Raven hated parties.

She hated partiers. It just wasn't her scene. Being crammed into a tiny dingy house that was falling apart at the seams whilst a bunch of sweaty people in costumes moved about, their props and occasionally parts of their outfits constantly bumping into her, not to mention the deafening roar that required you to shout at the top of your voice to have any type of conversation with the person next to you was incredibly annoying. That and the neighborhood that the party was located in was notoriously bad. It wasn't unusual to find a drugged out junkie sitting on the front steps of the place (fresh from their last encounter with Narcan) with a needle hanging from their arm. Even the couch that Raven was sitting on was suspicious with multiple stains of unknown origin. Probably biological fluids…Raven thought. The scent of cheap beer, weed and old nachos, hung in the air like a thick cloud along with a healthy dose of B.O. It seemed to have permeated the entire space even the bathrooms?! much to Raven's disdain. Some beer splashed nearby. The loud shrieks of several girls caused her ears to throb painfully. The warm slightly thick beer was dripping down her face and there was some in her hair. Great, now I'm going to smell like this.

Yes, Raven hated parties.

Might as well get another glass of water. Raven thought to herself taking a breath and preparing to walk into the throng of people. She checked her hair ringing out what liquid she could. Why did I even agree to come?

It had certainly started off innocently enough. A few of Raven's friends had decided to throw a Halloween party at their rental house. It started off as a good idea. Like most bad ideas do Raven scoffed. A few people would swing by and there'd be drinks, snacks, candy and plenty of beer pong. But somehow, someway word got out and more and more people began showing up. I wouldn't be surprised if some total randos from off the street just waltzed in here Raven thought.

The kitchen fortunately wasn't that crowded; the air was less nauseously warm, but only slightly. Raven took a careful step over the guy passed out at the threshold and made her way over to the sink. She filled up her red cup with water from the tap and sipped it slowly, not overly anxious about heading back into the crowd of people just outside in the hallway. Spotting her friend Brandon standing just beyond the passed out guy, she watched as he put his hand over a cup he was holding. The fuck?

Raven kept watching and her stomach turned inside out at seeing Brandon, in that obnoxious banana costume he always wore for Halloween as long as she'd known him, smile a sly grin and hand the cup to a girl. Amy…Raven guessed on seeing the name.

No! No! No he didn't! Raven yelled to herself. He was just protecting it from everybody else. But there was nobody else around! Raven shook her head screwing her eyes shut. He did it on purpose! Her conscious argued. The phlegm that was in her throat from the cool fall air was nearly choking her; she felt the color disappear from her already pale face as another thought occurred to her.

He held onto my drink not five minutes ago!

As much as Raven tried to shake the feeling, something was gnawing at her guts and she grew more fearful by the minute. Knowing she only had a few seconds of time to act, she threw her drink aside and strode into the crowd. Though addled by her conflicting feelings, she began calling indiscriminately. "Amy! Amy?! Amy!" None of these idiots are going to be any help! Oh fuck it! And fuck him! Raven added.She spotted Brandon and yes! Amy!

She appeared to be okay, but her eyelids were drooped and she struggled to stay on her feet. Raven felt sick as she contemplated how to get Amy away from Brandon. I still can't believe this…I don't believe this! A headache began forming in her temples. He did it! He did! Taking in a breath, Raven used her hip to bump the girl nearest her causing a chain reaction and knocking several people in the crowd down. Taking the opportunity, she slipped into the stairway and grabbed Amy admist the confusion. Tossing Amy's arm over her shoulder, Raven hobbled down the stairs as quickly as she could. "Amy! Amy!" She turned her head towards Raven. Yes! She's still somewhat coherent! Yes! "Brandon put something in your drink. I'm going to help you- no!" No, no, no, no, no! Fucking hell!

Shifting her weight, Raven pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed 911.

The events afterwards were basically a blur. Flashing red and blue, red and white, multiple vehicles, the cold air and blasting music of the party faded as Raven helped the EMTs get Amy into the ambulance. As the rescue squad drove away Raven was left standing in the chilly October air. It ran right through her; she shivered as coherent thought once again entered her mind as the adrenaline rush subsided. Fuck! I didn't tell them about me! Smart move Raven…real smart. Then another thought occurred to her. I don't even have health insurance anyhow. I couldn't afford a hospital stay. Raven crossed her arms over her chest and chewed her lip. Despite the fact that she had nothing concrete and she didn't feel that strange, Raven still felt panicked; she tried to control her breathing and get her heart rate back under control. There was the worry that the effects of the drug could kick in quicker if she made her blood flow faster. If she went down right here in the alleyway behind the house…

Fuck! I've gotta get outta here!

