Disclaimer: Nope.

Troubled Mind

—Ben Zodiazepine—

FOUR

"X'Hal!" Was heard as everyone in the house woke up as the sun was rising. There were groans of disapproval and annoyance as each person got up out of bed to see what was so wrong with Kori that she would scream out made-up phrases that early in the morning. The first one to reach her room was Vic since his room was just across the hall. As he opened her door, he saw her jumping up and down. "Why can I not fly?" She asked no one. Vic only raised his eyebrow to that phrase and entered. Kori at once stopped jumping as she laid eyes on him. She looked at him peculiarly for a few moments as the others began to shuffle in. Before anyone could speak, however, she at once flung herself into Vic's arms. "Friend Cyborg! It is most wondrous that you have recovered your original appearance once more!"

"Friend Cyborg?" Vic looked at her strangely as she looked at Dick with wide eyes. "Friend Robin!" She ran up to him and continued speaking with urgency. "Why are you not mask-ed? Your identity could be known if someone were to see you."

"Kori, that is not funny in the least." Dick said to her coldly. "But Friend Rob—" She started, but was cut off by Dick. "Just stop it! This insane joke has gone far enough." She bit her lip after she heard his words and looked down as if to cry. She did not quite understand what was going on, but she decided "Friend Robin" wanted her to be quiet. And so she would not question him. He was in a bad mood this morning.

"Kori?" Gar got her attention and was going to try to lighten the mood since she looked awfully sullen.

"How do you know part of my name?" She asked a little shaken up and confused, but sincere. "I told you all the English translation of my name. I never told you my Tamaranean name was Koriand'r."

"So it is you, Starfire." Said an almost joyous and relieved voice from the doorway. Kori, as well as everyone else, looked over to see Rachel lingering in the doorway with a gentle smile. It was a smile the three boys had not seen before. Rachel walked over to Kori and hugged her. "I'm so glad to see you, Star!"

"Friend Raven?" Rachel stepped back from embracing her and nodded her head in acknowledgment. "Is it the real you?" Kori asked and Rachel wondered what exactly she meant by that.

"Yes, it's me. I know I don't look like it, but I'm Raven. I can't be anyone else." She said and Dick knew the last sentence was meant for him. Could he accept her? Should he stop looking for possibilities to get his wife back?

"Glorious!" Kori said and clapped her hands like a child. "You have been recovered! I am most joyous, but I cannot fly. . ." She ended on a sad note. She missed flight as much as Raven missed her old life. And that was a lot.

"What do you mean 'recovered'?" Rachel asked Kori, but before she could respond, Rachel's eyes opened in realization. "Don't tell me Rachel is in Jump!"

"How did you know?" Kori asked. "One day you woke up, but it wasn't you." Gar's and Vic's eyes opened up as Kori continued to talk. However, Dick was too stubborn to listen and believe. This was just a joke. It had to be! But why? What would Kori gain by doing this? "She said her name was Rachel and she was very scared by your room."

"But did she have my abilities?" Rachel asked urgently.

Kori shook her head. "She does not have your abilities. She has stayed at the Tower with us. We are trying to protect her until we could find a way to get you back." Kori paused, uncomfortable by the three boys staring at her. "Where are we, Friend Raven?"

"We're in what everyone calls 'reality'. It's Earth, but Jump City doesn't exist; neither does Gotham, or Steel City, or Tamaran, or any super heroes. As you know already, our abilities didn't come with us. I know it's strange, Starfire. I struggled with the same feeling." Rachel sighed. "I really don't know how we got here. I woke up one morning about a week ago and I was here."

Kori looked sad. "I miss our friends already."

Rachel tried to smile to help her friend be more comfortable. "They're right here, Star." Rachel said as she pointed to the three boys. "Cyborg is known as 'Vic' here, Beast Boy is known as 'Gar', and Robin is known as 'Dick'. See? We're all here." Rachel told her and Kori smiled again. Then Rachel hesitantly spoke once more. "Oh, um, and Terra's here, too." She said softly.

