Again, apologies for the delay but I have so much work to do now, between LSATs and writing original articles (YAY) and a Master's program that sleep becomes very desirable. Yes, I am overworking myself! But don't worry, this year, this story will be finished and I might just be planning a prequel. But for now, let's solve the mystery of where Jinx was and why she ran away?

As always, special thanks to Glyth who is the ice cream beta and rocks my socks!

Did I disappoint you or let you down?
Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?
'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,
Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won.
So I took what's mine by eternal right.
Took your soul out into the night.
It may be over but it won't stop there,
I am here for you if you'd only care.
You touched my heart you touched my soul.
You changed my life and all my goals.
And love is blind and that I knew when,
My heart was blinded by you.
I've kissed your lips and held your hand.
Shared your dreams and shared your bed.
I know you well, I know your smell.
I've been addicted to you

-James Blunt

The Same Mistake

Jinx had always prided herself on her intelligence. She had graduated top of her class at the Hive academy and the Harvard College degree had come easily to her. She was trained to observant, resourceful and decisive. So when she noticed the look of terror on Wally's face and the fact that Wally hadn't instantly tried to run, had already deduced that it was his mentor, the Flash. Anyone else and Wally would have made a break for it. A good time for Jinx to disappear, she had no wish to get Wally into further trouble by being around.

As she faded into the crowd, she felt a twinge of pity. No wonder Wally was so nervous around this guy. The Flash was really tall, poor Wally looked like a doll compared to that very well built frame. She definitely wouldn't want someone like that towering over her like that.

Of course…Wally did have someone who cared about him. A mentor, an aunt and an uncle who all cared if he lived and died, who loved him, who actually thought he was special and mattered. She could tell that the Flash wouldn't ever allow anything to happen to his precious apprentice, the love in his voice that night on the phone told her he'd throw himself into the sun for Wally. He was a lucky little bastard, wasn't he?

As if a movie was playing in her head, she could see the wonderful family dinners that Wally enjoyed, the holidays with friends and presents and people telling you how much they missed you. He seemed to have plenty of money and he never seemed to be worried. So his parents were dead? The world had stepped in and treated Wally like a little prince. He had super-powered freaks constantly looking after him.

She was disappointing. Her own family had told her that. They didn't want her; they never wanted a freak with superhuman powers. They had blamed her for everything and they had only given her one legacy. No one would ever care about her and even when they did, they wouldn't once she hurt them. Bad luck was never welcome anywhere.

Well, she didn't need family. Family just meant stupid rules and being punished and being rejected when you finally let your guard down. She didn't need anyone in the world, she was on her own and that was the way she liked it.

She walked away, wondering why her eyes were itching her. Well, it was nothing some ice cream couldn't cure. She had Wally's credit card after all and right now, she was due for a good spend. Stealing was better for depression, but with the Flash and Kid Flash on premises, she felt it was wise to keep it safe.

Happily, Neiman Marcus was having a big sale and Jinx amused herself in the Junior Miss section and after paying went to the food court. She had been enjoying a delicious ice cream, when she saw a familiar red haired secret identity walk towards her. He had returned to his usual glasses, and nerd clothing and all her hard work had gone to bits. Well, she supposed that was the price of his safety. She wondered if Wally had been grounded and how he had managed to escape.

"I'm back, missed me?" her date asked, trying to appear cocky, but there was something deflated about him. She actually was impressed; surviving a Flash interrogation must have taken some serious brain power.

"So, that's who your mentor is?" Jinx asked, not answering his question. She wasn't actually sure; she both missed him and wanted to bash him over the head with something heavy. "You two don't look anything alike. And I suppose the other woman is Wonder Woman?"

Wally giggled and shook his head, before adjusting his glasses. "Actually, that was Martian Manhunter and his lab assistant. You know, the shape shifter with a thousand faces? They had been sent down from the Watchtower for some research and I had the bad luck to run into them. That's why you must have high-tailed it. Smart, you being around would not have helped the situation," he said smoothly. A little too smoothly, he must have been terrified and just trying not to show it.

Jinx breathed a slight sigh of relief that she had gotten out of that situation before her mind had been read. There were a lot of things she wanted to keep secret from Wally and she had a feeling that the Martian would have felt her guilt a hundred yards away. "So you didn't get dragged back by the ear and put in the corner?" she asked sarcastically, as they walked outside together. She was keeping her eyes peeled for the alien guy just in case and felt moving to a new location would be best under the circumstances.

"Nope. I'm fully trusted by my mentors and I proved to them I was being a model student," Wally said, giving her his best Boy Scout grin. It would have worked, if she hadn't known he was dating a known criminal and had been smoking marijuana and that he was lying to everyone.

Jinx was impressed at how far he was veering into the dark side. For a guy personally trained by Superman, Batman and the Flash, the best friend of Robin, he sure had a streak of mischief. "You're getting good at fooling people. You'd have done well at the Hive."

Wally's blue eyes narrowed. "Don't even joke about that. I'm a hero and I…don't fool people maliciously," he said, his voice practically smothered in guilt. She was seeing a treasure trove of weakness.

