Under the Rose
Chapter 12
They were a couple just like that; it was even more official than before. Jinx and Wally sat beneath a tree in the quad, enjoying the last day of their break. She studied her redhead in this moment, his eyes closed as he rested his head in her lap.
"We're pretty serious now," Jinx murmured. Wally cracked open an eye, questioning.
"Does that scare you?"
"No," Jinx replied stubbornly. "I was just saying."
He nodded and resumed his sleeping.
Everyone had returned well-rested from their break, and none of the pair's friends were surprised to see that the two had grown significantly closer than before. Miranda couldn't stop her suggestive eyebrows at first. She declared how she had seen them "together forever right from the start!!!!".
But Jinx still wondered every so often why someone as good as Kid Flash had decided on her.
"I did some bad stuff, you know." She thought back to the black bag of money, still secret. "I still could now."
"Doesn't matter and no you couldn't, " Wally mumbled sleepily. He gently took Jinx's wrist and checked the time with a sigh. "I've gotta start my paper tonight." He groaned. "I just want to sleep...I don't think dining hall food is so good for me."
"Not when you take five plates of pasta and polish that off with about fifty cookies." Jinx scoffed, crossing her arms. "I didn't know heroes could be such unhealthy eaters. And whiners."
Wally gave her a dirty look. Jinx pretended to poke him in the eyes.
"When's your paper due?"
Wally grinned to himself. "Tomorrow morning. Ten pages."
Ever-looming midterm exams had put everyone in their own little studious worlds. And considering what had happened in the past few days, Jinx was impressed that she had studied as much as she had. And so she felt completely deserving of this lazy time with Wally. But it hadn't occurred to her that he still needed to do work.
"You're waiting to write a ten-page paper until tonight?" Jinx was flabbergasted, thinking of the hours she would spend revising her papers, even at Hive Academy, where extra marks were given for getting away with plagiarism.
Wally winked at her. "Late tonight. We're going out to dinner, right?"
Jinx rolled her eyes. "If you count the Pizza Place among fine dining." She shook her head at him. "You better take me somewhere nice soon," she warned jokingly.
"When I finish my paper I will," Wally replied with a grin.
Jinx scoffed at him. "I don't understand how people do things on such a time crunch."
"I wait until the last minute because it's all the time I need," Flash murmured. "I think at lightspeed, after all." He grinned wryly, "Trust me when I say--" he waved a finger- "Slowing down on purpose is such a pain."
"So if you really think at lightspeed as you say," Jinx said, skeptical and teasing, "Why all the dumb, corny, predictable jokes?" Wally looked offended. "Dumb corny predictable annoying jokes," Jinx 'corrected', crossing her arms playfully.
Flash sat up and looked at her with a smile. "All the possible answers to any statement come to me that fast," he snapped his fingers, "but what good is any of it if I can't laugh? And if I can laugh, I want others laughing with me."
She hadn't expected a reply with such depth in return. Jinx loosened her crossed arms. "But you just like to laugh, even when it's serious." Wasn't that basically the point of Kid Flash?
Wally shook his head. "Let me clarify: People have that phrase: "Someday I'll look back and laugh". 'Someday' just comes a little quicker to me is all." He studied her thoughtfully. "Pretty soon you're going to reach your someday, and I want to be there with a dumb joke, make you laugh a little better."
Jinx had no reply to that, and Flash nestled back down, head in her lap, with a soft chuckle. She stroked a strand of his hair, carefully.
Were they really a couple? Cynical ex-villainess Jinx, and unconquerably happy Flash?
"You're too good for me," she finally said. In every way, really. The years had turned him into much more than just a quirky teen with a need for speed.
He peered up at her with his baby blues. "That's my line."
Jinx rolled her eyes, hiding a small smile. "Way too good."
She felt a lightning peck on her cheek. "I'll take the compliment as long as you never start to believe it. We're equals."
Equals. It was a nice feeling. She smiled down at him. "Deal."
Not villain and hero. Rose and Flash. Jinx and Wally.
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As she recalled that conversation Jinx smiled a little, adjusting the grip on her pencil and continuing the tiny shade lines along her portrait. Soon after, Flash had left for the police station to make a report on the encounter with Rouge that seemed so long ago.
She knew what being with Flash meant, but Jinx was still wary of his close affiliation with the police, out of habit and self-preservation. True, they had pardoned her three years back, but now? She wasn't so sure.
Wally had said he'd explain; Jinx could only hope to remain as she was.
