Hi everyone! This is a challenge fic I took on at the request of Mr. Aanonymous. I'm actually both really excited and really nervous about writing for a couple I've never written before - I'm not sure I've been able to do them justice so I'm welcome to all feedback both positive and negative because I want to improve my characterization. Big thanks to Mr. Aanonymous for convincing me to write outside of my comfort zone and providing encouragement, ideas, and support.

Notes: Set after the end of Season 1.

Thanks to silent reviewers.

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or its characters.

Cat and Mouse

Jade was restless as she sat atop a redundantly tall skyscraper piercing the Gotham skyline. It is a peculiar place to be in - not on the building staring out over an impossibly high precipice but the fact that for the first time in her life she had no idea what she was doing. It was raining too. It never snowed in Gotham the air was too saturated with pollution and smoke for it to get cold enough to produce snow. She kind of liked it.

She'd actually left the Shadows. Well left may not be the right word, she was taking a break; she hadn't left the Shadows in over eight years after she joined them. Bur recently she'd grown rather annoyed with their pettiness and whining because let's be honest they were a crew of two-bit criminals who really had no business thinking they were entitled to knowing anything about the Light except that it was the proverbial top rung on the villainy ladder.

And perhaps an impromptu vacation from villainy was the not the right way to describe what she was doing in Gotham or her temporary leave of absence from the Shadows. Recently the Shadows had begun to doubt her objectivity - saving her sister's life, abandoning Sportsmaster - but hey she didn't care. She did what she wanted. However, there was nothing that irked her more than the fact that even given her skills and years of loyal service she was still treated like a peon by The Light. She had laughed when she heard that the programming on Roy had been so incomplete and fallible that after brainwashing the whole league he'd been able to screw over Savage and most of his commands had been rendered obsolete.

True, he was probably traumatized. It wasn't everyday you found out you were a clone driven to infiltrate the Justice League and bring about the end of modern civilization subliminally for an evil organization of super villains. Problem was pretty boy was all talk and no show - letting the smallest and most pointless things bug him. She would bet all her knives that right now Roy was falling to pieces; and that twinge of worry she was feeling was probably indigestion. But really who cared if he was a clone he was a damn fine one. So Jade came to a decision that since the Shadows had decided to bench her she'd have a little fun. Just to get on their nerves and perhaps vindicate some of her own little urges she'd go pay a visit to the angsty red head, which lead her to a dreary apartment in Gotham that rainy, grey night in the middle of January because she needed information.

She had been surprised to see that nothing had changed in the room she shared with Artemis. Nothing. Her bed was still made her favorite pillow still there, and the poster of Alice in Wonderland was still intact the Cheshire cat leering at her from his paper prison. Jade narrowed her eyes at the image feeling slightly uncomfortable at the two-dimensional gaze,

"I do you better," she snapped as she heard voices on the other side of the door and it creaked open and Artemis stared at her unblinking for a good three seconds before sighing.

"Doesn't anyone use doors anymore?" asked Artemis throwing her quiver and bow violently on the bed and turning around to face her sister an angry glower on her face, "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, come on," joked Jade juggling a couple of knives between her hands as she sprawled out across the purple bedspread on her side of the room, "I heard daddy dearest paid you a visit. Can't let him have all the fun." Artemis rolled her eyes,

"Last I checked dad was in prison."

"May he long stay there." Jade responded.

"Wasn't he your partner?" she quipped.

"I didn't have a choice."

"Then why'd you leave him?" Artemis was staring her down; eyes questioning. Jade just shrugged - of all the people in the world she did not have to justify herself to her goody-two-shoes little sister.

"Go harass someone else," Artemis bit out whirling around and stalked over to her dresser to get her pajamas

"That's actually exactly what I want to do. You got Red's address?" Artemis slammed the drawer shut throwing her hands in the air and shaking her head.

"You have got to be kidding. What are you twelve? Go deal with your crush on your own."

"But I like toying with my food," purred Cheshire arching her back off the bed, "It's no fun if he doesn't fight back."

"I'm pretty sure Roy is going to fight back if you pull another stunt on him like you did in New Orleans. Besides he's going through some things right now."

"Please," sneered Jade sitting up and looking her sister dead in the eyes, "A hot clone, is still hot, and everything still functions right."

"Ok, you're sick," said Artemis pointedly, "And I'm done with this conversation."

"Feeling a little hot and bothered sis now that you got your own red-headed boy toy." Artemis started, stumbled and then righted herself.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I hear he vibrates," she leered, "Sounds delicious."

