Welcome back! So sorry for the long delay! Thanks for coming back to my story. Last chapter was such a blast to write-I love weddings, especially between Beastboy and Raven. But I had a bit of writer's block the past couple of weeks so I couldn't really get started on a new chapter. Finally I had a breakthrough. Hope you enjoy this chapter. I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 11: Karen and Dick's Big Spa Day-12

Every bone ached as Karen slowly dragged her feet across the floor. Internally, her muscles were screaming at her to just sit down and take a load off-but the couch was so far…. Finally. Plopping down, Karen wearily rested her head on the back of the couch. Seven missions in three days. "Uhhhhh." She rubbed between her eyes, not opening them. "I'm not sure I can take another step." She shifted uncomfortably, catching a slight whiff of herself. "Whew! But I can't even make it to the shower I'm so tired."

"You better!" Karen opened her eyes to see her husband standing over her, bags under his eyes. She smiled despite herself at his comment. "Or I'll throw you in myself 'cause you STINK!"

She stuck her tongue out at him then winced. "Oww. Even that hurts."

A wet nose nudged against her hand as she glanced down to see a green Shih Zhu dog snuggle up next to her and instantly fall into oblivion. Lucky dog. She felt more than saw Kori sit on the other side of Gar and mindlessly pet his back. Evidently Karen was not alone in feeling utterly exhausted. "I'm too tired to eat." Karen heard Raven say behind her, the sound of her cloak brushing the floor tickling her ears. "I'm going to shower and sleep for a few…days." Karen glanced back to see Raven blearily blinking and give a single wave. She heard Gar give a slight huff in his sleep as if to say goodnight. Victor smiled after Raven before turning to Karen and giving her a quick kiss on the forehead then wordlessly follow her out.

Karen sighed, closing her eyes again. Just five minutes. She thought to herself. Just five more minutes then I'll get up and go get ready for-

"Okay Titans. Get some rest." Dick's voice broke through Karen's semi-conscious state. Cracking open an eye, she turned her head to the side as she blinked at him. Their leader didn't look any worse for wear. Not even a tired look on his face. How did he do it?

Bones popping as she got up, creaking into a standing position. "Whatever you say, Boss Man. See ya in a couple days. I'm tapping out y'all."

"Night." Dick said almost cheerfully. "Get some good rest for our early training session."

She froze in her tracks. Adrenaline shot through her veins, instantly waking her up. "I'm sorry-Our what now?"

The corners of Dick's mouth twitched. Karen could see the wheels turning in his head as he dipped his head back at her. "Our early morning training session. Tomorrow is Friday. We always have a training session every Friday morning at 5:30."

"Oh no. Not today. I have HAD it with you!" Her ears roared loudly, blood pounding. "We have had SEVEN missions in the past three days. All I want is to sleep in, get some rest, and not train because we've been living it!" Karen hated when she got frustrated but she had to let him know what he was doing was lunacy. "Look, I respect you Dick. I even sometimes like you. But I cannot and will not train tomorrow morning because we have been fighting bad guys nonstop all week and I just want a little peace and quiet for just a day and to relax but you don't know how to relax. And if you don't know how to relax you're going to drive everyone away!"

Sucking in a deep breath, she realized she hadn't taken a breath the whole time. Her face flooded with heat-she hated when she popped off like that and hadn't done it in a long time-but she was too tired and proud to apologize. He had to learn sometime or else he would end up alone. Turning on her heel, she spun out of the room, ignoring the three sets of eyes on her back. Embarrassed, she didn't even realize she woke up Kori and Gar. Shaking her head, she walked away.

The rest of the evening went by in an angry blur. Karen was just as angry with herself for blowing up on him but seriously-how could he be so insensitive and unreasonable? She showered, changed, and was brushing her teeth before calling it a night. "How can he be so unreasonable? Is he even human?!" She asked, taking her toothbrush out of her mouth for a second to complain to Victor, who merely grunted at her from their bed. Swiping a hand over her mouth to remove suds, she continued to brush her teeth and curse muffled complaints. "Who elected him leader anyway?" She was hardly audible but continued to grumble. Victor groaned in exhaustion from her heated rant. "He just needs a good night sleep!" She ripped the brush out of her mouth and pointed it at him. "I have five fingers that can help him get there!"