"Can I move now?" A quiet voice startled her out of unpleasant thoughts.
"Not quite, just two more minutes, okay? You are so pretty."
From her place on the stool four feet away, little Audrey beamed. Jinx blew away some eraser marks and stood back to compare her work and the real thing. Pleased, Jinx set down her pencil and waved the young child over.
Audrey giggled over the drawing, pleased with the attention. "It looks like me," she said. "Who else have you drawn?"
Jinx flipped back through the pages for the little girl, not surprised when more faces wandered over to see the artwork. She was beginning to get used to children. Their innocence was such a change from what she'd been used to, it was soothing to be in here as much as she had been lately.
"Here's Owen, and Lucy, and Eric..." The three complete portraits that she had worked so hard on for the past week (she yawned just thinking of the late hours she kept these days) dazzled the young children, who were so surprised at the resemblance between Jinx's creations and the real things.
"And here's you, Audrey."
Jinx too was pleased with her work. She had wanted to capture the bright faces, hopeful even though their life so far had been so difficult. Maybe her drawings could help the kids, in some way. It was the least she could do. Get people to donate or something.
Donate...Jinx suddenly got the best and brightest idea she felt she could ever have. She stood suddenly and began to gather her things.
"Where are you going Miss Rose?"
"Wose?"
"When you come back can you bwing Wally?"
Jinx slung her portfolio over her arm and smiled at the small group of kids. "Of course I'll be back, later today alright? I just have to get something for you all. Be ready to be drawn when I come back, okay, Rachel?"
The little girl with the big blue eyes nodded, making her dark curls bounce.
Jinx waved at the receptionist, saying, "I'll be right back," and with that she impatiently pressed the elevator button down to the ground floor.
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Wally, in costume, patrolled the streets with much more impatience than normal. The shocking disappearance of Madame Rouge was disconcerting and annoying. To have a mystery solved but unresolved made Flash nervous and eager for its conclusion.
He had informed the Chief on the matter at hand, of the fact that the Jinx who had orchestrated the break-ins was actually Madame Rouge, who was so much higher on the wanted list than his girlfriend would ever be. But the way the police was interpreting this information was another reason to be nervous.
"Excellent work, Flash," Chief McMillan said. The superhero nodded, pleased at the compliment. He'd had so few in recent months, after all.
"So Madame Rouge survived that battle after all..." The policeman fell into thought, and Flash tapped his fingers against the desk, impatient.
"We should concentrate on finding her, sir," he offered after a minute of silence. "She's been the one robbing the banks, not--"
McMillan snapped his fingers. "Rouge and Jinx together!"
Flash did a lightspeed double take. "What?" Wrong, all wrong.
The Chief seemed pleased with his theory. "Together, both acting as Jinx, they could commit more robberies and still stay under the radar. Jinx was probably acting as a double agent during her brief stint with you Titans," he continued flippantly.
Flash gritted his teeth. The Chief didn't know the details of that. Right now, actually, Flash ventured to think that he didn't know anything.
"Hive was sprung from jail-- I'm willing to bet Jinx and Rouge are in cahoots and rebuilding the Brotherhood of Evil." The Chief was too wrapped up in his assessment to notice the tension in the room. "We need to get everyone on this now." He turned back to the hero and Flash composed his scowl into a fairly neutral look. "Good work, Flash. You get out there and look for Rouge, we'll try and pinpoint that Jinx from back here."
Wally was angry even now thinking of how he'd been silent back there, letting the officer form his own conclusions and then follow through with them. But what could he have said, anyways? Something like "I know Jinx isn't involved because I found her without telling you and now I'm dating her?" Definitely not.
The hero's frustration grew when he passed the university center and realized that he had patrolled the entire city at least four times. No villains in sight, not even the tail of that gray cat Rouge had been.
He needed to catch Rouge soon, today, now! Every second he spent searching for her and Hive Five was a second spent by the police poring over every clue they had to Jinx's whereabouts.
Wally stopped running, finding himself at Jump City Bay.
There was really only one solution that he knew would work. Honesty...totally and completely.
Flash buried his face in his hands, exhaling loudly. That was the last thing he-- she-- needed right now. But it was what needed to be done.
Decision made, Wally decided to return to JCU and await dinner with Jinx. That, and figure out the best way to ask her to explain her story to the Jump City Police Department.
This won't be pretty...
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"You want me to take out all of it?" The bank manager gave her the most ridiculous, suspicious look Jinx had ever been given (including in her crime days).
