I am determined to make this the best chapter ever! I was really angry with myself because I couldn't think of drama for Kory and Dick, and then I got it and I put it in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

-"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around

once in awhile, you could miss it." Ferris Bueller's Day Off, 1986-

Things between Kory, and Dick were amazing and awkward in an unspoken sort of way.They normally would have gone to lunch, together two or three times a week, but lately Dick had been making a lot of excuses. He always had to go to a meeting, or was too tired, like he was making excuses. Kory managed to convince herself it was all in her head, but it had been a month and her and Dick rarely saw each other. But tonight was Halloween and Kory was going to make sure that her and Dick spent it together, not that Halloween was the most romantic holidays. Kory went up to Wayne Enterprises, for the one hundredth time that month, but again Dick was not in his office.

Dick caught sight of Kory, and Quickly tried to avoid her, with Barbara in town it was best for them not to see each other, unfortunately for him, she she saw him. "Dick."

"Oh, hey Kory I was just-" He said motioning towards the elevator. Kory nodded, she looked disappointed, which made Dick feel guilty. "Why don't we do something this weekend." Of course Dick knew he should have checked his schedule with Raven first, she had him on such a tight leash lately. Stocks were coming out next week which was a crucial to the internship. "Let me see what I'm doing this week first. Dick and Kory walked into Raven's office.

"Is she-smiling?" Kory whispered to Dick.

"I think it's a grin." he replied.

"More like a smirk."

"You're in a good mood." Dick said noting the slight smirk on Raven's face.

"Guess, what this it." she said holding out an envelope. Dick shrugged. "It's my trust fund." Dick looked suddenly interested as he swooped down upon the plain envelope. The day that a socialite received their trust fund, was just as important to them as the day that they were born. In New York most parents gave their kids the money after their twenty fifth birthday.

"Well, that's- just great." Dick said with a tinge of jealousy.

"Why say it like that?" Kory said

"Dick is just, mad because he doesn't get his trust until February." Raven said using a letter opener to rip open to top of the letter. She pulled out a piece of paper and quickly read over it.

"Well how much?" Dick said waiting for the final number.

"I haven't gotten to that part yet, but I don't see why it matters, it's probably just enough to buy a box of toothpicks." Raven said. Finally she got to the end of the letter and her jaw dropped.

"What? How much?" Kory said. Dick brushed behind Raven and Read the end of the letter, and his jaw dropped also. "Well?" Kory said sick with anticipation. No one said anything, they just stared. Kory groaned and snatched the letter away, and saw what every one was so speechless about. "One- one hundred million!"

Raven didn't say anything. Not that there was much to say. Her first thought was what the hell, did her father expect from her, trying to butter her up with truck loads of money. Of course Raven's affection could not be bought, but she wasn't about to tell Mr. Roth that. She hadn't spoken, or made any attempts of contacts with him in well over eight years. Why would he need her now, he didn't need her eight years ago, he didn't need her for twenty-five years, and he couldn't expect to pay her, to agree to some sort business propaganda like some sort of prostitute, in a symbolic way. Raven suddenly felt the urge to rip up the check, but reality kicked in. She decided to milk this for all it was worth, and screw over her father later. "Looks like, I'm getting a new house." she said

"Raven- I think you should ca-" Dick started

"You should be getting to that meeting." Raven said brushing off the topic, the way she always did when subjects of her father came up. Dick sighed and formally, exited. He gave Kory an apologetic look before turning to leave. Kory scuffed her foot, and sighed. Raven did her best to ignore her. Kory was one of those people who you couldn't help, but feel bad for, and as of now Raven didn't really feel up to sympathy. Raven groaned. "Do you have plans for tonight?"

Kory shook her head, and arched her left eye brow. "No, I don't." Raven pulled open the bottom of her desk drawer, and took out a very, formal looking flier. She straightened out the creases and handed it to Kory. Kory looked over it. "What is this?"

"This is for Bruce's annual Halloween Masquerade ball. Everyone who's anyone goes, celebrities, important business, people like that. You buy a ticket and dress in a tux or like Marie Antoinette, and wear a mask. A game is played in which, the men have to find and kiss their maiden at midnight."

"So Dick is going to this?" Kory asked.

"Of course, he goes every year."

From the moment Kory walked down the long granite steps she was absolutely mystified. A ritzy "gentleman's club" in the upper east side, had been completely transformed, for the occasion. The place looked like something out of a fairy tale book. It was packed with woman wearing elaborate early seventeenth century costumes, while the men wore very expensive looking tuxedos. Kory went out and purchased a very expensive, six hundred dollar dress. She held the feathered mask on a stick close to her face, as she carefully made her way down the stairs, trying her best not to trip over the dark yellow ruffles, the outlined her dress.

The party was far more than anything she had ever expected, it was like a stuffy over done affair, people actually seemed to be having a good time. They danced and drunk and some even dyed their hair to match their suits. Kanye West took to the stage and performed his latest hit. It was amazing the lengths Bruce went to throw the biggest bashes of the year, and ever year he out did himself. Kory turned her head towards the large clock her the entrance, it was ten o' clock so Dick had two hours to find her but, she decided to let him know that she was there.

