You guys, my wonderful fans, never cease to make me smile with your constant support. My motivation to give you guys an epic story filled with action, comedy, friendship, LOVE, and so much more is all of you. I will forever be grateful!

On another note, there is a very mature part in this chapter that I handled as delicately as I possibly could. I hope you all enjoy this one. Much love and please REVIEW! Xoxoxo

TT

Chapter 25

Richard was pissed.

The guys were pissed.

The girls were pissed.

Everyone was pissed that Jason Todd somehow was standing in the same room as them, eating the same food, drinking the same drinks, and getting the same comfort. It seemed as if the entire atmosphere went sour once his presence was known.

To be quite honest, they began to forget he even existed. Until now.

Richard stormed up to Bruce and put a hand on his shoulder. "Can I talk to you?" He asked with hidden frustration in his voice.

Bruce cleared his throat and glanced over at the people he was talking to. He glanced back at Richard and said, "Can this wait?"

Richard turned and walked away but not before saying, "No it can't."

He walked into a small private room. It had two armchairs, a fireplace, and some shelves filled with vintage items. Bruce shut the door behind him and crossed his arms defiantly as he stared at his son.

"What's this about?" Bruce asked.

Richard couldn't hide the anger on his face. "What the hell is Jason Todd doing here?"

Bruce's jaw clenched. "Watch your tone, Richard." He walked over and took a seat in one of the armchairs. "I do believe he was with you guys in the woods during your big test. The one where all the chaos began."

"Yeah, so what?" Richard was pissed. He didn't care if he was being over-the-top dramatic right now.

"He's in just as much danger as you all are. I know you are not fond of him, but sometimes we must push aside hard feelings when it comes to serious matters."

Richard said nothing. All he could think about was how Jason was living in his house for two weeks. That, and he'd basically be around Kori all the time. He was not happy.

Richard took a moment to try and find the understanding, compassionate bone in his body. It was extremely hard, especially when it came to Jason. Finally, he sighed and said, "I want eyes on him at all times except for when he's in his room."

Bruce nodded. "I can do that." He stood up and straightened out his suit jacket. "On another note, I've been waiting for you to introduce me to your girlfriend."

At this, Richard's face flushed red and he gulped. All his life, he's never had a serious girlfriend so Bruce has never seen this side of him. He felt vulnerable almost, and slightly, in a way, weak.

It wasn't that Kori was an inconvenience in his life, but he definitely was still new to the whole boyfriend thing. Everything has been hectic since arriving to Gotham, and time has surely been crunched. Kori hasn't been formally introduced to Bruce yet and within the next few minutes would be perfect.

Richard hasn't even spoke to Kori since the dinner started. As soon as he saw Jason, everything else around him faded away. All he could think about was finding Bruce and making a big deal out of it.

"Uh, I can go get her," Richard said.

Bruce shook his head. "No, no. We will go find her. I assume she is one of the five girls you brought along." He followed Richard out the door. "What is her specialty?"

Richard smiled as he thought about Kori and just how special she actually was. "She's an alien."

TT

Kori was standing by the grand staircase watching everyone around her converse, laugh, and drink. The girls had gone off somewhere, and she was trying hard to avoid Jason.

She couldn't seem to find anyone else and hadn't seen Richard since the dinner started. She felt out of place and was really trying to get used to the fact that this was Richard's home.

"Kori."

She turned around and saw Richard and Bruce walking up to her. Perfect timing. She smiled and said, "Hello Richard, you look most handsome. And Mr. Wayne, as do you."

Bruce took her hand and shook it firmly. He gave her a warm smile. "I've heard so much about you and might I say, you are very beautiful, Miss Kori." He quirked an eyebrow at Richard. "I have no idea how my son here won you over."

Richard glared at him as his face turned beet red. Kori giggled and clasped her hands in front of her. Richard then walked next to her and slid an arm around her waist. She felt a wave of electricity immediately wash over her.

Bruce cleared his throat and stood a little straighter. "Well, I better find my own date and get this dinner started. We will have to get to know each other more, Miss Kori."

She nodded and the smile on her face never left. "I would love that."

As soon as Bruce walked away, Richard turned to Kori and awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Uh, sorry about that…"

"What are you sorry for?"

"That wasn't exactly the best introduction."

Kori gave him a quick peck on the lips. "It certainly was not the worst."

Richard smiled and kissed her back. He caressed her cheek and said, "You look beautiful."

"And you look very handsome." Her eyes twinkled with amusement. She could see the blush creep onto his handsome face.

Richard stood there with her for a few minutes talking about their vacation and what not. Neither one of them stopped smiling the entire time. They had their arms around each other lovingly and looked happier than ever.

