Free-Desert-Wind – You are my reviewer goddess! I'm especially sad about my trip to Germany cuz I enjoy writing and hearing your heartfelt reviews. I'm glad you say I make them real. That's the ultimate compliment. You make writing this a whole new level of fun. Oh, and about James? He may in fact be gifted…

TDG3RD – You'll see, you'll see! Yeah, don't worry; he'll get what's coming to him for sure.

Catastrophe is me – Don't kill me! Here's another chappie, all for you. I'm a brilliant mind? Ah, I wuv you!

White Raven – Glad to hear you think they were good! I was kinda worried…

Scathac's warrior – Don't worry, she isn't suicidal. And wow, you hate James as much as I do, if not more.

Dancingirl3 – Thank you, m'dear, come again!

Robyn J. – Of course, three lists coming right up! And don't feel bad, cuz corny – in this case – is good! James is something. Yes, definitely something…

DarkElf6 – BOO-YA! And yes, you can be calm…like the calm before the earth-shattering storm…(lol)

Disclaimer: If I say I don't own it, will you give me a cookie?

Ch. 9: His Secrets

Vesper Crow and Gar Logan felt their eyes grow wide as they came to stand at the landing of the staircase leading into the ballroom. The colors and climate were as expected, but it was the sheer amount of energy, people, and blatant display of wealth that threw them off. The carpets and curtains were dark crimson while the chandeliers, silverware, and candles decking the tables were gilded and maybe even real gold. The two of them weren't sure. As for the furniture, it was a deep, rich mahogany. The chair seats were padded with comfortable red cushions. Buffet tables stretched against the back wall, and to the right between two windows in their own wide spot, were many plush couches, invitingly luring the guests to sit and talk on them. On the left side was a strings foundation, playing a slow melody from Mozart. Four great pillars stretched their trunks high to the luminous ceiling, all of which were designed to mirror Greek architecture.

People gathered in little groupings, about two hundred or so persons in total. Not all of them were doctors or nurses, of course, but family members, significant others and friends. The women all surprised Vesper. Seeing them everyday in their worker's garments, sometimes covered in blood or other body fluids and carrying stethoscopes and band-aids, then watching them walk and talk like actual ladies was quite a change. Many wore blues and greys and whites for the winter. Some who thought rather highly of themselves wore fiery reds and passionate yellows. The older women wore simple business gowns with nice jackets and broaches. The men, on the other hand, wore not such a colorful array of gowns. Most stayed safely in black. But a few, like James, dressed in white.

None, she thought, looked as handsome as Gar, but she wasn't so sure she looked as good to him as some of those other women.

"Hey," he nudged her shoulder as he advanced down the steps with her. "Don't be embarrassed. You look better than all the other women put together."

She sent him a disbelieving stare. "You're just trying to make me feel better."

"No, no!" he squeezed her hand. "I meant ever word. You are the most beautiful girl here."

"Don't you forget, sir," James' menacing voice murmured behind them. "That while she is the most beautiful girl, she's my beautiful girl."

"You keep telling yourself that." Gar replied without turning around.

James hissed a multitude of obscenities under his breath. He knew he was already getting stares and rumors were brewing about Vesper's new date. That boy was a problem and had to be gotten rid of.

At the end of the stairs, James turned the corner, leaning against a pillar. Pulling out his cell, he pressed a short phone number and waited as it rang. As he did so he watched the new 'couple' from the corner of his eye.

The phone clicked. "Ethridge," a male voice crooned slowly and darkly on the other end of the phone. "How is progress?"

"We've come across a problem," James said, a little afraid and a little angry. "It seems she's found ways to elude my presence."

"You know we can't have you lose sight of her, Ethridge," the voice said a bit sharply. "What is she doing that's causing you problems?"

James sneered. "It seems she's found herself a new toy. She's been rather close with a young man lately. She brought him here tonight. I think he may also be a titan."

There was a long pause on the other end. James had almost thought that he had hung up. "Another titan, hmmm?" the man mused. "Which one?"

"The green one. The beast." James answered darkly. "The one who was closest to her."

"Ah, I see, the one who had her heart for that short time," the voice said, slowly, so slowly it was almost a slur. "Then do what hurts Raven best. Turn him against her. The witch hurt your heart. Hurt hers."

