Well, butter my backside and call me a biscuit! I did it! I finally finished reading the Full Metal Manga! Well, to the chapters that had been translated. Now I can finally pay attention to the White Rose only (until the next chapter of FMA comes out, of course.) But now, all I'll pay attention to is to the White Rose. Go me! And…I am so sorry to my beta readers, but I just had to post this as soon as I could (I am so impatient --). So I'm sorry about the mistakes…please forgive! Oh, yes, this is dedicated to Shantel, who I worship the groundyou walk on for leading me to the FMA mangas.


The jerk wasn't participating. He had been the one to seek her out, yet he was staring out into space like he was wishing he were anywhere but here. And he wasn't even enjoying this. No matter what she did, he stayed immobile. And damnit, it was starting to get annoying. If he wasn't up for the act, then she wasn't going to waste her time, no matter how pretty he was or how muscled. A girl could only take so much.

With her eyes narrowed, Rebecca wound his tie around her hand and jerked on it hard. Robin snapped out of his thoughts as he was being choked by a very angry blonde.

"Alright, buddy. You're really starting to piss me off."

Robin blinked. "Huh?"

Rebecca jerked on his tie again. "You're not participating."

"In what?" he asked, lost. What was she talking about? What was he supposed to be taking part in?

She opened her mouth, then close it again, left eye twitching in anger. "You can't be serious…"

Robin growled in frustration. "What are you talking about, woman?"

For the second time that night, Robin was slapped. Rubbing his sore cheek, Robin glared at her. "I wish you'd—"

"You were the one who came looking for me so you could get under my skirt and yet you won't even kiss me back!"

Robin blinked once. Twice. "Huh?"

Rebecca ground her teeth in anger. "I am going to kick your ass, Grayson."

Robin's eyes widened as he narrowly missed being slapped again, except this time she was lashing out with a fist. "How dare you!"

Robin ducked under her arm, but as he straightened, his head hit a shelf of a file cabinet and he cursed.

"What is your problem, huh? You are the one who seeks me out, and you are the one who wanted to take my offer, yet the minute you get in here, you go off in your own little world. I kissed you and you did nothing. Nothing. I mean nothing happened, and believe me, when I kiss a guy, something always happens."

Rubbing his throbbing head, Robin fought for the right words. "Uh…um…"

"You were thinking of that redhead, weren't you?"

Robin blinked slowly. "Uh…"

"I knew it! I knew you wanted her! Jesus, man, how in the hell can you want that thing?"

Robin was immediately on the defensive. "What do you mean by that 'thing'?"

Rebecca blinked at his snippy tone and glanced up to see his amber orbs narrowed. She smirked. Finally, he was showing some sort of emotion.

"You go for the weak, I-need-a-knight-in-shining-armor-to-survive, don't you?"

"Star—Rose is not weak."

"Star? Is that your little pet name for her? What, do her eyes shine like stars when you kiss her or something? You are pathetic if that bitch is your type."

"No, I was pathetic for ever getting involved with you." Robin reached for the door handle, having every intention of getting the hell out of there, but Rebecca blocked his way.

Grounding his teeth, Robin bit out, "Move."

"No. I came all the way out here to have—"

"Get out of my way."

Rebecca smirked, and Robin wondered what the hell he had ever seen in the girl. "No."

Without warning, Robin grabbed the girl by the shoulder, shoved her away from the door, and stormed out, her hollow curses following after him. Now that she was out of his hair, he had to go find Star and apologize.

Pushing his way into the gym, Robin squinted against the blinding lights and made a beeline for Beast Boy and Raven, who were having a heated discussion while they swayed to the song.

"Hey, Raven, where's Starfire?" He asked when they were within ear shot.

Raven paused in her conversation to turn to him. "We don't know."

Robin felt his heart drop into his stomach. "What do you mean, you don't know?"

Raven shrugged, her eyes scanning the crowd. "We have Mallory, Wyatt, Colt, Jonathan, and Harley looking. She stormed out awhile ago and we haven't seen her since."

