you," Lea answered, taking another bite of her sandwich. "Mmmm...How I love the Rabbit Cafe's crispy chicken sandwiches. Best ones in the city."

"Really?" Jaime asked before his stomach growled. "Hey, Milagro? You hungry, sis?"

"Yeah," she said as her own stomach growled and she saw Lea's sandwich. "Can I have what she's having?"

"Sure thing," Jaime said. "Can you stay here with Lea while I go get our food?"

She nodded and as her older brother left, she turned to Lea. "You believe in magic and heroes, too?" She asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Sure do," Lea said, after swallowing her chewed-up chicken piece. "And if you're here for superheroes, then you've come to the right city. Coast City is famous for their Lantern heroes protecting the areas of Earth and beyond."

Milagro's eyes lit up. "How many Lanterns are there?" She asked. "And what colors are they? We saw a blue one earlier."

"Mostly three Lanterns who are green," Lea answered. "As for the Blue Lantern, she's actually new. Showed up one Summer helping the first GL and got popular around the city. Goes by the name of Midnight Hope. So, if you count her, then four Lanterns in this city."

"Wow!" The young girl said in awe. "Have you met her before?"

"I've only seen her on the news and whenever saving the city up close," Lea shrugged. "But I have met the first Green Lantern once or twice. The anonymous one, I mean. The Lantern who doesn't have his secret identity exposed to the world."

Milagro's eyes grew wide before she looked at Lea hopefully. "Do you think...if you see him again...could you ask him if he'd come to my birthday party?" She asked shyly, giving Lea two invitations to her birthday party. "And...if he knows the Blue Lantern Girl...could she come too? Please?"

This request made the blonde teen smile sweetly, as she grabbed the two invitations. "I'll try my best, Milagro. I think Midnight Hope would love to meet a sweet girl like you make her birthday-day extra special."

The young girl looked as happy as a kid on Christmas. "Oh, I hope they show up," she said.

"That's all you can do. Hope," Lea said, mentally doing the same thing.

Jaime came back and he looked at his sister. "Alright, what's got you lit up like a Christmas Tree?" He asked, smiling.

"Your sister may or may not get a chance to meet two Lantern heroes on her birthday," Lea explained, rubbing her neck sheepishly. "While I'm not making any complete promises here, I'll see if I can find and send GL Milagro's request. She just has to not give up hope."

He blinked in surprise. "You know them?" He asked.

"In a way," Lea answered, nodding her head. "One from the news I've heard about and the other up close in person a few times. When you've lived in Coast City as long as I have, you manage to come across big time heroes like the Lanterns more than once."

Jaime noticed Milagro eating her sandwich and he leaned closer to whisper to Lea. "If they could make to to her party, that would be great," he said lowly. "She loves heroes and has been talking about having heroes at her party for a month now. It would really mean a lot to her if they could grant her wish."

"I know. I'm definitely hoping they'll show up," Lea said while whispering. "One thing I know about GL and Hope...is that they would never let down their fans. Especially to young kids like Milagro."

The boy looked relieved. "That's good to know," he said softly.

Lea gave a gentle smile to Jaime before giving a gentle pat on his shoulder. "After we finish eating, I'll show you the park."

"Thank you," he said before smiling at her. She's really cool,he thought to himself.

Cool?The Scarab asked.

Yeah. She's been nice to Milagro and she doesn't find me weird. I think we'd be really good friends.

Lea looked away from Jaime before smiling gently again. Looks like my day is turning up better again. I hope GL will make it to the party. Milagro already gave out the invitations, after all, she thought to herself.

All three ate their lunch, with Jaime enjoying the sandwich and thanking Lea for suggesting it. "This is the best chicken sandwich I've ever had," he said. "Well, besides my mom's. She's a great cook."

Lea chuckled. "Same with my mom. I love her cooking, too, and will always be number one in my books," She said, already standing. "Well, I'm ready to show you the park whenever you want to."

Milagro jumped up and down excitedly and Jaime chuckled. "Sure," he said.

"Great. Follow me this way," Lea said, taking the lead in showing Jaime and Milagro the park.

Little did the three know that they were being watched.

The alien glared at them. "You won't escape this time, Blue Beetle," he growled out.

The three soon arrived at Coast City Park.

"So, here's the park. The wide outdoors full of friendly wildlife," Lea introduced.

"Really?" Jaime asked, intrigued.

