A Siren's Forte [Young Justice]

Away Mission

El Paso

August 04, 10:32 MDT

Sam kept one eye on the phone in his hand as he walked down the sidewalk. If he ever said 'I told you so' to his mentor, he was sure she'd kill him, but...he had a feeling that returning to the field would have gotten her stuck in the snares of going on missions. There was nothing else like it and he would always be grateful that she introduced him to it three years ago.

He was even more grateful that she was becoming her old self again, the one that took a liking to a twelve-year-old kid who lost his parents not long after their first meeting. He missed her.

Let me know if you need any help. I'd like to get to know this...Halo girl. And the prince.

Glancing back over previous texts before pocketing his cell, his brow furrowed. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be completely uprooted from all he knew and with new meta-abilities at that. To suddenly have to live in a country so foreign to them–and without any memories, like Halo was dealing with–had to be terrifying. They're in good hands. I know Jenna wouldn't abandon them.

Cutting across a lush, green lawn, Sam bounded up a set of steps. As he reached out to turn the handle of the front door, his other fist went up to rap on the wood as it swung open.

"Hello!" he called out into the empty foyer.

Sure enough, a head poked out from around the corner that led into the kitchen.

"Sam, any preferences for lunch after you four come back from the movie?" Bianca Reyes immediately asked.

"When it's your cooking? Anything," Sam said with a cheeky grin, wrapping his arm around her shoulders in greeting.

Mrs. Reyes tsked, trying to hide her proud smile. "My son should learn a thing or two from you."

As Sam began to head upstairs, he laughed. "But then I wouldn't be the favorite, now would I?" he called back to her.

A short walk down the hallway and Sam threw open the door at the end. What he got in return was hardly a glance in his direction from the lounging trio.

"Don't act so thrilled to see me," he mumbled.

After not-so-gracefully climbing around Bart's head, he flopped onto the bed in between Traci and Jaime, accepting his boyfriend's silent invitation to use his shoulder as a pillow. "Is that the new episode of Space Trek?" he asked the girl lying on her stomach beside him.

She groaned. "No, I missed last week's so I'm catching up. So don't spoil it for me!" she said, shooting him a glance over her shoulder.

Sam smirked. "So you don't want me to tell you that Lieutenant Tork stumbled across a-"

He let out a yelp when she kicked him blindly, making contact with his temple. Rubbing the bruised area, he pulled out his phone when a chime rang.

"I can't believe you two love that show so much," Jaime said with an eye roll.

"What's not to like?" Sam answered with a shrug, looking down at a new text from Virgil.

It was a photo of Cassie standing off in the distance, the distant Earth outside the window in front of her indicating she was on the Watchtower. Her phone was up to her ear.

Trouble in paradise.

Sam sighed at the caption. It had been weeks since he last heard from Tim. But he did know that Cassie was still upset with her boyfriend for walking out that day when some of the League members resigned. Maybe not entirely for walking out, but doing so without giving her warning.