First things first:

vesper

1: a planet (usually Venus) seen at sunset in the western sky syn: evening star, Hesperus, Vesper

2: Archaic. Evening

3: Middle English, evening star, from Latin, evening. See wes-pero- in Indo-European Roots.

That's why I picked 'Vesper'; it wasn't a random name. It all relates to dark beauty. And thanks for the help with nicknames! Maybe I'll stick with 'V' as her nickname and see if y'all like it. If not, say so, I'll listen. Or maybe not. I don't know! Aargh!

Okay, uh, yay! To people's comments:

DarkWindingRose – Despite the definition, you're right, it does sound like a car. Kali is a pretty name, too, but may not best suit her here.

Starrob – Thanks for the advice! I'm going to make a correction in Robin's job this chapter, but I won't change Starfire's, cuz since she's a mother with a baby it's easier that she works closer to home.

DarkElf6 – Yes, we all must love the darkness and the unlovely! I love it all. Beware, SC will get you and she's been sharpening her claws. Don't take the trench coat with my eye in it! I'll let you keep the clothes, but how am I supposed to see what others can't when you're running around with a dead Jamaican man's organ?

Star-Elie – WELL, I DON'T WANNA DIE, SO –

On with the next one!

Ch. 4: The Calm Before the Storm

After the arrival of the last 'team member' things both settled down and got more hectic. Gar joined Vic and Rick (which rhymes, har har) in playing their totally awesome gamestation games and winning the most because he had a station back at his apartment in California. Kori, Bee, and Vesper hung out in the kitchen, moving back and forth from the table to the counters, talking happily the entire time. Soon Vesper and Gar switched places as she went into the living room to read and he left to catch up with the other women. When Roland began to cry in the corner Kori rushed to take care of him, but Bee interceded.

"He needs a diaper change," she picked him up. "Let me do it, hun. I need all the practice I can get."

"Hurry back!" Kori nodded, throwing her apron onto a hook. "We will be opening presents before dinner!"

As Bee left the room, Gar sat down in her vacant chair, staring at Kori. 'Wow,' he thought, 'so many changes, so many years.' Although he was in his mid-twenties he felt like he had lived a lifetime already.

"So, Gar," Kori broke the momentary silence, putting her elbows on the counter. "Is there a woman in your life?"

Gar shrugged, more or less anticipating the question. "There have been several, but never anyone special."

"Not in California, perhaps." She mused. "Maybe here?"

"Don't know, Kor," he sighed. "Just…not yet."

She smiled mischievously, seeing Vesper approaching from the corner of her eye. "Yes, of course, not yet. But the holidays can sometimes bring the most unlikely pairs together, if you allow it to happen."

He opened his mouth to ask her what the hell she was talking about, but she slid back from the counter, moving absentmindedly into the living room. Vesper entered the kitchen, taking her spot. She lay her book down. When she saw Gar's confused expression, she commented, "She does that quite often. Ever since the baby she's not as focused."

He frowned. "Is that bad?"

She shook her head, reaching for her wine glass. "No, of course not. She's just so preoccupied with Roland that she tends to sometimes lose her train of thought. It happens to new mothers. She'll reorganize in time." She took a sip of her wine. "I can pick up where she dropped off, if it'd make you feel better."

"Uh…sure." He gave an uneasy, lopsided grin. "So…how's your love life?"

Vesper swallowed her wine quickly, letting it scald her tongue. "There is no love life. I don't have the time." She wasn't going to tell him about James. The wound was still too fresh and she didn't appreciate sympathy. "I mean, sure, there have been men, but not so many and not right now."

Gar looked surprised. "Really? Don't you meet guys at the office or some hot spot?"

She chuckled dryly. "I'm a psychiatrist at a hospital. The only men I interact with have major issues."

"Well…that's not entirely bad."

"They have odd phobias."

"Not so bad, either. It's overlookable."

"And crazy, violent men, too," she couldn't stop her tongue. For some reason she wanted him to understand that it wasn't that easy. "Ones that'll have seizures and fits of rage that injure themselves, which is why they're in the hospital in the first place."

Now he didn't find this to be such a light matter anymore. "Wait, violent people? And as a psychologist you gotta deal with this?" Thinking of men yelling at her, threatening her, even hurting her made his insides burn with fury.

"First: I'm a psychiatrist. Not that there's so much of a difference between the titles if you ask me…" she rolled her eyes. "And second: I handle them the way a doctor ought to. It happens."

"Yeah, but Vesper – " he pressed.

"It happens." She repeated, this time in a much harder voice. She didn't want him to know that James had been there to help her when she was in need. "I prescribed him some medicine and that was it."

The young man looked terribly confused. "Dude, that's not the Raven I know."

She sighed. "That's not my name, Gar, and you know it." Vesper put her face in her hands. "I help people in a different way, now."

Gar saw the mental and emotional exhaustion in her eyes. She wanted the conversation to end. But when she dipped her head low, covering her face, it became outwardly apparent that the emotional strain was far greater than her eyes revealed (A/N: Thank you, AP Psychology teachers). He came around the counters and wrapped her in a hug. "You're a good person, Vesper. If anyone tries to hurt you, I'll make them pay. You just tell me."

Vesper nestled closer to him in a hug that was a fair bit more intimate than their previous one. Still, she couldn't believe what he had just said. It was rare that Gar ever spoke so seriously…or so dangerously. She was halfway torn between finding it sexy and scary. Maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought. Maybe things had changed. For better? For worse? She didn't know.

All she did know was she liked it here. With him. "Thank you…"

"Presents, y'all!" Vic hollered from the living room. "Yo, Vesper, Gar, get in here!"

