Part 16- Confrontation

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Raven froze and turned away from the stove, feigning confusion “Why didn’t I tell you what?” BB narrowed his eyes at her and stalked towards her, invading her space and forcing her to back into the counter behind her. He stood over her, not giving her room to breathe.

“Why didn’t you tell me the baby was mine?”

Raven froze, her breath stuck in her lungs as she felt her world bottom out. Oh crap!  “What are you talking about? Who said the... who said it was yours?” She couldn’t say the word. Almost eight months after the fact and she still had trouble with words like baby and pregnancy.

“Who told me doesn’t matter. What I want to know is why you didn’t tell me yourself?” She didn’t reply, she couldn’t even look at him as he let out a curse and strode away from her. He pivoted and stood on the other side of the kitchen island, bracing his hands on the counter top. She thought this conversation might happen one day but she was naive enough to believe it wouldn’t be for a while, maybe after he was married and had kids and wouldn’t care anymore. Right, that would happen. Why is it when she had just started to get control of her life, Karma or Destiny or whichever bastard it was that nudged life along decided she was unworthy of simple contentment?

“I figured it out myself, OK.” She looked at him as he spoke to the spot over her left shoulder. “The hotel sent me the anklet I gave you for your birthday, with a note that they had found it in my room. I realised it hadn’t been Terra in my bed, it was you. Then everything came rushing back. Every kiss, every sigh, and every scream… everything. And I couldn’t believe you wouldn’t tell me. I mean, were you embarrassed that you had lowered yourself to sleeping with someone like me? Was I a pity fuck because you thought I needed to be cheered up? I don’t know why you didn’t tell me, but it was obvious you thought it was a mistake. I knew you were keeping something from me but I couldn’t believe it was something like this.”

“The more I thought about it, the more other things started to make sense. Cy’s pitying looks when he thought I wasn’t looking and his weird reaction to me wanting to see the footage from that night. Star never letting us be alone in the same room together. Garth insisting that Mason couldn’t possibly be the father. Stepping back and examining everything like that made me ask myself the big question. If Mason wasn’t the father of your baby, who was? Garth had been the obvious suspect, but he swore that it wasn’t him. So who else could it be? Who else had you let close enough to sleep with? Then it hit me.” He looked her in the eyes, not letting her drop his gaze as he continued.

“It was me. I was the father of your child and you never bothered to tell me. Wouldn’t let me mourn his or her death with you. And even now, I can’t understand why. Why, Rae? Why didn’t you tell me? Any of it? Why do you insist on facing everything alone?!” BB shouted and her heart cracked to see such grief in the green eyes of the man she loved.

But she couldn’t let that distract her. The control she had been working so hard to develop over the last eight months started to crumble as Anger started to take hold of her. She watched as he sighed and dropped his head into his hands, freeing her from the hold his eyes always had on her and something inside her just snapped.

“What was I supposed to say Beast Boy? And when exactly would have been a good time to tell you something like that?” His head came up as she whispered to him. She could hear her voice breaking as she spoke. She moved away from the stove, staring him down as her voice grew stronger.

“Was I supposed to tell you the morning after it happened even though while I was making love to you, you had been thinking about Terra? Had called out her name even as you reached for me?” he backed away as she moved out of the kitchen and towards him, stalking his movements as Grief and Anger screamed in her head. “Was I supposed to tell you when I found out I was pregnant even though you had just gotten back together with the woman you had told me on numerous occasions was the ‘love of your life’? The woman you thought you had been with that night? The one you were all over on the couch every day, the one in your bed every night?” She tried to push her emotions back, but they were too all consuming. “Was I supposed to tell you after I lost the b…baby, so you could feel the same heart-wrenching grief I have felt every day since then?” The back of his legs hit the couch, blocking his escape route as she continued to stalk him, she knew her eyes would be glowing red in the near darkness of the room.

She stopped an arm’s length from him, panting hard as she tried to restrain her powers before she broke something. She took a deep calming breath as she closed her eyes. Azarath Metrion Zinthos, Azarath Metrion Zinthos, Azarath…Her emotions started to quieten and Anger and Grief started to back off. When she opened her eyes again, they were back to their usual violet colouring. BB reached for her and she flinched back. Her emotions still weren’t stable and she didn’t want her fragile hold on them to break. She didn’t want to destroy another building. She took a few steps back as she examined the wounded look on his face. Now for the hardest part. Be strong.

