I4.6

Chapter 19: Ambush Predator

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Adult themes. DO NOT read if you are underage or dislike controversial things.

Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews! I'm glad so many of you are enjoying this story as much as I am.

There is hardly any traffic at 5 in the morning. Most people are just now waking up for work, but Richard is already on the road. The feel of the wind whipping around him as he zooms down the highway on his bike is exhilarating. He can feel the blood pumping in his veins and rushing to his extremities. This morning's mist makes the air particularly cold and energizing. The loud and sturdy beating of his own heart reminds him that he's alive. These moments are always incredibly important and even more poignant when he considers his lifestyle choices. The life of crime fighting isn't for the faint of heart or those who are afraid of losing their lives. All it takes is one stray bullet or infected injury, but these early morning rides just reaffirms the fact that he is alive. That he can pursue whatever or whoever he wants.

He is pleased with the progress that has come about after the release of those pictures. The atmosphere within the Tower is so tense that he can cut it with a knife. Hardly anyone is talking to anyone else and Cyborg is buzzing around trying to mend their stressed bonds with one another. Richard knows that the emotions and the shock of those pictures are too new and still too raw for his teammates to think straight, but still not enough to completely break them. It would be best to wait for his teammates to calm down a bit before he approaches them. Beastboy may try to bite him, Starfire looks like she can't stomach the sight of him, Cyborg is trying to be his big brother and offer advice on how to fix this mess and Rachel...well, she fell into his arms yesterday. Just like he knew she would. Richard mildly regrets the upheaval he is forcing on his comrades for the sake of making Rachel his, but he also knows that he has never wanted something or someone as intensely as this.

This pursuit is exhilarating; like a predator chasing his prey and this is a prey that Richard knows well. He has studied her for years, learned her habits, molded her thought patterns to match his, memorized her strengths and categorized her weaknesses. Under the guise of a combat instructor, he has scrutinized her body, the way it moves, the way it flows. He's been mesmerized on more than one occasion by the way she shifts her weight and how her muscles subtly move under soft, pale skin. There have been times where he would place two fingers on her flesh just to feel it ripple beneath his touch. She would look at him with a question in her eyes, but he would cover by claiming to correct her form. Once, he had touched her between her shoulder blades to straighten her posture. She followed his orders and carried on with her set of stretches while he stood behind her with a bead of her sweat balanced on his fingertip. He absentmindedly licked it off of his finger as he continued to watch her move. His eyes trailing even more of the salty droplets as they run down her back and he assesses her form. It wasn't until much later, in the shower, that he realized what he had done and how intimate such a thing as tasting her sweat was. He didn't want to think too hard or too long about it at the time. He wrote it off as a random act of mindlessness instead of a subconscious truth. Now, he craves it. Not having to hide this thirst is liberating, but Rachel isn't fully ready to be consumed, yet. Last night proved that.

Richard found Rachel in a deep cavern that exists under the Titian's Tower. Everyone knew it was there, just below the garage, and everyone knew that this space belonged to the demoness. It suits her in her moments of darkness and stress. She finds it calming and Richard can understand why as he walks closer to her with his offerings in hand. He felt like a priest coming to pay homage to his goddess with food in one hand and water in the other. There was no doubt that she is one of the most powerful beings on planet Earth...and arguably the universe. Was that one of the reasons why Richard found himself drawn to her like a moth to a flame? Was there a part of him that wanted to humble her? Remind her that even with all of her power and abilities, she still answers to him. Responds to him. The thought of having such a power woman balanced on her knees between his legs was dangerously exciting. She would come to him when he calls. She would cum for him when he tells her.

She'll learn her new role and everything that it entails in due time. Right now, he has to make sure that she focuses on him, even during this turbulent time. She's already too skittish around him for his liking. Richard takes a deep breath and calms himself before he gets close enough for her pick up on his lust. She has no one else to turn to, but him right now, so he doesn't want to isolate her even more. He tells himself that he will have plenty of time and opportunity to carry out his dark desires and play with her body at his leisure, but right now, he has to get all of his ducks in a row.

The closer that he walks towards Rachel, the louder the rush of running water becomes. That is not surprising considering that the Tower is a small island that is connected to the main city using a bridge. The location is advantageous. The body of water that surrounds them works as a natural barrier against sneak attacks, unless they are done under water, but even then, there is sonar pulsing at random intervals. The team would be alerted if something suspicious was swimming through the murky depths. There's no Loch Ness monster here...unless you count Beastboy. It would be near impossible to surprise them by air, as well. Especially, when you consider that at least three of their members can take flight on a whim and the other two will be following close behind in their fancy machines. They really do make a formidable team when Richard really thinks about it. It's no wonder that crime is down and has been for a while now.