"But how do I turn him against her?" he asked eagerly.

"My good man," the voice said. "I leave that to you. Turn Beast Boy against Raven. Hurt her where it hurts most. Do it….for your sister."

And the line went dead.

Vesper saw another young woman in black standing near a table full of young adults. The lady's ash blonde hair was pulled up into a loose design and her red dress was rather flaunty. Eagerly, the violet-eyed girl tugged Gar to her friend.

"Loraine!" she cried out.

The woman known as Loraine looked in the direction of her friend and broke into a wide grin. "Vesper, sweetie! Oh, you look divine!" They hugged informally, which surprised Gar. Had Vesper truly moved on and grown since the splitting?

"Loraine, it's good to see you." She said again. "How are the children?"

"Ah, fine as ever, I'm sure," Loraine answered. "The babysitter's being paid well. She earns every penny, taking care of those rascals. Now, where's the beau?" She gazed around for James. But her eyes landed on Gar. "Ooh, forget the beau, who's this hunk?"

Vesper rolled her eyes. "His name is Gar. But you leave him. You're a married woman."

"Yes, who just happens to be planning for a divorce behind her husband's back." Loraine sniffed. "But it looks like you're playing the field, Vee. What would James think? Where is he?" Vesper couldn't argue that Gar was not her romantic partner, because the woman continued to blabber. Loraine began to gaze around, but grew bored immediately. "Eh, I don't feel like hunting down the drama. I'll wait till it comes to you." And so Loraine held out her hand to Gar. "Nice to meet you, Gar."

Gar took it and shook. "Nice to meet you too, umm, Loraine?" He looked at Vesper for an answer.

So she answered quickly: "Loraine Carrington, MD. She's been working at the hospital for twelve years. She was the one who actually got me a job at Little Brook."

"It's amazing, isn't it," Loraine smiled in a way that crinkled her nose. "I don't know what on earth possessed me to take this girl here in. Maybe it's the hair. I don't understand why you dye it, Vee. I'm sure you were a lovely brunette."

Gar couldn't help but smile at this comment. "Heck, I've known her even longer than you and I still haven't seen it in any other color."

"Really, now?" Loraine's eyes lit up. She looked like a gossip columnist. (A/N: I get that same look, too, when I catch on to something. I'm so thrilled! Next year I'm going to be columnist for my school paper! Yay!) She turned her head to Vesper. "So you've known this handsome devil for how long?"

"Since we were teens," Vesper said.

"Well!" Loraine looked almost giddy. "Isn't that exciting? Say," she asked him, "when you two were younger, did you ever think Vee here would be a psychologist?"

"Actually, I thought she was a psychiatrist." Gar said.

"Therapist." Vesper said abruptly. "I prefer therapist."

"Yes." Loraine said curtly and in a tone uninterested. She paused. "So, when you were younger, were you two…umm…involved?"

Gar and Vesper both looked at each other and turned a spot of red. Seeing the blush on their cheeks and then watching as they immediately turned away from each other, Loraine put two and two together.

"Ah, I see," she said, her voice growing mischievous. "Did you lose your virginity to each other?"

A wine glass a few feet behind them on the table noticeably cracked. Gar and Vesper went wide-eyed.

"Wh-wh-what?" Gar stuttered out. "No, we haven't…I mean, we didn't –"

"Nothing has happened between us." Vesper said darkly as she reapplied that coat of severity onto her face. "Nothing may ever happen like that between us." Gar appeared to be a little hurt by this comment, but said nothing.

"Oh," Loraine's face fell. "Well, that's a shame. So, Gar, since you're not 'with' Vee tonight, you could join me out in the greenhouse later. It's open in the backyard, you know. Not very many people go in it when it's late…"

Gar was still a bit shocked, so it took him a moment to reply. "We'll see, Loraine. Maybe later, okay?"

Loraine winked. "Whatever you say, cutie." And she sauntered off.

The moment she was out of earshot, Gar grabbed Vesper's wrist, tugging her to him. "What was that?" he snapped softly yet forcefully.

"What was what?" Vesper asked, almost innocently, but it was her flat tone that gave away her sardonic mood. She didn't appreciate being touched by him in this manner, but he was a man, and she shouldn't have expected anything nicer. "What, did you want Loraine to bother us all night about our personals? I just helped you out." She paused poignantly. "This is the part where you realize you're supposed to be grateful."