Kori's eyes widened in disbelief and then she understood. "That is why Friend Terra is no longer a statue in the cave. She has been taken here!" She put her hand by her mouth in astonishment.

"Bingo." Rachel said. "And Dick and I are going to see her today, actually. I think you should come, too."

Kori looked at Rachel and then at Dick in confusion. "Why is it only you and Friend Ro— Dick?" Rachel looked down for a few moments before speaking. She really didn't want to do this to her best friend. Starfire had always loved Robin. Of course she'd still feel the same way about his other self.

Rachel inhaled and exhaled before speaking. "That's because the Rachel you meet in Jump and Dick are married." She closed her eyes and waited for Kori's reaction. "Oh," Kori replied almost unbelievingly after the initial shock dissipated. "So you are together now. I knew this would happen one day. But I did not think he would leave me so soon." At that, a tear slipped down Kori's cheek but did not go unnoticed by the other four in the room.

It tore Rachel up inside to be the cause of her friend's misery. Especially when it was something she couldn't mend. Why did everything have to be so complicated in this world?!

"I'm going back to sleep," said Dick with a yawn. "Maybe if I do that I'll wake up from this crazy dream." He shook his head and left the room. He'll never believe me, will he? Rachel thought sadly.

"Are you going to be okay, Kori?" Gar asked in concern. He had seen Kori go through a lot of emotions, but he had never seen her shed a tear. Besides, this new development with Kori would be difficult. It was hard enough with just Rachel. Hopefully their meeting with Tara would be for the better.

Kori nodded her head. "I will be fine. I am just hurt." She sat down on her bed and Rachel sat down next to her. "I'll stay with you, Star." She said, so Vic and Gar thought it would be best to leave the two of them alone. They left Kori's bedroom and closed the door so the two girls could have some privacy and hopefully settle some issues.

Later that same day, Dick woke up on the couch (since Rachel had claimed the bed) to find that the insanity was reality. He did not have a crazy dream. Well, he could still be dreaming, he thought and partially hoped. Instead, him, Rachel, and Kori were walking down the hospital hallway to the psychiatric section in the west wing of Twin Oaks Hospital.

After being cleared and passing through the double white doors, they found the mentally and emotionally ill lounging all over the commons area on the few couches and chairs located there. They spotted Doctor Sarah Quill in a back corner there and walked over to her. She looked at the three of them peculiarly. "I thought it would be just you and Rachel, Dick. I was not aware of another."

"Let's just say the insanity hasn't stuck with just Rachel." He said as he rubbed a hand through his gelled hair while sighing. He got an evil look from Rachel and he noticed Kori looked confused by his choice of wording.

"Oh, good god. Not another one." Sarah muttered under her breath, but still loud enough for Rachel to hear. Rachel had to fight not to say anything back but could not help but narrow her eyes and glare at the doctor for a few moments. "Well, let's go see Tara." Sarah said while ignoring Rachel's glare.

"Let's just go and get this over with." Dick said as he sighed again. He was exhausted from this whole situation physically, mentally, and emotionally. He just wanted life to go back to the way it was. Why did this situation have to happen to him? He hadn't even celebrated his first anniversary with his wife, yet!

They walked over to Tara Markov's room and entered after knocking. As soon as Tara saw Dick she stiffened. Then she saw Rachel and started to breathe in and out heavily. Kori came last, but Tara was focused on the leader and second-in-command of the team she had betrayed and even died saving. Although, she was sure they remembered her betrayal more than her sacrifice. Well, that is, if they remembered her at all.

"What are you guys doing here?" Tara asked tensely.

"Let's just say you are not alone in this strange world, Terra." Said Rachel. "Starfire and I are stuck here, too." Tara's eyes widened at that statement. So they did remember.

"And Robin?" Tara asked as she nervously looked over at Dick. Even though Robin had joined Slade and became his apprentice as well, he never understood her or gave her a chance. He always seemed to be the one against her the most. Even more than Raven.