"You mean she went outside alone?" He asked, fear making his tone cold.

"Yeah. Hannah said she was crying or something, and we figured that we would let her cool down before we went and got her. So that's what they are doing now."

"Why the hell are you still in here? Why aren't you going and looking for her?"

Beast Boy stepped forward, his eyes narrowed. "We are staying in here in case she comes back inside, jackass."

"You weren't looking, you were dancing!"

Beast Boy glared. "Where were you when she stormed out? Lemme guess," Beast Boy said with disgust, "you were with Rebecca?" At the guilty look on his teammate's face, he scowled. "You were the reason she was so upset, weren't you? This is all your fault."

Raven blinked and decided this was the time to interfere. She stepped in front of Beast Boy. "Hey, calm down. I will not have you two brawling in public like hotheaded children. Save that for after we find Starfire."

Suddenly, Raven was grabbed by the shoulders and set apart from Beast Boy, who she had been standing in front of.

"What the—"

"I can't find Mallory anywhere." Raven glanced up to see the panicked eyes of Wyatt.

"She went off to find Starfire, without my permission, might I add, and when I went to look for her, I couldn't find her. I told her to stay inside, but while I was looking around, she went outside to find Starfire. Now, she's missing!"

Beast Boy laid a reassuring hand on Wyatt's shoulder. "Calm down, man. We'll find her. All we have to do is split up. Robin, since you're the one who pissed her off, you look outside and the rest will go their own way."

"Alright…I guess…" Wyatt gnawed on his bottom lip, his gray eyes filled with fear. "What if…what if he has her? What if the White Rose Killer has both of them?"

"Shut the hell up!" Robin snarled, but deep down, he feared the same thing. What if that bastard did have Starfire? What if…no, he couldn't think that. He had to be strong, had to think that Strfire was just letting out steam.

"I'll check around back," Robin muttered as he pushed past Wyatt. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Robin pushed the double doors open with his shoulder and stepped out into the cold.

The bitter wind bit through his clothes, but he didn't notice. This was all his fault. If he had just listened to his heart instead of his hormones, he would be sitting inside, watching Starfire laugh, even if it was because of Jonathan. But now, he had a sinking feeling that she was already gone.

Guilt spread through his system like a virus. If she was gone, he…he didn't know what he'd do. God, why hadn't he just ignored that bimbo? Why did he have to go chase her down and spout off lies? If he had of never scouted Rebecca out, Starfire would be inside. But he had gone off with that idiot, and he had hurt Starfire again. Was that all he could do? Hurt her?

And the sad thing was, he had only hurt her to make himself feel better. It had always been about him. Always about Robin. He had never once considered what Starfire would feel, or how his anger and jealousy would affect her. He had taken away everything. He had taken her air of innocence. If it wasn't for him, her eyes would still glow with curiosity at the world around her. She would still be smiling when a butterfly took flight, or coo over Beast Boy when he tripped over his long legs. But not now. Now, those beautiful, innocent eyes were filled with wariness. Because of him, she knew what it was to be hurt. She now knew what it meant to be alone, to think that no one was there for her. And it was all his damn fault.

Seeds of self-disgust took root deep within him, and Robin scowled. How could he do something like that? How could he ruin her like he did? How could he be so damn selfish?

Sad thing is, this really hadn't been the first time he had hurt her. Hell, he had been slowly tearing her apart since they started the team. When she had offered a shoulder to cry on, he had pushed her away. When he had become so obsessed with a criminal, she would cry for him, worry that he wasn't getting enough sleep, fret that he wasn't eating right. And he knew, even if she didn't show it, that his constant rejections had haunted her, day after day. When he would finally come out of his room, he would look into tired green eyes that were too dark for his optimistic alien. And the only way he fixed it was by smiling, even if it was just a mere quirk of his mouth. Her eyes would lite up and everything was fine again. And it had gone like that for years.

But now he had done too much damage. Starfire would never be the same because he was selfish and only thought of his needs, not hers. Robin swallowed, trying to rid his throat of the burning sensation that he recognized as tears. Bloody hell.

