-NOTE- In the previous chapter I replaced Speedy with Kid Flash who, as you all know even if I'd forgotten, is the one who saved Jinx from a life of crime. My apologies for such a blunder.

Again, potential adult themes. Don't worry, Robin survived and is okay, if a bit shaken. It's not that I hate him; it's that he's seen as the best pairing for Raven. And even in a story which is not BBxRae, I tend to despise RobinxRaven. I haven't watched any Teen Titan animation in years - not since I stopped writing. When I started this story I saw there were two movies on the Teen Titans that I hadn't seen. Between the first chapter and the second I watched them and both leaned more heavily towards RobinxRaven than BBxRae. In this story he pays the price for that. He's a hero and will remain a hero in this story, but that doesn't mean he has to enjoy it too much. And yes, someone who repeatedly risks their life for the sake of others is a hero even if their personal life is a mess. Robin is a hero.

Just read up on Kid Flash's abilities. Scary - he could give Superman a run for his money. At the moment I can think of only one way for Beast Boy to beat him when he's not hindered by Jinx's curses. I do feel some guilt for what I did to him.

If anyone wants to mention two well-known heroes who will face Team Beast please make a comment.

So many ideas for new powers Beast Boy might have. I'm excited.

A Meeting of Minds

Robin sat in his office pretending he was the confident and capable leader he'd been the day before. His expression was one of resolute determination that would inspire any Titan to follow him into hopeless battle. Inside he wept. He wasn't sure what'd happened but as the sun had finally chased the moon from the sky, and he'd resigned himself to life on a sex-offenders list, the golden-haired dog with the intelligent-looking eyes had given him a very human grin, and to his everlasting shock had shifted into a very attractive blonde-haired woman, sans clothes. She'd smiled up at him, given him a chaste kiss on the lips, and then untied him. A few seconds later, with his mind still broken and not all there, he'd watched as the other seven dogs had shifted into the form of seven young men.

The boy recalled the woman's parting words. "Thanks for the fun night. Tell Raven I'm open to another bondage session with you whenever you're free." Robin let his head rest on his desk, his mind refusing to settle down, to become coherent. Primarily in his thoughts was the relief that he hadn't actually done it with . . . . He shuddered, clasping his arms around his body to ward off the chill that went down his spine. Obviously they'd been were-creatures of some sort, and just as obvious they'd had a human form. They weren't beasts. That seven of them were men didn't faze him too much given what he'd originally thought. It wasn't his thing, but what right did he have to complain given his clear addiction to women and all the lives he was messing up.

Given the woman had mentioned Raven he wasn't too worried about incriminating tapes. Raven was a Titan, a member of his team, and he knew beyond any doubt that he could trust her with his life. With his soul even. The problem rested within him. For the half-demon woman to have done such a thing he knew he himself had broken her trust, had gone beyond what he should have. Yet he couldn't recall much about the previous day other than that cage and what'd happened there. The rest was a blank. Had he made a pass at Raven? Or, heaven forbid, had he made a pass at Bumblebee?

"Morning," Raven said, entering the office. The violet-eyed girl immediately took a seat, taking a sip from the cup of hot chocolate she'd brought with her. "How did the night go? Was it all you hoped for?"

Robin gulped, not sure how to respond. "It was interesting," he admitted. "But not something I ever want to repeat. Next time just kill me. Please."

"Okay," came the unhesitating reply.

Robin kept his eyes on his desk, wondering just how much of the show Raven had watched. For several minutes there was silence in the room as neither spoke.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news," Raven finally said, placing her empty cup on the boy's desk. "But I think we have a situation."

"Situation?"

"Kid Flash dropped by wanting to see you. Seems last night Jinx and Beast Boy robbed a jewelry store."

Robin blinked, sure he'd heard the girl wrong. Jinx was a full-fledged member of the Titans and what little he'd heard of her said she was happy as such. As for Beast Boy, he was the very definition of a Titan. "How much did Kid Flash have to drink last night?" he asked.

"Not enough to dream up the security footage we got of Beast Boy smashing display cases in the store."

Robin shook his head. "Any idea if the Jump City Prankster's Club staged the display, or did some photoshopping?"

"Sorry. So you don't know anything about it?"

Robin frowned. "To be honest I can't recall much about last night other than . . . you know. But I'm pretty sure I wouldn't drive him away. We need him."

"I agree," Raven mused. "Guess it was the Mad Vandal incident. "

"Mad Vandal incident?"

