AN: Show of hands from my followers, who thought I was never coming back? Well, I finally got my mojo back, and I am currently at the tail-end of Grad school, so I have a little more time than I've had previously. My muse is back in a big way, and I have stories coming out of my ears! Be on the look out for more from me! It's great to be back! And, for anyone curious, I do plan to bring Titans Tower Karaoke back from the dead soon, at least for one more chapter. I left a few things hanging, and it's been bugging me. Without further ado, here we go!

Well, this was bad.

Very bad.

Kid Flash leaned against the doorway quietly observing his tall, thin girlfriend. He ran through his mental checklist one at a time and hoped that maybe, just maybe, he was overreacting. It was possible. He tended to do that when Jinx was involved.

So first, how long had she been at this? He checked the clock on the training room wall and did some quick math. Then, he checked it again and used good ol' reliable fingers for his counting. Six hours. He'd have to tell the other Titans Robin's record had been broken. She had been going through drills and patterns since they got home.

"I'm going to train for a while. Do whatever," she had said, snatching a towel from the storage closet and heading down the stairs. They had just come off duty and he had been surprised by her actions, but they hadn't made him suspect anything was wrong. After all, they trained together as much as they did apart and he didn't feel like doing anything but eating at the moment anyway. It wasn't until he had fed himself, showered, played a few rounds on a racing game, and browsed the internet for a while that he realized he hadn't seen her in too long. Man, but he was slow sometimes!

The next thing that caught his eye, or rather his ear, was the lack of workout music. Jinx always played music when she was in here. Heck, if you knew her like he did you could predict what kind of training she was doing just by paying attention to the tunes. She liked angry stuff for hand-to-hand or weights, upbeat for gymnastics, and, strangely, 80's for target practice. When she didn't think he was watching, he even caught her knocking down targets to the beat of "Another One Bites the Dust". He thought it was cute, but he'd never tell her that. He kind of liked his head where it was. It seemed like an appropriate place for a head to him.

Right now, the only sounds coming from the room were occasional grunts and growls accompanied by various slapping or smacking sounds against the mats and punching bags.

Seeing that she seemed to be going between multiple types of training at will (another bad sign, she was usually meticulous about completing one phase before moving to another if she was going to), he glanced at the target range. Normally, he felt a swell of pride and happiness when he looked at it. He hadn't felt the need for one when it was just him, but he had put it in when she joined him, knowing she would appreciate and use it. The pride came from her marksmanship. Oh, sure, she could alter the size of her hex bolts as needed, but it was still impressive that she could hit the dead center of a training dummy in mid-flip with a shot the size of a dime.

Her aim was off. The tell-tale scorch marks were either high, low, or on the wall. One poor target must have really offended her, because it had been torn off its post and was still smoking on the ground, stuffing leaking out in a dozen or so places. He raised his eyebrows and focused back on her.

She had also not acknowledged his presence once. At the bare minimum she usually gave him a small smile or met his eyes while holding a tough position. If she was feeling playful, she would toss a hex bolt his way and call out, "Think fast!" then laugh whether or not he dodged it successfully.

He hadn't been particularly stealthy with his approach this time, and he had been standing at the door in clear view for ten or fifteen minutes. Still nothing.

The final straw broke as he watched her try to do flips on the balance beam. He had seen her pull off moves that would have a normal person puking in the corner after one attempt, and she would often do the series a few times just for fun and practice. She was so flexible, he almost wondered if her bones were actually made of some kind of rubber. Beast Boy had once told him that octopi could fit through anything their beaks could squeeze through. He thought Jinx could probably do the same, except she didn't have the handicap of a beak. If crime fighting hadn't worked out, she was an Olympic hopeful if he ever saw one. Breathtaking to watch and grace embodied, she made it all look effortless.

She had fallen no fewer than three times just since he had been watching.

As she used her hands to push off the end of the beam and land on the mat, she missed her footing and slipped, crashing on her back with a loud smack! Four. She let out a loud, angry growl and slammed a fist into the mat at her side, then rested her arm over her forehead and panted in defeat.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently, walking slowly towards her, letting her feel his care and patience.

Jinx jumped even though he hadn't been harsh and he knew he had caught her off guard. So she hadn't noticed him. Even now, her attention flicked over to his shoes, but not up to his face. Moving her arm over her eyes, she grumbled, "Nothing. I'm fine."

He folded his arms behind his back, left hand grabbing his right wrist, and regarded her for a second. The moment was more an opportunity for her than him though, and when he realized she wasn't going to take it, he sighed. "No, you're really not," he disagreed softly.

Growling, she rolled to her stomach and got to her feet, doggedly facing away from him. She had to. If she looked into his eyes, if he saw hers... She didn't want to talk; she wanted to handle this herself like she had been taught to. "I'm fine! I'm just tired, ok?" she insisted, heading for the speed bag.

They were well matched in a number of ways, and stubbornness was one of them. Both of them had it in spades. As determined as she was, he followed behind her and sweetly argued, "Then, if you're tired, why don't you call it a day? You've been here for a long time, you know."

Damn his logic. Double damn his concern. Triple damn his persistence! "I'll stop when I'm ready to stop! If you don't like it, leave! You're distracting me anyway," she challenged.

He snorted behind her back, "I am distractingly handsome, and you are distracted, but we both know it's not me this time. When I'm the one causing you grief, we talk about it."

