A/N: I know I have other things that I should be doing. Studying for my test on Wednesday...writing that essay for Human Development II...finishing my project on death rituals in Israel for Psychology of Death and Dying... Yeah, there's a lot of other things I should be doing... Yet, I just can't resist posting another chapter. Who's ready for more "Firelight"? I know I am! Let's see what's in store for Damiana today! Her life is definitely about to get more complicated than singing at a cafe and paying rent for her motel room, and it's mostly because of Speedy. Poor Damiana, or is she secretly lucky? Let's find out! :)

P.S. Thanks to everyone who has commented and followed. I'm really glad that you're enjoying the story! I've been putting a lot of work into "Firelight", so it makes me happy to see that people are enjoying it! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. I only own the Dabnodians and my other OCs.

Part I: Inception: Chapter Four

The Next Day

The sky has been gray all day. From her job walking an elderly lady's dogs at seven-thirty in the morning to her babysitting job from six pm to eleven pm, the sky has been filled with ominous clouds. Even now as Damiana takes a shortcut through a dark alleyway at fifteen minutes to midnight, the weather is as cold and gusty as ever. Of course, the chilly midnight breeze and the clouds that block out the moon don't bother Damiana too much. Shivering slightly against the cool air, the girl pulls the drawstrings of her hood tighter and tucks her bony hands inside of her jeans pockets.

"Why is it so cold?" She complains under her breath. "It's late March. It should be getting warmer by now."

Knowing that her question really doesn't have an answer and not truly caring either way, the sixteen-year-old pushes onward. Her motel room is only twenty minutes away. With this shortcut she should be sleeping soundly in her room with the door bolted shut in no time. Getting closer to the end of the alleyway with each step, the girl gives a smile of relief. A good night's rest is exactly what she needs; especially after what happened at the café last night. If the previous night's insomnia didn't help her forget, then maybe being dead to the world for eight straight hours will do the trick. The thought of Titan Speedy entering her mind once more, Damiana's smile shifts to a frown. When her fingers brush against the slip of paper that hasn't left her pocket the frown deepens.

To be honest, Damiana wishes that her job at "Lola's Café" never would have happened. If she hadn't started singing at the café in the first place then she wouldn't have been there when Speedy stumbled in last night. Had she not been there, then he never would have asked for her help. If he hadn't asked her for help, or if they'd never met at all, Damiana is certain that she would be feeling much more confident about life right now. She knew from the start that living in the same city as the Titans East was a bad idea. If only curiosity hadn't gotten the best of her, and if only she'd listed to her brain rather than her instincts.

"Don't worry, Damiana. Steel City is huge," she'd told herself nine months ago on the bus to the city. "Even if you do live there, what will be the odds of you personally meeting one of the Titans?"

This argument, which seemed so reasonable at the time, has now come back to haunt Damiana. She had a gut feeling that she'd come into contact with the Titans at some point if she were to settle in one of their cities. She has no idea how she knew this would happen neither can she give a logical reason as to why she came to Steel City. All she knows is that she felt Steel City calling to her, she obeyed the call, and somehow she ended up running into one of the Titans. It's exactly what she thought might happen, but tried so hard to deny.

Sighing, Damiana exits the alleyway and begins walking down a deserted road scattered with abandon buildings. If she could she would pack her bags, leave Steel City behind, and forget that it even exists. With the Titans East occupying the area and with her "special" background, she never should have come here. Damiana is not of this Earth. She is an alien with fire powers from the planet Dabnod. And even though this is the Titans East and not the Titans West, they're in league with Princess Starfire of Tamaran. It's hard enough hiding herself while keeping everyone on this planet at a distance. How much harder will it be if she gets close to the Titans?

It's bluntly obvious that each and every one of them is sharp. Even if they weren't, her hair dye is going to wear off at some point and her brightly-colored tresses are going to start peeking through the brown. There's also the fact that one of them could spot her without her contact lenses. Honestly, having them find out that she even wears colored contacts could be dangerous! If they find out about these things and if they put their heads together, they could easily figure out that she's a survivor from Dabnod. As soon as they'd figure that out they'd learn about the war with Tamaran too, and the news might get back to Starfire. If the Tamaraneans found out that there are Dabnodian survivors spread out all over the galaxy what might they do? Or, worse yet, what might she do to Starfire if they met? Would the temptation to try killing her be too great?