She decided to act on it, to pluck at his nerves. "Yeah…but you are starting to tell half truths. Little white lies, little twists of deceit, every little bit getting closer to you finally fooling people because it's for the greater good and then lies for your good. It's a slippery slope and you've taken the first steps," Jinx said with a grin. "Soon, we'll have to be finding a new villain's name for you. Maybe Quicksilver or something?"

A lot of people would have lost their temper. Jinx had expected Wally to speed away back to his precious Martian. But instead, he just looked like a kicked puppy and nodded. "You're right. It's something I'm definitely worried about. You may be beautiful but you are definitely a bad influence on me," he said in a low tone, trying to crack a joke.

"You know, you aren't playing the game right. Did you forget the rules? I mock you, you return my comments wittily, and we banter back and forth with lots of tension. If you go all guilty on me, it's hard to play," Jinx said, not enjoying actually breaking Wally as much as she thought she would. It wasn't as much fun when he didn't fight back.

"I'm sorry my personal problems get in the way of your pleasure. Next time a superhero with the capability to knock me into the stratosphere asks me what I'm doing, I'll be sure not to worry about the consequences to both of us," Wally fired back. Ah, there was that fire and spirit she liked. It was something she only liked to see crushed by herself, not primary colored fascists. It was terrifying to realize how much she was beginning to love him.

"You know, you don't have to take their rules," she said, twining her hands into Wally's curly mop of hair. He was so going to need a cooler shade of hair than tomato red. How did he expect to put fear into the hearts of anyone when he looked like an Irish choir boy?

"Oh, what do you suggest I do? Tell the Justice League to buzz off?" Wally asked, looking skeptical. "I'm afraid I'm given them a lifetime commitment and these aren't exactly people who give up easily. I have a feeling they can be pretty persuasive when a number of them bench-press tons of concrete. Besides, what would I do once I got free of my mentors? Sit and knit afghans with my aunt?" He could be so sarcastic when he wanted to be.

Jinx rolled her eyes. "Come on, would it be so bad to rule the world with me?" she asked, finally being serious with him. "Evil has an excellent pension plan. Why do you have to keep listening to those stuffed shirts anyway? You and me, we don't need your mentors. We can make it on our own. No one will ever be able to stand in our way. We could even get See-More out of prison to be our minion."

"You do realize the Justice League might object? They have this thing against apprentices going to the dark side and I have this aversion to being grounded or being held in the Justice League prison," Wally said, leaning close to her. He was smiling; he didn't get it at all.

"You live in a prison. You just don't see it. But you don't have freedom to do what you want. You almost wet yourself when you wanted to take a joint. You live in fear of their disappointment. Don't you get it? They are holding you back," Jinx pressed him, taking his hand.

"They love me," Wally said, giving him a very uncharacteristic angry glare. Jinx knew she was pushing him too hard on this subject, but it was something he needed to hear. This was the only way they could have a normal relationship. "And before betraying them, I'd rather rot in hell."

"They'll betray you. Nearly everyone does," Jinx said, giving him a pitying look as they entered a secluded park. He was so innocent and naïve, life hadn't hurt him yet. "No matter what anyone tells you, people will always hurt you. And when they do, you'll be alone."

"Like you were? I know you had to end up on the streets because of family problems and I had a feeling it was because of your powers," Wally said furiously, turning the tables back on her in a move of mental agility that infuriated her.

"You're right, it was. They couldn't stand having an abnormal for a child and they got rid of me," Jinx admitted through gritted teeth. She would not allow him to gain the upper hand here.

"But my uncle isn't your family," Wally pointed out rebelliously, holding his head high. "He is good and loyal and would stand by me, even if my powers went haywire on me."

"That's what all the kids at the Hive Academy thought. That their parents loved them and that one day, they would feel bad about throwing them out. They learned that no one wanted them," Jinx said, wondering why it was so hard for Wally to grasp this fact. He was better off trusting her than those people!

Wally pressed his glasses to his nose, in a strange gesture. "My uncle would die for me. I have no confidence that even though I don't always deserve it, he has never given up on me. I was a brat and he never made me feel unwanted. I did everything a kid could do to get himself thrown out of the home. I broke windows, I stole a car, I mouthed off, I lied, I manipulated and I disobeyed. Any guy saddled with his girlfriend's nephew like that would have left. He didn't. My uncle may have worked me hard and he expects a lot, but he and my aunt would never abandon me," he said defiantly.

"Methinks the gentleman protest too much!" Jinx fired back triumphantly. Shakespeare could be useful, Wally had been right about that. "Even if they knew what you were up to? You're treading a line that you can't keep walking forever. They are going to find out about all you did and then they'll reject you. I won't. Just step off it and follow me," she coaxed, feeling the cracks in his confident façade.

Wally flinched at the mention of the Justice League and his precious guardians finding out about his escapades. "If I stepped off that line, I wouldn't be rejected by them. I know that they would still love me," he said defiantly, as if he was trying to convince himself as much as her.

