Title: Effervescent
Based on: Teen Titans
Summary: JinxRaven. The first time they met outside of work, they exchanged but a few words and seperated angry and hurt. The second time, they mutually agreed due to exhaustion more to ignore than to get along. The third time, they agreed to share a few drinks. The fourth time, everything went wrong.

Author's Notes: The summary makes it sound a lot faster than it actually progresses.

Prologue

Raven walked slowly down the street, casually glancing away whenever she walked near anybody. She wasn't wearing her usual cape over her leotard, and -as always- without her cape she was doubly aware of the people around her, now that she couldn't simply put up her hood and disconnect.

She avoided the eyes of strangers, hoping none would recognize her, however unlikely it was that even if they got a good look they'd feel even a glimmer of recognition. She made it a point to avoid the cameras whenever possible. Unlike the rest of the Titans, she could still go out in public and avoid detection with a few precautions. She'd removed her chakra about a month earlier, no longer needing it to focus her powers. In truth, she hadn't needed it for years but had always been too wary of her powers to remove it, and wasn't confident enough of her abilities to perform the complex spell to remove it.

She was eighteen, and after the last few years with the Titans, her already impressive powers had nearly tripled. Or, honestly, her power hadn't, her control had, which enabled her to access ore of her powers. She wasn't sure exactly how strong her powers truly were, she just knew she wasn't as far as she could go yet, and so she devoted a lot of her time to studying spell books and writing incantations in her room, or on the roof. But she hadn't just become more powerful in the last few years. She had also become a lot more outgoing.

In fact, she was right now strolling down the road semi-tense to meet up with a few friends at a coffee shop, explaining her 'normal' clothes. She was wearing dark skinny jeans and a black Evanescence tank top, a hint of makeup around her eyes. It had been a sunny day with a cool breeze blowing in from the bay, which even now in the warm evening tousled her violet hair that she'd recently gotten cut in a more common style, similar to Pink's in her new video.

She caught sight of the coffee shop and relaxed, especially when she caught sight of her friends in the normal booth, barely visible from the street. Her friend Ellie was gesturing dramatically, her fire engine red hair visible immediately, about shoulder length, sticking out in a punky style. Ellie was one of her better friends outside of the Titans, they'd been friends for two years, and Ellie was way to down to earth for anyone to dislike. She was herself, no matter what people thought, but wasn't in your face about like all teenagers seemed to be. She didn't act the way she did to spite people, she did it despite people. And that was why Raven had kept in contact with her.

"If you're gonna be late all the time, can I, too?" Asked Ellie, cutting off whatever she was saying when she saw Raven, smiling at her. Ellie's eyes were a frighteningly light blue, vampire-like, with flecks of darker blue, and her natural hair color was black, but she had dyed it red not long earlier. Raven still wasn't sure what she did for a living, but Ellie was somehow always busy and while she acted the same as the rest of them struggling for money, Raven knew she wasn't.

"Hell no, you'd show up three hours late." Raven snorted, flashing a smile and glancing at the others at the table. "Hey, guys." She greeted, then glanced at her watch. "And I'm barely late!" She said, actually impressed with herself, she'd gotten here in record time after a skirmish with Mumbo Jumbo, then changing in the car and phasing to an alleyway.

"I know, we're impressed. We ordered for you." Her friend Scott promised. He was Ellie's ex, which was how he and Raven met, but they all still got along fine, the break up amicable. He had that ruggedness no true city-boy could pull off, and had been born in Oregon, working with his dad in his logging company until he was eleven and his dad died, and he moved to California with his mother. He was twenty-one, his birthday just recently passed, with Ellie at eighteen. He worked as some kind of computer specialist; he didn't talk much about his work.

"So why are you late?" Asked another friend, Kate, glancing curiously at Raven. None of them knew who she was, although she thought Ellie might suspect, so she couldn't just say 'oh you know, the usual, throwing buses across intersections makes time fly!' Kate was majoring in Journalism at Jump University, with a minor in Acting.

"Traffic, the thing with the Titans backed up traffic on three intersections." Raven said, partially true. Traffic was pretty bad; Mumbo had put up quite a fight this time. "But anyway, why were we meeting this late anyway? It's almost nine." She pointed out, pointing at her watch for emphasis. The sun was getting lower in the sky, despite the still warm air, and would be gone within an hour. She really hoped they didn't want to go do something, she had been out on patrol since yesterday morning, first on a regular patrol, then last night breaking up three robberies, then this morning fighting Johnny Rancid, then today's fight with Mumbo that lasted nearly an hour.

