Heeeey readers! I'm back!
Sorry that it took forever to post a sequel, but I've been kind of busy, and it's here now, so deal. :-D First of all, I'd like to thank all of my great reviewers from Those Darn DoGooders. It really was great to have so much fan support! This story is dedicated to you, so enjoy!
I'm thinking of reapplying the 3-day thing. You know, 3 days max. to post the next chapter? But there might be some times when I'll have to just extend it a little (its high school, what can i say?), so don't kill me.
remember, this is only the beginning of the story, and at this point im not quite sure how long it's going to be, but i hope youll give it a chance and stick with it 'till the end, because i promise it'll get better! It'll be in pretty much the same format. So, welcome to part 2, and enjoy your stay!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. But what difference would it make if I said that I did? The show's cancelled! Grrr...
Clavo mi remo en el agua
Llevo tu remo en el mío
Creo que he visto una luz al otro lado del río
El día le irá pudiendo poco a poco al frío
Creo que he visto una luz al otro lado del río
-Al Otro Lado del Río, Jorge Drexler, the Motorcycle Diaries soundtrack
Jinx
"You did it!"
"Twice," I tell Kid Flash happily as he suddenly appears behind me wraps his arms around my waist, leaning his head on my shoulder. "Or are we not counting my role in the capture of Doctor Light?"
"Well, I guess we could count that," he jokes, "but Doctor Bite doesn't exactly count as a criminal mastermind."
"He looked surprised to see me there," I tell Kid Flash, taking his hand from my waist and freeing myself from his grip, instead turning to face him as we wait with the rest of the heroes in Titans Tower. "Just like everyone else here."
Kid Flash looks up, and his eyes scan the room. Sure enough, everyone is staring at me, eyes wide and disapproving.
"Hey, guys," he says easily, "you've all met my girlfriend Jinx, right?"
There are a few grumbles and some incoherent muttering, and eyes drop and everyone returns to their conversations.
"How did you do that?" I ask him, amazed, again taking a good look around. No one is staring anymore.
"If I told you, I'd have to kill you, and it looks like you've been through enough for one night."
"Thanks for sparing me, then," I say lightly as he leans down to kiss me. A few great moments then…
"Get a room, would you?" says a very familiar-sounding, sardonic voice.
We break apart and turn to face her. As soon as I see her scowling at me, I can't speak. My voice is caught in my throat. Ok, Wally…this is where you come in again to help me out…
"Hi, Raven," Kid Flash says happily. "Jinx, Raven, I think you two have met, right?"
…Remind me why I'm with him again…?
I nod stiffly, staring Raven directly in the eyes, and she nods as well, never breaking the gaze.
It seems like hours fly past until Kid Flash, obviously sensing the tension, changes the subject. "Hey, Raven, thanks so much for helping us out. Seriously. You don't know how much I—we—appreciate it," he says, desperately (and obviously) trying to get Raven to stop trying to kill me with her death glare.
Finally, after my eyes have entirely dried and shriveledup, Raven blinks and turns back to face Kid Flash. "Don't mention it," she replies dryly. Upon seeing that Kid Flash is about to speak again, she cuts him off before he even begins and says, "No, really-don't."
Smiling nervously, Wally discreetly grabs my left hand with his right, and steels himself to say, "Well, thanks anyway. I don't know anyone else who would do that for Jinx, under the…um, circumstances," he improvises, catching a glimpse of my hardened face.
"I didn't do it for her," Raven replies, rather rudely, looking back at me. I brace myself, squeezing Wally's hand, as she says to me, "It's going to be a while before I can trust you. We have…a hard history to undo. But I trust Kid Flash"-Raven nods in his direction-"and I trust his judgment. I hope he's right about you."
Well, welcome to the good side, I think to myself sarcastically as I try to maintain contact with the person who can supposedly look into your soul just by looking into your eye. "He is," I say as indifferently as I can.
After a few more seconds of hard glaring, Raven turns back to Kid Flash and they again exchange thank you's and I'll-see-you-later's.
As soon as she stalks off, I turn to Kid Flash and say, "Is this how it's going to be every time I talk to another hero?"
