Hey guys, thank you so much for all the reviews, favorites, alerts, and everything. Thank you, thank you all. And yeah, I did change the summary. The old one just wasn't working for me anymore. Anyways, here's the next chapter, Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

Summary: Love, like war, is easy to begin, but hard to stop. Raven's life had never been easy, but things take an unexpected twist when she meets the arrogant new kid, Richard Grayson.


Love comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

~Timothy 1:5

Chapter seven: The Gala


Richard's chauffeur opened the door to the classy black Rolls Royce Phantom limousine and Rich stepped out onto Raven's driveway.

He popped the collar on his Calvin Klein tuxedo and ran his hand through a jet black forest of perfect curls and spikes. "How do I look, Preston?"

"Divine, sir," Preston replied in a strong British accent. He brushed off Rich's shoulder, and made a small circle around him, and nodded, impressed and he approved. "She's a very lucky girl, sir."

"No, no," Rich corrected him, "I'm a lucky man."


Arms locked, Raven and Kori gracefully and slowly walked down the staircase, the epitome of two angels.

Eagle emerged from the shadows, and stood next to Phoenix, who was on one knee, videotaping the moment.

They had never seen their sister look the way she did at that moment. She was always covered in makeup and dark clothes, but now, she had emerged from the darkness that had been hiding her true beauty.

Raven was enveloped in a dress of Caribbean blue color that darkened into a sea of dark blue as the dress cascaded down to her feet. The strapless dress shirred across her petite figure to the left. And crystal rhinestones covered the fabric over her cleavage and molded into the shape of a small diamond above her stomach.

Eagle smiled, with her hair pulled to a side chignon, Raven looked so much like his mother. And the chignon was even more spectacular because her bleached white streaks weaved through it, contrasting well with her jet black hair. And with the white flower pinned in front of the chignon by her right ear, her brilliant eyes stood out even more.

"Kori! You look beautiful!" Phoebe exclaimed. She ran over to the staircase, and held onto the banister on the left side, eagerly awaiting her sister and her friend.

Phoebe admired the senior with her hair pulled back on the right side with a crystal rhinestone barrette and deep red curls flowing down her left shoulder. Her curvacious body was pasted in a deep red silk dress that hugged her body and flared out around her feet.

Kori looked a lot more mature than Raven. Her sleeves where see-through beige fabric in which was dabbed with rhinestones. And a long see-through slit went from her chest to her feet on the front and back side of the dress, also of which was beige and dabbed with rhinestones. But the only things visible through the slit were her tan skin, belly button, and belly button piercing.

"No, Phoebe, they both look beautiful," Phoenix shut off the video camera and stood as the girls arrived at the bottom of the staircase. He held out his hand to Kori and Eagle held his to Raven, and they led the two young ladies into the living room.

The doorbell sounded through the silence of the room, "That's Rich," Raven let her hand fall from Eagle's, "Let's get this over with."

"Do I look okay?" Kori primped herself with the hand Phoenix wasn't holding.

"Absolutely stunning," Phoenix spun her around with his hand that was holding hers, and her dress flared in a perfect circle, coming to a gentle stop as did she.

"Thank you," Kori blushed, allowing her hand to fall gracefully to her side.

"Today please, Kori," Raven rushed her, with her hand waiting on the doorknob.

Kori sighed, and nearly floated over to Raven who opened the door, revealing Richard standing there, gawking at the normally Gothic girl.

"Rich," Raven said, bringing him from his daze, "Stop staring before you start drooling."

Richard cleared his throat, his cheeks turning scarlet, "You...uh...you look beautiful, Raven."

"Let's go, Grayson," Raven glided past him and over to the limo, waiting for him to follow, but, he just stood there, Kori beside him as he watched Raven. Completely in awe.

"Wake up, Rich," Kori snapped her fingers in front of his face, making him come to. Embarrassed, Rich popped his collar and turned to Kori.

"You look nice too, Kori," he said, and allowed her to drag him over to the limo. Which Preston now also stood next to, and opened the door, and out popped Vic and Gar, both of the sporting a black and white tux. The two of them were having a dispute over which girl's were hotter at the school.

"No way, bro," Gar violently shook his head, "Kyla is nowhere near as hot as Haley."

"Dude, Haley's a ditz. She can't even spell her name right," Vic thumped Gar's ear.

"And Kyla has more hair on her upper lip than you do," Gar thumped him back and they began to yell over each other, neither of them aware of their audience.

Kori, annoyed, cleared her throat, causing Vic and Gar's altercation to cease. Vic turned and apologized for Gar's childish behavior and bad taste in girls, while Gar's jaw dropped when he saw Kori standing there, looking like a million bucks.

