Disclaimer: Sadly for me I do not own Young Justice for if I did I would clone everyone and share... just not the originals... they're mine. XD

I want to give a big thanks to my BBFL Trina(Which is not a screen or pen name) for reading this over and editing it for me even though she has yet to watch the series and had little idea what I was talking about. Trina you're the greatest! (Don't worry guys I'm in the process of converting her!:D Enjoy!

The alarms of the Star City Museum of Ancient History were shrill and obnoxiously loud for so late in the evening, but it was notifying the authorities of the crime that was taking place in the building, or rather the crime that had taken place moments prior. Already the dark clad perpetrator was darting across the roof of the building, feet moving quickly and soundlessly across the illuminated glass ceiling.

The dark figure, a phantom known only by the name of Spade, didn't even momentarily slow her pace as she approached the edge of the building. Instead she took a running jump and it almost looked as if she was flying across the gap between the buildings as she had been on to the one adjacent to it. There was a story and a half difference in height so when she landed she had to roll to lessen the impact but not seconds later she was back on her feet. Narrowly, he had avoided becoming a pin cushion as several long arrows lodged themselves into the concrete surface where she had just been.

There wasn't even a slight hesitation, not even a single faltering step from the thief. Not even when she saw an arrow with green fletching sail aver her head did she stop, despite the fact that when it landed in front of her it exploded into a cloud of thick black smoke.

Spade dove right into the haze, taking a deep breath before she did and seconds later she jumped out of the other side of the cloud with her hand over her mouth and nose which were already covered by a partial black mask. Now she risked a short glance behind her. Green Arrow and his red clad apprentice, Speedy, were close on her tail as she nimbly hoped from building to building.

Another arrow was fired, this one courtesy of Speedy and as it got closer to her it was clear that this was another trick arrow because a moment later a net shot from the head of the projectile and wrapped around her legs as she began another leap. As the net caught around her legs she stumbled and the usually silent thief let out a cry of surprise as she tumbled off of the side of the building she had been trying to jump from.

From the very top of the building the fall to the ground was at least twelve stories down and Spade knew that if she hit the ground she'd either be a sitting duck to be caught, or a pancake on the side of the street. Yes, getting caught by a pair or goody two shoes heroes would be the least of her problems if she hit the ground. Halfway through the fall she reached out and managed to catch onto a ledge of a window and felt her right shoulder painfully pop. She had just dislocated her shoulder.

"Ready to give up yet?" Green Arrow called from the top of the building where he was observing her predicament.

Spade's red tinted eyes narrowed when she saw him and held in a groan of pain as her fingers slipped a little and jolted her shoulder. She couldn't hold on for very much longer and she needed a way out of this mess that she had gotten herself into. She had never done so badly on a job before. Usually she was able to get away before any of those pesky Justice League heroes were able to find her.

"Why bother talking to her. She never says a word!" Speedy snapped already aiming an arrow at her and suddenly an idea formed in her head.

"What's wrong Speedy!" She called making sure her voice was an octave lower than usual so they wouldn't recognize it. "Upset that you've been beaten by a little girl more times than you can count?"

The subtle clenching of the young archer's jaw was all the warning she needed before he loosed the arrow. It was exactly what she'd wanted him to do. Flipping as best she could with her injured shoulder she moved so her tied legs so that the arrow tore through the netting and leapt up onto the ledge she's been hanging off of. There were several curses above her but she didn't have time to sit and gloat.

She took off across the ledge and jumped to the next building, clinging there for only a moment before she launched herself back to the first structure, lower this time. She went back and forth between the buildings, repeating the process until she was safely on the ground then disappeared into a nearby alleyway before the two archers got to the street.

Knowing that they would be coming after her, Spade ducked into the back door of a steamy Chinese restaurant and skirted through the kitchen as quickly as she could. Several people shouted at her about being in the kitchen, still more stared at her wide eyed when they realised she had a gun on her hip. She never used the weapon, her skill was primarily in stealth and speed, but one never knew when such a weapon might come in handy.

As soon as she was clear of the rush of employees and various trays or sweet and sour pork, lo mien, and teriyaki dishes, she darted into the bathroom, locking the door behind her and sliding to the floor with a loud sigh. Her shoulder was killing her; she'd need help to realign the joint, but before that she needed a plan of action before the arrow duet caught her.

~O~

"Where'd she go!" Speedy growled as he watched the front entrance of the little Chinese restaurant that they had watched Spade run into. Green Arrow was watching the shop from the back, but so far no one had left the restaurant. At least as far as they knew no one matching Spade's description had, and she would be hard to miss with her mop of short white hair.