"You don't want to know." Raven cringed a little recalling what she'd almost inhaled the night before.

"Kid Flash say anything else?"

Raven nodded. "He asked that we keep silent on Jinx. Seems their life of bliss wasn't so blissful and they had an argument. He hopes she'll see reason and return to being a Titan."

Robin frowned, once again torn between the light and the dark, knowing the two should never mix. "We can't afford to cast aside two Titans like Jinx and Beast Boy," he finally answered. "But be sure not to let the Justice League or anyone else get wind of this. After all, maybe it was Jinx and Beast Boy who had too much to drink."

Raven nodded. "A bad breakup, a few too many drinks to bury the pain, and Jinx might've let old habits resurface. We keep quiet then." The girl gave a small sigh of relief, not having been sure what their leader would do.

"Just how did they manage to escape thought if Kid Flash saw the robbery?"

Raven hesitated. "You don't want to know."

"How am I supposed to lead a team if everything is something I don't want to know?"

"Let's just say Jinx got lucky and Beast Boy used villainous methods."

Beast Boy and Jinx at Breakfast

Beast Boy stretched and rolled over, scratching his stomach. Kind girl, he mused, thinking of Jinx. Not only had she showed him how to pawn the loot they'd collected, but she'd even allowed him to crash at her place. He looked around the room she'd told him he could use. It was a kind of small for a human but more than roomy for a small dog. He'd made a bed with the one blanket she'd found for him and spent the night in deep sleep as a poodle.

The boy, poodle rather, stretched out, recalling how they'd pawned the loot. Jinx had led them to a well-known international bank and had him dump the loot down a chute. He'd pressed a few buttons and voila, a debit card with a hundred-and-eighty grand on it had popped out. Seems it was all automated. The jewelry was sorted and appraised by machines within a minute and the customer had their money before the police could hope to track them down. Being automatic no one at the bank could be charged with laundering the loot. And the bank couldn't exactly check it against a list of stolen jewelry when it would take the store days to make such a list. It was too late then. It was a clever setup.

My first job as a villain, Beast Boy thought, fingering the debit card. Even if it was only thirty cents on the dollar it's pretty good pay for ten minutes effort. I might like this. If only I could use it to pay for a psychiatrist. It was a tempting idea but he figured any psychiatrist worth going to would report him to the police.

Rolling to his feet the boy pushed the door open and took his human form. The house was small but well kept. Upon hearing a curse from the kitchen he headed that way.

"Morning," he said, greeting the pink-haired girl who was throwing curses, and thankfully not hexes, around like crazy.

"You're still here?" Jinx fumed. She tried to crack an egg on the edge of a pan but the egg, as well as the pan, went flying. The girl let out another series of curses.

"If you want I can cook breakfast," Beast Boy offered, eyeing the shattered remains of half-a-dozen eggs that littered the floor. He carefully stepped around them to approach the girl.

"I can do it," Jinx fumed. When the next egg hit the ceiling as if levitated by magic, the girl used the pan to batter the remaining eggs and the egg carton with all the strength a meta-human like her had. The counter cracked.

"Bad morning?" Beast Boy asked, knowing he should keep quiet.

Jinx turned on the boy. "You think?" she asked, sarcastically. "You know what it's like trying to cook when you're cursed?" She waved the badly mangled pan under his nose. "Nothing ever turns out right. Nothing. Not. Ever." She threw the pan into the garbage.

"Obviously you can cook sometimes," Beast Boy said, looking the kitchen over. "Otherwise this place would be demolished." His eyes turned to rest on the damaged counter.

"Boy, are you dumb," Jinx said, shaking her head in wonder. "I guess I should give thanks for that. I could be cursed and dumb. That would really suck."

Wow. I wonder if she and Raven are related," Beast Boy thought. That's exactly the sort of attitude she takes with me.

Jinx continued to stare at the boy, waiting for him to say something, or realize the obvious. She tapped her foot impatiently. "Do you lose your brains each time you change to an animal?" she asked, voice harsh and condescending.

"Technically, yes."

Jinx blinked at the honest answer."Do you think someone who can't cook would buy eggs?" she asked, lips pursed, frowning intensely at the boy.

"Well . . . ." He shrugged. "You did."

The girl did a facepalm. "Kid, go back to the Titans and beg for leniency. You don't have the makings of a villain. Even Cinderblock has more brains than you, and you know what his head is full off."