"Is that what you call it when you screw up and run like a coward while I try to toast you?" she snapped cruelly, punctuating her words with a punch to the bag.

Shrugging, he countered, "Well, it's better than calling it 'boyfriend abuse'."

Another time she probably would have laughed at that. Right now, she snarled. "Keep it up and I'll show you abuse, Wally!" she threatened. Her fists balled at her sides and she willed herself not to turn and face him. She hated giving him her back while they were fighting. It made her feel vulnerable even though she knew he wouldn't actually do anything. She didn't know if the safety in the action made it better or worse on her.

He put his hands in the air by his chest, open palmed and nonthreatening, and she could practically feel the motion without looking at him. She instinctively knew what he was doing, just as he knew she was lying. His gentle surrender weakened her resolve, and she cursed in her head because he had to know it would. "I don't want to talk about it," she hissed finally.

Ah ha! She had acknowledged that there was, in fact, an it. Now, they were getting somewhere! Hiding his joy at the progress, he nodded. "Ok," he said simply, sitting down on the springy floor, legs out in front of him and leaning back on his arms.

She heard him sit and had to swallow her scream. "'Ok?'" she sneered, "What are you waiting for then? Get out of here!"

He knocked his feet together thoughtfully and replied, "Nope."

Both sets of her sharp nails dug into the speed bag viciously. Through grit teeth she rumbled, "What do you mean 'nope?'"

"You don't want to talk about it, but you need to. I'm not leaving you alone until you do," he explained.

There was a roar and a flash of pink energy, and suddenly the little tear-shaped bag was free from its chain. Without thinking, she whipped around and spiked it in his direction as hard as she could. It slammed into the ground on his left and he didn't even flinch. It bounced one more time, then rolled away somewhere, but neither of them cared. A quarter of an inch over and it probably would have broken his arm. He just stared at her with those big, too-trusting eyes, even now more worried about her than himself. She realized all of this and started to tremble.

He took that as his cue and sped over to her, wrapping his arms around her tightly but saying nothing. She hesitantly returned his hold, strengthening her grip after he didn't let go or pull away.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered, tucking her head against his chest, "I didn't really mean that, Wally, I swear."

Rubbing her back, he soothed, "Shh, I know. It's ok." He patted her a few times, then teased, "I'm just glad your aim sucks today."

Jinx pressed into him harder. "Please don't joke right now. I almost hurt you. I don't ever want to do that," she told him, still shivering.

He almost brought up the numerous little hexes she sent his way over the course of any given day, but decided to honor her request. They both knew those were love taps anyway. "Ok," he agreed sincerely, "I know you don't. I don't ever want to hurt you either."

They continued to hold on to one another for a little bit longer before he gently leaned back, sliding his hands up her shoulders to cup her face and tilt it where he could see it. He smiled at her warmly and cooed, "There's those cotton-candy pinks I love so much. I wondered how long you were going to keep them from me."

She put her hands over his and her mouth turned up at the corners. "Sentimental idiot," she chuckled huskily, his affection echoed back to him.

"Yeah, but I'm your sentimental idiot," he replied, nuzzling his forehead against hers. "Will you tell me what's wrong now?" he begged, lowering his hands to massage her neck. He knew that was playing a little dirty. She loved having her neck rubbed.

Sighing, she let her head thud against his chest again while she relaxed under his hands. He was always so warm. "Can we sit down? I am actually really tired," she confessed miserably.

Kid Flash stopped what he was doing long enough to take her hand and lead her over to a wall. He sat down, then motioned for her to sit in front of him, which she did with her back against his front. Carefully nudging her forward, he restarted his kneading of her tense muscles.

She groaned and tilted her head forward to give him better access. "Thanks," she said, giving herself a moment to enjoy his touch before she had to tell him what was so heavy on her heart and mind. Reaching for him, she held on to his ankles for comfort and began, "So, you know the fire this morning?"

A grunt of acknowledgement came from his throat and he commented, "You still smell like smoke."

As if brought to life by his words, a whiff drifted up into her nose and sharpened her memory. Her grip on him constricted in a brief reassuring squeeze and she began, "Well…"

Coughing and sputtering, doubled over with her hands on her knees, Jinx fought her tortured lungs for clean air. The fire was still raging, but she just needed a second to get her breath back. She couldn't help anyone if she passed out from smoke inhalation. Kid Flash and she had been the first on the scene, predictably, followed by paramedics and fire department. The medic staff were scrambling to treat all the people they pulled out of the burning four-story apartment complex, but they seemed relieved that their work load was so high. Whatever had happened, the blaze had started in the small hours of the morning when most people were still at home or even asleep, and the sprinkler system in the old building had malfunctioned. As she wiped smoke fueled tears out of her eyes, she hoped the tenants would band together to sue the pants off the landlord or owner or whoever should have fixed that shit.

A hand rested on her back and she raised her head to see her boyfriend had paused his efforts to check on her. "You good?" he worried, blue eyes darting between her and the burning building clearly torn between needs. He had to yell a little to be heard over the angry crackling and snapping of the immolating structure.

She coughed again and wheezed as loud as she could, "Yeah! Just needed a second! I'll be ok." He started to say something else, but a small noise caught her ears and her hand flew in front of his mouth to stop him. "Did you hear that?" she asked, scanning the wall in front of her rapidly. She was sure she heard…There! The open window on the third story, right in the middle!

