Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans
She distinctly remembered the pounding of her heart and the scream that caught in her throat before a heavy weight slammed into her from behind. The force of the hit sent her crashing onto the rough concrete of the parking garage just outside of her apartment complex. She groaned in pain but the panic rushed back through her veins when the man crawled on top of her, managing to turn her over in the process. Her bright emerald eyes widened as that previous scream found its way out of her mouth.
She tried to kick and hit the best she could, all while screaming at the top of her lungs hoping someone in the surrounding area would hear her. The man had her pinned to the ground easily but could not catch her hands as they attacked him. After a few seconds he successfully grasped both of her arms in his hands and pressed them into the ground next to her head. She would never be able to wipe that smirk out of her memory. If she survived.
Before she could linger on that thought too long, she heard another voice yell out from the direction of her apartment complex.
"Hey! Get off of her!" The voice was so demanding that she felt a strike of fear make its way through her nervous system.
The man pushing her harder into the ground did not seem deterred by the new spectator and only continued to grind his knees into her hips. His grip on her arms becoming increasingly harder and she could only imagine the bruises that would appear on her tan skin.
"I said get off of her!"
The booming voice was closer now, a lot closer, and in the same instant the weight on top of her was gone. The man had been ripped from the hold that he had on her and literally thrown at least ten feet from her. It felt as though her body kick started itself back to life and she gasped in a needed breath. She rolled over onto her side and pushed herself to her knees. The world was spinning around her as she attempted to stand up and get as far away from that place as possible. The sound of bone meeting flesh, and bodies cracking filled her ears. Her vision tried to tunnel in to her escape path, her limbs buzzing with numbness.
She collapsed back onto the ground just as red and blue lights flashed all around her. There was more yelling as the cops jumped out of their patrol cars and ran to the scene. There was a commotion as the second man was pried away from the one who attacked her. Then the cops yelling commands to both men, trying to get control over the situation.
"Sir, I need you to calm down," one cop asserted, most likely to the second man.
She heard footsteps race toward her and felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. His blue eyes were mesmerizing, but then again it could be the reflection of the police lights. The small smile that he tried to muster conveyed the pity that he felt towards her. He did a quick scan over her body in a way that made her feel strangely safe.
"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" His eyes returned to hers but now they were wild with concern and anger.
She uttered out, "I think I am undamaged. Mostly."
He seemed to visibly relax and the strong set of his shoulders fell slightly in relief. His arm wrapped around her back to help her sit up.
"I just—I was just going to bed and I heard you scream. I was hoping it was just some drunk girl walking back from a frat party." She could feel the guilt radiating off his body but she had no idea why he felt guilty. "I'm so sorry…"
"For what? You saved me, did you not?" She only half forced the soft smile upon her face which had more of a calming effect on him.
"I'm just glad I was here to help." He brushed off his heroic act as if it were nothing but before she could respond his eyes jumped to the cop approaching them.
"Ma'am, can you tell me what happened?" The older man had a deep voice that was kind, almost fatherly. He shrugged off his jacket and placed it around her shoulders once she stood up, with the help of the man who saved her.
She turned and watched the other cop pull the man who attacked her to his feet with his hands restrained behind him. He pushed the man to the backseat of the patrol car and not so carefully shoved him in. Unconsciously, she pulled the jacket tighter around her and looked back to the police officer.
"I was walking to my apartment after work when I noticed a man following me. I began to walk faster, hoping that it was merely that his destination was the same direction as mine. Once he got too close for comfort I began to run seeing as my apartment is just right there. He tackled me to the ground and I screamed. I do not remember much after that…" She trailed off and lowered her head in shame. She should have known better than to walk alone. She should have fought him off.
The cop, who was writing down her account, nodded his head and then turned to the man standing next to her.
"And when did you get involved?"
"I live in those apartments too and I heard her scream. I thought it was just a sorority girl or something but decided to check it out just in case." He paused and gave her a sideways glance, "All I saw was a mass on the ground of the parking garage but I heard the struggle. I screamed at him to get off of her but he didn't move. So I tore him away and…well then you showed up."
The police officer nodded at him and began to ask for their names and other information. The man next to her started after he saw the distant look in her eyes.
"My name is Richard Grayson," he watched the officer scribble it down onto his notepad and then both turned their attention to her.