As fast as she could, Raven pulled her keys out of her jacket pocket and hopped in her car. Punching 'hotels' into her phone she threw the car into gear and got the fuck out of dodge. Heart pounding loudly in her ears and blood swishing in her veins, Raven took in several deep breaths. Its okay now, I'm safe. I'm away from there. Away from him…Brandon was her friend! She had known him for years! I trusted him! Refocusing her energy, Raven tuned into the directions from her phone's GPS.

Luck was on her side as the closest hotel was a large Radison on the lakeside barely three minutes away. Of course this has to be the only thing around in this one hearse town. Raven made sure to pull the car around the back of the hotel and backed into the parking space to obscure the license plate. Brandon shouldn't be able to spot it. She grabbed her black backpack and practically ran into the lobby. It was so late that there was only one person at the front desk and all was quiet.

"Please, do you have any vacancies?" She spoke hurriedly.

The clerk looked up at her. "Yes we do. Its $120 for one night." He said running an eye over her tatterdemalion attire.

"Thats fine."

The clerk gave her a look and began typing away. "Name?"

"Rac- Raven." She corrected. "Raven Roth." Then remembering something she had read a long time ago, "I'm unlisted. If there's a cop that's trying to find me, that's okay. If not, then I'm not here."

This made the clerk's eyebrows go up and a frown pucker his mouth. Great, he probably thinks I'm a fugitive or a headcase.

Before she could stop herself, a story came pouring out. "I saw someone put something in another girl's drink. I called for help and made sure she got to the hospital, but I didn't feel safe staying there so I left and now I've got nowhere else to go." A stifling silence filled the air. After several more moments Raven spoke again. "Please, I had to get away. Please." She begged in a whisper.

Adjusting the glasses on the bridge of his nose, the old man seemed to take pity on her. He typed away and Raven got her room key after handing him some crumpled up twenty dollar bills. He assured her that he'd keep an eye out.

Over the moon with relief, Raven practically sprinted down the hallway of the eleventh floor after the elevator had dropped her off. If there is something in my system, I have maybe ten minutes at the most. I've already spent too much time.

Raven hung the 'do not disturb' sign outside, bolted the door and put the chain in the slider. For good measure she also stuck a nearby chair under the handle for extra security. Throwing down her bag and flopping onto the bed, she allowed herself to take several deep breaths. Its okay, I'm safe now. Now all I have to do is wait for this to pass. In the morning, I'll just go back home. Its like two hours away, no big deal. If I do have something in me, I can let it pass. She laid a few more minutes and got her head on straight.

I should take the time now to make things a little easier for myself later. Groaning at the movement, Raven sat up and dug through her backpack. She grabbed a small ziplock bag of toiletries and headed into the bathroom. Cursing her lack of insurance and supplies, she flipped on the lights and splashed some water on her face.

This is what I get for trying to make it easy for myself and spend the night with my friends. Raven had planned to spend the night on the couch at the house once the party had broken up. Then they could go get a big greasy breakfast, play some video games and she could go home at her leisure. It was only supposed to be one night. Raven hadn't packed any clothes or anything beyond a toothbrush, some soap, deodorant and a small washcloth. Should've known things wouldn't work out…I can't believe I trusted them! Trusted him! I'm such an idiot!

Her stomach began to ache at that. Forgoing brushing her teeth, Raven cleaned the deep purple eyeshadow, now smeared messily around her eyes, from her face and took several large gulps of water. She fell back into bed with a loud sigh. Raven curled up into a ball and began to sob quietly to herself. The night had finally caught up with her.

Raven's eyes burned as she opened them. She fumbled for her phone in her pockets, but came up empty. With a stretch, she began feeling on the bed for it. That's right, I turned it off so I didn't have to deal with this. Rolling over to look at the clock, her eyes teared up at seeing the lamp on the nightstand. Why didn't I turn that damn thing off? The clock read 2:30 AM. She must've been asleep for about an hour. Honestly, all things considered that's a miracle in and of itself.

Reaching over to shut the lamp off, Raven thought better of it as she got up. After checking that the door was still secure, using the bathroom and drinking another cup of cool water to soothe her parched throat, she got under the covers and turned the lamp off. Sitting in the darkened silence of the room, Raven suddenly felt uneasy. She darted her eyes around catching sight of the eerie shadows. Now I really am a headcase.

She shook her head and flipped on the TV. Some background noise and the extra light in the room seemed like a good idea. It would give her something else to focus on besides the events of tonight. Raven fell asleep soon after, too exhausted to think anymore.