“Ok Gar…Beast Boy. You want the truth? That night was about two drunk, lonely people coming together for sex, nothing more. Was it satisfying? Yes. Did it change anything? No. Just because it resulted in me getting pregnant doesn’t mean we should treat it as anything more than what it was; a drunken mistake.” He was the one moving towards her now. His eyes were the ones filling with anger. She ignored the emotions coming off of him in waves and continued, knowing if she didn’t stop things now she may never have the strength to do it again. “I appreciate that you think you’ve been wronged in some way and that your masculine pride has been bruised but…” She stopped talking as BB did something that completely shocked her: he pulled her towards him, wrapped her in his arms and just held her.

Raven tried valiantly to keep her shields in place; no matter what her emotions tried to say, they would never work. They were just too different. She was darkness and he was light. They had absolutely nothing in common and any romantic relationship between them was doomed from the start. Even so, she melted into the hug, feeling safe in his arms. Grief returned and Raven gave in to the sadness she had been holding back for so long. “No matter how it was created, it was still our baby. You should have let me grieve with you.”

Raven nuzzled into his chest and sighed before pulling all the remnants of her self-control together and pulled away from him. She braced herself and forced out the words that she knew would hurt him the most. “Let’s be honest with each other here Beast Boy: neither of us have room for a baby in our lives and it would have forced us into roles we just aren’t ready for. I am hardly mother material, and having to play father to a kid you didn’t want that was conceived from a drunk one-night stand when you were just starting out your relationship with Terra again probably wasn’t high on things you wanted in your life either. It was probably best that things happened the way they did. Let’s just pretend that you didn’t figure out who the father was and you still think it was Garths’. That way no harm, no foul. We can both pretend nothing happened, ok?”

Raven watched as emotions flittered across his face; anger and sadness the most dominant, before he slipped on his emotionless mask and left the room. She tried not to show how badly she wanted to take it all back; how much she wanted to chase him down, go back into his arms and let him comfort her. But she knew it wouldn’t be fair to him and would only hurt him more in the long run.

Just because he and Terra were currently over didn’t mean Raven had become any more suitable for him. She was a freak and a monster and he was the most kind and compassionate person she knew. She wasn’t going to stain him with her darkness. She would die before she tainted him in that way. Soon enough he would find a woman who would make him happy, and this time she would do a better job of hiding her jealousy and playing the part of happy best-friend when he moved on with his life. No matter how much it would kill her to see him with someone else, she just wanted him to be happy.

*****

BB turned into the wind as he used thermals to soar above the city he had called his home for almost 8 years. He had hoped that flying above it all as a hawk would clear his head, or at least give him a new perspective. All he could hear were her words repeating over and over again in his head. It was probably best that things happened the way they did. BB cursed internally as he had to do some quick manoeuvres or risk running into the billboard advertising some miracle new product or other. Hearing the woman you were in love with flat out tell you that losing your baby may have been the best for everyone concerned was shattering. Here he had been drowning in guilt and sadness and she was thanking her lucky stars.

BB thought back to their conversation and something struck him as wrong. If it had really meant so little to her, why was she so close to losing control? When she had stalked him across the room, eyes glowing red: he could have almost touched her grief it was so palpable. Then in the next breath she dismissed it. Something wasn’t right and BB planned to get to the bottom of it. Finishing his patrol of the perimeter, he flew down to the balcony attached to his room and changed back to his human form before going in out of the cold.

It was still hard to believe that she was finally back. Months of worry and loneliness and now she was back in his life again where she belonged. BB shook his head as he reminded himself that she was back because she was being hunted by some psycho who could be trying to hurt her, or at least wasn’t pulling their punches in trying to break up the Team. Thinking that Slade may have been sent by someone with a master plan was a terrifying thought that left BB a little nauseous.

Or that could be being near Raven and pretending that nothing had happened.

BB looked around his bedroom and was suddenly very happy he had never brought Terra here. Knowing that his apartment was being used to keep Raven safe made the Beast under his skin purr with satisfaction, a huge change to the restlessness and anger he was used to hearing from his inner-demon. She is near, and she is safe. We are content for now. It finally clicked that the reason the Beast wasn’t trying to claw his way to dominant personality was because it knew that Raven was nearby.

