Monday morning rolled along like rush hour traffic for Kori. She turned off her 6am alarm, having woken up three hours before it. The previous night, she had decided to go flying for the first time since the day she had arrived on this planet. Being so high above the stratosphere reminded her of how there were things for which she was grateful: her new friends, the way the earth's moon looked like a toenail, the fact that she was no longer in the grasp of the Citadel. She focused on all of these things to keep herself airborne, noticing how her altitude would drop anytime Richard graced her thoughts. That happened more frequently than she cared to admit.

He hadn't stuck around for Friday's halftime show like he had the week before, or snuck her a hotdog covered in mustard, or even so much as turned his head towards the bands section of the bleachers when they played the fight song. After the game, she had watched as Kitten climbed onto the back of his motorcycle and snaked her arms around his torso, holding him way too close for Kori's liking when they sped out of the parking lot.

Kori let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as she dragged herself out of bed. As she made her way towards that bathroom to take a shower, she noticed a sock on the doorknob to Bee's bedroom, and she remembered that meaning that she required privacy. Kori thought nothing else of it as she turned on the water and undressed while she waited for it to heat up. Once the water was practically boiling, she slipped into the shower, feeling her shoulders relax in the steady stream.

Showers were where Kori's mind seemed to do the most wondering, especially in terms of her current relationship status with Richard. Did he miss her? As much as she wanted to believe that he did, she felt a pang in her stomach at the realization that if he wanted anything to do with her, he would at least be friendly. But he hadn't hardly said two words to her since the moth attack. And why had he saved her from Xavier last week? She had yet to figure out Richard's motives for that, leaving her even more confused. He had also scolded Kitten when she made a passing comment in the hallway, loudly proclaiming Kori to be a 'freak'. Richard had dropped her hand, got right in Kitten's face, and told her to knock it off. Kitten had simply rolled her eyes, forced her hand back into his and dragged him down the hallway.

Kori felt her knees weaken, and she fell to the shower floor. She hugged her knees to her chest and let the water cascade down her back as fresh tears started trailing down her cheeks. And she remained like that for she didn't know how long, until there was a loud knock on the door. "Kori, you do realize that this is the only bathroom in the house and you have to share, right?" came Rachel's frustrated voice.

Kori hurriedly turned off the water and dried herself off, wrapping the towel around her small frame and exiting the bathroom. She gave Rachel an apologetic smile as she walked past her, and thought nothing of the fact that Isaiah Crockett was standing right outside Bee's now-open door. "Greetings," she said quietly to him as she stepped into her own bedroom and closed the door behind her.

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Richard had continued to ignore Kori throughout the school day. She had strangely started to get used to this behavior from him after a week, though that didn't ease the ache it caused in her chest. As Kori walked into world history, she wasn't surprised to find Richard was again seated in his new seat away from hers. She slid down into her chair and rested her head in her folded arms atop her desk, feeling a dull thumping in her left temple that she was sure had been caused by the sheer lack of sleep she had been getting every night.

"Okay, class," Mr. Justice said from his podium at the front of the room once the bell had rung. "Today we will be wrapping up our chapter on old world history before we start getting into the early Middle Ages next week. There will be a test on Friday, so today I want you to get in pairs to study the unit together."

There was a lot of bustling about and rustling of papers as the students started to pair off. "Hey Kori, whatcha say you and I work together?" Xavier's voice came from her left, causing her to slink further into her seat.

"Umm…" Kori muttered, searching the room for anyone else who was still by themselves.

"Actually, she already has a partner." To her surprise and relief, Richard had appeared in the seat next to her, his book already open to the chapter and ready to go.

Xavier rolled his eyes, muttering something about schizophrenia as he walked away. "I thank you, Richard." Kori looked over at him as his eyes remained focused on the page in front of him.

"Don't mention it. He treats all the girls like shit. Thought it'd be best if he didn't have an excuse to get too close to you." Kori could've swore she saw his eyes flicker in her direction for a half second, but decided she had imagined it. "So, how have you been? I know we haven't talked much lately."

