"I'm home!" I called as I closed the door behind me.
"How was school?" Mom said as she climbed down the stairs.
"The usual. I'll have to bring a wheelbarrow to carry all my homework. What have you been up to?"
"I caught up with your Teen Titans show."
"Really? You're still watching it?"
"I want to be up to date with all you're doing. It's pretty eventful."
"You have no idea." I chuckled. What's on the screen covers some of what happens, but it sometimes fails to capture the behind the scenes. While others watched half of what happens, the other half I could happily keep to myself. I paused. "Which means... you know about-?"
"Jane being in the show? Oh, yeah, I saw it all." Mom folded her arms, her mother bear instincts kicking in. "I don't know how she got in there, but if she thinks she can lay a hand on my child, then she's got another thing coming."
"She may have looked like Jane, but something was off." I said. "The one I've grown up with was never as horrible as she was in the show. Something bad must have happened to her." I gave my mom a smile as I passed by her and started up the stairs. "I'll be fine, Mom."
Mom nodded. "Ciela?"
I stopped at the top of the stairs. "Yeah?"
"You've never told anyone about your father before..."
I gripped my backpack straps and shrugged. "I guess it just felt like a good time to finally get it off my chest."
The smell of pie was overwhelming in my room. It leaked from the small crack under my door. I sat up in bed and opened my eyes. The wall and floors were changed to a dark, crispy brown. I stood up and ran a hand along the wall. Gingerbread crumbs fell to the ground and covered my hand. I walked over to the window and opened it. I flinched when I looked up and saw a bright sun with a wide grin looking down at me. I pulled the curtains, which were sheets of cotton candy, over the window.
When I opened my door, the pie smell hit me like a heat wave, overpowering any other sweet scents that could be lingering in the Tower. I made my way to Ops.
"There's my CiCi-Poo!" I stopped and turned around, meeting my gaze with a stout, green-skinned women. If she wasn't wearing a giant black and purple polka-dotted mushroom on her head, I would be taller than her. Her black, white, purple, and orange attire was gritty and dirty. She leaned close to my face, her three eyes blinking at different times. "What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
"Uh, no." I said, shaking off my disgust for her appearance and calling me 'Cici-Poo' and plastering on a smile. I resisted the urge to gag at the giant wart on her nose. "I was just thinking... about how much I love you, Mother Mae-Eye."
"Oh!" Mother Mae-Eye threw her arms around me and gave me a bone-crushing hug. Some of her wiry gray hair tickled my face. "Mother loves you, too! You must be famished! Have some pie!"
Mother Mae-Eye waved her magic spoon, and a pie materialized in her hand.
"Thank you, Mother." I said, accepting the pie. Wincing internally, I shoved my face into the pie. I pulled away, the bottom half of my face covered with jam and pie crust. "Yum!"
Mother Mae-Eye patted my head and skipped down the hallway. I threw the pie to the ground and wiped as much of the pie as I could off my mouth and cheeks. The sirens started to blare, and I hurried to Ops. I stared around the room at the piles of empty pie tins, some of them almost reaching the ceiling.
"Trouble!" Robin said. I cringed at his schoolboy hairstyle, courtesy of Mother Mae-Eye. "Titans, let's-!"
"Ah, ah, ah!" Mother Mae-Eye materialized behind me and placed a kiddie fence in front of the door. "I couldn't possibly let you go out and do something so dangerous!"
"But... the city needs us." Beast Boy said.
"And you all need me! Don't tell me you'd want to leave your poor mother all alone?" Mother Mae-Eye waved her magic spoon, and pies appeared over our heads. "Now, who wants pie?"
The pie landed crust-first on top of my head. I winced as the jam oozed down my face and dribbled on my jacket. The eyes of my friends, save Starfire, whose hair was also tainted with jam, turned bright pink.
"All right, I guess I'll let you all go out and play." Mother Mae-Eye said. "But not before you're all ready to go! Come along, now!"
We followed Mother Mae-Eye to the garage. We stopped in front of the T-Car. Mother Mae-Eye turned to us, the ends of her dress fluttering with her. Waving her magic spoon, she dressed each of us: a giant sweater for Starfire, a bunny suit for Beast Boy, a yellow dress for Raven, and a raincoat, hat, and boots for Cyborg. When Mother Mae-Eye approached me, she dressed me similar to a Raggedy Ann doll: a blue cotton dress with long sleeves, a white apron with "CiCi-Poo" sewed in red thread on the front, black Mary Jane shoes, and knee-high red and white striped socks. My hair was taken out of a braid laid over my shoulders in wild curls.
"The signal sounded fifteen minutes ago. We need to go!" Robin said, pointing at his communicator as the T on the front flashed red.