Kid Flash shakes his head violently and says, "Naah, Raven's just kind of uptight. Robin is much better—" A contemplating look comes over his face as he says, "Well, actually, no, he's probably going to be pretty much the same. Umm, but Starfire! She'll probably be much more receptive than Rob—or, actually, she agrees with Robin on just about everything…" Kid Flash's voice starts to trail off as he counts the possibilities. "But, there's, um…Beast Boy! Beast Boy doesn't judge too harshly…but then, after Terra, he's kind of suspicious about any and all reformed villains. But there's…uh…Cyborg?" Kid Flash finishes weakly, shrugging his shoulders and obviously hoping that I missed everything up to the name 'Cyborg.'
Oh, wait. Cyborg!
Damn!
"Well, that makes me feel a whole lot better, thanks," I moan as I suddenly recall Cyborg's and my complicated...relationship together at the HIVE Academy, when he was posing as Stone.
"Oh, don't worry about it! There's a lot of other Titans to be friends with," Kid Flash says enthusiastically, trying to remedy the situation.
"Maybe, but they all take orders from Robin, don't they?" I say, slapping my hand to my head.
"Oh…yeah…forgot about that." Kid Flash's contemplating look falls onto his face again. "Oh well! Only one way to fix this problem," he says abruptly, tugging on my hand as he pulls me through the crowd of teen heroes towards Robin, who is talking with Cyborg. Oh, damn.
"Robin!" says Kid Flash enthusiastically, shaking Robin's hand.
"Kid Flash," Robin says.
"Cyborg," Kid Flash smiles, extending his hand to Cyborg as well.
"Kid Flash," Cyborg says, obviously not seeing me behind Kid Flash. All I can do is marvel. What's with the one-word sentences? Is it an inherent guy thing?
"Jinx," Robin says abruptly, staring me directly in the eye as Kid Flash tugs on my hand a little more, pulling me into the circle. Damn! Did he have to see me there? Well, they don't call him the Boy Wonder for nothing…
"Robin," I stutter nervously. I can feel my body freezing up under his gaze. What do I do? What do I say? There's no way I'm getting out of this with all limbs attached.
"Jinx?"says Cyborg, his voice and expression echoing his obvious surprise. In his haste to get a clear look at me, he nearly knocks over Kid Flash, who moves out of the path of Cyborg's arm just in time.
"Cyborg," I say, my voice sounding distant and small.
"Great to see you on the good side!" he nearly shouts, his voice loud and enthusiastic. It's the first full sentence I've heard in the past two minutes. "Welcome to Titans Tower!"
I'm caught slightly off-guard. What do I say! "Uhm…thanks?"
"It's nice to see you've changed sides," Robin says firmly. There's no expression in his face and no emotion in his voice. "Thanks for your help today."
"It was, uhm, no problem," I tell him, wondering if he has any clue what it took Kid Flash to get me here. Kid Flash just squeezes my hand reassuringly, and automatically my confidence begins to build.
"Of course, it's going to take a while before we can fully trust you," Robin says carefully. I can tell instantly that he's been talking to Raven.
"I know. That's fully justified," I reply. Wally just keeps squeezing my hand.
"I always knew you had it in you," Cyborg interrupts, beaming at me. Wally looks at him suspiciously, then looks back at me, his question lingering in his blue eyes.
Again, Robin cuts back in, silencing Cyborg immediately with a single glance. Oh, sh!t. I thought only Raven could do that.
"Anyway, your assistance was invaluable to us. Like I said, it's going to take some work. But eventually I'd like to be able to call you a Titan. In the meantime…" Robin's expression softens, and his voice melts. He sounds truly…grateful for my helping them in the end, andagain I'm reminded of why I chose this life.He reaches into one of the many compartments in his utility belt, and pulls out a Titans communicator. Pressing a button, he activates it and hands it to me. "Take this. Everyone here has one. You can contact any one of us with it," Robin tells me as I look it over, truly surprised at how generous he is being. "If there's trouble, you know who to call."
"Thanks," I tell him softly, unsure of what else I can say. My first day of super-heroing, and I've already got a Titans communicator! Not too shabby!
"Congratulations!" Kid Flash says, smiling his million-watt smile at me. "I have one, too. Now I can bother you all the time, even when I'm not around!"
I chuckle slightly. He makes it sound like there could be nothing better in the world than to know where I am and what I'm doing, 24/7.
"Aww right!" says Cyborg again, clapping me on the back and smiling almost as widely as Kid Flash. "Excellent! We need to celebrate. WHO WANTS WAFFLES?" he bellows, apparently addressing the entire room.