"Really. I'd always go here to see the squirrels, birds, and rabbits crossing around the area," Lea answered, giggling. "It's one of the few places I get to draw and be inspired. Also, where I do my morning jogs or rollerblading."

"And the animals really don't mind?" He asked.

"Can we feed them?" Milagro asked.

"Not at all, Jaime. And yes, Milagro, you're allowed to feed them," Lea assured, bringing out some peanuts, bread crumbs, and cut baby carrots. "Just make sure they're the right food for them and be gentle. If you try to grab them or rush towards them, you'll send the wrong message."

"Okay," the little girl said, grabbing some carrots when she saw the bunnies and sat down on a nearby stone, showing the carrots to the bunnies and waiting to see if they would come up to her.

Lea smiled gently, seeing the bunnies carefully hop closer to Milagro. "Your sister seems to be doing well, so far," she muttered to Jaime. "Has a way with animals."

"She's always loved animals," Jaime said as he noticed some birds come up curiously and he took some bread crumbs, gently scattering them nearby, to which the birds gobbled them up happily.

"I know how she feels," Lea assured, seeing the bunnies now closer to Milagro. "There is life and hope all around us. Each is very important to everyone. It is important to help and respect that."

"I agree," he said, seeing Milagro feed some ducks, one of which came very close to her and she reached out, gently petting it.

"Wow, their feathers are soft," the child said in a low voice.

The blonde teen heard, chuckling while nodding her head in agreement. "I've felt softer feathers than them. However, those ducks work, too." She said to Jaime.

After a bit, they left the park to continue the tour, but before they could walk down the street, a figure jumped out and began firing at them. "I'm coming for you, boy!" He yelled.

Jaime gasped. "Kanjar Ro!" He cried out in alarm. "Lea, we've got to get out of here!"

Milagro clung to her brother and he scooped her up, preparing to shield her from the alien's attacks.

Not expecting this nor having a clue about this random space bug humanoid, Lea ran with Jaime while discreetly sending a distress signal to Green Lantern with her ring without anyone noticing.

"We got to lose this creep!" Lea exclaimed, directing Jaime and Milagro to a sharp turn before hiding in a large empty dumpster before Kanjar Ro noticed.

Jaime held his little sister protectively as she looked up at him. "Shh," he soothed her and she clung to him again, scared.

Lea stated quietly to wait until Kanjar Ro left. She had to wait until he left to go as Midnight Hope without exposing it to Jaime and his sister.

Once he's gone, I can leave to 'find help' as my cue, Lea thought to herself.

Jaime kept his ears open. "It sounds like the coast is clear," he whispered to Lea.

Lea carefully opened the lid to verify. Sure enough, there was no sign of the bug alien. "I think you're right. But just in case...Jaime, you and your sister stay hidden for a few more minutes before running out to another place as fast as possible. I'll go find some backup."

He nodded. "Okay," he said.

Looking one more time, Lea carefully got out of the hiding spot and quickly ran to a different alleyway to find and transform into Midnight Hope while also using her ring to try to contact her partner.

"GL! If you can hear me, I need you back in Coast City!" Lea exclaimed, still moving. "A bug pirate called Kanjar Ro is here and causing trouble! Come quick!"

When Hal heard that, he came to a screeching stop in mid-air, making Guy turn to him with a raised eyebrow. "What is it, Hal?" He asked.

"Lea, come in. Can you repeat that?" Hal asked, hoping he had heard wrong.

"A creepy bug guy called Kanjar Ro is at Coast City right now! He seems to be after some teen boy I met at the rabbit cafe," Lea explained, coming to a stop at a different alleyway. "Don't worry, I had him and his sister stay hidden while telling them I would get back up."

"Lea, listen close to me," Hal said. "Find a place to transform and then keep an eye on Kanjar Ro, but under no circumstance are you to take him on alone. I'm on my way."

"Loud and clear, GL," Lea replied, bringing out her ring to transform into Midnight Hope. "I'll keep you updated on our opponent. With any luck, I may not face him alone. Since you did say Blue Beetle is around the area."

"Good," he said. "Guy and I will be there shortly."

"Did she say Kanjar Ro?" Guy asked.

"Yes," Hal said. "Let's go."

Guy, for once, didn't argue.

Back on Earth, Jaime knew he had to face the alien and he looked at his sister. "Milagro, I'm going to go get help," he said. "I need you to stay here and stay hidden, okay?"

"But...," she began to protest.

"Shh," he soothed her. "You'll be safe here. I'll come back and find you, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay," she said.

