Disclaimer TEEN TITANS and all other related characters and material are the property of DC comics and Cartoon Network, I claim no ownership.

Chapter 11: Jinxed

By: Ansa

Beast Boy and Raven sat there, not sure what exactly to say, if there was in fact anything to be said. They had just heard how her heart had been broken by their former leader, it not being the most pleasant of stories. What could they say? Beast Boy knew better than anyone, that when your heart is broken, nothing can make you feel any better about it. When Terra betrayed them, it took him the longest time to just be able to tell jokes again; even then...he wasn't exactly the same. Having your heartbroken changes you, no matter what anyone tells you. When your heart breaks, it takes an excruciating amount of time to heal but the scars never go away. This scar remains, and makes you much more careful, much less trusting, and less open to others. Her scar still hadn't healed entirely, sending a twinge of pain with every heartbeat.

"Well…I suppose I should get going." Looking at the clock on the wall they could see it was long passed the usual cut off point to which the two went to bed. Starfire stood up and went to collect her jacket when a hand appeared on her shoulder.

"Starfire…stay with us."

"I beg pardon?"

"The couch pulls out; it's not much but…" Raven didn't really know why she was opening up the apartment for a guest. She had classes tomorrow, and he had work so it's not like they could be able to spend time with her…but maybe that didn't matter. Maybe, she thought, it was more to do with being together. Maybe it was about her having her friends close to her again. Beast Boy in the meantime was quite stunned that she had even offered, he had considered it but didn't want to say anything without asking. He guessed now it didn't really matter.

"Yeah, come on Star, stay a while and hang with us. It'd be nice having you here."

"I could even take you to see my school if you like."

Starfire stood like a stone statue, just staring at the two, her eyes vague and unsure of how to feel. They misted for a moment, glistening slightly in the light as a smile came to her face. Her arms reached out for them and wrapped around tight, squeezing unmercifully hard. She didn't know this of course, she was so caught up with this feeling, hugging them to her tight…her friends, how she missed them.

"Thank you so much, I would love to stay."

A dark, slender figure waited patiently as she gazed down into the skylight above the museum lobby. Below the lights were dark, everyone had long gone home, and the security guards were making their nightly rounds, boredly pacing the halls. She grinned as she watched them, making note of their path, carefully picking her timing. Slowly she lifted out the small section of glass she cut out of the skylight, disconnecting its security wire soon after, and slipped through falling quietly down onto the floor. She made no sound, but of course, after all she was trained to be silent, aware, and ruthless. Why she had been stooped to stealing diamonds, among other priceless gems, she had no idea. The closest guess was the simplest one…because she loved them so, and didn't intend to pay.

Quickly bounding into the shadows, the figure hide herself behind a large column, only one of many that resided in this particular room of the museum. She watched and listened carefully, hearing the footsteps of each security guard slowly making their way towards her. She waited still, readying her hand, poised and in position. Finally the aging form of the museum guard came into view, more importantly, he came into view right in front of a heavy suit of armor…this was too easy. A blur of purple light flashed by him and hit the armor square in the breastplate. To the horror of the guard, this caused the suit to sway and crash down upon him, knocking the poor man out cold.

She smiled and stepped out into the moonlight, gleefully skipping around his crippled body and down the hall. The second guard wouldn't be around for another half hour or so…plenty of time to make her move. She dragged her fingers along the walls as she hummed, still skipping down the hall when she passed a bulletin noting the newest exhibit. The Hope Diamond, on loan from the Smithsonian was not even fifty feet from where she was at this moment. She could smell the sterile scent of bulletproof glass and velvet rope even now.

Rounding the corner a large glass door was found wide open in wait for her, the security guard having forgotten to shut it behind him…lucky for her. Her eyes bulged as the gorgeous icy glint of the diamond met her gaze. Even from this distance it was quite impressive, truly the greatest diamond in the world. A giddy squeal escaped her lips and echoed carelessly in the empty room, the only thing standing between her and her precious gem now was a layer of bulletproof glass. Slowly she walked up to the pedestal, casting aside the annoying velvet rope that dared to get in her way. She wanted to savor this, not only was she about to get her hands on the biggest diamond in the world…but she was about to pull off the greatest diamond heist in history.

Another purple blast shattered the glass easily, and there the diamond sat hers for the taking. Her hand reached out, trembling with anticipation. She closed her eyes, she waited to feel its smooth, glassy surface. The moment was so perfect she bit down on her lip just as her fingers…passed straight through the famous gem? Her eyes shot open, glaring down to see her hand floating in the middle of the diamond, or rather a hologram. She gritted her teeth and scanned the room, shielding her eyes when the museum lights flooded the room.

"Bad luck for you Jinx." Cyborg smiled, standing tall in front of his team. Behind him stood Mas, Menos, Bumblebee, Speedy, and Aqualad of Titans East. "But I guess you already know that." Jinx sneered, at the arrogant look about Bumble Bee's face. Looking from the corner of her eye she could see two other doors leading out of this particular room, either would make for a quick escape. Quickly she made a choice and shot towards it as fast as her legs could carry her. A slight beep from Cyborg's wrist controls and a rush of air stopped her dead in her tracks as a thick steel door slid down into place; behind her the second door did the same as did the large glass one, sealing her in with the Titans East, and no escape in sight.

