::clears throat nervously::

Well, whatdya know? I haven't disappeared off the face of the universe quite yet ;-)

Sorry for the inordinately long wait. Been mightily busy around here.

Special thanks to butterflyangellover,Royal Blue, cartoonstar, cartoonfire, Sizzlin'-Starry-Night-sky, raeXXstarry, RavenSis, SaoirseWaveglow and Super Hyper chick 101 for reviewing. You guys rock and love the continual support!

Oh, and a double shout of for my cyber sister!

Ok, now the story.


Previously:

Kori left for her vacation.

Richard saw her off at the gate with the key to the house and the key to his heart.

Cheesy, but cute right?

Well, let's continue the story and see what happens.

Enjoy the chapter.

Richard watched as his girlfriend disappeared behind the terminal gate. He pocketed the memory of her loving gaze forever in his mind. He felt oddly alone and empty inside. He was so used to having his Starfire by his side 24/7, so the second she disappeared into the gate to the plane, he felt his heart spasm and come close to shattering. Shattering out of loneliness, out of the fear she would leave him. But more importantly, he feared she would be used against him or meet some tragic accident. Like his parents.

His parents. He fought back the guilt that he usually felt whenever he thought of them. It was his fault they died. All his fault and no one cared. Not caring was probably the biggest curse and the most lethal words a person could ever say or experience, for when you don't care, life passes by your eyes without your noticing. You miss out on opportunities. You lose everything and gain nothing. You are an empty eggshell. And cold hearted.

Maybe it was time to pay them a visit, since their anniversary was in a few days. Maybe he could resolve things within himself at that point. And a vacation sounded more than appealing.

Kori stared out the window, feeling as lonely as Robin. She was clenching the keys he gave her and had to smile sadly. He was so thoughtful. How had he managed to get her these keys in less than twelve hours? And scheduling her flight and dealing with her outbursts, she felt she didn't deserve him.

What if he found someone else while she was away? That froze her to the core. Yes, he promised he wouldn't forget her, but promises weren't always followed through. And how would she be able to know if he would think about her? They weren't going to communicate for over a month. She wouldn't hear any news about him. That left her even more empty inside.

But wasn't she the one who chose this trip in the first place? He was the one who supported her unfailingly. She really didn't deserve him.

"You know, no matter how much you make sad eyes at the window, Richard isn't just going to pop out of the sky and claim you back," Rachel said gently.

"I know," Kori replied softly. "But we've never been away from each other for so long. It's just a little lonely."

"So why are you going on vacation then?" Rachel asked.

"Because I need to know more about me."

"You're going to Tameran after, aren't you?"

Kori nodded, seeing no reason to deny it.

"Well, we're here and now and we're going on vacation, so you best enjoy it."

Kori smiled at her friend. Normally, Rachel wasn't this straightforward in stating the need to enjoy life, but she liked this side of her friend. It was the compassionate Raven that came out on rare occasions.

"Thanks, Raven."

"Anytime, Starface." With that, Rachel turned back to her book, intent on not being disturbed. Oh, how Kori pitied the flight attendants.

Kori put on a brave face and waited for the landing. Soon, her self-discovery would begin.

TTTTT

Once Kori, Rachel, Terra and Rose arrived at the resort, they were engulfed by strong arms.

"Hey girlfriends!" Karen cried. "I missed you all like crazy!"

"I highly doubt that with Stone around," Rachel muttered, causing everyone to stare at her in surprise, before breaking down into helpless laughter. Rachel just looked exasperated.

"Ok, seriously though, I'm glad you decided to call a vacation," Karen began and quickly added, "Rae, keep your biting comments to yourself."

Rachel looked at her innocently before quirking an eyebrow.

"Come, let's get settled before we start gossiping."

"That's all she ever does," Rachel muttered to herself, but Kori heard her and held back a laugh.

Rose watched the girls bantering, as they had for several days, and felt oddly out of sorts. She was here on a mission and that was to bring Kori Anders down. But how could she do something like that when Kori was treating her like one of her gals? She couldn't understand why someone would hate Anders. Kori put her friends above herself and went out of her way to make sure everyone was comfortable, especially Rose.