The entire world melted away, and Gar could hear a choir of angels singing angelic "ah's" and all he could see was Kori standing there, surrounded by light from heaven, batting her eyelashes, her emerald green eyes on him. While in actuality, Kori was staring at him like he was a madman.

"Bro," Vic nudged him, attempting to bring him out of his daze, but all he did was cause Gar to topple over on the ground. While laughing, Vic pulled his friend back onto his feet, "Smooth one."

Kori giggled, and looped her arm with Gar's, and they climbed into the limo together.

"You look great, Little Rae," Vic complimented her as she climbed into the limo in front of him.

"Thanks Vic, and you clean up pretty nice yourself," Raven returned his courtesy as she settled near the window on the leather interior. Vic sat to her right, Kori next to him and Gar to Kori's right, while Rich sat across from her, still staring.

Raven looked away from him, pretending not to notice, and watched as Gar flirted with Kori, and Kori giggled, and Vic admired the limo's details.

Rich admired Raven's beauty. She was truly the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen in his seventeen years. This night with her, was going to be a night to remember for the rest of his days.

Raven, fed up with Richard's staring, looked over at him, "What, Grayson?"

He smiled idiotically, and walked across the limo, and situated himself next to her, really close.

Raven, uncomfortable and annoyed, hopped over away from him.

Rich, determined, hopped right back next to her, and she fled to the other side of the limo, where he followed her.

"Is there something you want?" she asked, very annoyed.

Rich tried to place his hand on her porcelain face, but she pushed his hand away, "Don't touch me." she simply said, "If all you ever want to do is make me happy, then don't put your hands on me."

"As you wish," Rich held his hands up, surrendering, and scooted away from her, "And besides, we're here."

Raven and her friends, all turned simultaneously and looked out of the window.

Raven was shocked by what she saw, but did not show it on her face.

They saw an enormous mansion approaching in the distance. Even from afar, it was humongous. Limos and palatial cars of all kind were parked all around, and fancy people with riches beyond imagination were about. And the house was surrounded by fall decorations -gigantic pumpkins, decorative hay bails in all shapes and sizes, scarecrows, and the trees were fall colors.

"Whoa! This house is totally wicked!" Gar exclaimed, his face plastered on the window.

"It is very grandiose," Kori complimented, "Thank you for inviting me Rich."

"You're welcome, Kor," Rich smiled, and put his lips next to Raven's ear and spoke only loud enough for her to hear. "What do you think, Raven? Nothings changed, your opinion is still the only one that matters to me."

"It's relatively imposing, I guess," Raven said, not wanting to encourage Rich or boost his confidence any. She pushed his face away from her with her hand.

"Relatively, Raven? Really?" Rich teased her, knowing that's not half of what she thought.

"You are so annoying," Raven kept her face from smiling, "Leave me alone."

"I don't intend to, but okay," he taunted her once more as Preston opened the door to the limo.

Kori looped her arm with Gar's and they disembarked from the limo together, Vic behind them. He made it clear that he wanted all the girls at the party to know that he was single.

"Come on, Raven," Rich held his arm out for Raven to take, "You are my date after all."

Raven rolled her eyes and reluctantly locked her arm with his, "Fine," she pouted as they strolled away from the limo, "But I'm not your date."

"Whatever you say," Rich led the way up the concrete path and the ten steps to his massive front door, where Albert courteously opened the door. Raven and Rich walked into the main room first, followed by Vic, and then Kori and Gar. And Rich led them into the grand ballroom. They walked slowly down the gigantic staircase, as it would only seem fitting to do so.

The capacious room was filled with people, all of them with their noses in the air, and dressed in the finest clothing money could buy.

"Well this isn't a surprise," Raven mumbled.

"What was that, Raven?" Rich asked.

"Oh, nothing," Raven replied, all too suspiciously. But Rich let it slide, and led her and their friends even slower to the bottom of the staircase.

The room was decorated with gold and white. The tables were scattered about, and people were dancing among them to the music from the dull band on the stage.

Raven and her companions reached the floor, and applauded along with the rest of the audience when the band finished the song they were playing and started another, the classic Latin waltz.

"May I have this dance, Gar?" Kori asked, knowing exactly what his answer would be.

"Of course you may," Gar led her to an area between some tables, and they waited for the downbeat to begin dancing with the crowd.

"Vic," Raven latched onto his arm, "Dance with me."

"No way, Rae," Vic eyed a group of blondes across the room, "I've got to stay available."

He fled from Raven's reach and over to the group of girls.

Raven huffed and turned back around to Rich, who was leaning casually against a table, taking a drink of the water that had sat there. "Come on, Raven, I'm not that bad. If you didn't want to come with me, then why did you say yes?"

