Richard groaned, rubbing his eyes. He'd been staring at the screen in the Batcave for the last 4 hours. "Dick?" a voice came from the darkness, nearly startling the Boy Wonder.

"Hey, Bruce," Dick grunted.

"You're still up?" Bruce asked with a raised brow as he removed his cowl.

"Am I stuck in a twilight zone?" Dick asked aloud. "A present appears on my bed, Bruce. On. My. Bed. That means someone got into the manor undetected. Why am I the only one worried about this?"

"No one got in the manor undetected, Richard," Bruce stated almost humorously. Richard studied him hard. "Is this a joke that I'm not in on?" Richard asked.

"What if, to put your mind at ease, I said it is a joke you're not in on," Bruce looked at him with a smile. Richard looked at Bruce blankly. Bruce walked towards the showers with a noticeable difference in his gait. "You're hurt," Richard said. "How bad is it?"

"It's just a nick, no major arteries."

"You need Raven to heal it? I'm sure she wouldn't mind," Richard offered. Bruce gave his ward a wry glance. "Okay, she may feel a bit…weird about doing it," Richard said, "but she wouldn't say 'no.'"

"Thanks, but no thanks. And go to bed. Alfred said your spending more time on…this than with Raven."

"Why are you and Alfred so interested in my relationship with Raven?"

"We have a bet," Bruce answered with a shrug before disappearing down a hallway. Richard sat in silence, his mind processing what he'd just heard. "What?" he said, his voice echoing throughout the cave. "I'm in the twilight zone," Richard muttered as he stood from the giant computer. "I'm in the twilight zone."


Richard walked sleepily into the kitchen, rubbing his tired eyes. Multiple voices could be heard coming from the kitchen, including the one voice that usually made his heart skip various beats in a row. "Morning, Master Richard. You're looking positively dapper today," Alfred greeted.

"Thanks, Alfred," Richard said as he sat at the kitchen table. Raven sat across from him, while Bruce sat two chairs away. Richard then felt a gentle tug in his mind. Richard looked up to see Raven staring intently at him. Oh, he opened his mind.

Are you okay? You look really tired, her voice slipped into his mind seamlessly. Richard gave her a kind smile before saying, "I'm okay."

"He was up until 4 a.m. researching that thing I told you about," Bruce said to Raven, who nodded minutely.

"Any luck?" Raven asked. The doorbell wrang before Richard had a chance to answer. "Allow me," Alfred said, leaving the kitchen.

"No," Richard said, "nothing."

"Well, Alfred said you and Raven went on a date last night," Bruce said easily. A coughing, hacking sound came from Raven, who had been swallowing tea. Richard looked at her with a raised brow. "You okay?" he asked, humor lacing his voice. She waved him off, saying she was okay, grabbing the glass of water nearby. "We went ice skating," Richard said, "Raven had never been."

"Your mother is from Gotham," Bruce looked at her. Raven nodded; a look of anxiety quickly flashed across her face. Richard quickly interjected. "She went to Gotham High," he said, "right, Raven?" Raven nodded, red coming to her cheeks. She hated being the center of attention, but Richard found the blush very adorable. "That's correct," Raven shyly placed her hair behind her ear. "She-"

"I have returned," Alfred stated, reentering the kitchen, cutting Raven off. Richard saw Raven breathe a sigh of relief. "Who was at the door, Alfred?" Bruce asked.

"A package for Master Dick," Alfred revealed a small shipment box. The kitchen grew quiet, the only sound coming from a drafty window. Richard slowly reached for it. "It came with a bouquet, but I put them in Master Bruce's room already."

"Gee, thanks, Alfred," Bruce deadpanned.

"Your room needed a spritz of color." Richard continued staring at the brown box in his hand as Bruce and Alfred's conversation became background noise. "Richard," Richard's eyes shot to Raven. Her face gave nothing away, but her eyes said she was worried. Giving it no second thought, Richard opened the box. Of course, a note. These colly's parents had twins. Two black origami birds, but one was different. One had a small purple gemstone for an eye. Richard looked up at Raven, who was watching him with an unreadable expression. "…came from Smith's Flower Shop," Alfred was saying. Richard stood from the table. "I think I'll pay them a visit today," Richard said.

"Ahem," Alfred grunted, getting Richard's attention. Richard stared at Alfred and Bruce, both silently telling him to look at Raven in their own different ways. Richard did. She had an origami bird in her hand, studying it. "I mean we," Richard stated loudly. "Raven," she looked up at him, "want to go to a flower shop?" Raven's face told him she did not like that idea at all. Instead, she said, "Sure." Richard smiled brightly at Alfred and Bruce, who both stared at him in exasperation. Richard shrugged before leaving the kitchen. They'll get over it.


The drive to Smith's Flower Shop was long and quiet. Richard was deep in thought, ignoring the probing stares Raven kept surreptitiously throwing his way. They eventually stopped in front of a small shop, placed snuggly between a large department store and a furniture store. "Huh," Raven spoke, interrupting Richard's introspective silence.

"What?" Richard asked as he placed the car in park.