Hugging herself tightly, Damiana releases a shudder. For the first time since stepping outside her shivers don't come from the cold. A flurry of confused and frightened emotions flowing through her veins, the girl whispers aloud in Dabnodian.

"Well, Damiana, you have to live with your stupidity now. You came to this city knowing something like this might happen, it did happen, and now you're going to have to follow through on your agreement with Speedy."

With that being said the girl continues walking, eager to get back to her motel room and drown her concerns in marvelous slumber. Before she can, however, a large raindrop lands directly on the tip of her nose. First it's one, then it's ten, and after that it's fifty. Knowing that it's about to downpour, Damiana sprints down the street in attempt to escape the coming storm. Of course, it isn't any use. Less than a minute later the rain is falling so heavily that she can barely see three feet in front of her. Damiana pushes her way through the precipitation for several minutes, but eventually she gives up. Feeling soaked to the bone, tired, and half frozen, the girl finally settles on taking shelter in one of this street's abandoned buildings. It may not be her motel room, but it's dark, musty, and she's all by herself. So in a way the old building and her motel room aren't too different.

The building she's in isn't large, but it isn't small either. Damiana's best guess is that this dark, dusty, structure used to be an office complex of some sort. Of course, based on the broken windows that are covered in grime, the cob webs hanging from the ceilings, and the dust that coats the few pieces of remaining furniture, the once attractive building is nothing of the sort anymore. Then again, it doesn't truly matter whether this place is nice or not. There's a roof, the roof doesn't have any holes, and it's keeping Damiana dry. After spending twenty minutes drying off by breathing fire over her soaking wet body, the last thing she wants is to get wet again.

Happy that she is dry and no longer freezing to death, Damiana snuggles more deeply into her over-sized black sweatshirt. More than anything she wants to get back to her motel room where her bed is at. Not necessarily because she's tired, but because under the covers is a place where the lightning and thunder doesn't seem so frightening. Not only that, but the shadows in her motel room aren't nearly as creepy. Sure there could be rats or roaches in those shadows, but the shadows here could contain people. They could contain murders, gangsters, or rapists. A moment later, however, Damiana chuckles at the thought. Why she's so afraid she has no idea. The more she thinks about it, the more she realizes that these are exactly the kind of people that rent out the motel rooms around her.

"Geesh, Damiana, don't get so freaked out," says the girl internally. "The only things in here are spiders, and if there really is something dangerous you have your fire. You're not a helpless little girl."

Damiana gives another chuckle, remembering how she wasn't helpless even when she was a little girl. How old was she when her father and Aunt Faela taught her to use her fire, four or five? By reading books and getting advice from some of Saeran's squire friends, Damiana's certain that she was at Master's level by the age of ten. In all her life, the word "helpless" has never described her.

Scoffing at herself, the girl speaks aloud. "Look at me, cowering in fear over shadows and lightning. How pathetic. Mama and Saeran would be embarrassed to know me."

Straightening her posture, Damiana turns away from the cracked window she's facing. The room behind her is pitch black, the enclosure's single desk is tipped oddly on its side, and the door against the back wall is coming off of its hinges. Yet, it doesn't seem nearly as frightening as before. Knowing that the rain most likely won't let up for a while and not wanting to stare outside in boredom the whole time, Damiana walks deeper into the room. She highly doubts that there's anything interesting in here, but she's decided to look around anyway. Even if she finds nothing, it has to be better than staring out the broken windows at the downpour.

Hood up and arms folded over her chest, the girl crosses the floor silently. She doesn't even bother taking in the area around her. With only cobwebs and the single desk to look at, there's no reason for her to stay here. It is because of this that she goes through the broken door at the back of the room without a second thought. For a moment Damiana wonders if it could be a supply closet or a back room that she's entering. After igniting a small flame in the palm of her hand and looking around, however, she realizes that the assumption was false. The door is actually an exit that leads to a long narrow hallway. Looking to her left, Damiana instantly notices that in that direction is a dead end. Therefore, she turns to the right and begins journeying that way.

As she goes down the hallway Damiana comes across several more doors. Much to her disappointment, they lead to nothing more than supply closets, bathrooms, and dusty rooms containing dismantled desks and broken chairs. Every few minutes the girl finds a window and peeks outside to see if the rain is letting up, but much like with the rooms she's entered, she's disappointed every time. Whenever she looks outdoors it's raining just as hard as it was earlier. It's almost as if the clouds are conspiring with each other to flood Steel City. This is where she stands now is in front of another window, feeling entirely dismayed.

