Woo hoo, Chapter 5! Just one more to go…Well, I know that it's been a while…a long while…but I'm back! Yes…graduation was last Sunday and so now I have a very long summer before college starts…so I plan to give most of my attention to working on my stories (finally). Up until when I have to leave for Florida (end of June)…HOSA national conference in Orlando…ugh, I'm just excited to go to Disney World! Haha…and then when I get back, I'm starting on my health career internship, five days a week :( But hopefully I'll be able to find some writing time when I'm at home! 'Cause I seriously need to get working on my other story, too, The Caged Bird.

Anyway, I hope to finish this one soon, maybe by the end of this week or the next.

The aliases: Robin=Richard Grayson, Starfire=Kori Anders, Beast Boy=Garfield Logan, Cyborg=Victor Stone, Raven=Raven (lol..that wasn't necessary), Bumblee=Karen Beecher, Speedy=Roy Harper, Aqualad=Garth, Kid Flash=Wally West

This chapter is dedicated to JadeDarkness for being the first to review the last chapter!

Disclaimer: It's not mine…aww.

Go melt back in the night
Everything inside is made of stone
There's nothing in here moving
And anyway I'm not alone
-Bob Dylan, It Ain't Me, Babe

Richard stood in front of the vanity in the bedroom, using gel to style his messy hair back, away from his face. He glanced at the clock next to the bed. It was already 4:40, and they were supposed to be at the restaurant by five. 'I swear, she's been in there for almost an hour.' As if she'd heard his thoughts, Kori emerged from the bathroom, looking as perfect and pretty as she always does. Before he could get a word in, she walked past him, saying, "I think I have left my lipstick in my other hand bag downstairs. I will not take long." She left the room, her lavender dress flowing out behind her.

He stared at the doorway for a moment before sighing and falling backwards onto the bed. Since the night he came home from Roy's house, Kori had been acting different towards him. She was still graciously polite, but the unbounded joy that usually radiated from her had all but disappeared. She now only spoke to him if she really needed to, not just for the fun of it. She treated him as if he were just a guest in their house and not her long-time boyfriend. He rarely ever saw Kori acting so standoffish and distant. He enjoyed quiet, but the awkward silence that had filled their house put him on edge.

'What if she knows…?' He pondered for a while as he stared up at the ceiling. He had a slight feeling of dread at the thought. He wanted to be the one to tell her the truth; if someone else had gotten to it before him...

The phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. He slowly sat up and answered. "Hello?"

"Let me guess…you haven't told her yet, right?"

"Rae…"

"Don't even start with me, Rich. I told you to tell her the truth, the truth about everything. Roy even called me last night and told me you two had a talk about it. He's worried about what's going on between the two of you because he saw Kori at the supermarket the other day, depressed. Kori's never depressed, Richard."

He clenched his eyes shut, rubbing his left temple. "…I know. I know I should've said something, but…"

"You chickened out?"

"No, I…I was going to tell her when I came home that night from Roy's house. But…you weren't there, Rae. You didn't see the look on her face. When I came in, she was just…completely different from how she was earlier in the day. I couldn't tell her then. She looked so beat up already."

"Well, I wouldn't blame her if her supposedly committed boyfriend kept leaving her alone every second of the day…especially on their anniversary."

"You're making me feel worse than I already am."

"Well what do you expect, Richard!" Her voice was raised slightly. Raven was usually reserved and didn't get too involved in other people's problems. But Kori was dear to her, and this drama had been going on for far too long. She was sick of it. "It's obvious that she can't take it anymore. She might not have known something was up with you, but with the way you've been acting for the past couple of months…she may be naïve, but she's not stupid, Richard. She would've suspected something was wrong eventually. I mean, you think she enjoys being lonely? She's Starfire, Rich… she might have been willing to endure it at first because she loves you that much, but even she has her breaking point."

"That's why I feel so bad, Rae." Richard brought up his left arm and put his hand on his forehead. "Since I started leaving more and more often, I knew how it was affecting her; even when she smiled, I could still tell. But now it's like…I don't know. Something happened that night to her. She just…hasn't been the same since."

There was a brief silence on the phone before Raven spoke. "I think…Kori's just tired of pretending anymore. And to be honest…so am I, Richard."

He grimaced. Through her usual monotone, he'd detected a slight but genuine sound of pain in her voice. He had never wanted to hurt anyone, and yet now, two of his closest friends were miserable because of him. How could things have gone so wrong?