"Hey, Robin, wait up!" Wyatt called out, sliding to a halt beside Robin. "I'll help you look outside, okay?"

Robin shrugged. "Whatever."

Wyatt blinked, falling into step beside Robin as he headed around the building. "Where should we look first?" He asked after a short pause.

Robin leaned his head back to stare at the dark sky. "I don't know."

Wyatt glanced at Robin before his eyes darted to the side. He had an idea about the relationship between the titan and his comrade, but he didn't know if it was his place to bring it up. The thing about Robin and him was that they were similar. Not only were the personalities alike, but their problem with women. Wyatt had pushed Mallory away from him, like Robin was doing with Starfire.

Finally, Wyatt decided to speak up. "You know, you and I are alike."

Robin raised an eyebrow, though his head was still turned up. He really hoped that he didn't run into a wall or something... "Oh really?"

Wyatt shrugged. "In a way, yes."

"Well, are you going to explain or leave me hanging?"

Wyatt chewed on his tongue, trying to find the best way to word his opinion without actually blaming anyone.

"I treated Mallory the same way you are treating Starfire. I thought that if I wasn't around her, that if I didn't involve myself with her, she would be happier. Christian would be happier."

Slowly, Robin turned his head to face Wyatt. "Where are you going with this?"

Wyatt smiled, though it held no humor. "I was wrong. It didn't make them happier. I made things worse. You know how they say that if you love someone, let them go? Well, whoever thought of that was either stupid, or had never been in love before. If you let the one you love go, all you're doing is killing them emotionally. You think you're doing something right, but all you're doing is screwing it up until there is no way to repair it."

Robin's eyes narrowed as he listen quietly to what Wyatt was saying. "In my quest to push Mallory away, I resorted to lying. I told her things that would crush her. I used her weakest points against her, reduced her self-confidence to nothing more than ashes. And later, when I lay in my bed, I wondered why I even did it. I could have just told her the truth from the beginning, saved her from the hurt, but I was too wrapped up in myself and my problems that it hadn't even crossed my mind. I had only thought of myself, never her. I never once thought about her when I pushed her away. It had always been about me. Always me. In my twisted mind, I had made myself believe that hurting her would save her. From me. From my past. The future. But the longer it dragged on, the more I realized that…I could have made her happy. My past had nothing to do with it. I could have loved her without fail, but because I had talked myself into my own lie, I had made her hate me.

"And I almost lost her and my son. She almost died thinking that I didn't care. I realized that because of my own selfishness, I almost ruined an innocent girl whose only sin was loving me. And everything I had believed seemed so stupid. I didn't need to hurt her. I didn't need to push her away from me. We both would have been happier if I had just told the truth and let her help me battle my demons. And she has. It might sound like some corny romance novel that Mallory reads (which, might I add, I do not read) but she was the only one who could have battled them. She was the only one who could have saved me from myself. Without her, I'm nothing. I couldn't even protect myself from my own mental demons. I was willing to lose everything because I was scared to turn out like my father. And the funny thing is, it took someone else to convince me that I was not like him, that I was better.

"What I'm really trying to get out is that hurting her was pointless. It didn't help a damn thing, and instead of being there to protect her like I should have done, I let my weakness get the better of me and stayed in the background. You don't know what you have until you lose it. Unfortunately, I did. Almost, at least. And I will not lose her again." Wyatt shoved his hands into his pockets. Did I even get through to him? Hell, did I even make any damn sense? Prolly not…

"In other words, you're trying to tell me that I'm selfish for hurting Starfire?" They walked onto the football stadium, but never noticed anything.

Wyatt blinked and took Robin's words into consideration. "I've never been good at lying so…yeah. You're selfish. And stupid for thinking that pushing her away was for her own good. Only an idiot thinks that way. Of course, I'm also an idiot, but I changed. You, on the other hand, are just…stupid. Simple as that. Oh, and I can't forget to mention selfish. If you're anything like I was, this is all about you. It never had to do with Starfire. It was all about you and how you couldn't have her because you were afraid. Get the drift? It was all about you. See, that's how I was. Selfish. And now, the White Rose Killer might have her, and it's all your fault."