"Well, this really stinks," whispers Damiana as she watches rain streak down the glass in a puddle of firelight. "At this rate, I'm going to be stuck here all night."

Sighing sadly, the girl turns away from the window and exits this room like all the others. Once in the hallway Damiana extinguishes the dancing flames in her palm. After walking down so many hallways for such a lengthy amount of time her eyes must have adjusted to the darkness at some point. Her vision isn't nearly as sharp in the darkness as it is in the daylight, but she can still make out shapes and objects nonetheless. Twirling a dyed brown strand around an index finger, an unbreakable habit of boredom, the girl comes to the end of the hallway and makes a random turn.

By now she isn't paying any attention to where she's going neither is she walking inside any more doors. The only thing she does is purposelessly wander the deserted hallways. Damiana would have looked for a window in order to peek outside again, but it isn't any use. Apparently it has started pouring double-time, because the sound of rain echoing against the roof can be heard loud and clear. In fact, this is part of the reason she doesn't go inside any more rooms or look for any more windows. Damiana has a feeling that if she looks at it outside right now it will only make her depressed. Having no idea what to do for the moment, the girl releases an aggravated sigh.

"It's a good thing that my jobs start at ten tomorrow instead of at seven. With as late as I'm going to be getting back, there's no way I'd be able to wake up that early."

Several more minutes pass and Damiana makes numerous turns, the whole time wondering how much longer she's going to be stuck here. However, it's only as she makes one final turn that the alien spots something incredibly surprising. Upon exiting this hallway she doesn't enter into another corridor, but instead stumbles across a large main room. Like every other room in this place, there isn't much of anything in the way of furniture. There are only a few scant chairs shoved haphazardly against the walls, a table containing some torn magazines, and a receptionist desk placed at the room's center. Of course, it isn't the area's decor that surprises Damiana. What truly catches her off guard is the duo of men that stand congregated near the receptionist desk.

From what Damiana can see, the two vary greatly in build. One is tall and scrawny while the other is short with an incredibly muscular build. Their costumes, however, don't differ in the slightest. Each man wears a solid black unitard with a dark blue stripe running down the middle. If the suits didn't seem familiar enough on their own, then the black and blue masks they wear make them even more recognizable. Damiana may have never seen them in person, but as an avid viewer of the evening news she is completely able to guess who it is they work with. The only thing she can't believe is that she'd run into them here of all places; and at one o'clock in the morning during a storm no less.

Then again, this shouldn't surprise her too much. The only home she's ever known exploded into tiny pieces of intergalactic dust. She had to wander around homeless for years on an alien planet. She met one of the Titans like she'd partially expected, but got stuck with the arrogant playboy archer instead of Aqualad or Bumblebee. Really, Damiana is starting to believe that rotten luck is a part of her unchangeable fate. The fact that she managed to pick the abandon building with the criminals out of all the other abandon buildings on the block only helps reinforce this.

Not wanting to go further into the room for fear of being seen, but also not wanting to go back down the hallway for fear of making noise, the alien decides to stay where she's at. Making sure her face is concealed by the thick black hood, Damiana crouches down so that she's out of sight. Though she can't make them out too clearly from her current position behind the hall's corner, she is able to see their outlines just enough to tell where they're at. As strange as it is, Damiana isn't thinking about getting out of here alive as much as reporting this to Speedy and the Titans East. Really, she has no idea why her brain is working like this. She knows she should stay away from the Titans. She knows that she can hardly stand the sight of Speedy. Yet, there's this itching need to get whatever valuable information she's about to learn to the Titans East all the same.

Their voices echo clearly through the nearly empty room. Damiana listens carefully without making a sound the entire time. Although, she's certain that both of her hearts can be heard rapidly beating in sync as she tries to quench her apprehension.

"What do you mean there still isn't enough money?! You've robbed half the banks and jewelry stores in Steel City!" exclaims the short one.

The tall one crosses his arms, clearly irritated with his companion. "Don't be such a nag. I'm doing the best I can. The parts to the boss' new invention aren't cheap, you know. Heck, I could rob the National Treasury and still be a few bucks short with how expensive this thing is going to be!"