"Where do you think you're going? The fun's just about to start." Speedy smiled at her, leaning against the wall, arms crossed in front of him and his hair…as always, perfect. Jinx ignored him for the moment; she had other things on her mind at the moment so her quiet loathing of him would have to wait. Her eyes darted around the room, trying to find something to use against them. This time it seemed she indeed was out of luck. Nothing but posters and information plaques hung on the walls, the only exhibit in the room would be that of the diamond.

"Give it up Jinx, six to one aren't great odds to have against you." Cyborg held out a pair of specially made cuffs especially for her. Made of the usual stuff, only these cuffs acted as a seal that covered her entire hands, preventing any…bad luck. She hated those cuffs, they had been placed on her before and managed to put a nasty bruise on her wrists. She wasn't about to have her skin ruined again, not without putting up some kind of a fight.

"For once I agree with carrot top," Jinx smiled devilishly. "The fun is just about to start." The slender sorceress spun on her heal, her hands above her head outstretched as pulse after pulse of purple energy shot from her fingertips and took out the lights, leaving the room in relative darkness. The only light now in the room was that from the hallway behind the Titans, leaving only a thin column of light that reached only as far as the pedestal for the diamond. Immediately Jinx leaped into the darkness and seemingly disappeared, the only evidence was her impish laugh.

Cyborg quickly flipped up his shoulder light and scanned the room slowly, he and each teammate readying themselves in a fighting stance, ready to move as soon as the target was in sight. The room was quiet, except for the occasional footstep that seemed to jump from one end of the room to another, echoing tauntingly. Speedy held his bow at the ready, arrow already knocked and the line taught. Moving with Cyborg's spotlight slowly, Speedy kept his eyes peeled, concentrating so hard on what was in front of him that he didn't even see the flash of purple energy come out from the side and hit him straight in the back of the hand.

"HEADS UP!" The bolt took him by surprise and loosened the grip on the cord, letting it slip through his fingers sending his arrow cutting through the air. His warning came too late for Bumble Bee who had spotted a faint silhouette and had flown directly into the path of the stray arrow. Bumble Bee saw the arrow coming and shoved her stingers out in front of her, hoping to be able to get at least a lucky shot in that split second before it hit. However in this situation, luck was the last thing anyone would get. Bumble Bee let out a sharp cry as the arrow struck her square in the stomach, the only luck she did get was that this particular arrow had an impact tip, rather than a pointed one.

The hit sent her flying off awkwardly, her charged stingers misfiring wildly. Meanwhile on the ground Mas and Menos took the opportunity of even the slightest flash of light to race towards Jinx, who was now standing in the center of the room next to the pedestal. They found it strange how she just stood there, waiting for them to reach her. That is, until they realized that the velvet rope was directly behind her. Bounding up into a back flip, Jinx shot another blast of energy from her hands that hit the rope. Sending it down upon the floor sliding towards the two speed demons who desperately tried to change direction, or at the very least slow down. But once again…no such luck. Their blurred legs, moving so very fast were caught up in the rope, their bodies flying forward and crashing into the far wall.

Speedy smiled and let an arrow fly, finding the perfect opportunity while she was occupied with his teammates. The flying shaft let out a high pitched screeched, giving away its position all too easily. Despite this it still caught Jinx by surprise, it having just barely missed her as she leaped out of its path and started to run, several more screeches echoing in the room as dozens of freshly shot arrows followed her path, each one getting closer and closer. With a nod to the head, Speedy began to herd Jinx towards Aqualad, poised in position in the corner of the room. The floors began to shake as a water line was found underneath them and burst up through the tiles. The prince twisted the water through the air, seemingly heading off the sorceress. Arrows behind her, a rush of water in front of her, she was cut off it seemed. Frantically she looked around, hoping to see something she could use against them, some kind of bad luck she could cause. There had to be something. Finally her eyes caught the newly recovered Bumble Bee, maybe if she…

Her thoughts were cut short as Cyborg's sonic blast caught her in the chest, knocking the wind out of her and pushing her back against the wall. Aqualad slowed the flow of the water to a complete stop, but kept it on standby as did Speedy, arrows knocked and ready. Her body went numb for a moment, leaving her helpless, propped up against the wall watching as the Titans slowly closed in on her. No way, there was no way she was going to give up that easily. Desperately she tried to move her arms, a slight tingling returning the feeling in her muscles. But she quickly went limp once again as she stared down the barrel of Cyborg's sonic blaster, aimed directly in her face.

"See what happens when we do things the hard way?" Speedy gave her a victorious smile and lowered his bow, the sort of smile that churned her stomach. She hated being caught, but what she hated more was his stupid little quirks. When she glared at him this time something caught her eye, something that couldn't help but make her smile. Aqualad's fountain of water was still active, the break in the line precise and rather small so that he could easily control it.

