A/N: Gah! I can't believe I've gone an entire month without updating this story! I guess time really flies when you're going to college, interning, and babysitting, huh? Anyway, I'm very sorry for the lack of updates! Internships are always a busy time for me. I need two internships to get my Associates Degree, I'm on my second internship right now, and it requires A LOT of work. Not only do I have to go to the site and work there as an employee, but I have a class that goes with the internship, and two other classes that I have to take. Not only that, but Case Management I is a pretty in-depth class. So, if I ever have to go a lengthy time without updating, please be willing to bear with me.

Anyhow, now that my college rant is over, who's ready for another chapter of "Firelight"? I know I am! I love working on this story ! Also, I would like to thank all of you for the favorites, follows, and your lovely comments. It makes me happy knowing that there are people who enjoy this story. One of you even gave me a song request for Damiana, which I may or may not include. So thank all of you again! :)

Shout Out: To my baby brother for creating the villain used in this chapter, Scurvy Dog. You complained that the original Teen Titans never had a pirate-themed villain, so here you go! XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.

Part II: Shadows: Chapter Fifteen

Damiana is still in disbelief at what just happened. Out of all the people in the crowd, Speedy was still somehow able to pick her out. Once he saw her, everybody else saw her too. Only a week ago such an occurrence would have made Damiana run for her life. The Titans East looking at her, asking her to come out of the crowd and join them in front of all those people; especially two Titans from the Titans West? To be honest, everyone staring as if expecting her to make a decision still unnerved her. Yet, Damiana didn't run away. Instead she walked straight toward them, the aching need to go with them outweighing her logic.

For some reason, her logic still hasn't started working yet. Based on the way things are going right now, Damiana is convinced that it isn't going to, either. Somehow she is conversing with the Titans East team easily as they run down one of the museum's many hallways. It honestly doesn't feel like this is only the second time she has met them. More than anything it feels like she was one of their teammates who went away for a while, and now she's back. Or at least this is true for the Titans East team, anyway. As for Cyborg and Beast Boy, she isn't sure about them yet. Why they are even in Steel City, Damiana hasn't a clue.

Moving swiftly down a hallway with Aqualad on one side and Bumblebee on the other, Damiana makes an inquiry. Not about Cyborg and Beast Boy, but about the villain they're after. If the reason for their presence in Steel City is something overly important, she figures that she will find out soon enough anyway.

"Okay, I'm a little new to this hero thing, so I need answers. Has anybody ever fought this pirate guy before, or is he new? If he's new, then it's comforting knowing that we're all in the same boat." Pausing, she adds bluntly, "No pun intended."

Sending her a glance, it is Bumblebee who replies. "No. None of us have seen him until today, but whoever he is, it doesn't matter. Either way, the Titans East are going to take him down."

Once that is said, the group of them comes to the hallway's end and turns a corner. As they do this, Damiana hears as Cyborg speaks from behind her. It's true that she has never met Cyborg until today, but even so, his voice is a pretty unmistakable one.

"Yeah, but what about the hostages? Not all of us can go after Scurvy Dog. Some of us have to split off from the rest of the group to go save the people that are trapped in here!"

"I'm pretty sure they're trapped in the part of the building that's on fire, too," Aqualad states seriously. "The part that's on fire is where all of the employees check in at, and it is the farthest away from the exhibits. Why else would he set it on fire than for the fire to act as a barrier?"

Pursing her lips, Damiana considers this as she runs. Now that she thinks about it, what the aquatic Titan says is completely true. Having been in this building before, the area that's on fire is made up of offices rather than exhibits. Trapping the employees there so they don't get in his way and so the fire from the bombs doesn't destroy anything valuable would be perfect for him!

Narrowing her eyes thoughtfully, she turns to face Aqualad. "If this is the case, and if we honestly need to split up, then I think I should help save the hostages. That part of the building is on fire, and fire is kind of my specialty."

Meeting her gaze, Aqualad gives an immediate nod of agreement before looking over at the others. "Leila's right, Bee. She's the best for the job if it involves fire," he states simply.

"Fire bends to her will," adds Speedy from Bumblebee's other side. "If anyone can save hostages from the burning side of the museum, it's Leila."

Damiana isn't sure why, but their words make her smile softly. They really do believe in her.

Meanwhile, Bumblebee replies with a confident nod and gazes over at Cyborg. "You're right, Sparky. We will need to split into groups to handle this." Pausing in her steps, she turns so that she's facing the entire group. Outstretching a hand, she gestures to them while giving each of them a command. "Speedy and Aqualad, come with me so we can take down Scurvy Dog. Beast Boy, Mas, Menos, and Sparky, go with Leila to save the hostages."

Nodding at her orders, they split up just as the Titans East leader commands. The whole time Damiana can't help but feel a pang of nervousness. Aqualad, Bumblebee, and Speedy are going to be separated from her? She's going to have to fight alongside two Titans from the founding team? But she doesn't even know them! How do they know if she's even going to be successful if she's with West Titans?! As much as Damiana hates to admit it, she would rather be with Speedy. Even if they've only fought together once, she's familiar with his fighting style and at least knows what to expect from him. As strange as it is, Speedy has become…her comfort zone.

Shaking the thoughts away, Damiana moves so that she is standing between Mas and Cyborg. As uncomfortable as she is with working with them, there's no turning back now. Not when lives are on the line. Besides. If this girl truly plans on being a Teen Titan, she will have to get used to the Titans West on some level. She just hopes that this doesn't end badly…

All of the sudden, as if he is able to see through her anxiety, Damiana feels as a large metal hand grasps her shoulder. Giving a surprised jump, Damiana turns to look at him. Much to her astonishment, the six-foot-four metallic man is giving her an encouraging smile. The whole time Damiana doesn't say anything. She simply stares at him with surprised green eyes.

"Don't worry about us. Beast Boy and I don't bite. I know that we haven't officially met yet, but we can save that for back at the Tower. For now, let's go save those hostages."

It takes a moment, but at last she nods hesitantly."Okay. In that case, let's go! Fire spreads fast, so we don't have a moment to lose."

With that being said, she moves closer to the twins and the duo of West Titans before taking off in the direction of the fire. As they disperse, Damiana can't help but shoot a last minute glance at Bee, Aqualad, and Speedy. Upon doing this, her gaze lands on the back of the retreating archer. She doesn't know why, but for once, her thoughts aren't on how he will 'absolutely come out okay' because he's a Titan. Instead she feels a quick pang of worry in her gut, afraid that he might get hurt.