Sighing, the short man points an accusatory finger in his direction. "Stop making excuses! You know the boss needs the proper resources to start working on his machine this month! At the rate you're going, he's going to be approximately five months behind schedule!"

Though he still appears annoyed, the tall man gives a nonchalant shrug. "So what if we get behind schedule? Big deal. It's not like the Titans are going anywhere anytime soon. It could take us the next three years to make this machine and they'll probably still be right where they are. We have plenty of time to destroy them."

His little companion gives a sarcastic laugh. "Try telling the boss that. I'm sure he'll use some of the money you stole to pay for a nice tropical vacation somewhere. He might even put off his plans for the next six months. Who knows? He might take us with him."

The tall one doesn't remove his mask, but Damiana is certain by the tone of his voice that he's rolling his eyes. "Don't get like this. You know I'm working hard to get the money he needs. It's just, with the Titans East and Steel City's police force, I have to use some caution. Any day now I'm afraid that the Titans East are going to find a way to capture me. They're smarter than people give them credit for."

Damiana can't help but feel shocked at the criminal's words. "The evil robber has more faith in the Titans East than Steel City's beloved citizens. Unbelievable."

Meanwhile, the other man replies almost mockingly. "Oh, so is that why you decided not to make another robbery today? You're scared of pigtail girl, fish boy, the tiny twins, and the powerless brat with the arrows?"

"Yes, and I have plenty of reason to be," the taller of the two replies bluntly. "They're very capable superheroes. Whether they call on the Titans West or not, I believe that they could easily stop the boss' plan if they make the right moves."

The short man gives another laugh. "You honestly think that they could defeat us with the technology in these masks? No offense, but you're overestimating them. Where Slade and The Brotherhood of Evil failed, we will succeed. Not only that, but if we play our cards right we can do it much more secretively and with less force."

The tall man gives a sigh of defeat. "Fine. You win. Believe whatever you want." After a moment of hesitation he adds, "Well, we should get moving. We need to find that secret underground room in the west corridor and make sure everything is still there. With the amount of thugs in this city, I wouldn't be surprised if someone stumbled across it and stole half of our loot by now."

His companion gives a nod of agreement. "You're right. We need to get this done with. I almost forgot that I have work in the morning."

With that being said, the duo turns away from the receptionist desk and saunters in the direction of the back hallway. Or more specifically, they go toward Damiana's hallway. If her hearts weren't beating fast before, then they certainly are now. Damiana doesn't even hear what they're saying anymore. All her hearing picks up is the pounding of rain on the roof, the rapid thudding of her hearts beating in sync, and the sound of loud male footsteps. Praying to any random deity that might be listening, the girl rapidly searches her brain for a way to get out of this unscathed.

Should she leap to her feet and run past them out the front doors? Should she run back into the labyrinth of hallways and hide in one of the rooms? Or maybe she should try staying put in hope that they won't notice her. Even if they do notice her she could pretend to be asleep. They might think she's a homeless person escaping the rain and leave her alone. Or better yet, they might think she's dead. A few months ago when Damiana was homeless for real, she fell asleep on a park bench; a jogger saw her and thought she was dead because she looked so frail and sickly, so that might actually work… Luckily, just when Damiana is about to play dead, that is when an idea strikes her. The idea is a bit risky, but it will probably work all the same. Praying again to the unknown deity, the alien decides to go for it.

Holding both arms out in front of her, Damiana focuses intently on the floor directly in front of the corridor. With the room's lack of light and with how fast she has to accomplish this, she hopes that her aim will be precise. If she misses not only could they see her, but they could see her bright Dabnodian hair and colorful Dabnodian eyes. With the intensity of this move there's no doubt that her hair is going to set on fire and that her eyes are going to light up like embers, thus, ridding her of the hair dye and contact lenses. She's learned very quickly during her time on Earth that hair dye and contact lenses never hold up if she uses Master level techniques… Not to mention that it's been five years since last performing this technique and that she's probably rusty. That doesn't add to her confidence any either…

Damiana bites down on her lower lip, the footsteps now being only five feet away from the end of the corridor. Checking to see that her aim is right one final time, the girl takes a deep breath and activates her fire. Less than a second later a burning orange wall appears in front of the hall's entrance. It reaches from wall to wall and from the ceiling to the ground, making getting around it impossible. Three seconds later more walls appear. Damiana can't see them, but she's well aware that they're encasing the entire main room from the walls to the ceiling. The only part the fire isn't coating is the floor. Considering how Damiana's fire is meant to trap rather than harm, it's not going to move to the floor either. However, based on the screams of the men from the wall's other side, they're completely unaware of that insignificant detail.

