Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or DC Comics.

Author's Note: Well folks, here is the re-written mini-sequel to my story and I hope you enjoy it. It's just a little Christmas treat. The first chapter isn't too much different than the original version of this story, but I did make a few changes. I am going to do with this story what I did with What In The World. I'm just going to delete all the chapters so that I can keep all of my old reviews. I just really don't want to part with them and the more I think about it, the more I think that is what I should've done with Bound To You, but oh well, it's too late now. So for all of those who have me on their alerts, I apologize for the whole double alert that will be sent to your inboxes. :)

Bound To You: The Christmas Spirit

Chapter 1

It was a beautiful December day in Jump City and the view from Titans Tower showed no exception. Kory watched the snow fall outside the huge common room windows as she waited for her love to get home.

Decorating the tower and the tree just does not seem as fun without Dick,I hope he gets home soon.

She felt as though she was in a silent bubble because she was concentrating so hard on the beautiful snow; however, just because she didn't hear noise, didn't mean it wasn't going on.

Outside Kory's bubble, Garfield, Raven and Victor were all putting ornaments on the big Christmas tree that the town had donated to their tower. It was a yearly tradition that they all decorated the tree five days till' Christmas. No one knew a specific reason why December 20th was the tree decorating chosen date; that was just when it was.

Raven was being particularly quiet as usual, while Victor and Gar sang their joyful Christmas-time ballads. That too was a yearly tradition; however, Kory and Dick were usually included in the festive ceremonies.

Kory just didn't feel right; she just felt something was out of place. Dick had left so quickly today. It wasn't like him to ever make plans on the 20th. She tried to not think about it too much and averted her attention back to the snow.

"-Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle allll the way…" Gar's soprano voice rang out. He just loved this time of the year. He looked over at Kory and wondered why she wasn't joining in on their good time.

Heck, even Raven is having a good time… Gar observed. He decided to speak up and break her from her trance.

"Yo, Kory! What's wrong? You usually love decorating the Christmas tree." After he had said something about her suspicious behavior, the other two Titans turned their attention to the lone teammate in the windowsill.

Kory snapped out of her trance. She hadn't noticed that it had become that obvious that something was on her mind. She took in a deep breath and exhaled before she parted her lips to speak.

"Nothing is really wrong, I just do not know." That was a lie; she knew what was wrong. Perhaps she may as well just talk openly. After all, the Titans were her friends and one of the good things about a friend is that you can confide in them during times of distress.

She spoke again after noticing that the Titans weren't buying her first excuse. "Okay. I guess since me and Dick are engaged now, I had – how do you say it, high expectations- for this Christmas. I know I am just acting really silly; it is not even Christmas yet. I just wish he were here to enjoy in the festivities…with me." Her audience all nodded their heads simultaneously, none of them really wanting to speak. They couldn't explain even Dick's simplest mannerisms; nonetheless, tell Kory what he is thinking.

After what seemed like a decade of awkward silence, Victor swallowed and spoke up. "Goldie, we really can't tell you what is going on inside his head; we're sorry. But you know Dick will be back pretty soon, if you come over and join in on the fun, time will fly and he'll be home before you know it." Victor finalized his statement with a smile.

"I suppose you are right…" Kory swallowed a smirk to sneak past her lips. "Let us –how you earthlings say- get this party started!" She walked over to the tree and took a purple ornament out of the box and hung it on the massive pine. "Too bad Donna and Roy are not here to join in the festivities as well."

I will not let my silly thoughts ruin my day.

Gar started in on Jingle Bells again. "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells-"

Victor interrupted him, "Hey BB, let's sing our special version." An evil grin crept upon his face when he saw his green friend's eyes sparkle with excitement.

"Heck yeah! Let's do it!" the changeling pumped his fist into the air, almost causing him to lose he balance on the ladder he was standing on.

"What special version are you all speaking of? Do I know of it?" Kory questioned. She did not know that carols had 'special' versions. She was slightly curious to know what they were talking about.

"No, but you are going to love it! It is an awesome version of jingle bells!" Gar spoke up.

"Yeah, the best!" Victor chimed in.

"I don't think you should sing it. You know Dick doesn't like that version; it will only cause him to inflict physical harm upon you. Must we be reminded of the first time he heard you sing it? As I recall that first time you sang it was also the last." Raven interjected. She noticed Dick sneaking into the front door out of the corner of her eye.

