Raven lie on the bed, mindlessly tapping on the key board of the lap top. She was dressed in a
long purple robe. She hadn't gone out on patrol tonight. She had work that desperately needed to be
finished. She still had no access to her own apartment. She was at Morgana's house. But Raven's mind
wasn't completely on her work. When the light wrap on the door came it startled her.
"Come in!" Raven called. Morgana entered.
"How's it coming?" She asked.
"Fine until my heart attack." Raven muttered.
"Sorry." Morgana apologized. She sat next to Raven on the bed and looked at the screen. "Uh,
you don't have much done."
"I know." Raven sighed. She ran a hand over her face. "I can't think straight."
"Getting shot in the stomach three times can do that to you." Morgana quipped. She looked at
her friend with real concern. "Are you sure you're OK?"
"Yeah I'm fine." Raven insisted. "I just really wish I were back home, then I could get some real
work done. Darkwing keeps nagging me to stay out later, and he knows I have work to finish. He wants
me to testify at the trial for Diablo. And I'm obviously not going to do that. I haven't even been in to
work. I haven't heard back from any one at SHUSH any way. I have no idea what Vlad is thinking right
now. I have two days to finish this project and...uh..." Raven had been talking so fast that she hadn't even
noticed she had mentioned Gryzlikoff until Morgana gave her a look.
"Who?" Morgana raised an eye brow.
"Just, the guy I was working with." Raven lowered her shoulders.
"Ooohhh.... Was he nice?" Morgana grinned. Raven's face turned red. Morgana's eyes widened.
"Talk!" She demanded.
"There's nothing to talk about!" Raven insisted. She pulled her legs closer to her body. "It's
freezing in here..." She tried a desperate attempt to change the subject. It failed.
"Raven. You can either tell me about it. Or suffer endless torment." Morgana said plainly.
"Just forget about it." Raven muttered.
"Fine." Morgana said thoughtfully. "I can just as Dark about him anyway." Raven's eyes flew
open.
"NO!" She choked. Morgana laughed.
"Then you talk!" Raven grumbled.
"Nothing interesting happened." She said softly. "He just....kissed me..." Her words were
almost inaudible. But Morgana heard them.
"Are you serious?" Morgana asked. Raven said nothing. "This is too adorable!" Morgana
laughed. "You're involved!"
"I am NOT involved!" Raven protested. "My life is too complicated and full as it is with out
bringing in more unnecessary stress."
"You trying to convince me, or yourself?" Morgana asked.
"Leave me alone..." Raven sank her head onto the bed spread.
"Have it your way." Morgana got up and went to the door. Before she left she poked her head in
for one last word. "Just some friendly advise. It's a well known fact that if you pass something up, you'll
always wonder what could have been." Raven tried to ignore the comment and went back to work. After
about a half an hour had gone by with no progress, Raven looked at her reflection in the screen.
"Damn..."

At SHUSH central, Gryzlikoff was getting about as much work done. Usually filling out paper
work gave him a feeling of stability and pleasure. But tonight he just wanted to finish it and go home. It
was getting later and later. Even the cleaning crew had gone home. Except for the night watch men,
Gryzlikoff was sure he was alone in the building. He was wrong. The knock that came on his door didn't
startle him. But it did annoy him.
"I am having work to finish." He growled. "What ever it is, it can wait."
"Didn't mean to bother you. I can come back later..." Gryzlikoff's eyes snapped to the door way.
It was already open and Raven leaned on the wooden frame work. She had obviously gotten dressed
rather hastily. Torn blue jeans, a wrinkled T-shirt, her normal jacket and boots. It didn't matter to
Gryzlikoff. After worrying about her for weeks, anything she wore made her look beautiful to him. He
jumped to his feet in surprise.
"Raven!" After his initial shock, he thought better to calm himself. He stood up straight and
crossed his arms over his chest. "Uh, Raven, how are you?"
"I'm fine." Raven entered the room. She stood a few feet away from Gryzlikoff, causing his
demeanor to crumble.
"I...uh...tried to visit you in the hospital. But you were gone..." He looked at her quizingly.
"How did you..."
"It's a long story." Raven stopped him. They stood in silence for a moment. Gryzlikoff looked
her in the eyes. He almost smiled as he realized she was about the same height as he was. He hadn't
noticed that before.
"I thought we should talk." Raven said at last. Gryzlikoff flinched. This was what he had feared
for weeks. He wasn't sure how this conversation would go. But knowing his over all luck, it wouldn't be
good.
"What do you want to talk about?" He asked, knowing full well what she wanted to talk about.
Raven looked at him trying to decide if he was kidding, playing dumb, or if he actually had no clue.
"I think you know what." She answered. She was right. Gryzlikoff sighed. This had been
welling up inside of him for weeks."Vlad..." Raven began. Before she could go any further, he stopped
her.
"Raven, before you say anything, there is something I really need to tell you." He said. "I don't
want this to sound cliché, but you really aren't like any other woman I know. Most women are afraid of
me. Half the female force in SHUSH cower when I enter a room. And the other half...well lord knows
what they think of me. The point is, you're the first woman who hasn't backed down from me. Who
hasn't felt threatened by me. Who's treated me like a normal man, instead of fearing me." He looked
Raven full in the eyes. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I love you, Raven. I know I'm probably
going to be hurt, but that's the way I feel. Nothing can change that now."
Gryzlikoff broke eye contact with Raven and stared at his shoes. His arms still folded across his
chest, he silently begged for her to say something. Anything to break the quiet. Raven walked closer to
him. Gryzlikoff could feel his body begin to shake. Raven stood only inches from him. He could feel the
warmth from her body.
"Vladimir..." She said calmly. Gryzlikoff closed his eyes, he was sure he knew what was coming
next.
"Raven, I..." He was stopped mid sentence. Raven leaned forward and pressed her lips against
his. This time, it was Gryzlikoff who was taken by surprise. He wasn't even contiously moving, but he
felt his arms wrap themselves around Raven's shoulders. A comet could crash into the building and he
would die a happy man.
After a moment, they pulled apart. The first blissful smile ever made its way onto Gryzlikoff's
face. Raven looked at him, her face mostly stern.
"You do realize that I'm usually very busy."
"Yes."
"And that I'm always going to be a vigilante."
"Yes."
"And that I don't care what happens, there is no way a man is going to run my life!"
"Yes." Raven looked back at him.
"And you don't care, do you?"
"No." Gryzlikoff said plainly. Raven smiled.
"Well then." She leaned forward and rested her head on Gryzlikoff's chest. "This should be
interesting."