Some Important Notes Before You Begin...

This is my first serious attempt at fanfiction. I have no idea if this will fall flat on its face or actually prove to be fun to write.

While I do proofread all my chapters, there will still be errors. I'm not writing this to get published or for it to be the best piece of fanfiction the world has ever seen. I'm doing this because I thought it would be fun.

This story is rated M for various themes that are explored within the upcoming chapters. There will be scenes of sex, violence and drugs. I will warn readers if such scenes are about to occur.

This story is centered on Jinx/Raven. There will be femslash. Isn't that great?!

If you want to see more of this feel free to leave a review or like this. Whichever way works best for you.

Warning: Small drug use scene.

Now, let us begin.

A Strong Sense of Familiarity

"It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us." - Norman Maclean

The bus had broken down twice since the beginning of their journey, lengthening the time on the road by three hours. The first breakdown happened only an hour in and while the majority of the passengers aboard the cramped bus groaned and complained, Jinx took great pleasure in watching a handful of men try to fix the bus. It provided a small bit of entertainment that was lacking out on the road. There were only so many small towns, farm lands, trees and cars one could stare at before edging on the cusp of insanity.

Insanity.

It was strange how a particular place and a particular time thrust meaning into such a small word that did not exist before.

The second breakdown happened a few hours later which caused the groans and complaints to start again. Jinx took pleasure in the first act: the handful of men searching for the source of the problem. However, that was where her pleasure died and withered into boredom as the acts of the previous breakdown were repeated.

There was nothing more irritating than the crushing blow a rerun delivers to a hopeful spirit. Or, at least, that's what Jinx believed.

The pink haired witch sat in the window seat, second row from the back. Her pink eyes were fixed upon the large tinted window, watching as a few men tried to fix up the bus. Her hair, years ago typically styled into two large pink horns, hung down to her shoulders in a very plain fashion. She wore a simple dark purple hoodie, her hands currently resting in the lower front pocket. Dark blue denim jeans hugged her legs and a pair of simple grey sneakers covered her feet. After Jinx had left Jump City a few years ago she had dumped her costume in favor for everyday street clothes. She already possessed physical features that would always mark her as different for the rest of her life.

Unnaturally bright pink hair.

Pink eyes.

Grey skin.

All of this would keep her at a distance. It would keep her on the outside looking in. A costume only sealed the deal. Only played upon the features that disgusted her.

An older woman with greying hair pulled back into a tight bun with wrinkled skin looked up from her knitting and over at Jinx. The older woman's eyes briefly watched the men fix the bus before returning to Jinx. "I hope they figured out what's wrong with this bus and fix it soon." The words pulled Jinx's attention away from the window and over to the woman who was sitting beside her. She didn't say anything, her pink eyes jumping from the woman's wrinkled face to her knitting.

"You see, I have sons in Jump City," the woman smiled, setting her knitting down in her lap. "Originally they wanted to work in Gotham. It's where they grew up. Unfortunately that didn't happen. They found work in Jump City and eventually they both settled down and started lovely families. I've been waiting years to come and visit them."

Jinx stared at the woman, wondering why she was telling her any of this. She elected only to nod her head in response before turning her attention back to the window.

"So what brings you to Jump City?" the woman asked, her smile still present upon her wrinkled face.

The question forced Jinx to look back over at the woman. She did not want this. She did not ask to be questioned by some random woman. But she was from Gotham. Perhaps she was a bit on the crazy side. If that was true, though, it didn't exactly help matters. Jinx was done with crazy. Finished with insanity. Gotham was behind her. It was all behind her now.

"I'm going home," Jinx finally answered after several awkward moments of silence.

The older woman's navy blue eyes lit up in interest. "Oh? Is it a nice city? I've heard such stories about Jump City. It sounds like a paradise compared to Gotham. Have you seen the Titans? I've heard they're a regular sight around the city."

A small smile formed upon Jinx's face at the mention of the Titans. The memories were coated in haze, but she still remembered. Jinx doubted that she would ever forget the people that had brought about so much frustration, love and pain. "I've seen them a few times. It's because of them that the city is so…nice."

The words scratched the clawed within her. It stung. It was like a million tiny daggers being thrown and hitting every inch of her body. Yet Jinx kept the small smile upon her face. A pleasant small smile.

The older woman nodded and picked her knitting back up. "Well, I'm glad to hear that my sons are raising families in a nice place. Did you enjoy your time in Gotham? I know it's nothing like Jump City but it does have its personality."

Jinx's attention drifted over to the window as the men finished up fixing the bus. "Yup. It was a blast."

The bus pulled into the Jump City northern bus station early in the evening. The sun was beginning to descend towards the tall skyscrapers. As Jinx climbed down from the bus the sounds and smells of the city bombarded her with a sense of familiarity. No, scratch that. A strong sense of familiarity. At first glance the city she had grown up in looked the same. Hell, even as she stared longer at her surroundings she found that very little had changed. But she hadn't really been expecting any drastic changes…had she? She had known a few things were certain when she chose to leave Gotham and return to Jump City. Jinx knew she would eventually face these certain things in time.