"Ah! Holy Batman! We're going to die! Help me, Mommy!"

"No! Please! I'm not ready to die yet! Whatever ghost that's in here, please don't hurt me!"

Damiana doesn't waste a single moment. Knowing that her fire wall won't stay up for any longer than five minutes, she sprints down the hallway with long tresses set aflame. Because of the extreme amount of energy she released while using her fire, she's running much faster than usual. Before Damiana knows it she is inside one of the building's remote rooms, crawling out a broken window, and running down the street. She doesn't even care that she can't see due to the intense rainstorm. All that matters is getting away from the building as quickly as possible. Of course, despite her escape, Damiana doesn't plan on returning to her motel room. Not yet. There is something incredibly important the alien has to do before re-dying her hair and going to sleep.

According to the digital clock that's connected to the Tower's main console, the time is exactly one twenty-seven AM. The rest of the Tower is asleep, Bumblebee in her room, Mas y Menos in their shared room, and Aqualad in his pool of water. Speedy was trying to sleep, but for some reason he simply couldn't. He lay awake in his bed for two hours before finally giving up and trekking through the dark corridors to the common room. The seventeen-year-old archer is currently sprawled out on the sofa staring out the massive windows watching as rain mercilessly pelts the glass. For twenty minutes he's been sitting here doing nothing but watching the rain, the only thing lighting the room being the glow of the digital clock and the console's buttons.

Several minutes pass and eventually Speedy becomes bored with his spot on the sofa. Shirtless and barefoot, wearing nothing but his mask and red pants, he aimlessly gets to his feet. Once he's standing Speedy saunters over to the windows and gazes outside. All he does is stare blankly at the downpour exactly like he's been doing for the past half hour. Running a hand over his head of neat red hair, the archer releases a lengthy sigh.

"I feel bad for the person who's outside in this. Hopefully they find somewhere dry," he says to the empty space around him.

Speedy has no idea how he misses the splash of someone emerging from the pool surrounding the common room. Neither can he guess how the footsteps approaching him from behind pass him by. All Speedy knows is that when he hears someone speak he is surprised that he's no longer alone.

"It's one thirty in the morning. Nobody should be outside; especially not during a rainstorm."

Jumping slightly, Speedy turns around halfway. Approximately three feet behind him, eyeing him in a fashion that is both curious and fatigued, is none other than Aqualad. Upon spotting him the archer gives a small frown and turns back around to face the windows.

"Go back to sleep. All I'm doing is thinking. Don't let me keep you awake."

As tired as the Atlantian seems, Speedy partially expects Aqualad to take his suggestion and return to his slumber. However, instead of leaving the common room he paces over to stand beside the redhead. A few seconds later he speaks once more.

"You do know that she isn't going to help us, right? Based on your story and on what Brittney told me, Leila doesn't seem to like you."

It takes a moment, but eventually Speedy replies. "True. Leila doesn't like me. In fact, I'm probably her least favorite member of the Titans East." Pausing, he adds, "But even if she doesn't like me, that doesn't mean she has something against the team as a whole. She doesn't seem like the type to hold that kind of a grudge. Leila will help us. I'm sure of it."

Speedy doesn't look at his teammate, yet he can still tell that Aqualad doesn't believe a word he's saying. Sadly, this doesn't surprise him any. It was actually about this time last night when he told the rest of the Titans what he knows about Leila and about everything that happened at the café. By that, it means that he told them "everything" everything. He didn't leave out a single detail. By the time he was done Bee was staring at him in disbelief, Aqualad appeared skeptical, and Mas y Menos just seemed surprised.

While giving Speedy feedback, they admitted that they thought he was right. After hearing what he shared about Leila, it sounded like she could've been a marvelous asset to the Titans East. Yet, at the same time, it couldn't have been plainer that they also believed that Leila would never help them in a million years. Due to the fact that she is very independent, not to mention that she called Speedy a pimp during their conversation, it didn't seem like the girl would be too willing to help them. Even so, this problem hasn't bothered the Titans too much. If they can't get help from the source Speedy found, then they will find another way to capture the villain. Or at least that's the way Bumblebee put it, anyway.