Jinx knew that feeling of being afraid to be abandoned. He knew how much he was pushing the limits of calling himself a hero. He was protecting her, hiding her and lying to everyone. He knew that he couldn't play this game forever. Now she had this opportunity to have Wally all to herself. "If you say so," she said softly.

"You don't know anything about them. They're the best people, they love me. I know they'll be angry if they knew the truth, but they would forgive me," Wally hissed, sounding truly furious.

"Let's hope so. It would be terrible if they didn't," Jinx said in a mockingly soothing tone.

"Of course it would be," Wally snapped, clenching his fists. She was in control now, she had pulled the right string and now he was afraid and confused. Perfect for manipulation.

Jinx took his hand and squeezed it. "You'd have cut me off and you'd be cut off from them. And you know they will find out eventually. Imagine how upset they are going to be. Their precious Wally, the child they took in, consorting with criminals. You may be able to regain their forgiveness, but will you ever have their trust again?" she whispered, plucking at his nerves.

Wally's lips were pressed together that they appeared bloodless. "Yes," he said quietly, but there was sweat beading on his forehead. "They know I'm no traitor." The panic in his big blue eyes was almost painful. She had tortured him once before, the second time they had met and spoken and she remembered feeling empowered by watching him writhe at her mercy. Now, it was just a cool satisfaction of knowing it was for his own good.

"Are you sure? Because if you're wrong, you'll end up in chains," Jinx said, planting the knife straight into his heart. She could see the look of pain in his face as she finished twisting. "So you need to get away. Let me worry about them. Trust me," she said, recalling some very familiar words.

She realized two seconds too late that she had pressed the knife too hard. The look of pain on Wally's face was a stark reminder that despite her grasp of reality, breaking through Wally's naivety was painful for him. "I don't know if I can even trust myself," he said softly. "I need to go."

"No…wait," Jinx said, finally getting what she had put him through. Her interrogation technique had been all wrong; she had not used proper amounts of pressure in a varying way in order to break his mind. She had been too forceful and now she had him on the complete defensive, without having him feel the need for comfort from her. "I'm sorry."

"No, you aren't. So why are you lying to me?" Wally asked, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "This is some big game to you. You enjoy watching me squirm and I keep thinking, if I prove myself to you, you'll finally stop seeing me as some toy and see me as someone who cares about you. You're costing me everything, and that's not enough. Your ultimatum is that I renounce everything that's significant and subordinate myself entirely to your bidding." His cool laid-back vocabulary had gone completely geek. This was a sign of meltdown.

"I'm just trying to look after your best interest," Jinx said, rolling her eyes. "Stop being so melodramatic. It's not like I've launched my real evil plans now." She had been trying to lighten the mood but she had definitely done quite the opposite.

"You had better start looking after your own interests," Wally hissed and for a moment, Jinx was actually feeling nervous. "I was trained by the best. I am faster and stronger than you can even imagine and I can take you down if you go too far. Do not push me!" he snapped, clenching his fists.

"Calm down," Jinx said, trying not to sweat. It was just Wally, the boy doofus who made stupid puns. He wouldn't actually hurt her. Heroes had rules against that and Wally was too weak to break them.

"I will not calm down, Master. I will not be your obedient little puppy and do tricks. In one minute, the Titans can be here to take you to prison and I can end this whole problem. I keep holding out hope for you because I know you can do better. But you keep pushing me! Don't you get how much I'm holding back?" Wally shouted, slamming his hand down on the concrete and shattering it. Jinx openly winced, realizing how strong he actually was. He could break her into a million pieces if he wanted to. "What more do you want from me?" he snapped, shaking with rage. "Do I need to ruin my life for you?"

She couldn't answer that question, but she could do her best to try and soothe him so he didn't completely blow up on her. Although it was against all of her beliefs, she knew deep down he wouldn't hurt her. "I hurt you. I'm sorry," Jinx said softly, pulling him closer to her. "I am worried about your skinny butt, you know. You mean a lot to me and I want to help you," she soothed.

"Please…just leave me alone. I just…can't deal with this right now," Wally snapped, clutching his arm instinctively that made Jinx wonder. "Your help is only making it worse. I need to just…"

Jinx blinked and he was gone. She blinked again, to try and hold back tears. She had never been so confused. She had won; she had tormented him within an inch of his life. So why did she feel like such a loser?


AN-I really had to ratchet up Jinx's evil, and really put some conflict in the relationship. I felt terrible as I wrote this because I could physically feel Wally's heart breaking, but I realized that it had to be said. I realized that Wally couldn't keep chasing Jinx forever. Sometimes, you have to stand up for what you love. I love this song for this couple because it works so well, they are both broken people. So I included some more of the lyrics.

I am a dreamer and when I wake,
You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take.
And as you move on, remember me,
Remember us and all we used to be
I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile.
I've watched you sleeping for a while.
I'd be the father of your child.
I'd spend a lifetime with you.
I know your fears and you know mine.
We've had our doubts but now we're fine,
And I love you, I swear that's true.
I cannot live without you.

And I still hold your hand in mine.
In mine when I'm asleep.
And I will bare my soul in time,
When I'm kneeling at your feet.

Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.