How could Rose betray that trust? But what about her father? How could Rose get around both her mission and her target? Normally, Rose had no issue bringing anyone down. It was an easy count of three before the person was dragged to ruins, but somehow, bringing that fate down upon Kori didn't seem like such a good idea. She sighed frustrated, wondering if she would be able to find a balance.

"…but seriously girl, you've been working your tiny booty off and it's long past time for a break," Karen finished.

"I know," Kori replied, feeling a little uncomfortable. "But I didn't want to leave Robin for so long."

"You guys have been serious for a long time yet you still don't go anymore than boyfriend girlfriend," Terra observed. "What's up with that?"

"Complications on both our parts," Kori replied evasively.

"Not that many complications," Karen interjected. "You don't have any outside party trying to shut you guys down."

"Or so it would seem," Kori muttered under her breath, but Karen heard her.

"Is this about Brucey?" Karen asked sharply.

Rose perked her ears at the mention of the billionaire.

"Yes and no and it's too complicated to think about right now. That's why I left in the first place. I need to clear my head, find out a few things about myself and then when that's done, then Richard and I will tie the knot. Or not. Depends on what happens and how he feels."

"You mean, how you feel," Rachel said dryly. "I think we pretty much know how he feels. He gave you the 'key to his heart'." Rachel made disgusted face at her last statement.

"Aw, Rae, I never realized you secretly had a passion for sweet things," Karen teased.

Rachel gave her a look and, if looks could kill, Karen would be shot down to the center of the earth. Karen chuckled as she put her hands up in defense. Karen turned to Kori in all seriousness. "Girl, does it have to do with… you know what?"

Rose shifted closer, not understanding.

Kori nodded sadly. "I just need to know more about myself before I go through with anything."

Rachel leaned back. "I think the bigger question you have to ask yourself is 'will you still care for Grayson after this'?"

Terra nodded her head in agreement. "If you think about it, you are going to be hopefully finding out a lot about things and you never know where that may lead you."

What the hell? Rose thought, utterly lost. What were they talking about.

Kori grimaced. "I just don't know."

TTTTT

Richard glanced around his apartment, feeling as if he were missing something. Well, duh he was missing something. He was missing his Starfire. He felt utterly abandoned. It wasn't her fault she wanted to find out about her past, but that didn't bode well for Richard.

What if she lost interest? What is she met a fatal accident? What if she found out she had some betrothed they knew nothing about? What if she randomly became princess of Tameran? Her duty would be to her planet and not to Richard.

All these unlikely possibilities caused Richard to sink into despair. What did Richard have to offer her anyway? It wasn't as if he were anything special. He guessed that the guys on Tameran were a lot more attractive than he, which would immediately draw Starfire's attention away from him.

And he wouldn't know a damn thing for at least two months! She wasn't going to call or write or even acknowledge Kori left him alone. All alone with no angel to tell him that she loved him, with no cute redhead kissing his lips. Nothing.

Just all alone.

But he would stick to his promise. He would NOT look at another woman until Starfire returned and he would ONLY look at another woman if Starfire decided she hated him. Well, he wasn't sure how likely he would be to look at another woman other than Star, but he would try. For both their sakes.

But that was looking at the worst.

Shaking off his depression, Richard decided he needed to go to work. Work was what he could bury himself under until he was beyond tired. Then he could come crawling home and go to sleep.

Maybe he didn't even have to go home! Going home would serve as a reminder that Starfire was NOT there, not waiting to kiss him senseless.

With the idea he'd be spending a few days at the office, Richard stuffed a suit or two extra into his briefcase and left the house to go to work.

After working three days straight at the office, someone was bound to notice. His office was unusually untidy, with many coffee cups decorating the floor near the garbage can. Liz must've taken notice, but was unsure of how to deal with her boss, so she enlisted Victor, who came charging into Richard's office without so much as an "if you please".

"Are you trying to work yourself to death?" Victor asked accusingly.

Richard looked up at Victor. There were massive bags beneath Richard's eyes, and he looked like he had been dragged through the nine hells. He sipped his coffee, not really feeling the adrenaline so much anymore, and gave Victor an inquisitive look. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm merely working a little harder. No big deal."

"You look like hell."

"Thank you. I must say, you look just as dashing as I."

"Grayson, sarcasm isn't going to help."

"I was merely commenting on your attire. I didn't realize it was a sin."

"You've been in here for three days straight. You smell as bad as last year's infestation and you need a break. Go on vacation or something."