From far away, Jason Todd stood there watching the golden couple. He was seething; a fire of hate burned within him. It wasn't a secret that he was fond of Kori, but he hated Richard and he hated that Richard had everything.

He couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the sight of the almighty Richard Grayson and the ever perfect Kori Anders. He strongly disliked that Richard had everything anyone could ever want and without even working for it.

Jealousy raged within him.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

Jason whipped around and saw Rachel standing there. He narrowed his eyes. "What do you want, wench?" he spat.

Rachel's eyebrow twitched slightly. "First off, if you ever call me that again," her eyes glowed a deep dark black for a split second, "I'll send you to a place where no one thinks of twice."

"Please, any place would be better than this sorry excuse for protection." He took a swig of his champagne.

"Ungrateful much." It was more of a statement than a question when Rachel said it. She took a sip of her own

drink and let a small smile creep on her face when she saw Jason's annoyed expression.

He scowled at her. "Don't' you have better things to do than bother me?"

"Nope."

"Get away from me."

"No."

"You know what?" Jason yelled. "You're the reason we're all here in the first place."

Rachel stared at him. She didn't even blink. Her bored expression didn't falter once. Instead, she finished off her drink and said, "Happy dreaming tonight."

Jason watched as Rachel walked away, a small smirk on her face. He grimaced and looked back to where Richard and Kori were. They were still talking, smiles and all, and he couldn't be any more disgusted.

About twenty minutes later, the dinner started. There was a grand dining room everyone went in, with tall white pillars and elegant round tables everywhere. There were chandeliers, silk curtains that framed the tall glass windows, and velvet red carpet.

Bruce really outdid himself with this dinner. There were two tables reserved for Richard and his friends at the front. Next to them would be Bruce, Selina, and a few of his close friends. Servers were all around, already pouring drinks and serving appetizers.

"I don't know if I'll be able to move after this," Wally said.

"I second that."

"I third that."

An array of appetizers were brought to their tables and they immediately dug in. Everything was so exquisite and decorated that it was hard to dive right in and enjoy it. Nevertheless, they helped themselves.

A little bit later, Bruce stood up and lightly tapped the side of his champagne glass with a fork. All the noise and conversations died down within seconds. All eyes were on him.

"I'd like to thank all of you for being here, and welcoming my son and his friends to not only Wayne Manor, but also Gotham." His words were clean cut as he spoke. "I figured this dinner would be a good welcoming party to make them feel at home."

Richard and his friends shifted in their seats uncomfortably as everyone stared at them and clapped. Truth be told, they didn't know anyone, the dinner was incredibly awkward, and it didn't really make them feel welcomed. It wasn't their style, but they were thankful anyways.

"Here's to a safe and extravagant two weeks to you, Richard, and to your friends." Bruce raised his glass as did everyone else.

"Dude, Bruce is seriously so cool," Gar whispered to Richard with stars in his eyes.

Richard rolled his eyes as he sipped his drink. "He's alright…" He couldn't help but feel proud that Bruce Wayne was, indeed, his father.

TT

It'd been a long night and finally, at exactly midnight, everyone was gone. Richard and his friends had went to their rooms to change and settle into bed. It felt as if they'd been up for over twenty four hours.

As everyone prepared for bed, a slight storm beat down on the city of Gotham. Lighting was ever present, as was thunder. The rain only grew heavier as the night went on.

Richard laid wide awake in his bed. He couldn't sleep. It wasn't the rain, that didn't bother him. It was the thought of what the future held. He couldn't help but worry…

His mind drifted to nothing but bad scenarios. Slade, Trigon, Jason, a full-on war—they were all running through his mind like a bunch of race horses. He was having an early morning workout with Bruce tomorrow and was anxious to tell him how he'd taken on a leadership role for his friends.

Bruce was always hard on him when he was younger, but it paid off in the long run. He was always mentoring him and pushing him to be strong, physically and mentally. Richard didn't show his emotions very well after Bruce began to raise him. In fact, Richard was a cold-hearted jerk who cared about nothing more than to be the best possible hero out there.

Then, Elite High happened. He met friends—a family. He met the love of his life. He found more of a purpose, a better purpose. He discovered a life he didn't know he wanted.

Richard turned over on his back and sighed. He didn't want to let the team down. The fact that they were on a two week 'vacation' bothered him. He felt as if they needed to train or something like that. Sitting around eating and being lazy wasn't good for anyone.

Richard knew Bruce had the best security for them. He probably had better security than the president of the United States. But Slade was a whole other ballgame...and Trigon was a whole other type of absolute war zone.