Beast Boy, feeling as confused as he usually did when debating Raven, shrugged and let the insults slide. He looked around, wondering what was so obvious. There were knives on the floor where the girl had knocked them in her outburst, a cabinet filled with spices, the mess of eggs, a stove, a counter, . . . . Basically it looked like a normal kitchen to him. Tidy and shined to a polish. He turned back to the girl with a puzzled expression on his face. "Want me to help clean up?" he asked.

"So that's why the Titans keep you around, for comic relief," Jinx said with a nod. "That explains it."

Feeling out of place, the boy kept looking around. He tilted his head, focusing his ears. "Someone just pulled into the driveway," he said. "You expecting company?"

"Idiot, run," Jinx said with exasperation.

"Why? It's not the cops." He let out a yelp when Jinx grabbed his ear and tugged him towards the back door.

"Because we broke into this place and wrecked the kitchen," the girl retorted. "You think I would even have a kitchen if I owned a house. I'm lucky when the microwave doesn't explode."

Finding a Lair

An hour later, having ordered a couple of subs from a fast food outlet, the two aimlessly walked around the city.

"Stop following me," Jinx coldly muttered at the boy.

"Why can't you cook?" Beast Boy paid the girl's command no more heed than he would have Raven's.

"Because I'm cursed." Jinx made a left turn, leaving the boy behind. For five minutes she traversed the streets alone, thinking about her future. She'd enjoyed her life as a hero. Bad sex aside, she'd really been in love with Kid Flash. He was kind, generous, funny, and someone she'd been able to trust. Or so she'd believed. She'd been obviously wrong on the trust part, which made her wonder just how right she'd been about his other qualities. She'd also been able to do normal things, like shop, without being interrupted. Sure, the police still saw her as a criminal, but they hesitated to tackle any villains. That was the job of heroes. Now she was a villain again, only without the protection of a group. And, given her betrayal, she could expect any number of both heroes and villains to hunt her.

"Strange curse that keeps you from cooking."

Jinx sighed. Somehow in her wandering, she'd run into the idiot who wanted to be a villain, again. "It makes me clumsy," she explained. "Unless, that is, I'm in danger. Then it sometimes works in my favor." She turned her back on the boy and marched away, still wondering where she should go and what to do. There were few places that would accept a double traitor, and try as she might to think of a sanctuary, she knew there was none. She was alone, again. She would have to get money and make plans. She would need a place no one could find. Either that or she would have to crush everyone who came after her in such a way that no one dared bother her. Frowning, she gave a sigh of despair. She would have to become as ruthless as someone like Slade. A monster that could kill without remorse.

"So I guess the next step is a lair?"

Jinx cringed. Once again the ex-Titan stood beside her. "Stop following me," she commanded, glaring at the boy. Yet she knew he wasn't the one at fault. He seemed to be wandering as aimlessly as she was. It was her curse trying to make her life miserable again. She wanted to be rid of the annoyance, but the curse wanted the annoyance close by so he could be just that, an annoyance. "Just why do you want to be a villain?" she asked, momentarily accepting the will of the curse.

"To see a psychiatrist."

Jinx sighed, wanting to swear. But that would draw attention. "Have the Titans pay for one."

"Can't afford it. Don't ask why. It's Titan private business."

"How can something that's plastered all over the news be private?" she asked.

"Not sure. But Robin says to keep it private, so . . . ." Beast Boy shrugged. "But if I'm a villain I'll see a psychiatrist in jail."

"So you plan on getting caught? No need for a lair then. Just hit a few banks and wait."

"Well, it's the only chance I'll have to be a villain so I want to give it my best shot." The boy grinned at the girl. "People tend not to take me too seriously. I want to show everyone that I can do things."

"And after you've seen a psychiatrist you'll still be a villain, still be in jail."

"Nay. I'm supposed to be undercover and get information on villains. Also the team needs some practice. Once I've seen the psychiatrist Robin will explain all that and I'll go free. Maybe." He still wasn't too sure on that last part.

Jinx blinked and did a facepalm. "You do know you just admitted that you plan to betray us villains, right? That you're a rat."

"Only if I get caught. Which I know I will since all villains do, but until then I'll be as loyal as the next minion." Beast Boy paused. "Unless they're going to hurt someone."

Jinx did another facepalm.

"Is something wrong? You keep slapping yourself." The ex-Titan sighed. "But the problem is probably me. You know, I often have the exact same effect on Raven."