Jaime got out and after making sure his little sister was safe, he found a hiding spot, rapidly transforming into Blue Beetle. "We got to get him out of the city," he said to the Scarab, who beeped in agreement.

Soon, Midnight Hope was already flying above Coast City to be on high alert.

"All right, you crazy bug creep...Where are you?" Hope muttered, keeping her guard up.

Blue Beetle was also flying around and saw a flash of blue before stopping short, seeing the flash of blue was a familiar girl. The Blue Lantern girl.

"Holy cow. Lea was right," he said in surprise.

However, before getting her attention, Blue Beetle felt something hit him from behind where he was going down mid-flight.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed loudly from the excruciating pain.

Turns out, that scream caught Blue Lantern Midnight Hope's attention and turned to see the same bug guy responsible. Kanjar Ro just took down a certain bug-like hero while trying to take him down.

"Uh, oh. Looks like Blue Beetle was found by that crazed bounty hunter," Midnight Hope stated, keeping distance while not making a move yet.

"GL to Midnight Hope, do you copy?" Came the message from her ring.

"Hey, GL. Looks like Kanjar Ro found Blue Beetle and is hurting him," Midnight Hope stated, looking worried. "Permission to engage?"

Hal let out a frustrated grunt. "Blast it! I thought we'd have more time," he said. "Hope. Engage, but be careful. We'll be there when we can."

"You know me, GL. I'm always careful," Midnight Hope assured, charging up her ring and fly down to help Blue Beetle.

Blue Beetle tried to get up, but Kanjar Ro was about to zap him again when something zapped at his hand. "ARGH! Who did that?!" He asked.

"Me!" Midnight Hope called out, firing another blue energy blast. "Get away from Blue Beetle, bug breath!"

Kanjar Ro was surprised to see a Blue Lantern but smiled. "A Blue Lantern, hmm? Looks like it's my lucky day to get not one prey, but two," he said sinisterly.

Blue Beetle managed to get up, leaning on his shield to try and stand. "Careful," he said to his new ally. "This guy is wacko."

"So, I've heard," Midnight Hope replied, constructing a hockey stick to spin around skillfully while being battle ready. "A true honor to meet you in person, Blue Beetle. I am Midnight Hope."

"It's great to meet you too," he said. "And thanks for coming to my aid. I wasn't sure if I was going to get up from the shock he gave me."

"I don't know why this guy is here, but I'm not going to let him hurt you or the people of Coast City!" Midnight Hope responded, constructing some picks as well before wracking them at her opponent. "Eat hockey pucks, Space Bug Man!"

Kanjar Ro held up a powerful blaster. "Bring it, cadet," he sneered at her.

Midnight Hope started flying around and hitting everything she's got to take Kanjar Ro down.

He tried to shoot at her, but with the constant barrage of projectiles, it was hard to aim and fire. Blue Beetle got an idea and began taunting Kanjar Ro.

"Over here, wacko!" He said, grinning at the evil alien.

Kanjar Ro growled in frustration. "Hold still, you pests!"

"Not likely!" Midnight Hope said, keeping her opponent distracted long enough until finding the right moment for an element of surprise.

Blue Beetle seemed to think the same thing she was and began flying around, still taunting the alien. "Missed me!" He called out as a shot missed and another shot missed. "Missed me again! Man, Kanjar. You are slipping!"

The taunting was getting to the alien and he let out an angry glare, solely focused on the Blue Beetle and not giving the Blue Lantern another thought.

Which turned out to be a big mistake.

"And...gotcha!" Midnight Hope exclaimed, constructing a guitar plus a connected amp to strum a soundwave to push Kanjar Ro across the scene.

Blue Beetle saw what she was doing and quickly moved out of the way, recalling having seen this earlier before meeting Lea. "Bye-bye, wacko!" He said, flying away.

Kanjar Ro turned, only to get blasted by a powerful soundwave that he tried to fight against, but it was too strong.

Midnight Hope paused her strumming to see her opponent already flying to a wall and crashing to the floor. "WOOOO! And that...is how you 'rock' that battle," She remarked, ending her guitar construct. "You okay, Blue Beetle? Sorry for not giving the heads up sooner."

"It's okay," he said, giving her a thumbs up.

Just then, GL and the others arrived and quickly took Kanjar Ro into custody. "Good job, Hope," he said. "And you too, Beetle."

"I didn't do much," the scarab hero said, looking a bit bashful. "It was all Hope's doing. I just kept Kanjar Ro distracted."

