A Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste

by Miles Edgeworth

Rated PG13 for a gratuitous joke at Brother Blood's expence. Brother Blood has created a device courtesy of Gizmo that... will do horrible things...maybe! How will this tie in with Jinx, Robin, and an alternate reality is anyone's guess. Or something.

A Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste

By Iain R. Lewis

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not Moe's either, but he should show up sometimes and do his Orson Welles. YES! Also, Moe's not mine either. Nor is Orson Welles, though his Orson Welles is a riot.

Author's note: Reader beware: there be Robin and Jinx in this thar fiction.

But, as always, I write them just to see "Can I make this work?" I'm always happy to get an idea. Readers of "Parisian Opera" should expect a new chapter there soon. I'll be updating my bio page soon to include that and an update on it.

School and all getting in the way. Sorry.

But as a side note. I am a bad enough dude to rescue the President's daughter. How 'bout you?

This turned out to be so much longer than I ever imagined it to be. Congrats to Joelle for guessing the word-count when checked on Word.

Anyway, that's all for the announcements at the moment. On with… za show.

"Status report, students! Promptly!" There was a set of claps and the buzzing hive was brought to attention, students and drones alike looking over the work of their new headquarters. Their leader, wearing the robes of some strange religion, looked on expectantly, his chin tipped upwards, his eyes focused entirely on the head of the operation.

A little bald kid.

"Well, that's all depending on your opinion of status."

"You can't have an opinion on status," Blood said, wearily. His patience always ran thin when the little genius tried to play it cute. "Out with it, Gizmo."

"The machine's working. I, er," Gizmo paused, and made a sotto comment about the snot wrenching tests.

"What was that?"

"I just don't know what it does."

"Does it at least do something?" Blood asked, angrily.

"Yeah, 'course it does! Who the snot do you think I am, the barfing pope? I just don't know what!"

This made Blood angrier. But he grinned, and with a great exhale said, "Well, we'll just have to test it, won't we? Now, then, who should be our messenger." He looked at the assembly. A midget, a moron, a girl with hot-pink hair, a surfer who could be the God of Lightning, and what appeared to be Mickey Rooney. Well, that made the choice obvious. "Jinx, I want you to get the attention of our friends, the Teen Titans." He paused, waiting to make a dramatic laugh. But just as the giggles and chuckles were about to give way to a full-swing cackle, he was interrupted by a lazy female voice.

"What? Sorry? I wasn't listening."

"Why am I not surprised?"

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"Dude!" Beast Boy said, diving right into the chair, "It's almost time for The Outer Twilight Limit Zone!" He was upside down, searching for the remote. He found it between the cushions. "Annnnnnnnd!"

"And?" Robin said, kicking back.

"And it's a marathon! A hundred episodes of different alternate universes, possible futures, and strange freaky aliens!" Robin looked to the door at this point, counting down the seconds. Three, two, one.

"Hello friends!"

"Hi Starfire!" Beast Boy said, "Coming to join us guys in a marathon run of The Outer Twilight Limit Zone?"

"This is a program on your television, yes?" Starfire asked. There was a slow nod from Beast Boy. "Then certainly! Shall I prepare the foods for the act of snacking?"

"Let me help you with that," Cyborg said. There was a menacing glint in his eye. Beast Boy jumped up to.

"I'll get the Tofu."

They were stopped halfway by Raven, who loomed tall for a girl of her diminutive stature. "You're not touching anything in here."

"What?"

"I need the kitchen. Now stay out before you ruin my project," Raven said. There was a glance from the other Titans, even Robin, who reclined on the sofa yonder. "Now you all think I'm insane. Super."

There was a ding.

"Oh wonderful," Raven said. "Now it's eating the inside of the oven."

The other Titans just looked at one another. They didn't dare ask, their imaginations running rampant. Whenever Raven needed the kitchen it'd be spotless the next morning, but still. They heard sounds. And they were horrible.

"Okay. Uh, we'll just watch The Outer Twilight Limit Zone… without snacks!" Beast Boy announced, bum-rushing the couch. The red light started going on and off. "Aw man, what now?"

Robin was up like a bolt, "No time for TV now, Beast Boy." He tapped along the console, bringing up the footage from the security systems. "Looks like Jinx is helping herself to a shopping spree at Lin's Jewelers."

"Oh, great," Beast Boy said, "And it's just starting!"

"You walk down a hallway to see some kind of weird mirror or a monster or something. These are just examples. It could be something better. For we control the horizontal, the vertical. We can even make it snow."

"Aw man!" Beast Boy whined, as Cyborg was forced to cart him out of the room.

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"Diamonds aren't a girl's best friend, Jinx," Robin said, taking his bo and separating it into twin sai, "Titans! Go!"

"Er, one minute," Raven said, the others rallying behind her, "Just one quick question." Jinx looked at the Titans as if they had gone mad. "How does your staff do that?"

Robin blinked, "What do you mean?"

"You know, that bevy of weapons thing. How?" Raven asked.

"You know, I want to hear this explanation as well!" Jinx said. She sat down. No matter, they had taken the bait, it was up to Blood to finish the job now. "Come on. I've got the time."

"I don't!" Beast Boy announced. "Hurry up and arrest her and you can explain it on the way home. Okay?"

"I really want to know," Raven said. "So spit it out, Boy Wonder."

"This isn't a productive area of discussion," Robin answered. "Titans! Go! Y'know… now?" Raven looked at him with a death-glare, while the others went in to battle. Surrounding Jinx.

"Oh no," Jinx said in a monotone voice, "What ever will I do. The Teen Titans. Whosoever will save me?" As she said this, there was movement from all around. The Titans looked around.

"Uh, Robin?" Cyborg said, "Y'do know this is a trap, right?"

"I kinda figured that part out, Cyborg."

"Great, now I'm going to miss more of my marathon! Bad move, real bad move. When I don't get my TV, I get cranky. And when I get cranky, well, let's just say I'm like another big green dude you don't wanna mess with when he gets cranky." Beast Boy took the form of a gorilla and turned around, trying to smash some of the drones.

When the drones ducked to the side and began to fire, Beast Boy could feel his back-end start to get super-heated. "Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"Titans, regroup!" He leapt back, met with the others.

"There is a very large number of these HIVE Drones," Starfire noted. "What will we do?"

"Dude, those rays hurt!" Beast Boy said. "Where's a guy who can turn into a bucket of water when you need him!"

"Super," Raven muttered, "I thought they skipped town."

"Looks like they're still here." Robin threw a birdarang at one of the drones, and ducked to the side. "Okay, Cyborg take the right flank, Beast Boy, the left. Starfire and Raven, give me air-support."

"Whoa! This guy's my villain, remember?" Cyborg said.

"You have a better idea? You know I'm better at dealing with a large group than you are!"

The Drones paused their shooting when the two of the Titans fought for Alpha Male position. Beast Boy paused mid-stride to watch, and Raven seemed to have found some popcorn somewhere and was sharing it with Starfire.

"Oh, really. Is that what you call 'Hogging the Spotlight' where you come from?" Cyborg accused. "These guys can't get me with my cybernetic enhancements. I'll take the front. You take the right."

"You're a bigger target than I am. I'll be better able to slip by them. I know what I'm doing Cyborg," Robin answered, "If you don't like it, then maybe you should have left with Bumblebee!"

"Uh, guys?" Beast Boy said.

"Shut up!" both of the males turned, yelling.

"Maybe I shoulda. Maybe I'll track them down and quit your little ego-trip here!" Cyborg yelled.

"Why don't you then?" Robin asked, rage building.

"Why don't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know."

"Guys?" Raven piped in.

"Friends, I believe we are, how you say, besieged?"

"Yeah. We're surrounded." Raven had her hands in the air, as did Starfire and Beast Boy. Jinx winked at Cyborg and strutted down to greet the man who had just entered the door.

"Brother Blood. The Titans were captured, just as ordered."

"Excellent, Jinx. You always did show some potential." Brother Blood gave a slick grin, "Well, my friends. I'm glad we get to see each other one more time before your annihilation."

"He seems friendly," Raven said.

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The Titans had been chained and led to the warehouse that Brother Blood had been using as a makeshift classroom. Supplies were thrown about, an old blackboard had complex diagrams on it, and there was a very large device of some sort that loomed in the backdrop.

Overall, Raven concluded, it looked pretty comfortable.

"Nice place, Blood. Moving down in the world, I see," Cyborg said. Brother Blood's usually cheery face turned into an ugly scowl in record time.

"This is entirely your fault, you realize. With the destruction of my school, I've been forced to go from warehouse to warehouse. But now, things are about to change. Behold! The…. Uh…"

"Quantum Flux Stabilizer," Gizmo whispered.

"That's a horrible name. We can't tell them that."

"Whaddya mean? Snot-munching regulations for naming. What do you want? Destruct-o-matic?"

"Nothing so obvious, but something better than Quantum Flux Stabilizer," Blood said. "Have you even figured out what it can do?"

"We tried it with one of the drones, but he just vanished."

"Excellent." He turned to the Titans, "Yes, uh, behold! The Vanquisher!" He seemed pleased with himself. But Jinx's loud yawn interrupted him. "Thank you, Student Jinx, for your timely interruption."

She giggled, "Sorry, sir. I'm just getting impatient. I want to see what this thing does." Blood slapped his forehead.

"A quick lesson, Jinx! Never let your opponent know what you know, and especially make sure they don't know what you don't know."

"Oh." She laughed, "Well, it won't matter, will it? Gizmo may be a moron, but give him a piece of gum and he'll make an explosive."

"The Midget Macgyver," Blood said. "How wonderful."

"Ma-what?" Mammoth asked, leaning against a wall and looking on with a large toothy grin.

"Ah, before your time, my dear boy," Blood said. "Now, let's turn this puppy on and see what she can do!" He cackled maniacally as Gizmo pulled the lever.

"Snot-munching headmaster making me do all the snot-loving work. I'll beat the living snot outta him one day."

The Titans, meanwhile, had been arguing about something a lot more productive. Such as how to escape their constraints. The task eventually fell on Beast Boy, because Cyborg argued it was his turn to do the heavy lifting.

He turned into an amoeba, slipping through, before becoming a very large, and very upset, razorback. Tearing apart the chains, the Titans stood. "Hey, Blood," Robin said, getting a dangerous look from Cyborg. "Behind you."

"What is it?" Blood turned. "Oh, this is just too pesky! Students! Derail their escape! And Gizmo, how much longer until this thing really gets rolling?"

"Impatient little snot-munching teacher," Gizmo muttered, checking the diagrams, "Give it five minutes!"

"We won't have five minutes if they escape, now will we?"

Mammoth threw a punch at Beast Boy, who countered by shifting into a spider and crawling up his arm. "Robin!" Starfire called, as she found herself under fire from some of the drones, "A little help!"

"Perhaps you don't understand me, so let me expound on the premise in simpler terms. Make it go faster!" Blood yelled.

"I think you're being a bit snotty about this," Gizmo answered, meekly, "But I really, really can't!"

"Oh I think we can make this go faster with a little bit of incentive." He smashed the terminal. The machine still began to pick up energy. "See? Problem solved!"

"Or problem magnified, you snot-barfing cludgehead!" Gizmo yelled, "It's going to blow!"

"Well, then. Why didn't you say something earlier?" Gizmo knew he couldn't win this argument, so he just high-tailed it. "Coward."

"Cyborg! Get Blood!" Robin called, having been distracted from his target, "Raven, help Starfire!"

"Hey, Boy Blunder," Jinx said, looking quite menacing for a girl in clown make-up. She blocked his path. "You look like an easy target."

"You'd love to think that, wouldn't you?" Robin answered. He readied his staff, pulling it in two. "Well, I'll just have to prove you wrong."

"Now, now, Cyborg! What a temper we have. Didn't I teach you anything at the Academy?"

"Yeah, you taught me what a despicable low-life you are. Now stand still so I can blast you!" He was firing randomly. Brother Blood kept his distance, bowing beneath the blasts like an artist weaving through the lines of his artistry.

"That's not a very nice thing to say, Cyborg," Blood answered, throwing his fist forward. A wave of invisible energy passed through the air, pushing Cyborg back. "And see? I've got a few tricks up my sleeves. Not bad for an old man, now, was that?" He dusted off his hands. "Now, back to allowing the Vanquisher to do its job. Oh, there will be blood tonight!"

The Hive Drones were thrown about like toys in a hurricane by Raven's presence. "Starfire, now!" she commanded, throwing their weapons into the air. A beam of light shot through them, causing them to explode mid-air, and their pieces fell with a loud clunk on the ground. The drones were without arms, and looking at the might of the two girls, began to shiver in their yellow-colored boots.

Raven could only smile and allow herself to utter, "Boo."

The satisfying sound of cowardly desertion followed. "Hooray! We are victorious!"

"Yeah, sure Starfire," Raven said, still smug from the quip. "Sure."

Beast Boy was now a snake wrapped around Mammoth's neck, causing him to stumble about. "Guys!" Beast Boy said, returning to normal shape, trying to choke-hold Mammoth without touching the ground, "Some help!"

"Hey, lemme crush you!" Mammoth said, grabbing at Beast Boy. Starfire looked at Raven, who rolled her eyes.

"I'll help Greenie, you help Robin." Raven brought her hands forward, her aura extending from it in beams of darkness.

Starfire meanwhile rocketed to Robin's aid, taking a fist to Jinx, who just ducked, and found herself perfectly positioned for a jump-kick from the Boy Wonder. They rolled around a little, Jinx grabbing the foot as it connected and trying to bring Robin to the ground. She didn't succeed, as he immediately countered her attempt by grabbing her wrists and forcing her down on the ground.

"Cyborg! Robin needs our assistance!"

"I'm a little busy here!" Brother Blood carried himself confidently. Dodging another sonic blast.

"Yes, we appear to have reached an impasse. You have dismantled my guards, but I seem to have the upper-hand.

