READ THIS! IT'S IMPORTANT: Ok, I'm going to change Bee's name to Karen Beecher, but she'll still be referred to as Bee, alright? And Tara Markov is Terra. And another thing... go back to chapter seven and read the dream scene over... if you're very perceptive, you might notice another name change... but that's all I'm saying for now. Be prepared for a lot of Fluff !

Chapter 10

Dealing with Emotions

She didn't even give him a moment to respond. She grabbed her jacket and bolted down the stairs and towards the front door. "I'm sorry, but I have to go and see my mother." He voice was cracking with every syllable.

Victor looked down at her hands and noticed that they were shaking considerably. He grabbed her arm before she could go any further, "You think that I'm just going to let you drive in this condition? Give me your keys."

She didn't object like he expected her to, instead she just handed him the keys without opening her mouth at all. He looked at her again. She was biting her lip and switching her feet every second. He'd never seen her like this before and he hoped to never see her in this state again.

He grabbed both of her arms and shook her slightly. "Get a hold of yourself! Whatever's happening, I'm sure you'll deal. What happened to the annoyingly strong girl that I know?"

She took him by surprise when she twisted out of his grasp and jumped into his arms. "I can't stand losing someone else that I love!"

What the hell does she mean by that? Victor thought. He was baffled. She had her father, and her sister. She had all the popularity that one could wish for. What could she possibly be talking about?

"Shh. It's alright. Let's go, your mother's waiting."

He shrugged out of her embrace, gently gave her a push in the direction of the door, and opened it. They both walked to the car in comfortable silence except for the sound of the falling rain. Victor unlocked the car and they both jumped in. He inserted the key in the ignition and turned it to the right. He turned to face her and saw that she was once again biting her lips. He remembered years ago when he used to give her really hard puzzles just to watch her do that. He shook his head to clear away the memories.

"Dammit Bee! Can you just stop doing that before I do something that I might regret?" He shouted. After he'd done it however, he wished that he could stuff the words right back into his mouth.

For once she didn't decode the message that he was sending through his words, "Right. Sorry."

Bee said sorry? I never thought I'd see that day...

He switched the car to drive and pressed his foot softly on the accelerator. Concentrating on the road ahead would be quite an amazing feat for Victor considering that the girl that he'd liked since as far back as he remembered was sitting only a foot away from him. Especially when her clothes were drenched with water and the way that she unconsciously hitched up her skirt every few seconds exposing inches of her long lithe legs.

He could feel the sweat beading on his forehead. He didn't know what the hell was wrong with him now. He'd went out with many girls in his high school career. He'd always been known Mr. Suave, cool, and collected. That's what made the girls swoon. But now the tables had indeed been turned on him. He was the one with the racing heartbeat and the sweating palms. He was the one who wished that he could show her how he felt without inhibition. And he was the one who desperately hoped that she would return his feelings.

He glanced at her briefly and cracked a tiny smile at her actions. She was so anxious that she was ripping pieces of paper and making a pile in her lap. Her hands were still shaking, and he was glad to see that she wasn't biting her lips again. But he nearly groaned when he saw that she'd pursed her lips instead. He gripped the steering wheel so hard that he thought that the bindings would come loose. Since when did a girl have so much power over him?

"Bee. You've got to stop doing that!"

She ignored him and tried to open the pigeon hole to grab some more paper, but he grabbed her wrist to stop her. She was about to tell him off, but he entwined their fingers together. Not like she was protesting or anything...

"Stop it. Bee. It's hard enough to drive in the rain as it is, but you're making it harder with your fidgeting. And please have some decence and stop pulling up your skirt like that. It's distracting..."

She could feel her face heat up at the latter part of his comment but she felt a strange sense of satisfaction surge inside her. Take that Christina!

Had it been any other time with any other boy Bee would feel the need to be coy and flirty like she'd been famed to be. But for one she was worried about her mother, and this was the boy who'd hurt her time and again...

He'd called her an ice bitch, a monster, a witch, a loser, a wannabe, and a jerkette. He'd taken the side of his girlfriend when she'd known him for much longer. He'd rather spend his time with some big-chested, no brained bimbo. She wasn't his type of girl...