Either way, BB was determined that he wouldn’t let Raven push him away and he would protect her from anyone who dared to try and hurt her. If she really did love him like he loved her, and the team seemed very adamant that she did, then he wouldn’t be letting her go without a fight. Our mate shall never leave our side again. Pushing that somewhat possessive thought to the back of his mind, BB had a quick shower and went to bed, blissfully happy that he finally had the woman of his dreams in his life again. Now all they needed to do was get rid of this pesky stalker and all would be right in the world. Your optimism amazes me.

When BB woke the next morning, he felt oddly refreshed. He stretched in his bed for a moment, a smile tugging at his face before he remembered the night before. Raven coming home, telling him their one night together had been a drunken mistake. Telling him losing their baby was for the best. The pain and anguish he felt until he realised she was hiding something from him again. At the forefront of it all was the promise he had made to himself that he would protect her no matter what.

BB looked around his room and something occurred to him that he had never really thought about. Looking around his room he realised that he had decorated with not just his own tastes in mind. The large TV and game console across from the bed were standard issue for him, but the rest of the room was a contrast of his and her tastes. The bed frame, end tables and doors were all the same Cherrywood as a trunk he and Raven had found in an antique store she had dragged him to years ago. The trunk now at the end of his bed after she insisted he buy it to store the things most important to him. The window seat and bedding were a golden shade that always reminded BB of his childhood home: of the sun shining through the trees in the jungles where he grew up. The walls were a similar colour, making the room feel warm and inviting. The bathroom and ensuite were separated by a glass fireplace with stones that reminded him of the campfires he and the team had circled around when Dick had taken them camping as a ‘team building exercise’. Even the ensuite itself was in an older style BB knew Raven liked, with modern touches to make it more functional. He hadn’t realised why he had been so insistent with the architects that there HAD to be a large porcelain claw foot tub, until he remembered the envious looks Raven had given the actress in a period drama who had been soaking in one. Even the walk in wardrobe had a ‘hers’ section with everything at the perfect height for someone Ravens size.

Looking around it now, he realised how oblivious he had been to his own feelings. How had he not realised he had been designing his inner sanctum to be comfortable for both himself and Raven? The rooms were a contrast of light and dark, like them. Of old world and modern, like them. It was a place he could imagine playing a videogame in bed while Raven leaned against him reading. Thoughts of bed and Raven brought up other images to mind but he squashed those down for now.

Trying to wrap his head around his own stupidity, BB went to his side of the wardrobe and got dressed for the day. He headed past the now empty photo wall, not wanting the others to guess exactly who owned the place just yet, and made his way to the kitchen where Raven and Star were eating breakfast.

“Good morning to you on this glorious day, friend Beast Boy!” BB chuckled as he was almost tackled by the perky alien girl. He looked over her shoulder to Raven who was doing her best to ignore him. He sometimes wondered how the two woman could be such close friends when they were so different, and not just their personalities. Star was wearing a cheerful yellow singlet top and a light denim skirt and white wedges that made her almost the same height as him, while Raven was wearing a dark purple hoodie and black leggings with black flats. He returned the hug and moved towards the fridge. “I’m going to make tofu eggs; anyone want some?” They both replied in the negative and he carefully pulled out the ingredient to get started. “Does anyone know who owns this place?” Raven’s question caused BB to pause for a moment before he started to cook up his ‘eggs’.

“I am not sure, though the room where I am residing is most comfortable. Is your room not to your taste?” BB’s ears perked up as he listened for her answer. When he had found out that Raven had needed to be put in a safe house, he had balked at Batman’s’ idea that she should stay in Gotham until it was all over. After just finding her again, the idea of her slipping through his fingers before he had a chance to talk to her, be near her, had set his Beast on edge.

Instead he had quickly taken Dick aside and suggested his place near the Jump U campus. Dick had resisted at first, but it was under an alias and in a city the whole team was familiar with, and since BB owned the whole building it had top of the line security. Best of all, Terra knew nothing about it so it was safer than a lot of alternatives. Dick had agreed to suggest it as their safe house and had sworn not to mention who it belonged to.

Since he rarely stayed here, only the main rooms and his bedroom had been furnished. He’d had to go out and furnish the other 3 bedrooms before the others got here so they didn’t all have to share his room. He wouldn’t have minded if it had just been Raven, but sharing a room with a fighting couple, especially Dick and Star, was not high on his bucket list.