Without a word, he followed her line of sight. She loved that he didn't even think to question her. "I don't know if I can get in there! The stairs on that side of the building are long gone, and I have no idea if the way is clear! Even if it is, I could end up in the wrong room!" he shouted.

A snap of her fingers and the entire window, frame and all, fell right out of the wall and tumbled to the ground to shatter in a spray of broken wood and glass. Flames rushed into new gap, but that was better than shredding herself on the way in. She surveyed her surroundings, noting the nearby tree and the gutter pipe trailing down the side of the building as potential ways out, but only one way was quick enough for getting in. "I'm going to need a boost!" she bellowed over her shoulder, already jogging a short distance away for a running start before turning back to face him.

She felt her heart melt a little when she saw he was already crouched and waiting for her with his hands together. She didn't know what she had done to deserve that handsome speedster, but, God, did she love him. "Be careful!" he urged, brow furrowed but offering her a quick, supportive smile.

Nodding, she flashed the grin back at him, then ran full tilt in his direction. With perfect precision born of a lifetime of executing this move with Mammoth and then Kid Flash, she used him as a springboard to gain altitude. He didn't disappoint, grunting with exertion and heaving her upwards with all his strength so she wouldn't miss because of him. Objectively, she knew her former teammate was better at this just by virtue of his size and muscle mass, but for her money, she'd take her ginger goofball every time. She aimed herself at the hole she had created, keeping her form straight as an arrow to reduce any resistance. As she started to come back down, she bent in the air and suddenly her hands were against a far too hot carpet. Her elbows gave way to reduce the impact and she used the energy to shove back up and flip to her feet.

Instantly, smoke filled her vision and her lungs again and she instinctively dropped low to escape as much of it as she could. She coughed as she struggled to see and called out, "Hello? Anybody in here?"

A frightened, young voice yelled to her desperately, "Help! Please, help me! I don't wanna die!"

Her eyes finally adjusted enough for her to see blackening pink walls through the glow of the fire. She had already started to move towards the sound of the voice, and she had a strong suspicion that she was looking for a little girl. "You're not going to die! Keep talking, I'll find you!" she instructed, ducking automatically as the sound of falling timber boomed from outside the room.

"I'm here! I'm right here! Don't leave me! I don't wanna get burned up! I want my mom! Momma?! Momma, please!" the voice babbled frantically, and she could hear tears between the words that fueled her determination like nothing else.

Jinx doubled her pace now that she had a solid direction and soon spotted the tight form of what looked to be an approximately five-year-old girl with curly brown hair hunched under a desk. Tongues of flame licked against the makeshift shelter, and she knew that it wouldn't protect her very much longer. "Found you!" she cheered, reaching in and touching her shaking shoulders gently so she didn't scare her, "My name is Jinx! I'm going to save you, I promise! You're doing so good! Very good girl! I need you to be strong for me just a little bit longer, ok?"

The girl untucked her head and nodded, face shiny and wet. With a trembling lip, she pointed above her and pleaded, "George! Save him, too!"

She didn't pause for even a second. Whatever George was, she would do her best for him if he meant that much to this kid.

Pulling herself up with the desk top, her heart hit her throat when she saw a scorched tank set up for a reptile. Already squirming, she blasted the lid away in case the metal was too hot to touch and plunged her hand inside. A scaly foot scrambled over her hand and she almost screamed. Reflexively, she snatched at where she thought the creature might be and wasn't sure if she was thrilled or horrified when her hand closed around its middle. She wildly scanned around her and spied a drawstring bag that didn't look too damaged yet. Grabbing it, she tore it open with her free hand and teeth, then dropped the lizard inside and closed it as quickly as she could. She couldn't help the full body shiver that trailed down her spine at what she had just done, but she shrugged the bag onto her shoulders anyway. That stupid thing had better live a really long, really happy life after this.

Scrubbing the hand that had touched it against her leg absently, she dropped back down and heaved the girl out from her hiding place. "I got him, let's go!" she commanded, voice only a little hysterical. Kid Flash would tease her about that when she told him later. Burning building? No problem. Six inch lizard? Jesus, take the wheel!

She scooped her up and the kid mechanically wrapped her arms around her neck while her feet locked around her middle. "Whatever happens, don't let go of me!" she ordered, huddling over her to shield her from any falling debris as she ran for the window-less gap she had created. The little girl answered by tightening her grip.

A quick analysis marked the tree as the safest descent, and she didn't slow a step as she launched herself and her passengers away from the building and into the foliage. She was glad the kid hadn't been able to see where she was going. The last thing they needed was a mid-air freak out.

They broke through lesser twigs and branches for a short distance before Jinx managed to hook her hands around something more substantial. They stopped short, and she felt her shoulders wrench under the weight painfully and her palms get scrapped up by the bark, but she didn't lose her hold and the girl didn't plummet away from her. Kicking her legs experimentally, she felt another limb under them and let herself ease down to it. The trunk was close enough for her to reach and she rested one steadying hand against it as she panted and let her heart slow down. They could finish the climb down in a second. She had to take a minute or the next fall would be a lot less planned.

"I like your hair," the child whimpered next to her ear, probably more than a little shaken up.

Surprised by the random compliment, Jinx couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up from her throat. She grinned as she thumped her back affectionately and said, "Thanks, kid."