"We're going to Censor," Kate said brightly, making Raven repress a sigh. Just her luck. But as she thought about it, she had tomorrow off, she could get some rest tomorrow, and anyway, she hadn't had a night to relax in weeks. She noticed Ellie watching her without attracting the others' attention, her eyes asking if Raven wanted to go. Raven smiled back and nodded.

"When was I going to be told? I could've dressed better." She pointed out, glancing at her outfit. Not really clubbing material, but better than some of the stuff she'd considered wearing. Since Ellie and Scott also weren't dressed for a club, she guessed Kate had sprung this on everyone last minute. Kate was very spontaneous, which they all complained about but secretly needed. She helped them all unwind.

"When you got here." Shrugged Kate. "But we got sidetracked by your tardiness, it was put off by two minutes. Sorry for the inconvenience that two minutes caused." Kate teased. "Anyway, I was bored anyway, so I figured what the hell, let's go clubbing."

"Nice. You know, I had a show to go to tonight." Ellie said, but she didn't look upset to be changing her plans, smiling slightly. She went to shows a lot, was an expert on local music, and when she found good bands she used her contacts to set them up with interviews at a local record company, most of them getting signed. Raven was pretty sure that was a part-time job of hers, more of a hobby than anything, which gave a little credence to her theory Ellie didn't need money, if she spent so much time on a hobby.

"Bleh, The Roe again? Yeah the singers hot and they're great, but you've seen them like twenty times." Kate waved off, exaggerating. Ellie had found the band a few months earlier and gotten them a record deal, and now they were touring California, and she made it a point to see them whenever possible. They were still small, and needed all the support they could get.

"By the way, Jake asked about you at the last show, the other night at Torrence? Wondered why you weren't there." Ellie added casually, trying not to laugh as Kate's eyes bugged out. Jake was the singer, a man blessed with perfection, and Kate was 'in love'. "I gave him your e-mail."

"You're my buddy for a reason." Said Kate happily as she finished her drink, Raven's about halfway gone. She was drinking some weird fruity drink she always got, Stanzaberry Apple Mocha, only available here, at least by that name. She wasn't sure what Stanzaberry Apple was, but this drink was, as Scott put it, 'extract of happy,' and had an extraordinary amount of caffeine and sugar, already making Raven's leg bounce.

"We leaving? I have work at six." Ellie said, glancing at her watch. She always amazed Raven, who would plan to party literally til the work day started? Raven was planning on going home after this and sleeping for at least a day. She was just hoping nothing needing her attention happened tomorrow, because she refused to get out of bed. She didn't care if the Brotherhood of Evil was back again and ready to go, she was getting her day off.

She hadn't though about the Brotherhood of Evil, basically since it had been taken down. Why would she? Sure, a lot had changed since then, but a lot of things had caused changes, that didn't really stand out. Cyborg and Bumblebee were engaged, and so Bee had joined their team, meaning Kid Flash was getting ready to go take her place, and Robin was considering adding another member to their already large team anyway. Titans East now had eleven members counting Kid Flash, but their responsibilities had grown greatly as well. Everyone was much more coordinated now, worldwide, and every now and then the system came in extremely handy when a team needed help. And it was useful to track criminals worldwide.

"Let's go." Kate agreed, and they all stood, Raven grabbing another of her drink before they left, figuring she'd need the energy since she was already exhausted. One day, she'd learn to just say no to her friends. But she couldn't resist, not after so many years of constantly worrying about her powers, now that she had so much control of them, she wanted to make up for lost time. So she decided to tough out a few nights without sleep, she'd been through worse.

"So, Rae, you listen to that CD I gave you?" asked Ellie. "Within Temptation?" She added when it occurred to her she had given Raven probably two dozen CDs in the last two months alone. Some were garage bands, others, like Within Temptation, were well known, but at the same time not. So every time they all met up, she'd give Raven a few CDs to check out.

"Yeah, they were pretty good. Where'd you hear them?"

"Purevolume, I was randomly clicking names of bands and I liked them, so I listened to more songs on iTunes." She climbed into her Jaguar, her baby as she put it, and affectionately patted the dashboard as she started the car, smiling reflexively. Who wouldn't love a Jaguar? She grabbed a CD and plopped it in. Some kind of screamo poured out and she ejected it, cutting of screams about politics, and put in some Paramore. Kate and Scott exchanged amused looks in the back that she had hardcore, puking on the stage screamo and Paramore right next to each other. Everyone took her car, that way everyone but her could take cabs home instead of having to drive.

"So anyone else going?" Asked Scott, glancing out a window as some girl jogging with her dog in a tight tank top and short shorts. "What about that one girl, the lawyer girl who thinks she's a physicist?" He asked, glancing at Kate.