"Wow," gaped Artemis mockingly, "You must really like Red Arrow if you're going this far to annoy me into giving you his address." Jade glared standing up from the bed to stare down her sister. She had not been expecting her ribbing to backfire, usually Artemis would have cracked from either embarrassment or defiance and coughed up what she wanted to know but clearly someone, probably the Bat, was teaching her how to control her temper.

"Tell me."

"Don't think so. But hey," she smiled sarcastically, "I have this new invention called a door and you can walk right through it and use all your savvy ninja know how to find him yourself." Jade grimaced and pouted childishly.

"But it's raining and cats hate to get their fur wet." Jade thought she had won the argument till Artemis threw a ghastly yellow umbrella at her.

"There," Artemis smirked crossing her arms, "Now go preen yourself somewhere else or I'll go tell mom a stray followed me home." Jade somersaulted out the window on purpose ignoring Artemis's cusses behind her that she needed to learn how to use a fucking door.

Biting her lip with a devilish smirk on her face she decided she had no choice - she'd have to go terrorize his city and force that delectably chiseled body out of hiding but she really had no problem with that. The only thing that could make hunting down Roy even better was an unexpected crime spree. Let the game of cat and mouse begin.

It wasn't until she had walked three blocks toward the train station (so that she can catch a ride to Star City) that she realized the horrid umbrella has a dumb ass Kid Flash logo on it.

Jade didn't like to be kept waiting, especially when she had been unbelieving patient. Three days. That's how long she had been in Star City causing havoc. Three days and Red had not have the decency to show his face yet and that Jade concluded was unacceptable. She would not be ignored.

Bored Cheshire sidled along some nervous security guards, "Who you looking for boys?" Before they could even utter an exclamations of shock she had them pinned to the wall with her daggers and knocked out, as she slunk into the third jewelry store of the night - honestly, was she going to have to burn the city down to get Red Arrow to show up.

"Now there's an appealing thought," she purred arson always did get her motor revving.

"You've got to be kidding," shouted a voice behind her, "You are not worth my time. I'm going home." Jade twirled around tossing some daggers at irate red headed archer's feet from her sitting position on a glass case that contained some tacky costume jewelry.

"But you just got here," she said, "Where's the fun in that, hero-boy?"

"Are you going to let me haul your ass off the jail?"

"Hell no," she laughed.

"Then go be somebody else's problem. I've got way too many of my own," his voice cracked at the end and the slits in his mask narrowed as his brow furrowed. Jade placed a finger to her lips cocking her head to side and gave him a contemplative look. She had to admit even at his worst; blown up, belligerent, bleeding, he had never looked so...defeated. He didn't carry himself the same way anymore. The confidence and pride he had held as a man had all but evaporated with the knowledge he was a cheap copy and along with it his snark and swagger. He was hollow and Jade didn't like it.

"Let's go," she snapped expertly jumping off the display case and grabbing his wrist. She's tired and annoyed and is sick at looking at pity-party Roy.

"What!"

"Well I grabbed," she looked dismissively between the unconscious guards, "I think...lefty's car keys. I think you need a vacation."

"I don't think gallivanting around with a known criminal in a stolen car is what I would define as a vacation."

"Good god, Arrow do you ever do anything fun?" He glared at her snatching his arm away.

"Cheshire I am not going anywhere with you," he reiterated, "I have to -"

"Find the real Roy," she mocked, "Look clone boy. You better give up on that idea. Some people are better left buried."

"Wait," his eyes widened at the insinuation, "You know something!"

"Please I was there for every single one of your little tête-à-têtes with Sportsmaster nothing more." She idly twirled the keys around her fingers. Red Arrow was appraising her with startling rapt attention but now that she had his undivided attention Jade was feeling two emotions a very minute twinge of discomfort overwhelmed by a feeling of boredom because once she had his attention where was the fun in that. It was his turn to chase her. "I'm bored Broken Arrow. See you around." Before he could even begin to protest she threw a smoke bomb on the ground and slipped out a side door listening to Roy's curses with a smug grin on her face.

It's only once she was leaping across rooftops that she began to consider what she's started. Not that she regretted it - this was the jungle and he was the prey but still she has pretty much given Roy an invitation to chase her down when she knew absolutely nothing about the original Speedy because she was never privileged to that information. Then again she doesn't really care about the original Roy - he's not here.