"Hey up there!" a cheerful voice called from the ground. She angled her head to see Kid Flash beaming and waving at her. "I saw that daring escape, you little adrenalin junkie! Great job, Slowpoke!" he congratulated her, "Can you get down?"

Still smiling, she rolled her eyes, "Of course, we can! Go help some other cat up a tree!"

He laughed at her, then zoomed away to assist elsewhere. Judging by the relaxing pace of the rest of the emergency responders, things were wrapping up here and people were being accounted for. The fire fighters would either try to put out what was left or let it burn and contain the damage. The sounds of more caving timber flared up, and she glanced over to see the window under the room she had just been in shatter outward. She realized that the floor she had been standing on not a minute earlier was gone, and she was thankful that she had trusted her instincts.

She felt the kid squeeze her and recognized the gesture as a hug, wrapping her own free arm around to return it. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Jinx! You're so cool!" the little girl squealed happily, rebounding from her brush with death as only a child could.

"You are absolutely welcome, munchkin," she practically purred back. The biggest heist she had ever pulled didn't make her soar this high. She reveled in the feeling for a minute before extracting the bag off her back. "Let's get out of this tree before some bird builds a next on us," she joked, smiling at the childish giggle it earned her. Draping the probably very confused bundle of lizard across the kid's body, she added, "You take George, and get on my back so I can climb down, alright?" She held her fast while she pulled one arm though the straps, then shimmed around behind her.

With both hands free, the descent was quick and easy, and Jinx tried to answer as many of the child's questions as possible while she was asking them ninety to nothing. Yes, that was Kid Flash and they were partners; yes, he was her boyfriend, too; yes, her eyes were really like that; no, she didn't have a tail under her uniform; lots of hairspray and a careful hex… Even Robin's debriefings didn't have this many inquires in them, and certainly not this many about her. By the time her boots hit the ground, she had decided the kid would make a great reporter someday if she chose it.

Dusting her hands off against each other, she looked down to the bare feet anchored around her stomach. "Better stay on my back, kiddo. I don't want you to step on something out here," she cautioned, reaching down to tickle a sensitive pink sole. The girl squirmed and giggled on her back, and Jinx grinned as she whined her name reproachfully. She stopped messing with her and started walking towards the gathered medical staff, hoping to find her parents or whoever was responsible for her. A troubling thought arose in her mind and she asked, "Hey, you weren't home by yourself, were you?"

The girl shook her head, "Momma works at night, but Daddy was with me. He told me to wait 'cause he was going to find a way out, but there was a loud noise and he didn't come back." She became really quiet, then wondered softly, "Do you think Daddy is ok?"

She tried to remember seeing anyone who looked even vaguely like the kid on her back, but she had never been good at picking out relatives anyway. Squeezing the legs in her hands comfortingly, she replied, "I honestly don't know. I think we got everyone out, though." She wouldn't lie or give empty reassurances to a little kid, especially about something that could be so big and devastating. That was the kind of thing that made super villains. Looking to lighten the conversation, the pink haired sorceress bounced her a little and piped, "What's your name, anyway, shorty?"

"Kayleigh!" a voice cried before she could answer. Jinx saw an older woman with dirty blond hair and hazel eyes running towards them, worry and relief vying for dominance on her face.

"Momma!" the little girl, Kayleigh apparently, joyfully yelled back from over her shoulder, "Momma, lookit! This is Jinx! She's got pink hair and she saved George and me!"

Glancing at the five-year-old, she gave a breathy laugh through her nose before turning back to her mother. She was surprised to see the woman had stopped a few feet away from them and was looking at her oddly. A queasy feeling tickled her stomach, but she dismissed it. She was probably just coming down from all the action.

Kayleigh's mother seemed strained as she requested in a clipped tone, "Can I ask you to put my daughter down, please?"

Jinx fought not to roll her eyes and to keep her expression pleasant. Civilians were the wackiest people sometimes. They did and asked things that made no damn sense. "Yes, ma'am, you can and I would, but there is a lot of broken glass and wood around," she explained patiently, matching the woman's formality. What was this lady's deal? She hadn't expected a whole parade or anything, but she was acting…off. Still, she tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. Stress made people crazy after all. Turning her attention on Kayleigh, she hoped showing her that the girl was alright would loosen her up, and she smiled, "We didn't exactly have time to grab shoes, huh, kid?"

Giggling, the girl agreed, "Nuh-uh! We had to go, go, go!" She wiggled a little in her excited retelling and the teenager urged her on mentally, encouraging her to keep talking. "Momma! We jumped out a window! Jinx is a real good jumper!" she bragged, while said 'good jumper' actively grabbed the hem of her dress to keep from face palming. She should really know better than to leave the universe with open-ended wishes.

Anxiety and anger now coming off her in waves, the woman swarmed forward and demanded, "Then, give her to me, now." She didn't wait for a response and Jinx willingly surrendered her hold on the child, allowing her to be snatched off her back. Getting between an upset mother and her offspring was dumb in any species, and this chick was already acting like she had a few screws loose. Jinx stepped back to give them some space and had just turned to go when she heard the mother gasp, "Kayleigh, your arm!" Twisting around, she saw the adult inspecting a long, red scratch on the young girl's arm near her shoulder. A cold eye locked her in place as the woman snarled critically, "What happened? What did you do?"