Raven sat down in a chair, and Rich sat next to her. "I don't know, it's different now that I'm here. It's just, I feel so...out of place. I mean, I don't feel like, me." Raven snatched the flower from her hair, and placed it on the table, "And you obviously like me better this way. Everybody does, but me."

"No Raven. I like you just the way you were when I met you. And that's good enough for you, and it's more than enough for me. And even when I draw you, I draw you the way I see you. And you're perfect to me, just the way you are."

"Show me your drawings again, Rich," Raven told him, and he grinned, showing his sparking white and perfectly straight teeth.

"What?" she asked, baffled.

"That was the first time you called me by my name," he replied, still smiling.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever Grayson, just show me the sketches please."

"Alright," Rich stood, "I'll be right back." he left the ballroom and went up to his bedroom and fetched a couple of his sketch books, and returned within five minutes.

While entering the ballroom a second time, Rich saw Raven standing over by the refreshments table, conversing with Vic, and he had to rub his eyes. Raven was dressed completely different from when he left.

He made his way over to her. She was now sporting her favorite color, black. A black dress and onyx jewelry. Her strapless dress stopped above her knees. Above her waist, the dress was sewn in bandage style with black and a deep violet. And hugged her curvacious figure bellow her waist. And, of course, she was wearing her combat boots. And her hair had been pulled from the chignon and was now hanging to her shoulders, slightly wavy, and her bleached white streaks really stood out.

He cleared his throat, "Ahem. Raven," he gained her attention and she turned to him, just now being aware of his presence, with a smile still on her face from when she'd been laughing at something Vic had voiced.

"Um...Raven. Where did you get that dress? It's nice," he said, unsure of how to start the conversation without insulting her.

"Really," she looked down at herself, "It's amazing what Kori can do with a couple of table cloths and a pair of scissors."

"She sure did a great job. You look absolutely gorgeous," Rich stepped closer to her, "You look like the Raven I know. The girl that fell head over heels for."

Rich lifted his hand and moved a few loose strands of hair from Raven's face. She began to feel uncomfortable and wanted to tell him to knock it off. But, she couldn't bring herself to push him away...not now, and not again.

"Enough chit chat Grayson," Raven stepped back, taking his sketch books and putting them on the table, "Let's have it out on the dance floor. Unless, you're not man enough to dance."

She circled around him, they had now traded places with Raven being the predator and Rich being the cornered prey. He watched her as she slightly squinted her eyes and lifted her eyebrow, proposing a challenge. One of which Rich accepted by taking her hand and leading her onto the dance floor, where the room was now dancing the classic modern waltz.

Raven allowed him to lead her into the dance on the downbeat. Her right hand was positioned on his shoulder and her left hand was placed in his right hand while his left hand was resting on her waist.

Rich noticed how good of a dancer Raven was as she followed his leading. Her steps were so graceful that it seemed as though she were floating, and the only thing keeping her from leaving the ground, was his hold on her.

It was easy from them to follow the simple 1 2 3 beat of the music, and when the song ended, neither of them were the least bit tired.


About an hour later, Rich and Raven found themselves in the middle of the ballroom dancing the famous salsa along with the rest of the frolicking couples.

When dance ended, both of them were out of breath and in dire need of a break. Raven, slowly panting, turned away from Rich and started to walk off, but he stopped her by grabbing her hand and pulling her back toward him as the next song began to play. The Argentine Tango, Richard's specialty.

"One more," he said to her, bringing her into the dance, expecting her to be a damsel.

Rich, being a member of a family without limited means, had been exposed to many different cultures, discovering different styles of music and dancing. He'd traveled all over the world in his seventeen years, and from each place he visited, he learned their ways of doing things. And he'd never really met a person who shared his varied dancing skills, until today.

Richard broke the out into the Salida, the opening moves and, to his astonishment, so did Raven. She grinned at the surprised expression on his face and they continued with the sensual dance.

Raven easily followed his lead, even though he was simply improvising, which is why the Argentine Tango is a complicated dance.

Rich tried to throw her off by throwing her trick steps or really hard ones to follow, but Raven was not phased. Every move he made, she countered it, no matter how perplexing it was.

A few minutes later, the music and the dance came to its halting stop, and the two's final pose was full of tension. Raven's right leg was lifted and laced around Rich's left leg. His hands hand moved to her lower back, and their faces were an inch apart and their lustful breaths were one.

Raven immediately pulled back, leaving about a foot between them, and tried to catch her breath.

"Drinks?" Richard suggested, breaking the tension.

Raven nodded and followed him over to the refreshments table. After replenishing themselves in silence, a boy approached them, a boy with very many similarities to Richard.

"Riley," Rich said to him, "Go away, I'm busy right now."'