Kori realized her eyes had been glued to his face as it continued to stare at his textbook. She quickly pulled her gaze down to her own desk. "Perhaps it is best if we do not do the talking about it."

Richard nodded, but Kori didn't see the glaze that — only for a second — came over his eyes, then with a blink was gone.

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Kori rode home in the passenger's seat of Bee's VW in silence, watching out the window as they passed by tall buildings and people bustling on the sidewalks. She saw a young couple cheerily sauntering hand-in-hand and wished for a moment that could have been her and Richard. Sighing heavily, she cast her gaze down to her hands which were folded in her lap.

"Girl, we gotta do something to make you smile. You've been bringing the whole vibe down lately," Bee said, making a left turn off their usual route back to the house. "Lucky for you, I know the perfect spot."

A few moments later, Kori realized they were leaving the city altogether, the urban landscapes gradually becoming more and more rural, with large wooded areas surrounding the interstate on either side. Before long, Bee pulled off on an exit ramp, then turning right towards the forest. Once they were deep amongst the trees, she pulled the car over and parked it. "Follow me," she said as she got out of the car and started making her way down an overgrown trail. Kori closed her car door gently behind her, watching with curiosity as Bee made confident steps over the rocks and roots that covered the path, then followed closely behind her, making sure to step exactly where Bee had stepped.

"It's just around the corner here. It's an old hideout that our friends and I used to meet up at in freshman year," Bee explained. After a few more minutes of walking, Kori could hear the rushing of water. Then before her, she saw a large wooden structure fixed up in a tree, a weathered ladder leading up to it. Bee started climbing it, beckoning Kori to follow. Once they were both inside the building, they crossed to the other side where another doorway, with a large spiderweb in the corner of it, led to a small balcony of sorts that overlooked a rapidly flowing river. The water cascaded over some large rocks, giving a waterfall effect. The trees on the other side of the river had roots that reached down towards the rushing waves, their branches swaying ever so slightly in the cool autumn breeze. The leaves had just begun to change their color, still mostly green but with hints of yellow and orange. Kori felt her eyes grow wide and her lips lift into a smile of pure wonder. This was the first she had seen of true nature on earth. It wasn't manmade, like the bright greens of the park downtown, but had something untamed and dangerous about it that reminded her of her home planet before the war. She was speechless.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Bee mused, her eyes trained on the scene before them.

"Glorious." Kori's voice came out as just a whisper, as though if she were too loud she would cause a great disturbance in the wild and free nature before her. She watched below them as a brown spotted snake slithered among the weeds an started up a neighboring tree, then returned her gaze to the water. Sitting down on the balcony, she allowed her legs to dangle over the edge, kicking them in small motions.

"You know, this was where I first met all the guys. I was new to Jump City, and much like you, I didn't have any family to stay with." Bee's voice was casual as she took a seat next to Kori, leaning back on her elbows. "But Dick's loaded, the adopted son of a millionaire. They actually own that little house that we're staying in with Rachel. The guys stay in a different house across town, about the same size. Dick could definitely afford more luxurious living arrangements, but he prefers a more humble lifestyle. I think he got sick of being known as 'Bruce Wayne's son'. So he moved here, away from his family in New York. Decided to live well below his means."

Kori didn't speak. She had no concept of New York or Bruce Wayne. But she did understand the desire to separate oneself from a family that didn't feel like home all too well.

"That's all beside the point though," Bee continued. "So, he let me move in there, and eventually Rachel moved in, too. We've always all had each other's backs. And now we've got yours, too. We're your family. And this little hideout is a great place to come if you ever need to clear your head."

For a moment, the only noises were the river and the wind rustling the trees. "I thank you, friend Bee," Kori said, casting a small smile in the other girl's direction. "I just hope that I can do the 'fitting in' with all of you. There is still so much about me that none of you know, and I fear that our differences may be too much."

Bee gave a light chuckle, shaking her head. "Girl, you don't even know that half of it. But when the time's right, yeah?"

Kori's smile grew a little more. "Indeed." There was a pause while she carefully considered her next words, her smile vanishing. "But I do not think that Richard would call me family. I am not sure at this point if we are even friends."

