Jump City Sonata
A Teen Titans Fanfiction by Jake McDonald
Opening Notes: Part Five. I know I said last time that there would only be one more part, but I lied. This was getting kind of long, so I split it. This part has 8,000 odd words in it, and the next part is almost as long. After that, I move on to a sequal. I wont be doing any more reviewer responces at the bottom of the story any more, simply because it takes so much time, and they get kind of long. If I think you threw down a really great review, I might e-mail you. I'm really busy right now, so writing this is taking a back seat to school and work. It's still my third priority though. :)
Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Teen Titans, and wouldn't want to any way, so there.
Red and blue lights flashed against the warehouses down on the docks of Jump City. Fourteen police cars, two paddy wagons, and a SWAT van were parked helter skelter across the street, surrounding the tied up pile of Red Caps in the middle of the road.
Raven stood a short distance away, a bloody and beaten Trent lying on the ground at her feet, explaining the situation to an officer. She would occasionally glance over to an ambulance set up at the perimeter, where she knew Jinx was sitting, getting the flesh wound in her right arm looked at.
The bullet Trent had fired had just skimmed the pink haired girls arm, but it still put her down for the fight. Starfire had crushed the gun and broken Trent's arm just a half second latter, and Robin had gone to work on him just after. It went without saying that the young man wouldn't be out of the hospital any time soon. It also went without saying that he was going to spend most of the rest of his life in prison.
Robin and Starfire stood next to each other and watched Kia yelling at Rob. It had been going on for almost five minutes, "...and then you get Starfire involved! Rob, you have to be the dumbest fucktwit on the face of the planet! Did you think Jake and Trent were gonna' play fair?"
"They seemed nice enough..." Rob rubbed the back of his head and grinned sheepishly.
"Oh right! They seemed nice enough. Let's just hope you're never the deciding vote on a jury. What logic." Kia turned to her new friends, "Robin, Star, do you two think you could just punch him until he sees the error of his ways?"
Starfire stepped forward, "It seems to me that Rob has already seen his mistakes. He will be cooperating with the police to capture his supplier, correct?"
"Yeah. I already set it up with that cop I was talking to earlier." Rob nodded, looking very serious, "I'm getting out. No more dealing, no more gangs, no more nothing. I'm gonna' get a REAL job, so you and Mom don't have to worry about me anymore." Rob reached over and hugged his little sister.
"Good." Kia smiled warmly and returned his embrace, "Now let's get home so Mom doesn't kill us both."
"Right." Rob smiled at the two Titans that stood with them, "Robin, nice to meet you. Thanks for taking care of my little sister."
"Any time. She was good company, and she helped me just as much as I helped her." Robin shook Rob's hand.
Rob turned to Star, "Kori... sorry for mixing you up in all of this... I didn't think it would turn out like it did.... and I'm sorry for the weed too... I should have clarified what it was to you."
"You are forgiven on all counts, Robert." Star reached out and hugged him briefly, "I will 'check up' on you latter this week to make sure you have a new job." she looked at him sternly for a moment, then smiled again.
"Robin, it was a blast. Star..." Kia leaned in and whispered something in her ear that made her blush.
"I will." Starfire hugged Kia as well, and the two siblings walked over to the police cruiser that was waiting to take them home.
"I hope we get to see those two again soon... they really are good people. Don't you think so Star?" he turned to where she had been standing just a moment before, but she was gone, "Star?" he looked around, but didn't see her.
Shrugging, he started to walk to the ambulance. He'd find her in a moment, but first he had to make sure the rest of his team was okay. Peaking around the open door in the back of the unit, he knocked on the mettle, "Okay to come in?" he asked.
"Sure, if you don't mind seeing a little skin." came Jinx's reply. Robin gulped and stepped around the door to see her sitting on the back of the ambulance, the right sleeve of her shirt missing. She giggled as he let out a breath.
"Don't scare me like that. I thought they'd taken your whole shirt or something."
"No, they just ruined the one sleeve. Bastards." Jinx poked at the bandages wrapping her arm, "This hurts."
"I bet. I've been winged by bullets before. It sucks."
"Just coming to check up on me?" Jinx flashed him a grin.
"Actually, yes." Robin took on a serious tone, "You took a hard hit out there. I wanted to make sure you were okay." he smiled then and his tone softened, "It's what friends do. If you're going to be a Titan, get used to it."
"So I'm it? Just like that?" Jinx looked unconvinced.
"Well, we still have to run it by Cyborg and Beast Boy, then we have to get the okay from Justice League HQ, but yeah, as far as I'm concerned, you're a Titan." Robin stuck out his hand.
Jinx looked his hand for a moment like it was a foreign object she didn't want to touch, but then grabbed it and they shook, "Go find your girlfriend. I don't want to have to witness any mushy crap when I'm supposed to be moving into my new room."
"Right." Robin nodded with a smile and walked over to where Raven was.
Raven turned to him as he walked up, "Everything is sorted out. The police will take over from here, we're free to head home, I'll get the spare room ready for Jinx, yes I'm taking the bike back, and Starfire is on the roof of the warehouse." she jerked a thumb over her shoulder.
"Uh... thanks Raven..." Robin looked a little overwhelmed, but continued on towards the warehouse any way.
