Darling Raven Daring Nikki 4-Baby I'm a Star
The next evening Kilowatt watches as the guy across the table. He doesn't need a hint-he can clearly see the family resemblance between the guy and Terra. Obviously he came in to check on him since they haven't heard from him in awhile.
Geo Force glances around-he is sure that the room is under surveillance so he has to be careful not to reveal why he is here but at the same time make Kilowatt understand why he is. "I understand they don't let you out of this place."
"Things are...complicated. The mistress keeps me on a very short leash."
"How can you stand being cooped up here?"
"I have the run of the place. Its not so bad really. Being the mistress' favorite working guy has its perks. I do have to admit the last few months have been rather slow going."
Geo Force looks up sure that Kilowatt at least knows he is here on behalf of Terra and Nightwing. "What makes you say that?"
"The mistress has been rather moody during her last few months of pregnancy. I'm hoping that will improve now that the baby has been born."
He nods in understanding. "Dreadful affair the owner this establishment has gotten himself into with the media these last several months. I'm sure being the focus of that didn't help your mistress any-especially with him dragging another girl around on his arm when he attends public functions."
Kilowatt roles his eyes. If only he could tell the story of how Nikki has been secretly fueling the media's firestorm against the boss. He shrugs.
-4-
Nikki watches from the office monitors as her Charlie finishes up his dinner date with the patron. She looks down at her baby girl in her arms. Things are not working out the way she hoped they would in regards to a new daddy for Arella. She glances up as the door opens.
Elrich looks at the mistrustful glance Nikki throws his way. "Its poker night. I just came in to get some cash."
Nikki turns her attention back to the baby without bothering to reply.
After unlocking the cash drawer on the desk and taking out some money Elrich looks at the monitors as he locks it back. "You let Charlie have a client?"
She looks up from the baby. "I for one wasn't really focused on what the scheduler was requesting last night. He is as bad as you when it comes to making a profit. The more rich the clientele the more he tries to cater to their every whim. I think its time to have a talk with Charlie-he should know better-"
"-He isn't the only one who should know better Darling Nikki."
"Doc says hands off. Go home and play with Candy after your poker game."
Elrich grumbles to himself as he leaves the office.
Nikki gives him time to vacate the hallway then takes the baby with her as she goes to talk with Charlie.
-4-
Kilowatt who sits alone after the client leaves looks up as Nikki comes in with the baby.
"How did it go?"
This moment has been coming for a while now so he figures its best to get it over with. "Do you really care or is this more of your games?"
"Why would I be playing any games? You haven't been in the mood to play for months now. I gave you an option when I had my mind on other things-I didn't make you do anything."
He sees an opportunity to turn Nikki's games against her. "Maybe I misunderstood. I thought you didn't want me anymore."
"I never said that. You have been the one in a funk for months acting like you didn't want me." She looks down at the baby in her arms as she tries to remain calm. Even this talk isn't going the way she had planned. "Better cool it with the trips outside during the thundersnow storms. The boss thinks you're out to get struck by lightning to commit suicide."
"Maybe I was."
"Why would you do that?"
"You have no idea what this is like-wanting another so bad you can't stand it while someone else tries their damnedest to make you fall for them."
"I know much more about that than you might think."
"Do you really? The last I heard you talk about it you have everything set up with the boss so you could have exactly what you want as soon as the baby comes. She is here now and you always get what you want. You never think about what you want does to others. I'm still here-just stop toying with me. If you have to have me to yourself then do it or leave me be. I can't take these games of yours anymore." He leaves her alone to think about what he said.
Nikki watches him leave then looks down at Arella. She wanders around the building aimlessly until she finds herself in front of Raven's old room. She finds a picture of a woman that she somehow associates the name of Arella with. That seems odd to her but she quickly shrugs it off as she looks around at all of the things that were Raven's. "I'm not stupid." She finds herself shocked that she is talking to someone who isn't in the room-but yet in a way Nikki feels she Raven is here and she turns to the mirror as she keeps talking. "I know its you that Kilowatt can't let go of Raven. I can't stand to see him hurting-but he walked right out of my dreams and I can't let him go. I need him and so does Arella. She and I are here and you aren't-let him go for all of our sakes." She takes another look around before going back down to the office. She sits down in the chair holding her baby as she drifts off into a light doze.
-4-
As he lays down on his bunk and drifts off to sleep-Raven is very much on Kilowatt's mind. Is it just wishful dreaming or does he really find himself in the dark starry dream-scape that represents Raven's mind? "Raven?" Something silvery glints in the distance and he finds himself running toward it. He soon comes to a large person sized bird cage and finds not a bird-but a girl with the name of one locked inside. "Raven!" He watches her sitting on the swinging perch putting him in mind of Nikki's new bird cage pendant-only she is decked out in a blue flowing cloak. When she finally looks up at him tears fall from her indigo eyes. He reaches his hand toward her through the bars of the cage. Kilowatt watches as she slowly gets off the swing and places her hand in his. He pulls her to him hugging her through the bars of the cage. Its so good to hold her in his arms again even if this only a dream. He never wants to wake up.