"Oh, no! Blue Beetle is the one you should thank for standing his ground," Hope replied, her cheeks blushing pink white putting her hoodie up. "I only came just in time after getting the okay of helping out, GL."

Hal chuckled at this. "I think you both did great," he said. "You teamed up and watched each other's back and took down the enemy. Good work."

Batman showed up then. "Beetle! Are you okay?" He asked, sounding concerned.

"I'm all right, Bats," the young hero said. "Thanks to Hope. She really saved my skin."

"Batman! I wasn't expecting to see you again," Midnight Hope said in surprise, her back straight while keeping professional. Unfortunately, instead, she rambled a bit fast while saluting. "It was no problem at all. Blue Beetle is an excellent hero who has been trained very well and I look forward to working with him again any time."

Midnight Hope was glad her hoodie was up because her face was very hot red from embarrassing herself.

"Good to know you're a team player," Batman said with a nod. "And good job to you both."

He then headed out and Blue Beetle's jaw dropped. "Someone pinch me. I think I'm dreaming that Bats gave a compliment," he said.

"I know. That's the second time he's done that with me, despite acting like a complete idiot around him," Midnight Hope stated, bringing her hoodie forward more in embarrassment.

Blue Beetle looked at her. "What do you mean?" He asked. "I don't think you acted like an idiot around him. You just stopped a major alien threat and you got Batman to compliment you on it."

"And I still can't be chill around major heroes without rambling," Midnight Hope deadpanned, covering her face. "I bet you never acted weird around Batman or other heroes for the first time."

Blue Beetle chuckled sheepishly. "Actually, I had some awkward first meetings too," he admitted. "When I first got the scarab, I...I messed up big time on a mission and acted like a fool. Another time I did was when I fell for someone whom I thought was neat but...she didn't return my feelings."

This caused Midnight Hope to cringe on that in slight disappointment. As if she didn't like what she heard. "I...I should go now. Sorry for bringing up that unpleasant subject of that certain she-beast."

Just as she was about to fly away after walking forward, she stopped to slightly turn to Blue Beetle with a sigh. "For what it's worth...You deserved better. She doesn't deserve the satisfaction at all from you. Hot older women like her are just the same. Superficial and shallow."

He looked at her in surprise before smiling. "Thanks for that," he said. "Well, hope to see you again, Midnight Hope."

He turned to leave and then remembered something. "Oh, wait! One last thing," he said, making her turn to him. "My little sister's birthday is coming up and she really admires you and Green Lantern. Do you think...maybe you and he could show up to Milagro's party? It would totally make her day."

Midnight Hope blinked when hearing that in shock. Did he just say his sister...But that means...Oh, no way...

Blue Beetle looked at her pleadingly. "Please?" He asked, hoping she'd say yes. "For a little kid?"

"O-Of course! I mean...If it's okay with my partner," Midnight Hope said, looking at Green Lantern. "I actually ran into a civilian asking me about a little sister's party before flying off to stop that nasty bug. I was about to inform you after the mission."

Green Lantern smiled. "Why not?" He said. "It'll not only make the kid happy but also spread hope with the others too. It's good for us to mingle at times with the folks down here so they can see that they can always count on us."

"Great. We'll see you there, Jai-," Midnight Hope said, only to realize what she was just about to say. "Uh...just remembered I got to go!"

Not wasting time, Midnight Hope flew out of the area in a hurry.

Blue Beetle blinked in surprise before his eyes widened and he looked at Green Lantern. "Is that...Lea?" He asked. "The same girl I met earlier."

"Sorry, Beetle. Can't tell you my partner's identity," Green Lantern defended. "That's her call. But we'll see you at your little sister's birthday party to make it special. Promise."

After saying that, Green Lantern took his leave.

Blue Beetle nodded, respecting that GL wouldn't betray his partner. "Still, if that is Lea, then I'll keep her secret too," he decided to himself before heading out to find his sister.

As he passed by a nearby dumpster, he found a girl looking at a drawing. "Pathetic. She thinks she's so good at drawing. Well, I'll prove she's not!" The girl was saying as she pulled out her makeup bag to use her makeup to ruin the drawing.

Quickly, Blue Beetle grabbed the drawing. "Hey!" Amanda said, glaring at him before she realized who it was.

"It's not nice to ruin other people's art," he said as he looked at it, realizing it was a drawing of himself and he noted the signature at the bottom, his eyes widening as he realized it was Lea's drawing. He folded it up and put it away in one of his armor pockets.

