I wuv you readers. This chapter is more about the images you get from it than the actual writing.

Well now, there you go, I hold my chapters ransom other spaqua writers surface. Me, Shadow and Ferret alone can't fill the need.

"SAVE MEEEE!" Bumblebee needed to remember that the living room was not a safe place to read her magazines. Aqualad had just barreled into the room, seizing her from the couch and hiding behind her. Sweat-dropping, she wondered what it was he had to be saved from. "Hormonal archer at ten o'clock." He whispered as Speedy charged in, turning her body to act as a shield.

"Come here you piece of sushi! I'll be damned if you get away with that!"

Bee raised an eyebrow, trying to move herself out of the line of fire, with no success. "Remind me never to make crude jokes about that bow again…" Aqualad informed her, sneaking so there was a chair between him and Speedy.

"What did you do now?" She asked, already feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on. Nothing would change the nature of those two, both were competitive… actually, that could be said about the entire team, if you thought about it. Likely Aqualad had been watching a practice session and was being critical, stoking the archer's temper until he burst.

Aqualad shrugged, but kept his position. "I just noted his aim was off today for the low altitude targets and made a suggestion on how to improve it." The grin on his face suggested more, but then, Aqualad's sense of humor had improved dramatically since he had gotten together with Speedy.

"You won't believe what he did! He taunts me, says maybe if he climbed out of the water and gave me a more 'appealing' target I'd be sure to hit dead on. Then he goes on to wonder if it was just 'performance anxiety' and that it's nothing to be ashamed of and…ARGH! Quit laughing you insectoid freak! It is NOT funny!" The red faced boy was exasperated and looking ready to strangle his leader, who was making no effort to hide her laughter. Clutching at her stomach, she tried to apologize, but lost it before a word could come out. "Oh come on, you can't say that it wasn't great. Why didn't you just shoot back a response? Or might that miss its target as well?" The murderous look she was given was enough to sober her up slightly. "Fine, fine. Water-boy, that was a bit below the belt." Groans from both boys at the wordplay, but Bee just went on "How did your talk with Arthur go anyways, you never really told us anything about it."

"Yeah, you just kinda pretended like it didn't matter." Speedy agreed, calming down enough to lean over the couch.

"Well, to tell the truth I never really came out and said it." Speedy slapped his forehead and Bumblebee pinched the bridge of her nose, this could not be good. "See, I told him that I was in a relationship, but never mentioned any specifics, just said I was responsible enough to handle it…and then he suggested a race, I'm not sure he even really processed what I said." Aqualad admitted sheepishly, his team; in fact all the titans, knew he had a bit of a weakness when it came to competition. "Well, I hadn't gone to see Arthur face to face in a while, and he had lots of things to tell me. Plus, he seemed so proud of my work with the team, and there was just so much to talk about I…kinda forgot to mention the reason I was there was to prevent possible scandal…" In the course of his telling, Garth had obviously decided that the real risk was Karen, and had moved to join Roy on the far side of the couch.

"And Roy refuses to talk to Ollie. Great, I may just have to call them myself." The dark skinned leader grumbled. "And don't think I won't, and you guys will be on your own to talk with them."

"Fine, just let me get my pants off…" Roy smirked, flipping Garth over the back of the sofa and pinning him down.

Karen had just pulled out her stingers when a chime indicating someone was at the door cut her off. Moving to the console, she turned on the video phone to the door. Outside stood Wally, smiling guiltily, and a self-satisfied Jinx, who had his ear in one hand, the other on her hip. "Idiot here refuses to pay up," She said through the mic. "He says I somehow staged the attack of lust." Karen bit her lip, remembering how Wally had reacted on Saturday. Indignant, shocked he had lost the bet. She stepped back a bit so the monitor could catch sight of the two on the couch as she buzzed them in.

A moment later, a very short moment at that, Jinx was dragging Wally into the room, where the boys had frozen in a very suggestive position, Roy's hand still clutching the top of Aqualad's uniform. "Hey, don't stop on account of me," Jinx grinned, "Just nothing X rated in front of the innocent here" Giving Wally a slap on the bottom as she said that. "You have him trained, don't you Murphy?" Karen chuckled as Wally put a hand on Jinx's hips, moving up to her waist when she blinked at him. "Except when it comes to giving me money, yeah I do." If anyone had been expecting a cat fight between the two ex-HIVE students, they would be sadly disappointed. It wasn't that odd really, Titans East had never fought her team personally, and they hadn't been close in school. Rivals, yes, and they shared mutual respect, but Karen's betrayal was not in the least bit emotional or personal.

Roy seemed to have realized Jinx was still watching them, and flushed, moving to release Garth, when the Atlantean knocked his knees out from under him and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Roy was shocked for a moment, neither of them had ever been quite this forward before, but soon melted into the kiss and let instinct take over. Almost five minutes passed before applause caused them to pull apart.

Jinx was clapping her hands enthusiastically, while Wally reached for his wallet. "Thank you." She pecked him on the cheek, and then turned back to the thoroughly embarrassed couple. "That was so damned hot, you know that?" She asked, before taking the money from Wally's hand and tucked it into her bra. "Let me know if you hear anything about class reunions, Beecher." Looking expectantly at Wally, she tapped a foot before he picked her up and sped off.

"…"

"Uh…."

"What the hell was that about?" Roy finally asked. "I mean, it's a great compliment, but a bit odd…"

Karen shrugged. "Some girls find it incredibly arousing, others just find it cute."

"Which category do you fall under then…?" Roy waggled his eyebrows.

"If I remember correctly, I was about to make a call to-" Karen didn't have to go on, Garth had tugged the redhead out of the room, not preventing him from flipping the bird as he passed.