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Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, plain and simple.

A Dish Best Served Cold-Chapter Seven



"Zero, are you alright?"

"Hmph. You'd think she'd be a little more grateful."

"Dude, I can't believe she just slapped him!"

"He is upset! Please we must help him..."

"Hey, man, snap out of it..."

Sub-Zero listened to his friends' voices for a minute before composing himself enough to stand up and speak. He managed to get to his feet and reply to them:

"No I'm alright...it's just...Jinx...she must think I tricked her and ratted her out to you guys." He sighed softly.

"But you did not! You told us only after Robin saw you rescuing her on the video footage." Star replied, obviously distressed by recent events.

He nodded "I know...but, she doesn't. And now, she thinks I betrayed her..." he said. He closed his eyes and growled softly in frustration. "Some knight I'm turning out to be, eh guys? I try to do something right for once, and it blows up in my face." He lamented.

Cyborg stepped up and shook his head. "It ain't your fault, man. She's just...mixed up right now."

"Yeah...look, I'm gonna go talk to her, and explain to her what happened.... um.... could you guys wait out here?" he asked hesitantly. "I'm not sure how kindly she'd take to your presence."

Robin nodded the affirmative. "We'll wait out here. Remember, we're just here to talk to her, not to arrest her or fight." He said. 'Maybe this wasn't such a hot idea...' he sighed mentally. Already he had gotten her pissed off at Zero over nothing!

'If all Sub-Zero says is true, she might not be such a criminal after all...' he thought to himself. Back at the Tower, Zero had explained to him her reactions upon waking up and some of the regret she had expressed about her past crimes...but was she telling the truth, or just trying to weasel her way out of it?

That's why Robin had decided they should talk to her...not exactly an interrogation or anything, but just to ask her some questions.

Sub-Zero knocked softly on the door. Hearing no response, he carefully opened it up and stepped inside, ready to dodge any "bad luck bombs" she might be pissed enough to hurl at him... but, fortunately, she did not attack him.

She was sitting on the bed, with her back turned to him, and her arms wrapped around her knees, cradling her legs up in front of her. Although she made no noise, her shoulders shook violently, tipping him off that she might be crying. Slowly and hesitantly he went over to her.

"...Jinx?" he called her name softly, trying to get her attention without startling her.

"Get away from me." She hissed vehemently, causing him to flinch slightly.

"Look, we need to talk." He insisted, "I should probably explain why those guys are here."

"You don't have to explain anything! You lied! You told them I was here! You "saved" me and buttered me up with breakfast so you could turn me in to them! And I believed you." She sounded disgusted with herself.

She suddenly turned around to face him while she said this, and he flinched again as her feline eyes glared hatefully at him. He also noticed, with a pang of guilt, that she appeared to have been crying badly before he came in. The purple makeup she wore on her face had blurred badly from the tears that had been flowing across it, and her eyes were slightly puffy and swollen.

He shook his head violently "No! Please, listen to me, you've got it wrong!" he insisted.


"You lie!" she screamed, covering her ears and shaking her head violently. She turned back away from him, and he could've sworn he heard her mumble under her breath: "You're no better than Stone..."

He blinked in confusion...'Stone?'


"I don't get it...who is Stone?" he asked after a moment. She sniffled before replying:

"Your Titan friends didn't tell you about that?" she spat "Figures...Stone was just like you."

He shifted his weight uncomfortably "Like me?"

"Yes." She nodded, turning back around and glaring at him again with that piercing narrow stare. "He was my friend...maybe more than my friend. He went to school with me, and Mammoth and Gizmo, and all the others. He was always so nice to me..."

Sub-Zero looked at her blankly 'If I'm like somebody who was kind to her, why is she so angry?'

"But then, he turned on us. He was Cyborg the whole time! Sure, they could've just broken in and found out about the headmasters plans...hacked the computer or something.... but NO! They had to mess with our heads. They had to have a little fun with us...with me...and was he even the least bit sorry for it? No, he liked doing it, the bastard!" she sobbed, the tears beginning to flow freely.

It didn't take much of this to make Zero decide he'd heard enough...he hated to see people cry...


'Cy wouldn't have done something like that...would he?' he wondered.

Nevertheless, He walked over and sat down at the desk near the bed. He looked at her and said:


"You know, the only reason they are here is because the cameras don't lie."



