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Rated M due to potential language, violence and/or adult subject matter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, Within Temptation or any lyrics

Chapter 38: Overcome

"Where were …/ they all gone" – Overcome, Within Temptation

It was about twenty minutes before school got out. He chose a spot on a side street facing the main entrance of Jump City High. He needed to be sure to have the right parking place so he could see her. He sat in his car, waiting. He was waiting for another chance to see her.

He didn't realize how much he missed her until he heard her voice. True, she wanted nothing to do with him. She'd made that perfectly clear at the restaurant. In fact, she's always tried to avoid him. He didn't care. What she wanted didn't matter to him. He supposed taking her virginity by force proved that. A slow malicious grin spread on his face as that memory crept into his mind. He still didn't care. He got what he wanted - control - everything else was a bonus. Now he focused on everything else since he already knew he had control over her.

He loved being close to her at the restaurant. He could feel her fear. It was invigorating. It was different from that night in her house. He deliberated which kind of fear was better. That night in her house, she was terrified that he'd hurt her. However, at the restaurant she knew what he was capable of doing.

He didn't know why he was so fascinated with this teenaged girl, especially when he had one throwing herself at him. They were similar in that their pasts have damaged both of them. However, that was where the similarities ended. They were different, not just their appearances. Even though, her father had hurt this dark-haired teen, she still had something defiant about her. Maybe that's why he was attracted to her? She still had some boldness even when she was timid and unsure. That all changed after he was with her. Now she seemed to be afraid of her own shadow. He didn't blame her though, if he were this girl, he'd be afraid of a man like him too.

What would he do if he got another chance to get close to her again? Would he take her and hide her away just for himself? Her father was often away on business, or so he said. He saw no sign of business. He didn't care. Whatever Trigon did, didn't matter to him, as long as he left him alone. He just wanted another chance at Trigon's daughter.

If he could get close to her again, alone, he wouldn't just talk to her. He hated that he couldn't do more that talk at the restaurant but he knew time was limited. Next time, he would take her somewhere secluded. He wanted to see her, all of her and touch her soft skin. He wanted to hear her screams. He fed off her fear. He wanted her to beg. Maybe he could make her beg for him? Although, if he could get desire from her would that change things? Would he not be as fascinated by her if she didn't fear him? He didn't know. He just knew he practically ached to feel her again. Alone, several lascivious thoughts went through his mind.

He so desperately wanted to feel her tight body around him again. He thought about the girl he thought of as his. He wanted her so badly. He needed her so much. What he just did helped some but he needed to be with someone. He needed her. He did have the blonde he could go to, but it wasn't the same. He grinned. Although, for their first time, he liked how she was willing but reluctant. He liked how she squirmed as he held her down.

A few minutes after three o'clock, kids came pouring out of the school. He looked, searching for her. He scanned the throng of students. He didn't see her. Did he miss her? He cursed the noisy mass of teens. Why did there have to be so many of them? It didn't take long for the crowd to thin.

There she was. He gripped the steering wheel and leaned forward to get a closer to her. She was in the middle of her small group of friends. How chivalrous, her friends seemed to be protecting her, shielding her. She seemed to shy away from the scrawny one. Knowing that she was vulnerable, did he try to get close to her? He grinned, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. He remembered he did the same thing when he was their age. No matter what age they were, vulnerable girls were so enticing. He was glad his little bird was so tempting but he wanted her all to himself. She was his, that was how he thought of her. They were forever connected. She was damaged and he damaged her. No guy should want to be with her.

It was almost as if she was hiding. He must have really scared her, again. He focused on her fear so much that he didn't notice that her hair was getting long again. She laughed at her friends' jokes but she didn't look entirely happy. Could she sense that he was there? Were they that connected? She knew he was nearby, didn't she? He wondered if she knew what he wanted to do to her.

