Chapter 10:
The Problem with Forgiveness

"Garfield, take off your shoes before you put a foot in my house," Raven warned, glaring at her husband's muddy shoes as she opened the front door to their quaint, but nice, two-story home. It had stopped pouring moments before they arrived at the Grayson household, leaving Garfield more prone to finding a grimy puddle.

"Yes, dear," Garfield grumbled as the four children scrambled past him and into the house.

"What was that all about anyway?" Raven asked once she was sure the children were out of earshot.

Garfield shrugged as he kicked his sneakers onto their front porch, "Mr. and Mrs. Grayson have appeared to have forgiven one another." He scratched the top of his head, "At least, that's what I gathered from my front-row seat at their window."

Raven's jaw dropped, "You mean to tell me they..." Raven sighed and droned, "That will come back and bite them later."

"Perhaps," Garfield admitted, "but I've got to hand it to Dick, he sure knows how to sweet talk a woman. I should ask him his secret sometime."

Raven emitted a grunt as she whacked the man over the head. "It seems too suspicious to me. I think we may need to keep Marie and Katie here longer than we thought..."

As if she heard her name, sweet Marie stumbled toward Raven. She had her mother's dark red hair and her father's blue eyes, which currently held giant tears. Marie held up her finger, "Miss Rae-Rae, I have a boo-boo."

"I can see that, Marie!" Rave said as she examined the slight trickle of blood that came out of a scratch. She stooped down to pick the four-year-old up, "How about we clean that nasty boo-boo up and put a bandage on it? Maybe when we're done, Mr. Gar can get you some ice cream!"

The little girl squealed with delight, tears and pout gone as she wrapped her small arms tightly around Raven's neck.

As she stepped away, she turned to Gar, "Please begin the interrogation process with your son Jeremy."

Gar nodded and sighed at her retreating figure. They didn't have it all together, but he was crazy about that woman.

Dick aroused the next morning to the sun pouring in through the blinds. At some point in their altercation the night before, Kory had flown them up the stairs and into their bedroom. He opened his eyes groggily and stared at the snoozing princess in awe. With the hand wrapped around her slim frame, he reached for her hair, now well past her shoulders, and stroked it tenderly. He had forgotten how smooth and delicate it felt to his hands. A smile found its way on his face; he was content. Silently he wondered why he couldn't spend every day like this, with her wrapped up snuggly in his embrace. He shifted his weight so he could get closer to her, allowing his other hand to rest on the small of her back.

Kory opened her eyes sleepily. "Good morning," Richard greeted, admiring her beautiful green eyes.

"Greetings," Kory breathed happily, turning so she could bury her face in Richard's chest. She took in his aroma and sighed, "I love you, Richard."

"I love you, Kory."

Without any warning, realization hit Kory. Her eyes widened and she sat up, pushing herself away from her husband. Self-consciously, she wrapped the sheets around her body tightly and covered her mouth with her left hand.

Richard sat up and chuckled at her antics, "Kory, I'm your husband. Don't tell me you're embarrassed to show your body to your husband."

Kory shook her head, "I-It isn't that, Richard."

"Then what is it?"

"Richard, we're supposed to be getting a divorce!"

"We might get a divorce, Kory. However, unlike you, I'm hoping for the best." Richard exclaimed, standing up.

Kory shut her eyes, "Please, please cover yourself."

Richard rolled his eyes, stomped over to their dresser and pulled out red boxers, "I swear, sometimes you act like a child!" He pulled his trunks on, "Are you happy now, Kory?"

"...Yes."

Richard let out a defeated sigh and walked toward Kory's side of the bed. He kneeled next to her, "I'm sorry for getting angry."

"I... I forgive you," Kory whispered. It was probably the first time she'd forgiven him in a long time. Then, she scooted toward her right to make more room for her husband. She patted on the seat next to her to show she had done that for him. Dick smiled amiably and took a seat next to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"It was done to relieve tension," Kory rationalized out loud. "That's what it was. It meant nothing but as an escape, to relieve all that built up stress between us."

"Kory..."

"Sh."

"But Kory," Richard forced out, "sex is supposed to be the purest form of conversation between husband and wife."

"So then-"

Dick interrupted her with a hearty chuckle, "This reminds me of our wedding night."