"You're angry brushing again."

"Mind your own business, Sparky, or I'll angry brush you!"

Spitting out the last of the toothpaste, she rinsed her mouth and threw down her toothbrush, not bothering to put it in its correct place. She thrust herself into bed, turned to say something else but Victor was snoring away. She sighed and decided to join him in oblivion.

The next thing she knew, the sun was shining through the window and she felt like a new woman. The memory of her actions caused her to feel embarrassment and guilt. She needed to apologize to Dick-even if it was the truth she still shouldn't have blown up like that. Glancing to the clock, she gasped-NOON? She paused-huh. No training after all. Maybe her speech did something. Stretching, she got up and made her way to the Common Room. Her stomach said it was way past breakfast.

When she finally made it to the Common Room, she was greeted by the single last person she wanted to see and single one she probably needed to the most. Dick paused his cup of coffee at his lips. A swell of awkwardness filled Karen's chest. Well-better get this over with. She quickly skipped down the steps and opened her mouth when Dick slammed down his cup and stood up. "Hey Karen. I'm sorry about last night."

Huh. Not quite what she was expecting.

"What? No, I'm sorry about blowing up on you!"

Dick smiled and shook his head slowly. "Thanks but you don't have to apologize. You were right." Okay, Karen was confused. Was she in an alternate universe or something? That wouldn't be too out there for their line of work- "Karen, you have only lived with us barely over a year so you're still new to my…neurotic tendencies. Which is no excuse and I'm sorry. But the rest of the team has had time to get used to me in their own way. And you were right. I need to learn to relax."

"Richard Grayson…" Karen didn't know what to say.

"Karen Beecher." He stated and she laughed while rolling her eyes. "But seriously…I wanted to make it up to you." He pulled out something from his back pocket and held it to her. Curious, she took it and instantly felt angry-he was NOT giving her Bat-Daddy Bucks to buy her off! But then she took a closer look. Huh…it was "A gift certificate to a spa. For six people. This afternoon." Dick shrugged, rubbing a hand through his hair like he always does when he feels awkward. She looked up at him in surprise. He truly did care, didn't he?

"I don't know what to say…thanks Dick."

He began walking away, waving at her as he left the room. "No thanks needed. You were right-I need to relax. Kori said she loves those places so I thought why not. I'm going to go get ready. Our appointment is in an hour."

Karen couldn't believe it-a spa day? This seemed too good to be true. Suddenly, an explosion sounded behind her as Kori walked into the Common Room, a blanket snuggled around her shoulders. "Oh, Friend Karen." Her e's and a's sounded like b's and d's. "Richard just told me we are going to the-AHH-CHO!" Another explosion expelled from her mouth, causing Karen to leap back with a yelp. Kori then continued to sneeze repeatedly, a green explosion following each sneeze.

"You okay, Kori?" She asked, rubbing her back when the sneezes subsided. "Think you can be ready to go in an hour?"

Kori merely shook her head, rubbing a finger under her nose. "Apologies, but I fear I cannot attend." Both women looked up to see the door slide open to reveal Raven. Sniffing loudly, Kori smiled and clapped her hands. "Oh, but the rest of you will have such a fun time! Surely Friend Raven can go in my stead!"

Tucking in her lips to fight off a smile, she looked at Raven innocently. Raven looked blankly at the gift certificate before running her hand through her hair. "Strangers touching me and getting in my personal space. I'll pass." Karen laughed despite herself-if that didn't summarize Raven in a nutshell, she didn't know what did!

"Joyous! Now you can spend time with me and tend to my Earth-cold!"

"Is it too late to change my mind?" Raven quipped but smiled slightly at Kori and Karen. Laughing, Karen shook her head and went to go get dressed when she saw her husband and Garfield in the hallway. Before she could say anything, Victor wrinkled his nose at her.

"So, are we supposed to go to some nail place or something?" He asked, rubbing the back of his cybernetic head.