He forced himself to study her friends. It seemed that that Wayne kid was protective of the redheaded girl. He seemed to scan their surroundings. What was he looking for? He seemed to be on alert. Could he be searching for him? Did that mean she mentioned something about seeing him again? Hadn't he warned her not to say anymore? Didn't she believe his threat?

He turned his attention back to the redhead. She seemed to exuded pure innocence. A grin formed on his lips. He wondered just how innocent she was. His past experiences showed him that some of the most innocent girls were the most wild when he was with them. Would this girl be like that? His grin turned to a frown. He didn't want that girl. He wanted, needed the girl with raven black hair and intense blue eyes, she belonged to him. "Don't worry, mon petit oiseau, my little bird," he muttered, "we'll be together again. I hope to make it soon."

On way to Kori's house, they, well, she chatted. Rachel was going home with Kori that afternoon. Kori, of course, was the one chattering. Rachel listened but she wasn't focused on her friend. Instead, she couldn't stop thinking about her encounter with him. Rachel shuddered. Why did he have to find her again? What he did to her was more than enough for her to hate him.

What? She missed what Kori just asked her. "What?"

"Why are you avoiding Gar?" repeated Kori.

Rachel looked out the side window, avoiding eye contact with her friend. "I'm not avoiding Gar."

"You are not talking to him."

"That's not true. I am to talking to him. The other day, I asked him about the biology assignment."

"Pfft, that is ridiculous," said Kori, "All you have said to Gar in the past few weeks was about homework? That is not talking to him." Kori looked at her dark-haired friend for a second. "Rachel, what is going on? Why are you avoiding our friend? Did," green eyes looked aside at her friend again, "did something happen when he stayed with you that night? I thought it was sweet but if he tried something, I will …"

"No. Nothing happened. Gar didn't try anything, he wouldn't. Even if I hadn't been …he would have tried anything. He's not like that. I think I'm still weirded out by that bug-thing the guys found at my house. I don't know why or for how long it was there. It gave me the creeps."

"Yes that is creepy, but then why are you avoiding Gar?"

"I'm not …" Rachel sighed, she saw that Kori wasn't believing her. She decided to tell her the truth. "Fine. I had a nightmare that night and I opened up to him. I showed him what I was feeling."

"That is wonderful. Not the nightmare, of course, but the sharing is wonderful. It will help you to heal."

"No, I don't think so." Rachel remembered her father saying if she wanted to heal, she shouldn't talk about what happened to her. Of course, what did her father know about healing, he only knew how to hurt her. "I learned a long time ago to keep things bottled up. It's better that way. I don't get hurt if I keep everything to myself."

"Friend, I do not believe that is true. Perhaps, that may have been true with your father, but that is not the case with us. We are your friends and we want to help you. You say you keep things to yourself so you will not get hurt, but I think, in the end, you are still getting hurt."

"Thanks for looking out for me, but I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Okay, we will not discuss this for now. But please, do not push Gar away again. We all want what is best for you." Kori pulled into the driveway. "Ooh, look, there is a package." A small rectangular box sat at the doorstep. It was just smaller than a shoebox. It was wrapped in plain brown paper. "I do not remember anyone ordering anything. I wonder who it is for."

Going up to the front door, they saw it was a plain box. There were no addresses on it. It simply said "To Kori", written in red marker. They had no way of knowing who it was from. Kori was excited but Rachel was alarmed. Who and why would someone send Kori something? What if he …no, no. He wouldn't do that. She'd done what he said, she didn't tell anyone else.

"Are you sure you should open that? Maybe you should wait until your uncle is here?"

"Nonsense. This is simply a gift. And it is to me."

Rachel's breathing became shallow as she watched Kori tear off the paper and open the box. For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. She tried to reason with herself that she shouldn't be so paranoid, that she had no reason to worry.

"Oh, look. I just love it." Kori showed Rachel a coffee mug with hearts on it. Inside it were things, a pen, a small notebook and a stuffed animal, but Rachel didn't see those.