He rolled his eyes. "Vesper, don't you be pulling those guilt trips on me. That woman will be hounding me all night now!"

"No she won't." She said.

He blinked. "Wait, did I miss something?"

"Yeah, actually," Vesper pulled her arm away. "Mr. Carrington just came out of the ladies' room with lipstick on his collar. She's going to forget all about you tonight after she sees him." She stared sharply at him. "Now will you apologize?"

He indignantly folded his arms across his chest. "No, I don't think so."

Vesper looked to the ceiling with a 'why me?' expression in her eyes. "Fine, be that way. But I'm going to make my rounds and then head off for a less crowded corner."

Gar didn't seem to understand. "Why would you want to hide?"

"Not hide." She corrected him. "Just reserving myself."

"Which is code for 'hide'." He said. "I said I was going to stay by your side, so now we both have to make sacrifices."

Vesper's eyes went wide. "You make it sound like it's punishment for helping me! I thought you understood." When she started to walk back, he reacted instinctively and grabbed her arm again.

"Whoa!" he cried out. "Wait, Vesper, I didn't mean it like that." He found himself staring into a very angry pair of lilac eyes. But behind that, he could see tinges of hurt.

"How else could you mean it, Gar?" she hissed through gritted teeth. "So much for spending the evening together."

She again ripped her arm from his hold and stormed away, anger still masking pain. Gar let his arm fall to his side, feeling terrible. "Ah, Gar, you've gone and done it again…."

Richard and Kori reentered the house where Vic and Bee were waiting. The couple had decided outside in the front lawn that Rick would follow up on James to see what he could find about this enigmatic and irritating man. Other than that Kori had gotten Rick to drop the topic. He would have delved deeper into the slight mystery, as he did with many things, but Kori was a smooth talker and easily convinced her husband that he was making a bigger deal out of things than necessary.

When they came in the living room, Rick smiled at the sight of Roland on Victor's lap. "You may be more ready for parenthood than you thought, Vic."

"Yeah, well," the man bobbed the baby on his knee. "I always wanted a boy. I could show him all about cars. The mechanics, the engine –"

"The safety tips." Bee interrupted sharply.

"W-well, yeah," Vic nodded at his wife's tone of voice. "But come on, Bee, think about it! We could have a mini Cy runnin' around protecting the city with his li'l gadgets! Ah, man, that would be tight! He'd be just like his old man. We could even build a T-Car or somethin'." His eyes went misty with the myriad of dreams he planned for his future with his son.

"Super," Bee rolled her eyes. "We could name him Gizmo."

Vic's 'brilliant' idea was immediately dropped and his smirk was wiped from his face. "It was just a suggestion…" he grumbled.

The red head woman put her hand on Bee's shoulder. "And the girl? Will she be a fighter of crime as well?"

"Maybe," Bee rubbed her belly. "But not yet, that's for sure. The kids are gonna have a lot of growing up to do before they even step foot into a bank." She looked at her weepy-eyed husband. "That goes for you too."

"But Bee!" he whined. "It'd be a good experience for them! They gotta get stuck in a hostage situation at least once! Then I can play their hero! Do you have any idea how many boys wished their parents were superheroes?"

"No!" she snapped. "I'm not having my kids potentially die at the age of six because you thought it'd be fun to show off your god-like strength. Now I said no and I mean no!"

Vic looked utterly defeated. "Yes, ma'am."

"That'll do." Bee faced Kori. "What about you two? Planning on having any more little hell bundles?"

Kori nodded ardently. "Yes, I wish for a daughter all my own!" She cast longing eyes at Rick. "Is this correct, o glorious husband?"

Rick, who had sat in the still calm of Bee's storm, turned an immediate apple-red. Trying to ignore the stares of three pairs of eyes, he fiddled with his fingers. "Uh – ahem – yes, that's right. You always, ehehe, wanted a daughter of your own."

"No, Rick, I believe you have missed the understood." She deliberately phrased it incorrectly. Rick – or Robin – was very enraptured by her innocent speech that reminded him so much of their youth. It would tease his thoughts and, as Vesper said it should, bend him to her will. "You and I in the bonding of man and woman wish to bring to this world another child. A girl."