"Be patient Roy, we saw her go in. There are only two exits and she has to come out some time." Green Arrow told him over the comlink that they both had equipped.

Speedy grumbled something under his breath, but didn't complain any more. Ten minutes later there was still no sign of Spade. Speedy tensed when he saw the door to the restaurant open, but there was no black-clad thief. Only two teenage girls dressed in light summer clothing laughing at something one of them had said. He watched them hail a cab from the sidewalk then disappear.

~O~

"That was way too close." Jade sighed glancing over to her friend who was hunched over in her seat, forehead against the window, clutching her arm in pain. The red eyes that could be identified with Spade were gone, as was the white hair. Instead her hair was black and short cropped and dark green eyes were looking back at the half Vietnamese girl while a small smile lit up her face.

"Hey I got away didn't I?" She asked glancing to the plastic partition between them and the cabbie to make sure it was closed and he couldn't hear what they were saying.

"If the Shadows find out you needed my help-" Jade began but she was interrupted.

"The Shadows can kiss my ass. I told you before that I'm not doing this for them. I need the money and this is the best way for me to get it."

"Victoria you could be killed if they heard that." Jade warned seriously.

"They wouldn't; aside from you, I'm the best at what I do." Victoria, known better as Tori, scoffed.

Jade gave a grin that could have rivaled the Cheshire cat for which she was named on the job and motioned to the cabbie to pull over. They paid the man then got out and ran to the apartment building across the street. It was beginning to rain and Tori had no desire to add sickness to injury.

Tori's apartment was far from luxurious, it was more of a small dingy box with a separate bedroom, bathroom and kitchenette from the den, but it was by far better than living on the streets. She sank into the old worn couch in the tiny central room that she used as a living room and groaned in pain.

Jade walked over and grabbed her arm with one hand, the other placed firmly on her friend's shoulder. They had gone through this process a few times before, Tori's arm often bothered her, and neither needed words to be exchanged. With a slight twist on the arm, the woman's shoulder popped back into its socket and Jade stepped away so Tori could work through the pain by rolling her shoulder. It would probably have been best if they had gotten a proper doctor to realign her arm, but that would just raise questions that could not be answered.

"So let's see the loot." Jade said as Tori pulled off the jacket she had been wearing when they left the restaurant to reveal the tight black shirt she wore on jobs. Her wig and contacts were tucked into an inside pocket.

Tossing the jacket aside she reached into one of the various pockets in her cargo pants and withdrew a long silver chain. At the end of the chain was an Ankh pendant that sported a ruby the size of a large golf ball. Jade whistled, clearly impressed.

"The Amulet of Anubis. They had you get something really valuable this time. Usually you only take the smaller jobs." She leaned back into the couch and kicked her feet up onto the coffee table.

", well I just hope that the pay is worth nearly getting caught." Tori said as she put the stolen Egyptian artifact back into her pocket. It would go into the safe in her room along with the majority of her valuables until it came time to deliver it.

"What are you going to use the money for? I hope you put it toward getting a new apartment. With the cash you'll be getting you should be able to afford a nice place on the upside of town."

"Not likely, Jade. I'm perfectly happy here in my rundown little box. It's less suspicious and besides, I need some work done on my arm." She indicated to her left arm, the one that was not injured. It looked just like her other arm but both girls knew it was far from a normal arm. Underneath the thin layer of what looked like skin was a mass of metal, wires and cords that made up a fully functional prosthetic arm. There were tiny wires and other mechanical junk that connected the arm to the nerves on the stump that had once been her shoulder. It was just as good as a regular arm, aside from the occasional maintenance and the fact that the operation required to get such an arm was illegal.

"You just got that thing looked at two weeks ago! I still think you should get a nice new pad. Then we could have parties with rich guys every weekend." Jade said with a sexy grin on her face.

Tori only sighed. "Jade you have an apartment close to that side of town. Why don't you throw a party there?"

"That's actually not a bad idea Tori. I actually know some people who could get the socialites to come."

"Jade I wasn't serious!" Victoria exclaimed exasperated with her best friend. "If you do that we might as well walk right up to the Justice League and tell them our secret identities!"

"God, you're so over dramatic." Jade laughed waving off Tori's concern as if it was nothing at all."It's just a party. It's not like we're planning to infiltrate the League or anything."

Another sigh came from the other girl and she got off the couch to walk over to her little kitchen. She opened the fridge door and after rummaging through it for a little bit until she pulled out two cans of soda from the back somewhere. She tossed one to Jade as she walked back to the couch and crashed on it unceremoniously.

"Come on Tori. It'll be great; Food, dancing, cute boys... you really need to take a night off and just relax."