"Nope." Rachel responded and Tara visibly relaxed. "This is Dick. He's just tagging along today since he doesn't even believe his own wife." Dick flushed in embarrassment and looked away from her. Not only were those words hurtful and embarrassing in front of others, but that was also the first time she said anything about them being married. Dick was wondering if she had started to accept it. Should he, also?

"So does this mean you believe me now, Doctor Quill?" Tara looked at her in frustration. "I'm not crazy like those other people and you know it."

The doctor just sighed. "I don't know what to believe anymore. This whole case is so mind boggling. It goes beyond all logic and doesn't seem possible."

"But it did happen." Rachel said. "The three of us are stranded here in this world. Believe me; if we had a choice, we'd be in our own world rather than be bugging you with our 'problem' here." She continued bitterly.

"But I can leave, now, right?" Tara asked her with hope in her eyes.

"Where would you go, Tara?" Doctor Quill tried to reason with her. "You have no family, no job, no place to go. Most of your inheritance has been spent to keep you here."

"And whose fault is that?" Tara said while looking straight at Doctor Sarah Quill. "Tell me, who has kept me with these mentally ill people like I was insane, too?" She narrowed her eyes and kept talking while gesturing wildly. "I was forced to come to you for help, but did you help me? No! You never helped me. You tried putting me on all different kinds of meds and had me go through different procedures to see what would happen. I was merely an experiment to you! Well, now that I've been proven not guilty of being insane, what will you do with me?" She asked in spite. She really hated being there.

"There is no reason to just keep you here while two others are free." Sarah Quill said and Tara exhaled in relief. She, as well as the other three in the room, did not expect what came next. "I'll have to keep all three of you here for observation. This case is far from over." She said unemotionally. She was totally serious.

"I am not going to be chained up like a—" Rachel began to say, but was interrupted by Dick. "That's not fair, Sarah!" He said outraged. "I will not allow that." He said firmly with his fists clenched. Rachel would've continued to rant and protest, but was surprised by Dick's words. Why would he stand up for me? Doesn't he think of me as a problem? She gasped at what he said next. "I will not let you do that to my wife. I keep my promises." Rachel noticed a slight blush on his cheeks. What is he saying? Has he really accepted me? Then she remembered his words from the day she went to first see Doctor Sarah Quill: "Rae, I'm not sending you to a psychiatric ward. I would never do that and I won't. You have my promise on that."

The doctor just looked back at him and he could tell she was upset that he had dismissed what she said so readily. "You do realize I can override anything you say with a doctor's order?"

"I won't let you take her away. Yes, there is a problem, but we can fix or at least learn to deal with it with or without you." Sarah Quill narrowed her eyes at Dick. Rachel had never seen him so passionate about anything or anyone in the short time she had been in this world. She saw in him the part of Robin that would not let anything get in-between him and his friends. And then she thought of something she never would have expected to be in her thoughts. Maybe this is my chance. I mean, I don't have to worry about everyone's safety; I can feel emotions freely. We are already married, so maybe we could be a couple. A normal couple who do not have to worry about anything in the world. . . And then she smiled.

"What exactly do you plan on doing?" Sarah asked Dick calmly knowing full well she could be out of a job very quickly if this conversation elevated any more. She knew Dick's foster father Bruce Wayne was a very influential and wealthy man who was particularly soft when it came to Dick. He could and would do almost anything Dick asked of him. He had even provided a fully-paid house for Dick, his new wife, and three of their friends so they could go to college together.

"I'm getting Tara out." Dick stated and Tara looked at him almost at the point of tears. Is this what it means to be forgiven? Tara wondered. "She doesn't need your help anymore." Dick continued before looking at the two girls accompanying him. "Come on, let's go sign those release forms. She can live with us for the meantime." Kori and Rachel agreed each with a smile on her face. This was the right thing to do. All three of them knew it. Tara had suffered much more than enough.

