Swindle Chapter 21: Celebration, a teen titans fanfic

"Swindle" by Ed Alger (SecondLevelWriter)

Author's note: Yeah, finally! Get thee behind me, procrastination!
Teen Titans and all related characters are property of DC Comics and are being used without permission. Song credits are listed at the end of the chapter. We're so close now...

Chapter 21
Celebration

It was a pleasant flight back to Jump City. The Teen Titans dropped Swipe and Jinx off at their motel hideout and wished them a good night. On their way back, however, the team did not expect to see an invitation to a comeback party being held at the Retro Zone. Starfire didn't even need to convince the others to attend.

They were greeted at the door by Rick, who cheerfully opened the door and ushered them inside. The club was mostly full and abuzz with curiosity towards the presence of the superhero team, but otherwise nothing out of the ordinary. The house band was warming up and running mic checks, yet there was no sign of Swipe or Jinx.

"Knowing him, he's got some kind of grand entrance planned out," Robin mused to himself. "Knowing him, he'll come down from up there. Right about… now," Raven added, pointing toward the catwalks over the stage.

As if on cue, just before the band started up their first song, a voice cut in over the speakers and sang in blazing glory.

"You got the touch... You got the power-r-r-r!"

Confused glances were thrown every which way as the audience and the band attempted to figure out where that voice came from. Mike was the first to look upwards, and a grin spread across his face when he recognized the mystery singer.

"He's back. Guys! The kid's back!"

The drummer turned everyone's attention towards the ceiling where Swipe had begun his descent to the stage using his grappling gun. A spotlight shone on him the whole way, prompting the whole place to erupt into applause as they also recognized the familiar face. The band started playing the appropriate opening riffs as the thief made his landing. The Titans joined in the applause, glad to see their newest friend back where he loved to be.

Swipe pulled the microphone from his belt loop and continued singing;

After all is said and done
You've never walked, you've never run
You're a WINNER!
Got the moves, you know the street
Break the rules, take the heat
You're NOBODY'S FOOL!
You're at your best when the goin' gets rough
You've been put to the test, but it's never eno-o-ough!

As the chorus approached, Swipe signaled to the side of the stage where Jinx anxiously awaited. She nodded quickly and picked up a spare microphone to join in.

You got the TOUCH!
You got the POWER!
When all hell's breakin' loose
You'll be right in the eye of the storm!
You got the HEART!
You got the MOTION!
You know that when things get too tough...
You got the TOUCH!

During the guitar solo, Swipe gave Jinx an enthusiastic hug and informed the whole night club, "It feels so GOOD to be back again!" As the audience roared, the rogue continued singing.

You never bend, you never break
You seem to know just what it takes
You're a FIGHTER!
It's in the blood. It's in the will
It's in the mighty hands of steel
When you're STANDING YOUR GROUND!
And you never get hit when your back's to the wall
Gonna fight to the end, and you're taking it all!

The song finished with great intensity as everyone was psyched up to hear of Swipe's adventures. The rogue first greeted the guys in the band with handshakes, high-fives, and promises that they'll hear everything in a moment. He then turned his attention to the crowd, some of whom were excitedly telling friends on their cell phones to get down to the club and see what's happening.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Swipe paused for the cheering to calm down before continuing, "You're in for a very special show tonight! It's our very first VICTORY PARTY!"

Swipe stabbed his right arm upward, striking a pose for the roaring crowd. Amid the throng, he spied the Teen Titans still hanging out in the back of the room. This, he believed, needed to be remedied.

"What th' hell're you guys doing, hiding on me back there? Get up here! Everyone, the Teen Titans! If it weren't for them, this night wouldn't even have been possible!"

The audience broke out into another strong round of applause for their resident heroes. Raven stuck to the back of the group while Beast Boy rode on Cyborg's shoulders and soaked up the adulation. Starfire cheerfully waved to everyone she could see in the crowd, to which Robin reluctantly joined in.

"With the help of these guys, I stopped Brother Blood from takin' over this city an' takin' over the mind of the girl I adore! All you guys here in this club are lookin' at a coupla new heroes!"

The crowd expressed their approval with another loud round of applause.

"An' heroes need more hero music! Let's keep this party rolling ALL NIGHT!"

With that, Mike counted off the rhythm and immediately kicked off another favorite. Swipe sang with the most energy he could put out, and got everyone solidly into a partying mood. Many more songs were sung that night, from every artist they could think of. By night's end, Swipe had one more request.

