Bart Allen was moping about the Young Justice Headquarters. Actually, that was an understatement. He looked the epitome of rejection, sitting still on the couch watching as everyone around him bustled and hustled. He'd had had to come back to the group. There was just no way around it. His continued existence was at stake. Besides, he had missed everyone.

Although it was exciting to be back with his friends, who seemed to have increased membership since he went away (Bart wasn't exactly sure), it just wasn't the same. It used to be that he'd spend some time with them, but at the end of the day he could count on going home and having more adventurous fun and fun adventures. Or at least he used to be able too. Now it was all very confusing and the adventures that seemed to be automatically built in just weren't there any more. Bart didn't know if they'd ever come back either.

Bart gave a dramatic sigh that went unnoticed by his friends. There was a good reason for their negligence, however, as Bart was alone in the living room. Everyone else was gathered elsewhere, watching intently. Cassie was trying to cook in the kitchen (key operating word: trying) and the rest of Young Justice was hovering just outside the doorway (they dared not go in for fear of the safety of their taste buds.)

Bart sighed again.

This was just... just... dumpy and ucky and ten degrees of NOT cool. He hadn't expected to return to YJ just to be overlooked. Damn those ensemble casts. Damn them! Reluctantly, and compromisingly, he stood and joined everyone else at the precipice of Eternal Taste Bud Damnation.

"Is something burning?" Cissie asked, peeking into the room.

"No!" Cass shouted back defensively. She shoved a pan into the oven and closed the door with a deafening bang.

"The oven's not even on yet," Tim pointed out.

"I dunno." Kon sniffed the air. "Definitely smells like."

"'Could be 'Nita doing ritual sacrifices again." Slo-bo smiled.

Kon snorted. "You wish man."

"How can she expect it to cook if she doesn't turn it on?" Secret added sounding perplexed.

Bart sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"I still smell something burning," insisted Cissie.

"The oven isn't on," Tim reiterated.

"I don't care." Cissie crossed the threshold into Eternal Taste Bud Damnation. "I can smell it."

"Smell what?" Tim insisted, following her. "There's nothing to smell."

"I smell it too," and Kon became the third brave soul to enter ETBD. Everyone soon followed because if there's something teammates don't like, it's to feel left out. Even if they don't want to be included.

Bart sighed for the umpteenth and one time and followed them in.

Not long after, they all exited the wasteland, formerly known as the ETBD, and no longer resembling the kitchen in any way, shape, or form. In the span of five minutes the following had happened. In no particular order:

Cissie found the source of the burning smell.
Slo-bo accidentally threw water on an electrical fire.
The drapes caught on fire.
Secret hid in the kitchen cabinets.
The water nozzle on the sink was abused.
Cassie ducked a flying rolling pin.
The wires for the electric mixer melted.
A flood formed on the kitchen sink.
Flames reached the ceiling.
Robin opened his utility belt.
Kon blew many, many items across the room.
The oven settings were changed from off to 400 degrees.
Cassie's leftover cake batter was covered in a CO2 foam.
And for the umpteenth and second time, Bart sighed.

Unabashed and without expression, Impulse trailed silently out of the room with soggy sneakers and collapsed back on the couch where he had set up a pseudo-residence since That Day.

"You okay?" Cissie asked, as she brushed cake batter from her hair.

Bart shrugged. She wouldn't get it. His life now revolved around Young Justice and Young Justice villains and Young Justice adventures. And Impulse was only a part of that.

"You ain't hurt are you?" Slo-bo said, more concerned with watching Cassie fix her mussed tank top than any attention towards Bart.

Bart shook his head. Kon plopped down beside him on the couch. Tim cast the speedster a weary look and seemed to settle into a look of responsibility that could only be the cause of Once Leader and Most Likely Candidate to Become Leader (Again) in The Young Justice Election Poll When the Results Get Announced mode.

"What's wrong?" Tim inquired very leader like. After all, he figured it was only a matter of time.

"You wouldn't understand," Bart said honestly, because he wouldn't. Tim might have quit with him way back when but Tim couldn't relate to this.

"You've been around a lot lately," Cassie commented, "and you're not the same."

At first they'd chalked it up to their recent adventures, what with two crossovers, a war, a recurring villain, they'd been rather busy and Bart had been more busy than any of them. Yet now he seemed to have more time but less vitality.

"That's it!" Kon snapped his fingers. Everyone stared blankly. "I've got it," he added for the sake of clarification.

