A/N: Third and last section! I know this story's pretty short (especially compared to "A Good Thief") and I posted it very quickly, but I've still got my crossover to post and work on. I'm about halfway through, so I've started posting it already. It's called "The Call", so be sure to check it out if you want more Tempestra goodness!

"No."

This was wrong. Red X didn't go after superheroes. He only stole for himself, and never even thought about partnering with another person – least of all someone as dimwitted as The Creator. The Red X she knew wasn't like that. Right?

Kid Flash swiftly kicked the thief in the torso, throwing him back momentarily, then began sprinting around him in circles, kicking up a wind tunnel. As Red X began to be lifted into the air, the thief shot a burst of red xenothium into the yellow and red blur that was the speedster.

Hit by the charge, Kid Flash stumbled backwards, traces of xenothium writhing over his body. Red X strode over to the momentarily stunned superhero, lifted him up by the front of his costume, then hurled him back into the water with a well-placed punch to the face. Everyone had forgotten The Creator, who sank underneath the surface of the water with a gurgle.

"Red X!"

Distracted by the sound of the voice, the thief turned-

-in time to be thrown backwards by a powerful upwards punch by Tempestra. Landing on the ground, Red X looked up, eyes widening.

"You."

Tempestra stood over the thief, clashing emotions crossing her face: anguish, confusion, and anger. As Red got to his feet slowly, the girl made no move to stop him, though her fists remained clenched by her sides.

"Tempestra! Shock him with lightning!"

That was Kid Flash, who was staggering to his knees. The superhero was panting from the excruciating pain of the xenothium, and was staring at the vigilante desperately. "Tempestra, get Red X now!" When the girl didn't move, the speedster bellowed, "What're you waiting for?"

Red X was staring at her, his face unreadable because of his mask. Uncertain, Tempestra's gaze on him wavered towards Kid Flash.

"I-"

With a low noise of frustration, the speedster darted forwards, hitting Red X in the back and heaving him forwards a few feet onto the ground. Before the thief could get up, the superhero dashed to him again and grabbed him by the cloak, flinging his opponent into a large tree trunk.

"No! Don't!"

Looking suddenly angry, Tempestra ran over to Red X. As Kid Flash – seeing his companion's actions – hesitated before making another sprint at the thief, the vigilante raised one hand to create a small dome of crackling electricity surrounding both Red X and herself. Kid Flash slammed headfirst into the side of the lightning barrier, then stumbled away, his body stinging from the shock. Looking furious, the speedster walked up to the dome and kicked it, receiving another shock for his efforts.

"Tempestra! What're you doing? Lemme in!"

To the boy's horror, he saw that inside the shield, Tempestra was helping Red X to his feet. The girl was speaking in whispers, trying to stop Kid Flash from overhearing her.

"What are you doing here?"

The thief glanced around at the electric dome, then looked back at the vigilante.

"On a job. I didn't know that you – they never mentioned you'd be with him."

Tempestra rubbed her temples wearily.

"You're on a job to attack Kid Flash?" When the youth nodded, she asked, "Who sent you?"

Red X hesitated, then said, "The Brotherhood of Evil."

The girl's eyebrows shot up.

"The Brotherhood of Evil?" Stunned, she turned away for a moment. Then, as an afterthought, she looked back at the thief. "How much did they pay you?"

The tall youth nodded, as if her question had been expected.

"50k."

Tempestra's eyebrows rose higher, if that were possible. Turning back to face the thief, she stepped closer to him.

"Fifty thousand dollars." She let out an impressed whistle. "God, no wonder you did it. You usually don't do those kind of missions. Right?" she added, as if worried that the teen was about to disagree. Red X, however, just nodded.

Relieved, the vigilante relaxed, then quickly took a step back to put some more space between them. She couldn't show that she knew Red X more than just a vigilante should. Kid Flash was probably already suspicious, seeing that she was having a secret conversation with the thief.

Remembering the superhero, Tempestra glanced to the side. The speedster was standing in front of the lightning shield, trying to listen in to what they were saying. When he saw that the girl had spotted him, the boy took a step back, his accusing eyes meeting hers.

Guiltily, Tempestra looked back at Red X, who was watching her.

"So you agreed to bring in a superhero?" she asked reproachfully.

"So you're becoming a superhero?" Red X retorted.

Looking away, the vigilante shook her head.

"No. I just-" she looked beseechingly at the thief. "-I just needed to travel. I didn't want to do it by myself, and I didn't know this area. Kid Flash was looking for his own city to protect, so we just thought it would be better if we traveled together." For a moment, the girl thought about telling him about her real reason – looking for leads on The Elite – but thought better of it. What if Kid Flash was listening? What if Red X stopped her because he thought it was too dangerous?