All of a sudden Richard's bedroom door slowly creaked open. He shot up in bed and immediately reached under his bedside table, where he'd always kept a spare batarang. Lighting flickered through his windows and thunder cracked loudly.

He was just about to attack his intruder when he heard a high-pitched "Eeeeeeep!"

"Kori?" He called quietly.

Her angelic presence came into view. She wore nothing but a light pink nightgown that was a little short for her tall figure. His face heated up and he thanked the man upstairs that the lights were off.

Kori quickly crawled into his bed and snuggled up to his bare chest. She let out another yelp when thunder cracked.

Richard wrapped an arm around her and laugh. "You don't like storms, do you?"

Kori shook her head and scooted closer to him—if that were even possible. "I strongly dislike—eeep!—them."

"Don't worry. It can't hurt you." Richard stroked her hair and laid there. He knew he'd never fall asleep now but he didn't mind.

Richard and Kori laid there for awhile, not saying anything. No words were exchanged but nothing needed to be said. If there was one sure thing Richard was thankful for from Elite High, it was Kori. She was his safe house.

With each passing moment with her, he knew no matter what, as long as she was with him, he would be okay. He hoped she felt the same way as well.

Kori suddenly propped herself up on his chest and stared down at him. Her big green eyes connected with his blue ones. Slowly, she leaned in for a kiss.

They shared a passionate kiss for a few seconds, with his hands on her waist and hers roaming his toned chest. It was only when the need for air came up that they pulled apart.

Kori stared down at him with eyes that held an emotion Richard couldn't read. She then moved to where she was on her back and he was on top of her. They began to kiss again and things really started to heat up.

Kissing this passionately was something special to them. Any physical contact was special between them. It was rare, but when it happened it was like magic. It was a beautiful interaction they rarely shared.

Kori wrapped her legs around him as they began to kiss and about a minute later she sat up and pushed him gently back. She held his eyes as she slowly lifted her nightgown up and over her head...until she was left with nothing on but her underwear.

Richard's eyes went wide for a split second at the sight of her bare upper body. She was absolutely breathtaking. A mixture of the moonlight and lighting flashes made her practically glow.

"Kori…" he breathed as he held her green eyes.

She said nothing. She simply wrapped her arms around his neck and lowered him down onto her. They were really heating up and just before anything else could happen, Richard stopped.

"Kori, are you sure?" He asked, when she'd started to grab at the waistband of his boxers.

Kori smiled and nodded. "I am sure, Richard." She lowered him back down to her and looked deep into his eyes. "Our love is a symbol of how sure I am…"

Richard nodded and kissed her gently. And so the night went on, as did their love making. There's a saying, a very generic one that states "When you know, you know." Simple, but true. And Richard knew Kori was the one. Kori knew Richard was the one.

They eventually fell asleep in a love-hazed state. Their bodies intertwined with each other. Richard never knew what it was like to have something so precious and to treat it so fragile-like. Until Kori happened. She was his and he was hers.

Nothing mattered at all to either of them because only one thing stood out. Only one thing topped any worries, anxiousness, and danger. One thing made all the cruelty of the world wash away within seconds.

That was their love.

TT

The next morning was all sunshine and a cloudless sky. Kori woke up to the sound of birds chirping and the bright sun pouring in through the windows.

She stretched her arms first and looked next to her to see the empty spot where Richard once was. She frowned and looked all around in his big bedroom. He was nowhere to be seen.

Kori got up out of bed and and immediately grabbed the covers when she realized she was naked. She felt her face heat up but a smile creeped onto her flawless face. She bit her lip as the events of last night played through her mind.

She bent down and picked up her nightgown. As she slipped it back on, she noticed a note on the nightstand and picked it up. It was from Richard.

Went training with Bruce. Breakfast is downstairs, help yourself. I love you.

Richard.

Kori couldn't stop beaming. She folded up the note and held it tightly in her hand. After going to the bathroom and freshening up, she walked out of his room, closing the door behind her.

Suddenly, she crashed into someone and let out a slight yell. She almost fell backwards but the person yanked her forward.

"Clumsy, aren't you?"

Kori looked up to see Jason standing there with a cocky grin on his face. Her face went beet red when she saw him look her up and down. She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted from one foot to another.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that Richard's room? And with a nightgown like that, I have no doubt you two…" he laughed and reached out to brush back a strand of her hair.

Kori smacked his hand away and tried to walk around him. Jason mirrored her movements and said, "What, you don't want to talk to me? I'm not the bad guy here, Kori."

"You are not the good guy either." She kept her tone stern and forward.

"Think what you want but I'm here for the same reason all of you are. I'm at Elite High for the same reason all of you are." He shrugged and stared at her intensely. "What is the difference between me and all of you other than Richard not liking me?"