'I'm a coward,' he thought, ashamed of himself. 'I'm Richard Grayson, Robin, for crying out loud. I've hunted down psychopaths and murderers. I've single-handedly taken on some of the worst super villains to have ever set foot in this city. I've been through things people have only seen in movies and TV. Hell, I even survived the end of the world. But I can't even pluck up the courage to just say how I really feel to Kori. God, I'm pathetic.' He let out a breath. "…I'm sorry, Rae. That's all I can say right now. I never…I never meant for any of this to happen."

"I know you didn't. You're a good, sincere person. You just…"

"Made one really bad decision?"

She gave a small laugh. "To say the least, yes…just hope that it's not too late to fix things, Rich."

'That's what I'm afraid of.' He heard footsteps coming down the hall. "I have to go," he whispered.

"I'll see you there. Just remember, Rich. Please." He put the phone down as Kori walked inside.

"Ready?" he asked.

She nodded, grabbing their present for Karen off the bureau and walked back out, without so much as a glance in his direction. His eyes saddened as he grabbed his jacket and followed her out.

TT

"Well, look who finally decided to show up," Victor teased as he let Richard and Kori in to the room they'd reserved. The party was being held at one of the fanciest restaurants in the city, and Victor had booked their biggest and most elegant room, complete with a chandelier and velvet curtains.

"Sorry we're late, there was a bit of traffic." He handed their bag with their gift in it to Victor.

"Hey, at least you're here, man." He smiled as he hugged Kori.

"Are you okay, Victor?" Kori asked, worriedly, as she pulled away. "Garfield told me you were ill…"

"Aw, I'm alright," he assured her. "My nose is still kinda stuffy, but other than, it's all good."

She smiled and proceeded to head towards the other guests. The two guys followed eventually, still talking.

"This is all really great, Vic, but…didn't Karen want something a bit more simple?" Richard asked, looking around at all the posh and luxurious decorations.

"Yeah, I know she ain't the kind of girl that cares about stuff like this, but it's her birthday, you know? I wanted to do something special for her…she really deserves it." Vic replied.

Richard smiled. Ever since they were teenagers, Vic and Karen had been deeply and truly in love. He knew how much Vic cared for her; he would drive miles from Jump City all the way out to the Titans East tower just to see Karen. Now they were finally living together, married and happier than ever.

"So…" he began, eyeing the expensive looking silverware on the dining tables. "Karen's okay with how much you had to spend for all this?"

"Uh…well, like I said, she deserves it…heh," Vic rubbed the back of his head nervously as Richard smirked.

"Dude, you're finally here!" They turned to see their green friend coming over. "We thought you and Kori got lost or something!"

"Nah, it was just traffic…" Richard looked around. "Where's Karen, anyway? I still haven't wished her a happy birthday…"

"She's around here somewhere…oh, right there. Karen!" Victor called her over. She turned and seeing Richard smiled and made her way across the room. Her short yellow dress and black heels reminded him of her days as Bumblebee.

"I almost thought you weren't coming, Rich," She said as he gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"And miss your birthday? I'd never," he smiled.

"Really though, thanks for coming…I haven't seen you and Kori in ages!"

"Yeah, it's been a while…" He spotted Kori sitting down at table, chatting with Toni and Kole. She was laughing and looking happy enough, but thanks to his keen sense of observation, he could tell she was putting on a front.

"Why don't you get something to drink? The food won't be out until about half an hour," Karen said, looking at the wall clock.

"Er, I think that's a good idea…you should go save Roy before he gets a bit too…tipsy," Gar pointed out with a snicker at Roy slouching over the counter at the mini-bar, drink in hand.

Richard shook his head as he made his way over to the red head. Seeing him coming over, Roy straightened up and put down his glass. He sat down, patting the stool beside him. Richard sat, eyeing him. "…You're not drunk yet, are you?"

"Haha, no…well, not yet, anyway. Just a bit tired." Roy took another sip. "Having anything?"

He shook his head. "I'm driving tonight…don't want to take any risks."

Roy smirked. "You're always the cautious one, eh? Such a good boy…"

"Let me guess. Wally's dropping you off?"

He took gulped the rest of it down. "Yup. That won't stop him from having a few, though. Doesn't matter anyway; alcohol doesn't affect him that much. It just speeds right through his system, the lucky bastard."

"I wouldn't look at it that way; I mean, what's the point of getting drunk if you only last that way for a few minutes?"

"True…" Roy got another drink and sipped it. They were quiet for a few moments until Roy spoke again. "So…Rae Rae tells me that you haven't said a word to Kori about it yet."

Richard looked at the floor. "Yeah…I was going to, but...it didn't happen."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I'm very disappointed in you, Richard John Grayson," he scolded mockingly, wagging his finger.

"You sound like an old grandmother."

