A/N: Yay… the next chapter… it took me so long…
Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to
Cherry Jade
sekai no yakusoku
Lost In Nevermore
Amber Myst
Crzy Grl
Raven-Angel-of-Darkness
Lain the Fluff-Master
BirdsOnTheBrain
Disclaimer: I don´t own them…
Chapter Eight:
Change Us
Part II
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"Coffee or tea?" Roy asked as he walked next to Raven through the street.
"Definitely tea… I hate coffee." Raven answered without even looking at him.
"Why am I not surprised?" Roy said. "Ok… uhm… Flintstones or Jetsons?"
Raven glanced at with raised eyebrows. "What kind of question is that?"
"A perfectly fine question." He retorted, "And have you forgotten, no complaining about the questions." Roy reminded her.
"Whatever…" Raven rolled her eyes and waved him off. She raised her forefinger to her nose tipping on it. She seemed deep in thought and Roy caught himself analyzing every detail of her. One thought crossed his mind: 'She is beautiful.'
"Flintstones... I would say…" Raven finally answered and looked up at him from the side.
"Flintstones, c'mon the Jetsons are cooler. They're living in the future." Roy told her as they crossed a street.
"So what?" She said in a bored tone. "The Flintstones can move a car with their feet," she commented as if that would explain everything.
The red haired man looked at her confused before a grin broke out on his face, "You got a point with that."
Raven just rolled her eyes in a "duh" manner. "Next question, please."
"Roses or violets?"
"Neither."
"Neither…?"
"Yeah…"
Roy looked at Raven in curiosity, "Then tell me, which flower do you like most? Orchids?"
She shook her head, "Actually, I'm allergic to orchids."
"Oh, I have to remember that," He grinned. "Snapdragons then?"
"No," A smile graced her lips as she answered. "Lilies… white Casablanca Lilies…"
"You like lilies? You seemed more of violet-type to me." The young man mused.
Raven quirked her eyebrow, "There are flower-types…?" She asked unbelievingly.
"Of course!"
"Okay…" She said, "So, it's my turn to ask you some questions, isn't it?"
Raven smiled mischievously, "Tell me… briefs or boxers…?"
Roy stopped abruptly looking at her with wide open eyes. It wasn't a really shocking question, but hearing the question from Raven was shocking. This was one of the times, Roy Harper didn't know what to say… until… until he heard her laughing.
It was the first time that Roy heard Raven laughing and he immediately knew that it was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard: Light and contagious… beautiful and clear…
"You have to see your face… priceless!" Raven laughed teasingly.
"That is so not funny." Roy pouted, but that just made Raven laugh harder and Roy pout more.
"Don't you want to answer the question?" Raven chided him gently with a smile once before she caught herself.
"It seems that you're really interested in my underwear," Roy teased her with a cocky grin. "Boxers…" He added afterwards winking at her, as she blushed at his teasing words.
"C'mon, the next question." Roy urged her.
She was silent for a moment and her eyes was fixated on the floor of the apartment-complex before she finally began to speak
"Why are you doing this…?" Raven suddenly asked as they stopped in front of her apartment-door. She turned around to him, her back leaning at the door.
"Huh…?" was all Roy could say.
"Why do you help me so much? Why do you do this… at all…?"
"Because… I want to see you happy… I want to make you happy…" He answered with a small smile and Raven knew that he meant what he said. He was honest with her.
"Don't you want to know why I want to make you happy?" Roy whispered leaning down at her.
Raven felt his hot breath brushing over flushed face… and then she remembered…
"Raven…" Richard's hot breath brushed over her flushed face and in this moment he blew all cautions in the wind. He lowered his face to hers…
"Richard… please… we shouldn't do that… we… this is wrong…"
… until his lips met hers in her fiery kiss.
Raven opened her eyes as the memory faded away and she asked herself when she had closed them at all.
"I want to know… but… not now… not yet… I…" She trailed off and Roy leaned back looking at her saddened face.
"Don't worry! I understand… I… I can wait… to tell you," His blue eyes pierced deeply into hers she understood – she understood that he understood.