"You bastard!" Wyatt knew that tone. He blinked and barely had the chance to turn around before Robin pounced, knocking them both to the ground. Wyatt narrowly dodged Robin's fist, but because the teen was so mad, he was sloppy, giving Wyatt the advantage. Since Wyatt was under him, he was able to pull his knees to his chest and literally throw the Boy Wonder off. Robin flipped in midair, using his hands and feet to catch himself. He slid backward, eyes flaming, but as he ready himself to attack once again, he noticed a glint of sliver by his hand.

Crouching back down, Robin reached for the dulled necklace, lifting it until it dangled before his eyes. The chain had snapped and the silver was coated in dried red. Dark red. Blood. Robin swallowed hard as he picket up the locket that had laid beside the chain. The locket had opened, revealing a picture of his parents holding a dark haired toddler with bright eyes and a toothy grin with only four teeth.

Jesus. This was the necklace that he had given Starfire before the dance. Defeated, Robin collapsed, not even bothering to hide the tears that filled his eyes. Oh God.

"Robin," Wyatt said softly when he saw Robin collapse, crouching down in front of the teen. He had already taken a look at the surroundings, and had a faint idea of what had happend. "I…I think you should look around."

Hesitantly, Robin glanced up from the necklace. And before him lay blood splattered snow. He bowed his head again. She was gone. Hurt. Maybe dead. And this was all his fault. All…his…fault…

Robin covered his eyes with his forearm, choking back the sobs the threatened to irrupt from his throat. Starfire was gone. The White Rose Killer probably had her, all because of Robin's selfishness. This would have never happened if he had just stayed with her instead of going with Rebecca. She would still be by his side if he had never lied for no reason. But now he didn't know where she was, or if she was still alive. How…how could he have been so stupid?

"Robin…" Wyatt said softly, unsure of what to do. He couldn't stand it when a woman cried, but when a man cried? He was useless. Hell, at least with a woman he could have taken her in his arms and comforted her, but there was no way in hell he was about to hug a man. Wyatt sighed, rubbing his palms over his eyes. Dropping his hands, he glanced around. "I'm sure she's fine. By the looks of this place, she…" But he trailed off when his gray eyes landed on the two objects by the gate entrance.

Rising to his feet, Wyatt slowly walked over to the gate. What were they? Maybe they were just a part of the fence or something like that. Jeez, at first he had thought that they were…crutches. Oh damn.

With shaking hands, Wyatt reached for the discarded crutches. When his hand hit cold metal, he jerked back as if burned and pressed both of his palms against his forehead.

"Damnit, no," he whispered to himself. "I can't lose her again, not after I made her happy again. Jesus."

Maybe…maybe she was…no, that wasn't possible. Mallory couldn't walk without her crutches. They had tried that in physical therapy, and she had only stumbled and had finally fallen. Maybe these weren't even her crutches. Maybe…shit. Mallory had gone outside to find Starfire. The only other person with crutches was Harley, and she had stayed inside with Colt.

Wyatt leaned against the fence, fist clenched at his side and head bowed. Damnit! How could he have let her go like that? Well, truthfully, she had been the one to sneak away from him. He had told her specifically to stay inside, but no, she had to be stubborn and go outside after he forbidden her to. If he had just stayed at her side…no, she would have still snuck away. So her and her damn stubborn pride had gotten her into this. At the moment, he didn't even know if the White Rose Killer had her, but who else would go after her? The only one who would want her would be the White Rose Killer. But no one knew where he was. It could have been a simple kidnapper, but that seemed to farfetched, especially since Mallory was a target for the White Rose Killer.

But right now, he had to stay strong. He would get Mallory back, no matter what it took. He needed to keep a clear head, else he breakdown as Robin had. And he was already on the verge of tears. Damn.

Wyatt decided to leave the titan there while he went and fetched the other to tell them what had gone down. Wyatt swallowed hard as he walked through the gates. Please, he prayed, let them be okay.


