Swipe Chapter 3: Never Say the S Word, a teen titans fanfic

"Swipe" by Ed Alger aka "SecondLevelWriter"

Brand names, like Wheaties or Nike or Reebok or whatever, are trademarks of their respective companies. Think of it as free advertising. Also, references to Dungeons and Dragons are property of Wizards of the Coast.

Timeline: This story takes place after "Winner Take All" but just before "Betrayal". Later parts will occur around "Deception" and "Wavelength."

Chapter 3

Never Say The "S" Word

They would arrive at the old Shady Lake Motel, which had been abandoned for several months before Swipe made it his hideout. Jinx looked up at the run-down building and frowned.

"This is where you live?"

"Yup. It may not look like much, but it's got it where it counts."

"Lovely.."

"You'll see."

Swipe carefully set his guest upon her feet while he unlocked and opened the door to what was once the main lobby. Jinx hesitantly entered the room, favoring her injured ankle and looking around critically. It looked like any other motel office, complete with the front desk and bell. However, a large rectangular hole had been cut in the middle of the right-hand wall, leading into the first motel room. As she walked through the opening, she found the room fashioned into a large den. Many of the walls had been knocked out, leaving only the support pillars. Two rather old couches sat against the farthest walls, and a beanbag chair laid like a duct-taped blob in the center of the floor. Against the wall opposite to the couches was a 12" television sitting atop a stack of milk crates. Despite the tattered look of the furniture, the place was well-kept. Nothing was out of place, as far as she could tell, and that actually impressed her.

"Not bad for a hyperactive kleptomaniac, eh?"

Jinx slowly shook her head, but quickly winced when the pain in her left leg became aggravated again.

"Hey, easy there," Swipe said, offering his shoulder for support. "You'd better sit down."

"I'm fine," she insisted, but soon relented and hooked her arm around the rogue so she could limp to the couch.

"I thought that landing was still pretty hard. Wish you would've given me a warning or something." he joked to her as he eased her to her seat.

"Warning? Why would I give anyone warning? I was committing --- !" she shot back, not realizing that a blanket was being draped over her shoulders.

"Don't say the 'S' word! Here," he turned the sorceress so that she could rest her injured leg properly, "keep as much weight off of that as you can. It's probably sprained."

Jinx swatted at his hands in an attempt to drive him off, "Why are you doing this, anyway? I didn't ask you for your help, after all."

Swipe took a few steps backward and flopped onto the other couch with a great sigh. For a moment, he said nothing and just looked at his guest. Jinx's brow furrowed as she glared back, waiting with silent impatience for his reply.

"WELL?"

"Look," the thief answered, "you told me you didn't have a home anymore. Therefore, I figured you needed a place to stay. And, as you are now a guest in my home, I must offer you my hospitality."

Jinx faltered for a moment as she turned her gaze downward, "Oh.. that's right. I did say that, didn't I."

After a moment of watching her stare blankly at the floor, Swipe decided to break this little angst session and got up to head for the next connecting room.

"Lemme getcha somethin' to drink. Maybe you'll feel a bit better with somethin' in your stomach. Anything you prefer?"

Jinx stayed quiet for a minute, still in her lonely trance. Unwilling to wait for a response this time, the rogue stepped in front of her and got face-to-face with her.

"Helloooo, Earth to Jinx! Come in, Jinx! Do you require refreshment?"

The girl's feline eyes widened at his intrusion, "Uhm... sure."

Swipe needed specifics, "Water? Milk? Soda? Columbian bean juice?"

This brought Jinx completely out of her funk, "Columbian what?"

"Coffee."

"Milk will be fine," the sorceress replied with a wrinkled nose. There was a slight pause before she added, "... thanks."

With a smile, Swipe was gone. During his absence, Jinx began thinking.

'He's gone.. I could just get up and leave right now. But my ankle hurts so bad, I don't think I could even walk on it. Damn that Swipe. He spoiled everything. I was finally going to end these nightmares, and then HE comes along and saves me! Who does he think he is, anyway? One of the Teen Titans? No.. he's not one of them, or else they'd have ALL tried to save me so they could humiliate me again.'