"Thank you… thank you…" The dark woman smiled up at him before turning to the door and searching through her purse for the keys. "You have a business meeting to day, haven't you?" She asked as she opened the door.
"Yes, I have to meet with Way-" Roy stopped in mid-sentence as he saw Richard… sitting in the living-room.
Richard sprang off the couch as he saw Raven, but he faltered as Roy followed behind her. His dark-blue eyes narrowed at the sight of the other man.
"Richard…?" His name fell from her lips and all his anger was forgotten at the sight of his best-friend.
"Hey…" was all Richard could say. "I… wanted to talk… with you…" He explained and his uneasiness could be clearly heard in his voice.
Before Raven could say anything Roy spoke up, "I'll go to my room and have to get ready for… the meeting."
She looked at Roy, silently pleading not leave, "You don't have to go." She said.
Roy shook his head, "It's an important meeting and I have to talk with your father…" He trailed off and she understood.
Raven watched as Roy left the living-room and entered the guest-room he was staying in. Somehow, she couldn't bring herself to look at Richard. She just couldn't –
"Rae…?"
Slowly, Raven looked at Richard.
"Dick…"
He flinched at his name. He hated when she called him Dick, because she never called him Dick… not unless something happened… something he knew he wouldn't like.
"Hey…" He finally brought out and immediately wanted to smack himself. Why was it so hard to talk to her?
"Hey…" She said back and a small smile graced her face. The situation was just… too funny… in an ironic-way. "Wow… that's probably the most interesting talk we've ever had."
At her words, all nervousness left Richard. She always had a calming presence on him… with Raven on his side, he could be calm and collected.
"Yeah," Richard said and looked down at his hands, "Oh… here… these are for you." He told showing her a bouquet of Casablanca Lilies.
The young woman reached out for the flowers taking them from her friend, "Thanks…"
"Richard, I have to-" Raven was cut short by Richard speaking.
"I called you… this morning… I…" He seemed lost for words.
"I… wasn't here… I was… I went somewhere with Roy." Raven answered him shakily.
"Oh… I was… worried…"
"Look Richard, there's something I have to tell you… I-"
"Are you happy Raven…?" Richard blurted out.
"Wh… what…?" Raven stammered surprised. She wasn't sure what he wanted to hear.
"Are you happy Raven…?" He repeated his question. "You would tell me if you aren't happy, wouldn't you? You know that I'm always there for you… you're my best friend and I would do anything for you…" Richard looked at her hoping that she would smile up at him and tell me that everything was alright, but the moment his dark-blue eyes met her amethyst he knew that nothing was alright.
"Richard, maybe… we shouldn't be together that much. We…" Raven couldn't finish her sentence… not as she saw his worried and sad look.
"I don't understand Raven… I don't know what you mean…" Richard was confused… more confused than ever in his life. He just couldn't understand what Raven meant… or maybe he just didn't want to understand it.
"You don't want to see me anymore…?" He wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement. All he knew was that he was loosing Raven… somehow he was loosing her and he didn't even know why.
His heart tightened in his chest painfully as she didn't give him an answer.
"Raven… please… don't say that," Richard begged. "You don't mean that…"
She just shook her head sadly.
"Why…?"
"I have to let go, Richard… so that I can be happy… so, that you can be happy…"
"I am happy!" He shouted at her.
"But… I am not…" She replied.
"Does he make you happy?" Richard spat out his question and all he wanted to do was to hurt her… to hurt her as much and as deep as she did to him.
"This has nothing to do with Roy… it´s just that… I…"
"It´s what, Raven? What's going on with you?" He was angry… really angry… and hurt… and afraid. He just didn´t want to loose her.
Raven just looked at him and she knew that this was the moment to finally let go… the moment she had to tell the truth.
"It´s just that… I… I love you…" It was out.
For a moment Richard just stared at Raven, before he spoke, "Raven, I love you too, but why are you-"
Raven shook her head her hands clutching at flowers for some kind of support, "No Richard, you don't understand. I´m in love with you."
His eyes widen and he took some steps away from her as he finally realized what she meant, "You´re in love… with… me…?" He sounded shocked and surprised and his voice broke Raven´s heart.
