"Mr. Wayne I can't thank you enough for letting us in our home", says my mother lifting up her wine glass.

Mr. Wayne chuckles. "Its not a problem Mrs. Anders, and please do call me Bruce." He smiles.

My mother giggles and blushes. "Okay Bruce, you can call me Lua." I think she twirled a pice of hair.

I glance over to my father and we both roll our eyes. Jeez mom! Giggling like a school girl!

Alfred walks in and removes the top of the big tray that is placed on the table. "Bon appetite!" Oh my X'hal! I love roasted honey ham!

"Thank you Alfred", says Mr. Wayne and gets up to cut the first slice.

I see Alfred bow and head back into the kitchen through the swinging doors. Sad face. I wish he'd sit with us.

It was halfway through dinner when Richard decided to play footsies with me. He'd been suitable the whole evening and I knew he was dying to touch me.

I look up from my meal and smile at him. He looks left and right before blowing me a kiss. Too bad my brother saw and gave him a sour look.

"Please not at the table", Ryan says.

I roll my eyes at him. "Get a girl and you'd understand."

"I can get whoever I want", he says. "I'm just not looking right now."

I laugh. "Sure that's the reason."

"Hey where do you think you get your looks from?", he asks proudly.

I give him a quizzical look. "Last time I checked mom and dad created me you dolt."

I feel a thump from under the table and Richard yells out in pain.

"Sorry", Ryan says smirking. "I thought that was Kori's leg."

"Ryan behave", my mother scolds.

"She started it", says Ryan crossing his arms.

My mother gives me a look and I look down at my plate and continue my dinner.

"So if you don't mind me asking", starts Mr. Wayne. "Who is this Slade Wilson?"

My family stops eating and we look at Mr. Wayne. I cast my eyes to the ground. I hear my father clearing his throat.

"Slade Wilson is the reason why I can no longer support my family greatly", my father starts. I sigh. Here we go again. "He's a psychotic pedophile who took in interest in Kori when she was nine or ten. I can't remember." My father runs his fingers through his beard. "He took her one day from the park. We couldn't find her for two whole weeks. It felt like an eternity for all of us. He's a sick man. I spit on him. We eventually found Kori and Deathstroke was put in prison. That was the name he gave himself. Why they didn't send him to the electric chair, I do not know. But if he ever touches my daughter or family again, I'd put him in his grave myself. That son of a bitch ruined us. We had to send Kori to an asylum when she was younger because she was in shock when she came back. It put us in debt. I got fired from my job and no one would hire me because of what happened. And here we are now, living but living well."

Mr. Wayne clears his throat and sits back. "I'm sorry I brought it up, I shouldn't have-

"Its okay", says my father. "You have a right to know. We're just glad you've brought us into your home until they catch him."

Mr. Wayne nods. "Kori is apart of the family now which makes her family our family. I wouldn't have it any other way." Apart of his family? Yea right.

I silently excuse myself, thank Mr. Wayne for the meal, and head upstairs to my room. Not in the mood for desert anymore. It wasn't long before I heard a knock on my door. Surprisingly, it wasn't it Richard.

Kom walks into my room and sits on my bed. "How are you feeling?"

I shrug. "Okay."

"Just okay?", she asks.

I hug my pillow tighter and nod. "What do you want me to say?"

"Nothing", she says getting up. She walks over to the door and leaves her hand over the nob. She turns around. "I'm sorry."

I lift my head up and sit up. "You're sorry? For what?"

She sighs and looks down. "If I hadn't let you go alone...maybe...this wouldn't have happened...you wouldn't have been...I wouldn't-

"Kom", I say. She looks up at me. "Shut up." She raises an eyebrow. "Its not your fault. You were like what? Twelve? If its anyone to blame, its me. You warned me not to go and I still did. I just want this all to end."

"It will Kori",says Kom walking back over to her. "I just want you to know that I love you. Even if I don't show it and I may act like a bitch, I'll always love you."

Kori smiles and hugs her sister. "Love you too."

After a moment Kom pushes me away. "Enough of this mushy stuff. I'll be in my room if you need me." She winks at me. "You know there's a private phone in every room."

"Does that mean you're going to talk to Xavier for hours?", I ask giggling.

She nods. "Oh yea." She turns to leave.

I sigh and fall back on the bed again. I stare up at the ceiling. After all these years, how come he escapes now? What did I ever do to that creep? Steal his balloon? Why me? Why now? When everything is going great for me, my family, money, Richard? Why now? Why ruin my happiness?

I got off the bed and walk over to the desk. I place water color paper flat on the desk and use my brush to wet the white paper. I take out a palette and mix and match some colors for my painting. The only way to get my feelings out is through art.

Richard did come up to my room before I went to bed. We didn't make love that night. I wasn't feeling it. I was tired and sad. We just cuddled on my bed as he spooned me. I just needed to be in his arms. He gave me kisses on my neck every now and then. He even gave me a suckle so he could hear my giggles. Eventually, it got late and we kissed good night.

I woke up in the afternoon the next day. I wasn't allowed outside the manor so I might as well spend half my day sleeping, right? Alfred told me Richard already awakened and had breakfast. He told me Richard was in the gym with Ryan. I had Tim show me the gym because face it, this house is just too big. And when I saw him, I almost fainted. Bare chested, sweat dripping, and on the rings. Now thats a sight. Especially because I was staring at his butt.

He moves into a cross like position and pulls himself further. His right arm shakes and he grunts in frustration. He does a back flip and lets go of the rings. He tumbles back, unbalancing, and almost falls down.