In the time it takes me to blink, every last hero in the entire tower has his or her hand raised. Wally jerks our clasped hands upwards to signify that we want some waffles as well, although still looking suspiciously between Cyborg and me.
As soon as Cyborg turns back to face us, the hands drop and the 20 or so teenagers return to their conversations. "Ehh…I think we're going to need some more eggs. I'll see you all later. Congrats, Jinx," he tells me again before turning and heading for the garage.
Kid Flash
I wonder how Jinx knows Cyborg…? Oh well. A question for another time.
BUT JINX IS ON THE GOOD SIDE! YEEEEEES!
And it's clearly wearing on her already. She lets out a huge yawn as Robin is pulled aside by a hyper Starfire, who drags him off, probably leading him to some broom closet for some serious snogging. Well, they don't call him the Boy Wonder for nothing…
"Tired?" I ask her, putting my arm around her shoulders and pulling her in closer to me. She leans her head against me and says, "Extremely."
"Then let's get you home," I suggest, starting to lead her through the throngs of other teenage heroes towards the door.
"What home?" she asks me slowly, and I have a huge urge to hit myself over the head. "I'm kind of homeless at the moment, in case you've forgotten." Jinx's beautiful face falls, and I immediately begin racking my genius, overworked brain in an attempt to find a solution. But she beats me to it.
"Let's see...I should be able to make do with a large cardboard box," she says contemplatively, with asad helplessness in her voice, her head still resting against my shoulder. She huddles up even closer to me, and takes myleft hand in hers,intertwining our fingers. "Or at least, that should work until I'm able to find a foster home or something…"
"Would you like to stay with me for a while?" I offer, realizing Jinx's plight.
"That would be great, thanks," she says casually, letting me go and beginning to walk off as I begin to understand that she just totally manipulated me.
I sit there for a few moments, awestruck.Next she'll be asking me to help with the laundry...and carry her shopping bags...andget her a milkshake at a place that doesn't sell milkshakes...and buy her tampons...
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
I can't believe I just thought of the...the...the T-WORD.Iam nowerasing those last two seconds of thought. I was thinking about how she would be asking me to help with laundry and shopping bags and get her milkshakesandthen ISKIPPED TWO SECONDS INTO THE FUTURE.
"Well, are you coming?" she asks me, turning around to face me as I'm jolted back to reality. "Oh, yeah, let's go," I say and give myself a running start, scooping Jinx up as I pick up momentum and head back to my HQ in Star City.
"Hmm...this place is a lot bigger than it seems, once you look around," Jinx says, more to herself than to me, as she walks around my headquarters. Which, by the way, she occupied about two nights ago. I pull mycowloff my head, letting itfall to my backlike a hood.From my chair at the island of the kitchen, I watch her walk around the one normal room of the place, the living room,before proceeding to open a top-secret-headquarters-like-closet-that-you're-not-supposed-to-know-about-because-it's-full-of-top-secret-spy-stuffand find...a vacuum cleaner and a big box filled with nicely folded fleece blankets.
"That's all you've got in here? A vacuum cleaner and some blankets?" Jinx asks me disappointedly, closing the door.
I chuckle a little and point through the kitchen door and down the short hallway. "All the cool stuff is down that way. The evidence lab, communication system, super-computer, it's all down the hall, next to my room."
"Ooh, your room?" She says, a mischevious glint in her eyes. I can only watch in horror, frozen in place, as she sprints through that door and I hear the sounds of a door creaking open and a triumphant "Ah-ha!"
Groaning to myself about my stupidity of pointing her to my room, I get up from my chair and follow her, finding my so-called girlfriend flipping through my eighth-grade yearbook while lying on my bed, effectivelycleaning outmy entire stash of Rice Krispies. "Who's Linda Park?" she asks me, stopping on a page that is almost entirely taken up by a note scribbled by a girl from my class.
"A friend from my old school," I respond, cringing, as Jinx chokes down a laugh. "Aren't you tired? Don't you want to get some sleep?" I ask her, hoping to end my humiliation. The things we suffer for the people we love...
Almost as if on cue, she lets out a long yawn and sits up. "Yeah, actually, I am. I'll just, um...I'll sleep in my dress and go shopping tomorrow...or, actually, I'll have to pull some more money out of the HIVE account, and then I'll find a job, and then go shopping...get some essentials, like PJ's and a sleeping bag...the couch turns into a bed, right?" Jinx asks me, the hopelessness again prevalent in her voice. Can't...give...in...WILL NOT BUY HER...HER TAMPONS (EEEWW!)