"I'll admit," Jinx said, "you do need to see a psychiatrist."

Beast Boy nodded. "Yeah, I do." He looked around. "Where are we headed?"

Jinx frowned as she considered the question. "I told you to get lost . . . ."

"Yeah. But each time you left you kept walking in a circle. Then you followed where I was going, which is something even I don't know yet."

"That's the curse. It won't let me get rid of an annoyance. As for where I was going, I don't have a clue. No group of villains will accept me. I'll be hunted like an animal. I need a place safe from both villains and heroes."

"I know the perfect place for that."

Jinx blinked, startled. "You do?" For a second she thought the Titans' mascot might actually have a brain.

"Jail."

The girl blinked again. Nope, no brain, she concluded, resisting another facepalm.

"Free food, free healthcare, lots of perks if you behave, no hero will attack you there, and villains break out, not in."

Jinx paused. "You know, you're right. Villains even get their own cell with facilities."

"It'll also make the perfect lair."

"Being locked up sort of hinders a person's ability to be villainous," Jinx countered.

"After the Mad Vandal made his appearance, a lot of villains left the city with a lot of the minor criminals who depended on them for jobs also leaving. As a result the city closed down the western section of the main jail. Anyone looking for a villain is going to see the jail wall and conclude the person they're looking for isn't there. You don't look for a free criminal inside a jail."

"True."

"It even has running water and is still hooked up to the grid. Only thing is the kitchen is in the center section of the jail."

"The heck with kitchens," Jinx muttered. "I can't use them anyway."

A Villainous Plan

"So what's our goal?" Beast Boy asked, sitting back in a very comfortable chair. Getting in the jail had been as simple as jumping over the wall, which no one was watching, and having Jinx hex every lock they found until they ran into more than a dozen pass cards in a guard room. Some parts, like the cells, were still closed off to them, but the rest was now freely accessible.

"A free lair," Jinx muttered. "A large and comfortable one at that." She shook her head in disgust. "You know some of the places I used to hang out in?" The girl looked around. "I wonder if they run checks on this part."

"They don't. Not enough manpower and, as far as they see it, no need to. You could have a ball in here, one where even Robin is invited, and they wouldn't notice."

The girl nodded, pacing around on the cold, stone floor. "Robbing jewelry stores is always good money. We could hit a few banks, but security there is tighter." There was a short pause in her pacing when she realized she'd used 'we.' Damn, she mused, the fleabag grows on a person pretty quick. Must be a survival trait.

"Cool. I wonder how many we can hit before we get caught."

Jinx frowned. "Not many before Kid Flash catches us," she assured the boy.

"I doubt he'll be doing much running today," Beast Boy said, trying not to sound worried. He gulped nervously. "Tomorrow, maybe."

"Why?"

"Let's just say he must be pretty hungry by now?"

The girl shrugged. Mad as she was she still felt worried about the guy. She shook her head, and focused on the task at hand. "Give me a hundred sit ups, then a hundred push ups," she commanded.

"Why?" Beast Boy asked only to be struck in the chest with a brutal, double blast of hexes.

"Now," the pink-haired girl roared. Then she sat down to do the same herself. "We need to make sure we're in peak condition," she explained. "If I'm on this team you're doing exercise routines at least twice a day."

Getting a Ride

The two would-be villains once again prowled through the streets of Jump City, eyeing cars. For the heists they needed a ride, and since they were thieves it only made sense to steal a car.

"This one," Jinx suggested, pointing to a small white car that had a unicorn for a hood ornament.

"Too small. Not enough muscle," Beast Boy countered, puzzled the girl would even suggest such a ride. "This one," he added, pointing to a huge truck that looked like the very incarnation of power.

"Where would we carry the loot?" Jinx asked, shaking her head in disgust at the boy. "Every bit of space is taken up with stereos." Her eyes lit up as she saw a pink truck with a unicorn on the hood. "It's perfect," she exclaimed. "We got our ride."

"It's pink," Beast Boy said, cringing. "And it belongs to a hooker. Either that or Robin"

Jinx looked at her partner in crime. "How can you tell?"

Beast Boy wrinkled his nose. "Oh, I can tell all right. It's used for sex at least a dozen times a night." He backed away from the vehicle. "How about that one?" he asked, pointing to a very fast-looking, red convertible. "It has speed and what little space it does has is more than enough for our loot."