She was focused on the mug. Why would someone send Kori a coffee cup? Kori didn't drink coffee. She didn't need the caffeine, she was often hyper enough without it. Her friends knew that, so who would send her a coffee cup?

Rachel thought back to a few weeks ago when he got her a cup of coffee. She also remembered their conversation about the rich, black liquid that night she took refuge at his place. There were innuendos in that conversation. Ever since then, she'd hated the smell of coffee.

Could he have sent Kori that cup? Why? She didn't do anything. Rachel remembered that she told her friends that she saw him but she didn't say who he was. But he'd spied on her before. Was he still spying on her? That meant that he knew that she didn't stay quiet. He'd warned her to stay quiet or he'd go after her friends. Rachel's heart raced. He was going after her friends. He was going after her friends. She couldn't let him hurt Kori like he'd hurt her.

"No!" Rachel grabbed the cup out of Kori's hands and threw it on the sidewalk. The mug smashed into several pieces.

Wide eyed, Kori stared at her friend. Why did she do that? "Rachel? What? Why? Why did you do that?"

"You don't want that. Not since it came from him."

"How do you know who it came from? I have the note that was with it." Kori quickly read the note. "It was from Richard."

Rachel stared at the smashed mug. Richard? No, that's not who it was from. He sent it. If it was from Richard, why did he send it? Why didn't he just give it to her?

"Why did you do that? I am very sorry for the hardships you are going through. You should not have been hurt by your father or by that monster. And I understand that you are not comfortable or ready to begin to think about dating. But that does not mean that I cannot date Richard, does it? I should not have to sacrifice my happiness because others have stolen yours."

Rachel furrowed her brows. What was Kori saying? Did she think that Rachel wanted her friends to be miserable because she was? Did Kori think Rachel was jealous of their happiness? Rachel wasn't jealous. Maybe she was envious but not jealous? Those weren't the same, we're they? Rachel did envy Kori and Richard because they had what she knew she could never have. But that didn't mean she was jealous.

And yes, Rachel had a crush Richard when she first joined their group. But that all changed when he started seeing Kori. Rachel knew she couldn't compete with Kori's enthusiasm. Richard was helping her now but Rachel didn't confuse that with infatuation. She knew Richard didn't look at her the same way he looked at Kori. He couldn't, he wouldn't. Rachel knew no one would look at her like that. She was trying to get used to that idea. She knew she'd have to get used to being alone. But that didn't mean she wanted the same for her friends.

"Rachel? Rachel? I am sorry. I should not have said that. I did not mean what I said."

"What happened?" said a male voice.

"Augh!" Both girls cried out as they jumped. They didn't realize someone had arrived.

"Didn't you like my gift?" asked Richard when he caught sight of the shattered mug.

"Gift? You? Richard? No? I, I thought …" Rachel covered her mouth with her hands. What had she done?

"Kori? Rachel? What happened?"

Rachel backed up from the two. Her face blanched then reddened. "I'm sorry. I …I didn't …I …thought …" Her pupils dilated with fear. What had she done? She got everything wrong.

"Rachel?" Richard was worried about her. She looked so upset.

"Rachel?" Kori took a step towards her friend but Rachel backed up. Her blue eyes welled up with tears. "Rachel? I am so sorry for what I said. I was wrong."

"I'm sorry." What had she done? "I …I have to go." Rachel turned and ran down the driveway. Kori called after her but she kept running down the street.

"Let her go. I'm learning when Rachel's upset, she needs a little time to cool down." As he knelt down to pick up the broken pieces, he repeated, "What happened? Didn't you like it?"

Kori picked up the little stuffed pineapple that was in the mug. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh, Richard, your gift was so sweet and adorable."

"Then what happened? How did it get smashed?"

"Rachel did it."

"Rachel? But why? That doesn't make any sense."

"She was concerned about me receiving something from someone we didn't know."

"I put who it was from on the bottom of the box." He picked up the discarded brown paper. "See?" Looking at the paper, Kori saw that the top would've said to Kori and the bottom would've said from Richard.

