Chapter 4: A Sad Surprise
Kori walked through the bustling streets of Jump City. She couldn't get Richard Grayson out of her mind. It had been two days since she saw him (A/N When Gar was at her door was the next night) and she was just so furious at him, but she couldn't understand why. 'Why had what that news caster said made me so angry?' she wondered.
Walking down the city streets something caught her eye in one of the windows. In the bookstore window was a thick black leather book. On the cover in blood red script letters read, 'The Hidden Destroyer'. Kori smiled Raven had published her latest book.
Kori quickly opened the bookstore door and purchased the book, 'Raven had been so excited about this one.' Kori thought as she handed the cashier a twenty.
Stepping out into the gentle breeze of the morning she began to walk once again.
Garfield stood there speechless. He couldn't move, couldn't think, he could barley breathe. 'Was that her, I'm sure it was, I'm positive. But how will I really know?' Suddenly realization hit him and he looked down. In the shock she had left her book and purse at his feet.
Gar bent down and grabbed the strap of the bag and the books off the concrete. He walked over to a table outside a one of the cafes on Main Street and sat down. He placed the books on the table and reached into the black leather bag and pulled out a midnight blue wallet. Garfield slowly opened the wallet, 'Alright,' he breathed, 'moment of truth, is it really her? This bag holds the answer, somewhere.' Kori and Victor had kept their word and told Garfield nothing about her, not even her new name.
Inside the wallet was a license, there was a picture of that same girl that he had bumped into. The license said 'Raven Roth' 'this has to be her.' Reaching into the bag further he pulled out something that reassured him that this was definitely Raven.
In his hand Garfield pulled out a gem. The gem was large and ruby red. The same gem she wore on her outfits' everyday. 'She must have not been able to part with this, she carries it around with her, this,' he thought holding the gem tighter in his hand, 'must be her connection to the past.'
But how would he find her, after all, he had to return her belongings. Looking in the bag further Garfield found nothing that would tell him where he could find her. He put his head in his hands in defeat.
Suddenly his head shot up, her wallet! He put the gem back in her purse and grabbed her wallet off the table. Opening it he saw her license, credit cards, gift cards, and then there it was, exactly what he was looking for.
There in his hands was her library card, with her address on the front. He smirked, he had found it. Now, he just had to find her.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," Raven repeated into the air, her eyes were wide and she slowly rocking back and froth. She was behind a department store leaning again one of its brick walls.
Richard stepped forward reaching his hand out to touch her arm, "Raven?" Raven didn't respond. He finally got close enough to make contact with her arm, at the feeling she jumped back and looked up. Fear in her eyes, "who, who are you?"
Memories hit Richard, he remembered her saying those exact words with that exact look on her face years ago. "No, no it's me Raven it's me…Rich- Robin," he looked at her and hopped she'd believe him.
Raven stepped back and looked at him, "no, why should I believe you?" "You were my friend, together we saved so many lives years ago, you were inside my mind and you tried to let me inside yours." Richard stepped closer to her.
She looked into his eyes and hers went wide.
Before Richard could register what happened, she had her arms around his shoulders and was crying into his chest. Richard looked down at her and wrapped his arms around her thin frame and tried to reassure her. "It's going to be okay, don't cry Raven, I'm here, don't cry." He had no idea what she was crying about but, he was going to find out.
Raven lifted her head and wiped her eyes. "Robin, I-" she didn't know what to say. She hadn't seen him in 8 years and now it was like they had never been apart. Richard put a hand on her shoulder, "can I ask what happened?" Raven breathed in and out and she looked up again. "I saw Beast Boy again, I know it was him, I'm sure." "So?" Richard asked confused. "You wouldn't understand," Raven said looking down disappointed.
Kori walked into Gar's restaurant and sat at the bar. He had a large restaurant, with a bar towards the back of the room. On the left of the bar were booths and on the right a party room in the back with glass doors concealing the noise that was going on inside. Gar came out of the party room and saw Kori at the bar. After making his discovery he rushed to work.