"Don't screw this up, Robin." Raven called over her shoulder as she walked away to retrieve Jinx.
"Don't plan on it." Robin replied. He looked up at the warehouse roof and steeled himself. The moment of truth had come at last.
"Please..." Beast Boy begged, glancing at the clock on the wall, "The others'll be home any second! We have to stop and get dressed!"
Candy was steadily working at the clasp that held his pants shut, "It'll only take a few minutes! Come on, BB! You know you want to... I can tell..." she rubbed at the bulge in his pants with her breasts, then yanked hard on his pants.
They joined the pile of her clothes on the floor a moment latter.
Starfire stared off at the ever lightening horizon from the edge of the warehouse roof. A frown marred her pretty face, and she held her legs up to her body, he chin resting on her knees.
"Why so glum?" Robin asked as he sat down beside her.
Star startled at his sudden appearance. He was so stealthy that he just showed up out of no where sometimes without meaning to.
"I am not sad... simply... disappointed. My night did not go as I had planned it."
"Mine didn't exactly turn out like I wanted it to either." Robin grinned wryly.
Starfire spun to him and grabbed hold of his hands, "It is all my fault, Richard! Had I not been so easily deceived, you might have caught up to me much sooner and we could have spent the night dancing and having fun! I learned so many new dance moves this night! How I wish I could have showed them to you!" she buried her head in his chest and burst into tears.
"Hey, Kori..." Robin tilted her head up and smiled down at her, "There's always tomorrow night, right?"
She smiled back, "I guess you are right... but it should have been THIS night."
"Yeah, well, things don't always go as planed." he suddenly grew nervous, "Um... Kori... there's something I have to tell you."
Star narrowed her eyes, "You didn't.... DO anything with Kia did you? She is much to young for you Richard!"
"What?" Robin looked confused for a second, then shook his head, "No! Kia and I didn't do anything! I just helped her find her brother is all. No, what I want to talk about is..." he stopped, smiled, and peeled off his mask, "I wanted to talk about us Kori."
Starfire stared into his eyes for a long moment. They were blue. The kind of blue that reminded her of the sky just before a storm. Dark, strong, and mysterious. Right now she saw none of those thing reflected there however.
She saw love.
"I have never seen your eyes before." she said as her hand traced his jaw line absently.
"I don't take my mask off very much.... I'll make it a point to more often."
"Good. I like your eyes. They let me see what you are feeling much more clearly."
"If you can see what I'm feeling, then you know that I..." he trailed off for a moment, then started again, down a different path, "You remember the day we met? You were wandering around the city looking so lost and alone."
Starfire smiled at the memory, "You were chasing down a purse snatcher. You had only been in Jump City a short time then, as I recall."
"You just flew right across the street, slammed me into the wall and demanded to know why I was chasing the guy." Robin laughed and rubbed the back of his head as if he could still feel the place his skull had cracked into the brick.
"How was I to know that he was a criminal?" Star smiled and giggled as well.
"Well, after that, I made a vow to myself... that someone so.... innocent as you should be taken care of, and looked after. I hoped then that you would never lose your sense of justice, and so far, you haven't ever let me down."
Star blushed and held a hand to her cheek, "You flatter me."
"It's true... and I've always tried to help you any way I can so you can better understand Earth culture, but.... it's more then that now..." Robin looked down at his hands for a second, then back up to her eyes, "Kori, I.... care for you. Very much. I don't know what I would do without you. Every time we go into battle, I always keep an eye on you to make sure you're okay... I don't want you to get hurt, or leave the team.... or leave me. Ever. Kori.... I.... I love you..... so much." his last few words came out choked and with a hint of tears.
"Oh! Richard! Do not be sad!"
"Sad? I'm just relived I finally got to say it. I love you."
"And I love you as well, Richard Grayson." She was so open and frank about it, saying it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world that Robin was slightly taken aback. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had half expected her to reject him. However, in true Starfire fashion, she had simply stated her emotions, pouring her soul into the words as she poured her soul into everything she did.
A faint smile tugged at Robin's lips, and he found himself leaning forward. Star was also leaning in, her eyes slowly closing, a gentle smile playing about her mouth as well.
With perfect timing, and perfect grace, their lips met, and Starfire and Robin shared their first kiss. It was soft, neither one demanding a deeper kiss, closed mouths, and tender passion.
As they pulled away from each other, they didn't open their eyes for some time. When they did, they could only stare at one another for a few moments.
Star broke the silence, "Wow." she breathed."Yeah.... wow." Robin leaned in, "Let's try that again."
"Yes, let's." Star grabbed him about the neck and crushed her mouth to his, pulling him over on top of her as he let out a sound of shock.
It only took him a half second to get into the kiss, and soon they were exploring each other's mouths with tongues and bodies with hands.
"Yech." Jinx grimaced, "I've seen enough. Can we go now?" she and Raven were standing atop the warehouse across from the one Robin and Starfire were currently making out on.
"Yes. I just wanted to make sure he actually did it." Raven touched her friends arm and they vanished in a black void that deposited them next to the motorcycle a moment latter, "You're room will be across the hall from mine back at the Tower. It's empty except for a bed right now, so we'll swing by your old apartment to see if there's anything to salvage once we've had some sleep."