"I just expected it to be bigger," Raven answered with a slight blush. "I mean…they delivered to Wayne Manor, and the place is a good hour drive." Raven looked around. They were in the suburbs of Gotham, no longer in the city. The air smelled cleaner; the sun shone brighter; the snow glistened brilliantly. "The last time I was in Gotham with my parents, my father brought flowers for my mother. He brought them from here." Oh. Raven nodded. "We don't have to go in," Raven placed a comforting hand on Richard's shoulder. He smiled at her. "I'm okay." They unbuckled their seatbelts, Raven bracing herself for the cold air that was going to hit her skin. "I hate the cold," Raven muttered as she and Richard crossed the street. He grabbed her hand with a laugh and began to run. Raven chuckled as she kept with him. They both burst through the door of the shop, a bell announcing their presence. "Hello and welcome to Smith's Flower Shop," a young voice called out. Raven stared at the massive array of flowers around her. A meta had to be running this shop as most of the flowers were out of season. Raven let go of Richard's hand and began perusing the shop. Richard walked straight up to the counter. "Hello, how can I – omigosh!" the very young girls screeched at the top of her lungs. Richard visibly flinched, the sound grating his and the other customer's ears. "Sorry, sorry," she apologized to everyone. "Wow," she gasped, her large blue eyes taking in Richard's figure. "This is amazing," she gushed. "When the order came in today, I thought it was for sure a joke, but it was real."

"Yes," Richard smiled, preparing to catch the girl should she pass out. "I have a question about that order." The girl smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Who placed the order?" he asked. The girl's face scrunched in confusion. "There's usually a card…" her voice trailed off.

"Yeah," Richard scratched the back of his head, faking a shy smile. "There was no name, but I'm sure you keep a record of who pays." He leaned on the counter with a head tilt. "Valentina," he read her nametag. Richard swore Valentina was about to swoon.

"We don't usually do that," the girl giggled. She had to be 16 at the very least.

"Please," Richard inwardly hurled.

"Okay," she caved, "give me a sec." Richard mouthed 'thank you' to her before turning and leaning back on the counter. Where was Raven? His eyes found her standing in front of a window, the sun shining on her magically dyed black hair just so. His heart pounded in his chest. She was beautiful. Her eyes shot up, catching his stare. She raised a brow at him. He answered with a shrug. "So," Valentina said, "the computer just locked me out. I guess the pay logs are above my pay raise," she chuckled. "But let me get grandpa. He'd love to help you."

"Wait-" Richard said as Valentina scurried away. This was not going well. He should have hacked them. "I'm sorry, sir," a tall, kind, old man appeared from the back, followed by a sheepish Valentina. "I don't know what my granddaughter told you," he eyed her, "but I am afraid we can be of no help. We practice utmost discretion. Many of our customers like to remain anonymous," he smiled kindly. Richard didn't let the disappointment show on his face. "But would you like to buy a bouquet or two for someone special?" Richard opened his mouth to say no, but he thought better of it. He had dragged Raven an hour away from the manor in this fruitless endeavor. Upon entering the shop, Richard had noticed most of the flowers were out of season and not indigenous to this region, meaning someone in the Smith family was a meta. "You wouldn't happen to have any Queen of the Night tulips or purple calla lilies?" The older man smiled widely. "How many?" he asked.


Raven didn't know how long she'd been perusing the flower shop that looked deceivingly small on the outside. Since her time on Earth, she'd never been in the midst of so many flowers. It reminded her of Azarath. It reminded her of her – a dark, single flower appeared in her line of sight, making her jump. "For you," a voice said from behind her. Raven's body immediately relaxed once she realized it was Richard. "You bought me a flower?" Raven asked, turning to face him. Her face instantly heated when she realized how close they were to each other. "Thank you," Raven took the flower from Richard's hand, their fingers brushing together. Raven's heart sped up at the contact. Richard smiled. "I bought you a bouquet," Richard rocked back on his heels, "but they won't be delivered until the 23rd or 24th." Raven took a gentle step back, red covering her cheeks. "Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked.

"No," Richard said, turning his body to the door. "I didn't. Confidentiality."

"Want me to make them tell you?" Raven offered.

"No, but thanks," he smiled, holding the door open for her. The two quickly made their way to the car. As soon as they entered the vehicle, Richard turned the heat on full blast. "What now?" Raven asked, her fingers gently stroking the flower.

"What would you like to do?" Richard asked. He suddenly remembered their conversation from breakfast. "Your mother," Raven turned her eyes to Richard's, "did she have any hobbies or places she liked to visit?" Raven's back straightened. "She told me she would sometimes go to the art gallery section of the Met and sketch or read."

"Then that's where we go next."


Richard couldn't help but smile as Raven perused the many pieces of art lining the wall. She spent time studying each one, and she still held the flower in her hand. Richard wondered if she knew she was still holding it. She approached another painting, and Richard immediately noticed her body stiffen. Raven stood, frozen, in front of a picture of a ballerina. Richard walked to stand beside her. He didn't say anything. He only studied the painting in front of him. After several seconds, Raven released a breathy sigh before saying, "My mother…it was the last thing she ever sketched for me. She said Alexander Sheversky was her favorite painter."

"Do you have any of her sketches?" Richard asked softly. Raven shook her head silently. He peered at her. "You don't sketch, do you?" he asked, "I've never seen you draw." Raven snorted. "I don't have an artistic bone in my body," Raven smiled as she moved onto the next painting.

"I find that very hard to believe," Richard followed.

"Trust me," Raven said, "I tried to draw my mother's face once, from memory. I…I don't have any pictures of her," she admitted shyly. "Anyway, it came out looking like a moldy, melted cantaloupe."

"A moldy, melted cantaloupe?" Richard laughed. "That's very specific."

"It was not good," Raven said. Richard spent the remainder of their museum time asking Raven questions, learning about Raven, and falling in love with Raven.


Once again, they returned to the manor late and then spent even more time with each other in the massive library. Richard wasn't able to return to his research until a little after 2 a.m. Leaning back in the computer chair, thinking about how much fun he had with Raven while absentmindedly rewatching security tapes, he was finally able to think of a gift for her while he played with a colly. He was smiling to himself when his feet hit the ground in shock. He paused the video. He now understood that…thing that had been bugging his subconscious whenever he watched these videos. But he didn't understand. He stared at the paper bird in his hand before returning his searching eyes to the screen. Was that shadow in the shape of…a bird?