Eyes widening in realization at the thought, the alien girl shakes the emotions away prior to turning her back on them and running after the rest of her group. Wherever the thoughts came from, they were certainly strange. Since when does she worry about Speedy?

A Short Time Later…

With as huge as Steel City's history museum is, a person would think that finding anything right away would be nearly impossible. However, it takes Damiana less than fifteen minutes to learn that this isn't true. Finding the fire on the museum's uppermost floor is a very easy task. They were able to smell smoke long before reaching the top, were able to see an ominous orange glow, and are now standing directly in front of the inferno.

They can tell that this area is exactly where Scurvy Dog's bomb went off at, the gaping hole in the wall being one hint, and the lack of ground in front of them being another. If it wasn't for the spreading fire, Damiana is certain that they would be able to see the blue sky peeking through the hole in the wall, as well as the level beneath this one staring up at them through the gap in the floor. It's true that they can see these things to an extent, but with the majority of their focus being on the roaring flames that appear ready to consume the entire upper level, the lack of stability of this part of the building doesn't have much of their attention. Rather, their focus is on how to get all of the civilians out of here.

Now that they're this close, over the roar of the flames, they are able to hear the shrill screams and panicked shouts of those trapped on the other side.

"Somebody help us!"

"I'm not ready to die yet!"

"Someone hurry up and get us out of here!"

They don't respond to the shouts. Rather, Damiana exchanges a wide-eyed glance with Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Mas y Menos. Just like she'd guessed, the fire is spreading rapidly. Within the past thirty seconds that they've been standing here, four out of the five of them have had to back away from the flames to avoid the intensity of the heat. The only one who doesn't back away is Damiana. Instead, wearing an expression of powerful determination, the alien girl moves closer. This is exactly the reason why she wanted to help rescue the hostages. Out of all of them, she is the only one who is physically capable of getting anywhere near the inferno.

As she moves closer, she can sense Beast Boy's and Cyborg's eyes on her in shock.

"Hey, what the heck are you doing?! You can't keep getting closer to the fire! It's going to kill you!" Shouts Beast Boy loudly.

"You should get back here so we can think of a plan!" adds Cyborg. "You shouldn't be risking your life like that!"

Shoving a brown strand behind her ear, she responds to them while continuing to near the flames. "Didn't you hear what I told Aqualad? Fire is my specialty. It isn't going to hurt me."

With that being said, she vanishes from their sight and into the fire. Cyborg and Beast Boy protest loudly as she does this, but Damiana ignores their shouts wholeheartedly. Normally she wouldn't, but she can hear Mas y Menos explaining to them in Spanish. She doesn't pay full attention to what they're saying due to the task at hand, but Mas' words roughly translate to "Do not worry about Leila. She is strong!", while Menos tells them "Her powers are fire! She will not burn!". Damiana can't help but smile at their words. Honestly, she has always quite liked the twins.

Meanwhile the girl walks farther into the fire, holding her breath so that she doesn't breathe in the smoke. It's true that the fire itself won't harm her, but the toxins from the smoke are another thing completely. If she takes longer than three minutes at this, there's no doubt that she'll be a goner. It is because of this that once Damiana is at the center of the fire standing only a few feet away from the floor's crevice, she takes on a solid stance. Most people wouldn't notice, not even her fellow Dabnodians who wield elements other than fire, but this stance is different from her usual one.

The stance that Damiana normally takes on is one where her knees and elbows are slightly bent, allowing her to move swiftly as she wields her fire. One thing her father always drilled into her when first teaching her to use her element is that her knees and elbows always have to be bent. Wielding fire involves many complicated movements, almost like some type of intricate dance. If a person can't move quickly and freely, then they might as well not be a fire user at all.

The stance that the girl is using right now, in contrast, is different from the one her father first taught her. The original stance is used for when Dabnodians use their heart energy to self-manifest their fire. When controlling or absorbing the fire around them, however, the stance is different. Fire that is self-manifested comes from within, meaning that there is no process of absorbing the flames and bringing them under the fire-user's control. Of course, with the fire that is currently surrounding Damiana, it is a different story entirely.

Instead of standing with her elbows and knees bent, the Dabnodian stands so that her back and her limbs are pin straight. While doing this, she forces the energy from her second heart to the surface of her skin so that it oozes out through her pores. Once this happens, she is able to use the traces of heart energy to connect with the surrounding fire, slowly but surely removing the glowing flames from the room and filtering them into her body. It's true that this isn't a Master's level technique. According to the elders of the Fire Phoenix clan, absorbing external fire is an intermediate skill. Although, doing such a thing still requires an intense amount of concentration.

Less than thirty seconds is what it takes for Damiana to connect with the fire and for her second set of veins to feel slightly warmer because of it. Another thirty seconds passes, and the glowing orange flames finally start to diminish in size. Damiana only notices this because she can feel the fire being absorbed into her body, her pores tingling like pins and needles because of it. In truth, she doesn't pay too much attention the size of the flames. Keeping her stance and drawing in the fire requires every ounce of her concentration with no distractions. From outside the inferno, however, the flames going down in size are eerily noticeable.

Damiana doesn't notice, but on the other side of the gap in the floor where the museum's employees are trapped, loud shouts can be heard. This time their exclamations are of a different nature. Rather than sounding panicked or like preconceived doom, each of them sounds unbelievably surprised.

"Hold on a second? Are the flames…disappearing?! Great! My psychiatrist was wrong! The medication isn't helping my psychosis at all!"

"Don't worry, Joe. You're not crazy… The flames are seriously disappearing!"

"I'm not going to die! Whoo! I live to pay bills another day!"

The flames diminish further still, to the point where nothing is left besides smoke, ash, and embers. Meanwhile, on the same side of the crevice as Damiana, Beast Boy and Cyborg can be heard. Like the civilians they are attempting to rescue, they too are in a state of shock.

"Dude, am I seeing things, or is the fire going away?"

"If you think you're going crazy, then I guess I am too. I don't know how she's doing it, but Leila's making the fire disappear!"

It takes another couple of seconds, but at last the fire that had been engulfing this part of the building is gone completely. Not a single ember is left, and the breeze that blows in through the gaping hole in the stone wall causes the smoke to disperse. All that's left of the roaring inferno are charred stones that crumbled away from the wall, burnt pieces of metal, and blackened ash. Not only that, but now that any immediate danger is gone, a group of approximately forty individuals is seen.