Had change been one of them?

After collecting her bag and hoisting it over her shoulder, Jinx left the bus station and stepped out onto the busy sidewalk. Men and women of all sorts were moving to and fro, each and every one on their individual mission. Cars honked and roared by upon the crowded street. All of it very much the same as when she had left it.

Spotting a nearby bench, Jinx walked over and sat down. She reached into her jean pocket and pulled out a small black cellphone. She flipped it open and punched in one of two numbers she hadn't used in a long time. She pressed the phone to her ear, listening to the rings while watching the familiar sight of Jump City play out before her.

The rings continued on until a robotic female voice picked up. "The number you have reached is currently unavailable. At the tone, please leave your message."

"Hey, Gizmo," the words felt strange coming out of her mouth. It had been a long time since she had seen Gizmo and Mammoth. She had not planned to leave her two best friends the way she did. If she had, had more time she would have planned it all out flawlessly. Instead she had left them both behind along with everything else.

"It's…it's Jinx," she paused for a moment, trying to imagine what Gizmo would have said right then and there if he had picked up his phone. "I know you're probably busy with, uh…with whatever you have going. But I'm in town and I would love to see you. Call me back when you get this message." She flipped the phone shut, her eyes shutting for a moment. She let out a breath before opening her eyes and flipping her cellphone back open. She dialed a second number and pressed the phone to her ear.

Perhaps she would have more luck with Mammoth.

She couldn't have been more wrong. There was no ringing, just a robotic voice informing the pink witch that the number was no longer in service. She flipped her phone shut again, this time slipping it back into her pocket. No answer from Gizmo and nothing from Mammoth.

The brief, loud blaring of a car horn grabbed Jinx's attention. Idling by the curb was a brown Honda with a man in his middle thirties climbing out of the driver side door and waving towards the bus station. The older woman that had been sitting beside Jinx during the ride from Gotham to Jump City waved back and made her way towards the brown Honda with two suitcases in hand. Jinx watched as the woman reached the car and the man came around to embrace his mother in a hug.

When the hug ended Jinx stood up and began walking down the sidewalk, keeping her back to the reunion. She had failed to reach her friends by phone but she still knew of a way to get in contact with them. It just required a bit of a walk.

The sun had slipped below the horizon and night had settled upon Jump City when Jinx reached the old stomping grounds. After the H.I.V.E Academy was shut down Jinx, Gizmo and Mammoth lived in a small apartment together. It became the trio's haven. It was a place for them to relax and plan their next attack against the Titans. It was a place only for them. It hadn't been the most glamorous lifestyle but it had been home for a long time.

And now, standing outside the apartment building, the memories of life within the apartment started coming back to Jinx in a pleasant rush. A rush that brought a smile onto her face at the sight of lights shining out of the third floor window. She was quick to enter the apartment building and climb up the stairs to the third floor. She walked down to the apartment door, yellow light peeking out from underneath.

They were home.

Jinx knocked on the door. She wondered what her two friends looked like now. Had Gizmo grown any taller? Had Mammoth gotten any bigger? What had they done during the time she had been gone? Were they still angry at her for her brief relationship with Kid Flash? She hoped not. That love had been shot dead long ago and it was never coming back.

Finally the door opened with a slight, quiet groan. Jinx grinned, expecting to see Gizmo or Mammoth but found herself staring at a complete stranger. Her grin fell away almost instantly as the stranger, a dark haired man in his late twenties, lifted a brow in question.

"Can I help you?" the stranger asked.

"Uh…" there were no words. And yet now that Jinx was standing there, she suddenly realized what she should had figured out earlier: the possibility that Gizmo and Mammoth no longer lived in the apartment. It had been years since she had seen them. If they had moved on…it would have been out of the apartment. "I'm, uh…I was looking for my friends. They…they used to live here."

"Well they don't anymore," the stranger replied. "Just me and my girl living here."

Jinx nodded. "Right. Well…have a good night."

The stranger retreated into the apartment, pushing the door shut. Jinx turned and retraced her steps that led her out of the apartment building and back out onto the street. Her second attempt to get in contact with her friends had failed. She dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone, checking for any messages.

None.

Slipping the phone back into her pocket, Jinx started down the street. She walked around Jump City for the next hour until she arrived at a small motel. She paid for a room on the second floor. Pushing the motel door shut, Jinx closed her eyes and let out a breath. She was back home but alone. Very much alone. She tossed her bag onto the bed after opening her eyes. She opened up her bag and dug through her belongings before pulling out a small bag of weed and some rolling paper. She sat quietly as she proceeded to roll herself a joint.

She dug through her bag again, pulling out a lighter. Bringing the joint to her lips, Jinx lit it up and proceeded to smoke. Jinx spent the rest of the night losing herself within the smoke and allowing Jump City to fall away into the black abyss.