"Hey! That's mine!" The girl protested.

"Oh, really?" He asked, already knowing she was lying. "Aren't you supposed to sign your work?"

"I did!" Amanda said. "It says my name on it."

Blue Beetle smirked. "Then why ruin your own painting?" He asked.

She had nothing to say and he nodded. "That's what I thought," he said before shaking his head. "By the way, being a bully isn't cool."

With that, he flew away, planning to give the drawing back to Lea at the party. He got an idea and called up Batman. "Hey, Bats? I know we don't do this normally, but...do you think it would be okay to show up as Blue Beetle to my little sister's birthday party?"

Batman, who had heard about the party from Green Lantern, took a deep breath and nodded. "That should be fine," he said. "Is the party in a public setting?"

"My folks rented out the bowling alley nearby," Jamie said. "Their friend owns it and he agreed they could have the party there."

"Then go ahead," the Caped Crusader said. "Just keep your eyes peeled in case of trouble."

"You got it, Bats."

The day of Milagro's party came and Blue Beetle arrived just as Midnight Hope arrived too. "Oh, Hope," he said, smiling. "I'm glad you could make it."

"GL and I are more than happy to grant a child's wish," she said.

He smiled. "By the way, can I talk to you real quick in private?" He asked.

Curious, she nodded and he pulled her into the storage room nearby and he pulled something out from his pocket. "I think this belongs to you," he said, holding out a folded paper to her.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Something important...Lea," he said, making her look up at him. "Yeah, I know it's you, but don't worry. I'll keep quiet about your identity as Midnight Hope."

He let his mask fall and she gasped at seeing it was Jamie. "And...now you know my secret," he said.

She smiled and opened the paper, seeing it was her drawing of him. "Where did you find this?" She asked.

"I passed a girl about to ruin it and I stopped her. I saw the signature and realized it had to be yours, especially after I remembered you mentioned that you liked to draw," he admitted. "You're good at drawing."

"Thanks," she said softly before taking a deep breath. "If you don't spill my secret, then I won't spill yours."

"Deal," he said, holding his hand out for a handshake, which she accepted as his mask went back up. "Well, we've got a little girl waiting. Let's go grant her wish."

"I'm right behind you," Hope said.

They met Green Lantern outside and all three went inside. Milagro was delighted to see the three. "The Green Lantern, the Blue Lantern, and Blue Beetle?!" She exclaimed. "This is the best birthday in the whole world!"

The three heroes smiled, glad to make the little girl's day.

A few days later...

Blue Beetle and Batman had just stopped another villain and the bug-like hero noticed they were near a high school. "Hey, Bats? There's something I got to take care of real quick," he said. "I'll catch you later."

"Don't be too long," Batman said with a nod.

Inside the school, Lea was busy focusing on an assignment when a knock came to the door and the principal came in, announcing there was a visitor. To everyone's shock, Blue Beetle came in and smiled. "Hi, everyone," he said. "Can you all tell me if there is a Lea in this class?"

Stunned, Lea didn't move and some students looked at her, to which Blue Beetle smiled at her and then turned to Ms. Jillian. "Ma'am, I just wanted to say, your student Lea is an amazing girl, way nicer than some people I know," he said. He then walked up to Lea and smiled at her. "I watched this girl make a young child's dreams come true, something that caught my attention."

"How did she do that?" Ms. Jillian asked, not surprised as she knew Lea was a wonderful girl.

"She helped a little girl meet the heroes that she looked up to," Blue Beetle said before helping Lea to stand, noting the girl was blushing. "She's the nicest girl I've ever seen and I hope she never loses her kindness."

Most of Lea's classmates clapped while Blue Beetle hugged Lea. "Sorry if I embarrassed you a bit," he whispered to her. "I just wanted to say thank you for making my sister's wish come true. And to show that stuck up girl that you're a good enough gal, way nicer than Huntress."

She blushed and hugged him back. "Glad to help," she said. "Maybe we can team up again sometime?"

"Deal," he said as they pulled away from the hug and an alert came in. "Well, duty calls," he said aloud. "Thank you all for your time."

With that, Blue Beetle headed out and the class was in awe before everyone burst into excited chatter while Amanda huffed, not pleased.

Lea, on the other hand, was smiling and feeling happy as she pulled out her sketchbook and began a new drawing.

One of Midnight Hope and the Blue Beetle.

Please leave Redbat132 and myself a review, but no flames!

GoldGuardian2418