Mammoth found himself tossed repeatedly into the ground by black waves of energy. "And yet he still seems so friendly," Raven murmured as she did so.

"It takes a special brand of Evil to smile through it," Beast Boy retorted.

"Or a career as a college professor," Raven answered.

"Well, yeah, that too."

The Vanquisher's energy field began to swell. "Ah! It's time," Blood said. Cyborg looked at the glowing light, his cybernetic eye bringing up a new HUD screen to allow him to lock on to his target.

"I've got a shot," Cyborg said. "I'm taking it."

He fired at Brother Blood, The blast forcing him into the aura of the machine. There was a scream and a strange sound, like a zip or a beep from an old computer game. The silence was only met with the dimming of the machine.

"Did it stop?" Robin asked, looking up. He found himself on the receiving end of a painful kick to the crotch and then a flip from Jinx. "You're not getting away that easy." He brought a birdarang out and aimed for her leg.

The machine began to make a strange whirring sound, and the aura appeared, more stable, and began to burst outwards in a rapid motion. Cyborg pulled Starfire away, and Raven brought a shield around them, but Robin was separated from them.

And he did not appear to notice the machine's aura reaching to him.

"Robin!" Starfire cried, "Run!"

He looked at her, and saw the frantic looks from his friends. He followed their gaze to the field of white electricity that crackled like the slow movement of thunder. He could see his reflection in the field, and he almost felt tempted to reach out and touch it.

And then he noticed Jinx, also spellbound by the strange thing move towards them. He brought a grapple out of his bag and aimed it at her. He only had one shot. If he missed – he didn't want to think of the consequences.

But he promised his mentor he'd uphold justice without falling to empty vengeance. "Jinx!" he called, the grapple shot forward. "Grab on!"

She looked at it as it came flying to her side. It began to wrap around, and she grabbed it, wordlessly. There was nothing more to say when confronted with a swelling mass of white energy moving to swallow you. She felt her foot being absorbed by the beam and suddenly a great pull. Robin held on tight to the grapple and, his feet sliding against the ground, he held out, trying to pull her back out.

"Let go of it, Robin!" Cyborg said. He tried to rush out of the barrier, but Raven stopped him.

"This is Robin's decision. He'll let go," Raven said. "I know he will."

"I cannot watch!" Starfire said, covering her eyes while Robin mustered his strength and pulled one last time at the rope. But his pull merely sped up the pull of the void.

"Robin!" Raven yelled. "Let it go!"

"C'mon man!" Cyborg yelled.

"Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no," Beast Boy repeated in a hushed and frightful voice. Starfire peeked to see what had caused such horror. Robin's feet had been hefted out of the ground and his lifeline moved closer to dragging him under.

Robin closed his eyes and tried to let go. But his fingers couldn't move fast enough. Even as he felt his grip loosen, he could feel the void swallowing him. The whiteness enveloped his eyes, and for a moment he feared that he would be blinded by the brilliance.

And then a moment of calm before the sound of birds chirping awoke him to an unfamiliar sight.

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It was definitely Jump City. But it looked different.

For the first mark, it was later in the year, and it was early spring. There was a sense of foreboding in the air despite the warmth of the air, and as he righted himself he cast a glance besides him. There was no sign of any struggle, no sign of Brother Blood, but he could see an unconscious Jinx lying, her hair a mess, all out of its pigtails.

He was beginning to see what Cyborg saw in her.

Still, she looked alive, but no way to know until – now where's the nearest stick. He found his bo and began to poke her. "Hey. Hey." She groaned. "Oh good, you're okay."

"Gee, you sound so concerned," Jinx said, looking at him from half-opened eyes. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. Are you all right?"

"I'm feeling a little queasy. Now I remember why I hate flying," Jinx said. She tried to sit up, but grabbed her stomach. "Oh! There it is again."

"Just lay down. I'll try and figure out where we are."

"Where or when?" Jinx said. "Gizmo's a genius, remember? For all we know he could have taken that particle accelerator and race us ten or twenty years into the future."

"I've had a friend who's been to the future," Robin said, "She said it was much worse."

"Well, maybe that future's changed," Jinx said. She was looking paler than usual, but with her hair falling in just the right way, a boy could be tempted to call her beautiful. "Look, haven't you ever seen Clash of the Planets? Joda said the future was an ever-changing thing."

"Guess so," Robin muttered. "And no, I had not. I prefer Zorro and Robin Hood." He looked around. "It seems so, I dunno, dark."

"Well, I hope you're happy. I think I caught something," she muttered, "The flu, maybe. You had the flu recently? I'm suing you after all this is done. Oh boy am I bringing on the lawyers."

"Sure," Robin said, leaping down. "Why do I get the feeling this is Cyborg's job? Weren't you two, y'know, uh." He made a couple of strange gestures.

"If you mean seeing one another, that's ancient history," Jinx said. She was really not looking well.

"We should get to the tower. If it's still standing." He couldn't see it on the sky-line. Maybe they'd moved in this future.

"I'm still suing the pants off of you." Robin gave her an icy look and picked her up roughly, slinging her over his shoulder. She made a squeaky sound and then resorted to kicking and flailing.

"This isn't dignified! Let go of me!"

"Oh, I'm so going to enjoy this," Robin said, deadpan.

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The remnants of the machine died down, and the white light vanished. Raven let down her shield and looked at the still pummeled Mammoth. "Well, this is super. Are they…?"

"No, not detecting anything. No vapor or ash or anything. They obviously weren't killed in that."

"How do you know, man?" Beast Boy said, panicking, "That light ate them!"

"Even so," Cyborg said, "Gizmo can't mess with the laws of physics. Matter cannot be destroyed, only changed. There's no vapor, so they're not vaporized, and no ash, so they weren't incinerated, the more common reasons for people just vanishing. I'm running more scans, but I don't think they're dead."

"Just missing. We need to find Gizmo, figure out how this thing works," Raven said.

"Good idea," Cyborg said. "Star? You and Beast Boy'll run aerial recon. I want you to find anything out of the ordinary. Raven, you see if you can't get anything out of Big, Burly, and Stupid there."

"Sure," Raven said. "I always wanted to interrogate morons with teeth bigger than my pinky."

"Sorry, Rae. I got to get back to the tower and run a scan on the built-in sensors there. Maybe they'll detect any wormholes that thing opened up."

Starfire and Beast Boy took to the air, and Raven began to drag Mammoth with her. "You really think they're alive?"

"Honestly? No." Cyborg said. "But I just don't wanna think about the possibilities. Starfire was lucky she went through a controlled time-hole. But you heard Jinx. These guys didn't have a clue what this thing could even do."

"Gloomy," she muttered. "You're really getting good at outdoing me."

"I'll try and tone it down next time," Cyborg said. "Don't tell Star. She'll go off her nut if she thinks Robin was murdered."

"Understood."

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The problem with navigating the city was the sheer emptiness of the streets. Not a man or woman peeked out from behind the windows. Something had happened here. Something monumental.

Robin had held on until the squirming had left Jinx's system, and she sat, bored, looking over his shoulder into the emptiness. He didn't seem to be much of a conversationalist. Talking only if spoken to, and even then in brief and cold remarks.

"I thought you'd be more talkative."

"Why?"

"I don't know. The outfit. It's colorful, I just sort of thought," there was a glance from over his shoulder, and she caught it out of the corner of her eyes. "Right. Watch your hands, buster."

"Very funny," Robin answered. "I'm getting worried. Can you walk, at least?"

"Yeah, sure. Now put me down!" Jinx began to squirm again. She found herself deposited on the ground roughly. "Nicely!"

"Sorry," Robin said, deadpan, "Butterfingers."

"I'm sure," Jinx said, standing to her feet and brushing off her dress. "Oh great, it's ruined now, thanks to you. I'll have to go shopping for a new one."

"You're the one always complaining."

The emptiness of the street wore thin on Robin's mind. "What happened while we were gone?"

"If we were gone," Jinx said. "Maybe this is a strange new dimension or something? With horrible tentacle monsters that attack virtuous maidens – such as myself."

Robin gave her a flat look.

"What? You doubt my virtue?" Jinx said, giving him a dangerous glance. Robin just scratched his nose and walked forward.

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The Tower was gone. In its place stood erect a mighty monument, in a twisted mockery of Time City's Statue of Liberty. Its flowing marble robes and its torch were held aloft by the cruel, mocking face of Brother Blood.

"We've been gone a long time," Robin said.

"Oh," Jinx said, a mocking smile on her face, "You lose. Can't wait to tell the Headmaster about this!"

Robin was speechless.

"And, boy oh boy, the look on your face is priceless!" Jinx said, her smile growing even more smug. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Jinx," Robin said, his rage barely contained, "Shut it."

"That's no way to talk to a lady!" Jinx sniffed indignantly. She looked as Robin turned around, his expression angry, and he said, under his breath in a harsh whisper.

"Those maniacs, they blew it up," he whispered, "They blew it all up."

"You done yet?" Jinx asked. "I want to get going."

"No, I am not 'done yet'," Robin said. "I'm going to investigate this. And you're coming with me."

"Why?" Jinx asked.

Robin paused, and then he slowly answered, "Those arguments aside, you're still coming with me." He grabbed her wrist and led her along into town. They knocked on every door they came across, but no one answered the doors.

And it was getting dark.

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Robin sat at the foot of the town hall, having exhausted his resources. "It's worse than Starfire described her trip. This future's like a ghost town." He looked up, and saw Jinx peering into a store. "No, you're not breaking into there."

"I'm not going to," Jinx said. She smirked, "You are."

"Why?" Robin asked.

"There's a light on in there," she said, confidently. "And it wasn't on before." Robin jumped up. He pulled out a birdarang and motioned for her to go around the side. He threw the birdarang and the alarm went off, still functional after so long, as the glass shattered.

The light stayed on.

"No one's tried to bolt!" Jinx yelled from the side. "We going in?"

"I'll go in. You stay out here."

"Why?" Jinx asked.

"It may be dangerous, and I don't want you getting in my way," Robin answered, coolly. The dislike he had for her came off his tongue like venom.

"What? I'm a capable fighter!" Jinx yelled.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Robin responded, ducking into the building. It was pitch black and sough, except for the one pinpoint of light in the distance. He walked past the empty racks and opened the door, the light growing brighter as the crack was opened.

He peered inside.

Outside, the darkness grew ever closer, and Jinx began to feel the coolness of the brisk night air against her skin. She glanced at the window and sat down on the pavement next to it.

"Stupid Boy Wonder," Jinx muttered, "Who's he think he is? Honestly. 'That's what I'm afraid of,' my cute little – huh?" She looked around. She could have sworn she saw something move from the shadows. But she shrugged and tried to settle back into her complaining.

However, something nipped at her toes like a chill, and she stood up and looked around. "Who's out there? H, hey! Robin? This isn't funny."

The figure descended by the window. "Robin? That's a name I haven't heard in a long time." He folded up his weapon and looked over the girl. The voice, something about it brought back a distant memory.

Of screaming. Of Blood.

"Who, who are you?" the girl said, rolled up. She looked up at the last of hostility in his voice. Her wide, cat-like eyes perceived him better in the dark, even with the light from the shop beaming around him like a halo.

He took pause. "Ji, Jinx?"

Jinx merely muttered unintelligibly. She wasn't sure what she could say. The figure – a rather handsome young man, she figured, stumbled forward, surprised. Then, with a confident stride, reached for her.

She backed away, but his movements were too fast, and she was brought into a warm embrace.

"Um. Hi?" was all Jinx could think of saying.

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Starfire flew over the bay area, looking at the docks for any sign of irregular activity. "I am perceiving nothing out of the ordinary, I shall return to the Tower for the time being?"

"Negative, Starfire," Cyborg said. "Raven's gotten some info out of Mammoth. I don't know how, it sounds like she's torturing him in there."

Starfire could hear some moaning of pain in the background, and Mammoth saying what sounded distinctly like, "Lemme have some of that delicious mutton!"

"But he said that there's a second base they were using before Blood showed up. Down in the financial district."

"Beast Boy will be meeting me en route?"

"Yeah, gave him the coordinates. Sending them your way, too, in case poor little Greenie forgets like usual," Cyborg answered.

"Are you having any luck with the scanning?"

"No, Star. Sorry."

She sighed, anxiously, "I am truly nervous. Even if the machine merely displaced them, perhaps he has perished from the trip?"

"Star," Cyborg said.

"I will not go off the nut like you believe, Cyborg!" Starfire answered, "I am a warrior. Warriors understand sacrifice," she was sounding angry. "Even if it is something so precious."

"Star, I haven't got enough info to confirm or deny anything," Cyborg answered. "Let's just have a little bit of optimism, okay?"

"Cyborg?"

"Yeah?"

"You are a good leader," she said.

"Thanks, Star. Means a lot," he said. He closed the connection. He looked at Raven, who was coming in with an empty tray. "Raven, you think I was being too stubborn?"

"Yes."

"This is my fault," Cyborg said. "If we hadn't, urgh, I'm so stupid!"

"Yes," Raven said. "But now's not the time for finger-pointing. Let's find him and get him home."

"Yeah," Cyborg said, "If he's alive."

"Optimism," Raven said, smiling an awkward smile, "Let's see a smile, here." Cyborg gave her a cockeyed look. "Okay, so no."

"Yeah," Cyborg said, "That's definitely no. Let's just hope Gizmo has some idea what that thing was supposed to do."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'm sorry, maybe you've confused me for someone else," Jinx said, squirming away from the embrace, "And who are you?"

"You don't remember me?" the man said, looking perplexed.

"No, I don't. I'm just going to cry rape now, you go on ahead and try and explain yourself."

"It won't work, no one lives here anymore."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that, chuckles," Jinx said. She then let loose a piercing cry, then gave her supposed rapist a wink, "That ought to get his attention. Oh, you're going to be sorry now."

The man just looked bemused.