She bit her lips again knowing that it'd annoy him. What was she doing her thinking about some boy when her she had her mother to worry about? She should have been ashamed of herself!

"We're here." Victor mumbled.

They both reluctantly let go of each other's hand and stepped out of the car. No sooner had her shoes touched the pavement had she started running towards the doors of the hospital. She swung the door open and started climbing up the stairs as fast as you could. She was going so fast that Victor could hardly keep up with her. That was definitely saying something considering that he had the school record for being the fastest runner.

"Slow down Bee!"

She ignored him and ran all the way up to the sixth floor. When she found the room, she threw the door wide open to find that her mother was sitting up in her bed. She ran to her bedside and threw her arms around her.

Victor shook his head and made his way out of the room to leave the mother and daughter alone. He knew better to intrude on tearful reunions. He always knew that she'd wake up someday...

He sat on the bench and thought about the feelings that he'd felt towards Bee lately. He'd liked her since as long as he could remember. But lately those feelings were getting harder and harder to quell. He didn't even know why he even went out with all those other girls. He supposed it was just to make Bee jealous. Ever since she'd gotten a boyfriend in the ninth grade he'd felt the evil green monster rear it's ugly head. He had to do everything in his power to prove to her that she was easily replaceable. But as he went through the girls he realized that she wasn't replaceable in the slightest. She was the only girl who payed any attention to him before he bulked up. While everyone else called him a geek she stood up for him. And what did he do in return? He betrayed her by believing his girlfriend instead of her.

No. He hadn't actually believed his girlfriend. He knew that her lie was careful fabricated to make it look as though Bee was guilty. But he wanted to push her away. He wanted to show her that he didn't have any need for her anymore. But he did...

"Sparky?"

He turned when he heard her voice. He was happy to see that her eyes were shining with happiness. "Yeah?"

"My mother wants to talk to you."

He stood up and walked into her mother's room and sat down in the chair next to her bed. She was sitting up in bed, a happy smile plastered on her face. She was a beautiful woman who aged quite well. "Hello Mrs. Beecher. I'm glad to see that you're up again. You have no idea how worried Karen has been about you."

"She had every reason to worry. The doctors said that I only had a fifteen percent chance of ever waking up. She was the only one who bothered to visit me on a daily basis. I doubt she's had time to worry about herself lately. That's why I have to thank you, Vic. Thank you for taking care of my daughter."

Victor immediately felt guilty. All he'd done was cause her daughter pain. He'd shut her out of his life. But he wasn't about to tell her mother that. He at least owed her that much. "It was my pleasure Mrs. Beecher."

She smiled softly, " She really likes you, Vic. She's always liked you. But you know Karen. She's always too stubborn to admit her feelings. She always has to have someone else take the initiative." She sent him a furtive look before continuing. "She's the kindest girl you'll ever meet though. I'd appreciate it if you'd continue to look after her."

He smiled back at her, "I will."

He walked out of the room and sat next to Bee on the bench. She looked up at him, "What'd she talk to you about? I suppose that she wanted to know if I'd been in any trouble or something. You know my mother always–"

He cut her off by enveloping her body in a hug. "She told me that I should take care of you. And that's just what I'm going to do."

She melted in his arms. "I don't need anyone to–"

"Shut up. I didn't say that you needed anyone, I'm just going to watch out for tou..."

"But-" She was cut off again, but this time by his lips. The kiss was full of years of pent up emotions that both of them had been too stubborn to admit. It wasn't just filled desire, it was a silent pact that confirmed that they's felt the same way about each other. They were both fighting to make it last as long as it could, but eventually they had to break apart for air.

"I thought I told you to shut up..."

She sighed and laid her head down on his shoulder. Act now, and ask questions later.

GA

She didn't know why she always found solace in his arms. It was strange how he could just quell her fears by just holding her. There was no explanation for it at all and she wanted to keep it that way. She was afraid that if she ever found out why she got so weak in the knees every time she saw him she wouldn't be able to deal.