Kori stared at him and for a split second she felt bad. He was right, and she knew he knew he was right. But Kori wasn't naive anymore when it came to Jason. Just because he was right didn't change how she felt towards him. Plus, she loved Richard and she wouldn't do anything that might put their relationship in jeopardy.

"The difference is that not only does Richard not like you," Kori said as he eyes glowed green. She put a hand on his shoulder and it seemed as if she'd barely tapped him but he nearly tripped over his feet when she moved him out of her way. She looked over her shoulder at him and said, "But neither do I."

TT

Breakfast was held in the smaller dining room just outside the kitchen. It was still huge, but smaller compared to the grand dining room. There was a long table lined with all kinds of breakfast foods: eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, fruit, sausage, etc. It was buffet style and the group gladly helped themselves.

As they were all sitting and eating, Richard showed up a little bit later. He had on his workout clothes and a towel draped around his neck. He took a seat next to Kori and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"What about me?" Wally asked as he offered his cheek to the Boy Wonder.

Richard threw a piece of bacon at him and everyone laughed. He then cleared his throat to speak. "So, I figured it would be nice to have a relaxed day after yesterday."

"Hell yeah," Vic boasted. "I mean, don't get me wrong yesterday was fun and all but—"

Karen cut him off. "Don't lie, honey. You hated it just as much as we did."

"Hate is a very strong word," Vic replied.

Richard shook his head. "Trust me, I know how you feel. Bruce made me go to things like that since I was ten years old."

"So did Ollie," Roy added. "Speaking of, I was going to go visit him sometime on this vacation of ours." Next to him, Jade shifted uncomfortably and he noticed.

"Well, you guys can do whatever you want today. If you want to leave, security will be going with you and everyone has to be back at the Manor by eight." Richard looked over at Kori as everyone began talking. "I wanted to take you somewhere today." He smiled and grabbed her hand.

Kori smiled back. "I would like that." She looked across the table and saw Jason looking at her. She grew incredibly uncomfortable and looked back at Richard as if nothing were wrong.

Everyone continued to eat breakfast, making plans as to what they'd all be doing today. Soon, Bruce entered the room dressed in a polo, khaki shorts, and he had on a golfing glove. Alfred followed in behind him.

"I hope you all are enjoying breakfast," he said as he adjusted his glove. "I also hope you all enjoy this day off before we begin your training tomorrow."

Everyone stopped eating and looked up at him. Eggs fell from Wally's mouth and Vic nearly choked on his juice. Richard sunk down lower in his chair and glared at his father.

He was going to tell them the bad news after breakfast but, of course, Bruce had to ruin his plans. Richard was hoping after full tummies and letting them all do whatever today would help break the news of the fact that they'd be training hard even though they were on vacation. Not only that, but they'd be training with Bruce.

Which was far more tough than Coach Santos, Hype, or even Headmaster Weathers.

Great.

Bruce smiled and grabbed a biscuit on his way out. "I will see you all back in time for dinner. Enjoy." He disappeared behind a doorway with Alfred in tow.

Everyone immediately bombarded Richard.

"Dude, what the hell!"

"It's vacation!"

"I did not bring the proper attire for training!"

"Way to go, Dick."

Richard rolled his eyes at all of them. "Look, I was going to tell you all but he beat me to it. The training will only be two hours every day except for on Thanksgiving."

"Oh, yippee." Isaiah slumped back in his chair. "This is whack."

"Man, I didn't come here to do more training," Vic said.

"None of us did!" Tula added.

They all began yelling and complaining while Richard sat there, a vein clearly popping from his forehead. This isn't exactly how he pictured the morning would go.

"QUIET!"

Everyone stopped talking and looked up at Kori. She had an irritated expression on her face but as soon as all eyes were on her she smiled and scratched the back of her head. "May I speak?" She asked.

"Go ahead, Kori." Roy slumped back in his seat and awaited her speech.

Kori took a deep breath. "I do not think we should be blaming Richard for any of this. He, as well as Mr. Wayne, want nothing but the best for us which is why they invited us to their home. I do believe two hours is not bad at all and it will do more good than harm. Can we please do no more of the arguing and, how do you say it? The best of this will be made?"

If there was one thing everyone knew, it's that Kori could disperse any heated moment by just talking. They all laughed and she blushed and sat back down.

Richard put a hand on the small of her back and said, "It's 'make the best of this', Kor." He then looked at everyone else. "And she's right. This will be good for us and you all are still free to do whatever after training hours."

They all muttered something but eventually complied. It wouldn't be so bad to train two hours a day. It would only make them stronger. They were already a team, but a strong team would make them practically invincible.

When the day came for battle, they needed to be more ready than ever.