Another thought occurred to her, 'Wait a minute... He did save me... But why? He didn't even know my name. Why would he have even cared?'

Just then, Swipe returned with refreshments and an ice pack. Jinx wordlessly took her cup and sipped some of the milk, fixing a puzzled look on her host as he carefully applied the pack to her ankle and sat back down across from her. The rogue had finished a long swig of his soda when he noticed her stare.

"(urp) What is it?"

Jinx's lavender eyes narrowed a little at the belch, but then returned to that piercing gaze.

"Why did you save me?" she asked him at last.

"I already told you. Because I thought it was the right thing to do."

"But I didn't want to be saved."

"How do you know? And anyways, why did you want to die in the first place?"

"I told you. Because there's nothing left in my life," Jinx shot back.

"Ah yeah, you mentioned something about a hive earlier."

"THE Hive," she corrected him sharply, causing him to recoil in mock fear, "It was an academy that I had attended with my friends, Mammoth and Gizmo. Our test was to take on the Teen Titans and defeat them. We.. we had them. We even had that tower of theirs! We'd WON!"

Swipe took another drink as he listened intently, "Okay. So, then what?"

"But then... then they came back... they beat us somehow. We failed, and then we were expelled from The Hive. My friends are gone, my home is gone... everything's gone."

A tear rolled down Jinx's cheek as she spoke. Swipe would've tried consoling her if he knew she wouldn't lash out at him.

"They just booted you out, just like that?" he asked instead. She nodded her reply before taking a long drink of her milk so she could hide the fact that she was crying.

"And that's when you decided to end it all."

Jinx rubbed her eyes one last time, "No. I tried to get back in. But, nobody would even speak with me again. Not even the Headmistress... or Slade."

That name got Swipe's attention. He had read enough newspapers to know that Slade was one of the city's most dangerous criminals, and the Teen Titans' archnemesis. In fact, Swipe had been originally confused for one of Slade's lackeys when they found him trying to break into a bakery. Recalling the perplexed looks on their faces made the rogue grin nostalgically.

"What're you smiling about?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Jinx. I was just reminded of something when you mentioned Slade."

The sorceress scowled, "You don't understand. I didn't think you would."

"Oh, no, I understand. I've dealt with failures in my life, too. I couldn't do well in school because I can't sit still for a really long time, and my chronic desire to take stuff didn't make things any easier. I eventually left my family because I didn't want to be a burden on them. I failed, too, but I kept on going."

"Swipe, this failure cost me my LIFE!"

"Lemme tell you something," he moved over to the couch she was sitting on and looked her right in the eyes, "Life is about learning from your own mistakes. To end it after one hardship is to waste it completely. There's always a second chance, no matter how bad a situation seems." Jinx's eyes widened slightly as the rogue returned to his original seat and added, "That's why I saved you. You deserved a second chance at life."

The girl sat in stunned silence as Swipe glanced at the clock, which was going on 2:00 a.m.

"It's getting late. You're welcome to stay the night, Jinx. Your leg should be better in the morning."

He got up to get a pillow for his guest when she snapped out of her daze.

"Swipe, I- I... um..."

"Sorry, did I get a little too deep on ya back there?"

Jinx was not aware of the blush on her cheeks, "No.. I just wanted... wanted to thank you."

The rogue grinned as he handed her the pillow and an extra blanket, "Hey, you needed a friend. Now you've got one."

Jinx blinked at him. The word "friend" suddenly sounded alien to her, "You mean, even after all the --"

"Even after all the stuff you put me through, and that mean-girl act you put on earlier. Yes, even after that. D'you sleep with your hair like that, or what?"

Jinx genuinely blushed this time, "That is none of your business."

"I'm kidding," he snickered while he unfolded the couch he was previously sitting on, revealing the mattress underneath, "Here ya go. Nice and comfy... for the most part."

She gingerly climbed onto the hideaway bed, being careful not to upset her sprained ankle any more. Swipe almost started to get her tucked in when she again swatted him away.

"I'm not completely helpless, you know!" she protested, kicking her boots over the side at him.