Of course, Speedy doesn't want to find another way to capture the villain. He can't put his finger on it, but something about Leila is very different from the other civilians he's met. It isn't just her singing voice or the blunt way she speaks to him, either. There's something else. It's most likely something that nobody else but Leila knows about. Whatever that something is, it somehow separates her from other humans. If only Aqualad, or Bee, or Mas y Menos could have met her, then maybe they would understand why he's so determined to get Leila on their side. She could be an irreplaceable asset.

At last Aqualad speaks, breaking Speedy away from his thoughts.

"What makes you so sure that Leila's going to help us?" asks the aquatic man skeptically. "She might not find anything. Even if she does, do you honestly think that she'll let us know? Be honest with yourself, Speedy. You barely know her."

Speedy furrows his brow in uncertainty as he replies. "This might sound weird, but I don't need to know her. Leila's different. I don't know what it is that makes her different, but there's definitely something there. Trust me. If you meet her you'll see what I mean."

He still doesn't look at his teammate. The archer stays glued to his spot in front of the windows, staring outside without emotion. It takes a moment, but at last Aqualad manages a response. Upon speaking he sounds more curious and more skeptical than ever before.

"What exactly do you mean by 'different'? Are you saying that she has powers, or a high level of intelligence, or is this some kind of love at first sight thing?"

Surprised by that last part, Speedy burst into chuckles. For the first time since entering the room he actually turns toward the aquatic man.

"Love at first sight?! Are you kidding me?! Leila hates my guts, and quite frankly, I don't think that I'm too fond of her either. When I say that something's different about her, I mean that she might have qualities that could be helpful to the Titans East." Pausing, he adds, "There's something about her that separates her from the rest of us; like a higher level of intelligence, or the way she carries herself, or something. It's hard to put into words."

A moment later Speedy's comment earns a response. However, the response doesn't come from Aqualad. It comes from one of the three people that entered in through the common room doors less than two seconds ago.

"Maybe it'd be easier to put into words if you'd just calm down and go to sleep. Or better yet, why don't you forget Leila? Aqualad's right. There's no way she's going to help us."

The two men spin around at the sound of their leader's voice. Descending the stairs from the double doors to the common room's main section is Bumblebee. Based on how she wears a black short-sleeved pajama shirt along with loose-fitting black and yellow pants, she just rolled out of bed. On either side of her are Mas y Menos. Mas is wearing a cozy looking pair of Batman pajamas while Menos is adorned by Superman pajamas. They, too, appear as though they had to force themselves awake. Once they're in his line of vision Speedy gives a sigh.

"Look. When I came out here I just wanted to spend some time alone. I wasn't looking to throw a late night slumber party. Why doesn't everyone forget I'm awake and go back to sleep?"

Stretching her arms, Bumblebee releases a yawn. "Because if you're awake then something must be bugging you. As a person who loves to sleep, I'd never expect you to be up wandering around in the middle of the night like an old man with dementia." Pausing, she adds with irritation, "Please tell me that this isn't about Leila. I thought for sure that you'd be over her by now."

Mas y Menos give their input as well, appearing equally annoyed.

"Estás siendo ridículo. Esta chica nunca va a recoger toda la información,"complains Mas in aggravation.

Menos immediately agrees. "Eso es verdad. ¡Sólo la conociste ayer, por lo superarás! ¡Sé un hombre!"

Unable to understand a word out of Mas y Menos mouths, Speedy directs his attention to Bumblebee. "This isn't about getting over her or not getting over her. I'm genuinely convinced that Leila's going to help us. It's like I told Aqualad just now. She might not like me personally, but that doesn't mean that she's holding a grudge against the Titans East as a whole. If it's for the good of Steel City, then I think she'll come around."

Rolling his eyes, Mas leans in and whispers something to his brother. "Él está bien en la negación o él está volviendo loco. El gel para el cabello debe estar destruyendo su mente."

Meanwhile Aqualad and Bumblebee sigh in unison.

"I'm sorry, Speedy, but I think you're way off on this one," says the fish boy.

"I do too," adds Bee. "It doesn't matter what kind of excuses you try to make on her behalf, and it doesn't matter what kind of reasoning you use. Leila isn't going to do anything to help the Titans East and she's never going to use that number you gave her."