That's the kind of person she is. Her world is painted in black and white (the side she's on doesn't matter) but if her boss says kill she kills, she doesn't think about if the person has a family or a life - a job is a job. She also doesn't lie - there's no need to when you're a criminal everyone thinks you're a liar. So the fact that there might be another Roy Harper doesn't really concern her. The boy is dead to her. The only Roy Harper that matters is the one chasing after her or she assumes is chasing after her if the shocked look on his face after she said his activation phrase is anything to go by. A small smile graced her features as the seedy motel she was staying in came into view. It's a quick process to strip off her uniform and jump in the shower.

God she hates cheap places. The water is unbearably cold and there's stains in the bathtub and if she wasn't going to skip out on the bill she might just have marched down and complain to the illiterate idiot manning the front desk that a bureau is not a fancy Mexican burrito and that the one in her room is infested with some sort of mold.

"What next?" she wondered out loud, "Arson is still an option I suppose but so over done. Murder. Yes murder is definitely a logical next step. I hear that Oliver Queen guy is some sort of bigwig in this city." She tossed a piece of soap between her hands concluding happily that even if Roy decided to be some pathetic self-pitying moron and avoid her at least her vacation would be an exciting one.

She hissed when the water pounding against her skin went from frigid to sweltering as she hears the toilet flush.

"Fuck!"

"You called me Broken Arrow."

"Why Arrow," Jade murmured as she pulled back the shower curtain to find the red head grimacing, "Breaking and entering is becoming quite a habit for you as of late." The man glowered at her in the bathroom mirror which had conveniently fogged up in the appropriate places. Jade, of course, took advantage of the opportunity to tease him. "If you wanted to see me naked you just had to ask?"

His eyes strayed to her face in the mirror and gave an exaggerated once over of the few foggy shadows of her naked form visible in the glass, "Please you're hardly worth looking at. Cover yourself." He threw a towel in her general vicinity. She deviously ignored the towel snaking her arms around his torso pressing her soggy self into his back.

"I have nothing to hide," she purred.

"Sure you do."

"Even if I did I don't have to tell you," she riposted.

"You're going to help me find Roy." He stated adamantly. She raised an eyebrow humorously at his idea her reflection looking particularly catty in the mirror as she peered over his shoulder.

"Pretty confident for a guy who just snuck into an assassin's bathroom."

"You called me Broken Arrow."

"What are you a broken record? You have two tracks; broken arrow and original speedy. Don't you play any other songs?"

"You called me fucking Broken Arrow!" Jade rolled her eyes at Roy's outburst. He whipped around grabbing her forearms and spun her so she was pressed against the counter - his fingers were digging painfully into her skin which was kind of a turn on so really she did the only thing she could. She kissed him. Which elicited an even more violent outburst from the man as he pulled his mouth away,

"Stop that!" he fumed as she continued to grin at him in her mysterious alluring way, "You know something and won't tell me, Cheshire!" His frustration grew as he stared at her smirking face. "You have the connections I need and you are helping me whether you like it or not!"

"I've got nothing," she responded evenly, "Besides you haven't offered something I need," she quipped leaning up to kiss the shell of his ear, "Nothing to entice me, Roy boy. I don't work for free or help pathetic losers who don't even have the guts to fight for what they want." Roy's fist whipped out making contact with the mirror just millimeters from the left side of her face. Jade didn't even blink.

"See," she pressed, "You don't even have the guts to hit me. Even the little geek Kid Flash could follow through. But you," she paused to snort, "You're all brood and no game." He wasn't staring at her though he was staring at the shattered glass and his fragmented reflection and growled,

"I have to find him." Whether the statement was directed toward her or himself Jade didn't really care as she peddled backwards and out of the bathroom - rule number one never turn your back on a threat even if they appeared harmless.

"You are going to help me find the real Speedy," he stated pointedly at her arms crossed over his soggy body, "You know people in the Shadows who can help me." Jade shook her head laughing.

"You've got nothing literally. I've got nothing figuratively."

"You're a liar."

"No. I've never lied," she laughed, "But no one believes me."

"You're a criminal," he scoffed.

"True, but I've never lied. When I say something is going to blow up it usually does." He burst past her into the room. Jade merely sauntered behind him completely comfortably with her nakedness and began to pull on her uniform, "But I'm not helping you till you offer me something I want."

"So what is it that you want?" Jade idly began stretching - bending and twisting her body with acrobatic skill.

"Don't know yet. But if you promise to give it to me when I do know I might just give you some contacts so you can find your teeny-tiny other self." Roy looked at her skeptically before just glaring at her.

"I have ground rules. One, no stealing. Two, I drive. Three, we use my people."

"Geez, rule four no more happiness?" mocked Jade perching herself on the dresser across from the bed, "Do you usually suck the fun out of everything?" She of course didn't get an answer.