"I did not see that. I never turned it over. I just tore off the paper." Her shoulders dropped. "If only I had turned it over, all of this could have been prevented."

Richard repeated, "What happened?"

Kori sighed, "I am sorry to say, we had a fight." As she explained what happened and what she said to their friend, tears spilled down her cheeks. "But I do not believe that. I do not know why I said such hurtful things. Do you think Rachel will ever forgive me? I am such a -. I do not deserve her friendship. Perhaps, not yours, either?"

Richard put his arm around his girlfriend, trying to calm her down. "You were both upset. Rachel will understand that you didn't mean those things." He took her chin and forced her to look him in his eyes. "You're a very good friend. You said it was a misunderstanding?" Kori nodded. "Try not to be too hard on yourself. I get how frustrating and confusing Rachel's mood swings can be. She still has a lot to work through." Richard stopped to think of how he wanted to say what he was going to say next. "I think, there are things, words, phrases, that we don't know are triggers for her. She might not even know it. Her anger and resentment surface but I don't think she's angry with us."

"I wish our dear friend did not have to go through this." Kori and Richard hugged as he agreed. The only thing with a smile, was the silly little pineapple Kori held.

Rachel ran for a few blocks before she stopped. Catching her breath, she chastised herself. Why did she do that? Why did she have to overreact to everything? If she'd just stayed calm, she would've known there was nothing to worry about. Could she do that? Could she stay calm? No. She had to overreact and panic. She needed to break this habit of making things worse.

Maybe if she found another mug, she could replace the broken one? It wouldn't be the same, but it might help. It would show them that Rachel was sorry and ashamed of her actions.

Rachel's eyes frantically searched the shelves. She had to find another one like the one Richard bought for Kori. Where did he buy it? Why couldn't she find it? How could there be so many mugs but not the right one? This was the third store she'd tried. As she searched, horrible thought filled Rachel's head, what if Richard had the cup custom made? How would she find one to replace it?

Sighing with frustration, Rachel continued to search. She had to find something similar. Why did she have to smash that one? Rachel was sure her friends were mad at her. Why wouldn't they be? She was irritated with herself.

The ceramic drinking vessels clanked as she pushed them aside. Maybe the right one was in back? She kept searching. She had to find the right one. Rachel picked up a couple mugs. Where was it? This shouldn't be so hard, but after seeing so many cups, they all started to look alike.

"Rachel?"

Hearing someone say her name, startled the teen. Rachel looked up and saw her French teacher. "Mrs. Martinez?"

Thérèse Martinez noticed that her student looked a little frazzled. "Rachel, do you need help?"

Rachel held her breath for a moment. How could she know? No one but a few knew what she was going through. She can't know what's going on. She just being polite. Rachel decided to brush aside her paranoia. "What? No, I'm alright. I don't need any help."

"It kind of looks like you do." Rachel followed her teacher's gaze to her arms. Rachel had an arm load of coffee mugs. Being startled by her teacher, Rachel forgot about them "Here, let me help you." Thérèse helped Rachel unload the cups from her arms. As they placed them back on the shelves, the older woman asked, "What are you doing? You seem to be searching for something particular."

Rachel thanked her teacher for her help and explained a little about what happened that afternoon. "I didn't mean to break it." But that was a lie. At that moment, when Rachel thought she was protecting her friend, she mean to smash it.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm sure if you find a mug you think your friend would like, it'll be okay."

"You really think so?" Rachel wasn't so sure.

Thérèse smiled kindly to her upset student. "Remember, it's the thought that counts. I'm sure they'll appreciate all the time and effort you've put in to finding a replacement."

Rachel remembered seeing one that she thought Kori would like. The only problem was she couldn't remember where she saw it. Turning around, Rachel bumped into another fixture. A mug tottered slightly before falling. No. Not again. Rachel covered her face with one hand. "Not again," she mumbled.