"What we need to do, young man, is get rid of all of these dangerous thingamajigs you kids have! Heaven forbid you poke an eye out with them!" Mother Mae-Eye collected our gadgets with her magic. My holster belt was yanked off my waist, and it disappeared before my eyes. "All right! Is everyone ready?"
"Yes, Mother!" my friends said.
Mother Mae-Eye brought the car to a lurching stop in front of the city's mall. As we climbed out and headed to the door, Mother Mae-Eye laid on the horn.
"Have fun, kiddies! Mother will be back to pick you up in twenty minutes!" she said, waving her hand out the passenger window.
The doors opened. The mall center was a mess, with broken plant pots, wire hangars, and skid marks all over the floor. The H.I.V.E. Five- Gizmo, Mammoth, See-More, Private H.I.V.E., and...
I scanned them again, squinting my eyes in confusion. Where's Jinx?
"Nice outfits!" Gizmo guffawed. The other H.I.V.E. members burst into laughter. "I've never seen anything so ridiculous in my life!"
Robin ran a hand over his hair, getting rid of the hideous schoolboy hairstyle. "Titans, go!"
Beast Boy tried to shapeshift, but the bunny suit he wore restricted him.
"This thing is too tight!" Beast Boy said, tugging at the bunny ears on his hood.
"But I can!" Gizmo pressed a button on his chest, covering his body with armor. Beast Boy scurried away while Gizmo chased him with rockets.
Private H.I.V.E dodged Cyborg's sonic cannon rays and Raven's astral magic. He chucked his shield past them, hitting a water fountain. The water gushed from the pipes and blasted Cyborg. Raven ran towards Private H.I.V.E., but the end of her dress got caught on the edge of a hot dog cart. Private H.I.V.E., rammed his foot into the cart, sending it and Raven away. Robin fought Mammoth, but every tool he pulled from his belt was some sort of baby toy- bottles, rattles, binkies, and stuffed animals.
"This is hopeless..." I mumbled, covering my cheeks with my hands.
"I'll say." A hand grabbed my arm and pulled me into the nearest clothing store. I turned and face Jinx, who had a dress hanging on each arm. "I'm embarrassed for you, CiCi-Poo."
I blushed and ripped the apron off, throwing it over a potted plant.
"Aren't you supposed to be fighting the Teen Titans right now?" I said.
"The others are taking care of that." Jinx said. She glanced over my shoulder. "Besides, it doesn't really look like that much of a fight to me."
I looked over my shoulder and at my friends, who laid in a dazed pile. I facepalmed.
"I have an important question." Jinx said. I turned to her. She held out the dresses on her arms. They were the same, except in different colors. "Purple or black?"
"What does it matter if you're just going to steal them?" I said.
"I'm going to buy them, idiot, with my own money. What kind of monster do you think I am?" Jinx held the dresses up to her face. She placed the purple one back on the rack, fished some money out of her pocket, and placed it on the counter, which was empty of any kind of employee.
I raised an eyebrow. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I should be asking you the same question, what with that get-up and all." Jinx gave me a once-over and smirked. She reached over and plucked a piece of pie crust out of my hair. "You got a little jam on your face."
I quickly wiped my hands over my face and mouth. "If you're just going to tease me, I'm leaving."
"Okay, okay, sorry. I don't really know how to do this 'friend' thing."
"You can start by being nice."
"Fine. Your dress isn't totally hideous."
"...Thanks." I said. "But really, though... Why aren't you fighting me?"
Jinx looked away. "I've been... thinking... about a lot of things. I convinced myself for the longest time that all I'm good at is being bad. Maybe it's my common sense coming back from the dead, but... it doesn't really seem right anymore."
"Jinx?"
Jinx looked at me. "What's it like to be a Teen Titan?"
I reeled back. "D-Do you want to be one?"
Jinx shifted on her feet, holding her hands together. "Maybe... I don't know..." She stared at my expression and scowled. "Well, don't look so horrified about it."
"No, no! That's not it at all! I'm just... surprised." I said. Surprised that it's happening so much sooner than in the original series. I smiled. "If you show my friends your sincerity, they'll warm up to you."
Jinx's eyes brightened. "Really?"
I nodded. "Really."
Jinx smiled, something so sweet compared to her usual disposition in the show that it prickled my arms with goosebumps.
We heard more fighting sounds, and we looked out and saw Mother Mae-Eye standing over a pile of the other H.I.V.E. Five members.
"Don't you dare try and hurt my children again!" Mother Mae-Eye said. The four H.I.V.E. members scrambled to their feet and sprinted out of the mall.