The majority of them look like they are uninjured, though their khaki and white uniforms are tinged with soot, and they appear incredibly disheveled. The only person who looks like they might be harmed is a young blonde-haired woman in her early twenties, who sits against the back-most wall favoring her right leg. Now that she's looking at her, Damiana is able to see a large singe mark on her khaki pants as well as skin that is a dangerous shade of red.

As Damiana observes them, they observe her in return. Each of them does so with their eyes wide. The girl doesn't realize it, but her appearance is truly a sight to behold. Her dark blue sweatshirt, which was in one piece only a short while ago, has now been burned so that it is practically in pieces. The sleeves are almost completely gone, as well as pieces of the hood and torso. Her jeans have also been badly damaged, the sections covering her shins and thighs bearing holes three times the size of the holes that existed previously.

The only parts of her clothing that remain intact are her jeans from mid-thigh and upward, and the black tank-top beneath her sweatshirt. By some sort of miracle, her tank-top hasn't received a single burn mark. The only other thing that hasn't received any burn markings, besides her creamy white skin, is the golden cuff on her right upper arm. The golden band bearing the copper outline of the fire phoenix is truly eye-catching. It catches the glint of the sunlight that shines in through the gap in the wall, drawing all eyes so that they stare at her armband.

As everyone stares, her long brown curls blow slightly in the breeze, and they are able to notice how her milk-colored skin hasn't received even the slightest singe. With all of these things combined, they can't help but think that the girl standing before them must be incredibly powerful; this includes Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Mas y Menos. The strong way she holds herself and the determination in her gaze only helps add to the opinions of those around her that she must be powerful.

Of course, Damiana doesn't pay their awed gazes as much attention as she normally would. Instead she turns around partway so that she is facing her fellow Titans. It still seems strange to her to be referring to them as "fellow Titans", but this is what they are now nonetheless.

Clearing her throat uncertainly, she addresses them. "Now that they're out of harm's way, how are we supposed to get them out of the building? I was able to help with the fire, but now that it's gone, I'm at a bit of a loss for what else to do."

Knowing exactly the problem she's referring to, they look down at the gaping hole in the floor. They are able to see the level beneath them; there is no doubt that it is an incredibly long fall. Anybody who tumbles over the edge will definitely break some bones, or a hip, or two. Possibly even a neck or a spine. Not wanting to risk anyone meeting their doom, the Titans search the area for anything that might be able to help them get across. A ladder, a wooden plank, a piece of cement, anything will do.

Before they have a chance to finish scanning the area, however, Beast Boy walks closer to the edge and shouts over at the trapped employees. What he asks them causes Damiana to repress the urge to slap a palm to her forehead. Why on earth didn't she think to ask such a basic question?!

"Uh, you guys wouldn't happen to have a fire escape over there, would you?! Even if it's destroyed, we might be able to help you get down it and get out!"

The group exchanges glances and mutters amongst themselves, obviously considering Beast Boy's question. A moment later the muttering stops, one of them breaking free from the group and stepping forward. The person who steps forward is a graying man in his forties.

"There's a fire escape over here, and we're pretty sure it's okay! The only reason we can't use it because it's blocked! A cement pillar fell down when that pirate guy threw his bomb, and we haven't been able to get around it!"

Smiling, the green Titan gives the guy a thumbs-up while replying. "That's great! And don't worry about the pillar! We can totally help you get around it!"

That being said, Beast Boy turns into a duck, flies over the gaping crevice, and lands safely on the other side with the civilians. Once this happens the civilians lead him to another part of the building, most likely showing him the blocked off fire escape. Cyborg, Damiana, and Mas y Menos do nothing but stare after them, trying to figure out how to cross to the other side. By this point Damiana normally would have jumped by now, but it's far too wide for that. Mas y Menos haven't even tried crossing over using their super speed.

A couple more seconds pass, Damiana still trying to figure out a way to get across without risking any of their skin. Before she can successfully come up with a plan, however, that is when Cyborg speaks out. At first what he asks confuses her, but once she learns why he needs the information, the Dabnodian girl isn't confused in the least.

"Uh…Leila? You wouldn't happen to be able to shoot fire too, would you?"

Facing him, Damiana responds to his question plainly. "Yes, I can shoot fire. I can self-manifest fire, absorb it, and my body is flame-resistant." Pausing slightly, she continues. "Why do you ask?"

Using a large metal hand, he points up toward the highest part of the ceiling. Following the direction where he is pointing, she sees a long wooden plank that it attached to one of the walls. With the length of it, there's no doubt that it would be able to match the span of the crevice.

At last, Cyborg responds. "I would shoot it down myself, but I'm afraid that I would just end up bringing down the wall. Your fire might be gentler than my arm cannon."

"As long as you can catch it, I have no problem knocking it down."

Once that is said, Damiana takes on her stance and conjures the thin shaft of fire that is her fire blade. Having just absorbed a mass amount of fire, it is a bit hotter than it should be, but it will still get the job done.

These thoughts going through her head, she pulls her arms back and does her best to propel her fire blade so that it reaches the ceiling. To their luck, the flame manages to make contact and burn through the wood without difficulty. A second is all it takes for it to come barreling down, and for Cyborg to catch it effortlessly. Carrying the heavy wooden plank like it is a toy, Cyborg lays it across the crevice, turns to face the rest of them, and gives a smile.

"Okay, problem solved! Now let's go catch up with BB. I don't care what kind of animal he turns into. The little green bean is never going to be able to move a cement pillar on his own."

Returning his smile, she moves closer to the plank. "You're probably right. Cement pillars aren't exactly light. If you want, I could cut it apart using my fire blade. It would be a lot less heavy."

Giving a nod, his smile brightens. "That would be really handy. Thanks!" After a moment of hesitation, he adds, "It's a good thing that Speedy found you. Who knew that fire had so many uses?!"

Shrugging, she answers, "I did."

"Well of course you did. You're the fire girl!" Single hazel eye skimming her over, Cyborg suddenly spots her arm band. How he didn't spot it earlier, he doesn't know, but now that he's looking at it he can't help but raise a curious brow. "And nice bracelet, by the way. It's interesting. I don't think I've ever seen one like it."

Eyes widening in surprise, Damiana looks down at her clothes. Certainly enough, she sees that her arm band is completely visible, and that her sweatshirt has been charred to pieces. Giving a sigh, she tugs the ruined piece of clothing off over her head and tosses it aside. While doing this, she responds to the metal man.

"Thanks. I'm glad you like it. It was a present from my mother." Pausing, she adds, "It's a shame that my sweatshirt got destroyed, though. I was already down to two."