Once the words are spoken the room lapses into a brief moment of silence. Opening his mouth partway, Speedy is prepared to protest once more. That, however, is when the silence is broken. To everybody's absolute shock, it isn't broken by someone speaking or by a clap of thunder. Instead a loud ringing is heard echoing through the otherwise silent tower. It isn't the ringing of the crime alert or of an alarm. Rather, the ringing comes from the Tower's main console on the other side of the common room. A small red light is steadily blinking on the console's control panel as the ringing continues, letting the Titans know that someone has just connected to the Tower's private extension number.

Thoroughly surprised by this event, they shift their gazes to the digital clock. The whole time they're wondering what person would be crazy enough to call Titans Tower at one forty-nine in the morning. However, when the ringing stops and when the answering machine picks up the call, they learn exactly who their caller is. By no means is this a prank call. Feeling shocked times ten, their gazes stay firmly locked on the red blinking light as the person speaks from the line's other end. The harsh pounding of rain against glass can be heard in the background, suggesting that she's calling from a phone booth of some sort. She is also panting heavily as if she'd just finished running a long distance. Nonetheless, they're still able to make out the girl's words.

"Speedy, this is Leila. I'm sorry that I'm calling so late. I don't mean to wake everybody up, but this is kind of important," says a strong yet feminine female voice. "You remember when I told you that trusting me for leads was a dumb idea and that you were wasting your time by depending on me? Well, I was wrong and you were right. Congratulations. I ran across something on my way back from my babysitting job tonight; something big."

Everybody's eyes widen at Leila's words. This includes Speedy's. He was expecting to hear back from Leila, but definitely not this soon or at two o'clock in the morning. Meanwhile, everyone else in the room turns to gawk at Speedy. They're obviously every bit as surprised as he is. However, they don't have too much time to process their shock. Before they know it Leila resumes speaking.

"I would love to take the time to tell you about it, but this is really something you should hear in person. There's too much to explain. If you want to learn about the information I have, then meet me at 'Lola's Café' tomorrow night at six-thirty. Bring the other Titans. The lead I have is a huge one, and they can't miss out." After a slight pause, she adds, "Also, I highly suggest that you show up in civilian clothing. We can't have your harem fangirl attacking Aqualad, now can we? Besides, I'll be able to recognize you no matter what you wear. With your bad boy stride and your pimp-like smirk, there's no way I won't be able to see you."

Speedy crosses his arms and blushes in indignation at her sarcastic remark. Bumblebee and Aqualad, on the other hand, chuckle lightly from beside him. Mas y Menos laugh as well, but their laughter is more similar to mocking guffaws than chuckles.

"You weren't exaggerating, Speedy! She really sounds like she hates you!" teases Aqualad.

"Bad boy stride and pimp-like smirk? Is that really what you look like when you're trying to impress girls?" asks Bee between giggles.

Opening his mouth, Speedy is ready to jump to his defense. Before he can, however, Leila speaks again. Sadly for the archer, it only works to aggravate him more.

"And, Speedy, please leave the ladies at the door when you walk in. I know there's 'enough of Speedy to go around' just like you said, but I'd prefer not to have a bunch of whores in miniskirts clinging onto you while we're talking. You can impress them with your bow and strong muscles outside once our conversation is over. I'm sure they'll be impressed." By now Leila's voice doesn't just sound sarcastic, but also amused. "Well, I'm out of quarters and almost out of time, so I need to go. Again, 'Lola's Café' tomorrow at six-thirty, and civilian clothing if you feel it's necessary. Goodbye."

With that being said, the girl hangs up. Normally Speedy would be thanking God that she ran out of quarters, but there's really no reason to. It's already far too late. By now the Atlantian and the Titan leader are in full-blown guffaws just like the twins.

"'There's enough of Speedy to go around'? You didn't actually say that, did you?!" asks Bumblebee as she keels over in laughter.

"Yes! Yes he did!" Aqualad exclaims amusedly. "Brittney told me that he did! I just didn't think that she was actually serious!"

Speedy scowls as he stomps over to the sofa and flops down. All of the sudden he wishes that he hadn't asked Leila for help and that he hadn't given her that forty bucks. This is absolutely humiliating! Was he really acting that dumb in front of those girls?! A second or two later Bee makes another comment, making Speedy wish that he could find Leila and give her a piece of his mind.