"Step away from the girl," he heard Robin said, and turned to look at him. He just shrugged, smirking. "What's so funny?'

"Nothing. It's just been too long since I've seen someone try to wear that. Watch that first step, kid, it's a doozy." Robin shifted into a stance, and the man moved himself into a comfortable defensive pose.

Robin rushed him, only to be floored in a matter of instants.

"Predictable," the man said.

"Whoa," Jinx managed. "Just who are you? Really?"

The man looked at Jinx and then at the scrappy young man under his foot, and sighed. "I suppose this is going to take awhile. You can call me 'Nightwing'." Robin's eyes snapped open, and he stopped struggling.

Jinx just looked expectantly, "And?"

"And what?"

"And why should I care?" Jinx asked. To her surprise, Nightwing just smiled.

"You haven't changed a bit, I see. It's not safe out here. Let's go inside. Before the patrols come again." He ducked into the window. "Hurry." He was already preparing a new window.

"I take it this happens a lot?" Jinx asked.

"Always have to be prepared. Can't let them find me."

Robin was secretly quiet. He thought he would be less obsessed in the future, more mature about it. But the way he was talking, and the room he had found, it all seemed to point to some variety of extreme paranoia beyond what he ever experienced with Slade.

And it was for Blood. Cyborg's villain.

The points had been connect all over the wall. Various news-paper clippings, strung together by string, had written on them, in rough red hand, "Should have seen it." Should haves and would haves were the most persistent thoughts Nightwing seemed to have.

"I take it you're from the past," Nightwing said. "Or an alternate timeline. Either is possible, both have happened at some point." He kept throwing glances at Jinx and it began to worry Robin.

"So, you're me?" Robin asked.

"I guess you could say that."

"Whoa!" Jinx said, "Stop right there." She walked over to Robin, "If you ever touch me I'll kick you where the sun doesn't shine."

She then walked over to Nightwing and proceeded to live up to her promise. Nightwing grabbed the offending leg. "Nice try," Nightwing said, "But I don't remember you saying that. Or any of this. It seems like you've been set across timelines. Which would explain the new Brother Blood."

"New Brother Blood?" Jinx said, "You mean he's not a cranky old guy who has outdated ideas what it means to be a bad girl? Did you know he told me to talk with a Russian accent because that would be the only thing a female villain could use and still be intimidating? The nerve!"

"Brother Blood, the one we knew, was a child. Hardly older than we were."

"And then out of the blue, a new Brother Blood appears, complete with mind-control, and you haven't a clue what's hit you," Robin surmised.

"More or less," Nightwing answered.

"Sounds like you've got a problem on your hands," Robin answered. "Where are the Titans? What happened to the Tower?"

"The Titans?" Nightwing asked, "No more. Blood's personal bodyguards now. Even Titans West. I've been hiding here since they fell. Blood prefers Steel City to Jump. I'm trying to find some way to strike back. Unfortunately, the intelligence I used to have is – no longer with us."

"Blood did all that?" Jinx asked. "Where we come from, he couldn't even control Cyborg."

"I see," Nightwing answered. "Well, here, he couldn't control me. And I don't want to stick around to find out if it'll affect you." He began to pack up his things. "We'll have to split company."

Jinx paused.

"What happened to the Hive?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Nightwing answered. "Goodbye." He turned off of the light before disappearing into the alleyway. Robin and Jinx just looked at each other. Then they began to walk down the empty street.

"I think you go insane in this future," Jinx said, succinctly.

"I got that feeling too." Robin trudged along ahead of her. They walked down the street, and neither said a word. Jinx sized up her companion in the empty city. He was a cocky, spiky haired jerk, that was true, but under that – well, he did drop everything and run to her aid. And then there was that hug.

She hadn't really thought of how to describe it, but she figured it was something about the desperateness of the embrace. He was holding her chastely, like a child he was afraid of losing forever. "You're quiet," Robin said, marking the first time he truly began a conversation. "Something on your mind?"

"Yeah. We need some beds or something."

"If I had my lockpick, we could get inside one of these buildings," Robin said. He shot her a glance. "I'm not breaking anymore windows. Something tells me there's a good reason Nightwing's so paranoid.

"You feel it too, huh?" Jinx fished in her concealed pockets. "Well," she pulled out a kit, "Would these work?"

Robin stared at her.

"You had them the whole time," Robin said, "And never mentioned it?"

"You didn't ask."

"But you can jinx the locks and, and - I, I'm too tired to be angry right now. Give them to me." She handed them over, at first playfully pulling them away, but when she saw the frustration building up in Robin, she let it go.

"Have you got it yet?"

"No," Robin said. He finally heard the tumblers turn and smiled, "There!"

"Hey, not bad, Boy Blunder. You should have been on our side." Robin's nostrils flared and he stormed into the building and began to work at another lock. "What did I say?"

"I'll never forget what crime did to my family."

"What? Did a bully steal your lunch money or something?"

"I'm not talking about it." He put the kit into a compartment on his belt.

"You do sound like Future You!"

"I know."

"That's cute," Jinx said. She yawned. "Can we get to some beds? I'm tired." She looked around. "Hey, nice hat."

"Don't touch anything," Robin said in such speed it was almost as if he had said it before her. She backed away. "Just use the bed."

"What about you?" Jinx asked.

Robin pointed at the couch. "I'll manage," was all he said. He flopped on the couch, closed his eyes, and turned his head away from Jinx. "Good night."

"Yeah," she said, "Good night. Really mature." She walked to the bed and flopped down on it and closed her eyes. However, when she tried to get to sleep, her mind would remember that strange gesture, and the fleeting looks…

"Robin?" she said, aloud, not expecting him to hear or respond. To her surprise there was a sound of someone crashing around the unfamiliar floor and walking to the door.

In a tired, and garbled voice he said, "Whazzit?"

"I can't sleep," she said, lamely.

"What?" Robin said. "You said you were tired."

"I am! But I just can't sleep." Robin shot her a look. "Really. I'm, I'm actually a little," she shrunk back into herself, "Scared."

"Scared of what?" Robin asked. "The city's empty."

"Except for that guy who claims to be you," Jinx corrected him. "I'm scared. What if he comes back to try and take me away." Robin didn't leave the glances unnoticed, but had never considered himself capable of doing something to a defenseless girl.

Then again. Jinx was hardly defenseless.

"I don't think he'll hurt you."

"Neither do I," Jinx said. She explained how they first met, and Robin listened as she tried to describe the franticness of the embrace. Robin didn't say anything, just looking on, half asleep, to her talk.

"I'm scared. I just want to know what happened to me here. I mean, we don't hardly know each other, in the personal sector," Jinx explained.

"Yeah," Robin said. "The personal sector." He wasn't sure how that was meant, and tasted it in his mouth before spitting it out. "Unlike, say, Cyborg."

"That's history," she repeated. She continued, "Do you think something horrible happened to me?"

"Well, this isn't our universe, we shouldn't worry too much about it." Robin smiled a bit, "If I know Cyborg, he's probably got a plan to get us out of here already in motion."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Why'd I say those things, Rae? I didn't mean 'em," Cyborg said, between sobs. "Now I ain't got anything to tell the others 'cept, guess who's boss!"

"Is that so," Raven said, washing a glass. She looked at the scene suspiciously, daring it to move along its course. "Well, that's how it goes."

"The chances of time travel are nil, and they haven't gone traveling through space either. So what's left?"

"Alternate dimensions, or they could just be invisible, which would really make Robin angry." Raven put the glass down in the cupboard, and began drying the next one, taking her time to let Cyborg continue talking.

"Alternate dimensions?" Cyborg said, visibly perking. "Didn't think of that. Rae, I think I could stand to kiss you."

"I don't."

"Okay, but the sentiment's there."

"Disgusting."

He hopped up and ran to his room like his tail was on fire. Raven imagined it being so, for a second, and her mood instantly lightened.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Don't press your luck," Jinx said. "I know for a fact Gizmo hasn't a clue what happened. What makes you think ole shell-head can get us out of here?"

"I have faith in my friends, something you desperately lack," Robin answered. "It's why we beat you time and time again."

"Really didn't look like you had faith in him earlier."

Robin didn't respond.

"Just, stay close, okay?" she asked, "In case he comes back or something. Please?"

"Sure."

"Thanks," she said, smiling. She then snuggled into the sheets and fell into a fitful sleep.

She was awoken the next morning to the soft snoring of someone besides her. She looked at Robin, who looked pretty much the same as Robin when he was awake except for the rhythmic quality of his breathing.

"Idiot," she muttered, climbing carefully out of the bed so as to not wake her. She opened the fridge. The milk was rancid, but at least the cereal looked good. It wasn't ideal, but better than an empty stomach.

She put some coffee in the machine and closed her eyes. She let the aroma waft into her nostrils and wake her up gently

It was awfully pedestrian, like something from a Fifties family television series. There she was, her hair a mess from sleep, her make-up all out of touch. She looked like a housewife. She wondered idly if there was a recent newspaper on the porch, but when she playfully peeked out the door, nothing was there.

It was so stupid!

So she tittered like a schoolgirl and went for her coffee, taking a sip of it gently. The taste of the beans, so hard and uncomfortable, hit her tongue and sent messages to her brain, waking up any remaining quality of sleep through its horrible taste alone.

She straightened herself up and began to eat her dry cereal.

She heard a certain someone rousing from sleep and suddenly awake like a jolt when he screamed her name out, looking around. She giggled more between the sips of coffee and the taste of bitter dry cereal. "Ji, jinx!" Robin said, when he finally saw her. "What are you doing?"

"Getting breakfast. Speaking of which, you should eat too, so I poured you a bowl. The milk – well, yogurt really – is too far gone, so you're going to have to make due with it dry. I think I saw some ripe fruit in the fridge, too."

"This is other people's property," Robin said.

"It'll be no one's if we don't eat it," Jinx retorted, "Besides, you need your strength, Boy Wonder."

"You're in a good mood."

"You know," Jinx said, "You're right. I guess I never understood the joys of being a housewife before." She laughed as his expression.

"I have the feeling I'm going to hate waiting for Cyborg to get me out of this. How he dealt with you so long, I'll never know."

"I'm cute and charming," Jinx responded. "Why, I'm a regular pussy cat when you get to know me."

"The kind that bites and scratches?"

"We'll see,' Jinx said, winking. He sat down and took a cup for coffee. "There you go. See, Jinxie knows best."

"I'm sure," Robin said.

"So," Jinx said, idly, trying to start conversation. "How's life?"

"I'm stuck in alternate timeline with a girl I barely know," Robin said, "It's probably not the best time to ask that question."

"Well, you didn't have a creepy version of a guy you barely know come up and hug you for no reason," Jinx said. "So fess up. How's life."

"I'm slowly losing grips on my sanity," Robin answered from behind clenched teeth.

"Well, I'm currently happy," Jinx said. "You understand? Some of us can make the best of a, hm, bad situation."

"Why me?" Robin asked no one in particular. "Of all the people in all Jump City, why me?"

"Because no good deed goes unpunished," Jinx answered, laughing. "You tried to save me and now you end up trapped with me. That's just the way the cookie crumbles."

"Thank you for your pessimistic look on the world."

"I'm evil, remember? That's actually optimism."

"I wish more villains were pessimistic, then," Robin answered. She was about to respond how then they wouldn't get anything done, but Robin cut her off with a timely, "I know. I'm a good guy, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," Jinx answered. She played idly with the last few crumbs of her dry cereal, playing jump-frog with them. Robin, however, slowly sipped his coffee like a closet intellectual, and made a soft, smooth sound from the base of his throat. "What?"

"What are you thinking?"

"Blood," Robin said, "Our Blood came here and replaced their Blood. That means he must have been here for over a few months, if Jump City's gone to waste. There's just something that's been bugging me."

"What's that?"

"He said 'Even Titans West', when I asked about the Titans. That means there must have been two teams, East and West. I wonder which team I was on in this universe."

"You strike me as a Gotham boy."

"I am a Gotham boy," Robin answered.

"That'd be why then, hm?" Jinx responded, a playful smile on her face. "So, what do we do about Blood? It's not like you haven't stopped him before."

"Blood's more persistent, maybe more dangerous than Slade was," Robin answered, "He would always learn from his mistakes and take precautions the next time. He's dedicated to being the villain, more so than anyone else I've met."

"I'm dedicated to villainy too," Jinx said.

"Well, yeah, but not cartoon villainy," Robin said. "All that hemming and hawing, he's just so dedicated to it. If he wasn't, I think he'd be unbeatable." He put his empty cup down and looked at Jinx.

She scoffed at him.

The building shook. And a voice came booming across the street like a wave of water a hundred feet tall. "I'm so glad you think so, Robin. I must admit, I'm a bit surprised to see you here."

"Blood!" Robin rose to his feet.

"Oh, don't get up on my account. Please, sit down," Blood said. His waited until Robin was sitting. Robin looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. "No, not there. To your left. Ah, yes, the window! Excellent."

Robin peeked out the window and saw the sky alight with lights. Brother Blood's face was being projected onto the clouds. "Welcome to New Jump City, Robin. I do hope you found it hospitable."

"Jinx, we should – " he was taken from behind, her grip much stronger than he expected..

"Sorry, Boy Wonder. I'm a bad girl, remember?" Jinx pointed out, whispering softly in his ear, so close he could feel her lips on the tip of his ear when she spoke and her breath tickled.

"Excellent work, Jinx. Your loyalty will be rewarded. The aerial platform is expected to arrive in T-minus twenty seconds. Be ready." Blood smiled, "So sorry to leave you hanging like this, Robin. But there's urgent business on the other line." He brought his thumb and pinky out and put them by his ear. "Call me." He laughed and the image dimmed from the sky.

From the sky, a HIVE designed airship descended, bursting pass the clouds like a slow moving bolt of lightning. Robin watched it descend with a sullen expression. He didn't make an accusation, merely berating himself for trusting the girl.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gizmo ran straight into Starfire as he tried to escape a tiger that had leapt into his hideout through one of the windows. He was a mess, tears of absolute terror flying from his cheeks and across the air. "Oh snot!"