"Don't be too upset over it. Everyone can see your bracelet this way. Besides. It's only a sweatshirt. You can get another one."

Tucking a brown ringlet behind her ear, her smile returns at his words. "Yeah, I guess you're right. With as pretty as my armband is, it is kind of silly to hide it, isn't it?"

From here, not another word is said. The group of them crosses the wooden plank to the other side of the crevice, ready to get the people out of the building any way they know how.

Meanwhile…

"Bumblebee, are you sure that this is where he's doing his 'plundering' at? I know that his costume is ridiculous, but this is a bit of an unfair assumption."

Aqualad, Speedy, and Bumblebee stand side-by-side on one of the museum's center levels. They already passed through the Ancient Egypt exhibit, the prehistoric exhibit, the ice age exhibit, and the exhibit depicting colonial America. Somehow Scurvy Dog wasn't seen at a single one of them. Now, in a last ditch effort to find the guy, Bumblebee came up with the idea to search this exhibit. So what is this exhibit exactly? It is one filled to the brim with different types of ships. There is a replica of the Mayflower, of war ships from the American Revolution, and even replicas of early twentieth century river boats. Amongst all of these boats, as should be expected, are also replicas of pirate ships.

Crossing his arms over his chest at Aqualad's words, Speedy turns to face the Titans East leader with a skeptical expression. The whole time he can't help but concur with his aquatic teammate.

"Sorry, Bee, but I'm siding with Aqualad. Why would Scurvy Dog come to this exhibit? There isn't even anything to steal!" Gesturing to a pirate ship that stands on the other side of the room, he adds. "Not unless he wants a fake pirate flag to tack onto his bedroom wall."

Putting a hand on her hip, she glares at them both in irritation. "Well, if my idea is so bad, then why don't you two makes some suggestions about where we should look?! We've already searched half of the exhibits! Considering how he's running around like some maniac dressed as a pirate, I thought that this would be a reasonable place to search!"

Giving a sigh, Speedy's posture slouches slightly. "Alright, fine. We can search here, but I doubt we'll find him. Personally, I think he's somewhere where he can actually find something valuable."

Bee rolls her eyes as at him as she replies. "Fine. We'll look here first, and if we don't find anything, we can look wherever you want. Is that okay?"

Shrugging, Speedy gives a reluctant nod. In truth, he thinks that searching the boat exhibit is the biggest waste of time imaginable. Of course, knowing their leader, it's no use arguing with her. Once her mind is made up, there's no changing it. Not only that, but at this point, arguing with her is only going to waste more time anyway. It is because of this that he turns around and begins making his way toward the pirate ship as he responds to the winged girl.

"Yeah, that's fine. If you don't mind, I'll go search the pirate ship and the Mayflower. If I find Scurvy Dog, which I doubt very highly, I'll let you know."

Once that is said, the group disperses without another word. Glancing over at his teammates, he sees that Aqualad is heading in the direction of the twentieth century riverboat, and that Bumblebee is looking over a German U-boat. Shrugging his shoulder at them, Speedy hops onto the edge of the pirate ship and swings his body over the railing by one of his arms. Once on the deck, just like he'd assumed, there is nothing interesting. There are a few barrels and wooden crates attached to the deck, there's the wheel, and some netting leading to the crow's nest. There is also a pirate flag that hangs high, a door that leads below deck, and another door leading to the Captain's quarters.

Striding to the other side of the deck nonchalantly, he hops up onto the platform that holds the wheel and gives it a spin. While doing this, he scans the rest of the ship over once more with his eyes. Even from this higher angle behind the wheel, he still doesn't see anything. Because of this, he gives the wheel a final turn before hopping down from the platform. Once he's back on the main deck, he saunters over to the door leading to the Captain's quarters. The whole time he tosses his bow into the air and catches it in a fashion that screams with boredom. He has always hated museums, and avoids them at all costs. Now he remembers why. No matter what museum he goes to, all of them are agonizingly boring!

Giving a dreary sigh, Speedy tosses his bow into the air and catches it once more before throwing open the door. The moment it is open, the archer makes his way inside and looks around. Unlike the deck, the majority of items in the Captain's quarters are either roped off or secured behind bulletproof glass. The bed, the desk containing an open map, the nightstand holding a fifteen-hundreds lantern, all if it is roped off. There is also a bookcase, and various objects such as knives and gems which are behind glass.

Jumping over the red velvet rope and making his way over to the bed, he continues searching for Scurvy Dog in a highly exaggerated fashion. Getting on his hands and knees, he lifts up the bottom of the thickly woven blanket that reaches the floor. Peeking under the bed, he calls out sarcastically.

"Scurvy Dog, are you under there? All thieves like to dress up like pirates and hide in the boat exhibit at museums, am I right? This ugly quilt, that old lantern, the dusty books behind the glass, I bet all of them are worth some real cash!"

Putting the covers back where they were, Speedy looks under the desk and under the nightstand in the same fashion. Much like the bed, he finds nothing. Scoffing and standing up, Speedy speaks to himself once more.

"Like he'd be able to fit under any of these things anyway. I hope I don't look anything like him thirty years from now. After seeing him, the YMCA is getting a lifetime membership out of me."

Bow held tightly in his grasp, Speedy walks out from behind the rope and makes his way over to the display cases. Much to his surprise, the books look rough and the letters on the spines are so faded that it almost looks like the books truly are from the fifteen-hundreds. The same goes for the ruby rings, pearl necklaces, and gem-covered brooches that are inside of the display cases. They look almost…real! Whoever put these things together must have really worked hard, because they look incredibly authentic!

"Authentic, maybe, but still boring," Speedy says before exiting the Captain's quarters.

Once he's back on the main deck, he is fully prepared to open up the other set of doors leading below the deck so that he can finish his search. Besides the cargo hold, the kitchen, and the crew's quarters, there can't possibly be that many places left to look. Considering how this is only a replica and not an actual ship, it wouldn't surprise Speedy if they avoided adding in the kitchen or the crew's quarters entirely. It would certainly make his life easier. The less he has to search, the sooner they can get out of the boat exhibit and move onto a different one. Something like the Ancient Greece exhibit, or the exhibit containing rare Aztec jewels. There's actually stuff that people would want to steal there.

Squatting down, Speedy uses his free hand to tug on the door's metal handle. Before he can pull it open, however, something happens to surprise the poor archer beyond belief. Practically out of nowhere, echoing shouting is heard. At first Speedy wonders if it actually does come out of nowhere, but after standing up straight and gazing up at his surroundings, he sees that the shouting comes from the crow's nest of the pirate ship. Certainly enough, standing on the edge of the crow's nest with his black beard, pirate hat, hook, and with his body clad in leather, is Scurvy Dog. As he shouts, he does so with determination.