Garfield watched as the emotions danced in her eyes. The only problem was that he couldn't recognize any of them. He watched as she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep looking like a beautiful dark angel. He hooked a piece of stray hair behind her ear and placed her on the couch. He then walked back to the kitchen and sat down at the table with his head in his hands. Why was it that every time he even looked at her, he couldn't breathe. When he touched her body there so much electricity that he actually felt dizzy afterwards. What the hell was wrong with him?

He heard the doorbell ring and he wondered if he should answer it. When it rang a second time, he got up and ran to the front door. He had the strange feeling of apprehension in his chest but he shrugged it off. Whoever was behind the door, couldn't be that bad right? Who ever Rachel knew, he could tolerate. No probl-

Oh no.

He was at a loss for words. When he opened the door he saw the last person that he expected. Garth. There he was–dark hair, dark eyes, and all– leaning against the door frame with so much confidence that it was almost tangible. Garfield had a strong desire to slam the door right in his face. This was the worst time that he could have suddenly appeared like this. Now his chances with Raven-

Chances with Raven? Where did that come from?

His thought were interrupted by Garth's irritably deep voice, "You're not going to make me stand out here in the rain are you?"

"You know what? That sounds like a plan..." he said as he moved to shut the door in his handsome face.

"I don't think that Raven would appreciate that, Logan."

He sighed and stepped aside so that Garth could walk right past him.

"This place hasn't changed a bit. But you have. What happened to the scrawny brat I used to know?"

Garfield rolled his eyes, "Why are you here?"

"Why the hostility? I'm only here to see if you've take good care of my girl while I was gone. Is that too much to ask?"

"First of all, Raven doesn't belong to anyone. Second of all, she's not some helpless damsel in distress. She's perfectly capable of taking care of herself."

Garth just continued to walk around, until he walked into the living room where Raven was sleeping on the couch. His eyes widened, "Woah. Raven really filled out. Are you sure you two aren't a couple?"

I wish. "Positive. But she's sleeping, please leave."

Garht's eyes narrowed, "You may have grown, but I won't allow you to talk to me like that Logan."

Garfield had no idea why he was so hostile toward Garth. They may have been rivals back then, but he had never felt such hatred searing though his veins. But this hatred seemed to grow ten fold because of what Garth did next. He bent down and kissed her on the lips!

"You can't just take advantage of her like that when she's slee-"

Garfield couldn't speak. To his surprise Raven was awake and kissing him back! He could feel his heart being ripped into little pieces. Without thinking he ran right out of of her house and into the rain. He tried without avail to clear the mental picture out of his mind.

He dug his hand into his pocked and dialed a number that he hadn't dial in a long time. "Hey, Tara..."

GA

Richard knew that what he was doing was wrong, no doubt about it. But he had to get to the bottom of this. He had never resorted to such unorthodox methods simply to obtain information. He didn't really know why he cared so much. This was a new all time low for him...

Stalking. Yes, stalking. Not obsessive cameras in shower stalking (although he wouldn't actually mind that), not stalking for revenge, just...stalking. Maybe stalking is too harsh of a word ...lets just say that he was following her.

He was surprised that she didn't notice him walking behind her running figure. He owed it all to his amazing stealth, which he prayed wouldn't fail him. After a few minutes a tall apartment building came into view. He was slightly shocked that she lived in an apartment. He'd always associated all the students at Jump City high with the upper-class. He shrugged it off and followed her through the open door.

He proceeded to follow her as she walked up the stars that led to her apartment. He was careful not to make a sound as he climbed up the numerous stairs leading to the fifth floor. He had some near misses, but she didn't turn around for the duration of the trip.

After what seemed like an eternity they reached apartment 316. He silently moved to the side of her door and she unlocked it. He watched her make her way through the door frame and close the door. He discreetly placed his foot in the crack of the door, cursing at the pain that it had caused. He pressed his ear against the door and listened. It was silent for a few seconds before he heard a voice. It wasn't just any voice. What was particular about this voice was that it was male. Another thing that bothered him was that this male didn't call her Star...

He'd called her Kori!

GA

Kori groped around desperately trying to find an object of defense. No such luck.

"Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you, Kori." Said her supposed assailant.