The two pulled apart rapidly at the sound of their friend's voice, a slight blush creeping up on both of their faces. Gar bravely took her hand and led her into the living room where everyone was waiting. Once they were seated, everyone opened their presents one-by-one. Rick and Victor gave their spouses beautiful jewelry, like the kind you saw in a Zale's commercial. Vesper was happy to watch the merry couples laugh and exchange kisses. Somehow she didn't think of James once.

Following the gift exchange they all sat down to a nice turkey dinner. Of course, as Vic made clear to everyone, Gar never touched the meat and a few other foods. Rick made the announcement that he was going to start working for Wayne Enterprises, under the asking of Bruce himself, and was changing jobs. The others spoke of their lives: how Vic was a successful auto mechanic who was known as 'Mr. Fix-it' in their home town and was probably going to be starting a job at NASA, how Bee was a vet, and how Gar somehow managed to live by going from one odd job to the next. "I was a pool boy for about a week when the Missus of the house tried to seduce me." Gar said, telling a comedic memory. "I told her that I didn't like making out with collagen and quit."

Everyone – well, almost everyone – laughed. The table was cleared away half an hour later. Rick told Kori to leave the dishes for later, since she had spent most of her day in the kitchen. As the others filed out of the room, Kori and Gar remained to clear the table.

Kori stacked some plates, sighing happily to herself. "I am glad that James did not attend."

Gar almost nodded, then gave a perplexed look. "Who's James?"

"Hmm?" she blinked multiple times, feigning ignorance. "Oh, you know James." When he shook his head, she answered. "Vesper's fiancé."

Gar nearly dropped the plates he was holding. "WHAT?"

Seeing this could quickly escalade to a foiling of her plans if someone interrupted, she laid the plates on the table and plastered a hand over his mouth. "Hush, friend! I'm sorry, I spoke incorrectly. She is his fiancée no longer."

Gar jerked back from her hand. "B-but she didn't tell me about him!" He hissed, certainly lowering his voice. "I asked her!"

She shook her head slowly, giving an air of understanding. "Gar, please sit." He did so, putting the plates back on the table. Kori continued: "James and Vesper have been engaged for two months. They were planning to wed in the month of June and move to the city of Seattle afterwards. It was a splendid future plan they had devised."

Gar felt his insides churn from jealousy, though he didn't know it was the cause at the time. His fists clenched. "If they were engaged and sound so happy together, why did they end it?"

Kori sighed again. "James ended the relationship two days ago. He slept with another woman and she is now expecting his child. He told Vesper that he wished to remain with this other woman."

Now rage, unbridled and unrestrained boiled in him. He slammed his curled fist onto the table. "That bastard! How could he hurt someone like Vesper? She's a wonderful person!"

She nodded, inwardly grinning. "I know. Vesper came to my house after leaving his home. She was crying the entire night. I lost many good Tamaranian vases to her woe. But had certain events not come to pass in her favor a few years ago, my entire home would be a wreck now, so vases were a fair trade." She gazed into his infuriated eyes. "She told me she had threatened to castrate him. And would have done it too…if she had truly loved him."

Gar blinked, a goofier, more childish quirkiness appearing. "Eww, castrate? And wait – what? If she had what?"

"When she spoke with me she learned," she grinned proudly, "that she did not truly love James. He was merely a substitute for her happiness."

"…Like Malchior." He whispered.

She nodded. "Like Malchior." Kori stood. "Now, do you see?"

He smiled, despite all the unrest within. "Yeah, I do. Thanks, Star."

She patted his shoulder, smiling sweetly, "Anytime, my friend."

That was when Rick entered, taking his lovely wife by the hand, pulling her to the hall. "Come on, you two, Victor wants Christmas carols. He said Gar would know what that meant."

Gar grinned, "Ah, yeah, I do! This'll be sweet!"

When they entered the living room the buddies smiled gleefully.

"Remember that one we made up?"

"Dude, do I ever!"

As if on some invisible cue the guys burst out singing:

Dashing through the snow

On a pair of broken skies

Down the hill I go

Crashing into trees!

The snow is turning red

I think I might be dead

I'm riding in an ambulance with staples in my head – oh!

9-1-1, 9-1-1

Call them right away!

Oh, what fun it is to ride in an ambulance today, hey!

9-1-1, 9-1-1

Call them right away!

Oh, what fun it is to ride in an ambulance today!

Hey!

While Kori and Rick laughed heartily at the silly song they had written when they were kids, and Vesper chuckled, Bee said, "It's such a shame you guys didn't write a second verse!"

Vic wiped a fake tear from his eye, "Too bad, too bad…"

They all cooled down steadily. Kori began to play multiple tunes on the piano, and the others, minus one, joined in. When Gar saw that Vesper wasn't participating, he sat down next to her. "Hey, you okay?"

She was just about to respond when the doorbell rang once – twice – three times. The music stopped and everyone stared at the front door. "Do you have grouchy neighbors?" Vic queried.

Rick shook his head and went for the door, but Vesper leapt up and passed him. "Let me get it." She said sharply. She could sense something was wrong. Whoever was at the door was someone with an odd aura; she could tell. As she came to reach for the handle the last voice in the entire world that she wanted to hear whined drunkenly from the other side.

"Vesper! Vesper, my lovely, where are you?" The voice howled wildly. "It's your fiancé, James!"

Oh no! What now, huh? I dunno, I'm writing this off the top of my head. I'm just that cool, heehee.

Well, going to NYC tonight at 2 IN THE MORNING. So not looking forward to the bus ride. I'll ask to sit in the aisle cuz the chairs aren't cozy. I'm that sort of snobby girl (but not really!)

Okay, review and all! Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Isaac out