Kori sat at the bar lost in her thoughts, "Kori? Kori?" "What?" she looked up, she didn't know how long he had been calling her name. "You okay?" Gar said as he handed her a glass of white wine. "I'm sorry, Garfield I have just been…distracted." "I have to show you something, so get…un-distracted." Suddenly Gar disappeared under the bar, he mumbled something but the noise from the workers in the Kitchen drowned it out. "What?" Kori asked reaching over the bar, suddenly Gar jumped up holding a purse. "It's very nice Gar, but you should really go for a lighter color, like a pink." "Ha, ha very funny," Garfield said sarcastically. Kori giggled and took a sip of her drink, "but really, Gar what is that from," she pointed to the purse. "I ran into this woman and she dropped this, but you know her and I want you to come with me when I return it," Gar said triumphantly, Kori looked puzzled.
Gar showed her the library card and Kori's eyes widened, "I knew it was her!" Gar yelled, seeing the look on Kori's face was truth enough. "Oh no she mush be so upset that must have been a shock didn't you even check to see she was okay?" "She just ran off, I didn't get a chance." Kori got up and put a five on the table. "No," he said handing it back to here, "it's on the house."
Kori smiled and rushed out the door.
Kori arrived at Raven's house; she rang the bell and waited. 'She's not home I guess,' Kori shrugged; maybe she was just not answering the door. She reached into her bag and pulled out a key to Raven's house. Raven had given her a key so she could come and would have a place to stay if she ever needed and also to check on her cat, Azra, when she went away on trips.
Kori stepped into the foyer and hung her coat on the one of the hooks behind the white door. "Raven! Raven! Are you here?" She yelled into the empty house. Suddenly, a small black cat emerged from the French doors the blocked the den from site. Kori smiled and picked up the small cat.
The cat purred as Kori picked her up and made herself comfortable in Kori's arms. "If Raven just wasn't answering the doors then she would have definitely have answered once she new if was me, I wonder where she is." Kori said to herself as she looked down at the cat. "You must be hungry," she walked into the large white Kitchen and fixed Azra something to eat.
Kori picked up her phone and tried Raven's cell phone for the third time. Kori sat in Raven's eat-in kitchen and watched and Azra ate the food Kori left for her.
Kori sighed and tried again, they were supposed to go out to dinner tonight. It had been hours since Kori had come to Raven's house and she still hadn't even called. Suddenly, Kori's cell phone began to ring.
Richard handed Raven a cup of tea. Raven took the cup with shaky hands. Richard had brought Raven back to his mansion. He lived in the elite area in Jump City, actually not far from where Raven lived. They'd probably pasted each other one time or another.
Raven suddenly felt her cell phone vibrate. It was in her coat pocket. She took it out of her pocket and opened it there were about four messages from Kori. She hadn't heard her phone at all.
Raven remembered they were supposed to have dinner tonight. She called Kori back on her cell phone and prayed that she wasn't too mad.
"Raven, are you okay, where are you?" The questions came flying out of Kori's mouth before she registered who was even on the phone.
"I'm sorry Kori, I had a bit of a break down and a good friend came to my rescue." Raven glanced up and Richard and smiled. Without thinking Raven asked Kori, "Can you come get me?" Kori sighed in relief and said, "Sure, just tell me where you are."
After Raven closed her cell phone her eyes widened as she realized her mistake. She had broken her promise.
Kori had been walking around the city and decided to take a cab back to her house and got into her red Lexus.
She drove up to the gate of a huge mansion. The gates opened and Kori drove inside. She continued up a huge driveway and passed a beautiful fountain in the middle of a garden.
She parked her car and walked up the steps to two large wooden doors. She rang the bell and a butler maybe in his 60's opened the door. "Um, I was asked to pick up Raven, Ms. Roth?" she explained to the butler. "Right this way," he gestured her into the large foyer and into one of the many hallways.
Kori stepped into a room and saw two familiar faces. Raven and…Richard! "Richard?" "You know him?" Raven asked. "Yes, I was not aware that you did though?" "I, I haven't seen him in years, I didn't think you had either?" Raven asked her eyebrows furrowed.
Richard and Kori both looked at her puzzled. "We met a few days ago, what do you mean you didn't think I saw him in years?" Kori asked.