Raven stared at the blood on the ground, her eyes emotionless. In the background, Beast Boy and Robin were screaming at each other. It had been Beast Boy who had started the fight, but she knew why he did it. Robin had been in a state of a breakdown, and the only way to get him back up again was to argue. And Beast Boy was doing a good job of it.

"You're such an idiot! God, it's so hard to believe that you were once our bloody leader! No wonder we never caught Slade. We had a jerk like you leading the way." Beast Boy snapped, trying to think of another insult without actually bringing Starfire up. Boy was it hard. Maybe he should let Raven have a go at it…

"Take that back!"

"No! It's true and you know it!" Beast Boy groaned inwardly. This was starting to get annoying. He couldn't think—

"The only reason we couldn't bring him down was because we had someone as weak as you on the team. Not once did you ever help out. All you ever did was get in the way, so don't tell me that I'm an idiot. At least I'm not weak."

Beast Boy's spine snapped straight. Why that…How dare he say something like that? That was…so damn true, but so mean…

"Oh, I'm weak, huh? At least I think about others instead of myself. This is all your fault. If you hadn't of…" Beast Boy trailed off and ground his teeth. He would not let his anger get this best of him, he would not let his—

"You know good and well that the team would have done better without you, yet you stayed. And you call me selfish. We could have been the greatest teen heroes on the planet, but because of you, we were ridiculed. You never once helped out. When things got bad, you cowered. You acted like an idiot and came up with stupid ideas that only children would come up with. An army of commando hamsters? Come on, Beast Boy. You're an idiot and you know it."

Beast Boy bowed his head and tried to reign in his temper. Calm down. He just wants a rise out of you. He's just trying to help with his pain. But this is so like him. Using someone else's weakness to make himself feel better.

"Raven could do so much better than you. Hell, the only reason she deals with you is because she pities you."

To hell with it. Beast Boy grabbed the lapels of Robin's jacket in his fist and almost jerked the Boy Wonder off his feet. "So, this is how you pushed Starfire away, huh? Using her weakness against her like a coward." Beast Boy lifted narrowed eyes to Robin's. "She's gone because of your selfishness. If you would have thought of someone else for once, Starfire would be safe. But you went off and chased your little bimbo down and spouted off lies so you could get laid. Ethan heard the whole thing. You know, you really are sick. Starfire never did anything to you. All she ever did was love you, and you pushed her away. And now, because of you and your egotism, she's gone and we don't know if we'll ever get her back."

A drop of water hit his hand, and Beast Boy blinked. Was it raining? But as more drops began to fall, he realized in mild horror that Robin was crying. Instantly, Beast Boy felt guilty.

"Hey, man, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, I swear. I—"

"I'm sorry, Beast Boy," Robin said calmly, way too composed for someone who was crying. "I was wrong in attacking you like that. I didn't mean any of it…it's just…I don't know what I can do. I don't know how to get her back. And…I can't…I can't function without her. I know this is my fault. I know I'm the reason he has her, if he has her. And the only way to really atone for it is taking my own life."

Beast Boy's eyes widened. "You—"

"But I'm not going to. I have to find Starfire, no matter what it takes. I will bring her back, and she will be safe, even if I have to risk my own life in the process. No one takes Starfire away from me." Robin slowly lifted his eyes. The gold orbs were bursting with flames of anger, unlike anything Beast Boy had ever seen in his life. Instead of darkening, the anger seemed to make his eyes brighter, almost completely white. Truthfully, it was kinda creepy, in a cool sorta way.

Beast Boy blinked. "Alright. So what do you suggest?"

"I'll search every spot in Jump City. I will not let that bastard get away with her."

Beast Boy nodded, letting go of Robin's collar and carefully dusting out wrinkles. "Sorry about what I said…I didn't…"

"It was true. But Starfire will not die thinking that I don't love her." Robin swatted Beast Boy's hand from his jacket before he stormed away.

"Well," Beast Boy muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. "That went well."

"I'd say," Raven said, monotone. "You sure showed him."