"You could always just come back to Jump City," Red X suggested quietly. At this, the girl looked away.

"I'd rather not." There was a moment of awkward silence after this adamant refusal. "So...what're you going to do now?" Tempestra glanced at Kid Flash again. "I really can't let you take Kid Flash in, and I don't want to fight you." She looked back at Red X. "But I don't want to rob you of your money."

The thief shrugged.

"It's fine. They gave me 10k first." Though his face was hidden behind the white skull-shaped mask, it sounded as though the youth was smirking. After a pause, the thief added, "I don't want to fight you, either."

Smiling, Tempestra breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, then I guess I should let you go. And – I should probably have some kind of explanation ready for Kid Flash. He must be incredibly suspicious by now. So..."

There was a slightly awkward moment as the two of them had no idea how to depart. After all, the last time they'd said their goodbyes, Red X had kissed Tempestra. Anything like that right now would most likely give Kid Flash a heart attack.

Finally, Red X settled with squeezing Tempestra's shoulder comfortingly. The girl smiled back reassuringly, returning the gesture. As she released the thief, the vigilante remarked, "If the Brotherhood goes after you for not finishing the job, give me a call."

"Will do," Red X replied. When Tempestra snapped her fingers, making the electric dome disappear, the thief raised one hand in farewell, then pressed the small x mark on his belt. By the time Kid Flash – realizing that the barrier was gone – sprinted forward to tackle the thief, Red X vanished into thin air.

Frustrated, Kid Flash turned on Tempestra.

"What the heck was that all about?" he demanded, stomping over to the girl, who was staring at the spot where Red X had disappeared. "You just shut me out, talk to a criminal who was trying to kill me, and let him go! What were you thinking?"

Tempestra met the superhero's eyes.

"He wasn't trying to kill you," she told him firmly. "Just trying to bring you in. The Brotherhood of Evil paid him to get you, but...I convinced him not to."

The speedster just goggled at her.

"You convinced him not to bring me into the Brotherhood of Evil?" he repeated, stunned. "Even though he was paid by them?" The girl just nodded. "Oh, jeez." Turning away, the boy ran a hand through his shock of red hair as Tempestra watched him calmly.

"Ok, answer this." Kid Flash turned back to the vigilante. "How do you know Red X? How are you so...friendly with him? He's a thief, and you're a-"

"Vigilante?" Tempestra finished. "It's, uh, a long story. One that I'm not about to tell." Looking uncomfortable, the girl created a wind platform and stepped onto it. To her surprise, Kid Flash followed her onto the platform.

"I'm not done with you yet," the speedster said in answer to the girl's startled look. As they rose into the air until they were above the treetops, the boy asked, "Does Robin know about this?" He and the Boy Wonder were close friends. If Robin knew about the 'long story', Kid Flash could surely ask him about it.

Tempestra had the wind platform hover in midair.

"Yes," she replied finally. "He knows." More than anyone else, in fact, but the girl didn't add that. "But don't bother asking him – he won't tell you anything about it."

Kid Flash frowned, falling uncharacteristically silent as his companion looked around, trying to remember which direction they'd come from. Finally, he spoke.

"Did you used to be a criminal?"

Despite her training, Tempestra looked surprised.

"What – what makes you say that?" she demanded, trying to get her emotions under control. The girl stared at her companion, too stunned to start the wind platform flying.

Kid Flash shrugged nonchalantly, though a small smirk, barely visible in the dark, tugged at the side of his mouth. He knew that he was correct.

"I heard some of your conversation," he replied casually, ruffling his hair with one hand. "Add that with some of my superior brain skills, and I got to the right conclusion."

"It's not-" Tempestra began to deny, then stopped. It was no use lying to Kid Flash. Taking a deep breath, the girl continued, "Fine. Yes, I used to be a thief. That's why I'm not exactly a superhero. But," her voice became firm, "don't you dare tell anyone else about this."

As Kid Flash opened his mouth to say something, he was abruptly interrupted by a loud jingle – the Teen Titans music tune. Taking out his small yellow communicator, the speedster flipped it open to see Robin's tense face on the screen. The Boy Wonder, looking even more serious than usual, spoke first.

"Kid Flash. There's an emergency. The Teen Titans are being attacked all over the world, and we need help." As Robin took in a breath to go on, Kid Flash interrupted him.

"Yeah, I know. I just had the Newfu guy and Red X on my tail. Don't worry," he added, as Robin's eyes widened, "We're good now." The speedster glanced at Tempestra, who was watching the screen warily.

Robin nodded, looking a tiny bit less stressful.

