Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the third book in the series of "The Life Heroic" stories. For those of you not familiar with my work, I would recommend you read the first two books, "A Night At The Opera" and "Between Life And Burning Space." Click on my author name up above to find them easily.

For those of you who are lazy, please know that the following pairings exist in this story arc:Robin/Starfire, Aqualad/Raven, Beast Boy/Terra, Cyborg/Bumblebee, Speedy/Jinx, and just for kicks Mas y Menos/Blackfire.

Please feel free to review this or any of my stories. I always welcome the comments. And as always, I don't own the titans.

That said, I proudly present to you...

The Life Heroic

Book Three – Once Around The Sun

Chapter One – Day Two

Dinner was amazing. Pasta Luna was the premier Italian restaurant in Jump City and it was only by virtue of Speedy's superhero status that he had gotten a table on a Saturday night. Speedy didn't usually like to flaunt his credentials in exchange for perks, but for the right woman he would bend the rules. Jinx was such a woman.

Playing the superhero card turned out to work in their favor. Speedy managed to get a table out on the patio, under the ivy covered awning. The moon was high in the sky and the table and surroundings were lit with oil lanterns. He took the opportunity to order for both of them. Caesar salad, lasagna, and tiramisu for dessert. Their tastes were surprisingly similar for two people who had spent most of their lives on opposite sides of the law.

They had then caught a late movie, which had been equally enjoyable. They had their choice between a comedy, a romance, and a superhero film. They both agreed on the comedy since the romance seemed too cheesy and, well, the superhero film was just art imitating life. So at just after midnight, they were standing outside of the movie theatre, Jinx snuggled up in the warmth of Speedy's jacket as they discussed their options.

"You really need to work on that paper of yours, don't you?"

The pink witch winced. "Why did you have to bring that up? I don't want to think about it tonight."

The archer smiled. "Oh, come on. Together we can knock it out in a few hours and I'm a night owl myself so I won't be going to bed anytime soon."

Jinx sighed. "I wouldn't be against it but I don't know if I can sneak you into the HIVE." She looked down. "And honestly…I don't want to go back there again."

Speedy put a hand under her chin and lifted, her pink eyes meeting his mask. "Do you really mean that? Do you really want to leave the HIVE?"

She nodded, putting a hand on his and stepping close to him, hugging him tightly.

The archer smiled. "Well, I guess we go to the tower, then."

Jinx woke up to an empty bed. She sat up and stretched lazily. She had finished writing her paper last night and had fallen asleep next to a very soft and very warm pillow. Now that pillow was gone and she was in an empty bed in a strange place. She got up and yawned, looking for something to wear. She settled upon a t-shirt that she found laying about and a pair of HIVE shorts from her overnight bag.

Last night had gone exceedingly well. It was not often that villainesses got to go out on dates. Technically, this was her first one where no mischief was undertaken. Actually, she thought ruefully, this was her first date at all. Boys at the HIVE weren't exactly known for their charm, class, or pleasantries. So it was by bounteous fate that Jinx, the star student of the Hive Academy for Extraordinary Young People had managed to go out with Speedy, the cocky archer of the Titans East.

The pink witch needed coffee. She ambled towards the door and pressed the button, causing the door to swish open lazily. In the morning light, the room and hallway that she saw were wonderfully inviting. She liked how the other half lived. She liked a lot about the other half, but that would have to wait until she found coffee. She had had a long night.

She followed the voices coming down the hall. She heard a bright voice that she associated with the blonde girl. "You helped her with her paper? How did you do that? She said it was ten pages and you'd need a computer or something to write it all out."

Jinx knew they were talking about her because the next voice came from Speedy, and he sounded very little nervous. "Um, yeah. Listen, Robin, about that…"

Before he could continue, she slipped through the door into the living room. She registered the shock that passed through the assembled titans and ignored it. Instead she focused on the kitchen. "You guys got any coffee?"

She saw Robin freeze in place. The coffee he was pouring began to spill down the sides of his mug. The hot liquid shocked him back into reality. He put his mug down and got a dishtowel, smiling. "Yeah, Jinx, we got coffee. Three kinds. What do you drink?"