"Uhm Raven, do you see him around here anywhere? NO. So I think we will be safe." Garfield defended, nearly causing him to lose his balance on the ladder a second time.

Raven grinned. She actually hoped they would sing it just so that a beating would ensue; she needed some genuine entertainment today. "Oh right," she said in her usual monotone voice, "what was I thinking? Proceed."

Kory was all smiles as they began to sing the special carol.

"Jingle Bells, Batman smells Robin laid an egg. Batmobile lost a wheel and the Joker got awaaaaayyyy…" the two boys harmonized their voices not paying attention to the figure standing behind them. Kory noticed him and was about to squeal until she saw Dick place his forefinger to his lips.

"Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin la-" their musical number was interrupted by the clearing of a throat that was too deep to be Raven or Kory's.

"I really hate that version." Dick said with a grin on his face. He knew he had scared his friends by sneaking up on them. He wouldn't have to go Chuck Norris on them; their expressions were payback enough.

Garfield shrieked and finally lost his balance on the ladder. Robin took back what he was previously thinking. THAT was punishment enough. He let out a chuckle and walked towards Kory.

"Third time must be a charm. Isn't that right, Gar?" Raven let out a small laugh causing all team members to glance at her suspiciously. "What? I can't think his falling off of a ladder is funny?"

"Okay, okay. That is enough excitement for now; let's just get this tree finished. I am becoming sick of this pine tree smell." Victor said as he placed another ornament on the tree.

Dick wrapped his arms around Kory's waist and leaned back in order to look into her face. "I missed you, Kory." He smiled. "Did you miss me?"

"Of course I did!" She exclaimed before planted a short kiss on his waiting lips. She released herself from his hold and reached out for his hand. Once she felt contact, she led him over to the huge window. "This is what I watched all day. Is the snow not just so pretty and romantic?"

"It is indeed Kory. Until you are stuck in it, or having to walk home in it…"

Kory looked at him with her infamous 'do you have to be a negative Nancy?' glare.

Dick laughed and draped his arm over her shoulder pulling her closer to him. "I'm just playing around with you Kory, of course it's romantic." he turned his head to give her a slight kiss on her temple.

"I just cannot wait for this Christmas. It is going to be the best Christmas yet. We are engaged now. So this will be like our first Christmas together as more than boyfriend and girlfriend." Kory's smile now turned into a giant grin.

Dick swallowed hard and stepped away causing her to have a slight shift in balance. "Dick, is there something wrong? Is it something I said?" Kory was beginning to worry if he had changed his mind about getting married in the last 3 hours that he was out of the tower.

"No, no Kory. You didn't say anything wrong. I just…well… hmm… okay, I have some kind of bad news. But it isn't really that bad of news; I don't think you will like the news much though." Dick tugged on his bright blue collar to signify his uneasiness on discussing the topic.

"Dick…just spit it out. What is wrong? Do you not want to get married to me anymore?" Kory looked into his eyes searching for an answer to her questions.

"Oh…God no Kory…nothing like that. Don't you worry, nothing is going to change my mind about marrying you; I promise you that. Wild horses couldn't stop me." Robin let out a smirk.

"Then what is it?"

"Well…okay I am just going to say it-I have to go to Gotham for Christmas this year. And I know this is short notice for you, but I just found out today myself; I'm sorry."

"I do not think I fully understand the situation. Would you care to explain in more detail please?

Dick inhaled sharply before fulfilling her request. "Okay, well I usually just go to Gotham for the day on December 23rd and such, but you already know that." He glanced at Kory as she nodded.

"Well, December is Hell Month, so the holidays aren't particularly a good time for Bruce and company. There isn't really a reason to go home because all he ever does is patrol all night and take out his aggressions on the few second-rate criminals that don't know any better than to not cause trouble. Well since Alfred is getting older, he wants to have an actual sit down dinner. I suppose the fact that he is dating Selina now has something to do with it also." Dick knew he was rambling; oh, how he did not want to give her this news.

"Dick, you are rambling, will you please get to the point?"

"Okay, so to introduce his relationship into the public light, he is throwing a famous 'Wayne' bash on Christmas Eve. And I have to be there, as his ward, to keep up with appearances. If I honestly had a choice Kory, I would much rather be here; Wayne Enterprise functions are so boring. And then on Christmas Day, Alfred is cooking this huge dinner and Bruce is actually going to spend Christmas inside the Manor."