"Umm, Kori…" Rick swallowed.

"Yes, husband Rick?"

"You can't choose the sex of the baby."

"That is well, husband Rick!" Kori beamed. "Then we will continuously bond until we have a female. I will try for as long as I can, even if I at first bear twelve sons."

Bee laughed, Vic went bug-eyed, and Rick had to go to the bathroom.

It had been half an hour and James still had not found his lovely bride-to-be. It was worrying him. Either she had left with that comical freak or she had left period. This did not bode well with him. But he did ascertain one truth: Loraine knew everything. It was just again his amazing luck that he should find her.

"Loraine," he called in a charming voice. "You look marvelous tonight."

The woman graced him with a cat-like smile. "James. And you look single tonight."

"Ah," his eyebrows raised, mind calculating. "So I take it you had a run-in with my dear Vesper."

"Saw, chatted with, left." She shrugged. "All that pleasantry shit. It's a good thing I got out of there, too. She got really livid at the young man she was with."

James leaned in, handing her a wine glass. "Really? Over what, may I ask?"

Loraine accepted the drink and took a sip. "Apparently those two have some loose ends to tie up. They seem to get on each other's nerves fairly quickly. You know," she winked. "If pressed just enough, I'm sure their shaky little empire of scandal would collapse. Then that young man would be quite single….and quite mine."

Everyone's most hated British man smiled mischievously. "And did you happen to see where our dear young lady fled to?"

Loraine sipped the wine again. "Foolish girl, she went outside. She's in the backyard at the greenhouse." The woman grabbed a red rose from the nearby table décor. "Here. Go woo your woman, Mr. Ethridge."

Ah, how lovely, a chapter come and gone!

But I have severely depressing news. Alas, pelt me with your rotten fruit. I am going to Germany this time next week and shall be gone a full seven weeks. I may update not at all, or if I do, but once. If I do update, I will be unable to personally reply to reviews, but I want y'all to know that I wuv ya and I will reply later on, I swear!

But let us not dwell on such sad thoughts. I'm not dying so it means I shall continue this. Have faith!

Now, to some more lists…

These three for my dear Robyn J. :

Raven

Although your father is the nicest possible man in the world, you're still absolutely certain that one day he will use you to take over the world

In the cosmetics aisle in the store you can't find purple contact lenses or purple hair coloring no matter how thoroughly you search

You avoid the sun. Period

You create massive amounts of damage (on what that is, that's your choice) and when you get in trouble for it, you say you're just misunderstood

You go into furniture shops and mall shops 'testing' their mirrors. Thus far none are portals to anywhere

You search your bloodline, but nowhere in there is any ancestor that's anything but human. Face it: you're 100 normal and that makes you irritable

You take long pauses during conversations and whisper to yourself like you're talking to your emotions. This just freaks people out, honestly

Starfire

You learned Russian, but you slanged it with German, Dutch, and Slavic to make it sound especially Tameranian

You get in trouble in school for wearing really short, purple skirts and exposing a bare midriff (girls AND boys!)

You and your friends celebrate Blorthog (Is that it? I have noooo idea whatsoever…) even though they have no clue as to where this holiday originated

You are awaiting your stage in the Tameranian life cycle in which you acquire the same side-affects that your beloved Starfire had

Calling people 'friend!' is normal for you even if it isn't for them

Are suspecting that someday your parents will be arranging your wedding

You know a boy in school named Robin, but he isn't raven-haired, handsome, wise, OR obsessive compulsive! Still, he's the best you've got, so you stalk him (now that one was for girls only, unless male viewers have some different preferences)

Beast Boy

People don't understand what you mean when you say, "But I've BEEN most of those animals!"

A moped is the only way to roll these days. Screw the corvette. Think compact and breezy

It's your solemn goal in life to fumble over feelings towards a certain mysterious girl but to flub it up on a blonde instead

The TV is God

You took a green highlighter to your skin

You've tried to make Stankball an official sport

You are TOTALLY into the whole opposites attract thing. That same mysterious girl is the one for you. She just doesn't know it yet

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyeah… ((XD))

Take care, all! I shall return soon!

Isaac Out!