No pairings are intended here, but you can infer if you wish. It's up to you. I'm not big on pairings, but don't let me ruin your fun.

Disclaimer: I did not create Storm Hawks. They were created by Asaph "Ace" Fipke, whose gift to the world is entertaining it and helping to inspire our imaginations.

Storm Hawks—A Picture's Worth

By WhispertheWolf

The Storm Hawks, minus Stork, walked along the trading community of Terra Saharr, Aerrow in the lead. They were out to get supplies, but each had their own reasons for being there. Junko thought the bizarre is an exciting place, and he wasn't going to miss out on a day on the town. Finn was dragged into it, but every time he saw something he thought was cool, he just begged and begged Aerrow and Piper to get it. Piper managed the money, and she's also a bit of a shopper. If there were any antiques that looked fascinating, she'd be checking its price tag. Radarr was there with Aerrow.

Aerrow also had a personal reason for being there. The last few times he had been there, he had checked up on one special item, telling the owner to hold it for him. He has been trying to save up enough of his own money to buy it, thereby not getting it at the team's expense. Looking around, he made sure it was still there before the group went off to buy the supplies.

There it was across the street. It was a blue book that was a limited addition and out of print, making it much more valuable than Aerrow had feared. The title of the book was printed in silver and read: "Legends of the Sky: The Story of the Storm Hawks". In that book, Aerrow hoped to find out so much about his predecessors. And his parents.

Piper stopped, following Aerrow gaze. "They still have it," she stated.

Aerrow nodded. "Although they won't for long. The seller's getting tired of holding it."

Piper leaned forward. "So, do you have the money?"

"Yeah," Aerrow answered. "I got it. But we should make sure we get what we came here for first."

"You can get it now, if you like," Piper said. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know how much that book means to you."

Aerrow shook his head. "We'll get it on our way back." With that, he turned away and headed toward another shop. Piper blinked in pity and admiration.

Just as they finished getting what they came for, the group passed by an art shop that had an old beggar outside the entrance. Piper stopped and stared. "Look at that!" she exclaimed, pointing.

Aerrow turned to look at what held her attention. It was a painting of a long-haired, hazel-eyed girl dancing in the sunlight, holding her dress and twirling around on a hilltop with a beautiful blue sky background dotted with puffy white clouds. The picture was so clear, it was almost like it was a doorway that you could use to step into the scene and dance with the girl.

Piper seemed mesmerized by the scene. "That would be perfect for my room!"

Although Aerrow hated to kill her fire, he had to wake her up to the real world. "Yes," he said, "but that is not so perfect." He pointed to the price tag.

Piper's enthusiasm died and she looked thoroughly disappointed. Finn found his opportunity to tease her. "It's not like you need anything else in your room," he reminded her.

"You're one to talk!" Piper countered. "You're room is full of junk!"

"Okay, okay," Aerrow interrupted, getting in between them. "Leave the squabbling in the ship. Right now, we've got things to do."

"So wait," Junko asked. "We're not getting the picture?" Radarr chirped as if to echo the question.

"Boy, are you guys slow," Finn mumbled under his breath.

"No Junko," Piper answered, still sounding a bit let down. "We're not. And it's too bad, too. It's really good."

The group was startled by hearing someone snickering. Looking over his shoulder, Aerrow saw the sound had been made by the old beggar at the entrance. "Really good?" the beggar said. "That's one of the painter's worst piece of work."

"What do you mean?" Piper questioned. "It's gorgeous!"

"Pah!" the beggar grunted. "He was down on his luck and scraping the bottom of the barrel at the time he did that. His only motivation to paint was to earn money. I should know," he said. "I'm the painter."

All of them stared at him in surprise. "You?" Finn questioned. "You painted this? Are you kidding?! This thing's selling for a fortune!"

"Oh, yes, I painted it," the beggar answered. "The dealer wanted to take it for hardly a coin and he's making big bucks on all my work. But you see, I'm right glad you're not getting it. Even though that picture is no good in quality, it is the last picture I have of her."

"You mean the girl?" Piper questioned.