Beast Boy scowled. "Shove it. I really don't want to deal with your sarcasm right now…" he trailed off when he noticed Raven's eyes. His scowl disappeared as his eyebrows drew together. "Hey, she'll be alright. You know how Starfire is. No matter how tough the opponent, she can carry her own."

"I'm not worried," Raven snapped defensively, crossing her arms over her chest and turning her back to him. "I don't—"

"You care and you know it. She's your best friend, Raven. I don't care how hard you try to mask it, but you're worried. I've known you long enough to know how you feel, Raven…well, sometimes…" He sighed, pulling her back against his chest and resting his chin against her cold shoulder. "You don't have to hide anything from me, Raven."

"I'm not hiding," she said.

Beast Boy sighed, his hot breath fanning across her shoulder. "Alright. If that's what you want to believe, then who am I to stop you?"

Raven risked a glance over her shoulder, her amethyst eyes briefly meeting his forest green orbs. "I…am worried. I know she's capable of taking care of herself, but Starfire has always depended on her emotions. If she's like I think she is, and hurting, she won't be able to defend herself well. We know Starfire could have flown away, but by the blood (if it is hers), she didn't. She probably couldn't fly. It's just…" Raven groaned and leaned her head back. "I suck at telling how I feel."

Beast Boy shifted behind her so her head was nestled against his shoulder. "At least you're trying. That's better than I could have expected. But…right now, we need to call Twain and—"

"Already here. Robin called." Beast Boy glanced up to see a snow-covered Twain. The detective flicked the snow off his shoulders, eyes scanning the area. "Red and the mother are missing, right?"

Raven blinked slowly. "How do you know?"

Twain met her eyes briefly before he spun on his heel toward Robin. "They're the only two missing, and by the field, I'd say there was a struggle," he said over his shoulder, already fishing a small notebook and pen from his jacket. "I was just a guess. I was taught to look for the obvious."

Beast Boy scowled at Twain's retreating back. "Was he being sarcastic?"

Raven shrugged gently, folding her arms over her chest.

"By the way, Robin told me." Beast Boy rolled his eyes.

Raven shivered as the wind caressed her body. Why she didn't bring a coat was beyond her. But then again, a coat would have taken away from the darkness of her dress, and she had planned on staying inside the entire time. She felt Beast Boy move behind her and before long, he place his jacket around her shoulder. Instinctively, Raven huddled inside, taking in the warm, comforting scent of Beast Boy. Wow. He really did smell good.

"What happened? Where's Rose?" Raven rolled her eyes as Jonathan mowed Ethan over in his hurry to get to Robin. Ethan's arms flapped like a bird before he caught his balance. Hannah snickered.

Jonathan turned quickly to apologize, but he tripped over Twain's foot and was sent sprawling backwards. Robin broke off his sentence as he watched the man crash into the blood splattered snow and rolled his eyes.

Jonathan blinked and rose up, shaking his head slightly. "What…" His eyes landed on the blood and Robin swore the man screamed like a little girl. Twain cringed as the shrill sound pounded inside his head, and he stuck one finger into his ear and wiggled it slightly, as if it would help bring back his hearing.

"What is that?" Jonathan shrieked, falling back on his butt and doing the crab walk.

"We think it's Rose's blood," Robin said with a raised eyebrow.

"Where…where is she?"

"We don't know," Raven added, pulling Beast Boy's warm coat closer to her. "We think she was taken by the White Rose Killer, along with Mallory."

Jonathan's eyes widened with fear. "The White Rose Killer has her?"

Beast Boy scratched the back of his head. "We don't know yet. Maybe you should go home and rest for awhile. We're all leaving now, so the police can do their business. Twain will take you home."

Twain turned to Beast Boy. "The hell I will."

"Then call Waylin or someone. He looks like he's about to faint." Twain grimaced as he used his mouth to flip open his cell phone. "Jeez. I dread the day my kid becomes a teenager." After calling Waylin to pick the pale boy up, Twain turned back to Robin for his questioning.

"Do you know exactly what happened? Like maybe why she was out here? Did she go off with some man? Or fresh air maybe?"