Starfire picked him up, "While you are the Gizmo who speaks the not nice words, we need your assistance once more."

"What the – you need my help?" he pointed at the tiger, "Then why the snot are you sending a cludgehead tiger to pick me off?"

Beast Boy reverted to his normal form, a nervous giggle playing in his throat, "I was just trying to distract you. Really! I wasn't planning on mauling you or anything. Especially after that last trick you pulled," he added darkly.

"I need Witness Protection right now!" Gizmo yelled, "You got to help me! I don't want the snot beat outta me by a wimp!"

"Hey, who's the wimp here!" Beast Boy said, angrily.

"Now is not the time for argumentation! The time for action is now. Cyborg, we have the Gizmo and are returning to the Tower."

"Roger Wilco," Cyborg said, "I've got some questions for him, give the communicator over."

Starfire handed the communicator over and lifted him up. Gizmo snuggled up to her bosom and said, casually, "Talk to me."

"Gizmo, what did you build?"

"Called it my Quantum Flux Stabilizer, b'for the snotcrummer Headmaster decided to break it."

"But what does it do?"

"Stabilizes quantum flux irregularities, creating a harmonic frequency."

"And?" Cyborg asked, "What's the practical application of that?"

"I think it was Archimedes who famously said, Snot if I knew." Gizmo shrugged, "The Headmaster gave me a particle accelerator, some glue, and a TV. I just put them all together to see what I'd come up with."

"You built a device," Cyborg said, calmly, but with growing anger, "To see if you could?"

"More or less. Oh! Oh! I hear it now, that's Jealousy, there, isn't it? Hello, Jealousy." He was shook by Starfire, who looked down at him angrily as she continued her climb through the skies. "What do you expect me to do, make another one?"

"Can you fix the old one?" Cyborg said, "Because I don't know what you did, but Robin got eaten up by that thing."

"Probably vaporized."

"No."

"Or burninated."

"Definitely," Cyborg said, "No. I ran tests. No residue. They're still out there, somewhere. I just want to know what you did to them so I can get them back."

"Wait, wait. 'Them'? I knew it, there's more than one Robin. Jinx so owes me five bucks. Did you know that snot-haired twip owes me twenty bucks anyway? Snot-munching mooch. I tell you!"

"No, there isn't – is there? No, couldn't be. I meant, Jinx also got eaten up by that machine." He waited for Gizmo's reaction. It was quiet at first but eventually ended up coming across in a quick blur.

"I will cooperate," Gizmo said. He needed that twenty.

"Wondrous!" Starfire said. "We will have our leader back, and you will be given the twenty! Everyone is victorious!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Robin stewed in his cell, through the bars he could see Jinx walking alongside Brother Blood, informing him of their adventures up to this point. Blood listened, hurrying along the prattling girl to information.

"The strangest part was that Nightwing," Jinx said. "I mean, how that," she pointed at Robin, "Grew up into that, I will never know. Apparently there's something about the boyish charm that you grow into."

"Nightwing," Brother Blood said. "I imagine that must have been quite the meeting. I'd like to hear the details."

"Nothing much," Jinx said, "It's just that he's really paranoid. Like, scary paranoid. Makes Robin's obsessive-compulsive act look normal."

"He's not Obsessive-Compulsive, dear child, but yes," Brother Blood said, "I imagine he's paranoid. But is that all?"

"Uh, yes," Jinx said, "All that I cared to remember. Everything else was a bit like him. All clingy." She shot him a dangerous glance that Robin understood. 'Say a word and I'll throw you into the Great Lakes. I don't care which, you'll skip across all of them if you say anything.'

"Clingy, is it? Sounds very much like him. He's probably moved on, now, but I'm sure my guard has found him." He smiled, "And you, Robin, will be a fine addition to my collection. Why, I've almost got the full set. And you're just extra for my invasion of our timeline."

"You won't get away with it, Blood!"

"Won't I?" Blood said. "Who's going to stop me? The Teen Titans?"

"We'll make sure of it," Robin said.

"Dear boy, my plan will stop your Teen Titans from ever posing a threat. I know all your weaknesses. Especially yours." He smirked, "Your heart."

"If you hurt Starfire, I will hunt you down!"

"Ah, yes, the alien girl. Strong, but weak-willed." He looked over Jinx, and with a smile said, "I'll let you two spend a little time together. I've much planning to do." He walked out of the brig and the elevator moved upwards, to the bridge.

"Well, that went well."

"I thought we were in this together," Robin said.

"Eh, you thought wrong. I'm a bad girl, remember? I'm supposed to take advantage of your goody-goody trust. Or didn't you get that memo at Hero School?'

"I can't believe he's planning an invasion."

"Scared?" Jinx said, smirking.

"I won't lie," Robin said, "I am. He's already ruined this version of Jump City. If he finds a way back to – no, when he finds a way back to our timeline, I can't begin to imagine the damage he'll do."

"Well, you should see his little Cyborg obsession. An army of Cyborg clones. Well, the cyber part of him, anyway. Army of robots, all searching town for that Nightwing guy. Serves him right for touching my heavenly body."

"You're a wonderful and compassionate person," Robin said, "And I hope you know that."

"Save the sarcasm for someone who cares," Jinx retorted. "Look, we're getting home one way or another. I think this is better for me. And really, that's all that matters, right?"

"You're a bad, bad girl, Jinx."

"Oh, I know! Aren't I hot?" she giggled, striking a pose. "Fear me!"

"Oh Jinx," Brother Blood's voice came up as his image appeared on a vid-screen, "I need your assistance presently, so if you'll please stop fraternizing with the enemy…" he trailed off.

"Coming, Headmaster." She glared at Robin, "Look what you did."

Robin gave a cocky smirk and raised his eyebrow.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back in the real Titans Tower in Jump City, Gizmo fiddled around with a component from the ruined and burnt out Vanquisher machine. He looked at it angrily and threw it in a heap with the others.

"Need all that snarfing crudware replaced!" he yelled.

"We can do that," Cyborg answered. "But do you have any clue what it did?"

"I don't know. You're going to have to let me run a test of your scanners." Cyborg rolled his eyes and took off his arm and handed it to Gizmo. "Thanks, Crudbot. Now, let's do a scan for any temporal holes and boy did you miss it. We ripped the space-hole a new one all right!"

"What is that?" Starfire asked, pointing at the readings on the wrist. Gizmo shrugged.

"Some kinda hole in time and space. Gonna have to do more cruddy research to figure out what it is. But, my hypothesis, you ingrates, is that you may be able send radio waves across there and see what we got ourselves into."

"Radio waves?" Cyborg asked.

"No idea how fast it'd move, but I'm guessing we could run a sonar thing. High enough frequency and we'll get a cruddy map to find those snot-lickers."

"You're really running out of insults aren't you," Beast Boy said, perched on the arm of a chair.

"Snot you!"

"I'll take that as a yes," Raven answered. "Look, can we hurry this up?"

"Wait a minute," Cyborg said. "Maybe we can try sending a signal to Robin on his communicator."

"Doubt it," Gizmo said. "And even if you could, I doubt you'd be able to clearly get a response. You'd need some kinda kludging amplifier for it and the receiver'd need to be a super-receiver, and then you'd need to be able to – " he went off on a tangent, which Cyborg listened to while Starfire and Raven exchanged looks.

"We are never going to be able to find Robin again, are we?"

"Nope, not with two tech-heads working on it." Raven groaned, "Well, sit back and relax, this might take a while."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nightwing was thrown from side to side by the robotic army. Jinx stood, watching besides Brother Blood as the overwhelmed hero began stumbling. His strikes were cutting down robots, but still, he could hardly keep up with the growing numbers.

"I'm impressed, Headmaster."

"Why, thank you, Jinx. I'm impressed too. He's lasted this long against my robotic guard. That makes me so, so, so mad I could!" he took a deep breath. "Jinx, hold my robes." He removed them in one fell movement and let them fall into Jinx's arms.

The red outfit beneath allowed for much more ease of movement. The guard moved aside like water from the sea and allowed him to pass. "Nightwing, we meet again for the final time."

"Blood," Nightwing said, with such resentment. "You planned all this."

"Not in the slightest," Blood smirked, "But I do so wish I had. I've been waiting too long to see you falling in line. I will have no disciplinary problems in my school, young man." He threw his hands forward, lightning arcing out of them. Nightwing's spine arched as it was sent coursing through his nerves and shocking his skin.

Jinx sniffed the air, "Ew. Singed flesh."

"Ah, I love the smell of electricity in the morning. It smells like, mm, victory," Blood said. "My robes, Jinx?" She threw them over, averting her eyes from the singed and unconscious Nightwing.

"Did you have to do that?" Jinx asked.

"Yes," Blood responded, smugly, "Yes I did." She looked awkwardly in Robin's direction as the droids dropped the limp form in the brig cell next to him, and moved out. "Come along, Jinx. We've got much work to do and so little time to do it in. We'll arrive in Steel City within the hour."

"Sorry, Robby," Jinx said, showing him a fleeting look of concern as she was led away. Robin just sighed and looked over at the slightly charred Nightwing.

"Wake up."

He moaned.

"Shh," Robin warned. "He's probably listening. I've got a lockpick set in my utility belt. When they come to take us out, we'll break out."

"Won't work," Nightwing said, quietly. "They're too numerous. We're probably better off just letting him take us."

"I don't like that attitude," Robin said. "What happened to me, here?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"We've got an hour," Robin said, "And it may help me understand what exactly I'm up against. I can't win if I don't know everything."

Nightwing smirked. "I guess I'm right."

"I know I'm right," Robin answered.

"Well," Nightwing said, "It began when we were dealing with strange activity within the HIVE Academy. Students were on an increased number of raids in highly bizarre locations. They were stealing from supermarkets, luxury liners, you name it."

"Strange."

"Banks were hit most often. I think it was mainly a smokescreen for much larger, less noticeable hits."

"So Cyborg went undercover?"

"Is that how it happened where you came from? No. Not just Cyborg," Nightwing said. "We reasoned that the two of us could cover more ground. Cyborg investigated a young kid named Blood while I was dragged all over by the triumvirate of lame that kicked us out of our tower."

"And?"

"Nothing much. Things sort of petered out and we won. Not before we revealed the Blood kid's control on the school. He was kicked out so fast that they didn't notice us vanishing. Well, except for Jinx."

"Jinx," Robin said. "That's what's been bothering me. What's your obsession with Jinx?"

"It wasn't really, well, anything until after the new Blood showed up around, was probably six months ago. He took over the HIVE and began to orchestrate some attacks on the newly established Titans West."

Robin just closed his eyes and listened, not wanting to interject. "When Jump City fell, we tried to help out, but Cyborg was decimated. Somehow, Blood knew every glitch in his system."

"Oh," Robin said, "That would be our fault. He stole the blueprints when we sent Cyborg in."

"Figures," Nightwing said. "We soon came to learn how resourceful he was. When he learned about Red X, he began to manipulate the costume's various counter-measures. Sooner than you knew it, the rest of the Titans fell to the way-side."

"And you?"

"I…" he looked dismal, "I ran."

"You ran," Robin said, looking over. "I, I can't believe it."

"I panicked. My mind blanked. All I could do was run." He closed his eyes, "The image of Starfire throwing starbolts after me – that just kept replaying. You probably haven't any idea what kind of betrayal that is."

Robin admitted that much.

"I ended up thought dead. So I used that to my advantage. Then I started getting, well, information from an anonymous source. It scared me at first, with most of the world already in Brother Blood's demented idea of school. But, the information started to prove… well… helpful. But I was still nervous."

"And then?"

"And then I found Steel City as you're about to see it now. With working security codes. It was sometime after I started calling myself Nightwing. I tried to get through to the Titans, but I was found – by Jinx."

"I'm sensing a pattern," Robin commented.

"Don't tell me I was as cocky as you are," Nightwing retorted. "But yes. Jinx. She was the one who gave me the codes. And she had found me a place to stay in Steel City. She gave me her room."

Robin just closed his eyes and prayed, prayed with every fiber of his body that it wasn't going to head in the direction he was expecting it to.

"And then, we just started to fall for each other."

"Thank you, good night everybody," Robin muttered. He stood up and looked at him, "Jinx? You fell in love with Jinx? Starfire, definitely, Raven, maybe, Kitten, even possibly remotely in an alternate reality where she wasn't insane, but Jinx?"

"Don't give me that," Nightwing said, sitting upright, "It took me by surprise too. But, I guess in your timeline you never really got to know her."

"Cyborg said she was actually kind of nice," Robin answered. "But I was just humoring him when I said 'I guess so'."

"Cyborg?" Nightwing let a low chuckle loose.

"So you're saying you fell in love with Jinx." Robin groaned, "How many other alternate realities are there? Do you know?"

"No. I just imagine there's one for every possible choice that was ever possibly given to every possible version of you and I. There's probably a root person and it goes from there. The "Pantlegs of Time"."

"I think Raven tried to explain that one time, but she called the Trousers," Robin muttered.

"But did you really pay attention?"

"No," he admitted.

"Me neither."

"But if there are a hundred thousand versions of me who did fall for Jinx, of all people," Robin muttered bitterly, "They could have at least sent me a head's up. An invite to the wedding would be nice. The jerks."

"Well, that's just how it is," Nightwing said, "I'm not about to criticize you for wearing the red and green costume."

"This is just really, really strange."

Nightwing closed his eyes. "She was her nicest in the morning, right around when she'd bring us breakfast. We'd tease each other over coffee." Robin shifted uncomfortably as his alternate self began to wax nostalgia like an old man. "It carried on for about a month or two. Then Blood finally found out."

He sighed deeply, "I, I don't want to even start about what happened to her. I tried to fight, but there wasn't anything I could do. I had to let it go. For the time being. I was trying to figure out a plan, something, to get him."