"Whatever. I just want to go to bed." Jinx held on tightly as Raven kicked the bike into gear and they tore off down the waterfront, racing the sun rise back to Titan's Tower.
"Candy!" Beast Boy was pleading now, "Please!"
"We can't do it if they don't come of! Now come on!" they were struggling with his boxers, Beast Boy trying to keep them on, and Candy trying to pull them off.
"No! I don't want to!" he pulled extra hard and almost gave himself a wedgie.
"Your little friend is telling me something different!" Candy sang at him.
Beast Boy grimaced as she yanked on his boxers again.
The sun's first rays were peaking over the water as Starfire sat curled in Robin's embrace. They watched together as the full glory of the star that Earth orbited erupted against Jump City.
"You are a good match for me you know." Starfire said suddenly.
"Oh? Been reading your horoscopes?" Robin teased her with a light poke.
"Of course I have not been reading such foolishness. Though they are entertaining..." Star smiled up at him in an endearing manner, "I was speaking of your eyes."
"My eyes?"
"Yes. On my planet, ones eyes determine their personality and aspects, much like you Earthlings use your dates of birth."
"So you ARE checking up on your horoscopes..."
Star laughed lightly, "In a manner of speaking."
Robin squeezed her once, "So what makes me a good match for you?"
"Your eyes are deep blue. That makes you not only a fierce warrior, but also a keeper of peace and knowledge. You are a true bastion of inner strength."
"What do green eyes mean?"
Star blushed, "Joy and laughter, as well as a high temperament in battle."
"I'm sensing a recurring theme here..."
"Tameranians are a warrior race... what you saw earlier was what we call a Battle Frenzy. In ancient times, my people would enhance their combat performance by inhaling the smoke of certain plants when they were burned. Apparently your Marijuana has many of the same chemicals that our Ta'Klaran has."
"Interesting. Well, if we're ever in a tight spot, we know now all we have to do is get you stoned and let you kick the crap out of the bad guys..."
"Richard!" Starfire scolded him.
"Just kidding Star." Robin smiled and hugged her tighter, "Tell me more about the eyes of your people." He was interested now.
"Well, violet eyes, like those of Raven or my sister-"
"Or Jinx." Robin added.
"Yes. Violet eyes are the mark of those that hold a darkness inside. This is not always a bad thing, but often results in frequent outbursts and evil behavior. Blackfire is a prime example." Star frowned and snuggled closer to Robin.
"What about brown eyes?" Robin was almost afraid to ask.
Starfire giggled at his apprehension, "I do not know. My people do not developed brown eyes."
"You learn something new every day." Robin helped her to stand, "Well, if we hurry, we can just reach the Tower when Raven and Jinx do. They only left a few minutes ago."
"That is a splendid idea. Then we can get some sleep." Starfire gripped him about the waist from behind, "Do you prefer the right of left side of the bed?"
Robin gagged and almost squirmed out of her grip as she took off with a laugh.
Raven was just putting the helmets away when Starfire and Robin walked into the tower, laughing about something. She glared at them, as did Jinx from where she stood next to the doors of the elevator.
"You two are entirely too cheerful for not having slept in almost twenty-four hours." Raven stated as she stalked towards Jinx. If she had been wearing her cloak, it would have been billowing behind her dramatically.
As she wasn't the stalking just made her look like a huffy eighteen year old.
Robin and Star burst out laughing even harder, and Jinx cracked a grin.
"Oh fine!" Raven waited for everyone to pile in to the lift before hitting the button for the rec-room floor, where they would switch elevators to head up to their rooms, "Let's jut make this Pick On Raven Day!"
They all continued to chuckle until the doors of the elevator opened and they stepped out. The four of them froze and gaped open mouthed at the scene that met them.
Beast Boy sat on the couch, a look of abject horror on his face as he stared back at them. Kneeling between his legs, which were clad only in his boxers, was a topless blond woman who seemed intent on getting said boxers off. She too was staring at them, though her face held more of an embarrassed grin.
"Well," she said, "you were right BB! They caught us!"
Robin grabbed Jinx and dove behind the nearest chair. Starfire rolled away and hurled herself behind the counter in the kitchen.
Raven's eyes flared red and her hair flew back from her face as if blown by a strong wind. An extra set of eyes opened on her forehead, also glowing with a burning red light, and black energy crackled off of her.
"Who the fuck are you, and what the fuck are you doing with that FLEE BITTEN, MANGY, GREEN HAIRED TOSSER ON THE COUCH WE ALL SHARE?" Raven's voice had taken on a most un-Raven like quality. It was deep, sinister, and very reminiscent of her father, Trigon.
Candy flung herself back and cowered as Raven floated up off the ground and began to move across the room slowly. The blond girl whimpered and then screamed, "Beast Boy! Help me!"
"What the hell do you want ME to do?" he replied as he tried to find a way out of Raven's path.
The enraged psion laughed an evil laugh, "What's the matter? I wont hurt you! I'll just send you to the coldest, darkest plains of Azarath I can find! Come here little girl!"
Beast Boy looked left, then right. The TV exploded, the monitors on the far side of the room shattered, and the windows started to crack.