"She might be there, I don't know." Kate answered, scrolling through her phone. "But I doubt most others will be, there are some big exams coming up." She said casually, as if it didn't apply to her.

"Shouldn't you be studying?" Asked Raven, watching Ellie break at least half a dozen traffic laws already. Ellie was unable to resist going fast, and was lucky she'd been blessed with great driving skills. She wasn't a dangerous driver, far from it, she just managed to find every hole between cars she could fit through, and had some kind of psychic link to the traffic lights, and had gone through a phase of street racing a few years back, and the skills stayed with her. Every now and then she would drift corners, but never in her Jag. Only in her Mustang, a beat to hell '68 that was built to last. Even through her driving.

"No, I studied enough, I needed to relax." Kate gave the expected answer. She was actually smart, she studied ahead of time, then relaxed right before, studied a little more before the test, taking it easy and reviewing, then relaxed afterwards whether she passed or failed. It worked, she was always calm come test day.

Ellie cut between a Porsche and a BMW with less than an inch on either side, making everyone but Raven tense up. She knew Ellie would never risk damaging her car, she could make the gap. Ellie didn't notice their discomfort, or at least ignored it and stole a drink from Raven, then handed it back, a Diddy song coming on after a Paramore song, letting them all know it was a mix. It was a remix of Last Night, with tweaks here or there. Normally Raven didn't the song, but she liked this version.

"So Rachel, you been busy?" Asked Kate.

"A bit." Shrugged Raven. "No more than usual." She was always vague, after all, to them she was Rachel Roth, an assistant at an electrics company, basically an advanced secretary was how she explained it.

"If I told you once, I told you twice, you can see it in my eyes, I'm all cried out, with nothing to say. You're everything I wanted to be." Ellie busted out in song, releasing the wheel to do an odd little jig, her face and voice as sarcastic as her movements, making them all laugh.

"You handle that problem from the other night?" Asked Scott, hardly glancing at her, as he read a text. "When you got called off?" He reminded when Ellie looked blank, reminded Raven of a few days earlier they'd all been out at the coffee shop and Ellie had been called out on a work emergency.

"Yeah, wasn't much of an emergency, basically some noses needed wiping." Laughed Ellie, 'accidentally' blowing through a red light, doing an odd swerve to avoid the traffic cameras getting her license plate, which made Raven roll her eyes at the 'secret' cameras.

"I hate JT." Scowled Ellie, brushing some hair from her face, just for it to be replaced by another strand, as Justin Timberlake's Sexy Back blasted form the speakers. This was a heavily modified version, hardly recognizable. "He thinks he's bringing sexy back? He's just bringing back my lunch, he's revolting." She scowled.

"And yet he's on your CD." Pointed our Raven.

"This version's pretty good." Shrugged Ellie, glancing at the floor. "By the way, here's your book back." She said, grabbing an Alex Kava book from the ground and handing it to Raven, who put it in her bag, which she would leave in the car until they all left.

"You like it?"

"Yeah, almost as good as the first one." She commented, then pointed with her thumb into the backseat. "There's a bag back there somewhere with the next couple, I picked them up a few days ago and read them. You can take 'em." Scott started looking around and found the right back, handing it to Raven. Ellie saw another car going for a parking spot and slammed on the gas, harshly yanking the wheel to the right, cutting off the other car and getting the spot. "Mwuahahaha." She laughed evilly.

"You frighten me." Kate told her mock seriously as they all walked inside.

Six hours later, at about three, Raven was sitting at the bar, talking to Ellie. Both were drinking and had a line of upside down shot glasses in front of them, laughing just a bit too loudly. They were both a little buzzed but not quite drunk, a good borderline. They'd been dancing most of the night and this was the first time they'd seen each other since arriving and they'd decided to drink for a while. They were both drinking vodka straight, and Raven had smelled the alcohol on her friends breath when they met up, so they'd both already been drinking. Meaning they should slow down.

"Two more." Ellie called out to the bartender, who smiled at them, letting his eyes roam their bodies as he got the drinks, serving them over the guys trying to get drinks. Ellie smiled at him, as she'd done each time, a hint flirtatiously, just to make sure he was quick each time. They downed the drinks quickly, just as somebody slid into the mass of bodies around the bar by Raven, glancing at her, then choking on their drink.

"Shit." The person cursed, making Raven turn as she lowered the shot glass. Her violet eyes met wide, pink metahuman eyes filled with panic. Raven froze for a moment, her first thought oh shit, she's gonna blow this, knowing Jinx would say her name, glad she hadn't yet. Her second observation: Jinx was also incognito. She was wearing a tight halter top and tight, black pants, her pink hair styled differently from her normal horns.