"You've got me now," Robin said, "Two heads are better than one."

"And we've got half an hour to figure out what to do."

"I think I can help," Robin told him, confidently. Suddenly, he heard a familiar jingle emitting from his belt. He looked down at it. "What? The communicator is going off."

He flipped it on and yelled into it. "Cyborg, Titans. Come in!"

"Ro—zzzzt- Are you alive –brzk – answer!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Titans sat around the communicator, with Gizmo and Beast Boy playing Yahtzee on the floor. So far, Gizmo was winning by a large margin, but Beast Boy was predicting a windfall in the final minutes.

Raven read her book and Starfire was in a fitful sleep.

Cyborg did nothing but wait, concentrating on receiving that precious signal. The timer for the approximated time of arrival ticked ever closer to the red zone. If he didn't respond, they would assume the worst and move on as best they could. "C'mon, you spiky haired jerk. Answer."

The clock finally hit zero. No response.

"Well, sucks to be you," Gizmo said. "All I lost was twenty bucks. Which you owe me now, Chromehead."

"Shut up!" Cyborg said, "There's still a chance."

"Slimmer than Red over there."

"Oh, real subtle," Raven said.

"Guys, just a few more minutes, please. We have no idea when he got the message." Cyborg looked pleadingly.

"Cy," Beast Boy said, "I don't think it' going to work. He's gone."

"No!" Cyborg said, standing up, "I've seen him survive worse without breaking a sweat. He's going to get back to us, and we're getting him back here and then we're having a meat lover's pizza together."

"Dude," Beast Boy said.

"Yeah," Gizmo agreed. "Dude."

"You do what you want," Raven said, snapping her book closed. "I'm going to bed. We'll decide what we do in the morning."

"Yahtzee."

"Oh, dude!" Beast Boy yelled, "You cheated."

"No duh," Gizmo said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I am so never playing this game with you ever again."

"Chicken."

"Oh, it's on now! You, me, right here, rematch, right now."

"You're on."

"Actually, can we move to a table, my legs are dying!" They picked up and moved, leaving Cyborg and Starfire alone, Starfire's restless sleep bringing more discomfort to his vigil.

"Robin," she murmured in her sleep, "No. Don't go."

"Star," Cyborg muttered, "This is all my fault. It shoulda been me." He put his hand to the console, saying, "Maybe they're right. Maybe it is hopeless." As he began to power it down, there was a crack of static, and a voice from the main communication. A face, looking worried and strained, yelling.

"Cy—Titans- Co – in!"

"Robin!" Cyborg said. "There is a five-minute delay in responses. Man, where are you. What's going on?"

The delay was deafening. He would have to wait another ten minutes. But the cracking up image was enough to make him believe he was okay. He looked over at Starfire. He didn't want to wake her, so he just let her sleep – it seemed to have eased itself considerably.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Robin looked at it hopelessly and closed it.

"I want to get out of here," he said. "How much longer?"

"It shouldn't be long now," Nightwing said, his tone fairly similar.

"I'm tired."

"So am I."

"I want to go home."

"Ditto."

Robin looked over at Nightwing, "What's Gotham like here?"

"Nothing's the matter with it. Batman, he keeps them out."

"Why didn't you go back there?"

"I can't," Nightwing said. He looked seriously disconcerted by the idea, "What am I going to tell him? Beg him for help? I ran away when my friends needed me most. I couldn't just –"

"We're here," Jinx said, coming into the hold.

"I didn't hear the elevator," Robin commented. She looked bashfully at him and then looked at Nightwing.

"Blood wants to see you out personally. C'mon, Robin, let's go." She unlocked the door and led him to the elevator. They closed the door, and she looked upwards at the security camera. She wiggled her fingers and it sparked.

"Why did you do that."

"So we can talk," Jinx said. "I heard what you and that guy were talking about." She watched the door intently, not turning to look at Robin. "About how things went in this world. So, uh, here we were in love, huh?"

"Apparently," Robin said. "It was the most awkward conversation I've ever had, and I've had Batman try and explain the birds and the bees to me."

"How'd that one turn out?" Jinx asked, idly.

"Not well. Alfred took over – never mind," he said, realizing what he was saying. "Go on."

"Um," Jinx said, "That explains a lot."

"Yeah," Robin said, raising a brow. There was that feeling of awkwardness again. "It does."

"You don't think that could ever happen in our timeline, right? I mean, it's insane, we're two different people from two different walks of life."

"I guess," Robin said, "Why do you ask?"

"I guess you don't," Jinx said. "You boys are so thick." She kicked the door and it opened. "Let's go, before Blood figures out what's going on." She leapt down into the landing bay. They were flying over Steel City as they approached. "You got anymore of those grappling hooks?"

"Yeah," Robin said. He put his arm around her, and she held on tight. He looked over at her, she looked over at him, and they jumped.

As they fell, the communicator went off.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They landed in a bundle, safely, on the street of Steel City, near the outskirts. The grappling hook had slowed their fall down, but they still looked winded. Jinx coughed and looked at the cape that had gotten wrapped around her.

Robin was on the ground, laying on his back, looking none too happy to have so much additional weight on him. "Nice landing," Jinx commented. She brushed a loose lock out of her face.

"Thanks," Robin said.

The jingle kept repeating itself. "Could you, uh, could you get that?"

"Where is it?"

"Do you feel that thing poking your leg?" Robin asked. "That."

"Oh! So that's what it was," she said. She moved her leg and picked up the communicator. She opened it up.

"Robin!" the signal was a bit clearer this time, "The-s a five-minute - in responses. Man, w- are you. What's going on?"

"Hey, it's Cyborg," she said to Robin casually. "Hi Cyborg. We're up to the usual. Alternate universe, Brother Blood rules the world, Robin and I are on our honeymoon. We'll give you a call when we're ready to go home. Bye bye."

She flipped it closed.

"Why did you do that?" Robin asked, irritably.

"You told me to get it," Jinx said, shrugging. "Besides, in five minutes we'll not be tangled up in your cape like this. So you can tell him your side of the story. Like they're going to believe me anyhow."

"Fine. You're going to have to lift your left leg, and twist your body to the right," Robin said.

"Are you sure?"

"Almost positive," Robin answered. "Trust me."

She followed his instructions, and felt Robin moving his arm to flip himself around. They were now in the reverse situation. Robin lay on top of her, his eyes meeting hers. She blushed and looked away, and he could feel his cheeks burning up from embarrassment. "S, sorry. Okay."

He removed his cape and stood up, slowly. Jinx followed, and put on his cape around her neck. "How'd I look?" she asked. Robin didn't respond. "Okay, Boy Wonder. What's the matter this time?"

"N, nothing."

"You're blushing," she said. "Aw, you can be kind of cute when you want to be, you know that?"

"Stop it," Robin said. "We should get moving. My cape?"

"Fine," she tossed his cape at him, which ended up knocking him to the ground from the weight, and began to storm off down the street.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Jinx!" Robin yelled, trying to catch up with her. "Wait up!"

"Oh, it's you," she said, her voice filled with contempt. "What do you want?"

"What's wrong?" Robin asked. She looked at him as if he grew a second head. "What did I say?" Jinx sniffed the air, indignantly, and continued walking. "Girls, they just don't make any sense whatsoever."

"I heard that!"

"And it's better than saying I'm thick because I'm a boy?" Robin retorted. She growled.

"Oh, but I'm a girl, I get to say stuff like that."

"What is your problem?"

"My problem? I risked my life to rescue you and this is the thanks I get?"

"Why did you rescue me?" Robin said. "I thought you were all into your Bad Girl routine." He walked ahead of her. She looked at him as he passed, looking even angrier than before.

"I am a bad girl," Jinx said.

"So, it's a bad thing to do, rescuing the hero?" He paused, smirking, "Or have you fallen in love with me."

"I have not!"

"Then why did you rescue me?"

"I, I!" Jinx sputtered out, angrily. "I don't know! It seemed like a good idea at the time. And look, if he killed me in this universe, what's to stop him from killing me in our universe. I'm all about self-preservation."

"Oh, really," Robin said. "So you drew more attention to yourself by helping me escape. Real logical."

"I don't have to be logical. Woman's prerogative."

"You're going to run out of excuses," Robin said. He continued on. "We should find where the school is. If Blood is planning on returning to our universe, he's got to have built a new version of that machine here."

The Titan's communicator began to ring again. Robin opened it quickly.

"Ro—what is Jinx ? Man, come on. Seriously. We're – the machine – I repeat, rebuildin—please respond!"

"Cyborg, don't listen to Jinx. She's being a baby. We're approaching the HIVE Academy East in this universe. Blood is planning an invasion. We will attempt to stop it and return home."

"Don't drag me into this."

"Fine, I'll stop this and then I'll return home. Does that sound better?"

"No!" Jinx said, "You'd better help me get home in return for me helping you escape." She crossed her arms and glared.

"Fine, over and out."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nightwing looked up as the guard passed through and Blood entered. He was furious, steam seemingly rising off the top of his aged brow and into the ceiling. He looked at Nightwing and the glare he shared was electric, full of rage and despision.

"It was you, wasn't it?"

"Was it?" Nightwing asked. "I don't know what you're talking about." Blood's rage was fueled by Nightwing's ignorance.

"You know very well what! Our landing coordinates have been changed. We're about to crash because of you."

"Why would I do that?" Nightwing asked, "And how? I've been in here the whole time."

"Very good argument," Blood said, "But I know your craftiness. You could have manipulated any number of factors. I just want to know how."

"Ever consider it was someone else?"

"Now who else – Jinx," he paused. "I understand now. You've seduced her. Very clever, but it will not save you."

"I didn't do anything," Nightwing said. "She must have done it on her own."

"No matter. I will send my personal guard to track her down. And our young friend," his eyes burned a hole in the center of the empty cell.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jinx sat down in an empty bench in the middle of the park. "How much further do we have to walk?"

"I don't know," Robin said.

"You should know! You're in lead."

"I'm doing the best that I can!"

"Try harder!"

"Why should I?" Robin said, "You're the most ungrateful little witch I've ever had to deal with. I like to think I give everyone a second chance, but you're really pushing it with your attitude."

"You're right," Jinx said, "I'm sorry."

"And I hope you – you're sorry?"

"That's right," Jinx said, "You're right. I've been a big ole ingrate who should probably be eternally indebted to you for helping me get home. But, Mr. High and Mighty, you haven't exactly been the most cheery person to spend a day in an alternate universe with. I mean, for one thing, you're a bad conversationalist."

"Sorry."

"And another, you were really rough early on. I could have been really sick and then where'd you be, tossing me on the ground."

"Sorry."

"And then you have to be Starfire?"

"I have to be?" Robin looked up. "Starfire!" Her hair was bigger and less tamed and her costume was more revealing, but it was definitely Starfire. And in her hands the light of a starbolt began to grow ever larger. "I think we should run for cover."

"You think?" Jinx asked, looking at him with an expression questioning his sanity. They ducked to the side as a large Starbolt blew a crater into the ground around them.

"This is bad," Robin observed.

"I know! Look at what she's wearing? If that doesn't say 'I'm a Space-Age Sex Slave', I don't know what does!"

"Thanks for that observation," Robin said, casting her a sharp glance. He ducked forward and threw his discs forward. They spun and rose through the air, only to be shot down by Starfire's starbolts.

"Nice try," Jinx said.

"Don't be so sure about that, old girl," Robin said. The blast ignited mid-air, causing a blinding flash. Robin moved through the flash, leaping through the air, and swinging his bo staff he knocked Starfire to the ground.

"I'm not old!" Jinx yelled.

Robin just withdrew his staff and looked at the downed Starfire. "That's not important. We'd better get out of here before she comes to."

"You took her out in one hit?" Jinx said. "I didn't even see you move."

"C'mon," Robin said.

"No, wait, I want to hear how you did that."

"Look," Robin said, "I just have an idea how to deal with that sort of scenario."

"You have a counter-measure for your own teammates?" Jinx asked. She looked completely shocked.

"If one of my team were to prove themselves a risk," Robin answered, "I would know how to take them down, yes."

"So why didn't Nightwing there use them?"

"I may act like it sometimes," Robin said, "But I'm not Batman. I don't expect people to betray me."

"There's got to be more to it than that," Jinx said. She thought on it, "Oh, I know. Maybe they got around his countermeasures!"

"Now why would you say – get down!" He pushed Jinx to the side and was hit clear in the side by a starbolt. He rolled across the ground, singed from the strike. Jinx looked up. Starfire looked overly satisfied by Robin's pained sounds.

Jinx stood up and with a wave of her hand sent her hex bolts forward to strike. "Take this!" She laughed.

Robin watched her carefully, trying to stand up.

Starfire struck the ground with a series of Starbolts, and Jinx expertly dodged, performing backflips away from each of them. She winked in Robin's direction and with a bow fired hex bolts in all directions. The area began to creak and water mains broke through the surface.

The water rained down on Starfire, causing her to be distracted. "Bad idea," Jinx warned, spinning around to kick Starfire in the face. This knocked the alien from the sky, and they both landed across from each other.

Starfire's eyes burned bright and she pounced. Jinx leapt back and threw her fist into the ground, sending more waves into the ground. The ground began to crumble and Starfire found herself plummeting to the sewer system.

"That's how you fight a Titan," Jinx said, blowing a kiss.

"Not bad," Robin said, hopping to his feet. He grabbed where the bolt had hit him. "You hurt?"

"No," Jinx said.

"Good," he said while stumbling. "Let's get out of here."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Robin's message had arrived, and Cyborg felt more and more confused. He scratched his head idly as he typed away at the console. Gizmo had nodded off and so had Beast Boy, Yahtzee cup in hand. There was no one else there.

What were the chances that the machine would send them back home? None. Unless. He paused and did a few more calculations. It wasn't really anything his father hadn't worked on before, but this time, it seemed more random.