"So, Tara is going to stay with us for a while." Dick finished briefing Vic and Gar. Vic knew it was for the best to have the three girls together. However, he knew it would also be awkward for Gar and Tara to be living under the same roof. Especially because of the way Gar broke up with her. If Vic remembered correctly, Gar told him that he had scheduled the "help" she needed and then ditched her at the doctor's office. He hadn't seen or even heard anything from or about her until now. He had no idea that she was put through so much for the year he had been gone from her life. Vic was no empath, but he knew when Gar was hurting. Gar had this empty look in his eyes that Vic hoped could tell Tara how guilty and ashamed he was of how he had acted. He would never be able to express to her what he felt through words. It never was his strong point.

Tara looked at Gar for a moment with an unidentified emotion in her eyes before moving on to the others. "So where do I sleep?" She asked with a smile, but everyone except Kori knew she was trying very hard to keep it on her face.

"Friend Terra, I must insist you sleep in my room!" Kori exclaimed at once and hugged her. Tara was thankful it was without her insane strength.

"I hope you don't mind that, Tara." Dick apologized. "I think that's the only way we'll all fit since the couch and all the beds are taken right now."

"Hey, anything is better than those crunchy, hospital beds!" She said, once again trying to be positive and not give into a bitter attitude. This, however, reminded Gar of what he had put her through even though Tara didn't intend her words to do such. He felt like such a jerk! When she glanced over at him again, he couldn't even meet her eyes. Instead, he looked down and to the side. How could any apology he make prove to her that he wanted to be forgiven above all else? Would she forgive him? Could she even forgive him?

"Glorious!" Kori said and grabbed Tara by the hand. "I shall show you our room at once!" She then dragged her by their joined hands up the stairs leaving the three boys and Rachel behind.

Vic looked at Gar and could almost feel all the misery he was experiencing. "C'mon, man." He told his shorter, blonde friend and patted him on the shoulder before turning to walk somewhere private. "We need to talk." Gar nodded and followed. This left Rachel and Dick alone. That was exactly what Rachel did not want. She didn't know what she felt for her former team leader. Were her thoughts earlier sincere or were they just taking advantage of the situation? She didn't know and was very confused, but couldn't stop thinking about it. Should she try to start anything with her best friend?

"Rachel," Dick said her name and she looked at him in the eyes even though she was still unsure of her emotions. "Are you feeling okay? You've been awfully quiet since the hospital." He asked earnestly. She looked away and wondered if he really did care.

Rachel opened and closed her mouth her mouth several times as if she didn't know what to say. Finally, she managed to look him in his eyes and ask her own question. "Why did you stick up for me?" She asked a little on the shy side. It was a side Dick hadn't seen in this her, but it reminded him of when he first asked his Rachel if she would go on a date with him. Could they actually be the same person?

Dick had trouble answering the question Rachel had so much trouble asking. "I always keep my promises." He finally told her. He couldn't seem to get out anything more, even though he wanted to say so much more. But could he really give up his wife so easily?

"Is that all?" Rachel asked him like she desperately wanted to hear his answer but to a certain level was scared of what it might be. Dick wondered what all she wanted to hear and figure out what he wanted to tell her. Were their thoughts truly one and the same?

"I'm sorry," He eventually told her and she looked disappointed at his answer and sad. However, he wasn't finished. "I've been such a baby about all of this." He rubbed the back of his neck as he inhaled and exhaled. "You're my wife, so I should believe what you say no matter how strange it sounds." He saw her eyes widen and then she smiled with a faint blush on her cheeks. She summoned all of her courage and leaned forward to embrace him. He did believe. "Thank you." She said faintly, but he heard her and then returned her embrace. They could definitely make this work. They would.

—Fin—

A/N: So, Xaphrin, how'd I do? I hope you enjoyed this one! I hope this answers some (if not all) of your questions. If there is still anything else missing or confusing, please bring it up. That goes for everybody! I wanna know what I can do to make the story more enjoyable and less lacking in detail. Oh, and I know that this chapter is way longer than the previous three. That would be because everything but the last blurb at the end of chapter three were written over two years ago. That just shows how much better my writing has gotten over that period of time. Please review!

Signed,

her Sappiness