She looked up at him incredulously. "What?"


He explained to her how the one remaining security camera had filmed him taking her out of the building, and how Robin had confronted him about it, forcing him to fess up.


She stared suspiciously. "How do I know you're not lying?" she whispered.


He shrugged. "You don't. But I was hoping you'd give me another chance..." he held his hand out to her to help her up "...to earn your trust, and hopefully, your friendship." She looked at him with misty eyes.


Deep inside, she wanted to believe him. But, could she? 'He's lying again!' One part of her screamed. 'No, it's a misunderstanding...just give him a chance.' Another part whispered. She shook her head, confused by her conflicting emotions.


He looked her dead in the eye. "So....can you trust me?" he motioned toward the door, where the Titans were waiting outside. She wiped her eyes, and nodded slowly, following him to the door.

However, the moment he opened up the door, Beast Boy fell in, having been pressing his ear to the door eavesdropping. Zero cocked an eyebrow at him and he laughed nervously. "S-s-sorry...couldn't help myself."


Thirty minutes Later, at Titan's Tower...

The Titans were in the living room, crowded around the couch where Jinx sat, with Sub-Zero standing behind her.

"So...how long have you been with H.I.V.E.?" Robin asked.

Jinx was sitting in front of him on the couch, listening to him.

"Since about three years ago." She replied impatiently, not seeing how this had to do with anything.

"Okay. Why did you join in the first place?" He persisted.

She shook her head. "I didn't. I was sent." She corrected nonchalantly.

Robin stared. "Sent? What do you mean, sent?"

She smacked herself in the forehead. "I mean, my parents sent me to get me out of the house."

"You're kidding...your parents sent you to an evil school for young criminals?" he asked incredulously.

She shrugged. "They probably didn't know. They were just glad to be rid of me."

"Why would they be?"

"Back then, I had no control at all over my powers. If anybody got to close, they would suddenly have something bad happen to them for no apparent reason. So naturally, they couldn't wait to have me gone." She explained.

"Dude! They kicked you out just because of that?" Beast Boy asked. The subject of people who couldn't control their powers was something he knew a thing or two about.

She nodded. "Well, yes, but it was for the better. At the academy, I learned to focus my power into hexes and magic blasts."

"So that's why you committed crimes...simply for H.I.V.E.'s sake?" Robin asked skeptically.

"Well what was I supposed to do? Just get up and leave?" she snapped. "Maybe you don't notice but I don't exactly have a home to go to."

She glared at Robin for a second. "Why are you asking me all this?" she asked finally.

He shrugged casually. "Just to get to know you. Since you can't really be considered part of the H.I.V.E anymore, you're not really our enemy."

She snorted. "Yeah right.... you're trying to tell me you've already forgive me, just like that?"

Starfire floated over and spoke up. "Yes. If you are not our enemy, then you should be our friend!" she said "We have no reason to fight anymore, so we should...um... excuse and purge from our memory!" she chirped. Everyone stared.

"Ahem.... I think she means 'Forgive and Forget'." Raven explained


"Um, yes that is what I meant."


Jinx stared around. "Are you all serious?" she asked softly "After everything I've done, you don't hate me?"

"I admit, I doubted what Sub-Zero was telling me...but not anymore...not if you're really through with H.I.V.E....and as for a place to stay, we've got some rooms here." Robin explained.

"Yeah, and besides, any friend of his," Beast Boy said motioning toward Sub-Zero ", is a friend of ours."

She looked down at the carpet. "Well...in that case....I...I'm........sorry."

"For what, exactly?"

"For everything. For stealing your tower, and Robins belt, and Raven's cloak, and for making fun of you when you got brainwashed by that crazy lady, and...." She said all this very fast, running the sentences together without stopping.


"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down!" Robin yelled. "Look, whatever you're sorry for, we forgive you."

" And, to be honest,...... I've got some apologizing of my own to do." Cyborg said slowly. Everyone looked at him.

"Even though we did have good reason to try and find out what Blood was planning...the way we went.... no...the way I went about it.... was all wrong." Cy explained with a hint of remorse creeping into his voice. "I shouldn't have messed with ya'll like that." He said to Jinx "or y'all either." He said motioning towards his comrades, referring to the way he had pretended to betray them, only revealing his true intentions at the last moment with the shout: 'Psyche!'