Gar vehemently shook her head, scrunching up his face. "Yeah, spa day? That sounds kind of girly…" Then he dipped his head side to side. "But it could be fun. Why not?" He looked over at Victor with large, green pleading eyes.

Sighing, Vic shrugged his shoulders and winked at his wife. "I could always go for a pedicure on these little metal toes."

"What did I marry into?"

The next hour was a blur as the four set off to some Swedish spa with a name Karen couldn't pronounce. As the team walked in, the smell of bath salts and lavender tickled Karen's nose. The entrance looked like some tranquil oasis complete with running infinity waterfalls and cushy chairs. "Cool-free salad!" Garfield sprang forward toward a bowl. Before Karen could warn him not to eat it, he grabbed a handful of the 'salad', and stuffed it in his mouth. His face fell slack, his jaw falling opening and the little bits of leaves falling to the floor. Running a hand over his tongue, he glanced up at Karen. "Don't try that. It's disgusting."

Rolling her eyes, Karen tried to resist smiling. "Yeah-it's potpourri."

"Like the stuff people spray in the bathroom after taking a dump?"

"Ugh…"

Just at that moment, a tall, blonde woman began to walk toward the group. Karen winced-the woman's face a plastered smiling mask that was extremely creepy. "Welcome. We are pleased you joined us today." Her voice was calm. Too calm. A shiver ran down Karen's spine and by glancing at the guys she could tell they felt the same. Her accent was thick as she continued, making everyone lean closer to listen to her. "We have many amenities for you to enjoy with the package you purchased. You can enjoy our hot mud baths, facials, luxury manicures and pedicures, authentic Swedish massages, and much more." She gestured to the wall lined with fluffy robes, slippers, and towels. "Here are your changes of clothes and also your noise-cancelling headphones. The earphones play soothing music and an array of different sounds such as ocean waves, waterfalls, and summer breezes."

Clearing his throat, Victor raised a finger as Gar nudged him encouragingly. "Is there a sauna?" Victor asked, trying to keep a neutral face.

"Yes. Our sauna is top of the line located in the back of our facility-"

"Duces!" Gar snatched two pairs of robes, slippers, and headphones then the green man darted past the woman with Victor right on his tail. The woman blinked rapidly in confusion but Dick smiled awkwardly at the woman and gently told her thanks. She nodded and felt them to their own devices.

Turning toward Karen, Dick shrugged awkwardly. "Guess it's just you and me now." The discomfort on his face matched her own but she fringed a smile. In all honesty, the two had never spent much one on one time together. But…they were friends and had saved the world together multiple times. It probably wouldn't be too bad.

Karen and Dick changed into their robes and settled into two chairs. Dick looked at her questioningly but she merely put her feet into the bubbling water for the pedicure. The moment her feet touched the warm water, stress began to seep out of her shoulders. "Is it always this…warm?"

Raising an eyebrow, she glanced over at Dick who looked stiff and awkward. "Just put your feet in, Bat Boy." Dick quickly sunk his feet into the pool and sighed in comfort. Karen laughed to herself, shaking her head. "Really, did you never relax as a kid?"

"I've never been the relaxing type of guy. Plus…Batman never really let me."

"Wait-you didn't relax even before living with him?"

"Yeah…the circus wasn't exactly relaxing either…"

"CIRCUS?!"

The rest of the day went by fast. Karen hadn't had such a good time in…well, a long time. Her and Dick got pedicures and facials and were waiting on their massages. But what made it so fun was getting to know Dick. And not 'superhero-stoic-leader-badass' Dick but the 'fun-cool-deep-conversations' Dick. They talked about each other's childhoods, Dick training with Batman, and Karen developing her powers. She couldn't get over what a good time she was having with Dick. It's not that she didn't ever have fun with him-but she had never really gotten to know him. She had always thought of him as the driven, serious leader who didn't know how to relate or have fun. Now she could finally understand what everyone else saw in him that she had never seen before.