"Raven!" he heard Robin shout from behind the chair he was hiding behind, "Snap out of it! It's not worth destroying someone's soul!"
If Raven heard Robin's pleas, she chose to ignore him completely. Beast Boy knew he was the only one in any position to stop his friend from hurling Candy into a different dimension, so he did the only thing he could think to do.
Raven didn't work too well with irrational action. She looked for order in all things, patters of behavior and universal balance. Because of this, she also didn't deal well with Beast Boy.
So he managed to take her by complete surprise when he jumped up and planted his lips firmly on hers.
The dark energy dissipated instantly, the second pair of eyes vanished, and the red glow from Raven's primary set faded. All that was left was Raven, her eyes wide, staring at Beast Boy's equally wide eyes from less then an inch away.
Pulling back slowly, Beast Boy, looking scared but holding his ground, said, "You okay now?"
"Yeah. Fine." Raven narrowed her eyes, "I will have to beat the snot out of you for that though."
"Oh. Okay." Beast Boy shrugged. Raven socked him squarely in the jaw, sending him flying to the side, and landing in a heap, out cold.
Turning to Candy, Raven held out a hand and black tendrils of energy lanced out. The topless girl screamed as they pulled her into a black void that opened under her on the floor.
A few seconds latter, Candy found herself being dumped unceremoniously on the bridge that separated Titan's Tower from the mainland. Her clothes dropped out of another portal above her, and landed on her head.
A much larger portal opened above her just a few seconds latter, and her eyes got wide as she scrambled out of the way. Her car dropped from the large portal and landed on the bridge with a solid thump.
Candy stared at her car for a moment, breathing hard. Then she jumped up, threw her clothes in the passenger seat, jumped in the driver side, and without even bothering to get dressed, floored it for the city.
"Your room is this way, Jinx." Raven said as she appeared from a portal in the floor and started walking towards the elevators that led up.
"Coming!" Jinx was barely containing her laughter as she danced past the unconscious Beast Boy.
"Robin, be sure we get the couch disinfected before anyone else sits there." Raven called over her shoulder as the doors shut behind her.
Starfire and Robin looked at each other, then down at Beast Boy, "Perhaps we should wake him?"
"No, let him sleep there." Robin rubbed his eyes, "Sleep is sounding really good right now."
"Then let us go to my room. The windows let in enough sun to make it warm and cozy. You will fall right to sleep."
Robin blushed, but managed to look her in the eye, "Alright."
Star smiled, took his hand, and led him to the elevator.
When Beast Boy came to, the first thing he noticed was that his jaw hurt like hell. The second thing he noticed was that he was sitting on the couch, his pants draped across his lap.
As the final events of the morning came rushing back to him, he groaned and rubbed his jaw. Standing up slowly, he pulled on his pants and glanced at the wall clock, which had, remarkably, survived Raven's outburst. 11:30 am.
Staggering to the kitchen, Beast Boy found Cyborg sitting at the table, sipping a cup of coffee and reading the morning paper, "Hey BB. Things not go too well with Candy last night?"
"Dude... don't even get me started." Beast Boy poured himself a cup of coffee from the pot that Cyborg had brewed and took a sip. It was decaff, "Yech."
"Live with it. I'm guessing it wasn't Candy that slugged you last night, huh?"
"It was Raven. She found us in a rather... uh... well..."
"I get the picture." Cyborg folded his paper and set it aside. Standing, he said, "I'm gonna' hit the gym while the rest of you guys aren't there. Get some real training in."
"Have fun." the changeling plopped down in a chair at the table and slurped his coffee.
Cyborg headed for the elevator and just as he was about to hit the open button, the doors opened on their own. On the other side stood Raven and Jinx. Raven was back to wearing her regular uniform, but Jinx, having no other options, was wearing the same clothes from the night before. They looked slept in.
Cyborg looked confused for a moment, "Uh, Rea, does Rob know..." he motioned at the former super villain.
"Yes." Raven stepped around him, followed by Jinx, who patted his arm and smiled.
"I might be joining up. You up for a little sparing latter?" the pink haired girl grinned an evil little grin.
Cyborg's red eye flashed and he cracked a small smile of his own, "Maybe. I'll be in the gym if you two want to come by latter." shaking his head, he stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the training level.
The two girls walked to the kitchen area, and Raven immediately started brewing a pot of tea for them. Jinx leaned back against the counter and rubbed her arm absently. She was staring at Beast Boy and he was staring back.
"So?" she demanded suddenly.
Beast Boy blinked, "So what?"
"Did you give her the stuffing or not?" Jinx arched an eyebrow.
Beast Boy spluttered into his coffee. Recovering and wiping his face off with the back of his sleeve, he looked up to see Raven staring at him with an interested look as well. "No! I was trying to get her to leave!"
"Looked like you were trying really hard too." Raven turned back to her tea.
"Oh, come on Rea!" Beast Boy hopped over the table and stood next to her, "She was really insistent! And let's face it, with a body like that, any guy would have a hard time saying no..."
Raven turned to him slowly and glared.
"Uh..." Beast Boy glanced at Jinx for support, but she had sat down at the table and was pretending to read the paper Cyborg had discarded.