Robin rubbed his pounding temples. "She went out here because I hurt her."

Twain's pen paused on the paper. "Hurt her? Like, emotional or physical?"

Robin's eyes narrowed into nothing more than slits. "I would never hit Starfire."

Twain scribbled down something. "So, you said something stupid, she ran out, you…where were you when she left?"

"I went off with another…girl…"

"Ah, alright." Twain chewed on the antenna of his phone. "You said something to hurt her, she ran, you went off with a girl, she was attacked and taken, the other one probably went out looking for her, she was also taken, you find out she's missing, come here, and talk to me?"

Robin scowled. Twain nodded as he wrote down something again. "Kay. Got it. Now, go home and get some rest—"

"No. I want to find Starfire."

Twain sighed in aggravation. "We need you to go so we can gather what little evidence there is, and I will make sure you know everything, got it? Other than that, there is nothing you can do. Not even the police force knows where the White Rose Killer is, and some angry teenaged boy like you will just get in the way. Anyway, you'll need your rest if you really want to find her. So, everyone, outta my way!" Twain plowed through the snow as Waylin approached them.

"I need you to call Ortega and his little group so we can tear this place apart, kay? But first, take that weakling home. I think he passed out." Twain watched Waylin trot off as he flipped open his phone again. "Damn."

Twain's eyes scanned the crowed and landed on Ethan and Hannah. They couldn't go back to the hospital. The White Rose Killer knew where they were, and now that he had one of the strongest women of the five, he would probably be running on adrenaline. He would end up targeting Hannah again.

But where could they go? They were too young to have a place of their own, Beast Boy and Raven already had roommates, and Robin and Wyatt needed some time alone. So, that left… "Bloody hell!" Twain roared, rubbing his temples. Damn, damn, damn, damn! He would have to watch the two. Bloody hell…

Muttering lewd curses under his breath, Twain stormed over to Hannah and Ethan. "You two, listen up."

Hannah and Ethan glanced up to see a wild-eyed detective. "Yes," Hannah asked slowly, eyebrow raised.

"You're gonna stay with me at my house, got it? Being at the hospital is too risky, and everywhere else it taken, so that leaves me no choice but to take you under my wing. Damn." Twain folded his arms across his chest and muttered another curse. "But when we get there, I'm gonna set some ground rules, got it?"

They nodded slowly, still a bit lost. "Of course." Ethan nodded, his eyes meeting Hannah's. "So…do we go with you now, or ride in the limo? If we ride in the limo, we need to know your address—"

"Bloody hell…" Twain rubbed his jaw for a moment before he called out to Ortega, who had just shown up with his team of investigators. "Hey, I'll be back in a minute."

Ortega nodded. "Gotcha."

Twain groaned, rubbing his temple with the tips of his fingers. "Kate is going to kill me." Letting out a deep breath, Twain herded the two teenagers to his car, watching patiently as Ethan helped Hannah into the automobile before he fiddled with the wheelchair. After a few colorful curses, he finally managed to get the chair into the trunk with only a couple of bruises.

As he made his way to the driver's side, he heard Ethan say, "You don't have to do this. I mean I can get a hotel until this is over—"

"So you can have under-aged sex? No way, kid. I'm not stupid." Ethan suddenly became flustered, stuttering his objections.

"I was your age once, kid. I know how your mind works. So just shut up and get in the car." Twain glanced in the backseat to see a very embarrassed teenaged girl, who was biting her lower lip.

"Mmm-hmm. You we're thinking along those lines, too," Twain muttered, eyebrow raised in amusement when Hannah snapped, "No I was not, you pervert."

Shaking his head in suppressed amusement, Twain turned the ignition so that the engine purred beneath the hood. "Pervert, eh? Jeez, only my wife calls me that."

"Well you are," she muttered, face turned toward the window. Twain rolled his eyes and pulled out of the high school parking lot, wondering what he had done to deserve this.