"Ma'am?" This broke her from her thoughts and brought her back down to earth.
"Oh, uh, my name is Kori. Kori Anders," she clarified timidly.
"Okay, well Miss Anders, if you want to press charges you can come down to the station right now and give your statement. You do not have to press charges however, only if you want to," the officer spoke clearly.
"Oh, I do not know—" Kori hesitated after shooting a glance over her shoulder at the patrol car.
"Kori," the man next to her saw her hesitation and reached for her attention. "I understand that pressing charges is a big thing but he attacked you."
Kori's green eyes looked down to the pavement again as a wave of discomfort washed through her. She shifted nervously on her feet under the probing gaze of the two men in front of her. She finally looked up at them and nodded in unsure agreement. The officer made a move to talk to his partner when Kori stopped him.
"Could I maybe come down in the morning?" She darted her gaze from the officer's eyes back down to the ground. "I kind of just need some time to process."
The officer paused a moment but then went to talk to his partner anyway. The man to her right turned to her with concern burning in his eyes.
"Are you sure? I can go down to the station with you if you'd like. They'll probably want to talk to me too anyway." His voice was urgent in his questions as he glanced over her face again, searching for any sign of fear.
"I am sure. I do not think I can handle a police station right now," She visibly shivered. "It is too much."
"I understand," he began but was interrupted by the police officer's return.
"Miss Anders, be at the station in the morning when you are ready. Here is my card so you know who to ask for, or if you have any questions." He nodded curtly and then looked over at the other man. "Mr. Grayson if you would not mind coming down tomorrow as well, we'd like to ask you a few more questions."
They both nodded at the officer and Kori unwrapped herself from the officer's jacket and handed it back to him. He asked her if she wanted him to walk her to her apartment but she politely refused. He offered her a kind but sad smile, got back into the car with his partner and they drove away. Leaving Kori and the man alone in an awkward silence.
"Let me walk you back," the man said as he gestured towards the apartment complex. Kori merely nodded in response and began walking with him joining right by her side, their hands almost brushing from the close proximity.
Once they reached to courtyard that split off into different pathways to different apartments, Kori pointed to the doorway on the right that housed her apartment.
"That's me," she said. "Thank you again, Richard, was it?"
He smiled and nodded but he seemed to be at a loss for words. Kori smiled at him again and then turned to her door.
"Kori?" She turned back to face him again with one eyebrow raised in question. "Do you—would you like for me to go with you down to the station in the morning?"
There was a pause that seemed to still the air between them before Richard tried to recover.
"I mean, I know that you don't really know me, and after what happened I'd completely understand if you don't want a stranger following you around. I just thought maybe I could help you—not that I don't think you can take care of yourself, just—" he kept stumbling over his words, trying to find the right thing to say but it was all coming out wrong.
"Richard, I thank you for your assistance. You have been most kind to me but you do not have to accompany me to the station. You have already done so much for me," she reassured him.
"But I want to," Richard countered.
Kori watched him for a moment before admitting defeat and accepting his offer which gave her that weird safe feeling again. She shivered again and that reminded Richard how late it really was in the night.
"Okay, I will pick you up around nine then?" He asked and then continued, "would you like my number in case you need anything?" Kori thought she saw a slight flush in his cheeks but it could have just been the moonlight.
"Sure," she dug around in her bag before finding her phone at the bottom of it.
Richard took it and handled it gingerly in his hand which Kori just noticed was scratched and a little bloody. Her heart ached knowing that he was hurt and that it was because of her. However she did not have a chance to think about it too long before he handed the phone back to her.
"If you need anything, and I really mean anything, please do not hesitate to call me." Richard's voice was kind but she could hear the seriousness in it as well.
"Thank you, Richard." Kori nodded at him again and then turned away, fishing out the keys to her apartment from her bag.
Richard watched her unlock her door and wave back at him as she shut it behind her. He sighed, so many emotions running through him, but the most prominent one was the feeling that he wanted to make sure no one ever hurt her again.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this random idea that I tried to develop into a story! I hope you enjoyed it.
If you did please do not forget to review it and let me know what you think. I really appreciate your thoughts!
I kind of see a path that this story could take and I would love to continue it to see what happens, but I just do not think I have the time honestly. If this is something you guys would like to see continue then let me know and I will try my hardest to make it happen.
Thank you again!