A snarky 'I saved her life!' was her knee-jerk reaction, but again she tried to do better, be better. She huffed, but managed to keep her voice even as she said, "It must have happened when we landed in the tree. It was the best way out." She paused for a beat, then added, "Ma'am," and she couldn't help that condescension it came out with. Ok, so she was quickly running out of patience for this nut job. So, sue her! She didn't have to be peaches and cream to everyone just because she was a good guy now. If Kayleigh were a fellow teenager, 'ma'am' is probably not what she would have called her mom in the first place. No, several more colorful options were springing to mind, and they all seemed much more fitting at the moment.

"Wrong!" the woman shrieked, "The best way would have been without her getting hurt! Maybe you should leave this sort of thing to professionals, hmm?" She tucked her daughter tighter against her protectively.

Outrage roared to life in Jinx's chest, and she felt her eyes start to glow with it. She wanted to rage back at her, but before she could rise to the challenge a small voice whimpered, "Momma, you're being mean. Jinx didn't want to let me get scratched, she was just trying to help. It doesn't hurt. You haven't even told her your name yet, and you're picking on her."

The pink light faded with the heat in her core at Kayleigh's words. At least she understood that she'd done her best. In her mind she replayed the jump again to make sure, but there had been no way around it. If she had shielded the girl completely, she wouldn't have been able to catch the branch, and they would probably have fallen all the way through, causing a lot more damage than a little scrape. She considered the gutter once more, but knew that she had made the right choice there too. It might have been too slick or hot to grab, or it might have come away from the damaged structure altogether. That didn't even factor in the fading floor. They would probably have been right next to the window when it shattered. She took a deep breath and nodded once at her reasoning, trying to let it go. Her nerves were officially shot.

Kayleigh's mom tucked some loose hair behind her ear lovingly, but the venom in her speech was unmistakable, "It's ok, baby. Momma and Jinx use to live in the same city. I already know her." She lifted her gaze to bore into the ex-villain and the hatred she saw there almost made her take a step away.

It all made terrible, gut-wrenching sense now. Of course, this woman wouldn't trust her; she only knew Jinx the villain, ruthless leader of the HIVE Five and destroyer of public and private property alike. Hell, for all she knew, she'd actually stolen from her before! It's not like she kept a catalogue or anything. She didn't know Jinx the hero, the turncoat who helped save the world and worked her butt off every day to keep saving it. Or, if she did, she obviously didn't believe it. She bowed her head for a moment, then looked back up gloomily and held her hands out in placating gesture, "Look, whatever I did to you, I am really, really sorry. I-"

"Sorry?!" the mother shrieked, "You're 'sorry?!' Oh, I don't think so! 'Sorry' is for spills and bumps! 'Sorry' is what you say when you forget to bring home the milk! You don't get to just say 'sorry' for blatant disregard for human life!" On the warpath, she took a few steps closer to tower over the now recoiling heroine. She pointed one finger in her face and growled low, "I bet you don't even remember attacking the mall that day, do you? Let me jog your 'sorry' memory for you. The rest of us were minding our own business! We weren't hurting anyone, or tearing things apart for the joy of it, we were just shopping! And then, here comes you and your little team. In seconds, seconds, we were in the middle of a war zone! Do you even know what that's like? To have everything be peaceful and normal in one moment, and be in utter chaos the next? What am I saying, of course you do! You are the chaos! You and your friends attacked us, but it was you that shattered the column! Did you know that was real rock when you brought it down? Did you even care?! Three of us were under there, you heartless witch! And, you just knocked it over on us! We thought we were dead! Starfire is a real hero! Starfire saved us that day!"

Jinx opened her mouth to explain, to say she knew that Star or one of the other Titans would protect them. She definitely remembered now, and she never would have hit the giant pillar if she thought no one would catch it. Even back then, she was a thief, not a murderer. But, the heroes had been closing in, and she had to protect her team. That was her job as leader: make the plans and bring everyone back, preferably with the loot. They had needed a distraction to get away, so she had made one. It was simple as that, nothing personal. She winced as she realized that telling her all of this would only make things worse. As absolutely positive as she had been that the people would be ok, she still could have killed them and her only defense would have been 'I needed a distraction.' The woman was right, that wasn't enough. Not by a long shot. She closed her mouth again and scanned the angry face towering over her for a second before she had to look down and away, ashamed.

"I thank God every day for the Teen Titans, and every day I have cursed your name just as hard," the woman hissed coldly. She saw the younger girl cringe and close her eyes like she had been physically struck, and she leaned away again to stare down her nose contemptuously. "You saved my daughter, and I am truly grateful for that, I promise I am. But, I will not forgive you, I will never forget, and I don't buy this little act of yours for one minute. Thank you, and stay the hell away from me and my family," she said with finality, walking back towards the ambulances.

Her hands curled into tight fists at her sides, Jinx stared down at the ground without really seeing it. "Momma?" she heard Kayleigh chirp, "I wanna be like Jinx when I grow up." A spark of hope sizzled in her chest and she looked up at the retreating mother-daughter pair with something akin to hunger.

"Shh, baby girl. No, you don't," her parent dismissed, hoisting the girl higher on her hip, "Let's go see Daddy."

Numbly, Jinx moved her eyes over the crowd until she spotted the garish yellow and red outfit she so desperately needed to find. Keeping her face as blank as she could and her pace steady, she made her way to where he was animatedly talking with a few of the fire fighters. His back was to her so he didn't see her approach, but he didn't flinch when she jumped on him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, laying her chin on his shoulder.