"Wait here, I'll go get somebody to clean up this. Don't try to pick up any of it. I don't want you to cut yourself."

Tears stung Rachel's eyes as she looked down at another ruined cup. She felt like she was disastrous to everything and everyone around her. Ignoring her teacher, she knelt down to start picking up the larger pieces. She smiled sadly to herself. Mrs. Martinez was worried about her cutting herself. Too late.

"Rachel?" The teen looked up. She thought she recognized the woman but she couldn't place her. The woman saw Rachel's confusion. "I'm Marie Logan, Gar's mother."

"Mrs. Logan, I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you."

"Please, call me Marie. I didn't know you worked here." She assumed since Rachel was picking up the broken pieces, she must've worked there.

Rachel stood. She still held some of the larger pieces. "I don't. I accidentally broke this so …"

Marie thought the girl in front of her seemed annoyed, maybe agitated. She also seemed a little skittish. She wondered what was going on with this girl who was supposed to be her son's friend. Why did Marie pick up a strange vibe from her? Trying to shake that feeling, Marie smiled. "Here, let me help you." Marie picked up a bowl so they could put the pieces in.

"You don't have to do that. I'm sure you're busy. Besides, I broke it so I should fix it."

"It's okay, I can help you."

The two females knelt down to put the pieces in the bowl. They had most of it picked up by the time Mrs. Martinez had arrived with an employee and a broom. "Rachel, I told you to leave it alone."

Again, Rachel said, "I broke it so I should fix it."

Rachel and Marie stood and stepped aside so they'd be out of the employee's way. The two older women introduced themselves to one another. While they did that and discussed things going on in the community, Rachel tried to shake the strange feeling she suddenly felt. It was similar to what she felt when she was with Malcolm.

Her head suddenly felt thick? Too heavy? She couldn't explain it. Maybe it felt like she was pressing her hands on her head? But at the same time, her head felt too light. That didn't make any sense. Why were things spinning? Or was she the one spinning?

Did she simply stand too fast? If that was the case, then why did she feel clammy? What was wrong? Something had to be wrong. It wasn't normal to feel both hot and cold. Could she be having a panic attack? If so, how could she stop it? She couldn't have a panic attack in public, especially not with her teacher and friend's mother here.

Rachel wanted to control her rapid, shallow breathing but she couldn't. She was too scared by what she was feeling. What was wrong with her? What was going on? Should she get her teacher or Gar's mother to help her?

Rachel started to take a step towards. Why did her legs feel so strange? Her legs felt tingly and shaky. They wouldn't hold her up. She needed to sit down. "Uh …" Rachel took a step towards them when everything started fading out.

Marie and Thérèse both turned to Rachel in time to see that something was wrong. They watched as all the color drained from Rachel's face. Her eyes rolled back and she collapsed to the floor. She crumpled as if her skeleton had disintegrated.

"Oh my God!" Both women cried out. They knelt by the unconscious girl's side. "Rachel?" Together, they moved Rachel until she was on her back. "Rachel?" She looked more pale than usual. Thérèse patted Rachel on her cheek, "Rachel? Wake up."

Other customers gathered around them. Some gave advice. One went to tell someone, to get help. Somebody called for help.

It took several moments but Rachel's eyes stated to flutter open. She had trouble keeping them open.

"Rachel? Honey, can you hear me?"

Rachel was vaguely aware of her surroundings. Something didn't seem right. Why did her body ache? Was she lying on something hard? Was she lying on the floor? "Wh-what happened?" her voice was small and thin.

"You passed out, but you're going to be okay." The French teacher hoped she wasn't lying. She had no idea why her student passed out.

Rachel opened her eyes enough to see the crowd gathered around them. Oh God! She passed out in her store? She closed her eyes and covered her face. "Oh God …"

"Ignore them. Try to relax. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I ...I- I don't know. I …started to feel funny, then…"

Someone said, "The ambulance is on the way."

"What! Ambulance? No. No, I don't …" Rachel didn't want an ambulance. She didn't want anyone checking her, touching her.