Kory's cheeks turned rosy red at the mention of that, "Why would you suggest such a thing?"

"Remember?" Dick asked, still laughing, "You were so embarrassed about sharing your body with me."

"Oh, must we, Richard? Can we not be husband and wife without partaking in that particular pleasing activity?" Kory inquired from the bathroom in their suite. It had been a little over a year since the Titans broke into her apartment, a month since Garfield and Raven were wed.

Dick opened the door to give her an amazed look, "Kory... You were married for two years, and you have a daughter."

The said toddler was being cared for by Alfred and Bruce at Wayne manor, and would be passed among the team each week until the couple returned from their honeymoon.

"Yes I know but-"

"Kory, it'll be fine."

Kory threw her hairbrush at the bathroom sink, "Richard, I don't remember having sex with Jason. We did it once and I woke up the next morning to discover I was pregnant."

Richard looked as if he had been slapped in the face, "Oh... Wait, how?"

Kory sighed, "Tamaranian women, when pregnant with their first child are forewarned before they do anything dangerous by a green liquid-"

Richard held up a hand to stop her, "Perhaps it's best I didn't know the exact details."

"Right," Kory blushed. "Anyway, we're warned the first time we get pregnant, so for the remainder of our marriage, I didn't make love with Jason. I was pregnant for most of the time and when I wasn't, he spent all his time at work or harming me."

"I'm sorry," Dick apologized, walked to where she stood and embraced her in a tight hug.

Kory returned it, doing her best not to crush his muscular back. Then, she slipped her face under his chin and kissed him, gently at first but after a few moments a bit forcefully. Dick didn't need to be told twice. He scooped her up bridal style and carried her to their bed.

"I suppose I can get over my fear, for you." She whispered as he slipped off her purple, silk nightgown.

Kory giggled, "A rough beginning, but that became a most pleasurable evening, if I remember correctly."

"No kidding," Dick responded, grinning at the memory.

Kory stretched her taut muscles and yawned, "Maybe we shouldn't get a divorce."

Richard deadpanned, then scratched the back of his neck nervously, "Uh, are you sure, Kor? You seemed pretty adamant about it earlier..." His eyes wandered, admiring her luscious tan skin. Part of him yearned for what he knew what was under the bedding.

Kory shook her long mane, "I do not know, Richard."

"Can you talk about it with me, please?"

The Tamaranian princess cast him a questioning glance but soon gave in. "I've been struggling with forgiveness for awhile, now Richard. It used to come so easily to me. The longest I could get angry at anybody was a day, and I'd always forgive them if they discussed the matter with me." The particular memory she had in mind was when the team was stranded on a hostile alien planet and Robin had wanted "space."

"That's understandable, Star. I have a hard time with forgiveness sometimes, too."

"You don't understand," Kory hissed, particularly at her old nickname. "I'm not the same 'Star' you left in Jump City nine years ago, Dick. She died a long time ago, possibly along with what she thought was you." She pulled her knees to her chest as tears began pouring out, "Earth has made me more cold, more hostile than Tamaran could ever dream of. Through all the lies, being beaten almost consistently, practically having to rear my two daughters by myself because one father is a criminal and the other is a superhero-Earth has beaten me."

"Starfire," Richard said, pulling her shoulders so she'd have to look at him, "You're hurt, I get that. I probably understand that more than anyone could possibly imagine-don't look away from me. But, Starfire, I know how to forgive, I know how to hope, and, most importantly, I know how to love." He wrapped his firm arms around her limp body and, after resisting for a moment, she returned the hug. "It's okay if you don't remember how to do those things, my love. I can teach you. I'll take less hours at the office, and you can join the team when we go to fight crime. We'll set up a system so that the kids always have someone to watch over them, or we can just have Alfred take care of them all. But, hey," he pulled away and lifted her chin so she could look at him, "I love you. And nothing that I've done or you've done or we've both done out of our selfishness is going to change that."

He wiped away her tears as she sobbed out, "C-can it be fi-ixed that ea-easily?"

"Oh, Kory," Dick gave her a sympathetic smile. "Nothing is ever that easy, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth it."

A/N: Thank you to XxScarletxRosexX for brainstorming with me. :) They're THAT much closer! :) Leave me your thoughts! :)

God bless,
Rose