"Ha! I knew ye scurvy Titans would come seeking me out in a pirate's sanctuary! Nobody knows the habits of Steel City's Titans better than yer greatest foe, Scurvy Dog! Now tremble in fear, ye lily-livers, because yer about to see the wrath of a true pirate!"

Seeing that the one they're looking for is finally present, Speedy removes several arrows from his quiver and loads them into his bow. Keeping his aim directly on the pirate, he shouts to his teammates who just so happen to be within hearing distance. Or at least he hopes they are, anyway. Being on the deck of the riverboat, he knows that Aqualad can hear him. Bumblebee, on the other hand, is inside of the U-boat. Because of this, he isn't sure if she'll be able to hear him. Of course, either way, he calls out to his teammates loudly.

"Hey, guys, I found him! Can you get over here and help me out?!"

As he yells for his teammates, the man tilts back his head and laughs mockingly at the archer. Even so, Speedy doesn't feel offended. If anything, he feels annoyed. The Titans West always talk about villains who come close to driving them insane simply because they are annoying to fight; these would be villains such as Mad Mod and Mumbo. When they first explained this to the Titans East, Speedy thought that they were exaggerating. To him, villains are villains and they have to be defeated. The thought never occurred to him that a villain could actually be annoying. Not until today, anyway. As of now, he is able to understand exactly what the Titans West are talking about.

"Well, the young archer in the tight pants is calling his maties' for aid. Ye have every reason to be afraid, land lover. Soon enough ye'll meet the ropes end, and I'll reduce yer ship to rubble!"

Giving an aggravated grunt, Speedy slaps a gloved palm to his forehead in exasperation. "Yeah, if I owned a yacht and if you had any rope, I bet you would."

Before Scurvy Dog has a chance to say anything more, Speedy pulls back the bowstring and lets his arrows fly. They miss their mark very narrowly, the man shooting the grapple mechanism out from his hook and swinging down from the crow's nest. Less than a second is what it takes for him to land effortlessly on the main deck, the grapple letting loose and returning to the pirate. The whole time Speedy continues shooting arrows at him, hoping to hit him with his punching glove arrow. His punching glove arrow has proven to come in handy with these types of villains on more than one occasion. Yet, as if by some kind of spell, his arrows avoid hitting the man. Somehow he manages to dodge the redhead's attacks with minimal effort.

"Geesh, maybe he's not as out of shape as he looks," says Speedy to himself. "He must use a treadmill, run the track, or something."

As if reading his thoughts, Scurvy Dog sprints across the deck prior to doing several cartwheels. While in the midst of doing the cartwheels, he removes a small bomb from the red sash tied around his waist, tossing the object in Speedy's direction. The moment it hits the wooden ground it releases gas the color of putrid green, causing his eyes to widen fearfully beneath the mask. Knowing that the bomb is one that is filled with poison gas, he holds his breath, runs to the edge of the ship, and leaps over the railing before landing safely on the tiled floor out of the gas' range. It's too sad for Scurvy Dog that his poison gas attack wasn't enough to stop Speedy. The archer continues in rapid pursuit of him, not hindered in the slightest.

Scurvy Dog dashes between various ships and away from the boat exhibit altogether, running toward another part of the building entirely. Having never been in this museum before, or any museum in Steel City for that matter, he hasn't the slightest idea where the pirate is heading. Even so, he rushes after the villain anyway. As he does this he shouts to the top of his lungs for his teammates, not having any time to take out his communicator.

"Bee, Aqualad, come on! He's getting away!"

For a moment Speedy is convinced that neither of his teammates are coming to help, or that they are playing some sort of practical joke on him. When the dark-haired male clad in blue appears beside him a moment later, however, the archer learns that this isn't the case. Aqualad appears frustrated and a bit stunned, but is nonetheless present.

Gazing at him out of the corner of his eye, Speedy addresses the aquatic man curiously. "Is everything alright, Aqualad? I shouted for you and Bee five minutes ago!" Pausing, he asks, "And speaking of Bee, where is she? Don't tell me she's taking a bathroom break!"

"No, it isn't that," says Aqualad. "She climbed inside of the submarine to take a look around, and the hatch slammed shut and trapped her inside. I was going to help her get out, but she told me to come with you to take out Scurvy Dog. She said that she'll figure a way out, and catch up with us in a minute."

Mouth hanging agape, he exclaims with shock, "She's trapped inside the submarine? You have got to be kidding me!"

"I'm not, but don't worry about it. This is Bee we're talking about. She'll get out."

Under normal circumstances, Speedy would prefer to discuss their team's leader being trapped inside a museum replica of a submarine more seriously. Not only that, but he would like to turn around and help her out of her unfortunate predicament. Of course, with Scurvy Dog dashing to the end of the hallway and entering the World War I exhibit, the archer knows that helping the winged girl is going to have to wait. Doing another cartwheel and tossing an additional bomb, this time a smoke bomb, it makes the fact that they can't go back after Bee right now even more apparent.

Giving a grunt of aggravation, he glances at Aqualad once more as they close in on the exhibit. "Yeah, I guess you're right. She can get out on her own. Even if she can't, I don't think we can go back for her right now, anyway. If we do, Scurvy Dog is going to escape!" After a moment of hesitation, he adds, "Once we have him, we're going back for Bee though. No questions asked."

Neither Speedy nor Aqualad has time to say anything more. Instead they turn the corner into the World War I exhibit. The duo is forced to run through a thick wall of smoke left behind by the smoke bomb, but the instant it clears they come into contact with tanks, airplanes, old military uniforms, and black and white photographs. Much to their disappointment, however, there is no sign of Scurvy Dog. They know that he must be somewhere in the room, as there is only one entrance. If he would have tried sneaking out of the room past them by using the smoke as cover, they would have sensed him. It is because of this that they know he hasn't gotten away from them yet. The tricky part is going to be finding out where he's hiding in order to prevent his escape from happening.

Sauntering toward the middle of the room while keeping his fighting stance, Aqualad glances at Speedy in confusion. "What the heck is this, hide and seek?! We don't even know why he's here, or what he's trying to steal! It's like this is all some kind of game to him!"

His bow and his own fighting stance at the ready, Speedy concurs with his statement. "I know what you mean. He set part of the building on fire, showed up at the boat exhibit, and now what? He hasn't shown any interest in stealing anything at all!"