All Raven could do was nod her head.
"I… am… sorry… Kori…" Richard mumbled and Raven bit her lips as she heard Kori´s name fall from his lips.
"I know… I know Richard… you love Kori… it´s… ok…" Raven almost choked on her words despeartely wishing that she just could ran away.
Richard could feel her pain and hurt and in this moment he just wanted to took her in his arms and tell her that everything would be alright. He didn't want to see her hurt.
He slowly made his way towards her small form, but Raven just backed away shaking her head, "No, no… just go… go Richard… I… go…" Her voice was broken and it shattered his heart to hear that.
"Rae… I…" What should he tell her? What could he tell her to make her feel better?
"Go!" She was screaming now, and Richard just sighed in defeat.
He slowly moved towards the door his head hanging low, "I'm sorry," He whispered before closing the door behind him.
Raven stared at the closed door and her hands were clutching the Lilies painfully… as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She didn't need to turn around to know that it was Roy
"Raven…? Are you alright?"
"Yeah… I… I finally let go…" She said and hated how pitiful her voice sounded. She turned around and looked at him. "You know, you're right… I'm more of a violet-type…" She babbled looking down at the flowers in her hand. "Lilies don't suit me… I…" She trailed off letting go of the lilies in her hand and tried to walk away, but a strong hand on her wrist stopped her.
"Roy…"
He pulled her gently to his chest, "Cry…" Roy spoke softly to her and only seconds later her face was buried in his strong chest. He held her shaking and sobbing form gently and stroked her head affectionately.
"He doesn't love me…" She choked out between sobs and tears. "He doesn't love me…"
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Richard gripped his hands around the steeling wheel painfully as the road go by faster and faster.
50km/h
Why didn't he see it?
60km/h
How could he be so stupid?
70km/h
So clueless…
80km/h
So insensitive…
90km/h
So heartless…
100km/h
Richard pulled the car over into the emergency lane, shutting off the engine, and staring at the steering wheel, seething.
Flashback
"Raven…?" Richard was frustrated and worried. He had been searching for her for almost three hours and she was nowhere to be found. It was already dark.
The last place he could look for her was the old playground they used to play in when they were younger… and that's where he found her… sitting on one of the swings.
He silently walked to her taking a place on the swing next to her.
"Rae…" He carefully called out.
"He lied to me - he lied and I gave him what he wanted…" Her voice soft… broken and Richard didn't know what to say.
"You know, you broke his nose." Richard told her hoping to get any reaction out of her.
"He… he said I'm beautiful and that he loved me," Raven whispered staring at the clear night-sky. "I know that I'm not really beautiful, but it was so good to hear somebody saying that… it felt good somebody saying that he loved me – even deep down I knew it was a lie…"
"Raven, don't do that! You are bea-" Richard wasn't able to finish his words.
"Do you love me Richard?" She asked and turned her face to him. It was then he saw that she had cried… and Raven didn't cry – not over a guy… not over anybody. It was then Richard wished that he could kill the person who had done that to her.
"Raven, of course I love you!" He told her and her eyes widened, "You are my best-friend, the person who knows me best… of course I love you!"
She closed her eyes and a sad smile graced her lips… only that in that moment it seemed to Richard that she was smiling because she felt better.
"You have a date with Kori, don't you?" Raven suddenly asked opening her eyes. Richard looked at his watch.
"Oh… yes… I-"
"You shouldn't let her wait."
His blue eyes looked at her worriedly, "Are you going to be alright. I don't want to leave you this way. I-" The young man was cut short by Raven.
"It's ok… I'm ok… I'm always ok…" She told him, withdrawing her eyes from him, "Just go to Kori…"
Slowly he stood up from the swing, "Don't you want to go home? Terra and Karen are probably waiting. They were worried…"
"No, I'll stay here for a while."
Richard nodded and reluctantly left her behind… on the swing…
"Arrrrgggghhhhh!" Richard screamed.