"Guys, if I may, I'd like to sing our song. I think you know what I'm talking about."

Tim gave a nod and began to play the opening notes on his keyboard. Swipe gave a thumbs-up and turned back to Jinx.

"Jinxie, this next song has held us together in more ways than anyone could think of. I wanna sing it to you tonight, for old time's sake."

A tearful smile spread across the hex-caster's face as she nodded her permission. Their gaze never broke even as the rogue started singing.

Lyin' beside you, here in the dark
Feelin' your heart beat... with mine
Softly you whisper... You're so sincere
How could our love be so blind?

We sailed on together and drifted apart
And here you are by my side...

As the music swelled into the chorus, Swipe took Jinx by the hand and started to dance with her. Although the steps were hardly the waltz they did before, it was still just as special as that first night. From the audience, Starfire sighed happily and leaned over to Robin's ear.

"It is good to see them together again, and to see them so happy."

Robin nodded once in agreement, replying, "It just shows how willing Swipe is to fight for someone that means a lot to him."

Behind them, Cyborg's look of slight regret was finally noticed by Raven. She glided up closer to Cyborg's audio receptor and asked him a question in secret.

"What's wrong?"

"Aw, it's nothing."

Raven's deadpan gaze showed that she wasn't buying that line.

"I'm serious, Raven. It's nothing, really…"

"It's about what happened at the academy, isn't it?"

Cyborg's lack of a response seemed to affirm that.

"Cyborg, you were under Brother Blood's influence. What happened between you and Jinx wasn't your fault."

"But I shouldn't have even done it in the first place! The robot part of me should've stopped Blood from tryin' to take over my mind!"

"Sometimes, we're caught at our weakest moment. You should try talking to Swipe about it after the show, if that will make you feel better. Looking at him right now, I'd say it's a fair bet that he's over it."

Cyborg thought about that for a moment and nodded once.

"All right, Rae. Thanks."

"No problem. Now, hush. There's a show going on."

The Titans watched Swipe finish his song to Jinx as he twirled her around the stage. The whole time, Jinx tried her best not to cry too much and simply enjoy this moment. Memories of their first slow dance flooded back into her mind, filling in the last remaining blank spots in her head. Just as the song said, she came back and turned night into day.

The song ended to thunderous applause, and everyone took a bow. Swipe raised his arm up in gratitude, giving an extra smile and nod to the Titans.

"Thank you all for coming out tonight! I'll see you back here next week, I promise! Good night, Jump City!"

After another bow and a tremendous round of applause, Swipe and the others took their leave of the stage. The thief was soon approached by Mr. Bradley, who couldn't have been happier to see him.

"Kid! I didn't think we'd ever see you again! Are you back for sure?"

"For sure, Mr. Bradley. And maybe in a year or two, I might ask to become a full-time employee of the club."

"I'll look forward to that day. Until then, you're still welcome to come and perform whenever you like."

"Thanks, Mr. B. You can count on seein' me again."

The thief spotted the Titans waiting outside for him, and said a quick goodnight to everyone before meeting with the team once more. Robin gave the couple a grin and extended his hand.

"The invitation is still outstanding, you know."

Swipe accepted the handshake and replied, "I know, Robs. But, if you don't mind, I'd like to run independently for a while. I'll come an' help you if ya need it, though. Don't get me wrong!"

Jinx placed her hand over Swipe's, adding, "That goes for me, too. I'm done being a villain. If you need my help, just ask."

"Absolutely. You two have a good night, then. We'll be in touch."

Starfire approached the couple with an expression of barely-controlled joy on her face. Swipe, remembering his past, dropped his smile a little bit out of shame.

"Starfire, I'm sorry 'bout what happened before. I… just lost control that night."

"It is 'okay', Friend Swipe. I will admit that my heart became broken when I realized it was you fighting us at the vault, but Robin did explain later that Brother Blood was the one responsible. Our friendship is untarnished."

The Tamaranian stepped closer to Swipe, causing the rogue to brace himself for an unintentionally bone-crushing hug. To his surprise, he received a gentle pat on both shoulders and a warm smile instead.

"Thanks, Star. I promise it won't happen again."

