Chapter 4

When it became morning, Lea was the first to wake up with a small stretch and yawn.

"Oh, man...What a wild dream," Lea muttered to herself, soon realizing she wasn't in her room. "Oh, no! Did I doze off during my interview? I must have been exhausted."

She then noticed her ring at very low energy. "Oh, what? How do I keep losing that much ring energy in one night? I literally charged it before leaving here last night. Oh, well. Good thing I brought my portable charger for it."

She went to look for her backpack, but didn't see it. "Where is it?" She asked herself.

Lea started to worry. She knew she packed it somewhere.

Plastic Man came out then and smiled. "Hey, Lea," he said before noticing she was looking for something. "Did you lose something, kiddo?"

"Uhhh...No," Lea lied, turning to Plastic Man to respond "It's nothing. I'm just really sorry for falling asleep during our little interview so suddenly. I must have been really beat the other day doing... sports stuff."

"You sure, kiddo?" He asked. "Maybe you're looking for a light?"

This made the blonde teen stiff when hearing that. "Uh...What makes you say that?"

Plas smiled. "Well...last night, Kite Man tried to break in and your Blue Lantern ring sensed danger and constructed a bunch of rabbits to protect you and the rest of us," he said. "They actually took down Kite Man and when he tried to fight, some of the bunnies constructed into this cool-looking rabbit warrior who took down Kite Man." He then pointed to the table where Lea's sketchbook was. "One of the bunnies pulled this out of your bag."

Lea blinked when hearing this, trying not to panic...yet a bit confused. "Okay...you are totally making this up. I don't know what odd dream you had, but I'm not a superheroine. I'm too lame to be one."

"Lea," Plastic Man said with a 'you're-not-fooling-me' look as he held up the Blue Lantern battery. "If you're not a superheroine, then why do you have this?"

This left the blonde teen speechless. She had to think of something fast. "Uh, that?! That's...a collectible Lantern battery toy that I won from a contest during the Summer! And my ring is part of the set!"

Seeing Lea wasn't going to confess straightaway, Neil thought for a moment and got an idea. "Are you sure?" He asked playfully, his arms stretching out and around the room.

"Um, yes, I'm sure," Lea stated with a nervous laugh, not liking what Plastic Man was up to. "I should probably take my toy back and be in my way now."

"Not so fast, kiddo," he said. "My wife's making pancakes and muffins and she and I both insist you stay for breakfast."

One of his hands came up behind Lea and playfully poked her side.

"EEEK!" Lea squeaked, jumping forward to turn around and seeing Plastic Man's stretchy hands responsible. "N-No thanks! I'm not that hungry." She managed to say, swallowing down a formed giggle caught in her throat.

The hero was quicker though and shot his hands out, quickly ensnaring Lea in a stretchy trap. "I'm not just stretchy, but I've got good hearing," he said, smirking as he playfully poked Lea's side again. "And that tummy of yours is growling louder than an angry wolf."

"No, it's nahahahat!" Lea argued, a giggle coming out from the side teasing. "Seriously, let me go!"

"Nope," he said, hovering his hands over her stomach and wiggling his fingers playfully. "It's tickle time!"

With that, he began wiggling his fingers into Lea's stomach and sides.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" Lea laughed, wiggling around from the tickling. "NAHAHAHAHAHAHAT TICKLE TIME! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!"

"Cootchie, cootchie, coo!" He cooed with a smile. "Who's got a hungry, ticklish tummy?"

"IHIHIHIHIHIHI told you! I'm NAHAHAHAHAT hungry!" Lea argued in giggling fits.

"Then why is your tummy growling?" Neil asked before getting a sneaky idea and moving his hands towards Lea's feet. "My son always laughs when I do this."

He wiggled his fingers rapidly into the soles of the girl's feet.

This sent Lea into hysterics, throwing her head back from laughing so much. Even squirming from ticklish agony.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAHAHAHAP IT! DON'T TIHIHIHIHICKLE MY FEEHEEHEEHEET!" Lea begged through her laughter.

"Oh? I think I just hit the jackpot," he said, grinning. "Your feet are your tickle spot, huh?"

With that, he tickled her feet all over, not missing an inch of her feet.

"PLAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAS! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, MAKE IT STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!" Lea shouted, starting to lose her strength in struggling. "NO, NO MOHOHOHOHORE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

He grinned. "You gonna tell me the truth then?" He asked, now tickling her sides. "Or do I need to give you some raspberries?"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! FORGEHEHEHEHET IT!" Lea shook her head, still in stitches. "I'M NAHAHAHAHAHAHAT A HERO! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Okay, then."

Neil moved the girl's shirt up just a little to expose her stomach and he took a deep breath, blowing a giant raspberry right over Lea's bellybutton.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Lea squealed before dissolving into laughter once again. She felt ticklish tears forming in her eyes. "PLASTIC MAHAHAHAHAHAN! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Sorry, kid, but unless you confess, your tummy is getting more raspberries," he said, blowing another giant raspberry into her bellybutton while he tickled her feet again with one hand and tickled her underarms with another hand.