Raven sobs quietly in his arms for sometime before looking up at Kilowatt. She heard everything he told Nikki. And Nikki's little speech about not giving Kilowatt up. Raven doesn't want Kilowatt to hurt anymore because of her. "I'm sorry."
Kilowatt looks down at Raven's upturned face. "For what?"
"Being the cause of your pain these last few months. I don't want you to hurt anymore." She takes a deep shaky breath before continuing. "Go to her."
"No-its you I want."
"Nikki will only let you have her."
"Raven-"
"-Listen to me please. Its okay...I'm here-inside her. When you're with her-you will be with me too. Just don't let her find that out. She doesn't know about me and I don't want to think about what might happen to me here if she did."
"This is real. I can't leave you here."
"You have to. I'm not strong enough to fight her-not yet."
Kilowatt looks at her cloak and remembers all the other versions of her and the story of when Cyborg and Beast Boy ended up in her mind. "The emoticlones...you need them. I can find them and-"
"-No...it wouldn't work. Through Nikki they now have freedom of expression and they only make her stronger. In time they may leave her and start to come to me-but they can't be forced to join me. It must be their choice. You should go now-the longer you stay the greater chance Nikki has of finding out this is real."
He hugs Raven tightly to him. "I don't want to let you go."
"You have to...for now..."
"I love you...never forget that."
"I love you too."
-4-
Kilowatt awakens with a start. For a brief moment Raven was so close-yet still so far away from him.
"You okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
He looks over at Zoltan in the next bunk. "I'm fine. Just a dream."
"Must have been a bad one."
Kilowatt has no desire to discuss it-he just nods. "I could use some fresh air." He gets up and heads toward the roof.
-4-
Nikki awakens from some vague dream about Charlie on her mind as the door opens.
Candy closes the door behind her. "Have you been up here all day?"
Nikki looks down at Arella. "We took a little walk around for awhile." She glances at the clock. "Then a nap apparently."
"Why don't you let me watch her for awhile so you can get some rest?"
Nikki starts to say she isn't tired-but she really needs to talk to Charlie. She needs him and Arella needs a daddy. She nods to Candy. "I could use a little break. I'll be back in a few minutes." Reluctantly she places her baby in Candy's arms. After leaving the office she soon meets Kilowatt on the way to the roof.
Kilowatt nods to her. "Mistress."
"We need to talk."
He follows Nikki to their usual meeting spot.
"I'm sorry."
The same words Raven said to him catches him off guard. "For what?"
"You were right. I was thinking about what I wanted not what you wanted. I care for you Charlie. I know who she was...that empty room upstairs-Raven's-it was her. That is what bothers you about being here."
"Yeah..."
"I would find a way to give you the moon if you wanted it...but I can't give you her."
He thinks that she could if she really wanted to but he doesn't say so. Raven said not to let Nikki find out about her being locked inside so he says the only thing he can think of to nix any chance of her ever having those thoughts. "She's...gone..."
"Gone?" She looks up at Kilowatt wide-eyed as she gets it. "Gone as in...oh Charlie. I'm sorry-I didn't know. No wonder you've been so out of it these last few months. Whatever happened was around that time..."
"In case no one ever told you-the two of you look a lot alike-that just makes it awfully hard sometimes."
Nikki shivers as she remembers Elrich's intentions to lock her up in Raven's old room. "I can't bring her back...but if you let me-maybe I can help you heal."
Kilowatt is really playing Nikki's game now by telling so many half truths but now that he has started he can't stop. "I left her and ended up loosing her forever. How can anyone heal that?"
"My poor Charlie..." She hugs him tight.
He lets her hug him for awhile before pulling away. "Now that its out in the open I would rather not talk about it anymore. We better get back before someone notices."
"Yeah. I just never meant to make you unhappy." She starts to let him leave but stops him. Just a second. I'm not mad about earlier-but you should be careful about letting the scheduler make anymore dinner dates. The boss might start to suspect something if his friends pull off what they want to in the election."
"Was it that obvious? They were just worried because they haven't heard from me in awhile."
"I didn't think you were interested in that anymore. We have to be very careful in the future. I'll find what I can in the files when I go over the guys schedules. I'll let you call them when I can."
READ MY PROFILE BEFORE YOU REVIEW PLEASE for a list of the things in reviews that trigger my bipolar manic episodes and please for both my sake and yours don't put any of them in a review. you don't want to be on the receiving end of a reply if something does trigger an episode and one of my cousins isn't around to stop me from replying. Actually I take meds for that now but sometimes things still set me off so yeah-warning stills stands.