No reaction. The group waited in silence for a few minutes while Kon looked at them expectantly.

"Are you gonna tell us?" Slo-bo demanded.

"Isn't someone going to ask?" Kon said affronted.

"Oh, Kon, oh Smart One," Cissie deadpanned, "please bestow us with your wisdom."

Kon frowned. "Well you don't have to be mean about it."

Bart quirked a smile.

"He twitched!" Secret pointed to Bart.

"He smiled!" Cassie added.

Kon cleared his throat loudly. Even though this was a Bart thing, it had been his moment of getting attention.

"He's depressed," Kon elaborated.

"He just smiled," Secret defended.

"Fine then," Kon waved a dismissive hand, "he's adjusting."

"Adjusting to what?"

"To us, without himself."

Five pairs of eyes blinked at him. Well, really four, because Tim had his mask. Or maybe only two, because it was hard to tell with Secret sometime and Slo-bo's eyes just looked weird. But Cissie and Cassie blinked and they so counted. That was definitely two, Kon was certain about that.

"Huh?"

And Kon went around not so discreetly (but subtle enough) whispering in their ears his theory.

"Remember when I was hanging around a lot, just after I moved out Kansas, and I didn't seem to have a life outside of Young Justice (occasional appearances in Superman and Action Comics notwithstanding) and I wasn't sure what to do because it wasn't like I don't like you guys but it just wasn't the same because I was the star of the Superboy show and then I get downgraded to a PG feature (Interjection from Slo-Bo: "You only thought you were above PG.") where I don't even rank a 'starring Superboy' credit?"

And slowly during Kon's tirade it all started to make sense but Robin went around and clarified for each of them as he was the Past Leader and Most Likely Soon to be Leader Again and he just was the Leader Type. "Bart's book got cancelled."

Bart bowed his head. Cissie gasped in horror, as that decreased her guest appearances as well. Cassie uttered an abashed, "Meep." Secret blinked stupidly before mustering a shocked expression. Slo-bo shook his head sadly muttering, "Dems the breaks, kid."

Bart sighed.

"It won't be that bad, though?" Secret asked. "Will it?"

"Of course not!" Cissie brightened, snapping her fingers. "You've still got us. And your ship."

"And the Flash," Cassie nodded. "Don't forget the Flash. It'll be like me and Wonder Woman and Kon and Superman."

Kon coughed, a cough that surprising sounded like, "Second stringers." Cassie glared at him.

"Look at the bright side Bart." Tim lightly punched Bart on the shoulder. "It's only one book."

Everyone looked at Tim.

"Well it is," he insisted.

Everyone gaped.

"What? It's not like he's a regular in more than one book like Gotham Knights or... what?"

Everyone shook their heads at Tim sadly, except Bart who was staring at his feet. 'Where had he gone wrong?' they wondered mournfully. To think he was so smart too.

"It's not like he's got school and has to help out with murder trials, and then show up in about six different books being a guest star--" Everyone started to glare. "What! He should be lucky."

"You're just not normal, you know that?" Kon said disgusted.

"Anyways," Cissie slung an arm around Bart. "You'll be fine. Just think, you'll get more time with us--"

"And your spaceship!" Cassie added.

"We heard you the first time," Cissie whispered before continuing, "--and you're friends will still be around. It'll just be a little more quieter. Peaceful and whatnot."

"And you can have my cupcakes!" Cassie dashed to the kitchen. Once she had left everyone cringed or shuddered or did a combination of the two.

"I thought we were trying to cheer the kid up," Slo-bo commented.

"Bart, buddy, you have yet to grasp the best part of ensemble." Kon slung an arm over the speedster's shoulder. "Sure it takes some adjusting and you get downgraded. Your characterization gets a little shallow because you don't have as many people writing about you but you're more consistent. It's a trade off buddy, but it's not that bad. Besides..."

Cassie came back out with a tray of oddly shaped things which may or may not have resembled an edible substance in the last forty minutes or so but now looked like blackened charcoal.

Kon eye's grew wide (perfectly noticeable with the lack of sunglasses) and steered Bart out of the room. "The best part of ensemble is that you don't always have to be there."

And they took off, for parts unknown and unwritten about (and thus cupcake free) sure to reappear in the nick of time, knowing that they would be missed. Yes, it was true, time off was a perk of ensemble.

Bart could deal with this life.

It would be good.

Eventually.

Maybe.

Most likely, even.

If not, his taste buds would thank him anyway.

fin

~story index~