"Yes," the beggar responded. "She was my daughter, you see. During a time when we were really down on our luck, she fell ill. Although I tried to do my best and paint and work until I could do no more, I couldn't pay for her treatment. I painted that picture of her to try to help pay for her life. Now it's all I have of her."

The beggar looked down at his hat in his hands. "Sad, really, but as long as it stays there, I'll carry on. I stay by this door everyday to make sure that no one takes it away. If I had the money, I'd buy it myself."

None of the Storm Hawks knew what to say and all felt full of pity. Piper looked at her leader. "Aerrow," she said, "could I talk to you for a minute?" She started pulling him off to the side. Radarr followed. "Alone," Piper emphasized. Looking a bit insulted, Radarr went to stand by Finn.

Once they were away from others, Aerrow asked, "What is it?"

"Are you sure we don't have enough?" Piper asked. "Maybe we miscounted how much we have left or something. I mean, I don't want the picture for me anymore. I want to give it to him." She gestured toward the beggar.

"Piper, you know how much we got. You're the one who manages it. Even if we gave all we had, we still wouldn't have enough to buy the painting."

Piper sighed. "You're right."

Aerrow watched her start to turn away and start walking back to where the others were waiting when he got an idea. It would hurt, but it was something. "Piper, wait."

Piper stopped. "What?"

Aerrow dug into his pocket and pulled out a roll of paper money and a handful of cash. "Here. Add that to what we got. That should cover it."

Piper looked confused. "Aerrow how did you…? This isn't…?"

"Just take it."

Piper did as she was told. Aerrow followed her as she took the painting down off the stand before going up to the dealer. Handing him the money, she turned and gave it to the beggar. "This is for you," she said. "From all of us."

The beggar took it, tears welling his eyes. "Bless you, oh bless you all kindly!" he exclaimed. Holding the painting close to him, he scuttled down the road to take it to his abode.

Finn sighed. "Poor old guy," he said. He changed tune quickly, however. "Aren't we almost done?" he whined. "I'm tired of carrying all his stuff."

"I thought we had one last stop," Junko said, "over by the book dealer."

Piper looked at Aerrow to see how he would react to that, knowing what he had done. Aerrow shook his head sadly. "No," he answered. "We're done here." He turned and started heading back toward the ship, Radarr leaping up to take his perch on his shoulder.

On the way back, they passed the antique bookshop. Aerrow saw from the corner of his eye the dealer handing someone a blue book with silver writing on it. There went his only chance of ever reading it.

That night Aerrow stood on the balcony of the Condor, staring up at stars. They comforted him for some reason. Radarr was there with him, of course. The little guy wasn't sure why Aerrow hadn't bought the book, but he knew that's what was on his mind. He stayed close to his boy, hoping to help him feel better.

Then a soft voice called, "Hey."

Aerrow looked over his shoulder. "Hey, Piper."

Piper came to stand beside him. "How are you doing?"

Aerrow knew what she meant, and from the way Radarr shuffled on his shoulder, he knew that his furry friend knew, too. "I'm fine," he answered.

Piper leaned on the railing. "Why did you do that?" she asked. "That book was about your parents."

"I don't know," Aerrow answered.

Piper played with her fingers. "I'm sorry…"

"For what?" asked Aerrow. "I don't regret doing it. I'm glad I could make the old man happy. That picture meant so much to him."

"That book meant a lot to you, too."

Aerrow didn't meet her eyes. "I know."

Piper placed a hand on his shoulder. "You did a great thing, Aerrow," she said. "I'm proud of you." She turned to leave.

"Piper," she heard Aerrow call. Piper stopped and turned around. "Thanks," Aerrow told her. Piper flashed him a smile as she walked back inside.

Hmm, I was just thinking, why is most of my work about Aerrow? Then I figured out that it's because I admire his internal struggle to do what's right. I'm not saying that the others don't deserve just as much recognition and admiration, but that's just my fascination. Just felt like saying that.

Like I said be for, no Aerrow/Piper pairing intended here, but see what you want to see. And please review!