He had made sure to think of the comfort of the people he was buying the furniture for. Star’s room was bright and airy mixture of blues and light pine, Dicks was a mixture of blacks and blues that would also work for Cy when Dick got his head out of his arse and apologised to Star. Raven’s was a dark mix of purples and walnut furniture. He had made sure that Roy and Wally moved all of her stuff out of storage so she felt comfortable there. He secretly hoped that if she felt enough at home, she wouldn’t want to leave.

BB supressed a small smirk at the happy sigh Raven gave. “My room is just fine Star. I guess Roy and Wally knew I was going to be staying here so they brought a lot of the stuff I had moved out of the Tower and brought them here.” BB realised what she had just admitted and turned in time to see Raven realising her mistake as Stars face fell. “You moved your possessions out of the Tower? Why did no-one tell me this?” Raven went to speak but BB cut her off. “Sorry Star, but you’ve had enough on you plate with the whole fight with Dick about Batgirl, I didn’t want to add to it.” Raven looked at him with a raised eyebrow and decided to explain their teammates fight instead of answering the question of how he knew she had moved stuff out of her room.

“Dick apparently forgot to mention to Star that he and Batgirl were more than just friends when he was still Robin in Gotham, even going so far as to invite her to the wedding before Star found out.” Star sniffed “She was one of his oats.” Raven looked between him and Star and he could see she was warring between asking what the hell Star was talking about and laughing her ass of at the seriously obscure statement.

“She means that Barb was one the wild oats he sowed in his youth before he met Star. Dick doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with inviting Barbara to the wedding and Stars upset because he’s living up to his name.” Raven nodded and gave a small smile at his last statement.

God how he missed that smile.

Both of them looked over at Star as she glared at a magazine she had brought out of her large purple tote she had brought with her. BB frowned as Raven moved behind her friend and sighed. Star jumped and looked at Raven guiltily as she dropped the magazine on the counter and rushed to her room. BB moved to go after her when Raven put up her hand. “Let me.” BB watched as Raven ascended the stairs to the bedrooms. BB looked over to the magazine and cursed under his breath. What a mess.

*****

Raven sighed internally as she followed her weeping friend to her room, saying a few choice words under her breath. “Star, why are you suddenly so…sensitive about Dick and Barbara? You had to have known you weren’t his first girlfriend.” Star stared at her hands as she picked at a stray thread on the hem of her denim skirt as she sat on the edge of the large light blue bed. “It is no surprise to me that other females would see the things I so admire in him, no.” Raven sat near her friend, still wary about getting too close to people but knew if she kept too much distance it would upset Star more. “Then what is it?” Star sighed and clasped her hands in her lap. “I believe it is that she is someone who has not only known him for a longer period of time, but also knows a great deal more about him than I do.” Star paused and Raven waited for her to continue.

“Dick introduced me to her the second time we ventured to Gotham as a couple, and it was obvious that the two were very…close. To find out just how close gives me an upset feeling inside to know that not only was he with her how he is with me, but that she was permitted to see more of him than I ever have.”

Raven snorted, “I’m pretty sure you’ve seen every inch of him at this point Kori.” The Tamaranean looked at her and giggled as she blushed. “You know that is not what I meant.” Star stopped giggling and sighed.

“She has known him since he was young, has battled beside him as I have done but she was there with him as he learnt and stumbled where I have only seen the results of his training and hard-work. She was there when he was adjusting to a new family when I have only seen the detachment he keeps to protect himself as he learnt to do from his father. She is the one he confides in and who knows what he is thinking because they were taught to think and reason by the same mentor while I am the one he conceals things from and ‘protects’ from seeing behind the mask he hides behind. She is the one he lets close; I am the one he keeps at a distance. To know that she was all of those things to him and also a lover…how am I to compete with a woman who is more a soul-mate to my future husband than I am?” Star burst into tears and Raven didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t realise that Star felt so left out of Dick’s life and she could understand how it would be upsetting to feel like the other woman in your own relationship.

“Star, don’t you think if Dick wanted to keep having that kind of relationship with her he would have?” Star sniffed and moved to the computer Cy had installed in her room. “He left Gotham for reasons he has never confided to me. He and Barbara separated when he came to Jump City. That separation was only temporary.” Star pulled up photos dating back 9 years. They were of tabloid photos of Dick and Barbara posing at black-tie events, candids of them at parks and the usual teenage date spots. All of them showed the pair looking very cosy and close, some of the candids even showed the pair kissing when they probably thought no-one was looking.