"Yeah, like a really came over here to talk to you," Riley rolled his eyes and turned to Raven, who was leaning against the table with a glass between her fingers.

"I wanted to introduce myself to your friend," he held his hand out quirky like for Raven to shake, "I'm Riley Grayson."

"Raven," she gently placed her hand in his, and eyed him like he was a madman, "Raven Roth."

"And what would a raven-haired beauty like you be doing with little Richard here?" Riley asked, and both he and Raven looked over at Rich, who was steaming mad and annoyed.

"He's my date," Raven hopped over to Rich and locked her arm with his. She was trying to stay unavailable for the antithesis of Vic's reasons, to avoid the opposite sex that is attracted to her.

Riley frowned, disappointed, "Well, I guess I overestimated you. Any girl who falls for Rich isn't good enough for me. I like to aim high, and avoid the lowest common denominator."

"Oh, so you grew balls all of a sudden!" Rich unlocked his arm with Raven's and stepped up to his brother.

All in one quick motion, Rich grabbed his brother's shoulder, and hit him with an uppercut right in the abdomen. Riley doubled over in pain, and Rich stepped back and grabbed Raven's hand.

"Lesson number two, Riley, don't pick a fight if you don't have the fight in you, and never insult your brother's date."

Richard led Raven over to a table, and they sat down next to each other; Rich was still boiling mad.

"Come on, Grayson, it's okay, that little quirky twerp didn't hurt my feelings," Raven tried to talk some sense into him, "I'm tough as nails remember. You're overreacting."

"No, I'm underreacting...I should have snapped that little twig in half. The nerve of that little pansy," Rich was frustrated, "Did you hear what he said to you?"

"Yes and...you remember when you said that the only opinion that matters to you is mine?" Raven had finally found the solution.

"Yeah."

"Well, I think that what you're brother said was very rude, but, I didn't care about any word that came out of his mouth," Raven finally saw Rich's hard expression smooth out, "Nor did I believe them."

He sighed, "I'm sorry, Raven," he apologized, "It's just, I care about you."

"Grayson," Raven rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Say my name," Rich smiled back, "My real name. I like it when you call me by my first name."

"No way, Grayson," Raven refused, "You'll start getting cocky if I use your name all the time."

"Am I going to have to tickle it out of you?" Rich held out his wiggling fingers towards her, "We don't need a repeat of the other day, do we?"

"Not here, Grayson," Raven smacked his hands away,

"You know I will Raven," he teased her, "All you have to do to stop it is say my name."

"Okay a nickname," Raven offered, knowing she couldn't stop his tickling fingers of fury.

"A nickname...," he considered it, "Alright little birdy Raven. But make it something like, Midnight Cobra...or Big Daddy...or OG, cause, you know, I am an original gangsta..."

"Robin," Raven said, "Not a snake and definitely not my "Big Daddy". But, a little birdy Robin."

"No, no, no, not Robin." he refused, "Call me Rich, or I will release the tickle monster."

"You touch me with "the tickle monster" again, and I will wring your neck," Raven threatened. She didn't glower at him, and she didn't grimace. She simply stated it, because she meant it.

"Robin it is," Rich agreed, fearing for his life, "But like a super hero name. Like Robin the..."

"Boy Wonder," Raven offered, "Robin, Boy Wonder."

"Why that?" Rich asked, smiling.

"Sounds catchy," Raven shrugged, "And this reminds me. I never got to see your drawings."

"That's right, where are they?" Rich asked, checking his person.

"I left them over there on the..." Raven pointed over to the refreshments table where she had previously put the sketch books. They weren't there. "They're gone," she said, and looked back over to Rich, "I'm so sorry, Robin."

"It isn't your fault. And besides, I'm positive we'll find them," he reassured her, "There's not a lot of places they could be."

They stood up, and began searching all over the ballroom for Richard's drawings. Kori, Gar, and Vic joined in and helped.

They searched every inch of that ballroom, and Richards sketch books were nowhere to be found. But, when looking over the room a second time, Raven saw that they were in the exact same spot that she put them on the refreshment table.

"There they are," Raven led Rich, whom had been her searching partner over to the table. He picked up the books and Raven scanned over the room to find her friends to tell them they had found Rich's drawings, when she laid eyes on Jinx. Jinx's eyes met Raven's for an intense second, before she suddenly found a glass to be very interesting and broke their eye contact.

"That's weird," Richard said, gaining Raven's attention. She looked down at what he was doing, and saw that he had sat the books down on the table and was bent over flipping through them.

"What?" Raven asked, looking over his shoulder.

"I can't find any of my drawings of you. Huh. I could have sworn I had a few in here," he knitted his eyebrows, perplexed as he double checked the book. "Maybe I just grabbed the wrong books from my bedroom." He shut the book and turned around, leaning casually against the table.