He was surprised when Raven touched his jaw and her black power surrounded his face for a moment. After a few seconds, the pain was gone, and the swelling had gone down. Beast Boy stared at her in shock, "But... why? I deserved that Rea..." he hung his head.
"You almost redeemed yourself when you stopped me from killing her. And... you're a pretty good kisser. I'd give you a seven at least." Raven replied without a smile. She turned and lifted a cup of tea to her lips, another levitating across the room to Jinx, who took it with a nod, and continued to stare at the paper, which she actually was reading now.
"Really? Well, I don't like to brag or anything... and I don't want you to think I like you like that... I mean, we just wouldn't work together would we?" Beast Boy grinned and rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's okay to feel attracted to me Beast Boy." Raven shrugged and sipped her tea again.
"I didn't say I was attracted to you!" he backed away a little.
"But you are. Empathy, remember?" Raven tapped her own temple, "It's okay. Your a young man, I'm a young woman. It's only natural."
"Speaking of which," Jinx piped up from the table, not even looking up from the paper, "there was nothing natural about that girl last night, Beasty. I would've thought you'd have more class."
"Hey, she had very nice..." he trailed off and glanced at Raven.
"Tits?" Raven supplied.
Beast Boy blushed. Raven rolled her eyes, "You've never been embarrassed to say it around me before..."
"I have never talked about boobs around you before." Beast Boy glared at her.
Raven arched an eyebrow, "Seven months ago, we were sitting around watching an old horror flick and you fell asleep."
"Yeah, I remember." Beast Boy looked confused.
"While you were sleeping, you rolled over, cuddled up to me and mumbled about what nice tits I had."
The changelings jaw dropped and he set his coffee down before he dropped that too, "I... we.... I wouldn't... not if I was...."
Starfire and Robin took this rather inopportune time to walk into the Rec-Room from the elevator. Raven ignored them and grinned at Beast Boy, "Are you saying that you don't like my tits?"
"No! You've got great tits!" Beast Boy was suddenly frightened and defensive at the same time, "I mean, they're way bigger then Star's but still manage to stay just as perky. Do you even wear a bra under that thing?"
"No." Raven nodded at someone behind Beast Boy, "Good morning Starfire."
Beast Boy slowly turned around to see Star wearing an angry look, and a rather pissed off Robin standing just behind her, "What was that about my Grebnaks?" Star demanded.
"Uh...." Beast Boy sighed and prepared to get hit again, but the blow never fell. Instead a pink blur slammed into him and started dragging him towards the elevators to the garage.
Jinx, holding on to one of his arms, pulled him insistently, "Come on BB! You can take me back to my place now so I can try to salvage some of my stuff!"
"Um..." he glanced back at Starfire and Robin, who looked shocked, "Okay..." and they were gone.
"That was weird." Robin stated, completely flabbergasted.
"She's warming up to us. It's been awhile since Jinx had any friends. I think she's making up for lost time." Raven shrugged and finished her tea, "I'm going to the gym to train with Cyborg. I'll have him help me set up a simulation test for Jinx."
She left without another word, and Robin watched her go. As soon as the doors to the elevator hissed shut, he turned to Starfire, "I'm going to put a trace on BB's T-Comp. Raven may be sure of the new Jinx, but I still have my suspicions."
"I agree." Star nodded, "As much as I would like to trust Jinx, and to have yet another Titan, her past is somewhat... unclear."
"I'll be running a full background check on her today. No sense submitting her to the League before I know everything there is to know about her." Robin walked over to one of the computer terminals in the rec-room and glared at it. The screen was blown out, and half the keys were missing from the keyboard. Raven's little fit the night before had done more damage then he had thought.
"Maybe I'll do all of this from my room." he turned and smiled wanly at Starfire, "Why don't you go ahead and get some breakfast ready. As soon as I've set up the trace on BB I'll come back and help."
"Of course!" Star floated across the room, gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and then flew to the kitchen to make breakfast. Robin, grinning like an idiot, staggered to the elevator.
Damn, was he lucky.
Cyborg slammed his fist into the specially reinforced punching bag in the training room for the four hundredth time. Checking the read out on the pressure gauge hooked up to it, he noted that he still hadn't beaten his record.
"Hundred more then..." as he went back to pummeling the bag to death, he thought not for the first time how crazy it was that Robin had to use this same bag. Normal bags just blew apart when the Boy Wonder went after them for thirty seconds or so. The kid was nothing short of amazing.
After punch five hundred, Cy checked the readout once again and, satisfied now that he'd beaten his old record, moved over to the weight bench. Star had been using it last, so he only had to add a few hundred pounds before it was at his standard weight.
As he attached the last of the weights, his arm started beeping. Glancing down, he checked the caller ID.
Cyborg stood and stared at his arm for a full ten seconds before he sighed, shook his head and sat down. He listened as his voice mail picked up.
"Hey ya'll! This is Cyborg. I'm either training, playing Gamestation, or kicking bad guy butt. Leave a message." Beep!
The voice he heard brought back so many memories, both good and bad, that it made him want to pick up. But he didn't. He had to hear what she had to say.