Maybe, however, if the two machines were online at the same time, there'd be a point of least resistance for the travel to take place inside. He looked at the parts Gizmo had thrown out and then at the sleeping group.

"Okay guys, I'll be back in a little bit."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What are you doing, Cyborg?" Raven asked. She appeared in a wave of blackness and regained form. "Really. This isn't productive."

"We don't have time to argue ethics. We need this now, we'll sort out the details later," Cyborg answered. "I thought you were asleep."

"I overheard Robin's message. Then followed you," Raven said. "Whatever's going on over there, we can't help him."

"But we can get him back" He lifted up a tree casually, "Could you stand to the right a bit." She moved. "Thanks." Moving the tree into battering ram position, he ran towards the door, and with the force he used, knocked it open with a mighty blow. "Well, let's get these parts."

"This is going to be so awkward. How do we explain this to the police? 'They were closed and we really needed these parts to save our friends from a strange place that they were transported to by the machine that was built from these parts that were already stolen?"

"Thanks for the support, Raven," Cyborg muttered.

"You're welcome."

"Look, I'm leaving an I.O.U. We got the cash for it. Is that going to make everything all better?"

"No," Raven said, "But do we have a choice?"

"Not at the moment," Cyborg answered. "Help me carry this stuff."

"Super," Raven muttered.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Robin looked at his wound carefully, while Jinx kept a watch for anymore attacks. He took a first aid kit out of one of his belt compartments and washed the wound before attaching a bandage to it.

He grit his teeth as the sting of the sterilization moved through his body.

"Robin!" Jinx said, running forward. "Something big's coming and –" She paused, catching a glimpse of Robin. A blush formed on her cheeks and she looked away. "You could give a girl some warning next time."

"What?" Robin asked. He looked down at himself. "What is it?"

"Put on some clothes!" Jinx yelled.

"I was going to," Robin said, "You interrupted me. Look, what's the matter? You said something big was coming."

"I was about to say, it looks like a green elephant. Then you distracted me!"

"How?"

"By being there!" Jinx yelled.

"Do you have to yell at me? What did I do?" Robin said. "And green elephant? Beast Boy!"

"You sound nervous. Should I be nervous?" Jinx said. "He's a goof. He couldn't do anything to hurt a fly."

"You underestimate my teammates," Robin muttered. "Beast Boy can become any animal. I'll repeat that because it bears repeating. Any. Animal. That includes anything from a blue whale to an amoeba."

"And that means?"

"That means," Robin said, angrily, "That it's extremely difficult to contain him. And unfortunately, that makes him very dangerous."

"I bet you say that about all your teammates," Jinx said. "Robin, how hard can it be. Zap zap, cattle prod him and he's down for an hour."

"You have to be so unsympathetic," Robin answered. "And he's not that easy to hit when he's in his element."

"Which would be?" Jinx asked.

Robin looked at their hiding space. It was in a wooded area, somewhere at the center of town. Looking around, there was a sense of the damage a shapeshifting animal man could do. "Yeah, this would be it."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Jinx retorted. "You always have something incredibly depressing to say."

"Ah," Robin said, thinking, "That would be because I was hanging out with Raven last weekend."

"Speaking of your team," Jinx said, "We have a giant elephant en route, remember?"

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Robin cried out. "Why is it that working with cat people really gets on my nerves?"

"I take it this happens a lot," Jinx responded.

"More often than I like to talk about. Okay, got something." He pulled out something from his utility belt. "Here, take," he handed it to her and she looked at it, tracing the object over and trying to discern its purpose. It looked like a normal disc. "It's a bola disc. Should open up into something to slow him down. I've got a few back ups. Just try and get his attention."

He vanished into the tree-tops.

"Get his attention, he says. Makes it sound simple," Jinx mutters. "Hey Greenie! Over here!" The elephant, which had now arrived very near, turned his attention to the pink-haired witch.

It made a trumpeting sound which was much more threatening than they had ever made it out to be on television. Jinx was not very happy to discover this, and she almost felt her knees buckling together from fear. She took the disc and threw it at the giant mammoth that was fast approaching.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Boy Blunder, or else I'm going to kill you myself if I die!" The bola whipped around with air bursting past its weighted ends. It wrapped around the legs of the beast, twisting like a snake, and bringing him to the ground. The Beast Boy landed in a smaller thud, his hands tied together by the bolas, but his body now human resisting the brunt of the fall.

He got up, "I'm sorry, Headmaster," he said listlessly, "I won't fail again." He began to grow in size, becoming monstrous and grotesque, with razor teeth of a carnivorous lizard growing from his maw and his nostrils flaring into a giant muzzle.

The bola fell ineffectually to the ground.

"Oh great," Jinx muttered, "Why do I have to have bad luck." She paused. "Why wait for Boy Wonder when you can jinx the giant monster!" She slapped the side of her head gently, "Jinx, you, girl, are starting to get crazy in – hey! I'm talking to myself here!" she yelled at the beast.

It roared.

She turned and flicked a hex bolt at one of its teeth, causing to fall to the ground.

"That's what you get," Jinx warned.

The beast roared in pain, flailing about. It turned around, its tail coming straight for her. Next, she felt her body being yanked, and the following instant she was flying through the sky. The body that grabbed her made a quick couple of motions – green sleeves indicating that it had to be the Boy Wonder – and Beast Boy screeched in pain as a couple jolts of electricity zapped down the T-Rex spine.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She paused, looking at him. "You planned that!"

"I trust you," Robin answered.

She just stared at her savior. She couldn't think of anything she wanted to say, or at least the things she could say and still get away with revoking afterwards. She sputtered out something.

"Thanks," Robin answered, with a smile.

Jinx just blushed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Why are we walking through the sewers?" Jinx asked, angrily, "It stinks and I don't like it!" She made a motion to punch Robin, but she immediately returned her fingers to clenching her nose shut to ignore the smell.

"I'm not happy about it either," Robin responded, "But we're just going to have to deal with it. I don't want to deal with any more distractions. I just hope Blood falls for my distraction."

"But Starfire fell down here!" Jinx responded.

"Shouldn't be a problem. We're across the park, now, they won't be able to find us by going through sewers. It'd take hours to travel from where Starfire was to where we are now from the sewers."

"Do you always have to be right? Do you know what that does to a woman's grasp of reality?"

"Not really," Robin answered.

"It really messes it up," Jinx retorted, deadpan. She clenched her eyes shut. "Ew. Totally groady."

"If you don't like it, you can try braving the surface. But even if Beast Boy and Starfire are still out, we've got Cyborg and Raven to worry about."

"Raven being," Jinx said, trailing off, waiting for him to fill in the blank.

"The psychic?" Robin said helpfully.

"Not ringing any bells."

"Wears blue cloaks?"

"No," Jinx said, "I'm pretty sure I'd remember if someone wore blue cloaks. Unless they were incredibly ugly and they had no fashion sense and I hate them forever."

"Yeah, that's the one," Robin answered, vaguely.

"Ha! I win!"

"Sure," Robin said. They walked down the sewers sometime further, arguing between themselves all the way. It had fallen into a jovial pattern to keep their minds off of the stench and the sights of the sewers.

For every comment Jinx made in complaint, Robin would come up with a retort. It would follow into a series of back and forth comments, snide and wry each, and then finally into a winner.

Then they would begin again.

But soon Robin's ears perked up in the middle of a series of banter, "Do you hear something?" he asked, and there was indeed a sound running through the sewers. It sounded like pipes twisting in unison.

Robin knew what that meant.

"Get to the surface! Now!" He climbed up a ladder to a manhole. Jinx was a bit less effectual, with her platform shoes, and stumbled a bit on the way.

The water level was definitely rising in the sewers.

"Gross!" Jinx yelled pulling her foot up just in time to avoid touching the contaminated water. "Great plan, Boy Wonder. Any other bright ideas?"

"Look," Robin said, "I'm doing my best here with what I have to work with."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jinx asked, indignation in her every syllable. Robin turned to push the manhole cover off and jumped through. He offered a hand to Jinx.

"I didn't mean it like that. But I'm not exactly in my home turf."

"Then make it your home turf," Jinx said, her anger rising again. The two of them exchanged a tenuous glare.

"You're like some kind of horrible harpy," Robin observed.

"Is that how you woo all the girls?" Jinx retorted.

They moved to come to blows, but a wave of dark energy threw them apart, tearing the road in twine as a dark angel emerged from the rift, like a bat out of hell, and loomed with dark wings over them. Her eyes glowed a faint red from Blood's influence in her mind.

"I'm almost sorry to see the lover's quarrel end," Raven said, "But the Headmaster ordered you to be destroyed. Good bye, Robin. Good bye, Jinx. Back to Hell you go." Her hand moved upwards, slowly, twisting and convulsing as it built its power, and then it threw it, her cloak and dress pushed back by the force that threatened to consume the outsiders.

Robin jumped up first, but looked almost spellbound as it moved ever closer. It was only for Jinx's grace that he moved in time, the ground suddenly tilting upwards under the force of her jinxes. She back-flipped the other way, and turned to eye Raven.

"Oh, I'm so going to enjoy this."

"Jinx, wait!"

"Shut up, Robin," Jinx said, throwing another hex, causing him to become entangled in his cape, "I'll handle this one by my self!"

"Dumping lover-boy?" Raven asked, eyes widening. "Fine by me. I'll enjoy tearing you limb from limb!" Jinx jumped back and fired hex bolts as she slid away from the other witch. Raven countered by throwing up a dark aura around herself that bent as the bolts struck, absorbing the force, and then reversing it like a rubber band.

Jinx leapt back as the ground began to crack under the hex bolts power.

"You've gotten better," Jinx smirked, "But I bet you still fight like a boy!" She leapt off of the ground and forward at Raven. The dark mistress lips twisted into a sinister smile, and casually she brought her hand up to strike.

But the shackles appeared in the stead of the blow, bringing Jinx into a prison in the air. Her hands and feet refused to move under the woman's influence.

"What are you doing!" Jinx yelled. "Let go!"

"The Headmaster commands that I destroy you both. I'll just finish you off, and then remove the pesky kid in the bad spandex."

She struggled in her binds, but as she did, they seemed to move farther and farther away, like some demented version of the rack, suspended in mid-air, pulling in a multitude of directions. She felt like she was being broken from within.

Raven's smile grew more depraved and it became clear whatever Blood had done to her brain had left her more insane than even the madman himself. "Yes, scream!" Jinx's anguish seemed to fuel her lunacy, and her eyes bled red from every facet of her face. "Scream for me!"

Jinx screamed loudly. Her every thought was focused all her regrets. 'I'm going to die!' her brain informed her.

'Thanks for stating the obvious!' she wanted to yell back. But her voice was too focused on screaming in anguish, unrestrained.

"I love your screams," Raven urged. She was so focused in it that she didn't notice the birdarang until it was too late, and she was cut in the cheek. Her focus was lost and the dark energy released itself. Jinx fell to the ground, but was caught in Robin's arms.

"We seem to be making a habit of this," Robin said.

Jinx just blushed.

"We're going to have to work together, Jinx," Robin told her.

"I know, I know. What happened to her? I thought she was more restrained than that."

"So did I," Robin answered. "I guess this is what happens to her in this universe. It's almost frightening."

"Almost?"

"Almost."

Raven rubbed the cheek he had cut. She seemed disbelieving, her demonic face contorted into a frown. She started to sob. "You cut me."

"Uh," Jinx said, "I think she's insane."

"Thanks," Robin said, thanking her for stating the obvious. Jinx smiled, cockily.

"So, what do we do?"

"I hadn't planned that far ahead." He pulled out a few discs. "But I think I've got a few good ideas."

"Let's work with those." Jinx gestured to him. "Give me a lift. Let's try Attack Pattern Epsilon."

"Epsilon?"

"A double backtwist midair into a distraction caused by my hex-bolts, letting Gizmo and Mammoth to flank the enemy."

She winked.

"Okay. Attack Pattern Epsilon, eh?" Robin thought about it. "Go!"

Jinx ran over, and Robin gave her a boost. Raven looked up as Jinx leapt high in the air and spun around, pink flailing left, right, and center across the landscape. Raven moved back, her cloak waving in the wind.

"You missed!"

"Don't be so sure about that, grandma," Jinx answered.

Raven looked down and saw Robin, his bo out, moving to strike. She had little time to respond as the bo came down with enough force to cause her to spit out blood, and she landed in a heap in a wall.

"Nice swing!" Jinx said.

"Thank you," Robin said, looking a little bashful.

"In my book, Robin," Jinx said, "You're number one!"

"Stop it!" Robin responded, turning away and hurrying down the street. She just laughed and followed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"C'mon! Admit it!" Jinx said.

"Okay, it was a good plan," Robin said. "But still, I feel a little guilty." They were eating apples that Jinx had managed to swipe from a vendor down the street. People didn't seem to notice them, too wrapped up within mind control.

"Look, I told you. We're stealing from thieves. What we're doing is liberating these apples and using them for the righteous task of keeping our energy up."

"I wonder what time it is back home," Robin said, ignoring her. "I hope everyone's okay. Cyborg sounded strained."

"You could tell through the static?"

"We're friends," Robin said, "We fight sometimes but when you get down to it, we understand each other a lot better than we let on."

"That was the stupidest thing I ever heard."

"Maybe," Robin answered.

"Definitely," Jinx retorted.

"Do you have to turn everything I say into an argument?" Robin asked.

"Sorry," Jinx said, casting her eyes down. "I, I also want to thank you."

"For?"

"For saving my life. I was sure I was going to die that time," Jinx said. Robin just shrugged. "I mean it! I just kept going through all these thoughts, and I just couldn't help but think that I never thanked you."

"You don't need to," Robin said. "You've done more than enough. I'm just trying to repay you."

"You're a real gentleman," Jinx said. Her voice dipped down, "Not many of them around these days." A light blush played on her cheeks. "I just want to show my appreciation for saving me."

