jla_watchtower | For the sake of the children... (cont.)

Current Location: Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco

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For the sake of the children... (cont.)

The auction is heating up. Some of the items have fetched handsome prices from anonymous bidders via cellphone proxies or the organization's website. The next item due on the auction block is a limited-run Flamebird figure (Bette might recognize it - she got a box of them for her birthday earlier this year).

But this is San Francisco, and it's almost Christmas, and when the Titans are around, something is almost guaranteed to go wrong.

And it does; quickly, suddenly, and loudly, in the form of a huge Santa sleigh, replete with animatronic reindeer, crashing through an adjoining wall from the set of a movie being filmed just outside.

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Flamebird makes her way over toward where there are fewer people but still some debris that needs taking care of, starting to stack it. "So." She pauses, "Do you want to tell me something or am I going to have to start asking questions you don't want me to ask?"

He freezes, then looks like he wants to bolt. "Uh ... huh?" His breathing picks up and his eyes get bigger.

"Kiddo, don't freak out on me. I completely understand but..." Flamebird looks at him directly, "I know you want to help your sister. I know you want to make her happy but..." She shrugs, "We can do our best to do it the right way."

"And maybe you can be a hero for finding it."

Joseph stares at her, then drags the back of his hand across his eyes. "I can't save her," he says, sounding much younger than his actual age. "Buh-big brothers're suh-s'pposed t'save their little sisters fuh-from bad stuff."

Carefully, very carefully, Flamebird wraps her arms around him, crouching down to better allow him to put his face against her shoulder if he so desires. "I know. I know. This is very, very hard for you and you just want to help her." She's really trying to keep her voice even.

All she can think of is Tamara, the girl at the hospital, much like Beth sitting just feet away from here. "I can see what I can do about that, okay? I think we can get enough together for it between the Titans here." Not for the first time today, she really wishes Gar were here.

He snuffles against her shoulder, shaking with the tears he doesn't want to shed in public. "Ruh-really? You'd do that for her?"

Flamebird carefully runs her hand down the back of his head. "We're the good guys, Joseph. This is what we do." They don't cry in front of the kids.

No. They do that later, on their own.

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For the sake of the children... (cont.)

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