This one is for Sylver.
She is my best critic, my biggest fan, and my wonderful friend. It is also way past her birthday, and so because I suck at punctuality, I hope a nice, four-or-maybe-even-five chapter fic will make up for it.
Here's to you, chickadee. Happy birthday!
Love love love, always and forever under this sun,
Phina
They were married at sunrise.
It was a simple service, of course. Jinx decided at four o' clock in the morning, while they were slightly drunk on rice wine and wandering the park, to get hitched as quickly – and, Wally insisted, as legally – as possible under the circumstances. Held on Jump Beach, the chairs, which they'd dragged from an outdoor restaurant to the beach an hour before the service, were so close to the sea that the low tide lapped at the slightly dirty plastic legs. The flowers were exotic and extravagant: when the florist heard what they were planning, she had pressed huge, graceful bouquets of arching tiger lilies and passion flowers onto them, and insisted that they wear amaranth blossoms for immortality and unfading love.
She refused payment. Wally slipped a twenty dollar bill underneath the cash register when she wasn't looking.
They combed the beach for sea glass to decorate the altar with, and invited anyone who felt like getting up at six o' clock in the morning. The only ones who made it were Robin, who was usually up early; the Flash, in support of his protégé; See-More, who cast a furtive look at the resident superheroes before settling into the farthest chair to the left; and, startlingly, Raven, who was silent throughout the entire event but seemed to enjoy the blundering attempts of the minister, who was slightly hungover and fumbled most of his lines.
The air carried a tang of cool salt as they went barefoot up the aisle, Jinx escorted by the Flash. As the sun was just kissing the horizon, they kissed each other, meeting passion for passion and love for love underneath a sky that was just fading from cloudy gray to a spectacular pink and orange, shot through with clearest gold.
Unknowingly, they had only twelve hours left.
"Well, darling," Wally said an hour later as they strolled hand-in-hand across the beach, "where shall we honeymoon?"
They'd spent a couple of minutes being congratulated by their sparse reception – the Flash insisted on racing up to a bakery and purchasing a ridiculously huge wedding cake for them to pass out – and then they politely ushered everyone away. Raven nodded as she levitated away, hand-in-hand with Robin; See-More looked disappointed every time his eye caught the flash of the slender silver ring that Wally had someone managed to find in the two hours of preparation before the wedding; and the Flash treated them both to smothering bear hugs before dashing off to deal with Mumbo Jumbo so Wally and Jinx wouldn't have to be bothered.
"Consider it a wedding present," he called over one shoulder – and just like that, they were alone.
Jinx pulled up the hem of her light summer dress as she waded into the ankle-deep tide. The dress itself was simple, with a featherlight skirt that swayed in the breeze. It was white, of course – she had a sneaking feeling that was a pretty standard color for the bride. She'd picked it up from the Laundromat they'd passed on the way to the beach. Wally had every intention of bringing it back as soon as he'd had the pleasure of undressing her, but for now it was hers.
"Honeymoon." Jinx made a small, disparaging sound.
"Oh, don't go all nonconformist on me," Wally teased. "You like a vacation as much as anyone else."
"True, true."
Jinx mulled over the honeymooning options as she skipped a smooth stone out across the waves. It hit the water with a tremendous slap, bounced once, and sank resentfully under the sea. "The Alps. We can go skiing and make fun of everyone wearing marshmallow jackets."
"Hmmm." Wally considered. He flicked a much flatter stone across the water. It skipped twelve times before it was swallowed by an incoming wave. "Jamaica. Sun, beaches, hula skirts and all the fruit-infused alcohol you could drink." He nudged her with his elbow.
"We have all that here, Twinkle Toes." Jinx chewed it over, then smiled. "The Mexican Riviera. Beaches and sand for you, cruise ships to sneak onto if we feel like it for me, and – " she leaned up and kissed him, a melding and parting of lips, " – just enough pickpockets to keep things interesting."
"You are a dangerous creature," he mumbled, then smirked. "Fine. I get to drive."
Jinx rolled her eyes. Wally had a fondness for carrying her wherever they went. "What, should I call shotgun?"
"Only the best for my blushing bride." He flashed her favorite lopsided smile as he scooped her into his arms, and she kissed him with crooked lips so that they matched. Eventually they both collapsed into the sand, laughing and panting, and then it was just twining fingers making architecture above their heads and sunlight skimming over crests of waves and the lazy languor of love turning the sunshine into honey.
The clock ticked.
They had eleven more hours.
They eventually did make it out of the country. Jinx marveled over the fact that Wally could run at superhuman speeds across rock-encrusted terrain, while carrying her in his arms, while snogging her senseless.