"It's okay. You're okay. They just need to check you out, make sure nothing's wrong. You could've hit your head when you fell."

They heard sirens with increasing loudness as the ambulance approached. Rachel hid her face behind her hands. She repeatedly muttered to herself, "This isn't happening." Her teacher rubbed her shoulder trying to calm her and to be supportive. Most of the people standing around them sympathized with Rachel. They knew they'd be just as embarrassed as she was now.

The crowd parted as two paramedics showed up. As they pushed up Rachel's sleeve to check her pulse, Marie noticed the white marks on the teen's arm. What was this girl into? Why did she faint?

They continued to check Rachel's vital signs. "Have you ever passed out before?"

Rachel hesitated to answer. "Rachel?" asked Mrs. Martinez, "Have you ever passed out before today?"

A small yes escaped from Rachel's lips.

"Okay," said one of the paramedics, "she's doing better now but we need to take her in. We need to get her checked out. She's got a slight friction burn on her cheek so we need to make sure she didn't hit her head."

"What if I promise to see a doctor?" asked Rachel. She didn't want to go to the hospital. What if, somehow they found out about her secret?

"Sorry, looks like you get to ride in the ambulance today. Since she's a minor, we need an adult to go with her." Mrs. Martinez volunteered to go.

As Rachel was being wheeled out to the ambulance she saw Richard. Richard? What was he doing there? "Wait!" They stopped. "Richard!"

Richard couldn't hide his shock to see Rachel on a gurney being wheeled to an ambulance.

"Rachel! What happened?"

"She fainted," answered their French teacher, "She's okay now, but she needs to be checked out by a doctor. We don't know why she fainted."

Thinking about going to the hospital, Rachel began to panic. "Can Richard come too?"

"Sorry, there's not enough room for another person."

"But, I …"

Richard said, "Don't worry, Rachel. I'll follow you guys. I'll meet you at the hospital. Try not to worry, it'll be okay."

The ride to the hospital was quiet other than the paramedics. Rachel stared at the ceiling of the ambulance as they went to the hospital. She tried to control her breathing. She tried to control her fears. When they examined her at the hospital, they wouldn't have to examine her there. There'd be no reason for them to look down there. Besides, Rachel thought, by now there wouldn't be any evidence.

But any evidence wasn't what worried her. Rachel was afraid of anyone seeing or touching her. But, she tried to reason with herself, she fainted so there'd be no reason for them to check down there. Rachel closed her eyes. Please let this get over quickly. Why did she have to faint in a store? Why couldn't she have waited until she was in her room?

At the hospital, they rushed her to an exam room. Richard and Mrs. Martinez waited in the waiting room for a while. When they were allowed to enter Rachel's exam room, a nurse was finishing taking some blood. Their French teacher asked, "How is she doing?" The nurse told her that Rachel was okay now but they'd know more soon.

Richard asked Rachel, "Nervous?"

She nodded, "Yes, very nervous."

A few minutes after the nurse left, a doctor came in. Rachel quickly glanced away. She hoped he didn't recognize he. He was the doctor who helped Rachel the last time she was in a hospital, after the rape. He checked over her chart. "Hi, Rachel, I'm Dr. Owens. So you had a scare today, you fainted?" Rachel nodded. "Did you feel strange before you fainted?"

"Um, I think I felt a little hot and dizzy."

"Okay," Dr. Owens continued to examine her. "Have you ever felt like that before?" Rachel was ashamed to admit she had. "When did it happen?"

Rachel avoided eye contact with Richard and her teacher. "The first time was …I think about the …second week of February. Then, it's happened a couple other times since then."

"Did you feel the same way, hot and dizzy?"

"Um, the first time, I think I was suddenly cold but sweaty. I was also felt sick to my stomach."

"Was it the same way the other times?" Rachel nodded her head. She still didn't look at her friend and teacher. "Did you ever see a doctor about it?"