Roy laughed. "Thanks a lot…but seriously, though…why are you still waiting around, man? I mean, I thought my speech that night was pretty encouraging," he said with mock pretension.

Richard sighed, plopping down on the stool beside him. "I really was going to tell her, Roy, but…you didn't see the look on her face. It was…she just seemed so…miserable already, I didn't want to make things worse."

"Richard, Richard, Richard," Roy said, looking at him like a mother scolding her child. "How many times do I have to say this until it gets to you? You say you don't want to hurt Kori, but the longer you wait, the more pain you end up putting her in. You think that by keeping the truth from her, you're protecting her, but really…it's the opposite. The longer you wait, the longer the two of you have to suffer. And you don't want that, right?"

He shook his head. Roy sat there, waiting for a response, but after a few moments of silence, he stood, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Well…I'll leave you with that, Rich. Just…think about what I said. It's what I've been saying over and over," he laughed. "And I'm sure it's what Raven has been trying to drill past your thick skull, too." He laughed and jumped out of the way as Richard aimed for his side. "And speaking of the devil…"

Richard turned around to where Roy was facing, seeing Raven coming towards them. "Shall I leave you two lovebirds alone, then?" Roy winked as he walked over to Raven, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Maybe you can knock some sense into him, Rae Rae? You were always the only one who ever could." And with that, Roy off to chat with the rest of Karen's guests.

Richard looked at her as she sat down next to him, crossing her legs in a midnight blue halter gown. "You look gorgeous," he said with a smile.

"Thanks…" She propped her elbow on the bar, her chin resting on her hand as she studied him. He waited for a few moments for her to speak, but after a few more seconds of awkward silence, he fidgeted in his stool.

"So…" he began.

"So…" she echoed back. "…Has the boy wonder gotten his confidence back yet?"

He smiled at the use of his old nick name. "Yeah well…I'm trying, Raven. I really am, it's just…"

She let out an impatient sigh. "It's just what this time, Richard? What is it now?" He could tell she was reaching the end of her rope, and he felt bad for upsetting her so much. But he knew she was right…it was time to stop giving excuses and, as Roy would say, "man up".

"I want to tell her…I want to, so badly. I need to get this off my chest…" But he stopped. Raven looked at him, knowing exactly what was wrong. She knew him long enough to be able to do that, something few others could with Richard.

"…You care too much about other people's feelings, Richard. You worry too much about whether or not you're hurting someone, especially the ones you love. I think…perhaps it's because you spent so long looking out for others, protecting them, watching over them as Robin, that you forgot to look out for the one person that matters the most…yourself." He looked up at her as she gave him one of her rare, kind smiles, putting her hand gently over his. "Don't ever forget that you matter, too, Rich…your happiness matters, too."

He looked at her for a moment before smiling, giving her a big hug. "…You've always been so good at saying exactly what I need to hear," he whispered in her ear. "Thank you."

She hugged him back before pulling away. "Now…I think maybe you need a bit of fresh air to clear up your thoughts." Before he could protest, she grabbed his hand and led him across the room to the balcony. She pushed him towards the open door. "Go," she said. "I'll be here, waiting."

He gave her a confused look, but she refused to say anything more. He walked past her out onto the stone floor of the balcony. He took a deep breath, taking in the cool night air, letting it fill him up. She was right; it felt nice to escape the warmness of the stuffy room. He walked forward, leaning on the balustrade, letting his eyes soak in the view of the beautiful gardens below him, the twinkling city lights in the distance. It was quiet…very peaceful.

"…Richard?"

He turned to see Kori standing at the other end of the balcony, surprise on her face. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see the glass doors close, the curtains drawing together. He shook his head, a small smile on his face at Raven's trick. But as he turned back to Kori, it faded away, seeing the look of anticipation, uncertainty, but overall sadness on her face.

For what seemed like eternity, they stood there, several feet away from each other, staring. Just staring at each other. Standing…staring…waiting.

Hmm…I don't think I'm one hundred percent happy with this chapter. Feels a bit rushed towards the end to me…well, what do you guys think? Tell me by sending me a review!

Next chapter is the last one…and, as you can guess, it's pretty much gonna be between Richard and Kori… at last, the final confrontation! The tension! The drama! The suspense! Haha…well, it's not that big…I'm just happy the story is finally coming to a conclusion! I'm still pondering over other story ideas I have swimming around in my mind…especially since I started watching Boys Over Flowers, I have been getting a lot of ideas for new stories :)

But of course, first thing's first…I need to work on The Caged Bird. But that one isn't ending any time soon….it's gonna be a while until I get to finish it. In the meantime, I hope to start on more short stories like this one in the upcoming weeks!

Now, please review! Tell me what you think!