Several windswept seconds later, Wally skimmed to a stop outside of a gorgeous palm-tree lined resort, all red Spanish roofs and shimmering waters. She could see the sprawling beach from the very front of the hotel, brimming with bronzed Latinos and dotted with umbrellas all the shades of Jinx's favorite ice cream flavors.
Jinx turned to him with a wry smile, straightening the amaranth blossoms that were miraculously still pinned in her hair. "Only the best?"
"Only the best," he agreed.
They checked in – Wally paying with crumpled dollar bills that looked suspiciously as though they'd been filched from Beast Boy's emergency tofu fund – and spent the next hours wandering the beach, fingers threaded. At one point they wandered into one of the dim bars lining the beachfront. Jinx thoroughly impressed the bartender as she swigged several mango shots and then staggered straight into Wally's arms. He looked down at her disapprovingly.
"What?" She hit him lightly on the bicep and winced – he was rock-solid, much to her chagrin. "It's after twelve, for frick's sake. Live a little."
"It's eleven forty-three," he corrected, then shook his head sanctimoniously. "And here I was thinking I was making an honest woman out of you."
"Oh, please. You couldn't straighten me out if you stretched me on the rack."
He grinned down at her. "It's not for lack of trying." He was silent for a second, then said, "But you know, now that you are an honest woman, there are certain acts endorsed by God and by law that we are now legally allowed to do…"
Jinx rolled her eyes. "Men."
"What can I say? We have one-track minds."
"And a one-track ticket back home if you don't remove your gaze from my…unmentionables."
"I'd mention them."
She smacked him. He winced. She raised an eyebrow, waiting.
He sighed."Forgive me?"
"Maybe."
He pulled his face into a puppy-dog pout. A low blow, but an effective one. She eyed him for a moment, then relented. "Fine. Later."
He whooped. She smacked him again. The bar applauded as he swept her into a dramatic dip and kissed her crooked – her favorite kind. So maybe, she thought, life as a married woman has its perks.
As Jinx opened her eyes to make a smarmy comment, her eyes caught the clock above the bamboo-lined bar. Eleven fifty-eight.
Neither of them could know that they had only seven hours left.
"So…" she mentioned a while later, as they sat on the sun-drenched pier, swirling their feet in the water.
"So?" Wally leaned back onto the rough wooden dock, tilting his face to the brilliant sun. The light caught the flash-fire of his hair.
"We're married. We're honeymooning." She nibbled on a hangnail. "What's next?"
"What's wrong with just chilling out for a couple of days?" He spread his arms out, wide as a bird. "We're on the coast of Mexico, at a beautiful resort, with nothing on our plates. Relax."
"Relaxing is a waste of time. We have our whole retirement to sit around and be lazy."
"Yeah, but we've only been lazy for –" he glanced at his watch, "six hours and some change."
"Isn't that long enough?" Jinx started to say, but her words were suddenly cut off as the gleaming turquoise sea lapping tranquilly against the pier's wooden legs abruptly roughened. A huge wave swept against the dock, smacking against them with the force of a baseball bat. Jinx leapt to her feet, sputtering against the brackish water in her mouth. Her eyes burned from the salt.
Something sleek and dark erupted from the waves. Wally managed a shout of surprise before Aqualad landed with a painful thump on the wooden planks at their feet.
He immediately curled up into himself, chest heaving as he gasped for air. Jinx and Wally rushed to roll him over onto his side.
Jinx's heart, so tranquil before, began a sprint inside her chest.
Aqualad spat water from between clenched teeth as he maneuvered himself into a kneeling position. His face was white, his eyes frantic. Jinx could see the cords of his neck straining as he sucked air into his lungs.
Fear pricked at the base of her neck, and her criminal instincts were screaming at her to run – runrunrun, as fast as she could. She'd never disobeyed them before, and had few plans to start now – but for Wally, and Wally only, she stayed.
Wally was speaking to Aqualad, calming him, a rollercoaster of words. Aqualad coughed once more, the last drops of water dribbling from his lungs, and shook his head to clear it.
"Came – all the way – from Sea of – Japan," he panted. "News. Bad news."
Dread wormed its way into her stomach. She glanced at Wally and saw her apprehension mirrored in his eyes. "What's wrong? What happened?"
Aqualad took a deep, slow breath, and as his chest stopped heaving from exertion, his clenched fists relaxed. His knuckles were scarred, Jinx noticed distantly. His temple, too – a long, jagged scar that ran from forehead to cheek. This was a man who swung his fists and charged the enemy and faced danger head-first.
And yet he was afraid.
He looked straight at her with pity and terror all mixed up in his eyes. "You've been traced."
And it was then that Jinx finally understood that their hours were numbered.