Her body went lax. She knew that voice anywhere. The voice of someone that she cared for very much. "Ryan?"

Suddenly the lights in the apartment came on and she could see everything clearly. She almost gasped. Her little brother had definitely changed. It seemed as though the distinctive curly red hair that she used to make fun of all the time was gone. It had been replaced with straight black hair. His once beautiful shining emerald eyes were dull, almost lifeless. He'd grown a few inches, his height almost rivaling her own. Enveloped him into her arms. She was so glad to see her brother again.

"Ryan... what has happened to you?" Kori whispered into his ear, her voice cracking slightly.

His eyes wandered until they centered on a Nike clad foot acting as a wedge between the door and the door frame, "Not now, Kori. Someone's listening to us." He walked over to the door and yanked it open revealing a very guilty looking Richard.

"Grayson, you...monster." Kori hissed. She wanted to say "You look hot even when you act like an evil bastard," but thought against it.

Ryan raised an eyebrow, "And who might this be Kori, your boyfriend?"

Kori could feel her heart jump and blood boil simultaneously. "Far from it..." she mumbled so low that it was nearly incomprehensible. "Apparently I have my own personal stalker."

Richard scoffed,"Don't flatter yourself, you idiot. I obviously came here to ask you something."

"Oh? They how, pray tell, did you know where I live?"

Richard remained silent.

"Well, since you decided to drop in," she said, "I might as well get up all something to drink." she disappeared into the kitchen, unaware that Richard's eyes were following her every move.

Ryan however noticed Richard's unwavering stare and sneered, "Quit staring. Have you no shame?"

This boy was wearing on Richard's last nerve. "I was just wondering how so many guys can like such a stupid girl. What makes her so special? Since you're her boy toy I think you should answer that question for me."

Ryan looked as though he would strike him but surprised Richard when he simply looked at him with disgust, "You're the idiot. She's my sister, dimwit." He grabbed a fistful of his shirt and lifted his a few inches off the ground, a great feat considering that Richard was inches taller, not to mention at least three years older. "I don't ever want to hear you talk about my sister like that again, you hear me punk? Stay. Away. From. My. Sister." He released him and he landed back on his feet.

Richard felt really stupid now. How could he have not recognized those emerald eyes and haughty disposition? "I think that you're the punk. Like sister, like brother, I suppose. Your empty threats don't scare me in the slightest. What's a little kid going to do to me?"

He huffed."I'm not a little kid. I'm almost thirteen."

Richard smirked, "You're still a kid."

"Jerk."

"Punk"

"Retard."

"Ignoramus."

"Loser."

"Imbecile."

"Stupid."

"Idiot."

"..."

Richard smirked. "Cat got your tongue, punk?"

Ryan smiled at him slyly. "Hi, Kori."

She looked at him and then at Richard, "Grayson? Have you been insulting my little brother behind my back?"

"He insulted me first!" he said. He almost grimaced at how he had a remarkable resemblance to a whining two year old.

She rolled her eyes, "Right... well? What is it then? Why did you follow me into the comfort of my home?"

He looked into her eyes with such unwavering intensity that she thought that he would burn her eyes right out of her sockets. "I have one question that I've been meaning to ask you. What is your real name? And don't try to fool me, because I looked in the database and you're not there."

Kori eyes widened and she silently cursed herself for losing her composure. She tried to organize her thoughts but failed miserably. What was she going to do, now? Having nothing else to do, she pleaded with Jinx within her mind. Please let him believe me, please let him believe me...

She took a deep breath."My name... is Starfire. Star is just my nickname. If you were wondering why my brother calls me Kori, it's because he thinks Starfire's a stupid name. He thought of his own name to call me."

Her brother Ryan opened his mouth to say something, but she shot him a very viscous glare. And mouthed I'll tell you about it later. She wasn't going to let him ruin her perfectly fabricated lie. "I don't even want to know why you've been looking into databases just to figure out my name. But I'll save you the trouble of explaining and just assume that you're a psychotic loser that doesn't have better ways to pass the time."