She looked over to Speedy and winked. "I'll have what he's having."

Six hours later she was sitting in the east titans T-plane, heading east towards Steel City, as the newest member of the new organization. To her left sat Speedy and she leaned lazily against him, acutely aware of the fact that her hair was in just the right position to tickle his ear, which she did every so often. Every time she did, the archer would wrap her up in a tight hug and kiss her on the forehead.

Aqualad called to them through their headsets. "Come on, guys, get a room."

Bumblebee nodded, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, give us a break here."

Speedy laughed. "Come on, you two. Just because you left your hearts in Jump City doesn't mean that I can't enjoy myself."

The Atlantian rankled and stared out over the horizon, the vast expanse of mills and factories indicating they were nearing home. "And it doesn't mean you have to remind us."

They landed the jet without incident and Speedy led Jinx through the tower, showing her around her new home. She was given a room, still barren and empty and badly in need of decorations as her own. Jinx vowed to have her room looking presentable in a week, even if she didn't use it much, which was also looking like a possibility. After the ten cent tour, Bumblebee put Jinx into the tower security system and she was officially a titan.

There was, however, one last thing to be accomplished. Jinx had to go back to the HIVE, turn in her paper and letter of resignation, and get her personal effects from her dorm room all without being seen or suspected by any of her students. She wasn't worried about any others except Gizmo and Mammoth, she hadn't bothered to tell them where she was going or when she would be back. They would be curious and Gizmo especially was dangerous when he was curious.

She waited until evening, passing the time by playing GameStation with Aqualad. The HIVE did not have these sorts of luxuries, not GameStation, not comfy rooms, not true love. Jinx knew she wasn't going to be missing anything in her transition from good to evil. Dinner only proved her point. She had never eaten so well in all her life. After dinner, she rested on the couch, wrapped up in Speedy's arms.

She shifted a little, waking up the napping archer. "I need to slip out for a while and get my stuff from the academy." She stretched and sighed. "And put that stupid paper in the headmistress' mailbox."

He sighed, rubbing the sleep from his masked eyes. "I'll come with you. Let me get into something less conspicuous."

Jinx shook her head and pushed him back onto the sofa. "Oh no you don't. Send you into the heart of the enemy's lair just to pack up my laundry? I think not. I'll go and I'll be back before morning."

Speedy, for having no powers other than his arrows, was by no means weak. He easily pushed up against Jinx's hand and was soon standing beside her. "You're a good guy now, and if you're going into the heart of the enemy's lair, so am I. Besides, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't help you move in?"

He sealed the deal with a kiss, making her melt in his arms. Before she could recover he had already bolted out the door and down the hall to change out of his outfit. She kicked herself mentally for letting her defeat him so easily, though on the inside she still glowed from the kiss.

Speedy walked through the halls of the HIVE academy and tried not to shiver. They were cold, dark, and grey. Windows were few and far between. The lighting was harsh and there was nothing even remotely close to being considered homelike about any of the buildings he had seen so far.

He was dressed in a black jumpsuit with a red and yellow strip running down the sides. He wore a black knit cap in addition to his mask. This was one of the preliminary outfit designs that he had cast aside in favor of the red one that he wore now. He had kept it because he liked the style and because he might need something to disguise himself in. Speedy was pleased with his forethought.

Jinx walked to his side with an arm wrapped around him. They had gotten into the academy without problem. They had gone to the headmistress' office and turned in Jinx's paper without incident. They had passed effortlessly through every security barrier up until now, this final one. She stopped and addressed the two men who stood in the hall. "Hey Gizmo. Hey Mammoth."

The short man looked at the new addition to their group. "Who's the snot muncher?"

Speedy snorted and whipped his bow out, the glowing yellow point of an energy arrow inches away from Gizmo's nose. "Fine way to greet the newest convert to the HIVE. Let's try again, shall we?"

Mammoth blinked. "Convert?"

Gizmo gulped for air and looked up nervously. "Ummm, welcome to the HIVE?"

Speedy smiled and put his bow back. "Better."