"Maybe not," Raven mumbled.

"Pardon?" he looked over at her, meeting her amethyst gaze.

"Nothing. Never mind" Raven shook her thoughts and assumptions away and changed the tone of the conversation. "Obviously, they weren't that important to you, you couldn't even keep up with them."

"If you weren't smirking and dripping with sarcasm right now, I'd be mad," Richard sported his signature smirked.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, Robin, before I do it for you. And tell me, why is Jinx here?" Raven folded her arms across her stomach and shifted her weight to her left side.

"Jealous much?" Richard popped a grape into his mouth.

"You wish, now tell me," she quirked her eyebrow.

"If you have to know, Miss Nosy, her dad is the new COO. It only seemed fitting that she be invited," Rich replied, now he was the one dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, can I be honest with you?" Raven asked, dead serious.

"Of course," Rich answered, joining in the serious mood.

"I don't really like Jinx," Raven admitted.

"Why?"

"She just makes me feel...the other day in the library...I don't know. Something is just off about her..."

"Shush." Richard silenced her by placing his finger on her soft lips. "There's something to everybody Raven. Everybody has something about them that differentiates them from others. And it's not cool to down someone because of that."

"But she—"

"Hush."

"And when—"

"Quiet."

"I saw—"

"Don't."

"But I—"

"SILENCE."

"Fine," Raven sighed, defeated and Rich removed his finger from her mouth.

"Now, little birdy Raven, we've talked, we've argued, we've danced, we've kicked Riley's ass, but we haven't eaten," Richard held out his hand for Raven to take, "Shall we, my gorgeous date?"

"I'm not your date," Raven clarified, "And we shall." She took his hand and he led her out of the ballroom through a door hidden in the back.

He led her through his mansion and they reached and elevator which they climbed inside. Richard stood in front of the buttons so that Raven was unable to see which one he would push.

"Where are we going, Robin?" Raven asked, taking her hand from him.

"Wherever the wind takes us, Raven," he answered, "Hopefully it brings us to the stars tonight. I think the night sky is the most beautiful in the autumn, particularly in October."

"No funny business, Grayson. I'm not your date, I'm not your girl, I'm your friend," Raven clarified.

"Agreed, no funny business," Richard said as the elevator stopped. He stepped out first, and Raven right behind him. They were in a small corridor. It was barely big enough for the two of them, and there was a door at the end.

"Close your eyes," Richard instructed her, and placed his hands over her closed eyelids, "No peaking."

He opened the door and Raven immediately felt the piercing sting of the cold night air against her bare skin.

"Alright, you can look," Richard removed his hands from Raven's eyes and they fluttered open.

"Robin, it's beautiful."


Gar stood on the outskirts of the ballroom, extremely bored and pissed, with his arms folded across his chest as he furiously watched Kori dance with one guy after the other.

He didn't know why he was mad, never had he been jealous because of a girl. He needed to talk to Vic, get his mind off this.

He left the spot he was in and searched around the room for Vic and found him talking to a group of brunettes.

"Dude, Vic, I need to talk to you, man," Gar nudged Vic's shoulder, ignoring the snotty girls that surrounded him and his friend.

"Later Gar, I'm busy," Vic told him and continued talking to the girls, "And so there I was, the last three seconds of the game, and we were one touchdown away from being the undefeated champions of Gotham City-"

"C'mon dude, bros before hoes," Gar reminded him, insulting the girls who gasped and fled from the two boys.

"Wait! I've never seen this guy in my life! Come back!" Vic called after them, but they didn't look back, he turned to Gar, who was leaning against the wall, still mad.

"What do you want?" Vic asked, leaning next to him.

Gar saw Kori across the ballroom, still dancing with different guys, "Worst...Party...Ever."

"Ditto," Vic agreed.

And just when the ladies men had no hope, a flock of gorgeous red heads floated passed them, and a certain red head turned a group of boys away.

"Best party ever!" the two exclaimed together and ran to their targets.


"I did it just for you," Richard told Raven, as she walked around and observed her surroundings.

Raven stood on the roof of the Wayne Manor, towering over nearly every building in Gotham City. And in the middle of the roof a table for two sat. It was set with the finest China money could buy and a white Egyptian Cotton table cloth. And in the middle of the finely set table, a slender vase sat with a single White Camellia inside.

Violin music was being played by two violinist who stood a few yards away from the table. And a waiter stood by them, ready and waiting to serve the two.

But the most attractive thing about this setting to Raven, was the view. The night sky was filled with stars, which usually weren't able to be seen in the city, all the lights usually overthrew their visibility. But, they were above the lights of the city, and now the stars shined brighter than anything in the night.