"Who're you?" Ellie asked, leaning over and squinting at Jinx suspiciously, glancing at Raven. "Rae?" she asked, indicating two more from the bartender.

"Uh, this is-" Raven said, her mind racing as she tried to think of a quick lie, but luckily a savior came in the form of three guys in expensive clothes with expensive haircuts.

"Jenny, you ready to dance again?" One asked, smiling at her, then glancing at Raven. "Jenny, this a friend of yours?" He asked, eyeing Raven.

"No," Raven said simply. She glanced at Ellie, to see if she was buying it, and Ellie simply downed another shot, then glanced at the guys.

"Eyes up here." She advises the guy, rolling her eyes. She glanced at Jenny, then cocked one eyebrow gracefully. "You are?"

"Name's Jenny." Jinx said, looking a little nervous.

"Yeah, I got that." Ellie confirmed. "You and Rae know each other?"

"No, why?" Lied Jinx, glancing at Raven, who gave her a good job, look, grateful Jinx wasn't saying anything. Then it occurred to her that Jinx was probably just as uncertain about Raven.

"Ahh." Ellie said, and Raven couldn't tell if she believed her or not. Ellie was a smart kid, but she had no reason to be suspicious, and she was a little buzzed. Ellie grabbed Raven's drink and downed it, then indicated the dance floor. "Well, I'm dancing again, talk to you guys later." And immediately the three guys with Jinx eyed her, then glanced at Jinx.

"I think I'll get a drink." She told them, letting them go with Ellie to the dance floor, Ellie not looking interested, them looking star struck. Jinx sat next to Raven. "Thought heroes weren't aloud to have personal lives?" She asked. "Scotch, neat." she ordered, sliding money across the bar. "No drinking, smoking, breathing too loud, all that stuff."

"Thought dead people weren't aloud to have personal lives? No walking, public places, talking to heroes, all that stuff." Raven shrugged back, getting another shot and paying for it., downing it quickly and glancing at Jinx. "Haven't seen you in a while." She commented.

"Cause I've been dead." Jinx shrugged, nervous, avoiding Raven's eyes.

"Kid Flash visits your grave every month." Raven said, now asking for a water, her buzz a bit closer to drunk, teetering on the edge. She glanced sideways at Jinx, observing her. Jinx had definitely grown up, she now definitely looked her age, and all the guys in the place had noticed, especially with the clothes he was wearing. "He left the Titans for a while, couldn't get over the guilt, finally came back a few weeks ago. Thought he should have done something."

Jinx was silent, staring at her drink before ordering another, drinking her current one quickly. "I'm sorry." She said, and Raven didn't just hear the truth in her words, but she felt it, too, her empathic powers picking up on the regret easily.

And for the first time, Raven looked at Jinx.

Not just looked at her, but actually looked at her and seen her. She had never looked at Jinx as anything more then just another criminal, and after she helped them fight the Brotherhood of Evil, just with a hint of curiosity about why she turned. Never anything more. She'd never really looked at Jinx and seen her as a person. Nobody ever really stops and thinks long enough to realize that we're all people. We all have problems, pains, accomplishments. We all have scars, memories, dreams. And Raven had never realized that her and Jinx had something in common.

Both of their powers were destructive, and yet Raven had fought it her whole life while Jinx hadn't. Raven had never bothered considering that maybe there was a reason Jinx stopped fighting, succumbed to it finally and just let her powers do what they were best at: destruction.

"Jinx, he'll forgive you. You know that." Raven said bluntly, and Jinx's head snapped to her, looking surprised. Raven met her eyes for a moment before Jinx looked away, Raven seeing the surprise, pain, and guilt for a half second before Jinx hid them again behind a forced smile.

"Of course! Who wouldn't forgive me? If you haven't noticed, I'm pretty hard not to love." Jinx said arrogantly, frustrating Raven slightly. Did she take nothing seriously? Was everything a joke to her? Raven bit the inside of her cheek and pulled her anger back, making sure she stayed in control. She couldn't risk losing control, not here, not with her friends around. Not over Jinx.

"If you say so." Raven said in a monotone, sipping a drink, glancing back at the floor and at Ellie, barely visible in the mass of moving bodies. Raven gave Jinx a final look, then pulled out her cell phone and scribbled an address on a napkin and slid it to Jinx. "Kid Flash's address." She said bluntly, wiping the smile off of Jinx's face, feeling a hint of satisfaction. She stood and whirled, leaving the pink-haired metahuman to sit at the bar, staring at the napkin.

Raven only had a few hours, she refused to think about the infuriating Jinx any more.