JLA Watchtower (Archive)

"Perhaps the security footage?" suggests Mr. Cantu, a little doubtfully, looking anxiously at his watch. "I don't know how long that would take...."

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Flamebird makes her way over toward Joseph. "Hey, you wanna come with me for a second? I think I'm going to need a bit of help over here." There is a pleasant smile on her face as she's asking.

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"Uh...." Joseph looks at his mom, but it's his sister who speaks up first:

"Joey's a great big brother. He's good at helping." She grins that gap-toothed smile at him.

"Uh, I guess." He looks at his mom again, then joins Flamebird.

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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?"

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

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"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."

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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."

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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.

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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?"

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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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She looks to see Bette taking Joseph aside, and kneels down to look at Beth. She really is a pretty girl if you look past the ravages of illness.

"Bet this was more excitement than you bargained on, huh?"

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Beth nods enthusiastically. "It's been so cool. I got to meet Titans, an' Joey said he'd play Justice League with me later, an' then we're gonna have Christmas next week--"

From the look on her mother's face, this is expected to be Beth's final Christmas.

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It makes Aurora a little sad. She's seen that look on the Morgans after they lost River.

"Glad you're having fun, sweetie. I know Beast Boy couldn't make it, but he's the one teaching me how to do things like grow wings and stuff."

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Beth's eyes widen. "Really? What else does he teach you?"

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"How to be brave," she admits. "Spent a lot of time being scared of what I could do until I met him."

Fauna puts her hand on the girl's. "Maybe you can answer something for me. I've learned a lot about what it means to put on this kind of costume, risking my life for others, helping out when things go crazy."

She looks at the T-shirt before continuing. "But I don't know why little girls and boys look up to folks like the Titans so much. Maybe you can tell me?"

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Beth pulls at her t-shirt, looking at the smiling face of Beast Boy. "'Cause you're brave, an' you help people, an' you do good things like this." She looks up, puzzled. "Isn't that what heroes are?"

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"There are brave and good people everywhere, Beth," She says with a smile. She then points to the girl's chest. "And some heroes are harder to spot than others. The one looking back at you from a mirror? Why, that's the hardest one of all to see."

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Beth shakes her head, looking older than her actual age. "I'm not a hero. I just haven't died yet. Lotsa people haven't done that either."

Mrs. Campbell bites her lip and turns away, pressing her hand to her mouth.

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"You're not just an illness, Beth. You're a person, and one person can do a lot of good in the world. It's people like you and the folks you see all around here that help us do what we do."

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"Really? How come?"

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The activist hat and the hero hat are surprisingly similar.

"It's easier to give up or be selfish if you aren't tied to those around you. If someone loses touch with the community and the people in it, they lose touch with reality and don't understand why it's important. Talking to you and your brother...it puts faces and names on those we help. Keeps us from getting too big for ourselves and thinking we're better than others."

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Beth mulls this over. "Promise you'll remember me?" she says eventually.

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"Always, Beth. Cross m'heart." Fauna crosses her heart for good measure.

Of course, she won't forget this little girl - not any more than she would forget baby River.

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