"No, I thought it was just because I forgot to eat."

"Did you see any flashes of light or did your eyes hurt?" Rachel shook her head no. "What about your head, did your head hurt?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Okay, well other than being dehydrated, you seem to be doing alright now. I'm going to give you a saline drip. That should get your levels back to normal. You should be okay but we'll have to see what the tests say. Try not to worry too much."

Richard asked, "Doctor, do you know why Rachel would be fainting so much?"

"Like I said, the tests should give us some answers. Maybe it is as she thought? Maybe it is as simple as she wasn't eating enough? The human body has its way of forcing you to notice and take care of it. I'll be back in a moment. Try not to worry. Too much stress can also have this effect."

After Dr. Owens left, Mrs. Martinez said she was going to the waiting room to make some phone calls. Alone with Richard, Rachel focused on the IV in her arm. She knew he was going to question her, maybe even be mad at her. "Rachel? Rachel?" She heard the concern in his voice but still didn't turn to him. "Rachel, I'm not mad if that's what you're afraid of. I'm just worried. Why didn't you tell anyone about fainting? I was so scared when I saw you being taken to the ambulance."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you …again. I'm not a very good friend because I keep scaring you with my problems."

"That's not true," he took her free hand. "I want to help you, all of us do. I just don't understand why you never told anyone."

"I thought it was like I said, I didn't eat."

"You know, you don't have to go through everything alone."

"Um, the first time I fainted, Malcolm Drake was with me."

"What was he doing with you?"

"Well, he's my neighbor and I'd just fought with Kitten." Richard nodded, indicating that he remembered. "He thought I needed time to cool down, so he took me to the amusement park. I thought I fainted because of all the excitement of the fast rides and because I kept forgetting to eat. It was about a month after IT happened and I was still very upset." She looked away from him a moment before turning back to her friend. "Richard, I'm scared. What if something's wrong with me?"

"I'm scared too but maybe it's like the doctor said, maybe it's because of stress and not eating?"

Rachel tried not to look as worried as she felt. "I've, um, I've seen this doctor before."

"Really, when?"

"I came here after I was …attacked. I don't remember how I got her but I was here. I woke up here and …maybe that was one of the first times I passed out? What if this has something to do with that? I ran away from the hospital before they could finish checking me out. Maybe something's really wrong with me?"

Richard was trying to calm Rachel down when Trigon hurried into the exam room. Seeing her father surprised Rachel. "D-dad, what, what are you doing here?"

"Your teacher, Mrs. Martinez, called me. You don't think I'd come when someone calls me and tells me my daughter's been fainting all the time?"

"I'm not fainting ALL the time. I ..." She didn't know what she'd tell him.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Richard Grayson, sir."

"You're Bruce Wayne's boy, right?"

Richard nodded and Rachel added, "He's my friend."

Trigon eyed Richard suspiciously. He didn't trust him being with his daughter. He'd be a good "catch" for her, much better than that boy she was dating. He was rich and popular but Trigon still didn't trust him.

Rachel didn't feel comfortable having her father here. She didn't know how but she was sure he'd blame her for this. "Dad, it's okay, I know you're busy. The doctor said I wasn't eating enough and that I was dehydrated. You can go. Really, I'm okay."

"You're my daughter, my responsibility. I should be here. Why do you want me to leave?"

"There's no reason, I just know you're very busy."

When Dr. Owens returned to the exam room, he was surprised to see a large man talking to the two teens. He stood outside the door a moment and watched them. He didn't know what this man's connection was to them, but he found it odd that he stood a little possessively in front of the girl. Everyone in the room seemed tense. Dr. Owens wondered what was going on.

Dr. Owens remembered Rachel, or Riley as she told him, coming into the hospital a few months ago. He suspected she knew back then what had happened to her. Looking down at the results of Rachel's blood tests, he sighed. He was sure her life just got more complicated.

Thanks again. Please stay with me. Aren't you curious? I know I am. Please review.