She moved through the large crowd of people, and did her best to make it over to the booths on the side. They were long tent like, and Arabian style made of satin, she was sure that Dick was over there talking to someone important. On her way there Tom Cruise stepped on the back of her dress, much to her delight and embarrassment, and then she bumped into Paris Hilton. when Raven said anyone who's anyone would be there, she wasn't joking. The strobe light were slightly blinding but Kory did her best to find Dick, and finally she spotted him over near the side. "Hey." she said giving him a light punch on the arm.

Dick gave her a nod, to acknowledge her presence. He seemed to be in a bad mood. Kory frowned at his lack of conversation, and social skills. This was the event of the fall, and he was stood off to the side drinking, like an old man. Kory sighed "OK, well I just wanted to let you know I was here and," she turned on her seductive tone "I'll be waiting."

Dick opened his mouth to say something, when he saw something coming down the stairs that made his eyes wide. Barbara, in true whore manner glided down the stairs, like the tramp that she was. She could have passed for Kory's twin identical sister, from her waved of curly red hair, her height of an amazon princess, right to the yellow dress she was wearing. Seeing Barbara sent Dick, into a minor panic. He couldn't have his present girlfriend, and his ex girlfriend in the same room, especially looking like they they just got out of the cloning dock. "Excuse me." he said half- heartedly pushing Kory out the way.

Leaving Kory behind in utter shock, and pushed his way through the crowd. He could see Barbara's shiny glazed, and glittered hair from Jupiter. She was quickly making her rounds around the room, and got major mileage on her flirt face, within the first minute and a half, of her arrival. Dick's pace quickened because he didn't want to loose sight of her, not that laugh could not send frequencies through out the sound barrier. He finally got close enough to her, and grabbed her arm. Barbara spun around with a slight frown on her face. "What are you doing here?" he yelled so he could be heard over the blazing music.

Barbara smiled. "I was wondering when you would show up."

"I thought you spent every holiday in Bermuda?" Dick yelled. A combination of his frustration, loud music, and alcohol were giving him a horrible head ache. Barbara smiled again.

"Don't worry, I'm to be the social butterfly of the season, I'm not after your little girlfriend." With her piece said, Barbara returned to her fast paced night, of flirtatious behavior, and rock and roll. Dick rolled his eyes, and groaned to himself. He knew Barbara and all her tricks, there was no way he was going to let her get within a thirty mile radius of Kory, which would be difficult in a eight story strip club, with four thousand people. Then Dick felt a hand on his shoulder.

"My don't look dashing tonight." Raven said. Raven was a beautifully, dark creature herself, but tonight she looked extra dazzling. The black dress, that snug her curvy figure made the intensity of her eyes, behind her mask really shine. But of course Dick would never think of her that way, being sexy that is. Although she was five months older than he was, he had always felt like her big brother, apart from supporting her drug habit as a teen. He was resisting the urge to tell her to put on a sweater. "What the hell is going on I'm sure the fire Marshall are going to bust the place any second, and what was that little stunt with Kory I just witnessed." Dick sighed, while Raven started her motherly nagging., and he placed both of his hands of her bare shoulders,and applied slight pressure.

"Will you relax, have fun tonight." he said.

"How can I have fun, without worrying something is going to go wrong? Besides I have Malcolm and Gar trailing me like parole officers."

"They're both here." Dick said swiping two glasses of champagne from the tray of an on going waitress.

"Are you kidding me? They won't let me out of their sight. I had to run for it." Dick handed her a glass. Raven then saw Gar's newly dyed green hair somewhere close by. "I have to go."

"Here," he said handing her his jacket "and for God's sake cover up."

Raven sucked her teeth, and pushed the coat away. " Thank you big brother, but I am a fully grown woman thank-you- very- much." she said snatching her hand away, and marching off indigently. Dick shook his head, and stood in the mist of the night life, wanting it to fade around him, and lock him in an everlasting sense of peace and self righteousness. Just him and Kory, to the whole world melt around them. Dick gulped down his glass of champagne and turned towards the clock. 10:17. He had plenty of time to find Kory, though he wasn't sure how he was going to do so in the crowd.

"Shit." he muttered. He'd totally forgotten, the way he had stood Kory up a few moments ago. Hoping she wasn't too mad at him, he spun around and quickly re-made his journey to the other side of the room, back to where Kory was just standing. Not to his surprise she wasn't there. "Damn it." he whispered under his breath.

In the bathroom Kory leaned over a sink under a faded light. She sighed. She gotten all dolled up just for Richard, not to mention the near nine hundred dollars she'd spent to get there, and she was there for not even a half hour, and she was already alone in the bathroom, by herself except for the couple having sex in a bathroom stall. This was like junior prom all over again. Then Kory heard the infamous laughter of that of a girl that she had hoped to never see again. In a panic Kori forced herself into a nearest unoccupied facility. She put her feet up on the seat and tried to breath as shallow as she could, although it seemed unnecessary with the screaming couple beside her.