The blonde teen couldn't take it anymore. She was near her limit and had to make this torture end.

"ALL RIGHT, YOU WIN! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, I LIHIHIHIHIED!" Lea confessed, ticklish tears coming down her cheeks. "I'M A SUPER HEROINE!"

Chuckling, Neil let her up, catching the tired teen in his arms and holding her as if he was her own father. "I wouldn't call it lying, but rather just protecting yourself," he said, giving her a playful boop on the nose. "But you can trust me, Lea. My wife, Woozy, and I won't go spilling your secret to anyone. I promise."

Lea sighed in relief. "Okay...I'll be honest now...I am a superheroine Blue Lantern. And I'm partnered with Green Lantern. But I swear I don't recall stopping Kite Man and the fact that it involved one of my favorite animals. I honestly thought you were making that up just to trick me to expose my secret."

He smiled and shook his head. "Nope, I'm not making that up," he said. "I think your ring was protecting you and formed the projections as a means to defend yourself. One rabbit even let Woozy hold it and the warrior girl rabbit even was gentle with my son."

This made the blonde teen blink in realization. "Wait a minute...Is that why my ring keeps running low on power very occasional night? Because I'm constructing in my sleep without realizing?"

"I think so," he said with a nod before looking worried. "Have you...been in danger recently, Lea? Like more so than usual?"

"By 'in danger', you mean kidnapped or hunted by villains during my sleep-constructing nights?" Lea specified. "No, not really. Maybe it has something to do with my stress levels in balancing school, sports, family time, Blue Lantern training, Blue Lantern crime-stopping, and time for myself. I know I was very exhausted yesterday when doing my homework interview with you."

He nodded. "That's not good, you being stressed out," he said. "Maybe you should talk to Hal about easing up on the training and missions. You can still be a hero and jump in when needed, but it sounds like you really need a break, kiddo. What happens if you get too exhausted to even do missions?"

Lea sighed, as she got her Lantern battery back. "You might have a point. I definitely need to work on that. Speaking of recharging, I got to recharge my Lantern ring so it will be fully charged and ready."

"No worries," he said, having handed her the Lantern battery. "Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes. I'm not about to have you go back home on an empty stomach." He playfully poked her stomach, which growled in reply. "Wow and I thought my son's tummy was a growler."

"Hey!" Lea exclaimed, unable to stop giggling. "Okay, I'll stay for breakfast. It would be rude not to accept anyway."

"And I'd tickle you if you tried to skip breakfast," he said teasingly. "Guess now that I'm a dad, I'm concerned about any kid along with my own."

"So, I've noticed. Not too different from another hero I know," Lea stated, as she took a seat on the couch to charge her ring. "I don't suppose you're familiar with the Green Lantern oath?"

"Yeah. I've heard Hal and Guy recite it several times," he said. "Is the Blue Lantern oath the same?"

"Well, not exactly. It's a bit different for me. Watch," Lea stated, placing her ringed hand at the center battery before closing her eyes to focus. "In fearful day, in raging night, With strong hearts full, our souls ignite, When all seems lost in the War of Light, Look to the stars, For hope burns bright!"

The light grew bright and Plastic Man shielded his eyes until the glare died down and he smiled. "That's a cool oath," he said. "I can see why the Blue Lantern Ring chose you. You have a lot of hope in you, kiddo, more than you realize."

"Thanks," Lea replied, rubbing the back of her head in a bashful way. "If you think the oath is neat, then wait until you see my Lantern alter ego."

He looked surprised and then smiled. "I promise, if you do show me, I will keep your secret," he promised.

Nodding, Lea took a few steps back and brought her ring up to show her Blue Lantern form.

He blinked and smiled. "Huh, the rabbit warrior last night had a suit similar to yours," he said. "And blue really suits you, kid."

"Thanks," Hope/Lea said, blushing a bit. "I go by Midnight Hope in this form. Saves confusion in being called Blue Lantern instead of Green Lantern."

"Midnight Hope? That's an interesting name," Plastic Man said. "And I agree."

"Thanks," Lea/Hope said, blushing a bit from the compliment before detransforming. "So...We still on for breakfast?"

"You better believe it," he said. "Or I'll tickle you again." He wiggled his fingers at her playfully.

Lea squealed, taking a step back and covering her tickle spots. "Don't even dare!"

He chuckled before moving and scooping her up, putting her on his back to give her a piggy-back ride. "Come on. Let's go get the little guy and Woozy and then we're off to breakfast," he said.

Lea chuckled. "Fair enough. I can only imagine the crazy night you all had to deal with involving my blue constructs while I was sleeping."

"Eh, no crazier than usual stuff," he said, smiling. "I'm just glad you got a good night's sleep. You needed it."

They found Woozy coming out with Baby Plas and the group headed to the dining room, where Neil's wife was dishing out breakfast. She smiled. "Come eat it while it's nice and hot," she said.