"That was great", I tell him.

He turns to me and smiles. "Wasn't my best. I haven't been on the rings in a while, which explains why I was shaking."

"Are you kidding?", I ask, still amazed. "That was awesome! How did you ever learn to do that?"

"Circus", he tells me. He walks up to me and wraps his arms around my waist. "My dad taught me everything he knew."

"Do you miss the circus?", I ask wondering.

He shrugs. "Sometimes. I mean, I'd like to go back and visit but permanently go back to performing?" He shakes his head. "No. That part of me ended when my parents died."

I frown and move up to kiss him on the lips. I hear someone obnoxiously cough. I look back at Ry and glare. "You're not supposed to be working out with your injuries."

"Nothing major little sis", he tells me. "Just some stretching and push ups. Hey Kor, you know they have a pool?"

I nod. "An indoor and outdoor pool."

Richard looks back at him. "You guys are free to go swimming. We don't usually use the pool. It'd give us an excuse for once."

"Really?", I ask.

Richard nods. "As long as you wear that green bikini of yours", he whispers in my ear.

I giggle. "I'll go get changed. Should we invite some friends?"

Richard smiles. "Sure. I'll give them a call."

"Dude what the hell is up with the security?", asks Wally. "Man those guys frisked me hard."

"Sorry man", says Richard. He knew I didn't want them to know. "Bruce is upgrading on security."

"So Kor", says Karen. "How come you guys are living here now?"

"Oh um", I say nervously. Bee's my best friend and she knows what happened to me but I still don't want her to worry. "A pipe burst in our house and we're fixing it. Mr. Wayne offered to let us stay here."

Karen wiggles her eyebrows. "Now you're closer to your boo!"

"Maybe you should move in with Vic to be closer to your boo", I tease.

"Thats not a bad idea", she says tapping her chin. "Baby!"

"Sorry Bee can't hear you", says Vic and cannon balls in the pool.

Gar walks past us with a stereo, a beach song playing. "Let's party dudes!"

Richard picks me up and I squeal. "No, don't."

"Too late", he says and jumps in the pool.

I had fun. He got my mind off of what was going on in reality. Unfortunately, when everyone left, reality came back. I can feel the depression coming back to me. I can feel my life slipping before me. Just let me take a shower and go to sleep. I just want to sleep. Thats where I feel most safe. In my sleep.

"Kori?", I hear someone say.

I sigh and lift my head up. I look over to see Richard standing at the door way. "Yes?"

"I didn't mean to wake you but dinner is ready", he says.

"I'm not hungry", I tell him.

"Are you sure?", he asks. He laughs. "Alfred's making pasta. He makes the best pasta sauce, he puts cream cheese in it and that may sound disgusting but-

"Richard I do not care", I tell him placing my head down.

"Oh", he says. "Um...I guess I'll just see you tomorrow?"

I close my eyes.

"I guess thats a yes", he says quietly and closes the door.

Dream.

Thats how my week went. Sleep. I didn't feel like doing anything or getting up. I couldn't go out anyways. I mean what do they want me to do swim my life away. I still ate. Like once a day. I wasn't really feeling all that hungry anymore. I got lectured from my parents. They told me I had to get up and stop sleeping. I didn't listen. I still went to sleep. My mom yelled at me. She told me I wasn't paying enough attention to my life, to Richard. Prom is in several days. She had to remind me of that. My parents would allow me to go only if we have armed body guards surrounding us and a cop outside the country club. I really wasn't feeling it.

"Here", my mother says placing a bottle of pills on my nightstand.

"Whats this?", I ask sitting up.

"Anti-depressants", she tells me. She hands me two pills and a cup of water.

I shake my head. "Not these again. You know I hate taking these."

"And you know how much I hate seeing you like this", she says. "Kori, my daughter, please take these pills. They will help."

The next thing I knew I was choking down pills. I cough and stare at my mother. "Are you trying to kill me woman?"

She slaps me across the face. My head jerks back. "You will not speak to me like that."

"Ow", I quietly say rubbing my cheek.

She sighs. "I'm sorry but Kori this is not the life you should live."

"What the heck do you want me to do?", I ask raising my hands. "There's a disgusting pedophile out there trying to get me and you want me to be happy. I can't be happy until that creep is beneath my foot."

My mother looks down. "I know this is hard for you but you have a wonderful family who support and want to protect you. Not to mention a good looking boyfriend who's worried sick about you and wants what best for you. You're making us all depressed with your depression."

Tears down my cheeks. "Why is this happening to me? I want it to go away."

My mother pulls me in for a hug and lets me cry on her chest. She sings to me. My favorite lullaby when I was a child. You are my sunshine. Her voice soothes me greatly. It is exactly what I need.

"I'm sorry", I tell her.

"Sh", she says kissing the top of my head. "Its not your fault. Nothing is your fault."

"I really acted like a jerk", I said.

"Yes you did", she says. I look up at her. "But its nothing an apology couldn't solve."

"Is Richard really mad at me?", I ask wiping my tears.

"More upset that he couldn't help you", she tells me. She kisses my head one last time before getting up. "Take a shower and come down to dinner."

I nod and get out of bed to head to the bathroom. Its like I'm back to square one again.

So just to let you guys know, I'm usually on hiatus during the weekends because thats when I work and have a life. So if I don't update its not because I forgot. Also I'm already thinking about more ideas of Richard/Kori stories. I'm not sure to do a sequel after this story. I'll let you guys decide when its finished.

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