And down below, nearly every inch of the city was completely visible. Gotham City has always been the most beautiful at night. All the buildings were lit up, some even in neon colors.

"I love it," Raven admitted, moving off to the side and looking over.

Her amethyst eyes glistened as she looked at the city beneath her, and Rich silently walked up next to her.

"The city seems so...peaceful from here," Raven spoke, not looking over at the teen next to her.

"It does," Rich agreed, "You know, you remind me of my mother, Raven."

"How so?" Raven inquired, looking over at Rich, who was looking out over the city.

"She loved it up here too," he replied, glancing over at her and both of them looked back to the city, "It was sort of her...escape. Whenever she was feeling down, she'd come up here. I came along sometimes, she never turned me away, and she'd tell me stories about her childhood, and things she used to do with her dad. I heard every word she said, sometimes through her tears, and I remember all of them to this day."

Raven was touched that he trusted her to share this story. If only she trusted him like he did her. "So, this was like you two's special place."

"Exactly," Richard glanced at her.

"Robin, tell me one of her stories, if you don't mind," Raven spoke, her voice soft. She took a seat, her legs dangling over the roof until she brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

Richard sat next to her, a few inches from her, bringing his knees up to his chest also,"Once, Mom and I were up here after the death of her mother. And she told me what her favorite childhood memory was. Growing up, her family didn't have much, just a small cozy little house on the outskirts of Harlem. But they were a close family that loved and cared about each other, which was good enough for her." Richard smiled, and Raven looked up at him as he continued with his story.

"And one Christmas, they all got snowed in. So their plans of visiting their grandparents in Atlanta were canceled. So her parents spent the entire day with my mom and her brothers and sisters in the snug little living room. They were wrapped up in blankets and they didn't have hot chocolate and marshmallows, so they settled with chocolate milk and oatmeal. She told me it was the best Christmas of her life."

"Your mother must be an amazing women," Raven said, looking up at him.

"She is," Rich met her gaze, "I wish you could meet her. She would love you."

"Why can't I meet her?" Raven asked.

"She lives in Jump City, and I'm not allowed to see her unless my father says it's okay. He legally has custody over me until I'm eighteen," Richard replied, looking back at the city.

"How old were you when your parents were divorced?"

"Twelve. Being so young...I didn't know what to do. It was devastating. That's how divorce and custody battles always are. But don't pity me, it made me strong." He looked back at her, waiting for her to glance at him so he could catch a glimpse of her brilliant eyes.

"What about your folks?" he asked and saw her hesitate before she turned to face him.

"What is there to say about them?" she replied, looking back and forth between both his eyes, "They're just normal parents." Lying to him made Raven immediately felt guilty. He'd told her so much about himself and his family, but he knew absolutely nothing about her. She wanted to tell him, she wanted to open up, but, she just couldn't.

"Well maybe I could meet them sometime," he offered.

"Maybe," Raven said, knowing he never would, "Well, I'm starving, let's not let this dinner go to waste."

"I agree," Richard got onto his feet and held out a hand to assist Raven.

"If you don't mind," she sassed, getting onto her feet," I'm perfectly capable of-"

Raven slipped, and she would have fallen to her death if Richard hadn't sprung into action and grabbed her waist. She was lifted in his arms, her feet dangling over the roof, and he held her tightly as he allowed her feet to once again touch the ground.

Both of them were panting slowly as Richard held her close to his body, so close that her chest was pressed firmly against his and her arms were locked around his neck.

Raven pulled herself away from him and escaped his lustful grasp and left him with his arms outstretched for her as she walked over to the table.

"What!" Richard exclaimed, letting his hands violently fall to his sides, "Hows about a thank you Richard for saving my life?"

"You'll never let yourself feel unappreciated, will you, Grayson?" Raven asked, very nervy, as she pulled out her chair and sat down."

"It's kinda hard not to with you being so unappreciative," he replied, just as assertive as she.

"Fine, Grayson," Raven rolled her eyes, throwing her napkin into her lap, "Thank you for invading my personal space and saving me."

Richard smiled, sarcastically leaving behind his audaciousness, "That's all I ask," he strolled over to the table and sat across from her.

"What would you like to eat, love?" Richard asked her, motioning for the waiter to come over.

"What's available, not my love?" Raven inquired, receiving an enthusiastic look from Rich.

"Anything you want," he replied.

"What you think I want, and don't be wrong," Raven told him, quirking her eyebrow, proposing a challenge.

"Alright, little birdy Raven," he whispered some things into the waiter's ear, and the waiter nodded and left the roof.

"So, Raven, when are we going have our soccer game?" Rich asked.

"Tonight," Raven replied, "In your dreams."