The fire fighters fidgeted, unsure what to do with the sudden display of affection between the two young heroes, but he just laughed and reached a hand up to pat her. Her preferred mode of transport was nothing new to him. "Hey, Slowpoke," he greeted happily, "I think these guys can take it from here. Looks like everything is under control now, and we got everyone out."

"Good," she grunted, using every scrap of her training to keep her voice normal, "Then, take me home."

Wally didn't say anything. He wasn't sure what to say. Sometime during her story, he had finished working the kinks out of her muscles and she was now leaning back against him as he curled around her, his head nestled in the crook of her neck. He stayed quiet while he thought, trying to digest everything she told him.

After a little while in silence, he felt her stiffen. "Wally West," she threatened ominously, "If you fell asleep while I was talking-"

He quickly tightened his hold on her in a hug and yelped, "No, no! I'm awake, I promise." She relaxed into him again and snuggled a little closer, anger averted and now content to let him surround her. "I'm sorry, baby, I was just thinking," he reassured her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms comfortingly.

She snickered hollowly, "Well, don't hurt yourself back there, hero." He didn't miss the empty way she spoke and he hated it instantly. It was like all the fight had gone out of her, and her ferocity was one of his favorite things about her.

Nuzzling under her ear with his nose, he reminded her, "You're a hero, too, Jinx."

Leaning away from him so she could look into his eyes, her brow furrowed. "Am I?" she mumbled, not bothering to hide her doubt from him, "Am I really? I can't help thinking…I didn't- well, back then anyway…What if that woman was right about me, Flash?"

"That woman is a bitch!" he snarled. He didn't get mad very often, even when fighting, but hearing his girlfriend be so hard on herself when she had done so much good and made so much progress brought it out of him.

Taken aback by his sudden rage, she gasped and slapped his chest. "Language, Blur Boy!" she admonished in shock.

"What? You curse all the time! I'm not allowed to?" he challenged, but couldn't help looking away guiltily. He kind of couldn't believe he said that either. Aunt Iris would have killed him!

Blushing, she objected, "Yeah, well, I'm a professional! Curses are sort of my thing in a number of ways. When you do it, it just sounds wrong." She was surprised by how much it actually bothered her to hear him say a 'bad word.' When she thought about it more, she decided it was the malice in his voice that she didn't like. Kid Flash, her Kid Flash, should never sound like that.

"Well, she is," he grumbled, feeling like a petulant child even as he said it. "I don't care if she was stressed out or whatever," he continued, still fuming, "No one has the right to talk to you like that." He bundled her to him more securely, wrapping his legs in front of hers.

Jinx basked in the protective sensation for a moment. There was something consoling in being so heartily defended, even when she wasn't sure she deserved it. She leaned her head over on his shoulder and whispered, "She might."

She sounded so hurt and defeated, it broke his heart. Scrambling for a way to cheer her up, he latched on to the first thing that came to mind, "Kayleigh didn't think so. You told me she said you were cool."

Craning his neck so he could see her face, he knew he had landed on a good one when he saw her crack a small smile. It was a little known fact, but big bad Jinx actually had a major soft spot for kids. You didn't end up on a team with Gizmo without some kind of tolerance towards them, after all. As impatient and snappy as she could be with an incompetent adult, he had seen her take literal hours to calm down hysterical children. She was good with them too, so the feeling, as further evidenced by today, was most often mutual. He remembered watching her listen with absolute concentration as Melvin, Timmy, and Teether chattered to her incessantly about anything and everything that came to their cute little heads after defeating the Brotherhood of Evil, and the interaction had been a bonding point between Raven and her. After that, the empath never failed to alert his girlfriend when the trio were coming to the Tower for a visit. The worst butt-kicking he'd ever seen her dish out was the day two bank robbers made her think she might miss seeing them. He'd actually felt sorry for the guys when she threw them into a heap at the police chief's feet.

"She's a sweet kid," Jinx commented fondly, absently tracing the lightning bolt on his chest. Her lips faded into a frown. "And, I could have killed her mom," she said, closing her eyes.

Knowing she felt that kids weren't supposed to be treated like idiots, he bounced her head a little to get her attention and asserted, "But she heard her mom say all that stuff and she still said she wanted to be like you." He heard her give a noncommittal grunt and knew he was making his point, slowly but surely. Kissing the top of her head right in the middle, he then laid his cheek against the spot and offered, "Know what I think? I think Kayleigh knows that it's what you're doing now that matters the most. She knows the life that you're living today is the important thing. And, today, you saved her and probably twenty others. So, let go of yesterday's mistakes and fears and doubts; you can't change them anyway. People like Kayleigh know you're going to be just fine, no matter what the haters think."

Jinx pulled away from his chest to sit in his lap facing him and searched his face. Slowly, she ran her delicate but scratched hands up his shoulders, then neck, to cup his face. She brought his head forward gently and lowered her lips to his, pressing them together tenderly. There had been so much faith in her when she read his expression. He loved her and he believed in her, and she tried to show him how much that meant to her. No one had ever believed in her before him. They believed in her abilities and her training, believed that she could carry out a mission if she was given one, but they never believed in her. But, he did.