She could her the giggly group of maybe five, like some classic high school clique, their queen bee was Barbara. "I love your new nose." one of them said, while Barbara leaned into the mirror. Kory leaned forward inside her stall, and peaked through a crack in the side of the door. She could see them all now. There were two blond twins, two brunettes, and Barbara.

"I don't know twelve weeks of recovery, and I'm still not all that satisfied." she said. The way the girls played with her hair, and told her how great she looked, you could have sworn they were in high school, that or Barbara threatened their lives. "I don't think all this work is worth it, it's like I go in, hide out for a long time, and then the press notices anyways, what the fuck is that?" she complained openly.

Again the girls were quick to praise her. "So, I saw that you ran into a certain hottie Grayson, this evening." one of the twins said coolly leaning into a sink.

"Ran into him? I was practically chasing me." she said with a grin. Kory felt her stomach lurch, and suddenly she felt sick to her stomach. "I probably should have married him when i had the chance rather than letting that old faux red- cougar, get her hands all over my man, and money."

One of the brunettes scoffed. "C'Mon Barbara, her hair is way more natural looking than yours, and if I do recall your pushing-"

"Hey!" Barbara warned.

"Thirty!" the girl said. Kory held her lips in mouth to keep from laughing, but broke out into a hysterical fit of laughter. Luckily the girl in the other stall was hitting a climax. The girls outside got real quiet, and all that could be heard for a few moments was the sound of feet shuffling. Kory felt herself slipping off the seat. She pulled herself up, as silently as possible.

"Anyways if I have it my way Richard will be crawling to have me back before breakfast." Babara said coolly, " Once daddy billionaire is out the way I'll be set for life."

"You're not going to do something drastic, like murder are you?"

"What." Barbara said "Of course not, I meant we'd wait for the old man to keel over, or have a heart attack or something like that. Now let's get out of here, I feel like a high schooler."

As soon as Kory was sure that Barbara and her friends were gone, she practically fell out of the bathroom stall. "That filthy whore." Kory looked at her watch, she couldn't believe that she'd been spying for an hour, it was eleven forty five, and Dick had fifteen minutes to find her, and when did Kory wanted to make sure Barbara had a front row view. She quickly straightened out her dress, and fixed her hair. Tonight was the night Barbara was going to be no longer a threat. It was going down.

"Ten minutes until midnight." Dick said to himself. He'd spend the whole night off to the side with though less worries, he was a little tipsy from the champagne, but you'd want to get wasted if your ex girlfriend and current girlfriend were in the same room as each other. Maybe that's what he was worried about, he didn't know. I retrospect it probably wasn't even worth worrying about, there was maybe four hundred people at the party, and the odds of them running into each other, and dishing any "harmful" secrets was unlikely, but still Dick had this feeling in the back of head, telling him something was going to go wrong.

It wasn't until ten minutes to twelve that Dick had actually worried, about finding Kory in the crowd, so he started his journey. With every one wearing costumes it was hard to tell where she was, then he spotted her bright yellow dress, far across the room.

Dick stopped and listened to the music, although he wasn't sure where it was coming from, or who was singing it. The voice shouting Deceit! Oh, treacherous maiden, went off in his head. Kory was moving pretty fast, and the groups of couples who had already found there lover were making Dick a little time conscious about time. He started to push around more, and the more he did the more the alarm in his head went off. The crowd was going faster although he wasn't sure why, it wasn't close to midnight (seven minutes away, Dick stopped mid way up the stairs and stopped again, Kory was maybe twelve feet away. Instead he ducked into the vacant men's room, and vomited lightly into the nearest open toilet.

"Fuck." he cursed to himself. He pulled out a box of breath mints from his his inside coat pocket. He breathed heavily before vomiting again, before he even had the chance to get a mint in. He stood up, and fixed himself up before casually leaving the bathroom, as he went out he glanced at his watch again, Kory had told him to stop wearing the blasted thing. She said the reason he was so up-tight was because he lived his life by an itinerary, and never had room for personal freedom, she was probably right. It was three minutes to midnight, now panic was setting in. If he could't find Kory he was screwed.Luckily for him he saw her very near by. Other masked woman was across the room, Dick pushed whoever he needed to, to get to her. The countdown began.

"Ten...Nine...Eight..." the crowd chanted in unison. Dick was closing in on her. "Seven...Six...Five...Four...Three...Two...One." Without thinking Dick gently grabbed her arm, spun her around and kissed her.Across the room, Gar spotted Raven near Malcolm. "Excuse me." he said bumping Malcolm out of the way, as he claimed Raven as his own. He could feel the jealousy exonerating from Malcolm and that made the kiss so much better.

There was something strange about Dick's kiss with Kory, it wasn't the passionate, it wasn't romantic, it felt wrong. As Dick pulled away he realized why it wasn't Kory he had kissed... it was Barbara.

Sorry this is about 2,000 word too short. I usually go for 5,000 per chapter but it's been almost 2 months since I updated and I really wanted to get something up. So to make it up to you the next time I update there will be two nice long drama filled chapters waiting for you.

Happy belated holidays. I got Teen Titans season 4 and a new Ipod.