"Good," he said briskly. "Then I need you to go help the nearest Titan. Find Speedy first and help him. Then go help Bumblebee, Mas Y Menos, and possibly Aqualad. And..." The Boy Wonder hesitated, as if thinking something over, then looked at Tempestra. "Tempestra, we need your help. I know you're not exactly a Titan, but we need all the allies we can get. Anybody."

Looking slightly pleased, the vigilante nodded.

"All right. I'll help."

The Boy Wonder smiled grimly.

"Good. Robin out."

When the screen went black, Kid Flash pushed a few buttons, then brought up a dark green screen. His location, a green dot, and Speedy's location, a red dot, were displayed on the screen. Without a word, Tempestra turned her wind platform around and began flying towards the new direction.

There was silence as the two teens went into their own thoughts. Tempestra was marveling over the fact that Robin had actually requested her aid. The situation really must have been so dire that, despite their rocky past, the Boy Wonder was willing to ask her, not even a true superhero, for help.

Then again, if all the Teen Titans – which were many of the generation's superheroes – were being attacked, the situation really was ominous. If Kid Flash's attack was like the others, it meant one thing: the Brotherhood of Evil was hiring people, criminals and villains, to take the Teen Titans down and bring them in. And that was calamitous for the teen superheroes, all of which were spread far and wide over the world. If none were left...

Kid Flash, meanwhile, looked thoughtful. He was the first to break the silence.

"When we're done helping Speedy and the others," he commented, "I've got an idea on who to ask for help." At Tempestra's inquiring look, the speedster added, "Someone you wouldn't expect, but I know we can rely on."

With a sigh, Tempestra nodded.

"All right. But only once we're done helping the others." They continued flying on in a comfortable silence, before the vigilante remarked, "And your brain skills aren't superior."

This brought out a laugh from Kid Flash, who was abruptly interrupted as the communicator he held in his hand suddenly emitted a sizzle and broke into pieces in his hand, a thin electrical bolt crackling over the remains. Startled, the teen looked at Tempestra, who held her hands up, commenting, "It wasn't me. I swear."

With a groan of frustration, Kid Flash ran a hand through his hair.

"Great. Just great. So now we can't help any of the Titans because the stupid communicator malfunctioned or something. We're doomed."

Tempestra rolled her eyes at the speedster's melodramatics, and changed the direction of the wind platform again.

"No, we're not. We're going to go straight to the Brotherhood of Evil's headquarters. If they're behind all of this, that's probably where they're taking the other Titans."

Kid Flash stared at her, surprised.

"And you know where it is?"

The vigilante snorted.

"Of course I do. I was a thief, once, remember?" Comprehension dawned on the superhero's face as the girl continued, "And it's not that hard to find, on account of the fact that it's not hidden very well. It's underground in Paris, near the Eiffel Tower. Probably one of the most cliché spots in the world."

A grin began to spread over Kid Flash's face.

"Sweet." Then he remembered something. "Wait. I need to get that help, remember?"

Tempestra frowned, but made the wind platform begin to descend towards the ground, where the same forest sprawled over the area for miles.

"We might not have time for that," she pointed out. "We have to fly to Paris on a plane, since we wouldn't survive on just the wind platform over the Atlantic."

"Maybe you have to," Kid Flash replied smugly. "I can just run. Look. Just let me down. You go on to Paris without me. I'll get the help, then run to the headquarters. It'll be a lot faster this way," the speedster added, at the vigilante's doubtful look. "All right?"

After a moment's hesitation, Tempestra nodded. Steering the wind platform towards a small clearing, she lowered it so that it hovered a foot over the ground. The twisting air caused the grass to sway in place as Kid Flash, squinting in the dark, stepped onto firm ground once more. Before the vigilante could fly away, the speedster called her name.

"Tempestra."

The Asian girl turned the wind platform around. She couldn't see Kid Flash's expression perfectly, but she could at least see that he looked apprehensive.

"Yeah?"

"I'll keep the thief thing to myself," the boy promised. In response, Tempestra nodded to show that she knew he'd keep his promise. It was one of the few things she could count on him to do.

"Thanks."

The speedster flashed his signature grin.

"Don't worry about me coming to the headquarters in time," he assured the vigilante. "I'll be running faster than the wind." When the girl genuinely smiled, the superhero saluted mockingly. "Later."

Then he was gone, the trampled grass and whoosh of air the only signs that he'd been there a second ago. And Tempestra, with a smile still lingering on her face, rose into the air and headed the opposite way. The two teens had parted ways, but were sure that they'd see each other again. At that moment, they never thought that it could turn out any other way.

A/N: I'm not making any plans to write what happens during the "Titans Together" episode (if I did, it would probably involve Tempestra fighting alongside the Titans, most likely getting to fight Cheshire at one point or another), but if enough people ask for it, I might consider writing it.