The ride back home was silent. Robin was still seething with anger, but he stayed semi-calm, his jaw clenched and hands fisted. As Raven studied him, she couldn't tell which emotion was stronger: the guilt or the rage. Wyatt had been dropped of long ago and the next destination was Rebecca's house.

Raven felt an overpowering feeling of heartache when she thought about her missing friend. Though she could usually keep her emotions at bay, the pain was strong, stronger than anything she had ever felt. Almost more that rage. And she hated it.

Her eyes drifted up to Beast Boy's as he laced his fingers with hers and smiled gently. "It'll be alright, Rae. I promise."

She searched his eyes before turning them away to Rebecca, who had kept her space from Robin the entire trip. Her arms were folded across her chest, her mouth set in an annoying pout. At the moment, Raven couldn't stand the wench.

Her eyes connect with Harley's. "You okay?" Harley asked softly, her head resting against Colt's shoulder. Obviously, they had made up.

"I'm fine," Raven said, her tone dispassionate.

Harley's eyes clouded with doubt, but she didn't ask Raven anything else.

Raven glanced at the empty spot beside her and felt an unfamiliar burn in her throat. She prayed that Starfire was alright. But she knew Starfire could take care of herself. Though she was naïve, she knew how to protect her and others. Mallory and Starfire were probably fine. Hell, Starfire would probably be driving the White Rose Killer nuts with her constant barrage of questions, demanding answers and such. The White Rose Killer was probably bald, if he wasn't already.

The limousine came to a halt, and Rebecca hopped out. Before she shut the door, she leaned forward and scowled at Robin, who was ignoring her. "You'll regret not being with me."

Robin's eyes stayed focused on the window, not even glancing her way. Rebecca's jaw clenched and she slammed the door.

The window inside rolled down and the driver turned in his seat. "Where to next, kids?"

When Robin made no move to answer, Beast Boy sighed and told the man Starfire's address. When the car arrived, Robin opened the door and got out, not even bothering the tell the others goodnight before he slammed the door.

Colt sighed, his eyes trailed on the floor. The silence was deafening, but no one had the energy to talk. Colt's finger's drummed against Harley's cast in agitation. He had always hated the silence. It was why he kept a fan on in his room at all times, even if it was forty below outside. But now, he couldn't break the silence. It wouldn't be right.

The limo came to a halt and they poured out, Beast Boy already fishing for the apartment keys. Packing into the elevator, the waited patiently for it to reach their floor. Raven cleared her throat, glancing around. Beast Boy grimaced at the tacky music wafting through the speakers, and silently counted down to the second they would get to their floor.

The doors slid open and they walked out, Colt waiting as Harley hobbled out. Beast Boy was already at the door, trying to unlock it. His eyebrow's drew together when it didn't work the first time. He tried again. Finally, the door opened, and he walked in.

"I can't wait to go straight to sleep," Beast Boy murmured, flipping on the light.

"Crap," Colt muttered, "You get the—"

Thump. Thump. Thump. Colt trailed off as the sound drifted through the apartment. Thump, thump, thump. Raven pushed past Colt, eyebrows draw together.

"What is that?"

Beast Boy shrugged slowly. "I don't know. Maybe it's a rat or something."

"Whatever it is, is sounds like it's coming from Raven's room," Harley said, her eyes on the door.

"I'll go check it out."

"Yeah, if it's a rat, maybe you can talk it into going away," Colt joked, laughing when Beast Boy glared.

"Bite me."

Raven rolled her eyes when they started to bicker, and decided to take matters into her own hands. She walked toward her door, shivering inwardly. She hated rats. Thump, thump, thump. Raven swore that if one jumped out at her, she'd have a heart attack.

Shivering, Raven opened the door.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

There, hanging from her ceiling, was Darcy. Her body had been split open from throat to belly button, blood and bile still pouring from the wounds. Her internal organs were visible, even though the moon was the only light in the room. Her glassy, dead eyes started at Raven. Between her teeth was a white, un-bloomed rose, immaculate even though blood and vomit dripped from her mouth. Her body bumped against the blood splattered wall slowly as the rope around her neck swung side to side.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Raven screamed.