One of the team's most important members is floating before him. Her toned legs are crossed in a meditative style with her delicate wrists resting near her knees. Her slender fingers are pointed up. Thumb barely touching middle finger. Those small hands were encased within his own, much larger, rougher ones, last night. He had stroked those soft palms with his thumbs as he tried to get her to see him as man instead of a friend. He can admit now that he was too rash. Too eager. Too impatient. He had wanted her to touch him when he pressed her hands to his chest; to his face. Wanted her words of confirmation, telling him that she thinks he's attractive. That she wants to be with him like he needs to be with her. He had pushed her too far and too fast out of her comfort zone and because of that she used her powers to repel him.

This time will be different. It has to be different. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that there are two types of predators in this world. Those that chase and those that ambush. He had been chasing and she had been fleeing. She will stand and fight if she feels threatened. That is a battle he would not be able to win. That's when he realized that his methods were all wrong. He needs to be more patient. Strengthen the ground work that is already there.

Entice her with things that she needs to hear and feel to be safe. Like in this moment, she needs a shoulder to lean on and someone to commiserate with. It wouldn't be the first time he's done this for her. He was there for Malchoir, Trigon, Slade, and her various other insecurities, but it would be the first time that he is both the cause and solution for the issue.

Seduce her with the idea of them in a more romantic role. The fiction writers and shipping artists are far more creative than he can ever be. Even without these recent pictures to fuel their fire, some creators were already envisioning the "love birds" in some very plausible scenarios. Hot and heavy situations that he is sure he can recreate.

Stimulate her mind. He can easily remind her of their long nights of deep conversation under the stars on the Tower's roof. Sometimes, she would doze off on his shoulder mid-argument because she just couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. Being a good friend, he would carry her bridal style back to her bed and tuck her in.

His strong arms are ready and willing to ensnare her when she walks into them because she has no where else to go and no one else to turn to. Her friendships are strained and she has no living family to run to. These thoughts make Richard happy and these thoughts are what allows him to take in a deep breath through his nose and exhale out of his mouth. He slowly approaches the floating woman while trying to subdue his feelings of happiness. He should be seriously concerned and not jumping for joy. Instead, he tries to channel calmness, which is probably what Rachel is aiming for as well.

Richard gently places his peace offerings before her with a reverence that is usually reserved for a temple. He must tread carefully because she is highly emotional and unstable right now. With that in mind, he take several steps back from her. She hasn't outwardly recognized that he is there with her, but he knows that she can feel his presence. When she is ready to engage with him, she will. So, he'll join her in meditation until she is ready to talk to him. He mirrors her pose on the ground, directly opposite of her. He crosses his right leg over his left leg, places his hands, palms up, on his knees with thumbs lightly touching middle finger. Richard allows his eyes to flutter close. They make no noise. The sound of the rushing water surrounding them has a calming affect on them both. He can see why she comes here when she is overwhelmed by emotions.

Richard and Rachel. Robin and Raven.

They sit in communal silence with one another. It could have been an hour, a day, a week. Time means nothing when one sinks into themselves and their center of being. Richard allows his various thoughts to flicker through his mind. Refusing to hold on to any one idea long enough to spark a deep emotional reaction. He is trying to find calmness and peace, so that when he finally does interact with his beloved, he doesn't scare her away.

Eventually, he feels as though someone is staring at him with an intense gaze. I wonder what she's thinking.

Richard lazily opens his eyes to see a lovely shade of violet looking back at him. He can't quite guess what she's thinking, but he wouldn't be surprised if she is questioning his role in all of this mayhem. She has no real proof for whatever she might be speculating in that pretty head of hers, but there is no denying a gut instinct.

"Dick," she says.

He levels his grayish blue eyes with hers and says, "Rachel."

She is still floating in the air in a meditative posture. "What just happened, Dick?"

He couldn't figure out if she wanted an actual recap of events or if she was questioning how they got themselves into this position. Richard cocks his head to the side and says, "The media is purposefully misunderstanding our friendship because they need viewers."

Friendship. It's a safe word. One that she is comfortable with because it keeps them within well defined borders. He can see her shoulders relax a little when he reaffirms what she had been trying to convince their team of. It left a bitter, burnt taste in his mouth, but he'll deal with it. The ends always justify the means.

