[b][i][posting the rest of this for Fearless/Thunder/Capt. Marvel][/i][/b]

[b]Back at the underground HQ...[/b]

“Oh, Black Canary,” He fights the embarrassment he’s sure is coloring his cheeks, her getting the drop on him doing nothing to build up his confidence, “I didn’t know you were here.”

“I’m always here.” She tells him, taking her seat in front of the monitors and setting down the mug filled with piping-hot coffee on top of the control console, “I’m den mother, remember?”

“Right.” Robert nods, having forgotten since she wasn’t den mother when he was with the team.

[i]Billy was.[/i]

“What are you doing here?” She asks him after a beat, sipping her beverage.

“I came to talk to Ditto about something.” Robert explains without tearing his eyes away from the fight.

“That [Italicize]‘something’[/Italicize] wouldn’t happen to be Superman’s offer of League membership, would it?”

Robert tenses a bit. He hadn’t expected Black Canary to know about that, but then again maybe he should’ve.

“Don’t be so surprised.” She says, as if reading his mind, “Superman had to bring the proposal to the League before bringing the offer to you. It’s standard procedure.”

Robert turns to face Black Canary, leaning back against the edge of the console, “…Do you mind if I ask how the voting went?” He asks.

“Do you really want to know?” Canary returns quickly, “After all, you obviously made the cut.”

“Yeah, and if that were all that mattered, I’d be satisfied. But it isn’t.”

He doesn’t say another word, the implication hanging in the air between the two of them.

“…What are you so worried about?” She prods him.

“I’m worried that I’m not good enough.” Robert sighs, running his hand over his tired face, “I’m worried I won the sympathy vote because of what happened to my mentor.”

Black Canary sets her mug down, leaning forward in her chair towards Robert, silently urging him to look her in the eye, “What happened to Billy was unfortunate, but it was his own doing. As for you winning the sympathy vote… the League doesn’t work like that. We vote people in based on merit, not because we feel we owe them anything.”

Robert nods along, though not quite sure he believes it. He didn’t want to talk to any Leaguers because he can’t be sure what happened behind closed doors or if they might have some sort of agenda. He did ask her how the voting went, but then she goes and changes the subject… anything Canary might say could be construed as her trying to get him to say ‘yes.’

Acceptance into the Justice League wasn’t something to dance around. It was a serious responsibility, carrying with it serious risks and rewards. It required commitment, discipline, and experience Robert wasn’t sure he had. That was why he made the trip out to Star City. He needed to hear he was ready from someone who wasn’t already with the League, and the shift that Ditto had undergone in the last few months, turning more serious and strategic as a result, made him a prime candidate for giving Robert an honest opinion. Not to mention Ditto was a friend, so there was that…

“You wanna join them?”

Black Canary’s words shake Robert from his reverie, bringing him back to the present, “What?”

“The fight,” She nods her head towards the monitor, “You wanna go out there and show ‘em what the new Captain Marvel’s got?”

Robert looks back over his shoulder at the fight, playing out as any usual encounter would. Crowd control, hammering the foe until he shut down… it looked to him as if they had it all wrapped up. But then he gets an idea, remembering something from the past... When he first came to Star City, he interfered in a fight between the team and that damned yellow sea creature. Now, he had the chance to crash the fight between the new team and Cinderblock, maybe even show the newbies a thing or two about how to get the job done.

His fist tightened at his side, his mind telling him to leave it alone and let the new team prove their worth, and his heart telling him to bust in there for old time’s sake. He wasn’t sure what call to make… in the end, though, he let his gut decide.