Disclaimer: Look, a window! Dang it! They didn't fall for it. Oh, well. I don't own them.

It was very early in the morning when Richard decided to get off his ass and buy Raven a present. This was going to be hard. She wasn't a normal girl. Therefore, she didn't like normal girl things. And he barely knew her. "This is going to take a while." He muttered.

Raven watched him move around the room. He finally grabbed a wallet and a pair of shoes and turned the doorknob slowly. Richard pulled the door inward carefully and twisted the knob again before shutting the door altogether. He was probably just trying to get away from her. But he was always so nice.

She just happened to glance at the clock. The red numbers burned bore into her eyes: 2:18 a.m. It was 2:18 a. freakin' m. Raven wanted to sleep, but it was impossible to close her eyes. She was beginning to think about tomorrow. What if they kicked her out? What if they made her go shopping or have a huge birthday party? She cringed. She wouldn't mind being out on the streets again, but a party? That was something she couldn't handle. She wanted to be back with Gloves and Xavier.

Silent tears fell from her eyes as she imagined her friends. What if someone hadn't survived? It would have been easy to lose one of the younger ones in the huge crowd. Raven sat up. She shouldn't be thinking like this, tomorrow was her birthday after all. And no one had died in Gloves's care. Not ever.

'I need to get my mind off this for a while.' She thought to herself. Sitting up, she looked around the room. Nothing too interesting, just a few bookshelves. Her eyes halted at the bathroom door. Maybe Richard kept scissors in one of the drawers. Raven stood and, before she could have second thoughts, ran to the bathroom. She found a pair of scissors in the first drawer she opened.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." She whispered. The scissors made a sound like the unsheathing of a sword when she opened them and a grating sound as they closed over a clump of violet hair. A four-inch length of her hair fell to the ground and she stared at it. Shrugging, she cut the same amount from the other side. Her hair angled up and back, the front barely reached her chin and the back was clipped off at the nape of her neck. Raven sat on the floor and wept.

Richard was happy that the stores in Gotham were open all day and night. He didn't have time to wait for an owner to come unlock a door for him. He looked through several jewelry stores and found nothing. It finally occurred to him that Raven wouldn't want something so frivolous as a necklace dripping with diamonds or white-gold earrings etched with amethysts.

He searched for a place that would suit Raven. Not Hot Topic or Icing or Charlotte Ruesse. He gave up. As he walked to his car-a black 911 Turbo-he noticed a simple flower shop. Flowers weren't that flashy and Raven might actually appreciate a simple pleasure like that.

In the end, Richard bought a small bouquet of deep purple Lilacs. They smelled wonderful. He drove home quickly and stowed the Lilacs in the fridge in a crystal vase from the cupboard.

As Richard walked back up the stairs he wondered what Raven would think. 'She'll be happy' he reassured himself. If she didn't, he could always crush them, or burn them, or cry.

He turned a corner and heard a faint noise. Was… was someone crying? Richard ran forward and threw the door open. Light filtered through the cracks in the bathroom door. He walked over slowly and opened the door.

Raven was sitting on the floor, surrounded by locks of shorn purple hair. Tears leaked from between her fingers which covered her face in a desperate attempt to muffle her sobs. The scene didn't seem to register at first and after a few moments he realized something. Raven was crying.

Richard knelt next to her and pried her shaking hands from her face. He wondered what she needed to cry for. It was just hair; it would grow back.

"Raven?" He whispered gently. She was a mess.

"I-I-I'll n-never see them ak-." Richard rubbed her back as she choked on her tears.

"Who won't you see again Raven?"

"Ven and X and Claire and Joey and Melissa and- what'll I do? Richard, what'll I do?"

"I could take you to see them."

"No, you couldn't. They've probably moved the Hideout by now."

"Raven?" She looked up at him.

Their eyes caught for a moment and that was enough. Richard put his lips to hers. She didn't move at first, and then her arms held his waist carefully. He pulled away.

"How was that?"

Raven stared at him for a moment, and then lifted her face to his and she kissed him again. For a blissful instant, they held each other. Then, it was over, and Richard was pulling Raven to her feet.

"Richard?"

"Yeah?"

"What about the mess?" He looked at the floor and then back into her eyes.

"It can wait."

Richard put Raven in bed and went to lie on the couch. A few silent minutes passed between them and Raven sat up.

"Dick, will you sleep with me?"

"What?!"

"No… not like that. Just lay there and help me sleep. I'm having a bad night."

Richard sat up. He looked the clock before responding.

"Sure, but it's morning now."

A/N I had fun writing this. I have no Valentine this year. The guy I like has a girlfriend. Who is a lot like me. Besides, he doesn't like Valentine's Day. Oh well. At least I still have Dev. and Mordicus(see PhD[Phantasy Degree).