"We'll be doing more than playing soccer in my dreams tonight," Rich teased, and then purred at her.

"That's the only place we will ever be doing any of those things. In your wet dreams, boy blunder," Raven rolled her eyes.

"What happened to boy wonder?" Richard asked.

"That was before you started getting all cocky and annoying," Raven told him, "So knock it off, or I will leave."

"Alright, alright, I'll stop. Don't leave," Rich agreed, surrendering and causing Raven to smirk and he allowed her to without receiving any lip from him.

They waited in silence (Raven enjoyed the view of the city while Rich enjoyed the epitome of a dark angel who sat across from him), and it was Richard's observing of the stunner that brought it to his attention that he was an idiot. They'd been on the rooftop for well over an hour and Raven's skin was bare! She had no jacket and her dress was short and sleeveless. A horrible date and friend he was for not noticing.

"I'm sorry, little birdy Raven," Rich hopped up from his seat and hurriedly removed his palatial jacket, leaving him in only his white collared shirt and black tie.

Raven leaned up off the back of her chair and allowed Richard to gently placed the black coat around her skin of silk, draping in on her shoulders.

"Thanks," she said, pulling it around her tighter with her hands, "I was beginning to think that you were going to let me become an ice sculpture."

"Why didn't you say anything? Now I feel like a jerk," Richard pouted, situating himself back into his seat.

"Because, little birdy Robin," Raven leaned close to him and he to her until her lips were right next to his ear, "It was a test," she whispered only audible enough for the athlete to hear.

Her breath was like a thousand needles piercing into his flesh, and he loved it. He has under her spell. Everything, everything about this girl lured him in. Her name, her eyes, her body, her skin, her scent, her personality, her mysterious background, her everything. And he loved it.

"And...did I pass?" he managed to say as Raven sat back down.

"Hmm," Raven mulled it over, "Barely," she decided.

"Well maybe I need some private tutoring," Richard raised his eyebrow and smirked mischievously.

"Maybe you need to get your hormones under control," Raven rolled her eyes as the waiter from before served their food to them on covered silver platters.

The waiter quickly placed the platters and glasses on the table, and lifted the silver covers away and hurriedly left the roof.

"Why is he in such a hurry?" Raven inquired, looking down at her dish. Richard had gotten Luohan Zhai, another one of her favorites, and in her glass was steaming herbal tea, her absolute favorite.

"They're probably having a big rush inside." Richard replied, ravishing his meal.

"Food?"

"The rich aren't really big eaters at parties."

Raven cocked her head.

Richard tilted his head back and gestured with his thumb to his mouth.

"Ah," Raven figured, "They'll start dropping like flies by midnight."

"Earlier than midnight, these fat cats aren't what they used to be," Richard corrected, "So did I pass the test, little birdy Raven?"

"What are you going on about, Grayson?" Raven asked, taking a spoonful of Luohan Zhai and putting it in her mouth.

"You asked me to pick for you. Did I get it right?"

"By a lucky guess," Raven admitted, "And don't go getting a big head about it."

"How can I? You won't let me feel like I accomplish anything," Rich chuckled, "But whatever, I guess you keep me in line."

"As it should be," Raven smirked and took another bite of her food.


"Oh yeah, I am stuffed," Richard yawned, patting his stomach and tossing his napkin from his lap to the table.

Raven, like a proper lady, folded her napkin, "So am I," she agreed, pulling his coat closer to her.

Richard finally was able to control himself and not look at Raven by turning his attention to something that was almost as beautiful as she. The stars. They almost shinned brighter than the sparkle in Raven's amethyst orbs. They almost measured up to her exquisiteness.

They shinned in the night sky like a million newly polished pure diamonds. They allured him with their artistry and he lost himself in the stars, like he used to do in his childhood.

He stood on his feet and leaned casually against the table with his arms folded across his chest, feasting his eyes on the stars.

Raven stood as well, his coat draped over her shoulders, and joined him without leaning on the table, she too, admired the stars. "What's the story behind the stars, Robin?" Raven inquired, her voice soaring with the melody of the breezing wind.

"After the divorce...I would always stare out of my window and look up at the night sky...The moon seemed like the perfect place to run away to...To escape this hell hole I call home...all the pain would go away," he spoke, his eyes never once leaving the sky.

"And the stars. Never once could I see the night sky and not notice something different from the night before, some new pattern that had never been there. You see," he pointed upward and Raven followed his finger to a group of stars.

"That looks like a disheartened tiger that's been in captivity all it's life...It's been deprived of everything a real tiger is supposed to have... And It's afraid...it's afraid of what it's life might become if it's released into a world it's never known...A world of defenselessness and despair..."