"Yes," she replied simply.
"For what reason?"
"Charity," Jinx answered. To answer in full would be to tell the story of her and Wally, and about the children who needed such a bright future, and how this way her stolen money could be used for so much more than clothes.
Thank goodness she'd had her accounts separate from the Hive boys. They more than likely tried to access her funds after she'd left. Jinx smirked at the thought of them even trying to crack her passwords and pin codes.
The man, whose name plate was etched with the name 'Tom Anderson', shook his head. "You know that no matter how much you give, only a certain part gets written off in your taxes-"
"I don't care about taxes, Tom," Jinx said coolly. I haven't paid them for years..."It's my money and it is a personal decision. Am I not allowed access to my own money?"
"But Miss Seymour"-- Jinx smiled at the old Hive alias-- "It is quite a bit of cash."
Jinx had been steadily adding the money from the black bag to her different accounts, and so she knew very well what a sum it was. "I understand, but it is my choice."
The bank manager there, as with the three other accounts where Jinx had stashed her money (under Hive aliases Billnum, Mammott, and Gizman) finally gave in, and so Jinx had in her pocket four generous checks and a skip in her step as she hurried back to the hospital.
The bank was a mere block away, and so thankfully the walk took no time at all. Jinx tapped her foot in the elevator, eager to return to the children and her artwork.
The receptionist wore the same surprised expression that Jinx had seen at her earlier departure, but that didn't keep the lady from smiling warmly. "Welcome back, Miss Thompson."
"It's Rose," Jinx said with a smile. She walked past and began work on her final drawing.
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Much later she emerged, cheeks glowing with accomplishment and laughter (the children's antics...oh she was such a softie now).
The lady gave her a kind look. "It's so nice of you to visit so frequently. The children have been happy these days."
Jinx shrugged off the complement and merely motioned to her portfolio. "It's partly for selfish reasons, I suppose," she replied with a small grin.
"Even so," the receptionist answered, "you have brightened their days so much. Please come back soon."
"Oh! Yes, here..." Jinx approached the counter, fingering the checks in her pocket. She peeked down the hallway, where the playroom was, and then turned back to the lady's curious eyes. "I, um, want to give them this. Anonymously. As a thank you, partly," Jinx explained hurriedly, "but also because they are kids that really deserve all the best and brightest that the world can offer." She gave the lady the four folded checks. "Just...here. And I don't need a thank you, honestly. Helping them is enough." (She never thought she'd see the day when Jinx of Hive Five showed such altruistic tendencies.)
Jinx wasn't used to giving gifts or anything like that, and so she lamely turned and headed to the elevator.
The receptionist, actions delayed by surprise, slowly opened the folded slips.
As the elevator door closed, Jinx heard an audible gasp, soon followed by a whispered word of gratitude.
The ex-villainess was unaccustomed to the way it made her feel, toes tingling with the knowledge that people were being helped. She blinked quickly and checked her watch.
She was very late for her date with Wally. But-- here Jinx could no longer hide a smile-- once he heard what she'd done, he'd understand. More than anyone else in the world.
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It was a crowded night-- Flash figured everyone was going to catch up on social time between now, exams, and the long Christmas break to come. With a quick wave to Delia (met by an unfriendly glare), the redhead chose a table near a corner of the restaurant.
It had been a difficult dilemma for him, considering the police and Jinx. But Flash wanted so badly for her to not live in fear of discovery, in hiding. She could be pardoned so easily if she just explained her story at the station. And so, no matter what reaction, he was going to ask her about it.
She breezed through the door, happier than he had ever seen her. Wally waved his girlfriend over and watched as she sat down gracefully, brushing dark hair behind her shoulder as she smiled at him.
"Hey there beautiful," Wally said, voice relaxed and playful despite his nervous thoughts, "why are you so happy?"
"I'm broke," Jinx replied cheerfully. "I need a job. How was your day?"
Wally was caught off guard by her interesting reply and he chuckled. "My day was alright I guess, but now I really want to hear about yours..." He left the table briefly and returned with their prushroom pizzas. "Now tell me," he said, and began to eat.
Jinx sat up a little straighter, eager to share. "It's a long story, kind of." she began. "I finished my art project for the scholarship!"
"That's great!" Wally frowned for a second. "Um...what did you draw again?"
Ordinarily a comment like this would have made her play angry at him. But instead she laughed, and Wally knew it was going to be horrible if his suggestion broke her mood.