Sighing contently during a lull of conversation, Karen closed her eyes and hummed to herself. She was so relaxed. Don't sleep, Beecher. She leaned her head back, not really fighting it. She felt so relaxed. Finally…She heard one of the masseuses getting two tables ready for them. "This place is really nice. Thanks for having us." Dick said, causing Karen to chuckle to herself. Small talk, Dick? Really? He must really be relaxed. He continued as Karen drifted closer to unconsciousness. "So who owns this place? Has it been open long?" Huh…Something felt off. Karen popped open an eye and glanced over at him. He had an innocent look on his face but…she knew that look. And she knew him too well.

Karen straightened up, trying to look like she was shifting in her seat to get more comfortable. She noticed the masseuse stiffen then pause. She responded in Swedish but stopped herself and spoke in broken English. "I am, uh, sorry. Excuse you-I mean me." She quickly straightened up and shuffled into the back room.

The moment she was out of sight, Karen jolted into an upright position and narrowed her eyes at Dick. He blinked at her, dipping his head to the right. She knew her stink-eye was strong because he asked, "Everything okay, Karen?"

"Nuh-uh, no. Don't pull that crap with me, Grayson!"

Dick grimaced but knew he was caught. "Look, I've been investigating the Olofsson Crime Family. They have been running an organized crime ring in Jump City for over 50 years but have been able to cover any evidence of their involvement of any illegal activity. I have been able to follow a lead to this establishment."

Throughout his speech, heat flared up in Karen's chest. She had thought they could be true friends, not just teammates-but obviously she was wrong. Thrusting herself up, she smoothed down her robe angrily. "Seriously-I thought we could relax and spend normal time together but evidently not! I want to say I don't believe this-but I do. I'm leaving-"

He placed a calm hand on her arm, causing her to swirl around to glare at him. She instantly softened-his eyes were sincere. Sighing, she sat back down to have the conversation face to face. "Look-I'm sorry, Karen." Huh…she wasn't expecting that. It was just a day full of Dick apologizing. "I pulled a 'Grayson'. I thought I could kill two birds with one stone. I was wrong to do this…I just get so focused sometimes. And I really wanted to have a relaxing day with you and not get you involved…but it was things like this that is probably why Kori and I didn't work out…"

Karen closed her eyes for a brief moment. He was being honest. He really did want to spend time with her. He just couldn't help himself-it was his nature. He didn't mean to hurt her or the guys…he just needed some education on friendship and self-care.

And probably letting go.

Opening her eyes, she took a deep breath to look at her. "I get it. Really." She noticed the corner of Dick's mouth twitch but she continued on. "I was a leader too once, you know. I would do so much extra work to take care of Titans East-sleeping crazy hours, investigating leads so they wouldn't get involved and stop crime before it even started. To help my team." She paused as Dick lowered his eyes. She had never seen him so vulnerable before. Lowering her gaze to catch his eye, she smiled. "But…may next time we hang out we just relax and no mission. Okay?"

Dick's blue eyes met hers with a revived energy. "Sure, Zappy."

"Oh-I should NEVER have told you that story!"

The pair laughed, deflating when suddenly Dick when slack. He gripped Karen's arm with such force that his nails left marks. "Duck."

"Huh?"

But before she could shake him off, he tugged her with such force that she toppled onto the floor. Suddenly, their seats exploded with bullets. Karen yelped, inadvertently shrinking into her miniature size (thank goodness she was wearing her uniform under her robe so it shrunk with her) as she zipped behind a pillar by Dick. She glanced around for a split second to see three of the tall, blonde (almost identical-were they sisters?) masseuses reloading their machine guns to spray them with more bullets.

Glancing at Dick, he stated quietly, "We need to disarm them."

She rolled her eyes but took out her stingers and felt electricity charge down her arms, powering them up. "No, duh Bird Boy." At that moment, the guns' safety clicked off, meaning the chambers were full. It was now or never.

Flitting around the pillar, Karen blasted one zap after another at the first two women's hands. One yelped and dropped the gun, sending a spray of bullets over toward the ground. The second woman tightened her grip on the gun and swung it around, pointing it point-blank at Karen. Whirling in the air, doing an alley-loop, she grew into her huge size and smashed her fists into the woman's stomach. A satisfying gasp for air caused Karen to smirk as she shrunk back down, yelling at Dick, "I'm going to find the guys and make sure they are okay! You got this?"