He opened his mouth to say a witty comeback, but his cell phone rang. He fished his cell phone out of his pocket and read the name on the front. It said "Wayne". He was surprised, to say the least that his uncle called him on his cell. He never bothered to call him unless it was something that greatly concerned him. He flipped it open and unconsciously pressed the speaker button.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Richard. I'm sorry but I'm going to have work all night. Damn paperwork. There's no school for you tomorrow because that accidental chemical spill still hasn't been cleaned. I don't want to you stay home alone, so do you think you could stay over at a friend's house or something? I don't even mind if it's a girl..." Richard could almost feel his uncle's smirk over the phone, "Sorry about this... I'll make it up to you soon, alright?"

Richard didn't even have any time to object before his uncle hung up the phone. Great. Just freaking great. Who the hell is going to let me stay with them over night? Uncle Wayne should know by now that I don't have any friends...

Ryan smirked, "Seems to me that you have a dilemma. No place to stay, I don't think a jerk like you has any friends, so I guess you'll just have to find a roach motel or something. If they'll even take you in."

Kori looked at him with dissent, "No. He will not be sleeping in a motel. No matter how much I despise him I will not let him wander the streets tonight.Especially since we don't know what's out there.He's staying right here."

Richard looked puzzled. "I am?"

"Unless you have a better idea..."

But Richard wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, "No, I don't... where will I sleep?"

She rolled her eyes."Well there's a thing called a couch that I'm sure you're dying to reacquaint yourself with."

Richard chuckled"Always with the sarcasmeh Summers?"

Kori didn't answer, she simply took her brother's hand and led him to the guest room and shut the door.

Her brother looked up at her, his eyes filled with curiosity,"Kori? What's going on here? Why don't you want him to know your real name? Why aren't you... dead?"

Kori sighed, and went to the closet to get Richard a pillow and a blanket from the closet,"Ryan, it's a long story that I'm just way too tired to explain right now. I promise I'll tell you in the morning, alright? But now it's time that you went to sleep."

"You promise?"

She nodded. "And you know that I never break promises."

"Deal."

"Alright then, goodnight." She opened the door but before she stepped out she heard her brother's voice.

"Kor? For whatever the reason that you're back, I'm glad."

She turned around and smiled softly at her brother, "Me too, Ryan." She then closed the door and walked towards Richard with a scowl on her face.

She threw the blanket and the pillow at him and walked towards her room"Good night, Grayson."

"Good night, Starfire."

GA

It was raining outside, the cool water washing over her face as if cleansing her of all impurity. Kori was walking home with her bags in her hand, trying her best not to let the water drench the groceries that she's worked so hard to buy. But she didn't mind, she'd always loved the rain.

She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that she should take the longer route home. It was completely illogical, not to mention completely idiotic, but she listened to her instincts. As she continued to walk down the long street, she wondered if what she was doing was the right thing. Her mother was going tp kill her for getting the groceries wet. Her sister would just laugh at her and tell her how much of a nuisance she was to the family. Her brother wouldn't care, he would just hug her and say that he was glad that she was home.

However, her thoughts were soon interrupted by a blood-curdling scream. She turned around quickly trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. The rain began to fall harder, now with thunder and lightning accompanying it. She heard it again, this time louder. The sound was making the hair all over her body stand up. She knew where it was coming from. She turned a corner and continued to run as fast as her lithe legs would carry her. She stopped in front of an alley next to an apartment complex. She felt as though time had stopped. Her best friend was positioned in an odd angle on the floor, her lifeless eyes wide with horror, and her mouth agape. Her clothes were drenched in her own blood due to the multiple stab wounds on her body.

Kori dropped her groceries in absolute shock. It had to be an illusion. There was no way what she was seeing was real. Audrey couldn't be dead...

The tears began to fall down her cheeks mixed with the rain. The thing that she had once seen as God's gift to nature was now a curse. The once soothing repetition of the drops splattering on the pavement was now the toll of death. The rain was a relentless and sinister veil of misery.

GA

"AUDREY!"