Brrrrriiiiiiinggggggg! Brrrrriiiiiiinggggggg! Brrrrriiiiiiinggggggg! Raven grumbled slightly in protest and opened her eyes. Why didn't I close the damn drapes? She let out a noise that sounded distinctly like a zombie and grabbed the room's phone to silence its obnoxiously loud ringing. "Miss Roth? There is a police officer downstairs who wants to talk with you." Then in a lower voice, "I took the liberty of calling the department. He is legitimate."

The clerk from last night! I knew this would happen… "Thank you very much. I'll be right down."

Raven stuffed her things into her bag and stopped by the bathroom before heading out. I look like hell. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as the elevator descended. This still felt like a dream, some awful horrid dream. She'd wake up any minute now on the couch in her friends' place with red cups strewn everywhere, a couple of wayward items of clothing on the floor and their pet chinchilla eating leftover potato chips off the torn carpet.

The ding from the elevator brought Raven out of her daydream. That's not going to happen. She thought at seeing a man that looked to be about her age, maybe a little older, with a badge strapped to his belt. The clerk from last night smiled at her in recognition as she made her way over. "Thank you." The man said approaching her. He smiled and extended his hand. "Raven Roth? I'm Detective Dick Grayson. I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

Raven nodded slowly as she shook his hand, caught off guard at his friendliness towards her. To say she didn't have a positive opinion of cops would be an understatement. You just never knew and when people have that kind of power over others, it takes a special person not to let it go to their head. He looked at her sympathetically. "Is everything alright?"

She nodded again slowly before finding her voice. "Yeah, I guess I'm just a bit shaken up by all of this." She admitted unable to maintain her gaze on him; her voice wavered slightly.

"Of course." Dick agreed. He eyed her again. "How about I buy you some breakfast and we can talk?"

"Okay." He put a hand on her back and led her past the lobby to the restaurant. Raven, too tired to protest, moved mechanically beside him. She sunk into her seat and gratefully sipped the coffee letting it warm her bones. Since it was late in the afternoon, the restaurant was practically empty.

After they'd placed their orders, he spoke again. "Now I know that this must be very difficult for you Raven, but I need you to tell me what happened at the party last night."

Raven took several moments to formulate her response. Taking another sip of her coffee, she rubbed her head to relieve the fuzziness. Her voice shook lightly. "One of my friends, Brandon, people I trusted…I saw him put something into a girl's drink." Raven's eyes welled up with tears at saying that. I still can't believe this is happening. "Her cup said her name was Amy. I grabbed her and went outside. I called 911and left the house once she was okay."

Dick's look softened at seeing her falling apart. He informed her that Amy was doing ok, though true to Raven's suspicion she had indeed been drugged, and placed his hand over hers giving it a comforting squeeze. He continued to question Raven about details of the night as she ate her waffles. She hadn't realized how hungry she way until the waitress placed the food down in front of her. She was grateful for the food; the hasty hotel stay had exhausted her funds leaving her without any money. As she finished her story, she sunk into her chair, tired all over again. Its like I didn't even sleep at all.

"That was a very brave thing to do Raven. You acted well and you should be proud of yourself." Dick replied.

"Thanks." She half-heartedly stated. Normally such praise would've lifted her spirits, at least a little bit. And having it coming from a police officer should've made it better. He does seem like he's a good cop, has a heart, has compassion. Though Raven was pleased by that, she was too overwhelmed and numb to care.

"And you?"

"Huh?" Her fork stopped halfway to her mouth.

"Did anything happen to you last night?"

And here it goes. Raven dragged her hands over her face. She related everything from thinking she might've been drugged to running here in fear for her safety. Dick's warm ocean blue eyes looked at her gently as she told her tale. A few tears slipped down her face at the telling. Somehow, that made it all real and the trauma she'd just been through bubbled to the surface bringing all those emotions along with it. Dick offered her some tissues and gave her his water which she gratefully accepted as she related everything that happened to her after ensuring Amy's safety.

"Do your parents know what happened?"

Raven couldn't help but scoff at that statement. "I'm twenty three years old, they died when I was young."

"I'm very sorry to hear that. I lost my parents young too." His eyes flicked down.

So that explains why he seems so kind. "I'm sorry." She replied automatically. "I know its not easy." She continued looking into her cup of coffee, hoping it came across as sincere. Raven always felt a sort of kinship with those who grew up without their parents. And as much as she hated cops, she couldn't bring herself to hate Detective Grayson.

They sat in a comfortable silence for several minutes even after he paid the check. "Are you going to be okay?" He asked her placing a hand on her shoulder. She nodded and a small smile came onto her face. "I'll walk you out to your car." He said reassuringly. Detective Grayson waited patiently beside her as she checked out and as promised followed her out to the parking lot. Thank goodness I can just go home. All I have to do is get home and then things'll be okay. Its just two hours, I can make it. I can!