"You don't have to," Robin said.

"I know," she responded. She took his arm, much to his surprise, and pulled him closer. He wondered at a hundred miles per hour what she could be thinking. His eyes darted to her lips, and they seemed to be fuller.

"Uh, Jinx?"

"Shut up."

The Titan's Communicator played its annoying jingle. Robin rushed, face a bright red, to grab it. Jinx turned away, looking as red but more angry than embarrassed, and stomped her feet.

"Robin," the voice was clear on the other end. "It's Nightwing. Blood's on to you."

"We know. We had to deal with Star, BB, and Raven," Robin said. "Where is this school? We've been looking for the center of town, but nothing seems to be around here. In fact, the attacks have stopped completely."

"The school is off the bluffs east of town. Maybe you'll recognize it as the Titans Tower."

"No, I really have never been here before."

"That's strange," Nightwing said. "This is the city I spent most of my teenage life."

"You're saying in this universe the Titans settled on the East location? That's, uh, that's very strange."

"Agreed," Nightwing said. "Follow my instructions carefully. There's a secret entrance to the Tower's garage. Where are you?" Robin informed him of the streets, "Then you're close. Just go down Fifth Avenue until you reach the intersection into Copper Street. It should be there."

"Thanks, Nightwing."

"Don't worry about it," Nightwing said. "Just get her home safely."

Robin raised his brow in confusion. "Okay. I will." He closed the communicator. "Well, we've got a destination. Are you ready, Jinx?"

The communicator went off again.

"Apparently, no," Jinx responded. "Get it, will you? I want to get away from here as soon as possible."

"Uh, okay," he picked up the communicator. It began to talk.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cyborg yelled into the console, angrily. "Robin! We need you to tell us when you're about to return. We've modified Gizmo's device to create a beacon that will attract any other Quantum Holes like the one you were sent through. Repeat, we've created a beacon to guide you home."

He paced. "Please, c'mon man. I don't want to be leader here. That's your gig."

Starfire yawned. "Friend Cyborg?"

"Yeah, Star?"

"Tell me, who are you talking to?"

"Robin, Star," he said, "I'm talking to Robin. He's alive, and we're getting him home soon."

Her eyes grew wide, "Oh joy of joys!"

"Yeah, Star," Cyborg said. "Joy. But we got to get him home before we can celebrate." He looked tired and worn, and Starfire noticed that. He felt her breath on his neck as she pulled her arms around him in a hug.

"You are a noble man, Cyborg. But I believe you are in need of much rest. Go and recharge!"

"She's right," Raven said, "Even I got a nap. But you haven't gotten a minute of sleep." She looked at the control panel. "Yeah. I can work this. I think."

"Maybe you're right, but I can't just sleep while Robin's away."

"You're not going to be in any shape for anything after this," Raven said. "Get some rest. We'll handle it from here."

"Yes! Go sleep, Cyborg! For in the morning we will be enjoying much festivities!"

"Okay guys," Cyborg said, yawning, "Don't know how I managed this long without sleep anyway. If y'all need me, don't be afraid to wake me up. I wanna see this through. And Raven, you don't touch that button. Ever."

Raven meekly moved her hand away, whistling.

"I really need to get to sleep," Cyborg said, "I'm seeing things."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jinx yawned.

"I wish we ate more," she had told him earlier. She was really wishing he'd let them stop for more food. But his drive was intense. It was frightening, even, to see him so focused on one thing that his entire being was put into that single, tiny, miniscule goal.

"Robin?"

"What?" he asked, not harshly, but more distracted.

"Where does this lead?"

They were walking in a tunnel that they found hidden beneath the street. It looked like a long tunnel, and she could feel her ears popping as it curved downwards. "And how long is it?"

"I don't know," Robin answered, "But it should lead to the Titans Tower, which if Nightwing is to be believed, is now the HIVE Academy."

"If?"

"I don't trust him," Robin answered. "I'm almost certain he's leading us into a trap."

"Then why are we going down here?"

"Because I know it's a trap. And unfortunately, we need to get in there. Blood's new machine should be in there, and with that we can get back. I hope Cyborg's calculations are correct. Or else we could just end up drifting from reality to reality."

"Just you and me," Jinx said. "If it had been anyone else, that may have sounded romantic."

"I have a gift like that," Robin responded, coldly. "Come on."

"Okay, don't have to tell me twice," Jinx said. They plodded on. "So, tell me again, when is this trap going to be sprung."

"Any minute now," Robin responded. "Because here would be the best place to do it." He pointed to the approaching garage.

"Oh great. And the dampness is causing havoc to my pores. You really bring me into the worst possible situations that you could put me through."

"I have a gift for that too. Top of my class," Robin said, smirking.

"You mean, you heroes willingly go through all this?"

"That's what I did last I checked," Robin answered. His smirk loosened into a genuine smile. "Come on. We're almost there. Let's not stop now."

"What are you?" Jinx asked, "My mother?"

"For the right price, I could be," Robin said.

"You're starting to scare me."

"That's funny, I get that a lot sooner from most people," Robin answered. "Hurry." He ran forward, and Jinx stumbled and stuttered, then moved fast on his tail. He sent her a glance out of the corner of his eye, she returned with a gesture that told him to do obscene things to himself.

He declined by waving at her.

The garage was empty when they arrived. A variety of vehicles left in the veritable hangar, unused. A submarine hung off the wall like a prize bass, and a familiar motorcycle was decorated like an object in a snowglobe – covered in dust but never touched.

It was crystal, white and clean, and sparkling without needing to be blinding. He was, however, too alert to be caught off guard when the shadows began to show themselves on the wall.

There were machines, and men, standing there. Speedy, Aqualad, Bumblebee, a few he didn't recognize, and most prominent among them, Cyborg. He bore his gaze down at them with a frightening intensity.

"Capture the Headmaster's enemies!"

The heroes moved – in one case, buzzed – to make the command a reality. Robin moved his staff to prepare for battle. He cast a look sidelong to Jinx and waited for her to do the same. But she did no such thing.

She just stood there, looking defeated.

"Robin," she said, "Don't worry about me."

"What?" Robin said. "What's wrong?"

"I wouldn't do anything if you want the girl to live, Robin," spoke the thunderous voice of Brother Blood. He walked down the staircase into the garage, turning it into a strange variety of elegant, his robes moving off it like waves.

"Brother Blood. I knew we'd see each other again."

"Astute," Blood said.

"Your invasion won't work, Blood. There's no way you'll be able to find your way back to our universe."

"A minor set-back."

"And there's no way of knowing if the universe you end up in next will have a way back. You're taking a gamble."

"You little cad!" Blood said, "You question the wisdom of Brother Blood?"

"Let's just say I know a few things about half-baked schemes," he retorted.

"Right now, your little girlfriend has a powerful little jolt in store for her brain if you move. Bumblebee, one of my finest students, is in her ear right this instant, her weapon cocked and ready."

"What?"

Jinx just looked glum.

"So, Boy Wonder, what are you going to do? You could fight. I don't doubt you could defeat all of my men, but even then, there's still the matter of me. Or, you could surrender and join our ranks."

"I'll never join you."

"Then you will die," he said while he raised his hand, fingers ready to snap. "Students!"

"Wait!" Robin said. If it had been him, the sacrifice would have been enough to give him candidacy for martyrdom, but it really wouldn't help anyone. Especially not Jinx, who stood looking at him, her heart beating faster by the minute.

"Wait he says! Do I look like a waiter?" Blood yelled.

"I can," he snarled, "I have information that you need. Let her go and I'll give it to you." Blood raised his eyebrow, "I know how you can get home."

"Do you, boy?" Blood said.

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"I guess you don't know. You're going to have to trust me."

Blood looked up, and then laughed a jovial laugh that echoed in the giant hangar. "Very well played, boy. I'll give you that much. I can see why Slade was so fascinated with you. Well played indeed!"

He turned to Jinx, "Bumblebee, return. We have a big roller here."

"So, she can go?"

"No," Blood said, "But she can live a little longer. I don't trust you, remember? I need collateral, in case, you know, you're holding out on me. I don't take kindly to deception – well, deception that isn't my ruse."

"Robin," Jinx murmured.

"Students, throw them into holding cells while we prepare the Crusader for its final adjustments. And of course, prepare the interrogation room. I'll want to speak with our new guest presently."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jinx was tossed roughly into the cell by the Titans formerly known as Mas y Menos. They stuck their tongues out and rushed ahead to throw Robin into the cell before shutting the doors.

Robin said, gently, "Are you hurt?"

"Not bad," Jinx said. "Why are you always saving me?"

"I'm a hero, that's what we do. Save people."

"You're too kind," Jinx answered. "You shouldn't risk your life to save other people. It just doesn't make any sense."

"Actually," Robin said, "I would have rather died than become one of his slaves. If you weren't here, I would have told him so." He shrugged, "No matter how you look at it, you saved my life this time."

"That's stupid."

"I know," Robin answered.

"Thanks for sharing," Jinx said. She sat up. "Are you really going to tell him how to get home?"

"What choice do I have?"

"You could lie," Jinx said.

"I promised you I'd get you home. I'm not recanting that," Robin said. He stood up and began to pace. "I just need a plan. Something, anything to stop him."

Jinx stood up and leaned on his back. "You've been doing a lot of thinking today. Let me come up with the plan this time, okay?"

"You have a plan?"

"No!" Jinx said, "But I'll come up with one fast, okay? Trust me."

"You know I do."

"Then leave it to me!" Jinx said. "I won't let you down."

Speedy came up to the cell and pulled it open, "The Headmaster will see you now." He pulled Robin to the door roughly.

Jinx watched him be hauled off roughly and callously. She sat down and began to think. She couldn't think of anything to do, all that she tried ended up bringing a sense of emptiness. Nothing would work.

Blood would expect her hexes.

Robin's utility belt was confiscated.

They were really in a bind, but she had promised Robin that she would think up a plan and he trusted her to get them out of this mess.

She heard a piercing cry from down the hall, and shivered. "I'll get us out of there, Robin. Don't worry." She closed her eyes and tried to drown out the sounds.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Robin gritted his teeth and looked at Blood, who smiled smug in his superiority over the Boy Wonder. "Every one of my enemies has fallen to the way-side except you and your… friends. What is it about you?"

"We're actually talented?" Robin answered, behind the teeth. Blood wasn't impressed, and raised his hand a thousands of volts of electricity coursed from his finger-tips. Robin howled in pain.

"That may be so," Blood said, "But I'm much more dangerous than you will ever know. Take for example, your friend Jinx."

"She's got nothing to do with this."

"Oh, I know, I just enjoy this too much to stop," Blood said. "Do you know what happened to her here? What really happened? Or did your friend Nightwing plead his line about her selfless sacrifice?"

"I know enough."

"I decided to lure Nightwing out through the assistance of Miss Jinx's cunning charms. She's very good at seduction, supremely talented." He laughed, "And Nightwing as he started calling himself then, he fell for it hook, line, and sinker. But what I didn't count upon was her betrayal. It hurt me so, but these things, they must be nipped in the bud. The discipline gets so much harder when it has had time to fester." Blood looked at Robin.

"Nightwing never told you what happened to her, did he?"

"He told me enough. You killed her!"

"No. I – no, wait, yes, you're absolutely right, I did kill her. But did he tell you the details?"

"I don't want to know!" Robin said.

"I'll show you what happened to her. You, fetch the girl," Blood said, his students following his whim.

"You wouldn't!"

"I would, and I will." Blood said, "Now, tell me how you planned on getting home safely."

Robin paused. "I, I," he stuttered.

"Betray your friends, Robin," Blood said, "Or let die the innocent girl." He smirked. "Or is she more than innocent?"

Jinx was thrown into the room, looking helpless in Aqualad's mighty grip. Robin looked at her, and she glanced at him, looking a bit frightened. Blood walked up to her and lifted her chin to force her to stare in his eyes.

Her eyes glowed vaguely red and her resistance stopped.

"Now then, student, I have an assignment for you."

"Yes, Headmaster," Jinx said, quietly.

"Take this birdarang," he said, putting it in Jinx's hand, "And cut out your heart for the boy."

"Yes, Headmaster." She pressed it against her skin and made an incision. Robin's eyes widened, his voice was lost in watching this strange mockery take place. And as she began to move the sharp object over her soft bosom, he screamed.

"Stop!" Robin yelled, "I'll tell you. Cyborg's made a beacon back in our universe. I, I can get them to activate it. Just stop her."

"Hm, I could do that anyway, but I need her as a guarantee," Blood said. "Stop, Jinx."

Jinx stopped.

"Just to make sure you aren't lying, I'll leave a special student to finish the interrogation. Meanwhile, we have a machine to finish. Come along, students."

The students left the room, and all was empty but for a shadow.

"I knew it," Robin said. "He got you, too."

Nightwing emerged from the shadow, his eyes blank, and a red glow emitting from behind the mask. He lifted his staff up and struck Robin hard in the jaw.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jinx was brought before a nearly completed machine, and she could see a vaguely familiar midget putting the finishing touches on the console. He tapped a few buttons and checked it.

What was odd was the beard that he wore.

Gizmo definitely didn't have one of those.

"Come along Jinx," Blood said. She listlessly followed, with all resistance in her brain erased by the hypnotic voice. "We have to be ready for the big finale. And now, here's our resident genius."

Gizmo said something that could not be repeated in this space.

Jinx's mouth hung open.

"Wonderful! We'll be ready for our invasion."

"Give it five -ing minutes," Gizmo responded.

"We've got the time!" Blood said, "Are you ready, Jinx?" She nodded, "Wonderful. Bring in the Boy Wonder!"

Robin was looking bruised and battered, carried in roughly by Nightwing. His eyes were unfocused, but he looked up at Jinx and smiled. She almost cared. "Blood, you're not going to get away with this."

"Just get the beacon ready," Blood commanded. He threw the communicator to Nightwing, who grabbed it and handed it to Robin. "Now."