“Star, you can’t damn him for a relationship he had before the two of you even met, let alone started dating.” Star didn’t say a word.  She pulled up a more recent photo, a copy of the one she had been staring at earlier dated a year after Tokyo. In the photo Dick and Barbara were side by side at a charity event hosted by Bruce Wayne himself. Neither of them were looking at the camera, Dick was smiling as Barbara was whispering something in his ear. Their leader looked handsome in his tux and the beautiful red-head looked stunning in a form-fitting slinky navy blue dress. “You only just found these? I thought you were all over celebrity gossip when it had to do with superheroes, you’re usually as bad as Beast Boy.” Star looked away and hung her head. “I admit I saw them when they first appeared, but was reassured by Di…Nightwing that the media was ‘rotating it to sell papers’. That was when I believed they had only ever been friends. Now I feel doubt in my heart and it pains me to feel such a thing for my fiancé before our wedding has even taken place.”

Raven ran a hand through her hair, trying to think of the best way to reassure her friend without sending her into another flood of tears. “Have you actually told him how you feeling, or have you just been giving him the silent treatment?” Star raised her head, and Raven was saddened to see how close her friend was to breaking down. “I tried to speak to him about my unease but he was very defensive and insisted that his past was private and had little bearing on the present. I have tried to communicate with him about these feelings since then but he is so busy with reports, training and patrol schedules, and searching for the people trying to hurt us…I feel that taking time from these things would only end in an argument and continued distance. I do not wish for him to feel pressured by my presence in his life.”

Raven tentatively engulfed the other woman in a hug, careful to keep her shields in place. “You aren’t a bother to him, Kori. He loves you and I think the tension is only going to get worse if you two don’t talk about it. You know how he gets; he retreats behind his defences sometimes and it takes a monumental disaster for him to admit he might have done something wrong; like say, not mentioning that his close friend he invited to your wedding is actually a close friend/ex-girlfriend.”

Star rested her head on Raven’s shoulder and sighed. “I know you are right friend Raven. If we cannot communicate now, there is little hope for our marriage. I just do not want him to wake up one day and realise he married me because he believed he had to, not because he truly loved me. I do not wish our marriage to be a darkness he carries within his heart.” Star hugged Raven, thankfully not breaking any bones, and the two sat in comfortable silence as they watched horror movies in Stars’ room for the rest of the afternoon.

*****

BB watched Raven follow Star out of the room with a frown. He had noticed that the closer they got to her wedding day, the sadder Star seemed to get. BB looked at the magazine and frowned, hearing soft footsteps approaching. “Hey BB, what have you got there?” BB looked up from the picture of Nightwing and Batgirl incognito and glared at Dick and showed him the magazine.

Dick rolled his eyes and flopped onto the couch. “Don’t show that to Star, you’ll just get her upset again. I’m getting really tired of her making something out of me and Barb.” BB repressed a growl at his ‘fearless leaders’ cavalier attitude towards his future wife’s insecurities. “Too late, it’s her magazine.” Dick sighed and dropped his head on the back of the couch. “Crap. I was hoping today was going to be argument free.” BB honestly couldn’t believe what he was hearing and told his friend just that.

“Look, I don’t really want yours or anyone else’s opinions on this. This ridiculousness is between me and Star so butt out of it.” It’s like he’s never met you. As much as he wanted to punch his friend until he removed his head from his arse, BB thought it would probably go better if he tried a more…diplomatic approach. As Plan A anyway. Plan B would likely be more violent. “You’re telling me you have no empathy for where Star is coming from? None at all?” Dick looked away, but shook his head. Stubborn prick.

“Do you remember when Star said she was leaving the Titans because she was going back to Tamarin to get married? You flipped out! Then she told us she had never even met the guy she was supposed to marry? And that she was a princess? And then we found out it was all some power grab by Blackfire and all hell broke loose?” BB rolled his eyes as Dick shrugged his shoulders. BB didn’t miss how his friend tensed at the mention of Star almost being married to someone else, large green slime monster or not. “What about when we met Val Yor and we were hanging on his every word? Until we realised that Troq was anything but a form of endearment?” It was Dick’s turn to growl under his breath as he remembered the silver alien that had belittled their friend right under their noses.