"Oh no!" Raven dropped her bag and ran over at seeing her old black car with its tires slashed. Just when I thought I was ready to be done with this nightmare.

The detective was rattling something off about checking the security footage, calling her insurance company and making some other calls, but Raven's dread eclipsed everything happening around her. It was probably Brandon. She stood still as a statue for a few moments before letting out a large sigh and hanging her head in despair. Now what am I going to do? I can't afford to stay at a hotel tonight and I wanna go home! I have nowhere to stay! Maybe I can stay with Amy tonight or something. Maybe Detective Grayson has her contact info and she'll let me stay with her…her parents probably are grateful to me so mayb-

"You have nowhere to stay?" A voice interrupted her thoughts. Raven looked up at the detective. He's still here? "You said you have nowhere to stay, is that true?"

Guess I must've been thinking out loud. Way to go Raven…you need to get a grip. "Yeah, I have no more money left. But if you have Amy's phone number, maybe I could stay with her."

Detective Grayson waved his hand. "Amy's already home, she's from some town about an hour away. It'll take a couple days for your claim to be processed by your insurance company and your car to be fixed. Meantime you can stay with me and my family." Raven was silent. "If you're comfortable that is." He added.

What choice do I have? "Okay" she agreed. As much as she knew this should've made her be on her guard, she couldn't help but feel okay about things. Being with Detective Grayson didn't bother her as much as she thought it would've. He was kind, even more so than most people she met, and seemed to have a genuinely good heart.

He stayed with her as the tow truck arrived and then climbed into his car with him. "Hope you don't mind but I need to grab some of my case files." He said as they pulled into the police station. She nodded and stayed in the car as he ran inside. Its odd, Raven could see herself being really close friends with him in any other context. Had we met some way before this, I think we would be great friends. Maybe even best friends…Raven's eyes widened at that thought.

What's wrong with me?

"Hey." Dick called sliding into the car and starting it up again. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." He dropped some files in the backseat. "Alright, let's hit the road." He said enthusiastically. Raven smiled at that, relieved to finally be leaving the town that had felt like a miniature prison.

"Thank you again so much sir, I really appreciate it." Raven said hoping she sounded genuine given everything that had happened to her.

He laughed loudly at that. "Sir? Nah, just call me Dick." He said with a smile at her. "Oh I got this for you." Dick handed her a Snickers bar. "Saw a bunch of wrappers on the floor of your car, figured they were your favorites."

"Thanks." Raven smiling back at him, unable to hold it back. Maybe, just maybe things'll be okay.

She was busily munching on the candy as they merged onto the highway. "Where are you from?"

"Gotham. Your hometown if I remember correctly." He smiled.

"Yeah, it is."

The ride started quietly, but after some time they began chatting. Stories bounced back and fourth between the two, eventually winding up with them howling and snorting with laughter. The ride went by quickly and Raven watched out the window as they passed through an affluent section of town. Dick turned a corner and drove up a long driveway. There was a gate and a grand mansion stood behind it. Wow! This is incredible! I've never seen anything like this before! Above the gate, Raven's eyes scanned the wrought iron. Wayne Manor? Wayne?! No way!

Dick opened her door and offered her a hand to get out. She took it and stood in awe of the house. Amazing! Its so beautiful! "Coming?" He asked with a chuckle. Raven closed her mouth and slung her bag over her shoulder running up to the front door beside him.

An older man answered the door. "Master Grayson, it is wonderful to see you again." He turned to Raven. "And you must be Miss Roth. It is an honor to have you as our guest." He bowed.

"Dick!" Another deeper voice called. He hugged the man briefly. "How are things?"

"Going well. Thanks Bruce." Bruce Wayne?! No way!

Bruce turned to her. "And you must be Raven. I've heard all about you. You're a true hero." He shook her hand. Raven smiled. "I do hope you feel welcome here. Please know that you're welcome anytime to return. Anyone who's done what you did has good in them." I can't even believe this! "Dick why don't you show her to her room? She's probably exhausted after all she's been through." I can barely believe this is happening! My cheeks are actually hurting cause I'm smiling so much!

"Sure. Its this way."

Raven followed Dick up hallways and staircases as he explained the history of various knick knacks here and there. He led her into a large room lavishly decorated with an elegant scheme. "Dinner will be in about two hours, phone chargers are over there. Bathroom is there." He said pointing. "My room is right next door if you need anything. See you in a bit." Dick smiled and winked at her as he closed the door.

Wow…Raven laid down on the bed hardly believing the events of the past day. I don't know how I can ever thank them, thank Dick for all he's done for me. The awful feelings of the previous night had ebbed, giving way to an exhilarating sereneness. We'll just see where this goes. Raven felt sleepy as the soft mattress began to cradle and conform to her body. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Things'll be okay.