"Hey Cy... it's Sarah... well, you knew that already didn't you? I mean, the phone is built into your arm... you had to have checked the ID before you decided to NOT talk to me..." he heard her sigh, "Not that I can blame you I guess... I was a bitch last time we saw each other. I... I lost my temper. I do have one you know... almost as bad as yours. The yelling and the hurtful things we said to each other that night... Cy, I'm sorry!" there was a note of tears in her voice, "I didn't mean any of it! Well, maybe the part about you having to be more available... I mean, every date we had you ditched me to go fight bad guys! Can't the other Titans manage without you for ONE NIGHT?" she sighed again and seemed to compose herself. She continued quietly, "The kids really miss you, you know. They always ask where you are on Sundays. The game just isn't the same without you there to make the calls, and I can't play with them like you can... but that's all just an excuse isn't it? Cy, I miss you. I miss you so much. Please, please... I know you're listening to this, so if you want to get back together, even after three months of not talking, I'll be down at the Wayside Grill tonight at 6:00 for dinner. I could really use some company. Hope I see you there Cy." and the line went dead.
Cyborg sat there with his head in his hands and listened to the dial tone for several minutes. Finally, with a sigh, he shut it off and stood up. He started for the door, but stopped short when he saw Raven.
She stood in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at him, "You didn't tell me that you broke up with Sarah."
"You never asked, and it's none of your business any way." he growled back.
Raven sighed and her shoulders sagged. Leaning against the door way, she stared down at nothing while she spoke to him, "Cy, I've just spent the past day and a half straight trying to get Star and Robin to open up about their feelings for each other. With Robin it's an uphill battle trying to get him to express anything. I think Batman had more of an affect on him then he'd like to admit." she glanced over at him, "You're more mature in some ways, and you wear your heart on you cold, titanium sleeve. So I'm just going to come out and say this." she turned to him fully, and floated over so that they were practically nose to nose, "You, Cyborg, are still part human. Even if you're REAL heart is mechanical, your HEART... the one you feel with... isn't. You love her Cy. I can feel whenever you're thinking about her, just because it almost knocks me for a loop. I've never felt anything so strong in my life. Besides," Raven leaned back and glared at him, "I happen to like Sarah. Meet her for dinner tonight, and DON'T screw this up because you have insecurities and body issues. She loves you Cy, in spite of all your imperfections. Remember that."
Cyborg was more used to hearing Raven talk for long periods of time then the others were, because they often had such talks. She had helped him pick out the first gift he'd ever given Sarah, and she had helped him figure out where to take her for their first anniversary. And she was right, he did love her.
His face softened from a scowl to a sad smile, "Alright, Rea. I'll go, and I'll play nice. But we still have issues to work out, so don't expect me to be bringing her back to the Tower tonight or anything."
"I think the Tower has had quite enough of girls being brought back to it for a while." Raven growled and shoved him back a few steps with her power. There was no way she could move him with just her physical strength, "Why the hell did you let Beast Boy bring that slut back here any way?"
"Just teaching him a lesson. Besides," Cyborg put a hand on her shoulder, "he really was going to kick her out last night... he's still hung up about Terra."
Raven sighed and floated to the ground. She had figured as much, "I know. I catch him staring off into space sometimes and frowning. It's been two years though... he needs to move on."
"He will. He just needs a little help. Hey!" Cyborg poked her in the arm, "You're single! Why don't you take him out a few time, get his mind off of Terra with those nice big-"
"If you finish that sentence, I'll crush you like the tin can you are. There's been too much talk about my breast this morning already." Raven said it calmly, and with a straight face. Cyborg knew she was just kidding around. Kind of.
"Oh really? It's on now!" he started towards the sparing room and glanced back over his shoulder, "You coming or not?"
Raven shook her head. The last time the two of them had sparred, the Tower had shook with the shock waves from the battle. She grinned and floated after him any way. It would feel good to really cut loose for a little while, "Why not? I already blew up the TV, so there's nothing else to do, right?"
As the doors slid shut behind them, Cyborg yelled in a furious voice, "YOU blew up the TV?!? Oh, now I HAVE to kick your butt!"
Beast Boy navigated the T-Car through the down town traffic with far less skill then Robin or Cyborg could, but still well enough. He'd only had his driver's license for seven months after all.
As the youngest member of the Titans he was the last to learn how to drive, and when he had, he started taking the T-Car out regularly. Flying was great and all, especially when you could turn into a bird, but driving was exciting. He enjoyed the feeling of a ton and a half of machinery under him, doing everything he told it to do. So often he felt like things were spiraling out of control around him that it pleased him greatly to be in complete control of something.
Jinx hadn't said much as they drove, and the silence was starting to wear on the changeling. He liked to have some sort of noise at all times, to keep his mind occupied. Robin called it A.D.H.D. Beast Boy called it not being bored.
"So Jinx!" he said brightly as they turned off the main drag through down town and started the mile and a half drive from there to her apartment, "Why the sudden change of heart?"
"There was nothing sudden about it." Jinx turned from the window and glanced at him before settling back and closing her eyes, "After I got out of prison... well, it felt good to have my freedom back. I wanted to keep it. So I went straight, got a job, got a place to live. I just wanted to keep away from crime so I wouldn't have to go back to the slammer you know?"