"I'm not so sure," Jinx replied after a few seconds studying the car. "I like the color and it looks great, but loot can build up faster than you would expect."

"Toss a coin?"

Jinx shrugged. "Sure. You have a coin?"

"No. Just this debit card."

The girl frowned, watching the people pass by. Then she cast a small hex, keeping the motion hidden. It hit a young woman with long, brown hair in the head. Smirking the villainess brushed against her temporarily dazed prey. "Got one," she said, smiling as she turned back towards her partner.

"Don't need one," Beast Boy said, sighing as the woman Jinx had just robbed got into the red convertible and took off.

"Just my luck," Jinx fumed. She let her eyes continue to roam over the parking lot. "That one, maybe?" let said, pointing at a delivery truck with a large red rose on the side. Then she shook her head. "No." Her lips turned down as she considered other places and other roses.

"We have our ride," Beast Boy suddenly stated, pointing, breathing hard.

Jinx licked her lips, studying the vehicle in question. It was large and pure black with more than enough room for any loot they might collect. It also spoke of power with what was clearly custom designed everything. "I bet we could outrace the T-car in that," she said, voice low.

"So, we pick the lock and hotwire it?" Beast Boy asked.

"You know how to?"

"Sort of. I read up on it on my last day as a hero."

"Some villain," Jinx snorted. She tapped the car lock with her index finger, triggering a hex. The door opened. "I'm driving," she stated, making it clear there was to be no discussion. "Now, which jewelry store first?" She pulled the truck out of its parking spot and looked over at the boy.

"We'll discuss that later. Right now I suggest you drive?"

"Why?"

Beast Boy pointed. Bearing down on them, running for all he was worth with a giant bag of loot in his hand, was Billy Numerous. Close behind was Robin and Raven. Then the T-car came into view.

"Oh crud," Jinx muttered. "All this trouble to steal a car? Might have been easier to just buy one." She threw the truck into gear and roared off.

Beast Boy looked over the seat into the back of the truck. "Good start to the day though," he assured the girl. "He must've already hit three or four banks."

"Great," Jinx agreed. "But we won't get to hit anything unless we get away from this guy and those good-for-nothing heroes. She upped the speed. "Grab the wheel," she ordered and let go before Beast Boy had a chance to obey. Through the open window she let loose with several hexes, causing Billy Numerous to split into a dozen clones.

Beast Boy held the wheel, keeping the truck moving straight. Then, out of nowhere, the Batmobile appeared. "Hold on," was all the surprised boy managed to shriek before villain-mobile met hero-mobile. Despite what might've been superior technology the Batmobile was out massed at least three to one; that and they had the advantage of striking their stunned foe on the side. In the form of a gorilla Beast Boy kept hold of both Jinx and the wheel as their ride smashed through the barricade, sending the enemy spinning like a top.

Despite the shock, Jinx, a true villain who was always ready for surprises, managed to keep throwing hexes at Billy Numerous. Watching, the girl saw Billy Numerous briefly become a hundred clones as he ran past Batman who was crawling out of the Batmobile. Without hesitation she threw a few hexes at the caped crusader, immediately marking him as the more dangerous foe. Then a wave of Billy Numerous clones fell to the ground as Batman leapt to the top of the Batmobile. Jinx figured the guy had activated the car's security system but didn't give it much thought - the man was looking straight at them.

"So this is what's it's like being on the other end," Beast Boy said. "Exciting."

"Remember, it's jail if we're caught," Jinx bellowed back. "And that's Batman we just rammed."

"Perhaps too exciting," the boy admitted. "But I think Batman has bigger problems than us right now?"

"I doubt Billy Numerous will be much trouble for him," the girl stated, still casting hexes. Then her eyes went wide. "Frig," was all she said as the T-car came into view. Roaring down the street at over three-hundred kilometer an hour the Mad Vandal struck the Batmobile with Batman still atop it, only barely missing his teammates and the Billy Numerous clones who had had the sense to flee when they saw the T-car.

"Guy doesn't really distinguish between friend and foe anymore," Beast Boy explained. "So, for the sake of Azareth please stop him."

Jinx took aim and rained forth one hex after another. Several hit the black car but appeared to do nothing of significance. While metal, rubber, glass, and plastic all buckled or exploded beneath the attacks the T-car was massively armored and nothing reached its core. "What the heck is that thing made of?" the girl asked, bellowing the words.