Neither of them were accustom to moving slow, but they took their time with the kiss, pouring everything that was too big to fit into mere words into it. Finally, Jinx pulled away with a relaxed sigh. She felt like a weight had fallen off her shoulders and idly thought she could probably do the balance beam perfectly now if she wasn't so freaking exhausted. Leaning her forehead against his so she could see his bright-blue eyes, she smiled down at him warmly, "You always know what to say, don't you?"

"Me? Nah," he chuckled down in his chest in just that way that made her insides feel mushy, "As you are always so keen to point out, I'm a moron. You're giving me the kid's credit."

"Mmm. I see. You shouldn't plagiarize off a child, you know. If her mom didn't hate my entire existence, I'd probably have to go thank her. I owe her a lot for that," she teased with a trace of sincerity.

Tucking a wisp of hair that had dared to fall out during her workout behind her ear, he asked, "You want me to run over and tell her?

She laughed and lightly slapped his cheek as she climbed out of his lap and to her feet. "No. What I want is a shower, a meal, and a chill evening, in that order exactly," she told him, reaching down to help him up.

He accepted her assistance and had just enough time to see her signature mischievous grin make its triumphant reappearance before she gave him a harsh tug upwards and fisted her other hand in his red hair. With a possessive growl, she crashed their lips together again and this was much more like their usual kissing when she was in charge. Unprepared for the passionate onslaught, he could only hope to return her gusto as she slammed his back against the wall and pinned the hand she had used to pull him up above his head while his other found its place on her hip. As quick as it started it was over, and he was left breathing heavily and dazed in its aftermath.

Smirking, she cockily admitted, "Well, I guess there was one more thing I wanted." Proud of herself for making him look and feel like that, she chucked a finger under his chin and commanded, "Come on, Kiddo. You're making me dinner while I get cleaned up." Leaving him holding up the wall, she started walking towards the door.

A goofy grin spread across his face as he enthusiastically called out, "Yes, ma'am!" and sped over to walk beside her. They made it to the stairs in comfortable silence before he couldn't suppress the giggle he had been holding back anymore. She looked at him questioningly and he smirked at her now. "You had to touch a lizard," he explained impishly, laughing at her. He heard her snap her fingers and the railing he was holding on to came away from the wall, making him lose his balance and effectively shutting him up.

"Jinx! Jinxieee! Wakey, wakey, Slowpoke! If you don't get up now, we're going to be laaaate!" Kid Flash was sing-songing to her as he shook her shoulder.

Immensely annoyed at a level she didn't think she had ever reached before, she cracked one eye open to glare at him with every ounce of hatred she could muster up.

"Oop! There you are! Good morning, Lady Luck o' mine!" he chirped, completely unfazed by the massacre she was trying to communicate to him. He was beaming down at her next to her side of their bed.

She could snap her fingers right then. She could do it, and then she would be able to go back to sleep. "This better be important," she growled at him, voice like a beast from beyond the pit.

He laughed at her. She felt her thumb and middle finger press against each other under the blanket. "Oh, it is, Jinxie! Get up! You got to get dressed!" he insisted, rather chipper for someone courting death.

"Time," she barked, steadfastly refusing to move.

Glancing over her to consult the alarm clock on his bedside table, he reported, "A hair past eight-thirty."

A hex was too good for him. It would be over too quickly. She was going to beat him to a pulp and strangle him nice and slow. "Wally," she rumbled coldly, "in case you forgot, I kicked my own ass yesterday. I am tired. I am sore. I do not want to do anything today, and especially not before noon. Go. Away." Closing her eye with finality, she thought that even he was not stupid enough to push her again.

Both pink cat eyes snapped open and blazed with fury as she felt the comforter get ripped down the bed and off her body, leaving her with only the thin sheet. She was cold. She hated being cold. She hated it almost as much as she hated mornings, and he knew that. Her jail cell had been baby blue last time. She wondered if they'd let her paint it after some good behavior.

A gust of wind ruffled her hair on the pillow and suddenly he was standing in front of her again, this time baring her favorite travel mug. Well, mug was an understatement, she supposed. It was actually just this side of a barrel. "I made coffee," he tempted, holding it just far enough away that she would have to sit up to get it, "I even used your favorite creamer in hopes that you'll consider a stay of execution."

Groaning in defeat, she moved to prop herself against the headboard, then lunged and snatched the drink from his hand. He, wisely, surrendered it to her and she took a large gulp of the brew, steeling herself for whatever little escapade he had planned. She knew it had to be for her because he had shown last night that his demonstrations of undying support were not over once they left the training room. Far from it.

She had emerged from her shower to find her most comfortable pajamas had taken the place of the random ones she had grabbed for herself, and they were joined by a new pair of black and purple stripped fuzzy socks. After she got dressed, she padded into the kitchen to see a veritable feast composed of some of her favorite foods, including a heaping plate of fry jack, a Belizean bread that she had fallen in love with when they spent the day on an island there together. He had, of course, eaten the lion's share of their meal, but everything had obviously been prepared or gathered with an eye towards making her happy. When they finished, he had changed into his loungewear as well and pulled her into the living room for a movie night. He let her pick everything they watched, and she sat in his lap under their favorite fluffy blanket until they both got tired enough for bed. She had reveled in his affection and attention, thinking that while it might be a little overkill, she must actually, somehow, be the luckiest girl in the world to have him.