The duo stands at the center of the room in between replicas of various World War I fighter jets, and a display case covered by bulletproof glass. They stand so that they're back-to-back, each of their eyes skimming over various parts of the room. Wherever Scurvy Dog is at, he's certainly good at hiding. There's no doubt about that. Removing an arrow from his quiver, Speedy is ready to tell Aqualad that he's going to go search one part of the room while he takes the other. After all, it's no use standing around waiting to be attacked.

Before they have a chance to split up and search, however, it is much to their surprise that the ground starts to shudder. The shuddering isn't violent like an earthquake, but rather, it feels like a soft rumbling. Then, in correspondence with the rumbling, a flurry of smoke and poison gas bombs comes at them. Knowing who it is that's doing the attacking, they jump backward in an incredibly swift fashion, not even coming close to being hit. Scurvy Dog's attacks being fairly weak, Speedy is about ready to make a snide remark as he continues dodging. Not only that, but once Scurvy Dog responds, he is fully prepared to start shooting arrows in the direction of his voice. It's only too sad that the redhead doesn't get to put his plan into action.

"Don't ye scurvy Titans start underestimating me yet! I'll plunder all yer booty, and then send ye straight down to Davy Jones' locker!"

All of the sudden, before either Titan has a chance to comprehend what's happening, a large round object comes out of the ground near the World War I exhibit's center. The object isn't just round, but is made out of thick black metal, and has a timer attached to it. Speedy pulls out an electrically-charged arrow and Aqualad breaks a pipe to bring forth his water, the two of them completely prepared to go at the thing in an attempt to destroy it. After all, this isn't like the bombs that Scurvy Dog has stored away in his sash. This bomb is incredibly large, and if activated, could probably destroy all of the buildings in a one mile radius.

Unfortunately for the duo, however, they don't have time to destroy the massively-sized bomb like they want to. Much like the smoke and poison gas bombs, a thick metal cable shoots toward them from an unseen location. The cable moves so quickly that they don't even have the chance to jump out of its way. Before either of them can blink or breathe, let alone comprehend what's happening, the cable hooks around them tightly, effectively tying them to the giant bomb with the timer. They kick, struggle, and use all of their strength to attempt getting free, but it isn't any use. The metal cable is as impenetrable as they come, making it impossible to escape with brute strength alone.

Meanwhile, laughing heartily in what sounds like amusement and mockery, Scurvy Dog leaps out from amongst the displays and reveals himself. Stroking his beard with his hook, he gestures to them with his real hand as he speaks.

"This day will be a day of great plunder for Scurvy Dog! Three lily-livered Titans have been defeated by my wiles, and that leaves only four more for me to conquer! Then, I will finally be able to prove myself to this city as the Titans East's greatest foe!" Giving another laugh, he exclaims, "Enjoy the last fourteen minutes and thirty seconds of yer wretched lives, ye bilge rats! According to the scurvy timer, that is all ye have left!"

Once that is said, Scurvy Dog shoots his "grappling hook" toward the exhibit's ceiling and swings out of the room's only exit, laughing heartily the whole time. As he does this, all Aqualad and Speedy can do is stare after him in disbelief. One minute they're running after him in confidence, completely convinced that they can defeat him. The next minute they're strapped to a bomb by a metal cable, facing impending doom. So in shock are they by the turn of events that when one of them finally speaks, it isn't with panic or with shouting. Instead, it is with blatant unbelief.

"So…" states Speedy bluntly, "That just happened."

His expression just as blank as Speedy's, Aqualad makes a statement of his own. "He doesn't even want to steal anything like a normal villain? His only goal is to be our enemy? Unbelievable."

A lengthy moment of silence passes before Speedy speaks out once more.

"Well, I'm fresh out of ideas. Do you have any plans on how to escape?"

Sighing, Aqualad droops his head. "Nope."

If he wasn't tied to the bomb, it is certain that Speedy would be shrugging nonchalantly. "Well, our day is sucking pretty bad so far. I sure hope Bee finds her way out of that submarine, otherwise it looks like we're screwed."

Damiana walks cautiously down the fire escape's stairwell, avoiding debris and pieces of broken cement with care. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Mas y Menos are all ahead of her, guiding the civilians safely to the ground below. In truth, Damiana should be up front with the rest of them, but instead chose to stay toward the back of the group; for hanging onto one of her shoulders and using her body for support is the young blonde-haired woman with the injured leg. In turn, Damiana hangs onto one of her shoulders as well, making sure that the woman doesn't fall. As they step vigilantly down each stair, taking one at a time, the alien girl addresses the woman with a kind smile.

"It's lucky that you were able to get everybody away from the blast radius in time. That was very quick thinking on your part." Pausing, she asks, "How did you know he was going to throw a bomb?"

Rubbing at the burn on her leg with her free arm, the woman winces in pain while responding. "I'm honestly not too sure. Really, it was a lucky guess more than anything."

Knowing how much pain the woman is in, Damiana adjusts her gait so that she takes on more of her weight. From up close, she can see just how large the burn mark is. It covers the entire front part of the woman's leg from ankle to mid-shin, and is turning redder by the second. Not to mention that the edges of her khaki pants near the hole are starting to become stained with blood. Even so, Damiana tries not to appear overly concerned. Sometimes appearing concerned can only put an injured person in further distress. Or at least this is what she has heard, anyway.

Meanwhile, Damiana speaks to her once more. "Lucky guess or not, it was still good thinking. Without your warning, I don't think that any of your coworkers would have gotten away from that part of the building in time. They must be thankful."

The woman manages to return her smile despite feeling obvious pain. As she does this, Damiana notes as curiosity fills her coffee brown eyes, and she shoves a strand of blonde away from her face. It takes a moment, but at last the injured museum worker makes an inquiry.

"Who are you, anyway? I know you're the person who stopped the fire, and that you came here with the Titans. Are you one of them, or are you just a helper?"

Frowning thoughtfully, Damiana gives a simple answer to her question after a moment of hesitation. "I'm the newest member of the Titans East."

Brown eyes lighting up, the woman responds to the confession happily. "The Titans East are getting a new member? That's great!" Pausing slightly, she adds, "Once you get your costume together, and once everything is made official, make sure that you kick butt! Bumblebee has been the only female member of the Titans East for too long, and this world needs more girl power."

False green eyes filling with surprise, Damiana's smile widens and she gives an appreciative nod. "Don't worry. I promise I'll be a butt-kicking Titan. I'm not about to let Aqualad and Speedy outdo me."