"Pure insanity," Beast Boy replied, hitting the brakes to take a sharp turn. There was the screeching sound of metal on metal as the T-car flashed past.

"Sorry, but it seems my hexes doesn't work on crazy," Jinx loudly muttered, taking the wheel again.

"We have a few seconds before he can stop and backtrack," Beast Boy said. "What do we do?"

"Run?"

"He'll have us on radar," the boy replied.

"Abandon the truck?"

Beast Boy nodded. "Might be a good idea. Good ride though. Be a shame to waste it, not to mention the cash in back."

Jinx frowned. "I like money," she admitted.

"I don't know what it's like to have money," Beast Boy answered. "But I would hate for my career as a villain to be over in less than a day. I'll never live it down."

The girl pouted, thinking. "If we ram him?"

"We get tossed in the air like a bottle rocket. Then we crash." The shape shifter shrugged. "It'll hurt. He's heavier and faster."

"But smaller wheels," Jinx mused.

"The park," they both said together, and Jinx set the vehicle in motion.

They went off the road, using the city park as a race track. Powerful as the T-car was, the heavy armor and smaller wheels hindered it. In the more rugged land of the park both vehicles once again matched wits with the stolen ride always evading and trying to open the distance between the two while the T-car tried to close it, to ram. On the rare occasion there was the blast of a sonic cannon, but with both vehicles moving on random courses the odds of hitting were low.

Even so the battle would've gone to the T-car if not for one thing - gas. It took a lot of energy to keep fifteen tons of T-car moving at high speed over rugged land. It was the only aspect in which the stolen ride of Billy Numerous had the advantage. It was large with room for more fuel and had less mass to push. In the end the two villains left the park, racing for freedom as they evaded the sonic cannon of the Mad Vandal who stood raging beside a gasless T-car.

"We have our ride," Jinx said several minutes later as she poured gas into the thankfully very large gas tank.

"Would've been easier to buy a car," Beast Boy replied.

"That's what I said."

With the ride in order the two set out to hit as many jewelry stores as they could. To Jinx's amazement the shapeshifter was very adept at that. He would walk between two rows of display cases as gorilla with the left arm on one case and the right on another. Then he would just rip the tops off of both of them. As an octopus, with one arm somehow very deftly holding a sack open, he then used the other seven to ransack the nearest four display cases. In all, it took the boy under three minutes to loot an entire jewelry store of thousands of pieces of jewelry, and he didn't even get any broken glass in the sack. The banks always charged a penalty for broken glass - they considered it an attempt to trick them. It was a penalty the unlucky girl always had to pay.

With the fast ride and no sign of the Titans or Batman, they hit twenty jewelry stores in short succession before calling it quits. While they both agreed the free loot was great, they also felt it was just too easy with Jinx worrying it would lead to bad habits amongst the team, small as it was. The pink-haired girl absolutely refused to let her new life as a villain start out with sloppy work.

The ride they decided to keep. While they were sure Billy Numerous would have a tracking device on it, they were also sure the guy would now be in jail. That and the underground parking lot of their new lair would block any such signals. So, at the early hour of eleven pm, the two master criminals settled down with pizza, sodas, and a couple of movies.

Family Feud

With his granite chin radiating unrelenting sternness, Batman stalked around Robin's office, studying the Titans. The massive muscles of his biceps said he was ready to hit someone, while the way his gauntlet-clad hands were clenched into dark fists with blades fully extended guaranteed it would hurt - a lot. Then, to everyone's dread, the dark crusader stopped his pacing.

"I came here to ask you people several simple questions," the man stated, tone deep and intimidating. His eyes came to a rest on Bumblebee. "What is the meaning of this?" He held up a picture of Kid Flash with three condoms hanging from his mouth. "Why was this posted on the Titans East website?"

The woman shrugged. "It's perfectly legit," she claimed, only cringing a little. "We often post photos of each other from when we fight crime. The funny ones lets us all know we aren't perfect. It boosts the morale when we get a good laugh, and it means we don't dwell too long on our own mistakes."

"Hrmph." Batman continued to stare. "And what does Kid Flash have to say about it? Doesn't he have a right to veto such a picture?"

Bumblebee suppressed a giggle. "Right now he isn't saying much of anything." At the caped crusader's frown she explained. "There was glue in the condoms. His mouth is glued shut so he can't eat. He's weak as a kitten."

"He's okay?" The tone demanded an instant and truthful reply.