At these words, the young witch truly looked like she would cry at any moment. "Are you...serious?" she asked softly.

Cy raised his right hand as if he were taking an oath, and replied solemnly without a moment's hesitation: "Dead serious."


All of the sudden, there were the sounds of soft sniffling from the back of the room and everybody looked over to see both Star and Zero silently trying to hold back tears.

"H-huh? Dudes, what's wrong?" Beast Boy said worriedly.

" (sniff) I can't help it! That was just so...(Sniffle)...beautiful!" Zero stammered in a wishy washy tone. "Aw, c'mere, you big mechanical lug!"

Without any warning, he grabbed Cyborg around the neck, and in a further display of his hidden strength, pulled him down in a headlock and started giving him a noogie.

Everybody in the room nearly did an anime-style, face-plant-to-the-floor.

"Yes, it is most rewarding to be finally be able to set aside our differences and be friends." Star sniffled, equally emotional over this whole thing.


Jinx looked around the room and smiled slightly, relieved that...well, #1, she wasn't being sent to prison. #2 Sub-Zero really hadn't lied to her and #3, the Titans were not nearly as hostile as she had at first thought.

Things went on like this for several minutes before Cyborg interrupted: "Hey who's up for dinner?"
"Alright! I'm so hungry I could eat a horse...if I wasn't vegetarian" Beast Boy said, turning into a big green horse just to make the point.

"Cyborg's got a point." Robin agreed. "Titans, Let's Eat!" shouted pointing at the kitchen and going in, with Starfire floating closely behind him. Cy, B.Boy, and Raven went next, leaving only Sub-Zero and Jinx left in the room.

Zero walked over to the couch again and put an arm on Jinx's shoulders.

"So...did I tell ya, or did I tell ya?" he said smoothing his hair back and gazing at her with his crimson eyes.

She looked at him and frowned. "Zero...I.... I'm sorry.... for everything I said back on your ship, and for s-for s-slapping you." She said, having trouble getting out the word slap. "Can you ever forgive me...?" she asked looking into his eyes.

He shrugged "Well Hell, what's to forgive? You were just a little bit upset, that's all." He said with his trademark lopsided grin. "Heh.... maybe rescuing you wasn't such bad luck on my part! Hahaha!" he laughed, making his own joke.

"Hmph. Hilarious." She said, taking a moment to catch the 'bad luck' crack.

"But seriously....I don't....know what to say...." She said looking down at her lap. "You didn't have to do all this...any of it...but you did anyway, and only for my sake.... I just can't thank you enough...." She whispered looking back up into his red eyes again.

"Oh, well.... it's nothin' anybody else would not have done." He said, blushing slightly as he noticed Jinx slowly, but steadily, moving closer to him.

"Yes, but still....I wish I could show....show how much I....appreciate it...." She just kept moving closer until their faces were almost touching.

"Er...well...I-i....umm..." he couldn't think of anything to say.

He knew he should be backing away from her, but for reasons even he didn't know, he moved closer as well.

Finally, their lips were just about only a quarter-of-an-inch apart...

"Hey there." Drawled a monotone voice from the other part of the room.

Sub-Zero jerked back and his eyes went wide as red Frisbees. Jinx gasped loudly and her face went from pale-gray to deep red in seconds.

They looked over in the general direction, and saw Raven staring at them.

"Are you two going to eat, or what?" she asked, obviously having seen the pair in action, but deciding not to comment on it.

"Uh...we'll be there in a sec..." Sub-Zero stammered. Jinx couldn't speak but nodded in agreement.

Raven walked back into the kitchen with the others.

Sub-Zero and Jinx looked at each other, blushed, and smiled briefly before walking off after them.








However...all is not well...




None of them had noticed, but a small one-eyed flying robot floated completely silently outside the window. After hovering in place for a bit longer, it soared off to God-knows-wherever-it- came-from.





"Hmmm.....interesting." An ominous looking figure sitting on a large throne in the middle of a large black-lit chamber with enormous twisting gears and buzzing machinery, softly spoke these words.

He watched the feedback from the spy-drone on a huge monitor screen in front of him.

Without another warning, he laughed deep in his throat, a low, hoarse chuckle that would've sent chills down even Sub-Zero's spine...