"This coming from a top class assassin?" Tori said with a bemused smile on her face as she watched her friend skeptically, but she could feel her resolve crumbling already. She never could say no to Jade and the other girl was an expert at persuading Tori into doing some incredibly stupid things. Depending on the situation it sometimes worked out great, but often it ended in total disaster. Finally though, she gave in to the idea.

"Fine Jade, do what you want. But if we get busted because of this I hope you know it's all on you." She said sternly.

~O~

Tori knew she was going to regret the decision she had made to help Jade out with her party. Between her normal day job of counselling kids at the local community center, her secret second life, and various other things she hardly had time to sleep let alone help Jade with planning a party fit for Star city's rich and famous. And that was exactly what Jade was going for.

Tori tried to make sure her best friend didn't get too out of hand but if there was one thing Jade loved more than her job it was partying. It really shouldn't have surprised her at all that the assassin would try to go all out on something so trivial. It was exasperating to watch Jade flit about all the time but what annoyed her most was when, on the night of the party, Jade tried to persuade her into a tiny white dress. Jade herself was already wearing a short, emerald green, Asian styled dress with a gold and black dragon snaking up the side.

"Just put the dress on Tori." Jade said holding up the garment.

"And let every guy here get a good look under that tiny skirt? No way." Tori shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest which was bare save for her undergarments. She glared vehemently at the article of clothing, which could hardly be considered clothing at all.

"You're such a prude. If you want to pick up a cute guy this is the kind of thing you have to wear." Jade said and Tori had a feeling that Jade was either extremely wrong in what she had said or she was trying to make wearing the dress seem more appealing. Either way, though it didn't work. She was going to open her mouth to argue but a knock on the front door interrupted her.

"Get dressed Tori! People are arriving and unless you want to dance in your birthday suit I suggest you put that dress on!" It wasn't an idle threat, Jade really would drag her out there nude if she didn't do as she was told.

She groaned, picking up the dress as Jade left the bedroom and pulled it over her head. She had to walk over to the mirror to get a good look at herself and when she did she wrinkled her nose at her appearance. She looked like a whore. The neckline of the skin-tight halter dress was, at the very least, plunging and the skirt hardly covered her butt. She scowled at herself some more then glanced back at Jade's large walk in closet. At the very least she was going to make the dress look less slutty.

After five minutes of searching through various different kinds of clothing and almost cutting open her hand on ninja and assassin tools, Tori emerged from the closet and paused in front of the mirror again. While in the closet she had donned a black, corset like top over the dress so her chest was less exposed and had put on a pair of dark colored leggings under the skirt. She had also swiped a pair of Jades boots and a belt to accessorize. It still wasn't something Tori would have worn of her own choice but this was going to have to do. Besides, with her makeup and hair already done up she did look pretty good.

A knock came to the bedroom door and Tori looked away from the mirror as Jade walked back in. The assassin whistled. "You clean up nice... are those my boots?"

Tori rolled her eyes and went to the door to leave the bedroom. Already the central living room area, which was large enough anyway, was crowded with people. Tori recognized several people who she had seen on tabloids of in magazines, not to mention all the teenage socialites that were milling about dancing to the beat of some main stream pop song that was blaring out over the speakers or else at the edge of the room talking with one another. She had been alone in the bedroom for less than ten minutes, how had so many people gotten here so fast?

A hand closed over Tori's arm and she allowed Jade to drag her into the middle of a group of dancing people. Soon enough Jade was swept away by the crowd and was talking earnestly with a rather handsome boy as they danced together. Tori almost envied Jade, she was able to blend in and adapt to any situation she was in, it was a given for her to be an assassin. But Tori was totally out of her element. She was used to blending in with the shadows, sneaking past people unnoticed.

Dancing soon lost its appeal and the dark haired girl left the space of floor which had been cleared for dancing and melded into the shadows along the wall and just watched people. Of course she wasn't able to go totally unnoticed and several girls paused to gossip even though they had never met her before. A couple of men tried to hit on her as well but she just turned them down. If she had been looking to pick up someone like Jade was she would have worn the dress as it originally was.

As she watched she couldn't help but come to the conclusion that she really didn't like the life of the rich and famous... or at least the parties. Everyone seemed so shallow, trying to keep up appearances and never really saying or doing anything that could get them ousted from their position. It was almost worse than living in the slums when she was a kid and living with her Dad.

A frown worked its way onto her face as the thought of her father crossed her mind. She hardly thought about that swine anymore; as far as she knew her old man was dead. And good riddance to him too, she'd hated him since before she could remember, she didn't have one good memory of him and she would prefer to keep it that way; a good memory would only cause her to sympathize and she was not going to do that any time soon.