"Perfectly fine," Bumblebee replied. "He won't be winning this month's 'Titans in Action Funniest Picture Contest' though. But then he's won it for two years straight, and it's time someone broke that winning streak of his."

"I see." Batman's dark tone indicated the opposite. He turned towards Robin. "I must say, you've become quite famous."

Robin gritted his teeth and took a deep breath before answering. "We should applaud your teaching skills then."

"That's not funny." Now it was Batman who was gritting his teeth.

"I thought it was." Robin gave a careless shrug.

"I never created such a fiasco in my life."

"There was the time you and Batgirl . . . ."

"That was different," Batman said, quickly interrupting.

"Then there was Supergirl when you . . . ."

"That never happened," came the immediate reply.

"No. You just wish it did," Robin said with a smirk. "Two busted testicles took you down a peg or two for a while."

"Any more smart-Alex nonsense out of you and I'll take your whole team down a peg." Batman let his eyes slid over to Raven, indicating the distaste he felt at seeing her.

"You won't," Robin said with assurance. "If you do I might explain just why you didn't make it to that ball." He smirked. "I'll explain it to both of them."

Batman, his chin now looking more like white chalk than granite, hesitated. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't what? Tell the woman you're dating that you stood her up for another woman. Or tell the woman your secret identity is dating that you stood her up for another woman? Or tell them about each other?"

Batman shrunk back from the judgemental gaze of the Teen Titans. "I have to keep up appearances," he claimed, still sounding tough. "Having a girlfriend as Batman helps keep my secret identity a secret. No one would expect my secret identity to have a girlfriend if Batman does." He looked at the young Titans, seeing their look of disapproval. "It's necessary," he told them, now sounding desperate. "Some people have tried to find out who I am by seeing when I have a girlfriend versus the people they think my secret identity is."

"And the third one?" Robin asked. "You know. The one you stood each of them up for?"

Batman took a step back before rising to his full height, restating his dignity and authority. "Why did two of your Titans ram my vehicle?" he demanded.

Robin shook his head. "I've had Cy check the footage from several security cameras around the incident," he confidently claimed, deeply grateful that, for once, the Mad Vandal had listened to orders. "You ran a red light. While your radar system might've indicated the way was clear it still doesn't change the fact that you broke the law."

'If they'd been going within the speed limit . . . ."

"Doesn't change the fact that you broke the law," Robin restated.

"And the T-car." Batman shook his head. "You have any idea how much that hurt?"

"Technically you were still in the intersection and light was still red," Robin said, standing firm with his heart up in his throat, knowing to falter might doom his team.

"Your teammates broke the law by speeding," Batman claimed. "And why were they in that vehicle in the first place? It belongs to the criminal I helped apprehend."

"We expected Billy Numerous might have had weapons cached aboard his truck," Robin calmly explained. "Or, even worse, that he might have had heavy weaponry installed on it. It was a reasonable action to separate the two. That counters any speeding charges since we were trying to apprehend a known felon."

"And the T-car?"

"Was being used to disrupt the unity of the Billy Numerous clones. If they're disorganized they're easier to defeat." The boy shook his head. "As I recall, you taught me that. Just how old are you now? Maybe a bit of senility creeping in?"

"Don't mock me." The tone, eerily calm, promised instant retaliation for any further mockery.

Robin swallowed and nodded. "I'm sorry. I went a bit too far there." He grinned at his old teacher. "Maybe when I've beaten you at even one game of chess I'll try it again. But it was uncalled for. I'm sorry your trip to Jump City was so disastrous."

"The bill for repairs on the Bat . . . ."

"We'll excuse you from the cost of repairing the T-car," Robin said, quickly interrupting. "We understand you didn't deliberately hinder the lawful traffic of Jump City and cause two potentially fatal accidents."

"I see." The Batman grinned, proud of his student's ability to lead and defend his team, if not keep his personal life discrete. "Good job," he added before turning to leave.

"No one say anything," Robin spoke as soon as the door closed. He turned to Raven. "That look he gave you was just to test your mettle as a Titan. Don't take it personally."

Raven nodded.

"We need to do a full sweep for bugs," Robin continued. "No one talks until it's done and you've all taken a shower and disposed of the clothes you're wearing. Be sure to check behind your ears and in your hair."

"Harsh," Bumblebee said. "Does that mean I've got to get rid of the sexy panties Raven bought me?"