"What I don't understand is how they got those pictures in the first place," she says as she finally allows herself to float down. She is now standing on the ground and Richard stands to meet her.

"I'm not sure, myself. I didn't sense anyone in the vicinity. Did you?" he asks. He knows that no one was there. Those cameras had been pre-placed by him. That's why he told her to meet him at the rendezvous site in the first place.

She shakes her head and her violet hair sways with the movement. What Richard wouldn't give to run his hands through those strains, but now was not the time or the place. She would run if he made the first move to touch her.

"I, also, didn't sense anyone. That's what's so disturbing to me," Rachel says as she crosses her arms over herself in a defensive way and looks at Richard again with a question in her eyes. She's probably wondering if Richard was the who did all of this, but what motive could he have for releasing the pictures to the world? She continues with "I should have been able to feel their emotions. They must have been feeling gleeful or excited about what they witnessed."

Richard shakes his head "That's not what's important right now. What's done is done. Now, we have to figure out how we are going to fix it."

Rachel is still hugging herself as though the cave is cold. She's in shorts and a t shirt, but Richard doesn't see any goosebumps on her. When he realizes that she's hugging herself for a sense of security, he wants to swoop in and scoop her up in his own arms, but to do so will cause more harm than good. He balls his hands into fists and keeps them at his sides.

She looks at him in disbelief as she says, "There's no way we can fix this if we don't talk about what happened last night. That was way out of bounds!"

He flinches a little at her tone. She hasn't been this angry with him in a while. There is a part of Richard that wants to retreat from this tense moment, but he stands his ground and doesn't move.

"Yes," he quietly says, "we do need to talk about it."

They both patiently wait to see what the other will say next. Rachel is expecting an explanation and Richard doesn't want to dig a deeper hole than what is necessary. Eventually, she loses her patience.

"What was that that happened last night?" she finally demands. Richard takes a deep breath and rubs his face with his hands. The stubble on his chin grazes against his palm. How does he explain this?

"I wanted to know if you think I'm handsome," is his cop out.

"That's not what I mean and you know it," she bites back. "There was so much...coming off of you."

She waves her hand in his direction, gesturing from head to toe. Richard notices that she doesn't use the word that describes what he was feeling last night and right before he got here.

"Say it," he demands with a slight frown on his face.

"What?" is her dumbfounded question.

"Say it. What was coming off me last night?" he demands again. He wants her to say it. Recognize it. Get use to the idea. It'll make this easier in the long run.

Rachel shakes her head again and lowers her gaze to the floor. She quietly whispers "lust" to the air in the general direction of his feet. While he would normally find her timidness adorable, it is testing his patience in this moment.

"Look at me, Rachel," he commands again. He waits for her to obey. She hesitates a bit before lifting her head to meet his gaze. She is still hugging herself.

"Look at me, Rachel and say it clearly," Richard is pinning her in place with his own stare, "What was I feeling last night?"

She shivers at the baritone and authority in his voice that she never realized was there before. Richard watches as she shifts uncomfortably in place. Pleased that she reacts this way to the sound of him, but he is still very careful to not move from where he is standing. His eyes tracking her like a predator while trying his best to stifle the sexual tension he can feel growing in the pit of his stomach. His sweatpants would not be working in his favor if he got too carried away.

He watches as Rachel squares her shoulders and tries to swallow her embarrassment as she finally says in a voice with a clear tremble "You were feeling very lustful last night."

Richard nods his to confirm what they both knew, "I was. Is my lust a problem?" Do you want to fix it?

She sighs in resignation. They've never really had to talk about this before. "Your lust isn't the problem. I've felt it from you before, but this is different."

She's felt him lusting for her before and never said anything? This is confusing news to Richard.

"You've felt my lust before?" he asks with genuine curiosity in his voice.

"I've felt it from all members of the team," she says with a sigh. "All in varying degrees. It's only normal to have a moment of 'what ifs'."

"I'm confused," states Richard as he adds with a bite, "I didn't realize you had the whole team lusting after you."

"Whole team…?" she says with confusion, followed by a laugh when realization dawns on her, "no, no. I've felt lust vibrating from all members of the team, but that doesn't mean that it's directed to me."

She smiles a little as she begins explaining, "Take the other night for instance. When we were watching the Avengers movie. You were having some lustful thoughts on that couch. I could feel it. I thought it was strange before I realized that you were sitting across from Starfire."

So, she did pick up on what he was feeling, but found a way to write it off. Richard is annoyed, but also finds it somewhat adorable. He listens as she continues with, "I've also felt lust radiating off of Cyborg on multiple occasions, but I know it's definitely not directed at me. He's got a soft spot for Jinx. I figured that when his lustful feelings spike, he's probably thinking about her."