"You can't sleep in that," I say in my dependable-manly voice (the effect of which is considerably weakened by that last thought that I went back in time and SKIPPED TWO SECONDS INTO THE FUTURE in order to erase it), running over to my closet and turning it upside down in an attempt to find some form of pajamas that Jinx can wear...my Aunt Iris cleans here all the time, can't she ever leave me some girl's clothes! Giving up, I instead turn to my dresser drawers and pull out a softened-by-use "Star City High Track and Field" t-shirt and a pair of sweats that I outgrew a year ago, but that might fit Jinx. "Umm...will, uh, this fit?"
Jinx crosses the room and takes the clothes I hand her, turning them over and holding them up against her body. "They should," she says, "thanks."
"It's no problem," I tell her, glad that she's not going to be cold tonight. "Hey, I'm going to get a glass of water. You want some?"
"Sure," Jinx says gratefully, spontaneously reaching her arm around my neck and kissing me. Heeeeeaven...(nah, nah, nah, nah, nah nah nah)...must be missin' an angel...(nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah)...must be missin an aaaaaaangel, child, 'cause you're here with me, right now...(nah, nah, nah nah...)
Note to self: Stop randomly bursting out into song! People will think you're filming the Sound of Music, or something.
We have to break apart after a couple more moments of intensely awesome...awesomeness, and the only reason is because I need to get some water for us both and then get some sleep.
"I'll be right back," I tell her quietly. "Don't fall asleep before I get back, or anything."
"I won't," she responds determinedly. "Just hurry up, ok?"
"Will do," I smile, and take off for the kitchen.
Jinx
As soon as Wally's gone, I shut the door to his room and pull off my dress and boots, and take out my pigtails, combing through my hair with my fingers. Reaching down, I pull on his very soft, very comfortable track and field t-shirt. For some reason, it feels kind of warm, just like Wally's hands. He always has warm hands. Then I step my legs into the sweats, which are also very comfy, and tie the drawstring up.
I know that Wally is going to take a few minutes, just because he intentionally doesn't move that fast when there's anything involving glass and some sort of liquid. It's just common sense. Water + glassware +superspeed sharp wet safety hazard.
I walk a few steps and allow myself to topple over onto his bed. It's a biiig bed, with a fluffy plaid comforter, and 2 or 3 pillows. I turn over onto my stomach, pushing my head onto the pillows, and I accidentally hit something small and hard. I pull my head off the pillows and look at the small, now-squashed chocolate and paper that were just innocently lying on the center pillow. "Wally-came byand did some cleaning today. Changed the sheets for you. Thought I'd make it more official and leave you a chocolate as well. Don't forget to call either Barry or me! XOXO, Aunt Iris".
I let out a faint chuckle and put the dead chocolate and the note on Wally's nightstand, then look up at the ceiling. It's nice to be a hero, is the last thought I have before I pass out.
Kid Flash
Ah-HA! I did it! I managed to carry the glasses of water to my room without spilling, breaking, or vaporizing (don't ask) anything! Woot woot! Go me!
And as soon as I open the door, I find Jinx fast asleep on my bed, breathing lightly. And she looks...peaceful, lying there in my clothes and sleeping on my pillow.
...Well, how's that for irony? "Don't fall asleep before I get back." "I won't." Maybe someone declared that today is Opposites Day, and I just didn't get the memo? Whatever.
As quietly as I can, I tip-toe over to the bed and set down the glass of water on the nightstand. Then I bend down and kiss her on the cheek. She shifts her head on the pillow a little, but doesn't wake up.
"Good night, beautiful," I whisper quietly before making my way out of the room. Girls love it when you call them "beautiful." Gets them every time.
...Then again, it might work a little better if she was awake, but in the meantime, I'll just settle for the resounding snore that Jinx lets out before turning over onto her side.
Sooooooooooooo? What'd you think? This is only chapter one, so I promise it'll get better, but I figured it was a good start. But review and let me know! Cause it's always more fun to write when you know you have readers.
So, other than that, I don't have much to say except that I hope you liked the beginning! Now get reviewing!
XOXO,
Cara the SuperDuperHulaHooper