Dick disarmed the last woman, slashing the air with his electrical batons (how did he hide those in his robes?) With a quick nod, she zoomed down the hallway toward the back. It had already been a couple hours-but they most likely hadn't left the sauna. She knew her husband too well. Suddenly, she zipped past and had to double-back to a glass wall. Behind it were Gar and her husband, sipping water with strawberry slices, wearing robes, cucumber masks and slices over their eyes, and noise cancelling earphones. Were they even alive?

"Seriously?" She murmured, before she began to pound on the glass. "Hey! Get your butts off those chairs and help us! We have the whole Swedish mafia after us! What-seriously? Can you seriously not hear me?!" She slammed her fist against the glass again and looked frantically before realizing that the door was on the other side of their glass room. Typical. She began to charge her blasters to break the glass when a cry of pain caused her heartrate to sky-rocket.

"Nightwing!" Leaving the spa-boys to their treatment, she flitted back to him. She halted in midair, unsure how to help. Dick was surrounded by a whole squad of freakishly tall blond men and women. Was everyone in Sweden blond or was it just this Olofsson family? Dick caught her eye, raising an eyebrow to ask if the guys are coming. She just rolled her eyes, causing him to chuckle before he smashed is electric baton into the closest man's face. It was so unexpected-totally his style.

The room broke into chaos. She weaved in and out of the brawl, zapping men and women left and right. They couldn't use guns at such close range and the only thought that was going through Karen's head was how was a crime family who had evaded capture for half a century fight like a bunch of idiots?

A shift of the air around her left wing caused Karen to jerk to the right, shift into her large size and kick two men in the groin. Both men gasped in pain and went down. They weren't getting back up too soon. Another woman snatched up her hair, jerking her head down. Pain shot through Karen's scalp but suddenly the woman's grip went slack and she noticed Dick had electrocuted her. She wasn't getting up either. Karen dipped her head in thanks when she noticed another man pointing a gun at the back of Dick's head. She lifted her stingers and blasted him into the wall.

The fight continued for just a few moments longer. Most of the Swedes were unconscious or wished they were. Karen flipped over one guy and grabbed him by her legs, forcing him onto the ground. She then punched him in the face, knocking him out. Finally, one more guy. "Want to do the honors?" Dick asked, causing Karen to smile. She cracked her knuckles then feinted to the left before punching him in the nose. She felt it snap under her fist and she felt guilty but instantly quenched it. He gasped in pain as she pinched a pressure-point Dick had taught her in the neck, making him go unconscious.

Without looking at one another, Karen and Dick smacked a high-five just as the door swung open. Glancing up, they saw Victor and Garfield gapping at the scene in front of them. "DUDES!" Gar gasped, springing forward to check on his friends. He looked at a scrap on Dick's cheek and then at Karen's split lip. Huh. She didn't even remember getting hit. She popped her shoulders-she hadn't felt this relaxed in…forever. Did kicking bad-guy butt relax her now? She grimaced at herself-that was a whole other can of worms to untangle later.

"Yo! What did y'all do?!" Victor was suddenly in front of Karen, gently grazing her face for cuts or bruises. Karen smiled and shook her head. Oh, did she have blackmail for later-she would have to check the security cameras for the spa boys missing the battle for facials.

Dick shrugged his shoulders. Even he looked relaxed! "Just blowing off some steam and relaxing." Karen laughed at Gar and Vic's facial expressions to his words.

Catching Dick's eye, she smiled widely. "Yep-just blowing off steam." Clapping a hand on his shoulder, she threw her other arm around her husband. "We should do this again sometime-though maybe minus the Swedish crime family."

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was pretty fun to write honestly. I have been having some horrible writer's block recently and had a totally different thing in mind for this chapter but I couldn't figure out how to incorporate it. Anyway, thank you again for reading, commenting, favoriting, and following my story. I hope you continue to enjoy the chapters to come. We are almost halfway through the stories! Thank you again and please let me know what you think Dick and Karen's friendship would look like! Until next time!

Eris: Thank you so much! I am glad you enjoyed that chapter. I love Raven and Beastboy's relationship. And knowing them, an elopement fits perfectly with their relationship. Thanks for being so encouraging!