That last sentence is said partially in a joking fashion, causing the woman's features to brighten. Opening her mouth partway, it is apparent that she is about ready to say something else. Before the chance comes, however, shouts are heard from farther down the fire escape. The shouts don't come from any of Damiana's fellow Titans, neither do they come from the civilians. Shifting her gaze to the bottom of the stairwell, Damiana sees as a large group of firemen shove debris out of the way, and rapidly make their way up the stairs. While doing this, it is the tallest and bulkiest fireman that speaks.

"Alright, Titans, thanks for all of your help, but we've got things covered from here. Go help the rest of your team fight the maniac in the pirate costume."

Shifting her gaze to Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Mas y Menos, she sees as they exchange glances amongst themselves. A second later they glance up at her, silently commanding her to join them in their retreat. Understanding their unspoken language, Damiana looks to the woman she is assisting. Before Damiana has a chance to get out a single word, she pulls away from her grasp and leans against the wall while holding her leg tenderly.

"Don't worry about me, new Titan. A firefighter is going to be here any second to help me get the rest of the way out of the building. You've helped me plenty. Now go with the rest of the Titans before you get left behind."

Nodding, Damiana gets ready to sprint up the stairs back to the main section of the museum. Mas y Menos have already run past her, as has Cyborg. The only one left is Beast Boy, who loiters at the top of the stairs waiting for her. Knowing that there isn't a moment to lose, she starts tailing after them. However, before she can get too far, the blonde woman calls after her. It's as if she remembers a last minute question that she almost forgot to inquire about.

"Hey, new Titan, what are you called? If you're a Titan, then you have a hero name, right?"

Taken very off guard by the question, Damiana stops in her tracks. The girl doesn't notice, but now Cyborg and the twins are loitering at the top of the stairs alongside Beast Boy. Not only that, but the civilians who remain in the stairwell look up at her, finally realizing that the girl in the black tank top is indeed a new Titan. Of course, Damiana doesn't pay them any attention. Instead she stares at the woman in surprise, having no idea how to respond. For some reason, out of everything she has thought about during these past few days, a hero name for her Titans East persona has never crossed her mind. How could she possibly forget something so crucial?!

Taking a deep breath, Damiana wracks her brain for a name to give to the woman. There is no way she plans on giving her the name "Leila". Once the announcement is made that she's a Titan, she still plans on using "Leila" for when she goes out into the city as a civilian. She can't give away "Damiana" either. Whether she's a Titan or a civilian, "Damiana" will always sound out of place. So, if she can't give away either of these names, then what name can she possibly use?

It takes a long few moments, but at last her false green eyes widen in realization. Finally, after some lengthy contemplation, her hero name comes to her; the translation of "Damiana" into English. In the Dabnodian language, "Damiana" isn't just a name, but is actually a combination of several words with individual meanings. Thus, why "Damiana" has an exact English translation. Running the translation through her head, Damiana glances down at her golden arm band bearing the fire phoenix symbol.

"'Dam' means light, 'i' means of, and 'ana' means fire. So that would make my hero name…"

Clearing her throat, Damiana returns her gaze to the woman and answers her question with a small smile. "Firelight. My name is Firelight."

Returning her smile, the woman gives a friendly nod. "Firelight. I like it. It sounds powerful!"

"It really does sound powerful," states Cyborg from the top of the stairs. "It fits you."

Turning to face the Titans, Damiana rushes to the top of the stairs to join them. The moment she is at their side, they retreat from the fire escape and rush back inside the museum. Cyborg has his communicator out as they run, and is in the process of contacting the rest of the group. Meanwhile, as he does this, Beast Boy speaks to the brown-haired girl.

"Where did you come up with Firelight? If you came up with it off the top of your head, then that's actually really good."

Shrugging, she answers simply. "I guess the name has always been there. I just never chose to use it until now."

Beast Boy raises a puzzled brow, ready to question the meaning behind her explanation. Unfortunately, his words don't have a chance to come. Before any of them can make another move, Cyborg speaks loudly, his voice filled with anxiety.

"Uh…guys… I just made contact with Bee. I don't mean to put a damper on our morning, but we've got a problem. It looks like we're going to have to split up."

"The third time, Speedy! This is the third time this year I've gotten strapped to a bomb because of you!"

It didn't take long for the initial feeling of shock to wear off. Since the clock is ticking, and since there is less than two minutes left until the bomb explodes, both Titans are feeling a bit edgy. One side of the bomb is soaked with water, and the other has scorch marks on it from various electrocution and exploding arrows. Yet, in spite of their greatest efforts, the bomb is still completely intact as is the metal cable that keeps them tied down. Growing just as frustrated at their dilemma as the aquatic man, Speedy squirms against the bindings and shouts at him loudly in response.

"I don't see what you have to complain about! At least it's only your third time instead of your fourth! The last time I was tied to a bomb, I was next to Bumblebee! Do you have any idea how miserable it is being strapped to a bomb next to an angry woman?!"

"Not as bad as being shoved into a tank full of hungry sharks wearing a chum necklace! I swear, I'm never forgiving you for that! That mission with Aquaman and Green Arrow was a nightmare because of you! Your arrogance and overconfidence was always getting us into trouble even back then!"

"Hey, don't judge me! I'm not arrogant or overconfident! I just have a healthy self-esteem!"

All of the sudden a robotic voice sounds off, worsening their situation. "One minute and thirty seconds until detonation."

Eyes widening, the Titan boys exchange glances prior to releasing shrieks of terror.

"Speedy, please tell me that you have some kind of arrow that can help us!"

Gaping at Aqualad, he exclaims, "What planet have you been on for the past ten minutes?! I've already used every arrow in my reach! With my arms tied up, I can't reach anything else!"

Black-colored eyes widening, Aqualad replies in a mixture of fear and exasperation. "Why is it that I always end up next to you in life-threatening situations?! I don't want spend the last moments of my life with you! I want to spend them in the arms of a beautiful woman!"

Speedy gives a mocking laugh in spite of their predicament. "Ha! Finally, you say something normal! I thought for sure that you'd want to spend the last moments of your life saving a school of tuna from Alaskan fishermen!"

It is here that the aquatic Titan narrows his eyes into a glare. "You're always making fun of my love for the ocean! Why can't you ever take one minute to try and understand my feelings?!"

The redheaded archer returns his glare at the statement. "Give me back my mirror and my lucky comb, and maybe it'll happen." Pausing slightly, he adds, "But only maybe."