Dick looked at Kory. So far so good… she doesn't have smoke coming out of her ears or anything. Looks like I may be in good shape after all. And I was all worried for nothing. He stopped his train of thought and continued to speak again, feeling he needed to further explain himself.

"That I do want to attend because, well, I know this is a hard time for him and he could use my support; he's my family…as dysfunctional as it is. I really do feel bad about all of this because well, it is our first Christmas as a 'new-and-improved' couple. I just really hate letting you down."

"Dick, you are not letting me down at all. I do not know why you think Christmas in Gotham is such bad news. That is your family; you should not feel guilty for wanting to spend Christmas with your family."

"Yeah… Kory, thank you. Thank you for being the most perfect and understanding person in the universe. If only all men could be as lucky as I." Dick picked her up and swung her around in a circle, warranting a squeal.

"Well of course Dick. I mean sure I will feel a little sad about not being able to spend Christmas with the Titans as I have for all my years on Earth. But I would love to officially meet your 'family' and meet all the important people in your past." Kory ran a mental list in her head of all the people from Robin's past that she had met. She had only met Batman, not Bruce, and even then it wasn't on the best of terms. Kory always heard him talk about how pompous he was and how portentous he allowed himself to be, so when she met him, she had been insanely nervous. Kory didn't think that Batman liked her very much.

Dick carefully played back what Kory just said in his mind. Oh god she didn't get it. The nervousness resurfaced in his body but he knew he had to speak up now. Like a band-aid, just let it out quick and then get it time and the pain will be gone. Did he just compare potentially heartbreaking information to removing a band-aid? Maybe he should forget Christmas all together and have himself admitted instead.

"Uhm Kory, I don't think you truly understood. I don't know if there even is a good way to say this…because I don't think there is. We aren't going to Gotham for Christmas…I am."

Kory looked confused again. "Okay, I am sorry, now you have me lost. So I cannot go to Gotham with you? Is there a reason why I am not allowed?"

"Yes, there is. And it is a good one…you see…uhm… Bruce doesn't exactly know we are engaged. There are other reasons too, but this being the major reason. He knows we are/were dating, but he knows nothing else. I'm…well…kind of afraid to tell him…if I bring you with me, he will know within the first 5 minutes of our arrival. He's just so observant of non-verbal communicative behaviors." Dick said the last sentence with a nod. "I'm being a coward about this…I know."

"Bruce knowing about us getting married would be a bad thing? Would he not be proud of you? Would he not have to know eventually?"

"Well… no not really a bad thing, he will have to know eventually. Kory it's just really complicated."

"I would really like an explanation because honestly the way you are saying things now; it sounds like you are embarrassed of me; like I am not good enough for your 'family'." Kory didn't mean to raise her voice as loud as she did. The Titans looked up from the tree to listen in on what the couple was talking about. Her cheeks began to take on a rosy color as she felt herself being dragged into the hallway.

"I am not embarrassed of you Kory; I am far from embarrassed of you. It's just, Bruce, has a strange logic about things, and I'm going to tell him about the engagement…I just didn't want to do it on Christmas." He looked into her eyes and decided she deserved more explanation.

"Okay, I'll explain. Bruce is strange. I think the only time he ever used his heart is when he started seeing Selina, and even that came as a complete shock to everyone. He is going to have a real problem with me marrying you, okay? And you know that I normally wouldn't care, but Hell Month is insane and I don't want to set him off." Dick took a deep breath. "An engagement announcement would set off an argument of epic proportions."

"Okay…" Kory said almost inaudibly. Her light tone was enough to break Dick's heart and fill him with infinite guilt. "I just do not understand why I cannot go and just pretend that I am not your fiancé, but just your girlfriend."

"Well, there's also the matter of the party. In Jump City, we can have a relationship as Dick and Kory fairly openly, but the Post is going to be following me around like a hawk. If they deduce that you are Starfire, then it's going to get around that I'm Dick Grayson and then people might assume that Bruce Wayne equals Batman…" Dick repeated the speech for the umpteenth time. "I just don't want to take any chances." He didn't want to mention the fact that Bruce wasn't exactly Kory's biggest fan.