He had been so stupid. She told me… showed him more than hundreds times that she loved him and he hadn't seen it. He just hadn't seen it… and now it was too late… too late to…
Richard leaned his forehead at the steeling wheel as his entire form began to shake and choked sobs erupted from his throat.
A/N: That was the eight chapter… how did you guys like it…?
It was not as I planned it to be. I don't know, it just came out wrong. It was way better when I pictured the scene between Raven and Richard in my head. Yeah, I picture the scenes in my head before I write them down.
The conversation between Raven and Richard didn't flow as smoothly as I wanted to and the emotions didn't come out right… I don't know, it was just not really good.
For everybody who is interested: I usually get inspired by songs for my stories and I was also inspired by different songs for this chapter. So, for everybody who wants to know the songs, I'll give you the lyrics at the end of this chapter.
All the others who don't care just can skip the last part.
And now to a warning: I just heard that there are mails which seem from ff (dot) net, but hold viruses. Just don't open mails you don't know if it's safe… I know, you all probably know that, but I just wanted to warn you… so, take care…
Another important note: C'mon people, write some RaeRob stories… ok, my not the best person to say that, because I haven't wrote a decent RaeRob one-shot in a while, but I just wanted to encourage you to write RaeRob stories.
Btw, I currently trying to write the first chapter to my new, upcoming story "Seduction"… so, stay tuned for that…
Ok, that was it… for now…
Until next chapter….
Alena
So, here are the lyrics to the songs that I listen while writing this chapter. I think, you'll see the influence of the songs on the chapter…
Katie Melua - I cried for you
You're
beautiful so silently
It lies beneath a shade of blue
It
struck me so violently
When I looked at you
But others
pass, they never pause,
To feel that magic in your hand
To me
you're like a wild rose
They never understand why
I cried
for you
When the sky cried for you
And when you went
I
became a hopeless drifter
But this life was not for you
Though
I learned from you,
That beauty need only be a whisper
I'll
cross the sea for a different world,
With your treasure, a secret
for me to hold
In many years they may forget
This love of
ours or that we met,
They may not know
how much you meant to
me.
I cried for you
And the sky cried for you,
And
when you went
I became a hopeless drifter.
But this life was
not for you,
Though I learned from you,
That beauty need only
be a whisper
Without you now I see,
How fragile the world
can be
And I know you've gone away
But in my heart you'll
always stay.
I cried for you
When the sky cried for you,
And when you went
I became a hopeless drifter.
This life
was not for you,
Though I learned from you,
That beauty need
only be a whisper
That beauty need only be a whisper
Bird Stealing Bread by Iron & Wine
Tell
me, baby, tell me
are you still on the stoop
watching the
windows close?
I've not seen you lately
on the street by the
beach
or places we used to go
I've a picture of you
on
our favorite day
by the seaside
there's a bird stealing bread
that I brought
out from under my nose
Tell me, baby,
tell me
does his company make
light of a rainy day?
How
I've missed you lately
and the way we would speak
and all
that we wouldn't say
Do his hands in your hair
feel a lot
like a thing
you believe in
or a bit like a bird
stealing
bread out from under your nose?
Tell me, baby, tell me
do
you carry the words
around like a key or change?
I've been
thinking lately
of a night on the stoop
and all that we
wouldn't say
if I see you again
on the street by the
beach
in the evening
will you fly like a bird
stealing
bread out from under my nose?
The
Postal Service
Song:
Such great heights
I
am thinking it's a sign that the freckles
in our eyes are mirror
images and when
we kiss they're perfectly aligned
and I have to
speculate that God himself
did make us into corresponding shapes
like
puzzle pieces from the clay
true, it may seem like a
stretch, but
its thoughts like this that catch my troubled
head
when you're away when I am missing you to death
when you are out
there on the road for
several weeks of shows and when you scan
the
radio, I hope this song will guide you home
they won't see us
waving from such great
heights, "come down now," they'll
say
but everything looks perfect from far away,
"come down
now," but we'll stay...
I tried my best to leave this all
on your
machine but the persistent beat it sounded
thin upon
listening
that frankly will not fly. you will hear
the
shrillest highs and lowest lows with
the windows down when this is
guiding you home