"But—"

"Damn straight you need to get your butt moving. What are you afraid of?"

"But—"

"Kori isn't coming back for at least a month. The girls are right now chilling in—my guess—the Bahamas. Seriously, you need a break. Kori would kill me if you worked yourself to death. And Bee would be right with her."

"I can't just leave."

"And why not?"

"Because I have no idea where I should go."

"Easy. Let's go bomb Gotham streets with our mad habits."

"But Bruce—"

"Can shove it as we rip up his city. Oh, come on. You know you'll love it."

Richard's eyes gained a little bit of life. "Well, maybe."

"That's the spirit. Come on shorty. Let's call the gang and skits."

"Hey, Stony, weren't you just on vacation?" Richard asked, referring to Victor's honeymoon.

"Ah, a few more days won't hurt."

"Something tells me you're just getting me out of here because you don't want to work."

"Hey, we all have our personal motivations. Come on. I need to get out of here before your secretary piles me with more work."

Richard laughed.

TTTTT

Kori waved the last of her farewells to her friends. Now was her time to go off into the unknown. Now was the moment of truth when—oh hell. She was making this more dramatic than it should be.

All she needed to do was journey through several layers of atmosphere and meteor, find her old planet which she could vaguely remember and then somehow find out if she had any remainder family. Plus she had to avoid any suspicions that would link her and Anders together. No sweat.

Who was she kidding? How was she supposed to get this all done? How could she possibly fool herself into thinking that she actually had a chance to find reminisces of her past?

Regardless of her past, she had to look to the more immediate past week. Strangely enough, Karen and Rachel were treating Rose… differently, as if they were approaching a lion in a lair cautiously and none to friendly. Strange for Karen at least. Karen was the most friendly person Kori knew, yet here she was, acting as if Rose was some evil incarnate. She wasn't so worried about Rachel since it was part of her nature to hate. Though, why they both had mutual feelings of dislike were unfathomable to Kori. And Terra, as usual, was oblivious.

(A/N: I'm not trying to bash Terra or anything; it'll all make sense later)

Kori's life was just too complicated. No wonder she couldn't solidify anything with Richard. She could barely feel comfortable with herself.

TTTTT

Kami groaned in frustration. News in the Alley was that Kori had taken a little trip and Grayson was fending for himself. Well, it wasn't really public news for Villain's Alley, but it was news Kami had found out one way or another. Basically, her informant said that Grayson hadn't visited his apartment since Kori left and Kori left because she wanted to find out more about her past. Meaning, one way or another, she was going to Tameran.

How the hell could Kami cope with going back to the planet she had wrecked havoc in, destroying many lives in the process? Sure, Kami could use the excuse she was young and had no idea what the consequences would be, but that wasn't very plausible.

But Kami really needed to speak with Kori! Now she had news that formidable foes, Anders included, were working out a plan to take her sister and Grayson down. Fabulous.

And to top it all off, Kami hadn't paid her rent yet.

Anything else that wanted to go haywire?

TTTTT

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S GONE?!?!?" Slade Wilson shouted through the phone.

Rose cleared her throat. "I mean she's gone and no one knows where and how long she will be gone for."

"Do you have any idea what this means?" Slade asked angrily. "Do you understand that you are failing at the mission I gave you? I gave you a perfect opportunity to find out Miss Anders' weakness and you have the gall to tell me you couldn't?! Rose Wilson, fix this mess or I will. And it won't be clean if I do."

"I'll see what I can do to locate her."

Slade hung up angrily. How the hell could his daughter lose track of Kori? She had been rising up in Kori's good graces for goodness' sake!

Calming himself down, he dialed a phone number.

"Mr. Anders? Slade Wilson. We have a little bit of a quandary…"


Sorry for the shortness of the chappie, especially since I've made you wait so long. I just didn't have the heart to give an author's note telling you guys that I hadn't forgot the chapter, because those usually are huge disappointers, especially when you get all psyched up for a chapter which doesn't even exist.

I won't ask for any specific amount of reviews this time, but if you read this story and DON'T review, I will send Starfire out to haunt you and blast you with starbolts.

Fun right? Nope, which is why you should...

REVIEW!

Can't wait to hear from you all! You know it truly does mean the world to me.

Love hearing from you all!

Your's truly,

moonlitsfantasy