"Not really. I've never been to prison." Beast Boy winked at her.
Jinx opened her eyes and glared at him, "Robbing a bank is a much faster and easier way to make money then working forty hours a week at a book store. The difference now is that the book store gives me my freedom, and the bank robbing gets me put back where I know I don't belong."
"So it's entirely selfish? You don't have any kind of desire to make up for all the wrongs you committed?" Beast Boy sounded confused.
"No, not really." Jinx shrugged.
"Then why do you want to be a Titan?"
Jinx was quiet for a minute, then she looked out her window again, "I'm just sick and tiered of being lonely."
"Well I can tell you right now that if you don't shape up and start acting like part of the team, even Raven'll get sick of you soon. You have to want to help people to be good at it." Beast Boy never took his eyes off the road while he spoke.
"Aren't you supposed to be the funny guy?" Jinx asked with an edge to her voice, "When did you start preaching?"
"There's nothing funny about people getting hurt!" Beast Boy shouted, slamming on the breaks and throwing her forward in her seat. She turned and glared at him,
"The hell was that for?" she shouted.
"We're here." he replied, looking over her shoulder at what was left of the building, "You two sure did a number on this place..."
"Most of it was gone already when I took it down." she shrugged, "I don't think anyone got hurt. It was late and all the bedrooms are in the back of the building."
"Oh, you don't THINK anyone got hurt." Beast Boy rolled his eyes as he got out of the car, "You know, you have a real problem with NOT thinking..."
"Why are you being such a dick?" Jinx asked as she stepped out into the street as well, "It's not like I killed anyone..."
"I'm being a dick," Beast Boy yelled as he whirled around to face her, "because last night I thought I was falling for fucking RAVEN, then I hooked up with Candy, then I had second thoughts, she almost RAPED me, Raven blew up the rec-room and knocked me out, then she tried to get Starfire to beat the crap out of me this morning, then I get stuck helping a god damn PSYCHO like you clean out her fucking apartment, so she can MOVE IN TO MY HOME!" he was breathing hard by the end of his little rant.
"You need to chill the fuck out before you piss me off, little man." Jinx narrowed her eyes at him.
"Or what? You'll kill me? Beat me up? Good! Go ahead! Then you can go back to JAIL where you BELONG!" Beast Boy stepped up and got right in her face, "Do it. I DARE you." he hissed.
Jinx was fighting for control of her emotions. He was right. If she so much as slugged him she's be put away for life. "I hate you." she growled back at him.
"Yeah? Watch me not give two shits." Beast Boy stalked back to the car, "Clean out your own apartment, and don't bother coming back to the Tower. I'm telling Robin that you wont make a good addition to the team, and that'll be that."
"What? You can't just..." but he could just leave her there. He didn't owe her anything. She'd tried to KILL him before for crying out loud. "This whole guilt thing sucks." she muttered.
Beast Boy's sensitive ears picked it up, "What did you just say?" he asked without looking at her.
"I said," Jinx sighed and glanced at him, looking more tiered then he'd ever seen anyone, "that this whole guilt thing sucks. Look.... I'm sorry Beast Boy."
His mouth dropped open and his left eyebrow twitched, "What?"
Jinx glared at him, "I said I'm sorry. Sorry I yelled at you, sorry I can't seem to feel anything not selfish, sorry I tried to kill you and your friends, sorry I ever went into the HIVE, sorry I was ever born." she turned away, "Just... get out of here. Tell Raven I'm sorry... tell her that it wasn't meant to happen. I can't be a Titan."
A green hand fell on her shoulder and turned back to look into green eyes. Beast Boy was smiling, "Since when is feeling sorry a selfish emotion? It's the first step. It means you DO feel guilty. Now you just have to want to right the wrongs. Make up for it."
Jinx shoved his hand off of her shoulder, "Yeah? How do I do that, genius?"
"You can start by being friends with me." Beast Boy smiled a little wider, showing his slightly pointed teeth, "You're forgiven. For everything."
Jinx arched a skeptical eyebrow, "Just like that?"
"Just like that. I know Starfire'll forgive you too, 'cause that's just the kind of girl she is. Raven already has, and Cyborg'll come around if you talk to him. Robin... he'll be skeptical no matter what you do. It takes time for him to trust, but he'll treat you like one of the team if you act like one."
Jinx smiled a little too, "So all I have to do is act heroic and the Boy Wonder will come around eventually?"
"Something like that. Hell, you saved my ass this morning. Star would have clobbered me if you hadn't grabbed me like that."
"Well, I figured you'd already been slugged once by Raven, and you WERE just trying to get laid... can't blame a boy for that. Or for noticing his room mates boobs." Jinx grinned as he blushed, "You were right anyway. Raven does have nicer tits then Starfire."
"You swing that way huh?" Beast Boy waggled his eyebrows at her.
"I swing any way I feel like swinging. Gives me more options." Jinx shrugged.
"I see... so this whole thing with Raven... I've had my suspicions about her for a while now...."
"Raven is NOT gay. Or bi. She's as straight as they come. Trust me."
"Okay..." Beast Boy shook his head with a laugh, "If you say so."