“What’s your point Beast Boy?” BB sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “My point is: how you view the world and certain things like say; the relationships between your fiancé and his friend, can change depending on the information you have. It was one thing when you invited your childhood friend and former Bat-sidekick to your and Kori’s wedding. It’s another thing entirely when you invite a woman you are not only extremely close to but also have had a long term romantic relationship with, to your wedding without telling your future wife that Barbara is your ex until AFTER Star figured it out herself. Add to that that Star is probably feeling wary about the fact that this is just another thing to add to the never-ending list titled ‘Things I didn’t know about my future husband’ and I’d say you don’t really have a leg to stand on in this fight. Face it; you messed up bad this time dude.” BB watched as Dick tried to come up with a reason he was still right in this situation. “Whether or not Barb and I used to date shouldn’t matter. I’m marrying Star. If she really trusted me, it shouldn’t make a difference whether Barb and I were just friends or…more.”

Dick did not look happy when BB started to laugh. “Dude, it would be like me inviting Terra to my wedding without telling my would-be bride that we had this whole twisted friends/ lovers/ enemy’s relationship thing that would make Shakespeare envious. Try to imagine the situation in reverse; If Star was friends with a guy she had known since she was practically a kid, a guy she grew up with and was pretty much the only person who saw every side of who she was, sides she showed you very little of, and invited him to your wedding you would probably be fine with it. Maybe a little jealous of their relationship but you’d go along with it to make her happy.” BB paused to make sure Dick was still paying attention.

“Now imagine if you found out they weren’t just close friends, but had been dating hot and heavy, off and on for years before Star left Tamarin and came to Earth, and even after she called Jump City her home. Would you still be fine with it knowing he was probably her first love, her first kiss and possibly her first…you know. Can you look me in the eye and tell me it wouldn’t seriously damage your faith in her and by extension your relationship for not telling you something that important before you sent out the invites?” BB could see Dick cracking and decided to push his point home. He picked up the discarded magazine and showed Dick the photo again. “If it was Star and the other man in this photo, could you really tell me you would completely trust that they felt nothing but friendship for each other anymore?” Dick took a long hard look at the picture before he stood up and left the room.

“Bout time someone explained it to him. If it was me though, I would have just punched him.” BB smiled as Cy leaned in the opposite doorway than Dick had just left through. “That was Plan B.”

*****

Raven debated whether or not to interfere in her friends love life. Being a confidant and sounding board to her orange friend was one thing, going a step further and calling her friends fiancé on his bullshit was another. Being both of their friend helped ease her conscious as she found Dick sitting on the roof of the townhouse, looking out at the sunset in concentration. “I thought you might be up here.” Raven glided up behind him and waited for him to acknowledge her.

“You’re not supposed to be up here, you’re under house arrest. So, if you’re here to tell me why Starfire and my fight is all my fault, BB beat you to it.” Hearing that BB had already confronted him made a little spark ignite in her heart. Now’s not the time to pine over how sweet Gar is to his friends, tear bird-boy a new one already. Raven did an internal eye-roll at Anger’s thirst for pain, but acknowledged now was not the time to focus on BB.

Star and Dick needed to sort this out or there might not be a wedding. No pink and frilly bridesmaid dress. Raven pushed the thought aside and concentrated on the man in front of her.

“I don’t know what BB said to you. I don’t really think there is anything I can say to you that will get you to change your point of view. This isn’t about me, or Beast Boy or Cyborg. This isn’t about the Titans or saving the world. This is about you and Kori, and whether either of you has the courage to start a difficult conversation when both of you are so afraid to delve into what is really at the heart of this. So I’m not going to say anything. Instead I’m going to give you this and I hope it makes things a little clearer.” Raven placed the crystal ball she had used to capture her and Star’s conversation earlier when she had followed her friend into her room. She usually hated to make that sort of thing without asking the other persons’ consent first, but Raven knew deep down that Star would never admit these particular insecurities to Dick because she worried they would make him view her as weak or whiney and therefore an unsuitable wife. An old fear carried over from her upbringing on Tamarin. Raven moved towards the door, pausing only slightly as her own voice carried out to her across the rooftop.

“Star, why are you suddenly so…sensitive about Dick and Barbara?”