"I think that's your cue." Jinx planted a hand on my back and shoved me out of the door. I tripped and fell to the ground. "See you later."
I glanced behind me, but Jinx was gone.
"Are you all right, Cici-Poo?" I turned and looked up at Mother Mae-Eye. She grabbed my arm and hoisted me back onto my feet. "You didn't get a boo-boo, did you?"
"No, Mother. I'm fine." I said. Behind Mother Mae-Eye, Starfire stared at her with eyes as wide as dinner plates.
"I told you not to play with those kids. You should have listened to me!" Mother Mae-Eye said from the driver's seat of the T-Car.
"We're sorry, Mother." Raven said.
"We promise we'll never go on another dumb mission again." Cyborg said.
"No need to worry, my babies. From now on, you'll all stay home with mother!" Mother Mae-Eye said. "How about some pie to make you feel better?"
Pies appeared in front of us and dropped into our hands. Robin, Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg chowed down while Starfire and I watched in disgust. I gently bumped my elbow into her arm. We looked at each other. I lifted a finger and pretended to scratch my nose, covertly lingering it over my mouth to send her a message, "Just play along."
We returned to Titans Tower. Mother Mae-Eye placed us inside a pie tin, disguised as a bed.
"Goodnight, my sweeties! Mother loves you!" Mother Mae-Eye said. She closed the door behind her.
Starfire sat up straight and shook my shoulder. "Friend! What in the name of Glorthax is happening to us?!" she whispered.
"That creepy witch broke into our Tower. Her pies have some weird, hypnotic power, and it causes whoever eats it to think she's their mother. Their love for her gets funneled to her and makes her stronger." I said, glancing at my sleeping friends.
"What dear kiddies!" Mother Mae-Eye called. Starfire and I laid back in the pie tin, hiding behind our friends as Mother Mae-Eye peeked inside. "How I love them so!"
When she walked away, Starfire and I turned over to each other.
"We've got to get everyone out of here before Mother Mae-Eye tries to cook us alive." I said.
Mother Mae-Eye's cackle pierced the air, chilling my blood. The stove door opened, and Starfire and I stared at each other in horror as a large pie crust covered us and the pie tin. The room began to heat up. My face quickly began to drip with sweat.
"I shall take care of this." Starfire said, her eyes glowing green.
"Wait!" I cried. Starfire burst the pie crust into pieces and flew out of the stove. My friends awoke and sat up.
"You shall not dine on me nor my friends!" Starfire said, throwing starbolts at Mother Mae-Eye. She screamed and covered her face as the starbolts hit her.
"Stop it, Starfire!" Raven said. "Why are you hurting Mother?!"
"This creature is not our mother!" Starfire said.
"Bad Twinkle-Star!" Mother Mae-Eye waved her magic spoon. Ribbons appeared and wrapped around Starfire. "You should know better than to talk back to your mother! You need a time-out!"
The two disappeared from the room in a swirl of pink energy. I threw the blanket off me and climbed out of the pie tin.
"Get back in bed, Ciela, or you'll get in trouble, too!" Cyborg whispered.
I ignored him and placed my hands on the stove door. The metal had already heated up, and I pulled away. I lifted my foot and drove it into the door as hard as I could. My knee felt like jelly, but the door showed signs of opening.
Mother Mae-Eye's cackle filled the room again, and I leaned my back against the warm metal.
"How about a little snack to help you fall asleep?" Mother Mae-Eye said. "I'll make some fresh cookies for you!"
Mother Mae-Eye disappeared, and the stove door flew open. I turned around and faced three sentient gingerbread men. They reached for me. I drove my fist into the face of one, breaking it in half. One crept up behind me, grabbed my waist, and lifted me into the air. As I thrashed around, gingerbread men used a cookie cutter to create more of them. Several more approached me.
The door to the kitchen burst into chunks of gingerbread. Starfire slammed into the gingerbread man holding me, the impact so hard that it exploded into cookie pieces. She threw starbolts at those that approached us. Using her eyebolts, she chopped the stove in half. The air cooled.
"You broke Mother's cookies!" Beast Boy cried.
"You're gonna get in trouble!" our friends chanted like little children. I looked up and saw a wooden dough roller that had fallen from the top of the stove. I picked it up and handed it to Starfire.
"Use this." I said.
Starfire hefted the dough roller between her hands and winced. "Forgive me." she said as she reeled back. She swung, whacking our friends on the head.
"Hey, what was that-?!" Robin said. He blinked and looked around. "Uh... What's going on?"
"Hey! Who's been redecorating my Tower?!" Cyborg cried.