Without saying a word she raised her arms as high as they would go and shot two blasts past the Titans, striking the small hole in the floor and into the pipes below. The entire room now shook, causing everyone minus Bumble Bee to wobble and loose their footing. Quickly she rolled out of the way just in time before every pipeline below the floor burst, massive geysers of water gushing up into the room. Aqualad tried to control it the best he could but there was just too much too fast.

A few minutes passed and the emergency system shut off the flow of water, leaving the room a dripping catastrophe. Jinx shook her head, getting caught up in the rush of water herself, and stood up, wobbling slightly as her legs still felt a little numb. Quickly she skipped over the slumped, damp bodies and over to Cyborg, bending down so they were face to face. Cyborg groaned slightly, then looked up into the eyes of the sorceress grinning down gloatingly at him.

"Nice try, better luck next time." With that Jinx licked the tip of his nose just to annoy him, and pressed the button on his wrist controls. With a slight hiss, all three doors proceeded to slide up and open, leaving three exits for her to choose from. She waved to them with the largest grin yet conceived on her face and casually strolled out, humming her happy little tune.

"Damn, it's going to take forever to get my wings dry enough to fly again." Bumble Bee sat on the edge of the kitchen counter sulking as she squeezed out the sopping mess that was her hair, creating large puddles on the floor. Across the room Speedy lay slumped on the couch, Aqualad trying to forget the day's events by relaxing in the pool in the center of the room.

"Come on guys, at least she didn't get the diamond." Cyborg tried to give his team a boost, which they usually didn't need.

"Yeah but still, we were beat by Jinx…I mean…come on!" Speedy shot up from his spot on the couch, he in particular feeling down about the defeat. It was strange how both he and Jinx hated each other so. Not so much strange as to that they hated each other, but rather the reason. This reason being the same for both of them, they thought each other to be quite arrogant…how ironic. "The only thing worse is getting your but kicked by Control Freak!" Cyborg couldn't help but laugh at this, his old foe was quite a pathetic one. It seems every time he thought of the old days and all the fun he used to half, kicking that geek's but around town was always one of the more entertaining memories.

"Ok guys…how about we go out for pizza? I think we deserve one."

"Now you're talking."

Starfire stretched slightly and yawned, sitting herself down on the sofa bed Raven and Beast Boy had set up for her. It was more comfortable than it looked, which wasn't very good, but even if it wasn't she would gladly take it. A real bed, of sorts, something she hadn't had since she left the tower. At "home" all she had was a stale mattress on the floor…not a very comfortable one at that.

"One or two pillows?" Raven came out holding two, though flat, soft looking pillows. Beast Boy came in behind with a large blanket and carefully laid it down upon the sheets. Everything they had set up for her were extras of their own. The pillows, they both used, each of them enjoyed sleeping with two pillows, although they didn't need to. The blanket and sheets were extras as well, although these they only used in the winter. Sleeping with an extra set of sheets and blankets on the bed saved on the heating bill, which they could barely afford in the first place.

"One will be fine, thank you." Starfire stood up for a moment, helping Beast Boy make up the bed with the large blanket. She smiled as she felt the fabric, it was nice. Clean and warm it was, much better than her own blanket. Once it was in place she sat back down and ran her hand across it again, it felt so good.

"You need anything else? Some pajamas or something?"

"Oh yes, a button up shirt will do just nicely." Starfire smiled at them both, how very much she missed being with them.

"I'll go get you one of mi-…" He was cut off quickly, and almost pushed back some.

"I've got some; we're about the same size so you shouldn't have any trouble." Raven turned and hurried into the bedroom, followed closely by a very confused Beast Boy. He leaned against the door frame, watching as she went through her drawers, trying to figure out where she put her dress shirt. She didn't really wear it much, hence the trouble in finding it. It was mostly used for special occasions and such, maybe just to look nice every once in a blue moon, but not too often.

"What was that about?"

"What?"

"One of mine would have fit her just fine…if not better." Finally Raven's hands came across the stiff fabric and pulled it out, closing the drawer before placing a hand on her fiance's cheek, smiling at him warmly.

"Yes but only I'm allowed to steal your shirts." She leaned in for a quick peck on the lips before heading back out into the living room, dress shirt in hand. Beast Boy smiled at this and shook his head slightly. He knew that she enjoyed nothing more than to use his shirts, not just dress but also tees, to sleep in. Sometimes she even just took them to wear to school. He just never knew how special it was to her. Just knowing that the little things like that could make her so happy made him smile. To know that you could make someone so happy, even if it's just with your clothing, is a feeling beyond explanation, and a joy beyond all others.

Wow, this one was a struggle to write, hope it turned out ok for you guys. Oh and just so you know…if you can't guess already…I SUCK at writing battle sequences. Why is this? I really don't know…I guess I really was more of a lover than a fighter and maybe that translates into my writing. Who knows, oh and I will be posting these chapters on my DeviantArt account as well as some fan art soon. (angelzrfalling. Later Days!

ANSA