Richard had always been able to see past the image and behind the mask. He truly had a gift. But there was one thing he couldn't penetrate, one thing that made him blind, and that one thing was Raven. She was his mystery to solve. His perplexity.

"...And there," he pointed to another point in the night sky, "That's a mural of a woman with smooth and dominant features…She's in mourning...something tragic has happened to her...Maybe she lost the love she loved the most...Or maybe she's...trapped...in a dream of uncertainty."

"Why does such a simple thing like the night sky, hold so much meaning, so much reason?" Raven inquired, her eyes still beholding the wondrous objects up above.

"And why does it take a special person to read the story behind the beauty?" Richard countered, his eyes never leaving the sky, "Some things are meant to be secrets, Raven. And sometimes, they're just better left unknown."

"Show me another, Robin," Raven told him, moving herself closer to him.

"Well, you see there," he pointed to a constellation, "That lone star, just beneath Andromeda, that's my favorite, it's named Raven."

For the first time since they stood, they tore their gaze from the sky and looked at each other. Raven cocked her head and quirked her brow. Seeing that she was confused, Richard pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Raven.

She took it in both of her hands and read over it. She saw that it was a certificate, granting the star that Richard had showed her the name of Raven.

"You bought me a star?" Raven asked. She brought her hand up and placed it on his arm and looked into his stormy blue eyes.

"It was the only gift I could think of that would be almost as extravagant as you," Richard replied, his million dollar smile stole Raven away. She snaked her arms around his neck and pulled him into her embrace and Richard wrapped his arms around Raven's waist.

"That's the most thoughtful thing anybody's ever done for me," she whispered into his ear.

Raven pulled back, and looked into his eyes, smiling.

"You're welcome, little birdy Raven," he smiled back at her. They pulled apart and he took her hand of silk into his and caressed her knuckles with his thumb.

Raven just stared at him and their smiles slowly faded away.

And then, time seemed to stop, and the world became theirs. Without a care in the world, Raven allowed her eyes to flutter closed, and Richard, his dreams becoming reality, copied her notions, and slowly pulled her closer to him. Raven allowed him, she allowed herself to inch toward the teen whom she desired the most at the moment.

Closer and closer they became, so close that their open mouths were but an inch apart. Their warm breath that contrasted with the cold air to become a visible smoky substance combined together.

Passion burned, Lust flared, and Desire blazed all in the heat of this intense moment.

But, suddenly, time resumed, the fire was suffocated, and reality came flying back. And Raven realized what was happening, and she stopped herself just as her lips nearly locked with Richard's.

She took a step back away from him and Richard's eyes opened to see the fear in her eyes. He held onto her hand trying to prevent her from leaving and he pleaded with his eyes for her forgiveness.

Raven knitted her eyebrows and her eyes scanned over her body and up at Richard. What was she thinking? She was about to let Richard kiss her. No. She was about to kiss him. This is what happens when she lets her guard down.

"Raven," Rich brought her from her thoughts, "Please, I'm sorry."

Raven pulled her hand away and it slipped from Richard's grasp.

Raven closed her eyes, completely overwhelmed, "Goodnight Robin," she struggled to say and quickly turned on her heels and ran towards the door.

"Raven, I'm sorry!" Richard yelled after her, praying to God that she listened.

Raven stopped and opened the door, standing next to it, she turned and spared Rich one last glance and a few last words.

"It's fine," she told him, barely loud enough to hear over the wind. And with that, she left the roof, leaving Richard dumbfounded but also relieved. From what had just happened, he knew. He finally knew. He cared about Raven more than anything in the world, and something told him that she cared about him too.


End Chapter

Okay, so how was that? Please review and tell me what you think. Seriously, reviews are accepted and greatly appreciated. And while I'm at it, I just want to thank everyone who has read my story, or reviewed so far, or will review in the future. So thank you everybody!

Alright, so I will try to update soon. I'm back to school pretty soon (ugh) and hopefully I will have some time to write. So keep a close lookout for an update.

And I was going to wait until the next chapter to say this, but I guess I should say it now since you've had to wait. If you haven't noticed already, I'm planning on having a Gar/Kori/Phoenix love triangle. So while Raven and Rich are having their issues and things, so will Kori, Gar, and Phoenix.

So, keep a lookout, and don't forget to review.

1. Press the review button
2. Write whether you thought the chapter was good, bad, or in between.
3. Write the things I could improve on of you thought I did good.
4. Write your thoughts about the Raven/Rich relationship so far.
5. Write your thoughts about my newest triangle (read the authors note up above). In your opinion, who should Kori be with?
6. Write your thoughts about all the scenes with Raven and Rich at the gala.
7. Write your overall thoughts about the gala.
8. Write your thoughts about how the chapter ended.
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~GothicPrincess


Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

~Corinthians 13:7-8