Richard nods along because it's all starting to make sense now. She's felt his desires before, but just assumed that he was thinking about someone else, presumably, Starfire. He allows this new information to sink in. This means that she is disturbed because she couldn't find a reasonable way to explain away his very direct intentions towards her last night. But, if what she says is true, and it's normal to experience "what if" moments with your friends then doesn't that mean she's entertained a thought or two of what could be between them? The idea makes him giddy.

"Like I said," Rachel's voice cuts through his musings. She is closer than she was before. That moment of brief humor helped drop her guard down a bit. "Lust is natural. Basic. Primal. We all experience it. I'm concerned about what else I felt radiating out of you."

She's within arms length of him now. A hand reaches towards his forehead but hesitates before making contact. Richard angles his head downward so it's easier for her to reach. He feels her cool fingertips graze across his heated flesh. "Dick...I'm worried about you."

He nuzzles her soft hand. His left hand moves to cradle hers and press it more firmly against his face. The grain of his beard pressing against her open palm. He doesn't look at her when he mumbles "Me too."

This recklessness that he has been dancing with is worrisome to him. This need to keep Rachel close by all means necessary scares him when he realizes how far he is willing to go to make it happen. He knows there will be causalities by the time this is done, but he can't find it in himself to care.

The ends will always justify the means.

"Rachel," he whispers into the space between them, "help me."

She looks up at her distressed friend and steps a little bit closer. She brings her other hand up to cup the other side of his face as he laces both of his arms around her back. Lightly applying pressure to draw her in. She steps in without thought and sincerely says to him, "Of course. You're my dearest friend."

Such a dirty word, is what Richard is thinking as he buries his face in her hair. He didn't want her to see his expression, but nods his thanks against the crown of her head. She rests her cheek against his chest and feeling at ease with believing that that misunderstanding and moment of intensity has been dealt with. Richard realizes that she is willing to write it off as misplaced lust and the imbalance of emotions instead of look at it head on. Part of that has to do with the other major issue that they needed to discuss.

"What are we going to do about our team?" he asks as he continues to hold her. Resting his chin on the top of her head. He is enjoying the weight of her body bracing against his larger frame. This is how all discussions should happen going forward.

"They didn't believe me when I told them that it was all a misunderstanding and that those pictures were taken out of context," she says. Did he hear a pout?

"I know. I heard some of it before I walked into the room," he replies.

"I have no idea how I'm supposed to repair things with Starfire," Rachel says with sadness in her voice. "She poured her heart out to me when it comes to you. I know she feels betrayed even though there is nothing romantic between us."

Does she not realize that she just said that while clinging to me? Thinks Richard. If Starfire were to walk in right now, there would be no going back. Same with the changeling. The thought of his subordinate irritates Richard. How was he able to kiss her before him? What the fuck? He finds the fingers of his right hand lacing themselves in her short hair. Gently massaging the base of her skull before twining themselves near the roots of her hair and effectively locking her head in place. His left arm tightens like a constrictor around her body.

"What about Beastboy? Wouldn't it be harder to fix that since you've kissed," Richard tries his hardest to keep the venom out of his voice. She might be in his arms right now, but that doesn't mean he's fully captured her. She lifts her head off of his chest and he allows it.

"Oh that…" she mumbles.

"Yes. That. Explain," he demands, "I know I asked you if you kissed him and you clearly told me no."

He fights the urge to jerk her head up so that he can look into her eyes as she provides whatever flimsy excuse she deems worthy.

"Well…," she starts, "you only asked about Saturday. We shared a kiss on Sunday and it was only a short kiss."

Short kiss, long kiss, a peck or french. It doesn't matter. His green lips touched her pale pink ones. Disgusting. He wanted to hold her head in place and plunder that pretty mouth for himself, but again, he told himself to be patient. To let her come to him with her own cravings.

"I just wanted…" she mumbled something so low that he couldn't hear even though he was so close. "Besides! Who I kiss is none of you business. You don't own me."

"I would refute that," he says as he forces her head to the side and pecks her on the cheek. Dangerously close to her lips. He lets her go before she can try to break away or call on her powers to repel him again. Richard continues with "Either way, we have a long road ahead of us. We have to convince the media, our teammates and just about everyone else."

Rachel wants to convince everyone that they are not a couple. Richard will show them that they are.