"Hold your horses," Robin muttered. He opened it up, "Cyborg, we're ready. Turn it on." He turned off the communicator, "There's a five minute delay."

"Excellent. Prepare for the invasion!"

"Not so fast, Blood," Robin said. "Let her go. I did my part, now you do yours."

"My part? Oh, but of course," Blood said, hand on his bleeding heart, "I should hope that we are men of our words!"

"Do it, now."

"Very well," Blood said, moving to release the girl. Then he paused, seemingly thinking, "Oh, wait, I forgot. I'm evil. I lied."

"Blood!" Robin yelled, breaking free from Nightwing's grip and rushing at him. The students were ready to interpose themselves, but Blood just smirked and waved them aside. He tore apart his cloak, leaving himself in his uniform.

Blood red fabric moved to block, and Robin retaliated with a strike at his head, which Blood ducked under and swept Robin up. "Very good, Robin, but not quite good enough!" He moved his fist forward, and the force between him and Robin pushed the Boy Wonder back.

He hit the wall. "C'mon Jinx, I'm relying on you," he muttered. Then he leapt to the air and struck down with a sharp dive kick. Blood slid back confidently, and brought his hand out to strike Robin with lightning.

Robin dodged, leaping into a backflip kick and threw some discs to cut off the seeking prongs of the lightning bolts.

He was beginning to feel less and less certain about the solution. "Jinx, please, I need help!" he whispered.

"Don't cry for help, Boy Wonder!" Blood said, walking forward confidently. "I'm sure you'll start to see things our way soon enough." He lifted the boy above the ground and bore his eyes into Robin's.

Robin struggled to escape the grip, but his resistance was weakening. "And once you have joined my army, the Titans will fall into line quickly."

"Yeah, about that, Chuckles. Don't count on it," there was a click from something behind him, as it whirred with power.

"Cyborg?" Robin said.

Cyborg looked over at the young Robin, "Hey. You lost a few years."

"Cyborg, always had to be you," Blood said. "I thought I had you under my control."

"You did," Cyborg responded with a smirk, "But now you're looking a bit strained. Getting a little old, are we? Or maybe you've just extended yourself too far."

Blood hissed, and threw his hand back, forcing Cyborg backwards. Robin looked around, trying to regain a bit of equilibrium. Cyborg and Blood exchanged blows, with Blood dodging to the side and pushing him away, but Cyborg never fell back.

"Jinx!" Robin ran up to the girl, who was looking vaguely at the fight, her eyes glowing a faint color red. "Jinx! Wake up!"

He shook her.

She didn't respond.

"Please Jinx!" The pink-haired vixen turned to look at her, and brought her hand up to strike him. She glared at him, intensity in her eyes. The light of the machine grew bright. Gizmo looked over at Blood.

"It's -ing ready!"

"I'm a bit busy here, Gizmo. Perhaps you could help!" Blood yelled, "By removing this pest!"

"Fine, fine-ing retard," Gizmo said, rocketing towards Cyborg. Robin threw his Birdarang at the genius, knocking him aside. Robin was thrown to the side by Jinx who pounced at him.

"Wake up!" Robin pushed the girl down to the ground. "Shake him off!"

Blood growled, "Students, destroy them!" The students all moved to attack, their unique talents striking around Robin and Jinx. Cyborg struck Blood to the side.

"I could use some help here!" Cyborg said.

"I'm busy!" Robin said.

"Anyone here not brainwashed?" Cyborg asked. "Didn't think so."

"I'm not!" Gizmo yelled.

"You don't count!"

"I'm not," another said. A grappling hook wrapped around Brother Blood, pulling tight. "I'm also not evil."

"Is there anyone else here not brainwashed?" Blood yelled, infuriated.

"I'm not, sugar." Bumblebee smirked, "I've told you before. No man can control me."

"I'm really not liking how this is heading." Blood threw his hands up, lightning arching out of his fingertips. He threw Cyborg to a wall as the lightning coursed through him. Nightwing was tossed aside. But Bumblebee weaved through and struck Blood in the jaw with her tiny fist.

The tyrant stumbled backwards.

"Students! Listen to me!"

"Afraid you're losing control, Blood?" Nightwing asked. "You should be." He brought his staff up high to strike down Blood. "I will make you pay for what you did to the woman I loved."

"N, no!" Blood cried, "You wouldn't do that!"

"Try me," Nightwing said. "I never even kissed her!"

"Man," Cyborg said, "Stand down! This ain't you."

"You, you're right. I'm sorry, Cyborg," Nightwing said, "I just miss her.

"You fool!" Blood cried. His hand moved up and pushed Nightwing back. Blood stuttered as he rose to his feet. "I still have a loyal servants. Cyberions! Detain them!" The robots moved forward, lumbering dangerously close. Their eyes gleamed blood red and they made horrible creaking as they moved.

But the light from the machine grew brighter. "Robin!" Nightwing said. "Take her! We'll get out of this."

"You can't leave Blood here," Robin responded.

"Oh, we won't be letting him stay," Cyborg responded. "Just take her and go." Robin cast a glance at them as they seemed overwhelmed by brainwashed students and lumbering robots. Blood looked confident. "Bye bye, Blood."

Blood's eyes widened as he saw the glow in Cyborg's cannon. "You will not defeat me!" He pressed the air, creating a subtle field.

"Bite my shiny metal ass."

The sonic cannon tore through the air, striking the Brother Blood with enough force to push him back within the field of energy. Robin watched him vanish within the field. "Well, here goes nothing." He climbed to the top of the device, where the light was contained, and looked at it. "You ready Jinx?"

"What?" she asked, sounding dazed and confused.

"That's what I thought," he smiled as he leapt into the field and let the winds of fate carry him where they may.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Cyborg!" Starfire yelled, "We are concerned that something may be wrong!" She tore open the door to Cyborg's room without any concern for the property. "I am very concerned!"

"Starfire?" Cyborg asked while he came online. "What's wrong, Star?"

"The machine, it is making strange sounds. I am worried it is broken! Please, help!" Cyborg hurried as he followed Starfire down to the main room. The others were awake and even Gizmo was unsure what was going on.

Even Mammoth, who had until this point had been assumed completely incapacitated, was looking on in awe at the prismatic light shooting forth from the tower of mechanical gadgets.

"Cyborg," Raven said, "I think I broke it."

"The colors! Dude! The colors!"

"Uh," Gizmo said, "I'm colorblind, kid."

"Dude!" Beast Boy said. "I actually hadn't anything else to say."

"Do you snot-eaters ever shut up?"

"Guys, hold up," Cyborg said, monitoring the effects, "I don't think this is bad. I think this means it's working!" The others perked up, looking at the glow expectantly. When what should emerge but the singed body of Brother Blood, who crashed into the wall.

The others stared vacantly at the body.

"That was the weirdest thing to ever pop out of a toaster," Gizmo said. "And this is counting those Pop Tart commercials."

"Man, just be quiet."

There was another bright flash. "Hi guys," said Robin, as he emerged, battered and bruised from the light, "Miss me?"

"Oh, Robin!"

"Hey there," Raven said, smiling furtively.

Starfire rushed through the air, her arms open to grasp in him into a warm embrace. There was love in her eyes until she saw the pink cat-eyes of the sorceress Jinx. "What is that woman doing in your arms, Robin?"

"Good question," Raven added, wryly.

"It was complicated," Robin said, "I'll explain later."

"Now that that's finished!" Gizmo said, "Come on, Jinx! Let's beat these snot dripping dweebs up and get home before sunrise!"

"No!" Jinx said. "I'm comfy right where I am." She nuzzled Robin's neck, causing the others to respond in various amusing manners. "What are you all looking at?"

"What exactly is this, this hussy doing, Robin?" Starfire asked, indignantly. "Have you acted in 'pulling' the proverbial 'behind the back' on me?"

"Uh, Star? This really isn't what it looks like!" Robin said.

"How can you say that, Robin, after all we've been through together?"

"What are you talking about, Jinx?"

"The love affair, the betrayals, the battles for a world run by a madman who killed that version of me in a horrifying manner!"

"I'm really going to have to ask that we delay the talking," Cyborg said, leveling his sonic blaster, "'cause we got Super Villain at 10 o'Clock."

"Dude, it's 3 AM!"

"Beast Boy, just shut up!" Cyborg said. "Titans, Go!"

Blood looked at the incoming attacks by four teenagers, and said only, "Oh bug—" before being cut off.

He was shot back into the wall by Cyborg's Sonic Blaster. The sound of the machine recharging gave him time to return to form. "Students!" he called. Mammoth and Gizmo harkened to the call. "Retreat!"

"Retreat? What?" Mammoth asked.

"Snot-dribbling retreat? We can take these bozos."

"Oh no we can't," Blood said. "We need a better plan."

"Oh, you got that right," Cyborg said, "Security system, activate." The variety of turrets and other defensive traps revealed themselves from the walls. "You got five seconds."

"Run!" Blood screamed.

"I thought you said a villain had to stand fast," Mammoth said.

"Didn't you pay any attention in class? A villain has t stand fast and to stand, you have to stay alive!" Blood screamed. He coughed, "We'll meet again, Titans. Of that, I can promise you!"

He laughed as a smokescreen was cast upon the floor, and the HIVE retreated quietly into the night.

"Security System Active. Target Acquired."

"Guess this is it," Jinx said. "Well, Boy Wonder. Toodles!" She leapt to her feet, and blew him a kiss. "Call me sometime."

She braced herself for impact and leapt out of the window, pirouetting on her way to the harbor below. The Titans stood gobsmacked at the turn of events. All of their eyes turning to Robin.

"Okay," Cyborg said, "I wanna know exactly what happened, pronto."

"Guys!" Robin said, "It's late at night! You should get some sleep."

Raven observed coolly, "So should you."

"Hey, we got plenty of sleep," Robin said.

"You are injured!" Star cried.

"Nah," Robin said, "I've had a lot worse."

"Oh, but Robin!"

"Don't worry, Star. I just need some fresh air. It's been a busy day for all of us." He waved to them and walked up to the rooftop. The others just stared at him as he left. That was, before Beast Boy yawned loudly.

"Dudes, he is so right. We need sleep."

"Perhaps," Starfire said, yawning herself, "It is wise."

Raven yawned next, "Why does yawning have to be contagious?"

"Tomorrow, we'll return these pieces," Cyborg said, "And then we'll go celebrate. Any excuse, am I right? I'm so right, I know."

"If you knew," Raven said, "Then why did you ask us?"

"Don't question me," Cyborg said, coolly.

"Your ego is getting bigger," Raven said, angrily. "Perhaps you should shut it off. Meanwhile, I'm going to sleep." She vanished into the shadow of a raven.

"I too will commence proper sleeping rituals."

"Good idea!" Beast Boy responded. "Later, dudes." He turned into a monkey and leapt his way to his room. Cyborg was the only one left. He looked at the clock and then walked up to the rooftop. Maybe he'd give the Boy Wonder some company. It was probably hectic.

He studied the scene before him. Spellbound.

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Robin looked down at the harbor, "That was pretty impressive."

"You're too good at this," Jinx said, "You almost take all the fun out of being a super-villain."

"You are the strangest girl I've ever met," Robin told her. She smiled a sexy smile. "But I wouldn't have wanted anyone else on my side back there."

"I'm sorry," she said.

"What for?"

"For not being much of a help. It was mostly you saving me," Jinx said, "I, I don't like being uneven about that. Someone could call up a favor sometime, and I don't like it."

"We're even, Jinx," Robin said. "You helped me escape Blood, and I got you home. We both did our part."

"Right, but," Jinx struggled for an excuse, "I still don't want you to think I'm not grateful or anything. Because I am! But," Jinx said. "I just wanted to thank you again."

"You're welcome," Robin said.

"No, you – you're blind as a bat!" Jinx yelled. "Don't you get it?"

"I'm, uh, sorry?" Robin said.

She sighed. "Do you ever wonder what it'd be like to be that Nightwing in that universe?"

"I don't know if I ever could be," Robin said. "We're too different."

"Yeah," Jinx said, "Different."

"But, I guess if the conditions were right," he said, "Then maybe, just maybe I could see myself in his position."

"If only," Jinx said, longingly.

"Jinx, if there's something you want to say," Robin said, his eyes raising as things began to make sense, falling into place like the blocks in a Tetris game.

"Something I want to say?" Jinx said, her voice raising on octave and her cheeks flushing. "Whatever could that be?"

"I don't know," Robin said. "Maybe I was just not listening to what you were saying."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Jinx laughed. "So, uh, yeah, well. I'll, uh."

"Yeah," Robin said, looking at his feet. "Yeah."

"Okay," Jinx said. She took a step back.

"You know," Robin said, "I don't want to end up like him."

"Who?"

"Nightwing. I don't want to be like that," Robin said. "He was just wound up on regrets and almost became something he wasn't. That's not how I want to live my life."

"Yeah," Jinx said, "Me neither."

"So, uh," Robin said. "Do you have anything you might regret if you, uh, don't say it?"

"You coward," Jinx said.

"I'm not a coward."

"Yes you are," Jinx retorted.

"Am not!"

"Prove it!" Jinx said.

"Maybe I won't, just to spite you." He turned around. He huffed and stuck his nose in the air. Jinx just laughed.

"Well," Jinx said, "If there's one thing I'd regret." She took a step forward, and then another, She wrapped her arms around his neck and spun around to look at him, "It would be never showing you my gratitude."

"Oh," Robin said, looking at her, his voice riddled with disappointment. "Well, okay."

"You're such an idiot," she said, lovingly.

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Cyborg turned and walked back into the living room. He sat on the couch and contemplated turning on the TV.

But he didn't know what to say.

"Aw man, that shoulda been me!"

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Jinx smiled as their lips softly parted. "That," she said, "Was incredible." She smiled and brought his face close to hers, "Let's do it again."

And they kissed again, not regretting anything.

fin