Now, as she took another bracing hit of the concoction he had made her, she swayed back and forth on the issue of his complete destruction. On the one hand, he had committed some heinous crimes against her this morning; but, on the other, he had brought coffee. "Talk," she ordered, allowing him to state his case before she made up her mind.

God, he was like an over-excited cocker spaniel puppy. He was practically vibrating with excitement, and the only way she knew he wasn't literally doing so was the fact that their carpet wasn't smoking. This time. "I'm sorry, Jinxie, but I can't tell you too much. That would ruin the surprise! I can tell you to suit up, though!" he told her.

Scowling at him over the rim of her mug, she muttered, "I hate surprises."

He chuckled and corrected, "No, you hate other people's surprises. You love mine, and you know it." Turning her head with a hand under her chin, he swooped in for a light peck 'good morning'.

She reeled away from him, careful to hold her coffee up and out of the way so it wouldn't spill. "That's freaking gross!" she shouted in embarrassed indignation, "I haven't brushed my teeth yet, you impatient idiot!" Secretly, she loved that he didn't seem to care, but a girl had her pride.

"You should be more worried about the contact high I might get from the caffeine on your lips. You think I'm antsy now? If that kicks in and you still haven't moved, I might be forced to get you dressed myself," he warned her with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

Narrowing her eyes, she bit out, "You. Wouldn't. Dare."

He shrugged and started walking for their bedroom door. "Might not have a choice. Might be too 'impatient,'" he called back playfully. Still not turning to face her, he held up his wrist and tapped two fingers on an imaginary watch. "Twenty minute, Slowpoke!" he cautioned before closing the door behind him.

Jinx glared at the door, grinding her teeth. With another savage growl, she slammed her mug down on the table and threw the sheet off her legs, stomping and spitting curses all the way into the bathroom.

Nineteen minutes later, she hopped off his back to land on a tile floor, which had definitely seen better days, in front of an old brown wooden desk with peeling varnish. That was a little strange. Normally, he would stop them outside and let her down so she could walk in under her own power, but she supposed it all had to do with keeping the surprise under wraps until the last second. A capable looking middle-aged Latina woman, who had been hunched over a well-used laptop, jumped backwards and yelped, "Madre de Dios!" at their sudden appearance.

She snickered at the now blushing woman, but her boyfriend just held out his hand, completely unaffected by her reaction. "Kid Flash and Jinx, at your service," he introduced them, then asked, "Are you Regina?"

Brown eyes lit up with recognition and she reached out to clasp his hand firmly, but happily. "My, but you are fast!" she complimented before answering, "Yes, that's me. I was so excited to get your call! You have no idea how much this will mean to them. Both of you are a Godsend!" Regina turned the full force of her smile on her and leaned across the desk top to shake her hand as well.

Still unsure what they were even doing here, or where 'here' was for that matter, Jinx blushed a little herself at the welcome she was receiving. Bad luck wasn't use to pleasant greetings.

"Thrilled to do it!" he assured her, leaning against the arm of a chair, already comfortable in the foreign space.

Regina's hands fluttered in a shooing motion as she came around to herd them out of the office. "Come, come!" she bade the two heroes, "Much as I would love to chat with both of you, this isn't about me and we shouldn't keep them waiting. Most of them are probably in the living room. Saturday morning cartoons, you know." She took the lead towards a door around a staircase, and the couple fell in step behind her.

Starting to put two and two together, the sorceress nudged the speedster and murmured, "Flash, what did-" before stopping short as Regina threw open the door and stepped to the side so they could have the spotlight.

Sprawled over mismatched chairs and couches around a television were ten kids ranging from seven to thirteen or so. Everyone froze for a second, TV abruptly forgotten. Then, an older Asian boy jumped to his feet and choked, "Holy sh-!"

"Aaron!" Regina barked, clearly prepared for it.

"Crap. I mean crap. Sorry," the boy amended hastily, cutting his eyes towards a few of the littler children.

Kid Flash laughed and walked towards him. "Careful! Curses are her department," he explained, jerking his head in her direction as he held his fist out for him to bump. She rolled her eyes at him, but smirked anyway. She figured that was going to be a running joke between them from now on. "Jinx and Kid Flash. What's up, man?" he asked.

A strangled giggle came from a star-struck Aaron while he bumped fists with her boyfriend, then waved at her when she drifted further into the room. "Like I don't already freaking know who you two are! Regina, did the Mayor owe you a favor or something?" he wondered out loud.

Their caregiver never got to answer as a younger dark-haired girl scrambled over the back of the couch and sat on it with her legs dangling. She stared wide-eyed at Jinx and blurted, "Sage! My name is Sage! Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm meeting you! I'm your biggest fan! Can you teach me some moves? I'm in gymnastics, but all their stuff is boring compared to what you do!"

Grinning so wide she thought her face might split in half, she glanced at Kid Flash. Oh, he was good. He was so good. And, based on his proud grin almost as big as hers, he knew it too. She turned back to a very hopeful Sage and tried to be nonchalant when she replied, "Yeah, I might could do that. It's going to be hard work though. I'll probably have to come back at least once a week to do it right."

As if her words opened a floodgate, the kids surged forward to surround the pair of teenage superheroes, clamoring their names and begging to join in.

AN: This story was inspired by Ryan Starr's song, "Breathe" and has been knocking around in my head since 2013, I kid you not! I hope you enjoyed it!