"What if I wore a hologram ring? Then no one would know who I was…would that work?" Kory said, convinced that her new plan was bullet proof.

"Bruce would know, trust me, okay? I have racked my brain for 3 hours trying to think of a way that you could join me…but you can't. Bruce would know. He always knows."

"It is okay," Kory started with a dim expression. "I will try to be understanding. I cannot lie and say that I am not disappointed because I am…extremely. However, if you say I cannot go, than I cannot go. End of discussion."

"Kory I will do everything in my power to make this up to you." Dick reached out and grabbed her hands.

"So what are you going to be doing at this party all night?" Kory really did hope that it would be as boring as he was predicting it to be. She felt a little guilty for wishing that Dick would be bored, but she most certainly did not want him having an amazingly good time either.

"Nothing, I will probably just make the rounds, chat up all the Gothamites about stupid things, and hang out with Barbara." He caught himself too late.

Was it really necessary to mention Bab's name? Now Kory is going to be jealous for no reason. How to fix this situation...how to fix it?

"Barbara? She will be there?"

Keep it short-and-simple Dick. Short-and-simple.

"Yeah," Dick swallowed the mountain in his throat. "She, uhm, just graduated with her masters and now she's back in Gotham City…living it up. Maybe she's doing rounds as Batgirl, too. Who knows?"

Good job there, Dick! He gave himself an internal high-five for his quick thinking.

Kory paused for a minute as if she didn't know whether to deem her next question appropriate or not. Finally, she gave up and just blurted it out. "Why does Bruce dislike me so much? You act as though he would not be happy that you are marrying me; I would just like to know the reason behind it."

Dick paused; had he been that obvious? Had he told her before and just forgotten about it? He took a deep breath before giving her an answer. "I don't know, Kory; I have yet to figure that out. He doesn't trust or like Clark Kent that much either and Clark is one of his greatest allies." Dick ran his fingers through his hair. "Plus, he just has a thing about dating partners. He acted the same way when me and barb…Batgirl…were…dating…"

"But at least he still likes Barbara and seems to tolerate her companionship."

"Bruce is just a pompous jackass in need of a personality transplant." The words seem to just pour out. He knew it didn't help. She is a female, and just like any other member of the female species, she knew exactly what to listen for in a sentence and she'd focus on it.

"So Barbara…she is your 'date' to this function is she not?"

"No, she will just be there. I guess you can say that she is a member of the family."

"Okay… hopefully I will be considered a member of the family someday too?" Kory hid her concerns well. She really wasn't used to not being liked. No matter how much Dick tried to cover it up, she could tell that Bruce wasn't too keen about her. It was just the fact that someone could not like her after only meeting once or twice...the idea kind of irked her.

Dick wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulled her chest onto his chest, and gave her a huge hug. "There is no hopefully. You will be part of the family; I'm positive that when he meets you on personal –not professional-- terms he will find you just as great and wonderful as I do." He finalized his statement with a reassuring smile; the smile eased her anxiety a bit.

"Come on Kory… there's a tree in the common room with our name all over it." Dick reached out his hand waiting for her to take it so that they could walk to the common room.

"Agreed." Kory took his hand and started walking. She looked at him, who seemed to be deep in thought about something; she didn't feel like asking though. She felt this heavy moment needed to be lightened up. She started swinging her arm that was connected to his; that caused his arm to swing with it. She glanced up at Dick who still looked like he was in some kind of trance. She started humming the chorus to Jingle Bells hoping that it would knock him out of his little reverie. No such luck.

"Jingle Bells…Batman smells…Robin laid an egg…" As if in a split second Dick was back into reality and looking straight at her. She let go of his hand and started walking backwards while still facing him.

"You better not…" he warned.

"Batmobile…lost a wheel." She taunted.

"You better not finish it or you are dead meat." Dick laughed.

"And joker got away." She quickly turned around and started sprinting down the hallway knowing that Dick was chasing her. Kory screamed at the chase but kept on singing.

"Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg." She knew her end was coming; he was too close too her and she couldn't run any faster.

"What kind of eggs did you lay Robin." As soon as the statement was said, Starfire got grabbed letting out a surprised scream.

"Trust me Kory, you don't even want to know." He winked and then lowered his lips to hers for a kiss.

Yeah, this was going to be a rocky holiday for Dick and Kory.

Final Statement: :)