Raven put a hand to her mouth. 'She doesn't know, and apparently, either does he.' "Nothing, nothing, never mind," she said quickly.
Kori and Richard both rose and eyebrow. "Very well, um, may I use your bathroom Richard?" "Sure, down the hall a ways and then to the right." "Thank you."
Kori walked down the hallway, it was huge with almost 10 doors on either side. Kori furrowed her brows as she looked at one door. It was the only one closed. All the others in the corridor were open.
Curiosity got the best of her and she turned the knob on the door. Locked. Kori wondered why it was locked. It was a small door, maybe a closet or something, but lock a closet, why?
Kori pulled a barrette from her hair and picked the lock on the door. She knew she shouldn't but there was just something about Richard the pulled at her heart and she wanted, no, needed to know why.
She heard the click of the lock and she slowly opened the door. The room was pitch black and she groped for the light switch. She found it and flipped it on. The room suddenly lit up and it was a thin room from wall to wall, but very long. She stepped inside and was greeted by machines, similar to the ones from Titans Tower.
Then Kori saw a site that made her heart sink.
Robin's uniform. Kori walked slowly up to the glass, she gently laid her fingers on the cool smooth surface to make sure it was real.
It was.
'Why would Richard have this,' Kori starred at the case. 'If Richard has this that must mean that' "huh!" She gasped. Kori slowly backed away from the case and out of the room wide eyed. 'No, no, this can't be, please tell me this isn't happening.'
Kori swayed and leaned again the wall. She brought a hand to her head, the room was spinning. She closed the door slowly and took out her cell phone.
"Hey, man great job today," one of the men from the race track said to Roy on his way home. "Thanks," Roy said as he headed to his car. He then heard his cell phone ring in his pocket and took it out.
"Hello?" Roy asked, "Kori? What's wrong baby, why are you crying?" Roy asked hastily. "Kori, stop crying baby, it's alright, tell me where you are and I'll come get you." "Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes."
Roy clapped his cell phone shut and rushed to his car.
Kori rushed back into the room where Raven and Richard where. "Hey, Kori," Raven said getting up and putting on her coat, "I'm ready to go." Raven could see the look on Kori's face.
She was MAD!
"Kori, what's wrong?"
"You lied to me, you set me up!" Raven and Richard looked at each other and then at Kori. "What are you talking about Kori, what did Raven do?" "She lied to me."
"You promised Raven that you would keep him away from me and out of my life," Kori said as she pointed angrily and Richard. "What did I do?"
"You know what you did!" she yelled at him, "you betrayed me…
Robin."
And with that Kori ran out of the room leaving Raven and Richard in awe.
Richard didn't know what just happened until her realized, 'Was that…Starfire?'
Kori stood outside in the garden waiting for Roy. She leaned on the marble fountain. She was getting dizzy and it was becoming hard to breathe.
Raven and Richard came running out of the house just as Roy pulled into the driveway. Roy jumped out of his car and ran to Kori.
Roy saw Raven and Richard and asked Raven what happened, "I got a call and she was hysterical." Kori wasn't even registering what was going on, she was trying to regulate her breathing.
"She found out, something that she shouldn't have, I made a mistake," Raven said looking down at the driveway below her feet.
Richard couldn't take it anymore, "what's going on!" Raven gasped and looked up. "I'm not supposed to say." "Raven it's me you know me, what can't you tell me?"
"Raven how do you know him?" Roy asked curious, "he's…Robin" Raven said softly.
"No wonder Kori freaked out," Roy said sadly. "What does me previously being Robin have to do with Kori?"
Raven looked down and whispered, "Kori Anders is Starfire you idiot,"
Richard's eyes widened, he started to walk towards her before Roy stopped him, "don't even go near her, she told me she never wanted to see you again."
Richard tried to get past him and was stopped again, "I could take ya then and I can take ya now," Richard starred wide eyed, "Speedy?" "You got it," "Let me see her," "No I don't think so man."
While Roy and Richard were arguing, Kori stood up and began breathing heavily again. She was dizzy and was starting to see colors before her eyes. All the screaming around her became a blur of sounds.
Suddenly before anyone knew what was going on, Kori fainted and fell to the cold concrete.