"Now's not really a good time to explain everything." I said, pulling my doll costume off. Candy canes grabbed onto the stove, and gingerbread men climbed up to us.
"Titans, go!"
We jumped out of the stove and to the kitchen floor. A gingerbread man swung the giant candy cane in his hands. Robin grabbed it, kicked the gingerbread man in the face, and yanked the candy cane away. He tossed it to me and seized another one for himself. I swung the candy cane, slicing through the torsos of many gingerbread men. One raised his candy weapon at me, and I blocked it. I swung my foot into his leg, popping it clean off. The gingerbread man teetered and fell into his buddy, creating a domino effect.
The gingerbread men gathered together and transformed into a singular, giant one. With a grin, Beast Boy transformed into a T-Rex, opened his mouth, and took a giant bite out of the gingerbread man, devouring its head and torso. Its legs stumbled back before falling to the ground.
We hurried to the doors, threw them open, and walked down the hallway.
"So why does the Tower look like that candy house from the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale?" Beast Boy said.
"Cyborg, do you remember bringing home a pie?" I said.
"Oh, yeah!" Cyborg said. He stopped. "Oh..."
"Where did you get it?" Robin said.
"Well... One night, I was walking through a dark alley when I saw this strange, old gypsy in a booth selling a bunch of freaky things. I saw this pie she was selling, and it was reasonably priced, so how could I refuse?" Cyborg scratched the back of his head. "It seemed like a good idea at the time..."
"Borgy-Bear is such a smart little boy!" We turned and saw Mother Mae-Eye with an army of candy cane-wielding gingerbread men. We were tiny compared to her. "Don't fret, my children. Mother will always be here to take care of you, whether you like it or not!"
Mother Mae-Eye cackled and swung her magic spoon toward us, sending a wave of pink energy at us. We turned and sprinted down the hallway.
"Not so fast! You're all grounded!" Mother Mae-Eye said. She pounded her spoon against the ground, and it cracked and opened. The six of us fell in the crevasse and into another kitchen. A giant, unbaked pie cushioned our fall.
"I call dibs on the shower after this is all over." I said, running a hand through my sticky, jam-scented hair. I tossed my hair over my shoulders, and it hit my back with a disgusting smack.
"Hm..." Robin said. He scooped a handful of pie and smeared it on his face. "I have a plan. Follow my lead."
We covered our faces with pie. The doors burst open.
"Now, where are those naughty children of mine?!" Mother Mae-Eye hissed. She set her three eyes on us. "There you are!"
"We're so sorry we acted so badly." Raven said.
"We were just hungry for your delicious pie." Cyborg said.
"We love you, Mother Mae-Eye!" we all said.
"Oh! Mother loves you, too!" Mother Mae-Eye said, leaning closer to us.
"Now!" Robin said.
Beast Boy leaped from the pie, transformed into a bear, and clung to Mother Mae-Eye's face. Mother Mae-Eye screamed and dropped her magic spoon. Starfire caught the spoon before it fell. Cyborg grabbed the bottom of the pie tin and threw the pie into the air. Starfire swung the spoon into the pie, snapping the magic spoon in half.
The room began to distort. The pie turned into a wormhole, sucking the candy house scenery, the gingerbread men, and Mother Mae-Eye into it. It was black for a brief second before there was a flash of light, and we returned to the normal Titans Tower. A single pie lay in the middle of us.
"Well, what do we do with this?" Beast Boy said, gently kicking his foot against the tin.
Robin cupped his chin in his hand before smiling. "I have an idea."
~TPPOV~
A hand knocked against the door to the H.I.V.E. Five's headquarters. Gizmo opened the door and peeked his head out.
"What kind of crud-muncher thinks he can get away with ding-dong-ditching the H.I.V.E. Five?!" Gizmo said. He looked down and saw a pie on the door step. "Hey, sweet!"
Gizmo picked up the pie and entered the headquarters.
"Check it out! Free pie!" Gizmo said.
"There's something hanging from it." See-More said, plucking a small note that hung from the pie tin. He snickered and walked over to Jinx, who sat on the couch and watched TV. See-More leaned over and waved the note in front of her face. "Looks like this pie's for you. You got a secret admirer that you never told us about?"
Jinx scowled and snatched the note from See-More's hand. She hunched over to prevent See-More from reading it.
To: Jinx
Don't eat the pie. Trust me.
From, Ciela
Jinx raised an eyebrow.
"Well? Is it a love confession or something? I want to know!" See-More said.
Jinx rolled her eyes and stood up.
"You guys can have it. I prefer cake." Jinx said, leaving the room. The door closed behind her.
"I get the big piece!" Mammoth cried.
Jinx folded the note with a smile.