"I drew some of those children, from JCU Medical Center," Jinx said. Wally's jaw dropped and she noted it with a smile. "I knew you'd like that," she added quietly. "And listen, then I...gave them a..."donation", I guess, as a thank you..." She looked at him sheepishly. "In short? Doing good is alright. So we need to go back and see them soon..."
Wally leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm obnoxiously happy you feel that way, dear," he said. But then the redhead leaned back with a sigh. "Um...so about doing good."
Jinx stopped talking, confused by his serious expression. "What's wrong, Wally?"
Flash looked around the restaurant to make sure no one was paying attention. He leaned in towards Jinx and lowered his voice.
"The Chief thinks...he thinks you and Rouge are together, like partners in crime."
Jinx balled a napkin in her fist angrily as Wally continued.
"He's out there looking for both of you now."
Her head snapped up. "Didn't you explain that it was only her? What about my pardon?"
Wally just sighed. "It's just the idea that the police have, I tried and they won't listen until they've disproved the theory. To them I'm just a cheap substitute for the Titans, and I need to show them they're wrong, by solving this case. And so I think--" Here came the difficult part. "I think you should turn yourself in."
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That information sank in slowly.
She needed to turn herself in? "Turn herself in"?!?
And then suddenly Jinx was furious. Because she came in here expecting smiles and typical Wally reassurance, and this was going to be the beginning of her new start, officially. She was furious because he asked her to do the one thing that, as he very well knew, she would be least comfortable doing. But above all she was furious that he would ever think to ask this of her, just so that he could prove himself right to the police.
Jinx turned her eyes on him with a glare. "Why? You know I'm innocent. Just tell them," she demanded. "I have no need to go there now."
"It's not that easy," Wally replied through gritted teeth. "I need to give them proof."
"So then is this why you're here? To catch me? To arrest me?" Her voice almost started to rise, but she kept control. " 'Turn yourself in?' " she spat.
He clutched his forehead. "That's not the way I meant to say that--"
"Did you even mean anything you said?" she hissed. That was it-- he had to have some ulterior motive. He probably wanted her behind bars from the start, and then he could go off and make a name for himself as a hero. She was such an idiot.
He shook his head so quickly. "I meant every word! Just hear me out, I have a plan--"
"You probably think I've done so many things wrong," Jinx continued, "I bet you just want me in jail. After all," she added bitterly, "I am just a villain. Bad luck, right?"
"Wait just a second, Rose!" Wally's eyes were large, worried. " Listen--"
Jinx took something from her bag angrily and threw it at his head. "Here," she snapped. "You know what? I was going to tell you how I spent all afternoon giving back, and explain how I was late because I was doing some good for once, but you don't seem to want to hear it right now!"
Wally looked down to see his favorite pen, the one he had misplaced that day in the library. His eyes jumped back to her, alarmed. "Please--"
Jinx glared at him. "I figured that taking that thing counted too, so I was going to give it back and tell you about how now I'm broke and happy and how I thought I might have reached my someday--" there were furious tears now as she hissed below the din of the restaurant, "-- but I guess saving your own damn reputation, the one that you haven't had to work to get, is a little more important even now!" She stood, disregarding her fallen chair. " So catch me if you can," she finished, with a cold whisper. And then she blew out the door and was gone, even before Wally had completely stood up.
The pen fell onto the floor from Wally's grasp. The redhead slowly sat back down and buried his head in his hands, posture slumped in defeat.
Jinx stalked away from the place in a fury that probably rivaled her villain days. There it was, she figured, further proof that things could change so drastically. Obviously you couldn't trust some people, no matter how much he droned on and on about his stupid "faith in the good of people".
Well, he had no faith in her, so that pretty much blew his whole damn "philosophy", dammit!
Jinx swiped at her eyes. I'm not sad. I expected this the whole time. Bad luck, right?
She looked at her watch. So what if the general store was closed now. She needed a new pen. And, for that matter, money. West was wrong. Honesty was not the best policy. Because the honest truth was she was alone in the world. 'Faith'? A joke. And he'd almost had her with that one, sure.
But there was no counting on anyone. That was the punch line.
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She waited for the call eagerly, and when her phone rang, she leapt from her position and flipped the cell open swiftly. "Yes?"
"It's time."
Orange eyes glinted in the dark.
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I know I know, long time for an update and also now you hate me...but stay tuned! UtR is about to reach an exciting conclusion.
-Silver Miracles