"Stick with me Blue. I'll keep you from feelin' the mode."

Impulse and I were sitting back in our seats after our little 'conversation'. I'm a little unsure on this whole 'hiding the truth from the league' junk, but Bart knew what he was talking about, right? I mean, even the scarab was agreeing with him. I don't think it's ever done that before.

Although, that might also spell disaster. The scarab means well, but if I always listened to it, half the team would be dead and I would be number one on the most wanted list. But scarab does know what is best sometimes, and I've got a feeling this is one of those times.

Plus, chances are that if the league knew I was going to bring on an apocalypse and enslave the human race, they would stop at nothing to make sure that couldn't happen, even if it meant locking me away for life, or killing me. I can't imagine Canary or Flash or any of the kinder members to be okay with that, but I can see Batman ready to tear the scarab from my spine if he knew about the future I've made-or, will make-or whatever.

I shouldn't think about it too much. I'll probably convince myself to tell the truth if I do. I suppose telling Canary wouldn't be the end of the world. Ugh, I can't think about that phrase right now. Anyway, from what I've heard from Nightwing, therapy sessions with Black Canary are very confidential. If I ask pretty, maybe she won't tell the whole league that I might enslave everyone. Ha, yeah right. She'd probably have to knock me out and throw me in a jail cell until Batman and Superman came back to decide what to do with me.

"Thank you Lagoon Boy. Blue Beetle." I hear the smooth voice of Black Canary as Lagoon Boy walks past. I take a deep breath before getting up and walking into her office. Just keep calm and remember, no future talk.

...

I can see the wheels in Jaime's head turning, and I know he's thinking our plan over. Even though the future him was the one who enslaved me, I can't help but feel bad for him. He never asked to have this burden on him. But neither did I. I didn't ask to have super speed or to be humanities last hope. But looking around, it looks like no hero ever asks to be in this position.

I wish I didn't have to lie to Black Canary though. She's one of the sweetest members of the league in my book, and I feel bad that she has to go through and listen to all the traumas everyone has experienced. Maybe its better that she didn't have to listen to me drabble on about the future and all the pain and darkness. I guess maybe that saying 'ignorance is bliss' has some truth to it.

Jaime's face is so serious right now, like he's fighting a battle in his mind right now. I really hope he's not still debating whether or not to tell the truth to Canary. If the league is the reason Jaime goes on mode in the future, keeping it our little secret could save the world! The pros totally outweigh the cons. I mean, if he doesn't tell the league, and Blue suddenly goes on mode, no one would be prepared. However, if the league does know, they might start poking and prodding at his scarab, and maybe they'll accidently activate it, putting him on mode.

I'd much rather take my odds on not letting the league try and destroy my new best friend. Wow, first I was just supposed to make sure he doesn't get moded, and now I'm actually friends with him. Never thought this would happen, but I guess if I've learned anything so far, it's that the world is unpredictable.

I peak at Blue again, and I see his face is still in that stoic, thinking position. If he's been thinking about this for that long, he's probably really split about it. I wish I could just convince him that it's the right thing to do and that this would be best for everyone. Jaime, if you can somehow hear me, just chill. As long as we stick together, I'll be able to protect you!

"Thank you Lagoon Boy. Blue Beetle." I watch as my friend goes in to her office, and I'm just sitting, hoping that he can do this.

…

"Thank you Blue. Beast Boy." I breathe a sigh of relief as I go sit back down next to Bart. He instantly nods his head back to the hallway and we go over, far enough that no one hears.

"So, did you tell her?"

"No, I just told her that they don't know how to control me." I see Bart's shoulders release the tension that was building up.

"Okay, good."

I must have been showing how torn up I was getting over this, because he put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a sympathetic look.

"Don't worry Jaime. This is the right thing to do."

Bart walks away first to go back to his seat. I let out a slow sigh before putting on a calm face and walking back to my seat.

I try to think about anything else. Skateboarding with Tye when we got back home, where the team would have meetings and mission briefings, what my family must be thinking right now, but my thoughts keep coming back to the future.

What if the scarab just turns evil one day, and turns me into a monster? What if I turn evil and use the scarab to hurt people? The scarab has already taken over without my permission before, I'm not gonna be able to stop it if it suddenly goes on mode.

We are probably going to have a lot more missions involving the Reach, and I can bet that they are going to be hard at work trying to find a way to get his scarab to work on the mode. If they figure his scarab out and capture me again, that will be the end of it. No 'if we had done this' or 'if we get him back we can'. It's all over. I go to the dark side and bring on the Reach apocalypse.

When I finally look back at the people in the hall, I realize that Beast Boy was sent to his new home, Lagoon Boy has went back to Atlantis, and the others had gone to their homes or wherever. Bart was lying across a few of the empty chairs in front of me.

I looked at Bart. Not as a hero, or some kid from the future, but as my friend. We've only known each other for a week or two, but we've been through so much in that short time. On the way back from the Reach's ship, we talked almost the whole way home, from small things, like my school and music, and when we went in the room behind the main deck of the ship, and we talked about what happened in the future.

It feels like I've known him for years. He treats me like his best friend, not like the man who forced him to be a slave. He's done so much for me, I can't make him hold this burden too. I won't make him go back to that future. I refuse to let it happen.

I go over to the door before Bart can ask what I'm doing. I open the door, intruding the little meeting some of the heroes were in.

"Beetle?" Canary looks at me shocked.

"I'm sorry. I've been hiding something. I can't, I just can't." Before I can keep going, I feel a gust of air and Bart's hands on my shoulders, distracting me for a moment.

"Uh Blueblueblue what happened to 'Keep quiet'?" Bart questions me, knowing damn well what I was about to do.

"Stop Jaime Reyes, this is a tactical error." I force Bart and the scarab out of my head. I have to do this.

"No. Time for the truth. Impulse says that sometime in the future, I betray Earth, and bring on a Reach apocalypse. That's not a future I can live with."

There's no turning back now. I need to do this. For the world, for the team, for my family, for Bart.

"So whatever it takes, get this scarab off me."

…

52. Deep in Thought

THE FEELS THAT EPISODE GAVE ME! Yay different awkward writing style! I'm sorry if the tense changes throughout the story. I tried to keep it in first person present tense, but it got a little off since I usually right third person past tense, but oh well!

So yeah, the feels I say these boys had during the whole therapy thing!