Neil extended his neck and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. "It looks and smells wonderful, honey," he said. "How did I get so lucky?"

Lea smiled when seeing Plastic Man and his lovely wife. "Thank you, Mrs. O'Brian. I feel very honored that you took the trouble to make all of this."

"Oh, it was no trouble at all, honey," the lady said, smiling. "I often make large breakfasts just in case we have a friend show up."

"You mean besides Mr. Winks?" Lea asked, thumbing the gentleman feeding Baby Plas. "Also, nice to meet you in person. Lea Thompson."

"It's nice to meet you too, dear," the lady said. "And yes, there have been times when the other heroes have shown up. Blue Beetle himself stopped by for breakfast on his way to wherever he was going."

Lea nearly choked on drinking water when hearing this, almost doing a spit take. She coughed to get it out of her system. "Blue Beetle...had breakfast here?!"

"Sure has, along with Bats and several others," Plastic Man said. "You okay, kiddo?"

"Yeah...Just drank from the wrong pipe in my throat," Lea assured, coughing again to get the water out. "I'm fine."

He chuckled. "Good. Wouldn't want your uncle Hal coming after me if you were hurt," he joked.

Lea looked away bashfully. "Right...I take it you've had a couple team-ups with Green Lantern?"

"Just a few," he admitted. "None as impressive as you've had though. You and Flash took out Scarecrow and you've helped the Lanterns out so much. You even got Batman to give you a compliment. Do you know how hard it is to get a compliment from him?" He grinned. "I'm so jealous of you, girl," he said, but his tone was playful, so she knew he was just joking.

"Oh...You heard about that?" Lea asked, blushing. "It wasn't much. Just trying to help. And we weren't the only ones there. Spectre was helping in the shadows."

"Yeah, but from what Spectre told us, you took down Scarecrow with his own fear gas. He simply guided you on what to do. Spectre usually doesn't do that, so for him to guide you, you definitely caught his attention," Plastic Man said.

"Yeah. He's all about justice and the guilty paying for their crimes," Woozy said. "I wonder what made him decide to help you out."

"...I have no idea," Lea admitted, rubbing her own neck. "I was only doing my part and standing my ground to help Flash. Even use my heal mantra to cure the fear poison out of his system."

Plastic Man's wife smiled. "A selfless hero," she said. "I'm glad one of the rings chose you, Lea."

"Thanks, Mrs. O'Brian. Just doing what any Lantern would do," Lea stated. "And I didn't give up hope."

"Make sure you never do, even when things seem bleak," Plastic Man said as they finished eating. "Come on. I'll take you up to the Watchtower. GL should be up there."

"Okay. Thank you for the delicious breakfast, Mrs. O'Brian," Lea said, standing up from her seat. "I better get my stuff and double check I didn't forget anything else."

"Good idea. Don't want to not have a light if you lose your way," Neil said teasingly.

"Neil!" His wife scolded with a laugh.

Chuckling, Lea did one more check on her backpack to verify she had everything. She then got out her journal to notice a bookmark in it. Curious, Lea opened it to see her interview notes were completed. Some not written in her hand writing.

"Hey, Plas? Did you finish answering my questions for me last night after I passed out suddenly?" Lea asked.

"Yes," he said. "Hope you don't mind."

The blonde teen smiled gently. "Not at all. I'll be sure to use what you wrote and try to put it all together for my assignment. I definitely made the right choice to have you as part of my redemption-themed topic."

"I'm honored you picked me to interview, kid," he said. "If you have any more questions, just let me know."

"Will do," she promised as they headed up to the Watchtower.

A week later, Lea received her paper back after having turned it in on Monday and her eyes widened as she saw that she got an A+ on her paper.

She ran home to show her parents, who were ecstatic and Lea called Hal with her ring, and he was proud of her. "I didn't doubt you'd get a good grade on it," he said.

"Is Plastic Man at the Watchtower?" She asked. "I want to show him my grade and thank him in person."

"Yeah, he's up here," Hal said. "Hold on, I'll teleport you in."

She transformed into Midnight Hope and was soon beamed up into the Watchtower, seeing Hal watching the cameras while Plastic Man greeted her. "Hey, kiddo," he said, grunting in surprise as she glomped him in a hug. "What's this for?" He asked.

She showed him her graded assignment and he was stunned before grinning. "Great job," he said. "You earned it."

"Thank you for helping me to get that grade," she said.

"You're welcome, kid."

Just then, an alert came on screen and Martian Manhunter came up from the floor. "We've got multiple bank heists going on," he said.

"Sounds like a mission for us," Plastic Man said.

Hal nodded. "Hope, you up to teaming up with Plastic Man to take care of the crooks?" He asked.

"Yes, sir," she said.

"Good luck then," he said as he beamed both her and the stretchy hero down to Earth. Plastic Man smiled.

"Come on, Hope," he said. "Let's take them down."

"Right with you, Plas," she said with a grin as they swooped into the battle together.

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