"No, but you're not exactly ready to run the Boston Marathon, either," he retorted, catching each boot and placing them against the wall. Jinx pulled the blanket up past her shoulders and let out a "hmph". Swipe was about to turn out the light when he heard a quiet voice from under that blanket.

"Swipe?"

"Yo."

"Um.. can't we talk a little longer?"

The thief couldn't help but smile, "Sure, Jinx. Lemme get my stuff."

There was a pause, and the girl peered over the covers to see if he'd come back. Sure enough, he returned in pajamas and carrying his own pillow and blanket. After setting everything down and settling in, he looked over at his guest with a lopsided grin.

"Alright. Whatcha wanna talk about?"

"I was wondering... just how did you stop my fall?"

"I'm fast."

"No kidding," she said sarcastically as she sat up, "But how fast is 'fast'?"

Swipe seemed to shift position, "That fast."

"But you didn't even..." the sorceress was about to protest when half of her hair suddenly went flat against her head. The rogue held up a black elastic band that she was wearing just a second ago.

"Told ya," he chuckled, tossing the band back to her, "Now what about you? I've been curious about how you got your name."

"I cause bad luck," Jinx replied with an air of wicked pride.

"That makes sense. Can you show me?"

After looking around for a suitable target, the girl smirked as she pointed a finger in Swipe's general area. Without warning, a spring in the couch popped loose and smacked the thief right in the rear. He yelped in surprise while she giggled mischeviously.

"Interesting," he remarked as he rubbed the stinging sensation on his rump.

"That's not all I can do.." she added impishly, conjuring a fluorescent pink orb of energy into the palm of her hand.

"GAH! Not in the house!" Swipe shouted, jumping from the couch to grab at her wrist. Jinx laughed as she tried to wrestle away from him, but shrieked when she twisted her sprained ankle the wrong way. The energy ball winked out as quickly as it had been summoned.

"Whoa, whoa! Take it easy. Here, lemme help you," he offered, walking around to her left side.

"No! No, it's okay."

"It'll only be a minute. I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise."

"IT'S OKAY!" she protested while he threw the blanket off of her left leg. Her yelling would subside when he began to gently rub his fingers against the injured ankle, trying to soothe the pain. Jinx unconsciously sighed in contentment.

"Relax, Jinx. Maybe you should get some shut-eye now, alright? No more bad-luck-blasts for tonight."

The sorceress settled back under her blankets, with the pain in her ankle subdued for the time being. Swipe returned to his own couch and pulled the cover over his head before having to get back up to turn the light off.

"Good night, Jinx," he said once he was back on the couch.

There was a brief silence. He thought she had already fallen asleep, until he heard that quiet voice one last time.

"Good night, Swipe... my friend."

Not everyone sleeps in Jump City, not even when the clock has gone well past midnight. In his new control room, a criminal mastermind watches the recordings of the Titans' first encounter with his potential apprentice. Of course, he already had one by this time, but who is to say that he couldn't have two? Competition is one of the driving forces in an apprenticeship. That's what drove her to him.

This one, Swipe, could be different. He doesn't seek help for himself, nor does he have any self-doubts. Still, his inability to resist the urge to steal is redeeming... and could be molded as needed.

But what of this girl that he saved from death? She seems familiar.. ah, of course. The hex-caster, Jinx. A year and a half ago, she and her friends battled the Teen Titans as part of their final exam. When they failed to complete the mission, he saw to it that they were all expelled from The Hive. Jinx had desperately tried to get back in, but there is no place for weakness in the academy.

"So, she became so distraught that the only thing left for her was death. Her devotion is admirable," the armor-clad villain remarked to himself as he rewound the footage. "But, even more admirable is how this Swipe goes out of his way to rescue her despite not even knowing who she is."

Heroism... not exactly an endearing quality to a man like Slade. That would have to be worked on, or better yet, worked out. However, this trait can also be used to work to his advantage. It almost worked with Robin. It will work with Swipe.

End Chapter 3

In Chapter 4: Jinx is still haunted by events from the past, Swipe is still stuck in the past (musically speaking), and a makeover looms on the horizon.