Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. I wish I did, but I dont. Actually, I reeeaaaallllyyy wish I did, cuz then that would mean I could actully draw, and write, and color, and produce. All of which sadly, I am unable to do at the current moment.

Chapter Four

"Just a quick question before you give me the grand tour. Is this Gotham City?" I asked, as we rushed through the forest the way we did not even three hours ago.

"Whoa, you're way off. This is Jump City, not Gotham. How did you get from there to here?" Speedy asked.

"Don't ask me! Maybe I caught an updraft, and landed here instead of there." I said.

"Well, it doesn't matter. We're here. Look! I don't know what they're building there, but I do know that Bruce Wayne is funding it." Said Speedy, pointing to something being built on a small island just off the coast.

"Do you know if its supposed to look like a giant T?" I asked, looking at the skeleton structure.

"I don't know, but I do know that that thing went up almost over night. I bet you if they keep this pace, it'll be done next week. Whatever it is, I have a feeling it will change Jump city." Said Speedy. Now that I think back on it, what he said was very prophetic. Titans Tower did change Jump, for the better.

"Come on, I gotta show you my favorite spot!" Speedy went rushing down the small hill that we had been standing on that separated the Forest from the city. He raced across the intersection, I rushing after him. We walked for about 15 minutes before we got to a shooting range.

"Kind of demented are we?" I asked, wondering why this could possibly be Speedy's favorite spot.

"This is where I first saw the Green Arrow. My dad had brought me here, you know, before he died. The Green Arrow was having some kind of contest. I don't really remember what it was about. But I hope he does it again. I can win, I know I can!" he said. We walked over to the archery section of the shooting range. He picked up a bow and arrow off of the rack. Barely taking aim, he shot the arrow at the target, and got a bull's-eye. Before I knew it, another arrow zoomed past and split the first one in two.

"Heh-I call that one the "Robin Hood" Speedy said, looking at his perfect shot with approval.

"How did you get into archery?" I asked.

"Well, my hero has always been the Green Arrow. But I never really got a chance to practice until my dad died. He used to be a Park Ranger. One day there was a fire. Brave Bow was caught in it…couldn't escape. My dad saw him from his watchtower. He saved him. But my dad got trapped, and the last thing he said was, "Take care of my boy." So Brave Bow took me in, and raised me ever since. We practiced archery every day. That's how I got good. But now, I'm almost perfect…almost good enough to match Green Arrow." He snapped out of his reverie, and looked at me. "You said you lived in a foster home. What happened to your parents?"

"Well, my mom dies giving birth to me. And my dad…well…he died a little less nobly than your dad did. He was a thief. One day he got mixed up in some messy mob business, so they killed him. Good ole dad left me something of his though. I'm a better thief than he ever was. I don't get caught." I said, more to myself than Speedy. I hadn't realized that what I said would cause something to happen like what happened next.

Speedy raised his bow, and aimed it right at my heart. I looked at him like he was crazy. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? ARE YOU INSANE?" I asked, holding my hands up like I was in a stick-up…which really, I was, only reverse.

"You're a criminal. I vowed on my fathers memory that I would take down any criminal that I encountered. Well, you're the first, and I can't back down on that promise now. Sorry Tim." He released his arrow. I quickly flipped backwards, the arrow narrowly missing me.

"I AM NOT A CRIMINAL! WILL YOU JUST PUT THAT DOWN AND LISTEN TO ME?" I yelled. He began to rapidly shoot arrows my way, just barely dodging them. It took all of the acrobatics skills that I learned from stealing just to avoid his attacks.

"You steal for a living. That makes you a criminal in my book. Now hold still before I get really angry. I don't like to miss my targets." He said, slightly smirking.

"I'm not standing still! You'll hit me!" I said, jumping on one hand as three arrows shot my way, one zooming so close to my face, the feathers brushed my cheek.

"That's the idea to hit you." He grabbed four arrows and launched them at the same time. I jumped over them, and they hit a cement wall. I was surprised they stuck.

"You're crazy!" I said. I ran towards him, dodging left and right at the arrows came my way. Bending slightly, I caught Speedy around the middle and tackled to the ground. He twisted and fell on his stomach, his bow flying about 10 feet away. I placed my knee in between his shoulder blades, his arms trapped beneath my leg.

Breathing hard, I smiled. "Well then…now that I got your attention…I AM NOT A CRIMINAL! If you wouldn't have gone all shooting-happy, and LISTENED TO ME…you would know that! I HAVE to steal! If I didn't steal, I would have ended up dead! Food and clothing, that's all I ever took. Got it? I do it to survive, not to rip people off!"

Speedy's face was smashed up against the pavement, which made his next words muffled. "But you still like stealing. And that makes you a criminal."

"That makes me human! My dad was a thief! Do you think it's strange that I took after him? You're a hero, like you're dad. Now, if I let you up, will you keep your hands off the bow? I'm feeling a little winded from dodging the first hundred."

He nodded as much as he could, since his face was still smashed. I let up off of his back, and he sat up. He was silent for a long time. Then he said, "I didn't hit you. That's a first. I've even gotten Brave Bow a few times with fake arrows…but not hitting my target at all…that's a first. Where did you learn to move like that?"

"I told you, I never get caught." I said simply. We sat in silence for a bit longer. I was about to ask Speedy what we were going to do about this when a noise erupted from the other side of he shooting range. There was a scream, and before I knew it, Speedy had his bow and a quiver full of arrows, and was running towards the disturbance. Rolling my eyes, I ran after him. "Heroes," I thought. "They hear a damsel in distress, and they think they can do anything!"

Even though the hero thing wasn't my scene, I followed Speedy. If anything, saving his life might get me back on his good side, and being in the situation I was in, I desperately needed an ally.