"But why? I thought you were happy with the titans?"

Jinx pulled Speedy close to her and smiled. The pink witch wrapped her arms and one leg around him, a smile that could mean only one thing plastered on her pretty face. Her voice was deliciously soft and sent a chill down Speedy's spine. "Let's just say I have something that the titans can't offer him. Now will you excuse us? We have so much to do."

The two left a completely stunned Gizmo and Mammoth standing in the hall while Jinx calmly unlocked her door and walked in with Speedy. The door shut and the tall man looked to the shorter one. "They make a nice couple."

Gizmo shrugged.

Jinx's room at the academy stood in stark contrast to everything else Speedy had ever seen. The walls had been painted a dark pink and the room was brighter with the addition of strategically positioned lamps. Various posters of far away places adorned the walls. Along the walls stood a messy desk, a tall chest of drawers, a clothes hamper, and a comfy chair. A soft looking bed made up with light pink sheets finished the room.

Speedy poked around the room a bit and found a bathroom similarly done up in pinks, complete with a short pink bathrobe hanging from a hook. He arched an eyebrow and looked back into the bedroom. "I'm beginning to detect a theme here."

The witch smiled and swan dived onto her bed. "I have a color that I like, so I stick with it. I also like red, too."

The archer smiled and sat down on the bed beside her. He pulled out his collection of netting arrows and deployed them, gathering up the ends of the netting to form the rough equivalent of a clothing bag. He held out the bags to her. "You pack your clothes. I take it that the furniture is yours, too?"

Jinx nodded, hugging a pillow close. "Yeah, everything except the desk. You should have seen what was in here before. It looked like a prison cell."

Speedy smirked and pulled out a tool kit from his quiver. "I believe it. But there's nothing here I can't handle. We'll get you a new desk when we get back to Steel City." He looked again at the desk and the uncomfortable looking chair. "And a nicer desk chair."

They worked throughout the night. It was almost sunrise before they had the last of the furniture, posters, and clothing from the room. Jinx stood in the center, looking at the empty pink room. Only a desk, uncomfortable chair, and various textbooks on villainy remained. She closed her eyes and smiled, leaning back into Speedy's arms. "Here lies Jinx, the great villainess. Defeated by love."

Speedy laughed. "And in her place, Jinx, the great heroine. Created by love."

She turned around and kissed him on the cheek before picking up the last bag. "Alright, that was way too mushy even for me. Let's get out of this dump."

They were out the door and halfway down the hall before they were startled by a series of bright red flashing lights and a blaring klaxon. A voice over the intercom stated the cause: intruder alert, dormitory level.

Speedy rolled his eyes and drew his bow, taking off down the hall after his pink haired associate. "This place really needs to work on its security system if it took this long to recognize me." His wording was punctuated by a series of energy arrows fired at opening doors, knocking various students back into their rooms.

Jinx was working on the doors ahead, hexing the locks as she ran. "Well, funding for most programs has been pretty low since Brother Blood left." She turned the corner and jumped, landing a kick to the head of an unsuspecting guard. "I just didn't think it was this bad."

They progressed quickly into the courtyard, projecting before them an efficient mix of bad luck and good archery. Speedy was contemplative as he drew two arrows and fired them at different guards. "So why didn't anyone get Gizmo to work on the security system?"

Jinx shrugged, casting a wide hex towards the main gate, sending it falling from its hinges and crashing to the ground. They rushed through it and out into the woods beyond where the T-plane sat waiting. "Don't think he didn't offer. They told him it would violate child labor laws."

Speedy ran backwards, providing a cover of arrows as Jinx started up the plane. He tossed his bow in and jumped into the plane as she pulled up on the controls, screeching over the heads of her ex-classmates as they flew at top speed back towards the tower.

Speedy checked the radar and noted that they were not being followed. He smiled happily and leaned back in his seat, taking the opportunity to relax. He was quiet for a second before he looked over at Jinx, his masked face a mask of confusion. "Hold up, a criminal organization actually heeds child labor laws?"

Jinx nodded. "Ironic, isn't it?"