Richard can only laugh to himself as he rides his bike towards Wayne Manor. For someone so smart, Rachel is really bad at reading people. She somehow managed to convince herself that none of the desires that he has been displaying is directed to her. That these lustful feelings are somehow misplaced and that once whatever is ailing him is fixed, he'll be back to normal and chasing Starfire's skirt. Fat chance. But she did conveniently explain away the troubling event in the park. Not that he regrets his actions. Those pictures are the real catalyst for the change that he wants to see happen. It also helped him uncover a better method of pursuit than just chasing her around and forcing his lust on her.

He needs to lay in waiting. They have years of trust, friendship, camaraderie and life or death experiences that he can put to good use. If he can play to those strengths then there's a chance that he can capture her and make her his. His only concern is Cyborg. He's the only other teammate that he is worried about. Rachel is more likely to listen to what he has to say because he doesn't have a real objective in this drama besides keeping the peace. Beastboy might be his best friend, but he is reasonable enough to know that if there is no interest there then there is no use forcing it. Both Starfire and the changeling have ulterior motives for telling Rachel the things they do and she knows that, but the metal man is a different story.

As for Beastboy; he isn't too concerned. Rachel didn't rush to defend that kiss, much less any changes to that relationship. She was more concerned with keeping him out of her business than with protecting a growing love interest. Based on her lukewarm response to when he brought it up and the way she lost her cool and blew every light bulb in the living room, she has some regrets about locking lips with the green beast. Richard also has the sneaking suspicion that Beastboy knows that as well. When Richard came back from the gala, the changeling was following Rachel around like a lost puppy. Everywhere she was, he was. He doubt that she was pleased with all of the tagging along that he was doing. Either way, he'll take care of Beastboy shortly. The leader of the Titans East has accepted his proposal.

Richard finally pulls up to the gates of Wayne Manor, but decides to skip it and use the servant's entrance. Less fanfare. Besides, he wasn't "coming home" he was here for business. Business that needs to be wrapped up as soon as possible because of the tenuous situation back at the Tower. He's fairly sure most people would keep to themselves, but he also wouldn't be surprised if Cyborg tries to have a heart to heart with Rachel. He was there when Richard had led her out of the door in the garage that also serves as the entrance to the cavern. He watched them closely. Neither one of them looked ashamed to be caught slow walking their way out of a private place. Richard also made it a point to stand close to Rachel. Even daring to sling an arm around her shoulder. He knows that the metal has a few choice words to say, so he can't stay away for too long. He had actually thought of bringing her here with him, to meet her adoptive "father-in-law," but thought better of it when he realized none of them are really ready for that.

There were so many thoughts running through his head that he didn't really stop to think about what could be in the psychological evaluation that Bruce and Alfred insisted that he take. They were both worried about his ability to make rational decisions when they found out that he sampled I4.6 on a whim and kept repeating Rachel's name throughout the whole ordeal. Bruce figured out who she is and didn't want seem to pleased with the discovery. He'll have to get over it. His beloved isn't going anywhere and neither is he.

Richard strolls into Wayne Manor with all of the ease and confidence that comes with knowing one's way around high society. He sees Alfred fiddling around with the oven settings and checking on the deliciousness inside. He greets Richard without even turning around.

"Ah, yes. Good morning, Master Richard," comes a clear and strong voice from someone so elderly.

"Good morning, Alfred," Richard greets from behind, "how have you been?"

Alfred throws him a side eye over his shoulder before responding with "I've seen better days, Master Richard."

Richard was in the process of helping himself to the freshly brewed gourmet coffee when he pauses to look at the long time butler. "What do you mean?"

There is a deep sigh from the old man and a sad look in his eyes. Like he is looking at a wayward child that needs to be put on the right path before he does something truly horrible.

"Master Wayne will explain it to you," he says and pulls out freshly baked blueberry scones from the oven.

Richard keeps his eyes trained on the old man as he comments nonchalantly, "These look great, Alfred! Rachel would love them."

Alfred flinches at the mention of his beloved's name. He wonders how much Alfred knows and what his opinions on the matter are. Bruce shares everything with this man. There are no secrets between them, but that doesn't mean that they've always seen eye to eye on everything.

"Could you pack some of these for me to take back to the Tower?" Richard asks sweetly.

"Certainly! Would you like some breakfast before meeting with Master Wayne?" he inquires.

"I most definitely would," Richard says. There's no reason for him not to enjoy a splendid breakfast made by the very capable hands of Alfred Pennyworth.

Rachel...Rachel...Rachel...you get an A+ for missing all of the red flags. Smh.