Cyborg spoke up behind them, "Speaking of things not happening again…"

The rogue put on a smile as he looked over to the blue armored Titan, "It's okay, Cy. I got a little carried away, myself."

"You weren't the only one. And Jinx? I'm really sorry for what happened."

Jinx smiled and shook her head, "Don't worry about it. You made up for it all in Steel City."

"So, still buds?"

Swipe held out his hand, which was soon grasped in a firm handshake of renewed friendship.

"You betcha. You two should come by the tower sometime. I'd like to see how you do at Racer Rally X 2. I need some new competition and BB vowed never to play against me again after I smoked him in our last game."

"That's because you cheated!"

"What? I did not!"

"Dude, I know you did! You probably hacked into the Gamestation when I wasn't looking so you'd have maxed speed all the time! Swipe, you've gotta watch him if you're gonna play against him!"

Cyborg turned away from Swipe to continue his argument with Beast Boy, allowing Raven to get in a few words of her own in typical fashion.

"Nice job, heroes."

"Couldn't have done it without ya," Swipe replied. "You guys have a good night. We'll be in touch!"

As everyone went their separate ways, a sinister shadow crawled across the walls of the alleys towards Swipe's hideout...

On the way home, Jinx finally asked, "Next time, can I do a song?"

"Of course," said the rogue. "What didja have in mind?"

"Now, now. That's a secret."

"Aww, come on, Jinxie. Can't ya give me a hint?"

"Nope. You'll just have to wait and see."

The conversation continued as they walked through the door of their home/hideout.

"Who sings it? Bonnie Tyler?"

"Not telling!"

"The Eurhythmics?"

"I won't give it away, so stop trying!" Jinx started laughing at Swipe's determination.

"It's Cyndi Lauper, isn't it? Am I right? Huh?"

The sorceress threw her arms around her boyfriend and said, "You ask way too many questions, you know that?"

The rogue gave her a squeeze around the middle in return and replied, "Curiosity always gets the better of me, what can I say?"

"I hope this doesn't keep you up tonight. I have a hard time with restless sleepers."

Swipe arched an eyebrow, "Whaddaya mean by that?"

With only a smile and a peck on the cheek as her answer, Jinx slipped away from their embrace and walked over to her bed. After grasping one end of it, she pulled it towards the doorway to Swipe's room. The thief quickly assisted her once he realized her intent. He followed her lead as she maneuvered her bed right next to his, leaving about six or seven inches of space between them.

After it was over, Jinx rubbed her forehead with her arm and said, "Thanks. I take it you don't mind my last minute decision?"

"What makes you think I would?"

They both smiled and shared one last embrace before heading into their respective bathrooms to change into their sleepwear. They got into their beds, kissed each other good night, and slowly fell into slumber.

Hours later, a flickering orange light flooded the bedroom and awakened them both. They ran outside without bothering to get properly dressed, with Swipe only nabbing his daggers on his way out. What they saw as they exited the front door made Jinx scream and gave Swipe pause. A great fire shaped like a runic S burned in the middle of the front yard. In the center of that fire stood a familiar enemy, still wearing the orange and black armor that he had in life.

"Glad to see you back, Swipe. Jinx. You're just in time to deliver a message for me."

"Slade…? It can't be. You're… You're dead!"

"How nice, you remember," Deathstroke replied dryly. "Now, be good enough to remember to show my 'handiwork' to the Titans. Let them know that I have a message for Raven."

"Why Raven?" Jinx spoke up. "She would never be your apprentice."

"That's not my goal... this time, but she'll be useful all the same. Just tell her, 'Daddy's coming home.' She'll know."

With that, Slade turned and walked back into the fire, then vanished without a trace. Jinx clutched Swipe's hand tightly as they could only watch, terrified at Slade's resurrection and bewildered by the mark etched into the ground before them. Swipe gazed at the dying hellfire and muttered something to himself.

"Guess 'happily ever after' will hafta wait a little longer."

End of Chapter 21

End of Book 2

Will there be a Book 3? We'll see!

There never seems to be any rest for anyone in Jump City, wicked or otherwise. Slade rises from his own ashes, bringing the promise of a horrible daemon king's arrival into this world. Swipe must contend with Jinx's old school buddies on top of dealing with this colossal threat. Can Swipe still help save the world without blowing his cover?

Post-script disclaimers: The Touch is written and originally performed by Stan Bush. Open Arms is still originally performed and owned by Journey.