Roy and Richard heard something hit the ground and immediately stopped fighting; they both turned their heads to find Raven trying to wake Kori up.
"Kori, Kori! Wake up Kori, please!" Raven said frantically, she reached out her hand and placed it on Kori's forehead, "she's burning up," she said as she looked at Richard and Roy.
Richard, Raven and Roy sat in the waiting room and Jump City Hospital. They had rushed Kori to the hospital immediately.
"Why don't you just leave?" Roy said to Richard in a nasty tone. He looked over and smirked, "I'm not going anywhere, not till I know that Starfire's okay." Roy stood up fuming, "she's not Starfire anymore. You don't know anything about her anymore."
Raven sat with her head resting on the tops of her hands. She looked up and with a smirk on her face and said, "Oh, he knows more about her than you think Roy," Richard and Roy both looked at her, "never mind," she replied with a sigh.
After about a half hour the nurse came out, Richard and Roy immediately stood up, "How is she?" They asked in unison. The nurse smiled, "She'll be fine, she had a panic attack, and you can go see her if you like. Thank goodness, I must say, I though it was as bad as last time."
"Last time?" Richard asked. "What happened last time?" "I'm really not supposed to say sir, doctor-patient confidentiality." "I need to know," Richard said coming closer. The nurse stepped back nervously, "please sir, I really can't."
Raven stood up, "she had a miscarriage Richard, she lost her baby last time." Richard turned to her wide eyed. "What?"
Richard stepped into Kori's room, Roy was filling out some paperwork for her and this was his chance to see her without him there.
Richard walked into a white room. Kori lay in a big white bed. She had and IV attached to her arm and tubes on her face giving her oxygen. Raven crept in and stood at the door quietly.
Richard pulled up a chair. "Kori," Richard took her limp hand in his own. Kori began to stir. "Kori?" "Get Away I don't want to see you ever again." Richard felt like I knife was just stabbed through his heart. But after what he did to her he couldn't blame her.
"Kori, I need to ask you something," Kori, getting her strength back sat up, "I want you to leave," she didn't say that statement with venom, but he could tell she wasn't happy to see him.
"Who was the father?" Kori looked Richard straight in the eyes; she knew he was talking about the baby, the one she lost so many years ago.
Tears came to her eyes, "please," she begged, "I don't want to talk about that, go away."
"I need to know," he knew this was hurting her but he needed to know.
Kori looked down and her reply was almost a whisper.
"Robin, Robin was the father." After saying that visions of losing her baby flooded back into her head and she felt hot tears running down her face. Her hands grabbed the sides of her head begging for the memories, the nightmares to stop.
(A Part of Kori's Flashback)
"Kori, hey you okay?" Kori leaned against the kitchen counter top. She squeezed her eyes tight; the pain was so horrible, unbearable. "No," Kori gasped out before falling to the floor.
"I think you should leave," She said through tear filled eyes. "Starfire I still-"
"MY NAME ISN"T STARFIRE! At least not anymore," she said the last part in a whisper.
"We made a mistake and losing that baby was the consequence and that part of my life," she let out a long sigh, "disappeared with that child." "I am…sorry though." Kori looked down and more tears flowed down her cheeks. "Please, just…go."
Silently, Richard left the room and Raven followed.
Richard was at the door of the hospital and was about to leave when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "She loved you, and after what you did," Raven trailed off. Richard looked at the ground, "I know," he said slowly and then turned to leave.
Richard left the hospital and began to walk down the street, 'this was my fault, all of it, she was pregnant, with my child, and she was alone because of me. I still love her, I never stopped, and I will let her know.'
'No matter what it takes.'
REVIEW!
NEXT CHAPTER:
Everyone seems to wonder how Beats Boy tried to kill Raven. Well, you will find out in chapter 5.
So, what did you think, big enough secret? Don't worry, if you didn't like this one, there are more.
In Chapter 5:
Garfield will see Raven again.
Secret #2 is found out, the big question is answered, 'how did Beast Boy try to kill Raven,' find that out and the story behind it.
Find out more about how Kori lost her baby and what happened then. (See another part of the flashback).