Richard sat up on the couch in a flash at the sound of her voice ringing clearly through the air. Hejumped out of his makeshift bedand ran in thedirection of her room. The door swung open and he caught sight of her. It was strange how she seemed to look like a goddess when she had just been asleep. What surprised him the most about her was her eyes. They were wide with fear and slightly reminiscent. He'd never seen her look so damn vulnerable. He'd never admit this to her face but she looked ...cute.

"Summers, what the hell is wrong with you?" he heard himself blurt out. He silently cursed himself at the brashness of his statement.

She didn't say anything. She just jumped out of bed and launched herself into his arms. She positioned her head onto the crook of his arm and stayed there.

"Uh... Summers?" He was sure that he was blushing like a tomato now. "What are you–"

"Just shut up and hold me..." Her voice was a ghost of a whisper, barely audible.

He did as he was told, no questions asked. They stood in the same position for at least fifteen minutes before Kori decided to brake the silence. "She was my best friend..."

"Tell me what happened." Richard unhooked his arms from her waist reluctantly and opted to take her hand and lead her to her bed. He sat down and patted the spot next to him. She sat down and took a deep breath.

"My best friend Audrey died two years ago. She was murdered, and they never found out who did it. I saw her body during a thunderstorm and ever since then I've been afraid of thunderstorms...It's stupid, I know, but–"

Richard pressed his finger to her lips to silence her, "Never see your fears as stupid as long as there is a reason for them." He became conscious of her warm lips under his finger and quickly removed it as though he had been burned.

There was a loud clap of thunder outside and she jumped into his lap. He froze for a moment, he could once again feel the ever annoying blush creep to his cheeks.

However Kori didn't notice anything going on she just slipped of his lap and muttered, "Sorry."

There was another clap of thunder and gripped her arm so hard that he thought his circulation would be cut off. She let go as soon as the thunder subsided. "Sorry... again."

She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes tightly anticipating the next crash of lightning, but it never came. Instead she just dozed off on his shoulder. He turned to look at her face once more. It was the very picture of innocence. Her parted lips were so enticing and alluring that it took all of his will power not to lean in and press his own lips against them. He shook his head to rid himself of the feeling.

What the hell am I thinking? He hooked one arm under her knees, placed another on her back, and positioned her comfortably on her bed. As he slowly walked backwards from her bed he slipped on the bed skirt and fell face forward...

...right onto her lips.

He was engulfed once more with that strange unfamiliar feeling. He could The strange sensation from the tips of his hair all the way to his toes. He'd only felt it with her... and he prayed that she couldn't feel anything. She'd already told her that he didn't want to cheat on her boyfriend. If she woke up there would be hell to pay. Just for once he wanted to get away with something without confrontation. Just this once...

And for just this time, fate was on his side.

He lifted his lips from hers and immediately felt the addicting sensation slip away. He'd do almost anything to feel it again. As he turned around, he felt her arm grasp his gently. He turned around and saw that her eyes were filled with fear once again.

"Please don't leave, Richard." Her whisper was barely audible and the tears were falling rapidly down her cheeks. There was an unfamiliar constrictive feeling in his chest It was as though she reached into his chest and grasped his heart in her hands and was squeezing it with all her might. He never wanted to see the tears fall down her cheeks again.

Richard took off his shirt and jeans (so that he was only wearing his boxers) and climbed into bed beside her. "Star, don't cry..." He placed his hand on her cheek and wiped the tears away. His hand lingered on her cheek for longer than necessary.

"I'm just... just so scared. Every time it rains I relive that moment. I see her face... and the blood... and I just freak out...you know?" She shuddered and he wrapped his arms around her.

You have no idea. "Shh. The past is the past, it's over right?" Practice what you preach! He inwardly scolded himself.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and laughed lightly, "Who ever thought the Grayson monster could give such good advice? I guess there's a lot about you that I have yet to find out."

He flashed an arrogant smirk,"Of course. I'll even let you in on a little secret now. This is the first time I'm letting anyone do this but if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I'm your man."

She feigned shock, "Man? I think you're delusional, but I'll hold you to that offer. It's a mutual agreement. When you need my shoulder, it's yours."

He flashed an arrogant smirk once again."Not like I'll need it or anything..."

"You pompous idiot!"

"Thank you."

GA