Bee's eyes narrowed as she was deep in thought for a second. She could only say so much without revealing secrets that weren't hers to tell. "He's just… at war. With himself mostly. Trust me, he still cares about you, Kori."

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That night, Kori once again found herself tossing and turning instead of falling asleep, her lamp still casting a yellow glow throughout the room. 11:26pm. Like the past couple of nights, Kori decided against trying to fight away the insomnia, rather climbing out of her bedroom window and taking to the sky.

She zoomed high above the skyscrapers in the city, her thoughts lingering on her earlier conversation with Bee, on the idea of having somewhere she belonged. Once she had been flying for a solid fifteen minutes, she spotted a particularly inviting rooftop that stood higher than most, and landed there. This was her favorite spot to go at night. She loved to sit on the edge for hours and watch as the lights in all the windows all over the urban landscape would go dark, one by one.

"Awful dangerous to be this high up, don't you think?" a gruff voice sounded from behind her, startling her. She got to her feet, and turned to face the voice, finding herself face-to-face with Nightwing.

His eyes widened in recognition. "Kori? What are you doing up here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," she shrugged.

Nightwing stepped closer to Kori, taking up the space next to her and focusing his gaze on the skyline. "This tower offers one of the best views of the city. Perfect for spotting trouble. And there have been reports of a green light streaking through the sky. You wouldn't have happened to notice anything like that, would you?"

Kori's breath hitched in her chest. Had he seen her fly up here? Surely not. "No, I have not seen anything of the sort," she lied, then changed the subject. "I do believe I am now indebted to you for rescuing me from the moths last week."

Nightwing smirked. If that were true, then the whole city would be in so much debt to him at this point that he could probably build his own empire. "You don't owe me anything. That's not why I do all these heroics."

There was silence between them for a moment, and Kori wondered if it was as uncomfortable for him as it was for her. If so, he showed no signs of it in what she could see of his masked face. "You wanted to know why I was up here. The truth is, my heart has been heavy, so sleeping has not been much of an option."

Nightwing's eyes darted to his feet and back up, a subtly that went unnoticed by Kori thanks to his mask. "Anything that a superhero can help you with?"

Kori hung her head slightly. "Perhaps not. But you could do the listening."

"I'm all ears."

She sat back down on the edge of the roof, and Nightwing took a seat next to her. "There is this boy," she began. "I have begun to realize that I have the 'feelings' for him. And I was certain that he had them for me, as well. But now, he is back together with his ex-girlfriend, and he has hardly spoken to me at all."

Her words stung, but Nightwing showed no evidence of it. He swallowed the lump that had formed in the back of his throat. "I suppose you must really hate the guy."

Kori chuckled half-heartedly. "That would perhaps make things much simpler. But I do not believe that I am capable of doing the hating of him." She looked down at her hands that lay folded in her lap. "I just hope that he is happy. One of us should be."

"Sounds like a fool to me," Nightwing said. Kori turned to look at his face. It still showed no sign of any emotion, until he turned to face her with a crooked smile on his face. He looked so familiar to Kori, but she supposed it was just from when she first met him last week.

Kori couldn't see the war being waged just behind Nightwing's eyes. He wanted to wrap her in his arms, apologize for how he had been treating her, kiss her beautiful lips. And he caught himself leaning in towards her face. But he pulled away when he was just a few inches from her lips. He couldn't. He needed to keep his wits about him, and his heart guarded. Letting Kori in would only mean trouble for her. She deserved better than that.

Nightwing cleared his throat, standing up and offering Kori his hand. "It's late. Why don't we get you home." Kori took his hand and allowed him to help her stand. Once she was to her feet, he liked her in those large green eyes. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

"With my life," she replied. And with that, Nightwing used one arm to pull her to him and hold her tight. He felt her arms slide around his torso. Once he was sure she was secure, he stepped off the ledge, pulling her with him. Then he quickly shot his grappling hook up towards the roof, causing their descent to slow, until their could safely place their feet on the ground. They hand landed right next to Nightwing's motorcycle, which they both mounted. Kori kept a tight hold around his waist, resting her helmeted head on his back as he sped through the city, back to her house.