As they started to walk towards the remains of the apartment building (most of the rubble had been cleared away by work crews over night) Jinx smiled evilly, "So how do my breasts stack up against the other girls?"
Beast Boy snorted, "There's nothing stacked about your breasts. What are you, like an A cup?"
Jinx laughed and looked down at herself, "Not much there to talk about is there?"
Beast Boy was spared from having another breast talk by a man's voice calling down the street, "Jenny?!?"
Jinx whirled around with wide eyes and stared down the street. A middle aged man was jogging towards them, waving his hands. His clothes were plain and wrinkled, looking as if he had slept in his slacks and dress shirt. He had thinning brown hair, and stubble covered his face. His brown eyes were deep set, giving him a haunted look. The joy on his face was evident now however, and he shouted as he got closer, "Jenny! It really is you!"
"BB..." Jinx's voice wavered as she took a step back. Beast Boy immediately interposed himself between her and the stranger, giving him a death glare as he slowed and stopped about ten feet away from them.
"Who are you, and what do you want with her?" he demanded.
The man ignored him and looked over his shoulder at Jinx, "Jenny... baby... it's me..."
Beast Boy glanced over his shoulder at Jinx with a look of disgust, "Old boyfriend? And I do mean old..." he stepped forward a few paces, grabbed the man by the collar and shook him a bit, "Hey! I'm talkin' to you, buddy!"
Jinx's hand fell on his and pulled him away from the stranger gently, "It's okay, Beast Boy... I know him, and I'm not in any danger."
"But-" he started to protest, but she put a finger to his lips. She smiled sadly and turned to the middle aged man.
"Jenny..." he breathed and threw his arms around her. She stood stiff for a moment, then wrapped her arms around him as well, "Hello.... Daddy."
Beast Boy's mouth dropped open for the second time that day.
Starfire sat playing the Gamestation (she was addicted to Tetris) as Robin worked on one of the (newly replaced) terminals in the rec-room. Every now and then he would call out little bits of information to get her view on them. He found it helped him to stay unbiased.
"Her father's name is Justin Wrangler. He's an oil miner. Works on a rig out in the Gulf of Mexico."
"A very hard job. Also a some what dangerous one correct?" Star squealed with delight as she got a four row Tetris.
"Yeah... also not where she grew up... no reports of anything exploding there, and as a young girl, she probably used her powers more then once on accident. I'm willing to bet her parents were duped into sending her to the HIVE because it was being passed off as some place she could learn to control her powers."
"You may wish to look into her HIVE enrolment records and cross reference the date she started with the recruitment methods of the Headmistress then." Star set her mind back to her game as she missed getting another line.
"Already on it..." Robin's fingers were flying across the keyboard as the doors to the elevator opened and an exhausted looking Cyborg walked out, followed by a slightly singed Raven. Robin spared them a glance before going back to work, "You two done with your little lovers spat?"
"There was no love being shared in the gym today..." Cyborg rubbed his neck, "Rea was really cutting loose."
"I haven't had a strong opponent in some time. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Raven smiled slightly and floated to the couch to watch Starfire play her game.
"What 'cha working on Rob?" Cyborg asked as he stepped up next to his friend.
"Doing Jinx's back ground check. I need to submit a full report to the JL if we're going to make her a Titan."
Raven frowned from where she was sitting and leaned back to glare at Robin, "You didn't do that for Aqualad or Terra."
"They never tired to kill us." Robin answered without looking away from his terminal.
"Yeah, Terra just did that AFTER we made her a Titan." was Raven's quick come-back.
"Another reason this is necessary." Robin waved a hand at her, "I'm sorry Raven, but it needs to be done. No arguing."
"Fine." Raven floated over to her favorite corner and picked up the book she had sitting there.
Just then a beeping filled the room and a window popped up on Robin's terminal. He frowned and hit a button to maximize it. Batman's face appeared on the screen.
"Robin here. What's up Batman?"
When Star heard him say the name of his old mentor, she instantly hit the pause button and muted the game. Cyborg stepped back to give Robin all the room he needed to deal with this situation, and Raven shut her book and landed, looking interested.
"Robin...." Batman seemed to be at a loss for a moment, and he looked worried, "Dick... we were going after the Joker..."
"Wait a second, Bruce, who was going after the Joker?"
"Batgirl and I. It was stupid of me. I shouldn't have let her get ahead of me like that... shouldn't have let her take her shot at it. I thought she was ready..."
Robin's blood ran cold, "Bruce," he said in a low, quite voice, "what happened to Babs?"
"Barbara... the Joker shot her. Gut wound... we don't know if she's going to make it."
Closing notes: Dun dun dun! One chapter left, already mostly written. A few things you want to know, that I'll tell you before you can ask: Yes, I'm following the Batman storyline with Babs getting shot, just a bit out of order. Yes Beast Boy was way OOC in this chapter, but I think he has a serious side too, a really caring one. He likes to help people. Cyborg's girlfriend Sarah comes from Teen Titans Go! Issue #3. If you want to know how they met, read that. I'll describe her when she enters the story.
Next Chapter: Robin dashes off to Gotham, Starfire mopes, Raven is soft, then hard, then confused, Beast Boy and Jinx have a talk with Jinx's father, and Cyborg gets so little screen time that it's not even funny.