A presence suddenly came close to her and she looked up to see a red haired boy leaning against the wall next to her. He didn't seem to be interested in hitting on her, in fact, like her, he seemed to be content to sit and watch the party progress with a slight frown on his face.

"You dragged here by your friends?" She asked conversationally. There would be no harm in talking with him she decided; besides, if Jade saw her sitting here all night she would be in so much trouble.

The boy looked over at her from the corner of his eye and she couldn't help but notice that he had very serious, yet striking blue eyes. Come to think of it he was pretty attractive as a whole. He had a nice physique from what she could determine and his face was rather attractive despite his frown. She fought back a blush and looked away from him when he nodded.

"You?" he asked. It sounded as if he too was just making conversation and didn't care one way or another. It didn't really bother Tori at all but she kind of wished he could pretend to act interested in the conversation, as short as it was.

"My friend is hosting it. I'm only here to make sure things don't get out of hand." She replied and pointed in the direction of Jade who was managing to flirt with two boys at the same time. "My name's Victoria, friends call me Tori."

"Roy." He offered and Tori felt a smile creep onto her face. Roy... somehow it seemed to suit him very well. "You really put up with this?"

"Not really... I'm kind of waiting for my chance to slip out of here without anyone noticing." It was kind of true. Jade would notice if she left and probably send out a squad of ninja to bring her back or something. And she would never live it down unless she had a very good reason for leaving.

"She has her back turned now." Roy pointed out and Tori raised an eyebrow.

"And leave you here all by your lonesome? That would be cruel." She said and she could have sworn she saw a ghost of a smile cross his face. "How about we both leave? Not to seem like I'm using you or anything but if she sees me leave with a guy she'll be more inclined to forgive me."

Roy shrugged and pushed off of the wall, motioning with his head for her to follow him. Somehow they both managed to weave through the crowd of bodies and find the way to the front door. As soon as it closed Tori let out a breath and ran her hand through her hair. The light in the hall was blinding compared to the inside of the apartment but she'd dealt with worse before.

"Elevator is this way." She said pointing in the proper direction. Roy nodded and followed they got halfway there when a voice called out to them.

"Tori... Where exactly are you going?" Jade asked, hands on her hips as she surveyed the two. Tori was at a loss for words, unsure of what to say when to her surprise she felt a warm arm wrap around her waist.

"I hope you don't mind if I steal your friend for a bit. We were just going out for a bit of air." Roy said and the way he spoke it made it sound as if they were going out for a lot more than air. Tori couldn't stop her face from going red this time as she felt Jade's stare on her now.

Jade eyed them for a moment longer then grinned at her friend. "Well I suppose... but Tori, I expect details." And with that she turned and walked back into the party.

Tori stood frozen for a moment longer, then cleared her throat and moved away from Roy who let his arm fall to his side. "Thanks." She said looking at her feet before she started heading to the elevator again. As far as she could tell Roy made a non-committal noise and followed. Once they were safely in the elevator she chanced a look at him again. His face was still as stoic as it was when she had first spoken to him.

"So where did Mister Smooth come from back there?" She asked when she had gotten over the butterflies that had settled in her stomach when he put his arm around her.

This time Tori was sure she saw him smile for a second. "It's not something I do often." He replied and left it at that. Tori wasn't really sure she was inclined to pester him more about it. After all, he was practically a stranger, albeit a very handsome stranger that made her stomach do weird aerobatics when her came close.

The elevator dinged, signaling that they had reached the lobby and they both stepped out, heading for the front entrance. Tori wanted to do nothing more then go back to her apartment and go to sleep so she didn't have to think about the strange feeling in her stomach. Maybe she was sick.

"Again, thanks for helping me out." She said when they got outside and she had hailed a cab. She turned to him as she was about to get in and smiled at him. She was surprised when he gave a half smile back and held out his hand to her. Slowly she put out her hand and he placed a small slip of paper there.

"If you ever get bored or have some free time give me a call." He said giving a wave and turning to go. For a moment Tori just stood there and stared after him unsure of what to think. Had she just been asked out on a date? The cabbie's obnoxious voice was what snapped her back to reality.

"You gonna get in or what?" He snapped and Tori hastily got into the car and gave directions to the driver. She just wanted this confusing night to be over.

So you guys like it? Hate it? Absolutely adore it? I'd like to know, even if it's only a two word message telling me what you thought. No flames though they depress me... unless you brought marshmallows to roast over them... then we'll be cool. Please review, they are love and I will totally give you a YJ clone of your choosing as soon as I finish engineering my device to bring cartoon characters here and my cloning device.

Anyways~ Thanks for reading. I love all you Ghost Readers too!

~Peter