After a moment of silence, the robotic voice speaks again. "One minute left until detonation."

Aqualad and Speedy scream once more, their lives flashing before their eyes.

"I can't believe I have to die tied up next to you! Why is this happening?!"

"If I have to die today, I wish I could've slept in this morning!"

One minute goes down to forty-five seconds, and forty-five seconds to thirty. Once the timer counts down this far, the duo is completely certain that this is it for them. It is only by a stroke of luck that they just so happen to be wrong. Before the timer can count down any farther, a dark-haired persona dashes into the room. Due to their positions facing the World War I exhibit's entrance, they are able to spot her the moment she sprints inside. Much to their relief, the dark-haired persona is none other than their twiggy green-eyed friend with the curly hair.

"Leila!" They exclaim in a joyful unison.

"I've never been so happy to see you in my life!" cries the archer in relief.

Practically in tears, Aqualad shouts, "Now I don't have to die next to Speedy!"

Rolling her eyes playfully, she says, "I know. You want to die in the arms of a beautiful woman."

Conjuring a long, thin, shaft of fire, she aims at the part of the metal cable that is directly in between the two. Less than a second is what it takes for the cable to split apart, effectively freeing the Titan boys. Once they're free she takes on a solid stance and forms a larger shaft of fire that appears far more threatening than before. Taking the shaft of fire, which Speedy recalls Leila referring to as her "fire blade", she cuts through the bomb using a mixture of horizontal and diagonal slices. A few seconds is all it takes for electricity to pulse through it due to the severed wires and for the bomb to start smoking, Scurvy Dog's creation falling apart and collapsing to the ground in a pile of rubble a second later.

Once this happens, the girl folds her arms over her chest and turns to face them with a raised brow. Speedy isn't sure what to identify her expression as. The only thing that could come close to describing it would be a combination of curiosity and skepticism.

"So… I guess Bumblebee wasn't exaggerating with what she told Cyborg over his communicator. The guy in the pirate costume is better than everybody thought."

Clearing his throat awkwardly and withholding a blush of mortification, Speedy crosses his arms over his chest in a macho fashion. "No. Not at all. Anybody can try strapping a Titan to a bomb. He just did it…more effectively…than other villains."

Arching her brow, she eyes him in a playful manner. "Uh huh. Sure. If he did it more effectively than other villains, then this must be your first time getting strapped to a bomb instead of your fourth like I heard you saying. Right?"

The blush he was withholding makes its way outward as he yells in shock. "How did you hear us say all of that?! You weren't even in the room! You must have been in a whole other exhibit!"

Shrugging nonchalantly, her smirk only grows. By now it is smug rather than playful. "I was. Originally, I was in the boat exhibit helping Beast Boy and Cyborg get Bumblebee out of the submarine. The only reason I left was because I heard you two arguing. Your voices really carry, and it's a good thing too. Your bickering saved both of your lives."

A long moment of silence passes, the Titan boys taking in their newest teammate's words. When the silence finally ends, it is because of Aqualad.

"So, I take it that the hostages are out of the building and safe?"

Leila nods. "Yep."

"And the rest of you came to back us up?"

The girl nods once more. "Right again."

Another moment of silence passes before they finally exit the World War I exhibit, the group heading out to resume searching for Scurvy Dog. It takes a moment, but at last one of them speaks. This time it is Speedy, who just so happens to asks a very reasonable question.

"Hold on a second. If we're here, and if Cyborg and Beast Boy are in the boat exhibit helping out Bee, then where are Mas and Menos?"

Meanwhile…

In the Ancient Egypt exhibit, standing inside a large of a replica of a pyramid with broken glass from shattered display cases scattered across the floor, is none other than Scurvy Dog. He shoves golden jewelry, emeralds, and rubies inside of his sash hurriedly, laughing heartily the whole time. While doing this he strokes his long black beard with his hook, and his beady eyes shine with delight. Throughout the entire duration of plundering gems, he speaks to himself sounding pleased.

"It be true! I, Scurvy Dog, have earned my scurvy title as the Titans Easts' greatest foe! The lily-livered girl with the wings couldn't defeat me, and neither could those arrogant bilge rats! Steel City has never seen a devil more menacing than me! I be a pirate of an undefeatable breed!"

So distracted is the man with his plundering and self-gloating, that he doesn't notice the set of twins loitering outside the entrance to the pyramid. The one bearing the plus symbol stands on the left side of the door, while the one bearing the minus symbol stands to the right. Where they attained these objects nobody knows, but in one of their hands is a crowbar, and the other grasps tightly to an iron skillet. As they observe the man, the twins whisper quietly amongst themselves.

"¿Estás listo, Mas?"

"Sí, estoy listo."

With that being said, the two tiptoe into the pyramid without using their super speed. Somehow, Scurvy Dog doesn't sense them. Instead he continues shoving valuables into his sash and bragging to himself about what an undefeatable pirate he is. An entire minute passes like this until, at last, loud metallic clanging fills the air along with a pained screech. First the crowbar makes contact with the back of his skull, followed by the iron skillet.

"¡Morir, pirata!"

"¡No vivirás!"

Scurvy Dog stares ahead blankly for a moment, mumbling to himself. "Ye scurvy lily livers. You will walk the plank."

Once that is said the bearded man falls unconscious, tumbling to ground in a heap of leather. A moment passes as Mas y Menos hover over him, making sure that he is truly passed out before pulling out a black and yellow communicator.

"El villano es derrotado. Me pondré en contacto con los otros."

"Sí. Hacerlo ahora."

A/N: I hope that you enjoyed the update! To be honest, I originally planned on having Speedy, Bee, and Aqualad take down Scurvy Dog. But then, on some kind of whim, I decided to have Speedy and Aqualad get tied to a bomb instead. I don't know why. For some reason I thought it would be funny! XD

Also, if any of you are curious, my younger brother is actually the one who inspired the idea for Scurvy Dog as a side villain. Even now at sixteen years old, he still complains that the original Teen Titans never had a pirate-themed villain, so I thought that I would add one in for him. Not to mention that with every threatening villain, there always has to be a lame villain too. It's kind of like how even though there's Slade, there's also Doctor Light. With Black Shadow being such a big threat, I thought that I would add in a ridiculous villain to balance things out. Hopefully all of you are okay with that. Personally, I absolutely love Scurvy Dog! (Yes, my brother came up with the name too XD.)

Anyway, thank you all for reading! I promise that I will try to get the next chapter out a whole lot sooner! Until next time! :)

Forever and Always,

OCQ