"You'd better go to bed and get some rest, Speedy. You should wake up early tomorrow so you have time to go through your book of pickup lines! Don't leave the ladies disappointed!"

Irritated, Speedy gives a sigh. "Come on, stop it. It's not that funny. All I was doing was talking to some girls. Nothing I did was that dumb."

Unfortunately the other four Titans ignore him. Feeling embarrassed beyond measure, Speedy gets up from the sofa and exits the common room. If he wasn't able to get to sleep before then he'll probably be able to now. When he wakes up maybe they'll have forgotten everything Leila said. Yet, for some reason, the archer can't help but smile at the same time. Sure she doesn't like him, but she still found something and she still called to let them know. Not only that, but she contacted them at two in the morning in the pouring rain to make sure that they got the message. If the other Titans didn't believe him about Leila before, then they have to now.

For the second time in the past two days Damiana stands in the motel room's bathroom preparing to dye her hair. It's after two and she has to be awake by nine o'clock AM. Because of this she should really hurry up with the dye job so she can get some rest. Yet, at the same time, Damiana doesn't want to dye her hair. All the young alien wants to do is stare at her reflection in the mirror so that she can see her full Dabnodian image for the first time in years. Until this very moment she had no idea how much she missed the colors. In the span of fifteen minutes the girl has watched her hair shift from greenish-yellow, to a vibrant shade of neon orange, and then to rose-red. Her eyes have been changing color right along with her hair, first to a brownish-yellow color, then to bright gold, and finally to the color her eyes are right now, soft pink. Her hair, however, is shifting from rose-red to a lovely shade of sapphire mingled with sky

Smiling, Damiana runs a hand through her thick wavy tresses. Her hair is thicker and even more beautiful than she remembers. At this, the girl gives a small sigh.

"Do I really have to put the hair dye back in? Can't I look like myself for just one day?"

Shifting her gaze to the bathroom vanity, Damiana sees the bottle of brown dye and a container that holds one of her three spare pairs of green colored contact lenses. They glare up at her demandingly, giving the alien her answer. Sighing once more, the girl looks back at the mirror to see her hair. Surprisingly, even with the change in her emotions, her hair is still as blue as ever. Giving a small forlorn smile, she speaks to her reflection.

"No. I guess I can't let my hair stay like this, can I? I've worked too hard to blend in with the humans. I can't throw it all away because I miss being a Dabnodian. That would be stupid." After a slight pause, she adds, "Besides. I have a meeting with the Titans tomorrow. Meeting with them as Leila Johnson is risky enough. I can't let them know that I'm a survivor from the planet Dabnod on top of it."

With that being said, Damiana picks up the bottle and reads the directions on the back. Not because she needs to, but because reading the directions enables her to be a Dabnodian for just a little bit longer. As she reads, however, a wave of guilt washes over her. This time it has nothing to do with whether or not she should color her hair. Eyes looking at the container of brown dye but no longer reading the words, she speaks aloud once more.

"If there's time tomorrow, I should really thank Speedy for the forty dollars he gave me. I couldn't have gotten this hair dye or the bread and peanut butter in the cupboard without it."

For the first time since entering her motel room Damiana actually feels bad about the message she left. As much as she dislikes Speedy, mocking him that badly over the Titans' answering machine was a cruel and low thing to do. Then again, he did bring it on himself by waltzing into the café with girls in miniskirts swarming him. So, now that she's thinking about it, why does she feel bad about the message she left at all?

Deciding that she's over-thinking the matter, Damiana sets the bottle back on the vanity, turns on the water, and begins washing her hair. It's been a long day. Maybe all she needs is to get her hair colored so she can go to sleep. By the time she wakes up, the Dabnodian will probably be back in her proper state of mind. If she feels any type of remorse about potentially embarrassing a pimp like Speedy then the fatigue and the rain must have gotten to her head.

A/N: Okay, that's it for now. Now that this chapter is posted, I should really get some of my college work done. Over these past few weeks I've been the worst procrastinator ever! Of course, once my work is done, another chapter will be coming! Just so you know, "Part One: Chapter Five" is an entire chapter dedicated to the Titans West. Hopefully you're looking forward to it!

Again, thanks to all of you who have been favoriting, following, and reviewing. I appreciate it! Until next time! :)

Forever and always,

OCQ